SHORT BITS: 7/7/2025-7/11/2025

Welcome to SHORT BITS, a place for me to help inform y'all on 3-4 interesting Movie/TV Show-related News Stories of This Current Week that I didn't feel I had enough to say for a Full-Length Essay.

Let's get started, shall we...?

WHY WAS "LONG DISTANCE" BURIED?

Picture This: You get to make a movie. You get kinda big modern day actors, Anthony Ramos, Naomi Scott and Zachary Quinto for it. After some COVID Pandemic-related delays, you finally get to shoot it all in 2020-2021.

And then... nothing. For several years, it sits there, fully complete, waiting in some studio backup space, just to hopefully release anytime now. And then... it does come out! You get to finally release this interesting film of yours, and then...

Not a SINGLE advertisement for it is released, but it instead just randomly drops on Hulu one day.

That's what happened to "Long Distance", a Space Drama that is now being described by some as an underrated story.

Why wasn't it marketed? Anthony Ramos JUST got done with Season 1 of the MCU show, "Ironheart", where he plays one of the primary villains in it, and is often described as one of the best parts of it. So, it would've made evrn extra sense to advertise while that's releasing its episodes.

But... no. Nothing. A strange tale, but now y'all at least get to know about its existence a little more now. I plan to watch it very soon, cause I definitely care about Non-Blockbuster Stories.

I LIKE THE PREMISE OF "STUART FAILS TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE"

Full Honesty: I'm not a Big Bang Theory guy. I've seen some episodes, I get its whole gist, but I'm definitely not its type of audience.

However, I do have to give props where it's due: The way they've been treating its Spin-Off Shows is actually very smart.

• "Young Sheldon" being a Prequel that actually removes the Live Studio Audience entirely and focuses more on the normal comedy and drama of Sheldon's childhood is interesting.

• "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" bridging the cap between "Young Sheldon" and the Main Show more, this time bringing back the Live Studio Audience, is an intriguing creative choice. Curious how successful it'll continue to be.

• But, the 3rd one, called "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe", that's coming to HBO Max sounds extra interesting:

• Set several years after "The Big Bang Theory", two of the Main Big Bang Characters create some machine that destroys the universe, which, extra unexpectedly, sends the side-character Stuart through the Multiverse, forcing him to traverse it to attempt to save the entire Main Universe of "The Big Bang Theory", all with the assistance (and resistance) of several multiversal variants of other Big Bang characters.

  
  

Now that... is different. I like it, and I honestly hope others agree. Super curious about this one.

"DUNE: PART THREE" IS FINALLY COMING... IT NOW NEEDS TO DELAY ITSELF A LITTLE

After some brief back-and-forth questioning of when Denis Villenueve's 3rd (and likely final for him) "Dune" film would come out, it was slightly-unexpectedly announced this week that not only is it officially titled "Dune: Part Three", and not "Dune: Messiah" as originally suspected, but it's already begun filming! So, just like the previous films, that'll be a big deal!

However... its Release Date is a separate question that *needs* to be worked out. Why?

It's been reported that they're trying to aim for a December 2026, but it's also been reported that that's not super likely, mainly due to the insanely high amount of CGI needed for those films. But, I personally hope it does move on from its planned December 2026 release window for 2 Reasons:

• 1) Only 1½ Years to shoot this massive, epic-sized film with that much CGI isn't exactly enough time for it, but it could maybe work. Just don't typically wanna rush these creative endeavors is all.

• And 2) "Avengers: Doomsday" also comes out December 2026. And, I'm sorry, but I don't love the idea of the especially-recently constantly-critiqued MCU having one of their most important films yet come out the EXACT same time as the 3rd big "Dune" film, especially the one that Part 1 & 2 director Denis has said often will be his final film for the series.

I just think they both deserve their own respective chances to succeed. (I swear, if it's already been delayed away from "Avengers" after I post this...)