Movies

Marvel is putting Spider-Man fans at ease in the wake of their latest movie -- which leaves Tom Holland's future as the teen hero uncertain -- confirming ... nope, the story ain't over!

MCU Prez Kevin Feige got the word out early this week to the NYT, this during an interview alongside key Sony producer Amy Pascal -- who oversees all things Spidey for them ... as the two studios kinda share the rights to the comic book character at the moment.

On both fronts, they assured everyone ... yes, they're already working on a sequel to 'No Way Home' -- which presumably means Holland's along for the ride too.

When asked if Pascal spoke too soon last month -- when she prematurely revealed TH would be starring in a whole new trilogy -- she said, "We’re producers, so we always believe everything will work out," adding she hopes the Marvel partnership lasts "forever."

KF was a bit more direct about what was happening next ... "Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about -- yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after 'Far From Home.' That will not be occurring this time."

That's pretty big news, but not at all surprising ... seeing how 'NWH' whooped ass at the box office this weekend, on its way to grossing around $250M in its first few days in theaters.

No question ... there was going to be a sequel eventually, but what Kev and Amy here seem to be implying is that they're going to continue the Holland storyline -- which is major ...  considering what happens at the end of his latest adventure.

As you probably know by know, the dude forges on as Spider-Man by himself -- no longer having Aunt May by his side ... and not even MJ or his pal, Ned. May dies, and the latter have their memories wiped about who he is/was completely (thanks to Dr. Strange) ... something Peter opts to do to avoid putting them in any more danger.

In other words, the guy's single again and all on his own. And, if they continue with Holland as the lead ... it's almost like everything that happened in the previous 3 movies is wiped clean ... and they can start fresh again with new romantic interests, bad guys, etc.

Matt Reeves really said "come as you are" to Robert Pattinson for his new Batman movie -- and he meant it in every sense of the word ... because Kurt Cobain is on his brain.

The 'Batman' director spilled the beans this week in a new Empire interview about the inspiration behind his version of Bruce Wayne -- with Pattinson playing the billionaire playboy by day, and the Caped Crusader by night.

Lo and behold ... it was the late Nirvana singer that actually inspired RP's look -- which makes a ton of sense. The guy looks pretty grungy, and now we know why.

Reeves says of the process behind figuring out a new take ... "When I write, I listen to music, and as I was writing the first act, I put on Nirvana's 'Something In The Way.'"

He adds, "That's when it came to me that, rather than make Bruce Wayne the playboy version we've seen before, there's another version who had gone through a great tragedy and become a recluse. So, I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant's Last Days, and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor."

That's a pretty sweet tribute to Kurt, no doubt. But, fans are pointing out Pattinson's Wayne appearance is perhaps less punk rock ... and more emo. Or at least it was before this new shot of Bob surfaced, where his hair is a little more messy -- and he gives off Cobain vibes.

Olivia Munn and John Mulaney are first-time parents, secretly welcoming a little boy into the world last month ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Olivia gave birth on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving, in Los Angeles.

It was back in September when John made the surprising announcement that he and Olivia were expecting, dropping the news during an interview on "Late Night With Seth Meyers."

The interview touched on the ups and downs of John's life over the last year, where he also shared that it was Seth and other close friends who staged an intervention and encouraged him to go back to rehab for several weeks.

Prior to Olivia, John had been married to Anna Marie Tendler from 2014 until they announced they'd split in May 2021, John filed for divorce in July. At the time, reports said Mulaney and Anna had broken up quite some time before the news was made public.

Little boy Mulaney is the first child for both Olivia and John.

Alec Baldwin's phone might contain crucial evidence in the "Rust" shooting investigation ... at least cops think so, and that's why they now have a warrant to comb through it.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Dept. got a New Mexico judge to sign off Thursday on a search warrant for Alec's mobile phone ... a move that comes nearly 2 months after the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Alec told investigators about emails between head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and himself, in which she showed him different styles of guns and knives for the film. He says he requested a bigger gun, and she showed him an antique Colt.

We know Alec was using a replica of an 1873 Colt 45 at the time of the shooting.

Remember, during his ABC interview ... Alec said he's sure he's not responsible for Halyna's death, although he wouldn't say who was. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies begged to differ though ... saying neither Baldwin nor anyone else who had contact with the weapon was in the clear yet. She stressed the investigation was ongoing.

In the docs, cops say they're trying to gather information about the production from before filming started. They clearly feel Alec's emails and/or texts might contain some of that data. When they asked for his phone, they were told to get a warrant.

One interesting anecdote about Hannah -- during an interview with detectives, they say she said she didn't believe anyone on the "Rust" production would be malicious enough to bring live ammo on the set.

