It is true that our Hobbit heroes bow to no one, but we here at Nerdist must bow to the majesty that has been NZ Post’s collections of coins, stamps, and prints celebrating the various 20th anniversaries of The Lord of the Rings‘ three movies. It has truly been a journey of epic proportions as we went there and back again to The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, and now The Return of the King with creations that can be described as nothing short of precious artworks. But like all good journeys, there must be an ending to this quest, however bittersweet.

Before we sail west, though, NZ Post’s final The Lord of the Rings collection, celebrating The Return of the King is here to take our breath away one more time.

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Commemorative Stamps (Don’t Miss the Hidden Messages)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King always makes me feel emotional. Has there ever been a finer ending to a trilogy? And somehow, NZ Post manages to encapsulate everything powerful and wonderful about the movie in six incredible stamp designs. This time around, we are treated to stamps that depict Arwen’s grief and fading time, Gandalf’s realization of the eagles’ arrival at the Battle at the Black Gate, Frodo’s fight against Shelob with the beautiful light of Eärendil gifted to him by Galadriel, Aragorn calling upon the Army of the Dead with Legolas and Gimli at his side, Eowyn defeating the Witch King of Angmar, and, of course, Frodo and Gollum’s last stand in the heart of Mount Doom.

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Basically, these The Lord of the Rings stamps show all our favorite characters in their most epic moments from Return of the King. Phew, it gives me chills. And, our favorite part—if you look closely at the designs of the stamps, you can see secret messages embedded in the gorgeous artwork by Sacha Lees. For example, if you really peer at Eowyn’s Shieldmaiden stamp, you can see small letters spelling out, “I am no man.” See if you can spot them all below.

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You can order these stamps today.

Return of the King Commemorative Coins

In addition to exquisite stamps, NZ Post has also been creating The Lord of the Rings Commemorative Coins. We know Gollum and dwarves alike would be absolutely entranced by this latest set. There are four Return of the King coins in total, one set of three and one that stands alone. In the set of three, aptly titled “The Lighting of the Beacons,” we see the lighting of the Beacons of Gondor scene come to life in silver and gold. The artistry of these is just beyond incredible. And, in our solo coin is the King of Men himself, Aragorn, being crowned by Gandalf.

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These epic coins are not available to purchase yet but are coming soon.

The Lord of the Rings Art Prints

If you’d like to enjoy this glorious artwork on a bit of a larger scale, some of the concepts for The Return of the King‘s stamps are also available in print form.

But you had better not delay at the Prancing Pony because these are limited edition and selling out. Prints of Gandalf and Eowyn are still available and cost $32.44 each.

About the Artist, NZ Post, and More

Artist Sacha Lees

These gorgeous The Lord of the Rings creations come from the glorious mind and fingers of artist Sacha Lees. A release shares, “The artist behind the stamps and pins is New Zealander Sacha Lees, who began her career at Wētā Workshop working on The Lord of the Rings trilogy as an illustrator, creature designer, and airbrush and concept artist.” What a true talent. You can check out Lees’ other work on her website, here. Trust us, you will not feel sorry you did.

New Zealand and The Lord of the Rings

We also wanted to extend a big round of applause to NZ Post. NZ Post has taken the time to honor The Lord of the Rings because of its incredible relationship with New Zealand. The company shares, “The 2003 release saw a world premiere bring Wellington to a standstill, and scored notable breakthroughs for the local film industry. Held in Wellington, the world premiere of The Return of the King saw a parade begin at Parliament and featured two hundred extras in costume, and demonstrated the growing profile of Aotearoa New Zealand’s film industry on the world stage… As Nancy Swarbrick notes in Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, the film’s stunning financial and critical success further increased international interest in Aotearoa New Zealand as a place to make big-budget movies.”

Of course, New Zealand played no small role in making the films look and feel incredible. We love this symbiotic relationship.

NZ Post’s Collectables

Finally, if you’ve loved NZ Post’s The Lord of the Rings collectibles as much as we have, make sure to check out its Collectables page for more excellent surprises. You never know what you might find. We’d also like to say a special thank you to NZ Post Head of Stamps and Collectables, Antony Harris, for keeping Nerdist informed about the latest in NZ Post news.

We’re crossing our fingers to see a 25th anniversary The Lord of the Rings collection or two someday soon.

The post NZ Post Celebrates 20 Years of THE RETURN OF THE KING appeared first on Nerdist.

Heads will roll in Echo. And get bashed in. And explode. The first trailer for the upcoming MCU series Echo is full of violence, blood, and a whole lot of goodness. The trailer for this five-episode special event honestly looks amazing. Both Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk are delivering. This truly looks like an MCU series like none other, and we kind of love it. Take a look at Echo‘s first trailer below, if you dare.

We first met Echo in the Hawkeye series, which carried a very different tone. And we feel thrilled to see her coming into her own in this outing. It is incredible to see a Marvel show center on a deaf and Indigenous character and for it to have taken care to support this representation in front of and behind the camera.

A logline for the series revealed with the trailer shares more about the show, noting:

No bad deed goes unpunished on Jan. 10, 2024, when Marvel Studios’ “Echo” launches on Disney+ and Hulu. The five-episode streaming event spotlights Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy. All five episodes will stream on Jan. 10 on both platforms. They’ll be available on Hulu until April 9. This marks the first Marvel Studios series to drop all entirely bingeable episodes at once. 

The relationship between the MCU’s Kingpin and Echo is fraught, as we’ve seen before and see again in this trailer. But when the chips fall, will Echo end up as much a monster as her mentor? Only time will tell. At one point, rumor had it that Charlie Cox’s Daredevil would also appear on the Echo show. And though he is not mentioned in any official materials so far, we caught a brief glimpse of Daredevil in a montage of shots featured in Echo‘s trailer. Very exciting.

As the description of the series mentions, there are a few interesting aspects of Echo‘s release. Firstly, the series will run on both Hulu and Disney+, likely an homage to its grittier nature. Echo also has the distinction of being the MCU’s first series rated TV-MA. And, of course, all episodes of Echo will land at once. Disney+ has never shared a series in this format before, so it will be interesting to see how it impacts viewership. We can only hope that it helps.

All five episodes of Echo will be available to stream on January 10.

The post Excellent ECHO Trailer Teases a Dark MCU Series Full of Heads Getting Bashed appeared first on Nerdist.

One of the greatest unrequited loves in the whole of the MCU has been the one between Loki‘s Mobius and a jet ski. Loki‘s first season gave us glimpses of Mobius’ jet ski adoration. Despite living his whole remembered life in the confines of the TVA, where there are certainly no rivers, lakes, ponds, or jet skis, Mobius had a very specific dream. In episode two of Loki season one, Mobius has a magazine with jet skis on his desk and tells Loki that he keeps it because “they’re awesome.” Then Mobius proceeds to give a touching monologue about jet skis and how they’re the only perfect thing in history. He calls them “a beautiful union of form and function.” Sadly, Mobius confesses he’s never actually ridden a jet ski. A cruel twist of fate! But did Mobius finally get to ride a jet ski in season two of Loki?

Here’s what went down.

Mobius Gets to Ride a Jet Ski in Season Two of Loki… Sort Of!

In episode five of Loki season two, we finally get to see Mobius ride a jet ski. And just like he told Loki in season one, it looks like fun. Mobius has the time of his life during his jet ski montage. He’s feeling the wind in his hair, he’s experiencing the sting of mist slapping him in the face, he’s surfing the waves. And it’s all set to some incredible funky instrumentals. But then, record scratch. It turns out Mobius hasn’t actually taken a jet ski out onto the ocean; he’s sitting on a stationary version of the watercraft in Piranha Powersports, the store where he works.

So did Mobius actually get to ride a jet ski in Loki? Well, technically, he was riding on a jet ski, but the adventure was still only in his mind. In our book, this is not that dissimilar to when he imagined riding jet skis in the TVA, though, of course, it’s closer. We feel happy that Mobius gets to actually touch and feel a real jet ski, but we still need to see him fulfilling his dreams.

Loki Season Two Enhances Mobius’ Love of Jet Skis

The anticipation is only heightening, though. Although Loki season one teased Mobius’ jet ski love, in season two, we see how deep it runs. In episode six, after the Temporal Loom’s dramatic explosion, Loki time slips to a a 2022-branched timeline where he meets a version of Mobius called Don. And this Mobius is obsessed with jet skis. He sells them and hypes them up every chance he gets. Among other things, Mobius shares that “a personal watercraft is kind of a thinking man’s dirtbike” and even very earnestly tries to sell the branched timeline version of Hunter B-15 on the idea of buying one though she lives in New York City. (New Yorkers will truly appreciate the futility of this mission. But Mobius is right; a jet ski would be a thrilling way to commute… Although maybe not on the Hudson.) What a truly pure love. It warms our hearts.

Mobius even owns two jet skis which he refers to as “beauties,” and offers to sell one to Loki. He, wholeheartedly agrees, of course, when Loki repeats his own words back to him and calls them “a beautiful union of form and function.” It would break his heart to let one go. But, well, Mobius can’t ride two of them, after all. Sounds like an excellent setup to us for a full-force “Mobius rides a jet ski” scene in Loki or elsewhere in the MCU.

The MCU Needs to Show Us Mobius Living His Dream in Full

Even though the branched timeline’s Mobius may have ridden his jet skis on open water, we don’t see our version of Mobius do that very thing. But we hope that in time, he gets to see his whole wish come true.

Producer Kevin Wright notes of the scene, “We wanted to find a way to do it in an unexpected way… I mean, there’s been so much anticipation, and I think we could have just plopped him on a jet ski riding around a lake, and people would have been just as happy. Owen said something really funny, which was he compared it a little bit to an old TV romance — will they, won’t they? He’s like, well, the second you do it, the thing kind of is done. So he’s like, if we’re going to do it now, it’s got to be really fun and really unexpected.”

He further shares, “That was kind of the genesis of, well, what if we tease this out?… We know we can get some of that out there. He’s working at a dealership. Also, the fun of, it is in Cleveland, which is not known for its water sports. It’s the dream but not exactly the ideal version of it.”

We completely agree that in the scope of this episode, this version of the moment was the right way to go. Mobius took one step toward his dream of riding a jet ski. But there’s still a dream out there ready to be realized… And two empty jet skis waiting patiently in a garage.

The post Does Mobius Finally Get to Ride a Jet Ski in LOKI Season 2? appeared first on Nerdist.

This week we heard discussions about the original Avengers returning to the MCU, saw a Mean Girls sequel (kind of), and learned the secrets of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 post-credits scenes and Easter eggs. But in the mix of all of that, there have been some truly exciting announcements and reveals we wouldn’t want you to miss out on.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News

Jump to:

• Poltergeist TV Series Is in Development at Amazon MGM Studios 
• Disney+’s Cancelled Captain Nemo TV Series Nautilus Saved By AMC
• The Fall of the House of Usher Prop Auction Invites You to Purchase Something Haunted and Stylish
• Another John Wick Spinoff Series Is Apparently In Development
• Bratz Dressed Up as Barbie for Halloween, and Rick and Morty Dressed as Five Nights at Freddy’s
• The Boys Will Likely Have More Seasons Than Originally Planned
• Sesame Street Is Changing Its Format to Include “More Peril”
• Fourth Wing TV Series in the Works From Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society
• Jurassic World LEGO Sets Are Roaring to Life in January 2024
• Horror Sequels Galore! The Black Phone 2 and It Follows 2 Are On the Way, Terrifier 3 Sets Release Date

Poltergeist TV Series Is in Development at Amazon MGM Studios 

You can never be free of some ghosts. Variety reports a series adaptation of the classic ’80s movie Poltergeist is in the works at Amazon MGM Studios. Currently, no plot details or writers are attached to the series. However, we know “Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will executive produce on behalf of Amblin Television.” In 1999, Showtime released a four-season series adaptation set in Poltergiest‘s world—but television has come a long way since.

For more horror-based TV, check out what we know about Max’s The Conjuring show.

Disney+’s Cancelled Captain Nemo TV Series Nautilus Saved By AMC

In a worrying streaming trend, shows are being ordered and completed only to be canceled before release. But sometimes, there is good news. Deadline reports that although Disney+ canceled its Nautilus series, a 10-episode TV show based on Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, AMC has now saved the series. Nautilus will air on AMC and AMC+ in 2024 and tell the origin story of the iconic Captain Nemo.

To see what we learned about Nautilus initially, check out our write-up here:

The Fall of the House of Usher Prop Auction Invites You to Purchase Something Haunted and Stylish

Mike Flanagan’s final show with Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, was filled with horrifying yet beautiful visuals. If you loved the show’s aesthetic, you can now take a part of it home with a special prop auction.

The Fall of the House of Usher auction will take place from November 15-29 with 100% of its proceeds going to charity. Among other items, you can bid on “Verna’s (Carla Gugino) Rave Costume with Red Cloak,” “Napoleon ‘Leo’ Usher’s (Rahul Kohli) Drywall-Covered ‘Thor’ Hammer Replica,” and “Arthur Pym’s (Mark Hamill) Briefcase with Files and Accessories.”

For more about The Fall of the House of Usher‘s aesthetic, take a look at what its use of color really means.

Another John Wick Spinoff Series Is Apparently In Development

Surprise! Another John Wick spinoff series is apparently in development, according to John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Stahelski noted to Collider, “We’re doing a John Wick TV show, which, again, keeps my head going.” And added, “I would love to do a couple of episodes of the TV show just because I think I’d have fun trying things that we didn’t get to try in the films. I mean, absolutely. There’s some great ideas. And to work with a different cast and a different story structure without John Wick, it would be a fun challenge.”

Another John Wick spinoff show, aside from The Continental, which recently aired, doesn’t seem to have been widely announced yet. So we guess we’ll stay tuned to see what develops.

As if that weren’t enough John Wick, John Wick 5 is still on the table.

Bratz Dressed Up as Barbie for Halloween, and Rick and Morty Dressed as Five Nights at Freddy’s

Happy Halloween from our favorite franchises. In a bit of a shady move, some Bratz dolls dressed as the unimpressed teens looking at Barbie for Halloween—a truly hilarious spin on a Barbie movie costume which was, admittedly, very popular this year.

Meanwhile, Rick and Morty‘s characters disguised themselves as Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronics, homaging the popular game series that just released its movie adaptation. We love series dressing as series!

If you enjoyed Five Nights at Freddy‘s, you may be wondering what that sound at the end of the credits means.

The Boys Will Likely Have More Seasons Than Originally Planned

The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke originally planned for the series to have a five-season run. But it looks like that number is now defunct, and The Boys will likely have more seasons than that. Kripke shared with Inverse, “I have since realized that literally, no one in history is worse at predicting the amount of seasons of a show, like literally. I have learned my lesson, and I’ve stopped predicting how many seasons these shows go. You will find out in hindsight.” With the popularity of The Boys and its spinoff Gen V, that seems like a fair assessment to us.

Catch up with Gen V‘s most gory and shocking moments, here:

Sesame Street Is Changing Its Format to Include “More Peril”

Sesame Street wants you to know you can reinvent yourself at any age. Recently, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Sesame Street‘s format would be “reimagined” for season 56. The show will drop its “magazine style” format, which has been around for decades, in favor of “two longer, more narrative-driven segments, which will be paired with a new animated series, Tales From 123.”

Wilson Stallings, the executive VP and chief creative development and production officer for Sesame Workshop shared, “Kids love a little bit of peril, they love having emotional stakes, and in nine minutes, it’s kind of hard to really dive into those areas really effectively.” The show hopes to be able to tell a more compelling tale with these changes.

Be that as it may, we have to wonder, does Sesame Street really need more peril?

All we have to say is that Sesame Street had better keep gems like this.

Fourth Wing TV Series in the Works From Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society

Amazon MGM Studios and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society will be bringing to life a TV series based on Rebecca Yarros’ popular fantasy series, Fourth Wing. This overall deal includes all the books from the Fourth Wing universe titled The Empyrean, including its sequel Iron Flame, releasing on November 7, and the three books slated to follow.

Per Variety, the logline for the TV series shares:

Enter the brutal world of Basgiath War College where there is only one rule: Graduate or Die. Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail expected to live a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general― her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. If the fire-breathing beasts don’t kill her, one of her fellow riders just might. Suspense, action, romance, and dragons blend together in a propulsive fantasy adventure from NYT bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

In other fantasy novel adaptation news, House of the Dragon season two will release in the summer of 2024.

Jurassic World LEGO Sets Are Roaring to Life in January 2024

Show off your dino love with these two new Jurassic World LEGO sets. First up is a Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull LEGO set, which turns LEGOs into bones. The official description of the set shares, “The first Jurassic World set made for display features a skull with an opening jaw, a stand with an information plaque, a hidden ‘amber’ piece at the back of the model and a ‘fossilized’ footprint.” Honestly, building a T. rex skull out of LEGOS, teeth and all, is pretty cool.

Also available is the “Baby Dinosaur Rescue Center” LEGO set and it comes complete with a bunch of, you guessed it, baby dinos. D’aww. Both Jurrasic World LEGO sets will release on January 1, 2024.

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For more creative and nature-focused LEGO fun, check out LEGO’s insect collection.

Horror Sequels Galore! The Black Phone 2 and It Follows 2 Are On the Way, Terrifier 3 Sets Release Date

October may be over, but Halloween season never is. And it’s a good thing, too, because a ton of horror sequels are coming our way.

First up, the truly terrifying Universal and Blumhouse movie, The Black Phone, will get a sequel. The Black Phone 2 is currently set to release on June 27, 2025 and, per Variety, will be the “launch of a sinister new franchise.” We have chills already.

Next, It Follows will also receive a sequel titled They Follow. The writer and director of It Follows, David Robert Mitchell, will return for the sequel alongside star Maika Monroe. It Follows was a movie that encapsulated the terrifying feeling of someone always lurking behind you, and we bet its sequel will double the sensation.

Finally, Terrifier 3 and its terrifying slasher Art the Clown will arrive in theaters on October 25, 2024, for another round of Christmas horror. We can’t wait to see what terrifying naughty-list mayhem will transpire.

In case you were curious, we’ve broken down the horoscopes of 12 iconic horror villains.

The post Another JOHN WICK Series in the Works, JURASSIC WORLD LEGO Sets, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

The Upside Down has never looked cuter. Fisher-Price’s latest Little People collector sets bring us the world of Stranger Things but in adorable miniature. Of course, the world of Stranger Things is no less harrowing or strange than we know it to be in these toy sets; it’s just, well, cuter. Vecna certainly looks like the most adorable version of himself that we’ve ever seen. But he’s not the only one. In total, Fisher-Price has announced three new Stranger Things Little People Collector sets, and they include all our favorite characters and moments from the series. These sets are the perfect thing to distract us as we wait for Stranger Things 5.

Take a look at the details of the “Castle Byers,” “Max’s Song, and “Hellfire Club” collectibles below.

Stranger Things’ New Fisher-Price Little People Collector Sets

Castle Byers Figures Take Us Back to Season One

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Head all the way back to the very first season of Stranger Things with this Fisher-Price Little People Collector Set. With this collection of figures, you can explore the castle both from within and without the Upside Down. There’s even a precious Demogorgon that gives Dart a run for its money. Just wait until it adorably tries to chomp your face off.

A release for this set shares, “True fans know Eleven loves a good waffle and can see the nethering creep and crawl across the packaging bringing Castle Byers and the Upside Down to life.” And additionally, “Fans can revel in the wonderful world of Stranger Things with this Little People Collector set, which features the whole gang including Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Will Byers, plus the monstrous (but really awesome looking) Demogorgon. Each figure stands over 2.5 inches tall and is styled in each character’s signature look from the first season.”

It really is a blast from the past, in the best way.

The Castle Byers Stranger Things Fisher-Price Little People Collector set is available on Amazon. It costs $29.99.

The Max’s Song Stranger Things Little People Collector’s Set Is Adorably Terrifying

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Okay, this Little People Stranger Things toy set is absolutely ridiculous, but we love it. Is there a more harrowing scene than when Max starts to rise to the sky with her eyes rolling back into her head in Stranger Things 4? Any minute now, Vecna will crack her bones. Just look at the darling terror on Steve’s face. The juxtaposition of terrifying and cute really shows how committed these Stranger Things Little People sets are to their bit.

A release shares, “Fans of the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, can relive the memorable scene from Season 4 when Max’s favorite song saves her from Vecna’s curse with this special edition Little People Collector Max’s Song set from Fisher-Price. Featuring 5 Little People figures styled like Max Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Steve Harrington, Dustin Henderson, and Vecna, this must-have set comes in a display-worthy package that takes fans from the cemetery to the Upside Down.”

And little Vecna? Come on, this one is just incredible.

The Max’s Song Stranger Things Fisher-Price Little People Collector set is available at Target. It costs 29.99.

The Hellfire Club Figure Set Is the Best

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Who could more deserve a Little People Collectors figure than Eddie Munson? No one. This Stranger Things collection celebrating the Hellfire Club is our favorite. It captures the joy the club brings to all its members and especially to us. We love all the details on this set of figures, especially Erica’s American Flag, Dustin’s cap, and the miniature Hellfire Club shirts. We’re going to need these figures for our collection immediately.

A release shares, “​Inspired by the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, this special edition Little People Collector Hellfire Club set brings the members of the Hawkins High School’s group down to Little People figurine size. Assemble the team and relive the campaign to vanquish Vecna with Eddie Munson, Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler, and Erica Sinclair. Arriving in a specially designed, display-worthy package, this Little People Collector figure set is the perfect gift for fans and RPG players.”

The Hellfire Clubs Stranger Things Fisher-Price Little People Collector set is available at Best Buy. It costs $24.99.

The post STRANGER THINGS Fisher-Price Little People Sets Reveal Adorable Upside-Down appeared first on Nerdist.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are finally here. These latest games in the Pokémon franchise will build help the series “take a new evolutionary step” into “a richly expressed open world.” While Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ gameplay was expansive and exploration-driven, Pokémon has not yet had true open-world games before. This makes Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet extra exciting. And, of course, new Pokémon games mean a new generation of Pokémon to discover. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet have three adorable new starter Pokémon that players can look forward to catching, Legendary Pokémon that turn into vehicles, adorable new regional forms, and many other new Gen 9 Pokémon. Not to mention, Scarlet and Violet will offer all Pokémon a way to transform into something novel, the games introduce the mysterious Terastal phenomenon.

Here are the new Pokémon we met before Scarlet and Violet‘s release and some additional ones that will be coming in its new DLC expansion.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon; Jump To:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon

As mentioned, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will feature the next generation of Pokémon: Gen 9. And given the open-world nature of the game, we expect there will be many surprises when it comes to the Pokémon the game will introduce. The official description for the game shares: “Various towns blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders. You’ll be able to see the Pokémon of this region in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets—all over!” Here are all the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet creatures we’ve met so far.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Iron Treads

So far, we’ve only glimpsed the mysterious new Pokémon, Iron Treads. It sounds like this Pokémon only exists in the Violet game. A description of it offers, that Iron Treads is “a monster that rolls to attack and leaves scorched earth in its path.” Iron Treads could be a Paldean regional variant of the Pokémon,  Donphan. Or it could be its ancestor.

Iron Treads and Great Tusk both live in books title The Violet Book and Scarlet Book respectively. These books hold notes about the Paldea region and its Pokémon from an ancient expedition.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Great Tusk

Meanwhile, Great Tusk is the new Donphan relative from Pokémon Scarlet. Great Tusk attacks with its large body and tusks.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Gimmighoul

The latest new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet creature is ghoulishly delightful. Gimmighoul is a ghostly Pokémon that loves treasure. In fact, it hides itself in a treasure chest most of the time. Though its treasure chest home provides safety for Gimmighoul, it also makes it move slowly. And, often, Gimmighoul, in what we learn is its chest form, may get mistaken for an antique.

But beware, anyone who gets too close to a Gimmighoul may be ambushed. Gimmighouls use ghost energy to control people and then make them hunt for coins. And these people can stay under this Pokémon’s spell for a long time.

Gimmighoul also has a roaming form. This form of Gimmighoul carries a single coin on its back. The Pokémon is found all over Scarlet and Violet‘s Paldea, but no one has ever captured one because it moves so speedily. This form of the Gimmighoul will make its way to Pokémon Go.

This Pokémon is a part of the ‘Coin Cheat Pokémon’ category of Pokémon and is a Ghost-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 11 lbs.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Greavard

Not all puppy-like creatures are sugar and spice in the world of Pokémon. In fact, this new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon is anything but at first glance. According to Greavard’s official description, “It has powerful jaws that can shatter bones.” One bite can lead to a lot of pain. But as we look deeper, it seems like Greavard isn’t actually vicious, just a little odd. Most of the time, Greavard just lays underground. But if someone gets too close, it will let out eerie howls.

Greavard does want to make friends, and it loves attention. But apparently, “Greavard will slowly and inadvertently absorb the life-force of those around it, so it’s best not to play with it too much.” Poor thing!

This Pokémon is a part of the ‘Ghost Dog Pokémon’ category of Pokémon and is a Ghost-type. Its height is 2’1 and it usually weighs about 77.2 lbs.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Bellibolt

Bellibolt is an adorable frog-like Pokémon that lives in the Paldea region. It contracts and expands its body to generate electricity in its belly-button like organ. This electricity then releases through eye-like bumps on Bellibolt’s head, which help this new Pokémon to appear intimidating. Bellibolt has an easy going nature and won’t typically attack first. Its stomach emits noises that sound like cries when it’s hungry.

Bellibolt has a brand new ability, Electromorphosis. When attacked, Bellibolt becomes charged and its next Electric-type move gets a power boost.

This Pokémon is a part of the ‘EleFrog’ category of Pokémon and is an Electric-type. Its height is 3’11” and it usually weighs about 249.1 lbs.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Wiglett

The Pokémon Company recently revealed another brand new Pokémon to the world of Scarlet and Violet. Even though the Paldean Wiglett looks like a Diglett, this is a brand new creature altogether. In the video, the Pokémon researchers consider whether Wiglett could be a Scarlet and Violet regional form of Diglett, but decide this is not the case.

While no one is sure how long Wiglett’s really are, we do know they have a great sense of smell. If a Wiglett catches the scent of another Pokémon, it will burrow down into the sand and hide.

