Author: Emily Martin

Jon Hamm Confirms He Was Originally Meant to Star in GONE GIRL: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 20, 2023

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Lashana Lynch to Star Opposite Eddie Redmayne in The Day of the Jackal

Lashana Lynch will be starring opposite Eddie Redmayne in the Peacock and Sky series adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s The Day of the Jackal. The series is described as “a bold modern reimagining” of both the novel and 1973 film adaptation while still remaining “true to the DNA of the original story while delving deeper into the chameleon like ‘anti-hero’ at the heart of the story in a high octane, cinematic, globetrotting ‘cat and mouse’ thriller set amidst the turbulent geo-political landscape of our time.” Lynch most recently starred as the teacher Miss Honey in Netflix’s Matilda musical film. She’s also set to star as Bob Marley’s wife Rita Marley in an upcoming Paramount biopic.

Jon Hamm Confirms He Was Originally Meant to Star in Gone Girl

Jon Hamm has confirmed that he was originally meant to star in the 2014 film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Of course, the role of Nick Dunne in the film ultimately ended up going to Ben Affleck. But on a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Hamm said that he was up for the role but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with Mad Men. “It was meant to be me,” Hamm confirmed. “But we had to film the continuing adventures of Mr. Draper.” Hamm also joked, “The main character in Gone Girl is from St. Louis, and Poor Ben, a Boston guy, had to wear a Cardinals hat. He was not very happy about it.”

Shortlist Revealed for Australia’s Prestigious Miles Franklin Award

Six authors have been shortlisted for the 2023 Miles Franklin award, Australia’s highest literary honor. Announced on Tuesday, the six books up for the $60,000 prize are Jessica Au’s Cold Enough for Snow, Robbie Arnott’s Limberlost, Yumna Kassab’s The Lovers, Fiona Kelly McGregor’s Iris, Shankari Chandran’s Chai Time at the Cinnamon Gardens, and Kgshak Akec’s Hopeless Kingdom. Each shortlisted writer will receive $5,000. The winner will be announced on July 25.

Queer Indie Bookstore Splits Profits with LGBTQ Authors

A new queer indie bookstore is splitting profits with LGBTQ authors and spreading queer joy and literacy with a rainbow book bus.

Today In Books

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE Banned in UAE: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 19, 2023

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Netflix Releases Trailer for Live-Action One Piece Adaptation

Netflix has released a trailer for its live-action adaptation of One Piece, based on the best-selling manga series of the same name written by Eiichiro Oda. The eight-episode series stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, who assembles a crew and sets out on a high seas adventure. The series, created by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, also stars Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. One Piece premieres on Netflix on August 31.

Leah Johnson Announces She’s Opening A Bookstore

Bestselling author Leah Johnson has announced that she’s opening a bookstore! The author of You Should See Me in a Crown, Ellie Engle Saves Herself, and Rise to the Sun tweeted: “This has been one of the worst years in history for book banning, but they can’t ban us or our stories. Which is why I’m so excited to announce that IM OPENING A FREAKING BOOKSTORE!!!!” Johnson says that her bookstore, Loudmouth Books, is “all about uplifting the work of marginalized authors and highlighting diverse stories.” Right now, Johnson has set up a gofundme so that you can support the store. Loudmouth Books will be opening soon in Indianapolis. In the meantime, you can buy books from their Bookshop page.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Banned in the UAE

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been banned in the United Arab Emirates for reasons that haven’t been officially disclosed. But it seems likely that the ban is connected to a “Protect Trans Lives” poster that can be seen in one scene in the movie. Viewers have also speculated that Gwen Stacy’s character is transgender-coded. During the film, Gwen “comes out” to her father in a way that felt familiar to many trans viewers. The character also sports the colors of the trans flag in her hair, and the blue and pink colors also feature prominently in Gwen’s universe. The United Arab Emirates ban was announced only a week ahead of the film’s intended release date in the UAE on June 22.

Watch This, Read That: 9 Great Shows & Films Paired With Equally Great Books

If you love these recent TV shows and movies, add these fantastic books to your reading pile next.

Today In Books

Holly Black’s THE PRISONER’S THRONE Gets A Cover Reveal: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 18, 2023

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The Witcher Showrunner Says Season 3 is a “Much More Direct Adaptation” of the Book

The Witcher showrunner, creator, and executive producer Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich says that Season 3 of the Netflix series will be a “more direct” adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski‘s book Time of Contempt. Schmidt-Hissrich told Collider, “Just from a basic writing perspective, the book is so easily adaptable…It can be broken down into big events.” The Witcher season 3 will star Henry Cavill in his final season as Geralt of Rivia. In the next season, he will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. Season 3 premiers July 29 on Netflix.

