The Monthly February 2025

OK, yes, it’s March. But not by a lot. In an alternate universe, today is February 30. It’s not fair that February gets only 28 days, and Popculturology is making a stand. (Or, I just lost track of the calendar last weekend and forgot to finalize The Monthly.)

Anyways, here’s all the news you need to know since the last edition of The Monthly hit your inbox.

3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Jeff Bezos drops James Bond into his shopping cart

In a world of cinematic universes (and attempts to replicate them), the James Bond franchise was a relic of a simpler past. MGM released a movie whenever Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson felt like it. There were no spinoffs. There were no streaming series.

That all changed last month when Broccoli and Wilson, whose family had long controlled the Bond franchise, gave Amazon creative control over the property. In a flash, Bond had shifted from Broccoli complaining about the “fucking idiots” at Amazon to those very folks now being able to do whatever they wanted with the franchise. (This power shift may have a had a $1 billion price tag.)

Fans and Hollywood insiders took the news as if there was a death in the family, mourning the loss of the Broccoli family as Bond’s protectors and wary of what Jeff Bezos’ studio had planned for the franchise. (Amazon)

The Rings of Power officially renewed

While the Bond news was the biggest story over in Amazonland, we also got an official third-season renewal for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Has Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings series been the powerhouse that Bezos had hoped it would be when he made it the most expensive show in TV history? Nope. But that’s an unrealistic standard for any show to live up to.

While I know that some Tolkien fans aren’t happy with the tweaks The Rings of Power have made to the Middle-earth chronology established in J. R. R. Tolkien’s appendices and notes, I’ve just been happy to have some Lord of the Rings stories to watch. (Except for the Harfoots. The Harfoots can get lost.)

Season 3 of The Rings of Power doesn’t have a release date yet, but Prime Video revealed that the season will “[jump] forward several years from the events of Season 2, [taking] place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last.” (Amazon)

Rumors fly over Lucasfilm president

Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as president of Lucasfilm. At least that’s what you would believe based on a Puck report earlier last week. If you listen to what Kennedy told Deadline later in the week, she’s not officially leaving — and has no plans to retire from making movies themselves.

When the day comes when Kennedy is no longer president of Lucasfilm, I’m sure a specific brand of online troll will celebrate her departure and think they had a hand in it. That day will come after more than a decade of Kennedy leading the studio that brought the world Star Wars.

Her run began before George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney and brought us a new Star Wars trilogy (yay, The Last Jedi; boo, The Rise of Skywalker), two standalone films (Solo isn’t as bad as you remember) and the franchise jump to live-action television (diminishing returns for The Mandalorian).

Who will replace Kennedy when she does retire? Will Disney hand the keys to Lucasfilm to an in-house director/producer/writer like Jon Favreau or Dave Filoni? Will Marvel Studios’ boss Kevin Feige jump to Lucasfilm? Or will Disney go outside to hire a president for the studio?

2 TRAILERS YOU NEED TO WATCH

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Going in to 2025, I wrote that Marvel Studios needs this year’s slate of movies — Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps — to critically and financially right the MCU. With the latest Captain America film being a hollow entry into the MCU with its box office numbers already faltering, that pressure now shifts to the latter two films in that group.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will bring the iconic Fantastic Four family into the MCU for the first time. (Not counting John Kraskinski playing a Reed Richards variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Chris Evans playing a Johnny Storm variant in Deadpool & Wolverine.) Feige and Marvel Studios need to get these characters right, especially with the weight of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars looming in the near future.

Friendship

Tim Robinson in an A24 film. That’s really all you need to know about Friendship.

Oh, you need more? Mad man Conner O’Malley is in this movie too.

1 ARTICLE YOU NEED TO READ

The subversive genius of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance was a moment that we’ve been building to over the past year. After decisively winning his feud with Drake, this was Lamar’s victory lap.

“The pressure was palpable. Lamar was tasked with setting the standard for rap at the Super Bowl while also kicking down doors for more solo acts to follow in his wake,” David Dennis Jr. wrote for Andscape. “He was also under pressure to execute the global death knell to his most public adversary, Drake — but not too nasty of a way as to not deter from his historic performance.” (Andscape)

CATCHING UP

Here’s what you might have missed from Popculturology and Snackology this month ...

Friday Newsletter

• Andor Season 2 trailer premieres while rumors swirl around Lucasfilm boss
• It’s the 300th edition of Popculturology!
• Captain America: Brave New World is a disappointing, disjointed MCU entry
• A fantastic first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• ‘That ain’t your brother’: Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners looks like a chill time

Deep SNL Thoughts

• ‘Fifty years of the best times of our lives’: The SNL family looks back for SNL50
• Timothée Chalamet (and Hamilton?) return to SNL

The Box Office Report

• Captain America: Brave New World meekly wins the weekend
• Captain America: Brave New World hulks out for an $88.5M weekend
• Dog Man fetches a second box office win
• Dog Man, champion of the box office and friendship for everyone
• Enough of you wanted to see a bald Mark Wahlberg to give Flight Risk a No. 1 opening

Special Edition

• The Avengers aren’t coming, but a new Thunderbolts* trailer premieres during the Super Bowl

Snackology

• I got brain freeze trying both Girl Scouts Thin Mints Frosty flavors for you
• Taco Bell and Milk Bar party like it’s your birthday
• Coke swears that Orange Cream Coke Zero is different from Orange Vanilla Coke Zero
• Gonna eat this bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Kisses all at once
• No, the Post Malone Oreos don’t have real chunks of Post Malone
• It’s your lucky day. The Shamrock Shake and Oreo Shamrock McFlurry are back.