World Cup 2023: Naveen-ul-Haq Makes Comeback as Afghanistan Announce 15-Member Squad; Gulbadin Naib in Reserves

Afghanistan have announced their squad for the World Cup and have taken some interesting calls like putting their former skipper, Gulbadin Naib in the reserves.

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Chloe Tryon Makes Return After Leave of Absence to RSA-W's Squad for ODI and T20 Series Against NZ-W

The South African women's team will take on the New Zealand women's team in 3 ODI's and 5 T20I's which is going to be held at home.

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'Delighted For The Lads, But it Hurt,' David Willey Shares Thoughts on Omission From England's World Cup Winning Squad

David Willey was a mainstay in the England squad but the management preferred Jofra Archer over him, leading to his last-minute omission from the England squad which won the World Cup in 2019.

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Asia Cup 2023, Super 4: Dunith Wellalage Takes a Five-for as India Bowled Out for 213 vs Sri Lanka

India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023 Super Four: IND were bowled out for 213 with Dunith Wellalage taking a five-wicket haul in Colombo.

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Asia Cup 2023: Gautam Gambhir Picks Kuldeep Yadav as Player-of-the-Match in India vs Pakistan Super 4 Clash

Virat Kohli was the official player of the match but for Gautam Gambhir it was Kuldeep Yadav who took a five-wicket haul.

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Who played Scuttle in ‘The Little Mermaid?’

The star of “The Scuttlebutt” and a breakout character for the live-action version of The Little Mermaid, Scuttle has been everyone’s favorite wise-cracking bird since 1989. Back then, he was voiced by the late Buddy Hackett. In fact, Hackett’s return as Scuttle for The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea marked his final film role before he died of complications from heart disease in 2003.

Twenty years post-Hackett, Scuttle has been reimagined with a new look and a new voice — a female one at that. And who provides that voice? None other than Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum.

Awkwafina rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song “My Vag” became popular on YouTube. Ever since, she’s made a name for herself in the acting industry, starring in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and even the insanely popular comedy-romance Crazy Rich Asians.

Photo via Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

In the 1989 original movie, Scuttle is a seagull. In Rob Marshall’s live-action adaptation, Scuttle’s character design was changed to a Northern gannet, a species of bird that can remain underwater for up to 30 seconds while hunting for prey. The justification for the swap could be the amount of underwater scenes featuring Ariel and Scuttle that wouldn’t be possible for a seagull.

Marshall explains the change to The News International, saying it aligns with Ariel’s story.

“After she sings ‘Part of Your World’ and she goes [to the surface] for the first time, it’s so shocking and so thrilling. It’s better storytelling.

But then I realized, well, Scuttle, how does she know everything that’s up there? We decided to make her a diving bird so that she could come down and Ariel could meet Scuttle in the water and get all that information there, not above.”

Not everyone was sold on Awkwafina’s addition to the cast, but “depending on personal preference, her duet rap song with Daveed Diggs — “The Scuttlebutt” — is undeniably catchy, whether you love it or hate it.

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‘Couldn’t stop their children from watching it at home’: ‘The Little Mermaid’s immense Disney Plus success is the film’s final revenge against racist backlash

The Mouse House’s movies have always taught us that, just when they seem down for the count, Disney princesses will win out in the end, and that’s exactly what’s happened with 2023’s The Little Mermaid. The live-action remake of the beloved 1990 animation was beset with small-minded but loud-mouthed backlash in the run-up to and throughout its theatrical run due to the hiring of the (phenomenally talented and perfectly cast) Halle Bailey as the previously Caucasian Ariel.

While it’s hard to say how much that impacted its slightly underwhelming domestic box office gross, it certainly did internationally, with several Asian markets dismissing the film due to its diverse cast — although that doesn’t include the Philippines where it was a huge hit. Thankfully, The Little Mermaid is having the last laugh as it swims onto streaming around the globe, though. Across its first week on Disney Plus, it managed to accrue 16 million views, which makes it the platform’s largest debut of 2023 and one of its biggest ever.

Clearly, now that it’s able to be watched at home, The Little Mermaid is finding a whole new audience to enchant, likely including a young generation who — for whatever reason — might not have got the chance to see it on the big screen. As one spot-on reaction to the news of its Disney Plus success put it, “The racist parents who didn’t want to take their kids to see The Little Mermaid in [theater], couldn’t stop their children from watching it at home.”

