This summer has been anything but normal in La La Land.
Two indie horror films, one made for less than $1 million, are crushing the box office. A Steven Spielberg film about aliens visiting Earth can only dream of catching up. The same holds for a film franchise “in a galaxy far, far away.”
Nothing makes sense in Hollywood now, and that might be the best news possible for a flailing industry and audiences hoping for more voices, not fewer.
The Old Guard is fading to black. Enter the New Guard, weaned on YouTube and ready to tell fresh stories that connect with Gen Z.
Take director Curry Barker. The 26-year-old isn’t a household name like Spielberg, unless you live on YouTube. Barker cut his teeth on the platform, delivering viral hits like the creepy “Milk &amp; Serial,” an hour-long found-footage film no studio would touch.
That convinced Hollywood to let him direct his first feature, “Obsession,” about a lovestruck man granted one powerful wish: Make the girl of his dreams fall in love with him.
It works, and that’s when the macabre elements rush in.
The micro-indie opened to a solid $17 million in U.S. theaters, but it just kept growing. The film made significantly more money in its subsequent two weekends, a feat that doesn’t happen without adding movie screens.
As of June 11, the film snuck back to <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/date/2026-06-10/?ref_=bo_di_table_1">reclaim the top box office</a> slot nearly a month after it opened (May 15). Once again, that simply doesn’t happen.
But it did. And its worldwide total as of mid-June is north of $240 million. Hollywood already handed Barker the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” franchise to revive. More gigs will follow, with one studio waving a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/obsession-filmmaker-curry-barker-gets-7-figure-offer-1236606967/">$10 million check</a> in front of him to do something, anything, for them.
Here’s betting Kane Parsons will get similar offers. The 20-year-old director also flexed his storytelling chops on his YouTube channel (Kane Pixels), building on creepy stories that lurk across digital platforms like 4chan.
The result? “Backrooms,” which opened to $81 million stateside.
That comes on the heels of an early 2026 hit, “Iron Lung.” Once more, a neophyte director weaned on YouTube. Mark Fischbach, AKA Markiplier, wrote, edited, directed, and starred in a sci-fi/horror film that earned a stunning $40 million on a $3 million budget.
As if 2026 couldn’t get any more unpredictable, there’s “The Amazing Digital Circus.” The Australian animated series debuted the final two episodes of its first season in select theaters. That release, subtitled “The Last Act,” briefly topped the box office and ended its debut weekend <a href="https://www.boxofficepro.com/the-amazing-digital-circus-the-last-act-lands-standout-box-office-debut/">with more than $20 million</a>.
All for two TV-like episodes set to debut in less than a month, for free, on YouTube. We shouldn’t be shocked, though. The show’s pilot episode has generated <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwAPLk_sQ3w&amp;t=120s">440 million views</a> on the platform to date.
These films did more than just wildly overperform; they let YouTube storytellers have their say. They brought Gen Z back to theaters in droves. That’s what’s been missing in recent years. Something blamed on a generational shift, short attention spans, and a dearth of compelling content.
And it took a new guard of storytellers to make it happen.
Now, imagine this stunning success complemented by older, more established franchises and iconic directors. Except it’s not working out that way.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first new “Star Wars” feature since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” is underperforming. Badly. The film is laboring to crack the $300 million mark at the global box office, a fraction of what a “Star Wars” movie should earn.
For comparison, “The Rise of Skywalker” brought in $1 billion worldwide, and that film got skewered by franchise fans. The least successful “Star Wars” film in the modern era, “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” brought in $392 million in 2018.
And then there’s the man who gave us “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Spielberg’s new film, “Disclosure Day,” lets the Oscar winner revisit his most popular theme — aliens.
The thriller stars Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo, and early reviews are promising — north of 80 percent “fresh” at RottenTomatoes.com. Yet the film is expected to earn roughly <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/06/box-office-disclosure-day-projection-1236951773/">$35 million in its opening weekend in the U.S.</a>
Mediocre word of mouth could sink the film, and fast.
Once upon a time, a new Spielberg film felt like a cultural event, one that couldn’t be missed. That’s especially true for his summer-style features.
Not anymore.
Then there’s Clint Eastwood. The actor-director just turned 96, and various media reports suggest he’s either <a href="https://consequence.net/2026/06/clint-eastwood-may-not-be-retired/">retired or hasn’t decided yet</a>. Either way, the Hollywood legend has earned the right to sit back and marvel at his magnificent film legacy.
There won’t be another star like him, maybe ever.
Hollywood is in flux, and the new kids are in charge. It could also lead to more voices being heard and movie studios losing their iron grip on content. After all, technology is breaking down the barriers between artist and studio. Someone can shoot a movie on their iPhone and edit it on any number of cheap but powerful tools.
Plus, Fischbach self-distributed “Iron Lung,” bypassing the Hollywood gatekeepers — the same gatekeepers who often make sure select stories and voices aren’t heard on screen. We know which ones.
That won’t be the case for much longer.
The new, emerging Hollywood isn’t just saving the theatrical experience. It’s opening cinema up to fresh new ideas and, eventually, to more voices than ever before.
***
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. He&#8217;s also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hollywood-in-toto-podcast-w-christian-toto/id1186449155">The Hollywood in Toto Podcast</a>. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.

