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Ryan Gosling’s R-Rated Netflix Thriller With An MCU Budget Is Worth Its Weight In Shootouts

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Ryan Gosling’s R-Rated Netflix Thriller With An MCU Budget Is Worth Its Weight In Shootouts

By Robert Scucci
| Published

After watching 2021’s Kate, the almighty algorithm threw 2022’s The Gray Man onto my radar, and I can’t say Ryan Gosling has ever disappointed me, so I figured I may as well give it a shot. He has a built-in level of charisma that lets him do his thing, and most of the time it lands. Going into the Russo brothers’ film expecting to see $200 million well spent on action sequences, with the added bonus of Gosling in the mix, I didn’t quite know how things would play out, but I had a hunch I wouldn’t feel let down.

But here’s the problem with straight-to-streaming action thrillers. Films like The Gray Man never get much time on the big screen, and they kind of need it if you want to enjoy them at the highest level. Across roughly 400 theaters, the film only brought in $454,023, which isn’t really its fault. It had a very short run across a disproportionately small number of screens, meaning it was never meant to recoup its budget this way. It’s a Netflix Original, designed to pull huge numbers on streaming.

The Gray Man 2022

The reason I see this as a bad thing is because this is an expensive movie. MCU expensive. Waterworld expensive. When that much money goes into blowing stuff up in spectacular fashion, I want to see it on a giant screen. Living in an apartment, I don’t have a fancy audio setup because my neighbors would murder me if I did, and my 44-inch TV is fine for most things, but less than stellar when entire city squares are getting leveled with all guns blazing.

Long story short, The Gray Man is a lot of fun, but it would be even more fun if you could watch it the way it was meant to be seen.

Let’s Not Get Bogged Down By The Details

The Gray Man 2022

The Gray Man also has an extremely convoluted plot. Not in a “too many twists” kind of way, but it’s a “load up the guns, spray and pray” kind of movie that would have been better served by simplicity. It’s executed well, but as side characters keep getting introduced in the second and third acts, part of me gets annoyed that I can’t fully shut my brain off because there’s always a new name or face to keep track of after the blasting has already started.

Ryan Gosling is a black ops agent known as Sierra Six, formerly Courtland Gentry. He was locked up as a minor after murdering his abusive father, and CIA officer Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton) decides he’s the perfect candidate for a second chance. The deal is simple: Courtland works for him in exchange for his freedom, knowing he’ll be dealing with some very dangerous people.

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The Gray Man 2022

Once things get rolling, Sierra Six teams up with Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas), and the first mission we see involves assassinating a target named Dining Car (Callan Mulvey). Complications arise when the job goes sideways and Dining Car reveals he’s also part of the Sierra program before succumbing to his wounds. A flash drive gets passed off with vague instructions, and the wild goose chase begins, centering on CIA officer Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page), who sends a swarm of operatives after Six and Dani to retrieve it.

Along the way, we get more backstory on Six’s relationship with Donald and his niece Claire (Julia Butters), who Six previously worked security detail for. This obviously becomes important later because more collateral has entered the equation. The scenes between Six and Claire offer a surprisingly wholesome break from the chaos in Prague, and they’re a welcome addition.

The Gray Man 2022

From here on out, you pretty much know the deal. Double crosses stack on top of double crosses, things explode, and there’s so much inter-agency confusion over who’s good and who’s pulling the strings that you almost wish they’d ease up on the exposition and just keep blowing stuff up.

Solid, Pulse Pounding Action Thriller

The Gray Man’s budget absolutely shows on screen from start to finish. The action sequences are gorgeously shot (something that’s not always consistent across Netflix Originals), and at one point Sierra Six is standing on top of a moving tram, firing through the roof while tracking targets through reflections in nearby windows as the city flies past. This comes after he’s handcuffed to a railing in a town square, picking off attackers before they even get a chance to take him out.

The Gray Man 2022

Ana de Armas wielding a shotgun after throwing hands is also worth your time because she fully commits when the moment calls for it.

The only real issue I have is the film’s tendency to overload its premise with complexity for the sake of it. Most people don’t turn on action thrillers to do mental gymnastics. At least I don’t. I love psychological thrillers when I want things to get murky, but with action movies, I just want to sit back and watch things explode.

The Gray Man 2022

The convoluted plot isn’t a dealbreaker, just a nitpick. Some people enjoy sprawling shadow government conspiracies. It’s just not really my thing, so take that with a grain of salt. It’s still a great watch, just not one you can fully sink into the couch for and completely turn your brain off.

The Gray Man is a Netflix Original, and you can stream it with an active subscription.

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George Lucas Reveals The Reason Princess Leia Went Braless In Star Wars

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Princess Leia Gold Bikini

By Henry Hards
| Published

Princess Leia Gold Bikini

Sure, she wore the gold bikini, but apparently that was as close as Carrie Fisher got to wearing a bra in Star Wars. Blastr spoke to Carrie Fisher back in 2010, while she was in the midst of putting on a one-woman show where she tells weird stories. During their conversation, Fisher revealed the state of her underwear during the shooting of Star Wars.

The way Fisher told it, George Lucas wouldn’t let her wear a bra during shooting. Why? Believe it or not, he actually had a completely nerdy, scientific reason for it. Here’s how Fisher says Lucas explained it:

“He explained that in space you get weightless, and so your flesh expands. What? But your bra doesn’t, so you get strangled by your bra. That’s why I couldn’t wear a bra in the first Star Wars. George actually came backstage when I did the show in San Francisco and told me that.”

