• A new teaser for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been revealed
• The Korean TV spot shows off more of the titular hero's battle with the Hulk
• It also appears to spoil the return of another of the webslinger's foes

A fresh TV spot for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has given us another look at the titular hero's forthcoming fight against the Hulk.

The 30-second teaser, which you can watch below, was originally released in South Korea, but has since been reshared by numerous outlets including Discussing Film. And, while it contains numerous clips we've already seen in Spider-Man 4's first teaser and Brand New Day's official trailer, the final five seconds of footage is dedicated to the aforementioned battle between Peter Parker and Bruce Banner's alter-egos.

Admittedly, this is all but the briefest of glimpses of what's expected to be one of the Marvel movie's tentpole set-pieces. Nonetheless, there are a couple of major things we can glean from this latest sizzle reel — including the potential return of another Spider-Man villain we haven't seen since 2016's Spider-Man: Homecoming. Potentially big spoilers immediately follow for Spider-Man 4, so turn back now if you don't want to know anything else.

On the villain tease front, it appears that Shocker might be part of the Marvel Phase 6 film's already stacked rogues gallery.

In the comics, this antagonistic individual wields vibration-based mechanical gauntlets that can deliver powerful shockwaves. For his live-action debut in Homecoming, the first iteration of Shocker was played by Logan Marshall-Green. However, after he was killed by Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, the Shocker mantle was inherited by Bokeem Woodbine's Herman Schultz. Incidentally, Schultz is the only person who goes by the Shocker alias in the source material.

But, I digress. Brand New Day's latest TV spot reveals that Tom Holland's eponymous hero will use one of Shocker's gauntlets to try and subdue Hulk who, for reasons still unclear, has embarked on another rampage through New York City.

Does this mean we'll see Woodbine actually show up in this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flick? Or will Shocker only appear in a split-second cameo as part of a wider montage in the film's opening sequence that'll show Spidey battling and defeating many of his enemies? The latter would explain why Spidey has one of his gauntlets in his possession, especially if Spider-Man covertly confiscated it for future use.

The other interesting thing to note about this TV spot is that the wallcrawler won't tackle the Hulk on his own.

Indeed, at the 0:10 mark, there's another blink and you'll miss it clip of Spider-Man fighting the big, green, mean machine. Pause the teaser at the right spot, though, and you'll see a gun being fired from an unusual angle.

With a bit of editing trickery (read: turning up the brightness on your screen), you'll be able to clearly see that Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle/The Punisher is lying on the floor as he takes a pop at the Hulk. Clearly, Frank didn't get the memo about the Hulk's impenetrable skin...

So, does Castle join the fight to help Spidey put a stop to the Hulk running amok? Not according to a leaked excerpt from a forthcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day artbook.

Per X/Twitter fan account BuiltFromSmash, "[The] Punisher eventually becomes entangled in Spider-Man and Hulk’s battle — not because he’s hunting either of them, but because his own mission collides with theirs."

What does this mean exactly? I can't say for sure. However, with rumors circulating online for months that Castle is protecting Sadie Sink's mystery character in Spider-Man 4, and her apparent involvement in purposefully forcing Banner to Hulk out, I wouldn't be surprised if all of this is somehow related. Either way, let's hope that Spider-Man and the Hulk's duel ends amicably and recreates a very specific scene from Marvel Comics that fans are dying to see.

Anyway, before it arrives on July 29, 30, or 31 (depending on where you live), find out everything we know so far about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Once you're done there, check out my Spider-Man: Brand New Day cast and character guide to see who'll appear alongside Holland, Ruffalo, Sink, and Bernthal in one of this year's most anticipated new movies.

• Bad Apples has been given a global theatrical release date after premiering at TIFF
• A new trailer confirmed the movie would be in theaters from September 18 for viewers in the UK and US
• The dark comedy is the English-language debut for Jonatan Etzler

Bad Apples may have fallen under the radar after its TIFF debut, but the new dark comedy movie finally has a global release date.

The Saoirse Ronan led movie will be in UK and US theaters from September 18, and we've got a brand new trailer to celebrate the new movie's theatrical release thanks to Paramount Pictures.

Bad Apples follows Maria, a teacher who becomes frustrated when her class of ten year olds is disrupted by one unruly pupil, Danny (Eddie Waller). When Maria accidentally kidnaps Danny and holds him hostage in her house, it sets off an unexpected chain of events.

Take a look at the trailer below.

Bad Apples looks like a perfect blend of comedy and drama, and I can't wait to see it

This is the kind of movie that reels me in instantly. We've got a seemingly ordinary main character in the form of a schoolteacher, who then goes on to make very questionable characters.

The plot of Bad Apples teases that Maria sees her class performance improve once Danny is "missing", which gives her a moral dilemma. Should she release him or keep him held in her home, where he's not disrupting the rest of her class?

Bad Apples is based on the novel De Oönskade (The Unwanted) by Swedish author Rasmus Andersson, which is described as a satirical thriller. So I'm expecting a lot of timely commentary in this movie, which will soon be widely available in theaters.

The movie currently has an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics praising the story, performances and soundtrack. So it's promising stuff already.

September 18 is a long wait, but thankfully we have plenty of recommendations to keep you entertained until then. If it's horror you're after, check out my round up of the best horror movies to stream in July.

Or, if you'd like more general Paramount movies, check out the best movies to watch on Paramount+.

If I'm going to watch yet another movie or TV show about a mafia-style gang in New York — because why bother in the wake of The Godfather and The Sopranos, right? — I want to come away from it having learned something new.

New MGM+ crime drama The Westies achieved this at conception, because I didn't know the first thing about the real-life Irish-American crime family of the same name. In fact, I didn't even know that they existed. But sure enough, they were known for racketeering, drug trafficking, and contract killing in Hell's Kitchen from 1960s-1980s.

I know what you're thinking: isn't Hell's Kitchen exactly where the Italian-American mob operated from in New York City. You'd be right in thinking that, and it's one of the main sources of dramatic tension across the show's eight-episode run.

Add in the fact that an FBI team has been tasked with tracking down our fictional version, led by family patriarch Eamonn Sweeney (J.K. Simmons), and you've got a proper old-school cat-and-mouse chase.

Interestingly, the biggest pro and con of The Westies is almost the same thing. While you're streaming it, you're engrossed — the storytelling itself is solid, dependable and superficially fun. But from the moment you switch it off, it will be completely erased from your mind.

Fans complained The Westies would be too tame just from the trailer — and I think they were right

After the above trailer for The Westies was released, I couldn't help but notice that the overwhelming fan response was to criticize scenes for being "too tame" compared to what mob behavior would have been like at the time.

Now that I've watched the entire season, I have to agree. Even if you don't know the story of the Westies, you're tuning into a gangster crime show expecting a severe level of violence — or even just an overarching sense of nasty brutality.

Of course, blood, guts and gore don't make a story any better objectively, but come on... we're trying to have some fun here. On top of that, it's difficult to invest in something new if you feel as though it is holding back, especially if it's aiming for a second season and beyond.

Still, the core storytelling is both engaging and well constructed. As Eamonn Sweeney's cronies face off against the local Italian-Americans, you're as engrossed in the inevitably fatal outcome as much as you are the complicated family dynamics.

The cast is stronger than its story

Bosch star Titus Welliver plays our ragged FBI lead Glenn Keenan, with an 80s "pornstache" so commanding that it might as well have had its own acting credit. When you can get past the facial accessories, you know you're in good hands... once Harry Bosch, always Harry Bosch, if you get what I mean.

If anything, I wish we had more of Simmons himself on screen. Sweeney isn't exactly the Don Corleone type, but it feels as though Simmons has somehow been a mobster boss in a former life. If you're selling him as number one on the call sheet, let's see that translated in each episode, please.

Really, I'm looking for holes when there aren't any — or at least I'm ripping tiny damaged flecks in the story's fabric into gaping tears. Because we've been so spoiled by shows such as Peaky Blinders and MobLand in recent years, we have to hold everything that comes after to an incredibly high standard.

Truthfully, The Westies just doesn't meet it. Not because there's anything wrong per se, but because the competition is so tough. It's kind of like studying really hard for an exam knowing you're going to get creamed by the kids who are naturally better at the same subject. Thems the breaks, so just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

The Westies begins airing on MGM+ from July 12.

• Universal's new movie SOULM8TE is coming to digital platforms on August 1
• The plot is very similar to recent horror hit Obsession
• SOULM8TE is a spin-off to the 2022 movie M3GAN, focusing on more adult themes

If you haven't seen Obsession yet, you need to. It's performed incredibly well at the box office and has become one of the most successful new movies of 2026. I was so impressed by it that I've been desperately wanting a similar thriller to watch next, and SOULM8TE seems like the perfect choice.

SOULM8TE follows a grieving engineer tasked with testing a ruthless tech giant’s new AI companion where he programs her to be a sentient soulmate. I'm sure absolutely nothing will go wrong there.

Instead of getting a theatrical release, you can watch SOULM8TE at home from August 1. It won't be available on the best streaming services just yet, and instead you can purchase it from these digital platforms.

Take a look at the trailer below to see what's in store.

Disturbing romance stories are on the rise

We have seen a lot of stories like this in recent months, and I'm definitely enjoying the trend of romance with a dark twist.

Companion is another movie with similar vibes to SOULM8TE, as it follows a woman named Iris who learns she is actually a companion robot who is controlled by her boyfriend via his phone.

That lack of autonomy is a terrifying thing, and audiences definitely have an appetite for these thought provoking tales centered around relationships, consent, and a rise in technology such as AI.

Whilst Obsession doesn't feature the android aspect, it does explore the horrors of a woman not being in control of her own actions due to supernatural intervention by a magical toy. There, someone's wish turns into a living nightmare.

If SOULM8TE doesn't interest you, there's plenty more horror movies for you to enjoy. Recently, Backrooms got an extended cut which is now in theaters or you can check out my guide to the best horror movies on streaming services in July.

Unless you've been living under a rock (or wisely taking a social media break), you've likely been bombarded with updates about the predicted summer blockbuster The Odyssey, which had its world premiere in London earlier this week.

Interviews with its cast — which includes Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya, to name a few — are coming out thick and fast ahead of the film's release on July 17, but there's another news piece that's caught my eye.

As reported by Empire Magazine [via GamesRadar], Samantha Morton, who plays Circe in the new movie, received the first standing ovation from director Christopher Nolan's cast & crew since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

As a dedicated Morton-head of many years, this is the least surprising news possible to come out of The Odyssey's pre-release marketing. Every time you cast her in a film or TV show, you are guaranteed to get something unsettling, powerful and absolutely impeccable.

I could reel off a never-ending list of projects that showcase her staggering handle on her craft, from Morvern Callar and Under the Skin (which I once got to watch with her, humble brag) to The Walking Dead and The Serpent Queen.

But one devastating 2022 drama is what you need to watch to understand why her Odyssey acclaim was always written in the stars, and you can stream it right now.

Samantha Morton's standout role in She Said explains The Odyssey hype before we even see it

If Morton isn't the lead in a movie or TV show, this is what I can guarantee will happen: she'll appear in a scene for all of five minutes, deliver a masterpiece of a performance and wipe the floor with everyone around her, and leave.

The best part? She's all that you'll be thinking about whenever that story draws to a close.

Based on the above praise, I can guarantee that this is how things will shake out in The Odyssey, but this was also the case in the 2022 drama She Said. The film followed real-life journalists Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), who published the report that exposes sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, culminating in the #MeToo movement.

Morton plays Zelda Perkins, a Miramax London assistant in the 1990s and an abuse victim and witness. She's on screen for one scene that runs under five minutes, giving testimony to Jodi about what happened during the Venice Film Festival.

It's the scene from She Said that went viral online precisely because it was also the strongest, most vulnerable, and powerful moment in the entire 129-minute runtime. That was all thanks to Morton's performance.

Even now, you can see the impact that one single scene had on whoever was watching. As one fan wrote on YouTube, "She's absolutely phenomenal, one of those rare performances in which one scene would had been worthy of an Oscar nomination even a win."

"I think that in this relatively small role, Samantha Morton stole the movie. She is absolutely riveting," a second weighed in.

Mark my words: this is exactly what we are going to see with her portrayal of Circe in The Odyssey, and I am beside myself to see it. Christopher Nolan... you are a man of great taste.

• Stream She Said on Netflix in the US
• Stream She Said on Prime Video in the UK
• Stream She Said on Foxtel Now in Australia

Titus Welliver is a busy man these days. The actor is about to star in new MGM+ series The Westies, which is a fictional take on the misadventures of the real-life Irish-American crime family of the same name.

Welliver plays the FBI agent responsible for tracking the gang down. For the hardcore fans among us, it's fitting casting, as the role isn't that far removed from the character we know him best for: Detective Hieronymus 'Harry' Bosch.

Since 2014, Welliver has played the role across the main Bosch series, spinoff Bosch: Legacy, and spinoff of a spinoff, Ballard.

Here's where things get really exciting for crime drama fans. Not only is Welliver confirmed to return for new episodes of Ballard season 2, which is rumored to release later in the year, but Bosch creators are currently planning for a "standalone movie."

'We've got some ideas'

"I do three episodes of Ballard per season, so I've just finished doing that," Welliver tells me ahead of The Westies' debut on July 12. "And MGM+ is doing the Bosch prequel, Start of Watch. Cameron Monaghan is playing young Harry at the very beginning of his career as a uniform cop... but I have nothing to do with that."

This isn't too surprising, with developments on Start of Watch already being widely reported. The series doesn't have a release date as of yet, but we can expect it sometime between late 2026 and early 2027.

Welliver continued: "Michael Connelly (Bosch author), Henrik Bastin (executive producer), other people and I have some ideas about a possible standalone film. We've not seen the end of Harry Bosch, that's for sure... I will say that much."

If a standalone movie is only an idea at this point, it makes sense that we don't have any further details yet (for one, it hasn't even been greenlit).

If it does go ahead, we can perhaps expect it to look like action movies featuring the two famous fictional Jacks: the Jack Ryan movies, starring John Krasinski, and the Jack Reacher movies, which starred Tom Cruise.

At this point, it's all speculation. But I trust that Welliver's parting words about us not having seen the last of Bosch are referring to something other than his appearances in Ballard... call it a hunch.

In the meantime, you can stream Bosch, Bosch: Legacy and Ballard on Prime Video.

• Supergirl might be available to rent or buy at home before the end of July
• The comic book movie has made just $100 million worldwide
• Its digital release could be another disaster waiting to happen

It appears that DC Studios is already prepared to cut its losses with Supergirl at the box office.

After the movie barely squeaked over the $100 million mark globally last weekend (July 3-5), those in charge of the comic giant's movie and TV division look like they're ready to call time on the DC Universe (DCU) movie's theatrical run.

According to X/Twitter fan account DC Film News, DC is targeting a July 28 home release for the Milly Alcock-led superhero flick.

That doesn't mean Supergirl will be coming to HBO Max, aka one of the world's best streaming services, which is owned by DC Studios' parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. Instead, it'll be available to rent or buy on premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms, including Amazon, Apple TV, and Sky.

It's worth pointing out that the aforementioned digital launch date hasn't been officially announced.

Right now, listings for the DCU Chapter One film on Amazon Prime and the Sky Store state that its home release is yet to be confirmed, so it's possible that you won't be able to watch Supergirl on your TV or smartphone before the end of the month.

Nonetheless, if Supergirl makes its home debut before August 1, it'll compound the misery of those who had high hopes for one of 2026's many new movies and have watched it crash and burn following its theatrical debut.

I've reached out to DC Studios and Warner about the rumored home release, and I'll update this article if I receive a response.

Why Supergirl's rumored digital home release might add insult to injury for DC Studios

Whether Supergirl makes its PVOD bow on July 28 or not, a sooner-than-expected home release won't come as a shock when it happens.

Quite frankly, due to the competition it's faced and its middling pre-release critical reception — read my Supergirl review if you haven't yet — its launch has been an unmitigated disaster for DC Studios.

According to industry analysts, Supergirl needs to make at least $300 million to recoup costs associated with its production and marketing campaign. Considering that it's only made back a third of that figure in its first 11 days on the big screen, DC Studios co-head Peter Safran's suggestion that Supergirl "didn't meet our box office expectations" might end up being the understatement of the year.

Bigger problems lie ahead for DC Studios, though — and I'm not even talking about whether Safran and fellow co-CEO James Gunn need to re-evaluate their entire plan for their nascent cinematic franchise.

If — and it's a big if — Supergirl does take flight on PVOD services in late July, it might not get the digital-based financial windfall it desperately needs. Why? Because of The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

By July 28, the former, i.e., the historical epic directed by film auteur Christopher Nolan, will have been in theaters for 10 days. And, depending on where you live, Spider-Man 4 will have just debuted in cinemas, or be ready to do so on July 31.

With the pair billed as two of the most anticipated films of the year, movie fans will flock to their local theater to watch one or both. Not that it needs spelling out, but that'll mean they won't be sitting at home and spending their money on renting or buying Supergirl. If DC Studios hopes to improve the movie's monetary haul, holding off on Supergirl's home release until mid-August will definitely be in its best interests.

Answer me honestly: do you actually understand what is going on in From season 4? I'm the first to admit that I have no idea, and it feels like the amount of lore I need to keep up with is spiralling out of control.

So it doesn't help, then, when the internet decides to add its own non-canonical lore that doesn't even exist. I'm talking about the Reddit rumors that From season 4 episode 11 exists, explaining all the plot holes that episode 10 (the actual season finale) left unanswered.

"Episode 11 is the best one yet," the thread begins. "They answered everything... every question."

A second fan added, "The pacing was insane. Answers actually landed instead of just more riddles."

But it should go without saying that From season 4 episode 11 doesn't exist, despite an alarming number of people searching for it.

Instead, we've got to wait for the already-renewed season 5, which is rumored to air at some point in 2027.

However, now is not the time to let our MGM+ subscriptions go to waste. From season 4 might be over, but get ready for your latest bingeable obsession: The Westies.

The Westies premieres on MGM+ this week — here's why you need to stream it

With a cast led by JK Simmons, The Westies follows a fictional version of the real-life Irish crime gang in New York of the same name.

As MGM explains, "The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.

"But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia."

If that hasn't sold you already, The Westies is getting an epic police procedural crossover in the form of Bosch star Titus Welliver, who is playing the lead FBI agent tasked with tracking the mobsters down.

Don't be fooled by the above trailer, either — new episodes are about as gory, gruesome and disturbing as TV can get. Episodes premiere on July 12th and are released on a weekly basis (just like From).

Sure, it's a completely different kind of mystery... but you're welcome, in advance.

• Obsession star Inde Navarrette recently met with the director of Marvel's new X-Men film
• It's the only movie that Jake Schreier has publicly confirmed he's working on
• Some fans really don't want to see the award-worthy actor join the MCU

Inde Navarrette has revealed she's open to the possibility of starring in a Marvel movie — and rumors are now circulating online that she could appear in the comic giant's new X-Men film.

The breakout star of 2026 smash hit Obsession, Navarrette was recently asked by Nylon magazine if she'd like to show up in a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flick. "I would," was the in-demand and award-worthy actor's brief reply.

