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Frank Herbert's 1965 "Dune" novel has been a colossal inspiration since its release, encouraging countless other authors and filmmakers. However, for years, a successful movie adaptation proved very hard to get it right. Over five decades later, we have Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part One" and "Dune: Part Two," satisfying critics, fans, and the Academy.

While we wait for "Dune: Part Three," what's a fan to do? Well, the influences of "Dune" go far and wide, as do the cinematic influences of director Villeneuve. From the movies that were inspired by Herbert's original novel, to other films that capture something of the spirit or style of the story, and even previous attempts at tackling the material, there's a lot of cinema out there to please fans of the young, selectively bred Messiah figure Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who joins the desert-dwelling Fremen on spice planet Arrakis and quells the feud...

David Lynch as a man and creative force is impossible to describe, as he's an enigma wrapped in cosmic brilliance that we can only pretend we were worthy enough to understand. The legend departed our mortal plane at the age of 78, leaving a legacy of inimitable cinematic, television, and storytelling achievements, where even his "worst" film is better than the average filmmaker's very best. His 2007 film "David Lynch Cooks Quinoa" is one of the most captivating works of short-form filmmaking, and it's legitimately just a video of the famed director doing exactly as the title says — cooking quinoa.

He's a creative force so singular and unique that his work helped us make sense of our own existence. His auteur perspective on the world around us was so distinct that we had to invent the term "Lynchian" before we could even dare attempt to wrap our heads around it. He inspired...

David Lynch is one of the most prolific — and certainly singular — American directors of the last 50 years, and his death was met Thursday with innumerable tributes and memories from collaborators like Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”), Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”).

And while his body of work speaks for itself, the outpouring of support and grief and celebration of Lynch’s life showed just how many people he touched in his decades as one of Hollywood’s most unique voices.

Below, TheWrap has rounded up a number of memorable moments of Lynch throughout the years, including taking “Wild at Heart” to the Cannes International Film Festival in 1990 with stars Laura Dern, Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd and Isabella Rossellini; celebrating Dern’s Hollywood Walk of Film induction with Mark Ruffalo in 2010; and working to film “The Straight Story” in 1998.

Read on for a full gallery of...

One of the all-time greats is gone. That thought went through my head this afternoon when word came down that David Lynch, the incredible mind behind Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and so many more, was no longer with us. The news was a shock as, despite his fragile health, Lynch was still pretty active, teasing potential new projects and also receiving rave reviews for his acting turn as John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. Of course, with this news, it’s time to take a look back at the master’s work, and lucky for us, he leaves an incredible cinematic legacy behind. We all have our favorite David Lynch movies, but here are my top 5 picks:

Lost Highway (1997):

This was an important movie in my cinematic education. It came out in the late nineties, at a time when I was coming of age as a potential cinephile.

One of Hollywood’s worst weeks in years just got worse. David Lynch, the four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, Wild at Heart, The Elephant Man and others who also created the ABC drama series Twin Peaks, died Wednesday. He was 78.

His family posted the news on social media but did not provide a date of death.

Related: Breaking Baz: How David Lynch’s Vivid Imagination Was Sparked By What He Saw Beyond His Bedroom Window As A Kid

Lynch had been diagnosed with emphysema. Sources told Deadline that he was forced to relocate from his house due to the Sunset Fire and then took a turn for the worse. In an interview with Sight & Sound magazine last year, Lynch revealed that due to Covid fears and his emphysema diagnosis, he no longer could leave the house, which meant if he directed again, it would be remotely.

Claude Jarman Jr., who received a Juvenile Academy Award for his heart-tugging performance as the boy who adopts an orphaned fawn in the 1946 MGM classic The Yearling, died Sunday. He was 90.

Jarman died in his sleep of natural causes at his Marin County home in Kentfield, California, his wife of 38 years, Katie, told THR’s Scott Feinberg.

In films released in 1949, Jarman starred with Jeanette MacDonald in the Lassie movie The Sun Comes Up, played the brother of a rancher on the run (Robert Sterling) in Roughshod and reteamed with Yearling director Clarence Brown to portray a youngster out to prove the innocence of a Black man in Intruder in the Dust, based on the William Faulkner novel and filmed in Oxford, Mississippi.

A year later, he played the son of a cavalry officer (John Wayne) in John Ford’s Rio Grande (1950).

Born on Sept. 27, 1934, Jarman was the 10-year-old son...

Paris, Texas, spine #501, is now available on 4K in the Criterion Collection.