I’m pretty sure this was just an excuse for Lucas’s creepiness and that NASA’s female astronauts wear undergarments. Also, Star Wars has always totally ignored the weightless aspect of space, hand-waving it away with infinite artificial gravity.

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Sorry, George. We’re not buying it.


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The Cult Classic Western Trilogy So Good You Can Rewatch It Multiple Times

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Once Upon a Time in Mexico - 2003

If you’re after traditional Westerns, you’re not going to find them here. The movies that make up Robert Rodriguez’s Mexico trilogy are all a little offbeat, unusual at times, and also a good deal more violent than most Westerns. Not, like, Bone Tomahawk level or anything, but they’re probably not the sorts of Westerns your dad or grandfather would like, unless they’re open-minded, or they might if they dug spaghetti Westerns back in the day. Not that these are spaghetti Westerns, but they’ve got that sort of attitude and playfulness, all the while being very, you know, Mexico-heavy. It’s the Mexico trilogy, or it’s sometimes called the El Mariachi or Desperado trilogy.

Those are the two movies that begin the trilogy, which things come to a messy and explosive climax with Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which isn’t quite Once Upon a Time in the West or Once Upon a Time in America quality-wise, but it’s about what you’d expect an epic, by Rodriguez’s standards, to look like. He’s always been an interesting filmmaker, having made some very violent and goofy movies alongside some very nonviolent goofy movies, like Spy Kids. And there was also Alita: Battle Angel, and the visually distinctive Sin City. But… sorry, no. Best to stick to the Mexico trilogy. Not a bad place to start, since El Mariachi is an almost perfect introduction to Rodriguez’s filmmaking style in a couple of ways.

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What Happens Throughout the ‘Mexico’ Trilogy

What happens in these movies? It’s not super important. It’s not a trilogy like The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy, but it isn’t as loose as, say, a thematic trilogy like Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy. It rides a line between narrative and thematic trilogy, possibly being most comparable to the three Sam Raimi-directed Evil Dead movies, just because they got more polished and expansive – not to mention increasingly comedic – as they went along, and the trajectory from El Mariachi to Desperado to Once Upon a Time in Mexico isn’t too dissimilar.

In El Mariachi, the titular character is not yet played by Antonio Banderas, but Carlos Gallardo instead. Mariachi is going through a town, all of it with a very neo-Western feel, and then he’s mistaken for a criminal, which sends his life temporarily into violent chaos. He has to fight his way from/through a bunch of adversaries. Then, in Desperado, the budget was much bigger, and the narrative got a little more ambitious, with Mariachi seeking revenge after losing much of what was important to him during the chaotic events of El Mariachi. Salma Hayek memorably joins the cast here, while the likes of Steve Buscemi (playing a character named Buscemi), Cheech Marin, and Danny Trejo are all fun in supporting roles. There’s more revenge being sought in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (Mariachi can’t catch a break), and a whole heap of wacky characters that make it veer perhaps a little close to broadly comedic territory at times.

The Significance of the ‘Mexico’ Trilogy Within Robert Rodriguez’s Filmography

Once Upon a Time in Mexico - 2003 Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
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Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Enrique Iglesias, and even Willem Dafoe (the latter in a somewhat questionably cast role) all appeared in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and it signified that Robert Rodriguez had really made it, as a full-on director, by this time. Like, Depp was in the game-changing Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl the same year Once Upon a Time in Mexico came out, and he has a sizable role in the latter, so that likely raised the trilogy’s – and Rodriguez’s – profiles further. Once Upon a Time in Mexico had problems, but it showed he could do something bigger than he had before, and if it led to him getting a job as the co-director on the remarkable Sin City two years later, then that can’t be anything but a good thing.

Desperado, then, was Rodriguez doing what Raimi did with Evil Dead 2, saying, “Yeah, see what I did with a few thousand bucks? Give me a few million and I’ll blow you away.”

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It’s most interesting to consider El Mariachi within the filmography of Robert Rodriguez, though. He famously made it for very little money when he was still in his early 20s, and some of that money came from the director himself participating in experimental clinical drug testing. Like Kevin Smith with Clerks, he took a huge risk and made something strange for not much money, albeit still had it feel like a risk, and then things paid off. Desperado, then, was Rodriguez doing what Raimi did with Evil Dead 2, saying, “Yeah, see what I did with a few thousand bucks? Give me a few million and I’ll blow you away.” Okay, maybe he didn’t say exactly that. But he could’ve, and then he would’ve blown them away, because he handled that far greater budget with style ($7000 for El Mariachi versus $7 million for Desperado… the El Mariachi budget went up during some extra post-production, but still, they did all the planning, filming, and editing to a standard for a home video release with $7000… the added budget was to make it look a little more presentable for a theatrical release).

How the ‘Mexico’ Trilogy’s Wildness and Sense of Escalation Make It Rewatchable

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Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

The rest could be history, if Rodriguez had stopped making movies, or if he were procrastinating like Quentin Tarantino (they go way back), but Rodriguez is still active and doing his own thing. He’s a filmmaker who’s easy to respect and one worth reading into if you yourself have ever had aspirations of working within the film industry. His endeavors while making the Mexico trilogy and beyond are continually interesting, and the El Mariachi production is covered well in a Rodriguez-written book called Rebel Without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player.

