Sean Gunn might have retired from playing Rocket Racoon, but he'd be open to a Kraglin comeback.

Gunn was the physical performer for Rocket, who was voiced by Bradley Cooper. But, Gunn shared recently that he has retired.

In a Reddit AMA, Gunn was asked if he was also finished with his Ravager role of Kraglin. Gunn responded: "If they call about Kraglin I will answer my phone."

"Since I've turned 50 a couple of years ago, I am retired from playing Rocket," Gunn shared on the Phase Hero podcast in September. "Not that they've called. But if they did, I don't think I could do the motion reference anymore for Rocket. I think I'm too old."

There's no word yet on when – or if – Rocket or Kraglin might return in the MCU, since neither is currently part of the confirmed Avengers: Doomsday roster.

Gunn also plays Maxwell Lord in the DCU, and he recently shared his thoughts on upcoming Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow.

"I can't say anything about Man of Tomorrow in terms of what it's about or who's in it, or whatever. But I think it's okay that I can say that I've read it, and it's my favorite of all of them," he said, referring to his brother James Gunn's Marvel and DC filmography. "So I'll be very curious to come back a year from now and talk to people about what they like the best."

Man of Tomorrow arrives on July 9, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else that's in store.

You're going to have to wait even longer for the Helldivers movie – the long-awaited video game adaptation has been pushed to 2028.

That's per an update from studio Sony (via Deadline), which reveals the movie has shifted from November 10, 2027 to June 9, 2028. Now, Ridley Scott's Treasure Island, which stars Hugh Jackman as Long John Silver, will release on November 11, 2027 instead.

While delays are usually disappointing, it might actually turn out to be a good thing for Helldivers. Jason Momoa exited the movie earlier this year, and it's now been confirmed he has been replaced by Reacher star Alan Ritchson after Deadline recently reported Ritchson was in talks for the role. So, some extra time behind the scenes is most likely a bonus after the switch-up.

"Helldivers balances satire with humanity... and the only person who I think can pull this off is Jason Momoa," director Justin Lin previously teased at CinemaCon. Still, Ritchson is certainly the ideal replacement, as we know the actor can pull off action and humor thanks to his starring role in Reacher.

While the plot of the Helldivers movie is still top secret, it's expected to be based on Helldivers 2, which follows an elite group of soldiers who protect Super Earth from aliens in the midst of an intergalactic war.

Reacher season 4 recently concluded on Prime Video. While you wait for the Helldivers movie, check out our guide to all the upcoming video game adaptations for everything else that's on the way.

The assistant set director for the post-credits TVA scene in Avengers: Endgame Encore has shared a closer look at the set. Nathan Elliott posted several pictures on his website detailing small elements of the TVA offices used in the bonus footage of the Marvel re-release.

Just like with Loki, it's further evidence of the extreme level of detail that goes into the world of the Time Variance Authority. The pictures show draws stacked full of reports and papers, retro-futuristic machines, and screens monitoring potential incursions.

My favorite details are the closer look at the Loki dedication on the wall where he's called "Employee of all time" for his sacrifice to save the multiverse. There's also a closer look at the tree of different universe threads being held together by Loki, monitored on the TVA screens under a system called "tree overview".

It seems the production crew also snuck in a few Easter eggs as well into the wall of employees. Elliott appears as one of the "Employees of the millennium" alongside names like screenwriter Cassian Pryce.

There was clearly a lot of attention to detail put into the brief post-credits scene, which looks like it will have a huge impact on the events of Avengers: Doomsday. This saw the employees at the TVA witnessing 3,000 incursions as the multiverse collapses all around them. We think we know who is to blame for that one…

Avengers: Doomsday releases in the UK on December 16 and in the US on December 18. For more, check out all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows you need on your radar.

The MCU is almost 20 years and 38 movies deep, but Marvel boss Kevin Feige isn't done yet.

"The Marvel mythology is ripe for storytelling," he said at the Pioneer of the Year dinner. "It's so rich. It is, and you can look this up, the longest running fictional narrative in history. And Doomsday's only the 39th movie. We've still got a lot of stories to tell, a lot of movies to make. Because we love making these movies, we love it." Check out the video below.

The next movie to arrive from Marvel is Avengers: Doomsday, which is shaping up to be a crossover of epic proportions. The Fox-era X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, the likes of Thor and Captain America, and also Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man will all be sharing the screen.

Avengers: Endgame Encore, meanwhile, is in theaters now, and it adds bonus scenes that directly set up the events of Doomsday. The re-release has proved to be a huge success, with the Marvel movie now on track to become the highest-grossing film of all time once more (beating James Cameron's Avatar).

"I think people are going to be surprised," Joe Russo said recently of Doomsday. "It's a very surprising ending. It's a very surprising movie and that's all we'll say about it."

VisionQuest is the next Marvel release on the small screen, landing on Disney Plus this October 14.

Avengers: Doomsday arrives this December 18. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else that's on the way.

Nicolas Cage had some strong words for the MCU and its stars in a recent fan convention appearance. It seems the legendary actor, who recently starred in comic book show Spider-Noir, is feeling some familiar superhero fatigue with Marvel's output.

Speaking at Fan Expo Dallas (H/T The Independent), he was asked about the MCU. “It started out, in my view, terrific," Cage replied. "Some of the early stories were marvellous, the way that they wove all the threads together and told the different character stories and backstories.

"But lately – I do say this with love – when I see these 50-plus, otherwise intelligent, remarkably gifted thespians putting on these ridiculous outfits and getting ready for the fight, it’s hard for me not to be reminded that the MCU is becoming a well-funded and glorified WWE."

It's a pretty brutal description from Cage, who's characters have existed on the edges of the MCU. He notably played Ghost Rider for Marvel prior to the MCU kicking off and recently suited up as Spider-Noir in the Prime Video Spider-Man spin-off, which falls under Sony's umbrella.

Cage also isn't wrong that the MCU has hit a few snags since its inception. While the original Phase 1 movies were well received, recent outings have failed to win over audiences. Studio head Kevin Feige is hoping that the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday turns the tide on that as it brings together several universes of heroes in the fight against Doctor Doom. Maybe that will win the Face/Off star back over?

For more upcoming superhero movies, here are our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and upcoming DC movies and shows.

Christopher Abbott says his X-Men casting reveal felt like more of a nightmare because the crowd at D23 didn't seem to recognize him.

"I think I started walking out pretty enthusiastically, and then I kind of felt like a lot of people there didn't know who I was, so then my energy shifted within the split second," Abbott told The Cut. "I was a little bit more humble about it."

Abbott is set to play a younger Professor Charles Xavier in the MCU's upcoming X-Men movie, being much, much younger than Sir Patrick Stewart was when he originated the role back in 2000. Some, but not all, of the cast was revealed during Marvel's D23 panel over the summer.

Abbott is perhaps best known for his role as Charlie on the hit HBO show Girls, and to his credit... the people seated for the Marvel panel at D23 don't necessarily seem like huge Girls fans. He was also in the 2025 Wolfman remake with Julia Garner, starred in the Oscar-winning Poor Things, and played The Foreigner in Kraven the Hunter. Before that, he was known mainly as an indie darling.

"I almost did a fist pump when I walked out, and then I felt like the applause was muted," he continued. "So I was like, 'I'm just going to walk out and nod.' It feels almost like a video game, or a dream. Not like a good dream. It’s a bit of both – a bit of a dream and a nightmare."

The rest of the cast includes Maya Boyd as Storm, Asa Germann as Angel, Adam Driver as Mister Sinister, and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost. Sadie Sink made her debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

X-Men hits theaters on May 5, 2028. For more, check out our guide to everything announced at D23 2026. We've also rounded up all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have seemingly confirmed the current runtime for Avengers: Doomsday is shorter than Avengers: Endgame.

While speaking to Fandango about the challenge of balancing a large cast with a focused story, Anthony Russo said, "It's a two and a half hour movie or so, and you're sitting through it, and it's a focused propulsive narrative that has like an organizing principle at its center, and everything has to orbit around that.That's part of the creative challenge for Joe and I – just figuring out how that what that orbit is and how it all smashes together."

However it comes together, the Russos have confirmed – much like Avengers: Infinity War before it – there will be a shocking finale in store for those watching Doomsday.

"I think people are going to be surprised," Joe Russo teased. "It's a very surprising ending. It's a very surprising movie and that's all we'll say about it."

If the Avengers: Doomsday runtime of around 150 minutes holds, it will pale in comparison to Avengers: Endgame's three-hour length (not even taking into account Encore added an extra four minutes of bonus scenes).

Doomsday will, however, match up to MCU runtimes such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (161 minutes), Eternals (156 minutes), and Avengers: Infinity War (149 minutes).

In a separate interview with Empire, the directors confirmed the Endgame Encore bonus scenes wouldn't be part of Doomsday, meaning you'll have to watch them in cinemas to get the full context on the road to the next major Avengers crossover.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 16 in the UK and December 18 in the US.

For more, we have a complete guide to upcoming Marvel movies.

Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Tony Stark 20 years ago, marking one of the most iconic superhero castings ever made. A report from September 29, 2006 was shared by a fan on Reddit alongside one of the actor's final screen tests.

In the original report from The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel head Kevin Feige was quoted about the news, seemingly bracing for backlash from fans. "In every casting announcement we've done, people in their mind's eye have their own view of it and let us know about it," he said: "We're used to it. The point is we looked at everybody and we found the best person for the role. It's as confident a casting move as we've ever done. The proof will be in the pudding, but he is Tony Stark."

Indeed, the initial casting was reportedly met with mixed reactions with everything from his age to on-screen history questioned by fans. However, as Feige puts it, the proof really was in the pudding and Downey Jr. is in my mind the best casting the MCU has ever done.

His screen test audition proves it too, featuring a scene from a movie where Stark is outrageously arrogant to a female journalist. The screen test also features Downey Jr. improvising and leaving the executives watching laughing as well as featuring one of Stark's most intense scenes with Rhodey. Yep, he is Tony Stark.

Marvel fans have been reacting to seeing this 20 years on from the casting, some for the first time. "What a pivotal moment for the MCU, it's hard to imagine anyone else as Tony Stark now," writes one, while another added: "Crazy to think this was the moment that set the whole MCU in motion. RDJ as Tony Stark ended up becoming one of the most defining casting choices in superhero movie history."

