There’s a lot of excitement about Deadpool 3 for many reasons. First, it marks the return of this raunchy yet loveable character to the big screen over five years after the last film. Then there’s the excitement of Deadpool officially joining the MCU. Finally, this film is the only Marvel movie coming in 2024. We obviously live in a world where leaks and spoilers pop up all the time, so it’s not shocking that there are unofficial snapshots of Deadpool 3 during filming. There are images on the internet to the chagrin of many who don’t wish to see unofficial photos that reveal possible plot points and new characters. One very important person who wants the Deadpool 3 photo leaks to stop is Ryan Reynolds, who released a statement about it on his Instagram page. 

Here is a reader-friendly version of the statement for all:

“Surprises are part of the magic of theatrical movies. It is important for us to shoot the new Deadpool film in real, natural environments, using practical effects as opposed to making the movie indoors and digitally. Telephoto lenses continue to spoil surprises and create a difficult situation for everyone. Here’s hoping some of the websites and social channels hold back showing images before they’re ready. The film is built for audience joy—and our highest hope is to preserve as much of that magic as possible for the finished film and the big screen. Part of the reason people post spoilers is because they’re excited. I realize these aren’t real world issues and it’s firmly in the ‘good problems’ bucket. I love making this movie.”

Joy is something we all need and it is nice to go into something with fresh eyes. Knowing nothing only amps up the energy. Basically, spoilers suck for a lot of fellow fans. Ryan Reynolds makes lots of good and heartfelt points in his statement about Deadpool 3 leaks, indeed. 

The actor did recently share a photo of him as Wade Wilson without that infamous mask. Yes, he still looks like an avocado or perhaps a n*tsack, depending on who you ask. The latter is even wilder with the dog licking the side of his face.

Deadpool 3 is coming our way on July 26, 2024. We know there will be plenty of wonderful clips, photos, and trailers coming in the near future. For now, this post will tell you everything you need to know about Deadpool 3.

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As we know, there are so, so many Spideys out in the world. It was a delight to see a few of them together in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, including Spider-Man Noir. The older and frankly worn out monochromatic hero from the 1930s is certainly an interesting take on the character. Now, Spider-Man Noir is getting his own live-action series at Prime Video. It could be yet another win for Amazon’s streaming service.

As Variety reports, Steve Lightfoot will be the co-showrunner alongside creator/writer Oren Uziel. Lightfoot is no stranger to the Marvel Universe, as he was the showrunner for The Punisher Netflix series starring Jon Bernthal.

The show will be set in its own universe and will not center around Peter Parker. The show will, however, take place in the 1930s and will presumably stick with the character’s black and white format. We can’t wait to see how a Spider-Man Noir series plays out. Right now, there’s no casting news nor a release window because things are in the very early stages. It will likely take a while before we learn anything else about this venture, but in the meantime fans can begin all the speculation. 

Originally published on February 9, 2023.

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The world of The Boys is on the cusp of all-out chaos. The show left us in a lurch at the end of season three with way too much s**t going on. Homelander’s supporters are straight-up worshipping him as he guides his son Ryan down a path of pure evil. Annie rejects being Starlight and joins The Boys collective. Butcher’s Compound V24 gives him a grim diagnosis. And Victoria Neuman’s Vice Presidential bid is the cherry on top of an impending disaster. Speaking of the latter, she popped up (pun intended) in Gen V, took a formula that kills supes, and is prepared to turn the world upside down. We see a glimpse of the diabolical action to come in the first trailer for The Boys season four, which premiered at CCXP. 

This The Boys season four teaser gives us a lot of love… and fear. We get to see a better glimpse of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s still-unnamed character, and it seems he will be working directly with Butcher. The teaser mentions several different parts of the world, so perhaps Morgan’s character is the leader of another Boys-like organization somewhere else. Or maybe he’s from a part of Butcher’s past that we aren’t quite familiar with. Either way, the man knows how to wear a suit.

We also see some new season four supes in play alongside Homelander in this The Boys trailer, including Susan Heyward’s scary Sister Sage and Valorie Curry’s Queen Maeve-coded Firecracker. MM’s T-shirt game is still amazing, the Starlight vs. Homelander dissension is destroying the streets, and there is a mention of a taint. The Boys season four trailer is very on-brand, indeed. 

In addition to the trailer, here’s a brief synopsis of this next season of The Boys to really get you prepared. 

In Season Four, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son as well as his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.

What Is the Release Date for The Boys Season Four?

We still don’t have a release date for The Boys season four, but it is coming sometime in 2024.

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We’ve always known that the Stranger Things universe would expand in some way. In the next couple of years, we will get the show’s fifth and final season. But Netflix will certainly want to continue the universe of its biggest hit. And while we have our own Stranger Things spinoff ideas, including a ‘90s series, this isn’t quite what we had in mind. Stranger Things is heading to the stage for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a live stage play at the Phoenix Theater in London’s West End. 

Stranger Things: The First Shadow Production Images

We now officially have our first looks at the Stranger Things play in full force. Netflix has released some images that reveal how the play will look when it’s being performed. The staging is pretty cool. And it looks like someone is fully dressing as a Demogorgon, which we have to applaud. Our least favorite creatures, the Demobats, are also flapping around. And at the center of it all is, of course, Henry Creel, a.k.a Vecna.

Check out all the teases of this play in action below, including images of Joyce, Hopper, Dr. Brenner, and ore, in action.

Click To View Gallery

Netflix has also revealed that the first act title of the Stranger Things play will be, “Chapter One: The Girl From Nowhere.” Very mysterious. Start your speculating now.

The Stranger Things Play Synopsis and First-Look Rehearsal Images

The Stranger Things play is based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry (who wrote this play) and will hit the stage sometime in late 2023. Of course, Netflix will produce it alongside Sonia Friedman Productions, and fans will certainly show up to see what happens. Here’s the plot synopsis for Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage play: 

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach. Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.

We also have our first look at rehearsals for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. In them, we prominently see Henry Creel glaring into space and also get our first tease of a young Joyce Byers (at the time Joyce Maldonado)

Additionally, a teaser for the Stranger Things play hints that it could also be crucial for understanding what’s to come in Stranger Things 5.

We have to admit that it is quite an interesting take on the series. Fans met Henry Creel and his family last season, and there’s certainly a lot to mine from his story. Sure, there were flashes of his childhood and backstory. But now we will get to see more about his life in the Stranger Things play. And, who isn’t curious about what a young Hopper, Joyce, and Bob were like, as well as the town itself? At this time, Jim and Joyce would have been between 17-19 years old, with the former getting ready to be drafted into the Vietnam War. So, they probably would have little to no interaction with Henry, who was middle school-aged in 1959. But hey, they could always play with timelines and bend the rules a bit.

Behind The Scenes of Stranger Things: The First Shadow

In honor of Stranger Things Day 2023, Netflix shared our long look at the play. Among other tidbits, Stranger Things: The First Shadow sounds like it will prominently feature a love story between the soon-to-be Vecna, Henry Creel, and Bob Newby’s sister, Patty Newby. Writer Kate Trefry shares that the main thrust of the story is Patty and her little budding romance with Henry. We admit we did not see that one coming.

Additionally, the featurette notes that the Stranger Things play is the origin story of how Henry Creel became Number 001 and of the Upside Down. Plus, there will be blood, guts, and Easter eggs.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow Cast and Ticket Information

The Stranger Things play cast is also set! Shane Attwooll and Christopher Buckley will portray Chief Hopper and Bob Newby, respectively. Oscar Lloyd will be James Hopper, Jr. and we can’t wait to learn more about him. Michael Jibson will take on the role of Victor Creel, Louis McCartney plays his son Henry Creel, and Lauren Ward will be Virginia Creel. Isabella Pappas will portray Joyce Maldonaldo, Ella Kaurna Williams is Patty Newby, and Patrick Vaill rounds out the cast as Dr. Brenner.

Tickets for the Stranger Things play went on sale March 30th. And tickets are now available for as low as £45 (USD $57.20). Additionally, fans can lottery to get “Shadow Seats” for the performances via the TodayTix app. These 11 pairs of seats will be available via lottery each week and cost £19.59 per seat, according to Variety.

The play itself will begin its run in November.

Originally published on March 1, 2023.

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Everyone loves Miles. The web-slinging teen is back in our lives with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and will return once again next year in Beyond the Spider-Verse. We absolutely adore Miles Morales in his animated form, but many fans have been wondering if the character will make a live-action debut in the near future. Well, according to Variety, producer Amy Pascal says a live-action Miles Morales movie, a Spider-Woman animated film, and Spider-Man 4 are in the works. Tom Holland also chimed in on what upcoming movies might hold.

Spider-People Movies Are in the Works, Including a Live-Action Miles Morales Film

On the topic of a Miles Morales live-action movie and a Spider-Woman adventure, Pascal noted, “You’ll see all of it… It’s all happening.” And that’s what we love to hear, especially when it comes to Miles Morales getting his own live-action solo adventure.

Fellow producer Avi Arad hinted that the Spider-Woman film will actually come sooner than most fans are expecting. That makes a lot of sense considering things are going well with the current animated franchise.

Meanwhile, Pascal also said that a fourth Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Zendaya is in the works, noting, “Are we going to make another movie? Of course, we are.”

Tom Holland on Spider-Man 4

But Pascal is not the only one discussing a fourth outing for the MCU’s Spider-Man. Most recently, Tom Holland shared that he was actively engaging in conversations about Spider-Man 4. But he cautioned that he would only return as Spider-Man for a story worth telling. He noted:

All I can say is that we have been actively engaging in conversations about what it could potentially look like for a fourth rendition of my character. Whether or not we can find a way to do justice to the character is another thing. I feel very protective over Spider-Man. I feel very, very lucky that we were able to work on a franchise that got better with each movie, that got more successful with each movie, which I think is really rare, and I want to protect his legacy. So, I won’t make another one for the sake of making another one. It will have to be worth the while of the character.

Of course, should the right story emerge, Holland is more than eager to resume his role in the MCU. He went on to say, “But that said, if we can figure that out, I would be a fool not to put the suit back on again because I owe everything to Spider-Man. I love the character and the people I get to work with. So, I would love to tell another story, but I’ll only tell it if we can find the right one.”

We’ll Cross Our Fingers for More Spidey Updates Soon

Ultimately, It could be a couple of years or five years before any of this stuff happens… if it happens at all. Corporations do change their minds, whether we like it or not. But hopefully, we’ll see traction for all our Spider-People.

And even more hopefully, Sony will give Miles what he deserves, which is to exist in every form with lots of adventures for fans to enjoy. For now, let the speculation on who would absolutely crush a live-action Miles Morales movie begin.

Originally published on May 31, 2023.

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The Sonic movie universe is something that I never saw coming. Well, not since I dreamed about it in the ‘90s as a lover of the speedster’s video games and TV show. But that is what we got when the first Sonic film sped into theaters at the beginning of 2020. You know, back in the olden days before, well, all of this stuff happened. Since then, we’ve gotten the gift of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with famous characters like Tails and Knuckles (the best angry sweetie ever) coming into the fold. Better yet, we got news back in February that a third Sonic the Hedgehog movie and a Knuckles series were coming soon. Now, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 officially has a release date. The third Sonic movie is coming on December 20, 2024. It’s a holiday celebration, so we expect to see our favorite characters sipping hot chocolate. 

Now, what will happen in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie? We don’t know any firm details right now. But we do have our first look at the movie. And it stars some iconic shoes belonging to a certain Shadow.

The end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 left us with the Wachowskis taking in even more furry and powerful creatures. Tails and Knuckles are part of the family alongside Sonic, and they are guarding the Master Emerald. But the end of the film hinted at a new set of troubles. We find out that Shadow the Hedgehog is in a secret facility, primed to break out and cause havoc. And we bet that havoc will head our way in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

In the game universe, Shadow was created by Doctor Eggman’s grandfather and plays more of an antihero role in many storylines. Think the Punisher vs. Daredevil except with much less violence. We aren’t sure if Shadow the Hedgehog will be the sole villain in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but they certainly won’t be friends. The Wachowskis cannot take in another cartoony animal at this point. And, he will give Knuckles something to smash. Our guy likes a good fighting/venting session.

Until then, fans can rewatch the second Sonic film on Paramount+. Hopefully, we will get the Knuckles series to carry us through until 2024. In either case, we feel excited to finally know when we can expect Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Originally published on August 9, 2022.

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What are you afraid of? That question has countless answers. We all have different things that give us chills, whether it is a damp basement or leaving our bedroom door open while we sleep. One legit fear that I have is deep, dark waters. I do not want to go for a night swim nor do I desire to go far out into the ocean. Everything I cannot clearly see frightens me. I’m surely not alone in this because there’s an entire movie confirming this fear. The trailer for the upcoming supernatural horror film Night Swim introduces a lady pool demon that nabs those who dare dive into her waters. 

Here’s a quick synopsis of Night Swim to bring its trailer into focus: 

Based on the acclaimed 2014 short film by Rod Blackhurst and Bryce McGuire, the film stars Wyatt Russell as Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, who moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve (Kerry Condon), teenage daughter Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and young son Elliot (Gavin Warren). 

Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror. 

Ahh there’s nothing like moving into a home and finding out it is a haunted place. Night Swim will hit theaters on January 5, which may give some movie fans pause. Historically, January is notorious for being the place where bad films go to die.

But after the success of M3GAN last year, there’s a chance Night Swim will be a thrilling watch. In fact, Atomic Monster and Blumhouse—both producers of M3GAN—are behind Night Swim alongside James Wan. Bryce McGuire is writing and directing this watery adventure, which makes sense considering he helped create the original short film. Let’s see what this killer Pisces queen (please let her team up with Samara from The Ring) has in store for the Wallers.

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When it comes to popular people, there is perhaps no one quite like Jesus Christ. For many people, he is the Messiah who walked the Earth, died on the cross for their sins, and experienced a resurrection three days later. For others, he’s a well-known prophet or an overall historical figure they are familiar with. There have been many books, shows, films, and more about the life and death of Jesus; however, none of them are quite like this one. The Book of Clarence examines this Biblical epic from the viewpoint of its titular protagonist in an intriguing new trailer. 

There’s so much to discuss about this clip. First, the physical depiction of Jesus and those around him lines up with what the Bible itself and historians have affirmed for many years.

What we wish this trailer kept was the brilliant use of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” which we heard in the first teaser trailer. That song fits this film’s theme perfectly. Prince will forever be a music god, after all. This story isn’t about the Messiah himself, but rather the allure of his influence on one man’s life.

Here’s a quick plot synopsis to bring things into clearer focus: 

From visionary filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, The Book of Clarence is a bold new take on the timeless Biblical-era epic. Streetwise but down-on-his-luck, Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is struggling to find a better life for his family, while fighting to free himself of debt. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, and ultimately discovers that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out. The film features new music by Jeymes Samuel, JAY-Z, and more. 

In addition to the trailer for The Book of Clarence, check out these gorgeous exclusive images from Vanity Fair of this upcoming film.

Jeymes Samuel takes a big swing with ‘The Book of Clarence,’ but that’s all he knows how to do.

“He has this fearlessness to him,” says Jay-Z of his longtime collaborator. “He’s very confident, but it’s not off-putting.”

🔗: https://t.co/Nr9A54rL71 pic.twitter.com/f0xLo9V2PV

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 28, 2023

Exploring the life and times of Jesus through the eyes of everyday man is a great concept. And LaKeith Stanfield is having quite the run recently with The Changeling preparing to hit Apple TV+ soon. In addition to Stanfield, this film stars Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The Book of Clarence hits theaters sometime in 2024.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

Originally published on August 29, 2023.

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Doctor Who’s new era is giving us a lot of awesome changes. We are getting yet another clean slate with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday, a new companion. And, of course, there’s a new (but not new!) showrunner taking the reins for this next chapter. Fans are already loving Russell T Davies’ return as the leader of this classic sci-fi series. Future episodes will also be available on Disney+ for US fans to enjoy. With all of these changes, it is not surprising that Doctor Who is delivering a new opening title sequence as well as a fresh upgrade to the interior of the TARDIS.

The first of three Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials revealed these fun updates to the TARDIS and more. First, let’s talk about that new Doctor Who opening sequence. The time vortex looks like a colorful and daring realm of its own as the TARDIS sweeps through it in dramatic fashion. We hear the familiar theme song with yet another twist, thanks to the genius of composer Murray Gold. It’s a vibrant homage to opening title sequences from Doctor Who’s past, indeed. 

If this wasn’t enough to make you squee with delight, then surely you jumped for joy when the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna entered the TARDIS. A new Doctor typically results in a new TARDIS interior on Doctor Who, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It still has the tenets of a typical console room, complete with lots of round lights. At first, it seemed a bit too bright and lacking excitement. But, after watching David Tennant run around its ramps like a kid on Christmas, we got to see this TARDIS interior come to life with some beautiful colors. It looks like a proper spaceship with its otherworldly aura. Check out all the photos of the upgrade below.

Click To View Gallery

It remains to be seen if Ncuti’s Doctor will keep this new TARDIS interior or not. I’d personally love for this design to stick around for more than three episodes. But perhaps the creative minds behind Doctor Who have something even more splendid in store for Fifteen’s TARDIS. It does seem likely that Doctor Who will keep the new opening sequence for a while. There could be a slight variation in the theme song to differentiate between Doctors, but outside of that change, this title sequence is probably tied to this new “Bad Wolf” era. Doctor Who is back on TV, and we appreciate all of its wonderful gifts. 

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Doctor Who is celebrating 60 years of time and space adventures in style with a slate of anniversary specials with David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble. The pair reunited in “The Star Beast,” as the Doctor went up against a very furry antagonist being chased by scary looking bug-like creatures. The adorable yet angry Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors are brand new to many fans of the TV show. However, these characters are far from new to the overall Doctor Who universe. Here’s what you should know about the Big Finish and Doctor Who comics history of Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors and how they appear in “The Star Beast.” 

The Doctor Who Comics and Big Finish Audios History of Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors

Beep the Meep made his debut in the black-and-white comic story Doctor Who and the Star Beast (1980), written by Pat Mills and John Wagner with illustrations by Dave Gibbons. In the comics, Beep the Meep is big, furry, and white, much like the character appears in the TV show. Beep is the leader of the Meeps, a peaceful race who lived joyfully until their planet orbited near a Black Sun. The rays mutated them, making them an angry collective hellbent on conquering other planets. The Meeps were stopped by the Wrarth Warriors, a group of genetically engineered law enforcers with red eyes and a detachable claw for their left arm. The Star Council designed them specifically to deal with the Meeps, which they mostly succeeded at. However, Beep managed to escape death.

Beep’s ship crash landed into Earth, specifically the city of Blackcastle. The Meep leader put on a sweet front and befriended two kids named Sharon and Fudge. The innocent duo gave Beep shelter and the Fourth Doctor soon came along to help the fuzzy creature out. However, Beep the Meep’s true nature came to light. The Doctor teamed up with the Wrarth Warriors to defeat him. Following this story, Sharon became the Fourth Doctor’s next comic companion. 

Beep the Meep later made a brief cameo in Doctor Who Magazine #173’s Party Animals in 1991. This time, he appeared at a party that the Seventh Doctor and Ace attended. Here, Beep was colorized as a blue creature with yellow eyes. But we don’t see more action from him until 1996’s The Star Beast II. In that story, he got out on parole and wanted sadistic revenge. Once again, the Fourth Doctor got the upper hand, using black star energy to trap Beep inside For the Love of Lassie, a kids’ movie.

The most hilarious Beep the Meep comic appearance is Doctor Who Magazine #283’s TV Action! (1999). Beep tried to take over BBC’s TV hub to turn everyone in the UK evil, until the actor Tom Baker distracted him from his evil plan. You see, Beep the Meep thought Tom Baker was the Fourth Doctor (can’t imagine why…) and focused on destroying his longtime nemesis. The Eighth Doctor and Izzy came together to defeat Beep. 

Beep the Meep made the leap to audio stories with Big Finish’s The Ratings War, which was a CD that came with Doctor Who Magazine #313 (2002). Toby Longworth gave Beep the Meep a voice as the character faced the Sixth Doctor. Again, Beep tried to use TV to control the masses but he did not succeed. Once again, Beep ended up back in the hands of the Wrarth Warriors. In March 2019, Beep the Meep was in a Big Finish audio adaptation of Doctor Who and the Star Beast, with Bethan Dixon Bate providing the leader’s voice.

For the most part, the Wrarth Warriors only made comic and audio appearances to stop Beep the Meep. However, the Wrarth Warriors do briefly face the Slitheen family in the Russell T Davies’ story “Raxacoricofallapatorius,” which was in the book Monsters and Villains. In this adventure, they are still star police who deal with the Slitheen family’s illegal deeds. 

Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors in Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Special Episode “The Star Beast” 

In the episode, Rose Noble, the Doctor, and pretty much everyone else in London except Donna Noble see a spaceship that appears to crash land in London. The ship lands in a steelworks mill; however, a separate vessel ends up near the Noble family home. Rose walks in an alleyway and runs into Beep the Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes). Who can resist a furry white creature with big brown eyes?! Beep is undeniably cute and Rose immediately tries to befriend this new alien creature. Meanwhile, large bug-like creatures are dead set on hunting him down.