Image via X/Twitter

Unfortunately, due to its enormous $265 million price tag, even earning just shy of $570 million around the world (a recent re-release didn’t quite move the needle as planned) and going down as the seventh highest-grossing of Disney’s remakes to date meant The Little Mermaid‘s theatrical run was something of a disappointment. However, its warm reception on streaming proves that Bailey’s Ariel may have lost the initial battle but she’ll win the war and likely continue to delight audiences for years to come, much like Jodi Benson’s original before her.

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'One of my Favourite Bowlers': Pakistan Legend Praises India's Kuldeep Yadav After Match-winning Display

Kuldeep Yadav was in red-hot form with the ball on Monday as he ran through the Pakistan batting to finish with a five-wicket haul.

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Rohit Sharma Becomes 2nd Quickest to Reach 10,000 Runs in ODI History

India captain Rohit Sharma took 241 innings to get to the milestone which is the second quickest after Virat Kohli.

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IND vs PAK: Virat Kohli Reaches 1000 Runs in International Cricket in 2023 on Reserve Day | WATCH

Virat Kohli achieved another milestone against Pakistan, completing 1000 runs in international cricket in 2023 as he completed his half century in 55 balls

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Dutch Court Sentences 12 Years in Prison For Former Pakistan Cricketer, Khalid Latif

Rashid Latif had offered 18.7 Lakh INR for the head of the Dutch MP, Geert Wilders.

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Finally, a rumored ‘Deadpool 3’ cameo makes total sense as the scene-stealing star of a $619 million X-Men movie is pegged to return

As is par for the course for the Merc with the Mouth, Deadpool 3 looks set to take a no-holds-barred approach to its multiversal cameos, leaving the likes of Doctor Strange 2 and The Flash in the dust. According to what we’ve heard, it could feature as many as a dozen and a half famous faces dropping by, some of whom are logical additions — like legacy stars from Fox’s X-Men films — but others are truly insane — Taylor Swift, anyone?

The latest word on the matter, though, points to a potential cameo that may make the most sense of all, as it’s someone who absolutely blew fans away with their original performance as a beloved comic book character in an acclaimed film, only to never appear as this character again. According to alleged intel from CWGST, Marvel “went into negotiations” with Logan actress Dafne Keen just before the strikes began. Supposedly it’s “not a significant role” and is more akin to “a cameo.”

Image via X/Twitter

At this point, Deadpool 3 seems like that “X has been cast in Spider-Man: No Way Home” meme from back in 2021 brought to life, so take this latest claim how you like. But, again, it’d certainly add up that Keen would be invited to reprise Laura Kinney/X-23, Wolverine’s clone daughter, in the MCU after making such a big impression in Logan. The 18-year-old actress has also recently wrapped up work on fantasy series His Dark Materials so has the time to commit to a major Marvel role if the studio is interested in keeping her around beyond this project. Which it should be if Marvel knows what’s good for it.

Deadpool 3 is currently on course to hit theaters on May 3, 2024, although this may change as production is only half-complete.

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Haris Rauf Not to Bowl Against India on Reserve Day, Pakistan Bowling Coach Morne Morkel Reveals Why

Haris Rauf suffered a little inflammation on his oblique muscle after undergoing scans yesterday and the pacer will not be bowling against India on reserve day

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'He Even Stepped Out to Hit Shaheen Afridi..': Kumble Decodes How Rohit-Gill Nullified Pakistan's Pacers

Anil Kumble highlighted the difference in the attacking approach of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash

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'Absolutely Clawed It': CSK Reacts To Mitchell Santner's Stunning Catch Against England - WATCH

New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner plucked off a stunner to dismiss Johnny Bairstow, sending cricket fans into a frenzy.

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'Virat Kohli in The Form He is..': Kaif Gives Verdict on 'Key Matchup' vs Shaheen Afridi on Reserve Day

Mohammad Kaif talked about the 'key matchup' between Virat Kohli and Shaheen Afridi on the reserve day of India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash

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Shubman Gill Bosses Over Shaheen Shah Afridi, Becomes First Batter to Hit 6 Boundaries Against Him in an ODI

Shubman Gill smashed Shaheen Shah Afridi for 6 boundaries in his first spell of three overs

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'Never Witnessed Such Response': Mohammad Hafeez Shares Shocking Image of Empty Stadium During IND vs PAK Asia Cup Clash

Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez shared images of empty stadium during the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash in Colombo

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Ind vs Pak: Fans React to Pakistan's Poor Fielding Efforts As Indian Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill Give a Good Start

Pakistan who were fielding in the first innings were under pressure as the Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave a great start to the side and pressure was on the Pakistan side.

