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Irish Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A walk down memory lane in front of the TV took a darker turn
It's not often we find something to watch together in this house. Especially since my daughter had the cheek to grow up and move out leaving me with all these boys. I'm not one for sweeping generalisations and sexist stereotypes but I think it's fair to say that boys are mostly brutal at picking decent things to watch. I like chick flicks and comedies. They like Star Wars and Marvel movies. So the usual and obvious compromise is watching the football. READ MORE Last Monday, however, Liverpool weren't playing, and having been all Skywalker-ed out that weekend, I took control of the remote and scrolled to see what was on. I could, of course, have just chosen to watch the telly in peace, but it's a thing you see; watching something together as a family, at the weekend or during school holidays evenings. With popcorn and a drink and erm ... fishfingers, sometimes. Anyway, as I scrolled, Housewife of the Year popped up. So I set a reminder. 'Sure it'll be like Reeling in The Years, or Don't Look Back in Anger,' I thought. 'The lads will enjoy it,' I figured. 'And aren't I the very woman who tweeted something mildly amusing about Housewife of the Year once, and had it read out on the Rose of Tralee, no less?' I reminisced. They were playing my song, I decided. The evening's viewing was sorted. And so I herded as many boys as I could, which ended up being roughly half of them and we sat down to watch the telly together. It was like a scene from the Waltons, if the Waltons had a telly and only the boy Waltons were present. There were a few quizzical looks as it started, with some of my children initially unconvinced of my choice. 'Is this real or made up?' one teenager asked sincerely, unsure of the premise. 'Oh, this was a big show when I was growing up,' I explained, imagining it would be like a little trip down memory lane. The kind of fond ones where the sun shone the entire school summer holidays and no child ever complained of being bored. My kids would get a glimpse of the good old days. And it was all going well, with one child even recognising Gay Byrne, though really he was too young to know who Gay Byrne was, and large families like ours turning up on the screen as if it was normal. A teaching moment, I thought. Once upon a time, other people had a socially unacceptable number of children too, and it wasn't even socially unacceptable then. The good old days, you see. Until you realised, as you watched, they really weren't all that good. And the choice made here to have a big family was in sharp contrast to the lack of choice around family planning then. 'No contraception?' one teenager asked, shocked by what he was hearing. Though not as shocked as when they heard the story of the woman sent to the Magdalene laundry. 'But what did she do wrong?' one boy asked, his face visibly troubled by what he was seeing. 'Nothing,' I replied. 'The women sent to the Magdalene laundries never did anything wrong. But that didn't matter,' I said trying to explain the grip the Church had on the country and what that had meant for women in particular. The walk down memory lane was taking an unexpected and darker turn. When the conversation on Housewife of the Year turned to women having to give up work, and often jobs they loved, after they married, one boy was incredulous. 'You mean Gran and Nana had to give up work. They didn't want to?' he asked. Followed by an indignant and somewhat shocked, 'were Grandad and Grumps okay with that?' As if his grandfathers could have overturned the system. Though it's a reasonable question in the wider context, why indeed were men okay with all of this? Every generation faces unique challenges in rearing children. Ours, undoubtedly, is the insidious influence of social media and algorithms which seem at times determined to convince our boys and girls back to the past. Where tradwife accounts try to convince our daughters towards a traditional and submissive female role in life. And where toxic influencers try to convince our boys that disregarding women's rights is not only desirable but essential. Because control and power is everything. There was silence in the room as the programme ended. When shown against the backdrop of society at the time, it didn't so harmless or, at worst, cringey any more. Nor did it seem like the good old days. It wasn't the amusing TV I anticipated. But there was another invaluable teaching moment for me and my sons; that raising feminists still matters.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mark Hamill Rules Out Doing More ‘Star Wars'
Don't expect to see Luke Skywalker in any of the upcoming films Lucasfilm has planned — even as a spectral Force Ghost. The 73-year-old actor, who has appeared in five live-action Star Wars films and made de-aged cameos in The Mandalorian TV series, suggested that Skywalker's run is over — and should be over. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Andor' Team Breaks Down Their Favorite Series Moments, Including That Mon Mothma Speech Ryan Reynolds Wants Disney to "Gamble" on an R-Rated 'Star Wars' Project Disney, Epic Games Using AI to Bring James Earl Jones' Darth Vader Voice to 'Fortnite' 'I am so grateful to [creator George Lucas] for letting me be a part of that back in the day, the humble days when George called Star Wars 'the most expensive low-budget movie ever made,'' said Hamill during an interview with to promote his new film, the Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck. 'We never expected it to become a permanent franchise and a part of pop culture like that. But my deal is, I had my time. I'm appreciative of that. But I really think they should focus on the future and all the new characters. 