Scarlet and Violet‘s Wiglett is a part of the ‘Garden Eel’ category of Pokémon and is a Water-type. Its height is 3’11” and it usually weighs about 4 lbs.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Armarouge

In addition to all its cute critters, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are introducing us to two new more humanoid Pokémon. The first of these is Armarouge. This noble Pokémon dons armor that once belonged to a distinguished warrior (whether human or not isn’t confirmed). The armor is the energy source of Armarouge’s psychic moves. The armor’s psychic abilities also allows the Pokémon to control the fire energy in its body and attack. The official description for Armarough notes that it believes in a fair fight and will always approach an opponent head-on, no matter the power difference between them.

Armarouge has a fire-type special move called Armor Canon, which this new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon can learn. To use Armor Canon, Armarouge “moves both its pauldrons to its hands and puts its arms together to form a cannon, allowing it to shoot its own armor out as blazing projectiles.” But in exchange for power, its defense falls.

Armarouge is a part of the ‘Fire Warrior’ category of Pokémon and is a Fire/Psychic-type. Its height is 4’11” and it usually weighs about 187.4 lbs. This Pokémon is one fiery knight.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Ceruledge

Ceruledge is Armarouge’s Scarlet and Violet foil. While Armarouge’s armor belonged to a great fighter, Ceruledge wears armor “steeped in grudges and wields blades made of fire and ghost energy.” This new Pokémon sounds pretty cool though. Ceruledge’s blades become great swords in battle and wounds from them leave cuts that cause life energy to flow away.

Ceruledge will never hesitate to sneak attack to gain an advantage. It uses its fast movements to capitalize on opponents’ blind spots and then attacks with its blades. It can learn the fire-type move “Bitter Blade.” This move “gathers the lingering regrets of the fallen into Ceruledge’s swords, allowing it to focus that bitterness into a slashing attack. The swords then absorb life energy from wounds they made, and the user’s HP is restored by up to half the damage taken by the target.”

Ceruledge is a part of the ‘Fire Blades’ category of Pokémon and is a Fire/Ghost-type. Its height is 5’3″ and it usually weighs about 136.7 lbs. This Pokémon is one to watch out for.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Klawf

But, back to the cute new Pokémon. Klawf may not be able to compete with puppy-like Pokémon, but we still love this crab character. According to its description, Klawf has powerful claws. They can hold things incredibly tightly and will grow back if cut off. Typically, Klawf uses one claw to hold its opponent in place while it attacks with the other. A bit disturbingly, “in certain parts of the Paldea region, Klawf claws are considered a valuable cooking ingredient.” Sounds like one for the Pokémon cookbook.

Klawf also has the advantage of bulbous spinning eyes that can see all and leave it with no blindspots. To hunt its prey, it latches onto cliffsides and hangs upside down to attack from above. However, eventually it gets dizzy from the blood rushing to its head. Klawf also has a new Pokémon special ability, “Anger Shell.” This means that “when Klawf’s HP drops to half or less, the Pokémon gets angry. This lowers its Defense and Sp. Def stats but boosts its Attack, Sp. Atk, and Speed stats.”

Klawf is a part of the ‘Ambush’ category of Pokémon and is a Rock-type. Its height is 4’3″ and it usually weighs about 174.2 lbs. This Pokémon is not monkeying around.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Grafaiai

Grafaiai is a mysterious new Pokémon coming to Scarlet and Violet. The official description of Grafaiai shares, “Grafaiai is a moody Pokémon with a fastidious disposition. It doesn’t form packs, preferring to roam alone. It’s constantly caught up in territorial struggles with other Pokémon.” In short, this new Pokémon is a loner monkey/lemur. The nocturnal Grafaiai uses its poisonous saliva to paint designs on trees in its territory during the night. Bug Pokémon are attracted to the saliva’s sweet smell, but when they encounter the poison, it paralyzes them. At dawn, Grafaiai collects its prey… Very ominous.

When this Scarlet and Violet Pokémon feels like it’s in danger, its saliva becomes more potent and the poison in it more concentrated. Grafaiai attacks with this venomous saliva, which changes colors depending on what it has eaten. It spits at its foes or coats its claws to slash at enemies. Grafaiai’s toxins can immobilize victims for days.​​

Grafaiai is a part of the ‘Toxic Monkey’ category of Pokémon and is a Poison/Normal-type. Its height is 2’4″ and it usually weighs about 60 lbs. This Pokémon is not monkeying around.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Cyclizar

The upcoming games seem to love the idea of Pokémon that become machines. And Cyclizar, a new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon does exactly this. Its official description shares that it’s very common to see people riding Cyclizar. Apparently, the Pokémon has lived in households in the Paldea region since ancient times. Apparently, the warmth of a rider helps Cyclizer to keep away the chill.

Cyclizar can go at speeds of over 70 mph with a human rider. It has a hard and thick head, but also a lithe tail. These help it keep its balance and absorb shock while sprinting, but also help it attack during battle. In addition, Cyclizar has a new move to introduce to the Pokémon world called “Shed Tail.”

Apparently when Shed Tail is launched, “the user creates a substitute for itself using its own HP before switching places with a party Pokémon in waiting.” A very interesting ability.

Cyclizar is a part of the ‘Mount’ category of Pokémon and is a Dragon/Normal-type. Its height is 5’3″ and it usually weighs about 138.9 lbs. Trainers will definitely appreciate the skills of this Pokémon.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Cetitan

It’s not every day a whale lives on land, or in the snow, for that matter, but Cetitan does both these things. A Terra Whale Pokémon​, Cetitan uses its tough muscles and other adapatations to survive. According to its description, this new Pokémon​ have tough muscles that make their bodily attacks incredibly powerful. In addition, they are protected from the elements by a layer of thick blubber. In addition, Cetitan has five powerful horns and one on the upper jaw can even gather ice energy from the Pokemon’s freezing surrondings. Definetly one whale not to mess with.

Cetitan is a part of the ‘Terra Whale’ category of Pokémon and is an Ice-type. Its height is 14’9″ and it usually weighs about 1,543.2 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Cetitan. But can imagine that it will only grow more powerful in every form.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Fidough

Although the the Gen 9 starters have been lauded as supremely sweet and other new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, like Lechonk, are super adorable, Fidough may have just claimed the cutest prize. This Scarlet and Violet Pokémon is literally a puppy made of bread, and it helps people bake. What could be cuter than that? According to its description, Fidough’s skin has the quality of dough, it’s smooth, moist, and elastic. When it gets excited it puffs right up like puff pastery to intimidate its opponents by appearing bigger. (No word yet if that actually works.) In addition, Fidough ferments things around it with the yeast in its breath. This yeast is useful for cooking and baking, so Fidough is greatly loved and protected.

Fidough is a part of the ‘Puppy’ category of Pokémon and is a Fairy-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 24 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Fidough. We hope if it gets any though it becomes even cuter and turns into a more complicated pastry.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Pawmi

Move over Pikachu, because Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s adorable new Pokémon, Pawmi, is coming for the best electric-mouse Pokémon prize. Well, okay, okay, there’s room enough for everyone. But this Pokémon sure is cute and, as mentioned, it has the advantage of being new to the game.

According to its description, Pawmi has electric sacks in its cheeks, similar to Pikachu. But in addition, “Pawmi has electricity-discharging organs on its forepaws. It generates electricity by rubbing its cheeks, then it shocks its opponents by touching them with the pads on its forepaws.” Don’t get too close, no matter how adorable, is the moral of the story.

Pawmi’s thick fur gives it good insulation against the cold. But that fur also stores electricity for Pawmi. And “when it feels uneasy, this cautious Pokémon will begin rubbing its cheeks, preparing itself to discharge an electric shock.” So, let’s make sure to keep this new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon very comfortable.

Pawmi is a part of the ‘Mouse’ category of Pokémon and is an Electric-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 5.5 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Pawmi. But we’re sure whatever evolutionary form it takes will probably be a little less cute and a little more fierce.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Lechonk

Lechonk‘s name really says it all. This new Pokémon will bring some much-needed chonky energy to Scarlet and Violet. And we already admire its commitment to getting a delicious treat.

According to its official description, this Pokémon is a “gourmand with an excellent nose.” And that means it can always sniff out “only the most fragrant wild grasses and the richest Berries” to eat. It’s not a favorite of bug Pokémon though, as its eating habits give it a specific smell of herbs those Pokémon dislike. That certainly gives us food for thought.

While Lechonk is timid and fainthearted, don’t let that fool you. The Pokémon may panic if attacked, but it is made of mostly muscle. All that walking around in search of food keeps Lechonk in shape.

Lechonk is a part of the ‘Hog’ category of Pokémon and is a Normal-type. Its height is 1’8″ and it usually weighs about 22.5 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Lechonk. But honestly, we don’t need any new Scarlet and Violet evolutions for this Pokémon. It is perfect as is.

New Gen 9 Pokémon: Smoliv

Smoliv may be… smol, but it sure packs a punch. This new Pokémon may look like a tiny little plant but it releases an oil from its head that’s bitter and will make you back away. When Smoliv is threatened, it will shoot this oil at its opponents, slowing them down. Smoliv is also an incredibly adaptable Pokémon. It’s official description shares:

In the fruit on its head, Smoliv stores oil made from nutrients it gathers through photosynthesis. As a result, it can go for a week without eating or drinking.​ It prefers dry and sunny climates, and it seems to spend its days sunbathing.

Smoliv is a part of the ‘Olive’ category of Pokémon and is a Grass/Normal-type. Its height is 1′ and it usually weighs about 14.3 lbs. There’s no word yet on any evolutions for Smoliv. But we can’t wait to see what Smoliv’s evolutionary forms will look like. It surely has us in mind of Mediterranean climes. And that makes a lot of sense considering the new Pokémon games will take place in a world that seems inspired by Spain. We wonder what other kinds of new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will bring.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants

Of course, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduce us to a new region, the region of Paldea. According to the games’ official website, the Paldea regions is “a land of vast open spaces dotted with lakes, towering peaks, wastelands, and perilous mountain ranges.” There, people and Pokémon live together. Naturally a new Pokémon region means new regional forms and variants for us to explore. Here are the new Gen 9 Scarlet and Violet regional variants that we’ve met so far.

New Gen 9 Regional Form: Paldean Farigiraf

Pokémon’s Girafarig has never before had an evolutionary form, until now. In Paldea, Girafarig will evolve into the Paldean regional variant, Farigiraf. Technically, Farigiraf is a brand new Pokémon, but since it comes from an existing one, we’ll label it a Scarlet and Violet regional variant.

Farigiraf actually has two brains, one from its tail and one from it head, which have fused together in this evolutionary form. They are connected through thick nerves and can attack with psychic energy. Sometimes, a Farigiraf’s brains move faster than its body. Farigiraf can also attack and defend with its long neck. The force of its neck, made sturdy by the connection of its tail, can crush rock.

Farigiraf has two new unique abilities, Cud Chew and Armor tail, which really power up the Scarlet and Violet Pokémon.

The height of this regional variant is 10’6 ” and it usually weighs about 352.7 lbs. It is a “Long Neck” Pokémon and its type is Normal/Psychic.

New Gen 9 Regional Form: Paldean Wooper

The Paldean Wooper is every bit as cute as its normal counterpart. While a normal Wooper is usually a Water Fish category Pokémon that is a Water/Ground-type, this Scarlet and Violent regional variant is a little bit different. The Paldean Wooper is a Poison/Ground​-type and a Poison Fish Pokémon.

According to its description, this Gen 9 regional Pokémon lives on land. And it’s actually a sad story. The official website shares, “In ancient times, Wooper lived underwater in the Paldea region. But it seems after losing in a struggle for territory, they began living in bogs on land.​” In order to avoid drying out, they began to “cover their bodies with a poisonous film.”

Additionally the Paldean Wooper’s gills have hardened because of its new land life, and its body is heavy and moves slowly. But in its Scarlet and Violent regional form, the Wooper can shoot poisonous liquid from the gills instead, poisioning the Pokémon around it.

The height of this Scarlet and Violet regional variant is 1’4″ and it usually weighs about 24.3 lbs. There’s no word yet on whether the Paldean Wooper evolves into a Paldean Quagsire. We guess we will have to hear more about Scarlet and Violet‘s regional forms to find out.

Scarlet and Violet‘s Legendary Pokémon

It wouldn’t be a new Pokémon game if we didn’t get some incredible Legendaries to marvel at. And Pokémon Scarlet and Violet absolutely do not let us down in the Legendary Pokémon department. We now know that the Legendary Pokémon Koraidon will appear in Pokémon Scarlet. In the meanwhile, the new Legendary Pokémon Miraidon will appear in Pokémon Violet. We also recently learned that both these Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokémon can turn into vehicles, such as motorcycles and planes, their trainer can ride.

Gen 9’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon

Both the new Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokémon look like dragons to us and Miraidon looks like it could be an electric-type Pokémon. However, not much information is yet available about these Legendary Pokémon.

The official website for the games shares:

Koraidon is a Legendary Pokémon you can meet in Pokémon Scarlet, and Miraidon is a Legendary Pokémon you can meet in Pokémon Violet. These two Pokémon are said to have powers that far surpass those of other Pokémon, but details about Koraidon and Miraidon are still shrouded in mystery.

A new trailer for the game does give us a better look a the mythical creatures, though.

In the trailer, we get a more life-like rendering of these two new Legendary Scarlet and Violet Pokémon. And what jumps out to us there is how machine-like Miraidon seems. The Legendary Pokémon even has blasters for legs. Meanwhile, Koraidon seems all-natural. Some internet speculation wonders if the design of these new Legendaries reflects a theme of nature vs. technology, with Pokémon Scarlet repping nature and Pokémon Violet representing technology. The professors for the two games seem to also fit into this idea. We guess we will just have to wait and see what these powerful creatures have in store for us.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters

Starter Pokémon are among some of the most important Pokémon in the games. Trainers pick these creatures as their first companions and they set the tone for the rest of a player’s adventure. They also often reveal the theme of the game. For instance, Gen 9’s starter Pokémon hint at the idea that the Scarlet and Violet games will take place in a Spain-inspired Region, as mentioned above. Often, starter Pokémon are Earth, Fire, and Water-types, and Scarlet and Violet‘s new starters follow this format as well.

Gen 9’s New Grass-type Starter: Sprigatito

The first of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s new starters is Sprigatito, Gen 9’s grass-type starter. More specifically, Sprigatito is a Grass Cat Pokémon. This Pokémon’s height is 1’4″ and it weighs 9 lbs. Its primary ability is Overgrow.

According to its official description, Sprigatito is a “capricious, attention-seeking Grass Cat Pokémon.” Well, that sounds like every cat we’ve ever met to us. But watch out for this one’s leaves, in addition to its claws. It has a sweet smile, but we can see the mischief lurking underneath.

We’ve also now learned that “when Sprigatito kneads and rubs with its forepaws, a sweet aroma is released that can mesmerize those around it. This aroma has therapeutic qualities and makes opponents lose their will to battle.” Sounds like a handy ability. Additionally, Sprigatito creates energy by absorbing sunlight and it “adds moisture to its fur by grooming itself, which aids its ability to photosynthesize.”

Gen 9’s New Fire-type Starter: Fuecoco

Gen 9’s adorable fire-type starter is Fuecoco. This Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet creature is actually a Fire Croc Pokémon. He reminds us more of a fire dinosaur, but we can see the croc there if we squint. We’re sure that aspect will come out more in Fuecoco’s evolutions.

Additionally, we know now that the square scales on Fuecoco’s stomach absorb heat. And this heat can be converted into fire energy. Although always warm, watch out for these scales getting hot. This Scarlet and Violet starter also has flames sprouting out of its head, that’s actually fire energy leaking out. The more excited Fuecoco is, the more flames decorate its head. Happily, this member of the Scarlet and Violet starters club is very chill.

In its starter form, Fuecoco measures 1’4″ and weighs 21.6 lbs. Its main ability is Blaze. Its official description shares, “The laid-back Fire Croc Pokémon that does things at its own pace” and “it will sprint toward any food it finds with a glint in its eye.” Absolutely adorable. Perhaps Fuecoco and Slowpoke can be good friends.

Gen 9’s New Water-type Starter: Quaxly

Quaxly makes up the last part of the Scarlet and Violet starters trio. This adorable duck is a water-type Pokémon in the Duckling category. (Our new favorite category, it must be said.)

Although Quaxly is a brand new Pokémon, he has already won many hearts. At 1’8″, it stands as the tallest of the Gen 9 starter Pokémon. And Quaxly weighs 13.4 lbs. Its main ability is Torrent.

Quaxly’s whole body is covered in a protective, glossy gel which repels dirt and grime. And that’s why Quaxly is always shiny. Quaxly’s coif is kept in place with a thick, rich cream but can become unkempt when dry. Quaxly also has some strong legs and can swim against fierce currents. In battle it will often kick its opponents repeatedly.

We also know that Quaxly is an “earnest and tidy Duckling Pokémon” and that it “dislikes getting its head dirty.” Cue the collective awwwwws over this Pokémon.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Full Pokédex

To get to know every single one of Scarlet and Violet‘s Pokémon, you can check out this full Pokédex that YouTube MELOO has put together.

Enjoy catching them all!

New Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Features

Terastallizing with Tera Orbs in Scarlet and Violet

In addition to new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, regional forms, legendaries, and starters, every Pokémon gets a novel form in the Paldea region. The upcoming Pokémon games introduce a new gameplay element. With the help of a Tera orb, Pokémon can undergo the phenomenon of terastallizing. This makes Pokémon shine like gemstones as they crystallize into new forms of themselves. All Pokémon in the Paldea region are able to terastallize. Undergoing this process may provide or change a Pokémon’s type and enhance its moves. These changes occur based on a Pokémon’s Tera-type and some Pokémon possess rare Tera-types. All we know is, these Scarlet and Violet crystalline Pokémon forms sure are pretty.

Titan Pokémon

What are Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Titan Pokémon? Well, Titan Pokémon are a new variation of existing Pokémon that appear in the games that are “bigger and stronger than ordinary Pokémon.” It seems like these Titan Pokémon will offer something like boss battles during Scarlet and Violet‘s adventures.

To defeat them, you’ll likely need to use Herba Mystica. Herba Mystica are “extremely rare herbs that can only be found in Paldea.” And they’ll restore your health immediately after you eat them. Incredible.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

New Pokémon From Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansions

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will receive their first DLC expansions in 2023. These two-part additions to the game, titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero will, of course, bring with them some more entries to the Pokédex. You can see them in action in the latest teaser trailer for the Scarlet and Violet DLC.

Here are the new Pokémon you’ll receive when you add these DLCs to Scarlet and Violet.

The Teal Mask

In The Teal Mask, you’ll find new Pokémon that inhabit the land of Kitakami. They include Legendary Pokémon Ogerpon as well as Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. Ogerpon seems to resemble a demon of some sort, while Okidogi looks like a humanoid dog, Munkidori carries a monkey presence with him, and Fezandipiti is pheasant-like. Dipplin, the Candy Apple Pokémon and a new evolution of Applin, also joins the fun.

Click To View Gallery

Additonally, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 1: The Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet will reveal a very special Matcha Pokémon, Poltchageist. Don’t be fooled by its cute appearance. “After a target is sprinkled with some of Poltchageist’s powdery body or eats food dusted with it, Poltchageist drains their life-force and absorbs it as energy.​

We finally have a specific release date for The Teal Mask—this Scarlet and Violet DLC will arrive on September 13, 2023.

The Indigo Disk

The Indigo Disk presented us with the new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, Terapagos. This sea-turtle like creature seems to be tied to the terastallizing phenomenon somehow.

the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos also has a second Normal Form in addition to its Terastal Form.

Joining Terapagos we also have Raging Bolt, an Electric/Dragon Pokémon, and Iron Crown, a Steel/Psychic Pokémon. These fellas seem very powerful.

Archaludon, a Steel/Dragon evolution of Duraludon, also joins the fray. Archaludon can take the form of a bridge in battle.

We also finally have a release date for The Indigo Mask—this Scarlet and Violet DLC will arrive on December 14.

Other Expansion Additions

The official site also shares, “These expansions bring with them over 230 familiar Pokémon that had not appeared in Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet.” For instance, Gligar will appear in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Scarlet, while Aipom turns up in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Violet. Here is a sampling of other Pokémon we’ll see.

From Teal Mask

From Indigo Disk

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Gameplay, Order/Release Information, and More

The Pokémon Company has now released two trailers for the upcoming games. In addition to information about the new Scarlet and Violet starters, we see some of the cool environments and gameplay we can expect from the open-world adventures in the first trailer. From desert areas to beachside houses, the game offers a lush variety of different settings. We also feel interested to see if an element of time travel comes into play.

The trailer seems to focus on a whirling clock. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, trainers traveled back in time. But perhaps in Scarlet and Violet, fans will see gameplay across time periods. This would allow the games to showcase a wider scope of action. Additionally, if the games really are inspired by Spain, they could take players to different moments in history. It would certainly offer a cool twist on the standard Pokémon game. We’re used to seeing regional variants of Pokémon, but maybe Scarlet and Violet could lean even harder into temporal variants.

The second trailer for the game also revealed some other important information, Scarlet and Violet‘s release date information. The games released on November 18.

For now, you can already pre-order Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. 

Order Pokémon Scarlet Order:

Amazon // Wal-Mart

Order Pokémon Violet:

Amazon // Wal-Mart

Discover All of the New Pokémon From Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

We love the first new Pokémon we’ve got to meet, and now it’s time to play the games and explore the world of Paldea fully. With so many different environments, you never know what’s around the corner. From new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet starters to more new legendaries to eagerly anticipated regional forms and evolutions, these creatures are unique. May your Pokémon trainer journeys be the very best.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s new Pokémon:

• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Pokémon: Iron Treads // Great Tusk // Gimmighoul // Greavard // Bellibolt // Wiglett // Armarouge // Ceruledge // Klawf // Grafaiai // Cyclizar // Cetitan // Fidough // Pawmi // Lechonk // Smoliv
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Regional Variants: Paldean Farigiraf (Girafarig Evolution), Paldean Wooper
• Scarlet and Violet’s Legendary Pokémon: Koraidon and Miraidon
• Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s Starters: Sprigatito // Fuecoco // Quaxly
• All of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Creatures: Full Pokédex
• Scarlet and Violet‘s New Features: Terastallizing with Tera Orbs // Titan Pokémon
• New Pokémon From Scarlet and Violet‘s DLC Expansion: The Teal Mask // The Indigo Disk

Originally Published February 28, 2022.

The post Meet POKÉMON SCARLET and VIOLET’s New Pokémon and Regional Forms appeared first on Nerdist.

A new entry into the world of Planet of the Apes is coming our way. And it picks up generations after we left Caesar and his tribe living peacefully in War for the Planet of the Apes. Trouble, of course, is brewing, as it naturally does in order for franchises to continue. And we can sense an epic conflict coming our way. The first teaser trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sets us up well for the “action-adventure spectacle” that awaits, promising ape tyrants, human friends, lots of danger, but also beauty. You can get your first look at what’s in store below.

The official logline for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes released with the trailer reveals more about its story; it notes:

Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

That young ape, of course, is Cornelius, Caesar’s son. And he won’t allow his father’s legacy to be ruined by those who would use it for ill. But will he successfully bring peace to apes and humans alike in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? We’ll have to wait and see where his journey goes. But this trailer suggests it certainly won’t be an easy quest.

A release shares, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is directed by Wes Ball (the “Maze Runner” trilogy) and stars Owen Teague (“IT”), Freya Allan (“The Witcher”), Kevin Durand (“Locke & Key”), Peter Macon (“Shameless”), and William H. Macy (“Fargo”).” This Planet of the Apes movie releases in theaters on May 24, 2024.

The post KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Trailer Teases an Ape Tyrant on the Rise appeared first on Nerdist.

Stephen King’s IT has haunted us since 1986. But most recently, IT and IT: Chapter Two directed by Andy Muschietti really captivated popular imagination. The devious Pennywise and his red balloon caused a stir among die-hard horror fans and casual viewers. And now, we’re heading back to Derry for more of that specific world. The newly coined streamer Max (formerly HBO Max) has officially greenlit and ordered Welcome To Derry, an IT prequel series from Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs. And now we know who will star in Welcome to Derry and when it will arrive on our screens.

The platform recently revealed that Welcome to Derry‘s cast will include Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar. According to Deadline, Madeleine Stowe and Stephen Rider have also come aboard in recurring guest and series regular roles, respectively. Additionally, although the Pennywise series was slated for a Halloween 2024 release on Max, HBO CEO Casey Bloys now reveals that it will likely come in 2025.

According to TV Line, Andy Muschietti will also direct several episodes of the series, including its first. The publication reports the HBO IT series will be set in the ’60s. It will delve into the origins of Derry’s curse and, presumably, Pennywise the Clown. The HBO Max show will eventually lead to the first IT film.

It’s not clear whether we’d see Pennywise become the main character of the Welcome to Derry prequel show. But we wouldn’t mind seeing Bill Skarsgård step into the role once more. Though, for now, it doesn’t seem like he’ll have any involvement.

Skarsgård shared the following about the IT prequel with Jake’s Takes:

As of now, I’m not currently involved in it… If someone else gets to do it, my advice would be: Do it your own. Make it your own. Have fun with it… What I thought was so pleasurable about that character was how incredibly abstract he was.

We do, however, have a look at first look at the set of the series.

We’ll just have to see what else lies in store for Pennywise and Derry.

Originally published on February 23, 2023.

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After many years of insisting that its platform would remain ad-free, Netflix’s ad tier launched a year ago. At the same time, Netflix also put significant efforts into its password-sharing crackdown, another long-time facet of the platform. And it seems like, in combination and alongside strategic price shifts, Netflix’s ad tier has found success.

In May, Netflix revealed that its ad tier had 5 million monthly active users. It now shares that number has tripled in its latest report. In a blog post, Netflix notes that its ad-supported plan “[reaches] 15 million global monthly active users.” That is indeed a huge jump. In that span of time, Netflix became increasingly strict about account-sharing. And it also moved to increase the price of its ad-free offerings. Deadline notes that “Instead of paying the new fee to share their passwords, evidence suggests that many subscribers simply enrolled in the ad-supported plan.” Since Netflix’s ad-free plans cost nearly double its current ad-supported tier, it’s not surprising that users would be drawn to the cheapest option when faced with needing to change their mechanism of viewing.

