> ## 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 June 2025 - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-monthly-june-2025/ - Published: 2025-06-29T12:00:45.000Z - Updated: 2025-06-30T20:15:35.000Z - 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, Denis Villeneuve, James Bond, Warner Bros, Marc Maron, Wicked, Fantastic Four, Hot Ones Hey, welcome to the June edition of **The Monthly**. I’m sure it’ll be smooth sailing when it comes to the heat over the next few months ... or years. Before you figure out how high you can crank your AC in July without knocking out your neighborhood’s power grid, let’s dive into 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/2025/06/062925-cards.jpg) ****Denis Villenueve**, the Warner Bros. Discovery logo and ****Marc Maron**. / Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Discovery, WTF with Marc Maron ## 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ### Denis Villeneuve’s word is *Bond*. *James Bond*. The future of the *James Bond* franchise started to come into focus this past week. It’s going on four years since the franchise’s last film, with **Daniel Craig** ending his tenure as Bond after *No Time to Die*. Since then Amazon MGM Studios paid a ton of money to secure full creative control of the franchise. The studio announced last week that **Denis Villeneuve** had been chosen to direct the untitled *Bond* reboot. Villeneuve has been a on tear since *Prisoners* hit theaters in 2013, following that up with *Sicario*, *Arrival* (Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director), *Blade Runner 2049*, *Dune* (Oscar nomination for Best Picture) and *Dune: Part Two* (Oscar nomination for Best Picture). He’ll reportedly complete the third *Dune* movie before turning to his *Bond* role. [**(Amazon MGM Studios)**](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/amazon-mgm-studios-james-bond-director-denis-villeneuve?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### Breaking up is easy to do There goes our hopes for a Superman/**Guy Fieri** crossover movie. Warner Bros. Discovery announced this month that it was splitting into two companies, with the TV and movies studios going in one direction and the cable networks going in another. - **Streaming & Studios:** “Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO and HBO Max, as well as their legendary film and television libraries” - **Global Networks:** “premier entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world including CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., and Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the profitable Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report (B/R)” If we’re playing by the math of the merger/unmerger of Warner Bros. and Discovery, one **David Zaslav** is equal to CNN (and a ton of debt), right? [***(WBD)***](https://www.wbd.com/news/warner-bros-discovery-separate-two-leading-media-companies?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### *WTF* prepares to sign off Everyone has a podcast these days. (Don’t think that **Popculturology** hasn’t thought about it.) So much of where the industry is today can be traced back to what **Marc Maron** has been doing with *WTF* for the past sixteen years. Maron’s podcasting legacy will live on, but *WTF* itself will come to an end later this year. The comedian and his producer, **Brendan McDonald**, announced this month that they “had an understanding that the only reason we would stop the show was if one of us was ready to stop. So, that happened, for both of us.” [***(WTF)***](https://www.wtfpod.com/dispatches/big-news?ref=theomnicosm.com) - 📖 [**There Will Never Be Another *WTF With Marc Maron***](https://defector.com/there-will-never-be-another-wtf-with-marc-maron?ref=theomnicosm.com) *(Diana Moskovitz, Defector)*: “Even as the show grew, it stayed true to its purpose — real conversations, after a real monologue to start the show — and though it evolved, it never lost sight of its core principles. The show stayed independent, always came out twice a week, and didn't shy away from its success or run away from its failures. It was, from start to finish, a deeply human show. That's just one reason why there probably won't be another show like *WTF* again.” --- 💰 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/2025/06/062925-cards2.jpg) ****Cynthia Erivo** and ****Ariana Grande** in **Wicked: For Good* and ****Joseph Quinn** and ****Ebon Moss-Bachrach** in **The Fantastic Four: First Steps*. / Universal Pictures, Marvel Studios ## 2 TRAILERS YOU NEED TO WATCH ### Wicked: For Good *Wicked* was a huge player at both the box office and during awards season last year. The film grossed $755.8 million worldwide and was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. (It