Idris Elba told “Good Morning America” over the summer that it would take “the will of a nation” for him to become the next James Bond. That's because as far as he knew there had been no talks about him taking on the role of 007 following Daniel Craig's run, despite the rumors and fan hype.

Business Insider talked to Elba over the weekend about his upcoming movie, “100 Streets” (which opens in theaters in January), and we asked if there have been any new developments in the Bond campaign.

“Are people still talking about that?” Elba asked. “No man, I don’t know anything. There’s no update whatsoever.”

For the last year Elba has been one of a handful of stars, including Tom Hiddleston and Henry Cavill, who have been rumored to be in talks for the role or who have said publicly that they want to play 007.

It’s still a conversation that won’t die on the internet, as there has been no confirmation that Craig will return to play the character.

When asked if he gets a kick out of the continued rumors of him playing the character, Elba dryly replied: “No, I don’t get a kick out of it.”

MGM is developing the 25th James Bond movie. It currently does not have a release date.

SEE ALSO: The biggest surprise Golden Globe nominee is on Netflix, and you need to see it

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NOW WATCH: Watch the trailer for the new Martin Scorsese film that took over 20 years to make

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BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, spoke with Ron Yekutiel, CEO of Kaltura, to get his insights on the emerging world of online video.

Kaltura is a cloud video company that provides both platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). The conversation touched upon the growing pervasiveness of video, and how the medium will eventually permeate at all levels of society.

Kaltura's strategy is focused on three segments: Media and telecom, enterprise, and education. Yekutiel explains that each of these three segments is growing fast and will continue to for a number of reasons: 

• Media and telecom. Half of this segment consists of distribution and publishing solutions for publishers and large media companies; the other half consists of delivering a complete TV experience on the web, both on-demand and live. Yekutiel believes television will be the biggest market in cloud video, as internet TV opens the doors to new subscription and advertising opportunities. He estimates over-the-top (OTT) providers will reach $31 billion in revenue by 2019, doubling 2014’s level; and by 2021, US subscriptions on video on-demand services will reach 140 million, or around 40% of the country’s project population. This expected growth is why we’re seeing cable, satellite and telecom companies buy up content businesses right now.
• Enterprise. This refers to video solutions used within a company. Large corporations often employ white label video solutions – a kind of “corporate YouTube” – for communication, collaboration, on-boarding and training. Enterprise video is set for growth as employees become more and more video literate, especially as millennials make their way into the workforce. This effect will be magnified as people live longer, and work longer. More than this, Yekutiel anticipates video will become an increasingly essential communication tool in the future. As people spread geographically and work on projects across borders – and not to mention from their homes – he expects 90% of work to be carried out through video. 
• Education. Hundreds of schools in the US and around the world are integrating video into their learning systems. Yekutiel expects video to become increasingly important as the education paradigm evolves. E-learning and remote (distance) learning – where classes and lectures are conducted over the web – will become norms. So too will notion of the "flipped classroom," where students do most of their learning online, and come into the classroom to engage in the concepts with the guidance of a teacher. The growing cultural focus on lifelong learning will also drive video’s growth in education and the enterprise.

If 2015 was the year that brands and advertisers embraced online video, then 2016 will see the medium take the next step as live streaming takes off.

Live streaming video refers to broadcasts in real time to an audience over the internet. While the concept of live streaming has been around for years, mobile-first video platforms with user-generated content have just recently begun to make serious waves thanks to improved video quality, faster broadband speeds, and enhanced mobile technology.

Online video has become a key part of the strategic business model for both brands and marketers as they seek more innovative ways to capture consumer attention. Creative live streaming video initiatives and campaigns are a way for companies to cut through the digital clutter and have emerged as the medium of choice not only for person-to-person sharing, but also for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communication. 

Brands are increasingly using live streaming to reach audiences. Its importance has grown significantly thanks to substantial investments by social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter to build and enhance their live-streaming platforms.

And advertising dollars are likely to follow. 88% of agency respondents stated that they “might” or “definitely will” invest in live stream video advertising over the next six months, according to a recent Trusted Media Brands survey.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on live streaming video that examines the eruption of online video from the perspective of both consumers and advertisers and assesses how live streaming is emerging as the medium's next catalyst for growth.

