David Lynch changed my life – and I’ve got the tattoo to prove it

After first watching Twin Peaks in 2005, I had this recurring dream that I was Laura Palmer – the dead young woman the show revolves around.

In it, I was floating along a windy road towards the small American town Twin Peaks, to the theme music by Angelo Badalamenti – my body wrapped in plastic.

I stopped at the town sign that reads ‘Welcome to Twin Peaks, population 51,201’, looked out at the mountains and sighed. Then, my body dropped to the floor – a loud disturbing sound filling my ears.

The sound of my bones hitting the floor woke me up.

It was disturbing, but somewhat comforting. The soundscape of the theme music and the sound of owls hooting – something I’ve never experienced in a dream before or since – made me feel at ease. Surprisingly, it assured me I was dreaming.

Because that’s what the show Twin Peaks was like to me: a lucid dream.

And after the sudden death of co-creator David Lynch at 78 this week, I’ve been reflecting on that curious combined sensation of comfort and unease and how it shaped parts of my life.

Part horror-mystery, part small town soap opera, Twin Peaks launched in 1990 and ran for two seasons. In 1992 the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me was released, followed by a long-awaited third season in 2017.

Lynch’s death has left me immeasurably sad. He had given me characters from the show to care for me when I needed them and a strange world to comfort me.

Twin Peaks follows FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) as he investigates the murder of local teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).

Viewers are introduced to a town with eccentric characters and a dark mystery – and throughout it, you have a feeling that something isn’t quite right.

When I finally got around to watching the show, nearly 15 years after its debut, the show infiltrated my mind so deeply, it appeared in my dreams. I was obsessed with it, but the reason didn’t become clear to me until much later.

In 2004, I studied Film and Animation at university and I was a creative dreamer back then. I wanted to make music videos inspired by my favourite band at the time, Tool, and I wanted them to be weird, subversive and dream-like.

I was emo and so I felt like no-one understood me. I had lots of angst and a creative vision for its output.

Then, one day something changed for me. In one of the rare lectures I didn’t skip, the teacher put on Eraserhead – a 1977 surrealist body horror by director David Lynch.

While most students in the theatre grimaced and gagged in disgust, I felt like I was under a spell.

The film itself is not something I would enjoy now – it’s about a man caring for his child who suffers from deformities and is possibly an alien. There are moments of violence and abuse which I now feel are too grotesque and insensitive to bear.

But at the time, it reminded me what I was there for. To create art. To make people happy about sadness. I have since consumed all his work.

Although it wasn’t until later that year, watching Lynch’s Twin Peaks – immersed in a sense of melancholia, the fear and horror of death and a subversive need to be in a constant dream, away from Earth – that I realised I was depressed.

I was entering adulthood at university after having left home as a troublemaker, complete with a tongue piercing and freshly short hair – but it seemed that I couldn’t move past my angst. There was something holding me back, and it turns out it was sadness.

As a woman of colour, navigating my then-conservative parents, my changing body and developing eating disorders, I was vulnerable.

I felt lost to the world, misunderstood. My body was fragile, but covered in hair. I felt disgusting and unseemly – I felt like an alien.

I hadn’t come out – and wouldn’t until my 30’s – so I was hiding in this alien body, and relying on alcohol to make friends. Essentially, I was scared. I didn’t think the world would accept me.

Twin Peaks came into my life at the time I was struggling the most. It became the show that took me under its wing and gave me the dream world I wanted to escape to.

A world where young people were beautiful, soft and sad – but remembered. When they die, they are remembered. People cry over them. People lose their minds for them.

I wanted to be those characters and live with them.

Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), a school friend of the show’s central figure Laura Palmer, was the woman I wanted to kiss.

I wanted to save the cafe waitress Shelly (Mädchen Amick), from her abusive husband. Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) and Andy (Harry Goaz) from the sheriff offices, had to be my best friends, there was no doubt there. I wanted to marry Agent Dale Cooper – or did I want to be him? I wasn’t sure.

This dream reality wrapped me up and warmly told me to live there for now. Until I was ready for the real world.

Eventually I was – I sought help, I ate, took medication. By that time, my university experience had been hazy and I barely graduated, but I survived it.