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It’s fun to rewatch El Mariachi having already read about it, or it’s also one of the most enjoyable movies to revisit with Rodriguez’s enlightening audio commentary. Desperado is fun to watch again and again because it’s such a relentless action movie that wastes no time giving people what they want, and then Once Upon a Time in Mexico… well, it’s interesting. It’s a mess, but parts of that mess are fun, and the other parts of the mess you just have to struggle through. But such troubled films do sometimes find themselves worthy of critical re-evaluation eventually, one day, so who knows? It might end up happening to Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The only way to know is to not pretend it doesn’t exist and perhaps rewatch it from time to time.


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El Mariachi


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Release Date

February 22, 1993

Runtime

81 minutes

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Director

Robert Rodriguez

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Producers

Carlos Gallardo

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    Carlos Gallardo

    El Mariachi

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Prime Video’s 2-Part Superhero Thriller Is a Better Watch Than ‘Invincible’ or ‘The Boys’

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Prime Video has become one of the most versatile streaming services in the television world, thanks to its wide variety of original shows. Two of its biggest shows are Invincible and The Boys, which often skewer superhero conventions. In the case of The Boys, it uses the superhero genre to offer commentary on current events — even if that commentary often veers into extremely crude territory. Invincible, on the other hand, explores how being a superhero can take a toll on you mentally and physically (especially physically). While both shows have received immense praise and drawn big audiences, they were beaten to the punch by another series that satirized superheroes.

That series is The Tick, created by Ben Edlund. Based on Edlund’s original comics, The Tick follows Arthur Everest (Griffin Newman) and his encounters with The Tick (Peter Serafinowicz), a boisterous, blue-clad superhero who wants Arthur to be his sidekick. Arthur and Tick begin investigating a mysterious conspiracy involving the criminal mastermind known as The Terror (Jackie Earle Haley). While it lasted only two seasons, The Tick was a near-perfect satire series that got lost in a sea of superhero adaptations, but it still deserves its due.

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‘The Tick’ Expertly Balances Comedy & Drama

The-Tick--Peter-Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz as The Tick in…”The Tick”
Image via Prime Video

A large part of what makes The Tick work is its willingness to spoof every form of superhero media​​​​​. The Tick and Arthur live in a world populated by superheroes that include the mighty Superian (Brendan Hines) and the trigger-happy Overkill (Scott Speiser). Overkill is obviously a dig at more lethal vigilantes in comic books like the Punisher or Ghost Rider, while Superian’s eventual fall from grace predates the darker turns on Superman’s legacy that Invincible and The Boys brought to the table with Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons) and Homelander (Antony Starr). Unlike those shows, The Tick mostly plays its parodies for laughs, and more often than not, it earns those laughs.

What helps The Tick stand out from other superhero parodies is its earnest approach to Arthur’s mental health. It turns out that Arthur’s mild-mannered personality is the result of a deep-seated trauma, as he watched his father die in the middle of a battle that involved the Terror. Despite his sister, Dot (Valorie Curry), wanting him to live a normal life, Arthur eventually comes to embrace his role as the Tick’s sidekick and faces off against the Terror. The Tick beat Invincible and The Boys to the punch in exploring the balance between superheroism and mental health, and it didn’t have to shed any blood in the process.


John Nolan in 'Person of Interest'

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Prime Video’s 5-Part Sci-Fi Series Is the Perfect Weekend Binge

The sci-fi thriller on Prime Video is the perfect cozy-night binge — and its A.I. story feels eerier than ever.

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‘The Tick’ Was Overshadowed By Other Major Superhero Movies & TV Shows

While The Tick might have been Prime Video’s first foray into superhero satire, it had to contend with a plethora of superhero shows and movies in the marketplace​​​​​​. Season 1 premiered in 2016, during which pop culture debates were sparked over Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. Future episodes would have to contend with the release of other big blockbusters like Wonder Woman and Avengers: Infinity War, and Season 2 would be overshadowed by the premieres of Avengers: Endgame and The Boys. Despite this uphill battle, The Tick still managed to cultivate a loyal following, even when Ben Edlund revealed that the series wouldn’t receive a third season.

“I’m sorry we could not reward your glorious support with better news. I am so proud of the show, of the cast and crew and writers, and so warmed by the fans.”

The cancellation couldn’t have been worse, as The Tick ends with a collection of unresolved subplots. One of its cast members would go on to star in another Prime Video superhero satire, as Valorie Curry recently played the ultra-patriotic superheroine Firecracker in Seasons 4 and 5 of The Boys​​​​​​. Her appearance serves as a bittersweet reminder that Prime Video had true gold on its hands with The Tick, and that the seriesstill deserves to be watched. Invincible and The Boys might be popular picks now, but The Tick helped pave the way for their success.


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Release Date

2016 – 2019-00-00

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Amazon Prime Video

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Meghan Markle’s Met Gala Absence Raises Eyebrows

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Meghan Markle attend the Commonwealth Service with the Royal family

Meghan Markle was recently roasted on “Saturday Night Live,” sparking renewed debate over her standing in US entertainment and fashion circles.

Now, royal commentators have suggested the duchess’s absence from the Met Gala reflects strained relationships with key industry figures and a possible decline in influence.

While speculation continues, Meghan Markle remains active in fashion and public life, including appearances at Paris Fashion Week and recent family-related events.

