It’s a double-up on pop culture news today, starting with the passing of two very different film icons, neither of whom sadly made it to 80.

First up, actress Diane Keaton surprisingly passed on 11 October at the age of 79. Keaton rose to prominence in the 1970s with notable turns in classics like The Godfather (appearing in all three films) and romantic comedy Annie Hall – which won her an Academy Award, and turned her into a style icon thanks to her casual wardrobe incorporating men’s wear. That said, Keaton worked non-stop up until 2024, racking up such standout dramas as Reds, Crimes of the Heart and Marvin’s Room alongside hit comedies like Father of the Bride, The First Wives Club and Something’s Gotta Give. Her last films included Book Club: The Next Chapter and Arthur’s Whisky. Pneumonia was listed as Keaton’s official cause of death, though her health had apparently been declining in recent months.

The health of artist Drew Struzan had been failing for some time, with his wife revealing in March this year that the legendary poster designer was suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Well, the illness claimed Struzan’s life this past week, on 13 October, at age 78. Struzan’s illustrated, and highly influential, style can be seen on posters for films like The Goonies, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, The Thing, Hook, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the Star Wars Special Editions, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Here you can find all his work.

Film

Just one trailer jumped out for us during the past fortnight, and that’s Send Help, the latest from Evil Dead filmmaker Sam Raimi. In this darkly comic survival thriller, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) finds herself stranded on an island with her psychologically abusive boss Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) following a plane crash. With the tables turned in terms of survival capability, the question is who will make it out alive?

Send Help washes up in cinemas on 30 January.

It wasn’t much of a week for movie news, but on the tidbits front:

  • It looks like Jim Carey is going to lead a live-action The Jetsons adaptation, based on the future-set Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
  • It’s been over twenty years since Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ came out, and given the follow-up, Resurrection of the Christ, is set days after the first film, Jesus and Mary Magdalene have been recast. Despite rumours that de-ageing CGI was going to be used, original stars Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci have been replaced by Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (The Last Kingdom), and Cuban actress Mariela Garriga respectively.

Series

While it’s been a bit quiet on the film front, that definitely wasn’t the case for TV news.

The next MCU miniseries Wonder Man received a new trailer, and the show continues to dodge how it in any way links to the costumed hero crowd, barring the appearance of Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, who appeared in Iron Man 3, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Aquaman, Watchmen and The Matrix Resurrections’ Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays struggling actor Simon Williams, whose big break lies in landing the lead role of Wonder Man, in a remake of an older superhero film. The jury is out on whether this will offer something fresh or be too meta for its own good.

Wonder Man debuts on Disney+ on 27 January, and will consist of eight episodes.

There’s a new Game of Thrones prequel series on the horizon. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the six-episode A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. The show stars Peter Claffey as landless “hedge knight” Dunk, who takes on a boy named Egg as his squire in the lead-up to a great tournament. Though unassuming, both knight and squire are to become legends in the land of Westeros.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres on 18 January.

Now for your TV news tidbits:

Comics & books

New York Comic Con took place from Thursday, 9 October to Sunday, 12 October, and while some of the big entertainment brands, like Disney and Warner Bros., used the event to drop trailer reveals (see above) and other news, comic publishers weren’t quiet either. Here’s what went down on the Marvel side, with more in-depth information on upcoming on-page events and comics here.

Meanwhile, DC Comics was back on the NYCC show floor after a 13-year absence. Of their panels and announcements, we’re probably most excited for the return, in early 2026, of the Vertigo imprint for mature readers. These are the ten creator-owned books that form part of the initial new offering.

Vertigo, which is associated with acclaimed series like The Sandman, Y: The Last Man and Fables, was discontinued in 2020, before being revived again last year. We can assume the Black Label imprint will continue to home dark, non-canonical books featuring established DC characters.