won for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.) There’s little reason to think that the upcoming sequel, *Wicked: For Good*, will be any less of a force to be reckoned with on both of those fronts when it hits theaters later this year. • • • ### The Fantastic Four: First Steps So much is riding on *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*. Not only is it the official introduction of these characters into the MCU (sorry, **John Kasinski** in *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness* and **Chris Evans** in *Deadpool & Wolverine*), but it’s the jumping off point for *Avengers: Doomsday* and *Avengers: Secret Wars*. Director **Matt Shakman** needs to deliver a giant leap with *First Steps*. --- 📱 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/2025/06/062925-cards3.jpg) ## 1 ARTICLE YOU NEED TO READ ### Sean Evans on the Future of *Hot Ones*, Celebrity Interviews It’s strange that a YouTube series where famous people (of different degrees of fame) eat chicken wings, but this is the world we live in. **Sean Evans** has turned that quirky yet simple formula into a growing media empire. Along with his co-creator, **Chris Schonberger**, Evans now owns *Hot Ones* and is firmly in control of its future. *Vulture* published a feature on Evans and his *Hot Ones* philosophy earlier this month, including the reveal that Complex at one point was ready to sell the show to ... MTV2. “I was like, ‘What the fuck are you guys talking about? This is going to disappear from the collective consciousness!’” Evans told *Vulture*. “And somebody said to me, ‘Well, the contracts are signed. That’s a big-boy lesson for you, Sean.’ There was so much talk that was like, ‘It’d be a shame if we replaced you.’” [***(Vulture)***](https://www.vulture.com/article/sean-evans-hot-ones-encounter.html?ref=theomnicosm.com) --- ## CATCHING UP Here’s what you might have missed from **The Omnicosm** this month ... ### Friday Newsletter - [The next *James Bond* director is Villeneuve. Denis Villeneuve.](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-next-james-bond-director-is-villeneuve-denis-villeneuve/) - [*Always Sunny* gangs up on *Abbott Elementary* and *The Golden Bachelor* in new trailer](https://www.theomnicosm.com/always-sunny-gangs-up-on-abbott-elementary-and-the-golden-bachelor-in-new-trailer/) - [The summer of Seth Meyers](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-summer-of-seth-meyers/) - [First *Wicked: For Good* trailer brings the fight to the Wizard](https://www.theomnicosm.com/first-wicked-for-good-trailer-brings-the-fight-to-the-wizard/) - [Sometimes you gotta call it quits](https://www.theomnicosm.com/sometimes-you-gotta-call-it-quits/) ### Deep SNL Thoughts - [Let’s rank all 20 hosts of *SNL* Season 50](https://www.theomnicosm.com/lets-rank-all-20-hosts-of-snl-season-50/) ### The Box Office Report - [*Elio* no ... Pixar’s latest crash lands with studio’s worst debut](https://www.theomnicosm.com/elio-no-pixars-latest-crash-lands-with-studios-worst-debut/) - [*How to Train Your Dragon* redo reheats box office with an $83.7M opening weekend](https://www.theomnicosm.com/how-to-train-your-dragon-redo-reheats-box-office-with-an-83-7m-opening-weekend/) - [*Ballerina* loses to *Lilo & Stitch* remake in box office dance off](https://www.theomnicosm.com/ballerina-loses-to-lilo-stitch-remake-in-box-office-dance-off/) - [*Karate Kid: Legends* fails to put up a fight against *Lilo & Stitch* and *Mission: Impossible*](https://www.theomnicosm.com/karate-kid-legends-fails-to-put-up-a-fight-against-lilo-stitch-and-mission-impossible/) - [Well, at least Disney has $183M to show for its live-action *Lilo & Stitch* remake](https://www.theomnicosm.com/well-at-least-disney-has-183m-to-show-for-its-live-action-lilo-stitch-remake/) ### Snackology - [It turns out I can get enough of the Selena Gomez Oreos](https://www.theomnicosm.com/it-turns-out-i-can-get-enough-of-the-selena-gomez-oreos/) - [Strips! Tacos! Burritos! Taco Bell goes all in on Crispy Chicken](https://www.theomnicosm.com/strips-tacos-burritos-taco-bell-goes-all-in-on-crispy-chicken/) - [Popeyes gets wrapped up in the Chicken Wrap battle](https://www.theomnicosm.com/popeyes-gets-wrapped-up-in-the-chicken-wrap-battle/) - [I’m gonna go back for s’more of McDonald’s Hershey’s S’mores McFlurry](https://www.theomnicosm.com/im-gonna-go-back-for-smore-of-mcdonalds-hersheys-smores-mcflurry/) - [Snack Chat May 2025](https://www.theomnicosm.com/snack-chat-may-2025/) - [Is cracking open a can of Miller Lite Pringles the perfect way to jump into summer?](https://www.theomnicosm.com/snackology-pringle/) ****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. 349*** 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.