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Meghan Markle attend the Commonwealth Service with the Royal family
James Whatling / MEGA

“Saturday Night Live” recently made jokes about Meghan, and some royal commentators have used it as evidence that she is losing influence in the US.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams noted her absence from the Met Gala, describing it as noticeable and suggesting it reflected strained relationships with key figures in fashion and entertainment, including Anna Wintour, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and members of the Kardashian circle.

According to the Daily Mail, he claimed the Duchess of Sussex has a “disastrous habit of falling out with Hollywood’s top power brokers.”

Phil Dampier also weighed in, saying public interest in Harry and Meghan in the US seems to be fading. He suggested that the way they are being discussed and seemingly mocked in mainstream and entertainment media shows a shift in how they are viewed.

Over the weekend, “SNL” aired a sketch that included harsh jokes about Meghan, even referring to her as a “terrorist” in a fake news-style segment involving Harry and King Charles. The sketch sparked mixed reactions online.

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Meghan Markle’s Met Gala Absence And Ongoing Public And Fashion Appearances

The Duchess of Sussex at the 2024 Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Gala
MEGA

Meghan’s absence from the Met Gala in New York added to the conversation. The event was co-chaired and sponsored this year by figures linked to people she has been rumored to have tensions with, which fueled more speculation about possible fallout.

There have also been unverified reports from unnamed sources suggesting friction between Meghan and some Hollywood and business figures she has worked with, including streaming and fashion partners. These claims have not been confirmed publicly.

Despite the criticism, Meghan has continued to appear at high-profile events. She was at Paris Fashion Week last year and has also been involved in fashion-related projects and investments.

Separately, she recently traveled within the US to attend a First Communion service for her godson in Chicago. She was seen at Holy Name Cathedral during the ceremony.

A photo taken at the event briefly appeared online before being deleted, which sparked comparisons with past situations where images involving the Sussexes were also removed from social media.

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Meghan Markle Accessorises with Princess Diana’s Gold Cartier Tank Watch During Her Trip to Colombia
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On the Met Gala specifically, reports suggest Meghan and Prince Harry were not on this year’s guest list amid claims of strained relationships within the fashion industry.

According to the Daily Mail, some insiders believe there has been long-standing tension between Meghan and Wintour, the influential Vogue editor and Met Gala organizer.

One claim is that things shifted after Meghan chose to work with Edward Enninful at British Vogue in 2019 instead of appearing on American Vogue under Wintour.

She later guest-edited a British Vogue issue, which was seen as a major fashion moment for her.

“Meghan pledged her allegiance to Enninful, which p-ssed off Anna,” an insider alleged, adding: “Anna hates her. Meghan doesn’t want to pay and never returns things. Also, Anna loves the Royal Family. She is a Dame. Anna would have hated how they [the Sussexes] handled their exit from The Firm.”

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Meghan Markle’s Continued Presence In High-Fashion Circles And The Cost Behind It

Meghan Markle at Invictus Games 2023, day 6, Dusseldorf, Germany - 15 Sept 2023
MEGA

At the same time, Meghan has continued to engage with the fashion world. Her surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week in 2025 drew attention across the industry.

At the time, the duchess’s spokesperson shared that the fashion event was thanks to “the culmination of many years of…friendship” with

However, while addressing Meghan’s surprise appearance, Balenciaga’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, revealed that the royal asked him if she could attend the show,

“Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show,” Piccioli stated, emphasizing that “no strategy or big orchestration” was involved in her appearance.

“I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise,” he added about Meghan. “In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.”

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Meghan Markle’s Continued Presence In High-Fashion Circles And The Cost Behind It

Meghan Markle visit to Colombia with Prince Harry
¡dehoy! Agency / MEGA

Fashion insiders note that Meghan’s attending major runway shows often involves high behind-the-scenes costs, including travel, accommodation, styling, and security.

Stylist Phillip Bloch, in a chat with NewsNation, estimated that for high-profile guests like Meghan, these expenses can easily run into hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on arrangements and security needs.

As he put it: “I would imagine everything was paid for — travel, hotel, clothing, cars, and of course security in Madame’s case, because we know it’s such a big issue with her.”

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‘Euphoria’s Most-Searched New Character Completely Changes the HBO Show’s Direction in Just 3 Minutes

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Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Euphoria Season 3.

Euphoria Season 3 has been a lot. Four episodes in, Rue (Zendaya) is a federal informant playing poker with the cartel-adjacent strip club magnate she’s recording for the DEA, having graduated from drug addict to drug mule to snitch in roughly the time it took Nate (Jacob Elordi) to marry Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), lose a toe after their reception, and leave her with a million dollars of his debt. Kingpins, cartels, cockatoo funerals. Sam Levinson really has thrown everything and the stove pot at the wall. Even stranger is that the moment audiences can’t stop talking about from Euphoria‘s newest episode involves none of those people.

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Who Is Kitty in ‘Euphoria’ Season 3?

Kitty (Anna Van Patten) is a dancer at the Silver Slipper, the strip club owned by Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) that’s become one of Season 3’s central locations. She’s young, soft-spoken, and presents herself as exactly the kind of girl you’d be scared to ask too many questions about. When Rue ends up at the club while working her way deeper into Alamo’s drug operation, she clocks Kitty as Angel’s (Priscilla Delgado) replacement, just another body to shove up on stage while her boss makes his real money slinging pills and fencing guns. She has no agenda, backstory, or allegiance in the Laurie-versus-Alamo Cold War that’s quietly escalating around her, and she gets maybe three minutes of screentime, total, but it’s enough to change the direction of the show in a way fans didn’t see coming.


