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Trending on Billboard Ice Spice is gearing up for a trip to Bikini Bottom. Before making her voice-acting debut in the upcoming The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants movie, the MC dropped an original song for the soundtrack titled “Big Buy” on Thursday (Nov. 13). Explore See latest videos, charts and news The Bronx native […]
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Miley Cyrus brings the big screen drama on “Dream As One,” the singer’s just-released single from director James Cameron’s anticipated sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash. The soaring, emotional ballad was co-written by Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and the film’s soundtrack composer, Simon Franglen, and in a tweet announcing its release on Friday morning (Nov. 14), Cyrus wrote, “Writing this song with Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt came straight from the heart. Every lyric remembers where we’ve been, reflects where we are, and holds hope for what’s ahead for all of us. It was an honor to create something so personal for a film that connects so deeply with people around the world.”
The passion and emotion she conjured for the third chapter in the eye-popping sci-fi series comes through from the very first lines of the song that will play over the end credits of the film: “Our love will never fade away/ We’re diamonds in the dark/ I put my head against your chest/ And listen to your heart,” Cyrus croons over a pulsing piano line.
And then she leans into the heart-tugging chorus of the song she also co-produced along with Wyatt and Ronson. “Even through the pain/ Even through the ashes in the sky/ Baby when we dream, we dream as one.”
Last month Cyrus teased the song in an Instagram while revealing her very personal connection to the lyrics and themes. “Having been personally affected by fire and being rebuilt from the ashes, this project holds profound meaning for me,” said the singer, whose Malibu home was destroyed in the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles. “Thank you, Jim, for the opportunity to turn that experience into musical medicine. The film’s themes of unity, healing, and love resonate deeply within my soul, and to be even a small star in the universe the Avatar family has created is truly a dream come true.”
Not for nothing, but given her co-writers’ awards pedigree, Cyrus could end up on some hardware lists next year. Wyatt and Ronson shared the Academy Award for best original song for their work with Lady Gaga and Anthony Rossomando on the A Star Is Born single “Shallow” in 2019; they also won the best song written for visual media Grammy Award that year. Wyatt and Ronson were also nominated for a best original song Oscar in 2024 for the Barbie tune “I’m Just Ken.”
Cyrus knows her way around a rousing soundtrack song herself, having contributed the Golden Globe-nominated “Beautiful That Way” to 2024’s The Last Showgirl.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, the sequel to 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, will hit theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 19
Listen to “Dream as One” and see Cyrus’ tweet announcing the song below.
“Even through the flames. Even through the ashes in the sky. When we dream, we dream as one.”Writing this song with Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt came straight from the heart. Every lyric remembers where we’ve been, reflects where we are, and holds hope for what’s ahead for all… pic.twitter.com/4RhWfIDSql— Miley Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) November 14, 2025
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Ben Stiller was reminded of Wicked: For Good star Ariana Grande‘s prodigious talents when the singer signed on to play his future daughter-in-law in the upcoming episode in the Fockers quadrilogy, Focker-in-Law. “It’s crazy how talented [she is],” Stiller told Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night’s (Nov. 12) Tonight Show.
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“She’s so sweet. I didn’t know her before,” Stiller said, before quickly realizing that they had previously had a meet-weird on set. “Actually, I had met her before because she did a cameo in Zoolander 2 10 years ago. She was in an orgy scene we had. But I haven’t seen her since the orgy. She’s so great with comedy. She’s amazing in Wicked and she’s such a good singer, obviously, too,” he recalled.
Stiller described how Grande would wander around set humming and singing to herself, mimicking the vocal exercises the singer would do to keep her instrument prepped. He described the murmurations as “incredible, operatic… kind of soliloquy. And that’s just her humming. It doesn’t sound like I just did it. That sounds like I was possessed or something.”
Though Grande’s dramatic chops are on full display in both Wicked movies, the 32-year-old superstar who got her start in light comedy on Nickelodeon’s Victorious and Sam & Cat more than 15 years ago still has her comedy chops fully intact according to Stiller. “She’s so good with comedy. She’s just like a total natural,” he told Fallon. “I feel like she could do anything.”
Grande recently confirmed that she’d finished her time on the Fockers-in-Law set while sharing a sweet message to her co-stars and some pics from the shoot. “these past few months have been so, so unimaginably special. i love my Fockers, and i love my Byrnes… so, so very much. i will miss this bunch terribly. see you next november!” Grande wrote on on Oct. 31 in a post that featured her pointing to a nameplate with her character’s name (Olivia Jones) and hugging Stiller.
Fockers-in-Law, which also stars returning cast members Robert De Niro, Teri Polo and Blythe Danner, will be in theaters on Nov. 25, 2026.
Watch Stiller talk working with Grande on The Tonight Show below.
