> ## 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 July 2025 - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-monthly-july-2025/ - Published: 2025-07-27T12:00:55.000Z - Updated: 2025-07-27T12:00:54.000Z - 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, Stephen Colbert, Late-Night TV, Air Bud, Dune, Elio, Pixar, Stranger Things, For All Mankind Hey, welcome to the July 2025 edition of **The Monthly**. If you’ve been reading the Friday editions of **Popculturology**, you know that it’s been a busy month. (I even had to skip including the new trailer for *Tron: Ares* despite it getting an even bigger reaction from my fellow audience members than the first trailer for *Avatar: Ash and Fire* when I saw *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*.) So before we turn the page to August, here are the three stories you need to know, two trailers you need to watch and one article you need to read. ## Sign up Join the hundreds of ****Popculturology** subscribers who already get free editions including the Friday newsletter, The Box Office Report, Deep SNL Thoughts, The Monthly and special editions. 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.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/). 🍪 Wanna add ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/). --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2025/07/072725-cards.jpg) ****Stephen Colbert**, Air Bud and ****Timothée Chalamet**. / CBS, Air Bud Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures ## 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ### Colbert cancelled It’s still hard to believe that CBS has cancelled *The Late Show*, a pillar of late-night TV that’s run since **David Letterman** launched the franchise in 1993\. Is late-night TV [a dying, unprofitable format](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cbs-colbert-late-show-cancel-profit-tv-1236319484/?ref=theomnicosm.com)? Did Paramount sacrifice **Stephen Colbert**, the No. 1 rated late-night host, in order to [secure approval of its merger](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/business/media/fcc-skydance-merger-paramount.html?ref=theomnicosm.com) with Skydance? ([The *South Park* guys, armed with their new $1.5 billion deal, have some thoughts on this.](https://www.wired.com/story/paramount-has-a-south-park-problem/?ref=theomnicosm.com)) What does Colbert do next? If late-night TV truly is dying, does **Seth Meyers** get a renewal for *Late Nigh*t after his contract is up in a few years? Does **Jimmy Kimmel** call it quits when his deal expires? And is *SNL* safe? [***(The New York Times)***](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/business/stephen-colbert-late-show-ending.html?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### Wait, check the rulebook again to see if a dog can’t play basketball The original *Air Bud* should’ve won an Oscar for the iconic line, “ain’t no rule says a dog can’t play basketball.” The franchise would expand to a theatrical sequel, four more sequels, seven *Air Buddies* movies (the dogs talk now) and two *Santa Paws* movies, but nothing could live up to that single line. The franchise is going to take another shot at glory, with *Air Bud Returns* announced this past week for a release next summer. “*Air Bud Returns* isn’t just another sequel or remake — it’s a unique story,” Air Bud Entertainment founder **Robert Vince** said in a statement. “This movie will engage nostalgic *Air Bud* fans while introducing a new generation to the beloved basketball-playing golden retriever, Buddy. It builds upon the legacy of the OG *Air Bud* with all the fun, the magic, heartwarming scenes, and Buddy playing basketball.” It’s a legacy sequel, folks! [***(Variety)***](https://variety.com/2025/film/news/air-bud-returns-theatrical-release-summer-2026-1236466393/?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### Is there more to *Dune* dropping *Messiah*? OK, so this one sounds like minor news — Warner Bros. Pictures is going with the uninspired *Dune: Part Three* title for **Denis Villeneuve**’s next film instead of the much cooler *Dune Messiah* — but there might be more to this news than just a studio going with a safer title. What if *Dune Messiah*, the title of **Frank Herbert**’s second *Dune* book, doesn’t make sense for Villeneuve’s adaptation because he’s actually remixing elements from *Dune Messiah* and its follow-up, *Children of Dune*, into the third *Dune* movie? This could possibly explain how **Anya Taylor-Joy** is still playing an adult Alia and teenagers have been cast as the twin children of **Timothée Chalamet** and **Zendaya**. If this is Villeneuve’s final *Dune* movie, why not go out by definitively wrapping up the story of Paul Atreides? [***(Variety)***](https://variety.com/2025/film/news/dune-3-title-imax-cameras-1236448953/?ref=theomnicosm.com) --- 💰 Like what you’re reading on ****Popculturology**? [Send ****a one-time tip to show your support** for the newsletter.](https://www.