In the wake of Tim Curry's tragic passing, many of us have been celebrating his enormous range and incredibly varied career. Though one of his most famous roles was in the 1990 It miniseries as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, he almost played another iconic (and murderous) clown in one of the best superhero shows of all time, animated or otherwise.

According to Men's Journal, Curry originally signed on to voice the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992. He was eventually replaced by Mark Hamill, but not because his version of Mista J wasn't good. In fact, it was the opposite.

"He was terrifying, and like, lock up the children and don't let them watch," late Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy said in a 2021 documentary about the show. "Tim was just a little like a horror movie… crazy scary." In the clip shared below, you can hear exactly what Conroy means. The animation paired with Curry's demonic take on the character makes for an even scarier TV show (because let's face it, some of us had nightmares for days while watching Batman: The Animated Series when we were kids).

Some of Curry's most notable voiceover work includes explorer-dad Nigel Thornberry in the early 2000s Nickelodeon show The Wild Thornberrys, the villainous Hexxus in FernGully: The Last Rainforest, and the Sumo Singer in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, who sings that Donna Summer song for some reason.

Batman: The Animated Series is streaming now on HBO Max. The Wild Thornberrys and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie are both available on Paramount Plus. FernGully can be viewed for free on Tubi. For more, check out our list of the best animated shows of all time.

In addition to Prime Video's upcoming Carrie series, the streamer is adapting another Stephen King story into a TV show, but this time we're heading to London.

Amazon Prime Video has greenlit a six-part limited series based on Stephen King's 1980 short story 'Crouch End,' as per Variety. The story is named after the real North London district in which it’s set, meaning the show will be the first King adaptation to be made in the UK.

The story follows a young American movie star named Doris Freeman who walks into a London police station one day and claims that a strange phenomenon is behind the disappearance of her lawyer husband. However, the police inspector Ted Vetter must investigate whether she’s telling the truth, or if she is the murderer herself. Either way, something chilling is at play.

Crouch End is thought to be an homage to legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, and contains distinct references to his works. The upcoming Prime Video show won't be the first time the story has been brought to life, as Crouch End was featured as part of TNT's 2006 Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King special.

The new series is adapted by Bodies' Paul Tomalin, and directed by The Serpent's Tom Shankland. Tomalin told Variety, "After reading Crouch End some years back, Stephen King’s vivid prose has haunted my nightmares ever since… couldn’t be more excited to bring this thrilling tale to the screen." Variety reports that casting is already underway.

Although Crouch End has yet to land a release date, King fans will soon be treated to Mike Flanagan's Carrie series based on the popular 1974 novel of the same name. The show, which recently attracted positive first reactions, follows a troubled teen with telekinetic powers and stars Summer Howell in the titular role. Carrie hits Prime Video on October 7.

For more, check out our guide to the best Prime Video shows, and keep up with all the upcoming Stephen King movies and shows on the way.

Kelly Macdonald says she watched The Penguin to prep for Lanterns, and picked up the wrong accent along the way.

"Within the first couple of months of the shoot, as well, I was watching The Penguin at the same time," Macdonald told Entertainment Weekly. "Sometimes I’d been over-watching The Penguin, and I’d be going through my dialogue in my trailer, and I'd realize I was doing the whole Gotham thing. I’d be like, 'Turn it down a little bit,' 'cause I’d been told very specifically, 'She's from Gotham but don’t do the accent thing.' She has to be more ambiguous than that. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell the scenes where I’ve been watching The Penguin."

For some clarity, Lanterns episode 2 revealed that Sheriff Kane is originally from Gotham (which some fans suspected all along after she was heard checking in with a certain Commissioner as well as a 'Barb' on the phone). Kane is also the maiden name of Bruce Wayne's mother... so there's that. The series takes place in rural Rushville, Nebraska, so Kane is supposed to have something of a Nebraskan accent after living in town for so long. In real life, Macdonald is from Glasgow, Scotland. So we can see how all the accents might've gotten into a bit a conundrum.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Three years later, Marvel fans want Disney Plus series Secret Invasion erased from MCU canon because of how it changed Rhodey.

The discussion started when one Marvel fan took to Twitter and said that they think the 'Rhodey' who comforts a dying Tony Stark at the end of Avengers: Endgame is actually the real Rhodey. Another replied, "They should straight up just say Secret Invasion doesn’t exist in the main timeline. I’m not even joking. No one will give Feige shit for coming out and basically going ‘our fault, gang’."

Now, if you have seen Endgame but haven't yet had a chance to catch up to the 2023 show, you may be wondering what the fan means by the 'real Rhodey'. In Secret Invasion, it is revealed that Colonel James Rhodes, AKA Rhodey, was actually replaced by a Skrull named Raava a while back. In the finale, we see the real Rhodey rescued, but the question still remains: when was the real Rhodey replaced on the Marvel timeline?

Many believe Rhodey could have been swapped out as far back as Captain America: Civil War, which is when we last saw Rhodey wear his leg braces. This is evidenced by Rhodey wearing the same hospital gown at the end of Civil War as he does when he is saved at the end of Secret Invasion. Fast forward to Avengers: Infinity War, the braces are nowhere to be seen. That would mean that the Rhodey we saw attend his best friend Stark's funeral was just a Skrull, which is pretty heartbreaking.

However, others believe that is the real Rhodey in Endgame. "The deleted scenes from Falcon and the Winter Soldier basically confirmed that it is Rhodey in Endgame," said one fan. "Rhodey mentions going in for an upgrade procedure on his legs, and at the end of 'Secret Invasion' he's in a hospital gown. Switch occurred post-Endgame, not earlier."

Either way, now that the first Avengers: Endgame Encore trailer has hit the internet, it seems that Marvel fans are in agreement that Rhodey's identity switch in Secret Invasion should be forgotten about. Fans will be able to see War Machine back on the big screen once again as Marvel rereleases the 2019 movie with four minutes of added footage, which is set to bridge the gap to Avengers: Doomsday. However, as far as we know, Don Cheadle's Rhodey is not set to return in Doomsday.

Avengers: Endgame Encore hits cinemas on September 25. For more, check out our guide to the other upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Vision knows Wanda's fate, VisionQuest showrunner Terry Matalas has revealed.

The version of Vision returning in the new show is White Vision, who has Vision's memories but is a new version of the synthezoid created during WandaVision. Wanda, meanwhile, seemingly died in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – and, since Vision hasn't been seen since the WandaVision finale, it was reasonable to assume he might not know what happened to her.

As it turns out, though, Vision knows, as revealed in a new Empire magazine interview. "He's watched all the movies," Matalas joked. Indeed, in the trailer for the show, Vision is actually sitting in a home theater watching Age of Ultron. So, this might not really be a joke from the showrunner.

There is some doubt if Wanda actually died in the film, since we don't see the Scarlet Witch's actual death or her body. But, it seems everyone in-universe is assuming she's gone, including Vision.

In the same interview, Matalas also explained why Ultron is returning. "My first thought was, 'Well, we don't have Wanda, and we need someone really strong for Vision to play off of," he shared. "Within a millisecond, I was like, 'It's [James] Spader.' Then everything else started to fall into place."

Ultron is returning in a human form in the new Disney Plus show, and it seems he's been living a pretty simple life since his defeat in Age of Ultron. "He's had access to the internet, television, history, and he's just been consuming... and he's been painting," Spader revealed. "[Ultron and Vision] have a sort of father-son-therapist-psychopath relationship."

"He lives in this kind of fantastic prison loft and I go to him for advice," Bettany added. "He's just been imprisoned for... by now it would be 14 years or something."

VisionQuest arrives this October 13 in the US and October 14 in the UK. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows for everything else the MCU has in store.

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has given a more specific timeline on when his long-running manga could end.

As reported by Otaku Art, this year's One Piece Day saw Oda provide fans with an update on One Piece's future as it hurtles towards its final arc.

According to the outlet, Oda has outlined plans for One Piece to last for at least four more years, taking it up to 2030.

Adding further fuel to the fire, the 17th One Piece movie, BAAD, is now slated for release in 2029. Either way, One Piece, both in the pages of its manga and on the screen, isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

A One Piece remake, titled The One Piece, is also coming to Netflix in January 2027. The project will take the opening 50 chapters of Oda's manga and streamline it into just seven episodes, ensuring a new, modern way for younger generations to experience the 1000-plus episode classic from the very beginning.

Recently, Oda has made a fascinating gambit regarding his hit franchise. Fittingly, it even led to an international treasure hunt.

Back in March, Oda revealed the real meaning behind the One Piece treasure was buried over 600m underwater in an undisclosed location.

Fortunately for us, sleuths were on the case – and pinpointed the location as Suruga Bay in Shizuoka. However, there has been no progress on actually recovering the document, meaning Luffy will probably get there before anyone in the real world does.

For more, check out our guide on how to watch One Piece in order. If you're not up for the mammoth task, we have a One Piece filler list detailing which episodes are safe to skip.

The Ahsoka season 2 trailer brings with it plenty to get excited about, but – for me, anyway – the most exciting part is the return of Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker. Anakin will be back not just in flashbacks to The Clone Wars, but also as a Force ghost watching over his old Padawan Ahsoka Tano.

Anakin's ghostly return quickly sparked discussion online, with some Star Wars fans pointing out that he seemed to be neglecting his children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, in favor of guiding Ahsoka. "Don't you have like a son or something?" asked one fan, while another said: "You have two children who are fighting for their lives out in the galaxy. Go help them, you bum."

As much as some of the jokes were funny, I figured the reason why Anakin seemed to be spending all his afterlife time with Snips was pretty simple: Leia's aversion to her biological father has been well-established in canon novels already, while Anakin is probably visiting Luke off-screen (after all, one of the last shots in Return of the Jedi is Anakin joining Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda in watching over him). Since neither of the Skywalker twins is currently set to appear in a new Star Wars project (that we know of), the answer will have to remain speculation, and that's a symptom of a larger issue.

Darkness rises

Judging by the new trailer, Ahsoka season 2 is going to have galactic consequences. Grand Admiral Thrawn has returned with his chilling sights set on the Rebel Alliance (or, as it's actually known at this stage on the Star Wars timeline, the New Republic), and the galaxy's heroes are mobilizing to stop him. If that's the case, though, there are a couple of glaring absences: Luke and Leia themselves.

Before Thrawn's return, both of them being busy off-screen made sense. Luke – as we saw in The Book of Boba Fett – is busy trying to build his new Jedi school, while Leia surely has her hands full with the fledgling New Republic.

