How big has True Crime gotten? Besides been a very popular genre on television and podcasts, and being the catalyst that brings the lead actors together on the hit series, Only Murders in the Building… the genre is big enough to have it’s own convention. CrimeCon is taking place May 31st to June 2nd in Nashville and the event has just made a deal that will have a slate of sessions from the convention aired on SiriusXM. Sixteen key sessions are set to air on June 8th and 9th on the Triumph channel, these will include CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, America’s Most Wanted’s John Walsh, Chris Hansen, Nancy Grace, and Ann Burgess, the subject of Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer. You have to wonder why SiriusXM doesn’t have a similar deal with the San Diego ComicCon. 

Coming out of the Los Angeles Comic Con this weekend, actor Ewan McGregor told fans that they are exploring ideas for an Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2. He went on to say it’s his hope that he gets to wear the Clone Wars armor and do more flashbacks with Annikin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen. McGregor was on a panel that included Christensen and three actors from The Mandalorian, Ming-Na Wen, Giancarlo Esposito and Emily Swallow. The first season of Obi-Wan Kenobi focused on a time between the end of Revenge of the Sith and the start of A New Hope which had the Jedi living on Tatooine protecting Luke when he is pulled away by Bail Organa to rescue Leia. 

Last year, at the New York Comic Con, director Matthew Vaughn claimed to have quit X-Men 3 after he learned that Storm actress Halle Berry had been sent a fake script to entice her to join the film. The phony script was produced to appeal to her specifically as it would extend her characters story arc. Vaughn said at the time: “I thought, if you’re going to do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm, I quit; I thought, I’m mincemeat… One of the main reasons I quit X-Men 3, and this is a true story: Hollywood is really political and odd.” Recently Berry responded to Vaughn comments, saying: “Ya just never know the shady s— going on behind ya back! Thank you Matthew Vaughn for bringing the dark to light.” 

Joel Kinnaman wants fans to know that he would never appear on HBO’s Peacemaker series. The actor played the role of Rick Flag Jr. in both iterations of the Suicide Squad films with his character dying in the most recent that was directed by James Gunn. It’s also the film that John Cena was introduced as Peacemaker and he is the one that killed Flag. Moving forward Gunn has cast Frank Grillo to play Rick Flag Sr and he will appear in the animated Creature Commandos, the live-action Superman and season 2 of Peacemaker. Earlier this year, the director of the second season, Peter Sollett, tagged Kinnaman in a show wrap post (later deleted), which made some believe that Rick Flag Jr. would show up somehow. Screen Rant asked Kinnaman about returning to the DC Universe: “I don’t know what to say. That’s ridiculous. I would never. I would never be on a show like that. It’s not what I do. It’s not what I do.” It almost sounds like he’s insulting the series. Could this be a cover to keep his appearance a secret or is there something more to it? 

Todd Phillips’ original Joker movie was a major hit, making over a billion dollars which is stunning for a R rated movie. He originally said there would be no sequel, but that changed and with the pairing of Lady Gaga with Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie à Deux was born. The problem is this is a very different film from the first one. The term Jukebox Musical was mentioned a few months back and some fans started getting worried. It’s opening weekend and the film is on track to make about $47 million or less. That’s well shy of the $96 million opening of the 2019 original. What made the original do well was the word of mouth. People loved it and told their friends. Reactions to the sequel have been horrible. The film got a “D” Cinemascore, the lowest for any comic book movie. Post Traks had it at half a star and over on Rotten Tomatoes, both the critics and audience agree giving it a meager 32%. So how did this film happen? Why didn’t the studio stop it? Well, Phillips has a history with Warner Bros, bringing in $2.5 billion between the first Joker and the Hangover films. 

Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle have joined the ensemble of the upcoming Netflix crime thriller RIP starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, with Joe Carnahan directing. Deadline first reported the news that the package had hit the market back in June, before Netflix scooped it up ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. Carnahan also penned the script, with Affleck, Damon, Luciana Damon and Dani Bernfeld producing for Artists Equity. The plot follows a group of Miami cops whose trust begins to fray after they discover millions in cash in a derelict stash house. As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything is called into question — including who they can rely on. Michael Joe and Kevin Halloran of Artists Equity will executive produce.

