News Star Wars Oscar Isaac Shares the Story Behind the “Somehow, Palpatine Returned” Line in The Rise of Skywalker “Had you asked me if at that moment I thought that was going to be the line, I wouldn’t have known,” By Matthew Byrd | Published on April 20, 2026 Photo: Walt Disney Studios Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Walt Disney Studios You would think that the most memorable scene from 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would be the one that involves space horses (they’re actually called Orbaks and they’re not technically riding in outer space). However, it’s arguably the moment when Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron utters the line “Somehow, Palpatine returned” in regard to the Emperor’s resurrection. At the very least, that has become the most memed line from the film. Well, in an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Isaac explains the behind-the-scenes origins of that now-famous line. “Those were reshoots,” Isaac says in regard to a question about whether he remembers first seeing the line and recognizing its significance. “We had to do reshoots… those were like those surgical strikes where you come in and [everyone] is scrambling trying to get going… I think that had been a new addition at the end. There was a lot of movement and flux throughout that whole thing.” Isaac, who also recalls needing to use a wig for that scene as he had since gotten a haircut, goes on to say that the line’s legacy certainly caught him by surprise. “Had you asked me if at that moment I thought that was going to be the line, I wouldn’t have known,” Isaac says with a grin and a laugh. “But hey man, I committed to the exasperation, that’s for sure.” Unfortunately, it’s still not clear exactly why that particular line was added or how that sequence was going to play out before the reshoots. It’s also perhaps worth noting that the broadcast that seemingly let the galaxy know that Palpatine returned actually happened during a sponsored Fortnite event rather than in the movie itself. Perhaps that line was intended to serve as a stronger bridge between that canonical in-game event and the film. At the very least, it lets the audience know beyond any doubt that the resistance is also aware of what happened. In other Star Wars news, Isaac also mentioned that he was largely unaware of Steven Soderbergh’s now-canceled Ben Solo movie and says he found out about it around the same time the rest of the world did. That said, he says a Soderbergh Star Wars movie would be “amazing.”[end-mark] The post Oscar Isaac Shares the Story Behind the “Somehow, Palpatine Returned” Line in <i>The Rise of Skywalker</i> appeared first on Reactor.

News Hokum Hokum Trailer Sees Adam Scott Surrounded By Dead Goats and an Evil Witch A long time ago, there was a witch who scared the crap out of me in this trailer By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on April 20, 2026 Courtesy of Neon Comment 0 Share New Share Courtesy of Neon The final trailer for Hokum, a horror film starring Adam Scott as a reclusive novelist who goes to an Irish inn that has a surprisingly large number of dead goats around it, lets us know in no uncertain terms that this movie will scare the socks off of you. (It also delivers the perfect backhanded threat: “Go home, while you still look like your passport picture.” Sick burn—NO ONE looks good in a passport photo!) The Neon film comes from writer-director Damian McCarthy, whose previous credits include Caveat and Oddity. In it, Scott’s character is at the inn to scatter his parents’ ashes. While there, he finds out one of the hotel’s staff is missing (and there are a bunch of dead goats scattered around, if the trailer is any indication), and that the inn is/was the home of an ancient evil witch. The film looks like solid horror fare from the trailer, and it’s interesting to see Scott (Severance, Parks and Recreation) play an unlikable character the audience ultimately roots for. The movie also apparently has something for everyone—while the final trailer doesn’t reflect this, McCarthy has said that the film has some good laughs, not just evil chortles from the ancient witch taking up space in Ohm’s room at the inn. In addition to Scott, Hokum stars Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, and Michael Patric. It premieres in theaters on May 1, 2026. Check out the final trailer below.[end-mark] The post <i>Hokum</i> Trailer Sees Adam Scott Surrounded By Dead Goats and an Evil Witch appeared first on Reactor.

