Latest news with #Inglewood
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Matt Damon ditches his usual clean-cut appearance for latest movie role
Matt Damon looked unlike the clean-cut movie star we've all come to know and love at an event over the weekend. The actor headlined the Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event rocking a head full of grey hair and an unruly beard to match. The 54-year-old attended the global fan event at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, with his best friend and longtime collaborator Ben Affleck, with both giving fans a first look at their upcoming crime-thriller, The Rip. However, before sharing a teaser for their new cop drama set to drop on Netflix in January 2026, Affleck roasted Damon's beard. 'I trusted Matt would shave the beard before Tudum — and here we are,' the 52-year-old actor said on stage alongside their co-stars Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle. Damon is currently on a break in filming the Christopher Nolan-directed, fantasy film The Odyssey in Italy. In the movie, Damon plays Ancient Greek mythological hero Odysseus, which explains the beard. The blockbuster will also star Zendaya and her fiance Tom Holland, as well as A-listers Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o and Charlize Theron. Filming has been underway since February with the star-studded cast shooting in various locations in Scotland, Ireland, Morocco, Greece and Favignana, situated west of the coast of Sicily. Last month, Damon was photographed in Favignana rocking a ripped physique on a yacht as he enjoyed some time off from filming the blockbuster. As the pics went viral, Affleck joked at the time that he couldn't go anywhere without being asked about Damon's chiselled abs, especially while at the premiere of his new film The Accountant 2. 'God damn! I just went to the premiere and every interviewer, they were like they found the secret of life,' Affleck recalled on Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast on April 30, adding that reporters at screenings wouldn't stop showing him photos of Damon's six-pack. 'I was like, 'The one time he got in shape!'' But Affleck also praised his best mate for the transformation. 'It looks good,' he added. 'It ain't easy when you touch 50. You boys will see!' Damon and Affleck's upcoming film The Rip follows a group of Miami cops whose bond unravels after they discover millions in cash in a derelict stash house. As outside forces learn about their pricey discovery, no on can be trusted and they begin to turn on each other. 'This movie takes a look at the things people will do for money,' Affleck said at the Netflix event.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Only Netflix's Tudum Could Put Lady Gaga, ‘Stranger Things,' Ben Affleck and ‘Love Is Blind' on the Same Stage. It Was Exhausting
With less than 10 minutes to go before Netflix's fan extravaganza Tudum began streaming live from the Kia Forum on Saturday, the crowd inside the Inglewood arena was noticeably sparse and listless. More than half the seats remained empty, and those who were there weren't buzzing with anticipation so much as they were politely hanging out. To boost everyone's energy, a pre-show emcee turned up the music, commanded everyone to get out of their seats, and began shouting out some of Netflix luminaries who were about to take the stage.'The cast of 'Outer Banks' is here!' he said, to tepid applause. 'The cast of 'Stranger Things' is here!' he continued, to moderate cheers. 'Lady Gaga is here!' he concluded, and the audience, finally, began to roar. Once Tudum got underway, the Forum did fill up (though not to capacity), and the audience did respond with genuine enthusiasm for the parade of A-listers (Ben Affleck! Matt Damon! Daniel Craig! Adam Sandler! Jenna Ortega!) and blockbuster shows ('Squid Game'! 'One Piece'! 'Wednesday'!) that unfurled over the next two hours. Nothing else, however, kindled anywhere close to the raw exuberance that Lady Gaga — who's playing a guest role in Season 2 of 'Wednesday' — commanded for her two-song performance that closed the show. More from Variety Lady Gaga Does the Viral 'Wednesday' Dance, Performs 'Abracadabra' and 'Zombieboy' at Netflix's Tudum 'Wednesday' Season 2 Clip Reveals Haley Joel Osment as a Doll-Collecting Serial Killer 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Gets Three-Part Release, Series Finale Set for New Year's Eve Since its launch as a virtual fan event in 2020, Tudum has remained one of the most bewildering marketing gambits of the streaming era. Although several of Netflix's properties have developed robust fan bases, the overt conceit driving Tudum is that there is, somehow, a massive cohort of Netflix super fans