The year in pop culture gave us reality stars smiting governors, a Coldplay concert going viral for nothing music-related, and a pop star’s career crashing upon re-entry.
And even though late-night TV had begun to fizzle out years ago, in 2025, Stephen Colbert and co. watched their gigs finally go up in smoke.
It’s impossible to look back on the last 12 months and not gawk at late-night propagandists getting their just desserts.
For Colbert of “The Late Show” fame, that meant getting a time-release pink slip. Someone finally crunched some serious numbers behind the scenes and realized Colbert’s DNC agenda is costing CBS a pretty penny … <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/go-f-yourself-colbert-unleashes-anti-trump-tirade-amid-report-his-show-loses-40m-annually">$40 million a year</a>, to be precise.
So Colbert was forced to read his professional obituary on-air. And the show won’t even go on without him. Come May, “The Late Show” heads to the dustbin of history alongside eight-track tapes and TiVo devices.
<div id="attachment_1021603" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1021603" class="size-large wp-image-1021603" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2238453774-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Jimmy Kimmel during Tuesday's September 30, 2025 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2238453774-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2238453774-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2238453774-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2238453774.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images</div>
Fellow progressive Jimmy Kimmel was spared that fate, but not by much. The ABC host insinuated MAGA nation fired the bullet that killed conservative hero Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, setting off a series of events that led to Kimmel’s week-long suspension.
He got his job back and a tepid show of support via a one-year contract extension. The damage was done. Kimmel’s “Man Show” past and irreverent shtick is no more. Now, he’s more likely to cry on-camera than make us howl.
His only hope is that Colbert’s audience tunes in for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” come May, delaying his show’s inevitable cancellation.
On the film front, theaters once again struggled to reclaim their pre-pandemic mojo. The box office receipts looked awfully similar to 2024, hardly a golden age for theatrical attendance.
Films like “Superman,” “Thunderbolts” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” failed to duplicate that ol’ superhero magic, leaving it to video game adaptations like “A Minecraft Movie” to pick up the slack.
At least we weren’t subjected to <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/skibidi-toilet-michael-bay-movie-adam-goodman-1236077245/">“Skibidi Toilet: The Movie</a>.” Not yet, at least. 
Meanwhile, Hollywood’s far-Left agenda got a workout via “One Battle After Another.” The Paul Thomas Anderson screed so overtly progressive even some Antifa types might cry foul.
And, of course, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-the-best-picture-race-already-over">it’s bound for Oscar glory come March</a>.
Speaking of Oscars, 2025 saw an awards hopeful crash and burn in record time. The woke musical comedy “Emilia Pérez” seemed likely to dominate awards season until we learned some of the less-than-progressive comments made by its trans lead, Karla Sofia Gascón.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce finally made their courtship official, but the best news for football fans is that his Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs. That means no more obligatory “Taylor is crying/cheering/laughing” shots interrupting the NFL action.
<div id="attachment_1021607" style="width: 865px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1021607" class="size-large wp-image-1021607" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250411061-855x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 06: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) presents actor Sylvester Stallone (R) a medal for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees during a medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. The 2025 Kennedy Center honorees are Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, the rock band KISS, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)" width="855" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250411061-855x576.jpg 855w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250411061-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250411061-768x518.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250411061.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 855px) 100vw, 855px" />Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images</div>
Sylvester Stallone capped a remarkable career by picking up a Kennedy Center Honor at long last, courtesy of former reality show star and two-term president Donald Trump. The 79-year-old legend also defied Father Time by returning for the third season of Taylor Sheridan’s “Tulsa King.”
Of course, it would be impossible to recap entertainment in 2025 without a tip of the hat to Taylor Sheridan, television’s undisputed king of rugged episodic dramas. From “The Mayor of Kingstown” to the “Yellowstone” franchise, Sheridan’s shows keep attracting A-list talent and plenty of eyeballs. And he’s positioned to strike gold again in 2026 with the release of the next “Yellowstone” spinoff, “Y: Marshals,” starring Luke Grimes.
Sheridan made headlines once again in 2025 by signing a mega-deal with NBCUniversal and having his “Landman” series skewer the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taylor-sheridan-show-landman-mocks-the-view-bunch-of-ped-off-millionaires">“p***ed off millionaires” of “The View.”</a>
<div id="attachment_1021611" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1021611" class="size-large wp-image-1021611" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1486674789-864x576.jpg" alt="INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 30: Taylor Sheridan speaks onstage during Day 3 of the 2023 Stagecoach Festival on April 30, 2023 in Indio, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Stagecoach)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1486674789-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1486674789-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1486674789-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1486674789.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Stagecoach</div>
The devastating Palisades fires should have roasted Governor Gavin Newsom’s political fortunes for good. Not quite, but reality show alum Spencer Pratt made it his mission to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reality-star-spencer-pratt-slams-california-plan-to-build-low-income-housing-in-fire-ravaged-areas">shame both Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass</a> for their extreme incompetence.
“Having the people in charge of the town they just let burn down make any decisions in rebuilding it … seems crazy to me,” Pratt said in one of many well-earned rants. Podcaster Adam Carolla piled on, filing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8IKPIDVIoY">vlog posts</a> decrying the lack of progress on the home building front all year long.
HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” became the show everyone talked about at the cyber-water cooler – AKA Elon Musk’s X. This season’s ick factor likely played a part, thanks to guest star <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sam-rockwell-white-lotus-monologue-acting-coach-1236175014/">Sam Rockwell’s disturbing revelations</a> to that <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/the-white-lotus-brothers-kiss-season-3-1236164899/">brotherly buss</a> with Ah-nold’s son getting too much attention.
And while the culture remains hopelessly divided on political grounds, Americans did unite to mock a Coldplay concert moment that went insanely viral. A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/viral-coldplay-kiss-cam-woman-speaks-out-is-furious-with-gwyneth-paltrow">Kiss Cam caught Kristin Cabot</a> canoodling with her boss, Andrew Byron, a moment that proved inescapable for anyone remotely online.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-969733 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Coldplay-concert-1022x576.png" alt="Coldplay concert" width="1022" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Coldplay-concert-1022x576.png 1022w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Coldplay-concert-300x169.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Coldplay-concert-768x433.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Coldplay-concert.png 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px" /></div>
Netflix remained atop the streaming heap, and its plans to swallow Warner Bros. will have sizable implications for Hollywood and beyond. The streamer’s signature show, a four-episode saga dubbed “Adolescence,” caught everyone by surprise. Each installment, shot in a single take, captured a young boy in the weeks following his arrest for a shocking murder. Must-see TV? Perhaps, but it left audiences feeling queasy for the next generation.
If that wasn’t enough, 2025 had us focus on the Sean Combs trial. Sure, we cracked wise about baby oil sales, but the particulars of P. Diddy’s life and alleged crimes made us wonder what else is happening behind the scenes in Hollywood that we won’t hear about for years to come?
<div id="attachment_1021623" style="width: 842px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1021623" class="size-large wp-image-1021623" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2229729015-832x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 11: Katy Perry performs onstage during Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour - New York at Madison Square Garden on August 11, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for KP)" width="832" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2229729015-832x576.jpg 832w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2229729015-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2229729015-768x532.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2229729015.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 832px) 100vw, 832px" />Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for KP</div>
And then there’s Katy Perry.
The “I Kissed a Girl” superstar headed into space, or at least a small part of it, via Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard rocket. The experiment became social media fodder, in part due to the “astronaut&#8217;s’” inflated sense of self.
Perry might have been better off staying in orbit. She <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/katy-perry-experiences-frightening-onstage-mishap-concert-san/story?id=123894140">experienced not one</a> but <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1420864/katy-perrys-bloody-knee-injury-photo">two</a> concert accidents, watched her choreography get roasted on social media, and capped 2025 by winning a legal victory over a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/28/entertainment/katy-perry-to-receive-1-8m-payout-from-dying-veteran-in-years-long-battle-over-montecito-mansion/">dying military veteran</a>.
She’ll be lucky to Dance with Any Stars come 2026.
* * *
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.

