Currently filming its first season, with an eye on a 2025 launch date, is the latest series in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Some kind of Starfleet Academy project has been rumored since the ’80s, for both film and TV. But one is finally happening at last. Starfleet Academy is the fourth Paramount+ Star Trek live-action series, and the ninth live-action Star Trek series overall. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series.

Title

The official title of the upcoming Paramount+ series is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Although, we think that most fans will simply refer to it as Starfleet Academy without the brand name attached. We also imagine in the greater Star Trek fandom the name of the show will be shortened even further to ST:SA.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s Plot

The new series is a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, and will take place in the 32nd Century, some 800 years after the time of Star Trek: Picard. After a period of 100 years where the Federation dwindled to a handful of worlds, and Starfleet was a small operation, Starfleet Academy will introduce the first class of cadets in a century. Below is the official description from Paramount+:

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

Behind-the-Scenes

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau will serve as co-showrunners for Starfleet Academy. Gaia Violo wrote the series pilot. Kurtzman of course is the head honcho for all things in the Star Trek universe on Paramount+, including Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Picard.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s Cast

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has a robust cast, headlined by Academy Award winner Holly Hunter. She’ll be the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy, presumably still located in San Francisco. She’s the third woman to headline her own Star Trek series, after Kate Mulgrew and Sonequa Martin-Green. The series’ main villain is none other than Paul Giamatti, who plays “A man with an ominous past connected to one of our cadets.”

Speaking of the cadets, in the roles of the student body we’ve got Karim Diané, Zoë Steiner, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, and Sandro Rosta. Legacy actors from Star Trek: Discovery joining the series include Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr, and Mary Wiseman. The biggest surprise in terms of legacy Trek actors is Star Trek: Voyager‘s Robert Picardo. He returns as the Emergency Medical Holographic doctor.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Release Date

There is no release date yet for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, but it’s expected in the latter half of 2025 on Paramount+. Presumably, it will drop some months after Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wraps up its third season.

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Season two of Netflix’s One Piece will soon set sail. And that means we’ll be seeing more familiar faces come to life on our screen. Recently, Netflix has shared a string of new casting announcements for season two of live-action One Piece. But who are the new cast we’ll see on the high seas? From Smoker to Baroque Works Agents to everyone else in between, here the actors joining the cast of One Piece season two and the new live-action characters they’ll play.

One Piece Season 2 Casts Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0 and Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday

In its most exciting piece of casting yet, Netflix has cast Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0 in live-action One Piece season two. Mr. 0, of course, is also known as the villainous Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea and the president of Baroque Works. Crocodile is one of the most nefarious villains in One Piece‘s world. Additionally, Lera Abova joins as Miss All Sunday… also known as one Nico Robin… she may or may not be destined to join the Straw Hat Pirates along with another teased character, Chopper. Fans will surely delight in seeing these iconic characters brought to life by such masterful actors.

One Piece Season 2 Casts Charithra Chandran As Miss Wednesday

It seems that Netflix will slowly trickle out a large number of new cast members for One Piece season two. A beloved anime favorite character, Miss Wednesday, will be played by actress Charithra Chandra. We love to see it!

Netflix’s Live-Action One Piece Season 2 Casts Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra

According to Variety, there’s yet another cast announcement for One Piece season two. Sendhil Ramamurthy will play Nefertari Cobra, the King of Alabasta and the patriarch of the Nefertari family.

Netflix’s Live-Action One Piece Season 2 Casts Dr. Kureha and Dr. Hiriluk

The Great Medical Land of Drum is in the house. For a long time, fans hoped that the iconic Dr. Kureha would be played by Jamie Lee Curtis. But alas, that casting did not work out. Instead, Dr. Kureha will be played by Katey Sagal on One Piece season two. In One Piece‘s world, Dr. Kureha is an elderly doctor who some think of as a witch, and an ally to the Straw Hat pirates. Dr. Kureha is Chopper’s adoptive mother, which likely means Chopper’s reveal is just around the corner.

Additionally cast for One Piece season two is Dr. Hiriluk, who will be played by Mark Harelik. Dr. Hiriluk is a complicated character with a good heart and a tragic story. He is Chopper’s original father figure, but alas, their story ends in great sadness. It will be interesting to see just how the live-action One Piece series adapts Chopper’s backstory and Dr. Hiriluk’s tale.

One Piece Season 2 Casts Smoker, Tashigi, Wapol & Dalton

A very anticipated casting for One Piece season two is that of Smoker. This villainous figure was teased at the end of One Piece season one. In One Piece‘s world, Smoker is a marine on a mission… A mission to capture Luffy. And now we know that Monarch‘s Callum Kerr will play Smoker in One Piece season two as the character arrives in full.

Additionally, Netflix has cast Tashigi, Wapol, and Dalton to join the pirate-fun. Tashigi is also a marine who serves under Smoker. Tashigi is a skilled swordsman and we’ll no doubt see her clashing blades with Zoro in One Piece season two. Julia Rehwald has been cast as this new One Pieces season two live-action character.

Wapol, meanwhile, is a selfish character who used to be the king of his kingdom (called Drum). However, when pirates attacked, he fled his people in a cowardly way and became a pirate himself. He’s eaten of the Baku Baku no Mi Devil Fruit which allows him to eat nearly everything and then take on the characteristics of whatever he’s consumed. No doubt, Luffy will be a bit jealous of this eating ability. Rob Colletti will join the cast as Wapol.

Finally, One Piece season two has cast the live-action character of Dalton. Dalton is the new King of Wapol’s former kingdom and a friend to the Straw Hat Pirates. Ty Keogh has been cast as Dalton.

Crocus, Brogy, and Dorry’s Actors Join Live-Action One Piece Season 2

Additionally, One Piece revealed that actors Clive Russell, Brendan Murray, and Werner Coetser will join the season two cast as Crocus, Brogy, and Dorry.

Crocus, Clive Russell’s new character on One Piece season two, is an ally of the Straw Hat Pirates. He’s a lighthouse keeper, but also an exceptional doctor who was a part of Gol D. Roger’s crew.

Meanwhile, Brendan Murray, who has been cast as Brogy in One Piece season two, will play a giant on the series. He’s one of the two captains of the Giant Warrior pirates alongside Dorry. Dorry, also a giant, will be played, as mentioned, by Werner Coetser.

David Dastmalchian Will Play Mr. 3 in One Piece Season 2

We’re particularly excited to see David Dastmalchian cast in One Piece season two. Dastmalchian will play the devious Mr. 3, a member of the Baroque Work Agent crime syndicate. Mr. 3 has consumed the Wax Wax devil fruit and has total control over candle wax. This is definitely a unique and terrifying ability, especially in Dastmalchian’s hands.

One Piece Casts Three Other Baroque Work Agent Characters

But David Dastmalchian’s Mr. 3 isn’t the only Baroque Works Agent to join the cast of One Piece season two. Jazzara Jaslyn will play Miss Valentine, who has the Devil Fruit power of manipulating her body weight. Camrus Johnson joins the cast of Netfix’s live-action One Piece as Mr. 5. Mr. 5 has the deadly ability to create explosions from his body without harming himself. And finally, Daniel Lasker has come aboard as Mr. 9. The newly cast Mr. 9 will bring his metal bats to One Piece season two.

We’re sure these number/holiday-named agents will be up to no good in the season.

More New Characters and Cast Are On the Way for One Piece Season 2

One Piece teases that they’re just getting started with new season two cast announcements. We can’t wait to see who will appear on the horizon next.

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

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

Title

The title for this Dune series was announced as Dune: Prophecy. However, according to IGN, the series has been renamed Dune: Prophecy.

Dune: Prophecy‘s Plot

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

10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, DUNE: PROPHECY follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. This is the origin story of the Sisterhood during one of the most turbulent and pivotal turning points in the Dune universe’s history. 

In a full profile in Entertainment Weekly, we learn even more.

“We get to see how it all started,” showrunner Alison Schapker tells Entertainment Weekly during a brief break from post-production, in her first interview about Dune: Prophecy. “When we meet Valya Harkonnen, she is a girl whose family has experienced a tremendous fall from power and has lost its noble status. She dreams of restoring what she feels is rightfully theirs. How she goes from being someone obsessed with rebuilding her noble house to being someone who is dedicated to the Sisterhood above all is a big part of the story. It’s not a girlhood coming-of-age narrative so much as a woman’s rise to power from a Harkonnen perspective.”

Behind the Scenes

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

According to a release:

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

Dune: Prophecy‘s Cast

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

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

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

Entertainment Weekly shared several images from the series in mid-September, 2024. They depict characters from the series, like Desmond Hart, Emperor Corrino, and Valya Harkonnen. Check them out below.

Click To View Gallery

Dune: Prophecy‘s Release Date

Dune: Prophecy does not yet have a release date, but it will arrive in November.

Originally published in 2021.

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

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Colin Farrell has said he’s not sure he’s up for a second season of The Penguin because it’s really hard wearing all of the required prosthetics. It takes a whole lot of time and effort to transform him into the much larger Oz Cobb. But while Farrell grew tired of wearing all that extra bulk by season’s end, he still appreciates how his makeup team went the extra mile to make sure he had all the…girth…he need in the show’s premiere. The Penguin star said even though we didn’t see it, he was wearing an anatomically correct little penguin during his nude scene.

The Penguin‘s first episode ended with a naked Oz Cobb tied to a chair. Sofia Falcone had him tortured while questioning him about her brother’s murder. While a fantastic scene on its own, it really highlighted just how talented the show’s hair and makeup really are. We got to see all of Oz in all his glory. Mostly. Though completely naked we didn’t see the Penguin’s personal…south pole. Turns out if we had we would have seen a properly sized henchman for the character.

Farrell told Variety the show’s prosthetics designer Michael Marino was “kind enough to make Oz, shall we say, anatomically correct.” Marino did that by constructing a “velcro piece to stick on” to Farrell’s other body prosthetics. And as if that wasn’t enough, for extra naked authenticity, Farrell shared his character was also sporting “a nice retro bush.”

That’s how we looked after reading that. If you need a moment/lifetime to get over knowing this information, so do we. So. Do. We.

As for actually filming as a nude Oz Cobb, Farrell said it was “strange” and “discomforting.” Even though he wasn’t actually naked, he felt as though he was. In-between takes he asked for a towel to cover up because he “felt incredibly exposed,” even though he knew he was anything but.

Would he have felt that way without his phony phallus? Maybe. Maybe not. Unless he returns for a second season and films another nude scene without one on we will never know. What we do know is we’ve already thought about the Penguin’s penis too much already.

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In a real “didn’t we already know this?” piece of news, HBO has officially greenlit the DCU drama series Lanterns based on the Green Lantern comics. This was one of the titles James Gunn mentioned in his now infamous DCU slate video in early 2023. That certainly made it seem like it was a sure thing. However, given how fickle Warner Bros. is these days, I suppose it wasn’t. At any rate, HBO has given an eight-episode, direct-to-series order to Lanterns. Emmy-nominee Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country; Ozark) will serve as showrunner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Josh Brolin will not star as Hal Jordan in Lanterns. He was eyed for the role but decided to pass on the role. It is not clear why at this time but perhaps he will speak on it in the near future. Meanwhile, new reports indicate that Kyle Chandler could instead take on the mantle of Hal Jordan in Lanterns. He could be a good choice, for sure. There has been no official confirmation yet, but he certainly looks the part.

The synopsis of the series says it follows “new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” Pretty interesting concept for a Green Lantern series. Intergalactic cops solving an mystery on Earth. Definitely has True Detective vibes.

Joining Mundy in the writing of the show are none other than heavy hitters Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers) and comic writer Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow). James Gunn and Peter Safran said of the announcement: “We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon and Tom at the helm. John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.”

No word yet on when the series will debut. We will, of course, keep you up to date on any casting news as it develops.

Originally published on June 25, 2024.

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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We’re going to have to cancel our visitor’s pass for Gotham City’s most notorious mental hospital. Via Variety, we’ve learned that the Max streaming service is not moving forward with the proposed Arkham Asylum series, which was formally announced back in late 2022. This would have been the first Batman-centric series set in James Gunn’s new DCU, not in The Batman universe, like the upcoming Penguin series. Antonio Campos was developing the series, which originally began as part of Matt Reeves’ universe, before switching gears. Apparently, DC Studios and Warner Bros. have not ruled out another take on the Arkham Asylum series in the future.

This series has gone through several permutations since 2020. Originally, it was a show about the Gotham P.D. That evolved into a show about Arkham Asylum itself, where Gotham City’s most mentally deranged criminals reside. So basically, every Batman foe is not named Catwoman or Ra’s al Ghul. Creators like Terrance Winter and Joe Barton came in to develop the project, but both left over creative differences. The last iteration from Antonio Campos was described as a “horror movie or haunted house that is Arkham.” That sounded pretty cool to us.

Recently, Matt Reeves discussed the canceled The Batman spinoffs, noting, “The things that we’re talking about [now] are evolved versions of those things. It’s not like that just didn’t work. It was like, we need to evolve this. I would describe it less as something that didn’t work out and more as something that is still along a path toward arriving at its destination.”

We think an Arkham-based series will see the light of day at some point. We’re just going to have to wait a bit longer.

Originally published on July 8, 2024.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians achieved what many new streaming service shows no longer get: a second season. The show delighted book fans and newcomers alike with a first season that honored its source material while using all that good Disney+ money to make this universe come to life. Now, our favorite demigod and his comrades are moving towards the next chapter of their saga in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season two. 

We don’t have a ton of information about the upcoming season, but we do know that Tamara Smart is joining the Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast as Thalia Grace, the daughter of Zeus. Here’s what creator Rick Riordan had to say about this big casting news. 

“Thalia Grace is one of the most important characters in the Percy Jackson universe, so the right casting was critical. Thalia is a powerful warrior, a fiercely loyal friend, and a demigod rebel with a very ‘punk’ / ‘rage-against-the-machine’ sensibility. As soon as we saw Tamara Smart play this role, we knew we had found our daughter of Zeus. She was, no pun intended, electric. Tamara puts the ‘grace’ in Thalia Grace!”

Here’s everything we know about Percy Jackson and the Olympians season two. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season Two’s Plot 

Of course, there are no specific details about the plot. Season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is based on The Sea of Monsters, the second installment in Disney Hyperion’s bestselling Percy Jackson book series by Rick Riordan. We won’t get into any of those events here for spoiler’s sake. 

Behind the Scenes 

Predictably, much of the creative team returns for season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The series is executive produced by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz along with Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, Albert Kim, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson. 

We do know that the show is currently in production, thanks to this clip from D23.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season Two’s Cast 

Series regulars Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase), Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), Charlie Bushnell (Luke Castellan), and Dior Goodjohn (Clarisse La Rue) are all back for another round. In addition to Tamara Smart as Thalia Grace, new cast members include Daniel Diemer (Tyson) and Sandra Bernhard, Kristen Schaal, and Margaret Cho as the Gray Sisters Anger, Tempest, and Wasp, respectively. Timothy Sans will portray Tantalus. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season Two’s Release Date 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season two will hit Disney+ sometime in 2025.

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Netflix is heading back to Night City. We just don’t know when. We don’t even know what the streamer is going to do when it returns there. And we definitely don’t know if this new animated story is connected to the site’s previous anime series set in the video game world. The streamer and CD Projekt Red released a “special announcement” trailer for a mysterious new Cyberpunk project. They just didn’t share any details about it.

As part of this year’s digital Geeked Week event Netflix revealed it’s getting back into Cyberpunk 2077‘s world of technology and body modification. This new animated series will seemingly just be known as Cyberpunk without any year designation just yet.

And that’s about all we actually know about it! The streaming site and CDPR only said “more info” is “coming soon.”

With so few/any details, the lack of information might be more telling. This will not be the first animated show from the franchise to debut at Netflix. In 2022 the two companies released Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an animated miniseries based on CD Projekt Red’s video game. That ten-episode season told the story of “a street kid trying to survive in Night City” by becoming “a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk.” This brief teaser also makes no mention of Studio Trigger, which was behind Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

It’s certainly possible this new series could have a direct connection to the previous one, either through recurring characters or plot. The change in title and a complete lack of nods towards it has us lenaing towards this new show being an all-new thing. We’ll just have to wait to find out.

In the meantime, fans of the franchise can celebrate the total turnaround it has undergone since the original game’s less than stellar debut. It did not initially live up to its highly anticipated release. (To put it kindly.) Yet here it is about to have another anime spinoff series. The fact we don’t know anything about it doesn’t change how telling that fact is.

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‘Tis the season for many things—pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking, and… video game adaptations. Yes, more than ever, our favorite games are turning into series for our viewing pleasure. Next up, the popular video game Devil May Cry is heading to Netflix in the form of an anime series. In this current gaming adaptation age, we bet the results are better than ever. Although we don’t yet have a release date for this anime, Netflix did share a teaser trailer for the series. Here’s what we know about the Devil May Cry series heading to Netflix.

Devil May Cry Official Teaser Trailer and Release Date Window

In celebration of Geeked Week 2024, Netflix teases that Dante is on his way. The streamer released an official teaser trailer for Devil May Cry and it is action-packed and epic. This Devil May Care teaser made a few things clear: his name is Dante, he’s a demon hunter, and he can sure shoot those two guns. In addition to a million awesome looking demons, the teaser spent most of its time focusing on Dante. But it also introduced us to the villain of Devil May Cry season one, the dastardly White Rabbit, also called Rabi. He can’t wait for the gates of hell to open. And we’re pretty sure that’s bad news. Either way, we’re hyped!

But that’s not the only exciting piece of news, Netflix revealed that Devil May Cry will release in April 2025. We love a release date window.

Devil May Cry Series Announcement Teaser Trailer

Conversations about the Devil May Cry animated series have been circulating since 2021. So we feel glad to finally see it coming to fruition. Netflix’s original teaser for Devil May Cry didn’t show us too much from the anime show. But it did set the tone just right. The quick scenes of action and the hard rock music certainly have us ready to dive into an episode. And the animation looks incredibly good.

The only character we see in the above Devil May Cry teaser is Dante. He’s got his red jacket, his guns, his white hair, and he’s ready to go. But in earlier conversations, creator and showrunner of the series Adi Shankar confirmed we’d see other familiar Devil May Cry characters. He noted, “I can confirm that Vergil is in it, as well as Lady, and of course Dante as well.” We can’t wait to see how these characters transform for the show.

The Anime Series Synopsis

Netflix also shared a logline for the Devil May Cry series; it notes:

In this animated adaptation of the popular Capcom game, sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck.

We do love a sinister force. And an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire. Dante certainly does not seem aware the fate of multiple worlds is on his shoulders in the teaser clip, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens when he does.

Devil May Cry‘s Episode Count and More

Devil May Cry will be eight episodes long. Adi Shankar, as mentioned, is the showrunner and creator. Alex Larsen is the writer on the show. The series comes from Netflix, Capcom, and Studio MIR, so we know it is in good hands.

Shankar noted, “I’m honored that Netflix and Capcom have entrusted me to shepherd the Devil May Cry franchise. Alex Larsen and I love these characters; we are part of the fandom, and vow to surpass the exceptionally high bar we set for ourselves.”

Hopefully, we will know more about Devil May Cry very soon.

Originally published on September 27, 2023.

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Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman premiered its first season in August 2022. The series brought The Sandman comics to the screen in a faithful retelling. In many instances, it brought the comic book panels to life. We spent time with Morpheus and Dream, but we barely got to know the whimsical and fantastical world of the Endless. However, it’s time for more stories. Last November, Netflix confirmed The Sandman is a go for more. Fans of the Endless rejoice. Especially because Netflix has just revealed the three new cast members who will round out the rest of Morpheus’ family: Delirium, the Prodigal, and their oldest sibling, Destiny, and gave us our first good look at The Sandman season two.

The Sandman Season 2 Sneak Peek

The Sandman season two took us behind the scenes of production in our first good look at the upcoming series. “It’s time to return to the Dreaming. Go inside the set of The Sandman Season 2, coming to Netflix in 2025.” It sounds like we’ll see more from the series very soon. In the meantime, we suggest you watch the video above a couple of times, to really dig into all the dreamy details in its depths.

The Sandman Announces It’s Delirium, Destruction, and Destiny, Shares Season 2 Teaser Trailer

The Endless are now complete. The Sandman season two has revealed new cast for its upcoming episodes. Hannah‘s Esmé Creed-Miles (she/her) is joining as fan-favorite Delirium. Revenge‘s Barry Sloane (he/him) has signed on as Destruction, also known as The Prodigal. (If you aren’t familiar with the comic books that moniker is a big hint at his role in the story.) And Primary Colors‘ Adrian Lester (he/him) will fill the role of the eldest Endless, Destiny.

