Happy Fourth of July, and welcome to another edition of The Monitor, WIRED's pop culture news roundup. This time around we have big news about The Walking Dead comics and a lot of updates on the lives of directors, from long-timers like Quentin Tarantino to newcomers like Andy Muschietti. Lights, camera, action.
The Walking Dead (Comic) Is Over
Fans of The Walking Dead, ready your tissues: The comic book series, which serves as the basis for the AMC show, has come to a close. Creator Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard surprisingly wrapped up the series this week with The Walking Dead #193. The conclusion, which serves as an epilogue for the Rick Grimes story, came with little to no warning, but Kirkman claims its time had come. "The Walking Dead has always been built on surprise. Not knowing what's going to happen when you turn the page, who's going to die, how they're going to die … It's been essential to the success of this series," Kirkman wrote. "It just felt wrong and against the very nature of this series not to make the actual end as surprising as all the big deaths."
It's Director May Helm a New Flash Movie
A movie based on DC Comics superhero The Flash has been in the works for a while, and it soon may have a new director. It's Andy Muschietti is currently in talks to helm the film. Ezra Miller, who has been playing the character in the Warner Bros. movies based on the DC comics, remains attached to star. Bumblebee writer Christina Hodson is being eyed to write the script, which means fans may never see the story Miller wrote with Grant Morrison. Bummer.
The Trailer for Rian Johnson's Knives Out Is a Hoot
It'll be a while until fans get Rian Johnson's next Star Wars movies, but in the interim there is Knives Out. The first trailer for the film dropped Tuesday, and hoo boy—this looks like fun. A murder mystery starring everyone from Jamie Lee Curtis to Lakeith Stanfield? Yes, please!
Quentin Tarantino Says He'll Definitely Retire From Directing Soon
Quentin Tarantino has said for a while that he'll stop making movies after his tenth. His forthcoming, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is the writer-director's ninth. Is he reconsidering? No. "I think when it comes to theatrical movies, I've come to the end of the road," he told GQ Australia. "I just think I've given all I have to give to movies." (For what it's worth, his star Brad Pitt doesn't think it's a bluff.) And if Once turns out to be his masterpiece, could he stop at nine? "If it's really well received, maybe I won't go to 10," he told the magazine. "Maybe I'll stop right now! Maybe I'll stop while I'm ahead. We'll see."