Wim Wenders sprawling masterpiece receives a well-deserved 4K update this month from the Criterion Collection. Part mystery, part neo-western and part road trip movie, Paris, Texas is a beautiful depiction of love, loss and the American west.

Related The 100 Greatest Movies of All-Time Paris, Texas plot

Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton) wonders out of the desert after being missing for years. He seemingly has no idea who he is or where he’s been. He’s reunited with his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell), whose been raising Travis’ young son. Travis’ surprising reappearance causes the lives of those around him to be thrown into disarray as he slowly begins to piece his former life back together.

The review

The cinematography, consisting of wide shots, vacant landscapes and minimalist imagery, gives Paris, Texas a distinct visual style that perfectly compliments...

From its Southwestern skyscraper surfaces to its bush- and junk car-pocked bedrock, there’s something slightly off-kilter about the America of Wim Wenders’s Paris, Texas. The solidly masculine cast is nothing if not indigenous: For one, when the sun-punched Travis Henderson, played by Harry Dean Stanton, first stumbles into frame, his uncultivated, hirsute face and dusty red cap seem like natural geological formations that have been patiently waiting, cragged and craterous, for us to anticlimactically discover them. And the relationship-oriented, plot-shunning dialogue by multihyphenate creative Sam Shepherd taps into dialectal heartbrokenness without a shred of disassociating local lingo.

But there are tellingly alien factors out there. How did Travis and his brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) wind up with women who drip sophisticated European sex appeal from their ripe lips and honey hair? And why does every truck stop along highway 10 emit the same sickly green aura that glows like a clumsy,...

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In this age of superhero movies, we rarely see a blockbuster take over the conversation in pop culture. Yes, I know there is Top Gun: Maverick, Barbie, and Oppenheimer but the true era of blockbusters is long gone and so are the movie stars there were times when blockbusters were all the rage and in this list, we are talking about that time, 1990s. Countless films were released in the 1990s and several of them became blockbusters but now many people don’t even remember them and even if they do they are not talking about them. So, we took it upon ourselves to create a list of the best 10 forgotten blockbusters that were released in the 1990s.

Air Force One (Rent on Prime Video) Box Office: $315.2 Million Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79% Credit – Sony Pictures

Air Force One is...

Many of us, whether in the entertainment business or outside of it, choose lives that are constantly on the move with goal after goal being strived for, barely taking a day or even a moment for slowing down to enjoy the sweetness of living. Today’s movies reflect a similar state of mind as many of our favorite protagonists are highly motivated to achieve ambitious dreams, often losing relationships and sanity over their seemingly impossible ends. As if in response to this, Wim Wenders’ newest film 'Perfect Days' (2023) follows a character who acts as the opposite. Shot on location in Tokyo Japan with legendary Japanese star Koji Yakusho giving an award winning performance, Wim Wenders’ newest film, 'Perfect Days' brings a slice of life treat to the modern era of world cinema that is in parts delightful and endearing, other parts somber and thoughtful, and overall encompassed by a feeling...

Conceived by Barbara Pyle and media mogul Ted Turner, Captain Planet was an ecological hero way ahead of his time. The animated series ran for years with some nifty design work by Neal Adams and his Continuity Associates. Each episode featured an adventure and a lesson (of course). It endeared itself to a generation of viewers and remained an enduring figure from the 1990s.

Now, Warner Home Entertainment has released Captain Planet the Complete Franchise, with 41 hours and 31 minutes of environmental goodness. For silly legal reasons, the show has two titles evenly split among its six seasons: Captain Planet and the Planeteers (animated by Dic) and The New Adventures of Captain Planet (animated by Hanna-Barbera) for the final three seasons.

Gaia, the spirit of Earth, was voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, who set the tone and standard for the entire series. She was accompanied by a voice cast that included Margot Kidder...

Francis Ford Coppola has directed some of the best movies in cinematic history, and while that's brought him financial success at times, his lowest-grossing movies standings have changed with Megalopolis. The Godfather helped establish Coppola as one of Hollywood's biggest talents behind the camera, and the mob crime movie proved he also had plenty of pull with audiences at the cinema. The Godfather's $243 million box office haul suggested that he'd have plenty of other major financial hits, but with his proclivity for risky projects, big budgets, and clashing with studios, that rarely happened after 1974.

Coppola still managed to deliver a hit in Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, as it is the only other of his movies to make over $200 million worldwide. None of the other Francis Ford Coppola movies made over $100 million (via The Numbers). The reality is that the director has had more big swings and misses at the box office,...