Tony Stark's story came to a heartbreaking end in Avengers: Endgame, but Downey Jr. will soon be heading back to the MCU as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. That casting was equally met with mixed emotions, will the actor prove audiences wrong once again come December? I can't want to find out.

Avengers: Doomsday is released on December 16 in the UK and December 18 in the US. For more upcoming superhero movies, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows you need on your radar.

Sean Gunn has shared his thoughts on Man of Tomorrow, and it sounds like the film is shaping up to be something special.

Gunn has a role in the DCU as Maxwell Lord, and he also played Kraglin and was the physical performer for Rocket Raccoon in the MCU.

"It weighs everything on it," Sean Gunn told ComicBook, when asked how Man of Tomorrow tips the scale between James Gunn's Marvel and DC movies. "Because I can tell you: I can't say anything about Man of Tomorrow in terms of what it's about or who's in it, or whatever. But I think it's okay that I can say that I've read it, and it's my favorite of all of them. So I'll be very curious to come back a year from now and talk to people about what they like the best."

But, Sean Gunn also stressed that he doesn't see the two sets of films as competing. "I also want to say: it's not a competition. I'm so proud of the Guardians movies and the role I played there, and I think that I root for all of them. You just want the stories to be good; you want the products to be good; you don't want to be like, 'This is better than that!' It's more like this is for the audience that loves this; and the audience that loves this [other franchise], loves this. And let's just keep trying to tell good stories and bring everybody into the fold."

Man of Tomorrow is a quasi-sequel to last summer's Superman, and it will see Clark Kent and Lex Luthor team up against Brainiac.

It arrives on July 9, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else that's on the way.

It is spooky season, and that means a bunch of tense and thrilling new movies releasing in October, pals. In fact, October is one of the most packed months in terms of upcoming movies in 2026, with superhero outings, action, and some good ol' fashion horror as well. So, to help you pick your next cinema trip in a sea of silver screen hits, I've rounded up the top films that should be on your radar over the next few weeks.

From aquatic survival movies to even more upcoming video game movies following the success of Resident Evil, and the first full-blown horror movie in the DCU to get you into the Halloween spirit, I will say that October is a cinema-going goldmine. It is also great to see so many new stories that don't exist within a cinematic franchise yet, so if you are after something completely new, now is the time to visit your local cineplex.

Below are the top 5 movies releasing in October. I haven't put them in any particular order, as each offers something unique. Also, keep in mind that I'm sticking to just 5 in this list. If you want the full breakdown of the month in terms of releases (which includes the likes of Digger and more), head on over to our guide on all the 2026 movie release dates. But for now, keep reading to discover the bright stars of the month.

The best movies coming out in October 2026

Other Mommy

Release date: October 9, 2026
Where to watch: Cinemas

Directed by Rob Savage, Other Mommy looks very spooky and like the perfect film to help usher in Halloween season. The story sees Jessica Chastain play a mother who must protect her young daughter, Bela, from an evil entity who looks just like her. New horror has been on a roll lately with the likes of Obsession and the Backrooms, so I have high hopes for this flick. Also, as a big Coraline fan, I will say that the premise of having an evil spirit trying to get a kid by disguising itself as a parent intrigues me. If done right, we will be getting a psychological gut punch as well as some uneasy and terrifying sequences. Sign me up.

Matchbox: The Movie

Release date: October 9, 2026
Where to watch: Apple TV

If you aren't a big horror fan, don't worry; October isn't full of scares. In fact, Matchbox: The Movie is an action comedy starring the likes of John Cena and Jessica Biel, and will be released on Apple TV. Directed by Sam Hargrave of Extraction fame, this flick follows the story of the spy Sean Walker (Cena), who reunites with a group of his friends, only for them all to be kidnapped. Turns out Walker is being framed, and his mates are dragged into everything as well. So it's up to them to clear their names. The trailer does look action-packed and has a few one-liners. If you have an Apple TV subscription, I say Matchbox: The Movie seems like a great fun choice.

Street Fighter

Release date: October 16, 2026
Where to watch: Cinemas

Following the success of Resident Evil in September, we have another video game movie on the way, and it looks very fun from the trailers that I've seen already. The premise is simple: although estranged from each other, Ryu decides to enter the World Warrior Tournament to save Ken Masters. However, on top of the fights, there is some personal conflict to unpack here as well. I will say that Street Fighter doesn't exactly seem highbrow, but it does seem like a good time, and I've already spotted a few arcade references in the teasers too. So if you are looking for a popcorn flick, then this will be the one for you.

Whalefall

Release date: October 16, 2026
Where to watch: Cinemas

If you still have nightmares about the whale in Pinocchio, this may not be the film for you. However, if you love a survival thriller, especially those of the aquatic variety, then you need to put Whalefall on your radar. This movie follows a scuba diver who gets swallowed by a sperm whale and only has an hour to escape. Watching the trailer for this movie gave me anxiety in the best kind of way. Survival isn't going to come easy; the teasers look dark, it looks claustrophobic, and the tension makes me want to know how everything works out in the end. The story seems very simple, but I strongly believe it is going to be effective as well and have us all gripping the edges of our seats.

Clayface

Release date: October 23, 2026
Where to watch: Cinemas

Clayface is personally my most anticipated movie of October as a massive horror and DC fan. Directed by James Watkins and sporting a screenplay written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film is a body horror about a movie star who undergoes an experiment to restore his face after it was brutally disfigured. However, being a test subject doesn't go well, and he turns into a living bit of clay with some pretty gruesome consequences. This is still part of the DCU Chapter One plan, but it also looks like a wholly unique kind of superhero movie. Sign me up.

Want to know what other flicks are on the way? Next, read our round-ups of all the upcoming horror movies and upcoming superhero movies that have been confirmed so far.

Avengers: Endgame co-writer Stephen McFeely has revealed the surprising way the Soul Stone sacrifice was chosen.

"Because it's not a small thing to kill off a principal female character in the MCU, we tried a version of Hawkeye [dying]," McFeely said of the moment on the planet Vormir between Hawkeye and Black Widow at an Avengers: Endgame Encore Q&A event (via Forbes).

But a back-and-forth was just beginning. With the writers undecided on whether to kill off Hawkeye or Black Widow, those at Marvel HQ helped make the writers' choice for them.

"A number of the female employees at Marvel, when they read [the script], grabbed me in the hallway and said, 'Don’t you do this to her. Don't you take her heroic moment and give it to him. And I said, 'Oh, that’s a really good point.'"

Black Widow would go on to appear in her own solo movie, which also helped pave the way for the current iteration Yelena, played by Florence Pugh, to make her own mark in the MCU.

Despite that legacy, McFeely still holds some regret over how quickly Endgame moves on to its action-packed third act.

"There was not that much time to mourn Natasha because we got to snap everybody back and Thanos has to bomb us, and the Avengers have to fight their biggest fight in the MCU and Captain America has to wield Thor's hammer… we had a lot to do," McFeely lamented.

Hawkeye, meanwhile, went on to star in his own Disney Plus series, passing the torch – or should that be bow? – to Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop.

There is no news yet on if one of the few remaining OG Avengers will return in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, however.

Avengers: Endgame Encore is currently in cinemas, complete with bonus footage. If you're still on the fence about seeing all of the new scenes, you'll need our guide to Infinity Vision, Marvel's answer to IMAX.

After nearly two decades of rumors, Guillermo del Toro has finally revealed that he was indeed in discussions to direct a BioShock movie.

"You know, I tried, Del Toro," Del Toro tells IGN. "We had a very contentious call about a couple of games. I find that the dynamics of a video game are very different than a movie. They may be cinematically similar in terms of the camera moving, and this and that, but the storytelling is very different, because you're not solving puzzles. You're not assembling."

The rumors first hit the internet forums back in 2008, just a year after the first BioShock game was released. The filmmaker has never confirmed his attachment to the project, aside from calling it one of his favorite video games. Now that we know the rumors are true, we can simply only mourn what could have been. Plus, we don't have any other details.

"When we made the structure for Insane, we created what I call a mandala," he continued. "You have to give the illusion of an infinite sandbox, and you lead audiences to the right or to the left through their ‘own decisions,’ but you sort of have to corner them. So it's a very different thing."

Adds del Toro: "So adapting it, BioShock, we had a couple of calls. They are probably one of the most disastrous calls I've ever had. So no, f**k no."

A BioShock movie is on the way, but from Hunger Games franchise director Francis Lawrence. In 2025, producer Roy Lee confirmed that the movie will be based on the first game. Justin Rhodes, who penned Terminator: Dark Fate, is now working on the script with Lawrence... who is a bit busy right now with Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping. That said, it might be a while yet before the movie finally materializes (especially given the fact that it was announced back in 2022).

BioShock does not yet have a release date. For more, check out the ever-growing list of upcoming video game movies, or, check out our list of the best Netflix movies to stream right now.

It must be great to be Spider-Man, right? As Brand New Day showed, Peter Parker's life was anything but – isolated from friends, grieving lost family, and operating in a city where the criminals want you dead and no one knows who you really are.

According to Tom Holland, that fairly depressing throughline was inspired largely by a joke from 2017's The LEGO Batman Movie.

"Something that I always really loved from a superhero movie is the LEGO Batman Movie when they talk about how he must be having parties with all of his friends and dating supermodels and all this sort of stuff and then it cuts to him like in his house alone," Holland told Accion Cine Series.

In the scene in question, Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) heads back to Wayne Manor after a successful day of crimefighting, only to be met with a sad plate of microwaved lobster thermidor and a lonely rewatch of Jerry Maguire.

"Sending that into [director Destin Daniel Cretton] being like this is a great little thing for us, we should do something like this," Holland said. "I just think that it creates a lot of layers and people are going to yearn for Peter Parker to make some life changes so that he can find happiness and peace and love."

As ever, it proves Holland's instincts for Spider-Man are on point. He previously mentioned he "hated" a cut that was shaped by test screening feedback.

"It totally didn’t work. And it's what the people were asking for, but it wasn't quite what we wanted as the creatives," Holland told Quotable prior to release. "But they learned lessons from that experience. So, a movie can change in a thousand different ways in the edit room."

Aided by Holland's Spider-Sense, Spider-Man: Brand New Day became a record breaker at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time in the US.

A re-release is now planned, with deleted scenes being put back into the cut.

For more, check out our ranking of best Spider-Man movies.

