• Avengers: Doomsday will be released in cinemas worldwide on December 18
• Tom Hiddleston's Loki is part of the movie's huge ensemble
• The popular actor has revealed if fans need to watch Loki on Disney+ before Doomsday comes out

Tom Hiddleston has revealed if you need to watch Loki on Disney+ to understand his character's role in Avengers: Doomsday.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, the fan-favorite actor, who has played Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since 2010, said he "will always say that people need to watch" his character's standalone series. However, Hiddleston wouldn't be drawn specifically on whether it was essential to stream the show prior to Doomsday's release on December 18.

Marvel fans who've seen the Hiddleston-fronted program will already know how its second and final season ends. On the off-chance that you haven't watched it yet, I'll refrain from spelling out exactly what happened in this article. For those who need their memory jogged, my spoiler-filled Loki season 2 ending explained piece holds the answers you seek.

One thing that every MCU fanatic will know by now, though, is that Loki will return in Avengers: Doomsday. Indeed, not only was Hiddleston part of the initial 27-strong Doomsday cast announcement in March 2025, but he also made the briefest of appearances in Avengers: Doomsday's first official trailer, which surprisingly made its public debut yesterday (July 20).

Naturally, fans have myriad questions after the release of said trailer, including a couple concerning Loki. How big of a role will he play in the Marvel Phase 6 movie? Will he be reunited with Thor? And, perhaps most important of all, does Loki's Disney+ show have any bearing on the story that Doomsday will tell?

As part of a wider chat I had with Hiddleston for his new National Geographic docudrama Pompeii: Out of Time, which airs on Disney+ and Hulu on July 23, I put those exact questions to him. Predictably, Hiddleston, who has plenty of experience dodging spoiler-based Marvel questions, wasn't forthcoming with definitive answers.

Nonetheless, he did appear to drop a tiny hint that anyone who wants to comprehend Loki's role in Avengers 5 should seek out the character's solo show on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services.

"I always say that people need to watch Loki," he told me with a wry smile. "I'm really proud of that show — I poured my whole soul into it and I love playing Loki. It's been 16 years now and, you know, I got to the end of Avengers: Infinity War, and that seemed to be the end of the Odinson saga.

"But, then Loki, as a series, was about placing Loki in the new context [by] taking him out of time and his reality," Hiddleston continued. "He's confronted with his compulsive, self-destructive, repetitive patterns of behavior, and gives him this capacity to be an agent of his own destiny. It was such an enjoyable experience because the whole show is about identity, purpose, and belonging, and also about time and how we perceive it and how best to use it.

"So, yeah, I would always say, if you haven't watched it, go and do so," he added. "And, if you haven't watched it before Doomsday, go and watch it again."

For more on one of 2026's most anticipated new movies, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday.

• Other Mommy has a first-look trailer which gives us a glimpse at Jessica Chastain's return to horror
• The movie will arrive in theaters on October 9, 2026
• Rob Savage, the director of Zoom horror sensation Host, is behind the terrifying new movie

2026 has been a bumper year for horror, and it's about to get even bigger when one of my anticipated new movies Other Mommy arrives in theaters on October 9.

Other Mommy follows Bela, a young girl, who gets mixed up with a mysterious force in her house that resembles her mother. Here, Jessica Chastain takes on a dual role as Bela’s mother and as “Other Mommy,” the supernatural entity that's haunting the place.

I'm already excited for this movie because it's got a stellar team behind it. Chastain stars alongside Severance's Dichen Lachman and it's directed by Rob Savage, who you may know for directing the Zoom horror movie Host.

If you're not convinced yet, check out the first look trailer for Other Mommy below.

I'm very excited for Other Mommy because recent box office figures have shown that audiences love original horror which spins a unique tale of terror, instead of more reboots or remakes.

In the cover image for Other Mommy's trailer we can see recent horror hits Obsession and Backrooms referenced. It's clear just how influential they have been in championing this new wave of horror stories.

This is also a huge return to the genre for actor Jessica Chastain, after she appeared in IT: Chapter Two in 2019. It's great to see her back taking on a creepy new role, requiring her to play two versions of the same character.

Other Mommy has the potential to be a great horror and I really hope it delivers. We have a long wait for it to arrive in theaters but don't worry, I've got a list of 7 new horror movies to stream in July to keep you entertained until then.

• Sleepy Hollow is getting a reboot at Sony, according to reports from Deadline
• Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney is believed to be leading the cast
• Lindsey Anderson Beer will direct the new movie, which has been dubbed as "an erotic retelling of the Sleepy Hollow story"

A Sleepy Hollow reboot wasn't something I was expecting, but it's happening at Sony according to reports from Deadline.

At the moment, the new movie has just been announced but we do know that it will be an "erotic retelling" of Sleepy Hollow, directed by Pet Semetary: Bloodlines director Lindsey Anderson Beer.

In addition to this, Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney will reportedly be leading the cast of the new Sleepy Hollow movie, but further stars have not been announced.

Anderson Beer's new story follows Katrina Van Tassel, who was played by Christina Ricci in the 90s movie. Instead of being the love interest for the protagonist, his time, Tassel will be the hero in a mystery that will feature a "seductive supernatural love triangle."

The story is also said to blend "gothic atmosphere, psychological intrigue, and erotic thriller elements into a contemporary, high-concept reinvention of the classic tale."

Sleepy Hollow is not the first horror movie Sydney Sweeney has starred in, as she had the leading role in the religious horror movie Immaculate in 2024. So it will be interesting to see how she leads an adaptation of an iconic story.

Of course, it isn't a straight adaptation of the Sleepy Hollow novel by Washington Irving. Anderson Beer is publishing a companion novel to go alongside her Sleepy Hollow movie, which is expected to be released in fall 2026.

The horror genre has been booming recently with plenty of hits coming in, like Backrooms and Obsession. This has caused studios to start looking at other ways to expand the horror universe, such as upcoming Creepypasta adaptations like Siren Head.

Ladies, gentlemen, and children (those over the age of 12, anyway), this is not a drill: the official trailer for Avengers: Doomsday is finally here!

Released today (July 20), the new Marvel movie's latest teaser packs a lot into its two-and-a-half minute runtime — so much so, in fact, that you probably missed quite a few details that it contains.

Well, worry not your heads, fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) nerds, because I'm here to break down the Marvel Phase 6 film's fifth teaser in real time. So, grab a drink and some snacks, and let's analyze this beast into an inch of its life.

Oh my god, it's happening!

Well, who expected this? Nobody, that's who!

Many, if not all, of us though Marvel would withhold the release of Avengers: Doomsday's first official trailer until its forthcoming Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026, which takes place on Saturday, July 25. But, lo and behold, the comic book titan has taken us all by surprise and unveiled it today (Monday, July 20).

As I said up top, there's a lot to unpack from the film's latest teaser. Join me, then, over the next few hours as I comb over it with a fine toothed comb and pick out all of the Easter eggs, references, and other bits and pieces you might have missed on first viewing. Excelsior!

Doom and gloom

Anybody else got a spring in their step from Doomsday's first proper trailer? The new work week has literally just gotten underway for many of us, so its arrival has certainly lifted the gloom.

Anyway, as I prepare to scour the teaser for everything of note, check out the first official poster for the forthcoming comic book flick. It shows Robert Downey Jr's Victor von Doom climbing some steps and approaching a mural of what I suspect is his wife and son — who, based on the fact there's a stone carved monument of them, are no longer alive...