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Asian Games Bound Indian Men's, Women's Teams to Undergo Camp in Bengaluru Next Week: Report

Indian men's and women's teams for the Asian Games will undergo preparation camps in Bengaluru starting from week ahead of the Hangzhou mega event

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'Rohit Sharma Getting a Game at the Moment Because He is Captain': Former Australia Cricketer

Blewett raised questions over Rohit's form and suggested that it might backfire for India once again in the upcoming ODI World Cup.

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IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 Toss Report: Pakistan Opt to Bowl; KL Rahul Replaces Shreyas Iyer

India vs Pakistan, toss report: Pakistan decide to bowl first. India make a coupel of changes to the playing XI - Jasprit Bumrah retuns while KL Rahul replaces Shreyas Iyer.

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‘Some of those rumors are true, and some of them aren’t’: ‘Deadpool 3’ director refuses to whittle down the 18-strong list of alleged guest stars

The cast members to have been confirmed so far have underlined that Deadpool 3 is a safe haven for familiar faces, but the rumor mill has spiraled so far out of control that an additional 18 names have been touted as potential guest stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first-ever R-rated installment.

Along with Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Biranna Hildebrand, Karan Soni, Leslie Uggams, Stefan Kapičić, and Shioli Kutsuna will be returning from the 20th Century Fox duology, with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra the two highest-profile superheroic additions.

And yet, that doesn’t even scratch the surface of those hailing from the past, present, future, and never was of Marvel to have been linked to the project, but all director Shawn Levy was willing to divulge to Entertainment Weekly is that you should definitely expect at least some of them to swing by.

Photo via Marvel Studios

“I’d rather not weigh in on that, but I’ll say this. The rumors of actors, singers, sports stars who are all apparently in Deadpool 3 are fabulous. If all I read was the internet, I would have the greatest cast ever assembled in the history of cinema, so I’ll simply say that some of those rumors are true, and some of them aren’t.”

For what it’s worth, the list that most recently drew The Adam Project star Walker Scobell’s hypothetical Kidpool into the mix also includes Brian Cox’s William Striker, Halle Berry’s Storm, Famke Jensen’s Jean Grey, Dafne Keen’s X23, Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Ian McKellen’s Magneto from various X-Men stories gone by.

Lewis Tan’s Shatterstar has also been touted, along with MCU veterans Elizabeth Olsen, Owen Wilson, Tom Hiddleston, and Tara Strong as Scarlet Witch, Mobius, Loki, and Miss Minutes, never mind Ben Affleck’s Daredevil and Julian McMahon’s Doctor Doom, or the fan-baiting likes of Taron Egerton’s Wolverine, Channing Tatum’s Gambit, and Taylor Swift’s Dazzler.

That’s a whole lot of cameos, but it’s time to hedge your bets on which ones will actually turn out to be true.

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'Playing Pakistan Was Different': Shubman Gill Opens up on Pressure Playing Against Arch-Rivals

Asia Cup 2023 group stage was the first time Shubman played against Pakistan in senior cricket and he asserted that it was a different experience for him.

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'How We Play Different Situations, Makes it Difficult For Bowlers,' Shubman Gill Shares His Experience Opening With Rohit Sharma

Shubman Gill shares his experience when opening with the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma and speaks on how their different approaches complement the two.

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'Been on the Receiving end for RCB, Watching Him Score 92..': De Villiers' Advice for IND Batter After WC Snub

Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers lavished praise on the Indian batter after the 28-year-old failed to make the cut for India's ICC ODI World Cup squad

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​India vs Pakistan Probable XIs, Asia Cup Super Four: Check India vs Pakistan Predicted Teams

Ahead of the Asia Cup Super Four match between India and Pakistan, here's how the two teams could line up

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Former England All-Rounder Andrew Flintoff Makes First Public Appearance After His Accident in the Sets of Top-Gear

The legendary English all-rounder made the move to television where he was the presenter for the popular show, Top Gear. He suffered injuries after a high-speed car crash during the shoot.

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SL vs BAN Probable XIs, Asia Cup 2023: Check Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh Predicted Teams

Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, here's how the two teams could line-up

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'Rishabh Pant Has Confidence in His Game and Backs Himself to Play With Risk': Rohit Sharma Hails Wicketkeeper Batter

Rohit Sharma talked about Rishabh Pant's aggressive batting approach as he wants the southpaw to continue playing with it.

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Asia Cup 2023: India vs Pakistan Super 4 Clash And Tournament Final to Have Reserve Day, Confirms ACC

ACC has added a reserve day for the big match-up between India vs Pakistan after the previous encounter ended up being washed out after the first innings.