Unfortunately for the consumer, it seems like what’s always been true for the television and movie business remains true for streaming. Ads generate money. Across the board, streaming platforms that once sought to disrupt the traditional ecosystem are returning to their roots. And for those trying to watch their favorite shows, that means more ads, more price hikes, and more password-sharing crackdowns are on the horizon.

Netflix’s update does have some good news for users, though. In an effort to enhance the member experience, Netflix has “upgraded the feature set of our ads plan to include 1080p versus 720p video quality, two concurrent streams, and downloads to become available by the end of this week. All members of the ad-supported plan will be able to download their favorite series and movies, making Netflix the only ad-supported streamer to offer downloads.” Downloads are a convenient facet of Netflix’s offerings, so it’s nice that ad-tier users will get that ability back.

Additionally, Netflix notes that it has developed a new “binge ad (wt) format.” Essentially this means that “after watching three consecutive episodes, members will be presented with a fourth episode ad-free.” Netflix has always based itself partially on a model of continuous viewing. We suppose this is good news if you were intending to watch a whole series in one sitting already.

As streaming shenanigans continue to occur, it will be interesting to see if these new developments are actually sustainable.

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Uh-oh. Do you use an ad blocker? You probably do. But if you also like to use YouTube, you may soon have to turn off that handy dandy ad skipper. YouTube is testing taking a hardline against ad blocker usage on its interface, using its own version of tactics other websites employ. Instead of blocking you from viewing page content if you’re using an ad blocker, YouTube could soon block you from viewing its videos. Ads, it seems are at the center of every conversation right now.

YouTube’s Ad Blocker Crackdown Is Ramping Up

As we saw on The Verge, in June, YouTube was running “a small experiment globally that urges viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium.” This experiment entails warning users that they may no longer be able to watch videos on YouTube if they don’t disable ad blockers. If an ad blocker is active, users will be able to watch only three videos on YouTube before the platform stops letting them watch any more. And, as of October, it seems like this test has been ramped up in scope, with many users suddenly receiving the ad blocker warning.

Gizmodo reports that, initially, warnings against ad-blocker usage on YouTube could be immediately closed or closed after a brief period of time had elapsed. But now, when a user receives these YouTube pop-ups, they cannot close out of them and continue to view videos on Youtube unless the ad-blocker is disabled.

YouTube and Google’s Perspective

Google spokesperson Oluwa Falodun shared with The Verge, “We take disabling playback very seriously, and will only disable playback if viewers ignore repeated requests to allow ads on YouTube… In cases when viewers feel they have been falsely flagged as using an ad blocker, they can share this feedback by clicking on the link in the prompt.”

Additionally, YouTube communications manager Christopher Lawton noted that using an ad-blocker violates YouTube’s terms of service.

Of course, YouTube taking a stance against ad blockers is one we might have seen coming. One of the perks of YouTube’s paid version, YouTube Premium, is an ad-free experience. If users can get an ad-free experience anyway, they may not be as incentivized to sign up. The company shares, “YouTube’s ad-supported model supports a diverse ecosystem of creators, and provides billions of people globally access to content for free with ads.” There is, however, the fact that YouTube Premium costs $13.99/month, which is no small price to pay, especially as other streaming platforms become more expensive and complex to navigate.

YouTube shares finally, “We want to inform viewers that ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service, and make it easier for them to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.” We imagine that is indeed what the platform wants.

Originally published on June 29, 2023.

The post YouTube’s Ad Blocker Crackdown Is Intensifying appeared first on Nerdist.

In Stranger Things 4, fans met and fell in love with Eddie Munson. But, unfortunately, they didn’t get to spend too much time with him. After all, there were tons of characters and plots that divided the screen time. And then, of course, Eddie met his untimely death, much to the sadness of all. But happily, Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, a Stranger Things prequel novel by Caitlin Schneiderhan, sets aside time for us to spend just with Eddie Munson. In the pages of this Eddie Munson-centric book, fans get to uncover many fascinating facts about Eddie, some we already kind of knew and some we were delighted to discover.

Although the book has many other fun facets for you to explore, like Eddie blackmailing Hawkins High’s principal into letting Hellfire Club exist (but only after he was blackmailed first), his early meetings with Reefer Rick, and his relationship with Wayne—here are some of the best things we learned about Eddie Munson from the Stranger Things prequel book Flight of Icarus.

Eddie Munson Is Corroded Coffin’s Lead Singer and Writes His Own Songs

Since Stranger Things 4, fans have speculated about who exactly played the role of Corroded Coffin’s lead singer. Although many imagine it was Eddie, in truth, Stranger Things never let us know for sure. But Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is here to unequivocally confirm that Eddie Munson is Corroded Coffin’s lead singer.

But not only that, the Eddie Munson prequel book reveals that Eddie is also a songwriter. In Flight of Icarus, Eddie plays his/Corroded Coffin’s original song “Fire Shroud” during an important story moment. We have to say, between songwriting and DM-ing, we love the idea of Eddie Munson growing up to be an author should he mysteriously return to life.

Eddie and Chrissy Bonded Over Their Bad Parents at the Middle School Talent Show

To the delight of many HellCheer fans, Eddie and Chrissy’s meeting at the middle-school talent show gets a long flashback in this Stranger Things prequel book. Stranger Things 4 mentioned the encounter, but Flight of Icarus puts a lot of meat on its bones.

As they wait their turn to perform, Eddie and Chrissy run into one another away from everyone else. They’re both trying to sneak a peak at the audience and thinking of their respective bad parents. Eddie is looking for his dad, who isn’t there though he promised to be, and Chrissy is looking at her mother, who, though present, only wants to pick at her daughter. Eddie and Chrissy commiserate over their shared lack of support and promise to cheer one another on in lieu of having anyone else who will. After the show, when Eddie’s father has indeed bailed, and Chrissy’s mother is indeed criticizing her, they share a smile that salvages the evening.

Eddie Loves to Discuss the Intricacies of Elven Politics in Tolkien

We knew Eddie was a J.R.R. Tolkien nerd. (“The Shire is burning, so Mordor it is,” anyone?) But we didn’t know how deep the nerdery went. In the book, we learn Eddie Munson can give a half-hour monologue on the “intricacies of Elven politics in Tolkien.”

Eddie Munson’s Mother Taught Him to Love Music (But Sadly, She Died)

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus reveals that although Eddie Munson’s father taught him how to play the guitar, it’s Eddie’s mother who taught him to love music. While we only learn a little about her, it’s clear Eddie’s mom wasn’t a fit with Hawkins either. And she used her favorite music, Chicago blues, as a way to connect to the wider world and learn its stories. Eddie’s mom taught him music could be transformative, a means to go somewhere he couldn’t literally. He shares, “My mom’s music was plane tickets. I guess that makes my music a portal to another dimension.”

Eddie Was Gareth’s Mentor Figure Before He Was Dustin’s

Hawkins, Indiana, sees Eddie Munson as a big bad wolf, but the truth couldn’t be further from that vision. In Stranger Things 4, we see Eddie as a brotherly figure to Dustin, helping him find his way in the world and treating him as an equal and friend. But it turns out, much like Steve Harrington, Eddie has had an assortment of younger friends that he’s helped evolve. In Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, we meet future Corroded Coffin member Gareth. While Gareth is a seasoned member of Hellfire Club by the time of Stranger Things 4, in the Eddie Munson prequel book, he barely knows or likes Dungeons & Dragons. He’s mostly looking for a place he can fit in, and that’s what brings him to Hellfire Club.

Ultimately, Eddie provides that place for Gareth, and we see him teaching Gareth how to love the game and, more importantly, how to love and be true to himself.

Eddie Munson Got to Meet Will Byers

Speaking of mentoring, one of the biggest fan regrets that came after Eddie Munson’s Stranger Things 4 death is that he didn’t get to meet Will Byers. Fans rightfully believed Will would have delighted Eddie and that Eddie would have been aspirational for Will. But happily, Eddie Munson and Will Byers get to interact in Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus.

When some bully jocks heckle Will, Eddie steps in to distract them and save Will and then passes on words of wisdom to the distraught younger boy. It’s a big moment for Eddie, who is finally ready to embrace his own advice, and probably had an impact on Will. (“To hell with what they think./You’re the only person who knows who you are.”) Eddie also tells Will that Zombie Boy is a metal nickname and invites him to Hellfire Club after immediately clocking that Will plays Dungeons & Dragons.

Eddie Often Puts Himself Between His Flock and Bullies’ Fists

Will isn’t the only mini-Freak that Eddie saves from terrible jocks, though. Almost any time a younger nerd is in danger in Flight of Icarus, Eddie Munson steps in to distract the bully. Sometimes he protects kids he doesn’t even know. The idea that Eddie thinks he’s a coward is especially ridiculous after this Stranger Things prequel novel. Eddie Munson is taking literal punches, baseball bats to the stomach, and a lot of ridicule to protect those who are part of his freak flock. We can’t think of anything more heroic than that.

Eddie Munson Had a Best Friend Who Rocks (And Is Possibly Queer)

Eddie’s best friend Ronnie is also his first friend, and he’s known her since childhood. According to Eddie, they’re pretty similar, “same broken home, same trailer park, same haircut.” Except unlike Eddie, “Veronica Ecker is going places. She’s headed to college, she’s headed to law school, she’s getting the hell out of Indiana.” (“Eddie Munson? He’s gonna die in this town.”)

It’s devastating that Eddie ends up being right about this summation because Ronnie would not have disagreed harder with it. Throughout Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, Ronnie is the person who believes in Eddie the most overtly, except for his Uncle Wayne. Ronnie can see what’s so special about Eddie and the space he creates for other “freaks” in need of it. Ronnie and Eddie have a real “platonic life partners” energy that both resembles Robin and Steve’s Stranger Things dynamic but is completely different. It’s a shame that Ronnie and Eddie end things on a sad note.

Another cool thing about Ronnie is that Flight of Icarus implies she’s queer. After Eddie tries to make a move on her, Ronnie lets him know that she doesn’t like anyone that way and “didn’t think she’d ever have a crush on anybody.” It certainly feels queer-coded.

Eddie’s Guitar Is the Only Thing That Survived a Fire in His House

Eddie’s sweetheart is one metal guitar. Not only does she play a concert in the Upside Down, but she’s actually the only thing that survives a major fire in the house Eddie once shared with his dad. Eddie loses all of his other belongings, including his mom’s records, some of the last things he had to remember her by, but miraculously his guitar survives. This Flight of Icarus backstory makes Eddie Munson’s Upside Down weapon of choice that much more special.

The post The 9 Best Eddie Munson Facts We Learned From the STRANGER THINGS Prequel Novel appeared first on Nerdist.

Catching movies on IMAX screens can be tough. Often, there’s a limited window and many movie-goers vying for the same seats. This was especially true of watching Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on IMAX screens in 70mm. Oppenheimer was specially filmed to be viewed in this format, but getting seats to the screenings proved tough. In some theaters, they sold out for the entire run. But in a rare turn of events, Oppenheimer is actually making its way back to IMAX screens in select global theaters. So, if you missed your chance to view the movie in its most desirable format the first time, you have another shot.

The Hollywood Reporter shares that “six IMAX 70mm film projections locations worldwide” will screen Oppenheimer in November for one additional week. These IMAX Oppenheimer screenings will begin on November 3. Location-wise, four IMAX theaters in the United States, located in NYC and California, will screen the movie. Oppenheimer will also run in 70mm IMAX in London, and in Melbourne, Australia. If you visit the website for your local IMAX theater, for example, AMC Lincoln Square 13 in NYC, you can see that the tickets for the Christopher Nolan movie on IMAX 70mm are now available.

The Hollywood Reporter additionally shares, “Oppenheimer was shot by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema using Imax cameras and a combination of Imax 65mm and 65mm large-format film. That included the use of IMAX black and white analog photography.” In short, don’t miss the movie’s limited return to cinema’s biggest screen. This could be the last time Oppenheimer screens in this specific way.

Now we just need to somehow convince IMAX to do a double-feature screening of Barbie and Oppenheimer so that we can relive the summer in full. It certainly would make for a visual cinematic feast well worth witnessing.

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He is Kenough! And, honestly, even though Barbie is everything and he’s just Ken, the new “I am Kenough” Ken Doll is also kind of everything. We’re sure even Barbie would agree. We’re just surprised it took this long for him to arrive. But, yes, is the answer to the question you’ve all been asking since the Barbie movie was released. There is an “I am Kenough” Ken doll you can buy, complete with hoodie, Ryan Gosling’s face, and swoopy blonde hair. This new Ken doll has discovered himself, self-actualized, and is now available for pre-order. You’ll have to wait a while longer for him to actually reach you, but he’s worth it.

The Kenough Ken doll is truly inspired. Of course, it was a given that the Barbie movie would have a very meta-arc of being motivated by the story of a doll and then creating more of the doll that created it. But we can’t even be mad at this circle of capitalism when this new Ken doll has a perfectly designed miniature replica of Ken’s Kenough sweater. We have to take our joy where we can get it.

A release from Mattel shares more about this “I am Kenough” Ken Doll. It notes of the Barbie movie figure:

He was complete and worthy just as he was. He was perfectly molded, deserving of both admiration and success. He was more than enough in Barbie Land – he was, in fact, “Kenough.” Thanks to Ryan Gosling’s performance of Ken’s self-discovery in Barbie The Movie, this moment inspired millions around the world and became immediately iconic. Our Ken doll is sculpted in Ryan Gosling’s likeness, and wears the hoodie that is also the must-have, real-life apparel item of the year.

Click To View Gallery

You can take a look at all facets of the “I am Kenough” Ken doll above. While, of course, the hoodie makes the man, there’s a lot more happening for this Ken than that. Firstly, it has a face sculpted in Ryan Gosling’s likeness. And who can resist that? Secondly, we love that this Ken is fully poseable, so he can do his famous end-of-movie wave and sheepishly tuck his hands into his pockets. The embroidery that lives not only on the Kenough sweater but also on this doll’s sweatpants is also pretty cool. We have to hand it to this Ken; he looks pretty good. It’s definitely Kenough for us.

So how do you buy the “I am Kenough” Ken doll? Well, the figure is available to pre-order via Mattel Creations right now. He will be a made-to-order product. “I am Kenough” Ken will ship out sometime in 2024, but the doll will definitely head to you on or before October 31, 2024. This Ken costs $50.00. But being Kenough, that’s truly priceless. Don’t forget, you can also match your doll with a hoodie of your own.

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Freaky and fabulous? Now you’re speaking our language. And that’s exactly why we love the Monster High Skullector series from Mattel. It reimagines horror icons through the lens of Monster High’s boospoke fashions and style. The Monster High Skullector series has brought us incredible fashion-forward dolls of horror legends like Elvira, Annabelle, Chucky, and Tiffany, and now two more will join their ranks. Just in time for this Halloween season, Monster High Skullector brings us The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ leading duo like we’ve never seen them before. Take a look at these hauntingly glamorous Jack Skellington and Sally dolls.

Honestly, it’s hard to believe that these Jack Skellington and Sally dolls aren’t just drawings on a page. They’re so beautiful and intricate that they barely look real. But real they are, and they’re ready to join your Halloween Town.

A release from Mattel shares more about these Jack and Sally dolls. It notes of The Nightmare Before Christmas collection:

Just in time for the holidays, we’re paying homage to Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas with this Skullector set. Disney’s Jack Skellington and Sally make a hauntingly handsome couple in boospoke fashions with a signature Monster High twist… Disney’s Jack Skellington and Sally are a lovable duo in haunting details that will make you scream with joy. Disney’s Jack Skellington radiates ghostlike charm in a stylized skeleton body. He wears a pinstriped suit with a skull motif, his bat bow tie, and Spiral Hill-heeled oxfords. Sally’s vibrant red hair and stitching details complement her gore-geous face sculpt, topped by a thistle, and bow headband.

Click To View Gallery

The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ Jack and Sally have always been style icons, so we’re glad someone is taking the time to really appreciate them. Alongside everything else mentioned in the official description, we also have to give a shoutout to the heels that Monster High Skullector Sally wears. They carry a little poisonous Easter egg. We just hope Mattel will make adult-sized versions of these Monster High Skullector looks because we would wear them.

That’s the fanciful stuff. As for the more practical details? Monster High Skullector Dolls, Jack & Sally from Disney’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas will cost $90. The dynamic duo originally released on October 27 via the Mattel Creations website but are now sold out. Hopefully, Mattel will see the demand for these Jack & Sally figures and release another run. They are also perfect for the Christmas season, after all. If you managed to snag them, then it’s time to cue up “Jack & Sally’s Song” and prepare for the arrival of your lovely new dolls. If not, well, The Nightmare Before Christmas is worth watching either way.

Originally published on October 25, 2023.

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Right after the bombshell news that Pratt would voice Mario in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. animated film, The Hollywood Reporter shared that Chris Pratt would also voice Garfield in an upcoming animated movie starring the famous cat. The Garfield movie will arrive in 2024, and we don’t know what to think. We can only hope the marketing campaign involves lots of lasagna.

While it makes a little more sense for Pratt to voice Garfield than it does Mario—after all, Garfield does not happen to be Italian. It still seems odd. Pratt honestly seems more like he’d make for a good Jonathan Q. Arbuckle to us. But casting is as casting does.

We now also have a couple of looks at what Garfield will look like in this reboot movie.

Chris Pratt isn’t the only famous name in the movie. Samuel L. Jackson is in the voice cast of the Garfield movie, too. According to Deadline, he will play “a brand-new character, Garfield’s father Vic.” Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter shares that Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang will join the film, alongside the already announced Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham, Cecily Strong, and Ving Rhames. We don’t know yet who Goldstein and Yang will voice.

Sony Pictures will release this film from Alcon Entertainment worldwide (excluding China). Mark Dindal will direct the movie. And David Reynolds penned the script. Reynolds worked on Finding Nemo, and together, the duo worked on The Emperor’s New Groove. That’s a promising pair. But we still feel a bit confused by the Pratt situation.

Only time will tell if Pratt can fully embody the original grumpy cat. And given Garfield has been around since 1978, that’s one big sleeping box to fill. One thing we can say for sure. Garfield has produced great memes and internet content for years, and Chris Pratt has too. So the internet is about to have a field day with this one. We look forward to seeing exactly how things unroll.

Garfield will arrive on May 24, 2024.

Originally published on November 1, 2021.

The post Chris Pratt’s GARFIELD Movie Shares New Look at Reimagined Iconic Cat appeared first on Nerdist.

The Boy and the Heron, the newest Studio Ghibli movie and possibly Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, has treated us to a very slow reveal. For a long time, all we saw from the movie was a poster with a mysterious heron on it. Next, we saw some beautiful stills that carried all the hallmarks of a Studio Ghibli movie created by Hayao Miyazaki. Now, the movie has released has released several trailers to help whet our appetite. The Boy and the Heron‘s US teaser trailer sets its American theater release date. But most importantly, we finally get to see some of The Boy and the Heron in action across the movie’s US and international trailers. The might of nature, the existential threat of death, and a stunning soundtrack? Yep. Sign us up for this latest Studio Ghibli movie.

The Boy and the Heron’s Official US Trailer

The Boy and the Heron isn’t ready to surrender all of its secrets in this teaser trailer, though. Haunting music guides us through flashes of different scenes. We see a heron, of course, and follow our protagonist as he delves deep into yet another surreal and magical Miyazaki world. There’s even a brand new adorable Studio Ghibli creature for us to coo over.

The Boy and the Heron‘s teaser trailer notes, “Where death comes to an end. Life finds new beginning.” It could be ominous… or hopeful. Isn’t that what a Miyazaki movie is all about?

More Footage of the Studio Ghibli Movie Revealed in International Trailers

In addition to the footage from the US trailer for The Boy and the Heron, new scenes from the movie have been revealed in the French and Korean trailers for the film. Take a look below.

Korean trailer of "The Boy and the Heron" (Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli).
It also reveals new footage from the film.pic.twitter.com/rjJSG5YAyl https://t.co/C6PzLVTwz0

— Catsuka (@catsuka) October 2, 2023

French trailer of "The Boy and the Heron" (Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli).
It reveals new footage from the film.pic.twitter.com/t4CaxoKBn9

— Catsuka (@catsuka) October 2, 2023

To further celebrate The Boy and the Heron‘s release in South Korea, a music video from artist Kenshi Yonezu, titled “Spinning Globe,” was also released. This music video features a ton of new footage from Miyazaki’s latest Studio Ghibli movie.

The Boy and the Heron‘s Synopsis

In addition to new footage, the trailer for The Boy and the Heron reveals precious insight into the Studio Ghibli movie’s plot. It notes:

A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

We do love a good tribute to friendship—and the themes of life, death, and creation are guaranteed to make us cry. It’s a good thing we don’t have to wait too long for this movie to arrive in theaters. This movie was also introduced initially as Hayao Miyazaki’s final Studio Ghibli movie. Of course, there have been many “final” Studio Ghibli movies before, but if this is in fact the last, we’re sure we’ll see that reflected in the content as well.

The Boy and the Heron‘s Release Date

The Boy and the Heron will be released in movie theaters on December 8. The new Studio Ghibli movie will play in regular and IMAX theaters.

Originally published on September 6, 2023.

The post THE BOY AND THE HERON Trailers Reveal US Release Date, New Footage of Final Miyazaki Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

Once upon a time, Snow White was Disney’s first full Disney princess movie. Incredibly, the animated Snow White first released in 1937. And now Snow White will re-release in 2025 as a live-action movie starring Rachel Zegler. Per Deadline, Disney recently moved the release date for the live-action princess movie from March 22, 2024 to March 21, 2025. That’s a year’s delay, but to tide us over, the studio also released our first look at Rachel Zegler as Snow White in the live-action Snow White movie. She’s accompanied by dwarves Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.

Disney live-action adaptations of animated movies have been kind of hit or miss. And so far, we’re not positive this one’s a hit. But we suppose we will wait and see a little bit more.

Joining Zegler in Disney’s live-action Snow White is Gal Gadot, who will play the Evil Queen. Tony Award winner Andrew Burnap will play a new male lead character. We guess just being a generic prince doesn’t cut it anymore. Behind the scenes is director Marc Webb who will oversee the script penned by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson. The live-action Snow White movie will include original songs.

I’ll be honest, of all Disney movies, Snow White is the one I remember the least. It’ll be interesting to see if the live-action adaptation of this classic will take the story in new directions. At the very least, the singing will likely be very good. We’re crossing our fingers for an excellent costume department as well.

As mentioned above, Snow White will now be released on March 21, 2025. Just don’t take any apples from strangers between now and then. No matter how nice they might seem.

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A lot has happened in the world of entertainment this week. Prime Video’s Gen V is really setting up season four of The Boys, Loki season two is making big moves with franchise level implications, and Disney released Chris Pine’s villain song. But that’s not all that’s gone down.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

• EA Motive’s Iron Man Game Gets Much-Anticipated Updates
• Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings Collection Expands with Four New Scene Boxes
• NYC Transit App Becomes Pokémon Go of Rats and Informs You About the Rattiness of a Station
• Get Up to Some Mischief with BoxLunch’s Loki Collection
• Disneyland Resort Announces Pixar Place Hotel, the First Fully Pixar-Themed US Hotel
• Goldfish Elf Maple Syrup Flavored Grahams Are Swimming in for the Holidays
• Lost and Avatar: The Last Airbender Concerts Coming Soon
• Buy a Tiny Elf Home on Zillow
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Actor Wants Spidey-Pool in a Future Game

EA Motive’s Iron Man Game Gets Much-Anticipated Updates

Last September, Marvel Entertainment and EA’s Motive Studios announced they were teaming up for a brand new Iron Man game. This “all-new single-player, third-person, action-adventure” will “feature an original narrative that taps into the rich history of Iron Man, channeling the complexity, charisma, and creative genius of Tony Stark and enabling players to feel what it’s like to truly play as Iron Man.”

We haven’t heard too much about it since, but recently, the game received a few exciting updates. First, EA Motive shared that while the game was still in early pre-production, it had selected Unreal Engine 5 as its game engine. Additionally, a Community Council of Iron Man and Marvel fans has been selected to offer feedback on the game’s creation. And finally, Marvel Comics’ own Ryan North has joined the Iron Man game’s writing team, bringing his passion and expertise to the table. All of that sounds incredibly promising.

For more fun Avengers adventures, check out the trailer for LEGO Marvel Avengers: Code Red.

Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings Collection Expands with Four New Scene Boxes

Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings collection is really something spectacular. And now, its gorgeous offerings continue to expand with four special Tales of Middle-Earth Scene Boxes. These special sets offer fans and collectors “6 foil Borderless cards with art that combine to showcase one of the most epic scenes from The Lord of the Rings” as well as “6 Art Cards featuring the same art without any game text obscuring the view” and three booster packs which contain 12 cards each, “including 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher.”

The four scenes depicted in these special The Lord of the Rings Magic card box sets are Gandalf in Pelennor Fields, The Might of Galadriel, Flight of the Witch-King, and Aragorn at Helm’s Deep. Each set costs around $41, or all four are available for purchase for $144. All of these incredible box sets go on sale on November 3. We first saw these on GameSpot.

To explore more about Magic: The Gathering‘s The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set, check out our deep dive into the set, here.

NYC Transit App Becomes Pokémon Go of Rats and Informs You About the Rattiness of a Station

Catching a glimpse of a rat in NYC is kind of like playing Pokémon Go in real life, right? To help the vision along, an app called Transit, which we first saw on Kotaku, is helping to detect rat-levels across NYC’s many different subway stops. Transit shares, “We enlisted thousands of rodent spotters across the five boroughs to rank the rattiest stations.” And in the end, Transit created the “NYC Subway Rat Detector.” Rats, it turns out, are everywhere, but in some places more than others. Those who actually download the Transit app can get updated reports on the state of their favorite station and check-in regularly on the rat situation. No word yet on what happens if you throw a Poké Ball in the direction of an NYC rat… But we’ll have to suggest that you don’t.

Did you know that rats can play video games too? Take a look at these rats playing Doom II.

Get Up to Some Mischief with BoxLunch’s Loki Collection

Ready to embrace some extra mischief in your life? BoxLunch’s Loki collection is here to help you celebrate Loki, Sylvie, Mobius, Miss Minutes, and the TVA. Even though Loki and co. are probably going to bring down some multiversal mayhem on us all, it doesn’t mean we can’t look stylish while they do. And what could we possibly need more in our lives than an Alligator Loki plush? Ask yourselves.

