The daily gossip: October 23, 2019

1. Cardi B joins the ninth Fast & Furious movie

At eight movies, one spinoff, and counting, the Fast & Furious franchise shows no sign of slowing down; like the Blob, it won't stop growing until it has absorbed literally every actor in Hollywood. And for a series that has already successfully wrangled such luminaries as Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, and Dame Helen Mirren, rapper Cardi B might be the biggest get yet. Vin Diesel posted a brief video from the set of the upcoming Fast & Furious 9 teasing Cardi B's role in the movie. "I ain't gonna front, I think this is going to be the best one," said Cardi, setting a bar that won't exactly require a high jump to clear.

Entertainment Weekly

2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is getting an extended re-release

Did you look at the two hour and 41 minute runtime of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and think, "Hmmm… seems a little too short?" Then you'll be thrilled to hear that the movie is getting an extended re-release on Friday, with 10 minutes of previously deleted scenes. Here's hoping it's just another 10 minutes of Brad Pitt cruising around Los Angeles listening to Paul Revere & The Raiders, because come on, who could ever get enough of that?

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Variety

3. The Hallmark Channel kicks off its Christmas programming this week

Your jack-o'-lantern may be freshly carved, but too bad, says the Hallmark Channel: October is now Kris Kringle territory. This Friday, the network will launch its Countdown to Christmas programming, with no fewer than 40 Christmas-themed made-for-TV movies set to air between October and December. Titles include The Mistletoe Secret, Christmas at Graceland, and Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2, because we all had so many unanswered questions after the first one.

USA Today

4. Jon Favreau weighs in on the big Marvel dust-up

In a story that simply will not end, Martin Scorsese's assertion that Marvel superhero movies are "not cinema" a couple of weeks ago has prompted a kind of civil war between directors who agree with him and directors who are on Disney's payroll. The latest to wade into the debate is director Jon Favreau, who kicked off the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008's Iron Man. "For me, they can express whatever opinion they'd like," says Favreau, staking out the only reasonable position in this incredibly pointless and unresolvable debate — so can we all stop talking about this now?

Variety

5. Tim Robbins reflects on Howard the Duck

Movie flops don't come much bigger or more infamous than 1986's Howard the Duck, which dared to ask, "What if a duck from space hooked up with a human lady?" But despite the movie's obvious insanity, director George Lucas — yes, that George Lucas — assembled a fairly impressive cast, including future Oscar winner Tim Robbins. In a retrospective interview, Robbins reflected on his Howard the Duck days. "Walking onto the set the first day, I realized they had miscast the duck," Robbins said. "It looked so pretty" — thus marking both the first and last time that anyone has said anything even vaguely positive about Howard the Duck.

The AV Club