• Jack Reacher's close friend in "Reacher," Frances Neagley, is getting her own eponymous spinoff.
• Maria Sten told Business Insider "Neagley" shows the character has a life outside of helping Reacher.
• Lee Child, the author of the "Jack Reacher" books, told BI the show might premiere at the end of 2025

After the success of "Reacher" season three, the world of Jack Reacher is about to get bigger. The hero's close friend Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) is getting her own spinoff called (you guessed it) "Neagley."

Like Reacher, Neagley is based on the books by British author Lee Child. She was a member of the Military Police's 110th Special Investigations unit, which Reacher led before he left the armed forces.

Amazon announced the "Neagley" spinoff in October 2024 and confirmed that Maria Sten will lead the series.

"When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell-bent on justice.

"Using everything she's learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil," the show's synopsis reads.

Speaking to Forbes last month, Ritchson joked that he couldn't confirm if he'd appear in "Neagley."

"That would make sense, but we cannot confirm that it would make sense. It just makes sense in a world of hypotheticals.

"Like if he popped in for a couple of episodes. But it could happen."

Sten spoke to Business Insider about "Neagley" ahead of the release of the latest season of "Reacher." Here's what to know.

Maria Sten said 'Neagley' shows her character has a life outside of her relationship with Reacher

Recalling how Neagley has developed in "Reacher" since 2022, Sten said: "When we first meet her, I think she's still sort of a stray dog, out of the military and finding her way in the world. Then, coming into season two, she definitely found her way in the world, at least in her professional life.

"I think season three is more of that, where we really see her established in her life in Chicago before she, of course, goes off to help Reacher."

Sten continued: "I think that is a nice way to hand off the character from, 'Yes, I am living in this Reacher universe and I'm connected to him.' She has been showing up for him but also showing the world that yes, there's also a life outside of Reacher and she is actually running her own cases and doing her own thing and has her own problems as well, outside of helping the big guy!

"So I think they did a lovely thing to honor the book and honor what Reacher is, but also honor Neagley's contribution so far and send her off on her own."

'Neagley' does not have a release date yet, but Lee Child said it might arrive by the end of 2025

Amazon is still developing the spinoff, which doesn't have a release date. Neagley doesn't have dedicated books like Reacher, so that may explain why it is taking some time to develop.

But co-showrunners Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton could adapt storylines from the five "Jack Reacher" books by Lee Child that Neagley appears in.

In an interview with BI before the premiere of "Reacher" season three, Child suggested the show might debut at the end of 2025.

"They start shooting very soon, as a matter of fact! And I think I've seen the screenplays, I think it's going to be excellent, just as good as 'Reacher,' really," he said. "So you know, with a bit of luck, the 'Reacher'-verse will dominate the year on Amazon Prime both ends of it."

'Riverdale' and 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'stars have been cast in 'Neagley'

On February 25, Sten confirmed on Instagram that "Neagley" had started filming its first season. That day, Amazon named a handful of cast members who had joined the series, although little is known about their characters.

"Riverdale" star Greyston Holt will play Detective Hudson Riley alongside Adeline Rudolph, who appeared in "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and will play Renee.

"Mayor of Kingstown" actor Matthew Del Negro will play Pierce Woodrow, while "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" actor Damon Herriman will play Lawrence Cole. Newcomer Jasper Jones has also been cast as Keno.

• Post-apocalyptic TV shows are all the rage right now.
• "Paradise," "Fallout," and "Silo," all set in bunkers, have been renewed.
• In turbulent times, audiences like fantasizing about a fresh start.

R.E.M. once sang: "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." For buzzy bunker-based TV shows like "Paradise," "Fallout," and "Silo," the apocalypse is just the start of a new adventure — and audiences can't get enough.

"Paradise" got people talking after the twist in the first episode that it's set in a small town inside a bunker following a catastrophic event. "Fallout" hit 100 million viewers on Prime Video last October and has a 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a second season in production. And Apple TV+ subscribers have spent 417 million minutes watching "Silo," which is returning for third and fourth seasons.

Over the decades, the apocalypse in TV and film has come in different flavors. The aftermath of nuclear disaster was the focus of movies like 1984's "Threads," 2009's "The Road," and 2014's "How I Live Now," while 2011's "The Walking Dead," 2021's "Y: The Last Man," and 2023's "The Last of Us" explored zombies and pandemics.

Now, there's a taste for bunker-based sci-fi shows. "Fallout" follows Lucy (Ella Purnell), a young woman who ventures out of the nuclear bunker where she has always lived to find her father. Meanwhile in "Paradise" and "Silo," bunkers are the backdrop to murder mysteries linked to the causes of their respective apocalypses.

The apocalypse is an appealing fresh start for some

Matthew Leggatt, a senior lecturer in English and American literature at the University of Winchester, UK, told Business Insider that the state of geopolitics likely partly explains the success of post-apocalyptic shows.

He pointed to President Donald Trump's "game of nuclear chicken" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his first term, and noted the Doomsday Clock, which monitors the threat of human extinction, moved to 89 seconds to midnight in January — the closest it has been since it was created in 1947.

Such shows "use disaster as a platform to imagine a world where the problems of today — economic, social, and climatic — are resolved by wiping away the present in one single stroke," he said.

This ties in with the biblical definition of the "apocalypse," which implies salvation from God, he said.

"This is echoed, to some extent, in these shows which see small communities emerge and come together in the face of disaster," Leggatt, host of the "Utopian and Dystopian Fictions" podcast, said.

"While these shows can be bleak, dark, and violent they can also offer hope in the form of a fresh start. The writers behind these projects use bunkers as a way of developing their characters further so that they're driven to look for hope in escaping to the outside world," he said.

Robert Yeates, an associate professor of American literature at Okayama University, Japan, and the author of "American Cities in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction," told BI that bunkers are a "pressure cooker for intense human dramas" in TV and film.

By presenting characters with "newly unexplored frontiers" in the ruins of the old world, audiences can too consider how they might survive an apocalypse.

Bunkers are pleasingly mysterious

Audiences are also lured in by the "mysteries" bunkers might contain, like who built them, and why, Yeates said.

Colin Furze, a YouTuber and inventor who constructed a bunker in his garden to promote a comedy series about a comet hitting Earth, told BI that his 14 million subscribers "love the idea of something being there that you can't see" and it provides a form of escapism.

His 2020 video tour of his bunker has 43 million views.

The bunker is complete with a mini-workshop, a bed, sofa, flat-screen TV, and his inventions like a flamethrower-guitar. He also built a separate underground garage under his house, which a contractor estimated would add £500,000 ($640,832) to the value of the property.

That's small fry compared to Mark Zuckerberg's 4,500-square-foot underground "shelter" in his Hawaii compound, which he denied is "some kind of doomsday bunker."

Al Corbi, the president of the bunker company Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments, told CNN that his customers request things like indoor bowling alleys, swimming pools, and shooting ranges.

"We've seen a lot more of a focus on entertainment. If you're going to be able to survive underground, we want you to be having fun," he said.

That element of fun was big reason why Furze built his bunker.

"Essentially, when I was a kid, I used to make underground dens. I used to live next door to a quarry. We used to go up there digging holes, covering them over making these little bases under the ground. And I've always been fascinated by that," he said.

But for Yeates, our obsession with the bunkers and the apocalypse can be distilled into one central idea: we're "desperate" to know how the world could be transformed.

"The bunker suggests we intend to stay put, bide our time, and eventually reemerge to salvage whatever life we can from the ruins above," he said.

• "Daredevil: Born Again" starts with a horrific twist in its opening moments.
• During the scene, villain Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) attacks a bar in Hell's Kitchen.
• We break down the Marvel series' first shocking death, and what happens in the comics.

Warning: major spoilers ahead for "Daredevil: Born Again."

