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Hints about a Constantine sequel have been dropping for years, though it never seemed like a huge priority due to Keanu Reeves being busy with John Wick, a Bill and Ted sequel, and everything else he has done after the 2005 antihero thriller hit theaters. Over the years, Constantine became a cult favorite, and eventually rumors and reports of a sequel became real.

In 2011, director Francis Lawrence expressed interest in a sequel. In 2020, Peter Stormare seemingly confirmed a new installment. Then in 2021, Reeves claimed he “tried” to get the project moving, but seemed discouraged. Finally, in 2022, Warner Bros. confirmed the sequel is in the works with Reeves attached to return along with Lawrence. Slowly but surely, this movie is happening, and here is everything we know so far.

Plot

In Constantine, Reeves plays the titular exorcist who travels between Earth and Hell in order to track down demons living on Earth. He helps a detective (Rachel Weisz) prove that her twin sister’s death was not a suicide. Despite his best efforts to finally die, Constantine is still alive at the end of the film, and presumably he’s ready to keep hunting down the bad guys in a sequel.

While we don’t have exact plot details, the good news is that a script exists! We just don’t quite know what it’s about yet. Earlier this month, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura seemingly confirmed that a script is completed, he just needs to read it. “You know it’s in my inbox right now. Funny enough, I’m too scared to read it, though,” he told Comic Book. “I want it to be good so bad. I probably read it in the next few days. When I get on an airplane.”

In 2023, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman said that a sequel would expand on the themes introduced in the first film. “The character is very much Keanu [Reeves] and the way he and Francis [Lawrence] saw the world of good and evil, and the wonderful and authentic noir where there is a world behind the world of good and evil coexist with our world right up close,” Goldsman said. “Beyond that, we are still discovering it as I am writing the script.”

While Constantine is based on a DC character, it’s unlikely that he will have anything to do with James Gunn’s DC revamp beginning in 2025.

Cast

Constantine starred Reeves alongside Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Peter Stormare, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou. For now, all we know is that Reeves is on board for the sequel.

Last year, Rachel Weisz said she “hadn’t heard anything” about returning to the sequel, and neither had Tilda Swinton. LaBeouf’s character doesn’t make it out alive of the first movie, though there is a chance his character could return as an angel. Stormare was seemingly involved back in 2020, but official casting news will likely come closer to the start of production.

Release Date

There is no release date yet, but for fun, we can map out a general timeline (which could be very wrong). Reeves will be busy later this year with his Sonic 3 duties, then early next year he will reprise his role of John Wick in John Wick Presents: Ballerina . He also has a role in Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut due out next year. Assuming he has a break afterward, Constantine 2 just might be able to film in late 2025 for a potential 2026 release. It’s a little too soon to tell.

Trailer

While there is no footage yet, here is the trailer for Constantine to hold you over. You can also stream the film on Amazon Prime.

With the NBA finally getting its new media rights deal done that will bring in $76 million over the next 11 years from ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, the next major change coming for the league is expansion. Adam Silver says it was not a topic that was formally discussed at the Board of Governors meeting earlier this month, but it is not exactly a secret that expansion is on the horizon and something the commissioner has said is on the to-do list once the new TV deal was finalized.

The reason for that is the league needed to get its financial future secured because adding two more teams further splits the pie for revenue sharing. However, that is offset to a large degree by the expansion fee that gets divided among the current owners, on top of the increased footprint of the NBA that brings the potential for more revenue. There are two cities that are considered the heavy favorites for new teams: Seattle and Las Vegas (where LeBron James is expected to be part of an ownership bid). Seattle has been campaigning for a team since the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City (and nearly swiped the Kings from Sacramento more than a decade ago), while Vegas has become a frequent host of NBA events like Summer League and the NBA Cup semifinals and final.

A Vegas team would be a completely new entity, but the people of Seattle (and general NBA fans, as well) wouldn’t want a new name. The good news is, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN explained in a lengthy piece covering what expansion could look like, the Sonics would indeed be making a return without any fight from the Thunder.

The deal between Thunder ownership and the city of Seattle resolving a lawsuit over the team’s arena lease and allowing the move to Oklahoma City stipulated that the name SuperSonics and all associated logos, colors and trademark would be transferred to the owner of a new NBA team approved to play at a renovated KeyArena at no cost.

That agreement laid out the terms of shared ownership of Sonics history, including the team’s 1979 championship trophy and retired jerseys. Officially, the NBA combines the history of the two teams. For example, the league recognizes Payton as Oklahoma City’s career leader in games played.

Windhorst adds that the Thunder don’t even use Sonics history for their own record books, and that a new Sonics franchise would be able to reclaim the team’s history from before 2008 — as happened when Charlotte rebranded to the Hornets and New Orleans rebranded to the Pelicans.

