James Cameron has directed three of the four highest-grossing movies of all-time in Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic. He can do whatever he wants — except call a movie The Seed Bearer, that is.

Back in 2018, it was revealed that the third film in Cameron’s Avatar series would have the hilarious subtitle The Seed Bearer. The director even confirmed it. Probably for the best, that is no longer the case: Cameron announced at D23 on Friday that Avatar 3 is now officially titled Avatar: Fire and Ash.

“It’s so gratifying to feel that love for this world of Pandora and these characters that my team has been working on for over 18 years,” Cameron said during the event, according to The Wrap. “I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on for Avatar 3. Every day when I’m reviewing new shots, it’s like Christmas morning. The characters are so alive and it all feels so real. As you’d expect, it’s this insane adventure but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before. We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love. There are new characters, especially one we think you’re going to love — or love to hate.”

He added, “You’re going to see a lot more of Pandora the planet that you’ve never seen before.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash comes out on December 19, 2025.

There isn’t a mixed drink with an American whiskey base more iconic than the Old Fashioned. Not only is it essentially the world’s first whiskey cocktail, but to this day it remains one of the most commonly ordered.

The history of the Old Fashioned dates back to the pre-Prohibition days, and since then, it’s spawned a number of popular variations. Part of that is because the base recipe includes just three simple ingredients — making it an ideal cocktail to riff on. This also speaks to the history of Old Fashioned, with the name initially referring to a style more than a specific drink. Patrons ordering a drink in the “old fashioned” style meant a return to the simple three-ingredient recipe because, in the middle of the 19th century, bartenders had already begun expanding their cocktail menus with versions that included more exotic ingredients and more creative concoctions.

So what is the drink, exactly?

It consists of Angostura bitters, sugar, and whiskey, occasionally a splash of water, with an orange expression, and the peel for garnish. Some popular riffs call for a muddled orange wheel or even a cocktail cherry, either muddled, added as a garnish, or plopped right into the glass, but today, we’re keeping it simple. After all, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

If you can master this simple cocktail recipe, you’ll see just how easy it is to explore variations and put your own spin on it. Heck, once you’ve got it all figured out, you can make things even simpler by outsourcing most of the work and buying a ready-to-drink Old Fashioned or pouring an Old Fashioned Syrup with your favorite whiskey.

That said… let’s learn the rules before we start bending them.

Finally, if you’re going to make the perfect Old Fashioned, then you’ll need the star of your show to be Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool and not Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern. That’s to say, we need the right star for the project! Old Fashioned recipes of, umm, old, call for rye whiskey rather than bourbon, but because the bourbon version is the most popular way to prepare the drink today, we decided to put them both to the test. The question is simple: what’s the best commonly available whiskey for an Old Fashioned?

These are all whiskeys you’re likely to encounter at your favorite bar:

• Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• Bulleit 95 Straight American Rye Whiskey
• Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Bourbon
• Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
• Knob Creek 9 Year Small Batch Bourbon
• Maker’s Mark
• Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye
• Old Forester 100 Proof Rye
• Rittenhouse Rye
• Wild Turkey 101 Rye

As one final note, here are the ingredients and proportions we’ll be using for our Old Fashioned recipe:

• 2oz. Whiskey
• 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 tsp. of sugar
• 1 tsp. of water
• 1 orange peel

Add sugar and water to a mixing glass and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then add bitters, fill the glass with ice, and pour in the whiskey. Stir until properly chilled (approximately 20 seconds), and then serve over a big ice cube. Use your orange peel to express the drink, drop it in the glass, and enjoy.

Now it’s time to mix it up and rank them all to find the best Old Fashioned recipe!

10. Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $29

The Old Fashioned:

This Four Roses Small Batch Old Fashioned is medium-bodied and surprisingly mellow, given that Four Roses Small Batch has a nice spice kick on its own. There’s definitely black pepper and rye spice here, which is to be expected, and it offers a nice third layer to the sweet and citrus accents in this drink, but overall, it’s just not that robust.

Bottom Line:

Four Roses Small Batch is a great bourbon for mixed drinks in general, but in this matchup, it just comes off as a bit too middle-of-the-road, producing a solid, albeit forgettable Old Fashioned.

Score: 7.8/10

9. Knob Creek 9-Year Small Batch Bourbon

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $34

The Old Fashioned:

This Knob Creek Old Fashioned has more baking spice in it than any of the other bourbons on our list. This drink has a lot of black pepper and earthiness, which is a welcome wrinkle. However, the citrus and sweetness are a bit more restrained, and the mouthfeel isn’t quite as robust as we’d like.

