• Cate Blanchett said she's "serious about giving up acting."
• The "Lord of the Rings" star said that her family doesn't believe her.
• Some stars like Daniel Day-Lewis and Jim Carrey retired and then returned to Hollywood.

Cate Blanchett has said she's planning to give up acting, but her family doesn't believe her.

The Australian actor, best known for playing the elf Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, told Radio Times that she has "a lot of things I want to do with my life."

"My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting," she told the publication this week ahead of her role in a new audio drama for the BBC.

Blanchett won the Oscar in 2004 for best supporting actress in "The Aviator," before winning best actress nine years later for "Blue Jasmine." But despite her hugely successful acting career, she appears set on retiring from the screen.

During the interview, she touched on her dislike for being a celebrity and constantly doing interviews to promote whichever project she's working on at the time.

"When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you've said, pulled out and italicized, they sound really… loud. I'm not that person," said Blanchett, who is also known for roles in "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Elizabeth."

She's not the only Hollywood star to retire from acting in recent years, but some have also returned after their hiatus.

Jim Carrey

Prolific comedy star Jim Carrey announced that he was retiring in 2022, telling Variety: "I have enough. I've done enough. I am enough." He added that he would return "If the angels bring some sort of script that's written in gold ink that says to me that it's going to be really important for people to see."

He returned to play Dr. Robotnik in 2024's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and the producers printed his script in 24-carat gold ink as a joke, SFX Magazine reported.

Carrey later said that he came out of retirement because "I need the money, frankly."

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz stepped away from the screen after 2014's "Annie" so that she could spend more time with her family. But she returned over 10 years later to work with Jamie Foxx on Netflix's "Back in Action."

When appearing on "The Graham Norton Show" in January to promote the film, Diaz explained her return.

"If I just let this go away, all of this goodwill that I got to build over so much time, the passion I have for entertaining people and making movies that people smile and laugh [at] and have a good time… if I don't engage that again, and give that a chance and participate in it and be grateful for it, then I would be a fool."

She continued: Maybe I'll tip a toe in, maybe just go gung-ho, I don't know."

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis famously retired after starring in 2017's "Phantom Thread," telling W Magazine that he refuses to watch the film. "Not wanting to see the film is connected to the decision I've made to stop working as an actor," he said in 2017.

However, in October 2024, it was announced that he is returning to acting, and Deadline reported that he will star in "Anemone," directed by his son, Roman Day-Lewis.

Ke Huy Quan

Ke Huy Quan is best known for his roles in 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and 1985's "The Goonies." After landing a few minor roles in film and TV, Quan decided to leave Hollywood in the early 2000s. "It was tough. I was waiting for the phone to ring, and it rarely did," he told People in 2022.

The star came back to play Waymond Wang in 2021's "Everything Everywhere All At Once," and won the Oscar for best supporting actor. He also appeared in "Loki" season two and had a hidden cameo in "The White Lotus."

• The "Shrek" franchise is returning with another sequel starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Zendaya.
• "Shrek 5" will premiere in December 2026.
• Here's what to know about the long-awaited movie. 

"Shrek 5" is heading to theaters in 2026 with a new cast member — Zendaya.

On Thursday, DreamWorks shared the first teaser for the movie, with new designs for Shrek and the main characters.

The teaser said that Zendaya is starring in the film, seemingly playing one of Shrek's daughters.

It has been 15 years since the last sequel to "Shrek," the pop culture juggernaut that turned DreamWorks into a leading film studio.

The first film won an Oscar, and the franchise made nearly $3 billion across the first four films. The "Puss In Boots" spinoff movies, released in 2011 and 2022, also made an extra billion dollars.

A "Shrek" sequel has been rumored for years, but fans were beginning to lose hope after "Shrek Forever After" provided a neat finish to the story. The decision to restart the "Shrek" franchise may be due to the surprise success of "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish," which had a slow opening but eventually made $481 million.

"The Last Wish" arrived 11 years after "Shrek," proving that there is still an audience for the films.

Here's what we know so far about "Shrek 5."

Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz are returning for "Shrek 5."

Eddie Murphy, who plays Donkey, told Collider in June 2024 that he had started recording his lines for "Shrek 5" and said that DreamWorks plans to release a spinoff about his character.

A month later, DreamWorks Animation finally confirmed that "Shrek 5" is in the works. It also announced that Mike Myers will return as Shrek, with Cameron Diaz as Fiona.

No word yet on Antonio Banderas, who joined the franchise in "Shrek 2" as the outlaw Puss in Boots. Banderas voiced Puss in Boots in both of the spinoff movies (the first is set before "Shrek" and the second is set after "Shrek Forever After") and has made no announcement about stepping down from the role.

This could mean that the fan-favorite feline won't show up, or Banderas hasn't been able to finalize his deal with DreamWorks yet.

Walt Dohrn will co-direct "Shrek 5" with Brad Ableson, the director of "Minions: The Rise of Gru." Dohrn was a writer and artist on "Shrek 2" and "Shrek the Third," was the head of the story on "Shrek Forever After," and the voice of Rumpelstiltskin in the latter film.

The movie's producers are Gina Shay, who produced "Shrek Forever After," and Illumination founder Chris Meledandri.

