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Both Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and the directors of Avengers: Endgame are denying a recent report that Robert Downey Jr. could return as Iron Man in a new Avengers movie.

Last month, a Variety exposé on Marvel’s internal strife claimed that the studio was looking for a way to bring back the original Avengers team for a new movie in an effort to reverse the studio’s fortune. Marvel has had two major box office bombs this year, which many believe is the result of the studio over-extending itself with lackluster Disney+ series that have exacerbated audience’s fatigue with the franchise.

However, Feige has officially shot down rumors of Iron Man’s return. According to the MCU mastermind, Tony Stark’s death in Endgame was a major moment that the studio has no intention of undermining.

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige recently told Vanity Fair. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo also revealed that they personally promised Downey that he was done with the character after shooting the devastating scene.

“We’d already said tearful goodbyes on the last day of shooting. Everybody had moved on emotionally,” Joe Russo said. “We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it—ever.”

(Via Vanity Fair)

Cobra Kai will never die, even if the show is gearing up for only one more season. Will spinoffs be declared at some point? One can only hope. Hawk needs to keep soaring, and several characters, including Samantha, have shown so much karate-fueled growth that it would be a shame for Netflix to not follow up with some sort of sequel series. As well, at least one film is in the works, and everyone onboard has expressed the desire to keep going, so there will be more of “The Eye Of The Tiger” coming in some shape or form, albeit not a Rocky crossover, which is actually excellent news.

The show that has achieved perfect blend of cross-generational appeal and nostalgia and will bring that nearly-unheard-of combination back to the dojo in 2024. Here’s what we can expect:

Plot

Netflix has vowed that Season 6 will be the “the biggest and baddest” season in existence. Can the series possibly live up to that challenge, given that Season 5 continued the largest gathering of baddies from the films in one place? Chozen had decided to come to the bright side along with Johnny Lawrence, who’s been there (albeit with consistent grumbles) for several seasons. Mike Barnes joined up in Season 6, but the most dastardly karate villain of all, Terry Silver, seemingly ended a two-season arc after falling for the crane kick.

How does that happen when that move is so telegraphed in advanced? The power of cinema, baby. Yet Season 6 had enough fruit left on the limbs for more. In the below video, the cast gathers for their final preliminary Cobra Kai table read. Demetri actor Gianni DeCenzo reveals that the group must “decide our dojo name,” so it looks like “Eagle Fang” has fully been retired.

What of Miyagi-Do? Perhaps that official label is being reserved for the upcoming The Karate Kid movie starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan for Sony Pictures Entertainment. On another note, the show left it wide open for John Kreese (Martin Kove) to return after he busted out of prison. Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing him actually be exonerated (of the Stingray beatdown) before he turns into an a-hole again.

Jacob Bertrand (Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz) previously told us that he would (jokingly) enjoy Hawk and Kreese together for “some illegal ring of some sort, and I go back to the bad side.” On a more serious note, Bertrand would love to “go to some crazy world tournament.” That was also the sentiment of Ralph Macchio, so we’ll see whether co-showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald agree:

“They’ve set up the international element of it, they’ve set up the master Kim in Korea. They set up Kreese, and they also set up that everything’s going back to normal and they’ve finally succeeded. But in a soap opera, as Cobra Kai is a karate soap opera, when one door closes, there’s always more that will open. There’s certainly room for that.”

Cast

Expect to see not only Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) and William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) but also Mary Mouser (Samantha), Tanner Buchanan (Robby), Dallas Dupree Young (Kenny), Gianni DeCenzo (Demetri), Peyton List (Tory), and more. Yuki Okumoto (Chozen) was not visible during the cast’s table read, but Redditors want him on the scene.

Release Date

On Netflix, the show has stuck with a holiday release schedule when possible (even dropping a few days early before a planned New Year’s Eve release date). Even though those Hollywood strikes happened, this window seems feasible, given that the production has historically come together rather fast, and no special-effects phases will be needed. Via Collider, co-creator Josh Heald revealed that the show was actually ready to film, but some rewrites happened, and filming should begin in January 2024:

“For the three of us who share a hive mind and never stop thinking and talking, [the strike] did give our minds a place to marinate and come back into the writer’s room as soon as the writer’s strike was over with more ideas, more depth in terms of where we were already going. The room is just running on all cylinders right now … we will be back in production after the New Year.”

Trailer

Netflix knows that the wait between seasons has been too long, so they dropped a brief teaser:

Fingers crossed for more Cobra Kai announcements coming your way.

Ashanti and Nelly dated on and off from 2003 to 2013, but earlier this year, they sparked rumors they were back together after they were seen holding hands in Las Vegas. Later reports indicated they had indeed gotten back together. Now, it appears the two have reached a new level: According to an Us Weekly report shared today (December 2), Ashanti is pregnant. An unnamed source told the publication, “Nelly and Ashanti are welcoming their first baby together.”

