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

In a post on his Instagram story, Ryan Reynolds also gave us a closer look at Cassandra Nova’s sling ring. It looks like two infinity stones, the Time Stone and the Reality Stone, might be appended to it. We guess we’ll have to wait and see just how that works.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s latest teaser trailer brings yet another new Deadpool into the mix. This time it’s Lady Deadpool.

We can’t wait to find out who will be playing this red-clad gal. Additionally, Cowboy Deadpool also makes an appearance.

Here is everything we know so far about Deadpool & Wolverine.

Title

Thanks to a Super Bowl trailer (check it out below!), we know that this film, formerly called Deadpool 3, is actually Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Plot

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

While originally, Deadpool & Wolverine was called Deadpool 3, director Shawn Levy wants to make sure fans understand that the title change is not just cosmetic. Levy notes to Screen Rant:

As far as crafting the Deadpool & Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you’re talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles. It also gave me an opportunity. It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.

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

Dogpool, of course, will also star.

Make sure to follow him on Instagram.

We also now know what Deadpool & Wolverine‘s new official logo looks like thanks to a fun poster.

Deadpool & Wolverine will, of course, be the first R-rated movie in the MCU. And that means it’s not pulling any punches. In fact, its latest official synopsis drops two F-bombs. Let’s take a look:

Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date—Deadpool & Wolverine. A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to—Fuck. Synopses are so fucking stupid.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Cast

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

Behind the Scenes

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

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

Deadpool & Wolverine Release Date

Deadpool & Wolverine will arrive on July 26, 2024.

Originally published on January 4, 2023.

The post Are Those Infinity Stones on Cassandra Nova’s Sling Ring From DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE? appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

We love seeing them in this new poster:

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

Title

As we hoped, the title for this movie is Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! We love it, because this way, if they ever make it a trilogy, they can call the third one Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! and Michael Keaton will magically appear when summoned, just by saying the title.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Plot

The Beetlejuice sequel will center on the daughter of Lydia Deetz from the first film. And somehow, the previously unknown wife of Beetlejuice will play a part as well. We think it’s safe to say that both ghosts and the afterlife will play a rather large role. The teaser trailer also finally have our first look at Ortega and Keaton in their roles. We get to see Ortega’s character in deeper detail in another Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer.

The official synopsis for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sheds more light on the plot, sharing:

Beetlejuice is back!  After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River.  Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.  With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Click To View Gallery

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Cast

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

New to the cast is Willem Dafoe, who is playing a law enforcement officer in the afterlife. Empire Magazine revealed a new look at Willem Dafoe’s character ‘Afterlife Crimes’ cop Wolf Jackson.

Empire shares, “the film sees Dafoe play the brilliantly-named Wolf Jackson – an actor who, given that he was known for playing cop ‘Frank Hardballer’ when he was alive, has taken on a similar role in the afterlife as the head of the Afterlife Crimes Unit. Oh, and he has a segment of skull missing, leaving a bit of his brain exposed. ‘It’s not a normal role,’ admits Dafoe. ‘The most important thing for me was to find the tone. It had to be rooted, but it also had to be free enough that you could play with it.'”

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s Release Date

The long-awaited sequel to the Tim Burton horror/comedy classic Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 5, 2024.

Originally published on May 15, 2023.

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Even if you’re familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, much changes between the Second and Third Ages. The creatives behind The Rings of Power shared the map below to help us understand where men, elves, dwarves, and Harfoots live. Maps have always been an important part of Tolkien’s world, both in and out of universe. Handily, on The Rings of Power, we get to see the map a lot to keep us grounded. But with all the overlapping storylines in the show, things can still get confusing. So we made a The Rings of Power map locations guide to help you keep everywhere the characters visit straight.

Every The Rings of Power Middle-earth Map Location; Jump to: Númenor // Khazad-Dûm // Eregion // The Southlands // Orodruin or Mount Doom // Mordor // Lindon // Rhovanion // Rhûn // Forodwaith // Valinor // The Sundering Seas

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Teases Season 2 Locations

Soon The Rings of Power will return for its second season. And ahead of its August release, we’re getting a hint of the locations to come in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two. New posters from the season are giving us gorgeous looks at the places we’ll be going to in the upcoming The Rings of Power episodes, both new and familiar. You can check them out below.

Click To View Gallery

Númenor, an Island Kingdom of Men

You may recognize the white tree and architecture of Gondor in Númenor, and there’s a long history connecting the two cities of men. The people of Númenor are called the Dúnedain. They received the island as a gift from the Valar after fighting against Morgoth. We see the capital city, home to Queen Regent Míriel. It is a beautiful and grand place, with huge statues overlooking the port. Though we also get to see the less glamorous side—a blacksmith shop, pub, and even a prison cell. Galadriel and Isildur also travel to a second city, one where the Hall of Laws holds much history. And perhaps the key to finding Sauron.

On The Rings of Power‘s map, Númenor lies west of Middle-earth and far to the south of the world.

Khazad-Dûm, Realm of the Dwarves

Ruled by King Durin III, this great land under the mountain is also known as Moria. We see Khazad-Dûm in full splendor, with waterfalls and even plants growing below the surface. Shafts of light from above the mountain penetrate into the great halls. Elrond is a friend to Prince Durin IV, though the dwarfs first rebuff him from the West Gate on the edge of Eregion (see below). Princess Disa talks of mining for silver and other treasures, resonating the rock with her voice. She alludes to parts of the mountain that should be left alone. We know the dwarves will delve too greedily here in the future, awakening the Balrog. On The Rings of Power, the dwarves have also come across the first of the mithril that the mines will become known for.

Although relations between elves and dwarves are not always friendly, as Elrond and Durin’s are, they do sometimes live in proximity. As The Rings of Power Middle-earth map reveals, Eregion, an Elven realm, and Khazad-Dûm are practically entangled with one another. This closeness could yield greatness or great disaster.

Eregion, Realm of the Elven-Smiths

Celebrimbor brings Elrond to Eregion, the Elvish city along a river and the realm of Elven Smiths. Celebrimbor, a master smith himself, endeavors to build a great forge to make objects of both beauty and power (like rings, perhaps?). For some reason, this also requires a tower to be built, and Celebrimbor simply doesn’t have the workforce to finish the project on his desired timeline. He and Elrond travel to nearby Khazad-Dûm to enlist the help of the dwarves in this great engineering feat.

Every Rings of Power Location We’ve Seen; Jump to: Númenor // Khazad-Dûm // Eregion // The Southlands // Orodruin or Mount Doom // Mordor // Lindon // Rhovanion // Rhûn // Forodwaith // Valinor // The Sundering Seas

The Southlands, the Lands of Men (Destroyed)

On The Rings of Power, the people who live in this vast land, termed the Southlands for its southern location on Middle-earth’s map, are ancestors of those who sided with Morgoth centuries earlier. The elves keep watch over them from a high tower but also patrol to nearby towns. Arondir and the others are called home after High King Gil-galad declares the enemy fully vanquished. Tirharad, where Bronwyn and her son Theo live, is a simple Southland village of farmers and tradesmen. The nearby town of Hordern is destroyed by orcs, its people enslaved for their nefarious trench-building purposes.

Tower of Ostirith

As orcs encroach, Bronwyn rallies the people of Tirharad to take refuge in the tower. The Tower of Ostirith sits high on a cliff with only a narrow road leading to it. After half of those people defect and swear allegiance to Sauron once again, the orcs march to the tower. Arondir and the free men and women turn the fortress into a trap and the tower itself into a weapon, taking out hoards of orcs as they bring it down upon their heads. The tower no longer stands, but the altar amongst its ruin still serves a purpose. The sword is the key to unleashing water into the tunnels and trenches the orcs made, awakening the mountain.

Arriving by Ship

Galadriel, Halbrand, and the ships of Númenor sail northeast from the island to arrive in Middle-earth. From the Bay of Belfalas, they continue sailing upriver. It is a day’s journey to where they must mount their horses. It’s another day’s ride to pass through the mountains and arrive at the village with no time to spare.

Orodruin or Mount Doom

What will eventually be known as Mount Doom was a quiet, dormant volcano looming over the village of Tirharad known in The Lord of the Rings book as Orodruin. But now it has been awoken by water rushing down into its core, a chain reaction using the mysteriously powerful sword. The eruption forms not only the volcano as we know it in the Third Age, but likely the barren wastelands of Mordor as its evil spreads as quickly as ash can fill the sky. The Rings of Power hasn’t referred to this volcano as Mount Doom yet, but we know we’ve just witnessed its creation. It seems The Rings of Power will continually need to update its map of Middle-earth.

Mordor

By episode seven, the Southlands have a new name on The Rings of Power‘s map—Mordor. Adar’s orcs now have a home free from daylight as ash from the erupting volcano blocks out the sun. The villages and farmlands of men burn, and most of the people flee west. This Lord of the Rings location begins to look like we know it in the Third Age, a billowing volcano in a land fortified by mountains. As The Rings of Power continues, we expect Sauron will come to claim the land.

Every The Rings of Power Middle-earth Map Location; Jump to: Númenor // Khazad-Dûm // Eregion // The Southlands // Orodruin or Mount Doom // Mordor // Lindon // Rhovanion // Rhûn // Forodwaith // Valinor // The Sundering Seas

Lindon, Capital of the High Elves

High King Gil-galad rules over this westernmost point of Middle-earth. Lindon is the capital Galadriel returns to after her sojourns to seek out Sauron. Like all Elven places, it is beautiful, with groves of trees perfect for Elrond to sit while writing speeches. There are waterfalls and stunning towers. It is also home to the Grey Havens, the harbor where ships depart for the Undying Lands. Since Valinor sits to the west of Middle-earth according to The Rings of Power‘s maps, it makes sense for Lindon to house this important harbor.

Rhovanion, the Wilderlands of Middle-earth

The residents of this area are the migrating Harfoots. East of the Anduin River, they make a temporary camp. Hunters also trek through this area. To them, the Harfoots are a myth, even though they are right underfoot. Clearly, blending into their surroundings has kept the Harfoots alive. They are masters of disguising themselves, their wagons, and even their entire camps. The Wilderlands is also where the meteor lands, bringing the Stranger into their lives.

The Harfoot Migration

After harvesting all each area has to offer, the Harfoots pack up and move along. The caravan heads south from the Rhovanion Hills, adding places like Weedbrook and Undercliffs to The Rings of Power‘s map before reaching the Grey Marshes (which will one day be known as the Dead Marshes).

From there, their path heads east along the northern border of the Southlands, now known as Mordor. These areas are mostly not detailed on any Tolkien map that has appeared before The Rings of Power. Through Trout Bend, Thistledell, and The Braids, the Harfoots are heading to their autumn home. A place Nori simply calls The Grove. The trek is montaged together with scenes of the ups and downs of the perilous journey while Poppy sings her mother’s beautiful walking song. But when they arrive at The Grove, they see that lava bombs from the erupting volcano were flung far enough to devastate some of these lands as well.

Greenwood

The Stranger strikes out on his own journey from The Grove and comes to a forest known as Greenwood. In Eryn Galen, Sauron’s white-robed supporters catch up with him at last. But thankfully Nori and her friends find him soon after and they all break free of the danger. This forest may be what is one day known as Mirkwood. After the Stranger returns to The Grove with the Harfoots, he and Nori strike out once again into the wilderness.

Rhûn, The East and Eastlands

On the far east of the map of Middle-earth lies Rhûn. The white-cloaked figures come from this mysterious land, seeking Sauron. They plan to bring him to Rhûn, where the men and mystics living there are ready to support his return to power. They carry signs of the Hermit’s Hat, the constellation that the Stranger is seeking. The stars are only visible in the far east. So even though he is not Sauron, he clearly has a purpose in Rhûn. We didn’t see it on-screen in season one, but it’s likely we will at some point in The Rings of Power.

Every Rings of Power Location We’ve Seen; Jump to: Númenor // Khazad-Dûm // Eregion // The Southlands // Orodruin or Mount Doom // Mordor // Lindon // Rhovanion // Rhûn // Forodwaith // Valinor // The Sundering Seas

Forodwaith, the Northernmost Part of The Rings of Power’s Map

Dominated by snow and ice, this beautiful but harsh land also suffers from the cold of evil. A great castle sits atop a cliff that Galadriel and her lieutenants conquer in their search for Sauron. It is the keep where orcs fled after Morgoth’s defeat. But Forodwaith, the Northernmost Waste is home now only to snow trolls. But its existence, and the sigil found there, convince Galadriel of evil still lurking in Middle-earth. And indeed, Adar confirms that Sauron used the fortress to study dark arts in the pursuit of power in The Rings of Power‘s later episodes.

Valinor, the Undying Lands

Valinor is the original home of the elves. It sits across the great Sundering Seas from Middle-earth. From what we see of Galadriel’s childhood there, it is a beautiful and idyllic place. Until Morgoth attacks. The elves left for Middle-earth to fight against the evil. And now returning to it is essentially a reward for those who are worthy. King Gil-galad awards Galadriel and her lieutenants passage from the Grey Havens after their long search for Sauron. To reach it, they travel across the sea and are welcomed by birds, light, and music. The Sundering Seas sit between Middle-earth and Valinor on The Rings of Power‘s map, making the realm highly inaccessible.

The Sundering Seas, A Deadly The Rings of Power Map Location

Who doesn’t love a map with some monsters on it? But the sea serpents and other mysteries that appear on The Rings of Power‘s map also turn out to be real. Though the seas are calm for Galadriel’s journey to the Undying Lands, they are less forgiving once she rejects that fate. She must swim in the Sundering Seas. Even when the survivors of a shipwreck bring her aboard a makeshift sailboat, bad luck prevails. Referred to as the Worm, a huge beast attacks. Halbrand and Galadriel survive that long enough to weather a raging storm. They are eventually rescued and taken to Númenor, though their troubles continue.  

Although we do not see it fully on The Rings of Power‘s map, as mentioned, the Sundering Seas cut off Middle-earth from Valinor, the Elves’ treasured lands.

The Rings of Power Brings Middle-earth’s Map to Life

The Rings of Power shows off a Middle-earth we’ve never seen before as it continues to change in the Second Age. The natural beauty of New Zealand is once again on display, as it was in Peter Jackson’s trilogies. Assisted by stunning visual effects, the show creates the realms we’ll come to know and love during the series. And we love that The Rings of Power weaves the map of Middle-earth in and out of the amazing locations we see to ensure we always know where the path leads.

Every Rings of Power Map Middle-earth Location; Jump to: Númenor // Khazad-Dûm // Eregion // The Southlands // Orodruin or Mount Doom // Mordor // Lindon // Rhovanion // Rhûn // Forodwaith // Valinor // The Sundering Seas

Originally published on September 8, 2022. Original reporting by Melissa Miller.

The post A Guide to the Locations THE RINGS OF POWER Map Has Shown Us So Far appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Here’s everything we know about Agatha All Along.

Title

Although the first title we heard for Agatha’s MCU series was Agatha: House of Harkness, and the second was Agatha: Coven of Chaos, it seemed the series would actually be called Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. But now a fourth title has emerged, just Agatha. But in the end, the actual title is Agatha All Along.

Agatha All Along‘ Plot

Marvel Studios has finally revealed plot details and a trailer for Agatha All Along. You can check them out above and below.