"Shrek 5" will premiere in December 2026.

There are no details yet on the plot or how it will follow "Shrek Forever After."

The last movie ended with Shrek and Fiona happily raising their three triplets after Shrek learns to appreciate his life as a father.

DreamWorks initially announced that "Shrek 5" would premiere on July 1, 2026, but in their new teaser, the release date has changed to Christmas 2026.

• Jamie Foxx ad-libbed baby oil jokes in Netflix's "Back in Action" film.
• Director Seth Gordon told Business Insider the jokes were filmed a year before the Sean Combs "Freak Offs" scandal.
• "I don't think that means you're not allowed to use the words baby oil again," Gordon said.

"Back in Action" is filled with funny moments from Glenn Close's horny grandma vibes to Cameron Diaz grooving to Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It." If those don't spark a chuckle, Jamie Foxx's on-set ad-libs about baby oil are sure to bring a few laughs from this Netflix action comedy.

In the movie, Matt (Foxx) and Emily (Diaz) are CIA agents who go into hiding to start a family. Fifteen years later, viewers get a glimpse of their domesticated lives in full parent mode before everything goes to hell and their cover is blown.

One of the running gags is Emily telling Matt how she wants to reconnect with their teenage daughter by bringing back movie night. She suggests they watch the "Creed" movies, and Matt responds by saying, "That's a lot of baby oil."

Scenes later, when Emily's daughter rejects movie night, Matt tells Emily the two of them will have a movie night.

Emily suggests "Creed 3," to which Matt responds: "To help, I'll put some baby oil on, like Michael B." Referring to "Creed" franchise star Michael B. Jordan.

Director Seth Gordon told BI that Foxx came up with those baby oil jokes on his own while shooting.

"That was an ad-lib Jamie did," he said. "It was hilarious."

Gordon said filmmakers didn't discuss removing the jokes after news broke last year of Sean "Diddy" Combs throwing parties called "Freak Offs," which included more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.

"We shot that the prior year," Gordon said. "The Diddy thing happened after picture lock. Also, I don't think that means you're not allowed to use the words baby oil again."

In September, Combs was indicted on racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges. Combs pleaded not guilty.

Since then, Foxx has distanced himself from Combs. Foxx, 57, who was hospitalized while filming "Back in Action," later explained in his December Netflix comedy special "What Had Happened Was" that he'd suffered a stroke. In the special, he also talked about his times with Combs, saying "I left them parties early. I was out by 9."

"Back in Action" is available now on Netflix.

• Cameron Diaz has said her decadelong retirement from acting was "the best 10 years" of her life.
• Diaz stopped acting in 2014 but recently returned to star in "Back In Action" with Jamie Foxx.
• Diaz isn't the only celebrity to have walked back on the decision to retire.

Cameron Diaz has said the decade she spent in retirement from acting was "the best 10 years" of her life, but she thinks she is now ready to get back into the industry.

Appearing on "The Graham Norton Show," the 52-year-old actor reflected on her decision to take an extended hiatus from her career.

"Oh my God, I loved it. It was the best 10 years of my life," Diaz said. "I was just free to just say, 'I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm living my life.'"

She said that stepping back from acting "made sense for my family," and after a while, "people stopped asking" her to take on roles.

"It was so lovely," she added.

However, Diaz, who stars in the new Netflix movie "Back in Action" alongside Jamie Foxx, said she realized that getting to entertain people for a living is a "priviledge" which ultimately led her to unretire.

"I just said to myself, if I just let this go, all of this goodwill, all of this which I got to build over so much time, the passion that I have for entertaining people and making movies, if I don't engage in that again be grateful for it, I would be a fool."

As for whether her return to acting is permanent, Diaz said: "This is maybe the beginning, maybe I'll tiptoe in, maybe I'll go gung-ho, we'll see. It's here and I'm really grateful for it."

Per her IMDb page, she has two upcoming projects: She will return to voice Princess Fiona in "Shrek 5" and will also star in a new Jonah Hill-helmed film titled "Outcome."

A representative for Diaz did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was sent outside regular working hours.

Diaz isn't the first actor to have walked back on the decision to retire.

Jim Carrey, 63, announced in 2022 that he was retiring from acting after "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." But he returned to work last year, reprising his role in the third film.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Carrey said: "I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius, which is a bit of a stretch. And I just, I bought a lot of stuff, and I need the money, frankly."

Diaz became one of Hollywood's biggest stars after making her debut opposite Carrey in the superhero comedy film "The Mask."

The film went on to become one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1994, making more than $350 million at the worldwide box office.

Over the next few years, Diaz landed more and more roles, starring in the likes of "There's Something About Mary," "Charlie's Angels," and "The Holiday."

Discussing how she spent the time since her last starring role in 2014's "Annie" remake, Diaz told the "Still Watching Netflix" YouTube channel that she had focused on raising her kids.

"That was what I was putting most of my focus on if I was doing anything other than just sort of being a mom and living my day-to-day," Diaz said. "And that was pretty much it. I'm just trying to stay alive, just like every other mother. I'm just trying to keep it going."