Two of the most-loved sci-fi franchises of all time have a lot more crossover than you might think. Before starring on "Star Trek: The Original Series," several key members of the enterprise popped up in Rod Serling's seminal series "The Twilight Zone." A few decades later, the same pattern would repeat, only it would be future "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars cutting their teeth on episodes of the '80s "Twilight Zone" reboot. Even the most recent iteration of the show, Jordan Peele's short-lived but ambitious effort that stalled out after just two seasons, has hosted some great past and future "Trek" actors.

It's worth noting that this list concerns the best "Star Trek" actors, and as such, there are no guarantees that these talented folks are actually great or even memorable in their "Twilight Zone" appearances. Some certainly are, while others have only the briefest of guest spots in mostly-forgotten episodes.

Looks like cinephiles will need to make a little more space on their shelves. As has become customary, The Criterion Collection announced its four upcoming December releases today, and you may just need to make room for all of them on your holiday shopping lists. First up, set to be available on December 3, the new 4K restoration of Wim Wenders’ Palme d’Or-winning masterpiece “Paris, Texas,” starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, and Nastassja Kinski.

In his 1984 review of the reflective western drama, film critic Roger Ebert wrote, “‘Paris, Texas’ is a movie with the kind of passion and willingness to experiment that was more common fifteen years ago than it is now. It has more links with films like ‘Five Easy Pieces’ and ‘Easy Rider’ and ‘Midnight Cowboy,’ than with the slick arcade games that are the box-office winners of the 1980s. It is true, deep, and brilliant.”

On...

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Travelers has to be one of the most brilliantly thought-out time travel thriller dramas ever made. Created by Brad Wright, the Netflix series follows a group of travelers who had to send their consciousness back in time to the 21st century. Knowing what is going to happen in the future if they don’t complete their mission, these travelers have to stop the end of the world. Travelers stars Eric McCormack, MacKenzie Porter, Nesta Cooper, Jared Abrahamson, Reilly Dolman, and Patrick Gilmore. So, if you loved the thrilling stories, sci-fi elements, and compelling characters in Travelers here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Continuum (Prime Video) Credit – Showcase

Continuum is a sci-fi action drama series created by Simon Barry. The Showcase series follows the story of Kiera Cameron, a cop in 2077 as she is forced...

Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley encountered some wild villains during his Beverly Hills Cop misadventures, but some way rank higher than others. The Beverly Hills Cop movies are basically Eddie Murphy showing off his movie star prowess, with the original 1984 film only cementing his growing fame. Murphy also hated the Beverly Hills Cop sequels (though his stance on the second film has softened greatly) so much it took him 30 years to work up the enthusiasm for a fourth outing.

While Netflix's belated Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F was far from flawless, it underlined that Murphy's star power remains intact. Time will tell if Beverly Hills Cop 5 will happen, but given the positive response to part four, there's a good possibility. Murphy's Axel is so overpowering in the films that the villains often fail to register, which has been a problem. In short, most of his antagonists have been a bit lame,...

Leonard Nimoy wrote his first autobiography in 1975, titling it "I Am Not Spock." It wasn't born out of hatred for his beloved "Star Trek" role, it was simply inspired by people conflating him with his character. Notably, Nimoy wrote a follow-up titled "I Am Spock" 20 years later.

Spock was Nimoy's breakout part and his most remembered role, but lest we forget that aforementioned memoir, he'd been acting for more than a decade before "Star Trek" came along. One of his more minor parts was in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" season 3 — "A Quality of Mercy." The episode is set in the Philippines on August 6, 1945 (the day the U.S. bombed Hiroshima). Nimoy plays Hansen, one of the American G.I.'s fighting the last days of an already-won war.

The idea of the episode came from writer Sam Rolfe, but the actual teleplay was written by "Twilight Zone" creator/narrator Rod Serling.

After directing two features last year with Perfect Days and Anselm, there’s no better time to revisit Wim Wenders’ crowning achievement. His serene 1984 Palme d’Or winner Paris, Texas has been restored in 4K for its 40th anniversary and will now open in theaters beginning August 30 at NYC’s IFC Center, courtesy of Janus Films. Written by Sam Shepard, shot by Robby Müller, and starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, and Dean Stockwell, the new trailer and poster has now arrived ahead of the theatrical rerelease.

Here’s the synopsis: “New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire) brings his keen eye for landscape to the American Southwest in Paris, Texas, a profoundly moving character study written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Sam Shepard. Paris, Texas follows the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis as he tries to reconnect with his young son, living with his brother (Dean Stockwell) in Los Angeles,...

Sidney Lumet once wrote: “While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and set the mental juices flowing. In a film career spanning 50 years, Lumet explored conscience in such classics 1957’s “12 Angry Men,” 1973’s “Serpico,” 1976’s “Network” and 1982’ s “The Verdict.”