The series focuses on Kathryn Hahn’s character, Agatha Harkness, from the acclaimed Marvel Studios’ series “WandaVision,” as she sets off on a dangerous, mysterious adventure filled with trials and tribulations. Showrunner Jac Schaeffer, who was the creative force behind “WandaVision,” directs the pilot episode.

In “Agatha All Along,” the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…

The last time we got to see Agatha, the witch lost in a fight to Wanda Maximoff. And then Agatha ended up trapped in her Agnes persona.

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

“Witches are defined by deception, treachery, villainy and selfishness,” said creator Jac Schaeffer previously. “What do you do when you have a group of witches who [demonstrate] those notions and you need them to work together?” We’d imagine things would get very dark and chaotic.

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Agatha All Along‘ Cast

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

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

Agatha All Along‘ Release Date

For now, Agatha All Along will be a part of the MCU’s Phase Five. According to Mashable, it will be nine episodes long, a bit longer than the typical Disney+ Marvel show. Agatha All Along will be released on September 18 with a two-episode premiere.

Originally published on November 4, 2022.

The post Everything We Know About AGATHA ALL ALONG appeared first on Nerdist.

It feels like Stranger Things has been a phenomenon for as long as we can remember. But now, our favorite party is all grown up, and the time has come for the series’ last chapter. Stranger Things 5 will be the Netflix hit’s final season, but we have no doubt that these concluding episodes will have a ton of meat on their bones.

For now, let’s roll for initiative and head back to Hawkins one more time. Here’s everything we know about Stranger Things 5.

Stranger Things 5‘s Plot

Stranger Things 4 ended with a bang as the Upside Down erupted right into the middle of Hawkins. Although everyone came together to try to stop Vecna, the villainous monster, who is actually One, who is actually Henry Creel, succeeded in merging his evil world with the reality every day people inhabit. The party managed to injure Vecna and seemingly save Max from his clutches. However, the fallout remained apocalyptic. In the final moments of the season, the Upside Down’s ash arrives to cover everything, and a full-out war with the monstrous creatures of the dark world seems imminent.

While we don’t know much about Stranger Things 5 yet, we assume it will have just a little to do with how Stranger Things 4 ended. The Duffer brothers haven’t provided many plot specifics but have offered several teases about Stranger Things 5. Among other bits, they shared that the action will remain centered in Hawkins and that likely we’ll see an eight-episode season. Additionally, the Duffers have noted that Will Byers will take a central role in the final season.

Finally, the series’ creators describe Stranger Things 5 as follows, “Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each… Whereas before, each season was so [distinct]… [Season] 3 is our big summer blockbuster season with big monsters, and [Season] 4 was the psychological horror. Five, the way we see it, is kind of a culmination of all the seasons, so it’s sort of got a little bit from each. I think that what we’re trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit, in sort of the tone of 1.” Or, “Season 5 is like if season 1 and 4 had a baby. And then that baby was injected with steroids.” Make of that what you will.

You can take an official look at the season with a new behind-the-scenes featurette celebrating Stranger Things 5.

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the Duffer brothers, Matt and Ross Duffer, will once again take the helm of Stranger Things 5. Additionally, long-time Stranger Things director Shawn Levy will return to direct at least one episode of the season. Superstitiously, the Deadpool 3 director likes to take on episodes three and four if he can.

Stranger Things 5‘s Cast

All our favorite characters and actors will be back for Stranger Things 5. We know for sure that Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, Mike Wheeler, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Eleven, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Karen Wheeler, Stever Harrington, Robin Buckley, and Murray Bauman will be back. (And with them, their respective actors.) Sadie Sink’s Max survived season four and should return with the rest. We, of course, are still holding the torch for the surprise resurrection of Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson. Stranger Things takes place in a supernatural world, after all. And it just wouldn’t be a good season without one Erica Sinclair.

When it comes to new faces, we know that Linda Hamilton has joined the cast of Stranger Things 5. But her role remains a secret for now. Additionally, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux have joined the cast.

Stranger Things 5‘s Release Date

Stranger Things 5 does not yet have a release date, but it will not arrive in 2024.

Originally published on January 4, 2024.

The post Everything We Know About STRANGER THINGS 5 appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Giancarlo Esposito has been teasing for a while that he’ll join the MCU. And in Captain America: Brave New World‘s first trailer, we finally get to see him in action. You can check out our first-look at Esposito in the MCU movie below.

Here’s everything we know about Captain America: Brave New World.

Title

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

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Plot

We now officially have a synopsis and trailer for Captain America: Brave New World. It reads:

After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.

You can watch the trailer above.

Additionally, the film’s title echoes both the main conflict of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic. Marvel executives have shared some tasty additional breadcrumbs about the movie, though.

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

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Cast

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

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

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

Additionally, we know we’ll see the character of Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World.

The trailer for the movie has confirmed this inclusion now, but originally, an ad for a McDonald’s toy line for the movie revealed Red Hulk’s appearance to us in Captain America: Brave New World, likely Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross transformed.

Captain America: Brave New World‘s Release Date

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

Originally published on February 14, 2023.

The post Giancarlo Esposito Makes MCU Debut CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

Universal isn’t waiting around to relaunch one of its signature franchises. The studio is already developing a seventh film Jurassic Park/World movie. And it won’t take long to arrive in theaters. Universal has already carved out a prime 2025 summer release date. Who will star in it? Who is making it? And what is it about?

We do know that Scarlett Johansson is a part of the cast. And she’s getting quite the humorous and warm welcome by Jurassic Park franchise alum Jeff Goldblum. According to Variety, the video popped up during her NBC interview about her upcoming rom-com Fly Me to the Moon. Jeff warned her to not get eaten… unless that is what she desires.

Here’s everything we know about the new Jurassic World movie so far.

Title

As of now, the new Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movie remains untitled.

New Jurassic World Movie’s Plot

The untitled movie also lacks an official synopsis. What we do know is that it will explore a “new” Jurassic era and story, in what it being described as a franchise reboot. If history is any guide it will also launch another trilogy. (Jurassic Planet? Jurassic Universe?)

New Jurassic World Cast

The upcoming Jurassic World movie will feature an all-new cast headlined by original Avenger Scarlett Johansson. Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi) is also getting in on the modern prehistoric mayhem. Other performers reportedly in discussion to join the film include Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer), Luna Blaise (Manifest), and two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali.

Behind the Scenes

David Koepp, who wrote both Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, is returning to pen the franchise’s seventh installment. Rogue One‘s Gareth Edwards will direct after The Fall Guy‘s David Leitch stepped down. Filming will begin this year and will have a quick post-production timeline.

Jurassic World trilogy producer Frank Marshall is returning for the series’ latest installment. Series alum Patrick Crowley is also back for dinosaur mayhem. And original franchise director Steven Spielberg is also serving as an executive producer via Amblin Entertainment.

The latest news about the new Jurassic World suggests the movie is heading to Thailand. Per Variety, we saw that Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Phatcharavat Wongsuwan noted that Thailand is honored to host the filming, however “It is strictly required that they comply with relevant laws and regulations, and must not affect and damage natural resources and the environment.” That sounds like a fair deal to us.

New Jurassic World Movie’s Release Date

We won’t have to wait long for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie. It will come to theaters on July 2, 2025.

The post Jeff Goldblum Sends JURASSIC WORLD Star Scarlett Johansson a Funny Welcome Video appeared first on Nerdist.

The Rings of Power season one swept onto our screens in the summer of 2022, and it made quite an impact. In fact, at Nerdist, we felt it was one of the best shows of the year. And although we are still thinking about season one of the show, things are already ramping up on season two of The Rings of Power. The Rings of Power didn’t exactly leave us on a cliffhanger, but we are still on the edge of our seats, ready to dive back into its world.

Here’s everything we know so far about the next season of The Rings of Power.

The Rings of Power Season Two’s Plot

The Rings of Power concluded season one on a few very dramatic notes, setting the stage for season two. Of course, Halbrand revealed himself to be none other than Sauron in disguise. When we last saw the dark lord, he was simply walking into Mordor, no doubt on the way to mete out some vengeance on his wayward followers. Meanwhile, Galadriel, Elrond, and Celebrimbor proceeded to form the elven Rings of Power despite knowing the idea came from a source of evil. And we feel it’s likely the Dwarves might know about the rings sooner rather then later.

An official synopsis for season two reveals more about the The Rings of Power‘s upcoming season, it notes:

In Season Two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

Behind the Scenes

Showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay return to helm season two of The Rings of Power. Also returning is director Charlotte Brändström. Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper will also join as directors on season two of The Rings of Power. They will each direct two episodes.

The Rings of Power Season Two’s Cast

The entire main cast of The Rings of Power which includes Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charlie Vickers, Robert Aramayo, and more, is expected to return for season two, with the exception of two major characters.

Firstly, Nazanin Boniadi recently revealed she would not return as Bronwyn in season two of The Rings of Power.

Secondly, Joseph Mawle will not return as the tragic but trecherous orc father, Adar, instead, the role has been recast. Sam Hazeldine will take on the role of Adar in the second season of The Rings of Power season two.

Joining Hazeldine are fourteen new actors. No new roles or characters have yet been revealed. The new cast of The Rings of Power season two includes: Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, Nicholas Woodeson, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch.

Rory Kinnear has also been cast as Tom Bombadil.

The Rings of Power Season Two’s Release Date

The Rings of Power season two will release on August 29.

Originally published on May 8, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About THE RINGS OF POWER Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, lo those many years ago, that immediately meant all the X-Men characters could appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also meant Fox’s other (and let’s face it, far less successful) Marvel property, the Fantastic Four, was joining the fray. However, aside from a Reed Richards cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Fantastic Four have been MIA. But, hope is on the horizon! The Fantastic Four will be part of the MCU’s Phase Six.

Speaking to The Official Marvel podcast, Kevin Feige confirmed exactly when The Fantastic Four movie would begin to film. He revealed, “We start shooting at the end of July… The day after [San Diego] Comic-Con is the first day of filming on Fantastic Four.” That means The Fantastic Four begins filming on July 29. He also confirmed that the movie would be a period piece set in the 1960s.

Here’s everything we know about the MCU’s The Fantastic Four movie.

Title

All the initial branding from Marvel indicated the movie’s title would be Fantastic Four. Of the three previous Fantastic Four movies, two of them were just called Fantastic Four—despite the ill-fated 2015 movie’s logo making people call it “Fant-4-stic.”

Now we know that to slightly stand out, the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie will be called The Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four‘s Plot

Zero idea currently what the plot of the movie will be. Not a sausage. Bugger-all.

Behind the Scenes

The Fantastic Four is possibly the most in-flux title in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe slate. Marvel Studios president and primary producer Kevin Feige announced the movie at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. Marvel then named Jon Watts, who directed the three Tom Holland Spider-Man films for Sony and Marvel, in December 2020. Watts then stepped away from the project in April 2022, stating he was taking a break from superhero movies.

Then, in August 2022, Marvel named Matt Shakman—who had directed WandaVision for Disney+—as Watts’ successor. Feige confirmed this at the D23 Expo in September of that same year.

Later in September, Marvel said Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were writing the script for The Fantastic Four. By March 2023, Terminator franchise and Avatar: The Way of Water screenwriter Josh Friedman was at work rewriting the script. In October 2023, Cameron Squires’ name was added as co-writer.

The movie has a scheduled start of production for early 2024.

The Fantastic Four‘s Cast

The MCU’s Fantastic Four team has officially set its cast. Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic. Vanessa Kirby will play Sue Storm, a.k.a. the Invisible Woman. Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play The Thing. Finally, Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch.

Julia Garner (Ozark, Inventing Anna) will play the Shalla-Bal version of Silver Surfer. In the comics, Shalla-Bal appeared as Norrin Radd’s partner, but at one point, she received the same powers as the Silver Surfer and they were both Galactus’ heralds.

Paul Walter Hauser has also joined the cast, as have John Malkovich and Natasha Lyonne. We don’t know who these actors are playing. We do know Ralph Ineson will be playing Galactus.

The Fantastic Four‘s Release Date

The Fantastic Four will release on July 25, 2025.

Originally published on December 22, 2023.

The post Kevin Feige Confirms When THE FANTASTIC FOUR Movie Begins Filming appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Although Blade recently lost another director and a good chunk of cast, it seems like Mia Goth is still involved with the movie. She recently spoke about her role in Blade, noting that Marvel “really care, they do. They want to make a great movie. That’s the sense that I get from them and that feels good.” Goth did not dispute that she would be making her MCU debut in Blade, implying that she is still attached to the movie.

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

Title

The title of this movie is simple: Blade.

Blade‘s Plot

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

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

Behind the Scenes

Playwright Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen) wrote an early draft of the script. In 2021, Bassam Tariq confirmed he would direct the film via The Playlist podcast. However, Tariq left the project in 2022.

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

After Tariq’s departure, Lovecraft Country‘s Yann Demange came aboard as Blade‘s new director. However, Demange has also now left the project. In addition, Michael Starrbury wrote a new script for the vampiric movie at that point. According to The Hollywood Reporter, True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto also joined the project to work off of Starrbury’s script as well. Additionally, Michael Green was involved with writing a Blade script in 2023.

Most recently, in the summer of 2024, Eric Pearson joined the MCU’s Blade film to write its latest script. Reportedly, Marvel’s latest plan is to write a new script over the summer and then try to find yet another new director. Hopefully, whoever comes aboard this time will actually be able to deliver a movie.

Blade‘s Cast

As mentioned above, two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will play the daywalking half-vampire badass in the upcoming Blade movie.

Delroy Lindo was originally slated to join Ali in film. We never formally learned who Lindo was playing, but we thought he could be Jamal Afari, who in the comics raised Blade and taught him all about vampire slaying. Unfortunately, due to shifts in production, Lindo has since exited the movie. Actor Aaron Pierre left the cast as well.

As we saw (or rather, heard) at the end of Eternals, Kit Harington will cross paths with Blade, reprising his role as Dane Whitman. No word yet on the status of that crossover in the new Blade iterations. Deadline has also previously reported that X and Pearl star Mia Goth intended to join the cast in an unspecified role. Once again, there is no official word on whether this casting is still in play, however, Goth recently addressed her role in the movie, seeming to indicate she is still in the mix.

Blade‘s Release Date

The Blade Marvel movie was meant to arrive in theaters on November 7, 2025. However, with all the changes made to the movie over time, it seems like that release date will likely get pushed.

Originally published on July 20, 2019.

The post Mia Goth Is Still Attached to the MCU BLADE Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

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

One of the directors of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew shared a bit more about the experience. Bryce Dallas Howard revealed about her upcoming Star Wars involvement, “What I’ll say is that I’m doing an episode of Skeleton Crew, which I’m super excited about. I went to college with Jon Watts and his writing partner in this, Chris Ford. And so, that was very exciting and getting to do that.”

Here’s what we know about Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Title

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

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Plot

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

A synopsis for the series shares:

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

Behind the Scenes

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

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

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Cast

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

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Release Date

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

Originally published on September 22, 2022.

The post Bryce Dallas Howard Will Direct One Episode of STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW appeared first on Nerdist.

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

While we don’t have an exact release date for The Penguin series yet, The Batman spinoff show has set a release window. Max has confirmed that The Penguin will release in September of 2024.

Additionally, Colin Farrell shares of The Penguin series:

It’s dark, that’s what I can tell you about it. It’s really dark. It’s really heavy, I think – it certainly was doing it. Which is not to say I didn’t have fun, I had an amazing time doing it. It’s incredibly violent.