Diaz married Benji Madden of the rock band Good Charlotte in 2015. They welcomed their daughter, Raddix, in 2019 and their son, Cardinal, in 2024.

• Warning: Spoilers below if you haven't seen "Back in Action."
• Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz play former spies who have to save their kids from a villain in Netflix's "Back in Action."
• Director Seth Gordon told Business Insider he wants to cast a big name to play Diaz's father in a potential sequel.

Netflix's "Back in Action" follows Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz), two former CIA spies who, after leaving the agency to start a family, are thrust back into the espionage game 15 years later when their cover is blown and their kids are kidnapped.

The action comedy concludes with a thrilling fight on London's River Thames where Matt and Emily save their kids — with the help of Emily's estranged mother, Ginny (Glenn Close), a gun-toting former spy — and the bad guy, Chuck (Kyle Chandler), dies in a fiery wreck.

In the final sequence, Matt and Emily are cheering for their daughter at her soccer game and appear to be back to living their normal lives.

But suddenly MI6 agent Baron (Andrew Scott) appears and informs Matt and Emily that they never found Chuck's body. They now want to enlist Emily's father to help them with the search. Matt is shocked, as Emily never told him about her father.

The ending clearly sets the stage for a sequel that will add another big name to this already star-studded potential franchise.

"I've got a couple ideas, yes," "Back in Action" director Seth Gordon told BI when asked if he has any actors in mind to play the father role. "I'm not going to say because who knows what's going to happen, but there's definitely a plan of what we could do."

It certainly would have to be someone who can have a playful rapport opposite not just Diaz and Foxx but Close, as the two characters have a history.

Gordon said the fun of developing the project was plugging in comedic elements of the family dynamic — Matt and Emily's son spending too much time on his devices, while their daughter lies about studying to go out partying with friends — around the action sequences.

"This came out of all these conversations I had with the producer Beau Bauman of what we deal with with our kids," Gordon said.

"I think what really works in the movie is you see this family deal with traditional family issues in their very specific and crazy way, so I think that would be a good thing to continue in the sequel," Gordon said.

He's already thinking about what else he could do in a potential follow-up: "What are some other life events that you got that involve the kids where things could haunt Emily and Matt from their past?"

"Back in Action" is available now on Netflix.

• "Back in Action" is Cameron Diaz's first film role in over a decade.
• Unfortunately, it's a poor comeback vehicle with rough dialogue and a thin plot.
• The film works fine as a casual watch, but not much else.

"Back in Action" is Cameron Diaz's first film role in over a decade. She should have made a better choice for a comeback.

The film, directed by Seth Gordon, is capital-F "Fine" at best and mediocre background watching at worst. Given that this is the movie Jamie Foxx miraculously recovered from a stroke to complete, one would hope the end product inspired stronger enthusiasm.

The aptly titled film stars Diaz and Foxx as Emily and Matt, suburban parents who were elite spies before having their first child and pivoting to coaching soccer and selling puzzles on Etsy. "Back in Action" kicks off 15 years in the past during their last mission together to steal an Industrial Control Systems key (don't worry about it) from a Eastern European crime lord. They succeed, but terrorists attack them on the plane back to safety. Presumed dead, Matt and Emily use the plane crash to disappear and raise the child that Emily has just learned she's carrying.

This opening sequence does little to establish Matt and Emily's relationship, or even their individual characters, past a few entertaining punches, quippy one-liners, and saccharine expressions of sincerity. "My favorite person is about to create my new favorite person," Matt tells Emily, despite having to clarify moments before that they were exclusive.

Their extremely normal life only gets blown up because Matt and Emily are caught on tape beating up a few guys ("BOOMERS WRECK DANCE PARTY") while picking their underage daughter Alice (McKenna Roberts) up from the club. With Alice and their son Leo (Rylan Jackson) in tow, they go on a quest to pick up the ICS key from Emily's mother Ginny (Glenn Close — why not?) and unite their family through espionage. Andrew Scott and Kyle Chandler are also in this film, for some reason, and are mostly wasted in their roles.

Aside from one tepid but somewhat surprising twist, "Back in Action" is a mélange of spy tropes, embarrassingly bad and self-explanatory dialogue, and trite familial conflicts. The film's emotional appeal hinges on Emily's relationships with Alice, who rebels against her for standard Teenage Girl Reasons, and her mother Ginny, whom she hates for being absent in her childhood. Simple friction leads to simple payoffs.

The film's fight sequences slightly redeem it, mostly because it's fun to watch Diaz and Foxx beat up some classic goons in tandem. However, the movie insists on soundtracking those fights to classic hits like Nat King Cole's "L.O.V.E." and Etta James' "At Last," seemingly in a bid to create a romantic, nostalgic atmosphere for its leads. To be fair, they have more chemistry in those moments than literally anywhere else in the film.

In the end, "Back in Action" is an unfortunate comeback choice for Diaz, and its script gives her and Foxx little to stand on through the film's nearly two-hour runtime. For audiences, it's a passable enough choice for a Friday night flick or folding laundry, but not much else.

"Back in Action" is streaming now on Netflix.

• Cameron Diaz says she spent her 10-year break from acting "trying to stay alive just like every other mother."
• But she's set to make a return to Hollywood in the Netflix movie "Back in Action."
• Diaz joins a long list of celebrities — like Tom Brady — who have unretired.

