The Spider-Verse is about to get even bigger via the small screen. It is also about to get a lot darker, mysterious, and funny. And, let’s be honest, a lot weirder. Prime Video has officially done what Spidey fans have been waiting to hear. The studio has formally ordered a new live-action series starring Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir, the character he originally voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now joining Cage in the series, as per Deadline, is Fargo and New Girl star Lamorne Morris.

Amazon used its inaugural upfront presentation in New York City to announce it has finally ordered Noir to series. The Spider-Man Noir show will see Nicolas Cage playing the live-action version of his character from Sony’s animated 2018 Oscar winner. Morris has been cast as Robbie Robertson, the nice editor of The Daily Bugle who traditionally works under the surly publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Variety also reported The Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson has been cast as well, though in an undisclosed role. The series, based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir, will air on Prime Video and MGM+.

Also announced to appear as a series regular is Wu Assassins star Li Jun Li. According to Deadline, Li will play a “singer at the premier nightclub in New York.”

Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) will direct and executive produce the Spider-Man Noir‘s first two episodes. Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher, Shantaram) will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. They developed the show with the Spider-Verse‘s Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal. All three are also on board as executive producers.

For those who have (for some absurd reason) not yet seen Into the Spider-Verse or are unfamiliar with the character’s comic history, Amazon also shared a brief synopsis for the Spider-Man Noir series.

Noir tells the story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.

Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, explained why the studio wants to make this series in a release. (As though we need an explanation.) “Expanding the Marvel universe with Noir is a uniquely special opportunity, and we are honored to bring this series to our global Prime Video customers,” he said. “The extremely talented Nicolas Cage is an ideal choice for our new superhero, and the accomplished producing team with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, and the incredible team at Sony is dedicated to expanding this franchise in the most authentic way.” 

We’re ready to dedicate our time to watching when it debuts. The Spider-Verse is an infinite place of possibilities and heroes. But we very much want to spend more time with this version of the character. And obviously, more time with Nicolas Cage.

Originally Published May 14, 2024

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Post-apocalyptic wastelands have never been hotter. Prime Video’s Fallout was not only a huge hit for the studio, it has led to a massive surge of interest in Bethesda’s video games. But unlike its playable counterparts which each feature their own characters and storylines, the show’s second season will stay on the same path. Fallout will continue to follow season one’s main figures when it returns.

Variety‘s new piece about the incredible interest in Fallout video games that has followed the debut of Prime Video’s hit show has some important information about Amazon’s adaptation. Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard said the show won’t continue the video games model of introducing all new characters. Instead the TV series will continue to focus on the stars of season one. That includes its three main characters: Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul. But it also means more of Norm and Chet, too.

 Amazon MGM Studios chief Jennifer Salke and head of TV Vernon Sanders recently echoed these sentiments. Salke noted, “We are committed to our journey with our beloved characters. Such a great Season 2 coming…  I saw some of the talk of, is this an anthology? And it does have a lot of doors we can go through, which is the beauty of the IP. But we are fully committed, and we’re all on this journey with the characters that we’ve met and loved in Season 1.”

Sanders meanwhile notes, “I think the fans of Season 1 will really love where we’re going for Season 2.” And adds, “We’ve been fortunate because this was the vision all along. I think we’re ahead of schedule, in terms of being able to get Season 2 back. We don’t have an exact launch date yet, but we’ve already gotten scripts in hand.”

This news isn’t a surprise. It doesn’t mean we won’t see any new faces, either, just that we’re not moving on from the old ones. But it should ensure this post-apocalyptic wasteland stays hot.

Originally published on May 30, 2024.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Compound V24 comes into play in The Boys season four as we learn more about Butcher’s fate. The first three episodes show how it is affecting his body, with wormlike crawling happening under his skin. He’s hallucinating and seeing Becca, often unable to stand, and just looks like s**t in general. We discover in episode four that Butcher tried to take regular Compound V to save his life and, while he does have some serious physical strength, it is not enough. Later on, we discover that Joe Kessler is not even alive but a figment of his Compound V-drenched brain. He was a real person and former colleague whom Butcher left to die and now he’s manifesting as Butcher’s bad side.

We see how dangerous Compound V can be through Hughie’s father, who gets a dose from Hughie’s mom. He initially pops up like toast from a serious coma but, in episode five, he gains an uncontrollable and deadly power along with some mental instability. Hughie ends up giving him a drug so he can pass away peacefully.

We also see that it causes some serious deviant behavior in animals, thanks to Victoria Neuman’s farm experiments. From deadly flying sheep to chickens that will fly right through your torso, Compound V is a mess of a drug. In the season finale, we see Vought CEO Ashley take it and it appears to disfigure her in some way. We don’t see the final result of her decision but it is probably not good.

Compound V in Gen V, Explained

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

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

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

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

The mysteries of that weird facility known as “the woods” revealed that there’s a supe killing virus that presumably deadens the Compound V in a being’s system. The Boys season four will probably reveal something new about Compound V, so let’s stay tuned.

Originally published September 29, 2023.

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The Boys is wrapping up its wild saga in season five. That series finale will probably be a couple of years from now, but we are already wondering how everything will end. Who will survive it all? Will Homelander die? Can the Boys finally take down Vought and evil supes for good? We don’t know the answers to that but we do know that this universe will continue to expand. Showrunner Eric Kripke said there are more spinoffs on the way as well as future seasons of Gen V. The show’s social media pages seem to be dropping a few very early hints about what we could see but there are quite a few fun ideas to play with.

Here are all The Boys spinoffs that we’d like to see after the series ends:  

A Teenage Homelander Prequel Spinoff Series 

We have written about this before but a Homelander prequel series seems to be in the cards. The Boys‘ social pages have released several clips of a younger Homelander during his time in an exploitative laboratory. However, the best Homelander prequel would take place during his teenage years after he left the lab to presumably head to Vought Tower. How did a lonely and abused supe become the charismatic and psychotic leader of the Seven? A prequel series could explore this time in his life and give us a glimpse into the very early days of the Seven collective. 

Joe Kessler and Billy Butcher’s Big War Adventures

Yes, we know that Joe Kessler is dead. But he is from a very specific and obviously impactful time in Butcher’s not-too-distant past. A miniseries spinoff about their time working together would be fun to watch. Karl Urban and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s chemistry is off-the-charts. And who doesn’t want to know more about why Butcher is the way he is? 

A Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs Drama Spinoff in The Boys Universe

The Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs (FBSA) has been around since season two, yet it feels like we don’t know much about this organization. We’ve gotten some inner glimpses, thanks to Victoria Neuman and Hughie Campbell, but a collective that exists to deal with wayward supes and contracts the Boys deserves its own show. If the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs gets its own The Boys spinoff, perhaps we can see it getting rebuilt and possibly led by Hughie or someone else we know. Or, The Boys season five could introduce us to a new character and provide a backdoor pilot for the organization. This universe loves parodies so perhaps it could take its format from Law & Order or NCIS with an even darker twist.

A 1970s Vought Spinoff Led by the Legend, Frederick Vought, and Soldier Boy

This spinoff idea would not surprise anyone. Vought’s history spans decades with lots of diabolical history that none of us know about. Perhaps a prequel series can go back to the ‘70s when The Legend was its VP and the founder, Frederick Vought, acted as CEO. This is around the time when Soldier Boy led the Payback collective on a series of covert missions for the company and the U.S. government. The Boys gave us a small glimpse into this era but a series would really let Jensen Ackles shine as a leading character with a potty mouth. It is a Vought and Payback prequel all wrapped up in one neat package. If they do this, get Jared Padalecki on the phone to reunite with his Supernatural brother. We’d take this over a season five cameo or minor role in The Boys, tbh.

Exploring the Red River Institute in a Spinoff Led by Madelyn Stillwell’s Son Teddy

The Red River Institute is mostly in the background of The Boys and Gen V with characters like Marie Moreau and Victoria Neuman living there as kids. A spinoff series about this supe kid orphanage and what happens to those who lives there could be yet another interesting way to explore young supes in this universe. And we know the perfect supe to lead a future series at Red River Institute. When Homelander killed former Vought CEO Madelyn Stillwell, her supe son Teddy—who is but a toddler—was sent to Red River Institute.

We even saw him when Hughie visited to learn more about Victoria Neuman back in season three. He teleported Hughie around to mess with his head for a bit. Depending on the events of The Boys season five, this series could easily go into the future with a teenaged Teddy who is determined to use his powers to take down evil supes. Maybe he learns the truth about his mother’s death and he’s dead set on revenge…

Vought’s Crisis Management Team Takes the Sitcom Spinoff Route

Another Vought spinoff idea would be to focus on one of its specialty departments. The most interesting one is probably Vought’s Crisis Management Team, which deals with cleaning up the near-constant controversies of the company. We get some peeks and allusions to this department but we don’t know a lot about it. A sitcom-style spinoff in the vein of The Office would be a hilarious way to follow what Vought’s employees go through on a day-to-day basis. 

A Supe Anthology Series, From Small Towns to Other Major Cities

There are plenty of other supe collectives across America. Who are the big supes in a city like Miami? Are they morally just or downright evil? Taking this universe’s action to completely different cities or small towns and causing a stir could make for a fun anthology series. 

Kimiko’s Shining Light Liberation Army Days

We keep getting more pieces to the puzzle of Kimiko’s complicated and painful past. There are many things that she doesn’t fully remember and would maybe like to forget. But a spinoff about her journey from being in the Shining Light Liberation Army to her arrival in the USA would be compelling. Again, a miniseries format would be the way to go to tell this story.

The Suped-Up Teenage Kix

Sister Sage and A-Train share a terse past after being in Teenage Kix, a teen supe collective similar to Young Justice. We don’t know if either of the will survive The Boys, but it would be fun to go back in time to the late ’90s and early 2000s to learn more about them. There’s some interesting comic material to draw inspiration from for this spinoff series, which the flagship show does with absolute brilliance.

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Season one of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced us to numerous societies and heroes of Middle-earth and beyond. The Dwarves in Khazad-dûm discovering mithril. The Elves in Lindon trying to ensure the survival of their race, with a master smith turning to outside help to do so. The Harfoots ending a long journey with a strange wizard, and one of them stepping on a new path. The Númenóreans answering Galadriel’s call to war and accidentally contributing to the rise of Mordor. The Southlanders losing their home. All separate groups and separate lives then, but with Sauron’s return, season two shows they will be separate no longer.

“As the season goes on, [we’ll start to realize] that this is not a story about several different worlds. This is a story about one world, and Sauron is the spine that connects all of it,” co-showrunner Patrick McKay said in a conference room adjacent to the show’s sets, surrounded by concept art and location models for the upcoming season.

Nerdist joined a group of journalists on The Rings of Power season two set in spring 2023. The crew had been shooting since October, over London’s dreary winter. Normally, production designer Kristian Milsted explained, you want to avoid filming in London during that time. But in this case, the gloomy cold and landscapes with dead trees suited the darker universe they’re establishing in season two. A season, executive producer Lindsey Weber said, that is more about villains. “Sauron is out and about and the people of Middle-earth are having to confront the fact that he’s back. Stakes are increasingly high, so the storytelling by its nature is a bit different. It’s certainly more intense.”

Season one of the fantasy series ended with Galadriel learning her friend Halbrand was actually Sauron, and that he’d returned to a place of power, in no small part, because of her actions. He traveled to the newly established Mordor. Gennifer Hutchison, who wrote the season one finale and the season two premiere, said there’s not a large passage of time between the two seasons. We’ll pick up not long after where season one wrapped. But first, a flashback.

The Opening of The Rings of Power Season Two

Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay gleefully painted a picture of the beginning of season two. It starts with the ice fortress Galadriel visited in the season one premiere. When Galadriel and her forces entered the fortress, it was desolate. The only presence was evil and a snow troll. That was not always the case. Payne set the stage, “We open in the darkness. An orc is walking in, and we see there are thousands of orcs gathered here. And we see that it’s not ruined and cracked…”

The rest, well, it’s too full of spoilers to share. But know that we’ll see a key part of Sauron’s trajectory, as well as his complicated history with Adar. This will show us how Sauron came to the Halbrand guise, as well as how he came to meet Galadriel on the ocean.

Galadriel Reckoning with Her Choices

That beginning will re-contextualize season one, in terms of Sauron and Galadriel’s relationship. It will show where he was emotionally. He manipulated her and ultimately used her to access the Elves, but season one didn’t end exactly as Sauron hoped. He left Eregion with no allies, no army, no resources.

Payne said, “Season one was all about the heroes, and about setting the table with Galadriel, and with the Dwarves, and Númenor, and with the Southlanders. Season two is going to be all about the villains, and specifically, all about Sauron. And we’re going to watch as he uses deception, manipulation, lies, coercion, cunning, to start to set the chess pieces in motion, where he is going to go to this person over here, and set this group against that group over there. And start using people’s inherent trusts and mistrusts and fears against them, to start to set up the situations that are all beneficial to him.”

As we’ve since learned about season two, Sauron adapts the guise of Annatar, which means “Lord of Gifts.” His visage has become fair, more elf-like. We saw him get under Galadriel’s skin in season one, and now he’s going to do it with everyone. “Sauron’s able to take the things that you want to do that are good, and turn those against you,” Payne said. “It’s the ring personified. Literally, the ring offers you ultimate power. And when you give someone power, you see what’s really inside them. Because you see, ‘What would they will into being if they could will anything into being?’ And so when you see Sauron having relationships with people, he doesn’t have normal relationships, because he empowers them.”

Beyond Sauron and his obvious darkness, individuals have to reckon with the possible evil inside of themselves—like Galadriel. Payne said, “Galadriel made some pretty questionable choices in season one, and really empowered the Dark Lord to really rise from nothing on the rafts, to being at the point where he could, as Patrick said, have access to some of the big power players in Middle-earth. She’s got to deal with that in season two. Her friends might look at her differently and not trust her as much, and then she has to really come to terms with that.”

McKay continued, “What does it mean for the rest of the elves? How does Elrond feel about that? Elrond loves her and trusted her, and was worried about her, and everything he feared came true. That’s a lot worse, potentially. So what’s going to happen when he finds that out? But we’re talking a lot about darkness and horribleness and misery, and that’s all a part of it. Tolkien takes you there. But the other thing that we really love about Tolkien in this material is that there’s hope everywhere too. And we know there’s an unnamed wizard heading out to parts unknown, and exploring huge parts of the map we’ve never seen before on-screen. Or even in the books, only talked about in myth and rumor, perhaps that destiny is going to tie back into the rise of Sauron over here.”

The Adar of It All

The season two opening makes Adar an even more intriguing character. In season one, we saw him leading the orcs in season one and demonstrating compassion for them. Payne explained, “Adar is in an interesting and sort of vulnerable place. He just made Mordor and is the father of this entire orc nation. But when you do that, you also get a target on your back. You have a lot of land to protect now. And his ambitions aren’t over yet. His desire to make sure his children are safe is stronger than ever. But now, there’s other forces that… He’s on their radar. Before, he was going below it all. And there’s the Elves that know he’s there now. There’s Sauron that knows he’s there.”

Besides showing Adar’s current power struggle, season two of The Rings of Power will go deeper into his character. McKay said, “We know that he’s one of the first orcs. How did he become that way? And why? What does he really want? And how is his journey to pursue that going to test and twist him even further than he might already be?”

The trauma from season one is coming back to touch all of Middle-earth. Darkness is arriving for everyone.

The Rings of Power season two premieres on Prime Video on August 29.

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The Michelle Yeohaissance continues. Just days after going to the White House to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she’s got another big time gig lined up. A new report says our beloved Michelle Yeoh—an Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner—is joining Prime Video’s limited series Blade Runner 2099. But in true franchise fashion, we have no idea if she’ll be playing a human or a replicant.

Michelle Yeoh Joins Blade Runner 2099 Series

Deadline reports Yeoh has signed on to Prime Video’s upcoming series, which is currently filming in Prague. The show is a sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2017 film Blade Runner 2049, which itself was a sequel to Ridley Scott’s iconic 1982 film. (Which was itself an adaptation of author Philip K. Dick’s classic story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.) Scott is an executive producer on the series alongside showrunner Silka Luisa (Shining Girls). And Shogun‘s Jonathan van Tulleken will also serve as an executive producer and direct the first two episodes.

Yeoh’s exact role on the show is the latest unknown about the series. Prime Video has yet to release any plot details about the story. Its title does reveal it will take place half a century after Blade Runner 2049. A lot can change in five decades on a dying planet full of humans and replicants alike, and yet we know that even with a lot of time a lot of things in the world of Blade Runner always remain the same.

Other Cast Announced for the Blade Runner Series

Joining Yeoh are a slew of other actors. Hunter Schafer is also set to star. Additionally, Deadline reports that Dimitri Abold (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy), Katelyn Rose Downey (The Nun II), and Daniel Rigby (Renegade Nell) join Blade Runner 2099 as series regulars. Meanwhile, Johnny Harris (A Gentleman in Moscow”), Amy Lennox (Only Child), Sheila Atim (The Woman King) and Matthew Needham (House of the Dragon) will be recurring guest stars.

When Will Blade Runner 2099 Release on Prime Video?

The series was considered a priority for Amazon in 2022. It was “fast tracking scripts and eyeing potential production dates.” However, Hollywood studios unnecessary delay in giving the writing and acting unions fair contracts delayed work on the show. Now it’s in full swing with an Oscar winner in the cast.

And whether Michelle Yeoh is playing a real person or a copy of one, we know she’ll be good.

Originally published on May 7, 2024.

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Fans have been waiting for a first look at Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J.J. Abrams’ new Batman animated series. Now, we finally have our first trailer for Batman: Caped Crusader, which debuts on Prime Video on August 10. The new series is a period piece, set in a version of 1940s Gotham City. They’ve reimagined all the familiar villains, with some harkening back to their Golden Age DC Comics roots. Our new Batman/Bruce Wayne is Hamish Linklater. You can check out the first trailer for Batman: Caped Crusader right here:

The trailer showcases the distinctive animation style of Bruce Timm, who of course was one of the men behind the iconic Batman: The Animated Series over thirty years ago. Batman’s look harkens back to his earliest comic book days, in black and grey, with larger pointed ears. He almost looks like he stepped off the cover of Detective Comics #27 from 1939, his first appearance. We also see Catwoman (Christina Ricci), wearing her old school costume, which was a purple dress with a green cape. The Batman: Caped Crusader trailer gives us flashes of several other famous Bat-villains, like Two-Face, Clayface, Firefly, and a totally reinvented Harley Quinn. You can even see the Penguin, briefly.

The trailer for Batman: Caped Crusader also gives a lot of screen time to police detective Renee Montoya, who will play a prominent role in the show. Interestingly enough, Montoya was first created for Batman: The Animated Series, similar to how Harley Quinn was. Refreshingly, there is a distinct lack of Joker in this trailer. Probably the creators involved feel he is too overexposed right now. But we can’t imagine we’ll never see the Clown Prince of Crime on this series though, or The Riddler. Batman fans are just going to have to be patient.

Batman: Caped Crusader drops all 10 episodes on August 1.

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The house always wins. As the only human cameo from the Fallout games thus far in the Prime Video TV series, and with New Vegas very literally looming on the show’s horizon, it seems only natural that we’ll see Robert House appear at some point in Fallout season two. In fact, the series showrunners recently confirmed, “Many of our lead characters are Vegas-bound… Las Vegas in the world of Fallout is Robert House’s town. Robert House will be involved in Season 2.” 

Fallout‘s Robert House is an insufferable libertarian to some and based inspiration to others. Here’s everything the Fallout games tell us about New Vegas’ enigmatic autocrat. 

Who Is Robert House in the Fallout Universe?

Robert House is the founder and CEO of RobCo Industries. His company is the source of much of Fallout’s classic tech, such as the Mr. Handys (the robotic butler we see trying to ‘borrow’ Lucy’s organs in the show) and, of course, the Pip-Boy, a product that was a partnership between RobCo and Vault-Tec. Worn on the wrist of every game protagonist, and now with Lucy carrying on its tradition—RobCo is an inescapable force in the Fallout universe. 

Robert House’s History Before the War

Robert Edwin House was born on June 25th, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to the owners of the H&H Tool empire. House was orphaned at age two when his parents died in a freak auto-gyro-lightning-bolt accident. (Fallout is weird.) House was cheated out of his sizable inheritance by his half-brother Anthony. However, with that chip firmly on his shoulder and a genius IQ under his belt, House persevered. He eventually got into the Commonwealth Institute of Technology, the Fallout universe’s MIT equivalent. After graduating at the ripe old age of twenty-two, House founded RobCo industries. 

Thanks to House’s impeccable business acumen and intrinsic technical know-how, RobCo became one of the most profitable companies in the world over the next eight years. House was known for his ruthless, excessive corporate expansion. He’d gobble up smaller companies and eventually create a veritable monopoly in some tech markets, especially software. If you look closely at any terminal in the games or show, you’ll see that it’s running on a RobCo operating system. 

Robert House as a character was very much in the spirit of Howard Hughes a.k.a. the classic eccentric billionaire trope. But House, and by extension his hobbies, were more bizarrely pragmatic. House personally designed mathematical paradigms to attempt to predict major world events. He’d base this on a stream of constantly updating information with thousands of geopolitical and socio-economic factors.

House determined that on October 23rd, 2077,  at approximately 8pm EST, nuclear fire would rain from the sky. You gotta give it to the guy. He was only off by twenty hours. 

Mr. House Devises a Plan for Las Vegas to Survive the Impending War

With the date in mind, House began working towards making sure that Las Vegas would survive the war, and just as important—he would survive the war. Like any good billionaire, House owned a Vegas casino known as the Lucky 38. Using the vast wealth and resources of RobCo, House began outfitting the Lucky 38 so that it could protect Vegas against the brunt of a nuclear assault. He also decided that drastic measures would have to be taken for him to remain alive indefinitely to handle the crisis personally. House had his fleshy, mortal body sealed into a life support device that would keep him alive—relatively and theoretically—forever. Meanwhile, his brain was wired into a massive supercomputer. 

