James Bond has done it all, from defeating iron-jawed foes to bedding the loveliest lasses across the pond.
He may have met his match with Amazon/MGM, and the battle over 007’s future speaks volumes about where Hollywood goes in the next decade.
So far, the signs are ominous, according to leaks shared in an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/james-bond-movies-amazon-barbara-broccoli-0b04f0db?mod=hp_lead_pos7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explosive Wall Street Journal investigation</a>. As is, it’s been a while since the British Super Spy graced the big screen. The last 007 outing, “No Time to Die,” hit theaters in 2021 following a COVID delay.
It’s now 2025 and there’s no new Bond movie script or even a story in the works. Heck, we still don’t know who will take over for Daniel Craig, who played the British secret agent for five feature films.
<div id="attachment_852927" style="width: 877px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-852927" class="size-large wp-image-852927" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-55920525-867x576.jpg" alt="UNDATED: In this undated handout photo from Eon Productions, actor Daniel Craig poses as James Bond. Craig was unveiled as legendary British secret agent James Bond 007 in the 21st Bond film Casino Royale, at HMS President, St Katharine's Way on October 14, 2005 in London, England. (Photo by Greg Williams/Eon Productions via Getty Images)" width="867" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-55920525-867x576.jpg 867w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-55920525-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-55920525-768x510.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-55920525.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 867px) 100vw, 867px" />Greg Williams/Eon Productions via Getty Images</div>
It might be several years before 007 sips a new martini on the big screen. Will franchise fans wait that long, or will they move on to other action sagas?
How could Hollywood let a beloved property sit on the proverbial shelf?
It all began at the top at Amazon. In 2021 the <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a36543339/james-bond-amazon-mgm-deal-explained/">company purchased MGM</a> for a gaudy $6.5 billion, instantly acquiring the power of classic IPs like “Rocky,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Legally Blonde” and a certain spy franchise dating back to “Dr. No” in 1962.
The deal has a unique complication, however, when it comes to the Bond saga. Amazon owns half of the franchise, while the rest is held by siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson – Broccoli being the main power broker at this point.
The pair inherited the series from veteran Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli. The duo retains considerable control over all things Bond, from spinoffs to casting the next 007.
<div id="attachment_852929" style="width: 799px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-852929" class="size-large wp-image-852929" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2166387-789x576.jpg" alt="Jack Lord hold Sean Connery at gunpoint in a still from the James Bond film, 'Dr. No,' directed by Terence Young, 1962. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)" width="789" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2166387-789x576.jpg 789w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2166387-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2166387-768x561.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2166387.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 789px) 100vw, 789px" />Jack Lord hold Sean Connery at gunpoint in a still from the James Bond film, &#8216;Dr. No,&#8217; directed by Terence Young, 1962. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)</div>
That’s good, on paper. The Broccoli family has lorded over the franchise for decades, and they’ve treated it with great care. They’re not eager to leverage the property or lunge for a quick cash grab.
Amazon has other ideas.
They see the series as content to be exploited in the not-so-grand “Star Wars” tradition. How well has that turned out?
No matter. The oh, so modern Amazon envisions a Bond universe where a Miss Moneypenny series can coincide with new Bond adventures.
