Le Journal

Fantasy is everywhere right now, on screens both large and small. From blockbuster films like Wicked and Dune to television series like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, and even Outlander, fans who love sprawling fictional universes, complicated main characters, and a dash of magic are truly living their best lives. And now Sony Pictures is currently set to adapt a feature film version of one of the best fantasy books that far too many people haven’t read yet: James Islington’s Hierarchy series. The announcement comes immediately following the successful November release of its second installment, titled The Strength of the Few, which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and there’s at least one more book in this saga on the way. Though Islington himself seems uncertain about just how long this series may go, so we should all probably stay flexible on that score. (Given the hefty page count of both books released so far, banking on at least four is beginning to look like the smart man’s bet.) The sort of sprawling, complicated epic fantasy that seems far too rare in our current market of short attention spans and quick-hit sequels, the Hierarchy series kicks off with The Will of the Many, a 700-page doorstopper that more than takes its sweet time getting started. (Buckle up for several hundred pages worth of dense worldbuilding and character introductions, is what I’m saying.) But the end result is more than worth it. A high-tension dark academia story that mixes politics, philosophy, magic, and no small amount of rage, the book will feel fairly familiar to many fantasy readers (particularly if you’ve read Pierce Brown’s Red Rising or virtually anything involving the magical boarding school trope. But Islington’s gift for twisty, deftly-plotted storytelling makes beats we’ve seen before feel brand new as his tale wrestles with everything from colonialism and capitalism to revenge and loyalty. Set in a sort of post-apocalyptic fantasy take on Ancient Rome, The Will of the Many is full of difficult, morally gray characters and a unique magical system in which people cede a portion of their “Will” (or life force) to bolster the abilities of those who rank above them in the authoritarian social ranking hierarchy. (Thereby, ensuring that those in power are the only ones with the strength to stay there.) The story follows Vis, a student at the elite Catenan Academy and the sort of annoyingly hyper-competent protagonist who is good at virtually everything, who often pops up in stories like this. (If you’ve heard this book referred to as “dudebro” fantasy, this is why, but you won’t care after the first couple hundred pages.) Vis is also hiding a life-threatening secret from everyone around him. As he works to investigate a death and infiltrate the regime, he uncovers many secrets, lies to almost everyone he meets to some degree or other, and finds himself swept into a rebellion that could upend the world as he knows it. The project is in its very early days and, as yet, has no producer or filmmaker currently attached. But the Hierarchy series is an excellent example of the sort of ambitious original fantasy that belongs in theaters, rather than another unasked-for sequel or puzzling live-action IP reboot. Fingers crossed it lives up to the world Islington created on the page. The post One of the Best Fantasy Series in Years Is Getting a Big Screen Adaptation appeared first on Den of Geek.

On paper, it sounds like the upcoming Exorcist film is going in the right direction. Instead of following the initial plan to let David Gordon Green make two more sequels to The Exorcist: Believer, Blumhouse hired Mike Flanagan to write and direct a new take. Moreover, Flanagan has already secured an A-list star in Scarlett Johansson, signaling a level of prestige higher than the previous movie’s star Leslie Odom Jr. (who does excellent work, despite a terrible script). But the success of 1973’s The Exorcist didn’t stem from the stars or from studio support. Heck, it didn’t even really come from William Friedkin’s skills as a director or screenwriter William Peter Blatty’s ability to write a script. Rather, it came from the faith of the two men: Blatty, the devout Catholic, and Freidkin, the committed atheist. Without that tension at the center, no Excorcist sequel can match the power of the original. As a student at Georgetown University, young William Peter Blatty was enraptured by the story of a demon so tenacious that it took a team of priests and several rituals to expel it. The story stuck with the true believer Blatty, so much so that he eventually turned it into his 1971 novel The Exorcist, which soon was picked up by Warner Bros. Blatty managed to secure a producer credit for himself, which allowed him to choose the man who would adapt his work. Blatty picked William Friedkin, then best known for his work on documentaries, because he could communicate the reality of demonic possession. But the two soon found themselves butting heads over the material, with the writer convinced that Satan was an existential threat and the director more concerned with Regan MacNeil’s (Linda Blair) medical condition. The conflict resulted in a perfect movie. At no point does The Exorcist itself deny the supernatural, as demonstrated by infamous scenes such as the one in which Regan turns her head 180 degrees and mimics the voice of a man she killed. But Friedkin never allows the material to become sensational, let alone preachy, turning his attention to the deep conflict within Father Karras (Jason Miller) and Regan’s mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn). As a critical and commercial hit, now canonized as one of the great horror movies, The Exorcist has spun off sequels and a TV series. Yet, none of them have come even close to replicating the power of the first one. Sometimes, the problem can be attributed to the people behind the camera: Green’s ecumenical approach for Believer undercut its own themes, John Boorman had a crazy approach to Exorcist II, and Renny Harlin‘s glossy style meshed poorly with the material. On paper, letting Blatty direct Exorcist III or giving the fourth movie to Paul Schrader, who combined faith and doubt perfectly in films like The Last Temptation of Christ or First Reformed, seem like a slam dunk, but both produced dull riffs on the 1973 film. Only the Fox show has really worked, and that’s because it plays more like prestige television than a continuation of The Exorcist. All of which brings us back to Mike Flanagan. No current filmmaker has been better than Flanagan about exploring the relationship between faith and doubt. The beautiful monologues he wrote for Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Bly Manor reveal a mind both sensitive to the beauty of belief and cognizant of the demands of the real. Theoretically, he could bring both Blatty’s faith and Friedkin’s doubt to his Exorcist film. If Flanagan can combine the two, then his Exorcist movie will finally justify the many attempts to build on the 1973 film. If not, then it will just be the latest sin against a cinematic masterpiece. The post The One Thing Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist Sequel Has to Get Right appeared first on Den of Geek.

President Donald Trump could name his nominee for the next Federal Reserve chair by the end of the year. White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett (left) and Fed Gov. Christopher Waller are leading prediction markets.AP and Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has narrowed down his list of potential next Federal Reserve chairs.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump could make his pick before Christmas.Prediction markets briefly had a new favorite, but have since returned Kevin Hassett to the lead.President Donald Trump is checking his list of potential Federal Reserve chairs twice.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been leading the search, said that Trump could name his nominee to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell by Christmas."I think there's a very good chance that the president will make an announcement before Christmas," Bessent told CNBC in late November. "But it's his prerogative, whether it's before the Christmas holidays or in the new year. But I think things are moving along very well."No matter who Trump selects, Bessent said he wants a less prominent central bank."I think it's time for the Fed just to move back into the background, like, it used to do, calm things down and work for the American people," Bessent said.Powell's term expires next May, but hasn't stopped the White House from aggressively searching for his replacement.Here are the five finalists.Kevin HassettJim Watson/AFP via Getty ImagesBefore joining Trump's orbit, Kevin Hassett advised a succession of Republican presidential nominees on economic policy, including George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.Just before Thanksgiving, Hassett briefly lost his lead among the contenders on leading prediction markets. After a Bloomberg News report said he was the frontrunner, Hassett shot back up into first on Kalshi and Polymarket. As of November 25th, he has a double-digit advantage on both platforms.During Trump's first term, Hassett served as director of the president's Council of Economic Advisors. He returned to the White House during the COVID-19 pandemic and was severely criticized for publishing a model showing coronavirus deaths hitting zero by May 15, 2020.In October 1999, Hassett cowrote with journalist Jason Glassman "Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting From the Coming Rise in the Stock Market." Some economists have heavily criticized the book, largely because the index took more than 22 years to reach that threshold.Christopher WallerPrediction markets favor Fed Gov. Christopher Waller as the replacement for Fed Gov. Jerome Powell.Patrick Semansky/APFed Gov. Christopher Waller told Fox News that he thought his most recent conversation with Bessent went well."I talked to Scott about 10 days ago. We had a nice, a great, meeting," Waller told Fox Business in late November.Waller said that the White House is looking for someone with "experience." It's not clear what experience that