The universe of Matt Reeves’ The Batman is expanding exponentially. Separate from the DCU involving the other DC heroes, Reeves’ world is hyper gritty, and focused solely on the world of Gotham City. And the first project of this new The Batman-verse is a Max (formerly HBO Max) series focusing on Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin.

Thanks to Max’s 2024 preview video, we have our first look at its action at the 1:20 mark. In it, Colin Farrell’s Penguin notes that “the world ain’t built for guys like us” as he tosses someone into the trunk of a car. We see his face and hear him say “you ain’t seen what I can do.” We have not, sir, but we are ready to see it when The Penguin hits Max in 2024.

According to Variety, Max’s The Batman spinoff will resume production shortly after Thanksgiving. Hopefully, that means we’ll be learning more about the show soon enough. For now, we have that short clip as well as this look at the upcoming series, courtesy of Empire.

Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming The Penguin series centered on the so-called criminal King of Gotham, once again played by Colin Farrell.

Title

The title of the series is simply The Penguin.

The Penguin‘s Plot

Based on early statements, it seems the plot of the series focuses on Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot as he rises in the ranks of Gotham’s underworld, and becomes a power player. It will take place in the aftermath of the flooding of Gotham City, as seen in the final act of The Batman. Here’s what producer Matt Reeves had to say about the show’s premise:

Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in The Batman. Having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill. Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.

The series will have eight episodes.

Behind the Scenes

Lauren LeFranc will write the script for the series and serve as showrunner. The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark will serve as executive producers, along with star Colin Farrell. Reeves won’t be directing, at least not early on. Directing an early episode is Craig Zobel.

The Penguin‘s Cast

In the title role is the returning Colin Farrell. Also in the cast is Cristin Milioti as the female lead of the show, Sofia Falcone.

In addition, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Zegen, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, David H. Holmes, and Theo Rossi will also appear.

Most recently, we learned that Clancy Brown has joined the cast as Salvatore Maroni. Worth noting, in the comics, Maroni was responsible for throwing acid at Harvey Dent. This, of course, led Dent to become Two-Face. This could be an interesting way to bring the iconic villain into The Batman‘s world.

The Penguin‘s Release Date

The Penguin will officially come to Max sometime in 2024.

Originally published November 9, 2022.

The post THE PENGUIN Series Shares New Footage in Max 2024 Preview appeared first on Nerdist.

House of the Dragon’s first season flew in with all the drama, shocking moments, and, of course, dragons that fans expect from this universe. Season one took us back many decades before Daenerys Targaryen’s birth to show us the events leading to the decline of the mighty House Targaryen. Now, we are fully locked into the fury that Rhaenyra will rain upon her former BFF Alicent and her supporters after Jace’s death. What does the future hold for these warring factions? We shall see what happens in this upcoming season.

One thing we know is that everyone looks super intense yet hella fly in these first-look photos for season two.

Click To View Gallery

Here’s everything we know about House of the Dragon season two so far. 

House of the Dragon Season Two’s Plot 

The show is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, so book fans have a general sense of where this show will go. Of course, there will be some creative liberties taken, but the obvious “Dance of the Dragons” between Team Rhaenyra (the Black Queen) and Team Alicent will happen. Rhaenyra and her uncle-husband Daemon will wage war against Aegon II, Alicent’s son and the newly crowned king.

House Velaryon stands with the “Blacks” along with their massive navy. On the other side is the “Greens” with Alicent, her father Otto Hightower, Ser Criston Cole, and her son Aemond, the rider of Vhagar, the largest dragon in the world. There is no longer a chance at mediation as Rhaenyra’s rage takes over. 

The battle between the Greens and Blacks is further set up with these gorgeous posters featuring Alicent and Rhaenyra.

George R.R. Martin himself has seen the first two episodes and said on his blog that they were “very dark.” Now, we all know you literally can’t see things sometimes on this show. But we are sure he means the tone and action are not pleasant. He also said the episodes are “powerful, emotional, gut-wrenching, heart rending” and “may make you cry.” Let’s prepare out hearts for heartbreak.

Behind the Scenes 

House of the Dragon co-creator and executive producer Ryan Condal will continue on as a showrunner; however, his season one co-showunner Miguel Sapochnik will not return for season two. George R.R. Martin will continue his involvement as an executive producer. This time, fans will get eight episodes, which is two fewer than the first season.

House of the Dragon Season Two’s Cast

After many time jumps and casting changes in season one, House of the Dragon’s second season will stick with the faces we know now. And boy are there a lot of characters in this show. Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy will return as Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen. Olivia Cooke (Alicent), Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen), Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole), Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen), Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen), Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria), Matthew Needham (Larys Strong) and Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower) are also set to round out the main cast. 

Simon Russell Beale, Freddie Fox, Gayle Rankin, and Abubakar Salim have joined the series as well, according to Deadline. Beale plays Ser Simon Strong, Castellan of Harrenhal. Fox is Ser Gwayne Hightower. Rankin is Alys Rivers, and Salim is Alyn of Hull.

The series revealed new cast members at CCXP 2023, including Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

House of the Dragon Season Two’s Release Date 

There is currently no release date for House of the Dragon season two. However, the series is slated to release in the summer of 2024.

Originally published on May 8, 2023.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2 Brings Intense Stares in First-Look Images appeared first on Nerdist.

We’ve known that a Blade movie is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2019. Who can forget with the film’s star—Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali—put on a hat that said “BLADE!” and caused an excited uproar in San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H?! Though there have been some ups and downs with this movie, hopefully, we’ll only see smooth sailing for our favorite vampire from here on out.

Thankfully, Ali says things are still moving forward to some degree in a direction that he approves. “We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you,” he said in an Entertainment Weekly interview. “I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon.”

Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Blade movie.

Title

The title of this movie is simple: Blade.

Blade‘s Plot

Right now, we don’t have any plot details for Blade. But, we can imagine the film will borrow from the character’s comic origins. Blade debuted in the tenth issue of Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula comic back in 1973, from writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan. He quickly became a supremely popular character, a half-vampire killer of vampires and other occult baddies. Blade first made it to the big screen in 1998 starring Wesley Snipes. Two sequels followed—one of them good—but eventually, that franchise sort of fell by the wayside.

We do know that Blade will be rated R; the rating was recently confirmed by the movie’s director Yann Demange. Blade marks the second MCU movie to receive an R-rating, although we bet that it will be a very different R-rated experience than Deadpool 3. The rating opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the MCU movie and we can’t wait to see what how they will manifest.

Behind the Scenes

Playwright Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen) wrote an early draft of the script. In 2021, Bassam Tariq confirmed he will direct the film via The Playlist podcast. However, Tariq has since left the project.

The director offered a brief statement about his experience with Blade.

Now Lovecraft Country‘s Yann Demange has come aboard as Blade‘s new director. In addition, Michael Starrbury wrote a new script for the vampiric movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto has recently joined the project to work off of Starrbury’s script.

Blade‘s Cast

As mentioned above, two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will play the daywalking half-vampire badass in the upcoming Blade movie. Meanwhile, Delroy Lindo is joining Ali in film. While we don’t formally know who Lindo is playing, we think he could be Jamal Afari, who in the comics raised Blade and taught him all about vampire slaying. As we saw (or rather, heard) at the end of Eternals, Kit Harington will cross paths with Blade, reprising his role as Dane Whitman.

Krypton actor Aaron Pierre has joined the cast of Blade in another undisclosed character. Unlike Lindo, however, this role will seemingly have bigger implications on the Marvel Cinematic Universe than just this one film. And Deadline has also reported that X and Pearl star Mia Goth will join the cast in an unspecified role.

Blade‘s Release Date

The Blade Marvel movie will arrive in theaters on November 7, 2025.

Originally published on July 20, 2019.

The post Everything We Know About Marvel’s BLADE Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

The next few years are going to bring about many exciting Star Wars series to Disney+, including Ahsoka and further adventures for The Mandalorian and Andor. But one, in particular, announced in 2020, is The Acolyte. Here’s everything we know about this mysterious new live-action Star Wars series, set a century before the events of the Skywalker Saga. Here’s everything we know about The Acolyte.

Title

The official title for the upcoming Lucasfilm Star Wars series is The Acolyte. Its official title may or may not wind up as Star Wars: The Acolyte.

The Acolyte’s Plot

When Disney officially announced the series back in December 2020, we got this official synopsis:

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. 

Since that time, we’ve learned that the drama unfolds about a century before the events of The Phantom Menace, during a time when the Sith were still in hiding, getting ready to make their move to take over the galaxy. Aside from canon novels, the High Republic is an era totally unexplored in any live-action or animated Star Wars projects.

Behind the Scenes

Leslye Headland is on board as writer and producer.

The Acolyte’s Cast

The Acolyte‘s cast is turning out better than we could have imagined. Playing the lead role in the show is Amandla Stenberg, recently seen in Bodies Bodies Bodies. Joining Stenberg are Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva, and Joonas Suotamo. Suotamo is playing a Wookiee and Henderson will portray Vernestra Rwoh. This High Republic character was one of the youngest ever to become Jedi Knight. Of course, we’ll see her much older in this Star Wars series.

The Acolyte‘s Release Date

There is no release date yet for The Acolyte, but Disney+ has confirmed that the series will release in 2024.

Originally published on May 10, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About STAR WARS Series THE ACOLYTE appeared first on Nerdist.

Lucasfilm revealed a new live-action Star Wars television series at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in spring 2022. The show from MCU Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts and writer Chris Ford sounds like a Goonies-style adventure set in a galaxy far, far away. Here’s what we know about Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Title

The title of the upcoming Star Wars live-action TV series is Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Plot

We know a few details about the plot of Skeleton Crew. The story will take place in the New Republic era. That’s the same timeline as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. It centers on a group of children lost in space.

A synopsis for the series shares:

“Skeleton Crew” follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined. 

Behind the Scenes

Jon Watts directs Skeleton Crew and Chris Ford is writing on the series. The duo created the show. Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau provide producing support. Skeleton Crew was production since at least September 2022, as the creatives shared an image from the set at D23 Expo during that time. The series is now done with production.

Directors include Watts, Ford, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung. 

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Cast

The first cast member Lucasfilm confirmed for Skeleton Crew was Jude Law. Joining Law on the journey are Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Tunde Adebimpe, and Kerry Condon. 

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Release Date

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew doesn’t have a release date yet. However, Disney+ has confirmed that this Star Wars series will arrive in 2024.

Originally published on September 22, 2022.

The post Everything We Know About STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW appeared first on Nerdist.

After years of speculating, in 2022, Marvel Studios confirmed that Deadpool would officially join the MCU for a third installment of the R-rated comic book franchise at the start of Phase Six. This would mark the first official character of the Fox X-Men universe joining the MCU (although Patrick Stewart as a variant Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kinda counts too, we suppose).

Most recently, “Dogpool” shared a look at Ryan Reynold’s Wade Wilson without his mask in Deadpool 3. Of course, the true star of the show, Dogpool, is also present.

Here is everything we know so far about Deadpool 3.

Title

Right now, everyone is calling the film Deadpool 3. However, for superpowered mercenary Wade Wilson’s first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least the first official entry, we think they may choose to give it a more creative title.

Deadpool 3‘s Plot

The plot of Deadpool 3 remains a mystery. All we know is that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine, and that it takes place before the feral X-Man’s death in Logan. In fact, Jackman has confirmed that time travel will be involved in the threequel in a big way.

As most folks know by now, Deadpool’s third solo film will reunite him with his X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star. Deadpool and Wolverine will work together, although they have made it very clear that these two characters “hate each other.” It will not be a love-fest in this story. But the fact that Deadpool 3 is smack in the middle of the Multiverse Saga should give us all a clue as to what’s going to go down, and probable multiversal shenanigans will ensue.

Dogpool, of course, will also star.

Make sure to follow him on Instagram.

Deadpool 3‘s Cast

We know Hugh Jackman will return, along with the very obvious Ryan Reynolds. Here’s who else we know about: Karan Soni, cab driver Dopinder, Leslie Uggams, Emma Corrin, and Matthew Macfadyen. In exciting news, Morena Baccarin and Stefan Kapicic are reprising their roles as Vanessa and Colossus in Deadpool 3. So are Rob Delaney’s Peter, Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), and Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio). Jennifer Garner’s Elektra from the 2003 Daredevil Marvel Fox movie is also reported to reprise her role in this MCU film.

Behind the Scenes

Deadpool 3‘s director for this third outing will be Shawn Levy, most recently known for his work on Stranger Things. This would be a reunion for Levy and Reynolds, as the pair previously worked together on the movie Free Guy. Levy is also known for the time travel movie The Adam Project.

On the writing side of things are Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, writers for the popular animated series Bob’s Burgers. The writers for the first two Deadpool films, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are also contributing to the third film’s screenplay, as is Ryan Reynolds himself.

Deadpool 3 Release Date

Deadpool 3 will arrive on July 26, 2024.

Originally published on January 4, 2023.

The post Here’s Our First DEADPOOL 3 Look at Wade Wilson Without the Mask appeared first on Nerdist.

Doctor Who is back, y’all! The first of three 60th anniversary specials, “The Star Beast,” kicked off a set of adventures with Fourteen and Donna Noble. We had the pleasure of meeting Doctor Who comic and audio characters Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors. And, here at Nerdist, we also had the fun challenge of searching for Doctor Who Easter eggs, callbacks, and references to previous events in this episode. While some are expressly pointed out, others are not quite so obvious. Let’s take a look at what we have spotted so far.

Jump to: “The Star Beast” // “Wild Blue Yonder”

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special “The Star Beast” Easter Eggs and References

Once Upon a Time Lord 

“The Star Beast” starts with the Doctor and Donna Noble addressing us directly. The Doctor begins his story about traveling with Donna, saying “once upon a Time Lord.” It’s more than just a clever phrase. It is the name of a recent Doctor Who graphic novel by writer Dan Slott and artist Christopher Jones starring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. In this story, the Pyromeths capture Martha. She distracts them by telling epic tales of the Tenth Doctor facing off against foes like the Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, and more. 

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble’s Greatest Hits, Recapped

At this point, Donna can’t recall her travels with the Doctor. And, to be honest, some fans have forgotten them too. It has been 15 years, after all. (We can help you with remembering Donna’s ending.) Thankfully, Doctor Who uses her opening dialogue to take us down memory lane with plenty of flashbacks. We see several images from their journey, including the Empress (a.k.a. the arachnid lady) from when they first met in 2006’s “The Runaway Bride.” 

We also get glimpses of a Sontaran from “The Sontaran Stratagem,” a skull in a spacesuit from “Silence in the Library,” the evil wasp from “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” the Pyrovile villain from “The Fires of Pompeii,” and the Adipose spaceship from “Partners in Crime.” But that’s not all! We see the eye of a Dalek from “The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End” and the planet Midnight from the episode of the same name. And of course we see a glimpse of the metacrisis event that led to the Tenth Doctor’s controversial decision to wipe Donna’s mind.

CyberDog 

The Doctor lands in the Camden Town section of London and begins to wander the streets. We see a place called CyberDog in the background. It doesn’t draw the attention of the Doctor but some fans would assume its an in-universe reference to the Cybermen. In actuality, CyberDog is a real clothing store in that area. As far as Easter eggs go, there’s a Doctor Who short story involving this store called “Dummy Massacre.” In it, a blogger was inside CyberDog in March 2005 when the Autons attacked. This is the same event we witnessed through Rose and the Ninth Doctor in “Rose.” The mysterious blogger took over the conspiracy theory website, Who Is Doctor Who?, from Clive Davis (RIP) and wrote about his harrowing experience.

Every Era Begins with a Rose… Sort Of

Rose Noble’s name is an obvious nod to Rose Tyler, the first companion of the modern era. We learn a lot about Rose in this episode, including why she chose that name and her connection to the Doctor. But, there’s more to this reference. We now have three different eras of Doctor Who: classic, modern, and the new Russell T Davies era that we are calling Bad Wolf for now. And each of those eras begin with a Rose… sort of.

The show’s first companion went by Susan Foreman; however, her real first name is apparently Arkytior, which means Rose in Gallifreyan. This is established in the 1994 Doctor Who short story “Roses.” (No, it did not inspire Rose Tyler’s name. Davies got that from his TV drama Bob & Rose.) Is it totally canon? Not really, considering it hasn’t come up on the show yet. But it’s fun anyway. Now, Rose Noble is ushering in yet another chapter in Doctor Who’s story. 

Donna Noble’s Theme Rises

As Donna and Rose leave the Doctor at the Camden Market, we can hear Donna’s theme music in the background. Remember when companions each had their own theme songs? It was truly an iconic time in Doctor Who history. 

Allons-y!

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard that catchphrase. The Doctor says it to Donna’s husband Shaun Temple as they prepare to drive off towards the spaceship crash landing site. 

Who the Hell Is Nerys?

While in the car with Shaun, the Doctor says he’s a friend of Donna’s old frenemy Nerys. We met her during “The Runaway Bride” as the jealous friend who tried to make a move on Donna’s then-fiancé Lance. We never learn a lot about her, but Donna and Nerys remained friends despite Nerys being shady. She is in attendance at Donna’s wedding to Shaun, which we witness from afar. But apparently things have gone south with their relationship. Later in “The Star Beast,” Donna calls Nerys a viper who can’t keep her mouth shut. We never see her in this episode, but we get the feeling she’s still lurking in the grass nearby. 

Donna and That Lottery Money

Despite Donna having her memories wiped by the Doctor, she ultimately ended up with a great life. In “The End of Time Part 2,” the Doctor left the Noble family a huge lottery ticket and she married the love of her life. However, we discover that Donna gave away all of her money because she was under the veil of memory suppression. Therefore, the “Doctory” parts of her pushed her to want to help the world versus helping herself. We appreciate the goodwill but girl, that was millions of pounds. 

Additional Doctor Who Easter egg: Shaun mentions that the ticket was a “triple rollover,” which references what Donna notes about the ticket when she receives it.

UNIT’s First Scientific Advisor 

During his investigation of the “crash” (technically landing) site, the Doctor encounters Shirley Anne Bingham. She certainly recognizes this version of him, even though he cleverly recalls when he was wearing a bowtie and, later on, a woman. The most interesting part of this is the Doctor saying he was UNIT’s first scientific advisor. This is a reference to the early days of the Third Doctor era when got into trouble with the Time Lords. They disabled his TARDIS and left him stuck on Earth. He took a job with UNIT and begrudgingly became their scientific advisor. 

Shirley Anne Honors Shirley Coward

Speaking of the fantastic Shirley Anne, her name itself is a fun Doctor Who Easter egg. It’s a nod to Shirley Coward, a vision mixer on the show during its first lead actor transition. The term/concept of regeneration wasn’t used on the show quite yet, but that’s exactly what happened when William Hartnell passed the torch to Second Doctor actor Patrick Troughton. Shirley expertly laid shots of both actors on top of each other and created a distortion effect that made this transition seamless, eerie, and iconic.

Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors

This episode’s monsters and big villain both come from ‘80s era Doctor Who comics. If you’d like to read up more on their history, check out this post. Basically, the show closely sticks to their origin story, honoring a part of Who that some fans didn’t know about until now. 

The Shadow Proclamation Is Still Alive and Well, We Guess

Fourteen is completely over the shenanigans between Beep and the Wrarth Warriors. So he brings them together in a dingy garage, invoking a few sections of the Shadow Proclamation to stop the ongoing violence. He particularly calls out section 15, which Rose Tyler clumsily (and incorrectly) used in “The Christmas Invasion.” She was trying to take on the role of the Doctor while Ten was recovering from regeneration, but her words did not scare the Sycorax. Gotta love a fun Doctor Who callback, right? This rule means that murder is not a rule of war. And what does Beep do shortly after? Murder. 

Binary. Binary. Binary. 

With Donna’s permission, the Doctor unravels the failsafe and Donna regains her memories. She begins to say “binary” repeatedly, which was what she previously said when the Time Lord knowledge began to overwhelm her brain and cause her to stutter. 

Rose Noble’s Workshed and Villain Creatures

We discover that the metacrisis split itself between Donna and her daughter Rose. It was housed within Rose’s DNA all along. This explains why Rose chose her name along with the specific types of furry toys she made. The teen’s workshop shed door resembles the door of the TARDIS. And each of her creatures loosely resemble monsters that Ten and Donna encountered in the past. We see a stuffed Dalek, Judoon, Adipose, Cyberman, and Ood. There is a furry, brown doglike creature that could represent Cybershade, which were animal-like versions of Cybermen. Interestingly, the latter creature is from a Doctor-only story, “The Next Doctor.” Rose is basically a walking Doctor Who Easter egg and we love her.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special “Wild Blue Yonder” Easter Eggs and References

The Doctor Meets Isaac Newton… Again 

At the beginning of “Wild Blue Yonder,” the TARDIS materializes and spins into an apple tree. It just so happens to be the tree that Isaac Newton is sitting under. No, he does not have the title “Sir” quite yet. The Doctor and Donna humorously introduces him to the word gravity, which he mishears as “mavity.” This interaction changes the future and we hear Fourteen and Donna use the word mavity instead. 

But this isn’t the first time that the Doctor has encountered Mr. Newton. In “The Pirate Planet,” the Fourth Doctor claimed that he dropped apples on Newton’s head and later explained gravity to him. 

The TARDIS Plays Wild Blue Yonder 

As the TARDIS arrives on that ill-fated spaceship, it plays a song called “Wild Blue Yonder.” This inspiration for the episode’s title is the colloquial title for the US Air Force’s theme song. As Donna notes in the episode, the song is actually a war cry, which means something wicked is coming their way. It’s a strange choice for a spaceship shaped like a British police box but the TARDIS is blue. 

HADS Saves the TARDIS

The Fourteenth Doctor explains why the TARDIS made a quick exit with his sonic screwdriver. He references the ship’s defense mechanism, known as the Hostile Action Displacement System (HADS). It is not the first time the series has referred to this system. HADS has been around since the Second Doctor’s era, although it didn’t use that specific name. In “The Krotons” the TARDIS exterior was under attack, so it dematerialized and rematerialized in a different (but nearby) location to remain safe. 