The creative tug of war reflects where Hollywood stands in 2025. Beloved IPs (intellectual properties) are the coin of the realm, be it a plastic Barbie doll or “The Planet of the Apes.” They allow studios to deliver remakes, sequels, prequels and reboots, all retaining the precious name recognition fans crave.
The “Star Wars” brand serves as a cautionary tale. We haven’t seen a new “Star Wars” film since 2019, and every few months an “announced” film project gets scrapped or sent to the back burner.
The less said about “Star Wars” TV shows like “The Acolyte,” gone after one terrible woke season, the better.
The “John Wick” saga <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/12/john-wick-spinoff-the-continental-producer-season-2-update-1236194645/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stumbled with the TV series prequel “The Continental.”</a> Next up? The Wick-ian movie spinoff “Ballerina” starring Ana De Armas.”
Suddenly, Keanu Reeves’ antihero seems less special, no? Can Bond avoid that ignominious path?
The only Bond-related project to come out since the purchase? The reality show, “007: Road to a Million,” hosted by an actor who signed on thinking he had snagged a role in a Bond film, not a spinoff project (Brian Cox of “Succession” fame).
The Broccolis have retained the core of the Bond brand for more than 60 years. They let Bond evolve over time, but only by degrees. He no longer swats the fannies of his female co-stars like Sean Connery’s spy once did.
He might rely less on gadgets today than during the Roger Moore era (1973-1985). His enemies reflect modern woes more than Cold War villains of the past.
<div id="attachment_852933" style="width: 924px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-852933" class="size-large wp-image-852933" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-110953720-914x576.jpg" alt="KINGSTON, JAMAICA - MARCH 1: Roger Moore poses driving a speedboat during the filming of James Bond film 'Live And Let Die' on March 1, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)" width="914" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-110953720-914x576.jpg 914w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-110953720-300x189.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-110953720-768x484.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-110953720.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px" />Roger Moore during the filming of James Bond film &#8216;Live And Let Die&#8217; on March 1, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)</div>
That consistency has made Bond an icon bridging generations of fans. It doesn’t matter who portrays Bond – the rugged Connery or the suave Pierce Brosnan – the character’s enduring appeal matters most.
He’s a traditionally masculine figure who knows the risks but saves the day over and again. Yes, he’s a straight white male who kills without mercy when needed. He also rarely embraces monogamy, and that’s being kind.
All of the above drives his detractors crazy, including press outlets eager to dub Bond’s canon “<a href="https://metro.co.uk/2024/07/03/james-bonds-problematic-moments-goldfinger-skyfall-21126674/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problematic</a>.” Even the last Bond movie director, “No Time to Die’s” Cary Fukunaga, said <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/09/23/james-bond-director-says-sean-connery-character-basically-rapes-woman/5826149001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connery’s Bond was practically a rapist.</a>
So far, the Broccolis have resistant cultural pressure along the way. Even “No Time to Die,” marketed with plenty <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/woke-bond-box-office-disappointment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">of woke eye rolls</a>, stuck mostly to formula. It also made $774 million worldwide despite the lingering pandemic.
The James Bond saga represents old school Hollywood. It’s a connection to our pop culture past, a franchise that belongs on the big screen. Always. You don’t “stream” a new 007 movie. It’s not “content” based on algorithms.
It’s cinema, resisting the flavors of the month to deliver timeless thrills. Women want to bed him, while men want to be like him. Those biological norms never go out of style.
Unless 21st century Hollywood has its way.
The most chilling part of the WSJ story came via an Amazon employee considering the world of 007.
“I have to be honest. I don’t think James Bond is a hero.”
Team Broccoli has its work cut out for it.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

