Category: News

You don’t become the master of a bizarre sex cult built on blackmail and manipulation without learning a little something about collateral. While NXIVM mastermind and noted volleyball enthusiast Keith Raniere will be spending the next 120 years of his life in prison after being charged with multiple counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and possession of child pornography, his protégé—Smallville actress-turned-cult master Allison Mack—is hoping that the courts will show her some leniency. Considering that Mack is the one who provided federal prosecutors with one of their most damning pieces of evidence against Raniere, they seem to be on the same page.

On Monday, Deadline reported that a sentencing memo filed in a federal court in Brooklyn detailed the assistance that Mack provided to prosecutors. Specifically, Mack handed over an audiotape that was played several times during Raniere’s trial as a key piece of evidence against him. The recording is of a disturbing conversation between Mack and Raniere, in which they discuss the process of “branding” their slaves.

Perhaps sensing the legal troubles that might one day find him, at one point in the conversation Raniere suggests that Mack videotape the branding ritual, so that it could later be used as “collateral” if necessary. He also says that, “The person should ask to be branded. Should say, ‘Please brand me, it would be an honor,’ or something like that. ‘An honor I want to wear for the rest of my life,’ I don’t know… And they should probably say that before they’re held down, so it doesn’t seem like they are being coerced.”

The memo, which recommends favorable sentencing for Mack, acknowledges that while the former actress was cooperative, she could have provided much more information to investigators. “Although Mack could have provided even more substantial assistance had she made the decision to cooperate earlier, Mack provided significant, detailed, and highly corroborated information which assisted the government in its prosecution,” the memo read.

Mack was arrested on April 20, 2018 for her role in NXIVM and charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. She pleaded guilty to racketeering charges one year later and is looking at between 14 and 17 ½ years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 30th.

Raniere and Mack became the central figures in several true-crime docuseries that were released between 2019 and 2020, including HBO’s The Vow, Starz’s Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, and Hulu’s The Lost Women of NXIVM.

(Via Deadline)

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans expected Disney+’s Loki to charm, and the series has beautifully done so thus far, even throughout an absolute ton of exposition between Tom Hiddleston’s trickster god and Owen Wilson’s Mobius. They’ve glided through those conversations about free will and jet skis with controlled abandon, but still, there’s no line like the infamous utterance that turned out to be Loki’s first line in this show: “I am Loki of Asgard… and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”

That’s what the mischievous scamp told Time Variance Authority agents in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. It was his first line in the whole damn show, and fans wanted no less, since it’s his signature dialogue that runs throughout MCU projects. These fateful words were instantly popular, and that’s precisely why the masses of San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H lost their sh*t back in 2013 when Hiddleston appeared in full God of Mischief regalia to utter his character’s infamous catchphrase while berating humanity.

What is Loki’s “glorious purpose,” really? This might seem like a rhetorical question, but it’s elemental to this series. Heck, it’s the title of the first episode. Swiftly in this show, Loki became more of a tragic figure than we already realized (due to being a Frost Giant raised by Odin, which fueled loads of resentment). This Loki variant — the one who popped into the end of Avengers: Endgame to steal the Tesseract — somehow has more issues. We see him gaze upon the film reel of his own life. He watches the redeemed Loki being killed by Thanos during Avengers: Infinity War, and this Loki is stunned. He scoffs with disbelief to see all of his narcissistic delusions come crashing down around him. “Glorious purpose,” he scornfully mutters. Does Loki have a glorious purpose at all?

Let’s forget for a moment that (on this show) Loki Variants can look like anyone and take any form. Instead, let’s focus on the two Lokis we now know best: (1) The Loki who died in Infinity War after causing far too much mayhem, reforming himself, and dying a noble death; (2) The Loki Variant who’s “helping” the TVA in this Disney+ series.

This little stunt ^^^ actually does help the TVA, and I’m being a trickster by inserting it after emphasizing how saddened Loki was to see that his glorious purpose was a hot pile of garbage. Loki is full of joy in this moment because he’s proven that acts of free will don’t muck up timelines nearly as much as previously believed (and also, Variants can hide inside of apocalypses). It’s an incredibly funny moment, but I do believe that it points towards Loki’s true purpose(s). Yes, he’s the bringer of chaos, but also this:

(1) Loki acts as a mirror for the state of the MCU at any given moment. Really, it’s that simple, and it follows that Loki helps the MCU evolve (or devolve, depending on how one feels about the multiverse happening);
(2) I believe that Loki is fated to ensure that free will exists (as counterproductive as that might seem) and that the multiverse happens.