Down(ey) for a new MCU role

Alright, let's start with what's obviously the biggest reveal of the entire trailer: Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Victor von Doom.

The Multiverse Saga's new primary villain, the grand unveiling of Downey Jr's second MCU character — the first, of course, being his iconic portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man — has been a long time coming.

Based on the brief glimpses we get of him in this latest round of footage, though, it was worth the wait because, hoo boy, does he look not only look very menacing, but also incredibly powerful. Hey, you don't stop an attack from Thor, aka the so-called strongest Avenger, and Stormbreaker with two fingers if you aren't!

So, what's his deal? Based on what we can read into the teaser poster in this blog's previous post, the prevailing theory is that Doom seeks revenge on something — or someone — that led to his loved ones' deaths. And, given that Marvel's latest saga has centered on the multiverse, it's possible that their demise was the result of some universe-hopping or time-traveling shenanigans.

Are the events of Avengers: Endgame, and/or other MCU multiverse projects, such as Loki, Doctor Strange 2, and Deadpool and Wolverine, to blame? We'll have to wait until Avengers: Doomsday is released in theaters worldwide on December 18 to find out. Regardless, expect Doom's crusade to be based around the loss of his family — and, if other rumors are to be believed, him taking advantage of the multiverse's potential collapse due to Incursions and potentially bringing said family back from the dead.

A godly presence

I'll come back to Doom later, so let's focus on some of the other returning — not to mention popular — heroes we'll see in Avengers 5, starting with the God of Thunder himself.

Indeed, it's a curious move on Marvel's part to put Thor front and center of this latest trailer. After all, Thor received his own mini Doomsday teaser last December, so you might've thought that MCU heroes who weren't spotlighted in said teasers, such as The Fantastic Four, would've featured more heavily here. Clearly, that's not the case.

Why is Thor, then, seemingly being positioned as Doomsday's co-lead? Well, Chris Hemsworth is not only still one of Marvel's most bankable stars, but one of the few who remains from the very start of Marvel's cinematic juggernaut. Placing an instantly recognizable face at the heart of this film, then, is a way to get more butts on seats.

Of course, there's more to it than that. Thor appears to be taking on more of a leadership role in Doomsday than past Avengers films, which is evident by the fact he plays the brutally honest negotiator-in-chief in trying to get the MCU's various factions to work together to combat this incredibly powerful new threat in Downey Jr's Doom. Add in the fact that his brother Loki is sure to have an integral role in proceedings (more on this shortly), Thor's clear concern that Doom is someone that Earth's Mightiest Heroes should fear even more so than Thanos, and his desire to protect adopted daughter Love, and Thor's position as a prominent figure in Doomsday isn't as outlandish as it first appears.

On your left

Thor isn't the only big-name actor who'll be back as his universally adored Marvel hero, because Chris Evans is also returning to play Steve Rogers.

Admittedly, we've known about Evans' involvement in Avengers: Doomsday since rumors first emerged in December 2024. Confirmation that Evans would be back as Rogers came last December in Doomsday's first teaser, too, so only those fans who didn't see or read about his appearance will be shocked to see the first Captain America in this movie.

There are questions about his role in the story, mind you — chief among them being what universe did he end up in at the end of Avengers: Endgame. If it's the dimension that The Fantastic Four (and, by proxy, Doom) hail from, is Rogers' decision to stay in this universe the root cause of Doom's family dying?

Moreover, how and why does Rogers return to the proverbial trenches to battle Doom? Sure, he'll always do the right thing and protect those he cares for — which, based on the aforementioned Rogers-starring teaser, now includes his baby son.

Nevertheless, how does he learn about whatever nefarious plan Doom has cooked up? Does he travel back to the MCU's primary universe at The Fantastic Four's behest? If so, how and when do they find out that he's secretly living life in a dimension that he's not supposed to be a part of?

I actually think there's a very specific individual who can help to answer those questions — and you might now know him as the God of Time and/or Stories...

Loki flex

For those who need me to spell it out: yes, I'm talking about Loki.

The last time we saw the former God of Mischief, he was holding every one of the multiverse's timelines together after the Time Variance Authority's (TVA) Time Loom exploded in Loki, aka his self-titled Disney+ show. If he's not allowed to leave his current position of literally keeping the multiverse intact, then, how is he able to visit Steve Rogers in whatever universe the latter now resides?

The easy answer to that question that Loki visits Cap before he assumes his new role as the multiverse's protector-in-chief. If that's the case, Loki will still be a boots-on-the-ground TVA agent who likely seeks out Cap to tell him that, due to his presence in a universe that he wasn't born in, the TVA will soon prune this timeline.

Alright, but how do I know that Loki is visiting Cap? I don't, but the curtain netting in the above screenshot is similar to that of the netting we see in the Evans-starring Doomsday teaser, so it's not such an outrageous claim to make.

Anyway, this is where I think Loki's TVA card, which you can see above, comes into play.

We don't get to see who's holding the card, but I'd be stunned if those aren't Cap's hands. Not only that, I believe Loki will give it to him, so Cap can contact Loki when he and his family are ready to leave this realm for another one where they'd be allowed to live in peace and without fear of causing an Incursion due to Steve' presence.

What universe could they be taken to? The MCU is a non-starter because a version of Peggy Carter, aka Steve's wife, already existed there. Moving her to the MCU, then, would cause an Incursion in itself. Could they go to The Fantastic Four's if that's not the dimension that Steve settled down in? What about the FoX-Men's universe (more on them in a minute)? Or will they relocate to another timeline we don't know about? The plot thickens...

Caffeine, where art thou?

Alright, I'm going to take a quick coffee break as I've been at this for 90 minutes straight.

Talk among yourselves for the next five minutes — or, even better, vote in the below poll to let me know how excited you are for Avengers: Doomsday. Back shortly!

Speak up

I'm back with coffee in hand and ready to attack another hour or so of this trailer breakdown, so what shall we look at now? How about listening to Downey Jr's Doom speak for the first time?

"Hang on... what?", you might be saying to yourself. Rewind to the start of the trailer and listen carefully to its first voiceover. That's definitely Downey Jr saying "Something's coming... Something we may not be able to deter. Before this day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision...".

Not convinced? Nobody else on the Doomsday cast roster sounds like that and there's only one new character we're being introduced to in this film — that being, its chief antagonist. So, it has to Downey Jr we're hearing at the beginning of the movie's latest round of footage.

Now, the question is: who is he saying this to? Is it Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier/Professor X, who's forced to shield his eyes from a blinding light outside of one of the X-Mansion's windows? Possibly, although I think this is just a bit of editing trickery that highlights the threat posed by the Incursions. Maybe Xavier is watching one play out in real time...

But I digress. Doom's words could be ringing in someone else's ears. The Fantastic Four's Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, who has a complicated history with Doom, perhaps? Or is Doom telling another member of that team in Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman? We know Doom visits her, and and Reed's son Franklin, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credits scene. Maybe Doom is appealing to Sue first, with the hope that she'll convince Reed to work with Doom in his quest to achieve a multiversal form of travel before Doom inevitably betrays his archnemesis.

Three worlds, one problem

Doom might be this movie's central antagonist, but Avengers: Doomsday's latest trailer isn't shying away from the threat posed by those pesky Incursions that I keep referring to.

