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In the season 3 finale of the primetime teen soap "The O.C." — which aired on May 18, 2006 — viewers were absolutely shocked when Mischa Barton's lead character, Marissa Cooper, died in a fiery car crash. Within the narrative, Marissa's ex-boyfriend Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet) runs her car off the road while she's driving with her on-again, off-again love Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), and Marissa dies in Ryan's arms as their car catches fire behind them. Barton, who actually spoiled the twist shortly before the episode aired, stayed quiet about her reasons for leaving the series behind for quite some time, but in an exclusive interview with E! News in 2021, Barton finally spoke up about why she walked away.

"It's a bit complicated," Barton said, answering a question about when conversations began about her departure. "It started pretty early on because it had a lot to do with them adding Rachel [Bilson, who...

Mischa Barton had that early-2000s glow—fresh, trendy, and suddenly everywhere. We first saw her as the spooky little girl in The Sixth Sense, but it was The O.C. that truly made her a star. As Marissa Cooper, she became the teen drama royalty. She had the perfect look, amazing style, and unforgettable moments on the show.

But not everything was as shiny as it seemed. By 2006, just three seasons into the hit show, Barton made a surprising exit. It felt sudden, like the story stopped mid-sentence. Fans were left wondering why. Behind the glam and red carpets, she was under real pressure. Her quiet departure hinted that life behind the camera was a lot more complicated than anyone knew. Fame looked fun, but for Barton, it came with a storm she hadn’t signed up for.

Marissa Cooper’s tragic end in The O.C. Mischa Barton and...

Fans still love The O.C. after all these years!

The hit teen drama – starring Ben McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Melinda Clarke, Alan Dale, Autumn Reeser, Willa Holland, and Chris Carmack – ran for four seasons from 2003 to 2007 on Fox.

Just recently, Alan Sepinwall published his new book titled Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History in which creator Josh Schwartz, executive producer Stephanie Savage, and several cast members shared some behind-the-scenes secrets from the show.

Some of the biggest bombshells revealed include the one cast member everyone wanted to date, Emma Stone auditioning for a role, a character almost getting killed off in season one, and so much more!

Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History is out in stores now.

Browse through the slideshow for the biggest bombshells from the new book…...

Batman has had an endless number of iconic comic storylines over his 85-year crime-fighting career. Whether it be classics like The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns or more modern gems like The Court of Owls and The White Knight, every DC fan has their favorite. However, when it comes to origin stories for The Caped Crusader, none are as popular as Batman: Year One. The series by writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli has some of the most memorable moments in the character’s history. Now McFarlane Toys is honoring Year One with new moody action figures.

A part of McFarlane's seven-inch scale DC Multiverse line, there are two new Gold Label figures based on Year One. This would be Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon in their more youthful designs. The figures will go up for pre-order exclusively at Walmart later this month on April 16th.

You’ve definitely seen Shawn Hatosy on your screens before — but, depending on your preferred John Wells drama, you may know him for any number of roles.

First came a memorable guest spot on NBC’s ER, on which he played Willis Peyton, a patient suffering from dissociative identity disorder… then came starring roles on a pair of TNT shows — Detective Sammy Bryant on Southland, and criminal Andrew “Pope” Cody on Animal Kingdom….

More from TVLine<em>The Pitt’</em>s Noah Wyle & Co. Talk Taking Robby to the Very Edge in Finale and ‘Getting Mentally Healthy’ in Season 2<em>The Pitt</em> Season 2 Premise,...

If you actively kept up with the DC TV era, then you were living. Being a fan of the comic book genre at a time when superheroes were making their presence felt all across television was truly an unforgettable experience, and you could pretty much find a DC or Marvel show on each night of the week on broadcast TV. Considering that there are none on broadcast now, that really highlights what a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience the 2010s were.

Although the majority of DC TV programming came from The CW's Arrowverse, there was one DC show on another network. That was Batman prequel Gotham, which aired on Fox and ran for five seasons. Starring David Mazouz as a young Bruce Wayne and Ben McKenzie as Detective James Gordon, the show had a mostly successful run, entertaining Bat-fans with its outlandish and off-the-wall plot developments each and every week.

Succession siblings Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin are both on Broadway right now!

Sarah just celebrated the opening night of her play The Picture of Dorian Gray and Kieran wasn’t able to attend, but he drove by the red carpet to wave to his friends.

The opening night performance of the play took place on Thursday night (March 27) at the Music Box Theatre in New York City.