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Euphoria’s Biggest Flirt, Most Likely to Laugh Mid-take and Active in the Group Chat | Superlatives

For it’s third (and possibly final???) season, Euphoria went all out. Chloe Cherry and Martha Kelly give us the scoop on behind the scenes goofs, who tried to get whose number and what award Chloe would give to herself.

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Rue and Kitty’s one actual scene together happens in a bathroom, in which Rue pulls Kitty aside, gently, and asks if she’s okay, if anyone is making her do this, and if she needs help. It’s a small moment of human decency from a character who has not been dispensing much of that this season, and it comes after Rue witnesses the poor girl being used by a room full of middle-aged men who seem to be reliving their frat days by getting high and cheering each other on in the backroom of a strip joint. Kitty’s response to Rue’s concern is chilling, hidden behind a breezy brush-off and smeared eye glitter: “I just like to dance.”

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What Does Kitty’s ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Scene With Rue Actually Mean?

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Anna Van Patten, Zendaya Euphoria
Image via HBO

The easy read is that Kitty is being exploited and either can’t or won’t admit it. The more interesting takeaway is that it doesn’t matter which one is true, because Rue can’t do anything about it either way. Rue has spent Euphoria Season 3 operating under the logic that she can move through Alamo’s world without becoming complicit in it, that she can be the cartel’s errand runner, the DEA’s informant, and still be the person who checks on the girl in the bathroom. Kitty’s experience shatters that fantasy in about ten seconds. Whether Kitty genuinely likes to dance or has simply learned to say so, Rue is still standing in a strip club owned by a man running a drug operation, and she put herself there. The moment she walks out of that bathroom and back to work, she’s made her choice.

It’s also worth noting what the show is doing by cutting Kitty’s story in between shots of Cassie’s influencer party adventure. Cassie spends Episode 4 snorting top-shelf cocaine in a mansion, strategically letting a 22-million-follower influencer think something might happen before Maddy (Alexa Demie) swoops in with a camera. She monetizes the possibility of sex without her body ever being in any real danger. Kitty, meanwhile, ends up in a champagne room with four men and no one to save her. That gap between glamorized and unglamorous sex work, between who gets to make money on her own terms and who doesn’t, is exactly what Rue’s trying to correct when she corners Kitty later on.

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Who Plays Kitty in ‘Euphoria’ Season 3?

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Anna Van Patten as Kitty in Euphoria S3
Image via HBO

Kitty is played by Anna Van Patten, and yes, if she looks familiar, there’s a reason for that. Anna is the younger sister of Grace Van Patten, who leads Hulu’s Tell Me Lies as the self-destructive, sometimes downright unhinged Lucy Albright. The resemblance is striking enough that fans spent most of Episode 4’s runtime wondering if the more well-known sibling had snuck in a guest spot on the HBO series before Google corrected them. Anna Van Patten is earlier in her career than her sister but has been building a resume that includes her sibling’s Amanda Knox drama, plus a 2022 horror movie with Regina Hall. The girls’ father is Tim Van Patten, a veteran TV director whose credits include The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones. So yes, the nepo baby discourse is getting fed this week.

In terms of Kitty’s potential future on Euphoria, nothing has been confirmed, but Episode 4’s title, “Kitty Likes to Dance,” doesn’t feel like an accident. Euphoria doesn’t name episodes after characters who are going to disappear. Given that Rue is now a DEA informant being asked to gather intelligence on Alamo’s operation, and that the Silver Slipper is squarely inside that operation, the two will almost certainly cross paths again. The more pressing question is what Rue does with that. She couldn’t save Kitty in the bathroom, but whether she tries again will say a lot about where Season 3, and her character, is actually going.


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Release Date

2019 – 2026-00-00

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Network

HBO

Showrunner
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Sam Levinson

Directors

Jennifer Morrison, Augustine Frizzell

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Police Complete Interview for 2nd Haley Beck Student Allegation

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The police have completed their interview regarding allegations of Noah Beck’s sister Haley Beck having an alleged relationship with a second student.

“We have completed the interview with the reporting party and are continuing to follow up on all leads,” a spokesperson for the Peoria Police Department in Arizona told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, May 5. “We take all reports of potential criminal activity seriously and are working to determine the facts.”

Earlier this month, the Peoria Police Department confirmed to Us that they were “looking into” accusations about a possible inappropriate relationship between Haley, 27, and another student. Authorities stated they were acting on a tip they received from a woman who is “basing it all off a TikTok.”

Police shared it was “simply allegations” and they “haven’t confirmed anything.”

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Related: What to Know About Noah Beck’s Sister Haley’s Grooming Scandal

Baywatch star Noah Beck’s older sister Haley Beck was fired from her teaching job in Arizona after the Peoria Unified School District conducted an investigation, claiming that she groomed a minor student. “After a review of the investigator’s findings, the decision maker found that Ms. Beck groomed a student,” a spokesperson for the school district […]

Us previously reached out to Noah’s team for comment but did not hear back.