Per Marvel Studios' official story synopsis, "beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered."

We already knew that individuals from three different realities would come into contact in this flick — those being, the MCU (Earth-616 or Earth-199999, depending on who you listen to), The Fantastic Four's dimension (Earth-828), and the FoX-Men's realm (Earth-10005). This, then, isn't a new plot development.

Even so, we get another nod to the potentially multiverse-ending issue when Thor addresses the different hero factions at New Avengers Tower. Look behind The Fantastic Four, and you'll see what looks like a simple molecular structure on the screen. To my eye, though, this is a visual representation of the aforementioned universes being on a collision course with each other. Regardless, it's a fun nod to The Fantastic Four's scientific expertise to depict it as a molecule.

Avengers, assemble!

"Put aside your petty squabbles," Thor implores his fellow heroes in this teaser. That'll be a reference to which of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes' teams should be known as The Avengers, with both sides laying claim to the name after the events of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts/The New Avengers.

It seems that Thor collectively gets through to them, too, because we see different individuals team up to embark on multiple quests to try and stop the Incursions from happening. Indeed, we see Sue Storm and The Thing, plus Ghost, Bucky, and Falcon, visit the Wakandans to seek their help. Moments later, we see Yelena Belova, Reed Richards, The Fantastic Four's robot helper H.E.R.B.I.E, and Sam Wilson in the X-Mansion.

Shang-Chi is also part of this contingent, with the Ten Rings-wielding hero fighting Gambit before we see Belova battle herself — or, rather, Mystique masquerading as Natasha Romanoff's sister. Prepare yourself for some unusual and unexpected alliances in Doomsday, then.

Failure is an option

Like Avengers: Infinity War, there's already a sense that our heroes will fail in their mission to avert the Incursion crisis in Avengers: Doomsday. Heck, the fact that the latter is getting a sequel — Avengers: Secret Wars — in December 2027, which is expected to instigate a soft reboot of the MCU as we know it, is proof of that.

Doomsday's official trailer also drops a key hint that we'll see the destruction of at least one of the three main universes I mentioned earlier. That'll likely be the case, anyway, if the above screenshot, which appears to show a similarly yellow-hued explosion to the one that Professor X sees at the start of the trailer, taking place behind Johnny and Sue Storm.

If these events are one and the same, it's plausible that the Incursion depicted in the above image shows The Fantastic Four's reality being eradicated. Just imagine how devastating that would be for Marvel's iconic quartet and their desire to continue aiding our other heroes as the latter continue to try and save their own worlds from crumbling. If nothing else, it would create more melodrama and potentially further sow the divisions between them.

We're in the endgame now

Alright, I think that'll do it for today. I might be back with more stuff to break down tomorrow — so, if you spotted something that I didn't, and/or have any theories on what the latest round of footage shows, let me know in the comments.

For now, though, it's goodbye from me!

• Avengers: Doomsday pre-sale tickets will go live later today (July 20)
• Fans think the new Marvel movie's first trailer could be released, too
• It would be an unusual move for Marvel to make, for one major reason

Update 2: well, I was completely wrong! The film's first official trailer has been released, so join me on our Avengers: Doomsday trailer breakdown live blog as I, well, break it down in real time.

Update: Okay, something might happen on the official trailer front.

Indeed, the Avengers: Doomsday Clock video on Marvel's YouTube channel, which has been counting down towards the movie's release date for months now, has been updated. The minutes and seconds part of the timer are now shown in green, and music now accompanies the ticking of said clock.

Does this mean Doomsday's first proper trailer will be with us at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST? I'm still sceptical and think it's simply counting down to the pre-sales ticket window finally opening — but we'll find out for sure in less than 30 minutes.

Original story follows.

Avengers: Doomsday tickets are finally set to go on sale later today (July 20) — and Marvel fans think the movie's first trailer could drop at the same time, too.

As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, cinephiles and comic-book fans alike will be able to pre-book their seat for one of 2026's hottest new movies very soon. And, with some theater chains, such as US-based company Regal, already telling fans where they'll be able to watch Doomsday in come December 18, fans will be able to buy advanced tickets before the day is over.

That's not the only Marvel-related thing that might happen today, though, because some people believe the pre-sales launch will coincide with the debut of Doomsday's official trailer.

In screenshots posted to Reddit pages including r/MarvelStudios, r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers, and r/LeaksandRumors, the app for popular US movie ticket company Fandango appeared to indicate that a new trailer would accompany the film's pre-sales launch.

Less than an hour later, users in a separate r/LeaksandRumors thread noted that the trailer banner had been scrubbed from the Fandango app. Some are seeing this as confirmation that we'll soon get a fresh look at the Marvel Phase 6 film — but I'm not entirely convinced that'll be the case.

Why Marvel shouldn't — and should — hold off on releasing a new trailer for Avengers: Doomsday

If Marvel unveils Avengers: Doomsday's fifth trailer — remember, four bite-sized teasers were released between December 2025 and January 2026 — today, it wouldn't be a complete shock.

Indeed, releasing a new trailer, which would likely end by telling people that they can pre-book tickets now, would further ramp up interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, and generate even more ticket sales. Releasing more new footage before Marvel holds its latest Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026, which will take place on Saturday, July 25, would also give it more time to highlight some of its other forthcoming film and Disney+ projects during said presentation, because Doomsday wouldn't dominate proceedings.

With SDCC 2026 just days away, though, I'm baffled by the suggestion that Marvel would release Doomsday's first trailer earlier than expected. The aforementioned flick is the comic titan's most anticipated movie in years, and, considering that past editions of SDCC have been where Marvel has made the biggest announcements and reveals about myriad films, I can't foresee a one-off change to that tried and tested — not to mention highly successful — strategy.

I guess we'll find out one way or the other in the hours ahead. For now, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday. Once you're done, check out the first official artwork for Avengers: Doomsday, and prepare for your pre-Doomsday release MCU marathon by reading up on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

To celebrate Evil Dead Burn coming out in theaters this month, I've put together the ultimate quiz to test fans of the popular horror franchise.

Ever since The Evil Dead was released in 1981, the series has been a favorite among genre fans and is widely recognizable, but have you been paying attention to it? I bet you won't be able to get a perfect score on my quiz, so now's your chance to prove me wrong!

Don't worry if you haven't seen Evil Dead Burn yet, because this quiz only covers the previous movies, meaning you won't find any spoilers for the new movie lurking in here.

But there's plenty of trivia about the rest of the franchise, from the original release to the 2013 remake. These horror movies are among the most fascinating, from the scripts all the way to what happened on set.

Feeling brave? Scroll down to try out the quiz now, and see if you can survive to the very end.

How did you do? Let me know your score in the comments below, and if you're hungry for more horror trivia, why not check out my Resident Evil movie quiz ahead of Zach Cregger's adaptation, which arrives later this year.

Or we've got an ultimate Walking Dead quiz for fans of the hit zombie series. If you think you're a superfan, join other quizzers and prove your knowledge.

For more horror streaming recommendations, I've got you covered too. Take a look at the best horror movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Shudder, and more in July 2026 to find something good to watch.

2026 is a big year for Tom Holland. The popular actor has already appeared in one of this year's most anticipated new movies in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, and he'll soon be wearing his iconic superhero spandex once more when Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases later this month.

