Latest news with #TheMandalorian
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
2025 is the year of Pedro Pascal. Here's why he's having a moment
A light, drizzly rain had started to pour, interrupting what began as a balmy March evening in Oakland, and Pedro Pascal was wistful. In exactly two weeks, he would turn 50, and he was feeling it. 'I chase nostalgia a lot, now that I'm getting older,' Pascal told the Chronicle. 'I'm a moviegoer more than I am anything else in life, to be honest.' As he walked the red carpet, then attended the premiere of the Oakland-shot ' Freaky Tales ' at the Grand Lake Theatre, and gently held court at the after-party at Dragon Gate in Jack London Square, Pascal seemed to be treasuring the experience, as if taking a career victory lap. But the end is hardly near. If Pascal is truly an alpha moviegoer, then he's been seeing a lot of Pedro Pascal movies lately. Over the past four months, beginning with April's release of ' Freaky Tales,' the Chilean-born actor has starred in four movies and one limited series. In May, he was featured in the second season of HBO Max's epic post-apocalyptic series ' The Last of Us,' for which he earned his fourth Emmy nomination. In June he co-starred with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans in ' Materialists,' Celine Song's sharp takedown of the New York dating scene. In July, he is co-headlining in Ari Aster's pandemic potboiler ' Eddington ' and the Marvel superhero reboot ' The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' which opened Friday, July 25, and has already pulled a 2025-best $24.4 million in Thursday previews. It is so obvious: 2025 is the Year of Pascal. He's even on the cover of this month's Vanity Fair with the title, 'Everyone wants a piece of Pedro.' Indeed. Dial it back to 2024, when he appeared in four movies, including ' Gladiator II,' and that's eight movies in a year and a half. That's an amazing run for a longtime journeyman actor who began as a Spanish-speaking immigrant, although a privileged one: His aristocratic parents fled Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship and eventually settled in San Antonio, then Southern California. But for more than a quarter of a century he had struggled, cobbling together a career with credits that include TV guest shots in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'Touched By an Angel' and 'NYPD Blue' to name just a few. So why Pedro Pascal, and why now? Strangely, his big breakthrough was a role that hid his face. The Disney+ 'Star Wars' spinoff ' The Mandalorian ' (2019-23) starred Pascal as Din Djarin, the helmeted bounty hunter charged with protecting the Yoda-like Baby Grogu. He's never been off the A-list since. Pascal had been in high profile projects before — a recurring role in Season 4 of 'Game of Thrones' in 2014 and a co-lead in the Netflix series ' Narcos ' (2015-17). But 'The Mandalorian' made him flaming hot. To capitalize, he accepted the role as the villain in the 2020 pandemic box office casualty 'Wonder Woman 1984,' opposite Gal Gadot. To prove his versatility, he shaved off his trademark mustache. Big mistake. 'Strongly disagree with a clean shaven me,' Pascal groused to Variety recently. 'I was so appalled by the way I look in 'Wonder Woman 1984.'' Which brings up another part of the Pascal mystique. Has there been a Hollywood star as defined by his mustache since Burt Reynolds? That might be one key to Pascal, who in the eyes of many of his growing number of fans is getting better looking with age. Every scraggly facial hair, every crinkly wrinkle around the eyes, every graying hair of his unruly mop adds depth. The guy increasingly feels lived-in, like an REI-outfitted dreamboat. In 'Materialists,' Johnson, as a Manhattan matchmaker, calls his character 'perfect,' one who 'checks every box.' In 'The Last of Us,' he is confronted by a young woman seeking revenge for her father's death, a man he killed. Even as she is consumed by vengeance, the woman, played with wonderful bloodlust by Kaitlyn Dever, stops for a moment and observes, 'You actually are pretty handsome. Congrats on that.' In 'Eddington,' Joaquin Phoenix's sheriff with an inferiority complex is intimidated by the charisma of Pascal's small-town New Mexico mayor. And obviously, Pascal's role as Mr. Fantastic, stud scientist and astronaut in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' speaks for itself. Forget the Silver Surfer; he's the Silver Fox. Yet sex appeal only partially explains Pascal's popularity. What has really made him a star is that we have come to instinctively trust him. In 'The Mandalorian,' 'The Last of Us' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' he's a protector. Pascal, who has a transgender sister, is that way in real life, too. In April he slammed an anti-trangender Instagram post by 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling, calling it ' Heinous LOSER behavior,' just one example of his willingness to engage on social and political issues. But even in 'Freaky Tales,' in which he's a contract killer looking to reform, he's a man holding on to hard-won truth and experience. And that's ultimately what Pascal brings to the table. He doesn't have time for B.S. He's lived a life, and it shows, especially in those melancholy eyes that seem to say so much. That experience informs the sixth episode of the second season of 'The Last of Us,' which features some of his best acting and is one of the best hours of television this year.