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Haley, who was a teacher at Centennial High School in Peoria, Arizona, made headlines last month after she was accused of grooming a student. An investigation was conducted by the Peoria Unified School District into the allegations. Upon the completion of the independent investigation, Haley was fired from her job for having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

“After a review of the investigator’s findings, the decision maker found that Ms. Beck groomed a student,” a spokesperson for the school district said in a statement. “[She had] a sexual relationship with that student and therefore [we] recommended her termination.”

According to an official police report obtained by Us following Haley’s termination, she allegedly sent multiple overtly sexual text messages to an unnamed student. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told People on April 29, that Haley’s case was “still under review” after the Peoria Police Department resubmitted its recommendation of a pandering charge.

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Noah Beck Says Sister Haleys Students Are Her Best Friends in Resurfaced Video Amid Grooming Claims


Related: Haley Beck Calls Students Her ‘Best Friends’ in Video Amid Grooming Claims

Noah Beck referenced sister Haley Beck’s alleged relationship with her students in a resurfaced video amid claims the former educator groomed a male teenager. In a resurfaced clip shared via TikTok on Monday, April 6, Noah, 24, and Haley, 27, can be seen participating in the so-called suspect running trend. (The viral trend mimics a […]

This isn’t the only scandal that the Beck family has endured in the past few months. Noah and Haley’s mother, Amy Beck, was put on administrative leave from the Coyote Hills Elementary School in Peoria, Arizona in April.

The Peoria Unified School District confirmed to Us that a message was sent to the parents of students in Amy’s class explaining that their teacher’s leave came “out of an abundance of caution.” Amy was also being investigated but the matter did “not impact the safety” of the students. While the matter of Amy’s leave was not stated, the timing came after a video of her simulating oral sex with Noah resurfaced online.

Us confirmed that Amy would be allowed to return to work on Monday, May 4. The school and district “addressed concerns regarding videos that were published in 2020” and “appropriate measures have been taken.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. 

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Blake Lively’s Settlement With Justin Baldoni Reveals Huge Loss

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Blake Lively at the 2026 Met Gala Costume Art

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni‘s long legal battle has finally come to an end, leaving many shocked, especially due to the actress’s bold words about the case after most of her claims were dismissed.

Insiders have now opened up about the reason for their “last-minute deal,” revealing that the former co-stars were encouraged to sheathe their swords.

Blake Lively is also said to have left the settlement empty-handed while the attorneys involved in the legal feud enjoyed earnings worth millions of dollars.

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Blake Lively at the 2026 Met Gala Costume Art
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Blake Lively and Justin  Baldoni’s legal war came to a screeching end on Monday as both stars reached a settlement. Sources have now told Page Six that both of them reached a “last-minute deal” after being encouraged to settle.

“They finally came to an agreement today. It was a last-minute deal,” an insider said. “The magistrate and the judge wanted to avoid this going to trial as it was going to be a long, drawn-out case, so they were encouraged to reach an agreement.”

Lively’s case was dealt a major blow after Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 out of her 13 claims against Baldoni, including sexual harassment and defamation.

However, she shared in an Instagram update at the time that she was “grateful” for the ruling, which allows “the heart” of her case to be presented to a jury when the scheduled trial kicks off May 18.

Justin Baldoni at Paley Festival presents: Jane the Virgin
Jaxon / MEGA

According to the news outlet, New York litigation attorney Richard C. Schoenstein explained that the case was always going to go into settlement because of the unpredictability of the jury.

“It’s not clear that a jury would like either of the litigants. It was never clear to me what either party could get out of the case,” he told Page Six. “I think [Lively] was going to have trouble proving she was retaliated against, and then I think she was going to have trouble proving damages.”

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The legal expert also brought up the fact that mediation had begun since February, although the talks had been unsuccessful before Monday.

“Like many cases, I suspect they’ve been having some sort of settlement dialog for a long time,” he explained, “and this court settlement process since at least February, [leading] to the settlement now.”

He also added that it wasn’t in the best interest of both parties to head to trial because “there are facts that are embarrassing to both sides.”

Blake Lively Received No Money From The Settlement, Sources Reveal

Blake Lively out in Bryant Park.
MEGA

The legal war between Lively and Baldoni seems not to have benefited the actress financially, as sources revealed to TMZ that she received nothing in the deal.

According to the news outlet, Lively brought in a new legal firm, Susman Godfrey, to defend her case days before she and Baldoni reached a settlement.

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The firm is a major litigation powerhouse with huge victories under its belt, including a $425 million verdict against Google.

However, unfortunately for Lively, the opposite was the case for her, as only the lawyers involved in the protracted legal fight walked away with a combined earning of $60 million.

Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni Shared Their Pride On Featuring In ‘IEWU’

Justin Baldoni at 'It Ends with Us' World Premiere
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Following their settlement, Lively and Baldoni shared a statement expressing that they remain committed to upholding the objectives of their hit movie and speaking up for victims.

“The end product – the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” they said. “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind.”

They continued, “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”

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Lively and Baldoni added that they hope the settlement “brings closure” and allows everyone involved “to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds at the New York World Premiere of “It Ends With Us in NYC
KCS Presse / MEGA

Several internet users have taken to social media to share their “disappointment” with Baldoni agreeing to it, as many debated who emerged victorious now that it’s all over.

“Please tell me Justin got paid a ginormous amount of settlement money!!!” an X user wrote.

Someone else said, “Two years of public mud-slinging, leaked texts, press tour drama, and now suddenly ‘the movie is a source of pride for all of us’? Nah. They used survivors as the emotional shield the second the lawyers said settle.”