The HADS comes into play in “The Cold War” when the Eleventh Doctor enables it so the TARDIS can leave safely. It is supposed to land in a good spot at the North Pole but it goes to the South Pole instead. The Twelfth Doctor story “The Magician’s Apprentice” includes HADS activating to fool the Daleks into thinking the TARDIS was destroyed. Twelve rematerializes the ship with his sleek sonic shades. Interestingly, he calls it the Hostile Action Dispersal System, which is pretty much the same thing. 

The Fourteenth Doctor deactivated HADS after apparently getting stuck in orbit for three years. But Donna’s coffee spill and the Doctor’s fix activated the system once again. It is both useful and a pain in the butt, basically.

Licking Random Things to Discover the Truth

The Doctor tastes some weird goo to discover what it could be. This is very similar to how the Tenth Doctor tasted the pool of liquid (that was actually) blood in “The Christmas Invasion.”

Venom and Mass

After being chased by the not-thing versions of themselves, the Doctor and Donna try to figure out what’s going on. When they begin talking about the entities impossible mass, Donna makes a reference to how her husband complained about Venom getting much bigger than his human counterpart. He would wonder where the extra mass was coming from, which is a legit question. Of course, this refers to Tom Hardy’s Venom films.

The Flux Events Are Bothering the Doctor

Russell T Davies previously said that he would not change events of the past despite setting up his new era. He stood on this in “Wild Blue Yonder,” by referencing the events of the Flux. (Ahh the destruction of half the universe.) The (not real) Donna said she saw what happened in the Doctor’s last few years. And this is all the very recent past. Fourteen gets visibly upset by all of this, even punching a wall and screaming in frustration. The Doctor often runs forward and doesn’t look back too much, so it is interesting to see this character reconciling with the past. It’s not clear how the Flux could factor into the Fourteenth Doctor’s last foray nor if it will affect Fifteen in any way.

Salt Blocks Demons and Evil Entities 

The Doctor wasn’t just biding his time and trying to be funny when he said salt blocks demons, vamps, and other entities. Salt has been used to ward off evil spirits and negativity in many different religious practices for thousands of years. The episode suggests that it is all talk but many people swear by it. 

We Meet Again, Wilf

After 15 years, we finally see the Doctor and Wilf come together again. Wilf never gave up hope that he (and maybe Donna) would see the Doctor again. Why was Wilf randomly at that market by himself? Who knows. But the world is in complete disarray and Wilf is now in the TARDIS. Sadly, this is Bernard Cribbins last time on the show. He died in 2022 at the age of 93.

We can’t wait to see what other Doctor Who Easter eggs, references, and callbacks will come up in the next two specials. Happy 60th Anniversary to the greatest sci-fi series of all-time.

Originally published on November 25, 2023.

The post All the DOCTOR WHO 60th Anniversary Special Easter Eggs, Callbacks, and References appeared first on Nerdist.

Video game fans have been safely enjoying the excitement/terror of a post-nuclear wasteland since 1997. That’s when Fallout and its ’50s-era Cold War aesthetic first came to stores. Since then countless sequels and spinoffs have turned the game into one of genre’s most successful franchises. Now Fallout is ready to conquer another medium entirely. It’s getting its very own show from Amazon. What kind of story can gamers expect from the Prime Video Fallout adaptation? Who’s behind it, and who will star in it? And when will we get a chance to see it?

Recently, we got some answers to these questions when Prime Video released a trailer for the Fallout series. But most importantly, we learned a very key fact about this adaptation. There will be an adorable animal involved. In the Fallout games, a dog called Dogmeat exists as an NPC companion character that accompanies players on their adventures. According to a blog post from Amazon, the live-action Fallout series’ cute canine isn’t called Dogmeat, but instead is named CX404. But this pup, too, will serve “as a companion navigating the post-apocalyptic world.” Maybe this dog is Dogmeat’s distant cousin. After all, it would be pretty cool to see a Dogmeat Easter egg in the show. Regardless, we’re sure CX404 is a very good boy.

Interestingly enough, it looks like this Fallout dog belongs to Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul on the Prime Video series. That character is definitely shaping up to be our anti-hero, so giving The Ghoul the best relationship with Fallout‘s cutest creature will likely go some way to help balance out his more nefarious tendencies. We’re excited to see how the story unfolds for our new dog friend and all the other characters in Fallout.

Here’s everything we know about Prime Video’s Fallout series so far.

Title

Prime Video’s adaptation will share the same name as the original game, Fallout.

Fallout‘s Plot

We officially have our first full look at the Fallout series. Prime Video released the first trailer for the show and it teases a dangerous wasteland of a world. But it’s clear the show understands its dark humor as well.

Prime Video has shared an official Fallout series synopsis, setting us up for what’s to come. It reveals, “Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.“

Additionally, we know that the series is “set in the future post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.” It will also tell an “original story based on Fallout that will be part of the canon of the games.” 

The first image from the show featured a glimpse at the franchise’s all-new Vault 33. And more recent looks have revealed Fallout‘s main characters including Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul, Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Aaron Moten’s Maximus, and Kyle MacLachlan’s Overseer Hank.

Click To View Gallery

Behind the Scenes

Fallout comes from Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, and Kilter Films. The latter is the production company of executive producers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, creators of HBO’s Westworld.

Writers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner will also serve Fallout co-showrunners and executive producers. Nolan directs the first three episodes.

Fallout‘s Cast

The show stars: Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance), Johnny Pemberton (Ant-Man), Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O’Hagan (Law & Order: SVU), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time). 

Fallout‘s Release Date

Prime Video celebrated the 26th “Fallout Day” by announcing when the series will premiere via a Pip-Boy-style message. The show begins its post-apocalyptic adventure on April 12, 2024.

That’s a lot closer than it sounds, which means we should start getting trailers and more information soon, too. When we do you’ll find everything you need to know about Prime Video’s Fallout right here.

Originally published on October 23, 2023.

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Believe it or not, the end of 2023 is almost here. This year kept the same energy as 2022 in terms of general chaos on Earth, a massive rock that we inexplicably pay to live on. But sometimes, keeping the same energy is a good thing. Such is the case when it comes to this year’s television lineup. New and returning shows kept us busy at Nerdist in the best way with a solid slate celebrating various arenas of the genre landscape. From wars across the stars to bloody superhero shenanigans, here are Nerdist’s picks for the best TV shows of 2023. 

Gen V Season 1 (Streaming on Prime Video)

The Boys universe expanded its reach to Godolkin University, which isn’t a safe space for superpowered students to thrive after all. Gen V takes all the elements that makes The Boys damn near perfect television and infuses them with all the angst, uncertainty, and insecurities that one would expect from burgeoning heroes. The show boasts a sublime ensemble cast, pitch perfect tonal shifts, compelling storytelling, peppy pacing, and all the blood and shocking moments one would expect from a spinoff. It has great connective tissue with the flagship series yet is wholly unique enough to stand on its own. We cannot wait to see what season two of Gen V holds. 

The Last of Us Season 1 (Streaming on Max)

Sometimes, video game adaptations don’t translate to television well. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with The Last of Us. The series starring Pedro Pascal as Joel, a grizzled post-apocalypse survivor tasked with guiding and protecting a young girl towards safety, kicked 2023 off in style. The Last of Us delivers heartbreak, adventure, intensity, and introspective moments in equal doses. Bella Ramsey brings glorious life to the ever-popular character Ellie for a story that, at times, will literally take your breath away. 

The Wheel of Time Season 2 (Streaming on Prime Video)

The Wheel of Time’s second season gave us peak fantasy entertainment in its second season. The show’s first season laid a solid foundation of world building that this season brilliantly expands on. Several character driven arcs pack an emotional wallop for fans with a brilliantly penned and engaging season that is worthy of a marathon watch. 

Ahsoka Season 1 (Streaming on Disney+)

Is it really a Nerdist “Best of TV” list without a Star Wars entry? Ahsoka took its titular ex-Jedi, played by Rosario Dawson, on a far, far away journey as she battles some serious iconic villains. The late, great Ray Stevenson’s stunning portrayal of Baylan Skoll, ample Easter eggs, and a bevy of new revelations made this adventure one worth following. It’s truly a live-action turn that is made for hardcore Star Wars fans.  

The Mandalorian Season 3 (Streaming on Disney+)

Was the third season of The Mandalorian a bit chaotic? Sure. But it was also supremely entertaining. The amazing Bo-Katan Kryze steps into the spotlight alongside Mando and Grogu on a quest that includes more Moff Gideon and galactic pirates, among many other things. This is the time when a series could begin to lose its steam. But The Mandalorian holds strong as it balances diving into Star Wars lore alongside pure adventurous fun with an unlikely dad-child duo. 

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 (Available on AMC/Streaming on AMC+)

The Walking Dead’s long-running TV franchise took an OG character on a quest full of adventure, snark, and discovery. Daryl Dixon unearths new layers to Carol’s crossbow-carrying best friend, setting him on a journey across France to usher a special child to safety. The juxtaposition of a man known for his belief in self versus a higher power alongside many people of faith makes for a thought-provoking and intriguing saga. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon takes the bones of original series and revitalizes them with a shift in tone and a cinematic scope for an enjoyable story.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 (Streaming on Paramount+)

Some of us here at Nerdist weren’t totally into the Paramount+ Star Trek universe until other members of this parish said that Strange New Worlds was worth a shot. And they were right. The first season is one of the best Trek offerings in a long time. It was just delightful, life-affirming, and thoughtful science fiction. Positive and upbeat, while not shying away from darker themes and adult stories. Season two continued that apace with explorations into Spock and Chapel’s relationship, La’an’s time travel escapades, and Number One’s court martial. The characters are also some of the best in the franchise. What other shows can have a musical episode followed by a gritty Gorn war episode? Boldly going, indeed.

American Born Chinese (Streaming on Disney+)

Gene Luen Yang’s popular graphic novel American Born Chinese (2006) got the live-action treatment in this comedic fantasy series. It’s a family-friendly series packed with life lessons, epic fight scenes, and all the heart one expects in a coming-of-age story. In a year full of big-time offerings, this show may have fallen under the radar for those who aren’t familiar with its source material. But it is not too late to dive in and make American Born Chinese your next big watch. From its incredible cast lineup featuring Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan to its many odes to Chinese mythology, this series stands in a unique space of its own.

Reservation Dogs Season 3 (Streaming on Hulu)

This series is a bit out our normal purview, but there’s a reason why it is among our picks the best TV shows of 2023. Reservation Dogs follows the lives of Indigenous teens living in a rural part of Oklahoma as they grapple with loss and the possibility of leaving their ancestral roots. The third and final season brings this story full circle by diving into their elders’ lives, uncovering choices and pivotal events that shaped this community. We love a completed arc.

Poker Face (Streaming on Peacock)

Natasha Lyonne starring as a human lie detector in a stylish Colombo-inspired crime dramedy? There was really no way this could go wrong. Poker Face isn’t your typical Nerdist-style series but who among us doesn’t love a mystery or five? Unraveling the twisted strings that each case-of-the-week tangles up through the eyes of Charlie Cale was one of the best—and most fun!—TV ventures of the 2023. 

The Fall of the House of Usher (Streaming on Netflix)

Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher was a huge hit at Nerdist this year. Mike Flanagan said prior to the release of the series, “My favorite way to describe it to people is like ‘Hill House’ is kind of a string quartet, and ‘Bly Manor’ is this delicate, kind of beautiful piece of classical piano music, and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is heavy metal. It’s rock ‘n’ roll.” And rock ‘n’ roll is exactly what it felt like. The Fall of the House of Usher hit hard from episode one and never stopped slamming on the strings.

The series was full of blood, tragedy, and trauma but always kept Flanagan’s gorgeous aesthetic sensibilities alive. And, more than ever, a dark humor was embedded into the bones of the show, giving a comedic slant to even its darkest moments in wholly clever ways. Of course, as a Poe adaptation, it crushed the assignment. The remix of stories came together to successfully weave one compelling show. Quoth the Raven, “Hell yeah!”

Loki Season 2 (Streaming on Disney+)

Marvel Studios Disney+ MCU series have been famously hit or miss. But Loki season two achieved the one thing more or less no other series so far has managed: character development. Although many multiversal shenanigans and time convolutions happened in Loki season two, they almost didn’t really matter in the face of exploring the relationships between the series’ main players. Loki season two let these friendships and deep intimacies breathe and deepened them, bringing together a motley crew that was easy to invest in.

And so, by the time Loki realized what his inevitable final sacrifice had to be, the tragedy really hurt because viewers could feel that he loved so hard those he was leaving behind and, indeed, was finally loved by them in return. It’s hard to stick the landing, but the ending of Loki season two was the natural conclusion of everything that had come before it. And so often, it just doesn’t happen like that. This year, the god of stories told one heck of a tale and ended up creating one of our best shows of 2023.

One Piece (Streaming on Netflix)

One Piece had a lot of weight on its shoulders. Not only was it trying to deliver a compelling live-action adaptation of an anime, it was trying to deliver a compelling live-action version of the anime. But happily, Netflix’s live-action One Piece blew it out of the water. The series strikes an almost impossible-seeming balance by keeping the fun and surreality of its original anime and manga series but grounding and evolving the characters and plot to better suit a live-action. Viewers can still feel the deep anime-ness of it, but at once, know they’re watching a show that very much stands on its own feet.

One Piece is ultimately an earnestly joyful series that has a deep heart. But it also doesn’t shy away from the idea that one can be earnestly joyful and still face darkness and pain. In fact, One Piece‘s greatest strength is its very resonant portrayal of how the positives and negatives within us and around us come together to help form who we are. And, of course, it reminds us, always, to dream. Not only is One Piece an exceptional adaptation, but it is truly one of the best TV series of 2023.

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The Boys hit Prime Video back in 2019 and TV hasn’t been quite the same since. Over the past three seasons we’ve watched a band of morally corrupt supes maim, kill, and completely destroy lives without remorse. And, no matter how much the Boys try to mitigate the Seven’s impact, it seems that nothing can stop the worst of them all—Homelander—from becoming an increasing threat. So, what does the future hold for these characters? That remains to be fully seen next season. Here’s everything we know about The Boys season four so far. 

The Boys Season Four’s Plot 

Here’s a quick synopsis for The Boys season four:

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.

We also have our first trailer and it is very on brand. Homelander has some new friends and they are as twisted as he is.

Showrunner Eric Kripke’s previously told Deadline that the Gen V college spinoff would affect the events of The Boys season four. Now that Gen V has come to an end—after featuring multiple cameos from the original show—we have a better idea how it might. Gen V featured the creation of a deadly supe-killing virus which Victoria Neuman now possesses. The Boys know about it, though, and Billy Butcher personally inspected The Woods, the experimental Vought lab facility beneath Godolkin University. Homelander also locked up some truly heroic young supes, who might now be ready to take on Vought if they can escape from the company.

There are also these fun posters with Butcher and Homelander being their glorious selves. Kripke also notes that this season is the craziest one yet. That’s intriguing and also terrifying.

Read more about the connections between both shows and what they mean for The Boys’ fourth season.

• What Gen V’s Season 1 Finale Means For The Boys
• Here’s How The Boys Characters Showed Up On Gen V’s First Season
• Every New Gen V Hero And Their Powers On The Boys’ Spinoff

In the meantime, we have the title of episode one for The Boys upcoming fourth season.

Behind the Scenes 

Eric Kripke will continue to be the showrunner for The Boys season four. The season began filming in August 2022.

The Boys Season Four’s Cast

The titular crew is coming back for another round with Karl Urban (Billy Butcher), Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), Laz Alonso (Mother’s Milk), and Erin Moriarty (Starlight) reprising their roles. From the evil supes (and those who support them) side, Antony Starr (Homelander), Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Chace Crawford (The Deep), Colby Minifie (Ashley Barrett), and Claudia Doumit (Victoria Neuman) will return. Giancarlo Esposito will also make his way back onto the show. It’s not clear if Dominique McElligott will return as Queen Maeve. But we do know that Black Noir actor Nathan Mitchell will return as a new person in that infamous suit. 

In August 2022, Variety revealed that Cameron Crovetti—who plays Ryan—will be upped to a series regular. Newcomers Valorie Curry and Susan Hayward will portray Firecracker and Sister Sage. They are not comic book characters, so fans will have to wait and see how they fit into the season’s puzzle. Jeffrey Dean Morgan will join the cast, too. We still don’t know anything about his character but he doesn’t seem to be a supe.

The Boys Season Four’s Release Date 

The Boys season four will hit Prime Video in 2024.

Originally published on October 10, 2022.

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After a very long wait, Dune hit theaters in the fall of 2021 to both rave reviews and big box office. This was despite bowing on HBO Max at the same time as its theatrical debut. But Dune was really just Dune: Part One. The first film only covered the first half of Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 novel. Luckily, the rest of the story is on the way. Dune: Part Two was officially announced on October 26, 2021. Recently revealed posters show off the sequel’s characters.

Click To View Gallery

Here’s everything else we know so far about Dune: Part Two.

Title

The official name of the movie is Dune: Part Two.

Dune: Part Two‘s Plot

The official plot synopsis from Warner Bros. and Legendary for Dune: Part Two reads as follows:

This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

If you’re a fan of Frank Herbert’s Dune, this all sounds like a pretty faithful adaptation of the second half of his novel. And unlike David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune, this packed second half will now have time to breathe. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see elements of the later Dune novels pop up a wee bit early.

For now, we can enjoy Dune: Part Two‘s first trailer, which highlight a crucial book scene: Paul riding on a sandworm.

The second trailer for the film shows more of Paul and Chani and the Fremen’s fight.

The chief takeaway is that Dune: Part Two is both a love story and a war movie, and we can expect both parts to shine.

Dune: Part Two‘s Cast

Almost the entire original cast from Dune is back for Dune: Part Two. At least if their character survived, that is. This includes Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the “Kwisatz Haderach,” and Zendaya as his Fremen paramour Chani. Javier Bardem also returns as Chani’s father, Fremen leader Stilgar. Paul’s very pregnant mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) also returns for Dune: Part Two. Josh Brolin is back as Paul’s mentor Gurney Halleck, as is Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat, the loyal Mentat to House Atreides.

Stellan Skarsgård reprises his role as the sadistic Baron Harkonnen, as does Dave Bautista as the Baron’s loyal lackey and nephew Glossu Rabban. Charlotte Rampling’s character, the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother, is also slated to return. New cast members include Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan) Austin Butler (Feyd Rautha), and Christopher Walken (Emperor Shadddam IV). They are joined by Léa Seydoux (Lady Margot) and Souheila Yacoub as the Fremen warrior Shishakli.

Of course, certain major characters died in the first film, and are not scheduled to appear in Dune: Part Two. These include Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho and Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides. But there could be surprise flashbacks. So don’t count them all out just yet. We may yet see them on the sands of Arrakis. Most recently, Deadline reported Tim Blake Nelson joined the cast in an unknown role.

Behind the Scenes

Just as he was for Dune, director Denis Villeneuve is back behind the camera for Dune: Part Two. Jon Spaihts wrote the script for the second chapter of the story. Hans Zimmer also returned to score the sequel.

Dune: Part Two‘s Release Date

Dune: Part Two hits theaters on March 1, 2024. It will release in IMAX 70 mm as well as in IMAX and normal theatrical formats.

Originally published on August 1, 2022.

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

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Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter is a new trading card game that gives us a fresh outlet to play with our favorite Disney characters and create epic crossovers. Would Maleficent and Cruella de Vil be friends or foes? Could Stitch endear himself to the likes of Captain Hook? And would Robin Hood and Elsa make a good team? Those are the six characters that make up the first set of Disney Lorcana trading cards. The game was announced at the D23 Expo, but it launched in August 2023, with new sets releasing four times a year. So far, the second set, Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn, has officially released. The second set of trading cards shows off more original Disney artwork than any other product, and from what we’ve seen so far, the cards are all beautiful. Additionally, for anyone in need, a reprint of Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter will also be released this December.

Here’s everything you need to know about the game, including details of its cards, app, rules, and more. You can also check out our review of Disney Lorcana for an in-depth look at the game from a player’s perspective.

Jump to: Disney Lorcana Cards // Disney Lorcana TCG Companion App // Disney Lorcana Story // Disney Lorcana Rules // Disney Lorcana Release Dates, Availability, and More

Disney Lorcana Character Cards

Disney Lorcana is a partnership with puzzle and game maker Ravensburger, who has lots of other great Disney content. Fans at last year’s D23 Expo were able to buy an exclusive first-edition pack of the cards. They also got their hands on an exclusive Mickey Mouse card called “Brave Little Tailor” that isn’t part of the set. The other characters have their own unique abilities. Captain Hook is listed as a forceful duelist and has a sword for a hand. Maleficent appears in her dragon form in the Disney Lorcana trading cards, while Cruella de Vil’s strongest quality is “miserable as usual.” I wonder how that presents itself in gameplay. There’s also Elsa the Snow Queen, Robin Hood, the unrivaled archer, and Stitch as a rock star.  Certainly an interesting lineup.

Click To View Gallery

More Disney Lorcana Cards: From Maleficent to Olaf

It seems like more or less every Disney character will find their way onto a Disney Lorcana card. Here are a few more looks at what’s to come. The “Dragon Fire” Lorcana card, for example, features Disney’s Maleficent in her dragon form, “breathing cursed green fire.” Use of this card will allow players to “banish [a] chosen character.”

We also glimpsed a new Disney Lorcana card that brings a cheerful face to the gaming table, Olaf. Warm hugs for all! Disney’s Jumba Jookiba and Princess Aurora joined the ranks of Disney Lorcana as well. And even accessories are coming onboard. A new type of card, an item card, features the “Magic Mirror.” Very mysterious.

Click To View Gallery

Recently, Nerdist went behind the scenes with Ravensburger creative director Shane Hartley, who shared more about how the game was conceived. And, of course, we got to see the magical art of four new Disney Lorcana cards.