with a rabid appetite for news about all of its programming. How else to explain the cognitive whiplash of ping-ponging from the casts of 'Outer Banks,' 'Ginny & Georgia,' 'Forever' and 'My Life With the Walter Boys' answering preselected fan questions, to pro wrestlers from 'Monday Night Raw' talking up the reality series 'WWE Unreal,' to the cast of 'One Piece' appearing accompanied by character descriptions that any fan of the series would never need. It's fair to acknowledge that there are people in the world whose Netflix diet could include YA dramas, pro wrestling and live-action anime. It's much more of a stretch to conclude that those same people are part of a core Netflix fandom that are also eagerly awaiting trailers for the next 'Knives Out' movie 'Wake Up Dead Man' and Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' with Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, and dig the sight of Affleck and Damon as LAPD officers in the new original crime thriller 'The Rip,' and are excited for the return of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) in 'Happy Madison 2.' On their own, some of the segments showcasing these titles had their charms. Most of the 'Wake Up Dead Man' cast — including Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis and Josh Brolin — joined writer-director Rian Johnson for an extended bit about melodramatic twists in murder mysteries. 'Happy Madison 2' stars Sandler, McDonald and Julie Bowen fielded audience questions (really, from their costars) with sportscaster Rich Eisen. Affleck and 'The Rip' costar Teyana Taylor teased each other about needing glasses to read the teleprompter. But smashing all of these disparate titles together into one omnibus event had a numbing effect, stifling the impact any single project could make. 'Stranger Things' stars Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin and Finn Wolfhard appeared for one of the most affecting presentations, sharing behind-the-scenes footage of their favorite early memories from the show when they were still adorable pre-pubescent moppets, before introducing an intense, all-too-brief preview of their fifth and final season. Immediately after the 'Stranger Things' teaser, the live presentation resumed with Vanessa Lachey presenting the crowd with kiss-cam shots of couples from 'Love Is Blind' and 'Love on the Spectrum,' who were in the audience. Netflix's position atop the industry is built on a business model of universality — they provide an unending buffet of entertainment for everyone — and Tudum certainly aligns with that messaging. Disney has adopted a similar approach with its D23 Expo, which last year offered a three-hour marathon presentation in the Honda Center in Anaheim that covered just about every corner of the company's output. It's a shock-and-awe strategy, a way to overwhelm consumers into seeing one's content as inescapable. But it's also antithetical to the genuine fan experience, which is built on a foundation of personal connection and authentic community — something, for instance, that Lady Gaga has expertly cultivated for nearly two decades. It's no wonder that she was Tudum's biggest draw. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Ben Affleck ROASTS longtime BFF Matt Damon over his burly gray beard
Ben Affleck and his childhood BFF Matt Damon reunited at Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event in Inglewood, CA last Saturday in order to present the first footage from their upcoming film The Rip. 'I trusted Matt would shave the beard before Tudum,' 52-year-old Ben wisecracked onstage The Kia Forum. 'And here we are.' 54-year-old Matt grew out the burly gray beard for his role as Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, in Christopher Nolan 's big-screen adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey. Damon and Affleck then introduced the roaring crowd to their Rip castmates Teyana Taylor, Steven Yeun, and Catalina Sandino Moreno. The Artists Equity co-founders - who are 10th cousins once removed - originally met as neighbors in Cambridge, MA before co-writing their Oscar-winning screenplay for Gus Van Sant's 1997 drama Good Will Hunting. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop Matt flexed his biceps in a white short-sleeve button-up and grey jeans while Ben rocked a black leather motorcycle jacket with blue jeans. Affleck and Damon portray Miami cops whose team's trust begins to fray upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house in Joe Carnahan's crime drama premiering January 16 on Netflix. 'The Rip came out of a deeply personal experience that my friend went through, both as a father and as head of tactical narcotics for the Miami Dade police department,' Carnahan told Tudum last Saturday. 