Interestingly, Navarrette's possible involvement in Marvel's cinematic juggernaut might soon become a reality. Indeed, in the same interview, Navarrette confirmed she'd recently met with Jake Schreier, the director of the Marvel Phase 5 film Thunderbolts.

Currently, the only project Schreier has publicly acknowledged he's working on is the aforementioned X-Men movie. It'll come as no surprise to learn, then, that a rumor regarding Navarrette's potential casting in said film franchise reboot is already spreading like wildfire across the web.

Why some film fans don't want Navarrette to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe

It would be remiss of me not to point out that Navarrette joining the MCU is merely speculation at this point. There are bound to be other projects that Schreier is developing in secret, such as a third season of Netflix's critically acclaimed and award-winning albeit underseen comedy-drama Beef. So, the filmmaker could've sounded out Navarrette for a role in that show rather than a role in his untitled X-Men flick.

Nonetheless, some fans of Navarrette's works, which include this year's box office belle in Focus Features' Obssession, are dead-set against seeing the 25-year-old become the next big-name actor or rising star to sell their soul to the MCU.

On X/Twitter, bigmonkeong likened her rumored casting as part of the "MCU slop machine" to "seeing an angel get its wings cut off". Elsewhere, The_Epic_Mike accused Marvel of "trying to clout chase an indie horror film and nose-dive another actress' career", while tarmactorque suggested Navarrette should prioritize a role in a forthcoming film from Michael Mann, who she also recently met with. Mann's next project is the highly-anticipated Heat 2, so could Navarrette be set to appear opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale, who officially boarded the prequel-sequel earlier in July?

On the flip side, other cinephiles have already started fan-casting Navarrette in the MCU and, more specifically, in its first X-Men production. Chief among the characters some want her to play are fan-favorite individuals Rogue, X-23, and Mystique, but others are dreaming of seeing her play Magik or Kitty Pryde.

Who would you like to see Navarrette play in the MCU? Let me know by voting in the poll above. Once you're done, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order and how to watch the X-Men movies in order.

And, if you're one of the few remaining people yet to see Obsession, which is still in theaters, you'll be pleased to know that Obsession is also now available to watch at home.

Walk deep into Walt Disney Imagineering’s sprawling, surprisingly unassuming Glendale campus, and you’ll eventually find Studio C.

It’s where Imagineering mixes the audio for its attractions, but when I recently stepped inside, I quickly realized it was much more than a recording studio. The room is lined with dozens upon dozens of speakers designed to recreate the sound field of Disney attractions, letting Imagineers hear a ride long before guests ever do.

During my visit, I watched a live mix session for Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, Shanghai Disneyland’s trackless dark ride, and the experience was almost uncanny. Sound moved seamlessly around the room, tracking the ride vehicle as though I were actually inside the attraction.

That same room became the proving ground for one of Imagineering’s most unusual engineering challenges yet: figuring out how to mix the audio for Soarin’ Across America.

The reimagined version of Disney’s iconic flight simulator debuted this summer at both EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California, timed for America’s Semiquincentennial celebration. Disney’s Unscripted behind-the-scenes video confirmed that Imagineers used the Apple Vision Pro during production of Soarin’ Across America, but it left one obvious question unanswered: why? That’s what I wanted to find out.

So I spoke with Greg Lhotka, Sr. Manager, Audio Media Design at Walt Disney Imagineering, who walked me through the surprisingly complicated process behind mixing one of Disney’s most technically demanding attractions.

“For Soarin’ Across America, we utilized Studio C not only as a production facility, but as a proving ground for an entirely new field-mixing approach developed specifically for this film. On the sound design side, we partnered with Skywalker Sound, and together we used Studio C to prototype and validate a custom speaker configuration that closely mirrors the unique audio architecture of the Soarin’ theaters.”

If you’ve ridden Soarin’, you already know why that matters. Riders are lifted into the air in three stacked rows facing a massive curved projection screen, while sound moves not only around the theater but above and below you as well. As Lhotka explained, the attraction uses a four-tiered speaker system — upper, mid-level, lower, and a dedicated floor array — creating an audio environment that’s far more complex than a traditional movie theater.

Having now ridden Soarin’ Across America several times, it’s easy to appreciate the result. The updated film sweeps from New York Harbor and the Grand Canyon to California’s rolling hills and countless landscapes in between through soaring aerial cinematography, practical effects, and a soundtrack that glides almost effortlessly alongside you. The audio shifts just as fluidly as the visuals, making each transition feel natural as the ride carries you across some of America’s most recognizable landmarks and scenic vistas.

Studio C could simulate much of that during production, but not all of it.

“For Soarin’ films, mixing historically required the construction of scaffolding inside the theater to reach the appropriate listening height for final mix decisions,” Lhotka explained. “Even then, the process was far from ideal, as the ride canopy significantly influences the acoustics. For this project, one of the key requirements was that the theater remain fully operational and open to guests throughout production — eliminating the possibility of scaffolding altogether.”

That constraint forced Imagineering to rethink its entire workflow.

“The challenge was clear: how do you mix a show with over 1,000 audio tracks and an extremely complex panning matrix while seated in a ride vehicle? The solution came through an innovative use of new AR technologies. By leveraging advanced screen-sharing capabilities, we were able to remotely control our production system — directly connected to the theater — while seated in the ride vehicle itself. This allowed us to place virtual screens in our field of view, effectively bringing the mixing console into the theater environment.”

Before anyone tested it inside the attraction, Studio C became the test lab.

“Studio C once again played a critical role as our testbed. Over the course of a week, we evaluated multiple configurations to confirm that things could be controlled precisely in this way, and that the AR headset’s external cameras would allow us to view the film clearly in the theater’s low-light conditions while simultaneously monitoring the virtual screens. The final configuration exceeded expectations.”

Once validated, the workflow moved from experiment to production.

“This workflow was ultimately used as the solution — and it became the method by which Soarin’ Across America was mixed. The result is a soundtrack that was shaped directly from the guest’s perspective, using tools and techniques that reflect our continued commitment to innovation, immersion, and storytelling.”

Having experienced Studio C for myself, that revelation immediately clicked. The room is already designed to recreate the feeling of sitting inside a Disney attraction with remarkable accuracy. But even a purpose-built facility couldn’t perfectly replicate Soarin’s unique acoustics. The only place left to finish the mix was inside the attraction itself.

It’s an elegant solution that solved two problems at once. Guests never lost access to Soarin’ during production, and Imagineering’s audio team was able to shape the soundtrack from the exact seat every future rider would occupy. Rather than approximating the experience from scaffolding or even Studio C, the final mix was crafted where it mattered most: inside the attraction itself.

Avengers: Secret Wars is set to bring down the curtain on Marvel's wildly inconsistent Multiverse Saga. And, even though the much-anticipated movie isn't due to land in theaters until December 17, 2027, some details about its plot, cast, and eventual impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have already been confirmed by those involved in its production.

Luckily for you, I've rounded up the latest and biggest news on the sixth Avengers film in this guide. So, if you simply can't wait to get the lowdown on the sequel to this year's Avengers: Doomsday, read on.

Avengers: Secret Wars release date

Avengers: Secret Wars will be jettisoned into theaters worldwide on December 17, 2027.

Originally, it was supposed to come out on May 7, 2027 — Marvel confirming as much during its Hall H panel at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). However, in May 2025, Marvel announced Doomsday and Secret Wars would be delayed by seven months. The former, which was due out on May 1, 2026, will now drop on December 18, 2026, with Secret Wars debuting almost exactly one year later.

Marvel has never explained why their launches were pushed back. However, the sheer scale of these productions, plus the criticism leveled at Marvel Studios over the varying quality of its Multiverse Saga projects, means they need as much development time as possible to be as good as we hope they'll be.

Avengers: Secret Wars trailer — is there one?

No, and we definitely won't see one before Avengers: Doomsday is released. After all, Marvel isn't going to spoil what happens in the aforementioned film before we get to see it.

My best guess is that a brief teaser will receive its worldwide premiere during Marvel's Hall H panel at SDCC 2027, before a full trailer is unveiled much closer to Avengers: Secret Wars' release date. In short, we'll be waiting a long time to see some footage.

Avengers: Secret Wars cast — confirmed and rumored

Avengers: Secret Wars' cast hasn't been confirmed because — again — that would spoil who'll survive the events of Avengers: Doomsday.

However, some actors have already ruined the surprise by confirming they'll be back in Avengers 6. Additionally, some respected news outlets have also reported on other individuals who might appear. Potentially huge spoilers immediately follow for Secret Wars, so read on at your own risk:

• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Victor von Doom
• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Original Captain America
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Paul Bettany as Vision
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
• Sadie Sink as TBC

It goes without saying that Downey Jr's Doom will return. He's the Big Bad of the Multiverse Saga's two-part concluding, so he'll be back for round two.

Meanwhile, Evans confirmed he'll be part of proceedings in a video call with a fan. Serial MCU leaker Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Marvel's cinematic franchise, has also let slip that Hemsworth's Thor will show up in Secret Wars.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who portrays Ben Grimm/The Thing, announced his involvement by saying filming will begin this August, so, we'll see at least one member of The Fantastic Four in Secret Wars. Speaking to people.com, Simu Liu also revealed Shang-Chi is involved in Avengers 6, while Letitia Wright told ScreenRant she'll show up, too.

Furthermore, Paul Bettany told The Telegraph that he's "got some Avengers duties" to do, which all but confirms he's part of the cast. Lastly, rumors abound that Sadie Sink will have a role to play in Secret Wars following the debut of her mystery character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

There are bound to be more cast announcements, including confirmation that one of Marvel's most bankable stars, Tom Holland, who portrays Peter Parker and his superhero alias Spider-Man, will appear (NB: For what it's worth, Holland has already teased he'll be involved). Once further details about this film's ensemble come to light, I'll update this section.

Avengers: Secret Wars story speculation

Predictably, Marvel hasn't unveiled Secret Wars' story synopsis yet. Nonetheless, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have dropped hints on what we can expect.

For starters, the Russo brothers, who are also helming Secret Wars' predecessor — for more on that, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday — exclusively told me they "will draw inspiration" from both of Marvel's Secret Wars comic book storylines.

The literary pair, which came out in 1984 and 2015, shares some narrative similarities (for instance, both explore the Marvel Multiverse), but mainly tell distinct tales. Expect the Russos to cherry-pick elements from both comic book runs, then, to help them tell their own original story.

Again, it's unclear how its narrative will play out. However, last March, a major Marvel concept art leak appeared to give us our very first look at what could happen in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The images were only live for a brief spell before they were pulled offline, which suggests they were legitimate. That said, the vast majority of pre-vis artwork is never used in a film or TV show, so it's possible they were never used further during the development process.

On the recent rumor front, the final Marvel Phase 6 project won't be split into two. There was speculation that, given the significance and scale of its plot, plus how many characters could be involved, Avengers: Secret Wars could be turned into a duology of its own. Marvel has stayed quiet on this, but numerous reliable industry insiders have shot down this particular piece of gossip since it emerged in February, so it's highly unlikely to happen.

Anyway, once Avengers 5 is released, we'll have a clearer idea of what Secret Wars' plot will entail. Until then, the above is the best information available to us.

How will Avengers: Secret Wars impact the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The likeliest scenario would involve something of a reset of the MCU as we know it.

There's no denying that Marvel's cinematic juggernaut has become more unwieldy with each phase. The introduction of more and more heroes and villains (not all of whom have proven to be popular with audiences), plus the laborious amount of homework required of viewers before they watch one of Marvel's new movies in theaters or TV shows on Disney+, means a rebooting of the comic giant's cinematic franchise would be welcomed by diehards and newcomers alike.

It seems like we'll be getting that, too. The Russos have suggested that the next two Avengers films will be a "new beginning" for the MCU. Additionally, Marvel President Kevin Feige told Variety that the MCU 2.0 will return to a "singular timeline" that, among other things, will introduce viewers to a brand-new version of the X-Men, aka the comic titan's famous mutant superteam.

It remains to be seen which established characters will make the leap to the new MCU, but I'd be surprised if fan favorites like Spider-Man aren't a part of it. Throw in the likely recasting of Black Panther, the retention of The Fantastic Four, and the introduction of new heroes who are currently popular in Marvel Comics, and the MCU won't be going anywhere anytime soon after Avengers: Secret Wars.

• Warner Bros will adapt Trevor Henderson's Siren Head for the big screen
• Weapons director Zach Cregger and Whalefall's  Brian Duffield are working on the script
• This news comes after A24's Backrooms became the second highest grossing horror movie of 2026

We're seeing a trend of Creepypasta adaptations coming back, and Siren Head is the next internet horror phenomenon to be adapted for the big screen.

Creepypasta-based movies have varied in quality over the years, whether it's the terrible Slender Man or the critically acclaimed Backrooms, and it seems we're about to get even more new horror movies based on these terrifying online tales.

When it comes to Siren Head, it already has a strong team behind it. Trevor Henderson's original creation has been picked up by Warner Bros., with Weapons' Zach Cregger and Whalefall's Brian Duffield working on the script, according to reports from Deadline.

Siren Head has all the ingredients to be a successful horror movie, but it's, of course, too early to say if it will ever reach the heights of Backrooms, which became the second highest-grossing horror movie of 2026 with box office takings of $331 million.

The question is, will a Siren Head movie work as a feature length? At the moment, I'm not entirely convinced.

Siren Head's short film was good, but I'm not sure a feature length movie is necessary

Sometimes, less is more. That's how I feel about Siren Head, as the creepy cryptid is well suited to short-form entertainment like YouTube videos and quick horror games. Will it have the same impact with a longer runtime?

Creepypasta stories are often quite simple, and Siren Head is no exception. The creature is known for camouflaging with its surroundings before attacking anyone in its vicinity, with the Siren Head wiki page explaining it is responsible for "a large number of disappearances across suburbia and rural environments".

Scary as it is, I'm worried there's not enough substance to make this work, and we may get bored with Siren Head's modus operandi of chasing and killing anyone in its path, seemingly for no reason, before doing it all over again.

Backrooms, on the other hand, is more of a slow burn and requires deep exploration to uncover the true horror, which is why I think it has done exceptionally well theatrically. There are lots of areas, lore, and monsters to explore, and the Backrooms fandom is full of fan-created levels featuring new threats and ideas.

Like the Backrooms, the storytelling possibilities seem infinite. It is a vast, terrifying space with weird set design and that signature dark ambient sound design to keep us on edge. Any character can set foot in it, often no-clipping out of reality unexpectedly. It's ripe for multiple adaptations and interpretations, whereas Siren Head may not live up to that.

But, as I said, there is a strong team behind it. We may well be headed into a new era of very effective Creepypasta adaptations, and I'm excited if that's true.

I'll be following Siren Head closely, and I hope it'll be a thrilling feature-length adaptation after all.

The third — and likely final — season of Squid Game dropped worldwide just a few days ago. Perhaps you're eking out the final episodes, or maybe you've binged them all already. Either way, if you're a fan who's keen to express their enthusiasm (or struggling to say goodbye to the show), there's all kinds of merch available to help you do just that.

Below, I've rounded up my favorite merch. My picks include water bottles, totes, mugs and even a buildable recreation of the show's iconic staircase, but really my favorite is the Red Guard crochet set. I can't think of a better way to mark the end of the Squid Game era. (There's also a yarn player, Young-HEE and Front Man, if you fancy). I've focused on non-clothing items here, but you'll find plenty of Squid Game tees, tanks and sweatshirts at Hot Topic or Box Lunch if that's your preference.

Not started the new season yet? You're in for a treat. In our Squid Game season 3 review, our reviewer praised the "emotionally charged plot beats, twists and turns... hyperviolence, and unrelenting tension" and declared it "a nail-biting, poignant last hurrah" for the show.

Squid Game merch

• Backrooms is getting an extended cut, which will be in theaters from July 4
• The movie will be titled Backrooms: Everything Must Go and features 16 minutes of new footage
• Backrooms is the second-highest-grossing horror movie of 2026 so far

Backrooms was a monumental success for A24, becoming the second-highest-grossing horror movie of 2026 so far. Those of you hungry for even more lore won't be disappointed, as an extended cut is coming to theaters.

From July 4, Backrooms: Everything Must Go will be playing in theaters globally, where it will feature 16 minutes of brand-new footage. According to Deadline, the new version will have "more lore, and more Easter eggs for fans."

If you're a fan of the Backrooms lore like me, the promise of even more footage is likely an intriguing one. One of the reasons I keep coming back to the Backrooms is just how deep the online lore goes; I truly could spend hours wandering the place given half the chance. No matter how dangerous it might be.

The hype around Backrooms isn't dying down

It's a great time to be a horror fan right now. Backrooms has caused quite the stir on social media, marking the first time the Creepypasta has been adapted for the big screen.

In an interview with our senior entertainment reporter Tom Power, Backrooms director Kane Parsons spoke about the rise in YouTubers making horror movies from Markiplier's Iron Lung to Curry Barker's Obsession, which is now available on demand.

Parsons said: "A common trait shared by a lot of these YouTube filmmakers is having an established contract with their audience, and treating fans like they're a little more intelligent and cognizant than the average entertainment fan. So, I can't speak to why studios are finally taking notice of us, but I'm glad they are."

With Backrooms re-entering theaters for an extended cut, I am certainly glad that horror is being taken seriously across the board. I can't wait to see what Backrooms: Everything Must Go has in store for us.

55 years ago, the legendary Gene Wilder invited us to join him in "a world of pure imagination." Now, a disembodied AI recreation of his sonorous vocals is inviting us to join him in his "my newest wonders beyond imagination."

But there's little-to-nothing imaginative about the use of an AI-generated version of Wilder's voice to help sell Netflix subscribers on a new Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-themed reality show, and, quite honestly, I hate everything about it.

To catch you up, this new show, which is set to air in September on one of the best streaming services, Netflix, borrows sets (recreations), themes, and even one living actor who played an Oompa Loompa from the original 1971 film to create a reality show that it hopes will somehow, if not match, approach the charm and danger of the original film.

Not getting the point

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, based on the Roald Dahl bookCharlie and the Chocolate Factory, is a commentary on wealth, poverty, family, risk, and cruelty, all wrapped in a candy-covered fantasy.

The protagonist, Charlie Bucket, is so poor he lives in a ramshackle London cottage with multiple generations of family members, including a grandfather who has not left his bed in years. Meanwhile, Wonka is finally opening up his secretive factory to a select group of the public, chosen at random via golden tickets hidden in some of his candy.

I know, it sounds like a confection, but the first scene in which Wilder appears gives you a hint that this is not your typical children's story. When all the winners, including Charlie, arrive, Wonka (Wilder) unsteadily walks out while using a cane to greet them. As he approaches the gate, Wilder loses his grip on the cane and falls forward, but instead of face-planting, he does an effortless tumble and is suddenly upright and boisterous.

I tell you all this because there is so much complexity and nuance in that one scene and virtually all of it engineered by Wilder's performance. Throughout the film, his face and especially his voice drive the narrative and mood, yo-yoing it between playful host and sinister guide who keeps losing children to one self-imposed calamity after another.

Never before or since have I seen a character in a children's film swing so wildly from gentle and childlike to ominous. It's a wonder the Academy didn't recognize his performance.