In addition to this casting news, The Sandman season two has also revealed its first teaser trailer. Check it out below.

The Sandman Season 2 Shares New Look at Dream and Desire

Netflix celebrated The Sandman‘s 35th anniversary by announcing more episodes of its hit series were officially in production. And if that weren’t enough, the streamer actually gave us a behind-the-scenes look at Tom Sturridge (he/him, Dream) and Mason Alexander Park (they/them, Desire) in action. We certainly feel excited by this brief new glimpse of the show.

The Sandman Teases New Episodes

‘The Sandman’ ประกาศสร้างต่อแล้วครับ
สาวกเทพแห่งฝัน มอร์เฟียส เตรียมออกผจญภัยในโลกดาร์กแฟนตาซี ของ นีล เกแมน กันต่อได้เลย และรอดูกันว่าบทต่อไป จะมีการผจญภัยอะไรรอให้เหล่าเทพอนันต์มาเผชิญกันอีก

แล้วเจอกันที่ Netflix นะครับ#TheSandman #NetflixTH pic.twitter.com/fu2RE6UMDo

— Netflixth (@netflixth) November 3, 2022

To celebrate the new episodes of The Sandman, Netflix released a short teaser featuring Morpheus’ helm. And we got a logo, “The dream continues.” We love it. A release from Netflix also shares that the show will return with even more new “episodes and stories to be adapted from multiple The Sandman graphic novels.” For now, though, we have not received confirmation on episode count and story details.

More About the The Sandman‘s Next Chapter

More of the Endless is coming. Season one of The Sandman brought a story that showed us why adaptations exist. It brought in a moving deep cut from the Hellblazer comics. And it even wrapped up with a surprise bonus episode. The original Sandman comics series includes ran for 75 issues. So, the series has plenty of material to pull from. The show has plenty more rich, sometimes twisted characters to introduce and explore.

As for when the release date for the new episodes of The Sandman will be, it’s likely going to take a moment.

Originally published on November 3, 2022.

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Arcane season two is bringing a new fighter into the ring. The animated Netflix series is also bringing an unorthodox release schedule to the platform. During Geeked Week, we got an Arcane season two trailer and the clip gives us a peek into all the upcoming action. Fans are clearly excited about this next season, as evidenced by 940,000+ views and a plethora of comments. And who wouldn’t be considering the show’s stacked cast and its rave reviews for the first season.

Here’s a quick word (not sure a synopsis) about Arcane season two to go along with this action-packed trailer: 

From Riot Games, Arcane returns this November on Netflix. The animated series, based on the League of Legends game and one of Netflix’s most successful animated series ever, is created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. Executive producers include Linke, Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck. The Animation Studio is Fortiche Production. Voices include Hailee Steinfeld (Vi), Annie Award winner Ella Purnell (Jinx) and Katie Leung (Caitlyn), Reed Shannon (Ekko), Amirah Vann (Sevika), Mick Wingert (Heimerdinger), and Ellen Thomas (Ambessa), and Brett Tucker (Singed) among others to be announced. Fortiche directed and produced the animation, under the direction of the founders Pascal Charrue and Arnaud Delord.

What Is the Release Schedule for Arcane Season Two? 

This final chapter of Arcane will take place over the course of three acts. Act 1 drops on November 9, Act 2 drops on November 16, and Act 3 drops on November 23 on Netflix.

The post ARCANE Season 2 Trailer Gives Us a Glimpse Into Its Final Chapter, Reveals Release Dates appeared first on Nerdist.

Hello, fellow storm clouds. Wednesday season two is getting closer each day with Jenna Ortega and her comrades currently filming the popular series. Things are truly back in swing at Nevermore Academy as Wednesday continues to investigate the school’s many mysteries while dealing with typical teen issues. To celebrate Netflix’s Geeked Week, the streaming service gave us the gift of a Wednesday season two behind the scenes clip.

In it, we get to see our favorite sharp-tongued Addams family member, her bestie Enid, her kooky parentals, Bianca, and more characters. The clip promises that this season will be bigger and twisted beyond our wildest dreams. Of course, we didn’t get to see much more because, as Wednesday says, it would make our eyes bleed. We get some glimpses of people in school uniforms and explosive moments that make us want to see it right now.

What Is the Release Date for Wednesday Season 2?

Right now, we don’t know when Wednesday season two will hit Netflix. We can only assume it will come our way sometime in 2025. But we cannot wait to see our favorite students once again. And we also want to see Billie Piper. Please, please always give us lots of Billie Piper.

In the meantime, you can always pre-order some Wednesday LEGO sets and work on your latest build or catch the show’s first season (again) on Netflix.

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While I don’t love the moniker, the Matt Reeves version of Gotham City, “The Batman Epic Crime Universe,” is pretty apt. While The Batman has a superhero and a terrifying serial killer at its center, the main thrust of the plot centered around organized crime and police and government corruption. Fun! We always knew Gotham’s rot ran deep, but The Batman really highlighted that. Fittingly, it’s this aspect the TV series The Penguin focuses on, despite having a recognizable comic villain as the lead. Much of The Penguin deals with the hierarchy and squabbling between two particular crime families mentioned in The Batman.

Here’s what you need to remember about the Falcone and Maroni criminal organizations and families before you dive into The Penguin.

Boss Carmine Falcone Is Dead

Carmine Falcone (John Turturro in the movie, Mark Strong on the show) was the longtime head of Falcone crime family. In The Batman, he more or less acts as the fulcrum from which all of the other plots in the movie circle. Falcone is Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell)‘s boss, and owner of the Iceberg Lounge which the Penguin runs. He tells Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) of his connection to Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne. Thomas fixed up Falcone’s mob-related wounds and later when a reporter threatened to expose Martha Wayne’s history of mental illness, Thomas asked Falcone to “put the fear of God” into the reporter. Falcone also had an affair with Maria Kyle, a dancer at the Iceberg, and is the illegitimate father of Selina (Zoe Kravitz).

The big penny-drop moment of the movie is when Batman figures out that Falcone is the rat feeding info to the police in exchange for the cops and politicians leaving him alone. Falcone murdered the reporter, and Selina’s mother, and later Selina’s friend Annika when she learned the truth about him. Part of his ratting consisted of selling out Salvatore Maroni, his criminal rival and operator of the city’s “drops” drug trade, and taking over the business. He puts Oz in charge of running it.

Through the Riddler (Paul Dano)’s clues, Batman uncovers all of this corruption and the uncorrupt members of the GCPD come to arrest Falcone. While doing so, the Riddler assassinates Falcone with a rifle in a nearby building.

The Penguin Sees a Vacuum in the Criminal Underworld

At the end of The Batman, we see the Penguin—who was vehemently against Falcone’s working with the cops—looking out over Gotham, contemplating his rise to the top. The series shows us it’s not that simple. The remaining capos in the Falcone organization aren’t going to just fall in line behind a thug like Cobb. He also has to contend with Carmine’s two legitimate children, Alberto (Michael Zegen) and Sofia (Cristin Milioti). Both have eyes on controlling the organization, and Sofia is freshly out of Arkham for apparently killing several women in the guise of the Hangman.

Salvatore Maroni Also Has a Score to Settle with the Falcone Crime Family

The aforementioned rival boss Salvatore Maroni will also appear in The Penguin, played by motherf***ing Clancy Brown. Maroni was the ruling family in the drops industry before Falcone’s involvement. Now that Carmine is no more and the big secret it exposed, Maroni sees this as an opportunity to take back what’s his. One setback, he’s still in prison. Lucky for him, his wife Nadia (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is more than capable, and ruthless, to go toe-to-toe with the Penguin and the Falcone kids.

The Falcones, the Maronis, and Their Crime Families in the Batman Comics

The criminal underworld of Gotham City as depicted in The Batman and The Penguin are not wholly new characters to the Batman mythos. In fact, many members of both the Falcone and Maroni families have appeared in comics over the past several decades in prominent ways.

Carmine Falcone

Carmine Falcone first appeared in Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s seminal four-issue mini series Batman: Year One from 1987. He later appeared as a main antagonist in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s iconic 1996-1997 series, Batman: The Long Halloween, which serves as a major inspiration for much of The Batman and The Penguin. The backstory about Thomas Wayne tending to Carmine’s wounds with a young Bruce watching comes right out of that book. Carmine dies in The Long Halloween at Two-Face’s hand.

Sofia and Alberto Falcone

The two Falcone children also both first appear in The Long Halloween and continue on in Loeb and Sale’s other big arc, Dark Victory. (They have another brother in the comics who doesn’t apparently exist in the show.) Sofia aids her father in The Long Halloween in unearthing the true identity of the serial murderer, the Holiday Killer, who kills citizens seemingly at random during specific holidays. Holiday turns out to be Alberto Falcone himself.

Later in the 2000 event Dark Victory, Sofia Falcone returns to Gotham in the guise of the Hangman, a serial murderer taking out members of the GCPD.

Salvatore Maroni

Salvatore Maroni is a very old character indeed. He first appeared in Batman issue #66 from 1942. He’s a gott-dang Bill Finger and Bob Kane creation! As one of the city’s major crime bosses, he appears on and off over the years. His major claim to fame is that he’s the one who tosses acid in Harvey Dent’s face which leads to him becoming Two-Face. This happens in The Long Halloween as well.

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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The time has finally come to set sail for more adventure and dream-chasing. One Piece season two has officially begun production and is one step closer to coming back onto our screens. Netflix revealed, that, of course, our Straw Hat pirates would all be returning for One Piece season two—but not alone. In addition to a host of new characters joining the cast, a few other familiar faces from season one will be back in One Piece‘s second season. Namely, Alvida, Buggy, and Gold Roger will once again be in the mix of One Piece‘s live-action story.

Let’s take a look at everything Netflix has shared to celebrate One Piece season two.

Netflix’s Live-Action ONE PIECE Season 2 Teases Chopper

During Geeked Week, Netflix shared a sneak peek at live-action One Piece season two… And this inside look included a tease at fan-favorite Chopper. We, as they say, are seated.

You can check out the full table read video, below.

Jeff Ward Takes Us on a Set Tour of One Piece Season 2

Jeff Ward, who plays Buggy the Clown, on One Piece, and will return for season two, takes on a behind-the-scenes tour of the show in celebration of Netflix’s Geeked Week. This tour gives us our best look yet at the world of One Piece season two. Although, of course, spoilers are carefully blurred. Ward shows us the costume department, the prop department, hair and makeup, and production design. Of course, there are some tantalizing hints to be gleaned. The video notes we’ll be visiting Drum Island, where it’s winter all the time, a challenge for One Piece’s South African-based filming location.

We even get to see inside Twin Cape lighthouse, which is the home of One Piece‘s Doctor Crocus. Additionally, in the props department, we see a giant syringe…

Eiichiro Oda Teases Season 2 Story Arcs and More New Characters

A letter from Eiichiro Oda delivered via Netflix has shed a lot of light on the story arcs we can expect in season two and more about the upcoming episodes. In the letter Oda notes that “The story will cover Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island!” Additionally, he teases Vivi, Miss All Sunday, Chopper, and more casting announcements are on the way.

The full text of the note is below:

Yes, the live-action One Piece is currently in production, with filming well underway. The story will cover Loguetown, Reverse Mountain (Twin Cape), Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island! Think about it. Imagine how much it’ll cost! Lol. But whether it’s the script or the cast, I continue to insist on this or that, which makes Matt the Showrunner go “Aaarrgh!” and Netflix go “Noooo!” and Tomorrow Studios go “Whaaaat” as they all pull their hairs out. All that, even though we grew so close making season 1.

But it’s because we all share the same passion for this show! Just as with last season, they’ve gone out of their way to promise that they won’t put the show out until I’m satisfied. This isn’t in the contract, you know. It’s a verbal pledge. I hope you can appreciate how amazing and determined they are for keeping their word. And they’ve certainly proven their ability to bring this world to the screen. I just can’t wait to see it! 

Meanwhile, the previously announced cast is compiled on the official X account, so go check it out. The Grand Line is an even more expansive “World”. You may wonder, what was the inspiration behind that kingdom? How would it connect to the real world? Naturally, the distinctive cast members have been assembled from around the world, and I can’t help but get excited thinking about how the adventure has already begun! 

Among those yet to be announced, what about Vivi? And Miss All Sunday? What’re they doing with Chopper? We can’t announce everyone all at once, but starting tomorrow, we’ll be announcing more cast members over three days: August 21, 22 and 23. 

Look out for those, and stay tuned for more exciting updates to come!

One Piece Teases Season 2, Episode 1

We don’t know the exact plot of live-action One Piece‘s season two. But we do know the title of its first episode. One Piece season two, episode one will be called, “The Beginning and the End.” It will be written by Matt Owens and Ian Stokes. We’re ready to hear all the fan theories about what that title implies.

One Piece‘s Main Cast Reunite as Production Begins

As Taz Skylar notes, these are happy tears! And what a glorious reunion it is. The Straw Hat Pirates have all traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, to film the next chapter of their One Piece adventure. Iñaki Godoy (Monkey D. Luffy), Mackenyu (Zoro), Emily Rudd (Nami), Jacob Romero (Usopp) and Taz Skylar (Sanji) are all back together again once more as production begins for One Piece season two. We absolutely feel the love and crew bond between them all.

One Piece Season 2 Cast, Revealed

In a release celebrating season two’s production started, Netflix also shared that additional returning One Piece cast include “Ilia Isorelys Paulino as Alvida, Jeff Ward as Buggy, and Michael Dorman as Gold Roger.” Jeff Ward’s Buggy was a true fan-favorite, so it’s no surprise he’ll be back. No word yet on other season one standouts like Steven John Ward, who played Dracule Mihawk, or Peter Gadiot, who played Luffy’s red-headed mentor, Shanks. But hey, they still could be back. Netflix reveals that additional One Piece cast will be announced at a later date.

Of course, in addition to old One Piece favorites, “new cast members joining season two include Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy, Callum Kerr as Smoker, Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5, Clive Russell as Crocus, Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Rob Colletti as Wapol, Ty Keogh as Dalton, and Werner Coetser as Dorry.” You can learn more about these new One Piece season two characters with our piece, here.

When Live Action Will One Piece Season 2 Release?

There’s no word yet on any release date for One Piece season two. But now that production on the show has started again, we’re sure we’ll get many more tantalizing treasures from Netflix sooner rather than later.

Originally published on July 1

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The collectible fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering has been an institution for over thirty years. It has inspired video games, comic books, and novels alike. But despite announcing many a Magic: The Gathering TV or movie project over the years, most recently for Netflix, nothing ever came of them. Now, Magic: The Gathering is back from the dead at Netflix. The streamer has officially announced that a Magic: The Gathering animated event series is now in production, with a new creative direction from showrunner Terry Matalas. Folks may know Matalas as the showrunner of Star Trek: Picard’s popular third season. He is also the main creative voice behind Marvel Studios’ upcoming series about the android Avenger, the Vision.

The new Magic: The Gathering event series is made in partnership with Hasbro Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast, longtime owner of the franchise. A few years back, they announced that Netflix cast Brandon Routh from Superman Returns and Legends of Tomorrow in a lead role. Only that iteration of a Magic: The Gathering Netflix series never made it off the drawing board. Brandon Routh confirmed to Collider recently that despite recording lines for it, Netflix completely scrapped the version he was in.

This time, it seems production has at least begun on the new Magic: The Gathering series project. So it will likely see the light of day. Netflix describes this card-inspired creation as an “event series,” meaning that there is no guarantee of additional seasons. Event series seems to be the new word for mini-series. We are not sure what the plot of this new Magic: The Gathering series will be. We also have no idea which iteration of the franchise they will be drawing from. Also, we still have no clue as to when it’s actually dropping on the streaming service. Here’s hoping Netflix finally does justice to the iconic game that so many fans love the world over. Magic: The Gathering series, here we come!

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It sure feels like we’ve been waiting for Stranger Things season five for roughly a decade. The final season of the beyond-popular Netflix paranormal series will apparently come out in 2025, but beyond that, we have no idea. Geeked Week, Netflix’s festival of teases and trailers and things, has provided us with something ahead of the new season. No, it’s not a trailer or a first look at new monsters. Instead, it’s a video showcasing two young fans’ tour of the set in Atlanta, GA, with tour guides Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo.

The fans, Amy and Elycia, get a firsthand look at the various departments behind the scenes in Stranger Things land. They have a surprisingly vivid photographic memory for little bits of the series’ previous seasons. First, they head off with Wolfhard into the archives to look at character- and season-specific props from the past. Among the best stuff is the actual Demogorgon D&D piece from the show’s first episode and the box of Eggo Waffles that Eleven covets.

Next up, McLaughlin takes the fans into the costume room to look at favorite ’80s clothes from the show. They are particularly excited to see Steve Harrington’s costume, as he is their favorite character. (Sorry guys.) Finally, Matarazzo takes them into a room specifically housing the miles and miles (yes literally) of Upside Down black vines which are actually just hundreds of thousands of pool noodles. The Stranger Things production kept a whole business afloat (ha!) with their orders.

The one actual bit of teaser we get from the video is what Lucas, Mike, and Dustin look like in the final season, since the actors lead the tours in costume. Lucas’ flattop has reached skyscraper height while Mike has finally cut his ridiculous stringy hair. But the biggest “aw” moment appears to be that Dustin has grown his hair out and wears a Hellfire Club t-shirt in memory of the fallen idol that is Eddie Munson. Adorbs.

And that’s kind of it! A fun video and actors in costumes. But, you know what? We’ll continue to eat up all the scraps we can get before we finally see Stranger Things 5 next year.

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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So far in live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, we’ve had: Water, Fire, Air… but one element and one important character have been conspicuously missing. Who is that, you might ask? Why, it’s Toph Beifong. Toph is the last official member of Team Avatar, or The Gaang, that still need to be introduced into Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. But everything has changed now that… Netflix has officially announced Toph’s casting for the live-action Avatar series. But just who is it that plays our favorite earthbender in Avatar: The Last Bender? It’s actress Miya Cech. Let’s dig into it.

Who Plays Toph Beifong on Netflix’s Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Netflix has officially revealed that Miya Cech plays Toph Beifong on live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Here’s what Executive Producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani had to say about her casting as Toph.

We make a point of reviewing submissions separately and after countless tapes, we both had the same reaction … Miya is our Toph! Miya is a brilliant performer who knows how to precisely balance the sarcastic sense of humor, stubbornness, and vulnerability that is Toph Beifong. Her physicality and emotional dexterity really put her in a class of one.

It seems that although Netflix put out a special open casting call for Toph which noted “Actors who are blind or low vision are encouraged to submit,” Cech is not herself blind or low vision. However a release notes that “Cech will also work with a producer and consultant who is blind and a professional from the blindness community, to make sure the blindness community is represented appropriately.”

Meanwhile, Chech seeks to also represent the communities she is a part of. She notes of playing Toph in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, “I personally am of Chinese and Japanese American descent and I’m so excited to represent my Chinese heritage in Toph Beifong… One of the most incredible aspects of this show is the diversity of the Asian cultures in the ATLA world. Even though the universe is fantasy, it feels like every culture is represented in some way and tied to the history and traditions of that culture or country. Just a few years ago, you might have seen one or two of these actors in a show or movie, but on this show we are all able to represent this world together and work together and collaborate. It’s really amazing and a gift as an actor.”

Our First-Look at Live-Action Toph in ATLA

Toph’s great strength lies in her feet. She sees the world through them and kicks some serious butt with their powers. Honestly, this Avatar: The Last Airbender season two teaser of Toph stomping her Earthbending powers to life is point-perfect. It gets us seriously excited for what’s to come in the series. We can just hear Toph saying, “Hey Twinkle Toes,” to Aang. And we just can’t wait to see The Gaang complete. After Toph comes aboard in ATLA season two, we just need Zuko to get his act together, and we’ll be set. We hope the series gives us some more time with all five members as a full team. That’s the best part of Avatar, after all.

Why Is Everyone So Excited For Toph to Join Live-Action Avatar Season 2? Who Is Toph?

In a word, Toph is badass. We said it. Toph is a snarky, sassy, unafraid tank and she knows how to conquer the earth and dish it out with the best of them. We love Katara, Sokka, and Aang, (and Zuko, of course), but Toph adds a little something special. In the anime, Toph is the daughter of a rich Earthbending family, the Beifongs, who think she’s a fragile doll. But in secret, Toph spends her time taking down master Earthbenders in the fighting ring. She becomes Aang’s Earthbending master and though her style is not quite his, they come to understand each other on a deep level. Toph’s frenemies to friends relationship with Katara and her semi-flirtatious relationship with Sokka are also quite fun. Maybe live-action Toph will eventually get to take that field trip with Zuko that she never got to in the anime.