“While I didn’t expect the lawsuit to reach a conclusion this quickly, it’s been my opinion all along Blake Lively would never submit to get on the witness stand & be cross-examined by Freedman-somehow, someway she’d avoid it,” a third person said.

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“Saved by the Bell” crew member claims Dustin Diamond pulled a knife on spinoff costar

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Mark Diamond, the late actor’s father, says the alleged incident occurred during a period of immense personal strain for Dustin.

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Bold and the Beautiful: Creepy Remy’s Secret Agenda with Dylan Exposed!

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Bold and the Beautiful: Miss Dylan (Sydney Bullock) - Remy Pryce (Christian Weissmann)

Bold and the Beautiful reveals who Miss Dylan‘s (Sydney Bullock) stalker is, her toxic cousin Remy Pryce (Christian Weissmann). Sounded insane, but yes, it was him in a wig up at Forrester Creations stalking Dylan.

Remy is clearly the same sleaze as always. He does not seem to have truly changed or really learned a lesson. So the question is now what is his agenda and what does he really want from Dylan?

Remy Revealed As Dylan’s Stalker on Bold and the Beautiful

So, this week we found out Remy’s the one calling with the creepy voice changer and harassing Dylan. He claims he was being clever using the voice changer. You know, Remy said he wanted to be careful in case the call was on speaker phone, but that’s straight stalker stuff.

Then he put on a wig, snuck into her workplace, and scared the living daylights out of Dylan. And Remy again claimed the whole weird disguise thing was just so he could talk to Dylan. He could have talked to her on the phone by being a normal human.

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So, she was worried and said the Forresters would freak out if they saw Remy there. And Dylan also told Remy that she is disgusted because she just found out about the deep fakes he made of Electra Forrester (Laneya Grace).

Clearly she’s icked out and Dylan doesn’t want anybody to know she’s related to Remy. And we found out that Dylan didn’t grow up close to him. Thankfully, they are cousins, but not, you know, super close family.

Remy’s Bogus Claims on B&B

Now, Remy’s insisting he’s not the same guy he was before, but his words and attitude say otherwise. Dylan said after what he did to Electra, she doesn’t feel like she knows Remy anymore. And I think he’s still awful. He claims that Electra made a bigger deal out of the deep fakes than it was. Dylan wasn’t having that and told him that he traumatized Electra.

And then Remy sidestepped and was saying that he got Dylan the job as an art teacher and that’s why she owes him. But it sounded like Remy told her about a job opening or sent her a link to a job ad. The guy’s deluded. But the problem is no matter what, he could mess up the life that Dylan is finally rebuilding.

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What Does Remy Want from Dylan on Bold?

Remy’s determined to make Dylan repay his alleged kindness. So, today we’re going to talk about exactly what creepy Remy really wants from Dylan. Exactly what he expects her to do for him. Now first off, we know that Remy wants Deke Sharpe (Harrison Cone) to get back with him.

We already saw Remy over at Il Giardino appealing to Deke, who didn’t seem too interested in a reunion. And I suspect that Remy is going to task Dylan with convincing Deke to take him back. If Remy has been stalking and watching Dylan, as I suspect, he may know that she and Deke are friends.

Now, Remy may pressure Dylan to put in a good word for him and convince Deke to start seeing him again. But if you remember, he broke up with Remy because of those deep fakes of Electra, but Remy claims he is committed to being a person worthy of Deke. Seems like Remy’s full of it.

And I doubt that Dylan wants to convince Deke to get back with her awful cousin. Plus, think about this. Remy had an apartment while Dylan was sleeping in her car and eating out of trash cans. If Remy was a decent guy, like he says, who truly saw Dylan as family, seems like he would have offered her a place to stay. But no, Remy left her homeless.

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The bottom line to me is he seems like the same old creep. But I think his primary goal is probably going to be getting Deke to take him back and pushing her to do this for him. And since Dylan and Deke are actually friends now, I think he would at least listen to something that Dylan had to say. But if Remy has several things on his creepy to-do list, I would guess that Deke is at the very top of it.

Remy May Want Dylan to Convince Electra to Forgive Him on Bold and the Beautiful

But another thing Remy might want Dylan to do is to convince Electra to forgive him. So he’s not so hated in LA and isn’t such a black sheep. Remy knows the deep fakes he made of Electra were the deal breaker for Deke. So he may want Dylan to convince Electra he’s changed and then get Electra to tell Deacon that she’s forgiven him.

That would be an almost impossible ask because Dylan isn’t Electra’s favorite person right now, first off. So, I don’t really think she’d listen to Dylan, especially about something as serious as forgiving Remy for the trauma and the humiliation he caused Electra.

Plus, if she finds out Dylan and Remy are cousins, then Electra is definitely never going to listen to anything Dylan has to say again. And Electra would probably go right back to hating Dylan. And if she doesn’t tell Electra that Remy’s her cousin, that’s a problem because it’s going to come out eventually. We know it will. And that’s a problem.

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So, Electra may wonder why out of the blue is Dylan advocating for Remy, this guy she supposedly doesn’t even know who did Electra so dirty. That is a very tricky request, but I don’t think Remy’s going to care. And I think he’s going to make demands of Dylan that are going to be almost impossible for her to deliver on.