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“Cheers” and “Frasier” fans recognize Kelsey Grammer as a major Hollywood star. But beyond just being a celebrity, Grammer is also known for his willingness to be openly conservative – and unapologetically Christian – in liberal Hollywood.
In a recent interview with “Morning Wire,” Grammer discussed his new film, “The Christmas Ring,” 
 a faith-inspired holiday movie written by Christian author Karen Kingsbury that also pays tribute to American veterans.
The movie includes roughly 100 real-life veterans and active-duty service members, which Grammer said was intentional. “It was just an opportunity to salute the troops,” he explained during the interview, noting how the story is rooted in sacrifice, tracing back to “World War II, D-Day … dropping behind enemy lines.” The actor said it’s meant to “[commemorate] their sacrifice a little bit and the continuing sacrifice of service members.”
Grammer emphasized that the film is meant to send a simple message: “We didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything. But it’s a nice story about redemption and love and forgiveness and about Jesus.”
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That theme has become more common in Grammer’s work, including his portrayal of Chuck Smith in the 2023 Christian drama film “Jesus Revolution.” Grammer said he didn’t actively seek out faith-based roles, but rather that they seem to find him at the right time.
“The night before I read the script … I was sitting there in a kind of a quiet reverie … wondering what was next for me,” he told Morning Wire. “And I said, ‘I just wanna do something that means something, that has some meaning.’ And the next morning, that script came.”
“I’m a believer,” Grammer said of his faith. “I don’t go around proselytizing … but I would never deny Christ. I would never deny Him.”
While Grammer said he’s not strictly doing Christian-themed projects, he’s “quite happy” the role came up.
Reflecting on the messy, broken lives depicted in “Jesus Revolution,” Grammer framed the story through a theological lens. “Well, that’s what Jesus is for,” he said. “That’s why he came along.”
He described the world Christ was born into as violent and chaotic under Roman rule, noting that “God chose to send a baby to save the world,” calling it “pretty fascinating.”
“We get to watch it … every year at Christmas, we get to see the same story told again and again … it&#8217;s our story.”
Despite Hollywood being largely hostile to religion, Grammer said the industry is catching on to the majority of their viewers having faith. “Most of the people in America actually still really like God and Jesus,” he said, noting how there’s a “hunger” for these types of films.

