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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Director Danny Boyle says 28 Days Later Part 3 is indeed in the works, and that we can expect to see a whole lot of OG star Cillian Murphy in it.

"28 Years 3, or whatever it ends up being called, will get made because people keep asking about it," Boyle told Variety. "Quite when I’m not sure, but there’s a script – a very good script by Alex Garland. [It will have] a lot of Cillian Murphy in it. Whether he'll take his kit off anymore, that I don't know. He's got the Oscar now."

28 Years Later stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, and follows a group of survivors who live away from the infected on a remote island – and make some horrifying discoveries when they return to the mainland. The film grossed $151 million against a budget of $60 million, making it the highest-grossing in the franchise. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which serves as a part 2, sees Taylor-Johnson and Comer return, this time joined by Jack O'Connell as a tracksuit-wearing cult leader. Alex Garland penned the screenplay for both sequels.

Murphy was first rumored to appear in 28 Years Later (with many fans thinking that the emaciated zombie in the trailer was indeed him), and then rumored once again to appear in The Bone Temple.

Fans were worried that the third 28 Years Later installment was dead in the water due to the poor box office returns for The Bone Temple (despite the movie having the highest Rotten Tomatoes score in the franchise at 91%). Both sequels hit theaters in 2025 and 2026 respectively, though it might be a while yet before 28 Years Later 3 gets a release date (and proper title at that).

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best movies coming out in October 2026

Other Mommy

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

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

Matchbox: The Movie

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

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

Street Fighter

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

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

Whalefall

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

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

Clayface

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mike Flanagan has shared his hopes that his new Amazon series will run for multiple seasons. The Haunting of Hill House director is helming a new adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie, and it seems like it will extend far beyond the original story.

Speaking to Collider recently, Flanagan said: "In my dream scenario. I think it’s three seasons. In my dream scenario, I think Carrie has a wonderful three-step arc. It’s a trilogy, really.”

The Amazon show will follow Summer H. Howell's Carrie White as she goes to high school after spending most of her life isolated at home. It's far from an easy transition for the young girl who must navigate intense bullying in a modern world of social media.

It's not clear how he plans to divide up the story at this point, especially given that early trailers for the show seem to suggest it's hitting the main story points. Could Flanagan leave Carrie's story open at the end of his adaptation, or is he planning to expand the story beyond Carrie?

It's not yet clear at the moment because Carrie only hits Prime Video on October 7, when all episodes of the show will be available. Early reactions to the first episodes have been very promising with many praising how it brings the story into a contemporary setting.

Even King himself is a big fan, writing on Threads: "Mike Flanagan's version of CARRIE is brilliant. What it has to say about social media is shocking and true."

Next up for Flanagan is Clayface, the DCU's first step into the world of horror. For more scares, here's our round-up of all the upcoming horror movies you need to know about.

The Game of Thrones movie based on Aegon's Conquest is coming to theaters – and it finally has a release date.

The film will land on June 1, 2029, and it will be directed by Owen Harris, according to Deadline. Harris directed three episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Andor scribe Bea Willimon will pen the script, and the film is titled Game of Thrones: Aegon's Conquest.

While no further details have been revealed just yet, judging by the title, the movie will cover Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of Westeros, which brought the individual kingdoms together for the first time. He accomplished this with the help of his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and, of course, with three dragons.

House of the Dragon revealed that the reason Aegon conquered Westeros was a prophetic vision of the Long Night and the revelation that only a Targaryen on the throne could prevent the apocalypse.

Next up for Game of Thrones is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2, which is arriving in the first half of 2027. Plus, while we're still waiting for The Winds of Winter, it seems that George R.R. Martin is working on more Dunk and Egg stories.

"I'd love to expand it from three seasons to maybe four or five. Book four, which George is working on, takes place in a very cool location. And five is the last story point of Egg as a boy," showrunner Ira Parker has shared. "So it's a very natural ending place for us to take a break and come back when Dexter is older. So then we can do Egg the Prince, do some politics, do some fun stuff in Summer Hall and King's Landing, and get a different vibe where they're not on the road all the time."

While you wait for Aegon's Conquest, check out our guide to all the other upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.

Despite Spider-Noir's cancelation, Spider-Man is close to a streaming return at Amazon with an adaptation of one of the webhead's most controversial and divisive comic storylines.

As reported by Deadline, Prime Video could be the destination for a Clone Saga show.

For the uninitiated, the arc – which spanned multiple Spidey titles across the mid-1990s – featured the return of Ben Reilly, a clone of Peter Parker who tricked many into believing he was the real Peter Parker.

What followed was a convoluted, bloated mess of a comic run that brought in even more clones, sidelined Peter Parker for large periods, and was filled with nonsensical plot twists for multiple years. While it still has some fans, it's largely seen as a flawed diamond in the rough that has largely been ignored by comic continuity in the decades since.

The Clone Saga series will revolve around Reilly and Kaine Parker, a failed clone of Peter Parker. Deadline sources also say there could be "significant changes" to the adaptation. Tom Holland is also not expected to be involved.

As you can imagine, fans have chimed in to deliver their thoughts on Clone Saga potentially coming to TV screens. In short, some changes will be necessary for audiences to find it even remotely palatable.

"Terrible idea," one said on Reddit.

"I could be down for this if it’s animated. I just don’t see a way for it to work if it’s in live action," another wrote.

One Spider-Man fan concurred about turning it into an "animated take" on the Clone Saga, along with some other changes.

"Hopefully they use the revised version of the story. Look, I didn't hate the Clone Saga. It wasn't spectacular, but I didn't hate it," they said. "I just hope they don't shoehorn-in all the new Spider-People like Gwen and Miles."