Lumet’s New York Times 2011 obit stated: “Social issues set his mental juices flowing and his best films not only probed the consequences of prejudice, corruption and betrayal, but also celebrated individual acts of courage.” And one should also add redemption to that list. He was always in a New York state of mind. Of the 38 films he made, 29 were shot in New York. Lumet earned four Oscar nominations for best director- “12 Angry Men,” which marked his feature debut,...

Naval war movies provide a thrilling depiction of the harsh conditions and grueling battles at sea. Historical accuracy, genre-melding fiction, and nuanced character studies enhance the best naval war films. From Pearl Harbor to Das Boot, these iconic naval war movies showcase epic battles and incredible storytelling.

Naval war movies were among the most exciting depictions of conflict ever seen on screen, as viewers witnessed the harsh conditions of the sea and the grueling expectations of those battling within it. The debilitating realities of naval warfare have been experienced for centuries as seamen and sailors traversed the seven seas, where individuals, countries, and regions found themselves at odds with one another. From awe-inspiring action sequences to technically marvelous cinematic spectacles, the best naval war movies were among the greatest feats of filmmaking.

The greatest war movies set at sea date back to the silent film era, when directors sought to...

The original Quantum Leap intro laid out the mission statement for the series.

“Dr. [Sam] Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life. Striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.”

Yet the original series ended with Sam (Scott Bakula) never returning home for good. He was still out there, lost in time. Helping people, yes, but without a home. It’s always been a sore spot for Quantum Leap fans. Why would the show end without giving Sam what he wanted?

When the new Quantum Leap series was announced as a continuation of the original series, fans found new hope. Perhaps they’d not only get to see Sam again but he’d finally get the chance to come home. Unfortunately the new series was canceled after only two seasons, without giving longtime fans the closure they desperately wanted.

This post contains spoilers for "Blue Velvet."

David Lynch's cinematic world tiptoes between stark reality and nightmarish dreams, where quaint, perfect lives and locales often hide Boschian hells. While some Lynchian small towns are infused with poetic romanticism despite harboring great evils (such as Twin Peaks), others, like Lumberton, weave an insincere facade with its aura of suburban bliss: a sentiment that forms the crux of Lynch's sensational, oft-misunderstood "Blue Velvet." Most of Lynch's work defies objective analysis, as the foundational ideas he embeds into his stories feel abstract and elusive, but are always tethered to reality in essential and terrifying ways. Although "Blue Velvet" helms one of the most straightforward narratives in Lynch's oeuvre — it is neither as labyrinthine nor heady as "Inland Empire" or "Mulholland Drive" — the film's graphic depictions of psychosexual impulses tend to confuse and alienate, with the merging of the real and the...

It may be a mystery to famed director David Lynch that Patrick Stewart was an acclaimed actor when the latter showed up on the set of his 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Well, sometimes directors have a clear vision of the ideal actor for a role, while other times, a happy accident can result in unexpected greatness. Such was the case with Lynch’s original 1984 Dune adaptation, in which he erroneously cast Patrick Stewart in a role that was meant for someone else.

Yes, Stewart, 83, inadvertently obtained the role of Gurney Halleck. In the process of replacing Aldo Ray at the eleventh hour, the director erroneously cast another Patrick Stewart.

David Lynch’s Dune 1984

Aside from being a financial disaster and receiving negative reviews, the film has developed a cult following over the years, and this intriguing casting mishap is just one of the many oddball tales surrounding its creation.

The  revival of the "Quantum Leap" time travel science fiction TV series, starring Raymond Lee, has been canceled after two seasons on NBC:

"...30 years after 'Dr. Sam Beckett' stepped into the 'Quantum Leap' accelerator and vanished, a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it..."  

"...in the original series, physicist 'Dr. Beckett' (Scott Bakula) theorized that time travel within one's own lifetime is possible, and obtains government support to build his project 'Quantum Leap'. But years later, the government threatens to pull funding, as no progress has been made, and Beckett decides to test the project accelerator by himself to save the project before anyone can stop him. He is thrown back in time, and on regaining consciousness, finds that while he physically exists in the past, he appears...

Back in 1989, the original Quantum Leap sci-fi series was one of the more popular shows on TV. Created by Donald P. Bellisario, the series consisted of a total of 97 episodes spread through five seasons. The original show starred Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Bellisario revived the show in 2022, setting it 30 years after the end of the original series. The series ran for two seasons (31 episodes in total) on NBC, and we are sad to report that the series has now been canceled after two seasons on NBC.

