The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be on the up and up thanks to the reinstatement of Bob Iger as Disney CEO and the critically successful release of Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and—most recently—Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but that hasn’t stopped people from being worried about what’s to come and the failure or success of Avengers: Doomsday. This is especially true regarding the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as the villain of the film, Doctor Doom. The fan response to this news was and still is unlike any kind of reaction Marvel has gotten for their MCU projects ever.

As stated, though, the MCU and Marvel Studios are on the uphill climb to where they were before Phases Four and Five, so all hope is not lost for Avengers: Doomsday and the following film, Avengers: Secret Wars. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo need to really blow people away with the fifth Avengers movie to fully win fans back to the MCU, as it’s the project with the most hesitation behind it from audiences. However, the Russo Brothers made the extremely excellent Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, so there’s a good chance they can pull this off. There are things they need to make sure they do, though, if they’re going to win the MCU fans back completely. This really is a make-or-break movie for Marvel, and there’s no doubt that they already know it.

10

Balance the ensemble

Image via Marvel Studios

If one thing is true about the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, and the MCU as a whole, it’s that there’s a gigantic cast that always seems to be growing. If the fifth Avengers installment is going to manage a cast that large, the directors are going to need to employ the same strategies they did with the last few entries if they’re going to keep things feeling streamlined and not too jumbled.

What made the likes of Avengers: Infinity War work so well was the fact that they managed to balance their large ensemble cast—keeping every character important, without them overstaying their welcome. Was Avengers: Infinity War lightning in a bottle (since Avengers: Endgame had a much smaller main cast)? Only time will tell.

9

Thrilling action

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Does anyone really have any doubts about whether Avengers: Doomsday is going to have great action? Marvel Studios films have always been pretty good about providing fast-paced and high-flying action, especially in all of the Russo Brothers’ Marvel projects. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room to fumble, though, and they need to keep up their pace with fight sequences if they’re going to keep people invested in Avengers: Doomsday. With all the new MCU characters that are being introduced, as well, they have all the chance in the world to provide new and exciting action scenes.

Characters like Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and his Ten Rings, The Fantastic Four, Namor (Tenoch Huerta), and many more have unique abilities that could add so much to choreography and visual spectacle. Team-ups between characters like these could allow the Russo Brothers to introduce fights like audiences have never seen before in the MCU, which would make these sequences super memorable, and that will allow Avengers: Doomsday to feel special. The war scenes they managed to pull off in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were so well-executed that it’s hard to believe they won’t bring good action to Avengers: Doomsday, though.

8

Bring a great cliffhanger ending

Image via Marvel Studios

If Avengers: Doomsday is the first part of a two-part story ending with Avengers: Secret Wars, then that would mean it’ll most likely have a similar format to Avengers: Infinity War—the first part to the ending of the Infinity Saga. What made the ending of that MCU movie so great was that it didn’t just end with a full-circle moment—thanks to Thanos (Josh Brolin) being the protagonist of that film—but simultaneously a cliffhanger, as well.

If they’re going to secure more butts in the seats of theaters showing Avengers: Secret Wars, they’ll want a similar cliffhanger at the end of this one. This obviously means that, more likely than not, Doctor Doom is going to take the win, and the remaining Avengers are going to have to pick up the pieces in the sixth movie.

7

Know their priorities

Image via Marvel Studios

If Marvel Studios and the Russo Brothers need to do one thing, it’s to keep their priorities in check. They need to know what the fans want and are looking for from Avengers: Doomsday, while still making decisions that are right for the story. There really shouldn’t be too much setup for stories outside of what’s to come right after in Avengers: Secret Wars, as it could really clutter the story. No one wants to take time to set up the next Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings film (even though they really should get on that) while Doctor Doom is threatening the universe—most likely the multiverse—for 99% of the runtime. A sequel to Shang-Chi’s film is just an example, but the reality is there.

With the soft reboot coming for the MCU after these next two Avengers films, there’s a chance that there won’t be anything to set up and distract from the core plot of Avengers: Doomsday, but they also run into another potential problem. They need to ensure they don’t focus too much on characters that don’t matter as much to the plot as others do. What made Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame great is that they gave smaller and less important characters moments to shine without taking away from the more important ones. After the snap, they only kept around characters that were absolutely necessary to tell the story in Avengers: Endgame, which served them incredibly well.

6

Stay away from nostalgia bait

Image via Marvel Studios

With so many characters coming back from previous franchises—like the X-Men—it can most definitely be really tempting to want to use nostalgia bait to get audiences excited, rather than good plot beats. The Russo Brothers haven’t had issues with this in the past two Avengers movies, but with the number of previous Marvel franchise characters coming back, the risk is definitely still there.

The inclusion of the 20th Century Fox universe characters—and other franchises, too, if one is to assume—is no fluke, and done for a reason. They want people to see their favorite old characters in the new The Avengers flick; they just have to ensure that they keep themselves from not giving them a good reason to be there. A movie that was amazing at this was Spider-Man: No Way Home, in the way that the old Spider-Man franchise characters all served the story in some way, shape, or form.