'It's inspired in part by his life and then, by my enduring love for those classic seventies cop thrillers that really valued the character and interpersonal relationships and became touchstones of that era — films like Serpico and Prince of the City and more recently, Michael Mann's Heat.' Sasha Calle, Néstor Carbonell, Lina Esco, Scott Adkins, and Kyle Chandler will also appear in The Rip. The Boston besties co-produced Bill Condon's $30M-budget remake of West End musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring Ben's second ex-wife Jennifer Lopez, which hits US theaters October 10. Matt is currently on break from filming Universal Pictures $250M-budget 'mythic action epic' already scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2026. The Odyssey marks Damon's third time being directed by Nolan after his 2023 atomic bomb biopic Oppenheimer, and his 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar. Principal photography officially began February 25 on the IMAX flick, and filming is also expected to take place in Italy, Greece, Morocco, Scotland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Carnahan told Tudum last Saturday: 'The Rip came out of a deeply personal experience that my friend went through, both as a father and as head of tactical narcotics for the Miami Dade police department. It's inspired in part by his life' The Odyssey ensemble cast also includes Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, Will Yun Lee, and Mia Goth. Meanwhile, Affleck has been hard at work on the LA set of his sixth feature directorial effort Animals, which will also be released via Netflix. The Accountant 2 action star co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred as LA Mayoral candidate Milo Bradford in the upcoming hostage thriller.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Only Netflix's Tudum Could Put Lady Gaga, ‘Stranger Things,' Ben Affleck and ‘Love Is Blind' on the Same Stage. It Was Exhausting
With less than 10 minutes to go before Netflix's fan extravaganza Tudum began streaming live from the Kia Forum on Saturday, the crowd inside the Inglewood arena was noticeably sparse and listless. More than half the seats remained empty, and those who were there weren't buzzing with anticipation so much as they were politely hanging out. To boost everyone's energy, a pre-show emcee turned up the music, commanded everyone to get out of their seats, and began shouting out some of Netflix luminaries who were about to take the stage.'The cast of 'Outer Banks' is here!' he said, to tepid applause. 'The cast of 'Stranger Things' is here!' he continued, to moderate cheers. 'Lady Gaga is here!' he concluded, and the audience, finally, began to roar. Once Tudum got underway, the Forum did fill up (though not to capacity), and the audience did respond with genuine enthusiasm for the parade of A-listers (Ben Affleck! Matt Damon! Daniel Craig! Adam Sandler! Jenna Ortega!) and blockbuster shows ('Squid Game'! 'One Piece'! 'Wednesday'!) that unfurled over the next two hours. Nothing else, however, kindled anywhere close to the raw exuberance that Lady Gaga — who's playing a guest role in Season 2 of 'Wednesday' — commanded for her two-song performance that closed the show. More from Variety Lady Gaga Does the Viral 'Wednesday' Dance, Performs 'Abracadabra' and 'Zombieboy' at Netflix's Tudum 'Wednesday' Season 2 Clip Reveals Haley Joel Osment as a Doll-Collecting Serial Killer 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Gets Three-Part Release, Series Finale Set for New Year's Eve Since its launch as a virtual fan event in 2020, Tudum has remained one of the most bewildering marketing gambits of the streaming era. Although several of Netflix's properties have developed robust fan bases, the overt conceit driving Tudum is that there is, somehow, a massive cohort of Netflix super fans with a rabid appetite for news about all of its programming. How else to explain the cognitive whiplash of ping-ponging from the casts of 'Outer Banks,' 'Ginny & Georgia,' 'Forever' and 'My Life With the Walter Boys' answering preselected fan questions, to pro wrestlers from 'Monday Night Raw' talking up the reality series 'WWE Unreal,' to the cast of 'One Piece' appearing accompanied by character descriptions that any fan of the series would never need. It's fair to acknowledge that there are people in the world whose Netflix diet could include YA dramas, pro wrestling and live-action anime. It's much more of a stretch to conclude that those same people are part of a core Netflix fandom that are also eagerly awaiting trailers for the next 'Knives Out' movie 'Wake Up Dead Man' and Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' with Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, and dig the sight of Affleck and Damon as LAPD officers in the new original crime thriller 'The Rip,' and are excited for the return of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) in 'Happy Madison 2.' On their own, some of the segments showcasing these titles had their charms. Most of the 'Wake Up Dead Man' cast — including Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis and Josh Brolin — joined writer-director Rian Johnson for an extended bit about melodramatic twists in murder mysteries. 