25 From 25: A Quarter Century of Great Movies–Part 1 of 5
There are some excellent movies that didn't make my final 25, and much of that is due to personal taste. As much as I respect 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, the films felt interchangeable and left me cold. The same goes for the 'Harry Potter' franchise and the dozens of Marvel Cinematic Universe flicks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Fantastic Four: First Steps — release date, trailer, cast and everything we know about the Marvel movie
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Minus a John Krasinski cameo as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, the Fantastic Four is an iconic group of Marvel heroes that have been absent from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date (the reason had to do with the characters being licensed to 20th Century Fox). But now the iconic team is set to get a proper introduction to the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Of course, there have been some notable attempts to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen. Chris Evans made his superhero debut alongside Jessica Alba and others in the pair of Fantastic Four movies that were released in 2005 and 2007. Then there was a 2015 reboot that was mired in production issues that made for a less-than-fantastic last outing for the famous quartet. Now a whole new cast of actors is taking on the roles of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, and we've got everything you need to know about it right here. The Fantastic Four: First Steps release date Marvel is going to release The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25 exclusively in movie theaters worldwide. After a slow 2024 in movie theaters, the MCU is coming back in a big way in 2025. Three new MCU movies are slated to premiere this year, starting with Captain America: Brave New World on February 14, then Thunderbolts on May 2 and finally The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast The latest group of actors set to portray 'Marvel's First Family' of superheroes are Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Gladiator 2) as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing. We also know that Emmy-winner Julia Garner (Ozark) is set to play the Silver Surfer, while Ralph Ineson (Nosferatu) has been tapped to play Galactus. Additional members of the cast include Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face), Paul Walter Hauser (The Instigators), John Malkovich (Ripley) and Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso). The Fantastic Four: First Steps plot As Marvel usually does, they've been keeping the plot details for The Fantastic Four: First Steps pretty well hidden. But we do know a few things. The movie is set in the 1960s, so taking place before most of the events of the MCU. (Could it also be taking place in a different universe than the main MCU storyline we've been following?) We also know that the main villain of the movie is Galactus, an iconic Marvel villain whose main thing is that he consumes planets. But we can expect the Fantastic Four to try and stop him. Here is what Marvel has shared for The Fantastic Four: First Steps plot so far: 'Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet.' The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer The first official trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now here, giving us our first look at the Silver Surfer and teasing the gigantic antagonist, Galactus. Give it a watch right here: Check out other trailers for the Marvel movie right here: A new look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps was also shared to announce that tickets for the movie are now available. Check it out here: You can also check out these clips from the movie: The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman is the director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While Shakman only has one feature movie directing credit on his resume (the 2014 movie Cut Bank), he does have Marvel experience, having directed all nine episodes of the Marvel Disney Plus series WandaVision. Now he's getting to officially play in the MCU sandbox. Shakman's other directing credits have come in the world of TV, where he has directed episodes of shows like The Great, Succession, The Boys, Billions, Games of Thrones, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Welcome to Chippendales. The Fantastic Four: First Steps behind the scenes It has been a bit of a process getting the Fantastic Four their first official movie in the MCU. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, and as a result the Fantastic Four and the other Marvel characters the latter studio had rights to, they started working on a new Fantastic Four movie. Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts was originally the director tapped for the movie, but he exited the project in 2022, with reports saying it was an amicable split and that Watts needed a break from the superhero genre. Shakman was then brought on to take over as director. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige is on board as the producer of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while Mitch Bell is listed as a co-producer and Louis D'Esposito, Grant Curits and Tim Lewis are executive producers. Also worth noting is that Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino crafted the music for the movie. Giacchino is no stranger to the MCU, having worked on Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Thor: Love & Thunder. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Miriam Margolyes weighs in on JK Rowling: ‘I think her opinion is too harsh'
Miriam Margolyes, known for her role as Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter films, has criticised author , describing her views as 'too harsh.' Speaking on a recent episode of the A Gay Old Time podcast, the out, proud lesbian said she disagreed with Rowling and called for more gentleness on all sides of the debate. The actress told host Nigel May: 'I think her opinion is too harsh.' 'If you can make people happy, do it' – Miriam Margolyes She also expressed discomfort with the 'fury' shown by parts of the trans community towards Rowling, encouraging kindness and understanding instead. Margolyes emphasised her support for transgender people: 'I really just feel supportive about this tiny group of people who are trans, and if they want me to use pronouns, I think it's the right thing to do. If you can make people happy, do it.' Rowling has long made headlines for her views on gender, drawing criticism from public figures such as Stephen Fry and actor Pedro Pascal. Fry recently called Rowling a 'lost cause,' while Pascal said: 'Bullies make me fucking sick.' Can't say I feel very shut down, but keep at it, Pedro. God loves a trier. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 28, 2025 Other Harry Potter cast members, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, have also publicly supported the trans community in light of Rowling's comments. The row was reignited in April when Rowling took to X (formerly Twitter) to describe the UK Supreme Court's ruling on the legal definition of 'sex' as 'TERF VE Day.' Since then, Rowling has continued to make controversial remarks, including praising BBC News presenter Martine Croxall after she swapped the phrase 'pregnant people' for 'women' during a live broadcast. The author's most recent comment on gender ideology, posted on X, reads: 'Gender identity ideology is an unfalsifiable, quasi-religious belief system.' Gender identity ideology is an unfalsifiable, quasi-religious belief system that demands absurdities of its adherents. Thus we see perfectly intelligent people pretending they're not sure which sex they are, in the belief that this makes them virtuous. — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 16, 2025 The conversation around transgender rights is currently at the heart of political debate, most recently following this weeks update to the UK's Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance. The new guidance instructs schools to treat trans identities as a topic of 'significant debate' and advises educators not to teach that all people have a gender identity. The post Miriam Margolyes weighs in on JK Rowling: 'I think her opinion is too harsh' appeared first on Attitude.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
HBO's ‘Harry Potter' Studio Builds a School for Child Actors to Attend During Filming Over the Next 8 to 10 Years
Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, which will be the production home for HBO's 'Harry Potter' television series, is building a temporary school so that the show's dozens of young actors can keep up with their studies amid filming, the BBC reports. HBO announced July 15 that 'Harry Potter' had officially begun production. Per the BBC, Three Rivers District Council is permitting the studio to 'use a series of portable buildings as a school facility for the next decade. The proposed classrooms have been designed to be used by up to 600 pupils during peak periods, when large crowd scenes are shot, but will typically serve about 150 students. It will operate on weekdays between 5:30am and 8:30pm so young actors can fit in their actual studies between night shoots, reshoots and location filming.' More from Variety HBO Max Scores Record Emmy Nominations Haul Fueled by 'The Penguin,' 'The White Lotus,' 'The Last of Us' and 'Hacks' 'Harry Potter': Nick Frost Transforms Into Hagrid in New Look at HBO Series 'Harry Potter' First Look: The New Boy Wizard Debuts as HBO Series Begins Filming, Sets 2027 Release Date While the planning documents did not cite 'Harry Potter' by name, they did note the schools would be used for a 'significant new TV series which will base itself at the studio for the next 8–10 years.' The BBC added: 'The school infrastructure will be in place for a maximum period of 10 years.' Variety reached out to HBO for further comment. HBO's casting search for 'Harry Potter' included 32,000 children auditions for the lead roles following an open casting call. The young actors who will need to keep up with schooling during production include Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Alessia Leoni (Parvati Patil), Leo Earley (Seamus Finnigan), Rory Wilmot (Neville Longbottom) and Amos Kitson (Dudley Dursley), among others. The 'Harry Potter' series will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2027. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch
