Joker Top Grossing R Rated Movie of All Time
The invasion of the clowns is complete. Warner Bros’. gritty supervillain movie Joker has has become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever at the worldwide box office (not adjusted for inflation), beating out Fox’s Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Through Thursday, Joker has earned $788.1 million, surpassing Deadpool’s $782 million and its sequel’s $785 million. (Deadpool 2’s total was also boosted by a PG-13 re-release.) Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, Joker garnered significant controversy and hype before its Oct. 4 release. Nevertheless, it racked up $93.5 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, setting a record for the biggest October debut ever. Other R-rated films surpassed by Joker since then include 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded, 2017’s It, and 2003’s The Passion of the Christ. Ryan Reynolds, the star of the Deadpool movies, congratulated Joker’s feat with a fittingly R-rated tweet Friday.
Marvel and Stitcher Team Up
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Marvel and Stitcher have announced their next superhero podcast partnership: a radio drama adaptation of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ limited Marvels series, which sees news photographer Phil Sheldon trying to get by in the chaos of a superhero world. The podcast marks the third collaboration between Marvel and Stitcher, following Wolverine: The Long Night and its sequel Wolverine: The Lost Trail. The scripted Marvels series is meant to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the comics series, and it will largely follow the same story, seeing Sheldon (and other ordinary, non-superpowered people) deal with the aftermath of an attempted invasion by the world-devouring Galactus and his battle with the Fantastic Four. According to the announcement, the Marvels podcast will see these ordinary people “embark on an investigation to confirm or debunk one of the most super-powered conspiracy theories of all time.” It sounds like the show will be offering a more grounded, personal take on the superhero genre, much like the two Wolverine series, which looked to emulate modern podcasts like S-Town and Serial. Much like the Wolverine shows, which starred The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage, Marvels will also feature a star-studded cast, with Cliff “Method Man” Smith as Ben Urich, AnnaSophia Robb as Marcia Hardesty, Ethan Peck as Mr. Fantastic, and Seth Barrish as Phil Sheldon. The podcast will launch this fall, and it will be exclusively available on Stitcher Premium until 2020.
BBC’s Dracula
Earth to Ned
Get ready for an out of this world talk show. Earth to Ned has been ordered to series for Disney+. The series will premiere on the new streaming series in 2020. Earth to Ned comes to Disney+ from The Jim Henson Company, which is behind the Muppets and more. Deadline shared the plot of the series: “The comedic half-hour series follows Ned, a blue-skinned alien and his lieutenant Cornelius, who were sent to scout Earth for an eventual invasion – but instead became obsessed with our popular culture. Now, they host a talk show, broadcast from the bridge of their spaceship hidden deep underground, where they interview our most precious commodity, celebrities, to talk about Ned’s current pop culture obsessions. Ned will be bringing real-life celebrity guests to his ship from across the known universe and interviewing them, late night talk show style, in hopes of producing the ultimate talk show – making Ned a celebrity and putting him further off mission. And the more Ned learns about our human culture, the more obsessed he becomes.”
Brian Henson also spoke about the new series: “Earth To Ned is what happens when a very traditional television format gets completely turned on its head, resulting in a wholly original talk show starring some of the most complex puppets we have ever created. Our alien host Ned adores and embraces everything about Earthlings – including our quirks, and even our flaws. I think adults will especially appreciate his positive view of our world, which makes our show stand out in today’s often cynical TV landscape.” A premiere date for the new talk show has not yet been set. Disney+ launches on November 12.