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The full BoxLunch Loki collection is available here.

To catch up with Loki season two check out our latest write-up.

Disneyland Resort Announces Pixar Place Hotel, the First Fully Pixar-Themed US Hotel

Disneyland + Pixar + fully-themed hotel? Sounds like a match made in heaven to us. We honestly can’t believe the United States didn’t have a full Pixar hotel already, but we guess it didn’t. Disneyland Resort recently announced the Pixar Place Hotel, which will give you an excellent new place to stay while celebrating all things Pixar.

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A release shares, “Pixar Place Hotel will evoke the inspiration and humor that goes into every Pixar film, while celebrating the artistic process. Showcasing early sketches to finished design, the art and decor will highlight vibrant Pixar stories, revealing some never-before-seen artwork.” From the iconic Pixar Lamp to The Incredibles to Toy Story 3 and beyond this new hotel will have it all. It will even include a Finding Nemo pool complete with “Crush’s Surfin’ Slide, a 186-foot-long water slide inspired by the coolest sea turtle in the ocean.” That’s cool, dude. You can check out more facets and concepts for Pixar Place above.

As if that’s not enough, a Haunted Mansion bar is coming to Disney’s next cruise ship.

Goldfish Elf Maple Syrup Flavored Grahams Are Swimming in for the Holidays

Celebrate this holiday season with something sweet, Buddy the Elf style. In honor of Elf and everyone’s favorite elf, Goldfish is putting on their holiday best and offering us some maple syrup-flavored snacks. The official description of these treats notes, “MAPLE SYRUP FLAVORED GRAHAMS: Inspired by syrup – one of elves’ four main food groups. Enjoy delicious flavors of sweet brown sugar and butter, with the taste of caramel and vanilla. Inspired by Buddy the Elf!” Count us in. We also plan to greatly enjoy the different shapes these treats come in, which include Buddy’s hat, a maple syrup jar, and, of course, the traditional goldfish.

Elf turns 20 this year, and we couldn’t think of a finer way to welcome Buddy and the gang into double digits.

Need something else sweet in your life? Stranger Things‘ Scoops Ahoy ice cream is now available at Walmart.

Lost and Avatar: The Last Airbender Concerts Coming Soon

In need of some fun geeky outings to attend? Well, two iconic franchises are about to bring you fun in concert form. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lost are both promising concerts that will transport you.

The official website for Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert shares, “Immerse yourself in an over two-hour show with a live orchestra bringing the show’s iconic musical score to life, in perfect harmony with highlights and favorite moments from the series. Taiko and erhu will share the spotlight with violins and clarinets, while the series’ most beloved scenes play out on screen, bringing viewers into the Avatar world to experience the series’ most memorable moments with Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka, Zuko and more.”

Four dates have been announced across Europe and the United States. Hopefully more will follow.

Meanwhile, Lost‘s Michael Giacchino offers us a concert poster and little else. We guess it’s the Lost way to be mysterious. We do know we’ll see this Dharma Initiative concert in 2024.

If you need more Avatar: The Last Airbender in your life, check out everything we know about the live-action series.

Buy a Tiny Elf Home on Zillow

Okay, so you can’t actually buy a tiny elf home on Zillow. But who doesn’t love a miniature? And if you get in contact with your elf realtor, you might just take home this little house and $10,000 courtesy of Icelandic Provisions Skyr. All you have to do is make an offering… probably not of your soul. But watch out, the fae folk are tricky. Just keep in mind that heating is wool sweaters, this home has been available for 1,000 years, and the price per square foot is a quarter leg of lamb. Can we please get Netflix on Selling Fairyland, stat?

For more fairies and mythology, check out the Ahsoka series connecton to folklore and myth.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Actor Wants Spidey-Pool in a Future Game

Let’s face it, the people love to see Spider-Man and Deadpool interacting together in a relationship affectionately known as Spidey-Pool. Maybe someday the stars will align, and we’ll even get to see them on the big screen. But another excellent option would be for Spider-Man and Deadpool to meet up in Marvel’s Spider-Man games series.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 recently released to much praise and love. We bet a Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 will become a reality sooner rather than later. But what will it entail? Well, Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s actor Yuri Lowenthal has an idea. He’d like Peter Parker and Deadpool to meet up.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Lowenthal shared:

I mean, there are so many ways they could go with a third game. I’m assuming, at this point nobody’s had me sign a contract for a third game, but I’m assuming there will be a third game… Look, here’s something I’ve been pitching for a long time, and I don’t know if they’re going to do it, but I love the Spidey-Pool relationship. I love Deadpool and Spider-Man. As much as I talk about Moon Knight in this universe, and Bryan Intihar is tired of me talking about that, I’ve been hard-pitching, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if Nolan North and I got to play in that?” And so I would love to see that. I’d love to see Deadpool and Spidey in this. Is it going to happen? Probably not. Do they listen to me? Mostly not. But that is a relationship I would love to see explored in games.

It would, indeed, be great.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 also has its very own artbook. Check out our write-up, here.

The post IRON MAN Game Gets Update, ELF Maple Goldfish Are Here, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

The post-credits scene has become a staple of the theatrical experience in our modern age. Almost every movie leaves a treat for fans to find after they think the film has come to a close. Five Nights at Freddy’s does deliver the traditional cherry-on-top with a brief post-credits scene that will make you jump. But it also offers a spin on the traditional bonus. For those who are truly in it to win it, at the very, very, very end of its credits, Five Nights at Freddy’s plays an audio track of distorted letters that seem to spell some words. They’re honestly very hard to make out in the theater, but they’re actually the most important tease of all. Let’s dive into the Five Night’s at Freddy’s post-credits scene, the movie’s mysterious letters, and what it all could mean.

What Do the Letters at the End of Five Nights at Freddy’s Credits Spell Out?

The audio at the very end of Five Nights at Freddy’s credits spells out the following letters, “C-O-M-E-F-I-N-D-M-E” or “Come find me.” It’s an ominous message, or a hopeful one. Of course, throughout Five Nights at Freddy’s, main character Mike Schmidt searches for clues about his brother Garrett’s disappearance. Could the message be directly from Garrett, who is either a ghost or potentially still alive? It’s an option that feels viable since it seems unlikely that after all that searching and obsession, Garrett has no further role to play. We wouldn’t be surprised if these credits letters and words set up Garrett to return in a potential Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel.

Alternatively, the evil William Afton is now trapped at Freddy’s—could he be calling out to someone to come looking for him? The distorted letters certainly don’t sound friendly. Slash Film speculates that the credits letters allude to a cut-scene from the Five Nights at Freddy‘s “Sister Location” game where Mike tells William Afton, “I’m going to come find you. I’m going to come find you.” If that’s the case, the post-credits letters could be pointing us to Circus Baby’s Pizza World, Freddy Fazbear’s sister location. We did see the Circus Baby animatronic feature prominently throughout the movie as the imagined animatronic home for Mike’s sister Abby. It could make sense for this setting to appear in a sequel. But who is then delivering the message in the credits? Perhaps Garrett is housed at Circus Baby’s Pizza World.

Ultimately, the one thing we can say for sure is that the message of “Come find me” in the Five Nights at Freddy’s credits letter is definitely there to set up a sequel.

The Five Nights at Freddy’s Credit Letters Are an Easter Egg

The meaning of the Five Nights at Freddy‘s post-credit letters and the words they spell aside, the presence of the letters themselves makes for a fun Easter egg. In Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, when a player is killed by the animatronics, they can be taken to one of several Death Minigames. In most of these games, a voice spells out words in a similar fashion to what occurs in Five Nights at Freddy‘s credits. The distorted audio at the end of the movie is a fun way to incorporate a part of the games into this new cinematic version of the universe.

How to Hear the Five Nights at Freddy’s Credit Letters

For those wanting to hear the Five Nights at Freddy’s letters read out for themselves, here’s when they appear. The distorted voice spelling out the letters comes at the very, very, very end of the credits; we’re talking the very last seconds when there isn’t anything on screen. As a warning, they can be very hard to make out, even in a silent theater.

Five Nights at Freddy’s Post-Credit Scene Features Balloon Boy

Although the audio that plays at the very end of the Five Nights at Freddy‘s credits is much more interesting, the movie does also have a more traditional post-credits scene.

Shortly after the credits begin to roll, Five Nights at Freddy’s also offers a very short post or mid-credits scene. This scene brings back YouTuber CoryxKenshin, who makes a very funny cameo in the movie as a taxi driver. Unfortunately, he gets all the weird rides. And this time, the taxi driver has picked up Balloon Boy, who wants to give the audience one more jump scare. Ballon Boy, who appears throughout the movie, is actually a character that first appears in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and returns in Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, and Ultimate Custom Night. This post-credits scene doesn’t tell us too much, but it reminds us that the cinematic Five Nights at Freddy‘s universe is pulling from across games and remixing their stories.

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Spirited Away is one of the most beloved Studio Ghibli movies. It highlights the beauty of Hayao Miyazaki’s art, brings us a compelling array of characters, and ties it all together with a touch of magic. This is why we were so excited when a stage play adaptation of the movie came to life in Japan. And even though those of us in North America won’t yet get to see the show live, we will finally get to watch the Spirited Away play. Two filmed performances of Spirited Away: Live on Stage have now been released on digital and are available to watch on-demand. Meanwhile, a Blu-ray version of the Spirited Away play will release in November.

GKIDS, a producer and distributor of animation, acquired the rights to distribute the show in North America earlier in the year. As mentioned, two filmed performances of the production have now become available for our viewing pleasure. This will let us get a full taste of the Spirited Away play. Each performance will star a different lead actress for Chihiro, who was double-cast.

As of October 24, GKIDS has made the Spirited Away stage production available to watch on Digital On Demand. You can purchase the digital version of the play starring either Kanna Hashimoto or Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro via Apple TV or Amazon’s Prime Video. Additionally, you can pre-order Spirited Away: Live On Stage on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray version will release on November 14. It will feature both performances of the play.

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According to a release for Spirited Away: Live On Stage, “character actor Mari Natsuki, who voiced the sorceress Yubaba and her twin sister Zeniba in the original motion picture, returns to her original role.” The Spirited Away stage play was also adapted and directed by Tony Award-winner John Caird, “who gained international acclaim for adapting and directing the world premiere of the landmark production Les Misérables.”

We absolutely love seeing our favorite movies in a new way. And if the pictures and trailer from the Spirited Away stage play reveal anything, it’s that we’ll love this rendition. If you live in or plan to visit Japan, the stage play will also return to Nagoya this summer and to Tokyo in March of 2024.

We’ll keep this post updated as more details about how and when you can watch the Spirited Away play now and in the future. For now, we’ll flip on the original and let it carry us into a magical world.

Originally published on February 8, 2023.

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For fans of the character, an Eddie Munson prequel book was always going to be a bittersweet offering. After all, many fell fast for Eddie in Stranger Things 4, only for him to meet a harsh death. The figure of Eddie Munson attracted so much love so quickly because his narrative, however short, resonated powerfully with anyone who had ever felt othered in their lives. And conversely, his death brought so much pain because it seemed like an undeserved end for a character who had already survived so much and in whom so many saw themselves. All of this left Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus with a tall order on its hands. Could going backward in Eddie Munson’s story be as satisfying as a much-hoped-for going forward?

The answer is complicated. But mostly, it boils down to the fact Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan deeply understands what makes Eddie Munson so loved. Although delving into those purely good aspects of Eddie leaves a sting behind given his ending, the novel offers fans more time with their favorite character at his best.

Moved by forces unknown, the first part of the book I read was the acknowledgments. At the very end, author Caitlin Schneiderhan notes, “Thank you to everybody out there who has ever been an Eddie Munson, been saved by an Eddie Munson, or loved an Eddie Munson. You’re not alone.” And ultimately, that is the most powerful summary of this novel I could offer. Despite the balancing act it faced, Flight of Icarus shone because it was a love letter to Eddie, to the way the character has made many feel seen, and to the struggles he survived, which feel so resonant to those facing the same obstacles in reality.

Although a first-person narrative can be a tough sell, in this case, it worked because it brought the reader intimately into Eddie’s world, offering up his thoughts about himself and those around him, his hopes, and his fears, and allowing him to truly be at center. Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus lets readers sit next to Eddie for a time and experience another portion of his life with him. In that way, it let everyone feel less alone.

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus‘ Plotlines Build Up the Eddie Munson We Know

In a more literal sense, three main plotlines run through Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus. One focuses on Eddie’s backstory and his fraught relationship with his wayward father, Al Munson, who envisions Eddie as his mini-me, at least when convenient. A second features an original character named Paige, who sees Eddie as a rock ‘n roll god and seeks to help him get his big break in music. And a third stars the Hellfire Club and Eddie’s at-the-time best friend named Ronnie, who really just wants Eddie to love himself.

Of the three, the strongest Flight of Icarus plot was the arc between Ronnie and Eddie. Although sadly, this arc was also the shortest of the trio. Ronnie and Eddie’s playful but snarky dynamic gives Eddie a confidant to challenge and check him and offers up that incredible “platonic life partners” dynamic that we don’t see enough of in fiction. It strongly calls to mind the friendship between Robin and Steve. There even seems to be a subtle implication Ronnie is also queer. (Eddie notes that “she didn’t think she’d have a crush on anybody.”) Suffice to say, this friendship definitely leaves fans wondering what mischief the four would have gotten up to in another life.

Meanwhile, the storyline between Eddie and Paige is fun and gives readers a look at an Eddie Munson romance if that’s what they’re into. For me, it was the plot that moved the story forward the least. But it did feature some poetic descriptions by Schneiderhan of Eddie immersing himself in his music which will stay with me. It also lets Eddie see that even a good vision of who he is that isn’t true to himself isn’t right.

Finally, of course, there’s Al Munson. Meeting Eddie’s dad puts an even sharper focus on the hardship Eddie has experienced his whole life. In Hawkins, Al Munson exists as a huge pariah. And Hawkins has tarred and feathered Eddie with the brush of perceptions only his father has earned. This, of course, does heap onto Eddie’s shoulders. But it’s not really the Munson-aversion that hurts the worst. In Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, we learn Al Munson has been leaving Eddie behind his whole life. And, in a sense, no differently than Hawkins, Eddie’s father can’t truly see Eddie as a person, not unless he needs something from him. There’s more than one scene that will make your heart clench for Eddie, who truly just wants to be loved.

The true throughline of every part of the Flight of Icarus is Eddie Munson learning what it means to be just Eddie Munson and not only squaring with that but celebrating it. Every argument, aspiration, disappointment, and joy in the novel steps him closer to figuring out that Eddie being happy with Eddie is the most crucial success of all. And that’s exactly the journey we and Eddie deserve to go on.

Stranger Things Cameos in Flight of the Icarus

When it comes to Stranger Things cameos beyond Eddie Munson, fans can expect some treats. It’s clear that Flight of Icarus saw at least a portion of what the internet was asking for. HellCheer fans get an extended and emotional memory of Eddie and Chrissy meeting at the school talent show, cementing headcanons for how their friendship and romance could have blossomed. Wayne Munson appears as the father figure that Eddie sorely needs, a true voice of love in Eddie’s life who encourages him, more than anyone, to just be himself. Reefer Rick has some jovial and hilarious moments as Stranger Things gives us the origin story of Eddie’s business ventures. Gareth and Jeff get more flesh on their bones. The cherry on top is Will Byers and Eddie Munson finally getting to meet. (And make one another smile. And talk Dungeons & Dragons, kind of.)

To all my Steddie comrades-in-arms, I am honor-bound to say that although Steve Harrington does not appear in Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, he is confirmed to not approve of any beating up of freshmen… And the one mention Eddie makes of him does feature an, ehm, interesting body part, so we’ll take it.

Eddie Munson’s Backstory Is Beautiful, but It Hurts Us

Ultimately, getting lost in Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is an excellent adventure for Eddie Munson fans. But the journey Eddie goes on to embrace himself, the figure he becomes to all the other “freaks” around him, and all the pains, hopes, and dreams we learn he has do converge to make his ultimate death an even tougher pill to swallow. Flight of the Icarus would become that much more of a satisfying origin and backstory for Eddie Munson if we could one day see him triumph in the face of all his naysayers by the simple act of getting to live on. It’s your move, Stranger Things 5.

But, in the meanwhile, Eddie Munson got to live a little longer in our world, and that, we will celebrate.

⭐ (3.75 of 5)

The post STRANGER THINGS: FLIGHT OF ICARUS Offers Excellent But Painful Eddie Munson Quality Time appeared first on Nerdist.

Most mobile games are fun time wasters but lack the true appeal of a real video game. But now, Netflix is looking to change all of that with its Netflix Games offering. Netflix Games takes the concept of the Netflix we know, hosting content on its streaming platform so it can be watched more widely, and applies it to video games. Additionally, Netflix promises no ads, no extra fees, and no in-app purchases in its mobile games. And we can all agree those are the worst parts of the mobile game genre. Soon, it seems like we’ll even be able to play Netflix Games on our TV screens and PCs. Netflix has shared it wants the games to be “playable on every Netflix device that you have.” And apparently, code from the Netflix app seems to confirm.

Basically, for those who need a more convenient way to play some familiar titles, Netflix has you covered. Let’s take a look at which real video games get the mobile treatment via Netflix Games.

Slayaway Camp 2: Netflix & Kill

Netflix and kill? That sounds like a horror movie in the making. But it’s actually the latest entry into Netflix Game’s catalog.

This puzzle game is actually a sequel to a 2016 game called Slayaway Camp which was released on Steam, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Both games see you play as Skullface, a kind of adorable but deranged slasher. The official description shares, “In this sequel, you’re Skullface, a killer stuck inside a retro horror movie catalog — solve puzzles, stalk victims and get stabby.”

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge recently released as a full-blown video game that paid homage to the retro Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games of the late ’80s and early ’90s. But for those who’d rather play on their phone, Netflix has converted Shredder’s Revenge into a mobile game you can play on the move. All the fun callbacks, retro goodness, and Ninja Turtle-ness stay intact, but no console is required. Cowabunga!

Tomb Raider Reloaded

Although this game isn’t a direct Netflix recreation of an existing video game, it does share some similarities to the games Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: Anniversary. In it, you play as Lara Croft, who encounters the mysterious Natla and gets tempted by adventure. This entry into Netflix Games promises “a wide variety of puzzles and face off against different enemies and bosses — both new and familiar to the Tomb Raider series — including bloodthirsty wolves, poisonous snakes, fearsome golems and magical elemental creatures!” Sounds like some good adventure on the horizon.

Valiant Hearts: Coming Home

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a puzzle adventure game developed for consoles. This popular World War I set game can now be played on mobile courtesy of Netflix Games. Happy the Valient Hearts: Coming Home mobile game retains the graphic novel style of the original and the characters at the heart of its story. The mobile version promises a story every bit as compelling and beautiful as the first.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes is originally a Steam game with a seriously loaded cast. James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe lend their voices to this interactive thriller. The game revolves around a man trapped in a terrifying time loop that is fated to go on and on unless he/you uses his foreknowledge to break the cycle. Netflix’s rendition of Twelve Minutes replaces the click-and-drag gameplay of the desktop version with a similar “tap and drag” system, and it retains all of the voice talents to boot. Not to mention, the trailer for this mobile version definitely has us at the edges of our seats.

Dust & Neon

Dust & Neon, a Nintendo Switch game also on Steam, has arrived on Netflix Games. This game takes place in “a futuristic Wild West, where robots have rejected their life of servitude, and taken over the planet, turning it into a not-so-enjoyable place for humans.” And it’s up to you to fight robot oppression… Which you can now do on your phone. Netflix Games promises that this mobile game will have every bit as much futuristic, gunslinging, cyborg vs. robot shooter action as its Switch predecessor.

How to Download and Play Netflix Games

Ready to explore these mobile versions of real video games for yourself? If you have Netflix, you’re almost there. To access the games, first, download the Netflix mobile app itself. Then, in the app store, you can look up all these different games. Once you download them, as you would any app, they’ll appear in the “Netflix Games” section in the overall Netflix app. You can also start in the Netflix app itself, go to the games sections, and look up different games from there.

In addition to versions of full games, Netflix has other original mobile games; a few are even based on its different properties, like Stranger Things and Wednesday. As far as mobile gaming goes, Netflix seems like a pretty good bet. So go forth and crush some small-screen challenges.

Originally published on February 22, 2023.

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Is it a day in the week that ends with a “y”? That must mean a streaming service is increasing its price. Disney+ and Hulu have increased their subscription costs, Netflix has increased its subscription cost, Prime Video is planning an increase and cost, and now Apple TV+ has joined in on the trend. I mean, why not right? Apple TV+ has officially set its second price increase since its launch. Originally, users paid $4.99 per month to subscribe. Then, that number increased to $6.99 per month. And now, Apple TV+ has officially raised its subscription price to more or less double where it began. Apple TV+ users will have to pay an increased price of $9.99 per month to continue using the service.

CNBC reports that Apple TV+’s annual package has also increased in price, rising from $69 to $99. Additionally, the Apple One bundle package will also see an increase in cost, as will Apple’s Arcade and News+. They will cost $37.95, $6.99, and $12.99 respectively.

Apple TV+ saw its first price increase in October 2022, making this the second price increase in the span of a year. For consumers, the trend of rising prices continues to be alarming. For many streaming platforms, increasing subscription costs also appears to be designed to drive users to more moderately priced ad-tiers. Apple TV+, of course, doesn’t have an ad-supported tier yet, but we’d bet one is coming. Of course, the promise of streaming was initially low-cost and ad-free programming, but that is definitely not the conceit any longer. As subscriber numbers reach plateaus, it seems like streamers are abandoning the quality of life platform they originally espoused, and high costs, ads, password-sharing crackdowns, and more are coming into the picture.

We guess we can only wait and see how the landscape will shift. But for now, all we can say for certain is that Apple TV+ has inceased its price, and basically every other streaming service has as well.

The post Apple TV+ Increases Price to $9.99 Per Month, Doubles Original Cost appeared first on Nerdist.

If you’re an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, you probably know that everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. But when it comes to this franchise, everything really changed when Netflix announced it would be making a live-action series adaptation of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. A live-action version of Avatar was attempted once before, but it did not go too well. Hopefully, though, this time around, we’ll all see better results. We’re crossing our fingers that this live-action outing will go well for Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and the rest of the Gaang. It’s what the characters and the fans deserve.

Here’s everything we know about Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Title

Like the original animated series, Netflix’s adaptation will also be called Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Series’ Plot

It seems likely, given casting choices and other teases, that the plot of Avatar: The Last Airbender’s first season will follow the animated series’ Book One: Water, otherwise known as its first season. That means we’ll see Katara and Sokka discover Aang frozen in ice and follow their journey together as Aang learns water-bending and everyone learns about friendship. Prince Zuko will, of course, be grumpily chasing the trio down. The season will most likely culminate with an epic battle at the North Pole.

Officially, the synopsis for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender only shares the broad strokes of what we’d expect from this live-action adaptation. It reads:

The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.

But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.

Behind the Scenes

Albert Kim acts as showrunner, executive producer, and writer on Avatar: The Last Airbender. Jabbar Raisani and Jet Wilkinson are set to direct.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Series’ Cast

Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation is slated to have quite the cast. Leading the series are, of course, our heroes (and anti-hero) Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko. Gordon Cormier will play the Avatar, Aang. Kiawentiio will take on the occasionally bossy, though always kind, Katara. Ian Ousley will play the goofy yet good-hearted and heroic Sokka. And Dallas Liu will star as Prince Zuko, the exiled prince of the Fire Nation who has an obsession with honor and also a lot to learn.

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Joining the core four are Daniel Dae Kim as the villain of our tale, Fire Lord Ozai, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as the wise Uncle Iroh, and Elizabeth Yu as the devlish Princess Azula.

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Of course, many other castings have been announced because the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is brimming with incredibly cool characters. Learn about them all by checking out our article on the full Avatar: The Last Airbender cast.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Series’ Release Date

Netflix has not yet shared the exact release date for its Avatar: The Last Airbender series. However, we know this adaptation will arrive in 2024. In the meantime, you can get ready for this new adventure by rewatching the original version of the series on Netflix.

The post Everything We Know About the AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Live-Action Series appeared first on Nerdist.

It seems like having a stageplay adaptation is the new horizon for popular IP. First, we saw a The Lord of the Rings musical emerge, then a Stranger Things play came to life, and it’s even going to have an impact on the future of the television series. Next up, a The Hunger Games play is heading to the stage in London. Between this new play and a big-screen prequel movie coming in November, it’s a good time to be a The Hunger Games fan. Here’s what we know so far about The Hunger Games on Stage.

What Is The Hunger Games Play About?

Firstly, what is this The Hunger Games play about? Well, even though The Hunger Games on Stage might have been an interesting venue to explore other Hunger Games in the franchise, it looks like this play adaptation will tell a familiar story.

WestEndTheatre.com shares:

In a dystopian future, The Hunger Games ignite a thrilling battle for survival, where 24 young tributes are pitted against each other in a deadly arena. Katniss Everdeen, a fearless and resourceful heroine, emerges as a symbol of rebellion as she fights not only for her life but for the hope of a nation oppressed by a ruthless Capitol.

Although the above synopsis doesn’t make it clear whether The Hunger Games on Stage will cover all three of The Hunger Games‘ main books or if it will stop with the first one, a release for the show further clarifies the scope of the play. It notes, “The Hunger Games on Stage…will adapt the first book from Suzanne Collins’ epic series and the first film from Lionsgate’s iconic dystopian film franchise for this live theatrical production.” There you have it.

The Hunger Games on Stage‘s Creative Team

Olivier Award-winning playwright Conor McPherson will pen this stageplay. Additionally, “The show will be directed by Matthew Dunster (Shirley Valentine, 2:22 – A Ghost Story, The Pillowman), with a creative team that also includes Miriam Buether (set designer), Moi Tran (costume designer), Charlotte Broom (choreographer), Lucy Carter (lighting designer), Ian Dickinson for Autograph (sound designer), Tal Rosner (video designer), Kev McCurdy (fight director), John Maddox for Suspended Illusions (performer flying), Amy Ball (casting director), and Gary Beestone (production manager).”

Lionsgate also has a hand in this play, so, as mentioned above, we can expect direct nods to the movies as well as the books.

The Hunger Games Play Cast and Release Date

There is no word yet on who will be cast in this The Hunger Games play, nor when exactly it will release on stage.

