We have our new Fantastic Four, there’s no doubt about that, but what there is doubt about is how much Marvel is actually going to use the superhero quartet we thought were going to be all over the MCU following their introduction in July 2025’s The Fantastic Four.

Don’t take it as a sure thing just yet, but rumors — which gel with everything else we’ve heard about the film’s storyline, to be fair — are claiming that Avengers 5 (aka The Film Formerly Known as The Kang Dynasty) will not feature any of the fabulous foursome. That’s right: Don’t expect to see Pedro Pascal (Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Queen (Human Torch), or Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing) team up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the big Marvel event.

If you ask us, that’s a huge waste of potential given that Avengers 5 must match up to the cross-the-streams extravaganza that was Avengers: Infinity War. But, OK, we get it, Pedro and pals are very busy people. Thankfully, there’s a little thing called the multiverse at play, which could allow Marvel to introduce a whole other variant team of Fantastic Four heroes across both Avengers 5 and Secret Wars.

John Krasinski has already turned up as Earth-838’s Reed Richards, so we know it can be done. In that vein, why couldn’t varying squadrons of Marvel’s First Family assemble before the Avengers meet the actual motley crew? Let’s keep the fancast-to-reality trend going and bring in all the Fantastic Four possibilities as the Multiverse Saga builds to its (hopefully) stunning climax. Kevin Feige, if you’re looking for ideas, here are some free of charge — excepting a six-figure consultant’s fee, but we’ll discuss that later.

The Driver team

Remember when we were all convinced that Adam Driver was going to be the MCU’s Reed Richards? That was wild. Well, it can still conceivably be made canon thanks to the multiverse. If we were to build a variant team around him, Adria Arjona would make a great Sue. She reliably gives her all to every project she’s in (see Andor) and she truly deserves another crack at the Marvel whip after Morbius. Meanwhile, Jay Lycurgo has already stormed the DC multiverse thanks to Titans and The Batman, so ticking the MCU off his to-do list as Johnny Storm only makes sense. Last but not least… Jack Black as the Thing. I mean, that says it all, right? The defense rests.

The Badgley team

Want another walk down memory lane? Forget Driver ⏤ at one point, the whole internet was certain that Penn Badgley, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, and Jason Segel had been officially cast as the Four, with Badgley and Comer as Reed and Sue, Keery as Johnny, and Segel as Ben Grimm. They did make for an intriguing ensemble, so it would be rather fun to see them suit up for a brief cameo in Secret Wars. Comer already has previous practice doing this in Disney movies after her Rise of Skywalker role. That said, it might be creepy to see Comer and Keery play siblings after being love interests in Free Guy.

The fans’ dream team

Fans have been salty about how John Krasinski‘s Reed was treated ever since Wanda turned him into spaghetti in Doctor Strange 2. Similarly, it was also a bit of a bummer that Marvel didn’t complete the dream team by having him share the screen with IRL wife Emily Blunt as Sue. There’s still time to put this right, though, before the Multiverse Saga calls it quits. As for who could be their cohorts, John Boyega was always a popular choice for Johnny, and Disney still owes him for doing Finn dirty. And Alan Ritchson would be a perfect Thing, assuming James Gunn doesn’t hoover him up as Batman first.

The near-misses team

If Secret Wars really does become a way for Marvel to apologize to all the actors it’s failed to cast over the years, then this lineup would make a lot of sense for a variant Fantastic Four. Jamie Dornan is the kind of actor whose name gets thrown around for various superhero roles, but he’s never taken one to date. Amanda Seyfried was almost Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy. Zac Efron was everyone’s top pick for Adam Warlock, and Seth Rogen feels like a Marvel cameo waiting to happen. So make it happen, Marvel!