Metro
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Star Wars Outlaws 2 cancelled by Ubisoft claims insider
Ubisoft's disappointment with the sales of Star Wars Outlaws has led to the cancellation of a sequel, but it's Lucasfilm they blame. Star Wars Outlaws may have been a useful evolution of Ubisoft's usual open world formula, but sales wise it has been far from a success story. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently highlighted how the game had fallen short of sales expectations, where he blamed its failure on the overall Star Wars brand being in 'choppy waters' when it released last year. Guillemot's comments conveniently ignore the fact that Star Wars Outlaws launched in a pretty buggy state, and with a lofty £69.99 price tag, but whatever the reason for its poor sales, it seems a sequel is now out of the question. According to insider Tom Henderson, Ubisoft 'recently' cancelled a sequel to Star Wars Outlaws, which was 'very, very early' in development. '[Ubisoft] also recently cancelled Star Wars Outlaws 2 because that was planned and in the works,' Henderson said on the Insider Gaming podcast (at around the 46:40 mark). He claimed the project was in the pre-production phase, adding: 'It was very, very early… but they looked at Outlaws 2 and thought, yeah let's not do that.' Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. While not surprising if true, it's still disappointing considering Star Wars Outlaws felt ripe for an expanded, refined sequel. The obvious comparison when assessing why Star Wars Outlaws may have underperformed is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor from EA. The sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came out two years before Outlaws, but it still sold well despite releasing after the stink of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, The Book Of Boba Fett, and the third season of The Mandalorian. More Trending 2024 wasn't a great year for Star Wars either but only a few months later season 2 of Andor came out, and Star Wars Battlefront 2 suddenly shot up the Steam charts, so it doesn't seem fair to blame the brand alone. The deciding factor between EA and Ubisoft's success may have been very simple: one lets you play as a Jedi and the other does not. While The Mandalorian and Andor have done very well with little to no lightsabers, in terms of video games the Jedi and their related elements offer much more unique action than something like Outlaws can provide. As for what other Star Wars games are in the works, EA is developing a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, while Heavy Rain studio Quantic Dream is working on narrative-driven title Star Wars Eclipse. Respawn and Bit Reactor also recently revealed Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based strategy game set to be released next year. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Battlefield 6 reveal trailer is live now with multiplayer showcase to follow MORE: Donkey Kong Bananza fan breaks game by painting the cartridge yellow MORE: Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV review – party unfavoured
Buzz Feed
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Are Sharing Interesting Celebrity Encounters And Secrets They Discovered After Being Face-To-Face With Hollywood Stars
Earlier this month, a Redditor asked the community, "People who've been around celebrities for work, what are some behind-the-scenes truths?" And the stories did not disappoint! 1. Pedro Pascal "Ahh, finally my time to shine: My sister has worked on all the seasons of The Mandalorian show so far and is also helping with the movie. Pedro got to befriend her, and ONE DAY, while I'm on the damn toilet in the morning, I get a FaceTime call from her. I answer going, 'Heeeyyyy bitch!' And what do I get in return? A very classy, VERY sweet, 'HEEEEYYYY BIIIITTTCHH!' from fucking PEDRO PASCAL! We talked for 15 mins and he was super fucking nice, man. He complimented my sister, we talked about his time on GoT, and then he peaced out to shoot some scenes." — u/Duvoziir 2. Jamie Lee Curtis "Jamie Lee Curtis asks crew members to wear name tags so she can greet and thank everyone by name." — u/PerspectiveNo1313 3. Henry Winkler "When my wife and I were in New York, we were standing outside waiting for a Broadway show, and Henry Winkler walked by. We waved and said hi, and he stopped and started talking to us. My wife was pregnant with our twins at the time, and we told him he was the first person we were telling, besides our parents, who already knew. He was so genuinely excited for us and stood there and spoke with us for another five minutes before he headed home. We got our picture with him, and then something else happened. About 5-6 weeks later, he was doing TV interviews at local stations. I work at a local TV station, and when I popped into the green room, I said, 'You aren't going to remember this, but a few weeks ago, my wife and I saw you, and she was pregnant...' He stops me and says, 'You're having twins, I remember!' It was one of the most incredible moments I've had with a celebrity, and I've had a few working in this industry." —Anonymous BuzzFeed Community Member 4. Megan Fox Jerod Harris / Getty Images for Uber "Megan Fox always had great breath, like, notably minty fresh, 100% of the time." — u/lmNotaWitchImUrWife 5. Jay-Z "Jay Z has incredibly soft hands, softer than you're than a very soft child. His hands are almost unnervingly soft." — u/Original_Campaign 6. Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka from Aly & AJ "I once got into an argument with AJ from Aly & AJ. This was in 2017 so some of the details are a bit fuzzy lmfao. Someone who clearly didn't like her gave her a fake dictionary book that was used to store money as a birthday gift. She came into my store begging to return it. I told her she couldn't return it without a receipt, and she said, 'I'll take cash, thanks.' I repeated the policy, thinking maybe she didn't hear me the first time, and that's when she threw a full-on white girl fit. The item cost like $20, yet she was acting like it was draining her bank account. It got so heated that I had to walk out of the room. AJ's old ass boyfriend had to step in to calm her lmfao. She was incredibly rude and condescending. I let my manager deal with her snarky attitude while I was trying to decompress in the backroom. At one point, my manager came to get me because AJ wanted me back on the register just so she could put me in my place. She never got a refund. Instead, we just exchanged the item and gave her another one of those dumb fake dictionary books. I went from fan to hater overnight. 7. Paul Rudd Kyle Rivas / Getty Images "Paul Rudd makes sustained eye contact in a way that makes you feel like you're the only person in the room. But everyone in the room feels that way. The charisma just drips off of this man, it's wild." — u/lmNotaWitchImUrWife 8. Bebe Rexha Dave Benett /for The Gentleman's Journal "I knew Bebe Rexha before she got famous. I really don't have any dirt because she was always super nice to everyone. I was friendly with her at school and let her cheat off me in English. We snuck off a few times and she showed me songs she was writing. She always liked my music. She used to work at the MAC store, and I'll never forget one day she sat behind me in English and just went, 'Your skin is so emollient,' and I was like, 'I don't know what that means, lmao.' But it was a good thing; she was always complimenting other people. I never saw her have a diva moment or anything even close to that. I really have no notes. We weren't besties, but we had a lot of classes together and sat in chorus together. We were both sopranos. Wish she'd throw me a bone, but that's probably selfish and unrealistic. But girl, you cheated off me! Let me cheat off you! I'm just real." — u/parasyte_steve 9. Jesse McCartney Michael Buckner / WWD via Getty Images "Another celebrity I met back in 2017 was Jesse McCartney. He grabbed a few clothing items and politely asked to be let into the fitting room. He was super nice. I helped hang his clothes in the fitting room and closed the door behind him. Then a coworker walked up to me and said, ' Did you see Jesse McCartney? Damn, he got fat. He really let himself go.' I just stood there, frozen, mouthing, ' He's in there!' (Fucking embarrassing!). He definitely heard the entire conversation. I'll never forget the way Jesse came out of that fitting room, his shoulders slumped, and his whole demeanor had shifted. I walked him over to the register. He ended up leaving almost all the clothes behind and just bought a hat and a couple of shirts. Then, when it came time to pay, he pulled out loose bills and coins from his wallet. He looked at me and said quietly, 'I don't have enough,' and started putting items back. I could tell he was going through it financially. I told him, 'Don't worry about it, I'll give you a discount,' and he looked so relieved. It was honestly really sad. I could just tell he was hurting, and that moment stuck with me. Fame comes at you fast. I hope he's doing better." — u/Eventherich 10. Ariana Grande ROBYN BECK / AFP via Getty Images 11. Daniel Radcliffe Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic "Daniel Radcliffe hides at comic cons in full costumes. While he handed me his ID, I thought it was a Spencer's prop. He was dressed in a Spider-Man costume." — u/x65kos 12. Gwyneth Paltrow Ivan Romano / Getty Images "Gwyneth Paltrow brings her food pre-prepared most places in really nice glass containers. She then leaves the containers wherever she ate them and walks away. I had a set of her containers for a while, but I left them at my parents' house." — u/woolfonmynoggin 13. Jason Momoa Samir Hussein / Samir Hussein/WireImage "Met him at a [Comic] Con, in the elevator. I was in a wheelchair and looked up at him. My face must've done something amusing, because he looked down at me and deadpanned, 'I'm not that guy, I'm just a really good cosplayer.' He held it for a minute and then laughed really hard. He was a total sweetheart, and when my floor came up, he insisted on taking me out of the elevator, even though that meant he'd end up on a floor that wasn't his and having to wait for another elevator to come up. I squeaked out a request