“No Time To Die” – World Premiere – VIP Arrivals

Shaken, Not Stirred: James Bond Franchise Caught In A Tug Of War With Amazon

Amazon

Daniel Craig

Entertainment

Great Britain

Hollywood

James Bond

Movies

United Kingdom

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/daniel-craig">Daniel Craig</a>’s character in the upcoming <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/movies">film</a> “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is meant to be queer, the director confirmed.
Rian Johnson made the clarification during a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/entertainment">press conference</a> at the London Film Festival, as Entertainment Weekly <a href="https://ew.com/movies/knives-out-sequel-glass-onion-daniel-craig-benoit-blanc-gay-queer/">reported</a>. Craig plays Detective Benoit Blanc in the movie, and fans had already assumed he was part of the LGBTQ community based on clues from the previous installment of the franchise.
When Johnson was asked if a scene that seemed to depict Blanc with a male live-in lover indicated the character is &#8220;queer,&#8221; the director clarified, &#8220;Yes, he obviously is.&#8221;
Before, Blanc’s sexuality was a bit more vague, though he was described as a mix of Truman Capote and Foghorn Leghorn, who the publication describes as two “gay icons.” This led most movie fans to assume the character was gay as well.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-xR_lBtEvSc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;There&#8217;s nobody in the world I can imagine in bringing me more joy for Benoit Blanc to be with,&#8221; Johnson said of Blanc’s male lover debuting in the new “Knives Out” installment.
Craig is also on board for it. He said, &#8220;No spoilers [but] who wouldn&#8217;t want to live with that person?&#8221;
The original “Knives Out” film was a critically acclaimed success that debuted in 2019. Johnson had conceived the project sooner but waited to make it due to his commitment to “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” It grossed more than $300 million and earned three Golden Globe nominations that year. The Netflix description for the movie describes the plot as, “A detective unravels the tangled web of secrets and lies surrounding the death of a successful crime novelist and his unsettling, eccentric family.”
Netflix paid $469 million for the rights to two sequels written and directed by Johnson in March 2021. The “Glass Onion&#8221; cast includes Craig plus other stars, including Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr, and Janelle Monáe. The movie trailer shows the new storyline involving Blanc taking a trip to Greece to solve his latest case with a slew of eccentric new characters. 
Hahn said filming during the pandemic made the co-stars especially close. &#8220;It did feel like we were this traveling circus together which added, I think, to the texture of the movie,&#8221; she said during the press conference, per <a href="https://www.insider.com/knives-out-rian-johnson-benoit-blanc-is-queer-glass-onion-2022-10">Insider</a>. &#8220;That kind of closeness that we were able to create under those circumstances really added [to the movie].&#8221;
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” premieres in theaters on November 23 and will become available on Netflix on December 23.

Premiere Of Lionsgate’s “Knives Out” – Red Carpet

‘Knives Out’ Director Says Daniel Craig’s Character Is ‘Obviously’ Queer In New Film

'Knives Out' Director Says Daniel Craig's Character Is 'Obviously' Queer In New Film

LGBTQ

Actors like Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan shared touching tributes to the late <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/queen-elizabeth">Queen Elizabeth II</a> following news of the queen&#8217;s death on Thursday. She was 96.
The two stars, who famously played James Bond in the legendary spy films in which they served on Her Majesty&#8217;s Secret Service, both released statements after learning of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-queens-visits-to-america-and-with-u-s-presidents-in-photos">queen&#8217;s</a> death at her castle at Balmoral, Scotland, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/09/james-bond-stars-daniel-craig-pierce-brosnan-pay-tribute-to-queen-elizabeth/?utm_medium=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=NYPTwitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow">New York Post</a> reported.
&#8220;I, like so many, was deeply saddened by the news today and my thoughts are with the royal family, those she loved and all those who loved her,&#8221; Craig shared in the statement from the PA News Agency. &#8220;She leaves an incomparable legacy and will be profoundly missed.&#8221;
Craig has played James Bond in five of the franchise&#8217;s films, from 2006-2021. He even appeared on screen walking alongside the late queen in a fun sketch for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="James Bond and The Queen London 2012 Performance" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1AS-dCdYZbo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Brosnan, who played 007 in four films, from 1995 to 2002, shared a post on his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiQ8efDvswU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=cfdfa800-6f44-4cf7-b1d8-8b0b5d9dbb64">Instagram</a> honoring the late monarch.
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiQ8efDvswU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
&nbsp;
<div style="flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px;"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
&nbsp;
<a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiQ8efDvswU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Pierce Brosnan (@piercebrosnanofficial)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
He captioned the post, &#8220;Rest In Peace Your Majesty. It was an honor to serve you.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/queen-elizabeth">queen</a> recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne and making her the longest reigning monarch in British history.
The secret agent stars weren&#8217;t alone in sharing their thoughts following the queen&#8217;s death. Celebrities like Sir Elton John, J.K. Rowling, TV host Piers Morgan, and many more reacted to the heartbreaking news, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shes-earned-her-rest-celebrities-react-to-news-of-the-queens-death-at-96">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.
&#8220;Along with the rest of the nation, I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Her Majesty the Queen’s passing,&#8221; John tweeted. &#8220;She was an inspiring presence to be around, and led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace, decency, and a genuine caring warmth.&#8221;
&#8220;Queen Elizabeth has been a huge part of my life from childhood to this day, and I will miss her dearly,&#8221; he added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-queens-visits-to-america-and-with-u-s-presidents-in-photos">The Queen&#8217;s Visits To America And With U.S. Presidents, In Photos</a>