In any case, we’re so excited that Miya Cech has been cast as Toph in live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender season two, and we can’t wait to see where the story will go.

Netflix’s Avatar The Last Airbender Also Begins Production

In addition to this casting announcement, Netflix also revealed that Avatar: The Last Airbender season two is now in production.

Producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani notes of the start of live-action ATLA season two’s production, “We’re looking forward to working with all of our actors again and digging into the deeper, more complicated relationships that develop as their journey continues in Season 2. We are going to show the real-world versions of iconic scenes from the original, and explore some of the stories that the animation didn’t. Mainly — we’re looking forward to seeing our gang all together again… We’re going to challenge our characters with more complex and nuanced obstacles as they navigate a more tactile world. Just as the animated series matured and progressed, the live-action will also take these characters and worlds and grow them.”

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season one is now streaming on Netflix.

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On The Rings of Power season one, the orcs, following their mysterious leader Adar, searched for a powerful weapon. We were curious about the weapon, itself, but also wondered, just who is The Rings of Power‘s Adar? In the sixth episode of the show, Adar and his orcs get their wish and found their weapon. But, while Theo’s sword hilt may have given Adar’s children a dark new home on Middle-earth, the episode also revealed more than the creation of Mount Doom. It revealed Adar no longer serves Sauron, as we initially thought the mutilated elf might. Throughout The Rings of Power, we’ve slowly uncovered Adar’s true identity. The show has offered us insight into the one-time elf, his origins, and why the otherwise hateful orcs adore Adar as they do. As we delve into season two of The Rings of Power, here’s what we know about Adar, the Lord-Father of Orcs/Uruk.

Jump to: Who Are the Orcs? // The Orcs’ Tolkien History // Adar as the First Orc Created by Morgoth // The Meaning of the Word Adar // Why Did Adar Turn on Sauron? // Adar and Sauron’s History // Adar Recast on Rings of Power Season 2 // Adar’s Future

Who Are Lord of the Rings’ Orcs?

On The Rings of Power, the orcs follow Adar. And so, first understanding these creatures helps us to understand their leader. Orcs, called goblins in The Hobbit, have loomed large in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world since the beginning. The Lord of the Rings‘ orcs served Morgoth during the Years of the Trees before the First Age. And they continued as soldiers of evil until the end of Middle-earth’s Third Age.

Ugly, violent creatures, orcs hate almost everyone and everything. That includes themselves. This is why it’s so interesting that The Rings of Power‘s orcs do not hate Adar. They also abhor natural beauty and handcrafted works. But that doesn’t prevent them from making things themselves. From weapons and tools, to torture devices and machines of war, Lord of the Rings‘ orcs are crafty.

Orcs live in darkness, most notably deep inside mountains. They are excellent tunnel builders who shun the sun whenever possible because the light burns them. That’s why on The Rings of Power, Adar and the orcs had elves and humans digging for that missing sword hilt. And why the orcs wear robes if forced to go out during the day. They cannot go into the light.

While it’s unclear exactly how long orcs live, one infamous orc was at least 150 years old. And though they lack anything resembling culture, orcs are also much smarter than they look and have great stamina and strength. We know we’ll be seeing nearly 1,500 Orcs in season two of The Rings of Power.

The History and Origins of Middle-earth’s Orcs and The Rings of Power‘s Adar

J.R.R. Tolkien himself changed the origin story of orcs during his lifetime. At one point, he said Morgoth created orcs through sorcery from “the heats and slimes of the earth.” But the author later wrote that only the supreme being Eru Ilúvatar could create life. (Well, minus when the Valar Aulë created dwarves.)

Morgoth’s inability to make life was one of the things that made him jealous of Ilúvatar in the first place. That’s why he needed one of the supreme being’s own “children” to bring orcs to the world. So if Morgoth didn’t create orcs, where did they come from? From Ilúvatar, just not the way he made them. And it is that very The Lord of the Rings tale from which The Rings of Power draws Adar’s origins.

The accepted origin of The Lord of the Rings orcs is the one found in The Silmarillion. It says Morgoth kidnapped some elves when they first awoke in Middle-earth, before the Valar could find the first “children” of Ilúvatar. He then used dark magic to transform them into horrible creatures who served him, just as they would eventually serve the next Dark Lord, Sauron.

The Rings of Power confirms that this history is actually Adar’s own. The truth comes out in a scene between Galadriel and Adar in The Rings of Power season one.

Adar as the Elf Who Became the First Orc, Created by Morgoth

Galadriel more or less reveals exactly who Adar is in The Rings of Power‘s sixth episode. She tells us that she heard stories about elves like Adar. He is one of the elves Morgoth “tortured” and “twisted” into “a new and ruined form of life.” She called those elves, the first orcs, “the Moriondor, the Sons of the Dark.” In The Rings of Power season two, we get a bit more information about this. Adar shares, “Thirteen of us were chosen to be blessed of Morgoth’s hand with the promise of power, a new birth.” That leaves us curious to know the fate of the other 12 Moriondor. Did they go on to create orcs as well?

Regardless of what happened to the other elves, in season one, Adar says his children prefer another name: Uruk. And he defends his children’s right to live and have a home by saying orcs are creations of “The One, Master of the secret fire.” According to Adar, orcs have names and hearts, just the same as Galadriel, and by extension, Adar, who links them all together. In one scene, The Rings of Power confirms both Adar’s identity, an elf turned to evil by Morgoth, and the origins of orcs, once and for all.

Why The Rings of Power‘s Orcs Call Their Leader Adar, The Elvish Word for Father?

Now we know that Adar is literally the orcs’ father on The Rings of Power. So, it thus makes sense that the elves call him “Adar.” In Sindarin Elvish, “Adar” is the word for “father.” (The Sindar spoke their own version of Elvish because they never made it to the land of the Valar like other elves. After awakening in Middle-earth, they never left, same as the kidnapped Moriondor.) Pretty obvious if you think about it.

But as strange as it sounds for orcs, the love Adar shows for them is reciprocated. The orcs are all Adar’s offspring, and he cares for them, just as he is the only figure orcs truly care for in all of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. The use of the word “Father” when it comes to Adar thus feels more emotional than just a factual title. Through Adar, we get a whole new look at orcs on The Rings of Power.

Are There Female Orcs on Middle-Earth?

If orcs are made from elves, do they replicate like elves, too? Some believe that Morgoth’s creatures (which include orcs, werewolves, trolls, dragons, and more) self-reproduce. However, we actually get to meet some female orcs on The Rings of Power. Adar confirmed this idea when he spoke of “brothers and sisters” among his orcs in season one. And in season two of The Rings of Power, we actually get to see an orc family, complete with father, mother, and baby. D’awww!

For now, though, the specifics of orc reproduction is unknown. (Which is almost certainly for the best.) But it’s not unreasonable to think it is a slow one since Sauron sometimes hid for thousands of years while gathering and reinforcing his army. The forces of evil always needed more orcs because, unlike elves, they don’t live forever. And the further removed from their father, Adar, the less like him they become.

Why Are Orcs So Different From Adar on The Rings of Power?

Adar has lived for thousands of years and remembers Beleriand (a land that went under at the end of the First Age) because he’s an ageless elf. That’s also why, unlike his children, the sun does not burn him. Adar can still feel the warmth from the sun of the Valar, which he says he will miss when it’s gone. But despite Adar and his past, The Rings of Power‘s orcs are not elves.

The orcs get uglier and more twisted the further removed they are from their elf ancestors and Ilúvatar. That’s also why the orcs of the show’s Second Age don’t even look as hideous as their ancestors of the Third Age. Those differences and vulnerabilities are a big reason why Adar turned on Sauron, who saw his children as disposable.

Why Did Adar Turn Against Sauron?

Adar had his orcs digging for the sword hilt Theo possesses, but he wasn’t doing it for Sauron. In fact, Adar believes he killed Sauron. The one-time elf was doing it for his orc children whom he loves, many of whom Sauron had sacrificed in his quest to rule Middle-earth. Adar wanted to give The Rings of Power‘s orcs a new home, one where they would not only be safe from light but safe from Dark Lords who treat them as disposable. Neither Morgoth nor Sauron ever loved orcs. They were slaves in service of evil.

Adar thinks he not only stopped serving Sauron, but that he also stopped the Dark Lord forever. Adar tells Galadriel that he killed Sauron himself. In a flashback revealed during The Rings of Power season one, episode one, we actually see Adar and the orcs attack Sauron until he appears to disintegrate. But alas, it’s not that easy to kill a Dark Lord.

The history of orcs says his desire to take care of his children guaranteed them another age of servitude. Adar brought Mount Doom from the depths of the earth. It will be orcs’ new home, free from the sunlight that plagues them, as he desires, but Sauron will be the one to rule over it. Sauron needs the fires of Mount Doom to forge the Rings of Power, a fact that Adar could not have known. But in seeking solace, Adar has given Sauron everything he needs to bring his evil down on Middle-earth.

The Rings of Power Season 2 Reveals More About Adar’s Backstory and His History with Sauron

In season two of The Rings of Power, we find out that Adar’s betrayal of Sauron is a bit more intimate than we once thought. In fact, the pair have a deep history that stretches back into the ages of Middle-earth. And this history goes beyond just a bad leader and his angry general.

In the first episodes of The Rings of Power season two, Adar takes Sauron, who is posing as Halbrand, captive. Sauron is, of course, deceiving him, telling him that it’s the elves who are working with Sauron and that Halbrand can help him. Adar eventually agrees to make a deal with Halbrand in order to “stop Sauron,” but not before imprisoning and torturing him.

When Adar eventually comes to release Sauron from this fate in The Rings of Power season two, episode one, he tells Halbrand a little bit more about his backstory and history with Sauron. He offers, “I was in your place once, in the eldest of the elder days. Thirteen of us were chosen to be blessed of Morgoth’s hand with the promise of power, a new birth. I was led up to a dark and nameless peak, chained and left. And after what seemed endless thirst and hunger, I saw it. His servant’s face, Sauron’s face. And it was beautiful. He offered me wine, red as a blood moon. He offered me wine and on that dark and nameless peak. I drank it, I drank it all.”

Without a doubt, this “rescue” deeply resonated with Adar, enough that he still thinks of it now. We’ll have to see if The Rings of Power season two shines a light on how that seeming gratitude turns into resentment and hate enough to attempt to kill Sauron.

Adar and Galadriel Could Team Up Against Sauron

Of course, Sauron isn’t dead. Adar can’t be certain if that’s true, but he is marching on Eregion now to make try and find out. On the way, he encounters Galadriel in the woods and seems to successfully trap her. The pair have had a stormy relationship so far on The Rings of Power, but it’s possible the threat of Sauron will trump all. Teasers from the series seem to hint that the pair might team up against their mutual foe as The Rings of Power season two progresses. We’re certainly hoping for that.

In the latest episode of The Rings of Power, Adar suggests to Galadriel that they could be allies, but though Galadriel seems to come to an agreement with him on this point. Adar turns away from her in the end, noting that she’s given him everything he needs. He intends to march against Sauron and Eregion, hoping to destroy Sauron with his very own iron crown, which has pieces of Morgoth’s helm in it. To us, it seems like the wiser play would have been to join with the elves. But we’ll have to wait and see what befalls Adar and his children as The Rings of Power draws to an end.

Adar Recast on The Rings of Power Season 2—Sam Hazeldine Replaces Joseph Mawle

In bittersweet news, in 2023, we learned that Sam Hazeldine would replace Joseph Mawle as Adar in season two of The Rings of Power. Recasts can be tricky, but we hope that the character will continue his journey and evolution into this next season of the show. It certainly sounds like there will be a lot in store for Adar. In June 2024, we got our first look at the newly recast Adar, and we felt pretty good about what we saw.

Sam Hazeldine previously acted in Peaky Blinders and appears on The Sandman. While we have no doubt he will do a great job in the role, we will miss Mawle’s version of Adar. We’re glad that Hazeldine appears to capture the same balance of tragic and antagonistic that Mawle did so far into season two of The Rings of Power.

The Rings of Power season two will likely continue to delve into this duality in Adar. Showrunner JD Payne recently noted to Vanity Fair, “You’ve got Sauron, who is not cloaked behind the guise of [the human refugee] Halbrand anymore. The audience knows he’s Sauron, so now we’re watching him maneuver as he’s manipulating [the burn-scar covered dark elf] Adar, who’s another big villain of the season.”

You can see Sam Hazeldine in action as Adar in some of The Rings of Power season two’s sneak peek clips.

Adar’s Future on Season Two of The Rings of Power

It would seem that on The Rings of Power Adar even christened the new land with the name Sauron will use, Mordor. But there’s unlikely to be a place in Mordor for an Adar that orcs will love more than they fear Sauron. In the final episode of The Rings of Power season one, Halbrand, who we now know to be Sauron, seems to refer to Adar as his enemy. And with Sauron already manipulating Adar to his ends, it feels like trouble ahead.

Charlie Vickers who plays Sauron, has given us some insight into what will transpire between Adar and Sauron in season two of The Rings of Power. In an interview Vickers offers more about the interaction between himself and Joseph Mawle, who originally played Adar:

Joseph and I worked really hard in creating that story and it’s something we see more of in the second season. We see Adar and Sauron’s time and how they first connected. Adar’s going to have to do some saying sorry at some point though [for what he did in season one].

It sounds like Vickers is already alluding to Sauron threatening Adar’s existence. A newly released description of Adar’s journey this season on The Rings of Power season two seems to echo this, noting:

Having secured a home in Mordor for the orcs, in Season 2, Adar faces an unexpected threat when he learns that Sauron, the former master he betrayed and murdered, is alive and well – and scheming to take back everything Adar has taken from him.

Well, we know who Adar is now, but he also may have just sealed his fate on The Rings of Power. We’ll have to continue to tune into The Rings of Power season two as it airs this fall.

Originally published on September 12, 2022.

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

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The Rings of Power has made one thing very clear: Galadriel is right. A long-dormant evil is rising in Middle-earth. Orcs are kidnapping entire villages. Strange beasts are wandering the countryside and destroying ships. And the land itself has spoiled, not to mention erupted. But the forces of good might soon find help in a new ally. Well, new to them, at least. Because the Stranger who arrived on a comet might be an old supernatural being. He might also be the first incarnation of a great hero The Lord of the Rings fans know and love. And you don’t have to be a wizard to see why. Especially not if you can see gray. More and more, we’re thinking the Stranger on The Rings of Power might be the wizard Gandalf himself.

Who Sent the Comet That Carried the Stranger?

No man, elf, dwarf, or orc could have survived a comet crash. Of course, no mortal race in the world can travel via small meteorite. It would take an entity far more powerful than any who walks Middle-earth to send someone careening through the sky. There’s only one logical explanation for who sent that celestial traveler: the Valar.

The Valar are supernatural entities who watch over Middle-earth. They are the most powerful beings in the universe besides the supreme Ilúvatar. For centuries the Valar did not interfere in the great battle of Middle-earth’s First Age. They looked on from afar as the “children” of Ilúvatar suffered at the hands of the original Dark Lord, Morgoth. (Himself one of the Valar.)

The Valar eventually relented and came to Middle-earth to defeat Morgoth for good. That victory ended the First Age. But the Valar then returned to their own western continent of Aman. That’s where Valinor sits, the realm to which Galadriel refused to return at the end of episode one.

While The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age, we know the Valar got involved in the great war of Middle-earth’s Third Age. However, rather than come again themselves, they sent five Maiar.

The Maiar are powerful spirit servants who helped the Valar shape the world. But the Valar sent them to Middle-earth inside the bodies of old men. Called the Istari, The Lord of the Rings fans know those five-robed, bearded, wise figures as wizards.

Before We Consider Gandalf, Is The Rings of Powers‘ Stranger Even a Wizard?

By the start of the Third Age, the Valar had separated Aman from the physical world. So wizards came to Middle-earth from the sky. (Repeat: from the sky.) The Valar sent them to assure the world the Valar had not forsaken Middle-earth nor its people in their renewed fight against the returning Sauron. One wizard, above all, aided Middle-earth in defeating Sauron for good before returning to reclaim his place in Aman.

In order to be Gandalf, The Rings of Power‘s Stranger would first have to be a wizard. As it transpires, the confused old man Nori miraculously found in a field of fire where the comet crashed—millennia before wizards arrived during an entirely different age—does possess many of the same powers wizards had.

What are the Stranger’s Powers on The Rings of Power?

The paranoid, unusual, easy-to-anger Stranger arrived nearly naked and acting erratically on The Rings of Power. He survived his crash but doesn’t remember how to fully communicate. He’s not even sure who he is or why he’s here. Hearing Nori say he’s “good” seemed to be a revelation for the Stranger, who fears he’s going to accidentally hurt the Harfoots.

That’s because despite his confusion, The Rings of Power‘s Stranger still incredibly powerful. He’s also unquestionably far more skilled than any race of Middle-earth. He can move things with his mind. He can pick up monstrous wolves and throw them, or run them off by hitting the ground and causing a huge shockwave. And his scream, which turned the world dark, doesn’t just shake everything around him. That terrifying, inhuman roar seems capable of destruction.

He’s also impervious to fire. The fire from his comet didn’t harm him. No surprise, then he could also pull flames into himself and snuff them out without injury. He also took Nori and Poppy’s fireflies and controlled them to form stars in the sky. Unfortunately, that also killed all the fireflies, which is one ability that should frighten everyone on Middle-earth. The Stranger can suck the life from livings things, though he did not take joy in killing the fireflies. Either that was unintended or a sacrifice required to use his magic. But because he’s not fully in control of himself or his abilities, he is paranoid and scared.

Nori is now scared of his powers, too. The Stranger instinctively came to her rescue and damaged his arm fighting wolves. He was able to heal himself by placing the injured limb in water, which iced over. But when Nori grabbed him, the ice also consumed her arm. He couldn’t even sense she was there, let alone keep her safe. We see the Stranger come into his powers in the final episodes of The Rings of Power, pushed to attack by the mysterious white-cloaked cult. Interestingly, when the Stranger annihilates the dweller on The Rings of Power, she turns into a moth, in perhaps another subtle connection to Gandalf, who is known to talk to the creature in The Lord of the Rings‘ movies.

But while he can destroy, he can also create. The Stranger touched a dying, burned tree and restored both it and the surrounding area to full life in a single night. He took a wasteland and gave the desperate Harfoots a verdant bounty.

So is the Stranger a wizard? Well, he has more in common with the Istari than any creature ever born on Middle-earth. And Poppy herself realizes he’s no man or elf but “something else.” And, of course, The Rings of Power confirms that the Stranger is an Istar in its finale. The cult of Sauron tracks him down, thinking he is their leader, only to name him a wizard instead.

So the question just remains, is The Rings of Power using the Stranger to introduce Gandalf?

What Is the Stranger Trying to Tell Nori on The Rings of Power?

Like Nori, deep into The Rings of Power‘s episodes, we still don’t what the Stranger is trying to communicate. What did those drawings on the rock, his first attempts at communication, mean? (They looked like runes.) What about the lines in the dirt the Stranger drew? Are they a map?

When the Stranger saw them, he repeatedly said, “Mana úrë.” in Elvish that translates to the question, “What is heat?” What is heat! But even with this knowledge, we can’t say for sure the purpose of these strange words from the Stranger.)

Finally, what’s the significance of the constellation the Stranger highlighted to Nori with fireflies? He seemed to find that exact same collection of stars on an old Harfoot parchment. Clearly, its significance dates back to a past era. Sadoc Burrows tells the Stranger those stars haven’t been sighted in thousands of years. Could the Stranger have seen them before? Where does their image come from?

Ultimately, we learn more about them from the mysterious white-cloaked cult following the Stranger also possesses the image of these stars. They point to the mysterious realm of Rhûn, where mystics and men lie in wait for a new power to arrive. We bet that’s a location we’ll surely go in season two.

But we can do something Nori can’t—we can also find meaning in both his size and appearance. Nori’s “giant” friend wears a tattered gray robe, has a long gray beard, and long graying hair. This powerful being sent through the sky by the Valar—who is impervious to fire, and has powers of a wizard—really loves the color gray.

And there’s only one figure in all of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth that fits the same description as The Rings of Power’s Stranger—Gandalf the Grey.

Is The Rings of Powers‘ The Stranger Actually Gandalf?

Tolkien’s unofficial notes for his fantasy world say that the two (of the five) Blue Wizards sent during the Third Age (Alatar and Pallando) had previously come to Middle-earth during the Second Age. So it’s possible wizards first came to Middle-earth long before anyone realized. Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales also says wizards “had need to learn much anew by slow experience” when they came to Middle-earth. The Maiar’s transformation into a physical body and their trip seem to leave them confused initially. All of this lines up a wizard like Gandalf with The Stranger on The Rings of Power.

