Cheddar News' Baker Machado and Megan Pratz give a rundown of the biggest entertainment headlines of the day, including the Duffer Brothers’ new Stranger Things spinoff series, the trailer for the star-studded film, Amsterdam, featuring Chris Rock and Christian Bale, and the time David Harbour called Ryan Reynolds for some advice. 

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In Entertainment: 'Stranger Things' Expanding Universe, A Star-Studded Trailer, and Ryan Reynolds Advice

let's dive into some of your top entertainment headlines and we're following for you this hour and Megan, we gotta start off once again with Stranger Things as the upside down world getting bigger. That's because Stranger Things creators matt and ross Duffer have now unveiled plans for not just a spinoff series of the netflix hit, but we're also getting a new stage play which is also set within the world of the mythology of Stranger Things. These are just part of the five projects that the Duffer siblings have unveiled as part of their nine figure overall deal they have with netflix, which by the way they signed that back in 2019. The other projects include a series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter stops the tail Zeman, a live action take of anime shows, Death Note and an original series of that All five projects going to be produced through the Duffer brothers new upside down pictures banner. Now, the news of a stranger things spin off comes as season four joins Netflix's billion hours club. The series now has 1.15 billion hours of viewing time over its 1st 28 days of release and that includes both parts of the newest season. So Megan, I don't know if you've seen any of the, the last two episodes of Stranger Things or this last season, which of course everybody is going bananas over. But look, this makes a lot of sense from netflix's perspective given the fact that subscriber counts are going down and if you have this amount of people that are really fascinated and obsessed with this franchise, you have to wring out every dollar that you possibly can to get people to stay on netflix. So doing more of these stranger things things given the fact that you have the I. P. Already is a no brainer for netflix here, I think you're exactly right. And I think that the other thing that's really important for netflix as you mentioned, subscriber count, they already made this investment, right? The nine figure deal with the Duffer Brothers has already done. They want to get return on that investment. They get it every new Stranger things season. But how can they continue to capitalize on it? How can they continue to grow? How can they continue to take this? I p. That is there's that is not going to another streaming service, it can't be yanked away from them, It was made for them. And one of the first shows, I would remind you that was made specifically in the netflix creation umbrella. How do you capitalize on that now that you don't necessarily have the same free cash flow to throw at these kinds of projects that you did for say the Duffers a Shonda Rhimes and Adam Sandler as a talent. I think that they they've really, really they're trying to take what's already working and make more of it rather than keep creating new stuff to figure out what is working and you're so right, Shauna rimes a perfect example because look at what they've been able to do with her with Britain and expansion of all these other things as well. So you're absolutely spot on Megan. Now, let's talk about something else. Seems like chris rock and christian bale have found themselves in a sticky situation in the first trailer for director David O russell. Star studded mystery Amsterdam, take a look Harold, I don't know what you think you're doing, Excuse me. Hello. Got a dead white man in a box. Not even a casket, doesn't even have a top on it in a pine box of old wood. What do you think is gonna get in trouble here? I do do me a favor. Try to be optimistic when we said star studded, We weren't kidding. Amsterdam also stars Margot, Robbie, john david Washington robert de Niro, Rami Malik, mike Myers, anya taylor joy Zoe Saldana. Oh yeah, and why not? Taylor Swift, who done it arrives in theaters on november 4th now, baker. This is so fascinating to me because I think that we're getting to a point where big budget, big productions are really trying to come back and forth. We've seen it with superhero movies in the last, I'd say Probably 12 months or so, but now you're seeing it outside of that genre right, big star studded cast ensemble cast, doing crazy things and this mystery genre seems to be something that is reminiscent of old Hollywood that they're trying to bring back, which is kind of like high waisted baggy jeans? I know it's from the nineties, I get it but like do we need it back? That's what I'm not sure. That's the great question. Look knives out. Really sort of showed that you can have this incredible ensemble of a who done it sort of show which the whole premise is, did they commit the murder or did they not? People don't care they're gonna want to watch it anyway. And by the way, David O Russell. I mean the fact that Joy american hustle silver linings playbook, you would have to think just based on him being a part of this, there's no doubt it's going to be a favor for the Oscar. Meanwhile