A number of nuances remain to be seen, but if it’s true that Percy Hynes White — the actor who portrayed Xavier Thorpe in Netflix heavyweight series Wednesday — truly has had his character written out of season two, it was almost certainly the correct decision; putting aside the fact that Xavier was a definitive weakness of the show, the actor remains in more than a bit of hot water following his sexual assault allegations, so keeping him close would be bad optics no matter how you swing it.
On the quieter side of things, David Yates is taking a much deserved break from blockbuster films by teaming up with Emily Blunt and Chris Evans; it may not sound like much of a vacation from his Wizarding World streak, but the man himself would respectfully disagree.
Meanwhile, a Netflix fan-favorite is bowing out in a big way, while the follow-up to another has decided to take its sweet, old, superpowered time to get here. And, while you’re waiting for said follow-up, why not pop on one of Colin Farrell’s worst-ever movies to help bolster its already-impressive position on the charts?
For David Yates, directing two Hollywood superstars in a crime drama is something of a breather
Pain Hustlers, the upcoming Netflix original film helmed by one David Yates, is due later next month, and despite being armed with a pair of Hollywood heavyweights in Chris Evans and Emily Blunt, it’s an unwinding opportunity for the director, who hasn’t made anything less intensive than a high-profile blockbuster since he got the Order of the Phoenix reins in 2007.
The film stars Blunt as a high school dropout who takes an unstable job at a Central Floridan pharmacy with Evans as the shady owner who may or may not be involved in some unsavory business, so while Pain Hustlers seems to have all the structural makings of another surefire attention-grabber, we’re sure the distinct lack of green screens makes quit the difference for Yates.
With the losses long since cut, Oliver Stone’s efforts on Alexander finally have something to show for them
To say that four-time Academy Award winner Oliver Stone poured his heart and soul into Alexander — his historical epic about Alexander the Great — is something of an understatement, given that he boldly released four different cuts of the beefy film only to get six Golden Raspberry nominations and a loudly regretful Colin Farrell in return.
Indeed, if ever a film was in need of even the smallest redemption arc, Alexander would be it, and breaking into the Top 10 most-watched films on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand is probably a win that the heavily-lambasted feature will graciously take.
Percy Hynes White’s Wednesday days might be over
Following Wednesday‘s otherwise triumphant debut on Netflix, it didn’t take long for the allegations against series star Percy Hynes White to being circulating, and with the case having not improved for White in any way, shape, form, or fashion since then, it seems like a matter of time before we learn that Nevermore student Xavier Thorpe was killed off-screen, so to speak.
It’s no surprise, then, that Netflix has allegedly dropped White from the second season of Wednesday, despite the streamer claiming that no casting decisions have been made at the moment. Only time will tell whether one or both of the claims turn out to be true, but betting on Xavier’s return is looking like an increasingly bold move at this point.
Sex Education will end soon, but it’s all but ready to go out as loudly and proudly as possible
Few Netflix shows are given the luxury to end on their own terms, and it seems that teen sex dramedy Sex Education is more than aware of just how rare such an honor is, as the fourth and final season is set to mark the occasion with a staggering 83-minute finale.
It won’t be easy to bid Sex Education farewell, of course, but at least now we know that we’ll have ample time to do so as it plays the long game in wrapping up its final batch of storylines.
With the summer blockbuster window closing, Netflix looks to be keeping a key release on deck for next year
Between Jupiter’s Legacy, Miraculous, The Guardians of Justice, and The Umbrella Academy, Netflix has certainly tried just about every possible hand in the superhero genre, but it hasn’t quite scratched the franchise itch that it’s no doubt trying to realize.
But The Old Guard just might be its ticket to that particular wonderland, given that the original film scored particularly well with critics and looks to be carrying over its best pieces to the sequel, which we’ll unfortunately have to wait a bit longer for after it was mysteriously removed from Netflix’s 2023 slate.
There’s no need to panic, as it’s more than safe to expect the film in 2024; you don’t throw Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, KiKi Layne, and Uma Thurman into a superhero movie and then can it, after all.