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Adele is slated to make her acting debut in the upcoming Tom Ford adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1982 novel Cry to Heaven. According to Deadline, Adele, 37, will join the star-studded cast of the movie that will also be written and produced by Ford through his Fade to Black production shingle.
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Among those reportedly lined up to feature in the film set in 18th century Italy are: Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ciarán Hinds, George MacKay, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Paul Bettany, Owen Cooper, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Hunter Schafer, Josephine Thiesen, Thandiwe Newton, Theodore Pellerin, Daryl McCormack, Cassian Bilton, Hauk Hannemann and Lux Pascal.
The film is reportedly in pre-production in London and Rome now, with principal photography set to begin in mid-January for a planned late fall 2026 release. At press time a spokesperson for Adele had not returned Billboard‘s request for confirmation on her debut film role.
The singer known for going off the radar between albums, has been quiet since completing her massive Weekends with Adele residency series in Munich, Germany in August 2024. Her most recent album was her fourth LP, 2021’s 30, which featured the songs “Easy On Me,” “Oh My God,” “Can I Get It” and “I Drink Wine.”
The Rice novel tells the tale of a Venetian nobleman and a castrati singer from Calabria who are both trying to make their names in the opera world. Director and fashion designer Ford has directed two other films to date, beginning with his debut, 2009’s period romance A Single Man about a gay British professor (Colin Firth) living in Los Angeles in the early 1960s.
He followed that with the acclaimed 2016 neo-noir thriller Nocturnal Animals starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney and others in a story about an art gallery owner (Adams) who receives a manuscript for a novel written by her estranged ex-husband (Gyllenhaal) which appears to mirror their failed relationship. The latter won the 2016 Grand Jury prize at the Venice Film Festival and landed an Oscar nomination for Shannon for best supporting actor.
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Wicked: For Good star Jonathan Bailey is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025. The news was revealed on Monday night (Nov. 3) on The Tonight Show, where Prince Fiyero called the title the “honor of a lifetime,” jokingly thanking host Jimmy Fallon for turning it down so that he could take the crown.
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“I’m sort of thrilled that People magazine have invited someone in — bestowed this honor on someone who can really cherish the value of a sexy man,” he joked as Fallon asked him to do the traditional cover signing.
The actor admitted he was still “giggling” about taking over from last year’s winner, Jack Ryan star John Krasinski. “At the beginning of the year I was doing Shakespeare’s Richard II — for those of you who don’t know, it’s not a comedy,” Bailey said, noting that he was very much “in the zone” doing the intense drama when he got word that he would be the cover star for the 40th anniversary honor. “So you go slightly mad, and the only thing madder than doing Richard II is being invited into this.”
Bailey got the assignment as evidenced by the two People covers he graces, snuggling with his adorable cockapoo puppy, Benson, shirtless, naturally, on one. On the other, he stares straight into the lens while being buffeted by chilly surf off a beach south of London in a dramatic shoot, both with the tagline: “Wicked-ly handsome & oh-so-charming. We know, we nailed it.”
The 37-year-old actor born in Oxfordshire, England, began his career as a seven-year-old child actor in the Royal Shakespeare Company and received the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a supporting role in a musical in 2019 for his performance in a gender-swapped revival of Company. He rose to prominence a decade ago for his role in the crime drama Broadchurch, then became a heartthrob for his role as Lord Anthony Bridgerton in the romance series Bridgerton before being cast as Prince Fiyero in the first part of the Wicked movie musical series in 2024. In addition to that role in the original and this month’s anticipated sequel, Bailey also co-starred in this summer’s hit movie Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Asked by People when he first realized that his star was rising, Bailey said it was in 2020 when Bridgerton rocketed him to fame. “I had the radio set for my alarm, and one morning it went off with, ‘Here’s the news at 7. But just before we go, can we talk about Jonathan Bailey?’ ” the actor said. “I was like, ‘Where is my journal? Is this real?’ It was wild.”
Bailey, who is openly gay, founded the Shameless Fund, which offers support to LGBTQ+ organizations and said he knows it’s important to be a beacon during difficult times.
“I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment,” said the actor known colloquially as “the internet’s boyfriend.” “So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.”
When Fallon suggested that fans are constantly trying to cast Bailey in sought-after roles such as James Bond or Batman, the actor humbly demurred, saying he would do it only if Fallon was his Moneypenny or Robin sidekick.
As with all previous Sexiest Men, Bailey struggled to keep the news a secret — and actually tried, and failed, to leak the news to some friends during a round of drinks where they teased him to keep doing his “affirmations” — but now that it’s out Fallon wondered if he thinks people will treat him differently now. “I f–king hope so!” Bailey said. All joking aside, he called the title a “huge honor… Obviously I’m incredibly flattered. And it’s completely absurd.”