Disney Lorcana Launches Trading Card Game Companion App

These cards are just a taste of what the full game will hold. Already, we’re a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount and artistry of all the Disney Lorcana cards that exist. But this trading card game wants keeping track of all its cards to be a breeze—and that includes both the ones you own and the ones you want. The official Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game Companion app is here to help all users keep magic high and chaos low.

A release shares:

The Disney Lorcana TCG Companion app features a complete card catalog, which can be used by players to keep track of cards in their collection as well as “wish list” cards they hope to add to their deck. TCG rookies and experts alike will also appreciate the app’s deckbuilding feature, which allows them to create and manage their own custom deck right from their phone. Other highlights of the app include easily accessible how-to-play information and videos, a lore points counter tool and the latest news updates from Disney Lorcana TCG.

The Disney Lorcna app is free to download and is available on the Google Play and Apple App Stores.

The TCG’s Story

Disney Lorcana recently released more about its lore. It’s official story shares:

Welcome to the Great Illuminary, the center of a magical realm called Lorcana… The Illuminary summoned you here because of your powerful imagination… Nearby, a unique tool catches your eye. It’s an inkcaster, and when you pick it up, it feels both exciting and familiar. Instinctively, you hold it high above the open book. Magical ink pulsing with energy flows through the mechanism and combines with the light from a story star on a page of the lorebook in front of you, creating an image of a Disney character. With the power of your inkcaster, the image rises off the page. This is a glimmer, a new version of the character that only exists in this world. As an Illumineer, you can create glimmers of characters and items to add to the lore of Lorcana—a treasure that must be preserved and protected at all costs. 

Soon, other Illumineers across the globe will be called to the aid of Lorcana. You’ll summon glimmers to quest with you as you search for missing lore in a race against time. Only together can you protect this wondrous realm from threats. 

Will you answer the call?

Disney Lorcana’s Rules

We finally have a better understanding of Disney Lorcana‘s rules and gameplay. According to a release, here’s how the trading card game works:

Players become “Illumineers” and wield magic ink to summon a team of Disney characters known as “glimmers,” who appear in both familiar and reimagined forms. In Disney Lorcana, players embark on a search for lost lore with their teams of glimmers. They’ll play characters, actions, and items from their hand and choose whether to “quest” for lore with their glimmers or challenge their opponents. The first player to collect 20 lore wins.

Additionally, Disney Lorcana‘s quick start rules note, “Disney Lorcana is a strategy card game where each player makes their own deck before the game starts, and the decks aren’t mixed together. You can play with one of the available ready-to-play decks, make changes to one of those decks, or build a deck that’s entirely your own! In a game like this, cards can allow you to do things that aren’t normally a part of every turn. If a card’s text ever contradicts the game rules, follow what the card says.”

That all sounds simple enough, but we have a feeling actually playing might get a bit more complicated. Thankfully, the game’s official website has a dedicated “How to Play” page with video guides to walk you through playing your most magical game. These will help you to understand how to generate ink, what different cards you can have in your deck, what abilities each has, and more. And hopefully, the game will leave you singing just a little bit.

Disney Lorcana‘s Release Date and More

Finally, all that Disney knowledge rattling around our brains will win us more than just trivia contests! Disney Lorcana launched “at local game stores” on August 18. And has now been released via mass retailers, as of September 1. To keep up with exceptionally high demand, more Disney Lorcana booster pack product will be sent to North American stores in October. Disney Lorcana: The First Chapter will also be reprinted and, according to Comicbook.com, will release on December 22, 2023 at 12 AM PT/3 AM ET on ShopDisney.com’s Disney Lorcana page.

The article shares that “It is expected to include most (if not all) of the products, including starter decks boosters, the gift set, and maybe even the The Illumneer’s Trove.” Meanwhile, certain products, such as Starter Decks and Booster, can be pre-ordered now at various retailers such as Hot Topic and BoxLunch.

Meanwhile, the second set of cards Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn released on November 17 in specialty/hobby stores and on December 1 for the mass market.

Country Availability and Language Options

The game originally released in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. And it comes in English, French, and German. But now, Disney Lorcana will also be released in an additional 10 countries: Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Mexico. This expansion will occur “with the release of the third set in early 2024.” The game will also come in Italian as of its third set release.

Decks and Other Merchandise

Players will be able to purchase starter decks of 60 cards in “two of the six ‘inks’ — Amber and Amethyst, Emerald and Ruby, or Steel and Sapphire.” These decks will come with two foil cards of the characters on their boxes and also include a booster pack (12 random cards, including one foil card and one card of varying rareness) and game tokens. More robust sets will also be available for purchase. Additionally, “themed playmats, card sleeves, deck boxes, and card portfolios featuring Disney Lorcana art will be available at launch.”

Ravensburger has many other licensed products from properties like Despicable Me and Minions. There are Star Wars puzzles and an Alien board game. Plus, some less obvious partnerships, like a card game for Taco Bell. 

Originally published on September 9, 2022. Original reporting by Melissa Miller.

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Sixty years after its TV debut, Doctor Who is still going strong and heading into yet another era. The show’s Christmas 2023 special will be the first adventure for Ncuti Gatwa, who will portray the Fifteenth Doctor. Then, he will take over the TARDIS with Russell T Davies leading the way once again as a showrunner in the near future.  This era doesn’t have an official name yet—we are calling it the Bad Wolf era for now—but Davies is setting it apart from the modern era’s 13 seasons by dubbing it season one. (It will not reboot nor ignore previous events.) What can we expect from this fresh slate of stories across time and space? Here’s what we know about Doctor Who season one, which is not season 14 after all.

Doctor Who Season One’s Plot 

Doctor Who always teeters between a season-long arc and weekly adventures. Who knows what will happen in Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor?! We know there will be lots of villains, time-traveling, and tough decisions made by The Doctor. This season will have eight episodes and, for now, the titles are unknown. Right now, the main focus is on the 60th anniversary specials with Fourteen and Donna Noble. 

We do know that the Christmas special—which technically counts as a part of season one—is called “The Church on Ruby Road.” And we do have some new information about it! Here’s what Doctor Who‘s website had to say:

The episode sees the Doctor come face-to-face with the mythical and mysterious goblins as his life collides with Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.

Little is known about Ruby Sunday as she was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby. Now living with her mum, Carla and grandmother, Cherry her world is about to be turned upside when she encounters the Doctor and the two set off on their first adventure together…

Davies himself said in an SFX interview that this special will reset the series, which isn’t shocking. “It’s completely a reinvention. Reinvention of the show, brand new, but not a reboot, it’s the same old show, everything starts again, everything’s seen through the eyes of Ruby Sunday and it’s that lovely feeling of here we go, a new era beginning,” said Davies. We wonder what new territory the show will traverse.

It seems that the show is in its cute villain era. We just got Beep the (Homicidal) Meep and now we are getting a goblin creature. Check out his photo along with a few others from the episode.

Click To View Gallery

We haven’t see substantial footage yet but we should be getting it soon.

Behind the Scenes

As previously stated, Russell T Davies is back as the showrunner for Doctor Who. The list of directors include Dylan Holmes Williams, Mark Tonderai, Julie Anne Robinson, Ben Chessell, and Jamie Donoghue. Composer Murray Gold also returns to the show as a composer. Bad Wolf Studios (named after the Rose/Nine story arc) is now a co-producer of the series. Doctor Who season one wrapped filming in July 2023 and is already working on season two.

Doctor Who Season One’s Cast 

Millie Gibson will co-star alongside Gatwa’s Doctor as Ruby Sunday. It will be exciting to see their relationship unfold because they make quite the stylish pair. The Christmas special cast includes Davina McCall, a popular British TV personality who will be playing herself. Michelle Greenidge will play Ruby’s mother Carla, Angela Wynter is Ruby’s grandmother Cherry, and Anita Dobson portrays Mrs. Flood.

Now, for the remainder of the season. Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as Sixth/Seventh Doctor companion Mel Bush and Jemma Redgrave is coming back as UNIT boss Kate Stewart. There are quite a few new faces coming to Doctor Who, including Lenny Rush as Morris, Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam, and Indira Varma as the Duchess. Jonathan Groff and Jinx Monsoon are also joining the cast in roles that have yet to be fully defined. Monsoon will portray “the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet,” while Groff will appear in a historical episode. 

Doctor Who Season One’s Release Date

Doctor Who season one will hit BBC and Disney+ sometime in 2024. The Christmas special will air on Christmas Day 2023.

Originally published November 28, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About DOCTOR WHO Season 1 (No, It’s Not Season 14) appeared first on Nerdist.

For decades now, we’ve heard rumors about a sequel to Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s 1988 hit, which cemented his signature style. The story of a young goth girl (Winona Ryder) who tries to help two ghosts in her haunted home scare her parents away. The ghost they hire is a “Bio-exorcist” named Beetlejuice to do the deed. A cult classic to this day, plans for a sequel have always been rumored. During the ’90s, they even floated “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian” to Kevin Smith.

But now, some 35 years after the original hit theaters, a sequel to the adventures of the “Bio Exorcist” is finally on the way. Original star Michael Keaton, director Tim Burton, and Scream and Wednesday star Jenna Ortega have all signed on.

Earlier this year, the movie paused production in accordance with the Hollywood strikes with only a little bit left to shoot. And happily, Beetlejuice 2 has now concluded filming, keeping it on good track to meet is current release date of September 6, 2024. Director Tim Burton shared the exciting news on his Instagram and offered us a sneak peek at one of the sets from the sequel movie.

So, let’s bust out that Handbook for the Recently Deceased; here is everything we know about the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel.

Title

We have no idea what the Beetlejuice sequel will be titled. At least not yet. It might just be a very basic Beetlejuice 2. But we’re hoping for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! That way, if they ever make it a trilogy, they can call the third one Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! and Michael Keaton will magically appear when summoned, just by saying the title.

The Beetlejuice Sequel’s Plot

We don’t know much about the plot either, aside from it centering on the daughter of Lydia Deetz from the first film. And somehow, the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice will play a part as well. We think it’s safe to say that both ghosts and the afterlife will play a rather large role.

The Beetlejuice Sequel Cast

The cast for the Beetlejuice sequel is shaping up to have a combination of stars from the original, and other actors Tim Burton has recently worked with. Michael Keaton will return as the titular character, joined by Jenna Ortega, who recently worked with Burton on Wednesday, as the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz character from the first film. Winona Ryder is returning as well, as so is Catherine O’Hara as her stepmother. Other original cast members, like Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, are likely not returning.

New to the cast is Willem Dafoe, who is playing a law enforcement officer in the afterlife. Another new face is Justin Theroux, in an as-yet undisclosed role. Also new to the world of the afterlife is Monica Bellucci, who will play the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice. This will be the first time working on a Tim Burton project for all three actors.

Behind the Scenes

Returning behind the camera is original filmmaker Tim Burton. Al Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of the hit Netflix Burton/Ortega collaboration Wednesday, wrote the screenplay for the sequel. Tim Burton’s longtime friend and collaborator Danny Elfman is returning to compose the score. It just wouldn’t feel like Beetlejuice without an Elfman score, would it?

Beetlejuice Sequel Release Date.

The long-awaited sequel to the Tim Burton horror/comedy classic Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 6, 2024.

Originally published on May 15, 2023.

The post BEETLEJUICE 2 Is Done Filming, Looks to Be On Track for Fall Release appeared first on Nerdist.

“In space no can hear you scream,” but in a packed theater everyone can. Alien movies have made audiences do just that since Ridley Scott first brought a Xenomorph to the big screen in 1979. Now the iconic monster is set to return to theaters once again. While Noah Hawley is developing an Alien TV show, a new installment in the film franchise will premiere in 2024. Who will direct space’s most fearsome creature next? And how does this entry fit into series?

Recently, star Cailee Spaeny revealed more about where exactly Alien: Romulus sits in the franchise’s timeline. She noted to Variety, “It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie… They brought the same team from ‘Aliens,’ the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. So getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible.”

This means that Romulus occurs between 1979’s Ridley Scott-directed Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 movie Aliens. There’s no word, however, how closely this movie will interact with elements of either one of the existing movies. Still, it seems like a great place to set a new Alien film. This placement leaves room for Alien: Romulus to reference events that already happened on the franchise’s timeline and to allude to things that viewers know are to come. We also love hearing that plenty of xenomorph fun is on the way.

Here’s everything we know about Alien: Romulus so far.

Title

The ninth movie in the franchise is currently called Alien: Romulus. It’s unknown if that working title will ultimately be the film’s final one.

Alien: Romulus‘ Plot

The film does not have an official plot yet, but it’s described as an “original stand-alone” entry unconnected to previous films. It will feature “a group of young people on a distant world” who “find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.” Most recently we learned that Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens on the franchise’s timeline.

When the movie was originally intended to debut on Hulu, it was compared in scope to the original film in the franchise. For those trying to decipher any meaning from the film’s title, Romulus was the legendary founder of Rome and its first king.

Behind the Scenes

Director Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe, 2013’s Evil Dead) co-wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues. Ridley Scott is an executive producer on the film. Álvarez told Scott about his idea for the spinoff movie years prior, and Scott eventually reached out and asked Álvarez if he wanted to make it.

In early July 2023 the director announced on Instrgram the end of filming after nearly four months of shooting primarily in Budapest. His celebratory post would have made Red Auerbach proud.

Alien: Romulus‘ Cast

Alien: Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny (Mare of Easttown). Joining her in the young cast are David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.

Alien: Romulus‘ Release Date

Alien: Romulus will arrive in theaters on August 16, 2024.

The thin, warm summer air will help anyone in space hear audiences scream.

Originally published on August 9, 2023.

The post ALIEN: ROMULUS’ Place on the ALIEN Timeline Has Been Revealed appeared first on Nerdist.

Rick Riordan released the first book in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians fantasy series in 2005. The five-book fantasy novel series focuses on Percy Jackson, a young demigod. He learns about his special history and then gets thrown into stopping the Titans from destroying everything. We did get movie adaptations of the first two books in 2010, but they were not well received. (Rick Riordan himself wasn’t a big fan). But now, Percy Jackson gets another chance at an on-screen adaptation, this time on Disney+.

This time, it seems like the adherence to the source material will be at an all-time high. For one thing, the titles of the Percy Jackson Disney+ series come right from the book version of the story. Episode one’s title, “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher,” for instance, is also the first chapter of Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ The Lightening Thief. And “The Prophecy Comes True” is the book’s final chapter as well as the title of the last episode of the Disney+ series. Other chapters are not one-to-one in numbering, but all of them come from the novel. We love this touch.

Here’s everything we know about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series.

Title

This adaptation of Rick Riordan’s book is called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This matches the title of Riordan’s overall book series centered on Percy Jackson.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Plot

Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ teaser trailer gives us our first real taste of the series. The gods are gathering and everything in Percy’s life is about to change.

In a release, Disney+ shared that Percy Jackson and the Olympians…

…tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.

So, first season is focusing on the first book, The Lightning Thief. In the book, Percy discovers the truth about himself and his background: he’s a demigod. He goes to Camp Half-Blood for the first time and meets others like him. Then, he goes on a quest with his closest friends Annabeth and Grover. Percy must find a thief who stole Zeus’ master bolt, all while reckoning with the identity of his father (I’m not sharing who, because spoilers) and his new life.

Behind the Scenes

Rick Riordan and Jon Steinberg wrote the pilot for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. James Bobin is directing the pilot. Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz. Steinberg and Shotz serve as executive producers alongside Bobin, Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.

Season one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will have eight episodes.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Cast

The cast for the Percy Jackson series is age appropriate for the series, which is a good start. Walker Scobell (The Adam Project) plays Percy Jackson. Aryan Simhadri plays Grover Underwood and Leah Sava Jeffries plays Annabeth Chase.

We also have:

• Virginia Kull as Sally
• Glynn Turman as Mr. Brunner, a.k.a. Chiron
• Jason Mantzoukas as Mr D.
• Megan Mullally as Mrs. Dodds
• Timm Sharp as Gabe
• Adam Copeland as Ares
• Suzanne Cryer as Echidna
• Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa
• Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes
• Jay Duplass as Hades
• Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus
• Lance Reddick as Zeus
• Toby Stephens as Poseidon

Riordan noted that these are all the main characters who will appear in season one.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian‘s Release Date

The Percy Jackson series will officially release on December 20, 2023. It will debut with a two-episode premiere and new episodes will follow weekly.

Originally published on August 3, 2022.

The post PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS’ Episode Titles Come Right From the Book appeared first on Nerdist.

In WandaVision, it was Agatha all along. And now it really will be all about Agatha Harkness. Kathryn Hahn’s MCU witch will soon star in her own Disney+ Marvel series, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. While we don’t have too many details yet about what this series will entail, we can already tell it will serve up some delightfully magical fun.

Although it’ll likely still be a while before we see too much from the show, we officially have our first looks and footage from the Agatha-centric series. Set to be released on the WandaVision Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD editions, a special “Agatha Bonus Clip” takes us behind-the-scenes of Darkhold Diaries.

In the featurette, we can see Agatha and her coven of witches come together for the first time. Among other teases, the footage reveals Agatha Harkness donning several new outfits and our first glimpses of Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, and Debra Jo Rupp in Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. Agatha, the first-look clips promise, is still as dangerous and delightful as ever.

Here’s everything we know about Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.

Title

Although the first title we heard for Agatha’s MCU series was Agatha: House of Harkness, and the second was Agatha: Coven of Chaos, the series will actually be called Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries‘ Plot

Marvel Studios has kept plot details for Agatha: Darkhold Diaries under wraps. But the last time we got to see Agatha, the witch lost in a fight to Wanda Maximoff. And then Agatha ended up trapped in her Agnes persona.

We imagine the show will reveal to us how Agatha breaks out of the spell she’s under and then follow her along on some exciting shenanigans. And it seems like we’ll get to meet a number of witches from the pages of Marvel Comics. And we do love a witch.

Whatever helps happens, we hope that Agatha gets yet another catchy jingle to her name. “Agatha All Along” needs a successor.

Behind the Scenes

WandaVison‘s Jac Schaeffer returns as executive producer and head writer on Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. Additionally, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Schaeffer, alongside Wednesday‘s Gandja Monteiro and Resident Evil‘s Rachel Goldberg, will direct different episodes of the show.

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries‘ Cast

We’ve learned about quite a number of potential coven members cast so far. Of course, Kathryn Hahn returns to play the titular MCU witch Agatha Harkness. Joining her is Emma Caulfield Ford, who will reprise her role as Dottie for the Disney+ show. Dottie was one of the women Wanda trapped in her Westview fantasies. Could Dottie be another secret witch? Only time will tell. Variety also reports Heartstopper‘s Joe Locke has joined the cast in an undisclosed role. However, many fans speculate Locke will play the role of  Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wiccan, the son of Scarlet Witch and Vision. Mashable further notes that Miles Gutierrez-Riley will play “Billy’s boyfriend, Hulkling.”

Aubrey Plaza will also star in the series, potentially as a more villainous character on the Agatha show. Ali Ahn and Maria Dizzia have reportedly joined the cast as well, as has Patti LuPone. LuPone revealed she will play the role of Marvel Comics’ Lilia Calderu. Debra Jo Rupp is reportedly in the cast, too, presumably reprising her role of Mrs. Hart from WandaVision. Sasheer Zamata, meanwhile, is confirmed to play the role of sorceress Jennifer Kale.

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries‘ Release Date

For now, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries will be a part of the MCU’s Phase Five. According to Mashable, it will be nine episodes long, a bit longer than the typical Disney+ Marvel show. Agatha: Darkhold Diaries will release on Disney+ in 2024.

Originally published on November 4, 2022.

The post Watch First-Look Footage From AGATHA: DARKHOLD DIARIES appeared first on Nerdist.

Soon the world will meet a new Clark Kent in Superman: Legacy. DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the most famous superhero in the world as they transition the franchise from the DCEU to the DCU. Who will play the Man of Steel on the big screen this time around? What kind of story will we see him in? And who will bring it to life? We’re keeping track of all these answers and more.

The latest news: Nicholas Hoult, who was a possibility to play Superman, is in talks to play Lex Luthor. If Hoult truly has been cast as Lex Luthor, this casting will give Lex Luthor a truly fitting narrative in Superman: Legacy.

Additionally, per James Gunn’s confirmation, Sara Sampaio has been cast as Eve Teschmacher. Eve Teschmacher is Lex Luthor’s assistant who became his love interest/partner in crime. It’ll be interesting to see what role Eve will play in Superman: Legacy. Further, Gunn confirmed that The Righteous Gemstone‘s Skyler Gisondo has also joined the movie’s cast as Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy Olsen, of course, is a photographer from The Daily Planet who works with Lois Lane and Clark Kent. The casting is widely lauded.

Here’s everything we know about Superman: Legacy.

Title

The DCU’s first official movie (though not its first official release) is titled Superman: Legacy. That will kick off the film side of what James Gunn has called the franchise’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters.” He has also called Superman: Legacy “the true beginning” of the DCU.

Superman: Legacy‘s Plot

While the film still has no official synopsis, Warner Bros. did provide a description of what we can expect from the story, which James Gunn says is not an origin tale.

Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Gunn announced the film with art from the cover of All-Star Superman by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. Whether or not that means the story is influenced, inspired by, or adapted from the 12-issue comic series in any way is unclear. What Gunn has said is the movie will focus on “an earlier part of Superman’s life,” where he is still old enough to already be working for the Daily Planet.

Superman: Legacy‘s Cast

David Corenswet will play Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane.

In addition, four more actors have joined the cast of Superman: Legacy. Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will play Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion will play Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho. María Gabriela de Faría will play the villain The Engineer in the movie. Also known as Angela Spica, the character has nanotechnology built into her body. Additionally, Sara Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher. And Skyler Gisondo will play Jimmy Olsen.

The Hollywood Reporter states Nicholas Hoult is in talks to play Lex Luthor.

Behind the Scenes 

James Gunn wrote the (definitely completed) script and is directing.

Superman: Legacy‘s Release Date

Superman: Legacy will soar into theaters faster than a speeding bullet on July 11, 2025.

Originally published on April 11, 2023.

The post SUPERMAN: LEGACY May Have Found Its Lex Luthor and More appeared first on Nerdist.