The Doctor arrives at the Noble home, with Donna’s mum Sylvia trying to prevent Donna from remembering her TARDIS travels. Beep the Meep tells them that the bug creatures, known as Wrarth Warriors, cultivated Meepkind for their fur until the galaxy said that was no longer acceptable. So the Wrarth Warriors slaughtered them and said that they will hunt down Beep. We also learn Beep has two hearts like the Doctor. 

Things predictably go awry when the Wrarth Warriors and UNIT soldiers, who are under a mind spell of sorts, get into battle. They destroy poor Donna’s home as the Doctor works to get them and Beep the Meep out alive. The Doctor soon realizes the Wrarth Warriors are perhaps not the villains after all. He brings Donna and her family along with Beep to an abandoned garage. Fourteen then summons the two main Wrarth Warriors via teleportation. 

One warrior gives them the real story. He says the Meeps’ planet once basked in the light of the living sun. One day the sun went mad and became psychedelic, its radiation mutating all of Meep-kind into cruel beasts who live for conquest. Basically they all went mad and they can transfer this psychosis through their eyes. The Meep army captured the Galactic Council, beheaded them, and ate them. So, the Wrarth Warriors were summoned to stop them. They eliminated majority of Meepkind and now Beep the Meep, the cruelest of them all and the leader, is the only one left. Beep finally reveals his true nature and kills the two Wrarth Warrior leaders. This story largely lines up with the comic origins for Beep and the Wrarth Warriors. 

Beep the Meep’s ship did not crash at all. He purposely landed on Earth to use its dagger drive to gain energy by stabbing into the ground and burning everything within a five-mile radius for fuel. Yep, that means Beep the Meep would destroy the entirety of London to give his ship some more juice. Of course, the Doctor and the DoctorDonna (!!!) come together once again to save the day. They work together in the engine control room to disable the dagger drive system and render his ship useless.

The Doctor ejects Beep out of the capsule and into the custody of the Wrarth Warriors. Beep the Meep gets 10,000 years in prison but, before he goes, he says he will tell “the Boss.” We can assume this is the Celestial Toymaker, whom the Doctor and Donna will face in the upcoming specials. For more about him, check out our explainer about his Doctor Who history. 

It’s unclear if we will see Beep the Meep or the Wrarth Warriors in the next two Doctor Who anniversary specials. We doubt it considering the Toymaker is on the way. But it was fun to see deep-cut Doctor Who comic characters come to life to celebrate the show’s enduring legacy.

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It’s been a long time since Donna Noble ran (and verbally sparred) with the Doctor. She’s back and honestly better than ever in “The Star Beast,” the first of three specials celebrating Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. There have been a lot of questions about how the Doctor and Donna would link up again considering Donna’s mind would “burn” if she remembered her TARDIS life. We get answers to that question and much more. Let’s get into what happens to Donna Noble (not Temple) in Doctor Who’s anniversary special.

How Does Donna Noble Reunite with the Doctor?

Donna and the Doctor’s reunion is actually rather chill. Fourteen arrives at a market and briefly wanders around before he sees someone carrying far too many boxes. He runs over to help and takes a couple of boxes only to reveal Donna’s face. Humorously, the Doctor stacks the boxes up and attempts to run away but Donna pulls him back in. To be fair, it was a rude move on the skinny man’s part. She says the boxes belong to Rose, which initially freaks the Doctor out until he discovers Rose is her daughter. 

As if on cue, a spaceship lands and everyone sees it except a briefly distracted Donna. That lady truly misses every damn thing. She doesn’t have a clue who the Doctor is at this point and no reason to be suspicious of his presence. 

Does the DoctorDonna Show Up in Doctor Who’s Anniversary Special? 

The issue of Donna Noble having to forget the Doctor and all her time travels has been a sore point for fans for many years. The Doctor may have thought he was doing what was best for Donna but he never gave her a choice. In “The Star Beast,” Donna’s mom Sylvia and Fourteen try to keep Donna from remembering anything but it is to no avail. As the Doctor keeps showing up, Donna becomes more suspicious about why he cares for her and her family. She finds herself doing things automatically, like holding his sonic screwdriver while he mans a protective shield. It all comes to a head at the steel factory when Donna makes the choice to go help the Doctor versus running towards safety with her family. 

We are thankful she made that choice. The Doctor needed the DoctorDonna’s help with shutting down Beep the Meep’s operation. He’s resistant but Donna makes the choice to allow him to unlock her memories and resurrect the DoctorDonna. The energy is so great that it manifests in her as well as her daughter Rose, which saves her life. The trio come together to thwart Beep’s plan to use London as a fuel source. But the Doctor knows that Donna and Rose cannot keep such vast knowledge in their heads. This time, Donna and Rose call him out, saying that they know what a male-presenting Time Lord could never understand: that you can simply choose to release that power. This gives Donna the agency that she didn’t get years ago. 

What’s Up with Donna Noble’s Daughter Rose and Her Husband Shaun Temple?

In the final episodes of the Tenth Doctor’s era, we “met” her husband Shaun Temple. The Doctor never interacts with him but he does watch Donna with Shaun, including on their wedding day, from afar. Fifteen years later, Shaun Temple is still married to Donna, who hilariously didn’t take his last name because Noble Temple sounded weird together. Shaun and Donna have a daughter named Rose. At first, it seems this name is from Donna’s subconscious that still remembers Rose Tyler. And this is sort of true, except the metacrisis was passed down to Rose. Donna’s daughter is trans and chose the name Rose to better fit her identity! But she’s also a Noble, which Shaun doesn’t mind because he loves his girls. So sweet.

Rose also unknowingly made stuffed animals in the likeness of villains her mom faced with the Doctor in a shed that mimics the TARDIS. And, because she doesn’t fit neatly into a binary, she was able to embrace that Time Lord energy and make a choice to let it go. Rose once felt strange and lost but now she’s fully aware of who she is as a person. Love to see it.

Sooo, Is Donna Noble Still Rich From Her Winning Lottery Ticket?

Donna Noble is rich in love and family support but not with money. This is wild considering the Doctor gave her a winning lottery ticket so she would have a good life. But Donna, still heavily influenced by the Doctor unbeknownst to her, gave the money away to help others in the world. Outside of slick remarks by Sylvia, no one seems to blame her for her choice. The Doctor may not give her another lottery ticket but he is trying to get her a job with UNIT. Her interview will have to wait because, well, she spilled coffee on the TARDIS console and now they are in flux somewhere. Good times. 

Does Donna Noble Die in the Doctor Who Anniversary Special?

No, Donna doesn’t die in the first special. But that doesn’t mean the Doctor can keep her safe from the Celestial Toymaker. Russell T Davies does hint that things won’t be very pleasant for Donna in this round. Time will tell what ultimately happens to Donna and the Fourteenth Doctor. Our bet is that he saves her life and regenerates as a result, like he did with her grandfather Wilf years prior.

The post What Happens to Donna Noble in the DOCTOR WHO Anniversary Special? appeared first on Nerdist.

The Walking Dead is over but, as we know, the end of the flagship series that’s been in fans’ hearts for over a decade doesn’t mean this world is done. The show already has had four spinoff series, Fear the Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Walking Dead: Dead City, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon on TV. The latter, starring Maggie and Negan, is returning for a second season in the future along with Daryl’s spinoff. But, there is another spinoff coming soon that is perhaps the most important one in the universe.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Will Bring Rick and Michonne Back in February 2024

The Walking Dead‘s final panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 gave us the biggest news of all: a Rick Grimes and Michonne series was coming soon. Two years later, we finally know that The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will have a release date of February 25, 2024. Rick and Michonne’s return is oh-so-close after years of waiting. The above clip is short but we get a little commentary from Danai Gurira and Andrew Lincoln (his Britishness is always jarring, right?). We see some new footage spliced together but it is hard to make sense of it because the clip is so short.

There are currently two teaser trailers out there, with one focusing on Michonne’s perspective and the other from Rick’s POV.

Here’s a breakdown of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live:

This series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

The name of this Rick and Michonne series should be familiar to fans. Rick first said the phrase “we are the ones who live” back in season five while chatting with Deanna about his group. And, we heard Richonne as well as many other characters say that phrase in The Walking Dead‘s finale episode. So it holds a lot of significance to Rick and Michonne’s individual and collective journeys.

We certainly can’t wait to see Rick and Michonne together again.

There’s also some casting news. Per Deadline, Lucifer alumna Lesley-Ann Brandt will portray Pearl Thorne. Details about that character are currently unknown. We also know that The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will bring back Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis. This isn’t shocking considering she’s the one who took Rick away in that helicopter. Terry O’Quinn and Matt Jeffries will portray Beale and Nat, respectively. 

During a Walking Dead preview, Gimple warns us that we will see “Red Machete Rick” again. Remember him? He was the one with the brown murder jacket who was a lot unhinged around seasons five and six. This is probably not a good thing but if anyone can bring him back to normal, it is Michonne. We got a glimpse of Rick in The Walking Dead‘s final episode and he looks like hell. But that scene is from the past so he’s presumably in an even worse state at this point. And, there’s also Michonne with her new gear, braving the world alone. Love to see it. Will their show end with an Alexandria reunion? We hope so.

So there you have it. A lot is happening in The Walking Dead universe and there will surely be more details about these spinoffs as well as new announcements. The show that won hearts is bowing out but there’s plenty left to explore in the land of the dead, so let’s keep walking right towards these spinoffs.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season Two – “The Book of Carol” Is Coming

We are done with the first season of Daryl Dixon’s adventure, but there is already great news about his show’s second season. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will bring Carol back next season. We don’t know if she will also end up in France or if they will meet in some odd middle. Either way, it will be good to see those besties together again. A new teaser shows that next season will focus a lot on Carol’s journey.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner David Zabel gave fans more insight into season two. He reveals that the Nest is a prominent location in season two and Carol’s previous comment about some mystery person coming back will come into play. “There’s also another clue… this moment in the radio call in episode 5 where she talks about something or someone having come back,” said Zabel. “And the impression we get, and Daryl also gets, is that something’s a little off for her, something’s wrong. And so that’s going to also function into the story for Carol in season 2.”

We cannot wait to see how it all unfolds. In the meantime, we look forward to the return of the great Rick Grimes and Michonne.

Originally published on April 7, 2022.

The post THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE Reveals Release Date and Sneak Peek Teaser appeared first on Nerdist.

Doctor Who fans are ready to see David Tennant return as the Fourteenth Doctor (seriously, what is going on here?!) alongside the beloved Donna Noble in the 60th anniversary specials. But there’s even more Doctor Who excitement with Ncuti Gatwa taking over as the Fifteenth Doctor in his first season. While many of us will think of it as season 14, the show is officially going into a new era. So it will be season one once again. Gatwa will make his debut when Fourteen regenerates at the end of the final anniversary special before going off on his own adventures. We already know that Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor will travel with Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday. But there are some guest stars that have fans hype for the next chapter of Doctor Who. 

It is not unusual for more than one Doctor to link up. Time-traveling is strange business, after all. And it seems that the latest iteration of The Doctor will meet the original in some way. In his GQ Man of the Year acceptance speech, Gatwa revealed that the Fifteenth Doctor will share a scene with the First Doctor. He doesn’t give any more specifics but we can assume this will happen sometime in the first season. While William Hartnell died nearly 50 years ago, David Bradley has been playing recent portrayals of the First Doctor. However, it seems Doctor Who will use footage of Hartnell alongside Gatwa’s Doctor. Interesting.

Lenny Rush is also joining the cast as Morris. Interestingly, Russell T Davies refers to him as a member of the TARDIS team, a phrase typically associated with companions. It is not fully clear if he will travel with the Doctor for more than an adventure or two versus being a full-time companion like Ruby Sunday. Perhaps he will be more like a Mickey Smith who hangs around for a bit and then decides to do other things. Either way, we are excited to see him!

Doctor Who season 1 (still gotta get used to that) will also bring Bonnie Langford back as Mel Bush. She traveled with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors before returning many years later, making a brief cameo in the Thirteenth Doctor’s final episode. Now, she will come back for a full on adventure.

There are quite a few mysterious new faces to this franchise. Drag Race’s Jinkx Monsoon will portray the Doctor’s “most powerful enemy yet.”

After taking one look at this character, we would let them take complete control of our lives. The statement about Monsoon’s character being a major baddie is very similar to what showrunner Russell T Davies said about Neil Patrick Harris’ character set to appear in the anniversary specials. Could this be the same character after a regeneration? Maybe. Or perhaps it is the Rani coming back to play again. Who knows.

Jonathan Groff will also appear in the upcoming season of Doctor Who. Most of us Americans know him best as Hamilton’s King George III. He certainly can give us a ton of humorous drama. The details about his character are unknown at this time outside of him playing a “key role” in the narrative. But we do know that it will be a historical episode based on this first look photo.

Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenridge will also appear this season as well in undisclosed roles along with Aneurin Barnard as a character named Roger ap Gwilliam. Indira Varma, who made a previous guest appearance in Torchwood, is starring as the Duchess.

We don’t know a lot about those new named characters yet, but the answers will eventually come. It seems this season of Doctor Who is going to be a campy good time based off of these guest stars. 

Another familiar face that we see again is Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Stewart. The leader of the UK’s UNIT branch and daughter of the Brigadier promises some more fun with the Fifteenth Doctor. We cannot wait to get more information about Doctor Who’s fourteenth season. Until then we will patiently wait for a trailer to really see Fifteen and Ruby in action.

Originally published on May 8, 2023.

The post All the DOCTOR WHO Guest Stars and Cameo Announcements for Ncuti Gatwa’s First Season appeared first on Nerdist.

Godolkin University is a place where you can thrive, cause chaos, and apparently run head first into murder. The Boys‘ spinoff Gen V draws from a bizarre The Boys comic arc with a wild roster of new characters who boast a bevy of powers. Compound V is one hell of a drug, right? And, as the show transpires, we will learn even more about each supe’s power and how it plays into all the bloody action.

Here is every new Gen V hero and what you need to know about their powers. 

Gen V’s Godolkin University Student Hero Lineup and Their Powers

Marie Moreau (Power: Hemokinesis/Blood Manipulation)

Our main girl Marie Moreau is an 18-year-old superhero with the power of hemokinesis, which is the ability to control and weaponize her own blood. We saw her use her power in the Gen V trailer as she uses blood tentacles of sorts to whip around and destroy things. The first episode of Gen V reveals that Marie’s powers activated when she began her menstrual cycle at around 10, even though she was injected with Compound V as a baby. She panics in the bathroom and accidentally ends up killing her parents because she doesn’t know how to control her weaponized blood. We also learn that she frequently uses her powers by cutting her hands and manipulating the blood.

Unlike most kids who end up at Red River Institute and later go to Elmira Adult Rehabilitation Center where they are either locked up or presumably killed, Marie gets into Godolkin University. But she still grapples with her past and how people view her presently. That is, until Golden Boy’s death and some PR foolery by Godolkin and Vought leads her to become ranked in the top ten. Her newfound fame goes over well with everyone except Jordan Li (obvious reasons) and Polarity, who wants his son to be the sole star and finds Marie’s powers “unsanitary.”

Marie doesn’t seem to regret her powers but she is soon disillusioned with being the diversity showpony for God U. She moves up in the rankings to #2 in episode four; however, she’s now fully into exposing the nefarious woods. We get to see a different side of her powers when she explodes a fellow student’s penis after he tries to sexually assault her. Marie isn’t sure how she did it but being able to control blood within another person’s body is a new part of her abilities.

In episode five, Marie humorously reveals that she can sense when a person is about to start their menstrual cycle. More importantly, Marie is able to sense when there’s something obstructing blood flow, which is how she discovers the tracking device implanted in her neck. She can also sense Compound V in a person’s blood, which happens when she meets Victoria Neuman in episode seven. Honestly, her powers are the coolest. We see them really blossom in the season one finale when she is able to manipulate blood from dead bodies without even cutting her own palms. She creates deadly blood daggers and can even find the invisible Maverick by focusing on his heart and bloodstream. What a boss.

Andre Anderson (Power: Metal Manipulation and Superhuman Strength)

Andre is a junior at Godolkin University with magnetic powers and, of course, superhuman strength. We assume his powers are like his father Polarity considering he’s set to take his place after retirement. And if being charming and handsome are superpowers, then he has those too. He not only draws a metal bottle straight to his hand but also causes two trucks to smash together and capture a fleeing man. But that doesn’t mean his powers are dangerous. He nearly kills a woman after doing a “magic trick” with a piece of metal but Marie saves her, thankfully. Andre’s father pushes him even harder after Golden Boy’s death when he becomes the top-ranked student.

As Andre begins to investigate Golden Boy’s death, his powers come into play quite often. Unfortunately, the soldiers protecting the “woods” secrets have a device that can subdue his powers. But when that device isn’t in play, Andre can be a dangerous guy. He launches a refrigerator at Sam to subdue him and, in episode five, Andre uses gardening tools to pin (and nearly decapitate) Rufus in a moment of anger.

Andre discovers that his powers have a detrimental effect on his brain. His father, Polarity, goes into a seizure and nearly dies on national TV. The doctors reveal that their power set causes brain damage over time, so Andre must decide if he wants to continue to use his powers.

Emma Myer/Little Cricket (Power: Size Manipulation/Reduction)

Emma’s supe moniker Little Cricket is due to her ability to get super small. She’s much like Termite on The Boys, except she’s a YouTuber who makes fight videos with her rodent pet David Caruso. Her power also shines in the Gen V trailer when she crawls out of a dead man’s ear. Fantastic. In the show’s first episode, we discover that Emma sadly has to force herself to vomit in order to get small. People are either cruel to her online, fetishize her in real life, or use her to forward their own agendas. Justine is a terrible person. Emma’s own mother wants to use her to create a TV show. Things are rocky between her and Marie for a bit but they become friends, which brings some light to her sad story.

She also gets close to Golden Boy’s brother Sam. This relationship causes Little Cricket to use her powers in a different way in episode four. Sam is having a mental breakdown and all the blood and metal moving powers in the world won’t stop him. Little Cricket is at her regular size and gorges on food to get super big. She’s able to subdue him and also shocks everyone with her new (to them and us) ability. Emma’s new power reveal (and a video of her getting loose) increases her popularity and makes her rise up the student rankings.

Unfortunately, Emma and Sam break up, which is how we discover that Emma can end up really, really small if her heart is broken.

Cate Dunlap (Power: Mind Control)

Cate can make people do anything she asks by simply touching them with her hands. Of course, she uses this to her advantage, like sliding her way into a packed nightclub, and is super popular. She can also use them for revenge or to save someone in a tight spot. Like Marie, her powers accidentally destroyed her family after she told her brother to leave and never return. Her powers do have side effects from severe headaches to seizures if she takes things too far.

Unfortunately, Dean Shetty is using Cate’s power to her advantage. Cate is able to wipe people’s memories, which she did to the group to make them forget The Woods. She was also responsible for mind-wiping Golden Boy to make him keep forgetting his brother Sam. When Cate is not under strong meds, she’s able to hear everyone’s thoughts around her. She breaks free from these meds and goes completely rogue, killing Dean Shetty and liberating The Woods in a morally questionable way. Marie explodes one of Cate’s hands but she still has the other one to use. This new Guardian of Godolkin will certainly be an antagonist in Gen V‘s second season.

Jordan Li (Power: Gender/Body Transformation, Superhuman Strength and Durability, Energy Blasts)

They can change between male and female forms. Depending on their form, this hero has access to different power sets that we see in Gen V. The man is dense and indestructible, while the woman can use energy blasts and appears to be quick. They put up a formidable fight against Golden Boy towards the end of the first episode. Jordan doesn’t fit the social bill to be the hero of Godolkin so we will see how that affects their future.

Thankfully, Jordan can kick down doors, which helps save Marie from a campus creep. This, along with their obvious tension with Marie, leads to the pair hooking up. Love to see it.

Luke Riordan/Golden Boy (Power: Pyrokinesis/Fire Manipulation and Superhuman Strength)

Luke Riordan can light his entire body on fire and apparently use it as a shield. It seems he is this universe’s version of the Human Torch. But there’s a lot more to this pretty boy than meets the eye. Sure he’s all charms and smiles with Marie; however, Luke is dealing with something heavy. He keeps seeing visions of the mysterious “woods” and discovered the truth about what happened to his younger brother Sam. The visions cause him to go on a rampage, killing his supposed buddy Brink before he flies in the sky and explodes himself.

His story and the ongoing mystery about The Woods unfolds throughout the season but we really don’t learn much more about his powers.

Other Gen V Characters Who Have Powers

When Marie Moreau arrives at Godolkin University, we see a lot of ancillary students with a bevy of powers. It remains to be seen if we will get to know any of them in the season but there are some other Gen V characters who play a role and have powers.

Maverick (Power: Invisibility)

Maverick is Marie’s RA who makes an appearance a couple of times. He’s pretty witty but we don’t get a ton of him this season until closer to the finale. He can fight and is quick on his feet; however, he’s no match for Marie Moreau.

Polarity (Power: Metal Manipulation and Superhuman Strength)

Like we mentioned earlier, Polarity is Andre’s father and has the same powers. He is also well-aware of the secrets of the woods and, after falling into some serious illness in episode seven, ends up in a hospital bed. We still aren’t sure what his fate is at this time.