We also know Gandalf—whose name among the Maiar is Olórin—occasionally walked among the Elves in disguise. So if he ever came to Middle-earth previously, they might not have even known the shapeshifter’s real identity and purpose.

Gandalf, like the Stranger, also had a special relationship with fire. It could not injure him, and he could create it from nothing to light torches with magic. Ultimately he also bore Narya, the Elvish ring of fire. Gandalf, who wrote on Bilbo’s door in runes, also talked to bugs and fought off wolves singlehandedly. And when the One Ring tempted him, the world turned dark as he screamed at Bilbo and Frodo, just as the Stranger did when Nori frightened him.

The otherworldly voices the Stranger heard also sounded a lot like the voice of Sauron that Frodo heard when he put on the One Ring. And, just like Gandalf, Sauron is one of the Maiar.

The Rings of Power season one’s final episode saw Nori and The Stranger head off to find parts unknown. The Stranger is now wandering Middle-earth, and Gandalf was known as the Wandering Wizard for traveling across the lands without a home to call his own.

But the connections between the two bearded men go even further. Gandalf the Grey died in The Fellowship of the Ring. His Maiar spirit did not depart Middle-earth for long. Ilúvatar sent a naked Olórin back to fight Sauron. Despite now being another entity entirely (but with the same spirit), the wizard let his former companions still call him Gandalf, only this time, he was Gandalf the White. However, at first, he did not even remember the name Gandalf. It took a few days for Olórin to piece everything together in his mind.

And what did Olórin, who was unquestionably “good,” do when he first returned naked to the world? “There I lay staring upward” from a mountaintop, he said, “While the stars wheeled over, and each day was as long as a life-age of the earth.” Like the Stranger does on The Rings of Power, Gandalf looked to the stars for guidance. That might be because both had the same mission on Middle-earth.

The Rings of Power seems to tease that the Stranger is Gandalf in its final season one episode. After the Stranger is named an Istar, or wizard, for certain, he also appears to echo Gandalf’s quote from The Lord of the Rings movies, telling Nori that when in doubt, she should follow her nose. Of course, it could be that the Stranger is a different wizard altogether on The Rings of Power. Only season two will tell us more.

The Rings of Power Season Two Will Reveal More About the Stranger

The Stranger is heading off on some new adventures in season two, that surely will help us determine his identity once and for all. The wizard has even met the enigmatic being, Tom Bombadil. Of course, Tom Bombadil isn’t in any hurry to get into the fray himself, but he does tell The Stranger that his destiny is to face both Sauron and the Dark Wizard of Rhûn. He also tries to encourage The Stranger to give himself a bit more over to fate and destiny. Tom Bombadil notes to The Stranger that both a staff and powers are his to weild… when he proves himself worthy. Something he has not yet done. Perhaps he will both prove himself worthy and find his name in one fell swoop.

Most importantly, though, Tom Bombadil offers The Stranger this quote in The Rings of Power season two, episode six. He notes, “Many that die deserve life, some that live deserve death, who are you to give it to them?” This is very eerily reminiscent of line that Gandalf will later tell Frodo speaking about Gollum, “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them?” This latest line really does make us feel like The Stranger is slowly transforming into Gandalf.

A newly released description of The Stranger’s journey in The Rings of Power season two reveals a little bit more about what we can expect from him. It shares:

In search of his origins and purpose, in Season 2 the mysterious, magic-wielding Stranger seeks the constellation that has haunted him since his arrival to in Middle-earth – and the wizard’s staff he hopes to find under it.

Well, if we see The Stranger hammering a nail through his staff, we’ll know it’s a sign he really is Gandalf. In the meanwhile, we find it very suspicious that Poppy and Nori speak of his search for a staff as his search for a “Gand.” The Stranger is searching for a gand on The Rings of Power, you don’t say… It’s almost like The Rings of Power is saying, The Stranger is Gandalf. But we suppose it could be a misdirect. Gandr is an Old Norse word for “wand” or “staff,” but it seems pointed here.

The Stars of the Valar and Middle-earth’s Smallest Heroes

Varda, Queen of the Valar, created new, brighter stars before the elves awoke on Middle-earth. They were the first things the elves saw, and they loved them. But Varda created some to be more than beautiful lights. She arranged certain constellations to serve as warnings of future doom.

That’s why the Valar sent wizards to Earth during the Third Age, to help fight a coming doom. Now it appears the Valar did the same thing during the Second Age, too. Possibly with the same Maiar, Olórin. And if that’s the case, through the Stranger, The Rings of Power might have just shown why Gandalf put the world’s fate in the hands of Middle-earth’s small-folk.

Nori found the Stranger and refused to leave him. She kept him safe, in part, because she feels some unknown powerful entity sent this man to her. But also because Harfoots—the hobbits’ ancestors—are good, caring people. And after his discovery, he returned the favor by making sure her family did not get lost during the Great Migration. He protected them because the Stranger and Nori are already great friends who rely on each other.

The Valar sent the Stranger to Middle-earth. Like the stars he looks to above, his arrival is an omen of a coming doom. And if he really is Olórin, it’s easy to see why Gandalf trusted in the bravery, courage, and heart of hobbits—Nori’s showed Olórin their worth on Middle-earth long before.

Originally published on September 1, 2022.

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

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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 “Oz” Chesterfield Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin.

Recently, showrunner Lauren LeFranc revealed an interesting tidbit about why one character, Carmine Falcone, was recast. John Turturro played the character in The Batman, but in The Penguin, Mark Strong will play him instead. LeFranc reveals:

Well, practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn’t make it work, but honestly, I’m so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on. I think he’s really good. Even though, maybe in the beginning when you first meet him, you might think, “Oh. Well, for fans of The Batman, I’m so used to John Turturro,” and obviously John’s a great actor, but I feel like the gravitas that Mark brings, it’s different. It’s very specific, and I hope, by the end of that episode, you’re just thinking, “That’s Carmine Falcone,” and you’re engaged in what Mark brings to it.

There you have it.

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 Batman spinoff show does have a confirmed timeline and a bit more about its plot. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, showrunner Lauren LeFranc confirms that The Penguin takes one week after The Batman‘s events. We’re in Oz’s world,” LeFranc says. “We’re living in the underbelly of the city. Oz is a mover and a shaker. He can’t always be trusted. He’s very smart and very methodical, but he’s also extremely impulsive. You can’t predict what he’s going to do.”

LeFranc confirms that the show will be a bridge between The Batman and its upcoming sequel in 2026. As we already know, this all exists in its own universe, now known as the “Batman Epic Crime Saga.” …Okay.

Colin Farrell says we will get into his villain’s backstory and personal life, including Oz’s relationship with his mother and with Carmine Falcone’s daughter Sofia. She’s fresh from Arkham Asylum and ready to add her madness into the mix. “They’re two survivalists who’ve been immersed in worlds of duplicity and defeat and violence,” Farrell said about Sofia and Oz. “They’re very suspicious. They also have a very personally connected backstory.”

Additionally, 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.

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 on September 19.

Originally published November 9, 2022.

The post Here’s Why Carmine Falcone Was Recast in THE PENGUIN Series appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boys fourth season is days away from premiering, but we already knew it wouldn’t be the series’ last. Prime Video recently announced it had already ordered a fifth season. But now we know that season five of The Boys will also be its final season. Showrunner Eric Kripke took to Twitter to say that, after admittedly being “cagey,” he’s ready to admit season five will be The Boys supe swan song. Yes, The Boys will end with season five.

After it seemed as though The Boys might (maybe even likely) continue past season five, Kripke has surprisingly revealed it will actually end after five seasons. (Plus what should be at least two years of its spinoff Gen V.) The showrunner said that ending The Boys after five seasons was always his plan, which is both good and bad.

It’s good because it means Kripke is telling the story he set out to tell and it’s ending where he thinks is the show’s natural endpoint. But it’s bad because this means no more The Boys, one of the best, most consistently entertaining shows in TV history, after season five.

In full, Kripke’s message about the end of The Boys reads as follows, “The Boys Season 4 Premiere Week is a good time to announce: Season 5 will be the Final Season! Always my plan, I just had to be cagey till I got the final OK from Vought. Thrilled to bring the story to a gory, epic, moist climax. Watch Season 4 in 2 DAYS, cause the end has begun!”

Additionally, Kripke later shared, “This story of The Boys will not continue on. With any luck, Gen V will continue on, there will be hopefully a couple others in development that we’re talking about that can continue on, but The Boys story ends in season 5.”

Of course, this begs the question, does Eric Kripke know exactly how The Boys‘ ending will play out? It sounds like Kripke has a vision for season five of The Boys‘ very final moments… But not necessarily the whole arc of the season. Here’s what he had to say:

I’d say we’re squarely in the middle. Every season we know that we want Homelander to get a little more disconnected from reality, and we want Butcher to get a little scarier. The show is, at the end of the day, about these two forces charging towards each other, between Butcher and Homelander. I know that them finally smashing into each other, once and for all, will be a big part of whatever end game we come up with. But beyond that, and beyond knowing where I want Hughie, it’s like I know where I want a lot of the characters to end up. That’s what I would say. I actually don’t even necessarily know the climax of the show, as much as I know that 10 pages that happens at the end, when they say six months later, and you see where everyone is. I know where everyone is. Then my job, as whenever we get to it, my job is to just make sure we can back into that.

On top of this, Kripke warns fans that “there will probably be lots of death” to come in season five of The Boys and offers “no guarantee” anyone will survive. Additionally, he notes that since season five of The Boys is the final season, it doesn’t have to worry about anything after it and “you can have really shocking, big things happen all the time.” More shocking than what The Boys already has on offer? That’s a hell of a warning, indeed.

Recently, another The Boys figure, Giancarlo Esposito, commented on The Boys season five, noting, “I think it’s going to be a whirlwind season… Every show that comes to an end has an explosive ending in its final season, and The Boys is just such a very outrageous show, but also reflective of the world we live in now.”

With all that said, the end of The Boys is still a ways away. And f***ing hell, we are going to enjoy every last second of this series.

Originally published on June 11, 2024.

The post THE BOYS Will End with Season 5, Lots of Death Coming appeared first on Nerdist.

Oz Cobb is coming to HBO, but like a true supervillain he’s arriving on his own terms. The Batman spinoff series starring Colin Farrell is launching with a very weird release schedule. The Penguin will debut on both the network and Max at nine p.m. on Thursday, September 19. But rather than stick with that night, the way most shows only air on a specific day of the week, it’s immediately moving to another. Starting with the second episode new installments will air Sunday night during one of the most sacred spots in all of television.

Oz Cobb is ready to take over Gotham, HBO, and Max with The Penguin‘s highly anticipated first episode. I’ve seen it and thought it was excellent. Unfortunately those who agree with me will have an extra few days to wait before getting the next one. Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed that instead of sticking with a Thursday night release schedule, the show will instead slide over to the nine p.m. slot on Sundays nights.

That’s excellent news for the series and how the company feels about it. HBO’s nine p.m. Sunday slot is the network’s most prestigious place on the TV calendar. That time slot has been home to revered mega hits like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, and countless other critical and ratings darlings.

But if HBO is so high on The Penguin, why not just start the show on Sunday? Why kick things off on a Thursday? Some viewers will inevitably be upset when they turn on their TVs seven days later only to realize episode two isn’t on. Just as some will tune in the night of September 29 confused by a show “starting” with its second episode.

It’s chaos! Like Gotham City after the Riddler destroyed the sea wall!

Okay, maybe waiting three extra days is not that chaotic, but we doubt this would be happening if Carmine Falcone was still in charge. Oz Cobb has his work cutout for him if he wants to be in charge.

The post THE PENGUIN Has a Weird Release Schedule That Will Mean an Extra Wait For Episode 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s official—Black Mirror is coming to Netflix for season seven in 2025. The six-episode season of Charlie Brooker’s anthology series that treads on the dark side will also include a sequel to the season four sci-fi adventure “USS Callister.” That episode, the first of the show’s fourth season in 2018, was a kind of spoof on classic Star Trek iconography. Fans went wild for it, and the episode won four Emmy Awards. That now-classic episode was written by Brooker and William Bridges and directed by Toby Haynes. Netflix has also officially shared the cast for Black Mirror season seven. You can check out that information and a brief teaser trailer below.

Netflix Reveals Black Mirror Season 7 Cast

Drumroll please. The Black Mirror season seven cast has arrived and it’s a good one. Among Nerdist favorites appearing are Doctor Who‘s Peter Capaldi, The Penguin‘s Sofia Milioti, and Deadpool and Wolverine‘s Emma Corrin. But they’re not the only ones who will be involved. You can check out the full lead cast of Black Mirror‘s newest season below. For now, Netflix notes that “Additional information about specific episodes and characters is under wraps.”

Lead Cast (Listed Alphabetically): 

• Awkwafina (Jackpot)
• Milanka Brooks (Mum And I Don’t Talk Anymore)
• Peter Capaldi (Criminal Record)
• Emma Corrin (Deadpool and Wolverine)
• Patsy Ferran (Firebrand)
• Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers)
• Lewis Gribben (Blade Runner 2099)
• Osy Ikhile (Citadel)
• Rashida Jones (Sunny)
• Siena Kelly (Domino Day)
• Billy Magnussen (Road House)
• Rosy McEwen (Blue Jean)
• Cristin Milioti (The Penguin)
• Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids)
• Issa Rae (Barbie)
• Paul G. Raymond (Horrible Histories)
• Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
• Jimmi Simpson (Westworld)
• Harriet Walter (Succession)

Black Mirror Season 7 Features the USS Callister

Now that we have a better idea who will be involved in the the upcoming season, you can check out Black Mirror season sevens’s brief teaser trailer below.

Here’s what the streaming giant said on the return of the USS Callister. “Robert Daly is dead, but for the crew of the USS Callister, their problems are just beginning.” In the original episode, Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons), was a reclusive programmer who co-founded a popular MMO that emulated classic Star Trek tropes—particularly those of the original 1960s series. He used his co-workers’ DNA to make digital clones of them, and commanded them as captain of the starship USS Callister. However, in traditional Black Mirror fashion, things did not go smoothly for Robert Daly. Many fans believe that the retro-flavored Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was greenlit because of its success.

Black Mirror Season 7 Release Date and Status

Although starting on the UK’s Channel 4, Black Mirror has found a home on Netflix since season three. No word yet on when the new season drops on the streamer. For now, Netflix notes, “The series is currently filming and will be returning to Netflix in 2025.”

The post BLACK MIRROR Season 7 Reveals Cast, Confirms 2025 Release Date Window appeared first on Nerdist.

The legend of the 300 Spartans is one of the most thrilling in all of Ancient Greece. A small army against a billion guys? How ’bout it! Several movies have featured the story, but the 2006 version from Zack Snyder is very probably the one that will live in people’s memories forever. The film—an adaptation of Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s graphic novel—effectively put Snyder on the map and led to his long career of comic book adaptations. Makes perfect sense, then, that Warner Bros. Television would bring Snyder in for a television series adaptation.

In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Zack Snyder confirmed that the 300 series is moving forward but it is in its early stages. “We’re just getting ready to dive in and get to work on it. It’s super fun, I love the world,” Snyder said. “And even just in the preliminary meetings we’ve had talking about, like, ‘What if this happened or that happened,’ just a lot of it’s just really fun to like go, wow, it’s a rich standard. It’s similar to this [Twilight of the Gods] in a weird way. As far as there’s a lot of underpinnings.”

The 300 TV series is reportedly a prequel, which makes sense considering that we saw all the soldiers die in the film. It could follow the Spartans led by King Leonidas before they went to war with Xerxes. We will see what the actual plot is in the future.

According to Variety, Snyder and his producing partner (and life partner) Deborah Snyder will executive produce the project, with Zack taking on directing duties. Other info is sparse, and no writers or cast are on board. It’s likely an exciting prospect for fans of Snyder’s directing style, to get a full series of his speed-ramping action.

Originally published May 31, 2024.

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.

The post Zack Snyder Says the 300 TV Series Is in Progress appeared first on Nerdist.

WandaVision‘s nosy neighbor turned out to be far more dangerous than most sitcom characters. Now the show’s spinoff starring Kathryn Hahn has introduced its own mysterious witch. Aubrey Plaza is an entirely new Marvel character who clearly has a complicated past with Agatha Harkness. But who is she and what happened between them? And does she really want Agatha dead? Here’s what we know about Agatha All Along‘s black hearted green witch Rio Vidal so far.

What Marvel Comics Character Is Aubrey Plaza’s Agatha All Along Character Based On?

Rio Vidal, who says she has a “black heart,” is an original character with no direct or obvious comic counterpart in name or role. As of now she seems to be an entirely new figure in the world of Marvel.

Because Rio is a Green Witch, some have speculated she could be loosely connected to or even based on Marvel Comics’ villain Dian. He is a powerful evil sorcerer known as the Emerald Warlock. (Get it? Green Witch/Emerald Warlock? You get it.)

Beyond their names and the fact each has lived for hundreds of years (at least), there’s nothing to suggest the two characters are related. If they are, though, Dian’s history does provide some tantalizing possibilities. He once worked with Agatha Harkness and later became a major enemy of the Scarlet Witch, whom he battled with on the Witches Road.

What Is a Green Witch on Agatha All Along?

Agatha’s efforts to form a coven revealed that their are different kinds of witches living in the MCU. Some are divination witches, others are potion witches, and some are green witches. Green witches have a magical connection to the land, as revealed by Agatha using local gardener “Ms. Hart” (her real name is Sharon) as a green witch proxy.

What Happened With Rio Vidal and Agathan Harkness Before Agatha All Along?

Rio Vidal came to Westview to help Agatha escape (the now-dead) Wanda’s spell. It had locked Agatha inside her own mind as Agnes for three years. But once Agatha broke out of her faux police procedural, which Rio appeared in as an FBI agent, suggesting Rio had created that fake realit, the Green Witch, who is also a fierce warrior, attacked Agatha. She said she would have killed the powerless Agatha if not for witch rules that forbid it.

But why would Rio help Agatha break out of her mental prison if she hates Agatha? Was it only so the Salem Seven could finish off Agatha Harkness for her? Or is their love behind that animosity? The two witches violent interaction hinted at a previous romantic relationship that goes back many centuries. Rio also knew that Agatha’s original coven betrayed her, which is why Agatha attacked them.

Does Rio really want to see Agatha destroyed? Or did she show up in Westview to ultimately save someone she loves? Or is she looking for something a little less serious/more fun we wouldn’t expect to see on Disney+?

There’s so much more we have to learn about Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vidal on Agatha All Along, and we can’t wait to see what other secrets she’s hiding.

The post Aubrey Plaza’s Mysterious AGATHA ALL ALONG Character Rio Vidal, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Castlevania: Nocturne fans have a lot to celebrate. Netflix just announced the release date window for season two of the series, which will feature Richter Belmont fighting alongside everyone’s favorite character Alucard. That’s arriving to us in January 2025. But the exciting Castlevania: Nocturne news doesn’t end there. Nerdist is thrilled to exclusively reveal new incredibly gorgeous Castlevania: Nocturne PVC figures from Dark Horse Comics and Netflix, which take the form of Richter Belmont and the ancient vampire Olrox.

While two new Nocturne figures would be thrilling stuff, Dark Horse Comics is casting a spell of its own and actually releasing two variants each of the Olrox and Richter Belmont PVC figures, for a total of four new collectible figures. Not only will Olrox and Richter receive a Dark Horse Deluxe figure, available widely wherever collectibles are sold, but they will also each receive a special Dark Horse Direct Exclusive figure, which will be available through Dark Horse Direct’s website.

A true gift to fans of vampires and vampire hunters everywhere. Join us as we take a closer look at the new Richter Belmont and Olrox Castlevania: Nocturne PVC figures below.

Jump to:

• Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Olrox Figure // Dark Horse Deluxe Olrox Figure
• Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Richter Belmont Figure // Dark Horse Deluxe Richter Belmont Figure

Castlevania: Nocturne Olrox PVC Figures: Dark Horse Direct Exclusive and Dark Horse Deluxe Versions

Elegant, powerful, and dare we say it, sexy, Castlevania: Nocturne‘s Olrox brings to life, or more accurately, undeath, everything we could want in a character. After all, who doesn’t love an ancient vampire with tendencies toward good and evil and the incredible powers to turn into a serpent-like dragon, which calls to mind mythology’s Quetzalcoatl? No one, that’s who. And personally, for us, the fact that he’s queer just makes him even more of an icon. So there’s also no question that fans of Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocture series are itching to add Olrox to their collection of figures. And Dark Horse Comics and Netflix are here to answer that call.

