People who refuse to verify whether what they’re reacting to on social media is even remotely true have struck again.
In recent days, you may have seen reactions to a post from @DiscussingUsa on X claiming that Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey star Tom Holland had been cast to play John F. Kennedy in an upcoming biopic backed by A24. The post attributed its claim to Deadline, a reliable industry trade, despite the claim itself being entirely fabricated, meaning Deadline had never actually reported on it.
Confusion abounded, leading to this debunking piece you’re reading now, and others like it. But here’s the thing: None of us would have to waste our time debunking such claims if everyone would simply take a moment to dig just a tiny bit deeper.
In this case, for example, it takes all of, say, two seconds to read the @DiscussingUsa account’s bio, which reads, “Leading source for parody & satire politics & film news. These are fake stories. Not affiliated & not impersonating DiscussingFilm.”
Separately, Complex has also independently confirmed that this claim, though it should go without saying at this point, is indeed false. No such project exists.
As a reminder, made-up nonsense proliferates at a higher rate than ever these days, often duping a depressingly large amount of people.
Stay vigilant out there.