This news doesn’t really come as a major shocker to anyone, as the series had been on the bubble ever since its two-hour season finale that aired on February 20, 2024. In contrast to this, the series had been renewed for a second season in December 2022, while the season was still being broadcast.

The new series starred Raymond Lee as the new lead protagonist Dr.

“Quantum Leap” has been canceled at NBC after two seasons, Variety has confirmed.

The show served as a followup to the 1989 show of the same name starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. The revamped version starred Raymond Lee as physicist Dr. Ben Song, whose attempt to restart the Quantum Leap project pioneered by Dr. Sam Beckett leads to him being trapped in different people’s lives in the past just like Beckett. As he seeks to put right what once went wrong in those lives, he “leaps” to different lives while hoping that each leap will be the leap home.

The cast of the series also included Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park, and Nanrisa Lee. Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt developed the series and served as executive producers alongside Martin Gero via Quinn’s House, Dean Georgaris, Deborah Pratt, Chris Grismer, and Alex Berger. Universal Television was the studio.

Photo credit: “Shutterstock.AI” It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years since Quantum Leap premiered. The beloved sci-fi series followed Dr. Sam Beckett (played by Emmy-nominated actor Scott Bakula), a scientist who time-travels through his own lifetime, “leaping” into different people to make wrongs right. His sidekick, played by the late Dean Stockwell, was a hologram only Dr. Beckett could see and hear. Each week, Bakula played not only himself but also a new character, as the person he leaped into. The series had heart, and that magic was due to the original concept and amazing chemistry between Bakula and Stockwell. Since the original series left TV in 1993, it has gained new fans. We’ve spoken to Scott Bakula about what makes the series so enduring for both new and old fans. (Click on the media bar below to hear Scott Bakula) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker 4K Uhd from Severin Films

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on May 28 via Severin Films. The 1981 psychosexual horror film has been newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative.

Also known as Night Warning, the film is directed by William Asher (Bewitched) and written by Steve Breimer, Alan Jay Glueckman, and Boon Collins. Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson, Bill Paxton, and Julia Duffy star.

Special features include: commentary by McNichol; commentary by Breimer and Glueckman; commentary by co-producer Eugene Mazzola; and interviews with McNichol, Tyrrell, Svenson, Breimer, actor Steven Eastin, makeup artist Allan A. Alpone, director of photography Robbie Greenberg, and editor Ted Nicolaou.

“(Sam) awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better.”

With music!

Of all the ways Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) would leap into others lives to put right what once went wrong on Quantum Leap, the most stories were always ones that involved music. Scott Bakula can do pretty much anything but that man can Sing. The people behind Quantum Leap took great advantage of this and across five seasons they gave him (and other actors) the chance to belt out many incredible songs – some originally written for the show itself and some flawless covers.

Now we’re going through the best of the best of these performances. We’ll be looking at the original series, the 2022 continuation, and an extra gem along the way. To help narrow this list down,...

This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap season 2 episode 13 “Against Time.”

In the Quantum Leap season 2 finale, Ben (Raymond Lee) finally has the chance to get back home thanks to a code provided by his season-long love interest, Hannah (Eliza Taylor) and the work of tech-genius Ian (Mason Alexander Park.) There’s just one catch. Someone will have to swap places with Ben and it’s obvious who’d step up: Addison (Caitlin Bassett). After all, she was originally supposed to be the Leaper before Ben leapt in her place in season 1 of the new Quantum Leap.

Addison uses the Quantum Leap accelerator and ends up in the past. Her hair is different and lipstick is more prominent. She’s leaped. Around her people run to safety as bombs go off. She looks around and spots Ben. Is he now her hologram? The two run to each other and touch,...

This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap season 2 episode 11 “The Outsider.”

Fate. The main narrative thrust of the original and new Quantum Leap is changing fate. To put right what once went wrong. That doesn’t mean that Leapers like Sam (Scott Bakula) and Ben (Raymond Lee) can just change anything they want however. When Leapers are given their missions they’re often small, helping individual lives instead of making changes on a global scale. Why? Why can’t a Leaper, who’s supposed to make the world better, change bigger parts of the fate of history?

Season 2 episode 11 of the new Quantum Leap, “The Outsider” brings this question to the forefront. In the two previous episodes, Ben had learned current love interest Hannah’s husband was going to die of heart disease. In a full Back to the Future moment, Ben writes a letter to Hannah before that happens so she can prevent it.