Here are some key points from the report:

• Live streaming video will further accelerate streaming videos overall share of internet traffic. Streaming video accounts for over two-thirds of all internet traffic, and this share is expected to jump to 82% by 2020, according to Cisco’s June 2016 Visual Networking Index report.
• Live video’s value comes from its unique ability to add an authentic human element to digital communications. As a result, brands are leveraging three main streaming methods to connect with their viewers: tutorials, product launches, and exclusive and behind-the-scene footage.
• Advertisers will continue to invest heavily in online video, especially as live streaming video gains traction. Already in the US, digital video ad revenue reached $7.8 billion in 2015, up 55% from 2014, according to figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau.
• While live streaming is still in its early stages, brands are leveraging micropayments, mid-roll video ads and direct payments from social platforms, to monetize their live streaming videos.
• The success of live streaming video hinges on brands overcoming a lack of measurement standards in the space, as well as changes in social media sites' algorithms that affect what content users see.

In full, the report:

• Examines the eruption of live streaming video.
• Explores the differences between platforms that host live streaming video.
• Breaks down successful approaches from both brands and publishers.
• Discusses unique monetization opportunities live streaming presents.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. »BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of live streaming video.

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"Star Wars" lightsabers are a novel idea. They're lightweight, portable, and their laser-like beams can cut through just about anything. Unfortunately, the reality isn't so simple. Astrophysicist and "StarTalk Radio" host Neil deGrasse Tyson explains how the fictional blade would work in real life.

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StarTalk Radio is a podcast and radio program hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, where comic co-hosts, guest celebrities, and scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Follow StarTalk Radio on Twitter, and watch StarTalk Radio "Behind the Scenes" on YouTube.

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Pokémon Go is officially expanding with new creatures. But you can only get them by hatching eggs.

Togepi, Pichu, and other Pokémon from the game's second generation of creatures are now available, Pokémon Go creator Niantic Labs announced on Monday.

"Starting later today, Trainers will have the opportunity to hatch these and several other Pokémon that were originally discovered in the Johto Region in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games," Niantic said in a blog post. "These are the first of more Pokémon coming to Pokémon GO over the next few months."

Additionally, players will be able to catch a limited edition Pikachu wearing a "festive hat" until December 29.

Here's a video from Niantic announcing the updates:

SEE ALSO: We just learned about some more big changes coming to 'Pokémon Go'

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NOW WATCH: A psychologist explains why we need to 'catch 'em all' in 'Pokémon GO'

Netflix just released a new trailer for its upcoming television drama, "The OA."

Produced by Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, the eight-episode suspense drama premieres Friday on the streaming service.

The announcement was quite a surprise since Netflix hadn't really promoted the series since ordering it in March 2015.

It follows Prairie Johnson (played by Brit Marling, also a cocreator of the show), who returns to her hometown after disappearing for seven years. That's just part of the mystery. As a young girl, Prairie was blind. But when she returns to the town in her 20s, Prairie has her sight back. How is that possible? And where was she for the past seven years? Those are the big mysteries of the series.

Cocreator Zal Batmanglij, who directed two episodes of Fox's "Wayward Pines" and the 2011 film "Sound of My Voice," directed all eight episodes.

Marling's costars include Emory Cohen of "Brooklyn," Scott Wilson of "The Walking Dead," and "Harry Potter" star Jason Isaacs.

Watch the trippy trailer for "The OA":

SEE ALSO: The 17 best TV shows right now, according to critics

DON'T MISS: Here are the most popular Netflix original shows ranked, according to a research company

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NOW WATCH: Netflix is giving part of the ‘Mythbusters’ team their own show — here’s the trailer

Viacom named Bob Bakish its new president and chief executive officer, and it has made him a member of the board.

Bakish had been serving as acting president and CEO since November 15. Previously, he led Viacom's international operations for several years.

The appointment arrives after earlier news that a potential merger between CBS Corp and Viacom had been abandoned. 

Shari Redstone, vice chair of Viacom Inc and the daughter of controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone, said she wants the companies to remain independent and will back Viacom's new chief executive.

"I am very excited by the strategy Viacom is pursuing under Bob's leadership, as well as the relentless hard work and passion he has demonstrated not only in his fast start at the helm but in his many years at the company," Redstone said in a statement to press. "While there is much work to do, I firmly believe that Viacom has a bright future, and that confidence is underpinned by senior management's commitment to innovation and a more coordinated, global approach to managing our brands."