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‘The Marvels’ might be skimping on the song and dance numbers, but a Marvel musical could be coming this Christmas

It’s apparently a cast-iron rule now that let a TV universe run long enough and it will eventually spit out a musical episode. Well, apparently the MCU has reached the age where it can no longer be avoided as the latest word indicates that we can perhaps expect a full-on toe-tapping, ear-worming orchestral extravaganza as soon as this Christmas season. Even if The Marvels may have chickened out of being Marvel‘s first musical on the big screen.

Although much of the studio’s Disney Plus slate has been pushed back into 2024, it’s believed that What If…? season two is still coming this year, with the first episode expected to premiere around Christmas Day. Ahead of time, then, some rumored plot details have leaked out. Numerous loglines will be familiar to those who’ve been keeping up to date with all the leaked info, including another Captain Carter episode, a Happy Hogan festive story, and the introduction of the MCU’s first Native American hero.

Image via X/Twitter

A new one that will raise eyebrows, though, is what’s apparently coming in episode seven. In what sounds like a wild revision of WandaVision, the tentative plot summary reads: “What if Wanda had grown up watching musicals instead of sitcoms?” Presumably, then, we can expect a version of the Hex where Westivew’s citizen were not magicked into becoming sitcom characters but to burst into song and dance.

This news may come as a boost to those upset by recent The Marvels rumors. Once upon a time, the Brie Larson sequel was talked up as a full-blown musical, but recently with its runtime apparently being so short, it’s claimed that much of its central musical set piece has been trimmed down considerably. Apparently, Marvel Studios remained committed to getting its groove on somewhere, though, and What If…? looks set to deliver A Very MCU Musical.

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'Rahul Dravid Doesn’t Like Any Communication Gap With Any Player or Support Staff': Rohit Sharma

Talking about his partnership with Dravid, Rohit was in full praise of his coach and said he respects him a lot as a person first then as a cricketer.

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Cameron Green Set to Miss Few Games In Build-Up to the ICC ODI World Cup Due to Concussion Protocol

Cameron Green will be under observation as per concussion protocol for the next eight days after being struck on the head by Kagiso Rabada's bouncer.

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Is ‘The Nun II’ based on a true story?

What’s a guaranteed way of making a horror movie scarier? Basing a horror movie on actual real-life events. The Conjuring Universe has certainly found a lot of success in this arena, with James Wan’s baby built around paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who, as fans of the franchise will know, really existed. In addition to the three Conjuring films, we also have an Annabelle trilogy, The Curse of La Llorona and The Nun, with the 2018 spinoff finally getting is own sequel this summer in the form of The Nun II.

An offshoot of The Conjuring 2, in which the character of the demon Valak — the habit-wearing hell-spawn that serves as the eponymous evil of these movies — first debuted, The Nun II follows on from its predecessor in acting as a prequel to The Conjuring, taking place in 1950s Europe. Even though Taissa Farmiga’s Sister Irene has relocated from Romania to France for the sequel, unfortunately, Valak tracks her down once again.

But does The Nun II take after its parent series in being based on a true story? Well, it’s confession time…

The mythological beginnings of The Nun franchise explained

Image via Warner Bros.

No, The Nun II is not based on a true story. The same thing goes for The Nun. Although The Conjuring 2 was inspired by the real-life poltergeist activity in Enfield, England in 1977, the addition to Valak the demon to the narrative was an invention of Wan and his team, therefore the franchise built entirely around the villain had the freedom to get fully creative and craft a brand-new narrative.

That said, Valak is not a wholesale original creation of The Conjuring Universe as a demon bearing that name exists in occult lore going back centuries. You’ve probably heard about grimoires — books of dark magic — in many a movie and TV show, but they are actually a real thing in antiquity too, and Valak is a frequent presence in several notable tomes. This includes The Lesser Key of Solomon, written in the mid-17th century but drawing from materials dating back hundreds and hundreds of years earlier.

In traditional occult mythology, Valak (also spelled Valac, Ualac, or Volach) does not appear as a nun but as a cherubic winged boy riding a dragon. Needless to say, it’s understandable why Wan and Co. decided to switch that up for something a little less Sistine Chapel meets Game of Thrones. Designated as a president of hell due to its significant powers, Valak is able to seek treasures as well as control serpents, which is where Valak’s alias in the movie, “The Marquis of Snakes,” originates.