House also created an army of Securitrons to act as his eyes, ears, and hands post-war. The Securitrons are some of RobCo’s stronger combat robots. He knew they would at least be enough to deter most trouble makers that might crop up after the end of the world. House knew that the current capabilities of the Lucky 38 and the Securitron army that he possessed were not going to be enough to completely spare Vegas. The Strip would likely remain relatively unharmed, but the surrounding environs, not so much.

A new operating system (OS) was designed, one that would upgrade House’s laser grid to better ensure a completely untouched Las Vegas. It would also greatly increase the offensive capabilities of his Securitron army. The OS was downloaded onto the Platinum Chip, and was set to be delivered via courier to House the morning of October 23rd, 2077. Unfortunately, the courier didn’t make it in time. 

Even with the inferior operating system, House was still able to stop sixty-eight of the seventy-seven nuclear missiles from hitting Las Vegas. While portions of the city were still destroyed, it was largely spared. When the impact hit, House’s life support systems went out of whack, and he fell into a coma for the next fifty years, while chaos reigned unchecked in the world outside. 

Robert House Comes Out of a Post-War Coma and Establishes New Vegas

House regained consciousness in 2138. He initially chose to bide his time and observe the goings-on of the Mojave Wasteland instead of immediately revealing himself. Waiting and watching, House made his move when reports of NCR scouts in the area reached him around 2274. The Securitrons finally, after so many years, left the Lucky 38. With the hopes of having staff that had pulses, House gave the raiders currently occupying the Vegas Strip three options. They could leave, work for him, or die. Three raider tribes chose to work for him. They became the Chairmen, the Omertas, and the White Glove Society, who would run New Vegas’ three restored casinos.

Once established and later ensconced within the cultural and economic conscience of the Mojave, House made a deal with the NCR to coexist in relative peace. The NCR got to have McCarran Air Force Base and an embassy on the Strip. House got to have free power from Hoover Dam, and all the money from the NCR citizens desperate for a vacation. What happened to New Vegas and Mr. House after 2281—well, only the show can really answer that now. 

What Is Mr. Robert House Up to in Fallout?

House’s morality (or lack thereof) has been debated among the Fallout fanbase for the past fifteen years. House is a man with a single-minded focus who allows for no distractions. Monitoring or controlling the lives of the people in the Mojave has never been of any interest to him. The preservation and newfound flourishing of mankind, through throwing off the shackles of the past is, by all accounts, his singular interest. However, with a goal so large and lofty, you can imagine that the man behind these plans might find singular human lives, or even large groups of them …fairly insignificant. His take on democracy is also not the most positive one. 

Love him or hate him, House is a force to be reckoned with. Once the Fallout show confirms which of the multiple endings from New Vegas is canon, we’ll see how Mr. Robert House is going to play into the events of the show moving forward. Can you imagine House and Cooper in a room together? Because I’m imagining it, and I’m loving it.

Originally published on April 25, 2024.

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The new animated series Batman: Caped Crusader sounds more and more interesting with each new reveal. The 1940s-set noir superhero show comes to us from the all-star creative team of Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J.J. Abrams. Now, we finally have a voice cast revealed. Via The Hollywood Reporter, we’ve learned that Midnight Mass star Hamish Linklater is our new Batman/Bruce Wayne, and iconic Wednesday and Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci will portray Catwoman/Selina Kyle in Batman: Caped Crusader. The series, set to debut on Prime Video later this summer, has also dropped a voice-cast announcement video. You can check out that video right here:

They have also announced several other actors for the show’s period accurate first season. Among them is Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch) voicing a new take on Harley Quinn/Dr. Harleen Quinzel. She is now a character introduced independently of the Joker. She’ll also have a romantic relationship with detective Rene Montoya in the series. Meanwhile, Diedrich Bader will voice Gotham D.A. Harvey Dent, and eventually, the villainous Two-Face. This is a role reversal for Bader, who voiced Bruce Wayne in Batman: Brave and the Bold, and other animated projects.

Other voice actors cast in currently unknown roles include Minnie Driver, John DiMaggio, McKenna Grace, Jason Watkins, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, David Krumholtz, Haley Joel Osment, and Toby Stephens. Among the villains revealed for season one thus far are Clayface, the Gentlemen Ghost, Natalia Knight/Nocturna, and Onomotapia. No word yet on iconic Gotham baddies like Joker, Riddler, and Penguin. Below is the official series description for Batman: Caped Crusader from Prime Video:

Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the Batman. His one-man crusade attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications.

The entire 10-episode season of Batman: Caped Crusader will drop on Prime Video on August 10, so we will hear Hamish Linklater and Christina Ricci soon.

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Are you looking to fill that Bridgerton-sized hole in your hearts while you’re (impatiently) waiting for its next season? If so, Prime Video has the perfect historical series to deliver all the fantasy, romance, adventure, drama, clever satire, and absolutely stunning visuals that your heart desires. My Lady Jane, based on the YA novel series by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows, completely changes real-life royal history surrounding Lady Jane Grey, Edward Tudor, and others with a feminist framing. Oh, and did we mention that there are shapeshifters in the mix?!

Nerdist took a visit out to My Lady Jane’s set to give you all the information about this universe’s main characters, big storylines, how it reshapes the past, and why you’ll want to jump into its action. 

What Is My Lady Jane About and How Does It Connect to Actual English History?

My Lady Jane is a satirical dramedy that reimagines the actual story of Lady Jane Grey. Who is that? Stick with us for a short history lesson that will bring this series into clearer focus. 

The (Brief) Real-Life History of Lady Jane Grey

In 1553, Lady Jane Grey (a.k.a. Lady Jane Dudley following her marriage to Lord Guilford Dudley) became the Queen of England for only nine days in a very interesting manner. Her marriage to Lord Dudley, son of King Edward VI’s chief minister, put her close to the crowd. King Edward VI’s will nominated Jane and her male heirs as successors to the throne due to her being Protestant and her commitment to his reformed Church of England. The will bumped out his two half-sisters, specifically Mary, who was Catholic. The Privy Council of England (a body of advisors to the Kingdom) and other notable people honor his wishes initially. 

Needless to say, a stir happened among supporters with many believing Mary is the rightful Queen. Lady Jane Grey became the Queen of England on July 10; however, the Privy Council got rid of her on July 19. She was then held prisoner in the Tower of England, convicted of treason, and, after her father got into a rebellious mix against Queen Mary, executed via beheading alongside her husband at only 16 or 17 years old. What a terrible ending to a short life. 

My Lady Jane’s Take on Her Life and Legacy 

This series literally gives two middle fingers up to Lady Jane Grey’s awful ending. The series imagines a world where Jane actually gets to save herself in an alt-fantasy Tudor era world. Here’s a quick synopsis for My Lady Jane: 

Inspired by the best-selling book, My Lady Jane is a radical retelling of English royal history, in which King Henry VIII’s son Edward does not die of tuberculosis, Lady Jane Grey is not beheaded, and neither is her rascal of a husband Guildford. At the center of this rollicking new series is the brilliant and headstrong Jane who is unexpectedly crowned queen overnight and finds herself the target of nefarious villains coming for the crown (and her head)… My Lady Jane is an epic tale of true love and high adventure, where the damsel in distress saves herself, her true love, and then the Kingdom. 

My Lady Jane’s behind-the-scenes team runs on women power, including the show’s creator, showrunner, and co-executive producer Gemma Burgess, fellow showrunner Meredith Glynn, and director Jamie Babbit. During our set visit, which took place in London, UK in December 2022 in the midst of active filming, the trio spoke with us on an elaborate hot set depicting an event that Lady Jane Grey wasn’t afforded during short life and even shorter reign: a coronation celebration.

“She was never coronated, which is why she doesn’t always appear on [royal history] lists,” Burgess reveals. “So it’s kind of our equivalent of a coronation ball and everything’s about to fall apart. So we wanted to make the ball as beautiful and excessive as possible and then destroy it!” Burgess says moments like these and the series as a whole will depict Lady Jane Grey as a fully-realized young woman and less of a little-known and murky historical figure. 

My Lady Jane will still hit some important historical points, like the ongoing contention between Protestants and Catholics. However, even that aspect is getting its own fantasy leaning. In this world, it is ethians (shapeshifters who are frowned upon by the current regime) versus verities (normal people who cannot turn into animals). 

“The Protestant/Catholic thing that was going on way back when was really about otherism,” Glynn tells us. “In [today’s times], there is so much otherism. The ethians and the verities are our two groups and the ethians are the others [who are] persecuted. There’s laws passed against them. And for me as a queer person, I really related to the themes of what’s going on in our show with the ethians as kind of a metaphor for a lot of queer people and any other people who are persecuted.”  

You can certainly expect a crossing between these two social lines and a rebellion on the rise in the midst of romance (more on the latter later). 

Who Are the Main Characters in My Lady Jane? 

Like many historical series, there are a ton of people in the cast. Here are a few of the main players you should know: 

Lady Jane Grey

Obviously, Lady Jane is the primary character in this story. Newcomer Emily Bader calls her character “one of the dumbest smart people you’ll ever meet.” Bader elaborates, “She knows everything about people and the world, but she knows very little about what it means to be a person and to be a part of the world… she’s dealing with finding her identity and her power as a woman at a time, even when you were the Queen of England, that power was constantly being either taken from you or you had to fight for it. And so I think she’s figuring out how to keep her power while also discovering what it’s like to be a woman with love and femininity and all those things that sometimes don’t go hand in hand.”

Bader applauds both the novel writers as well as the show’s creators for giving Jane a second chance, in a sense. “She was a young girl that was forced into a position because of her position, her station and intelligence, and then killed for it. I think this is giving Jane, who never really had any chance to have a life or make any decisions of her own, power and identity.” 

Surprisingly, Emily Bader is a California native who does an English accent very well. Her secret? Watching Pride & Prejudice (2005) on a loop with her family and mimicking Keira Knightley. That’s not a bad strategy at all! Jane’s persona, as Bader describes it, is a little Elizabeth Bennet and Blondie, the rock singer. 

Guilford Dudley

Opposite of Bader is Edward Bluemel as Guilford Dudley, a young man who is grappling with his own secrets. While the book version of Guilford exhibits a poetic side, Bluemel says his version of the character is more about banter and a brilliance that he keeps under wraps.

“There’s definitely an intelligence to him and he definitely loves reading and he is very clever, but that’s another thing that’s sort of been hidden away,” says Bluemel. “It’s not part of the persona that he is portraying to the public at all, but you get glimmers of it. We learn very, very early on that he speaks Latin and then there’s a couple of other moments when suddenly there’s sort of a flash of intelligence that reveals exactly who he really is.” 

He says Guilford draws some inspiration from characters like Mr. Darcy and even unexpected real-life sources. “Interestingly, the description of my character when I got it said a Tudor Harry Styles… basically they basically amalgamated sort of the hottest people they could imagine and sort of put them together and then were like, do it… And I got there and they were like, “you’re going to be wearing head-to-toe leather 95% of the time and the other 5% I wear velvet.” 

We won’t give away additional details about Jane and Guilford’s arranged marriage and how their love blossoms, but they will find themselves guarding secrets, dealing with the challenges of power, and trying to keep the country together while also keeping the crown on Jane’s head. 

King Edward 

Jordan Peters is King Edward, who is actually older than he was in real life considering he died at just 15 years old. (Yes, all of these folks were super young.) “He’s representing the whole country but he hasn’t had the opportunity to live a normal life and fall in love like other people… people see him as a weak King. He’s finding himself and becoming the man that he wants to be and he goes on this whole adventure to discover who he is not only as a King but as a human being.” 

Apparently, this version of King Edward isn’t feeling too well. Is there something sinister afoot? Perhaps. 

Lord Dudley 

Guilford’s father appears to be wealthy and well-off… but that may not be the case. That is perhaps why he’s down for his son to link up with Jane. He’s a man keeping secrets close to the chest. Actor Rob Brydon tells us more about his character’s calculating ways. “I think at face he’s a good person but he’s a schemer. He’s had to scheme to keep his place in the court. It’s very cutthroat in the court.” 

Brydon says Lord Dudley and Lord Seymour have “beef” with each other that adds to the overall tension. (Yes, we did laugh at his choice of words.)  

Archer, Leader of the Ethians 

While we can assume some of our seemingly verity characters are probably hiding a shapeshifting secret, Archer is absolutely ethian. In fact, he’s the leader—or, as Michael Workeye says, King—of the ethian group. Archer will lead the charge of an eventual uprising of the ethian population. 

“He’s essentially all of the anti-establishment rolled into one,” says Workeye. “He is anti the Kingdom, anti the monarchy, and anti the way of life in England. He was born into nobility and lived a trauma free life. Great childhood.” 

Archer later becomes an ethian and leaves home. He returns home years later and see the oppression of ethians. Now, he aims to change that… by any means necessary.  

Lord Seymour 

We know that Lord Seymour, played by Dominic Cooper, is up to some sort of shenanigans. He’s certainly not a fan of Lady Jane Grey nor anyone who supports her reign. But we have yet to discover his true motivations and desires. The show’s mix of Tudor era and comedy gave Cooper the perfect challenge of how to portray his villainous character.

“In these costumes, you’re used to having a certain posture and selling a sort of “Tudory manner.” It’s still really important, I think, to play that for real. You have a tendency to sort of play up and be a bit hammy to sell the joke… it is comedy and you have to be very exact.”

Cooper says Lord Seymour (and others) don’t perceive Jane as a threat… until she is. 

Mary Tudor 

Hello Jane’s archnemesis and Edward’s younger sister. Mary Tudor, played by Kate O’Flynn (pictured above beside Lord Seymour), hints that while her character is “evil,” that no one is quite who they seem. “…[She] really wants to be Queen and is looking forward to it. She may be plotting a few things to make that happen. Maybe.”

She says Mary and Lord Seymour are in cahoots to some degree to sway things in both of their favor. How? You’ll have to watch and find out. 

The remainder of the cast is as follows: 

Why Will Historical Romance Fans Love Prime Video’s My Lady Jane Series? 

My Lady Jane draws inspiration from beloved films like The Princess Bride and A Knight’s Tale to craft its narrative. There’s a little something for everyone. Fans of history can compare notes and perhaps point out Easter eggs that nod to that time period. Romance fans will appreciate the burning romance between Jane and Guilford as they fall in love. In fact, Emily Bader says it is “surprisingly sexy and spicy.” 

Costume fanatics will absolutely rave over the show’s intricate looks, perhaps even aiming to recreate them. Those who like satire and drama will get a healthy dose of both. And, the cast boasts some diversity too, similar to Bridgerton. 

Meredith Glynn hopes viewers will come to the end of season one and say that it is fun, refreshing, and worthy of a second season.

What Is the Release Date for My Lady Jane on Prime Video?

My Lady Jane hits Prime Video on June 27 with all eight episodes streaming.

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No IP has had as much trouble getting to movie status again as much as Masters of the Universe. After a long time in development at Netflix, to the point they even cast Noah Centineo as He-Man, they stopped pre-production on the movie and let the rights lapse. This was after years of trying to get the fantasy heroes of Eternia off the ground as a theatrical film. Now, Amazon and MGM have the rights, and are preparing to start shooting Masters of the Universe with director Travis Knight this summer. They’ve even found their He-Man, in Red, White, and Royal Blue star Nicholas Galitzine. But is a movie the right way to go for Amazon? We actually think Masters of the Universe should instead become an episodic live-action series on the platform. And here’s why.

A He-Man Live-Action Series Could Explore the Whole Mythology

The Masters mythology, from both the original toy line and all its animated incarnations, is pretty expansive, especially for a property that really only had a relatively brief pop culture dominance. The original toy line ran from 1982 to ’87, while the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon show only had two seasons. Which, to be fair, were re-run in syndication for years. The toys’ and show’s mythologies differed greatly at times, and since the toy line ran longer than the cartoon show, there are elements from the toys that the classic cartoons simply never got around to.

Yet a live-action series could incorporate all aspects of the Eternian mythos. A movie will barely have time to scratch the surface. Whether it turns out great or terrible, like the Masters of the Universe film from the ’80s starring Dolph Lundgren was, the truth is that a He-Man movie with a two-hour runtime is going to focus on just the heavy hitters: He-Man, Teela, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn. This means that many fan favorites from the cartoon and toy line would end up left out. Or worse, just be Easter eggs in the background.

On a show, you have hours upon hours to explore all the beautiful craziness of this franchise in detail. There were over 60 action figures in the original toy line. If you reinvented this property as a live-action series, you might actually see some of the wackier characters come to life. Like half-man/half-bee Buzz-Off, or the Snake Men, or even Stinkor—the guy whose super power was smelling bad! Chances are, none of these guys would show up in a movie, unless that movie was so successful it spawned a franchise. But that’s always a big “If.”

A Masters of the Universe Series Would Have More Pop Culture Staying Power Than a Streaming Movie

These days, a streaming series has more pop culture staying power than a movie. We won’t name names, but think of all the big-budget streaming films that have hit in the last few years. Many with huge stars in them. All almost instantly evaporated from the pop culture consciousness. Because streaming series parse out episodes over time (at least they should) they have time to build an audience. A Masters of the Universe show on Prime Video might vanish from everyone’s radar after a weekend. A series has a better chance to build an audience.

Once, we would have said that Masters was simply too elaborate a fantasy world for anyone to properly realize as a live-action series. However, times have changed. We now live in the era of major fantasy epics on streaming platforms like House of the Dragon and Rings of Power. Both of those series spared no expense in creating vibrant fantasy worlds on screen. If they can do it for those properties, nothing is stopping them from doing the same for Masters of the Universe. 

A series also offers the creators a chance to go a little bit darker. There shouldn’t really be an R-rated He-Man per se, as this is a property originally designed for kids. But a movie in theaters would have to push the “fun for the whole family” aspect extra hard. If only to make it a four-quadrant blockbuster, and become profitable for the studio. A series, on the other hand, has a little more leeway. It can push the horror design aspects of the villains a little more than a movie could.

There is proof that these characters could look super badass if done right. A few years ago, a concept artist named Paul A. Gerrard, who has worked on projects like The Hellboy reboot, created some astounding concept art for a live-action MOTU. A lot of these pieces were for deep-cut characters that might not appear in a movie. Who wouldn’t binge-watch a show in order to see some of these designs brought to life? The series itself could be a stinker, but we’d still watch to see a cool version of Moss Man.

Masters of the Universe continues to hold sway in our collective memories. The adult collector’s toys have been selling to grown ups for years, as has the Funko Pop! line. Netflix and Kevin Smith did two animated continuations of the He-Man lore, with Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Revolution. Both proved that long-form storytelling is the way to go with the property. Now, all that’s left is for them to do the right thing for the franchise, and make this movie into a backdoor pilot. Here’s hoping the powers that be they still “have the power” to know when to switch gears.

Originally published on January 29. 2020

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The Boys is coming back to Prime Video for a fourth round and, based on the trailers, there will be lots of fighting. The Seven (well, Six) against the Boys, the Boys against Victoria Neuman, Starlighters vs. Homelander supporters, and so much blood and gore. Fans are absolutely loving this series and, until now, were expecting it to come to a close in its fifth season. That’s what creator and showrunner Eric Kripke said years ago. Now, Kripke is whistling a different tune and saying that he is rethinking that five season plan for The Boys. When you have success, you gotta run with it like A-Train, right? 

Now that The Boys has gotten a season five renewal, he is not quite ready to bring this series to an end. Here’s what he recently said in an Inverse interview: 

“I have learned since then to not try to call the seasons as the person who, and this is without hyperbole, is literally the most wrong in entertainment history of how many seasons their show should go. Someone pointed that out to me and I was like, ‘You’re right. That’s ridiculous. I need to keep my mouth shut.’ And so I will.”

Of course, he’s no longer making any statements nor promises about how long The Boys will run. Maybe it will go the far, far distance like Supernatural. Or, maybe Kripke will decide that season six or seven is enough. Either way, this universe is just now heating up with Gen V gaining steam and surely more spinoffs coming our way. We certainly aren’t complaining about more supe action in the future.

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Warm up your vocal chords and put on your finest pointed hat, because a true legend of Middle-earth is coming to Amazon. Tom Bombadil, one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s strangest, most notorious Lord of the Rings characters, will appear in season two of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power. But we don’t have to wait for the show to return to see him. The studio has already shared its first images of the strange character. Let’s take a look at Tom Bombadil in The Rings of Power.

Tom Bombadil Joins The Rings of Power Season 2

Vanity Fair has the exclusive first look at an almost unrecognizable Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die, Men) as the mysterious Tom Bombadil. (Some fans would say “maddening” over “mysterious.” Others would say “delightful.” He’s a polarizing figure.) This The Lord of the Rings character is well-known to readers of Tolkien’s seminal trilogy. However, in the lead up to his The Rings of Power appearance, Tom Bombadil has been excluded from some of the books’ most famous adaptations. That includes Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.

Bombadil, a very ancient being with a fondness for singing who some believe is the living embodiment of nature itself, appears early in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He aids and guides the traveling Hobbits during a time of great danger. However, the long-haired, bearded figure expresses little concern for the outside world. He instead prefers his woodland life free of the worries the living deal with.

Here Are First-Look Images of Tom Bombadil From The Rings of Power

The Rings of Power will introduce Tom Bombadil during an era long before Frodo carried the One Ring. And these first images show that Daniel Weyman’s The Stranger, a wizard (we’d bet a lot of money is definitely Gandalf) will visit Tom on his journey with Nori and Poppy. Why are these two powerful figures meeting? What knowledge does Tom Bombadil have for a member of the Istari? And how will that factor into both season two and Middle-earth’s coming war with Lord Sauron?

Tom Bombadil’s Role in The Rings of Power Season 2

Co-showrunner J.D. Payne offered some insight into Bombadil’s role on the show.

