ICMYI: Stranger Things transforms into X-Men characters, Duffer brothers reveal Aliens influence on season 2, A potential death for Frank Underwood, and much more!

The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind in Hollywood as sexual allegations continue to surface across the industry, including that of Kevin Spacey. Following the allegations, Netflix announced that this would be House of Cards final season and then suspended production on set. This ultimately led to them severing ties with the actor, leading to worldwide speculation as to the fate of Frank Underwood, Spacey’s character on House of Cards. A decision is yet to be made as the world awaits more news.

Stranger Things went X-Men this week as the artist, Boss Logic, transformed some of our favorite characters into X-Men characters resulting in some bad-ass artwork. Finding inspiration from the controversial seventh episode of season 2, Boss Logic transformed Millie Bobby Brown into Phoenix and Finn Wolfhard into Cyclops.

During Stranger Things 2, we were introduced to Dart, a tiny Demogorgon in the making, that Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) takes in as a pet. With Eleven “closing the gate”, it was unsure what Dart’s fate was. In an interview, the Duffer brothers revealed that Dart, along with the other Demodogs, all perished when the gate was closed. R.I.P. Dart, Dustin will miss you.

It appears that the Duffer Brothers channeled into James Cameron’s iconic Aliens for inspiration going into the second season of Stranger Things. Some of the nods to the Alien series included Paul Reiser, himself, who was a part of the franchise and a scene with Winona Ryder that echoed one of Sigourney Weaver’s most famous scenes.

Netflix released two trailers this week for Netflix’s The Crown and Frontier. The newest trailer for The Crown promises the story will dive deeper into the troubles of Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby). The series will be available for streaming worldwide on December 8th. Meanwhile, Frontier starring Jason Momoa released a trailer for its second season, available for streaming November 24th.

In the world of cancellations, Hulu canceled Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner’s, Difficult People, after three seasons. The story revolved around the two playing versions of themselves trying to make it in New York City as comedians. The final episode aired in late September.

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Hot Topic: Disney’s new streaming service to include Star Wars and Marvel live-action, High School Musical, and Monsters Inc. TV series, a new home for future Marvel shows, an astronomical budget for LOTR series, and much more!

It is safe to assume that Disney is setting out to take over the world. Ever since the announcement of creating its own streaming service, set to begin in 2019, things have been in a frenzy. It has the world wondering which movies/shows will be taken away from Netflix (the current home for all things Disney), and which will stay. While the current Marvel shows are most likely to stay, any Marvel and Star Wars films will be taken off Netflix, and any future Marvel shows may become exclusive to the new streaming service.

However, earlier this week, CEO Bob Iger, provided a list of projects that fans can expect will be a part of the future streaming service. This list is inclusive of a Star Wars live-action TV series and a Monsters Inc. and High School Musical TV series. These all follow on the cusp of the announcement that Rian Johnson will be creating a brand-new trilogy of the Star Wars franchise that will involve the addition of new characters into the universe. Not to mention, Disney’s new streaming service will also cost significantly less than Netflix’s current subscription, according to Bob Iger.

News regarding Amazon’s Lord Of the Rings series has created quite the buzz. It is being reported that Amazon has paid up to $250 million to obtain global rights for the franchise. It is projected that with all production costs and such, it may cost them over $1 billion! This budget is meant to cover multiple seasons and a potential spin-off. If reached, this insane budget would result in this being the most expensive TV show of all time.

Guess Who: The Crown gets a new queen, Ellen Page enters the world of Netflix, Stana Katic headed to Amazon and much more!

Following the success of its first season, The Crown looks ahead to the future of the show as it looks to cover multiple decades of Queen Elizabeth’s life. With season two’s release around the corner, it was announced that this would be Claire Foy and Matt Smith’s last season playing Britain’s ruling monarchs. For seasons 3 and 4, Claire Foy will be replaced by Broadchurch alum, Olivia Colman. This looks to be an amazing addition to the cast as the chronicles of Queen Elizabeth’s life continue.

X-Men alum and Juno star, Ellen Page looks to join the successful ranks of Netflix as she is the first to be cast in the upcoming live-action adaptation series called Umbrella Academy. Based on a Dark Horse comic by Gerard Way, the story follows a family of unusual superheroes that work together to solve the mystery of their father’s death. Page will be playing a character known as Vanya, the black sheep of her unique family who doesn’t possess any supernatural powers. The series is set to release sometime in 2018.

Castle alum, Stana Katic is headed to the world of Amazon Studios, for a new drama series, Absentia. The series has been a given 10-episode order and is set to premiere sometime in 2018. She will be playing an FBI agent who is presumed dead after disappearing and found years later only to find her life has been turned upside down.

Social Frenzy: Netflix and Marvel’s The Punisher makes its mark on the first day of streaming.