5

Give the VFX artists time to cook

Image via Marvel Studios

One of the biggest problems with Marvel for quite some time has been the fact that they have generally treated their VFX artists pretty poorly. This has led to shoddy visual effects at times, especially in the post-Avengers: Endgame era. Most notably, movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder, which are already movies that struggled to find quality in the first place. This isn’t the visual effects artists’ fault, though, as it’s commonly known that they are put under ridiculous time constraints, less-than-ideal working conditions, and are wrongfully blamed for the quality of effects. When a film studio lets its VFX artists have the time to pull off what they need to do successfully, they are always rewarded with some visually gorgeous scenes that are unforgettable.

Not only do they need to improve on this because it will only make their content better, but because it’s genuinely just the right thing to do, for the sake of their artists who are making their projects possible in the first place. So they won’t just get a better quality film out of it, but a lot more good faith from audiences everywhere who are upset with both the quality and the treatment of their hard-working artists. With the recent strikes, people are now more aware than ever of the kind of working conditions that artists can be treated to in the industry. Of all the issues Marvel Studios has had these last five years, this one is one of the biggest, most impactful, and most brand-damaging. This isn’t just crucial for winning fans back in Avengers: Doomsday, but for the entire future of the MCU. If this trend continues, it could spell really bad things for their public reputation, which, if ruined, could sink the ship for good—genuinely.

4

Make the past matter

Image via Marvel Studios

The biggest, most proclaimed worry among fans about Avengers: Doomsday is that, when it came to ending the Infinity Saga, there was a lot of buildup. Thanos may not have appeared much before his grand entrance in Avengers: Infinity War, but the likes of the Infinity Stones were being built up from what felt like day one—also known as when the Tesseract (the Space Stone) appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger.

The worry comes with the fact that, as far as fans know, there really hasn’t been any buildup to Avengers: Doomsday. There’s a chance that Doom’s been pulling the strings from behind the past two Phases, sure, but only time will tell—maybe he could be out for the many artifacts discovered in Phases Four and Five, like the Ten Rings. Fans and general audiences alike want to feel rewarded for watching the last grouping of films, and maybe they would have if they kept Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) around—who was being built up through both the Loki and Ant-Man franchises—but that’s no longer the case. So, the Russos have some real legwork to do if they’re going to make Doom feel earned.

3

Keep it focused

Image via Marvel Studios

With the number of characters being juggled in every The Avengers film, directors will always run the risk of their story becoming unfocused and scatterbrained. With how disjointed the MCU has felt since Avengers: Endgame, the chances of losing sight of things and getting distracted are higher than they have ever been before. With all the new characters coming into the fray who have major plots of their own, it could be far too easy to get sidetracked in a character’s introduction and exposition, or even a side plot that doesn’t have much to do with the main plot.

A great example of a time this has happened is the notorious Avengers: Age of Ultron, where the story is truly all over the board. It’s setting up the Infinity Stones, dealing with Ultron (James Spader), Vision’s (Paul Bettany) introduction, and developing a meaningless relationship between Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo)—far too many things coming together as one very convoluted plot. Even Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s biggest defenders can agree that this movie was done dirty with how many things it was trying to do, whether to the fault of Joss Whedon or Marvel Studios executives. Why did they insist on these meaningless extra plot lines? No one really knows. If a movie with fewer characters, like Avengers: Age of Ultron, could get as unfocused as it did, there’s a lot of fear when looking at a movie with a cast the size of Avengers: Doomsday.

2

Have genuine emotional weight

Image via Marvel Studios

It cannot be denied that The Avengers franchise—while filled with blockbuster spectacle—has always had a plethora of emotional weight behind its stories. A lot of this comes from the bond between the original team of Avengers, but with so many new characters being involved—who have never really interacted before—they’re going to have a hard time delivering the same kind of connectedness, which means they’ll need to find emotional weight in other corners of the plot.

There’s a large chance that Doctor Doom is going to have a horrifically tragic backstory, which would bring in a lot of emotional significance. Regardless of how it’s brought in, it needs to be present, regardless. Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars alike need to have a lot of emotional weight in their plot, and one can only hope the Russos really lock in on this.

1

Make Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom Work

Image via Marvel Comics

If there’s one thing that people are extremely vocal about when it comes to the next two The Avengers movies—Avengers: Doomsday, especially—it’s whether or not they’re going to be able to make the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom actually work. Ever since the casting announcement, it’s been an incredibly hot topic. How on Earth is Downey Jr. going to play Doctor Doom so soon after the end of his reign as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame? Why would they make the decision to cast him when there is a plethora of other actors who would absolutely own the role? These are two of hundreds of questions being asked by fans, general audiences, and critics alike.