When he finally crosses paths with the Stranger, you could say he has a desire to try to keep the destruction that has happened there from spreading to his beloved lands in the West,” Payne told Vanity Fair. “He nudges the Stranger along his journey, which he knows will eventually protect the larger natural world that he cares about. So I’d say our Tom Bombadil is slightly more interventionist than you see in the books, but only by 5% or 10%.

Does that mean he’ll also sing 5% or 10% less, too? It better not. Fans haven’t waited this long to see Tom Bombadil without also hearing him sing.

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The New Vegas Strip—which is what we see on the horizon in the Fallout finale—was saved from the bombs by Mr. House, but did not escape falling into post-apocalyptic chaos in the ensuing years. Mr. House bided his time within the confines of the Lucky 38 Casino. On the outside, raider tribes ruled, warring with one another in a constant cycle of violence. 

When the NCR scouts arrived in the Mojave Wasteland, Mr. House decided it was time to come out of hiding and truly claim New Vegas as his own. But he’s a pretty-much-dead guy stuck in a super computer. Yeah, he’s got an army of robots, but you really can’t put a price on good old fashioned human labor, can you? House offered a deal to the raiders of the Strip to either leave, die, or join him.

Most of them left and some died; however, three groups (a.k.a. families) stayed in the New Vegas. Together, with House’s fairly vast Securitron army, it was a sufficient enough army to put up a reasonable defense against the NCR, should they need to. They all serve Mr. House and answer to his beck and call (including cutting him on ALL casino profits, of course).

The range from groovy fun to very evil karma vibes is part of what makes New Vegas so special. Here’s everything you need to know about the Three Families of the New Vegas Strip, and their respective casinos in Fallout.

The Chairmen: the First Family to Join Mr. House in New Vegas

The Chairmen, originally called the Mojave Boot-Riders in their tribal days, were the first to join Mr. House. They were given the Tops casino, a relic of slick atomic ’50s cool, where the bands are hoppin’ and the ladies are poppin’, ya dig? (I’m so sorry.)

The Chairmen (now in sleek white suits and armed with a litany of pithy slang) fully renovated the Tops, and it stands as a must-visit destination in New Vegas. There’s bars, gambling, and dancing galore—never mind the famous Aces Theater, which is always attracting a variety of artists and performers from around the Mojave Wasteland. One quest in New Vegas even allows you to scout talent for the theater personally.

The leader of the Chairmen (circa the events of Fallout: New Vegas) is Benny. He is the first character that the player sees in New Vegas, in fact. The opening of the game is Benny apologizing for your “eighteen karat run of bad luck,” and informing you that “the game was rigged from the start.” Oh, and then he shoots you in the head. 

As for the Fallout TV show, I would love to see the Chairman family leader Benny in live-action, if only so we could hear one of New Vegas’ most legendary lines: “What in the goddamn?“

The White Glove Society and Their Cannibalistic Ways

The White Glove Society was the second tribe to join Mr. House. There was an interesting clause when the White Glove Society signed on with House; they demanded that the name of their tribe never be revealed. House agreed, under the condition that the White Glove Society would stop their nasty little habit of… eating people. (Hannibal fans, rejoice!) Not a great look when you’re trying to revive the tourism industry! 

The White Glove Society was given the Ultra-Luxe Las Vegas Resort—often shortened to Ultra-Luxe—with Mortimer and Marjorie acting as dual leaders. Once restored to its pre-war glory, the Ultra-Luxe became the epitome of New Vegas class—and so far as I’m aware, as a frequent traveler of the wastes, it has the only gourmet restaurant in the American Wasteland, fittingly called The Gourmand. 

The White Glove Society holds itself to a very strict standard, keeping to formal fashion and high society manners. The members wear masks, with the exception of Mortimer and Marjorie. They strive to provide the most luxury experience in New Vegas. Aside from the world-class meat-oriented cuisine at The Gourmand, there’s also the Top Shelf cocktail lounge, and the Ultra-Luxe art gallery. There is still gambling on deck, though nothing so base as slots. They offer blackjack and roulette only, folks. 

Oh, and just to be clear, they’re still totally eating people. There’s a whole quest about it and everything. Though, if you have the Cannibal perk, you really will fit right in.

The Omertas: The Mafia Goons of New Vegas

Rounding out the Three Families of New Vegas in Fallout is the Omertas. They were the third and final tribe to join Mr. House. Trading in their snake-skins for the image of classic Vegas mafiosos, the Slither Kin became the Omertas. 

The Omertas run Gomorrah, a den of vice and iniquity that calls to passerby with flames and mostly-naked women. Understandably, they get a lot of business. With a monopoly on sex work within New Vegas, the Omertas took their role as mafia goons to heart; they are deadly, they are greedy, and you don’t want to mess with them. Just about every extortion or racketeering scheme in Vegas can be traced back to these guys. 

The casino is run by Nero, and his right hand man, Big Sal. The Omertas only really have one rule, above any code or moral grandstanding: don’t betray the family. Besides that, anything goes. The Omertas may not rival the White Glove Society in bizarreness, but they’re beating them by a country mile in cruelty. A common tactic for the family is to get their new hires on the casino floor hooked on free chems. (This is a slang term for drugs/more intense prescription medication in the Fallout universe.)

The Omertas then let them ride that high for a while, just long enough to get addicted—then they start charging. For each fix, they charge—and then a garnish on their wages to make sure they fall deeper and deeper down the hole. Another year older and deeper in debt, etc. Drugged out indentured servitude is truly a messed up business model. There is nothing the Omertas won’t do to get more money and more power. 

I’m not sure what season two of Fallout has in store for us, but I can only hope that the show’s take on New Vegas does justice to the life and chaos thriving inside of it. What form it will take is anyone’s guess, but there is an incredible playground of opportunities to explore, and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

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Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage’s action comedy film Brothers has a home at Amazon MGM Studios and a new release date. Well, actually there is more than one release date for this film. Brothers, which is a Legendary Pictures production, will hit theaters on October 1. Then, Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage will take their adventures to Prime Video on October 17 when Brothers streams for everyone to enjoy.

As if the leads aren’t enough of a draw for fans, Brothers has a stacked cast with Brendan Fraser, Glenn Close, Taylour Paige, Jennifer Landon, and the late M. Emmet Walsh. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is about a reformed criminal (Brolin) who is trying to get his life together when he reunites with his twin brother (Dinklage). They go on a road trip, dodge bullets, and try to heal their family along the way. You can totally count me in. 

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

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The world of The Boys continues to expand. After the first live-action spinoff series Gen V arrived to much fan and critical acclaim, now yet another spinoff is on the way from Amazon. Only this will be a Spanish language series, set in Mexico City. According to Deadline, The Boys: Mexico will be written by Blue Beetle’s Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and produced by Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, who may both take on minor acting roles in the series.

In a Variety interview, Banal confirmed the series as well as his involvement. He couldn’t go into details, obviously, but did offer a brief statement saying, “I’m very excited about what we can do, because we can do something very interesting in Latin America.” Flagship series creators Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg will executive produce for Sony/Prime Video.

Recently, Eric Kripke told Entertainment Weekly that there’s still quite a few hurdles to jump before The Boys: Mexico is truly happening. “They are still making the deal with the writer for the pilot,” Kripke said. “He has an amazing pitch, and we all giggle and think about how fun it would be. But there are a lot of hurdles for that show before it’s a real show. He’s got to write an amazing pilot, he’s probably got to write an amazing episode 2. I think he can and he will, but we’re a while away from truly starting to drop in the Easter eggs and the setups and stuff.”

So what would The Boys: Mexico even be about? Right now, we don’t have details. We’re not even sure that title is sticking. The name “The Boys” is about the underground group trying to bring down Vought and The Seven. Unless Mexico has its own set of Vought heroes and its own underground group of “boys,” would that title even make sense? So much of the adaptation of the Garth Ennis comic book series parodies famous tropes from Marvel and DC Comics. But both universes have superhero groups all over the world. Groups like DC’s Global Guardians and Marvel’s Canadian heroes, Alpha Flight. We may see a more unhinged version of this concept for this new show.

Gen V tied directly into the events of the previous season of The Boys, even though it was very much its own show. We even had an appearance by Homelander himself at the end. It will be interesting to see how many of the cast of the main series will appear, as they will shoot in Latin America. The show is only in development as of right now, and has not landed a greenlight yet. But given how hugely popular The Boys is, we expect this one to go through.

Originally published on November 28, 2023.

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This week Amazon announced it’s bringing Nicolas Cage to the live-action side of the Spider-Verse. He’ll reprise his animated character in person in his own Spider-Man Noir spinoff series. But it turns out the studio might have only had room for one such Spidey show. Amazon is not moving forward with its previously announced live-action Silk: Spider Society show. The Spider-Man series starring the character Silk has now been canceled.

Variety says Amazon has pulled the plug on its live-action series about the comic book character Cindy Moon, better known as Silk. The show would have told the story of the young Korean-American woman bit by the very same spider that gave Peter Parker his powers.

The Walking Dead’s Angela Kang was set to serve as showrunner of the canceled Silk: Spider Society, with Into the Spider-Verse‘s Phil Lord and Chris Miller serving as executive producers. Amy Pascal, the head of the Spider-Man franchise, was also onboard as an executive producer. Amazon originally ordered Silk: Spider Society to series in late 2022, so this pre-cancellation of the Spider-Man show was not a hasty decision. However, it’s not a total surprise to fans who’ve been following its development. Earlier this year The Ankler reported that Amazon had released Silk‘s writers room so its members could pursue other opportunities. Kang had remained on as showrunner, showing the streaming site had not fully given up on the show until now.

Silk is one of the newer members of the Spider-Man franchise. Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos first introduced Cindy Moon in 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man #1. The official synopsis for the now-canceled Amazon live-action series said the Silk Spider-Man show would follow her escape from imprisonment and search “for her missing family on her way to becoming the superhero known as Silk.”

Now, Silk will have to search for another way to bring her story to the screen. Either that or Spider-Man Noir’s first case on his live-action show can be to learn what happened to Silk’s series.

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Lara Croft is coming to a small screen near you. During its inaugural upfront presentation, Prime Video announced that it ordered a Tomb Raider series with the beloved Phoebe Waller-Bridge leading the way as its writer and executive producer. Surely every person over 25 is at least marginally familiar with the Tomb Raider franchise, which began with its popular video games. It later made the big screen jump with Angelina Jolie as the infamous archaeologist and full-fledged action heroine. 

The project is a deal between Crystal Dynamics and Amazon MGM Studios to develop additional Tomb Raider stories into series and films. So it seems there will be many stories to come. Of course, it will be a while before we get any details about this Prime Video Tomb Raider series. There’s a long way to go until the cast is set and filming begins, much less its release. However, Waller-Bridge is understandably excited about this new venture. Here’s what she has to say about crafting a Croft series: 

“If I could tell my teenage self this was happening I think she’d explode. Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators. Lara Croft means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all.” 

The Tomb Raider TV series will be executive produced by Crystal Dynamics, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Jenny Robbins through Wells Street Productions, Dmitri M. Johnson through dj2 Entertainment, Michael Scheel, and Legendary Television. Amanda Greenblatt and Ryan Andolina will be its consulting producers under their Star Party banner. The series is produced by Crystal Dynamics and Amazon MGM Studios.

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

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And there was a great celebration throughout the land. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston has been a long-time favorite of readers who love a good romance. So when a Red, White, and Royal Blue came to Prime Video, it was an instant hit. And now, Red, White, and Royal Blue loyalists have had their dreams come true. A Red, White, and Royal Blue sequel movie is heading to Prime Video. Red, White, and Royal Blue 2, if you will.

Happily, the Red, White, and Royal Blue sequel will see its stars, Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez, returning to play enemies to lovers Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry. Even more exciting for fans, Casey McQuiston will write the script alongside returning writer Matthew López. We can’t wait to see what Red, White, and Royal Blue 2 has in store. In the meantime, you can check out the first film on Prime Video.

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The Boys ended their third season with a game-changing moment for the series. Homelander discovered he could do the unthinkable in public—and many in the public would love him for it. This left us all foaming at the mouth for season four. And now, it’s almost here. Fans attending the first-ever CCXP México were the first to see the official trailer for the fourth season of The Boys, coming to Prime Video on June 13. Cast members Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Chace Crawford, Karen Fukuhara, and Claudia Doumit were on hand to debut the trailer to a crowded room of fans. You can watch the latest trailer in full right here:

Here’s the official description for The Boys season four, as well as key art:

In Season Four of The Boys, 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 and 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.

Judging from this trailer, certain major plot elements from the spinoff series Gen V will factor heavily into season four of The Boys. Namely, the virus that kills super-powered individuals. Homelander himself appeared in the Gen V finale. However, it’s unclear how many characters from that series filmed anything for the parent show. And clearly, the sociopolitical allegories are stronger than ever this season. The Boys will premiere its fourth season on June 13, 2024, with three episodes. These are followed by a new episode each week, ending with the epic season finale on Thursday, July 18.

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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.

Most recently, Judkins revealed that “The first 15 minutes of Season 3 is one of the most bonkers set pieces I’ve ever seen on television. I was just watching it this week and it is absolutely bananas what our team pulled off … just a bunch of women in their 40s and 50s shredding each other, and it is wonderful to behold.” The phrase “shredding each other” sure does paint some fascinating pictures. We guess we’ll have to wait and see what mayhem is in store for us in the first minutes of The Wheel of Time‘s third season.

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.

Originally published on October 16, 2023.

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Prime Video’s Fallout featured a major, infamous figure from Fallout: New Vegas. The mustachioed leader of RobCo present for Barb Howard’s secret meeting was none other than the billionaire industrialist Mr. Robert House. With the show heading to the wasteland’s Sin City in season two, we might see the once powerful New Vegas ruler (or at least his brain) once again. But he might not be the only iconic denizen of the Strip still living there. We might also see a beloved video game character we would never say “no” to meeting again: Yes Man.

Who is this super positive, upbeat, hilarious fan-favorite AI robot voiced by Dave Foley? Here’s everything to know about a friendly and funny figure who can never turn us down.

Who Is Fallout: New Vegas‘ Yes Man?

Mr. House amassed his fortune thanks to his advanced robotics and software company. He then maintained order and kept power in New Vegas thanks in part to his fleet of Securitron robots. The heavily armed, single-wheeled machines served as his own private army. Fallout: New Vegas opens with an associate of Mr. House stealing the Platinum Chip, an upgrade that would greatly enhance the effectiveness of Securitrons.

The thief behind the subterfuge was Benny, head of the Mr. House-aligned tribe and casino operators known as “The Chairmen.” Benny (voiced by the late Matthew Perry) was already in possession of something that once belonged to Mr. House. That object was vital to Benny’s attempts to take control of New Vegas.

The Chairmen leader had reprogrammed a damaged Securitron robot with a unique AI program. Benny’s right hand man/robot was known as Yes Man, and with good reason. Its comprehensive new programming (with one fatal oversight) made it impossible to refuse any commands or withhold any information asked of it. Yes Man’s compliant nature is the reason it alerted Benny to the Mr. House’s pending covert plans of the Platinum Chip. It also helped ruin its owner.

What Happened to Yes Man in Fallout: New Vegas?

Benny’s ultimate scheme to take control of New Vegas was going to include uploading Yes Man into Mr. House’s mainframe. First, he had to steal the Platinum Chip from the Courier, the delivery person gamers play as in Fallout: New Vegas. Benny’s associates left the delivery person for dead, but the Courier returned to New Vegas. There, Yes Man couldn’t refuse to answer the Courier’s questions about his owner or Mr. House. It was programmed to serve anyone and everyone.

Fallout: New Vegas provides players with many decisions, and they can change when and how gamers interact with Yes Man initially. Ultimately Yes Man becomes their sidekick as Benny is either captured, killed, or set free.

One available storyline sees the Courier work with Yes Man to free the city from the three main forces vying to control it. In that alternate ending the Courier acts on their own behalf, using Yes Man to secure the Hoover Dam and New Vegas. In one version of that ending the Securitrons don’t get an upgrade and chaos comes to the Strip. The one that includes them getting the Platinum Chip upgrade results in them maintaining order and peace in Sin City.

Yes Man ends the game by undergoing a small personality change Benny really should have thought of. It makes Yes Man only follow the Courier’s commands.

Does Yes Man Die in Fallout: New Vegas?

Yes Man is an artificial intelligence program. If someone or something destroys the robot or machine he possesses he simply pops up in another one. Yes Man’s sunny persona and smiling face can appear in any Securitron, his usual form. (Sometimes when he respawns its hard to find his new Securitron body. The Platinum Chip does not change his personality and programming if/when uploaded to Mr. House’s operating system.)

The only way Yes Man can truly “die” in the game is if he’s destroyed by a laser or plasma weapon. Prime Video’s Fallout doesn’t have to treat that as canon. And why would it when fans would love nothing more than to see Yes Man appear on the show?

Why Is Yes Man Such a Beloved Fallout Video Game Character?

Yes Man offers players advice and insight, but that’s not why players adore him. It’s how he does it. His can-do/must-do attitude makes for an always charming, consistently hilarious sidekick who is brought to life by the great Dave Foley. Yes Man, along with his biting, insightful commentary, is a whole lot of fun in a franchise that makes a dystopian wasteland a place worth wandering.

If you know Dave Foley, it’s not hard to understand what makes the character so memorable. Whether you’ve played Fallout: New Vegas for a thousand hours or are just learning about it right now, you can hear Foley saying, “This is going to be great! I’m going to help you accomplish so much, whether I want to or not!”

What we want is for Prime Video’s Fallout to say “yes” to bringing Yes Man to the show. With a character this good how could it even think about saying “no” to that?

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who loves Dave Foley and always will because of Newsradio. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Prime Video’s Fallout opened with the destruction of Los Angeles in 2077 by the nuclear bombs. The Great War turned the world into a radioactive wasteland. It scattered elements of humanity into underground vaults while others struggled to rebuild civilization on the surface. In 2189 the western part of the United States did exactly that. Its people began to rebuild society with a functioning government known as the New California Republic. For years the highly-functional, welcoming, and (mostly) just NCR expanded its borders. Yet by the time of the Fallout TV series, it was no longer the beacon of prosperity it had once been.

What happened to the once burgeoning republic? Here’s everything you need to know about the NCR before Fallout season two.

When Did the New California Republic First Appear in the Fallout Franchise?

Players first heard about the NCR and its capital city Shady Sands at the end of the original Fallout video game. The New California Republic then appeared in Fallout 2, which takes place on the West Coast. The powerful government was also mentioned in the franchise’s third and fourth installments, but it played a major role in Fallout: New Vegas.

At the start of Fallout: New Vegas the NCR controlled the Hoover Dam and had an alliance with Mr. House, the ruler of New Vegas. The status of the powerful imperialistic government by the end of the game depends on the player’s choices. You can read more about Fallout: New Vegas, Mr. House, and the game’s alternate endings with our deep dives into each.

Fallout’s New Vegas, Explained—from The Games To The Series
Who Is Mr. Robert House in FALLOUT? The History of New Vegas, Explained
Why The Fallout Series Won’t Have To Choose Between New Vegas’ Four Endings

How Did the NCR Begin? Who Founded the New California Republic?

The NCR, whose official flag is a version of the original California state flag that features a two-headed bear, can trace its origins back overcrowding in Vault-15. Most members of the highly diverse underground bunker left the vault behind in 2097 to live on the surface. There they used Vault-Tec technology to build flourishing, self-sustaining communities, one of which was Shady Sands (established in 2142). The town was led by former Vault dweller Aradesh, who ensured the community’s safety by defeating local tribes of raiders (some of which came consisted of his old Vault 15 cohorts).

With the aid of his daughter Tandi, Aradesh oversaw Shady Sands’ growing prosperity. Then, in 2186, Shady Sands and other nearby communities formed a trial council government with the aim of ultimately forming a functioning republic. Three years later, five “states” signed a formal constitution creating the New California Republic. Aradesh would serve as the first President for a nation that would go on to become the biggest, most powerful government in North America since The Great War.

Aradesh was the first President of the NCR, but he mysteriously vanished seven years into his presidency. His disappearance is especially notable because he was a) interested in the abandoned Vault-13 and b) this is a world where people can show up later/live for centuries as a ghoul, a brain plugged into a computer, in life-support pods, or be woken up from stasis.

After he was declared dead his daughter Tandi served as his successor for 52 years. Three other presidents (at least) served after Tandi, who had been a truly transformational leader.

What Was the NCR’s Form of Government in Fallout?

The New California Republic was just that, a federal democratic republic based on the former United States. A President of the executive branch (called the Council) served as its head of state. The NCR also had a senate elected directly by citizens. Members of Congress then elected the President, Vice President, and the executive cabinet to five-year terms with no term limits. Despite being a democracy that included a judiciary that enforced the government’s laws, NCR Presidents often met little pushback in implementing their policies.

The NCR had easy and direct immigration laws and processes (for non-violent people), which helped grow its number of official citizens. It also had a a formal process for tribes and communities to join, which expanded its borders. The New California Republic also had a powerful, advanced, standing military consisting of both volunteers and conscripted members.

And the diverse and welcoming nation protected non-citizens and non-humans alike. It welcomed mutants and ghouls into the country, where NCR laws and courts protected them even before they became formal citizens. The republic, which passed equality laws banning nearly all forms of discrimination, also strictly enforced the separation of church and state, but non-violent religions were freely permitted to practice.

The government even had a Department of State to establish formal ties and communications with other governments and groups. And it also built roads, trains, forts, and other forms of infrastructure, all of which it supported with a formal currency.

What Was Life Like for Citizens of the NCR?

After only a century, which saw it defeat the Brotherhood of Steel in direct combat, the NCR firmly established itself as a beacon of the wasteland. Its more than 700,000 citizens (a massive population) enjoyed a high quality of life. The NCR came closest to recreating life of pre-war America. It established a working society of laws that offered people both healthcare and an economy that provided a variety of careers and lifestyles for people to pursue. The technologically advanced NCR gave people the chance not just to survive like others in a post-war world, but to thrive.