Succession cast members who did attend included Peter Friedman, David Rasche, Arian Moayed, Juliana Canfield, Dagmara Dominczyk (with husband Patrick Wilson), Sydney Lemmon, Natalie Gold, Zoe Winters, and Fisher Stevens.

Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin, Ariana DeBose, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, and King Princess were also all there.

In the new production of Oscar Wilde’s classic tale The Picture of Dorian Gray, Sarah takes on all 26 roles. Get tickets now!

Stars: Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, Sawyer Jones, Kane Kosugi, Malcolm Fuller | Written and Directed by Pablo Absento

Bloat follows Jack, a soldier whose family is trying to move past a recent personal tragedy. To facilitate this healing process, Jack books a family vacation to Japan for his wife, Hannah, and their children. However, before he can join them, a sudden escalation in tensions in the Middle East forces him to remain at his post, leaving him able to interact with his family only through digital means. Their trip takes a terrifying turn when Kyle their youngest child, has a near-fatal accident in a lake. Though he survives, the incident serves as an entry point for a supernatural entity – a kappa or river child, a water demon from Japanese folklore – to take possession of him.

While kappa are not necessarily the most malevolent of supernatural creatures, their actions in folklore range from mischievous pranks,...

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The O.C. is a teen family drama series created by Josh Schwartz. The Fox series follows Ryan Atwood, a troubled but intelligent teen boy, as the wealthy and empathetic Cohen family adopts him. Ryan soon finds himself in the complex and wealthy world of Orange County, where he makes lifelong friends and some enemies. The O.C. stars Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Ben McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Chris Carmack, Tate Donovan, Melinda Clarke, Rachel Bilson, Alan Dale, Willa Holland, and Autumn Reeser. So, if you loved the entertaining story, interesting characters, and lots of teen drama in The O.C., here are some similar shows you check out next.

Gossip Girl Credit – The CW

Gossip Girl is a teen drama series created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Based on the young adult novel series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar,...

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Daredevil: Born Again is a superhero action crime and legal drama series created by Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord. Based on Marvel Comics, the Disney+ series is a continuation of the Netflix series, and it follows Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, as he goes head-to-head once again with Wilson Fisk, the newly appointed Mayor of New York. Daredevil: Born Again stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer, Kamar de los Reyes, and Jon Bernthal. So, if you loved the brutal action, thrilling drama, and compelling characters in Daredevil: Born Again, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Watchmen (Max & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – HBO

Watchmen is a superhero dystopian drama series created by Damon Lindelöf.

One of Netflix's biggest hit original series in recent years is "Outer Banks," which premiered in 2020 and ran for five seasons. Set in the scenic beach towns of North Carolina, the series blended coming-of-age drama, along with romance and action, elevated by its young, charismatic main cast. "Outer Banks" reinvigorated teen dramas and thrillers, but the genre has been a television staple for decades. With that in mind, there are countless shows like "Outer Banks" for fans looking to find the series' effective soap operatic stakes elsewhere.

From shows set in other picturesque locations around the country or featuring cool, stylish characters in a cycle of love and betrayal, there are plenty of teen dramas to watch. What links these series are young, impossibly beautiful main characters, often thrust into melodramatic storylines that grow increasingly ludicrous. For fans of the genre, they wouldn't have these teen and young adult shows any other way.

Can you imagine The O.C. without Ben McKenzie and Mischa Barton?!

Back in 2021, former The O.C. co-stars Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke, who played Summer Roberts and Julie Cooper respectively, launched their brand new podcast, Welcome to The O.C., Bitches.

On the podcast’s first episode, the ladies were joined by the show’s creator Josh Schwartz.

During their conversation, Josh talked about the show’s casting process, revealing that Ben and Misha weren’t the top choices to play Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper, before sharing which other actors were also up for those parts.

Click through the slideshow to find out who was almost cast as Ryan and Marissa on The O.C.!

The modern age of technology has enabled filmmakers to tell stories in new, innovative ways. One of the biggest examples can be seen in the ever-growing body of screenlife horror films and thrillers like Unfriended, Host, Spree, and Searching. Through a screen-sharing format, the subgenre pulls viewers into a digital landscape, bouncing across video calls, security footage, internet searches, all forms of text messaging, and more to create narratives filled with suspense as their protagonists try to either solve a mystery or escape a killer from the discomfort of their computer.