So, no, The Nun II is not based on actual events, but who’s to say where these ancient beliefs of a demon called Valak came from? Just something to ponder while you’re tucked up in bed tonight, alone in the dark…

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What if that isn’t Anakin in ‘Ahsoka’ episode 4?

To anyone paying attention to Ahsoka‘s production, Anakin Skywalker’s arrival was a matter of when rather than if. In October 2022, it was widely reported that Hayden Christensen would be appearing in the show, with most assuming it’d be as a Force Ghost or in a flashback to the The Clone Wars era when Ahsoka was his padawan.

The reality has proved to be far more mysterious. Ahsoka appears to have fallen off a cliff and landed in ‘The World Between Worlds’, a mystical dimension outside of linear time. In Rebels, Ahsoka Tano’s life was saved by Ezra using this dimension, with him yanking her out of the timeline as Vader was about to land a killing blow. Now Anakin is here, looking like not a day has passed since Revenge of the Sith.

He seems friendly enough, though the episode closing out with a subtle reprise of John Williams’ Darth Vader theme doesn’t exactly bode well…

Why is Anakin in The World Between Worlds?

Image via Lucasfilm

Before Darth Vader’s battle with Ahsoka in Rebels, it seems Vader had no idea that The World Between Worlds existed. Even after that, it’s unclear whether he realized what had happened to Ahsoka as the moment she was rescued, he fell through the floor as the temple collapsed. That said, Vader’s subsequent actions indicate that he assumed Ahsoka had died there, so we doubt he ever knew about it while alive.

After his death? That’s another story. The rules on where Force Ghosts can go (or even what they are) remain vague, though the timey-wimey dimension seems like the kind of place a spirit might well end up. But it’s interesting that while this Anakin looks somewhat ethereal (this may simply be iffy de-ageing CGI), he doesn’t have the blue glowing outline of other Force Ghosts.

So, if Ahsoka can be saved from her death by Ezra, perhaps it’s possible for someone to save Anakin from his in Revenge of the Sith? That said, Star Wars actually resurrecting Anakin Skywalker would be the moment the franchise jumps the shark, so we doubt he’s a permanent addition to the cast.

If he’s not a Force Ghost or a man, what is he?

It’s possible that someone or something is showing Ahsoka her heart’s desire: her old friend and mentor before being corrupted into Darth Vader. This could be an involuntary psychic manifestation or, in a more sinister twist, perhaps Emperor Palpatine is pulling the strings.

At this point in the Star Wars chronology, Palpatine is still recovering from his apparent death, with his consciousness having been sent into a cloned body prepared for that eventuality. This proved a painful existence as the clones weren’t powerful enough to contain his evil essence, leading to his eventual plan to inhabit Rey’s body.

In Rebels, we saw that Palpatine had been trying to harness The World Between Worlds for his own evil ends, and as he’s now a disembodied spirit, this place may be how he moves between his cloned bodies. After all, Palpatine would know precisely what form to take to throw Ahsoka off guard and manipulate her.

Even if Palpatine isn’t involved, this ‘Anakin’ could still be a direct manifestation of the dark side. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke ventures into the Dark Side Cave as part of his Jedi training, encountering a spirit that takes the form of Darth Vader. If this can happen to Luke, there’s no reason it can’t happen to Ahsoka.

A darker possibility

Image via Hot Toys

This may be getting too far into speculation, but in episode 4, we learned that Marrok appears to be some kind of spirit, with the current fan theory that he was a dead warrior resurrected using Morgan Elsbeth’s Nightsister magic. The bad guys are now down a man after Marrok’s end, and what better spirit to bring back from the dead to torment Ahsoka than Anakin himself?

Capping off the show with one final battle between Ahsoka and an undead Anakin as she battles to put his soul to rest would be an emotionally fraught finale to the show, though would admittedly also be a smidge far-fetched.

However it shakes out, Anakin is (apparently) back from the dead, in good spirits, and seems happy to see Ahsoka. Let’s hope the writers don’t drop the ball next week.

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'Have Seen Fashion in Which Virat Kohli Batted in T20 WC': Former Cricketers Back India Batters to Overcome Pakistan Pacers

Abhishek Nayar suggested that no team will start favourites in the marquee clash on Thursday.

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'Have No Doubts Mr Jay Shah, Pakistan is Ready': Shahid Afridi's Explosive Reply Amid Asia Cup Security Concerns

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi hit back at BCCI secretary Jay Shah regarding the latter's 'security concerns' statement about Asia Cup 2023

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Roelof van der Merwe, Colin Ackermann, and Paul van Meekeren Named in Netherlands' 15-Man-Squad for ODI World Cup

The trio were not able to take part in the World Cup Qualifiers due to their prior commitments to their respective County sides in England.