Sam (Power: Superhuman Strength and Invulnerability)

Sam is a troubled supe (and Golden Boy’s brother) who is trying to escape his unfortunate circumstances. He is a former resident at Sage Grove psychiatric hospital and a part of the sinister secrets of the woods facility, trapped in a lab where he is subject to torture. He’s extremely powerful with super strength and invulnerability but he also has to deal with hallucinations that blur the lines between reality and fiction. Luke was told his brother is schizophrenic but we aren’t sure if that is his true diagnosis or not.

Sam is perhaps the most powerful supe in this series but he’s also been through a lot of physical and mental trauma. But his powers, inside knowledge of the woods, and his brother’s tragic death all lead to him taking Cate’s side and using his powers to kill anyone in his path. Oh Sam.

Originally published September 29, 2023.

The post Every New GEN V Hero and Their Powers on THE BOYS’ Spinoff appeared first on Nerdist.

Ncuti Gatwa’s upcoming role as the Fifteenth Doctor on Doctor Who along with the future episodes heading to Disney+ is further expanding the show’s massive US and Canadian fanbase. There are a ton of newbies who want to understand “that blue phone box show.” The show’s modern era (2005-present) is a common entry point for newer fans. However, many want to go back to the very, very beginning, a.k.a. the Classic era (1963-1989). There are also longtime fans who 1) grew up watching Classic Who and love to see it and 2) became fans via the modern era but want to explore the Classic Doctors. Thankfully, Tubi is providing a free gateway into Classic Doctor Who, bringing all of the available episodes to its platform. 

Until now, the Classic era episodes were only available to UK and US fans via BritBox, a paid streaming service courtesy of the BBC and ITV. We can presume Classic episodes will remain there for now. But with a zillion streaming services in the universe, some people simply don’t want to pay for another one. That is totally understandable. So the Classic era episodes of Doctor Who on Tubi are a good thing, indeed. In addition to the show’s episodes, there is also Classic Doctor Who: The Animated Lost Stories, which includes animated reenactments of live-action episodes lost to time. (Many of them are from the Second Doctor’s era.) All episodes will run on a dedicated FAST channel and are available on-demand. 

Tubi will also offer a “New to Who” collection to help new fans board the TARDIS with relative ease. Now is the time to expand our recruiting efforts, Doctor Who fans. We need more people to become one of us because, well, we are an awesome collective. The Classic Doctor Who episodes are free on Tubi right now, so stream away my friends.

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Gen V’s seventh episode was a complete doozy with tons of new revelations and The Boys’ character cameos. And boy did that episode’s ending set up the season finale well. It’s enough to make your head want to, ahem, explode. There has been lots of small connective tissue between The Boys and Gen V, from Queen Maeve posters to Adam Bourke showing up as a professor. However, things between these series are a lot more intertwined than we originally thought. Gen V reveals that Victoria Neuman and Marie Moreau are more alike than we thought and Dean Shetty harbors a personal vendetta against all supes, specifically Homelander, which explains why she is creating a supe-killing virus. Let’s get into how Gen V is perfectly setting up The Boys season four through season one’s final two episodes.

Dean Shetty’s Motivations in Gen V and Her Ties to Homelander’s Cruelty in The Boys

At the end of episode six, we discovered that Dean Shetty wants to use Dr. Edison Cardosa’s virus to infect all supes. Of course, this is in direct conflict with Dr. Cardosa’s intentions, which aren’t totally clear but apparently are not this nefarious. We knew we’d get an explanation behind her motivations at some point. It did seem odd to want to kill supes considering she is the dean of a university for supes. Now, we know that Dean Shetty hates supes because her husband and daughter died in the Crash of Transoceanic Flight 37.

In case you forgot, this is the plane crash from The Boys’ season one, episode four where Homelander and Queen Maeve attempt to stop hijackers on a commercial flight. They kill three of the hijackers but when Homelander discovers a fourth in the cockpit, he recklessly kills him with his laser eye powers. This destroys the plane, causing it to start crashing. Despite Maeve’s pleas to save the passengers, Homelander doesn’t want any witnesses. So, he leaves with Maeve and they watch everyone crash and die.

Indira Shetty is very well connected and a smart human. So it is not shocking that she knows the truth about this flight. It also seems that she hasn’t been the dean at the school for very long. She previously told Marie that she was previously a behavioral therapist and reminded Ashley that Vought hired her because she’s a “problem solver,” hinting that she came along in recent years. We’d bet his happened three years ago and she came into this sham of a school to continue studying supes. But unlike her predecessors, she’s taking her experiments to a dangerous new level.

In episode seven, Shetty goes to Grace Mallory, the former CIA Deputy Director and the founder of The Boys. Or, as Soldier Boy calls her, Captain Lesbo. Shetty tries to convince her that they can work together. Grace obviously declines this offer and makes a phone call to a mysterious person. She asks if they “got that” and hinting that “they” are on to her.

We don’t hear the voice on the phone, but it seems to be Butcher on the other end. Dean Shetty’s goals threaten every supe in this universe—both good and terrible. The Boys are not on that wavelength, especially with Starlight on their team. They will have to deal with this virus threat next season among other things. Vought is aware of The Woods and experiments, they don’t know that Shetty wants to kill all supes. Godolkin University is a front to study supes to craft new abilities and keep their business going. 

Any hopes of Dean Shetty appearing on The Boys are gone before the end of the episode. Cate controls Dean Shetty’s mind and makes her admit the truth to her friends. Then, she exacts her revenge by making her former mom figure slit her throat. Cate also prevents Marie from saving her, sending the God U crew into shock. Loyalties become divided with Sam believing that Cate delivered righteous justice while Emma, Marie, and Jordan believing she made a terrible choice.

In episode 8, we get confirmation that Butcher was on the phone, thanks to his appearance in a brief mid-credits scene. He walks through the now-dark hallways of The Woods before calling everyone a cunt. Perfection. We know The Boys will take place very shortly after Gen V‘s events, so we will see them looking into the events at God U.

The Boys‘ Victoria Neuman Comes to Gen V and Changes the Game

Now, it’s time for the Victoria Neuman drama. The former (??) anti-supe (but actually a supe) activist turned Vice Presidential candidate is at God U hoping to win over its students. Predictably, things go awry and Victoria has to leave the stage. Meanwhile, Marie sneaks in to speak with her directly, hoping that Neuman can use her political power to expose The Woods. She’s shocked when Victoria willingly invites her into a room for a conversation. Marie gets more than what she bargained for after Victoria Neuman invites her to analyze her blood. She realizes that the political powerhouse is herself a Supe and Victoria reveals that she also has blood manipulation powers. This makes a lot of sense considering she blows up folks’ heads on the regular.

Victoria also reveals that she went to the Red River Institute and played a small role in helping Marie get into Godolkin. (RED. FLAG.) Marie divulges all the information to her and Victoria tells her that she will “handle” it. She also tells Marie to go back to being a student, lest she want to cause trouble that will end with Vought shipping her to an adult facility. Victoria says the first Black woman in the Seven would have real power politically and culturally. She tells Marie to choose a path and that they will “keep in touch.”

This complicates things greatly for Marie because she could risk ruining her entire life behind exposing The Woods. At the end, Victoria takes the virus and kills Dr. Cardosa, so she will likely take off with the virus vials and use them to her advantage in The Boys season four. So while Dean Shetty is gone, Victoria Neuman is taking up the mantle of stirring up drama in the supe world. 

We know that Gen V will get another season that will build on whatever goes down in The Boys season four. What will Victoria do with the supe killing virus? How will Marie, Andre, Emma, and Jordan get out of their all-white prison? What will Cate and Sam do next? The plot thickens, indeed. Bring on The Boys season four.

Originally published October 27, 2023.

The post How GEN V Expertly Sets Up THE BOYS Season 4 appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys is known for its bloody and oft-gross world full of deceptive supes and shady corporate shenanigans. So it’s fitting that Gen V, the show’s spinoff series, is delivering that same energy in a college setting. Class is in session and there’s a lot of gross, shocking, and plain old weird moments in Gen V that are prime fodder for GIFs and memes. 

Here are all the scenes that will never leave your mind (and timeline).

Jump To: Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4 // Episode 5 // Episode 6 // Episode 7 // Episode 8

Gen V Episode One’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “God U”

Marie’s Bloody Supe Origin Story

Gen V wastes no time getting into some dark and bloody s**t. At first, things seem normal with a preteen Marie starting her first menstrual cycle. She’s understandably unnerved by her bleeding but she becomes terrified when her blood starts to float towards her face. Her screams lead her mom to break down the bathroom door.

Marie isn’t able to control her newfound powers and a stream of her blood slits her mother’s throat. Her dad comes in to help but Marie’s panicking causes her blood to also kill him in a brutal fashion. Her sister comes in to see their parents dead and Marie on the floor in shock. 

Not Suitable for School Sex Videos

A now-teenage Marie is at Red River Institute, an orphanage for young supes, and simply wants to use a computer. But one of her housemates is using it to watch sex videos. Weirdly, he’s watching it with no headphones in a room with others around. Marie rightfully calls him a perv and tells him to move. She also has to, um, clean the keyboard before she can use it. 

Little Cricket Vs. David Caruso the Gerbil 

This is tame for Gen V and The Boys’ universe but it is still very weird. We meet Little Cricket a.k.a. Emma, who shrinks down and makes fighting videos with her pet gerbil. It’s strange and fun and I’m okay with it. 

Golden Boy’s Arm-Ripping Techniques 

Golden Boy is the man at God U. So of course he has to battle his fellow classmates in a gladiator-style battle, right? He turns on the flames and quickly takes out an opponent. The fight ends with him ripping the other guy’s arms off for a burst of bright red. Thankfully this supe has healing powers and his arms are reconnected to his body. 

Hella Strong Supe on the Loose 

Marie and Andre both discover a supe running across campus as armed guards chase him. They use their powers to apprehend him but not before he’s able to toss some vehicles and people around. This sets up a big mystery and goes against the picture perfect image that God U maintains. 

A Night Out and a Throat Slashing (Again)

As a freshman, Marie is living the dream. Andre invites Marie to hang out with him, Golden Boy, Jordan Li, and Golden Boy’s girlfriend Cate. Are they supposed to leave campus? No. But college life is all about breaking the rules. Things are going well until Andre gets drunk and decides to manipulate a coin into a bird to impress a girl at the bar. Someone bumps into him and the coin slices a woman’s neck. Marie is able to save her life but it begins a downward spiral that nearly gets her booted from school.

Little Cricket’s Goes on a Wild and Woeful Ride

Little Cricket didn’t get a chance to hang out with Golden Boy. Instead, she hooks up with a random guy who is a fan of her online videos. Predictably, he only cares about her getting small so she can, um, take a ride on his private part. She isn’t thrilled about it but in the midst of her sadness she does it anyway. We also discover that Little Cricket has to force herself to vomit in order to get small. It really brings her story and powers into a sad focus. 

Golden Boy’s Killer Rampage and Explosive Ending

Marie decides to fight back against Professor Brink’s decision to expel her in order to protect Golden Boy and company. What she didn’t bargain for was seeing Golden Boy burning Brink alive before turning his attention to her. Jordan saves the day (even though they barely survived) but Golden Boy makes it outside. In the end, Golden Boy says goodbye to his bestie Andre before floating up in the sky and exploding himself. His blood and guts rain down on everyone below as they stand in a state of shock. An explosive ending to an episode, indeed. 

Gen V Episode Two’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “First Day”

Guts Cleanup on Godolkin Campus

The first scene of the episode shows the gory aftermath of Golden Boy’s death. Chunks of his flesh and blood are all over the place and it is terrible.

Nancy Reagan That S**t

Justine will do anything to get views, including telling others that Emma purges to get small. While that is gross and shocking from a moral perspective, Justine is also a creep. She convinces a supe to suck her tail on camera, telling her to “Nancy Reagan that s**t” in a calm voice. Yuck.

A Dive Into Polarity’s Private Parts

Andre finally pieces together what Golden Boy said moments before his death. “Your dad has it” wasn’t meant to be taken literally after all. It turns out Luke/Golden Boy hid a secret phone in the crotch of the Polarity statue, which Andre opens and retrieves.

Cate Saves the Day with Dirty Mind Control

Andre’s mission to find out about Luke and Sam goes awry when guards catch him. Cate comes in and uses her mind manipulation powers to convince one guard to suck on the others flashlight before it goes, well, where the sun doesn’t shine. Cate is so creative and clutch.

Gen V Episode Three’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “#ThinkBrink”

The Fist Up the Throat

Sage Grove doesn’t seem like a fun place to be. In a flashback, Luke and Cate go to visit Sam. Besides seeing a very long “love sausage” they discover that Sam is quite upset after learning the truth about Compound V. Luke calms him down but an officer shoots him, which leads to Sam punching an officer so hard in the chest that his fist comes out of his mouth. Delightful.

Well, That’s One Way to Grieve

Cate and Andre are both mourning Luke’s death and trying to piece together this mystery. In the midst of it all, college hormones take over and they have sex. Somehow, we don’t think Luke would be pleased.

Jordan Li’s Little Romp

This show changes scenery and tone at the drop of a hat. One moment we are grieving with Golden Boy and the next one Jordan Li is having a tryst in their room with a lot showing in broad daylight. Gen V really does embody the spirit of The Boys well when it comes to random shocking moments!

A Little Cricket Ear Adventure

Little Cricket meets Sam and they actually get along quite well. Soldiers come in and hit Sam with a taser. She chooses to defend him by crawling into a man’s ear and going all the way through to the other side. It’s bloody, weird, and a moment that no one will forget.

Gen V Episode Four’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “The Whole Truth”

Sam’s Trail of Carnage Candy

Sam is on the loose and he leaves a lot of carnage candy in his wake. Dean Shetty discovers a gruesome scene with most of her soldiers’ bodies twisted and bloody in a hallway. It’s not the first time we have seen Sam deliver blood to the screen and it certainly won’t be the last. 

I Exploded His D**k

Yes, Marie is a supe and currently #2 at God U. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t still a naive freshman who doesn’t know what’s going on sometimes. Marie is desperate to find Emma, so she seeks out Rufus, an upperclassman with psychic and telepathy powers. She wants him to use his abilities to locate Emma and he agrees, coercing Marie to sit close to him.

However, he somehow portals them to his dorm room after knocking her out with some sort of pheromones. Marie is confused and horrified when she discovers that he’s wearing a robe and fully exposing himself to her. Jordan shows up and creates a distraction. Marie holds her hands up and it causes the blood to rush to his penis. It explodes and that situation is a wrap. 

Marie and Jordan Hook Up

There’s been a ton of tension between these two and not in a sexual way. However, Marie finally telling the truth and Jordan coming to her aid sparks a flame between the pair. They share their first kiss before Emma barges in and end up having sex later in the episode. It’s not the graphic fare we’d expect in Gen V, but this moment is still shocking nonetheless. 

Tek Knight Is Humpin’ Around

Tek Knight’s extracurricular activities become his downfall in this episode. Dean Shetty discovers that his brain tumor leads him to engaging with inanimate objects in a sexual way. We actually get to see a few, including a donut, traffic cone, hand dryer, and even a tree. What a swell guy!

Emma Goes Giant

This episode reveals more about Emma’s abilities. Apparently, she can consume large amounts of food while regular sized and turn into a super-sized version of herself. This comes in handy when the God U crew tracks down Sam and tries to subdue him. Emma eats spaghetti and gets very big (and naked), holding Sam down and talking to him gently until he calms down. 

Gen V Episode Five’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “Welcome to the Monster Club”

The Dolphin Blowhole Sex Scene

The God U crew wakes up at a house party and doesn’t remember anything from the night before nor the woods. Andre and Cate walk through the house, where all sorts of wild things have happened. But nothing is like what they see in one room. A guy who can move his hand really fast sticks it inside of a girl with a blowhole. And um… she has her climax and shoots fluid out of the hole.

Who the Hell Is Sam?!

Things take a complete turn when Sam shows up. Emma and Marie have no idea who he is and remember nothing about The Woods. This is when we know something truly terrible has happened to our crew.

The Violent Puppet Scene

Dean Shetty’s guards/soldiers descend on Sam’s hiding spot. He takes them out in extremely brutal fashion but it seems less horrific because the fight is seen through his eyes. Everyone, including Sam, appears as a puppet. It’s only in the end where we see the true carnage that Sam left behind. The more you think about his puppet connection, the sadder it becomes.

Cate’s Deception

Marie discovers a tracking device in her neck and goes to Cate to see what to do next. Unfortunately, Cate reveals herself to be the one wiping their minds. Is she a horrible person? No. But it still makes everyone angry, especially Andre.

Gen V Episode Six’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “Jumanji”

Hello Soldier Boy

Everything about Marie, Jordan, and Andre’s encounter with Soldier Boy in Cate’s mind is weird and gross. He reveals that he is her childhood crush as well as all the ways she would masturbate to his image. We get great terms like “flick the bean” and “diddle that skittle” to describe it all. What a fun and wild cameo that ends explosively.

A Little Sex and an Emma Puppet

Is there anything else to say? After getting her memories back, Emma finds Sam and shows him the way to Pleasure Town. During their interaction, Sam briefly sees Emma as a puppet before she becomes herself again.

The Dean Shetty and Cate Connection

Well, well, wellll. It turns out Dean Shetty preyed on Cate at a young age after she’d been ostracized for nine years. Now we have a better understanding of why Cate would betray her friends and help Shetty in her dangerous mission.

Andre and Jordan Are Full of Sordid Secrets

Cate’s mind tells everyone’s personal business. While the revelation about Marie’s dark past made everyone feel empathy for her, Jordan and Andre’s secrets were of the anger-inducing variety. It turns out Golden Boy knew that Andre and Cate were sleeping together before he died. Spicy. And Jordan saw a confrontation between Golden Boy and Brink, but chose to stay quiet about it in exchange for their TA position.

Gen V Episode Seven’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “Sick”

Infected Andy Enters The Woods

Sam is out of The Woods but the horrors continue for the other supes there. We see the full scope of Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa’s nasty virus thanks to infected Andy. He looks like something from a zombie series in the grossest way possible. 

Dean’s Shetty’s Shocking Truth 

Marie and Jordan do a little snooping around in Shetty’s office and make a big discovery. It turns out Shetty’s family died in the flight that Homelander and Queen Maeve crashed in The Boys season one. This is why she’s dead set on killing all supes. For more about that crash and what this connection could mean, check this post out. 

Sam Explores Emma’s Underwear 

Sam is left to his own devices while Emma does a supply run. While it seems like a terrible idea to leave someone like Sam alone, Emma also knows he’s a wanted man. Sam explores Emma’s room and discovers her underwear drawer. Interestingly, she has underwear in all sizes and he takes a liking to her tiny ones. In fact, he begins to act out a weird scene with them to entertain himself. How can you not love him?

Polarity’s Onscreen Breakdown and Crushing Ride to the Hospital 

Polarity is back in Gen V and preparing to interview Victoria Neuman at a God U Town Hall. Things quickly go awry when Polarity goes into some sort of shock on live TV. Andre is watching and rushes to see about his estranged father. Polarity’s powers go off the rails, causing metal to fly all around and his ambulance to start crushing in on itself. Thankfully, Andre contains everything but it raises some unanswered questions about what happened to him. Is it connected to The Woods? 

Victoria Neuman’s Power Reveal

After a terrible Town Hall, Victoria Neuman and Marie Moreau sit down for a little chat. Victoria confirms that she also has blood manipulation powers, which makes sense because she pops people’s heads for fun. Maybe we will see a bloody battle between the two in the future.

Dean Shetty Dies Under Cate’s Control

The frankly awful relationship between Dean Shetty and Cate Dunlap comes to a tragic end. After years of feeding Cate meds to control her powers and coercing her to protect The Woods’ secrets, Cate is over Shetty. She gains mind control over her, making her confess all her sins before forcing Shetty to slit her own throat. This action causes some division among the group and sets Cate up to be a new antihero.

Popping the Doctor

Oh Marie. She tells Victoria Neuman all about what’s going on with The Woods and it immediately leads to mess. Victoria tracks down Dr. Cardosa, gets all the virus vials, and promptly pops his head before heading off to parts unknown.

Gen V Episode Eight’s Most Gross, Shocking, and Weird Moments  – “Guardians of Godolkin”

Sam’s Punch to the Skull

Sam and Cate go off on a mission to liberate The Woods and it quickly gets bloody. Sam punches clear through the helmet and head of a guard to set things into chaotic motion. He’s an awesome kid but Cate is certainly not the greatest influence on him.

Head Frying, Body Exploding, and Fear-Inducing Revenge

An escapee from The Woods gets out in the quad and immediately begins to exact his revenge against humans. The first non-supe professor gets her head promptly fried in front of a crowd and, well, its only the beginning of the havoc. There’s a full on war going on at Godolkin and the experiment supes have the upper hand for a bit.

Emma and Sam’s Official Breakup

Emma tries to stop Sam from continuing to kill. But he replies that he wants to make his own decision and that she will do anything to try to get people to like her. Sam is not totally wrong with his statement but Emma is right about them killing innocent people. Unfortunately, Sam decides to go along with Cate’s plan and allows her to deaden his emotions so he can be a killing machine. Poor Sam just wants to escape the pain and has pushed away the best person in his life.

Maverick Beats Up Marie… While Naked

This moment is more hilarious and enlightening than anything. Maverick (under Cate’s mind control) beats up Marie for a bit before she tunes deeply into her powers. She can suss out his bloodstream and uses that to knock him out. Also, Maverick is naked for no reason at all. Weird.

