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The Book of Boba Fett Episode 1 (Disney+): The Book of Boba Fett feels like an extraneous piece of information, designed to bring back a character who does not necessarily need to be brought back. Comparisons to Parks and Recreation are not necessary because the show stands on its own as a monument to allowing fans to dictate what is and is not in continuity. It is reminiscent of the Thrawn trilogy of books (and Thrawn Ascendency to an extent) in that Boba Fett has a few setbacks, but they’re not his fault or he manages to turn it into a positive. It’s not interesting to watch though if every negative thing that happens is going to end up helping him in the end. The series is probably going to be a roundabout way of bringing Q’ira (Emilia Clarke) back into the fold following Solo: A Star Wars Story and Darth Maul’s death in Star Wars: Rebels. If, and it’s a big if, this series does tie into the event that’s been going on for months now in the Marvel Comics (War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, Hidden Empire, etc.) then there is a chance that the show could turn out watchable, but as of right now it is not.
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (HBOMax): April 15th is when Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore comes out, followed by the multiplatform next-generation video game Hogwarts Legacy at some point after that. Until that point, J.K. Rowling will continue to make comments on social media that are almost intended to anger the fanbase and generate bad press. It is easy to see that this reunion special is nothing more than a nostalgia trip designed to try and exorcise the franchise from her influence, despite the fact that she has written the next movie. It’s an interesting retrospective, but there is no new information to come out of it. That said, it will probably cause people (for the sake of full disclosure, myself included) to go back and re-watch the franchise because of how well it functions as a nostalgia trip. The eulogies of the deceased cast members like Alan Rickman, Helen McCrory, Richard Harris, and Richard Griffiths are heartbreaking and worth the watch alone.
All-Madden (Peacock): The impact of John Madden on the NFL cannot be understated, and this documentary does some of the work to memorialize the legend. He was more than just the face and name to the landmark video game but his legacy on and off the field in terms of expanding player safety protocols and making the game more accessible to everyone.
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The Bat and the Cat (YouTube): This will probably be the final trailer for Matt Reeves’s noir inspired The Batman. It appears as if the evidence is mounting that the audience is being mislead about the villain. Paul Dano is allegedly playing The Riddler but it is looking more and more like he is playing a version of Hush. It would not be the first time that outright lying about a villain’s identity has happened before a movie is released. Famously J.J. Abrams lied about Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan in Star Trek into Darkness and the developers behind Batman: Arkham Knight lied about the fact that the titular Arkham Knight was Jason Todd. It will be called a “twist” or “outsmarting the audience” but it’s not, it’s just lying.
