Now that X-Men ‘97 is a major hit, it’d make sense for others to want to capitalize on its success and try to revive other superhero animated shows from the 90s and 2000s, specifically James Gunn, who has the extensive DC catalog at his disposal and the responsibility to make it a success. But he’s absolutely no plan to jump on this train.

Long before its release, X-Men ‘97 was heavily hyped up with merchandise, an epic trailer, endless rumors, and more. Since it hit Disney Plus, fans and critics have only fallen in love with it more, and have given it a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Of course, the success of the MCU directs questions at the still-trying-to-find-its-feet DCU.

On X (formerly Twitter), user @iamthelangston asked the powerhouse director and Co-CEO if he’d be willing to give the fans a reboot of Justice League Unlimited because Beau DeMayo gave everyone “the gargantuan hit X-MEN ‘97.” In response, Gunn wrote that X-Men ‘97 “is fun because it’s unique and not desperately trying to follow the trends of everything around it. So I’d rather just keep doing that.” Many other X users backed up Gunn’s response in the replies section, giving him props for wanting to focus on telling great original stories instead of following what’s hot.

The thing that makes X-Men ‘97 great is that it was a totally unexpected serving from Disney. With the countless Marvel movies and shows the studio has released, one would assume that the franchise would follow the same format, and just work on expanding their universe. Instead, they decided to throw a curveball and bring back something that would not only spark nostalgia in Gen X’ers and Millennials but also give younger X-Men fans something fresh and fun (that isn’t tied to the MCU). 

As for James Gunn, if he were to recreate Justice League Unlimited, he likely would be met with scrutiny for it for a variety of reasons, including accusations that he is just copying X-Men ‘97’s success and not genuinely making the show for the nostalgia and love many have for it. While he doesn’t say it, there is also the fact that the animated DC series had a solid run and ended on a perfect note.

Based on more recent moves and comments, it’s obvious that the studio executive truly is focusing on new stories and refuses to be dependent on the old stuff or cater to what everyone else wants. Back in 2022, he was quoted saying that DC would be going through an “unavoidable transitional period” via People. And allegedly, it was he who made the controversial move to cut ties with Henry Cavill, whom fans were expecting to see in another Superman movie, though he denied the same. The same goes for Gal Gadot’s canned return as Wonder Woman.

David Corenswet is now Clark Kent/Superman in a revamped storyline. There’s no news yet about a new Wonder Woman, but when there is one, the person will most likely be introduced to a fresh take on the Amazonian warrior.

Gunn’s assessment of X-Men ‘97 also confirms that Justice League Unlimited won’t be part of his plans for the DCU anytime soon. Now, there is no need to feel all disappointed since he has been busy with other IPs and working on the stories he is passionate about. The newest Superman will be released next July, which many fans are waiting for anxiously. While the director ended his MCU run on a glowing note, it’s the arrival of the man in the red cape that will decide whether his design for the shaky cinematic world of DC will restore stability to its new run.

There is one phrase that can be used to sum up Episode 10 of Shōgun, and the entire season: War is inevitable. From the moment viewers laid eyes on John Blackthorne and his crew, and witnessed them being taken captive by Lord Toranaga, it was clear that getting out of Japan alive wasn’t going to be easy. This turned out to be a complete understatement as creators treated the epic miniseries as a giant game of chess, toying with audiences’ emotions with one (and often manipulative) surprise after another up until the final battle.

Now that the final episode has dropped, fans can finally have closure and see what happens to Blackthorne, Lord Toranaga, and the other key players. For those who haven’t seen it yet, be aware that there are spoilers ahead.

Is Lady Mariko really dead?

Episode 9 ended with probably the biggest twist no one was expecting: the apparent death of Lady Mariko. As seen, she was caught in the explosion caused by Ishido’s ninjas in the Osaka castle, sacrificing herself to save everyone else. Even though the outlook was bleak, there was still some hope that she’d be okay in the end.