Marvel's "Daredevil: Born Again" comes out of the gate swinging, killing off a key character within minutes of its first episode in a move that's sure to shock fans.

The 2025 show is the revival of Netflix's "Daredevil" series, which starred Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer-turned-vigilante who defends the New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen.

While the original series flirted with its connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe over three seasons before being canceled in 2018, "Born Again" takes place firmly in the same world as the Avengers — which makes episode one's brutal assassination all the more surprising. Here's what to know.

Bullseye shoots Foggy Nelson in the street

The opening scene sees Murdock go to Josie's Bar with his colleagues Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) for drinks after work. When Nelson takes a phone call outside of the bar from a worried client he's defending, Murdock suits up as Daredevil to help.

However, it was a ruse to lure Murdock away from his friends, and Nelson gets shot in the chest by a sniper: Bullseye (Wilson Bethel). The assassin wastes no time in shooting two police officers who were also in the bar before Daredevil returns, and a lengthy, bloody brawl ensues between them.

The show plays up the tension, so much so that Murdock hears his best friend's heartbeat fade as he bleeds out on the street. But is Nelson really dead? Actually killing him would be a surprising move, given that he's one of the most beloved characters from the original Netflix series.

But all might not be lost, especially if "Daredevil: Born Again" follows the comics.

In the comics, Foggy Nelson's death was faked by the FBI

In February 2006, Nelson was killed off in "Daredevil" #82 when he was stabbed to death by prison inmates while visiting an incarcerated Murdock, who had been arrested on suspicion of being the red-suited vigilante.

Because Murdock was locked up, he was powerless to save his best friend aside from listening to his heartbeat as he died.

However, it was a ruse.

A few issues later, in "Daredevil" #87, it was revealed that the FBI had moved Nelson into witness protection, where he was recovering from his injuries before beginning a life under a new identity.

If "Daredevil: Born Again" is paying homage to Nelson's faked death in the comics, there's a chance he could return in a later episode or season.

After all, it wouldn't be the first time that someone was seemingly killed or gravely injured before making a comeback. Bullseye himself was nearly murdered by Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) at the end of "Daredevil" season three, and he's still alive and shooting.

• "Daredevil" fans were crushed when Netflix cancelled the show in 2018, but it is now returning to Disney+.
• "Daredevil: Born Again" is gory and violent: proving Marvel can change and adapt.
• The show has flaws, but is the best Marvel project in years.

"Daredevil: Born Again" starts with an unsubtle wink to fans who have waited seven years for the show to return.

As the lawyer Foggy Nelson wistfully recalls long-gone diners in New York City, his legal partner Karen Page replies: "This Hell's Kitchen nostalgia is running pretty thin you guys, you realize that, right?"

"Not nostalgia. Reverence for the past, yet hope for the future… Too much?" he says.

The tongue-in-cheek line might be on the nose (or horns), but it's a manifesto for the entire series.

"Daredevil: Born Again" has reverence for the eponymous 2015 Netflix show beloved by fans, who were crushed when it was canceled in 2018 after three seasons. But the symphony of violence when Bullseye attacks Josie's Bar in the opening minutes makes it clear that Disney wants to take the franchise to new heights, by taking risks and pushing the boundaries of what the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be.

Yes, projects like "Werewolf By Night" and the "Echo" miniseries have gritty moments, but fist-fights actually carry weight in "Daredevil: Born Again." They lead to oozing bruises, court cases, and questions from loved ones. They also enable characters to grow, especially after a tragedy in the first episode (which will likely annoy fans).

This is not the all-too-often vacuous family-friendly superheroics that Marvel typically relies on.

Sure, Daredevil doesn't need violence to work as a character in the MCU, as proven by his recent cameos in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "She-Hulk."

But grabbing fans by the scruff of the neck with a combination of substance and high-octane action is a particularly smart move following a string of lackluster Marvel offerings, on both big and small screens.

It seems there's still fight left in Marvel, the studio just needs to figure out what makes each project special and lean into that, as it does with "Daredevil: Born Again."

"Daredevil: Born Again" isn't perfect, but it's the best Marvel project in years

Having said that, while the series shines when creating raw tension and using violence in clever ways, the story feels flimsy in places. This may be symptomatic of the creative overhaul that took place in June 2023. Marvel Television went back to the drawing board after filming several episodes of "Born Again" and started afresh with a new showrunner and writers that October.

For instance, Muse — an artistic serial killer who roams the streets looking for victims — is an exciting new enemy for Daredevil, like something out of David Fincher's "Seven" or the BBC's "Luther." But his storyline is cut disappointingly short.

There are some rough visuals in a CGI-enhanced fight, which is odd given some of the impressively choreographed stunts later in the series. And a few story beats are particularly rushed, including Murdock's relationship with the psychiatrist Heather Glenn, which materializes almost instantly without feeling particularly earned.

There's plenty of time spent exploring the hero's defining dilemma (his duty as Daredevil or his life and career as Matt Murdock), but it takes much longer than expected to get to the meat of the season: Kingpin's plan to ban superheroes from New York.

But there is still much for hungry "Daredevil" fans to unpick. The way Wilson Fisk weaponizes the general public will no doubt draw some real-world comparisons, but Vincent D'Onofrio's quietly chilling performance never jumps the shark into parody. Kingpin remains as terrifying as ever, as he sets his sights on the mayor's office, especially in the show's most obscenely gory moment.

Ultimately, the series as a whole, particularly how Daredevil and Kingpin develop as characters, proves an important point. It is possible for Marvel to add depth to its core characters alongside bone-crunchingly excellent fight choreography.

Throw in a tantalizing cliffhanger ahead of season two, and "Born Again" is the best MCU project in recent years, flaws and all.

To be blunt as Daredevil's billy clubs, Marvel has found a way to give audiences the hero they know and love, while having him exist in the same universe as the Avengers.

"Hope for the future," indeed.

• The Oscars on Sunday drew big names from Hollywood — and business.
• Disney CEO Bob Iger was at the Oscars, and Sergey Brin, the Google cofounder, was at the Vanity Fair after party.
• Big names from companies including Netflix were also at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

Hollywood's biggest actors and directors aren't the only ones invited to the Oscars and Vanity Fair's after party.

Some of the most important people in tech and business were also on red carpets at Sunday's event where Sean Baker's "Anora" won five Oscars, including best film and best actress for Mikey Madison.

Here's who showed up.

Bob Iger, Walt Disney CEO

Bob Iger — who retired as Walt Disney CEO after 15 years in 2020 only to return in late November 2022 after his successor was dismissed — was on the Oscars red carpet with his wife, Willow Bay.

Pamela Abdy, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group CEO

Pamela Abdy brought her family to the Oscars and, like she did last year, posed for photos with her daughter Mackensie Whittaker.

Abdy's leads the production companies under the Warner Bros. umbrella, including New Line Cinema, DC Studios, and Warner Animation. She works alongside her co-CEO, Michael De Luca.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO

Ted Sarandos has worked at Netflix since 2000 and became its co-CEO in 2020, alongside the company's founder Reed Hastings. When Hastings stepped down in 2023, Sarandos was joined by Greg Peters.

On the Oscars red carpet, which he walked with his wife Nicole Avant, Sarandos addressed the controversy surrounding "Emilia Perez."

"Everything we've poured into this is about the film, always about the film, we just stuck to that," he told Deadline.

Christopher Cheng, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises co-CEO

Christopher Cheng and his wife Tina were both at the Academy Awards. The co-CEO of Chow Tai Fook Enterprises was appointed its North Asia head last August. The conglomerate owns a diverse list of businesses, and works in jewelry, property development, hotels, and energy.

Last November, controversy surrounded the family when Henry Cheng, Christopher's father and the executive director of the company, suggested that he might look for an heir outside of the family.

Jim Gianopulos, former Paramount Pictures CEO

Jim Gianopulos was the CEO of Paramount Pictures from 2017 to 2021, when he was replaced by Nickelodeon's Brian Robbins.