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/support) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2025/07/072725-cards2.jpg) Vecna in Stranger Things and Ryan Gosling in For All Mankind. / Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios ## 2 TRAILERS YOU NEED TO WATCH ### Stranger Things Maybe it’s just me, but I forgot how much fun *Stranger Things* is. Maybe it’s the long delay from Season 4 to Season 5\. Maybe it’s the jokes about how the cast looks like they should all be returning to Hawkins for their ten-year high school reunion. But when I watched the first trailer for the show’s final season, I was instantly reminded of how consistently enjoyable *Stranger Things* has been. • • • ### Project Hail Mary What if you took *The Martian*, kept its screenwriter but swapped out **Matt Damon** for **Ryan Gosling** and director **Ridley Scott** for **Phil Lord** and **Christopher Miller**? Oh, and added an alien who seemed to be made of rocks? That’s the formula for *Project Hail Mary*, the upcoming adaptation of *The Martian* author **Andy Weir**’s latest book. I can’t wait to see how this one turns out. (The buzz I’ve seen sounds super positive.) Based on [the 400 million views the movie’s first trailer got over its first week](https://deadline.com/2025/07/project-hail-mary-trailer-viewers-1236453243/?ref=theomnicosm.com), it looks like I’m not the only looking forward to *Project Hail Mary*. --- 📱 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/2025/07/072725-cards3.jpg) ## 1 ARTICLE YOU NEED TO READ ### Inside *Elio*’s “Catastrophic” Path: America Ferrera’s Exit, Director Change and Erasure of Queer Themes *Elio*, the latest film from Pixar, is on track to become the studio’s first theatrical release to not cross the $100 million mark in North America. (*Onward*’s domestic haul was halted at $61.6 million thanks to the onset of the pandemic in 2020.) So what happened with *Elio*? Why was Pixar unable to follow up on *Inside Out 2*’s historic box office success with this original film? *The Hollywood Reporter*’s **Ryan Gajewski** did a deep dive on *Elio*’s chaotic path from conception to release, chronicling the film’s shift in directors, cast and even its characters themselves. [***(The Hollywood Reporter)***](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/elio-pixar-america-ferrera-director-queer-2-1236301860/?ref=theomnicosm.com) --- ## CATCHING UP Here’s what you might have missed from **The Omnicosm** this month ... ### Friday Newsletter - [We finally have a, well, fantastic *Fantastic Four* movie](https://www.theomnicosm.com/we-finally-have-a-well-fantastic-fantastic-four-movie/) - [CBS cancels Colbert, The Late Show to end next year](https://www.theomnicosm.com/cbs-cancels-colbert-the-late-show-to-end-next-year/) - [James Gunn’s *Superman* is great because its Superman is good](https://www.theomnicosm.com/james-gunns-superman-is-great-because-superman-is-good/) - [Is Ryan Gosling’s *Project Hail Mary* the next *Martian*?](https://www.theomnicosm.com/is-ryan-goslings-project-hail-mary-the-next-martian/) ### The Box Office Report - [*Superman* soars to $57.3M second weekend](https://www.theomnicosm.com/superman-soars-to-57-3m-second-weekend/) - [It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a $122M opening weekend for *Superman*.](https://www.theomnicosm.com/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-its-a-122m-opening-weekend-for-superman/) - [Get your dinosaur puns ready. *Jurassic World Rebirth* stomps to $147.3M 5-day debut.](https://www.theomnicosm.com/get-your-dinosaur-puns-ready-jurassic-world-rebirth-stomps-to-147-3m-5-day-debut/) - [Vroom vroom. *F1* races to a No. 1 opening for Brad Pitt](https://www.theomnicosm.com/vroom-vroom-f1-races-to-a-no-1-opening-for-brad-pitt/) ### Snackology - [‘You win’: Blueberry Pie Oreo cookies are back](https://www.theomnicosm.com/you-win-blueberry-pie-oreo-cookies-are-back/) - [At long last, the McDonald’s Snack Wrap is back](https://www.theomnicosm.com/at-long-last-the-mcdonalds-snack-wrap-is-back/) - [Everything is Awesome Sauce with these new Goldfish crackers](https://www.theomnicosm.com/everything-is-awesome-sauce-with-these-new-goldfish-crackers/) - [Wash down those fireworks with a cold Mountain Dew Summer Freeze Zero Sugar](https://www.theomnicosm.com/wash-down-those-fireworks-with-a-cold-mountain-dew-summer-freeze-zero-sugar/) ****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.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/support) ➕ Already a ****Popculturology** subscriber? ****Please consider becoming a supporter** by [****upgrading your account**](https://www.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/). 🍪 Wanna add ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.popculturology.news/?ref=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). ![The Omnicosm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/size/w1000/2025/05/the-omnicosm-wordmark-new-1.png) **Popculturology** is a publication of The Omnicosm. ***Issue No. 359*** 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.