Just in time for Halloween, the LA Opera has put together a spectacular treat for movie and music lovers: a screening of the rarely-seen 1931 Spanish-language Dracula, complete with a newly-commissioned score by two-time Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla. The music will be played live by the LA Opera Orchestra under the direction of resident conductor Lina González-Granados. The Argentine-born Santaolalla, 73, also will play electric guitar (but not his signature ronroco). Suitably, the screenings on Oct. 25, 26 and 27 will take place at the gothic United Theater — a 1,600-seat palace that first opened in 1927 — in downtown Los Angeles. There will be English subtitles, and the audience is invited to come in costume. (via The Hollywood Reporter)

Warner Bros’ Todd Phillips-directed sequel Joker: Folie à Deux earned $7M in previews that began at 3 p.m. Thursday. The number indicates that the $190M+ movie could get to a $50M opening, particularly when comped against movies that exceeded that threshold in their starts such as Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One ($7M last year), No Time to Die ($6.3M in 2021) and John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum ($5.9M in 2019). Forget about the fact that Joker 2's previews are off by 47% from the first 2019 film’s $13.3M, which mushroomed to a $39.3M Friday and the biggest October domestic opening of all time with $96.2M. We knew that was going to happen. What’s not funny is the Comscore/Screen Engine PostTrak audience exits for Joker 2, which tell a different story. While many knew this Joaquin Phoenix-Lady Gaga combo would be challenged due to the fact that it’s a musical, the fanboys full-out seemed to reject the sequel last night on PostTrak with a 1/2 star and 40% positive. Holy guacamole, Batman! (via Deadline)

In their acclaimed run of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto have given Peter Parker the future he’s always dreamt of as he juggles being a web-slinging super hero with his duties as a husband and father. It’s a fresh take on Spidey that’s delighted readers and made ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN a smash hit! This November, fans can celebrate Marvel’s BEST family with an ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #11 variant cover by superstar artist Terry Dodson. With his secret double life out in the open, Spidey joins his wife and kids for a picturesque Thanksgiving feast. But don’t be fooled! The life of this Peter Parker is far from perfect, and with upcoming threats like Black Cat, Kraven the Hunter, and the Sinister Six—not to mention the impending return of the Maker, the deranged alternate universe Reed Richards behind the creation of this corrupt world—Peter will need the support of Mary Jane, May, and Richard Parker more than ever! Check out the cover and preorder it at your local comic shop today!

Fans can now step back into the wonderfully chaotic world of Gremlins in The Wild Batch, and ComicBook.com has dropped a clip to get you hyped for the big return! As you can see in the clip below, the lovable Mogwai Gizmo finds himself separated from his friends and in the hands of the Warden, who runs things on Alcatraz. The Warden (voiced by the brilliant Will Forte) is pretty excited at this development, but obviously, Gizmo isn't. You can watch the full clip in the video below. Gremlins: The Wild Batch is now streaming on Max.

Clip: https://youtu.be/83zLPZh1Sss

Denise Richards (The World Is Not Enough) and Guy Nardulli (Tulsa King) have signed-on to join Patrick Muldoon in indie action-thriller Dirty Hands. Dirty Hands kicks-off in the underbelly of Chicago when a routine drug deal goes bad for the Denton brothers, Richie (Muldoon) and Danny (Kevin Interdonato). Richie’s girlfriend, Sheila (Richards), struggles between her loyalties to Richie and his boss (Michael Beach), as rival leader, Rodney (Nardulli), and his gang are out for blood. With a kingpin’s son murdered, the brothers must fight for their lives if they’re going to survive until morning. Interdonato produces with Take No Prisoners Productions along with producer Nardulli under Safety24 Productions. Storyboard Media has come on-board to handle worldwide sales for the film from writer-director Kevin Interdonato (The Bastard Sons). The movie begins shooting in Chicago this month. (via Deadline)