Critic Martin Kessler responded to the news on Twitter, saying, "The Clone Saga doesn’t get the entire blame, but more than a good chunk of it, for the reason why I stayed away from superhero comics for about a decade."

So, with concerns and questions lingering – will Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker be played by the same actor? – there's plenty of trepidation for the Clone Saga. But Spider-Man's appeal is at an all-time high after Brand New Day's domestic box office records in the US.

For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies in the works, plus all the new TV shows on the way very soon.

Tom Cruise has been dividing audiences with his latest movie Digger, landing his first rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes since The Mummy in 2017. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the satire sees Cruise transform with prosthetics into an oil tycoon called Digger Rockwell, known as the most powerful man in the world.

He becomes humanity's only hope after a disaster he unleashes nearly destroys everything. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, and Emma D'Arcy all also star in the new movie, which has been dividing critics right down the middle. Currently, it's got a 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with plenty giving Cruise props for his performance but arguing that the movie doesn't quite work.

"Big swings can win you games, make balls sail out of parks, get folks standing and cheering at witnessing someone going for it with all they've got," writes Rolling Stones' David Fear. "They can also result in the deafening whoosh of a massive swing-and-a-miss."

Olly Richards at Empire Magazine called it "visually impressive" and said that "Cruise gives his all." However, he continued in his two-star review: "Digger doesn't have much going on beneath the surface. A disappointing waste of a superb team."

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey gave it two stars as well, adding: "When you're watching a film that doesn't really seem to work, which then voluntarily indulges the suggestion that its very existence might be completely pointless – well, then, why did any of us, filmmaker or audience, bother in the first place?"

"The most disappointing film of the year: an exasperatingly shallow, laborious, self-congratulatory satire with a trick up its sleeve, featuring very good actors giving not very good performances," was the verdict of The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw.

Not all the reviews were bad though. Time Out's Philip De Semlyen was more positive, writing: "Subtle? Nope. Mordantly funny and wildly surprising? Definitely. Some will find its 'I'm a bit mad, me' energy exhausting. I lapped up every bonkers moment."

The Telegraph's Robbie Collin was also a fan, giving it four stars in The Telegraph and calling it the most "bonkers film of the year". He wrote: "What a thrill to watch Iñárritu and Cruise hash it out with so much beauty, daring and extravagance."

Cruise is still in the Oscar conversation for some critics too, with Collider's Victoria Luxford calling out his monologue in the movie. "Without special effects or stunts, the veteran star holds your attention throughout, grandstanding in a way that feels like an Oscar moment both in its intention and its impact," she wrote.

Digger is out now. For more upcoming movies, check out our guides to upcoming horror movies and upcoming superhero movies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Star Wars fan has come up with a pretty interesting theory about Star Wars: Starfighter – and it says Ryan Gosling is actually playing Luke Skywalker's son.

Gosling is playing a character named Kade Auberon in the upcoming Starfighter, and fans of the old Legends continuity might notice a similarity with one Cade Skywalker.

"Wouldn't shock me if Starfighter turns out to be a soft launch for the new trilogy and Ryan Gosling is playing Cade Skywalker from Legends, now retrofitted to be Luke's son," predicts the fan.

Cade Skywalker is a descendant of Luke's in Legends – existing in continuity around 100 years later – and he's a bounty hunter and former Jedi Padawan. Gosling's Kade, meanwhile, is still a pretty mysterious character, though footage revealed at D23 shows him in possession of the fastest starfighter in the galaxy, which is a decommissioned Imperial model.

A new Star Wars trilogy is indeed in the works, with the first film to be helmed by Spider-Man director and Skeleton Crew co-creator Jon Watts. It's set to feature Rey "in some capacity," according to The Hollywood Reporter, and it also looks set to continue the Skywalker Saga.

While it does seem very unlikely that Gosling's character is actually Luke Skywalker's son – after all, nothing we've seen of Luke since Return of the Jedi suggests he has a secret family – it wouldn't be a stretch to think Starfighter might set up the new trilogy in some way. We'll just have to wait and see.

Starfighter arrives on May 28, 2027. In the meantime, keep up to date with everything else the galaxy far, far away has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.

BBC boss Matt Brittin has shared his thoughts on AI – and revealed he's been sent an AI-generated episode of Doctor Who.

"Everyone’s got the ability in their hands – or six billion people have – to create content at the standard of a Hollywood studio," Brittin shared at the Royal Television Society conference, as reported by Variety.

"Somebody sent me a 50-minute episode of Doctor Who that was AI-generated the other day. It's pretty good," he added. "I mean, it's not going to replace humans, and we'll come on to that. So everyone's a creator. Not all the creativity is bad."

The future of Doctor Who is currently uncertain. Ncuti Gatwa left the show after just two seasons, and a cliffhanger ending that saw the Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper now seems unlikely to ever be resolved after it was revealed the planned Christmas special will not be happening and showrunner Russell T Davies has exited the show. The BBC is also putting Doctor Who out to tender.

"This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory," the BBC said in a statement.

While you wait for more Doctor Who, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming TV shows to fill out your watchlist.

The Apothecary Diaries is returning. When I first heard that season 3 was kicking off on October 2, I was elated, as I've been waiting patiently to see what Maomao and Jinshi have been up to for months. However, as much as I love the series (Hyakka Ryouran by Lilas Ikuta is always on repeat in this house), the show's return has reminded me that I don't yet own any merch.

As it stands, there's no Maomao representation amongst the best toys in my collection, and that simply cannot stand. To rectify this poisonous omission and prepare myself for the series' return, I've gathered some of the best Apothecary Diaries merch I've spotted across US retailers, from Good Smile's adorable posable Nendoroid figures to the Season 1 and 2 Blu-rays, so I can re-watch the series in the lead-up to its return with plenty of plastic and plush Maomaos in my vicinity.