SEE ALSO: How a strange cooking show with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart became a surprise TV hit

DON'T MISS: Viacom owner Sumner Redstone's signature has changed, and it has people talking

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NOW WATCH: Kanye West 'smokes something' and announces his presidential bid at MTV's big awards show

We don't have to tell you that the television world is cutthroat. And with as many as 450 scripted shows projected to air this year, that's truer than ever before. After all, they can't all be winners.

It's about that time in the season when TV networks are deciding which shows have to go and which shows get another round.

The decisions aren't always simple. With today's shrinking live viewership, it takes more than just ratings for a TV show to survive to see another season.

Networks are now looking at online, on-demand, and streaming viewership; awards appeal; social-media audiences; and international sales, among many other factors.

Among the shows that are in danger of being canceled are last year's hits "Quantico" and "Blindspot," the Golden Globe-winning "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," and even the Ryan Murphy-produced show "Scream Queens."

Here are Business Insider's predictions for the shows that will probably get the ax:

SEE ALSO: The 11 most successful new shows on TV, ranked

DON'T MISS: The 20 best new TV shows ranked, according to critics

"The Odd Couple" (CBS)

CBS just decided not to order more than 13 episodes of the comedy starring Matthew Perry for the third season in a row. This time around, though, the show is CBS's lowest-rated comedy. It's not looking good for "The Odd Couple."

"Conviction" (ABC)

Hayley Atwell can't catch a break. Last season, "Agent Carter" was canceled, and now ABC has said it won't order additional episodes of her new show, "Conviction." No network says "canceled" anymore, and that's the case here, but any jury would put this show away for life and throw away the key for its low ratings.

"Notorious" (ABC)

Sorry to break it to you, but this show is already on the outs at ABC. The network cut its episode order to 10 episodes from 13. The network insisted that the show hadn't been canceled, but getting episodes cut is never a good sign.

Kanye West sent the political universe into overdrive Tuesday morning when he entered Trump Tower in New York City.

West, accompanied by his entourage, including a videographer, walked into the lobby shortly after 9 a.m. ET.

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks confirmed to Business Insider that West was meeting with Trump. The pair later descended down to Trump Tower's lobby for a photo op.

"We've been friends for a long time," Trump said, adding that the two discussed "life."

Asked by reporters whether he had anything to say about his meeting, West said only that he wanted to take a photo.

The pair then shared a surreal handshake before parting ways:

West said at a recent concert that he would have cast his ballot for Trump had he voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Soon after his pro-Trump outburst, which was widely covered in the news, West canceled the remaining shows on his tour and was checked into a Los Angeles area hospital for exhaustion. He checked out in late November.

Here's video of West meeting with Trump:

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Nintendo's got a brand-new video game console in the works.

We're not talking about that adorable miniature NES console that everyone wants this holiday, but an entirely new game console capable of playing modern games.

We're talking about the Nintendo Switch: both a home console that can be played on your living room TV and a portable console that can be played on-the-go, all in one.

Thus far, we know a decent amount about the Switch.

It's set to launch in March 2017, and it's capable of powering modern games. What does "modern" mean in this instance, compared with other game consoles? That's still unknown — what we do know is that Switch is capable of powering the upcoming "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and that looks pretty fantastic.

We also know that there's a press event for Nintendo Switch in New York City that we're attending — that's on January 12, 2017. 

And as of very early on Tuesday morning, we know that Nintendo's hosting a livestream event to debut far more details on the Nintendo Switch — that event is happening in Tokyo, but Nintendo's streaming it live:

Ready to stay up late? You're gonna have to, it looks like — 11 p.m. if you're on the east coast US (like us)! 

Nintendo's expected to announce a release date, price, and far more details on what games will show up alongside the Switch next March.

So, what should we expect? We've got some educated guesses based on recent rumors and leaks.

First, some sad news: It's looking unlikely that "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" will be ready for the console's launch in March. Rumors give it a 2017 release date, albeit one beyond March; Nintendo hasn't commented on the rumors.

And now, some good news: It's possible that a brand new "Super Mario" game will be ready for the console's launch in March. A new 3D "Super Mario" game was shown in the first Nintendo Switch reveal trailer:

That's the one rumored to arrive alongside the Switch in March — it looks like the latest evolution in the 3D Mario series that started way back in the mid-'90s with "Super Mario 64." Will Nintendo show it off more on January 12? Almost certainly yes.