Los Angeles Special Screening Of Focus Features’ “Obsession” – After Party

Gen Z YouTube Creators Are Shaking Up Tinseltown

Entertainment

Gen Z

Hollywood

Independent Film

Star Wars

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg’s new alien thriller, “Disclosure Day,” is leaving some moviegoers laughing their way out of theaters. This is an issue for the legendary filmmaker, as that movie was never intended to be a comedy.
The film’s official logline says, “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?”
Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O&#8217;Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo, &#8220;Disclosure Day&#8221; has earned average but not great reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. But the vibe on social media is decidedly more negative, with commenters saying they believe Spielberg has lost the golden touch that made films like “Jurassic Park” and “E.T.” so magical.
“So&#8230; is Disclosure Day meant to be a comedy or something? Because I was laughing my ass off during most of it,” one X user <a href="https://x.com/thecriticaldri2/status/2065099752694296781?s=43">wrote</a>. 
Other commenters mentioned how the film was rumored to run counter to the Christian faith, which they said was ultimately ineffective.
“Just got back from Disclosure Day. I went with the intention of debunking what I heard was a manipulation of Christian theology to leave room for aliens in God&#8217;s creation,” another person wrote. 
“I expected a high-quality movie with a dangerous messaging that would be planting a seed for the Great Deception. What I watched was an embarrassingly bad movie. Predictable. Cliche. The climax was laughable. It would have been semi-shocking two decades ago. The only thing that sort of saved it was the great acting despite the horrible script.”
The commenter went on, “As for debunking it spiritually, no need. It was so ham-fisted with its attempt to work aliens into theology that none of the elect could easily be swayed. I wasted two-and-a-half hours.”
“145 minutes for pretentious overacting in scenes intended for Oscar nomination clips. Disclosure Day was made by people who enjoy sniffing their own farts, and, boy howdy, did this movie sh*t the bed,” <a href="https://x.com/reallifefakewiz/status/2065266433659974050?s=43">echoed another</a>. “Pack it up, Grandpa. Spielberg is done.”
&#8220;It was mid at best. Jumbled, predictable, unbelievable, a garbage soundtrack, plot holes a plenty, and good acting. I’ve rewatched so many of Spielberg movies joyfully. This is a one and done,&#8221; another <a href="https://x.com/Variety/status/2065443513190187102">wrote</a>.
The movie debuted on June 12. It currently has an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 74% audience score. 
Spielberg previously mentioned how the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life could challenge people&#8217;s understanding of faith. 
“The movie takes the position of the believers, or the curious, the ones that have been deeply affected by this,” Spielberg said in an <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disclosure-day-director-steven-spielberg-on-alien-visitations/">interview</a> with CBS News. “And the movie also takes the position of the church. What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? Is God our God only on this planet? Or is God a god for every system where there’s civilization and intelligent life, and even developing life?”
However, faith leaders and religious folks are pushing back on that idea, saying the existence of aliens wouldn’t be a faith-shaking moment even if the movie were perfectly executed. And they say it’s just not.

Disclosure Day

Spielberg Said ‘Disclosure Day’ Would Challenge Christian Faith. Instead, Many Find It Laughable.

