The ‘Power’ Universe Just Got Bigger With The Most Anticipated Sequel Yet

Welcome to our 2026 coverage of new films, television shows, music and the pop culture that we are all obsessing over.In this live blog, we’ll cover everything related to awards season, from the Golden Globes to the Grammys to the Oscars. We will also talk about must-see television of the year, the streaming films that get us all talking, and the new buzzy trailers that hope to woo us over to the movie theaters.This will be your hot spot for all things entertainment and pop culture.See below for updates on celebrity news, the new content popping up on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and your other favorite streaming services and the big talkers that are going viral on social media.The ‘Power’ Universe Just Got Bigger With The Most Anticipated Sequel YetThe “Power” universe doesn’t die, it multiplies. And today, Variety confirmed that Starz has officially greenlit the newest installment in the long-running crime drama franchise.Titled “Power: Legacy,” the sequel series will bring back fan-favorite characters Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) and Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.), son of Tommy’s late friend James “Ghost” St. Patrick who kicked off the flagship series. The pair will once again attempt to dominate New York City’s drug trade, with the network reportedly ordering an eight-episode first season.Fans last saw Tommy and Tariq sharing the screen in “Power Book IV: Force,” the former’s Chicago-based spinoff, where the two reunited during the series finale last year. While it was unclear whether that appearance would be their final time together, “Legacy” will send the duo back to their old stomping grounds, setting the stage for what could become the franchise’s biggest chapter yet.“The fans have spoken, and we listened,” said Kathryn Busby, president of original programming at Starz, in a press statement. “Power doesn’t die, it evolves with its audience, and for over a decade the ‘Power’ Universe has remained at the forefront of culture. We’re thrilled to reunite Joseph and Michael to deliver a new chapter that fuses the franchise’s iconic legacy with bold, boundary-pushing storytelling.”“Fans have been waiting to see Tariq and Tommy together, and now they’re taking over New York City,” added executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. “Bringing Joseph and Michael back together is special. They’ve turned these characters into true icons of the ‘Power’ universe.”“Power: Legacy” marks the fifth spinoff in the “Power” franchise. It joins the recently concluded series “Ghost” and “Force,” as well as “Raising Kanan,” which begins its final season later this month. The universe will also continue with the upcoming prequel “Origins,” centered on younger versions of Ghost and Tommy, though a premiere date has yet to be announced.“Power” vet Gary Lennon will serve as showrunner and executive producer on “Legacy,” while franchise creator Courtney A. Kemp will also executive produce the series.Read more at Variety.Latest Live UpdatesEmilia Clarke Reveals The Brutal Toll Of 2 Brain Hemorrhages She Hid While Filming ‘Game Of Thrones’“Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke is opening up again about the medical crises she experienced in her 20s while working on her HBO series.In a recent cover story with Variety, Clarke, 39, talked about suffering a brain hemorrhage shortly after wrapping the first season of “Game of Thrones,” an incident that led to emergency hospitalization and urgent surgery. She later endured a second brain hemorrhage following Season 3, though she did not publicly disclose her health struggles until 2019, when she launched the brain injury charity SameYou, motivated in part by what she described as survivor’s guilt.“For a number of years, I felt that I had cheated death, and it was coming to get me,” Clarke told the outlet. “I truly felt like I had done something wrong, and I shouldn’t be here.”“I also thought it ruined my ability to act — which some people might agree with!” she added jokingly.This week, while being honored at Variety’s Power of Women London event, Clarke delivered an emotional speech reflecting on her health scares and why she ultimately chose to go public after initially keeping them private.“In 2011, I didn’t want anyone to know about my brain bleeds,” she shared onstage. “I was ashamed and overwhelmed by a diagnosis I didn’t understand. We didn’t even tell HBO until we knew I wasn’t going to die, which in TV terms, is usually when they kill you off anyway.”She continued, “After my second hemorrhage in 2014, I started to think that perhaps speaking publicly might help,” adding, “But it still took years for me to grapple with my truth.”Read more at Variety.Ellen Pompeo's Post-’Grey's Anatomy’ Era Just Took A Wickedly Criminal TurnNow that Ellen Pompeo has partially stepped back from her full-time “Grey’s Anatomy” duties, she has her next TV project lined up. Sticking with her Disney family, the actor is set to star in a dramedy pilot at Hulu titled “Chicks,” which will see Pompeo trade in her scrubs for a criminal con, as the series centers on two estranged half-sisters who take on their father’s life of petty crime after he unexpectedly kicks the bucket.“Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds,” the official logline reads. “As their con grows, so does their odd-couple bond, as they each start to fill the father-shaped hole in the other’s heart.”The show reunites Pompeo with her “Good American Family” collaborator, Katie Robbins, who will write and executive-produce alongside the actor. According to Deadline, the idea for the project came from conversations the two had on set of their true-life-inspired Hulu limited series that premiered last March.Read more at Deadline.ABFF’s HBO Short Film Showcase Winner Jared Leaf Has A Bright Future AheadJared Leaf is a name you need to remember.The 32-year-old filmmaker took the top prize at the American Black Film Festival for his deliciously spooky sci–fi thriller flick "Spilled Milk." Starring J. Alphonse Nicholson, Jerry O’Connell and a surprise appearance from Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, the short film follows a father as his “innocent errand leads him to an encounter with an enigmatic figure called ‘The Milk Man,’ where things quickly go sour,” according to the official logline.Beyond Leaf’s starry cast is an even starrier co-producer: Jordan Peele.