For a while there it certainly seemed like we would never get a Star Trek 4. But in February of 2022, another Star Trek film was announced. Since then, though, we haven’t heard very much about the progress of the potential fourth movie. And updates, both good and bad, have been slight. Still, it looks like there’s still a possibility the film could happen, even though the most recent comments about it where not wholly positive. Here’s everything we know about the progress of a possible Star Trek 4 movie.

The Latest Updates on Star Trek 4

Most recently, Chris Pine spoke about Star Trek 4, but he didn’t really have much to say. When chatting to Comicbook.com, Pine was asked about any updates about the movie. Pine responded, “Not that I know of.” And when asked if Pine had potentially read any Star Trek 4 scripts, he responded very plainly with “No, of course not.”

While that doesn’t inspire much hope in the status of the movie, Lindsey Anderson Beer, who was initially involved in the writing of the Star Trek 4 script, noted to Collider in September of 2023 that the project was still moving forward. She shared, “It is, it’s still on the tracks. I love that project, and it was another one that I had to hop off of to direct this movie, and that was a hard thing to do. But I love that everybody involved with that project.”

The Initial News About Another Trek Movie

These updates come on the heels of the initial burst of news we received about Star Trek 4. According to Deadline‘s February 2022 article, negotiations were underway with the intent to bring back all of the mainstays in the rebooted franchise. That includes getting Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg to return for Star Trek 4. It was just one of the many major developments to arise out of the ViacomCBS Investor Day call in 2022. J.J. Abrams appeared on the call, confirming the reports that the fourth movie was a go.

WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman was originally on tap to direct Star Trek 4 but has since bowed out of the project. We will wait and see who may replace him. Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires will write the script. According to Deadline, their version is based on a script from Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. So, depending on how it goes, this film might have a lot of credited scribes.

Naturally, other details about Star Trek 4 remained under wraps, including the plot. It’s been a turbulent last several years for Star Trek 4. Back in 2018, plans for another film with the cast stalled, reportedly after Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth, who played George Kirk in the 2009 reboot, walked away over pay disputes. But Hemsworth later told Variety he wasn’t completely on board with the script.

Over the last several years, several people, from Noah Hawley to Quentin Tarantino, have tossed around ideas for a Star Trek film. (The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood writer-director really wanted to make the first R-rated Star Trek project.  Mark L. Smith, who wrote The Revenant, even wrote a draft.)

Still, though, many, including John Cho, held out hope that the fourth film in the rebooted franchise would eventually happen and that the Enterprise crew would get back together—save one very important cast member.

Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the first three films, sadly passed away in 2016. Abrams confirmed at the time that the role would not be recast. He told the Toronto Sun, “I would say there’s no replacing him. There’s no recasting. I can’t possibly imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better.” We’d imagine this sentiment remains in place. And we can’t wait to see how they pay tribute to the late actor.

Where We Stand with Star Trek 4 Right Now

For now, Paramount has removed Star Trek 4 from its release schedule. And that’s about all we know for sure. One way or the other, we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more Star Trek 4 developments and any glimpse of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and the rest.

Originally published on June 8, 2022.

The post Chris Pine’s Latest Comments Spell Bad News for STAR TREK 4 appeared first on Nerdist.

When Venom 3 was briefly teased at Cinema Con 2022, fans of Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff movie were excited and relieved. But since then, we’ve only gotten a few brief teases of what Venom 3 will hold. Of course, the last time we saw Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his trusty companion Venom, the pair went on adventures through the multiverse. Sony’s Venom leads ended up in the MCU, but not for long. At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eddie Brock returns to his own universe. And we assume that’s where we’ll find him (and most of Venom) in Venom 3.

On the heels of the SAG-AFTRA strike’s positive resolution, Venom 3 is back in production. Tom Hardy shared an on-set image celebrating the movie’s return to filming on his Instagram. It looks like he’s embodying the spirit of Venom, without a doubt. Poor director Kelly Marcel is also pictured, but she doesn’t look like she’s enjoying the antics as much. It feels like the perfect movie will come out of these shenanigans.

Here’s everything we know about Venom 3.

Title

Right now, the only title we have for the third Venom movie is Venom 3. But since Venom 2 eventually got a fuller title, we suspect there might be a longer title in the future.

Venom 3‘s Plot

At this time, we don’t know anything specific about Venom 3‘s plot. We only know that Eddie Brock is back in his own universe after his MCU visit. We assume Venom has also traveled back with him, despite the little gob of Venom goo left behind in the MCU. While we do not doubt that the new MCU Venom bud will seek to cause Tom Holland’s Peter Parker a lot of trouble in a potential Spider-Man 4, that likely won’t factor too much into Venom 3.

Tom Hardy did tease a behind-the-scenes image of Venom 3, which involves Eddie yelling at a wolf. Whether this will prove meaningful, we’ll have to wait and see. Whatever awaits us in Venom 3, we can bet it will involve more of Eddie Brock and Venom snarking at one another and a great mix of comedy and tragedy.

Venom 3‘s Cast

Thankfully, Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock for Venom 3. Alongside him, Ted Lasso’s Juno Temple has joined the movie, as will Chiwetel Ejiofor. We don’t know details on either of their roles yet.

Regarding returning actors, there has been no news yet of any actors other than Tom Hardy reprising their Venom or Venom: Let There Be Carnage roles.

Behind the Scenes 

Kelly Marcel, a writer and producer on Venom‘s first two movies, will direct Venom 3. Marcel also serves as the writer of Venom 3, penning the script based on a story she and Tom Hardy created. Marcel and Hardy will act as producers on the movie alongside Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, and Hutch Parker.

Venom 3‘s Release Date

Venom 3 will release on November 8, 2024.

Originally published on August 1, 2023.

The post VENOM 3 Has Resumed Filming appeared first on Nerdist.

The Thunderbolts have been a long-awaited MCU team. The quasi-villainous anti-hero/misfit gang is a staple of the Marvel Comics world, and many heroes have been a part of it at some time or another. As the MCU slowly gathered the right members, fans speculated harder and harder that the Thunderbolts were coming. And finally, in 2022, Marvel Studios made the big announcement—the MCU’s Thunderbolts movie was finally on the way.

We’ve known for a little while that Steven Yeun would be featured in the Thunderbolts movie. But now an unlikely source seems to have revealed his role. So look away if you don’t want to know. In a conversation with David Finch, The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman seemingly reveals who Yeun is playing. According to Kirkman, Steven Yeun will be playing the MCU Sentry. Kirkman noted, “My good friend Steven Yeun is playing the Sentry in a movie.” He goes onto say, “Yeah, he called me, and he said, ‘I just came back from a costume fitting for the Sentry. I guess I only do superheroes that are yellow and blue.’ He said he was at the costume fitting and was like, ‘Aww, crap. I forgot Invincible was yellow and blue.'”

Kirkman notes that he hopes what he revealed isn’t a spoiler, but it turns out, it kind of is, oops! Of course, it’s entirely possible that Kirkman’s wires are crossed and Yeun is playing someone else. But it feels fairly unlikely at this point. We guess we’ll have to wait for an official announcement.

As for Sentry, the Marvel superhero does indeed wear yellow and blue. Marvel’s official description of the character notes, “A shining sentinel, the Sentry is one of the most powerful heroes in the world, but his darker half proves to be an unstoppable destructive force at every turn.” Named Robert Reynolds, Sentry unknowingly steals an experimental rendition of the Super-Soldier Serum and drinks it. The serum grants him solar-powered superhero abilities as well as the usual superpowered strength, intelligence, speed, and the rest. Unfortunately, the serum also creates a villainous entity inside of him known as The Void. We can see how he might fit right in with the rest of the MCU’s Thunderbolts.

Here’s everything we know so far about Thunderbolts.

Title

For now, the movie about the Thunderbolts is simply called Thunderbolts.

Thunderbolts‘ Plot

We don’t know anything about the plot of Thunderbolts. However, we know who will be part of the MCU Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts will comprise of Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Ghost, Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes (a.k.a Winter Soldier), US Agent, and Taskmaster.

Thunderbolts‘ Cast

Accordingly to the MCU Thunderbolts line-up, here is the projected main cast of the movie so far, pending any surprise recastings:

Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns as Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. Hannah John-Kamen will play Ghost. David Harbour remains as Red Guardian. Florence Pugh will reprise her role Yelena Belova. Sebastian Stan will again take on the role of Bucky Barnes (a.k.a Winter Soldier). Wyatt Russell will appear as US Agent. And Olga Kurylenko will appear as Taskmaster.

Reportedly joining them is The Bear star Ayo Edebiri in an unknown role. And most recently, reports from Deadline indicated that we’ll see The Walking Dead, Nope, and Minari star Steven Yeun join the cast in a big way.

Behind the Scenes

Eric Pearson will write Thunderbolt‘s script, and Jake Schreier will direct the movie. Beef‘s creator and showrunner Lee Sung Jin has also come aboard as a writer of the movie. Kevin Feige is, of course, producing this Marvel Studios’ production.

Thunderbolt‘s Release Date

Thunderbolts is scheduled to release on July 25, 2025.

Originally published on January 27, 2023.

The post Steven Yeun’s THUNDERBOLTS Role Confirmed by THE WALKING DEAD’s Creator appeared first on Nerdist.

Steve Rogers is either dead or a very old man, but the world still needs Captain America. Fortunately for Earth, someone just as worthy of that title as Steve took on the job. No, not John Walker. (Definitely not John Walker.) On The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson finally accepted the mantle his friend tried to give him at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Now Anthony Mackie is ready to lead the superhero franchise into the future with the MCU’s fourth standalone Captain America film. Here’s everything we know about Captain America: Brave New World.

Title

Marvel first announced Captain America 4‘s official title as part of its Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. It was originally called Captain America: New World Order. But in June 2023, Marvel changed the movie’s name. It is now called Captain America: Brave New World.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Plot

Marvel has yet to reveal many details about the film. Thus far, the title is our best clue about the film’s plot. It echoes both the main conflict of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic. Marvel executives have shared some tasty breadcrumbs, though.

That began with Nate Moore, VP of Production & Development at Marvel Studios, talking about how Harrison Ford will replace the late William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Brave New World. In an interview, Moore said:

Well, look, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, he is going to bring his own team to play. It’s no secret that Samuel Sterns is making his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is fantastic because Tim Blake Nelson’s the best. Harrison Ford is taking on the role of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, and to see Sam Wilson and Thunderbolt Ross, which if you remember actually threw him in prison at the end of Civil War because he violated the Sokovia Accords. There’s going to be some natural sparks there, which I think are going to be really fun.

Behind the Scenes

Malcolm Spellman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Dalan Musson are co-writing the film. Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) is set to direct.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Cast

In addition to Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s Carl Lumbly will return as Isaiah Bradley. As will Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres.

Additionally, Brave New World will bring back Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) from The Incredible Hulk. Sterns, of course, is also known as The Leader. He will likely act as the film’s villain. Shira Haas will join the film as Sabra. Xosha Roquemore has joined the movie in an unknown role, and WWE wrestler Seth Rollins was spotted in costume on set.

Another original MCU star will also return after a long absence, too. Liv Tyler will reprise her role as Betty Ross. She originated the role in The Incredible Hulk.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Release Date

Captain America: Brave New World will fly into theaters on February 14, 2025.

Originally published on February 14, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD appeared first on Nerdist.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel’ head honcho’s Kevin Feige announced the MCU’s wild Phase Five lineup and even a little bit of Phase Six. The slate will introduce all new characters and stories, but it will also revisits some of the characters we know and love too—characters like Carol Danvers. Brie Larson will reprise the role of the hero in the Captain Marvel sequel, officially known as The Marvels, and she’ll be joined by Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau.

But there will also be other surprise guests in the movie. In previous The Marvels trailers, we got hints that a Thor character may cameo in the film. The iconic Asgardian bifrost appeared in one tease, and Captain Marvel noted, “I called a friend.” Now, thanks to the latest The Marvels trailer, we know that friend is none other than Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. Valkyrie appears at the 1:37 mark to give Carol Danvers some advice. “You can stand tall, without standing alone.” She offers. And we truly do love to see it.

Fans have longed hoped there might be a spark beyond friendship between Valkyrie and Captain Marvel. And although we most likely won’t get a romance between the two in The Marvels, it will be nice to see Valkyrie cameo in the film.

This latest trailer for The Marvels also harkens back to the MCU’s past and Avengers Endgame, showing clips of Iron Man and Captain America—even giving Thanos a new line. In a voiceover, he warns, “My work is inevitable; there will always be more to finish it.” And then we cut to our latest MCU villain, The Marvels‘ Dar-Benn. The MCU heroes and foes of yore will probably live only in flashback, at least for now, but they do serve to set the scene and scope of the movie. The trills of the Avengers theme play very effectively.

Here’s everything we know about The Marvels.

Title

The Captain Marvel sequel is titled The Marvels.

The Marvels’ Plot

We don’t quite know what Brie Larson’s intergalactic warrior will be dealing with in her next venture. She became a full-fledged Avenger after the Snap, but she’s served more as a cosmic independent contractor than as one of Earth’s regular protectors. She was busy keeping the entire universe safe, only returning to Earth to help defeat Thanos. But a synopsis for The Marvels, along with its latest trailer, reveals more about what we can expect from the movie. It shares:

In Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” 

Additionally, we know that, unlike the first Captain Marvel film, the sequel takes place in the present.

Behind the Scenes

Candyman‘s Nia DaCosta will direct The Marvels. This is a change from the first film; Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed that one. In January 2023, Marvel revealed the film’s slate of writers including DaCosta, Megan McDonnell (WandaVision), Zeb Wells (Amazing Spider-Man comic series), and Elissa Karasik (Loki). All of these people are obviously well-versed in the Marvel universe, so we can expect this film to fall in line with our MCU norms.

The Marvels‘ Cast

Brie Larson will return. But who’s joining her? Iman Vellani, who played Ms. Marvel in a Disney+ TV series, will appear in The Marvels. Teyonah Parris, who plays a grown-up Monica Rambeau in WandaVision, will reprise her role for the sequel. Nick Fury will return too.

According to Deadline, Velvet Buzzsaw actress Zawe Ashton will play the villain in the film. We don’t yet know which character she’ll play. Park Seo-joon has also joined The Marvels‘ cast.

The Marvels‘ Release Date

The Marvels is scheduled for release on November 10, 2023.

Originally published on January 23, 2021.

The post THE MARVELS Trailer Reveals a THOR Character Cameo appeared first on Nerdist.

Doctor Who sprinted back onto television in 2005 after a lengthy hiatus. Since then, the show has been running full steam ahead with several Doctors and companions traversing time and space for mind-blowing adventures. This year, fans will celebrate sixty years of Doctor Who with a slate of anniversary specials that end with us meeting the show’s Fifteenth Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa is set to helm the greatest sci-fi series of all-time and it is going to be a blast. Doctor Who series 14 will reset the series once again with another “clean slate,” bringing in fresh faces and familiar creatives to kick off a new era.

We’ll get our first adventure with Gatwa on Christmas Day of 2023. Doctor Who‘s holiday special will air on December 25, 2023. In the United States, it will stream on Disney+. And recently, the streamer revealed the name of Ncuti Gatwa’s first Christmas special in a release sharing its holiday line-up. Disney+ shared that the Doctor Who Holiday Special will be called “The Church on Ruby Road.” Sounds like it this festive episode will feature the Doctor’s new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson. We’re excited to see how the two finally get to meet.

Here’s everything we know about Doctor Who series 14 so far. 

Doctor Who Series 14’s Plot 

Doctor Who? Plot? What does that mean? I am kidding. We can only assume that this season of Doctor Who will function like the others with a mix of episodic plots, two-parters, a few ongoing threads as the TARDIS team gels together, and some sort of seasonal arc. Based on a few outfits we have seen so far, we know that the Fourteenth Doctor will travel to several time periods in the past. This season will be short, however, with just eight episode and a Christmas special. 

Behind the Scenes 

Russell T Davies is returning as Doctor Who’s showrunner and a writer in season 14. He was previously the showrunner during the show’s early revival years from 2005-2010. Mark Tonderai, who directed Rosa, will return to direct a couple of episodes, too. Other directors include Dylan Holmes Williams, Julie Anne Robinson, Ben Chessell, and Jamie Donoughue. This is the first season that the show will be produced by Bad Wolf, Ltd. Filming for the series concluded in July 2023. 

Doctor Who Series 14’s Cast 

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will lead the series as the Fourteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, respectively. And, as always with Doctor Who, there will be a lot of guest stars. Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as the Classic era companion Mel Bush. Jemma Redgrave will return as UNIT leader Kate Stewart. Drag Race star Jinx Monsoon will portray the Doctor’s “most powerful enemy yet,” Lenny Rush will play a character named Morris, Jonathan Groff will also take on a key role in the season.

India Varma (Torchwood) is taking on a new role as the Duchess. Of course, there are other actors like Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenridge are taking on undisclosed roles. Hopefully we will know more about them as the season nears. 

Doctor Who Series 14’s Release Date 

Doctor Who season 14 will hit the BBC and Disney+ sometime in 2024, following Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode in a Christmas 2023 special which will air on Christmas Day. 

Originally published on July 20, 2023.

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The second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise isn’t the only new entry into Dune‘s world coming our way.  Warner Media, together with Legendary Television, is creating a Dune tie-in series titled Dune: The Sisterhood. The show will serve as a prequel to the films and focus on the Harkonnen Sisters as they create the mysterious order of the Bene Gesserit. Villeneuve will even serve as an executive producer.

Dune: The Sisterhood may be transforming a bit, though, when it comes to its title. According to IGN, the series has been renamed Dune: Prophecy and is expected to arrive in fall 2024. We’ll be excited to soon hear more about the show if this is true.

Here’s everything we know about Dune: The Sisterhood so far.

Title

The title for this Dune series is Dune: The Sisterhood.

Dune: The Sisterhood‘s Plot

We do not have specifics about Dune: The Sisterhood‘s plot. But, as mentioned, we do know it will serve as a prequel to the story taking place in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. A logline for the show reveals more about what we can expect:

Set within the mystical world of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: The Sisterhood follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.

Behind the Scenes

To help cement the connection between the series and movies, Denis Villeneuve will serve as an executive producer on Dune: The Sisterhood. Meanwhile, Alison Schapker will be the showrunner and an executive producer of the series. Schapker previously worked as an executive producer on Westworld. She also had a hand in Netflix’s Altered Carbon and other series like Fringe, Lost, and Almost Human. Additionally, Warner Media shares that “Diane Ademu-John serves as creator, writer, and executive producer.”

According to a release:

Academy Award-nominated writer Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Mark Friedman and Matthew King will executive produce with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert for the Frank Herbert estate. Kevin J. Anderson will co-produce. The series is co-produced by HBO Max and Legendary Television with Legendary also producing the film franchise that released its first installment to critical acclaim in October 2021 and garnered six Academy Awards, including Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Dune: The Sisterhood‘s Cast

So far, we’ve seen quite a few exciting casting announcements for Dune: The Sisterhood.

Emily Watson will act as the lead of the show. Watson will play the role of Valya Harkonnen. Shirley Henderson was slated to play Tula Harkonnen but has exited the series. Other cast members include:

• Indira Varma as Empress Natalya, a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino
• Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez, an independent young princess dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne
• Shalom Brune-Franklin as Mikaela, a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known
• Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen, a fierce, unpredictable acolyte in training at the Sisterhood School who rarely reveals her emotional core
• Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline, a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who carries fervent religion to her training at the Sisterhood
• Chloe Lea as Lila, the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School with a deep empathy beyond her years
• Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart, a charismatic soldier with an enigmatic past, who seeks to gain the Emperor’s trust at the expense of the Sisterhood
• Mark Strong as Javicco Corrino, a man from a great line of war-time Emperors, who is called upon to govern the Imperium and manage a fragile peace
• Jade Anouka as Sister Theodosia, a talented and ambitious acolyte at the Sisterhood who harbors a dangerous secret about her past
• Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides, a Swordmaster to a Great House whose ambition to live up to his family name is disrupted when he forms an unexpected connection to a member of the royal family
• Josh Heuston as Constantine, the illegitimate son of the Emperor (Strong). His character is described as being ‘torn between seeking his father’s approval and his own happiness
• Edward Davis as Harrow Harkonnen, a rising politician from a once-great family, who harbors a strong desire to elevate his House to its former glory

Dune: The Sisterhood‘s Release Date

Dune: The Sisterhood does not yet have a release date.

Originally published in 2021.

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

The post DUNE: THE SISTERHOOD Reportedly Renamed DUNE: PROPHECY appeared first on Nerdist.

When the Netflix Marvel shows moved to Disney+, fans hoped they might see some familiar faces incorporated into the MCU’s world. Although there were many good iterations of Marvel characters in the Netflix shows, one hero that fans particularly hoped would return for a solo show or movie was Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Happily, Marvel Studios didn’t make us wait very long. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, the studio announced that Daredevil would receive a new MCU series on Disney+, Daredevil: Born Again. Since that announcement, the series had some ups and downs, including an overhaul of its creative team. Here’s everything we know about Daredevil: Born Again.

Title

The title of the MCU Daredevil series will be Daredevil: Born Again. This is also the title of one of Daredevil‘s famous comic arcs.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Plot

We don’t yet know much about the exact plot of Daredevil: Born Again. But in the comics, Born Again is a very dark tale for Daredevil. In it, the man without fear faces down Kingpin, who manipulates Matt Murdock’s feelings for a struggling Karen Page in his attempts to destroy the hero. Whether this storyline will find its way into the MCU, we can’t say for sure. What we do know is that Daredevil: Born Again will have eighteen episodes, leaving a lot of room to explore the MCU version of the hero.

According to a report by Variety, Marvel is planning to overhaul the direction of Daredevil: Born Again. The publication shares that “Marvel Studios has recently parted ways with head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman and is currently seeking new writers to revamp the show. Ord and Corman will still be credited as executive producers.” Additionally, Marvel has released the directors for the series episodes that have not yet already been filmed. Variety reveals that less than half of Daredevil‘s 18 episodes were filmed before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. And that “Some elements of the already shot material will be used going forward, but Marvel is looking to take the show in a new creative direction.”