It’s one man’s rise to what he’s always dreamed of inhabiting which is a certain power or social status. The death of Carmine Falcone at the end of [The Batman] the film, leaves this vacuum in Gotham to be filled and so there are various people that are grabbing for that power and this is Oswald’s journey trying to rise to the top through extraordinary obstacles.

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

Title

The title of the series is simply The Penguin.

The Penguin‘s Plot

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

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

The series will have eight episodes.

Behind the Scenes

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

The Penguin‘s Cast

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

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

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

The Penguin‘s Release Date

The Penguin will officially come to Max in September of 2024.

Originally published November 9, 2022.

The post Max’s THE PENGUIN Series Sets September 2024 Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

Benoit Blanc and his Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn drawl is coming back for his “most dangerous case yet.” That’s how Daniel Craig’s brilliant detective described his next outing in the announcement trailer for Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out installment, Wake Up Dead Man. Who will join Craig for some murder-mystery fun this time around? What is the movie about? And when (and where) can we expect to see it?

We’ve been hearing casting news from Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out mystery for days. And now, Netflix has finally confirmed the full cast. In addition, the studio has confirmed that production on Wake Up Dead Man has begun. Netflix even shared new photo of Benoit Blanc from the upcoming Knives Out movie to celebrate. You can check it out above and check out the full cast list below.

• Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Casino Royale)
• Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown)
• Glenn Close (Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Attraction)
• Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, Dune)
• Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Luckiest Girl Alive)
• Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town)
• Kerry Washington (Scandal, Django Unchained)
• Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers, Ripley)
• Cailee Spaeny (Civil War, Priscilla)
• Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; Peaky Blinders)
• Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3)

Rian Johnson specifically calls out Jeremy Renner’s casting in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery noting, “Jeremy’s a great actor who I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. I was very relieved he thought the hot sauce thing was funny! He’s playing a proper part in this one, we’ll keep the sauce off screen. Maybe we’ll sneak a few bottles onto the catering table.”

Netflix also reveals, “As it turns out, Wake Up Dead Man shares its title with a 1997 U2 song off their album Pop.” And Johnson adds, “Pop is a very underrated album, and that song is very right for the title. But I’ve had ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ in my head for a long while, and I first heard the phrase in American folk music.” Netflix teases that you should “listen closely” for any clues about the Knives Out movie to come.

Here’s everything we know about Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery so far.

Title

Knives Out 3 is officially titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. That latter half of that title also appeared in Glass Onion‘s title, much to the chagrin of Rian Johnson.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘s Plot

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery does not have an official synopsis, but we do have some early clues about what to expect from it. Johnson’s announcement of the film included commentary about how much he loves the malleability of whodunits. Combined with calling it Benoit Blanc’s “most dangerous case yet,” and everything points towards the darkest entry in the franchise yet.

The title and its accompanying font also suggest the film will have something to do with pirates. (Though we can’t rule out the film is about U2. Hopefully The Edge is safe either way.)

Does that mean a good old-fashioned treasure hunt gone wrong? A setting somewhere in the Caribbean? Arr, until we be getting something more official, wese can let our imaginations run wild like the sea. (Sorry.)

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘s Cast

Johnson confirmed a report that Mare of Easttown and Alien: Romulus‘ Cailee Spaeny is joining the returning Daniel Craig in the cast. The Crown‘s Emmy winner and Challengers star Josh O’Connor will also join the cast of Knives Out 3. Additionally, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and Jeremy Renner have come aboard.

Of course, Daniel Craig will reprise his role as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Behind the Scenes

For the third time, Rian Johnson is directing his own script in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. He’s also producing the film with his T-Street Pictures partner Ram Bergman.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery‘s Release Date

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will come to Netflix in 2025. It will also hopefully also come theaters, and for a longer run than its predecessor.)

The movie does not have an official release day yet; however, the first two installments have Thanksgiving weekend releases. Knives Out arrived in theaters Thanksgiving weekend on November 27, 2019. After some film festival screenings, Glass Onion came to theaters for a brief run on Thanksgiving weekend, November 23, 2022. It then started streaming on Netflix, Wake Up Dead Man‘s ultimate home, on December 23.

If Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery follows a similar release schedule, we should expect to see it on the big screen on November 26, 2025. And we didn’t even need to be Benoit Blanc to figure that out.

The post Production Begins on WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY with New Blanc Photo, Full Cast Confirmed appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Based on this first-look clip, we do know that Ryan is still with Homelander and doesn’t intend on leaving any time soon. We also know that Butcher is legit dying because Homelander can see a black mass swirling around his brain. Oof.

Here’s everything we know about The Boys season four so far. 

The Boys Season Four’s Plot 

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

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

We also have an awesome trailer and it is very on brand. Homelander has some new friends and they are as twisted as he is. And there’s some cameos from Gen V as well.

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

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

We do know that there will be copious amounts of fighting, as these posters suggest. I just wanna know who that is with the American flag painted on their face and bunny ears. A Starlight supporter, perhaps? Also, Homelander is very scary on his own poster.

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

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

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

Behind the Scenes 

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

The Boys Season Four’s Cast

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

We have some questions about what’s going on with the Seven. Entertainment Weekly shared a new image of the supe team, which includes some new faces we are shocked to see like Sister Sage and Firecracker. So much for Marie Moreau becoming the first Black woman of the Seven, not that she’d want to at this point anyway.

There’s also the new Black Noir, and we aren’t sure if he’s someone we haven’t met before or perhaps someone like Sam Riordan in the suit. Who will be the seventh member considering Starlight is one of the Boys now? Maybe Cate Dunlap is stepping into that role.

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

The Boys Season Four’s Release Date 

The Boys season four will hit Prime Video on June 13 with its first three episodes followed by weekly releases for the rest of the season.

Originally published on October 10, 2022.

The post THE BOYS Season 4 Drops a Clip With Butcher Trying to Save Ryan From Homelander appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Here’s everything we know about Superman so far.

Title

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

Superman‘s Plot

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

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

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

We also have our first look at David Corenswet as the DCU’s Superman.

Superman‘s Cast

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

In addition, four more actors have joined the cast of Superman. Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will play Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion will play Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho. María Gabriela de Faría will play the villain The Engineer in the movie. Also known as Angela Spica, the character has nanotechnology built into her body. Additionally, Sara Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo will play Jimmy Olsen, and Wendell Pierce will play The Daily Planet boss Perry White. Saturday Night Live‘s Beck Bennett will play The Daily Planet‘s sports journalist Steve Lombard. James Gunn has also confirmed that Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor.

Gunn also recently confirmed the casting of Ma and Pa Kent on Threads. Pruitt Taylor Vince (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will play Jonathan Kent, a.k.a. Pa Kent. Meanwhile, Neva Howell will play Martha Kent.

Behind the Scenes 

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

Superman‘s Release Date

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

Originally published on April 11, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About the DCU’s SUPERMAN: LEGACY appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

Title

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

Alien: Romulus‘ Plot

The film is described as an “original stand-alone” entry unconnected to previous films. It will feature “a group of young people on a distant world” who “find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe.” We also learned that Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens on the franchise’s timeline. Most recently, we saw an official trailer and synopsis for the film.

The synopsis reads:

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

Alvarez recently shared a bit more about the plot of Alien: Romulus, noting, “My first instinct, just to try something different that hasn’t been seen before, was to approach it from the angle of characters who are not professionals or scientists; they’re not even adults. I liked this concept of putting people in the front seat of the story who are closer to what the audience is — not that the audience is young, more that the audience is completely virgin to the realities of space. When the characters are professionals, they know more than you do. But when they’re still in their early 20s, they don’t know how to operate the f—ing airlock.”

The sibling dynamic is also at the center of this film, especially between the main character, Rain, and her brother, who is synthetic. In the Alien franchise, synthetics are often seen as antagonists, but this movie will paint these androids in a new light.

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

Behind the Scenes

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

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

Recently, star Isabela Merced shared some details about the film, including her praise of the terrifying practical Xenomorphs created for Alien: Romulus. She noted one of the highlights of her Alien: Romulus experience was seeing the Xenomorphs first time, offering “Definitely seeing the Xeno for the first time. They used a robot for that. And also, they used a human being, like a really tall person, in the costume and special effects. We had two Xenos on set, at all times, and they were just terrifying.”

She further adds, “The detail is incredible. I like the Xeno nails. That’s my favorite part, the chrome nails. I’m gonna get chrome nails for the premiere. You’ll see me with them all around. They were incredible.”

Alien: Romulus‘ Cast

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

Alien: Romulus‘ Release Date

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

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

Originally published on August 9, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About ALIEN: ROMULUS appeared first on Nerdist.

The next few years are going to bring about many exciting Star Wars series to Disney+, including Ahsoka and further adventures for The Mandalorian and Andor. But one, in particular, announced in 2020, is The Acolyte.

In a wholesome video, Anakin Skywalker himself, Hayden Christensen, welcomes The Acolyte‘s Amandla Stenberg to the world of Star Wars. Christensen offers, “I just wanted to send you a quick message to say congratulations. And I’m very excited for the show, and wanted to wish you all the best and welcome you to our Star Wars family. Hopefully I’ll get to meet you soon, maybe at a Star Wars Celebration or something.” This is the kind of content we love to see.

Here’s everything we know about The Acolyte, a set a century before the events of the Skywalker Saga.

Title

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

The Acolyte’s Plot

The Acolyte‘s trailer gives us our first good look at the series, which cautions that even in times of peace, evil is always rising. A synopsis shared with the trailer reveals:

In “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

When Disney officially announced the series back in December 2020, we got a slightly different description, which noted:

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

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

Behind the Scenes

Leslye Headland is on board as writer and producer. Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). A release shares, “Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.”

The Acolyte’s Cast

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

In The Acolyte, the green-skinned Jedi Master, played by Rebecca Henderson, is a cool 116 years old and lives in the temple on Coruscant. In an interview with Empire, series creator Leslye Headland affirms that Rwoh is the only character from that book series who will be in The Acolyte …at least, for now. Headland speaks more on the character’s personality, saying she’s been through a lot. “That has resulted in her going from this fun-seeking adventurer character [in the books], to a little bit closer to the [type of] Jedi that we see in The Phantom Menace.”

The Acolyte‘s Release Date

The Acolyte will release on June 4, 2024. It will premiere with its first two episodes.

Originally published on May 10, 2023.

The post Hayden Christensen Welcomes THE ACOLYTE’s Amandla Stenberg to the STAR WARS World appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Lady Gaga recently shared that her version of Harley Quinn will go by “Lee.” Gaga shares “My version of Harley Quinn is ‘Lee,'” Gaga said. “In a lot of ways, I think this is going to be a very different Lee for people, and I’m excited for them to see the story we wanted to tell.”

Here’s everything we know about the Joker sequel.

Title

Isn’t it beautiful?

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

— DC (@DCOfficial) October 3, 2023

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

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Plot

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

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

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Cast

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Joker: Folie à Deux‘s Release Date

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

Originally published on December 12, 2022.

The post JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX’s Harley Quinn Will Go By ‘Lee’ appeared first on Nerdist.

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

If you’re a big Fallout fan, you also may have noticed the main title changed with every episode. If you didn’t catch that, it’s the perfect excuse to rewatch.

The Fallout series has now released on Prime Video. Here you can find a non-spoilery rundown of everything there is to know about Prime Video’s Fallout series.

Title

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

Fallout‘s Plot

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

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

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

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

Click To View Gallery

There will also be an adorable animal involved. In the Fallout games, a dog called Dogmeat exists as an NPC companion character that accompanies players on their adventures. According to a blog post from Amazon, the live-action Fallout series’ cute canine isn’t called Dogmeat, but instead is named CX404. But this pup, too, will serve “as a companion navigating the post-apocalyptic world.”

Behind the Scenes

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

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

Fallout‘s Cast

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

Fallout‘s Release Date

The Fallout show began its post-apocalyptic adventure on April 11, 2024. All episodes of Fallout released at once.

Originally published on October 23, 2023.

The post FALLOUT’s Main Title changed with Every Episode appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Showrunner Ryan Condal says the season starts “a couple of days” after the end of season one when “all the wounds are fresh.” He also said that after all the time jumps of season one the show’s next outing moves “methodically,” though that certainly doesn’t mean House of the Dragon won’t be exciting.

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

House of the Dragon Season Two’s Plot 

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

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

Click To View Gallery

The battle between the Greens and Blacks is further set up with these gorgeous posters featuring Alicent and Rhaenyra and first-look images of the season (pictured above).

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

What it will do, though, is keep Daemon and Rhaenyra far apart as he tries to put together an army at Harrenhal far away from her. How will that space add to her distrust of him? How will being unmoored from his Queen wife make him more dangerous? Time (and dragons) will tell.

Behind the Scenes 

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

In a featurette, House of the Dragon‘s cast and creators promise season two will be even bigger than the first. They tease a “nuclear” chapter filled with, of course, even more dragons than ever before. Take a look below.

House of the Dragon Season Two’s Cast

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

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

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

House of the Dragon Season Two’s Release Date 

House of the Dragon season two will premiere on June 16, 2024.

Originally published on May 8, 2023.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2 Begins Days After Season 1 appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Alas, we’ll have to wait a while longer to know exactly what though. Kraven the Hunter has been delayed for a third time. The movie was originally meant to be released in January 2023 and was then moved to October 2023. After that Kraven shifted its release date to August 2024. Now Kraven the Hunter is slated to release on December 13, 2024. Hopefully this release date takes.

According to producer Matt Tolmach, the reason for the move was actually a positive one. Tolmach noted, “Kraven moved to Christmas because we’re excited about it, and Christmas is the best release period there is when you get people with time to go back to the movies over and over again. That was a real reflection of how the studio felt about the movie. We’re really excited. But that’s a great move that reflects just the feeling about the movie.” If that’s true, it’s good news. But we’ll have to wait (hopefully just until December) and see to know for sure.

Here’s everything we know about Sony’s Kraven the Hunter movie.

Title

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

Kraven the Hunter’s Plot

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

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

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

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Kraven the Hunter’s Cast

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

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

Kraven the Hunter’s Release Date

Kraven the Hunter will now arrive in theaters on December 13, 2024.

Originally published on May 26, 2021.

The post KRAVEN THE HUNTER Movie Delayed a Third Time to December 2024 appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Although it’s been a little while since we saw news about Ironheart, the MCU series just received a promising update. Speaking to Agents of Fandom, Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum shared the following in answer to whether Ironheart was still happening, “Yeah, absolutely. We’re editing both of those shows as we speak. They’re spectacular, they’re amazing, and they’re different…We’re able to explore really exciting corners of the universe. Riri Williams is one of them and I cannot wait for people to meet Simon Williams.”

Additionally, at its recent Upfronts presentation, Disney revealed that the Ironheart series would release in 2025. We are incredibly glad to hear it and can’t wat to see Riri Williams agan.

Here’s everything you need to know about Ironheart. 

Title

The series title is Marvel Studios’ Ironheart. 

Ironheart‘s Plot

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

Behind the Scenes 

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

Ironheart‘s Cast

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

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

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

Ironheart‘s Release Date

The Disney+ series doesn’t have a release date yet, but Marvel Studios has confirmed it will release in 2025.

Originally published on March 1, 2022. 