Christianity

Movies

“The Goonies 2” is officially in the works with Warner Bros announcing on Friday that forty years after the original hit the big screen in 1985, the story will continue.
A statement from the movie house said that Potsy Ponciroli had been picked to write the script for the sequel, with Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Holly Bario set to produce the adventure sequel for Amblin Entertainment, <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/goonies-2-sequel-steven-spielberg-1236308226/?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=later-linkinbio">Variety</a> reported.
Original script-writer Chris Columbus is back to help produce the sequel with Lauren Shuler Donner set to executive produce, the outlet noted. As of this publication, there is no director yet announced and details about what the movie will center on have been kept under wraps.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8216;Goonies 2&#8217; Officially in the Works With Steven Spielberg Producing <a href="https://t.co/U4oTQSraQt">https://t.co/U4oTQSraQt</a>
— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1890464194983547227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
Shortly after the report broke, one of the original stars of the film, Corey Feldman, appeared to confirm it was happening with his post on X.
“&#8217;HAPPY VALENTINES DAY #EVERYBODY &amp; BOY DO I HAVE AN EXCITING BIT OF NEWS 2 MAKE YOUR  HEARTS FLUTTER!” Feldman’s <a href="https://x.com/Corey_Feldman/status/1890508079147651165">post read</a>. “IT SEEMS AFTER 40 YRS OF SAYING NO, THE ANSWER MAY BECOME YES AFTER ALL!&#8221;
“ACCORDING 2 ⁦@Variety⁩ #GOONIES2 IS A GO: The Goonies 2&#8216; With Steven Spielberg,” he added.
The original film was directed by Richard Donner. The story is about “a group of young misfits called The Goonies” who “discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate&#8217;s long-lost treasure,” a description on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1">IMDb</a> reads. A famed catchphrase from the movie was &#8220;Goonies never say die.&#8221;
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It starred Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Feldman, Key Hu Quan, Martha Plimpton, Kerri Green, and others.
The movie had a budget of $19 million, and at the worldwide box office, it ended up earning $125 million, <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/goonies-2-sequel-steven-spielberg-1236308226/?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=later-linkinbio">Variety</a> noted. It went on to become a cult classic and was selected to be preserved in the National Registry by the Library of Congress in 2017.
Speaking recently at the world premiere of Quan’s new film, “Love Hurts,” the actor and Feldman reflected on the idea of a “Goonies” reunion, the outlet noted.
“It’s one of the most asked questions in my life,” Quan said. “I would love for it to happen.”
Feldman added, “All I can say is, get us all together. Everybody is looking good. Sean’s looking good. Josh is looking good. We’re all looking good still, and we’re all alive. Goonies never say die. … There’s hope.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oscar-winner-ke-huy-quan-gets-emotional-about-the-american-dream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar Winner Ke Huy Quan Gets Emotional About ‘The American Dream’</a>

The Goonies-2

‘The Goonies 2’ Finally In The Works

Celebrities

U.S.

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> has reportedly turned to Hollywood director Steven Spielberg for political “strategy” as he campaigns for re-election against former President Donald Trump. 
Spielberg, known for directing hit films like “ET” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” has been giving Biden advice on messaging for the Democratic National Committee in August. The news was first <a href="https://puck.news/newsletter_content/what-im-hearing-spielbergs-biden-project-aris-payday-ellison-vs-apollo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by Puck and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/steven-spielberg-providing-strategy-biden-campaign-rcna149612" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> by NBC News. 
“Starting a few months ago, Spielberg has participated in multiple strategy sessions on how to best tell the president’s story, his accomplishments, and his vision for a second term,” Puck reported. “Spielberg is a big Biden fundraiser, of course, and his friend and former DreamWorks business partner Jeffrey Katzenberg is a chair of the Biden campaign.&#8221;
Spielberg has been a big supporter of Biden, has been a major Democratic donor for years, giving millions to Democratic candidates and PACs. In December, he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/biden-launches-hollywood-fundraising-blitz-tap-star-power-strikes-rcna128868" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attended</a> another fundraising event for Biden with other Hollywood stars including Rob Reiner and Barbara Streisand. 
The Biden campaign is currently working to organize another fundraiser with Hollywood notables in Los Angeles featuring both Biden and former President Barack Obama. 
The fundraiser, being scheduled for June, is set to be hosted by Katzenberg and actor George Clooney, Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/25/biden-obama-fundraiser-democrats-los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Thursday. Biden previously attended a New York fundraiser alongside Obama and former President Bill Clinton that raised $26 million. 
The Biden campaign has a massive cash advantage over Trump, who has been bogged down with legal troubles. However, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have posted strong numbers in recent months. 
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The Trump campaign and the RNC <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-rnc-posts-impressive-fundraising-haul-in-march-but-remain-far-behind-bidens-war-chest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> a March fundraising haul of $65.6 million, giving the former president $93.1 million cash on hand as he attempts to catch up to the Biden campaign, which had $192 million at the end of the same time period. 
While Biden continues to dominate with fundraising, Trump boasts a polling lead nationally and in seven major battleground states, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/elections/president/2024/battleground-states">RealClearPolitics</a> average. Recent polling shows that much of Biden’s struggles relate to his handling of the economy and the border, top issues for American voters.