If you're on the hunt to add some Apothecary Diaries collectibles to your anime shelves in the lead-up to the new season, feel free to browse my selection below. There's a feast of merch available for the series today, including even a pair of chopsticks, though please don't be like Maomao and go looking for poisonous food to eat them with. I mean it.

Want more high-quality toys? Check out our toy expert Benjamin Abbott's best Lego sets guide.

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have reprised their roles as Rick and Evelyn O'Connell for The Mummy 4. Filming on the legacy sequel has now kicked off, 25 years on from their last time on screen together in the roles.

Directed by Radio Silence's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the new movie follows on from The Mummy Returns, ignoring the events of the third movie. Weisz didn't reprise her role as Evelyn in 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and was recast with Maria Bello. The least-loved and most often forgotten in the trilogy, it makes perfect sense that the creators are ignoring it ever existed.

This is especially so given how nostalgic it is making me feel seeing Fraser and Weisz back as their iconic characters. New set photos have emerged of the iconic duo in costume in separate locations as filming takes place around the UK.

Weisz appeared in costume filming scenes outside the British Museum in London (via Polygon) while Fraser was spotted driving a silver-and-red rocket car sporting a leather jacket (via Pop Buzz). By the looks of it, it seems like we're heading to the '50s based on the costumes, which is about 25 years after the original movies. This time jump makes sense given the gap between films, but it's not yet been confirmed by those involved.

As well as Weisz and Fraser reprising their roles, John Hannah is returning as Evelyn's older brother Jonathan, Arnold Vosloo is back as Imhotep, Kevin J. O'Connor comes back as Beni, and Oded Fehr returns as Ardeth Bay. The whole gang is truly back together for the new adventure, and I could not be more excited.

The new Mummy movie hits theaters on October 15, 2027. For more upcoming movies, check out our guides to upcoming horror movies and upcoming superhero movies.

Oppenheimer actor Casey Affleck has revealed he contacted Christopher Nolan for help settling a debate about the director's twisty sci-fi film Tenet.

Affleck played Col. Boris Pash in Oppenheimer, in a very brief but memorable role that saw him share a scene with Cillian Murphy. He also appeared in Interstellar as the adult Tom Cooper.

"I was driving back from school with my son. We were talking about Tenet and disagreeing. I said: 'Let's settle that,'" Affleck shared onstage at the Zurich Film Festival (via Variety).

"We got him on the phone and asked him something that we could have easily looked up on Reddit," he added. "Once he said it, it sounded so obvious I felt embarrassed. That was it. I haven't called him again, and he hasn't called me."

While Affleck didn't elaborate on what, exactly, he needed Nolan to weigh in on, we're not surprised Tenet was the film to spark a debate. After all, it's a fairly difficult movie to wrap your head around. Robert Pattinson, John David Washington, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh star.

Oppenheimer, of course, won Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards, and Nolan's latest film, The Odyssey, looks like one of the strongest contenders to take home the gold this year. Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Pattinson, and more make up the star-studded cast.

The Odyssey is still in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies to plan your theater trips for the rest of the year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reacher season 6 has already been announced, just 12 days after the season 4 finale hit Prime Video. The show was only renewed for a fifth season earlier this year, but it seems the strong showing from the latest episodes has been enough to convince Prime Video to keep investing.

Per Deadline, Reacher season 4 brought in 66 million viewers during its first 28 days on Prime Video, which is higher than season 3. It also means that season 4 ranks among the five most-viewed seasons of any original series on Prime Video, which is quite a feat this far into a show.

Addressing the news, Head of Global Television Peter Friedlander said that "Reacher hits hard." He continued: "Alan Ritchson is Jack Reacher – he's delivered a performance that has captivated audiences around the world. Together with our partners at Paramount Television Studios, we couldn't be more excited to continue this journey. Reacher is a truly iconic series, and we're thrilled to be on the ride with this extraordinary cast and crew for season 6."

Reacher season 5 is currently in production with filming taking place in Toronto. Spin-off show Neagley has also recently hit Prime Video too, and has already been a hit with viewers.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Neagley star Maria Stern opened up about how pleased she is that the series finally reveals her character's backstory. "I was very impressed with how they managed to weave in this very emotional story into this splashy action thriller show," she explained.

For more from the streaming platform, check out our guides to the best Amazon shows to watch right now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lanterns is set to bring its season to a close this Sunday, but DC boss James Gunn seemingly isn't ruling out a second season.

"I've seen Lanterns 500 times and even I'm excited for next week's finale," the DC Studios co-CEO wrote on Threads.

When a fan asked for clarification on whether it was a series finale or season finale, Gunn followed up: "Season finale, correct."

The first season of Lanterns has followed Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart as they investigated a mystery of cosmic proportions in the sleepy town of Rushville, Nebraska.

But at its (crystalized) heart is another mystery: who killed Hal Jordan? As of episode 7, we're still none the wiser – but it's good to know that bumping off one half of the Lantern duo hasn't harmed our chances of a second season. It's worth remembering, too, that Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) is still waiting in the wings, bowl cut and all.

Lanterns co-creator/showrunner Chris Mundy has also addressed the chances of a second season. While there's no official green light for the project, pre-production work is well underway for a follow up.

Mundy told The Hollywood Reporter, "The question is whether [season two] is a story people are interested in. "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."

Mundy added, "We're about six weeks into laying out a season, and then we'll talk to folks about it really soon."

Lanterns is airing weekly on HBO and HBO Max. For news about the finale, check out the Lanterns release schedule.

If you need to know more about the DCU-at-large, we have guides on both DCU Chapter One and upcoming DC movies.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lanterns finale trailer is here – and it appears to be paving the way for John Stewart to be the DCU's Green Lantern.