Unfortunately, in the finale, it’s shown that she indeed did die from the explosion’s impact, and that Blackthorne is heartbroken over the incident. As tragic as it was, she did it as part of her duties to Toranaga, which included exposing Ishido and taking away his and Ochiba-no-kata’s leverage. So, up until the very last moment, Lady Mariko maintained her loyalty and ensured that her death (which can be assumed was always meant to happen) was purposeful.

Why is Blackthorne’s life spared, and who destroyed his ship?

Audiences learn as he’s leaving Osaka, Blackthorne’s life was spared thanks to Lady Mariko. He’s told by Father Ajiro that he was never supposed to make it out of Osaka alive, but that Lady Mariko asked for him to not be harmed by making an arrangement with the Church by exchanging the Erasmus for his life. Just a bit later, upon returning to Ajiro, the release is quickly soured once he sees that his ship has been destroyed.

Viewers are led to think that allies of the church burned Blackthorne’s vessel. But, it was actually Toranaga’s doing for a few reasons: To keep the Englishman from leaving Japan (and shape his future forever), and to test and see whether he was actually loyal towards the greater good of Japan. Toranaga let Blackthorne know of his dislike with the villagers in Ajiro, and would punish them as he thought they were the ones who sank the Erasmus.

Instead of letting that happen, Blackthorne’s nobleness shined through. He told Toranaga that he was to blame, and that he’d sacrifice himself to ensure that the Ajiro villagers stayed safe. Toranaga stopped him, explaining that he did it to protect the captain’s life and ward off Portuguese threats towards him. This may seem like one of the smaller incidents, but it’s actually such a cunning strategic move because Blackthorne doesn’t realize his future is now forever in this hands of the Lord.

Is Blackthorne forced to stay in Japan?

Early in the episode, an elderly Blackthorne can be seen on his deathbed. What seem to be his grandchildren are in the room with him, talking about his time in Japan and everything he did. It initially seems like he ended up leaving Japan and had a great life and family. It becomes clear that this is a vision when it’s shown that he’s clutching Lady Mariko’s cross in his hand, which he throws into the water later in the episode. He does this with Lady Fuji, who also pours her husband’s and son’s ashes into the water, showing they both have come to terms with death.

So, like Toranaga said, it’s safe to assume Blackthorne was never destined to leave Japan – but whether he was completely forced to or not is questionable. The Lord was never going to let him leave, as he was useful to him, and stated he would destroy the ship again to hold Blackthorne back. Also, at that point, the anjin had truly adapted to life in Japan, and the lifestyle that Toranaga provided. So, he might have preferred staying in Japan if ever given the choice to return to England anyways.

Does Lord Toranaga win the war and become Shōgun?

It was always Toranaga’s world and everyone else was just living it. Instead of showing a bloody, violent outcome of the war, Toranaga revealed his entire hand while speaking to Yabushige, right before the latter committed seppuku. His grand story included how he used everyone to ensure (and Lady Mariko’s sacrifice played a significant role here) that he had Ochiba-no-kata’s support and could win the war. Even without a battle shown, audiences learn that he was going to make sure that he came out on top at the end, even if that meant controlling everyone else’s fates to benefit him.

In the final minutes of Episode 10, Toranaga is seen staring off into the distance, looking very confident and serene. He also has a silent moment of understanding with Blackthorne as they both nod to each other, anticipating what’s next. Here, it’s not hard to see that Toranaga’s hard work and scheming will drive him to everything he’s dreamed of: To lead a new era of peace in Japan and Shōgun status. It may leave mixed feelings with audiences as he basically did this at the expense of everyone else but he now has all the possibilities to create bright futures for everyone in Japan.

Netflix’s Baby Reindeer has rightly become a sensation with audiences everywhere. Written by and starring Richard Gadd, this true story centers on Donny, a struggling comedian being stalked by an unstable older woman named Martha Scott. The show is intense, scary, and doesn’t hold back ⏤ but those are the qualities that have viewers hooked.