In 2013, I got a tattoo to commemorate my love for Twin Peaks. In a dream, Laura Palmer tells Agent Dale Cooper, ‘But sometimes my arms bend back’, which helps him solve her murder. So I got those words tattooed on the inside of my arm. It made me feel saved.

Now that Lynch has passed on, his work still remains with us and so does the world he left me.

Every time I need that warm embrace, that escape from reality, I put on the surreal world of Twin Peaks and chuckle with my strange friends.

Severance season 2 review: a return that exceeds expectations

Severance: Season 2 Score Details

“Severance returns with a second season that is even weirder, thornier, and addictive than its first.”

Pros Striking, rich direction throughout A commanding ensemble of lead performances A thematically richer season-long story Cons Occasional pacing lulls A few head-scratching jumps in logic

It’s been almost three full years since Severance wrapped up its first season. The Apple TV+ sci-fi drama about a group of workers who literally live two different lives between the office and home captured viewers’ imaginations when it debuted in 2022. There was its alluring, constant thrum of dystopian sci-fi mystery, sure, as well as conspiracies surrounding the show’s central, seemingly diabolical corporation that always seemed to lurk just beyond the edges of the frame. But there was also Severance’s pristine aesthetic and the high level of visual execution provided by directors Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle that made looking away from it seem impossible.

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The series also stuck the landing — delivering a breathless season 1 finale that left viewers anxious to see what would happen next. Making those same viewers wait three years for any kind of continuation has been a tough pill to swallow, one that has come with questions about whether or not Severance’s second season would be able to live up to the expectations raised by both its last episode and its prolonged hiatus. It wouldn’t be like Severance, though, a show that thrives on disorientation, to return with a second season that simply answered viewers’ questions. It is with a profound sigh of relief then to report that Severance season 2 doesn’t just live up to the hype, but that it does so while introducing new questions and expanding the series’ already thorny thematic landscape.

Severance season 2 picks up where its predecessor left off — more or less. To say much about how the season’s first two episodes play out would be to spoil part of the pleasures of watching Severance’s return unfold, but it is enough to say that the season’s opening is split in two in a manner slyly befitting the series. The season’s premiere brings viewers back into the labyrinthine, oppressively fluorescent offices of Lumon Industries as severed hero Mark Scout’s (Adam Scott) innie is awoken and welcomed by Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman), the Lumon henchman whose PR friendly smile somehow feels even more devious than it did before. Seth reveals that he has been promoted to supervisor of Lumon’s severed floor, replacing the scheming Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette), and introduces Mark to his new team of co-workers, which include Alia Shawkat and a prickly Bob Balaban.

Mark, for his part, is desperate to reunite with his former team members, Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro), and find out whether or not their overtime rebellion at the end of Severance season 1 has really had the impact Milchick says. At the top of his mind, of course, is also Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), the missing wellness counselor he discovered last season to be Gemma, his outie’s believed-to-be dead wife. Given the nature of TV, it shouldn’t be considered a spoiler to say that it doesn’t take long for both Mark and Severance to get the band back together. Once reunited with his team, Mark then sets out to find Ms. Casey and discover the truth of what happened to her in the outside world and why Lumon has been hiding it — and her — from his outie. His search leads him, Irving, Dylan, and Helly to new corners of the severed floor that beguile and delight, and which only make Severance’s debt to Twin Peaks all the more obvious. (Note: not a criticism.)

Severance doesn’t rush to return to a recognizable status quo, though. Its new season begins with a nightmarish, reality-warping sequence that effectively hurls viewers back into its darkly funny, surreal world only to take its time from there on out. Questions are answered, though not always truthfully, and characters start to once again find new mysteries in the silences of others. Building off its season 1 finale’s game-changing revelations about Irving, Helly, and Burt (Christopher Walken), Severance season 2 invests more time in its characters’ outie lives. In doing so, the show gives itself more room to explore some of the same questions about the lines between our work and personal lives that it prompted in its first nine episodes, but it also presents interesting new dilemmas for viewers and its characters to consider. Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving’s innie selves are specifically forced to grapple with the fact that beating Lumon will almost certainly result in their own destruction.