Kelsey Grammer

‘It’s Our Story’: Kelsey Grammer Says Americans Are Hungry For Faith-Based Films

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Want to break Grok, ChatGPT or your preferred A.I. bot? Ask it how many versions of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” have been produced since the tale’s 1843 debut.
Over the decades, the irascible Ebenezer Scrooge has been portrayed by everyone from George C. Scott to Mr. Magoo. That doesn’t include endless literary updates (Faith Moore’s “Christmas Karol” being a recent highlight), high school productions and other takes on the classic yarn.
<div id="attachment_1019405" style="width: 452px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1019405" class="size-large wp-image-1019405" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-52974182-442x576.jpg" alt="English actor Edward Woodward (left) as Christmas Present and American actor George C. Scott (1927 - 1999) as Ebenezer Scrooge in a television adaptation of the 1843 Charles Dickens short story 'A Christmas Carol,' 1984. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)" width="442" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-52974182-442x576.jpg 442w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-52974182-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-52974182-768x1002.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-52974182.jpg 785w" sizes=" (max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px" />CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images</div>
And the remakes just keep coming. 
Indie filmmaker Ti West (“The Innkeepers,” “Pearl”) is working on a new version dubbed “<a href="https://deadline.com/2025/12/rupert-grint-daisy-ridley-ebenezer-johnny-depp-1236648800/">Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol</a>” to star Johnny Depp alongside Daisy Ridley, Ian McKellen, Sam Claflin, and Rupert Grint of “Harry Potter” fame.
“Nosferatu” director Robert Eggers has his own “Carol” plans to include Willem Dafoe in a role Scrooge McDuck made even more famous. That could be the creepiest “Carol” to date, given Eggers’ film resume.
But why? Sure, it’s easy to say Hollywood hearts beloved IPs for brand recognition alone. Plus, consumers will gobble up just about any Yuletide-themed flick. Netflix this season alone gave us fresh features like “Jingle Bell Heist,” “My Secret Santa,” and “A Merry Little Ex-Mas.”
The Hallmark Channel alone is a St. Nick movie factory come December, though none present an existential threat to holiday classics like “Elf” and “Home Alone.”
Those are partial explanations. The other reasons are more complicated and embedded in our cultural DNA.
Humans love redemption stories, period. It doesn’t matter what race or creed one may be, nor how a person voted in a given election. We flock to stories where a flawed soul finds something meaningful at long last.
<div id="attachment_1019469" style="width: 839px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1019469" class="size-large wp-image-1019469" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/PS-Christmas-Carol-829x576.jpg" alt="Credit: TNT/Hallmark" width="829" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/PS-Christmas-Carol-829x576.jpg 829w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/PS-Christmas-Carol-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/PS-Christmas-Carol-768x534.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/PS-Christmas-Carol-1536x1067.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/PS-Christmas-Carol.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 829px) 100vw, 829px" />Credit: TNT/Hallmark</div>
“A Christmas Carol” offers redemption on steroids. Imagine Tony Soprano joining the Witness Protection program and starting a nonprofit for vulnerable mothers. Ebenezer’s makeover is that extreme.
That kind of arc always draws a crowd. Sometimes, said crowd can be massive. A certain pilot defied age, conventional wisdom, and his own ego to make “Top Gun: Maverick” the 2022 movie that Steven Spielberg claimed “saved Hollywood.” It’s just one of endless examples, but few characters are given the kind of emotional comeback Scrooge enjoys in the Dickens’ yarn.
Americans in particular crave tales of second chances and attempts to wipe a personal slate clean. “A Christmas Carol” excels on both fronts, letting Scrooge amend his selfish ways before he becomes a diaphanous ghost himself.
That also explains why we keep getting fresh takes on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The “Carol” overlaps are obvious, down to the green ghoul’s heart expanding three times in the final passages.
Dickens never shared that kind of a literary X-ray with readers, but it’s hard to doubt Scrooge’s ticker didn’t undergo a change of sorts by story’s end.
Ebenezer Scrooge offers one of the meatiest roles possible for an actor. It explains why so many legends have given life to the curmudgeon, including Patrick Stewart, Derek Jacobi, Michael Caine, Sir Ralph Richardson, and Albert Finney.
<div id="attachment_1019421" style="width: 567px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1019421" class="size-large wp-image-1019421" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-99046661-557x576.jpg" alt="Albert Finney, actor, pictured as Ebenezer Scrooge in the film musical 'Scrooge', adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens, 16 January 1970. (Photo by Keystone Colour/Getty Images)" width="557" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-99046661-557x576.jpg 557w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-99046661-290x300.jpg 290w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-99046661-768x794.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-99046661.jpg 990w" sizes=" (max-width: 557px) 100vw, 557px" />Keystone Colour/Getty Images</div>
It’s the ultimate acting challenge, asking stars to embody a wicked character careening from rage and regret to rebirth.
The original tale may be set in the mid-1800s, but the story’s timeless approach remains storytelling catnip. Class envy. Greed. Family ties. Lost loves. It’s hard to name an essential emotion left out of the narrative.
And, of course, the story’s spiritual implications can’t be overlooked. Even a sinful soul like Ebenezer can confess his transgressions with the hope he’ll be embraced by his Creator. His nightmarish journey finds ghostly visions exposing the error of his ways, an afterlife close-up meant to trigger his weak, but still worthy spirit.