Neither Ashanti nor Nelly have publicly confirmed the pregnancy. If Ashanti (who’s 43 years old) really is expecting, though, the baby will be her first, while Nelly (49) has two children with ex Channetta Valentine: Chanelle (29) and Cornell Haynes III (24).

This news comes after pregnancy rumors started swirling this weekend. According to TMZ, the two were at Nelly’s 11th Black And White Ball at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis, and while on stage, Ashanti put her hands on her stomach, after which Nelly did the same. They then laughed, which had people thinking what happened was an inside joke about their yet-to-be-revealed baby news.

The two went Instagram-official with their relationship in October, when Nelly shared a birthday tribute to Ashanti that read, “One time for the birthday girl…. Such a beautiful, an incredible person inside and out and one of the hardest working women. I know.. @ashanti Enjoy your day Ma you look awesome!!!! Happy Birthday Love ya!!!!”

Even though Willy Wonka appears in just two of Road Dahl’s novels, by the end of this year, he’ll have three movies to his name, which is fun until you remember he also caused the disappearances of at least five children, but that part is mostly glossed over. A child drowned in chocolate on his watch, but we are going to enable it for the sake of giving Timothee Chalamet some attention.

The upcoming Wonka movie is a prequel, chronicling the humble beginnings of Wonka and his chocolate career. Wonka sets out on an adventure and ends up meeting the Oompa Loompas, but this is just the beginning of his journey to owning a factory–there are two more Wonka movies.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder as the original Wonka. Wilder’s Wonka has a bit of an attitude problem and some obvious quirks, but it becomes more okay when you realize that all of the kids touring the chocolate factory are pretty annoying. Then it gets fun as they are slowly picked off one by one!

Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory landed in theaters in 2005, featuring Johnny Depp as Wonka, though Chalamet confirmed that he did not reach out to Depp while preparing for the role. Instead, he took inspiration from Bing Crosby and ran all the way to the chocolate factory. This takes place nearly two decades after Wonka is set.

Wonka is supposed to be a prequel to Burton’s adaptation, but perhaps Timmy will do so well that everyone forgets Depp’s Wonka. It’s not the first time he’s tried something like this.

Wonka is in theaters on December 15th.

Of all the jewels in 50 Cent’s multimedia empire, Power shines the brightest. As the producer of the long-running street crime saga, 50 has seen the show bring in so much money that its success even intimidated him.

But now, the man who claims to be the real-life Ghost wants a piece of that success — namely, $1 billion.

According to AllHipHop, in 2021, Cory Holland, who says that he was former drug kingpin whose street name really was “Ghost,” filed a suit against 50 Cent, his co-producer Courtney Kemp, Starz, and Lionsgate for allegedly basing much of the show on his life without his permission. Holland said that in 2007 he recorded his recollections on a CD, distributing it to at-risk youth to warn them about the dangers of street life.

Holland, who is representing himself in the suit, insists that the success of the show has brought law enforcement to his doorstep because scenes were so realistic and similar to real-life incidents from his life. In the complaint, he wrote, “This is not one of those lawsuits from a deranged fan or some somebody trying capitalize-off someone else’s success. This is about the actual theft of my life, and the damages that it has done as well the profits that the defendants have made from the of stealing and telling my life story without my consent.”

Meanwhile, in a separate lawsuit, Holland said that 50 even assaulted him to intimidate him out of pursuing the suit, and demanded $300 million. 50’s lawyers have since requested this portion of the lawsuit be thown out.

Now that we’re in the first full week of December, it’s officially time for Christmas music to start taking over. If you don’t have a holiday playlist going yet, we’re here to help.

What are the best streaming Christmas songs on Spotify?

As of right now, the answer lies in Spotify’s latest Daily Top Songs USA chart, dated December 3. It’s full of holiday songs that people across the country are listening to, and the entire top 5 is currently Christmas tunes: From No. 5 to No. 1, there’s Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Andy Williams’ “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.”

These are the rest of the holiday songs found in the chart’s top 50:

• Dean Martin — “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
• Burl Ives — “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
• Michael Bublé — “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”
• Ariana Grande — “Santa Tell Me”
• Bing Crosby — “White Christmas”
• José Feliciano — “Feliz Navidad”
• The Ronettes — “Sleigh Ride”
• Nat King Cole — “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)”
• Michael Bublé — “Holly Jolly Christmas”
• Kelly Clarkson — “Underneath The Tree”
• Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters, Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra — “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”
• Frank Sinatra — “Jingle Bells”
• Elvis Presley — “Blue Christmas”
• Darlene Love — “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
• Nat King Cole — “Deck The Halls”
• Frank Sinatra and B. Swanson Quartet — “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
• Chuck Berry — “Run Rudolph Run”
• Justin Bieber — “Mistletoe”
• The Beach Boys — “Little Saint Nick”
• Eartha Kitt and Henri René And His Orchestra — “Santa Baby”
• Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters — “Mele Kalikamaka (Merry Christmas)”

If all that’s still not enough, check out the full chart here. Spotify also has an official “Christmas Classics” playlist you can stream below or here.