But it's very hard to imagine both of them would sit out a confrontation with Thrawn and the greatest Imperial threat they've seen since the Age of the Empire. Surely, these icons of the Rebellion would be on the front lines of such a struggle, alongside the likes of Hera Syndulla and Ezra Bridger. Even Admiral Ackbar is returning for a showdown with Thrawn. It's hard to imagine why Luke and Leia wouldn't step up, except for the obvious behind-the-scenes reasons that keep these characters from returning in a big way.

To the future

Luke and Leia have had a presence in Star Wars these past few years, however. Luke made a triumphant return in The Mandalorian season 2 and featured heavily in The Book of Boba Fett (where he was even revealed to know Ahsoka already), while Leia intervened in Hera's council meeting via C-3PO in Ahsoka. Luke hasn't been seen since 2021, however, and Leia hasn't been seen since the sequel trilogy. When Luke did return, it was via CGI wizardry that created a digital version of the character that looked and sounded very much like Mark Hamill (who himself was involved in the process), while similar efforts were taken to bring a younger version of the late Carrie Fisher's Leia back to the big screen in Rogue One and The Rise of Skywalker. The technology is certainly impressive, but it's hard to overlook the ethical issues that come with recreating an actor digitally, especially after their death. Then there's also the fact that, no matter how sleek the effect, something about it will always carry a hint of the uncanny valley.

There is a very simple solution to all these problems: recasting. This is something Lucasfilm seems wary of after Solo, starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo, disappointed at the box office. But if this period of the Star Wars timeline is going to continue to be explored, the absence of characters like Luke and Leia – and, indeed, Han and Chewbacca – will only seem stranger. Of course, it's much trickier when it comes to Leia after Carrie Fisher's incredibly tragic death. I have no doubt that Lucasfilm could find a respectful way forward that honors her iconic character and her memory, however.

Beyond Ahsoka season 2, we know that Dave Filoni is set to direct a film that will tie together the Disney Plus shows, which surely means the culmination of the struggle against the Imperial remnants and Thrawn. If this is truly heading towards an Heir to the Empire-style story, where the fate of the galaxy is at stake, then Luke and Leia's absence would be even more baffling. They wouldn't need to be the main characters, since this is the story of Ahsoka first and foremost, along with Sabine Wren and the rest of the Ghost crew. But they do need to be there. There's simply no real, believable reason why they wouldn't be.

So, while it makes complete sense for Anakin to be guiding his one-time Padawan from beyond (and seeing Anakin and Ahsoka together again is a true delight), the jokesters on Twitter have a point, too. If heavy hitters like Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano are still around, surely Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa should be, too. It would seem their story isn't over just yet.

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on Disney Plus on January 20, 2027. In the meantime, keep up with everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

Lucasfilm co-president Dave Filoni has teased what to expect from Ahsoka season 2, and it sounds like it's going to have the feeling of a classic tale.

"For me, this is a grand adventure in the sense of stories I grew up watching," Filoni told On the Red Carpet at this year's D23. "I'd say it's no short thing to say. There's maybe a little Jason and the Argonauts feeling to it."

Jason and the Argonauts refers to the fantasy adventure film released in 1963, based on the Greek myth that chronicles Jason and a band of heroes on a quest to claim the mythical Golden Fleece.

Filoni added: "The adventure is bigger and better, it's the simplest way to say it. And a big part for me, I love the people I work with in every discipline, and I'm so proud of the work they do. And I'm a firm believer that that shows up on screen, and so hopefully that's what people are feeling as well."

The first trailer for the new season debuted at this year's D23, and it shows off more Anakin Skywalker, Grand Admiral Thrawn setting his sights on restoring the Empire, and Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren exploring mysterious Peridea (read our Ahsoka season 2 trailer breakdown for all our theories).

"There's going to be more lightsabers. A lot more lightsaber action. There's going to be some space battles, some space action, and there's going to be witches, and swords, and explosions galore," Ezra Bridger actor Eman Esfandi revealed during a talk attended by GamesRadar+ at D23. "It's going to be really fun, really fast-paced, and we may or may not hear something about that a little later today. So, stay tuned here at D23 for Ahsoka season 2."

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on Disney Plus on January 20, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store.

The first trailer for Stranger Things: Tales From '85 season 2 has arrived, and things are getting pretty spooky.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Eleven and the gang are warned about a haunting in the woods... and encounter a swarm of Demogorgon-like creatures who seemingly can't be killed... because they might be ghosts.

Per the official logline: "With Valentine's Day on the way, the gang must uncover the truth behind ghostly apparitions and a swarm of strange creatures causing chaos around town."

The voice cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike, Benjamin Plessala as Will, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Elisha 'EJ' Williams as Lucas, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, and Odessa A'zion returning as Nikki (who is so charming as an animated character that it makes me sad we never got to see her in the actual series).

The first season of Tales From '85 takes place between Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3, in the winter after the kiddos attended their school's Snow Ball. After the series debuted at number 7 in the Netflix Global Top 10, the streamer quickly renewed it for a second season.

It's worth noting that the show is considered to be "loose canon" to the flagship live-action show, though it doesn't make too much sense given that the new characters and monsters introduced in the animated spin-off are never mentioned again in the live-action series... so take that with a grain of salt.

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 season 2 is set to hit Netflix on September 17. For more, check out our Stranger Things: Tales From '85 review.

One of the standouts of the brilliant Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was Daniel Ings' Ser Lyonel Baratheon. Known in George R.R. Martin's novellas as the Laughing Storm, his flamboyant portrayal won over viewers, leading to him to become a fan-favorite of the HBO Max series.

Unfortunately, it seems like he won't be a part of the upcoming second season of the show, as his character does not return again. Speaking to the Radio Times, Ings was asked if he'd be up for coming back.

"Oh, man, I'd love to," he told the publication. "Unfortunately, he's not in any more of the stories that George R.R. Martin has written so far, and our showrunner, Ira Parker, is sticking closely to those. There is a famous duel in the future [according to Game of Thrones lore]. Maybe I'll be 60 by that time! Whatever happens, I'd love to put in Lyonel’s little dangly earring again because he's such a fun character."

At least Lyonel's line lives on as the great-grandfather to Robert, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon in the main Game of Thrones show, even if they don't quite share the same wit…

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 will see the return of Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell as Prince Aegon 'Egg' Targaryen. Consisting of six episodes once again, the second season will adapt Martin's second Dunk & Egg novella, 'The Sworn Sword.'

Filming has reportedly already wrapped on the show, which is expected to release in 2027. For more on all things Westeros, check out our guide to upcoming Game of Thrones TV shows and movies.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Monster High dolls exist.

That's a sentence I never thought I'd get to utter. Yet as someone who grew up wishing they were a chosen one and who spent every Halloween dressed as every Sunnydale local under the sun, it's a phrase I'm glad I can say. It's not even just a Buffy who has got the Monster High makeover, but a two-pack featuring both the Slayer herself and Angel. It's set to drop on September 4 at 9 AM PT.

The $98 / £89 set will be exclusive to Fang Club members next month and available only from the Mattel Creations website. However, Mattel states that they "may also be available at other retailers." Personally, I'd not take the risk of waiting, as there's no certainty they'll appear elsewhere. As a self-identifying member of the Scooby Gang, I'll be sitting by my phone the day they drop, and if you don't want to have to fork out your cash to the real-life vampires that are resellers, I highly recommend you do the same to avoid any balderdash and chicanery.

Over the past year, there's been new Buffy merchandise, from official Loungefly bags to multiple pairs of pyjamas, but a set of Monster High Buffy and Angel Dolls feels best suited to represent the iconic '90s TV show. Think about it: Buffy the Vampire Slayer practically championed the 'monster of the week' TV formula, so there's nothing more 'Monster'-adjacent than Buffy.

Not only does the meshing together of the Monster High and Buffy worlds make so much sense, but the end result is fantastic. Mattel has captured Sarah Michelle Gellar's likeness pretty well, and there's no mistaking those green-gray eyes and blonde hair for anyone else. Buffy's outfit design, too, seems to capture not just the early era of the series, but also later seasons of the show.

Her black jacket and red leather trousers combo harkens back to 'Graduation Day Part One' episode from Season 3. Over the years, it became synonymous with the Slayer and was pretty much my friend and I's go-to choice for depicting her when Halloween came around. Yet, her doll's heels include parts of her iconic scythr/m? weapon, which you didn't see until the final seventh season.

I can see Mattel's choice to reference different Buffy eras being a deal breaker for many fans, but I personally don't mind it. I would have preferred to see Summers in her white prom dress and jacket combo as seen in the last episode of the first season. However, I imagine her updo may have been a bit more difficult to style on a doll, though it would have felt more fitting alongside Angel.

Talking of which, a lot of fans are not happy that he's included. The comments under Bloody Disgusting's X (Twitter) post of the reveal are filled with disgust that Buffy's OG beau is part of this two pack set, with user's like @Mayara__1D exclaiming, "The Angel turned out super ugly, dude! Where's the Spike? Lmaoooo."

I am more of a Spike girl myself, and would have loved to see his iconic beaten-up leather jacket in doll form. However, I'm not mad to see Angel in his stead. Particularly as I was a fan of the Angel TV show spin-off, and as Mattel went so far as to include his Claddagh ring.

The Moore Action Collectibles Buffy the Vampire Slayer figures from back in the late '90s included a replica of that exact ring with the Vampire Angel doll, and I used to wear it every day to school. Catching a glimpse of the tiny versions on these dolls filled me with a wave of nostalgia that will never put me in the Team Angel camp, but has made me eager to add his doll to my collection.

Who knows, the popularity of this set could result in more Buffy dolls down the line. I don't know about you, but I'd adore a Monster High release of Willow. It would feel super fitting as the brand's new Moonspell Magic range is all about witches, and there's no cooler and more iconic witch than Willow. Not to mention, she sported plenty of iconic outfits during the TV show's seven-season run.

If you're okay settling for Buffy and Angel for now, remember that you'll need to be a Fang Club member to order the two-pack come September. You can grab an annual membership for $9.99 at Mattel Creations, which will give you access to these dolls and allow you to vote on new creations.

• View all Skullector Monster High dolls at Mattel Creations

Want more Monster High? Check out the Monster High Skullector Ghostbusters Gozer Doll, which is still available through Mattel Creations.

