Hello, and welcome to a fresh edition of the Monitor, WIRED’s entertainment news roundup. Today we have a lot of news about changes in Hollywood, and the welcome return of one beloved sitcom. Let’s get started.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Is Coming to Disney+ Early
Welp, this feels right. Today, Disney announced that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be coming to Disney+ two months early. On which day? On May the Fourth, of course. Yes, Disney—likely looking to help fans staying home to slow the spread of the coronavirus—is releasing the film on their streaming platform on Star Wars Day. Now everyone with a Disney+ account can watch the entire Skywalker saga to honor the holiday.
This isn’t the first time since the Covid-19 lockdowns started that Disney has released a film early on its streaming service. Last month, Frozen 2 dropped three months early, and the Pixar film Onward arrived on Disney+ on April 3. The documentary series Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is also coming to the streamer on May 4.
Spider-Man, Doctor Strange Movies Shift Release Dates
Today in Movie Release Dates Getting Moved news: Sony announced on Friday that the sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home will now hit theaters on November 5, 2021, instead of July 16 of next year. Relatedly, Disney is pushing the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is moving from November 5, 2021 to March 25, 2022.
Parks and Recreation Is Doing a Covid-19 Episode for Charity
Have you been missing your TV friends from Pawnee, Indiana, in this time of self-isolation? Then have we got a surprise for you. NBC announced last week that the cast of Parks and Recreation are reuniting for new special airing on Thursday. The half-hour show—which will bring back Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Jim O’Heir, Retta, and Rob Lowe—will benefit Covid-19 relief and raise funds for Feeding America.
Tom Hanks Offers His Blood to Treat the Coronavirus
Just last month Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus. Now, recovered from their symptoms, they’re offering their blood and plasma to help treat Covid-19. “A lot of the questions [are] ‘What do we do now? Is there something we can do?’ And, in fact, we just found out that we do carry the antibodies,” Hanks said on NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! last week. “We have not only been approached, we have said ‘Do you want our blood? Can we give plasma?’” The actor also added that he has a name for any treatment derived from his donation: “Hank-ccine.”
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