That's weird because, as we reported, her attorney told us he thinks someone sabotaged Hannah by intentionally mixing live rounds with dummy ammunition. The D.A.'s dismissed that theory.

Tyler Perry had a not-so-nice welcome to L.A. -- getting into a nasty T-bone car crash just minutes after leaving the airport, but thankfully, all involved were okay.

Sources tell us Tyler flew into Burbank Airport Wednesday night and was driving home through Sherman Oaks in his Bentley SUV when the accident happened.

We're told the other vehicle -- a Honda Accord -- cut across 3 lanes of traffic, right across Tyler's path, and he ended up smashing into the driver's side of her car. Our sources say the woman driving the Honda fessed up to causing the collision.

Luckily, there was already a police officer in the area who was able to divert traffic and make sure everyone was alright.

We're told no one suffered serious injuries, or even went to the hospital.

New York City native Dash Mihok has had a long career on a big list of television shows ... but he was only 22 years old when he scored the breakout role of 9mm toting cousin Benvolio Montague -- who stays true to family loyalties and protects his cousin Romeo -- in Baz Luhrmann's 1996 masterpiece of William Shakespeare's classic "Romeo + Juliet."

the timeless tragedy turned modern love story is jam-packed with celebs including John Leguizamo as the Prince of Cats and Juliet's killer cousin, Tybalt Capulet, Claire Danes as the balcony babe, Juliet Capulet ... and of course Leonardo DiCaprio as the cross-town heartthrob, Romeo Montague.

Mihok can be more recently spotted playing Ray's younger brother Bunchy on "Ray Donovan."

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez don't seem the least bit fazed by all the backlash for him laying, at least, some blame for his bouts with the bottle on Jennifer Garner -- in fact, he's getting ready to talk even more.

Bennifer 2.0 looked happy as clams Wednesday on Hollywood Blvd as they strolled into the El Capitan Entertainment Centre ahead of his talk show appearance tonight with Jimmy Kimmel.

Ben and Jen were holding hands, flashing those pearly whites and showing no signs of strife after his controversial radio hit with Howard Stern ... where Ben blamed his ex-wife, Garner, for helping kickstart his alcoholism.

As we reported ... Ben went on Howard's show this week and said he felt "trapped" in his marriage with JG -- because of their kids -- and he started drinking to cope, saying the feeling made him turn to booze.

Ben's comments rubbed a lot of people the wrong way online ... in part because Garner was very supportive during his struggles with alcohol, famously taking him to rehab in 2018.

J Lo's not a scheduled guest on Kimmel, so looks like she's just there for support. It'll be interesting to see if Ben addresses all the flak he's catching for the Garner remarks -- but at least publicly, his new boo is standing by him.

Jenifer Lewis is calling on Congress to open an investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson -- a 17-year-old black boy -- whose body was found rolled up in a gym mat years ago.

"The Mother of Black Hollywood" author and exec producer of the Starz documentary "Finding Kendrick Johnson" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and shared why she thinks his case is so important.

Jenifer told us, "This is the most important film I’ve ever worked on. What this family has gone through is unspeakable but we must speak it so the public knows the truth."

The controversial death was ruled "accidental" by the state of Georgia, although Kendrick's family hired a forensics specialist who said his death was caused by "non-accidental blunt force trauma." The case was closed, but reopened in March ... we're told the doc sheds light on new evidence in the case.

Jenifer's clearly outraged by the lack of action on the part of law enforcement, saying, "You know how much evidence the FBI has to have to storm somebody’s house with guns AK- 47s out? And then when they got in there and saw that it was an FBI agent, it was just pushed under the rug, just pushed under the rug. Another Black kid. So what?”

The actress also talked about her special connection to filmmaker Jason Pollock after his 2014 Michael Brown doc, since she grew up in a small town just outside of Ferguson ... and she now wants the people in Washington to do something about it.

'Black Panther' fans have spoken, saying Chadwick Boseman's beloved character should be recast going forward, and believe it or not ... the man's own brother concurs.

CB's bro, Derrick Boseman, tells TMZ ... yes, he does think T'Challa needs to live on in the 'Black Panther' franchise, and if that means tapping another actor to portray the king of Wakanda -- the role Chadwick made famous and legendary, then so be it.

Here's the thing ... Derrick tells us he believes his sibling would've wanted with this too -- explaining Chadwick thought T'Challa was bigger than just himself as one guy. Frankly, Derrick says Chadwick knew the power of the character, and the positive influence it carries.