Behind the Scenes

Originally Daredevil: Born Again was written and executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord. According to Deadline, Clark Johnson was meant to direct two episodes. However, Variety recently reported that Corman and Ord were released from the show and Marvel is seeking new writers and directors for the series.

The Hollywood Reporter shared the superhero crime series has added Dario Scardapane as its showrunner. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead will direct the rest of the episodes for the first season. Scardapane has experience with The Punisher, while Benson and Moorhead directed episodes of Loki season two.

While Marvel will apparently retain some episodes and other material that was already filmed, Scardapane will add new episodes and new scenes. It’s unknown how many episodes season one will have.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Cast

So far, Charlie Cox, who, of course, returns as Daredevil, and Vincent D’Onofrio, who will play Kingpin, have signed onto the new series. In addition, reports indicate that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Punisher in the MCU series. No other actors from the original Daredevil show have been confirmed to return.

Also joining Cox and D’Onofrio are Nikki M. James, Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, and Sandrine Holt. Their roles remain unknown. In addition, the publication recently cited Carnival Row‘s Arty Froushan as part of the cast. Clark Johnson, in addition to directing, reportedly has a recurring role in the series.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Release Date

Daredevil: Born Again does not yet have a release date.

Originally published January 5, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN appeared first on Nerdist.

In 2018, James Wan did the unexpected in delivering an all-around delightful Aquaman. In addition to subverting expectations, Aquaman also delivered at the box office, earning over $1 billion and a place as the top-grossing DC Comics film to date. So it’s no surprise whatsoever that DC Comics and Warner Bros. greenlit a sequel. Here’s everything we know about the DCEU’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Warner Bros.

Title

The title for the Aquaman sequel is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s Plot

For a while, plot details for this Aquaman sequel were scarce, but we had some thoughts about where Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could pick up after the very fun first film. In an interview with Total Film, Wan revealed that the story will be largely inspired by the 1960s cult horror film Planet of the Vampires. He also hints at leaning into his horror DNA with the new film.

An official synopsis for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reveals more. It notes:

Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.

Behind the Scenes

James Wan is returning to direct; he’ll also produce alongside Peter Safran. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who co-wrote the first film, is also back and will be writing the sequel’s script.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s Cast

Naturally, Jason Momoa will reprise his role as Aquaman/Arthur Curry in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Other cast members returning include Amber Heard as Mera, and Patrick Wilson as Arthur’s half-brother Orm Marius. Yahya Abdul-Matteen II has also confirmed he’s appearing in the sequel as David Kane/Black Manta. In the mid-credit scene, Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park) rescued Kane, confirming his survival and teasing his return. Additionally, Nicole Kidman returns as Atlanna, “a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior.” And Dolph Lundgren will reprise his role as King Nereus.

Jani Zhao, Indya Moore, and Vincent Regan have also joined the cast. Zhao will be playing a character named Stingray, whose background is unknown. Stingray is an original character created for the movie. Moore, meanwhile, is set to appear as Karshon. This character comes from the DC comics. According to the report, Karshon first appeared as a villain in 1963’s Green Lantern #24. Karshon began life as a shark but gained intelligence and powers after an encounter with radiation. Finally, Regan will appear as Atlan. Atlan was the ruler who caused Atlantis to sink into the ocean. Aquaman searched for Atlan’s trident in the first film.

Meanwhile, Game of Thrones alum Pilou Asbæk has reportedly joined the cast in a currently unknown role.

On July 28, 2022, Jason Momoa revealed that Ben Affleck would also appear in the film, reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman from the previous DCEU films. Affleck, of course, took part in the upcoming Flash movie. Evidently, the intention was to keep it a secret but, of all things, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour happened to catch both actors coming out of the soundstage. Awhoops. Ultimately, though, according to The Hollywood Reporter, although Affleck, as well as fellow Batman Michael Keaton, were meant to appear in the movie at different points, no Batman will appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Release Date

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases on December 20, 2023.

Originally published on April 27, 2021.

The post Everything We Know About AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM appeared first on Nerdist.

We love horror here at Nerdist, but we were kids once too. Not every kid watches A Nightmare on Elm Street at eight years old. Some of us watched regular old cartoons. But, those of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s can tell you some of those were scary as hell too. Everyone just wanted to terrify children back then. D’ose were da days. To that end, members of the Nerdist team have delved into their own kinder-fears to give you examples of episodes of cartoons that traumatized us.

We should point out, we’re pretty much leaving out anything that was inherently terrifying. Like Courage the Cowardly Dog, for example. That sh*t was designed to be scary every week. Picking an episode of this would be too easy. Anyway, without further ado.

Rocko’s Modern Life – “To Heck and Back”

To immediately contradict the above, it’s entirely possible Rocko’s Modern Life, Nickelodeon’s fourth Nicktoon which premiered in 1993, was in fact meant to terrify kids. The show, about a Wallaby’s foibles of daily existence, has some of the creepiest and most grotesque imagery this side of Ren & Stimpy. However, I don’t think anything was as nightmare fueling from that series as “To Heck and Back,” the second cartoon of the eleventh episode of the series. In it, Rocko’s best friend Heffer Wolfe (a cow) chokes to death on a chicken bone and as Rocko tries in vain to save him, has a truly disturbing trip to Heck where he meets the avatar of death itself, named Peaches.

It’s not merely that Heffer dies (he has Xs for eyes!) but it’s that Peaches at the end takes off his black hood to reveal his head is made of cow udders and sprays milk everywhere. It’s one of the most vivid memories I have of this entire show, because it scared the poop out of me. – Kyle Anderson

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends – “The Bride of Dracula!”

Saturday morning cartoons in the ‘80s loved using classic monsters, but always watered them down to a ridiculous degree. One of those times was when Dracula popped up on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and hypnotized Angelica Jones into becoming his bride. He didn’t even know she was the superhero Firestar, he just had a thing for redheads. He might not have picked her if he knew was a living sun. Oops.

In the episode, Vlad takes her to Transylvania, where his Frankenstein and werewolf henchman fight Spidey and Iceman who come to save her. The idea that Drac might just randomly pop into a school dance and choose you as his victim is actually pretty scary when one is nine years old. And his werewolf henchman Bruno was actually scarier to any kid than Dracula, and stuck in my mind longer. Sadly, Dracula doesn’t bite anyone, but at least he’s not as lame as Super Friends Dracula, who turned people into vampires with eye beams. -Eric Diaz

Rugrats – “Under Chuckie’s Bed”

As a late ‘80s baby and ‘90s kid, Rugrats was a huge part of my cartoon lineup. I loved watching those silly babies with large heads go on ridiculous adventures. But one journey I didn’t love was when Chucky made his transition from a crib to a big boy bed in “Under Chuckie’s Bed.” I was long out of the crib stage at this point. However, I still had some serious anxiety about monsters lurking in every shadow of my room, including under my bed. And watching A Nightmare on Elm Street while living on Elm Street didn’t bolster my confidence about sleeping in a bed alone.

Hearing a voice call out to Chuckie, attempting to bribe him into the darkness under his bed with candy gave me chills. Of course, Angelica makes it worse with her story about Barnaby Jones, in which we see Barnaby getting pulled into the abyss in a very It-like fashion. Sure, Chuckie’s monster was only a sweater in the end but the possibility of ending up like Barnaby loomed in my mind. – Tai Gooden

Yu-Gi-Oh! – “Evil Spirit of the Ring”

At its heart, Yu-Gi-Oh! has some truly excellent horror bones. After all, the main conceit of the show is that its characters are basically getting possessed by ancient spirits all of the time. Even the friendlier ones don’t exactly always ask permission. But no character brings the creeps and chills quite like Yami Bakura. And that’s why his introductory episode is the one that makes this list. While other Bakura episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! are arguably scarier, like his eyeball-filled Battle City duel with Yami Yugi or his graveyard-set, zombie-ridden encounter with the aptly named Bones, this episode is the most quintessentially creepy and also has a great feeling of Halloween.

For starters, “Evil Spirit of the Ring” takes place in the Shadow Realm and involves characters getting their souls sent to a graveyard where they’re chased by the Grim Reaper and see their names on gravestones. And on top of that, Yu-Gi-Oh’s main gang get to play dress up during this episode in true Halloween style. They’re transformed into monsters on the playing field and literally become their favorite cards. It’s horrifying from the perspective of their experience, but also a lot of fun. Taken together, this eerie episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! summons not only evil the spirit of the Millennium Ring but also the spirit of tricks and treats. – Rotem Rusak

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island

I’m gonna cheat a little here and pick the movie Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. While not technically an episode of the television show, this direct-to-video horror classic made regular appearances on Cartoon Network throughout my childhood and left a lasting impact on my love of all things spooky. With a more serious and genuinely scary tone than the previous adventures of Scoobert-Doo and company, Zombie Island was an essential piece of gateway horror that felt exciting and dangerous and is undoubtedly responsible for spawning many lifelong fans of the genre. – Alison Mattingly

Beetlejuice – “Laugh of the Party”

As a kid I thought the Beetlejuice animated series was the greatest thing on TV, I just couldn’t articulate why. My child analysis was mostly limited to saying, “It’s really funny!” Now, as an adult with an expanded vocabulary and greater media literacy, I realize young me nailed it. If you want to see why go back and watch the show’s delightful first Halloween episode, “Laugh of the Party.” It features Beetlejuice attempting to throw a real-world Halloween bash using Neitherworld aides. Predictably that leads to a hilarious disaster.

The episode, like the entire show, totally holds up thanks to the cartoon’s timeless comedic sensibilities. The series blended silly and smart humor via absurdist gags, memorable characters, and clever wordplay. That was all anchored by the genuine friendship between Lydia and the Ghost with the Most. Their partnership made every party, even ones with Halloween monsters running amok, worth attending. -Michael Walsh

BONUS: Turbo Teen

I can’t pick a single episode of this bizarre 1984 series (which I saw later in the ’80s) because the entire thing is messed up. I’m all for things changing into other things in cartoons. Hell, Transformers was my absolute jam. Even people turning into animals, or animals turning into human-like things. I loved all of it. So why, then, was Turbo Teen so upsetting? Well, have you seen it?! It’s about a teenager who has the power to turn into a car. He’s not mechanical, mind you. He can just turn his body into a sports car. The transformation sequence, which they showed ad nauseum in every episode, is almost more harrowing than the similar scene in An American Werewolf in London.

I mean, just look at this monstrosity!

His face turns into the car’s grill! His friends sit inside him! That’s as gross as it gets. – Kyle Anderson

The post Cartoon Episodes From the ’80s and ’90s That Scared Us as Kids appeared first on Nerdist.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One took a motorcycle jump off a cliff into theaters in July 2023. The film brought back Ethan Hunt for his first adventure since 2018’s Fallout. The seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible installments were filmed back-to-back and after many delays, Part One finally made it to theaters. The follow-up will pick up the story and see Hunt and his team attempt to stop the Entity.

It looks like we’ll have to wait quite a bit longer than we planned for to watch this Mission: Impossible movie. Mission: Impossible 8 was slated to release on June 28, 2024. But according to Variety, Paramount Pictures has moved its release date to May 23, 2025, nearly a year later. Given the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, it is unsurprising that movies are beginning to see delays in release dates. We hope that the studios offer a fair deal to the SAG-AFTRA actors soon so that productions can resume.

Here’s everything we know about Mission: Impossible 8.

Title

The next Mission: Impossible movie is a sequel and for now we will call it Mission: Impossible 8.

Mission: Impossible 8’s Plot

We don’t have a plot synopsis for Mission: Impossible 8 yet, but when we left Ethan, the search for the Entity was on. He learned the name Sevastopol from Paris. That’s the Russian submarine housing the source code for the Entity. It’s the only place Ethan can stop the AI once and for all. He and his team just have to find it and access it. That’s not an easy task since the submarine is at the bottom of the ocean. We expect Ethan will grapple with Gabriel again, too. Maybe we’ll learn more about their tangled past.

Behind the Scenes

Christopher McQuarrie wrote and directed this eighth installment. The movie was filmed back-to-back with Dead Reckoning Part One.

Mission Impossible 8’s Cast

Tom Cruise will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt. Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell will be back, too. Though the others from Part One aren’t confirmed, we wouldn’t be surprised to see anyone who didn’t die return for this film. That could include Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust. Rolf Saxon’s William Donloe will come back, too.

Newcomers include Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, and Lucy Tulugarjuk.

Mission Impossible 8′s Release Date

According to Variety, Mission: Impossible 8 will arrive in theaters on May 23, 2025.

Originally published on August 1, 2023.

The post MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 Sees Major Release Date Delay appeared first on Nerdist.

Happy Nerdoween! Every October, Nerdist gets into the Fall and Halloween spirit with a fresh slate of posts and highlights from our previous hits. We have a little something for everyone, from not-scary board games to play to the bizarre history of the Ouija board. This year, we are doing something a little different with Trope Day, a one-day celebration of how tropes play into the horror genre. 

The Seven Deadly Sins: The Horror Tropes Edition

Horror tropes are a staple in the genre, a setup for impending gore or perhaps a powerful commentary on our socioeconomic strife. They can be funny, thoughtful, or even irritating, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a horror offering that doesn’t lean into one of those tested pathways. When we began to think about horror tropes, we noticed that many of them line up with the seven deadly sins. As we all know, religion and horror often walk hand-in-hand, so this is not a shocking revelation. From “The Jock” archetype representing pride to the (somewhat fading) plot device of “having sex = death” obviously referring to lust, this was a fun way to examine common tropes through a fresh lens. 

The Classic Horror Tropes That Will Never Die

There are a few horror tropes and character archetypes, like the wide-eyed “Spook” and “haunted Indian burial ground,” that are thankfully fading into obscurity. Like any other genre, horror is continuously evolving and aiming to reflect the progressive changes in our society. But there are some tropes that will never, ever die. While horror can be quite serious, fans will always love the unseriousness of running up the stairs. “I’ll be right back…” Yeahhhh, you won’t be. And, of course, even with the worst antagonists imaginable, human beings are almost always the real monsters. A Nerdist collaborative post is always a good time!

Laser Focus Podcast: Horror Tropes

Kyle Anderson, Nerdist‘s Senior Editor and the host of our podcast Laser Focus, sat down with Features Editor Tai Gooden to chat about all things tropes. As always, there’s a few fun tangents and a lot of nerdy chatter about how tropes play into horror. 

Nerdist News: The History of Horror Tropes (Video)

Team Nerdist digs into the history of a few major horror tropes that still resonate in media today! Surely you will learn at least one new fact from this in-depth video.

New Nerdoween Posts That You’ll Love

If you can’t get enough of our new Nerdoween content, check out our latest posts:

12 Iconic Horror Villains and Their Zodiac Signs

The Best Final Scenes in Horror Movie History

When Evil Lurks (Review) 

V/H/S/85 (Review)

The post Nerdist Celebrates All Things Horror with Trope Day appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been a while since we stepped into the world of The Hunger Games. But now we have a chance to see the origins of the treacherous world we’ve come to know. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes takes us back in time to the 10th Hunger Games and introduces us to a young Coriolanus Snow, who has not yet stepped into his full evil. For context, the first The Hunger Games movie takes place during the 74th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games prequel movie takes place 64 years before.

A new featurette takes us into this world and how it came together.

Here’s everything we know about The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Title

The title of The Hunger Games prequel movie is The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. This is the title of the prequel novel on which the film is based and alludes, of course, to the deep machinations of predator and prey we’ll see in the movie. The songbird refers to Lucy Gray Baird’s singing abilities. But the movie also poses a larger question, asking us to think about who the snakes and songbirds really are in the story.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Plot

Since The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is based on a novel by Suzanne Collins, many details of its plot are available. But here is what the official synopsis reveals about the movie.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

Additionally, we now have the first full trailer for the movie. It gives us a glimpse of the twists and turns of the tale we’ll soon see play out.

Behind the Scenes

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be directed by Francis Lawrence; Lawrence previously directed The Hunger Games’ Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two.” Additionally, according to a release “it will be shepherded by franchise producer Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Francis Lawrence.” Suzanne Collins, the author of the series, will serve as executive producer. Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt wrote the screenplay.

It seems this film will dive a bit deeper into the book’s violence. Like its predecessors, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will have a PG-13 rating. However, this rating says their will be “disturbing material” in this film. It won’t get too brutal but things will be intense.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Cast

In addition to many other talents, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés  Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis star in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Release Date

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will release on November 17.

The post Everything We Know About THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES appeared first on Nerdist.

What’s your favorite scary movie (trope)? No matter how much the horror genre continues to evolve, there will always be room for tropes. Those tried-and-true plot devices and character archetypes, while sometimes overdone, are effective in many ways. Sometimes, a trope is meant to simply humor the viewer as they confidently assert how they would act differently from a film’s character(s). Other times, horror tropes play a more intellectual role, perhaps holding a mirror to the dark aspects of our reality.

They build the foundation to deliver a flawless ending, terrorize us with unexpected visuals, or play into our deepest fears and insecurities. Horror tropes can be fun, exhausting, and heartbreaking, sometimes all at once. And while some tropes are rightfully fading into obscurity, there are a few that, like Jason Voorhees, will never die.

In honor of those enduring tropes, the horror lovers at team Nerdist and our scary movie loving freelance contributors picked tropes that thrill, chill, and reflect our society.

The brilliance of John Carpenter’s legendary The Thing is that it will never again let us trust anybody. We’ll never get tired of wondering if the Childs we saw during in the end was human or not. 

Alison Mattingly: Of all the horror tropes, nothing feels more synonymous with the genre to me than the “final scare.” One of my earliest and fondest horror memories is watching the original Friday the 13th with my parents one Halloween when I was in my early teens (after begging my mom to let me buy the DVD from a bargain bin at the local Wal-Mart). Having been a lifelong chicken with a morbid curiosity for all things dark and scary, I had decided I was ready to watch my first adult horror film. I proceeded to watch the ’80s slasher with awe and terror, enjoying the rollercoaster ride of its thrills.

However, the moment that sealed the deal for me as a born-again horror fan was the final scare trope, which to this day, I think Friday the 13th perfected. With the killer dead and the danger seemingly over as help arrives the next morning, Jason Voorhees springs from the depths of Crystal Lake to drag Alice into the water and deliver one final burst of fear for an unsuspecting audience. I can still distinctly remember both my mom and I screaming. She burst into tears proclaiming, “I hate this movie”, and I, quietly in my nervous laughter, proclaimed my love. 

“…They’re all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door…”

Tai Gooden: Iconic final girl (and anti-horror advocate) Sidney Prescott says these exact words in Scream (1996) during her first phone call with Ghostface. As we now know, this very-meta franchise often pokes fun at horror’s many tropes while simultaneously leaning into them. And when it comes to horror tropes, “running up the stairs” is one of the most nonsensical and hilarious ones in existence. Rarely if ever does it make sense to go upstairs to evade a killer, yet countless people (specifically women) have met their demise by making this choice.

Like the audience, Sidney may believe she’s smarter than the average horror character. But that’s simply not the case when she’s the one in peril. Moments later, Ghostface appears and, after a brief scuffle, Sidney tries to go out the front door but the lock chain holds her back. Does she run out of the back door instead? No. She heads straight up the stairs for a heavy dose of irony. Thankfully, final girl plot armor worked to her advantage, saving her from Ghostface’s knife.

Kyle Anderson: As soon as you see a bathroom in a horror movie, you can all but guarantee bad stuff will happen. One of two things can happen. One, someone will die in the shower, which is a trope of its own. The other is having the life scared out of you with a hideous monster or other nasty sight in the bathroom mirror behind our hapless victim. You can see this trope coming a mile away. If the camera lingers too long on the sink, it’s over. The person looks at themselves in the mirror, then they go to splash some cold water on their face, and then when they look up, someone’s behind them!

Either it’s a figment of their imagination, or a portent of something bad, or just a real monster or killer. But you WILL be scared, mark my words. The variant of this one, if not the splashy-water set-up, is if the person opens the medicine cabinet. Oh dear heavens, when they shut that thing and look in the mirror again, terror ensues.

While many movies have used a scary thing in the mirror, the best and arguably first real instance of the trope version comes in 1981’s An American Werewolf in London. The movie had already had a few fake-out jumpscares to this point, but about halfway through the movie, our hero David goes to the bathroom, rifles through his new girlfriend’s medicine cabinet, and then is terrified by the grinning visage of his dead and decaying friend Jack behind him. It’s part funny, part scary, an all-time great.

Lindsey Romain: Something in horror that always works on me, even though I hate it, is the “police don’t believe you” trope. It’s a step above “no cell service” in terms of frustration. We’re trained to think the police are the ultimate saviors in moments of danger, but as with real life, that’s rarely the case in horror. They often cause even more death and damage. An ineffective cop is one thing, but cops who blatantly disbelieve our protagonist are even worse. We see it in movies like Cabin Fever and Fright Night, and most recently in Barbarian.

When heroine Tess finally escapes her basement prison and finds law enforcement, she’s met with disbelief. They see her ragged conditions and assume she’s a vagrant, abandoning her to danger. It’s even thornier considering Tess is a Black woman and police violence against Black people remains a horrifying reality in the United States. Horror is best when it’s reflecting real-world truths, even when it’s uncomfortable. Tropes like this may not be pleasant, but they’re certainly effective—and even educational. Tess is the hero of Barbarian in spite of the police who failed her, cementing her as one of the best final girls in recent memory. 

Eric Diaz: I believe the children are the future as much as the next person. But even those of you with children of your own know that kids are sometimes just really creepy. You ever walk into a room with a preschooler having a full conversation with someone not there? Or perhaps they are singing an eerie tune to themselves. Then you know what I’m talking about. However, kids are by far the creepiest in horror films. From The Shining’s ghostly twins, to little Damien in The Omen, and even the chorus of ghostly youth at the start of Stephen King’s It, creepy kids are enough to make you lose some sleep.

