2018

Lena Waithe is preparing for the debut of her new show “The Chi,” a Showtime drama that explores life in the South Side of her hometown Chicago. And she tells the New York Daily News that inspiration for the show came to her after watching another news report about gun violence in the city. “That’s where I’m from, and I want to tell our story in a really good way and show the humanity,” Waithe told the New York Daily News. “They were walking through the neighborhoods that I lived in, been around,” the Chicago-born producer and actress told the publication. “I didn’t know the people the guy was interviewing but I felt like I knew them and I felt like I wanted to tell their story.” The coming-of-age drama was executive produced by Waithe and Common, and has the likes of  Dope writer/director Rick Famuyiwa involved. Straight Outta Compton star Jason Mitchell will be part of the cast of a dozen characters navigating this seminal part of the city. “I was born and raised in Chicago, and my city is really under duress at this moment. It has become a war zone,” Chicago-native Waithe told Vogue.com about the show last year. “It was not that violent when I grew up there. It was never a peaceful place, mind you, but it was not this bad. And my family still lives there. It’s something I think about often—those headlines aren’t just background noise to me." Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017.  "The Chi" debuts Sunday, Jan 7 at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime.

Thirty-five years ago, Return of the Jedi took Star Wars fans to the Great Pit of Carkoon, where Jabba the Hutt attempted to execute Luke Skywalker and Han Solo by dropping them into the belly of the sarlacc. Even in 1983, this monstrous hole in the desert was enough to give anyone a teeth phobia. Plus, the sarlacc ate Boba Fett, and we’ve never forgiven it for that. But now, some enterprising fan has created a sarlacc pit themed pillow…for very young children. Because if you’re gonna traumatize someone you love, you might as well start early.

Via Laughing Squid, the Pit of Carkoon Play Mat Floor Pillow Lounger was created and sold by the Bed Hog Shop. According to the description, it’s intended for toddlers and newborns, presumably before they’ve had a chance to realize that they’re sleeping on the mouth of a grotesque monster.

Nope. Not disturbing at all. This looks like a pre-Special Edition sarlacc, so the extra beak is gone and the tentacles are absent. But there are so many teeth. Too many teeth.

If you were hoping to pick this up for your child, you’re out of luck for now. The Bed Hog Shop is sold out of this item, but it has a few additional Star Wars inspired pieces that may catch your eye. And none of the other designs look like nightmare fuel.

What do you think about the sarlacc pit pillow? Unleash your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Lucasfilm, The Bed Hog Shop

More Star Wars stories!

• 14 porg-tastic recipes.
• Kelly Marie Tran got a “Laura Fern” for Christmas.
• The cantina song played on a barrel organ.

Nikuyah Walker is elected as Charlottesville, VA's new mayor, coming months after the city was home to a horrific White supremacist rally that lead to one woman's death.

Wonder Woman was the superhero movie of 2017, no small achievement in a year with no shortage of great superhero movies. Director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot knocked it out of the park with Princess Diana’s origin story, so now that everyone is officially on board for the sequel, the question becomes “where do we go from here?” In a recent interview, via Slashfilm, Jenkins dropped a hint about the upcoming Wonder Woman 2:

“We’re actually making a totally different film with a lot of the same…things that we love, but it’s its own movie completely, so it’s not ‘two’ to us. It’s an entirely new adventure together that we couldn’t be luckier [to do].”

Well, that is pretty vague, but it hints that the second film won’t be a direct follow up to the events of the first film. Which means that we probably won’t see Wonder Woman II: The Wrath of Ares or anything like. For a lot of fans, David Thewlis’ portrayal of the God of War was the film’s weakest aspect, so although Ares is Diana’s Joker or Lex Luthor, expect that chapter to be closed, at least for now.

Rumors abound that the movie will take place during the Cold War era 1980s, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Although it almost definitely will have a time jump of some kind, the question becomes does the movie take place in modern day, or anytime during the last century? Wonder Woman 2 could take a page from Marvel here, shadowing how Captain America: The Winter Soldier did a sequel to a period piece superhero film. If Wonder Woman 2 is anywhere near as good as that film, we will all be very lucky moviegoers.

Jenkins comments might also suggest that a Wonder Woman sequel might break with the first film in that it won’t be a story rooted in Greek mythology, as many of Wonder Woman’s most well regarded comic book stories tend to be. Of course, over 75 years of publishing history at DC Comics, there are plenty of examples of Wonder Woman stories not based on gods and goddesses.

On of Wonder Woman’s most infamous examples of a big departure from her traditional mythos came in 1968, when she lost her powers, her costume, and her access to her fellow Amazons, who departed to another dimension. Wonder Woman became a sort of female James Bond, travelling the world in a white jumpsuit and karate chopping bad guys. To say that feminists of the time were not happy about Diana losing her powers and iconography is perhaps an understatement. Within four years, prominent feminists had rallied for Wonder Woman’s powers and costume to be restored, and DC Comics obliged.

However, the “female Bond” era had a lasting impact, as the Lynda Carter television series offered a mix of both takes on Diana. Her secret identity of Diana Prince worked for one of those made up government spy agencies, so she still kicked ass fighting terrorists and the like as something of a super spy. She also happened to still be able to turn into a super powered demi-goddess when she felt like it. Could Jenkins new movie be picking up on that angle from the comics for a sequel?

Another big departure from Wonder Woman’s traditional mythological storytelling was when Diana was exiled into space, and ended up leading a slave revolt on an alien world. This multi-part “Space Pirates” story ran in the mid ’90s, and it wasn’t terribly popular, but it was a break from the usual “Wonder Woman fights a gorgon” type stories fans had become used to. I could see Patty Jenkins maybe doing a loose adaptation of this and turning it into something cool.

Another offbeat Wonder Woman story is Paul Dini and Alex Ross’ OGN Spirit of Truth, which finds Diana fighting terrorists, but also finds her confronting the fact that she is often separated most from the people she’s sworn to protect. It would be sort of an odd choice to inspire a movie, but aspects of it could creep in. Actually, Diana’s introduction in Justice League is inspired by the graphic novel at least in part. And say what you will about that film, but Diana’s introduction is pretty great.

Wonder Woman 2 is currently set to hit theaters November 1, 2019.

What non-traditional Wonder Woman comic book stories would you like to see inspire a sequel? And which villains would you like to see used? I know I’m personally rooting for Circe and the Cheetah. Be sure to let us know who you would like to see down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers / DC Comics

SOAR WITH MORE WONDER WOMAN!

• Meet an Amazon cosplay group.
• See an alternate ending for Wonder Woman with Batgirl and Supergirl.
• Could Wonder Woman be part of a DCEU Flashpoint?