Bold and the Beautiful: Miss Dylan (Sydney Bullock) - Remy Pryce (Christian Weissmann)Bold and the Beautiful: Miss Dylan (Sydney Bullock) - Remy Pryce (Christian Weissmann)
Bold and the Beautiful: Miss Dylan – Remy Pryce 

Remy Might Force Dylan to Help Him Get a Job on B&B

Third and final, Remy might force Dylan to help him get a job, you know, maybe at Forrester, but that seems like a real long shot. What seems more likely is back at Il Giardino so that he can be around Deke. I mean, I don’t think there’s any way anybody at Forrester would hire Remy, but maybe Dylan could convince Deacon to give Remy a job at Il Giardino. Since Dylan left Il Giardino, they might need another dishwasher.

You know, I doubt that Deke is going to want Remy around. And I don’t know if Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan) would give Remy another shot because remember he rolled the dice. We saw Deacon give Remy a job and a place to live and then he turned around and betrayed his faith in him by building that stalker shrine to Electra in the little apartment. Remember?

However, just because Remy’s making unreasonable requests, it doesn’t mean that he’s not going to pressure Dylan to find a way to make these things happen. Honestly, I don’t think she’s going to want to do anything to help Remy, but Dylan may not have much of a choice. Remy has this huge leverage over her.

Electra would never talk to Dylan again if she found out she’s related to Remy. Same thing probably for Will Spencer (Crew Morrow). And the Forresters would probably fire Dylan if they found out she’s his cousin and that Remy’s still part of her life, even though she’s not willingly having him in her life on Bold and the Beautiful.

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Remy Could Threaten To Destroy Dylan’s Life on Bold

We could see Remy threaten to tell Electra that Dylan knew all along what he’d done to her. And Remy could say that Dylan intentionally got close to Electra and befriended her because Dylan is the same kind of terrible person he is. You know, he could say all kinds of stuff.

Remy could say that Dylan targeted Will from the start and was plotting against Electra because Dylan was on Remy’s side all along. I mean, it’s terrible. But he could say almost anything. He could threaten all kinds of crazy stuff to manipulate Dylan and scare her into doing whatever he wants.

And if Remy wreaks havoc on her life, Dylan could lose her job at Forrester. She could lose her new apartment because then she wouldn’t be able to pay rent. And if Remy does her really dirty, you know, Dylan might wind up living out of her car again and back to eating out of dumpsters.

Remy seems just as awful as ever. And poor Dylan has just one more bad thing in her life to deal with now. I don’t know why Brad Bell thought bringing Remy back was a great idea. I mean, the actor’s talented, but the character is trash. So, we’ll find out more what’s in store and what terrible thing that Remy may want Dylan to do.

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The Ancient Underwater Road Scientists Found In The Ocean

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The Ancient Underwater Road Scientists Found In The Ocean

Divers found an ancient road off Croatia’s shore connected to an underwater settlement.

By TeeJay Small
| Published

If you’re looking to take a road trip down Ocean Avenue, you may finally have the chance to do so, courtesy of a few ancient contractors and a deep-sea expedition. In 2023, a team of explorers uncovered a 7,000-year-old road, made of carefully layered slabs of stone, submerged deep within the Mediterranean Sea, proving that all roads do, in fact, lead to Rome.

Scientists have been hard at work excavating the ruins, which were buried under layers of thick mud. No word yet from Aquaman or the Little Mermaid as to whether the ocean road was ever scheduled for aquatic use.

How The Road Was Found

Archaeologists conducting research for the University of Zadar in Croatia first began searching for the submerged ocean road after noticing unusual activity on the Mediterranean seabed via satellite imagery. After donning their finest Titanic recovery SCUBA suits, the team ventured into the depths of the Adriatic Sea to first uncover what appeared to be walls of an ancient Hvar settlement.

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Hvar is a Croatian island once owned by the Roman Empire, whose high limestone walls and natural freshwater springs have long made the island a hot commodity for empires seeking to gain control of the region.

Where The Road Was Going And How It Was Used

The hypothesis of the ocean road’s Hvar origins seemed to be confirmed when archaeologists found a number of other stone artifacts, including millstone fragments, stone axes, and flint blades, during the excavation. The road is said to have been dry and usable as of its construction over 7,000 years ago, when the Hvar population of the Neolithic era built the road to connect the Croatian islands of Soline and Korčula. Further studies of the ancient ecosystem suggest that a similar road was discovered years ago on the opposite side of Korčula, near Gradina Bay.

With the dual structures, each serving to connect Croatian islands to the mainland, it seems as though ancient cultures were making great use of these roads to migrate vast distances across the Adriatic Sea. Though the ocean has now reclaimed both roads to the depths, it’s interesting imagining what the landscape of Croatia would look like if the structures had been maintained.

The ocean road is roughly 13 feet wide, making it much more akin to a hallway than to a modern road built for automobiles. The structure sits at a depth of two fathoms beneath the surface of the Adriatic Sea, though researchers have been hard at work excavating the road to further study its construction and condition.

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Scientists have credited the many small islands dotting the Croatian coast for preserving submerged structures by preventing large waves from penetrating the interior of the Sea.

The Croatian Coast In Game Of Thrones

Kings Landing in Game of Thrones

While many viewers may not realize it, the Croatian coast has long been featured in a number of popular television series and films, standing in for the desert planet of Cantonica in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and several key locations such as King’s Landing in HBO’s Game of Thrones.


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