'And by the way,' he added, 'when I disappeared in [The Last Jedi], I left my robes behind. And there's no way I'm gonna appear as a naked Force ghost.' The comments come despite Lucasfilm developing a film that would be an obvious project for Skywalker to appear in — a Rise of Skywalker follow-up focused on Daisy Ridley's Rey, who was Skywalker's mentee in the sequel trilogy. The film from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy picks up roughly 15 years after the events in Skywalker and follows Rey's efforts to build a new Jedi order. The New Order film is only in development, however, along with many other titles. Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy previously teased the film, saying, 'Well, we're 15 years out from Rise of Skywalker, so we're post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray. And, there's a lot of discussion around, 'Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What's the state of the galaxy?' And, [Rey]'s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that's where we're going.' The next confirmed Star Wars title is The Mandalorian & Grogu coming May 22, 2026, followed a year later by Star Wars: Starfighter from Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling. Regarding Hamill's joking comment about leaving his robes behind, he and the late Carrie Fisher appeared as force ghosts at the end of Rise of Skywalker, and he indeed was robed. And hardcore Star Wars fans will counter that in 1977's A New Hope, when Darth Vader killed Obi-Wan Kenobi, his robes were also left behind — but Alec Guinness still appeared in his robes when he showed up as a Force Ghost in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Hamill's career has been busier than ever the last few years. The Life of Chuck is a sci-fi adaptation of a Stephen King story from Hamill's The Fall of the House of Usher filmmaker Mike Flanagan this month. He also stars in another King adaptation, the long-awaited adaptation of the author's cult favorite novel The Long Walk, which is out in September. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
$2 billion, 12 years, arrests: How world's most expensive video game cost more than Avatar, Avengers, Star Wars combined
The most expensive film ever made is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The seventh instalment of the Skywalker saga cost a staggering $447 million to make, and eventually paid back Disney all that and more with a billion-dollar run at the box office. Big numbers, right? But what if we told you that a video game cost more to make. Don't be surprised; it's not exactly Super Mario or Donkey Kong we are talking about, but the most ambitious game ever made. One that took a dozen years and over a billion dollars to make, and even a few arrests along the way. GTA VI (in full Grand Theft Auto VI) is the most expensive video game made in history. The eighth Grand Theft Auto main series game (and the 16th overall), GTA VI, is scheduled for release on May 26 next year (2026). But it has been in development since 2014. The Independent reported that the film has cost its makers, Rockstar Games, $1-2 billion, making it the biggest entertainment project in history. Just how big is that number? Even the conservative estimate - $1 billion - is more than the combined production budgets of Avatar, Avengers, and Star Wars. The three films cost $700 million together. GTA VI has broken the record for most expensive video game, beating Scopely's Monopoly Go, which cost just under a billion dollars, largely all on marketing, though. Genshin Impact ($900 million), Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War ($700 million), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare ($640 million) round up the top 5. Rockstar first began work on GTA VI after the release of GTA V in 2014. But the preliminary work took over three years. Actual production only began in 2018 once Red Dead Redemption 2 - another big game from Rockstar - was released. The development was clouded in secrecy, and no release date was announced. Fans and journalists noted that the game was taking longer than usual when there was no update till 2020. After COVID-19 struck, Rockstar allowed employees to work remotely, which slowed the development further. For the first time, Rockstar gave a release date of 2025. But soon, it became clear that the game would overshoot the target. The reason was leaks. The first leak to hit the game was in 2022, when a social media user known as "teapotuberhacker" published 90 videos to the website GTAForums showing 50 minutes of work-in-progress game footage. Described as one of the biggest leaks in video game history, the incident sparked a legal war from Rockstar against the hacker, eventually leading to their arrest. In January 2025, another leak showed gameplay on PlayStation 5. The video, posted on Reddit, was later deleted. Eventually, a trailer came out in May 2025, and the release date of May 26, 2026, was announced. The delays GTA VI faced and Rockstar's refusal to address them frustrated many fans. Over the years, this resulted in an internet meme - 'before GTA 6'. In this, social media users would unlikely things taking place, noting that even such a bizarre thing happened before GTA 6 was released. Ironically, this increased the anticipation for the game even more. Like its predecessors, GTA VI is an open-world game set in the fictional U.S. state of Leonida, which is based on Florida. The game features multiple cities and two protagonists, a change from the previous GTA games. The story follows a criminal duo: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, the latter being the series' first non-optional female protagonist. Like other GTA games in the past, the game parodies modern pop culture, with the trailer including pot shots at social media and influencer culture in particular.