The Russos have revealed they thought about including a sequence involving Steve Rogers returning the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame.

At the end of Endgame, Steve Rogers goes on a mission through time to return the Stones to their rightful places – which would have involved encountering the Red Skull on Vormir. As Joe Russo told CBR, the directors did contemplate showing the mission.

"We did have that conversation. There might have even been… I think we toyed around with an idea of like, 'Is there a montage where he puts the stones back?' We felt like it just played past the ending. We were like, 'It seems like much more complicated than a montage could sustain.' And so we didn't do it." Added Anthony Russo: "We did circle it for a long time, that idea."

When CBR brought up the possibility of seeing the story play out in another way, Joe said: "I think that's a great idea. How about a movie?"

We'll next see Chris Evans's Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday. The Avengers: Endgame Encore bonus footage revealed that Steve travelling back in time to live out his life with Peggy Carter is what sparked the plot of Doomsday, with Loki coming to visit them in the past.

Doomsday arrives this December 18, while Endgame Encore is in theaters now (and is on the way to becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time again).

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows for everything else that's on the way.

Following Bruce Banner being kidnapped by Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom in the added Avengers: Endgame Encore footage, the Russo brothers have confirmed that the villain is indeed collecting Marvel heroes ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.

"I mean, look, his interest may extend beyond just Banner. So, that's what we'll say about that," said Joe Russo to Empire. Fans were already starting to wonder what Doom might be up to, with one wondering that, in addition to the Hulk, Doctor Doom has already kidnapped Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

If this is the case, it will finally bring meaning to the Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene. When Doom infiltrated Banner's bunker, the screen starts to glitch, which is exactly what happens at the end of Brand New Day. We see Ned's tracker trace Spidey as he leaves Earth before the screen glitches and shows him landing on a mysterious planet. But what if the glitch was actually Doom taking Parker away?

We already know that Doomsday takes place after Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so we can't really account for Spidey's whereabouts after that. However, neither Bruce Banner star Mark Ruffalo nor Holland have been confirmed to return in Doomsday. When asked about Ruffalo's involvement, Joe Russo said, "[Banner] is certainly involved in the story that revolves around Doom. We will not confirm nor deny his appearance in Doomsday."

Anthony Russo added, "The farthest we can go is to say, there are characters and actors who have not been announced, who are a part of Doomsday." The Russos have already stated that not all of the cast has been announced. As for Doom's other captees, Marvel fans seem to think something has happened to Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Fans grew suspicious of Steve Rogers after the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, and many believe that Rogers has perhaps been replaced by the villainous Hydro Cap.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, and December 16 in the UK. For more, check out our guide to the Marvel timeline, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is already the third highest-grossing movie worldwide, but it seems Marvel Studios are hoping to push it further. The Sony co-production is reportedly getting a re-release, which will feature new footage and deleted scenes.

Per Deadline, the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed movie will feature multiple extras when it returns, including the widely-reported Rosario Dawson cut scene. The actor made a cameo as Claire Temple, her character in Netflix's Defenders saga of shows, in a deleted scene.

The movie's writers previously revealed that the scene came after a brutal Scorpion fight as Claire helped Peter Parker get to hospital. Dawson revealed it was cut earlier this year at a convention, sharing how gutted she was that it didn't make the final edit.

It's not clear what other footage could be included, but Ramrod actor Billy Clements previously revealed that several of his scenes were cut. He also revealed that more "recognizable" actors were completely axed from the movie too. It seems likely these could be added back for a new version.

It's not yet confirmed how a re-release of the movie might happen and Sony is yet to confirm the news, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. In the meantime, Marvel has just re-released another movie with Avengers: Endgame Encore currently in theaters.

The new version features several additional scenes, which set up Avengers: Doomsday, due to hit theaters in December. For more, check out our guide to other upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Avengers: Doomsday is releasing early in some countries, and fans have valid concerns over spoilers: "We’re going to have the entire film online"

As confirmed by several cinema outlets, Avengers: Doomsday will be released in the UK and some other territories on December 16, as early as 6:00 AM GMT (1:00 AM Eastern). In the US and Canada, the movie is still locked in for December 18.

"They really have to do December 16 screenings in US/Canada too," one concerned fan wrote on Twitter. "We’re going to have the entire film online by the time the first screening in North America happens."

"Sorry USA brace yourself for spoilers to be online," another commenter said, summing up the mood of a social media contingent that will have to do their level best to avoid spoilers and leaks for at least 48 hours in the lead-up to release.

"The UK will spoil it for us all!" another added, perhaps mindful of Spider-Man actor Tom Holland's penchant for revealing major Avengers story details ahead of time.

From across the pond, it's safe to say fans are stoked. One joked, "Being from the UK does have its benefits after all." Another declared it an "absolute win", using Smart Hulk's iconic Endgame reaction GIF to help reflect their feelings.

Wherever you are in the world, though, those social media concerns are definitely valid. Avengers: Endgame Encore's bonus scenes that help set up Doomsday were leaked ahead of its US release by fans around the world who were lucky enough to watch it early.

The lack of a simultaneous worldwide release is something that has dogged Marvel blockbusters in recent years. There have been early UK releases for several MCU movies, back to the likes of Captain America: Brave New World. On the flip side, Brits will surely remember the insanity of Ant-Man and the Wasp coming to cinemas over a month later than the US because of the World Cup.

While it's not that bad, it does seem like those in the US will need to put up every social media barrier possible to avoid Avengers: Doomsday spoilers before December 18. Good luck with that.

For more on the MCU, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies – including Doomsday. There's even a Marvel timeline to help you make sense of events stretching back decades.

X-Men star Alan Cumming is continuing to be very candid about his Avengers: Doomsday experience.

The actor will reprise his role as Nightcrawler in the Marvel Phase 6 film, along with other returning X-Men like Ian McKellen's Magneto and Patrick Stewart's Professor X.

"To be honest, I don't fully understand the plot," Cumming admitted to SiriusXM. "There was a bit when we were shooting a scene, and it was one of the rare scenes when I was actually on the backlot and not in front of a blue screen. And this man came and said, 'So right now Alan, these giant robots are blah blah,' and started to tell me the thing, and I was like, 'You know what, thank you so much, but just tell me where I point my, whatever I point. And I'll do that. Really, I just know I'm here to run around.'"

He also gave away a tidbit about Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova. "And I saw Florence Pugh yesterday at the Emmys," he added. "And I said, 'Gosh, it's so funny. I've never met you, but you lay on top of me, or your body double did.' And she goes, 'Yeah I lay on top of you as well, but it was your body double.'"

So, that means Nightcrawler and Yelena are unlikely to interact again after the fight at the X-Mansion shown in the trailer.

Last year, Cumming also gave away that he'd be coming to blows with Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards. "I was learning stunts yesterday for some fight scene and I'm thinking, 'I'm 60 years old. 23 years ago, I played that superhero. I was kind of old for a superhero even then," Cumming shared. "And now I'm back doing it. That, to me, is hilarious. I'm sort of learning these fights and I'm like, 'What? Who am I fighting with?' And they said, 'You're hitting Pedro Pascal against the head,' or something."

Avengers: Doomsday arrives this December 18. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows for everything else the MCU has in store.

Avengers: Endgame will almost certainly become the highest-grossing movie again – after Encore's re-release proved to be a smash hit at this weekend's box office.

As per Variety, Encore grossed $86 million worldwide, bringing Endgame's overall gross to $2.88 billion, some $40 million shy of Avatar's record.

If the numbers keep up, Avengers: Endgame will regain its crown (after Avatar and Endgame traded number one slots thanks to a series of prior re-releases) in just a few weeks.

All told, the appetite for Endgame Encore is positive news for the MCU: hot off the heels of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's own record-breaking performance and Avengers: Doomsday looming in the distance, it proves audiences will still flock to big Marvel Studios event movies in their droves.

Of course, this was no mere re-release. Avengers: Endgame Encore included a handful of bonus scenes, including a revised ending featuring Loki, and Tony Stark's hammering sound over the credits tying into Doctor Doom. The Infinity Vision editions of Encore also included post-credits featuring the TVA on high alert as thousands of timelines were being destroyed by incursions.

Perhaps most importantly for Doomsday, Doctor Doom also captured Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner – but not before he transformed into the Hulk. What does he have in store for the Jade Giant? That's just one of the questions we have on the road to Doomsday.

Speaking at a Q&A attended by GamesRadar+, Doomsday co-director Anthony Russo admitted he's had to be careful about making cast announcements, because some characters are being kept under wraps.

"The cast is so large, and we've announced some of the cast, and we haven't announced some of the cast," Russo said. "I get confused myself over who we've announced and not announced, so I have to just slow down."

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, but is also receiving an earlier UK release date on December 16.

If you're planning a MCU marathon before then, be sure to check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

More of an eye towards the future? Here are the upcoming Marvel movies currently in the works.

Four weeks before Clayface hits the big screen, it looks like the movie's first popcorn bucket has leaked, and it's definitely in keeping with the DCU movie's body horror theme.

Unlike many rather impractical recent popcorn bucket designs, the Clayface bucket, which was shared on Twitter by a superhero fan page, is an actual bowl that looks like it can hold a decent amount of popcorn. But you'll have to watch out for the villain's gloopy hand rising from the bowl, which reminds us of the character's appearances in past animated DC projects such as Batman: The Animated Series and Creature Commandos. Check out the bucket below.

However, we can't help but notice that the bucket looks a lot like what you would use to dish out Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters, hand and all. In that case, it has arrived just in time. After you finish eating popcorn out of it when the movie hits screens on October 23, you can repurpose it just days later.

The bucket has yet to be posted by DC, Warner Bros., or any major theater chains at this point, so we don't know if it is legit just yet. Either way, it's a great design.

Directed by Eden Lake and Speak No Evil director James Watkins from a story written by The Haunting of Hill House's Mike Flanagan, Clayface follows Tom Rhys Harries as the rising Hollywood star Matt Hagen, who is brutally disfigured by a crime lord. Desperately wanting his old life back, Hagen undergoes an experimental medical trial which results in strange bodily changes, slowly turning him into a sloppy monster.

Though recent trailers have given us a taste of the level of gore in the new DCU flick, Watkins has stated that although the movie will show the villain's final form, we won't get to see the transformation ahead of time in any marketing materials.