New “Casino Royale” James Bond Is Unveiled

James Bond Actors Speak After Queen Elizabeth II’s Death

Celebrities

Queen Elizabeth

No matter where you stand politically we can all agree on something.
Good riddance, 2020.
It was an awful, terrible, no good year on many levels, including the pop culture front. Cancel Culture roared back to life. Propaganda invaded many movies and TV shows. Late night hosts actively mocked audience members, as did some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The list is extensive, and nauseating.
What better reason to look ahead to pop culture items we’ll see and hear in the new year, goodies that appear both apolitical and potentially great.
“The Many Saints of Newark” – HBO’s “The Sopranos” unofficially kicked off the new Golden Age of Television. The mob drama changed the rules for small screen storytelling, from its gritty tone to narratives that continued from show to show, season to season. It wasn’t the first to employ that approach, but few did it more effectively.
Now, show creator David Chase is bringing us back to Newark, N.J. for a prequel to the groundbreaking series. Chase’s big-screen directorial debut, “Not Fade Away,” had little impact on the zeitgeist. Chances are his “Saints,” which he wrote but didn’t direct, will have a different reception.
Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, will play a young Tony Soprano in the film slated for a March 12 HBO Max/theatrical release.
“No Time to Die” &#8211; It’s Craig, Daniel Craig’s fifth and final turn as 007, and the wait has been excruciating. The disappointing “Spectre” hit theaters in 2015, and it took time to create a new adventure, woo Craig back for one last time and wait out a global pandemic.
We don’t know how “No Time to Die” will reach us – HBO Max? Netflix? Old-fashioned theaters? A combo plan? No matter. The wait for Bond’s latest adventure should end in 2021.
That leaves a larger issue, though.
Will this be the Bond we all know and love, or a newer, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/it-seemed-as-if-nothing-could-stop-james-bond-but-then-came-a-novel-enemy-the-coronavirus-20191230-p53noz.html">woke model</a> who eschews Bond girls and hyper-masculinity? We’ve gotten snippets to make us fear the latter, but it’s likely being overplayed by media outlets eager to retrofit the classic character to their progressive desires.
Chances are Bond will still be Bond in 2021. Let’s hope it’s more like “Casino Royale” Bond than “Quantum of Solace,” though.
“Reagan” – Hollywood abhors the nation’s 40th president. Will Ferrell once flirted with a <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ferrell-reagan-alzheimers-comedy/">project depicting Ronald Reagan as comically senile</a> during his second term. More recently, we saw a Reagan-like figure given a demeaning cameo in “Wonder Woman 1984.”
This … will be different.
“Reagan” is a full-bodied biopic of the Gipper, starting from his youth and capturing his remarkable Oval Office tenure. Dennis Quaid plays President Reagan, with Jon Voight, Penelope Ann Miller and Kevin Dillon fleshing out a large, and still expanding, cast. Expect “Reagan,” currently shooting with COVID-19 precautions in place, in the fall of 2021.
“Fast and Furious 9” – Do we really need yet another sequel in this franchise? Of course, and here’s why. Hollywood is losing its populist touch. Modern storytellers too often try to lecture, or focus solely on sending a message, with their art. It often falls on deaf ears, proving a disconnect between artist and audience.
The “Furious” movies are different. The creative team behind the franchise knows the formula by heart, and it’s one many movie goers adore. Fast cars. Beautiful women. Family … lots of talk about family. And a cast of colorful characters who are both funny and larger than life.
We’ll get more of the same on May 28 (presumably in theaters), and what a relief it’ll be.
“Mission: Impossible 7” – Speaking of irresistible formulas, Tom Cruise found one of his very own in the middle of this spy franchise. Yes, the first three installments proved entertaining, but they felt like cookie-cutter blockbusters. They didn’t have a strong identity … yet. By the time part 4 came around, “Ghost Protocol,” the franchise started making sense.