2024 TCM Classic Film Festival Day 2 – Friday

Biden Turns To Steven Spielberg For Messaging Strategy As Poll Numbers Lag

2024 Election

Biden Campaign

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-hanks-says-with-ai-he-could-die-and-his-performances-can-go-on-and-on-and-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Hanks</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/steven-spielberg-regrets-removing-guns-from-e-t-that-was-a-mistake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steven Spielberg</a>&#8216;s next WWII miniseries, &#8220;Masters of the Air,&#8221; has finally gotten an air date after over a decade of delays.
Originally announced by HBO back in 2013, the show is set now to release on January 26, 2024, with a two-episode debut and will continue with one episode per week until March 15 on AppleTV+, the <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2023/10/05/spielberg-hanks-wwii-series-masters-of-the-air-gets-premiere-date/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MilitaryTimes</a> reported.
&#8220;Masters of the Air&#8221; is a nine-episode miniseries based on Donald L. Miller&#8217;s book by the same name, which follows American bomber pilots of the Eighth Air Force&#8217;s 100th Bomb Group, who repeatedly risked flying at 25,000 feet in daylight to conduct &#8220;perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany, dealing with frigid temperatures, lack of oxygen and sheer terror,&#8221; the official logline read, per <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/10/masters-of-the-air-premiere-date-world-war-ii-drama-austin-butler-photos-trailer-1235564915/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> magazine.
&#8220;It portrays the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler&#8217;s Third Reich,&#8221; it added. &#8220;Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.&#8221;
&#8220;&#8216;Masters of the Air&#8217; is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II,&#8221; executive producer Gary Goetzman said. &#8220;Tom and Steven have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called this &#8216;singular event in the history of warfare.&#8217; We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combine the efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera, to tell this important story.&#8221;
Oscar nominees Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan will star in the miniseries, which is the third WWII series from Hanks and Spielberg, after &#8220;Band Of Brothers&#8221; and &#8220;The Pacific.&#8221;
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HBO originally announced the project back in 2013, but a series of delays and budget considerations saw the series dropped. Years later, Apple TV+ picked up the project, but the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions caused further delays, causing it to be shelved once again in 2020.

WWII military

Tom Hanks And Steven Spielberg’s Next WWII Series To Finally Air After Over A Decade Of Delays

Tom Hanks And Steven Spielberg's Next WWII Series To Finally Air After Over A Decade Of Delays