Fast forward more than half a century to this streaming show, which uses Wilder's voice with the permission of his family; you can get your first sample of it in the new show trailer (above). Created by increasingly well-known ElevenLabs, the voice is, in my opinion, a poor recreation at best, but I guess I might also call it unmistakably Wilder-like.

It's also depressing. The thing about Wilder's real voice in films like Willy Wonka, The Producers, Stir Crazy, and Young Frankenstein is that it could be wildly emotional. Wilder as a hysteric was often the funniest thing you had ever seen. No one went off the rails like Gene Wilder, but also few other actors could express such warmth and compassion, and sometimes he did it all in a single scene.

At the end of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka discovers Charlie is stealing his everlasting gobstopper to deliver it to Wonka's chief competitor. His anger at Charlie is terrifying, but as soon as Charlie leaves the candy behind, Wonka (Wilder) transforms, and the compassion and joy in his voice is something to behold.

The AI Wilder voice in this trailer is devoid of passion, pathos, or really any recognizable human emotion. It's a soulless Gene Wilder.

Look, there's no doubt the power of AI is transforming life and culture. It lets us do things we never thought possible. It's a co-worker, a companion, a sleuth, a coder, and a creator, but we are now at the point where we must ask ourselves: Just because AI can, should it?

I guess we can ask a similar question about the AI-generated Val Kilmer in the unfortunately titled As Deep as the Grave. While I can understand if Kilmer had completed some filming and they wanted to bridge the gap in scenes filmed after his death, this full-scale recreation, even with the estate's permission, seems wrong. I love these actors, but none are irreplaceable, and using their likenesses and voices simply to generate nostalgia and sell a product feels very wrong, and certainly not the best use of AI (and all the resources behind it).

Surely, we can agree that it's often better to let the dead stay dead and not try to resurrect a simulacrum of their essence through the power of AI. The results are, to be honest, rather like the work of Baron Von Frankenstein: a monstrous creation that probably has no place on earth.

• Lego's Olivia Rodrigo collection features five sets inspired by her Guts era
• All sets are available to preorder now ahead of an August 2026 release
• There are multiple Olivia Rodrigo Minifigures to collect

Olivia Rodrigo’s been keeping busy. Just a few weeks after dropping her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, the pop sensation is making her next move. And it’s a pretty big one that’s good 4 all of us: she’s collaborating with Lego on not one, not three, but five brick-built sets.

In fact, she’s the first musician to get multiple dedicated Lego sets, and they’re all distinctly Olivia Rodrigo, complete with her iconic shade of purple. And maybe most importantly, Olivia is getting her own Minifigures.

Fans who saw Olivia Rodrigo on the Guts World Tour — or streamed the concert on Netflix — will recognize the iconic moon she flew over the audience in the Olivia Rodrigo's Concert Moon set, which is available to preorder for $49.99 / £44.99.

Not only does it include an Olivia Minifigure that can be placed on the purple moon, but the base is also a record player.

You can even use the knobs on the right side of the record player to make the disc spin, causing the moon to rotate. As with most Lego sets, this one is highly interactive, with plenty of hidden details packed into the full build.

If you’re just after a Lego brick-built record, Olivia Rodrigo’s Vinyl is worth a look at $34.99 / £24.99. Made from 360 pieces, it lets you build a vinyl record that can be displayed using a stand on the back. The front features several elements, including a red megaphone — as used on the Guts Tour — a butterfly, stars, and a spot for an Olivia Rodrigo Minifigure.

The flagship set in the Olivia Rodrigo Lego Editions line is the Dual Guitar, which is made up of 1,228 pieces and costs $119.99 / £109.99. You’ll build an iconic purple guitar that stands more than 20 inches tall, includes two Minifigures of Olivia Rodrigo, and features hidden details.

Best of all, it’s half acoustic and half electric, offering the best of both worlds. Beneath the electric side, you’ll find spots for both Minifigures, along with easter eggs that Olivia Rodrigo fans will appreciate. If you've ever wanted to get "obsessed" with the details, this is probably the set you'll spend the most time exploring.

Rounding out the Olivia Rodrigo Lego Editions line are the $79.99 / £69.99 Olivia Rodrigo's Secret Storage set and the $49.99 / £39.99 Flower Bouquet set. All five are available to preorder now from Lego’s online store and will begin shipping on August 1, 2026.

• A new 4K restoration of Hammer's Dracula is coming to theaters and Blu-ray in October 2026
• Uncensored and with new footage believed to have been lost forever
• Pieced together from 'the best original archival materials sourced from around the world'

Here's a tale to really sink your teeth into: Hammer Films has "painstakingly restored" (pun intended, I assume) the original 1958 Dracula, adding "long-lost" footage and delivering an uncensored cut in full 4K. It'll be coming to movie theaters and home entertainment in October 2026.

This isn't a remaster. It's a resurrection. It features footage that was believed to be lost for over six decades, and which was only ever seen by Japanese cinemagoers in the 1950s. The recovered material is "from the best original archival materials sourced from around the world" and has never been released in the US or UK, nor available for home viewing in either country.

Dracula was the second on-screen pairing of Peter Cushing, who plays Dr Van Helsing, and Christopher Lee, who plays… I'm just checking my notes here… Dracula.

Fangs for the memories

There have been many Dracula movies, but the 1958 one delivered the definitive Drac: as Hammer Films says, Lee's portrayal introduced "the bloodshot eyes, predatory fangs and visceral physicality that became the blueprint for modern vampire mythology and whose influence can still be seen across horror cinema today."

It's hard to overstate Dracula's influence. Everything you'd expect from a Dracula movie — the fangs, the heaving bosoms, the wooden stakes, the suggestion that some women might actually enjoy having their necks bitten by a charismatic count — features here, and the film has frequently been included in rankings of the best films and horror films of all time.

As director Terence Fisher explained to our friends at SFX Magazine, this was the movie that made vampires sexy. "My greatest contribution to the Dracula myth was to bring out the underlying sexual element in the story… At the moment he bites it is the culmination of a sexual experience."

As you can see from the still images above, the restored version looks absolutely spectacular. And the film itself is a masterpiece. As Empire wrote in its retrospective review, "It was garish, it was sexy and it was never afraid to be gory. And with its spectacular ending — in which The Count's flesh peels away and crumbles to dust when caught in the first rays of the morning sun — Dracula created one of the classic images of horror cinema."

According to the wonderfully named John Gore, CEO of Hammer Films and executive chairman of John Gore Studios, “Bringing Dracula back to audiences in 4K goes far beyond a piece of film restoration work. This is the recovery of a piece of British film history that audiences believed had been lost forever. Seeing Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing together again in such extraordinary detail is a reminder of just how powerful this film remains nearly seventy years after its original release.”

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• Another Batman villain-led DC Universe movie is said to be in the works
• It could be the next film to arrive after James Gunn's Superman sequel
• There's bewilderment among fans over which projects are being prioritized by DC Studios

DC fans have expressed confusion and concern over the wider plan for the DC Universe (DCU) amid reports that another Batman villain-led film is being prioritized over one starring The Dark Knight.

With Supergirl enduring a calamitous debut in theaters, pulling in a measly $68 million worldwide, all eyes are on DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran to see if they'll make any sweeping changes to their DCU Chapter One lineup.

Anyone hoping to see or hear that a Batman and/or Wonder Woman movie will be fast-tracked, though, should temper their expectations. That's because, according to The Wrap, the next film set to enter production after Man of Tomorrow, aka the sequel to last year's Superman film, will be... one starring Batman foes Bane and Deathstroke. Yes, really.

Comment from r/DCULeaks

The Wrap's sources aren't the only ones who've heard that this movie could soon be a reality. Indeed, X/Twitter user and reliable industry insider Apocalyptic Horseman has also indicated that a Bane-and-Deathstroke flick is shaping up to be the next big-screen project from the Warner Bros. subsidiary.

This isn't the first time that rumors of such a movie have circulated online. In May, Deadline claimed that the project was not only in early development, but that Greg Mottola (Superbad, Peacemaker) had been tapped to direct it.

Should Messrs Gunn and Safran officially greenlight a Bane and Deathstroke movie, it'll be the third one to feature characters associated with Batman before the Caped Crusader even gets a standalone film.

A project starring shapeshifting Batman enemy Clayface, which lands in theaters this October, is the first of that trio. Meanwhile, a puppet animated flick currently titled Dynamic Duo will introduce the DCU's versions of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, aka individuals who assume the mantle of iconic Batman sidekick Robin in DC Comics.

Why Supergirl's calamitous debut has put serious pressure on DC Studios' co-chiefs

Comment from r/DCULeaks

Amid the discourse maelstrom that's enveloped DC Studios and Supergirl since the latter's disastrous launch, fans have wondered if Gunn and Safran will go back to the drawing board and rework their entire release strategy.

It appears, though, that they're remaining steadfast in their current approach to their nascent cinematic franchise — and that's certainly riled up some sections of the fanbase.

Indeed, in numerous threads on r/DCULeaks and r/DC_Cinematic, people have expressed their confusion and frustration about the duo focusing their efforts on developing projects that won't star DC Comics' most famous and popular characters.

Comment from r/DC_Cinematic

Some believe that it's now more important than ever to introduce and establish Batman and Wonder Woman in the DCU, and that if it doesn't, DC Studios will face a uphill battle in attracting newcomers to its fledgling universe. Meanwhile, others say that DC Studios should learn from Sony's on-hiatus Spider-Man Universe (SSU), which prioritized stories centered on members of the titular webslinger's rogues gallery and, despite initially doing well, eventually paid the price amid increasingly negative reviews and diminishing box-office returns.

Then there's the small matter of Paramount Skydance's potential buyout of Warner Bros. Pictures. Should it go ahead, some think that the DCU could be axed before it's truly become estabilshed, especially if Clayface underperforms later this year and Lanterns, which comes to HBO Max in August, similarly doesn't do as well as predicted. The pressure would then certainly be on Man of Tomorrow to save the day and ensure the DCU's survival, for however long that might be.

For more DCU coverage, check out the latest casting rumor for the DCU's Batman, and read my Supergirl review to see if I think it's as bad as everyone's making it out to be.

• Hundreds of TV episodes and movies will be removed from PlayStation Store accounts on 1 September
• People had bought the movies and shows
• No apologies, let alone compensation, from Sony

One of the best things about Blu-ray discs is that you don't need to worry that Sony will sneak into your home in the middle of the night and take them away.

Unfortunately you can't say the same about digital purchases: Sony is scrubbing hundreds of movies and TV show episodes purchased on the PlayStation Store from people's collections with no compensation. Come September, they're gone.

The list of affected movies and shows is on the Sony website and includes the remastered Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Gomorrah, the Rambo movies and many more. The problem is the end of a licensing agreement between Sony and StudioCanal, a major producer and distributor of movies and shows.

As Sony explains, from September 1, 2026, "you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content from StudioCanal, and it will be removed from your video library."

To add insult to injury, the notification ends with the PlayStation slogan: "Play has no limits".

As you can imagine, this has gone down very well with movie fans.

Why is Sony removing people's purchases?

Sony's arrangement with the film production company StudioCanal has ended, and that means Sony no longer has the rights to sell those TV shows and movies. The fact that people have bought them is irrelevant to Sony, because in the terms and conditions that absolutely nobody reads it says that you're buying a license to view a show or movie, not to own it.

Since the news broke, my social media has been full of people saying the same thing: Sony's move is a pretty great advert for digital piracy. And it's definitely upset a lot of movie fans, such as Quelonious on r/movies who vowed: "I will never buy streaming movies again", although that poster is sticking with Blu-ray rather than flying a pirate flag.

"If I were you I wouldn't make digital purchases for movies," Rewdyroo writes on the same subreddit, noting that "you aren't buying the movie. It functions more like a lease and if the license for the movie that whatever service you bought it from runs out your digital movie also goes away, no refund. I've had it happen on Amazon and will never purchase a digital movie again."

Mildmichigan spoke for many: "This should be illegal. If I buy something digitally, and the platform loses distribution rights or whatever then I should be grandfathered in."

We've discussed this before, because it's a key reason to keep buying Blu-rays: Blu-rays are yours forever. But it's an issue with all kinds of digital media, going back to the days of Microsoft's PlaysForSure digital music, which sold audio files that died when Microsoft shut down the servers. Whether it's a streaming catalog or GTA 6, if it's not on physical media you can't ever be sure that it's yours forever.

(Is now a good time to mentioned the Criterion's 4K Blu-rays are 50% off at the moment in the US?)

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• DC Studios won't alter its long-term vision for its cinematic universe
• That's what co-CEO Peter Safran told one reporter after Supergirl's disastrous launch
• The Milly Alcock-fronted film earned just $68 million during its opening weekend

It appears that it's damage limitation time for DC Studios.

After Supergirl launched — and subsequently bombed — at the global box office, the comic book giant's movie and TV division is seemingly refusing to alter its wider plan for its nascent cinematic universe.

Indeed, speaking to The New York Times (NYT) in the wake of Supergirl's disastrous opening weekend performance, DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran insisted that he, fellow studio head James Gunn, and parent company Warner Bros. "remain confident in" the long-term vision for the DC Universe (DCU). That's despite Safran's admission that the Milly Alcock-starring movie "didn't meet our box office expectations".

Such a statement is a, well, understatement. Following its June 26 release, the film formerly known as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow suffered something of a catastrophic debut. As NYT's report noted, the DCU Chapter One earned a paltry $68 million worldwide — $38 million in North America and $30 million internationally — during its first four days in theaters.

To put the first of those figures in frighteningly bleak context, the much-maligned Spider-Man spin-off flick Morbius, aka the vampiric anti-hero film starring Jared Leto, made just $39 million in North America during its own miserably opening weekend in late 2022.

What makes Supergirl's performance all the worse is, at the time of publication, it holds a middling 56% critical score on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, Morbius has been stuck at a life-draining 15% for almost four years. The fact that the second DCU Chapter One movie made $1 million less in North America than Morbius, then, should really set the alarm bells ringing at DC Studios HQ.

Why didn't Supergirl fly higher at the global box office?

There are numerous reasons that can be pointed to, including the ongoing superhero fatigue debate, prioritizing a new Supergirl movie over, say, a film starring another of DC Comics' so-called Holy Trinity in Batman and Wonder Woman, and — perhaps most crucial of all — word of mouth. After all, where the last of those reasons is concerned, movies can live or die on what critics and/or general audiences not only think of them, but say about them. You can see what I thought of the Alcock-led adventure via my own Supergirl review.

But I digress. In my view, there's another major cause for Supergirl's incredibly poor performance worldwide — and it's got to do with two powerhouse animated film franchises: Toy Story and Minions.

Where the former is concerned, the critical reception to its fifth installment was as mixed as Supergirl's was. Heck, in my Toy Story 5 review, I gave it three out of five stars, which is the same score Supergirl earned.

Nevertheless, Toy Story's immense popularity means it can — for now, at least — withstand any negativity that comes its way. That much is clear based on its own worldwide ticket sales, which have seen Toy Story 5 rack up an almighty $585 million (per Variety) in its first 12 days in theaters.

Then we come to the other aforementioned billion-dollar-spinning film series in Minions. With its next story — Minions and Monsters — set to not only arrive on July 3, but also predicted to make a similarly huge sum of cash, the timing of Supergirl's release couldn't have been worse. Maybe if its launch had been held back until August when its biggest competitor would arguably have been the next Insidious film, it might have soared higher.

For more on the latest DCU project, check out my Supergirl ending explained piece to see how it potentially sets up Man of Tomorrow, aka the sequel to last year's Superman film. Alternatively, see when Supergirl might come to HBO Max.

• A new rumor about the DC Universe's (DCU) Batman is spreading online
• Various insiders claim an unlikely name has been cast as the Dark Knight
• Interestingly, said actor almost won the race to play Superman

James Gunn and Peter Safran have reportedly found the actor they want to play Batman in the DC Universe (DCU).

According to industry insider John Campea, an unlikely name has been tapped to portray the Dark Knight in Gunn and Safran's comic book franchise.

Campea wouldn't reveal the identity of said actor on the latest edition of his podcast, but says two different sources — one of whom is "well-positioned" to know these things, and neither of whom knows the other — linked the same star to the role.

So, who is this mystery individual? According to other leakers with less reputable track records, including MyTimetoShineHello, it's Tom Brittney.

Who is Tom Brittney and has he actually been cast as the DCU's Batman?

An English actor best known for playing the lead role in seasons 4 to 8 of British detective drama Granchester, Brittney won't be familiar to the vast majority of readers.

However, he's starting to make a name for himself in Hollywood circles. For a start, he was one of three individuals who made it to the final round of auditions to play Superman in the DCU. The others? David Corenswet, who won the race to play the Man of Steel, and Nicholas Hoult, who wound up being cast as Supes' archnemesis Lex Luthor.

Among other roles post-Granchester, Brittney had a small supporting role in hit Netflix movie Back in Action, which starred Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. He'll next appear on the big screen in Lionsgate's Fall 2: Deadpoint, aka the follow-up to 2022 survivor thriller Fall, which is out in early September. If Brittney hasn't officially been announced as the DCU's Caped Crusader by then, expect him to field many, many, many questions about his potential casting during Fall 2's press tour.

"Great, Tom, but is there any truth to this rumor?", I hear you ask. At the time of publication, Gunn, who isn't shy about debunking hearsay — or, on the rarest of occasions, confirm a casting rumor — via social media, hasn't commented on the matter.

Admittedly, the DCU co-chief has his hands full with Man of Tomorrow, i.e. the sequel to 2025's Superman movie. Unless Gunn raises his head above the parapet to confirm or deny Brittney's involvement, we might not know until, well, tomorrow (June 30) when new scenes are expected to be filmed for Clayface, the next DCU Chapter One film.

Why new filming days for Clayface could confirm Brittney's casting as Batman

According to X/Twitter use 4thdoctorstan74, Clayface's production crew will be back on Merseyside in the UK to shoot more material for the forthcoming body horror flick between June 30 and July 1.

Now, 4thdoctorstan74 has claimed that said crew will only be filming pick up shots. These are usually shot during the post-production process to, among other things, aid a movie's pacing and narrative flow. It's highly likely, then, that the film isn't underdoing any major reshoots ahead of its late October launch.

That said, I don't think we can completely rule out the possibility that one of these pick ups could involve Brittney if he has been hired to play Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter-ego. After all, there have been countless rumors that Batman won't appear in Clayface, which feels like a huge misstep considering, you know, the titular villain is just one of the Gotham-based crimefighter's many foes. And, with Supergirl currently struggling to make an impact at the box office, it might be in Messrs Gunn and Safran's best interests to introduce the DCU's Batman as soon as possible to maintain interest in their nascent cinematic franchise.

If — and I honestly cannot keep stressing this enough — Brittney is set to portray the legendary hero in this DC comic book universe, it would make sense for his Batman to make his debut in Clayface, even if it's just a cameo, ahead of his standalone DCU film The Brave and the Bold. All eyes, then, are on Gunn's social media accounts and the north-west of England to see whether Brittney has been tapped to play the World's Greatest Detective.

In the meantime, find out everything we know so far about Clayface. Alternatively, find out how to watch the Batman movies in order or see if you agree with our ranking of the best Batman movies.