While there are still plenty of hurdles to clear towards expansion, it’s expected the NBA will have two new teams on the court by 2027. Seattle may not be on that list in ink just yet, but it’d be shocking if the Sonics weren’t part of it and happily there wouldn’t be any issue restoring the franchise’s name and history to Seattle.

In July 2019, the phrase “hot girl summer” went viral on social media, spawning tons of memes, tweets, and posts, all thanks to the song by the same name, written by Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion (born Megan Pete). Writing a hit track is hard enough — but writing a track that acts as a permanent pop culture reference point while also shouting out your respect for higher learning (i.e. And who gon’ tell him that my bitch is getting her degree?)? Well, that’s basically impossible. But not for Meg.

In 2021, two years after releasing her Billboard-topping hit, Meg crossed the stage at Texas Southern University, one of the nation’s largest historically Black colleges and universities, scooping up a bachelor of science degree in health administration. She’d also foreshadowed this moment in her hit track “Thot Shit,” confidently rattling off “2021, finna graduate college,” and even took fans along for the ride with her as they celebrated her with a new viral hashtag, #MeganTheeGraduate. It was the same year she won Best New Artist at the Grammys, making it even more remarkable that despite already achieving career success, she prioritized getting her degree. And it wasn’t easy.

Meg started her studies at another HBCU near Houston, Prairie View A&M University. However, her initial plan to nab a nursing degree while on campus was put on pause when she decided to pursue a rap career, uploading freestyle videos online. Still, even after she left Prarie View she continued to study at community colleges before deciding to return to Texas Southern University. Somehow, while performing and topping charts, she found a way to take five classes in one semester, according to Rolling Stone. “Every time I had an assignment or something due, one of my managers would just pull me to the side and be like, ‘Hey Megan, you know you got to do this presentation today.’ Or ‘Hey Megan, you know you got to turn this assignment in today,’” she told the magazine. Around that same time, she tweeted to her fans (aka Hotties) reminding them of the endless possibilities education could offer them: “My college experience has been a roller coaster! I started at PV went to some community colleges in between and I’m ending at TSU. Don’t get discouraged! You can chase your dreams and your education at the same time.” Reading the thread of responses, you can see Meg’s impact. One follower responded, “You’ve been one of my biggest influences in continuing with my education while also trying to pursue my music career. I hope to get there one day, thank you so much Meg!” Another shared, “Congratulations to #MeganTheeGraduate working and being in school is NOT easy by any means. To have someone at the height of their career showing people that education is STILL valuable is something that needs to be celebrated.”

And Meg’s push for access to higher education didn’t stop with herself. In 2019, she hosted a beauty pageant with a $2,500 scholarship prize because, “I know that tuition ain’t no joke,” she told the New York Times. “So if I could do something to help somebody else, then I thought that would be nice.” She also worked with the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment to give out two $10,000 scholarships to women of color. Her alma mater TSU even started Thee Megan Fund, a scholarship pool to assist more hot girls in graduating. She’s also shared that her ultimate goals is to use her degree to open assisted living facilities, hiring new graduates so they can get the job experience fresh grads rarely receive. In February 2022, she launched the Pete and Thomas Foundation, named in honor of her parents. The foundation provides scholarships, school supplies, and resources to help students in under-served communities.

In 2023, she collabed with Frito Lay to fund at $150,000 scholarship for HBCU students at Texas Southern University. That same year she surprised students at her alma matter with a home coming performance while recognizing the award recipients.

For Meg, keeping her late mother – who passed away in 2019 from brain cancer – and her late grandmother in the back of her head allowed her not to give up while working towards her degree. “Before they passed away, they saw me going to college and they were really hard on me about finishing college, so I was like, you know what? I’m not just doing it for myself, I’m doing it for them too. I want them to be so proud,” she told Rolling Stone. Chatting with Billboard, the Texas emcee explained why her family ties were also the reason she wanted to get her degree from an HBCU. “I feel like I’m making all of the women in my family proud,” she said. “All the women in my family went to HBCUs. I’m just going down the legacy of doing the same thing of fully college-educated women. I definitely just had to keep making them proud, and I had to make myself proud. I had to prove to myself that I can finish it, and I did even in the middle of my chaotic life. I just also wanted to show the Hotties that you can do whatever you put your mind to. So I’m super proud to have graduated from an HBCU.”

Meg’s been putting those smarts to great use. Earlier this year, she linked a historic deal with Warner Music Group, that will allow her full rights as an independent musician while also having access to the music company’s global services, ranging from radio promotion to marketing worldwide. Now, all Meg’s music is released through Hot Girl Productions – her independent music and entertainment entity. The deal also gave her full creative freedom over her music releases.

