Janet Jackson has declined to be depicted in Michael, the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic of her late brother Michael Jackson that premiered this week at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, stars as the King of Pop and received praise from several family members on the red carpet, including Marlon and LaToya Jackson. Notable absences included Janet, daughter Paris Jackson and eldest sibling Rebbie; LaToya said Janet was asked to appear but “kindly declined.” Earlier drafts of the film reportedly included dramatization of the 1993 Jordan Chandler allegations, but producers said a long-standing legal contract prevented depiction of the Chandler family, prompting rewrites and weeks of reshoots. The released film ends in 1988 and teases a possible Part 2. Michael’s estate and some family members were involved in production — Michael’s son Prince served as an executive producer — while Paris has publicly criticised the movie as inaccurate. Despite mixed reviews, the film is projected to open strongly worldwide, with industry estimates near $150 million global debut.

Darrell Sheets, the larger‑than‑life bidder known as “The Gambler” on A&E’s long‑running reality series Storage Wars, was found dead at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on April 22, 2026. Lake Havasu City police said officers responded at about 2 a.m. and located a 67‑year‑old male who had suffered what appeared to be a self‑inflicted gunshot wound; the case remains under active investigation and the body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner. Sheets, a fan favourite who appeared across 15 seasons (more than 160 episodes) and who later ran an antiques shop in Arizona, had publicly battled health problems in recent years. A&E said it was “saddened” by his death. Several former co‑stars, including René Nezhoda and Brandi Passante, have publicly mourned him and urged people to seek help. Nezhoda has alleged Sheets had been subject to sustained online harassment; police say cyberbullying claims are part of the ongoing inquiry. Media outlets have also revisited Sheets’s on‑screen legacy and his role in popularising storage‑auction culture.

A former executive at Beast Industries, the media company founded by YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, filed a federal lawsuit on April 22, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Plaintiff Lorrayne Mavromatis, hired in 2022 as head of Instagram and later promoted, alleges years of sexual harassment by senior leaders, gender discrimination and retaliation after she complained and took maternity leave. The complaint names two production entities, MrBeastYouTube LLC and GameChanger 24/7 LLC, and cites incidents including unwanted comments about her appearance, one-on-one meetings at an executive’s home, being asked to join work calls while in labor, demotion after raising complaints in 2023, and termination weeks after returning from leave. Her suit alleges violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress and seeks unspecified damages and other relief. Beast Industries has strongly denied the claims, saying the complaint contains “deliberate misrepresentations” and that it has documentation to refute the allegations. The filing spotlights questions about workplace culture at a high-profile creator-led company headquartered in Greenville, North Carolina.

DC Studios on April 22 released the first full teaser for Clayface, an R-rated body-horror entry in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. Directed by James Watkins from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen — a rising actor who is brutally disfigured and transformed into the shapeshifting villain Clayface after an experimental medical procedure. Naomi Ackie co-stars alongside Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. The trailer, debuted publicly after a CinemaCon preview, shows graphic practical and VFX-driven transformation imagery — bandaged hospital scenes, melting and reshaping faces, and a shadowed sequence in which Clayface forms a mace-like arm. Clayface is slated to open Oct. 23, 2026, moved into the Halloween season, and is positioned as the darker, horror-leaning follow-up to Superman and Supergirl within DCU: Chapter One. The clip underlines the studio’s intent to broaden tonal range across its slate while keeping the story grounded in Gotham City without revealing any Batman cameo.

Universal Pictures' reboot of the 1980s TV series has a title and leads: Miami Vice ’85 will be directed by Joseph Kosinski and star Michael B. Jordan as Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs and Austin Butler as Sonny Crockett. The period film, inspired by the original pilot episode and first season, will be shot for IMAX and is scheduled to open Aug. 6, 2027. Production is set to begin in 2026 after the studio greenlit the budget. Dan Gilroy wrote the current screenplay based on characters created by Anthony Yerkovich; Dylan Clark and Kosinski produce. The project follows previous screen versions, including Michael Mann’s 2006 film adaptation, and arrives amid Kosinski’s recent commercial successes directing large-format tentpoles. Jordan, coming off an Academy Award win, and Butler, an Oscar-nominated actor, closed deals after months of development and negotiations.