Cast your mind back to the so-called "flopfest" season that is January. Only five short months ago, Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson were fronting Mercy, a new movie following a man falsely accused of murder, only to be tried by an AI-generated court.

The premise is simple: Make the AI judge believe you're innocent through a numerical threshold, and you walk free. Don't, and you die. There's no lawyer or jury — just your brain and access to your life via curated digital files.

After its theatrical release, it has been on Prime Video for the majority of 2026, and I cannot discourage you enough from watching it. It's far from the worst movie of the year so far, but it's bad enough to be a must-miss.

Without boring you too much, the production feels cheap, it struggles to retain momentum, and Pratt (whose character is hilariously also called Chris) being restrained in a chair for 90% of Mercy's runtime runs thin incredibly quickly.

But let's not talk about Mercy... instead, we need to focus on the movie Pratt recommended as a double bill. Not only does it serve as inspiration for Mercy's action, but it's arguably the most underrated Christopher Nolan movie all time.

Perfect timing ahead of The Odyssey, don't you think?

Chris Pratt reveals Christopher Nolan's Memento is a huge inspiration — and you need to stream it ASAP

"There's a little bit of Memento in this," Pratt told me shortly before Mercy's release.

"This is a character who does not know what's going on, and he's unpeeling the layers of his reality as he learns in real time what has happened."

As soon as he mentions it, I remember just how much of an astonishing viewing experience it was. Starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss, it follows insurance investigator Leonard Shelby (Pearce), who suffers from anterograde amnesia.

He uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. This means that we know as much as he does, making it one of the most unique and interactive crime thrillers of the last 26 years.

You're thrust back and forth in time with so much confusion that you're wondering if you killed your ex-wife. It's no secret just how much of an exceptional director and storyteller Nolan is... but this was only his second movie.

The talent was already off the scale, but it's no surprise that, given just how many corkers came out more recently (his Batman trilogy, Inception, and Oppenheimer, to name a few), Memento has been put on the collective back burner.

For Matrix fans, Carrie-Anne Moss is also the best female lead that Nolan could have picked. Add in sharp 2000s vibes and lashings of desperation, and you're about to stream a movie you'll never forget (unlike Mercy, which you hopefully do immediately).

• Watch Memento on Prime Video in the US
• Watch Memento on Sky in the UK
• Watch Memento on Paramount+ in Australia

I've got quite the varied selection for our first instalment of Scream or Skip, which features a mix of new releases and an indie horror movie I had never heard of until a few days ago.

Thanks to my social media algorithms being full of horror content, it's never hard for me to discover new things. This month, we have a bit of a water-based theme going on, as two out of my three picks are set there, and the third comes from nautical beginnings.

But they couldn't be more different, ranging from a disturbing coming-of-age story at a lake to a Lovecraftian-style nightmare. There's been a lot of discussion about all three of these, but what did I think of them?

Read on to find out more about my three horror picks across streaming and gaming in June.

TV - The Terror: Devil in Silver

Where to watch: AMC+ (US only for now)
Lucy's verdict: Skip

The Terror: Devil in Silver is the newest installment in the AMC+ horror anthology series, and unfortunately, it has taken a nosedive in quality after the first two seasons. If you take anything away from this, it would be that I recommend you check out 2019's The Terror because it is still the best out of the three stories and is widely available to stream, unlike Devil in Silver, which is currently US-only.

For Devil in Silver, we're in an entirely new setting, moving from a cursed ship at sea to a psychiatric hospital. Here, Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens plays Pepper, who has wrongly been committed there, and begins to experience supernatural events whilst trying to prove he should be freed.

There's no denying the performances are great, both from Stevens and Judith Light, who plays Dorry, a fellow hospital resident. But the series does unfortunately suffer from pacing issues and a lack of genuine scares, meaning it pales in comparison to the original The Terror series. It might be a good pick for those who like a slow burn, but it seems to stand out when compared to the others in the anthology for the wrong reasons.

Movie - Mean Creek

Where to watch: Paramount+ (US); rent or buy (UK, AU)
Lucy's verdict: Scream

Mean Creek is a 2004 movie that completely fell under the radar for me. I'd never heard of it until I stumbled across this TikTok video. I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I must say, I'm glad I watched it. It's billed as a "dark coming of age story" and is very psychological in its approach to horror, so expect a lot of dread and harrowing scenes rather than jumpy moments.

Josh Peck has comfortably moved away from comedy in recent years, and here he plays school bully George, who has terrorized his peers for too long. They decide enough is enough, so they invite George to a fake birthday party at a lake, where they decide to play a prank on him, which involves throwing him overboard during a boating trip.

Inevitably, things go wrong, and this movie examines the consequences of that. It is bleak, realistic, and will linger for a while, and it has been widely praised by horror fans as a result. What goes down is truly horrific, and I'm glad I gave this a go. It is worth the rental price in the UK and Australia, too.

Game - The Sinking City

Where to play: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Lucy's verdict: Scream

There are a lot of Lovecraftian horror games out there; it can be hard to know where to start. The Sinking City 2 releases in August this year, so I wanted to take a look at the first game to see how it holds up.

The Sinking City was released in 2019 and is a survival horror RPG. Here, a half-submerged city is gripped by supernatural forces. You play a private investigator, and you have to uncover the truth of what has possessed the city and the minds of its inhabitants.

I had a great time playing this, and I'm now keen to check out the sequel. You can explore The Sinking City by boat, on foot, and in a diving suit if you're brave enough to swim down into the depths. There's plenty to uncover and lots of fun creature design, and there are multiple endings to explore based on your decisions. This game is also widely available across platforms, which is just another bonus.

Is it just me, or has Prime Day flown by this year? Maybe it's because I've been tracking all the best deals alongside my colleagues, but even on the fourth and final day of Amazon's member-only savings event, I have good news.

If you're a Lego Star Wars fan, it's especially good news. I've rounded up the best Prime Day deals still available on sets from a galaxy far, far away, including discounts on three of my favorite Lego Star Wars builds ever.

• Shop the full Amazon Prime Day sale here

First up is a classic: the Lego Star Wars R2-D2 set, which lets you build the iconic astromech droid, now 20% off at $79.99. It's also a fantastic gift for any Star Wars fan. Lego's buildable C-3PO is discounted on the final day of Prime Day as well, alongside Chopper. You'll also find savings on battle packs for recreating moments from Mandalore and The Clone Wars, plus buildable starfighters.

Just remember that Prime Day 2026 comes to a close when the clock strikes midnight on June 26, so there's no telling whether these deals will stick around afterward.

The best Prime Day Lego Star Wars deals

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Back-to-school tech: 48% off laptops, headphones & tablets
• Cheap TVs: Samsung, Sony & LG from $89.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

Great news, 4K Blu-ray fans and physical media collectors — the huge Criterion Collection half-price sale is back again. This is the month-long sale, which will run until late July — but given how many tempting buys Criterion has, you're going to need that whole month to make your list and then whittle it down.

• View the full Criterion sale at Amazon
• View the full Criterion sale at Barnes & Noble

As usual for Criterion, Barnes & Noble is the main host of the sale, but Amazon has discs at half price too. The sale at Amazon is a lot more limited than at Barnes & Noble — several titles are half price, but some are most like 35% off when they're fully 50% off at B&N. And Amazon's range is more limited than B&N's. But I've included Amazon since many people are already buying things there for Amazon Prime Day (while it lasts — it ends tonight), so I thought maybe you just want to slip that disc you've been eyeing up into your basket…

• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Below, I've picked out 12 discs I think are especially tempting from the sale, but obviously there are no duds in the Criterion Closet, so you'll probably want to have a look through the whole sale using these links.

Criterion 4K Blu-ray sale — quick links

• View the full Criterion sale at Amazon
• View the full Criterion sale at Barnes & Noble

Criterion 4K Blu-ray sale: 12 titles I'd recommend

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Back-to-school tech: 48% off laptops, headphones & tablets
• Cheap TVs: Samsung, Sony & LG from $89.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

You could say Walt Disney Imagineering has been on a decades-long journey with audio-animatronics, which is essentially the tech underneath iconic characters at parks worldwide. What started with Tiki Birds has since grown to give us legendary looks at other characters, and in recent years, Walt Disney himself.

Just like the walking, talking Olaf roaming character, BDX Droids, or the Walt Disney animatronic, that innovation comes from a specific part of Walt Disney Imagineering, and that's the R&D (Research and Development) lab.

In late November of 2025, Imagineering gave us an early first look at next-generation audio-animatronic technology, one that could be expressive in brand-new ways due to the fact it was using front-based projection.

As Leslie Evans, Executive R&D Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, told me, "We're really going after more tools to just tell stories in an incredible way."

Now, just seven months later, that same system is debuting inside a Disney Park for the very first time, and TechRadar has the exclusive first look, as I was one of the first to see it in Imagineering's R&D lab.

This next-generation pirate is making its debut at Disneyland in the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which reopens Friday, June 26, 2026. For the first time, guests floating past the treasure-filled grotto will witness a pirate atop a pile of cursed gold transform from a flesh-and-blood pirate to a skeleton in mere seconds.

Choosing Pirates wasn't accidental — as Evans explained, the team was "looking for a figure where creatively we could do a great transformation," and ultimately landed on the conclusion that "this pirate transformation would be a great, great first place to do it." And considering it's a long-standing ride at the original Disney park filled with countless audio-animatronics, it makes sense that this next-generation technology is debuting there.

But let's roll it back from the ride itself and into Imagineering's fairly unassuming R&D lab in Glendale, California. I walked through a garage-like space with high ceilings and workstations, alongside generations of hydraulic animatronics — all the way through the A-1000 systems — before approaching a pirate figure elevated on scaffolding above a bank of workstations, Imagineers actively running it below. That staging is intentional — guests will look up at the figure from a boat, and the lab mirrors that sightline exactly.

The technology behind the illusion

That, in fact, was the new next-generation animatronic. At first glance, it reads almost deceptively simple. But as Evans explained, the ambition behind it runs deep. "How can we enable transformations that maybe previously are really challenging or in some cases impossible… I want characters that can blush, that can cry," she told me.

Unlike traditional Audio-Animatronics, which rely on complex mechanical systems for facial movement, this figure begins with a 3D-printed shell and almost no visible mechanical articulation in the face.

Instead, expression is driven almost entirely by a high-fidelity front-projected image mapped directly onto the character, and considering how far computer graphics and rendering have come, this dramatically expands what Imagineers can create with physical characters. Think of a person crying, laughing, grinning with emotion, and ultimately being more human.

What that process looks like up close is striking in its own right. During calibration, a blue and white mesh grid is projected across the entire figure — mapping the projection system precisely to every contour of the physical surface, from the brim of the hat down to the beads around the neck. It's a glimpse behind the curtain that makes the technology suddenly legible: this is how light becomes skin, or bone. Once that mapping is locked, the projected character snaps into place with a precision that's genuinely difficult to believe until you're standing in front of it.

With the installation at Pirates of the Caribbean, this next-gen audio animatronic system has various sensors that complete calibration daily, as well as the necessary compute system and projection tech, and redundancies for all of these. Considering it’s operating on a dark, water ride as well, there is a cooling system and a filtration system for the various components to keep them running day in and day out.

That simplicity, though, was deliberate — the result of rigorous testing. Evans and her team actually built and evaluated versions of this next-gen tech with individual facial features, including the nose, projecting onto them and asking a pointed question each time: "Is this adding anything? Is this extra bit of complexity getting us something from a creative standpoint?" If the answer was no, it got cut.

As Evans described it, "We started from that moment of 'let's test this, and we're only going to keep what we actually really need.'"

The nose didn't make it. The jaw did.

Disney's new blend of animatronics and game engines

Evans called it simply "a very exciting tool," and while she wouldn't be drawn on where it goes next beyond Pirates, that understatement might be the point.

That shift moves expressive detail out of mechanics and into real-time rendering — powered by a digital pipeline that connects Unreal Engine-based systems and animation tools. Evans talked about the moment those pieces converged. "When you really had animatronic technology, real-time game engines, and incredible CG assets all together… that's when we said, wait, we've really got something here," she said.

But getting there required pulling every discipline together. As Evans put it, "That's what's just absolutely magical about this team of people… when you bring them all together and say, 'this is the North Star, what are those key components that we need to go make it happen?'"

What that unlocks is a character capable of real-time visual transformation. Because the projection is dynamic, the character can shift emotional tone and surface detail in ways traditional animatronics simply can't — from subtle expressions like sadness or joy, to more dramatic changes that reshape how the character is perceived entirely. In Pirates, that means watching a single figure move between pirate and skeleton in real time, telling a fuller version of a story.

The physical system underneath is still there, but simplified. The body retains enough traditional mechanical motion to interact with the environment, while the face becomes a canvas for projection-driven expression. Redundant projection systems are also built in for reliability — essential for a high-throughput attraction like Pirates of the Caribbean.

And while Disney wouldn't go into full technical breakdowns, the compute setup running it sits closer in architecture to a high-end gaming PC than traditional show-control hardware. Though, as we’ve seen with Smugglers Run and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, the blur between ride systems and gaming is blurring.

Disney engineers even mapped the ride path physically inside the R&D lab to simulate what guests will see from the boat vehicles, ensuring the transformation reads correctly from multiple angles.

A platform, not just a pirate

Evans was clear about what drives all of it, telling me, "We want them to believe it's real… we're trying to make people feel."

She added, "We don't build technology for technology's sake. Everything is about telling a great story to our guests."

Proof that it works came not from the engineers who built it, but from the first people who hadn't. Evans described watching fresh audiences encounter the figure for the first time. "Our folks are standing in front of this character for minutes, just watching this cycling transformation happen over and over and over again, and are still kind of mesmerized by it. That's when we got that moment of going — yeah, I think we did something good," she said.

And I can echo that. After the first glance, I stood in front of it, walking around from different angles, watching this pirate cycle from human to skeleton after taking the bait from a gold coin. It drives a genuine reaction of joy — it's deeply impressive, and I look forward to seeing it running at Disneyland alongside the other animatronics that have defined that ride for decades.

It's a meshing of past, present, and future in terms of tech. And that's where things start to open up beyond Pirates. What Disney is building here is not a single animatronic, but a platform for bringing real-time characters with far more detailed expressions to physical environments and attractions in a very scalable way.

So if a pirate can transform from human to skeleton in real time, the question becomes what happens when that system reaches the rest of Disney's universe of characters. Pirates of the Caribbean is where guests will see it first — but if Imagineering's trajectory is any indication, it won't be the last.

For the first time in over 40 years, a Supergirl movie has soared into theaters. And, if you weren't put off by its middling reviews — check out my Supergirl review to see what I thought of it — and have already watched it at your local cinema, you might need some clarity about what happens in its finale.

Below, I've answered your biggest questions about the DC Universe (DCU) film's ending and how it sets up next year's Superman sequel. So, this is your one and only warning: full spoilers immediately follow for Supergirl. Turn back now if you haven't seen it yet.

Does Krypto die in Supergirl?

Rejoice, dog and animal lovers alike, because Krypto does not die.

As you'll know, part of this film's plot revolves around the titular Kryptonian — real name Kara Zor-El — retrieving an antidote to neutralize the effects of a poisoned dart that Krypto was shot with.

The problem? The only cure is in the possession of villain-in-chief Krem of the Yellow Hills, who just so happened to be the individual responsible for gravely injuring Krypto in the first place. And, as Kara learns, she only has 72 hours to track down Krem, acquire the necessary cure, and administer it, otherwise Krypto will succumb to the toxin.

To cut a long story short, Kara succeeds in her mission. Returning to the planet she left Krypto on, she hands the medication to the local physician, who injects it into Krypto and, within seconds, he's fit and healthy once more. Phew!

Why does Kara kill Krem in Supergirl?

On the surface, the answer is simple: Krem is responsible for Krypto's near-death experience. Her Kryptonian cousin — Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman — notwithstanding, Kara's only tie to the duo's annihilated home world Krypton is her superpowered pup. So, considering Krypto's life was severely threatened, you can understand why she ultimately decided to take Krem's life.

There are other factors at play, too, though. For one, Kara kills him because he murdered the family of young warrior Ruthye, who enlists Kara's help to enact revenge on Krem. However, rather than let Ruthye slay him and carry that weight for the rest of her days, Kara convinces Ruthye not to go through with it and, after sending Ruthye away, Kara deals the killing blow instead.

Then there's the fact that Krem and his criminal enterprise, aka the Brigands, hop from planet to planet to kidnap teenage girls and use them to create the next generation for this all-male gang. Furthermore, killing Krem means that he won't be able to revive the Brigands and, by proxy, his reign of terror. Add those reasons together, and it's little wonder that the honor-bound Kara bumps him off.

Nevertheless, Kara's decision to murder Krem is sure to polarize viewers.

In Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, aka the 2021 graphic novel that this film is based on, Krem is allowed to live. That's because Kara wants to teach Ruthye that revenge is never the answer, and breaking the cycle of violence is the only way to process your trauma and heal from it.

Supergirl follows the same thematic line right up until Kara kills Krem — and, in spite of the reasons I outlined earlier, it still doesn't sit right with me.

Sure, the narrative reasoning for Krem's death is sound. Additionally, despite the similarities that exist between Kara and Supes, it not only proves how different their worldviews are, but also positions her as something of an anti-hero rather than a traditional champion of the people.

That all said, Kara choosing to murder Krem completely undercuts the thematic purpose of the entire story, and I'm willing to be that there'll be many viewers like me who wished that this specific part of the DCU Chapter One movie had ended differently.

Does Supergirl have any end credits scenes?

Nope, there isn't a mid-credits and/or post-credits stinger to stick around for once Supergirl's end credits sequence begins.

So, if you don't want to stick around and appreciate how many people worked on this project, you can make a quick exit from your screening without worrying that you've missed the set up for DC Studios' next big-screen offering.

How does Supergirl set up Man of Tomorrow?

Supergirl doesn't set up any specific story threads for Man of Tomorrow, aka next year's follow-up in 2025's Superman movie. If you were hoping for even the slightest tease about its plot via a first-look clip or otherwise, then, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Regardless, Supergirl's final scene reconfirms that Milly Alcock's Kara will be part of Man of Tomorrow's cast.

Indeed, before Supergirl's end credits crawl, we see Kara and Krypto return to their Metropolis-based apartment just as David Corenswet's Supes is checking in on the place in their absence. As Krypto goes through Kara's trash, Kara and her sole surviving relative sit down for a quiet and brief chat, which ends with Kara telling Clark that she plans on sticking around on Earth for a while.

We already knew that Alcock's Girl of Steel would return in Man of Tomorrow — DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran revealed as much in a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter. Nonetheless, it's pleasing to see that Supergirl acknowledges Kara is back on Earth prior to her appearance in next year's Superman sequel and that she won't just turn up out of the blue at some point in the film.

For more information on what'll be the fourth DCU movie, find out everything we know so far about Man of Tomorrow.

• The first trailer for the new film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, fronted by Daisy Edgar-Jones, has been released
• Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay and Fiona Shaw are also in the cast
• The movie is set to be released in cinemas on September 25

The first trailer for the new movie adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as lead protagonist Elinor Dashwood, has been released — you can check it out below.