This possibility injects new dramatic tension into Severance exactly when it needs it most, and it allows the series to deepen its ideas about the people we are away from and at home, as well as the insidiousness of corporations that want us to value our work lives over our personal ones. In an early scene, Tillman’s Milchick convinces Mark’s outie self to resume his severance lifestyle by speaking positively about his innie’s office existence. “He’s found love,” Milchick reveals, referencing Mark and Helly’s season 1 kiss. Milchick paints a portrait of Mark’s innie life that is happier than his grief-stricken existence in the outside world and, therefore, worthier of living than the one he has at home. It’s a darkly affecting scene, and one that powerfully spotlights Lumon’s desire to make its workers feel as though they’ll find greater fulfillment in their halls than they ever could outside of them.

All the while, Severance remains one of the most sharply composed, lit, and directed shows on TV. Every frame is precisely blocked, and the season’s directors, which include a returning Stiller, make greater, heightened use this time around of the shadows that permeate Severance’s chilly, snow-covered outside world. This aesthetic works in conjunction with the show’s overly bright interior office scenes to create not only a dynamic, striking visual look, but also a constant mood of corporate-driven intrigue. Severance season 1 standout Britt Lower, meanwhile, remains as compelling a screen presence as she was three years ago. She’s given even more room to play in Severance season 2, as she’s asked to explore further not just Helly, but also her potentially villainous outie self, Helena, the daughter of Lumon’s CEO.

It is hard to watch Severance without thinking about the deteriorating state of America’s current corporate world. As work creeps closer and closer every year to completely taking over everyday people’s lives, Severance’s themes just grow more potent. That was the case when its first season was airing in 2022, and it is again three years later. The series is a modern TV rarity — a high-concept sci-fi drama that asks challenging questions without ever hitting you over the head with them. In its second season, it remains just as intelligent and thought-provoking, and it has returned to reclaim its spot among the best shows on television right now. Fingers crossed it won’t take another three years for it to do so again.

The first episode of Severance season 2 is streaming now on Apple TV+. New episodes premiere weekly on Fridays.

Rip David Lynch: Legendary Auteur of ‘Twin Peaks’ Dies at 78

David Lynch, the avant-garde director of films like Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive, as well as the paradigm-shifting TV series Twin Peaks, has died at 78. His influence transcended film, creating a uniquely dark visual narrative language that became known by fellow filmmakers, critics, and fans simply as “Lynchian.” This vision also reached his paintings, books, experiments with music and entrepreneurships.

Lynch’s death was announced by his family on Facebook. “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us,” they wrote. “But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.” While his family didn’t name a cause of death, Lynch announced in 2024 that he that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after a lifetime of smoking. According to Deadline, the director recently took a turn for the worse after having to evacuate his house during the Sunset Fire. In the wake of his passing, it’s only natural to take a look back at his prolific career and the impact he has had and continues to have in film, TV, and the arts as a whole.

Born on January 20, 1946, in Missoula, Montana, Lynch jumped into the movie scene in 1977 with his debut film, Eraserhead. The macabre tone and subject matter turned it into a cult film among the midnight movie circuit. His breakthrough came with The Elephant Man (1980), a dark tale about a sideshow “freak” in Victorian England. This film earned him the first of his four nominations for Best Director at the Academy Awards.

Lynch has long been renowned for his evocative, brooding creative vision, which mixed elements of surrealism with film noir and horror to create experimental narrative structures that inspired audiences to create their own meanings. There doesn’t seem to be an absolute consensus as to what is Lynch’s masterpiece — experts are divided between Blue Velvet (1986), a film that challenged the façade of the American Dream of the 80s; Twin Peaks (1990), the haunting TV series that would become a cornerstone for modern prestige television; and Mulholland Drive (2001), a neo-noir mystery that explores the dangerous allure of Hollywood and which earned Lynch the Best Director award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2020, the auteur received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. A couple of years later, he made his final appearance in a film in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, where he played director John Ford. “I loved David’s films,” Spielberg said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Elephant Man defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”

Following his death, tributes started pouring in quickly. Movie theaters around the world changed their marquees in his honor, and former collaborators expressed how much Lynch had meant to them.

“It wasn’t just his art that impacted me — his wisdom, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before,” Naomi Watts, one of the stars of Mulholland Drive, wrote on Instagram. “Every moment together felt charged with a presence I’ve rarely seen or known. Probably because, yes, he seemed to live in an altered world, one that I feel beyond lucky to have been a small part of. And David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.”