Tom Hanks

WWII

Actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith">Will Smith</a> said he almost turned down his iconic role in the sci-fi action comedy “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">Men in Black</a>” until executive producer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/steven-spielberg">Steven Spielberg</a> went to great lengths to convince him to take it.
The 54-year-old said he was initially ready to reject the role because he’d starred in “Independence Day” the year before and didn’t want to make two alien-focused movies in a row. But he quickly changed his mind due to Spielberg’s persistence.
“In the heyday, the ten movies I made at the top of my career, [former manager James Lassiter] was choosing the films,” Smith said during a recent appearance on Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Heart” talk show, per <a href="https://www.insider.com/will-smith-steven-spielberg-men-in-black-helicopter-2023-8">Insider</a>. 
“He just had an eye. I didn’t want to make ‘Pursuit of Happyness.’ I didn’t want to make ‘Ali.’ And [Lassiter] picked ‘Men in Black.’ I kind of understood ‘Men in Black’ a little bit but I didn’t want to make ‘Men in Black.’ That was the next year after ‘Independence Day.’ So I didn’t want to make two alien movies back to back.”
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“Steven Spielberg sent a helicopter for me to talk to me,” the actor continued. “I was in New York. It landed at his house. And, like, he had me at hello. And it was the first time I ever had lemonade with carbonated water. You can’t say no to that.”
“He said the coldest sh**,” Smith went on. “He said, ‘Tell me why you don’t want to make my movie…’ And he was the producer. And he put the ellipsis at the end, it was the dot, dot, dot. If he had continued, he would have said, ‘Joker, you know I made &#8216;Jaws,&#8217; right? You know I made &#8216;E.T.&#8217;”
Ultimately, Smith starred in the movie as Agent J, opposite Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K. They portrayed members of a top-secret organization established to control alien activity on Earth. The two agents were tasked with undermining a plot by an intergalactic terrorist who arrives to destroy the planet.
“Men in Black” was a critical and commercial success, raking in $589 million worldwide following its July 1997 release. The popularity of the original film inspired the creation of three more movies.

Will Smith And Tommy Lee Jones In ‘Men In Black’

Will Smith Almost Turned Down ‘Men In Black’ Until Spielberg Sent A Helicopter

Will Smith Almost Turned Down 'Men In Black' Until Spielberg Sent A Helicopter

Will Smith

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/steven-spielberg">Steven Spielberg</a> said he saw firsthand some of the challenges <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drew-barrymore">Drew Barrymore</a> experienced during childhood but couldn’t do much to intervene.
The 76-year-old filmmaker recalled what it was like having Barrymore on the set of his cult classic science-fiction film, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial</a>” (1982), when she was just seven years old. The actress said in an interview published in <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/drew-barrymore-show-profile.html">Vulture</a> that Spielberg was “the only person in my life to this day that ever was a parental figure.” 
The Academy Award winner eventually became Barrymore’s godfather after declining her request that he step in as her dad. Her birth father, the late actor John Drew Barrymore, was abusive and an alcoholic, the outlet noted.
Spielberg didn’t shatter the little girl’s illusion that E.T. was real and not just a robot. He even said to have kept operators on hand so Barrymore could eat lunch with her “co-star.” 
“I didn’t want to burst the bubble,” Spielberg said of keeping up the ruse. “So I simply said, ‘It’s okay, E.T. is so special E.T. has eight assistants. I am the director, I only have one.”
The article also noted how Spielberg would tell Barrymore to remove her bright red lipstick when she showed up on set. The actress previously described her <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/steven-spielberg-helpless-drew-barrymore-et-robbed-childhood-1235634964/">tumultuous</a> childhood, which included using marijuana when she was ten and snorting cocaine at 12. Barrymore did her first stint in rehab at 12 years old.
“She was staying up way past her bedtime, going to places she should have only been hearing about, and living a life at a very tender age that I think robbed her of her childhood,” Spielberg told the publication. “Yet I felt very helpless because I wasn’t her dad. I could only kind of be a consigliere to her.”
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Barrymore also spent time with Spielberg and his family “on weekends; he gave her a cat she named Gertie and took her to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.”
During the same interview, Barrymore spoke about her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Jaid Barrymore. The actress accused tabloid outlets of twisting her words when they reported that Barrymore was looking forward to her mom’s death, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drew-barrymore-scolds-tabloids-for-claiming-she-cannot-wait-until-her-mom-is-dead">reported</a>.

On the set of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Steven Spielberg ‘Felt Helpless’ Seeing Drew Barrymore ‘Robbed Of Her Childhood’

Steven Spielberg 'Felt Helpless' Seeing Drew Barrymore 'Robbed Of Her Childhood' 