Releasing in cinemas worldwide in September 25, other cast members include Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay, Herbert Nordrum, Bodhi Rae Breathnach and Fiona Shaw.

The new movie, directed by Georgia Oakley, is the eighth adaptation of the Jane Austen novel since 1971, across all global media. However, fans of the book are already worried that the new film won't live up to one version in particular: the 1995 movie led by Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson.

"Unnecessary," one fan comment on YouTube reads, with another agreeing, "Gonna be very hard to top the Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson one."

A third adds on X, "1995 stans will riot, but this looks like it actually gets the heartbreak. Count me in for the tissues and the bonnets."

While fans are already divided over the impact of Oakley's take on the classic book, we're potentially overlooking the most crucial casting of the bunch: Caitríona Balfe.

Opinion: Caitríona Balfe's Outlander experience could elevate Sense and Sensibility

We've all been so busy talking about Daisy Edgar-Jones in the role of Elinor Dashwood that we've completely neglected how inspired a piece of casting Caitríona Balfe is.

The Outlander star will be playing Mrs Dashwood, originally played by Gemma Jones in the 1995 movie. Balfe is no stranger to creating compelling historical romance, having starred as Claire in the hit Starz series since 2014.

Frankly, she's the ideal person to cast in the face of a Jane Austen remake being so noticeably divisive. The new movie will need as many safe pairs of hands as possible to fend off the 'There-was-no-point-in-making-this-movie' brigade, especially if the idea is to showcase something completely different.

As far as the above trailer is concerned, we can expect traditional period-drama vibes throughout. Universal Pictures describes the adaptation as "an irresistible new take on Jane Austen’s iconic Sense and Sensibility: a charming, witty, and deeply relatable story of love and sisterhood."

What Stars Watch is the franchise that makes the tough choice of what to stream next for you using A-List recommendations. Whenever your favorite actor has a new movie or TV show coming out, we’ll get their take on what cinematic classic or underrated gem would make the ideal double bill. Two for the price of one, as the saying goes.

Want to know which 1960s French film Patrick Dempsey thinks is the perfect companion piece for his latest 10-part crime thriller? Or which forgotten action movie Channing Tatum loves so much from his childhood that he wants you to stream it with what he’s working on now? Like a streamable oracle, entertainment reporter Jasmine Valentine has got all the answers.

Light spoilers follow for Supergirl.

Supergirl marks the eponymous character's return to the limelight after 42 years. Okay, the DC superhero has starred and/or appeared in numerous TV shows and small-screen movies in the decades since; however, her only previous big-screen outing came in the form of the much-maligned 1984 Supergirl film featuring Helen Slater, so another cinematic adventure is long overdue.

Unfortunately, as incredibly excited as I've been for the second DC Universe (DCU) flick's arrival, it gives me no satisfaction to say that Kara Zor-El's latest silver-screen project is DC Studios' first misfire. It's not terrible by any means, but I left my screening with a tangible pang of what could have been if the movie had actually done right by its source material.

Kara, Krypto, Krypton, and Krem

Following her scene-stealing cameo in 2025's David Corenswet-led Superman movie, Supergirl reunites us with Kara (Milly Alcock) and her superpowered pup Krypto as they embark on an interstellar bar crawl to celebrate Kara's 23rd birthday, which Kara simultaneously uses to try and forget the destruction of her and Supes' home world Krypton by getting blackout drunk.

However, it isn't long before last orders are called. Indeed, when the sadistic Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his criminal gang — aka The Brigands — murder the family of a young woman named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) on her home planet, the latter tracks down Kara to help Ruthye get her revenge.

Initially reluctant to help, Kara changes her mind when Krem not only steals her spaceship, but also critically injures Krypto with a poisoned dart. With only 72 hours to find Krem and retrieve the antidote that'll save her dog's life, Kara and Ruthye set off on a character-defining journey that's as much a sci-fi adventure and space western as it is a superhero movie.

Tonally, Supergirl takes as much inspiration from genre films like True Grit, Mad Max, and Guardians of the Galaxy as it does from Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, aka the 2021 graphic novel that this movie is based on.

Those comparisons aren't a negative but, while Supergirl's grimy, washed-out aesthetic might seem like a good fit for its modern pulp plot, I yearned for the vibrant, eye-popping color palette and visual flair of its comic-book inspiration, which last year's Superman film had in spades.

On the action front, Supergirl expands on the set-pieces spread across Woman of Tomorrow's pages, while adding a couple of new ones to the mix.

And, honestly, I had no problem with the inclusion of these new sequences, nor the creative liberties taken with pre-existing ones. The Woman of Tomorrow comic book is a slow-burning, pensive read that's lightly seasoned with thrilling, high-stakes action, so I fully understand why its film adaptation dials up the spectacle.

That said, the occasionally egregious editing of some set-pieces doesn't do justice to Supergirl's fight choreography.

Spoilers notwithstanding, at the start of the film's climactic battle, I counted at least 20 quick-fire cuts across what must have been a 40-second period. That's far, far too many and, while it isn't the only example I could give where jump-cuts make it difficult to follow the action, I wouldn't be shocked if, once Supergirl has fully launched worldwide by June 26, fans have plenty of negative things to say about this specific sequence.

Woman of Tomorrow, problems for today

That's far from my only issue with Supergirl — and a lot of my grievances stem from the crucial fact that it dismisses aspects of what makes Woman of Tomorrow such a great read.

When its second trailer arrived in April, I expressed concern that Supergirl wouldn't be the comic book movie adaptation I was hoping for. Two months later, Supergirl's final trailer did little to assuage those fears. Nevertheless, I clung to the hope that my worries would be unfounded once I saw the full film.

Color me disappointed, then, that the DCU Chapter One flick reinterprets its source material for the worse.

For starters — and this might sound baffling to some — Supergirl tells its story from Kara's perspective. I know, how blasphemous of it to focus on its titular protagonist.

But hear me out. One of the comic book's biggest strengths is that Ruthye is our point-of-view character, so we witness Kara's heroic actions through the eyes of her young ally. To re-use True Grit to illustrate my point: in the 2010 western, we see events through teenager Mattie's eyes, not her world-weary and flawed albeit honorable chaperone Rooster Cogburn. To me, there's no reason why Supergirl couldn't have done likewise, especially when there's already a precedent for it in Woman of Tomorrow.

Supergirl similarly squanders another of its best elements by regularly neglecting Kara and Ruthye's complex dynamic

Again, I appreciate that this is a movie about the eponymous Kryptonian, but the original Woman of Tomorrow story works so well because it's a two-hander. Apart from giving Ridley's Ruthye a belated chance to shine as the film's third act begins, Supergirl relegates her to the sidelines; and, in what I consider to be a huge misstep, doesn't examine the full extent of the complicated yet sincere relationship that exists between her and Kara in Tom King and Bilquis Eveley's comic-book series.

Considering that Supergirl clocks in at a breezy one hour and 48 minutes, there's really no excuse why this team-up wasn't explored more acutely. To me, a few more scenes based around more intimate character moments from Woman of Tomorrow would have gone a long way to fixing this without impacting the film's flow.

To give credit where it's due, Supergirl is at times as emotionally engaging, if not more so, than its literary influence — and that's mainly down to Alcock's poignantly potent performance.

Last September, in comments that could have been viewed as being exceedingly biased, DC Studios co-chief James Gunn said Alcock's take on Kara was "absolutely stunning" — and he's absolutely right.

Whether it's her juggling of Kara's conflicting emotions in the present, or scenes depicting Kara's tragic backstory that act as well-placed storytelling touchstones peppered throughout, Alcock captures the morally complex, sassy, and traumatized Kryptonian with the right amount of poise, petulance, and emotional precision. Suffice it to say, I can't wait to see how her fellow superpowered beings deal with her punk rock attitude in 2027 Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

As for the film's supporting cast, Jason Momoa is arguably the standout as the immortal, interstellar mercenary Lobo.

Ridley does well with the screen time she's afforded, while Corenswet repays Alcock for her cameo in last year's DCU big-screen curtain-raiser with a couple of memorable appearances of his own. However, it's Momoa — a self-confessed Lobo superfan — who shines brightest in a role that's an integral part of Supergirl's story, and which allows him to play to his obvious acting strengths.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Krem. Schoenaerts is fine as the movie's central antagonist, but I'm simply not a fan of the changes — physical or otherwise — made to turn him into a disappointing, one-note villain. A bit more substance and — you know, giving us the Krem portrayed in Woman of Tomorrow — would have gone a long way to keeping me onside.

My verdict

Taken at face value, Supergirl is a pretty good film. Its heartfelt story, good-to-great cast performances, occasionally funny moments, applause-worthy practical effects, and tentpole action sequences will appeal to anyone who simply wants to be entertained by a traditional superhero flick.

However, those hoping for a more accurate adaptation of its literary inspiration, and/or looking for a different kind of comic book movie, will likely deem it a somewhat underwhelming watch — especially if their expectations were sky-high like mine. I really wanted to like this film more than I did; but, ultimately, it doesn't soar to the heady heights that its main character can reach with ease.

• The Blair Witch Project reboot will be released on September 24, 2027
• YouTube creator Dylan Clark will direct the project
• Clark has already directed a number of horror shorts which are available for free on YouTube

The Blair Witch Project is getting a reboot, which will arrive in theaters worldwide on September 24, 2027. But of all the horror titles to reboot, I'm concerned this was a poor choice.

YouTube creator Dylan Clark has been announced as the director of the rebooted found footage horror movie, and there's no denying he's talented. His YouTube channel features a number of effective short films you can watch for free.

News of The Blair Witch Project's reboot was confirmed by Lionsgate on social media, where they shared the release date announcement.

Is a Blair Witch Project reboot really necessary?

That's the big question among horror fans right now, and I'm sure people have plenty of strong opinions about it.

I'm certainly excited for Dylan Clark to be working with Lionsgate, but in a world where YouTubers Kane Parsons' Backrooms and Curry Barker's Obsession are dominating the box office with their original stories, I'm unsure we should rely on a YouTuber to reboot an iconic movie like The Blair Witch Project instead of creating something new.

Indeed, recent box office figures have shown that there's an appetite for original storytelling, with both Parsons and Barker receiving widespread acclaim for their horror movies.

Backrooms made $277.4 million from its $10 million budget, and Obsession made $334.4 million from a budget of just $750,000 - incredibly impressive results which have no doubt caught the attention of Hollywood.

It's clear that horror fans want something new, and I'm among them. The only way I can see The Blair Witch Project working is if it is completely stripped back and told from a new angle.

But even so, perhaps a completely new found footage horror would have turned out better? When the original movie came out in 1999, it was exciting because it was an entirely fresh concept.

Curry Barker is currently working on a Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, which I was initially apprehensive about too, but he confirmed that he would be focusing on lesser-explored characters. I truly hope that Dylan Clark takes a similar angle and offers something new when it comes to The Blair Witch Project.

Right now I'm not filled with much confidence, but as always I am open to being proved wrong.

• Disney Store is beta testing a new AI Personal Shopping Assistant
• The conversational tool can recommend products, gifts, and other items
• I tried it early, and it's very knowledgeable about Disney's universes

If you've used the Disney Store app recently, you'll know it’s been getting a steady stream of updates over the past few months — from push notifications for limited-edition drops to a faster, easier-to-navigate interface.

Now Disney Store is taking another step forward with a feature designed to make finding the right product feel a little more intuitive — and we have an exclusive first look. It’s dubbed the Disney Store AI Personal Shopping Assistant, and it’s a conversational AI shopping tool built directly into the app. It lets users describe what they’re looking for in natural language rather than relying on traditional keyword search, though the standard search experience will remain in the app.

The shopping assistant is currently live as a beta test for a select portion of signed-in users on the Disney Store iOS app in the United States. Disney says it will continue to learn from usage and refine the experience over time, with expansion to Android, DisneyStore.com, and international markets planned for a later date.

To see how well it works, I first asked it for gift ideas for a niece who loves Jessie from Toy Story, along with some fun toys to go alongside a classic doll. After a short pause, it returned a curated set of suggestions tailored to that character, each with brief explanations for why they fit the prompt. Instead of standard search results, it felt more like a tailored recommendation flow.

On the surface, the assistant doesn't feel like a separate feature bolted onto the app. Instead, it's built directly into the existing search experience. A new magnifying glass icon with a subtle sparkle now sits in the top-left corner of the home screen, taking you into search, where Disney prompts users with "Need ideas? Ask our AI Personal Shopping Assistant."

Once inside, it shifts into a conversational interface. In my testing, it opened with: "Hello Jacob, how can I help?" followed by a handful of suggested prompts to get started. From there, it behaves more like a shopping assistant than a traditional search bar, designed to understand natural language requests — whether you're looking for gifts, planning outfits for a Disney Parks visit, or tracking down merchandise tied to specific characters or franchises.

In practice, it feels responsive and surprisingly aware of Disney's wider universe — not just flagship characters like Mickey Mouse or Stitch, but also more obscure references, newer additions to the catalog, and park-related and age-appropriate suggestions.

"Our focus is always on enhancing the guest journey and meeting our fans where they are," said Patrick Sager, VP Disney Stores. "By introducing an AI-powered shopping assistant to the Disney Store app, we're blending storytelling with technology, delivering smarter recommendations, seamless discovery, and a more connected experience, making it easier than ever for guests to find the perfect product."

Items can be expanded for more detail or added directly to a shopping bag, reducing friction between browsing and purchase. The assistant also encourages exploration through follow-up prompts. After an initial query, it suggests refinements like "show Jessie dolls" or "show more plush toys," helping users narrow results without starting over. Of course, you can also type a follow-up or take it in an entirely new direction.

Disney says the assistant was developed in-house and built within its own ecosystem of characters, stories, and products. No guest data was used during development, and that remains the case going forward.

Beyond the conversational layer, Disney has also built in standard usability features: thumbs up/down ratings — which will likely be used to refine the experience over time — the ability to clear the chat at any time, and a light and dark mode toggle.

The Disney Store AI Personal Shopping Assistant feels like an early pilot feature in Disney’s broader push into AI-powered experiences — one that follows recently announced AI enhancements within the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World, as well as Disney’s departure from its deal with OpenAI.

While those efforts focus on planning and in-park experiences, the Disney Store implementation brings the same idea into retail. The common thread is that Disney appears to be exploring how AI can support different parts of its ecosystem, using conversational tools to surface products while still keeping everything anchored in the characters and worlds that define the brand.

At this stage, it still feels experimental in places rather than fully defined, but it’s clear Disney has put thought into how it integrates into the existing shopping experience rather than simply layering on a generic AI chatbot. I’m very curious to see how it evolves as new characters or franchises are introduced, as we see new product launches, and as we get closer to the holiday season. Who knows, maybe Disney will add a deal alert or restock functionality.

If you give it a go, let me know what you think of the experience in the comments below.

• Taika Waititi's new movie Klara and the Sun has a first-look trailer
• It teases Jenna Ortega as the titular AI companion, playing what's called an Artificial Friend
• Klara and the Sun arrives in theaters on October 23, 2026

Klara and The Sun got its first trailer recently, and the new movie quickly grabbed my attention. Even though stories of AI companions are everywhere, this one has done a lot to stand out from the crowd.

Before we get into that, here's a quick synopsis. Taika Waititi's Klara and The Sun is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, centering around an Artificial Friend (Jenna Ortega) and the human she was bought for, Josie (Mia Tharia).

Take a look at the trailer below ahead of the movie's release on October 23, 2026.

Why I'm excited for Klara and The Sun

Stories about AI companions are hardly new, and you'd be forgiven for growing a little tired of them. Whether it's sci-fi classics like A.I. Artificial Intelligence or horrors like Companion, lifelike androids are nothing new.

But I quickly found myself interested in Klara and the Sun after seeing the trailer and reading up on it. The original novel by Kazuo Ishiguro explores a dystopian world where children are genetically engineered for enhanced academic ability.

There's plenty of downsides to this, including social isolation. Children learn at home through on-screen tutors so they spend a lot of time stuck indoors. Enter the Artificial Friends, companions that can be purchased for the home where they'll keep children company without needing to be cared for like a pet would.

It's a bleak existence, but there's also something hopeful about Klara and the Sun. The trailer teases an unlikely bond between the titular AI companion and Josie, her human friend.

Outside of the interesting premise I'm also impressed by the cast. Supporting roles are played by Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne, and Steve Buscemi, so we have some great talent attached to this.

I'm really excited to dive deeper into this world, especially since I have enjoyed Waititi's previous work such as Jojo Rabbit. I'm hoping that Klara and the Sun is just as good.

Scream or Skip, that is the question. With so much horror out there to watch and play, our senior entertainment writer, Lucy Buglass, is here to help you decide what's worth your time.

Lucy is a long-time lover of the horror genre and has covered everything from the biggest new releases to hidden indie gems. Each month, she'll review a range of titles across cinema, television, and gaming, picking out titles that have caught her eye — for better or for worse, and tell you if they're worth your time (and receive a 'Scream', or something to pass on, receiving a 'Skip').

Feeling brave? Scroll on to see what frights await you.

In case you missed it during its West End run earlier in 2026, there's good news for international theatre fans: Les Liaisons Dangereuses will be in select cinemas worldwide from June 25, before heading to the National Theatre at Home streaming service later in the year.

This is all thanks to National Theatre Live, whose productions have been seen by more than 13 million people across the globe. I'm one of these, having seen everything from Hansard to All My Sons in theaters and local community centers.

The goal is to make British theater more accessible, which is fantastic news if you're international or just (rightfully) can't afford paying up to £120 for a ticket. Out of all of the productions I've seen, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is one that you absolutely cannot afford to miss.

For us peasants, this translates to Dangerous Liaisons, which you've likely seen in the 1988 movie of the same name starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. This time, Lesley Manville and Aiden Turner take on the respective roles of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont.

During its three-hour (I know) runtime, viewers experience a whirlwind of drama, deceit, unrequited love, and outright chaos. The staging is exquisitely minimal yet dramatic thanks to its use of moving mirrors, with our cast included in mass choreographed dance numbers interspersed throughout.

Frankly, it's like nothing I've ever seen. So when the National Theatre invited me on an exclusive tour behind-the-scenes during one of its two filming days for NT Live, I was as giddy as a five-year-old.

National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses was shot with the same cameras used to film your favorite Netflix movies

Here's how it works. For productions that aren't beamed into cinemas live, filming happens across two performances in the same week.

This way, editors can splice together the best cuts of scenes, meaning that if there's a mark on the floor or a prop out of place, you won't notice. The idea is to replicate the

When I walk into the theater on the second day of shooting, a total of seven cameras are rehearsing their placements for later in the evening. They're all a part of ARRI camera systems, which are the same kind that film all the latest Netflix movies. Small world, huh?

Most of them have a stationary position, with the camera closest to the stage operating on a dolly (which is essentially a small piece of track it can move up and down). Instead of being operated hands-on like on a movie set, the dolly camera is operated remotely from a portable control room.

So where is this mysterious crew? Instead of being packed into the auditorium, they're (literally) parked outside in two mobile van units. The first acts like a screen studio you'd see on an actual TV set, monitoring each camera through numbered live feeds. Next door is the audio mixing unit — meaning if someone coughs in the audience, it will be removed.