Work with me here on Loki and the state of the MCU. Arguably, more than any other character (even Star-Lord, who remains the worst), Loki has consistently propelled MCU action. He’s the reason why the Avengers found themselves in hot water after the destruction of NYC, when they were held accountable for the collateral damage of their actions in saving humanity after Loki invited the Chitauri to Earth. That was the first of the dustups leading to the Sovokian Accords, which sparked the events of Captain America: Civil War and most of the following MCU films. Yet (and this is the sentiment of Lady Loki, or Enchantress, in Episode 2) this has never really been about Loki, right?

That leads me to the most tragic moment we’ve seen so far in this series, which is when Mobius crushes Loki’s belief that he was predestined to rule. Mobius, who might actually be a wiped variant himself, points out that Loki would never have known what to do after achieving his purpose as previously believed: that Loki was born to be a leader. Mobius prods him on this, too: What if Loki ruled Midgard and Asgard and became King of Space or whatever? We don’t know what Loki would have done next because he’s never been successful. He’s tried and failed at the hands of the Avengers. Over and over again, Loki is defeated and muzzled and imprisoned, and almost as though his purpose to rule is guaranteed to be a self-defeating one, and therefore, it’s not his true purpose.

Mobius did more needling, by the way, by telling Loki that he was “born to cause pain and suffering and death.” Beyond that negativity (which is valid), Mobius suggests that Loki’s only real purpose has been to motivate others (The Avengers) to become their best selves. It would follow that even Loki’s death wasn’t really about Loki at all: It was about propelling Thor into a new phase, that of the bread-loving Lebowski Thor. That is kind-of a righteous outcome, although not really the kind of purpose that Loki would consider glorious.

Again, one of Loki’s purposes (as I see it) is to mirror the MCU as it transforms. Therefore, his place in this show appears to be guaranteeing that the multiverse exists and show that Variants aren’t necessarily the evil entities that the TVA holds them out to be. Yes, the Loki Variant who’s been dodging in and out of time, murdering TVA agents, seems evil, but hey, what about the guy who showed up late for work once? He’s won’t crush the Sacred Timeline, yet TVA agents feel free to vaporize Variants for whatever reason they deem fit. Not good! Loki could eventually prove that the TVA is a nefarious organization that should be disbanded. This, in turn, will help Loki prevent a black-and-white view of reality. After all, the TVA lore has aimed to convince everyone that the Sacred Timeline is worth protecting above everything else. And as Loki has told Mobius, he knows an ultimate truth: “No one is ever truly bad, and no one is ever truly good.”

This doesn’t appear to be all talk on Loki’s behalf. In effect, he’s pushing for people to be able to shun binary constructions. He’s outwardly explained that this means that no one is 100% anything, but the sliding scale of everything can also be interpreted through Disney+’s surprising decision to confirm that Loki is gender-fluid. And because Loki is such a (charismatic) proponent of free will, it feels as though the TVA will eventually be outed as not-great. Whether that means the TVA is the villain, or the TVA is simply full of nonsense, I can’t guess. The thought of Loki taking down the TVA, where the Infinity Stones are used as freaking paperweights (the nerve!) is a delicious one.

I’d like to think that we can assume that Loki will survive this season because I can’t fathom that Kevin Feige intends to kill this beloved character again (Feige has even suggested that multiple seasons are in the cards for Loki). He’s a Variant yet will likely survive, which would prove that Variants have value and shouldn’t be obliterated. By that interpretation of things, the multiverse will likely prevail, which could point toward Loki’s purpose as being to set up the MCU for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and beyond. That’s Loki’s most glorious purpose: He’s the MCU mover and shaker, and things look like they’re about to get awfully shaky on this series and moving forward.

Disney+’s ‘Loki’ streams new episodes on Wednesdays.

The controversial NFT based on Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt has been blocked by a judge as the lawsuit against Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash continues. According to The Hollywood Reporter, U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan granted a temporary restraining order to Roc-A-Fella after the label sued Dash on June 18 over his alleged attempt to sell virtual ownership of the career-launching record.