for a pic, and he happily complied. Nicest guy ever." —Anonymous BuzzFeed Community Member 14. Gisele Bündchen Harold Cunningham / Getty Images for IWC Schaffhausen "I worked in a garden connected to a property that had a ton of McMansions, and Gisele Bündchen had a home there, and her family would stay at it occasionally. I was alone and closing for the day, and suddenly she and her posse and children showed up right at closing time. I knew who she was instantly, but wasn't about to give her special treatment for it lol. So, as I'd do with any other visitor, I went over and kindly greeted them and let them know I'd be closing up in a few minutes. She pushed past the rest of her posse and loudly announced who she was, as if it were the secret password to letting her do whatever she wanted. Her kids then proceeded to go crazy in the chicken coops, breaking eggs and trying to grab chickens. While she had an impromptu social media photoshoot with an onion, she pretended to harvest it. She stayed a while after closing time, but I ended up not minding too much, as it was honestly hilarious to witness. No joke, it was one of the most comical experiences dealing with a 'celeb' I've had.' — u/hands_in_soil 15. Coolio Greg Doherty / Getty Images "Coolio (RIP) let me drink on his tab for knowing the lyrics to 'Gangsta's Paradise.' He told my boss to give me a raise. Also, he was rocking the same hairstyle as the music video, and that was impressive dedication." — u/thin_white_dutchess 16. Lastly, Donald Trump Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images "My father was a limo driver in the late '80s/early '90s. He drove talent for NBC and CBS. Donald Trump wasn't the insufferable a-hole he is now and offered my father a job chauffeuring his kids around. My father turned it down." — u/Soinclined2think Did any of these surprise you? Or do you have an interesting celebrity encounter that you want to share? Let me know all about it in the comments or in our anonymous Google Form.
Miami Herald
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Walt Disney quietly makes major Disney+ content change
When Disney+ first launched, it was a golden age for people who loved Star Wars and Marvel content. Walt Disney knew that it had massively popular brands that would draw a subscriber base. During that first year or so, there was pretty much a new Marvel or Star Wars show every few months. "The Mandalorian" not only help Disney+, it reignited interest in Star Wars at a time when the brand had suffered some missteps. It was a return to storytelling that was both grand and deeply personal. Related: Iconic grocery chain makes huge move to help shoppers on a budget Most of the Marvel shows did not perform as well. That may happen because of superhero fatigue, or, perhaps, nobody actually needed to see She Hulk in a sort of comedy. Disney's massive content splurge to launch it streaming service with sort of a one time thing. If you give Star Wars fans a series as good as "Andor" once a year, and maybe one other pretty good show, that audience isn't going anywhere. The same could be said for Marvel, where one really good Daredevil revival has probably done more for member acquisition and retention than having a bunch of shows built around secondary characters Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter But, Walt Disney has taken away, it has also added. Disney+ subscribers, no longer get as many original series based on the companies's intellectual property. They are, however, getting other things to help round out the app and make it a better value proposition. Disney has experimented by airing some of it, digital content on ABC and other platforms. That's something you only want to do sparingly because if people knew they were going to be able to see the adventures of baby Yoda, Grogu if you must, simply by waiting, they might be willing to wait. But, airing selective shows on broadcast or cable, perhaps before a new season arrives, can also sign ups. It's a tricky path to navigate and Disney has also started using Disney+ as a hub for all the content it owns, The Mouse House has been leveraging Hulu and ESPN to build out the Disney+ service. Related: Lululemon makes surprising store move "The presence of Hulu embedded in Disney+ basically from a user experience perspective and the addition of sports content is definitely having an impact, definitely having a positive impact. Not only is engagement up, but churn is down and significantly. And as we look ahead, it's obviously our desire and in fact, we're optimistic about being able to execute against it to turn the streaming business into a true growth business," he shared during the company's first-quarter earnings call. Iger thinks Disney's vast holdings allow him to build something no other company offers. "So when you consider the Disney brands that are part of Disney+, the general entertainment that's part of Hulu and the volume, and then the live sports that will be part of the experience. In a way, there's nothing like it in the streaming world. It's unrivaled in terms of quality, in terms of volume and just in terms of variety. We're very excited