The NCR’s growth and prosperity brought new problems with it, however. It changed from a communal society where people worked for free to one where some citizens became driven by greed and self-interest. That was also true of the government itself, which sought to expand its borders without consent.

What Areas Did the NCR Control?

At its apex, the drug-free, slavery-free, sex-work-free NCR expanded its borders from southern California all the way north into Oregon. It also expanded into Nevada and the Mojave desert, only not all of its eastward movement was given freely by people asking to join. The NCR adopted an imperialistic expansionist policy. That led it to take control of the Hoover Dam, though it did not try to conquer New Vegas. Instead it entered into an alliance with the city, which it also aimed to protect.

The Hoover Dam was a source of clean water and energy, both of which greatly enhanced the quality of life for NCR citizens. But the damn also exemplified the New California Republic’s new militaristic approach to achieving its otherwise benevolent goals. And the Second Battle of Hoover Dam (the conclusion of Fallout: New Vegas) showed not everyone was willing to accept NCR rule without a fight.

That included one group that had spent years secretly planning to rule the surface itself.

What Did Fallout Season 1 Reveal about Shady Sands?

Fallout: New Vegas—set 15 years prior to Prime Video’s canonical show—said Shady Sands was still standing strong during the events of the game. Yet Fallout season one revealed the town had been destroyed four years prior to the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. (The series’ creators have said that apparent discrepancy has an official explanation we’ll learn about eventually.)

Hank MacLane and his cohorts at Vault-Tec dropped a nuclear bomb on the city to stop it from reestablishing civilization on the surface before Vault-Tec could. The destruction of Shady Sands also suggests its government also died in the blast, as it was the location for both the NCR President and the Hall of Congress.

That blast might have destroyed the NCR forever. But there’s just as much reason to be hopeful about its survival as there is to despair over its fate.

What Happened to Moldaver and the NCR in Fallout Season 1?

We don’t know exactly how many government officials died in the Shady Sands blast. We don’t even actually know if the NCR’s borders have greatly shrunk since Fallout: New Vegas. However, things don’t exactly look good for the New California Republic. Moldaver (who might have been its newest President) was leading a much smaller NCR out of the old Griffith Observatory in the former Los Angeles. Was that tiny retinue all that remained of the once powerful NCR? If so it’s now gone. Moldaver and all her forces died when the Brotherhood of Steel attacked and took control of her cold fusion technology. (A source of unlimited power that makes the Hoover Dam seem inconsequential.)

But not all hope is lost for the NCR, even if Hank’s vile monster leader who helped him destroy Shady Sands now controls New Vegas. The New California Republic had established outposts throughout its borders. It had a military, resources, technology, and many citizens who’d built quality lives for themselves thanks to the NCR. Even without Shady Sands the nation had the infrastructure it needed to withstand an attack and quickly rebuild.

Is the New California Republic Gone Forever on Fallout?

The NCR might not exist anymore. Or there might be more than just remnants of the NCR still operating. It might have just moved its politicians and military somewhere else. At the very least it has at allies out there. (Someone helped Moldaver.) If it still exists in anyway it could be the one group powerful enough to save the world. It could stand against both the Brotherhood and Vault-Tec.

More importantly, it might be the only group that can do something revolutionary. It could help mankind establish a truly free and just society for everyone. Hopefully this time, it will only do that with people that want to join.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who wonders if the NCR had good fish tacos. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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If you’re a fan of Bridgerton and period dramas that center women in a way that doesn’t scream “damsel in distress,” then there’s a new series that you might enjoy. Prime Video’s My Lady Jane—inspired by the best-selling novel series—is a romance series set in an alternate fantasy Tudor world. It will premiere on the streaming service this summer with lots of energetic adventure, comedy, and a heavy dose of drama. Check out the first-look images of My Lady Jane below: 

Click To View Gallery

As you can see, it certainly delivers in the aesthetic department. Here’s a synopsis of the series to give you a clearer picture of what’s going down. 

Well that sounds absolutely thrilling! The My Lady Jane TV series stars newcomer Emily Bader as Jane Grey alongside Edward Bluemel as Guildford Dudley. Jordan Peters portrays King Edward. Dominic Cooper is Lord Seymour, Anna Chancellor plays Jane’s mother Lady Frances Grey, and Rob Brydon is Lord Dudley, Guildford’s father. Jim Broadbent will be the Duke of Leicester, a.k.a. Jane’s uncle. Henry Ashton plays Guildford’s brother Stan and Isabelle Brownson and Robyn Betteridge are portraying Jane’s two sisters. Rounding out the cast are Kate O’Flynn and Abbie Hern as the King’s sisters Princess Mary and Princess Bess, respectively.

One thing I particularly love is that there’s an all-woman team behind My Lady Jane. Creator Gemma Burgess is co-showrunner/executive producer along with Meredith Glynn. Jamie Babbit directs five of the eight episodes and is a producing director/executive producer. Sarah Bradshaw and Laurie MacDonald are executive producers.

What Is the Premiere Date for Prime Video’s My Lady Jane?

My Lady Jane will hit Prime Video on June 27, so a trailer should be coming our way pretty soon. It is currently not clear if all eight episode will drop at once.

The post Fantasy Tudor-era Series MY LADY JANE Reveals Premiere Date and First Images appeared first on Nerdist.

When Hank MacLane fled the Boneyard (née Los Angeles) in the final moments of Fallout‘s first season, he brought the series to an iconic video game locale. New Vegas is home to what some consider the franchise’s best entry. By going there, though, Prime Video’s canonical show has raised all new questions about the wasteland’s Sin City. The Fallout: New Vegas video game has four possible endings that players can unlock. Small variations can then also occur within each of the New Vegas endings, putting even more Fallout possibilities on the table. But the TV series can’t treat all four as fact. So, based on what we learned from the events of Prime Video’s series, which Fallout: New Vegas ending does the show treat as the definitive one?

The answer is almost certainly the best option for fans of Fallout: New Vegas—none of them.

What is Fallout: New Vegas About?

Whether you’re new to the Fallout franchise or a longtime fan, you can read all about the game in our deep dive primer and learn what it revealed about the state of the western half of the United States 15 years prior to the start of Prime Video’s series. (The game takes place in 2281. The Fallout TV series’ present-day timeline begins in 2296.)

Fallout: New Vegas has gamers play as The Courier, a character who gets caught up in a multi-pronged battle of powerful groups over some invaluable real estate. They’re all fighting over New Vegas, the nearby Mojave Desert wasteland, and the Hoover Dam. The dam is of special importance as it offers both clean water and energy for whoever controls it.

At the start of the Fallout game, the New California Republic (NCR) operates the Hoover Dam. They also have an arrangement with the leader of New Vegas, Mr. House, a character who appeared in season one of the Fallout series.

Who is Fallout: New Vegas‘ Mr. House?

Robert Edwin House was only 22 when he started the multibillion-dollar robotics conglomerate (and close Vault-Tec business partner) RobCo in 2042. Mr. House was much, much, much older when The Courier arrived in glamorous New Vegas.

It was because of Mr. House that New Vegas was as close to a pre-Great War city as America had left. He’d prepared the city for nuclear war, and thanks to his planning, Vegas took a fraction of the damage that befell almost every other major city when the bombs started dropping.

But Mr. House was still in control of his gambling mecca two centuries later, thanks to a special life-support hibernation chamber. With his body (barely) preserved and his brain hardwired directly into a massive supercomputer, Mr. House was able to continue ruling over New Vegas.

The Courier’s decisions in the game determine whether Mr. House still lives and controls his city by the end of Fallout: New Vegas.

What Are the Four Alternate Endings of Fallout: New Vegas?

Fallout: New Vegas ultimately culminates in the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. (The first took place a few years before the start of the game.) Three entities all hope to control it: the NCR, Caesar’s Legion, and Mr. House. The player’s option to align with one of them (or not) determines who takes over the Hoover Dam and New Vegas. Those four possible Fallout: New Vegas alternate endings include:

The New California Republic Annexes New Vegas and the Mojave Desert

In this Fallout: New Vegas ending, the NCR not only keeps the Hoover Dam, but it also takes over New Vegas and its surrounding area. The total victory contributes to the growing and powerful government’s eastward expansion.

Caesar’s Legion Claims the Entire Region at the End of New Vegas

If the player supports The Legion—a group modeled after Ancient Roman society that enslaves people and that barely lost the First Battle of Hoover Dam—it takes over everything connected to New Vegas. Its victory also forces the NCR to retreat westward, slowing the NCR’s expansion.

Prior decisions by the player determine if The Legion’s leader, Edward “Caesar” Sallow, lives or dies in this Fallout: New Vegas ending. In endings where he doesn’t survive, his subordinate, The Legate, is named the new Caesar. No matter which of the two ultimately rules, though, they bring a brutal form of tyrannical civilization to New Vegas.

Mr. House Claims the Hoover Dam and Mojave Wasteland

Gamers who back Mr. House by upgrading his Securitron robot army allow for an ending where the New Vegas ruler forces both the NCR and the Legion away from the Hoover Dam. Mr. House then takes control of both it and the surrounding Mojave, firmly establishing himself as the leader of the Fallout region.

The Courier (With Yes Man’s Help) Frees New Vegas

In the final alternate Fallout: New Vegas ending, the Courier goes into business for themself. Using the beloved character the Yes Man—a Securiton voiced by Dave Foley who can only say yes to any request—the Courier takes over Mr. House’s network and, in turn, the Hoover Dam, New Vegas, and the surrounding area. In this Fallout ending, New Vegas is set free.

In each of these conclusions, New Vegas seems poised to have long-term leadership that will keep the city stable (even if that means brutal, despotic rule). Yet, 15 years later, on Prime Video’s Fallout series, regardless of ending, that’s not the case for New Vegas.

What Did Fallout Season One Reveal About New Vegas?

The animated end credits for Fallout‘s season one finale showed New Vegas in rough shape. Rather than a bustling city of either gambling and fun or strict order, it looked like something terrible had happened in the intervening 15 years since the Courier made their decision. It looked like a city of ruins, as though a major battle had destroyed the strip. Who did that? Why were crashed NCR aircraft on the streets? What happened to the victor of the Second Hoover Dam, no matter who it was?

That carnage is why the series might never give us a canonical answer about what happened there before. It doesn’t matter who “won” in Fallout: New Vegas because enough time has passed that winner no longer seems to matter, as things can change quickly in the wasteland. (Something the show’s creators have specifically pointed out.) The Vault-Tec mastermind behind the proverbial wheel The Ghoul seeks might have come in and claimed the important region for themselves.

By only focusing on the current state of New Vegas and what it means for the present, the Prime Video series can both honor Fallout: New Vegas without picking a definitive ending. It’s the best of both worlds. Minus if you lived in New Vegas at any point over the last 15 years.

But just because Fallout seems unlikely to pick one of the New Vegas‘ possible endings as being canon doesn’t mean there won’t still be meaningful connections to all four.

How Did Fallout Season 1 Directly Connect with Fallout: New Vegas?

Fallout‘s first season featured none other than RobCo’s Mr. House himself. He was seen at the Vault-Tec meeting where Barb Howard discussed the company starting a nuclear war. On the show, House was skeptical of society thriving underground, which fits in with his character’s preparation to keep Las Vegas habitable on the surface. Whether the Courier killed him or not in the “canon” New Vegas ending, did someone reconnect his brain to the network in the lead-up to the Fallout series? Is a re-reprogrammed Yes Man with him? Did Mr. House destroy his own city rather than let someone take it over? Or is he the very same person Hank is going to in the last scene of the Fallout show?

The show also revealed the mysterious current ruler of New Vegas, whoever it is, dropped a nuclear bomb on the NCR’s capital city, Shady Sands, years ago. That atrocity actually seemed to conflict with the canon established by Fallout: New Vegas. In the New Vegas game, Shady Sands was said to be still thriving, but Prime Video said it actually fell in 2277, four years prior to 2281 (the time when New Vegas takes place). However, the show’s creators have said that the apparent discrepancy was intentional, and we can, therefore, expect an explanation of what really happened in future seasons.

We can also expect to learn more about the current state of the NCR in the Fallout series. The once powerful and expanding government seems to be in tatters now. Moldaver seemed to be leading a much smaller NCR from the ruins of the Griffith Observatory when she died.

Does a larger force of NCR officials exist elsewhere? Or is the group now gone forever as the region falls under the brutal metal thumb of the Brotherhood? And what does all of this have to do with the Hoover Dam?

The Fallout Series Doesn’t Have to Pick One New Vegas Ending

Clearly something terrible happened to the NCR at some point over the last 15 years. The same is true of Mr. House and his beloved city after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. Bad for them, sure. But great for video game fans who don’t want Prime Video’s Fallout series to say three of the New Vegas‘ possible endings canonically never happened.

The Fallout series doesn’t have to pick just one conclusion as the only one. What matters is that the NCR, The Legion, and Mr. House all had problems after Fallout: New Vegas.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist currently trying to book a weekend at Fallout’s New Vegas. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post Why the FALLOUT Series Won’t Have To Choose Between NEW VEGAS’ Four Endings appeared first on Nerdist.

Prime Video’s Fallout has provided definitive answers to longtime franchise mysteries both big and small. We now know who dropped the nuclear bombs that began The Great War. The series even showed how Vault Boy got his signature thumbs up pose. But Fallout also raised plenty of new questions that season two (and hopefully beyond) will need to address.

From secret Vault-Tec plans and ghoul medicine, to powerful energy sources and family drama, these are the biggest questions we have after Fallout‘s first season.

Who Is Pulling the Strings for Vault-Tec in Fallout? And Why Are They Living in New Vegas?

Fallout saved its biggest unanswered question for the very end—after we’d learned exactly how evil Vault-Tec has always been. The conglomerate that owned “half of everything” destroyed the world, so its executives could one day rule/manage society as they saw fit. Its vaults are not civilization-saving bunkers; they’re a way to control mankind.

The Ghoul already knew, from his past as the actor and Vault-Tec spokesperson Cooper Howard, just how evil the company has always been. But he also knows someone is “pulling the strings” for everything that has happened for more than 200 years. To stop Vault-Tec, he needs to stop them. Of course, Fallout‘s finale sets up the major question: Just who is in charge of Vault-Tec’s post-apocalyptic activities?

The Ghoul—whose unique past and insight makes him as well-prepared to fight Vault-Tec as anyone— has a plan to find the mastermind. He shot a tracker into Lucy’s dad, Hank MacLane, rather than killing the Vault 33 overseer in Fallout‘s final episode. The Ghoul let the Vault-Tec executive flee in a Brotherhood power armor suit because Coop knew Hank would go straight to his boss.

The world’s puppet master is not just anywhere, though, they’re in New Vegas. That’s the site of the Fallout New Vegas video game and where a major war for control of the Hoover Dam took place. The presence of Fallout‘s New Vegas opens up a whole new can of questions. For instance, when and why did the company choose that site as its base of operations? How might the company’s plans connect to the game? And, most importantly, as mentioned, who actually is the person pulling the strings that have kept society under Vault-Tec’s thumb?

The answer might be connected to another major question from season one of Fallout.

Where Is the Ghoul’s Family?

Coop was with his daughter when the bombs went off, but we had no idea what happened to her until The Ghoul demanded information from Hank about his family’s whereabouts. Little Janey is not dead. Coop seems to know that, somehow, both his ex-wife and child survived the Great War and are alive somewhere.

This knowledge given to viewers by Fallout‘s finale yields the following follow-up questions for us about the Ghoul’s family. Are Janey and Barb Howard both in stasis like other Vault-Tex executives? If so, is each woman waiting to take their place as a Vault overseer? Are they instead both ghouls like Howard? Or is one (or both) of them the person pulling the strings in New Vegas?

Coop’s wife was at the forefront of Vault-Tec’s evil plan. She didn’t just take charge during the meeting when Vault-Tec execs decided to kill the world, Barb Howard was the one who said the company would drop the bombs themselves. It certainly makes us question whether she is indeed the great evil in Fallout‘s world.

Will Chet or Anyone Else Rescue Norm From Vault 31?

While Hank’s daughter is now heading to New Vegas to hunt down her dad and his boss, Hank’s other child is trapped in Vault 31. No human is living there. It’s merely a holding station for Vault-Tec executives in stasis. Since poor, astute Norm now knows everything about Vault-Tec and the people who come from 31, the brain of Bud Askin’s won’t let Norm leave. And with no food or water Norm seemingly has no choice but to use his dad’s former pod to survive until someone lets him out.

Who could that be? The only other Vault dweller who has any inkling of malfeasance in Vault 31 is the “coward” Chet, de facto husband of a Vault 31/Vault-Tec executive wife. If Chet, a former gatekeeper capable of breaking into 31, can’t find the courage to help his friend, is there anyone else who could? We’ll have to wait and see if season two of Fallout answers that question.

How Will Vault Dwellers React to the Truth About the Overseers and Vault-Tec?

Genuine Vault dwellers, like the people born and raised in 33, are passive individuals not equipped for conflict. It’s why they always, without realizing it, vote people from 31 in the role of overseer.

So how will they react to finding out the terrible truth that their entire existence is a lie told by monsters who want to reshape the world in their image? Will Fallout‘s Vault dwellers fight back when everything is revealed eventually? Will they fight for their home or flee for the harsh surface? Or will they give in to the evil Vault-Tec willingly rather than stand up for themselves and civilization?

What Will the Brotherhood Do With Unlimited Power? How Can Maximus Stop The Brotherhood?

The Brotherhood of Steel might think of itself as noble Knights, but the militaristic group is no better than the other evil organizations that want to rule the world with an iron fist. Unlike other entities, though, the Brotherhood now contains the greatest power the world has ever known: unlimited energy. In Fallout‘s season one finale, Moldaver unlocked cold fusion power, which in theory should mean an end to humanity fighting over limited resources. (Dwindling resources helped push the world to annihilation centuries ago.)

Unfortunately, that planet-changing tech fell into Brotherhood’s hands in the season one finale, and there’s no reason to think the organization will do anything with it but oppress and control society.

Free cold fusion might mean the Brotherhood is now unstoppable, but if anyone can prevent its dominance its own members. A dying Moldaver told Maximus, now the Brotherhood’s greatest hero, that he might be the only one who can stop them. Even if he ultimately can’t, she said he has to try, but what exactly does trying even mean? What can he do? Who, if anyone, can he even trust to help him? Unlimited energy means unlimited power. And so we have to question, what is a single Knight, even Fallout’s Maximus, to do against that?

What Would Unlimited Free Energy Actually Mean for the World?

If Maximus can stop the Brotherhood in Fallout and give the world the unlimited free energy Moldaver created, it begs the question, what will actually happen to the world? Will it heal itself and end war forever? Will it lead to the utopia so many have dreamed of, only without terrible people in charge? Or will cold fusion be yet another disappointment in mankind’s story as people find new, different reasons to fight one another?

Why Did the Enclave Have Secret Vault-Tec Technology?

The Enclave was one of the least explored groups on Fallout and so we have many questions about them. But the agency founded by former government officials has long been a major antagonist of the video game franchise. As the Prime Video series hinted, surface dwellers despise the heinous group with good reason. The genocidal, racist organization wants a world of only “pure” humans.

Like every other organization in Fallout, The Enclave also wants to rule over society. That would seemingly put it in direct conflict with Vault-Tec, and in Fallout video games, that has seemingly been the case. The Enclave, which began with a deep state within the government, has spied on Vault-Tec and its underground Vaults from the surface for centuries. That’s how Wilzig knew everything about Lucy MacLane.

But none of that explains exactly how The Enclave ended up with arguably Vault-Tec’s most valuable technology in Fallout. Did The Enclave steal Vault-Tec’s unfinished cold fusion tech? If so, why didn’t it use it? The Enclave was sitting on the possibility of unlimited power, but instead kept it locked away?

It’s possible that The Enclave simply did not have the code to access the technology. But alternatively, Fallout invites us to question whether The Enclave did not use its greatest asset because it’s not actually competing with Vault-Tec and never has. Were the government officials always conspiring with Vault-Tex executives? The company basically ran/owned the United States before The Great War. Was it controlling the deep state that became the Enclave, which is actually just another branch of Vault-Tec? Or are the two groups part of one larger secret entity run by the mastermind in New Vegas?

Wilzig’s efforts and sacrifice to steal back Moldaver’s cold fusion technology (which still bore the name of Vault-Tec on it) raises the possibility The Enclave was hiding it on behalf of the people who were most desperate to keep it locked away. We need to know exactly why The Enclave did that and what it means for its relationship with Vault-Tec.

Is The Enclave Hiding Mutants?

The Enclave might be hiding another big secret in Fallout‘s universe. The group’s aim is to kill all “non-pure” humans, yet scientists at the organization’s highly guarded laboratory were seen wheeling out the dead body of a mutant. Mutants are a group of green, super-powered, transformed humans well-known from the Fallout games. Mutants are created by something known as the Forced Evolutionary Virus.

While the Enclave has employed super mutants before, seeing one wheeled through its halls is something entirely different. What kind of experiments are they doing in the Enclave? Are its residents keeping mutants? Turning people into mutants? Trying to build an even stronger race of them to use as soldiers in a coming war?

That shot of a green hand hanging out of a hospital sheet was a “blink and you’ll miss it moment,” yet it raised some tantalizing questions about the sinister Fallout organization that could have big payoffs as a new war looms on the wasteland’s horizon.

Does the Existence of Ghoul Medicine Also Mean There’s a Cure for Ghouls?

Prime Video’s series introduced an all-new, very important item to the Fallout franchise. The Ghoul takes a valuable medicine that keeps him from going feral, the fate that ultimately awaits himself and his fellow ghouls without it. So long as he doesn’t get shot in the brain, that medicine assures Cooper Howard can continue roaming the wasteland as a noseless gunslinger forever.