You'll want to bookmark Nintendo's official site and check back on the evening of January 12 to watch the full stream. You can almost certainly watch the stream on Nintendo's official YouTube channel as well.

SEE ALSO: We just got our first look at Nintendo’s new console working in real life

DON'T MISS: Nintendo's next game console will reportedly start around $250

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NOW WATCH: Nintendo just showed off the Nintendo Switch — an entirely new console

Kanye West unexpectedly visited Trump Tower today for a meeting with the President-elect.

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Kanye West and President-elect Donald Trump shared a surreal handshake following a brief meeting at Trump Tower on Tuesday.

The pair greeted reporters after West sent the political universe into overdrive by unexpectedly strolling through the lobby and proceeding up Trump Tower to meet with the president-elect.

"We've been friends for a long time," Trump told reporters after the meeting, adding that they discussed "life."

The two then shared a handshake, gifting the internet with a GIF that perfectly sums up 2016:

And here's video of the whole interaction:

SEE ALSO: Kanye West unexpectedly arrives at Trump Tower for a meeting with Trump

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NOW WATCH: Congressional leaders want an investigation into Russia's alleged interference with the US election, but Trump is unconvinced

Seth Meyers disapproves of President-elect Donald Trump's response to the CIA report stating that Russia interfered in the election to help Trump win.

Late last week, reports broke that the CIA had found that Russia hacked into both the Democratic and Republican parties, but only released the Democrats' emails. But Trump has dismissed the reports.

"You might expect an incoming president to take seriously the findings of the intelligence agencies that he’ll need to rely on as president," Meyers said on Monday's "Late Night" in a new edition of "A Closer Look."

Trump's camp released the following response to the CIA's report:

"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"

Meyers took issue with the statement and its factual accuracy.

"It was not one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history," he said. "It actually ranks 46th out of 58 presidential elections. To put that in Sunday cable TV rating terms, Trump is not 'The Walking Dead,' he's the 'Barefoot Contessa.'"

Trump's consideration of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state (Trump has since picked Tillerson) only further shows his dismissal of the intelligence, according to Meyers.

"Tillerson's nomination would be problematic for a number of reasons, among them being that our foreign policy could be in effect run by Exxon Mobil, a company that has been accused of covering up evidence of climate change," the host said.

"On top of that," he added, "Tillerson has close ties to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, who gave Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship medal in 2013. Even Republicans have expressed concern with Tillerson's ties to Russia."

Watch the "Closer Look" segment below:

SEE ALSO: Bryan Cranston reprises 'Breaking Bad' character to mock Trump's cabinet choices on 'SNL'

DON'T MISS: 'Silicon Valley' star T.J. Miller was arrested for allegedly assaulting a driver in argument over Trump

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NOW WATCH: Congressional leaders want an investigation into Russia's alleged interference with the US election, but Trump is unconvinced

2017 is going to be a bloodbath for live TV streaming services, which are looking to compete with traditional cable packages and snag people who have slipped out of the pay TV ecosystem.

The idea is that you get a TV package similar to what you would get on cable or satellite, but it’s delivered over the internet to your TV, phone, laptop, and so on — without any legacy equipment.

With the release of AT&T’s DirecTV Now, which starts at $35 per month, the industry now has three major players (the other two being Dish’s Sling TV and Sony’s Vue). But it’s about to get a lot more crowded in 2017.

At a recent Recode conference, Turner CEO John Martin talked about how much the market was heating up, and seemed to confirm Amazon is working on its own streaming TV service, something that’s been rumored for the last year.

“You’re starting to see more ambitions from these new virtual folks coming in,” Martin said. “You’ve got Sling, Sony Vue, Hulu’s made announcements [that it's planning to launch a live TV component in early 2017]. We’re probably talking to almost a half a dozen other players.”

“Amazon?” Recode’s Peter Kafka asked.

“One of them,” Martin responded.

Amazon has long been rumored to be working on its own streaming TV service, and a recent report from The Wall Street Journal said it is exploring a live sports package. Martin’s comment seems to confirm that it’s at least in negotiations with Turner about a TV package.