Drew Barrymore

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Alleged Docs Leakers Appears In Court
The 22-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified documents appeared in court this week for his detention hearing. Jack Texiera’s attorneys asked the judge Thursday to allow the defendant to be released to his father’s home to await trial. The Justice Department wants to keep him detained. The judge said he will issue his decision at a later date.
Elizabeth Holmes Wins Sentencing Appeal
Convicted fraudster and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was set to begin her 11-year prison sentence on Thursday, but it has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/court-approves-disgraced-theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-appeal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delayed</a> due to a last-minute appeal. Her legal team filed the appeal Tuesday, which has automatically pushed back the start of her sentence by up to a month.
Down Syndrome Barbie
Toymaker Mattel has unveiled a new “Down syndrome Barbie doll.” In a statement, Mattel <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/2023-04-25/mattel-unveils-a-barbie-with-down-syndrome#:~:text=%22Our%20goal%20is%20to%20enable,accepting%20world%2C%22%20McKnight%20said." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves. Doll play outside of a child&#8217;s own lived experience can teach understanding and build a greater sense of empathy, leading to a more accepting world.&#8221; The Barbie franchise has come under fire in the past for portraying women in an unrealistic way.
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Spielberg Regrets Edits
During a Times 100 Master class on Tuesday, legendary filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/steven-spielberg">Steven Spielberg</a> said he regrets <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/steven-spielberg-regrets-removing-guns-from-e-t-that-was-a-mistake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">editing out firearms from his classic</a> film, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
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The director also criticized the modern trend of remaking old films and rewriting books to appease modern audiences.
&#8220;Nobody should ever attempt to take the chocolate out of Willy Wonka! Ever! And they shouldn’t take the chocolate or the vanilla, or any other flavor out of anything that has been written,” he said. “For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.”
South Korean President Nails Rendition Of  “Bye-Bye Miss American Pie”
And, at the state dinner held at the White House Wednesday evening, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol surprised international guests with a rendition of Don McLean’s 1971 hit “Bye-Bye Miss American Pie” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol grabbed a mic and sang the Don Mclean classic “American Pie” to an astonished audience at the White House state dinner.
“I had no damn idea you could sing,” Biden told his counterpart. <a href="https://t.co/MIYlQuZvwk">https://t.co/MIYlQuZvwk</a> <a href="https://t.co/uFhJBymKEP">pic.twitter.com/uFhJBymKEP</a>
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1651573016810119168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
Yoon was in town to announce the Washington Declaration and discuss how to strengthen the alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. Afterward, Biden gave his South Korean counterpart an acoustic guitar signed by the American Pie Singer himself.
To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

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Legendary filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/steven-spielberg">Steven Spielberg</a> disagrees with remaking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">old films</a> and rewriting books to appease modern audiences.
The 76-year-old director admitted that he regrets updating his classic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">film</a>, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” in 2002, twenty years after it debuted in theaters in 1982.
The movie’s original cut includes a scene of police officers chasing young kids with firearms. Spielberg chose to edit the guns out for the 20th-anniversary release of the film, replacing the weapons with walkie-talkies.
“That was a mistake. That was a mistake,” Spielberg said at the Time 100 Summit Tuesday. “I never should have done that because ‘E.T.’ was a product of its era. No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are, either voluntarily or being forced to peer through,” he said.
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“‘E.T.’ was a film that I was sensitive to the fact that the federal agents were approaching kids with firearms exposed and I thought I would change the guns into walkie-talkies. Years went by and I changed my own views,” Spielberg told the audience.
“I should never have messed with the archive of my own work, and I don’t recommend anybody really do that,” he said. “All our movies are a kind of measuring – a signpost of where we were when we made them, what the world was like, and what the world was receiving when we got those stories out there. So I really regret having that out there.”
The conversation led to Spielberg expressing his disagreement about editing Roald Dahl’s books to remove “offensive” language.
“Nobody should ever attempt to take the chocolate out of Willy Wonka! Ever! And they shouldn’t take the chocolate or the vanilla, or any other flavor out of anything that has been written,” he said. “For me, it is sacrosanct. It’s our history, it’s our cultural heritage. I do not believe in censorship in that way.”
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It was announced in February that several of Dahl’s books would be updated. The Roald Dahl Story Co. acknowledged it had worked with Inclusive Minds, which monitors children’s literature for inclusion, diversity, and accessibility, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/famed-childrens-author-roald-dahls-books-altered-in-massive-woke-effort">reported</a>.
In March, &#8220;Goosebumps&#8221; series author R.L. Stine said he never approved apparent changes that were made to some of his children’s books, which Scholastic said was done in service of mental health. 
“When re-issuing titles several years ago, Scholastic reviewed the text to keep the language current and avoid imagery that could negatively impact a young person’s view of themselves today, with a particular focus on mental health,” Scholastic said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/goosebumps-author-says-woke-publisher-edited-his-books-without-his-knowledge">statement</a>.