Oftentimes, these kinds of movies add in a supernatural element to not only up the stakes, but limit technology as a resource as it malfunctions in the presence of the unknown — Bloat, does just that. With award-winning director Pablo Absento at the helm, the film rediscovers an ancient Japanese folklore demon through a present-day possession flick, further highlighting the...

Andre Holland stars in the new indie movie The Actor, though the role was originally developed with Ryan Gosling to play the lead role.

Director Duke Johnson is opening up about Ryan being attached to the film and how the actor stayed on as a producer after deciding not to star in the project.

“In 2019, the script initially found its way to Ryan, and he came on board, and we developed the script together through the pandemic,” Duke told The Playlist. “And the way Hollywood works, it’s so hard to schedule people that have really intense schedules, and ultimately there became some conflicts in that department. But I’m so blessed with how this one worked out. I’m very grateful to have had that time to develop the script with Ryan, but this movie was always destined for Andre; he’s the ultimate blessing to me. He’s my muse,...

“Bloat” (2025), the screenlife thriller gets a new iteration in this Paul Absento thriller, which follows a US Army general, Jack Reynolds, who, through a virtual connection to his family vacationing in Tokyo, slowly realizes that his younger son, Kyle, might be the victim of possession.

Bloat (2025) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis

As is emblematic of screenlife thrillers, every perspective we see is via a screen, and the first scene we see is of the Reynolds—Jack (Ben McKenzie) and Hannah (Bojanna Novakovic)—celebrating the birth of their third child via a recording on Jack’s phone, only to be blindsided by the baby’s untimely death. Presumably a couple of months later, via iMessages, we see Hannah coaxing Jack to take a leave and go on a family vacation as a way to heal from family trauma.

Jack, out of the numerous popular travel destinations, selects Tokyo. While excitedly planning for the trip,...

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Gotham is a superhero action crime drama series created by Bruno Heller. Based on the DC Comics characters of the same name, the Fox series follows James “Jim” Gordon as he joins the Gotham City Police Department and meets a young Bruce Wayne just after his parents are murdered. Gotham stars Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Zabryna Guevara, Sean Pertwee, Robin Lord Taylor, Erin Richards, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, and Victoria Cartagena. So, if you loved the superhero action, thrilling drama, and compelling characters in Gotham, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Daredevil (Disney+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Disney+

Daredevil is a superhero action-adventure legal crime-drama series created by Drew Goddard. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, the Netflix series follows Matt Murdock,...

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There are plenty of Batman cartoons out there, from the superlative "Batman: The Animated Series" to the underrated 2004 series "The Batman" to the new and fresh "Batman: Caped Crusader." But there's another cartoon even the most ardent Bat-fans may not have heard of — because it was never actually made.

"Gotham High" would've shown Bruce Wayne's teenage years as he attends high school alongside Batman's future villains, who all already resemble their costumed selves. Pitched in 2009 or so, the series never made it past the concept stage. Warner Bros. had previously floated a teen Batman cartoon in the late '90s to cash in on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." That resulted in "Batman Beyond," a cyber-noir imagining a future where an aged Bruce Wayne trains teenager Terry McGinnis to be a new Dark Knight.

"Gotham High" would've been a more literal...

The brainchild of Japan-based writer and director Pablo Absento, Bloat combines folk and screenlife horror to create a harrowing and sometimes unfathomable tale of familial grief, child possession, Japanese mythology and cucumbers. At the forefront of this digital horror tale are two brothers — older brother Steve, played by Malcolm Fuller of The Thespian, and the ten-year-old younger brother Kyle, whom horror fans might recognize as Aidan of the Wendigo vehicle Antlers.Separated from their off-duty military father, the boys accompany their grieving mother on a vacation in Tokyo to lift their spirits, but a near-drowning incident leaves Kyle considerably less human, and Steve very concerned. Teaming up with his father, Steve helps in the race against time to save his brother's soul from an inexplicable and ancient evil.

In this interview with Cbr, Malcolm Fuller and Sawyer Jones share their experiences shooting overseas in Japan, bonding with their on-screen family and each other,...

Plot: It follows a mother and two sons vacationing in Japan. Their younger son almost drowns in a lake, and soon after the accident, the parents realize that something is wrong with their boy.

Review: Screenlife: a form of visual storytelling told entirely through a computer, phone or tablet screen. Hollywood has already found plenty of success with this found footage offshoot with films like Missing and Searching. Now they’re taking that same concept and giving it more of a supernatural twist. Not that we haven’t also already seen that as well. But hey, lack of originality isn’t always a death knell as it’s really about the execution. So does Bloat manage to excel where others failed? Eh…

Bloat is seen through the eyes of Benjamin McKenzie’s Jack, a soldier who’s away on leave. Thankfully, he’s behind a desk, so he gets plenty...