Best Friends Buy Secondhand Bookstore and Become TikTok Famous

Best friends and bookstore co-owners Carla Cary and Clio Bruns catapulted into minor TikTok fame this spring after launching the account @bookshopbesties. The duo, both 26, purchased Spare Time Books in April of this year and began documenting their journey fixing up the store on their TikTok account. Now, as of June 14, they had more than 94,000 followers and 1.1 million likes. Their first video has more than 3 million views.

Holly Black’s The Prisoner’s Throne Gets A Cover Reveal

Cosmopolitan has shared an exclusive cover reveal of Holly Back’s The Prisoner’s Throne and an interview with the author. The book, which is the second part of Black’s new Elfhame duology, is set to publish on March 5, 2024. When Cosmopolitan asked Black to describe her new book in three words, the author said, “Siblings. Revenge. Longing.” The book is now available for preorder.

8 Award-Winning Queer Books You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

These queer books are award winners — and you probably have not heard of them. Here’s why you should read them.

Today In Books

Director Mike Flanagan Gives Update on THE DARK TOWER TV Show: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 17, 2023

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Rebecca F. Kuang Shares the Books that Shaped Her with Good Housekeeping

Rebecca F. Kuang, author of Babel, The Poppy War trilogy, and Yellowface, is sharing with her fans the books that helped shape her as part of an ongoing series from Good Housekeeping. “This is impossible to overstate — books are everything to me,” the author told Good Housekeeping. “Books have made me constantly curious, hungry to learn and just full of wonder. They’re an endless source of delight that will never run out.” Huang’s list of favorites includes Remains Of The Day and An Artist Of The Floating World, both by Kazuo Ishiguro, and Kim Kelly’s Fight Like Hell.

Director Mike Flanagan Gives Update on The Dark Tower TV Show

During a Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday, The Haunting of Hill House director Mike Flanagan gave an update on his proposed version of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Flanagan told moderator Justina Ireland that he sees The Dark Tower as his dream project. “I’m very optimistic that we’re on a great path with that,” Flanagan said. “We have good partners, we can’t talk about it, but I think it’s going to happen. I can’t say for certain, but we look good. So I’m hoping that’s up there.” Flanagan’s next project is a miniseries adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, which is set to premiere on Netflix this fall.

Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey to Publish “Accessible” Poetry Collection

An accessible poetry collection entitled Poetry for the Many will be published in November. The collection, edited by Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, will contain contributions from Russell Brand, Maxine Peake, Michael Rosen, Melissa Benn, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Ken Loach, Morag Livingstone, Francesca Martinez, Gary Younge, and Karie Murphy. Murphy says the aim of Poetry for the Many is to “embrace poetry and shake off any notion that it is not something to be read, written, or appreciated by working-class people.” The collection will publish in November.

The Book Club Picks from June 2023, from Roxane Gay’s to Reese’s

Here are the books 11 of the biggest and most interesting book clubs have chosen as their picks for June 2023, including Yellowface by R.F. Kuang.

Today In Books

Bestselling Mystery Author Carol Higgins Clark Dies at 66: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 16, 2023

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Daredevil: Born Again and The Penguin Productions Paused Until After WGA Strike

Daredevil: Born Again and The Penguin will finally shut down production until the end of the WGA Strike. This decision comes after both productions were targeted by WGA East picketers on multiple occasions. The Daredevil revival is currently three months into an eight-month shoot on an 18-episode new season for Disney+. The Penguin is an eight-episode drama for Max from Warner Bros Television and DC Studios.

Shane Hawk Shares Cover for Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology Never Whistle at Night

Author Shane Hawk has shared the cover of the upcoming Indigenous dark fiction anthology Never Whistle at Night. This collection of “wholly original and shiver-inducing tales” introduces readers to “ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge” and features new work from celebrated Indigenous authors, including Darcie Little Badger, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tommy Orange, Nick Medina, Cherie Dimaline, and many more. The anthology also features an introduction from Stephen Graham Jones. It’s out from Vintage on September 19.

Bestselling Mystery Author Carol Higgins Clark Dies at 66

Actress and bestselling mystery author Carol Higgins Clark has died at age 66 in Los Angeles. Carol battled appendix cancer and even made short PSA films to warn people of its dangers. She is the daughter of author Mary Higgins Clark, who died three years ago at the age of 92.