If the show wasn’t terrifying enough, TikTok users are desperate to figure out who the real-life Martha is, and it appears that sleuths have been able to track down a woman twho fits the description. This account tweeted to @MrRichardGadd constantly, even mentioning the unforgettable line from the show about “curtains.” TikTok user @lukeytiktok made a post about it, showing tweets that date back to 2014.

More TikTok users quickly jumped on board the investigation. Others went so far down the Baby Reindeer rabbit hole that they found a Facebook page and another Twitter account that appeared to connect to the same woman.

In TikTok user @goldennhourrr’s video, they showed these additional accounts, along with the original Twitter page shown above. Besides the name being the same across all pages and the mention of her being a lawyer (which is included in the show) on the Facebook account featured, it’s still not confirmed if this is the person Martha portrays.

The video’s comment section blew up with people in disbelief and others who are very concerned for Gadd’s safety. @tarangopaloma wrote: “What if this makes her stalk him all over again .” @jennicasharie credited the online sleuths, mentioning: “The internet never fails to amaze me.” Other users questioned the video, querying how everyone can be sure that they’re not hassling an innocent woman.

Based on what Gadd said in an interview with GQ, it could be possible that TikTok is pointing at the wrong person. When talking about the show, the actor said: “We’ve gone to such great lengths to disguise her to the point that I don’t think she would recognise herself. What’s been borrowed is an emotional truth, not a fact-by-fact profile of someone.”

Gadd also underlined that looking for the real Martha is wrong. On Instagram stories he said:

 “People I love, have worked with and admire … are unfairly getting caught up in speculation. Please don’t speculate on who any of the real-life people could be. That’s not the point of the show.”

For now, no one knows the true identity of Martha Scott. Even with all the speculation, only one person will be able to truly confirm or deny it: Gadd himself. Despite this, it most likely will be a theory that internet detectives will continue to follow closely because of the fascination with Gadd’s life and Baby Reindeer.

25 years on from its initial release and The Blair Witch Project is still absolutely spine-chilling. The 1999 horror classic has endured because of its pioneering found footage approach, which was groundbreaking for the genre

But now, after Lionsgate and Blumhouse recently announced their plans to bring the Blair Witch franchise back to life, not everyone is excited for another trip through the woods – specifically, the actors from the original movie.

Original Blair Witch stars Joshua Leonard, Heather Donahue, and Michael Williams took to Facebook on Saturday, releasing a public letter saying they want “retroactive and future residual payments” for their work in the 1999 film. They mentioned that this sum would be equivalent to what would’ve been given through SAG-AFTRA, and that they also wanted to be able to provide creative consultation and input to any future Blair Witch iteration, along with a Blair Witch grant to help out “unknown/aspiring genre filmmakers”.

This isn’t the first time the original cast has taken action, as in the early 2000s they sued Artisan Entertainment for using their likenesses without their permission in the movie’s sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.

The actors’ original contracts and lawsuit with Artisan Entertainment

While Artisan Entertainment bought the worldwide rights to Blair Witch, the trio originally signed their contracts with Haxan Films, the company started by the film’s writers and directors. But, instead of in-depth contracts, they seemed to be deal memos, or “short-hand agreements” that often precede or replace longer contracts. Problems surrounding this arose when the actors sued Artisan for using a short clip of them in the 2000 Blair Witch sequel without their permission and to block the movie’s release. 

Artisan refused, stating that the original contracts they “inherited from Haxan granted them the rights” to use their likeness and names any way they wanted. Other issues that were brought up include the fact that the memos were copied from a book without the help of an attorney and that they were approached “casually.” Ultimately, their case was unsuccessful and Artisan moved forward with the release.