The producer of films including Searching and Unfriended, Timur Bekmambetov returns to screenlife horror with Bloat, headed to select theaters and Digital on March 7.

While you wait, Bloody Disgusting has been provided with an exclusive clip from Bloat that gives us a small taste of the demonic infection plaguing the family at the center of the film.

The demon in question? The frog-like Kappa from Japanese folklore.

In Lionsgate’s Bloat, “After a near-death drowning accident, a young boy’s family is horrified to discover he has become possessed by a legendary demon from the depths of the lake.

“As the family races against time to save the boy’s soul, the evil monster inside the child tears the family apart as it seeks to destroy everyone in its path.”

Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (Devil) star with Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones (Antlers), and Kane Kosugi (Godzilla: Final Wars...

If found footage horror movies are to millennials, screenlife horror movies are to zoomers. With an innovative marketing campaign that understood the World Wide Web's growing impact on culture,1996's groundbreaking found footage flick The Blair Witch Project paved the way for modern screenlife films of the 2010s and '20s. And while works like Unfriended, Searching, and Host skillfully balanced onscreen suspense and multi-tab laptop realism, 2025's J-horror-adjacent film Bloat(which comes from a producer of Unfriended and Searching) sinks in a lake full of tropes and is deficient in scares.

Surfing to Japan on the World Wide Web

BloatHorrorRelease DateMarch 7, 2025DirectorPablo AbsentoProducersDzhanik Fayziev, Timur Bekmambetov, Ben McKenzie, Mariya Zatulovskaya, Anna Shalashina, Marie Garrett, Gilles SousaCast

Bojana Novaković Hannah

Ben McKenzie Jack

Sawyer Jones Kyle

Malcolm Fuller Steve Powered by

ExpandCollapsePros & ConsWriter-director Pablo Absento's clear knowledge of internet urban legends, supernatural forums, and mysterious caught-on-camera videos is worth noting.

Bloat, the feature debut of writer and directed by Tokyo-based Pablo Absento, has a lot of great ideas. Starring Ben McKenzie, Brojana Novakovic, Kane Kojugi, Malcolm Fuller and Sawyer Jones, and running at just over eighty minutes, Bloat combines folk horror, Japanese mythology, an iconic monster, and the evergreen subject of family trauma-based horror. It has great shooting locations, a solid cast of actors — including Sawyer Jones, aka Aidan of the similar folk-horror monster movie classic Antlers — and a great premise. However, even all these good qualities can't keep a story afloat when the screen is constantly flooded with screenlife clutter.

Bloat is the story of a family bereaved. Military man Jack Reynolds and his wife Hannah recently experienced a stillborn birth, casting a dark cloud over their family. In an attempt to lift their spirits, Jack organizes a family trip to Tokyo, but a sudden military conflict forces Jack...

The O.C.was a beloved TV series of the teen drama genre that ran from 2003 to 2007. The series follows a group of teenagers living in Newport Beach, Orange County, with Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) being taken in by the wealthy Cohen family. The four-season series followed Ryan as the fish-out-of-water, along with his best friend, Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), girl-next-door Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), and her best friend, Summer Roberts. (Rachel Bilson)

The success of the series launched its main cast into stardom, with Ben McKenzie going on to star in Gotham, Rachel Bilson in Hart of Dixie and Jumper, and Adam Brody in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, as well as Netflix’s Nobody, Wants This, which won him a Critics' Choice Award. However, there are several well-known Hollywood stars who made smaller appearances on The O.C. before their careers took off.

Shailene Woodley Appeared as Kaitlin Cooper...

Photo Credit: Warner Bros Take a trip back to the gritty streets of Gotham! This series doesn’t just shout Batman—it dives headfirst into the origins of iconic characters like Bruce Wayne, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, and even teases the Joker. It’s the ultimate look at how heroes and villains are made. But Gotham isn’t just about comic book lore. As Ben McKenzie shared while the show was on the air, it’s a gripping crime drama filled with mystery, action, and raw emotion. Whether you’re a die-hard Batman fan or just love a good story, this show delivers. (Click on the media bar below to hear Ben McKenzie.) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ben-MecKenzie-4-11-12-14.mp3 Gotham is available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital platforms, and streaming on Max.