Dash said that he wasn’t trying to sell the rights to the album, but his partner in the endeavor, SuperFarm, announced the NFT auction “of Damon‘s ownership of the copyright to Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt. This marks a new milestone in the history of NFT’s, entitling the new owner to future revenue generated by the unique asset.” The auction, which was set for June 23-25, was canceled after the label sent a warning letter to SuperFarm, but the label pursued additional legal action against Dash out of concern he’d attempt another sale on his own. Dash says he was trying to sell his Roc-A-Fella stake, not the rights to Reasonable Doubt.

U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan sided with the label during a hearing this morning, noting Roc-A-Fella owns the copyright to the album. The lawsuit will continue, but the sale will not — for the time being. Incidentally, it was a dispute over the publishing rights to Reasonable Doubt that ultimately caused Dash’s initial split with Jay-Z when Dash refused to sell Jay the album masters after the latter was offered a role as president of the parent label Island Def Jam. Jay offered to turn down the role in exchange for the masters, but ultimately took the role and kept the rest of his catalog after Dame’s refusal, causing a rift that led to the demise of Roc-A-Fella at the height of its success.

Reasonable Doubt is also at the center of another lawsuit; Jay-Z is suing the photographer who shot the cover for the album over control of his images.

When Peacock TV, the NBC/Universal streaming network, launched last summer, the streamer offered early-bird subscribers a year-long subscription for around $25, which comes to a little more than $2 a month. I leaped at the offer thinking it would be a bargain. We were only months into the pandemic, and I looked forward to all the new offerings to help get us through the year. Six months into the subscription, however, and that expense had started to feel like a disappointment.

Peacock launched with the drama Brave New World, which was not the House of Cards or even The Morning Show that the streamer had hoped. The nine episodes came and went and Peacock didn’t even bother to order more. Beyond that, the streaming network had very little else among its original series except for a batch of international shows that it licensed from the UK, most of which were middling (Hitmen, The Capture) to bad (David Schwimmer’s Intelligence), although there was one gem among them, Lennie James’ Save Me.

Beyond that, the best original programming that Peacock had going for it was the third season of the wry and funny A.P. Bio, spun off from NBC and starring It’s Alway Sunny’s Glenn Howerton. It was good, but not worth the year-long Peacock subscription price. In the new year, at least, Peacock was finally able to begin streaming Netflix’s biggest hit, The Office, but by then, most of the rewatchers had gotten their fill watching it on Netflix during the pandemic.

Lately, however, the streamer has begun to show signs of life, beginning really last September, when they gave Larry Wilmore and Amber Ruffin their own weekly late-night shows. Wilmore’s show didn’t last beyond 11 episodes, but The Amber Ruffin Show has become one of the few successful late-night shows to succeed on a streamer. She (and head writer Jenny Hagel, also over from Late Night with Seth Meyers) are an absolute delight, and the show was quickly able to establish a unique voice and presence in the late-night landscape.

Meanwhile, the Saved by the Bell reboot launched last November, and while it was met with skepticism among many, it’s actually good. Really good, the kind of series that fans of the original can happily watch with their kids. It’s progressive, smarter than it has any right to be for a show called Saved by the Bell, and it’s even taken a few hilarious shots at the original series. The Punky Brewster revival came along in February, and while it’s certainly not worth the price of a subscription, it’s a pleasantly decent family show.

In the spring, however, is when Peacock really started to come into its own, launching the Ed Helms, Mike Schur, and Sierra Teller Ornelas. comedy Rutherford Falls, easily the best new show on the streamer at the time. It’s a delightful sitcom about a well-meaning white guy (Helms) who thinks he’s doing the right thing by trying to salvage the legacy of his family in a town where the Indigenous population had been sidelined (and worse) by his ancestors. It’s not only an excellent series but features one of the largest Indigenous writing staffs and casts on American television.

The streamer soon built upon Rutherford Falls with Girls5Eva, the new best show on Peacock, a hilarious series about a one-hit-wonder girl group who reunite in their 40s in an effort to resurrect their star. It comes from Meredith Scardino (a protege of Tina Fey), and it has all of Fey’s sensibilities — it’s loaded with pop-culture references and stacks jokes on top of jokes — only it’s better built for the 2020s (it is, in fact, better than the actual Tina Fey sitcom currently airing on NBC, The Mayor).

Moreover, earlier this month, Peacock even brought aboard its best international series, We Are Lady Parts, a British comedy about a punk-rock band that consists of Muslim women (it currently sits at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).