As mentioned, two Olrox figures are actually heading in the direction of your shelves. Dark Horse Comics will release a Dark Horse Direct Exclusive PVC Olrox figure and a Dark Horse Deluxe PVC Olrox figure. What’s the difference? Well, the Dark Horse Direct Exclusive features a little bit more Olrox goodness, including a point-perfect homage to his dragon form. Here’s what each figure entails.

Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Castlevania: Nocturne Olrox PVC Figure

Olrox is the vampire who set Richter Belmont on his vampire hunter journey when he took his revenge on Julia Belmont for killing his lover. And on that fateful night, Olrox rose from the mist to exact his vengeance. This Dark Horse Direct Exclusive figure captures that moment in all its dramatic glory, mist and all. The exclusive version of Olrox comes with “an alternate arm and an alternate back plate, which shows Olrox’s dragon transformation appearing from a portal on one side and spectral skulls from the other.” It makes for a hauntingly beautiful vision. You can take a closer look at Olrox from all angles below.

The Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Castlevania: Nocturne Olrox PVC Figure costs $99.99. The edition size for this figure is 1,500. This figure is now available for pre-order on Dark Horse Direct’s website. This Olrox figure is expected to ship to customers between April and June 2025. It’s worth noting that if you pre-order two or more figures from Dark Horse Direct (that could be Olrox and Richter Belmont for those playing along), you get 10% off your order as a pre-order bonus!

Here’s What’s Included When You Purchase Olrox’s Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Figure and Other Details

• Castlevania: Nocturne – Olrox PVC Figure
  • This figure is is 11.25” tall by 5.5” wide by 6” deep
• Alternate right arm (behind his back or snapping)
• Alternate backplate revealing Olrox’s stunning dragon form
• Edition Size: 1,500
• Cost: $99.99
• Expected Ship Date: April – June 2025

Dark Horse Deluxe Castlevania: Nocturne Olrox PVC Figure

The Dark Horse Deluxe version of Netflix’s Olrox is no less stunning than the exclusive version. It just doesn’t include some of the additional grace notes of the exclusive Castlevania: Nocturne figure, such as the dragon transformation backplate or the eerily lovely spectral skulls. But you still get Olrox in all his majesty, either holding his iconic obsidian dagger behind his back or getting ready to summon his otherworldly magic with a snap of his fingers.

The Dark Horse Deluxe Castlevania: Nocturne Olrox PVC Figure costs $79.99. This figure is available for purchase wherever collectibles are sold and should be available for pre-order now. The Deluxe version of Olrox will become available on March 5, 2025.

Here’s what’s Included When You Purchase Olrox’s Dark Horse Deluxe Figure and Other Details

• Castlevania: Nocturne – Olrox PVC Figure
  • This figure is is 11.25” tall by 5.5” wide by 6” deep
• Alternate right arm (behind his back or snapping)
• Cost: $79.99
• Available on March 3, 2025.

Jump to:

• Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Olrox Figure // Dark Horse Deluxe Olrox Figure
• Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Richter Belmont Figure // Dark Horse Deluxe Richter Belmont Figure

Castlevania: Nocturne Richter Belmont PVC Figures: Dark Horse Direct Exclusive and Dark Horse Deluxe Versions

But, of course, we wouldn’t want Olrox to get lonely on the shelf. After all, what good is an anti-hero if he can’t sometimes square off and sometimes assist the forces of good on your shelf? And that’s where Richter Belmont comes into the picture. Like Olrox, Dark Horse Comics’ Richter Belmont PVC figure comes in two versions: a Dark Horse Direct Exclusive version and a Dark Horse Deluxe version. Here’s what fans of the Netflix series can expect from these vampire hunter figures.

Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Castlevania: Nocturne Richter Belmont PVC Figure

You know him, you love him, Richter Belmont is the last of the Belmont clan and he knows how to kill a vampire. After an encounter with the vampire Olrox, Richter set out on his path to become a vampire hunter, and throughout the Netflix series, we see him grow, evolve, and step into his many strengths. From a scared child to a natural vampire hunter, Richter Belmont protects France from the chaos of vampires. (And we can’t wait to see him team up with everyone’s favorite half-human, half-vampire Alucard in season two of Castlevania: Nocturne.)

The Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Richter Belmont PVC figure captures all of these facets of the character. Richter comes with an alternate head and weapons, an incredible amount of weapons. These include his sword, knives, ice gauntlet, fireball, and his signature flaming whip! But hey, with so many vampires around, you always need to be ready. You can look closer at this magnificent version of Richter Belmont above and below.

The exclusive version of Richter Belmont is limited to 1,500 units. It costs $99.99 and is now available for pre-order on Dark Horse Direct’s website. This exclusive Richter Belmont Castlevania: Nocture figure is expected to ship to customers between April and June 2025. Once again, we’re reminding you that if you pre-order two or more figures from Dark Horse Direct, you get 10% off your order as a pre-order bonus.

Here’s What’s Included When You Purchase Richter Belmont’s Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Figure and Other Details

• Castlevania: Nocturne – Richter Belmont PVC Figure
  • This figure is at 9.2” tall by 8” wide by 6.4” deep
• Alternate head.
• Alternate right arms (curled whip, extended flame whip)
• Alternate left arms (ice gauntlet, knives, fireball, sword)
• Accessories: Sheaths (with & without hilt)
• Edition Size: 1,500
• Cost: $99.99
• Expected Ship Date: April – June 2025

Dark Horse Deluxe Castlevania: Nocturne Richter Belmont PVC Figure

Once again, this Castlevania: Nocturne Richter Belmont Dark Horse Deluxe figure is still pretty incredible. He just doesn’t include the alternate head, the alternate right arm options, and the left arm ice gauntlet and knives of the exclusive. That means Richter has fewer weapons to fight off vampiric threats, but he’s still pretty well prepared. The Dark Horse Deluxe version of Richter Belmont instead features him brandishing his sword or manipulating his iconic blue flames. This figure also has a coiled version of Richter’s whip in his right arm which the exclusive does not contain.

The Dark Horse Deluxe Castlevania: Nocturne Olrox PVC Figure costs $79.99. This figure is available for purchase wherever collectibles are sold and should be available for pre-order now. The Deluxe version of Richter Belmont will become available on March 5, 2025.

Here’s What’s Included When You Purchase Richter Belmont’s Dark Horse Deluxe Figure and Other Details

• Castlevania: Nocturne – Richter Belmont PVC Figure
• This figure is at 9.2” tall by 8” wide by 6.4” deep
• Accessories: Alternate left arms (fireball, sword) and sheaths (with & without hilt).
  • This figure is is 11.25” tall by 5.5” wide by 6” deep
• Cost: $79.99
• Available on March 3, 2025.

We Can’t Wait to Own These Castlevania: Nocturne Figures

Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne is one of the most beautiful shows around, so it’s only right that the figures based on it are equally glorious. We can’t wait to bring home Olrox and Richter Belmont… We just hope they don’t make a mess of our shelves.

Jump to:

• Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Olrox Figure // Dark Horse Deluxe Olrox Figure
• Dark Horse Direct Exclusive Richter Belmont Figure // Dark Horse Deluxe Richter Belmont Figure

The post New Richter Belmont and Olrox CASTLEVANIA: NOCTURNE Figures Come in Two Gorgeous Versions appeared first on Nerdist.

Adar told Galadriel his plan for defeating Sauron forever during episode six of The Rings of Power season two. The Uruk leader wants to combine the strength of the three elven rings with something just as powerful. He has the Dark Lord’s own crown. Only, Adar said that crown once belonged to someone else. He claims it was reforged from the Iron Crown Morgoth used to carry the famed Silmarils. Is Adar telling the truth? Or does he only think he’s telling the truth because “the deceiver” lied? To find out we must dig into J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore to see how The Rings of Power is connecting Sauron’s to Morgoth’s, either in truth or deception.

Morgoth was the most powerful of the Valar who brought evil to the world. (You can read more about him with our primer Who is Morgoth?) He was also the Dark Lord of the First Age, the era before The Rings of Power‘s time period. Sauron was Morgoth’s most loyal servant and hand-picked heir, but while more famous than his master, Morgoth was even more powerful.

Morgoth crafted his own Iron Crown in the volcanic mountains of Thangorodrim. He made it to hold the three famed Silmarils he’d stolen. Those were the jewels that contained the light from the Two Trees of Valinor. Celebrimbor’s grandfather Fëanor, the greatest elf craftsman whom Celebrimbor has been desperate to live up to throughout season two, made the Silmarils.

The Iron Crown was not easy to wear, but Morgoth refused to take it off. Ultimately he would be forced to wear it for eternity. When Morgoth finally fell in the War of Wrath the Valar beat the Dark Lord’s Iron Crown into a collar for his neck. They then threw the bound Morgoth into the Timeless Void outside of space and time. According to The Silmarillion that’s where the remnants of Morgoth’s crown remain. That’s likely the story Galadriel was told, the one she was about to reference when Adar cut her off during their conversation at dinner.

Adar tells a different tale of the crown’s fate. For while he says “there are many stories of what happened after the Silmarils were pried from (the Iron Crown’s) settings,” he was “there when Sauron re-fired it to to fit himself.” Adar says he was present when Sauron “kneeled to be crowned,” just as he was the one who used the crown to slay Sauron.

We saw Adar try—but ultimately fail—to kill Sauron in a flashback at the start of season two, so at least part of his story is true. What we didn’t see was Sauron actually finding and taking Morgoth’s crown. In fairness, we did not see the Valar turn it into a collar, either. So could Adar’s story be true? Yes, we just don’t know how yet.

The Silmarillion is a definitive text, but The Rings of Power is an adaptation that has not been bound by Middle-earth canon. The show does more than just fill in gaps or use a lack of lore to tell its story. (Like how it gave a backstory for the creation of mithril.) The series sometimes makes major change to Tolkien’s writings, like how it has reversed the order Celebrimbor forged the rings of power. (He made the elves’ rings last and without Sauron, not first with him like on the Prime video series.) Adar might have told Galadriel a totally true story within in the reality of the show.

Adar could also be telling the complete truth without breaking any Tolkienian lore considering what else we know about Morgoth’s Iron Crown. It had to be huge. Morgoth was gigantic, anywhere from two to three times bigger than the seven-foot elves he fought with during the First Age. His presence, as briefly seen during the Prime Video series’ first episode, was easily that large. The Silmarillion itself says Morgoth stood over an elven king “as a tower” and “cast a shadow over him like a storm cloud.” That’s how he’s always depicted.

Did the Valar need all of Morgoth’s humongous, lengthy spiked crown to make a single collar? What if they only needed some of its iron and left the rest behind? That would have been plenty for Sauron, who was around a third the size of his master, to make his own crown out of Morgoth’s.

For sticklers that might seem like a convenient way to technically not break lore while still being too loose with it, but it actually fits in seamlessly with other Middle-earth adaptations. Sauron’s crown, including in Peter Jackson’s films, is based on Tolkien’s description of Morgoth’s. Since Sauron was his chosen successor, that has always made sense. The Rings of Power is now building on that tradition in a meaningful way. This season has seen Annatar manipulate Celebrimbor into creating the rings of power. He’s been able to do that because the elven craftsman is desperate to best his grandfather and the Silmarils, the very thing Morgoth’s crown was made to hold. The history of Middle-earth, the elves, and evil are all connected.

This is Sauron we’re talking about, so it’s possible the story Adar “knows” is nothing but a lie. Sauron would have many reasons to claim his crown came from Morgoth’s. It would give him legitimacy and authority as Morgoth’s rightful heir. It would also serve as an imposing symbol and a feared source of actual power, one imbued with both Morgoth’s strength and that of the Silmarils, just as mithril is on the show.

If Sauron was lying that might explain why Adar couldn’t kill him with just the crown. That deception could now also be leading Adar down a faulty path. He hopes to combine Sauron’s helm with the elves’ rings Sauron himself helped make. Or it might be even simpler. It might be that Morgoth’s crown could never truly harm the original Dark Lord’s chosen one.

Whatever the truth is—as interesting and meaningful as it might be—it won’t change one thing. Sauron is coming back for his crown and he’s going to get it.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He never trusts Sauron, but this time? This time it might be different. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post How THE RINGS OF POWER Connects Sauron’s Crown to Morgoth’s appeared first on Nerdist.

Agatha All Along is finally here after a very lengthy wait. For the past three years, Agatha Harkness a.k.a. Agnes has been living in a Westview preoccupied with her various delusions, including masquerading as a homicide detective. In the show’s first episode, we see a very different yet oddly familiar version of Westview that initially starts as a play on True Detective (and true crime shows in general) known as “Agnes of Westview,” and it includes a handful of familiar faces. Episode two continues to unveil more about Westview and even brings one character along for a wild adventure. Here are all the WandaVision characters who lived in Westview that appear in Agatha All Along. 

Herb (Real Name: John Collins) 

Wanda and Vision’s neighbor Herb is in Agatha All Along. But this time, he’s not rocking an Afro nor catching anyone on the flipside. Instead, he’s been dealing and going along with Agatha’s constant delusions stemming from her entrapment in Wanda’s distorted spell. She imagines him as a forensics investigator who finds Wanda’s dead body in the woods. In reality, Herb is just a neighbor who 1) doesn’t want to see Agatha naked and 2) is probably over all the weird things happening in his town. 

Like everyone else, Herb remembers what happened in WandaVision and knows that Agatha is trapped mentally and cannot really leave. The town seems to go along with her ramblings until Teen and Rio show up to break her from the spell’s slumber. 

Dottie (Real Name: Sarah Proctor) 

The very bougie Dottie from WandaVision is actually a lot more chill and likeable in real life. In Agatha All Along, Dottie is Sarah Proctor, a Westview librarian who gives Agatha a piece of information about a library book checkout card she found near Wanda’s body. (Of course, Agatha still uses everyone’s sitcom names.) Well, not actually, but in her delusional/transfixed state. We later see Dottie and her family, including a daughter and husband Harold, watching Agatha run in the streets naked after she reclaims herself. 

Phil Jones (Real Name: Harold Proctor) 

In WandaVision, Phil Jones is the employee who is fired by Mr. Hart after a “terrible” dinner at his house. I guess that’s what happens when you wear a turtleneck. In Agatha All Along, Phil is regular ole Harold, husband to Sarah. We can assume he’s still a piano teacher, even though he was the chief of police for a bit in Agatha’s true crime loving mind. 

Norm (Real Name: Abilash Tandon)

Vision’s cheerful co-worker Norm is seen in Agatha All Along working at a pawn/repair shop. She stops in and shows him a locket with a piece of auburn hair inside of it. He looks as her oddly as she walks away, probably aware of what’s happening with her grip on reality. We see him later humorously as he runs in the opposite direction of a naked Agatha. Hopefully everything is okay with Norm’s dad and sister, whom he talked about briefly when he wasn’t under Wanda’s spell. 

Dennis (Real Name: Unknown)

Dennis was a pizza delivery man turned mail delivery guy in WandaVision. He is in the library and speaks to Agnes in Agatha All Along, telling her that there was a fire and every copy was destroyed. So technically he is still “just the messenger.” She doesn’t know it until a bit later, but he’s talking about the Darkhold. His cameo is perhaps the strangest of them all.

Señor Scratchy (Real Name:…presumably Señor Scratchy, possibly Nicholas Scratch)

The infamous bunny rabbit that everyone thought was some mage or evil being in WandaVision seemed to be not real. But now we know that Señor Scratchy is real and appears in Agatha All Along. He lives with Agatha and makes a couple of cute appearances before the coven heads off down Witches’ Road. It’s not lost on any of us that Scratchy is similar to her deceased (??) son’s name Nicholas Scratch. Could her son’s spirit be in her familiar’s bunny body. Maybe we will finally get answers about this bun.

Mrs. Hart (Real Name: Sharon Davis) 

The most important WandaVision character to appear in Agatha All Along is Mrs. Hart. She was the wife of Vision’s boss Mr. Hart who came over for that humorous and disturbing dinner in episode one of WandaVision. In this series, she accidentally hits Teen with her car while he’s trying to run from Agatha. This allows her to apprehend him and eventually find out that he wants to go to The Road, also known as Witches’ Road. He wants to discover power on its path and says it is what Agatha is missing.

There are entities coming to kill a magicless Agatha and she’s intrigued by Teen, so she really has no choice. But to do it, she needs a coven of people who are at least witchy adjacent to access The Road. She pieces together a few folks but they remind her that she needs a green witch. There wasn’t a name on the conjured list but there was a black heart symbol. So Agatha goes to Mrs. Hart, who is now a widow and deep into maintaining her garden. She invites Mrs. Hart to a “party” and ends up going right along with the adventure.

As far as we know, Mrs. Hart isn’t a witch in the sense that the others are. But this show will likely give us some surprises. Was she perhaps playing along with Wanda at that dinner? We shall see. 

We don’t know if we will see more WandaVision characters in Agatha All Along. Of course, there’s always the hope to see Wanda, but who knows what will happen. Agatha and her new coven are on their way down Witches’ Road, so a return to Westview probably won’t happen any time soon, if it happens at all. Either way, it was fun to return to the town and once again see it from a weird perspective.

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The Batman in 2022 gave us our first glimpse at Matt Reeves’ version of Gotham City. While not the first “realistic” version of the fictional comic book city, though arguably more in line with a lot of more comic-booky Batman aesthetics, The Batman perfectly thread the line between grounded and fantastical. It’s not The Dark Knight, but it’s also not Batman & Robin. Because of that, several of the sillier elements had to change to fit better. Some of those are the names of characters. Chief among them, the Penguin (Colin Farrell). In the movie, we learn he goes by “Oz,” and the series The Penguin confirms his name is not Oswald Cobblepot.

The series changes the name Oswald Cobblepot to Oswald “Oz” Cobb. Small change, but bigger ramifications. In the comic, Oswald Cobblepot is a criminal in the vein of high-society wannabe. He’s the black sheep of a decidedly white sheep family. That really doesn’t fit The Batman‘s version of the character one bit, a mafia enforcer who fancies himself a bigshot. Similar vibe, wildly different execution. So the easy answer is, “Oswald Cobblepot” is a silly name.

Speaking to SFX (via GameSpot), The Penguin producer Dylan Clark explains the change further. “[DC] never got around to changing his name in the comics like they did with the Riddler, going from Edward Nigma [or Nygma] to Edward Nashton, from an unreal name to a real name.” This, of course, is true. In the comics, we learn Edward Nygma was a retrofitted pseudonym for Edward Nashton once he took on the persona of the Riddler.

“We had a lot of conversations with DC Comics and with Jim Lee [President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics],” Clark continued. “They had thought about changing his name at some point but had never done it. Matt asked, ‘Can I call our character Oz Cobb?’ And Jim said, ‘Absolutely!’ So we got a blessing from the king himself. That small change of the name allowed us to look at this character in a grounded way.”

Boy, they are really worried about a story where a guy dresses up like a bat feeling grounded. Ah well, it is what it is. Oz Cobb does fit the character better, somehow, so maybe they had the right idea.

The Penguin premieres September 19 on HBO.

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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The Office, fittingly, is never going to let us go. We’re clearly always going to be tethered to a sitcom desk. And not just because we can’t stop watching old reruns. The franchise that started in the UK before making waves across the Atlantic is still going strong. An upcoming spinoff will return the show to U.S. airwaves (likely) in 2025. But before it does, we’ll have another way to get our fix of workplace comedy with a very different kind of boss. Well, not that different. Because while the new trailer from Prime Video’s Australia remake of The Office features the franchise’s first-ever woman boss, she reminds us a whole lot of David Brent and Michael Scott.

Meet Hannah Howard (played by Felicity Ward), manager of the latest iteration of The Office. She’s heading up the Aussie version of the show, the first iteration in any country to ever star a woman. This trailer also introduces Lizzie (played by Edith Poor), who is clearly the show’s answer to “Dwight.” Steen Raskopoulos’ also joins them as Nick, who looks to be Australia’s version of Jim. Of course you can’t have a Jim without a Pam, and Shari Sebbens’ Greta will fill that role.

The rest of the cast includes What We Do in the Shadows‘ alum Jonny Brugh as Lloyd, who takes his job so seriously he lives at it. And Josh Thomson plays Martin, whom we already empathize with.

They all work at the fictional packing company Flinley Craddick. But its boss isn’t the show’s only twist. It will also see its characters responding to a post-COVID world. Here’s what Australia Prime Video said about the new boss show when it was first announced:

When she gets news from Head Office that they will be shutting down her branch and making everyone work from home, she goes into survival mode, making promises she can’t keep in order to keep her ‘work family’ together. 

We’re confident she’ll only be able to do some of that. And even less of it well. We’ll find out just how much when Australia’s The Office debuts at Prime Video on October 18.