Marvel's Multiverse Saga is nearing its endgame with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but on the small screen, Apple TV sci-fi series Dark Matter is keeping the multiverse flame alight. Matt Tolmach bridges the gap between the two as a long-serving producer on Sony's Spider-Man movies and Dark Matter season 2, and has shared his thoughts on their wildly differing approaches to multiversal storytelling.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ ahead of the Apple TV panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Tolmach, who was a producer on every Spider-Man movie between 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man and 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, touched on the key difference between Dark Matter's more "relatable" multiverse, as it compares to the MCU.

"[Dark Matter] is a very grounded universe," Tolmach says. "It's us. It's you. It's everybody. It's all of us living very normal lives. It just feels a little bit more relatable in that way. It's about normal everyday people, but the choices and the possibilities are equally grand. I just think it's a different way to explore some of those incredibly big ideas that are now being explored in the superhero universe as well."

It's a fair assessment. While comic book movie multiverse storytelling has typically focused on superpowered variants, strange new worlds, and threats to the fabric of reality itself, Dark Matter is about a normal family reckoning with exposure to a technology humanity shouldn't be messing with, and trying to find a way forward through it all. Tolmach considers this the unique appeal of the show.

"It taps into these very existential questions for the characters as they try to find each other and themselves in the middle of the influences," he says. "It asks some of the biggest questions that I believe all of us wrestle with: Who am I? What if I had another life?"

Dark Matter's 10-episode second season sees the Dessen family attempt to start a new life together following the influx of alt-universe variants into their world at the end of season 1. Showrunner Blake Crouch told us that he's "always thought of the show as a three-season story," and Tolmach is similarly committed to seeing the story through to the end.

"I want to keep making the show. It's what I do. But it's really because I don't want to say goodbye to characters," Tolmach says. "That's the hardest thing when you finish a movie or you finish a TV show; these people, these characters, become part of your reality. We all see each other every day. Both the actors, but also the characters become real in your life. And I don't want to say goodbye. I want to see where they go."

Dark Matter season 2 streams on Apple TV from August 28, with new episodes airing weekly. For more, check out our list of the best Apple TV shows and fill out your watchlist with our rundown of the most exciting new TV shows heading your way.

Lanterns fans are pretty much in agreement that there's something not quite right with Kelly MacDonald's Sheriff Kerry Kane, and they think she's definitely hiding something.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 2, so turn back now if you haven't caught up. First, read our spoiler-free Lanterns review.

After William Macon shoots Hal Jordan, Sheriff Kane takes him to the hospital, where she watches over him while he wakes up from his anesthesia. Once awake, Kane proceeds to tell the Green Lantern that he was saying Sinestro's name in his sleep. However, fans think the Sheriff was lying. "What if Hal wasn’t actually muttering Sinestro's name while he was unconscious, and the sheriff said that to plant the idea in Hal’s subconscious to go see him once he got word of the Manhunter?" said one fan on Twitter.

If Hal had been put to sleep, he would've had no idea what he had said, which means Kane could have said anything at that point. Also, when Hal checks out of the hospital, he finds that no one else had checked in or out during his stay – which would have been over quite some hours if he had been put under and had surgery. In fact, the whole ward was empty, with hospital equipment still in its packaging. That's weird, but what is even more strange is that Sheriff Kane didn't seem to see an issue with it.

But it's not just the hospital scene. Fans think the show has secretly been hinting at Kane's dubious energy through clever reflection shots, which you can see below. "The way Lanterns keeps showing Kerry through reflections… there’s definitely something they’re trying to tell us about her," said the fan. However, despite Kane being on our list of suspects, the poster doesn't think she is the Manhunter, but that she's "definitely not who she says she is."

In the midst of all of the mystery, episode 2 did confirm that Kane is originally from Gotham, which some fans suspected all along after the Sheriff was heard talking to a Commissioner on the phone. In DC Comics, the Kanes are one of the most influential families in the city, and Bruce Wayne's mother's maiden name is Kane. The plot thickens.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Lanterns episode 2 has a deep-cut Alan Moore tribute that you almost certainly missed.

In the episode, John Stewart is tasked with heading back to Hal Jordan's place to retrieve the lantern needed to charge the Power Ring. Upon reaching Hal's vault, he calls up his reluctant mentor for the voice code needed to unlock it. The passphrase? "Mogo doesn't socialize."

As pointed out by the perfectly-named Mr. Know it All on Twitter, that's actually a reference to a story in 1985's Green Lantern #188.

'Mogo Doesn't Socialize' revolves around Bolphunga the Unrelenting attempting to defeat the universe's most powerful warriors. After being told he can never defeat Mogo, he goes in search of the Lantern – only to discover he is, in fact, a sentient planet.

Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof has previous history with the infamously cantankerous Moore, writing a sequel to the Watchmen graphic novel for HBO.

That even included the – fairly excruciating – act of Lindelof penning a letter to Moore before the project aired.

Responding in an interview with GQ, Moore said, "It went on through a lot of, what seemed to me to be, neurotic rambling… I got back with a very abrupt and probably hostile reply telling him that I'd thought that Warner Bros. were aware that they, nor any of their employees, shouldn't contact me again for any reason."

Moore added, "I explained that I had disowned the work in question, and partly that was because the film industry and the comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but which would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, ‘Look, this is embarrassing to me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me again."

Lanterns is now airing on HBO and HBO Max. For what that means where you live, head on over to the Lanterns release schedule.

We also have a list of suspects for who killed Hal Jordan, if you fancy some sleuthing.

We're only two episodes into Lanterns, but it is packed with Easter eggs and DC references. However, you may have missed some hilarious pop culture nods in the recent installment.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 2, so turn back now if you haven't caught up. First, read our spoiler-free Lanterns review.

Partway through Lanterns episode 2, when Aaron Pierre's John Stewart looks around Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan's huge house for the Lantern, he stumbles upon some pictures on the wall from Hal's time in the limelight. One picture shows Hal meeting the pope, another shows the hero sitting with ex-US President Barack Obama, and another shows Jordan standing with the cast of Harry Potter on the red carpet.

Now his rant in episode 1 makes a lot more sense. When he interrogates the alien, Jordan asks the suspected extraterrestrial some pop culture questions to prove he's not human, including "Where does Harry Potter go to school?" Now, every English-speaking person should know that. When the alien fails to answer, Jordan says, "Harry Potter went to Hogwarts, you ignorant alien fuck!"

Lanterns fans are loving the little tidbits, as one wrote on Reddit, "God, this show is so fucking funny." However, another has pointed out that Hal's wall of celeb meetups is actually rather sad. "It really reinforces how alone he is and how the job is all Hal really has. Not a single picture of anyone he cares about. It’s a really fun way to set up his fear of being replaced and having no purpose."

Hal's loneliness is reinforced by his big empty house. He doesn't even have a couch, just a sole camping chair positioned in front of a huge TV. Hal's time as the Green Lantern meant he never got married or had a family, with his companion being an alien plant he keeps in his backyard. This might explain why he behaves the way he does, and why he is so eager to push John away at any given moment.

Some think his erratic behaviour puts him under suspicion of being the Manhunter, but I think his personality is the result of his job. Plus, there is a reason he would rather post up at a shabby motel in Nebraska and devote his life to the case rather than go home to his wealth.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One, and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

The MCU may have let Mahershala Ali slip through its fingers with vampire hunter Blade, but Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker revealed why he didn't "fumble the bag" with the Oscar-winning actor for his turn as iconic crime boss Cottonmouth.

"I didn’t fumble the bag the first time," Coker wrote on Twitter in response to a fan suggesting Marvel fumbled Ali twice.

Ali played Cornell Stokes, AKA Cottonmouth, in the first season of Luke Cage and instantly became one of the standout characters in a packed roster of Marvel's Netflix TV outings.

Cottonmouth's death in the show may have come as a shock – and opened up a power vacuum at Harlem's Paradise – but came about due to Ali's packed schedule. In a moment of serendipity, Ali departing Luke Cage also allowed him to film Green Book, a film for which he won Best Actor.

"He took the role because it was a limited appearance. He was always going to die in episode 7, by design. He made Luke Cage, Hidden Figures, and Moonlight simultaneously. He was killing it on Luke Cage and Marvel TV and the other actors begged me to change my mind, which would have locked him into a long term contract (and cost him the Green Book Oscar) but I kept my word to him on a handshake. That’s why we’re friends to this day. Always keep your word."

Unlike Luke Cage, Ali's other experience with Marvel is less straightforward.

Ali was attached to Blade, first announced at 2019's San Diego Comic-Con. Multiple directors and writers attempted to get the project off the ground, with Ali first portraying Blade in a voice cameo in 2021's Eternals.

Ultimately, Blade went nowhere. Ali voiced his frustrations in an interview with GQ earlier this month.

"No offense to them. I’ve been doing this professionally for pushing 30 years now, and one thing I've learned is that what is for you is for you and what is not is not. For whatever reason, that project is not for me. If they wanted to do it, we would've done it. So I have to move on, and I have moved on," Ali said.

For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies currently in the works, as well as all the latest news on Marvel Phase 6.

Superman's Lex Luthor star Nicholas Hoult has dropped out of the second season of HBO's Harry Potter series, but he has already been replaced by Game of Thrones' Jon Snow actor Kit Harington.

Harington is joining Harry Potter season 2 as Gilderoy Lockhart, as per Deadline. The fantasy star is taking over the role from Hoult, who was cast less than two weeks ago. Hoult stepped away from the show due to scheduling issues, with HBO letting him out of his deal as the show would've had to work around two other projects.

Introduced in the second Harry Potter book, Lockhart is a famous author and wizard, hired by Professor Dumbledore to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. However, the boastful and charming public figure is not as he seems, as Potter and co soon find he has dark connections. The character was brought to the screen by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

However, Harington has technically played the character before. The star voices Lockhart in the Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions audiobooks released last November. The audiobooks contain the voices of over 500 actors, including Matthew Macfadyen as Voldemort, Riz Ahmed as Snape, Michelle Gomez as Professor McGonagall, and more.

Earlier this year, Audible shared a snippet of Harington on YouTube, in the recording booth as the narcissistic wizard, as part of a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the book. The clip has since been posted on Twitter, which you can watch below. The star is also a long-time Harry Potter fan. "This is a world I am heavily invested in," said Harington. "To be able to play, in my opinion, one of the best characters in it was a joy."