The New York Times reported this was because ViacomCBS, Paramount's parent company, wanted to focus on its streaming efforts, while Gianopulos wanted to maintain theatrical releases.

He was on the red carpet with his wife, Ann.

Sergey Brin, Google cofounder

Sergey Brin, the cofounder of Google who left the company in 2019 but continues to be heavily involved, attended the Vanity Fair Oscars after party, after sparking controversy by arguing the company's AI employees work 60-hour weeks.

• Netflix's drama "Toxic Town" is about the mothers of children in the UK poisoned by their environment.
• 'Doctor Who' actor Jodie Whittaker leads the show.
• Much of the series revolves around one of the mothers, Susan McIntyre, played by Whitaker.

Netflix's true crime drama "Toxic Town" tells the story of children born with disabilities after they were poisoned by toxic waste in their British town.

The four-part series, which premieres on Thursday, examines how Corby Council reclaimed the nearby steelworks between 1984 to 1999, causing atmospheric toxic waste to blow through areas of the town. Pregnant women unknowingly inhaled a mix of chemicals, leading to birth defects.

The show centers on Susan McIntyre (Jodie Whittaker), who seeks justice for her son Connor, who was born with a deformed hand.

Over several decades, McIntyre and several other parents took the council to court and proved that it covered up the potentially harmful effects of the toxic waste.

Here's what to know about the real McIntyre.

Susan McIntyre campaigned for years to get justice for her son

McIntyre, 56, moved to Corby from Scotland when she was three years old. Despite being 200 miles away in the East Midlands, Corby has a large Scottish community because people moved south when the Glasgow-based company Stewarts & Lloyds built a steelworks there in the 1930s.

In an interview published in The Times of London on February 9, McIntyre said she previously worked at some of the factories located around Corby, and was a single mother to her sons, Daniel and Connor McIntyre.

She said she had a difficult pregnancy with Connor, who was born in 1996.

"Everything went wrong, from pre-eclampsia to gestational diabetes. I was in hospital for about five weeks up until when I had him," she said.

Connor was born without fingers on his left hand and had 20 corrective surgeries as a child. Once McIntyre became aware that Corby Council was responsible for the toxic waste that caused birth defects in numerous children, she started campaigning for justice.

She said: "The Sunday Times came to my door, and said, 'We think there's some problem in Corby with children born with deformities, could we tell your story?' That was the start of it, and then it never stopped."

McIntyre has spoken to the press a number of times to raise awareness of the legal battle and how her son's disability has affected his life. In the 2020 BBC documentary, "Toxic Town: The Corby Poisonings," she explained that he was severely bullied because of his hand.

She said: "He just didn't get peace from these children, he got bullied that much he would break down and cry and say 'Mum I don't want to go out because people are looking at my hand.

"He started biting his hand, tried to cut it off. But I think it was a cry for help. All Connor wanted to be a normal kid, to be a man and get on with his life. But nobody ever gave him a chance."

McIntyre and several other mothers involved in the case worked with Netflix on "Toxic Town," and they met with actors Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood regarding the series.

Corby Council settled with the group for £14.6 million

The group of mothers and their children took legal action against Corby Council with the help of the lawyer Des Collins (Rory Kinnear) and the case was overseen by Mr Justice Akenhead of the High Court.

In a 2009 hearing, Akenhead ruled that there was a "statistically significant" number of birth defects in Corby, and found the council "liable in public nuisance, negligence, and breach of statutory duty."

In 2010, the council reached a settlement of £14.6 million with the group.

After the settlement was announced, Chris Mallender, Corby Council's chief executive, said: "The council recognizes that it made mistakes in its clean-up of the former British Steel site years ago and extends its deepest sympathy to the children and their families.

"Although I accept that money cannot properly compensate these young people for their disabilities and for all that they have suffered to date and their problems in the future, the council sincerely hopes that this apology coupled with the agreement will mean they can now put their legal battle behind them and proceed with their lives with a greater degree of financial certainty."

• Gene Hackman was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, this week.
• The authorities have said their deaths are "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."
• Hackman's pacemaker was last active on February 17, nine days before his body was discovered, they said.

More details are emerging about the death of Gene Hackman.

The Oscar-winning actor was found dead on February 26 at his New Mexico home alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Hackman was 95, and Arakawa was 65.

The Santa Fe Sheriff, Adan Mendoza, confirmed the news to the Santa Fe New Mexican on Wednesday evening but did not disclose a cause of death.

"All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant. I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone," Mendoza said.

The New Mexico authorities later released an affidavit, also published by the Santa Fe New Mexican, that said the deaths were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened."

The affidavit also said Arakawa's body "showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet."

One of the deputies cited in the report said two maintenance workers called the authorities, and they told the deputy they hadn't heard from Hackman and Arakawa for two weeks.

The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

At a news conference held on February 28, Mendoza said that an initial examination found that Hackman's pacemaker was last active on February 17, nine days before he and his wife's bodies were discovered.

The sheriff said it was "a very good assumption" Hackman died on that day, based on information from a pathologist.

According to the earlier affidavit, Hackman was found in a mudroom at the Santa Fe residence, while Arakawa was found in a bathroom near an open bottle of prescription medication "with pills scattered on the counter-top."

There were two "healthy" dogs at the property, and a third that was found dead "laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female."

The initial autopsy also found no initial signs of trauma to either body.

Hackman's daughter said her main worry was that her father suffered

Hackman is survived by his three children from his first marriage to Faye Maltese. Leslie Anne Allen, their youngest child, spoke with US Weekly about the deaths.

"I think I'm very anxious to find out what happened, and I just don't know how long they had been deceased," she told the outlet on Thursday, adding that the authorities "don't know yet either."

Allen said: "I much would have rather my dad pass peacefully, but hopefully if it was carbon monoxide poisoning [there was] no suffering with that. That's my main concern."

Per the affidavit, the fire department did not detect a carbon monoxide leak in the property.

At the news conference, the sheriff confirmed the initial examination by the medical examiner showed the couple's bodies had tested negative for carbon monoxide exposure.

"The police won't let us go in when they are still investigating," Allen said, adding that she and her siblings would "wait to find out what actually happened" before they traveled to New Mexico.

Hackman had his big break in 'Bonnie and Clyde'

Hackman played a wide range of roles over his four-decade career, making him beloved by audiences and peers alike.

His breakout part was in 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde" when he played the older brother of the gangster Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), for which he received an Oscar nomination. He became a leading man as the hard-nosed detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in 1971's "The French Connection," which earned him an Oscar.

He spent the 1970s working on movies that would become classics, such as "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Conversation."

On Thursday, Francis Ford Coppola, who directed "The Conversation," posted a tribute to Hackman on Threads: "The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity. I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."

At the end of the '70s, he played Lex Luthor in "Superman" (a role he reprised in "Superman II" and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace).

The 1980s saw Hackman's star soar with movies such as "Hoosiers" and "Mississippi Burning" (earning him another Oscar nomination). He started the 1990s with another Oscar win, this time for 1992's Clint Eastwood-directed Western "Unforgiven." As the decade went on, he did some of his best work with "The Firm," "The Quick and the Dead," "Crimson Tide," "Get Story," and "The Birdcage."

As the 2000s came around, it seemed Hackman wasn't going to slow down in his 70s. He starred in wide-ranging projects: playing a football head coach in "The Replacements," being part of an ensemble cast in Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums," and outwitting everyone in the clever "Heist."

But Hackman had other ideas.

After starring in 2004's "Welcome to Mooseport" he abruptly retired from acting.

Hackman, who wrote the 1999 novel "Wake of the Perdido Star," focused more on his writing during this period. He wrote four more books, the last of which was the police thriller "Pursuit" in 2013.