But the princess of creepy kids remains poor possessed Regan McNeil in The Exorcist. Her transformation from innocent 12-year-old to filth-spewing demon retains all of its power 50 years later.  There’s just something truly terrifying about what’s supposed to be innocent corrupted by evil. It will always be one of horror’s most effective tropes because of this.

DarkSkyLady: Every time this horror trope pops up through darkened homes, abandoned silos, or dank forests, audiences curse or praise the horror gods. When facing an unknown threat, they need to recall Colonel Mustard’s “there’s safety in numbers.” From films like You’re Next to The Strangers 2: Prey at Night to earlier classics like the Halloween franchise and Friday the 13th, whether stated or implied, splitting up is often the death knell for characters. Yet, we love it because it’s fun! It gives viewers a feeling of superiority that, in the same position, they’d survive. 

Then there are films like Cabin in the Woods, which seek to explain this ridiculous “let’s split up” decision. It’s a gas that leads to poor decision-making! In this movie, one character, Marty, hilariously reflects the audience’s thoughts on this bright idea when he incredulously says, “Really?” Whether a film shows foolish characters hacked beyond recognition or reflects viewer savvy, this one whets the appetite for impending carnage. 

Jules Greene: Evil nuns have never been more in vogue. However, there’s something uniquely compelling to me about evil nuns who aren’t monsters like Valak from The Conjuring movies, but rather ordinary people. The found footage film The Devil’s Doorway featured a Magdalene asylum in Ireland, run by a chilling Mother Superior played by Helena Bereen. The Magdalene asylums were places where “fallen women” in Ireland (young girls and unmarried women who were pregnant, disabled, or defiant of social norms) were imprisoned and forced to work in inhumane conditions.

Director Aislinn Clarke showcases the brutality of the asylums, with the film’s Mother Superior as the driving force behind all of it. While we don’t have to look far to find evil nun movies today, the painful truth behind The Devil’s Doorway is what turns this trope into a damning exposé of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Joshua Mackey: My favorite horror trope would have to be “humans are the real evil.” It essentially reveals that, even though there’s something that “goes bump in the night” within the film, people are the true horror. My favorite film with this trope is Jennifer’s Body. Megan Fox’s Jennifer Check is supposed to be the “big bad” in the film. And in some ways, she is. Is she dismissive and mistreats her “best friend” Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried)? Yes. Does she feed on the flesh of the men she preys on as a succubus? Also yes.

However, she was turned into the film’s monster by Nikolai Wolf (Adam Brody) and his bandmates who were the real monsters after *spoiler alert* sacrificing her to Satan for their own capital gain. Needy knew not to trust Nikolai and his crew. In the end, she made sure to take care of them. 

The Horror Movie Trope: “I’ll Be Right Back…”

The Movie: Halloween (1978)

Tai Gooden: If you’re in a terrifying situation and you tell someone that you’ll be right back, then you can bet your a** that you probably will not return. The “I’ll be right back… ” trope almost always proceeds the next round of gore as some bizarrely confident person walks straight towards their last living moments. There are many, many examples of this trope and one of my all-time faves is Halloween. Lynda and her boyfriend Bob break a (formally) cardinal rule about having sex when a killer is on the loose. Bob takes a causal drag of his cigarette before declaring that he will be right back. Of course, Michael kills him and inexplicably nails his body to the wall with a single butcher knife. So much for physics, I guess.

I love this example because it gives us a small and rare window into Michael’s humorous side. He acts like Bob in a ghost costume before eventually taking Lynda out. It’s not the first example of this trope but it is a popular one among horror aficionados.

The post The Classic Scary Movie Tropes That Will Never Die appeared first on Nerdist.

The Wheel of Time only recently wrapped season two. The exciting finale took fans further into Robert Jordan’s fantasy book series of the same name. And the story will continue in season three, which Prime Video greenlit in summer 2022. While we don’t know a ton about what’s ahead, The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins has teased some information. Here’s everything we know about season three of The Wheel of Time so far.

The Wheel of Time Season 3’s Plot

The Wheel of Time season three will pull mostly from The Shadow Rising, book four of the series. Judkins appeared at New York Comic Con in October 2023 mentioning that and also that the season will bring in elements from book five, The Fires of Heaven, too. Judkins noted the season will have more Forsaken and an exploration of Dreamwalking, which we saw a little of in season two. Additionally, the next season will focus more on Rand or Perrin.

Judkins said, “Every season, we sit down in the writers room and one of the things that we do at the very beginning is pick out a couple of the stories that we have to carve out a space to make a whole episode for. We think it’s worth it because those stories will really stand out to an audience, especially that didn’t read the books. They’re given that time, and it’s carved out, so they can really follow that character on that journey.”

Season three will return to the Two Rivers, visit the Aiel Waste and Rhuidean, and go to Tanchicho and bring in the Sea Folk.

Behind the Scenes

Prime Video hasn’t officially shared a director list or anything for season three of The Wheel of Time. We know the season has been filming for months. Executive producer Marigo Kehoe told The Hollywood Reporter they had scripts in place before they began filming, so the WGA strike didn’t cause delays. The cast is on Equity contracts rather than SAG-AFTRA, so that strike hasn’t pushed production either.

It sounds like season three will have eight episodes, following seasons one and two.

The Wheel of Time Season 3’s Cast

The cast for The Wheel of Time season three hasn’t been confirmed yet. We expect to see all existing characters return, obviously. Even if someone has died in the series, you shouldn’t count them out. We expect to see some new faces from the books, too, including Elaida, an Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah. Judkins has also said we’ll see more members of the Forsaken. He said, “I can confirm that we have cast and put on set a Forsaken you have not seen in the show as of yet.”

The Wheel of Time Season 3’s Release Date

The Wheel of Time season three doesn’t have a release date yet.

The post Everything We Know About THE WHEEL OF TIME Season 3 appeared first on Nerdist.

In 2020, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced that Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart, would spring to life from comic pages in her own original series starring Dominique Thorne. Ironheart will be part of Phase Five. While details about the series are still pretty scarce, Riri Williams’ comic history will provide its foundation. We finally met Riri “Ironheart” Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, an appearance that set the stage for diving into her story. Here’s everything you need to know about Ironheart. 

Title

The series title is Marvel Studios’ Ironheart. 

Ironheart‘s Plot

Ironheart will focus on Riri Williams, a brilliant Black girl inventor who creates a high-tech metal suit like Iron Man’s. As we discover in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Riri is a 19-year-old MIT student who is “running” a homework business. Oh, and she also builds a vibranium detection machine that puts her in the path of Namor, the leader of a underwater nation who is willing to kill her to protect his people. Of course, she’s alive and well at the end of the film and heading back to Massachusetts… for now. Right now, there are no solid details about the show. But it is possible that the show will bounce between her native Chicago and MIT, where MJ and Ned also happen to be.

Behind the Scenes 

Playwright, poet, and Snowpiercer writer Chinaka Hodge will lead the show’s writing team as a head writer. According to Deadline, Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes will direct the series. In addition, Proximity, Ryan Coogler’s production company, will serve as one of the show’s producers. Coogler is also onboard the series as an executive producer alongside Kevin Feige. Ironheart finished filming in November 2022.

Ironheart‘s Cast

Dominique Thorne will take on the leading role of Riri “Ironheart” Williams in the MCU. She will be joined by Anthony Ramos of Hamilton and In the Heights fame, who will play The Hood. This Is Us mainstay Lyric Ross will portray Riri’s best friend. In the comics, Riri’s BFF Natalie died way before she became an iron hero but lived on through N.A.T.A.L.I.E. This AI program takes her friend’s form and they work together much like Stark and J.A.R.V.I.S. did. It remains to be seen if this friend will be alive, appear in flashbacks, or operate as AI in the series. Or, perhaps it is not Natalie at all but rather a new character.

Other cast members include Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Zoe Terakes, Shakira Barrera, Jim Rash, Shea Couleé, Regan Aliyah, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Sonia Denis, Paul Calderón, and Cree Summer.

A new Marvel filing with the U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System also reveals that Sacha Baron Cohen will appear in Ironheart as “Mystery Man.” Very mysterious indeed.

Ironheart‘s Release Date

The Disney+ series doesn’t have a release date yet.

Originally published on March 1, 2022. 

The post Everything We Know About Marvel’s IRONHEART Disney+ Series appeared first on Nerdist.

The unexpected comic book movie blockbuster of 2019 was Todd Phillips’ Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role of Batman’s #1 nemesis. The movie earned a billion dollars at the box office and won Phoenix an Academy Award for his role as Arthur Fleck. No one saw all that coming for the relatively smaller budget and very adult-skewing R-rated film. But when you make that much money, a sequel is inevitable.

Here’s everything we know about the Joker sequel.

Title

Isn’t it beautiful?

Todd Phillips reminding us to rewatch Joker and get ready for #JokerFolieADeux pic.twitter.com/loJjviyiLI

— DC (@DCOfficial) October 3, 2023

The official title for Todd Phillips’ sequel to his 2019 blockbuster hit is officially Joker: Folie à Deux. Which means, in French, “Joker: Shared Madness.”

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Plot

Right now, we know little of the plot for the Joker follow-up. Other than the fact that it will feature the Joker and Harley Quinn together. Considering how loosely the first film played with DC Comics’ mythos, don’t expect this one to be any different. They explored the origin of the Joker/Harley relationship in the classic Batman: The Animated Series episode “Mad Love,” and then translated (more or less faithfully) in the first Suicide Squad movie. We expect something a little more out of the box this time for Joker and Harley.

For those concerned, Peter Safran and James Gunn have assured fans the movie will remain in the DC Universe, though it will carry an Elseworlds project tag. That means it will live on, but it won’t work into the main timeline of the DC Universe.

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Cast

Aside from the returning Joaquin Phoenix as Joker/Arthur Fleck, and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, only a handful of other actors have been confirmed thus far. Brendan Gleeson has also joined the cast, as has Catherine Keener in a “major” but still unknown role. Jacob Lofland has also joined up, as someone associated with Arkham Asylum.Also officially joining the cast is Industry‘s Harry Lawtey.

Behind the Scenes

Director Todd Phillips is reuniting with his original Joker co-writer Scott Silver for this new continuation.

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Release Date

The Joker sequel is set to premiere on October 4, 2024.

Originally published on December 12, 2022.

The post Everything We Know About JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX appeared first on Nerdist.

The first season of Loki on Disney+ brought back Tom Hiddleston as the seemingly unkillable Asgardian God of Mischief. It was a huge success. The series introduced MCU fans to the Time Variance Authority, or TVA, who watch over the timeline of the known universe. Loki also formally introduced the concept of the Marvel Multiverse. We also got a perfect foil for Loki in the form of his variant Sylvie. Perhaps most importantly, it’s the only MCU series to get a second season (so far). But what wild adventures through the spacetime continuum will Loki’s second round include?

Here’s everything we know about Loki season two.

Loki Season Two’s Plot

The first season of Loki ended with Sylvie killing He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), thereby erupting the Sacred Timeline and unleashing the Multiverse in full. When Loki returned to the TVA, it was altered in the timeline, and no one remembered him. Not to mention, statues of He Who Remains (or one of his variants more likely) stood tall in the TVA’s halls.

The synopsis for Loki season two says:

Loki Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.

We can see what will go down in Loki season two in this Disney+ trailer.

Behind the Scenes

Season one writers Michael Waldron and Eric Martin are coming back, with Martin now the head writer instead of Waldron, and Waldron serving as executive producer. One of the creatives from season one not returning is showrunner Kate Herron, according to a report from Deadline. Co-directing several episodes in season two, also according to Deadline, are Moon Knight’s Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Natalie Holt is also back as the series composer.

Loki Season Two’s Cast

Tom Hiddleston returns, of course, as the titular Loki. Also returning is Owen Wilson as Mobius, Sophia DiMartino as Sylvie, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer. Eugene Cordero as ever-present TVA employee Casey (he’ll play a series regular in season two), and Tara Strong as the voice of Miss Minutes will also come back. No word yet on Jonathan Majors as one of the Kang variants, although the giant statue of him at the end of season one suggests we will see him again.

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) is in season two of Loki, but we don’t know details about his role yet. Additionally, Deadline reports that Game of Thrones‘ Kate Dickie will likely play the villain in Loki‘s second season.

Loki Season 2 Release Date

Loki season two will release on October 5, 2023 and 6:00 PM PT/9:00 PM ET.

Originally published on August 24, 2022.

The post Everything We Know About LOKI Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

In The Boys universe, Compound V babies are growing up and going to college in their own live-action spinoff, Gen V. How will the series connect to the original show? What can we expect from a Vought-led school of hero higher learning? Well, we can’t say for sure yet.

Here’s everything we know about Gen V so far.

Title

The title of this The Boys spinoff is Gen V.

Gen V‘s Plot

Here’s the initial Gen V synopsis from Prime Video and Sony:

Set at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes (run by Vought International), Gen V is an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities. It’s part college show, part Hunger Games—with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys.

Gen V will take place at Godolkin University (and within its “School of Crimefighting”), an exclusive university of higher supe learning. The series will borrow from The Boys comic, specifically from the “We Gotta Go Now” arc.

This Gen V trailer reveals that Victoria Neuman, Ashely, and Adam Bourke will appear alongside these new characters. And Marie, whom we previously saw a photo of on The Boys in a Red River Institute file (more on that later), is the main character. Love that for her… or maybe not.

And, yes, there will be puppets.

We also know what The Boys‘ spinoff’s college student union and dorm rooms will look like. Gen V‘s setting is looking pretty clean… for now.

We also have quite a few new photos of all the characters we will see in Gen V. They are also remarkably clean for now. Well, except poor Andre.

Click To View Gallery

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, speaking with Empire, promise there are some shocking scenes to come. Rogen notes, “Gen V has some really crazy shit in it. The fact that they’re in college, they’re a little younger, makes it more shocking, maybe.”

And more widely, Rogen offers this insight into creating The Boys‘ worlds. “In general, if you’re making an R-rated thing, they let you do whatever the fuck you want, unless there’s some real legal thing that they think you might be bumping against… With The Boys, maybe it requires one extra five-minutes phone call, where they’re like, ‘Really?’, and you’re like, ‘Really.’ There are other things you’re on hours of phone calls about that are so much less interesting than that.”

Gen V‘s Connections Within The Boys Universe

The Boys Presents: Diabolical‘s second episode introduced the Red River Institute. It’s a group home for abandoned and parentless super-powered children. But the animated series (with the exception of the final episode) is not canon. The Boys season three made Red River canon when Hughie discovered that congresswoman Victoria Neuman was a secret Supe named Nadia. She grew up at the not-so-great Red River Institute after accidentally killing her parents.

Some children at Red River—whose ages range from 3-17 years old—ended up there for similar reasons. But others had been left/abandoned to Vought’s care when their parents decided they either couldn’t or wouldn’t raise their super-abled child. The case files Hughie stole from the group home included a photo of Gen V‘s main character Marie Moreau.

The Boys‘ showrunner Eric Kripke has said Gen V will react and continue building on events introduced during the original show’s third season. Here’s what Kripke told Deadline:

There’s definitely crossover, and we’re doing our best to design a universe that sees some of the issues and storylines in Season 3 hand off to the first season in Varsity (the previous working title of the show). Like there’s a presidential campaign happening in the background of that season, and there’s certain things that are happening at that school that are both in reaction to Season 3 of The Boys. There’s Soldier Boy, etcetera, but also some new storylines that are happening in that season of the spinoff that we have to pick up and take into Season 4 of the show.

Gen V‘s Cast

Jaz Sinclair (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) will star as Gen V‘s lead Marie Moreau, an 18-year-old Godolkin freshman who can control and weaponize her blood. She wants to be the first Black woman in the Seven. Sinclair will star opposite fellow co-ed Emma, a supe called Little Cricket played by Lizze Broadway, and Chance Perdomo’s Andre Anderson, the son of the famous supe Polarity, played by Sean Patrick Thomas. London Thor and Derek Luh both play the college supe Jordan Li, who can change between man and woman forms. Patrick Schwarzenegger is Luke Riordan a.k.a. Golden Boy, a Godolkin senior set to be in the Seven.

Maddie Phillips portrays Luke’s girlfriend Cate Dunlap, a junior who can encourage people to do as she wishes with the touch of her hands. Clancy Brown is Professor Rich “Brink” Brinkerhoff, the professor of crimefighting who trained several members of the Seven. Asa Germann is Sam, a troubled and very powerful supe and Shelley Conn is Indira Shetty, the dean of Godolkin University who surprisingly doesn’t have any powers. Marco Pigossi is Dr. Edison Cardosa, a doctor with ties to Godolkin University. Alexander Calvert and Jason Ritter will also appear in recurring roles. For more info about Gen V‘s characters, check out our character guide.

One interesting addition is Derek Wilson, who will portray Tek Knight. This is shocking to a few fans who assumed that Jeffrey Dean Morgan would portray the character in The Boys season four. The plot thickens, indeed.

Speaking of The Boys, actors Jessie T. Usher and Colby Minifie will make appearances as A-Train and Ashely Barrett, respectively. And P.J. Byrne’s Adam Bourke will also show up on campus to make the next great Vought movie. Propaganda really, but whatever. We will also see Victoria Neuman, played by Claudia Doumit, in some capacity.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Chace Crawford will reprise his role as the Deep on Gen V. We don’t yet know how this aquatic Supe will figure into the Gen V world, but we do know that we’re excited and a little terrified to see him.

Additionally, Jensen Ackles, who played Soldier Boy on The Boys, teased a cameo in Gen V at a fan convention. Entertainment Weekly reports that Ackles shared the following:

Soldier Boy pops up for a brief moment in this new spin-off of The Boys. In fact, there’s a few cameos from the mothership that come into this spin-off. My little bit there was heavily [improvised].

Behind the Scenes

Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters will serve as Gen V’s showrunners. They will also executive produce alongside Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Zak Schwartz, Erica Rosbe, and Michaela Starr. (That’s all?!) Brant Engelstein also joins the show as co-executive producer.

As with The Boys, Sony Pictures Television Studios will produce Gen V alongside Amazon Studios.

Gen V‘s Release Date

Gen V will release its first three episodes on September 29, with weekly releases to follow.

Early access tickets for a screening of the first two episodes of Gen V are now available. These screenings of The Boys spinoff will take place in a number of theaters and will occur on 9/27, two days before Gen V releases on streaming. If you want to try your luck at getting tickets, head to this page now.

Finally, Little Cricket on the BIG screen🍿

Prime members have the chance to receive early access to watch the first two episodes free in select cities! Use code GENV to secure your tickets at https://t.co/MKLujTryJm pic.twitter.com/bcFI6io62l

— GEN V (@genv) September 19, 2023

Originally published on September 9, 2022.

The post Everything We Know About THE BOYS SPINOFF GEN V appeared first on Nerdist.

Long before Marvel and DC movies were the rage, independent pioneers Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz gave us a 98-pound weakling who transformed into the first superhero from New Jersey! The Toxic Avenger stormed onto the scene in 1984 and brought with it Troma’s trademark combination of over-the-top violence and gore and slapstick comedy, thus creating an empire. A big studio remake was bandied about for years, and in 2018, Legendary Entertainment officially set forth with a new take on the unlikely hero, with Kaufman and Herz producing.

Here’s everything we know about the project.

Title

For now, the movie is known as The Toxic Avenger.

The Toxic Avenger‘s Plot

Who (or What) Exactly Is the Toxic Avenger?

The Toxic Avenger tells the story of Melvin, a janitor who works at a health club and gets picked on incessantly by the beefy, attractive, but completely mean-spirited patrons. Until one day, he’s pranked exceptionally hard and falls into a vat of toxic waste. The ensuing mutation turns him into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, affectionately known as Toxie. He travels around Tromaville, NJ, cleaning up criminals and corrupt politicians in particularly unpleasant ways. But he’s a lovable hulking monster, at least.

A Toxic Legacy

Since its debut nearly 35 years ago, The Toxic Avenger has been one of the most successful cult franchises in history, spawning three sequels, a children’s cartoon in the ’90s, and even a live stage musical. Troma Entertainment has cultivated a very specific brand of movie, a mix of horror, action, and raunchy comedy that has a fervent fan following. It’ll be interesting to see what a studio version of The Toxic Avenger would look like, and presuming it retains its edge, how much gore and gross-out humor it’ll be able to get away with and still receive an R-rating.

Behind the Scenes

In one of the more exciting and confounding turns of events in recent movie news, Legendary’s upcoming big-screen reboot of Troma Films’ tentpole The Toxic Avenger has signed on a writer-director with some serious dark indie cred. As first reported by Variety, Macon Blair, the writer-director of I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. and a frequent actor and collaborator with Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room, Hold the Dark) will pen the script and direct The Toxic Avenger.

The Toxic Avenger‘s Cast

Peter Dinklage is playing Toxie himself, Winston Gooze. Acting opposite Dinklage as the film’s female lead, we have Taylour Paige, costar of Zola and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Jacob Tremblay will also star. But perhaps most excitingly is the casting of the film’s villain. Kevin Bacon, star of the screen and unlikely focus of every film nerd’s favorite way to pass the time on a bus, will play the heavy. Elijah Wood and comedic actress Julia Davis are also part of the cast.

Click To View Gallery

Recently, Entertainment Weekly shared new images from The Toxic Avenger reboot. These images gave us some of our first glimpses of the new cast in action. We were especially excited to finally learn more about Elijah Wood’s role in the movie. According to the publication, Wood “plays a villain named Fritz Garbinger with blackened teeth, panda eyes, and long tendrils of hair sprouting from his mostly bald pate.” This character is “sort of Riff Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Danny DeVito Penguin mixed together.” That’s quite a combination.

We also see Kevin Bacon appear in these new images. Bacon plays “corporate overlord Bob Garbinger… a character the director describes as in ‘the mold of Lex Luthor, where they have all this money and resources at their disposal, but he’s just kind of a disaster.'” Bacon and Wood play brothers in the movie. Whereas Bacon’s The Toxic Avenger villain is the golden boy, Wood’s character is “the runt of the family.”