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

Haven’t you always wondered what happened in Willy Wonka’s life that made him act out so outrageous and terrifyingly? Or maybe you just really wanted to consume an edible teacup. Whatever the matter is, you’ve probably seen Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory or read the novel as a child, and now you’ll get to see a whole new side of Wonka. Hopefully, it is not this side.

In Wonka, fans will see the origin story of Roald Dahl’s famous quirky chocolate maker/attempted child kidnapper. Timothee Chalamet plays the character in this new story, written by Paddington’s Paul King.

Even though Wonka is from Dahl’s novels, Warner Bros. bought the rights to the character back in 2016, and now Chalamet gets to don that signature tophat. Here is the official synopsis:

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

So, yes- Wonka is a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though it can stand on its own. King told EW, “What I wanted this movie to be was like a companion piece to that movie. If you imagine those people in that world 25 years earlier, that was my starting process. Eventually, he would grow into that person and that factory.”

The filmmakers were originally interested in Ryan Gosling to play the titular chocolatier, but he had other plans on the horizon. Timmy will be great, though!

Nicki Minaj has been busy promoting her forthcoming album, Pink Friday 2. It’s due out on her birthday, December 8, which, yes, is this Friday, but it appears Minaj needs every second between now and then to put on the finishing touches. Minaj was scheduled to perform tonight, December 4, at iHeartRadio 103.5 KISS FM’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, but she had to prioritize Pink Friday 2.

“Hi guys, I have to tell you something,” Minaj wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday, December 3. “One last thing. Hope it doesn’t make you sad. I won’t be able to perform[ing] tmrw in #Chicago for Jingle Ball. I was so excited to see you guys. Pls accept my sincerest apologies. I’ll make it up to you on the Chicago stops of my tour early next year. Details to come.”

Minaj continued, “HOWEVER!!!!! My beloved brother/boss stepped up for me so that I wouldn’t have to push my album back. His name is Lil Wayne AKA the GOAT. He will perform tmrw @ the Chicago show.”

Minaj additionally specified that she is still on par to perform as previously scheduled on Thursday, December 14, for iHeartRadio Power 96.1’s Jingle Ball 2023 Presented by Capital One at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. She will also now perform in Miami for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour finale at Amerant Bank Arena (Fort Lauderdale).

Pink Friday 2 is out 12/8 via Republic. Find more information here.

2023’s highest-grossing (and most pink) movie is making its long-anticipated streaming debut this month. Max announced that Greta Gerwig’s Barbie will be available to watch on the streaming service beginning December 15th, so you can watch the “I’m Just Ken” musical number as often as you like.

Barbie is one of only two movies this year to cross $1 billion at the box office ($1.44 billion, specifically, ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s $1.36 billion). Just as star Margot Robbie predicted.

“I think my pitch in the green-light meeting was the studios have prospered so much when they’re brave enough to pair a big idea with a visionary director,” the actress told Collider. “And then I gave a series of examples like, ‘dinosaurs and [Steven] Spielberg,’ that and that, that and that – pretty much naming anything that’s been incredible and made a ton of money for the studios over the years. And I was like, ‘And now you’ve got Barbie and Greta Gerwig.’ And I think I told them that it’d make a billion dollars, which maybe I was overselling, but we had a movie to make, OK?!”

Between Barbie, Asteroid City, and Saltburn (an Oscar contender that she produced), Robbie’s rough 2022 is a thing of the past. Justice for Babylon, though.

Joe Budden, retired rapper and “shock jock” style podcaster, certainly has a lot of rap “beef” for somebody who only ever gets in front of a mic to spout incendiary opinions for viral traction on social media. And yet, here we are, with yet another rap artist expressing their irritation with Budden after he shared his thoughts on that rapper’s music.

This time, the artist in question is YoungBoy Never Broke Again (aka NBA YoungBoy), whose music Joe Budden called “trash” on a recent episdoe of his inexplicably popular podcast. In the podcast, Budden said, “That n**** is trash, he’s horrible, he’s horrible… he is really bad. That thing happened with him where when he was out, the label pushed the button and did some YouTube sh*t, so all the little kids had to come to the gathering and tell you about how great he is and how many views he has and all of that. Now that the label is backed up, we got three to four of those projects while he’s been in Utah on house arrest.”

In response, YoungBoy went on an expletive-laden rant on his label’s Instagram Story, refuting Budden’s claims. “The last thing I dropped was Decided 2, and my album is still in the top 10,” he argued. “You do all them interviews; come on Grave Digger Mountain and talk to me. If you can’t do that, you bitch-made. Shut your f*cking mouth.”

YoungBoy also does a lot of barking for someone who literally can’t leave the house, so this will proably amount to a few online swipes being exchanged between a pair of guys who have more in common than they do to argue about (namely, their treatment of the women in the lives). Meanwhile, there’s a lot of other artists actually making music — good music, at that — and not beating women in their spare time. Here’s Uproxx list of the Best Albums of 2023.