The so-wild-it-just-might-work team

The exhilarating thing about the concept of Marvel introducing another Fantastic Four team for a scene in Secret Wars is that they can make some bizarre, yet winning, actor pairings. So how about Jason Sudeikis as Mr. F, Kevin Hart as The Thing, the internet’s boyfriend Jacob Elordi as Human Torch, and Ryan Reynolds’ other half Blake Lively as Sue. And, yes, in this imaginary scenario, Deadpool would get to meet this Sue variant and probably have a crush on her. It’s the Green Lantern reunion we’ve all been waiting for. You’re welcome.

The curveball team

On a similar theme, Marvel could ignore all your fan casts and hire whoever they like to play the FF for five seconds of screentime and watch everyone’s jaws drop. John Cho could be a brilliant yet completely unexpected Mr. Fantastic and Jessica Chastain definitely deserves another shot at a Marvel role after Dark Phoenix let her down. Liam Hemsworth is long overdue for a spot in the MCU after losing Thor to his brother and Peacemaker has proven that John Cena is a better actor than we realized.

The refreshing team

In a similar vein, it would be really refreshing to have a Fantastic Four made up of these four actors. Despite Marvel’s increasing interest in diversifying its cache of characters, the studio still went with a fully Caucasian cast for the FF reboot. It could always put that right by having a variant team made up of people of color ⏤ like, say, Dev Patel, Constance Wu, and Terry Crews, all of whom would be amazing additions to the franchise. And John David Washington would just be keeping things in the family after his dad becomes Kang (we can dream, can’t we?)

The internet-breaking team

The ultimate aim with any cameo in a Marvel movie is to grab our attention, right? In this case, Marvel should absolutely find a spot for these guys in Avengers 5 and 6, as social media might just spontaneously combust if it does. Imagine Bridgerton heartthrob Regé-Jean Page turning up as one of the Council of Reeds? Or X-Men alum Jennifer Lawrence randomly returning to the Marvel multiverse as Sue? Meanwhile, Outer Banks fave Rudy Pankow has a lot of feral supporters while the hilarity of casting the actual Rock Dwayne Johnson as the rock-based the Thing speaks for itself.

To be clear, The Fantastic Four cast we do have is terrific, but there’s no harm in kicking up a storm by multiplying their number a few times, is there? It’s not called the Multiverse Saga for nothing, after all!

Did you know that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began his career on May 4? What about the history behind the famous Star Wars Day? The history of entertainment is filled with curious events and each day allows us to remember them.

May the 4th be with you!

May 4 is internationally known by the geek community as Star Wars Day, an unofficial celebration of one of the most beloved franchises of all time. At first glance, this might sound strange, given that the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was initially released on May 25, 1977. In addition, it was only recently that Lucasfilm decided to recognize the special occasion and offer new Star Wars news for the fans every year on this day.

So, where did this special Star Wars Day come from?

To keep things short, today was chosen as Star Wars Day because “May the 4th” sounds a lot like “May the Force,” a direct reference to the renowned “May the Force be with you” line. As for who coined the expression, the oldest register comes from the British newspaper The London Evening News. 

In the U.S., people already used “May the Fourth be with you” in 1978 to celebrate the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day. Still, the newspaper took one more step by celebrating the first day of office of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on May 4, 1979, by declaring “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations!” The expression “May the 4th” on May 4 was too catchy to be ignored, leading Star Wars fans to adopt the day to express their love for the franchise. History can be wild sometimes.

On May 4, The Mummy Returns… to theaters

In 1999, Universal Pictures rebooted one of its classic monsters with The Mummy, an adventure filled with thrills and chills led by a brilliant performance by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The movie became a huge hit, followed by a sequel that was released two years later.

On May 4, 2001, The Mummy Returns stepped into theaters, delivering more breathtaking set pieces and some of the worst CGI in the history of cinema. The sequel was also Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Hollywood debut. Johnson’s character, the Scorpion King, would get his own spinoff film series, with five entries. Curiously, The Mummy would only land a trilogy, making the spinoff more successful in some ways.

