‘The Office’ new spin-off series has been greenlit, but will it flop?



In a development that could be either devastating or thrilling for fans of “The Office,” the famous show has been greenlit for a spin-off series.

The Peacock series will be a fresh mockumentary featuring a brand-new cast within the same universe as Dunder Mifflin — where all the fan favorite characters worked. However, the show will not be set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but instead at a failing Midwestern paper company.

“Because this new series will technically be a spin-off instead of a straight reboot, we are at least avoiding the possibility that we get black trans Michael Scott or, I don’t know, nonbinary Mexican Jim Halpert,” Lauren Chen says, who is admittedly a huge fan of the original series.

But Chen is skeptical.

“NBC has been so very blatant in marketing it specifically as a spin-off to ‘The Office,’” Chen says. "They had the opportunity, there was the possibility, of just marketing this new as of yet untitled show as a new sitcom from the creator of ‘The Office.’”

“However, the fact that they are really making it clear that no, this is a spin-off of ‘The Office’ and it’s the same universe, it kind of seems like they’re cheaply trying to attach ‘The Office’ and all the goodwill and fandom that show now has to this new thing.”

“It feels very cheap,” she adds.

While fans of “The Office” have hoped that old cast members will return to the new show, Chen says the “lead stars of the original series are absolutely not interested in it.”

Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott in the original series, shot the idea down right away in an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show.

“I doubt it,” Scott said when Colbert asked if he’d appear in the show.

“He’s not interested; he’s not in it,” Chen says.

“Keep in mind, this is someone who didn’t even want to finish the rest of the original series. He peaced out.”

John Krasinski, who played the beloved Jim Halpert in the original series, has also said he won’t be in the spin-off series either.

“I’m just not confident that it’s going to be done well. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong,” Chen says.


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'Furiosa' flops hard — female-led reboot was worst Memorial Day No. 1 movie since 1995



The latest reboot from the "Mad Max" series was not enough to pull in moviegoers for Memorial Day weekend, marking another low point for the movie industry that saw the weakest numbers for Memorial Day in nearly 30 years.

"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" garnered fantastically little at the box office, especially for a special, four-day opening weekend. With just $26,300,000 in its first three days, the holiday opening added just a few million to its total, finishing the long weekend with only $32,000,000, according to Box Office Mojo.

This was barely enough to edge out "The Garfield Movie," with one stark difference. The reported budget for the lasagna-loving cat was around $60 million while "Furiosa" put up a tab of somewhere between $168-$233 million. As Screenrant reported, the movie would generally need to take in between $336-$466 million to be considered successful for studio Warner Bros., which may serve as a challenge.

The stunning, brave, and powerful female-led film was the lowest-earning No. 1 film for a Memorial Day box office opening since 1995 when "Casper" took the top spot with just $16.8 million. The Australian post-apocalyptic adventure, coupled with the comic strip cat, also marked Hollywood's worst Memorial Day weekend for the industry in the 29-year span.

Comparatively, things weren't looking so bad in 2023 when "The Little Mermaid" opened to $188 million on Memorial Day weekend. In 2022, Tom Cruise excited crowds with "Top Gun: Maverick" and had a $160 million holiday opening, finishing with $700 million domestically.

'This was indeed a historically slow Memorial Day weekend for movie theaters.'

The lackluster Memorial Day box office should worry the entire movie industry, which NBC News noted has yet to have a box office smash in 2024. No film has broken $100 million in terms of an opening weekend this year, and that burden is now shifted to the shoulders of even more upcoming sequels and reboots.

"Despicable Me 4" is one possible performer, while the remake of 1996 hit "Twister" comes back with the aptly named "Twisters" in July. Disney's "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool and Wolverine" are more sequels that have high hopes.

A reliance on sequels hasn't been working out however, especially for the likes of Disney, which has announced it will continue to move forward with known storylines.

"I just think that right now, given the competition in the overall movie marketplace that actually there's a lot of value in the sequels obviously because they're known and it takes less in terms of marketing," said Disney CEO Bob Iger during a May 2024 earnings call.