<div id="attachment_1019477" style="width: 768px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1019477" class="size-large wp-image-1019477" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Christmas-Carol-musical-758x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Hallmark Entertainment/Mid Atlantic Films" width="758" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Christmas-Carol-musical-758x576.jpg 758w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Christmas-Carol-musical-300x228.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Christmas-Carol-musical-768x584.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Christmas-Carol-musical.jpg 997w" sizes=" (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px" />Credit: Hallmark Entertainment/Mid Atlantic Films</div>
His spiritual reboot won’t come easily, even with those ghostly visions taunting him at every step. Does it ever? But when he wakes up on Christmas morning, his heart is alight with good cheer. Even better? He can’t wait to share it, along with his wealth, with others.
Dickens considered himself a Christian, though he had <a href="https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/faith-behind-the-famous-charles-dickens">complicated views on religious dogma</a>. Scrooge’s generosity in the final act reflects his creator’s vision of Christian charity.
The story offers marvelous flexibility, inviting endless spins still tethered to its main themes. We’ve seen more than a few musical variations on “A Christmas Carol” from the aforementioned Mr. Magoo “Carol” to “Spirited,” the Apple TV+ original where Will Ferrell embodies a very 21st-century Scrooge.
<div id="attachment_1019409" style="width: 815px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1019409" class="size-large wp-image-1019409" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1439874905-805x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 07: Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell attend Apple Original Film's &quot;Spirited&quot; New York Premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on November 07, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images,)" width="805" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1439874905-805x576.jpg 805w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1439874905-300x215.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1439874905-768x550.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1439874905.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 805px) 100vw, 805px" />Cindy Ord/Getty Images</div>
It can even be viewed as a horror yarn with very little effort. Ghosts and morbid visions of the afterlife flash before Scrooge’s eyes, visuals that could easily transform into genre chills.
That may have attracted both West and Eggers, auteurs who relish ways to make audiences squirm. Just the tinkle-tinkle sound of a ghost’s chains bumping along a wooden floor alone is enough to rally goosebumps.
We even endured pre-woke gender swaps on the saga, including 1995’s “Ebbie” (with Susan Lucci) and 1997’s “Ms. Scrooge” with Cicely Tyson. And the less said about the rom-com spin on “Carol,” the forgettable 2009 film “The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” with Matthew McConaughey, the better.
Chances are the West and Eggers projects won’t be the last Hollywood takes on “A Christmas Carol.” As long as we crave hope in a sometimes dark and dreary world, we’ll hunger to revisit Dickens’ yarn anew.
* * *
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.
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In recent decades, the leftist political ethos has taken over how to tell fairy tales.
My favorite example is the arc Disney has gone through.
I&#8217;m a huge fan of the old Disney films. It makes me really sad how Disney has destroyed its own intellectual property and really screwed itself up as a company in the service of politics.
My favorite example is the difference between the film “Pinocchio” and the film “Frozen.”
In “Pinocchio,” Jiminy Cricket sings, “Always let your conscience be your guide.” The entire story of “Pinocchio” is that the boy who is coming of age refuses to let his conscience be his guide. He has to explore every bad idea, and finally learns that responsibility for protecting his own family and his father is actually how you become a real boy. The way that you actually mature in the world is to take on responsibility and duty and act with conscience, as opposed to going to Pleasure Island.
The theme could not have been more clearly stated.
Contrast that with the immorality of the most popular song in the last 20 years from Disney, “Let It Go,” in which there is literally a lyric that says “No right, no wrong, no rules, I&#8217;m free,” which is about as pagan an ethos as is possible to get.
You can see the arc of American morality in three generations right there.
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If you look back to Shakespeare, he sometimes creates a toned-up version of fairy tales. All of his comedies are essentially a type of fairy tale, and every single one of them ends with a marriage. That’s because life is funny; all these bad things happen, and yet the generations move on. You get married, and you build something.
With the tragedies, everyone dies at the end. In these works, death is a tragedy because the characters have not fulfilled their function of passing it on to the next generation.
Moreover, in the tragedies, it&#8217;s not just an old person dying, it&#8217;s the young person dying that&#8217;s the real tragedy. The tragedy of King Lear isn&#8217;t Lear&#8217;s death; it’s Cordelia&#8217;s death.
That’s true throughout all of the stories of the West: the importance of the deepest things. And because we have become a sterile civilization, I wonder, how much of that is connected to the sterility of rationality?
I really pride myself on rationality. I love reason, reason&#8217;s great; logic is great. But the truth is that the things that people tie themselves to are beyond reason.
I’ve spoken about what I call role theory, which is the idea that all of religion and all of culture is built around particular roles that are universal to human beings.
But we as a society have decided that roles are bad. Roles are impositions from the outside. What we really are is free-floating, authentic desire. And because roles come with rules, they are an imposition on us, and therefore, we have to explode those roles to live a free and full life. In reality, the roles are what make us who we are. And that’s pretty much what every fairy tale is about.
What every great story is about is a person reconciling and making the most of the role that has been laid out for them; the world pre-exists you; you&#8217;re meant for a role the minute you&#8217;re born. That role is laid out for you. You have liberty to live out choices within that role, but the minute that liberty becomes a universal asset that destroys the role, the minute that happens, it&#8217;s no longer liberty.
Then it becomes libertinism, and everything descends into chaos.