It’s so out there that one can truly only make a judgment call after seeing the film (as trailers probably won’t depict exactly what they’re doing either). While there’s a gigantic chance they could fumble the bag, there’s just as big a chance that they rock the house and provide an intensely great villain. The Russo Brothers brought the world Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, so it’s hard to believe that they’ll suddenly drop the ball out of nowhere, and on a film with such grand importance. The chance is there, though, and the aspect of the film that has the biggest chance of making that happen is Doctor Doom. One can only hope that they have a very specific vision for Doom, and it’s simply something nobody could expect and that will work well because it’ll be so specific to this universe and never really done before.

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Avengers: Doomsday

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Release Date

December 18, 2026

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Runtime

165 Minutes

Writers

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Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers

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A science fantasy movie can have all the spaceships and cloned bodies in the universe, but the stuff that actually stays with you is always much smaller. It is the human stuff. A parent trying to protect their family, or an old hero trying to live with their own failures.

The best modern films in this genre treat their massive scale like a pressure cooker for the characters. You expect massive explosions, but the most important moments always come down to awkward conversations and personal choices that cannot be undone. These six movies absolutely nail that balance, so let’s break down exactly how they pull it off.

6

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Avatar: The Way of Water gets its emotional charge from making Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) feel helpless in a world he once seemed to understand. He has built a life in the forest, raised children, led a clan, and settled into the daily rhythm of family. Everything shatters the second the Sky People return with recombinant avatars carrying the memories of dead soldiers. As a result, the safest thing Jake can do is leave everything familiar behind.

That is where the movie becomes more affecting than people give it credit for. The Sully family’s move from the forest canopy to the open ocean feels huge because the children are visibly out of place. They gasp, kick awkwardly, fail to hold their breath, and look painfully small beside the reef clan’s effortless grace. At first glance, the ocean scenes just look gorgeous. But honestly, what really hooks you is how physical it all feels. You can practically feel the water on their skin, the panic of holding their breath, and the vibe of learning to move with the sea creatures. The whole movie eventually ditches the massive ‘save the planet’ mission. It just becomes about saving one family.

5

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)

Image via Marvel Studios

Guardians of the Galaxy enters like the exact opposite of noble space fantasy. The story starts with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who is a scavenger dancing through a ruined alien temple with a Walkman, stealing an orb like this is just another petty job. That ridiculous contrast is still the movie’s secret weapon. On the surface, he acts like a charming rogue, but everything about him is built around avoidance, such as the music, the jokes, the flirting, and the refusal to sit still with grief.

Once the bounty hits, the movie starts throwing broken people into each other at full speed. Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Drax (Dave Bautista), and Quill spend half the time shoving, insulting, side-eyeing, and threatening each other. They are a total disaster. It takes a while before they become anything close to a team. The space-prison breakout is the perfect expression of that chaos. There is no clean heroism here. Just improvised violence, bad planning, and weird trust forming under pressure. Don’t get me wrong, the cosmic plot is massive, but underneath it all, these losers are lonely in very specific ways. And weirdly enough, that is exactly why they somehow become a family, completely against their own instincts.

4

‘Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi’ (2017)

Image via Lucasfilm

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi is the rare franchise film brave enough to stare directly at its own legend. It follows Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who has become the story everyone else tells about him, and the man himself can barely stand the weight of it. On Ahch-To, he is tired, bitter, soaked by island rain, and committed to disappearing. Then Rey (Daisy Ridley) arrives with the lightsaber, the symbol, and the demand. She expects the impossible. She wants him to become “Luke Skywalker” again.

The toss over the shoulder is still a brilliant shock because it announces the film’s real subject immediately. This story cares less about worshiping heroism than examining what happens when a hero survives long enough to hate the myth built around him. You can literally see it in the performance. Hamill’s slumped posture, his avoidance, his irritation with Rey, and his shame over Ben Solo (Adam Driver) make Luke feel painfully human. But despite all that baggage, he eventually finds a way forward that doesn’t erase his mistakes. That is exactly why taking that stand on the salt flats is a quiet, defiant mic drop. It is just an exhausted legend choosing hope entirely on his own terms.

3

‘Poor Things’ (2023)

Image via Searchlight Pictures

Poor Things turns a coming-of-age story into something strange, funny, grotesque, and completely liberating. Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) begins inside Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe)’s controlled home, awkwardly navigating the rooms while she tries to figure out how her own limbs work. Since she is basically starting from zero, her stiff walk, blunt speech, appetite, curiosity, and total lack of social embarrassment make every early scene feel alive with discovery. She is watched, studied, guided, and contained. But she is never truly owned. The men around her just assume she is.

