Screen Time: ‘Pluribus,’ The ‘Snowfall’ Spin-Off, Rambo Prequel, & More

Welcome to B.H.’s Screen Time, where every week, we’ll give you the cliff notes on what’s happening in the entertainment industry. From various stages of development chatter and our take on the newest releases, to a fun throwback worth revisiting, think of it as an insider’s digest meets movie club.

Coming Soon

The Rambo prequel starring Noah Centineo appears to be making steady progress as Lionsgate strikes a deal with Millennium Media.

Under the terms of this agreement, the studio has acquired the global distribution rights to John Rambo, the forthcoming sixth instalment of the Stallone-fronted franchise, along with the future television rights; plus the right to develop and produce “all derivative works, including future film and television productions,” of The Expendables.

John Rambo will be produced by Millennium Media and Templeton Media, from a screenplay written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (The Mauritanian, Black Adam), and ostensibly cover the titular character’s origin story as a combatant during the Vietnam War. The MCU’s Russo Brothers are on board to executive produce with Sisu director Jalmari Helander helming the project.

At this stage, no further casting or any other details have been disclosed. Centineo was recently here in Australia shooting the star-studded Street Fighter movie directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip), in which he stars as Ken Masters opposite Andrew Koji’s Ryu, Callina Liang’s Chun-Li. Homegrown UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will also appear as “Joe.”

John Rambo release date (international): TBA.

FX has greenlit an untitled Snowfall spin-off starring original cast members Gail Bean and Isaiah John, who reprise their roles as Wanda and Leon Simmons, respectively.

Written and executive produced by Malcolm Spellman, the story takes place in 90s Los Angeles shortly after the end of the mothership series. According to Deadline, it’ll revolve around a “recovering addict who strives to take West Coast rap mainstream – while gang wars erupt and record labels move to exploit hip hop culture for their own gain.”

Asante Blackk, Peyton Alex Smith, and Simmie Sims III will also feature in the cast.

“This new series takes us back to one of the most formative eras in music with the birth of the West Coast rap revolution,” said Nick Grad, President of FX Entertainment.

“We worked with Malcolm Spellman on the documentary series Hip Hop Uncovered and he has encyclopedic knowledge of this material. This is a breakout starring role for Gail Bean and, as always, Isaiah John is terrific along with the ensemble cast.” 

Speaking about the six-season run that effectively launched the career of F1 star Damson Idris: “Snowfall was one of the most successful FX dramas ever, and we’re excited that Dave Andron, Thomas Schlamme and other veterans of the Snowfall creative team are on board.”

Spellman executive produces with Snowfall’s Dave Andron – who co-created the original alongside the late John Singleton and Eric Amadio.

Untitled Snowfall Spin-Off release date: TBA via FX.

We finally know who Robert Pattinson is playing in Dune: Part Three.

During a recent interview with IndieWire promoting Die My Love alongside co-star Jennifer Lawrence, the Batman star confirmed the earlier reports that he’d portray a key villain role in the upcoming trilogy completer – Scytale, Face Dancer of the Bene Tleilax, and later both the youngest Masheikh and the last Tleilaxu Master, according to Deadline.

“When I was doing Dune, it was so hot in the desert that I just couldn’t question anything,” said Pattinson.

“And it was so relaxing, like my brain actually wasn’t operating – I did not have a single functioning brain cell. And I was just listening to Denis [Villeneuve]: ‘Whatever you want!’”

Robert joins his fellow newcomers Nakoa-Wolf Momoa (real-life son of franchise co-star Jason Momoa) and Ida Brooke of Silo fame, who are believed to portray Leto II and Ghanima – twin offspring of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya).

Jason Momoa himself has also returned as a “ghola” clone of swordmaster Duncan Idaho (if you know, you know).

Dune – Part Three release date: TBA.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan’s new sci-fi drama Pluribus begins streaming on Apple TV this week.

Returning to his X-Files roots, this series is also set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and reunites Gilligan with Better Call Saul lead Rhea Seehorn – who portrays historical romance author Carol Sturka.

Sturka is seemingly the only person immune to an unexplained virus that transforms the world’s population into content and optimistic citizens. Which, on face value, feels like a pretty apt metaphor for some form of neurodivergence.

Not to overinflate expectations – I mean, this is Vince Gilligan we’re dealing with – but early reviews seem as positive as those afflicted in the show. So much so that Apple has apparently seen fit to give it a two-season order right from the jump.

We’ll reserve final judgement until the moment we screen the double-episode premiere this Friday.

Pluribus release date (international): November 7th, 2026.

Daniel Day-Lewis Takes Aim At Brian Cox

Succession alum and Logan Roy avatar, Brian Cox, has consistently been a vocal advocate against the “American disease” of method acting – having slandered its most prolific disciples, and even expressed concern over the all-consuming commitment of his co-star/screen son, Jeremy Strong, during their shared time on the acclaimed HBO black comedy.

But now, method acting’s strongest soldier – the one and only Daniel Day-Lewis (who Strong once served as an assistant) – has decided to fire back. And the three-time Academy Award winner is none too happy about being dragged into the ongoing discourse.

“I worked with Brian Cox once [for The Boxer] and got somehow drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently,” he told The Big Issue.

“Brian is a very fine actor who’s done extraordinary work. As a result, he’s been given a soapbox… which he shows no sign of climbing down from. Any time he wants to talk about it, I’m easy to find.”  

Day-Lewis continued: “If I thought during our work together I’d interfered with his working process, I’d be appalled. But I don’t think it was like that. So I don’t know where the f**k that came from. Jeremy Strong is a very fine actor, I don’t know how he goes about things, but I don’t feel responsible in any way for that.”

“I just don’t like it being misrepresented to the extent it has been. I can’t think of a single commentator who’s gobbed off about the Method that has any understanding of how it works and the intention behind it. They focus on, ‘Oh, he lived in a jail cell for six months.’ Those are the least important details. In all the performing arts, people find their methods as a means to an end.”

“It’s with the intention of freeing yourself so you present your colleagues with a living, breathing human being they can interact with. It’s very simple. So it pisses me off this whole, ‘Oh… he went full method’ thing. What the f**k, you know? Because it’s invariably attached to the idea of some kind of lunacy.”

“I choose to stay and splash around, rather than jump in and out or play practical jokes with whoopee cushions between takes or whatever people think is how you should behave as an actor,” he concluded.

We’d like to think that’ll be that, but we anticipate at least another Logan Roy-esque rebuttal in the coming weeks. Standby.