> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theomnicosm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Monthly December 2024 - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-monthly-december-2024/ - Published: 2024-12-29T14:00:44.000Z - Updated: 2024-12-29T14:00:44.000Z - Description: Three things to know. Two trailers to watch. One article to read. Here’s what you need to know for this month. - Author: Bill Kuchman - Tags: Popculturology • The Monthly, Popculturology, Bluey, Sesame Street, Hot Ones, Superman, DC Studios, Interstellar Wow, is this really (almost) the final edition of **Popculturology** for 2024? (**The Box Office Report** will hit your inbox tomorrow, if that’s part of your subscription.) I can’t believe this is actually the fourth edition of **The Monthly**. It feels like I just launched this element of the newsletter in September. Three things to know. Two trailers to watch. One article to read. **The Monthly** hits your inbox on the last Sunday of every month. ## Sign up for Popculturology and Snackology Join the hundreds of subscribers who already get the free newsletter every Friday — plus The Box Office Report, Deep SNL Thoughts, The Monthly, special editions and Snackology. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. ➕ Already a ****Popculturology** subscriber? ****Please consider becoming a supporter** by [****upgrading your account**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/). 🍪 Wanna add ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/). --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/12/122924-banners-1.jpg) Bandit, Chili, Bingo Bluey, ****Elmo** and ****Sean Evans**. / Ludo Studio, Sesame Workshop, First We Feast ## 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ### A *Bluey* movie, for real life What a month for *Bluey* news. On a single day, we learned that a *Bluey* movie was in the works ... and that *Bluey* creator **Joe Blumm** planned to step away from the core *Bluey* TV show. Since “The Sign” premiered in April, *Bluey* fans have been wondering what the future held for the show. It turned out the answer was, well, an extra episode of the show that teased an older *Bluey* (with a surprise!) and a bunch of shorts under the *Bluey Minisodes* banner. If you had asked me a few weeks ago what my guess was for the future of *Bluey*, I would’ve pointed at those *Minisodes*. They’re quick hits and seemingly don’t require any new lines from the aging kids who voice Bluey and Bingo. But now there’s a movie on the way. Will we hear new voices for Bluey and Bingo? Will it take place in that future teased by “Surprise!”? Either way, it’s going to make a ton of money at the box office. Brumm [announcing on the same day](https://www.bluey.tv/blog/a-letter-from-joe-brumm/?ref=theomnicosm.com) that the movie was revealed that he’s “decided to take a break from my involvement in the TV series” was honestly the bigger surprise. Brumm is *Bluey*. *Bluey* is Brumm. What does *Bluey* look like without his involvement? *Rolling Stone*’s **Alan Sepinwall** [poked at the confusion](https://bsky.app/profile/sepinwall.bsky.social/post/3ldjmrwhjjc2n?ref=theomnicosm.com) over where Brumm ends and *Bluey* begins, comparing Brumm to *Calvin & Hobbes* creator **Bill Waterson**. There’s going to come a day when Disney writes a very, very large check for *Bluey*. (The Mouse also scored rights to have [*Bluey* characters in its parks and cruises](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-bluey-disney-world-disneyland-disney-cruise-line-1236091003/?ref=theomnicosm.com).) And it’s going to be a lot easier for Brumm and Ludo Studio to accept that check now that Brumm has begun separating himself from the franchise. [***(Disney)***](https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/bluey-movie-disney/?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### Warner Bros. opts out of *Sesame Street* **Elmo** and his neighbors are in need of a new home. Warner Bros. Discovery chose to not renew its production deal with Sesame Workshop, putting the future of *Sesame Street* into flux. (A future that already sounds rough based on [a *Washington Post* piece that notes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2024/sesame-street-wellbeing-hbo-struggles/?utm%5Fcampaign=wp%5Fmain&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=bluesky) that kids don’t recognize Bert and Ernie anymore and that the show is paring its core Muppet cast down to just Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and Grover.) Since 2016, new episodes of *Sesame Street* have run on HBO (and later Max) before eventually airing for free on PBS. Without a deal, *Sesame Street* will either need a new production partner — Apple TV+? Netflix? — or the show won’t be able to fund the cost of creating new episodes. This is the latest black eye for WBD CEO **David Zaslav**. After previously scrapping a *Batgirl* movie and killing the finished *Coyote vs. Acme* Looney Tunes movie for a tax write-off, Zaslav’s company is now saying that it doesn’t believe that keeping an iconic show like *Sesame Street* alive is part of its future. [***(The Hollywood Reporter)***](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hbo-cancels-sesame-street-licensing-deal-show-streaming-service-1235985075/?