Traditional wooden Pinocchio toy.

From Conscience To Chaos: How Modern Storytelling Abandoned Moral Roles

Animation

Ben Shapiro

Cartoon

Culture

Disney

Morality

Opinion

Social Issues

Editor’s Note: This article was previously published on December 20, 2023. Since &#8220;It&#8217;s A Wonderful Life&#8221; remains a holiday classic, we’re bringing it back.
* * *
The beloved Christmas classic film &#8220;It&#8217;s a Wonderful Life&#8221; was the movie that brought a beleaguered and combat-weary actor James &#8220;Jimmy&#8221; Stewart back to fans after the war — but it may have also been the movie that brought a desperate man back from the brink.
<a href="https://www.life.com/people/jimmy-stewart-photos-of-a-world-war-ii-hero-homecoming-1945/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Maitland Stewart</a> was preparing to go to war for several years before he was drafted in 1941. He earned a civilian pilot&#8217;s license in the hopes that the Army would let him fly — and he even took a trip to Europe in 1939 to get a feel for the landscape, knowing that it was likely he would end up there at some point.
By the time the Empire of Japan launched its surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Stewart had already attempted to join the Army. Rejected once in 1940 because he was underweight, the always-slim actor attempted to pack on a few pounds and ultimately turned to a doctor for a note explaining that he was just genetically predisposed to be thin.
Biographer Robert Matzen — who wrote &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Jimmy-Stewart-Fight-Europe/dp/0996274057/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=jimmy+stewart+and+the+fight+for+europe&amp;qid=1621538823&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe</a>&#8221; — explained, &#8220;Step by step, he set himself up to end up in England in a bomb group. One of those steps was taken years before he was drafted, and that was when he became a star in Hollywood and bought a plane that was an army trainer and proceeded to learn to fly and train, and log hours on that plane so that he could be a pilot when the war came.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_478319" style="width: 461px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478319" class="size-large wp-image-478319" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-451x576.jpg" alt="Portrait of American actor lieutenant colonel James Stewart (1908 - 1997), 1944. He had just been named chief of staff of a Liberator bomber combat wing, and recently had been awarded both the Oak Leaf Cluster and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. (Photo by US Army/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="451" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-451x576.jpg 451w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-235x300.jpg 235w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840-768x982.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-1337627840.jpg 801w" sizes=" (max-width: 451px) 100vw, 451px" />Portrait of American actor lieutenant colonel James Stewart (1908 &#8211; 1997), 1944. US Army/PhotoQuest/Getty Images.</div>
Stewart&#8217;s determination — and his pre-war preparations — did not pay off immediately, however. The actor, who was fresh off his Best Actor win in 1940&#8217;s &#8220;The Philadelphia Story,&#8221; was initially drafted to appear in film reels and enlistment propaganda films — but eventually he demanded to see combat alongside his other draftees.
Stewart eventually got what he asked for, rising through the ranks from buck private to major in just four years and earning a spot in the cockpit of a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber known as Dixie Flyer. He flew dozens of missions over Germany, some as command pilot, and earned both a Distinguished Service Medal and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
But toward the end of the <a href="https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/james-maitland-stewart">8th Air Force&#8217;s Big Week</a> in early 1944 — a six-day mission in late February originally named Operation Argument and designed to decimate the German Luftwaffe in preparation for the D-Day invasion — things <a href="https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jimmy-stewart-ww2-mission-air-force/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went sideways</a>. Stewart was on his 10th mission as a leader and serving as co-pilot when his plane was hit. The German flak left a sizable hole in the fuselage of his plane — just inches from his feet. And while he and his pilot were able to recover, when the smoke cleared from the cockpit, they had to watch as another in their squadron took a similar strike, lost a wing, and plummeted toward the ground.
Stewart was not the same after that and was eventually grounded. At the time, his condition was referred to as &#8220;flak-happy,&#8221; &#8220;shell-shock,&#8221; or &#8220;combat fatigue&#8221; — but today&#8217;s doctors might have diagnosed the decorated pilot with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
&#8220;He wasn&#8217;t afraid of bombs or bullets. He was afraid of making a mistake and causing someone to die. That was his endless stress, and that&#8217;s what ended up grounding him,&#8221; Matzen wrote.
<div id="attachment_478808" style="width: 744px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478808" class="size-large wp-image-478808" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-734x576.jpg" alt="(Original Caption) 9/1/1945-New York, New York-Just like any serviceman returning from the war, Colonel James Stewart was greeted by his proud parents, who journeyed from Indiana, PA, to see their son after his arrival aboard the Queen Elizabeth. A veteran of a year and a half overseas with the 8th Air Force, Colonel Stewart, in his last command, was senior officer over approximately 9,000 men. Here he is shown with his parents at the St. Regis Hotel." width="734" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-734x576.jpg 734w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-300x236.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828-768x603.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-515219828.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px" />(Original Caption) 9/1/1945-New York, New York-Just like any serviceman returning from the war, Colonel James Stewart was greeted by his proud parents, who journeyed from Indiana, PA, to see their son after his arrival aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Getty Images.</div>
He returned home to his proud parents in Pennsylvania. On the outside, he was a war hero; on the inside, he was nearly broken.
Surviving on little more than peanut butter and ice cream — he struggled to keep any solid foods down — Stewart&#8217;s already thin frame became painfully so. Still, he decided after a short time at home that what he really needed was to get back to work.
&#8220;I have to go back and face Hollywood. I&#8217;ve been away for five years, other people are taking my roles,&#8221; he said — but when he got there, he quickly realized that the landscape had changed and so had he. Stewart ended up sharing an apartment with fellow actor Henry Fonda, who had also recently returned after serving in the Pacific.
<div id="attachment_478811" style="width: 427px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478811" class="size-large wp-image-478811" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-417x576.jpg" alt="Lt. Henry Fonda (1905 - 1982) during his military service on board the USS Bearss, summer 1945. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="417" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-417x576.jpg 417w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640-217x300.jpg 217w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-103354640.jpg 742w" sizes=" (max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px" />Lt. Henry Fonda (1905 &#8211; 1982) during his military service on board the USS Bearss, summer 1945. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;I had been away from the film business, my MGM contract had run out and, frankly, not knowing how to get started again, I was just a little bit scared,&#8221; Stewart described the precarious nature of his situation in a 1987 interview with Guideposts. &#8220;Hank Fonda was in the same boat, and we sort of wandered around together, talking, flying kites and stuff. But nothing much was happening.&#8221;
Stewart got only one offer in those early weeks. His former boss and MGM exec Louis B. Mayer <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/first-teaser-trailer-jimmy-stewart-170732188.html">proposed a biopic</a> capitalizing on the star&#8217;s military service. &#8220;Let&#8217;s do &#8216;The Jimmy Stewart Story&#8217; — we can show you flying over Frankfurt, we can show you as a military hero,&#8221; Mayer said. Stewart&#8217;s answer was an unequivocal &#8220;No,&#8221; and he flatly refused to discuss the matter further.
Director Frank Capra, an Italian immigrant who had been naturalized after serving in World War I, had also spent <a href="https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/director-frank-capra-goes-to-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">time away from Hollywood</a> during the war. As soon as Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall got wind of Capra&#8217;s enlistment, he had him commissioned as a major and assigned to report to him personally.
<div id="attachment_478955" style="width: 782px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-478955" class="size-large wp-image-478955" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-772x576.jpg" alt="Italian-American film director Frank Capra (1897 - 1991) as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Army, during a stay in London, World War II, 19th August 1943. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)" width="772" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-772x576.jpg 772w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-300x224.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116-768x573.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/12/GettyImages-931704116.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 772px) 100vw, 772px" />Italian-American film director Frank Capra (1897 &#8211; 1991) as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Army, during a stay in London, World War II, 19th August 1943. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;To win this war we must win the battle for men’s minds,&#8221; Marshall told Capra in one of their early meetings. &#8220;I want to nail down with you a plan to make a series of documented, factual-information films – the first in our history – that will explain to our boys in the Army why we are fighting, and the principles for which we are fighting.&#8221;
Capra protested, explaining that he had never made any film that could be considered a &#8220;documentary.&#8221;
Marshall responded with the gruff bluster that he was known for, saying, &#8220;Capra, I have never been chief of staff before. Thousands of young Americans have never had their legs shot off before. Boys are commanding ships today, who a year ago had never seen the ocean before.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m sorry, sir. I’ll make you the best damned documentary films ever made,&#8221; was Capra&#8217;s reply.
But when it was all over, Capra returned to Hollywood in much the same state as Stewart: adrift, and wondering if he still had what it took to deliver what the fans wanted.
* * *
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-stewart-a-world-at-war-and-why-its-a-wonderful-life-was-almost-less-wonderful-part-ii">Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why &#8216;It&#8217;s A Wonderful Life&#8217; Was Almost Less Wonderful: Part II</a>

It’s A Wonderful Life

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Was Almost Less Wonderful: Part I

Jimmy Stewart, A World At War, And Why 'It's A Wonderful Life' Was Almost Less Wonderful: Part I