this is a weird story. David Harbor and Ryan Reynolds there a lot of like they're both amazing actors. Both are funny, they're both in the M. C. U. And both have had their superhero movies tank after their first screen major onscreen role. Help boy flopped at the box office. It received poor reviews. David Harbor reached out to Ryan Reynolds that to ask for advice on how to deal with a major Hollywood flop. In an interview with GQ. The Stranger things star said quote, I know him a little bit. I called him and I was like, hey man, I just need to know something you know Green lantern huge flop for you. What the hell is that like? Because I think I'm going to hit that right now, Am I gonna be okay, Am I gonna survive? This seems like a good conversation. Harbor actually said Ryan Reynolds was sweet about the situation. Now Hellboy grossed a mere $21 million in north America and it scored just 18% rating on rotten tomatoes. I mean that's kind of, I don't know if like that's a good conversation. Like, look, hey, by the way, I know your movie that you did. It was really kind of a flop by the way, Hi, how you doing? You know, all that kind of stuff seems kind of like an insult phone call. It sounds like Ryan Reynolds took it really well. But look, both of these guys rebounded tremendously after this. There were actors out there who have had major Hollywood flops that maybe didn't get a second or third chance. Look at everything that David Harbor has been able to do with stranger things and all these other shows and then look at every program that Ryan Reynolds has been able to create on netflix that have turned basically into stranger things in terms of billions of hours being watched on it. I think you're exactly right. And I want to add one more sort of failed superhero to this and it's Ben Affleck but not Ben Affleck Batman Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck daredevil. I'm taking this way back. I think everyone, you know, everyone knows on this show that I have the worst pop culture references. But the reason I mention this is because it's a great example that you can do these movies and you can come out of it and be like, okay, that wasn't great and move forward. Right. The problem is that well, I'd say I'd say it's not a problem. So much as it is, the reality is they don't make these movies with the star in mind usually right. It's sort of the idea of the character and if people aren't going for the character, they can move on and they don't make as much money. We learn that during the Scarlett, Johansson Black widow controversy that you make the money once people go see it in theaters, you don't make the money on the front end for superhero movies. And I think that that also is like kind of fair, right? It's like, it's like a attorney. You don't pay them unless you win. So we don't pay you unless they're true. And by the way, also, even if they're not a standalone movie we've seen with these marvel films, you can incorporate these characters into other movies. I mean you're having chris pratt already in the thor movie that's out right now as well. So there's so many different iterations of how you can bring these characters back even if the movie that they did as a standalone film is a flop. I watched that trailer at the movies with my kids this last weekend and I was like what what movie is it? Guardians of the Galaxy three is it is it another Avengers? Where am I going with this? But apparently it's super good. So we have to talk about that later. Okay, I got one more for you, another trailer. Viola Davis is back and this time it says you've never seen her before. Watch this to be a warrior, you must kill your test. Freedom. We are the home. The woman king tells the story of the all female army who fought for the Kingdom of Dahomey. Right up until the 20th century Viola Davis plays minusca, the general of the king. James sows amazon. They recruit a new young girl into the kingdom's army of women and throughout the movie we see her and the army's growth while trying to defend africa from white and slavers. This is based on a true story in the in this country of Benin and I just first of all it looks absolutely beautiful even separate from any of the storyline, totally gorgeous. Look at that film making, they look amazing. I love Love Love like a lady themed movie. It is my favorite right? And women doing things that are not traditionally feminine. Right? Fighting warriors. They are you know, they're a battalion of amazon's I think that's a big deal and being able to see people that way But let's not minimize the fact that for black girls and black women this is not a way they've seen themselves on the big screen before and that is huge. The only other example I can think of that's close is black panther. And even that movie centers the male characters even though the women are so bad as to I think that when you have a moment that centers the woman centers her character and centers her growth and development, it's huge for so many reasons. And by the way, even behind the scenes, the director in this a female the head writer on this, a female almost all of the producers on this show female. So it's clearly important that they get this story right as well, having an all female cast basically. And everybody behind the scenes also female as well.