Bottom Line:
This is another great middle-of-the-road option that allows the base spirit to lead the way, relegating the sugar and citrus to the background of every sip. If you’re looking for a boozier take on a classic Old Fashioned, you won’t be disappointed here by any means, but we can still raise the bar a bit higher.

Score: 8.4/10

8. Buffalo Trace Bourbon

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $45

The Old Fashioned:

Our Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned leans more heavily into light sweetness, with top notes of citrus and vanilla but also honey and white pepper. There’s some brown sugar on the back end; overall, it’s medium-bodied but refreshing.

Bottom Line:

This is exactly what you should be looking for a well-balanced cocktail that allows all of the ingredients to come together harmoniously. Unlike the previous two cocktails, you’re not going to have a single complaint about the Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned, and it shows exactly why this recipe is so beloved. That said, we’re looking for the best and not just very good. Let’s continue on.

Score: 8.5/10

7. Bulleit 95 Rye Whiskey

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $30

The Old Fashioned:

As the first rye on our list, the Bulleit Rye Old Fashioned has lots of cherries with clove and nutmeg. While the citrus is relegated to the passenger seat and the whiskey steers the ship, the alcohol burn is almost imperceptible. If it’s at all unclear, that’s a credit and not a criticism.

Bottom Line:

What makes the Bulleit Old Fashioned so fun is its intriguing mix of fruitiness and baking spice, which will keep you returning to the glass and appreciating both sides of the flavor spectrum. If there were one nit to pick, it would be that these flavors aren’t as balanced as those of other Old Fashioneds further down on this list.

Score: 8.7/10

6. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Bourbon

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $19

The Old Fashioned:

With an Evan Williams Bottled in Bond Old Fashioned, you can expect plenty of honey and nuttiness, which accents the citrus well, pushing it a bit to the background while not being overly proofy. The base whiskey really holds its own here and takes the lead in the cocktail, with some black pepper spice playing off the sweetness.

Bottom Line:

This is the Old Fashioned recipe for you if you love the honey-sweet and nutty-earthiness of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond. Both of those aspects really shine through. Because the base spirit leads so strongly, you will be sacrificing a bit of balance, but this is one delicious Old Fashioned all the same.

Score: 8.8/10

5. Old Forester 100-Proof Rye

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $32

The Old Fashioned:

Our Old Forester Rye Old Fashioned has an interesting hazelnut, nutmeg, and black pepper strain running through it. The pepperiness plays well with the citrus while still allowing some sweetness to stand up to the rest of the notes, making for a well-balanced melange of medium-bodied flavor.

Bottom Line:

An Old Forester Rye Old Fashioned is for you if you want a classic cocktail with unexpected flavors. The atypical flavor profile, which highlights the peppery baking spice notes of its base whiskey, works really well here and offers balance while being a bit off the beaten path.

Score: 8.9/10

4. Michter’s US*1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye (Barrel #2401149)

ABV: 42.4%
Average Price: $35

The Old Fashioned:

The Michter’s Rye Old Fashioned leads with nutmeg, brown sugar, and black pepper, showcasing the base whiskey’s boldness. Despite the rye whiskey’s evident presence in this cocktail, it remains incredibly easy to drink and has a creamy medium-bodied mouthfeel that keeps it from being cloyingly sweet.

Bottom Line:

This is just incredibly well-rounded stuff. On its own, Michter’s US*1 Rye might be the best sipping rye on this list, and in an Old Fashioned, it provides a really strong base for the cocktail. This is the Old Fashioned for you if you’re looking for more dark sweetness than white sugar and citrus tend to offer.

Score: 9/10

3. Wild Turkey 101 Rye

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $32

The Old Fashioned:

The Wild Turkey 101 Rye Old Fashioned is absolutely bursting at the seams with honey sweetness, a slight nuttiness, and an undercurrent baking spice. The citrus floods the back end of each sip, rounding out the drink’s full-bodied mouthfeel.

Bottom Line:

This Wild Turkey 101 Rye Old Fashioned is simply excellent. It has balance, a ton of flavor, and treads ever-so-slightly off the beaten path, making it an intriguing alternative to more middle-of-the-road recipes. That said, if this is your go-to Old Fashioned, you’ll also find plenty to like, as the base whiskey elevates the cocktail’s ingredients while remaining firmly at the front of the flavor wheel.