Wicked: For Good hits theaters on Nov. 21 with returning stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariaan Grande, as well as Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater and Bowen Yang.
Watch Bailey on The Tonight Show below.
Trending on Billboard The Cure have announced the release date for The Show of a Lost World concert film, a full-length live performance featuring all the songs from the band’s most recent studio album, 2024’s Songs of a Lost World. The movie will play exclusively in theaters worldwide on Dec. 11 for a limited time, […]
Trending on Billboard Nick Jonas will have to dip into his music bag for his next big screen role. According to Deadline, the Jonas Brothers member will co-star alongside Paul Rudd in the upcoming John Carney-directed Power Ballad. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The film, due out on June 5, tells the story […]
Trending on Billboard K-pop group Monsta X will beam into movie theaters around the globe on Dec. 3 with the concert movie Monsta X: Connect X in Cinemas. The live concert film shot over three nights in July of this year during the group’s run of gigs at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea […]
Getty Images / Lena Waithe / Issa Rae
Will we be seated for this? Lena Waithe opened up about a new movie she is developing, and will star Issa Rae.
Waithe revealed that she is developing a film that will turn her “troubled friendship” with Issa Rae into a buddy comedy, and it will star both of them.
On a recent episode of Bustle’s One Nightstand podcast, Waithe described the movie as “funny and silly,” inspired by their “friendship breakup.”
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“I’m working on this movie for myself and Issa Rae,” Waithe said. “It’s a really cool idea about us being friends and having a bit of a friendship breakup, and it’s really funny and silly. I was supposed to be writing beats for her, but I ultimately just started writing the script.”
She also revealed the she and Rae have been discussing plans for the movie over Zoom adding the characters in the film will be “thinly-veiled versions” of themselves while also adding “The characters’ names [are] Lena and Issa, I’m not even being that imaginative about it.”
Waithe added, they “want to” play themselves in the film. “Issa’s going to be like, ‘Oh s***, well now we got to do it.”
This Will Mark Lena Waithe’s First Film Since 2019’s Queen & Slim
This latest news comes on the heels of Waite wrapping up her Showtime drama, The Chi, which will finally end after eight seasons, putting it in the same category as other Showtime series Dexter, Homeland and Weeds as the network’s second-longest running series.
Whenever this film begins production, it will be the first project since the controversial 2019 film, Queen & Slim that starred Daniel Kaluuyah and Jodie Turner-Smith which sparked alot of dicussions about its plot revolving around a Black couple on the run after shooting a cop accidentally following a blind date.
Despite the fallout, speaking with Deadline, Waithe said she is still making films telling the website in an interview “As for what the future holds, I still plan on telling stories, continuing to build community, and making space for us all to be seen.”
For Rae, she is coming off 2023’s box office hit Barbie and the critically acclaimed American Fiction.
Getty Images / Lena Waithe / Issa Rae
Will we be seated for this? Lena Waithe opened up about a new movie she is developing, and will star Issa Rae.
Waithe revealed that she is developing a film that will turn her “troubled friendship” with Issa Rae into a buddy comedy, and it will star both of them.
On a recent episode of Bustle’s One Nightstand podcast, Waithe described the movie as “funny and silly,” inspired by their “friendship breakup.”
Love Movies? Get more! Join the Hip-Hop Wired Newsletter
We care about your data. See our privacy policy.
“I’m working on this movie for myself and Issa Rae,” Waithe said. “It’s a really cool idea about us being friends and having a bit of a friendship breakup, and it’s really funny and silly. I was supposed to be writing beats for her, but I ultimately just started writing the script.”
She also revealed the she and Rae have been discussing plans for the movie over Zoom adding the characters in the film will be “thinly-veiled versions” of themselves while also adding “The characters’ names [are] Lena and Issa, I’m not even being that imaginative about it.”
Waithe added, they “want to” play themselves in the film. “Issa’s going to be like, ‘Oh s***, well now we got to do it.”
This Will Mark Lena Waithe’s First Film Since 2019’s Queen & Slim
This latest news comes on the heels of Waite wrapping up her Showtime drama, The Chi, which will finally end after eight seasons, putting it in the same category as other Showtime series Dexter, Homeland and Weeds as the network’s second-longest running series.
Whenever this film begins production, it will be the first project since the controversial 2019 film, Queen & Slim that starred Daniel Kaluuyah and Jodie Turner-Smith which sparked alot of dicussions about its plot revolving around a Black couple on the run after shooting a cop accidentally following a blind date.
Despite the fallout, speaking with Deadline, Waithe said she is still making films telling the website in an interview “As for what the future holds, I still plan on telling stories, continuing to build community, and making space for us all to be seen.”
For Rae, she is coming off 2023’s box office hit Barbie and the critically acclaimed American Fiction.
