(NEXSTAR) — Sorry to break it to you, but there is no “Clueless” sequel starring Kiernan Shipka (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” “Riverdale”), Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd in the works. That’s despite a poorly photoshopped fake movie poster circulating on Facebook — and currently earning thousands of likes and shares.
The post, which is seemingly fooling many, claims Shipka will play the daughter of Silverstone’s original “Clueless” character Cher Horowitz. The poster claims the movie will be released June 2024.
If that’s true, why haven’t you heard of it before this post?
Because it’s not real. There is no evidence of a “Clueless” sequel being in the works at all anywhere on the internet. The most recent discussion of a sequel to the 1995 teen classic was from Silverstone in “Variety” just three weeks ago.
Silverstone, who’s currently starring in the indie horror flick “Krazy House,” told “Variety” that people have been talking about wanting a sequel basically since the movie came out. While the 47 year-old said it’s always nice to hear from people who love the movie, nowhere in the article did she confirm or even hint at a forthcoming film.
And as far as a movie starring Shipka, Silverstone and Rudd? Zero mention anywhere besides the Facebook post.
According to entertainment media site Dexerto, the account behind the post is well-known for creating and posting fake movie posters and announcements, including a live-action “Coraline” and a Caped Crusader sequel called “Batman Invincible.”
Elsewhere around Facebook, absolutely fake movies or TV shows being promoted as real include: “Final Destination 6,” “We’re the Millers Part 2,” “Barbie 2,” “Scooby-Doo 3,” “The Grinch 2,” a “The Land Before Time” CGI remake, a fourth “Jurassic World” sequel called “Jurassic World: Extinction,” “Toy Story 5,” and a sequel series to Issa Rae’s hit HBO sitcom “Insecure” called “Confident.”
While none of these above are in development (a “Jurassic World” sequel is, but it’s so far not titled and does not have a “new trailer” out right now), there are some other types of fake posters to be aware of, too. In the instance of the hit BBC series “Peaky Blinders,” which ended in 2022 and has a forthcoming movie, there are two spinoff series in very early stages of development at Netflix, according to creator Steven Knight. Meaning: these projects may still not ever get made, so any poster claiming to have a release date or “official photos” are likely fake.
It’s no wonder that people are incentivized to create fake news. Playing off of nostalgia for beloved movies, bad actors can be sure to get thousands of likes and shares from a single fake poster.
So how can you check to see if a poster is real before you get excited and share the fake announcement?
A good rule of thumb is to check who’s sharing it and double-check where the exclusive announcement is coming from. Verify from a reputable entertainment news outlet. Ask yourself: If “The Hollywood Reporter” doesn’t have access to this major film announcement, why would a regular person on Facebook?
Additionally, don’t take display names for gospel. Netflix has a few official Facebook pages — such as “Netflix Family” and “Netflix is a Joke” — but “Netflix Updates” is not actually affiliated with the company. That account indicates that it’s a fan page. Some pages may purposely try to pass themselves off as legitimate, so it’s important to double-check. Also, Facebook’s blue check verification system, unlike some other platforms, currently still actually indicates if an organization is official.
Moreover, take a good look at the photo. The majority of these “posters” are very poorly made. For instance, the fake “Clueless” sequel poster very clearly looks fanmade if you scrutinize it closely: Silverstone and Rudd look pasted into the photo and each of them is lit differently than the other. Looking closer at Shipka, the edges around the image aren’t smooth in some places (a slightly clipped right shoulder blade). Meanwhile, the image of the pink Tesla seen in the poster looks way too blurry compared to the rest of the images. Something will always look off or kind of amateur.
The proliferation of AI images, however, promises to make finding fake posters even harder — though not impossible, so far. A few ways to detect AI images, include looking at people’s faces, fingers, and toes. AI’s not great at generating these just yet.
Additionally, Forbes explains that you should zoom in on any text, numbers or symbols on items in the photos, like an AI-generated image of a book, for instance. While the book cover itself might show clearly, smaller text on it might just be a jumble of symbols or blurred words.
Cornell University Library has an entire section with resources on how to identify fake news, propaganda and misinformation in articles and posts.
Tips are:
- Look for Unusual URLs. If they end in I-o or .com/co, it’s likely they aren’t legitimate.
- Dissect the Layout. Look for grammatical errors, incorrect dates, bold claims with no sources and sensationalist images. These are red flags.
- Dig Deeper. Who wrote the article? Who hosts/supports the website? Do other credible news outlets you recognize by name report the same thing?
- Cross Check. Use fact checking sites to confirm information.
- Try a reverse image search. If the same photo shows up in unrelated stories, be suspicious.
Overall, it’s always best to wait until you’re sure before posting. After all, you don’t want to be one of the people users of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, make fun of whenever these posters arise.
As one X user posted recently: “I wish I could be as blissfully stupid as the people I went to high school with that are always falling for fake movie posters on Facebook.”