It’s hard to say, with the existing original content, that Peacock is worth a year-long paid subscription, although it’s certainly worth subscribing to for (at least) a month just to watch Rutherford Falls, We Are Lady Parts, and Girls5Eva (and watch The Amber Ruffin Show while you have it). However, there’s also plenty of good content in the pipeline for Peacock TV. They’re working on Bel Air, a darker, more dramatic re-imagining of the Will Smith sitcom. Will Forte’s MacGruber series has found a home on Peacock. Seth MacFarlane is turning Ted into a television series there. Battlestar Galactica is being rebooted again for the streamer, and Emmy Rossum’s Angelyne is currently in post-production. A revival of Queer as Folk has been ordered, a Joe Exotic miniseries starring Kate McKinnon is on its way, another Law & Order series, Hate Crimes, will premiere later this year, and Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol is being turned into a series. Perhaps most intriguing is the fact that Peacock landed Damon Lindelof’s follow-up to Watchmen, Mrs. Davis, which he is developing with Tara Davis.

All of which is to say: unless you’re a fan of The Office, the WWE, or the Fast and Furious films, Peacock is not fully stocked yet, but with its huge library of content and its growing list of originals, it is well on its way to becoming a real contender among the streaming platforms.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans should hear.

This week, HER released her debut album Back Of My Mind, Tone Stith dropped off his EP FWM and Leon Bridges offered his new single “Why Don’t You Touch Me.”

HER — Back Of My Mind

This week, HER released her debut album Back Of My Mind. It’s been long awaited and features her previously released singles “Slide,” “Damage,” and “Come Through” with Chris Brown. Stacked with 21 tracks, Back Of My Mind seems to have been well worth the wait.

Tone Stith — FWM

Tone Stith‘s FWM is the talented R&B singer’s first project of the year featuring nine songs which include appearances from HER, Kiana Lede, and Lonr. If there was ever a time to get to know Tone Stith, FWM is the time.

Leon Bridges — “Why Don’t You Touch Me”

As Leon Bridges preps for his forthcoming project Gold-Diggers Sound he offers, “Why Don’t You Touch Me.” It’s a sweet, yet honest number that deserves a spin.

Poo Bear — “The Day You Left”

Poo Bear wrote “The Day You Left” in honor of his late mother and it’s a priceless ode. “’The Day You Left’ is the perfect balance between pain and joy and consistent selfishness and selflessness.” Poo Bear said in a statement. “It embodies the true meaning of a bittersweet loss.”

Queen Naija — “Marvins Room”

Queen Naija took on Drake’s “Marvins Room” like it was 2011 for Amazon Music. When “Marvins Room” first hit the internet it was something special and Queen Naija definitely delivers on that familiar feeling.

Jacquees — “Bed Friend” Feat. Queen Naija

Jacquees and Queen Naija together on “Bed Friend” is pure magic. The song is expected to make an appearance on Jacquees’ upcoming release P.T.O.F: Vol. I (Panties Thrown On Floor).

Majid Jordan — “Been Through That”

Majid Jordan is back and the song of the moment goes to their latest release “Been Through That.” Here’s to looking forward to more MJ for the rest of 2021.

Otis Kane — Purple Blue

“First On SoundCloud” artist Otis Kane has arrived with his project “Purple Blue.” It’s filled with 13 songs of R&B goodness, including his previously released tracks “Good Love” and “Sweet Sensation.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Yelling isn’t inherently funny. It can be loud, annoying, abrasive. But in the right hands (throat?), it’s hilarious. Tim Robinson joined the Mount Rushmore of comedy yellers, alongside Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the “shut up” scene from Kindergarten Cop, with the first season of Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave. The instantly iconic sketch series is back for a second season next month, and based on the trailer above, there’s more great yelling moments to come.

It’s hard to get a genuine “lol” from a trailer, but Robinson got me good by screaming “hey, hold that door!” to someone down a long hallway and proceeding to slowly walk there. I also lost it at “any of these little f*ckers ever pop out of the f*cking wall?” during a ghost tour. The trailer also features guest spots from returning favorites Sam Richardson (I better not see that rat bastard Bart Harley Jarvis), Patti Harrison, and Tim Heidecker, as well as Mike O’Brien and sketch comedy legend Bob Odenkirk. Netflix also confirmed John Early, Paul Walter Hauser, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood standout Julia Butters. I didn’t notice Conner O’Malley, but I’m hoping he’ll be in the new episodes too.