Happy birthday, Audrey Hepburn

On May 4, we celebrate the birthday of film and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn. She rose to stardom thanks to 1953’s Roman Holiday, a movie that allowed her to become the first female actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy for the same performance. She would also get four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for 1954’s Sabrina, 1959’s The Nun’s Story, 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (wherein she famously played Holly Golightly), and 1967’s Wait Until Dark.

Behind the cameras, Hepburn also used her fame and fortune to help those in need, retiring from her acting career in 1967 so she could dedicate herself to humanitarian causes. The actress was even UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador from 1989 until 1993 when she passed away. Yes, Hepburn’s movies are eternal classics, but she also more than deserves to be remembered as someone who decided to make the world a better place.

In our trip through entertaining history, there’s always something curious to discover. May 2 is a defining date for Marvel, as it’s a day when cinematic universes were built, destroyed, or solidified. It’s also the birthday of a big Hollywood star who broke barriers and set an example for others. 

Fox, Disney, and Sony grabbed a piece of the Marvel cake

In the 1990s, Marvel almost went bankrupt and only survived because it sold several characters to different movie studios. No one knew what to do with those properties until 1998’s Blade proved there could be profit for superhero adaptations, even R-rated ones. In 2000, Fox decided to use the X-Men to kickstart a new movie series. A single movie is not enough to measure the financial potential of an IP, so we can say it was X2 that turned Fox’s X-Men franchise into a goldmine on May 2, 2003.

Curiously, May 2 was also when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released to theaters in 2014 to determine the end of Andrew Garfield’s underestimated run as the Web Crawler — Garfield was the best live-action Spider-Man, fight me! Two, it’s a coincidence; three, it’s fate. So, the release of Iron Man on May 2, 2008, kicking off the MCU and the biggest cinematic universe ever, shows how today is a defining day for Marvell movies, regardless of the studio.

Yeah, baby! It’s Austin Powers’ anniversary!

While Wayne’s World is a cult classic, Mike Myers became worldwide famous thanks to his fan-favorite parody of 007 movies, Austin Powers. The first chapter of this shagadelic and hilarious trilogy hit theaters on May 2, 1997, allowing Myers to charm moviegoers while playing both the villain and the hero of the movie. All three Austin Powers movies are well worth your time, and many fans still hope to get a fourth chapter one day. 

Happy birthday, Dwayne Johnson

May 2 is also the day of the birth of one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Johnson has a brilliant career in WWE before becoming a movie star. Now, he is one of the leading action heroes in Hollywood, starring in franchises such as Fast & Furious, Jumanji, and the late DCEU.

Dwayne’s impressive physique makes him the perfect choice to play powerhouses that crush hordes of enemies. At the same time, his undeniable charisma allows Johnson to fit like a glove in family-friendly productions. It’s no wonder he’s constantly working on all sorts of unique projects. Johnson’s Hollywood success also opened the door for other WWE fighters to become Hollywood stars, such as Dave Bautista and John Cena, another reason why his birthday should be celebrated.

There was a golden period in Dwayne Johnson’s life — whatever he touched became a franchise, and his self-proclaimed status of being a “hard worker” was lauded without anyone batting an eyelash. But these days, we are learning how his problematic habits — that may or may not include a pee-culiar hobby — have literally put Amazon MGM’s Red One’s budget on the rocks.

Back in 2021, while promoting Black Adam and excitedly hinting about the chances of him fighting Superman in it, Johnson shared many details (with Esquire) like how he desired to be the next James Bond, his extensive exercise regime, and oh, of course, doubled down on the cringey 2017 detail in one of his Instagram reels — how he pees in used bottles, because somehow the gyms Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson uses don’t have the required facilities.

Um, ok. But that’s so 2021, right?

If a recent exclusive exposé by The Wrap is to be believed, this “fad” of his never really went out of style for him. While the article majorly focuses on the many consistent tales of the Jumanji actor’s hobby of arriving hours late to film sets — so late that Red One’s budget has worryingly ballooned to accommodate his tardiness — it sheds an uncomfortable light on his preference to pee in a Voss water bottle even while on sets that, unless they were trying to replicate the ancient times, probably had well-functioning facilities.