And Amazon isn’t the only tech company looking to break into the streaming TV market. Earlier this month, CBS CEO Les Moonves all but confirmed reports that CBS had signed a deal with YouTube, which is creating its own cable competitor called “Unplugged.”

If those “almost half dozen” streaming TV packages come to fruition, from Amazon to YouTube to Hulu, Martin thinks it will be good for the industry.

He cited two basic reasons:

• They will promote faster innovation, which will help make the customer experience better.
• There are too many bad networks in the US, and some of them need to die. This could help push that along (he doesn’t think any of Turner’s networks are one of them).

SEE ALSO: CBS boss accidentally reveals that YouTube is working on its own cable TV competitor

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NOW WATCH: The 10 trickiest Goldman Sachs interview questions

President Barack Obama sat down for an interview with Trevor Noah on "The Daily Show" Monday night after news broke that the CIA had found that Russia intervened in the US presidential election to help President-elect Donald Trump.

Noah didn't wait to bring up the news. The host asked Obama why he recently asked for a full review of Russia's hacking and its role in the election to be done before Trump takes office.

"When the DNC got hacked, we immediatley assigned our intelligence community, our law enforcement, to investigate what had happened," Obama said.

The White House announced in October that Russia had been involved in the leaking of DNC emails leading up to the election.

"This was not a secret," Obama said.

He added that the reason he called for the recent full review is to "gather all the threads" and to help lawmakers "find ways to prevent this kind of interference from having an impact on elections in the future."

Obama went on to put blame for the emails' damage at least partly on media and the political world here in the US, for whom the hacked emails became an "obsession."

"I think what everybody has to reflect on is what is it about our political eco-system, what is it about the state of our democracy where the leaks of what were frankly not-very-interesting emails that didn’t have any explosive information in them, ended up being an obsession," Obama said. "And the fact that the Russians were doing this was not an obsession."

Trump for his past, has dismissed the CIA reporting about Russia's interference. His team said of the intelligence in a statement, "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction."

Obama mentioned how Trump had previously called for Russia to "find" missing emails related to Hillary Clinton.

"The real question that I think we all have to reflect on is this: What’s happened to our political system where some emails that were hacked and released ended up being the overwhelming story, and the constant source of coverage, breathless coverage that was depicted as somehow damning in all sorts of ways, when the truth of the matter was it was fairly routine stuff," Obama said. "And the reason I saw that is, going forward, I worry that we don’t spend enough time on self-reflection about how our democracy’s working, how our campaign’s working, and how all of us have to do a better job at talking about what’s at stake. These emails got a lot more attention than any policy that was being debated during the campaign."

Watch the interview below:

SEE ALSO: 20 TV shows you're watching that are probably going to be canceled

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NOW WATCH: ‘The Walking Dead’ fans think they uncovered something huge in this scene from the latest episode

Since the presidential election, many Democrats have been wondering how they lost. But Samantha Bee thinks there hasn't been enough focus on what they got right.

"Five weeks ago, the Democrats lost the presidential election, the Senate election, the House election, the Supreme Court, and the will to live," Bee said on Monday's episode of TBS's "Full Frontal." "Democrats are now officially in the wilderness. In some cases, literally. They're acting like any desperate party lost in the wilderness would, by attacking and eating each other."

Recently, a New York Times article suggested that the Democrats' focus on "identity politics" was a reason why much of white America voted against Democratic candidates.

But Bee doesn't buy the idea at all. She believes "identity politics" is the "dismissive term" for civil rights.

"Okay, one, white male is an identity. And, two, the only way white racism is a phantom is that its most iconic uniform is literally a ghost costume," the host said as a photo of a KKK rally appeared on the screen.

According to Bee, Democrats have been blinded by their recent losses so much that they can't see what is right about the party. And, of course, the Republican pundits aren't helping matters.

"Stop it! Come on, Democrats," Bee said. "There's losers' Stockholm syndrome and then there's taking your talking points from [Fox News host] Steve Doocy and pals."

Democrats are starting to believe everything that's being said of them, Bee argued. Pundits claimed the Democrats didn't talk about the economy and jobs enough during the election.

"I think Hillary [Clinton] did mention jobs, which Americans might have known if the news media had been doing theirs," Bee said, as numerous clips of Clinton talking about jobs during campaign rallies played.

In fact, Bee referred to a Washington Post report saying that voters in every swing state preferred Clinton to Trump on economic matters.