The film snaps open once Bella leaves that monochrome world. Color floods in almost rudely, and suddenly she wants food, sex, language, travel, danger, cruelty, politics, mistakes, pleasure, and knowledge. Her body changes with her mind. That clunky Frankenstein walk smooths out into total control. She goes from being a sheltered science project to a real person. And, she is absolutely done apologizing. Seriously, that constant leveling-up is exactly why the movie hits so hard. It just keeps outgrowing its own setup. After chewing through enough of the world, she finally dictates what kind of person she is going to be.

2

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

Image via A24

Everything Everywhere All at Once starts with the least glamorous crisis imaginable. Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) just wants to survive an IRS audit. She is exhausted, irritated, behind on paperwork, worried about her father, distant from her husband, and unable to talk to her daughter without turning love into criticism. Then Waymond (Ke Huy Quan)’s body suddenly becomes someone else’s, an earpiece appears, and the dull office building starts cracking open into a multiverse.

The movie’s chaos is funny, but the reason it actually wrecks you is Evelyn’s face. She is a woman whose brain is already overloaded before reality starts splintering. Every absurd action, every fight, every alternate life, every ridiculous jump only matters because Evelyn keeps seeing versions of herself that made different choices. The IRS desk clutter becoming a martial-arts battlefield is great, but Joy (Stephanie Hsu)’s pain is the anchor. No matter how weird things get with the bagel, the rocks, the laundromat, the taxes, and the reconciliation. All of it just comes down to a mother finally choosing empathy. She lets go.

1

‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Dune: Part Two is the modern science fantasy epic that every other movie in the genre now has to survive being compared to. The plot kicks off with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in the deep desert as a displaced royal heir trying to learn Fremen ways without fully surrendering to the role waiting for him. Despite his best efforts to just blend in, he watches, listens, trains, fails, adapts, and tries to stay human while everyone around him keeps turning his survival into proof of prophecy.

That gradual shift is what makes the film terrifying. Paul’s transformation is a slow burn. Instead of a sudden change, the sand, silence, rituals, and religious expectation are allowed to tighten around him scene by scene. That tension peaks during his first sandworm ride, which is completely overwhelming just because of how physical it feels before it ever becomes symbolic. It grounds you in the thumper pounding, the worm rising, and Paul fighting to stay attached under the desert sun. Then his body language changes. The hesitant student becomes a commander, and the young man terrified of a holy war suddenly starts using belief as a weapon. He becomes the myth. Once he actually starts shouting orders and seizing power, the awe has completely curdled into dread. The film is inevitably magnificent because its beauty is inseparable from the horror of watching Paul become exactly what he feared.

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Dune: Part Two

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Release Date

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February 27, 2024

Runtime

167 minutes

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Director

Denis Villeneuve

Writers

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Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert

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Before Netflix’s groundbreaking sci-fi epic Stranger Things turned him into a household name, David Harbour spent years turning up in bit roles in major blockbusters. He appeared in the tear-jerking Western Brokeback Mountain; Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond, Quantum of Solace; and reunited with Jake Gyllenhaal for the gritty crime thriller End of Watch. He even appeared in Tom Cruise’s War of the Worlds, but his scenes were cut from the finished product. Then, 2016 came around, and the Duffer Brothers turned Harbour into a star.

Harbour has retired from his career-defining role as Hopper, but has turned in several leading performances since leaving the Upside Down. After an ill-advised turn as Hellboy in a largely forgotten 2019 remake, Harbour’s roles in Black Widow and Thunderbolts* helped him find his footing again. His MCU run is only getting bigger, as he will appear as Red Guardian in Avengers: Doomsday in December.

In 2022, David Harbour turned in an iconic performance that has landed an upcoming sequel alongside Kristen Bell. The original film, Violent Night, is now charting on HBO Max along with another of Harbour’s leading roles. Harbour plays a dragged out, alcoholic version of Santa that must take on a gang of mercenaries (led by John Leguizamo) after they take a wealthy family hostage. On a budget of roughly $20 million, Violent Night went on to earn $76 million worldwide, and is now part of the alternative-Christmas viewing must-watch list, at an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also stars Beverly D’Angelo (National Lampoon’s Vacation), Cam Gigandet (The Hunting Wives), Alex Hassell (Rivals), and Alexis Louder (The Terminal List).

David Harbour Is Also Taking Over the TV Charts

Harbour is not only taking over the HBO Max movie charts with Violent Night, but his 2026 miniseries DTF St. Louis, co-starring Jason Bateman and Linda Cardellini, is also making waves in the TV category. The seven-episode miniseries follows two friends whose marriages have stalled, prompting them to download an app for discreet affairs. It begins as an exploration of middle age and relationships, but the tragicomedy turns much darker and unfolds into a murder mystery. It boasts an 89% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and also just won an Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series, which is likely to give the show a nice bump in the streaming charts.