Marie Explodes Cate’s Arm and Faces Homelander’s Wrath

Speaking of Marie’s powers, she learns how to wield them in some mighty ways. Without even cutting her palm, Marie takes the blood of dead beings around her, forms daggers, and completely destroys a supe threatening Ashley Barrett, Adam Bourke, and others in a helicopter. Moments later, she explodes Cate’s arm (mostly by accident) to prevent Jordan from being mind controlled.

This move is seen by none other than Homelander, who puts Marie, Jordan, Emma, and Andre into some kind of weird holding chamber for their “crimes.” What a way to end a season.

We can’t wait to see what gross, shocking, and weird moments will happen in Gen V season two.

Originally published on September 29, 2023.

The post The Most Shocking, Gross, and Plain Weird Moments of GEN V Season 1 appeared first on Nerdist.

Netflix’s Wednesday series resonated with viewers in a way that many didn’t expect. The series, starring Jenna Ortega as the infamous Addams family daughter, hit the streaming service right before Thanksgiving weekend for a story about mayhem and murder. Very appropriate timing, to be honest. And that long weekend along with eight episodes of fantastic action, verbal slices, and mystery paid off. Netflix gave us the renewal announcement that we’ve been wanting, revealing that Wednesday will return for season two. Let the ongoing shenanigans at Nevermore Academy continue. 

Here’s what producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar told Tudum.com about this great news:

It’s been incredible to create a show that has connected with people across the world.  Thrilled to continue Wednesday’s tortuous journey into season two. We can’t wait to dive head first into another season and explore the kooky spooky world of Nevermore. Just need to make sure Wednesday hasn’t emptied the pool first.

The Wednesday season two renewal announcement shouldn’t shock anyone. Wednesday nabbed the record for most hours viewed in a week for an English-language series on Netflix with a whopping 341.2 million hours. And it became #1 in 83 countries, tying the record set by Stranger Things 4. We all know that Stranger Things is Netflix’s darling, so anything that can rival that is worth keeping around. And, to be honest, Wednesday Addams is a true legend with a legion of fans. Add in the fact that Jenna Ortega is coming into her full star power with yet another Scream movie on the way, and, well, the smell of success is stronger than Thing’s hand cream. 

Most recently, Variety reported that Wednesday season two was tentatively scheduled to begin production in April 2024. Good news for all excited fans.

Wednesday season two will presumably pick up when the students return to Nevermore. We will get to discover who is watching Wednesday and if she decided to go visit Enid during their impromptu break. Recently, Ortega also shared that in season two, Wednesday would lean into its more horror-filled aspects and ditch a romantic story. Oretega offered, “We’ve decided we want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more. Because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously.” She added, “We’re ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great,”

And, of course, everyone wants to know if Christina Ricci will return to Wednesday as Laurel Gates. Either way, we hope we get those new episodes quicker than we can snap twice.

Originally published on January 6, 2023.

The post WEDNESDAY Will Return for Season Two in Two Snaps appeared first on Nerdist.

The Masters of the Universe live-action film about He-Man and his comrades will not happen at Netflix. According to Variety, the streaming service is no longer moving forward with the anticipated film. This news is quite shocking considering Netflix reportedly spending a whopping $30 million dollars on it already. We even got some casting news a while back about Kyle Allen taking on the role of He-Man, also known as Prince Adam. The power of nostalgia is strong but apparently not strong enough. Right now, we have no further details about exactly why Netflix canceled the Masters of the Universe movie. But it is the latest setback in a long line of attempts to bring this story to the big screen.

For those who may only be vaguely familiar with the contents of this canceled film, Masters of the Universe is set on the magical planet Eternia and details the ongoing conflict between the muscular and blonde bob-wearing He-Man—better known as Prince Adam, the son of Eternia’s rulers—and his arch nemesis Skeletor, an evil sorcerer. Even those who don’t know this world have seen a Skeletor meme or two on social media. The 1980s animated series holds a special place in a lot of fans’ hearts who thought they would finally get their beloved characters in live-action. Netflix even brought a sequel animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, to life in 2021.

Now, with the Netflix deal canceled, Mattel is on the hunt for a new buyer for this Masters of the Universe live-action movie. Recent reports from Variety indicate that Amazon MGM Studios is seriously interested, but nothing is certain yet. So it will probably be a while before we hear any good news, if it ever comes at all. Hopefully, He-Man will have the power to rise to live-action and wield his sword in his own movie one day.

Originally published on July 19, 2023.

The post MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Live-Action Movie Canceled at Netflix Could Move to Amazon appeared first on Nerdist.

Netflix’s Drop 01 event gave fans a slate of incredible animation news. From a virtual viewing of Castlevania: Nocturne to the very intriguing teaser for a Devil May Cry anime series, there’s a lot for subscribers to look forward to in the near future. Another Netflix announcement that has us buzzing is Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft and its gorgeous teaser trailer. Recently, during Geeked Week, we also got a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at this new adventure. It’s been a long time since we have seen this famous adventurer swing into action, and it looks like we are in for quite the quest.

The clip reveals exactly what it should to viewers. In this Tomb Raider trailer, We get a glimpse of Lara Croft as she dives into a mysterious abyss and shoots an arrow at the camera. There’s also some intrigue as she looks at a photo of herself with a group of people, presumably friends. It would have been nice to hear Hayley Atwell as the titular tomb raider. But perhaps Netflix is leaving a little something for us to look forward to when it comes to this Tomb Raider series. Lara Croft’s video game and film history gives her a few different backstories, including everything from being an aristocrat who chooses a life of adventure following an accident to a daughter seeking answers about her mother’s disappearance.

Of course, many fans are familiar with Angelina Jolie’s take on the character. She discovers the truth behind her father’s demise while also being a total badass. It remains to be seen what Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will do with her story, but the Netflix trailer does show how aesthetically pleasing this show will be. 

The Making of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

This Tomb Raider series is produced by Legendary Television and video game development company Crystal Dynamics, with animation by Powerhouse Animation Studios. Powerhouse is the same studio behind the 2017 Castlevania TV series as well as video games like Mortal Kombat X. 

As part of its Geeked Week, Netflix showcased the creation of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft and offered us a behind-the-scenes look at how the look of the character and series came together. Joy Hua, a character design supervisor on the series, shared that one of the main aims of the series is to bridge the Lara Croft fans know from the newer Survivor games and have her grow into the Lara Craft we fans know from the classic games. Hua also promises there will be many video game Easter eggs in the outfits and props fans see on screen, but that the series will also go to new and unexplored places.

Sounds like it will be an excellent adventure to us.

What Is Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’s Release Date? 

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will hit Netflix sometime in 2024. We will likely get a firmer date/release window when a full trailer for the Tomb Raider series drops.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

Originally published on September 27, 2023.

The post Here’s a Stunning Look at the Making of TOMB RAIDER: THE LEGEND OF LARA CROFT appeared first on Nerdist.

John Wick: Chapter 4 recently dominated the box office, with Keanu Reeves delivering hours of action. And we loved it here at Nerdist. The fourth installment in the successful John Wick franchise was meant to be the end of Baba Yaga’s tale. And honestly, he deserves some rest, considering how quickly all of this mess went down for him. That’s a lot of pain and killing in a span of only a few months. But the smell of success is an intoxicating scent that lures executives in for more. So, it looks more and more likely that John Wick 5 could happen in the future, which is interesting considering how the fourth film neatly wraps up Wick’s story.

Will There Be a John Wick 5?

Will there be a John Wick 5? It looks like John Wick 5 is at least in early development at Lionsgate. At a recent Lionsgate’s earnings call discussing Q4 of 2023, Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake addressed the John Wick franchise (via Comicbook.com). Not only did he confirm there were video games and TV series spinoffs in the works for John Wick, but he noted that John Wick 5 was actually in development. Well, we aren’t surprised. Here is his full quote:

We’re now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there’s clear appetite by the audience. What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spinoff that comes out next year. We’re in development on three others, including John Wick 5 and including television series. The Continental will be airing soon. And so, we’re building out the world and when that five movie comes, will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.

Drake recently spoke about John Wick 5 again during another earnings call (Also according to Comicbook.com) and noted the movie was currently being written. He said:

On the Wick side we got multiple spin-offs and Wick Five… We started to work on (it) right when the writer’s strike started and we’ve gotten back to work as soon as it ended.

Whether John Wick 5 Happens Is Up to Reeves and Stahelski

Additionally, John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk shared with Deadline that the most important factor for a potential John Wick 5 was whether or not Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski felt compelled to make another movie.

Iwanyk offered:

Once they get through their hangovers, if Keanu and Chad have figured out something cool, if they’ve an organic way back in that doesn’t feel like bullshit, then there will be a John Wick 5. That trip to Japan, it’s like waiting for a boat to emerge out of the smoke, but that’s the impetus. These movies are really hard for Keanu and Chad, and everybody. By the time each one is over, most involved have said, never again, this is too hard and we’re not getting any younger. Then time goes by, you see it embraced by fans, and after working together every year for 11 years, it’s become a family and in some demented way, and we miss each other. But I totally defer to Chad and Keanu to figure out what and if that story is.

He also added, speaking to IGN, “John Wick 4 was embraced enough by the critics and the audience that it’s kind of an organic and natural next step to do John Wick 5. I think that there’s no question that it’s in development, but right now the story isn’t there yet. And until the story is there, it isn’t… It’s real on something we’re trying to figure out. But we haven’t settled on what that movie looks like or feels like.” Hopefully, that’s where Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves come in.

Stahelski Weighs in on Another John Wick Movie

For his part, Stahelski recently revealed, “I don’t have a take right now. But I could wake up tomorrow and have a cool idea that I’d pitch to Keanu, or he would pitch to me, and it might hit that chord of, ‘Oh my God, we got to do this right now.’”

He also noted to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “Keanu, if you ask him right now, ‘Would you do John Wick 5?’ He’d be, ‘Fuck yeah!’ But then he’d look and go, ‘Well, what is it? I have no fucking idea.’ And believe me, it’s not like, ‘We’re going to figure it out today’… We have a lot of set pieces, we have a lot of ideas, we have a lot of things that we didn’t go or didn’t do before. I have no doubt that we’d come up with a lot of great pieces. It just — what’s the main threat? We’re about myths. It’s like a fable. What’s the message in the fable? What’s the moral of the story?'” Ultimately he concludes, “I don’t think there’s any reason to bring John Wick back without a real reason.”

Fingers crossed there will be answers to some of those questions if the time is right for John Wick 5.

John Wick 5 Not Yet a Sure Thing

None of this, of course, is a confirmation that a John Wick 5 movie will definitely happen. Maybe Keanu Reeves will decide that he’s tired of shooting people and running in dress shoes when he meets with Stahelski. Early development doesn’t mean a definite yes, either. Either way, this isn’t the end of the universe. There’s already a secret Wick movie in the works, and we have the Ballerina flick coming later this year. But we wouldn’t mind seeing more John Wick at all, just as long as John Wick 5 tells the right story.

Originally published on March 27, 2023.

The post JOHN WICK 5 Is Currently in the Works at Lionsgate appeared first on Nerdist.

Gather up, Brellies. In 2022, Netflix announced The Umbrella Academy, our beloved time-traveling mess of a series, is coming back for season four. However, season four of The Umbrella Academy will be the final season. It is awesome that their story will get an ending. But it is always a bit sad to say goodbye to something that you love so much. 

The Umbrella Academy season three left the Hargreeves siblings in quite a lurch. Allison did some dirty deeds but got her daughter and husband Ray out of the deal. Reginald seems to be even more rich, powerful, and terrible in this new timeline. Five is alone once again, and Luther is heartbroken. Meanwhile, Diego and Lila are going to simply live their lives. Oh, and no one seems to have powers anymore. And we don’t know what the hell is going on with that new Ben. That’s just a few of the many plot threads left hanging from the season finale. So hopefully, we will get answers to those questions in The Umbrella Academy season four.

The Umbrella Academy Cast Teases Season Four

As part of Netflix’ Geeked Week in 2023, we got this delightful video of the cast sharing teases about season four. It’s all very vague (and charming), but it sounds like the siblings will face the usual amount of mayhem.

Who Is Returning for The Umbrella Academy Season Four? 

We know a few people are set to return, including Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallager, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and Colm Feore. So that means we are getting Viktor, Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus (yay!), Five, Ben (a new, new, new one?), Lila, and Reginald are back. We know Nick Offerman, David Cross, and Megan Mullally will appear, too.

Steve Blackman will also return as the showrunner and executive producer. 

What Is the Release Date and Plot for The Umbrella Academy Season Four?

The Umbrella Academy season four will arrive in 2024. As far as the plot, it is pretty up in the air at this point. Season three pretty much covered the last two volumes of the comics. This means there will be some pretty significant creative liberty being taken at this time. As usual, Five will discover some massive problem and try to round the troops up to save the world. Again. Maybe this time will be the charm, and they can set a timeline that isn’t wacky. All we want is for everyone to be happy and a retirement celebration for Five. He’s hella old and deserves it. 

Until season four comes, we will be stuck in the loop of Luther and Sloane’s wedding. It’s our Brellie happy place.

Originally published on August 25, 2022.

The post THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY Cast Teases What’s Ahead for the Last Season appeared first on Nerdist.

There aren’t many things in life that we can all agree on. But I honestly believe every person alive and born before 1995 knows that Eddie Murphy is a comedy legend. From the legendary Harlem Nights to the forever classic Coming to America, he can make us laugh no matter the situation. In fact, the more ridiculous the plot, the more he soars as a comedian. So it seems fitting that Eddie Murphy is diving all the way into the Christmas movie arena with Candy Cane Lane, an upcoming Prime Video flick with a fun trailer.

The streaming service proclaims this is Eddie Murphy’s first Christmas film. And I have to strongly disagree with that because I will not stand for Trading Places erasure. (I’m kidding… sort of.) Anyway, who doesn’t love Eddie getting into full suburban Dad mode for a pure adventure? 

Check out the synopsis for Candy Cane Lane:

Eddie Murphy stars in this holiday comedy adventure about a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest. After Chris (Eddie Murphy) inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell) to better his chances of winning, she casts a magic spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life, and wreaks havoc on the whole town. At the risk of ruining the holidays for his family, Chris, his wife Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), and their three children must race against the clock to break Pepper’s spell, battle deviously magical characters, and save Christmas for everyone.

As we see in the Candy Cane Lane trailer, the holidays are going to get very, very wacky in their household. It’s giving a touch of Clark Griswold with a heavy dose of fantasy. I don’t know that I want six geese laying eggs near my house, but I will take the five golden rings. Catch Eddie Murphy in Candy Cane Lane when the Christmas movie hits Prime Video on December 1.

Originally published on October 12, 2023.

The post Eddie Murphy Creates Christmas Chaos in CANDY CANE LANE Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys‘ universe has a new class of supes who hope to join the Seven on Gen V. Marie Moreau, Andre Anderson, and others fought for the coveted #1 spot at Godolkin University and all the perks that come with being great. It’s an exciting new direction for the franchise, but our hearts are always with characters like Hughie, A-Train, and even Homelander. We knew a few characters from The Boys would appear on Gen V throughout its first season. But how did their stories intertwine with God U? Here’s which The Boys characters appeared on Gen V. 

A-Train Is a Beacon of Hope in Gen V 

A-Train appeared in the show’s opening scene in a flashback from eight years ago when he was drafted into The Seven. Marie’s dad was proud to see a Black man make it into the group. If he only knew the truth about that organization. A-Train’s draft clip is the only time he appeared on the spinoff.

The Late Madelyn Stillwell Comes Alive in a Flashback

There’s no use crying over spilled milk, but we’re still sad Homelander murdered Elisabeth Shue’s Madelyn Stillwell on The Boys. That made her quick cameo in a flashback to A-Train’s Seven draft day that much sweeter to drink in. And now we’re going to stop making milk drinking puns before we go too far.

Ashley Barrett Continues to Lie for Vought in Gen V

Ashley Barrett first appeared at the end of episode one after Golden Boy’s rampage and death by suicide. Of course, the Vought CEO lied and said there’s nothing wrong at Godolkin. She called Golden Boy “psychotic” and a “drug user.”

She then showed up early in episode two on a board meeting/phone call with Godolkin University president Indira Shetty to discuss Golden Boy’s death. Ashley quickly created a narrative to push Marie and Andre as the “Guardians of Godolkin” who saved the day so they could score points with the public and the NAACP. Ashley purposefully left Jordan Li out of the narrative because of their race and gender identity. A private conversation between Indira and Ashley revealed The Woods as a big and “potentially fatal” problem. Indira assured Ashley she will handle everything from a PR perspective.

By the season one finale Ashley’s confidence in Shetty almost cost her and the entire board of trustees their lives. Ashley was at God U during the supe rampage. Marie and her friends managed to save Ashley and the others, and for that they got locked up.

Adam Bourke Is a Godolkin Professor in Gen V, Apparently

Adam Bourke shows up exactly where we thought he would in Gen V—the school of performing arts. The famed director told his acting class to use their grief over Golden Boy’s death to push forward. His appearance is hilarious with a pitch-perfect monologue about the importance of the artist. Apparently, his students have to “bring the funk and not the junk” to get a passing grade.

Sam almost killed him in the season one finale, but Emma stopped Sam. Bourke thought he then saved himself by blackmailing Ashley to let him into her barricaded room by threatening to reveal their previous bathroom romp. Ultimately he survived the Godolkin massacre with an idea for his next film.

The Deep Ranked #6 at God U and Loved Brink

The Deep (well, his photo) shows up in a Godolkin University orientation video in episode one. While Queen Maeve and A-Train were #1 in their classes, The Deep came in at #6. Honestly, I’m shocked he made it that far up the rankings. He’s not qualified to be a professor, but he did send in a video for a fundraiser gala honoring Brink. In episode three, The Deep says Brink helped him hone his skills and sharpened his mind to turn him into the intelligent man he is today. He tells him to “rest in peace bro.”

Soldier Boy’s Gen V Cameo Is a Dirty Delight

It only took six episodes for Jensen Ackles to return as Soldier Boy. His appearance wasn’t technically the real him, but rather how he exists in Cate’s mind/imagination as her childhood crush. He met Marie and company in Cate’s memories and told them a little too much info about Cate’s masturbation methods. A burst blood vessel in her brain then “killed” him in a lightning blast. Everything about him showing up was awesome, especially when you consider that Ackles improvs his lines.

Victoria Neuman Is on the Campaign (and Chaos) Trail 

Victoria Neuman makes her Gen V debut in episode six. The head-popping VP candidate is at a Godolkin Town Hall trying to repair her image as a supe hater. Predictably, the town hall goes completely off the rails and Victoria is rushed off stage only to be accosted by Marie Moreau. Through their conversation, Victoria affirms she also has blood manipulation powers. Marie hands her information about Vought and The Woods (which she may have been at least vaguely aware of) and Victoria uses that to kill Dr. Cardosa and take vials of the supe killing virus. She will be a big antagonist in The Boys season four and surely this virus will be a part of her nefarious plans. 

Cameron Coleman Continues to Carry Vought’s Water on Gen V

Vought News Network‘s most famous lapdog/faux journalist showed up on Gen V to interview Polarity ahead of Victoria Neuman’s Town Hall. After Polarity’s seizure Coleman filled-in as the event’s host. There he pushed more pro-supes, anti-Singer/Neuman presidential ticket propaganda as only Cameron Coleman can (like a dishonest snake.)

The Boys‘ Grace Mallory Makes a Surprise Cameo Appearance in Gen V

Grace Mallory, the former CIA Deputy Director who was caring for Homelander’s son Ryan, is known for being the founder of The Boys and working closely with Butcher. She appeared briefly in Gen V in a scene with Dean Shetty, who tried to convince Mallory to use the supe killing virus. Grace refused and then called a mysterious person to make sure they got the recording. That’s useful information for The Boys collective who could try and use that horrific virus for their own purposes in season four. 

Homelander Arrives at God U in a Bad Mood

The most powerful supe in the world showed up after Marie and Jordan stopped the woods prisoners massacre, but rather than greet them as heroes Homelander attacked Marie for murdering her own “kind.” The blast would have killed most people, but Marie survived and is now imprisoned with Andre, Jordan, and Emma. Meanwhile Vought CEO and potential felon Homelander made sure to have Cameron Coleman promote Cate and Sam as the real Guardians of Godolkin.

Butcher Stops by The Woods For a Foul-Mouthed Visit

Gen V‘s first season ended with a post-credits scene featuring the biggest supe-hater in the world, Billy Butcher. He appeared in the abandoned woods facility underneath Godolkin University. There he saw the horrific prison. Why was he there, though? What was he looking for? Butcher knows about the supe-killing virus created there, but Victoria Neuman has the only vials. Could Butcher be looking for a victim to find evidence of the virus? More information?

We’ll have to wait until The Boys season four to find out.

Originally published on September 29, 2023.

The post Here’s How THE BOYS Characters Showed Up on GEN V’s First Season appeared first on Nerdist.

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 left us with quite a cliffhanger, so it makes sense that people are ready beyond ready for more. This long-running saga of a superpowered girl, her nerdy friends, and a small town with a dark dimension beneath is wrapping up its story for good, making people extra excited. Stranger Things 5 will be the last season, a plan that the Duffer Brothers have had since the beginning. So naturally, they have been dropping information here and there for a while. Here’s what we know so far about Stranger Things 5. 