Hackman was a Marine before he started acting

Hackman was born in San Bernardino, California. He moved frequently as a kid and by the time he started high school his family had set roots in Iowa. At 16, he enlisted in the Marines and served 4 ½ years as a field radio operator in the late 1940s. He was discharged in 1951 and, after toying with a career in media by studying journalism and television production at the University of Illinois with the help of the GI Bill, Hackman moved back to California.

Hackman's acting career began in the 1960s at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. There, he befriended a fellow aspiring actor, Dustin Hoffman, and the two hit it off as they tried to navigate their careers.

The pair moved to New York City to try to make it big and soon befriended another California actor with the same goal: Robert Duvall.

Alongside off-Broadway plays, Hackman found work with small TV parts. In 1964, he got a part in the movie "Lilith," starring Warren Beatty, leading to his big break with "Bonnie and Clyde."

From then, Hackman would become an all-time great thanks to his passionate performances and ability to play gruff everyman characters, but with a charming quality whenever he flashed a smile or gave a crackling laugh.

Hackman has three children from his first marriage

In 1956, the actor married Faye Maltese, a bank clerk from New York. The couple had three children, Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne Hackman. They divorced in 1986 after 30 years of marriage.

In 2000, the actor told the Irish Independent that he wasn't always present as a father. "I couldn't always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they've had my success always hanging over their heads,' Hackman said.

Sometime after Hackman and Maltese split, he started dating Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist who was 30 years his junior. They got married in 1991.

Hackman never returned to acting

Hackman's status as a legend only grew after his retirement, as one of few icons able to walk away and stay away from the business.

In one of his final interviews, in 2011, GQ asked him whether he'd ever do another movie:

"I don't know," he said. "If I could do it in my own house, maybe, without them disturbing anything and just one or two people."

Correction: February 27, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated the circumstances of Gene Hackman's death. The Santa Fe New Mexican cited Sheriff Adan Mendoza as saying Hackman, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead Wednesday afternoon, not that they died Thursday. Mendoza was said to have confirmed their deaths Thursday.

• "Suits LA" is Aaron Korsh's spinoff of the original "Suits," which ran for nine seasons.
• It's led by Stephen Amell who plays Ted Black, a former prosecutor turned entertainment lawyer.
• The first episode ends with a twist for Black, who is reckoning with his past.

Warning: Spoilers for "Suits LA" below.

"Suits LA" — the new spinoff of Aaron Korsh's "Suits," which enjoyed a revival after landing on streamers — starts with a twist.

The first episode introduces Ted Black (Stephen Amell), a former New York prosecutor who moves to the West Coast to start his own law firm representing some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

"Suits LA" maintains the format of the original show by including flashbacks to subplots that explain the characters' actions in the present day. Mainly, these scenes explain Black's previous role as a prosecutor in New York working on jailing gang members for murder.

This plot device helped develop the backstories of beloved characters like Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), and Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) in "Suits."

Black's character is developed when he talks to Eddie (Carson A. Egan), his brother, who seemingly lives with him.

Here's the twist in the closing moments of the first episode of Suits: LA" explained.

Ted Black talks to his dead brother in 'Suits LA'

The first episode implies that Black lives with his younger brother Eddie, who is there when he wakes from a nightmare. Other scenes also show that they have a close relationship.

But at the end of the episode, Black visits his estranged, dying father, (Matt Letscher) who is in a coma. Black tearfully blames his father for "letting them kill Eddie" the night before he was convicted for an unknown crime.

This moment reveals that Black has been imagining his dead brother this whole time, which some viewers might have picked up on since he wears the same New York Yankees shirt in every scene.

In the closing moments, Black tells Eddie him he just wants to spend another day with him.

It's a surprising move from "Suits LA," as the original show didn't have such abstract moments. But it's an interesting way of endearing Black, who is ruthless at work, to the audience.

• James Bond is entering a new era as Amazon MGM has taken creative control over the franchise.
• The franchise has been in limbo since Daniel Craig's last outing as Bond in 2021's "No Time To Die."
• Below, Business Insider has ranked all seven actors who have portrayed Bond in film.

Over 60 years and 25 movies, seven actors have played the legendary spy James Bond on-screen over the past 60 years.

Daniel Craig was the latest to take on the character created by novelist Ian Fleming, bringing a darker, grittier tone to the franchise. His run came to an end in 2021's "No Time To Die," when his Bond, well, died.

Fans of the movies, which have made $6.4 billion worldwide, have been waiting patiently for a new actor to take on the role after Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the longtime producers of the franchise, promised that would make more.

But on Thursday, Amazon MGM studios announced it was taking creative control over the franchise, and will cast a new Bond and develop new films.

Before we get a new 007, here's how the former actors weigh up against each other.

David Niven (1967 - 1967)

While most audiences will automatically think of Daniel Craig when thinking of "Casino Royale," there was actually another version of the story that arrived on the big screen back in 1967. (Yes, in the same year as Sean Connery's "You Only Live Twice.")

Columbia Pictures' "Casino Royale" starred David Niven as James Bond, and it takes a much more comedic approach to Ian Fleming's book of the same name. The parody movie isn't connected to any of the other films, nor was it made by Eon Productions and Albert Broccoli. It was only made because Fleming sold the singular rights to the book before it was published in 1953.

Niven's Bond is a much older agent, who's brought out of retirement to fight a nefarious organization called S.M.E.R.S.H. The Oscar-winning actor might bring some charm to the role, but the absurd story — which ends with him going to heaven — ruins the character and sucks all the suave coolness out of 007 completely.

George Lazenby (1969-1969)

The Australian actor George Lazenby is on this list as another matter of courtesy. He portrayed Bond once in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." He was drafted in by Eon Productions — the film's producers — after Sean Connery decided to step away. And he was promptly replaced by Roger Moore when the series resumed in 1973 with "Live and Let Die." 

Pierce Brosnan (1995-2002)

After 15 years of Daniel Craig — who is eulogized later in this list — it is easy to forget the damage Pierce Brosnan did to the James Bond franchise, but it is important to revisit our lowest moments so we can grow. So here, I humbly ask, do we remember the unfortunate orange spray tan Brosnan sported throughout his time as 007? Or the awkward hyperpop theme songs such as Madonna's awful "Die Another Day."

Brosnan's films even have bad guns. 

It is important to note that "GoldenEye" — Brosnan's first Bond film — was also the first film in the franchise not produced by Albert R. Broccoli, the film series originator, who had been succeeded by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli, along with his stepson, Michael G. Wilson. But it has been reported that Brosnan was favored by Albert Broccoli, so maybe it was time for him to step down. 

Nonetheless, across his four-film run, Brosnan pushed Bond away from its steely, cool origins to something more Hollywood and less interesting.  

Roger Moore (1973-1985)

Roger Moore suited up as James Bond a record seven times, and the bulk of his films were directed by the British director John Glen who had an unparalleled skill for capturing pure chaos on screen. And that is what Moore's Bond was best known for.

In his seven-film run, Moore went to space, fought off a pack of crocodiles, and defused a nuclear bomb. And while Moore's Bond was charismatic and entertaining, there was rarely any substance to what he said, and there was even less plot to hold together all the big-budget stunts. And for this reason, Moore's seven films don't make for great rewatching. 

Timothy Dalton (1987-1989)

The sole reason Timothy Dalton is not at the top of this list is that he portrayed Bond only twice, but this wasn't due to bad ratings or box-office numbers. His films "The Living Daylights" (1987) and "Licence to Kill" (1989) are two of the most beloved Bond films and Dalton's dark and often serious take on 007 is widely considered the most accurate interpretation of Ian Fleming's books. 

"I wanted to make him human," Dalton said of his interpretation of Bond during an interview in 2008. "He's not a superman; you can't identify with a superman. You can identify with the James Bond of the books. He's a tarnished man, really. I wanted to capture that occasional sense of vulnerability and I wanted to capture the spirit of Ian Fleming."