Lionsgate’s acquisition of Artisan Entertainment & SAG-AFTRA strike discussions

Lionsgate bought Artisan Entertainment in 2003 after the company struggled financially, losing a key executive and failing to establish an internet strategy. The world-renowned entertainment company didn’t do anything with the IP until 2016, releasing the sequel, Blair Witch, along with running a themed escape room in Las Vegas. Not too much has been discussed about the actors’ original contract until now.

And, the SAG-AFRTA strike may play a crucial role here as the franchise revival is put into action because of the new agreements around providing “success payments” and usual residual payments if a project that has hit streaming platforms hits different metrics. There are also limits on AI use, and consent must be obtained by actors “to create and use their digital replicas, as well as specify how they intend to use that digital likeness.” So, even though these might not apply to things that have happened in the past (such as what the actors are claiming, they may be able to have discussions about residuals and digital likeness usage (whether AI or not) moving forward. 

Do the SAG-AFTRA strikes contradict the actors’ demands?

The new agreements that came from the SAG-AFTRA strikes will have to be examined further to see how much they align and contradict the actors’ demands. But, with the new rules around AI, Lionsgate and Blumhouse will need to let them know about the intention of using their digital likeness for anything Blair Witch moving forward. So, Donahue, Williams, and Leonard might have more control over this aspect. With residuals, the original Blair Witch will have to follow stringent rules to meet metrics, which states:

“The total number of domestic streaming hours over the first 90 exhibition days is divided by the total runtime of the movie or a television series’ episodes to determine “domestic views.” The “success metric” is calculated by dividing the “domestic views” by the total number of domestic subscribers. If the result is at least 0.2, a bonus is paid. Seventy-five percent of any bonus money will go to the performer, with the remainder going into a new streaming payment distribution fund to compensate performers who work on streaming shows.”

The original movie is currently streaming on a few different platforms, but it’s difficult to pinpoint where it would stand with residuals. So, while the strike agreements don’t totally contradict what the actors want, much more will have to be talked about legally to see what’s available to them.

Overall, this stands as a very complex topic. While it’s unlikely that a new iteration of The Blair Witch Project will be released any time soon, it can be assumed that time will be spent researching and studying this issue to see if there is a way to keep everyone happy. Because this is a chance to give new life to such a well-loved movie, it’s important for all parties to get everything right here.

Rest In Peace, Mandisa. On Thursday, American Idol alum, Mandisa, was found dead in her Nashville home. Her passing was confirmed on Friday morning through the Christian singer and songwriter’s official Facebook page.

Mandisa’s cause of death has not been announced

It’s unknown who posted the Facebook update, but it states that: “At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.” They went on to call Mandisa a “voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life’s challenges all around the world,” and included a song that she wrote for a friend that passed away in 2017.

The world got to first see the 47-year-old when she showed off her impressive singing skills on the fifth season of American Idol, quickly winning over the judges with her voice. She competed alongside other star contestants like Elliot Yamin and Taylor Hicks (who won the season). She went on to release her first full-length album, True Beauty, soon after being eliminated from the show. The Grammy-award winner became well known for her upbeat music that encouraged strength and positivity.

According to CVHN, despite her happy exterior, she struggled internally. They interviewed the singer back in 2022, and she revealed that she had been struggling with depression after the death of her friend. But her family stepped in to help her. She told the outlet:

“They forced me to get counselling. That’s when I finally started dealing with that grief that I had been stuffing down. It was through my counselling journey that I finally started opening up, and it was through the love of the people around me that I started dealing with these things.” 

In recent years, Mandisa became especially known for her drive to spread love, positivity, and help others heal. She released a book in 2022 called Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy, which explores her story and life journey. She also was a part of The Woman After God’s Own Heart conference in Missouri in 2023. It was a weekend designed to bring people together with teaching, fellowship, prayer, and more.

On her Legacy page, there is currently no updates about an obituary or final resting place. The circumstances around and the cause of Mandisa’s death also remain unknown. There is a Guest Book though for those who want to share their condolences for the late singer.