The trailer, which you can see below, sets up next Sunday's episode in decidedly cryptic fashion, but focuses first and foremost on John Stewart coming face to face with disgraced former Lantern Sinestro on an alien planet.

"The Lantern Corps thinks that fear makes you weak," Sinestro begins. "They couldn't be more wrong."

Those with even a passing knowledge of Lantern lore will know that Sinestro became a Yellow Lantern after wielding a Power Ring that tapped into the power of fear. Worse still, that energy – an entity known as Parallax – would later take over Hal Jordan's body, causing untold destruction and death across the galaxy.

Are we looking at the first steps towards DCU Chapter One's Big Bad right here? Sinestro's next line certainly suggests so: "Fear can be the most powerful force in the universe."

Then there's the small matter of uncovering who killed Hal Jordan. Mercifully, the Lanterns finale trailer has gone light on the spoilers, only sprinkling in a few shots from the upcoming episode. But it does seem like the mystery will be solved come Sunday night – but what it means for the Green Lanterns after that is anyone's guess.

Whatever comes next, Lanterns season 2 appears to be happening.

"The question is whether [season 2] is a story people are interested in," showrunner Chris Mundy told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that he's several weeks into mapping out the next season.

"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."

Aaron Pierre's John Stewart will also appear in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow. On shifting from television to film for the first time in the role, Pierre told GamesRadar+, "For me, what was an enormous gift was having those eight hours of HBO [television] to live with before going onto Man of Tomorrow."

"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. 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."

Lanterns is currently airing weekly on HBO Max.

For more, check out the upcoming DC movies currently in the works, as well as all the latest on Clayface.

Is that a squeaky tricycle we can hear? Yes, it is, as Billy the Puppet has risen from the dead and a new Saw movie is on the way. But fans don't think it's Saw 11 as such.

On September 24, the horror icon took to Twitter to announce that a new Saw movie is officially moving forward, with franchise newcomer Mike P. Nelson directing. The official Saw page posted a suitably creepy video of the puppet saying "the game continues," before giving us the first look at the script. Check out the video below.

However, fans cannot help but notice that the movie's title on the script reads 'Saw' rather than Saw 11 (Saw XI). "I like how everyone is just assuming that this announcement is Saw 11," said one fan, stating that they don't think it is Saw 11 because of the title, a new director, and the fact that "Jigsaw's voice sounds off."

Saw 11 was announced back in December 2023, not long after Saw X hit screens. The movie was supposed to release in late 2024, but was pushed back to 2025 before being scrapped entirely. Original plans for Saw 11 included Kevin Greutert returning to direct, taking place 30 seconds after Saw X, with Tobin Bell playing John Kramer once again.

However, the movie was quietly cancelled following reports of production squabbles. Not long after, the Saw franchise found its way back to creator James Wan after Blumhouse acquired Twisted Pictures' half of the franchise. Blumhouse also houses Wan's Atomic Monster. Wan and co-creator Leigh Whannell have since shared their plans for the franchise's future, saying they want to make Kramer scary again.

Wan has not really had anything to do with the franchise since its early days, so there is no reason why he would carry on the story from Saw X, especially after expressing his wish to take the saga back to its roots. Many thought that Wan himself would return to direct. However, Nelson has the horror qualifications to back him, being best known for his Wrong Turn and Silent Night, Deadly Night remakes.

For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Saw franchise in order, or keep up with upcoming horror movies heading your way.

After almost 1200 episodes, One Piece is taking a lengthy break.

The hit anime won't return until 2027, marking one of the longest breaks for the show ever. "The final TV anime of the year, "ONE PIECE" Thank you for watching!" reads a Tweet on the official account. "Next time will air in 2027! Please stay tuned for further details on the broadcast schedule."

For over 25 years, One Piece released an episode a week – but, in 2025, it was revealed that the anime would instead pivot to a production schedule that is "capped to maximum 26 episodes per year starting in 2026."

The Elbaph Arc, the latest release, ran since April 2026. So far, no specifics on when the show will return have been confirmed, but it's a gap of at least three months. A movie, One Piece: God Valley, is on the way in summer 2027, however.

One Piece has taken breaks before, including a break from January to March earlier this year, as well as a brief hiatus during Covid, and a six month break from October 2024 to April 2025. Anime fans will have to get used to more breaks as the new schedule continues.

"The anime is based on the manga, and historically, 11-12 episodes would encompass 4-5 volumes of the manga," Toei said when announcing the schedule change. "Going forward, under the two cours structure, new episodes will incorporate more content, tempo, and pacing of the manga while continuing to leverage the unique storytelling that is only possible with animation."

While you wait for more One Piece, check out our guide to the best anime to watch now to fill out your watchlist.

Godzilla Minus One has made history as the first-ever Godzilla movie to earn an R-rating. But according to director Takashi Yamazaki, this couldn't be helped, as the movie's violent and bloody scenes are essential to the story.

"You want as many people from the general public to be able to see your film. So, an R-rating might seem like a barrier to entry," said Yamazaki to Variety. "In spite of that, though, there were certain scenes that, for me as a director, were so essential to the film. Censoring it or cutting it was just not an option for me."

The MPA R-rating means that moviegoers under the age of 17 won't be able to see the movie without a parent or guardian present. In the past, movies of this nature have tried to avoid this rating to bring in a wider audience. However, over the past few years, we have seen many movies break records despite limiting ratings, such as 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine and this year's The Odyssey, which earned $1.72 billion.

The Godzilla franchise is the longest-running monster film franchise ever, boasting 38 films. But despite focusing on a terrifying, city-destroying monster, the saga has managed to keep things pretty PG. However, in this case it seems that the R-rating couldn't be avoided. Godzilla Minus One was rated R for "some violent content/bloody images."