Score: 9.3/10

2. Maker’s Mark

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $30

The Old Fashioned:

Woah! Right off the bat, this Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned is remarkably full-bodied, but the profile is mellow. The flavors seamlessly integrate between the gentle oak tones and brown sugar of the base whiskey and the cocktail’s ingredients. The orange expression does push some of that to the side, making this a more citrus-forward take on an Old Fashioned, but overall, this is a wonderfully balanced cocktail that highlights the best of every ingredient.

Bottom Line:

Maker’s Mark should be considered the standard bearer if you’re interested in a bourbon-based Old Fashioned. Simply put. The mellow flavors Maker’s Mark is world famous for are still stout enough to show through in our Old Fashioned but adaptable enough to bolster the sweetness and citrus notes the classic cocktail is known for.

Score: 9.5

1. Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $28

The Old Fashioned:

Savoriness and black pepper spice sing right away in this Rittenhouse Rye Old Fashioned, with a sweet citrus undertone that makes it really shine on the palate with a medium-bodied texture that aids the savory aspect. There’s an abundance of oak, vanilla, orange, and brown sugar here, and the depth of those flavors is simply unmatched.

Bottom Line:

Rittenhouse Rye was born to be a cocktail mixer, and there isn’t a single mixed drink where it shines brighter than in an Old Fashioned. This rye-based Old Fashioned does everything to showcase why rye was the original inspiration for the drink, bringing plenty of baking spices to balance out the sugar and citrus and even going so far as to lead the flavors without being too boozy, maintaining an impressive balance even after the ice begins to melt. There’s no question: Rittenhouse Rye is the best readily available whiskey you can choose for an Old Fashioned.

Score: 10/10

Final Thoughts:

In the battle of rye vs. bourbon in an Old Fashioned, it seems only natural that the original rye recipe tends to win out. That said, the more modern inclusion of bourbon in this cocktail can still be quite phenomenal, with Maker’s Mark in particular making quite a run at being the best commonly available whiskey for an Old Fashioned. I’d highly recommend trying both versions to see which you prefer, but we think you’ll agree that if you could only use one whiskey for an Old Fashioned, Rittenhouse Rye is the king of the hill.

The Best New Hip-Hop This Week includes albums, videos, and songs from Larry June, Latto, and Megan Thee Stallion.

One of the biggest stories of the week was Drake dropping “100 GB” of material, including new songs with 21 Savage and Latto.

Meanwhile, LL Cool J continued his… well, I can’t say “comeback” here, for obvious reasons… Renaissance(?) with Saweetie on “Proclivities.”

Quavo and Lenny Kravitz rocked out with “FLY.”

Megan Thee Stallion took a trip to Japan in her “Mamushi” video (which, for some reason, references a movie set in Hong Kong).

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending Friday, August 9.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Benny The Butcher & Black Soprano Family — Summertime Butch

Benny The Butcher and Black Soprano Family have historically been associated with eerie, horror-movie samples more appropriate for Halloween than a beach day. Aside from this short offering’s intro, Summertime Butch tries something different, trading in Buffalo winters for Miami summers. Thanks to the content — which remains as drug-washed as ever — the juxtaposition works, for the most part.

BigBabyGucci — Baby 5

Charlotte rapper BigBabyGucci drops his first album of 2024, and according to its press release, it’s his most eclectic-sounding project yet. It certainly rambles through sounds ranging from SoundCloud video game beats to laid-back post funk, while Gucci himself tries out a variety of different flows, anchored by tongue-in-cheek wordplay and energetic delivery.

Larry June — Doing It For Me

NUMBERS! Don’t let anyone tell you different: Larry’s flows are perfect for the polished production employed on his latest project. It’s all feel-good, motivational, simple, straightforward exhortations, but the kind that make you feel like you could do it too, rather than dissing you for not doing it already. If that ain’t your bag, keep it moving, baby.

Latto — Sugar Honey Iced Tea

Latto’s love for that red clay of her home soil has been evident throughout her career, but on her third studio album, the Southern Belle really reaches in up to her elbows to unearth native sounds that have for too long gone overlooked. Just check out “Good 2 You” featuring Ciara, which sees Latto taking her first swing at ATL Bass. She also gets more vulnerable than ever on tracks like “S/O To Me,” which employs her most limber flows to date.