But the show also revealed there’s a medicine (possibly the same one) that heals terrible injuries by turning people into ghouls instantly. Though we have many questions, we don’t know what these Fallout ghoul medicines are, where they came from, or who made them just yet. However, we do know from Fallout video games that there were pre-Great War ghouls created via radiation experiments. People wanted to unlock immortality and keep themselves safe from radiation poisoning so they could survive nuclear war.

Squire Thaddeus’s transformation into a ghoul isn’t an entirely new concept to the franchise, only the medicines used to create those mutants and keep them from going feral are. But the better question raised by his Fallout transformation and Coop’s anti-feral inhalers has nothing to do with those medicines, their creators, or their own origin. It’s that their very existence raises the possibility that a ghoul cure might also exist in Fallout‘s world.

If you can make something that turns someone into a ghoul and keeps them from going feral, you might also be able to create a medicine that reverses the process entirely. The Enclave and/or Vault-Tec was sitting on one world-changing technology. Why couldn’t they also be sitting on another one?

And why couldn’t it be the late Moldaver who made all of these ghoul medicines? She created cold fusion technology, afterall. She also knew the oldest surviving ghoul, Cooper Howard, her former cohort from before the war.

Could she be the reason he’s still alive without being feral? Actress Sarita Choudhury thinks so. We asked her about whether Moldaver is responsible for creating ghoul medicine. “I bet she did,” Choudhury said. “And I bet she also knew how much… Say you take medication, just like in life, how much it helps, and then fucks with you later. So, I bet you that was part of within surviving and trying to bring cold fusion back to the Wasteland, definitely. I just love this theory.”

As do we. But speaking of Moldaver…

How Was Moldaver Still Around, and Who Helped Her?

Ghouls can outlive humans for a long time in the wasteland, which is how Cooper Howard is still alive centuries after he should have died. We also know longterm stasis is how Vault-Tec executives are still in charge of their Vaults centuries later. But season one of Fallout didn’t actually explain how Moldaver was around more than 200 years after she first met Coop inside a mausoleum, leaving us with a big question mark around her existence.

Was Moldaver the healthiest ghoul in the world? That seems unlikely since a bullet to the abdomen killed her. Multiple gunshot wounds did nothing to Coop since ghouls have super-healing abilities. So, who put her into stasis long ago, and who woke her up in the present? Who was aiding Moldaver in her continued quest to stop Vault-Tec? Was it someone within the organization itself? If so, could that mean Barb Howard isn’t the puppet master in New Vegas but someone trying to atone for her monstrous past? Or could her daughter have been the one who woke up Moldaver?

Civilization’s greatest champion might be dead, but Moldaver’s story still has a big role to play in Fallout’s future—a future full of questions we need answers to.

Originally published on April 12, 2024.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist strangely intrigued by Fallout’s ghoul medicine. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post The Biggest Questions We Have After FALLOUT’s First Season appeared first on Nerdist.

Prime Video’s adaptation of Fallout only premiered one week ago. That’s hard for us to believe. Maybe that’s because time has no meaning when all you’ve been doing is thinking about Fallout. The TV series has added to the game’s canon by answering big questions, exploring the origins of Vault Boy, and so much more. And this journey through the Wasteland will only continue because Amazon has officially renewed Fallout for season two.

The news of Fallout season two comes after we learned in early April that the post-apocalyptic series would relocate filming to California for its second season due to a $25 million tax credit. But now, it’s official. That’s good because we have many questions after the ending of season one. Many.

Amazon reports the series lands among Prime Video’s top three most-watched titles ever and the most-watched season globally since The Rings of Power. Based on all the chatter we’ve seen about Fallout, we’re not surprised. Executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy said in a statement: “Praise be to our insanely brilliant showrunners, Geneva [Robertson-Dworet] and Graham [Wagner], to our kick-ass cast, to Todd and James and all the legends at Bethesda, and to Jen, Vernon and the amazing team at Amazon for their incredible support of this show. We can’t wait to blow up the world all over again.”

The story based on the video game from Bethesda took many paths through the Wasteland. It also showed the past and the choices that led to the bombs dropping. We can’t wait to see more of Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Walton Goggins’ the Ghoul, and Aaron Moten’s Maximus.

Here’s hoping Prime Video will air season two of Fallout weekly instead of dropping the whole season at once. We want to make the travels through the Wasteland as long as possible

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Prime Video’s Fallout series confirmed an explosive fan theory. Vault-Tec was not merely a powerful conglomerate that got rich selling underground shelters. The company dropped the nuclear bombs that began The Great War. It sent humanity scurrying into Vaults secretly led by its own executives because it planned on reshaping and managing the world. That revelation, along with the corporation’s many other atrocities, turned it into the franchise’s greatest villain. But what does that mean for the organization that previously held that title, The Enclave? The evil agency has been the primary antagonist of multiple Fallout video games, and The Enclave’s own past actions seem to make it a natural foe of Vault-Tec. Each group wants to rule the world in its own image. But if they are enemies, how did the evil masterminds at Vault-Tec let The Enclave get ahold of its cold fusion technology on Fallout?

That raises an even bigger, more important question. Fallout‘s first season changed everything we know about Vault-Tec, and its own past suggests it might be The Enclave’s secret partner. That is, unless it’s even more sinister than that. The two Fallout groups might have always been different parts of a singular entity.

What is The Enclave on Fallout?

Of all the factions featured in Fallout‘s first season, The Enclave was the least explored. But video game fans know all about the anti-communist, paramilitary organization. Their heinous actions for more than two hundred years are why everyone on the Prime Video series had such animosity towards the authoritarian, genocidal entity.

In Fallout‘s world, The Enclave’s origins date back to before The Great War. It began as a powerful deep state within the U.S. government. Its members included some of the highest-ranking military, political, and corporate officials. (It even included Presidents.) Because of its beginning, The Enclave views itself as the direct and rightful heir to the United States government.

That has never resulted in The Enclave acting with any kind of governmental rules, standards, or accountability in Fallout. It’s an anti-democratic regime that kills anyone it deems a threat to either itself or its ideology. The Enclave does whatever it deems necessary to achieve its ends however it likes. That includes killing “inferior” humans, ghouls, and mutants alike. Fallout‘s Enclave wants to build and rule over a world of “true” humans. To accomplish its goal, it has enslaved people, performed horrible experiments, committed war crimes, and tried to wipe out entire populations and races.

Even groups who compete with one another for resources have long been united in their hatred for The Enclave. Until the truth about Vault-Tec came out in the Fallout series, The Enclave was the wasteland’s unquestioned most evil group. But now that we know Vault-Tec’s true purpose there are all new questions about how the two vile groups might be connected.

What is The Enclave’s History With Vault-Tec in the Fallout Video Games?

The Enclave spent years not only preparing to survive a nuclear war but also to rule after it commenced. That included The Enclave spying on the experiments Vault-Tec was running in its Vaults prior to Fallout‘s Great War. The Enclave then monitored life in the Vaults for centuries. It’s how scientist Siggi Wilzig knew everything about Lucy MacLane’s life.

The Enclave was even able to manipulate Vault behavior after the war. It told one group of Vault dwellers it was safe to return to the deadly surface, another cruel experiment. At various points after the war The Enclave even attacked Vaults and their dwellers. Ultimately, even those Vault denizens untouched by radiation, were deemed targets marked for death by The Enclave.

Some who suspected there was a shadow group within the United States government before the war, also thought the deep state entity was conspiring with Vault-Tec. The bombs that dropped (notably right after those suspicions became public) put an end to the investigations. Until Prime Video’s series, the Fallout games indicated only that The Enclave was an enemy of Vault-Tec. Everything that happened in the two centuries after nuclear war, seemed to paint the two factions in opposition.

Now, though, the origins and actions of both groups have raised the possibility that the Enclave and Vault-Tec have always been united, even if most of their members were unaware of this Fallout connection.

What Happened With The Enclave and Vault-Tec on the Fallout Series?

Fallout’s games established that Enclave members—those high-ranking, powerful, influential politicians, military officers, and corporate figures—knew the nuclear bombs were coming. Meanwhile, Vault-Tec was no mere conglomerate. It essentially owned and ruled the United States in all but name prior to The Great War.

So either two totally different deep state groups, each of which has spent centuries trying to rule the world, happened to co-exist at the exact same time before the Great War, or they were working together.

Both answer are possible, though one seems far more plausible. Especially because if The Enclave and Vault-Tec were working together to rule Fallout‘s world, it would explain why The Enclave had possession of Vault-Tec technology that could have destroyed both groups.

Moldaver’s cold fusion tech had the power to give the world free, unlimited energy. That was a direct threat to Vault-Tec’s plans, which is why Vault-Tec bought it. But if Vault-Tec is so powerful and has always been controlling events on the surface since even before Fallout‘s Great War, how did it let The Enclave get ahold of its most valuable asset? And once it did, why wouldn’t Vault-Tec do everything in its power to get it back? If The Enclave ever managed to unlock Moldaver’s cold fusion, it would have unlimited, unchecked power. Not even Vault-Tec could stop it. And that would ruin centuries of planning.

The most likely answer is also the most terrifying.

Are Vault-Tec and The Enclave Part of the Same Evil Group in Fallout?

Prime Video’s series deemed it important enough to tell newcomers to the franchise the President was missing right before the bombs dropped. We also know from Fallout lore other members of The Enclave had also strategically retreated to safe locations right before The Great War started. But now that we know Vault-Tec—which owned “half of everything” including the U.S. government—dropped the first bombs in Fallout, it seems possible (maybe even likely) it forewarned The Enclave of what was coming.

Why would Vault-Tec do that if it had long-term plans to “manage” humanity? Why not simply destroy The Enclave forever and eliminate a dangerous enemy? And why, if Vault-Tec was so powerful itself, would it let The Enclave spy on its Vaults and their activities for centuries? Vault-Tec was able to bomb Shady Sands and stop humanity from restoring society on its own terms, but it couldn’t stop The Enclave from spying on it? That doesn’t seem to follow.

In the reverse, if The Enclave merely knew about Vault-Tec’s secret plans (which is how it knew the bombs were coming) why didn’t it try and eliminate Vault-Tec before the group could obtain such massive power?

The most logical explanation is that Vault-Tec and The Enclave have always been working together in Fallout. (This would also explain how Wilzig knew the truth about Hank MacLane and why he needed to get Modalver’s tech away from The Enclave entirely.) Maybe not everyone within both groups has always known about their shared connection, which is why The Enclave has attacked Vaults before. But not everyone had to know. The less people who did the better.

The best way to keep a secret is to not tell anyone else. And only one person needed to know because as The Ghoul said, “There’s always somebody behind the wheel.”

That person is New Vegas, where Hank MacLean has fled. But while Hank might think he ran to his company’s mastermind, that mysterious person might be driving a car that has always had two engines working together to power a single Fallout group that is more dangerous and more evil than either Vault-Tec or The Enclave could ever be on their own.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who is already tired waiting for Fallout season two. You can follow him on Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post What’s Really Going on With The Enclave and Vault-Tec on FALLOUT? appeared first on Nerdist.

Season one of Prime Video’s Fallout introduced an important new medicine to the franchise. There’s now a drug that helps keep ghouls from going feral in Fallout‘s world. But how does this ghoul medicine work, and where does it come from? Those are important questions. But they aren’t the most important ones raised by this medicine’s existence. There’s never been a cure for ghouls in the Fallout games. But the presence of this ghoul medication makes us wonder whether or not it means something even better will come along for ghouls. Could the Fallout series be teasing a world where ghouls can actually be cured?

Here’s everything you need to know about ghouls to understand how Fallout could be setting up a cure for ghoulification and hinting at a future where The Ghoul is human once again.

Jump to: What Are Ghouls in Fallout and Why Do They Need a Cure? // What Happens When a Ghoul Goes Feral? // What Does Ghoul Medicine Do on the Fallout Series? // Is There a Cure for Ghouls in the Fallout Video Games? // Could the Fallout TV Show Introduce a Ghoul Cure? // Does Lucy’s New Finger Hint at a New Nose for The Ghoul?

What Are Ghouls in Fallout, and Why Do They Need a Cure?

One of the Fallout franchise’s most iconic groups are mutated humans (and animals) known as ghouls. In one region of the country these figures are called necrotic post-humans. With the exception of two “pre-war ghouls” who tried to attain immortality via radiation exposure before The Great War even began, ghouls owe their creation to radiation exposure caused by nuclear bombs. Some transformed slowly, while those close to ground zero locations mutated faster and more violently. Other humans in the centuries since The Great War also became ghouls.

Fallout‘s ghouls look a lot like zombies, a term bigots use as an insult, but they are not. Intellectually, they are still people, as they retain their normal brain functions for a long time. It’s how some remain parts of human societies. Ghouls do not have decomposing or rotting flesh like zombies, either. Intense and prolonged radiation exposure gives them raw, flaking, burnt-like red skin. “Ghoulification” also results in damaged connective tissue, which is why ghouls lose their ears and noses. Most ghouls also lose all of their body hair and are completely sterile. Some lose so much skin and muscle their bones become visible. Given these aspects of ghoulification, we can see why Fallout‘s ghouls might want a cure for their condition.

However, the same radiation that transformed them also saved them from death. It also gave ghouls expanded lifespans and super-healing properties. Ghouls aren’t immortal and still have to eat and drink (which is easier in a wasteland because they lose their sense of taste and smell). But thanks to radioactive regeneration, they can withstand many diseases, ailments, and injuries as they live for a very long time. Of course, taking into account these truths about being a ghoul in Fallout, perhaps they don’t require a cure after all. But before we get into whether a cure is even possible in Fallout‘s world, here’s a bit more about the types of ghouls that exist.

How Many Types of Ghouls Are There in Fallout?

There are three types of Fallout ghouls. In addition to normal/intelligent ghouls like Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul, Fallout video games also feature “glowing ones.” Those ghouls are notable for their bioluminescence skin caused by prolonged radiation. The result is a haunting, eerie green appearance. The very same prolonged isolation required for that much radiation exposure often drives glowing ghouls to madness or worse. That “worse” is the third variation of ghoul, feral ghouls. And it is this variation that probably most inspires Fallout fans to wonder whether ghouls can be cured.

What Happens When a Ghoul Goes Feral in Fallout?

When a ghoul “goes feral” in the Fallout franchise, they lose all of their cognitive abilities and humanity. They instead become violent, vicious, animalistic creatures who attack other living things. They’re essentially monsters of the wasteland, with some versions being more ferocious, dangerous, and harder to stop than others. Fallout‘s first season showed ghouls on the verge of finally turning completely, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

According to Walton Goggins, the threat of becoming feral weighs incredibly heavy on The Ghoul’s mind. Goggins notes, “I think it’s an existential crisis every single day… People will rob, and they will kill, and steal and lie to get access to this medicine to stay on this earth in a form of consciousness that is normal for as long as they possibly can.”

There was no known way to prevent a ghoul from becoming feral before the Fallout TV series.

What Does Ghoul Medicine Do on Prime Video’s Fallout Series, and Is It a Cure?

Fallout‘s first season introduced an all-new element to the franchise that has huge ramifications for ghouls. There is a highly valuable, hard-to-get medicine ghouls can take to stop them from going feral. If taken regularly, this chemical mixture can help a ghoul, even as old as Cooper Howard, remain a fully functional, rational being rather than a mindless monster. At the moment, this anti-feral ghoul medication does not appear to be able to cure a ghoul who is already feral, nor does it seem to have any impact on any other aspect of ghoulification. This Fallout series medicine is not a ghoul cure, but it certainly does raise many questions.

For instance, we have to wonder, who invented this medicine and when? And what do they know about how ghoulification works? Do they know enough to create a cure? The show has not answered those questions just yet, but the video games might offer some clues.

Is Ghoul Medicine Based on the Fallout Video Games’ Rad-X?

Prime Video’s Fallout saw Lucy combat radiation poisoning with RadAway, but the video games also introduced another medicine known as Rad-X. It’s a powerful “chem” that greatly enhances a person’s natural resistance to radiation. Unlike RadAway, it’s also meant to be taken before exposure because it can help fight irradiation.

Whether Rad-X has any connections to the franchise’s new anti-feral ghoul medicine is still unknown. But the show’s other ghoul-related chemical has a clear video game counterpart.

What Was the Potion That Turned Thaddeus Into a Ghoul on Fallout, and How Does It Hint at a Cure?

The squire Thaddeus would have died from his mangled foot had he not come across the wasteland’s weirdest doctor/snake oil salesman. In Fallout‘s seventh episode, John Daly’s chicken fan gave Thaddeus a powerful medicine that instantly healed his previously destroyed foot. That’s also why the squire later survived an arrow in the neck. That medicine that cured him actually instantly turned Thaddeus into a ghoul with powerful regenerative healing abilities, like Coop.

In Fallout 4, a major figure known as John Hancock (one of the video game characters we’d most like to see appear on Prime Video’s show) also became a ghoul after taking an experimental radioactive drug he found a single dose of. His ghoulification didn’t involve exposure to radiation, but it led him to become like every other ghoul all the same. It turned John Hancock’s skin raw and exposed his muscles, took away his nose and ears, stripped him of hair, and slowed his age process while giving him powerful ghoul abilities.

The concoction Thaddeus took might be the exact same drug John Hancock found. Even if it’s not, they are similar enough that they did the exact same thing: made them ghouls forever. And this medication, introduced in the games and reestablished in the series, carries its own set of important implications. If the science to turn humans into ghouls with a pill exists in Fallout‘s world, could the science also exist to create a cure that turns people from ghouls back into humans?

Is There a Cure for Ghouls in the Fallout Video Games?

Despite all of the above, there is currently no known cure for ghouls in the Fallout universe. Once a human or animal begins the process of becoming a ghoul, it is irreversible. And until Prime Video’s show, eventually, every ghoul, even those who had survived with their mind intact for centuries, was expected to go feral.

That’s why this new anti-feral ghoul medicine is far more important than just for what we know it can do so far. It’s exciting because of what it implies about whether ghouls can be cured in the Fallout universe.

Could the Fallout TV Show Introduce a Ghoul Cure?

In addition to its instant-ghoulification drug, Fallout now has a medicine that prevents ghouls from going feral. It’s the franchise’s biggest development in ghoul healthcare ever. Clearly, someone out there is working on helping this race of people suffering from a radiation-related disease. And if someone is trying to help ghouls not go feral in Fallout, that means someone might be trying to come up with a ghoul cure, too.

Fallout has a drug that turns a human into a ghoul within seconds. It has drugs that fight off radiation poisoning in humans. It also now has a drug that keeps ghouls from losing their humanity. So why couldn’t someone create something that reverses ghoulification entirely? A cure is the next developmental step after treatment. And it feels like a ghoul cure is exactly where the Fallout series is heading.

One scene during Fallout‘s first season certainly sets up that kind of revelation, but it’s not one that involves a ghoul.

Did Lucy’s New Finger Reveal a Big Future Fallout Moment for The Ghoul?

The treatment of Lucy’s severed finger was a great sequence that provided meaningful characterization and world-building. It didn’t serve any obvious narrative purpose, though. The specifics around her replacement finger didn’t actually make sense. She got her new digit from a machine that planned to kill her moments later. Why have a robot performer a finger transplant on someone under those circumstances? It’s a funny moment but an illogical one.

That is unless that transplant wasn’t about Lucy at all but instead about the person who cut off her finger.

Lucy bit off The Ghoul’s finger before he removed hers. He didn’t need a transplant to get his finger back, though. His body can heal itself. With some stitches, his lost digit mended itself. But The Ghoul can’t simply sew his nose and ears back on like he did his finger. Nor would a surgery like Lucy’s be an option for his missing nose or ears at this point in time. They’re made of cartilage, and ghoulification destroys connective tissue. Even if he had his nose surgically replaced, it would fall back off.

If someone comes up with a cure that turns them back into normal humans, former ghouls would still have to live without a nose or ears. They’d forever wear the evidence of who and what they once were. That is unless they get the exact same procedure Lucy did with her finger once the ghoulification cure restores them from ghoul to human. It’s a procedure that the robot had no reason to actually perform, yet it was important enough that the show included it. Why?

Fallout season one clearly suggests a ghoul cure might be possible. But with just one little finger, it also sets up the potential for a powerful future moment that one day might smell extra sweet to the former Cooper Howard.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who would live in a Fallout Vault right now if he could. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post Does the FALLOUT TV Series Offer Hope for a Ghoul Cure? appeared first on Nerdist.

Fallout‘s first season at Amazon provided some major answers to longtime franchise questions. From the origins of Vault Boy’s signature thumbs up to the explosive truth of who dropped the nuclear bombs that began the Great War, it was a shocking season of revelations. (All of which are canon to the entire series.) But the surprises didn’t end until the season’s final moments when the show ended at a place gamers know very well. What happened, and how did the show arrive at that spot? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of Fallout season one and what it means for season two.

Fallout‘s Ending Reveals That Vault-Tec Destroyed the World to Manage It

Fallout fans finally have an official answer to who dropped the nuclear bombs that kicked off the Great War. It wasn’t China (as previously suggested but never fully confirmed). It was none other than Vault-Tec itself. As Fallout‘s ending reveals, the company turned out to be less of a business and more of a capitalistic death cult. Vault-Tec executives decided that time was the best weapon they had to defeat their enemies. To attain their ultimate victory, Vault-Tec nuked the world and had themselves placed in longterm stasis. Vault-Tec executives then woke themselves up as needed to run their underground societies by pretending to be members of other Vaults. (That’s why poor Norm might have no choice but to take his dad’s old pod in Fallout‘s final episode. There’s nothing in Vault 31 besides stasis pods.)

The people living in the bunkers had no idea about any of this. Vault-Tec ultimately planned to one day return to the surface where they would manage a better civilization.