Stranger Things 5 Chapter One, Scene One

In celebration of Stranger Things Day 2023, the Stranger Things writers’ room released a tease of the very first scene of Stranger Things 5. It shares, “Darkness. The sound of cold wind. Groaning trees. And… A child’s voice. Singing a familiar song:”

Could that song be Dustin and Suzie sharing a tune? Or perhaps Will and Jonathan Byers are rocking out to, “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Perhaps someone is singing “Running Up That Hill” to Max. Hopefully, whoever is singing, it’s not in a bid to keep Vecna away.

Stranger Things 5 Releases Pre-Vis First-Looks at Episode One

Who would have thought we’d have our first-look at Stranger Things 5 so early. At least, a technical first-look. In support of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the Stranger Things 5 writers, who were recently allowed to return to work, posted a very interesting-looking Steve Harrington.

FYI this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this.

— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 28, 2023

They followed up the slightly freaky image by noting, “FYI, this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this.” This Stranger Things 5 “first look” doesn’t actually reveal anything… But we are glad to see Steve, regardless.

They did Charlie dirty pic.twitter.com/NOWxnTou4l

— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 29, 2023

The writers also shared a continuation of the moment and revealed that Jonathan is also present in it. It looks like they might be working on a car or something of the sort together. We honestly wouldn’t mind seeing a little bit more of their tenuous friendship.

Lastly, Stranger Things‘ writers have revealed pre-viz for a scene in Stranger Things 5 that features Nancy, Jonathan, and Dustin. They’re screaming a lot in a car… and also appear to possibly be heading into the Upside Down by way of Stranger Things 2 location McCorkle’s farm. Very interesting.

Stranger Things 5 Will Be a Return to Season One and More

The Duffer Brothers teased the tone we can expect from Stranger Things 5. They shared:

Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each… Whereas before, each season was so [distinct]… [Season] 3 is our big summer blockbuster season with big monsters, and [Season] 4 was the psychological horror. Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each. I think that what we’re trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit, in sort of the tone of 1.

While having an Eleven-centric final season is a no-brainer, The Duffer Brothers affirm via a Variety interview that Will Byers is going to once again become a big focus in Stranger Things‘ final season. There’s no outright onscreen confirmation that Will is indeed gay (we do get lots of heavy hinting); however, actor Noah Schnapp did reveal his truth via TikTok as well as previously stating that his character is gay. In an interview with Variety, Schnapp affirms his own journey would inform how he portrays Will in the final season.

“I think the way I act in season five, honestly, might be a little different,” Schnapp says. “I will be fully aware of who I am. Knowing all of that about myself and being able to invest that in my character, I’m honestly just excited.”

Ross Duffer further adds, “Will really takes center stage again in [season five]. This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality—it’s Will coming into his own as a young man.”

In terms of scale, the episodes are still as epic as Stranger Things 4‘s were. In fact, Stranger Things’ writers had quite a visceral way of describing the upcoming season. Take a look.

Additionally, the script for Stranger Things 5 made Netflix executives cry, according to the creators… And David Harbour refers to it as “very, very moving.” So strap in folks.

Will There Be a Time Jump Between Stranger Things 4 and Stranger Things 5?

If you’re wondering whether we’ll see a major time jump between Stranger Things 4 and Stranger Things 5, it sounds like the answer is no, but the door does remain open.

In an interview recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, David Harbour chatted to the Happy Sad Confused podcast about when Stranger Things 5 will pick up the story. He offered, “…when you watch us on that hill looking at the ash and the smoke and fires—we’re going to start somewhere after that. So you’ve got to imagine the world is a different place.” Of course, somewhere after that could mean more than a little time, but it does feel like the ash is still hanging in the air when the cameras begin to roll.

The Title of Stranger Things 5‘s First Episode

To celebrate Stranger Things Day 2022, Netflix gave us a tease of what we might expect in the final season of the show. Well, a tiny tease, anyway. Netflix released the title of Stranger Thing 5‘s first episode. The episode’s title? “Chapter One: The Crawl.”

Hrm… The doesn’t really clear much up. But for our money, that better mean Eddie Munson’s crawl back to life from his death in the Upside Down. Listen, it could happen. We guess we’ll just have to hang on for now. But we feel sure thousands of theories about this Stranger Things 5 title are already brewing.

Stranger Things 5 Will Be Shorter Than Stranger Things 4

Stranger Things 5 will be shorter than this very, very long season. According to an interview on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the reason for this is pretty simple. “The only reason we don’t expect [Season 5] to be as long is because, this season, if you look at it, it’s almost a two-hour ramp-up before our kids really get drawn into the supernatural mystery,” Matt Duffer said. “You get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, all while they’re struggling with adapting to high school and so forth … Steve’s trying to find a date. All of that.” 

For now, it looks like the Duffer brothers and other Stranger Things writers are teasing us with an eight-episode Stranger Things 5.

Based on the end of Stranger Things 4, this all makes sense. There’s plenty going on with them immediately in Stranger Things 5, to be honest. And this doesn’t mean we’ll get a shorter finale. The runtime for the very last episode will be movie length and have a Return of the King type of deal with eight endings. Goodness. 

Stranger Things 5 Will Only Be Set in Hawkins 

Stranger Things 4 felt like that song about the dude who’s been everywhere, man. There were so many locations in several states (and even Russia). But the final season will stick to the place where we began this adventure: Hawkins, Indiana. According to Matt Duffer, returning to home base is what it’s all about. “We wanna go back to a lot of the things we did in season one,” Duffer told Entertainment Weekly. “A lot of the original groupings and pairings that we had in season one–there’s something nice about coming full circle.”

This is interesting considering the new faces we’ve added on like Robin and Erica. Where will they fit into these groups in Stranger Things 5? We know the first season was heavy on Mike, Dustin, and Lucas being together while Will was missing. Uh, oh. Does this mean Will will separate from his buddies again? 

One thing we got confirmed: the Duffer Brothers know how Stranger Things will end. And we can only speculate what they have up their sleeves. 

The Work Is Currently on Hold for Stranger Things 5 

In a Collider interview, Ross Duffer confirmed that the writers’ room will be back to work in August 2022. However, things came to a grinding halt in May 2023 with the writers’ strike. The Stranger Things writers room made a post on Twitter affirming that production would stop until a fair deal was reached.

This likely means we won’t get Stranger Things 5 until 2025. And that’s okay. The most important issue is to make sure that actors and writers are being treated fairly.

The Stranger Things Spinoff Will Connect to the Series

That elusive Stranger Things spinoff that only the Duffer Brothers and apparently Finn Wolfhard know about will have “connective tissue” with the series. They will be involved in putting it together but they also want to put the reins in someone else’s hands so they can take a step back. In the aforementioned podcast interview, they admit to wanting to stay involved. But they also say they are looking for “that right person to pass the baton to” so they can do new things. Makes sense considering they have been in Stranger Things land for several years. 

Max Is in a Really, Really Bad Situation 

The Duffers also confirm some really sad news about Max and her fate on Stranger Things. Apparently, she is alive but “brain dead, blind, and all her bones are broken.” So, at least for now, Max is certainly not the same person she was before. It’s not clear how this will play into Stranger Things season five but hopefully, she won’t end up being some vessel for Vecna or anything. We can’t bear to see anything else happen to Max. Save her, please! 

Originally published on July 5, 2022.

The post Every STRANGER THINGS 5 Tease Released So Far appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys‘ spinoff series Gen V is doing its own thing with a slowly unraveling mystery at Godolkin University. But that doesn’t mean these shows aren’t closely intertwined. For college supes like Marie Moreau, the impact of the Seven looms large over their lives. In fact, the deification of superheroes led some parents to inject their babies with Compound V in hopes that they’d gain powers. This drug is a big part of The Boys’ overall history and future storylines. So, let’s dig into all things Compound V, its different forms, and what it means for the characters of Gen V and The Boys. 

The History of Compound V and Compound V24 in The Boys, Explained

The first season of The Boys introduces us to Compound V. It is a blue serum that can give both humans and animals extraordinary abilities. Nazi scientist Frederick Vought created it during WWII to turn adult soldiers into supes. Over the years, Vought International continued to make and manipulate his formula. The abilities a person can get are random and, if there are multiple doses, the powers can change based on how it mutates in the body. Interestingly, Compound V has a better survival and success rate with babies and young children versus adults. It is not a guarantee that anyone who takes Compound V will develop powers at any point in their lives. And, as expected, higher doses for those who can successfully process Compound V makes them stronger/faster/etc. This is why Queen Maeve and Homelander are so wildly strong.

In The Boys, we see an adult and already superpowered A-Train and his then-girlfriend Popclaw take Compound V. They use it in regular, small doses to enhance their abilities, much like a steroid does for normal human athletes. Unfortunately, it can cause the opposite effect and weaken their powers or cause major damage to their organs. That’s what happens to the speedster A-Train, who ends up needing a heart transplant.

The Boys season three gives us a different form of the serum with Compound V24, which is also known as Temp V. Compound V24 is a green super serum that allows a regular person to be a supe for 24 hours with just one dose. It is expensive—two million dollars, to be exact—and doesn’t seem to be addictive. Well, unless you count a person’s ego boost as addictive. Butcher gets his initial dose from Queen Maeve in hopes of being able to fight Soldier Boy and the Payback collective. Hughie also takes some of it so he can gain powers and feel more useful in general. 

Like any drug, Compound V24 has side effects. It made Butcher vomit green blood, drizzle goo out of his ears, and eventually led to such severe sickness that he only has months to live (allegedly). Starlight reveals that Compound V24 is fatal after three doses and Butcher has hit that mark.

Compound V24 will surely come into play in The Boys season four as we learn more about Butcher’s fate. 

Compound V in Gen V, Explained

It’s pretty obvious that Compound V plays a role in Gen V. It is right there in the show’s name. According to Indira Shetty’s conversation with Ashely Barrett in episode two, 400 kids (including Marie) found out that they weren’t born special but were drugged with Compound V as babies. Luke and Sam further discuss this in an episode three flashback. Sam is understandably furious when he finds out but Luke tries to defend his parents, saying they just thought they were giving them powers.

Why would a parent give their child a dangerous and potentially fatal drug? We assume most parents did this in hopes of making their kids wealthy/famous like the Seven. That is the case with Emma’s mom for sure. As we discover in Gen V, many of these young supes don’t know how to control their abilities when they first activate. Like Marie, some of their powers don’t kick in until puberty or another life-altering event and they are completely shocked.

They often end up in places like the Red River Institute, which is a supe orphanage. After a certain age/timeframe, they “transition” to a facility like Sage Grove psychiatric hospital or Elmira Adult rehab center where they are locked up or killed. Some supes like Sam have to grapple with mental health hurdles, too.

Marie’s power may not be as “marketable” as being a speedster or having super strength; however, she’s still one of the lucky ones. Landing at God U seemed like the best fate given her traumatic past. But we now know that the school is a front for gruesome experiments. Interestingly, we discover more about Marie’s powers, including her ability to suss out Compound V in a person’s bloodstream.

With the mysteries of that weird facility known as “the woods,” we may discover something new about Compound V soon. Vought is always “refining” the process of creating Compound V and there are probably science researchers at this university. How will it affect this generation as they come fully into adulthood? The answers could be lurking in the shadows of God U.

Originally published September 29, 2023.

The post Compound V and Compound V24 in THE BOYS and GEN V, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

The Sanderson sisters are officially coming back for another round! Last year, the Hocus Pocus trio returned nearly three decades after the original film’s 1993 release. While the sequel got some mixed reviews from fans, most people agreed that it was a delight to see Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy revive those kid-hungry witches in a Hocus Pocus sequel. Now, Walt Disney Pictures president Sean Bailey confirmed to The New York Times that Hocus Pocus 3 is a go.

In that profile, the article simply reports, “Yes, Hocus Pocus 3 is happening.” This film is in addition to other live-action developments, including Moana, Hercules, and Lilo & Stitch. Of course, there are no further details about what we can expect. But surely we will get the three leading actors back as those silly witches once again.

When Hocus Pocus 2 came out, screenwriter Jen D’Angelo did hint at a sequel including original protagonist Max Dennison (Omri Katz) and his girlfriend Allison Watts (Vinessa Shaw). Hopefully, those actors will reprise their roles in Hocus Pocus 3. Maybe they are married, and their child will light the black flame candle. There is, after all, a 2018 book where they have a daughter named Poppy. We’d also really, really love to see Dani Dennison (Thora Birch) come back in some capacity, if possible. 

Recently, D’Angelo gave us a small update on Hocus Pocus 3 and noted one character in particular as on her mind. She noted to Entertainment Weekly, “We’re still in the story phase, we’re still working on it. We’ve been working on some ideas, and it’s been fun to dive back into that world and we have so many directions in which to go and so many new characters to explore… We’ve only scratched the surface of Hannah Waddingham’s mother witch.” She even noted that she believes Waddingham’s mother witch to be the “mother” mentioned in the original 1993 movie script.

But for now, when it comes to Hocus Pocus 3, “anything’s on the table,” but “we for sure want to see them [Sanderson Sisters] again as adults.”

Grab your broomsticks and prepare to fly once again with more Hocus Pocus on the way. We hope to hear more about Hocus Pocus 3 sooner rather than later.

Originally published on June 5, 2023.

The post HOCUS POCUS 3 Is in Development at Disney appeared first on Nerdist.

Sometimes it is really hard to find the right guy, especially when you’re a teenager. The sweaty boys at your school don’t quite measure up to the handsome (and maybe famous) crush who you dream about at night. So you spend your days and nights fawning over a person you can only hope to meet and fall helplessly in love with in real life. But what if that crush was a dude who isn’t even alive anymore? How do you make your wildest romance dreams come true? You bring them to life for love, murder, gallivanting in graveyards, and adventure, obviously. The trailer for Lisa Frankenstein explores a strange “coming of rage” love story between a goth girl and a reanimated corpse. [Editor’s note: Kudos to the delightful pun on Lisa Frank.]

Kathryn Newton, whom we know as Cassie Lang of Ant-Man movie fame, plays Lisa, a teen who has a high school crush on a handsome corpse (Cole Sprouse). She sits at his grave, telling him that she just wants to be with him. Lisa gets her Frankenstein on and creates a machine to bring her crush to life. They go on a wild adventure full of wacky moments and a sprinkle of murder and crime while falling in love with each other. Her friends think it is weird and adults really hope she gets past the phase she is going through. Yet no one seems to be totally freaked out that she’s hanging out with a not-so-dead dude. Hmmmm…

The Lisa Frankenstein trailer is full of ‘80s-inspired looks, loving embraces, and dark humor. None of these elements are shocking considering Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body) is behind the script with Zelda Williams directing. Lisa Frankenstein also stars Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, and Henry Eikenberry.

The Release Date for Lisa Frankenstein 

Lisa Frankenstein will hit theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day on February 9, 2024.

The post LISA FRANKENSTEIN Trailer Explores a Love Story Between a Goth Girl and Her Corpse Crush appeared first on Nerdist.

When it comes to Doctor Who’s modern companions, Donna Noble (played by the remarkable Catherine Tate) remains a fan favorite with a controversial arc. She started off as a rather annoying temp from Chiswick but her platonic chemistry with the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and sharp wit made her a beloved companion. Donna became a very important person in the universe, discovering her own power and worth while traveling in the TARDIS. However, she saw some pretty heartbreaking things and her companion arc ended on a very sad note (more on that later). Donna Noble is returning for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary on November 25 but some people have probably forgotten what happened to her years ago in the series. 

Any Doctor Who fan who knows Donna Noble cannot forget her heartbreaking fate in Journey’s End. Thanks to her touching the Doctor’s severed hand, she gained all the knowledge of a Time Lord. The “DoctorDonna” used this to stop Davros and save many planets in the process; however, she couldn’t save herself. The Doctor’s knowledge is simply too much for a human so the Tenth Doctor made the decision to wipe her mind. As he explains, this will keep her mind from burning up and killing her. All traces of her time with him left her memory in an instant. That scene is still a highly emotional and controversial moment among Doctor Who fans. 

But some fans may have forgotten Donna’s brief return in “The End of Time” in 2009. (It was approx. 2010 on Earth, considering Rose Tyler’s year away from home threw off the timeline a bit.) The Tenth Doctor Christmas special is his epic swansong that loops her back into the mix. The Master returns and tries to make every human a copy of him to take over the world. But Donna isn’t affected because her DNA is no longer the same. However, her memories began to seep through and are nearly restored. Thankfully, the Doctor installed a fail-safe to prevent this from happening. She even generates a pulse that helps to defeat some of the Master’s nearby clones as well as herself.

Towards the end of the episode, the Doctor saves her grandfather Wilfred, which triggers his regeneration. He holds off and sees Donna one last time as we see her marrying Shaun Temple. The Doctor also left her a winning lottery ticket to ensure her financial future. So that’s what happened to Donna Noble in Doctor Who. As we moved on with a new Doctor and showrunner, those previous companions like Donna, Martha, and Rose went off to live their lives… until now. Rose is still on parallel Earth and Martha could still be a freelance alien hunter. We will never know. But we are getting a glimpse into Donna’s life once again.

We now know that Donna is still married with a daughter, Rose Noble. Besides her child’s name, which is an obvious homage to Rose Tyler, Donna’s mind still has remnants of her TARDIS traveling days. In the anniversary specials trailer, she admits to her mom that she feels like something special is missing from her life. How will the Doctor keep her from remembering him and dying? Is she still wealthy? What is Donna Noble currently doing with her life? We will get those answers and more soon when “The Star Beast” hits Disney+ on November 25.

Originally published on August 30, 2023.

The post Here’s What Happened to Donna Noble in DOCTOR WHO appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, we don’t mean the ‘Ber months and all their fall/holiday glory, even though they are absolutely awesome. We mean the triumphant return of Doctor Who for its 60th anniversary with a three-part special. Can you believe it’s been 10 years since we saw the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor join forces for an epic adventure?! Well, David Tennant is returning to Doctor Who, but he’s going to be the Fourteenth Doctor instead. We are still confused but very intrigued, especially because we are catching up with Donna Noble. It has been a long time since we last left her in the Whoniverse. The trailer for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary is action-packed, gorgeous, and complete fan service in the best way with a nod to the past, thanks to Neil Patrick Harris’ Toymaker. We can’t wait until the first special hits on November 25!

Donna reveals to her mum that she feels like there’s something missing from her life in this Doctor Who trailer. That’s the understatement of the year. It’s clear that those suppressed memories of The Doctor and the TARDIS are still threatening to surface years later. Also, a spaceship crashing right in front of her eyes doesn’t help. Donna is not the only person dealing with some memories. The Doctor has a memory that is back and has something to do with a weird villain called the Toymaker. It looks like these Doctor Who specials will be unlike anything we’ve seen from the franchise so far.

Who Is Neil Patrick Harris’ Doctor Who Villain, the Toymaker?

Until this trailer, we weren’t sure about how Neil Patrick Harris’ character would play into the Doctor Who anniversary specials. His character is a classic Doctor Who villain called the Celestial Toymaker, who appeared in a First Doctor serial 57 years ago.

The 1966 serial, aptly titled “The Celestial Toymaker,” is mostly lost to time, with only stills and fragments of it existing. But the story involves the Toymaker forcing the Doctor’s companions to play childish yet deadly games. He would trap victims in a little universe called the Celestial Toyroom and manipulate them. Losing was a bad thing because, well, you’d become his plaything forever. The Doctor wins the game, and the Toymaker’s world is destroyed. Or so we thought.

How Will the Toymaker Play Into Doctor Who‘s 60th Anniversary? Will Donna Noble Die?

In the 60th anniversary specials, the Toymaker and his accomplices are no longer in that pocket universe. They are on Earth and threatening to do something so bad that the TARDIS itself has run away. But if there’s one being in the universe you cannot scare, it is the mighty Donna Noble. She’s not only fighting for the world but for the safety of her daughter Rose Noble, played by Yasmin Finney. The Doctor admits that he may not be able to save Donna this time. So there’s a chance that Donna Noble could die in Doctor Who‘s anniversary specials.

Let me tell you something, reader. If this show harms a hair on Donna or Rose Noble’s head, I will never forgive them for it. NEVER. The Doctor Who 60th-anniversary trailer ends as it should: with a closeup of Ncuti Gatwa’s gorgeous face. The Fifteenth Doctor is going to be awesome, indeed.

When Will the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials Air?

The Doctor Who anniversary specials will start to air on November 25 on the BBC for those in the UK and Ireland and Disney+ for other countries, including the US. The first special, “The Star Beast,” will debut on that date followed by “Wild Blue Yonder” on December 2 and “The Giggle” on December 9.

Ncuti Gatwa will take over for a holiday special with his full season arriving in 2024.

Originally published on September 25, 2023.

The post DOCTOR WHO Reveals Release Dates and New Trailer for 60th Anniversary Specials appeared first on Nerdist.

Gen V’s sixth episode takes Marie, Andre, Jordan, and randomly Dusty on a trip inside Cate Dunlap’s mind. After she restores their memories, Cate goes into a seizure and her powers create a state that drags them into her head. They witness the moment that changed Cate’s life: when she commanded her brother to go away and he walked off to never return. Poor Cate wasn’t aware of her newly activated mind control powers. Their peeping is interrupted by the very unlikely presence of Soldier Boy, whom we got (uncomfortably) familiar with in The Boys season three. What is Soldier Boy doing in Gen V? Let’s get into his wacky and brief cameo.