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### A hot check for *Hot Ones* There’s an iconic scene in the first *Iron Man* movie where **Jeff Bridges**’ Obadiah Stane dresses down one of his scientists tasked with replicating Tony Stark’s ARC reactor. “Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!” Stane yells. Well, **Sean Evans** and **Chris Schonberger** were able to build a YouTube show worth $82.5 million in a black room with hot questions and even hotter wings. After being precariously shopped around by *BuzzFeed*, First We Feast (the company that produces *Hot Ones*) was sold for that massive sum to a group that included Evans and Schonberger earlier this month. The deal puts the duo firmly in control of the future of *Hot Ones*, with Evans now the company’s chief creative officer and Shonberger its chief executive officer. While the deal is a huge triumph for the *Hot Ones* team, it’s another failure for *BuzzFeed*. “That a dude with a couple cameras and a plate of appetizers can make something worth $82.5 million and a media company looks at that and goes ‘couldn’t we make even more money if we had AI do it?’ tells you exactly how stupid these people are,” [someone joked on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/dangercart.bsky.social/post/3ld6vh73gyk2k?ref=theomnicosm.com). And, yes, *BuzzFeed* plans to take that money and invest it in AI, with CEO **Jonah Peretti** [saying his company](https://thedesk.net/2024/12/buzzfeed-sells-hot-ones/?ref=theomnicosm.com) “we will continue to invest in our most scalable and tech enabled services, launching new AI-powered interactive experiences, and delivering for our loyal audience and business partners.” [***(Deadline)***](https://deadline.com/2024/12/hot-ones-new-investment-1236201423/?ref=popculturology.news) --- 💰 Like what you’re reading on ****Popculturology**? [Send ****a one-time tip to show your support** for the newsletter. ](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/support) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/12/122924-banners2.jpg) ****Henry Cavill** and an unknown undead character. / DC Studios, Columbia Pictures ## 2 TRAILERS YOU NEED TO WATCH ### Superman A ton is riding on **James Gunn**’s ability to deliver a Superman movie that honors the character and connects with audiences in the 2020s. After watching Superman turn bitter with **Zack Snyder**’s take (a version of the character that I don’t blame **Henry Cavill** for), fans of the character got their first taste of a more hopeful Man of Steel with the first teaser trailer for *Superman*. “What Gunn appears to be grappling with isn’t the need for a Superman or the resigned acceptance that there is one, but the question of ‘how do we make the world want a Superman?’” *The Hollywood Reporter*’s **Richard Newby** [asked in his writeup of the trailer](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/is-superman-needed-2025-new-trailer-1236090597/?ref=theomnicosm.com). It’s impossible to decipher what the actual movie will be like from a teaser like this, but that shot of Superman saving a girl from an explosion gives me a ton of, well, hope that Gunn is going to get this one right. • • • ### 28 Years Later Here’s a trailer that was over two decades in the making. After delivering the groundbreaking *28 Days Later* in 2002, director **Danny Boyle** and screenwriter **Alex Garland** passed on the film’s inevitable sequel, *28 Weeks Later*. (Don’t worry, the duo would keep busy, with Boyle winning an Oscar for directing *Slumdog Millionaire* and Garland writing and directing films like *Ex Machina* and *Annihilation*.) The duo has reunited for *28 Years Later*, with Sony releasing the chilling first trailer for the film this month. The trailer is especially tense thanks to [the recording of the **Rudyard Kipling** poem “Boots”](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/10/28-years-later-trailer?ref=theomnicosm.com) echoing through it. Sony has a ton of confidence in the story Boyle and Garland are telling in *28 Years Later*, already putting *28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple* into the works with *The Marvels* and *Candyman* director **Nia DaCosta** at the helm. --- 📱 Follow me on [****Bluesky**](https://bsky.app/profile/billkuchman.bsky.social?ref=theomnicosm.com) and [****Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/popculturology/?ref=theomnicosm.com). --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2024/12/122924-banners3.jpg) ## 