entails, but of the reported finalists, only three have experience serving on the central bank."I think they are looking for someone who has merit, experience, and knows what they are doing in the job, and I think I fit that," he said.Just before Thanksgiving, Waller briefly dethroned White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett as the favorite of leading prediction markets. Waller's lead was short-lived as Hassett quickly supplanted him.Waller, a longtime regional Fed official, was seen as a convention pick when Trump nominated him to the central bank in 2019. Simultaneously, Trump also nominated Judy Shelton, a former campaign advisor and a Fed critic. The fight over Shelton's nomination soon spilled over onto Waller's.In December 2020, the Senate confirmed Waller 48-47, the narrowest margin for any Fed governor since 1980, per The New York Times.In July, Waller joined Gov. Michelle Bowman (another Trump first-term pick) in opposing the Fed's decision not to cut interest rates, the first dual dissent in more than 30 years.Kevin WarshFormer Fed Gov.…

President Donald Trump could name his nominee for the next Federal Reserve chair by the end of the year. White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett (left) and Fed Gov. Christopher Waller are leading prediction markets.AP and Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has narrowed down his list of potential next Federal Reserve chairs.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump could make his pick before Christmas.Prediction markets have a new favorite, Fed Gov. Christopher Waller.President Donald Trump is checking his list of potential Federal Reserve chairs twice.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been leading the search, said that Trump could name his nominee to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell by Christmas."I think there's a very good chance that the president will make an announcement before Christmas," Bessent told CNBC in late November. "But it's his prerogative, whether it's before the Christmas holidays or in the new year. But I think things are moving along very well."No matter who Trump selects, Bessent said he wants a less prominent central bank."I think it's time for the Fed just to move back into the background, like, it used to do, calm things down and work for the American people," Bessent said.Powell's term expires next May, but hasn't stopped the White House from aggressively searching for his replacement.Here are the five finalists.Christopher WallerPrediction markets favor Fed Gov. Christopher Waller as the replacement for Fed Gov. Jerome Powell.Patrick Semansky/APFed Gov. Christopher Waller told Fox News that he thought his most recent conversation with Bessent went well."I talked to Scott about 10 days ago. We had a nice, a great, meeting," Waller told Fox Business in late November.Waller said that the White House is looking for someone with "experience." It's not clear what experience that entails, but of the reported finalists, only three have experience serving on the central bank."I think they are looking for someone who has merit, experience, and knows what they are doing in the job, and I think I fit that," he said.Just before Thanksgiving, Waller dethroned White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett as the favorite of leading prediction markets. On both Polymarket and Kalshi, Waller holds a narrow edge over Hassett.Waller, a longtime regional Fed official, was seen as a convention pick when Trump nominated him to the central bank in 2019. Simultaneously, Trump also nominated Judy Shelton, a former campaign advisor and a Fed critic. The fight over Shelton's nomination soon spilled over onto Waller's.In December 2020, the Senate confirmed Waller 48-47, the narrowest margin for any Fed governor since 1980, per The New York Times.In July, Waller joined Gov. Michelle Bowman (another Trump first-term pick) in opposing the Fed's decision not to cut interest rates, the first dual dissent in more than 30 years.Kevin HassettJim Watson/AFP via Getty ImagesBefore joining Trump's orbit, Hassett advised a succession of Republican presidential nominees on economic policy, including George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.As of late November, Hassett has lost his once commanding lead on prediction markets. He now trails Waller.During Trump's first term, Hassett served as director of the president's Council of Economic Advisors. He returned to the White House during the COVID-19 pandemic and was severely criticized for publishing a model showing coronavirus deaths hitting zero by May 15, 2020.In October 1999, Hassett cowrote with journalist Jason Glassman "Dow 36,000: The New Strategy for Profiting From the Coming Rise in the Stock Market." Some economists have heavily criticized the book, largely because the index took more than 22 years to reach that threshold.Kevin WarshFormer Fed Gov. Kevin Warsh speaks during an event at the Hoover InstitutionAnn Saphir/ReutersTrump told reporters in September that Hassett, Waller, and Warsh were "the top three" to replace Powell.Back in his first term, Trump reportedly…