Going from Grammy winner to graduate may have not been an easy task for the Head Hottie, but she’s continuing to use her HBCU education to inspire her fans, beyond her music. As she told her millions of followers after her commencement ceremony: “I want y’all to remember that you can do whatever you wanna do and be whoever you wanna be, cause look at me!”

A little over a year ago, Charlie Puth revealed that he was engaged to Brooke Sansone. Now, they’ve taken the natural next step: Puth confirmed the two have officially tied the knot.

He revealed the news with a wedding photo gallery on Instagram today (September 17), which was accompanied with a written caption about the newest member of the Puth family:

“I love you Brooke…I always have,
with you I am my very best.
I promise I’ll love you everyday in this life,
and even more when we move on to our next.
Brooke Ashley Sansone,
And now you’ll be Brooke Ashley Puth
Thank you for making me the happiest man alive
It has always been you.”

In a 2022 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Puth explained of his then-girlfriend:

“[​She’s] someone that I grew up with. As my life gets more turbulent and I travel everywhere, it’s really nice to have someone close to you that you’ve known for a very long time. […] She’s always been very, very nice to me, and I would assume that when times inevitably are hard in the future — because what is life without valleys and peaks — she would be there for me as well.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs has reportedly put up his house in Miami as collateral in a $50 million bond proposal as he pled “not guilty” to the charges against him. According to documents submitted to the court, Combs put forth his mother, sister, and adult sons as guarantors, as well as the equity in his mother’s home (which he bought), in addition to surrendering his passport (all of his immediately family members had already surrendered theirs, including his youngest, Love Combs).

Combs was charged with “racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution” after being arrested in New York earlier this week.

The Bad Boy founder’s problems initially began in November 2023, when he was sued by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who alleged that he raped and repeatedly abused her over the course of their decade-long courtship. Although she and Diddy settled the lawsuit less than a day after the news broke, the floodgates opened; Diddy was sued by a multitude of accusers alleging offenses going back decades, including another as recently as this month from former Danity Kane member Dawn Richards.

Diddy has since been stripped of his honorary degree from Howard University, had several other honors rescinded, and had several of his homes raided, during which authorities recovered illegal firearms and other dubious paraphernalia supposedly related to his sex trafficking activities.

Uproxx previously described Greg Mendez’s self-titled album as “a religious experience,” and it appears the folks at Dead Oceans agreed: Today, the label announced Mendez as their latest signee. His first Dead Oceans release will be First Time / Alone, a new EP that’s set for October 18.

Today, Mendez shared “First Time.” The two-minute, electric organ-driven song is simple and haunting, thanks in part to the fact that Mendez was temporarily unable to play guitar due to a right wrist surgery.

Dead Oceans, by the way, is also re-releasing Mendez’s self-titled album on December 6, and pre-orders are available now.

Listen to “First Time” above and find the First Time / Alone cover art and tracklist below, along with Mendez’s upcoming tour dates.

Greg Mendez’s First Time / Alone Album Cover Artwork

Greg Mendez’s First Time / Alone Tracklist

1. “Mountain Dew Hell”
2. “First Time”
3. “Alone”
4. “Pain Meds”

Greg Mendez’s 2024 Tour Dates

09/24 — Lebanon, NH @ Lebanon Opera House ^
09/25 — Portland, ME @ State Theatre ^
09/27 — Northampton, MA @ Academy of Music Theatre ^
09/28 — Hudson, NY @ Basilica SoundScape
10/17 — Washington, DC @ Songbyrd*
10/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
10/19 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe *
10/21 — Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe *
10/22 — Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop*
10/23 — Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club *
10/24 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
10/25 — Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern *
10/30 — Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right *

^ with Angel Olsen
* with Allegra Krieger

First Time / Alone is out 10/18 via Dead Oceans. Find more information here.

Morrissey and Johnny Marr are the thorns in each other’s sides.

On Monday, Morrissey wrote in a blog post titled “THE PLOT THICKENS” that his former The Smiths bandmate “successfully applied for 100% trademark rights / Intellectual Property ownership of The Smiths name.” He added, “Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood.”

Marr and his management team fired back in a statement obtained by Variety. It begins, “Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of the Smiths’ name are incorrect.” In 2018, Marr claims, he reached out to Morrissey to “work together in protecting The Smiths’ name” after it was discovered that the trademark wasn’t owned by anyone in the group (Andy Rourke, who passed away in 2023, and Mike Joyce are the other members). When Morrissey allegedly didn’t respond, Marr registered for the trademark himself and it was “subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey & Marr.”

The statement also includes a direct quote from Marr: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates,” he said. “As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.”

You can read the full thing below.

A statement from Johnny Marr’s management:

Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of the Smiths’ name are incorrect. Here are the facts:

In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use The Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting The Smiths’ name.