Kyle MacLachlan, who appeared in so many of Lynch’s projects that he became known as his “alter-ego” or his “stand-in,” thanked him for propelling his career, and mourned his dear friend. “What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to,” the actor shared. “While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.”

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Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Sting, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish all slated for FireAid benefit concert

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston Calling headliner Dave Matthews and former Berklee School of Music student John Mayer will perform live together for the first time at FireAid, a benefit concert for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief.

Sting, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are also among the performers slated to take the stage.

Announced last week, FireAid was originally scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It will now take place in two venues: the Intuit Dome and the adjacent Kia Forum on Jan. 30.

It will be broadcast and streamed live on Apple Music, Apple TV, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video, the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM, Spotify, SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube. It will also be shown at select AMC Theatre locations in the U.S.

According to a press release, contributions to FireAid will “be distributed under the advisement of the Annenberg Foundation, for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters … All proceeds from the FireAid benefit concert at Intuit Dome and Kia Forum will go directly to the event’s designated beneficiaries.”

The lineup also includes Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry, Lil Baby, Pink, Rod Stewart, Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Jelly Roll, Gracie Abrams, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, Tate McRae and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday at 12pm PDT via Ticketmaster.

The event is being held by Shelli, Irving, and the Azoff family with Live Nation and AEG Presents.

Since the wildfires started, celebrities and entertainment organizations have pledged millions to help those who have been displaced or lost their homes, including a $2.5 million contribution from Beyoncé to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD.

Last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort with a $1 million donation. Thanks to additional contributions, they’ve already distributed $2 million in emergency aid.

The 67th annual Grammy Awards will still take place Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles — though the Recording Academy has refocused its aim to support relief efforts following the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires.

‘Frasier’ Canceled By Paramount+ After 2 Seasons; Revival Will Be Shopped By CBS Studios

Frasier’s return has hit a major bump. Paramount+ has opted not to renew the Kelsey Grammer-led comedy for a third season. Producer CBS Studios remains committed to the series and plans to shop it to other outlets.

Those are not expected to include the most logical home for a multi-camera sitcom that originated on broadcast — CBS Studios’ sibling CBS. The network, which just committed to a planted spinoff of The Neighborhood, has no current shelf space available, and it also has a development slate set. Possibilities include Prime Video and Hulu, which both carry the library of Frasier’s original run. Seasons 1 and 2 of the revival, along with the original library episodes, will remain available on Paramount+.

Paramount+ ordered Frasier to series in 2022 with James Burrows directing the first episode. Season 1 premiered a year later and Season 2 dropped in September.

Despite its well known title and Grammer reprising his popular title role, Frasier could not break through in a major way on Paramount+, which has become known as a drama destination and the home of the Taylor Sheridan and Star Trek universes.

Frasier was a lone multi-camera sitcom and one of only two original comedy series on the platform, alongside the single-camera international co-production Colin From Accounts, which is done under a different model and is looking good to continue.

The new Frasier follows Frasier Crane — a character Grammer originated on NBC’s Cheers and then reprised on the network’s spinoff Frasier — in the next chapter of his life after he returns to Boston to face new challenges, forge new relationships, and – with hope – finally fulfill an old dream or two.

The series also stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frasier’s son, Freddy; Nicholas Lyndhurst as Alan, Frasier’s old college buddy turned university professor; Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, Alan’s colleague and head of the university’s psychology department; Jess Salgueiro as Eve, Frasier and Freddy’s neighbor; and Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew, David.

While the cast was comprised of new actors, there were plenty of familiar faces who made appearances including Bebe Neuwirth, reprising the role of Frasier’s ex-wife Lilith, Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle, Dan Butler as Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe, Edward Hibbert as Gil Chesterton and Harriet Sansom Harris as Frasier’s delightfully devilish agent, Bebe Glazer. Grammer spoke to Deadline at the Emmys last January about his wish to see Shelley Long return to the role of Diane Chambers in a future season of Frasier.

David Hyde Pierce opted not to reprise the character of Niles Crane in the new spinoff series, much to the chagrin of longtime fans of the original Frasier.

The series comes from writers Chris Harris and Joe Cristalli, who executive produce with Grammer, Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon. The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Grammer’s Grammnet NH Productions.

UK theatre and film legend Joan Plowright dies, aged 95

Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, who did much to revitalise the UK’s theatre scene in the decades after World War II, has died aged 95.

