Malkovich and Rockwell Find Trouble at Easter Island
John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are sharing the kind of screen time that sounds dangerous on paper and irresistible in practice. In Wild Horse Nine, the pair play CIA operatives who travel to Easter Island while preparing for the Chilean military coup that would topple Salvador Allende’s government.
The film comes from Martin McDonagh, whose work tends to lace bleak circumstances with very dry, very sharp comedy. The early critical reaction suggests this movie leans into that contradiction: The Hollywood Reporter describes it as a poignant, blood-marked buddy comedy, while Variety and Deadline likewise highlight the melancholy and comic force of the central double act.
That consensus matters because the premise could easily become a stiff historical thriller. Instead, the reviews point to the relationship between Malkovich and Rockwell as the movie’s main event. Their pairing brings contrasting flavors of eccentricity and menace, giving the political backdrop a more intimate pressure point: two operatives trying to function while history gathers speed around them.
Steve Buscemi is also part of the cast, adding another distinctive presence to a lineup already built around performers who can make a pause feel like a provocation. The Easter Island setting gives the story an isolated stage, while the looming coup supplies the larger stakes. It is a compact recipe for mistrust, dark jokes and men who may be much less in control than they think.
BAD GOSS take: this is not celebrity news because someone misbehaved on a red carpet. It is celebrity news because three major screen personalities—and a director with a taste for beautifully damaged people—have assembled a movie where the chemistry is reportedly doing the heavy lifting. If the reviews are any guide, Wild Horse Nine is selling its history through its actors, with Malkovich and Rockwell making the partnership impossible to ignore.
Rooney and Kate Mara Share Venice Spotlight
Rooney Mara and Kate Mara arrived together for the Venice premiere of Bucking Fastard, giving the festival one of its most irresistible sibling double acts. The sisters appeared on the red carpet for the film’s 2026 debut, according to coverage from Just Jared.
This is more than a coordinated family appearance. The Maras play sisters in Werner Herzog’s film, putting their real-life connection directly inside the movie’s central dynamic. Variety describes their characters as romantically pursuing Orlando Bloom’s character, which gives the casting a deliberately charged, slightly unruly hook.
The reception was equally attention-grabbing. Variety reported that Bucking Fastard received a six-and-a-half-minute standing ovation in Venice, while The Hollywood Reporter highlighted an emotional Herzog response during the launch. That combination—provocative premise, famous siblings, and a visibly moved director—is exactly the kind of festival spectacle that travels beyond the screening room.
For Rooney and Kate, the pairing also creates a useful bit of cinematic intrigue without requiring a manufactured feud or matching social-media stunt. Their shared screen presence lets the film sell intimacy and friction at once, while the Venice setting supplies the prestige gloss. In other words: this is a rare celebrity story where the family connection is not just decoration; it is part of the movie’s pitch.
BAD GOSS is calling this a real festival moment, not a rumor inflated by a single red-carpet photo. Three separate outlets in the story cluster place the sisters at the premiere and connect the film to the strong Venice response. The only mystery left is whether the movie’s provocative setup lands as daring, chaotic, or both.
Inde Navarrette Scores Lead in Apple Sci-Fi Thriller
Inde Navarrette is moving from breakout attention to top billing. Just Jared reports that the actress has landed the lead role in The Waffle House Index, a sci-fi thriller being made for Apple Original Films.
This is more than a single entertainment-site casting item. The Hollywood Reporter also reported Navarrette’s involvement, while Deadline separately identified the project as an Apple and Plan B production. That cross-publication agreement gives the casting news a solid footing, even though the supplied reports do not include details about Navarrette’s character, the plot, or a release date.
The timing is the eye-catching part. Navarrette’s casting follows her breakout in Obsession, putting her in the familiar but meaningful industry lane of an actor turning a buzzy performance into a lead assignment. A starring role in a sci-fi feature backed by Apple and Plan B suggests the project is being positioned as a substantial next step, not merely a small follow-up gig.
There is still plenty the announcement does not tell us. The title may sound like a roadside-menu mystery, but the available coverage only identifies the movie as a sci-fi thriller; it does not explain what “The Waffle House Index” means onscreen. No production schedule, co-stars, director, or premiere information is supplied here, so the smart move is to resist decorating the casting news with imaginary plot twists.
For Navarrette, the useful headline is simple: Obsession opened the door, and this time she is walking through it at the front of the call sheet. With Just Jared, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline all carrying the news, this one clears the gossip fog and lands as a genuine career development.