1 ARTICLE YOU NEED TO READ ### *Interstellar*’s Most Enduring Quality Is Exactly What People Used to Hate About It I love *Interstellar*. Over the past few years, I’ve tweeted and posted about my love for it, noting that I hoped people would eventually appreciate it as **Christopher Nolan**’s greatest movie. That time has finally arrived as we celebrate *Interstellar*’s tenth anniversary. In addition to a virtually sold-out IMAX re-release, the movie has been celebrated by many well-respected pop culture writers. **Birge Ebiri** is one of those writers. *Vulture* published a piece from Ebiri earlier this month focusing on love being at the core of *Interstellar* — a concept that was often ridiculed when the film was first released — and proclaiming that “*Interstellar* now feels like one of the greatest films ever made about being a parent.” [***(Vulture)***](https://www.vulture.com/article/interstellars-best-quality-was-once-seen-as-its-fatal-flaw.html?ref=popculturology.news) --- ## CATCHING UP Here’s what you might have missed from **Popculturology** and **Snackology** this month ... ### Friday Newsletter - [A hopeful *Superman* trailer takes flight](https://www.theomnicosm.com/a-hopeful-superman-trailer-takes-flight/) - [Disney recycles Chris Evans and *Tangled*](https://www.theomnicosm.com/disney-recycles-chris-evans-and-tangled/) - [*Skeleton Crew* is up to something ...](https://www.theomnicosm.com/skeleton-crew-is-up-to-something/) - [Is *Dune: Prophecy* doin’ enough?](https://www.theomnicosm.com/is-dune-prophecy-doin-enough/) ### Deep SNL Thoughts - [Nine Five-Timers Club members (and Jimmy Fallon) welcome Martin Short into the *SNL* club](https://www.theomnicosm.com/nine-five-timers-club-members-and-jimmy-fallon-welcome-martin-short-into-the-snl-club/) - [Chris Rock gets *SNL* into the Christmas spirit with a very special cameo](https://www.theomnicosm.com/chris-rock-gets-snl-into-the-christmas-spirit-with-a-very-special-cameo/) - [Paul Mescal hosts *SNL*, but it’s still the Dana Carvey show](https://www.theomnicosm.com/paul-mescal-hosts-snl-but-its-still-the-dana-carvey-show/) ### The Box Office Report - [*Sonic 3* rings up a huge box office win over the live-action *Mufasa*](https://www.theomnicosm.com/sonic-3-rings-up-a-huge-box-office-win-over-the-live-action-mufasa/) - [No one was cravin’ *Kraven* as *Moana 2* hits $700M worldwide](https://www.theomnicosm.com/no-one-was-cravin-kraven-as-moana-2-hits-700m-worldwide/) - [*Moana 2* cruises past $300M with a dominant second weekend](https://www.theomnicosm.com/moana-2-cruises-past-300m-with-a-dominant-second-weekend/) - [*Moana 2* knows the way to a massive Thanksgiving weekend](https://www.theomnicosm.com/moana-2-knows-the-way-to-a-massive-thanksgiving-weekend/) - [A *Wicked* good weekend at the box office](https://www.theomnicosm.com/a-wicked-good-weekend-at-the-box-office/) ### Special Edition - [*Moana 2* gets a weak ‘chee hoo’ from me](https://www.theomnicosm.com/moana-2-gets-a-weak-chee-hoo-from-me/) ### Snackology - [Taco Bell isn’t chicken when it comes to entering the nugget wars](https://www.theomnicosm.com/taco-bell-isnt-chicken-when-it-comes-to-entering-the-nugget-wars/) - [Kraft Mac & Cheese Everything Bagel Flavor is a menace](https://www.theomnicosm.com/kraft-mac-cheese-everything-bagel-flavor-is-a-menace/) - [Aw nuts, the Toasty Holiday Peanut M&Ms aren’t great](https://www.theomnicosm.com/aw-nuts-the-toasty-holiday-peanut-m-ms-arent-great/) ### And beyond - [9 Political Issues That Bit the Dust This Year](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/12/26/9-political-trends-that-died-in-2024-00195593?ref=theomnicosm.com) ****Popculturology** is written and produced by ****Bill Kuchman**. Copyediting by ****Tim Kuchman**. 💰 Like what you’re reading on ****Popculturology**? [Send ****a one-time tip to show your support** for the newsletter. ](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/support) ➕ Already a ****Popculturology** subscriber? ****Please consider becoming a supporter** by [****upgrading your account**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/). 🍪 Wanna add ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/). You can also follow me on [****Bluesky**](https://bsky.app/profile/billkuchman.bsky.social?ref=theomnicosm.com) and [****Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/popculturology/?ref=theomnicosm.com). ![Spikezoft Media](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/size/w1600/2024/02/spikezoft-logo-final-1.png) **Popculturology** is a Spikezoft Media publication. ***Issue No. 279*** Want to remove the **The Monthly** from your **Popculturology** subscription? **[Please click here](mailto:popculturology@gmail.com?subject=The%20Monthly%20unsubscribe&body=Please%20remove%20the%20The%20Monthly%20from%20my%20Popculturology%20subscription.)** to notify **Popculturology** via email.