George Takei's childhood experiences in Japanese American internment camps influenced an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise called "Detained." The episode "Detained" addressed the issue of prejudice and drew a direct comparison to how Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during World War 2. George Takei's role as Sulu in Star Trek allowed him to raise awareness of the internment camps and advocate for equal rights, reflecting his own personal experiences.

Star Trek: The Original Series' Sulu actor George Takei has a surprising link to Star Trek: Enterprise and not in the way that viewers may think. The Scott Bakula-led Enterprise was a prequel to Star Trek: Tos, depicting the early days of Starfleet and the formation of the United Federation of Planets. Although the adventures of Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the crew of the Enterprise Nx-01 took place a century before the Star Trek: The Original Series characters began their five-year mission,...

The The Langoliers episode of Wtf Happened to This Adaptation? was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian. Here is the text of Hatfield’s script:

Well, it’s time to let the King have his moment again. This is Stephen King’s second go around on the show and while Silver Bullet based on Cycle of the Werewolf is a minor cult classic, it’s not one of the bigger adaptations out of his overall catalogue. Today is going to an even deeper cut. While it seems that nearly everything has been adapted, there is a lot that has yet to be turned into a show, movie, or short film. Back in the 90s and early 2000s it felt like his made for TV miniseries were happening more frequently and had more hype to them,...

The new series of Quantum Leap has brought in many elements from the original show. The returns of Beth (Susan Diol) and one-time leapee Magic (Ernie Hudson), name-checking the Evil Leapers, addressing the question of whether Sam (Scott Bakula) ever made it home, and many more. But two seasons in a major part of Quantum Leap lore has failed to be even hinted at.

Sam’s daughter. Sammy Jo.

Introduced as part of the “Trilogy” series of episodes in 1992 in the original Quantum Leap’s fifth and final season, Sammy Jo’s origin is complicated. The three episodes follow Sam as he leaps into different people attempting to help a woman named Abigail Fuller, who in each leap is accused of murder. Sam first meets her as a young girl in “Trilogy Part 1” when he leaps into her father, saving her from being killed.

In “Trilogy Part 2” Sam leaps forward...

While it’s true that insects thrive in warmer climates, They Nest dreamed up a species that can withstand the cold, not to mention turn humans into walking roach motels. Despite its dead-of-winter setting, USA Network aired the debut of New Zealand filmmaker Ellory Elkayem — later retitled Creepy Crawlers on home video — in late July of 2000. By then, the cable channel had unleashed several other “when animals attack” telefilms; feral cats (Strays), displaced serpents (Rattled) and one radioactive pooch (Atomic Dog) all took a bite out of mankind. Their next creature-feature, however, would be the first to truly get under people’s skin.

Former Melrose Place stud Thomas Calabro played yet another troubled doctor in They Nest. Infidelity was among Michael Mancini’s most glaring personal issues, but Ben Cahill is simply recovering from his recent divorce and a drinking problem. After freezing up in the ER and being placed on a forced vacation,...

This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap season 2 episode 7.

“His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear.”

This description, which accompanied the introduction of most episodes of the original Quantum Leap, firmly set in stone the in-show rules for a hologram from the future. There was only one person, Al (Dean Stockwell), who could help Sam (Scott Bakula). Very rarely did the original series change this and the same held true throughout much of season 1 of the new Quantum Leap series, with Addison (Caitlin Bassett) as hologram to Ben (Raymond Lee.)

Towards the end of the first season, however, the new show began to experiment with this long held paradigm. Without the constraints the original series had, that Al’s brain waves were linked to Sam’s and thus...

Are multiverses consistent with Christian theology? Personally, I have my doubts, but in Angel Studios’ religious-minded sci-fi thriller “The Shift,” the notion that there could be infinite parallel realities offers an original, if flawed model to test its main character’s faith.

Here’s how it works: A churchgoing man named Kevin (Kristoffer Polaha) meets and marries his dream woman, Molly (Elizabeth Tabish), only to have his happy life whisked away from him by a steely-eyed stranger who calls himself “the Benefactor” (Neal McDonough). Kevin’s desperate to get back to his wife, but this Benefactor guy seems determined to rattle his convictions, trying to force Kevin to reject his beliefs and go along with the rest of society’s atheist attitudes.

That’s where the movie’s other big biblical connection comes in. “The Shift” is billed as a contemporary retelling of the book of Job, in which God...

If there’s one question that dominates discussion around the new Quantum Leap, especially with those who aren’t die-hard fans, it’s a simple one. “Is Scott Bakula gonna show up?” Even two seasons in there’s still a hope among original series fans that original series star Bakula will somehow make a return appearance as Dr. Sam Beckett.