Cameron Diaz was busy being a mother during her 10-year break from making movies.

In a video uploaded onto the "Still Watching Netflix" channel on YouTube, which goes behind the scenes on Netflix shows, Diaz spoke about what she had been up to during her hiatus.

"I was not keeping up with any kind of training," Diaz, 52, said. "I did nothing public."

The actor — known for films such as "Charlie's Angel" and "Vanilla Sky" — added that she "said no to everything," although she did start a wine company.

"That was what I was putting most of my focus on, if I was doing anything other than just sort of being a mom and living my day-to-day," Diaz said. "And that was pretty much it. I'm just trying to stay alive just like every other mother. I'm just trying to keep it going."

Diaz married Benji Madden of the rock band Good Charlotte in 2015. They welcomed their daughter, Raddix, in 2019 and their son, Cardinal, in 2024.

In an Entertainment Weekly interview in 2018, Diaz said she was "semi-retired" as an actor, before clarifying she was "actually retired." Per her IMDB page, her last role was in 2014's "Annie."

During Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit last year, Diaz shared that her decision to stop acting was something she "had to do."

"It felt like something I had to do to reclaim my own life. And I just really didn't care about anything else. Nobody's opinion, nobody's success, no one's offer, no one's anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have," Diaz said. "It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family."

Diaz is set to return to acting in the Netflix movie "Back in Action," which premieres January 17 and also stars Jamie Foxx.

She joins a long list of celebrities who have unretired — most notably, Tom Brady.

Six weeks after retiring from the NFL in 2022, Brady announced he was unretiring in a post on X.

"I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa," Brady wrote. "Unfinished business. LFG."

More recently, in December, Jim Carrey, 62, walked back on his comments about coming out of retirement because he was strapped for cash.

"I said I'd like to retire, but I think I was talking more about power-resting. Because as soon as a good idea comes your way, or a group of people that you really enjoyed working with and stuff, it just — things tend to change," Carrey told Comicbook.com.

A representative for Diaz did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours.

• A new "Knives Out" movie, "Happy Gilmore 2," and a new Guillermo Del Toro film are hitting Netflix in 2025.
• They're some the year's most-anticipated movies.
• Here's what to know about Netflix's most exciting upcoming movies.

2025 is shaping up to be a great year for Netflix.

Three films from 2024 broke into Netflix's all-time top 10 movie lists, which is on par with the year before.

But Netflix could beat that record in 2025, with highly-anticipated films like "Happy Gilmore 2," "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," "Frankenstein" and "The Electric State" all set to debut this year.

The first two are sequels to popular films, while the last two star big names like Oscar Isaac and Chris Pratt.

Here are 12 movies that Business Insider's entertainment team can't wait to see in 2025.

"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"

Premiere date: January 3

Aardman Animation, a British stop-motion animation studio, is resurrecting its most popular franchise, "Wallace & Gromit."

The latest film, "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl," is a sequel to the 1993 Oscar-winning short "Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers."

In that film, the lead pair brings a new lodger into the house who attempts to frame Wallace for a crime.

Now Feathers McGraw, the lodger, is back to try to take down Wallace again, using the help of an AI-powered gnome.

"Back in Action"

Premiere date: January 17

Cameron Diaz is literally back in action as she returns from a 10-year acting retirement for this new Netflix film.

Diaz and Jamie Foxx, who previously worked together on 1999's "Any Given Sunday" and 2014's "Annie," star as former CIA operatives who return to a life of espionage after starting a family together.

McKenna Roberts and Rylan Jackson play Diaz and Foxx's children, who are brought along on their espionage journey.

While the plot isn't anything special, many film fans will likely tune in to see Diaz's return.

"The Electric State"

Premiere date: March 14

Before they tackle the next "Avengers" movie, directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo have another comic adaptation coming in 2025.

"The Electric State," an adaptation of Simon Stålenhag's graphic novel, is a retro-futuristic sci-fi adventure movie about a young woman (Millie Bobby Brown), a drifter (Chris Pratt), and a group of robots who set off on a journey to find the woman's younger brother.

Many well-known names and former Marvel actors star on-screen or voice the robots in the film, including Ke Huy Quan, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Brian Cox, and Anthony Mackie.

Netflix seems to be betting big on the film, with reports from the Telegraph and Puck, citing unnamed sources, that the streamer spent over $300 million on it.

"Havoc"

Premiere date: Spring 2025

Gareth Evans, the director of the ultra-violent "Raid" movies, is directing a new action-packed crime thriller for Netflix.

Tom Hardy plays Walker, a corrupt American cop who is tasked with finding a politician's son before he's arrested or the triads kill him. Along the way, he's helped by Ellie (Jessie Mei Li), a rookie cop and Walker's new partner.

Luis Guzmán, Timothy Olyphant, and Forest Whitaker also star.

"The Old Guard 2"

Premiere date: July 2

When "The Old Guard" premiered in 2020, Netflix said it reached the streamer's list of its 10 most popular original films of all time. Five years later, it has been knocked off, but "The Old Guard 2" could come back for the crown.