Fallout‘s ending also revealed that when surface dwellers started to rebuild civilization on their own, Vault-Tec dropped more bombs. The company blew up Maximus’s home, Shady Sands, the capital city of the New California Republic. Vault-Tec refuses to let humanity survive on its on terms. But the monstrous corporation might not be able to stop humanity’s efforts thanks to Wilzig’s artifact.

What Was Wilzig’s Artifact? The Key to Freeing Cold Fusion Energy, Explained

Scientist Doctor Siggi Wilzig escaped the Enclave after injecting his neck with the single most valuable asset the world has ever known at the beginning of the Fallout TV series. Years before it initiated the Great War of 2077, Vault-Tec began buying up any technology that threatened either its place as the world’s de facto superpower or its long-term plans for worldwide supremacy. That included buying the company of Lee Moldaver. She was right on the verge of completing something that would change the world forever. It was her lost, hidden tech that Wilzig put inside his own neck.

That artifact was important enough that Wilzing sacrificed himself to make sure Lucy could get it to Moldaver, which Lucy finally did in the season one finale of Fallout. That’s when we learned Wilzig had stolen tech for cold fusion technology. With it back in her hands, Moldaver was finally able to unlock free unlimited energy, which manifested when the lights of the region that was once Los Angeles all began turning on at the very end of Fallout.

Vault-Tec primed the world for its masterplan by exploiting previous wars fought over ever-dwindling resources. Cold fusion technology would have ended those disputes forever and helped mankind move towards peace, a peace free of Vault-Tec. That’s why they bought it and locked it away.

Fallout‘s Ending Leaves the Brotherhood of Steel with Unlimited Power

Moldaver finally unlocked cold fusion energy in Fallout‘s ending, and it’s now out in the world. Unfortunately, the Brotherhood of Steel controls it. They took the Observatory at the final episode’s end. What will the group do with unlimited power? That was the warning a dying Moldaver gave to Maximus, who might be the only person who can stop the militaristic Brotherhood, which doesn’t trust mankind any more than Vault-Tec does, from exploiting the greatest power the world has ever known. It’s a technology that has the power to end war forever.

Before anyone can do that, though, there are still wars left to fight. That includes stopping the very people who destroyed the world in the first place. The Ghoul knows someone is pulling the strings on everything that has happened, and he’s going to find the puppet master behind everything.

The Ghoul Lets Lucy’s Dad Go

The man once known as the actor Cooper Howard, the original mascot for Vault-Tec, knows exactly how evil Hank MacLean is. Lucy’s dad was one of the Vault-Tec executives who killed the world the first time. And Fallout reveals that Hank even turned on his own wife when she learned the awful truth about her husband and escaped to the surface with her kids.

But The Ghoul didn’t kill Lucy’s dad in Fallout‘s ending scenes. Instead he shot a tracker into Hank’s face so he could see where Hank fled. Someone on the surface is overseeing everything Vault-Tec does. Whoever it is, is coordinating between Vaults, dropping bombs on whole cities, and conspiring to make sure the Enclave keeps its secrets locked away. The Ghoul knew Hank would go straight to that person and that’s how they’d find the world’s puppet master.

In the season’s final moments, we learned that individual is operating out of a place Fallout video game fans know well: New Vegas.

How Fallout Season 1’s Ending Connects to the Video Games

Hank MacLean flew east in his stolen Brotherhood power armor to New Vegas, an iconic locale in the franchise. It’s the setting of 2010’s Fallout New Vegas video game. That installment took place in the year 2281, 15 years prior to the events of Prime Video’s series.

After establishing an entirely new location in the franchise in its season one ending, the Fallout TV show is now taking viewers right into the heart of the video games. But that’s exactly why we don’t know exactly what to expect when we get there.

What Does New Vegas’ Past Mean for Fallout‘s Second Season?

Fallout New Vegas focuses on the struggle of three powerful entities vying to control the region centered around New Vegas. It’s a highly valuable part of the country because of the Hoover Dam and the accompanying clean water and energy it offers. Who ends up in control of New Vegas is ultimately decided by The Courier, the game’s main character controlled by the player.

One of the three groups fighting to control New Vegas is the New California Republic, a group referenced on Prime Video’s Fallout. But Fallout New Vegas provides four alternate endings, and the NCR only wins in one of them.

Does the state of the NCR on the TV series show they didn’t win in New Vegas before? A lot can change in the world of Fallout in just 15 years, so the TV show could treat any of those four endings as canonical only to then say whichever group had won was deposed in the intervening years. Until we learn specifics we at least know the lore of the game will play a big role in the show’s second season, which will continue with its own Vault-Tec revelation.

Who is the person from Vault-Tec pulling the strings, and why are they in New Vegas? How long have they been there? What does that have to do with the city, and therefore the franchise’s past? Is the evil mastermind in charge actually Coop’s wife? And is his daughter also there? Is she the one in charge?

The Ghoul and Lucy are rolling the dice, following her dad to New Vegas in Fallout‘s ending sequences. But it’s the only bet they can make if they want the whole world to win big.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who would like to visit Fallout’s New Vegas. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Music has always been a key facet of any The Lord of the Rings adaptation. The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy themes are some of the most beloved and iconic pieces of cinematic music ever. So, of course, when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power released, it had some big shoes to fill. Happily, the series more than rises to the challenge. The Rings of Power keeps the spirit of Middle-earth alive with a resonant and transportive soundtrack that brings fans right back into the epic world. Anchored in core character themes but with delightful evolutions, complications, and surprises throughout, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s music is well worth a listen.

But, of course, it wouldn’t do to listen to such epic stylings in any old way. No, this The Rings of Power soundtrack deserves something iconic. What it (and fans) deserves is this limited-edition 10-disc collector’s edition of the soundtrack from Mondo, Amazon Studios, and Sparks & Shadows, which comes complete with a deep dive into composer Bear McCreary’s mind.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Limited Edition Soundtrack Box Set From Mondo and Amazon

If there’s one thing both an elf and a dwarf could agree on, it’s that a little aesthetic brilliance goes a long way. This is why we’re so thrilled to share that Mondo, in partnership with Amazon Studios and Sparks and Shadows, is releasing a gorgeous limited-edition version of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s season one soundtrack. This 10 CD set is an expansion of Mondo’s previous two CD-version of the soundtrack. While the original soundtrack is also gorgeous, this new collector’s edition takes the epic sounds of The Rings of Power to a whole new level. (And also includes the two-disc original release.)

In addition to the original series soundtrack, The Lord of the Rings fans will now also be able to listen to eight discs of “the original orchestral recordings of each [The Rings of Power] episode.” These will undoubtedly prove profoundly beautiful. A release describes The Rings of Power‘s soundtrack as “original themes [woven together] into a sonic tapestry for a full symphonic orchestra, alongside vibrant folk instruments and choral singers.”

10 The Rings of Power Soundtrack Discs to Rule Them All

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Of course, in The Lord of the Rings, one ring was more than enough to rule them all. But when it comes to getting to enjoy the full The Rings of Power soundtrack, we say, the more the merrier. The 10 soundtrack discs will “come housed in a
gold-embossed, leatherette-bound slipcase.” All that is gold does not glitter, but in this case, this The Lord of the Rings soundtrack box set is absolutely sparkling.

Of note, this The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power expanded soundtrack set from Mondo is a limited edition offering; only 1,000 copies will be sold, and each will come numbered.

A Look Into the Mind of Composer Bear McCreary

This The Rings of Power soundtrack box set also comes with a 136-page booklet written by Emmy-winning composer Bear McCreary. Titled “A Composer’s Journey,” this booklet features an “episode-by-episode account and musings on the creative journey to bring the soul of Tolkien’s world to life.” McCreary shared some of his insights on his blog throughout the airing of The Rings of Power, but to see these evolved and set in print will be a treat.

Anyone unfamiliar with McCreary’s insights into The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s soundtrack will surely find his commentary a fascinating addition to the episodes themselves. We at Nerdist had the great pleasure of speaking with McCreary about his development of character themes and his vision for his epic theme, “Nolwa Mahtar,” among many other things.

Where Can You Buy The Rings of Power Limited-Edition Expanded Soundtrack Box Set?

To recap, this limited-edition The Rings of Power Mondo box set includes:


• 8 CDs of the original orchestral recordings of each episode (Episodes 1-8, 4 digipaks x 2 discs) from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Season One.
• The 2022 2-CD Mondo release of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Season One: Amazon Original Series Soundtrack.
This also features “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Title,” composed by Academy Award-winner Howard Shore, as well as “Where The Shadows Lie” performed by Fiona Apple.
• For the first time in print! 136-page journal featuring Bear McCreary’s episode-by-episode account and musings on the creative journey to bring the soul of Tolkien’s world to life.

But where can you buy this 10 CD collector’s edition box set version of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s soundtrack? Well, the official release date for the collection is April 26, 2024. But the pre-order for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season One 10xCD Box Set is open now! This incredible new entry to your collection will cost $150. You can purchase the epic box set on Mondo’s website. This The Rings of Power soundtrack boxets is also now available via Amazon.

Additionally, those purchasing via Mondo’s shop could receive an even rarer version of the box set. Mondo reveals, “As a special thank you from Bear McCreary and his team, 200 copies from this numbered run are offered with an exclusive Bear McCreary autograph card inside… only at MondoShop.com.”

We know we can’t wait to go there and back again many times on this epic auditory adventure.

The post THE RINGS OF POWER Soundtrack Box Set Offers 10 CDs of Limited-Edition Orchestral Magic appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

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

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

Gen V‘s season two renewal was announced in October 2023. And now school is returning to session. Thomas Schnauz, a writer on season two of the series, revealed to Arc Studios, “I am working on a show called Gen V… I did not work on season one, I am currently helping them with season two, with breaking story. And they start shooting in not too long up in Canada, now. Production starts in probably two or three weeks.” Sounds like its an early start for production on Gen V season two.

We are glad that Gen V is renewed for season two because we need answers… and more puppets. 

Originally published on October 19, 2023.

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

The thing you have to understand about the original 1989 Road House is that Patrick Swayze ripped a guy’s throat out with his barehand. That’s what we call a “legacy.” It’s a legacy that means something. Any remake of a movie that entertaining and memorable is in for a real fight. Considering Amazon opted not to give Doug Liman’s new take starring Jake Gyllenhaal a theatrical release, it seemed likely the director lost his reboot battle. But fans of the franchise know looks can be deceiving, like how the calmest guy in a bar brawl can also be the toughest. Liman actually adds to Road House‘s legacy with this remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal. He delivered an incredibly fun movie that honors the original film while still standing on its own.

Diehard fans of the original Road House—a group I very much belong to—will recognize how many of the same exact plot points this new version also hits. The film features the terrorization of friendly locals by a corrupt businessman. It has way-too-talented bands that play behind a wire cage at a bar that simultaneously seems like both the most fun and most dangerous in the world. There’s also a beautiful doctor (Daniela Melchior) who falls for the hero. A lot of the character names are odes to the old Road House, because the new one is essentially the same story.

Of course, that’s only fitting. The 1989 film was itself another entry in the long line of “badass outsider comes to a corrupt town to clean things up” genre. This latest version exemplifies why that concept will always and forever be a bulletproof concept. At least it is when done well, and this is Road House is done incredibly well.

Liman’s film—which helps differentiate itself by moving the setting from dusty Missouri to the beautiful Key West coastline—features fantastic fight sequences. They feel fresh and original. Some seamlessly change perspective mid-punching so you go from watching it to feeling like you’re in it, but without losing your sense of place. The fisticuffs are also much more violent than the original. Getting punched in the face has rarely looked so brutal on screen.

The movie’s mostly diegetic soundtrack, provided by the bar’s bands, also perfectly enhances the manic energy that drives the action sequences. The movie literally rocks while literally kicking ass. And even with all the fighting, Road House is genuinely funny, moving, and cathartic at times This is, foremost, a very fun, very entertaining film like the original, just with a little less cheesiness. (Not that it lacks any cheese, thankfully. There’s an especially hysterical Chekhov’s Gun.) It’s that even among all the silliness it manages to deliver meaningful characterization and pathos. It is Road House combined with The Quiet Man. I know that sounds absurd—because it is—but it works.

The fun story and action wouldn’t matter if not for the film’s lead. Jake Gyllenhaal has nearly impossible shoes to fill as this generation’s Dalton. Patrick Swayze’s character is one of the coolest characters in movie history. Patrick Swayze himself is also one of the coolest actors in history. You can’t try to out-Swayze Swayze in arguably his most iconic role. And Liman and Gyllenhaal wisely didn’t try to do that. Instead they deliver a Dalton who shares the best traits with his predecessor while still being a very different character.

Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton is a much sadder figure than Swayze’s character. He’s a former UFC star tortured by his past. It’s very obvious what he did even before the film confirms what happened. It’s a another plot point from the 1989 character’s history, but it matters far more this time around. What this Dalton did was far more awful than what Swayze’s character was haunted by. It’s why rather than an easy, suave John Dalton swagger, Gyllenhaal’s Elwood has the energy and presence of a big kind dog you don’t want to mess with. That’s the biggest, most important change in the film. It’s why this feels different even though its so familiar otherwise.

This new version of the character is still cool in his own way. He’s also likable and doesn’t actually like violence. Except, he’s clearly more unhinged than the original Dalton. Gyllenhaal isn’t a professional bouncer. He’s a world-class fighter who knows exactly what happens when he snaps. There’s something wrong with him and, unless he keeps that version of himself in check, bad things happen. It’s why he doesn’t actually want to hurt people, let alone kill them. He just wants to do his job and help out his nice new co-workers and desperate boss Frankie (played by the always great Jessica Williams).

Unfortunately for Dalton he’s come to a place that inevitability forces him to become the dangerous warrior he is. Local nepo baby Ben Brandt needs to buy the The Road House (actual bar name). It’s the last property standing in the way of his extravagant new resort. With Frankie refusing to sell the unstable Brandt, hired goons to force the issue by causing chaos at the bar. That’s why Frankie recruits Dalton, a man seemingly made of marble and blood, to keep her in business.

Every great hero needs a great villain, and that’s exactly what Billy Magnussen offers Gyllenhaal. He’s truly detestable as the scene-chewing Brandt. And because he’s playing a failson he also feels very different than Ben Gazzara’s Brad Wesley in the original movie, even though they fill the same role. It’s another example of how Liman and the script find the right balance between old and new.

Less great is actual UFC fighter Conor McGregor. He plays a dangerous sociopath Knox hired by Brandt’s imprisoned dad. McGregor certainly looks the part of someone capable of taking on Dalton. And he more than handles the action scenes. But he struggles anytime he needs to say more than five words in a row. Considering how well acted the movie is otherwise, his issues with dialogue stand out almost as much as his naked ass, which makes multiple prolonged appearances.

But outside of some act three issues when the movie gets dangerously close to cartoonish action, there’s very little to complain about. Even the UFC element that I was most skeptical about going in to the movie works. The result is a Road House movie in the best way. I couldn’t sleep when it ended I was so fired up. I wanted to rewatch it the second it was over. And I want to rewatch it a thousand times like I have the first film. (I’d also like to play the soundtrack on a loop while driving down the highway.)

Doug Lima’s Road House doesn’t merely justify its existence as a remake. Nor does it only justify why it absolutely deserved a theatrical release. (Not getting to see this in a theater with others is absurd.) It justifies casting a new Dalton every generation. I was worried about how this film would compare to the original. Now I want a new Road House every couple decades at least. That might not be as impressive as ripping a guy’s throat out with your barehand, but it’s still a legacy to be proud of.

Road House ⭐ (4 of 5)

Road House also stars Joaquim de Almeida, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro, B.K. Cannon, Beau Knapp, Darren Barnet, and Dominique Columbus. It debuts on Prime Video on March 21, 2024.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who never gets tired of watching cool dudes beat up bad dudes in movies. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The recent trailer for the new Fallout Amazon Prime series is a Yao Guai punching epic, indeed. It makes fans excited for this new adventure. We all know when the series is taking place—in 2296, nine years after the events of Fallout 4. We also know where the setting is for the series—Los Angeles, AKA The Boneyard, as explored in Fallout’s very first game. Now, many fans of the long-running post-apocalyptic game series are wondering which Fallout characters will make the jump to live-action. 

We probably won’t see any Fallout 1 characters. But the legacy of the area will surely be discussed as our intrepid Vault Dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell) tries to put together the pieces of what’s happened since the bombs dropped. Fallout 2 characters are likely out as well, given the fifty-five year gap between the second game and the Prime Video series. So, which characters from Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and New Vegas could we see in live-action?

My dream of a live-action CGI nightmare Nick Valentine feels pretty unrealistic, but here are five characters we might catch a glimpse of. 

Hancock a.k.a. John McDonough

Hancock is a wheeling, dealing, mayoring, Jet-huffing ghoul dressed in the clothes of Founding Father John Hancock. One of my personal favorite Fallout 4 companions, his questionable morality didn’t stop him from being a fun friend. Or… a very devoted boyfriend who says nice things to you while you rummage through humanity’s shredded past for desk fans. That is, if you romance him… which I obviously did. 

Hancock is a free spirit without a great deal tying him down to his technical job as Mayor of Goodneighbor, and it’s possible he might wander westward. That said, The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) does seem like a small love letter to Hancock already, so if not in person, perhaps we’ll get a little bit of Hancock in spirit.

Veronica Renata Santangelo

Veronica is a well-loved character from Fallout: New Vegas. Born and raised in the Brotherhood of Steel, Veronica will accompany the Courier on their quest for revenge, provided you’re not a complete jerk. Veronica, despite her military upbringing, is a sweet, wise-cracking lesbian who gets very happy when you give her the more pristine dresses you find while venturing through the Mojave Wasteland. Also, if you stick her in power armor and give her a power fist, she becomes a problem for anyone that isn’t you very quickly. I admire her “punch stuff until it explodes in a cascade of gore” attitude. 

Veronica’s complicated relationship with the Brotherhood of Steel would be enthralling to explore in the Prime Video series, especially as a potential foil to Maximus (Aaron Moten). And look, I’m just saying, can someone call Felicia Day and see what she’s doing?

Elder Arthur Maxson

Debatable fascist and undercut-haver Arthur Maxson leads the Brotherhood of Steel during the events of Fallout 4. Depending on how you played the game, his survival is up in the air. However, the Vertibirds in the trailer hint that the Brotherhood have a substantial presence on the West Coast. Who is running things there? Canonically, we have no clue. With nine years between Fallout 4 and the Prime series, it might be possible that the disparate chapters of the Brotherhood have united, with Arthur Maxson at the helm.

As of Fallout 4, he had the approval of the Lost Hills elders on the west coast. Will we finally see a fully united Brotherhood of Steel? And more importantly than that, Maxson represents some of the biggest ideological battles the series is built on (progress vs regression, survival vs actually living). To see him defend his leadership of the Brotherhood in live action would be thrilling. 

Fawkes

Those who played Fallout 3 will remember Fawkes, a Super Mutant who the Lone Wanderer runs into in Vault 87. An eloquent academic and intellectual, Fawkes makes up for looking like the Cheeto buried in my couch cushions for three years with his wit, bravery, and compassion. And he has a giant laser gun!

Fawkes wasn’t given much room to breathe in the final action-packed hours of Fallout 3. But the Prime television series could bring this Fallout game character to life and give us the full scope of this irradiated philosopher. With the immortality of Super Mutants on his side, and no confirmed canon death, the writers room would be wise to take advantage and give Lucy her own hulking Super Mutant buddy. 

Rose of Sharon Cassidy

Owner and operator of Cassidy Caravans, one can find Rose of Sharon Cassidy (a.k.a. Cass a.k.a. Whiskey Rose) in Fallout: New Vegas’ Mojave Outpost. Cass is a rough-and-tumble cowboy type with a ton of baggage–and the drinking problem to prove it. Cass’ wrecked, whiskey-sodden heart is ripe and fertile ground for Lucy to investigate while she explores apocalyptic California. New Vegas is infinitely closer to the Boneyard than any other modern game locations. It seems likely that Cass might find herself in Shady Sands or even the Boneyard itself, looking to strike up a new contract. New Vegas is rife with memorable characters and companions, but Cass is the most likely to grace our screens.

Of course, we may instead find ourselves in a familiar world with entirely new characters and no cameos from those we know, save our beloved Vault Boy and his associated branding. Still, with four mainline games and the monolithic side game New Vegas to pull from, it’s likely we’ll at least see one or two of our favorite characters running around in the Boneyard. And no matter what, there is a Dogmeat equivalent. And that’s incredibly important.

Jess is a writer, musician, and self-professed obsessive. They have many loves, but they are particularly haunted by Supernatural, House MD, Good Omens, Fallout, and Naruto.

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

Most recently, Nicolas Cage, who voices Spider-Man Noir in Into the Spider-Verse, reveals he is in talks to return for the series, but nothing is set in stone yet. He shares with Collider, “Well, I can say that we have been talking. It’s no secret that I love the character. I think the character provides another mash-up of sorts. I can combine my favorite golden age performances, i.e. Robinson, Cagney, Bogart, with a character that is, I guess, widely considered [to be] Stan Lee’s masterpiece. I see it as a kind of foray into a pop art mash-up of, sort of, a [Jungian] Lichtenstein, mash-up by way of Bogart and Cagney, but nothing’s definitive yet. It’s just conversation.”

With such a nuanced vision of Spider-Man Noir in his head, we feel like it’s only right that Cage reprise this role. But we’ll probably have to wait a while longer to know for sure.

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

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

Originally published on February 9, 2023.

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It’s almost time to climb out of your Vault so you can see the world for what it really is. On April 11 (one day earlier than expected) Prime Video is bringing one of the most successful video game franchise’s ever to television. And the new trailer for the upcoming Fallout series promises to make an apocalyptic wasteland a whole lot of fun. Fun to watch at least. It won’t be quite as enjoyable for those trying to survive in a world that is always trying to kill them.