Sources who spoke at length about The Rock’s penchant for being concerningly late included Red One as the latest in the timeline of how far this costly (for production houses) habit goes, and Johnson’s preference to pee in a bottle — a Voss water bottle, to be precise — rather than in a public toilet has been shared as an additional horror story, one that has also haunted productions before the Amazon MGM project.

“On set, away from his trailer, if he needs to pee, he doesn’t go to the public bathroom. He pees in a Voss water bottle and his team or a PA has to dispose of it.”

But like every other glaring statement made about the actor in the article — allegedly using Red Notice’s budget to float his production company, lack of professionalism, his lateness causing the budget of Red One to rise up to $250 million, etc — this weird personal choice of Johnson’s being forced on the crew members has also been denied. The swift refusal doesn’t come from anyone associated with the “previous films” that supposedly faced this, but from two people close to the production on the Amazon MGM endeavor, who have stressed that the WWE star would “never ask” another person to dispose of a bottle of his urine.

Now, unless Johnson confirms it all himself — that he handed out these..um … special assignments to the unsuspecting souls who worked hard on the sets of Red One, or that he has made coming late his signature style — nothing can be said for sure. What can be said with certainty is that the young Amazon MGM studio is already facing an uphill hike in establishing itself in the market — first the massive delay in Red One’s production and release due to the writers’ and actors’ strike in 2023 and Johnson’s long list of existing engagements, then its fallout with Road House director Doug Liman.

And now this? At best, they are just rumors but are still conjuring negative reactions. At worst? Oh, boy.

WrestleMania XL saw Cody Rhodes take home the title of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion which had been defended by Roman Reigns for almost four years. So what happened to Reigns after his heartbreaking loss on Sunday?

The Bloodline Saga

The Bloodline saga officially came to a close on Sunday night. It’s a saga that’s been going on for a decade now all starting with the breakup of ‘The Shield’ and has been called one of the greatest storylines in WWE history. This epic saga ended when Cody Rhodes finally defeated Roman Reigns with the help of Seth Rollins, (a former member of The Shield alongside Reigns). The two have had beef since Rollins betrayed Roman and sided with The Authority.

The event was huge and bloodline rules meant that outside interference was allowed, so we got to see familiar names like John Cena, The Undertaker, and even The Rock, (who is actually related to Reigns), all getting involved. The climax came when Rollins heroically sacrificed himself to help Rhodes bring down the tribal chief. Reigns was seeking revenge for his betrayal which ultimately cost him the title. Whilst he had the chance to finish Rhodes with a steel chair, he instead attacked his former Shield partner allowing Rhodes to recover and ultimately win.

What happened to Roman Reigns after the match?

The event officially brought Reigns’ 1316-day reign to an end. He first won the universal title in 2020 and later defeated Brock Lesnar to take home the title of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion which he was successfully able to defend until now.

After the 40th annual Wrestlemania event went off air on Sunday Reigns could be seen with his manager, Paul Heyman. The emotional moment was shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) by Wrestle Ops. In the video, he is seen hugging his manager on stage before walking off.

Although the Bloodline Saga was an amazing storyline for WWE it couldn’t go on forever, and while fans may be upset it’s far from over. Reigns posted a video to X on Tuesday showing him on a treadmill along with the caption, “Yesterday I mourned. Today is Day 1.” 

Clearly, we haven’t seen the last of the tribal chief. He may have taken a day to process the loss but he’s already back on the saddle and presumably coming for that title once more. Maybe we’ll see him at next year’s WrestleMania.

While everyone has a right to make their own decisions regarding how they talk about the highly anticipated 2024 presidential election, a person as visible as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson making even the smallest comment about Joe Biden can draw both attention and create an opportunity for manipulation. Let me lay it all out for you.