The post Ben McKenzie: ‘Gotham’ Was More Than Just A Comic Book Show appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Owen Wilson needs a new pair of running sneakers. Why? Because he will need them for a race against the clock in the upcoming action drama Runner. Joining Wilson for the forthcoming feature is Reacher and Fast X star Alan Ritchson. Scott Waugh directs Runner from a Black List script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley.

According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Runner “follows Hank Malone (Ritchson), a high-end courier who has three hours to transport an organ to save a seven-year-old girl in need of an immediate transplant. The seemingly simple mission turns deadly when the leader of a notorious crime syndicate becomes hell-bent on claiming the organ.”

Owen Wilson plays Ben in Runner, the “medical courier that Ritchson is begrudgingly forced to transport and protect.”

“This pairing is something I believe audiences have been hungry for, and we strive to achieve the unexpected from the page-turner script that Miles and Tommy delivered,...

Ask your typical Millennial about "The O.C." — the primetime teen soap that aired on Fox from 2003 to 2007 — and I'm willing to bet that the show's iconic theme song, "California" by Phantom Planet, just started playing in their head. Created by Josh Schwartz, the series starts out by introducing audiences to Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), a troubled kid from Chino who ends up in jail after stealing a car with his older brother. When Ryan meets his public defender Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), the big-hearted lawyer offers his aid ... and when Ryan goes back home only to discover that his mother has moved and left him behind, Sandy takes Ryan to live with him in the affluent Orange County. Despite initial concerns from Sandy's wife Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), Ryan fits in pretty well with the Cohens, immediately forging a friendship with her only son Seth (Adam Brody) ... and when he meets...

https://youtu.be/4VZfmgLLXgY?si=aQZyZzVS9FukNpHH Directed & Written By Pablo Absento Starring Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones, Kane Kosugi Synopsis From a producer of Searching and Unfriended, Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (Birds of Prey) star in this chilling tale of horror and suspense. After a near-death drowning accident, a young …

The post Bloat starring Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones, Kane Kosugi – In Theaters, On Demand and On Digital March 7, 2025 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Exclusive: With the second season of his hit Yellowstone origin series 1923 set to premiere next month, Brandon Sklenar looks to have already roped in another western as sources tell Deadline he is in talks to star in Skydance pic The Rescue. Old Henry director Potsy Ponciroli will helm the film from a screenplay by John Fusco. The plan is to begin shooting this summer.

Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce alongside Ponciroli and his Hideout Pictures, Down Home and Cliff Roberts. Aimee Rivera will oversee the project for Skydance. The logline is being kept under wraps, but The Rescue is a modern day western, in which a rodeo cowboy’s skills are put to the test outside the arena.

For Sklenar, the project falls right into his wheelhouse after his star making performance in the first season of the hit Yellowstone prequel series 1923. The...

In Theaters, On Demand and On Digital March 7 Directed & Written By Pablo Absento Starring Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones, Kane Kosugi Synopsis From a producer of Searching and Unfriended, Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (Birds of Prey) star in this chilling tale of horror and suspense. After a near-death …

The post Official Trailer + Poster!! – Bloat starring Ben McKenzie, Bojana Novakovic, Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones, Kane Kosugi – In Theaters, On Demand and On Digital March 7, 2025 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

"You think you're gonna wake up from a nightmare – but it ain't no nightmare, it's real." Lionsgate has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror thriller movie called Bloat, made by filmmaker Pablo Absento who is based in Tokyo, Japan. Ready for release in March including on VOD, though we haven't seen this show up at any festivals before. The film follows a mother and two sons vacationing in Japan. Their younger son almost drowns in a lake, and soon after the accident, the parents realize that something is wrong with their boy. From a producer of Searching and Unfriended, Ben McKenzie and Bojana Novakovic star in this chilling tale of horror and suspense. The boy's family is horrified to discover he has become possessed by a legendary demon from the depths of the lake. As the family races against time to save the boy's soul, the evil monster...

Nearly three years have gone by since we heard that Ben McKenzie (Gotham) and Bojana Novakovic (Beyond Skyline) were the stars of the Japanese horror film Bloat, which had already started filming at that time. Now, Bloat is finally ready to make its way out into the world, as it’s set to receive a theatrical, on demand, and digital release on March 7th. Although with the release date announcement comes the unveiling of a trailer, which can be seen in the embed above.