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‘She’s an extraordinary genius’: Warner Bros. chief bows down to money-making machine Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie has been the hit of the year, finally surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie to take first place as the highest-grossing box office movie of 2023 (so far). Ever since its announcement, the hype around the film had been huge, and it only got bigger upon its release, as audiences flooded theatres around the globe. It’s no surprise then, that Gerwig is being hailed a genius by the studio she made all that money for.

Warner Bros.’ David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, showered praise on the director at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology event on Wednesday, presenting her with a bouquet of pink (of course) roses, the least he could do, considering Barbie is now Warner Bros.’ highest grossing movie.

As reported by IndieWire, Zaslav spoke to a Goldman Sachs analyst and when asked what lessons the studio took from the success of Barbie, he responded, “Greta Gerwig gets the most credit. She’s an extraordinary genius.” He went on to praise her involvement with marketing, stating she “worked very effectively” and “right down to the wire” with their marketing team.

Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Warner Bros. really did get behind the director’s vision in every way possible, with Zaslav saying, “Every asset that we have was turned pink.” On the show Inside the NBA he had hosts, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and Ernie Johnson discussing Barbie whilst in other departments pink played a prominent role, “Every cake on Food Network for a month was pink,” Zaslav stated, adding “When we get something we believe in, we can really drive it.”

Barbie has just recently taken over the reigning box office champ of the year, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, having now made $1.38 billion at the box office to date. This also lands it in 15th place on the biggest box office films of all time, just under Avengers: Age of Ultron which made $1.4 billion.

Projections indicate that Gerwig’s creation could reach $1.53 billion, which if correct, would land it in the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time, beating out Marvel’s Avengers ($1.52 billion). With so much money made for the studio, it’s only fair that Saszlav wax lyrical about the director that brought his company so much dough.

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'Rohit Sharma Subconsciously Thinks he Cannot Play Shaheen Afridi': Pakistan Pace Legend Shoaib Akhtar

Rohit Sharma was dismissed cheaply by Shaheen Afridi during India's Asia Cup 2023 opening match against Pakistan last week.

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Netflix boldly drops first trailer for a new actioner with an identical title and premise to the upcoming spin-off from a billion-dollar franchise

Not to generalize, but if you were told about an upcoming revenge-driven action movie called Ballerina headlined by a protagonist that’s mastered martial arts, swordfighting, gunmanship, and motorcycle riding and promises geysers of blood and bone-crunching brutality, then Ana de Armas’ John Wick spin-off would probably be the first thing that came to mind.

After all, Chapter 4 recently saw the Keanu Reeves franchise fly past a cumulative box office total of a billion dollars, cementing itself as one of the greatest recurring sagas of the modern era that’s seen both critical acclaim and earnings increase with each new installment.

And yet, Netflix has made the bold call to unveil the first trailer for incoming Korean original Ballerina, which releases on Oct. 6 and follows an ex-bodyguard named Ok-joo as she seeks ruthless retribution against those who wronged her.

It’s entirely coincidental, but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating that Netflix is forging ahead with the debut of an in-house exclusive that boasts the exact same title and a near-identical premise to what will be the sixth entry in the John Wick universe by the time it lands in theaters in June of next year, with episodic prequel The Continental filling the gap in between.

If it lives up to the majority of Netflix’s recent Korean ass-kickers in terms of quality, then de Armas might have an unforeseen mountain to climb in order to ensure that her Ballerina ends up being the best of the bunch, because history is most definitely on the streaming service’s side in this instance.

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'If Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma were in place of Ishan Kishan..': Gautam Gambhir Names Wicketkeeper For ODI WC 2023

Gautam Gambhir picked his first choice wicketkeeper for India among KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan citing the example of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

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‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ theory points to a happy ending for Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker

The saddest Spider-Man might get his well-deserved happy ending at long last if this Secret Wars theory is to be believed.

Spider-Man has it pretty rough and it’s not just Andrew Garfield’s version of the character. Tom Holland’s Spidey had to make one of the toughest choices a hero has ever made at the end of No Way Home in erasing himself from everyone’s memory and lost his aunt to boot. In fact, out of all the Marvel heroes, it seems that Spider-Man always suffers the most, even in the comics, and we get it, “with great power” yadda yadda, but come on.