Back in 2020, Johnson made his first-ever public presidential endorsement by supporting Biden and Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. Four years after that publicly announced choice, the Jumanji star ⏤ in a chat with Fox News’ Fox & Friends co-host Will Cain ⏤ has admitted his unhappiness with America’s current state and talked about his public endorsement of Biden. “The endorsement that I made years ago with Biden was one I thought was the best decision for me at that time,” Johnson said. He then went on to confirm that he will not be endorsing Biden, or anyone else, this time.

“I realized now going into this election, I’m not gonna do that and I wouldn’t do that because my goal is to bring our country together…in the spirit of that, there’s gonna be no endorsement. I’m gonna keep my politics to myself.”

Is Johnson saying that he regrets making the decision back in 2020 to endorse Biden? Yes, but what he actually regrets ⏤ something he explains as the interview progresses ⏤ is the act of making his support public and creating a “division” in the country, since he is and remains a person in a position to influence the masses with such decisions. He won’t be endorsing anyone this time to avoid the drama he conjured last time.

No, he isn’t satisfied with the status of America at the moment, but is he planning to endorse Trump next? No ⏤ he clearly said “no endorsement.” But are his very clear opinions stopping Trump supporters from twisting the narrative? Of course not.

Thankfully, Trump’s idiocy has yet to breach the boundaries of his MAGA devotees, as others are showing the sense to watch what precedes and follows the viral clip from the interview.

Will this rather obvious distinction stop supporters of the former president from peddling their current claims? No. In fact, don’t be surprised if you hear Trump publicly accepting The Rock’s “endorsement” the next time he decides to embarrass himself again at a microphone.

We’ve all had to deal with nasty co-workers in the past, but fans of Rebecca Ferguson were surprised to hear her recount an experience with a co-star who screamed at her on set.

Speaking to Josh Smith on the Reign podcast the Dune: Part Two star recalled one particularly traumatic job in which “an absolute idiot of a co-star” yelled and generally acted unprofessional and condescending towards her. “This human being was being so insecure and angry, because this person couldn’t get the scenes out.” Whilst it happened in front of the crew, she says that no one had her back due to the co-star being number one on a call sheet.

During the interview, Ferguson makes sure not to name the individual, but the story does have a happy ending with the actress standing up for herself, “I remember being so scared, and I looked at this person and I said “you can F off. I’m gonna work with a tennis ball.”” Honestly, good for her, whoever this person was, they sound like a real piece of work. Fans of the actress commended her for standing up to the unnamed co-star with fellow actors such as Dwayne Johnson even responding in support. 

But many were also angry, not at Rebecca obviously, but at whoever it was that spoke to her like that. People on X (formerly Twitter) jumped to the defense of the star, vowing to get their hands on this rude person one way or another. 

Who screamed at Rebecca Ferguson?

Ferguson has made the wise choice not to reveal who she was talking about as doing so could come back to bite her. But fans still want to know, especially because they are clearly very famous, to the point that no one was willing to call them out on their behavior. In all honesty we don’t know for sure who it is, however, there are theories. These theories are based on circumstantial evidence at best so it’s probably best not to draw any hard conclusions from these just yet.

Fans threw a few names out there, such as Hugh Grant, who starred in Florence Foster Jenkins with Ferguson. The evidence against him is that the two have very few photos together from after the film, and in the photos that do exist, they are standing very far apart. There have been a few cases where Grant has been somewhat abrasive and rude to people, even when he knows others are watching, so this theory could hold water. Others suggested it could be Tom Cruise although there’s very little evidence to back that up, she’s worked with Cruise on multiple Mission Impossible movies and is set to appear in the next installment set to be released in 2025.

Interestingly, Dwayne Johnson was suggested by multiple people. The pair worked together on 2014’s Hercules, but they have zero photos or interviews together. If that’s the case then Johnson’s tweet takes on a whole new context, instead of offering support it could just be an attempt to cover up and make himself appear innocent; whilst Johnson’s reputation has gone down a bit recently, I doubt he’s this bad of a person, but hey, anything’s possible in Hollywood.