The post IRONHEART Series Sets 2025 Release Window appeared first on Nerdist.

Sixty years after its TV debut, Doctor Who is still going strong and heading into yet another era. Ncuti Gatwa, who will portray the Fifteenth Doctor, has taken over the TARDIS with Russell T Davies leading the way once again as a showrunner.  This era doesn’t have an official name yet—we are calling it the Bad Wolf era for now—but Davies is setting it apart from the modern era’s 13 seasons by dubbing it season one. (It will not reboot nor ignore previous events.) What can we expect from this fresh slate of stories across time and space?

Well, we do know that Steven Moffat is in the mix. His episode, titled “Boom,” is highly-anticipated among fans and he confirmed that he also penned the 2024 Christmas special titled “Joy to the World.”

Here’s what we know about Doctor Who season one, which is not season 14 after all.

Doctor Who Season One’s Plot 

Doctor Who always teeters between a season-long arc and weekly adventures. Who knows what will happen in Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor?! We know there will be lots of villains, time-traveling, and tough decisions made by The Doctor. This season will have eight episodes and here are the titles:

Ruby Sunday’s mysterious background, which was established in the Christmas special, will play a major role this season. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Russell T Davies revealed that the inspiration behind her character’s arc comes from the Doctor’s rather controversial “Timeless Child” revelation during Thirteen’s era. In that, we discover the Doctor is an orphan who was not born on Gallifrey and came from an unknown planet. Could this mean that Ruby Sunday is not from Earth? It is possible.

This wonderful Doctor Who Season 1 trailer gives us a glimpse into the upcoming adventures of the Doctor and Ruby Sunday. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to see them because the new series will air in May 2024!

There’s also the new Doctor Who title sequence, which we first saw during the 60th Anniversary specials, has Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson’s names. It’s truly an exciting time to be a fan.

Behind the Scenes

As previously stated, Russell T Davies is back as the showrunner for Doctor Who. The list of directors include Dylan Holmes Williams, Mark Tonderai, Julie Anne Robinson, Ben Chessell, and Jamie Donoghue. Composer Murray Gold also returns to the show as a composer. Doctor Who also confirmed that Steven Moffat will return to pen an episode of Ncuti Gatwa’s first season. We don’t know many details yet but Julie Ann Robinson is directing. According to a release, Robinson says the episode will have Hitchcockian vibes. Interesting. Bad Wolf Studios (named after the Rose/Nine story arc) is now a co-producer of the series. Doctor Who season one wrapped filming in July 2023 and is already working on season two.

In fact, Ruby and Fifteen will get a new traveling friend in season two, coming in 2025. Varada Sethu will be the new companion at that time. Hopefully, Gatwa will get his chance to face the Daleks. “I’ve heard chats about me not ever facing a Dalek,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I’d be so angry if that’s the case! By the time that I’m done with Doctor Who, I better have faced a Dalek… What on earth would be the point of me being Doctor Who without facing a Dalek!” 

Davies is already teasing a set from the 2024 Christmas special titled “Joy to the World.” It will be interesting to see where Fifteen and Ruby’s friendship is by this point and if the new companion will make her debut.

Doctor Who Season One’s Cast

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

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

Doctor Who Season One’s Release Date

Doctor Who season one will hit Disney+ on May 10, 2024 with its first two episodes at 7PM ET. The season will be 10 episodes with the others releasing weekly.

Originally published on November 28, 2023.

The post Steven Moffat Wrote the DOCTOR WHO 2024 Christmas Special appeared first on Nerdist.

Disney+’s two biggest stars are headed to the big screen. The next adventure for Star Wars‘ Din Djarin and his little green son will take place in theaters. What awaits the two when they get there? Who else will join them in making the move from television to cinema? And who will tell this new chapter in their story?

Most recently, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Sigourney Weaver was in talks to join the Star Wars universe in The Mandalorian & Grogu. We’d certainly love to see Weaver head back to space. There is no news yet on what role she might play.

Here’s everything we know about The Mandalorian & Grogu so far, including its release date.

The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s Plot

The movie’s official announcement did not include a plot synopsis or any specifics about its story. It’s also unknown how it might connect to other Disney+ shows, characters, and other planned featured films. The only insight came from Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s statement in the press release. She said The Mandalorian & Grogu will tell a “new story” she describes as a “perfect fit for the big screen.” The movie’s first official artwork does show Din and Grogu fleeing an exploding ship, but that might be just a normal Thursday for them.

Until we get any actual details about the film’s plot, any speculation about The Mandalorian & Grogu will be based on where the Disney+ show left the characters after season three, as well as the known state of the galaxy far, far away during the time period of the early days of the New Republic and what we know followed it.

Behind-the-Scenes

The Mandalorian creator and showrunner Jon Favreau will direct the film. He’ll also serve as a producer along with both Kennedy and longtime Star Wars stalwart Dave Filoni. 

Production is set to begin in 2024. It will shoot for a scheduled 92 days in California, where it has received one of the state’s biggest tax credits ever for a movie. Reports say work on The Mandalorian & Grogu will include 500 crew members, 54 cast members, and 3500 background players.

The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s Cast

Pedro Pascal’s voice is all but certain to be a part of the movie. It’s unclear how much, if any, he will physically play the role, though. At this point on the Disney+ show the part of Mando is primarily a voice-over one for Pascal. Actors Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder share responsibility for playing the masked Din Djarin on film. If Din never removes his helmet in the movie, Pascal’s involvement could take place entirely off-screen. He did physically play the character in the past. Maybe he’ll put on his beskar armor once again for a big budget film.

Star Wars has yet to announce any official cast members for the movie. Other members of The Mandalorian are likely to also star in the film, however. Those alums include Katee Sackhoff, Emily Swallow, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Ahsoka stars like Genevieve O’Reilly, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, and Eman Esfandi are also obvious candidates to appear, as is Boba Fett himself, Temuera Morrison.

The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s Release Date

The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled to come to theaters on May 22, 2026.

Originally published on February 26, 2024.

The post Sigourney Weaver in Talks to Join THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU appeared first on Nerdist.

The DCEU is officially over. James Gunn and Peter Safran’s all-new DCU will soon replace it. Well, their cinematic universe will be mostly new. Some remnants of the franchise’s previous iteration are sticking around, we’re just don’t yet know exactly how that will work. One element not going anywhere is Gunn’s Max series Peacemaker. How will the show’s second season connect to the first? How will the first connect to the DCU? Which previous stars are returning alongside John Cena? And how will the show explain any changes?

Most recently, we learned that Frank Grillo has joined Peacemaker season two as Rick Flag Sr. Grillow will first voice this role in the animated DCU series, Creature Commandos. James Gunn revealed on Threads, “Pleased to announce the great @frankgrillo1 will be reprising the role of Rick Flag, Sr – the role he’ll first play in animated form in Creature Commandos – throughout Season 2 of Peacemaker. Christopher Smith and Rick Sr have a little unfinished business to take care of…” We can’t wait to see it all go down.

Here’s everything we know about Peacemaker season two so far.

Peacemaker Season Two‘s Plot

Peacemaker‘s second season does not yet have an official synopsis, but Gunn has shared some intriguing tidbits about it. He said the show’s first season “isn’t canon,” but that season two is “full DCU.” Gunn isn’t dismissing the character’s past entirely, though. He also wrote “many strands” of Peacemaker’s story “will remain consistent.” That indicates some aspects of Christopher Smith’s history from both The Suicide Squad and the Max show’s first season will still matter to the character’s future. Gunn has also said the explanation for the changes within the story will be easy for viewers to understand.

On social media Gunn also said the events of his Superman movie will matter for Peacemaker season two.

The show’s second season will also air before Waller, a new series announced as part of the DCU’s initial lineup. It was originally expected to serve as a bridge between Peacemaker seasons, but the events of Waller will take place entirely after Peacemaker season two, which will also have a new opening credits sequence. (If it’s as good as the original we’re fine with that. Otherwise….)

Behind-the-Scenes

Gunn has confirmed that, just as with season one, he wrote every episode of Peacemaker‘s sophomore outing. Unlike last time, though, he won’t be directing every episode because of his other DC responsibilities. He’s directing “only some” episodes this time.

Gunn also wrote what will be the first DCU movie, the new Superman. He’s directing that film, which will overlap with Peacemaker‘s shooting production, set to begin this summer. Despite his job overseeing the franchise and directing a Superman movie, Gunn has described Peacemaker‘s second season as a “priority” for him.

Peacemaker Season Two‘s Cast

“Team Peacemaker” is coming back. Gunn made that official in the lengthy Threads post where he shared much of what we know about the show. That indicates star John Cena will once again be joined by many (all?) of his season one colleagues. The DCEU version of the show also featured Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Freddie Stroma, Danielle Brooks, Nhut Le, and Amanda Waller herself, Viola Davis.

With a canon-shifting event changing the universe of the show as we know it, it’s unclear if the memory of Robert Patrick’s Auggie Smith will continue to haunt his son, which the end of season one teased. But whatever explanation Gunn has planned means he could also find a way to bring back characters who died in season one, like Chukwudi Iwuji’s Murn.

Gunn’s comments about the events of Superman having an impact on Peacemaker also indicates stars of that film could also show up on the Max series.

And don’t worry: Eagly is coming back.

Peacemaker Season Two‘s Release Date

Peacemaker season two does not have an official release date yet, but Gunn’s Superman movie does. It flies into theaters on July 11, 2025. We know Peacemaker won’t debut until after that film, so a fall 2025 release on Max seems possible, as does an early 2026 premiere.

Originally published on March 12, 2024.

The post Frank Grillo Joins PEACEMAKER Season 2 as Rick Flag Sr. appeared first on Nerdist.

For a while there, it certainly seemed like we would never get a Star Trek 4. But in February of 2022, another Star Trek film was announced. Since then, though, we haven’t heard very much about the progress of the potential fourth movie that would reunite Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and more. And updates, both good and bad, have been slight. Still, it looks like the fourth Star Trek film remains in the works, even though some recent comments about it were not wholly positive. The latest piece of news on it even names a writer for the movie. Here’s everything we know about the progress of a possible Star Trek 4 movie.

The Latest Updates on Star Trek 4: A New Writer Emerges

Variety has revealed that Star Trek 4 officially has a new writer onboard. Steve Yockey, the co-creator of Max’s series The Flight Attendant, will now pen the next (and last) movie in this version of Star Trek‘s world.

Recently, Variety also reported that “the fourth installment of the rebooted ‘Star Trek‘ film series remains in development, with the studio describing it as the ‘final chapter.'” We guess that’s good news. But we’ll wait for something a little more concrete to celebrate properly.

Chris Pine on the Status of Star Trek 4

But if Star Trek 4 is still alive, Captain Kirk doesn’t seem to know. Recently, Chris Pine spoke about Star Trek 4, but he didn’t really have much to say. When chatting to Comicbook.com, Pine was asked about any updates about the movie. Pine responded, “Not that I know of.” And when asked if Pine had potentially read any Star Trek 4 scripts, he responded very plainly with “No, of course not.” Hopefully, he’ll hear about it soon, now that a new writer is involved.

Pine also expressed surprise that a new writer was involved with Star Trek 4. He shared with Business Insider, “I honestly don’t know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with “Trek,” I just wait and see.”

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

The Initial News About Another Trek Movie

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

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

Star Trek 4‘s Plot

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

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

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

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

Where We Stand with Star Trek 4 Right Now

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

Originally published on June 8, 2022.

The post STAR TREK 4 Names New Writer for ‘Final Chapter’ of Series appeared first on Nerdist.

The supreme Addams family member is coming back to our TV screens in two snaps. Well, not quite that fast. But soon enough, Netflix’s Wednesday will return for season two and we cannot wait to hear Jenna Ortega’s snappy one-liners once again. At the end of season one, Wednesday and her friends defeat Laurel Gates. Meanwhile, Tyler is set to escape his very short time in custody. Nevermore Academy is understandably closed for the remainder of the semester as a result of all the drama. But what will happen when the school opens up once again?

Here’s everything we know about Wednesday season two. 

Wednesday Season Two’s Plot 

Of course, we don’t know much about Wednesday season two’s plot at this time. It’s pretty clear that Wednesday, Enid, Xavier, and others will return back to Nevermore. We also know that someone is watching Wednesday and threatening to kill her, based on a text message she received while leaving Nevermore. There are still some secrets in Jericho to uncover, indeed. During the 2024 Emmys, Jenna Ortega revealed that the next season of Wednesday will pack in lots of horror, have more wonderful quotes, and that each episode will feel like its own movie. 

What I can say … [is] we’re definitely leaning into a little bit more horror,” the Scream actress teased. “It’s really, really exciting because all throughout the show, Wednesday does need a bit of an arc, she never really changes, and that’s the wonderful thing about her.”

Ortega previously stated this, saying the show will leave romance in the rearview mirror. As much as we love a good romance triangle, Wednesday is at her best when she’s investigating and verbally skewering people. 

Season two’s first episode is titled “Here We Woe Again,” which we discovered in this cute announcement video.

Behind the Scenes

Jenna Ortega will join Tim Burton and Steve Stark, and others as an executive producer. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar will continue as co-showrunners. It remains to be seen who will direct its episodes. As of May 2024, Wednesday season two is in production with filming taking place in Ireland.

Wednesday Season Two’s Cast 

Alongside Ortega, Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay), Jamie McShane (Sheriff Galpin), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams), Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley Addams), and Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), Fred Armisen (Uncle Fester) will return. Uncle Fester is reportedly getting his own spinoff, so an episode this season could serve as a backdoor pilot for that show. It doesn’t seem that Christina Ricci will return as Laurel Gates but anything is possible.

According to Netflix, Billie Piper (who will play a character named Capri), Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, and Noah Taylor are joining the cast in a full-time capacity. Addams Family alum Christopher Lloyd is joining as a guest star alongside Joanna Lumley, Frances O’Connor, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, Thandiwe Newton (as Dr. Fairburn), and Joonas Suotamo

Deadline reports that Steve Buscemi has joined the cast as well, and “will play the new principal of Nevermore Academy.” His character’s name is Barry Dort.

Last year’s TUDUM event revealed that we will meet a new Addams family member. We had a few ideas about which Addams family member could show up in Wednesday. And now we know that Joanna Lumley will portray Grandmama in Wednesday‘s second season.

Wednesday Season Two’s Release Date

Wednesday season two will tentatively start filming in April 2024, so we can probably expect a 2025 release date.

Originally published on January 16, 2024.

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

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

We’ve had a few first-look images of the Borderlands movie, and they look good. And at CCXP Mexico City, fans got to watch a sneak peek of the film. While those of us at home will have to wait a little longer for that, Borderlands did reveal a brand-new poster celebrating its excellent (and massive) cast. You can take a look below.

Here’s everything we know about the Borderlands movie so far.

Title

This video game movie adaptation will be called Borderlands.

Borderland’s Plot

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

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

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

In some exciting news, we finally have our first good look at the live-action Borderlands movie. Lionsgate released two first-look images from Borderlands, which reveal one close-up of Cate Blanchett’s Lilith and one shot of the whole team. The team, of course, includes Kevin Hart’s Roland, an ex-soldier, Ariana Greenblatt’s Tiny Tina, a teenage explosives expert, Florian Munteanu’s Krieg, Tiny Tina’s bodyguard, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Tannis, a strange scientist/doctor, and Jack Black’s Claptrap, who is a robot.