Military

World War II

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in Paramount Skydance&#8217;s latest effort to pry Warner Bros Discovery away from selling its prized Hollywood assets to streaming giant Netflix.
The guarantee, disclosed in a filing on Monday, seeks to allay the Warner Bros board&#8217;s doubts about Paramount&#8217;s financing and the lack of full Ellison family backing, which had pushed it toward the competing cash-and-stock offer from Netflix.
Here&#8217;s what analysts and market experts are saying about the latest development:
SETH SHAFER, PRINCIPAL ANALYST AT S&amp;P GLOBAL, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think the revised bid from Paramount Skydance significantly alters the current status quo. I doubt many WBD shareholders that are on the fence or planning to vote &#8216;no&#8217; were holding out due to issues the revised bid addresses such as a guarantee from Larry Ellison on the funding front.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re still likely months away from a shareholder vote on the Paramount offer and the planned closing date of the deal agreed with Netflix would be in the second half of 2026. There will likely be many more twists and turns ahead and both Paramount and Netflix have a chance.&#8221;
MICHAEL PACHTER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PLANNING AT WEDBUSH SECURITIES, CALIFORNIA
&#8220;The WBD Board rejected the last offer because they thought it was speculative and revocable. This one makes the offer irrevocable and directly addresses the Board&#8217;s concern.
&#8220;If the board is rational and ethical (a big if), it must accept the offer, since the $108 billion PSKY offered is more than the $83 billion offered by Netflix. We;ll see what the Board does, but PSKY is right to make this offer directly to them.&#8221;
&#8220;Yes, Paramount has a chance to win, approaching 100%&#8221;
ROSS BENES, SENIOR ANALYST AT EMARKETER, NEW YORK
&#8220;The updated offer from Paramount doesn&#8217;t change the fact that WBD&#8217;s executives prefer Netflix. The new offer does make Paramount&#8217;s case more compelling to the board and shareholders. But WBD executives will keep fighting to maintain the Netflix deal as long as they can. This battle will be prolonged.&#8221;
PAOLO PESCATORE, ANALYST AT PP FORESIGHT, LONDON
&#8220;Paramount remains in a precarious position and is making a last-ditch effort to avoid being left out in the shadows. It cannot afford to lose out and be a weaker player compared to its stronger rivals.&#8221;
&#8220;The improved offer is a step in the right direction, but it is unlikely to be enough.&#8221;
REUBEN MILLER, HEAD OF ANTITRUST AT DEALREPORTER, WASHINGTON DC
&#8220;The financing from the sovereign wealth funds opens a regulatory box that needs to be checked. Having these players involved will bring another dimension of scrutiny, as well as a big diplomatic question &#8211; how far will using money from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds bring them into partnership with one America&#8217;s cultural touchstones?&#8221;
&#8220;Paramount has claimed that any influence from the funds will be neutralised due to their lack of voting rights, but there are other questions at play which make the picture far murkier. Notably, the access of these funds, as key stakeholders, to WBD and Paramount&#8217;s data, as well as the wider diplomatic implications of foreign bodies having a vested stake in such a huge entity in U.S. media production and consumption.&#8221;
(Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru, compiled by Arpan Varghese; Editing by Anil D&#8217;Silva)

In this photo illustration, the Warner Bros Discovery logo

Ellison Steps In With Personal Guarantee As Paramount Fights For Warner Bros

Antitrust

Netflix

Paramount

Warner Bros

The trailer for Christopher Nolan&#8217;s highly-anticipated drama “The Odyssey” was released today.
In the trailer, Matt Damon portrays Odysseus, King of Ithaca, based on the ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. The film’s hero can be seen leading his soldiers home after the Trojan War in treacherous conditions.
There’s also a brief moment showing Tom Holland as Odysseus’ son Telemachus and Anne Hathaway as Odysseus’ wife Penelope. “Promise me you will come back,” Penelope says at one point.
“What if I can’t?” Odysseus replies.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Odyssey | Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mzw2ttJD2qQ?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>
Other actors in the movie include Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo.
Academy Award-winning director Nolan, known for critically acclaimed projects such as “Oppenheimer” (2023) and “Inception” (2010), spoke about the project during an <a href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/christopher-nolan-the-odyssey-epic-to-end-all-epics-cn-exclusive/">interview</a> with Empire magazine last month. 
“I mean, it truly contains all stories,” Nolan said. “As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with — Ray Harryhausen movies and other things — I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.”
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He also described what it was like filming at sea for four months. “It’s vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift. We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world,” Nolan told the outlet. “By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways…because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you.”
The saga hits theaters on July 17, 2026.

Christopher Nolan

Unreal First Trailer For Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Drops

The Bible-based animated film “David,” which was released on December 19 by Angel Studios, has surpassed box office expectations and shattered records for an independent film.
Angel Studios reported on Sunday that “David” earned $22 million over the opening weekend at the domestic box office, per <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/12/21/david-opening-sets-new-record-for-faith-based-angel-studios/">Forbes</a>. This broke the studio’s record set by the hit film “Sound of Freedom” (2023), which earned $19.6 million during its opening, and the animated “The King of Kings” from earlier this year, which raked in $19.4 million.
&#8220;David&#8221; also has the &#8220;highest-grossing faith-based animated theatrical opening of all-time,&#8221; according to a press release from Angel Studios.
The huge results also put “David” second overall at the box office this week, behind only James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
“King David – one of the greatest stories ever told – is powerfully reimagined for the big screen with this epic family musical,” 2521 Entertainment co-founder and Chief Creative and Content Officer David L. Hunt said in a statement. “Kids will grow up fondly remembering how their parents took them to the theater to experience this film. Moments like these become family memories that can last a lifetime.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="DAVID | Final Trailer | In Theaters This Christmas | Angel" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gWgyI6_lR0A?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>
“Families are searching for values-driven films that honor hope, and our Angel Guild members embraced David from the very beginning,” Angel Studios’ theatrical head Brandon Purdie said. “We greatly value the support of our outstanding exhibitors and look forward to a robust, extended theatrical run as this popular animated musical continues to warm hearts and inspire families this Christmas.”
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“David” tells the familiar bible story of David and Goliath. As the film description says, “From the songs of his mother’s heart to the whispers of a faithful God, David’s story begins in quiet devotion. When the giant Goliath rises to terrorize a nation, a young shepherd armed with only a sling, a few stones, and unshakable faith steps forward. Pursued by power and driven by purpose, his journey tests the limits of loyalty, love, and courage — culminating in a battle not just for a crown, but for the soul of a kingdom.”
The movie currently has a 68% critic’s score and 98% audience score on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/david_2025">Rotten Tomatoes</a>.