Logic — Ultra 85

I’ve long said that Logic is at his best when he foregoes the high-art concepts in favor of simply enjoying the process of rapping — or, at least, sublimates them in service of putting the music first. That’s more or less what he does here, trying on a diverse array of different deliveries over mostly live instrumentation that swings from mellow jazz to upbeat DC club fare. He doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel here, but then again, he never really needed to.

Mavi — Shadowbox

It’s a big week for Charlotte rappers, apparently, but anyone who sees the connection between Mavi and BigBabyGucci and goes into Shadowbox expecting similar sounds will certainly be shocked at just how different Mavi’s approach to hip-hop is. More abstract, soulful, and introspective (without taking himself too seriously), Mavi embraces a conception of hip-hop that is every bit as expressive but perhaps a bit more heady.

Polo G — HOOD POET

After a year of delays, Polo’s long-awaited fourth album arrives. “He Overcame Obstacles During Pain or Emotional Trauma” is an apt acronym for HOOD POET which sees Polo thumbing through a photo album of harrowing memories, and aspirations that seem borderline delusional in comparison.

Singles/Videos

Grouptherapy — “Forever Freestyle Pt. 3”

The former quartet slimmed down to a duo last year but keeps rolling in their mission to process their past stardom through vivid, propulsive rhymes.

Heems — “Rakhi”

With his album

VEENA LP

coming on August 23, Queens vet Heems drops “Rakhi,” a blend of traditional Panjabi sounds and New York drill that sounds like it belongs in an action movie. Someone put the fight scene from Monkey Man or Kill on this, immediately.

Lexa Gates — “Provider”

Fans of abstract underground wordplay specialists like Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, Navy Blue, and Wiki who have been looking for a feminine perspective to balance out all that testosterone, low-energy though it may be, can look to Queens native Lexa Gates, who offers the same bleary-eyed observational wit.

Monaleo — “Don Who Leo (Añejo Remix)” Feat. Rob49

Monaleo’s “Don Who Leo” was, for my money, one of those songs that should have been a dark horse contender for a song of the summer, but for some reason, it just flew under the radar. In a wise move, she re-ups with breakout New Orleans star Rob49, whose presence may help renew attention in this hard-hitting heater.

Neek Bucks — “Entitled” Feat. Lihtz

A moody anthem about the price of fast life, “Entitled” appears on the Harlem star’s newly released album, Unique.

Ray Vaughn — “Ray Wop”

Top Dawg Entertainment’s Long Beach-bred rising star takes a takes a bit of a cue from the label’s former golden boy, embracing a more traditional West Coast ratchet approach to his latest, taking a step away from the murky biographical cuts he’s been using to build his name for a function turn-up.

Samara Cyn — “Chrome”

An atmospheric, ethereal, but somehow boastful cut from the Tennessee native, “Chrome” made its debut via COLORS, which is just about the best way to premiere a new song for an under-the-radar rapper with the potential to blow up among the alt-hip-hop crowd.

When shows are focused on a place, such as the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, it’s important to keep in mind that while Montana is, in theory, a real place, the characters and situations that happen in Yellowstone are not. You wouldn’t go to a fancy Chicago restaurant hoping to meet Carmy or head to an Italian resort to get a glimpse of The White Lotus hotel, would you? No, because those places aren’t real (Chicago might be, but who knows for sure?). But Yellowstone fans are an entirely different type of person: they wear cowboy hats and don’t mess around.

Locals in Bozeman, Montana claim that the show’s popularity has been causing fans to flock to the city, which is becoming a headache for anyone who actually owns a real ranch. Bozeman Police Chief Jim Velkamp told Daily Mail that the influx of out-of-towners has actually had a negative impact on the city. “I think overall for us specifically with the city of Bozeman it’s just the growth and the challenges related to growth … that is our biggest challenge,’ Velkamp said. “Our city has grown so fast. Bozeman wasn’t literally on the map, now it’s a well-known place.”

Velkamp said that the show definitely helped make Bozeman a desirable destination, which has its drawbacks. “I can’t blame one single factor, I certainly can’t attribute it all to the show Yellowstone, but we hear it routinely,” he continued. “The fact that our population is going up so fast means the numbers of crimes are going up fast. We simply need more capacity and bandwidth to keep up with those numbers of crimes even if the ratio, our crime rate, is staying the same and only going up slowly.”