Set in 1949, Godzilla Minus Zero picks up just years after Godzilla Minus One, following the effects of the war and the monster's wrath. The new movie follows the Shikishima family confronts a fresh catastrophe just as their lives were finally returning to normal.

Godzilla Minus Zero has debuted to rave reviews, standing at a near-perfect 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In our 4.5 out of 5 stars Godzilla Minus Zero review reads, "With devastating human drama and earth-shaking kaiju action, Godzilla Minus Zero ups the ante in every way from its predecessor – and is easily one of the best films of the year."

Godzilla Minus Zero hits US and UK theaters on November 6. For more, check out our guide to the best monster movies, and keep up with upcoming movies on the way.

Comic backstories are usually in a state of flux, with pieces of history picked up and deployed at a writer's whim to suit whatever story they're trying to tell.

But there are (usually) hard and fast rules: Superman landed in Kansas, Bruce Wayne watched his parents die in Crime Alley, and Hal Jordan watched his father die in a test flight.

While Lanterns keeps the latter intact, it offers up a key tweak that not only reframes the character – but the entirety of Kyle Chandler's excellent performance so far.

Spoilers for Lanterns episode 7 follow.

In the penultimate episode of Lanterns' first season, we – and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart – discover the 'Jordan Boys' Legacy'.

Far from being a DC MacGuffin or interstellar trinket, it is, in fact, evidence of generational trauma passed down from one Jordan male to another. Hal's father actually wanted to die on that test flight, while Hal has been struggling with his own mental health issues ever since.

In one moment, the Halogram – Hal's AI backup – neatly summarizes it: "I'm not fearless because I'm brave; I'm fearless because I'm broken."

When discussing the change with The Wrap, showrunner Chris Mundy and co-creator Damon Lindelof were acutely aware of not wanting to mess with established comic history too much.

"When you're playing around with the canon, you have to treat it like you're handling plutonium," Lindelof said. "But at the same time, there's kind of no fun and creativity and originality in that, so you simultaneously sort of have to start to kind of iterate."

Of the reasoning behind the change, Munday stated, "It's more to build into the character. It's more history. It's more darkness. It's more pathology of the character."

Of course, that puts the mystery of who killed Hal Jordan into even sharper focus. The finale will hopefully provide some answers, even if the spectre of the Jordan Boys' Legacy looms large.

Lanterns is airing on HBO and HBO Max in the US and NOW TV and HBO Max in the UK.

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

Godzilla Minus Zero has been screened for critics, and it has debuted to incredibly strong reactions.

The film is a direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One, picking up two years after the events of that movie. As revealed by the final trailer, this time around, King Ghidorah has entered the fray, too.

After premiering at New York Film Festival, early reviews are in, and they're overwhelmingly positive. The film currently sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from 22 reviews, which, while a near-perfect score, is slightly below the first film's 99%. If the score holds as more reviews drop in the run up to the film's November release, it would be the second most critically acclaimed Godzilla movie on Rotten Tomatoes, below Minus One and above the 1954 Godzilla.

"With devastating human drama and earth-shaking kaiju action, Godzilla Minus Zero ups the ante in every way from its predecessor – and is easily one of the best films of the year," reads our own 4.5-star Godzilla Minus Zero review.

"Godzilla Minus Zero doesn’t disappoint in the slightest on the kaiju front, but does lack the same level of emotional resonance that its predecessor held," says IGN in a 7/10 review.

"Minus Zero aims higher, dreams bigger, and branches out even wider than "Minus One" ever did — but such ambitions come at a cost," reads Slashfilm's 7.5/10 review.

"While the follow-up might be missing some of the filmmaking ingenuity that made the last entry so special (nothing quite matches that Jaws-inspired boat chase), it more than makes up for it with a grander spectacle and more heart-wrenching drama," says Polygon.

"Godzilla Minus Zero cross-breeds its fight-to-the-death grappling with disaster-movie scope and horror-movie teeth. Yet it also doesn't go in for the overkill; like its predecessor, the movie favors quality of visual effects over quantity," reads The Guardian's 4-star review.

Godzilla Minus Zero arrives in the US and UK this November 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming movies for everything else worth keeping on your radar.

Following a years-long break between movies, Star Wars is officially back in its cinematic flow. Following The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting screens this year, and with Shawn Levvy's Star Wars: Starfighter on the way, LucasFilm is moving forward with yet another feature, and it has already found its director.

Jon Watts has been tapped to direct the first movie out of a new trilogy that will next chapter of the Skywalker Saga. The mystery trilogy is penned by Simon Kinberg, who has been working on the three films since late 2024. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project has not yet been greenlit by Disney. However, the feature is the furthest along the development track after Starfighter.

Watt is already part of the Star Wars family due to co-creating, writing, and directing a fair chunk of the 2024 Disney Plus show Skeleton Crew. The filmmaker also has a lot of experience with big franchises like Marvel, directing the first three MCU Spider-Man movies starring Tom Holland, successfully relaunching the web-slinging hero

Though details are being kept tightly under wraps, the project will seemingly act as Episode 10, continuing the Skywalker Saga, which runs from Episode 1: The Phantom Menace right up to Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker. The trilogy will also welcome back Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker in some capacity. However, Ridley's involvement has us wondering if Watts' Episode 10 is set to replace the previously revealed Rey movie.

Announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023, the Rey movie was said to be set after Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker, following Rey as she rebuilds the Jedi Order. But if Watts' project follows on from Episode 9 and features Rey, will there be any need for the Rey movie after that? The Rey movie has suffered a series of delays, lost several writers, and has failed to leave early developmental hell. We haven't heard any promising updates on the project in a while, so we wonder if this is really the end.