Starring in two of 2026's biggest films would be worth cheering about in itself. However, this year also sees Holland celebrate the 10th anniversary of his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which happened in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Hey, I wasn't lying when I said 2026 was a big year for the A-lister.

With six MCU apperances already under his belt, Holland is now a certifiable stalwart of Marvel's cinematic juggernaut — so much so, in fact, that I believe some of you consider yourselves to be the biggest Tom Holland Spider-Man superfan.

Well, now is the time to put your superhero skills to the test. Below, I've rounded up 35 questions — some are way tougher than others — about Holland's wallcrawling career so far, including a query or five about Spider-Man 4.

So, what are you waiting for? Load up your web shooters and swing on over to the forthcoming quiz, and see if you have what it takes to be crowned the ultimate Holland Spider-Fan. Good luck!

For more on the forthcoming Marvel Phase 6 film, find out everything we know so far about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Keep your eyes fixed on TechRadar later in July, too, for even more coverage of the hotly-anticipated movie.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day thwips its way into theaters on July 29 (UK) and July 31 (everywhere else).

The mutants are coming. Indeed, with Marvel hard at work on developing another X-Men movie — one that will officially introduce a new version of the superteam to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — it won't be long before they return to the big screen. Well, providing you don't consider its potential 2028 launch to be a lengthy wait...

But I digress. With San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 almost upon us, and speculation that some sort of X-Men announcement will be made at the fan expo, interest over the next live-action X-Men film couldn't be higher. Read on to discover everything we know so far about the movie that's likely to usher in version 2.0 of the MCU.

X-Men movie release date: what we know

Marvel is yet to confirm a release date for its X-Men movie. It's still in the early stages of development, after all, so unless a surprise announcement comes at SDCC 2026, it will be some time before we know more.

That said, this film is high on Marvel's list of priorities. Speaking in late 2024, company president Kevin Feige said that MCU's future will be all about the X-Men after the Multiverse Saga comes to an end with next year's Avengers: Secret Wars.

More recently, Feige hinted (see the X/Twitter post above) that the new X-Men movie will be the first film to arrive after the sixth Avengers installment. With that movie due out in December 2027, we shouldn't expect MCU's first mutant-led project until some time in 2028.

Marvel's X-Men movie trailer: is there one?

Unsurprisingly, no. In fact, assuming Marvel returns to Hall H panel at SDCC 2028, I'd be amazed if we get any official footage before then.

Once a teaser is released, I'll update this section – but you'll be waiting a long time for one!

Marvel's X-Men cast rumors

Possible spoilers follow for Marvel's X-Men movie.

Predictably, nobody has been confirmed to appear in Marvel's X-Men movie yet. However, plenty of rumors have surfaced – and continue to circulate – about who's involved, so let's take a look at some of the biggest ones.

For starters, one report that did the rounds in July 2025 suggested that Marvel was eyeing rising stars over established names for its X-Men reboot. The reason? The Disney subsidiary wants to make movies for less — and that means it isn't looking to pay over the odds for A-listers.

And yet, the vast majority of actors who have been linked with roles in Marvel's mutant-led flick are what I'd consider to be household names.

One such star is Stranger Things alumnus Sadie Sink. After being cast as a mystery character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the long-running rumor is that Sink will play Jean Grey. If that's true — and there's now plenty of evidence to suggest it is — we'll almost certainly see her in this film.

Who else could pop up? Last May, the rumour mill was buzzing with reports about other potential X-Men cast members, including speculation that Bryan Cranston would play Charles Xavier/Professor X, Cynthia Erivo would portray Ororo Munroe/Storm, and recent retiree Daniel Day-Lewis had held talks to take on the role of Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto.

However, other actors have since been linked with two of those roles. In mid-July, Adam Driver was said to have been cast as Magneto, while Patrick Wilson is supposedly in the frame as Professor X (per knightedgemedia). For what it's worth, reliable industry insider Apocalyptic Horseman said that the latter might not be true.

Elsewhere, Obsession star Inde Navarrette revealed that she'd recently met with new X-Men director Jake Schreier — prompting fans to cast her in a variety of mutant roles. Meanwhile, after unreliable leaker Jeff Sneider claimed that Avatar star Trinity Jo-Li Bliss had been tapped to play Jubilee, Bliss herself denied the report (via The Direct).

Lastly, Lee Sung Jin, one of this film's co-writers, told Collider that he's a huge fan of Remy LeBeau/Gambit. Don't be surprised, then, if we see a new iteration of the Ragin' Cajun as part of this movie's ensemble.

Marvel's X-Men movie plot rumors

You already know what I'm going to say here, don't you? Surprise, surprise, Marvel's X-Men reboot doesn't have a story synopsis yet.

Thanks to Schreier and Jin, though, we've been given a glimpse into their creative process for the film, including the key inspiration behind the story they want to tell.

Schreier (via Collider) and Jin (via Men's Health) admitted that the literature penned by legendary scribe Chris Claremont, who's best known for working on the Uncanny X-Men comic book series for 16 years between 1975 and 1991, will be a major influence on their X-Men reboot. Jin also revealed (via The Watch podcast) that beloved Saturday morning cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series is also informing the narrative structure by way of its character-first and soap opera-esque elements.

Chatting to Deadline, Jin also explained that Feige wants him, co-writer Joanna Calo, and Schreier to " take a big swing and start anew, [and] not be beholden to any of the movies that have come before".

Expect an entirely new take — in a live-action sense, anyway — of the iconic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby-created supergroup when their next movie lands in theaters.

Where can I watch the X-Men movies?

You can watch every live-action X-Men movie on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services. Disney's primary streamer has been home to these flicks since the House of Mouse bought 20th Century Fox in March 2019. You can even find out how to watch the X-Men movies in order with our help while you're here.

Additionally, X-Men: The Animated Series and its sequel show X-Men 97 are also available to watch on Disney+. Not a subscriber? Find out if a Disney+ free trial is available or the price of Disney+ in your area if you want to sign up.

What does the future hold for the X-Men in the MCU?

In short: we have no idea. Marvel still has to get this movie off the ground, and as Schreier explained during an interview with Collider, it needs to be a major success if the franchise is to continue into Marvel Phase 7 and beyond.

If it succeeds, the X-Men could become one of the cornerstones of the MCU's next era. But if it doesn't? Frankly, that's a scenario that doesn't bear thinking about. The X-Men are one of the most popular superhero teams of all time, so if they can't help support Marvel's cinematic juggernaut in a post-Multiverse Saga world, who can?

While we wait for some much-needed news on Marvel's X-Men movie, find out what we know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Then, get the full lowdown on Avengers: Doomsday and learn everything we know so far about Avengers: Secret Wars.

It's no secret that the new Christopher Nolan movie, The Odyssey,is the first full-length movie to be filmed solely with 1570 IMAX cameras, but it might be less known that fewer than 40 movie theaters worldwide can actually play the original film when it releases on July 17.

Most standard cinemas will show only a fraction of the shots Nolan actually filmed, due to common screen and projector ratios. If you're not following, check out the TikTok below for a full visual explanation:

With only 26 theaters in the US and just three in the UK able to do so, demand is incredibly high. If I wanted to see The Odyssey at the BFI IMAX, for example, I'd currently have to wait until late August — at the earliest — for a 70mm screening that isn't sold out.

Thanks to Variety, we've already heard from IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond about whether the spike in demand will prompt the opening of new IMAX theaters.