We could go on all day listing each and every one of Rebecca Ferguson’s famous co-stars, we have Michael Fassbender, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor and many more. It’s a real mystery, but knowing the internet, the truth will be revealed eventually.

In a recent appearance on Reign with Josh Smith to promote the premiere of Dune: Part Two, Rebecca Ferguson revealed that one of her previous co-stars screamed at her on set, and now the entire internet is up and at it with raised pitchforks.

At one point during the interview, Smith asked Ferguson about her proudest moment “using your own voice,” which compelled the actress to launch into a rather disturbing account of being screamed at while performing on set. And let me tell you, short of actually naming the bully, Ferguson did not mince any words.

“‘I did a film with an absolute idiot of a co-star,’ she said. ‘And this human was being so insecure and angry because this person couldn’t get the scenes out. And I think I was so vulnerable and uncomfortable that I got screamed at, and I would cry walking off set. This person would literally look at me in front of the whole crew and say, ‘You call yourself an actor. This is what I have to work with? What is this?’ And I stood there, just breaking. This happens.’”

You can watch the whole segment in this short clip posted on Josh’s X account:

As you’d expect, internet detectives are doing their best to identify the person in question, and given Ferguson’s prolific career over the past decade, the list ranges from Tom Cruise (in Mission: Impossible) to Jake Gyllenhaal (in Life) and even Dwayne Johnson in 2014’s Hercules.

The Rock, meanwhile, has already caught wind of the controversy brewing at the moment, so he’s come forward to subtly remove his name from the list of possible offenders. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Johnson wrote that he, too, would like to find out who that person is.

“Hate seeing this but love seeing her stand up to bullshit,” he retweeted. “Rebecca was my guardian angel sent from heaven on our set. I love that woman. I’d like to find out who did this.”

So, there you have it. Whoever this condescending, possibly megalomaniac egotist is, I doubt we’re going to find their identity on mere speculation. It should also be noted that Ferguson deliberately refused to specify whether this person was a male or female co-star, so perhaps she doesn’t wish to say anything more on the matter.

As Dwayne astutely pointed out, though, all the more power to her for standing up. Rebecca is currently doing the press rounds for Dune: Part Two, wherein she once again portrays the powerful Bene Gesserit and Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica.

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room: People aren’t as afraid of yelling at Dwayne Johnson as they should be.

Johnson is one of the wealthiest performers on the planet. He created a persona built around his ability to compare his physicality to that of a rock and not have anyone question it. His eyebrows are more toned, statistically speaking, than your calves. He is a man to be feared: Strong enough to perform great and terrible feats; so unafraid in the face of potential damage to himself that he’s willing to star in Baywatch.

So why, in a video that went viral in the early days of February 2024, did a crowd of Las Vegas onlookers boo the once and future Scorpion King? Was it, as some social media provocateurs claimed, due to Johnson’s arguably tone-deaf handling of the Maui wildfires of 2023? The answer may surprise you, unless you guessed “no, it’s not that.” If you guessed “No, it’s not that,” then the answer won’t surprise you at all.

Why did a Nevada crowd boo Dwayne Johnson? The real reason for the outrage in Viva Rock Vegas, explained

In a video posted and reposted by, I don’t know, maybe not bad actors, but certainly community theater ones, Dwayne Johnson stands on a stage, mic in hand, torso in a tanktop. Onlookers boo. They jeer. They – confusingly, if you’re trying to follow the narrative laid out by the people who posted the video – repeat the name “Cody” a bunch of times.

“CROWD IN VEGAS BOOs ‘THE ROCK’ DEMANDING HE FOLLOW THROUGH WITH AID FOR MAUI,” one particularly popular Twitter post on the subject from far-right independent journalist and full-tilt internet crank Nick Sortor states, claiming that Johnson’s collaboration with Oprah Winfrey to raise funds for victims of the 2023 Maui wildfires had failed to live up to its guarantees. Victims, according to the post, were “promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime. It looks like the audience is fully AMERICA FIRST and is demanding The Rock and Oprah follow through with their commitment to take care of the people of Lahaina.”