Clayface hits theaters on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Following Avengers: Endgame Encore hitting theatres today with added footage that bridges the gap between the 2019 movie and Avengers: Doomsday, one Marvel fan has a wild theory that Doctor Doom has already kidnapped Spider-Man.

One of the added Encore scenes, which was leaked online earlier this week, shows Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner hiding out in an underground bunker trying to keep Savage Hulk at bay after his outburst in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, his stronghold is infiltrated by Doctor Doom, who then kidnaps Bruce. Well, one Marvel fan thinks the same thing has happened to Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

"When Doom is about to take Bruce Banner, everything suddenly starts glitching. It seems like a small visual detail, but the exact same type of glitch was already shown in the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: Brand New Day," said the fan on Twitter. "That strongly suggests the two scenes are connected. Doom found Peter Parker."

The Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene shows Ned's Spidey tracker trace Spider-Man as he leaves Earth before the screen glitches and shows the web-slinger land on a mysterious planet. At the time, many thought this was an Avengers: Secret Wars tease, showing Spidey leaving for another universe. But the theory suggests we may be seeing him sooner. Although Holland has not yet been cast in Doomsday, director Anthony Russo says not all of the cast has been announced.

We don't know why Doom abducted Bruce, but the fan believes that Doom "has been collecting heroes this entire time" and that Hulk may not have been the first person he took. This might link to an earlier fan theory regarding Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. When the Avengers: Doomsday trailer landed, many fans were suspicious of Rogers, so with this theory in mind, he may be in cahoots with Doom.

At the end of Endgame, Rogers goes back in time to be with Peggy and, in doing so, becomes old man Rogers in the present day. So how is he suddenly young again? Some fans think that the Rogers in the trailer may actually be the villainous Hydro Cap.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, and December 16 in the UK. For more, check out our guide to the Marvel timeline, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

Avengers: Doomsday director Anthony Russo has opened up about the difficulties of returning to the world of the MCU and a collection of beloved characters.

Speaking at a Q&A following Avengers: Endgame Encore in New York attended by GamesRadar+, he was asked how he balances honoring what audiences love with characters while also moving the story on.

"It's a very difficult part of the process because I mean, we basically just have to use our own meters because we love the characters, we love the history, we love them in the same way that many fans do," he replied during the talk at the 92nd Street Y. "But the one thing we always like to remind people of, you know, fandom does not speak with a single voice. There's a wide variety of opinion in terms of who responds to which characters and which versions of which characters people respond to, it's a very complex relationship that people have with the characters."

Russo went on to say that they have "a lot of respect for the storytelling journey that these characters have had up to this point". He continued: "That's part of their magic, a big part of their magic. But at the same time, we need to surprise ourselves in terms of who those characters are, where they can go, what they can do, what can happen, and in doing that, we hopefully surprise audiences as well."

One particular role this was a huge challenge with was Victor Von Doom, given that he is played by Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark has a powerful ending in Avengers: Endgame, sacrificing himself to save the world. So it's definitely no mean feat to bring him back as a new character who may be the biggest villain that the MCU has ever seen.

"It is figuring out that balance of how do you challenge yourself, i.e. casting Robert Downey as Victor Von Doom, and then and how do you sort of stay faithful to the very thoughtful and wonderfully effective storytelling road that's been traveled up until this point," Russo said about that.

Avengers: Endgame Encore is now out. For more, check out our guides to the Marvel timeline and all the new Marvel movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Avengers: Endgame Encore has just hit screens with added footage that will bridge the gap between the 2019 movie and Avengers: Doomsday. However, one scene in particular has convinced fans that Robert Downey Jr.'s new villain, Doctor Doom, and his past Marvel character Tony Stark are somehow connected. Well, the plot has thickened as Doomsday co-director Anthony Russo has now spoken on the matter.

During an Avengers: Endgame Encore Q&A attended by GamesRadar+, Russo was asked whether there is any "connective tissue" between Tony Stark and Doom, to which he replied, "You tell me. Look, it's certainly a pregnant question. But I will say that we are fully committed to Robert Downey as Victor Van Doom, and yes, there is a curiosity around the casting, but you know everything is best left for the theater."

The theory really started to take flight after Endgame Encore footage leaked online earlier this week, including an edited post-credits scene that teases Doom's arrival. The original Endgame post-credits features a clanging hammer noise, which harkens back to Tony Stark making his Iron Man suit in the first movie. However, in Encore, the noise is followed by images of Doctor Doom forging his mask.

This could be the Russos' way of repurposing the sound. But fans think this directly ties the two characters together, suggesting that Doctor Doom made his suit at the same time as Stark did. This would mean that the two have been living parallel lives in separate universes, and that Doom is actually a Tony Stark variant. Now, that would make a lot of sense, as the two characters are played by the same actor. How else will the Russos explain how Doom and Stark share the same face? That is, if Victor ever takes his mask off.

Stark dies at the end of Endgame after making the sacrifice play to stop Thanos, so there is little chance of the two coming face to face. But if Doom really is a Stark variant, his unmasking will certainly take Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, and the rest of the stacked cast of Marvel heroes by surprise.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, and December 16 in the UK. For more, check out our guide to the Marvel timeline, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

Robert Pattinson has addressed fan hopes that his Batman could be the Caped Crusader in the new DCU, and he's not completely sold. The actor, who is currently filming The Batman 2, says he thinks his version can only exist in Matt Reeves' universe.

"I think it would be kind of tough to have this version of Bruce outside of [Reeves'] world," he said to LADbible. "It's one of the only characters I guess because of the length of the shoots but also it's such a specific kind of [style], the tone of it gets inside you."

Pattinson added: "I remember that happened to me the last time I did it, it took a while. You're just in the dark, the whole time. Both mood-wise and light-wise, I can't see anything for like months. It does affect you like you feel strange afterwards."

The relaunched DCU under James Gunn and Peter Safran does feature Batman, but they have not yet been officially cast. They appeared in animated form in Creature Commandos season 2 and were even referenced in HBO's Lanterns, but there is no actor attached yet.

Currently Pattinson's Batman exists in the DC's Elseworlds, which stand apart from the canon. Gunn has admitted they have thought about bringing him into the DCU, but it's not currently on the cards.

"I've said it before, we've talked about it before," he told Entertainment Tonight. "It's not what's happening right now. You know ... everything is in flux, so we'll figure out what we're doing next."

The DCU's Batman movie is The Brave and the Bold and is very much still in a development phase. Before we hear any more about that, Lanterns is coming to a close, Clayface is hitting theaters, and Man of Tomorrow arrives next year. For more, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Reshoots are par for the course with superhero cinema, but what do you do if your star is in the middle of shooting an entirely different movie when pickup shots are needed? If you're Ryan Reynolds, you suit up as Deadpool wherever you may be.

Reynolds' Apple TV action-comedy Mayday, in which he stars as a hotshot pilot who crash-lands behind enemy lines in Russia, was filmed from March to May 2024, in the run-up to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine that year. Evidently, pickups were required, and rather than jet off back to Pinewood, where most of the Marvel movie was filmed, Reynolds had his full Deadpool costume (including katanas) shipped to the Mayday set.

Mayday director Jonathan Goldstein revealed the fun behind-the-scenes crossover on Twitter, sharing a picture of himself and co-director John Francis Daley alongside Reynolds in full Deadpool regalia on the Mayday set. We don't know exactly what moment from Deadpool & Wolverine was filmed, or if Goldstein and Daley guest-directed the shot in the absence of Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, but it's a fun insight into the practicalities of big-budget moviemaking.

Some have theorized that the image could be confirmation Deadpool will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. However, the timelines don't match up, as Mayday was shot well over two years ago (a surprising amount of time for a movie to be sitting on the shelf, it has to be said), while Doomsday was filmed from April to September 2025. Still, that doesn't rule out Deadpool making a 'surprise' appearance in Doomsday, after teasing as much at both San Diego Comic-Con and D23.

We don't yet know for sure if or when Deadpool 4 will happen, either, though Reynolds has alluded to a solo sequel being in the works a number of times in recent months, suggesting it will feature some comic deep cuts and that he has "some stuff kind of written" already.

As for Wolverine, no word yet on whether Hugh Jackman will appear in Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, but given the rest of the Fox X-Men cast are seemingly getting a final send-off in the Marvel mega-event, it wouldn't be a surprise for the most famous X-Man of all to make an appearance before Marvel's X-Men movie reboots mutant-dom in the MCU.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, and December 16 in the UK. For more, check out our guide to the Marvel timeline, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

With less than three months left until Avengers: Doomsday hits screens, co-director Anthony Russo say he and his brother Joe Russo still haven't announced the full cast.

"The cast is so large, and we've announced some of the cast, and we haven't announced some of the cast," said Anthony Russo at a post-Avengers: Endgame Encore screening Q&A attended by GamesRadar+. Joe Russo was not in attendance due to illness. "I get confused myself over who we've announced and not announced, so I have to just slow down."

In fact, Joe and Anthony Russo are still working on the upcoming MCU movie. "Joe and I are still very deep in the process of finishing Doomsday. We always say we're not done with a movie until they pry it out of our cold, dead hands," added Anthony Russo. "So, it's a very iterative process for us... from the time of conception all the way to final delivery of the film. So it is alive, and we're still working with it."

The movie already has a pretty stacked cast list, many of whom were announced during the unforgettable Avengers: Doomsday livestream event where names on the back of the director's chair slowly revealed returning Marvel heroes. The cast includes Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, the new Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, the Wakandans, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, most of the original Fox-era X-Men, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and more.

At Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2026 panel, it was announced that Peggy Carter star Hayley Atwell is also returning, which makes sense with Steve Rogers being back, as the last time we saw him was at the end of Avengers: Endgame when he went back in time to be with Peggy. However, there still seem to be a few names left out, with many fans wondering if Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will join his fellow X-Men, or if Tom Holland's Spider-Man will make an appearance. Only time will tell.

The upcoming movie marks the first Avengers project since 2019's Avengers: Endgame. However, Avengers: Endgame Encore is now in cinemas, with bonus footage, which has already been leaked, to bridge the gap between the two movies.

Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, and December 16 in the UK. For more, check out our guide to the Marvel timeline, and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

Avengers: Endgame Encore is now out around the world and features some intriguing new footage, which leads directly into the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Speaking at a Q&A after a screening of the new movie in New York attended by GamesRadar+, co-director Anthony Russo spoke about the particular importance of one moment.