As many people have stated before, Dalton's grounding of Bond paved the way for the franchise's most profitable period of releases with Daniel Craig's 007. Dalton's tenure, however, was cut short due to complex legal wrangling between the film's producers MGM and Eon Productions, which halted production until 1994, when his contract expired. 

Sean Connery (1962-1967)

Sean Connery had a legendary acting career that spanned over 50 movies and included appearances in some of Hollywood's most iconic movies such as 1964's "Marnie," 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and 1987's "The Untouchables," for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. But when he died last year, he was best remembered as the first 007. 

According to Connery, however, his interpretation of 007 managed to charm everyone but Fleming.

"I never got introduced to Fleming until I was well into the movie, but I know he was not happy with me as the choice," he said on "The South Bank Show" in 2008.

Despite Fleming's reservations, Connery played the secret agent in seven films from 1962 to 1983, and his version is remembered as not only the coolest in the franchise but one of the coolest characters in cinematic history. 

Connery's powers as 007 came from his own charisma. As Barbara Walters best described in a 1987 interview, the Scotsman was someone who didn't try to be sexy; he simply oozed class. Connery can also claim to be the only Bond actor who actually managed to pull off the famous catchphrase, "Martini, shaken, not stirred" and make it sound cool.

Best: Daniel Craig (2006-2021)

Daniel Craig's Bond films are dark and physical and entertaining. But it is Craig's commercial success that has landed him atop this list. The numbers simply don't lie: 2012's "Skyfall," Craig's third outing as Bond, and first collaboration with the British director Sam Mendes ("American Beauty"), raked in $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the most commercially successful Bond film of all time. 

Craig's portrait of the top-secret British spy helped to revive the franchise, which, at the time, had been struggling to find a contemporary identity for 007 after Brosnan's thematically erratic series of films. 

Craig's last Bond film, "No Time To Die," hits US theaters on October 8. Early projections suggest the film could make a $90 million debut at the international box office, so by the end of his tenure, Craig might not just be the actor who saved the Bond franchise but also the actor who saved cinema.

Ayomikun Adekaiyero contributed to this article.

• Alan Ritchson plays the titular character in Prime Video's "Reacher" series.
• The actor is known for his sculpted muscular look in the show.
• He told Business Insider that corned beef and pushps are key to his physique.

Watching Alan Ritchson in "Reacher," it's hard not to notice that he is extremely ripped.

In the show that just launched its third season on Prime Video, Ritchson plays a former military investigator whose intimidating size and strength are handy for fighting off hordes of bad guys.

When Business Insider asked Ritchson how he built his hulking physique, and his arms in particular, he said, half-joking: "you gotta eat constantly. You have to eat every five to 10 minutes. A lot of pizza, a lot of cookies, and millions of pushups."

Maria Sten, who plays Frances Neagley in "Reacher," added: "A lot of canned beef!"

"That's right!" Ritchson said. "The corned beef and hash! She knows, she's got the secret. That's the juice. Corned beef and hash and eggs, baby. Puts a little hair on your chest. And some pull-ups."

Last year, the actor told Men's Health that he aims to eat 4,000 calories a day and do five 30-minute workouts a week, usually involving cable exercises that focus on his upper body.

Here's how to apply Ritchson's recommendations if you also want to be shredded.

You need extra calories to build muscle

Eating cookies to get ripped may sound counterintuitive, but a calorie surplus, or eating more energy than you burn, is optimal for building muscle.

But the more you eat, the more fat you're likely to gain. That's why bodybuilders typically "bulk" — or gain mass — for a few months, before "shredding" or "cutting" to lose fat and reveal the muscle.

It's notoriously hard to lose fat and build muscle at the same time because they have opposing calorie requirements. Plus, it's easier to do when you're new to lifting.

To build muscle while gaining as little fat as possible, personal trainers and sports dietitians generally recommend eating around or just over your maintenance calories.

And while pizza and cookies provide a lot of energy from fats and carbs, corned beef hash with eggs will be more satisfying — and help you hit your nutritional goals without eating lots of calories — because it's high in protein.

"You can do all the weight training you want, but if you don't give your body the right building blocks to build new muscle, your results will be suboptimal," sports nutritionist Mike Molloy previously told BI. "With that in mind, I would recommend consuming somewhere between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight."

Protein is essential for building muscle, but most dietitians agree it's also important to eat a balanced diet with carbs and fats for energy.

Lift progressively heavier weights to gain muscle

As for Ritchson's recommendation of push-ups for Reacher-size arms, they can certainly be part of the puzzle. Push-ups, and pull-ups, work the core. Push-ups and pull-ups also work the chest and back, respectively. Rows, lateral raises, bicep curls, and tricep extensions will also help you sculpt your arms, bodybuilding coach Cliff Wilson previously told BI.

Overall, you need to train hard to build muscle. Lift heavy weights that you find challenging (mostly in sets of eight to 12 reps). Try to gradually increase the reps and/or weight, a process called progressive overload.

Building muscle also requires enough rest and recovery time: It's between training sessions that your muscles repair and rebuild stronger — and bigger.

• "Reacher" season three sees Jack Reacher go undercover in a criminal organization.
• Author Lee Child told Business Insider he wants to adapt the "Reacher" book about the opioid crisis.
• Alan Ritchson told BI he would be open to telling a "more modern story."

"Reacher" fans have come to expect fast-paced storylines and intense action from the Alan Ritchson-led show, but the ratio of punches to emotional drama is not exactly balanced.

So viewers may be surprised that Lee Child, the author of the "Jack Reacher" books, told Business Insider that he wants the show to tackle the opioid crisis.

Before "Reacher" season three premiered Thursday on Prime Video, BI asked Child which of his books he would like to see adapted next.

Child said: "The book that I am proudest of is 'The Midnight Line,' which is about the opioid crisis, written from a very sympathetic point of view, from the addict's point of view. I was very happy with that as a book. And I do not know how that would play on TV, but that would be one that I'd be interested to see."

This may mean viewers will get to see another side to Reacher. Child added: "He has to be sympathetic for something he would never do, something he probably has no basic sympathy for. But he's considerate of somebody who suffers from it."

The opioid epidemic is one of the most serious public health crises the US has faced in recent years. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, deaths involving opioids increased from 5,000 people a year in 1999 to around 17,000 in 2017, before decreasing to 14,000 in 2022.

The book sees Reacher find a class ring from the West Point military academy in a pawn shop and deduces that it was stolen. He then finds himself untangling a dangerous criminal network that deals opioids.

Each season of the show has presented a unique challenge for Reacher. In season one, he had to prove his innocence in a small town. In season two, he had to be a team player with his old unit. And in season three, he goes undercover and has to fight a 7-foot henchman.

In a separate interview, Ritchson told BI he would be interested in exploring "The Midnight Line," and praised Child's work.

Ritchson said: "I do like that book. It's fun watching the content of the books evolve. He started writing these in the '90s. Some of the concepts that he tackles… He's very progressive in these books and to watch the conversation change over time is a lot of fun. It'd be fun to tackle a more modern story."

Child, who is 70, retired from writing "Jack Reacher" novels in 2020, and passed over the reins to his brother, Andrew Child. Ritchson wants him to keep writing more adventures.

"I want to do all of them, you know. I hope that Andrew writes another 10 and we could just do 40 years of this."

• Alan Ritchson said bodybuilder Olivier Richters accidentally punched him on the set of "Reacher" season three.
• The pair were filming a fight scene between Jack Reacher and Richters' new character, Paulie.
• Ritchson told Business Insider: "I don't think I would want to get in a fight with this guy in real life."

Alan Ritchson told Business Insider he took a punch from the 7-foot bodybuilder Olivier Richters while filming a fight scene for "Reacher" season three.

The third season sees Jack Reacher (Ritchson) infiltrating a criminal organization and crossing paths with Paulie (Richters), a henchman who is immediately suspicious of him.