The first film starred Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, and Matthias Schoenaerts as a team of immortal warriors who are tracked down by a pharmaceutical company that wants to torture them to learn the secrets behind their abilities.

The sequel's logline says that the immortal team will face a new threat in the next film. Henry Golding and Uma Thurman will be joining the cast.

"Fear Street: Prom Queen"

Premiere date: Summer 2025

In 2021, Netflix tried releasing a trilogy of films based on R.L. Stine's horror "Fear Street" over three weeks. It paid off, with all three movies sticking in Netflix's weekly top 10 most-watched English films for over a month.

Netflix will break away from this model next year when they release "Fear Street: Prom Queen," a solo movie based on R.L. Stine's work.

The film is set in the town Shadyside, like the other films, but the year is 1988, between "Fear Street: 1978" and "Fear Street: 1994."

Ahead of prom at Shadyside High, an outsider is nominated for prom queen, and other girls mysteriously disappear.

The film will have a new cast that includes David Iacono, Ariana Greenblatt, Suzanna Son, and Chris Klein.

"Rip"

Premiere date: Fall 2025

From dramas like "Good Will Hunting" to comedies like "Dogma," friends and frequent creative collaborators Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have made a lot movies together.

Now, their production company Artists Equity is teaming up with Netflix to produce "Rip," a crime thriller inspired by true events.

The film follows a team of Miami cops who discover millions in cash in a stash house, leading to conflict within their own team and with external agents who want the money.

The movie is helmed by Joe Carnahan, who directed the 2010 "A-Team" movie, and stars Damon, Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, and Steven Yeun.

"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery"

Premiere date: Fall 2025

The highly-anticipated third "Knives Out" movie is due to premiere in 2025.

"Wake Up Dead Man," written and directed by the series creator, Rian Johnson, is the second and possibly final "Knives Out" film produced by Netflix under a $469 million deal with Johnson and Ram Bergman, his producing partner.

The plot has not been revealed yet, but Daniel Craig will, of course, reprise his role as the southern detective Benoit Blanc.

He is joined by a new cast, including Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church.

"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is currently the 10th most-watched English Netflix film of all time, setting big expectations for the next installment.

"Frankenstein"

Premiere date: November 2025

Guillermo Del Toro, a director known for movies about creatures and monsters, finally brings his dream "Frankenstein" movie to life as part of his multi-year deal with Netflix.

Del Toro wrote the adapted screenplay of Mary Shelley's novel and directed the film.

The film stars Oscar Isaac as Doctor Victor Frankenstein, a scientist whose attempts to create life birth a monster, played by Jacob Elordi.

Rounding out the cast are Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, Christoph Waltz, David Bradley, and Christian Convery.

"Happy Gilmore 2"

Premiere date: Unannounced

29 years since its premiere, "Happy Gilmore" is getting a sequel, thanks to Netflix's multi-million deal with Adam Sandler.

In the first film, Happy Gilmore (Sandler), a failed hockey player, becomes a golf tour champion to settle his grandmother's debts. The plot for the sequel has not yet been revealed, but Sandler will reprise the role alongside Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald, two other stars from the first film.

Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer, will also star in the movie.

While Sandler's Netflix movies have had low ratings from critics, many of them have become hits, including "Murder Mystery," which was the most-watched film of 2019.

"The Thursday Murder Club"

Premiere date: Unannounced

Richard Osman's novel "The Thursday Murder Club" was an instant hit in 2020, selling over a million copies that year in the UK alone.

Now Osman is bringing his murder mystery to Netflix with an all-star cast that includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. They play a group of murder-mystery fans in a retirement home who stumble on a real case.

Chris Columbus, the director of the first two "Harry Potter" movies, will direct the film.

Murder-mystery shows and movies like "Only Murders in the Building" and "Knives Out" have become hits in recent years. With its popular cast and pre-existing fan base, "The Thursday Murder Club" could follow in this trend.

"The Twits"

Premiere date: Unannounced

Netflix is capitalizing again on its acquisition of the Roald Dahl Company with an animated film based on "The Twits."

The film follows two brave orphans and a family of magical animals as they try to save the city from Mr. and Mrs. Twit, a mean, smelly couple who have somehow risen to power.

Phil Johnston, Todd Demong, and Katie Shanahan directed the film. Emilia Clarke, Natalie Portman, Johnny Vegas, and Margo Martindale star.

• The Christmastime rom-com "The Holiday" is a classic, but fans may have missed these gems.
• Amanda and Graham both have floor-to-ceiling shelves showcasing things relating to their careers. 
• An iconic voice actor narrates the trailers in the film, and the movie's composer gets a shout-out. 

As we get closer to the end-of-year holidays, there are plenty of comforting, festive rom-coms to turn to.

"The Holiday," which stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law, is a classic. 

Here are some mistakes, Easter eggs, and details you may have missed in "The Holiday."

Iris' desk gives viewers a hint about what she does before it's actually said.

Iris writes for the society column at The Daily Telegraph.

At the beginning of the film, the camera pans across her desk, showing scattered marriage announcements and photos.

These are all visible before her job title is actually mentioned during the company holiday party, so eagle-eyed viewers may have already figured it out. 

The shoes Amanda throws at Ethan disappear and reappear behind him.