Steven Spielberg Regrets Removing Guns From ‘E.T.’: ‘That Was A Mistake’

Steven Spielberg Regrets Removing Guns From 'E.T.': 'That Was A Mistake'

Film director Steven Spielberg knows a thing or two about extraterrestrials — he did, after all, direct the 1982 blockbuster &#8220;E.T.&#8221;
And he knows a thing or two about UFOs — he did, after all, direct &#8220;Close Encounters of the Third Kind.&#8221;
For the record, a close encounter of the first kind is when someone sees something unusual in the sky but it leaves no evidence, according to Ohio State University astronomer J. Alan Hynek. &#8220;The Second Kind: A UFO leaves some physical trace: burns on the ground or broken branches,&#8221; WYTV <a href="https://www.wytv.com/home/close-encounters-of-the-1st-2nd-and-3rd-kind/">reported</a>. &#8220;The Third Kind: You make contact with a U.F.O, you see some alien pilot aboard one or other life form.&#8221;
People experience close encounters of the first kind all the time — even more, it seems, nowadays. And Spielberg has some theories about UFOs and extraterrestrials.
“I’ve never seen a UFO,” Spielberg said in an interview on “The Late Show with Steven Colbert,&#8221; <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/7559820/steven-spielberg-ufo-conspiracy-theory-aliens/">according</a> to The Sun. &#8220;I wish I had! I’ve never seen anything I can’t explain. But I believe certain people who have seen things that they can’t explain.&#8221;
&#8220;I think what has been coming up recently is fascinating, absolutely fascinating. And I think the secrecy that is shrouding all of these sightings and the lack of transparency… I think there is something going on that just needs extraordinary due diligence,&#8221; the director added.
Spielberg went on to pontificate about interstellar life.
“I don’t believe we’re alone in the universe. I think it’s mathematically impossible that we are the only intelligent species in the cosmos. I think that’s totally impossible. At the same time, it also seems impossible that someone would visit us from 400 million lightyears from here — except in the movies, of course — unless it figures out some way of jumping the shark, so to speak, and getting here through wormholes,&#8221; Spielberg said.
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While Spielberg doesn&#8217;t think any being in the universe has yet mastered faster-than-light travel, the idea that humans could have figured out time travel is more in the realm of possibility. Then he dropped an out-there theory.
“The most optimistic thing I feel about these things we see in the skies, that the Army and Navy and Air Force are recording on their gun cameras, is that what if they’re not from an advanced civilization 300 million lightyears from here?” he said. “What if it’s us, 500,000 years in the future, that is coming back to document the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century because they’re anthropologists? And they know something we don’t quite know yet that has occurred, and they’re trying to track the last hundred years of our history.”
Colbert jumped in to note that according to Spielberg&#8217;s theory, humanity on Earth would at least have survived 500,000 years.
“Yes, we survive,” he said. “Or at least a certain percentage of us survives that allows future generations to flourish.”
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Director Steven Spielberg poses with E.T. at Carlo Rimbaldi studio in April, 1982 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by

Steven Spielberg Drops Bizarre UFO Conspiracy That Aliens Could Be Time-Traveling Earthlings