Next up for Star Wars, though, is the Ryan Gosling starrer Starfighter, which is set to tell a new story away from the Skywalker Saga, taking place five years after The Rise of Skywalker. Star Wars: Starfighter releases on May 28, 2027

For more, check out our guides to the Star Wars timeline and how to watch Star Wars in order, and keep up with upcoming Star Wars movies and shows on the way.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Godzilla is back. Three years after Godzilla Minus One rampaged onto screens and blew the world away, writer/director Takashi Yamazaki returns with a follow-up that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than its predecessor.

Minus Zero picks up two years after the events of the first film, in a Tokyo that is now plagued by a new threat: Ghidorah. This monster is even scarier than Godzilla, thanks to its ability to assimilate other creatures' DNA, its sizzling lightning-breath, and – most terrifying of all – its powers of flight. The Disaster Response Bureau has a far more perilous battle on its hands this time around.

Unlike Legendary's Monster-verse, though, this is no popcorn flick. Instead of leaning into gonzo action, Yamazaki has once again crafted a devastating, hard-hitting story that grapples with post-war trauma and the very human cost of going toe-to-claw with monsters.

King of the Monsters

Despite the title, Godzilla Minus Zero is more of a Ghidorah movie than a Godzilla movie. The titular kaiju begins the movie dormant after Kōichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) took him down at the end of Minus One, and instead, it's Ghidorah who claims the spotlight. The first half of the movie revolves around the struggle against this new kaiju and the mechanics of battling it, including a fascinating new element: a meteorological plan spearheaded by "forecasting prodigy" Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa), overseen by Minus One's Naval weapons engineer Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka).

A returning Kōichi is also involved in the plan, though, after the events of Minus One, his priorities are now firmly his wife Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and their adopted daughter Akiko (Sae Nagatani) – even if a sense of duty draws him back into the cockpit.

While Ghidorah is a fearsome, compelling foe, it's impossible not to miss Godzilla a little bit, especially considering all the emotional weight tied to that creature in particular when it comes to Kōichi. Widening the scope to Ghidorah also means the film is less streamlined than its predecessor, which works both to its benefit and detriment. The human story now encompasses a larger cast, rather than focusing mainly on Kōichi's own struggles, allowing for a deeper exploration of post-war trauma but putting us at slightly more of a distance from the Shikishima family – and losing the poignant intimacy of focusing on one protagonist's state of mind. Kuranosuke Sasaki's boat captain Seiji Akitsu and crewman Yuki Yamada's Shirō Mizushima, two standouts from the first film, also only appear very briefly.

That's not to say the Shikishima family is not still a huge part of the story, though. Much of the tale does revolve around them and their attempts to live a normal life as monsters roam the Earth. They also become a much bigger part of the narrative when Godzilla finally, inevitably returns midway through the film – and, with this kaiju's comeback, Minus Zero kicks into even higher gear, as the stakes double and the threat feels personal once again.

Just like in Minus One, it's impossible not to root for the Shikishima family, especially when Nagatani's youngster Akiko is so heartbreakingly innocent. All she wants is her parents, even as both Kōichi and Noriko are drawn deeper into the fight against Ghidorah and Godzilla. Their story focuses on this conflict between love and duty, in a mirror image of Kōichi's journey in Minus One; as much as he would like his war to be over this time, it's clear that peace is not yet within reach.

The wider scope gives more prominence to Noda, too, who is grappling with his own tremendous guilt for his role in the war. Newcomer Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka), a biologist on Noda's team, is also given a leading role. His story, and the way it factors into the fight against Ghidorah and Godzilla, is absolutely devastating, and it forms the thrust of the film's human conflict.

The human cost

Indeed, just like Minus One, Minus Zero isn't interested in spectacle that doesn't foreground the catastrophic human cost of such destruction. This is the first Godzilla film to earn an R-rating, and that's thanks to graphic, harrowing scenes set in hospitals or on the obliterated streets of Japan featuring maimed and brutalized victims. The desolation left by World War 2 is also foregrounded in the narrative in a way we won't spoil here, but is truly gutting, and builds to a seriously emotional catharsis.

And, of course, when the kaiju action does come, the VFX is spectacular. The Best Visual Effects Academy Award is surely locked in once again: Ghidorah and Godzilla both seem utterly real, without a hint of artifice, in a way that puts other blockbusters to shame. The action is awesome in the literal sense, especially at the climax: a ground-shaking, visceral battle.

Godzilla Minus Zero, then, is bigger than the first film in every way. While something is lost from the wider scope, much is also gained, resulting in a film that might be even more powerfully emotionally affecting than Minus One. Yamazaki's winning combination of shattering human drama and breath-taking kaiju action doesn't just propel the film into the upper echelon of Godzilla movies, but also of this year's best films.

And, even though the trailer teased the end of the story, there is certainly a hint that Godzilla might return again. With two of the best Godzilla movies ever made under his belt, here's hoping Takashi Yamazaki finds inspiration for a third.

Godzilla Minus Zero is in US theaters and UK cinemas from November 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies worth getting excited about.

The most terrifying zombie creature in the Resident Evil movie was actually performed by real stunt people, a new video has shown.

In the film, a horrifying amalgamation of all the zombified victims so far chases Austin Abrams's Bryan around on his quest to reach the Raccoon City hospital. It rolls around in a tangle of limbs, and it pursues Bryan all the way to the end.

The film's movement coordinator, Jakub Hudlický, shared a video to his Instagram of the performers tied together and producing the creature's creepy rolling motion.

"Let’s take it all the way back to the beginning – July '25 – when @filmka_stunt_team, @cirk_la_putyka and I first came together to explore one big question: how can the Merged Monster moooove?" he wrote in the caption to the post.

