> ## 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 October 2024 - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-monthly-october-2024/ - Published: 2024-10-27T13:00:12.000Z - Updated: 2024-10-27T13:00:12.000Z - 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, Christopher Nolan, Joker, Blade, Dune, What We Do in the Shadows Why hello there. Welcome to the second edition of **The Monthly**. October is just about over, so now it’s time to boil the month down to its most important bits of pop culture news. 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/2024/10/102724-banners.jpg) ****Christopher Nolan**, ****Joaquin Phoenix**, ****Lady Gaga** and ****Wesley Snipes**. / Warner Bros. Pictures, Marvel Studios ## 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ### Nolan sticks with Universal for mysterious next film A new **Christopher Nolan** movie is always a big deal. The director has delivered a string of critical and box office hits, launching the *Dark Knight Trilogy*, diving into dreams with *Inception*, taking us into the cosmos with *Interstellar*, showing us the creation of the atomic bomb with *Oppenheimer* and, um, doing whatever it is he did with *Tenet*. (Look, I haven’t seen *Tenet*.) The news that Nolan has a new movie in the works isn’t a surprise. The fact that Nolan is sticking with Universal Pictures, though, is a bit of a surprise. The director had a long working relationship with Warner Bros. up until the studio began sending their films directly to Max during the pandemic — a massive infraction for Nolan, who is a Cinema guy with a capital C. Nolan set up *Oppenheimer* with Universal, which scored a Best Picture Oscar nomination and grossed just shy of $1 billion worldwide for the studio. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO **David Zaslav** desperately wants Nolan back, though, to the level where [his studio gave the director](https://variety.com/2024/film/news/christopher-nolan-new-movie-rejected-warner-bros-1236179734?ref=theomnicosm.com) “a seven-figure check \[to return\] the *Tenet* fees he waived.” It wasn’t enough. Nolan is now heading toward a July 17, 2026, release date for his movie, which will reportedly star **Matt Damon** and [**Tom Holland**](https://deadline.com/2024/10/christopher-nolan-new-movie-tom-holland-1236121603/?ref=theomnicosm.com) ... and might be “[a vampire movie set in the 1920s](https://gizmodo.com/christopher-nolan-new-movie-plot-tom-holland-imax-2000514765?ref=theomnicosm.com).” Or it [might not be](https://twitter.com/krolljvar/status/1848485603219751187?s=61&t=u-ffTtOOkeZK0RxHc-JVFw&ref=theomnicosm.com). We also learned on Friday that Sony has [set its fourth *Spider-Man* movie](https://variety.com/2024/film/news/spider-man-4-release-date-july-2026-tom-holland-1236191085/?ref=theomnicosm.com) starring Holland for release just a week after Nolan’s next film — a move I can’t imagine will please Nolan. [***(Deadline)***](https://deadline.com/2024/10/christopher-nolan-new-movie-matt-damon-release-date-1236099940/?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### *Joker* sequel bombs It’s probably a bad idea to give a director a blank check to make a movie ... and to acquiesce his choice to not test the film ... and to spend a reported $200 million to produce the film and another $100 million to market and distribute it. But, hey, when that movie is the sequel to *Joker*, the film that grossed $1.063 billion worldwide and earned **Joaquin Phoenix** an Oscar for Best Actor along with nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, I guess you let **Todd Phillips** do all of those things. It only becomes a problem when that sequel, *Joker: Folie à Deux*, is not only a critical failure but also a box office bomb. The *Joker* sequel hit theaters earlier this month with a thud. It debuted with just $37.7 million and will likely fail to ever cross $100 million in North America. The film has had such an insignificant impact at the box office, [you’ll already be able to rent it on digital next week](https://gizmodo.com/joker-2-home-release-streaming-dc-batman-2000515193?ref=theomnicosm.com). Both *The Hollywood Reporter* and *Variety* tried to figure out what went wrong with *Folie à Deux*. How did Phillips miss the mark so poorly? “He’s always trusted his gut — and it’s gotten him pretty far,” a Warner Bros. insider told *THR*. “He thought people would get the joke.” *Variety* got a more grim take on Phillips. “No one could get through to Todd,” a source told the outlet. “And the one thing about genre stuff: If you don’t listen and pay attention to what the fan expectations are, you’re going to fail.” [***(The Hollywood Reporter)***](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/joker-folie-a-deux-who-blame-dc-1236025585?ref=theomnicosm.com) [***(Variety)***](https://variety.com/2024/film/news/joker-folie-a-deux-bombs-what-went-wrong-todd-phillips-1236170946?ref=theomnicosm.com) • • • ### *Blade* gets cut If you had reserved Nov. 7, 2025, on your calendar for Marvel Studios’ *Blade* reboot, you can scratch that one. The studio pulled the film from its release slate earlier this week. Despite announcing that **Mahershala Ali** would play Blade back in 2019, this film has been a tough one for **Kevin Feige** and Marvel Studios to crack. The film has already gone through two directors, with both *Ghosts of Sugar Land*’s**Bassam Tariq** and Lovecraft Country’s **Yann Demange** stepping away. Should Marvel cut their losses and just bring **Wesley Snipes** back? Thanks to *Deadpool & Wolverine*, the man who starred in the first three *Blade* films has been embraced by a new era of filmgoers. Can **Ryan Reynolds** convince Feige to bring Snipes back for real? [***(Deadline)***](https://deadline.com/2024/10/blade-predator-badlands-disney-release-dates-1236144383/?ref=theomnicosm.com) --- 💰 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/2024/10/102724-banners2.jpg) ****Emily Watson** and ****Natasia Demetriou**. / Max, FX ## 2 TRAILERS YOU NEED TO WATCH ### Dune: Prophecy I love the *Dune* movies. (I’m still working my way through the *Dune* books. *God* *Emperor of Dune* is a tricky one.) While we wait for director **Denis Villeneuve** to get production on *Dune Messiah* going, I can’t wait to jump back into that world with *Dune: Prophecy*. The Max series is set thousands of years before the *Dune* movies and will chronicle the rise of the Bene Gesserit, the sisterhood secretly pulling the strings of the universe behind the scenes. I wonder who they’ll cast to play the Gom Jabbar ... • • • ### What We Do in the Shadows OK, so this one is cheating a bit. The sixth and final season of *What We Do in the Shadows* [debuted this past week](https://www.theomnicosm.com/all-vampire-no-bullshit-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-is-still-sharp-in-final-season/). But if you haven’t watched it yet or if you were on the fence about watching it, hopefully this trailer will convince you to start watching *What We Do in the Shadows*. This is also the perfect chance to [read about visiting the *Shadows* set](https://www.avclub.com/inside-making-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-final-season?ref=theomnicosm.com) — and to make you wonder why there’s a giant **David Schwimmer** poster there. --- 📱 Follow me on [****Twitter**](https://x.com/billkuchman?s=21&ref=theomnicosm.com), [****Threads**](https://www.threads.net/@billkuchman?ref=theomnicosm.com), [****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/2024/10/102724-banners3.jpg) ## 1 ARTICLE YOU NEED TO READ ### Is Disney Bad at *Star Wars*? An Analysis When Disney announced that it bought Lucasfilm — and by default *Star Wars* — the acquisition seemed like a no-brainer. The iconic studio had already turned Marvel into a cinematic universe (yes, the seeds were planted before Disney bought the company, but Marvel Studios was still in its infancy), and it seemed like a sure thing that Disney could make that happen with **George Lucas**’ creation. *The Hollywood Reporter*’s **James Hibberd** broke down just how hard that’s actually been for Disney. (A super timely topic [in light of the report on Friday](https://puck.news/newsletter%5Fcontent/what-im-hearing-kamala-fears-a-murdoch-whiff-a-star-wars-exile-2/?ref=theomnicosm.com) that screenwriter **Steven Knight** bailed on director **Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy**’s *Star Wars* movie that’s supposed to bring **Daisy Ridley** back into the fold.) From decreasing box office returns to a graveyard of movie pitches to an unclear plan for its TV shows, *Star War*s’ decade-plus life under Disney’s ownership hasn’t been smooth sailing. Can the studio fix this? Or, is Disney just bad at *Star Wars*? [***(The Hollywood Reporter)***](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/star-wars-disney-analysis-ratings-box-office-1236011620?ref=theomnicosm.com) --- ## CATCHING UP Here’s what you might have missed from **Popculturology** and **Snackology** this month ... ### Friday Newsletter - [‘All vampire, no bullshit’: *What We Do in the Shadows* is still sharp in final season](https://www.theomnicosm.com/all-vampire-no-bullshit-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-is-still-sharp-in-final-season/) - [The teens and tweens are buying *Wild Robot* tickets to sneak into *Terrifier 3*](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-teens-and-tweens-are-buying-wild-robot-tickets-to-sneak-into-terrifier-3/) - [Hear us out: Shane Gillis and ‘Sushi Glory Hole’ have me talking about *SNL* again](https://www.theomnicosm.com/hear-us-out-shane-gillis-and-sushi-glory-hole-have-me-talking-about-snl-again/) - [Stupid sexy Sauron](https://www.theomnicosm.com/stupid-sexy-sauron-2/) ### Deep SNL Thoughts - [Halloween horror: Alec Baldwin returns to *SNL* as Michael Keaton hosts](https://www.theomnicosm.com/halloween-horror-alec-baldwin-returns-to-snl-as-michael-keaton-hosts/) - [Ariana Grande keeps it low key — but can’t keep from calling out Bowen Yang’s ‘toad chode’](https://www.theomnicosm.com/ariana-grande-keeps-it-low-key-but-cant-keep-from-calling-out-bowen-yangs-toad-chode/) - [Washington dreams again as Nate Bargatze hosts *SNL*](https://www.theomnicosm.com/ariana-grande-keeps-it-low-key-but-cant-keep-from-calling-out-bowen-yangs-toad-chode/) - [The celebrity cameos strike back: *SNL* kicks off Season 50 on a low note](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-celebrity-cameos-strike-back-snl-kicks-off-season-50-on-a-low-note/) ### The Box Office Report - [No frowns for *Smile 2* this weekend](https://www.theomnicosm.com/no-frowns-for-smile-2-this-weekend/) - [The killing nope: *Joker* sequel bombs at the box office](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-killing-nope-joker-sequel-bombs-at-the-box-office/) - [*The Wild Robot* exceeds its programming to rally for a $35M debut](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-wild-robot-exceeds-its-programming-to-rally-for-a-35m-debut/) ### Snackology - [Surely this review of 7Up Shirley Temple can’t be serious](https://www.theomnicosm.com/surely-this-review-of-7up-shirley-temple-cant-be-serious/) - [Toast or roast the Frosted Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Pop-Tarts?](https://www.theomnicosm.com/toast-or-roast-the-frosted-marshmallow-hot-cocoa-pop-tarts/) - [The Chicken Big Mac changed my entire Big Mac worldview](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-chicken-big-mac-changed-my-entire-big-mac-worldview/) - [Is Wendy’s and SpongeBob’s Krabby Patty Kollab F.U.N.?](https://www.theomnicosm.com/is-wendys-and-spongebobs-krabby-patty-kollab-f-u-n/) ****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 [****Twitter**](https://x.com/billkuchman?s=21&ref=theomnicosm.com), [****Threads**](https://www.threads.net/@billkuchman?ref=theomnicosm.com), [****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. 253*** 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.