Written and directed by Tokyo-based filmmaker Pablo Absento, Bloat is a co-production between Timur Bekmambetov‘s company Bazelevs, the Russian streaming service Okko, French production and sales company Pulsar Content, and Japanese production company flag Co., Ltd. Filming took place in New York and Japan. Bloat does indeed use Bekmambetov’s Screenlife filmmaking technique, “in which the story unfolds on the screens of the devices used by the movie’s characters.

Searching and Unfriended producer Timur Bekmambetov returns to screenlife horror with Bloat.

The J-horror-inspired film will possess select theaters and Digital on March 7 via Lionsgate. Check out the trailer below.

After a near-death drowning accident, a young boy’s family is horrified to discover he has become possessed by a legendary demon from the depths of the lake. As the family races against time to save the boy’s soul, the evil monster inside the child tears the family apart as it seeks to destroy everyone in its path.

Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (Devil) star with Malcolm Fuller, Sawyer Jones (Antlers), and Kane Kosugi (Godzilla: Final Wars).

Writer-director Pablo Absento makes his feature debut on the film.

The post ‘Bloat’ Trailer – Screenlife Horror Starring Ben McKenzie Will Possess Viewers in March appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A new horror film will soon rise from the lake to bring terror to theaters and digital platforms in March and Collider has an exclusive first look at the chilling official poster. The film in question is Bloat, a new J-horror distributed by Lionsgate that features Gotham star Ben McKenzie and Edge of Darkness alum Bojana Novakovic as parents of a young boy who discover something horrifically wrong with him after a near-drowning accident. He's become possessed by a chilling demon lurking in the depths of the murky water, leaving the couple in a race against time to save him before his soul is lost forever. The key art offers the first glimpse at what McKenzie and Novakovic are dealing with, as it depicts a hunched-over creature with hollowed eyes ready to haunt the unfortunate visitors to its domain.

Fans will likely never forget the dramatic circumstances surrounding when Mischa Barton's Marissa left The Oc. 

Barton's character was a defining part of the early-2000s teen TV drama, serving as a primary protagonist alongside Benjamin McKenzie's Ryan, Adam Brody's Seth, and Rachel Bilson's Summer in the show's first three seasons. 

During her time on the series, Marissa was put through the wringer. In just three seasons she had to grapple with her parent's messy divorce, an evolving drug/drinking problem, and (yes) being investigated for murder among other things.

Read full article on The Direct.

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On Call is a procedural crime drama series created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf. The Prime Video series follows Long Beach Police Department veteran training officer Traci Harmon and her latest rookie Alex Diaz as they patrol the streets to keep the people of their city safe while trying to get over the loss their recently fallen colleague. On Call stars Troian Bellisario, Brandon Larracuente, Eriq Lasalle, Lori Loughlin, and Rich Ting. So, if you loved the thrilling rush, police procedural drama, and compelling characters in On Call here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Rookie (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – ABC

The Rookie is a police procedural action crime drama series created by Alexi Hawley. The ABC series follows John Nolan, a 40-year-old man as he moves to Los Angeles to...

The O.C. almost looked very different!

Back in 2021, former The O.C. co-stars Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke, who played Summer Roberts and Julie Cooper respectively, launched their brand new podcast, Welcome to The O.C., Bitches.

On the podcast’s first episode, the ladies were joined by the show’s creator Josh Schwartz.

During their conversation, Josh talked about the show’s casting process, revealing that Ben McKenzie and Mischa Barton weren’t the top choices to play Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper, before sharing which other actors were also up for those parts.

Click through the slideshow to find out who was almost cast as Ryan and Marissa on The O.C.!

Nearly three years have gone by since we heard that Ben McKenzie (Gotham) and Bojana Novakovic (Beyond Skyline) were the stars of the Japanese horror film Bloat, which had already started filming at that time. Now, it looks like Bloat might finally be almost ready to make its way out into the world, as the Motion Picture Association ratings board has announced that they’ve given the film an R rating for language and some violent content. The film will be released by Lionsgate, but they haven’t set a release date for it yet.

Written and directed by Tokyo-based filmmaker Pablo Absento, Bloat is a co-production between Timur Bekmambetov‘s company Bazelevs, the Russian streaming service Okko, French production and sales company Pulsar Content, and Japanese production company flag Co., Ltd. Filming took place in New York and Japan. Bloat does indeed use Bekmambetov’s Screenlife filmmaking technique, “in...