Basically, it's all the pleasure of being at the theater without any of the annoyances. I'm almost jealous of whoever gets to see it on screen, zooming into painful and poised movements in a way that I just couldn't see, even with my best glasses on two rows from the front.

You might be wondering what happens when a production is beamed totally live into cinemas without editing or delay, such as Inter Alia with Rosamund Pike in 2025. The process is almost the same, except that the NT team has to book a satellite to use in order to do so. According to my tour guide, that means a lot of bartering with international TV channels.

Regardless of how it is recorded, you can guarantee getting the best theatre experience possible. And if that hasn't sold you... Lesley Manville and Rivals' own Aiden Turner?! Come on.

Toy Story 5 only hit theaters three days ago, but ahead of Amazon's Prime Day and thanks to Walmart Deals — yes, a very to-the-point name — you can already save on some of the most exciting toys launched alongside the film.

Yes, Toy Story 5 might be all about toys versus tech, but Mattel's Interactables are some of the most exciting figures around because they can talk to each other. While these are "playscale" rather than movie-scale and a bit less tech-heavy, these versions of Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie still delight.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Even better, they're a record 54% off, bringing each figure down to just $10. That's right: you can get a movie-accurate, play-sized Jessie, Woody, or Buzz Lightyear for only $10 — a deal that's definitely headed to infinity and beyond.

Each figure can speak on its own, but when you bring them near one another, some clever under-the-hood tech lets them interact, cycling through more than 10 phrases together. If you've got a friend in these toys already, now's a pretty good time to add another one to the collection.

Today's best Toy Story 5 figure deals

Scoring a Toy Story 5 figure for $10 is a pretty incredible feat, and if you're a Walmart+ member, you'll score free, fast shipping as well. Both Woody and Jessie come with their iconic hats, and you'll notice that Jessie sports a sheriff badge while Woody doesn't, making these figures accurate to their appearances in Toy Story 5.

Jessie stands 8.8 inches tall, Woody measures 9.2 inches, and Buzz Lightyear comes in at 7 inches tall. The entire Interactables PlayScale line from Mattel is designed around this scale, meaning that if you pick up one of these figures — or all three — and add Forky or Lilypad down the line, they'll fit right in. Better yet, they're also designed to work with Mattel's other PlayScale figures.

Either way, whether you're shopping for a kid who just saw Toy Story 5 in theaters or looking to upgrade your own collection — because we're all young at heart, and we won't judge — Walmart is serving up a practically perfect deal here. It's a straight-out-of-Star-Command bargain to score a new Mattel figure for a record 54% off, and you can check out our behind-the-scenes tour at Mattel to see how these figures came to life.

Now for some minor spoilers. If you haven't seen Toy Story 5 yet, consider this your warning.

Friendly reminder: a minor spoiler lies ahead.

Alright, if you've scrolled this far, you've probably already seen Toy Story 5 and know about the arrival of a new Buzz Lightyear. If you're anything like me, you've likely been waiting to see a toy version of that upgraded Space Ranger.

I'm talking about the new Hi-Tech Buzz Lightyear, which gets an upgrade that finally lets the iconic toy take flight. Mattel is already serving up its own version, set to ship later in 2026 — specifically around August — that's designed to be safe for both kids and the young at heart.

Yes, Mattel has unveiled the Toy Story 5 Flying RC Hi-Tech Edition Buzz Lightyear, an enhanced version of the iconic character from›› the film. Rather than wings that pop out and somehow generate flight, this version deploys four propellers protected by safety guards, making it much more suitable for younger fans.

Designed for kids ages 8 and up, the Toy Story 5 Flying RC Hi-Tech Edition Buzz Lightyear comes with a controller that makes takeoff and landing easy with the press of a button. It's also intended for indoor use, and I'm certainly looking forward to going hands-on with it later this year.

If you're already sold, Walmart is taking preorders for the Toy Story 5 Flying RC Hi-Tech Edition Buzz Lightyear right now at $75.57 with an estimated delivery date of August 20, 2026.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

Power On... is the official name of senior entertainment reporter Tom Power's opinion column.

In the collection of articles listed below, one of TechRadar's resident movie, TV show, and streaming experts gives his take on various topics within the entertainment industry, including the biggest new releases, the most important stories of the day, week, and/or month, and the occasional rant about something that's irritated him.

So, scroll on to see what Tom has recently given his verdict on.

If you're looking for the very best Dolby Atmos movies to show off what your that home system you've lovingly researched and chosen can do, then there's a smart list of the 'top 100' options available on a site called Hello Atmos.

This top 100 was curated by the creator of Hello Atmos in order to find the 'consensus' list of the movies that get recommended the most often. It's based on published reviews and lists of great Atmos movies (including ours), plus community recommendations from platforms like Reddit, in the many many threads where people ask for recommendations.

It's all pulled into an algorithm designed by the app's creator, Adrian Wrona, to rank the movies based on how strongly they're recommended, and resulting in the top 100 list.

You can read the full list just below, or see it on the Hello Atmos site, which also includes where you can stream the movies in your country (though it's TechRadar's stance that uncompressed audio from the best 4K Blu-ray players is the only way to really show off your system).

While like any best-of lists there's plenty of opportunity for an argument — is Blade Runner 2049 still a better showcase than Dune? Why isn't Dredd higher up the rankings? — it's a great and eclectic guide to some of the best sounding spatial audio soundtracks, with details of who did the mixing, which is a nice touch.

We've written about Adrian before; another tool on Hello Atmos scans your Apple Music or Spotify playlists to identify which ones are available in Atmos, which is great if you want to really explore spatial audio for music.

The 100 best Dolby Atmos movies, as rated by Hello Atmos

1. Blade Runner 2049
2. Dune
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Ready Player One
5. The Batman
6. Top Gun: Maverick
7. Dune: Part Two
8. Gravity
9. Ford v Ferrari
10. A Quiet Place
11. The Matrix
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
13. Pacific Rim
14. 1917
15. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
16. Edge of Tomorrow
17. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
18. Fury
19. Midway
20. Saving Private Ryan
21. Deepwater Horizon
22. Bohemian Rhapsody
23. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
24. A Quiet Place Part II
25. Civil War
26. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
27. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
28. Twister
29. Godzilla vs. Kong
30. Roma
31. No Time to Die
32. Transformers
33. Hacksaw Ridge
34. Oblivion
35. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
36. Prey
37. Alita: Battle Angel
38. TRON: Legacy
39. Baby Driver
40. Warfare
41. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
42. Godzilla Minus One
43. Gran Turismo
44. John Wick: Chapter 4
45. Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague
46. Kong: Skull Island
47. Ambulance
48. Twisters
49. Unbroken
50. John Wick

51. Avengers: Endgame
52. Jurassic Park
53. Apocalypse Now
54. Blade Runner
55. First Man
56. Man of Steel
57. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
58. The Fifth Element
59. Soul
60. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
61. Black Hawk Down
62. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
63. John Wick: Chapter 2
64. Dredd
65. Star Trek Into Darkness
66. Deadpool
67. Nope
68. Sinners
69. Brave
70. Doctor Sleep
71. WALL·E
72. F1
73. War of the Worlds
74. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
75. Us
76. Alien: Romulus
77. Everest
78. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
79. Avatar: The Way of Water
80. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
81. 6 Underground
82. Avengers: Infinity War
83. Ballerina
84. Aquaman
85. Titanic
86. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
87. The Guns of Navarone
88. Aliens
89. Nosferatu
90. Uncut Gems
91. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
92. Back to the Future
93. Suspiria
94. Overlord
95. Top Gun
96. Sicario
97. 300
98. Evil Dead Rise
99. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
100. A Quiet Place: Day One

Full spoilers follow for Toy Story 5. You have been warned.

Thomas Jordan has seen a lot in his Hollywood career. The Pixar veteran, who began his career at the acclaimed animation studio in 1997 as a production intern on A Bug's Life, has had a front-row seat to the company's many highs and occasional lows, and the rapidly changing face of the entertainment business itself.

Hoppers, the first of two new movies from Pixar this year, launched to critical acclaim, grossing almost $400 million globally, and the Disney subsidiary is aiming for another box office success with its next feature.

Step forward Toy Story 5, the latest installment in Pixar's long-running, incredibly popular, and money-spinning film franchise. Despite a mixed critical reception — read my Toy Story 5 review to see what I thought — it's anticipated that the movie series' fifth entry will be a huge hit, financially, with some analysts predicting a $150 million windfall during its opening weekend in North America alone.

As the film's visual effects (VFX) supervisor — a role he filled for the very first time on Toy Story's fifth chapter — and with almost 30 years of experience under his belt, Jordan knew how big an undertaking this movie would be. After all, as he tells me, on a sunny Friday afternoon in London ahead of the family-friendly flick's June 19 worldwide release: "Toy Story is very precious. It started it all. It's our crown jewel. It's why Pixar is still here."

That's just one of many measured and insightful remarks Jordan gave in our exclusive interview. From developing innovative new technologies and crafting Bonnie's imagination-based art style to the challenges of animating the film's antagonistic tablet device Lilypad and Pixar's experiment with artificial intelligence (AI), here's everything we discussed in our chat.

(NB: this interview has been condensed and edited for clarity).

Bridging the animation tech divide

TechRadar: Each new Toy Story film — and Pixar project for the matter — gives you the opportunity to improve upon the last. What technologies, programs, and tools did you invent or refine to craft specific parts of this film?

Thomas Jordan: Well, to animate the realistic-looking horse — she's called Daffodil — we have in this movie, we needed to figure out a new rigging system. Without it, we couldn't have her in as many shots, because it would have been too laborious to animate her. This new system is more realistic in terms of horse motion and easier for the animators [to use], so we can have her in as many shots as we want.

The other example that comes to mind is the long, black, curly hair on the [human] character Blaze. We strive to create movies that represent the audience, and if we can't represent a certain part of the population, we feel like we're not doing our jobs properly. We put extra effort into solving the problem instead of changing the hairstyle because we wanted to finally solve this problem once and for all, and we knew it would not just benefit our film but any Pixar production.

TR: When you implement new tools, what are some of the challenges of making them work in tandem with established Pixar programs?

TJ: There's an expectation with every Pixar movie to push the envelope and innovate, so sequels are particularly appealing as testing grounds. But, early on, I did think about the danger of adopting too many new tools at once, so we were very careful about which current programs we combined them with.

There were instances where our new tools didn't overlap with pre-existing ones. For example, for Daffodil, the new rigging technology we used to animate her doesn't use our recent lighting tool Luna, nor our new rendering tool Renderman XPU.

We took a similar approach with Blaze's curly hair tool. We only used it alongside Renderman XPU for one sequence and with Luna in two to minimize the risk because, you know, the movie has a release date. No matter what we do, we can't jeopardize that.

What makes a toy?

TR: Let's talk about the new toys you introduce in this film, starting with Smarty Pants, Atlas, and Snappy. What was most challenging about bringing them to life and ensuring they moved in visually unique ways?

TJ: The first thing is they're all solid objects. None of them have hands or legs, and they either have screens or a sticker for eyes, so initially we had to work out how they'd move.

The next challenge was they all needed to feel like they were from different eras. We wanted Smarty Pants to be the oldest one, so his technology looks older because he's from when Blaze was a little girl, and his screen doesn't refresh as quick as the others. The next one she got was Atlas, and so we did a lot of research on what technology and screens looked like in the '80s, '90s and 2000s. After that came Snappy, who's the most advanced with her eyeball camera lens, and so things needed to feel unrefined.

On top of that, they all have screens, which have to be animated separately from the characters themselves. The problem was that when the animation team worked on Snappy, Smarty Pants, and Atlas, their screens were blank, which isn't very useful or inspiring for the animator who's trying to make them emote. So, we gave them a tool — it's like a virtual pencil they can animate with — that allowed them to mock up what shows up on the toys' screens.

Once their animation was approved by the director with these temporary sketches, we have an art team that creates what we call "motion graphics", which are these graphic design images but animated. So that's what we added to the screens, in the form of these chunky and old-fashioned pixels, after the rest of the characters were animated.

TR: I imagine you applied a similar process to Lilypad. As a modern toy with a touchscreen that Bonnie and other characters can swipe on, though, how did animating Lilypad differ from the others?

TJ: There was an extra complicated step. Like the other toys' screens, if the animator was, say, animating Bonnie's finger swiping on Lilypad's screen, we hadn't actually figured out what Bonnie would be swiping, so the animator was essentially swiping at nothing.

When the eventual screen images are designed, not only do they need to support the rest of Bonnie's animation, they also need to be synchronized with her swiping motion. So, while it was another use case for the virtual pencil sketch tool, it became a timing guide for the artists who were making the graphics for Lilypad's screen, and ensuring they lined up with when Bonnie is touching it and moving it.

As for Lilypad's screen, it has the highest resolution [of the new toy devices], but you'll notice that her eyes are still pixelated. The reason for that is our director, Andrew Stanton, really wanted to make sure the audience always remembered she wasn't just a toy, but a tech device. Because her screen is so high-tech, if we did that for her eyes, she might just feel like an actual frog toy as opposed to a device. So it was a deliberate decision we made, even though it makes her feel a little bit more retro.

Building Bonnie's imagination scene — and Toy Story 5's most intricate sequence

TR: A lot of positive things have been said about the art form used to represent Bonnie's imagination since Toy Story 5's official trailer came out. How many styles did you explore before settling on those visuals?

TJ: I'd say all of them! *laughs* That was a very long process where we were challenged to create something that the audience has never seen before, but we don't know what it is or what they want.

And so, on a weekly basis, we'd bring in our own toys, drawings from our kids, and examples of different painting styles, and get together in a meeting room to look at all of these little bits and pieces. As we started honing in on what the directors liked, it became clear they liked things that were reminiscent of Bonnie's crafts-oriented personality, so we extended that into what her imagination looks like.

We were also inspired by the early pastel lighting studies done by Toy Story 1's original production designer Ralph Eggleston. That was his style for showing what the lighting would look like for the entire film, so he would do sketches — we'd call it a color script — using pastel chalk to demonstrate it.

TR: Later in the movie, when Blaze is seen playing with Jessie and Bullseye, her imagination is stylized in the same way as Bonnie's. Was that used to telegraph to audiences how compatible she and Bonnie were as individuals and, as the film's final sequence reveals, friends?

TJ: Yes, it was a very deliberate choice to show Bonnie and Blaze had similar imagination styles — and Jessie sees it, too, because Jessie is part of that imaginary sequence, which helps her realize these kids are very similar, and they would make great friends someday.

That said, Blaze's imagination has a different color palette and some fun, different themes to it, as well. So, at the end of playtime, where Bonnie and Blaze are playing together, we purposefully combined the two art styles to show how compatible their personalities are. It was one of the most rewarding things to work on and see come together at the end.

TR: What was the hardest or most intricate sequence to realize, from initial concept to the final product?

TJ: When I read an early draft of the script, there was an "oh no" moment when I reached the scene where Jessie and Bullseye, along with Woody, the 51 Buzzes, and all the toy horses, are trying to rescue Lilypad from a moving truck on the highway. That meant we needed to figure out how to animate well over 100 characters individually, because they all have their own personalities and unique animation, and it all had to be coordinated so they arrived at the truck at the same time.

I thought, 'How the heck are we going to do that in this exterior environment? We're outside, racing through the countryside on a dirt road, and then all of a sudden we're on the highway, and there are other cars, we see shops and stores, and there are clouds in the sky!'.

It was by far the most complicated scene and required months of planning, so we decided to start working on it very early, because we didn't want to leave it to the last minute.

One eye on Easter eggs, the other on AI

TR: It's an understatement to say AI is a hot topic right now. What are your feelings on its use in the entertainment industry? And is it something you've tentatively or actively researched to improve any aspects of your work?

TJ: We've experimented with it at Pixar, but only to see how AI could be used, and very quickly we learned that it wasn't ready for our level of filmmaking. So, we've started to approach it more from the angle of wanting to improve the artist's experience, not replace it.

My personal philosophy is if there are steps to, say, helping set up a scene so you can actually get to animating it faster, that sounds extremely useful.

More importantly, it still puts the artist first, because I think the secret sauce of Pixar animation is the way that we animate. It's not meant to be based on the real world — it's artistic license and caricatured. We're trying to support the story and emotion, but in a way that allows us to put our creativity into the characters you see on screen, and I think that's something we would never want to change.

TR: No Pixar movie is complete without its Easter eggs. Do you have a favorite that you snuck in? And should viewers keep an eye out for the Pizza Planet truck?

TJ: Yes, the Pizza Planet truck is there. It's in all but one of our movies, so it's tradition to include it. As for another specific reference, I challenge the audience — and this is another of my favorite Pixar traditions — to find the Easter egg related to our next film.

Every Pixar movie has an Easter egg for the one that comes after, and the fun thing is that you don't know what to look for until you've seen the most recent film. So, there was a Toy Story 5 secret in Hoppers, which was Atlas the GPS hippo device.

And so, for Gatto, the film we're releasing in 2027, there's an Easter egg for that in Toy Story 5. I'll give you a hint: it's not the titular black cat himself. Let me know if you find it!

Toy Story 5 is out now in theaters worldwide.

It's one of the biggest pop culture franchises on the planet, but how well do you really know Star Wars? Let's find out.

Since the 1970s, Star Wars has been a media titan; movies, TV shows, video games, theme park attractions, novels, card and board games, action figures and so, so much more. It's hard not to think of places you've seen iconic characters like Darth Vader, R2-D2 and Yoda.

Just as prevalent as Star Wars icons are Star Wars fans, with many knowing the characters, events and planets of the franchise with intimate knowledge. And that's just as well, because the massive franchise has many facets to get your head around — make sure to read our how to watch the Star Wars movies in order guide if you're not sure where to start.

To see how much of a Star Wars fan you are, this quiz has been designed to test your knowledge on the franchise. The questions will be about the movies, TV shows, games and more in the franchise — so you may find our new Star Wars movies and Disney+ show explained guide useful — not about the world building itself, so you don't need to know Luke Skywalker's favorite holiday planet, or who delivers Yoda's mail.

We'll start with 10 easy questions, and then move into 10 medium ones, and finish with 10 difficult ones for the experts. So let's find out just how much you know:

If you need to brush up on your Star Wars, let's get you some revision material:

Six months ago, the question "how far away are we from AI movies?" felt reasonable to ask. Today it feels outdated, because they're already here.

Last week I attended a screening of Hell Grind, a 90-minute AI-generated movie that was made in just two weeks. On the same day, Dreams of Violets, a poignant docudrama inspired by real events from 47 years of Iranian civilian resistance, and which is 100% AI-generated, appeared at the Tribeca film festival. Then today I found myself watching something a bit lighter in tone — DEADLINES — on YouTube, a comedy-horror trailer made with AI that was funny enough to make me laugh out loud.

DEADLINES feels like it’s leaning strongly into the vibe of the new Apple TV horror/comedy series Widows Bay, where creepy things happen on a cursed island. But even though it clearly borrows from Apple's hit series, what surprised me was how funny the trailer actually was.

Ultimately, all three releases made me realize we've crossed an important threshold. The question is no longer whether AI can make movies. It can. The question now is whether anyone actually wants to watch them.