Paulie's strength and size makes him a formidable opponent for Reacher, who isn't used to being the weaker one in a fight.

Ahead of the show premiering on Prime Video this Thursday, Ritchson recalled how one fight scene became too real: "I took a punch accidentally one time, and I was like, 'I don't think I would want to get in a fight with this guy in real life.'"

Richters is 7 foot 2 inches tall, which makes him the tallest bodybuilder in the world, while Ritchson stands at 6 foot 3 inches.

Lee Child, the author of the "Jack Reacher" books, told BI in a separate interview that he was "stunned" by how Richters made Ritchson "look tiny."

Ritchson went on to praise his new costar's dedication.

"He's pretty tough. He's a monster, man, and he worked really hard to come in and be ready for the 'Reacher' world. He trained for like four months before we got to set together and hopefully it shows," he said.

"Reacher" season three is based on Child's seventh book, "Persuader," which was released in 2003. Ritchson is confident that fans will enjoy the adaptation.

"I think audiences are gonna get to see something they've never seen before. In the book, if you're a reader of the books and 'Persuader,' you get the sense that Reacher's gonna die fighting this guy and there's no way he can figure out a way to win," he said.

But like previous seasons, there is a heavy focus on Reacher's fights and stunts, which the team took painstaking care over.

Ritchson added: "Filming those kind of fights, the amount of time we spent invested in that, three weeks for one fight in particular, hopefully, we give TV audiences the same kind of feeling.

"It was fun and I definitely haven't experienced anything like that in the prior two seasons of 'Reacher.'"

• Guy Pearce said Kevin Spacey "targeted" him on the set of "L.A. Confidential" in 1996.
• When Spacey was accused of sexual assault in 2017, Pearce said he "broke down."
• Spacey responded in a video on X, telling Pearce to "grow up."

Kevin Spacey responded to Guy Pearce accusing him of sexually harassing him on the 1996 set of the neo-noir thriller, "L.A. Confidential," by telling him to "grow up."

"L.A. Confidential" tells the story of three police officers, played by Pearce, Spacey, and Russell Crowe, who investigate corruption and murder in 1950s Los Angeles.

Pearce, who stars in this year's Oscar-nominated movie "The Brutalist," recalled working with Spacey on The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast. Pearce said he considers himself a victim, but added "I was certainly not a victim by any means to the extent that other people have been to sexual predators."

He said he tried to ignore advances Spacey made toward him during production, without going into further detail.

Pearce said: "I did that thing where you go: 'Ah, that's nothing. Ah, no, that's nothing.' I did that for five months, and really I was sort of scared of Kevin because he's quite an aggressive man.

"He's extremely charming and brilliant at what he does, really impressive, etc. He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question."

He added: "I had a couple of confrontations with Kevin post-that, that got ugly." Pearce didn't specify what happened, when these alleged interactions were or their outcome.

In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him at a party in 1986, when he was 14 years old.

Rapp sued Spacey in October 2022, but a jury found him not liable after a civil trial in New York.

Rapp's allegations were followed by others against Spacey, from men who worked in the film industry and at the Old Vic Theater in London, where Spacey was the artistic director from 2004 to 2015.

Recalling hearing the news, Pearce said: "I was in London working on something, and I heard this and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn't stop.

"I think it really dawned on me the impact that had occurred and how I sort of brushed it off and how I had either shelved it or blocked it out or whatever. That was a really incredible wake-up call I suppose."

In 2024, Spacey responded to a documentary about the allegations: "I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions. But I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologise to anyone who's made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me."

Kevin Spacey told Guy Pearce to "grow up"

On Tuesday, Spacey responded to Pearce's comments in a video posted on X.

He said: "We worked together a long time ago, if I did something then that upset you, you could've reached out to me, we could've had that conversation. But instead, you decided to speak to the press, who of course are now coming after me because they'd like to know what my response is to the things that you said. You really want to know what my response is? Grow up."

During the video, Spacey also claimed that Pearce visited him on the set of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" in Savannah, Georgia in 1997 to spend time with him.

Representatives for Pearce and Spacey did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" aired on Sunday to celebrate 50 years of "Saturday Night Live."
• The star-studded event featured live performances, sketches, and references to current events.
• Ryan Reynolds made a veiled nod to his legal drama, and Aubrey Plaza paid tribute to her late husband.

"Saturday Night Live" celebrated half a century of existence with a primetime special that featured all the show's favorite tricks: celebrity cameos, impressions, character revivals, musical performances, and clever references to current events.

The beloved sketch comedy show aired its first episode on October 11, 1975. Sunday's anniversary special — broadcast live from Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, as always — saw the return of many original castmembers, including Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris, as well as alums like Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph.

Here are five details you may have missed from the star-studded event.

Ryan Reynolds made a veiled reference to the 'It Ends With Us' drama

During a question-and-answer bit hosted by "SNL" veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds stood up.

"Ryan! How's it going?" Fey said.

"Great!" He replied. "Why, what have you heard?"

Blake Lively, his wife, was sitting next to him and pretended to be surprised by his answer.

The joke appeared to be a reference to the couple's ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni, Lively's costar on "It Ends With Us."

Aubrey Plaza paid tribute to her late husband with her outfit

Aubrey Plaza, who hosted her first show in January 2023, introduced the anniversary special's musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard. She wore a tie-dye shirt underneath a black blazer, a tribute to her late husband, Jeff Baena, who died on January 3, 2025.

When Plaza appeared on "The Drew Barrymore Show" in December 2021, she explained Baena's interest in tie-dye led to their unique wedding outfits.

"Jeff got really into tie-dyeing during the quarantine," she said. "So, I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us."

Kim Kardashian appeared to ignore her ex-boyfriend, Pete Davidson

PopCrave posted a video of "SNL" regular Pete Davidson talking with some of the other celebrity guests who attended the show. The footage showed a potentially awkward moment, as Kim Kardashian appeared to ignore her ex-boyfriend when walking past him.

In the short clip, Davidson then follows the people walking behind her. It's not clear whether they spoke afterward.

The pair dated for nine months between October 2021 and August 2022 before their amicable breakup.

Jack Nicholson made his first on-screen appearance in 10 years

Jack Nicholson, who's best known for films like "The Shining" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," was also in attendance. It marked his first on-screen appearance in a decade after the "SNL" 40th anniversary in 2015.

He introduced Adam Sandler, his "Happy Gilmore" costar, who sang a song about the show. At the start of his performance, Sandler said, "Let's hear it for Jack, baby! Jack made it out tonight. Love you, brother."

Bill Hader did not return for the anniversary

Bill Hader starred on "SNL" for eight years between 2005 and 2013, and many expected him to return for the 50th anniversary. However, the comedian was absent from the show.

A representative for Hader told Business Insider that he was not in attendance due to "a longstanding schedule conflict."

Fans voiced their disappointment online, as many wanted to see him reprise his role as Stefon, the memorable party correspondent on "Weekend Update."

Hader did, however, make one pre-taped appearance tied to the "SNL" anniversary, appearing in revival of "The Californians" sketch with costars Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen as part of a Volkswagen ad.

• "Apple Cider Vinegar" features a controversial wellness camp called the Hirsch Institute.
• The pseudoscientific cancer treatments in the Netflix show include juices and coffee enemas.
• These treatments appear to be based on what is known as Gerson Therapy.

Viewers of "Apple Cider Vinegar" — which tells the story of Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), an Australian influencer who faked having cancer — may be wondering if the Hirsch Institute is real.

The institute is fictionalized for the show but appears to be based on a pseudoscientific treatment called Gerson Therapy.

The institute features in the show when wellness influencer and journalist Milla Blake (Alycia Debnam-Carey) is diagnosed with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and flies to Mexico to attend its wellness camp. She starts a treatment plan that involves drinking different juices every hour and using coffee enemas.