Taylour Paige, meanwhile, appears as a “part investigative reporter, part vigilante detective.” And “she’s working to accumulate evidence against this corrupt company.” Jacob Tremblay also stars, he plays Winston (Peter Dinklage)’s stepson Wade.

The Toxic Avenger‘s Release Date

The Toxic Avenger premiered as the opening film of Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2023.

Originally published in December 2018.

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

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After meeting Echo—a skilled fighter and former member of the Tracksuit Mafia—in Hawkeye, fans wanted to see more of her. The MCU is telling a wider array of stories from different backgrounds in its latest offering. And that will continue with this character, who is Deaf and Native American. Now it’s time to focus on Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo’s, story in Echo, a series heading to Disney+.

Here’s everything we know about Echo so far. 

Title 

The title of this series is Echo (more formally Marvel’s Echo.) 

Echo’s Plot 

We don’t know a lot about the plot right now. But Marvel’s synopsis does give us a bit to work with: 

…the origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.

Behind the Scenes 

Several of the show’s creatives are Native American, including directors Sydney Freeland (Navajo tribe) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai tribe). Executive producers include Kevin Feige (obviously), Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, and Jason Gavin (Blackfeet tribe). Echo’s co-executive producers are Amy Rardin, Sydney Freeland, Christina King (Seminole tribe), and Jennifer Booth.

Echo’s Cast 

Alaqua Cox will return as Maya Lopez/Echo. The Echo TV show also stars Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, and Graham Greene in roles that aren’t clear yet. Zahn McClarnon will portray William Lopez, Echo’s father. And, we are getting some familiar MCU faces in the form of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio as Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin respectively. 

Echo’s Release Date 

The Echo series received an official release date of November 29, 2023, but reportedly it will now release in January 2024. And, in an unusual move for the platform, all episodes of Echo will drop at one time. That means we can view the season all at once, which of course, we enjoy doing. Some series are better suited to this format. We just hope that’s the case for Echo and the reason behind this choice.

Originally published in 2021.

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The Wheel continues to turn at Prime Video with the second season of The Wheel of Time. Greenlit months before season one premiered, season two of the fantasy series has already filmed and wrapped (with season three in the works). The sprawling tale adapts Robert Jordan’s 14-book fantasy book epic of the same name. Key word there? Adapts. Season one brought many changes to the order of events in the books. For example, it left out characters and locations. But the heart of the story comes through, as do the characterizations of the primary ensemble—most of whom will return for more of the story.

Here’s everything we know about The Wheel of Time season two so far.

The Wheel of Time Season Two’s Plot

The first season of The Wheel of Time largely followed book one of Robert Jordan’s series, The Eye of the World. However, it did pull in elements from books two and three as well. And the TV series is different enough from the books that we should only look at the source material as a loose guide. All that said, most of season two will focus on book two, The Great Hunt.

Click To View Gallery

Padan Fain took the Horn of Valere from Fal Dara, and surely our heroes will chase him to reacquire it. The artifact is too important to leave with a Darkfriend. And of course, the Seanchan made their first appearance at the very end of the season one finale. Their forces and invasion play a huge role in the books and introduce a truly nightmarish use of the One Power.

At New York Comic Con 2022, showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed the Seanchan have a large role to play in the season ahead. He also noted that season two will take us through the end of book three, The Dragon Reborn. Judkins said those initial three books are kind of the first section of the series and set up the ensemble cast on their various paths. A continuing theme throughout the season will be characters dealing with loneliness. The trailer underscores that.

The official season two synopsis says:

In Season Two, threats new and very old seek out the young friends from the Two Rivers, now scattered over the world. The woman who found and guided them is now powerless to help, and so they must find other sources of strength. In each other, or themselves. In the Light … or the Dark

Behind the Scenes

Rafe Judkins continues as showrunner. We know the first episode is called “A Taste of Solitude.” Amanda Kate Shuman wrote it. Interestingly, the episode name pulls its title from a chapter in book six of the series, Lord of Chaos. Judkins also recently shared that The Wheel of Time season two would have eight episodes, like season one. He also noted that The Wheel of Time season two’s episodes would be longer.

The Wheel of Time Season Two’s Cast

The primary cast from season one is mostly sticking around as far as we know. Basically, if the character is still alive, the actor is back—except for Mat Cauthon. Barney Harris portrayed the character in season one, but Dónal Finn will pick up the role in season two. Amazon has not shared the reason behind recasting.

New cast members include:

• Ceara Coveney as Elayne Trakand, the daughter-heir of Andor
• Natasha O’Keeffe in an unknown role
• Meera Syal as Verin Mathwin
• Ayoola Smart as Aviendha, an Aiel Maiden of the Spear
• Maja Simonsen as Chiad, a Maiden of the Spear
• Ragga Ragnars as Bain, a Maiden of the Spear
• Jay Duffy as Dain Bornhald, a Whitecloak
• Rima Te Wiata as Sheriam Bayanar, Master of Novices at the White Tower

New recurring cast members include:

• Guy Roberts as Uno Nomesta
• Arnas Fedaravicius as Masema
• Gregg Chillingirian as Ingtar Shinowa

The Wheel of Time Season Two’s Release Date

Click To View Gallery

Season two of The Wheel of Time will premiere its first three episodes on September 1, 2023.

Originally published on December 28, 2021.

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Season two of The Mandalorian introduced a live-action Ahsoka Tano. First introduced in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (voiced by Ashley Eckstein), the character is beloved by many Star Wars fans. And Ahsoka’s appearance in The Mandalorian was just the beginning. Ahsoka Tano got her very own live-action series. Ahsoka is coming to Disney+.

Here is everything we know about Ahsoka so far.

Title

The title of the series is Star Wars: Ahsoka, or simply Ahsoka.

Ahsoka‘s Plot

When Ahsoka turned up in “The Jedi” episode of The Mandalorian, she revealed she’s searching for the missing Grand Admiral Thrawn. Who, as Star Wars Rebels fans know, disappeared into the Unknown Regions with Ezra Bridger at the end of that series. The epilogue of Rebels sees Ahsoka and Sabine Wren take off together to search for their missing Jedi friend and the genius Imperial leader. Ahsoka is likely to pick up those story threads. The synopsis says:

Set after the fall of the Empire, “Star Wars: Ahsoka” follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.

The Ahsoka trailer plainly shows lots of the World Between Worlds:

Director Dave Filoni told Vanity Fair the following about the series:

Ahsoka is a continuous story. It is definitely driving toward a goal, in my mind, as opposed to being little singular adventures. That’s what I want the character to be doing, and I think that’s what fans want now. They have such a relationship with her. I’ve only recently started to understand that all those kids that watched Clone Wars are now a lot older—they’re very excited about all the things they grew up with, as they should be.

We will also see quite a few familiar faces, including Star Wars Rebels legend Hera. We cannot get over how cool this character looks in this photo. There will even be a mysterious Inquisitor in play.

Ahsoka‘s Cast

Rosario Dawson will star as the title character, reprising her introduction on The Mandalorian. Joining Ahsoka is her Rebels cohort, Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren. In live-action, she’ll be played by Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. According to a release, Diana Lee Inosanto will play Morgan Elsbeth. Meanwhile, Ukrainian actor Ivanna Sakhno has also joined the cast as Shin Hati and Ray Stevenson will appear as Baylan Skoll. Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll appear to be villains in the series and wield orange-colored lightsabers. Eman Esfandi will play Ezra. We can’t wait to see Ahsoka and Sabine search for their lost friend.

Meanwhile, Birds of Prey star Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Hera Syndulla on Ahsoka. Additionally, Lars Mikkelsen will reprise his Rebels role in live-action and play Grand Admiral Thrawn. David Tennant is also part of the cast; he will play the droid character Huyang, whom he previously voiced.

Additionally, Deadline reports that The Expanse and Hunger Games star Wes Chatham will also be a part of Ahsoka. Chatham will apparently play “the right-hand man to Lars Mikkelsen’s Admiral Thrawn.”

Behind the Scenes 

The Mandalorian’s Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are showrunning for Ahsoka. Filoni has confirmed that he wrote all the episodes of the season. Additionally, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Ramsey, co-director of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, will direct at least one episode of the show. We still don’t know how many episodes Ahsoka will have.

Ahsoka‘s Release Date

Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ on August 22 at 6PM PT. The series will launch with two episodes on its premiere day. The Star Wars series will continue to air on Tuesdays at that hour throughout its run, a departure from previous Disney+ releases.

Originally published on December 22, 2021.

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Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man Universe is ever-expanding. Coming up very soon is Kraven the Hunter. Sony’s Kraven the Hunter film has been in the works for some time now, but it has finally turned a corner. With Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven, suiting up for his third different superhero project, we know we’re in for… something. Here’s everything we know about Sony’s Kraven the Hunter movie.

Title

The film is named Kraven the Hunter, after its central character.

Kraven the Hunter’s Plot

In the original Marvel Comics, Sergei Kravinoff is born into an aristocratic Russian family. He becomes a world-famous international big-game hunter, who tries to catch the ultimate and elusive prize: Spider-Man. The villain first shows up in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (1964). The Stan Lee/Steve Ditko creation is a founding member of the Sinister Six. Later stories show witch doctor Calypso giving Kravinoff an herbal potion, granting him enhanced speed and senses that match those of a wild jungle cat.

In Kraven the Hunter, it seems like we’ll get an origin story for the Spider-Man villain. Take a look at the movie’s official trailer below.

Unlike Venom, the character of Kraven has never had a shelf life outside of being a Spider-Man villain. So it’s hard to see how they are going to create a narrative around the character that doesn’t involve the wall-crawler in some form. There is no news of Tom Holland appearing in the movie so far.

Kraven the Hunter will unsurprisingly be Sony’s first R-rated Marvel movie. As Aaron Taylor-Johnson eloquently noted at Sony’s panel at CinemaCon 2023, “Will it be rated-R? F**k yes, it will be rated R.”

Behind the Scenes

A Most Violent Year’s J.C. Chandor is directing a script from Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk, with Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and David Householter producing.

Kraven the Hunter’s Cast

The upcoming film is anchored by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is playing Kraven the Hunter. Joining him are Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, and Alessandro Nivola. Crowe will play Kraven’s father. Meanwhile, Nivola will play classic Spider-Man villain Rhino, and Hechinger will act as Kraven’s brother, Chameleon. DeBose will play Calypso.

Additionally, Deadline reports that Christopher Abbott will join Kraven the Hunter. Although unconfirmed, the publication shares that Abbot will play the film’s main villain, the Foreigner. In the comics, Foreigner is a Spider-Man villain with the ability to induce hypnotic trances. Otherwise, it is his skills in martial arts and mastery of weaponry that makes him a threat. As we learn more about Kraven the Hunter‘s plot, we will see how this character comes to exist on the screen.

Kraven the Hunter’s Release Date

Kraven the Hunter will now arrive in theaters on August 30, 2024.

Originally published on May 26, 2021.

The post Everything We Know About the KRAVEN THE HUNTER Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

The two biggest and most popular Titans surely can’t stay dormant for long. Godzilla, the mighty lizard with atomic breath will clomp his way back to the movies soon. Along with him will be none other than Kong, the king of the hollow Earth. After 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong ended in something of a draw, a rematch of legendary proportions is very necessary. Luckily, a big screen follow-up is happening. Here’s everything we know about the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Title

The Godzilla vs. Kong sequel is called Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Plot

The official synopsis is as follows:

This latest entry follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own. The epic new film will delve further into the histories of these Titans, their origins and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

Behind the Scenes

Adam Wingard, who directed Godzilla vs. Kong, will return to direct this film. He’ll be the first director in Legendary’s Monsterverse series to helm a second film so far. He’s working from a script by Terry Rossio (Godzilla vs. Kong), Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight) and Simon Barrett (Wingard’s longtime collaborator on movies like You’re Next and The Guest). The film is being produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Brian Rogers, Thomas Tull, and Jon Jashni, with executive producers Josh Grode, Adam Wingard, Jay Ashenfelter, Jen Conroy, Kenji Okuhira, and Yoshimitsu Banno.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Cast

Returning cast members to the series include Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle. All three joined the franchise with Godzilla vs. Kong. New cast members include Dan Stevens, who starred in Wingard’s The Guest. Other new cast members including Fala Chen (Shang-Chi), Alex Ferns (The Batman), and Rachel House (Thor: Ragnarok).

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Release Date

The movie has an expected release date of March 15, 2024.

Originally published on August 26, 2022.

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

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Some upcoming John Wick installments will dive deep into the franchise’s world and its history. One of these upcoming spinoffs is The Continental: From The World Of John Wick. Once described as a series, The Continental has become a trilogy of feature-length episodes set in the John Wick universe—specifically, 40 years before the events of the movies, focusing on the notorious Continental institution. And now, we know more about this John Wick prequel series, including its release date, plot, and what we can expect it will add to the universe.

The Continental‘s Release Date

The Continental has long teased a September release date on Peacock. But now we know exactly when the John Wick series will arrive.  The Continental: From the World of John Wick premieres Friday, September 22. Night 2 will then air on September 29 and Night 3 will air on October 6. It will be the perfect fall adventure.

The Continental‘s Plot

The official synopsis for The Continental shares the following:

The three-part event will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind.  Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.

Recently, The Continental director Albert Hughes spoke to Deadline and shared more about what eager fans can expect when the series finally airs. He noted:

The whole point was to explore the mythology more, the secrets of the hotel through the characters Winston and Charon, and play with the intersecting characters and storylines. There’s this wild cast of new characters that come in and out of that world… I’d say they can expect the high style that the John Wick films give. But different, because we’re in the ‘70s. It’s good eye candy, escapism and fun. That’s the one thing that drew me in. I think they have fun with it because it’s something different than what you see on TV. It’s a longer form than the movies, but the challenge was, can you keep in the fun? I think so many women are fans because you don’t take this violence seriously, it’s almost a ballet dance, a ballet of bullets. People can check out and go, oh, it’s not like the real world. This is not, this is not the real world. And I think that’s what’s so genius about what Chad and Keanu have done with that series. They’re winking and nodding to the audience. That’s what Chad said, I’m winking and nodding a lot, and I do the same in the series.

Fans can also expect a slew of John Wick Easter eggs to come their way. Hughes offers that some are more apparent while others are “buried pretty well.”

The Continental Release Production Team and Cast

Albert Hughes will direct the first and third installments of the trilogy. He is best known for Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and The Book of Eli. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s Charlotte Brändström will direct the second episode. Meanwhile, John Wick director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will executive produce among others. Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward, Ken Kristensen, and Shawn Simmons are the writers of The Continental: From The World Of John Wick.

Given that the mini-series takes place 40 years before John Wick, we can expect that the character won’t make an appearance. Instead, it will focus on a much younger version of Ian McShane’s Winston character, circa the 1970s. Colin Woodell plays this character.

Additional cast includes Mel Gibson (Cormac), Mishel Prada (KD), Ben Robson (Frankie), Hubert Point-Du Jour (Miles), Nhung Kate (Yen), Jessica Allain (Lou), Ayomide Adegun (Charon), Jeremy Bobb (Mayhew) and Peter Greene (Uncle Charlie). 

Given the timeline, this series probably won’t tie too much into the John Wick movies, but we’re more than fine with that. Part of the fun of the Wick franchise is learning how these hitmen networks operate. We can’t wait to see how they work without the Baba Yaga on their backs.

Originally published on July 29, 2019.

The post JOHN WICK Prequel Series THE CONTINENTAL Reveals Plot, Cast, Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

Borderlands made a splash when Gearbox Software debuted it on multiple gaming platforms in 2009. The video game is an open-world action roleplaying first-shooter and features a plethora of fiercely violent madcap characters. The game follows a core group of four Vault Hunters who are traveling to the planet Pandora (not to be confused with Avatar‘s Pandora) to look for the Vault. This stash supposedly has riches, glory, and fancy alien tech that many factions want to get their hands on first. A movie based on this game has been in the works since 2015, and it will finally make its way to theaters. Here’s everything we know about the Borderlands movie so far.

Title

This video game movie adaptation will be called Borderlands.

Borderland’s Plot

Lionsgate shared an official plot synopsis on April 5, 2021:

Two-time Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett teams up with Kevin Hart in director Eli Roth’s Borderlands. Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot.

These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on the game from Gearbox and 2K, one of the bestselling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands.

Behind the Scenes

Eli Roth, best known for his horror films, is set as the director. Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) is writing. Mazin is also working on HBO’s The Last of Us TV series. Producers for the Borderlands movie include Avi and Ari Arad, and Erik Feig, with executive producers Randy Pitchford (who served as executive producer on the game) and Strauss Zelnick. Deadpool‘s Tim Miller handled reshoots.

Borderland‘s Cast

And now we’re to the most exciting news about the Borderlands movie: the star power. Cate Blanchett landed the role of Lilith, the film’s lead. Kevin Hart will play Roland, a soldier. Lilith and Roland are two of the game’s Vault Hunters. Edgar Ramirez will play Atlas, who is the most powerful man in the video game’s universe. (Naturally, that means he’s a businessman and arms manufacturer.)

Jamie Lee Curtis has signed on for the film too, playing Tannis, an archaeologist. And we also know Jack Black will voice Claptrap, the game’s recognizable sassy robot sidekick. IGN reported on April 6, 2021 that Dutch bodybuilder Olivier Richters will play Krom. Additionally, Ariana Greenblatt and Florian Munteanu will star as Tiny Tina and Krieg, respectively.

The rest of the cast includes Gina Gershon as Moxxi, Cheyenne Jackson as Jakobs, Charles Babalola as Hammerlock, Benjamin Byron Davis as Marcus, Steven Boyer as Scooter, and Ryann Redmond as Ellie. In addition, Bobby Lee is also joining the cast in the new role of Larry.

We have a look at the movie, courtesy of star Jamie Lee Curtis and Lionsgate. It’s only the silhouettes of characters, but still:

Borderland‘s Release Date

Borderlands will release in theaters on August 9, 2024.

Originally published on April 2, 2021.

The post Everything We Know About the BORDERLANDS Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

In the age of streaming, Netflix has largely remained steadfast in two things: no ads and full season drops. But the time has come for Netflix to make some serious changes. In a Q1 shareholder letter, the streaming platform acknowledged it lost subscribers for the first time in a decade. It lost 200,000 in Q1 and is on track to lose up to two million by the end of Q2. But in the company’s Q1 2022 Earnings Interview, which is on YouTube, executives announced the subscription shake-up. Netflix is officially adding an ad-supported tier, and it has now arrived. And most shocking of all, it seems like the addition of the ad tier has had a positive impact on Netflix’s subscriptions. In fact, Netflix’s ad-tier has finally made some gains. But consumer take note, Netflix is moving to widen the gulf in price between its ad-free and ad-supported offerings.

Check out the “Subscription Plan” heading for the full details on what’s happening.

Jump to: Timeline // Features // Cost // Subscription Plans // Password Sharing

Netflix’s Ad-Supported Plan Gets Early Arrival

This is a stark change of pace, considering co-founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings—a long holdout on ad-support plans—indicated the new subscription would arrive in a year or two. During Netflix’s Earnings Interview in April 2022, Hastings admitted the company needed to embrace ads in one way or another in order to make money.

Hastings said:

One way to increase the price spread is advertising on low-end plans and to have lower prices with advertising. Those who have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription. But as much as I’m a fan of that, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice. Allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price and are advertising-tolerant get what they want makes a lot of sense. So, that’s something we’re looking at now, we’re trying to figure out over the next year or two. Think of us as quite open to offering even lower prices with advertising as a consumer choice.

And now, the ad-supported tier, called Netflix Basic, has rolled out, as of November 3, 2022. Netflix’s new ad tier debuted in eight countries. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in the first quarter since the addition of the ad-tier, Netflix saw its subscribers increase by 7.66 million users. And most recently, it was reported by Bloomberg that Netflix’s ad-tier had reached one million subscribers. And these subscribers are not users who have downgraded their accounts, but lapsed or new Netflix users. In addition, according to Gizmodo, Netflix’s ad-tier sign-ups rose from 9% to 19% in January. This means it has more subscribers than Netflix’s Basic option.

It looks like the ad-tier, and Netflix’s other cost-impact solutions, such as exploratory paid account sharing, are here to stay.

What Does Netflix’s Ad-Tier Include?

In an October press conference, Netflix confirmed a small number of shows and movies aren’t available on Basic with Ads. Netflix is working on addressing that. As far as other limitations for Basic subscribers: the maximum video quality will be 720p / HD, and subscribers will not be able to download content.

According to reports from Deadline and Variety, some notable TV shows and movies are not available on Netflix’s ad tier. Among other pieces of content, House of Cards, Arrested Development, Peaky Blinders, New Girl, Gray’s Anatomy, The Crown, Cobra Kai, How to Get Away with Murder, The Magicians, 28 Days, and Skyfall cannot be watched on Netflix Basic with Ads.

What Does Netflix’s Ad-Tier Cost?

The same press conference shared the cost of the ad-supported tier: for the US, it’s $6.99/month. Anyone signing up for Basic with Ads will have to consume four to five ads per hour. They’ll last anywhere from 15-30 seconds. This is not terribly different than a service like Hulu. However, Netflix hinted the price may go up after launch.

Netflix’s Current Subscription Plans

Currently, Netflix’s subscription model offers three different rates: basic, standard, and premium. Here’s how the tiers break down and how they might evolve:

The Basic Plan Is No Longer Available

Recenly, the cheapest model, the basic subscription, cost $9.99 per month. Subscribers could only watch content on one device—TV, computer, phone, or tablet—at a time. Netflix calls its video quality “good” with 480p resolution.

However, Netflix has now removed the Basic plan option for subscribers in the US and UK after testing its removal in Canada. Netflix has confirmed the option to subscribe to the Basic tier, as mentioned, the cheapest ad-free offering, is no longer available for new subscribers. However, this change will not affect those already subscribed to the Basic Netflix ad-free tier. Existing subscribers will be able to hang on to the lower-priced ad-free tier.