The difference between an AI movie and AI slop

For years, AI video demos have been judged on whether they could they fool us. Could they generate convincing actors, realistic camera movements, believable explosions and dramatic lighting? Every improvement felt like another step toward the goal of Hollywood-quality filmmaking.

Getting everything correct is important, because it only takes one obvious problem with an AI-generated scene to destroy the credibility of the whole movie. Now, though, the technical challenges are rapidly becoming the easy part — which makes what's going to come next so much more interesting.

What struck me most about DEADLINES was the quality of the writing. The trailer had actual jokes. It had timing. It had a clear sense of tone. It felt like somebody had a great idea and they wanted to share it.

But even though DEADLINES is a lot better than most AI videos, it’s still not perfect — the accent of the main character veers between several different regions of the UK, for instance. However, it’s good enough to make little things like this not really matter too much. That's the difference between a good movie and AI slop.

Nobody cares about the fingers anymore

While there's no need to count the fingers on people's hands these days, those questions about AI’s ability to realistically generate human beings haven’t gone away entirely; but they’re not the point anymore. When I watched DEADLINES I wasn’t paying attention to the visuals. Instead I was paying attention to the jokes, the pacing and the story, and deciding if I wanted to keep watching.

While DEADLINES knows it's using Windows Bay as its starting point, the trailer understands what it's parodying. It knows the language of prestige horror. It knows how to build a joke. It has an actual comedic premise.

That’s why I think things are about to change. The traditional gatekeepers of filmmaking are looking less secure than ever. The bottleneck isn’t really the production process, funding or access to filmmaking tools. Now, it's imagination and storytelling.

The bigger question now is whether AI filmmakers can create stories people genuinely care about. I don't know whether DEADLINES will ever become a full-length feature- film. What I do know is that it made me laugh, and that's a much more important milestone than generating another realistic explosion or perfectly rendered human face.

AI movies are already here. The race now is to make them worth watching.

If you're a fan of Pokémon, you've probably played your fair share of the many games out there, watched some of the anime, and maybe even checked out one or two of the movies. But if you'll want to do well in the following quiz, you'll need to prove your worth as a fan.

Ever since the original games were released in 1996, Pokémon has been an unstoppable cultural phenomenon — even grandparents would recognize a Pikachu or Pokéball. There are countless video games (who could forget Pokémon Go) as well as thousands of episodes of TV show, loads of movies and other media appearances; songs, manga, trading cards, the list goes on.

So there's a lot for fans of Pokémon to get their head around, and I hope you've made a good effort, because I'm about to test you on the franchise. We'll be asking questions about the various media that's been produced over the years, as well as names and numbers.

If you can't tell your Natu from your Eternatus, don't worry: this won't all be about specific Pokémon, but the entries in the media empire. But if you know what Pikachu looks like, that'll help.

We'll start with 10 easy questions, and then move into 10 medium ones, and finish with 10 difficult ones for the experts. So let's find out just how much you know:

Do you know your Graveler from your Grovyle? If you need to brush up on your Pokémon, let's get you some revision material:

We're just days away from Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest of the gang — along with some newcomers like Lilypad and SmartyPants — returning to the big screen for Toy Story 5. Safe to say, it's an exciting time for fans of the franchise like myself, and you can bet I'll be in theaters soon enough as the film opens on June 19, 2026.

Along with seeing the beloved characters return with a fresh story, I'm also pretty stoked for an original song from Taylor Swift joining the acclaimed Randy Newman score.

Mattel has two of the most high-tech, realistic Woody and Buzz action figures to ever hit the market, with a huge amount of attention to detail paid to the designs and what is essentially a miniaturized animatronic for facial movements — plus the ability for Buzz and Woody to have a conversation together. These are certainly higher-end, but there's also a full line of interactive PlayScale figures from Mattel.

LeapFrog has also turned Lilypad into an actual educational tablet toy, and if you have an iPad — or your kid does — Belkin has a Lilypad case designed for the 10th- or 11th-generation iPad. Beyond these, Funko Pop has a whole line of characters from the film, Adidas has Jessie-themed Mary Janes and Woody-themed Sambas, Away has colorful luggage themed to the iconic franchise, and there are countless other products, including Lego sets.

Ahead of the film's release, I've rounded up some of my favorite Toy Story 5-themed products. So whether you need a new Woody, Buzz, or Jessie figure to bring to the theater or want to create new memories at home, I'm sure you'll find a friend in the selections below.

Toy Story 5 must-haves

At long last, the official trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been released — and you can watch it right now via the YouTube embed below.

There's a lot to unpack from Spider-Man's next big-screen adventure, too — so much so that TechRadar's entertainment team will need time to view it numerous times to analyze every single frame of footage that the new Marvel movie's latest teaser contains.

So, stick with us today (June 17) and tomorrow (June 18) as we dissect Spider-Man 4's newest round of footage, and bring you more details about the highly anticipated Marvel Phase 6 film over the next 12 to 24 hours.

A brand new day for a brand new trailer

Hello! And welcome to our live blog for the launch of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's official trailer.

I'm Tom Power, TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter and your friendly neighborhood host for today's event. I'll be here throughout the day to bring you all of the pre-release information we have on the exciting Marvel film's next teaser before breaking down the most important parts of the trailer post-launch.

So, load up the Spidey Tracker website — more on that in just a second — and stick with me as we prepare for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie's latest footage to arrive.

Where is Spider-Man?

Don't worry, despite what this post's title suggests, the iconic wallcrawler hasn't gone missing. Nonetheless, you'll be able to keep track of where and when he'll appear in a city near you on the Spider-Man 4 world tour.

Indeed, once trailer #2 has been released, you'll be able to visit spideytracker.net to find out what date(s) the Brand New Day press and fan tour will come to your neck of the woods. In fact, a post on the Spidey Tracker X/Twitter account has confirmed some of the places that Tom Holland, Zendaya, and company will visit as part of their globetrotting promo campaign, so we already have an idea of where they'll show up.

Anyway, if you head over to the Spidey Tracker website now, you can watch a brief video from the site's CEO and founder — a certain Ned Leeds — to learn more about the tour and get an insight into what other information will be available once the page is fully live. Hmm, I wonder who that secret villain is...

What time will Spider-Man: Brand New Day's official trailer come out?

There's no official word on what time Spider-Man 4's new trailer will be released — but, thanks to a fan event taking place later today, we have an idea of when it might drop.

Indeed, a listing on the Pathé Netherlands Cinemas website has revealed that a Spider-Man: Brand New Day Global Fan Event is set to take place in its capital city Amsterdam later today. Doors open at 6pm local time, which mean it'll kick off at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST on June 17, and 2am AEST on June 18.

Admittedly, that doesn't tell us the exact time for the trailer's arrival — and, even though the listing indicates there'll be a surprise finale at 10:15pm local time, I'd be amazed if the new teaser's release is held back until then. After all, 1:15pm PT would be a strange time for a trailer launch...

But wait, there's more. Per the film's holding page on the website of UK cinema chain Odeon, tickets officially go on sale at 2pm BST, which means they'll also be available to buy at 6am PT / 9am ET / 11pm AEST.

My best guess, then, is that the trailer will launch at the same time that ticket sales go live. To sum up, then, make sure you're locked in to watch it on Wednesday, June 17 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST.

Plug the leaks!

While it's widely expected that the movie's new teaser will drop today, some fans have already seen it.

"How?", you might ask. Well, because Brand New Day's latest round of footage has reportedly done the rounds on social media over the last few days. Hey, Sony and Spider-Man leaks go hand in hand, so this isn't that much of a surprise!

Now, I haven't seen it — I don't want to watch a teaser that looks like it's been recorded on a toaster... — and I won't be sharing any links to the leaked trailer because I'd rather not incur the wrath of Sony and Marvel. And, honestly, with the trailer likely landing in the next few hours, I think we can all agree to just wait a bit longer to see it in all of its HD or 4K glory.

New plot teases

Alright, while we continue to count down to the trailer's expected launch, let's take a look at some of the latest comments made by director Destin Daniel Cretton and lead star Tom Holland.

As part of a recent profile piece for Esquire, the latter dropped this new tease about Brand New Day's plot: "This movie is a real mystery and for a large portion of the film, even Spider-Man is a little bit at odds and lost and is like ‘What is going on?’. We’re just trying to find ways to make this movie feel like a detective movie."

Meanwhile, on the latest edition of Deadline's Crew Call podcast, Cretton joked that "everyone should go to this (movie) as if it’s the last Spider-Man". We know that won't be the case — the character makes too much money for live-action rights holder Sony. Nevertheless, does this seemingly innocuous comment indicate that Parker might give up the Spider-Man mantle by the end of the film? Or — and whisper it quietly — maybe even die? I guess we'll find out when the film is released in late July!

Trailer time (no, not the new one)!

Sorry if I got your hopes up there with this post's title! Hopefully the bit in brackets will have done their job...

Anyway, while we wait for Spider-Man 4's next trailer to arrive, why don't you rewatch its first teaser, which arrived in mid-March? Once you have, read my Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer breakdown piece to get my thoughts and opinions on what was shown.

Who's who in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

As for who's set to join Holland as part of this superhero movie's starry ensemble, I'd suggest reading my Spider-Man: Brand new Day cast and character guide.

You won't get confirmation of every character who'll appear in the forthcoming flick — for one, the identity of Sadie Sink's individual remains a mystery — but there are plenty more details about the reset of its cast roster. So, hop to it!

Swinging out for lunch

And now it's time for a quick pitstop to refuel ahead of the trailer's possible release this afternoon in the UK, which is where I'm based. So, I'm hoping — nay, praying — that the trailer doesn't arrive while I'm out!

In the meantime let me know in the comments what you want to see as part of the new teaser. See you all shortly!

And I'm back!

Okay, I'm ready to attack the rest of the day now — and, more importantly, we shouldn't be too far away from the trailer's release.

While we wait, why not get the full lowdown on everything we know so far about Spider-Man: Brand New Day? I'll be updating that guide soon with all of the latest information on the film, but there are lots of interesting details within that are definitely worth reading in the meantime.

Another release date reminder

Even though we're not far away from the film's arrival in theaters, it would be remiss of me not to remind you of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's release date.

Originally, Spider-Man 4 was due to launch worldwide on Friday, July 31 but, depending on where you live, some of you will actually be able to see it early.

Indeed, UK audiences can catch Spidey's latest big-screen adventure at their local cinema on Wednesday, July 29. Those of you in India can check it out on Thursday, July 30, too.

Elsewhere, while most US fans won't be able to watch it until July 31, Amazon is giving Prime subscribers the chance to see Spider-Man 4 via early access screenings on July 29. For more details on how to grab your ticket, head over to the Amazon store's official Brand New Day page.

Not long now...

Hopefully, it won't be much longer until we get a brand-new look at one of the most exciting new movies of 2026. Deep breaths, everyone...

So, what will the latest trailer show us? Will we finally learn the identity of Sadie Sink's mysterious character? How about an actual shot of Marvin Jones III's Tombstone? Is there going to be a clip or two that, as the rumors suggest, Spidey will be forced to fight The Hulk? And will the movie's real villain please stand up!?

No trailer yet, but...

Well, this is awkward. It's gone 2pm here in the UK (that's 6am PT / 9am ET / 11pm AEST) and Spider-Man 4's latest trailer is yet to show its face. Hmmph.

But, hey, as some of the film's primary cast — Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacab Batalon — have revealed in the above Instagram post, tickets are on sale now, so go and grab your seat ASAP!

As for when the teaser could now come out: I honestly don't know. Even so, stick with me and I'll bring it to you as soon as it drops online.

I'm your villain

Rather than sit here twiddling our thumbs, let's pass the time by digging into a recent new fan theory that, after the release of yesterday's Spidey Tracker website teaser video, appears to have some legs.

Per the above screenshot, Brand New Day might feature a villain whose identity hasn't been revealed yet. We know they'll be some form of Big Bad, too, because the other characters we see as part of this list (Scorpion, Tarantula, Boomerang, and The Hand to name four) are said to have terrorized New York in recent years. And, yes, that includes Frank Castle/The Punisher, who's actually more of an anti-hero than a traditional villain.

But, I digress. Who is this mystery individual? It could be Sink's character but, while I think she'll initially be positioned as an antagonist, Brand New Day will perform a bait and switch move that reveals Sink's individual isn't who's pulling everyone else's strings.

Spidey has more than his fair share of enemies in the comics but, unless we get a more substantial description of this character, we'll be clutching at straws as to who it could be. Even so, let me know in the comments who you think it'll be.

And still the wait goes on...

Another hour has passed without incident. Anybody else starting to get a bit worried that we might not see a trailer today? No, stop with the defeatist talk, Tom — a new teaser is coming! It has to.

For what it's worth, industry leakers who have good track records when it comes to insider knowledge trailer launches, such as DanielRPK and Cryptic4KQual, are just as confused as the rest of us are that it hasn't dropped yet. Fingers crossed it does so soon, then...

Posters galore — but no IMAX one?

Official Posters for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ from r/marvelstudios

Well, the trailer might not be here yet, but at least we've got four new official posters to look at. Yay.

After flicking through the above gallery, you might have noticed that there isn't an IMAX one. That's because Spider-Man: Brand New Day won't be available to watch in this format.

The reason? Christopher Nolan's next movie The Odyssey — another film that Tom Holland will appear in this year — has snapped up every available IMAX screen for at least a three-week window. It's out on July 17, too, meaning it'll only have been in theaters for two weeks by the time Spider-Man 4 arrives. If you were hoping to see Peter Parker's next MCU outing in IMAX, then, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Fandango's Big Ticket interview

Other promotional materials have hit the *ahem* web since ticket sales went live, too — one of which is the latest installment of Fandango's Big Ticket interview series.

The 16-minute chat, which you can watch above, sees the ticket e-site sit down and talk about spoiler-free things alongside Holland, Zendaya, Batalon, and Sink. If you can't watch it right now, though, here's a quick rundown of its most notable highlights:

• After reading and listening to what fans wanted from a Spider-Man film, Holland says Brand New Day doesn't "necessarily feel like saving the world, but maybe saving himself"
• Sink says "I didn't realize there'd be so much speculation" about her mystery character, but understandably can't confirm who she's playing
• Holland says Hulk's actual role in the film is "definitely a secret", and that Spidey and The Punisher have a "bickering, big brother-little brother" dynamic
• Holland also jokes that it was a "nightmare" to recreate some of the most iconic Spider-Man comic book covers in this live-action flick, and admits it took 65 takes to "perfect" the shot of Spider-Man and The Hand launching themselves at each other

Get me footage of Spider-Man!

Another hour, another trailer no-show.

Is Sony Pictures going to put us out of our misery at some point today? I'm still confident that the studio will, but it's looking more and more likely that the teaser will officially debut at that Amsterdam fan event I mentioned hours ago.

Of course, if it arrives between now and then, you can be darn sure that it'll appear on this live blog. For now, though, our watch continues...

Which MCU project are you most looking forward to in 2026?

As we continue to pass the time, I need to ask: have you voted in our 'most anticipated Marvel movie or TV show of 2026' poll yet?

If you haven't, might I divert your attention to the top of the page — no worries if you skipped over it — to have your say on which MCU production is top of your must-see list before the year ends. At the time of writing, over 1,300 people have cast their vote, so why don't you join them?

It's quiet, too quiet...

We've officially reached the three hour mark of when I expected Spider-Man 4's official trailer to be released — and, surprise surprise, there's still nothing to report.

The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that the film's forthcoming Amsterdam fan event will be where the latest teaser is first unveiled. By my estimate, that means we could be waiting until 1:15pm PT / 4:15pm ET / 9:15pm BST. In short: we could be in for a looooooooong wait...

No rest for the wicked

Well, I was hoping to call it a day and enjoy the World Cup matches that are on tonight, but I guess I'm here for the long haul.

Right now, though, I'm going to get some food, so I don't pass out waiting for this trailer to land. See you shortly!

Did I miss anything?

I'm back — again — and it looks like I didn't miss a thing re: a trailer drop.

Still, as the above Instagram post confirms, Tom Holland and Zendaya have arrived for today's Amsterdam-based global fan event. I'm keeping everything crossed, then, that the teaser will finally be released at some point in the next few hours. So, stay with me to see it as soon as it airs.

About this Amsterdam fan event...

Okay, let's take another look at what we know about this fan event.

Attendees were allowed to start taking their seats from 6pm local time, which translates to 5pm here in the UK. In the US, that's 9am PT and 12pm ET.

Next, nobody is allowed to enter the venue after 7:15pm local time. If I know anything about similar events that have happened on British shores, the event should then begin at 7:30pm or 8pm.

If it starts at one of those times, we might — and I cannot stress enough that it's 'might' — see the trailer sooner rather than later. That's if Sony doesn't want to leave attendees (and, by proxy, us) hanging around for much longer, anyway.

Of course, there is a so-called surprise finale that'll take place at 10:15pm, which could be the official unveiling of Brand New Day's official trailer, before the Amsterdam-based event ends at 11pm local time. Let's hope, then, that this final surprise is a completely different reveal to the actual teaser.

We have movement!

Battle stations, everyone! The official Spider-Man Instagram account has just started broadcasting live from the Amsterdam fan event.

Does this mean the trailer's release is imminent? Stay with me for more!

Edit: As of 19:53 BST, the fan event's host just confirmed the new teaser is set to be shown very, very, very soon!

IT'S LIVE!

This is not a drill! The trailer is here! Go and watch it, now!

That's a wrap... for now

My race is run, dear reader. I've been helming this live blog for almost 12 hours — minus a couple of food breaks — so it's time for me to retire for the day.

But, fret not, because I'll be back tomorrow (June 18) to dissect every frame of the trailer, offer my theories on what they tell us about Spider-Man: Brand New Day, highlight any major theories that fans have come up with post-release, and bring you more information what the Amsterdam event's big surprise finale is. For now, though, it's goodbye from me!

Hello again!

Good morning/afternoon/evening (delete as applicable), everyone — and welcome back to our Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer #2 live blog.

We had to be incredibly patient for said teaser's unveiling, but the wait was certainly worth it. Indeed, the Marvel film's latest round of footage teased a fair deal more about its plot without spoiling anything significant, which is always a tricky tightrope to walk.

But, enough waffling. After a restful night's sleep, I'm going to the next few hours breaking down Spider-Man 4's latest trailer, offering my thoughts on where its story could go, and highlighting any big new fan theories I come across online. Grab a drink and some snacks, then, and join me for more Spider-Man chatter then, won't you?

Who is Sadie Sink playing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

Okay, let's start with the two biggest questions that fans have after this trailer's release, one of which we've been asking since Sink's casting in Spider-Man 4 was first reported last March. That being, who is Sink playing in Brand New Day?

Unfortunately, the movie's latest teaser doesn't provide further clues as to the identity of her character. In fact, we only catch another vague glimpse of what appears to be Sink's mysterious individual at the 0:56 mark. Per the screenshot above, which is a continuation of a scene shown in both trailers (see the image below for confirmation), she'll sneak into Peter Parker's apartment at some point in the film, too.

"Great, but who is she playing???", I hear you ask again. The prevailing rumor is that Sink will portray iconic X-Men member Jean Grey. Unsurprisingly, Sony and Marvel are staying tight-lipped on this to generate fan discussion and withhold the big reveal until Spider-Man 4 is released. We'll have to wait for the film to launch, then, to get an official confirmation.