It’s powerful stuff. It’s also made up. As is pretty clear if you watch the video with the sound on all the way through to the 20-second mark, the crowd booing Johnson is doing so over the wrestler’s recent return to the ring at WWE.

In a stunning, highly upsetting move, Johnson’s wrestling persona stole a hard-won spot at Wrestlemania 40 from Cody Rhodes. It’s what wrestlers call a “heel turn.” It’s also pretend. Essentially, some nerds on the internet took the equivalent of a shot of a Disney Cruise audience booing an actor playing Cruella de Vil and labeled it “PATRIOTS boo fashion designer for Hurricane Katrina response! One share = One pray!”

This wasn’t lost on Dwayne Johnson as the video picked up steam on social media. In a not particularly safe-for-work response, the superstar stated that he doesn’t normally respond to these sorts of things, but this time he had to as “when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet.”

Johnson went on to point out that the fund that he and Winfrey started had provided more than $50 million “to over 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires,” and stated that he was “grateful to the bone that we’ve been the primary funders.”

In short, there are so many reasonable excuses to boo Dwayne Johnson – Young Rock was pretty blatantly self-serving, and the way he keeps flirting with a presidential run doesn’t do a lot for that spasm the country’s developed over celebrity politicians – but his (admittedly divisive) platforming of Maui wildfire relief probably isn’t one of them. Also, and we’re not saying that he would, but he could knock you unconscious with his left pec, and he seems like he’s had a lot of frustration ever since Black Adam sucked asphalt at the box office. Maybe leave the jeering for wrestling events where nobody’s taking anything too seriously.

Original poster Sortor, for his part, retweeted a post pointing out that his claims had been faker than any WWE storyline but has yet to post a redaction or an apology. His Twitter page remains one of the internet’s most prolific exporters of that red alarm emoji, followed by all-caps renditions of what could generously be called “contemporary historical fiction.”

Moana, one of Disney’s most beloved princesses of the 2010s is going on a new adventure. The surprise Moana sequel, simply titled Moana 2 for now, is heading to theaters in November.

Despite reports that a sequel was in development back in 2019, Disney had barely ever mentioned the topic again, instead blindsiding everyone with another unnecessary live-action adaptation of the original film, which is not even a decade old yet. The announcement of Moana 2 and its prompt release date was unexpected, then, but not unwelcome.

Who is joining the cast of Moana 2?

Casting news and predictions for Moana 2 will be piling up on top of the already plentiful rumors going around about who might take on the Polynesian princess in the live-action version. It won’t be Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the character in 2016’s Moana, but could it be Zendaya? And does the fact that Cravalho is not coming back for that project affect her involvement in the animated sequel?

We don’t have the answers to any of these questions just yet. Our best bet is that both Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson will reprise their voice-acting roles in Moana 2 as the official tagline for the upcoming movie teases a new journey for Moana and Maui, confirming the duo’s expected return. Alan Tudyk could return as the fan-favorite chicken Heihei, as well. The cast from the first film will be joined by a set of fresh actors playing what Disney has described as “a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers.”

Moana 2 will see the titular heroine receive “an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors,” which will send her on a “journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.”

It comes out exclusively in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024

It’s no secret that the folks at Disney are in their live-action remake era. From Aladdin to The Little Mermaid and even The Lion King, the production studio remains committed to (somewhat) reimagining their staple tales, with a real-life rendering of Moana serving as the next in the Disney pipeline.

While questions about the need for a remake so soon after the original Moana’s 2016 release run rampant, fans are nonetheless turning their attention to who might form the cast of the upcoming reboot. At this point, we do know that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — who voiced Maui in the original opposite Auliʻi Cravalho’s Moana — is involved in the remake.

In April, it was Johnson who revealed the existence of the film at a Disney Shareholders meeting, sharing his excitement around bringing Polynesian culture to the big screen once more. Aside from that announcement — which sees Moana join a long list of imminent live-action remakes from Snow White to Lilo & Stitch — details around the film’s broader cast remain unknown.