At the beginning of Amanda and Ethan's argument, she throws two sneakers at him.

Both shoes land behind him in the hallway outside their bedroom.

Throughout the next few shots, the shoes seem to disappear and reappear on the floor behind him. 

The gardener tries to signal to Ethan not to admit to his affair.

Amanda's gardener overhears the conversation between Amanda and Ethan when their argument continues outside.

Amanda asks Ethan to admit to having an affair with his secretary and says she really wants to know the truth. 

Before he answers, the gardener looks at Ethan and shakes his head, presumably to warn Ethan against confessing.

This wasn't Lindsay Lohan's first project with the "Holiday" director.

It's hard to miss Lohan's uncredited cameo in "The Holiday" — she appears in Amanda's movie trailer alongside James Franco. But there's a story behind her appearance in the film. 

Nancy Myers, the writer and director of "The Holiday," also created Lohan's first feature film, "The Parent Trap."

In a 2006 interview with ComingSoon.net, Meyer's said, "I know Lindsay because I directed 'The Parent Trap' and I told her she owes me everything so I made her do it."

The director added, "I called her and said, 'You have to do this for me,' but she was sweet about it, she was totally there."

Hal Douglas narrates the trailers throughout the movie.

The trailer Amanda works on at the beginning of the film and the one she dreams later on are both narrated by recognizable voice actor Hal Douglas.

Before his death in 2014 at the age of 89, he was well-known for narrating thousands of movie trailers, including those for "Forrest Gump" and "Lethal Weapon."

The website Amanda and Iris use to swap houses is real.

Amanda and Iris find each other through the house-swapping website HomeExchange.

It's a real company and website that's still running today. It continues to offer the experience shown in the film, where two users agree to stay at each other's homes for a set amount of time.

The site even credits the film for really putting it on the map. x

The books stacked next to Amanda's bed date the movie a bit.

Amanda brings a big stack of books on her vacation, featuring many popular reads from the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

The pile includes the spiritual book "The Power of Now" (1997), young-adult fiction novel "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (1997), and Alice Munro's short-story collection "Runaway" (2004).

The way Iris' scarf is tied changes as she walks around Amanda's house.

When Iris first arrives at Amanda's house, she excitedly explores each room.

For most of the tour, her scarf is loosely looped around her neck once.

However, there are a handful of shots where her scarf is instead tied in a double layer around her neck.

The DVDs at Amanda's house seem to all be arranged in alphabetical order.

Amanda has a massive DVD collection at her house, which isn't surprising seeing as she makes movie trailers for a living. 

Based on various shots, the DVDs seem to be sorted in alphabetical order. When Iris looks more closely at the shelves, she's near the "G" section. 

"Enigma" (2001) can also be spotted on one shelf, which is a bit of a pop-culture paradox since Kate Winslet (who played Iris) starred in the movie.

Irish watches a very fitting movie at Amanda's house.

After excitedly looking through Amanda's impressive DVD collection, Iris settles on "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002).

The choice pretty perfectly coincides with her plot in "The Holiday" as the 2002 rom-com follows an American man who falls for an English woman.

Arthur gets it wrong, Cary Grant isn't actually from Surrey.

When Iris and Arthur have their meet-cute, he asks her where in England she's from, and she says, Surrey. 

He excitedly responds that Cary Grant was from Surrey, which he knows because the famous actor told him.

However, Grant was actually from Bristol, another English town. 

The meet-cute Arthur mentions is from "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife."

Arthur explains the concept of a meet-cute — the moment in a rom-com when a couple meets for the first time — to Iris.

He then gives an example of a man and a woman meeting at a store while trying to buy separate halves of the same pajama set.

This exact scenario is the meet-cute in "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" (1938).

There are indeed five marshmallows in each cup of hot cocoa at Graham's house.

Graham and his daughters, Olivia and Sophie, tell Amanda that they always drink hot cocoa with five marshmallows each.

Whenever the shot shows a clear view of their mugs, there are indeed five marshmallows in each cup.

Olivia says they never have girls at their house, but Graham's daughters seem close with their aunt Iris.

When Amanda hangs out with Graham and his daughters, Olivia comments that they never have girl visitors at the house.

But their aunt Iris lives nearby, and judging by their reaction to seeing her at the New Year's Eve party at the end of the film, they're fans of hers. 

Graham's book collection mirrors Amanda's DVDs.

Just like Amanda's wall of DVD shelves, Graham has a wall of bookcases in his house. This is equally fitting since he works as a book editor. 

His collection seems to include a number of classics — there's a Tennessee Williams collection visible on the same shelf as a Dylan Thomas book.

However, there are also multiple travel guides on the shelves.

Miles comments on work done by the composer who scored "The Holiday."

While perusing Blockbuster with Iris, Miles picks up a copy of "Driving Miss Daisy" and tells her the iconic score was done by Hans Zimmer.

Zimmer actually composed the score for "The Holiday" as well.

"Jaws" is in the wrong section of the video store.

Miles continues pulling multiple movies from the shelves of the video store to comment on the different scores, including "Jaws."

The movie was sorted in the "drama" section, but it's most commonly referred to as an adventure/thriller.