"Look, Democrats, I know you're having a rough time," Bee said in the segment's close. "But if your panic over a loss makes you abandon both your principles and the people who actually vote for you, then you'll be in the wilderness for a decade, or until Trump's camp sells the wilderness to oil companies. So really, about a month. By all means, invite working-class white people to the party, but don't let them take over the DJ table."

Watch the "Full Frontal" segment below:

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers slams Trump's dismissal of the Russia election hack

DON'T MISS: Bryan Cranston reprises 'Breaking Bad' character to mock Trump's cabinet choices on 'SNL'

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NOW WATCH: MAUREEN DOWD: 'If I was Joe Biden, I'd be really angry at Obama'

The latest "Star Wars" movie, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," opens with quite a thrill. Unlike other movies in the saga and their opening crawls, this one jumps right into the action.

It's a sign that you're headed into a story different from the rest (well, as different as Disney will allow), and that's exactly what "Rogue One" is. The first-ever standalone "Star Wars" movie, its originality is apparent from the start and continues throughout its two-hour-plus running time.

Set before the events in "Star Wars: A New Hope," the movie follows the Rebels who set out to steal the plans of the newly completed Death Star, which has enough firepower to destroy planets.

But as with all the "Star Wars" movies, there is a more deep-seeded story buried here. For "Rogue One," it's main character Jyn Erso (played by Felicity Jones), the daughter of the architect behind the Death Star, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen). An outsider since her father forced her to run away from home as a young girl when the Empire's director of advanced weapons research, Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), ordered Galen to return to finish the Death Star, Jyn has grown to only take care of herself. She ignores the flags of the Empire rising across the galaxy, which you can't notice, as she says, "if you don't look up."

But when the Rebel Alliance tracks her down with the hopes that she can lead them to Galen, who has sent out a message through a cargo pilot who works for him (Riz Ahmed) that there is a flaw in the Death Star he's created that can destroy it, Jyn realizes her purpose: bringing hope to the Rebels.

"Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards (2014's "Godzilla") delivers striking visuals, lots of action, and fun exchanges among the many characters (especially droid K-2SO, who is a scene-stealer), to create a movie that is thrilling, at times dark, but also extremely entertaining regardless of your "Star Wars" knowledge.

Part of that pleasure comes from the one-off nature of the story. Playing like a war movie in which you know most of the characters aren't going to make it out alive, "Rogue One" is satisfying because everything is laid out in one movie. There's no waiting a year or two to get questions answered, there is finality (a rarity in today's blockbusters).

And the cast diversity should also be applauded. Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, and Wen Jiang — all actors of color — play characters who fight alongside Jyn.

But it wouldn't be a "Star Wars" movie without references to other chapters, and there are plenty in "Rogue One."

Darth Vader (voiced yet again by James Earl Jones) appears in a few scenes, and one in particular shows him at his most ruthless. Jimmy Smits reprises his role as Bail Organa from the prequels (the guy who raises Princess Leia), who's vital in the connection between "Rogue One" and "A New Hope." There's also an appearance by Grand Moff Tarkin, who is commander of the Death Star in "A New Hope."

Played in the 1977 film by legendary actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, the actor's face playing Tarkin in "Rogue One" is digitally replaced to look like Cushing. This will likely be the thing most "Star Wars" die-hard fans will argue over once the movie opens worldwide on Friday.

The first time you see Tarkin's face, it's a shock because the character clearly looks like CGI. It's admittedly a distraction and takes you out of the movie a little because you're paying so much attention to the detail (at least I was, as someone who grew up watching Cushing in "A New Hope"). It was an interesting decision to showcase Tarkin so much in the movie and not keep him to just a few wide shots like in "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (in which actor Wayne Pygram plays the character). It's an effect Disney has played with in Marvel's "Ant-Man" (a young Michael Douglas) and "Captain America: Civil War" (young Robert Downey Jr.), but in "Rogue One," it's an experiment that might cause a lot of disgruntled reactions.

And those worried about all of those reshoots, especially to strengthen the ending, should take a deep breath. Without giving anything away, the ending — especially the last few minutes — is very, very strong.

"Rogue One" opens in theaters on Friday.

SEE ALSO: The 5 biggest winners and losers at the box office in 2016

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NOW WATCH: Marvel just dropped the first full trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' — and it looks amazing

Expect "Star Wars" to dominate the rest of the year at the box office. 