The highly anticipated Netflix original, Marvel’s The Punisher is FINALLY here and fans are ecstatic. After his introduction in Daredevil’s season two, anticipation for Jon Bernthal’s version of The Punisher has been extremely high. Controversial, daring, and unapologetic, The Punisher dives head first into Frank Castle’s world before and after his life as this epic anti-hero. Fans have taken to social media to share their enthusiasm, criticism, and excitement for the series that is now available for streaming on Netflix.

Here’s what fans had to say about The Punisher:

“I don’t have a full review of #Punisher today, but found the first six eps engaging and surprisingly emotional and waiting for Frank and Karen to make out is killing me. That is all.”

‒ @emmdib

“One episode of #Punisher before bed & I’m all about it. Close combat brutal fight scenes that feel like the best of the books & low-level thugs that feel at home in a Punisher comic. Jon Bernthal lives & breathes this character with more nuance and depth than I thought possible.”

‒ @CoyJandreau

“5 minutes in and the #Punisher has me on board – lots of Punishing already”

‒ @superandyt83

Rumor Has It: House of Cards may get multiple spin-offs, and much more!

While the future of House of Cards remains to be seen, rumors have begun circulating regarding multiple spin-offs for the series. In the stages of early development is a series revolving around the character, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly). Additionally, two other ideas are being thrown around as suggestions for spin-offs.

Talent Interviews: Stranger Things 2 controversial kiss, Sean Astin’s take on the Lord of The Rings TV series, an end goal for Stranger Things and much more!

Much speculation has been made regarding the kiss between characters Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) in Stranger Things 2. During the Netflix aftershow, Beyond Stranger Things, Sink revealed the kiss was not scripted and spent the day stressed out over it. Following the backlash, Sink clarified she never objected to the on-screen kiss but merely felt nervous since it was her first one.

Controversy aside, Stranger Things 2 ushered in a series of new characters that fans fell in love with. Amongst them was a fan-favorite found in Lucas’ sister, Erica (Priah Ferguson). Viewers fell in love with this sassy character that went to great lengths to be a typical, annoying little sister.

Fans around the world are rejoicing over the news of Amazon greenlighting a Lord Of The Rings TV series. Sean Astin, who played the iconic Samwise in the LOTR movies, and shared his thoughts on the news.

“I saw that the other day, and I thought that was intriguing. I’ve been saying […] that it would get remade. And people always said, ‘Oh no, it’ll never get remade! It’s a classic! They could never top it!’

Another LOTR alum, John Rhys-Davies (who played Gimli) shared his very forward, annoyed thoughts on the future TV series. Davis’s most recent work includes a British horror film, Aux, where he plays a WWII veteran dealing with supernatural murders.

In a recent interview on ScreenRant, the Duffer Brothers revealed they have an idea of where they will end Stranger Things but are unsure how many seasons it will take to get there.

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Coming Soon: Trollhunters 2 gets a trailer, Guillermo Del Toro announces trilogy series, Amazon Studios releases Glenn Close’s Sea Oak, and much more!

After a critically acclaimed first season, Trollhunters prepares for its second season with a new trailer and artwork. It will be available for streaming on Netflix beginning December 15th.

Guillermo Del Toro announced a new series, Tales of Arcadia, that will expand the world of Trollhunters and Arcadia. The second series will be called 3 Below (2018), and the third, Wizards (2019). The trilogy will dive into the world of Arcadia, combining three separate worlds of trolls, aliens, and the likes.

With the release of Justice League, this would be an opportune time to revisit the canceled WB Series, Aquaman, that starred Justin Hartley (This Is Us) as Aquaman. While we anxiously await for the next live-action adaptation of Aquaman, be sure to revisit the failed WB TV series for some LOL moments (trailer and pilot are available online!).

Glenn Close as a zombie? Yes, please! Amazon’s latest release, Sea Oak, is based on the work of George Saunders. The story revolves Aunt Bernie who dies and comes back to life as a zombie on a rageful path to living the life she never got to the first time around. The series is available for streaming now on Amazon Video.

Netflix has picked up a series, Messiah, that will resemble a modern-day biblical drama series starring Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The series will explore religion and politics as the story revolves around a man followers believe to be the Messiah. The series is set to premiere in 2019. In addition, the streaming service will also be doing a comedic superhero movie, Super-Normal, starring Daisy Ridley, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad (also the creator!).

Amazon appears optimistic for its next release, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which was the first show to get a multiseason order. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino and starring Rachel Brosnahan, the series loudly speaks to the recent turbulence Hollywood is experiencing. The series will be available for streaming November 29th on Amazon.

Hulu released news about the second season of the critically-acclaimed Handmaid’s Tale, which will premiere on the service in Spring 2018. The series is currently in development and looks to surpass the success of its first season.