Now, we'll be getting into details of what exactly the extra scene entails below, so if you want to avoid any spoilers, stop now.

If you're still here, then you'll know that the ending of Avengers: Endgame has been changed. Instead of ending with Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter dancing into the credits, there is now an extra scene. This sees Loki arriving at their door, while Steve hides around the corner.

Peggy asks him, "Can I help you?" before TVA agent Loki walks into their home and says, "No, but I can help you, both of you."

At the Q&A held at the 92nd Street Y, Anthony Russo was asked about whether a moment in Endgame has changed for them now they've been working on Doomsday.

"Well, I mean, you all just saw Endgame Encore, and there's certainly a pivotal moment in that film at the end, where the moment has a different meaning," Anthony replied. "You know, we sort of play one beat past where Steve Rogers' story ended with Peggy Carter, and in that moment, that's where Doomsday is born."

The director didn't give away any more, but it seems like this will be a key moment in how Steve and Peggy end up in Avengers: Doomsday. Given the other post-credits scene is set at the TVA and sees thousands of incursions happening, it seems pretty likely that this is post-Loki season 2.

Perhaps Loki has been sent away from holding the multiverse together to save Peggy and Steve if their universe is impacted by an incursion? In the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, we do see Steve holding a TVA card (with the Yggdrasil tree on it, suggesting post-Loki season 2), which must have been given to him by Loki at this moment.

The fact that Anthony is saying this is where "Doomsday is born" suggests it will likely be a key moment at the beginning of the upcoming movie. We'll have to wait and see what exactly this means this December 16 in the UK and 18 in the US.

For more, check out our guides to watching the Marvel movies in order and our breakdown of the Marvel timeline.

It looks like DC's upcoming animated feature Dynamic Duo is moving forward, as its lead characters Robin and Red Hood have reportedly been cast.

According to Deadline, Dynamic Duo has cast How to Train Your Dragon star Mason Thames as Dick Grayson and Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Logan Kim as Jason Todd, aka the two Robins. The rest of the voice cast includes The Running Man's Lee Pace as Red Hood One, and Boardwalk Empire star Steve Buscemi as Red Hood Two.

The animated film is set to follow the two Robins who fought alongside Batman, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, telling their respective origin stories. Grayson is the Robin commonly associated with Batman and is also part of the supergroups Teen Titans and The Justice League. However, Todd, otherwise known as Red Hood, became the second Robin and Batman's sidekick after Grayson joined The New Teen Titans.

At the same time, the movie has been pushed back from its original June 30, 2028 release date to September 22, 2028. This is due to a Warner Bros. release date shake-up following its ongoing merger. As of now, it looks like Warner Bros. is being sold to Paramount, so Dynamic Duo may have been pushed back, as Paramount already has the Call of Duty movie releasing on June 30, 2028.

But, according to Deadline, Warner Bros. distribution believes that the new date will work in the DC film's favour, as it is "a good back-to-school animated feature slot for not just K-12 but also teens and college kids. The movie has the potential to hit the Spider-Verse crowd."

Dynamic Duo is not part of James Gunn's DCU Chapter One, but it is being made under The Batman director Matt Reeves' production company, 6th & Idaho. The script is written by Matthew Aldrich, with animation studio Swaybox's Arthur Mintz directing.

Dynamic Duo is set to release on September 22, 2028. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the DC movies in order, and keep up with new DC movies and shows on the way.

The final trailer for Clayface has arrived, and it gives us our best look yet at the upcoming DCU horror, including a glimpse of his final form.

The latest trailer focuses less on how Hagen becomes Clayface, and more on the violent, tragic aftermath. Evoking the likes of Joker, it's clear that Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a victim of tragic circumstances in a cruel and unforgiving Gotham, as his ability to change his appearance pushes him towards murderous villainy. Plenty of gnarly body horror too; if you don't wince at the sight of Hagen about to cut open his eye flaps (gross) with a pair of nail scissors on a bumpy flight, you're made of sterner stuff than us.

Clayface is the next film in the DCU Chapter One, and stars Tom Rhys Harries as the movie star turned shapeshifting gloop monster. In extended DC media, Clayface is typically depicted as a Batman villain, though the DCU could be doing things a little differently, as Hagen has already popped up in the canon DC animated series Creature Commandos (and, yes, they are the same character).

Clayface is something a little different for the DCU, as it's smaller scale and, by the looks of it, a great deal more unsettling than any DCU feature or show to date. Director James Watkins (who helmed the excellent Eden Lake, and the recent Speak No Evil remake) has cited Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies as an inspiration, which is all we really need to hear.

While the trailer gives us our best look yet at Hagen's gloopy final form, don't expect a clear shot of Clayface to sneak out before release, as Watkins confirmed a couple of months back it won't appear in marketing materials. "You don't want to show the shark," Watkins said. "I think people give away too much… I believe in the power of mystery and the power of suggestion and the power of people putting two and two together. I think it's more fun." Harries, however, has confirmed that it indeed looks "fucking sick".

Clayface hits cinemas on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

May the odds be ever in your favor as we return to Panem for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The upcoming movie acts as a prequel to the original saga, telling Haymitch Abernathy's tragic origin story. Katniss' mentor in the original movies is a jaded man from his own experiences in the arena, and this story sums up exactly why that is.

Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, the new movie brings back director Francis Lawrence, who has helmed all of the Hunger Games movies apart from the first one, alongside an all-new cast. Below, we break down all the details you need to know about Sunrise on the Reaping, including who plays who, what exactly happens, and when it's coming out.

We've also got the lowdown on the new trailer as well as how it connects to the original movies. Read on for your ultimate guide to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. And while you're at it, why not check out our guide to other upcoming movies you need to know about.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping release date

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters on November 20, 2026.

This is only a year and a half on from the release of Suzanne Collins' novel, which is pretty tight turnaround for Hollywood. However, it seems like the rights for the movie were confirmed when the book was announced, allowing for a quick adaptation.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping plot details

It's expected that Sunrise on the Reaping will be very faithful to Suzanne Collins' book, which focuses on 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy.

24 years before the first film, he is selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games for District 12. However, this year is different: as a Quarter Quell, two tributes are sent from each district to compete as President Snow and Plutarch Heavensbee attempt to make it the most dramatic year yet.

The film will follow Haymitch's life just before he's selected, where he lives with his younger brother and mother and often sneaks off to meet his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. His world gets turned upside down when he's selected as one of the tributes, bringing him to the Capitol and into the orbit of a whole load of familiar faces.

But if you know anything about Haymitch, you know he does not play by the rules. Determined not to go without a fight, he sets his sights on bringing down the games from within.

Director Francis Lawrence has promised they mostly won't be holding back with the darkness of the novel either. "What’s great about Suzanne's writing is that she pulls no punches," he told Entertainment Weekly. "The only thing we have to do in the movies is make them PG-13. So there's certain things she describes in the book that I could never put in the movies. There's a character holding the head of a child at one point in the book, and that’s just not something you can do in a PG-13 movie."

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast

There are plenty of familiar characters in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, as it tells a story set 24 years before the first movie. Before the names were even announced, there was a whole load of fan-casting going on for the main players, and plenty of them actually ended up in the final film. This means the Sunrise on the Reaping cast is probably one of the most exciting ensembles I've ever seen, balancing newcomers and household names. Check out the full list below.

• Joseph Zada – Haymitch Abernathy
• Mckenna Grace – Maysilee Donner
• Whitney Peak – Lenore Dove Baird
• Jesse Plemons – Plutarch Heavensbee
• Elle Fanning – Effie Trinket
• Kieran Culkin – Caesar Flickerman
• Ralph Fiennes – President Coriolanus Snow
• Glenn Close – Drusilla Sickle
• Maya Hawke – Wiress
• Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Beetee Latier
• Ben Wang – Wyatt Callow
• Molly McCann – Louella McCoy
• Iona Bell – Lou Lou
• Billy Porter – Magno Stift
• Iris Apatow – Proserpina Trinket
• Lili Taylor – Mags Flanagan
• Kara Tointon – Willamae Abernathy
• Smylie Bradwell – Sid Abernathy
• Scot Greenan – Burdock Everdeen
• Grace Ackary – Asterid March

Do the original Hunger Games cast appear in Sunrise on the Reaping?

Just a quick warning about this section: we're about to discuss the ending of the novel. If you want to go in fresh to the movie, scroll past here to the next section.

At the end of Sunrise on the Reaping, there is an epilogue set after the events of the original series. In it, Haymitch speaks with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark about his history, and they speak about how he remembers Lenore Dove, whom he lost all those years ago.

There's been no official confirmation, but it has been reported by The Hollywood Reporter that this will feature in the film adaptation too. This means that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will reprise their roles, a decade on from Mockingjay Part 2. It's not clear yet whether they'll be joined by original Haymitch Abernathy star Woody Harrelson or if the film will change up this scene a bit.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping trailer

There have been several The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping trailers ahead of the movie's release. The first teaser gave us our first look at the bright, colorful arena as well as Ralph Fiennes' take on President Snow. The characters work together to try and break the arena from the inside out. "We're not animals to kill for their entertainment," Haymitch says.

The second trailer gives us a better look at the carriage scene, which fans of the books will know is one of the story's darkest moments. As well as this, you see Haymitch stand up to President Snow, something that will be a source of great pain for him in the future.

For more of what's heading to theaters, check out our guide to all the new superhero movies and the new horror movies you need to know about.

Ever since it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the MCU in a new role as Victor Von Doom, speculation has been rife about how his character will be linked to Tony Stark. Now some fans think we might have an answer, thanks to the Avengers: Endgame Encore footage.

We'll be getting into spoilers from the movie's post-credits scenes below so if you haven't seen them at the theater yet, wait before reading on.

In the original Avengers: Endgame credits, the Russos included a hammer hitting on iron noise right at the very end, calling back to Tony Stark making his Iron Man suit in the first movie. In the Encore rerelease, this is coupled with images of Doctor Doom forging his mask.

While it could just be a small nod to the new villain, some Marvel fans have been wondering if this is actually setting up a major link between Tony Stark and Doom. The theory is that we could be witnessing a parallel origin story for Doom that looks very similar to Tony's, just with a few differences. This would mean that Doom is actually a Tony Stark variant, which would explain them sharing the same face.