Behind the Scenes

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

Borderland‘s Cast

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

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

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

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

Borderland‘s Release Date

Borderlands will release in theaters on August 9, 2024.

Originally published on April 2, 2021.

The post BORDERLANDS Movie Shares New Poster Celebrates Incredible Cast appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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.

The post THE WHEEL OF TIME Season 3 Teases ‘Absolutely Bonkers’ Opening appeared first on Nerdist.

The long-delayed third film in Disney’s TRON franchise began production in Vancouver in January 2024. The original 1982 TRON was a groundbreaking sci-fi film, using then state-of-the-art computer graphics to realize the world of “the Grid.” This was a digital world, living entirely inside a computer system. Video game developer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) gets sucked into the Grid and has a grand adventure. TRON became a cult classic, and eventually spawned a follow-up film, TRON: Legacy, in 2010. A third TRON movie, TRON: Ares, is now in the works.

Jeff Bridges recently revealed that he will appear in TRON: Ares. “I’m heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the ‘Tron’ story; I’m excited about that,” he told the Film Comment podcast. “It’s wild. Jared Leto is the star of this third one, and I’m really anxious to work with him, and I’ve admired his work.” We know that his OG character, Kevin Flynn, sacrificed himself in Tron: Legacy but in a way that left his ending open for interpretation. We will see what happens.

In terms of story creativity and visuals, this franchise has always felt ahead of its time. One of the film’s stars, Cameron Monaghan, promises that the third TRON installment will continue to follow that trend. “I think this one, in a very similar way, is going to really push forward what can be done, from a visual perspective,” he told Collider. “I would sometimes even come in on days I wasn’t working, because that set was really amazing. A lot of the practical sets were pretty phenomenal, and I would love to go look at those as well.”

Here’s everything else we know about TRON: Ares.

Title

The name of the third installment of the TRON franchise is TRON: Ares.

TRON: Ares’ Plot

We know next to nothing about the plot for the TRON: Ares. The second film, TRON: Legacy, ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) escaping the digital world of the Grid, with escaped Grid refugee Quorra (Olivia Wilde) in tow. The implications that they were going to change the “real” world were there. Will the third TRON film follow up on that plot point? Rumors are that this installment will be a reboot of sorts. Jared Leto’s character of Ares was not in previous films. The film’s director said the third TRON is “a movie subsequently about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human.”

We do have a brief synopsis for TRON: Ares:

TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.

Behind-the-Scenes

Sitting in the director’s chair for the third TRON film is Joachim Rønning. Rønning became known thanks to his 2012 film Kon-Tiki, after which Disney hired him to direct Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and the upcoming Disney+ film Young Woman and the Sea. This script is from screenwriter Jesse Wigutow. We don’t know who is scoring the film, but we hope they use elements of Daft Punk’s iconic score from TRON: Legacy.

Rønning said in a release, “I’m excited to be part of the TRON franchise and bring this new film to fans around the world. TRON: Ares builds upon the legacy of cutting-edge design, technology and storytelling. Now more than ever, it feels like the right time to return to the Grid.” 

Sean Bailey, Jeffrey Silver, Justin Springer, Jared Leto, Emma Ludbrook and Steven Lisberger are the producers, with Russell Allen serving as executive producer.

TRON: Ares’ Cast

Jared Leto is in the lead for TRON: Ares as the (possibly) titular character of Ares, who joined the cast back in 2020. Joining him are Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson.

TRON: Ares Release Date

TRON: Ares will release on October 10, 2025.

Originally published on January 23, 2024.

The post Jeff Bridges Will Return for TRON: ARES appeared first on Nerdist.

The Last of Us ended its first season on HBO with Joel and Ellie returning to the commune in Colorado. Sure, Joel might have doomed all mankind to save one young girl, but at least they have a place nice to live. For now. Fans of Naughty Dog’s popular video game franchise know new terrors and sadness await the pair in the years to come, and we’ll see all of it come to life when the hit series begins adapting the sequel game in its second season. What else can we expect from the show after a lengthy wait?

Most recently, Isabela Merced, who will play Dina on The Last of Us season two, shared, “I’m so excited for people to see my chemistry with Bella. Bella and I have so much chemistry. From the first day, it was there. There’s no work to be done. I really respect Bella. I just saw Catherine Called Birdy, and Bella has such range and just an honesty about their work. I’m learning so much. I’m very honored to be here.”

We’re glad to hear it because we can’t wait to see Dina and Ellie’s complicated romance come to life. Currently, The Last of Us season two describes Dina as “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.”

Here’s everything we know about The Last of Us‘ second season so far.

The Last of Us Season 2 Plot

HBO has not yet shared an official synopsis for The Last of Us season two. We still have some idea what to expect. The franchise’s second video game will provide the source material for the TV series. Showrunner Craig Mazin has said the show will take more than one season to adapt the sequel game, but like with the television series’ first season they are not making a direct adaptation. Fans will once again see some major changes alongside some major moments and stories taken directly from the game. That might very well include a huge—though temporary—change for one character. (We won’t risk spoiling it for those who don’t know what that means.)

One thing that won’t change is the importance of The Last of Us Part II‘s Abby Anderson. She will debut during the second season and play a significant role in Ellie’s story. And like the video game sequel, the HBO series will also feature a time jump.

Behind the Scenes

The Last of Us‘ second season was in pre-production before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes put the show on hold. The first episode had already been written at the time. With both unions finally getting fair deals, the show is now expected to begin filming in Vancouver in early 2024.

Co-creators, writers, and executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are back for season two. Writers Halley Gross (The Last of Us Part II) and Bo Shim worked with Mazin and Druckmann on season two. Deadline additionally reports that The Last of Us season two has set its slate of directors, both new and old. These include four new directors: Succession‘s Mark Mylod, Perry Mason‘s Nina Lopez-Corrado, Watchmen‘s Stephen Williams, and Loki‘s Kate Herron. They join returning director Peter Hoar, who directed the incredible season one episode “Long, Long Time,” and the show’s creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.

The series comes from Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, and Naughty Dog.

The Last of Us Season 2’s Cast

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return as Joel and Ellie. Also expected back is Gabriel Luna. He plays Joel’s younger brother, Tommy. As is Rutina Wesley. She plays Tommy’s wife Maria.

Regarding new casting news, The Last of Us season two has cast Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. Abby is an important character from The Last of Us Part II game. Additionally, Isabela Merced has joined the season as Dina, who also hails from the second The Last of Us game. Dina is described as “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.”

The Last of Us season two has also cast Beef‘s Young Mazino as Jess. Jess is described, per Variety, as “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at a terrible cost.” That sounds ominous. Generally speaking, from Jess’s role in The Last of Us Part II, we can assume he and Ellie will build a friendship.

Finally Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, and Spencer Lord have all come aboard the second season of The Last of US, they will all feature as characters from The Last of Us Part II.

Variety reveals:

Ramirez will play Manny, described as “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” Barer will play Mel, said to be “a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.”

Gabrielle has been cast as Nora, “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past.” And Lord will appear as Owen, “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.”

The Last of Us Season 2’s Release Date

The Last of Us‘ second season wasn’t expected to premiere until the start of 2025 before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Even with production delayed, HBO is still reportedly targeting a 2025 return for the show. However, there is not yet an official date in place.

Originally published on December 29, 2023.

The post Isabela Merced Teases Chemistry Between Dina and Ellie in THE LAST OF US Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

Title

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

Mission: Impossible 8’s Plot

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Mission Impossible 8’s Cast

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

Newcomers include Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, and Lucy Tulugarjuk. Love Lies Bleeding‘s Katy O’Brian and Severance‘s Tramell Tillman have also joined the cast.

Mission Impossible 8′s Release Date

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

Originally published on August 1, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

Netflix’s Password-Sharing Crackdown Is Successful

According to Deadline, Netflix’s Co-CEO Greg Peters recently said, “Our paid sharing work, and our ads work, creates a more effective engine to translate all [Netflix] value into revenue growth, and will support increased conversion of our addressable market in many years to come.” And the company recently noted, “We believe we’ve successfully addressed account sharing, ensuring that when people enjoy Netflix they pay for the service too. Features like Transfer Profile and Extra Member were much requested, and many millions of our members are now taking advantage of them.” This success was recently quantified as Netflix added 9.33 million paid subscribers in Q1 of 2024. In total, Netflix now has 269.60 million paid subscribers as of March 31.

Deadline revealed, “Greg Peters says internal viewership data from before and after the implementation of paid password sharing shows the new policy has not turned off viewers, as some had initially predicted it would.” Peters noted that “owner households” viewing habits remained steady, though he admitted that Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown did cause a loss in some viewership numbers.

Peters noted, “We’re essentially cutting off some viewers who were not payers and therefore we’re going to lose some viewing associated with that,” he explained. Still, “despite that impact and despite the general pressure from strong competition,” he continued, “we think our engagement remains healthy.”

Netflix previously shared in a shareholder letter:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extra Members

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

Extra members differ from regular account holders in these ways:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verified Netflix Devices

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

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

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

Netflix Profile Transfers

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

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

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

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

Netflix Lets You Log Out of Individual Devices

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

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

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

100 Million Households Are Netflix Password Sharing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Originally published on March 16, 2022.

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

In our most recent look at the Thunderbolts* title, we’ve noticed an asterisk appearing after the word. And Kevin Feige has now revealed that it’s there for a reason. Speaking at CinmaCon 2024, he shared, “Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts. That is the official title of Thunderbolts and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.” This refusal to address the Thunderbolts* asterisk seems to mean that it’s important. Let the speculation begin.

Here’s everything we know so far about Thunderbolts*.

Title

For now, the movie about the Thunderbolts is simply called Thunderbolts*. But there is that lurking asterisk that carries some kind of hidden meaning.

Thunderbolts*’ Plot

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

Thunderbolts*’ Cast

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

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

Geraldine Viswanathan will now take on a mystery role initially meant for Ayo Edebiri. And reportedly, Lewis Pullman will replace Steven Yeun as Sentry in the Thunderbolts* movie.

Behind the Scenes

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

Thunderbolt‘s Release Date

Thunderbolts* is scheduled to release on May 2, 2025.

Originally published on January 27, 2023.

The post The THUNDERBOLTS* Asterisk Is Important, But Kevin Feige Won’t Talk About It ‘Until After the Movie’ appeared first on Nerdist.

Original reporting by Melissa Miller.

The prophecy foretold six seasons and a movie, and now that will come to pass. The Community movie is coming to Peacock! Thanks to a tweet from series star Joel McHale and a report in Variety, we finally know it’s happening. We also know that series creator Dan Harmon will write and produce the movie. However, with the recent writers’ strike, things were on hold for a while. McHale revealed to Variety that Harmon and co-writer Andrew Guest were almost done with the script and had a director in mind before everything came on a halt in May. Harmon, McHale, and other members of the WGA were on strike because the union did not reach a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over many issues, including streaming residuals. However, now that the writer and actor strikes have resolved, it sounds like the Community movie is back on track.

Most recently, Community star Alison Brie chimed in to share, “We got a script, which is a major update. We got a script — you heard it here first.” She added of the Community movie. “I’ve read the script, and it’s so funny.” Sounds like good news to us.

The Latest Updates on the Community Movie

Creator Dan Harmon also noted to Variety in February that the script was almost done. He shared, “I can confirm Donald Glover’s report that I told him the script was done, but I will also say Donald’s sources are so unreliable because the script is always ‘almost done. What can I tell you about it — it’s set on the campus of Greendale Community College. I’m super excited about it, and we’re almost done.”

Meanwhile, star Joel McHale also shared that the script for the film is done as far as he knows, adding a further update about the movie’s filming. Deadline notes, “McHale said it’s his belief that the Community movie will shoot “this year.” He’ll be “shocked,” he said, if it doesn’t.” And McHale offered, “I really do think it’s happening this year, and probably next week. It’s basically working around Donald [Glover]’s schedule.”

The Cast of the Community Movie

Casting news isn’t official, but McHale tagged fellow stars Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, and Ken Jeong in his post, as well as Gillian Anderson (but we assume he meant to tag Gillian Jacobs, who played Britta). The series finale gave our beloved characters a nudge towards their next steps in life, but we’ll be perfectly happy to see them all back together at Greendale Community College. Three cheers for the Community movie.

Six Season and a Movie

The show fulfilled half of Abed’s prophecy of “six seasons and a movie” with a final season on Yahoo! after five seasons on NBC. Its 110 episodes, all named like community college course titles, that mostly hit the mark of comedic and meta, takes on adult friendships. We cheered for the tight-knit study group through all the years of puppets, paintball, and pillow forts.

Community gained new popularity, and talk of the movie heated up when the show landed on Netflix in 2020. But it’s been part of the show’s lexicon since long before the series finale in 2015. It’s always a fun rewatch, and it’s never too late to watch the series for the first time.

We can’t wait to hear more official news for the Community movie. Will we finally learn what happened to Troy Barnes after he sailed off with LeVar Burton and was never heard from again? Donald Glover did join in when the cast reunited for a virtual table read in the early days of the pandemic. Happily, Dan Harmon has confirmed Glover would return for the movie. Glover himself also recently told The Hollywood Reporter he was still planning on the Community movie, saying:

Yeah, [Dan Harmon] told me what he wanted, and I was like, “This sounds great.” It’s a college reunion, but Abed [Danny Pudi’s character] is like this big director now, and basically this is his magnum opus. I’m like, “This sounds f**king tight.”

Maybe we’re not living in Abed’s darkest timeline after all.  

Originally published on November 4, 2022.

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

Here’s everything we know about Daredevil: Born Again.

Title

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

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Plot

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

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

Behind the Scenes

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

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

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

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Cast

So far, Charlie Cox, who, of course, returns as Daredevil, and Vincent D’Onofrio, who will play Kingpin, have signed onto the new series. In addition, reports indicate that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Punisher in the MCU series, and Deadline shares that Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye will also make the leap. Additionally, it seems like Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson will return as Karen Page and Foggy Nelson.

Also joining the Daredevil show are Nikki M. James, Michael Gandolfini, Margarita Levieva, Sandrine Holt, and  Lou Taylor Pucci. Their roles remain unknown. In addition, Deadline recently cited Carnival Row‘s Arty Froushan as part of the cast. And Genneya Walton will reportedly play “a young journalist with connections to a character from the original series.” Clark Johnson, in addition to directing, reportedly has a recurring role in the series.

Daredevil: Born Again‘s Release Date

Daredevil: Born Again will release in March of 2025.

Originally published January 5, 2023.

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

The Witcher‘s fourth season will be a big one for the show, and not just because of what happens on it. Season three was the last for Henry Cavill. Liam Hemsworth is taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. What will his Geralt have to deal with when the show returns after an explosive third installment that saw powerful figures team up to take control of the Continent? Here’s everything we know about The Witcher season four so far.

The Witcher Season 4’s Plot

Season three of The Witcher ended with Ciri relinquishing her powers and the powerful mage Vilgefortz partnering with her father, The White Flame who rules Nilfgaard. It also ended with Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri apart once again. It’s the type of chaos we expect from the Continent.

So what awaits the (new) Geralt in season four? And will he reunite with his lost love and Child of Destiny? This is Netflix’s first official synopsis for the show’s next installment:

After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other.  If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again. 