Out of the live-action Spider-Men, there’s doubt Garfield’s iteration has suffered the most due to failing to save Gwen. The turmoil this caused him is evident at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 where he quits being the hero New York needs for several months. Even when he returns in No Way Home seven years later, he is still clearly a broken man who at some point stopped pulling his punches.

So could there be a happy ending for arguably the best iteration of the web-slinger after all? We already got a few golden moments of redemption for the character in No Way Home as he was able to save Peter 1’s MJ from suffering a similar fate to his Gwen. Also, the knowledge that he was also able to play a part in saving his universe’s villains as well as Peter 1 and Peter 2’s villains would hopefully also bring him some comfort. However, Secret Wars has the opportunity to give him the real happy ending he truly deserves.

So what’s the theory?

The idea shared on TheCosmicCircus.com suggests that the multiverse will play a huge part in Peter 3’s happy ending (duh). Reports suggest that Garfield and Tobey Maguire have been approached to reprise their roles yet again for the Avengers movie. However, the theory goes further, suggesting that the upcoming film might take some inspiration from the recent Across the Spider-Verse movie and introduce more spider variants. 

One such variant could very well be a Spider-Gwen whose life mirrors Peter’s. Spider-Gwen would, of course, be played by Emma Stone, who already has fans speculating about her potentially playing the character, although fans might be reading a bit too much into it all at the moment, (she got a haircut).

Oh I see it https://t.co/msmDv0rCgB

— Hernandy (@Pollos_Hernandy) August 7, 2023

The two could hopefully find some way to stay together either visiting across the multiverse or perhaps their universes somehow merging, (hopefully not in the form of an incursion). Either way, it would be nice to see Andrew’s Peter finally be given the happy ending he deserves after ten years. Could it actually happen? Well, the Marvel writers seem to love torturing Spider-Man, so maybe not.

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Sri Lanka Set World Record After Defeating Afghanistan by 2 Runs in Asia Cup 2023

Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by 2 runs to set a new world as they bowled out their opponents in a 12th consecutive game

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Shubman Gill Continues Push for Babar Azam's Number 1 ODI Ranking, Ishan Kishan Jumps 12 Spots After 82 vs Pakistan

Shubman Gill rose to his career high third place in ICC ODI rankings, as he continues to push for Babar Azam's crown of number 1 ranking

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‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ still has no trailer, but evidence suggests DC’s next bomb is clinging to its dead-weight release date

To get the clearest picture of the downfall of the DCEU, just look at the differing releases of 2018’s Aquaman and its upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The first outran mixed reviews to swim past the coveted $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming the most successful entry in its franchise. The second, meanwhile, is coming out in just over 100 days and it doesn’t even have a trailer yet.

Obviously, a lot of what’s stacked up against Aquaman 2 is beyond its control — the strikes, Amber Heard’s legal drama, the lingering effects of the pandemic on cinema — but, regardless, it seems like the world is far less hyped for a sequel to a record-breaking, globally popular superhero blockbuster than it should be. With Dune Part Two already vacating this year’s slate in order to be given more room to breathe in 2024, you’d think Warner Bros. might give The Lost Kingdom the same treatment. But, nope, that’s apparently not the plan.

via Warner Bros.

As you may have seen, Aquaman 2 action figures are already beginning to hit shelves in various international territories, so the rollout of the merchandise tie-ins highly indicates that the studio is fully prepared to stick with its planned Dec. 20 release date, even if the movie seems doomed to sink rather than soar given how things are going. We’re living in an improbable time when toys — that curiously look nothing like Amber Heard — are releasing before a trailer.

Without any new DC movies coming in 2024, as James Gunn’s DCU doesn’t kick off until 2025, it wouldn’t cause too much of a kerfuffle to the long-term plans to push Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom into next year, when its cast can actually promote it and the hype levels have risen a little. And yet WB appears dead-set on sticking to this dead-weight release schedule.

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Taika Waititi has more ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ crimes to answer for after junked LGBTQ+ romance rumors

Although Thor: Ragnarok was showered with near-universal praise, one element that was criticized was the removal of any hint at Valkyrie’s bisexuality. Once upon a time, it looked like this was all set to be fixed in Thor: Love and Thunder when Tessa Thompson announced to the whooping Comic-Con crowd back in 2019 that the four-quel would see Valkyrie on the search for “her queen,” now that she was king of New Asgard. Well, needless to say, the absence of such a plotline was one of LAT‘s many drawbacks.