It’s not as if Bakula has avoided more modern throwbacks to the original series. He made a comedic return as Sam in a sketch on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2016 and a self-deprecating appearance on a Quantum Leap-referencing episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2017. Bakula clearly has affection for the role, so why hasn’t he appeared in the new series?

It’s not for lack of trying. In 2022 the script for the original version of the pilot of the new Quantum Leap leaked online,...

[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for Quantum Leap Season 2 Episode 5 “One Night in Koreatown.”] Not only does Magic (Ernie Hudson) serve as Ben’s (Raymond Lee) hologram in the latest Quantum Leap episode, but we also find out just how the former was affected when the latter was missing for three years. Earlier this season, Ian (Mason Alexander Park) and Jenn (Nanrisa Lee) found Magic picking out a gift for an anniversary after Ben popped up again. Now, it’s confirmed that Magic has been seeing Beth (Susan Diol), widow of the original series‘ Al (Dean Stockwell). In fact, at the beginning of the latest episode, he’s making “a special breakfast for a special lady for a special day” and gives her the earrings for their first date anniversary. He’s also made a reservation at her favorite restaurant — ...

This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap season 2 episode 5.

When the new Quantum Leap series debuted, a bomb was dropped on longtime fans of the sci-fi series. Al (Dean Stockwell) had died off screen in the years between shows. This of course was done since Stockwell had passed away before the new Quantum Leap had gone into production. Thankfully the character wasn’t forgotten as Al’s wife Beth (Susan Diol) made several appearances in season one which helped provide a wonderful link to the first series.

In the most recent episode of the second season, “One Night in Koreatown,” Beth makes another appearance where it’s confirmed that she and Magic (Ernie Hudson) are in a relationship. A crucial part of what brought them together was, in the years after seemingly losing Ben in time, Magic became an alcoholic. Beth specifically draws a comparison between Magic and Al, stating...

This article contains spoilers for Quantum Leap season 2 episode 4 and the finale of the original Quantum Leap series.

“Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home.”

These are the words that ended the original Quantum Leap series. Sam (Scott Bakula), who’d been leaping from life to life, was informed in the final episode that he finally had control over his leaps. That he could leap home if he wanted to. The thought of this tempted Sam but instead he leapt back in time to help his longtime friend, Al (Dean Stockwell.) What happened to Sam after that has remained a mystery, with the final title card informing us Sam never got home being our only clue.

It’s an understatement to say that his devastated fans of the original series. Why would the story end on such a down note? Surely there must be some other way to interpret it. Maybe...

Philip K. Dick wanted Grace Slick, a vibrant and hard girl, to play the character of Rachael in Blade Runner, believing her presence would benefit the film. Dick suggested Gregory Peck or Ben Gazzara for the role of Rick Deckard, describing Peck as powerful and sensitive and Gazzara as bold and a man of action. Dean Stockwell and Wally Cox were considered for the character of Jack Isidore, with Stockwell envisioned as sensitive and introverted and Cox adding his own personality to the role.

Though 1982's Blade Runner has an iconic cast led by the legendary Harrison Ford, when the story was first optioned to become a film in 1968, the potential cast looked much different, and in particular, Philip K. Dick wanted this rock star to play this pivotal role. Blade Runner is a sci-fi film based on a novel by Philip K. Dick entitled "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?...

Strange New Worlds season 1's finale pays tribute to another iconic 1960s science fiction franchise, particularly The Twilight Zone. Captain Pike's journey in the finale reflects themes of alternate futures and gaining different perspectives, similar to "A Quality of Mercy" episode of The Twilight Zone. Star Trek: The Original Series and The Twilight Zone influenced each other, both in terms of actors appearing and borrowing story elements, demonstrating their shared impact on science fiction.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1's finale gives a shout to another iconic science fiction franchise from the 1960s. Strange New Worlds season 1's ender, "A Quality of Mercy," follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) as he confronts the quandary of his future accident and disfigurement. When an alternate future version of Admiral Pike appears in Captain Pike's quarters, he warns his younger self what might happen if he avoids his tragic fate. Captain...

Star Trek: Enterprise is a character-driven prequel that explores the origins and moral ambiguities of various topics, adding depth to the different characters. The premiere episode, "Broken Bow," is a gritty, adventure-filled introduction to an inexperienced crew facing prejudices and tackling ethical dilemmas. The series features thought-provoking episodes that examine themes of prejudice, ethics, loyalty, and the greater good while delving into the unknown depths of space.