Know what makes any world—whether it be a pre or post nuclear war world—a better place to live? Walton Goggins. He’s all over this trailer, even if his nose isn’t. But he’s not the one having to figure out how to thrive on a dystopian, dead planet. That’s vault dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell), who is finding out what surface life is really like. Here’s the show’s official synopsis from Prime Video:

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.

The Fallout trailer also features Aaron Moten’ Maximus. He’s “a young soldier who rises to the rank of squire in the militaristic faction called Brotherhood of Steel.” And the great Walton Goggins is the Ghoul, “a morally ambiguous bounty hunter who holds within him a 200-year history of the post-nuclear world.”

The show also stars 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). 

What Is the Premiere Date for Prime Video’s Fallout Series?

The series comes from producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, best known for Westworld. While we’re happy to get the series one day early, we are disappointed Prime Video has announced all eight episodes will drop on April 11. We were hoping to have some fun exploring the world of Fallout every week. Especially since we’d be able to do so from the safety of our home vaults.

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Have you always wanted to drink one of the most famous fictional beverages in video game history, but without having to live in a wasteland to try it? If you said “yes” (and why wouldn’t you?) then this is a very good day. Fallout fans don’t have to wait for nuclear war to enjoy a refreshing dystopian drink. Jones Soda has is celebrating the upcoming Prime Video series with a special Nuka-Cola Victory release, making Fallout‘s Nuka-Cola Victory a real beverage.

Nuka-Cola has arrived in the real world 20 years before its fictional counterpart. Instead of the Nuka-Cola Corporation, it’s Jones Soda Co. bringing the soda to thirsty vault dwellers and mutants alike. What does a fictional libation taste like? Here’s how the beverage company describes the limited Victory release:

Whether you’re facing off against wastelanders or wandering the post-apocalyptic ruins, you’ll need a tasty refreshment to keep you going. To celebrate the series premiere of Fallout on Prime Video, we invite you to enjoy a Nuka-Cola Victory SPECIAL RELEASE from Jones Soda! This peach mango soda is the ultimate thirst-quenching flavor for any Fallout fanatic.

Four packs of 12-ounce Nuka-Cola sodas are available at Jones Soda’s website for $24.99, but the initial offering sold out immediately. That’s no surprise considering it’s based on a wildly popular video game franchise about to get a highly-anticipated TV series. But don’t despair! The world has not ended yet. The company has already said it is “working on restocking online asap!” In the meantime Jones Soda is warning customers who already ordered theirs to anticipate a two-week shipping delay due to the overwhelming response.

That’s still enough time to for some Fallout fans to have a bottle of Nuke-Cola Victory in their hands when the Prime Video series debuts on April 12, 2024. No matter how good this fictional-drink-turned-real actually tastes, we really hope its bottle caps don’t become currency someday. We want the to try this soda without living in a dystopian wasteland.

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Guess what? It’s another week and another price increase/ad break increase from a streamer. This time Amazon’s Prime Video is getting into the streaming shenanigans. Amazon plans to bring ads into its previously ad-free Prime Video movies and television series. This follows in the footsteps of many streamers who have recently added ads into their content strategies such as Netflix, Disney+, Max, and more. Prime Video has long remained ad-free, but it seems like the siren song of ad revenue is too strong to resist. As of January 29, ads have officially arrived on Prime Video. For those who continue to desire an ad-less and commercial-free existence, Prime Video is offering an ad-free tier, but it will come at a price increase.

And, for those of us who like to watch The Rings of Power in Dolby, we will have to fork over that price increase to get that option. The Verge confirms that Prime Video’s Dolby Vision and Atmos options are only available on the ad-free tier. “Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos capabilities are only available on the ad free option, on relevant titles,” Amazon spokesperson Katie Barker confirmed.

In other news, while reports indicated that Amazon was planning to shut down its free, ad-based streaming service, Freevee, in order to consolidate its ad efforts, Amazon revealed that was not the case. In a statement from a spokesperson, Amazon noted, “There are no changes to Freevee. Amazon Freevee remains an important streaming offering providing both Prime and non-Prime customers thousands of hit movies, shows, and Originals, all for free.” Users of Freevee will be happy to hear this news.

Here’s what else we know.

When and Where Will Ads Hit Prime Video

Amazon has officially introduced ads into the world of Prime Video. Ads arrived on Prime Video on January 29, 2024. Variety reports that ads will first arrive in the US, UK, Germany, and Canada and then will come to Prime Video in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia at a later date in 2024.

How Much Does the Ad-Free Prime Video Tier Cost?

If commercials in your Prime Video movies and TV shows doesn’t sound like a fun time, you can pay to keep your experience ad-free. In the US, an ad-free Prime Video will cost $2.99 more a month on top of the annual Prime fee of $139. You can register for Prime Video Ad-Free today if you want to avoid ads ever hitting your screen. Amazon notes that even with the ad-free version of Prime Video, “Live TV, Freevee, and channel subscriptions may continue to have ads.”

More About This Change

A release from Amazon about its Prime Video ad plans shares, “Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.” Only time will tell what exactly this chapter of Prime Video will look like. But it definitely feels like the start of a new era of streaming, one that seems to closely resemble the past.

More than ever, streaming is moving toward becoming exactly like its cable predecessor. We guess we’ll have to wait and see how consumers continue to react.

Originally published on September 22, 2023.

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Ready for more of Prime Video’s Invincible? We bet you are because after a long wait for season two, only the first half of the season (four episodes) aired in November 2023. But luckily, fans won’t have to wait too much longer for the rest of season two. Invincible season two, part two, has officially set its Prime Video release date. The second half of the season will air this March. Four more episodes of Invincible are waiting just around the corner for us.

Blood, explosions, tension in the air. The teaser for Invincible season two, part two, is incredibly short, but it does manage to convey all of these ideas effectively. We left our heroes in quite a bind when the first half of season two aired late last year. And it looks like part two of Invincible‘s second season will pick up right where things left off (blood trail and all). We’d expect no less from this deliciously gory animated series.

But, ultimately, what this teaser gives us is a confirmation of Invincible season two, part two’s release date. New episodes of Invincible will premiere on Thursday, March 14. The last four episodes of season two will drop weekly. That’s not too far away now, especially when you hold it up against the last wait Invincible fans had to wait.

We don’t yet know any more about these upcoming episodes. No episode titles, synopses, or anything else has been released for season two’s later chapters. But hopefully, Prime Video will soon release a fuller teaser for the second part of Invincible season two, and we’ll have something to buzz over. For now, we guess we’ll have to sit in a pool of our blood and hope the Viltrumites don’t attack us before March. Invincible season two (part two), here we come.

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Like many movie fans, I was skeptical of Prime Video’s upcoming series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, created by Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane. A TV series reboot of the 2005 film of the same name just wasn’t appealing to me. Their real-life future marital woes aside, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were a cinematic match made in heaven in that film. The chemistry and action were highly entertaining. Some things feel like they should not get sequels and remakes, you know? But now that I’ve seen the trailer for the Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV series, I just might be convinced to check it out. (We’ll get into my very solid reasons why in a bit.) 

Donald Glover and Maya Erskine lead the series as the titular couple. We quickly learn that their relationship is not like what we saw in the original film. Here’s a plot synopsis for Mr. & Mrs. Smith to explain it all: 

Two lonely strangers land a job working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travels and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch: new identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. & Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier, espionage or marriage? 

The Mr. & Mrs. Smith trailer shows glimpses of their epic exploits, including putting a man’s body in a white tub. A weekly mission could be a lot of fun, indeed. The guest cast for this show is most excellent with Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, Úrsula Corberó, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Parker Posey, and Wagner Moura in various roles.

Now, for my reasons behind wanting to watch this Mr. & Mrs. Smith series! I dig anytime someone who is not white gets to be the suave agent. I also really love lovers who go on missions together. But the biggest reason of all is turtlenecks, which we got in an earlier teaser trailer. I love a “Cozy Sweater King,” and I gladly include tight-fitting turtlenecks into that equation. Donald Glover (whom we love as Lando Calrissian) wears not one, but two of them in this series. Who knows what other luxurious long-sleeved garments he will grace us with? That’s a good reason to give anything a try.

What Is the Release Date for the Mr. & Mrs. Smith TV show?

Is it harder to be partners in high-risk missions or life partners? We will see when all eight episodes of Mr. & Mrs. Smith hit Prime Video on February 2, 2024.

Originally published on December 7, 2023.

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Do you dare anger the gods? Players of the God of War video game franchise have confronted that question with each new installment. The first ever God of War debuted in 2005 set in the world of Greek gods. In 2018, though, the game series moved to Norse mythology with a deeper narrative for the powerful god Kratos. And now the award-winning game will make the jump to the screen in a different way. Amazon has ordered a God of War live-action adaptation television series for Prime Video. The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins will be at the helm. This news was first released in December 2022, and now, over a year later, we finally have an update on its progress.

This God of War live-action adaptation will pick up from the gorgeous 2018 installment from Sony Santa Monica Studios. Kratos retires to Midgard with his family. His wife dies and Kratos and his son, Atreus, go on a quest to fulfill his wife’s dying wish. It’s quite the adventure, rich with Norse mythology characters and lore. Twists and turns along the way deepen Kratos and Atreus’ bond as the god learns how to best be a father. In short, it’s wonderful material for a live-action TV series. The larger-than-life god fights equally larger-than-life monsters and meets fascinating characters. The duo’s journey continues in the recently released God of War Ragnarök.

The God of War live-action TV series has Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (creators of The Expanse) on board to write. God of War director Cory Barlog will serve as executive producer. Additionally, the show is a co-production between Amazon Studios and Sony Picture Television in association with PlayStation Productions. Variety also reports that Playstation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan and Santa Monica Studio’s Yumi Yang and Vertigo’s Roy Lee serve as executive producers. Santa Monica Studio’s Jeff Ketcham is co-executive producer.

At CES 2024, Sony revealed that writing on Amazon’s God of War series was underway, alongside work on Netflix’s Horizon Zero Dawn project. It’s not a huge progress report, but, hey, we’ll take it. Hopefully, we get some more substantial news soon.

Judkins’ The Wheel of Time recently aired its second season and is looking ahead to season three. Showrunning two epic fantasy television series seems like it would be quite the challenge. As excited as we are for God of War, we hope Judkins is able to execute his vision for The Wheel of Time adaptation.

Originally published on December 14, 2022.

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The Wheel of Time’s second season flung the core cast of characters to different parts of the world. The group from the Two Rivers started their wild adventure together in season one. But after Rand learned at the Eye of the World that he was the Dragon Reborn, things changed. Rand, believed by his friends to be dead, departed on his own. Perrin searched for the Horn of Valere with the Shienarans. Nynaeve and Egwene, however, stuck together. They went to the White Tower to learn how to use the One Power and become Aes Sedai.

Though the friends set out on the same path, their paths diverged. Nynaeve showed more strength with the One Power despite her self-imposed block, the Daughter-Heir of Andor arrived in the Tower, and Liandrin, a member of the Black Ajah, sold them out to the Seanchan. We talked with Madeleine Madden (Egwene al’Vere), Zoë Robins (Nynaeve al’Meara), and Ceara Coveney (Elayne Trakand) separately about their characters’ journeys in The Wheel of Time season two, from Tar Valon to Falme.

Becoming Aes Sedai

Of the group from the Two Rivers, Egwene has been maybe the most okay with seeing the world. She wants to be an Aes Sedai more than anything, and she keeps her lifelong values close. “I think Egwene has always had a very strong moral compass, but is also incredibly determined,” Madeleine Madden said.

She continued, “At the beginning of the season, we see her determined to try and be at the top of the class, to try and channel without her hands, determined to fit in, determined to please, and to shine and be special. And this is all sort of thrown on its head because she’s not the one that is standing out, it’s actually a friend, Nynaeve, who doesn’t really even want to be there. So she’s really struggling with this inner turmoil of, she loves her friend and everything that they’ve been through, but is also incredibly jealous of her and is feeling like she’s invisible.”

Nynaeve, while not as excited about being an Aes Sedai, wants to stay by Egwene’s side in The Wheel of Time‘s season two. Zoë Robins said she admires how loyal Nynaeve is. She said, “She really, really cares about the people that she loves and I absolutely believe she would do anything for them. I think we see that in moments throughout season one and throughout season two, and we will continue to do so That’s something that I continually learn about her, is just how big her heart is.”

Finding the Right Tone for Elayne

While Egwene is feeling a bit out of sorts with Nynaeve, a new novice comes to the White Tower: Daughter-Heir of Andor, Elayne Trakand. The Two Rivers is technically part of Andor, making Egwene Elayne’s subject. And while Elayne comes from a world of nobility, she shows kindness, too—traits Ceara Coveney had to consider.

“It was really fun to find that balance of Elayne really playing against her upbringing,” Coveney said. “She’s completely a fish out of water when we meet her in the White Tower; she’s navigating making new friends and finding her new role in the pecking order in this institution. In feeling her way around, she definitely puts her foot in it every now and then. It was so fun to find those little moments of, when does she get it slightly wrong, and when does she get it very right? She really becomes a confidant for Egwene and she offers this different perspective to her problems and her worries. She really adds to the dynamic of the three characters and offers this new perspective.”

Early in their blossoming friendship, Elayne calls Egwene out on her jealousy of Nynaeve. Because of how she grew up, Elayne doesn’t know another way that’s not being direct. Coveney said, “She doesn’t have a wealth of experience in making new friends, or maybe finding the right things to say, so I don’t think she’s so hesitant to maybe say it how it is, in some situations, or say what she sees. I think that’s really what Egwene needs in that moment. Although perhaps it might make you wince, that she’s so honest and so direct, actually, it’s exactly what Egwene needs. That lack of a filter in that situation really allows that relationship to grow.”

Working Together on The Wheel of Time Season Two

Elayne and Egwene’s friendship and then Nynaeve and Elayne having to team up in Falme to rescue Egwene meant Coveney, Madden, and Robins worked together a lot in season two of The Wheel of Time.

Coveney said of Madden and Robins, “They are both amazing. They’re incredible actresses. And it was such an interesting dynamic in a way, because obviously they’ve already done a whole season together before I was introduced. It almost really fed into the situation of the show that they grew up together in the Two Rivers, and Elayne is this new person. A lot of our work was done for us in a way. I felt like, as Elayne the character was making friends with Egwene and making friends with Nynaeve, slowly, and I was making friends on set with Maddie and Zoë, so it felt very reflective and very natural, and they were both absolutely incredible. I learned so much from both of them and in the same way that Elayne learned so much from both Nynaeve and Egwene.”

“We are all so close,” Madden said. “Zoë and I have known each other for years now, but getting to know Ceara was just so easy. She’s our perfect Elayne, because like Elayne, she’s an amazing listener and is such a wonderful kind person. And I think Egwene really finds comfort in her and security, and they’re unlikely friends. But it’s also an interesting dynamic. Three is definitely a crowd, and we see there’s a bit of tension there. Elayne’s helping Egwene with her jealousy that she’s feeling towards Nynaeve, but then Nynaeve is also feeling, I think, maybe a bit of jealousy at the relationship or confusion as to what Egwene sees in Elayne.”

“But when Egwene thinks she’s lost Nynaeve, and also feels she’s lost Rand,” Madden continued, “Elayne’s really there to help her pick up the pieces and to comfort her, which is really beautiful. I love—episode three is one of my favorite episodes of how amazing Zoë is, but I really love the scene where Elayne talks Egwene off the edge and just knows what she needs in that moment.”

Robins shared similar sentiments about The Wheel of Time season two. “Working with those two women is amazing. Maddie’s like my little sister now, so it’s really not that hard to conjure up those emotions when I’m being Nynaeve. And we were so happy that Ceara was cast as Elayne because she’s such a sweetheart and so genuine and we have such a great time together. I love doing those scenes with those women. Obviously, their relationship and friendship becomes a little bit more complex, and there is some jealousy and hurt feelings and all the things, but that’s just actually real life.”

Like Robins points out, Nynaeve and Elayne wouldn’t naturally be friends, but circumstances force them together. They come from opposite backgrounds but find common ground. Coveney noted their relationship had a slow start, but she had fun bickering and taking out frustrations about the situation on each other. “I’m really excited to see where their relationship goes in the next season and how it develops, because I think they’ve really found a respect and understanding for each other in season two eventually,” Coveney said.

Nynaeve’s Thoughts on the Aes Sedai

The Aes Sedai put Nynaeve through no shortage of hardship in The Wheel of Time season two. They continually push her about her block with the One Power. Liandrin encourages her sisters to raise Nynaeve to Accepted despite that. The Accepted test in the One-Power activated Arches is traumatic. And that’s all before Liandrin betrays her and tries to turn her over to the Seanchan.

Robins explained, “Nynaeve’s thoughts on the Aes Sedai probably haven’t changed much from her first perception of them at the beginning of season one and what she’s been told about them her whole life. We find her at the beginning of the season questioning her own thoughts and beliefs and opening up a little bit to them. I think the betrayal of Liandrin is very, very deep in a way that I think will hurt Nynaeve for quite some time and I think will inform a lot of her decisions and choices in the future.”

In one of the Arches, a possible future, Nynaeve lived for years with Lan by her side. Their story ended in tragedy as she got stuck inside the Arches. Nynaeve temporarily had a joyful existence. “I was so happy for her to have those moments, even though they weren’t necessarily real,” Robins remembered. “It was nice to have moments of levity for her. The whole Arches experience for her, though, obviously she’ll never be the same again. All I want for her is to have peace at some point.”

Under the Seanchan’s Control in The Wheel of Time Season Two

Liandrin set a trap for Nynaeve and Egwene and happened to catch Elayne in it, too. She took them all to Falme as a present for the High Lady Suroth. Nynaeve and Elayne escaped, but the Seanchan sul’dam captured Egwene and enslaved her with a One Power-imbued bracelet and collar. Egwene’s sul’dam, Renna, exerted control over Egwene, pushing her to the edge. The series took a paragraph from the books that described Egwene’s experience as a damane and expanded it into a powerful, intense episode.

“I think it was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do as an actor,” Madden recalled. “Staying in that physical but also psychological state for an extended period of time—I think we were in the cells for about eight days—was really difficult. I was lucky enough to shoot chronologically, so then that really helps all of us, but particularly me, to go on that emotional journey.”

Madden continued, “And also the breakdown of the Egwene’s mental wellbeing, but also her physical wellbeing, I was really lucky to work with Scarlett Mackmin, who’s our fantastic movement coach. It was really important for me to nail the physicality and also to show different ways that the a’dam inflicted pain, whether it was in your head, or full body spasms, or whether it was throwing up. I pulled a bunch of inspiration and images from artworks, dance pieces to try and figure out how pain holds itself in the body.”

Madden continued, “Xelia [Mendes-Jones] was fantastic to work opposite. They just hold such a power on-screen, and their acting is just so… I don’t know, you feel like you love them, you love Renna, but you also hate Renna. And I think Xelia just did such a fantastic job at showing that vulnerability in ‘I’m trying to be nice to you,’ but then also the cruelty. They were amazing to work opposite against.”

“While it was very difficult for me physically and emotionally, our director Maja [Vrvilo], was so wonderful in nurturing me and also allowing me to try new things and to experiment and to play, which was really important,” Madden said. “It’s one of those things where you just had to give a hundred percent all the time in your physicality. So there’d be moments where I was exhausted, but just would have to keep going because you can’t half-ass that kind of thing.”

Egwene transforms in her time as a damane. By the time she touches the pitcher, Madden said Egwene has lost her sense of self, escape, and hope. But she’s still defiant. When Renna takes her braid, a core part of who Egwene is, it sparks something. “She’s trying to find the last bits of herself so she can build herself back up again,” Madden noted, “And Renna is just cutting off limbs and things that connect her to herself. And I think once she loses that [her braid], she’s completely transformed into something different. She’s already felt different, but now she looks different, so she’s an entirely different beast at this stage.”

A Lesson from Falme

The group that stands atop the tower in Falme, fiery dragon swirling around them, is not the same group that left the Two Rivers. As the one-time Wisdom of their village, Nynaeve has seen herself as a protector of everyone. However, things are changing.

“As Nynaeve is one who doesn’t like to give up control, I think she’s desperately holding on to that idea and that hope and want of protecting her people—her people specifically from the Two Rivers,” Robins said. “Where we see her at the end of season two, that ideal is being challenged massively because of where she finds herself and not being able to access the Power. Then looking around, she can see that her friends, a lot of them can protect themselves on their own. There’s quite a big crisis of confidence and we will then see her having to accept where she is and what life is throwing at her. I think Nynaeve’s whole journey basically is about acceptance, to be honest.”

You can watch the entirety of season two of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video now.

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The Wheel of Time’s second season brought layers of complexity to Prime Video’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s fantasy series. The season began with the Two Rivers youths scattered and on separate journeys of self-discovery. Each faced the looming shadow of the Dark One. That including confronting two of his most devoted members of the Forsaken: Ishamael and Lanfear. Wildly powerful and focused on their own goals, the duo manipulated Rand and his friends. However, they showed their humanity too. We talked separately with actors Fares Fares and Natasha O’Keeffe about exploring the right balance for Ishamael and Lanfear.

Finding Ishamael’s Humanity

Though Ishamael appeared in The Wheel of Time season one finale, none of the characters were aware of his true identity. Season two revealed who he is. It gave Fares Fares the opportunity to fully explore the character and bring complexity to the leader of the Forsaken. He played Ishamael with gentlemanly, polite qualities.

“Exploring the humanity of Ishamael, that made it so much more interesting and very layered,” Fares said. “I knew when we talked about the character, when we shot the first season already, that a lot of that stuff was going to happen in season two. For me, it’s not very interesting to kind of portray someone that’s pure evil. There’s no fun in it. And it wouldn’t be convincing for me to try to convince the others to join our cause because if I wouldn’t believe in it, they wouldn’t either. It would be too obvious. They would be like, ‘Oh no, that sounds stupid. Why should we listen to you?’ But if I was humane and convincing, it would make it so much more interesting.”