Soldier Boy approaches the group and wants to know why these “greasy sack of f**knuts” are there. Of course, they recognize him and ask him why he is in Cate’s mind. Soldier Boy reveals that he was Cate’s imaginary friend/boyfriend from her childhood. This makes sense considering that Soldier Boy is aesthetically appealing and presented as a heroic figure. (We all know the truth about his actual antics.) The scene quickly goes left field as Soldier Boy opens up about how he taught Cate to masturbate, revealing some very weird information that she wouldn’t want her friends to know.

Soldier Boy recognizes Andre as Cate’s new f**kboy and admits that she really loves him. Andre and Jordan accuse him of being a Russian agent (thank you Vought for the false information). Soldier Boy denies it because he’s a red-blooded (not “Commie red”) American. He finally explains that Cate wants them in her brain for some reason and says they need to figure out why before they become trapped forever.

According to him, Cate’s brain is unraveling, as evidenced by several strong sparks in the atmosphere. He says they need to know one really important thing and never finishes his sentence. A strike of “lightning” burns him to a crisp, which encourages them to hurry up. Andre comments, “That guy was a dick, right?” and we certainly agree. Jensen Ackles is so good at being a terrible supe like Soldier Boy.

We spoke with Gen V showrunner Eric Kripke, who revealed that Jensen Ackles actually improvised a lot of his lines for the Soldier Boy cameo. For more on that conversation (and a little Taylor Lautner chatter), check out our interview.

So far, The Boys character cameos have been fun and nonsensical, with the exception of Ashley Barrett. While this technically wasn’t the real Soldier Boy, we know that he will likely return for more chaos in The Boys season four. Until then, we really hope that the God U crew doesn’t ask Cate about her childhood crush.

The post GEN V Brings Back Soldier Boy for a Hilarious and Uncomfortable Cameo appeared first on Nerdist.

Gen V’s sixth episode is an incredible mixed bag of revelation, heartbreak, a hot hookup, and a splash of humor thanks to Soldier Boy. Marie, Jordan, and Andre get more than they bargained for after ending up in the recesses of Cate’s mind. Their darkest secrets come to light and they leave with a deeper understanding of why Cate betrayed them. Now more than ever, the God U crew is a united front determined to take down Dean Shetty and her cohorts at all costs. We caught up with Gen V showrunner Eric Kripke and executive producer Michele Fazekas to chat about that Soldier Boy scene, the Taylor Lautner cameo that almost happened, creating Cate’s world, and much more. 

Nerdist: Gen V does a great job of capturing all the wonderful things we love about The Boys, but it also feels wholly unique. What were some of your guiding principles and goals when you started crafting this series? 

Eric Kripke: Thanks for saying that because it is very intentional. [The Boys and Gen V] need to live as their own shows that have their own reasons for being beyond money, you know? We were really scared of appearing like we were selling out… In The Boys, the superpowers are a metaphor for the broadest possible social issues. They’re metaphors for celebrity and authoritarianism and fascism, and so as we were developing [Gen V], we said we should continue to use those metaphors, but we should use them for what young people are going through, and their own specific character and psychological issues.

Buffy was a really inspiring show for me in my developmental years and the way it used the metaphor of high school as literally hell was really smart. The idea that these powers you have are both advantageous to you, but also that wounds that you’re carrying around, felt like a good way into this story.

Michele Fazekas: One thing I recognized very early was the heroes in Gen V would be the villains in The Boys, but we’re getting to them before they’ve been corrupted. And so we actually get to see that moment that everyone deals with in adolescence of, “What kind of person am I going to be? Now that I don’t have my parents telling me what to do, I get to decide what I want to do.” You see that very important moment in these kids’ lives, but they just happen to be superheroes.

And we definitely see a lot of important moments of growth and discovery in episode six. It really takes us into some dark places for all of the characters, but specifically for Cate because we get to live in her mind and see her past experiences in such an interesting way. What went into creating those sequences from a visual and a storytelling perspective?

Fazekas: From a storytelling perspective, we really liked the idea of looking at these key moments in Cate’s life and letting our characters live through them with her. These were the things that shaped who she is, that maybe tell you why she betrayed her friends in such a huge way. She’s not just evil, she had reasons, and this sort of brings you to who she is as a person, so you have maybe a better understanding of her.

And visually, it was a big undertaking. How do we show a world that is a dream world? It’s like the world is crumbling around her, but we’ve seen a lot of dream worlds. So I think the challenge is, how do you do it in a way that you don’t feel like I’ve seen it a million times? So it was a lot developed with our visual effects team… What will look cool? What will look unique?

It came together beautifully. Of course I have to ask about Soldier Boy! Can you talk about what went into the decision to bring him back and what was it like crafting the dialogue? Every word that comes out of his mouth is absolutely hilarious and on brand.

Kripke: Yeah, a lot of that is from Jensen [Ackles]. The part called for Cate’s imaginary crush to guide [the group] into her mindscape. In a very early draft of the script, it was Taylor Lautner. So [in the episode] it’s like, “Taylor Lautner, what are you doing here?” And then it’s, “Oh, I’m Cate’s crush and here’s the rules of the world,” and then he explodes.

I love it!

Kripke: I forget whether we even brought it to Taylor Lautner or, very wisely, he passed, but suddenly Taylor Lautner wasn’t on the table. And we were trying to get Soldier Boy into the spinoff and we said, “Well, this is actually the perfect spot because he can be alive and well in a dream sequence, whereas in the reality of the show, he’s unconscious in a CIA basement somewhere.”

And so I called him and I said, “You’re suiting up. We need you.” He was awesome as always. He was shooting this show, Big Sky, and he moved around his dates and came in. His only request was, “It needs to be funnier.” And I said, “Totally,” and I was actually going to be there in Toronto at the time anyway. So I’m like, “I will be on set, I will be standing next to the camera, and you and I will riff until you are happy.” 

It was one of the most fun days I’ve had on a set. He’s there, I’m right behind the camera, and we’re just rolling. And he’s like, “What if I say this?” I’m like, “Say it.” And then, “What if you say this?” We must’ve come up with 100 euphemisms for jerking off, and we’ve only used 10% of them. It was a blast because he’s so good at improv, he always has been, so it was just him and I throwing stuff back and forth and rolling film on it.

I love that. So what can fans expect from these final two episodes of Gen V?

Fazekas: …Everything races to a head and everyone’s been set on these paths, especially Cate, because Cate sort of breaks. And then her friends have to decide, what side are we going to be on here? Because sides are going to form. We had to set up something to launch us into season four of The Boys, and so we did that as well. There’s a handoff between our show and their show.

Oooh that’s so exciting! Can’t wait to see what happens next.

The post GEN V’s Eric Kripke and Michele Fazekas on Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy Improv and Cate’s Mind appeared first on Nerdist.

The first season of The Boys spinoff series Gen V is giving fans a wild ride at Godolkin University. It turns out this school is not a safe space for anyone to thrive. The heartbreaking experimentations happening in a secret facility are slowly unfolding towards chaos that will change this entire universe. So, it’s not shocking Gen V is coming back for its sophomore year. That’s right, Gen V has been renewed for season two.

The Prime Video show’s official X page shared the delightful news with fans. We really love the video of the God U crew celebrating their good fortune.  

Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, spoke further about the future of Gen V in a Variety statement. “Expanding the universe of The Boys with a series as bold as Gen V has been an incredible journey for us and our wonderful partners at Sony. From our first conversation with showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, along with Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen, we knew Gen V would push the boundaries. Their unapologetic approach is exactly what audiences love, and it has helped Gen V become the No. 1 series on Prime Video in over 130 countries. Gen V is Prime Video’s most acquisitive new Original series of 2023, and we’re excited that our incredible cast and crew are going to continue telling brave and bold stories from Gen V to our customers.”

And there’s certainly a lot of storytelling potential here. We know Dean Shetty is doing some horrific experiments on supes like Sam. She’s in cahoots with Vought, which means her reasons for maintaining The Woods have to be nefarious. There’s also still some major questions about the details behind Golden Boy’s mental unraveling, Marie’s sister, and how Andre will deal with his father. We are glad that Gen V is renewed for season two because we need answers… and more puppets. 

The post GEN V’s Sophomore Year Is Happening Thanks to a Season 2 Renewal appeared first on Nerdist.

Like many fandoms, The Walking Dead family disagrees on pretty much everything. But one thing we largely agree on is that the show’s first few seasons were absolutely fantastic. Many of the decisions that Rick and his survival comrades made in those early years of the apocalypse set the foundation for so many story arcs and pivotal moments. And, even though the flagship series is over, fans love to give The Walking Dead the “What If?” treatment. What if Shane actually killed Rick in that field? What if Daryl never saved Carol at the farm? It is always fun to think about the possibilities, but now we can make them happen. The Walking Dead: Destinies is a new The Walking Dead video game that allows players to rewrite the show’s history and relive some epic moments with original characters.

We can see the conceit in action in The Walking Dead: Destinies trailer below. 

AMC and GameMill Entertainment are teaming up to make this new The Walking Dead game happen. The Walking Dead: Destinies covers seasons one through four, which includes the farm, prison, and Terminus arcs in the Atlanta area. The storyline can go many different ways depending on the player’s choices for The Walking Dead‘s most famous characters like Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon. If a player dares, they can change the fates of folks like Shane Walsh and see how that decision affects the future. It is probably not the best choice considering Shane’s obsession with Lori and Carl. This is a super cool concept considering most of The Walking Dead’s popular games are about characters who don’t exist in the show, like Clementine. 

The Walking Dead: Destinies’ trailer back some unforgettable memories in game-form, especially with its voiceover. We can hear Rick giving his infamous speech following the fall of the farm. Gotta love when he tells people that they can either let him lead or figure life out on their own. (It is lovingly known by many fans as the Ricktatorship speech.) We also see locations that are long gone, like the prison and downtown Atlanta. And yes, there’s some blood and gore because it is a The Walking Dead game. Players will have to manage their resources and fight for their survival. The clip notes that this is a work in progress, so we will have to wait for the final graphics.

A new Walking Dead game with original characters like Rick that lets you change the show’s storylines sounds like a great time. The Walking Dead: Destinies will get a digital release on November 17 with a physical release following in December. It will be available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox and cost $50. The game is available for preorder today.

Originally published on August 17, 2023.

The post New THE WALKING DEAD: DESTINIES Video Game Lets Players Rewrite Show’s Early Seasons appeared first on Nerdist.

Horror’s prevalent and enduring tropes are key parts of its foundation, for better or worse. The victim running up the stairs when the front door is right there, people fornicating or partying when there’s a killer on the loose, and an intrepid character investigating that strange noise are both maddening and thrilling. Some horror tropes make us cringe and roll our eyes while others spark joy, but either way we wait with baited breath to watch the inevitable unfold. There’s undoubtedly several motifs that run through any given horror film, especially the connection between moral sins and deadly consequences. We are all familiar with the seven deadly sins from several religious sects—pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth—and each one of them show up in the horror world in the form of a few classic tropes.

A Horror Jock’s Pride Leads to a Mighty Fall

Proverbs 16:18 of the Bible warns us that pride comes before a great fall. And boy does this sin apply to certain horror tropes, particularly in the form of character archetypes who appear in an ensemble cast. One of them is the infamous Jock, an often young, musclebound male idiot who thinks his “superior” athletic ability will ensure his triumph over a murderous (and sometimes supernatural) maniac. This is the case with Julius, a boxer in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. He believes he can defeat Jason with his “guns” (read: muscles) and tries to box with a homicidal… entity. Julius goes down by the ultimate knockout as Jason punches his head clean off his shoulders. Bravery is not a bad thing in horror but overconfidence will get you murked. 

Sometimes, the jock’s pride leads them to do horrific things that make them the true villain. Such is the case with The Rage: Carrie 2 and its group of jocks that exploit and humiliate girls. They have no shame about their actions and believe that they can get away with it because they are untouchable gods. Their pride and status works for them until Carrie teaches them a righteously vengeful final lesson. 

The Pleasure of Lust Begets the Pain of Murder

The deadly sin of lust is a very obvious horror trope one is with far too many examples. The golden horror rule about avoiding sex was a staple in past decades. Final girls like Alice Hardy were always the “good girl virgins” among their friend group, their purity somehow sparing them from a grim fate. Anyone who would dare bare it all risked their lives in the process, with the killer luring them to death one by one.

Some of this was writers/directors inserting their personal morality beliefs into the script. However, there’s also a direct tie with the vulnerability of post-coitus nakedness and a fear of something sinister happening. There’s a reason why we are paranoid when we are home alone and in the shower. And no, it’s not just because Psycho exists.

Thankfully, this trope isn’t prevalent anymore, especially in films like It Follows, where the concepts of death and sex are intertwined in a novel (and not-shaming) way. Many of today’s final girls (and other targets) are choosing to have sex and still obliterating killers to our great delight. But, the sin of lust will never quite fade away in horror, even if it is from a comedic perspective poking fun at the genre. 

Mighty Is the Wrath of a Scorned Soul

Wrath is a driving force in many horror narratives, especially from the perspective of the villain. One frequent trope is the “scorned baddie” exacting revenge in a world where they are severely abused (Carrie) or they are seeking vengeance for their death/death of their loved ones. A famous example of the latter is Mrs. Voorhees, who goes on a killing spree against camp counselors because of her son’s death. Sure, she kills the ones responsible but she also, um, kills other counselors who weren’t even there when it happened. 

But even when the wrath is righteous and from the good among us, like the parents who burned Fred Krueger in his home, it almost always results in a ripple effect of unintended and negative consequences. This all points to one message: never act out of wrath and rage, lest you want innocents to potentially pay the future price for your choice.

Envy Is the Gateway to Evil (and Murder)

This is quite the tricky sin with a lot of different examples, especially in films that straddle the line between horror and classic thrillers. It often roots itself in the trope of the voyeuristic stalker who desires what their prey has and a victim who feels like someone is watching them. Inside (2016) follows the horror story of a psychotic woman who envies a pregnant woman so much that she wants to kill her and steal the child on Christmas Eve.

We also see envy tied into the horror trope of the secret killer family member(s). In Scream 3 (2000) there’s Roman Bridger, who sees the attention and love his half-sister Sidney Prescott got after their mother’s death. His envy of Sidney’s life (along with the pain of rejection) is literally the flame that sparked the events of the entire franchise. There’s also envy in Get Out, a story where affluent white people devise a gross procedure to literally take over Black people’s bodies because they desire their traits. Envy is truly a gateway for evil. 

The Soul of a Sloth Hath Nothing Good Comin’ Its Way

If there’s one rule you better follow in a horror film, it is to move your ass ASAPtually. Do not live in denial and pretend that there’s no real threat happening here. Do not allow others to do the heavy lifting on your behalf. If you do, then you may end up hopping into action when it is already too late to save yourself and others. A great example of sloth behavior typically comes from the ongoing horror trope of the lazy/incompetent police force that constantly fails to do its basic job.

We witness some baffling idiocy from two police officers in Scream 4 (2011) who gawk at a teenage girl in her bra and fail to prevent her murder. But even they don’t hold a candle to the pure overall laziness of the entire police department in Hell Night (1981). You can pretty much count on the cops to be useless and exhibit peak sloth behavior in horror films. 

Be On Your Guard Against the Greed (and Gluttony) of Gentrification and Disturbing the Peace

Ahhh yes, there’s nothing like greed and gluttony, specifically in the economical sense, to set up an intense and bloody narrative. Gentrification and looting are the crux of many haunted house/city/town and cursed land horror tropes. We have seen this one before in many forms. Some rich (and usually white) person thinks they are “doing good” by purchasing property in a marginalized neighborhood. Or they build something on top of sacred land or take some object that isn’t theirs for profit and BOOM, the ancestors or evil spirits are on their ass. (Thankfully, horror has mostly moved away from the harmful ” haunted Indian burial ground” trope that somehow tried to make the ancestors evil. Just respect their land and stop messing with it!)

Sometimes, a person goes into an allegedly haunted space and disturbs the spirits for attention and profit. It never ends well for that person. Busta Rhymes learned this the hard way in Halloween: Resurrection (2002) when a group of students tried to create an internet reality show in Michael Myers’ house. Very stupid behavior, indeed.

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020) uniquely addresses this with vampires who are sucking the life out of a Black and Latinx neighborhood in multiple ways. They are literally killing people but also killing local business and the neighborhood’s established culture. When a person, ahem, bites off more than they can chew, you can be sure that there will be consequences to their actions.

Considering the frequent crossing of horror and religion, its no surprise that many horror tropes have ties to the seven deadly sins. Like Jason Voorhees, many of these tropes will never die… and we are (mostly) cool with it.

The post The Seven Deadly Sins: The Horror Movie Tropes Edition appeared first on Nerdist.

Daryl Dixon’s rise to fame in The Walking Dead universe is truly something to behold. Unlike Michonne, Carol, Maggie, and the GOAT Rick Grimes, Daryl does not have a comic counterpart. The character, played to perfection by Norman Reedus, was created specifically for The Walking Dead TV series. Over a decade later, he’s the only non-comic character with his own spinoff series, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. He started out as a perpetually agitated loner and the younger brother of (the very racist) Merle Dixon; however, Daryl soon became a crucial member of the survival group. Why? Daryl Dixon is a tracker, hunter, fighter, and a skilled crossbow user known for coming in clutch at the most dire moments.

Does he always make the best choices? Nah. But there are many times when Daryl does what needs to be done. It is safe to say that a lot more people would be dead if it weren’t for Daryl saving the day. In honor of Daryl Dixon’s foray into France, here are a few of his most clutch moments in The Walking Dead universe. 

Jump To: Daryl Dixon TWD Season 2 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 3 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 4 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 5 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 6 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 7 and 8 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 9 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 10 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 11 // The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 2

The Walking Dead’s first season gave us some funny Daryl moments. Who can forget the first interaction between him and Rick Griiiimmmeesss when he reminds us that a chokehold is illegal? But it’s not until the second season when Daryl starts to truly come in clutch. 

Daryl Saves Carol From the Farm (Episode 13 – “Beside the Dying Fire”)

Outside of Lori’s stupid pregnancy drama, Rick vs. Shane arguments, and looking for Sophia, the show’s farm arc was mostly chill. That is, until the finale brought us pure chaos as walkers took over Hershel’s farmland. The group got separated with some folks like Carol ending up on their own. Poor Carol wasn’t the survivor that she is now, as evidenced by her panicked screaming while running slowly in the dark. Daryl made a choice to head back into harm’s way and save her, a favor she would return to everyone later on when she blew up Terminus. It also led to the developing a close friendship.

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 3

Daryl Helps a Family Escape Certain Death on a Bridge (Episode 10 – “Home”)

He’s in the woods with Merle when they discover a family in peril on a nearby bridge. It would have been easy for Daryl to ignore a problem that didn’t have anything to do with him, especially one involving strangers. But Daryl hops into action, killing walkers with a trunk door and more. He even threatens to shoot Merle, who attempts to rob the family after the walkers are gone. We don’t know what happened to that family, even though the car appears abandoned in a later episode. (The Walking Dead reuses props so this doesn’t mean they are dead.) But at least they got to survive another day thanks to Daryl’s kindness. 

Daryl Helps Rick Live Another Day (Episode 10 – “Home”)

Coming in clutch twice in the same episode? Daryl did that. Walkers are all over the prison and Rick is in big trouble as he tries to fight off two walkers. Thankfully, Daryl saves his new friend in the nick of time with a surprise assist from his brother Merle. Rick even gives Daryl a “thank you” head nod, which certainly won’t be the last time he appreciates having a clutch bestie by his side. 

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 4

Taking Down a Tank Team (Episode 8 – “Too Far Gone”)

The Governor’s attack on the prison tragically claims Hershel’s life and the group suffers the major loss of their once-secure home. But Daryl prevents more deaths by finding a grenade and tossing it down the barrel of the tank, causing an explosion. Then, when the last living tank person thinks he will get away, Daryl is right there to shoot him. Glorious work.

Sometimes, You Gotta Save Yourself (Episode 13 – “Alone”) 

Sometimes, you are the only one who can save you. It’s not the first time that we have seen Daryl fight his way out of a walker conundrum. But this Daryl vs. Walkers battle is one of his best solo offerings. His clever fighting against the undead with medical instruments in a funeral parlor and that dark, intense hallway scene shows why he’s destined to survive for many years to come. 

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 5

The Perfect Poke to a Walker Brain (Episode 1 – “No Sanctuary”)

Rick and the gang are trying to escape the clutches of cannibals at Terminus. Rick, Daryl, Glen, and Bob are working together as a team before Rick runs rather haphazardly into danger. He’s behind a car and a walker quickly finds him. Daryl saves Rick (again) by driving a stick through the walker’s head in the nick of time.

Daryl Goes Full Ghost Rider (Episode 16 – “Conquer”)

The Wolves set a trap for Daryl and Aaron while they are on a supply run. At this point, no one from Alexandria is particularly skilled at fighting against walkers. This doesn’t bode well for Daryl because he has no true backup. Thankfully, Aaron has the man with a plan by his side as Daryl helps them escape. The best moment is when Daryl takes a chain and whacks three walkers heads off at once. It’s giving Ghost Rider with a dash of Michonne.