Derrick says there's so much power in seeing a Black king -- especially in a superhero capacity, like in the Marvel flick -- which has a HUGE impact on African-American youth. DB tells us with Marvel killing off that character so quickly in the wake of Chadwick's death, they're kinda depriving black kids of a role model.

As you know, there's a major push among fans to #RecastTChalla amid all the speculated drama with Letitia Wright.

Derrick says there aren't a whole lot of positive influences for young black children these days -- he thinks hip-hop glorifies certain social ills, and Marvel has a chance to counteract that by bringing back T'Challa -- who he sees as a symbol of Black people's potential.

The guy speaks from experience, telling us his own nephew has told the family he wants to be a scientist and cites 'Black Panther' as his inspiration.

New Jersey native Ali Larter has had a long list of notable roles in the entertainment business ... but she was only 22 years old when she landed her breakout role as the quarterback's girlfriend and cheer captain Darcy Sears -- who surprises the up-and-coming QB (and viewers) by donning a whipped cream bikini -- in the 1999 teen movie "Varsity Blues."

'VB' was packed with up-and-coming actors including Paul Walker as the star QB and Darcy's boyfriend, Lance Harbor ... and of course James Van Der Beek as the guy who don't want your life, Jonathan "Mox" Moxon.

"Home Alone" star Devin Ratray -- who played Buzz McCallister in the flick -- had a spat with his girlfriend that got so bad ... someone called the cops to get things under control.

Law enforcement sources tell us they were called to a Hyatt near downtown OKC earlier this week for a domestic dispute between Ratray and his girlfriend.

Ratray's rep says the two got into a verbal argument, nothing physical, and things were so nasty the two broke up. The rep would not say what the argument was about.

Cops tell us things were sorted out once Devin and his gf decided to go their separate ways for the night -- she got a separate room -- and no one was arrested.

Of course, Ratray will live in classic Christmas movie infamy as Buzz, who tormented his little brother Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) for years to come. The actor recently revealed to People that there was a possible "Home Alone" reunion in the works ... but unclear if this hiccup will derail that project.

For what it's worth, "Home Alone" fans looking to relive their childhood fantasies can participate in an upcoming raffle to stay a night in the famous McCallister home thanks to Airbnb.

A lot of uncertainty over the filming of the 'Black Panther' sequel -- due, in part, to Letitia Wright's vaccine status -- has now got fans wondering ... why not just recast T'Challa???

Here's the deal ... reports have surfaced in recent weeks saying Letitia wants out of the Marvel Universe entirely, supposedly in response to the vaccine mandates they're enforcing over at Disney. One report claims the writers actually had to rework the ending -- one which was originally going to heavily feature Shuri -- because of this alleged ongoing problem.

Meanwhile, THR says Letitia is expected back to resume filming in January -- this after taking some time off to recover from an on-set injury -- but the outlet also reported a little while ago that she was, in fact, spreading anti-vax sentiments with folks on the production.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, LW completely denied that account. Still, fans think there's  trouble in paradise, and are now wondering why producers wouldn't just get a new king of Wakanda ... aka, replace Chadwick Boseman with a new actor.

While many have argued that the mantle couldn't possibly be taken on anew -- because of how deeply tied it was to Chadwick's legacy -- others say ... actually, it could've ... and probably should've, especially in light of all the reported drama happening now. Now, folks are saying the idea of tapping a new T'Challa wouldn't have been the worst thing.

One Twitter user writes, "I know this is a bit of a hot take but a lot of this rumored on set drama of Black Panther 2 might’ve been prevented if they just recast T’Challa. I know people loved Chadwick Boseman, I did too, but that character had more stories to tell."

The argument is ... the character of T'Challa deserved a lot more screen time and movies to himself -- and that alone outweighs any perceived slight toward Chadwick and his memory by passing on the torch to another actor playing the same character.

BTW, this whole thing isn't just a few people firing off hot takes online ... there's an entire hashtag dedicated to this movement, #RecastTChalla. Some even say Chadwick's own words in previous interviews support the notion that he'd actually be behind this.

Of course, Marvel has held firm on their stance that they'll never get another T'Challa in front of the camera -- and besides, at this point ... they're knee-deep in production, and will very likely NOT go down that road, despite some of the fan base's clamoring.

Tom Holland and his girlfriend, Zendaya, don't always see eye to eye -- and that's mostly because she's taller than him ... something TH does not see a problem with.

The 'Spider-Man' stars made an appearance this week on a SiriusXM Town Hall, where the moderator brought up their height difference ... to which Tom, Zen and their costar, Jacob Batalon, started to roll their eyes. That is, until the host took it in a different direction.