However, we do know that The Hunger Games on Stage will premiere in London in fall 2024.

The post THE HUNGER GAMES Play Is Heading to the London Stage in 2024 appeared first on Nerdist.

Netflix’s latest apocalyptic thriller has a cast and production team so star-studded we couldn’t hope to fit everyone involved in the title. But we’re happy to see this culmination of talent in Leave the World Behind‘s first teaser trailer. The new Netflix movie stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon, and more. Of course, as if that weren’t enough, Sam Esmail writes and directs the film. And Leave the World Behind is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. Phew. That’s a line-up of star power and talent if we ever heard one. But it’s more than just names. Leave the World Behind‘s full trailer reveals an intense and suspicious thriller and a whole new apocalypse designed to set our nerves on edge. This disaster movie promises to hit hard psychologically. And we all know that’s where movies become truly scary.

You can take a look below to see Roberts, Ali, Hawke, and the rest in the teaser trailer for Leave the World Behind.

Leave the World Behind‘s Trailer

Leave the World Behind‘s trailer starts innocently enough… But we all know things cannot remain cheerful. Everything is about to go very wrong. It all starts with one fated opening of a door. But what exactly is going on? Well, nothing good. But we don’t exactly know for sure yet. Cyberattacks are involved, but it also looks like natural disasters begin to take place. At any rate, it’s the erosion of trust and human niceties which are always the most horrifying. If car collisions, rogue ships, and weird phenomena won’t get you, Leave the World Behind‘s trailer seems to imply then co-habitation will. We guess we’ll see if these two families can work it out to save themselves.

“What is the truth?” Julia Robert’s Leave the World Behind character Amanda asks in Leave the World Behind‘s teaser trailer. And isn’t that always the question? Ultimately, “There is no going back to normal.” What a chilling and all-too-familiar note to conclude the Leave the World Behind trailer.

Netflix’s Official Synopsis for the Sam Esmail Thriller

For a little more clarification on the teaser trailer for Leave the World Behind, Netflix shared the following synopsis. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.

In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), Amanda (Academy Award winner Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world. Based on the National Book Award-nominated novel by Rumaan Alam, LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND is produced by Esmail Corp, Red Om Films, and executive produced by Higher Ground Productions.

Leave the World Behind‘s Release Date

If Leave the World Behind‘s eerie trailer leaves you wanting to watch the actual movie, you can do so in theaters and on Netflix. The thriller has a release date of November 22 in select theaters. Meanwhile, Leave the World Behind will release on Netflix on December 8.

Leave the World Behind will also have its premiere on October 25 at AFI Fest.

Originally published on October 7, 2023.

The post LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND Trailer Strands Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke in Apocalypse appeared first on Nerdist.

Lately, it feels like every major franchise is getting the Magic card treatment. Magic: The Gathering has collaborated with The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Doctor Who, Fallout, and more to bring fans cards that speak to their favorite fictional worlds via their Universes Beyond arm. But now, it feels like the biggest collaboration yet has just been announced. Marvel and Magic: The Gathering will come together to bring Marvel’s greatest heroes, worlds, and more into the world of Magic cards. And although we don’t have any official card art, or really any details yet, we feel the excitement already.

A release shares that this Marvel and Magic collaboration is a “multi-year, multi-set deal.” So fans can look forward to many Marvel Magic cards in the future. The release further notes, “The first tentpole Magic set based on Marvel’s fan-favorite characters and epic stories will appear globally in 2025, with additional all-new exciting sets for multi-generational fans to collect and play.”

2025 feels like a long way off, but we guess there is a lot of Marvel to distill down into one set. We can already imagine the “Captain America’s Shield” card in our mind’s eye. But we hope there will be some deep cuts and Easter eggs we didn’t see coming in this upcoming Marvel Magic card sit. One thing is for sure, though, this collaboration will be beautiful. If Magic: The Gathering’s The Lord of the Rings cards were anything to judge by, then these Marvel sets will totally floor us. We can’t wait to see our favorite heroes reimagined in this whole new way.

“Trading cards have always been a part of Marvel’s DNA, so this collaboration takes that experience to a whole new level,” Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Comics and Franchise noted about this team-up. “With the depth that our storytelling and characters bring to the table, we can’t wait for fans to see how the Marvel Universe translates seamlessly into gameplay within these Magic: The Gathering products and sets for years to come.”

And so, the multiverse expands. There’s no official release date for the Marvel Magic card sets, but we’re sure we’ll get more looks and news about the collaboration way before 2025.

The post Marvel and MAGIC: THE GATHERING Announce Collab Cards Coming 2025 appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been another full week in the entertainment world. Netflix has raised prices again, but it also revealed some amazing looks from its Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series. We learned that Gargoyles may turn into a Disney+ series from some excellent horror-oriented minds. Not to mention, Rick and Morty revealed its new lead voice actors. But in among the rest, some other pretty cool things happened.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

Jump to:

• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1

Much to the delight of the franchise’s fans, Mortal Kombat 1 recently released into the world. And it served as a reboot for the series as a whole. The game promised to deliver “a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities.” And so far, so good. But, of course, these days, nothing ever stops at its first release. Via the mechanism of Kombat Pass, a purchasable add-on to the game, new characters will join the Mortal Kombat 1 fun. And first up is Invincible’s Omni-Man.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Omni-Man will offer fans of both Invincible‘s comics and its TV show something to get excited about. And, as a bonus treat, Mortal Kombat 1‘s Omni-Man will be voiced by J.K. Simmons. If these trailers are anything to go by, Omni-Man is definitely not pulling ANY punches. And he’s bringing a whole lot of blood with him. Omni-Man will arrive in the game in November 9, 2023.

GameSpot shares that in addition to Omni-Man, five more new characters will join Mortal Kombat 1 via Kombat Pass. They include Quan Chi (arriving in winter 2023/2024), Peacemaker (arriving in Winter 2023/2024), Ermac (arriving in spring 2024), Homelander (arriving in spring 2024), and Takeda (arriving in summer 2024).

Get nostalgic with Mortal Kombat 1‘s recreation of a 1993 TV commercial.

Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups

Trainers, get ready to team up because soon you won’t have to go it alone anymore while playing Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go has offered fans many fun adventures, but it has always been more of a solitary game. You can occasionally get together with a member of your team to take over a gym, but that’s about it. Normally, you can play next to someone, but not necessarily play with them. But that’s all about to change thanks to Pokémon Go‘s new feature Party Play.

With Party Play, which we first saw via Polygon, Pokémon Go players level 15 and above can “adventure and complete challenges together, all in one shared in-game experience.” As a party, players can engage in “spinning PokéStops, battling in raids, catching Pokémon, and more” and do so together. The experience will appear on every player’s screen. If you raid with your party, you’ll also get Party Power which “doubles the damage of your next Charged Attack and charges with every Fast Attack.” Sounds likes a great time to us. You can learn more about how to organize a party and the mechanics of Party Play, in Niantic’s official blog post about Party Play.

For information on Pokémon‘s latest collaboration with The Van Gogh Museum check out our post here.

Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets

Who doesn’t love superpowered heroic animals? I can’t think of a single person. And that’s probably why Marvel Comics is bringing together our favorite Marvel Pets in an Infinity Comic series titled Infinity Paws. Infinity Paws will assemble an all-star that includes Jeff the Land Shark, Carol Danvers’ alien feline friend Chewie (named after Star Wars‘ Chewbacca), Alligator Loki, Lucky the Pizza Dog, and more. We know we’d feel safe in their paws. The adorable series will release in spring 2024 on Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital subscription service. Infinity Paws is “written by seasoned Infinity Comic creator Jason Loo… and superstar artist and colorist Nao Fuji.”

“MARVEL MEOW fans will be in for a treat! Or treats,” shares Loo via a release from Marvel. “Because we have almost all of your favorite Marvel pets in this giant crossover, from the furry ones to the scaly ones. And I couldn’t be more pleased to be joined by the delightfully talented Nao Fuji illustrating this series!”

We guess we’d better have some treats ready for all of the hardworking heroes who are about to see some action.

To enjoy more Marvel animals, learn more about Frog Thor’s deleted scene from Loki

Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting

Our favorite mystery movie franchise finally has a bit of an update. Yes. Rian Johnson has shared that Knives Out 3 has a premise AND a setting. Is that exciting or what?

In full, Johnson noted to The Wrap, “It’s coming along. I obviously couldn’t work during the strike, and now that it’s over, I’m diving in full force, and so it’s coming along. I’ve got the premise, I’ve got the setting, I’ve got what the movie is in my head. It’s just a matter of writing the damn thing.”

We can’t begin to speculate what the premise or the setting of the next Knives Out movie will be… but we are happy to hear that Benoit Blanc’s next outing is well underway.

Still pondering the end of Knives Out 2? We break it down.

Jump to:

• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+

Sadly though, not all mysteries are getting great news. Apple TV+ recently canceled its part-murder mystery, part-comedy series The Afterparty after two seasons. The Afterparty, from creator Chris Miller, told a different story in each of its two seasons but had some of the cast reprise their roles. It featured names like Tiffany Haddish, Zoë Chao, Sam Richardson, John Cho, Paul Walter Hauser, Ken Jeong, and more. Of course, uniquely, each episode took on a different genre of storytelling, depending on its point of view character. From taking on a Jane Austen romance to campy horror, The Afterparty really flexed its storytelling muscles.

We’ll be sad to hear we won’t see another chapter of this unique show on our screens.

The Afterparty gave us some good moments to look back on. Check out this hilarious antic.

Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody

Wait for it… Wait for it… There it is. Barbie’s hit power-ballad “I’m Just Ken” is now officially stuck in your head. But get ready for a whole new rendition to take over your life. “I’m Just Ken” is obviously ripe for parody. And we aren’t surprised that Saturday Night Live saw their chance and took it. In “I’m Just Pete,” Pete Davidson takes us through a day in the life. To give you a taste, some of the lyrics to “I’m Just Pete” are as follows, “I’m just Pete. Anyone else, I’d be a three. But I guess I’m hot for dudes in comedy.”

We expect this won’t be the last “I’m Just Ken” parody we encounter, but it sure is a good one.

There was a lot to love about Barbie. Here’s what we thought of the movie.

MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver

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Looking for something fun to do with your October? How about checking out some truly eerie works of FX mastery. MastersFX recently opened a Monster Museum and FX Studio in Vancouver, and it looks like it is well worth haunting.

A release shares:

The MastersFX team has created a Monster Museum, which is presenting “Forty Years of Monster-Making.” The experience offers visitors an interactive exhibit that takes them through parts of MFX’s actual working monster shop, showing-off their various techniques, and letting visitors operate the animatronics and take selfies with actual screen-used monsters.

Occupying the museum are an assortment of aliens, demons, devils, fairies, harpies, vampires, beasts, corpses, cadavers, robots, sasquatches, mummies, werewolves, zombies and more. These exhibits of “FX Art” have been personally curated by multi-Emmy Award-winner, Todd Masters.

The museum, now open on weekends during October, also demonstrates advancements that the MFX team has made within the field of special effects – aspects of which they call “Neo-Practical Effects.” The museum contains over 80 creatures and FX used in making shows on which MFX has contributed their special form of art, including: Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Fringe, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Sonic the Hedgehog, Yellowjackets; Stargate; Six Feet Under; Star Trek: First Contact and Predator. Even current projects are represented: It Lives Inside, Monster High, and The Fall of the House of Usher, to name a few.

What an incredibly fun-sounding time! The museum is located at 4185 Dawson Street in Burnaby, BC, in Canada. You can buy tickets here.

‘Tis the season to embrace Halloween. Here’s how these iconic slashers match up with the signs of the zodiac.

• Pokémon Go‘s New Party Play Offers Collaborative Gameplay and Team-Ups
• Infinity Paws Comic Brings Together All Your Favorite Marvel Pets
• Omni-Man Will Be First Downloadable Character for Mortal Kombat 1
• Knives Out 3 Has a Premise and a Setting
• The Afterparty Has Been Canceled by Apple TV+
• Saturday Night Live Takes on Barbie‘s “I’m Just Ken” with “I’m Just Pete” Parody
• MastersFX’s Monster Museum and FX Studio Opens in Vancouver
• A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way
• LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween
• Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

A New Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima Is on the Way

It’s almost time for Dragon Ball‘s 40th anniversary. And it looks like we’ll celebrate with a brand new Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball: Daima. While not much is known about this upcoming Dragon Ball show yet, Toei Animation did release a teaser trailer for Daima. The trailer, which we first saw on IGN, hints at a brand-new story for the franchise. Its description shares that the new Dragon Ball: Daima series is “Drawn by the original creator, Akira Toriyama” and features “a story never told in Dragon Ball.”

In the Dragon Ball: Daima trailer, we see Goku transforming into a de-aged version of himself after an encounter with Shenron. De-aged versions of Vegeta, Bulma, Chi Chi, Pamput, Krillin, Piccolo, and Shin also appear to tease us. We feel like we’re about to see one adorable Dragon Ball story unfold.

Dragon Ball: Daima will release in fall 2024.

Need more anime in your life? Netflix is bringing a Yu Yu Hakusho live-action adaptation to our screens soon.

LEGO Brings Your Worst Nightmares to Life in Horror Posters for Halloween

Uh oh… Did you just drop a piece of your LEGO build mid-construction… only to step on it with your bare feet three weeks after you had to improvise with a block that didn’t match in color? Yep. We’ve all been there. And LEGO is capturing these true terrors in a set of LEGO horror posters just in time for Halloween. Whichever LEGO vision torments you in your nightmares, LEGO’s Building Nightmares posters are ready for you. And we’re kind of obsessed with this collection.

But you have to be a true LEGO fan to get your claws on these. The LEGO Building Nightmares horror posters are available as LEGO Insider rewards. You can redeem 1,750 points to unlock one poster. Don’t delay, though; according to DesignTaxi, there are only 5,400 copies available per poster type.

And good luck finding that piece in the carpet.

We overcame every one of these horrors when putting together LEGO’s incredible Rivendell set.

Immersive X-Men Event, The Uncanny Experience, Wants You to Enroll in Professor X’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters

The Uncanny Experience, an immersive X-Men event that takes you into Professor Xavier’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters, is back for its “sophomore year” (a.k.a, its second annual event).

A release shares:

The Uncanny Experience is an immersive event that transforms the historic Minneapolis Club into Xavier’s Institute – the home of the X-Men in comics, film, and cartoons.  The inaugural event saw ticket holders attending classes on mutant culture, exploring the campus with rooms decorated like Wolverine’s bedroom, unraveling clues in the Mystery in the Mansion quest, being initiated into the Hellfire Club, and singing karaoke alongside Dazzler.  2024 attendees can expect much of the same with even more surprises in store.

Honestly, how amazing does that sound? Immersive events can go either way, but it’s always a good sign when they come back for round two. Additionally, the event even has some pretty cool guests. The official description for The Uncanny Experience notes, “Legendary comics writer Chris Claremont returns to The Uncanny Experience where he will continue to lead discussions on X-Men History and be available for autographs, remarks, and more.  Alison Sealy-Smith and George Buza, who voice Storm and Beast in X-Men: The Animated Series and returning to the franchise with X-Men ’97, were also announced to be Special Guest attendees.”

On a practical level, this immersive X-Men experience takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It will run from September 28-29, 2024. Pre-sale tickets for Newsletter Subscribers are available now and the general public will be able to purchase them beginning on October 20.

Do you have what it takes to enroll? Read about the best X-Men teams ever and then decide.

The post POKÉMON GO Reveals Collaborative Play, New DRAGON BALL Series Announced and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

The canary in the coal mine is singing loudly today. Recently, Netflix removed its “Basic” tier from its line-up of offerings in Canada. And now, Netflix has also axed the cheapest ad-free plan in the US and UK. The “Basic” plan was Netflix’s $10/month offering, allowing users to retain an ad-free experience relatively cheaply. But now, new Netflix users have a choice between ads or a sharp cost increase when they subscribe to the platform. This move widens the gulf between Netflix’s ad-free and ad-supported tiers, pushing users to decide where their priorities lie.

Not only that but, officially, Netflix’s Premium plans and its grandfathered-in Basic plans have officially increased in price. Those still using the Basic plan will pay $11.99 instead of $9.99. And those subscribed to Netflix’s Premium Plan will see that the plan has increased in price from $19.99 to $22.99.

Netflix’s Current Subscription Options Make an Ad-Free Experience Expensive

So which options are left for users who want to stream their favorite shows and movies on Netflix? After the removal of the Basic plan, Netflix US features three tiers. First up, the Standard with Ads plan costs $6.99/month. This is less than Netflix’s Basic plan used to cost; however, now ads are involved. Netflix’s “Standard” plan costs $15.49/month, a sharp jump. The streamer’s “Premium” plan costs which previously cost $20/month, will now see an increase in price. Netflix’s Premium plan will cost $22/month, double the cost of the defunct Basic tier.

Netflix’s Standard and Premium options are both ad-free but, among other things, support different amounts of devices. These tiers also differ in how many “extra members” you can add to your account as part of Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown.

Is Netflix’s Basic Ad-Free Plan Fully Gone?

As mentioned, Netflix’s Basic ad-free plan is no longer an option for any new subscribers. However, users already subscribed to Netflix can retain their Basic plan until they “change plans or cancel [their] account.” But that means, if ever a user decides to leave Netflix or needs to make changes for any other reasons, they’ll lose out on this legacy plan.

Netflix has raised the price of the ad-free basic plan, though. It will now cost $11.99 instead of $9.99.

The Streaming Landscape Sees Cost Increases, and Ads Everywhere

Netflix shared with Variety, “Our starting prices of $6.99 in the US and £4.99 in the U.K. [for Standard With Ads] are lower than the competition and provide great value to consumers given the breadth and quality of our catalog.”

Value is a hard measure to define with accuracy. Ultimately, beyond Netflix, the world of streaming as a whole is currently rife with price increases, ads, and other changes that complicate things for consumers. Of course, it doesn’t help that there are so many streamers to choose from out there—and that everyone is competing for more or less the same users. More than ever, it seems like the streaming world is moving closer to the previous cable experience it once tried to disrupt. We guess we’ll just have to see what comes in to disrupt this disruption.

Originally published on July 19, 2023.

The post Netflix Increases Prices for Basic and Premium Plans appeared first on Nerdist.

Are you ready for more Eddie Munson? That’s a trick question; of course you are. But even if Stranger Things doesn’t delight fans by bringing Eddie back to life in Stranger Things 5, more Eddie is happily heading our way. Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is a Stranger Things prequel novel all about Eddie Munson, and it lets us meet the character two years before Stranger Things 4. Because this prequel book is all Eddie all the time, it leaves space for insights into Eddie Munson’s backstory and formative experiences that we couldn’t get during the show. The novel explores Eddie’s complicated familial ties, especially his relationship with his dad, Al Munson, his complex feelings about himself and his legacy, and his struggle to survive in a town that loathes him. But crucially, this Stranger Things prequel book also spotlights the immense bravery and goodness that are the true hallmarks of Eddie Munson.

In the below excerpt from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus, we see Eddie imparting some crucial wisdom onto future Corroded Coffin member and current freshman Gareth. Gareth is still trying to find his place in Hellfire Club, but knows implicitly that as a “Freak,” it’s the only place he can go. As Eddie helps him build his new Dungeons & Dragons character, he really guides him toward the idea of being himself, gently pushing him to figure out who Gareth is and what he wants to be. “You don’t have to be anything.” Eddie says, “Don’t let yourself get boxed in… it’s never worth it.” And isn’t that the Eddie Munson thesis statement?

Of course, while shepherding his flock gives Eddie true joy, it’s never that simple for our favorite metalhead. Al Munson has just come back into town, and it’s clear the return of his dad spells trouble for Eddie, emotionally and otherwise. This excerpt from the Eddie Munson prequel book is just a taste of what’s to come for readers and for Eddie, and you can enjoy it in full below in both text and audio forms.

Exclusive Excerpt From Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus

Jump to: Audiobook Excerpt from Eddie Prequel Book

“The question is pretty simple, at the end of the day. Who do you wanna be?”

Gareth frowns at me across the expanse of the lab table. I’m starting to think that’s just his default expression, and I can’t really fault him for that. If I was stuck with that adorable halo of fluffy brown curls and a mouthful of chrome, I’d probably frown a lot too. “I want to be Illian.”

“Illian is fish food. Work with me here.”

“I don’t know,” Gareth snaps, stabbing his pencil into his pad of graph paper like it slapped his mother.

He’s been in a pissy mood since he walked in the door twenty minutes ago, and he hasn’t exactly sweetened since. We’re squatting in the chemistry lab with the lights off be-cause I didn’t have time to sweet- talk Mr. Vick into letting us do this on the books. It’s easy enough to jimmy the locks on these old doors, but I always hate doing it. For one thing, the odds of some nosy teacher walking by and spotting me are better than good. For another—

I need another set of hands.

For another, I’m not sure I like knowing how to do it in the first place.

I’d left Dad snoring loud enough to bring the house down, sprawled out on the sofa. He didn’t even twitch when I opened the front door, and I’d taken a moment to watch him in the early morning light, swallowing back the complicated feelings rising in my chest.

Al Munson has come crashing back into my life in more flavors than I can count. Sometimes he’s just gotten out of prison and needs a place to lie low. Sometimes he needs to borrow money from Wayne. Sometimes he’s got an honest- to- God job (“For keeps, this time.”) Those are always the shortest stays.

But he’s never come back for me. And even if it’s not like he’s trying to pay off a quality- time deficit, he came back because he wants me to work with him. He could have gone to any of his buddies, and he came to me.

I shouldn’t be happy about that, right? I definitely shouldn’t. But—

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” I ask Gareth. “You knew when you made Illian.”

Gareth is perched on one of the science department’s death- trap stools, and he keeps rocking back onto two of the legs. He’s also favoring his left arm. I haven’t called him out on either of these things yet, because I don’t want Gareth to start using me as a sparring dummy instead of his graph paper.

“Jeff made Illian,” he says. “He said, you can’t walk into Hellfire without a character, and he didn’t want to wait a billion years for me to figure out how to fill out a character sheet, so he gave me one.”

“Well, that’s . . . unhelpful.”

“Whatever.” The floating legs of Gareth’s stool slam back onto the linoleum, and he shoves to his feet. “We don’t have to—”

“Okay, first things first, freshman.” I risk life and limb and smack my hand down on his graph paper so he can’t pack it away. “I’m the DM, right?”

Gareth’s eyes are wary. “. . . Right.”

“So I’m the one running our sessions. I say when they’re over. Understand?” Gareth nods. “Good. Now sit your butt back down and let’s work this out.”

He sits his butt back down. “Thank you,” I say. “Now we’re gonna start with the basics. Dwarf, Elf, Human, Gnome— what’s calling to you?”

“Illian was a half- elf—”

“I didn’t ask what Illian was, I know what Illian was. Illian was Jeff’s. I asked what’s calling to you.”

“I . . . like dwarves,” Gareth says.

“Dwarf. Awesome. May I?” I pull the pad of paper toward me and gingerly, like disarming a gunman, pluck the pencil from Gareth’s hand. “Dwarf,” I write, and underline it twice. “The next question is what’s gonna inform your class, okay?”

“Okay,” he says, easier now.

“Alignment. What are you feeling?” He stares blankly at me, and I move yell at Jeff a few notches up my mental to-do list. “This is, like. Who you are, at the core of you. Lawful, chaotic. Good, evil. So, for example, if you’re playing a dwarf, then the rule book says you’d probably be more on the lawful end of the spectrum, though the good- versus- evil conundrum is some-thing you’d make a call on for yourself. And once you figure out what combo you prefer—l awful good, lawful evil, even lawful neutral, you’ll figure out the sort of . . . I don’t know. Moral code? You’ll be making decisions with during the game.”

There’s a line between Gareth’s brows as he takes this in. “So if I’m a dwarf, I have to be lawful—”

“You don’t have to be anything,” I say. “That’s just what’s suggested. What most people think a dwarf is. Lawful good.” Gareth’s nose wrinkles, and I laugh. “I know. Buzzkill. Now, me? I like to mix things up. Chaotic evil dwarf? Hell yeah. Don’t let yourself get boxed in by what the book says you should be, it’s never worth it. Do what you think is gonna be the most fun.”

“Chaotic,” Gareth says the second I shut my mouth, jumping in so fast that the word clips the end of my last sentence. His eyes are glowing. The kid’s got the spirit. “I wanna be chaotic. Chaotic . . . good.”

“Classic choice, dude,” I say, nodding approvingly. “Now let’s talk classes. Have you thought about playing a thief?”

Over the next hour, Hodash the Breaker is born. I can’t hold on to last night’s dark cloud as I watch Gareth roll his way through his stats and scribble down ideas for backstory. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s obvious to me now that Illian was never his to begin with— Gareth’s never been so invested in a Hellfire session as he is right now, bent over his graph paper and breathing life into his chaotic little dwarf rogue.

“Question, freshman,” I say, once the foundations for Ho-dash have been established and we’re shoving papers and books back into our bags, getting ready to leave.

Gareth peers at me, wary, over the top of his humongous backpack. “Yeah?”

“It’s not a pop quiz, calm down.” I sling my jacket over my shoulders, shoving my arms through the sleeves. “I’m just curious. If you never played D and D before you got to high school— never filled out a character sheet or anything— why join Hellfire?”

Gareth shifts from foot to foot. “Where else was I supposed to go?”

Reprinted from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan. Copyright © 2023 by Stranger Things™ / Netflix. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Audiobook Version of This Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus Excerpt

If audiobooks are more for you, you can also enjoy our exclusive excerpt directly from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus‘ official audiobook. Lee Osorio does a great job of taking the mantle from Joseph Quinn and bringing Eddie, Gareth, and the rest to life.

Audio excerpted courtesy Penguin Random House Audio from Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan; Read by Lee Osorio © 2023, Caitlin Schneiderhan, ℗ Penguin Random House, LLC.

More About the Eddie Munson Stranger Things Prequel Book

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus is written by Caitlin Schneiderhan, a TV writer and novelist who has worked on Netflix’s Stranger Things series. The 272-page novel’s summary notes, “Two years before the events of Stranger Things: Season 4, Eddie Munson—Hellfire Club leader, metalhead, and Hawkins outcast—has one shot to make it big.” This Eddie Munson book’s glorious cover art is by Tracie Ching.

Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus will release on October 31. It’s fitting this book will offer us more of Eddie Munson’s backstory on Halloween. You can pre-order this Stranger Things tale in book, e-book, and audiobook forms today.

The post Eddie Munson Builds a Home for Freaks in Excerpt From STRANGER THINGS Prequel Book appeared first on Nerdist.

Phew. Is it hot in here? Or is it just these first-look photos of key members of the Fire Nation from Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender? Well, that’s an easy one. It’s definitely these first-look photos of Fire Lord Ozai, General/Uncle Iroh, Commander Zhao, and Princess Azula. We also get another look at Prince Zuko. If you’re a fan of animated fare, you know that old adage, adapting an animated series into live-action is never easy, and it often goes wrong. But, we have to give it to these images from Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. They are show-stopping. And sizzling. You might say, everything changed when the Fire Nation first-looks attacked. Let’s take a look at what has been revealed.

Netflix Reveals Its Fire-Nation From the Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender

Jump to First-Look Photos of: Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai // Paul Sun-Hyung as General/Uncle Iroh // Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula // Ken Leung as Commander Zhao // Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko

First-Look Photo of Daniel Dae Kim of the Villainous Fire Lord Ozai

Fire Lord Ozai is the true villain of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Prince Zuko’s father not only torments and manipulates his son, he’s trying to colonize every other nation in Avatar‘s world. It’s hard to get the look of such a menacing figure right, but Netflix and Daniel Dae Kim nail it. Our live-action Fire Lord Ozai is point perfect to the version that existed in the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender series. We can’t wait to see him in action.

First-Look Photo of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s General/Uncle Iroh

Could there be a more anticipated live-action character than General Iroh? In many ways, Iroh is the heart and soul of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and he is definitely our in to understanding the complexities at the heart of the Fire Nation. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee perfectly brings Iroh to life in our first look image of him in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender Netflix series. The gentle kindness that is necessary for General/Uncle Iroh to have already leaps off the screen. We know that when we finally get to see and hear Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Iroh on our screen, this Netflix live-action version of the beloved character will be just as wise and good as the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated character we already know and love.

First-Look Photo of Elizabeth Yu as Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Princess Azula

In the animated series, Princess Azula doesn’t truly appear until Book Two: Earth, but it looks like Zuko’s bloodthirsty sister will enter the game right from the start in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Azula is not to be trifled with; she’s sharp, literally and figuratively. We can’t wait to see this member of Fire Nation royalty bring everyone around her down to size. And we have to wonder if the arc live-action Azula embarks on in the Netflix series will differ at all from her story in Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s animated form.

First-Look Photo of Ken Leung as Zuko’s Nemesis Commander Zhao

While Fire Lord Ozai is the major villain of Avatar: The Last Airbender, he mostly lurks in the shadows in the early days of the story. And it is Commander Zhao who acts as the villain of the first book or season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Interestingly, Zhao dislikes both Zuko and Team Avatar in equal measures and is a real thorn in the side of all our heroes. Zhao needs to bring a certain irritating factor from animation to live-action, along with a deep well of cruelty and ruthlessness, and a touch of cowardice. We bet Ken Leung has what it takes. We can’t wait to see the live-action version of Zhao go toe to toe with Zuko, falter in the face of Iroh, and generally annoy us to no end.

Our Latest Look at Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko

We already got our first-look at Prince Zuko in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, but one look is never enough. In this new image of Zuko, the Fire Nation prince looks a little lost and vulnerable, which is the Zuko way. His banishment hair-do is out in force, but we can wait to see him evolve into the hero we know he is.

For more on Prince Zuko and how he brings to life the best anti-hero journey around, make sure to check out the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode on Nerdist‘s podcast, Laser Focus.

More About Netflix’s Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender Series

We don’t yet have a release date for Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, but we know it will arrive in 2024. The series will run for eight episodes. It will be “a live-action reimagining of the beloved animated series following Aang, the young Avatar, as he learns to master the four elements (Water, Earth, Fire and Air) to restore balance to a world threatened by the terrifying Fire Nation.”

The post Welcome the Fire Nation in First-Look Photos from AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Live-Action Series, Including Iroh and Azula appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been a busy time for Netflix’s live-action anime adaptations. The platform is working on its highly-anticipated live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, it brought to life a live-action One Piece series, and it gave us an, unfortunately canceled, live-action Cowboy Bebop show. We even recently heard that Netflix is teaming with Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, for a live-action series adapting the anime Death Note. On top of this impressive list, Netflix has also revealed more exciting news about its adaptation of the anime Yu Yu Hakusho. Here’s what we know about Netlfix’s live-action Yu Yu Hakusho adaptation so far.

The Cast of Netflix’s Live-Action Yu Yu Hakusho and First-Look Photos From the Series

First up, we have the cast of Yu Yu Hakusho. Yu Yu Hakusho centers on Yusuke Urameshi, Takumi Kitamura will play this lead role. Netflix has also shared the casting for fan-favorite character Kurama. Jun Shison will play the fox demon. Finally, Kanata Hongo will play the character of Hiei.

Additionally, Netflix has revealed that Shuhei Uesugi will play Kazuma Kuwabara.

Kazuma Kuwabara will be played by Shuhei Uesugi #yuyuhakusho pic.twitter.com/iqgrWzOTrc

— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) July 19, 2022

We also have a first-look photo from the actual series itself.

It’s just a brief glimpse from a trailer for Netflix’s Geeked Week, but it does get us excited to dive into the world of the show.

More About the Netflix Series

As fans of the series know, Yu Yu Hakusho tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi. Yusuke Urameshi begins the tale as a troubled high school student who dies performing a good deed. He then finds himself with neither a place in heaven nor hell. After being revived and passing a test, he transforms into an “Underworld Detective” who investigates cases involving demons. According to Netflix, Yusuke Urameshi “becomes entwined in a mystery that envelopes the human, demon and spirit worlds.” All elements we can expect to see in the upcoming live-action series adaptation of the anime.

In a release, Yu Yu Hakusho‘s director Sho Tsukikawa further shares, “When I first heard about Yu Yu Hakusho receiving a live-action adaptation, I honestly wondered if it would even be possible—but after being presented with the producer’s vision and possibilities with Netflix, my expectations grew, and I found myself burning with passion to make this project come to life.” That certainly sounds promising for fans of the anime.

Live-Action Yu Yu Hakusho‘s Release Date

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho will premiere on December 14, 2023. We can’t wait to see Yusuke Urameshi take on demons in this anime adaptation whenever it arrives.

Originally published on July 19, 2022.

The post Netflix’s YU YU HAKUSHO Live-Action Adaptation Will Premiere in December appeared first on Nerdist.

What are trading cards if not vast collections of art pieces you collect? Whenever fans clamor to know about new Pokémon joining the franchise, they’re really hoping to see new artwork revealed. And so, it only makes sense for Pokémon to engage with other famous artists. This time, Pokémon is collaborating with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This partnership brings Van Gogh’s art style to a Pokémon exhibit that celebrates some of our favorite creatures of all. And it even gives Pokémon Masters a chance to collect a new rare promo card, “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat.” However, there have been some changes in how you can acquire the card and some overall evolutions in the collaboration since its initial release. Here’s the latest news on what’s going on with this Van Gogh and Pokémon meeting of the minds.

Jump to: The Permanent Pokémon x Van Gogh Collection // The Van Gogh Pikachu Promo Card // Can You Get the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online? // Exhibit Information // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise From The Pokémon Center // Every Item in the Collection // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise at the Museum // When Will the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Go Live?

Pokémon at the Van Gogh Museum’s Permanent Collection

A release from the Van Gogh Museum shares more about this gorgeous partnership. It notes, “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum, Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum have launched an official collaboration aimed at introducing new audiences to the work of Vincent van Gogh.” And that feels like a very worthy cause to us. If Pokémon can get more people into a museum and get them thinking about what art means, well, that’s excellent.

Click To View Gallery

The Van Gogh Museum has teased several pieces from its Pokémon art exhibit, but there will be a total of six. The museum notes, “Several of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous works from the permanent collection of the Van Gogh Museum served as inspiration for six paintings made by artists from The Pokémon Company.” Right now, we get to see “Pikachu in a work inspired by Self-portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887), the Pokémon Sunflora is hidden in a variant of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers (1889), and you can find Snorlax and Munchlax relaxing in a work inspired by The Bedroom (1888).” Additionally, Eevee features in another self-portrait-inspired work. And we think we spy some Honchkrow and Corviknight flapping around in a piece reminiscent of Wheatfield with Crows.

How to Get the New Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Promo Card

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pokémon event without a new card to take home. Initially, fans visiting the exhibit at the Van Gogh Museum could catch a new Pikachu TCG card inspired by the artist. But unfortunately, this promo Pokémon card is no longer available in person at the Van Gogh Museum.

The museum shares, “The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company International take the safety and security of visitors and staff very seriously. Recently, a small group of individuals has created an undesirable situation that has led us to take the difficult decision to remove the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card from the museum. In this way, visitors will be able to experience this special collection of Pokémon paintings and the rest of the museum in a safe and enjoyable manner.”

However, this doesn’t mean the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card is gone forever. The Van Gogh Museum further notes how you can get the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card. It offers, “Pokémon will also reintroduce the promo card in participating retailers in the Netherlands early next year. It will not be available via the Van Gogh Museum.”

Can You Buy the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online?

Of course, not everyone can visit the Netherlands. And this ultimately leaves fans with one important question, is the Van Gogh promo Pokémon card, “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat,” available online?

Yes, appears to be the answer; you can get “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” via online purchasing, making it more available to everyone. However, when fans will be able to get their hands on the promo Pikachu isn’t yet clear. The Van Gogh Museum reveals that “Fans shopping at Pokémon Center (United Kingdom, United States and Canada) will soon receive another opportunity to obtain the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo card. Pokémon will give additional updates through its official email and social media channels.”

Meanwhile, The Pokémon Company itself has also given an update on the situation. The full text of its post reads, “Fans shopping at Pokémon Center will soon receive another opportunity to obtain the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo card. Trainers will receive one “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo card with a Pokémon Center order containing Pokémon Trading Card Game products, while supplies last (minimum purchase of $30 in qualifying Pokémon TCG items required, limited to one promo card per order).” Hopefully, allowing fans to receive a Van Gogh Pokémon card with any qualifying purchase will remove some of the pressure from the situation.

These updates come after The Pokémon Center almost immediately sold out of all of its Van Gogh-related merchandise at the time of their initial release. At that point, only a purchase of Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum merchandise came with the special Pikachu card. However, many were not able to get the Pokémon promo card because of the speedy sell-out.

Of note, merchandise purchased from The Van Gogh Museum’s online shop will not come with a promo Pikachu.

How Many Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Cards Can You Recieve Online?

Originally, each eligible Pokémon Center × Van Gogh Museum item purchased came with a Pikachu promo card. And that meant that if you bought two items from the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum collection, you would receive two promo cards as a gift.

However, although more items will now be eligible to get you a Van Gogh Pikachu card, fans can only receive one promo Pokémon card per order. If you’d like more than one Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat card then you’ll need to make separate orders totaling $30 and above.

When Will Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat Be Available Online?

All we know for now is that fans will get another opportunity to get the Van Gogh Pokémon card “soon.” There is no specific information on an exact release date for the promo card.

Jump to: The Permanent Pokémon x Van Gogh Collection // The Van Gogh Pikachu Promo Card // Can You Get the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online? // Exhibit Information // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise From The Pokémon Center // Every Item in the Collection // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Available at the Museum // When Will the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Go Live?

Other Exhibit Information: Timing and More

The Pokémon and Van Gogh Museum collaboration begins on September 28 and runs through January 7, 2024. In addition to the above, the museum will also have a ‘How to Draw Pikachu’ video-guided activity and online learning material.

What Van Gogh Pokémon Merchandise Was Available to Buy?

Of course, “The Van Gogh Museum Shop (inside the museum and online) and The Pokémon Centre online store featured an exclusive range of Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum merchandise featuring the art of the collaboration.” We expected nothing less.

Attendees of the Van Gogh Museum have shared some looks at what was initally available to purchase. However, as discussed above, it looks like items that went on sale via The Pokémon Center have sold out. We hope they will see a restock.

Here's an in-person look at the Van Gogh Pokemon merchandise including card sleeves, playmats, puzzles and more!

📸: @thewossy pic.twitter.com/BVwL2llHw2

— Pokemon TCG Restocks & News (@PokemonRestocks) September 27, 2023

A release from The Pokémon Company also noted, “The Pokémon Center online store will feature an exclusive range of ‘Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum’ merchandise featuring the art from the collaboration. Items available include a special Vincent Van Gogh inspired Pikachu Plush, Trading Card Game sleeves, Van Gogh-inspired figures of Pikachu and Eevee, Poster Prints, a Jigsaw Puzzle and more.”

But here’s a closer look at some of the items you can buy if The Pokémon Center restocks this line; we do hope we can catch ’em all!

Click To View Gallery

Every Item in The Pokémon Center’s Van Gogh Collection

A full listing of every Van Gogh Pokémon item you can buy, should they be restocked, is available here. You can also see the listing in the image below.

Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Available at the Museum

Additional exclusive merchandise will be available at The Van Gogh Museum’s online shop, but as noted above, buying Pokémon merchandise from this site will not come with a “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” card. The Van Gogh Museum notes it will allow one piece per product per customer; products are subject to availability.

At one point, a “Van Gogh Giclée, Pikachu”—a “high-resolution fine art reproduction” of Pikachu was available for purchase alongside high-end prints of the Van Gogh versions of Eevee, Smeargle, Sunflora, Snorlax & Munchlax, and Corviknight & Honchkrow. However, currently, the page for “Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum” is empty.

When Will the Pokémon Center × Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Be Available to Buy?

The first round of The Pokémon Center x Van Gogh merchandise went up on September 29. But it sold out almost immediately. As mentioned, hopefully, there will be a restock of items.

The Van Gogh Museum has not yet released timing for the online items it plans to sell.

Jump to: The Permanent Pokémon x Van Gogh Collection // The Van Gogh Pikachu Promo Card // Can You Get the Van Gogh Pikachu Pokémon Card Online? // Exhibit Information // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise From The Pokémon Center // Every Item in the Collection // Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Available at the Museum // When Will the Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Merchandise Go Live?

More information and FAQ about this artistic meeting of the minds can be found here. We’ll see you in Amsterdam.

Originally published on September 27, 2023

The post POKÉMON Van Gogh Collaboration Reveals New Promo Card and Museum Adventures appeared first on Nerdist.

October is always full of excitement. This week, Netflix released The Fall of the House of Usher and gifted us with some truly gory deaths, McDonald’s revealed its latest Boo Buckets to the world, and A24’s The Iron Claw shared its trailer to the world. But that’s not all that took place. Plenty of other exciting happenings revealed themselves, and we wouldn’t want them to get lost in the shuffle.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends that you don’t want to miss reading about.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News

Jump to:

• New Digimon Adventure 02 Movie Heads to Theaters
• One Piece‘s Showrunner Reveals He’s Writing Doctor Kureha for Jamie Lee Curtis and Other Season Two Teases
• Ian McKellen Told Patrick Stewart NOT to Do Star Trek
• Ghostface Is Here to Cause Halloween Mayhem in Youtooz Line
• Netflix Has Renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for Season Two (But Canceled Vikings: Valhalla)
• Girl Scouts Have Discontinued Popular 2022 Flavor, Raspberry Rally
• Go Camping with Pokémon in Adorable New Live-Action Hybrid Series
• D&D Beyond Wants to Make Gameplay Easier with Maps Tool
• Mickey and Friends Celebrate Avengers and X-Men‘s 60th Anniversary with Disney What If? Variant Covers
• Gaming Highlights: Slimmer PS5 Coming for the Holidays, Logitech Shares Cool Star Wars Gear

New Digimon Adventure 02 Movie Heads to Theaters

Feeling nostalgic for Saturday morning cartoons of yore? Us too. That’s why we were excited to hear about a new Digimon Adventure 02 movie coming soon to theaters. A release shares more about Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning:

This November the DigiDestined are back in theaters with a brand new movie.  Toei Animation and Fathom Events revealed today details for the U.S. theatrical release of “Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning” as a two-day event on November 8 & 9. It is present day and the chosen children from “Digimon Adventure 02” have returned with all new adventures — but now they’re 20 year old young adults! 

If Kari, T.K., and Ken are among some of your favorite Digimon characters ever, like they are mine, then you’re in luck. You can snag tickets from Fathom Events. The film will screen in both the English dub (November 8) and in Japanese with English subtitles (November 9). Additionally, “the first 50 guests to arrive at each night’s screening will receive a complimentary Digimon Card Game Tamer Party Pack -THE BEGINNING- ver. 2.0, which includes 3 out of 14 possible cards from the new Digimon Card Game deck commemorating the film (first come, first served). Lucky recipients will be among the first fans in the U.S. to own these new “Digimon Adventure 02 The Beginning” themed cards before they are released to the general public in December.”

Sounds like some throwback fun to us. A synopsis for the new Digimon movie further shares:

It’s 2012, and ten years have passed since the adventure in the Digital World. Daisuke Motomiya is now twenty, and he and the rest of the DigiDestined seem to be changing bit by bit in terms of appearance and lifestyle. Then one day, a giant Digitama suddenly appears in the sky over Tokyo Tower. Daisuke and the others encounter a mysterious young man named Lui Ohwada, who informs them that he’s the first ever DigiDestined in the world…

For even more nostalgia, check out our Power Rangers throwback, here:

One Piece‘s Showrunner Reveals He’s Writing Doctor Kureha for Jamie Lee Curtis and Other Season Two Teases

Netflix’s One Piece defied the anime adaptation curse to become a much-beloved piece of the long-running franchise. Happily, Netflix green-lit season two of the show, and with the conclusion of the WGA strike, we can now hear more about it. Speaking to Deadline, One Piece co-showrunner Matt Owens discussed one of the most eagerly anticipated season two castings. For a while now, buzz has been circulating about Jamie Lee Curtis joining the live-action One Piece adaptation as Doctor Kureha. And it turns out, it’s more than just buzz.

Owens notes, “Doctor Kureha, very luckily, is a character who is coming up in our story, and is someone who is perfect for Jamie Lee Curtis.” And further adds, “After she won her Oscar, the writers’ room sent her a figure of Doctor Kureha with a nice note that said, ‘Congratulations on your statue, here’s another one to put next to it. Hope to speak to you soon.’ When she reposted that, it got a lot of fan interest, and I commented on it. We’re trying to manifest it.” Of course, with the current SAG-AFTRA strike still in play, no official casting can be confirmed. However, Owens shares of the writers’ room, “We’re writing for her — we really, really want her to come and play with us in Season 2.” Fingers crossed!

In a Reddit AMA, Owens further noted that he’d love to see live-action spinoffs, especially on starring a Young Mihawk, that One Piece’s Lougetown arc remains upcoming in the live-action, and that he can’t wait to adapt Law and Carrot.

Learn how to watch One Piece without filler episodes, here:

Ian McKellen Told Patrick Stewart NOT to Do Star Trek

In a different timeline on the multiverse, beloved actor Sir Ian McKellen almost destroyed the universe. Well, not exactly, but he may have convinced Sir Patrick Stewart not to go forward with Star Trek, thus denying us Stewart’s rendition of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Patrick Stewart’s memoir, Making It So, has given us many fun and fascinating tidbits about the actor’s journey. But recently, via Insider, we learned Ian McKellen urged Patrick Stewart not to sign on to Star Trek. Stewart reveals in his book, “When I told him I was going to sign the contract, he almost bodily prevented me from doing so… ‘No!’ he said. ‘No, you must not do that. You must not. You have too much important theater work to do. You can’t throw that away to do TV. You can’t. No!'”

It was an impassioned plea, but Stewart followed his gut. He writes, “There are few people, particularly with regard to acting, whose counsel I trust more than Ian’s… But this time, I had to tell him that I felt theater would return to my life whenever I was ready for it, whereas an offer of the lead role in an American TV series might never come again.”

Happily, Stewart says, “Ian has acknowledged that he was wrong and I was right… More than once, in fact – primarily because I like making him say those words.” What a delightful friendship and conclusion to this tale.

Check out more stories from Patrick Stewart’s memoir, here:

Ghostface Is Here to Cause Halloween Mayhem in Youtooz Line

You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ghostface. Who doesn’t love the ever-changing masked menace? As we wait for Scream 7, and whatever new kills and frights it will bring, you can take Ghostface home for yourself. On Friday the 13th, Youtooz will release three, dare we say, adorable Ghostfaces that we can add to our collections. They are classic Ghostface, Aged Ghostface, an Entertainment Earth Exclusive, and Glow in the Dark Ghostface, also an Entertainment Earth Exclusive.

You can check out the full Ghostface collection on Youtooz’s website.

Enjoy other Youtooz shenanigans, here:

Netflix Has Renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for Season Two (But Canceled Vikings: Valhalla)

Fans of Netflix’s gorgeous Castlevania series and its spinoffs can rejoice. Netflix has renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for another season. The Castlevania series follows Richter Belmont, weaving “a never before seen origin story” for the Belmont descendent and tells the tale of vampires in the French Revolution.

Its beautiful first season is now available to stream on Netflix. And we can’t wait to see what exquisitely intense tales Castlevania: Nocturne season two will reveal.

Sadly, it’s not all good news for spinoffs. Netflix has canceled Vikings: Valhalla after three seasons. Vikings: Valhalla existed as a sequel series to History’s much-watched drama Vikings, and fans will be sad to see it go. The third and now final season of Vikings: Valhalla, however, has not yet aired. The Vikings spinoff will arrive on Netflix in 2024. Hopefully, the season will bring the show to a fulfilling close.

Catch up with season one of Castlevania: Nocturne, here:

Jump to:

• One Piece‘s Showrunner Reveals He’s Writing Doctor Kureha for Jamie Lee Curtis and Other Season Two Teases
• Ian McKellen Told Patrick Stewart NOT to Do Star Trek
• Ghostface Is Here to Cause Halloween Mayhem in Youtooz Line
• Netflix Has Renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for Season Two (But Canceled Vikings: Valhalla)
• Girl Scouts Have Discontinued Popular 2022 Flavor, Raspberry Rally
• Go Camping with Pokémon in Adorable New Live-Action Hybrid Series
• D&D Beyond Wants to Make Gameplay Easier with Maps Tool
• Mickey and Friends Celebrate Avengers and X-Men‘s 60th Anniversary with Disney What If? Variant Covers
• New Digimon Adventure 02 Movie Heads to Theaters
• Gaming Highlights: Slimmer PS5 Coming for the Holidays, Logitech Shares Cool Star Wars Gear

Girl Scouts Have Discontinued Popular 2022 Flavor, Raspberry Rally

Cancellations are really everywhere. As if it weren’t enough that TV shows get canceled, now the Girl Scouts are canceling cookie flavors. We learned via Food & Wine that the Girl Scouts of the USA announced that they have discontinued 2022’s hit flavor Rasberry Rally. Rasberry Rally, a chocolate-coated Raspberry cookie, became an instant hit. The cookies sold out almost everywhere. I personally never got to try one. And now it seems they will not return. A Girl Scout representative offered the following statement, “Last year, Raspberry Rally cookies were introduced as part of a pilot online-only sales strategy… While Raspberry Rally was extremely popular last year, we are taking a pause this season to prioritize supplying our classic varieties.”

We guess Thin Mints couldn’t take the competition. But happily, many Girl Scouts cookies will return to us shortly. The next season of cookie-selling begins in January.

Learn how else you can enjoy Girl Scout Cookies, here:

Go Camping with Pokémon in Adorable New Live-Action Hybrid Series

Need something soothing for your soul? How about a live-action/CGI hybrid web series starring Pokémon nomming on delicious-looking desserts as they prepare to go camping? In all honesty, we have no notes. We could watch this Pokémon series all day. Camping with Pokémon will run for three episodes, but that doesn’t feel like nearly enough.

Next, we hope to see Pokémon telling scary stories around their Charmeleon campfire; maybe they can be joined by some ghost Pokémon for the occasion. And we also hope one day we can go camping with Pokémon ourselves.

We also want to give an honorable mention to Pokémon‘s Dream Plush collection. Could anything be cuter than soft, napping Pokémon plushes?

Indulge in more adorable Pokémon fun, here:

D&D Beyond Wants to Make Gameplay Easier with Maps Tool

Playing Dungeons and Dragons can feel intimidating. After all, there’s a lot to plot and execute in order to create an amazing campaign. But D&D Beyond has introduced a new tool that aims to help simplify gameplay prep and get players going.

D&D Beyond shares:

Prep less, play more. That’s our guiding star for Maps, the latest tool for D&D Beyond. Whether you play online or in person, we want Maps to offer a quick and easy way for DMs to connect with players and launch their adventures on D&D Beyond. 

With Maps, you can pull official maps and monster tokens from your D&D Beyond digital library to play with. You can also upload your own maps, drop in player tokens, and apply a fog of war. When you’re ready to play, you can invite players who have a free or upgraded D&D Beyond account into the shared play space. The Game Log will help you keep track of dice rolls on the fly. 

The Maps tool is still on the first step of its journey. So stay tuned for more updates.

You can now introduce Baldur’s Gate 3 characters into your D&D campaign. Check out our article about it, here:

Mickey and Friends Celebrate Avengers and X-Men‘s 60th Anniversary with Disney What If? Variant Covers

We love a good crossover, especially one that involves our favorite franchises. In celebration of the 60^th anniversary of two all-star Marvel teams, the Avengers and the X-Men, Marvel Comics will release 12 Disney100 Variant Covers that bring Disney and Marvel even closer together. These fun Disney What If? covers will see “Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and more take over milestone moments in both Avengers and X-Men history.” That’s what we call iconic. This “monthly variant cover program [adorn] select issues of Amazing Spider-Man.” The covers will also be available in black and white.

Click To View Gallery

A release further shares, “The first trio of covers kicks things off in the Silver Age with a spin on the Avengers and X-Men’s very first appearances in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original Avengers #1 and X-Men #1 from 1963. Both homages also feature Peg Leg Pete as the group’s respective archenemies–Loki and Magneto! Then, Mickey and friends assemble for a turning point for the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Avengers #16, which saw Captain America lead a brand-new Avengers roster that included new recruits like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver!” That Peg Leg Pete is always causing trouble.