Now, it's not totally clear if the final version we see in the movie is performed practically, or if this was just a test for VFX reference. Still, it's very impressive.

The zombie monster can't actually be found in any of the Resident Evil games, fitting with Zach Cregger's assertion before the film was released that it would not be directly adapting the games but rather be inspired by them. The movie takes place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2.

The Resident Evil movie has been incredibly well received, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Resident Evil movie review awards the film 4 stars, and it reads: "Frightening, funny and exceedingly bloody, Zach Cregger's Resident Evil is a horror-comedy to match the best the genre has to offer, and an easy frontrunner for the best video game movie to date. Cregger's hot streak continues."

You can watch Resident Evil in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to the Resident Evil movie ending explained.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In case you haven't heard, the Resident Evil movie rocks. Zach Cregger's singular adaptation of the beloved Capcom video games is a 95-minute shot of t-Virus adrenaline that does a better job of adapting the series to film than any of the previous seven movies, despite telling an original story and failing to include a single game character.

This caused something of a backlash ahead of release, leading Cregger to embark on a self-professed "apology tour" during interviews. But I'm here to tell you all that Cregger was right: more filmmakers need to be brave enough to tell their own stories when adapting video games, and stay true to the source material in other ways, even if it means leaving fan-favorite figures behind.

Despite taking place "on the periphery" of Resident Evil 2, on the day of the t-Virus outbreak, Cregger's Resident Evil movie doesn't feature the iconic likes of Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Nemesis or any of the myriad characters and monsters we know are running around the streets of Raccoon City at this exact time. Instead, it focuses on medical courier Bryan, an average Joe who's comically out of his depth when faced with seemingly unkillable zombies and even gnarlier mutated creatures. His simple goal: to get the basis of an antidote for the infection from A to B.

The movie's only acknowledgement of Resident Evil's outrageously convoluted lore is a brief moment of exposition revealing that (who else but) the Umbrella Corporation is behind the t-Virus outbreak. This side of Resident Evil, along with the well-explored characters, evidently wasn't of interest to Cregger.

And who can blame him – we had six Milla Jovovich-led movies featuring cosplay versions of familiar Resident Evil figures in daft fan-fiction scenarios that sort of looked a bit like the games if you squinted. These movies were at least fun, which can't really be said about the disastrous 2021 movie Welcome to Raccoon City – an adaptation so misguided in its efforts to please fans that it featured originally cut character Lisa Trevor, but was somehow the worst of the lot.

Instead, Cregger, a clearly passionate Resident Evil fan who also happens to be one of the most accomplished and exciting contemporary filmmakers, has adapted Resident Evil in the ways that matter: translating the tone, atmosphere, structure, absurdity, and the you-know-it-if-you-see-it feel of the games to film in a way that feels practically groundbreaking.

Lone survivor

Everyman Bryan might be a new kind of protagonist for a Resident Evil story (more akin to Ethan at the start of 7 than one-man-army Leon), but the idea of following a single isolated character through a nightmare gauntlet is standard operating procedure for the series. No time for idle chit-chat when you've got mutated beasties to kill and arcane sub-objectives to complete.

There's also the undeniable fact that most of the games simply aren't suited for a 1:1 translation to film. Resident Evil 2 might be an all-time classic, but Leon or Claire running laps around the RPD building to stay out of Mr. X's reach is unlikely to lend itself to compelling cinema. And the less said about the B-movie stories and dialogue, the better.

Despite his passion for the series, Cregger is smart enough to know that if you want to experience Resident Evil 4, the best way to do that will always be to play the game. This has long been the case for video game adaptations – particularly on the big screen – which have typically loosely adapted the stories and the characters out of necessity in a way that satisfies no one. Beyond a handful of specific examples – The Last of Us on TV among them – that truly lend themselves to faithful adaptation, it's almost always going to be the case that using the worlds as a jumping-off point for new stories, while honoring the ethos of the games, will yield more satisfying results for fans and newcomers.

We're living through the golden age of video game adaptations, akin to the position superhero cinema was in around the early days of the MCU. And just like superhero cinema was no longer treated purely as disposable kids' fare by a generation of filmmakers who grew up reading comics, as a generation of filmmakers who grew up playing video games move into positions of power in Hollywood, the approach to adapting them has become increasingly sophisticated. There have already been a number of successful examples on TV, including Fallout and Arcane, neither of which adapts specific stories from the games, but still manage to stay true to their respective worlds. Resident Evil is the first true success story on film, at least one put out by a major studio.

Of course, there are examples of this approach not working out in the past. 2016's Assassin's Creed, starring Michael Fassbender, wasn't a million miles away from Cregger's Resident Evil in its use of a new cast of characters in a familiar setting and scenario. But without casting aspersions, it's fair to say that Assassin's Creed director Justin Kurzel – the extremely accomplished filmmaker behind the likes of Snowtown and The True History of the Kelly Gang – probably didn't understand Assassin's Creed in the same way that Cregger does Resident Evil, and it showed.

A new way forward

The discourse around Resident Evil has been a bummer to see as a long-serving fan of the games and an equally big fan of Cregger. Here, at long last, a series as storied and full of potential as Resident Evil has enlisted a filmmaker with the vision and talent to craft something that lives up to the legacy of the games – which he accomplished and then some – and the instinct of many is to tear the movie down because it isn't a 1:1 translation. I, for one, don't want to see the same thing again, simply in live action; that experience is open to me again anytime by booting up my PlayStation. I'll always opt for something new, as long as it feels true to the world it's bringing to the screen.

It's too early to say whether or not filmmakers will learn the lessons of Cregger's Resident Evil. We've yet to get a proper glimpse of Wes Ball's The Legend of Zelda movie, though given comments from Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto recently that the movie would be inspired by the history of the whole series, and some sneaky set photos that appear to feature a mix of costumes from different eras, I'll be surprised if it's a faithful rendering of a specific entry. Better it captures the spirit of the series first and foremost, followed by any specifics which support that.