Season 2 is set to start filming this fall, following Potter's return to Hogwarts after a terrifying monster is unleashed in the school. Season 2 will take place the summer after season 1, which adapts Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and follows Potter's first year at Hogwarts after finding out he is a wizard. The series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall.

Harry Potter season 1 hits HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day. For more, check out our ranking of the Harry Potter movies, and keep up with new TV shows on the way.

With the introduction of Manhunters and the mysterious circumstances of Hal Jordan's death in Lanterns so far, plenty of wild theories have been circulating about the DC Studios show. The latest fan speculation to emerge surrounds the mysterious Zoe Macon and how she might be linked to Sinestro.

Posting on Twitter, one fan suggested that Zoe could be Soranik Natu, the daughter of Sinestro. The character is the leader of the Sinestro Corps in the comics, as well as being a former member of the Lantern Corps.

The theory of why Zoe could be her in hiding seems to stem from Sinestro's knowledge of John Stewart. At the very end of Lanterns episode 2, Hal Jordan visits his former mentor, who quizzes him on what he knows about John. But as fans pointed out, if he's imprisoned, then how does he even know about John?

One answer could be that his daughter is communicating with him somehow. We know that Zoe and John are well acquainted in the HBO Max show after their liaison in episode 1. Could she be the missing link?

"Today's episode had a lot of yellow imagery and lighting around this scene in particular with John and Zoe," Twitter user sz0 added. "And again, it’s definitely possible she’s the manhunter. Or, she was told by Sinestro to keep a close eye on Hal, and that's how he knows about John." Intriguing…

As the user suggests, Zoe is also one of the prime Manhunter suspects. As we learnt in episode 2, the mysterious and highly dangerous alien has infiltrated Rushville and is hiding in human form. Zoe's husband William Macon, son Billy Macon, and Sheriff Kerry Kane are all also suspects. Only time will tell who the real villain is.

For more on the show, check out our guide to when Lanterns takes place on the DC timeline as well as our breakdown of the Lanterns release schedule.

Dark Matter season 2 presented an entirely different challenge for the team behind the Apple TV sci-fi series. While Dark Matter's mind-bending first season stuck closely to the novel of the same name, there was no second book for season 2 to adapt, meaning no roadmap to follow. For showrunner Blake Crouch, who also wrote the original novel, this meant season 2 was "a lot harder" to make, but it also proved "totally freeing" by opening up infinite avenues to explore.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, where the cast and crew of Dark Matter appeared on the Hall H stage as part of the Apple TV panel, Crouch discussed the challenge involved in forging a new path on the fly for season 2. "Well, at first it really sucked," Crouch says with a chuckle. "It made it a lot harder. But once we jumped over that initial hurdle, it was totally freeing because we weren't locked into things that the book demanded us to do. So we got to follow our fancy a little bit more and write a few episodes that would never have existed in season 1."

After being kidnapped by his own alt-reality self, Dark Matter's first season saw physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) reunite with his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and son Charlie (Oakes Fegley), and depart for a new world. Season 2 picks up with the Dessens settled into a secluded new home, but with the potential for infinite threats to emerge from the multiverse, danger is never far away.

Debuting in 2024, at a time when multiversal storytelling was all the rage thanks to the MCU and DCEU, Dark Matter offered a more cerebral and grounded alternative to the likes of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Flash by exploring the unpredictable consequences of opening Pandora's box, and audiences responded in kind.

"It just shows you that audiences want to be challenged," Crouch says. "The Golden Age of television started in the 2010s with The Sopranos, Mad Men, things like that, and it was in the drama space. I think sci-fi is now catching up and meeting it, finally, which is so exciting. And I think audiences are ready for it."

As for the uncharted future, Crouch reaffirms his three-season plan for Dark Matter, suggesting more excursions through superposition could lie ahead for the Dessens and their multiverse-traversing, quantum-entangled cohort. "We always thought of the show as a three-season story," Crouch confirms. "It'll be up to the powers that be and the fans to let us finish that story, but it's always been considered a three-season arc."

Dark Matter season 2 streams on Apple TV from August 28, with new episodes airing weekly. For more, check out our list of the best Apple TV shows and fill out your watchlist with our rundown of the most exciting new TV shows heading your way.

VisionQuest star James Spader says Ultron's been up to some pretty normal, nonvillainous stuff since he was defeated in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

"He's had access to the internet, television, history, and he’s just been consuming... and he’s been painting," Spader tells Rotten Tomatoes, in conversation with co-star Paul Bettany. "[Ultron and Vision] have a sort of father-son-therapist-psychopath relationship."

Even though his last conscious body was destroyed by Vision, Ultron is still technically Vision's creator (or peepaw, as he calls himself in the trailer) and therefore has a permanent place in Vision's mind. After the events of WandaVision, the magic version of Vision has since faded away, and all that's left is the rebuilt version that is colorless in appearance and has no memory of Wanda or his past. The upcoming series sees Vision grapple with his own identity, while also welcoming Ultron into his home for some reason. We love a family reunion.

"He lives in this kind of fantastic prison loft and I go to him for advice," Bettany says. "He's just been imprisoned for... by now it would be 14 years or something."

Created by Terry Matalas, the cast includes Bettany as Vision, with Orla Brady as Friday, Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H., T'Nia Miller as Jocasta, James D'Arcy as Jarvis (yes, that Jarvis), and Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff.

VisionQuest is set to hit Disney Plus on October 13. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming Marvel movies and shows for everything else that's in the works.

TV veteran Damon Lindelof – known for Lost, The Leftovers, Watchmen, and now Lanterns – has delivered what we hope is the final say on adaptations changing aspects of their source material.

“We all just have to acknowledge that there’s a level of hubris involved in taking on any of this preexisting IP. But it is called adaptation. Source material is supposed to change and evolve [by definition],” Lindelof said in a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter.

Lindelof added, "As a consumer and as someone who’s making this stuff, there’s almost a responsibility to take risks. I don’t think anybody wants to see you be completely and totally vigilant to the source material because then it isn’t an adaptation at all. Shouldn’t we be beyond this conversation by now?

"Nobody who does what we do goes to bed at night, saying, 'All that I care about is whether or not I pissed off the fans.'" Lindelof continued. "They go to bed at night, going, 'Did I do anything worthwhile creatively? Did I put anything authentically emotional into this story that people can relate to?'"

Those who have religiously followed Lindelof's work over the years will know the writer and creative thrives on change – and even going beyond the boundaries of source material.

The second and third seasons of existential drama The Leftovers went past the story penned in Tom Perrotta's novel of the same name.

Famously, Lindelof also created a 'sequel' to Watchmen as an HBO miniseries, which followed the characters created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons over three decades after the events of the 1980s seminal graphic novel. Lanterns is also a changed, grounded take on DC's Green Lantern comics, although some cosmic elements remain.

It's something I've encountered over the past few years, too, in the video game adaptation space. Nothing wrong with sticking closely to a popular brand or franchise, of course, but I've definitely been an outlier in liking shows such as Paramount's Halo and Amazon's Yakuza more than most – because they at least tried to do something fresh. If I wanted the same old thing again, I'd play the games.

Lanterns is now airing on HBO and HBO Max. Keep up to date with its streaming plans with our Lanterns release schedule.

We're also doing some detective work in Rushville. Join us as we break down the suspects for the Manhunter and who killed Hal Jordan.

The first trailer for Ahsoka season 2 introduces a mysterious Jedi fought by Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano – and one theory links him to a mystical Clone Wars character.

In the trailer, Anakin and Ahsoka fight a man who appears to be a Jedi, in a flashback to the Clone Wars-era on the Star Wars timeline. The man has a triple bladed green lightsaber, as well as some enigmatic makeup on his face.

As Star Wars Holocron points out, the markings look very similar to those of the Son, one of the Force gods introduced in The Clone Wars's Mortis arc.

Now, if you're unfamiliar with that particular storyline, we'll give you a brief overview – though it's a fairly lore-heavy arc. In the episodes, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan Kenobi end up on a strange planet populated by three Force gods. These are the Daughter, who represents the light side, the Son, who represents the dark side, and the Father, who represents the balance.

Throughout the twists and turns of the storyline, Ahsoka ends up being killed by the Son, then resurrected by the Daughter, who in turn kills the Daughter. The Father – who wants Anakin, as the Chosen One, to take his place (he says no) – kills himself, which makes the Son vulnerable enough to then be killed by Anakin.

The Mortis gods have a heavy presence in Ahsoka: they're linked to the mystical World Between Worlds, and the convor Morai, a representation of the Daughter, can be seen watching over Ahsoka Tano herself (a possible dark side counterpart can be spotted, too). A D23 display even confirmed that Morai will return.

Plus, Baylan Skoll is last seen standing on a statue of the Father, which is pointing into the distance – meaning the power he seeks seems linked to Mortis (read more of our theories in our Ahsoka season 2 trailer breakdown).

So, who is this mysterious Jedi Anakin and Ahsoka are duelling? It's unclear for now, but if the makeup on his face really does link to the Son, then Snips and Skyguy could be brushing up against more Mortis lore. Could this character be a disciple of the Son's? It remains to be seen, though other fans speculate this figure could be a young Baylan, Inquisitor Marrok, or just a rogue Jedi.

"There's going to be more lightsabers. A lot more lightsaber action. There's going to be some space battles, some space action, and there's going to be witches, and swords, and explosions galore," Ezra Bridger actor Eman Esfandi shared at a D23 talk attended by GamesRadar+. "It's going to be really fun, really fast-paced, and we may or may not hear something about that a little later today. So, stay tuned here at D23 for Ahsoka season 2."

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on January 20, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else that's on the way.

Lanterns returned to HBO this weekend with its second episode, sparking an alien debate amongst the DCU fanbase, which in turn prompted an interesting theory about Hal Jordan's alleged death.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 2, so turn back now if you haven't caught up. First, read our spoiler-free Lanterns review.

The new DCU show follows Kyle Chandler's Green Lantern Hal Jordan and his trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as intergalactic cops who are drawn to an extraterrestrial murder case in Nebraska. During last week's premiere, we learned the aliens are able to pose as humans, with Jordan rooting one out in an intense interrogation scene.

However, in Lanterns episode 2, it is revealed that when an alien takes human form, they can then be killed as a human and leave behind a human corpse. With that in mind, one Lanterns fan on Twitter thinks that the flash-forward scene in 2026, which shows Hal Jordan's dead body frozen at the football stadium, might be a red herring.