A page from Netflix support shares, “The Basic plan is no longer available for new or rejoining members. If you are currently on the Basic plan, you can remain on this plan until you change plans or cancel your account.” This change means subscribers must either select a more expensive ad-free plan or choose the ad-supported option instead. In effect, Netflix has increased the difference in cost between the ad-supported and ad-free plans.

Standard

The middle price point, standard costs $15.49 per month. As the middle child the video quality is better than in the basic plan, with 1080p resolution. (But it pales in comparison to the premium plan.) Plus, subscribers can watch content on two devices—TV, computer, phone, or tablet—at a time.

Premium

Currently, Netflix’s top subscription package, this tier costs $19.99 per month. And with a 4K and HDR resolution, it features the best video quality the streaming platform offers. And with its heftier price, more people can watch at once. Subscribers can watch content on four devices—TV, computer, phone, or tablet—at a time.

Basic with Ads

The streamer notes that its existing tiers will remain ad-free, and an ad-supported tier will act as a complement to these options. Basic with Ads is $6.99/month. Basic with ads can also now be accessed through an Apple TV.

How Netflix’s Password Sharing Crackdown Factors in

Talk of an ad-supported tier comes as Netflix continues to test a plan to crack down on password sharing in Costa Rica, Peru, and Chile. The streaming service is rolling out ways to cut off sharing passwords between households. In doing so, Netflix is testing ways to offload extra users accessing an account in a home they don’t live in. According to The New York Times, this crackdown strategy will go into effect globally around the same time the new subscription tier launches.

In the Earnings Interview, Peters made it quite clear that this strategy will eventually go global in the next year or so. It certainly would make sense to have an even cheaper model design underway as Netflix looks to finally offload the person using their neighbor’s sister’s ex-boyfriend’s account. And by adding another model–one hopefully in a shiny, feasible price range—the streaming platform could retain users but actually, bring in the revenue. Still, there’s a lot for the platform to work out in the meantime. But as long as Netflix’s ads aren’t overwhelmingly loud, people may just accept them and an ad-supported tier.

Originally published on April 20, 2022.

The post Netflix Ad-Supported Tier Has Launched, Here Is Its Price, What’s Missing, and More appeared first on Nerdist.

In a move likely very frustrating for subscribers, Netflix is cracking down on password sharing, specifically sharing passwords with those not living under one roof. This isn’t the streaming company’s first attempt to curb password sharing on the Netflix platform. But this time, it sounds like the streaming platform means business. In Q1 of 2022, Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers. It was the first subscriber loss for the streaming platform in a decade.

If there was ever any doubt that Netflix would follow through with its plans to cut down on inter-household password sharing, that is over. But how will Netflix stop password sharing? This time, the streaming platform is getting money involved. Netflix isn’t going to boot the infringing profiles off the main account right away if it catches someone password sharing. Instead, it’ll just make the account holder pay up. As of May 23, Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown has officially arrived in the US. And, likely to the dismay of consumers, it’s seeing some success. Here are the latest updates in Netflix’s attempts to stop users from sharing their passwords and accounts.

Jump to: Netflix Password Sharing Crackdown Is Successful // Netflix’s Paid Password Sharing Crackdown Has Arrived in the US // Netflix’s New Account Sharing Rules // Netflix Profile Transfers // Device Log Out // Netflix Password Sharing Is Widespread // Consumer Reaction

Netflix’s Password-Sharing Crackdown Is Successful

Password sharing used to be a common part of having a streaming account. But Netflix’s novel efforts to curb the practice appear to have paid off. In Q2 of 2023, Netflix added 5.89 million new paid subscribers, which it attributes to its password-sharing crackdown. The lion’s share of Netflix’s efforts occurred during this time period. Netflix shared in a Q2 letter:

The cancel reaction [to the password sharing crackdown] was low and while we’re still in the early stages of monetization, we’re seeing healthy conversion of borrower households into full paying Netflix memberships as well as the uptake of our extra member feature. We are revenue and paid membership positive vs. prior to the launch of paid sharing across every region in our latest launch.

Netflix promises to expand its paid-sharing plan to almost all countries that use Netflix. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix now has 238.4 million global paid memberships. Netflix reported $8.2 billion, in revenue and a net income of $1.5 billion.

Netflix’s Paid Password Sharing Crackdown Has Arrived in the US

Netflix recently expanded more serious efforts at ending password sharing to Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. And now, the password-sharing crackdown has arrived in the United States. In a blog post shared on May 23, Netflix noted:

Starting today, we will be sending this email to members who are sharing Netflix outside their household in the United States. 

A Netflix account is for use by one household. Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are — at home, on the go, on holiday — and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices.

Among other things, Netflix plans to begin blocking devices that it feels are using a Netflix account but not paying for it. The blog post further notes, “If you want to share Netflix with someone outside your household, you can use these features.

Transfer a profile. Anyone on your account can transfer a profile to a new membership they pay for.

Buy an extra member. You can share your Netflix account with somone who doesn’t live with you for $7.99/month more.

Another blog post from Netflix Canada notes more about you can “share Netflix” without breaking its rules under its paid password-sharing plan:

Set primary location: We’ll help members set this up, ensuring that anyone who lives in their household can use their Netflix account. 

Manage account access and devices: Members can now easily manage who has access to their account from our new Manage Access and Devices page. 

Transfer profile: People using an account can now easily transfer a profile to a new account, which they pay for — keeping their personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games and more. 

Watch while you travel: Members can still easily watch Netflix on their personal devices or log into a new TV, like at a hotel or holiday rental. 

Buy an extra member: Members on our Standard or Premium plan in many countries (including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain) can add an extra member sub account for up to two people they don’t live with — each with a profile, personalized recommendations, login and password — for an extra CAD$7.99 a month per person in Canada, NZD$7.99 in New Zealand, Euro 3.99 in Portugal, and Euro 5.99 in Spain. 

All of these aspects of password sharing have been a part of Netflix’s tests up till now. But, of course, the price point continues to evolve. Below we detail more about each one of them.

Netflix’s New Rules and Restrictions for Password and Account Sharing

Netflix recently revealed a new Help Center page that’s all about “Sharing Your Netflix Account.” On this page, Netflix makes it clear that password sharing and Netflix accounts are “for people who live together in a single household.” The exact definition of a Netflix Household is “people who live in the same location with the account owner.” According to Netflix, “people who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to watch Netflix.”

Based on the other information on the Help Center page, it also feels like a Netflix Household is defined by the use of one WiFi connection. Netflix notes it determines devices in a household “us[ing] information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity from devices signed into the Netflix account.”

Extra Members

Netflix now notes, “People who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to watch; or in many countries you can buy an extra member slot to add an extra member to your account.” The platform adds, “An extra member will have their own profile, account, and password, but their membership will be paid for by the person who invited them to join.”

Extra members differ from regular account holders in these ways:

Extra members can watch Netflix on any device, but only on 1 device at a time.

Extra members can also download titles, but only on 1 phone or tablet at a time.

Extra members can only have 1 profile and cannot create additional profiles.

This profile can be a new profile or an eligible profile transferred from the account owner who invited the extra member.

This profile can have different maturity ratings, but cannot be a Kids profile.

Extra members must activate their account in the same country associated with the account owner’s.

Example: If the account owner signed up in Costa Rica, the extra member must create and activate the extra member account in Costa Rica.

Verified Netflix Devices

The new page about account and password sharing also introduces the idea of Netflix “verified devices.” Netflix notes that if a device not associated with your household tries to sign into your account, then it may need to be verified. Verification involves the main account user approving a device account use within the space of fifteen minutes. And Netflix may ask for new device verification periodically, ostensibly to prevent verification of devices out of the household.

If you are the primary account holder, or if you are using the primary internet connection in the primary account user’s household, you shouldn’t need to worry about verifying your device, according to Netflix. Regardless of your location, if you are the primary holder of your account, you should be able to use it anywhere. Of course, how Netflix can know who exactly is holding the device or belongs to a device household at any time seems murky.

Interestingly, this new page doesn’t reference the kind of paid account sharing that has seemed top of mind for Netflix.

Netflix Profile Transfers

To ready users for the upcoming crackdown, Netflix has added the option of an easy profile transfer. Very simply, this lets each profile on an account easily become its own account. As Netflix shares in a release:

We’re launching Profile Transfer, a feature that lets people using your account transfer a profile — keeping the personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings — when they start their own membership.  

Netflix also notes, “To transfer a profile, go to the “Transfer Profile” option when you hover over your profile icon in the dropdown menu on the homepage — then simply follow the instruction.” Ostensibly, this feature is nicely asking for those sharing accounts to create their own with ease… Before there are repercussions.

In addition to transferring your profile to a new account, you can now transfer it into an already existing one. This feature is now widely available.

Netflix Lets You Log Out of Individual Devices

In addition to Profile Transfers, Netflix has rolled out a new feature that lets users log out of individual devices. This feature, called “Managing Access and Devices” is “a new feature in Account Settings that allows you to view all the recent devices that have streamed from your account and to log out of specific devices with just one click.”

Ostensibly, it’s there in case you forget to log out of a device that you were just using in passing. However, this new update also serves as a further measure by Netflix to cut down on password sharing.

Netflix is not messing around when it comes to password and account sharing.

100 Million Households Are Netflix Password Sharing

This is quite a move from a company that reportedly spent $400 million for the Knives Out sequels. And is dropping something like 86 original movies this year. But according to a company blog post, Netflix claims the password sharing is preventing them from investing in top-tier content.

Chengyi Long, director of product innovation at Netflix, said, “We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households—impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members.”

Furthermore, the Netflix shareholder letter, indicated more than 100 million households are sharing passwords. More specifically, 30 million households in the US and Canada share passwords. This is a problem for the streaming platform.

How Will Consumers Respond to These Netflix Attempts to Stop Password Sharing?

So this is all to say password sharing on Netflix is responsible for The Baby-Sitters Club‘s premature demise. We can’t imagine that’s specifically true. The announcement comes at a pretty overwhelming moment for streaming platforms in general. Pretty much every major studio with a distribution wing has one. Disney—which snatched its Defenders Saga back from Netflix has three. That company has made serious moves with Disney+ over the next several months. Disney+ has added parental controls and ad-supported pricing in a relatively short space of time. And then there’s Paramount with its two wings. And haven’t even mentioned Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+, and so, so many more.

It’s reaching a point where subscribers are already shelling out a lot monthly to keep up. Password sharing, and trading off, has historically made things a little bit easier. Netflix notes it knows this move might not be initially popular. The company shares, “From our experience in Latin America, we expect some cancel reaction in each market when we roll out paid sharing, which impacts near-term member growth. But as borrower households begin to activate their own standalone accounts and extra member accounts are added, we expect to see improved overall revenue, which is our goal with all plan and pricing changes”

But however unpopular these changes are in theory, they seem to be doing exactly what the company hopes. So we’d better see some truly incredible content manifest. (And we expect Netflix to be able to pay their creators, writers, and actors what they deserve and more.)

Originally published on March 16, 2022.

The post Netflix’s Password Sharing Crackdown Has Officially Arrived in the US appeared first on Nerdist.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 has arrived, introducing MCU fans to Peacemaker’s Chukwudi Iwuji as the film’s main villain, the High Evolutionary. But just who is Marvel’s maddest scientist? What are the High Evolutionary’s powers? Get ready to get cosmic, as we’re here to answer all your burning High Evolutionary questions, from Marvel Comics to MCU. 

Who Is the High Evolutionary in Marvel Comics? 

1966’s Thor #133 marks the first reference to the High Evolutionary in Marvel Comics. He would make his debut on the page in the very next issue, which also included a cameo of the mutant twins who would become such a key part of the High Evolutionary’s comic book lore. With Galactus planning deep space destruction as always, Thor is looking for Jane Foster. It’s on his search that he comes across Mount Wundagore, the High Evolutionary, and his New Men. Marvel’s Pietro and Wanda are going to Mount Wundagore to seek answers about their waning mutant powers.

It wouldn’t be until years later that readers learned who the High Evolutionary truly was, thanks to backup stories in The Evolutionary War event. In the Marvel universe, the High Evolutionary’s human name was Herbert Edgar Wyndham, and he had once been a successful academic scientist. As a child, Herbert became obsessed with genetics and the possibility of “evolving” creatures. But it wasn’t until an encounter with a strange man—later revealed to be a rogue Inhuman—who enlightened him on how to “crack the genetic code” that Herbert made his dreams a reality. His experiments made him an outcast in the scientific field, and he moved to Mount Wundagore with his research partner, Jonathan Drew, father of Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew. There he built his futuristic home. The High Evolutionary began to evolve animals, creating a series of humanoid beasts known as the New Men.

The High Evolutionary’s Powers and Abilities

The High Evolutionary’s powers are always in a state of flux. When he exposed himself to his Evolutionary Accelerator machine and its unstable Isotope E, it caused him to switch from evolved super being to someone with caveman intelligence levels. But usually, the High Evolutionary has a certain baseline of abilities. These include an artificially evolved human brain, making him one of the smartest beings on Earth. The High Evolutionary also has the powers of superhuman strength, durability, and a healing factor similar to Wolverine’s. Additionally, he can communicate telepathically and shield his mind from other psychics.

Some other powers the High Evolutionary has demonstrated over the years include the ability to levitate, although not outright fly. Body mass manipulation allows him to change his physical size and density at will. Wyndham also has the ability to create force fields, and shoot deadly concussive blasts from his body. He can even evolve or devolve other beings through a form of forced artificial evolution. And thanks to all his evolutionary tampering, the High Evolutionary has effectively achieved immortality, perhaps his greatest power of all.

How Is the High Evolutionary Connected to the Scarlet Witch? 

Herbert’s first appearance alluded to a connection to the Maximoffs. A flashback in 1974’s Giant-Size Avengers #1 teased a vital Mount Wundagore backstory around the twins’ birth. Finally, in 1979’s Avengers #185-187, Herbert’s full impact on the twins’ lives came to light. It was during this iconic arc that readers learned their “true history.” Their mother sought refuge on Mount Wundagore after their father gained powers and went mad, “raving with a desire to rule the world.” The High Evolutionary’s cow creature known as Bova delivered the twins, and soon their mother left the children with the bovine midwife. While Bova tried to give the twins to the hero known as the Whizzer, he chose to run away. Eventually, the Maximoffs came and adopted the twins.

What does all this have to do with Wanda’s powers? Chthon “marked” her at her birth. We learn this as Chthon possesses Wanda. Speaking through Wanda, Chthon tells the Avengers that Mount Wundagore was created to imprison him and the Darkhold. Inevitably, someone used the Darkhold, and Chthon was freed when this knowledge fell into the hands of the wrong person. Eventually, the demon is defeated. But at that moment, Chthon decides to imbue baby Wanda, who was just born thanks to the High Evolutionary’s creation, with his magic, thus arguably creating the most famous origin of the Scarlet Witch. Whether the MCU’s High Evolutionary and Scarlet Witch have any ties at all in the MCU, we must wait to find out.

How Is the High Evolutionary Connected to Adam Warlock? 

In the comics, Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary are deeply connected. Remember how we first met Adam Warlock in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stinger? Adam was in a giant cocoon, looked after by the High Priestess of the Sovereign, Ayesha. Ayesha calls her creation “Him” (as in Adam’s first appearance in the Fantastic Four) before deciding to name him Adam.

1972’s Marvel Premiere #1 brought the story of Adam Warlock to life, and the issue dug deep into his past. Created by scientists on Earth, the High Evolutionary later found Adam’s body floating in a cocoon in space. In the comics, Herbert adopts Adam, names him Warlock, and places an emerald upon his forehead. The comics would later reveal the emerald as the Soul Gem. In the MCU, Adam’s creators, the Sovereign, are creations of the High Evolutionary. It’s more of an indirect line, but still a line.

The MCU High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the MCU’s High Evolutionary does not seem to originate from Earth. He was only referred to ever as the High Evolutionary. The MCU made no reference to the High Evolutionary’s Marvel Comics human name of Herbert Wyndham. On Counter-Earth, he mentioned that he visited Earth once and admired it. The High Evolutionary based his new MCU world on his memories, further suggesting his origins are alien. Of course, he might have taken the name Herbert Wyndham while living on Earth, but it’s not mentioned in the film at all.

Additionally, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 portrays the High Evolutionary as one of the most sadistic villains the MCU has ever seen, torturing animals to further his own experiments in perfection. And he’s worshipped as a god among many alien species, suggesting Guardians of the Galaxy‘s High Evolutionary is far older than his Marvel Comics counterpart.

Although the High Evolutionary appeared to die at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he actually lived. James Gunn confirmed as much on Twitter. Not only did Rocket save the High Evolutionary’s life at the climax of the film, he’s now actually imprisoned in Knowhere.

Gunn notes, “Yes! It’s the whole culmination of Rocket’s journey. His shift comes in that he doesn’t kill him – he goes from being the least empathetic to the most empathetic Guardian. It seems silly & hollow that he’d refuse to kill him [the High Evolutionary] & then leave him on an exploding ship. And, yes, there is a deleted scene. It’s really great actually, but it messed up the pacing of the end. But you’ll see it in the extras eventually.”

And, indeed, the deleted scene revealing the High Evolutionary’s fate is included in the home release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It is titled, “Knowhere After the Battle,”

So yes, it’s very possible we may see the High Evolutionary return again in the MCU and its multiverse. Now that Ms. Marvel established the mutant gene in the MCU, it feels very intentional to introduce a famed geneticist. As to whether the High Evolutionary ever visits Mount Wundagore or creates Bova… well, we can dream.

Originally published on July 27, 2022.

Original reporting by Rosie Knight. Additional reporting by Eric Diaz.

The post Who Is GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s High Evolutionary? His Marvel Comics Origins and Powers, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Come on, Barbie, let’s go party. Whether we want it to or not, that iconic Aqua song is pulsing through our veins as we anticipate the upcoming big-screen Barbie movie. She is no stranger to the screen, though. The iconic Mattel doll is, after all, the star of a whole animated cinematic universe. But now she’s getting the Hollywood treatment with a live-action film. Margot Robbie stars as the titular blonde girlboss, and she has a whole lot of star power with her—both in front of and behind the camera.

Of course, the universe will be full of Kens and Barbies. But one Ken we haven’t gotten a good look at yet is John Cena’s mermaid Ken or “Kenmaid” character from Barbie. Though we still don’t have a full look at Cena’s outfit, most importantly, his tale, we do like what we see so far. Flowing blonde locks, a shell necklace, and no shirt… What more could we ask for? We just hope this Ken’s tail is nice and glittery.

Here’s everything we know about Barbie, the movie.

Title

Warner Bros. and Mattel are keeping it simple with this one, calling the movie Barbie.

Barbie‘s Plot

So far, Warner Bros. and Mattel are keeping on the down low about Barbie‘s plot. But given the castings we know the ensemble film will include at least a few familiar figures from the Mattel world. In addition to the titular character, her on-again/off-again boyfriend Ken is a major figure. And there may even be more than one. Plus, this is a film from Greta Gerwig (and Noah Baumbach). So it wouldn’t be too surprising if they throw in a couple surprises. Will we see a wistful or melancholy Barbie in the movie, trying to move on from her himbo love? Or will we follow Barbie on a coming-of-age journey as she figures out what her dream job really is? With Gerwig at the helm and this stacked cast, we’re game for just about anything.

Barbie‘s first teaser offered us a lot to think about as well. You can watch below and check out our full breakdown of Barbie‘s trailer, including its 2001: A Space Odyssey references and recreations.

Barbie‘s second trailer, meanwhile, brought us something a little bit more conventional, but no less excellent. Although neither trailer included Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” the track will be sampled in a song on the soundtrack in the Barbie movie’s soundtrack, phew!

Most recently, Barbie shared a slew of witty posters with us, teasing its full cast of Kens, Barbies, humans, and more. We definitely can’t wait to see how they come together in the movie. We have a feeling we will soon enter a fantastic world like no other.

pic.twitter.com/MFACUgHRr6

— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) April 4, 2023

pic.twitter.com/qovxvooobp

— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) April 4, 2023

Behind the Scenes

Greta Gerwig will write and direct the film, with real-life partner Noah Baumbach co-writing the script for the Barbie movie. Robbie and Tom Ackerley are also producing the film through their LuckyChap Entertainment production company. Mattel’s Robbie Brenner and David Heyman also produce.

Barbie‘s Cast

 As stated above, Margot Robbie, who is also producing the movie, is Barbie. Ryan Gosling is playing Ken. Joining them are Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Ncuti Gatwa, Emerald Fennell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ana Cruz Kayne, Connor Swindells, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and Hari Nef. Dua Lipa has all come aboard. It is quite a cast, to say the least!

In addition, we now know that Will Ferrell will play “the CEO of Mattel.” According to the actor, the role is “that guy who’s just insensitive but weird.” At CinemaCon 2023, we also learned that John Cena would play the role of mermaid Ken. Sounds exciting.

Barbie’s Release Date

Barbie releases on July 21, 2023.

Originally published in 2023.

The post Here’s Our First Look at John Cena’s Mermaid Ken From the BARBIE Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

Ethan Hunt only works with the best of the best at the Impossible Mission Force. His teams throughout the Mission: Impossible movies bring exceptional talent to the table. But what if Paddington—yes, the bear—helped out? Maybe the sweet bear can bring more than an undying passion for marmalade to the table. In fact, Paddington might be made for the spy life. The latest Nerdist Remix brings together the worlds of Mission: Impossible and Paddington. Watch the trailer mashup below.

Edited by Matt Caron, the Mission ImPaddington mashup brings quite the cast of characters together. We can’t decide if Luther would embrace Paddington or just sigh with exasperation throughout the mission. Benji, however, would become best friends with Paddington immediately. They’d probably stay in touch long after the mission ended to exchange marmalade recipes. Ethan would adopt Paddington. Maybe he’d give the bear a new identity and send him to live with Julia.

If you’re ready for more Mission: Impossible and/or Paddington, we have good news for you. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One arrives in theaters on July 12. While the next Paddington film isn’t on the immediate horizon, a third installment, Paddington in Peru, is in the works.

The post MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Meets PADDINGTON in This Trailer Mashup appeared first on Nerdist.