The franchise's first standalone movie, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," opens in select international regions on Wednesday and nationwide in the US on Friday, and it's looking to be a big earner for Disney's run to collecting a record $7 billion at the global box office in 2016.

The movie is projected to make close to $150 million domestically its opening weekend and over $300 million globally, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Disney is still keeping expectations low, saying that it doesn't expect the movie, in which a group of Rebels seek out the plans of the Death Star, to come close to the record-breaking box office of last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which included a $248 million domestic opening.  

If "Rogue One" comes anywhere near its projections, it will easily become the second-highest opening of all time for December after "Force Awakens" (currently in second place is "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" with $84.6 million).

It's kind of hard to see that not happening with the movie opening in over 4,100 theaters in North America, including 400 IMAX screens and over 500 large-format screens.

"Rogue One" will open in France, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Indonesia, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, and Turkey on Wednesday. On Thursday it opens in the U.K., Germany, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Italy, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Argentina, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan. The film will not open in China until early January.

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"The Walking Dead" is still one of the most-watched shows on television, but it's becoming harder and harder for the zombie series to compete with its own past ratings.

Sunday's season-seven winter finale attracted 10.6 million total viewers, according to Deadline.

By the way, that's still a great number for television — broadcast or cable. But it ranks as the show's lowest-watched midseason finale in four years, since season three in December 2012. It's also 24% lower than last year's winter finale episode.

As for the all-important under-50 audience for advertisers, Sunday's episode earned a 5.1 rating. That's a 27% drop from last year's winter finale. The good news is that's it's a 4% improvement over last week.

Sunday's finale ratings also follow a series of lows for the season, so it's not a good pattern for "The Walking Dead."

It should be pointed out that Sunday Night Football has competed against "The Walking Dead" several times, though it wasn't a factor this past weekend. Also, the show tends to pick up a lot of views in delayed viewing. The December 4 episode increased by 42% in live-plus-three-day viewing numbers, Deadline pointed out.

Season seven continues on February 12.

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Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe is stepping down.

Iribe will remain at Oculus and lead a new division within the Facebook-owned company that's dedicated to building high-end virtual reality for PCs, he said in a blog post on Tuesday. A new mobile VR group will be led by Jon Thomason, who recently joined from Amazon.

In an interesting twist, Oculus says it won't be looking for a new CEO for Oculus, but rather "a new leader to manage the Oculus teams."

Iribe, Thomason, and Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer will together look for someone to fill the role.

Iribe helped create Oculus as a Kickstarter project with Palmer Luckey in 2012 and was brought on as CEO when Facebook acquired the startup for $2 billion in 2014.

"Looking ahead and thinking about where I’m most passionate, I’ve decided to lead the PC VR group—pushing the state of VR forward with Rift, research and computer vision," Iribe said in a Tuesday blog post. "As we’ve grown, I really missed the deep, day-to-day involvement in building a brand new product on the leading edge of technology."

John Carmack, who spearheaded development of Oculus' mobile product, Gear VR, will continue to be CTO of Oculus, focusing on mobile. Michael Abrash will remain chief science officer and lead research at Oculus, reporting to Iribe.

Iribe's blog post curiously makes no mention of his Oculus cofounder Palmer Luckey, who has gone silent and not appeared publicly since he admitted to funding anti-Hillary Clinton internet memes in September. A spokesperson for Oculus told Business Insider that Luckey is still at the company, and that there will be "more details on his role in the future."

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Netflix is well known for using algorithms to determine what shows and movies people want to watch.

It turns out that the streaming giant also uses an algorithm to determine what it pays for exclusive content deals, according to a recent report from Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio.

Filmmaker Craig Atkinson told Guerrasio that Netflix offered to buy the exclusive rights to his new documentary "Do Not Resist," which examines the militarization of the police in the U.S. and the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, with an offer that was generated by an algorithm. 

During the negotiation process earlier this year, Atkinson's lawyer was told by a Netflix lawyer that there was "no discussion to be had" about the price Netflix was offering because an "algorithm determined how much the film should be worth."

Atkinson ended up declining the offer from Netflix because of the alleged full creative control it wanted over editing and renaming the documentary.

Read Business Insider's full interview with Atkinson for more. >>

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