Such is where Destin Daniel Cretton’s alternately fresh and convoluted Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” begins, and with a cute kid being told the story of a money-mad bad guy who changed (kind of) to make the world a better place (sort of). No wonder young Shang-Chi is so conflicted: his literal origin story is messy. Thankfully, Cretton zips past this awkward (yet necessary) opening to bring us into Shang-Chi’s (or “Shaun,” as he’s gone by since he slipped into America and attempted to assimilate) current world, which is a far cry from any fairy tale involving magic, mystery, and mean dads....

A spokesperson for Searchlight Pictures said in a statement (via THR): “David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper,’ acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He acknowledges Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water.’ Any similarity between the two works is coincidental.” The lawsuit was originally rejected by U....

The television debut of McQueen, “Small Axe” comprises tales inspired by real-life events about ordinary people showing courage, belief, and resilience to overcome injustice and achieve something transformative in their West Indian community. Among the ensemble throughout “Small Axe,” which will begin rolling out on BBC One and Prime Video on November 20, are Letitia Wright, John Boyega, Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, Jack Lowden, and Micheal Ward....

The (extremely) long-running NBC sketch comedy series lost some key players this summer, including Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, and (debatably key) Pete Davidson. They also trimmed Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aristotle Athari. “This will be a transition year. Change years are always difficult but always exciting. There are new people. There are four new people at least for now,” executive producer Lorne Michaels said backstage at the Emmys....

Host: Benedict Cumberbatch Cumberbatch’s first time hosting provided the memorable “Why Is Benedict Cumberbatch Hot?” sketch, showing just how game he is when it comes to poking fun at his — let’s say, distinct — physical appearance. This episode’s cold open also continued down that path, specifically when it came to his — let’s also say distinct — smile. But the point of this monologue was more the Mother’s Day of it all, as Cumberbatch shouted out both his mother and wife....

Producer Eugene Lee said in a statement to Variety that “Baby, Box, Broker” is “a Korean movie with Korean actors, Korean staff, being shot in the Korean language. It will shoot in Korea also.” “Parasite” production company CJ Entertainment is investing in the project and will distribute the movie in South Korea. Kore-eda is still finishing up the screenplay for the movie, which is eyeing a 2021 production start. “As always, it all began with the actors,” Kore-eda said in a statement....

Actor Jamie Campbell Bower, who played the complicated villain in “Stranger Things 4,” revealed that his terrifying Freddy Krueger-esque full-body prosthetics included a “flap” for him to use the restroom without getting out of costume. “The bottom half of the suit sort of waist-down, they’re like a pair of trousers that I have to slip on,” Bower said during an interview on SiriusXM’s Octane. “Everything else is glued, but the bottom half are trousers....