Elliot Page Does Not Owe You A Legible Timeline: On the Beauty of Nonlinear Queer & Trans Storytelling

The nonlinear structure of Pageboy is not a gimmick. It’s part of a rich lineage of queer and trans storytelling.

Book Radar

BTS Finally Reveals Cover of Upcoming Book and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 16, 2023

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Happy Bookish Monday, Book Friends!

Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more drawn from our collective experience as power readers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and bookish professionals? Subscribe to The Deep Dive, a biweekly newsletter to inform and inspire readers, delivered to your inbox! Your first read (The Power Reader’s Guide to Reading Logs & Trackers) is on the house. Check out all the details and choose your membership level at bookriot.substack.com.

We’ve survived another weekend and are barreling forward towards summer, which is typically my least favorite time of the year. I know it’s an unpopular opinion. But as someone who has lived most of my life in the south, summer is a hellish season that stands between me and the sweet joy of fall. But this year I’m trying to be more optimistic. I’m not living in the south anymore. This new season of Love Island is really bringing the drama. And most importantly, we have so much good bookish content to look forward to. Let’s dive into it.

Book Deals and Reveals

K-Pop group BTS has finally revealed the cover up their upcoming book Beyond the Story. The highly-anticipated (and highly speculated about) oral history book is coming out from Flatiron Books on July 9.

Lee Mandelo’s The Woods All Black is coming out from Tordotcom Publishing! Here’s the cover reveal.

Read Riordan has the exclusive cover reveal of It Waits in the Forest, a YA thriller from Sarah Dass. This “chilling tale of magic, murder, and how far we’ll go to protect what’s ours” is out in May 2024.

And here’s the cover of The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers. This magical novel is perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Starless Sea. It’s out in January 2024.

Netflix series XO, Kitty announced on Instagram that it has been renewed for a second season.

Rainbow Rowell has announced a new novel in a tweet posted on June 14. Rowell wrote, “This book has a title now — and a plan! I will tell you about it soon.”

Bestselling author David Baldacci has inked an eight-book agreement with Grand Central Publishing. The deal covers six thrillers and two standalone historical novels.

Rachel Hawkins, author of The Wife Upstairs, has sold the world English rights to two new novels to St. Martin’s. The Storm will be released in January 2025, and the second, currently untitled book is planned for a January 2026 release.

Now that we’re almost halfway done with 2023, here are the most popular books on Goodreads so far. There’s something here for everyone.

Here are the books 11 of the biggest and most interesting book clubs have chosen as their picks for June 2023.

Here are Amazon’s 20 best books of the year so far, followed by a list of the editors’ personal favorites.

Book Riot Recommends

Hi, welcome to everyone’s favorite segment of Book Radar called Book Riot Recommends. This is where I’ll talk to you about all the books I’m reading, the books I’m loving, and the books I can’t wait to read and love in the near future. I think you’re going to love them too!

Subscribe to First Edition for interviews, lists, rankings, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.

Prepare Your Shelves!

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (Berkley, July 4)

Rachel Lynn Solomon’s romcoms (think The Ex Talk and Weather Girl) are always such fun treats. One of the things that’s going to make summer 2023 even more joyful? A brand new fun little treat from this author. Business of Pleasure is coming out on July 4 (finally, a reason to celebrate!), so prepare your shelves.

Ghostwriter Chandler Cohen is used to feeling invisible. That sort of comes with the territory. But when she shows up to a book signing for a book she wrote and the “author” doesn’t even recognize her? It’s just a little too ghosty for her tastes. That same night, Chandler has an awkward one-night stand with C-list actor Finn Walsh. And as if things couldn’t get worse, she later discovers her next ghostwriting project…is writing Finn’s memoir. You would think keeping your name off of the books would keep you out of the drama!

For this whole project to work out, Chandler is determined to keep their relationship as professional as possible. But when Chandler admits to Finn that their one-night hook-up was, well, underwhelming, Finn is determined to change. And so they strike a deal. Whenever they’re not working together on the book, they’ll work together to help Finn perfect the art of pleasure. Hence the title.

What I’m Reading This Week

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

Orange by Ichigo Takano

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

Monday Memes

I know we all know about this book cover trend at this point, but the memes are still funny.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

When you start your Monday by going to brush your teeth, only to find a cat in the sink, it’s a good Monday.

I hope your Monday goes this well. And have a wonderful rest of your week. See you Thursday!