The impact can even be seen on the other side of the law. “We even hear it from candidates for the police department. They looked up Bozeman after watching the show Yellowstone and thought ‘Wow that’s a pretty cool place,’ and so they inquire about working here,” He said. He did not reveal if that has actually worked for anyone looking to become a Montana cop.

Over the last 10 years, the population in Bozeman has jumped from 41K to 56K. Sure, we can’t blame Kevin Costner because he’s already over the whole thing. But anyone who goes to Montana looking to meet John Dutton will be very disappointed when they don’t see him…because he’s not real. Sorry!

(Via DailyMail)

Latto really should be a bigger star.

That’s not to say she isn’t a fairly big star. Her hit song “Big Energy” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for just a week shy of a full year. Just seven months after it dropped off, she scored her first No. 1 with BTS member Jung Kook on his 2023 solo song, “Seven.”

But “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Latto’s 2023 collaboration with Cardi B — an A-1, certified megastar, to paint the contrast — didn’t crack the top ten, peaking at No. 13 on the Hot 100. To be sure, that’s still incredibly good and difficult to do. But, not to put too fine a point on things, Latto only has three songs that have even charted within the top half of the chart. This is despite dropping a pretty consistent run of absolute bangers including, but not limited to: “B*tch From Da Souf” (the first “grown-up” song I heard from Latto, which made me a fan), “Sunshine,” “Wheelie,” “Lottery,” “Sunday Service,” and most recently, “Big Mama.”

The Uproxx cover star is, for my money, one of the top mainstream rappers out now, and deserves to be ranked alongside ubiquitous culture connectors like Cardi, Megan Thee Stallion, and yes, all three women’s ostensible nemesis, Nicki Minaj. But until now, she hasn’t been, whether that’s a result of her previously unmarketable moniker, her commitment to making more rugged trap cuts than glittery pop anthems in the vein of “Big Energy,” or just bad luck at connecting with potential fans for some other, undefinable reason. The timing of her debut during a pandemic certainly didn’t help.

That could change with the release of her third album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea, which is out now via RCA Records.

A large part of that is due to the music on the album itself, which isn’t “better” than her prior output as much as it is richer, more diverse, and yet, more focused and personal (see: tracks like “Big Mama,” “Georgia Peach,” and “S/O To Me”). The rollout has leaned into Latto’s self definition as a Georgia girl, with trailers paying homage to the cult classic film ATL and tapping Dungeon Family members, and features from both rising Atlanta stars like Hunxho and Young Nudy to cultural fixtures such as Ciara (my predicted ATL Bass Renaissance may take off with their collab “Good 2 You”).

But the other thing is simply the way stars are made in the era of constant social media interaction between stars and their fans — something that Latto has grown noticeably better at in the year or so since “Big Energy” took off on the charts. The biggest stars — the Cardi Bs, the Doja Cats, the Megan Thee Stallions — are made simply by their availability online.

We know them — or at least, we feel like we know them — and we have a sense of who they are, where they come from, what they want out of life and this music thing. In Latto’s case, there was always a bit of an opaque screen there; despite growing up in the public eye via reality shows like The Rap Game and pursuing rap stardom since her tween years, it never seemed like fans were able to connect with a lifestyle or persona, despite the fact that she very rarely fronted and was always game for an interview with both legacy publications and digital mainstays.

The fans live on social media, though, and the above-mentioned A-listers are native to one app or another, arguing with haters on Twitter or streaming live chats on Instagram even as they worked to build their platforms. It seemed that, until very recently, Latto just didn’t seem all that enthused to put that much of her life on display. Over the past year, she had a high-profile tiff with Nicki Minaj and her protégé, Ice Spice, the latter of which indirectly led to the title of Latto’s album (why, yes, she does think she’s the sh*t).

Likewise, she seems to have found herself a bit on TikTok, the app of choice for folks falling into her particular demographic (she turned 25 last December). There, she shares clips from her travels, almost always accompanied by her sister, Brooklyn, who offers fans another window into Latto’s interior world. One of those clips was indirectly responsible for the battle between Latto and Ice Spice, which garnered attention without getting quite as spiteful as the one between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, leaving the door open — however slightly — for future reconciliation between the two.