Ultimately, Blake realizes that it doesn't work after her cancer spreads across her body. She reverts back to taking the treatment advised by her doctors, but it's too late and she dies toward the end of the series.

The Hirsch Institute is not real, but it is based on Gerson Therapy

Gerson Therapy is named after its creator Max Gerson, a German doctor who developed it during the 1920s and 1930s. It was first tried as a treatment for tuberculosis and migraines, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Gerson claimed that eating an organic diet of fruit and vegetables, high in potassium and low sodium, would help rid the body of toxins and return the metabolism to "normal."

The diet also included drinking 13 glasses of juice a day alongside coffee enemas to "clean" the liver and colon. People following Gerson Therapy are also required to take supplements, including vitamin B12, and potassium.

The NCI says that having too many coffee enemas can change a person's normal blood chemistry, which can stop muscles, the heart, and other organs from working.

In 1947 and 1959, the NCI examined 60 of Gerson's patients and the results "did not prove the regimen had benefit."

Cancer Research UK said that researchers in a 2014 study found that "none of the previous reports on Gerson therapy proved that it was effective." It states that an organic diet has potential benefits, but reputable scientific cancer organizations do not support it as a treatment method.

The US Food and Drug Administration has not approved Gerson therapy for cancer patients. However, some attend Gerson's Health Institute in Tijuana, Mexico, to undergo treatment — in the same way that Blake travels to the Hirsch Institute in "Apple Cider Vinegar."

According to Gerson's Health Institute, these trips cost $6,000 a week and include all of the Gerson therapy meals, juices, and enemas as well as access to an on-site medical team, patient support groups, and a private room.

Gerson's Health Institute did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• Harrison Ford plays President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross in "Captain America: Brave New World."
• The former military general transforms into the Red Hulk as part of a conspiracy against him.
• Here's how and why Ford's character is given a monstrous makeover.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Captain America: Brave New World."

"Captain America: Brave New World" revolves around a conspiracy against President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford) which forces him to transform into the Red Hulk by the end of the film.

It's the first Marvel movie since Chris Evans left the franchise after "Avengers: Endgame," and Anthony Mackie took over as Captain America.

In "Brave New World," Ross is eager to make an impression in the first 100 days as US president. His main drive is to negotiate a treaty with India and Japan to mine the giant dead alien sticking out of the Indian Ocean after 2021's "Eternals."

But an unknown villain starts using brainwashed soldiers to attack Ross, before also turning on India and Japan's respective military presence in the Indian Ocean before they can make the treaty.

All of this raises Ross' fiery temper until he's red in the face. Here's why Ross turns into Red Hulk.

Samuel Sterns, a character from 'The Incredible Hulk,' returns to get revenge on President Ross

Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) is the mastermind behind the conspiracy against Ross. He first appeared in 2008's "The Incredible Hulk." Toward the end of that film, a drop of Bruce Banner's (Edward Norton) irradiated blood splashes into Sterns' head wound and causes his brain to expand, making him infinitely smarter.

In "Brave New World," Sterns explains to Wilson that Ross imprisoned him in an underground military base to force him into making advanced weapons for the United States.

He also found a solution for Ross' severe heart condition and provided him with cutting-edge medication to keep him alive. In return, Ross promised he would free Sterns when he was elected President, but instead, he left him to rot in prison.

Sterns wants to take revenge by turning him into a monster to destroy Ross' political career.

Sterns is secretly dosing the President with gamma radiation via his medication, and by the end of the film, there is enough in his body to transform him into the Red Hulk when his temper hits boiling point during a press conference.

The Red Hulk goes on a rampage through Washington, D.C., and destroys part of the White House. But following a lengthy fight with Captain America, Ross regains control and returns to normal.

In the comics, Ross becomes the Red Hulk after his daughter dies

The Red Hulk first debuted in March 2008's "Hulk #1," but the monster's true identity was kept secret for over two years until "Hulk #23" in August 2010.

A flashback in issue #23 explains that Ross' daughter, Betty, was killed by Abomination, one of the Hulk's archenemies.

Ross' grief combined with his hate for the Hulk, pushed him to work with Sterns — who goes by "The Leader" in the comics — and another supervillain, Modok, to gain the Hulk's powers.

Ross' body emits heat because the gamma radiation affects him differently than Bruce Banner, which is why he's red, not green.

• Amazon's "Fallout" ends on a cliffhanger that teases an iconic location from the games.
• Walton Goggins said season two will blow the first 'out of the water.'
• Here's what to know about the future of "Fallout."

"Fallout" brings the post-apocalyptic world of the award-winning video games to life, and Amazon renewed the show for a second season just nine days after it was released.

It takes place 200 years after a nuclear war decimated the U.S. and revolves around Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), who was raised in an underground bunker that protected her ancestors from radiation.

When her father, Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), is kidnapped by invaders from the outside world, Lucy leaves the safety of the shelter to try to save him.

In the last five years, Amazon has found success by adapting well-known properties into TV shows, including "The Boys," "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," "Reacher," "Good Omens," and "Invincible."

But "Fallout" marks the first time the company has adapted a video game into a live-action series, and judging by the hugely positive critical reaction, the gamble has paid off. So it's no surprise that Amazon announced that the show will return.

Here's what to know about "Fallout" season two.

'Fallout' season 2 has been filming since November 2024

In April 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that Amazon moved production of season two from New York to Los Angeles to receive a $25 million tax credit.

The show briefly paused production in January when the Pacific Palisades wildfire damaged Los Angeles, but filming has since resumed.

In February, Walton Goggins, who plays the Ghoul/Cooper Howard in the show, told Deadline: "We're in the middle of filming it right now, we've been at it since November, and I can tell you that I thought Season one was extraordinary. Personally, I was very pleased with it.

"This blows it out of the water, what these writers have done and the artisans that have come together to tell this story. It's really gonna be something, I can't wait for people to see it. We're working really hard to make that happen."

The streamer hasn't confirmed a release date for "Fallout" season two, but with filming underway now, it seems likely that it'll arrive in early 2026 once post-production has finished.

Filming for season one appears to have started in July 2022, an archived listing on the industry job site, Stunt Access.com, suggests. Then, in March 2023, Goggins told fans on Instagram that he had wrapped filming. So the whole show took just under two years to make, from start to release.

It seems likely 'Fallout' season 2 will visit a classic location from a beloved game

The end of season one revealed that Hank is actually employed by Vault-Tec, the company that built all the Vaults, and he's still working to ensure that the company is successful in the post-apocalypse. This is a bitter pill to swallow for Lucy now that she's seen how the world was devastated by the war.

Hank leaves Lucy and Maximus (Aaron Moten) by flying away in a damaged set of power armor. But in the closing moments of the season, audiences see him stomping through the desert toward an iconic location from the games: New Vegas.

The 2010 game, "Fallout: New Vegas," takes place in and around the city, which has been rebuilt following the nuclear war. It's one of the most beloved games in the franchise, and fans are clearly excited about the potential of seeing it in live action.

When speaking to Business Insider ahead of "Fallout" season one, showrunner Graham Wagner said that there's a lot the makers didn't do in the series (like introducing a deathclaw) in the hopes that they got a second season.

"We took the philosophy of— If you do everything right out of the gates, you're going to do it all but less well, and it'll just be a confusing barrage of noise. So we bet on ourselves," he said.

"We bet on Amazon, and the show, in the hopes of creating a show that irrefutably gets a second season. We're in an uncertain time with television. We never know. It is a very expensive show. It's a big ask," Wagner added.

"So we're hoping that if fans coalesce around this thing, it becomes undeniable. We have fingers crossed. We have so much more we hope to do," he said.

Macaulay Culkin will reportedly join Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and Ella Purnell in 'Fallout' season 2

In November, Deadline reported citing unnamed sources that "Home Alone" and "American Horror Story" actor Macaulay Culkin is joining the cast as a "crazy genius-type character."