"There's certainly more demand; the problem is they haven't made new IMAX film projectors in about 50 years," he explained. "So we retrofit them, rebuild them, and part of our strategy is to see how far we can take it. But certainly, demand-driven, I'd like to see more."

But as an IMAX projector has been spotted being wheeled into the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, a new wave of confusion has sparked over doubts about Gelfond's claims being true. Some fans are even going a step further, claiming that Nolan's decision to shoot in a format that few people can access is "anti-art."

'Something has to be done about this'

Let's start by debunking the above video. If we're to believe Gelfond at face value (and there's no reason why we shouldn't), the subtitle of "new" seen in this video is actually misleading.

It's more likely that the projector is new to the theater rather than the world, having been built a long time before The Odyssey was even an idea (for Nolan, anyway).

But it's this lack of availability and resources that's causing the wider problem. This video of The Odyssey film being loaded into an IMAX 70mm projector goes some of the way to explaining why the format isn't more accessible.

The 172 minute runtime takes 2.1 million feet of film, weighing around 846 lbs (that's 60 stone for my fellow Brits).

There's no doubting that The Odyssey will be a magnificent epic regardless of what format you watch it in, but the IMAX 70mm screening divide is already causing derision amongst fans.

"Filming in a format that only ~40 cinemas across the world can fully display is anti-art," one fan wrote on X/Twitter, with a second agreeing, "Actually it’s anti art that only 40 theaters can show it."

A third weighed in, "I know it's low on the list of our priorities as a society right now, but something has to be done about this."

"That is beyond disgusting. it's already hard enough for a lot of people to access cinemas, why make it an even more elitist experience?" a fourth responded.

Will this demand and outrage actually lead to a resurgence in 70mm projectors and more investment in physical, IMAX cinema? The cynic in me says that I doubt it.

With cinema as an industry in such a decline, it still feels like there's too much risk vs. reward to throw money behind an analog film revival like this. However, if Nolan's decision becomes a watershed moment adopted by other heavy hitters in the industry, we could be having a completely different conversation.

• The Batman Part II has been delayed until February 2028
• Its director has shared new footage of Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader
• James Gunn's DC Universe could be severely impacted by this development

It's going to be another 18 months before we finally get to see The Batman Part II.

The long in development comic book movie, whose release date had already been pushed back twice, is now not set to land in theaters until February 18, 2028. Anyone who had hoped to see The Batman Part II on its previously revised release date on October 1, 2027, then, is going to be seriously disappointed.

News of The Batman sequel's latest launch date came by way of a new video that director Matt Reeves shared on his social media channels. The footage, which gives us our first look at the returning Robert Pattinson as the titular vigilante in Reeves' next Batman film, ends with the revelation of the adjusted release date.

By the time this DC comic book project lands on the big screen, then, almost six years will have passed since its predecessor made its own theatrical debut. That's a long time to make fans wait for the hotly-anticipated follow-up.

Why The Batman Part II's delayed release is bad news for James Gunn's DC Universe

It would be remiss of me not to say that movie delays happen all of the time, so word of The Batman Part II's latest launch setback is, especially for a film that's taken a long time to get off the ground for myriad reasons, to be expected.

Nevertheless, it's going to have a huge impact on James Gunn and Peter Safran's nascent DC Universe (DCU), which is already reeling from its first major dud in Supergirl.

Indeed, Gunn has said time and again that the DCU's Batman — and, by proxy, his DCU Chapter One solo film in The Brave and the Bold — won't see the light of day until The Batman Part II has premiered.

The reason? While Gunn says audiences are intelligent enough to understand that Reeves' Bat-Verse and the DCU are separate entities, he doesn't want two Batmans running amok in cinemas at the same time. Now that The Batman 2 won't come out until early 2028, though, we aren't likely to see the DCU's Dark Knight until 2029 at the very earliest.

That doesn't mean Gunn, Safran, and company won't be working on The Brave and The Bold in the meantime. What it does mean, though, is that the wait for one of DC Comics' so-called Holy Trinity will not only drag on for ever longer, but DC Studios' co-heads will have to continue fielding questions about the timeline for the Caped Crusader's unveiling in their cinematic franchise. In that regard, can't say I envy them.

Anyway, feel free to find out everything we know so far about The Batman Part II while you're here. Alternatively, vote in the poll above to let me know what you think of the movie's latest delay.

As Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey arrives in theaters worldwide on July 17, the demand for screenings in IMAX 70mm has never been higher.

According to Variety, demand is so high that "fans are taking cross-country trips, buying tickets in bulk and more to see the film, with one fan even delaying her pregnancy."

The new movie is the first feature film ever shot entirely on 1570 IMAX cameras, and you only have to look at the TikTok below to see how much of each shot standard cinemagoers will be missing out on.

Globally, there are only 30-40 theaters that can play Nolan's original 70mm film, with around 26 in the US and just three in the UK.

We know what cultural and economic impact The Odyssey is set to have in the industry this summer, with estimates predicting that the movie will gross $200 million at the international box office in its opening weekend alone.

So does this mean that we could see an increase in new IMAX theaters being built? IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond confirms that it's a definite company goal... but the reality isn't quite so straightforward.

'We haven't made new IMAX projectors in about 50 years'

"There's certainly more demand; the problem is they haven't made new IMAX film projectors in about 50 years," Gelfond told Variety.

"So we retrofit them, rebuild them, and part of our strategy is to see how far we can take it. But certainly, demand-driven, I'd like to see more."

Obviously, this would be a huge investment for the company. Commercial IMAX projectors range from $300,000 to over $1.2 million USD, depending on whether it is digital, laser, or traditional 70mm film. The latter is going to be at the top end of this range, given its complexity.

Then there's the risk involved with investing. Just because The Odyssey has such high demand doesn't mean that other movies that opt to film in the same format in the future will have the same retention level.

Cinemas are struggling enough as it is, which isn't helped by the fact that streaming services like Netflix are frequently pushing back on giving original movies a theatrical release.

“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical,” Dan Lin, chairman of Netflix Film, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted; we just won’t work with.”

In short, it's a leap of faith back to a new cinema, despite how much fans are desperate for them. However, if any film can set a new precedent — and bring back the forgotten ways of making projectors — it's The Odyssey.

I'm quietly keeping my fingers crossed that such passionate interest in returning to cinema in its biggest and best form will mark a turning point. Perhaps just because I can't get tickets for Nolan's latest at the BFI IMAX... but while I'm jealous, the fact that screenings are sold out until mid-August is nothing short of astonishing.

• Real Housewives of London season 2 will stream on Hayu from September 7
• Core cast Juliet Angus, Amanda Cronin, Karen Loderick-Peace, Juliet Mayhew, Panthea Parker and Nessie Welschinger are returning
• New episodes promise ' shifting alliances, mounting tensions and unmissable moments'

Look lively, reality TV fans: Real Housewives of London season 2 is set to return to Hayu on September 7.

According to NBCUniversal, housewives Juliet Angus, Amanda Cronin, Karen Loderick-Peace, Juliet Mayhew, Panthea Parker and Nessie Welschinger are all returning, and "old friendships are tested, new loyalties are questioned and even the most glamorous postcode cannot contain the drama."

The synopsis continues, "Picking up in the aftermath of a fracturing off-camera dinner, the women attempt to move forward through charity galas, Fashion Week front rows, Lunar New Year celebrations and a jaw-dropping trip to Antigua."