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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.

The Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has finally confirmed its release date. The series will arrive on Disney+ on December 3. And when it does, it promises to be an incredibly fun Star Wars time.

The most shocking recent news is that Jaleel White, who played the infamous Steve Urkel, will be a space pirate named Gunter in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. That was not on our 2024 Bingo cards. Anyway, here’s some first images from Entertainment Weekly.

Star Jude Law revealed that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew would have loads of Easter eggs for Star Wars fans to find. He noted, “If you look carefully, [we] got some Star Wars tech that dates right back, I believe, to the original film… They do [easter eggs] so well. That’s one of the joys I think of this universe for those who know there are these little details always hidden away or Easter eggs that people can find and link up.”

Creator Watts adds that there are indeed “a lot of Easter eggs” to be found. Noting that, “even in the first episode, there’s a couple really, really great references that certain fans will immediately recognize.” And Ford adds that he and Watts had “the fun and the challenge of finding some deep cut [references].”

But of course, that’s all extra. “You don’t have to know everything about Star Wars to enjoy the show,” Watts reveals. “You can come into it completely fresh and enjoy the story. But if you do happen to be a Star Wars super fan, there’s a lot for you.”

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. The Star Wars: Skeleton Crew series also takes inspiration from the Amblin movies of the ’80s.

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, Jaleel White, Marti Matulis, Dale Soules, Mike Estes, and Kerry Condon. According to Entertainment Weekly, White will portray the space pirate Gunter, Matulis as Vane from The Mandalorian, Estes as Pax, Soules as Chaelt, and Fred Tatasciore (voice)/Stephan Oyoung (physical) as the wolflike character Brutus.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew‘s Release Date

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will release on December 3, 2024.

Originally published on September 22, 2022.

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Zack Snyder might have never directed an MCU movie starring any Asgardian gods; however, his latest project for Netflix definitely deals with stories and heroes from Norse mythology. Twilight of the Gods is Snyder’s latest offering, an animated series offering bombastic and bloody battles. All playing out on a mythological scale. If you’ve seen 300, you know Snyder loves some epic sweeping battle scenes.

In honor of the show’s release on September 19, Netflix’s Geeked Week gave fans the gift of a Twilight of the Gods clip along with reminding everyone of its debut.

Netflix previously gave us a Twilight of the Gods teaser:

In addition to the teaser trailer, the synopsis for Snyder’s Twilight of the Gods shares:

In a mythical world of great battles, great deeds, and great despair, Leif (Stuart Martin), a mortal king, is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love. On their wedding night, Sigrid and Leif survive a wrath of terror from Thor (Pilou Asbæk), which sets them — and a crew of crusaders — on a merciless mission for vengeance, against all odds. This heroic story of love, loss, and revenge, is a journey to hell and beyond … across fantastical lands, battlefields fierce and bloody, and wars waged against deities and demons.

For a gorier glance at the series, you can also take in the Red Band teaser trailer below.

The series features the voices of Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Kristopher Hivju, Pilou Asbaek, and John Noble. Also in the cast are Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan, and Corey Stoll. The term “Twilight of the Gods” is another name, of course, for Ragnarok. We can see why Snyder chose to not call his series that. Marvel’s Thor kind of owns that one for now.

In recent years, after the end of his DCEU, Zack Snyder has found a supportive home on Netflix. They financed and released his Army of the Dead, as well as both chapters of Rebel Moon. Those were movies, and Twilight of the Gods is his first series for the streaming giant. We’ll see if it’s the first of many, or just a one off.

Twilight of the Gods drops on Netflix on September 19.

Originally published August 21, 2024.

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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.

The latest clip from The Rings of Power season two, episode six, is a short one, but it gets in deep with the characters of Galadriel and Adar. Don’t watch it if you don’t want to be spoiled. But it basically lays out how they both feel about Sauron and how they were both deceived by him in similar ways. It’s honestly an incredible scene between two fascinating characters forced to come together. I’m obsessed with it. As we’ve said before, Galadriel and Adar should team up to fight Sauron in The Rings of Power season two. You can check it out below.

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.

Among other things, war is coming to Middle-earth. A release for season two of The Rings of Power notes, “This season features the long-awaited Siege of Eregion, a definitive battle in J.R.R. Tolkien’s history of the Second Age of Middle-earth, from which not everyone makes it out alive. The banners are raised, and the devastating war against Sauron is just beginning.” Very ominous.

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.

In the latest clips from season two, we see Galadriel give name to what truly happened in The Rings of Power season one. Sauron deceived her. Elrond and High King Gil-galad do not seem thrilled by the news, but despite this Galadriel still seems to believe she was right to make Rings of Power for the elves. If that’s true remains to be seen. While Elrond staunchly stands against it, the High King seems like he’s willing to entertain it despite his frown. But that’s about to become much harder because Elrond seems to take the rings and jump off a cliff.

We are seated. You can check out the clips below.

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.

Rufus Wainwright joins forces with Bear McCreary for The Rings of Power season two, specifically for Tom Bombadil’s song. The video above teases the song, as well as the making of it.

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 Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two will premiere with its first three episodes on August 29. It will then release episodes weekly with its finale landing on October 3.

Originally published on May 8, 2023.

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From the first two episodes of Agatha All Along, all we know about Joe Locke’s mysterious character, simply called “Teen,” is that he’s a 16-year-old gay Westview resident. A resident with quite an interest in witchcraft. He helps to break Agatha out of the spell that Wanda Maximoff placed her under at the end of WandaVision. A spell that lasted three whole years, only weakened by Wanda’s death in Doctor Strange in the Mutliverse of Madness. He essentially tells her he’s the ultimate Agatha fanboy, a fan who knows way too much about her life.

Teen Has a Mystical Sigil Placed on Him

But when Agatha asks Teen who he is, his words sound muffled and she can’t hear what his name is. In fact, a series of cursive letters appear over his mouth, which prevents Agatha from knowing who he really is. Agatha then explains that the letters are part of a sigil, which is a concealing spell. Who (or what) placed that spell on Teen is a mystery. It’s certainly a mystery that annoys Agatha to no end since she can’t break the spell in her current powerless state.

Later on in episode two, the two characters take a car ride together. Teen attempts to explain to her where he’s from to make small talk. However, the very same magic prevents Agatha (and the viewer) from hearing it. We imagine lip readers will have a field day trying to figure out what he’s saying. This only annoys Agatha further. It’s evident to her there is something special about the boy.

Is “Teen” Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wiccan, or Someone Else?

The prevailing theory, of course, is that Teen is really Billy Kaplan. Billy in the comics is the reincarnated soul of Billy Maximoff, Wanda’s son she created in the Hex in WandaVision. In the comics, he becomes one of Marvel’s most important LGBTQ heroes, Wiccan, a Young Avenger.

There are other possibilities though. He could also be the son of Agatha, the one she supposedly gave away centuries ago in exchange for the Darkhold. In the comics, that son was Nicolas Scratch. Although, why her son would still be a teenager after hundreds of years is perplexing. We have a strong suspicion that we may not find out the true identity of Teen until the very end of the series.

When Will Agatha All Along Reveal the Truth about “Teen?”

We do hope that Marvel Studios understands how important the character of Wiccan is to fans, especially LGBTQ fans, and doesn’t wind up dropping the ball on the perfect way to formally introduce Joe Locke’s Teen character. As much as we loved WandaVision, we’re still a little bitter about Evan Peters’ character who they teased as Quicksilver from the Fox X-Men universe, only to really be some dude named Ralph Bohner. If the same producers pull that trick again, we might be more than a little annoyed. Right now, our money is on Teen being some form of Billy Maximoff, but who knows what the producers of Agatha All Along have in store?

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As The Rings of Power moves through its second season on Prime Video, the show continues to expand on the lore of Middle-earth in its Second Age, with the threat of Sauron coming ever closer to everyone. This season began with Sauron’s deception as Halbrand is revealed to the elves of Lingon after the creation of the first three Rings of Power. Gil-Galad, Círdan, and Galadriel have now become the first ringbearers. 

Galadriel in particular, as the story’s primary focus, has made a compelling case for The Rings of Power as a worthy adaptation which expands her as a character. We saw her become very close to Halbrand (a.k.a. Sauron) in the first season. Now, we are witnessing her deal with the ramifications of that this season. This character arc adds complexity to Galadriel, a figure who has only really been seen as the beautiful and graceful Lady of Lothlorien.

In the series, she transforms into a headstrong, ambitious warrior who will fight to protect her people from harm at any cost. This is especially intriguing considering what she becomes in the Third Age and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Sadly, The Rings of Power continues to receive unnecessarily vitriolic backlash from racist and misogynistic “fans” online. Middle-earth reflects our world and they don’t like it. Along with adding more diversity, the show also adds more to existing characters in the Tolkien canon. Although Tolkien’s work has several mentions of Galadriel’s power and beauty, The Rings of Power lets us see her battle prowess in action. It helps us understand why she poses such a threat to the likes of Sauron.

The corruption resulting from the desire for power is a theme that has always been core to Tolkien’s work. Quite a few figures in Tolkien’s world deal with this temptation towards darkness. However, it is almost always male figures who become corrupt in pursuit of power. Meanwhile, the female figures are either easily manipulated or captured and often reduced to damsels in distress. In The Rings of Power, we see Galadriel’s single-minded desire for power motivated by her concern for the preservation of her people. After Sauron’s deception, she succumbs to her temptation by wearing her ring Nenya. This brings her into focus at the center of major conflicts within Middle-earth in a novel way. The audience gets to experience the previously mentioned challenges through fresh eyes, thanks to Galadriel.

Galadriel receives one of the Rings because she is one of the greatest of the elves. This statement is according to the appendices of The Return of the King, from which The Rings of Power draws much of its inspiration. Aside from mentions of her cunning and wisdom in the books, we don’t get much exploration of her power in live-action depictions. The exception is when Frodo offers her the One Ring as he and his fellowship seek refuge in Lothloríen.

In this pivotal scene for her character, she says, “You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!” 

Aside from this one instance, Galadriel, like many other women (elven or otherwise) in Tolkien’s stories, is rarely seen as a leader in the major battles against Morgoth or Sauron, whether in the Silmarillion, or in the main The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Let’s be honest. Tolkien did not write women—whether human, elven, or dwarven (of which there were none originally)—to be warriors or leaders.

An illuminating example is that of Lúthien in the Silmarillion, the daughter of the great elven king Thingol who, along with her eventual husband Beren, subdued the great enemy Morgoth with nothing more than her voice. Despite her power and dedication to her husband’s quest to retrieve the precious Silmarils from Morgoth’s lair, Beren was concerned that he could not provide her with “home or honour or the fair things that are the delight of the queens of the Eldalië.”

There are few elven women more powerful than Lúthien in Tolkien’s canon. But even she fought reluctantly, rather than as someone who wanted to take part in battle against the evil Morgoth for the good of their world. However, in The Rings of Power, we not only see Galadriel fight bravely alongside her male counterparts, but we also see several other women become pivotal in the battles fought against Sauron, like Queen Miriel. 

Tolkien wrote these books in the 1930s and ‘40s, depicting a fantasy land in which he likely never imagined there to be characters like those in The Rings of Power. And that’s understandable, considering the world at that time. As much as his writing, beautiful and lyrical, has stood the test of time, so should adaptations be allowed to update his work in a way that reflects the world we live in. The show certainly does take some liberties with the canon. In the case of Galadriel, that includes the questionable lack of her husband Celeborn and her daughter Celebrian. I am willing to wait to see that story in return for a character who is so much more interesting than the fair Lady of Lothloríen. 

Galadriel plays an undeniably important role in the main trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. But, beyond some sage advice, gifts to the fellowship that are used in their battles, and one aforementioned scene in which the terrifying potential of her power is demonstrated, we don’t get much else. In The Silmarillion, most of what is written that drives the main plot is focused on her brother Finrod and the male members of her family. All that is said about Galadriel when the Noldor elves are deciding to leave Valinor, the heaven-like land of the Valar, is that she wants to rule a land of her own. She never actually speaks in those pivotal moments. 

There is a portion of Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth that focuses on Galadriel and Celeborn specifically, but even that does not expand on Galadriel’s involvement in the battles against Morgoth and Sauron. It mostly focuses on their eventual settlement in Lothloríen. The Rings of Power shows a Galadriel who is wise and beautiful. But we also get a fierce warrior who believes that she can make her people safe, no matter how great the sacrifice. Once Sauron reveals himself at the end of season one, we see Galadriel face a true test of her dedication to fighting the darkness.

Sauron conjures a vision of her brother to gain her as an ally. He manipulates her ambition and desire to save her people, offering her a position at her side as his queen, with a line in reference to The Fellowship of the Ring. She rejects him, a moment which shows us just how much of a threat to Sauron. She is the greatest ally and enemy he could have. But she still allows the forging of the rings. This shows that she (and others like her) can still face temptation towards the darkness, despite her best intentions. 

In making an adaptation that reflects our world, The Rings of Power has breathed in new life into Tolkien’s work. A new approach to some characters can actually make for a very compelling story. The Rings of Power gives Galadriel a chance to do and be more than she was in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Silmarillion. She finally gets the respect that one of the most powerful elves in Middle-Earth deserves. Her journey as a fierce warrior who wrestles with the corruption that great power can incur is compelling.

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Talk about a Lando Calrissian spinoff movie starring Donald Glover began when 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story arrived in theaters. Eventually a potential Lando Calrissian movie became a greenlit series. In 2020 Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced the development of a Lando show for Disney+. Since then fans have waited for Disney to kick things into hyperdrive. Now the Lando series’ latest update might be the clearest sign yet it will really happen, just not anytime soon. Donald Glover himself will now co-writing the show for Disney+ with his brother Stephen Glover. But it’s possible the Lando series will actually return to its original movie form.

Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien’s week took an unexpected turn a while back. It was revealed that he was no longer writing the Lando series for Disney. That might not have been as big a surprise for him as we thought. Shortly before the news about the Glover brothers broke, Simien told The Hollywood Reporter he was still attached to pen the series. Since then Above the Line, who broke the news of Glover’s new role, reports Simien left the project last summer because of his Haunted Mansion duties. (Why be evasive about the Lando series? Simien likely didn’t want to announce news Disney didn’t want out in the world just yet.)

In September 2024, Glover spoke to The Wall Street Journal (via IGN) about the series, which he hopes will bring a bit more fun to the current state of Star Wars.

“As a Star Wars fan myself, I think it’s important that there needs to be fun being had. It’s very hard to have fun right now. It’s tough because there are very serious things happening and those are the only things that connect us, weirdly. So I get why things are serious, but part of the human experience, I believe, is we have a responsibility to have enjoyment. And I just feel like we’re lacking in that department.

“Star Wars, I love it, but sometimes it can be super serious. Sometimes it be, like, way too serious. Everything that has to do with the Skywalkers is like so serious. [With] Lando, I think the best part about him is he’s a scoundrel. And I feel like people can relate to that, and he’s probably like ‘man, this war is whack. I need money,’ which I feel everyone can relate to. I want to bring fun to Star Wars. I just want it to be fun.”

Questions arose as to the timetable of when Glover and his brother Stephen, with whom Donald has collaborated with before (Atlanta, Swarm), agreed to write the show despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in place at the time of the announcements. Disney hired the two before either began. But until each has resolved, we’re no closer to actually seeing the Lando series than we were before this report came out.

Additionally, it’s possible the Lando series won’t even be a series anymore. Recently, Stephen Glover noted on an episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, which we saw via Deadline, “It’s not even a show…The idea right now is to do a movie.” Although we’re still unsure what kind of a project the Lando one is, Donald Glover recently noted that it will have a very specific perspective. He shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “I feel like I have enough control. And maybe you get painted as a control freak, but it’s like, yeah, control allows for the vision to be singular. And if the vision is singular, people want it more. The less it’s singular, the less people want it because they feel like they could’ve made it.” It certainly sounds exciting.

The good news is that Donald Glover’s new role in series, movie, or whatever else essentially guarantees he’ll reprise the role as young Lando Calrissian. That was still technically in doubt. Whether Glover’s involvement in the Lando series means Billy Dee Williams will also appear as the elder hero of the Rebellion is yet unknown. (But we hope he will.) Just getting one of them back in the smuggler’s cape will be a better than getting neither of them. Hopefully, Disney will stop changing the deal and get Lando off the ground.

Originally published on July 28, 2023.

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The Witcher only has two seasons left on Netflix, but they won’t be the only new chapters in Geralt of Rivia’s story. Another spinoff animated film is set to debut at the streamer before The Witcher‘s live-action series returns. And now we know exactly when it will premiere. As part of this year’s Geeked Week event Netflix announced a February 11, 2025 release date for The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. Since that’s still a long ways away for fans of monsters and magic, the site also provided something to tide them over until the movie arrives on its shores. Netflix also shared an all-new clip from the film. This The Wicher: Sirens of the Deep clip features Geralt and his best, slightly annoying friend, Jaskier.

Geralt and Jaskier talking? That’ll do. We’d watch a whole movie of that. But we’d like it to also be introduced by Dock Cockle, the voice of Geralt in both The Witcher video games and this animated film. This scene doesn’t feature any merpeople, though, so what’s going on. Well, it’s a watery tale centuries in the making. Here’s the official synopsis of The Wicher: Sirens of the Deep from Netflix.

Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster hunter, is hired to investigate a series of attacks in a seaside village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople. He must count on friends — old and new — to solve the mystery before the hostilities between the two kingdoms escalate into an all-out war.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep comes from director Kang Hei Chu, with a script from Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin. The animation is the work of South Korea’s Studio Mir Co. (The Legend of Korra, Voltron: Legendary Defender.) Studio Mir Co. also worked on Netflix’s previous spinoff movie set in the Continent, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

We were big fans of that film. Hopefully Sirens of the Deep makes as big a splash in the world of The Witcher. Knowing it’ll feature some quiet time between Geralt and Jaskier makes us think it will.

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AMC’s “Immortal Universe” of series based on the novels of Anne Rice is expanding. A new series based on the psychic order of scholars the Talamasca is coming next year, according to Deadline. In Rice’s books, the Talamasca is an ancient and secret order that catalogs and studies the supernatural. And now, they’re joined by a veteran actor who’s a familiar face to many — William Fichtner. Fans know him from decades of roles in films like The Dark Knight. He’ll be playing a character named Jasper, who Variety describes in the following way:

Jasper is a mysterious American who has quietly assumed control and influence over the Talamasca’s London Motherhouse. Though his motives and methods are cloaked in shadow, his charm and righteous sense of purpose are as dangerous as the power he’s pursuing.

He’ll be joining Nicholas Denton (Dangerous Liaisons) who has been cast as the lead. He’ll play a character named Guy Anatole, who, like Jasper, seems to be created just for this series and not from the novels. Here’s the Talamasca character’s official description:

 Guy Anatole is brilliant, handsome and sharp on the surface, but he’s always known his mind works a little differently. On the cusp of graduating law school, he is approached by a representative of the Talamasca, a secretive agency that monitors and protects us from the supernatural world. When Guy learns that the Talamasca has been tracking him since his childhood, he falls headlong into a world of secret agents and immortal beings who, up to now, have maintained a fragile balance with the mortal world. But for that balance to hold, and for Guy to survive, he will have to learn to embrace the dark, treacherous depths of his true and singular self.

Production for the series begins next month in the U.K. The six-episode season will focus on the people responsible for tracking and containing the witches, vampires, and other creatures scattered around the globe. Members of the Talamasca have already been introduced to viewers of Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire. Although, they are a bigger presence on Mayfair Witches so far. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) and Mark Lafferty (Halt and Catch Fire) will be the series writers, co-showrunners, and executive producers. Hancock will also direct. 

Unlike the previous two series inspired by Rice novels, there is no Talamasca series of books by the late author. Instead, she used them as seasoning throughout several of her supernatural novels. In the 2000s, when Rice “crossed over” her Witching Hour series and her vampire books, they played a significant role. Rice often teased a standalone Talamasca novel, but it never came to fruition. She finally revealed the origins of the organization in her 2014 novel Prince Lestat. She tied their beginnings more strongly to the vampires. The AMC shows change much of the mythology Rice created, so who knows if any of that will stick in Anne’s Rice’s The Talamasca series.

According to Dan McDermott, president of AMC Studios, a Talamasca spin-off series is something the studio has been thinking about since their Anne Rice Immortals Universe began. He said, “This is a story we’ve been developing and wanting to tell from the earliest moments of this franchise, focused on a fascinating and compelling secret society that has already appeared in both of our existing Anne Rice series.” Shooting starts this fall in Manchester, England. In the novels, the main Talamasca Motherhouse is in England, so this makes sense. Anne Rice’s The Talamasca series is scheduled to debut on AMC and AMC+ in late 2025.

