The Rewind: Aug. 12-18

Your entertainment recap of the latest happenings in movies, television and pop culture for the week of Aug. 12th through 18th.

It was a somewhat light week when it comes to entertainment news. We didn’t get anything super earth-shattering (other than that “Little Women” trailer!!!!), but still some fun stuff to break down. I spent the weekend seeing “Blinded by the Light,” starting “Mindhunter” Season 2, and finally binging “Euphoria,” and let me just say… I was MISSING OUT.

Alright, here’s the news.

Movies

Disney rumored to be considering a live-action “Aladdin” sequel

After raking in over a billion dollars at the box office, it should come as no surprise that Disney is exploring the possibility of a follow-up to this year’s live-action “Aladdin.” Personally, this excites me more than I thought it would. I enjoyed “Aladdin” more than I expected too, and it’s rumored this sequel would follow a new, original storyline. Considering how bad the animated “Return of Jafar” was, going in a new direction is a wise decision – plus, it allows for some creativity to hush the haters complaining about Disney recycling and rebooting everything.

Harry Styles will NOT play Prince Eric in live-action “Little Mermaid”

Wow… talk about a roller coaster of emotions. After rumors surfaced that the former One Direction lead singer was in talks to play Prince Eric in the upcoming live-action remake, news broke that Styles had officially signed on. Then, about three hours later, news broke again that he had actually turned the role down. I guess he was still bummed about not getting Elvis. Now, there’s still no word on who will end up playing Prince Eric. Personally, I think Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”) or Jacob Elordi (“Euphoria”) would be good fits.

“Searching” sequel is in the works

Now, I don’t know if sequel is the right word here, because the follow up to “Searching” won’t feature any of the same characters or storylines. Instead, what we’re getting is another tech-based thriller that takes place entirely on electronic screens. To me, that’s the best way to go. Instead of turning John Cho’s into some sort of Liam Neeson Taken-style dad, just explore another story using the same methods. “Searching” mainly stuck to computer and TV screens, so it’d be cool to see them add cell phones in the mix this time around.

Television

Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff coming to Disney+

At long last, “Star Wars” has finally given the people what they’ve been begging for: more Obi-Wan Kenobi adventures. While there’s no *official* confirmation yet, Ewan McGregor is expected to sign on to reprise his role as the Jedi Master for a miniseries on the Disney streaming service. While Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian” is expected to span multiple seasons, Obi-Wan’s, and other potential shows, will be limited series. I can only assume the series will focus on Obi-Wan’s adventures between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope.”

Trailers:

“Little Women” (Dec. 25, 2019)

“Last Christmas” (Nov. 8, 2019)

“Parasite” (Oct. 11, 2019)

“Dolemite Is My Name” (TBD 2019 – Netflix)

“Underwater” (Jan. 10, 2020)

Make sure to follow along on Twitter @insidefilmroom for live updates every day!