Violent Night and DTF St. Louis are both streaming on HBO Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

December 2, 2022

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Runtime

101 minutes

Director

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Tommy Wirkola

Writers

Pat Casey, Josh Miller

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The newly announced partner to Tom Cruise in Day of Thunder 2, Anne Hathaway, is currently having the busiest year of her career. Soon, she will debut her final big-screen installment of a huge 2026, as she reunites with director Michael Showalter — who previously directed her in Prime Video’s The Idea of You — in Verity, the latest in a flurry of Colleen Hoover adaptations on the big screen. Verity will also star the likes of Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett​​​​, and promises to be the darkest Hoover adaptation yet.

Verity is Hathaway’s fifth and final film of a year in which she is also expecting her third child. This all began with her most underrated performance of 2026 in the criminally underseen Mother Mary. She then rejoined Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt for The Devil Wears Prada 2, which was called “a near-perfect blend of nostalgia and newness” by Collider’s own Taylor Gates, before setting her sights on the film that might just come to define 2026: Christopher Nolan‘s historical epic The Odyssey.

As Penelope, Hathaway stole several scenes in The Odyssey, as she waited for Matt Damon‘s King of Ithaca to return whilst silently overseeing his kingdom. The film has outperformed even the highest expectations many had for it, being considered a lock for most of the major Academy Awards categories for next year and also grossing more than $1.7 billion worldwide, which marks a record for most involved. Following The Odyssey, and before tackling Verity, Hathaway dropped her most bonkers film of the year, one that has now become an instant hit on streaming.

‘The End of Oak Street’ is an Instant Streaming Hit

In the Spielberg-esque sci-fi thriller The End of Oak Street, Hathaway joins Star Wars legend Ewan McGregor to fight a prehistoric threat as her quiet suburban life is inexplicably transported through time. The End of Oak Street ultimately disappointed during its theatrical run, earning just $120 million against a reported budget of $85 million. Thankfully, its recent move to streaming has already paid off, as The End of Oak Street currently ranks as the most-watched movie on the Apple TV store in the U.S.

Anne Hathaway’s next feature, Verity, debuts on October 2. For all the latest movie news, stay tuned to Collider.

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Release Date

August 14, 2026

Runtime

100 minutes

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Director

David Robert Mitchell

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Writers

David Robert Mitchell

Producers

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David Robert Mitchell, Hannah Minghella, J.J. Abrams, Jon Cohen, Matt Jackson, Tommy Harper

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If sneakers have been dominating your fall wardrobe, Jessica Alba might convince you to give them a day off. The actress just stepped out in chunky black loafers that made even the simplest basics look expensive. With their platform sole and classic shape, they have the rich-lady energy we want from fall shoes.

On September 13, Alba stepped out wearing $395 Margaux platform loafers with cropped black pants, a crisp white button-up and oversized sunglasses. The shoes gave her simple outfit a luxe finishing touch while adding some height without a heel. Luckily, we found a similar style on Amazon for $36.

Get the Fitory Slip-On Platform Penny Loafers for $36 (Was $43) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

The Fitory Slip-On Platform Penny Loafers capture the same elevated look for a fraction of the price. They have a chunky lug sole, block heel, round toe and faux suede patent vegan leather finish. They also come in black, cream, brown suede and more shades, in sizes 6 to 11.

Related: Nicole Kidman Cosigned Jennifer Aniston’s Go-to Adidas Sneakers

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There are certain sneaker styles that celebrities just can’t seem to quit — and this pair may have more staying power than most. Nicole Kidman is the latest A-lister to reach for the retro style, following in the footsteps of Jennifer Aniston, who has made them part of her off-duty rotation. When two of Hollywood’s […]

Shoppers say they’re easy to style, too. One reviewer called them “really versatile,” noting that they work with “everything from jeans to trousers or dresses.” Throw them on with denim for errands, trousers for work or a dress for an easy fall outfit.

The platform sole also gives you extra height without committing to uncomfortable heels. Another buyer called them “an absolute wardrobe staple,” saying the platform heel “easily elongates the legs while remaining practical for all-day wear.” That combination makes them especially appealing for busy fall days.

Pair them with cropped trousers and a button-up to channel Alba’s rich-lady aesthetic, or use them to instantly elevate jeans and a tee. At just $36, they deliver the luxe loafer look without spending nearly $400 on Alba’s pair. Your sneakers might finally have some competition.

Get the Fitory Slip-On Platform Penny Loafers for $36 (Was $43) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.

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

UsNow Fall Sale Alert: These chic fashion finds are up to 60% off – plus free shipping

Welcome to fall with our biggest sale of the season. Our favorite dresses, tops, handbags, and shoes are all on sale + free shipping. Inventory is limited so hurry before they’re gone.