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Three-time Academy Award-winning director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/steven-spielberg">Steven Spielberg</a> recently admitted that he doesn’t regret turning down the chance to work on “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/harry-potter">Harry Potter</a>.”
The 76-year-old Hollywood mainstay could have been part of the successful franchise based on the best-selling books, but he says he chose time with his family instead. 
Spielberg <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/steven-spielberg-ss-rajamouli-rrr-the-fabelmans-video-1235519008/">told</a> &#8220;RRR&#8221; director S.S. Rajamouli that the first &#8220;Harry Potter&#8221; installment was one of many films he turned down when his children were young. The “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">Jaws</a>” director says he made the right choice.
&#8220;There were several films I chose not to make,&#8221; Spielberg said while promoting the release of his semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans,” in India. &#8220;They offered me &#8216;Harry Potter&#8217; and I chose to turn down the first &#8216;Harry Potter&#8217; to basically spend the next year and a half with my family, my young kids growing up.&#8221;
&#8220;So, I sacrificed a great franchise — which today looking back I&#8217;m very happy to have done — to be with my family,&#8221; he continued.
&#8220;Kate [Capshaw] and I started raising a family and we started having children,&#8221; Spielberg continued. &#8220;The choice I had to make in taking a job that would move me to another country for four or five months where I wouldn&#8217;t see my family every day.&#8221;
He went on to say that his family often came along to make big-budget films overseas throughout his career, like when they all moved to Poland for four and a half months while filming the Oscar-winning drama &#8220;Schindler&#8217;s List.&#8221; 
The first and second movies in the franchise, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001) and &#8220;Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002), were both directed by Chris Columbus.
Spielberg has seven children total (one is his stepchild). 
The award-winning director previously spoke about turning down the “Harry Potter” franchise, saying his kids didn’t necessarily agree with that decision.
&#8220;I just felt that I wasn&#8217;t ready to make an all-kids movie, and my kids thought I was crazy. And the books were by that time popular, so when I dropped out, I knew it was going to be a phenomenon,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a359082/steven-spielberg-on-harry-potter-my-kids-thought-i-was-crazy-to-quit/">told</a> Digital Spy in 2012.

2022 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night 40th Anniversary Screening Of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial‚Ä¶” – Arrivals

Steven Spielberg Says He’s ‘Very Happy’ He Turned Down ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise To Spend Time With Young Family

Steven Spielberg Says He's 'Very Happy' He Turned Down 'Harry Potter' Franchise To Spend Time With Young Family

Harry Potter

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg complimented Tom Cruise at Monday&#8217;s Academy Awards luncheon, telling him that his film “Top Gun: Maverick” may well have saved Hollywood.
“Top Gun: Maverick” has <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2500036097/?ref_=bo_yld_table_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grossed</a> $1.48 billion worldwide since its release in May 2022. Other films did well in 2022; “<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr1700221445/?ref_=bo_ydw_table_3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jurassic World: Dominion</a>,” which opened in June, has raked in over $1 billion worldwide; “<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr535450117/?ref_=bo_ydw_table_4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness</a>” and “<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr101863941/?ref_=bo_ydw_table_5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minions: The Rise of Gru</a>” took in almost $1 billion since their releases in May and July, respectively. “<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr1943818757/?ref_=bo_ydw_table_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Avatar: The Way Of Water</a>,” which opened in December, outdid them all, earning over $2.2 billion worldwide.
&#8220;You saved Hollywood’s ass, and you might have saved theatrical distribution,&#8221; Spielberg told Cruise, &#8220;Seriously, ’Maverick’ might have saved the entire theatrical industry.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/marisatomay/status/1625403462635626497
Cruise insisted that his film be released in theaters rather than on streaming services, which have burgeoned since the COVID pandemic.
The two men have worked together on two films: “Minority Report” and “War Of The Worlds.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” is nominated for best picture, along with “All Quiet On The Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Banshees Of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” “Tar,” Triangle Of Sadness,” and “Women Talking.”
“The pandemic created an opportunity for streaming platforms to raise their subscriptions to record-breaking levels and also throw some of my best filmmaker friends under the bus as their movies were unceremoniously not given theatrical releases,” Spielberg told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/movies/steven-spielberg-the-fabelmans.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> in December. “They were paid off and the films were suddenly relegated to, in this case, HBO Max. The case I’m talking about. And then everything started to change.”
“I think there has to be a concerted effort on the part of movie directors to demand that the streaming services footing the bill for most of these films give their movies a chance to be exhibited theatrically and not just in four theaters to qualify for awards. It’s going to have to come from all of us — the WGA [the Writers Guild], the DGA [the Directors Guild], and eventually the academy,” he declared.
“Certain movies are perfectly suitable to the iPad or the living room. So the decision that executives and executives like myself at Amblin Partners have to make is: Do we consign this movie to a streaming service or this other movie to a four- or six-week theatrical window? &#8230; We don’t want these chains to file Chapter 11. We want theaters to stay open,” he concluded.

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‘You Saved Hollywood’s A**’: Spielberg Praises Cruise For ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Spielberg Praises Cruise For ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

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