Posting on Twitter, one wrote about the post-credits scene: "And I’m supposed to believe they’re not just gonna make him a Tony Stark variant." Another added: "So its basically just a variant of tony in like a completely different timeline, and its his villain arc." A third simply put: "So this is basically confirmation that this IS an iron man variant."

This would be far from the first time we've seen a variant in the MCU, and we're about to meet even more in Doomsday when the original X-Men cast appear in the film. Given another of the post-credits scenes directly set up the fact that the multiverse is collapsing, I'm definitely expecting a lot of multiversal madness in the upcoming film.

Adding fuel to this theory are the Russo brothers comments earlier this year. "I'm not going to give away anything. It will all make sense when you watch the movies," Joe Russo said of the fact they share the same face. Expect it to be explored at some point in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars then.

In the meantime, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and shows as well as our breakdown of the Marvel timeline.

It might have been seven years since Avengers: Endgame was released, but the Encore edition is set to top the box office again this weekend.

According to Variety, Endgame Encore is tracking to earn $25-28 million dollars at the domestic box office across its opening weekend. It's going up against Resident Evil, which is on course for $24-26 million. So, it could be a tight race.

A big re-release for Endgame could also push it into surpassing James Cameron's Avatar to retake its crown as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Spider-Man: Brand New Day recently joined the top 10, passing Cameron's Titanic.

Competing for third place this weekend are Brad Pitt-starring The Heart of the Beast (projected for $17-20 million), Robert Pattinson's Primetime ($17-20 million), and animated adventure Forgotten Island ($15-17 million).

Avengers: Endgame Encore directly sets up this December's Avengers: Doomsday with new footage. Thanks to the movie's Korean release, the footage has already hit the internet – and it does indeed feature some major revelations.

"It's gonna connect the story of the two movies," Doomsday director Joe Russo has said of the re-release. "There's a natural progression from Endgame into Doomsday, which is also inclusive of all the other stories that have been playing out. I think it's required viewing for following the story in Doomsday."

Avengers: Endgame Encore arrives this September 25, while Doomsday lands on December 18.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows for everything else the MCU has in store.

According to Spider-Man: Brand New Day co-writer Chris McKenna, the new MCU movie almost went down a completely different path from the metamorphosis story that was delivered, revealing that we could have gotten a British Peter Parker.

"We went down some different roads," said McKenna on The Bulwark podcast. "At one point, we had him putting on a British accent. So it would have been Tom’s British accent, but Tom from Queens pretending he’s British."

McKenna explained that the scene involved Tom Holland's Parker running into Zendaya's MJ, but because her memory was wiped at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he had to introduce himself. However, rather than pretending to be 'Maynard' like he does in Brand New Day, McKenna explains that the alternate idea had Parker pretending to be from across the pond. But it was all about "juggling personas."

McKenna continues, "So he meets MJ a few years later. The circumstances are that he's Spider-Man, and he's talking to her, but basically he has to fall in with her to get in on this mystery. But in that version, he's not Spider-Man. He's pretending to be someone else. Ben Reilly. But he's Ben Reilly, a British person, who then falls in with her to find out what is going on with something that she knows about."

In Marvel comics, Ben Reilly is a Spider-Man variant and a clone of Parker who was created by the supervillain the Jackal to torment Spidey. But Reilly later broke free from the baddie and went on to become a hero known as the Scarlet Spider. Reilly, however, is not British, so the accent idea was probably a little dig at Holland's nationality. But Brand New Day still makes light of this, as when Ned shares his Spidey tracking with Parker, ahem, Maynard, he poses the idea of Spider-Man being British.

However, you may be thinking to yourself, 'Wait, where have I heard the name Ben Reilly recently?' Well, that is the alias used by Nicolas Cage's Spider-Noir in the Prime Video series. Although Amazon's Spider-Noir series is separate from the MCU, and Noir's real name in the comics is Peter Parker, both Brand New Day and the TV show mentioning different versions of Ben Reilly may have caused some confusion.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now. For more, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review, or our spoiler-filled guide to the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained.

Robert Downey Jr. will soon be returning to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday as a new character. Now the actor has revealed what was behind the decision to join as Victor Von Doom, and it seems like he has some big ambitions.

Speaking on the Avengers: Endgame special of the Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday Official Podcast, Downey Jr. was asked about his return by Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani.

"What brought me back was the opportunity to redefine the genre of superhero movies so that's a tall order," he replied. "You know Mr. Feige, you know the group, we love a challenge and we figured, 'Wow let's mix it up and see if we can get ourselves excited, because if we're excited the audience will soon follow.'"

Despite the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the star is right that the superhero fatigue has been setting in with audiences. A whole streak of MCU movies failed to perform well with audiences and underperformed at the box office in the lead up to the release of Doomsday.

Doomsday has already been tracking well in pre-sales, breaking records before it's even hit theaters. Hopes are high then that this might be a turning point for the MCU, as Feige has already announced a change of strategy with the release of fewer projects between its release and the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars.

Downey Jr. will be playing iconic villain Doctor Doom in the new film, who will be the toughest adversary yet for the Avengers. Some new teases for the film are also part of the rerelease of Avengers: Endgame, which is in theaters around the world now.

For more on the MCU, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Comics legend Grant Morrison is no stranger to giving outspoken opinions on superhero projects, but their latest observation on DCU box office flop Supergirl may raise a few eyebrows.

Writing on their Substack, Morrison delivered their verdict on Supergirl, the Milly Alcock-starring cosmic adventure which only garnered $125 million at the worldwide box office and was met with lukewarm critical and audience reception.

"I watched Supergirl, which wasn’t terrible but wasn't especially great either," Morrison wrote. "All the best and most moving scenes involved Milly Alcock, and I thought she did a credible job. Jason Momoa, who I was actually looking forward to, was very disappointing as Lobo."

Instead of leaving Lobo be, Morrison went full throttle on the bike-riding mercenary – as well as pointing out a plot hole that makes much of the movie's second act crumble upon a rewatch.

"It was, in fact, one of the worst performances I've ever seen in a film and quite baffling, as I know Momoa's not usually that bad and Lobo seems like a character made for him to play. Go figure."

Morrison continued, "Then the whole plot fell apart in Act 2 - all Supergirl had to do was bring Krypto with her to that yellow sun world, and the sun's rays would have made the dog invulnerable again, easily able to shake off any toxin. They needn't have bothered chasing after the dull and low level Romanian gangster baddie, Krem of the Yellow Hills, to get the antidote after all!"

The DCU has shaken off the bad taste of Supergirl pretty quickly, however.

HBO series Lanterns is hurtling towards its season finale in impressive fashion, while body horror Clayface may yet prove to be a surprise success in cinemas this October.

Next year, DCU has its biggest chapter yet with Man of Tomorrow, a Superman sequel that brings back David Corenswet's hero, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, and a clutch of other iconic DC heroes – including Supergirl and John Stewart.

For a taste of what else is to come, we have a complete guide to upcoming DC movies and every project – on ice or otherwise – as part of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

Mahershala Ali has spoken out about his Marvel Blade movie that never happened.

The actor was announced as Blade way back in 2019, but the movie never managed to make it into production, and it has now been scrapped entirely.

"Should have been six or seven," Ali said on GQ's One More Question podcast, when the interviewer listed the films he'd made since Green Book. "Blade didn't happen, which I felt like definitely impacted how things unfold in your trajectory."

When asked if he was saving time for Blade, Ali clarified: "I wasn't saving. Once it was happening, I was working on it. I was doing what I needed to do to prepare myself. It just didn't happen."

As for why it didn't happen, Ali candidly gave his thoughts. "That's a Kevin Feige question," he said. "They had, as you said, a two-time Oscar winning actor under contract, and you got billions of dollars. That's a question for them, why it didn't happen. I don't mean anything personal to you, but I don't know why it did. To this day, I don't know why it didn't happen. I just know that Kevin said it was the biggest failure of his career, and I agree."

When the interviewer quoted Feige saying he felt like "a gigantic loser and failure," Ali replied: "I agree with him. 100%, 100%. He should feel that way."

By the sounds of things, Ali worked very hard on the role, too. "I spent a year training. I trained so hard until I blew my knee out," he shared. "I was waiting for them to – 'Oh, pushing it back. Pushing it back.' I'm still training. I'm training, I'm learning sword work. I'm learning, like, name a martial art, I'm training in it. I literally uprooted my family, moved to Atlanta. We're there waiting to go, and they just keep pushing it back, pushing it back, pushing it, and it doesn't happen. Then it's a strike [the WGA writers' strike], and then, you know."

Ali also wasn't a fan of announcing the film so early. "I went to them in 2019. That was my first meeting," he said. "We're at Comic-Con by 2019, in the summer. I didn't want to make no announcements. I don't believe in the announcements. Just do the work, and then it's like, okay, you announce the work is done, right? But all this anticipatory stuff is not – I'm not a fan of that at all. But they want to do all that. We did all that, and had a story greenlit, and then we don't have any deliverables. And I can't deliver until they deliver, right?

"So, that's not a secret. Otherwise, we'd have a movie," he added. "And then I'm saying no to things in that time because they own my schedule, basically."

Next up for Marvel is Avengers: Endgame Encore, and footage has already hit the internet of the bonus scenes linking to Avengers: Doomsday.

Endgame Encore arrives this September 25. While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else the MCU has in store.

Although we are yet to see Clayface's full gloopy transformation in any of the trailers so far, star Tom Rhys Harries and director James Watkins promise that fans will witness the villain's final form in the DCU's first all-out horror movie.

"It’s fucking sick!" teased Harries in an interview with Empire, although he couldn't reveal any details. Director Watkins, best known for Eden Lake and his Speak No Evil remake, added, "When we were at San Diego Comic-Con, people were like, 'I hope you don’t go soft.' And I'm like, 'Trust me, we don't go soft.' But at the same time, there is that line. It’s a ride. It's fun. It's not torture. It's a rollercoaster."

Watkins listed his body-horror influences from David Cronenberg's The Fly to the more recent horror hit The Substance, and we can see the parallels. So far, teasers have shown snippets of Hollywood star Matt Hagen experiencing some rather strange bodily changes, such as his face melting. This is due to undergoing an experimental medical trial after being disfigured by a crime lord. Earlier this week, a Clayface TV spot showed Hagen's eyeballs popping out of his head at a movie premiere.