Netflix has also provided additional insight into what awaits fans when the show returns. That includes:

• Geralt giving up his attempts at remaining neutral and traveling with Jaskier and Milva in what is the begging of the Hanza book readers know. “It’s the group traveling with Geralt for the rest of the books. This becomes his newfound family,” said showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich to Tudum. “He begins to realize that he needs help to get Yennefer and Ciri back, and when you need to help, you actually have to give of yourself as well. So, we start to watch the Hanza build and start to see that there are some amazing emotional connections to come there as well.”
• Whether Ciri, now part of the Rats and going by Falka, has truly lost her powers forever.
• Yennefer dealing with leading the fractured and weakened Brotherhood.
• Answers to how far back Vilgefortz schemes and work with Ciri’s father Emhyr really go.

Behind the Scenes

Production on season four of The Witcher, from showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2024. Reports say it’s scheduled to shoot until October.

The Witcher Season 4’s Cast

Plenty of familiar faces will welcome Liam Hemsworth’s Geralt to the world of magic and monsters. Stars Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri), and Joey Batey (Jaskier) will all be back.

Season four will also mark the return of Bart Edwards (Emperor Emhyr), Mahesh Jadu (Vilgefortz), Meng’er Zhang (Milva), Mimi Ndiweni (Fringilla), Eamon Farren (Cahir), Mecia Simson (Francesca), Anna Shaffer (Triss), Wilson Mbomio (Dara), Lars Mikkelsen (Stregobor), Graham McTavish (Dijkstra), and Cassie Clare (Phillipa), Hugh Skinner (Radovid),and Royce Pierreson (Istredd).

A big star will also arrive on the Continent in season four. Netflix announced John Wick‘s Laurence Fishburne will play the Regis, a popular character from The Witcher books and video games. While longtime fans know his story, the streamer is keeping his secrets for now. Netflix desrcibes Regis as “a world-wise Barber-surgeon with a mysterious past.”

Additionally, Sharlto Copley, James Purefoy, and Danny Woodburn will join the series. Copley will play infamous bounty hunter Leo Bonhart. Purefoy will play Skellen, an advisor. And finally, Woodburn portrays the dwarf Zoltan.

The Witcher Season 4’s Release Date

Netflix has not yet announced a release date for the show’s fourth season. Based on the expected start and end of production, as well as the timeline of previous seasons, the earliest we’d possibly expect season four to debut is spring 2025. However, a summer premiere seems more likely. The Witcher‘s third season debuted on June 29, 2023 after it started shooting in March of ’22.

Originally published on January 16, 2024.

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Even ghosts need a day job. That’s where we find the pair of British boy spirits at the heart of Netflix’s new series, Dead Boy Detectives. Comic book characters created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner in the pages of The Sandman, the duo eventually appeared in several DC and Vertigo titles before headlining their own 12-issue series plus a number of other short spurts. The streaming giant recently shared the first trailer for Dead Boy Detectives, which finds ghost gumshoes Charles and Edwin up against loads of supernatural problems, and death itself. And now, we even know when the series will arrive.

Dead Boy Detectives Full Trailer

Weeks ahead of the show’s debut, Netflix released the full trailer of the series. The Sandman spinoff takes place in the same universe, which is why Kirby Howell-Baptiste’s Death of the Endless pops up. The two supernatural P.I.s need to continue avoiding her if they want to stay on the job. But she’s not the only one looking for them.

Dead Boy Detectives Teaser Trailer and Images

Steve Yockey, creator of Max’s The Flight Attendant, developed Dead Boy Detectives for Max originally. Given that streaming service’s rampant offloading, we’re lucky Netflix decided to pick it up. This also means this series can officially exist within Netflix’s Sandman universe. Good news for you, Gaimanites out there. The two dead boys had previously appeared on Doom Patrol, but those were different versions of the characters and won’t related to this show.

Netflix recently revealed that Dead Boy Detectives will release on April 25, sharing the news alongside a slew of new images from the series.

Click To View Gallery

Dead Boy Detectives‘ Synopsis

The official synopsis for the Dead Boy Detectives series is as follows:

Do you have a pesky ghost haunting you? Has a demon stolen your core memories? You may want to ring the Dead Boy Detectives. Meet Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), “the brains” and “the brawn” behind the Dead Boy Detectives agency. Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death, Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts… who solve mysteries. They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases.

What Is the Release Date for Dead Boy Detectives?

As mentioned, Netflix has officially revealed that the Dead Boy Detectives series will release on April 25. The trailer looks fun, and so we’re hoping that translates to the full series.

Originally published on November 11, 2023.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Despite a slew of controversy over the past two years, the Scream franchise is moving forward with its seventh installment. The previous film left the Core Four and Gale Weathers (we assume, considering she didn’t die) in a relatively good place, with Sam finally moving towards healing and peace after killing Richie’s remaining family. (It’s wild but true.) Scream VI was the first film to not include Sidney Prescott due to actress Neve Campbell rightfully bowing out due to a salary dispute. Fans thought Sidney would finally get a happy ending but Ghostface just won’t leave our good sis alone. That’s right, Sidney is back and her once-enemy turned sorta-friend Gale Weathers is probably coming back, too. Variety reports that Courteney Cox is in talks to reprise her role in the next film.

The next film will be interesting, to say the least. Who will don that infamous mask next? Here’s what we know about Scream 7. 

Title

For now, we will call this film Scream 7. It’s likely this will be the title, which could be stylized as Scream VII. As seen on this script from Campbell’s Instagram post, the film does not have an official title yet. 

Scream 7’s Plot 

As stated above, Sam and Tara’s story came to a neat conclusion in Scream VI. And Sidney is living a happy life with her husband Mark and her daughters. It seems like there was no one else hiding in the shadows who would want to kill Sidney. Her story was complete and she found peace. So, the plot of Scream 7 is really up in the air. Maybe Sidney will swoop in to help some other unfortunate soul battle against a new Ghostface. There’s no confirmation she’s the definite lead for this film yet. Or, depending on this film’s release, someone from 30 years ago could decide to celebrate the events of Scream (1996) in a sinister way. We shall see. 

Behind-the-Scenes

Kevin Williamson, the writer of Scream (1996), will direct Scream 7. He is replacing Christopher Landon, who left the film after Melissa Barerra’s controversial (and very upsetting) firing and Jenna Ortega’s exit. Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt, who wrote the last two installments, will pen this sequel. The Radio Silence team will step back from directing duties to executive produce Scream 7. 

Scream 7’s Cast 

Right now, the only person we absolutely know will be in Scream 7 is Neve Campbell. It remains to be seen if the Meeks-Martin twins, played by Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, will be in this film. We’d love to see more of them.

However, their return isn’t likely considering their characters’ stories being so closely intertwined with the Carpenter sisters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Savoy Brown hasn’t received a call from the studio Spyglass Media Group as of January 2024. Even more recently, Gooding affirmed he knew no solid details about the seventh Scream film. Sadness.

We assume Courteney Cox and Roger L. Jackson will return as Gale Weathers and the voice of Ghostface, respectively. Maybe we will see Patrick Dempsey reprise his role as Mark Kincaid, too. 

Scream 7 Release Date 

There is no release date for Scream 7 at this time. The script is at least partially in place, so perhaps we will see this film in late 2025 or maybe 2026 to celebrate Scream’s 30th anniversary.

Originally published on March 13, 2024.

The post Courteney Cox in Talks to Return for SCREAM 7 appeared first on Nerdist.

Disney Lorcana is a game that cannot, will not slow down. We’ve known about Ravensburger’s plan for quarterly releases since the trading card game debuted, but we’ve never been prepared for how quickly time flies. It feels like only yesterday we were learning about how to best incorporate Into the Inklands cards into our decks. But now, it’s time to look ahead to Lorcana‘s fourth set. Here’s everything we know about Disney Lorcana: Ursula’s Return.

Title

The fourth Disney Lorcana set is called Ursula’s Return.

Disney Lorcana: Ursula’s Return Story and Mechanics

Disney Lorcana‘s next release will continue the story told in the first three sets. This time Ursula is at the center. The Rise of the Floodborn release saw Ursula freed from the Illuminary. And now, in Ursula’s Return, the sea witch is “ready to put her plans into motion and take over Lorcana with only the players and their trusted glimmers standing in her way.”

We’re sure it will all work out just fine.

Ravensburger states gameplay will evolve with this set, but we don’t have any specifics on new mechanics yet.

Disney Lorcana: Ursula’s Return Characters

Disney Lorcana releases come with over 200 cards (at least they have historically), so we don’t know every character that will be in the fourth set. However, we do know Ursula’s Return will include Bruno and the rest of the Madrigal family from Encanto. That means Felix, Julieta, Mirabel, Bruno, Dolores, and Luisa. We’ll also see Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey and Yen Sid from Fantasia. A sneak peek included glimpses at Floodborn Ariel and Floodborn Mulan, too.

What Disney Lorcana: Ursuala’s Return Will Include

The Ursula’s Return release will include the following:

• Starter Deck – $16.99, Amethyst & Amber
• Starter Deck – $16.99, Sapphire & Steel
• Booster Packs – $5.99
• Illumineer’s Trove – $49.99
• Card Sleeves – $9.99
• Deck Boxes – $5.99
• Playmats (featuring Rapunzel and Tinker Bell) – $19.99

Disney Lorcana: Ursula’s Return Release Date

Ursula’s Return will release at local game stores, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, and select Disney Store retail locations on May 17, 2024. It will then be available from mass market retailers on May 31, 2024.

A Disney Lorcana Cooperative Game

This release will also launch with the first Disney Lorcana TCG cooperative game, Illumineer’s Quest “Deep Trouble.” The game has four difficulty levels and sees Illumineers fight Ursula. Ravensburger says, “The game includes a guided gameplay area for Ursula, two preconstructed Disney Lorcana TCG player decks (featuring Disney’s Mulan and Yen Sid and built with cards from the first four Disney Lorcana TCG sets) and a fierce Ursula deck. This sea witch plays by her own rules.”

Originally published on March 20, 2024.

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

For those eager to see more of the Dune universe, Dune: Part Two is now in theaters. And if you go see it, you’ll certainly be in good company. According to Variety, after only 10 days in theaters, Dune: Part Two surpassed the entire North American box office run of the first Dune movie. Of course, the original Dune movie released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max due to the pandemic. And so, its numbers cannot be fully compared to those of Dune: Part Two. Still, even accounting for the disparity in releases, it’s an impressive figure for Dune: Part Two.

Additionally, Dune: Part Two is expected to reach $500 million internationally by Monday, March 18. Variety notes that number is “a figure that few films have reached in post-pandemic times.” Currently, Dune: Part Two also stands as the highest-grossing movie of 2024, domestically and internationally.

Here’s the spoiler-free version of everything there is to know about Dune: Part Two.

Title

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

Dune: Part Two‘s Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dune: Part Two‘s Cast

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

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

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

Click To View Gallery

Behind the Scenes

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

Dune: Part Two‘s Release Date

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

Originally published on August 1, 2022.

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

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

Here’s everything we know about Venom: The Last Dance.

Title

According to Variety, the official title for the third Venom film is Venom: The Last Dance. This seems a bit ominous, tbh.

Venom: The Last Dance‘s Plot

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

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

A recent behind-the-scenes photo shared by Hardy also hints at the timeline of the movie. The image Hardy revealed shows his Eddie Brock wearing the same shirt as he was wearing when he was cast back into his own universe from the MCU’s world. This, of course, happened during the mid-credits scene of the most recent Spider-Man movie. The shared wardrobe seems to confirm the movie will pick up directly after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Venom: The Last Dance‘s Cast

Thankfully, Tom Hardy will return as Eddie Brock for Venom: The Last Dance. Alongside him, Ted Lasso’s Juno Temple has joined the movie, as will Chiwetel Ejiofor. We don’t know details on either of their roles yet. Clark Backo is also slated for an undisclosed role.

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

Behind-the-Scenes 

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

Venom: The Last Dance‘s Release Date

Venom: The Last Dance will release on October 25, 2024.

Originally published on August 1, 2023.

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

In our latest clip from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, we get something truly incredible, Kong catching a ride on Godzilla. How is that for frenemies?

Here’s everything we know about the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel.

Title

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

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Plot

The official synopsis is as follows:

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

Behind the Scenes

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

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Cast

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

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s Release Date

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will release on March 29, 2024. This is moved up two weeks from its planned release date.

Originally published on August 26, 2022.

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

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The Pokémon franchise is all about catching them all. You can collect Pokémon by going along on the anime’s adventures, by playing Pokémon‘s numerous video games, and even by walking down your favorite street as you adventure with Pokémon Go. But, by far, one of the most adorable ways to amass many Pokémon is by collecting Pokémon Squishmallows. Pokémon Squishmallows evolve your favorite Pokémon into a cross between a stuffed animal and a pillow, which gives even the cutest Pokémon an extra edge of sweetness. Who doesn’t love a Pikachu you can cuddle?

Much like with Pokémon‘s games, though, new Pokémon Squishmallows are always being released into the wild. Unfortunately, they can be hard to catch because many Pokémon trainers are after them, so knowing which Pokémon Squishmallows are out there and will soon be released can be very helpful. And hey, no one ever said becoming a Pokémon master was easy. Here are all the Pokémon Squishmallows released or announced so far.

Every Pokémon Squishmallow You Can Catch

The Newest Pokémon Squishmallow: Dragonite Squishmallow

Although this Squishmallow hasn’t yet been officially revealed. The internet is abuzz with talk of a Dragonite Squishmallow. It looks the Dragonite Squishmallow will have a wide-release version and Pokémon Center exclusive version. More details about sizes, pricing, and release date will surely be available soon. But based on past Pokémon Center releases, we will likely see a 12-inch version of the Dragonite Squishmallow, which costs $29.99.

Clefairy and Teddiursa Squishmallows

Could there be a Pokémon better suited to become a Squishmallow than Teddiursa? That Pokémon is practically a stuffed animal already and is known to be one of the cutest Pokémon around. Clefairy, of course, is snuggly by design as well. We love these two new Pokémon Squishmallows.

When Will Clefairy and Teddiursa Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released and How Much Will They Cost?

Clefairy and Teddiursa Squishmallows became available for pre-order in November 2023. They can now be purchased at The Pokémon Center store. Clefairy comes in a 12-inch size and costs $29.99, as does Teddiursa. Currently a purchaser is limited to two of each variety. Additionally, 10, 14, and 20-inch sizes of these Teddiursa and Clefairy Squishmallows have arrived in stores beyond The Pokémon Center. These Squishmalls are also available at GameStop (Clefairy/Teddiursa), Hot Topic, Amazon (Clefairy/Teddiursa) 14-inch variety, Amazon 20-inch variety (Clefairy/Teddiursa).

Holiday Pikachu Pokémon Squishmallow

Get festive this winter with Holiday Pikachu Squishmallow. Pokémon has developed a tradition of releasing Pikachus with headwear of various kinds, and this adorable creature continues that trend beautifully. Holiday Pikachu could be a Squishmallow worth throwing out a Great Ball for.

When Will the Holiday Pikachu Pokémon Squishmallow Be Released, and How Much Will It Cost?

The Holiday Pikachu Squishmallow releases in stores on November 5. It comes in a 14-inch version that costs $24.99. It is back in stock at Target.

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows were announced together—and they make a good pair. Another Pikachu is always a welcome addition to any trainer’s collection. And Piplup is one popular penguin creature. We can’t wait to snuggle these plushes, but gently, of course.