“This film was made as a part of the No Drama Initiative which was started by Monkeypaw [Productions], Universal and TIFF,” Leaf explained to HuffPost. “So Jordan Peele was added from the inception. And when you have Jordan Peele’s name on something, other people are going to follow.”Leaf bumped into "P-Valley" star Nicholson on the set of Kevin Fredericks' "Churchy" (Fredericks, widely known as KevOnStage, coincidentally happened to be the master of ceremonies on the final night of ABFF). Once Nicholson read the script, he connected Leaf with O’Connell. Shortly after, Leaf’s co-producers brought in Kid Cudi for the film’s music and the rest is $10,000-winning history.“Filmmaking can be very lonely, in a way, but when that many people get behind you and your vision, they really invest in who you are,” he said.Rounding out the list of finalists: crowd favorite Lindo Lo’s poignant French film "We Had Fun"; Carlton Daniel Jr.’s tender queer coming of age film "FLY"; "The Sex Lives of College Girl" alum Modupe Thompson’s glossy and TV-ready "Facade"; and British filmmaker Jeremiah Towolawi's thought-provoking "The Truth About Space."Chloe Bailey Isn’t Letting The Internet Criticism About Her Career Get To HerChloe Bailey has something to say to the fans (and haters) at home.The 27-year-old multi-hyphenate artist was on the Miami scene at the American Black Film Festival for the world premiere of her upcoming thriller "Strung."HuffPost caught up with Bailey on the red carpet, and when asked about internet chatter surrounding her music and acting career, she knew just what to say.“Before, it used to be quite jarring and it would shake me up a bit,” Bailey reflected. “Now it’s like — and this is no shade — but not everybody is a manager. Not everybody is an A&R. We have our own lanes. Opinions are important, fans are important and haters are important because they keep that name trending, baby. I’m just learning to be more confident with my gift.”"Strung" follows Laila (Bailey), “a talented violinist who takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity,” according to the film's official logline.The film also stars Lynn Whitfield, Coco Jones, Lucien Laviscount, Donna Briscoe and talented newcomer Romy Woods. "Strung" arrives on Peacock on June 26.Courtney Kemp Says 50 Cent Was a ‘Good Shield’ From ‘Nonsense’ During 'Power' RunCourtney Kemp is looking back on her "Power" beginnings with a new set of eyes.Last week, HuffPost caught up with the television writer and executive producer at the 30th annual American Black Film Festival to discuss her new Netflix series "Nemesis" and her ever-growing legacy as one of the most powerful voices in Black television. When asked about her working relationship with "Power" co-executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the 49-year-old showrunner says he was a “great producer,” citing his rapport with the show’s talent. She also shared an insight that became much clearer in hindsight.“As I’ve stopped working with him on a regular basis, I realized what a good shield he was from some nonsense because people were afraid to talk to him [in] certain ways,” she remarked. “I’ve learned a lot about how people feel free to say what they want and it’s interesting because he was a good bodyguard for that during that time.”With "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" set to air its final season, Kemp is already looking forward to her next venture: her newly signed overall deal with Apple.“I am very much looking forward to bringing my fans, my audience, our audience to Apple,” she gushed. “It’s my great joy and my great pleasure to write for us. Working with the kind of talent that [Apple] can reach out to is going to be really exciting.”"Nemesis" is streaming on Netflix.Michelle Buteau Has A Few Things To Say About Kevin Hart’s Controversial RoastMichelle Buteau believes comedy shouldn’t come at anyone else’s expense.HuffPost caught up with the comedian at the 30th annual American Black Film Festival last week to discuss the third and final season of her Netflix series "Survival of the Thickest" and the current landscape of comedy. Nothing can be more current than the mixed reaction to Kevin Hart’s roast, which aired live on Netflix on May 10. The multi-hour special featured a slew of Hart's friends and comedy peers, many of them tossing jokes around that didn’t quite land with the audience at home. Particularly, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a remark about George Floyd during his segment, saying that “he’s looking up at us all, laughing so hard that he can’t breathe.”