"If the alien doesn't change shape upon dying, then there's the possibility that Hal Jordan actually didn't die and was an alien disguised as him," said the fan. Others seem to agree, as another replied, "This is what I’ve been saying! Also, if you notice in episode one when Hal sets down the ring onto the car dash, there’s this dark band of residue/ impression from his decades of wearing the ring that isn’t present on the dead 'Hal'." Now that is another interesting theory.

It came as quite a shock to see one of the show's leads dead at the end of episode 1 (you can read our list of suspects here), and many DC fans were not too happy about it. However, soon after the series premiere, showrunner David Lindelof told Collider that he's "willing to absorb the boos from the audience in the first inning," urging fans to wait and "see how you feel at the end of Episode 8." Hmm, it sounds as though not all is as it seems.

In the chaos of it all, episode 2 also introduces DC Comics' Sinestro and confirms that Sheriff Kerry Kane is actually from Gotham, which some fans suspected all along.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One, and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Almost 16 years since it debuted, The Walking Dead universe is taking a break from the never-ending zompocalypse for an alt-universe episode where the end of the world never happened.

In the Negan-and-Maggie-centric show's next episode (which airs on AMC in the US this Sunday), things take a turn for the multiversal when Maggie wakes up in a modern-day New York untouched by the undead. Not only that, but Beth (Emily Kinney) is alive and well, despite dying way back in season 5 of the mothership show.

So what's going on? At the moment, it's unclear, though given the lack of sci-fi elements in The Walking Dead universe beyond zombies, it seems more likely this is part of some dream or fantasy, rather than an actual alt-universe. But until Sunday, we won't know for sure.

It's all a bit like Lost season 6, if you ask us. In that sci-fi show's final season, the characters lived out alternate lives off-island (otherwise known as flash-sideways) that were eventually revealed to be part of the afterlife. Given the confusion Lost's final season caused (no, they weren't dead all along…), it seems unlikely that the team behind The Walking Dead would make a similar mistake.

The glimpse at the new episode, which is dropping two weeks after Dead City seemingly introduced talking zombies into Walking Dead lore (though that could be interpreted as Dillard's imagination), has confounded fairweather Walking Dead fans who haven't been keeping up with the ins and outs of spin-offs like Dead City and Daryl Dixon, which have been taking increasingly wild swings with the long-running franchise.

"I haven't caught up with The Walking Dead, where are the zombies?" asked one user on Twitter, echoing the sentiments of many. "You either end as Breaking Bad or live long enough to become Riverdale," added another, referring to the bonkers CW show's tendency to pull the rug in the most absurd ways.

Those who have been keeping up with Dead City season 3 offer a more level-headed response. "It's very clearly a Dream Sequence," said one fan. "Dead City has been pretty good this season. The writing and creative choices have all been pretty solid, so I'm intrigued about this episode. These new spinoffs not being bound by comic storylines is allowing for some creative stuff." Which is a fair point! Maybe we shouldn't write off Dead City's big swing episode too soon.

The Walking Dead: Dead City is currently airing on AMC in the US. A UK release date is TBC. For more, check out our guide on how to watch The Walking Dead in order and our ranking of the best Walking Dead episodes.

Just weeks after Marvel TV show Wonder Man was scrapped, new figures show that season 1 was the second most-watched original series on Disney Plus during the first half of 2026, making its cancelation even more confusing.

As per new figures shared by Luminate Data, Wonder Man was the second-most-streamed original TV show on Disney Plus in the US during the first six months of 2026. Wonder Man season 1 clocked in at 1.9 billion views after hitting the streamer on January 27. The show sits behind Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which is the most-streamed show of the year so far at 2.3 billion views, after premiering on March 24.

The rest of the top ten includes Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 at 1.8 billion views, Daredevil: Born Again season 1 at 1.3 billion, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord at 1.1 billion, The Mandalorian season 1 at 887.9 million, Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 at 798.7 million, The Mandalorian season 3 at 790.2 million, Phineas and Ferb season 5 at 776.2, and in tenth place is The Mandalorian season 2 with 728 million.

With that, it looks like many viewers were rewatching shows like The Mandalorian in preparation for The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Percy Jackson season 1 before season 2 dropped this summer. Wonder Man and surprise Star Wars hit Maul – Shadow Lord are the only brand new shows to break into the top 10 list, which is pretty impressive.

However, both Daredevil: Born Again and Maul – Shadow Lord currently have new seasons in the works. So why was Wonder Man scrapped before its second season? Despite being renewed for season 2 in March, Marvel Studios and Disney pulled the plug on Wonder Man in July, seemingly out of the blue. In fact, not even showrunner Andrew Guest saw it coming, as the scribe had already started writing Wonder Man season 2.

Right now, the only new live-action show in the works at Marvel TV (that we know of) is VisionQuest. However, other popular series continue to grow, with Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man season 2, Daredevil: Born Again season 3, and X-Men '97 season 3 (and 4) all on the way.

For more on Marvel Phase 6, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order and keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy has opened up about the second episode's Sinestro appearance and how it acts as a shock to the system for those who thought the HBO series was going to outright reject its comic book origins.

"We held off on a lot of the more comic book stuff. It's very grounded," Mundy said on Lanterns: The Official Podcast. "We're in western Nebraska. Hal is wearing jeans and a jacket. It felt like a good time to remind people we understand the show we're making and we understand who the players are."

The scene, which arrives at the end of the second episode, 'Trust Fall', sees Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan fly off to the intergalactic prison in which former Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) is being held.

While tensions are understandably frosty between the pair, the moment is framed as Hal returning to his mentor for help in cracking the case on Earth – as a Manhunter runs loose in Rushville.

"It felt like the moment in the show to let everybody know we're doing space cops," co-executive producer Vanessa Baden Kelly added.

The sudden emergence of Sinestro, and the history between him and Hal, is proof enough that – in Kyle Chandler's words – the show won't be a "slow burn" after the shocking episode 1 cliffhanger.

"I think it turns out great," Chandler told GamesRadar+. "I think there's a lot of different moves in the whole deal. It's an exciting poker game."

"We didn't have all the scripts starting out. They started coming in… it's not a slow burn. It goes from one world into another, and grows into that."

Lanterns is now airing weekly on HBO and HBO Max.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule, plus our best guesses at who the Manhunter is in Lanterns.

Anakin Skywalker star Hayden Christensen has said Dave Filoni understands his Star Wars character better than him – but will still take his ideas on board.

Christensen first played Anakin way back in 2002's Attack of the Clones, and, following 2005's Revenge of the Sith, he returned to his role in Disney Plus shows Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka (he'll also soon be back in Ahsoka season 2).

When asked by IMDb at this year's D23 if he's able to give feedback on his character to the writers, Christensen responded: "I don't need to. Dave Filoni I think understands this character in some ways even better than I do. And so when I read the scripts, I'm just elated with what I get to do and say. That said, he's still very collaborative, and if I have an idea, I'll share it, and if it works, then we'll do it. And so, we're not too precious about things and we get to explore a little bit. But I try to honor the words that he's written and I don't need to deviate much."

Christensen will return as both Force ghost Anakin and the Clone Wars version of the character in Ahsoka season 2, as revealed by the first trailer (check out our full trailer breakdown here for our theories).

"There's going to be more lightsabers. A lot more lightsaber action. There's going to be some space battles, some space action, and there's going to be witches, and swords, and explosions galore," Ezra Bridger actor Eman Esfandi shared at D23, in a talk attended by GamesRadar+. "It's going to be really fun, really fast-paced, and we may or may not hear something about that a little later today. So, stay tuned here at D23 for Ahsoka season 2."

Ahsoka season 2 arrives on Disney Plus on January 20, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows for everything else that's coming soon.

DC Studios' Gorilla Grodd TV show is coming to HBO Max as an eight-episode series now officially titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd.

James Gunn, co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, took to social media to announce the news. Gunn is executive producing the series and calls it DC Studios' "first foray into the true crime genre." Really, it's a mockumentary-style exploration of the cult-favorite arch-enemy Gorilla Grodd, one of the wildest creations in DC history, and whether he's guilty of murdering his father.

First conceived way back in 1959 during the early days of the Silver Age DC Universe in The Flash #106 by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino, Grodd is a super-intelligent ape with psychic powers with world-conquering ideations. In the DC Studios TV show, he's convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City, while Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo, reopens the case to find out whether Grodd is truly guilty or innocent.

Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the directing duo known for creating the 2017 Netflix mockumentary series American Vandal, are serving as writers and showrunners on The People v. Gorilla Grodd. The cast includes Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.

"We're excited by the challenge of creating a series that feels less like an entry into the DCU and more like an artifact from it," Yacenda and Perrault say in a statement to Variety. "A Daily Planet original documentary made for the people of Metropolis. We hope it'll appeal to fans of the comics, comedy and true crime. And while we can't speak for audiences here yet, we already know it's a huge hit in Metropolis. They love this series."

Meanwhile, Gunn repeats that the Grodd TV show is one of two shows alongside Lanterns that he pitched to Warner Bros. before he even joined the company. "With Tony and Dan at the helm, it's something truly special," he says.

While we await more details, here are all of the upcoming DC movies and shows on our radar.

Dave Bautista has replaced Ryan Hurst as Kratos in Amazon's God of War series. Hurst had to leave the show due to a severe injury when filming, leading Guardians of the Galaxy star Bautista to enter talks before he confirmed the news with a post on his Instagram account.

However, it seems like the news was actually manifested four years ago. As one fan spotted, there's a reference to Bautista's Guardians of the Galaxy character being the "God of War" in the movie's Disney Plus Christmas special.

As can be seen in this clip posted to Reddit, Drax and Mantis pose with fans in front of a Christmas tree in Hollywood. "Okay amazing, thank you so much," the photographer says, "We got a picture with the God of War!" It's an easy to miss moment that pokes fun at how Drax and Kratos actually look pretty similar. If you squint…

Fans have rallied to see Bautista in the role for many years and so it's not surprising that this has made it into the pop culture-loaded Guardians of the Galaxy series. James Gunn, who penned the script for that, is well known for his tongue-in-cheek dialogue, but it's fun to see this referenced in light of the recent news.

With Bautista's casting confirmed, it's expected that the God of War production will resume in Vancouver soon. Amazon has given the show a two-season order, which is due to shoot back to back.