In a statement on Friday, her family said Plowright died the previous day at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in southern England, surrounded by her loved ones.

“She enjoyed a long and illustrious career across theatre, film and TV over seven decades until blindness made her retire,” the family said. “We are so proud of all Joan did and who she was as a loving and deeply inclusive human being.”

Part of a generation of British actors, inlcuding Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins, Plowright won a Tony Award, two Golden Globes and nominations for an Oscar and Emmy.

Maggie Smith died last September, aged 89.

Plowright was also the wife of Laurence Olivier, a renowned English actor and director who died in 1989 at age 82.

‘Such a life’

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Plowright racked up dozens of stage roles in everything from Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull to William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. She stunned in Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs, and George Bernard Shaw’s totemic two female roles Major Barbara and Saint Joan.

“I’ve been very privileged to have such a life,” Plowright said in a 2010 interview with publication The Actor’s Work.

“I mean it’s magic and I still feel, when a curtain goes up or the lights come on if there’s no curtain, the magic of a beginning of what is going to unfold in front of me.”

Theatres across West End in London will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday in her honour.

Born in Brigg, Lincolnshire, England, her mother ran an amateur drama group and Plowright was involved in the theatre from age 3.

She was soon spending school vacations at summer sessions of university drama schools.

After high school, she studied at the Laban Art of Movement Studio in Manchester, then won a two-year scholarship to the drama school at the Old Vic Theatre in London.

Following her London stage debut in 1954, Plowright became a member of the Royal Court Theatre in 1956 and gained recognition in dramas written by the so-called Angry Young Men, such as John Osborne, who were giving British theatre a thorough airing-out.

The new, rough-hewn, working-class actors like Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Anthony Hopkins were her peers.

Plowright made her feature film debut with an uncredited turn in American director John Huston’s epic adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick in 1956, starring Gregory Peck as the obsessed Captain Ahab.

A year later, she co-starred with her future husband Olivier in the original London production of Osborne’s The Entertainer. She played Olivier’s daughter in the work and the two reunited for the 1960 film adaptation.

By then, Plowright’s marriage to British actor Roger Cage had ended, as had Olivier’s 20-year union with Vivien Leigh. Plowright and Olivier were married in Connecticut in 1961, while both were starring on Broadway, he in Becket and she in A Taste of Honey, for which she won a Tony.

One love letter Olivier sent summed up his love: “I sometimes feel such a peacefulness come over me when I think of you, or write to you — a gentle tenderness and serenity. A feeling devoid of all violence, passion or shattering longing … it makes me go out into the street with a smile on my face and in my heart for everybody.”

Plowright enjoyed a career resurgence at the age of 60, doing a mixture of more upmarket productions and commercial fare.

She was in Franco Zeffirelli’s version of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre in 1996 and the Merchant-Ivory production of Surviving Picasso, as well as starring as the stalwart nanny in Disney’s live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians in 1996 with Glenn Close.

She starred opposite Walter Matthau in the big screen adaptation of the classic comic strip Dennis the Menace, and made a brief appearance in the Arnold Schwarzenegger self-referencing satire Last Action Hero in 1993.

Rare accolades

Plowright became one of only a handful of actors to win two Golden Globes in the same year, in 1993, when she won the supporting actress TV award for Stalin and the supporting actress movie award for Enchanted April.

For the latter, which told the story of a group of Britons finding their lives transformed on a vacation to Italy, she received her sole nomination for an Academy Award.

A prominent role in later life was keeper of the Olivier flame — bestowing awards, defending her husband in the press and curating his letters.

“That is my choice because I was privileged to live with him,” she told The Daily Telegraph in 2003. “When someone who has had such fame and idolatry and worship goes, then there’s bound to be a backlash which comes the other way and you get a bit sick of that. Mine was really trying to put things straight.”

Plowright is survived by her three children — Tamsin, Richard and Julie-Kate, all actors — and several grandchildren.

‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘1899’ Stars Cast as Supergirl’s Parents in DCU’s ‘Woman of Tomorrow’

Production on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is underway, and the film has just cast the parents of the titular hero. Based on the DC Comic of the same name, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will see House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock in the lead role of Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl in the DCU. The roles of Supergirl’s mom and dad have been cast, and they are fan favorites.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham are set to play Supergirls’ parents. The rest of the cast includes Eve Ridley as Ruthie Marye Knoll, a young girl who hires Supergirl to hunt down the man who killed her father, Krem of the Yellows Hills, played by Rust and Bone’s Matthias Schoenaerts. Former Aquaman star Jason Momoa is set to play the intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo in the film.