David

Bible-Based Film ‘David’ Smashes Box Office Records

Biblical Based Film 'David' Smashes Box Office Records

Angel Studios

Bible

Box Office

Christianity

Workers on the set of “The Gun on Second Street,” a film that had Sean Penn and California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell listed as executive producers, walked off in protest while attempting to negotiate a union contract.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) claimed that a “majority” of the crew, about 40 people, left the set in West Virginia, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/crew-strike-movie-sean-penn-eric-swalwell-1236454289/">per</a> The Hollywood Reporter. IATSE reported that the striking crew members were seeking set wages, health benefits, and pensions, but had, up to that point, “been misclassified as 1099 independent contractors rather than employees.”
“Every production, regardless of budget or political connections, must respect the rights of the people who make film and television possible,” IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said. “The Alliance is prepared to support this crew as they take collective action to secure safe working conditions, fair compensation, proper classification and a voice on the job.”
The move apparently <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/crew-strike-movie-sean-penn-eric-swalwell-1236454289/">prompted</a> Penn’s Projected Picture Works and its partners to remove their names from the film.
The film’s producers released a statement disputing these allegations. “We have compensated our production crew well for their time,” the producers said. “However, we will not attempt to resolve our differences with the union through the press. Therefore, we have no further comment.”
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Swalwell added in a statement that he had no involvement in the business decisions, THR noted, and threatened to remove his name from the project. 
“I am a lifelong supporter of labor,” the congressman added. “While I am prohibited by Congressional ethics rules from participating in the negotiations between production and labor, I joined the film expecting labor standards would be adhered to. I urge the production team to seek a fair outcome for the crew. Should that not be achieved, I will remove my name from the film’s screen credits.”
“The Gun on Second Street” is being pitched as “an allegory of the gun crisis in the United States.” The film, written and directed by Rohit Karn Batra (“Line of Descent”), follows two police officers in Pittsburgh. Drama ensues when one of them accidentally kills the other while responding to a domestic violence call. He leaves the force, only to fall in love with his deceased partner’s widow years later.

Penn and Swalwell

Crew Walks Off Set Of Anti-Gun Film Backed By Sean Penn And Eric Swalwell

Crew Walks Off Set of Anti-Gun Film Backed by Eric Swalwell, Sean Penn

Eric Swalwell

Sean Penn

strike

Romy and Jake Reiner issued a joint statement from the family on Wednesday, marking the first time they&#8217;ve spoken publicly since the brutal murders of their parents, acclaimed Hollywood director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner.
&#8220;Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day. The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren&#8217;t just our parents; they were our best friends,&#8221; Jake, 34, and Romy, 28, said in the statement first published by <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/17/reiner-family-statement/">TMZ</a>.
&#8220;We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave.&#8221;
The statement came within hours of the first court appearance for their brother Nick, 32, who was arrested on Sunday and charged on Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstances attached because there were multiple murders and he allegedly attacked with a deadly weapon.
During Reiner&#8217;s brief court appearance on Wednesday, he was seated behind glass and wore a suicide-prevention smock. The judge quickly ruled that no photos or videos could be taken of him during the proceedings.
Reiner, who was arrested hours after the bodies of his parents were found, did not enter a plea, and after confirming that the accused understood he was waiving his right to a &#8220;speedy&#8221; arraignment, the judge granted a continuance, pushing the arraignment until January 7, 2026.
He has retained high-powered defense attorney Alan Jackson, whose prior clients include actor Kevin Spacey and disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Los Angeles Premiere Of MPX Releasing’s “Things Like This”

Romy And Jake Reiner Issue Joint Statement After The ‘Horrific’ Murder Of Their Parents

Romy And Jake Reiner Issue Joint Statement After Their Parents Were Murdered

Murder

Rob Reiner

Violent Crime

A trailer for the upcoming documentary film “Melania,” based on the first lady, debuted today. The movie is scheduled for release in theaters on January 30.
The teaser highlights several behind-the-scenes moments in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration. “Here we go again,” Melania says in the opening moments of the trailer as she walks into the US Capitol on Inauguration Day.
At another point, the first lady answers the phone and says, “Hi, Mr. President. Congratulations,” as she looks out at the Manhattan skyline.
President Trump can be heard asking, “Did you watch it?”
“I did not. Yeah. I will see it on the news,” Melania replies. The trailer then cuts to a January photo shoot at the White House.
The short trailer also includes brief clips of the Trumps with White House staff, snapshots from Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower, and the first lady laying a white lily by a tombstone.
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In another scene, Melania listens to her husband practicing a speech and interjects with an additional remark. When President Trump describes himself as a “peacemaker,” she chimes in saying, “Peacemaker and unifier.”
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Melania signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Amazon MGM Studios and is an executive producer of the project. It began filming in December 2024 and documents the 20 days around her return to the White House.
“Melania” is directed by Brett Ratner, who is best known for the “Rush Hour” franchise. 
The first lady previously <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/melania-trump-documentary-trailer">mentioned</a> the inspiration for the documentary while accepting Fox Nation’s “Patriot of the Year” award.
“A first of its kind, capturing the 20 days of my life before the inauguration, 20 intense days of transformation from private citizen to first lady, balancing my business, my philanthropy, fostering the future, building my East Wing team and the White House staff, and, of course, caring for my family,” she said at the time.