Dustin Hoffman makes a brief but well-timed cameo.

During the video-store scene, when Miles picks up "The Graduate" (1967) and starts singing Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," the camera flashes down the row to Dustin Hoffman perusing the shelves. 

Hoffman starred as Ben Braddock in the 1967 film, and his cameo in "The Holiday" was actually happenstance. 

In the DVD commentary, Meyers said they were filming at a Blockbuster in the Brentwood neighborhood of LA, and Hoffman was having lunch next door. Meyers knew the actor, so she invited him on set, and he jumped into the scene. 

They didn't even change his clothes or give him any makeup. 

This story was originally published in December 2022 and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

• "The Holiday" came out over 18 years ago, on November 29, 2006.
• It tells the story of two women from England and Los Angeles who switch homes for the holidays.
• Eli Wallach who played Arthur Abbott died in 2014, but many of the film's actors are still working.

"The Holiday" came out 18 years ago and remains many people's favorite Christmas movie. 

In the film, single women Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) switch homes over the holidays. Many of the movie's actors are still working, though Eli Wallach, who played Arthur Abbott, died in 2014. Diaz, who announced in 2014 that she was retiring from acting after a lengthy career in film and television, will soon return to the big screen in the coming Netflix movie "Back in Action," costarring Jamie Foxx. 

"The Holiday" has become a classic since its 2006 release, grossing more than $205 million worldwide, despite a modest opening of just over $12 million compared to its $85 million budget, Box Office Mojo reported.

Here's what the cast of "The Holiday" is up to today.

Kate Winslet played Iris, a woman who decides to spend the holidays in Los Angeles after her ex-boyfriend announces he's engaged to another woman.

After receiving the heartbreaking news, Iris is depressed and distraught. However, after getting a request from Los Angeles movie trailer executive Amanda, played by Cameron Diaz, to switch homes for the holidays, everything starts to look up for Iris. 

While in Los Angeles, she befriends an elderly neighbor who wrote for many old Hollywood movies and gains self-confidence. She also meets a film score writer, played by Jack Black. Their adorable friendship turns romantic at the end of the movie.

Kate Winslet is still one of the most famous actresses in the world.

After "The Holiday," Winslet starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in "Revolutionary Road," for which she won a Golden Globe award for best actress in a leading role. She also won an Academy Award for best actress in a leading role for "The Reader" in 2009.

More recently, Winslet starred alongside "Little Women" star Saoirse Ronan in "Ammonite," a period drama released in 2020, and multiple television series, including "Lee." Winslet also received an Emmy Award in 2021 for her role on HBO's "Mare of Easttown."

Winslet also starred in "Avatar: The Way of Water," the highly anticipated sequel to James Cameron's "Avatar," which was released in 2022.

Cameron Diaz plays Amanda, a workaholic Los Angeles movie executive who is emotionally stunted after her parents' divorce.

After breaking up with her unfaithful boyfriend and switching homes with Iris for the holidays, Amanda enters a whirlwind romance with Iris' brother, Graham. They fall head over heels for each other but recognize their relationship will be complicated if they're living on opposite sides of the world. 

Amanda leaves to go back to Los Angeles but finds herself crying over the idea of leaving Graham. In the end, they decide they'll try to make it work.

Cameron Diaz went on to star in movies like "The Other Woman" and "Bad Teacher."

In addition to her decades-long acting career, Cameron Diaz has also worked as a producer and an author. The star announced her retirement from acting in 2014. 

"I got a peace in my soul, because I finally was taking care of myself," Diaz told Gwyneth Paltrow on her Goop podcast in August 2020. "It's a strange thing to say; I know a lot of people won't understand it; I know you understand it, but it's so intense to work at that level and be that public and put yourself out there."

Diaz and her husband, Benji Madden, announced the birth of their first child, Raddix, in 2019.

After an eight-year hiatus from Hollywood, Diaz returned to acting to star alongside Jamie Foxx in the upcoming Netflix movie "Back in Action."

Jude Law plays Graham, Iris' older brother and Amanda's love interest.

Graham is a widower and explains that he never introduces anyone to his two children, or even tells the women he sees that they exist. He prefers to be seen as a young, single guy with no attachments or complications.

However, this changes when he meets Amanda and they fall in love.

Jude Law is known for his performances in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain."

Law also co-starred with Robert Downey Jr. in the Sherlock Holmes films and Keira Knightley in "Anna Karenina."

In 2016, Law starred in the title role in HBO's "The Young Pope." The actor has also played prominent roles in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" and "Captain Marvel."

His most recent acting credits include appearing again as Albus Dumbledore in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" and as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan & Wendy."

Jack Black plays Miles, a funny and down-to-earth film score writer who befriends Iris and Arthur, her elderly neighbor.

Miles is originally introduced as one of Amanda's ex-boyfriend's friends and his friendship with Iris grows throughout the movie. They connect by watching old Hollywood movies, many of which were written by Arthur.

Their friendship turns romantic after they decide to help prepare Arthur for an event in his honor. Miles breaks up with his actress girlfriend Maggie, who has said she's been filming on location but has instead been cheating on him. In the end, Miles asks Iris if she will be his date on New Year's Eve and she says yes.