Following the September 7 premiere, remaining episodes are set to drop weekly. With 10 episodes in total, the season will culminate with a reunion special hosted by author and podcaster Katherine Ryan.

It's this final detail that I have the biggest problem with... and I'm desperately hoping that the hit series doesn't repeat the same mistake that so many of the international versions have year-on-year.

Opinion: Real Housewives needs to change its reunion show format ASAP

I would apologize for being a hater, but really it stands me in good stead to be a Housewife myself. After streaming multiple episodes of catty VTs, explosive showdowns and domestic setups that truly boggle the mind, I often feel my shoulders sink when the reunion show rolls around.

Essentially, a host will sit the entire cast down in a live studio format to recap the drama of episodes past, getting their individual takes on what happened and if anything has changed since filming.

If you loathe overly edited and contrived TV scenes like I do, this is an absolute nightmare. It's part and parcel of the Real Housewives IP that drama is both heightened and engineered, but reunion shows channel this in the most inorganic way possible.

At least if someone is having a fight at a restaurant on a kitchen island, they're genuinely in the moment — they're not having to perform their emotions too much because they're feeling them in real time. But raking back over the past is merely a way to create a viral moment rather than engaging television.

Instead, I'd prefer it if the reunions were scrapped altogether to allow the next season (which hasn't been greenlit in this instance) to come sooner rather than later.

Real Housewives of London season 3 isn't going to be a bad decision for anyone, so what are we waiting for?

• Marvel is reportedly making a Nova movie with the aid of Loki's showrunner
• The cosmic hero was originally going to star in a Disney+ TV show
• If true, the film will need to address three big questions about the MCU

Marvel is turning its attentions to the stars again as it begins work on a movie starring fan-favorite character Nova.

Per Deadline, the comic-book titan has pivoted away from telling a story about the cosmic hero on Disney+ to give him the full big-screen treatment. Furthermore, Michael Waldron, who was Loki's showrunner and rewrote parts of the Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness script, is leading development on the untitled Nova project.

According to Deadline's sources, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) flick is still in the early planning stages. Nonetheless, I've already got four big questions that Marvel and Waldron need to shed light on regarding their next sci-fi project…

1. Who will play Nova?

Chief among the answers I seek is which actor will portray the eponymous character.

With Waldron also the creator-in-chief on acclaimed sports comedy Chad Powers, a Hulu TV Original that starred Glen Powell, it's little surprise to see that the aforementioned actor has been linked with the titular role. Add in the fact that Marvel has prioritized casting A-listers in its movie and TV productions recently, and the charismatic Powell would fit the bill as a big name who could draw a crowd, too.

That said, Powell is far from the only star that Waldron has worked with before. Additionally, Marvel President Kevin Feige has occasionally stated his belief that the comic giant needs to reduce the costs of its films and TV series, which includes the salaries of those who appear in said screen projects. Powell's hiring, then, is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

2. Which version of the superhero will we see — Richard Rider, Sam Alexander, or Frankie Raye?

Like the Green Lantern Corps that exist in DC Comics, there are hundreds of individuals who have held the rank of 'Nova' in Marvel Comics.

There are three particular human characters who are part of the insterstellar cop agency known as the Nova Corps, though — those being the aforementioned Rider, Alexander, and Raye.

Of that trio, Rider is the most famous, so it would make sense if Marvel decided to center Nova around this well-known individual. However, should Marvel want to go down the route of introducing a younger Nova to audiences, Alexander would be the way to go. Furthermore, if Marvel isn't worried about the fan backlash that could come from casting a female lead in this film and/or taking creative liberties with Raye's comic-book origins, it could turn heads by selecting the least likely member of this group to star in it.

For what it's worth, I think Marvel will play it safe and go for Rider — but that's just my view. Vote in the poll below to let me know which character you'd like to see!

3. Will Nova show us the off-screen destruction of Xandar at Thanos' hands?

Think you've heard the word 'Nova' before in the MCU? You'd be right. We were actually introduced to the Nova Corps in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, which saw the titular ragtag group travel to — and then save — Xandar, aka the capital city of the Nova Empire and, by proxy, the space cop agency's headquarters.

At the end of that film, the Nova Corps was entrusted with the Power Stone, aka one of the Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, as part of his genocidal plan to destroy half of all life in the universe, the Mad Titan known as Thanos soon came calling for said cosmic gem. Long story short: he acquired the Power Stone and, as punishment for Xandar's role in trying to stop him obtaining it, decimated the planet.

So, will we witness Xandar's destruction in a flashback sequence as part of Nova's story? If it had been developed and released by now, I believe we already would have. However, Nova won't arrive before the Marvel Multiverse Saga comes to an end with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. And, with that Marvel Phase 6 duology set to reboot the MCU, I think it's incredibly unlikely that Xandar's annihilation at Thanos' hands will be depicted in Nova.

4. Can Waldron win over the MCU sceptics?

There's no denying that Waldron's apparent involvement in Nova has caused something of a ruckus online. Indeed, following the publication of Deadline's article, fans have taken to various Reddits, the ResetEra forums, and other social platforms to criticize or defend Waldron's hiring.

There are valid arguments on both sides of the debate, too. As Loki's head writer, Waldron proved he had the necessary writing chops to tell a sci-fi story that was focused on a beloved Marvel character. In sharp contrast to the praise he received for his work on that show, though, Waldron is often 'credited' with not only turning Doctor Strange 2 into a narrative mess, but also with undoing all of the growth that Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch underwent in WandaVision and positioning her as a one-dimensional villain in Multiverse of Madness.

Of course, Loki and Doctor Strange 2 aren't the only screenwriting credits on Waldron's resume, but they're the ones that MCU diehards will know him from. In that sense, he's one for two in the 'great MCU project' department. The jury is still out, then, on whether it'll be one or two for three before Nova's arrival.

• Marvel has supposedly cast a major star as Magneto in its new X-Men film
• The actor in question was linked with another major role in the MCU
• They were said to be close to playing The Fantastic Four's Reed Richards

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has reportedly found its Magneto.

According to multiple industry insiders, none other than former Star Wars actor Adam Driver has supposedly signed on to play the iconic metal-manipulating mutant in the comic giant's new X-Men movie.

At the time of publication, the Hollywood trades are yet to corroborate this via their own sources. Furthermore, with this rumor being circulated online by leakers with spotty track records, including MyTimeToShineHello and KnightEdgeMedia, Driver's casting is mere speculation at this stage.

That said, another insider, Apocalyptic Horseman, who's more trustworthy than the aforementioned pair, has backed up their claims. So, until we get an official line from Marvel and/or some form of verification from Deadline, Variety, or The Hollywood Reporter, it's just as likely that Driver won't appear in the MCU's first X-Men film as it is that he will.

What are the chances of Driver's involvement being confirmed sooner rather than later? Well, San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 is right around the corner, and Marvel is set to take the stage for its traditional Hall H panel on Saturday, July 25. Given that Marvel has had a surprise or two up its sleeve for past editions of SDCC presentations, I wouldn't rule out the prospect of some form of official X-Men movie casting news at this year's event.

Driving the Marvel rumor mill

If Driver becomes the third A-lister to portray Magneto in a live-action film — the others being Michael Fassbender and legendary actor Ian McKellen — it'll put an end to speculation about his long-rumored involvement in the MCU.