A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself. It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey & Marr.

As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.

In the interests of accuracy and clarity regarding the trademark, and to answer recent reports that Marr ignored a promoter’s offer to tour as the Smiths, Marr says:

“To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates.

“As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.”

Additionally, speculation about Johnny Marr touring with a different singer as the Smiths is not true. There are no such plans.

Johnny Marr also confirms that he declined a suggestion for another greatest hits compilation from Warner Music Group given the number already in existence.

So, yeah, don’t expect an Oasis-style reunion anytime soon.

Even though she’s been starring in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for almost two decades (!) that doesn’t stop Kaitlin Olson from branching out to yet another project. The actress recently earned an Emmy nomination for her guest role on Hacks and now she’s onto her next venture as the lead in ABC’s High Potential. It her husband can have multiple things on the docket why can’t she?!

When Does High Potential Stream On Hulu?

The first season will consist of ten episodes. New episodes will air Tuesdays at 10:00 pm EST beginning on September 17th. Then it will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

In High Potential, Olson plays Morgan, a single mom with a high IQ who begins assisting with police investigations thanks to her unconventional wit. The series was based on a French show with a similar premise. Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Judy Reyes, and Taran Killam also star. Here is the official description:

Starring Kaitlin Olson, High Potential follows a single mom with an exceptional mind, whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book seasoned detective (Daniel Sunjata). The series is based on the popular French series “Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI)”.

Olson has described Morgan as “very flawed, very mouthy,” but she has depth that many other Olson characters don’t. “This woman is very grounded. She is a very loving mother. I’m a very loving mother. That wasn’t so hard to jump into,” she said.

Check out the trailer below:

Deftones have a strong tour lined up for 2025: The band announced new dates today (September 17), and The Mars Volta and Fleshwater are set to support on all currently announced shows.

The tour starts in Portland, Oregon on February 25, and it’ll also hit cities like Seattle, Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York City, before wrapping up in Boston on April 8.

A Live Nation pre-sale for tickets starts September 19 at 10 a.m. local time (use the code “SETLIST”). Then, a general on-sale kicks off September 20 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

In an interview with KROQ earlier this year, Chino Moreno said the band has a new album that’s nearing its final stages:

“We’ve just sort of been working on and off over the last year-and-a-half from when we started writing. Basically, where we’re sitting right now is we have a whole record recorded all musically. And it’s pretty much my job right now to finish up the vocals. I have, obviously, this show again next week, and then straight after that, I go back home to Oregon and I go in the studio. So as long as that takes. I hate to put a definite kind of timeframe… we’re not really in a rush. We want it to be great. I think that’s most important. But it is coming and it’s really good. We’re really excited with what we’ve been working on. Overall, it’s an invigorated kind of sound.”

Check out the tour dates below.

Deftones’ 2025 Tour Dates

02/25/2025 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center *
02/27/2025 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena *
03/01/2025 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center *
03/04/2025 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center *
03/06/2025 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum *
03/08/2025 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena *
03/09/2025 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center *
03/12/2025 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center *
03/13/2025 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center *
03/15/2025 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center *
03/16/2025 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center *
03/18/2025 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *
03/20/2025 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center *
03/22/2025 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena *
03/24/2025 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center *
03/26/2025 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena *
03/28/2025 — Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse *
03/29/2025 — Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena *
03/31/2025 — Chicago, IL @ United Center *
04/01/2025 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena *
04/03/2025 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
04/04/2025 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center *
04/06/2025 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena *
04/08/2025 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden *

* with The Mars Volta and Fleshwater

The NBA season will tip off in a little more than a month, which means teams are in the process of getting fans fired up ahead of the new year. A really easy way to do that is to drop some incredible uniform — particularly throwbacks that let people get all nostalgic about teams that they used to love.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Sacramento Kings managed to do just that, as the team unveiled their Classic Edition uniforms for the coming season that harken back to the early-00s teams that competed at the very top of the Western Conference. The unveiling of the unis is particularly great, as Doug Christie pulls it out of a box in a garage while “Welcome Back” by John Sebastian plays. Mike Bibby also shows up, and the two just shoot around and have a makeshift press conference.

Welcome Back.    
   
Sign up to be notified when the all-new Classic Edition Jerseys hit the shelves! https://t.co/RNK9YmbvQs pic.twitter.com/NlgCyPCqnn

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) September 16, 2024

This is certainly one of the more wholesome uniform reveals that we’ve seen, and the unis themselves are really great, which is usually the case when the Kings lean into the fact that their particular shade of purple always pops. As for the team that will wear these during the 2024-25 campaign, there’s optimism that Sacramento will be able to build on last year’s 46-36 season that saw them bounced from the Play-In Tournament after the high-profile offseason acquisition of DeMar DeRozan.