Gosling Gets Ghost Rider, The Odyssey Holds, and Hollywood Goes Full Comic-Con
Ryan Gosling becomes Marvel's Ghost Rider, The Odyssey chases a Nolan second-weekend record, and Comic-Con, streaming charts, and fresh Hollywood deals drive the week's biggest entertainment news.
The big screen
Ryan Gosling is Marvel's next Ghost Rider, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is headed for a record second weekend, and Comic-Con turned a rumor-heavy week into a release-calendar blitz. From July 20 through July 26, Hollywood also put a live Hadestown capture in theaters, set a new soccer TV benchmark, and lined up more games, biopics, and legacy sequels.
1. The Odyssey keeps sailing
Saturday estimates put The Odyssey at $84.5 million for its second domestic weekend, a 32% drop and a $283.8 million total through week two. If that estimate holds, it will beat The Dark Knight's $75.1 million second weekend for Christopher Nolan's best ever, though Sunday's final number is still pending.
2. Hadestown bets on the big screen
The Tony-winning musical's live capture began a five-night theatrical run on July 24 with five original cast members, including Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Amber Grey, and Andre De Shields. It was filmed in London's West End across three performances plus extra camera days, mixing stage fidelity with movie-style choices such as a one-take shot for "Flowers."
Franchise and TV news
3. Ryan Gosling is Marvel's new Ghost Rider
Ryan Gosling will play Johnny Blaze, the motorcycle-riding spirit of vengeance, in Marvel's new Ghost Rider movie, with Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy at the wheel. Marvel made the long-whispered casting official during its Saturday Hall H presentation and is targeting 2028, giving Gosling his first superhero movie.
4. Rings of Power puts the One Ring front and center
Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three trailer shows Sauron closing in on the One Ring, while the Comic-Con panel added Simon Pegg as the voice of the Balrog and Eddie Marsan as Dwarven royal Thrain. The season jumps several years into the War of the Elves and Sauron and premieres November 11, 2026.
5. The World Cup final doubles the old soccer record
Spain's 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina drew 62.8 million combined U.S. viewers across Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock, more than twice the 25.78 million who watched the 2022 final. Fox averaged 38.9 million viewers, while the Spanish-language broadcast reached 23.9 million, a record for Telemundo and Peacock.
6. Streaming's latest snapshot is a split decision
The newest Nielsen report, published this week but covering June 22-28, put Netflix's I Will Find You at 2.48 billion U.S. viewing minutes, up 35%, and gave Love Island USA a series-best 1.97 billion minutes. FX's final-season premiere of The Bear managed 587 million minutes, down 36% from season four's opening week, and the chart counts TV viewing only, not phones or computers.
Awards and the business
7. BAFTA draws a line around AI performers
BAFTA says AI actor Tilly Norwood will never be eligible for a Film Award, and the academy can now ask entrants for more detail about AI use and the amount of human creative involvement. There is no fixed percentage test, but the 2027 awards calendar is already moving: entries opened July 22, with the longlist due January 7 and nominations January 29.
8. Atari sends 10 classics to Universal's movie queue
Atari has given Universal the right to develop 10 game properties, including Asteroids, Pong, Centipede, Missile Command, and Yars' Revenge, with Entertainment 360 producing. Universal has already bought the first project, an original large-scale adventure from screenwriters and producers Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe.
9. Snoop Dogg gets a 2027 big-screen date
Universal will release Snoop, its Snoop Dogg biopic, on August 6, 2027, with Craig Brewer directing and Jonathan Daviss playing the music icon. The film is the first project under Death Row Pictures' overall deal with NBCUniversal and will use music from Snoop's catalog, with Brian Grazer, Snoop Dogg, and Sara Ramaker producing.
10. Tom Cruise is revving up Days of Thunder 2
Paramount is putting Jonathan Levine in talks to direct a Days of Thunder sequel, with Tom Cruise set to star and produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer. Will Staples wrote the script, but Levine's deal is still being negotiated and the new story remains under wraps, so Cole Trickle's next lap has a director-shaped asterisk.
11. Julie Andrews gets the documentary treatment
Disney+ has greenlit a 2027 documentary about Julie Andrews from R.J. Cutler, promising rare archival footage and new interviews with the star of Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and The Princess Diaries. Cutler, whose recent credits include documentaries about Billie Eilish and Martha Stewart, will make the film through his company This Machine.
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