Melania Trump

‘Melania’ Documentary Trailer Promises Inside Look At The First Lady’s Return To The White House

'Melania' Documentary Trailer Released: 'Here We Go Again'

Documentaries

Hollywood was still absorbing the shock of the violent deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, when another development further stunned the industry — the Reiners’ 32-year-old son had been arrested and booked on suspicion of their murders. Then entertainment industry insiders began to tell their stories, and it soon became clear — maybe no one should have been surprised. It seems like everyone in LA knew that screenwriter Nick Reiner had been a ticking time bomb for years.
Emergency responders were called to the Reiners’ $13.5 million Brentwood mansion shortly after 3:40 p.m. Sunday following a request for medical assistance. When firefighters arrived, they discovered both Rob and Michele Reiner dead inside the home. While the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has not yet released official causes of death, police have said the case is being investigated as a double homicide. And not just homicide, but the shocking kind that usually winds up as the basis of a movie. The couple suffered multiple stab wounds, their throats cut. Adding to the surreality of the news came the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15387065/Billy-Crystal-saw-bodies-Rob-Reiner-wife-murder.html">revelation</a> that Billy Crystal had rushed to the scene just in time to see the bodies of his dear friend and his wife. Nick, meanwhile, was picked up at a posh beachside hotel, his room <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/15/nick-reiner-blood-filled-hotel-room-after-murders/">reportedly</a> smeared with blood.
Later Sunday night, he was taken into custody on a felony charge related to the deaths. He’s currently being held on $4 million bail. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell confirmed that Reiner was booked for murder, though formal charges had not yet been announced as of Monday, and police have not publicly laid out a motive. But industry insiders are offering a fairly clear picture of decades-long battles with addiction and volatility.
<div id="attachment_1014809" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1014809" class="size-large wp-image-1014809" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-528237626-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NY - MAY 04: Rob Reiner and Nick Reiner attend AOL Build Speaker Series at AOL Studios In New York on May 4, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-528237626-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-528237626-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-528237626-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-528237626.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic</div>
It was an open secret in Hollywood that Nick had faced serious substance-abuse issues since he was 15 years old, including periods of homelessness and repeated stints in rehab. In past interviews, his parents spoke openly about the toll those struggles took on their family, even as they emphasized their commitment to supporting their son through recovery.
Those tensions became part of the public record in 2015, when Nick Reiner co-wrote and starred in “Being Charlie,” a semi-autobiographical film about a young man grappling with addiction. Reiner directed the film, and during its promotion, both father and son acknowledged that the story closely mirrored their own experiences. At the time, they described the project as painful but ultimately healing, saying it forced them to confront years of unresolved conflict.
But now details are emerging that suggest those conflicts may never have healed enough. Nick reportedly <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/why-nick-reiner-reportedly-resented-204517353.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJGoc1svvbuDrhUMrzR7QAwpb2w_DRARUjFIHH24PXLaE2vqSNKBT1wGNfFxRWv5e0WONwa8fY1ltTbFDyxd13bXernFj-Bq4vY16Jcpw0XIhTQloUann-N4KpMGaBFpfxsARLqUlmrGOQmGobHA5FHScIqDTU6PiEeHLe9bLh_-">harbored</a> deep resentment toward his father, fueled in part by comparisons between his own stalled career and Reiner’s prolific success. Sources have described a relationship marked by endless cycles of reconciliation and rupture, intense anger and regret.
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Page Six, Variety, People, and TMZ — the entertainment outlets are full now of stories of Nick’s <a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/12/15/celebrity-news/nick-reiner-once-destroyed-parents-rob-and-micheles-home-during-drug-fueled-rage/">drug-fueled rages</a>, including one that destroyed furniture at his parents’ house. Other accounts describe him stealing money from his dad to <a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/12/15/celebrity-news/nick-reiner-lost-his-virginity-to-sex-worker-paid-with-money-from-parents-rob-and-michele/?utm_campaign=pagesix&amp;utm_social_post_id=624205515&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_social_handle_id=182107650&amp;utm_source=twitter">lose his virginity</a> to a prostitute. Recollections of <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/15/rob-reiner-son-nick-conan-obrien-christmas-party/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">behavioral issues,</a> even in his childhood, have added to a picture of a family grappling for years with instability behind a public façade of Hollywood success.
Even the night before, TMZ <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/12/15/rob-reiner-son-nick-conan-obrien-christmas-party/">reported</a>, father and son both attended a Christmas party at Conan O’Brien’s house, where witnesses observed a “very loud” argument involving members of the Reiner family. Nick had been acting bizarrely enough to disturb other guests.
The Reiners’ daughter, 28-year-old Romy Reiner, discovered her parents’ bodies and called authorities. There have been reports that she told police she believed her brother was responsible.
President Trump seemed to think there might have been another cause. In an inappropriate social media post that would be hard to believe even in a screenplay, he said, Reiner, who frequently accused him of being treasonous and mentally unfit, suffered from Trump Derangement Syndrome and suggested that might have had something to do with the director’s death. Trump did add, though, that the news was “very sad” and he hoped the Reiners rest in peace. Other Republicans struck a more dignified tone. Senator Ted Cruz said he and his family were mourning “the loss of a comedic and story-telling master” whose films “touched us deeply and spoke to our fundamental humanity.”
<div id="attachment_1016429" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1016429" class="size-large wp-image-1016429" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2252147367-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 15: Flowers and candles are placed on director/actor Rob Reiner's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 15, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. The LAPD confirmed that Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Brentwood home on December 14. Their son Nick has been arrested in connection to their deaths. (Photo by Matei Horvath/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2252147367-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2252147367-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2252147367-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2252147367.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Matei Horvath/Getty Images</div>
For now, much about the case remains unknown. Police have not said whether a weapon has been recovered, whether there were signs of forced entry, or how long the Reiners may have been dead before they were found. Investigators are continuing to interview family members and associates as they seek to establish a timeline.
What is clear is that the killings have cast a harsh and tragic light on a family whose private struggles were long intertwined with public success. As law enforcement works toward answers, Hollywood and audiences around the world are left mourning a filmmaker whose stories often celebrated love, loyalty, and redemption — values that now stand in painful contrast to the violence that ended his life.

Rob Reiner In Conversation

A Tragic End For A Hollywood Legend

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