While the press release does not name the character, in the comics, Supergirl’s father and mother are named Zor-El and Alura, respectively. Krumholtz broke out as Bernard in 1994’s The Santa Clause and is also known for his work in iconic films like 10 Things I Hate About You, Addams Family Values, and recent Best Picture winner Oppenheimer. Beecham is best known for her roles in hit television series like Into the Badlands, The Pursuit of Love, and 1899. Both Krumholtz and Beecham previously appeared in Hail, Caesar!, yet the two did not share a scene.

Zor-El and Alura were previously played by Simon Ward and Mia Farrow, respectively, in 1984’s Supergirl. Supernatural’s Christopher Heyerdahl played Zor-El on Smallville. Zor-El appeared on the CW Supergirl series, initially played by Robert Brant and then Jason Behr, but the series focused more on Kara’s relationship with her mother, Alura. Laura Benanti originally played Alura on Supergirl for Season 1, but following Season 2, the role was taken over by Erica Durance, who previously played Lois Lane on Smallville. Krumholtz and Beecham are stepping into a rich legacy by playing Supergirl’s parents, who are as important to the hero’s origins as Superman’s are to his.

Supergirl’s Parents Might Have Big Roles in the DCU Close

Krumholtz previously revealed how he tried to land the role of Ben Grimm / The Thing in the upcoming MCU movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but the studio instead cast Ebon Moss-Bachrach. While he missed out on joining the MCU, Krumholtz now gets to be a part of James Gunn’s growing DCU, and both he and Beecham could have big parts to play in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow as well as future films in the franchise. What’s fascinating is that the DCU has cast Supergirl’s Kryptonian parents, but no one has been confirmed to play Superman’s Kryptonian father and mother, Jor-El and Lara, in Superman or any future DCU projects.

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In the comics, Zor-El is the brother of Jor-El, the father of Superman. While Zor-El and Alura save their daughter from Krypton’s destruction by putting her in a rocket – like how Superman was sent to Earth – in the original comics, Supergirl’s parents survived Krypton’s destruction and later live on New Krypton. In 2011’s New 52 reboot, Zor-El becomes an antagonist for his daughter as the Superman villain Brainiac transforms him into the Cyborg Superman. It is unclear if this element will be brought into Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow or the DCU, but it creates an intriguing possibility for future stories. While Krumholtz and Beecham might not be household names, they are talented actors who add to the exciting ensemble that director Craig Gillespie is bringing together for the second DCU feature film.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Superhero

Release Date June 26, 2026 Director Craig Gillespie Cast Milly Alcock

Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Reboot Sets IMAX Release Date Ahead of Netflix Debut

Following the success of Barbie in 2023, Greta Gerwig’s upcoming project will be a new retelling of The Chronicles of Narnia. Gerwig will collaborate with Netflix for the upcoming reboot and has scored a major win for it to receive a wide release.

Initially supposed to be released on Netflix, IMAX has reportedly expressed interest in screening the upcoming adaptation of Narnia. The deal might’ve been difficult, considering Netflix’s policy on theatrical releases but, after months of negotiations, the movie will be officially heading to IMAX. Per Variety, Narnia will be exclusively released on Imax’s screens worldwide two weeks in advance before the movie’s wide release on Netflix. The Narnia film will premiere on Netflix on Christmas 2026, with an Imax release on Thanksgiving Day of the same year.

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The popular C.S. Lewis fantasy series has been previously adapted before and Greta Gerwig is set to reboot the series on a big budget. Netflix agreeing to release films in IMAX is a rarity, considering that the streaming service usually opts for limited release for its titles in order to qualify for awards, like Emilia Perez and Maria, but mostly keeps all the films on its platform.

The upcoming Narnia adaptation has been in development for a long time. Netflix announced the plans to develop a new TV series and film project based on the series in 2018. Gerwig joined the project in 2023, and her deal would include directing at least two Narnia films.