Fresh details on what may have been planned have now emerged, however, pointing to which familiar character from Thor lore might’ve become Valkyrie’s queen in earlier versions of the film. First of all, recently unearthed storyboards depict a deleted scene in which Lady Sif was rescued by Valkyrie from Gorr’s attack on New Asgard. Valkyrie would’ve then taken Sif to the infirmary, establishing a friendship between the two women.

New storyboards from a deleted Thor: Love and Thunder scene show Valkyrie and Sif (re)uniting during the Battle of New Asgard!

Valkyrie was supposed to grab Sif out of battle and take her to New Asgard’s infirmary, but this sadly got deleted. pic.twitter.com/6JFOCBPLqu

— Thor Updates (@ThorUpdate) September 4, 2023

According to scooper MyTimeToShineHello, though, this friendship would have developed into something more of a junked subplot, with Sif “supposed to be [Valkyrie’s] girlfriend and then queen.”

Image via X/Twitter

When speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2022 about Valkyrie’s lack of love interest in Thor 4, Thompson admitted the team “had lots of conversations about it” but argued that making the character’s journey about “trying to learn how to love… herself” was preferable as Thompson even argued that defining her by a romance would be “minimizing her humanity” and equates to negative queer representation. “I think that’s just a stronger message, no matter what your orientation,” she said, on the importance of Valkyrie being single.

While Thompson raises interesting points, the fact that she proudly proclaimed one thing on stage at San Diego only for the finished film to depict something entirely different makes it plain that Love and Thunder underwent some huge story shifts during production. Sif becoming queen of New Asgard would’ve been a neat nod to her Norse myth origins, in which she is Thor’s queen, and finally given Alexander something more to do as the warrior. Sadly, a Valkyrie-Sif romance wasn’t to be, however. But, hey, if Taika Waititi really wants to make Thor 5 then that’s one thing he can belatedly deliver.

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South Africa Wicketkeeper-Batter Quinton de Kock to Retire from ODIs After World Cup 2023

After making his ODI debut in 2013, Quinton de Kock has played 140 matches, amassing 5966 runs at an average of 44.85, with 17 tons and 29 half-centuries.

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Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka Opt to Bat First Against Afghanistan; Both Teams Unchanged

Both the teams have gone unchanged for this crucial Group B clash.

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IND vs NEP: I Wanted to See Three Genuine Fast Bowlers And See How that Come - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir feels that India should have also played tearaway pacer Prasidh Krishna for the Nepal clash.

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BCCI President Roger Binny and Vice-President Rajeev Shukla Cross Attar-Wagah Border to Visit Pakistan

Roger Binny and Rajeev Shukla will head to Pakistan in order to represent the BCCI as they attend a dinner to celebrate Pakistan's hosting of the Asia Cup 2023.

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WATCH: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan Drop Easy Catches Against Nepal

India dropped three easy catches in the powerplay after skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first.

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IND vs NEP Asia Cup 2023 Toss Report: India Opt to Bat; Shami Replaces Jasprit Bumrah

India captain Rohit Sharma said Jasprit Bumrah, who headed back home for the birth of his child, has been replaced by Mohammad Shami.

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A Russo brothers-endorsed theory raises its head again to make a case for becoming official MCU canon

The Russo brothers have every right to be an authority on the MCU. After all, they helmed The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame, so it’s safe to say they know what they’re talking about. That said, their hints that the Punisher played a key role in a Winter Soldier action scene sounds just a teeny bit far-fetched.

The notion dates back to a DVD signing in 2014, where Joe Russo strongly hinted that the driver of the yellow truck that takes out two HYDRA agents pursuing Nick Fury was Frank Castle all along. At the time Russo said:

“The man who drives that truck is very highly trained. He thinks on his own terms. He’s got a plan and a very specific skill set.”

We’re now almost a decade on from these comments, since then Jon Bernthal has made his MCU debut as the character in the Netflix MCU shows, and will soon reprise the role in Daredevil: Born Again. So, is this really Frank Castle? Fans over on r/MarvelStudios are debating the matter, and there are no easy answers:

Image via Reddit

Replies are skeptical, saying this “feels too unlikely,” and that it’s simply a random truck driver who couldn’t stop in time. Another says secret Punisher cameos seem to be a running joke between the Russo brothers, as they’ve also said Castle was hit by the bench Hulk threw after learning Black Widow died.

Another points out that this wouldn’t even make sense chronologically, saying that Daredevil season 2 takes place after this movie, so his crusade against crime hasn’t even officially begun.

We’re with the fans on this, and suspect Joe Russo wasn’t being entirely serious. Either way, we’re looking forward to seeing Bernthal dishing out some more violent retribution on Disney Plus soon.

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