“I think the main thing is that the way politics and comedy [intersect] is a slippery slope and is very dangerous,” Buteau told HuffPost. “I believe that this current administration is using comedy as a bad platform to sort of explain their bad behavior.”Hart responded to the backlash during his May 26 appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” agreeing that the joke “wasn’t tasteful,” but that Hinchcliffe “arguably had the best set.” “‘Well, it’s just jokes,’” Buteau says sarcastically. “No, no – if people are telling you this is hurtful, then you have to listen to them. Period. There’s always a way to make something funny, you just have to work on it. Most times, you are the company you keep. That’s your family, that’s your co-workers, that’s your friends.”Season 3 of "Survival of the Thickest" airs on Netflix on July 2.Netflix Names Its Most-Watched Show Of All Time — See Which Other Series Made The Top 10“Wednesday,” the hit horror comedy starring Jenna Ortega as the titular member of the Addams Family, has been named the most-watched show of all time on Netflix.According to the streamer, Season 1 of the award-winning series had over 1.7 billion hours viewed since it premiered in 2022, with more than 252 million total views. The stats track considering how much critical acclaim the show has garnered over the past two seasons, including several Emmy nominations and wins.Along with “Wednesday,” Netflix also unveiled the remaining most-watched shows that made its top 10 list, which include the final two seasons of “Stranger Things,” Seasons 1 and 3 of “Bridgerton,” the limited murder mystery “His & Hers” and the one-shot awards darling "Adolescence."Read more about Netflix’s top 10 most popular series of all time below.Noah Wyle Teases What’s Ahead For Dr. Robby And Langdon In ‘The Pitt’ Season 3“The Pitt” has a lot of questions to answer in the forthcoming third season. The main one being, where do Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby and Patrick Ball’s Dr. Langdon stand after their huge falling out over the past two seasons?Their rift began near the end of Season 1, when Robby discovered that his protégé had been stealing prescription painkillers from his patients and kicked him out of the ER until he sought help for his addiction. After Langdon returned from his stint in rehab in Season 2, Robby was less than thrilled to see him back at the hospital, leading to a rather awkward holiday shift that ended with the two still on bad terms.Between Robby’s disappointment and Langdon still getting the cold shoulder from his former mentor, there’s no telling how the two will begin to repair their friendship in Season 3. But as Wyle told Vanity Fair in a recent interview, he’s eager to explore what’s ahead for the duo, especially with his distressed character returning from his months-long sabbatical, hopefully, in a better state of mind.“You wanna bring those characters together somehow in Season 3,” the actor said, “and yet it’s gonna be flipped. Robby’s coming back now to an environment he hasn’t been in for a couple months. We don’t know what kind of ring rust he has as a physician or what type of shame or embarrassment. He’s walking back into an environment that he wasn’t acting as best self at the last time he was in.”“That’s one relationship I’m really excited about exploring,” he added.Read more at Vanity Fair.Tina Fey Recalls The Will Ferrell ‘SNL’ Sketch That Was So Bad It Never Made It To AirTina Fey knows that even the most talented comedians can still bomb every now and then.On a recent episode of Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, the “Saturday Night Live” alum shared the best example she could think of — not from her own experience, but from fellow former cast member Will Ferrell, who once had a sketch flop so hard it never even made it to air."One time Will Ferrell had a sketch that we thought was so funny, that was about a guy who looked exactly like Gabe Kaplan, the ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ guy," Fey explained, referring to the stand-up comic who portrayed the title character in the hit 1970s NBC sitcom.Kaplan’s curly hair, thick mustache and trademark sweater vests made him instantly recognizable during the show’s four-season run. However, Fey recalled that the “SNL” audience at the dress rehearsal didn’t seem to get the reference in Ferrell’s sketch, as the joke fell completely flat."It was like, a guy who looked like Gabe Kaplan and who works at an accounting firm, and then he comes over, and they're like, 'Oh, you just missed it. Gabe Kaplan was here.' And he's like, 'You didn't call me. No one came to get me. You know I'm obsessed,'" Fey said on the podcast."It was so funny at the table read, and then death,” she added.The sketch was reportedly yanked from the “SNL” lineup after it crashed and burned in rehearsal. Though it was a pretty embarrassing experience for everyone involved, Fey said she still came away with a valuable lesson about comedy."To see it happen to Will, who, everyone loves Will, the audience,” she said. “That even Will face-planted was almost reassuring.”Read more at Entertainment Weekly.Steven Spielberg Says This ‘80s Icon Was Supposed To Play Indiana Jones — Not Harrison FordHarrison Ford may be synonymous with Indiana Jones today, but according to director Steven Spielberg, the role in his film franchise was originally destined for another ‘80s icon: Tom Selleck.During a recent appearance on the “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” podcast, Spielberg revealed that he and co-creator George Lucas initially selected Selleck to lead 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” before circumstances forced a change."He came in, and he read for the part. He was good," Spielberg said of Selleck. "His test was good. I loved it.""But that's where the strings of destiny didn't cross with Tom,” he continued. “We wanted Tom. We gave Tom the part, and then he had, which we didn't realize, an outstanding contract with CBS network to do ‘Magnum P.I.’”Selleck went on to star as the titular private investigator in “Magnum P.I.” throughout the show’s eight-season run from 1980 to 1988. Although he was enthusiastic about the first “Indiana Jones” script, he ultimately had to pass on the opportunity because his crime drama had already been picked up by CBS and was preparing to start shooting.“When they heard we wanted Tom, they immediately put ‘Magnum P.I.’ into production, preempting Tom from being in ‘Indiana Jones,’" Spielberg explained on the podcast.Had Selleck landed the role of Indiana Jones, Spielberg joked that the actor’s signature mustache wouldn’t have made the cut, saying, “Maybe if the films were as successful, he could have demanded the mustache.”Read more at People.See All Updates