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 6

Let’s Explode Some Saviors (Episode 9 – “No Way Out”) 

Daryl is deep into his “blowing s**t up” era in season six. Sasha, Abraham, and Daryl have their first encounter with the Saviors. He’s taken to the back of a fuel truck while his friends are harassed by Negan’s henchmen. The next thing we know, Daryl uses a rocket launcher to blow up the gang after he gets the best of his captor. The scene ends with them stealing the fuel truck. Truly an inspired moment. 

Set Fire to the Pond (Episode 9 – “No Way Out”)

This is perhaps Daryl’s most clutch moment in the entire series. Alexandria is down horrendously, walkers covering the streets and devouring people. Even worse, Carl has been shot (again!) and lost an eye in the process. Rick’s crew and the Alexandrians work together to fight the massive horde but things are looking dire until Daryl gets his plan going using the aforementioned Saviors’ truck. He fills a pond with fuel and sets it on fire with a RPG launcher. It’s enough to lure a chunk of the walkers into the fiery waters and allow the crew to fend off the rest. A true Clutch King!

Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 7 and 8?!?!

There’s not much to say about the Savior arc in terms of Daryl (or really anyone) being clutch. (I like to pick on them during this era because I’m cruel.) In fact, he starts slippin’ and trippin’ to the point that we wonder if he’s lost a few of his common sense crayons. He punches Negan, which leads to Glenn being bludgeoned to death, and gets taken hostage for a few episodes. Then, he helps with the initial fight only to turn around and undermine Rick’s plans in season eight. Sigh. This coupled with Rick’s choice to allow Negan to live puts an unfortunate wedge between Daryl and his brother that directly leads to Rick’s untimely “death.” 

Sense is chasing Daryl, but he is outrunning it on his motorcycle with incredible speed for some reason. I will give him an honorable mention for killing Morales with zero remorse. Still love you, DD.

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 9

Wear the Enemies’ Mask (Episode 12 – “Not Tomorrow Yet”)

Thankfully, the rise of the Whisperers brings Daryl back into full form again. He comes in clutch alongside Connie, saving Henry and Lydia from a tense moment with the Whisperers. This sets up an impending battle between him and Beta where he shows some formidable hand-to-hand combat skills. 

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 10

The Hospital of Horrors and Saving Negan (Episode 16 – “A Certain Doom”)

A hospital of horrors with a massive horde of walkers and Whisperers? No problem for Daryl. He works together with the seemingly doomed crew to come up with a plan. Daryl puts himself on the line, going into the horde and picking off corralling Whisperers with relative ease. He always hits the target and leaves the bodies for the walkers to take care of. Then, Daryl comes in clutch to assist Negan when Beta gains the upper hand. He stabs Beta with two knives, ending the reign of the Whisperers.

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Season 11

All Clutch for (Maybe) the Wrong Reasons (Episode 4 – “Rendition”) 

Daryl has every reason to let Leah die. His former lover not only abandoned him but she’s now a part of a villainous collective holding him hostage. (The Reapers are a stupid group, but that’s another post.) But, when the pair are put to the test by her leader, Daryl makes some crafty moves and saves her from a burning building. Why? Well, it’s likely multiple reasons at play. ‘Tis true that love (and a good heart) makes you want to maintain some moral center. But, I think that it is a strategic play by Daryl. This was clearly a trap and Daryl knows he will have to face the Reapers when he escapes. If he allows Leah to die, they will know for sure that he’s against them. So he saves her to protect himself. (I think.)

The Leah Storm Is Over Now (Episode 16 – “Acts of God”)

And this is why the previous entry is mostly some BS. Daryl saved Leah more than once but she continues to cause trouble, eventually leading to a battle between her and Maggie. Leah isn’t the brightest but she can fight and gets the jump on a very skilled Maggie. Predictably, Daryl shows up in the nick of time and takes Leah out with a gunshot to the head. 

A Well-Timed Boink (Episode 22 – “Faith”)

The Walking Dead is nearly at an end with the battle against the Commonwealth coming into focus. The Warden tries to take Kelly hostage to convince the soldiers to turn back to his side but Daryl pops up like a thief in the night, wounding him and setting the stage for his death at the hands of Rosita. 

The Save That Set a Spinoff in Motion (Episode 24 – “Rest in Peace”)

It’s no secret that Daryl loves Judith a.k.a his “Little Ass Kicker.” In the show’s final episode, he takes a wounded Judith into a hospital. Both of them are down bad for a moment, but Daryl soon comes back to life, saving her from walkers while she’s in a hospital bed. He gets her to Tomi and spares Rick’s daughter’s life. If this hadn’t happened, Judith would not have been able to tell him that Rick is still possibly alive.

This sets up Daryl’s big adventure that somehow ends up in Paris. We don’t know what’s gonna happen yet but we know that Daryl will come in clutch many, many more times. 

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Best Clutch Moments 

Finally! We are catching back up with our boy Daryl D., who managed to get himself on a ship heading towards France. The details behind his circumstances are still unfolding but Daryl is already back to doing what he does best: speaking in a gravely voice and squinting. I’m kidding. He’s back to being the real MVP and coming in clutch.

Daryl Gets the Drop on a Soldier (Episode 1 – “L’âme Perdue” a.k.a. “The Lost Soul”)

A couple of days after arriving in Europe, Daryl runs into Maribelle and Guillame and tries to exchange food for meds. Things are going well until two random soldiers show up and get hostile with them. One soldier smacks Maribelle and Daryl wastes no time pulling out his knife and getting the drop on a solider who is (poorly) holding him at gunpoint. Unfortunately, Maribelle and Guillame double cross Daryl and knock him out. But this allows Sister Isabelle to come in and save Daryl’s life. Seems like he might have met his holier match. 

The Abbey Takedown (Episode 1 – “L’âme Perdue” a.k.a. “The Lost Soul”)

Well, Daryl has certainly had a weird 24 hours or so. He encounters a burning walker, nearly gets killed by rogue survivors, wakes up in an abbey full of nuns and a weird kid, kinda flirts with Isabelle, wears a sweater/suspender combo, and is given a wild mission to lead a young Messiah across a strange and dangerous land.

Daryl is amused but trying to mind his own business, choosing to leave the abbey. But underneath his tough exterior, we know that Daryl is a sensitive and caring dude. He’s so caring that when he sees soldiers invading the abbey, he goes back in determined to neutralize the threat. And boy does he do well, popping out of corners and taking people down like a true boss. Love to see it. 

There’s equal exchange of Daryl and Isabelle saving each other. Hmmm. If you listen carefully, you can hear a ship setting sail. I’m just sayin’. 

Daryl vs. a Lesser American (Episode 2 – “Alouette” a.k.a. “Songbird/Lark”)

Most of this episode focuses on Isabelle’s past and Laurent’s birth, but that doesn’t mean Daryl isn’t still coming in clutch. He goes on a mission to nab a new horse and things predictably go wrong. He helps a small group of kids raid a nearby castle where several of their comrades are being held hostage. It doesn’t take long for Daryl to find a not-so-sharp shooter who tries to kill Hedgehog.

Even when the Texan knocks them both into a pit of walkers, Daryl makes it out in classic style. The ball-and-chain, explosives, and more make for a really fun scene. Thankfully, Lou and others throw him a rope and save him in the end. The school group gets some supplies back as well as a hostage and Daryl gets his mule. So it is a win!

Walkers Burn in the Courtyard (Episode 3 – “Paris Sera Toujours Paris” a.k.a. “Paris Will Always Be Paris”)

The third episode takes Daryl and company to Paris! Isabelle returns to her old haunt and things quickly go from nostalgic to awry when they get outside and walkers start falling from windows. She goes into a state of shock as walkers begin to stand up after their fall in a very creaky and horror-like manner. Thankfully, Daryl saves the day and uses a burner walker to help them escape.

The Savior of Pigeons (Episode 4 – “La Dame de Fer” a.k.a. “The Iron Lady”)

Daryl couldn’t save Antoine but he does kill the guerriers who take him out. Thankfully, Antoine’s pigeons are not harmed in the process and Daryl sets them free, honoring Antoine’s final wish. He’s truly a good man.

The Eifel Tower Spectacle (Episode 4 – “La Dame de Fer” a.k.a. “The Iron Lady”)

If there’s one thing for sure in The Walking Dead universe, it’s that kids are going to do dumb things. Laurent storms off and ends up at the Eifel Tower, which is swarmed by walkers. He finds a sketchy spot to hide from walkers while Daryl (with a heavy assist from Isabelle) have to fight a horde to save him. Sadly, Laurent still gets kidnapped but they gave it one heck of an effort. It leads Daryl to perform some fun torture to pump one henchman for information.

Saving Laurent and Serving Quinn (Episode 4 – “La Dame de Fer” a.k.a. “The Iron Lady”)

Daryl makes quick work of getting into Quinn’s place and grabbing Laurent. But it is his fight with Quinn that’s the most satisfying because, well, that guy is a jerk. It all ends with Isabelle deciding to stay with Quinn in Laurent’s place and Daryl having to brave the world with this unseasoned kid. I bet his clutchness will have to increase soon.

The Pouvoir Escape (Episode 5 – “Deux Amours” a.k.a. “Two Loves”)

He spends more time being reflective and grumpy in this episode, but that doesn’t mean there are no clutch moments. Daryl’s flashback shows the epic way that he saves himself from Genet’s ill-intentioned ship. He fakes his way into what seems like certain death before taking out a few guards, releasing cages of mutated walkers, and epically jumping into the ocean as a portion of the ship explodes. Coming in clutch for yourself is the best.

The Great Gladiator Battle (Episode 6 – “Coming Home”)

Daryl has done a lot of cool things but this just might be the best one yet. Daryl gets clever and kills several mutated and running walkers with little to no resources. He even does it with the somewhat useless Quinn chained to one of his arms. Now that’s a survivor!

Walker Killin’ Coachin’ (Episode 6 – “Coming Home”)

A chained fence separates Daryl, who is on the side of freedom, from a trapped Laurent and Isabelle. Walker Quinn comes and attacks Isabelle. Thankfully, Daryl has a weapon to give Laurent and is able to give him some needed motivation to put down Quinn, who happens to be his biological father. Cold world.

The end of the episode includes Daryl having to make a choice: leave Laurent to fend off walkers or help him fight and probably miss his ride. It looks like another clutch moment is coming our way in season two.

Daryl Dixon’s Best Clutch Moments in The Walking Dead Universe

Jump To: Daryl Dixon TWD Season 2 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 3 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 4 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 5 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 6 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 7 and 8 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 9 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 10 // Daryl Dixon TWD Season 11// The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Originally published August 10, 2023.

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There are some historical figures that virtually everyone knows, like Cleopatra, Einstein, and Shakespeare. In fact, some of them have become so ingrained into culture that their names and personalities become well-known descriptive phrases. One example is the term “Napoleon complex,” which is used to describe a man of short stature with an aggressive and domineering persona. We all know that this phrase stems from Napoleon Bonaparte, the famed French emperor, military commander, and not-nice man. (Interestingly, Bonaparte wasn’t that short at 5’6″, which was around the average height of a man during the period of time he lived.) But there are elements of his life that we may not know as well. Ridley Scott’s movie Napoleon aims to detail his rise to power and more with a trailer or two that put Joaquin Phoenix into action.

Warrior, emperor, general, genius, rebel, tyrant. Napoleon was many things, at least according to Ridley Scott’s vision. The trailers for this movie aim to capture all of them to the sounds of some excellent song choices, all while taking us through quite a visual feast. Whatever way this movie ends up portraying Napoleon; it certainly aims to be one powerhouse of a film.

To go along with the trailers, here’s the official synopsis for the upcoming Napoleon movie: 

Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

Honestly, Joaquin Phoenix playing Napoleon Bonaparte wasn’t on my historical movie BINGO card. But, after seeing the Napoleon trailer, he seems to embody Bonaparte’s power-hungry mindset incredibly well. Not to mention, the whole Napoleon movie cast seems to be bringing their A-game. Absolutely no one is falling short here. Napoleon will hit theaters on November 22 of this year, just in time for a Thanksgiving trip to the movie theater. 

Originally published on July 10, 2023.

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You know what I really love? When a teaser trailer is exactly what it says it is. The “go girl, give us nothing” energy of a few clips woven together in 90 seconds or less is great. I want just enough to pique my interest but certainly not the whole story. The trailers for Ferrari, starring Adam Driver, does this well, focusing on the familiar sounds of a Formula 1 car. It’s not the first time that this famous racer’s story is coming to the big screen but seeing Adam Driver look unrecognizable as Enzo Ferrari is piquing a lot of interest. 

The first full trailer for Ferrari is a fantastic trip, indeed.

Here’s a brief synopsis for Ferrari: 

It is the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle of Formula 1, ex-racer Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy threatens the factory he and his wife, Laura built from nothing ten years earlier. Their volatile marriage has been battered by the loss of their son, Dino a year earlier. Ferrari struggles to acknowledge his son Piero with Lina Lardi. Meanwhile, his drivers’ passion to win pushes them to the edge as they launch into the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia.

There’s very little dialogue and a lot of driving action in the teaser trailer. Yet there’s ample tension that builds up until the end of the Ferrari trailer. We also get to see Penélope Cruz, who stars as Ferrari’s wife Laura.

Ferrari is directed by Michael Mann with Troy Kennedy Martin penning the script. The story is based on the book Enzo Ferrari: The Man, The Cars, The Races, The Machine by Brock Yates. In addition to Driver and Cruz, the film also stars Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gordon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O’Connell, and Patrick Dempsey. Ferrari hits theaters on December 25 a.k.a. Christmas Day. Between this and House of Gucci, Driver is just making a career out of playing famous Italians. Weird.

Originally published on August 30, 2023.

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Freddy Fazbear and friends are coming for you really soon. The popular game franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s has given fans tons of jump scares as they fight through the night against possessed animatronics. It will certainly make you not want to go anywhere near a Chuck E. Cheese anytime soon. Now, nearly ten years after the game’s debut, Five Nights at Freddy’s is getting the movie treatment with a film of the same name. Five Nights at Freddy’s hits theaters and Peacock on October 27, so it’s fitting that Youtooz is celebrating the release by dropping some fun collectible figures on the same day. And we have the exclusive reveal for you below!

In the above reveal image of the Five Nights at Freddy’s Youtooz line, there’s a Freddy Device Holder and a FNAF puzzle, retailing for $34.99 and $21.99, respectively. Both of these items are evergreen, so you will be able to nab them for the foreseeable future. A Five Nights at Freddy’s puzzle is perfect for a dark and stormy Friday night at home. But we aren’t sure that you want Freddy to hold onto any device for you…

There are a few scary figures that you’ll have to grab quickly, though. The Haunted Freddy, Haunted Chica, Haunted Foxy, Haunted Bonnie, and Haunted Golden Freddy Youtooz figures will only be available from October 27 at 12 PM PT until October 31 at 11:59 PM PT. These figures are all $29.99 each.

In case you didn’t catch the reference, that means you can only purchase these Youtooz creations for FIVE NIGHTS. They are truly a Halloween special. And, of course, YouTooz does an excellent job of capturing the essence of a universe, just like it did with The Boys collection.

Check out the images for these creepy (in the best way!) Youtooz Five Nights at Freddy’s collectible figures below. 

Click To View Gallery

Thankfully, these figures are not giant animatronics who are trying to kill you. At least, we don’t think they are… So get ready to bring the joy (or terror?) of Five Nights at Freddy’s to your shelves soon.

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Until now, the apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead hasn’t been overly concerned with finding a cure or hoping that humanity will get the same level of restoration. (In fact, some survivors want to make changes to make the world more equitable and collaborative than it was in the “before times.” I like this approach.) This might change in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon thanks to Laurent. He’s a young survivor with a lot of people putting their faith in him. Here’s what you need to know about this important character.

Shortly after Sister Isabelle saves Daryl from near death, she brings him back to her home, where he meets Laurent. He is the only kid living among a group of nuns, so that immediately sets off some red flags. Laurent and Daryl interact in a courtyard, which isn’t surprising because Daryl likes kids. They spend time playing with a Rubik’s Cube and talking about how many people are likely still alive in France. Interestingly, Laurent tells Daryl that his eyes look homesick and that he deserves a happy ending. Daryl goes along with it but it is clear that he finds Laurent rather unsettling. 

Of course, Daryl wants to know what the deal is with Laurent. Despite Daryl being a person who “lives without God,” Isabelle tells Daryl that he is the “messenger” from Laurent’s drawing three weeks prior. She says Laurent is special, perhaps clairvoyant, and is a new Messiah who will lead the revival of humanity. This comes from a prophecy by a religious leader years ago… and it is one that others apparently know beyond their secure walls. Isabelle tells Daryl that Laurent needs to get to a northern community that can raise him into his special calling. It’s not clear if this means that he is immune to the virus or is just destined to be a great leader/prophet of some sort.

An elder nun tells Laurent that he is “the cure” but again, this could be spiritually versus physically. So what’s Daryl’s response to this situation? Well, he says he knew a kid like Laurent in school and that he got his a** kicked all the time. Daryl is not a serious person. He doesn’t buy this story despite Isabelle being fully convinced that fate brought Daryl to them. Isabelle reveals there’s a northern port that can get Daryl home so he would need to travel that way anyway. Daryl doesn’t care and declines to usher Laurent to this new place. He leaves to figure out his next steps.

However, Daryl changes his mind when a few Cause soldiers, whom they call guerriers, invade the abbey. Codron and his crew are looking for Daryl. He returns and helps to subdue the men but several nuns die in the process. His guilt over the soldiers’ actions leads him to make a deal with Isabelle. He will take her and Laurent where they need to go if she promises to take him to the port. Thus begins the mission of getting Laurent to this special place. 

Episode two of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, gives us a huge revelation about Laurent. He is Isabelle’s nephew who was born in the early days of the outbreak. We spend much of the episode flashing back to Isabelle and her pregnant sister Lily as they escape Paris. Lily gets bitten but of course no one knows what that means yet. They end up at the abbey where Lily turns and gives birth to Laurent after she dies and reanimates. The residents and Isabelle see Laurent as a miracle.

Now, this doesn’t mean that he’s “the cure” for the virus necessarily. And even if he were, it would be nearly impossible to restore humanity to what it was before. Unlike other zombie universes where it takes a bite/scratch to get infected, everyone here has the virus within them. When people die from any circumstance, they will reanimate. It’s pretty hard to dole out a cure that will reach everyone nor contact everyone about a cure.

So, we can still assume that Laurent is just seen as a savior. He certainly lacks survival skills and street smarts because he grew up behind those walls. Laurent is no boss killing machine like the late, great Carl Grimes, that’s for sure.

Daryl eventually warms up to Laurent throughout the remainder of the season. Laurent becomes stronger, even putting down Quinn (his biological father) when the time comes. They make it to the Nest and Laurent settles in there, finally finding his safe space. At the end of the season, it seems Laurent will convince Daryl to stay in France. But it is still not clear what Laurent’s purpose is in this universe. We guess we’ll find out in season two.

Originally published on September 10, 2023.

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The Walking Dead universe gave us a lot of strange undead creatures over the years. From the bloated and gross walker in Herschel’s well to the freakazoid monster that Maggie fought in Dead City, the show gets pretty creative with these flesh eaters. Walkers have done everything from creep towards their victims to full on climbing ladders and it is all scary. Or, at least we thought they were scary. In the first episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, we find out that there are a few new (to us and Daryl) types of walkers in France. Daryl encounters a brûlant walker (called a burner in English) and several other mutant walkers that completely change what we thought we knew about these creatures in The Walking Dead. 

Daryl arrives on a deserted shore and makes his way to Marseille, France after listening to a message from a survivor saying it could be safer there. He stops in an abandoned building and it isn’t long before several walkers surround him. Killing multiple walkers alone is like breathing for Daryl, so he begins to dispatch them. A few walkers look noticeably different with prominent veins in their faces. Daryl stabs one walker in the brain and it drops to the floor as some sort of acid drips from its head. We hear a burning/sizzling sound before things really go awry.

A walker grabs Daryl’s arm and its touch burns his skin. Daryl makes it out of this sticky situation but he’s left with a nasty sore that he attempts to disinfect. Later on at the abbey, Sister Isabelle tells Daryl that he got the wound from a burner/brûlant. She reveals that it is just one kind of walker they have there. (They call walkers les affamés a.k.a. “the hungry ones” in France.)  

Isabelle cauterized the wound before any infection could spread. This means this kind of injury could lead to death and reanimation. This is the first time we have ever seen this burner type of walker in The Walking Dead universe. Considering that France is the Wildfire virus’ place of origin, it makes sense for their walkers to have different abilities.

The country has done—and continues to do—lots of experiments on walkers. We see the effects of this throughout the season. When Daryl and Isabelle go to her former apartment in Paris, there are walkers that fall from the windows. But, instead of splattering on the ground, they creak and snap their way back to standing. It is very, very horror movie of them. The scariest ones are perhaps what Daryl encounters in the gladiator pit. They are snarling, running, and quite clever… but not more clever than Daryl Dixon.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon gives us some understanding of how they work but we have more to learn about their purpose. We will see what happens in season two.

Originally published September 10, 2023.

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In The Walking Dead TV series, many of the villains came from the comic books, like Negan, Alpha, and the Governor. Sure, we got some random (and not great) baddies here and there but they didn’t hold a candle to the classic ones. But the show’s spinoff series are giving us a great mix with established heroes and frightening yet fresh antagonists. In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, our Southern hero gets on the wrong side of not one but two villains—Codron and Madame Genet—shortly after he washes ashore. Let’s dig into who they are and why they are making Daryl’s journey even harder.