For more upcoming video game adaptations, check out our guides to The Legend of Zelda, The Last of Us season 3, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

After stumbling slightly with Supergirl, it looks like James Gunn's DCU is back on form as new series Lanterns sets a major record for DC Studios.

As per Variety, Lanterns season 1 episode 1 pulled in a whopping 9.3 million viewers in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max worldwide, marking the biggest series premiere for a DC Studios show ever. Plus, 6.6 million of those views came from the US.

This is quite the feat, as Lanterns has beaten Creatures and Commandos, Peacemaker, and even beloved Batman spin-off The Penguin, which took eleven whole days to amass the amount of views Lanterns hit in just three days. Lanterns now sits in the top five series premieres on HBO behind Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which opened to 6.7 million viewers in the US earlier this year.

The massive viewership is not too much of a surprise, as the show hit HBO to rave reviews on Sunday, August 16. Lanterns currently stands at an impressive 94%. In our Lanterns review, we awarded the new DCU project 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a "captivating murder mystery that prides itself on relentless pacing and masterful character work from Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart."

Although it's only early days, there have been some rumblings around a possible Lanterns season 2, with scribe Chris Mundy already back in the writers' room working on new stories. Lanterns' success also follows a bit of a shake-up for Gunn's DCU Chapter One as Peacemaker spin-off Waller and Wonder Woman show Paradise Lost have been scrapped.

The show follows Chandler's Green Lantern and Intergalactic Cop Hal Jordan as he trains Pierre's new recruit John Stewart to take over the mantle. However, the unlikely duo are quickly pulled into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder that seems to have extraterrestrial ties. Lanterns also stars Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, and Nathan Fillion.

Lanterns continues to air weekly on HBO Max. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

A new trailer for Blue Eye Samurai season 2 has finally arrived, and with a release date in tow.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, Mizu is on a boat headed to London when a storm nearly causes a shipwreck. At the very end, we learn that new episodes are set to arrive in January 2027. A clip from season 2 was previously shown at Annecy, which saw Mizu arrive in London and become part of an underground fighting ring... where all the men underestimate her before she kicks some serious butt.

Per the official logline: "In Season 2, Mizu's bloody quest continues in London, where she faces new friends, old foes, and her own demons. In Japan, Akemi and Taigen navigate Edo Castle under a dangerous new Shogun, while Ringo searches for new purpose." The new trailer comes as part of Netflix's anime slate for Anime NYC.

"Mizu's journey remains the same. Revenge is her religion," Noizumi previously said of the new season, when we received a first-look trailer back in 2025.

Blue Eye Samurai hit Netflix back in November 2023 and was swiftly renewed for a second season that same December. Created by husband-and-wife team Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, the series follows a female warrior onna-musha who seeks revenge against four men, one of whom is her father. The impressive voice cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Brenda Song, George Takei, Masi Oka, and Randall Park.

For more, check out the best anime shows to watch right now.

As revealed at Anime NYC, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 hits Netflix on October 20 – and has a chrome-filled new trailer to whet the appetite before we set foot in Night City once more.

The Edgerunners season 2 teaser, which you can see above, introduces us to all the key players who we'll follow in the latest batch of episodes.

As you may have noticed, these aren't David's crew from the first season of Edgerunners. The Studio Trigger anime – co-produced by CD Projekt Red – is going anthology style, introducing a new band of netrunners and metallic ne'er-do-wells.

The bulk of the trailer revolves around Clancy Brown's Weak Kingsley, who appears to go cyberpsycho in one moment and, in a more tender scene, is protecting Talia (Kimoy Lee), a girl who may or may not be her daughter.

Rounding out the cast is camera-wielding Roman Carax (Valeria Rodriguez) and Snake Nation member D. (Nazeeh Tarsha), who each get mixed up in the blood-and-metal mayhem that the second season of Edgerunners is cooking up.

One moment in particular, that of an Arasaka building being bombed, may conjure up the legendary exploits of V. and Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077, as well as the ill-fated David's confrontation with Atom Smasher at the end of the first season. Either way, it seems the corporation is very much still around in the anime.

The first episode was already shown at this year's Anime Expo, with first reactions calling it "very special." The creatives behind the series also compared the upcoming season to a Martin Scorsese film, as if there wasn't reason to be excited about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 enough.

For more, check out our guide to new anime, as well as the best anime you should be watching in 2026.

Hayden Christensen says he wants to make a live-action Clone Wars series with the OG cast of the prequel series... and that everyone would be down to come back.

"I know that Ewan McGregor would love to do more with it," Christensen said on the Hey Jonas podcast, when asked by Kevin Jonas if there would ever be a live-action Anakin series. "I've heard Natalie [Portman] would love to come back. Sam Jackson. So you could get the band back together."

As a defender of the prequels, this makes me irrationally happy. Until Obi-Wan Kenobi, Christensen had not revisited Anakin since 2005 (though his vocal 'cameo' in The Rise of Skywalker does technically count). In The Clone Wars TV show, we learn that Ahsoka and Anakin have some serious history together (I also find it endearing that he calls her 'Snips' and she calls him 'Skyguy'). It only made sense that this would carry over into the live-action Ahsoka series.

"I'm ready whenever they are. They just seem to not be ready, but I'm up for it," McGregor previously stated regarding returning as Obi-Wan. It's been four years since his standalone limited Disney Plus series. The actor reportedly followed Dave Filoni around on set of Ahsoka season 2 (in which his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Hera) in order to pitch his character's comeback.

Ahsoka season 2 hits Disney Plus on January 20, 2027. The trailer for the new season was released at D23 and you can check out our Ahsoka season 2 trailer breakdown for all the major moments.

The first trailer for Golden Axe has arrived, and it's a silly, action-packed jaunt through medieval times.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, legendary warriors Ax Battler (Liam McIntyre), Tyris Flare (Lisa Gilory) and Gilius Thunderhead (Matthew Rhys) are forced to reunite in order to save Yuria from the evil giant Death Adder, who just won’t seem to stay dead.

Per the official synopsis, "their quest is complicated by Hampton Squib (Danny Pudi), an inexperienced and wildly underprepared adventurer whose dream of heroism far exceeds his abilities. Forced to work together despite their flaws, they must find a way to stop Death Adder once and for all." Additionally, Saturday Night Live writer Carl Tart provides the voice for a humanoid panther named Chronos "Evil" Lait.

The animated series was created by Mike McMahan (Star Trek: Lower Decks) and Joe Chandler (American Dad), with Chandler serving as showrunner.

The beat 'em up video game was released in 1989, as both an arcade game and for the Sega Genesis. The player controls one of three characters, Ax, Tyris, or Gilius, with the intention of saving the fantastical land of Yuria from the evil Death Adder. Comedy Central announced a 10-episode order for the series back in 2024.

Golden Axe is set to hit Paramount Plus on September 16. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming video game movies, or, check out our list of all the new TV Shows you should have on your radar.

The first episode of Lanterns ended with a huge twist: Hal Jordan is dead. Discovered by John Stewart and Sheriff Kane in Rushville, we see Hal's frozen body sitting upright with a bullet in his head at the end of the episode.

This sets up a major mystery about who's behind the big death (you can read our list of suspects here). However, one viewer has noticed something in the show's trailer, which might have blown the case wide open.

Sharing a few screenshots from the new Lanterns trailer on Reddit, they saw a body with a similar wound as well as a similar skull. Check this out below.

"The body Hal drags out from the morgue has a wound on its forehead, exactly where "Hal's" wound is at the end of episode 1," they wrote. "And the skull John picks up also has what looks to be a healed wound in a similar area. Lends me to suspect Hal's still alive, and these are all aliens being murdered."

Another viewer agreed, pointing out that elsewhere in the same trailer, Hal can be seen dragging the body from the morgue into the same football field that his body was found in.

Redditors have been running with the theory. "That's an actually insane discovery. If true, this would be exceptional foreshadowing," one wrote, while another added: "Don't forget they made a HUGE point to tell the audience that there are species of aliens who can shapeshift so well that they can even fool medical scans without an issue."

We've got to admit, we're hoping there's something to this theory. While we'll likely see more of Hal in the series, we're holding out hope that he might somehow be still alive.

For more on Lanterns, check out our Lanterns review as well as our breakdown of the Lanterns release schedule.

Following Marvel Studios showing off its upcoming movie slate at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 and D23, you may have noticed that the studio failed to announce any new shows. However, it sounds as though the superhero studio has a few projects up its sleeve.

According to Puck's What I'm Hearing, there are multiple live-action Marvel series in development over at Disney Plus, with official announcements set to arrive soon.

Now, we don't know what the new projects are, but more may be revealed at New York Comic Con 2026. The Marvel Television and Marvel Animation panel takes place at NYCC on Thursday, October 8th. The listing reads, "Join special guests for an inside look at Marvel Television and Marvel Animation’s most anticipated upcoming series on Disney Plus."

The only new live-action TV show Marvel has on the way is WandaVision spin-off VisionQuest, welcoming back Paul Bettany as the hero in his own solo adventure. In terms of renewals, we know that season 2 of animated show Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man is set to hit Disney Plus in January 2027. Daredevil: Born Again season 3 and X-Men '97 season 3 (and 4) are currently in development too.

However, Marvel TV has had a bit of a shakeup this year. The studio decided to cancel original superhero show Wonder Man after previously renewing it for a second season. Plus, at SDCC 2026, Marvel head Kevin Feige confirmed the upcoming Nova project, which was previously announced as a TV show, is now going forward as a movie.

Marvel movies, on the other hand, are flourishing. Last month, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit screens to record-breaking box office takings, and Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit screens this December. More sequels are on the way too, including Avengers: Secret Wars and Black Panther 3. Aside from follow-ups, Marvel announced its upcoming Ghost Rider movie at SDCC and revealed the cast of Marvel's X-Men at D23.

The next Marvel project set to hit screens is TV show VisionQuest on October 14, 2026, on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order, and keep up with new Marvel movies and TV shows.

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy says season 2 is being mapped out right now and will be told in a "slightly different way"

"The question is whether [season two] is a story people are interested in," Mundy told The Hollywood Reporter. "If that's the case, then we’ll get to do another one. We'll tell it in a slightly different way, so that it feels fresh, with characters you know and care about."

Of the ongoing pre-production plans, Mundy added, "We're about six weeks into laying out a season, and then we'll talk to folks about it really soon."

Given the title of Lanterns, there had been some expectation – including from myself, admittedly – that each season would go full True Detective and follow a different Lantern and new crime each season.