Despite sequels and reboots for "Indiana Jones," a "Haunted Mansion," and "The Marvels" performing terribly, Iger insisted this was the path forward for the company. This, of course, included "more Avengers."

"The team is, I think, one that I have tremendous confidence in. And the IP that we're mining, including all the sequels that we're doing is second to none. So I feel really good about what's coming up," the CEO added.

While "Furiosa" seemed to be plagued with being too long and providing too little, Comscore senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian simply noted that "this was indeed a historically slow Memorial Day weekend for movie theaters."

Hollywood hopes its upcoming sequels will "allow the industry to hit the reset and get the industry moving in a positive direction," Dergarabedian told NBC News.

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'90s X-Men reboot confirms 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ animated series

'90s X-Men reboot confirms 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ animated series



A highly anticipated reboot of popular 1990s cartoon "X-Men: The Animated Series" will change an existing character to be "nonbinary" for the new episodes, the showrunner has confirmed.

More than a month before the series' launch on Disney+, Marvel's "X-Men '97" executive producer, Beau DeMayo, revealed that a pivotal character will be presented as nonbinary, meaning they do not identify with either gender.

The original series aired from 1992-1997 and has since been heralded as one of the greatest cartoons of its era. The reboot has also had fans clamoring for nostalgia, with the trailer receiving just over 3 million views in its first six hours.

As reported by Bounding into Comics however, the character Morph — who appears in the very first episode of the original — is adapted with a "lighter" approach, despite his apparent gender confusion.

The change was confirmed by DeMayo in an interview with Empire Magazine set to appear in the April 2024 issue.

"The death of shapeshifter Morph in the original animated series (it didn't stick, obviously) was shocking for young viewers, and it stuck with DeMayo," the excerpt read. "'He really set the stakes,' [DeMayo] says, 'and he had a very interesting relationship with the team because of trauma.'"

"This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine. The character's past with Mister Sinister, the show's villain, could also come into play."

The character is not typically remembered by casual fans, but had a pivotal role in the original 1990s pilot, in which he saves Wolverine from an attack and is killed. He is later revealed to have been rescued from the attack by a villain who then turns him evil.

Morph later rejoins the X-Men and becomes a mainstay in their group.

Although the mutant's power is shape-shifting from a cellular level, he was never portrayed in either print or the cartoons as "nonbinary," which of course was not in any youngster's vernacular in the 1990s.

Perhaps an argument in favor of the change would be that Morph can change into a woman (or any person he pleases), but his default appearance was always a male. In artwork for the reboot, he now appears alien-like even alongside other characters who generally appear the same as the original drawings.

Official poster for #XMen97
— (@)

During a 2023 Marvel livestream event regarding the series, DeMayo stated that one of his goals for "X-Men '97" was to "really drill down to what I think the X-Men’s always going to be about which is just, you know, we talk a lot about the dream is social acceptance and it’s social justice."

"I think that can sometimes make certain people feel alienated, and for me, it’s always going to come down to, I think, the X-Men and what we’re going to be trying to do with this series is talking about the power of empathy, and how it can kind of heal these wounds that turn people against each other," the creator opined. "That things like racism and bigotry don’t ‘just exist’ – there’s a reason behind it that empathy can kind of help us connect and build those bridges where we can actually say, ‘Hey, we are all different, but we have these little things that can still connect us.'"

Only time will tell whether fans will press play on the new series or whether it will be chalked up as just another woke blunder for Marvel.

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'It’s a Wonderful Life' and 'Wizard of Oz' to get 'diverse' reboots for people who 'hadn't felt seen'

'It’s a Wonderful Life' and 'Wizard of Oz' to get 'diverse' reboots for people who 'hadn't felt seen'



A pair of Hollywood's most iconic classic films will be undergoing "diverse" reboots at the hands of Hollywood writer Kenya Barris, who has planned to change main characters to a "person a color."