Originally published on September 4, 2024.

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These times are uncertain for streaming services. Platforms that were once separate have merged. Various streaming services have increased prices and brought in ad tiers. Let’s not even get into various crackdowns on password sharing. But in a turn of events we could not have seen coming, Disney Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a new streaming bundle. This streaming bundle comes with Disney+, Hulu, and Max and is now available. What times we live in. Perhaps they are joining forces to fight Netflix.

A Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle obviously brings a lot of brands together. The release points out it encompasses ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight, and Warner Bros. among others. Customers will be able to purchase the bundle on any of the three streaming platform’s websites and choose between ad-supported and ad-free plans. It’s not yet clear if subscribers will be able to access the bundle through a single interface or separate services. If it’s a single interface, we can’t wait to see that design and how they make it not overwhelming.

Joe Earley, President, Direct to Consumer, Disney Entertainment, said in a release:

On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value. This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.

During a Warner Bros. Discovery earning call, JB Perrette, CEO and President of Global Streaming and Games shared that this bundle would be “priced very attractively for the consumer.” Additionally, Perrette revealed that Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery were unlikely to invite any other streamers beyond Disney+, Hulu, and Max into the bundle, noting, “We don’t feel like we need anybody else in that package to make it incredibly compelling.”

How Much Does the Disney+, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle Cost?

The Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle will be cost $16.99 a month with ads and $29.99 for the ad-free service. According to a Deadline report, that’s an overall 38% savings. Still, the continuous games of streaming baffle us. You can sign up here and get more information.

More Disney+ Bundles Could Be on the Way

Nami Patel, Disney’s senior vice president of strategy and business development recently shared that the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle strategy is “working really well” for the streamer. Specifically, Patel noted, the streaming bundle has seen “viewers spending more time on the platforms and has reduced subscriber churn.”

Based off this success, more streaming bundles might be just around the corner. Patel noted in conclusion, “Partnerships will always be a key benefit to consumers, and I think we’ll see more and more of that.” Bundling, she shares is a “great alternative” to going it alone.

Well, that’s not the first time the industry has come to that realization. But, it turns out, ultimately people didn’t like cable that much after a while. So we’ll have to wait and see where this goes.

Originally published on May 8, 2024.

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Things got witchy in Los Angeles last night when Marvel Studios held its red carpet premiere of Agatha All Along at the El Capitan Theatre. But Hollywood and Westview weren’t the only municipalities well-represented during the event. Some of the most famous denizens of Pawnee, Indiana were also in attendance. Agatha All Along stars Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza had an impromptu reunion with fellow Parks & Rec alums Amy Poehler and Adam Scott.

For a brief moment ahead of Agatha All Along‘s big night, Kathryn Hahn went back to her old job in politics. Parks & Rec‘s high-price strategist Jen Barkley was posing with local Pawnee public servants April Ludgate and Leslie Knope when none other than Ben Wyatt showed up. Adam Scott jumped in for a delightful photo that will make fans of the beloved NBC sitcom very happy.

Poehler and Scott were both on hand to celebrate their former co-stars actual onscreen reunion. Plaza is joining the MCU on the Hahn-led WandaVision spinoff. Plaza plays Rio Vidal, a witch who knew Agatha long before Wanda Maximoff left Agatha powerless and trapped in Westview.

This impromptu Parks & Rec reunion for Agatha All Along makes us smile. But it really made the people who participated in it happy.

If we didn’t know Amy Poehler is a delightful human being, we’d think she showed up on the red carpet in character as Leslie Knope.

Since the MCU takes place in an infinite multiverse this raises an obvious question: what would Leslie and Ben think if they found out both Jen and April were actually witches? That probably wouldn’t surprise in them in the slightest, right? It makes sense. It just makes sense.

That would not be the case if Pawnee’s finest found out about Andy Dwyer’s Variant. That guy is a beloved guardian of the entire frickin galaxy. Meanwhile Andy could barely shine shoes in without messing up.

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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?

Casey Bloys, the CEO of HBO and Max Content, recently gave an updated release window for The Last of Us season two. Bloys offered the following answer to the question, “What can you say about premiere dates for the new seasons of White Lotus and The Last of Us?” He noted, “All I’ll say now, generally first half of the year, I expect them to be in the Emmy window.” The Emmy window means that The Last of Us season two’s release date will likely be anytime before late May of 2025.

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.

New footage from season two promises that it will definitely be explosive. Joel is tearful and Ellie is going through some sort of horrific challenges of her own. We also get a look at Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Wright in their new roles. It is not totally clear who Catherine is playing, but Jeffrey is reprising his role as the game character Isaac. According to Entertainment Weekly, he is “the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”

These new images also have us super hype.

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.”

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.”

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.

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The Penguin didn’t even get a chance to premiere before a potential second season seemed unlikely. That had nothing to do with early critical reaction to the spinoff series, though. (Initial reviews are stellar.) It’s not because Warner Bros. Discovery has budget concerns, either. (At least not yet/we hope.) It’s because star Colin Farrell isn’t sure he can keep wearing all the prosthetics the role requires. He told GamesRadar that by the end of season one he found himself saying, “I never want to put that f***ing suit and that f***ing head on again.”

As much as we love the character, we don’t blame him. Fortunately, there’s a way for him to continue living in Gotham without having to first spend hours in a makeup chair. His Oswald Cobblepot can instead transform into Emperor Penguin, an alternate version of the Batman villain who is a DC Comics character whom Colin Farrell naturally looks like.

Colin Farrell was definitely not the most obvious choice to play The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but he turned out to be an inspired one. The Irish actor completely disappeared into the role of the street-wise American mobster. His Oz was equal parts frightening and funny, an unforgettable presence who fit perfectly into Reeves’ version of Gotham City. Farrell didn’t do that alone, though. World-class movie magic helped him physically transform into the role. If no one told you Colin Farrell was the one waddling around underneath those scars and body you would have never known it was him. His own co-star John Turturro didn’t even believe it was him!

Obviously, all those prosthetics take a lot of time and patience to put on every day. Acting in them also takes a lot of extra energy. There’s also a big difference in how many total days you have to wear them as a supporting character in a single movie compared to when you’re the titular star of an eight-episode TV show. It’s no surprise Farrell was beyond tired of the whole process after shooting The Penguin. It’s more surprising he ever agreed to do it in the first place.

While Reeves has already said The Penguin will appear in The Batman 2, that doesn’t mean Farrell will sign on for a second season of his spinoff show. Not if it will mean many more months wearing those heavy prosthetics. But what if he doesn’t have to? There’s a way to do exactly that. Reeves and the show could let the actor appear with his own face if they adapt the story of Batman villain Ignatius Ogilvy.

Ignatius Ogilvy is a lesser-known DC Comics villain who has something very important in common with Bruce Wayne. He saw his parents killed outside a theater. His dad was a small-time crooks. But while he never stepped out of line, that didn’t get him ahead. Nor did it save his life. Ignatius never forgot the hard lessons he learned from his father’s life. They drove his own ambition as he built an underworld career.

As a kid, Ignatius joined The Penguin’s crew. In his low-level henchman role he battled with (and lost to) Batman multiple times. Eventually he rose to become Oz Cobblepot’s most trusted, favorite lieutenant. But Ignatius wanted more, and when the opportunity presented itself he took it. He usurped The Penguin’s entire criminal empire from his boss. He then named himself Emperor Penguin and started taking drugs that gave him super strength and abilities.

Before his skin turned blue and he became known as Emperor Blackgate, Ignatius Ogilvy also just so happened to look exactly like a blonde-haired Colin Farrell.

Colin Farrell did not look like an obvious choice to play Oz Cobblepot. Yet he looks like he was born to play Ignatius Ogilvy.

Matt Reeves and the writers of The Penguin don’t have to kill off Oz to make the switch. They certainly could have Farrell double dip until Ignatius replaces The Penguin entirely. Or they could simply adapt Emperor Penguin’s story. The Penguin is trying to becoming Gotham’s unquestioned underworld boss. That will make him the #1 target of Batman. If Oz gets what he thinks he wants, he might quickly find himself in need of a new identity and face. His newfound riches could make that possible with some pricey plastic surgery. It might be easier to rebuild his empire as Ignatius than it would be to keep it as Oz.

Colin Farrell’s The Penguin is a memorable comic book villain. His look, which gives him an imposing presence and identity, is a big reason why. But as much as we love his Oz and want him to come back for multiple seasons and movies, if those prosthetics prove too much to work with, we’ll gladly take Farrell’s version of Emperor Penguin instead. Especially if they end up being the same person anyway.

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The Alien franchise, dormant since 2017’s Alien Covenant, is about to come roaring back to life. Not only is there the new feature film on the way, Alien: Romulus, directed by Fede Álvarez, but there’s also a new Alien TV series on the way as well, now officially titled Alien: Earth. And, this series has Fargo‘s Noah Hawley as the creative in charge.

Recently, Hawley spoke a little bit about the Xenomorph’s we can expect in the Alien: Earth series. Hawley promises they will retain their iconic forms, but be more terrifying than ever before. He notes, “That is truly chilling to think of it moving here among us, and so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it — and you’re going to lock your door that night.” Hawley further shared, “What was really fun for me was to really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct… But some of the elements, as we know, whatever the host is, informs what the final creature is. I just wanted to play around a little bit to make it as scary as it should be.”

Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Alien series, set for release on FX for Hulu.

Title

For a long time, everyone involved with the series is simply calling it Alien. But we knew they’d change it. If only to not confuse it with the original 1979 film, or more likely, to not confuse it with any new films in the franchise like Romulus. The official title for the series, according to a report in Variety, is Alien: Earth.

Alien: Earth’s Plot

The new series is a prequel to every iteration of the franchise so far, taking place in the year 2089. That’s about four years before Prometheus, and about thirty years before Ridley Scott’s film. Unlike previous films, Alien: Earth will take place on, well, Earth. It deals with the emergence of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, often referred to in the films as “the company.” In the later part of this century, Weyland-Yutani will be pioneering android intelligence, as we saw with Ash in the original film and Bishop in James Cameron’s Aliens.

Showrunner Noah Hawley has said the race between corporations to create new android life will largely be the focus of the Alien: Earth series. But given that the title of the show is Alien, the actual xenomorphs have to turn up at some point we think. The aliens on Earth decades before Ripley and the crew of the Nostromo discover them is a bit of a huge continuity change, but we expect Noah Hawley to discover a decent workaround. There’s lots of wiggle room there.

You can check out Alien: Earth‘s teaser trailer below.

The official synopsis for Alien: Earth reveals, “When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.“

Behind the Scenes

The new Alien series has quite a pedigree of talent behind it. Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley came up with this series and will also direct at least some of the episodes. Original Alien director Ridley Scott is an executive producer on the series. Alien: Earth is filming in both Thailand and the United Kingdom.

Alien: Earth’s Cast

Alien: Earth stars Sydney Chandler as a series lead, Alex Lawther as a soldier named CJ, and Samuel Blenkin as the mysterious CEO Boy Kavalier. Essie Davis is Dame Silvia, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, and Kit Young as Tootles. Additionally, Timothy Olyphant has reportedly joined the cast as “Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for Chandler’s Wendy, who is a hybrid, a meta-human who has the brain and consciousness of a child but the body of an adult.” Fargo‘s David Rysdahl has also come aboard in an undisclosed role, as has The Peripheral‘s Moe Bar-El, who will have a major recurring role on the season of the Alien series. Foundation‘s Sandra Yi Sencindiver, meanwhile, will play “a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation” in multiple episodes.

Babou Ceesay, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Diêm Camille, and Adrian Edmondson round out the series casting.

Given the timeline of Alien: Earth, it’s all but confirmed that none of the original film’s actors will reprise their roles for the series. Sadly, that means no Sigourney Weaver this time.

Alien: Earth’s Release Date

The Alien: Earth series is set to arrive in 2025 on FX.

Originally published December 28, 2023.

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Castlevania: Nocturne season two will to expand the universe of this popular video game turned TV franchise. It gave us a little something for everyone: a French period drama, a new Belmont, and even a savior who happens to be a vampire. The show was well-received by fans and got a quick renewal just one month after its release in 2023. Now we know that the release month (or should we say window) for the next round of Castlevania: Nocturne is January 2025. A new clip from the series gives us a quick taste of its upcoming drama. Thankfully, the release date for Castlevania: Nocturne season two isn’t too far away!

Here’s a quick synopsis of what to expect in this second round of Castlevania: Nocturne:

Now joined by the legendary Alucard, Richter Belmont and his band of vampire hunters are in a desperate race against time. Erzsebet Báthory, the Vampire Messiah, who already seems invincible, seeks the full power of the goddess Sekhmet so she can plunge the world into endless darkness and terror.

Castlevania: Nocturne season two will have eight episodes that will presumably all drop at one time when it hits Netflix this January. We can’t wait to see how the team-up between Richter Belmont and Alucard will go. We’ll hope, for the world’s sake, well.

In the meantime, you can go back and rewatch the first season of this series or even go back to Castlevania in all its glory.

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Westeros isn’t getting any bigger, but its presence on HBO certainly is thanks to a very large and legendary knight. A second live-action Game of Thrones spinoff is coming about the Realm’s most beloved duo, Dunk and Egg. What’s the show called? Who is this famous knight and his young Targaryen squire? And why are fans of George R.R. Martin so excited to see them come to life?

In a “Coming to Max” preview, we got our first very small taste of what this spinoff will give us.

Additionally, seven new cast members have come aboard the show. Variety shares that the following actors have joined the show: Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree. 

We are indeed one step closer to getting this show. Actor Dexter Sol Ansell, who portrays Egg, revealed in an IG video that A Knight of the Seven Kingdom‘s is done filming.

And no, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Daeron Targaryen is not the same as House of the Dragon‘s Daeron Targaryen. Thank you for playing the game of thrones.

Here’s everything we know about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms so far.

Title

At one point the spinoff was working under the wordy title of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. But a recent report says HBO has—thankfully—dropped the latter. The prequel is now operating under the simpler name and the book it’s adapting, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Plot 

The show’s official logline provided an introduction to the series’ time period and characters. From HBO:

A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire know much more about the beloved duo’s exploits and lifelong friendship. Martin’s three novellas cover both big and small events related to Westeros during a dangerous time in the Seven Kingdoms. Dunk and Egg began their time together shortly after the second Targaryen civil war known as the Blackfyre Rebellion. The fresh wounds of that Realm-splitting battle is why Egg needed to hide his real identity while serving as Duncan’s squire.

Martin has also previously confirmed a fan theory that the honorable, noble Ser Duncan the Tall is the ancestor of Brienne of Tarth. (Though we don’t yet know how.) Despite taking place a century before its HBO predecessor, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will also have more direct ties to Game of Thrones. Brynden Rivers, Egg’s uncle and the most notorious figure in Westeros, would go on to become the Three-Eyed Raven. And Egg’s older brother is none other than Maester Aemon of the Night’s Watch.

Martin has long said he has plans for many more Dunk & Egg stories. The show could ultimately adapt those unwritten/unpublished tales into entire seasons. HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi has said the series will “ideally year-to-year and arcing out a three-season series, which maps out the three novellas that George wrote.” But that doesn’t mean it will only run three years. She also said, “Of course, we’d like more beyond that, and George is continuing to think about the remaining novellas that he still wants to write, but at this point, we have our eye on three seasons that would map out each book, each novella.”

The adult exploits of Dunk and Egg are also explored in Martin’s massive compendium book The World of Ice and Fire. (Spoilers!)

Behind the Scenes

Martin and Ira Parker will write and serve as executive producers the show. House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal will also serve as as executive producer along with Vince Gerardis. Owen Harris (Black Mirror‘s “Be Right Back” and “San Junipero”) will direct the show’s first three episodes. Sarah Adina Smith (Lessons In Chemistry) has also come aboard to direct three of the season’s six episodes.

Production began in the spring of 2024 following the end of the writers and actors strikes.

Additionally, Martin wrote The Hedge Knight will be shorter than the other Game of Thrones series on HBO, however, it will be no less brutal, to be sure. Success for The Hedge Knight could mean other Dunk & Egg stories receive spinoffs. (And maybe Martin will even write a few more.)

Here’s what Martin shared in full.

THE HEDGE KNIGHT will be a lot shorter than GAME OF THRONES or HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, with a much different tone… but it’s still Westeros, so no one is truly safe  Ira Parker and his team are doing a great job.  I hope to visit the shoot come July, when I swing by Belfast on my way to the worldcon in Glasgow.    The show will make its debut next year… and if it does well, THE SWORN SWORD and THE MYSTERY KNIGHT will follow.  By which time I hope to have finished some more Dunk & Egg stories (yes, after I finish THE WINDS OF WINTER).

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Cast

The 6’4″ tall Peter Claffey (Bad Sisters, Vikings: Valhalla) will play the legendary Ser Duncan the Tall. Young Dexter Sol Ansell (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) will serve as Dunk’s diminutive squire, the fiery secret Targaryen prince Aegon forever known as “Egg.”

Martin publicly praised Dexter Sol Ansell’s transformation into Egg.

Ser Duncan is officially here. HBO has shared the first official image from the production in Belfast and it features the “lunk” known as Dunk walking through a market. His raggedy clothes suggest this moment comes from his pre-Egg days. (Not that he’ll look that much better later. Hedge knights aren’t exactly the best dressed knights.)

The network also announced some major new cast members and their roles along with the photo’s release:

• Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen
• Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen
• Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle
• Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Barotheon
• Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen

Additionally, the following cast members and characters have come aboard the Game of Thrones series: Edward Ashley as Ser Steffon Fossoway, Henry Ashton as Daeron Targaryen, Youssef Kerkour as Steely Pate, Daniel Monks as Ser Manfred Dondarrion, Shaun Thomas as Raymun Fossoway, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Plummer, and Danny Webb as Ser Arlan of Pennytree. 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ Release Date

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has previously said HBO is targeting a “late 2025″ premiere.

Originally published May 22, 2024.

The post DUNK AND EGG Spinoff A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS Is Done Filming appeared first on Nerdist.

The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards turned out to be a big night for some shows, just not for one of our personal favorites. Shōgun had a record-setting evening at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. As did The Bear, even though it didn’t take home the top prize for a Comedy. Unfortunately, Fallout got completely shut out by the Television Academy at the Emmys and did not take home a single prize during the 2024 ceremony.

Shōgun took home a whole lot more than just the Emmys’ most prestigious award at the 2024 awards show. The Best Drama Series winner racked up three more of the event’s biggest awards. That included Anna Sawai for Best Actress in a Drama Series. Her co-star, the great Hiroyuki Sanada, also nabbed Best Actor. And Frederick E.O. Toye went home with the win for Best Directing in a Drama Series. That gave the show’s first season 18 total Emmys, as it had previously won 14 during the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys. That is the new record for a single season of a show. Shōgun shatters the previous record of 13 Emmys held by Game of Thrones and HBO’s John Adams miniseries. All that said, we were rooting for Shōgun‘s Tadanobu Asano to take home “Best Supporting Actor in a Drama,” but Asano lost out the 2024 Emmy to Billy Crudup in The Morning Show.

The Bear, that very funny show everyone is always laughing at, had another successful Emmy Awards, competing in the Comedy categories, although many out there aren’t quite sure it counts as a comedy. It broke its own Primetime Emmys record for a single season by taking home 11 total 2024 Emmys for the show’s sophomore outing after adding four at the Peacock Theater. Jeremy Allen White (Best Lead Actor), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Best Supporting Actor), and Christopher Storer (Best Directing) all won their Comedy categories. As did Liza Colón-Zayas, who took home a historic Best Supporting Actress win. She is the first Latina winner in the category’s history.

Despite The Bear‘s continued stranglehold on the Television Academy, it was Hacks that earned Best Comedy Series and Best Lead Actress (Jean Smart) at the 2024 Emmys. That surprise win also meant Curb Your Enthusiasm finished its run setting the wrong kind of record. The iconic series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series 11 times. That’s the most ever without actually winning. (A travesty!)

While the show featured some other wins that made us very happy (The Crown‘s Elizabeth Debicki, Fargo‘s Lamorne Morris, True Detective: Night Country‘s Jodie Foster), it was disappointing to see Fallout never get called to the stage at the Emmys. Despite the fantastic first season’s 16 Emmy nominations, it ultimately only took home one for Outstanding Music Supervision at the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys.

You can find the full list of winners below.

While you won’t find anyone from Fallout down there, it’s okay. If season two is anywhere as good as season one it will have many opportunities to win more Emmys long after 2024. It’ll just be easier as long as Shōgun season two doesn’t air that same year. And also if no one forces The Bear to admit it is not a comedy.