Based on other frames in the trailer that show large groups of people getting paralyzed by an unseen force, it's more likely than not that Sink is playing Grey. After all, the Omega-level mutant's telepathic powers do allow her to physically and/or mentally freeze anyone in place. Furthermore, if Sink's Grey's latent powers have only just started to manifest, she might not have full control over them and be accidentally paralyzing people.

Of course, this could be a major misdirect on Sony and Marvel's part, because it might not be Jean Grey who's doing this. If not her, then who?

Who is the main villain in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

This is the second major question I was referring to in my previous post.

It's no secret that Brand New Day will have its fair share of villains. Scorpion, Tarantula, Boomerang, and The Hand are all confirmed to appear. Meanwhile, despite not showing up in either trailer, Marvin Jones III is still expected to portray Tombstone in Spider-Man 4. Oh, and let's not forget that the return of Bruce Banner's feral Hulk form (more on him later) will be something of an antagonistic force that, as evidenced in this trailer, the webslinger will duel with at some stage.

Worthy foes of Spidey as these individuals and/or criminal gangs are, though, none have the capacity to freeze people in place. If Sink is playing Grey, then, does this mean she'll be a misunderstood antagonist, rather than a traditional villain, in this flick?

My theory is this is the initial direction that the story will go before it employs a bait-and-switch move that'll reveal its actual Big Bad. Will that be a villainous telepath who's framing Sink for their crimes? Or will Brand New Day walk a different path and reveal that Spider-Man's dark side (again, more on this later) was the thematic villain all along?

Again, I guess we'll have to wait for the movie's full release to find out, but I wouldn't be shocked if Spider-Man 4 positions Sink's character as its initial antagonist before it turns inward and puts Peter's rumored evolution into a version of Man-Spider front and center.

Organic panic

Okay, let's go back to events that we're shown earlier in the teaser, starting with the official confirmation that Peter's metamorphosis into... well, whatever he's becoming, means that, like Tobey Maguire's version of the titular hero, his body will start producing organic webbing.

Fans have theorized that Holland's Parker would self-make webs in Brand New Day ever since its first trailer was released in mid-March. We've had to wait until now, though, to have that confirmed.

It looks like, after initially struggling to control how his body produces organic webs, Spidey will learn to utilize it in creative ways. Indeed, the penultimate shot of this trailer shows him making a web tornado that strings up numerous members of The Hand during the prison fight sequence we've seen previously.

Light spoilers follow for Toy Story 5.

Toy Story is the franchise that Disney refuses to let go of. That's no surprise, given that the immensely popular movie series has raked in billions of dollars globally since late 1995. However, Toy Story 3 delivered a perfect end to Woody and company's individual and collective stories, so the entertainment giant's commitment to churning out money-spinning but superfluous sequels, such as Toy Story 4, suggests the proverbial cow is being milked for all it's worth.

Toy Story 5 does little to move the needle in that regard. Sure, it's a fun, thematically timely, and ultimately feel-good family-friendly flick that bears all the classic hallmarks of a Pixar movie. But it's also a far-too-familiar re-tread of its predecessors, and will leave some questioning whether it needed to be made.

Toys meet tech

Set a few years after its forebear, Toy Story 5 reunites us with Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the gang as they face another existential threat: technology.

When their owner Bonnie is given a state-of-the-art electronic tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee) by her parents, the now-eight-year-old becomes obsessed with her frog-like handheld computer, leaving Jessie — who succeeded Woody as the leader of Bonnie's room after his departure at the end of Toy Story 4 — and Bonnie's myriad other toys fearing for their futures.

Jessie is arguably the most worried of the group, too. Bonnie's unflinching fixation with her new high-tech toy causes Jessie's deep-seated abandonment issues to resurface, forcing her to take drastic measures that set this film's entire narrative in motion.

If that sounds familiar, it's because it's an eerily similar storytelling approach to Toy Story 1, which sees Woody fearing he's about to be replaced by Buzz. This is one of numerous narrative rehashes in Toy Story 5 that'll evoke a sense of déjà vu and, initially at least, worryingly signals that the film is simply going to hang its cowboy hat on replaying the franchise's greatest hits.

Thankfully, the long-overdue but welcome sight of Jessie taking the reins and being its toy-based protagonist, even if it's just for this film, re-energizes the movie series' traditional formula.

Director Andrew Stanton told me he never planned to make JessieToy Story 5's lead star, but I'm glad he ultimately decided to do so.

Whether it's Jessie's unrelenting and understandably self-preserving quest to reclaim Bonnie's affection in the present, or Toy Story 5's flashback sequences that elaborate on her past — a subject that was only touched upon in Toy Story 2 — putting Jessie front and center of this movie adds a narrative zip to proceedings that sets it apart from the series' other installments.

Inevitably, further examining the emotionally tormented Jessie's backstory, and how it impacts her present-day actions, shifts the focus away from Woody and Buzz.

Sure, the pair are as involved as ever, but their roles are of the main supporting variety, rather than traditional co-starring ones. In fact, save for Buzz's increasingly important role from Toy Story 5's midpoint onwards, I'd say he and Woody are nothing more than this flick's comic relief, especially where the latter's elder-statesman position is concerned. I'd wager that some fans, then, might be disappointed by the lesser roles the iconic duo inhabit this time around.

Band of Buzzers

Original Buzz isn't the only Lightyear that audiences will see in Toy Story 5. In yet another recycled plot thread — this time, from Toy Story 2 — a squad of Buzzes (ones installed with cutting-edge technology) take center stage in a subplot that, for large parts of Toy Story 5, is wholly unnecessary.

Okay, like O.G. Buzz, their importance to the story grows as it progresses, and I'll admit that this side story's examination of modern tech navigating an unpredictable world, rather than the modern world grappling with new and unpredictable tech, is somewhat novel in its approach. Even so, I didn't appreciate the constant check-ins with this squad when the film's runtime would have been better served elsewhere.

One example of where that time could have been better spent is with Lilypad.

Positioned as an antagonistic figure rather than an archetypal villain, she's not underutilized by any means. However, major spoilers notwithstanding, the progression and eventual resolution of her arc happens too quickly for my liking, which makes her role and character development feel slightly undercooked.

The same can be said of the three other tech-based toys — Smarty Pants (Conan O'Brien), a potty-training device, Atlas (Craig Robinson), a hippo GPS handset, and Snappy (Shelby Rabara), a toy camera — that we meet.

All three have vital albeit by-design parts to play following their introductions midway through the plot, which is also around the time that Toy Story 5 starts to telegraph its semblance of a story twist and narrative endgame.

As with Lilypad, though, Pixar's latest feature breezes through these meet-and-greets to maintain its narrative momentum, albeit at the cost of fully examining their pasts with the franchise's newest human character Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), and how their experiences fundamentally shift Jessie's perspective on her relationship with Bonnie.

Speaking of Bonnie, I wish we'd seen more of the beautiful and dreamy pastel chalk-art style used to depict her imagination.

First glimpsed in Toy Story 5's official trailer, it adds some much-needed visual flair to the movie — and the franchise, for that matter — that helps it stand out from its four siblings. It's an art-form I'd like to see carried into future Toy Story offerings, too; but I suppose that will depend on how old Bonnie will be when Toy Story 6 is inevitably released, and/or if Woody, Buzz, and Jessie are the leads of the next Toy Story adventure.

My verdict

Toy Story 5 is a fairly enjoyable and typically tear-jerking Pixar flick that, from storytelling, visual, and topical viewpoints, does what it needs to in order to entertain the masses, and reminds us of the true value of human connection, especially among kids, in the digital age.

However, like Toy Story 4 and another recently-released Disney movie in The Mandalorian and Grogu, aka the latest Star Wars film to land in theaters, it left me wanting more.

That's not to say it's a bad movie — as the 3-star rating at the top of this review indicates, I thought it was pretty good. Five movies into this franchise, though, I think Toy Story films — and, really, all future Pixar projects — need to do more than simply relying on high-quality visuals and checking the 'emotional resonance' box. Sure, that's fine for a movie that's aimed squarely at kids and families; but for those of us who've grown up on and continue to watch Toy Story films, something more is needed. Otherwise, just like the tidied-away toys that inhabit the films, it might be best to leave the Toy Story franchise in storage.

As the Senior AI Editor at TechRadar, it's not often I get invited to movie premieres. Yet there I was in a private cinema room in a London hotel, about to watch Hell Grind — a 90-minute AI-generated horror movie that took just two weeks to make.

I was there as a guest of Higgsfield, a platform that brings together all the tools needed to make a complete AI movie; and I was about to watch its poster child for the very thing that's got Hollywood running scared: a purely AI-generated film.

As you'd imagine from the title, Hell Grind isn't a romantic comedy — as one of the other guests remarked, it sounds more like the name of a WWE event. I don't want to give the plot away, but it involves ancient artifacts that bestow supernatural abilities on humans when activated, and a Japanese-speaking bad guy covered in spikes, who portals into whichever location he detects the artifacts in and attempts to kill whoever possesses them.

Everything on screen is AI-generated. The human contribution comes in the story, editing, and deciding which AI-generated scenes make the final cut.

If you want a good marker for the speed of AI development in movies, when I attended the AI Film Festival in Venice last year the films were typically around five minutes long. Just a year later, movies like Hell Grind can maintain consistent characters and a coherent story for 90 minutes — and it only took two weeks to make the whole thing.

Who's that guy?

Talking to Higgsfield CEO Alex Mashrabov, I learned that the main character in Hell Grind is actually modeled on a real-life Higgsfield employee, who will presumably be going back to analyzing spreadsheets after his 15 minutes of fame are over.

The rest of the cast all looked like combinations of famous actors and actresses you've seen before, but whose identities you can never quite pin down. I found trying to work out who they resembled surprisingly distracting, and I swear that one of the main actors looked a little too much like Naomi Watts at times.

Leaving aside the ethical questions raised by AI models that appear capable of producing characters who resemble real actors, it's worth evaluating the movie on its own merits.

Surprisingly, the action scenes were often the strongest part of the film. Watching various super-powered heroes and villains duke it out was genuinely entertaining. But at no point did any of it look real.

Hell Grind is a horror fantasy, so it could be argued that realism wasn't the look it was aiming for. Even so, I got the impression that we're still a long way from AI-generated dialogue scenes that hold up on a big screen, and make us genuinely unsure whether we're looking at a real person or not.

Take a deep breath, Hollywood — we're not there yet.

There were some obvious problems with the dialogue. At points it sounded like an AI chatbot trying to write movie dialogue, and the characters would occasionally blurt out something unintentionally hilarious given their current predicament.

Most memorably, when one character was facing his imminent demise, he let out a baffling "Cool!" Moments like that threw you out of the film and back into the theater, breaking the spell.

The AI boogeyman

AI in movies is a contentious topic. There are obviously people who would rather drink a pint of toxic runoff water from a Mid-west data center than sit down and watch an AI-generated movie of their own free will.

Many people see AI as something that's going to take their jobs, ruin the planet, and eventually eliminate humanity itself. So Hell Grind simply existing in such a creativity-led industry is a provocative act in itself.

But parts of Hell Grind were fun, and the whole film almost hung together. It felt more like a proof of concept than a piece of art; but if Higgsfield's goal was to prove that AI can produce long-form content with consistent characters, it largely succeeded.

Hell Grind might not quite be there yet, but it won't be long before a real filmmaker, frustrated by the endless bureaucracy and gatekeeping of traditional filmmaking, starts using these tools to create something people genuinely want to watch.

The strange thing about Hell Grind is that it left me both impressed and reassured. Impressed because a small team created a feature-length movie in just two weeks. Reassured because, despite all the progress, AI still struggles with the thing that makes films memorable: believable people.

The action scenes worked. The visual effects worked. The story mostly held together. But the moments that should have felt human still felt synthetic.

Hollywood should absolutely pay attention. But after watching Hell Grind, it doesn't need to panic just yet.

Toy Story 5's release date is fast approaching — FYI, it's out on June 19, 2026 — and fans of the hugely popular and money-making Pixar movie series are ready to be reunited with Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and company in yet another animated adventure.

Before one of this year's most exciting new movies lands in a theater near you, though, I want to know who among you is a Toy Story expert. With that in mind, I've created what I consider to be a challenging quiz that'll test your knowledge of the 30-year-old film franchise.

So, if you think you know when the original flick initially arrived in cinemas, what could've happened to Andy's toys in Toy Story 3, and more besides, you'll definitely want to see if you can achieve 100% on the quiz that follows. Are you up to the challenge?

How did you do? Let me know your score in the comments once you're done. Then, read some of my exclusive Toy Story 5 coverage, including why Jessie was chosen as its toy-based protagonist and how many more Toy Story films we could see Woody, Buzz, and Jessie in.

There'll be more Toy Story 5 articles to check out in the days ahead, too, including my review and a spoiler-filled discussion with the movie's visual effects supervisor. So, make sure you revisit TechRadar later this week to learn more.

Toy Story 5 launches in theaters globally on Friday, June 19. The first four films are also available to stream exclusively on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services, right now.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Zach Cregger's Resident Evil on September 18, I thought it would be fun to look back on some of the franchise's previous movies with a quiz.

It's important to note that Cregger's take on Resident Evil will be different from what we've seen before. The new movie is considered to be a reboot and is set during alternate events of Resident Evil 2, centering on a medical courier named Bryan.

During an IGN trailer breakdown, Cregger explained: "This movie takes place alongside the events of Resident Evil 2. I like to think that everything going on inside the police station could be going on in this world; it's just another dude, on another mission on the other side of town."

But while we wait to learn more about Bryan's experience in Raccoon City, let's put your knowledge of the previous movies to the test. How well do you know the Umbrella Corporation and its detractors?

How did you do? Let us know your score in the comments, and don't forget to check out more Resident Evil news, such as the upcoming remake of Resident Evil: Veronica.

It seems like this franchise is expanding rapidly, and before long we'll be settling in for Cregger's take on Capcom's beloved universe. But how will it compare to Weapons, which I gave a five-star review to? Only time will tell.

• The Rock has discovered AI
• He's ChatGPT positive
• The AI gave him a fantastic workout program and something else to chew on

The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) can be forgiven if he's only just now getting on the fast-moving AI train. The AI revolution, arguably kicked off by ChatGPT in 2022, is not even five years old, and in that time, The Rock has made five films, including big tent-pole features like Black Adam and Red One, Oscar Bait The Smashing Machine, and the Disney live-action Moana remake.

These are the days when film, TV, and even online video stars come out for or against a technology that may be eating their lunch. In January, SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin called the changes AI has wrought in his industry an "existential threat." Johnson is a SAG-AFTRA member, and while his superstar status might protect him from AI taking his job, there's no stopping someone from generating unsanctioned AI videos of Johnson in action.

Johnson, though, who sat down for a lengthy interview with Esquire Magazine, is more than just sanguine about AI; he's kind of a fan.

"I’ve always been an advocate for embracing big change—after taking a hard look at it...we can either stick our heads in the sand and be afraid, or we can say, 'Okay, we’re here. Let’s see. Let’s explore,'” Johnson told the magazine.

And explore he has. The former pro wrestler and noted fitness buff who's probably known as much for his physique as he is for his charming on-screen persona, installed ChatGPT just weeks ago and, as one does, he began quizzing it about a workout regimen,

For a novice, Johnson's ability to craft a usable prompt was impressive. He said he poured all kinds of details into it, like what he ate, how he slept, and his goals.

If, like many of us, you've been using ChatGPT or another generative chatbot for years, the results might not surprise you, but Johnson was blown away by the response. He said the training program was "Like it came from ten of the greatest coaches I’ve ever worked with. [It was] very specific. I wound up having an extraordinary fucking workout," he told Esquire.

Here at TechRadar, a few of us have been using AI to help us improve our exercise routines and, in general, have discovered the same thing: it knows us and can believably play a fitness expert.

The Rock in the People's House?

The interview is well worth a read because, after that first prompt and with the Esquire reporter watching, Johnson asked about the possibility of his running for President of the United States. This has come up before. I've read interviews with him going back almost a decade that have posed the same question, but this is the first time Johnson asked an AI — in this case ChatGPT — about his prospects. Really, he was asking, if he ran, why would people choose to vote for him?

Nothing that ChatGPT came back with is surprising. It notes the actor's likability, that he's not a politician, that he's not divisive, and his background, which was not always easy (find and stream the now-canceled TV show Young Rock if you can).

The answer, though, appeared to surprise Johnson, and who knows what comes next.

In the end, ChatGPT received an endorsement of sorts from one of the world's most popular actors, and The Rock may be freshly considering a run for the White House. Not shocking, really, but it might be worth remembering his words about AI writ large: "We can either stick our heads in the sand" or "we can say...Let’s explore." At the very least, you might end up with one of the best workouts of your life.

• First trailer for The Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, has been released
• Stars Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison in leading roles
• Movie explores the 2021 whistleblowing scandal, but release coincides with another whistleblower being 'silenced'

The first trailer for The Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, has been released (which you can catch up with below).

Starring Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison, the new movie is set to follow the 2021 Facebook internal document leak to the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Wall Street Journal by whistleblower, engineer Frances Haugen.

Described by Sony as a "spiritual successor" to The Social Network rather than a traditional sequel, The Social Reckoning will pick up 17 years after the first film ends with an entirely new cast and swaps director David Fincher for Aaron Sorkin (though Sorkin wrote the original screenplay for both).

The trailer has split fan opinion online, with some praising Strong for his "scarily accurate" portrayal of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, while others have dubbed it "unnecessary" and a "SNL sketch."

If you're somebody who has kept up with Facebook-related news over the first few years, you might have noticed that the timing of the trailer release is particularly interesting.

While it doesn't involve Haugen or anything we'll see in the new movie, another Facebook whistleblower, Sarah Wynn-Williams, has been "silenced" by the company mere days before The Social Reckoning debuted its first look.

The Social Reckoning trailer released days after Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams 'banned' from promoting Meta expose

Around the same time as The Social Reckoning is beginning to be promoted, Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former Director of Public Policy at Facebook, was 'banned' from promoting her Meta expose book, Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work, at the Hay-on-Wye literature and arts Festival on May 31.

Why? With Meta strongly disputing the book’s claims, the company obtained an arbitration ruling in the US ahead of the book’s publication based on an agreement Wynn-Williams signed upon leaving the company.

This means that the author is banned from promoting or publicly discussing the book, with failure to comply with the rules potentially resulting in penalties of up to $50,000 per breach. As a result, Wynn-Williams sat in silence during her entire panel discussion at the festival.

The situation was described by panel host Carole Cadwalladr as “an author in a hostage situation." Copies of the book were removed from sale during the festival over concerns its sale could be tied to Wynn-Williams’ promotion.

For those who cannot wait for The Social Reckoning's release date of October 9, Careless People is a fantastic starting point to begin to get insight into Facebook's whistleblowing scandals (and I'd recommend this as an audiobook on Spotify, Audible and more).

Sales have reportedly increased by 300% since the 'silencing.'

Featured whistleblower Haugen also has a memoir to tide us over while we wait, with The Power of One: How I Found the Strength to Tell the Truth and Why I Blew the Whistle on Facebook being released in 2023.