To get your hands on these Disney What If? variant covers, check in with your local comic shop or keep an eye on Marvel’s website. The first three covers will go on sale on January 3, February 14, and March 6, 2023.

Learn more about the Avengers and X-Men’s Marvel Comics anniversary, here:

Gaming Highlights: Slimmer PS5 Coming for the Holidays, Logitech Shares Cool Star Wars Gear

The PS5 is getting a whole new look for the holidays, kind of. It doesn’t look that much different to me, but it is slimmer. According to PlayStation’s official blog, the PS5 has “been reduced in volume by more than 30%, and weight by 18% and 24% compared to the previous models.” That does feel significant, even if it doesn’t necessarily look it. This new PS5 model also comes with “an attachable Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive and a 1TB SSD for more internal storage.” Nice. The updated PS5 will completely replace older models over time. Its rollout begins in November. In the US, a PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive is projected to cost $499.99, while a PS5 Digital Edition will cost 449.99 USD.

Meanwhile, Logitech G wants you to game in style with a new gaming mouse and mouse pads that celebrate Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. We especially love the mouse, which, among other excellent utilities, offers “custom Millennium Falcon-inspired thruster animations and graphics with 8-LED full-spectrum RGB lighting.” Plus, it just looks really cool. And it really ought to because it will cost you $159.99. Steep, but fabulous.

The Battle of Endor and Darth Vader editions of the Logitech G840 XL Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad will only set you back $49.99 each.

Game in style, we must!

Check out more on PlayStation’s latest updates, here:

The post ONE PIECE Eyes Jamie Lee Curtis, Girl Scouts Discontinue Cookie Flavor, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been a bit of a wild west in the streaming world recently. Streamers have been canceling shows and movies left and right, even ones that are ready to go. In the world of HBO Max, animated shows got hit extra hard, though live-action series weren’t exempt from the culling either. This is why we’ll take good news where we can get it. After a cancellation at HBO Max, J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm’s Batman: Caped Crusader series has found a new home at Amazon. In addition, the streamer will also bring to life an original Batman animated film called Merry Little Batman and a spinoff series called Bat-Family.

And, even more exciting, per The Hollywood Reporter, the Batman: Caped Crusader series has received a two-season order, ensuring we’ll get a ton of the Caped Crusader to enjoy. There are certainly some powerful minds working on the show. Ed Brubaker is even on the creative team. So we can imagine it will turn out pretty well.

Merry Little Batman Reveals Plot Synopsis and Release Date

Merry Little Batman will be the first Batman piece to hit Amazon’s Prime Video. This family action-comedy follows Damian Wayne becoming “Little Batman” to defend against villainous rogues who wish to ruin the holidays. A new Merry Little Batman synopsis reveals more about its plot, it shares:

Merry Little Batman is an animated family action comedy destined to join the rogue’s gallery of classic holiday movies. When young Damian Wayne finds himself alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he must transform into “Little Batman” in order to defend his home and Gotham City from the crooks and supervillains intent on destroying the holidays.

Additionally, Prime Video has revealed Merry Little Batman‘s release date. Unsuprisingly this holiday twist on Batman will arrive just in time for some merriment. Merry Little Man releases on Prime Video on December 8.

The movie is “produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC.” Merry Little Batman features the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby.

More About Amazon’s Batman Plans

We don’t know too much yet about the other Batman series coing to Amazon. Presently, the only information shared is that Bat-Family follows Batman, Alfred, and young Damian Wayne as they navigate being a super family. 

Sam Register, president, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, shares “We are excited to partner with Amazon to begin an all-new animated chapter of Batman. From the cinematic noir storytelling of Batman: Caped Crusader to the comedic adventures of Merry Little Batman and Bat-Family, these new projects ensure that there will be an animated Batman story ready to excite fans of all ages.”

As DC consolidates its on-screen universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran, it’s interesting to see some of its Elseworlds projects end up outside the main Warner Bros. Discovery hubs. Whether that’s a good move or not is yet to be determined.

Originally published on March 9, 2023.

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It looks like we’d better get ready for one more heist. A new Ocean’s 11 movie is in development and it has an excellent team behind it. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Margot Robbie “will star and produce a new Ocean’s movie that will be helmed by Jay Roach.” Robbie and Roach previously worked together on the movie Bombshell which earned Robbie a best-supporting actress Oscar nomination. Additionally, this movie will see Barbie and Ken reunite as Ryan Gosling joins the cast.

The Ocean’s 11 prequel producer Josey McNamara of LuckyChap Entertainment noted to GamesRadar, “They’re [Robbie and Gosling] wonderful together. The more projects even outside of that we can have them do would be amazing.” But otherwise, McNamara couldn’t share much about the film.

We do know that Carrie Solomon will pen the script. But otherwise have received few other details on what this Margot Robbie-led Ocean’s 11 prequel movie would look like. But The Hollywood Reporter shared “it is known to be an original Ocean’s 11 that is set in Europe in the 1960s.”

A little old-school glamor for Robbie, perhaps? Though we don’t know exactly what will go down in the movie, we’re excited to see Robbie front and center. While it feels unlikely another fully woman-oriented adventure like Ocean’s Eight will come our way, we hope to see Robbie’s character very much in charge in this new movie. Ostensibly, regardless of the details, she’ll lead a new team of sarcastic criminals as they pull off impossible odds with good humor and lots of style. We can’t wait to learn who else comes on board alongside Robbie and Gosling. If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s Ocean’s movies bringing a lot of fun to the table.

In the meantime, we can go back and appreciate what we already. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s turn in the Barbie movie truly captivated us. If there’s anyone who can seamlessly transition from playing a famous doll to becoming a master thief, it’s Robbie. May we be so bold as to suggest an eventual crossover?

Originally published May 19, 2022.

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Pokémon came into our lives over 25 years ago, and in that time, it has become, in many ways, real. From video games to anime, from iconic trading cards to even VR options, the franchise has embedded itself deeply into many people’s lives. But all this raises the question, what if Pokémon were, in fact, real? It feels like the last horizon the series hasn’t conquered. And while we do feel glad about that, we do not need actual Pokémon running around in the world, it’s still fun to imagine what realistic Pokémon would actually look like. Happily, the incredibly talented Joshua Dunlop is ready to help us out with some unique visuals. Dunlop recently completed his collection of realistic Generation 1 Pokémon artworks and is now turning them into an art book via Kickstarter. Let’s take a look at the most unique Pokémon evolutions of all—the real-world-volutions.

Since 2016, Dunlop has challenged himself to create realistic artworks of all 151 Generation 1 Pokémon. This project is Pokémon Zoology. The pieces involved, he shares, aim to “evoke a sense of nostalgia and bring a new perspective to the Pokémon that started it all.” And they certainly do! With the 151 pieces of realistic Pokémon art now completed, Dunlop is ready to bring them all together and create an exciting offering for Pokémon fans everywhere. From Dragonair to Bulbasaur and everyone in between, you can see some of our favorite Pokémon below as they make the leap into the real world.

This Realistic Pokémon Art Brings Fantasy and Science Together

Click To View Gallery

Of course, these pieces of realistic Pokémon art do not just spring from Dunlop’s imagination. Dunlop notes that his work “encapsulates the spirit of the beloved Pokémon while grounding them in real-world biology. No detail has been overlooked in these intricate depictions, from feather textures to scale patterns. The accurate anatomy provides a fresh perspective on even the most familiar species like Pikachu and Charizard.” Ultimately, the project “bridges imagination and science in a visually striking package, perfect for Pokémon devotees, biology buffs, artists, and teachers!

The Pokémon Zoology Art Book Kickstarter

And that brings us to the Pokémon Zoology Art Book Kickstarter. To bring this book to life requires a group effort. But luckily, Pokémon Trainers are everywhere. Dunlop is hoping to raise $12,077 or £10,000 to give his realistic Pokémon the home they deserve. Happily, at the time of this writing, the Pokémon art book Kickstarter has been fully backed and has made over twice the amount it was looking to earn.

In exchange for pledging, backers will receive rewards digital and physical copies of the artbook, postcards, prints, and more. The Kickstarter will run until the 30th of October. You can keep up to date on Dunlop’s art and Kickstarter via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and ArtStation.

If you’re on the fence about pledging for this Pokémon book, just take a look into the eyes of Dunlop’s realistic Pikachu. How can you say no to that face?

Originally published on October 3, 2023.

The post Zoology Meets POKÉMON in This Beautiful Art Book appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been 12 years since we last saw the Monk series grace our screens. The mystery dramedy ran on USA from 2002-2009. And yes, 2009 was 12 years ago and not just yesterday. Don’t even get us started on 2002. Monk was an early entry in the USA Network’s heyday, which involved shows like Psych, White Collar, Suits, Burn Notice, and more. And like all good things from the increasingly distant past, Monk has now received a new lease on life, this time in the form of a reunion movie that will air on Peacock. Happily, this Monk Movie finally has a release date and some first-look photos. The movie title mentions Monk’s last case, but we’re not so sure. Here’s our first taste of Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie‘s First-Look Photos

Tony Shalhoub is back as the infamous Mr. Monk. Joining him are Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford, Traylor Howard, Melora Hardin, and Hector Elizondo. You can see our first glimpses of the reunion movie below.

Click To View Gallery

More About This Reunion Movie

The logline for the movie shares, “Monk returns to solve one last, very personal case involving his beloved stepdaughter Molly, a journalist preparing for her wedding.“

And additionally, a note from Monk‘s original creative team, Andy Breckman, David Hoberman, and Randy Zisk, offers:

It’s been twelve years since the world has seen a fresh installment of MONK. The world has changed mightily in those intervening years and MONK 2023 reflects the changing world. 

We’re so delighted to have made a movie version of MONK, and we are thrilled that every one of our stars were so enthusiastic about coming back. But in coming back, we wanted to do a film that was worthy of our legacy. MR MONK’S LAST CASE is a story that is powerful, emotional, funny, heartwarming, and has something to say about the human condition. And it will be both familiar and surprising.

According to an article from Entertainment Weekly, this Monk Movie will touch on the impact of the pandemic and find Monk himself in a dark place and also facing a new foe. But hopefully, we’ll get to see a lof of those funny and heartwarming aspects as well.

As we anticipated, Breckman notes, “‘The End’ was not the end and the ‘Last Case’ we hope is not really the last case… I have an idea for a sequel that I’d love to do, and if the gods smile on this project, I hope we get a chance to continue our journey.”

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie Release Date

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie has now officially set its release date. The Monk Movie will release on December 8. It will stream on Peacock.

The post MR. MONK’S LAST CASE: A MONK MOVIE Sets Release Date and Shares First-Look Images appeared first on Nerdist.

We are so happy to report that The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced an end to its strike on Wednesday 27 at 12:01 a.m. PT. Yes, the writers’ strike is now officially over. This WGA strike lasted 148 days, marking the second-longest strike in the history of the union. But although difficult for all WGA members involved, the writers’ strike was well worth it. The WGA released the details of the deal it struck with the AMPTP, and the gains and protections for writers, as promised, are exceptional. Happily, as of October 9, the WGA membership voted to ratify this deal, and it will last until 2026.

From issues of AI to streaming data to health insurance, the WGA negotiating committee truly held its ground to receive a deal that meets the needs of its members. The WGA achieved agreement on many points that at one time seemed like an impossibility. But through the mechanism of its strike, the WGA managed to win these necessary evolutions, which will benefit writers today and in the future.

✅Minimum room size.
✅Pay increases.
✅AI can't write.
✅Disclosure of streaming numbers w/ residuals to match.
✅Guaranteed 2nd step for screenwriters.
✅Script fees for staff writers.
✅Writing teams get full payment into pension (this is huge for me specifically)

Hell. Yes. https://t.co/j7HPdCe41r

— Jackson Lanzing (@JacksonLanzing) September 27, 2023

For those interested in reviewing the full agreement between the AMPTP and the WGA, the WGA MBA summary has been released here. Here a few parts of note.

The Strike-Ending WGA Agreement on AI, Writers, and Hollywood

The topic of AI has occupied the mind of many a creative in recent history. Although it seems obvious to creators that AI could never replace the mind and passion of thinking humans, this truth appears less obvious to studios and executives. But happily, the WGA was able to successfully curb AI use in Hollywood, at least where writers are concerned.

The WGA agreement summary notes:

We have established regulations for the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) on MBA-covered projects in the following ways:

• AI can’t write or rewrite literary material, and AI-generated material will not be considered source material under the MBA, meaning that AI-generated material can’t be used to undermine a writer’s credit or separated rights. 
• A writer can choose to use AI when performing writing services, if the company consents and provided that the writer follows applicable company policies, but the company can’t require the writer to use AI software (e.g., ChatGPT) when performing writing services. 
• The Company must disclose to the writer if any materials given to the writer have been generated by AI or incorporate AI-generated material.
• The WGA reserves the right to assert that exploitation of writers’ material to train AI is prohibited by MBA or other law.

Basically, AI is out and writers are in. We love to see it.

The WGA Agreement on Streaming Data Transparency

Writers, and many parts of the industry, have felt great frustration over not knowing exactly how their work performs on streaming channels. Of course, not knowing and not getting paid correlate heavily. When it comes to streaming numbers and performance, the WGA’s strike-ending agreement reveals:

The Companies agree to provide the Guild, subject to a confidentiality agreement, the total number of hours streamed, both domestically and internationally, of self-produced high budget streaming programs (e.g., a Netflix original series). The Guild may share information with the membership in aggregated form.

In addition, viewership hours on streaming will factor into bonuses for writers in work created for a High Budget Subscription Video on Demand channels.

The WGA Agreement on Health and Pension Contributions for Writing Teams

It seems wild, but it’s true, that since writing teams were paid together they had to split pension and health contributions. Now, “each writer on a writing team employed for a script will receive pension and health contributions up to the relevant cap as though they were a single writer, rather than splitting the applicable cap.” That, we imagine, is a truly meaningful evolution to those that it affects.

The Writers’ Strike Is Over, What’s Next?

In addition to all of this, many other gains were made in terms of script fees, room sizes, time writers get to spend on a production, and more. When the WGA announced the strike was over on September 27, writers could officially return to work. At the time, the agreement still needed to be ratified.

Happily, as of October 9, 2023, the WGA membership officially voted to ratify the strike-ending contract. Variety shares, “The membership voted 99% in favor of ratification, with 8,435 voting in favor and 90 members opposed.” This new contract will run from September 25, 2023 through May 1, 2026. We commend the writers on all of their hard work and continual efforts to ensure a fair deal for current and future scribes in Hollywood.

While this is great news for writers, the work for unions is not over. SAG-AFTRA remains on strike and has not yet received meaningful acknowledgment from the studios. In fact, a second SAG-AFTRA strike aimed at achieving fair compensation and protections for video game work has been authorized. Members of all unions and non-union members alike should continue to show solidarity and help fight for the good of all. Here are some ideas on how you can help!

Originally published on September 27, 2023.

The post The Writers’ Strike Is Officially Over, WGA Votes to Ratify the Deal appeared first on Nerdist.

One of our favorite creative bakeries, One House Bakery, has made yet another clever sculpture out of bread. Last time, the bakery furnished us with “Pan Solo,” a life-sized version of Han Solo frozen in carbonite made entirely out of, you guessed it, bread. And now, they’re honoring another pop-cultural phenomenon, The Last of Us. One House Bakery has taken some unassuming bread dough and turned it into a terrifying Clicker right out of Max’s adaptation of the popular game. There’s actually some irony in seeing a bread Clicker sculpture because, in The Last of Us live-action series, bread was partially responsible for creating Clickers in the first place.

Still, we’ll put this bread Clicker on our table, right next to the delicious The Last of Us Clicker cake we saw not too long ago. Now we just need a Clicker sculpted out of raisin cookies or pancakes, and we’ll truly have the full set.

All joking aside, this The Last of Us Clicker bread sculpture is incredibly impressive. Although Clickers are obviously horrifying, they represent one of the most intricate stages of being an Infected on The Last of Us. Clickers have gone full zombie enough that they have layers upon layers of fungus growing out of them and forming elaborate patterns. There’s a strange beauty and gracefulness to all those tendrils. And One House Bakery brings every facet of The Last of Us‘ Clickers to life in bread form. Not a crinkle is left uncrinkled and no tooth is left unchipped. It’s really quite a marvel.

The bakery shares more about their bread Clicker in an Instagram post detailing this The Last of Us project. The sculptor, Hannalee Pervan, notes that the bakery made the sculpture completely out of bread dough. And that she and her mom fell in love with The Last of Us and “were immediately obsessed by the beauty and the terror of the clickers and the cordyceps.” Pervan notes, “We have been working for months with dough on our creations and I hope we did the show proud! Come by and say hi to our clicker, Gus…funGus…get it???

FunGus will be available to witness in all his bread majesty throughout the month of October at One House Bakery. We just hope no one tries to eat this bread Clicker… We all saw what happened on The Last of Us.

The post THE LAST OF US Bread Clicker Gives Us Another Reason to Fear Flour appeared first on Nerdist.

Is there a song that more completely captures the spirit of Halloween than The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ “This Is Halloween?” I don’t think so. And it’s hard to believe we’ve been singing about “eyes glowing red” and hailing the pumpkin song for 30 years now. Yes, The Nightmare Before Christmas is officially reaching its third decade of life. And if the arrival of October wasn’t enough to celebrate with a scream, than this auspicious birthday certainly is. As we head into Halloween, and then, into Christmas, you can outfit yourself for the occasion with BoxLunch’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 30th Anniversary collection. We at Nerdist got to take a look at a couple of the items, and they really are a ghoulishly good time.

Our favorite of the bunch is this backpack celebrating Jack’s ghost-dog reindeer, Zero. The description of it shares, “The adorable spectral pup is ready to keep your essentials safe as this Nightmare Before Christmas mini backpack!” And it’s true. This Nightmare Before Christmas bag is the cutest. But it has some Halloween Town tricks up its sleeve. BoxLunch notes this Zero backpack glows in the dark. You might think it would only glow a little, I know I did, but in reality the whole backpack lights up with an eerie glow. It really is delightful—much better than the glow of red eyes coming out from under your bed.

In addition to Zero, BoxLunch’s The Nightmare Before Christmas 30th anniversary collection highlights all of our favorite characters. Jack Skellington, Sally, Scary Teddy, and, of course, the Oogie Boogie, all appear to greet the season and you.

Take a look at some of the highlights below.

Click To View Gallery

You can find the full collection here. We feel like ghouls and ghosts of every age will enjoy this something strange. And we’re wishing a very happy 30th anniversary to The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The post This Is Halloween! Celebrate THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS with BoxLunch appeared first on Nerdist.

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

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

Every Pokémon Squishmallow You Can Catch

The Newest Pokémon Squishmallows: Clefairy and Teddiursa

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

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

There’s no word yet on when Clefairy and Teddiursa Squishmallows will be released, what sizes they’ll come in, or how much they’ll cost.

Holiday Pikachu Pokémon Squishmallow

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

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

The Holiday Pikachu Squishmallow releases in stores on November 5. It comes in a 14-inch version that costs $24.99. Unfortunately, online pre-orders have already sold out.

Winking Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows

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

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

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

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

Togepi and Snorlax Squishmallows

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

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

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

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

The Orignal Pokémon Squishmallows: Pikachu and Gengar

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

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

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

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

Future Pokémon Squishmallow Releases

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

Originally published on September 8, 2023.

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

There’s a lot happening in the entertainment world. The first season of Ahsoka came to a close, the second season of Loki is just beginning, and all kinds of cool creations have made their way into the world. But amidst all of that, there are some other fun (and some not-so-fun) things you should probably know about.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

This Week’s Odds & Ends in News:

• Animal Crossing and LEGO Announce Collaboration
• James Gunn Confirms Peacemaker Season Two Is in His DCU, Currently Writing Season
• Hayao Miyazaki Is Already Working on his Next “Final Movie”
• The Barbie Movie Releases on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 17
• Discovery+ Announces First Price Hike, Raises Cost of Ad-Free Tier
• $400 Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic Collection Comes with Foil Original Starters
• The Boys‘ Spinoff Gen V Creates Its Own In-World Social Network, “V”
• One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy Will Become a Float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
• Dunkin’ Donuts Releases Inflatable Spider Donut Decoration

Animal Crossing and LEGO Announce Collaboration

Get ready to tend to your LEGO garden! Nintendo has officially teased a collaboration between Animal Crossing and LEGO. Both playing Animal Crossing and building LEGO masterpieces are two extremely calming activities, so we can only imagine how much fun they’ll be when they combine. Rumors of a collaboration have been floating for some time, and we can’t wait to see which official sets we’ll receive.

For more soothing LEGO builds, check out the latest LEGO Ideas set.

James Gunn Confirms Peacemaker Season Two Is in His DCU, Currently Writing Season

Rejoice, Peacemaker fans, Peacemaker season two is not only in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, but it is actively being written. A little while ago, Gunn noted Peacemaker season two would be his next project after Superman: Legacy. This news, of course, heavily implied that Peacemaker season two would be in the new DC Universe, but it’s always nice to hear some confirmation. In response to a fan question on Threads that read, “Will season 2 of Peacemaker take place in the new DCU/ new continuity?” Gunn replied, “Yes and Yes.” We saw this news via IGN.

Additionally, James Gunn revealed he is currently writing season two of Peacemaker and he’s “having so much fun.” We can’t wait to hear more about the future of the series.

To see what else is in store for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, check out our article, here:

Hayao Miyazaki Is Already Working on his Next Movie Despite “Final Movie” Buzz

Soon, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest “final movie,” The Boy and the Heron, will release in the United States. This movie was greatly touted as the last work by the animation genius. However, Hayao Miyazaki has announced many “final movies” before. So we were not very surprised to read that The Boy and the Heron would most likely not hold the title of the last Miyazaki movie.

French publication Libération recently spoke to Studio Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki. And Suzuki said, “He’s constantly thinking about his next project. I can’t stop him, in fact, I’ve given up. Suzuki adds, “He started talking about a new project, so I’m not stopping him. As long as he’s working, I won’t be able to retire.”

This fits in with news that came from the Toronto International Film Festival. Studio Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka noted to the CBC, “Other people say that this might be his last film, but he doesn’t feel that way at all… He is currently working on ideas for a new film. He comes into his office every day and does that. This time, he’s not going to announce his retirement at all. He’s continuing working just as he has always done.”

To this, we say, bring on the next Miyazaki movie.

You can watch the trailer for Studio Ghibli’s latest movie, The Boy and the Heron, here:

The Barbie Movie Releases on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 17

It is time to say “Hi, Barbie!” once again. After an incredible theatrical run this summer, Barbie headed over to streaming to continue her reign of excellence. But now, she’s driving on back to the physical world. Life in plastic is fantastic! And also life in Blue-ray and DVD. The Barbie movie will release for purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 17. Alongside the movie, purchases of Barbie on physical media will see some special features, six featurettes to be exact. Plus, the 4K UHD, Blu-ray case is so pink and sparkly; how could anyone resist?

To learn more about we thought of the Barbie movie, check out our review, here:

Discovery+ Announces First Price Hike and Raises Cost of Ad-Free Tier, Netflix Rumored to Also See Price Increase

No streaming service is safe right now. From price hikes to ad-tiers to password-sharing crackdowns, streaming is becoming more costly and less welcoming than it used to be. The latest to throw their hat into the fray is Discovery+. Discovery+ recently announced its first price increase ever, focusing on its ad-free tier. In a change that became immediately effective, Discovery+ announced that in the United States, “the price of a new Discovery+ ad-free monthly subscription in the U.S. will increase from $6.99 to $8.99 plus applicable taxes. The ad-lite subscription will not change and remains $4.99/month.” Meanwhile, “Existing subscribers will see their monthly rate increase on their next billing cycle on or after November 2.” As always, the streamer frames the price increase as necessary for continued quality programming.

Elsewhere, The Wall Street Journal reports Netflix is also considering a price hike for its ad-free tier. Seems like basically every streamer wants to push subscribers to ads… Or have them pay the price. Good luck to all subscribers out there.

For more on the latest streamer shenanigans, check out what Disney+ is doing.

$400 Pokemon Trading Card Game Classic Collection Comes with Foil Original Starters

Pokémon Trainers of a certain age will soon be able to get a second chance at owning certain cards they coveted as a child. A brand new Pokémon set titled the Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic collection is on sale, and for $400, it will bring all your Pokémon dreams to life. This collector’s item, which we first saw on GameSpot, includes three 60-card Pokémon decks, comes in snazzy packaging, and promises the three original Pokémon starter cards in foil form. You may not get all the hours you spent hunting for a shiny Charizard back, but you will get the satisfaction of finally having the creature in hand. The Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic collection also features a two-player game board, toolbox case with randomizer, and more.

For even more Pokémon adventures, learn more about the upcoming Pokémon live-action series:

The Boys‘ Spinoff Gen V Creates Its Own In-World Social Network, “V”

Can’t get enough of The Boys‘ spinoff, Gen V? Well, you’re in luck because Gen V and Prime Video have teamed up with gaming browser Opera GX to create a Gen V in-universe social network called V. Obviously, this is a bit of a play on Twitter’s new name—and that’s The Boys‘ universe for you.

A release shares:

Super-powered by Opera GX, V is the new social media arm of the fictional Vought International. V allows users to get to know the supes featured in Gen V, and interact with in-world profiles of their favorite members of The Seven, including characters from The Boys such as Homelander, A-Train, and dozens of other official characters from Gen V and The Boys.

V users can also explore the official in-world  Godolkin University, and catch up with some of its most popular students. Users will be able to keep up with Godolkin University’s latest student rankings as students battle for the top position and the opportunity to join The Seven, as well as access an array of exclusive Gen V content.

V will be continuously updated with new content throughout the season, echoing the hum of a real-world social network.

Sounds like a super fun way to get the most of your Gen V viewing experience. You can learn how to log-on to V, here.

Gen V is now available to watch. Check out our guide to all the new Supes and their powers, here:

One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy Will Become a Float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

You know him, you love him, and now you’ll see him float in a parade. One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy is the latest nerdy character to become a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. On November 23, Luffy will set sail on his latest, biggest adventure yet, down the streets of New York City. The One Piece Monkey D. Luffy balloon will be 43-feet long, 39-feet wide and 50-feet tall. We bet this balloon Luffy eats A LOT. And while he won’t have his typical crew with him, we’re told “he will be led the entire way by his own pirate crew of skilled marchers—all honorary Straw Hats for the day.” We bet they’ll wear straw hats, too, and that’s honestly delightful. It’s truly what Luffy deserves.