Barris has written or directed many race-centric titles since 2020, including TV shows "#BlackAF" and "Black-ish" and films "You People" and the remake of "White Men Can't Jump."

Barris' next ventures are reportedly a reimagining of two industry classics: "The Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life."

The Oz movie will utilize a completely different setting and take place in an apartment complex in Inglewood, California, called the Bottoms, where the new Dorothy will live.

"The original ‘Wizard of Oz’ took place during the Great Depression, and it was about self-reliance and what people were going through," Barris told Variety. "I think this is the perfect time to switch the characters and talk about what someone imagines their life could be."

The writer also told talk-show host Jimmy Fallon about his plans to purposely cast the move with "diverse" characters.

"I think that this is the best time to turn a mirror on society because we need to see ourselves, and I want to do it with diverse characters," he said to Fallon. "The character lives in Inglewood, and someone comes up and she ends up in Underhood, which is right outside of Oz, and it takes place from there."

"I wanted to make people think, but also make them feel good, and also make people feel seen who hadn't felt seen," Barris added.

The director will also take on a reboot of the 1946 Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart. Barris explained that the movie's plot is a perfect story to be portrayed by an actor who has "black or brown" skin.

"I feel like Christmas movies are amazing, and I think the idea of taking something that has that long of a history and a tale behind it and putting an amazing piece of talent to tell that story," Barris explained.

"It’s a guy who’s trying to help out his community and things are going to turn around on him. I think that’s the perfect story to tell for a person of color — black or brown — to get into that because our communities have some issues and someone trying to help that community out. I think that’s the perfect vehicle to tell that story from."

The 50-year-old went on to mention that he has received criticism for using others' intellectual property, but he believed that certain stories should be told "again and again and again."

He called doing remakes of classic films a "gift" and one that he hopes he keeps getting.

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‘The Office’ Shouldn’t Risk Its Legacy On An Unfunny Reboot

'The Office' doesn't need to risk its legacy on a potentially woke reboot lacking the comedic elements that made it great.

Warner Bros. may reboot 'Harry Potter' with HBO Max series — and that has trans activists melting down online



Warner Bros. is reportedly in talks with J.K. Rowling to reboot her seven "Harry Potter" books, this time as an online TV series.

The prospect that the author — valued at nearly $1 billion — will make even more money and reach new fans has enraged transsexual activists already upset over the author's past feminist defense of biological women, womanhood, and women's-only spaces.

Making a deal

Warner Bros. Discover Inc. is close to a new deal for a streaming series on HBO Max based on Rowling's books, reported Bloomberg.

While they have yet to seal the deal, the company's CEO, David Zaslav, and HBO chief Casey Bloys have reportedly worked ardently to get Rowling onboard.

Insiders told Bloomberg that each season would be based on a single "Harry Potter" book, meaning the series would run eight seasons long, lest Warner Bros. also re-adapt some or all of Rowling's "Hogwarts library" and "Pottermore Presents" texts.

Unlike the "Harry Potter" reunion, during which Rowling did not make an appearance alongside former child actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, the author will reportedly be involved in the series "to ensure it remains loyal to her original material."

This reboot would be in keeping with Zaslav's desire to invest in fewer movies and TV shows and instead produce a handful of filmic heavyweights.

Extra to "Harry Potter," Warner Bros. announced in February that it is developing "multiple" new movies set in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastical "Lord of the Rings" universe, "expanding upon the much-loved world and characters of Middle-earth."

Granted Rowling sold over 600 million copies of her "Harry Potter" books and saw the filmic adaptations rake in over $7.7 billion, Warner Bros. likely figures it has a money-maker in its hands.

Making a big deal about the deal

TheBlaze has previously documented Rowling's friction with the LGBT community and how she:

  • blasted a kid-focused transsexual "charity" for mutilating children and having a pedophile apologist on its board;
  • intimated a male transsexual's claim of being "more of a woman than JK Rowling" was dubious;
  • castigated a British politician for refusing to define what a woman is; and
  • exposed trans activists who threatened her with rape, death and bomb attacks.