about it," he added.. While Disney wants consumers to bundle Disney+ with Hulu, and ESPN+, the company clearly wants to make sure it protects its namesake streaming service. To do that, it has added a daily Disney+-specific edition of SportsCenter as well as some Hulu originals. Iger spelled out the plan to keep Disney+ strong and grow the business. That includes leveraging some Hulu and ESPN content on Disney+ for everyone, and integrating the platforms for people who buy the full bundle. "And as we see it, there are three ways to do it. One is, what we've just talked about, which is to continue to put Disney+ and Hulu together as a user experience. You'll see more of that in the months ahead. In addition, we plan when we launched ESPN direct-to-consumer to be really smart about bundling that. And for those that bundle, the experience will be fully integrated, that will be another big step," he shared. Iger was also clear that Disney+ needs to offer a better user experience. "We're also hard at work in improving our basically the tech side of that business. We've taken a lot of steps already, including paid - including paid sharing, which we're just kicking in with Hulu that's also starting to work. A lot more in terms of personalization and customization, a lot on the ad-tech side and much more coming," he added. Related: Video: Why Costco may not be a value for struggling Americans The CEO also has his eye on the entire world. "And of course, the third pillar of growth will be investment in content, particularly outside the United States where we know that we need to invest more in local content and we've already started that process. It takes time and we don't really end up booking those costs until the shows air, but we're already starting to develop more aggressively in very, very targeted markets outside the United States. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
New York Post
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Adam Sandler reveals ‘painful' reason why he had to rewrite ‘Happy Gilmore 2'
We'll miss you, Chubbs. Carl Weathers was set to reprise his role as Derick 'Chubbs' Peterson in the upcoming sequel to 'Happy Gilmore' before he died at age 76. 'We had a painful change. Carl Weathers had a massive part,' Adam Sandler, 58, revealed in a new interview with Collider. 'I would talk to Carl, and we were excited, and then Carl passed away.' 8 Carl Weathers, Adam Sandler in 'Happy Gilmore.' Getty Images 'We had to rewrite a lot of the stuff, and even what the story was,' the comedy actor continued. 'We made a lot of nice references to how great Chubbs was in the movie. That was the biggest change.' In 1996's 'Happy Gilmore,' Weathers played the golf mentor to Sandler's Happy Gilmore. Sandler told Collider that Chubbs had a bigger part in the sequel when they were drafting the initial scripts. 8 Adam Sandler in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' AP 'In the first version that we came up with, he had a son,' Sandler revealed of Weathers' character. 'He was coming back to me a lot in my dreams, and he had a son who was mad at Happy for causing the death of daddy.' 8 Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Rich Eisen promote 'Happy Gilmore 2' at Netflix Tudum 2025. Getty Images for Netflix 8 Christopher McDonald and Adam Sandler in 'Happy Gilmore 2.' AP Weathers died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Feb. 2024, seven months before the sequel started shooting. 'A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete,' Sandler wrote on Instagram in his tribute to Weathers at the time. 8 Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Carl Weathers as Happy's coach, 'Chubbs' Peterson, in 'Happy Gilmore.' 'So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell,' Sandler continued. 'Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend.' Earlier this year, 'Happy Gilmore 2' director Kyle Newacheck acknowledged the sequel wouldn't be the same without Weathers. 8 Carl Weathers at the NBC Universal winter press tour in 2017. AFP via Getty Images 'You can't make Happy Gilmore without Chubbs Peterson, it doesn't exist,' Newacheck, 41, told Collider. 'You can be assured his spirit is throughout the film. He may not be by Happy's side anymore, but he's on his shoulder.' 8 Adam Sandler in 'Happy Gilmore.' ©Universal/courtesy Everett While filming 'Happy Gilmore,' Weathers suffered a serious injury that caused him back pains for the rest of his life. 'I didn't tell anyone because, you know, I'm tough, man,' he recalled to GQ in 2020. 'Yeah I hurt my back and actually, to this day, it still really bothers me, because it was right on the spine.' 8 Carl Weathers attends 'The Mandalorian' premiere in LA in 2019. The 'Rocky' star explained that he got hurt during a 'blind fall' stunt and his body 'got trapped' by two stunt bags that crushed on his spine. 'I felt the pain and the burning sensation immediately,' he said. 'But again, I'm an athlete, I'm tough, I'm an actor, let's keep going.' Netflix's 'Happy Gilmore 2,' also starring Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller, Bad Bunny and Benny Safdie, debuts Friday.