Jack Black is still working as an actor and musician.

After "The Holiday," Black starred in films like "Tropic Thunder," "Gulliver's Travels," and "Goosebumps." He also held starring roles in the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise and in the two most recent "Jumanji" movies. 

In 2018, Black was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Most recently, he starred as Satan in the 2024 holiday comedy "Dear Santa" and reprised his role as Po in "Kung Fu Panda 4." He also voiced the role of Bowser in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."

In addition to his acting career, Black is the lead singer of the band "Tenacious D." The band, which formed 30 years ago, continues to tour, although their 2024 tour was cut short in light of a comment Black's bandmate, Kyle Gass, made about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July. Gass apologized for the remark, and Black told Variety in August, "We'll be back."

He also runs the YouTube channel Jablinski Games.

Eli Wallach played Arthur Abbott, a legendary Hollywood screenwriter.

After befriending his new next-door neighbor Iris and Miles, he attends an event celebrating his achievements in the film industry. 

Eli Wallach passed away in 2014 at the age of 98.

Wallach's prolific acting career spanned more than six decades, with his most notable film appearances including roles in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "The Godfather: Part III," "How to Steal a Million," and "The Misfits," which is most commonly known as Marilyn Monroe's last completed film.

"The Holiday" was one of Wallach's final film appearances.

Rufus Sewell plays Jasper, Iris' ex-boyfriend.

After leading Iris on for years, Jasper gets engaged and announces it in front of his and Iris' entire office at a Christmas party. Iris tells Jasper she is going on holiday to get over him.

However, instead of leaving her alone, Jasper asks Iris for notes on his manuscript while she's on vacation. He also shows up in Los Angeles unannounced to tell Iris he's afraid of losing her but is still engaged. Finally, Iris breaks it off.

The British actor continues to star in movies and TV shows, including Netflix's "The Diplomat."

Sewell has appeared in "The Man in the High Castle" and "Victoria," and he guest-starred in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as a stubborn but genius artist.

His most recent acting credits include roles in "Kaleidoscope" and "The Trouble with Jessica," and he stars alongside Keri Russell in Netflix's "The Diplomat," which is in its second season.

Edward Burns plays the small role of Amanda's ex-boyfriend, Ethan.

After a rip-roaring fight in one of the first scenes of the movie, Ethan tells Amanda he has cheated on her with his secretary but blames it on the fact that he doesn't feel connected to Amanda. He also points out that she doesn't "even shed a tear" during their breakup. 

Edward Burns is also known for his roles in "27 Dresses," "Newlyweds," and "Friends with Kids."

In recent years, Burns has directed and produced several of the projects he's acted in, including "27 Dresses," "Public Morals," "Summertime," "Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies," and "Bridge and Tunnel." 

He is married to model Christy Turlington — they wed in 2003. They have two children, Grace and Finn.

Shannyn Sossamon plays Maggie, Miles' actress girlfriend.

Not much about Maggie is known other than the fact she's beautiful, likes to talk on the phone while Miles is listening to classical music in the car, and she cheats on him while pretending to be acting on location.

In the end, Maggie tries to win Miles back, but they break up.

Shannyn Sossamon is still a working actress.

Her most recent television credits included roles in "Mistresses," "Wayward Pines," and "Sleepy Hollow." She's also acted in several indie movies.

As of 2020, Sossamon was working on a project called "The Maude Room," a short-form variety show that she described as "a little picture show theater."

"What I wanted to do is to create a space that's like film school in a way. I'm doing mostly everything myself, holding the camera and doing all the post [production], and I'm loving it," she told Refinery 29 in September 2020.

However, the project has yet to be released.

Miffy Englefield played Graham's eldest daughter, Sophie.

Sophie appeared in adorable scenes alongside her younger sister, Olivia.

Englefield, 6, was living with her dad when filming started and had only recently become permanently housed after being homeless, the actor told Vulture in 2020.

Englefield hasn't acted in anything since her early teens.

According to her Instagram page, Englefield, now 25, lives in West Sussex, England. In April 2020, she welcomed her first child. 

"She has the largest and most loving family with the most ridiculous mix of beautiful people around her," she wrote in an Instagram post at the time. The former actor's account has since been set private. "We cannot wait for you all to meet her once the world begins to return to a more normal state."

Englefield, who now has dark hair and tattoos, said in a 2019 Instagram story that she struggled to find acting gigs because of her new look, People reported.

"As an adult, I've found that casting directors aren't overly seeking people who 'look like me' to play roles, even though body modifications aren't rare these days and are the most common they have ever been," she said.

Englefield has also shared a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to work on "The Holiday" on her TikTok page.

In a 2022 TikTok video, she answered frequently asked questions about starring in the film and said she hasn't stayed in touch with any of her costars, but that "they were all so lovely."

Emma Pritchard played Olivia, Graham's youngest daughter.

One of Pritchard's character's most notable scenes is the one where she and Sophie beg their father to "do Mr. Napkin Head." Graham hilariously places a napkin and his glasses over his face, much to the delight of his daughters and Amanda.

Pritchard, seen in another moment from the film, has not appeared in any projects since "The Holiday."

Pritchard has kept a low profile and does not have any public social media accounts.