In these and various other instances, Rowling has roused the ire of activists, particularly those who had grown up fans, and stood her ground.

While those upset over the potential reboot may not have threatened to slit the British author's throat as had transsexual horror author Micah Felker-Martin in February, they have nevertheless expressed their outrage online.

YouTube and film critic Zoë Rose Bryant, a male transsexual, tweeted, "Setting aside how absurdly unnecessary a HARRY POTTER reboot is in the first place, I’d just rather we not continue to give billions to a woman who has made it her life mission to invalidate the existence of trans women & endanger our lives with her unrelentingly hateful rhetoric."

Bryant added, "I liked HARRY POTTER when I was a kid too and then I grew up and now its creator is actively contributing to a culture that wants me dead so."

\u201cI liked HARRY POTTER when I was a kid too and then I grew up and now its creator is actively contributing to a culture that wants me dead so\u201d
— Zo\u00eb Rose Bryant (@Zo\u00eb Rose Bryant) 1680567818

Twitter user Haus of Decline, associated with the scatological webcomic and podcast of the same name, tweeted that in the lead-up to the show's release, Rowling will gradually put "on a full Waffen uniform as WB execs play chicken with the optics."

Echoing similar comments, one pronoun-providing Twitter user wrote, "Quick reminder that even if this series is a part of your childhood (as it was for me) please remember your trans friends and family. You might think that one stream doesn’t matter, but it adds up. Please do not give J*K* your money to harm a minority."

RedState highlighted one particularly extreme reaction, in which a user tweeted, "Harry potter was the 9/11 of literature and we need to put a stop to jk rowling and her devious activities that caused this."

The YouTuber known as Master of the Total Defense Shogun curated a collection of Twitter users melting down over the announcement, including one Twitter user, Sara, who wrote, "Can we please stop giving JK rowling more attention and give this idea to a book series/author that ISN’T openly transphobic."

\u201cHBO has announced a reboot of Harry Potter with J.K. Rowling's involvement & that is enough to make the internet lose their minds.\n\nAt least they are expanding their rage from just being toward Hogwarts Legacy. Next up they all need to never go to Universal Studios #HarryPotter\u201d
— MasteroftheTDS (@MasteroftheTDS) 1680569012


Collider published a polemic, stressing that "companies should not be working with J.K. Rowling."

"Her transphobic rhetoric is harmful and is being used to justify intolerant legislation against trans folks. The bare minimum companies should be doing is not working with people who spread hate. But even if you wanted to block off Rowling’s transphobic rhetoric, the idea of doing a remake of the original Harry Potter novels as a lengthy TV show is downright bizarre and baffling for countless reasons," said the article.

The LGBT activist publication Them similarly denounced Warner Bros. for considering rebooting "Harry Potter" with Rowling on board, claiming, "It’s virtually impossible to separate supporting Potter projects from supporting Rowling and her well-documented transphobia."

Magically undeterred

Dani Di Placido, a film-watcher at Forbes, wrote, "Harry Potter occupies an unusual cultural space, where many of the most dedicated, knowledgeable fans are socially progressive, outspoken about LGBTQ rights, and have largely turned their back on the Wizarding World ever since Rowling scorched her reputation, but still maintain an interest in the franchise."

Louis Chilton, the Independent's culture critic, noted that it doesn't really matter that a fringe group of progressive activists have turned their backs on the children's books.

According to Chilton, the commercial success of the recently released "Hogwarts Legacy" video game revealed that Rowling's reputation amongst LGBT activists as a "transphobe" has not proven a "meaningful financial deterrent."

Den of Geek reported that the game sold over 12 million units in its first two weeks and generated over $850 million in sales during the same period, making it WB Game's biggest video game launch on record.

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How The Left’s Calcified Identity Politics Ruined The New ‘Gossip Girl’

Satirists will have to get over their unwarranted adulation of people based on skin color alone if they want to have any fun.