2024 Emmy Awards Winners

Drama Series
Shogun

Comedy Series
Hacks

Limited, Anthology Series, or Movie
Baby Reindeer

Actor in a Drama Series
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun

Actress in a Drama Series
Anna Sawai, Shogun

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown

Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Actress in a Comedy Series
Jean Smart, Hacks

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear

Actor in a Limited, Anthology Series or Movie
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer

Actress in a Limited, Anthology Series or Movie
Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country

Supporting Actress Limited, Anthology series or Movie
Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer

Supporting Actor in a Limited, Anthology Series or Movie
Lamorne Morris, Fargo

Scripted Variety Series
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Talk Series
The Daily Show

Writing for a Variety Special
Alex Edelman, Just for Us

Reality Competition Program
The Traitors, Peacock

Writing for a Comedy Series
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks

Writing for a Drama Series
Will Smith, Slow Horses

Writing for a Limited Series, Anthology or Movie
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer

Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series
Steven Zaillian, Ripley

Directing for a Comedy Series
Christopher Storer, The Bear

Directing for a Drama Series
Frederick E.O. Toye, Shogun

The post SHŌGUN Cleans Up at the 2024 Emmys, FALLOUT Gets Shutout appeared first on Nerdist.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is here. And we could not more highly recommend that you watch it. In addition to being a perfect love letter to Star Wars and LEGO, the series brings hilarious inversions of our favorite Star Wars characters, gorgeous animation, and a rich poignancy. In celebration of the miniseries’ release, Nerdist spoke to writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit about the true meaning of the series. Hernandez and Samit broke down how they chose which Star Wars bits to include and gave a truly beautiful breakdown of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy‘s ending. Truly, this series encapsulates some themes that will resonate with kids and adults.

You can check out our full LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy interview below.

Nerdist: This show is a true love letter to the Star Wars fandom. How did you decide what facets of lore to bring into the more official series like Jedi Bob and Darth Jar Jar, and how fun and or nerve-wracking was it to bring them to life?

Benji Samit: I mean, it was exceptionally fun and exciting to bring some of these things to life, and those two that you mentioned were right at the top of our list of things. From almost day one, we knew that we wanted to get in there. But we wanted to pick everything. It was not easy because we essentially took the bin of every Star Wars LEGO piece ever, dumped it on the ground, and got to build our own thing. I think the initial drafts were just way too long. We tried to get every character we love in, every creature, every ship, every planet. And eventually, they said, you got to stop.

This couldn’t be a 20-piece special. It had to be four pieces. So the way we really, at the end of the day, started winnowing things down and figuring out what we wanted to focus on was the stuff that really served the story we were trying to tell. It would’ve been very easy to start to turn this into something that was almost just like a series of sketches, just silly gags in the Star Wars world. And it would’ve been funny, but it would’ve probably gotten old pretty quickly. So it was important to us that at the core of this was a real Star Wars story. And so everything else that came around that was to serve that greater story.

Dan Hernandez: Yeah, I mean for me it really was about telling a story that is foundationally Star Wars. How can we do that while using all of the unique and incredible things about LEGO and LEGO Star Wars and the tone and the comedy of that. But also, I did ask myself, what aspects of Star Wars would I personally like to explore a little bit more? Who are the characters I’d like to spend a little bit more time with or explore if they had gone a different way?

Darth Rey is something that we see for a minute in the sequel trilogy, but we don’t spend a ton of time on that; that felt like something that was really provocative and really something I wanted to see more of, and who that evil version of Rey was. And it’s one thing to be nobody and decide to go on the right side of things, but it’s very different to see a world in which she didn’t do that. So that was something that I was excited to see.

It’s the same thing with Rose Tico, a character that I love, and a performance I love by Kelly Marie Tran, who is one of the most brilliant performers we’ve ever worked with. And to let her cut loose, to let her see her anger… In the Star Wars movies she leads with compassion, but she lost her sister. What if the bitterness of that infected her entire being? Her everything. And so it was things like that that were really fun for us. And that really informed a lot of the storytelling because once you sort of identified, okay, here’s a plausible reason that this character might have gone a different way, then you started to see where do they fit in a greater context of this mixed up galaxy.

We played with things like expectations, where Sig, who thinks he knows everything about “our galaxy,” sees Darth Maul in the new galaxy and immediately assumes, based on the way he looks and the way that he has acted, that he’s a bad guy and guess what? He’s the nicest guy in the world. So that was also interesting for us. There is a poignancy to say sort of letting go of what your expectations are of people, but also of what a Star Wars story might be or could be or who a character is or how they behave. And those were all of the things that excited us when we talked about how to recombine all of these different aspects of Star Wars.

I think that’s really beautiful and I think it really did come through one part of this series. I also thought that the ending of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy was incredibly lovely and really well done, and it was kind of bittersweet in this way that few series are brave enough to attempt. You all said, here’s this ending where it’s not going to go back to the way it was, and maybe it never will. Did you know all along that was how it would play out?

Hernandez: I’m so glad that you pointed that out and asked that because it was one of the things that we both felt very passionately about. And the reason is that I think that’s how life is. I think that’s how life functions, which is you can be an expert on something, you can think that you’ve prepared for a situation, and then life throws something at you that you never could have anticipated, and you kind of have to deal with it. And so resetting the galaxy back to the way that it used to be felt a little bit like it would have been cheap, not how life is.

Things happen and the only thing that you can truly control is your response to it, whether you choose to move forward and try to find your own way in whatever the new circumstances are or if you find yourself held back by the way things used to be. And then you end up in a paralysis, you get bitter, you get angry. You’re stuck thinking, I wish things could have been the way that they used to be. And to us, we felt like it was a message for kids, of course, but also for adults to say there are things in this life that you can’t get back. You can’t make it go back to the way it used to be.

And specifically, in the case of Dev and Sig and that bittersweet ending that you were talking about, Sig never gives up hope. Not really. He believes that there is a piece of that brother that he used to know inside of this version of his brother. And I hope that the way that people feel at the end of the special is, “I’m not sure. I think maybe Sig is right, but we don’t know for sure.” But the reason that Sig is ultimately a hero is that he believes it and he’s willing to fight for that.

And ultimately, I think that the reason that Dev doesn’t strike him down is that on some deep level, that Dev maybe would never admit to, he hopes that too. And that also felt like a really powerful message that is very much in keeping with the spirit of redemption and keeping with the spirit of that people can fall into darkness, but they’re not beyond hope. That hope informs everything in the Star Wars galaxy.

Samit: And we also want it to be true to the spirit of LEGO itself, which is: you build something, sometimes you break it. But if your brother smashes your LEGO set, you can rebuild it. If it’s an original creation of yours and it gets smashed, you can rebuild it. But it’s probably going to be different. It’s never going to be exactly the same, but nothing is ever broken for good in the world of LEGO.

Other toys, model kits, this, that you break it and it’s broken. But the beautiful thing about LEGO is nothing is ever truly broken. It’s just broken down to its component parts and you put ’em back together however you want. And we wanted the series to feel like that.

All four parts of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy are streaming now on Disney+.

The post LEGO STAR WARS: REBUILD THE GALAXY’s Writers On Its Ending and Beautiful Message appeared first on Nerdist.

Jedi Bob is an iconic Star Wars figure. After all, he started life as just an anonymous Minifigure and then fans gave him a name and a legacy. Now, Jedi Bob will finally get a real story of his own in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy. Bobby Moynihan, who voices Jedi Bob, sat down with Nerdist to dive deep into the beloved character. Among other things, Moynihan spoke of the adventure of fleshing out Jedi Bob, Jedi Bob’s relationship with Sig Greebling, and the character’s ambitions to start Star Wars‘ version of WWE.

You can check out our full LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy conversation below.

Nerdist: You’ve voiced several animated Star Wars roles before, but your LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy role feels like the biggest one yet. What was it like returning to the galaxy far, far away as a main character? And what’s your favorite part about dipping your toes in the Star Wars world?

Bobby Moynihan: That’s it. I think that’s so funny you say that. I just saw the trailer again this week because it’s coming up, and I watched the trailer again, and there’s a line where I say “Punch it!” And I really went like, man, I’m in fully in Star Wars. I’ve been in them before, but this one’s nuts. It’s the best. It’s not lost on me. It’s super fun. And to get to create a character that’s already beloved in both universes is such an insane gift that I will cherish forever.

My next thought was actually about Jedi Bob, who found life because Star Wars fans rallied around him and gave this LEGO minifigure a name and a life, and he’s a legend now. How much lore did you know about Jedi Bob before you got started?

Moynihan: I was pretty familiar with Jedi Bob. I knew the story, I am a collector of things, and I enjoyed that story about how he was just a generic Jedi. And then I had a Jedi Bob Minifigure before I got cast. Yeah, I knew all about it. Then, I met Dan [Hernandez] and Benji [Samit] through writing something else for Star Wars, some jokes for a different Star Wars project. And they thought of me for this, and I have thanked them… I’ve sent them praises every day. I sent them LEGO lightsabers recently. I am very thankful to them for this.

And what do you think the best thing is that LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy adds to Jedi Bob to build his lore?

Moynihan: Oh gosh. I mean everything. He was just this nameless figure with a smile. Now we know all about him, and hopefully, we’ll know more. Yeah, that was kind of the funnest part, was taking this thing that just had a face and giving it a whole backstory and an attitude and a reason to be around now. Although, his original reason was pretty great, it was just to be a Jedi. That’s it. He never wanted to be famous; he just wanted to be part of it.

I think you can kind of feel that energy in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy as well. So I think it’s a beautiful honoring of that character and his legacy. The relationship between Jedi Bob and Sig Greebling is really beautiful in this series. Can you talk about its importance to Jedi Bob and what it means for the character?

Moynihan: I think for Jedi Bob, his relationship with Sig is something he’s not used to, which is someone looking up to him and someone counting on him and expecting him to be a good Jedi, which is a lot like being a father. And I’m going through that, that part of it was interesting. I realized that through recording; I was like, “Oh, I’m not playing the kid who looks up to somebody like I normally do. I’m playing the mentor this time.” But also getting to do it in this universe and being funny was absolutely amazing. But yeah, the relationship between him and Sig is something in Star Wars that we don’t see often, a a good relationship, a good father figure. Not many good dads in Star Wars.

Were there any other Star Wars Jedi or characters that you looked at or thought about when you were building the sound and energy of Jedi Bob?

Moynihan: Yeah, I mean, I like to think that Jedi Bob, he wants to be like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Qui-Gon. He wants to be one of those… He just wants to be British. No, he wants to be like a Jedi. Like, you’re supposed to be a high-falutin Jedi, but he’s kind of just a mess, just like everybody else. And he’s working real hard to pretend.

It’s true. The high-falutin Jedi are kind of a mess, too, though, so it’s all good.

Moynihan: Very much so. Very much so.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy ends in a way that invites more adventures for Jedi Bob and Company. Where would you really like to see him go next?

Moynihan: Jedi Bob, I mean Jedi Bob Variety Show. Maybe he’s hosting a variety show. Maybe he’s like the Vince. Also, I keep pitching this to Lucasfilm. I really want to do it, so I’ll bring it up here. I think Jedi Bob is going to be like the leader of the WWE in the Star Wars universe. It’s Punta Night Slam. It’s just what they watch in the Cantina at night. It’s their version of professional wrestling. I think that’s what he does.

I think Star Wars is missing its professional wrestling arm. So Jedi Bob… call him!

Moynihan: Jedi Bob started it all.

What was your personal favorite Star Wars inversion that popped up in the show this time around?

Moynihan: I have to see it again. There are so many good ones, and I was so blown away by listening to myself in Star Wars that I didn’t pay attention more…

Darth Nubs. I really enjoyed his little cameo in there. There are so many fun little things. I keep saying this in every interview.

Darth Maul, in this universe, who is wearing young Lando’s shirt kills me. I love that. It’s just like in this world, Darth Maul is like a clothes hound, and that just makes me laugh. It’s very funny to me, all of it. But that’s the best part is getting it all mixed up.

You know what I’ll say, since I’ve already given you five answers, I’ll say Jedi Darth Vader this time.

And is there any character that you like in Star Wars that didn’t appear in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy this time around that you would be gungho to see a version of?

Moynihan: Yeah, I mean, I love all of the obscure characters. I’m like, who didn’t appear in this one though?

Who would I like to see? Man, you know what I want to see? I want to see R2-D2 in a giant mech outfit. Like the Hulk Buster, but R2-D2 in there. I always see designs of R2-2D getting some sort of insane transformer suit. Let’s see that. Let’s get that for a little while, and let’s get some of the weirder characters like Jaxxon the rabbit and stuff in there. That’s what I want to see.

All four parts of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy are streaming now on Disney+.

The post Bobby Moynihan Talks Giving Jedi Bob Life, STAR WARS WWE, and Clothes-Hound Darth Maul in Celebration of LEGO STAR WARS: REBUILD THE GALAXY appeared first on Nerdist.

Nerdist recently sat down with the stars of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy to chat about the fun and fan-forward new entry in Star Wars‘ world. Gaten Matarazzo and Tony Revolori voice the main characters, Dev and Sig Greebling, in this fantastical new tale. But the duo is also well known for playing two other beloved figures in nerd-favorite properties. Matarazzo brings Stranger Things‘ Dustin Henderson to life, while Revolori is MCU Spider-Man‘s Flash Thompson. Dustin, of course, is a nerd genius himself, while Flash pretends to be cool, but we know he has a nerdy heart. But what would these two characters think about LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy? Matarazzo and Revolori gave us a little insight into that question, and their thoughtful answers also shed some fun new light on their Stranger Things and Spider-Man characters.

Here’s what they had to say:

Matarazzo: I think Dustin is very critical of the stuff that he watches and is a big Star Wars fan himself. But I have a hard time believing that Dustin wouldn’t have secret YouTube accounts where he comments the same mean comment on trailers. But this is when he’s 40, and his kids catch him. His kids are like, “Dad, why do you need nine YouTube accounts all devoted to how bad you think this trailer is? I think that’s what his vibe might be.

Revolori: I think Flash would secretly absolutely love this. He would have a secret tattoo of the brothers, and if anyone asked him about it, he’d be like, “No, no, no. That’s a kid show. No. Yeah, no, it’s stupid.” He’d completely deny it. But he would love secretly it so much.

We’re obsessed with the headcanon of Stranger Things‘ Dustin Henderson being a secret hater of fun. But we bet Steve Harrington would absolutely love LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, much to Dustin’s total dismay. Perhaps you doth protest too much, Dustin. But we love even more Revolori’s vision of Flash being absolutely invested in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy. This endearing fact makes us like Flash so much more.

All four parts of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy are streaming now on Disney+.

The post Would STRANGER THINGS’ Dustin and SPIDER-MAN’s Flash Enjoy LEGO STAR WARS: REBUILD THE GALAXY? Gaten Matarazzo & Tony Revolori Chime In appeared first on Nerdist.

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is the latest entry into the incredible LEGO Star Wars world. At the heart of the miniseries are siblings Sig and Dev Greebling and their fabulous friend Yesi Scala. In celebration of this new entry into the Star Wars universe and its release, Nerdist sat down with Gaten Matarazzo, Tony Revolori, and Marsai Martin, who voice Sig, Dev, and Yesi, respectively. We chatted with the stars of this new Star Wars entry about their excitement for the series, what’s at the heart of their characters, and how fun it was to create a true love letter to Star Wars that’s by fans for fans.

You can check out our full LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy conversation below.

Nerdist: Were you all Star Wars fans before the opportunity to be a part of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy? And what was your favorite thing about jumping into the galaxy, far, far away?

Tony Revolori: Yeah, I was a big fan. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, so this was a great huge honor. I am so excited for people to see it. And then my favorite part of the series so far probably has to be Darth Jar Jar, just because I think he’s so funny. And I love the wish fulfillment of it because it’s something that I would do.

Marsai Martin: I have only been a Star Wars fan for so little time. I only know a few little things. But to be able to jump into the franchise and to talk to Dan [Hernandez] and Benji [Samit], who are our amazing writers, that was incredible. They really talked to me about their passion and their love for this project, and that really made me say an absolute yes to it.

And, of course, I know LEGO, and I have everything LEGO, and so does my sister. So, to be able to have those two worlds collide is such a dream and something to constantly keep learning about. And I feel like in the Star Wars franchise, there is so much to learn, so many layers, and it’s a constant thing that I’m very excited to jump to.

Gaten Matarazzo: I’ve been a massive Star Wars fan since I was seven years old. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. It’s the reason that I love cinema as much as I do. It’s what’s propelled my love for movie making and sci-fi as a whole, and it’s a primary cornerstone reason as to why I do what I do. So, I’m forever grateful for the franchise, and to actively be a part of something that is so fresh and fun for the world of Star Wars is just such an honor, and to do it with such an amazing group of people. Then to also be part of something that’s so low-stakes and fun and made for fans by fans is more than I could have ever asked for. It’s an absolute dream project.

Gaten and Tony, the relationship between Sig and Dev Greebling on LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is one of the most beautiful sibling relationships I’ve seen portrayed on screen. How did you work together to create that dynamic?

Revolori: I want to say that we did so much together: that we watched movies, we had FaceTimes that lasted till three in the morning, and we were just in bed talking like, Hey, bro. But unfortunately, this is the first time I’m really getting to talk and hang out with Gaten. So, we never really got to work together on this. But I will say both he and I have siblings and brothers, so I think it wasn’t a far cry for us to have imagined each other’s characters as our brother, which helped us create that. And then I’ll give the credit to the editors for picking the right takes to make everyone well up in tears.

Beautiful! And Marsai, I love Yesi so much. She’s so naturally cool, brave, and driven, and when the Galaxy rebuilds, she really has to pay a big price for it. What are your favorite parts of Yesi, and what do you think of each of the two versions of her reveal about the character?

Martin: Ooh! My favorite parts of Yesi are how energetic she is and how excited she is to just go for anything that comes her way, no matter how much of a challenge. She’s just ready to fight; she’s ready to do whatever, and I’m down for that. Yesi is the best friend that I really would want. We’d be besties. I know she’s got my back. I also think that I feel like regardless, in both worlds, I think she’s very empathetic and very open, and you see a bunch of different emotions from Yesi overall. And that lets her formulate who she is and who she wants to become.

It just makes sense for the franchise and for them to be rebuilding the galaxy and her being a homegirl, being like, I got your back. So, it’s literally the perfect character for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Hopefully, we will be able to see where she goes from here.

Yes, we all hope for more from LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy!

Gaten, if Sig Greebling hadn’t been in the temple when the Galaxy changed, what do you imagine he would’ve become in an alternate galaxy?

Gaten Matarazzo: I think playing to the opposites has always been really fun. So, I think that he would be… I have this idea, it may be too along the line of what Dev is like, but I think he’d be like an Evel Knievel daredevil bounty hunter. I think he would have a really cool speeder and he’d be like a Western gunslinger type. That could be really, really fun. Or, I think he might be a right-hand man to an Imperial officer or something like that. The one who goes out and does the dirty work, who, you know, what I mean? But also he talks like this. [the last part said in a slimy, unctuous kind of tone] Like a little henchman.

A little Hux, maybe?

Matarazzo: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I love that. That would be really fun.

Tony and Gaten, you’ve both been in some big nerdy properties before. What do you think Stranger Things’ Dustin and Spider-Man‘s Flash would think of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy?

Matarazzo: I think Dustin is very critical of the stuff that he watches and is a big Star Wars fan himself. But I have a hard time believing that Dustin wouldn’t have secret YouTube accounts where he comments the same mean comment on trailers. But this is when he’s 40, and his kids catch him. His kids are like, “Dad, why do you need nine YouTube accounts all devoted to how bad you think this trailer is? I think that’s what his vibe might be.

Revolori: I think Flash would secretly absolutely love this. He would have a secret tattoo of the brothers, and if anyone asked him about it, he’d be like, “No, no, no. That’s a kid show. No. Yeah, no, it’s stupid.” He’d completely deny it. But he would love secretly it so much.

And Marsai, do you think you have a character who I absolutely love or hate this show in your repertoire?

Martin: I know Diane (from Black-ish) would hate this. Only because she don’t like nobody, she don’t like nothing. That’s the very first thing I thought when you asked that, I’m like, Diane ain’t going to like this. So I don’t want this question to go to me, but it don’t matter because Marsai is in love with it, and we don’t care what Diane thinks.

And we at Nerdist love it, too! And hope to see more from the series sometime soon.

All four parts of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy are streaming now on Disney+.

The post The Stars of LEGO STAR WARS: REBUILD THE GALAXY Dive Into Their Love Letter to STAR WARS appeared first on Nerdist.