Emily

Today In Books

Rainbow Rowell Announces New Book: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 15, 2023

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XO, Kitty Renewed for a Second Season on Netflix

Yesterday, the Netflix series XO, Kitty announced on Instagram that it has been renewed for a second season. The romantic comedy series created by Jenny Han is a spinoff of Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, based on the novel of the same name by Han. Anna Cathcart stars as Kitty. The series also stars Minyeong Choi as Dae, Gia Kim as Yuri, Sang Heon Lee as Min Ho, Anthony Keyvan as Q, and Peter Thurnwald as Alex, Yunjin Kim as Jina, Sarayu Blue as Trina, John Corbett as Dan Covey, Michael K Lee as Professor Lee, Jocelyn Shelfo as Madison, and Regan Aliyah as Juliana. The announcement of the show’s renewal comes four weeks after the series’ premiere on the streaming service.

Barbara Kingsolver Wins the Women’s Prize for Fiction for Second Time

Barbara Kingsolver has won the 2023 Women’s prize for fiction for her Pulitzer prize-winning novel Demon Copperhead. Kingsolver is the first person to win the award twice in its 28-year history. She previously won the prize in 2010 for The Lacuna. Kingsolver was also shortlisted in 2013 for Flight Behavior. The Women’s Prize is awarded for the best full-length novel of the year written by a woman and published in the UK. The prize includes £30,000. This year’s judging panel — which consisted of chair Louise Minchin, Rachel Joyce, Bella Mackie, Irenosen Okojie, and Tulip Siddiq — voted unanimously for Kingsolver’s novel. Minchin said the panel was “deeply moved by Demon, his gentle optimism, resilience and determination despite everything being set against him.”

Rainbow Rowell Announces New Book

Rainbow Rowell has announced a new novel in a tweet posted on June 14. Rowell wrote, “This book has a title now — and a plan! I will tell you about it soon.” She additionally shared a link for a Spotify playlist Rowell created for her new novel as she writes it. Rowell says fans can expect more information about the novel in the next couple of weeks, or “maybe even sooner!”

Messy Sapphic Novels for Fans of The Ultimatum: Queer Love

Whether you’re Team Xander, Team Vanessa, or Team “WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THIS,” these books are perfect for fans of The Ultimatum: Queer Love.

Book Radar

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE Gives Fans a First Look and More Book Radar!

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 14, 2023

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Happy Thursday, Book Friends, and greetings from Portland!

Have you ever taken three books with you for a two-day trip? Well…I do often. Because you just never know when you might finish all the books and need a back up (or two). Especially when you’re taking the train. Anyway, I know you’re book people, so you probably understand this. Why bring one book when you can bring three, am I right? Okay, let’s chat books.

Book Deals and Reveals

David Sedaris is publishing his first children’s book, Pretty Ugly, a collaboration with Olivia creator Ian Falconer. It will be published on February 27, 2024, from Toon Books, an imprint of Astra Publishing House. You can preorder here.

Amazon’s Prime Video has released the first images from its adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s novel Red, White & Royal Blue.

Following backlash after her announcement of her novel The Snow Forest, author Elizabeth Gilbert announced she was pausing the project. Response to this announcement has been…mixed.

Juno Dawson’s fantasy trilogy Her Majesty’s Royal Coven has been optioned for TV by Left Blank Pictures, the producers of The Crown.

TikTok star Eli Rallo is releasing a new book, and Cosmopolitan has revealed the cover. I Didn’t Know I Needed This will be out on December 12 from Harvest (an imprint of HarperCollins).

Book bans in the United States are at an all-time high, but so are LGBTQ+ book sales, according to a new study.

These are Libro.fm’s most pre-ordered books of summer 2023. What are you eager to listen to?

Book Riot Recommends

Subscribe to First Edition for interviews, lists, rankings, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.

Can’t Wait for This One!

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig (Del Ray, September 26)

If you feel like you’re in a rut with horror fiction and have read every kind of story there is to read, then clearly you haven’t read Chuck Wendig yet. His horror novels are super weird in the best possible way. And I promise you that you’ve never read a story like Black River Orchard.

Something strange is happening in the town of Harrow. As the season changes to fall, trees in the town’s orchard start to sprout strange new fruit: apples with deep red skin so dark they almost look black. The people of Harrow soon learn that taking a bite from these apples makes everything better. They make you stronger, happier, more confident, more powerful…and with every bite you only want to eat more. Soon, everyone in the town becomes obsessed with the new apples. But what they don’t know is that the apples have a dark history. And then the leaves begin to fall…

If you want to find out all of the secrets of the orchard in Harrow, then you’ll have to wait until this fall. But clearly, this is going to be the quintessential fall read. I mean, apples! Dark magic! Scary stuff! I can’t wait. This one’s out on September 26.