"Fallout" fans will know that description could fit plenty of characters in the games.

Many online were quick to comment that it would be funny if he played a character living alone in one of the vaults, in a nod to "Home Alone."

Others speculated that he will play Arcade Gannon, a scientist from the "New Vegas" game who experiments with medicine.

Amazon and Culkin's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

In April 2024, Amazon announced the second season of the series with a poster of Maximus, The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), and Lucy, so it seems very likely that all three actors will return to reprise their roles when the show eventually returns.

Fans can also expect to see MacLachlan return as Hank considering the tease that the former Overseer of Vault 33 is heading to New Vegas.

In fact, it's probable that all the cast will return for season two because there are a number of plot threads that are left open for future stories.

How will Moldaver's Cold Fusion device change the Wasteland? Will Norm (Moisés Arias) escape Vault 31? Will Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton) turn into a ghoul?

Hopefully, the next batch of episodes will answer these questions and more.

• Harrison Ford plays President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross in "Captain America: Brave New World."
• The former military general transforms into the Red Hulk as part of a conspiracy against him.
• Here's how and why Ford's character is given a monstrous makeover.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Captain America: Brave New World."

"Captain America: Brave New World" revolves around a conspiracy against President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford) which forces him to transform into the Red Hulk by the end of the film.

It's the first Marvel movie since Chris Evans left the franchise after "Avengers: Endgame," and Anthony Mackie took over as Captain America.

In "Brave New World," Ross is eager to make an impression in the first 100 days as US president. His main drive is to negotiate a treaty with India and Japan to mine the giant dead alien sticking out of the Indian Ocean after 2021's "Eternals."

But an unknown villain starts using brainwashed soldiers to attack Ross, before also turning on India and Japan's respective military presence in the Indian Ocean before they can make the treaty.

All of this raises Ross' fiery temper until he's red in the face. Here's why Ross turns into Red Hulk.

Samuel Sterns, a character from 'The Incredible Hulk,' returns to get revenge on President Ross

Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) is the mastermind behind the conspiracy against Ross. He first appeared in 2008's "The Incredible Hulk." Toward the end of that film, a drop of Bruce Banner's (Edward Norton) irradiated blood splashes into Sterns' head wound and causes his brain to expand, making him infinitely smarter.

In "Brave New World," Sterns explains to Wilson that Ross imprisoned him in an underground military base to force him into making advanced weapons for the United States.

He also found a solution for Ross' severe heart condition and provided him with cutting-edge medication to keep him alive. In return, Ross promised he would free Sterns when he was elected President, but instead, he left him to rot in prison.

Sterns wants to take revenge by turning him into a monster to destroy Ross' political career.

Sterns is secretly dosing the President with gamma radiation via his medication, and by the end of the film, there is enough in his body to transform him into the Red Hulk when his temper hits boiling point during a press conference.

The Red Hulk goes on a rampage through Washington, D.C., and destroys part of the White House. But following a lengthy fight with Captain America, Ross regains control and returns to normal.

In the comics, Ross becomes the Red Hulk after his daughter dies

The Red Hulk first debuted in March 2008's "Hulk #1," but the monster's true identity was kept secret for over two years until "Hulk #23" in August 2010.

A flashback in issue #23 explains that Ross' daughter, Betty, was killed by Abomination, one of the Hulk's archenemies.

Ross' grief combined with his hate for the Hulk, pushed him to work with Sterns — who goes by "The Leader" in the comics — and another supervillain, Modok, to gain the Hulk's powers.

Ross' body emits heat because the gamma radiation affects him differently than Bruce Banner, which is why he's red, not green.

• Netflix's "Apple Cider Vinegar" dramatizes the life of Belle Gibson, an influencer who faked having cancer.
• It depicts her relationship with Clive Rothwell, who helped her start her app The Whole Pantry.
• Here's where Rothwell is now.

"Apple Cider Vinegar" tells the story of Belle Gibson, the Australian influencer who faked having cancer and built a wellness app, The Whole Pantry, with the help of her ex Clive Rothwell.

In the show, Rothwell (Ashley Zukerman), an IT consultant, helps Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever) pay for programmers to build her app in the early 2010s. He also funds various flights and hotel stays so she can establish her wellness empire.

In the last episode, Rothwell knows that Gibson faked having cancer and profited from those who had the disease. He decides to stay with her and help her raise her son Oliver (Spencer Ellis Anderson) in the US, as his step father.

The Netflix series is adapted from a book about Gibson, "The Woman Who Fooled the World," and title cards in the series describe it as a "true-ish story based on a lie."

Some elements of Gibson and Rothwell's relationship are faithfully adapted. In the third episode, Gibson has a miscarriage, which she briefly addressed in a 2015 interview with The Australian Women's Weekly, where she "tearfully" denied allegations she faked it.

Here's what happened to Rothwell in real life.

Belle Gibson called Clive Rothwell her 'friend' in 2019

During the 2015 interview, Gibson talked about how Rothwell reacted when he learned she lied about having cancer.

She said: "He's been very stern, along the lines of, 'I just want you to acknowledge where you've fucked up and not try and smooth over that.'"

Rothwell declined to speak to the publication.

Australian outlet The Age reported that in 2019, Gibson claimed in court that she owed Rothwell $90,000 and that they lived together in Northcote, Melbourne, with her son. She said that they "did not share a romantic relationship."

Gibson also said she didn't know what job he had at the time and wasn't aware of what he earned because "that's not my business."

However, she said that he earned enough to give her $5,000 to take her son on a trip to Africa and $2,000 in cash to cover their accommodation costs.

Four years later, in November 2023, the Daily Mail Australia published pictures of Rothwell out in Melbourne with another woman, suggesting that he had parted ways with Gibson.

• Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson takes over from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in "Captain America: Brave New World."
• The story follows Wilson as he untangles a conspiracy against the president.
• Sam Wilson has been Captain America in the comics since 2014.

"Captain America: Brave New World" sees a new hero carry the star-spangled shield on the big screen, as Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) untangles a conspiracy targetting President Thunderbolt Ross (Harrison Ford).

But those who haven't seen the recent "Avengers" movies might be wondering why Wilson is now Captain America and not Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

Steve Rogers gave the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson

Rogers was a founding member of the Avengers and appeared in all four movies, including "Avengers: Endgame," which culminated in Thanos (Josh Brolin) threatening the entire MCU.

During "Endgame," the Avengers traveled back in time to collect six Infinity Stones to assemble in the present and stop Thanos. After defeating him, Rogers was tasked with putting the stones back in the past in the film's ending.

Almost immediately after he was transported away, an older version of the hero arrived and spoke with Wilson, explaining that he managed to live a whole life after he finished the mission.

Then, he opened a bag containing the iconic shield and told Wilson to try it on. Although he initially said it felt like it belonged to someone else, he promised Rogers, "I'll do my best."

Rogers responded: "That's why it's yours."

Rogers shows that he knows Wilson has what it takes to be Captain America.

Wilson struggles with the weight of becoming the new Captain America, and there's a whole TV series about his journey to accepting the shield: "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier."

In the last episode of the series, Wilson finally dons his blue and white costume.

During a heated conversation with a group of politicians, he said: "I'm a Black man carrying the stars and stripes, what don't I understand? Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are gonna be millions of people out there who hate me for it."

In the same scene, he argues he is the right person for the job: "The only power I have is that I believe we can do better."

Sam Wilson has been Captain America in the comics for over a decade

In 2014, Marvel Comics published a storyline where Rogers relinquished the title after a fight with a villain called the Iron Nail drained his supersoldier serum in "Captain America #21."

This reverted his body back to his biological age — making him over 90 years old. Because of this, Wilson was named as Rogers' successor in October 2014's "Captain America #25."

This played out a little differently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Rogers became an old man because he time traveled not because he fought Iron Nail.