When Will Winking Pikachu and Piplup Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released, and How Much Will They Cost?

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows have released online. A 14-inch version of these Squishmallows costs $44.99, while a 12-inch version of the plushes retails for $29.99. There is also a 10-inch version version that costs $14.97. It appears Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows have only recently appeared in stores as well, so keep your eyes out if you want to snag them!

Right now, it seems like these two Pokémon Squishmallows are freshly available at GameStop (Piplup, all sizes) and The Pokémon Center, but we suggest you act quickly if you wish to buy them.

Togepi and Snorlax Squishmallows

Togepi and Snorlax are among the most iconic Pokémon out there, so it makes a lot of sense they were in the second wave of Pokémon Squishmallows released. Snorlax, by nature, makes for a good soft pillow. And who can resist the charm of Togepi?

When Will Snorlax and Togepi Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released, and How Much Will They Cost?

Snorlax and Togepi have been around for a while. Although they’re sold out online and can be difficult to find in stores, they are periodically re-released and become available again. Keep your eyes out for them in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, and more.

The Snorlax and Togepi Squishmallows come in 10, 12, and 20-inch variations. These Squishmallows retail for $14.99, $29.99, and $44.99, respectively.

The Orignal Pokémon Squishmallows: Pikachu and Gengar

Of course, there’s nothing like an O.G. set of Squishmallows for your Pokémon Collection. Pikachu and Gengar started it all. While Pikachu is the most obvious choice for a collection, Gengar is a little bit more of a wild card. But hey, we love the ghostly guy.

When Will Pikachu and Gengar Pokémon Squishmallows Be Released, and How Much Will They Cost?

Like Snorlax and Togepi, Pikachu and Gengar are sold out online but tend to restock and then resurface in stores now and again. The vigilant trainer will likely be able to snag these squishy friends at some point.

The Pikachu and Gengar Squishmallows come in 10, 12, and 20-inch variations. These Squishmallows retail for $19.99, $29.99, and $44.99, respectively.

Future Pokémon Squishmallow Releases

Given the steady cadence of past releases, there will almost certainly be more of these Squishmallows in the future. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the next waves of these Pokémon collectibles to help you catch ’em all.

Originally published on September 8, 2023.

The post Here Is Every POKÉMON Squishmallow Released So Far appeared first on Nerdist.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One brought a faithful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel to the big screen. The sci-fi film set up a universe in the distant future; one with noble houses, political maneuvering, and the spice melange. We learned the Padishah Emperor wanted to remove House Harkonnen from Arrakis, the planet where the precious and valuable spice comes from, and install House Atreides. Already divided by an ancient feud, the Harkonnens and Atreides further clashed over this change. The move to Arrakis spelled disaster for House Atreides, leaving quite a lot on the shoulders of the young Paul. And along the way, we learned about the spice, Fremen, the Bene Gesserit, and more. And that’s just Part One!

Dune: Part Two will soon arrive in theaters, bringing more intrigue, prophecy, and sandworms. If you’d like more information on the key topics in the Dune universe, we have plenty of Dune explainers to help you out.

Everything You Need to Remember From Dune: Part One

Before you put your toe back in the sands of Arrakis, refresh your memory about how the story began: Here’s What Happened at the End of Dune: Part One—Main Character Deaths, Fates, and More, Explained

What Is Spice in Dune?

Spice is the most valuable substance in the Dune universe. Learn about its source, how it’s harvested, and its properties: What Is Spice in Dune and Why Is It Important?

Who Are the Bene Gesserit in Dune?

Warner Bros./Legendary

Lady Jessica is a Bene Gesserit. We see the Reverend Mother of the organization visit Jessica and her son Paul before they leave Caladan for Arrakis. Learn about the Bene Gesserit’s purposes, powers, and more: Who Are the Bene Gesserit in Dune?

What Is the Gom Jabbar Test of Humanity?

When Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam visits Jessica, she administers the Gom Jabbar Test for Humanity. Learn about the gom jabbar, the reason for the test, and why the Reverend Mother gives the test to Paul: What Is Dune‘s Mysterious Gom Jabbar Test?

What Is Dune‘s Litany Against Fear?

In Dune: Part One, we hear Lady Jessica say an adapted version of the Litany Against Fear. It’s from a Bene Gesserit rite. Learn the entire litany: What Is Dune‘s Litany Against Fear?

Who Are the Mentats in Dune?

Warner Bros./Legendary

Some people in the Dune universe are trained to basically be human computers known as Mentats. Learn about what Mentats can do and how one becomes a Mentat: Who Are the Mentats in Dune?

Everything You Need to Know About Arrakis from Dune

A desert planet, home of spice and the Fremen, Arrakis sits at the center of Dune. In fact, Arrakis also goes by Dune. Learn about Arrakis’ history, inhabitants, and more: Everything You Need to Know About Arrakis from Dune

Who Are the Fremen in Dune?

Fremen live on Arrakis in unknown numbers. They survive in the planet’s inhospitable desert. Learn more about their origins and their relationship with the spice melange: Who Are the Fremen in Dune?

What You Need to Know About Dune‘s Sandworms

Warner Bros./Legendary

The Fremen don’t live in Arrakis’ deserts alone. Sandworms call the vast dunes home, too. The massive creatures play a key role in the story. Learn more about where they live and why they’re so integral: What You Need to Know About Dune‘s Sandworms

What Is Dune‘s Kwisatz Haderach?

Dune is a Chosen One story, but in this tale, the Chosen One is called the Kwisatz Haderach. Learn the meaning of the phrase, why the Bene Gesserit want the Kwisatz Haderach, and if it’s Paul Atreides: What Is Dune‘s Kwisatz Haderach?

Glossary of Dune Terms

If you need to look up a word you heard in the film, we have you covered: A Glossary of Important Terms in Dune

Important Dune Characters

Warner Bros./Legendary

Didn’t quite get enough of the characters on-screen in Dune: Part One? Here you go: A Glossary of Every Important Character in Dune

Who Is Dune‘s Chani?

Chani, played by Zendaya, is a particularly important character in Dune: Who Is Dune‘s Chani? Everything You Need to Know

Who Is Dune‘s Feyd-Rautha?

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen didn’t appear in Dune: Part One, but he plays a key role in Part Two: Who Is Feyd-Rautha From Dune? Everything You Need to Know

What About Margot Fenring?

Lady Margot Fenring is another character readers had to wait to see until Part Two. This is why she’s one to keep an eye on: Who Is Margot Fenring From Dune? Everything You Need to Know

Dune Pronunciation Guide

Talking about Dune with your friends? Get the names right with this guide: How to Pronounce Everything in Dune

Originally published on October 27, 2021.

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

The post All the DUNE Explainers You Might Need appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Here’s everything we know about Echo so far. 

Title 

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

Echo’s Plot 

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

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

Behind the Scenes 

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

Echo’s Cast 

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

Echo’s Release Date 

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

Originally published in 2021.

The post Everything We Know About ECHO appeared first on Nerdist.

Cassandra Webb— better known as Madame Web—is finally weaving her own web of adventure in an upcoming solo movie. The Spider-Man ally is a fave among comic fans, even though she historically hasn’t gotten a lot of action in her own right. The details about this addition to Sony’s growing Spider-Man universe have been mostly mum, but surely more will unfold in the near future. Here’s everything you need to know about the Madame Web movie. 

Title 

The title for this film is simply Madame Web. 

Madame Web’s Plot

The film’s creatives are keeping a lot of plot details under wraps at the moment. However, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura promises that there will be a new Madame Web origin story. “It’s really the story of Madame Web,” said di Bonaventura in a Comicbook.com interview. “So, in that respect, if you’re a Spider-Man fan, you’re gonna love the character because you know it from the comic books, which she doesn’t really have that big a character in the comic books, we’re doing the origin story of Madame Web. And so you meet her before she’s actually the person that you know in the comic book and you come to understand how she becomes that person. So, I think that’ll be a really fresh new terrain for the fans.”

A synopsis for the movie further shares, “Meanwhile, in another universe…” In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures…if they can all survive a deadly present.“

Behind the Scenes 

S.J. Clarkson will direct Madame Web with Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama penning the script. In addition to di Bonaventura, Palak Patel and Eric Howsam will also produce this film. It was shot in several locations throughout Massachusetts (including Boston) and NYC, with initial filming wrapping in early 2023. 

Madame Web’s Cast 

Dakota Johnson will star as Cassandra Webb/Madame Web alongside Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter/Spider-Woman. Celeste O’Connor, Zosia Mamet, Emma Roberts, Isabela Merced, Mike Epps, Tahar Rahim, and Adam Scott are all a part of this film in undisclosed roles. 

Madame Web’s Release Date 

Madame Web will release on February 14, 2024.

Originally published on June 6, 2023.

The post Everything We Know About MADAME WEB appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

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

Once Upon a Time Lord 

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

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

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

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

CyberDog 

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

Every Era Begins with a Rose… Sort Of

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

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

Donna Noble’s Theme Rises

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

Allons-y!

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

Who the Hell Is Nerys?

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

Donna and That Lottery Money

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

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

UNIT’s First Scientific Advisor 

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

Shirley Anne Honors Shirley Coward

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

Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors

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

The Shadow Proclamation Is Still Alive and Well, We Guess

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

Binary. Binary. Binary. 

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

Rose Noble’s Workshed and Villain Creatures

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

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

The Doctor Meets Isaac Newton… Again 

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

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

The TARDIS Plays Wild Blue Yonder 

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

HADS Saves the TARDIS

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

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

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

Licking Random Things to Discover the Truth

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

Venom and Mass

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

The Flux Events Are Bothering the Doctor

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

Salt Blocks Demons and Evil Entities 

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

We Meet Again, Wilf

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

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

John Logie Baird and Stooky Bill 

The inclusion of John Logie Baird and the (very unsettling) Stooky Bill are more than just Doctor Who sci-fi shenanigans. Baird is a father of television and his real-life story with Stooky Bill is worth diving into. Check out our history post about the first-ever TV image. 

Towing the TARDIS 

The Doctor, Donna, and the TARDIS all get a lift to UNIT headquarters. This isn’t the first time we have seen the TARDIS towed via helicopter in the show’s history. In “The Day of the Doctor,” the Eleventh Doctor and Clara are inside the TARDIS when a helicopter picks it up and takes it to UNIT under Kate’s authority. 

Hello Again, Mel Bush

What a lovely appearance! After briefly seeing Mel in a former companions’ support group in Thirteen’s swan song, she’s back and working with UNIT. She reunites with the Doctor and they dig into her past, which might be confusing for those who aren’t familiar with her Classic era story. Don’t worry, this post about Mel Bush’s Doctor Who history will totally get you up to speed.

The Giggle and Bach

The giggle that everyone recognizes is from Bach’s Prelude in C Major, which is used in quite a few recognizable tunes we all know.  

The Return of the Toymaker

The return of the Toymaker wasn’t shocking at all. However, there are just enough references to the past that you’ll want to read up on him to understand the history between the Doctor and this manic antagonist. The Doctor even mentions to him that they can play across the cosmos and be “celestial” versus the Toymaker destroying Earth. 

The Archangel Network 

A huge crux of the Toymaker’s plan was the world being hyper-connected and online. Kate notes this while Shirley counters that their current connection system, KOSAT, is clean and is nothing like the older Archangel Network with things hiding in the signal. The Archangel Network was a series of satellites around Earth that the Master used to mind control with a signal that encouraged them to vote for Saxon. Of course, this took place during the Tenth Doctor’s era and led to the final storyline of Martha Jones traveling the Earth to save everyone. 

A Hall of Horrors 

The Toymaker sets up a game at his shop by turning one door into many doors. This is awfully reminiscent of “The God Complex,” where the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory end up at an ‘80s hotel where the corridors change often and each room contains something sinister or frightening. 

Villain Name Drop 

Once again, we take a trip down Ten/Donna memory lane when Donna name drops a few villains from the past. Ood, Davros, the Adipose, and Daleks all get a mention. Oh, and that great big bomb mentioned about the latter is a reference to the reality bomb that Davros built for the Daleks to use and eliminate all non-Dalek matter in the universe. This was a major event in “Journey’s End.” 

The Tragedy of Past Companions 

The Toymaker decides to air the Doctor’s dirty laundry to Donna, one companion at a time. He goes through the sad and oft tragic ending that many of his traveling friends met. There are references to Amy Pond being touched by a Weeping Angel and dying (“The Angels Take Manhattan”), Clara being killed by a bird (“Face the Raven”), and Bill being turned into a Cyberwoman (“World Enough and Time/ “The Doctor Falls”). Ouch! The Toymaker pulled the Doctor’s card for sure. There’s also another mention of the Flux, of course, as a cherry on top.  

Sidenote: This makes Martha Jones’ ending even better because she walked away without a mountain of trauma (or worse) happening to her.

Spice Up Your Life 

“The Giggle” goes full musical with the Toymaker’s deadly yet wildly entertaining performance at UNIT. He whisks himself around the room while the Spice Girls’ “Spice Up Your Life” plays. It’s almost like he’s trying to trap Gen X and Millennials on purpose… and it is working. 

All the Past Doctor Trauma and Loves

The Fifteenth Doctor mentions they haven’t stopped moving for thousands of years. He goes back through a lot of things, including the Doctor’s exile (from the Third Doctor era). There’s also the Key to Time, when the Fourth Doctor is tasked to find six segments to this key, and Logopolis, a planet where the Doctor regenerated into the Fifth Doctor.

The deaths of Adric and River Song are mentioned along with the death of Sarah Jane Smith, which reflects actress Elisabeth Sladen’s real-life demise in 2011. And yes, the Doctor mentions that he loved Sarah and Rose both, which might be a loose reference to “School Reunion” when those companions met, famously fought, and eventually found common ground. 

That’s not all though. There’s the Time War (Ninth Doctor), Pandorica (Eleventh Doctor),the Gods of Ragnarok (Seventh Doctor antagonist) and Mavic Chen (a villain from the First Doctor era) mentions, too. 

The Jukebox 

The Fifteenth Doctor’s console room is just like the Fourteenth Doctor’s room but it has a jukebox. This music device pops up a lot throughout Who history, from the one inside Clara’s TARDIS (disguised as a diner) to the one that Cassandra wheels out in “The End of Time.” 

We loved all the Doctor Who Easter eggs, references, and callbacks will come up in these specials. Happy 60th Anniversary to the greatest sci-fi series of all-time.

Originally published on November 25, 2023.

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

In 2023, the editors, staff writers, and freelancers of Nerdist combined our creative powers to once again deliver unparalleled coverage of genre entertainment. (It is true. We are the best.) With each article, our team strives to adhere to and uphold our media values as entertainment journalists. We’ve built a system based on these four alliterative principles: impassioned, irreverent, inclusive, and informative. 

Whether we are discussing the morally complex history of a comic character or riffing about an illogical yet amusing aspect of our fave TV show, Nerdist never shies away from research and facts. Every Nerdist feature is all about trying to give readers some new knowledge to tuck into their mental Rolodex. 

We love to stir up a great debate but not in the form of ridiculous clickbait and mean-spirited verbal teardowns. Sometimes our best op-eds are ones that provide critical discourse alongside acknowledging progress. We are a passionate group here at Nerdist but we are also guided by honor. 