I Think You Should Leave returns on July 6.

30 years ago, in the summer of 1991, Metallica released their self-titled fifth album, which kicked off their still-active streak of No. 1 albums and is one of the best-selling musical releases of all time. Now, the band is marking the occasion with a pair of special releases, both of which are set for September 10.

One is a reissue of the album that will feature a bunch of extras. The Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set, for example, features “the album remastered on 180G 2-LP, a picture disc, three live LPs, 14 CDs (containing rough mixes, demos, interviews, live shows), 6 DVDs (containing outtakes, behind the scenes, official videos, live shows), a 120-page hardcover book, four tour laminates, three lithos, three guitar picks, a Metallica lanyard, a folder with lyric sheets, and a download card.”

The other is The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-track release that features covers of the songs from Metallica. The announcement was accompanied by Miley Cyrus’ long-awaited cover of “Nothing Else Matters,” which features Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, and Chad Smith.

Other artists who contributed to the album include Mac DeMarco, Rina Sawayama, Weezer, Jason Isbell, St. Vincent, Pup, Corey Taylor, Cage The Elephant, J Balvin, Moses Sumney, The Neptunes, Portugal The Man, Phoebe Bridgers, My Morning Jacket, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Idles, and Kamasi Washington.

Listen to Cyrus and company’s cover of “Nothing Else Matters” above and check out the full The Metallica Blacklist tracklist below.

1. Alessia Cara & The Warning — “Enter Sandman”
2. Mac DeMarco — “Enter Sandman”
3. Ghost — “Enter Sandman”
4. Juanes — “Enter Sandman”
5. Rina Sawayama — “Enter Sandman”
6. Weezer — “Enter Sandman”
7. Sam Fender — “Sad But True (Live)”
8. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit — “Sad But True”
9. Mexican Institute Of Sound feat. La Perla & Gera MX — “Sad But True”
10. Royal Blood — “Sad But True”
11. St. Vincent — “Sad But True”
12. White Reaper — “Sad But True”
13. YB — “Sad But True”
14. Biffy Clyro — “Holier Than Thou”
15. The Chats — “Holier Than Thou”
16. OFF! — “Holier Than Thou”
17. Pup — “Holier Than Thou”
18. Corey Taylor — “Holier Than Thou”
19. Cage The Elephant — “The Unforgiven”
20. Vishal Dadlani, DIVINE, Shor Police — “The Unforgiven”
21. Diet Cig — “The Unforgiven”
22. Flatbush Zombies feat. DJ Scratch — “The Unforgiven”
23. Ha*Ash — “The Unforgiven”
24. José Madero — “The Unforgiven”
25. Moses Sumney — “The Unforgiven”
26. J Balvin — “Wherever I May Roam”
27. Chase & Status feat. BackRoad Gee — “Wherever I May Roam”
28. The Neptunes — “Wherever I May Roam”
29. Jon Pardi — “Wherever I May Roam”
30. Sebastian — “Don’t Tread On Else Matters”
31. Portugal The Man — “Don’t Tread On Me”
32. Volbeat — “Don’t Tread On Me”
33. The HU — “Through The Never”
34. Tomi Owó — “Through The Never”
35. Phoebe Bridgers — “Nothing Else Matters”
36. Miley Cyrus — “Nothing Else Matters” Feat. Watt, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, And Chad Smith
37. Dave Gahan — “Nothing Else Matters”
38. Mickey Guyton — “Nothing Else Matters”
39. Dermot Kennedy — “Nothing Else Matters”
40. Mon Laferte — “Nothing Else Matters”
41. Igor Levit — “Nothing Else Matters”
42. My Morning Jacket — “Nothing Else Matters”
43. PG Roxette — “Nothing Else Matters”
44. Darius Rucker — “Nothing Else Matters”
45. Chris Stapleton — “Nothing Else Matters”
46. Tresor — “Nothing Else Matters”
47. Goodnight, Texas — “Of Wolf And Man”
48. Idles — “The God That Failed”
49. Imelda May — “The God That Failed”
50. Cherry Glazerr — “My Friend Of Misery”
51. Izïa — “My Friend Of Misery”
52. Kamasi Washington — “My Friend Of Misery”
53. Rodrigo y Gabriela — “The Struggle Within”

The Metallica Blacklist is out 9/10 via Blackened Recordings. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For months now, conservatives have not been happy that the enhanced unemployment benefits during the pandemic have possibly given workers the opportunity to hold out for higher wages or find new, better paying jobs, and that grumbling led to some pretty ridiculous comments on Tuesday morning’s Fox & Friends.

Hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade were particularly incensed about Layne’s Chicken Fingers, a burgeoning fast food franchise in Texas that’s resorted to paying teenagers a $50,000 salary just to keep its restaurants staffed. According to Layne’s CEO, the “small business” can’t compete with corporations like Walmart and McDonald’s, which have upped its wages to attract workers. Via Business Insider:

“We’re so thin at leadership that we can’t stretch anymore to open more locations,” he told the Journal. “I’ve got a good crop of 16- and 17-year-olds, but I need another year or two to get them seasoned to run stores.”

The $50,000 salary caused the Fox & Friends host to balk at paying teen workers this salary, and Kilmeade actually joked that they’ll be able to pay for their entire college tuition — as if that’s a bad thing!

Not content to stoke American’s fear of teenagers paying for their own college, the Fox & Friends crew also made sure to paint Joe Biden’s America as a crime-ridden hellhole. During another odd segment, the hosts warned viewers to stay away from Times Square and the subway because Steve Doocy saw a fight at four in the morning. We’re sure New Yorkers will get right on that.

(Via Bobby Lewis on Twitter)

Cardi B’s role in F9 may be bigger than anyone previously expected if Vin Diesel’s comments in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight are to be believed. Diesel, the series’ undisputed center, told ET that Leysa, Cardi’s character in the latest installment of the franchise, has a storyline that could continue for another two movies in the series.

Diesel confirmed that the next two movies will be the franchise’s finale, and Cardi’s role will be much more than just a cameo. “We are very much excited to evolve her character and to expand it to the finale,” he said. “She made it just in time. She came in Fast 9 just in time.”

In a separate statement, the film’s director Justin Lin had plenty of nice things to say about the newest cast member. “I love Cardi,” he gushed. “I mean, it’s amazing she showed up and within a minute she’s part of the family. And I love how when I got together with her, her and Vin were talking about the character because she’s actually really embedded into the overall universe, she’s been around for a long time and this is just the first time we are seeing her, so I’m really excited to explore that character of her. I’ll work with her any day.”

You can check out Cardi’s role in F9 this Friday, June 25.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over the past quarter-century, moviegoers have seen Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) meet and spend a night wandering around Vienna and falling in love in Before Sunrise (1995); reuniting nearly a decade later in Paris and still having that spark in Before Sunset (2004); and being an official couple spending the summer in Greece with their twin daughters and dealing with a relationship at a crossroads in Before Midnight (2013). While it’s long been assumed that a fourth film would be happening, with Hawke even suggesting in early 2020 that an entry that featured the couple in lockdown might be just what the world needs, it seems as if we might have seen the last of Jesse and Céline.

In a new interview with the French outlet Telerama, Delpy admitted that director Richard Linklater proposed the idea of a fourth Before film to her—and she turned it down. In fact, she’s been seriously considering leaving the film industry altogether… possibly to become a doctor? Here’s what she had to say:

“I often think about [leaving the industry]. A year and a half ago, I was not far from it. The hell I went through to produce my film had exhausted me. I said no to Richard Linklater for the fourth part of the Before films. I thought that maybe I could go back to school. I would make a very good doctor, for example! You give me three symptoms and I tell you what you are suffering from!”

(Someone should introduce Julie to WebMD.)

To be fair, Delpy has good reason to be annoyed with Hollywood. She’s been working as a writer, director, and producer since the mid-1990s. And while she has two Oscar nominations under her belt (for Before Sunset and Before Midnight, as she, Hawke, and Linklater share writing credits on the films) and a string of critically acclaimed directorial efforts, she’s had a tough go of getting her latest film, A Dazzling Display of Splendor, off the ground—despite having what she describes as one of the best screenplays she has ever written, plus Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke attached. “And yet I’m still struggling,” she says. “Non-stop. I have so many movies in my drawers that will never be shot, if you only knew! I’m fed up.”

While Delpy’s desire to walk away from it all is understandable, she admitted that her passion for storytelling is hard to deny, or ignore. “I like to create, to tell stories,” she says. “It’s stronger than me.”

So maybe there is hope that a fourth Before movie could still happen… even if it’s another decade or two before it’s released. Before Bingo, set in a nursing home, has a certain ring to it.

(Via The Playlist)