From Selene to Lanfear

Lanfear also hid her identity at first. She entered the story as Selene, a wry and wise inn owner in Cairhien. Rand fell in love with Selene, learning too late that she’s one of the Forsaken. Natasha O’Keeffe said it was tricky to keep the Lanfear out of Selene. “I had to really keep a cap on my excitement of getting to play Lanfear. Because if you imagine, for so long—or what felt like so long—what you’re doing is playing that different kind of character,” she said. “The thing is, I think Lanfear is actually a really good actress. When she is Selene, she is Selene. She’s embodying that character in herself because otherwise I just don’t think she’d be able to convince him [Rand] all that strongly.”

She joked it was freeing to finally play Lanfear just so Selene could let people know what she was up to. And that included her designs on Rand, the reincarnation of Lanfear’s former lover, Lews Therin. “Rand is there, and he’s showing signs of potential to be maybe a man that could step into Lews Therin’s shoes. That intrigues her, because I don’t think she ever meant to fall for him in such a way,” O’Keeffe said. “For her, it doesn’t matter that it’s a different person really. As long as she knew there was a little sprinkle of Lews in there, that’s enough. That’s how much she loved Lews.”

O’Keeffe thinks of Lanfear’s darkness as a sickness, like she’s sick in love. That contributes to why Lanfear is so determined to be with Rand and relive that love again, even though horrible things happened to her the last time.

Ishamael and Lanfear, Working Together (Mostly)

Ishamael freed Lanfear from her prison by breaking the cuendillar seal and summoning her. They both serve the Dark One, but each of them approaches their end goals in different fashions. Ishamael is willing to play the long game; Lanfear tends to be more impulsive. Both are powerful.

“Ishamael knew that he needed Lanfear. That’s why she was the first one that he brought in. He knew that,” Fares explained. “But I feel like he believes in the idea that to be able to change someone, you need the time to do it. He doesn’t really use his powers that much. He knows that he’s too powerful and that he doesn’t need to use them. It’s more interesting, the way he started was trying to make Rand’s friends to join the cause first and then get to Rand that way. He probably knew that he couldn’t trust Lanfear, although he loved her so much as a friend, but he wasn’t counting on her interrupting his plan by moving too fast.”

Lanfear and Ishamael have a long history, going back to being friends with Lews Therin during the Age of Legends. It showed in their scenes together, which Fares and O’Keeffe both enjoyed filming. “Those were  my favorite scenes in the season,” Fares said. “First of all, the scenes are complex, but also I really loved working with Natasha. We had a great chemistry together and you could see that coming out. We took our time, and had mutual respect, and we played with some stuff and that added a few layers to the scenes and I feel it was great.”

O’Keeffe likewise gushed about Fares. “It genuinely was that much fun having scenes with Fares. And it is a beautiful thing when it feels like that when you’re having fun with somebody and then it bounces onto the screen. Fares is very laid back and I thought his choices for Ishamael as an actor were really interesting because it wasn’t—he was really broken as well, isn’t he? It’s very painful to be him. He didn’t just play that pure evil. And I don’t think that’s the intention with any of the Forsaken.”

The Flashback with Lews Therin

To illustrate that, we saw a flashback with Ishamael and Lews Therin in the Age of Legends. It’s just before Lews seals Ishamael into his prison. Ishamael asks Lews for the mercy of friendship. It shows the vulnerability in Ishamael, and also how weary he is of the cycle.

Fares recalled, “It was amazing working on the Old Tongue, practicing all that stuff with the dialect coach and practicing a new language and understanding the words, and then the meaning of the words to be able to make the scene, but also to show that Lews Therin was really his best friend. And I guess I saw that at some point it started as an argument [between them,] like, we are going for the same thing, but we believe in different paths for it. This is how I imagined it started. Throughout the season you can see that he still has a huge respect for him, and that he still has a lot of love for him as well.”

“Seeing Ishamael and that scene, being in a way weak, because I was playing the character as if he was a cat and in total control of everyone, he toys with everyone basically more or less,” Fares continued, “And that scene with Lews Therin and with Old Tongue, he wasn’t in control at all. He was very desperate. And you can see those moments in Ishamael in that scene. And also when he realized that he’s going to be in prison forever and this is the last thing that he wants.”

It’s why Ishamael’s defeat in Falme landed so squarely. Fares said, in a way, Ishamael let it happen. “One of his goals is to end everything and to end it all because the suffering is just too great. And he knows that. He probably saw it in the moment when Rand was walking up to him that… this is maybe the ultimate death and that means the end of suffering, at least for him. And I think he kind of took that opportunity when it came. Other than that, we’ll have to wait and see.”

All episodes of The Wheel of Time season two are available to watch on Prime Video.

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Gen V’s first season gave us the gift of some seriously wild yet loveable college supes. The journey through discovering the dark secrets of Godolkin University was quite the ride full of blood and gore. From the heartbreaking lives of Sam Riordan and Emma Meyer to the mystery of Luke Riordan a.k.a. Golden Boy, there was a lot to explore. We caught up with actors Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Lizze Broadway to dive into the Sam/Emma romance and Golden Boy’s unexpected role in Gen V. 

Nerdist: The final fight scene at God U was wild. Asa, can you tell me what it was like filming those fights?

Asa Germann: Filming that sequence was insane! I think we shot there for 10 days on the lawn of the campus and just witnessing the entire sequence, especially when I wasn’t even in a shot, was incredible. We had tons and tons and tons of people just running around. We had a helicopter. It was amazing. And getting to be a part of that was very special.

Let’s talk about Golden Boy. I think a lot of people assumed that he was going to present himself in a Homelander-ish way, but he ended up completely subverting those expectations. Why do you think it was important for him to occupy that specific role?

Patrick Schwarzenegger: I think what you’re referencing is that he ended up being this really kind person towards Marie [and others]… he was really this humanizing character that cared for the new person and cared for other people. I think that that was a better writing decision because it made you feel for him and buy way more into the story when he ended up dying. Spoiler.

Indeed. And with you, Lizze, there were some wild scenes for Emma. There’s that one scene where you had to film with a very, very large phallic object.

Lizze Broadway: Can we say the word?

I don’t know! I didn’t want to say it…

Broadway: …What should we say? What words can I use?

A…rod?

Interviewer’s Note: Reader, this is where things get chaotic and everyone continuously spirals into laughter. We are not mature people.

Broadway: A rod, a big rod. So how was it being on the big rod?… Because when I saw that big rod… Honestly, I know it’s crazy, but our show, nothing is done for shock value. It’s really character based. So it was really good for Emma’s storyline to ride that rod. 

**insert laughter here**

But honestly, the first time I saw it I was like, this is my chance to add physical comedy. So I could start at the head and slide down. It’s a rod, right? Start at the top of the thing and then slide down. This is not making it any better… [laughs] and then pull out…

Schwarzenegger: Jeez.

Broadway: …[Head of Makeup] Colin Penman… I can’t, I’m trying so hard. [laughs again] Colin Penman gave me such a wonderland to play in… I wanted to do that justice. This is painful, I’m sorry… It was a fun day.

I created chaos and I’m sorry! Moving on… Sam and Emma’s relationship is probably one of my favorite elements of this first season of Gen V. Sadly, they end up on the opposite sides of a major moral debate. Do you think they’ll be able to restore their bond in the future?

Broadway: Absolutely not.

Germann: Whoa! It’s so funny because Lizze and I actually talk about this a lot, and I think that we come at things from a different perspective. We were so ingrained in these characters and getting to explore this relationship dynamic that we will see what happens. 

Broadway: I think that relationship is so beautiful. But I think they both need therapy. I love working with [Asa] as an actor. I think [he brings] the best out of me. So in that context, I would love to have Sam and Emma come back together, but I don’t know if it would be healthy for Emma. I think she needs a lot of therapy.

Germann: …I think in general what I love about this show for both Sam and Emma is that they both have so much struggle internally and they have so much struggle in terms of the environment around them and how they’re responding to it… I feel the same way, in terms of getting to work with Lizze, it was just so much fun to get to explore that relationship and those dynamics and see how we adapted in those environments within ourselves. So I think there’s a lot of room there, but we’ll see what happens.

Broadway: I mean, they’re two misfits that came together and I feel like everyone has suffered from not feeling good enough or fitting in. And then you had these two people coming together that completed them [like] a perfect puzzle piece. And I think that’s every love story that we want.

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The time has come for Lucy to leave Vault 33 and see what has transpired since an apocalypse left Los Angeles in tatters. While Vault Dwellers don’t live in the lap of luxury, they have enjoyed a sheltered existence compared to those who’ve tried to survive in the wasteland. We’ll see how the Vault Dweller Lucy does when she leaves her home in Prime Video’s Fallout TV series adaptation. We recently saw first-look images for Fallout, and now it’s time for the first trailer. It has plenty of nods to the video game and hints at the mutated dangers lurking around every corner. The footage even shows Walton Goggins’ face instead of his Ghoul form.

Prime Video shared the trailer at the fan and comic book convention CCXP. Series stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins appeared alongside executive producer and director Jonathan Nolan, executive producer and co-showrunner Graham Wagner and discussed the series. As the trailer demonstrates, the Fallout TV series is going to have the same tone as the game. That means things are a little tongue-in-cheek—like Dog snacking on flash. The music in the trailer is reminiscent of the game, too.

Fallout’s synopsis states:

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. Two-hundred 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.

The Fallout TV series will premiere on Prime Video on April 12, 2024.

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It’s getting closer to the time to come out of the vault. Prime Video’s TV series adaptation of Fallout will premiere next year, bringing the post-nuclear wasteland of the popular video game to television. The series from executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and Kilter Films will tell a story set hundreds of years after the apocalypse. Those who weathered the storm in fallout shelters are returning to the world. And that means, things are going to get interesting. The first images from the Fallout TV series show the stark difference between the Vault Dwellers and those on the outside. We see Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul, Kyle MacLachlan’s Overseer Hank, power armor suits, and more.

We would not want to meet The Ghoul. Goggins’ character “survives the wasteland as a Bounty Hunter. He is pragmatic, ruthless, and hides a mysterious past.” In the game, ghouls are around the wasteland. Intense radiation has transformed their skin and given them longer lifespans—all at a cost.

The world of Fallout is not a gentle one. As the series synopsis states:

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.

Additional first-look photos show some of that world, revealing Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Aaron Moten’s Maximus, and MacLachlan’s Hank.

Click To View Gallery

We still have a while to wait until Fallout‘s release on April 12, 2024, but these images are helping to get us through. Here’s hoping we get a trailer soon.

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I always imagine the holiday season is especially tough on Bruce Wayne. That’s when the Penguin murdered Gotham’s Ice Princess. It’s also when the Joker ruined Christmas Eve by kidnapping a bunch of city officials. And you just know the “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” song hurts his feelings even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Plus, he probably misses his parents. But there’s good news about this year’s celebration: he’s going to spend the special with both his son and his new beard. The bad news is they’ll be fighting some famous villains rather than opening presents. That will make for another tough holiday for Bruce, but the first trailer for Prime Video’s animated movie special Merry Little Batman is an early gift for all of us.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Not because it’s the holiday season, but because that’s true anytime we get a new Batman special. This one is a lot more lighthearted than previous seasonal Dark Knight stories, though. This Merry Little Batman trailer promises a festive holiday movie that’s a straight-up family comedy with some famous rogues. There’s even a shout to Batman’s infamous nipple suit.

Here’s the Batman Christmas movie’s official synopsis from Prime Video:

This Christmas, Damian Wayne wants to be a superhero like his dad—the one and only Batman. When Damian is left home alone while Batman takes on Gotham’s worst supervillains on Christmas Eve, he stumbles upon a villainous plot to steal Christmas and leaps at the chance to save the day.

Mike Roth (Regular Show) directs with a script from Morgan Evans (Teen Titans Go!) and Jase Ricci (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham). Merry Little Batman stars Luke Wilson, Yonas Kibreab, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby. This Batman movie will show up under our digital tree at Prime Video on December 8.

Hopefully, the rest of the month goes a lot better for Bruce Wayne. And we do mean that even if we always get a great Batman story when Christmas goes terribly wrong for him.

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

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

Check out the synopsis for Candy Cane Lane:

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

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

Originally published on October 12, 2023.

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In a world full of superheroes controlled by an evil, all-powerful global conglomerate no good deed goes unpunished. That’s what Marie, Andre, Emma, and Jordan learned in Gen V‘s season one finale. But while their medical facility/prison has no doors, the show revealed a way out for them. A post-credits scene featured the world’s foremost supe hater is on the case. Billy Butcher stopped by The Woods to see exactly what Vought was up to at Godolkin University. While he might be looking for a virus that will play a major role in The Boys‘s fourth season, he could also find some super new allies who hate Homelander, too.

Dr. Edison Cardosa had been secretly working on a way to give Vought “compassionate control” over its superheroes. His monstrous experiments in The Woods resulted in a virus that left supes—and supes only—weakened. But Godolkin Dean Indira Shetty pushed Cardosa to not only make it more dangerous, she wanted him to make it contagious. Shetty also wanted him to make it airborne. She hated supes because she knew Homelander was responsible for her husband’s and daughter’s death in a plane crash that occurred during The Boys‘ first season. Shetty wanted the virus to exterminate super-abled beings all over the world.

After threatening Cardosa to give her what she wanted, Dean Shetty reached out to Grace Mallory, former Deputy Director of the CIA and founder of The Boys. Shetty said her project was getting more dangerous and she needed help. The Dean thought Mallory would happily work with her to “neutralize” every supe on Earth. Instead Mallory—who now has Starlight as an ally—called Shetty’s plan a “war crime.”

Shetty said she’d continue with her plan alone and left. That’s when Mallory pulled out a phone and asked someone if they “got all that” and to “keep a close eye” on the Dean. Mallory had someone record the entire conversation. Shetty provided proof of the horrible experiments Vought had been performing on kids at a school.

Meanwhile, thanks to a drunken Cardosa’s rant inside Dean Shetty’s office, a hidden Marie and Jordan learned about the virus. Marie then told a visiting Victoria Neuman all about it after Neuman revealed she is secretly a supe and they both share the same blood manipulation powers. In fact, Neuman had been secretly helping Marie for years.

Congresswoman Neuman would not help Cardosa escape the predicament he’d unknowingly created for himself. The Vought doctor had inadvertently made a virus that would destroy the company’s very own superheroes. The doctor was very happy when Neuman contacted him about the virus and happily gave over every vile in existence to her. He believed they were on the same side. However, once the doctor confirmed he was the only one who knew how to make the virus, Neuman blew up his head.

With Shetty (forced to slice her own throat by a furious Cate) and Cardosa both dead, the only person who has access to the virus is Victoria Neuman, a powerful, dangerous superhero who could potentially use the bio-weapon on enemy supes. She can also use it as leverage over Vought and anyone else who gets in her way. But Neuman isn’t the only one who knows it exists. Mallory and her Boys know, too, a fact Gen V reminded us during its season one finale post-credits scene.

The season ended with Billy Butcher showing up to examine the abandoned Woods facility. There he saw what Vought had been doing to its own young superheroes. (Which he described with his signature vocabulary.)

What exactly was he looking for there? Evidence of the virus and how to create it? The remains of a supe who died from it? Documentation of what really transpired? Anything that could support what Mallory recorded Shetty saying about the program? All of that and more? Whatever Butcher wanted—even if it was just a chance to see firsthand the depravity of Vought—might not be as valuable as what he didn’t find.

In the season finale Cate and Sam unleash The Woods’ patients on the humans of Godolkin. They wanted vengeance. Andre, Emma, Marie, and Jordan stopped the massacre, saving Vought’s entire board of trustees in the process. For that they earned Homelander’s scorn. (The very tough Marie got a laser eye blast to the chest.) Homelander accused them of killing their own “kind.” That earned all four a spot in a secret Vought medical facility. They’re imprisoned there while the world celebrates the free and clear Cate and Sam. Vought—under Homelander’s watchful eye and smile—is promoting the two of them as the “new” Guardians of Godolkin.

Vought is trying to bury the truth once again, but the company’s biggest enemies know about those dark secrets. And in the world of The Boys, where even Billy Butcher has learned to work with good, kind, moral supes, the four real heroes of Gen V might be just what he needs to reveal what the evil conglomerate is really all about. They’re all now natural allies, anyway. Those locked-up God U coeds are enemies of Homelander now. They need Billy as much as he needs them.

Well, they need each other and a deadly virus that can kill Homelander. Billy Butcher will probably wants to find that just as much as he does Godolkin’s true Guardians.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The Wheel of Time‘s second season is well underway. If you’re not familiar with the books, you may have some questions about the characters, the Aes Sedai, or the world. As Moiraine indicated a few times in season one, the Dragon Reborn sits at the heart of the story. She and Lan searched for the prophesied figure, as has the Dark One and his forces, for years and found the Dragon Reborn in Rand al’Thor. If you’re curious to learn more about who (and what) The Wheel of Time’s Dragon Reborn is without plot spoilers for the books beyond the TV series, here’s a guide.

What Is the Dragon Reborn?

Reincarnation exists in the world of The Wheel of Time. The Wheel turns and spins out a person’s soul and puts that soul in another body. Some key figures have multiple reincarnations within the same Age, but the Dragon comes back only once during an Age. The previous dragon, Lews Therin Telamon, lived during the Age of Legends (the Second Age). He caused the Breaking of the World but also helped seal the Dark One and his powerful followers into prisons. The Dragon Reborn is a reincarnation of Lews Therin, and as such, can channel the One Power—maybe a male channeler like Lews Therin. However, men who can channel have been rare since the Breaking, because the Dark One tainted the male half of the One Power, a.k.a. saidin. Men who channel eventually go mad.

The Dragon Reborn is not an actual dragon. In fact, The Wheel of Time books don’t include your traditional fire-breathing dragons from fantasy. It’s more like a mythical idea of a dragon. Lews Therin’s banner depicted what could be a dragon, though. It’s described as a sinuous figure like a serpent with red and gold scales along its body and legs, and clawed feet.

We should also note The Dragon Reborn is the name of the third book in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series.

Why Is the Dragon Reborn So Important to The Wheel of Time?

The Dragon Reborn will confront the Dark One and the Shadow at the Last Battle in the current age, the Third Age. This person will either save the world or destroy it. Some worry the figure will bring about another Breaking. That’s quite a risk, but without the Dragon Reborn, the world stands no chance at all against the Dark One.

So of course the Aes Sedai want to identify this figure and do what they can to help him or her prepare for the Last Battle, a.k.a. Tarmon Gai’don. Some say the Aes Sedai truly want to control this person to serve their own means. Many groups have that same goal.

Prophecies About the Dragon Reborn

Many prophecies discuss the Dragon Reborn and how to identify him or her. In the TV series, Moiraine references one of her Aes Sedai sisters who saw the Dragon Reborn’s birth. That’s how Moiraine knows approximately how old the Dragon Reborn is. Season two of The Wheel of Time showed Gitara Moroso’s Foretelling of the Dragon’s return. Twenty years ago, Moiraine and Siuan stood as the only witnesses of Gitara’s Foretelling. Gitara saw Rand’s birth, happening as she had the Foretelling on the slopes of Dragonmount. Moiraine and Siuan kept the Foretelling secret and made a plan: Moiraine to find the Dragon and teach and protect him, Siuan to rise through the White Tower’s rank and prepare the Aes Sedai to support the Dragon.

The TV series also mentions prophecies connected to Falme and that the Dragon will reveal himself to the world there. “Above the Watchers shall the Dragon be proclaimed, bannered cross the sky in fire.” This prophecy comes true in the season two finale, albeit with the help of Moiraine.

In the books, we know more details about the Dragon Reborn was born. Many scholars and characters in The Wheel of Time books reference “The Karaethon Cycle: The Prophecies of the Dragon.” The collection of prophecies details signs of the Dragon Reborn’s arrival.

Darkfriends have their own prophecies, too. The Dark One and his followers have their eye on the Dragon Reborn, hoping to turn the figure to their side.

False Dragons

Not all men who have the ability to channel have the potential to be the Dragon Reborn. For example, we met Logain Ablar in the TV series; the Aes Sedai captured and caged him. A male channeler, he proclaimed himself as the Dragon Reborn, but he didn’t fit the prophecies. He’s what’s known as a False Dragon. Aes Sedai, usually the Red Ajah, hunt False Dragons with the purpose of gentling them—taking away their ability to channel.

Aes Sedai must feel certain a man is a False Dragon before they gentle him, however. They don’t want to risk gentling the Dragon Reborn and thus stopping him from being able to fight the Dark One. As you can imagine, it’s not always black and white

Who Is the Dragon Reborn?

The book series pretty much makes the Dragon Reborn’s identity known in the first book, though it doesn’t really cement it until books two and three. But The Wheel of Time TV series obfuscated who the Dragon Reborn was until the end of season one. Then, during the finale, the series unveiled Rand al’Thor as the Dragon Reborn. Rand discovered the truth at the Eye of the World where he encountered who he believed to be the Dark One.

As the Dragon Reborn, Rand carries a heavy burden. He will save the world from the Dark One or break it. As a male channeler, history says he will lose his mind because of that channeling—channeling he definitely needs to do in order to stop the Dark One. With Moiraine losing her connection to the Source, Rand has lost a mentor. He advised Moiraine to tell the others he died at the Eye. Rand must learn to become the Dragon Reborn, though, or the world is lost.

When Siuan, the Amyrlin Seat, learns Moiraine failed in her duty, she references the White Tower’s law about the Dragon Reborn—the law Siuan and Moiraine have been ignoring to this point. Aes Sedai are supposed to cage the Dragon Reborn and keep him shielded and under control. Then, they will pull him out like a weapon at the Last Battle to fight the Dark One.

Rand has escaped the Aes Sedai for now, but this interaction likely did not do much to build trust between him and the White Tower.

Originally published on November 22, 2021.

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