That newfound vulnerability has seeped into the music, which finds Latto delving more deeply into topics like her longstanding relationship with a secret boyfriend (rumored to be fellow Atlanta rapper 21 Savage), and the trials that have arisen during her ascent through the rap world. Her storytelling skills and real-life story have begun to align and expand to encompass more of the avenues by which artists become endeared to fans — and potential fans. Sugar Honey Iced Tea has the benefit of building on all the previous work she’s already done — after all, “Big Energy” basically made Latto a household name in 2022 — and paying off on the curiosity of listeners who wondered how she would follow up. After all, everyone loves a cold glass of sweet iced tea in the summer, which is exactly what she’s offered up, along with the traditional Southern story to go with it.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea is out now via RCA Records. You can find more info here.

Five Nights At Freddy’s, the film adaptation of the popular video game series, was released last fall starring Josh Hutcherson and Matthew Lillard and seemed to have amassed its own large and mighty cult following, thanks to the fans of the original game.

The movie followed Hutcherson as Mike, a man so desperate for work that he decided to takes on a job as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. Unfortunately, those animatronics tend to come alive at night and cause havoc since they are possessed by the souls of murdered children. It’s hard to get a job these days, so he took what he could get.

After the success of the first film, a second one was quickly green lit, and now we are in all witnessing a new Freddy universe taking shape. Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming sequel, which may or may not be called Five Nights At Freddy’s 2. We don’t know for sure yet, they could always go with Six Nights At Freddy’s.

Plot

By the end of the first film, the pizza place is nearly destroyed, but it’s not over. If the movie franchise is going to follow the video game franchise, Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 could serve as a prequel. The second game, which was released in 2014, takes place in the 1987 and shows first hand how those fuzzy animatronics were possessed in the first place. Popular online fan theories also suggest that the movie will take inspiration from the other game installments.

After the release of the first installment, director Emma Tammi told The Hollywood Reporter, “We have some loose ends that I think are going to have to come back in a sequel to be tied up,” so there might be elements of both a sequel and a prequel in the film.

Scott Games, the company behind FNAF, teased the film by releasing four pages of the “script” online, with three of them being fake, and one being real. The different scripts seem to offer clues as to what exactly will go down in film number 2.

Cast

Hutcherson will be back for another round, which he is very excited about. “I’m dying to get back on set,” the actor said back in January. “Emma Tammi, our director, was fantastic, and it was such a fun world to play in. I’m excited to see what they are doing next.”

In 2023, Lillard let it slip that he had signed a three picture deal for Freddy’s which means we can expect even more of his….shenanigans! Spoiler alert for those of you who haven’t seen the flick, but Lillard turns out to be the big bad who seemingly perishes at the end of the first movie. Seemingly. As he states, “I always come back.” He is coming back, indeed. No other cast has been announced at this time, but Jim Henson’s Creature Shop is returning to design spooky animatronics for the film.

Release Date

As of right now, the highly anticipated sequel is slated for a December 5th, 2025 release date, though that can always change. Production is expected to begin this fall.

Trailer

Since production just began, there is no trailer yet. If you want to get in the mood for some Freddy, you can watch the eerie trailer for the second video game installment:

Stephen King’s fictional Derry, Maine, has been the location for several novels, and it shall soon be ground central for a prequel series leading into 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two, which starred Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown, terrorizer of Derry’s children. Those films were scripted by Gary Dauberman, Chase Palmer, and Cary Fukunaga and directed by Andy Muschietti, who co-developed the Welcome To Derry series (along with sister Barbara, who produced the films) that will stream on Max.

Andy will also be in the directors seat for a few episodes, and the series will move off-book, so plot clues will not necessarily be found within the It novel. And that’s alright because King is already busy as heck, having written over 75 books and hundreds of short stories in his time, and this series has been able to maintain relative secrecy during production without a book suggesting every single move. However, updates are filling in some blanks, so let’s talk about what King’s Constant Readers (and Constant Viewers) can expect.

Plot

Some visuals will probably be appreciated first. This new teaser clip — with a “this ain’t America, this is Derry” kicking off festivities — is filled with gore, screams, a sinister grin, suggestions of a telltale red balloon, and Pennywise’s laughter blowing in the wind.

Sure, we do not actually see a glimpse of that demonic entity, but rest assured that Bill Skarsgård will be on hand to fill those clown shoes in this show, which begins in the 1960s when Pennywise first began claiming victims and long before the Losers Club took their blood oath.

The first season will contain nine episodes, and Andy and Barbara Muschetti, who scared the hell out of themselves with the It novel while growing up, promise that this story will move “far beyond what we could explore in our It movies.” The tone, as well, will be filled with “heart, humor, humanity, and horror.”