It’s been two years since production wrapped on the screenlife J-horror movie Bloat. Now, it appears as though a release date announcement may be imminent as the Lionsgate horror movie has earned an official R-rating.

Bloat has been rated “R” for “language and some violent content,” which sounds like a more ominous, foreboding style of horror.

Ben McKenzie (“Gotham”) and Bojana Novakovic (Beyond Skyline) star.

The film tells of “a military officer (McKenzie) stationed in Turkey while his wife (Novakovic) is vacationing in Japan with their kids. During the stay, their younger son almost drowns in a lake. Soon after the accident, the parents realize that something is wrong with their boy.”

Bloat will also feature Bon Koizumi, great-grandson of the legendary Japanese folklorist and horror story collector Lafcadio Hearn and the director of his museum. Previously released details reveal that the film’s characters will “eventually come to...

Half a decade since Gotham came to its end, actors Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie discussed the show in an interview. Though they met on the set of McKenzie's previous project, The O.C., the stars only became an item when they starred opposite one another. The DC series starred McKenzie as a young Jim Gordon, along with David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth, Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma, and Robin Lord Taylor as the Penguin.

Initially introduced as a guest star in Gotham's first season, Baccarin played Dr. Leslie "Lee" Thompkins, who is Batman's doctor in the comics, and became a series regular in the subsequent seasons. Baccarin and McKenzie married and started their family during the show's run, remaining a couple in the decade since. Baccarin has continued acting, having recently appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, while McKenzie has acted and become an economic commentator.

The Penguin was a huge hit for HBO and DC, and the series can serve as the first of many The Batman spinoffs to come, with a list of characters that appeared in Matt Reeves' first Batman film being able to lead a TV show. Robert Pattinson has become one of the most popular live-action Batman actors. The star will return for at least two more Batman movies to complete Matt Reeves' planned The Batman trilogy. Interestingly, the Dark Knight was nowhere to be seen in The Batman's first spinoff series, HBO's The Penguin.

While Batman's absence was a major topic of discussion among fans, as Gotham City faced a gang war without Batman there to stop it, The Penguin did not need Bruce Wayne to be good. With a dark story, complex characters, shocking twists, major deaths, and more, The Penguin has become one of the best live-action DC TV shows.

The Penguin comes to an end on HBO and Max on Sunday, Nov. 10. After watching one of the best gangster/mob stories we've seen in a long time, we know fans are going to be looking for something else to watch!

We've already watched The Batman, the film that inspired The Penguin, quite a few times. And, we also have a long time to wait until The Batman Part 2 hits theaters in 2026. Luckily, there are more than enough good crime shows for The Penguin fans to watch until The Batman Part 2.

And, we're also hearing some promising news about The Penguin season 2. We don't know for sure if the series is coming back for season 2, but there's some hope, according to a report from The Direct.

While we wait to find out the fate of The Penguin, let's get the list of crime shows to watch started with the best TV show of all time,...

Peter Gallagher reveals which of his former co-stars on The O.C. he’s “very protective” of.

The actor, who played Sandy Cohen in the hit teen drama, recently opened up to The Independent about the negative impact of fame and how he always found himself looking out for Mischa Barton, who played Marissa Cooper on the show centered on wealthy teens living in Newport Beach, California.

“I’ve always felt very protective of her,” Gallagher said. “First fame is toxic. First fame can kill you. She was 16 years old when she started working with us, so just the fact that she’s still alive, I’m just so grateful.”

Gallagher and Barton worked alongside each other throughout the first three seasons of the show, which ran from 2003 to 2007. Marissa was the love interest of Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), who was taken in by the Cohen family, including Peter, Seth Cohen...

Occasionally, a teen show will have a character finding it hard to say "I love you" for the first time. Whether it's Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) taking a handful of episodes to utter these three little words to each other in Gossip Girl or Rory (Alexis Bledel) shying away from professing her feelings toward Dean (Jared Padalecki) in Season 1 of Gilmore Girls, this narrative device always manages to keep viewers entranced in the story and rooting for a character to be vulnerable to their significant other. The same happens in The O.C. in Season 1, Episode 14, titled "The Countdown." After Marissa (Mischa Barton) and Ryan (Ben McKenzie) finally beat the odds against them as a couple, the latter doesn't know how to respond when Marissa says "I love you" for the first time. Instead of saying it back, he ends up uttering "thank you," and regretting it immediately.