Shop the UsNow Fall Sale —>

Related: Move Over, Jeans! Jennifer Garner Made Striped Overalls a Fall Must

Jennifer Garner made a strong case for giving our jeans a few weekends off this fall. Overalls might not be the first thing we reach for once sweater weather hits, but the actress reminded Us just how effortlessly cool they can look for farmers’ market runs, apple picking days and everything in between. Naturally, we went […]

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Russell Crowe is setting himself up for a very successful 2026. After bringing his WWII passion project Nuremberg to theaters, and earning plenty of acclaim in the process, Crowe is set to once again bring the entertainment with The Weight, a gritty Western alongside Ethan Hawke; the upcoming Netflix true-crime original, Unabomber; the fantasy epic with Game of Thrones‘ Rose Leslie, The Last Druid; and, perhaps most anticipated of all, the Highlander reboot alongside Henry Cavill. Crowe has already posted on social media about training to get into Gladiator shape for the latter.

The 2000s arguably marked the absolute peak of Russell Crowe’s career — with hits such as Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander, and 3:10 to Yuma, among others. But Crowe has recently found a tough time regaining traction at the box office, even with an occasional fan-favorite like The Nice Guys dotting his resume. A pair of ill-timed horror movies — The Exorcism and The Pope’s Exorcist — underwhelmed at the box office, and two big-budget attempts — Kraven the Hunter and 2017’s The Mummy — essentially killed their respective franchises. Outside his work as Jor-El in Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel, however, Crowe’s last real box office hit came in 2012 in a sweeping epic that landed on HBO Max this month.

HBO Max Brings the French Revolution

Les Misérables, the musical drama directed by Tom Hooper is now available to stream on HBO Max. In 2012, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman led an absolutely stacked cast in Hooper’s adaptation of the Broadway musical, singing its way to a $442 million box office haul. The film created the trend of big musicals being released in theaters for Christmas — Into the Woods, La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and Mary Poppins Returns all followed suit. While Crowe was largely lambasted for his singing in the film, the rest of the cast — A-listers Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, and Eddie Redmayne, and Broadway vets Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit — were all praised; the film earned a 70% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Anne Hathaway, who is now ruling the box office with The Odyssey, even won an Oscar for her supporting role as the tragic Fantine.

Les Misérables is now available on HBO Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

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December 18, 2012

Runtime

158 minutes

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Writers

William Nicholson

Producers

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Debra Hayward, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Cameron Mackintosh, Bernard Bellew

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Duck Dynasty‘s Bella Robertson and husband Jacob Mayo have welcomed their first child.

“Our rainbow baby !!!!!! 6 lb 8 oz of pure perfection — our girl, Merritt Presley Mayo,” Bella, 24, captioned an Instagram carousel of sweet snaps on Saturday, September 19. Among the images, the couple’s newborn daughter was seen cradled in her mom’s arms as Jacob, 27, kissed his wife on the cheek.

Additional snaps showed the couple embracing one another as Bella laid in a hospital bed. Further pics also showed each parent holding their baby girl against their bare chests as they bonded with her.

The happy news surprised fans of the reality TV series, which returned in 2025 for the spin-off Duck Dynasty: The Revival, who took to the post’s comments section to share joy over the unexpected announcement. “The sweetest secret EVER,” wrote one fan, while another wrote, “Best kept secret and best day EVER!!!”

Related: She’s Here! Sadie Robertson Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Christian Huff

Jason Davis/Shutterstock She’s now a mom of two! Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson and her husband, Christian Huff, have welcomed their second child, daughter Haven Belle. “Haven has brought a touch of heaven 😍,” Robertson, 25, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, May 25, confirming her newborn child arrived three days earlier. “Life got a whole lot […]

Candace Cameron Bure also showed her support, commenting, “Bella!!!! Congratulations!!!!! 😮😭.”

The news comes after Bella and Jacob, who tied the knot in June 2021, spoke exclusively to Us about their infertility struggles in May 2025. “I think people just don’t know what they’re talking about or who they’re talking to,” Bella told Us at the time. “We share a story of infertility in the show and that’s something that we haven’t really shared publicly that much, but that’s something that others just don’t know. When you just look at someone on social media, you can’t know what anyone’s going through.”

Jacob added, “I think what we’ve learned in marriage … is that I wish getting pregnant and having kids was as easy as people act like it is. Just, ‘Oh, I can just pop out a kid’ or ‘If we want to wait, we get to choose to wait.’ It’s not that transactional of a thing.”

Bella echoed her husband’s sentiment, noting that “[when] people comment about us having kids, we’re like, ‘Trust me, you don’t have to ask us.’”

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Related: Duck Dynasty’s Mary Kate Robertson Is Pregnant With Twins

Duck Dynasty stars Mary Kate and John Luke Robertson are expecting — and even they admit the news caught them by surprise. “Absolutely thrilled to tell y’all we are welcoming TWINS to our family early next year!!! The most wonderful, crazy surprise blessing of our lives ha! Two new little Robertson girls!🩷🩷,” Mary Kay wrote […]

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Bella’s mom, Korie Robertson, also took to Instagram on Saturday to share photos from little Merritt’s earth-side arrival. “The sweetest and most beautiful answer to prayer, beyond all we asked or imagined. We are in LOVE!” Korie, 52, captioned her carousel. “Just one day after @bellarobmayo birthday I got to witness her, my baby girl, give birth to her baby girl. There are no words to describe the gratefulness that we feel!”