Adding co-horts like Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames gave the “M:I” series more personality and heart. Cruise’s Ethan Hunt remains the focus, but the series took a page out of the “Furious” handbook with startling results. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018) delivered some of the most rousing action scenes of the last decade. 
“Zack Snyder&#8217;s Justice League” – Everyone should cheer the project’s HBO Max arrival if only to shush Comic Book Nation. Super fans have been clamoring for the “Snyder Cut” of the mediocre supergroup movie ever since its 2017 debut.
Joss Whedon took over for Snyder mid-production after a personal tragedy rocked the “300” director’s life.
Now, we’ll see if it was worth all the yammering, although there’s no firm release date yet.
Foo Fighters, “Medicine at Midnight” – If rock music isn’t dead it’s either on life support or eyeing hospice. A quick peek at the 2020 music charts show mostly geriatric rockers grabbing headlines, from <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/11/30/fleetwood-mac-dreams-band-of-2020/">Fleetwood Mac</a> to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2020/07/14/beatles-bts-1-million-albums-2020/?sh=51cb325b5ec4">The Beatles</a> (still!).
Dave Grohl’s underrated outfit returns with its 10th album, and the first since 2017’s “Concrete and Gold.” The Feb. 5 release promises more smart, old school rock from the Nirvana alum and co. The first single, “Shame Shame,” hits some familiar beats but feels more melancholy, fitting given the current times.
“Cobra Kai,” Season 3 – Hollywood can’t stop resurrecting its past, be it prequels, sequels or gender-flip reboots. It’s exhausting, but once in a navy blue moon such a project scores a bullseye.
“Cobra Kai” masterfully continues the “Karate Kid” story, muddying the waters between hero and villain. Season one, which debuted on YouTube, found us cheering on Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), not the aging “Kid” (Ralph Macchio. That first season also poked fun at the new woke by laws.
YouTube’s foray into original programming flamed out, but Netflix rode to the rescue and made “Cobra Kai” an even bigger hit. We’ll see how season 3, debuting Jan. 1, tweaks the reimagined “Kid” template.
“The Chosen,” Season 2 – Remember the knock on faith-based movies and TV shows? Corny. Preachy. Micro-budgeted. Amateurish (and that’s being kind). The old rules no longer apply, especially not with this sharp production.
The VidAngel team made the life and times of Jesus Christ into a smart, satisfying series with both grit and soul.  Now, they’re hard at work on a Season 2, continuing a production funded by the fans. Yes, this massively successful show likely wouldn’t exist if it relied on the traditional Hollywood ecosystem.
The Untitled Dana Carvey Podcast – Dennis Miller hung up his podcasting mic in 2020, a terrible loss for those addicted to his smart, right-leaning quips. This may cushion the blow, at least a little.
The uber-talented Carvey, one of Miller’s very best guests, told his former “Saturday Night Live” colleague he’s launching his own show in 2021. Few “SNL” stars transformed the sketch show quite like Carvey, even though he didn’t find massive film success like Aykroyd, Murray, Murphy and Chase. 
No matter. Carvey’s quick wit and genius-level impressions make him a clown of the first order. Who knows what, or who, we’ll hear on his upcoming podcast. Just know he eschews partisan comedy in favor of pure, unadulterated laughs.
“Only Murders in the Building” – There comes a time when audiences realize a master showman won’t be around forever. Steve Martin doesn’t look 75 by any stretch, but at that age it’s clear we won’t have his sophisticated wit around forever.
So this project, which he co-created for Hulu, could be a late career comeback from a man who’s been making us howl for decades.
The series co-stars his frequent collaborator, Martin Short, along with Selena Gomez. The story involves three true crime addicts who stumble upon a murder and must combine their intellectual firepower to solve it.

Menu

Daniel Craig

Shaken, Not Stirred: James Bond Franchise Caught In A Tug Of War With Amazon

‘Knives Out’ Director Says Daniel Craig’s Character Is ‘Obviously’ Queer In New Film

James Bond Actors Speak After Queen Elizabeth II’s Death

11 Must-Watch Shows And Movies Debuting In 2021