The Monthly January 2025
Three things to know. Two trailers to watch. One article to read. Here’s what you need to know for this month.
The end of the month can really sneak up on you. Luckily Popculturology has you covered with the January edition of The Monthly. If you’re new to the newsletter, this is your recap of everything that should be on your radar from the past month.
Three things to know. Two trailers to watch. One article to read.
The Monthly hits your inbox on the last Sunday of every month.
🍪 Wanna add Snackology to your subscription? Update your email preferences on your account page.
3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Star Wars finds a new Baylan Skoll ... and Ryan Gosling?
Star Wars is reportedly adding two new faces.
We first learned that Game of Thrones star Rory McCann had joined Ahsoka, replacing the late Ray Stevenson as fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll. Star Wars fans had been wondering if a new actor would be brought in to play Baylan based on where the show left the character at the end of its first season. (Liev Schreiber was a popular pick.)
And this past week, news broke that Ryan Gosling was in talks to star in Shawn Levy’s Star Wars movie. We know virtually nothing about the project from the Deadpool & Wolverine director, but The Hollywood Reporter notes that if Gosling signs on, it’ll be “not only Levy’s next movie but also the next Star Wars movie to go into production, with cameras potentially rolling this fall."
Ahsoka is obviously an established series, with a season already in the bank. When I read that we’re getting a second season, I believe that. It’s become more difficult to believe that new Star Wars movie is ever coming, though. With the exception of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu (which I’m pretty confident began as the fourth season of The Mandalorian before being repurposed into a movie), the post-Rise of Skywalker era of cinematic Star Wars has been sparse. A ton of official announcements and rumors with nothing to show for them. (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Hollywood Reporter)
Start your Oscar pool prep
Oscar season got real on Thursday. The Academy announced its nominees for the 97th Oscars, which means you probably googled “what is Emilia Pérez?” and “how can I watch The Brutalist?”
A handful of films that you’ve probably already seen like Wicked and Dune: Part Two got Best Picture nominations, while deserving animated films like The Wild Robot and Inside Out 2 were kept in the Best Animated Feature category — where they belong according to the Academy, since animation isn’t real filmmaking. (Popculturology)
Ms. Rachel jumps to Netflix
Popculturology is all about Star Wars, Marvel movies and SNL. But I have a toddler, which means Rachel Accurso, the YouTube educator better known as Ms. Rachel, has been part of my world for several years now. She’ll soon be a part of Netflix’s world too, with the streaming service announcing that it’s signed the breakout star for a new series called — wait for it — Ms. Rachel.
The first four episodes of the series will premiere on Jan. 27, with additional episodes coming in the future.
Just when you think it’s safe to cancel Netflix, the streamer finds a new way to keep you paying, whether it’s Mike Tyson fighting an influencer, Beyoncé performing on Christmas or episodes of Ms. Rachel that your kid will need to watch a million times. (Netflix)
2 TRAILERS YOU NEED TO WATCH
Daredevil: Born Again
The Marvel era of Netflix ran for 161 episodes, spanning three seasons of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, two seasons of Luke Cage, Iron First and The Punisher and then The Defenders crossover. With the completion of the final season of The Punisher in January 2019, it looked like fans would never see these versions of these characters again. Kevin Feige would obviously reboot it all as he properly rolled them into the MCU, right?
The Netflix corner of Marvel has been surprisingly resilient. Charlie Cox reprises his role of Matt Murdoch/Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk. Vincent D’Onofrio was back as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Echo. And now the whole Daredevil gang is reassembling for Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again.
The first trailer for the upcoming series debuted this past month. Based on the trailer, it’s going to be the most violent show or movie that we’ve gotten so far in the MCU. And I’m sure fans of the original Daredevil are going to be very pleased about that.
Mickey 17
After delivering the Oscar-lauded Parasite in 2019 (the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film), director Bong Joon-ho was in a position where he could probably do whatever he wanted for his next project.
Joon-ho chose to adapt Mickey7, the science-fiction novel from Edward Ashton. (This one is on my reading list.) The adaptation became Mickey 17, and based on the two trailers we’ve so far gotten, it features a bonkers performance from Robert Pattinson.
1 ARTICLE YOU NEED TO READ
The Metaphor Years: Writing Lessons from The Twilight Zone
I did a pretty comprehensive rewatch of The Twilight Zone last year. The original series, that is. He may be a brilliant writer and director, but Jordan Peele couldn’t match the brilliance and precision of Rod Serling’s work with his late 2010s reboot of The Twilight Zone. (You’re missing the point if you aren’t working under the limits of network TV runtimes and rules about profanity.)
It never hurts to get a reminder of how ridiculously important Serling’s Twilight Zone was and is, and Matt Zoller Seitz issued that reminder last week.
“The stories were often designed so that anyone could ‘get’ the episode’s surface narrative and most basic alternate interpretation, but if they dug just a bit deeper, they’d realize the show was being more specific in its social criticisms —though in such a way that if network executives or censors or advertisers complained that it was ‘too political,’ the storytellers could shrug and say, ‘You can read it many different ways,” Seitz wrote. “Make of it what you will.” (RogerEbert.com)
CATCHING UP
Here’s what you might have missed from Popculturology and Snackology this month ...
Friday Newsletter
- Pump Star Wars: Skeleton Crew into my veins
- Is ‘the magic of the multiverse’ the key to a Black Panther recast?
- Will the new year be a good year for the MCU?
Deep SNL Thoughts
The Box Office Report
- It’s One of Them Days for the weekend box office
- Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves sequel steals the top spot
- Mufasa finally gets a weekend win over Sonic 3
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa split the Christmas box office haul
Special Edition
Snackology
- Spring Sprinkles elevates the Reese’s Big Cup to an even higher level
- Reese’s Cups! M&Ms! Nerds Gummy Clusters! It’s a Valentine’s Day extravaganza!
- Oreo Loaded gets Oreos in your Oreos
- Love or heartbreak? Red Velvet Reese’s Cups are here for Valentine’s Day
- Will Peanut Butter & Jelly M&Ms transport you back to your childhood?
Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
💰 Like what you’re reading on Popculturology? Send a one-time tip to show your support for the newsletter.
➕ Already a Popculturology subscriber? Please consider becoming a supporter by upgrading your account.
🍪 Wanna add Snackology to your subscription? Update your email preferences on your account page.
You can also follow me on Bluesky and Instagram.