Although this series has been in the making for perhaps too many years (Hollywood strikes and a pandemic will do that), what will transpire has pleased Stephen King, who expressed his approval for continuing “the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city” and duly exclaimed, “Red balloons all around!”

Lips have been largely zipped on further details, but in an interview with Screenrant, director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr. dropped careful hints:

“[I]t’s very, very character-driven… and I think audiences will be as scared as they are in the original movies, and Andy Muschietti’s handprints are all over this series. So, I think people will be very excited for the series. [Mike Flanagan and Andy Muschietti] are quite similar. Both Andy and Mike are horror aficionados, they’re also very much all about emotion, and character.”

Cast

Welcome To Derry will star Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Stephen Rider, James Remar, and Bill Skarsgård. The series will also include Madeleine Stowe, BJ Harrison, Alixandra Fuchs, and more.

Release Date

Signs previously pointed towards a Halloween-season 2024 release, but HBO/Max Content head Casey Bloys revealed that those Hollywood strikes pushed this series to 2025.

Trailer

A few quick glimpses of footage can be seen in the below clip, starting after the 1:30 minute mark below:

In the video for “Georgia Peach” from her new album Sugar Honey Iced Tea, Latto pays loving homage to country living. With nods to Southern staples like beauty pageants, roadside fruit stands, pickup trucks, and daisy dukes, “Georgia Peach” paints a portrait of life in the Peach State, which complements the laid-back production from Go Grizzly, Pooh Beatz, Tommy Parker, Alex Lustig, and Kid Masterpiece.

In the three verses (we don’t need no hook for this sh*t), Latto plays around with her flow, going from her usual percussive flow to a singsong delivery that matches up with the airy instrumental. Both the signature sweet tea and Georgia peaches show up; the former in the form of some product placement from Yerba Mate and the latter as the product on display at a roadside stand. Latto’s sister Brooklyn mugs alongside her as they lounge on a GMC pickup.

Another standout from the new album, “Squeeze,” sees Latto reunite with Megan Thee Stallion for another tag-team display of ribald lyricism, while “Big Mama” is a microcosm of the contrasting styles Latto displays across the 17-song tracklist (an extension at the end includes previously released singles “Put It On Da Floor” and its Cardi B-featuring remix, and the Ice Spice diss song “Sunday Service” and its remix featuring Meg and Flo Milli).

You can watch the video for “Georgia Peach” above.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea is out now via RCA Records. You can find more info here.

It’s time to break out the celebratory t-shirt cannon: Adele and Rich Paul are getting married.

The “Someone Like You” singer announced her engagement to the sports agent during one of her record-breaking concerts in Munich, Germany on Friday. In footage posted to social media, Adele can be heard telling a fan that she can’t marry them because she’s “already getting married,” while holding up her left hand.

Back in 2021, when the couple went public with their relationship, Adele opened up to Oprah Winfrey about Paul. They met “at a birthday party, we were on the dance floor,” she said. “And then we met a couple years later. We went out for dinner, which he says was a business meeting and I’m like ‘A business meeting about what?’ And then it was the first time we hung out on our own.” Adele prasied Paul for being “hilarious. Oh, he’s so funny, he’s hilarious, yeah. And very smart. You know, he’s very, very smart. It’s quite incredible watching him do what he does.” That includes working for LeBron James.

Adele (who is taking a “big break” from new music) has one child from a previous relationship, while Paul has three of his own.

It’s always busy for the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast.

Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton are in movies; Rob McElhenney is buying soccer teams with Ryan Reynolds; Kaitlin Olson is roasting Jean Smart and starring in her own television show; and Danny DeVito is doing whatever Danny DeVito does all day. Probably eating sandwiches, possibly while naked. Does that leave any time for more It’s Always Sunny, which is now only two years away from being able to legally drink?

Don’t worry, this isn’t a Euphoria situation. In an interview with The Playlist about her upcoming ABC series High Potential, Olson confirmed that season 17 of It’s Always Sunny will begin filming in the fall. “Yeah, so we wrap [High Potential] in October,” she said, “and then I think three days later we start shooting Sunny, but it’s on the same lot, so I’ll be in the spring of things.”

It takes “about five months” to make a season of It’s Always Sunny, so based on that timeline, season 17 should premiere around the second half of 2025.

Here’s more on High Potential: “A single mom with an exceptional mind, whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual partnership with a by-the-book detective.” You can watch the trailer below.

(Via The Playlist)