Korie also took the opportunity to pay tribute to Bella and Jacob. “Bella, you are superwoman! Such an amazing mama. Watching you wait on the Lord and trust in Him even when it was so hard has been a beautiful witness, and now to watch you as a mama to Merritt, simply the greatest gift!” she gushed before turning her praise to Jacob.

“@jacobdmayo I love the way you take care of your girls. So much gentleness, prayers, protection, laughter and love,” Korie wrote. “You two are an amazing mom and dad, the best team.”

In the months before Presley Gerber’s death, a social media post captured a side of his journey that those closest to him had watched unfold for years. 

The model, who died at a rehabilitation facility on September 20 at age 27, used the post to document a pivotal step in his recovery journey. 

His family’s response was immediate and deeply personal, with Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber, and Rande Gerber publicly rallying around him as he faced one of the most difficult chapters of his life.

Long before news of his death emerged, Presley Gerber had chosen to document moments that many people facing addiction keep private. 

One of his most revealing updates arrived in March, when he took to Instagram with a video recorded shortly before undergoing an “ibogaine flood dose,” a psychedelic treatment used in certain countries to help address addiction.

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Rather than present the experience as a breakthrough, Presley described approaching it with fear and uncertainty.

“Quiet moment before everything changed,” he wrote alongside the video, adding, “I was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this.”

The treatment required him to surrender a level of control that he admitted did not come naturally. “Letting go of control didn’t come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it,” Presley explained.

His reflections suggested that the experience was about more than treatment alone. It was also about confronting issues he had spent years avoiding.

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“I knew why I was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, I started finding my way back to myself,” he wrote.

Presley ended that portion of his message with a short but telling phrase, noting, “We shall see.”

Presley Hoped The Treatment Would Mark A New Beginning

Beyond describing the experience itself, Presley Gerber also shared what he hoped the treatment would mean for his future.

In the same post, he revealed that he was looking ahead to a time when returning for treatment would no longer be necessary. “I’m praying it’s the last time I have to come back,” he wrote.

The model also took time to recognize the people who had helped him through the process, thanking “the incredible caring kind and on their sh-t team” involved in the treatment program.

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Despite the seriousness of the experience, he ended the message on a lighter note, revealing that the journey had also introduced him to new friendships. “And I made some dope ass friends there,” Presley wrote.

Presley Gerber’s Family Publicly Celebrated His Progress

Kaia: “That’s my brother I’m so damn proud”
Cindy: “Your a warrior..”
Randy: “ I’m so proud of you and ur courage”

Presley got so much support and love from his family on his IG post as he shared his treatment journey. 💔🥹 pic.twitter.com/y61hoAkFbD

— Hanz (@fashionistaera) September 21, 2026

The post quickly became a family affair as some of the people closest to Presley filled the comments section with messages of encouragement.

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Among them was his mom, Crawford, whose response would take on added significance months later. “You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!” the supermodel wrote.

Presley’s sister, Kaia, also left a message celebrating her older brother’s determination. She commented, “That’s my brother I am so damn proud.”

His dad, Rande Gerber, also echoed those sentiments, praising the work Presley had put into his recovery journey. 

He wrote, “I’m so proud of you and your courage. Facing what’s hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much.”

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Presley Revealed Near-Fatal Fentanyl Overdose Left Him In A Coma

The optimism that filled Presley Gerber’s ibogaine-treatment post did not emerge overnight. Long before he described “finding my way back to myself,” he had survived one of the most frightening moments of his life: a fentanyl overdose that nearly killed him.

In 2024, Presley publicly disclosed that he had been battling a severe opioid addiction and revealed that the crisis escalated into a near-fatal overdose. 

According to his account, the incident left him in a coma for several days and became a turning point in how he viewed both addiction and recovery. 

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Rather than hiding that experience, Presley chose to discuss it openly as part of his efforts to help others facing similar struggles. 

As he became more candid about his life, Presley explained that addiction was only one part of a broader battle involving mental health, depression, and finding stability after years of struggling.

During a 2023 appearance on the “Studio 22” podcast, he said, “[Mental health] is an issue. It is such a big part of my life. It’s a 24/7 job, and there’s so much to it.” 

Presley also spoke about his desire to use his experiences to help other people who felt trapped by similar circumstances.

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In his words, “Having struggled with mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that, I think that whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that’s all I need to do.” 

Presley Gerber Said Psychiatrists Left Him Heavily Medicated

As Presley continued searching for answers after the overdose, another struggle emerged. This time, it involved the medications he had been prescribed while trying to manage anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and addiction recovery.

In a candid Instagram video shared in December 2025, the 27-year-old revealed that he had consulted more than 15 psychiatrists and felt overwhelmed by the conflicting advice he received. 