She made the point that it's not a big deal -- and even went so far as to say that enforcing stereotypes about men having to be taller than women was misogynistic and problematic.

Tom and co. agreed with her -- but Spidey also wanted to set the record straight ... namely, that his on-and-off-screen partner isn't THAT much taller than him. He says she's just a couple inches or so taller, which jibes with their listed heights -- Tom's 5'8", and Z is 5'10".

Eventually, they all got on the same page, saying it's stupid to think a guy has to be taller than a girl -- whether it's in real life, or in a superhero movie.

There seem to be differing POVs on what Marvel was going for by casting a taller Mary Jane. Tom suggests it may have been done intentionally, in a sort of break-the-mold move. Meanwhile, Zendaya says sometimes they cheat a shot to make him seem taller.

James Bond could soon be using they/them pronouns on the big screen -- at least according to the woman who co-owns the rights to the franchise, and isn't ruling out the possibility.

Producer Barbara Broccoli -- who controls all things Bond via her film company, Eon Productions, alongside her brother -- did an interview with Anna Smith of the "Girls on Film" podcast ... and the debate over Bond being a woman was once again brought up.

Smith asked if she still felt JB needed to be a man going forward, and Broccoli again said yes. She reiterated her point about not forcing a gender-bending switch for characters that are traditionally male (like Bond) and said new ones simply needed to be written for females.

Then ... a curveball. Smith asked if Bond could, perhaps, be non-binary ... and Broccoli didn't shut down the idea outright. She replied, "Who knows, I think it's open, you know? We just have to find the right actor."

To be frank, it doesn't sound like Broccoli was eagerly jumping at the idea, and she had said right before that ... she thinks Bond will be a man in the future. Still, it's interesting she even entertained the idea.

One thing she did say 007 could be ... a POC. She just wants Bond to be British, and to have XY chromosomes. Everything else about the character, it seems, is open to discussion.

Anne Rice, the author of the wildly popular Vampire Chronicles, has died.

Rice's son announced her death Saturday, saying she passed from complications due to a stroke. Her death came 19 years almost to the day after her husband died. Anne's son said, "The immensity of our family's grief cannot be overstated."

Rice was an accomplished author, but her most famous work was her first novel -- "Interview With the Vampire" back in 1976. Her main character, Lestat, was the centerpiece of the 13-book series ... which spanned more than 40 years.

As you know, "Interview With the Vampire" was a hugely successful film back in 1994, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It's the life story of 2 vampires Louis (played by Pitt) and Lestat (Cruise) and their adventures over 2 centuries from a Louisiana slave plantation to Eastern Europe. The 2 male vamps raise a vampire child, and that's something you didn't see much in the movies back in the day.

'Interview' was so big, it became the inspiration for a bunch of shows, including "The Vampire Diaries" and "Twilight."

She said back in 2010, "I had an idea of Lestat as the man of action, the man who could do things that I couldn't do."

Anne became a successful writer of gothic fiction all over the world. She sold more than 150 million books.

Just this month, AMC green-lit a Rice-inspired series -- "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" -- based on one of her books. Last year AMC announced it was producing "The Vampire Chronicles."

Steven Spielberg's rendition of 'West Side Story' might be a hit with critics, but it tanked at the box office ... something many are taking joy in, all because of Ansel Elgort.

The numbers are in for the film, and it doesn't look like people were flocking to catch it on the big screen -- with the movie only raking in around $4.1 million on opening day (Friday), and a projected $10 to $11 million haul for the whole weekend. That's ... quite bad.

There's a lot on theories on why 'WSS' didn't do well ... but one that's circulating online -- without much evidence to support it, we should note -- is Ansel himself may have kept folks at arm's length, due in part to allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Like we said, there isn't a whole lot of proof to this -- most are blaming the pandemic and a sluggish holiday trend, but even if there's no credence to the Ansel thing ... there sure is a lot of giddiness.

Long story short ... the guy was accused of sexually assaulting a woman -- who told her story on Twitter, and then deleted it -- who claims she was 17 when she had sex with him in 2014. She alleges she felt violated afterward, and went on to say she suffers from PTSD. Ansel denied her characterization in a since-deleted message -- insisting it was consensual.

Other women have come forward with claims against him as well, alleging he was predatory and soliciting minors before he was uber famous -- but he hasn't addressed those specifically. In any case, him being tapped as the lead for Spielberg was widely criticized.

In SS's defense, the allegation surfaced last year -- well after Ansel had been cast and even after the film had wrapped ... so it was too late to even consider getting someone else. Interestingly, Spielberg and co. haven't addressed the situation thus far ... and all signs point to them staying mum.