In the fall of 2024, news broke out that IMAX and the Oscar-nominated filmmaker were looking into a theatrical release for the upcoming adaptation, but nothing could guarantee that Netflix would agree to it. Netflix reportedly intends to adapt all seven of Lewis’ books in the eponymous series, reportedly committing a $175 million budget to the first movie. Prior to the announcement, Gerwig was reportedly “bummed” over Netflix’s release plans, but the Imax news is exciting for the first installment, as well as the rest of the series.

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The new series will feature firsthand accounts of the events Black Hawk Down is based on.

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Daniel Craig also reportedly clashed with Netflix over the release of his Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The director wanted the sequel to head to theaters, just like the first installment, and reportedly told Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos that directly. The sequel received a limited release in more than 600 theaters for a week in 2022, but the actor wanted more.

The Chronicles of Narnia Have Been Adapted Before

While Netflix is currently hoping Narnia will become its latest hit on the platform, this will be hardly the first time the seven books have been adapted. The first time C.S. Lewis’ novels received an adaptation was in 1967, when the first installment, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was adapted into a ten-episode series. The same novel was adapted again in 1979 as an animated special. From 1988 to 1990, several parts of the fantasy series were turned into three BBC TV serials, based on the first four novels.

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The Chronicles of Narnia has also been adapted to the big screen. Between 2005 and 2010, Disney and 20th Century Fox adapted the first three novels out of the seven-book series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. All three films grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, although they had less commercial and critical success with each installment. There were plans for a fourth film but were abandoned once Netflix purchased the rights for a new adaptation.

Source: Variety

The Chronicles of Narnia

Created by C.S. Lewis

First Film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Latest Film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

First TV Show The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Bruce Willis and Kwame Appiah: Battling Health Challenges with Resilience and Gratitude Amidst LA Wildfires and Ulcerative Colitis

Bruce Willis, renowned for his charismatic presence and countless contributions to the film industry, has recently emerged from the confines of personal challenges to offer gratitude where it’s due. Amid the turbulent backdrop of the Los Angeles wildfires, Willis took a moment to thank first responders—making it his first significant public appearance since his health complications came to light. Diagnosed initially with aphasia in 2022, and more recently with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Willis’ public engagements have become increasingly rare, making this appearance particularly poignant.

His wife, Emma Heming Willis, has been candid about the struggles they face, striving to maintain transparency with their children while also raising awareness about FTD. This neurological condition, known to shrink the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, has inevitably imposed emotional and physical burdens on the family. Nonetheless, Emma’s dedication to their relationship and family remains unwavering, a testament to her commitment since their marriage in 2009.

Amid these personal trials, Willis was captured on camera, smiling as he engaged with police officers. This heartwarming moment was shared by Emma on Instagram, showing Willis—sporting a Yankees cap—expressing his heartfelt gratitude with a handshake and a resounding “thank you for your service.”

The video drew widespread attention and emotional reactions from fans and family alike. Tallulah Willis, Bruce’s daughter with ex-wife Demi Moore, commented on the clip, stating, “This makes my heart so freaking full,” illustrating the emotional impact of seeing her father in good spirits.

For many fans, this glimpse of Willis brought a mixture of joy and nostalgia. One fan remarked, “WOW, Awesome, Bruce looks great,” while another emphasized that despite cognitive declines, Willis’ kindness and ability to connect with people remain undiminished.

This appearance has further underscored the challenges faced by those living with dementia. Emma has been vocal about the importance of understanding this disease, noting that its symptoms often “whisper” before becoming more apparent. She emphasizes that proper diagnosis was crucial for learning about the condition and educating their daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.

On another front, the battle of an entirely different nature is being waged by Kwame Appiah, the ‘Love Is Blind’ star, who recently disclosed his diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Appiah’s journey, marked by a period of neglect followed by severe symptoms, serves as a reminder of the fragility of health and the importance of proactive care.

Appiah’s revelation came through an Instagram Reel, where he candidly outlined his experience, emphasizing the preciousness of life and the need to address seemingly minor health issues before they escalate. He thanked his wife Chelsea Griffin and friends for their support, highlighting the transformative impact of a supportive network during health crises. His story, much like Willis’, is a powerful reminder of the importance of resilience and family support in navigating health challenges.