News Practical Magic 2 Practical Magic 2 Teaser Doesn’t Reveal Plot But Delivers on Magically Wry Humor Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are also on point reprising their roles as Sally and Gillian Owens By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on April 20, 2026 Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures The much-anticipated Practical Magic sequel is almost upon us! Sort of. We still have a few months until Practical Magic 2 hits theaters, but what’s a dozen or so weeks compared to almost thirty years of waiting? While we count down the minutes, we got a teaser trailer today that confirms that the movie is actually, definitely happening. In it, we see Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reprising their roles as the Owens sisters to perfection, and we also get a glimpse of Lee Pace nonchalantly taking in the information that anyone who falls in love with an Owens dies. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest also make appearances in their former roles, as do actors Joey King and Maisie Williams, who, at one point, are about to take to the sky with their mothers/aunts via umbrellas, Mary Poppins-style. Last but not least, we also briefly see Xolo Maridueña whisk one of the young women off their feet. There’s also some snippets of spooky magic stuff, but not much. And as for the plot? It’s not clear! All we have so far is this teaser, which doesn’t give us much of anything except (much appreciated) vibes, and this logline: “The Owens sisters must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all.” Sounds ominous, but if this teaser is any indication, Practical Magic 2 will be more delightful than dark. Practical Magic 2 is directed by Susanne Bier, with a script by Akiva Goldsman and Georgia Pritchett. It’s set to premiere in theaters on September 18, 2026. Check out today’s teaser below.[end-mark] The post <i>Practical Magic 2</i> Teaser Doesn’t Reveal Plot But Delivers on Magically Wry Humor appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Fairy Tales Read an Excerpt From Markelle Grabo’s Call Forth a Fox A sapphic twist on the classic fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red.” By Markelle Grabo | Published on March 21, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Call Forth a Fox by Markelle Grabo, a YA fantasy twist on a classic fairy tale—out from Page Street Publishing on April 2nd. Though the western wood is rumored to be home to wicked faeries, 15-year-old Roisin forages without fear, until the night she saves a red fox from a bear, and that bear turns on her. Ro and her sister survive the attack, but the forest isn’t finished with them yet, for the seemingly ordinary bear is truly a boy who’s been cursed by faeries and forced to partake in a deadly competition.And the red fox is actually a girl—the same girl from the village who Ro has fallen for.Between the bear and the fox only one is meant to survive, but Ro and her sister are determined to break the curse before tragedy strikes, and their fight forever alters their ties to the western wood and to each other. I hop off my tree stump to study the line of fox tracks leading deeper into the wood. My neighbor might’ve scared her away, but the fox could be waiting for me somewhere among these trees. Perhaps she wants me to follow her tracks, find her like she found me. I’m tempted to do just that, yet night draws near. While Ma encourages independence in her daughters, her one rule is to never be alone in the forest when it’s dark, and it’s a rule Eirwyn’s enforced since she left. Besides, my sister’s likely returned from Maple Square by now. She’ll be waiting for me, on the bench reading or hopelessly attempting to rebuild the fire. My sister can no more successfully kindle a flame than I can prepare a decent meal. I find the will to turn away from the tracks before the temptation to follow seizes me completely, but I drag my feet toward the cottage, thoughts of the fox wrapping around me like rose vines. My boots clomp through the snow and I imagine them as nimble fox feet prowling past the trees. I shift my head right and left, wrinkling my nose as if scenting the air for signs of prey. I imagine the glowing moon illuminating my coppery coat, turning its fire into faerie light. If only I were a fox. No one would take me to Poppy, then. Buy the Book Call Forth a Fox Markelle Grabo Buy Book Call Forth a Fox Markelle Grabo Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget I lift my eyes to the dark opening ahead, the one that leads to the clearing before the cottage. I squint, and through the dim-ness, I can make out the square windows glowing faintly. Either Eirwyn figured out the fire, or she’s lit every lamp we own.  