But given the talk of "characters you know and care about", there could be some familiar faces back and rocking the ring instead. So, likely no Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, or more obscure Lanterns like Saarek.

Is that a good thing? Well, I'll just say this: I didn't know how much I wanted a Guy Gardner and John Stewart buddy cop duo until now. Make it happen, James Gunn.

Speaking of Gunn, Mundy reaffirmed that the DC Studios boss never meddled in the narrative ahead of John Stewart's appearance in 2027 Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

"We knew we were putting John on his feet, but there wasn’t an actual story point that we had to land him on," Mundy said. "In one way, it makes it scarier because it could be anything, but at the same time, we weren’t shoehorned into anything at all."

Lanterns is currently airing new episodes every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule. We also have a list of prime suspects behind episode 1's shocking whodunnit.

The name's Lantern. Green Lantern.

Whether he intended to or not, Henry Winkler's recent social media activity added another name to the long, long list of actors who are on audience's wishlists to play the new James Bond.

"Aaron Pierre should be the next BOND," Winkler tweeted on Sunday night after watching the British actor step onto the scene as rookie Lantern-in-training John Stewart on HBO's Lanterns.

In the 2026 scenes, it's hard to disagree. Pierre takes over the show in style (literally, too, thanks to that trendy winter attire), showcasing the blend of charm and command that could easily see him working for His Majesty's Secret Service on the big screen.

Lanterns co-star Kelly Macdonald, who plays Sheriff Kane in the series, wants Pierre to keep on trucking with his role as John Stewart, however.

"I just feel sorry for anybody that gets [linked] – it sort of gets spoken about too much," Macdonald tells GamesRadar+. "Saying yes to a Bond film is a big, big, deal. Lots of people get thrown in the mix. It feels like every week there's a new person."

Macdonald adds, "He certainly could be [Bond], but I hope to see him as a Green Lantern for many years to come."

When we mention Winkler's tweet to Pierre himself, the John Stewart actor – who is set to reprise the role in 2027's Man of Tomorrow – remained humble over the links.

"I think that is an enormous compliment, and I appreciate it greatly. That's very kind. It's a very kind thing for someone to say."

The hunt for the next 007 continues, with producer Amy Pascal recently saying the next Bond actor will be "different" and announced by the end of the year (via Deadline).

Whether he likes his martinis shaken or stirred, it appears Pierre is blocking out the noise – from the spy world or otherwise. Still, Lanterns could yet be an audition for him to earn the number.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, here's all the latest on DCU Chapter One.

The future of Doctor Who is pretty uncertain at the moment following the cancelation of the latest season's Christmas special and announcement of Ncuti Gatwa's exit. The long-running BBC sci-fi show has now been put out to tender to see if another production company will pick up the franchise for a reboot.

However, Doctor Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss isn't feeling too hopeful about its return. "I think the fact that Doctor Who had a second act of 21 years is absolutely amazing," he told the Radio Times. "And for it to come back, possibly even more popular than it was in the first run… But I think maybe it's just time for a break, because these things, all good things come to an end. I think the BBC putting out for tender is a perfectly great idea, but we've been here before."

He cited the show's cancelation at the end of the '80s. "They put it out to tender then and it just quietly didn't happen and I have a feeling maybe that's what's going to happen," Gatiss continued. "I feel very doomy."

The actor added that he thinks it will come back again but viewers need to "miss it" before it does and perhaps a new generation needs to take the helm.

Gatiss has worked on the show both in front of and behind the camera. He wrote nine televised episodes and appeared as a villainous scientist and a dying World War I soldier in the modern series, as well as penning several official Who books.

Earlier this year, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies addressed the cancelation of Doctor Who on Instagram too, saying a heartfelt "goodbye" to fans of the show.

Check out our guide to all the upcoming TV shows you need to know about.

Ewan McGregor has made no secret about how much he wants to return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars universe. However, apparently he's so keen, he's even been pitching to Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni and considering time traveling love stories.

"It was very casual, but I said there's got to be something," McGregor told Variety about his pitch to Filoni on the set of Ahsoka, which his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars in. "Yoda's somewhere else. After the end of Episode III', when we all go to the four or five corners of the galaxy – or however many corners it's got – I won't have been in touch with him. But he's out there. So I think there could be a story there where I'm trying to reach out to him."

He's not just considered a Yoda-centric story either, but also once harbored hopes he could star opposite Winstead's New Republic general Hera Syndulla as well. "I got very excited when Mary started working on Ahsoka," he added to Variety. "I thought, maybe this is the big love story – Obi-Wan and Hera." However, he has come to acknowledge the characters are in different timeframes with Ahsoka set years after Obi-Wan's death.

McGregor's comments come shortly after his last plea to Disney to revive his character once again. Speaking at the recent premiere of The End of Oak Street, he said: "I'm ready whenever they are. They just seem to not be ready, but I'm up for it."

While Obi-Wan's Star Wars future is still unclear, Winstead will be returning soon in Ahsoka season 2. The trailer for the new season was released at D23 and you can check out our Ahsoka season 2 trailer breakdown for all the major moments.

Lanterns isn't Aaron Pierre's first DC rodeo.

Almost a decade ago, a baby-faced Pierre formed part of the cast of Krypton, a SyFy series that charted the domestic court of Krypton and the lives of Superman's ancestors, including his grandfather, Seg-El.

There, Pierre played Dev-Em, a part worlds away from a far more iconic DC role – as John Stewart in Lanterns. But that doesn't mean it wasn't able to influence his step-up in comic book roles when the time came.

"I think they're two unique and individual experiences," Pierre tells GamesRadar+ during a Lanterns press event in London.

"One thing that I did take from my experience on Krypton to the set of Lanterns is – I'm still young now, but I was even younger on Krypton – I took the experience of being on a set of that enormity and that magnitude. And how do you honor your character, service the character, and do the same thing for the story in such a grand environment and in such a grand set?"

Pierre concludes, "That's that's the sort of education that I brought with me to this, and I had a blast doing it."

Pierre went from Krypton, via Pride Rock in Mufasa, to Rushville, Nebraska as part of the Lanterns cast. Next, he's going to reprise his role as John Stewart in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, while also blasting off to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Starfighter.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule and our guide to DCU Chapter One.

We're only 1 episode into new DCU Chapter One show Lanterns, but the theories are already starting to roll in. The latest being that fans think that Kelly MacDonald's character Kerry is a Gothamite in disguise.

Despite Lanterns being set in Nebraska, DC fans are positive that the local sheriff is actually from Gotham City. That's right, the same place where Batman himself resides. In episode 1, Kerry is seen talking on the phone to a police Commissioner when she says, "Tell Barb I said hey." Could Kerry be talking to Gotham's Commissioner Gordon? In DC comics, Gordon's wife is named Barbara, but in some stories his daughter is named Barbara Gordon, otherwise known as Batgirl.

This could just be a little DC Easter egg, or maybe it is James Gunn''s way of slipping in context for the DCU's upcoming Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold. But there's more, as Portuguese DC fan page Caverna do Morcego points out on Twitter. "Her full name is Kerry Kane. The Kane family is one of the most influential in Gotham. Bruce Wayne's mother was a Kane," reads the post.

It is true that in traditional DC comics, Batman's mother's maiden name is Martha Kane. However, a few other characters share that last name too, including Bruce Wayne's cousin, Kate (Katherine) Kane, who later became Batwoman. At this point, we don't know what 'Kerry' is short for, meaning there is the possibility that Kerry is Katherine. But that may be a bit of a reach this early on in the series.

This isn't the first time that fans have drawn a connection from Lanterns to the Batman comics. Towards the end of episode 1, Aaron Pierre's Jon Stewart walks past a poster for Janus Cosmetics, which shows a woman's face half covered in black feathers. However, in DC comics, Janus is owned by Roman Sionis, aka Batman Villain Black Mask. Following the downfall, the baddie businessman goes after Bruce Wayne after Wayne Enterprises publicly bails him out. Boy, these Gothamites really are everywhere.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our Lanterns review, and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

In celebration of Breaking Bad Day this year, fans will be able to see the show's top-rated episode on the big screen for the first time 15 years after it aired.

On September 7, US movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse will host special interactive screenings of Breaking Bad season 4 episode 13, as per Collider. The one-day event is set to take place across the US in Alamo theatres in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC Metro Area, Denver, Laredo, Omaha, Northern Virginia, Raleigh, San Francisco Bay Area, St. Louis, and Springfield.

Better yet, tickets are free with any $10 food and drink purchase, which makes sense as Alamo cinemas are known for serving dinner and drinks during screenings. There will also be a costume contest, so make sure to wear your best Los Pollos T-shirts and yellow cleansuits for a chance to win a prize. If that sounds up your street, make sure to reserve your spot today over at Drafthouse.com.

You may be wondering why Alamo is screening the season 4 finale rather than the series finale. Well, season 4 episode 13, titled 'Face Off,' is turning 25 years old this October, so there's no better time than Breaking Bad Day 2026 to celebrate it. Face Off is also the highest-rated Breaking Bad episode on IMDb, tied with the series finale.

Face Off marks the final showdown between Bryan Cranston's science teacher turned meth maker Walter White and Giancarlo Esposito's villainous restaurant owner and criminal Gus Fring. The installment ends with Gus' face being blown off in an old folks home courtesy of a bell-ringing ex-criminal named Hector, hence the title.

Fans will be able to play along with the episode, as attendees will also get a bag full of Breaking Bad swag, including a Heisenberg hat, blue rock candy, Hector's call bell, and a Gus Fring half-face mask. Oh what fun.

For more, check out the new TV shows heading your way very soon.

Lanterns writer Damon Lindelof is no stranger to bringing out our emotions as part of Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen – but even we didn't see the first episode's narrative gambit coming.

Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan is dead and, as Lindelof told Collider, it's a story beat he initially wasn't on board with.

"We can't do that, everyone is gonna hate us and it feels gimmicky," Lindelof said. "But [showrunner Chris Mundy] was like, 'I don't feel that it's gimmicky. I think that it will actually infuse the entire story with a lot of emotionality, especially if the audience understands that John and Hal were not in a good place at the time that Hal died.'"

Lindelof revealed they "gradually" started coming round to the idea, but acknowledged that "a lot of people are going to be angry."

"'I waited this long for another live-action version of Hal, having not gotten him since the Ryan Reynolds film, and then basically 50 minutes after getting me to fall in love with Kyle Chandler, you're killing him off? Fuck you.'" Lindelof said.