In parallel, the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, has called for a bold measure in public health—placing cancer warnings on alcoholic beverages. This advisory, although met with resistance due to the formidable alcohol lobby and political changes, seeks to illuminate the often-overlooked link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

For those who have witnessed firsthand the devastation of alcohol-related cancers, like therapist Edith Langford, this initiative is long overdue. Her personal and professional experiences vividly illustrate the harsh realities of alcohol abuse, a sentiment echoed as she recounts the loss of family members to cancer linked to excessive drinking.

Dr. Langford’s passionate advocacy underscores the critical need for public awareness and policy change. The surgeon general’s advisory aspires to cut through societal indifference and challenge long-standing norms around alcohol consumption, aiming to prevent the tragedy experienced by countless families across America.

As these narratives unfold—each a testament to human resilience and the importance of community support—they collectively encourage us to look beyond the surface, acknowledging the battles fought behind closed doors and the profound impact of collective empathy and action.

Navigating the Labyrinth of Modern Wellness: Unmasking Miraculous Promises and the Invisible Adversaries

In the whirlwind of modern life, maintaining one’s health has never felt more like a labyrinthine endeavor. On the one hand, we’re bombarded with promises of miracles—from capsules that swear to bolster thinning hair to lotions that claim to purify our very souls. On the other hand, a more sinister reality creeps in—a reality where the very products we trust with our most intimate care might be our unseen adversaries.

Take, for instance, the case of hair loss—a perennial specter haunting both men and women as the years creep by. Solutions abound, each more tantalizing than the last. One such contender, Dr Vegan’s Hair Saviour, tempts with its 38p capsules, boasting a bevy of 14 active ingredients. The linchpin here is AnaGain, an extract from humble pea sprouts, which purportedly transforms the balance of hair follicles from stagnation to vitality—a clinical trial validating this with a compelling ratio shift from 4.0 to 7.2 in active hair follicles.

Yet, amidst the allure of such botanical promises, the societal specter of obesity looms large—its ramifications reaching far beyond aesthetic concerns to grip the heart of public health. The discourse spearheaded by figures like Reverend Al Sharpton and Justice B. Hill calls for a reckoning. Hill’s poignant query lingers: “Why hasn’t obesity among Blacks become a national healthcare crisis?” Statistics paint a stark picture: nearly 50 percent of Black Americans classified as overweight, a figure swelling to almost 60 percent among Black women. The equation of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease in turn exacerbates this crisis—a crisis invisibly shackled by societal inertia and the staggering cost of genuine resolution.

The narrative doesn’t loosen its grip here. Around us, the shelves of convenience stores overflow with toiletries labeled with promises of antibacterial prowess—each purchase a handshake with a biocide whose consequences are barely whispered. The common culprits? Chlorhexidine, Benzalkonium Chloride, and their kin, infiltrating everyday items from mouthwashes to soaps. A recent bill, championed by Peer Natalie Bennett, aims to hold manufacturers accountable for these invisible menaces—calling for the onus of proof to fall where it belongs.

The body—a symphony of microorganisms, trillions of players strong—relies on harmony, a delicate balance disrupted by the indiscriminate use of biocides. Research reveals a chilling truth: such chemicals can decimate beneficial bacteria, leading to an imbalance fostering infections and diseases. The Consumer Products (Control of Biocides) Bill, introduced in the House of Lords, seeks to ban these chemicals in non-medical products unless indisputably justified by evidence.

Experts like Dr. Paul-Enguerrand Fady call for an overhaul, likening the current market to the Wild West—a realm where oversight is scarce, and the stakes are steep. Professor Andrew Seaton warns of biocides’ potential to ignite antimicrobial resistance, a peril heralded as the “antibiotic apocalypse” by former Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies. This unseen battleground extends beyond human health, contaminating waterways and ecosystems—a silent encroachment demanding attention.

Yet, as the dialogue unfolds, counterarguments emerge. Dr. Emma Meredith acknowledges the strict regulations already enveloping cosmetic manufacturing—arguing that a blanket ban risks eliminating safe preservatives vital for preventing contamination. This complex interplay of regulation, innovation, and consumer choice underlines the multifaceted challenge of balancing safety with progress in personal care.

In this intricate dance of promises and perils, one truth remains unmistakable: the path to wellness is not paved with naïveté. It demands vigilance, critical reflection, and a commitment to seeing beyond the surface—a journey as personal as it is universal, demanding the very resilience and integrity we seek to cultivate through mindful living.