In October 2022, Driver was supposedly in talks to play Doctor Doom in Marvel's Fantastic Four film. Seven months later, Driver was apparently among the stars up for consideration for playing The Fantastic Four's Reed Richards instead. Said whisper was just one of many Fantastic Four casting rumors that sent MCU fans into a tailspin but which didn't come to pass.

Will this Magneto-specific rumor prove to be a case of third time's a charm for Driver? Some fans aren't convinced — indeed, threads on ResetEra and various Reddit pages are full of comments saying Driver would be a better fit for famous X-Men villain Mister Sinister, or that he should steer clear of a franchise whose best days are arguably behind it.

With or without Driver, Marvel's untitled X-Men movie is slowly taking shape. Lee Isaac Chung and Jake Schreier (Beef, Thunderbolts*) are already on board as its respective writer and director, and Marvel President Kevin Feige recently revealed (per Collider) that the mutant-led feature could be the first MCU film post-Avengers: Secret Wars.

Meanwhile, with speculation swirling online that Sadie Sink is playing iconic X-Men member Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as well as Obsession star Inde Navarrette saying she recently met with Schreier, and Apocalyptic Horseman claiming that Marvel is searching for the MCU's Cyclops, Storm, and Rogue, this new X-Men movie's cast might soon be in place. All eyes will be firmly fixed on Marvel's SDCC 2026 presentation, then, for confirmation of any or all of the above.

• Moana had a disappointing weekend at the box office, only making $95 million from its huge $250 million budget
• The live action remake currently sits at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes
• Fans have criticized Moana for being an exact replica of the beloved animated movie

Moana set sail for theaters recently, but its opening weekend was a poor performance for one of July's biggest new movies.

The original Moana movie was a huge success for Disney, bringing in $687.2 million at the global box office. But based on the opening weekend, it doesn't feel like the 2026 live action remake will be following in its footsteps.

At the time of writing, the new Moana has only made $95 million on its huge $250 million budget, making it one of Disney's poorest performing movies.

It has also received a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score of 33%, with its critics consensus saying: "The sea calls to no one in this underwhelming new version of Moana, an endeavor that solidifies its animated predecessor as the superior adventure."

Moana has been branded 'lifeless' by viewers

Many fans of the original Moana movie have expressed their disappointment, describing the new live action version as being flat and a "carbon copy" of the original, per this scathing review by Associated Press.

Fans on X have also had a lot to say, with some wonder what the point in making a live action movie for Moana was. There's been plenty of backlash, making it a disappointing entry into Disney's library.

Another X user commented on how their main issue was the lack of quality, noting that nothing about the Moana live action was better than the original. They also cited The Lion King and Aladdin as having "new elements that justified their existence", but claimed that Moana did not have this.

Finally, another user pointed out that they'd rather watch the Snow White remake over Moana. Snow White also underperformed at the box office, but has a slightly higher Rotten Tomatoes score of 39%.

If you want to see for yourself, Moana is now playing in theaters globally. But judging by initial reports, you might want to head to Disney+ to check out the original, and it's admittedly very good sequel, Moana 2.

• The first full trailer for Tom Cruise's new movie Digger is here
• Cruise plays 'an incredibly powerful corrupt oil tycoon, who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior'
• Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, it also stars Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, and John Goodman

The first trailer for Digger, Tom Cruise's next movie, has now been released — and the Mission: Impossible star is appearing as he never has before.

Cruise is seen in heavy prosthetic makeup, transforming into someone that, per the film's synopsis, os "an incredibly powerful corrupt oil tycoon, who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior."

Directed by Birdman and The Revenant's Alejandro G. Iñárritu, its supporting cast includes Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and Emma D'Arcy. Digger will be in theaters worldwide from October 2, 2026.

Unsurprisingly, the internet is beside themselves thanks to Cruise's new look. "Seeing an old Tom Cruise is wild," one YouTube comment reads, while another says:, "The biggest physical transformation Tom Cruise has had since Tropic Thunder."

With so much chaos happening at once, it's still anybody's guess as to how the full film will play out. But, in my opinion, Cruise is the least exciting part of what's coming.

Opinion: Digger will finally turn Sandra Hüller into the Hollywood leading lady she deserves to be

Despite being nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award in 2024 for her lead role in Anatomy of a Fall, Hüller still hasn't cemented her status as a leading lady.

Since then, she's had supporting roles in Project Hail Mary, The Zone of Interest, and yet-to-be-released Cannes period drama Fatherland. I've got a feeling, though, that Digger will finally give her the global recognition that she deserves.

Why? A simple answer: Tom Cruise. Aside from his death-defying stunts, the actor has made a name for himself through his consistent kindness and willingness to show up. Not only has he done this for his fans — just look at any press tour he's done in the last 10 years — but he also does it for his fellow actors.

By the time Digger is being promoted across the world, I can guarantee that Cruise will spend the entire time singing Hüller's praises. He's a man who bring along those around him while he's on the way up... and his own performance is likely to be a significant talking point for the 2026-2027 awards season. If Hüller isn't a routine Hollywood booking after this, I'll be at a loss for words. Know talent when you see it, people.

The first two episodes of new MGM+ crime drama The Westies are now streaming, but strap in — we've still got another six installments to go.

The new show follows the real-life Irish-American crime family of the same name, who ran the streets of Hell's Kitchen for decades from the 1960s. Basically, it's the perfect warm-up act for MobLand season 2 and The Gentleman season 2, which are both set to return in September.

Led by J.K. Simmons as patriarch Eamonn Sweeney, we've got an epic cat-and-mouse game afoot between our shady leads and the FBI, who have been tasked with bringing them to justice.

The trailer set up the high-stakes drama to come, but some fans weren't entirely happy with the teaser. Scroll through the YouTube comments on the clip below, and you'll see multiple fans complaining that The Westies looks far too tame for a mobster story.

In a way, they have a point. If you're tuning in looking for glory through guts and gore, you're not going to find it. However, that doesn't mean that intense action sequences are few and far between.

Not only have lead stars Simmons and Tom Brittney (James) seen the comments, they're the first in line to disagree — and they've got pretty good reasoning as to why.

'There's some stuff that I'm surprised we could get away with'

"God, no," Brittney says when I ask if The Westies felt tame when filming. "I think I saw that comment. Someone sent something to me about going, 'oh, I think it's tame.' And I was like... well, you better watch then.

"We can't put everything that's in the show into that trailer because you wouldn't be able to show it on TV as a teaser. Especially depending on the time that you're showing it. It's a brutal one. There's some stuff in this that I was surprised that they could get away with."

From a marketing standpoint, it makes complete sense that the best parts of The Westies, which would include the grittiest and most intense fights, won't be revealed immediately. They wouldn't even be in the two-episode premiere... think of them as a reward for investing in the new series long-term.

"If I may... don't watch the trailer. Watch the show," Simmons adds. We're both in it. You know it's gonna be good! So, just watch the show. July 12th. Or you could watch it on the 13th if you want. That's the beauty. Go crazy. Watch it on the 14th, whatever. Just watch it sometime in the first week, please."

You heard the man... lock in now, and reap the benefits as The Westies continues to drop on a weekly basis.

• Marvel has published a giant new mural for Avengers: Doomsday
• It gives us a fresh look at its massive cast and villain-in-chief, Doctor Doom
• One MCU character is surprisingly conspicuous by their absence

Marvel has unveiled a huge new mural for Avengers: Doomsday that features all but one of its sizeable cast.