However, fans will have to wait until Clayface hits the big screen to see the transformation. Earlier this year, Watkins confirmed that there won't be any sighting of Clayface's final form in any marketing materials, adding, "you don't want to show the shark." But thanks to shows like Creature and Comanos and Batman: The Animated Series, we already have an idea of what Clayface's gloopy final form may entail.

Although Harries had to keep his complete transformation under wraps, he was allowed to share his melting face – the same one we saw in the trailer – with those closest to him. "I’d have family members or friends of mine who, after time, normalise the fact that they’re talking to me but half my face is disintegrating,” he recalls, “and then they would introduce me to somebody on FaceTime. That was funny!”

Clayface hits theaters on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Avengers: Endgame Encore releases this week, and it seems like all the new footage has already leaked. The film is already out in Korea, where early audiences have been treated to new post-credits scenes and details that directly set up Avengers: Doomsday.

Now, before we get into what happens, take this as your spoiler warning. If you don't want to know what the extra footage is, come back after you've seen the movie.

It seems the extra footage is split into two sections: in-film additions and post-credits scenes. According to one social media user, there's an extra moment at the end of the movie between Peggy and Steve Rogers. While in the original movie we see them dancing together, this now features Loki knocking on their door.

Peggy opens it and asks him, "Can I help you?" as Steve hides around the corner. Loki then emerges and says, "No, but I can help you, both of you." This is TVA-era Loki, but it's not clear exactly when this takes place.

Then the post-credits start. The first features Bruce Banner and is set after the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He's imprisoned in a military complex two miles under the Earth. "The Hulk is not getting out of here, and no one else is getting in," he says, but he doesn't realize how wrong he is. His camera then crashes to the ground, as we hear Doctor Doom's voice saying, "Mr Banner, I'm here to collect you." So the Hulk will be in Avengers: Doomsday after all!

There's also a new TVA scene, which opens with Miss Minutes speaking about the agency. This is our best setup yet for how Doomsday begins. This is seemingly taking place after the events of Loki season 2, as there's a picture of Loki on the wall and we see the timelines organized like a tree, which is how Loki as the God of Stories is holding them together.

The scene then features Mobius and Ouroboros in the TVA as they start spotting incursions on the monitor. It's Earth-10005 (aka the Fox X-Men universe) and Earth-1127 (a world we've yet to see in live action) that look like they're about to collide before it's revealed that 3,000 universes have incursions.

The final tease comes right at the end of the movie. Tony Stark is forging his Iron Man mask in the original Iron Man movie, before he starts making a Doctor Doom mask. The film ends on Doom's face. Could this be implying Doom is a Tony variant?

Avengers: Endgame Encore releases on September 25. For more, check out our guides to when Avengers: Endgame Encore is streaming on Disney Plus and how you can watch it in Infinity Vision.

Man of Tomorrow star Nathan Fillion has shared a tease for the upcoming Superman sequel, and apparently it's all about Lex Luthor. The follow-up will focus on Clark Kent teaming up with Lex to face a new villain together called Brainiac.

Guy Gardner star Fillion will also appear in the upcoming DCU movie and told The Hollywood Reporter what audiences can expect: "In the first movie, and rightly so, we learn a lot about who Superman is. In [Man of Tomorrow], I think we’ll learn more about who Lex Luthor is, and I think it's equally important."

Nicholas Hoult will be back as the villain in the new DC film. We don't know too much yet about how he works into the story but the last time we saw him was in Peacemaker season 2 when he was behind bars. Somehow he'll get from that point to wearing an epic comics-accurate warsuit in Man of Tomorrow.

Fillion's comments follow on from Clark Kent star David Corenswet, who recently said the upcoming second Superman film will have a pretty different tone. "The characters are a little more mature," he told Entertainment Tonight recently. "They're going to go a little bit deeper. Not to mention all the crazy stuff. Nick Hoult in the Warsuit!"

The DCU is currently airing Lanterns, in which Fillion's Gardner just cameoed, and next up is Clayface. For more, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming DC movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.

Guardians of the Galaxy actor and Rocket Raccoon's on-set stand-in Sean Gunn said he has retired from the motion capture role.

Speaking on the Brandon Davis Show, Gunn – brother of Guardians of the Galaxy director and DC Studios boss James Gunn – points to the physical toll from playing Rocket Raccoon, which often involved crouching and kneeling down for hours on end while wearing an uncomfortable motion capture suit.

"Everyone thinks it's my knees but it's really my feet and my ankles because I'm in a catcher's crouch and I'm pivoting a lot on my points of contact and the ground… over the years, it had a little bit of effect on my physiology," Gunn said.

"My knees are fine. Since I turned 50 a couple of years ago, I think I'm retired from playing Rocket. Not that they've called but if they did, I don't think I could do the motion reference anymore for Rocket."

If this is the end for this iteration of the character, it brings to a close one of the more fully-formed CGI achievements in Marvel and movie history.

Rocket Raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, remained a key member of the Guardians of the Galaxy through to the very end of the trilogy, leading a new Guardians lineup that included Gunn's other MCU character Kraglin, Cosmo the dog, and Will Poulter's Adam.

Over in the DCU, Gunn is now portraying Weasel and G.I. Robot in animated series Creature Commandos. In live action, he has stepped into the shoes of Maxwell Lord in both Superman and Peacemaker season 2.

The Guardians are noticeably absent from the upcoming roster of superheroes that make up the Avengers: Doomsday cast.

The latest Avengers movie, set for release on December 18, sees Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom takes on some of the MCU's finest – with Avengers: Endgame's re-release on September 25 promising fresh footage from the upcoming Marvel movie.

For more, check out our complete guides on the Marvel timeline and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

A new Street Fighter trailer has arrived, and it gives us an exciting look at all the special fighting moves from the video games that feature in the upcoming movie.

In the brief clip, which you can view above, we see a plethora of moves including Shoryuken, Dhalsim's aerial attack Yoga Mummy, Chun-Li's Hundred Lightning Kicks, Balrog's Buffalo Headbutt, Dragonlash Kick (from Street Fighter 7), and Hundred Hand Slaps. A previous trailer also recreated the loading screen from 1991's Street Fighter 2 and featured directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou as two of the fighters.

The live-action movie, directed by Kitato Sakurai, sees Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken (Noah Centineo) enter the World Warrior Tournament at the insistence of Chun-Li (Callina Liang), who is fixated on taking down the evil M. Bison (David Dastmalchian).

A special event is also being held at participating IMAX theaters on October 15, which allows lucky fans to view the movie one day before release at 7 pm local time. Participants also receive a special print of the film's poster and get to see seven minutes of bonus footage.

The cast includes Cody Rhodes as Guile, Roman Reigns as Akuma, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Balrog, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Orville Peck as Vega, Andrew Schulz as Dan, and Mel Jarnson as Cammy. There is also now a popcorn bucket shaped like Guile's hair, which is brilliant or terrifying depending on how you look at it.

Street Fighter releases in theaters on October 16. For more, check out our list of upcoming video game movies and our ranking of the best video game movies.

Before landing on an emotional Jean Grey-centric story that helped Spider-Man: Brand New Day become the highest-grossing film of all time in the US, the movie once known as Spider-Man 4 was almost very, very different. And in a new interview, Brand New Day co-writer Chris McKenna has revealed some surprising early ideas that we hope make their way to the big screen one day.

Speaking on the Bulwark Goes to Hollywood podcast, McKenna – a writer on every Tom Holland Spider-Man film to date – explained how he and co-writer Erik Sommers struggled to find the right villains during early development on both No Way Home and Brand New Day due to the complicated shared-custody agreement between Sony and Marvel Studios for Spider-Man's extended universe of characters. This led the pair to explore some unexpected avenues during early script development.

"We were told they were never going to make a standalone Kraven movie… and we had fun ways to get into the Kraven character," McKenna said. "Kraven turning New York City into, like, a Home Alone trap for Spider-Man, where he's got booby traps everywhere, and [is] just hunting down Peter Parker. He could be either hired by someone, and maybe [you] don't even have to make him the centerpiece villain, but just someone who's stalking him the entire movie."

But, as we know, an ill-fated Kraven standalone was already in the works, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, ruling out a secondary role in a Spider-Man movie. "And then it was a joke. It was like, 'Oh no, Sony's making a standalone Kraven movie.' Like, you've got to be kidding me," McKenna said.

As for Brand New Day, the latest Spidey outing wasn't initially conceived as an introduction for Jean Grey, with McKenna and Sommers exploring other possible scenarios for Peter during early development. Among those ideas: a courtroom comedy featuring Peter's returning legal representative Matt Murdock.

"We had Peter so done with New York with his past that he goes off and sort of is a badass hero in Southeast Asia, taking down Southeast Asian gangs," McKenna explained. "He's living on a boat, like on a river, and cleaning it, fixing the engine, making his own web fluid. And then he gets a message in a video about Spider-Man back in New York, like charming fans. He's like, 'What?' There's some imposter in New York.

"So then he has to go all the way back to New York to deal with this imposter, like 'Who is this guy?' And he gets there, and he finds out this guy is using my web fluid, and he's using my suit. And it turns out the guy has done what Peter Parker had never done, where he actually had copyrighted the Spider-Man brand, like trademarked it, and had his web fluid.

“Then [Peter] had to hire Matt Murdock as a lawyer to help him fight. Because Peter Parker gets a cease-and-desist from this other guy [saying] you can't pretend that you're Spider-Man. And so it began this whole thing that was pretty fun, but it was just a different story."

While both ideas sound tremendously fun – we're particularly fond of Kraven hunting Spider-Man around New York – Sony and Marvel Studios are undoubtedly pleased with where they landed, given Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now the highest-grossing film of all time domestically after passing Star Wars: The Force Awakens' decade-long record. And, hey, there's bound to be a Spider-Man 5 to tap into those unused ideas with great potential.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out now. For more, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review, or our spoiler-filled guide to the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained.

With just one month left to wait until the DCU's first horror movie hits the big screen just in time for Halloween, a bunch of new Clayface TV spots have surfaced, giving us a better look at DC Studios's first all-out horror movie.

The first teaser, which has since been posted on Twitter by DC Film News, opens with Hollywood actor turned Batman villain Matt Hagen's eyeballs quite literally popping out of his head as his morph into Clayface begins whilst on the red carpet. Meanwhile, Naomi Ackie's Dr Caitlin Bates shows concern for Tom Rhys Harries' troubled star. "This is going to be hard for you to believe," says Bates, "Matt Hagen can change his face." Check out the TV spot below.