It’s been a big year for One Piece as the series made the leap into live-action. Check out why we thought the series was truly successful.

Dunkin’ Donuts Releases Inflatable Spider Donut Decoration

 It’s October, the best month. There are many ways to decorate for the season, but Dunkin’ Donuts wants you to consider a new unique piece of Halloween fun. The coffee chain recently released an inflatable version of their iconic spider donut. No, you can’t eat it, but if this is your favorite Halloween treat, why not take it home?

As the description for the Dunkin’ inflatable spider donut aptly shares, “For everyone that’s ever said “Man, my yard could really use a 6-foot-tall, lit up Inflatable Spider Donut to turn my Halloween decor game up a notch,” this is for you*. 

*It’s also for everyone that’s never said that, too.”

Cheers to that! This fun inflatable is available at the Dunkin’ Shop for $99. Happy pumpkin spice season!

Dunkin’ recently released a line of hard iced coffees and teas. Check out what we know about Dunkin’ Spiked, here.

The post ANIMAL CROSSING Comes to LEGO, Streaming Price Hikes, and More News Odds & Ends appeared first on Nerdist.

It turns out Pokémon‘s latest foray into live-action television is actually more like a fictional biopic of the game itself or the experience of playing the game anyway. The new Pokémon series won’t feature any Pokémon, at least not the way we’ve come to understand Pokémon franchise-related content. There certainly won’t be a grumpy, coffee-swilling, life-size Pikachu wandering about like in Detective Pikachu. And it seems like there won’t be any new Pokémon released in the series, sorry folks. No, instead this new Pokémon live-action TV show will have a meta spin to it. It will focus on a real-life fan who finds comfort in playing her favorite game from childhood, Pokémon Red, as adult life gets hard. Here’s what we know about the upcoming Pokémon TV show, Pocket ni Bōken wo Tsumekonde or “Fill Your Pocket With Adventure.”

Live-Action Pokémon TV Series Shares First Trailer

Honestly, it’s a bit of a strange turn for Pokémon to take. But with Ash’s final episodes behind us and everything starting fresh, we guess the franchise is trying to branch out. We can’t actually begrudge Pokémon too much because the premise of this live-action TV series is honestly incredibly relatable. Who among us has not been bolstered by Pokémon‘s colorful world and easy goal-oriented nature on a tough day?

The first trailer for the live-action Pokémon show really sets the scene for what the series will entail. Take a look below.

The Pokémon Show’s Synopsis

A release shares more about the new Pokémon story and what we see in its trailer. It notes that the series will feature the original Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Green. The protagonist of the live-action show, Madoka, will live in our/the real world, where Pokémon live in game consoles. Modaka was a huge Pokémon game fan as a child. But, of course, she hasn’t touched the games in 20 years when we meet her on the show. She has, however, moved to the big city and realized achieving your dreams isn’t always as easy as it seems. But thankfully, her mom sends her a care package with her old Pokémon games to help her life transform. And then the Pokémon magic begins.

The release notes that this new live-action Pokémon series is “comical and heartwarming content” and “The world’s first ‘Pokémon Human Drama,’ in which the main character grows through Pokémon.” Additionally, it reveals the series “is a human story in which the main character, Madoka Akagi, played by Nanase Nishino, changes her work and her surroundings little by little when she touches Pokémon for the first time in a while.” The new live-action show will also remind us that, “in fact, the Pokémon game contains important lessons for life.”

The Live-Action Pokémon Series’ Release Date

As we said, we honestly have to agree. Pokémon‘s “Fill Your Pocket With Adventure” will release in Japan on October 19. It will stream on  U-NEXT. For now there’s no word of any kind of English language version of this live-action Pokémon show. But hopefully, one will arrive soon. We do love to catch ’em all.

Originally published on August 31, 2023.

The post New POKÉMON Live-Action TV Series Actually a Meta Meditation on Real-Life Game appeared first on Nerdist.

There was more than a little excitement when fans heard that Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan would join the cast of Loki season two. After all, the beloved Indiana Jones and The Goonies actor recently wowed audiences in Everything Everywhere All at Once and fully recaptured all of our hearts. But, in truth, we still don’t know too much about what Loki season two will entail, and that involves details about Ke Huy Quan’s character. Aside from a few glimpses of the actor in Loki‘s trailers, Quan’s role in the series has remained mysterious. But now, we know a little bit more about the character and about how Quan came to be involved in the show. Ke Huy Quan’s Loki character officially has a name and a job at the TVA. Meet OB.

Meet Loki‘s O.B.

Entertainment Weekly revealed the news of Quan’s character. It notes that OB is a “quirky repair guy” in Loki season two. And that OB inhabits the “deepest bowels of the TVA.” He “works in the repairs and advancement department, and his office is stuffed in the basement, a sprawling mishmash of gadgets and gizmos.”

Co-executive producer Kevin Wright shared more about the Loki character, noting that Ke Huy Quan’s OB has his hands in many parts of the TVA. Wright said, “His job is basically every piece of tech, every computer, every thing that is running at the TVA… He either designed it, or he fixes it and keeps it running.” As Barbie‘s Ken might conclude, OB’s job is technology.

We know from trailers that Loki and Mobius will come to seek OB’s help with Loki’s seemingly uncontrollable time-slipping. But whether OB will play a big role in the MCU show or the MCU going forward remains unknown. It’s also unclear if OB has any roots in Marvel Comics or is simply an original MCU character. IGN revealed that O.B.’s full name is Ouroboros. The Ouroboros, of course, is a mythological creature that represents the infinite nature of time. And the name is referenced a few times in Marvel’s history—but its direct analog is not yet clear. But given that Loki plays with mythology, time, and Marvel lore, there’s likely more to Ke Huy Quan’s Loki character than appears.

Ke Huy Quan Wanted to Nod to The Goonies in Loki

Loki‘s costume designer Christine Wada recently shared a little bit about dressing O.B. According to ComicBook, she shared that Ke Huy Quan wanted to give a nod to his The Goonies character Data in his Loki look. Wada shared, “It was really fun because he talked about, well, the first fittings, or maybe it was a phone call, he talked about patches because Data had patches and he was like, ‘What about patches? It’d be so fun.’ And it was really, but then it quickly just became OB. Now just he brings so much, I mean, you could put him in a paper bag and he would bring life to it.”

We love hearing about this Easter egg.

How Ke Huy Quan Became a Part of the MCU’s Loki

One thing is for sure, the MCU likely wouldn’t have cast Ke Huy Quan so specifically if the Loki role didn’t merit it. Wright shares, “I think Kevin Feige made a call maybe April 12, just to follow up and say, ‘Please, please do this.'” In an interview with Variety, Write expands on the story offering, “We pitched him the show and this character. We shared that introduction scene with him and maybe the full script. And then we called in the big guns that Monday; Kevin Feige got on the phone with him and said, “Ke, I know you read the script. I know you talked to the guys. We really think you should do this. I really want you to join the Marvel family.”

Everything Everywhere All at Once, of course, premiered in theaters on April 8. Entertainment Weekly notes that Marvel casting director Sarah Halley Finn initially suggested Quan for Loki based on an early screening she saw of the movie. Write shares that she told the Marvel team, “I think you guys should meet with him quick, because probably by Monday, he’s going to have a lot of offers for different things.” But it was an excellent offer for all because, as Wright concludes to Entertainment Weekly, “Ke is apparently already a giant Marvel fan and was a big fan of Loki season 1.” We love a happy ending.

We can’t wait to see more of Ke Huy Quan as OB when Loki season two releases on October 6. The series will stream on Disney+.

Originally published on September 11, 2023.

The post Ke Huy Quan’s LOKI Season 2 Character Has a Name and a Job appeared first on Nerdist.

High-end nerdy collections are all the rage. Not too long ago, Jimmy Choo collaborated with Sailor Moon to create a pair of $15,000 boots. And Loewe’s Studio Ghibli collections are always worth a second look (even if you can’t afford anything). Now, Christian Louboutin is getting into the game with one of the biggest nerdy properties of all, Marvel. Christian Louboutin and Marvel have announced a new global collection that highlights some of Marvel’s most iconic heroes and, of course, its shiniest piece of mythology, the Infinity Stones. Not only does the Christian Louboutin and Marvel team-up involve shoes, bags, hats, and more, but it also comes with its own Marvel comic. Who would have thought? Let’s take a look at this Marvelous collection below.

A release from Marvel shares that this Christian Louboutin collection is inspired by three Marvel entities:

The Infinity Stones, which immediately caught Christian Louboutin’s attention, are embedded with strass into two unique heels for men and women.

Namor, the first character ever appearing in a Marvel comic, is the inspiration for the reinvention of the Louboutin scales into an exclusive fish scale known as Spikes Namor. This reimagination of one of Christian Louboutin’s most iconic embellishment pays tribute to Namor’s underwater world.

Moon Knight’s mysterious black and silver suit influences Christian Louboutin’s most audacious styles within the collection.

We definitely see these Marvel characters and concepts popping up throughout the Louboutin line. And, although this collection is a little more conceptual and a little less literal than other collections we’ve seen, the spirit of Marvel and its comics definitely comes through.

Click To View Gallery

Of course, as with any high-end collaboration, a price tag is involved. But hey, it’s not $15,000, so that’s something. The shoes and boots in the Christian Louboutin x Marvel collection cost around $1,995.00 at their cheapest and $3,995.00 at their most expensive. We guess we’d better start putting in extra hours on our heroing. Or maybe Tony Stark wants to chip in to get us a pair.

For free, though, Marvel has put together a comic featuring Christian Louboutin himself. Does that cannonize the designer in Marvel lore? Maybe we’ll see him dress heroes in the next phase of the MCU. Marvel shares of The Loubiverse Explodes!, “The Infinity Stones play a vital role in this special-edition comic book – the story of a quest led by an Egyptian archaeologist Super Hero, based on the [Christian Louboutin] and his North African heritage… The comic book adventure takes place in Egypt and depicts the shoe and accessory collection itself, as well as numerous Marvel characters, including Black Widow, Shuri, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Avengers.”

 Louboutin notes, “There is something about the Marvel mythology, its chronology and recurring characters going through epic adventures, dramas, and intrigues, all spiced up with superpowers that really resonates with me!” And we guess the reverse is true because some items in the Louboutin Marvel collection have already sold out.

If a red sole is the last thing you need in your heroic look, you can check out the full collection, available now.

The post Christian Louboutin’s Marvel Shoe Collection Brings Red Soles to Superheros appeared first on Nerdist.

There are many pluses to extending the Star Wars world with Disney+ shows. We get more time with our favorite characters, we get to learn more about the Star Wars lore that we’ve seen develop over the years, and we get to travel to new and exciting worlds. But one thing that Star Wars Disney+ shows have particularly excelled at is introducing cute new Star Wars creations into our lives. Just look at the impact of Grogu, a.k.a. Baby Yoda. Happily, Ahsoka has continued this tradition. First, Ahsoka brought us the live-action Loth-cat, which had us melting in our seats. And now, Ahsoka has brought two adorable new species into Star Wars canon, the howlers and the Noti. The howlers and the Noti not only added maximum cuteness to our screens, but they also played a part in Ahsoka‘s plot. Let’s take a look at these newly introduced denizens of the Star Wars world.

Sabine Wren’s Howler Tota Cannonizes the Star Wars Species in Ahsoka

At first, Sabine Wren’s mount on Peridea seemed like a dastardly dark side creature. But it turns out at least this howler, named Tota, was all bark and no bite. Although a bit of a coward, Tota loyally took to Sabine after an unfortunate encounter with bandits. And his sheepish but stubborn demeanor in recompense has probably won Star Wars fans over to the side of the howlers from here on out. Tota’s scenes with Sabine completely stole the show. Not to mention, whether or not the howler brought Sabine to the right place because he wanted water or because he could sense something more than that, he did help her to reunite with Ezra Bridger.

In the Ahsoka series, the howler species present as a reptilian wolf crossed with a horse. Interestingly, these live-action Star Wars howlers bring to mind mythology’s griffins. Although these two creatures aren’t one-to-one in their make-up, Ahsoka has been leaning into its mythological roots. So we enjoy the comparison.

But have howlers appeared in Star Wars before? This cute species has made a few prior appearances but not in canon Star Wars properties. Howlers first appeared in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight games, which belong to the Star Wars Legends world. In the games, howlers appeared much more reptilian, almost resembling dragons. These howlers lived on the moon Yavin 4. Although this implies that more than just purrgil have been able to cross Star Wars galaxies in canon, it does not confirm it. However, the appearance of howlers does continue Ahsoka‘s trend of incorporating Star Wars Legends material into canon. And, we, for one, are enjoying the adorable fruits of that convergence.

The Noti Kept Ezra Bridger Safe After Star Wars Rebels

The second species of absurdly cute aliens that Ahsoka introduced into the Star Wars world are the Noti. The Noti have not appeared before in any other Star Wars properties, but we hope to see more of them on Ahsoka. Although we don’t yet know the full story, it seems like the Noti adopted Ezra Bridger into their community after he became stranded on Peridea.

In Ahsoka, Tota the howler sniffs out a Noti and gives him a bit of a shock. But once calmed, the Noti recognizes Sabine Wren’s Rebellion symbol and reveals that he wears one as well. Suddenly, a whole crowd of Noti appear to excitedly chatter. It turns out they do know Ezra Bridger. The Noti take Sabine back to their village, and there she is finally reunited with Ezra for the first time since he disappeared at the end of Star Wars Rebels. We’re glad such cute creatures could facilitate this happy moment. Of course, the peace can’t last too long, and the Noti are caught up in the crossfire when General Thrawn’s troops show up. Happily, it doesn’t seem like anyone got too hurt in the conflict.

In Ahsoka, the Noti are adorable bug-like aliens. The Noti have rock-like shells on their back, which they can hide beneath at any sign of trouble. They seem to be a joyful and peaceable species. We even learn they do not really use any kind of weaponry. The closest the Noti have is a slingshot. And we love them for that.

Both the Noti and Sabine’s howler seem like great additions to the Star Wars universe. And given that Ahsoka and Sabine both ended up remaining behind on Peridea in the final episode of Ahsoka, there is a good chance we’ll see them again soon..

Originally published on September 20, 2023.

The post AHSOKA Introduced Your New Favorite Cute STAR WARS Aliens, Noti and Howlers appeared first on Nerdist.

Sometimes, a character enters into a show, and it’s game over for all other characters. In Ahsoka‘s case, Sabine Wren’s Loth-cat totally stole everyone’s hearts. Even though the Star Wars series introduced other new adorable aliens, it was the Loth-cat that stayed with us. Sadly, Sabine’s pet didn’t get too much time to shine. We only saw our favorite Loth-cat for a few scenes in episodes one and two of Ahsoka. But even worse than that, we never learned what happened to our favorite creature after the rest of our heroes took off to galaxies unknown! The entire season fans were asking, is anyone watching Sabine’s Loth-cat? Is it okay? In the season finale of Ahsoka, we didn’t exactly get answers about the creature, but in a fashion, we learned the Loth-cat’s name and who is watching it. Plot twist, it’s you. We just hope the Star Wars universe remembers to bring the Loth-cat’s fate onto our screens sooner rather than later.

Sabine Wren’s Loth-cat Is Named Murley

In the Star Wars universe, Loth-cats came onto the scene in Star Wars Rebels. They’re a feline creature that’s native to the planet of Lothal. Star Wars’ official description shares that “while at times they can be friendly—and indeed, make affectionate pets when domesticated—Loth-cats are able hunters with sharp teeth and claws.” On Ahsoka, the first live-action appearance of a Loth-cat, we saw both aspects of the Star Wars species at play. Sabine’s Loth-cat was happy to snuggle and purr against her, but was the first to squawk at signs of trouble. And honestly, the Loth-cat crucially gave both Sabine Wren and Ahsoka an important heads-up when the enemy was near.

But one thing we did not get from Ahsoka, was the Loth-cat’s name. Happily, Star Wars‘ official accounts have arrived to fill in that blank for us. Sabine Wren’s Loth-cat is named Murley. There doesn’t seem to be any particular Star Wars Easter egg or reference embedded in the name, but we’ll take it.

Who Is Watching the Loth-cat During the Events of Ahsoka?

Although a Loth-cat can probably fend for itself to some degree, it shouldn’t have to! Over the course of Ahsoka‘s episodes, fans conveyed a great deal of worry about the fate of Sabine’s pet. We see Sabine feed the Loth-cat in Ahsoka‘s first episode, so Murely is probably used to food coming several times a day. Ultimately, Ahsoka never revisited the Loth-cat’s fate throughout the season, but we assume that Sabine asked someone to look after Murley at some juncture. Between Hera Syndulla and the people of Lothal, surely someone was around to check on the Loth-cat.

And, of course, Star Wars reminds us, there’s you. You have always been a part of the Rebellion and now you’re a part of the Loth-cat sitter’s club. Congratulations. To drive the point home, the official Star Wars team created a LoFi video of the snoozing creature. You can watch Murley dream happy dreams for 11 hours straight and content yourself with the thought that you are watching the Loth-cat. And that the creature is both safe and happy, phew.

Now that Ezra Bridger has returned to his home galaxy, he’ll probably also return to his home where Sabine Wren had been staying. We’d put a little money on the fact that he’ll discover a Loth-cat waiting for him when he enters into LothalNet comm tower E-272.

Ahsoka‘s Loth-cat Is an Animatronic, Just Like Grogu

For those who want to know more about how this cute creature came to life, Murley the Loth-cat is actually an animatronic from the Legacy Effects team. This very same team created Grogu. Before Murley’s Ahsoka debut, Loth-cats featured in The Mandalorian were purely CGI.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Sabine Wren, shared with Empire earlier in the year, “That was my little buddy!… That cat, the complexity of the design… I mean, it has a real skeleton under there, because that’s how they control such intense facial expressions and everything.” The actress also added, “Move over, Grogu!”

Star Wars‘ complex animatronic puppets continue to wow us and melt our hearts. So much so that for seven weeks fans have been asking after the health of this animatronic. We honestly hope Grogu doesn’t end up moving over, but that these paid of adorable puppets one day get to meet in the galaxy, far, far away.

The post Who Is Watching Sabine Wren’s Loth-Cat (You) and What Happened to AHSOKA’s Cutest Creature? appeared first on Nerdist.

The Disney+ Loki series is all about Loki, of course. His name is right there in the title. But for fans of the MCU, Loki was a departure from the Loki story they were used to seeing. For so long, Loki and Thor had incredibly interlinked MCU narratives . But in Loki, the trickster god has had to go it alone. Still, the presence of Thor hovers around the character and the expectations of fans. In many ways, it’s good to see Loki without Thor. But after a while, the natural question starts to bubble up. Will Loki and Thor have an MCU reunion? Well, it sounds like even though Thor and Loki might not reunite in the Disney+ series, the show is doing the hard work to get Loki to a place where he could be a meaningful part of a future reunion.

Speaking to Variety in the run-up to Loki season two, executive producer Kevin Wright discussed whether Loki would return to the world of the MCU at large. He offered, “That’s the hope. I don’t want to — yeah. I think the the sun shining on Loki and Thor once again has always been the priority of the story we’re telling. But for that meeting to really be fulfilling, we have to get Loki to a certain place emotionally. I think that’s been the goal of these two seasons.”

Cue the tears from many a Thor and Loki fan. In Avengers: Infinity War, Loki tells Thor, “I assure you, brother… the sun will shine on us again.” And although Loki met his death shortly after, the statement felt prophetic. And now, thanks to the Loki series, the door remains open for Thor and Loki to see one another again in the MCU. It’s interesting to hear that preparing for this reunion has been a subtle goal of the Loki series all along. And we hope we’ll get to see it culminate on our screens. Loki does have to meet his new niece, after all. Uncle Loki, it has a nice ring.

While such a thing could be saved for a movie, Wright also discussed the possibility of a Loki season three. He noted, “I think it’s open-ended. We certainly did not develop this season going, ‘We have to tee up Season 3’ — in the way that we did with Season 1, where there was a very specific, ‘Hey, we’re coming back.’ But I also think that where this show goes, there certainly can be many, many, many more stories told with Loki in the Loki world, and in other worlds connected to Loki, the character.”

Maybe, if we’re lucky enough to get a Loki season three, one of those stories can involve Thor. And hopefully, he’ll even be in his human form… Although we’d settle for Frog Thor in a pinch.

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Move over old MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), the new MCU (Mattel Cinematic Universe) has arrived, and it’s ready to launch with 14 announced movies and reportedly 45 more films waiting in the wings. How many phases is that? Bolstered by the success of the Barbie movie, Mattel is ready to turn all its toys into tales for the young and old. And while nostalgia is on their side, to a degree, it feels like the beauty of Barbie did not come simply from Barbie being a beloved and ubiquitous doll. Instead, the movie’s success stemmed from that truth mixed in with other integral components parts like heart, humanity, and a true purpose of story.

Although the Mattel Cinematic Universe may gain some curiosity points for things like Wishbone for the modern age, and may actually deliver some more interesting movies, like a surrealistic take on Barney—it feels like most of these post-Barbie Mattel movies will likely not take away the correct lessons. Here are the 14 movies Mattel has in the works after Barbie.

Mattel’s 14 Announced Projects—From Polly Pocket to UNO and More

Mattel’s CEO Ynon Kreiz recently spoke more about the Mattel Cinematic Universe, sharing, “What you saw around the Barbie movie was, we believe, a template, a case study, an opportunity to truly understand the value and appeal that our brands have, the cultural resonance, and, importantly, our ability to execute these projects both creatively and commercially…We hope and expect to have more. I’m not saying it will be as big or as successful as Barbie, but it will be the same approach.”

Here are the projects Mattel has in store.

Barney

Of all the movies on this list, Barney feels like it will have the most legs to stand on. Produced by Daniel Kaluuya, this take on the movie won’t necessarily feature a “dark” Barney, but will likely share some of Barbie‘s more adult visions of the childhood classic. Mattel Films executive Kevin McKeon noted to The New Yorker that the movie was “surrealistic.” And offered, “It’s really a play for adults. Not that it’s R-rated, but it’ll focus on some of the trials and tribulations of being thirtysomething, growing up with Barney—just the level of disenchantment within the generation.”

Interestingly, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz softened this description a bit recently. According to Variety, he offered, “It’s too early to be specific, but I can tell you we are taking a fresh approach that will be fun, entertaining, and culturally oriented. It will not be an odd movie.” We guess we’ll have to see what balance of strangeness is struck in the Barney movie.

Kaluuya, meanwhile, previously noted, “Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood… We’re excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of ‘I love you, you love me’ can stand the test of time.”

Like Barbie, Barney evokes a specific set of feelings in different generations. A Barney movie does seem like a rife place for Mattel to take the right next step in their cinematic universe.

Polly Pocket

If one doll can make for a successful movie, we can see how Mattel imagines another can. A Polly Pocket movie does certainly have an interesting setting. Everything is small, for one. So we guess that could make for some sort of interesting commentary, although Polly Pocket doesn’t seem to come with as strong a perspective as Barbie, as far as the brand goes. The Polly Pocket movie will star Lily Collins and come from writer/director Lena Dunham.

Hot Wheels

J.J. Abrams is set to bring a Hot Wheels movie to life. People certainly do love Hot Wheels and car movies have seen success in the past… So we guess we’ll just have to wait and see what kind of emotion, character, and lens flare can come of a Hot Wheels movie.

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots

We somehow feel unsurprised to hear Vin Diesel will star in a movie featuring Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. We supposed there’s a real tragedy in having to constantly hit someone else for your whole existence. But we feel this might become a gritty action movie instead. Ryan Engle is set to write the script.

American Girl

Now, we don’t feel surprised Mattel wants to explore an American Girl movie as part of its cinematic universe. In fact, the American Girl brand could actually be a movie universe all on its own, considering it has many stories already ready to go. But it sounds like for now there will only be on American Doll movie. According to Variety, it will be “a family comedy” which will “help girls grow with confidence and develop character.” 

Magic 8 Ball

According to Variety, the Magic 8 Ball movie will “probably be a PG-13 thriller.” But, we think Mattel should go with an R-rated horror movie surrounding the Magic 8 Ball. Now that would give us truly something we could not have expected. But we can see it now. Ask a question if you dare and no do-overs to your fate.

Masters of the Universe

A live-action He-Man adaptation has been in the works for a long time. But the Mattel’s Masters of the Universe movie was recently canceled at Netflix. Still, Mattel is looking for a new home for it, and maybe the success of the Barbie movie will help. Kyle Allen is set to star as He-Man.

Major Matt Mason

This Mattel doll is a little different from the others mentioned, Major Matt Mason is an astronaut action figure from the 1960s. He lives and works on the moon, so we guess we can see where this is going. Mattel’s Cinematic Universe will likely reach space much more quickly than even the MCU did. The movie will star Tom Hanks, and Akiva Goldsman and Michael Chabon are attached as writers.

UNO

Okay, an UNO movie really has us shaking our heads. UNO is a great card game, but we’re not really sure how it’s a movie! Marcy Kelly, however, will figure it out as the named writer.

Wishbone

Does Wishbone really need a reboot? The Wishbone PBS ’90s show lives as a perfect masterpiece and we shouldn’t touch it. Not even if it means another cute and well-read Jack Russell terrier on our screens.

Matchbox

The Matchbox movie will be another car-centric piece for Mattel. Apparently, it will be an action movie depicting the toys from 1953.

Thomas & Friends

Thomas & Friends had 24 seasons and aired from 1984 to 2021—a good long life. But now Mattel will resurrect Thomas & Friends as a fantasy movie from director Marc Forster.

View Master

Who doesn’t remember the classic red View Master. This Mattel toy will become an adventure movie—but we think it ought to skew toward horror too.

Christmas Balloon

Mattel will give themselves a biopic with this movie based on a true story. Per Variety, Christmas Balloon will tell the tale of “when Mattel donated toys to help make a young girl’s dream come true after she tied her Christmas list to a balloon that was found by a grieving couple who worked with the toy company to fulfill the girl’s wishes. Mattel looks to produce a family drama drawing from the story.”

Originally published on September 8, 2023.

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