HBO's The Penguin is the newest crime drama to be considered prestige television. Based off Matt Reeves' film The Batman, The Penguin navigates the conflict between fictional mob families through the eyes of Gotham gangster Oswald Cobb, also known as The Penguin. While it's been heavily compared to other prestige dramas from the past, The Penguin has made a name for itself, just from its first four episodes alone. But that doesn't mean fans can't watch any Penguin-style shows in between episodes.

The thing about The Penguin is that its intention is very clear: it appeals to viewers who yearn for a harsh drama that explores the psychology of famed comic villains in a bleak city ravaged by gangs. In essence, it wants to be more than a comic book series by tapping into mob and crime genre clichs. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's a reason why these tropes work: they're thrilling,...

The O.C. was one of the staple teen dramas of the aughts, partly thanks to its iconic cast, including names like Mischa Barton. It takes place in Orange County (The O.C.) in Southern California and ran for four seasons before the network canceled it. The show's catalyst was when Ryan Atwood, a troubled teenager from a broken home in Chino, moved in with the Cohens, a wealthy family living in an upper-class community in Newport Beach. Ryan and the Cohens, which included Sandy, Kirsten, and Seth, came from different worlds, but they eventually learned how to operate as a unit.

Although The O.C. contained many side plots and important storylines, the central one revolved around how Ryan fit in with the rest of the characters. The culture clash between Ryan's upbringing and the Cohens' was a main conflict throughout the series because he was so young and had a rough childhood.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Joker: Folie à Deux" and "Gotham."

In Todd Phillips' 2019 "Joker," Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a nobody, in the sense that he is made to feel that his dreams and hopes amount to nothing, like that of a non-entity. There are some worthwhile layers to this character study, as Arthur is shaped by cyclical abuse and trauma, which he initially attempts to stifle by attempting to make people laugh. However, one bad joke after another escalates into a killing spree, and before he can even process what has happened, he evolves into a symbol of anarchy in Gotham, inadvertently infecting others with his madness. He starts as the Joker, but his life-altering act of infamy morphs the individual into an idea, shared freely among those obsessed with what they think he stands for, creating many who aspire to be Jokers.

Although this idea is...

There are plenty of great shows like Nobody Wants This to watch next, from series starring either Adam Brody or Kristen Bell to completely different projects entirely. Nobody Wants This season 1 recently premiered on Netflix and follows the story of an unlikely romance between a rabbi named Noah Roklov (Brody) and an agnostic woman named Joanne (Bell). Nobody Wants This has gotten positive reviews so far and has become a streaming hit on Netflix since its release.

While Nobody Wants This is the first time that Brody and Bell have played romantic partners, it is far from either of their first jaunts on television. Brody is known for his work on shows including The O.C., whereas Bell has made a name for herself in shows like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. After watching Nobody Wants This, some good options are available for those looking for a series that is...

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The Penguin is a gritty crime drama series created by Lauren LeFranc. Based on the DC Comics character of the same name created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the HBO series is set in the world of Matt Reeves‘ The Batman and it follows the story of Oswald “Oz” Cobb aka Penguin a few weeks after the events of The Batman as he tries to gain power after the death of Carmine Falcone, but Carmine’s daughter Sofia Falcone is also thinking of doing the same. The Penguin stars Colin Farrell in the lead role with Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Mark Strong, Michael Kelly, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the gritty criminal world, compelling characters, and a thrilling story in The Penguin here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The O.C. almost had a very different cast!

Back in 2021, former The O.C. co-stars Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke, who played Summer Roberts and Julie Cooper respectively, launched their brand new podcast, Welcome to The O.C., Bitches.

On the podcast’s first episode, the ladies were joined by the show’s creator Josh Schwartz.

During their conversation, Josh talked about the show’s casting process, revealing that Ben McKenzie and Mischa Barton weren’t the top choices to play Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper, before sharing which other actors were also up for those parts.

Click through the slideshow to find out who was almost cast as Ryan and Marissa on The O.C.!

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As winter approaches we are all in need of something spicy to watch to make our temperature rise and if you are a fan of romantic comedies, then we have the perfect recommendations for you. From critically acclaimed movies like The Big Sick to new and popular romantic comedy movies like The Idea of You, Prime Video has everything you need. So, here are the 7 best R-rated romantic comedy movies available on Prime Video right now.

If you want to watch more R-rated romantic comedy movies here are some more recommendations for you available on Netflix, Hulu, and Max (formerly known as HBO Max).

The Idea of You Credit – Prime Video

The Idea of You is a romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay co-written by Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt. Based on the 2017 novel of...