Icy unease pricks my skin. Now that I’m closer, I’m not sure I’m ready to go home, ready to face Eirwyn so soon after our quarrel. I still feel awful for invoking Pa’s name the way I did. I linger in the developing night, breathing in the cold until it nips at my chest. All around me, snow glistens like the stars slowly appearing overhead. Shadowy trees bend and creak in the wind. A few stray leaves—left over from fall—flutter quietly to the forest floor. Then, a streak of copper leaps across my path, mere inches from the tips of my boots.  I jump back, but I can’t find my footing. I fall to the ground, and the sudden drop is so jarring that I wince. I press a cold palm to my forehead, blinking away the haze in my eyes in time to see the red fox bounding in the direction of the cottage, paws kicking up snow like a small windstorm. An ache spreads down my neck as I rise to my feet, and my backside is covered with snow, but neither matters with the fox running ahead. I’m about to chase after her when I hear a deep huff. I breathe in sharply through my nose. Slowly, I turn. A bear, its massive form crowding the forest, lumbers toward me. Muscles ripple beneath dark brown fur. Ears stand straight up. Each puff of breath is a steamy cloud beneath the moon-light. I try to swallow my rising terror but it’s so thick in my throat that I choke. I cover my mouth, fingers trembling. My chest plummets to my gut, over and over. A bear in the wood. A creature much larger than a fox.  Fur bristling. Eyes gleaming. Mouth hungry. Cold fear drenches me, seeps past layers of clothes to soak my skin. My teeth chatter. I know I should do something, but I can’t remember what. Ma’s voice is insistent in my ears, but I can’t comprehend the words. I’m caught. Gasping. Trembling. Prey. The bear huffs again. I can’t breathe. Then something inside me snaps and Ma’s lesson slams into me like a gale of frozen wind. I don’t wait. I lift my arms, wave them slowly. “Hey! I’m backing away, I’m backing away.” I step backward as he trudges forward. Enormous paws make deep grooves in the snow. I veer to the left, straying from his path. Dread grips my gut like bear claws. The itch to flee has never been stronger, but I keep my pace. Never try to outrun a bear. I bump into something solid. Only a tree, but a yelp escapes my lips before I can stop it. The bear groans low. I shudder against the bark. “I’m backing away,” I repeat. “Please, I’m backing away.” Moving around the tree, I lose sight of the bear for a few precious moments. But my knees weaken in relief as soon as I regain my view. Despite my yelp, the bear isn’t following me. Ma’s lesson worked. I wait until I can no longer hear the bear’s heavy tread, then collapse against a tree, my forehead pressed hard against the bark. I release a rush of breath, lips pulling upward in a cautious smile. No longer caught. No longer prey. No need to tremble. But a sharp wail pierces the night. The fox. I imagine the scene clearly: Teeth clamping. A coppery coat drenched in red. A broken body in the snow. A triumphant roar.  A swell of rage much stronger than my fear burns its way down my throat. I dash after the lumbering bear, my satchel thumping against my side. My clothes are damp with snow and sweat. When I reach the edge of the forest, my breaths have turned hoarse and painful. The bear has the fox cornered, pressed up against a thick oak tree. My ears ring, the sound overcoming all whispers of Ma’s lesson. I must save her. I must stop him. With fumbling hands, I remove my boot. I blink hard, find my aim, and hurl my boot at the bear. It spirals chaotically until it hits the top of his back. He grunts and turns his head. “Hey!” I scream, clenching my fists. “Hey!” It’s not enough. The bear’s head swings back toward the fox. The cornered animal wails again—sharp, insistent, and loud. I yank off my other boot and throw. “Leave her alone! Get away from her!” The second boot hits the bear’s side. This time the beast turns fully in my direction. Gleaming eyes latch onto me. He huffs, lifts one large paw, takes one step forward. His ears flatten against his head. It seems I’ve become the fox. The bear charges. I spin on my heels and sprint toward the cottage. A mere hundred feet away, but I fear I won’t make it. My chest is tight; I can’t get enough air. I can’t move fast enough. My sock feet slip and slide. Above the ringing in my ears is the sound of the bear’s heavy tread. At such a speed, not even a fox body could save me now. With a grunt, the bear’s head rams into my back and I’m thrown forward. My body smacks against the ground and my face meets the snow. Crystals of ice sting my cheeks. Unlike the fox, my resulting wail is low and quiet. A fleeting hope flares in my chest at the thought of the fox leaping onto the bear’s back, nipping at his ear to save her new ally. But of course, foxes don’t think like foolish girls. Foxes don’t provoke a bear; they run from one. I hope the red fox is running now. A massive paw batters my side. The assault turns my scream into a whimper. I bring my knees to my chest and cover my head with my arms. I wait for another swipe; I know it will come. Until it doesn’t. Instead, the bear emits a low groan, and my eyes flutter open. There’s an arrow embedded in the beast’s right shoulder. He stumbles. I uncoil and drag myself across the snow. He drops to the ground like an overturned boulder, huffing and making clicking sounds with his tongue. In the open doorway of the cottage stands Eirwyn, bow in hand. Her slender frame is illuminated by the light from within. “Ro,” she calls, starting forward.  