Egypt Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Independent
Ryan Gosling to star in new ‘Star Wars' movie, set for 2027
Ryan Gosling is set to embark on a journey to 'a galaxy far, far away' in a new 'Star Wars' movie. The 'Barbie' star will join forces with director Shawn Levy for 'Star Wars: Starfighter,' slated for release in May 2027. Set to begin production this fall, the movie will be set approximately five years after 'Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,' released in 2019, but will sit outside the Skywalker story as a standalone film. 'The film… is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen,' said a statement from Lucasfilm, the owner of the 'Star Wars' franchise. Details of the film were announced at the Star Wars Celebration, a fan event in Japan on Friday. The audience was shown a photo of Gosling's childhood 'Star Wars'-branded bedding before he told them he was 'dreaming about 'Star Wars,' before [he] ever saw it.' 'It's always been there, it's sort of in the DNA of the culture. Myself, I think it framed my idea of what a movie even was,' Gosling said on stage in a panel with Levy. 'The script is just so good, the story, it has so much adventure, so much heart and original character. It's an opportunity to shine the light into a side of the universe that we may not have seen,' Gosling said. Levy, the director of 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' told the crowd the film would have all the 'fun of 'Star Wars'' but it would be done 'in ways that are new and original.' 'Because obviously you take on 'Star Wars,' you take on something this beloved, it's intimidating, you're scared, you're nervous, you want to get it right. But we have a feeling that with this story, with this collaboration, we can get it right,' he added. The 'Star Wars' universe has massively expanded since Disney purchased the franchise in 2012, with the company commissioning a sequel trilogy to the original Skywalker storyline as well as a series of spinoff films and series. Between 2015 and 2019, Lucasfilm released a new 'Star Wars' film each year, including 'The Force Awakens,' 'The Last Jedi,' and 'The Rise of Skywalker,' in the Skywalker series and standalone titles 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' and 'Solo: A Star Wars Story.' The franchise has also branched into streaming with titles including 'The Mandalorian,' 'The Book of Boba Fett,' 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' and 'Andor' on Disney+. The next movie in the franchise, 'The Mandalorian & Grogu,' a spin-off of 'The Mandalorian' series, directed by Jon Favreau, will hit cinemas in May 2026.
CNN
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Star Wars: Starfighter' set for 2027 release, Ryan Gosling to star in new movie
Ryan Gosling is set to embark on a journey to 'a galaxy far, far away' in a new 'Star Wars' movie. The 'Barbie' star will join forces with director Shawn Levy for 'Star Wars: Starfighter,' slated for release in May 2027. Set to begin production this fall, the movie will be set approximately five years after 'Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,' released in 2019, but will sit outside the Skywalker story as a standalone film. 'The film… is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen,' said a statement from Lucasfilm, the owner of the 'Star Wars' franchise. Details of the film were announced at the Star Wars Celebration, a fan event in Japan on Friday. The audience was shown a photo of Gosling's childhood 'Star Wars'-branded bedding before he told them he was 'dreaming about 'Star Wars,' before [he] ever saw it.' 'It's always been there, it's sort of in the DNA of the culture. Myself, I think it framed my idea of what a movie even was,' Gosling said on stage in a panel with Levy. 'The script is just so good, the story, it has so much adventure, so much heart and original character. It's an opportunity to shine the light into a side of the universe that we may not have seen,' Gosling said. Levy, the director of 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' told the crowd the film would have all the 'fun of 'Star Wars'' but it would be done 'in ways that are new and original.' 'Because obviously you take on 'Star Wars,' you take on something this beloved, it's intimidating, you're scared, you're nervous, you want to get it right. But we have a feeling that with this story, with this collaboration, we can get it right,' he added. The 'Star Wars' universe has massively expanded since Disney purchased the franchise in 2012, with the company commissioning a sequel trilogy to the original Skywalker storyline as well as a series of spinoff films and series. Between 2015 and 2019, Lucasfilm released a new 'Star Wars' film each year, including 'The Force Awakens,' 'The Last Jedi,' and 'The Rise of Skywalker,' in the Skywalker series and standalone titles 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' and 'Solo: A Star Wars Story.' The franchise has also branched into streaming with titles including 'The Mandalorian,' 'The Book of Boba Fett,' 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' and 'Andor' on Disney+. The next movie in the franchise, 'The Mandalorian & Grogu,' a spin-off of 'The Mandalorian' series, directed by Jon Favreau, will hit cinemas in May 2026.