That, however, hasn’t stopped audiences from casting their votes as to who should portray the titular Moana, set will grace the screen in June of 2025. If fans are to be believed, the role should go to Zendaya, but just how accurate is this casting wish?

Could Zendaya play Moana in Disney’s live-action adaptation? 

With Johnson’s role as Maui already in the bag, speculation quickly arose that Zendaya would take on Moana, thanks to a fan-made trailer that went viral in August. Boasting over five million views, the teaser splices together live-action footage of coastal islands and seascapes reminiscent of the original Moana, but carefully avoids showing too many shots of its non-existent stars.

Zendaya herself doesn’t even appear in the fan-made trailer, and her name is only mentioned in a title card toward the end of the clip. For his part, Johnson appears briefly, though his rendering appears to be the work of artificial intelligence. The caption of the video outlines that it is a “concept trailer,” so we can safely assume that at this point, Zendaya’s casting as Moana is more wishful thinking than an actual reality.

Zendaya herself also hasn’t confirmed the speculation, though her involvement in such a blockbuster would align with her previous roles in massive franchises like Dune and Spider-Man. In the more immediate future, Zendaya is set to appear opposite Josh O’Connor in Challengers, the latest film from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino.

While Zendaya’s role in Moana is at this stage unconfirmed, we do know that Auliʻi Cravalho will not reprise the character for a live-action remake. In May, the actress confirmed that while she won’t portray the princess, she is committed to finding the right fit for the role, and will serve as an executive producer for the Moana reboot.

In fact, quotes from Cravalho might actually disqualify Zendaya from the role. While we’re sure she has nothing against the Euphoria star, Cravalho has stated that she’s yielding the role specifically so another “young woman of Pacific Island descent” can step into it. Were the role to go to an actress from a different background, we imagine Cravalho — along with Johnson and a sea of supportive fans — would have something to say about it.

In lieu of Zendaya, actresses like Any Gabrielly and — most fittingly — Siena Agudong have been named among the speculative choices for the titular role. In any case, fans will have to wait some time for any official confirmation of Moana’s cast, with a release date set for June 27, 2025.

Up until very recently, WWE fans have, as a general rule, enjoyed the smell of what The Rock is cooking.

All of that changed this week with the introduction of a long-foreshadowed family feud that appears to be headed viewers’ way during WrestleMania 40. In a gripping moment of high-octane drama, fans learned that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was returning to the ring. All indications pointed to the wrestling superstar replacing Cody Rhodes at the upcoming event and going head-to-head with Roman Reigns, with Johnson and Reigns exchanging a heated stare-down in the closing moments of the Feb. 2, 2024, episode of Smackdown.

What made fans hate The Rock’s WWE comeback?

Fans found themselves in the unique position of not enjoying the smell of what The Rock was cooking. They didn’t like the smell of what recently announced TKO rep Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was cooking one bit. In fact, they disliked it so much that they swarmed the WWE YouTube channel when clips of the offending segment came online, making it the company’s most disliked video ever in just a few hours.

16 hours after the clip of Dwayne Johnson staring down Roman Reigns hit YouTube, the video had achieved a truly remarkable amount of disapproval, topping 360,000 dislikes compared to 83,000 likes. Distressed fans made their feelings known in the comments, calling Rhodes’ ouster “sad,” “a slap to the face,” and the Rock’s “lived long enough to see yourself become the villain” moment. One commenter was lucky not to drown in their own sarcasm, expressing appreciation for Rhodes’ willingness to step aside and let young talents like The Rock get the spotlight for once. The rather unanimous debate has also found a place over at X (formerly Twitter), with many pointing out how the actor has “ruined” things.

Nothing is official yet, but a press conference regarding WrestleMania 40 is scheduled for Feb. 8. If Rhodes’ removal from the event is made official during said conference, then the Smackdown clip likely won’t hold onto its title of “most disliked WWE video” for long.