Although the new clip doesn't reveal the full transformation, we do get a sneak peek from the back at Hagen growing into the large, gloopy monster we are used to seeing in animated DC shows, such as DCU series Creatures and Commandoes. Aside from the face-stretching gore, the teaser also gives us another look at Clayface's Gotham setting, including Gotham Harbour.

Another TV spot, which you can see below, shows Bates trying to get to the bottom of Hagen's unexplainable affliction while he suffers further. "What is happening to me?" asks Hagen. We feel very sorry for him. It seems that Clayface may not only be the DCU's most gruesome movie yet, but its most emotional too.

Clayface follows Hagen's rise to stardom, which is tragically cut short when a local gang leaves him horribly disfigured. With nothing left to lose, Hagen seeks out a cutting-edge treatment in an attempt to get his old face back. But something goes horribly wrong, sending him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.

The movie, which has been described as "violent" and "highly disturbing" by members of the press, is directed by Speak No Evil's James Watkins and penned by horror legend and Haunting of Hill House helmer Mike Flanagan. The film also stars David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.

Clayface marks the third movie in James Gunn's DCU Chapter One, and the sixth project overall after Lanterns, which is currently airing on HBO.

Clayface hits cinemas on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

Post-apocalyptic tales are always going to guarantee tough times are ahead, but for writer Akiva Goldsman, the script for I Am Legend 2 is proving to be tougher than most. Speaking to Radio Times about the sequel announced back in 2022, the screenwriter, who also penned the original film, confessed he's hit a few snags writing the next chapter for Will Smith's Robert Neville.

"I have run up against a series of obstacles that I refuse to allow to defeat me," confessed Goldsman. "That is the truth of that one. We're pressing on. We're trying. We're doing everything we can to get it made."

At this point, it's still a surprise it's happening at all. A bold tactic to turn the end-of-the-world story into a franchise, the new sequel will run off the original film's alternate ending, which saw Neville leave New York behind and head off to reunite with the last dregs of humanity. The only way you might've seen this ending, though, is if you'd watched it on the I Am Legend bonus features. See what happens when you don't support physical media?

The other question is what role Michael B. Jordan, who was also confirmed to join, plays in the second chapter. Could he be fighting side-by-side with Smith against the infected, or could he be leading the charge against our hero in a battle to the death? Michael B. Jordan as a vampire? Doesn't bear thinking about.

One thing Goldsman was quick to clarify is that he doesn't plan on ripping our hearts out this time around by (spoilers) killing the dog as he did in the first film. "I fear that I would not survive the backlash should we kill another dog." Even if they do, it'll probably be in the threequel spawned off a deleted scene, anyway. For all the other upcoming movies set to hit our screens, check out our guide.

If there's one thing that Zack Snyder loves more than slow-motion, it's director's cuts. Throughout his career, six of his films have been re-released with extra bits tacked on. Sometimes they've been hits (Justice League), and other times they've made tough watches even tougher (Rebel Moon Part I and II).

One film he still hasn't revisited is his 2011 film Sucker Punch, starring Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac, and Jon Hamm. It was the first movie Snyder penned and directed (clearly, samurais and slow-motion gunplay are everywhere), and on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he explained why he never made another version.

"Yeah, I would love that," the director assured. "That's like, it's just like, it's one of those things like where, every time I call over to Warner Brothers to say, like, okay, we should do the director's cut of Sucker Punch, because obviously there's a lot of conversation."

Unfortunately, the Hollywood business machine has seemingly stopped this from happening, according to Snyder. "You have to wait for some licenses to completely finish, because if I've, say I've bought the original Sucker Punch or whatever, or one of the versions, and I'm showing it on my streaming service or somewhere, and then I release the director's cut, apparently that diminishes the value of the thing that I bought," he explained. "And so, I don't know, that's what I've been told. It might be bullshit."

For now, we'll have to wait and see if the Snyder seal of approval ever lands on a new version of Sucker Punch, but at least we still have six other versions of his films to watch while we wait. Check out our ranking of the best Zack Snyder movies so far.

Zack Snyder says Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been lovingly bugging him about playing Snake Plissken in his upcoming Escape from New York reboot.

"He's been literally hitting me up," Snyder said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "He's the best. I love him. He's great."

It was announced back in June that Snyder would write and direct a new version of John Carpenter's Escape From New York. The remake was announced in 2022 with Radio Silence attached to direct and Leigh Whannell set to write the script. Both parties left the project in 2024.

The 1981 sci-fi classic stars Kurt Russell as former Green Beret Snake Plissken, who is given just 24 hours to rescue the President of the United States in exchange for his release from federal prison.

"Bro, don't think I'm not texting him or calling him," Morgan, who is perhaps best known for playing Negan on The Walking Dead, said last month on another episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, "I already am. I mean, I think that Snake will probably be a little younger than I am, but you know, there's some roles in there... Grizzled Snake wouldn't be bad, by the way. It would be cool. Look, I'm going to do my due diligence and stalk him for a little bit, because that's one of my all-time favorite films."

Escape from New York does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of all the exciting upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is not just the biggest Marvel movie at the US box office, it's also the biggest movie at the domestic box office overall.

Per Variety, the fourth Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie has grossed $936.773 in just 47 days at the North American box office... narrowly beating out Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which grossed $936 million and held the title of biggest US movie for 10 years.

In August, Brand New Day passed Avengers: Endgame, which has an overall domestic gross of $858 million, as the highest-grossing Marvel movie at the US box office. Overall, the Spidey movie has grossed $2.45 billion at the global box office, which is still not enough to beat Endgame's total gross of $2.8 billion.

The new film takes place four years after the events Spider-Man: No Way Home and introduces us to Sadie Sink's Jean Grey, who is New York City's latest undefeatable threat as she goes on the attack in order to find her kidnapped sister. The movie sets up Marvel's upcoming X-Men movie, which is due out in 2027. The post-credits scene also seems to set up Avengers: Secret Wars, which, if they directly adapt the Secret Wars comic, will put our favorite heroes on a terrible planet known as Battleworld. It's also worth noting Brand New Day has a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a nearly perfect 98% audience score, making it the 11th highest-rated Marvel movie overall.

For more, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review, or, check out our guide to the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending explained.

The odds are in favor of Hunger Games fans today, as an all-new trailer for the prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, has arrived online. The movie chronicles the 50th Annual Hunger Games, which introduced Panem to legendary District 12 Tribute Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada), who would one day become a valuable ally to Katniss Everdeen and Peta Mellark. He'd also end up looking a lot like Woody Harrelson.

Once again evoking vibes somewhere between Midsommar and Thor: Ragnarok, this is the only bright glimmer in an otherwise dark tale that will leave broken hearts and bodies all over the place. Director Francis Lawrence once again returns as the gamesmaster of proceedings, joined by some truly inspired casting choices giving their takes on fan-favorite heroes and villains.

Ralph Fiennes is proving he can once again be a smug, punchable villain as President Snow, while Elle Fanning is giving all smiles as her iteration of Effie Trinket. Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman is proving he'll deliver and might take the title of favorite version of the character after Stanley Tucci.

Naturally, there's also some eye-watering game action as Zada runs for his life alongside other Tributes. McKenna Grace, Molly McCann, and The Long Walk scene-stealer, Ben Wang, play District 12 Tributes Maysilee Donner, Louella McCoy, and Wyatt Callow respectively. The whole thing is giving me serious original movie vibes, and I cannot wait to see if it's a return to form for the hit franchise.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives in theaters on November 20. Keep up to date on every upcoming movie in 2026 with our guide.

Zack Snyder has been opening up about the circumstances around his exit from DC once again.

The director was the original helmer of Justice League before he left the production and it was completed by Joss Whedon, featuring several reshoots and cuts to the original version.

It took Snyder a long time and a lot of campaigning to release his version, nicknamed the Snyder Cut, but it eventually hit HBO Max in 2021. While Snyder has revealed it was a difficult time and he's still never seen Whedon's version, he told Variety in a new interview that he did get some closure from an unnamed executive.

"There was this catharsis of, I met with this executive at Warner Bros. who's long gone since – I won't say who it was – and he said to me, 'You know, Zack, I've got to tell you one thing: You were right about everything.' And I was like, 'That's kind of you.' And he goes, 'We were fighting you, and in the end you were right.'"

According to reports at the time, some of the details that Warner Bros. had wanted changed in Snyder's version were a more humorous tone as well as significantly reduced runtime. Variety reported that the film was the fourth most streamed of 2021 and critical reception was significantly more positive than the theatrical version.

The director was speaking as part of the press rounds for his latest movie The Last Photograph, which marks a change of pace for the director. The passion project has just debuted at TIFF, but unfortunately the first reviews have not been glowing.

For more upcoming movies, check out our guide to 2026 movie release dates.

David Corenswet might have proven himself worthy as the Man of Steel in Superman, but even he was reluctant to have another scrap with Lex Luthor, who will now be suited and booted in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Corenswet shared a few details about the upcoming chapter of the DCU that will see a reluctant alliance formed between Superman and Hoult’s Lex Luthor. As revealed in a behind-the-scenes image from Gunn, the head of LuthorCorp will wear an all-new warsuit not too dissimilar from the one worn by the Raptors in the 2025 film. Except green and considerably flashier.

Talking about where Supes is personally, Corenswet teased, "The character is a little more mature. They're going to go a little bit deeper. Not to mention all the crazy stuff, Nick Hoult in the warsuit," he explained. When asked what his initial reaction was to seeing his screen partner stomp on set in his new suit, Corenswet was brutally honest. "He's going to be hard to fight. I’m going to rip my knuckles up punching you."

Of course, Lex won't be the only foe Superman will be squaring off against, with Man of Tomorrow marking the long-anticipated arrival of Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger. Wielding a highly advanced intellect and an obsession with bottling up things to study, this new alien threat will need Metropolis' greatest hero and its richest tyrant to take him on.

Thankfully, there will also be some added support from Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, fresh off of Lanterns, Xolo Maridueña bringing it back as Blue Beetle, and maybe, just maybe, the debut of a brand new Wonder Woman, who might look remarkably like Andor star Adria Arjona.

We’ll have to see how things play out when Man of Tomorrow soars into theaters on July 9, 2027. To keep updated in the DC Universe, check out our guide to every upcoming DCU movie and television show heading our way.