'Happy Madison 2' stars Sandler, McDonald and Julie Bowen fielded audience questions (really, from their costars) with sportscaster Rich Eisen. Affleck and 'The Rip' costar Teyana Taylor teased each other about needing glasses to read the teleprompter. But smashing all of these disparate titles together into one omnibus event had a numbing effect, stifling the impact any single project could make. 'Stranger Things' stars Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin and Finn Wolfhard appeared for one of the most affecting presentations, sharing behind-the-scenes footage of their favorite early memories from the show when they were still adorable pre-pubescent moppets, before introducing an intense, all-too-brief preview of their fifth and final season. Immediately after the 'Stranger Things' teaser, the live presentation resumed with Vanessa Lachey presenting the crowd with kiss-cam shots of couples from 'Love Is Blind' and 'Love on the Spectrum,' who were in the audience. Netflix's position atop the industry is built on a business model of universality — they provide an unending buffet of entertainment for everyone — and Tudum certainly aligns with that messaging. Disney has adopted a similar approach with its D23 Expo, which last year offered a three-hour marathon presentation in the Honda Center in Anaheim that covered just about every corner of the company's output. It's a shock-and-awe strategy, a way to overwhelm consumers into seeing one's content as inescapable. But it's also antithetical to the genuine fan experience, which is built on a foundation of personal connection and authentic community — something, for instance, that Lady Gaga has expertly cultivated for nearly two decades. It's no wonder that she was Tudum's biggest draw. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Netflix reveals details about Lady Gaga on 'Wednesday,' 'Squid Game' and 'Stranger Things' finales
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Netflix flexed its Hollywood star power with a live event where it unveiled details about its upcoming slate of streaming offerings, including Lady Gaga being cast as a teacher on 'Wednesday," and release dates for the final episodes of hits 'Squid Game' and 'Stranger Things.' The streaming giant assembled actors including Jenna Ortega, Oscar Isaac, Lee Jung-jae, Drew Starkey, Sofia Carson, Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for its annual Tudum event Saturday in Inglewood, Calif. Musical performances bookended the show, with Hanumankind opening with 'Run It Up' and Gaga closing with a medley and the announcement of her latest acting gig. The event is named 'Tudum' after the audio cue that accompanies the Netflix's N logo in its trailers and at the start of its programming. 'Squid Game' Season 3 A bloody trailer for the final season of 'Squid Game' accompanied the announcement that the show's third season will begin streaming June 27. The South Korean series about a brutal competition where adults face death while playing children's games was one of the pandemic's breakout hits and made an international star of Lee Jung-jae, who became the first Asian man to win an Emmy for best drama actor. 'Stranger Things' final episodes The fifth and final season of 'Stranger Things' will be parceled out over the winter holidays, with four episodes dropping Nov. 26, three more on Christmas Day and the series finale premiering New Year's Eve. A new trailer highlights the history of the Duffer brothers' nostalgia-soaked sci-fi, which over the past nine years has made stars out of Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Joseph Quinn, David Harbour and Finn Wolfhard. The trailer teases a final confrontation with Vecna, concluding with Noah Schnapp's Will Byers' character yelling 'RUN!' 'Wednesday' Netflix unveiled the first six minutes of the second season of 'Wednesday,' featuring Ortega's Wednesday Addams getting a helping hand from Thing as she confronts a serial killer played by Haley Joel Osment. Gaga's first acting gig since last year's 'Joker: Folie a Deux' will be playing teacher Rosaline Rotwood at Addams' school Nevermore. The first part of 'Wednesday' season 2 lands on Aug. 6, and the second half will be released Sept. 3.