Who Is The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Villain Codron? 

Daryl has a good heart but he has an, um, affinity for stirring up fights. Sometimes he starts them and, even when he doesn’t, he is 100% gonna finish a brawl. However, this situation with Codron is not his fault. He starts a fight to save a couple travelers from two jerk soldiers from a group/movement initially known as “the Cause.” Naturally, one of them is Codron’s brother, who Daryl doesn’t even kill! (He does kill the other guy but that’s not what matters here.) The woman traveler killed Codron’s brother and later lied on Daryl to save her own skin. It is easy to believe that an American man would do that, after all.

Codron also works with/for the Cause, more formally known as Pouvoir Du Vivant (Power of the Living). He doesn’t waste time piecing together Daryl’s location and comes into Sister Isabelle’s abbey with his men. They kill several nuns before Daryl takes out his entire crew like John Wick with a knife. (Yes, the nuns are technically killer nuns but they don’t want to hurt Daryl.) Defeated and angry, Codron retreats but we know he won’t stop until he gets his hands on Daryl.  

Pouvoir comes into direct conflict with l’Union de l’Espoir, a freedom group that the abbey members align with. They are open to all messages of faith and perseverance.

In episode three, Codron and Genet finally cross paths. She doesn’t know who he is, of course, but Codron tells her that a “traveler” representing Genet told him about a great movement (the Cause) in Paris. He says the person gave him that Mike Tyson-esque tatt and said he was a warrior now. He presents that recording of Daryl to Genet, confirming that he is still alive, and promises to find Daryl for Genet. She officially hires him to complete the task and this is not great for Daryl.

Daryl slips through Codron’s fingers initially but he still ends up getting captured by another one of Genet’s guerriers. In the end, Codron reveals that he’s not so villainous after all. After Daryl’s group escapes the wild gladiator situation, Genet’s men (including Codron) find them once again. He decides to spare their lives, instead shooting his comrades so they can escape. His deception leads to some torturing at the hands of Genet. We don’t know if Codron will get out of this predicament but if he does, it will be interesting to see what happens to him in season two.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Villain Madame Genet and Pouvoir Du Vivant, Explained

At the end of the first episode, we meet Madame Genet, the leader of Pouvoir Du Vivant. It is possible that the Cause is similar to the CRM in America with widespread operations. We don’t learn much about her except that she has a ship with walker “test subjects” and human prisoners. One of the latter was Daryl before he caused some trouble and escaped, but not before causing so much damage that Genet’s collective lost lots of research. Why was he a prisoner on a ship bound for France? We will surely get more details as Daryl Dixon progresses. The crew (specifically the captain) presumes that he’s dead but she wants them to start looking for him anyway. A man who can do so much damage alone is not someone she wants to be in her way. 

Of course, Genet had her soldiers hunt down Daryl so she can attend to bigger issues. Those matters include walker and human experimentations for reasons that still are not clear. Some of their work takes place at her Pouvoir base at the Maison Mère hotel in Paris. But Daryl ruined one big hub when he destroyed that ship, a project three years in the making.

Genet tried to get revenge against Daryl by making him the center of a dangerous spectacle. In the finale, Genet put Daryl into a gladiator-style battle against enhanced walkers. Thankfully, Daryl teams with Quinn to defeat them before Fallou and company send everything into chaos. Daryl escapes, Genet’s men catch up to them, but thanks to Codron, Daryl and the crew get away.

Madame Genet will do anything to get Daryl in her clutches again, so it will be interesting to see how Daryl continues to evade her and protect the Nest in season two.

Originally published September 10, 2023.

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Daryl Dixon’s spinoff series is nearly done with its first season already. So far, we have followed Daryl, Laurent, and Isabelle across France as they head towards the Nest, a safe place where Laurent can thrive. (Not really.) Of course, there have been violence and side quests in the mix but, in episode five, we finally someone who is dear to Daryl’s heart in the mix. In a flashback, Daryl Dixon finally gets radio contact home and speaks briefly with Carol, which brings her into the Walking Dead series for a very intriguing cameo. And, in the season finale, Carol makes her official appearance in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon to set up season two’s “The Book of Carol” chapter.

First, let’s look back at that radio call. Daryl is at a strange trading post in Maine hoping to get extra gas to make it back to the Commonwealth. The problem is, these guys want people to round up walkers in exchange for goods. Daryl is suspicious but he does it anyway because he’s desperate. He discovers a radio and uses it to contact his home base. At first, it is hard to tell who he is talking to but Carol’s voice soon becomes clear. Plus, it makes sense that Daryl would reach out to her specifically because they are best friends.

He asks how she’s doing and Carol weirdly says it is taking time to get used to something. Daryl picks up on her discomfort right away and presses for more information. He promises to be home in about a week before Carol breaks up and says that “he” came back. They lose contact and the episode quickly moves past this exchange. 

Who is the mysterious “he” who came back? Some fans will jump to the conclusion that it’s Rick Grimes. But that doesn’t really make sense based on Carol’s tone. She doesn’t sound too thrilled about whoever this “he” is being there or life in general for that matter. Plus we still have to see some events unfold with Rick and Michonne on The Ones Who Live.

It’s plausible another male threat came their way after the events of The Walking Dead’s last season. All of their other major enemies except Negan are dead and Negan is in NY under the thumb of the Dama. Even if Negan were free, he hasn’t been a threat in a long time. This is quite the mystery, indeed. 

We do know that Carol will play into The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season two with her own storyline that parallels Daryl’s adventures. In the finale, Carol appears in Freeport, Maine and discovers a dude riding Daryl’s bike. Of course, she kidnaps him for information, thus setting her path towards finding her best friend.

This teaser for season two reveals that “The Book of Carol” will be a major part of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s future. It’s possible they will find themselves in a reunion next season. And the “he” is a mystery that certainly will trickle into season two as well. We can’t wait to see a Carol and Daryl reunion.

Originally published on October 8, 2023.

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The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon takes its titular hero farther than he’s ever gone before. In the show’s first episode, we see Daryl wash up somewhere on a shore before heading to Marseille, France. As usual, it doesn’t take this ultimate survivor long to adjust to his surroundings and get into trouble. Yes he always comes in clutch to save the day, but that doesn’t stop him from being an agent of chaos. From the moment that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon announced its intriguing location, fans have been wondering exactly how Daryl ends up in France. A teaser trailer showed him on a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, but surely he didn’t take that all the way from America, right? The show slowly unraveled the answer to that question. 

In the first episode, Daryl tries to be a good human and trade supplies with a duo for food. Things go awry (as they do when he’s around) when a couple of soldiers arrive and begin threatening everyone. Daryl goes on the attack, the soldiers die, and the duo double crosses him to take everything in his bag. He’s two seconds from becoming walker food when a woman he saw earlier comes to his aid.

She is Isabelle, a nun who takes him to an active convent. Naturally, Isabelle and others at the abbey have the same question we have: How the hell did he get there?! Daryl keeps it vague, saying it was because he made “bad decisions” while on the road. We don’t know what else he will reveal because his motto is “a little less conversation, a little more action.”

The end of the episode gives us more insight into how Daryl Dixon ends up in France. We head to Le Havre, France where several people are docked on a ship. Madame Genet, who is the leader of a nefarious collective called the Cause, wants to know who destroyed her ongoing work. (The work in question includes walker research/experiments.)

She discovers that an American prisoner went overboard and but not before wreaking havoc. His name? Dixon. Daryl took drastic actions (perhaps to save his life) that led to deaths. The crew believe he’s dead but Genet is not so sure and wants them to track him down. Daryl is also on the bad side of Codron, a Cause soldier who believes Daryl killed his brother, one of the aforementioned soldiers from that earlier confrontation. Of course, Daryl did not kill him but he’s got the blame anyway, further complicating this season’s chain of events.

Episode five finally gives us a definitive answer to our burning question about Daryl Dixon. We get a flashback in America with Daryl traveling near Maine. He ends up at a trading post in hopes of getting more gas for his bike. The problem is, this group wants people to round up live walkers for some unknown reason. Of course, Daryl does this better than the others because he is Daryl. He tries to help a young man who is experiencing bullying from others at the post but it is to no avail. An annoying man named Juno kills the young guy and tries to cover it up, angering Daryl and causing a fight.

We see Daryl and Juno get led onto the ship from the show’s first episode. Daryl notes all of the violence and sees a fellow prisoner become walker food. He decides to do something about this conundrum. He teams up with Juno and pretends to puke blood so guards will take him out of the cell. Of course, he gets the drop on them and opens the cages full of walkers, causing a full on panic as he attempts to escape with Juno. A mutated walker quickly gains on them, killing the other guy and forcing Daryl to jump just as a section of the ship explodes. Fantastic. It’s still quite the farfetched story but this is The Walking Dead universe, after all. 

Thankfully, Daryl isn’t completely lost to his American family. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season one finale revealed that Carol made her way to Freeport, Maine to look for Daryl. She’s found a man riding his motorcycle and, in true Carol fashion, captured him to get information.

In the above teaser, we get a glimpse into next season as we follow Carol’s path to find Daryl, who apparently chooses to stay in France with Laurent and company. Now that we know how Daryl made it to France, the question is how Carol will make her way to him and if they will come home together.

Originally published September 10, 2023.

The post How (and Why) Did Daryl Dixon End Up in France on THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON? appeared first on Nerdist.

Netflix is taking yet another odd route in an attempt to gain new revenue sources. The streaming service recently removed its cheapest ad-free tier to push users towards an ad-supported tier or a more expensive ad-free plan. And, of course, you cannot share your login information with the masses anymore. There’s also its online shop that sells items tied to properties like Stranger Things and the occasional pop-up store. Now, Netflix will stake a more permanent claim in the brick-and-mortar world with several retail destinations in 2025. As Bloomberg reports, the new retail stores will be known as Netflix House.

They will offer food items, merchandise, and experiences tied to Netflix’s shows and films. Many of the details are still in the air at this moment. We don’t know which cities will have a Netflix House. But we can assume Los Angeles, New York City, and maybe another city like Atlanta will be on the list. Right now, it seems Netflix will open stores in the US and, if they are successful, expand locations to other countries.

It is quite the choice to make considering that retail stores are typically more expensive to maintain versus online-only/pop-up options. In our 2023 world, many retailers are minimizing or altogether closing their physical locations to further shift their focus online. The days of the mall rat are pretty much a thing of the past, sadly. But Josh Simon, Netflix’s VP of consumer products, is very confident in this new move. 

He tells Bloomberg, “We’ve seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we’ve been thinking a lot about how we take that to the next level.”

A Netflix retail store isn’t something that we saw coming but we are curious about how it will all shake out.

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Gen V’s fifth episode completely flips the series around with a wild reset. The end of episode four suggested some trickery was afoot as the “save Sam” sequence abruptly cut to Marie Moreau and Jordan Li in bed together. This proved to be true with the entire crew waking up at a wild party and not remembering anything about what happened the night. Even worse, they don’t remember anything about Sam nor the woods. It set them on the path towards Rufus, the psychic supe, because all signs pointed to his involvement. Rufus is disgusting, but he’s not the culprit behind their major setback. It turns out Cate Dunlap is deeply involved with Dean Shetty and covering up what’s happening in The Woods on Gen V. 

In the episode, Marie, Jordan, Andre, and Cate try to remember how they all ended up at a wild house party. Jordan notes they never black out and a whole day has gone by without any of them remembering it. Later on, Marie and Emma are confronted by Sam, who is much calmer than when they last saw him. The problem is, they don’t remember him at all. Sam tells Emma there are dangerous people at the school who don’t want them to know about him. He says he will find a way to fix it and leaves.

Marie and Emma catch up with the group again and Cate suggests Rufus is probably behind their memory loss. It’s a convenient lie considering Rufus is 1) a horrible predator and 2) mad at Marie for exploding his penis. Marie also discovers a tracker is embedded under her skin, which is likely true for the others. She goes to Cate to update her and Cate uses her mind control powers to make her forget. Of course, Marie isn’t able to expose Cate’s deception because she cannot remember anything (again). 

However, Cate isn’t straight up evil like Vought. She tearfully tells Dean Shetty she can’t keep lying and pretending to be someone she’s not. Cate says her friends will eventually figure it out and Dean Shetty simply apologizes for what’s going on. Meanwhile, Emma finds Sam, who reveals Cate made Luke forget Sam over and over again. Everything crashes together when Jordan and Marie find Rufus, who says he can’t manipulate anyone who isn’t physically close. Emma calls and reveals Sam is Golden Boy’s brother and Cate is behind it all. Andre shows up with Cate and he’s very angry, nearly killing Rufus before Cate admits her deception and restores his memories. He’s visibly heartbroken and calls her a monster before walking off. 

Despite the circumstances, it’s hard to not feel sorry for Cate Dunlap. She genuinely cares about Andre and the others and doesn’t take pleasure in manipulating them. It’s not clear why Dean Shetty chose Cate as her reluctant accomplice. It’s possible that there’s some part of Cate’s past that Dean Shetty is able to use as a bargaining chip. Maybe Cate has some kind of connection to the woods that Gen V will reveal soon. Either way, Cate knows something—if not everything—and the crew will have to get that information out of her. The good thing about Cate being a decent supe at her core is that she can still use her powers to help stop Dean Shetty’s nebulous plan. The plot continues to thicken in this quest to take down God U and The Woods.

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Gen V has many questions that need answers. What is Dean Shetty up to in The Woods? When will we see Soldier Boy? When do any of these kids do their homework? But there’s one question fans have had since the show released its trailers. What is up with the puppets in Gen V? We know they have a connection to Sam and how he mentally processes information. And, in episode five, we discover that the puppets’ relationship to Sam is kinda similar to one we have seen in The Boys.

In the last season of The Boys, Black Noir’s past plays out in front of him in the form of cartoon figures. He also sees these cartoons at random times and they are invisible to others around him. Years prior, Soldier Boy brutally beat Black Noir and the incident led to severe physical and mental changes for him. He became the same mental age as a young child. These cartoons from his childhood act as his friends and allow the viewer to experience things from his unique perspective.

This is very similar to what we get with Sam in Gen V. In episode three, Sam imagined a TV with a Sesame Street-like program playing. A man and a Deep puppet push him to kill Dr. Cardosa, which he attempts before Emma calms him down. Like Black Noir, Sam has been through a lot of physical trauma that affects the way his brain works. He doesn’t have the mental age of a child; however, he certainly isn’t used to socializing with others. People treat him like a monster but, in reality, he’s a rather sweet young man you want to help. Sam has been trapped and used for experiments in The Woods for a long time, which is certainly contributing to his current (and not clearly defined) mental status.

In episode five, Sam is dismayed Emma and the others have been mind wiped to forget him. He is alone with his racing thoughts when a puppet version of Emma shows up. Puppet Emma says things are bad and that Sam needs to save her. Sam says he will save the real Emma and that she’s not real. She questions him, saying “Real like that?” and points to a swath of soldiers invading his hiding spot. The scene switches over to all puppets (including Sam). A violent and gory fight scene breaks out with puppet Sam ripping everyone apart. At the end, puppet Emma sadly says Sam needs to stop hurting people right before we see that the violent fight was real. 

It seems Sam uses these puppets to dissociate himself from the violence. This makes sense considering Sam’s long-term experimentations that lead him to retreat to his inner child for some semblance of safety. He spends a lot of time reading and maybe watching movies/old TV programs, both methods of passing the time and escaping his reality. These puppets are probably in the style of a kids’ program that he grew up watching before his life went down a dark path. It is his way of processing all of his trauma and trying to deal with the ramifications of his (as he puts it) “broken brain.” 

Like The Boys, Gen V teeters on the line between bizarre entertainment and heartbreaking revelations with remarkable care. Sure it is a way to amp up the violence even more without virtually getting banned from TV. But it is also a window into the very real pain and trauma that Sam is experiencing. Maybe one day, Sam will find his way to a freer and healthier life where he doesn’t have to be violent for his own survival.

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The Walking Dead universe gave us some truly lovely gifts at New York Comic Con 2023. Fans are pretty hype that Carol will join Daryl in the second season of his spinoff series. But the real big news came in the form of a brief yet action-packed teaser trailer for Rick and Michonne’s spinoff series, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The last glimpse we got came from Michonne’s perspective with Rick simply walking towards the screen like his true boss self. This time, the trailer is coming from Rick Grimes’ POV as he hints at what he’s gone through. And, if that weren’t enough, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live delivered new photos, casting news, and a firmer release date window. Let’s get into all of this Richonne goodness.

What Happens to Rick Grimes in the Trailer for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live?

Considering this clip is less than a minute long, there’s not a ton that goes down. Rick’s voiceover is a clear message to Michonne about his years of trials and tribulations: 

“I tried to get away…please know I tried. I tried but I failed. Just know…I love you.”

That alone is enough to make Richonne lovers squee with delight. But it is also sad because many years have gone by since the pair were together. Rick has a son that he doesn’t even know exists and a daughter who is a teenager by now. We get to see Rick take down some gnarly walkers, including one that is glowing like an ember. Some fans are speculating that Rick is missing a hand in this shot but it looks more like he’s holding some sort of weapon to me.

We can also see that he’s at some CRM location and killing walkers there, which could have been his primary job at some point. As usual, Rick looks sweaty, bloody, and a little wiley. The trailer also shows a cell phone with Michonne’s image etched on it as well as her taking down a walker with her infamous katana. We can’t wait to see more from this series. 

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Casting Announcements and New Photos

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The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will bring back Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis. This isn’t shocking considering she’s the one who took Rick away in that helicopter. Terry O’Quinn and Matt Jeffries will portray Beale and Nat, respectively. They will join Lesley-Ann Brandt as Pearl. Of course, this universe is far past any comic source material, so they are original characters. We don’t know how they fit into this narrative but those details should be coming soon. Everyone looks really awesome in these new photos, though. 

What Is the Release Date for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live?

We don’t have an exact date for this series; however, we now know the month. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will bring Rick and Michonne back to our screens in February 2024. That’s only four months away! We can’t wait to witness their journeys back to each other. 

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When you think of Prime Video’s The Boys, many words come to mind. Bloody, gross, diabolical, and brilliant, to name a few. One word that doesn’t quite fit this show is “cute.” Sure it has some heartwarming moments but there’s nothing too fluffy happening in this world. But cute is the only way to describe Youtooz new line of The Boys collectible figures. 

Well, I partially take that statement back. Of course, The Deep makes everything super weird with that octopus on his crotch. We cannot forget the, um, moments they shared together last season. I can’t explain why, but I have suddenly lost my appetite. And then there’s Hughie and Robin (what’s left of her, anyway) moments after A-Train sped through her body in the very first episode. That still goes down as one of the most shocking moments in the series. These figures truly capture those wild moments well.

Those two delights aside, the other Youtooz Boys collectible figures are as normal as they can be but no less awesome. Who doesn’t want a laser-eyed Homelander on their shelf? Or perhaps you’d like to sit and sip with Kimiko. A singing Soldier Boy and a gun-toting Frenchie?! I love it. There’s also a Terror the bulldog plushie coming your way for additional delight.

For some reason, there isn’t an MM figure but we hope to see him soon. Billy Butcher has a limited-edition figure that’s currently available, so adding Mother’s Milk would truly complete this collection. And his figure has to rock a really cool T-shirt! Also, I know it is perhaps far too early to ask, but I’m putting in my bid for figures of the Gen V characters in the near future.

Yootooz will launch its The Boys collectible figures and plushies on October 17.

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Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination. It’s one where an eccentric chocolate factory owner and his gang of (possibly murderous) diminutive orange assistants create the world’s most delicious confections. Everyone knows the story of Willy Wonka from the perspective of young Charlie Bucket and his lying Grandpa Joe. But how did Wonka become a rich and successful chocolatier? That’s what we will find out in Wonka, an upcoming film starring Timothée Chalamet as a young and ambitious version of this character. After a few intriguing photos, the first trailers for Wonka are here, and the movie is something else, to say the least.

Our latest look at Wonka takes us deeper into the story and gives us more of Hugh Grant’s hilarious Oompa Loompa, who we learn is a perfectly respectable size for an Oompa Loompa. The trailer also builds on the story we saw in the first trailer, revealing to us more of Wonka’s inventions and touching on the movie’s plot.

In the trailer, we meet Wonka on his quest to find the perfect ingredients to make his chocolate. He works in a lab, combining things in hopes of creating something tasty. However, Willy Wonka is quickly told that the “Chocolate Cartel” crushes all hopeful chocolate makers’ dreams. You can’t get a shop without selling chocolate, and you can’t sell chocolate without a shop. Willy Wonka makes a friend, people fly, and there’s maybe a musical number or two with some dancing goodness.

Of course, as Timothée Chalamet shares, in both Wonka trailers, we get a taste of “HUGHMPA LOOMPA DOOPATY GRANT.” We’d expect nothing less from a Wonka movie.

Paddington writer/director Paul King directs Wonka with David Heyman, Alexandra Derbyshire, and Luke Kelly as producers. In addition to Chalamet, the film stars Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, and Paterson Joseph, among others. Wonka will hit theaters just in time for Christmas on December 15. And what could be a sweeter gift than that?

Originally published on July 11, 2023.

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