When we aren’t flexin’ our knowledge or giving you a new perspective on media, we spend a lot of our time trying to cultivate joy. Above all else, fandom is meant to be FUN and we know how to whip up something fun for you to read. The weird backstory of some random thing? Yeah, we know about it. An ode to an inanimate object that’s cemented itself into pop culture history? Sure. 

Being a champion of geeky and nerdy TV, film, comics, gaming, and more is all about making all fans feel welcome. There are no gates to climb over nor parameters any of us have to meet to label ourselves a fan of anything. We simply have to enjoy the thing. And there’s more than enough room in our universe—and every fictional one, too—for everyone to be included and celebrated. Period. 

We did all of this in 2023 and we’d love to share some of our best articles with you. 

Jump to: Features // Lists // Reviews // Interviews // Weird News // Explainers // Gaming Love // “The Most” Posts // Horror // Honoring Creatives // The Link Up 

Nerdist’s Shining Features of 2023

From Ahsoka to Barbie, we had a wide variety of subjects and universes to discuss this year. Sometimes, we gave an ode or insight into fictional pop culture greats. Other times, we took a deep look into religion and mythology. And, we rarely miss an opportunity to be completely silly.

The History of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude

We love an informative post about comics gems. And when it comes to comics, Staff Writer Eric Diaz possesses knowledge that is beyond what one person should be able to contain in a single brain. He dug into the complete history behind Kal-El’s majestic home that pays tribute to his long-lost world.

Barbie Shows Love to the People Who Hate It the Most

Barbie took over the first half of 2023 with its brilliant marketing scheme. The Margot Robbie-led film about the iconic doll piqued the interest of nearly every human on the internet, for better or worse. It was clear that the film’s messages about patriarchal society and manhood would upset a certain subset of society; however, Staff Writer Mikey Walsh realized that Barbie shows love to those who dislike it the most. He carefully examines Ken’s story arc and how Barbie teaches us about self-destructive foundations that ultimately benefit no one.

Yellowjackets‘ First Foray Into Cannibalism Is a Religious Transmutation

Yellowjackets’ second season gave fans what they’d been waiting for since the show’s inception: cannibalism. But, as News Editor Ro Rusak notes in her feature, Yellowjackets takes an alternative approach to this act. It trades the expected brutality for depictions that give it a deeper spiritual meaning. This piece left readers buzzing, indeed. 

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Taught Me How to Grieve as a Child

Over the past few years, grief has been a central topic in our collective real-life experiences. A global pandemic, warring factions, and personal losses will do that to you. In times of sorrow and strife, we often turn to the arts to help us parse through our complex emotions. Freelancer Jules Greene opens up about a significant childhood loss and how this film taught him how to grieve. 

An Ode to Rick’s Hat on The Walking Dead

Since The Walking Dead’s first episode, Rick Grimes’ hat has been a silent yet critical mainstay in the series. Features Editor Tai Gooden goes through the complete history of this family heirloom and a bridge between the old world and a post-apocalyptic society. While this post was born from silly Slack chatter, it looks at what prized possessions mean to us in times of great transition and trouble.

Killers of the Flower Moon Misses Its Own Point

Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon touches on a heartbreaking and violent piece of history involving the murders of Osage Nation members in the 1920s. The film is lauded for its cast, screenplay, and other elements; however, it is always vital to make sure that we have a holistic view of anything involving real-life tragedies, specifically those that happen to marginalized people. We are grateful that freelancer Logan Boese wrote about how Killers of the Flower Moon should have shifted its focus in an alternative direction. 

What Does The Fall of the House of Usher‘s Cryptic Color Coding Mean?

The Nerdist staff respectfully disagrees on a lot of things. Some of us liked Scream VI while others thought it was terrible. Opinions are subjective, after all. But if there’s one 2023 offering that we all watched and thoroughly enjoyed, it is The Fall of the House of Usher. Freelance writer Lindsey Romain broke down the show’s use of color theory with each member of the Usher family and how it plays into their character arc. 

A Timeline of Ahsoka Tano’s Most Important Star Wars Moments

It’s no secret that our Star Wars content is incredibly popular among readers. This is in large thanks to the many experts here, especially our Editor-in-Chief Amy Ratcliffe. If there’s a question about anything in the universe, she’s guaranteed to have an answer. So, with Ahsoka on the horizon, Amy took us through a detailed timeline of the character’s most important moments over the years. It’s the type of post that will leave you feeling hella smarter. 

So… What Actually Constitutes Avengers Membership in the MCU?

The MCU has no shortage of funny moments, including M.O.D.O.K’s dying declaration that he was an Avenger. We get a good chuckle, of course, but our creative minds always begin to wander to those QTNA. What actually makes someone an Avenger in the first place? Senior Editor Kyle Anderson tackles this question with humor, heart, and, as always, big facts. 

Nerdist‘s Lists With a Twist in 2023

Who among us can resist a fun list? No one, that’s who. Nerdist did quite a few lists this year and, as always, they come in an unorthodox form. 

Like Barbie and Oppenheimer, These Iconic Movies Opened the Same Weekend 

The phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer” made us wonder if there were any other big box office showdowns between two very different films. Eric Diaz put his research cap on and went to work, digging into decades past to uncover forgotten (or overlooked) weekend competitions. Did you know that The Matrix and 10 Things I Hate About You hit theaters on the same day? A wild pairing for sure.

Every 1990s Marvel Animated Series, Ranked 

Rankings are a great way to stir up some good-natured debate. Kyle Anderson unearthed a few nostalgic Marvel animated series and ranked them from best to worst. It is a post that we didn’t know we needed until it hit the web. 

5 Middle-earth Stories the New Lord of the Rings Movies Should Tell 

There are several Lord of the Rings movies in the works at Warner Bros. Naturally, this made us wonder what kinds of stories we’d love to see in the next chapter of this enduring franchise. Ro Rusak came up with five very important stories that we should get in film form. 

Nerdist‘s Stellar Reviews of 2023

We don’t review every single thing in our wheelhouse. But when we do, we aren’t givin’ ya a run-of-the-mill recap with paper thin thoughts. Our honesty is anchored with tact and care and our analysis expands far beyond surface-level. 

Barbie

Hi, Barbie! Surely there isn’t an entertainment website in existence that didn’t review this box office smash. Freelancer Lauren Coates dug into the film’s feminist messages, compelling characterizations, and so much more. Her thoughts were more than Kenough to encourage others to check out Barbie. 

Oppenheimer

Kyle Anderson’s reviews are a Nerdist staple every year. One of his best reviews was undoubtedly Oppenheimer, the type of film that stirs up conflicting emotions for viewers. As always, Kyle is honest, thoughtful, and thorough. 

The Little Mermaid 

Freelance writer Nicole Hill dove under the sea to dissect this fresh take on a Disney classic. Her review reflects the Nerdist way of delivering wit, passion, and sharp commentary.

The Interviewing Genius of Nerdist in 2023

One of the coolest aspects of working in the entertainment industry is getting a chance to speak with creatives. Unlocking new information and getting answers to fandom’s deepest burning questions will never, ever get old. We admire their work and stood in solidarity with creatives during this year’s strikes. From book authors to showrunners to celebrities, Nerdist always occupies a unique space in the interview landscape.

The Black Guy Dies First Authors on Their Horror Loves and the Genre’s Future

A few years ago, the educational and highly introspective documentary Horror Noire dropped and changed the landscape of the genre. But what many people may not know is that it was based on Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s 2011 scholarly text Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present.

So, when we found out that Dr. Means Coleman would team up Blackhorrormovies.com founder Mark H. Harris for an educational dive into Black horror, we knew we had to speak with them. Tai Gooden took the reins for this interview, chatting with them about horror history, intersectionality, and how they brought their project to life.

Sean Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy, Gilmore Girls, and Being a Cat-Dad

Amy Ratcliffe caught up with actor Sean Gunn to talk about a wide variety of subjects, including his role as Guardians of the Galaxy character Kraglin and being a cat-dad. If you thought you knew a lot about his life before, surely this interview will reveal something surprising. 

Iman Vellani on The Marvels, Writing Ms. Marvel, and Her Hopes for Kamala Khan’s Future

The Ms. Marvel star and freelancer Maryam Ahmad are a match made in interview heaven. The pair chatted about Vellani’s role in The Marvels, her comic creator hopes, and what she wants for Kamala Khan’s MCU future. We hope her dream of penning a Deadpool comic comes true. 

Nerdist, Home of the Explainers

Who Is Verna in The Fall of the House of Usher? Her Name and Purpose, Explained

If ever there were a character who needed explaining, it would be The Fall of the House of Usher’s Verna. The enigmatic and frankly frightening harbinger of death had fans scrambling to understand exactly what she represented in the series. Mikey Walsh examined the realm of possibilities, from obvious connections to questionable symbolisms. 

Loki‘s Post-credits Scene Ties Into a Classic Thor Comics Location

Sylvie in that ’80s era McDonald’s made for quite the Loki post-credits scene. While the average fan would only see it as a fun moment, comic lovers knew exactly why an Asgardian would be in a small Oklahoma town. Eric Diaz gave us the full comic history scoop on Broxton, Oklahoma and its comic history.

The Biggest Moments The Last of Us Series Adapts From the Game

The Last of Us did not stray too far from its source material for good reason. The game franchise is wildly popular and known among fans for its excellent storylines. Freelancer Ariel Kling kept up with all the big moments that the TV series adapted from the games for a comprehensive post. It’s a bit of a twist on the explainer into a more informative/Easter egg territory.

Nerdist‘s Very Weird Yet Wonderful Stories

One thing we can count is weird news. There’s always some disgusting food, odd creation, or downright disturbing new tech in the world that is guaranteed to elicit eyeball emoji responses. 

Burger King’s New Cheeseburger Is Just 20 Slices of Cheese and Only Cheese

Burger King Thailand did the absolute most this year by taking the word “cheeseburger” way too literal. Their stomach-churning burger with only slices of American cheese (the WORST cheese, btw) caught our attention and haunts us to this day. 

Eggo “Brunch in a Jar” Sippin’ Cream Turns Waffles, Bacon, and Butter Into a Boozy Treat

Getting a lil’ tipsy and having all the flavors of breakfast without forking over cash for brunch sounds like a win. Eggo’s breakfast sippin’ cream is weird but also sort of a vibe. It will never replace the greatness of Egg Nog or rum cider, but there’s always room to try something strange. 

Newly Discovered Spiders Named After Classic Star Trek Characters

We love when science and pop culture cross paths in odd ways. An entirely new spider species is now known as the Roddenberry genus with three spiders named after Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. It is literally the perfect news writeup for Nerdist. 

Nerdist Gets Into the Game

Games are a lovely part of nerd culture. They can be a solo activity or experienced with a group of close friends. We can immerse ourselves in another existing world or make the choice to build our own. Whether it’s tabletop or video games, we are down for it. 

The Mending Circle Is a Witchy RPG About Healing and Hope

An RPG about hope and healing that is made for three players only? Sign us up. Our resident tabletop gaming expert Amy Ratcliffe brought this project to the attention of readers. Now it is successfully funded via Kickstarter and likely heading our way next year. 

We Reveal 5 Disney Lorcana: Rise of the Floodborn Song Cards

Come on exclusive! Once again, Amy is on the job and giving our readers a first-look at new Disney Lorcana cards. The trading card game had quite the popular run this year and we’ve been on top of every single update, including this reveal. 

Here Are the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Post-credit Reveals and Easter Egg Cameos

One of the biggest games in 2023 was Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Eric Diaz got into all the Easter eggs and teases that the game packed into its action. Hello Silk!

Nerdist Does the Most with Most Posts 

The Most Shocking, Gross, and Plain Weird Moments of Gen V Season 1

To compliment last year’s shocking list for The Boys season 3, we counted up all the wild moments from Gen V’s freshman year. Tai Gooden continues to be a fan of all the chaos, carnage, and blood-soaked scenes that make this universe unlike any other on TV.

Which Version of the Joker Is Actually the Scariest?

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the scariest Joker of them all? Jules Greene took a definitive and perhaps unorthodox stance on deciding the “most scary” version of this famed Batman villain. 

David Cronenberg’s Rabid Is the Strangest Vampire Movie Ever Made

Once again, we have a twist on the “most” with Lindsey Romain’s take on one really strange vampire movie. She dug into the past and unearthed a classic that involves some weird armpit action.

Nerdist Explores the Horrors of 2023 

Once again, horror had a nice run on TV and in theaters with movies like Evil Dead Rise, Scream VI, Talk to Me, and M3GAN. Nerdist really amps up our coverage for Nerdoween but we (well, most of us) love scary s**t all year long. 

12 Iconic Horror Villains and Their Zodiac Signs 

All horror villains are killers but they have different personalities and motivations. Once again, we took some lengthy Slack chatter and turned it into a fun and interesting post. Somehow, Tai ends up writing these kinds of things.

How the Universal Monsters Became the Mascots of Halloween

Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man are Halloween icons just like your everyday witch or zombie. But, how did these monsters become such icons? This post is a mix of history, explainer, and just overall fun feature by Eric Diaz.

Nerdist Honors Marginalized Creatives 

These posts are all about our mission of amplifying independent creators. It is vital to make space for those from marginalized communities and identities and amplify their word in the fandom space.

9 Queer Podcasts and Vlogs That You Should Support

Entertainment podcasts and vlogs with LGBTQ+ hosts are crucial to having a more holistic perspective of a property. Sometimes, these podcasts are about the host(s) specific identities but, even when they are not, their viewpoint usually illuminates aspects that others may miss because of their lived experience. We gave a big shoutout to a few podcasts that are doing their thing in 2023.

DC Power: A Celebration Anthology Honors Black Comic Heroes and Creatives  

This is a Black History Month celebration that we like to see. Several comic creators like Stephanie Williams and N.K. Jemisin came together to write about DC’s Black heroes. It’s a win-win for all.

Let’s Come Together for the Link Up 

We like to do collaborative posts from time to time! It reflects how different we all are and how our strengths come together to make something magical.

The Classic Scary Movie Tropes That Will Never Die 

Long live horror tropes. A few horror loving members of Team Nerdist and freelancers came together to talk about a horror trope that we loved (or hate) that will not go out of style. Falling down? Sure. Mirror gags. Oh yes.

Cartoon Episodes From the ’80s and ’90s That Scared Us as Kids

For most of us, our first introduction to scary content was through cartoons. We went back into our pasts and thought about that one episode that really frightened us long before our Nerdist days.

Thanks to everyone who wrote for Nerdist in 2023. And thank you to the many, many readers who took time to engage with our content. We cannot wait to see what 2024 has in store for us!

The post Nerdist’s Best Features and Articles of 2023 appeared first on Nerdist.

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

Gen V Season 1 (Streaming on Prime Video)

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

The Last of Us Season 1 (Streaming on Max)

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

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

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

Ahsoka Season 1 (Streaming on Disney+)

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

The Mandalorian Season 3 (Streaming on Disney+)

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

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

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

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

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

American Born Chinese (Streaming on Disney+)

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

Reservation Dogs Season 3 (Streaming on Hulu)

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

Poker Face (Streaming on Peacock)

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

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

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

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

Loki Season 2 (Streaming on Disney+)

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

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

One Piece (Streaming on Netflix)

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

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

The post Nerdist’s Best TV Shows of 2023 appeared first on Nerdist.