I stagger to my feet and run to my sister. We collide and Eirwyn’s bow smacks my back, but I barely register the discom-fort. I bury my face in my sister’s neck, smell her rose perfume. Eirwyn grips me tight and murmurs calming words into my ear, stroking my snow-drenched hair.  “I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I didn’t mean to be out so late. I’m so sorry.” “You’re all right,” Eirwyn says, breathless and trembling. “I’m here.” Thank goodness for that. After years of neglect, she took up her bow to save me. I’m relieved she never threw it away. “Did you kill it?” I ask. “Is it dead?” “I don’t know, I—” I feel Eirwyn’s body stiffen, then she shrugs herself out of my embrace. Her eyes are wide, her lips parted. She stares past me as if I’m no longer here. I tug on her sleeve. “Eirwyn, what is it?”  “Ro,” she breathes.  She lifts an arm and points. My eyes follow. Lying in the snow is a boy. A boy where there should be a bear. A bleeding, naked boy. He groans, and he sounds like a bear. But he isn’t one. He’s not massive and he doesn’t have fur or sharp claws. He’s pale with messy brown hair and long limbs. He’s human. But he’s lying in the snow where a bear was, with the arrow Eirwyn shot protruding from his shoulder. Numbed by the sight, I reach for my sister’s hand, grip her fingers as if touch will rouse me from this strange, terrible dream. The not-a-bear boy lifts his head. “Help,” he moans. “Please.” Eirwyn drops her bow. “What have I done?” Excerpted from Call Forth a Fox, copyright © 2024 by Markelle Grabo. The post Read an Excerpt From Markelle Grabo’s <i>Call Forth a Fox</i> appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations publishing news Erewhon Announces The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea A lush, feminist retelling of “The Ballad of Tam Lin” By Reactor | Published on March 25, 2024 Photo credit: Hagops Photography Comment 0 Share New Share Photo credit: Hagops Photography Erewhon Books announces The Changeling Queen, the debut novel author Kimberly Bea. A lush, feminist retelling of the Scottish “Ballad of Tam Lin”, The Changeling Queen is forthcoming in Fall 2025. Born with Fae and mortal blood, changeling Bess Grieve fears there’s no true place for her on any side of the veil. Disowned by her adoptive family after the death of the woman who raised her, Bess builds herself a life with the help of her medical skills—and the handsome Thomas Shepherd. But the people of Selkirkshire see her as a scandal, and Thomas’s noble father bends his power to drive them apart. As Bess uses her Fae gifts to fight for Thomas’s heart, she’s drawn into a world of intrigue, sensuality, and luxury, where the laws of mortals can’t constrain her, and her own power runs deeper than she’s ever dreamed. The crown of Faerie might be hers—if she pays the price in Thomas’s blood. I am nothing but thrilled to have Erewhon Books bring my debut novel, The Changeling Queen, into the world.Truly an SFF fan’s SFF imprint, Erewhon focuses on blending engaging speculative fiction with thought-provoking social commentary. Erewhon is the perfect home for a story which uses bittersweet romance and historical fantasy to address questions of identity, power and responsibility, and reproductive freedoms that remain relevant today. It can be a rare thing for an author to have someone read their book and immediately think, “Wow. That’s someone who gets what I was going for.” Yet that is exactly how I’ve felt reading Diana Pho’s editorial comments on my book. Every suggestion she made helps me to see my book in a clearer light, paving a path to make it the novel I truly want it to be. In the capable hands of the experts at Erewhon Books, I know The Changeling Queen will be something we can all be proud of, and that readers will enjoy for years to come.—Kimberly Bea, author of The Changeling Queen “Lyrical and deeply sensual, with a bold, intelligent and compassionate heroine at its center, The Changeling Queen swept me away with its atmospheric prose, intriguing historical setting and destined tragedy as the Queen narrates her rise to power before she appears in the famous Scottish ballad. I especially loved Kimberly’s seamless blending of history and folklore, medieval midwifery and modern medicine, all wrapped in sparkling Fae glamor. The Changeling Queen feels timely and timeless and I can’t wait to show this book to readers!”—Diana M. Pho, Executive Editor with Erewhon Books The post Erewhon Announces <i>The Changeling Queen</i> by Kimberly Bea appeared first on Reactor.