Words of Literary Wisdom

“Maybe it’s impossible to live life without any regrets. Even when you know the future…you’ll still mess up.”

— Orange by Ichigo Takano

A Moment to Honor Cormac McCarthy

I wasn’t quite sure how to work this into the newsletter, but I also felt like it needed to be acknowledged. We lots a literary legend earlier this week. Cormac McCarthy lived a long life and published some of the best books of American literature, books that will remain part of the literary canon long after we’re all gone. Read more here about the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Road, No Country for Old Men, and Blood Meridian.

And Here’s A Cat Picture!

I don’t have anything clever to say about this picture. I just saw Murray doing this and basically died because it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I hope you enjoy the cute.

Alright! Time for me to finish all of these books so I can justify bringing them with me. I hope you’re doing great. I hope you keep doing great over the weekend. See you next time!

Emily

Today In Books

Scarlett Johansson Confirms Top Secret Marvel Project: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 14, 2023

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Fan Fiction Writers are Trolling AIs with Omegaverse Stories

Fan fiction writer’s work is being used to train generative AIs, and now these writers are fighting back by participating in a week-long writing marathon called “Knot in my Name.” The marathon encourages fanfic writers to publish as much of their Omegaverse fanfiction as possible in an attempt to mess with AI generators. “Most of us aren’t aspiring writers,” said fanfic writer and marathon organizer MotherKat. “This is our hobby, the space we go to escape the misery of our jobs being automated away… We can’t fix what [the AI] have already done, but if we can have this irreverent little moment, maybe we can make scraping in the future less palatable to the venture capital guys if they know we, well, we got slick all over it.”

John Romita Sr., Legendary Marvel Artist, Dies at 93

Legendary Marvel artist John Romita Sr. has died. The announcement was made on Tuesday evening via Twitter by his son, John Romita Jr, who is also a successful comic book artist himself. “I say this with a heavy heart, my father passed away peacefully in his sleep… He is a legend in the art world, and it would be my honor to follow in his footsteps.” Romita co-created several iconic Marvel characters, including Wolverine, the Punisher and Mary Jane Watson. He was 93 years old and passed peacefully in his sleep.

Scarlett Johansson Confirms Top Secret Marvel Project

Speaking with Comicbook.com at the Asteroid City press junket, Scarlett Johansson confirmed that a “top secret” Marvel project is still in the works, but it has been put on pause due to the WGA writers’ strike. Marvel President Kevin Feige had noted previously that he was working with Johansson in a producing capacity on a “non-Black Widow related top-secret Marvel Studios project.” Johansson told Comicbook.com, “It is still happening, [but] not currently because nothing is happening right now. We’re all sort of in this holding pattern as we wait out the writers’ strike and potentially our own guild strike, and so on and so forth.” Johansson also said that developments were happening shortly before the WGA strike began at the beginning of May. Details beyond that are currently being kept under wraps.

Things To Do Instead of Watching The Flash Movie

Despite the controversy surrounding the film, The Flash movie hasn’t been pulled. But you don’t have to watch it — here’s what to do instead.

Today In Books

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Book-Rating Bill: Today in Books

Post author By Emily Martin
Post date June 13, 2023

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Red, White & Royal Blue Gives Fans First Look at Upcoming Adaptation

Amazon’s Prime Video has released the first images from its adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s novel Red, White & Royal Blue. The upcoming romantic comedy stars Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex, the son of the President of the United States (Uma Thurman), and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry of Britain. Red, White & Royal Blue premieres on August 11 on Prime Video.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Book-Rating Bill

On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill banning explicit books in school libraries. The bill also included additional measures to increase parents’ input in Texas classrooms. Abbott calls this bill, titled the Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources Act (or the READER Act), a move towards “parental empowerment.” Signing the bill alongside supporters at the Capitol on Monday, Abbott said, “Some school libraries have books with sexually explicit and vulgar materials. I’m signing a law that gets that trash out of our schools.”

Sailor Moon Cosmos: Part 2 Trailer Released

The first Sailor Moon Cosmos released in theaters earlier this month, and now the trailer has dropped for part 2 of two-part feature film series. Sailor Moon Cosmos: Part 2 is scheduled to hit theaters in Japan on June 30. There is still no word on when the films will be available to watch in the U.S. Previous iterations of the new Sailor Moon adaptation have released in the U.S. on Netflix, so here’s hoping we’ll have word soon!

The Literary Life of Elliot Page

Get to know Elliot Page through his love of books and literature, as well as the bookish roles he’s played.