Shown for the first time at the Chinese fan convention Bilibili World in Shanghai last Saturday (July 11), the artwork gives us another look at the highly anticipated movie's heroic ensemble.

The image, which was later shared online by former Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park, also offers a fresh glance at Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom.

Predictably, we don't get to see Doom's likely scarred face — a reveal Marvel is surely holding back for the film's full release. Nonetheless, his iconic mask, coupled with those piercing, ice blue eyes, indicates that the Multiverse Saga's primary villain will be an emotionally cold, calculating, and formidable foe for our heroes to overcome.

Missing in action

With San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 — and, by proxy, this year's edition of Marvel's oft-anticipated Hall H panel — it's little surprise to see the comic giant starting to accelerate its promotional campaign for the next Avengers film.

What is eyebrow-raising about the Marvel Phase 6 flick's first official artwork, though, is the absence of a specific Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character. And I'm not talking about heroes who weren't announced as part of Doomsday's initial 27-strong cast, such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Deadpool, or Captain Marvel.

So, who is it? None other than Tenoch Huerta's Namor, aka the ocean-dwelling anti-hero and the MCU's first mutant, who was first introduced to MCU fans in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Namor's absence is certainly strange, especially as the rest of Doomsday's original cast reveal is part of this mural. The inclusion of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, who wasn't part of the movie's initial line-up, but was eventually confirmed to be part of proceedings when Avengers: Doomsday's first teaser was released last December, makes Namor's non-appearance all the more bizarre, too.

Is this a simple albeit major oversight on Marvel's part not to include him in this artwork? Or does it indicate that Namor will only have a minor role/cameo to play in Avengers 5? With Namor appearing in Avengers: Doomsday's fourth teaser, I seriously doubt it's the latter. That said, I don't believe Marvel would purposefully cut him from this illustration. Hopefully, someone at Marvel Studios will shed light on this if they're asked about it at SDCC.

In the meantime, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday. Once you're done, get the full lowdown on Avengers: Secret Wars, aka Doomsday's sequel that'll also cap off the Marvel Multiverse Saga.

Evil Dead Burn is the sixth installment in the horror franchise, and unfortunately, I found the new movie to be the weakest one of the bunch. Considering the 2013 reboot wasn't great, I think that speaks to how much I'm disappointed in the most recent entry.

On the surface, Evil Dead Burn looks promising. It was directed by Sébastien Vaniček, who is most well known for his movie Infested. I liked that one a lot (mostly because spiders terrify me), and so I was excited for his take on the iconic Evil Dead series.

Vaniček's Evil Dead Burn follows a woman named Alice (Souheila Yacoub) who is grieving over the loss of her husband, William (George Pullar), as she seeks solace with her in-laws. One member of her late husband's family is played by Hunter Doohan, who stars in Netflix's Wednesday, and I must admit it was cool getting to see him in a horror movie.

One by one, the family transforms into Deadites, the malevolent, parasitic demonic spirits we've come to fear throughout the Evil Dead franchise. But it goes in a direction I really wasn't expecting.

I do want to preface my mostly negative review by pointing out that there are some good things about this movie. Horror fans with a thirst for gory set pieces will no doubt have fun, as there are indeed some great moments. Some stand-out scenes involve a dishwasher and a car door, and just thinking about them makes me cringe uncomfortably.

Unfortunately, there's not much else to it beyond some standout gory moments that will stick with you. It's not a patch on the Bruce Campbell-led movies we know and love, and pales in comparison to its predecessor, Evil Dead Rise.

Evil Dead Burn centers around a family terrorized by Deadites, but there's a lot of confusion here surrounding how people become possessed. Sometimes you need a transfer of bodily fluids, and sometimes possession takes longer than others. The inconsistency throughout the movies might frustrate fans, as sometimes, a simpler answer is best.

When the family members are possessed, horrible things happen. It is a very unforgiving movie because the Deadites are particularly cruel here, often to an extreme degree. I should warn people now that yes, there is violence towards animals if that bothers you, and the movie feels nastier than its predecessors as a result.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, as we expect to watch a horror movie to feel uncomfortable and scared. But Evil Dead Burn really struggles to balance these shocking, brutal moments with an actual story, to the point where it feels like you're just watching a montage of gory scenes.

There's also a frustrating overreliance on jump scares here, which previous Evil Dead movies steered away from. There's nothing wrong with a good scare, and horror fans love them, but when you have excessive ones you saw coming a mile away, it becomes tedious.

Sam Raimi wove a really cool horror story when he first created The Evil Dead, but this sequel adds very little to the lore. It's basically a long movie where family members brutally attack and maim each other, and by the credits, I was left with more questions than answers.

Even the post-credits scene isn't really worth waiting for, and since there was a three-year gap between Evil Dead Rise and Evil Dead Burn, it's a shame that's all we got.

Ultimately, Evil Dead Burn is another divisive horror movie that will work for some and not others. It really depends on what you want from a horror movie, and if you're content with some over-the-top gore and repeated easy-to-spot scares, then you'll definitely have fun.

If you want more lore with your gore, then you might want to revisit the previous movies instead. Evil Dead Burn doesn't add much to a long-running franchise, and I found it to be a disappointment.

If you're going to invest in a crime drama this summer, make it The Westies on MGM+. With its two-episode premiere dropping on the streamer this weekend, the new TV show is set to follow the real-life Irish-American crime family of the same name.

Basically, it's the perfect warm-up act for MobLand season 2 and The Gentleman season 2, which are both set to return in September. Led by J.K. Simmons as patriarch Eamonn Sweeney, expect fist fights, a cat-and-mouse chase with the FBI, and an ongoing standoff with the Italian-American mob.

While their story has never been adapted for film or TV, the Westies ran the streets of Hell's Kitchen for decades from the 1960s. When we meet them in the new crime drama, it's the peak of the 1980s, and their reputation is well-known.

This means that we're transported back to how the Big Apple looked some 40 years ago, and no matter what you think of the storyline, the setting is jaw-dropping. But according to the show's creators, no AI was used in the process of getting there.

'The look is absolutely authentic to the time period'

"It was analogue... we built the set," Chris Brancato tells me. "We didn't use AI. What we did was build a street in Toronto that replicated 1980s New York, that Hell's Kitchen street. It had blue screens where we could project a VFX background.

"The way we created that look was absolutely authentic to the time period... we achieved that because we built it," Michael Panes adds. "So we never left our stage space very much. We shot interior scenes in the interior set, then we'd walk outside and shoot on our New York Street. It was an attempt to put you, the viewer, in this time capsule environment that brought you back to the 1980s."

As far as I'm concerned, the effort has easily paid off. In the opening moments of episode 1, our core group figures out how to best exploit the Jacob Javits Convention Center construction, which is beginning to be built as the season kicks off.

While there, we get a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline that completely sets the tone for the artistry that we're about to see next. If anything, I think that the set is actually the strongest character of the bunch.

But even so, do mob stories like The Westies still pack a punch like they did in The Sopranos days?

"It seems to me that it shows like MobLand and others are very, very popular," Brancato responds. "So we think that the genre is alive and kicking. We hope that our show is going to enter the pantheon of the gangster shows that already exist... but I don't think an audience ever loses interest in watching criminals go after each other."

• 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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.