According to Presley, the experience left him dependent on several medications while still searching for clear direction. 

Describing his frustration, he said, “I’d like doctors to be like, ‘Take this three times a day’ … but every psychiatrist I’ve had — I’ve had 15 — are like, ‘Here’s 20 medications and take this if you feel like this … and I’m like, ‘No, don’t get me that much leeway.’ I need some direction.” 

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Presley revealed that he was taking medications including Buprenorphine, Xanax, and Valium while trying to navigate severe panic attacks and depressive symptoms. At the same time, he admitted that the uncertainty surrounding those medications was frightening. 

In the same update, he explained that he had started making major lifestyle changes in an effort to improve his mental health. Exercise became a key part of that process, and he also made the decision to stop drinking alcohol. 

He concluded by explaining why he was willing to be so vulnerable in public. “So you feel like you’re not alone, because that is how I feel most of the time and I have a feeling that if I say all of this, a lot of people will at least know that there’s someone else going through it,” he shared.

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Fine lines, dullness, loss of firmness — these are all signs that skin is changing with age, and all concerns that seemingly require a different product to address. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of creams, serums and treatments available, but what if your anti-aging skincare routine could be simplified to just three core products that actually deliver on their promise? Cue KaramMD’s Trifecta, a three-step skincare system designed to take the guesswork out of caring for aging skin.

Created by double-board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Amir Karam, Trifecta combines a daily cleanser, triple-form Vitamin C serum and all-in-one anti-aging cream to target multiple signs of aging at once. Rinse is a non-foaming gel cleanser that removes dirt, oil and buildup without leaving skin feeling stripped (a common issue with most cleansers). It’s a gentle formula that creates a smooth, fresh canvas for the products that follow, and an especially thoughtful first step for mature or dry skin, since cleansing can sometimes leave already moisture-depleted skin feeling even tighter.

Get the KaramMD’s Trifecta at KaramMD!

Then there’s Quench, a brightening serum powered by three stable forms of vitamin C to help tackle dullness and discoloration (two issues aging skin can experience). It also contains hyaluronic acid for hydration, so instead of layering separate brightening, hydrating and antioxidant serums, Quench combines those benefits into a single formula.

Lastly, Illuminate does much of the heavy lifting. Think of it as a moisturizer that does it all: it pairs slow-release retinol with peptides to help soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, support collagen and improve the look of firmness and uneven pigmentation. Dr. Karam considers retinol one of the most important skincare ingredients outside of SPF, and Illuminate makes it easier to incorporate the powerhouse active into your routine without adding yet another standalone treatment.

With consistent use, skin can gradually look smoother, brighter and more hydrated, while concerns like fine lines and loss of firmness may become less noticeable. If your current skincare routine feels more complicated than effective, Trifecta makes a strong case for simplifying things. Shop the KaramMD Trifecta and put all three steps to work!

Get the KaramMD’s Trifecta at KaramMD!

We’re just a couple of months away from the biggest date in the 2026 sci-fi calendar. On December 18, on the same date as Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three will cap off Denis Villeneuve‘s acclaimed trilogy adapting Frank Herbert‘s Dune novels. Four-time Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides in the Brian K. Vaughan-penned movie, joined by a stacked cast including Zendaya as Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia Atreides, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Jason Momoa as Hayt, and many more.

But for Dune: Part Three to perform as some predicted and become the year’s best sci-fi film, it faces tough competition from a novel adaptation that took the world by storm earlier this year. Of course, we’re talking about arguably the defining film of 2026 so far, Project Hail Mary. The Phil Lord and Christopher Miller-directed masterpiece earned near-perfect responses from critics, including a 9/10 review from Collider’s Ross Bonaime, who called it “the first great film of 2026.”

But Project Hail Mary wasn’t just an almighty success in the eyes of critics. In total, the adaptation of the 2021 novel by Andy Weir has earned $682 million worldwide, split between a domestic haul of $344 million and a further $338 million from overseas markets. This helped it become one of the year’s earliest blockbuster triumphs, although the likes of Christopher Nolan‘s historical epic, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day have since stolen that spotlight. But Project Hail Mary has moved seamlessly to streaming, becoming an unsurprising hit in homes around the world. At the time of writing, it has rejoined the Prime Video top ten in the U.S., ranking in ninth place.

Ryan Gosling Has Joined Two More Iconic Franchises

After delivering an arguably career-defining performance in Project Hail Mary, Gosling has his sights set on a galaxy far, far away. He will join director Shawn Levy on the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, before finally taking the MCU plunge with the same man, who will direct him in a new Ghost Rider film that was announced during Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

Project Hail Mary is available to stream on Prime Video. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

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Release Date

March 15, 2026

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Runtime

157 minutes

Director

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Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Writers

Drew Goddard, Andy Weir

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Producers

Aditya Sood, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Rachel O’Connor, Ryan Gosling

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