Star Trek: Enterprise first aired in 2001, designed as a back-to-basics character-driven prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Picking up many of the franchise's original themes and core values, Star Trek: Enterprise's best episodes explore the origins and moral ambiguities of such topics, simultaneously addressing ethical dilemmas and assumptions while granting greater depth and access to the different characters. Set in the 22nd century, the series introduces a previously unseen and untested crew and follows their adventures as they set off into the vast,...

Starbuck potentially being a Cylon explains her knowledge of "All Along the Watchtower" and her surprise resurrection, adding depth to her character. The theory that Starbuck is half-Cylon would provide a more secular interpretation of Battlestar Galactica's religious conflict and align with viewers who wanted a less religious finale. While it was never intended for Starbuck to be half-Cylon, the theory is compelling and adds to her role as the Fleet's Guardian Angel, bringing the Colonists and Cylons together in the end.

A Battlestar Galactica theory that Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) was actually a Cylon makes sense of some of the BSG finale's more contentious moments. As Ronald D. Moore's revival of the classic Glen A. Larson show reached its endgame, it revealed that some of the characters believed to be Colonists were actually the Final Five Cylons. This revelation was key to Battlestar Galactica's final season,...

Take a look at Season 2 of the live-action "Quantum Leap" time travel science fiction TV series, starring Raymond Lee, streaming October 4, 2023 on Peacock: :

"...30 years after 'Dr. Sam Beckett' stepped into the 'Quantum Leap' accelerator and vanished, a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it..."  

"...in the original series, physicist 'Dr. Beckett' (Scott Bakula) theorized that time travel within one's own lifetime is possible, and obtains government support to build his project 'Quantum Leap'. But years later, the government threatens to pull funding, as no progress has been made, and Beckett decides to test the project accelerator by himself to save the project before anyone can stop him. He is thrown back in time, and on regaining consciousness, finds that while he physically exists in the past,...

Star Trek fans can use this guide to introduce new fans to the franchise by starting with one key episode from each series. The selected episodes are self-contained stories with broad appeal, encompassing the metaphorical Trek values, and not experimental exceptions. By choosing a series that aligns with the potential fan's existing preferences, it is easier than ever to hook them on Star Trek and introduce its timeless ideals.

For Star Trek fans who want to hook new fans, this is your guide to the best episode from each series to introduce people to Star Trek. If you're already a fan, you might have someone in your life who's interested in this whole Star Trek thing, but has agreed to watch only one episode. With the Star Trek timeline comprising 850 episodes, and something to love about most of them, how do you get someone into Star Trek with just one episode?...

The Twilight Zone was a trendsetting anthology series in the 1960s, featuring horror, sci-fi, and fantasy themes, and launching the careers of young actors who would become mainstream stars. Actors like Leonard Nimoy, Ron Howard, Julie Newmar, Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, George Takei, Robert Redford, Carol Burnett, Burt Reynolds, and William Shatner appeared in memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone before achieving fame in their respective fields. The episodes of The Twilight Zone offered standalone narratives with twist endings, exploring moral dilemmas and societal issues, and continue to be remembered as iconic contributions to the sci-fi genre.

The Twilight Zone emerged as a trendsetter in early 1960s television while offering employment to young actors who would later become mainstream stars. Created by Rod Serling, the anthology series was usually geared toward the genres of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. Presenting standalone Kafkaesque scenarios with morals and twist endings, The Twilight Zone spawned its own media empire,...

When you think of 1980s action movies, visions of steroidal juggernauts like Schwarzenegger and Stallone are likely to spring to mind, but there was always another, if less numerous, stream running through their midst: gritty, downbeat, and cynical films typically helmed by New Hollywood stalwarts whose careers were in various stages of diminution. Among them were Hal Ashby’s strident, coke-fueled 8 Million Ways to Die, John Frankenheimer’s seamy extortion saga 52 Pickup, and William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A., a neon-hued noir reworking of the morally ambiguous cops-versus-criminals terrain he had staked out a decade earlier in The French Connection.

Like Friedkin’s earlier film, To Live and Die in L.A. cannily blends quasi-documentary procedural realism with an unpredictable modernist sensibility. The story is succinct in its pulpy purity: loose-cannon Secret Service agent Chance (William Petersen) vows to take down elusive counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), no matter the cost,...

Clockwise from left: The Shining (Warner Bros. Television), The Dark Tower (Sony Pictures), Carrie (Sony Pictures), Firestarter (Universal Pictures)Graphic: AVClub

If you sometimes wonder if there are more movies and miniseries based on Stephen King novels and short stories than there are Stephen King novels and short stories, we don’t blame you.