"I guess our feeling is, let's see how you feel at the end of Episode 8, and if you still feel like it was exploitative or unnecessary, or that it wasn't exactly what had to happen in order for this story to get told, then we deserve it. But I think we're willing to absorb the boos from the audience in the first inning, as long as we still have a shot at winning the game."

In-universe, Hal Jordan is surviving – but not quite thriving – as 'hail' comes to Rushville, Nebraska as of 2016. There's even a decade-old 'Halogram' as part of his Lantern ring that muddies the waters slightly.

But in 2026, he appears definitively dead, his frozen body slumped out on the rafters – a fitting end to a character played by a Friday Night Lights lead, perhaps, but a sad one nonetheless.

We spoke to Kyle Chandler about the reveal, and he teased that the story won't be a "slow burn" from hereon out.

Adding to the mystery, it's been confirmed that Guy Gardner has Hal Jordan's ring. There's every reason, then, why our list of prime murder suspects is so long. But we'll have to seemingly wait until the finale to find out whodunnit.

For more, check our where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline, as well as our interview with Aaron Pierre as he talks Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

The first episode of Lanterns ended, fittingly, in blackest night with a dead body.

Despite the premiere shocker – as part of a 2026 flash-forward – reframing the whole show already, Hal Jordan actor Kyle Chandler promises what follows isn't going to be a "slow burn" before we get to the grand reveal.

Be warned, major spoilers for Lanterns episode 1 within.

So, Hal Jordan is dead. How he got there, who killed him, and whether we're actually looking at Hal slumped in the snowy rafters in Rushville remain a mystery

But what Chandler is transparent about when we spoke to him about that moment is that it's going to be pedal to the (green) metal all the way through – but he warned that "everyone is going to have to watch and find out to make their own decision" on the first episode's rug-pull.

"I think it turns out great," Chandler says. "I think there's a lot of different moves in the whole deal. It's an exciting poker game."

Chandler adds, "We didn't have all the scripts starting out. They started coming in… it's not a slow burn. It goes from one world into another, and grows into that."

We already have one answer courtesy of the show's creatives. It's confirmed that Guy Gardner has Hal Jordan's ring as of the events of Superman. Good luck trying to get anything else out of them – it's among Sector 2814's biggest current secrets in the DCU.

Lanterns is available on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, we have a list of the main suspects who could have killed Hal Jordan.

Then, we shine a light on DC's bright future with our guide to DCU Chapter One.

The new subscriber-only Crunchyroll store has officially launched after a controversial overhaul, and it's left every book and most Blu-rays behind.

Last month, Crunchyroll, now owned by Sony's Funimation after a 2021 deal, announced a new store portal that will only allow Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate-tier subscribers to make purchases. An everything-must-go sale accompanying the news implied that reams of physical media would be delisted with this relaunch, and, if anything, the outcome is even worse than expected.

As MangaAlerts flagged on Bluesky, all manga, light novels, manhwa (Korean comics), and danmei (Chinese yaoi literature, basically) have vanished from the Crunchyroll store after today's update.

With a clear focus on figures, clothes, and similar merch, the categories under the new store's "shop all" page are limited to:

• New
• Accessories
• Apparel
• Collectibles
• Games
• Home
• Home Entertainment
• Music

Physical media is hard to come by in this selection. The music page reveals just 10 CD and vinyl options. Home entertainment hides a scant 387 Blu-ray and DVD sets (with those CDs and vinyl mixed in), representing a massive reduction from the store's previous catalog.

It's worth noting that the whole store is looking pretty piecemeal at the moment, with just one entry for the whole games category – the Naruto Shippuden Clue board game. Thank goodness we have that.

More items will surely be added, even outside the rotating limited-time merch drops heavily emphasized in the new store, but it's unclear whether entire categories – like, say, for the books that are now harder to buy since Crunchyroll absorbed popular Asian goods shop RightStuf a few years ago – will be restored. I'm not expecting a big danmei button in the store, but the complete abandonment of books makes me wince.

Likewise, the countless missing Blu-ray options – which, MangaAlerts rightly points out, tend to be from studios not under the Sony anime empire – may remain absent.

I've reached out to Crunchyroll for comment on the store's selection of physical media. As it stands, Sony has simply destroyed RightStuf and yet more of its own physical goods lineup as PlayStation marches toward the 2028 death of discs.

Phantom Blade Zero State of Play bravely leaves comments on, is flooded with PlayStation fans telling Sony "no disc no buy."

John Stewart actor Aaron Pierre says filming Lanterns for over 100 days prepared him for taking the next step in the DCU in 2027's Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow .

"For me, what was an enormous gift was having those eight hours of HBO [television] to live with before going onto Man of Tomorrow," Pierre tells GamesRadar+ of his DCU bow as rookie Lantern-in-training John Stewart.

It wasn't just the canvas of eight hours of television on which Pierre could paint. He embodied John Stewart across almost all of production, an opportunity he cherished – and offered a chance to build out the character.

"I was on the phone to [showrunner] Chris Mundy the other day. He was like, 'Congratulations, man. You filmed for 106 days out of 112.' Just on that note, to have 106 days with a character before going on in the DC cinematic universe is a gift. That is not a given. I am very grateful I had that," Pierre said.

On how his time on Lanterns shaped his Man of Tomorrow performance, Pierre added, "That's just the way it worked out. I don't know how intentional it was or wasn't, but I'm forever grateful for that. It allowed me to step onto the Man of Tomorrow set with a deep understanding of who my man John is."

Pierre is joining a Man of Tomorrow cast which is a mega-DCU crossover in all but name. The Superman follow-up stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult from the core cast; Mr. Terrific actor Edi Gathegi, Guy Gardner's Nathan Fillion, Hawkgirl's Isabela Merced, as well as Supergirl's Milly Alcock, Lars Eidinger's Brainiac, and Blue Beetle actor Xolo Maridueña.

Despite John Stewart bridging the gap between Lanterns and Man of Tomorrow, showrunner Chris Mundy told SFX that he wasn't given a mandate on where to leave off with the character by the show's season finale.

"We weren't tasked with having any specific landing point, which was great for us because it gave us freedom to land the story where we wanted to land the story," Mundy said. "But John will be part of the greater DC Universe. That was good for us to know. And where we land him is somewhere that they're happy with us landing him and somewhere they can take him, if they want."

Lanterns is available exclusively on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule and everything else coming your way as part of DCU Chapter One.

Chainsaw Man anime actor Ryan Colt Levy has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the manga's ending. Earlier this year mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto released the final chapter of the show's source material, taking Denji's story in an unexpected direction.

Veering into the surreal, the manga concluded with Pochita erasing Chainsaw Man from existence, sending the narrative into an alternate reality. The series ends with Porchita and Chainsaw Man back at the beginning of the story, having never met Denji. It was a bold choice and one that really split long-time readers with some criticism over several untied storylines.

However, it seems like Denji's English voice actor was a fan of the twist. Speaking to ComicBook.com, he said he's been having a lot of conversations about the manga.

"Online, it can sometimes seem vitriolic and all over the place," Levy explained. "It’s been out for three months, and I travel a lot, talking with a lot of people in-person. In-person, the response to the finale is overwhelmingly positive. Everyone's allowed to have their opinions, but Fujimoto, as a writer, isn’t there to make you happy; he's there to tell his story. Take it or leave it. I love the ending because to me, it feels like the appropriate finishing point to the story that I had always been reading, if that makes sense."

He went on to add that he feels the signs were there for this conclusion right from the start. "From the very first page, I felt like Fujimoto was going somewhere specifically with what he was trying to say," he added. "It's almost a deconstruction of shonen manga and anime, exploring what being a hero is and the value of yourself."

It's certainly an interesting take and it will be intriguing to see how the anime show adapts it when the time comes. In the meantime, next up is Chainsaw Man season 2. The series is in production with a teaser trailer out but no release date has been announced yet.

For more, check out our guide to the best anime to watch right now and all the new anime you need to know about.

Lanterns may have only just begun on HBO Max, but the new DC story has already started planting major Easter eggs. In the opening episode, one viewer spotted a tease for an iconic Batman villain lurking in plain sight.

Towards the end of the first episode, a poster for Janus Cosmetics can be seen behind John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Alongside the logo is a picture of a woman's face covered partially by black feathers. Those who know their Batman villains well will recognise the name of Janus Cosmetics as the brand that's owned by Roman Sionis, whose alter ego is the Black Mask. Check out the moment below.

First introduced in the DC comics back in the '80s, the Black Mask is a Gotham City crime lord and founder of the False Face Society. After his company fell into ruin and he had to accept a bailout from Wayne Enterprises, Sionis was driven mad by revenge, targeting Bruce Wayne in a series of attacks.

If this Easter egg is teasing the character's introduction, this wouldn't be the first time we've seen them on screen. He's appeared in the animated series The Batman as well as in Birds of Prey, where he is played by Ewan McGregor.

We haven't yet met James Gunn's version of Batman, but we do know that the character is still set to be introduced in the next few years. Lanterns features the biggest tease yet for the iconic character and we wouldn't be surprised if a few more Easter eggs may be hiding in the remaining episodes of the show.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. Check out our Lanterns release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment as well as our Lanterns review for what we think of the show.

It's been nearly 10 months since It: Welcome to Derry premiered, and HBO Max has finally given it the green light for season 2.

HBO released a brief teaser, which you can watch below, that takes us all the way back to 1935... as season 1 took place in 1962 and It returns to Derry every 27 years (though keep in mind that this timeline is adjusted from the Stephen King novel in order for It to die in a more modern 2016, rather than 1985). Andy Muschietti has plans for two more seasons of the hit prequel series, which means a third season would take us even further back to 1908. We can expect this season to focus on the bloody massacre of the Bradley Gang, whose lore was touched on in the first season (and you know you've always wanted to see Pennywise dressed like a gangster holding a machine gun).

The series explores the origins of It and how he came to take on his favorite persona, which is none other than Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Season 1 holds an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews skewing mostly positive, with others taking issue with changes in lore, pacing, and how many times we actually see Pennywise in the show. Creator Andy Muschietti previously said that the new season will get even darker (as if the first season wasn't dark enough), and won't shy away from real-life topics i.e. The Great Depression and racial injustice.

It: Welcome to Derry season 2 does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our guide to the best shows on HBO, and keep up with new TV shows on the way.