As for Resident Evil, despite saying he's had ideas for a sequel, it doesn't seem all that likely Cregger will return – and who can blame him. While many consider the ending abrupt, you can't deny that it closes the loop on Bryan as a character, and serves as a tragic origin story for a hulking Raccoon City sub-boss; you could almost imagine Leon stumbling across his voice message for Michelle in Raccoon City General Hospital's subterranean car park before going on to take him out with a few well-placed magnum shots to that bulging eye. As far as adapting a video game goes, Cregger has achieved an easy S+ rank.

Resident Evil is out now. For more, check out our ranking of the best Resident Evil movies and our spoiler-filled Resident Evil movie ending explained.

It's a movie-heavy week on our streaming recommendation list this weekend as several big new films hit the platforms. We've not only finally got the chance to see Toy Story 5 on the small screen but there are also two brand-new movies hitting Netflix and Prime Video that could not be more different.

As well as feature-length offerings, Apple TV has you covered on the comedy front with Brothers. The new mockumentary-style drama stars Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as potential half-siblings in a fun sitcom take on the wild true story. Then over on HBO Max, Sharon Horgan's long-awaited return to TV hits HBO Max with Youth.

So while it might be a big week over at the theaters (hello, Avengers: Endgame Encore), there's also plenty to kick back at stream at home as well. So let's get stuck into our big streaming recommendations below.

Toy Story 5

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus

Toy Story's triumphant return has finally arrived on streaming after being released in theaters earlier this year. This time around, it's Jessie who takes center stage as the leader of the toys in the wake of Bonnie's new obsession with Lilypad, a tablet consuming all of her time.

It's a timely topic as technology continues to become a bigger part of childhood, but Toy Story 5 also contains everything you would expect from a Pixar movie: humor, heart, and a cracking soundtrack. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack return to the voice cast in a film that honors the originals while taking the franchise somewhere new.

You can also check out our interview with director Andrew Stanton about why Jessie is the heart of the story.

For more of what to watch, here's our guide to the best movies on Disney Plus.

Brothers

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV

The real story that inspired Apple TV's new comedy series is pretty wild. A few years ago, Matthew McConaughey's mother revealed that he had a relationship with Woody Harrelson's dad around the time when Matthew was conceived. While he hasn't taken a paternity test, this could mean that the two Hollywood stars and True Detective co-stars could be half brothers.

This new show takes this a step further as the pair decide to live together with their families at McConaughey's Texas ranch after Harrelson's daughter's wedding falls apart. Reviews have praised the chemistry between the two leads, calling it a charming watch. The first two episodes are out now with new ones released weekly.

Here's our round-up of the best shows on Apple TV as well.

The Love Hypothesis

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video

Prime Video are continuing their run of rom-coms with The Love Hypothesis, a fake dating romance set at Stanford University. It follows Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith as she pretends to be dating professor Adam Carlsen in order to convince her best friend she no longer has feelings for their mutual friend. Carlsen agrees in order to improve his grumpy reputation at the college and help him secure funding for his grant by proving he's putting down roots in California.

The movie is a lot of fun with Tom Bateman and Lili Reinhart's chemistry as the lead couple selling the story. There's also a strange origin story too, which may pique your interest. The novel it's based on by Ali Hazelwood actually started life as an alternate university fanfiction about Kylo Ren and Rey from Star Wars. The connections don't stop there either as the leading man is actually played by Daisy Ridley's real-life husband in a fun link to the saga.

We've got a guide to the best movies on Prime Video for what to watch next.

Youth

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: HBO Max

Sharon Horgan is back again with another new hilarious TV show. The brilliant mind behind Pulling, Catastrophe, and Bad Sisters has turned her hand to exploring dating in your 50s. Her character is divorcée navigating a new world of romance while also juggling a publishing career and a teenage son. Rupert Friend, Sharlene Whyte, and Aran Murphy all star alongside her as well as cameos from Harriet Walter, Freddie Fox, and Damian Lewis.

The first season has already landed a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score as well as critics have been calling it hilarious and vulnerable in equal measure. Two episodes are out now with new ones dropping every week on HBO Max.

From Lanterns to Game of Thrones, check out our pick of the best HBO Max shows.

Unabomber

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix

Former child star Jacob Tremblay takes on his darkest role yet in the Netflix movie Unabomber. Directed by Janus Metz Pedersen, who has previously helmed episodes of Andor, the new film centers on the true story of Ted Kaczynski, a domestic terrorist who was active for 20 years through a nationwide mail bombing campaign in the United States.

The film flits between two timelines: Kaczynski's time at Harvard and his manhunt many years later. Alongside The Little Mermaid star Tremblay, Unabomber also stars Russell Crowe, Shailene Woodley, and Annabelle Wallis.

There's plenty other films to stream too if you check out our ranking of the best Netflix movies.

If you're after any more streaming recommendations, here are our guides to the best Netflix shows and the best Disney Plus shows available right now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The crowdfunding campaign for a Lord of the Rings RPG has proven to be so popular that it's needed to create all-new stretch goals to keep up.

Earlier this week, publisher Free League launched a Backerit page for a couple of new books along with a rules update to The One Ring, the popular Lord of the Rings RPG it's been running since 2022. However, the campaign was so popular that it smashed its crowdfunding goal by 32 times in less than a day, and has now reached $2 million in pledges. Because it only provided stretch goals up until the $1.4m mark, the team has had to create a host of new ones – and even those look as though they'll be surpassed before long.

"As the initial stretch goals were unlocked quicker than we could imagine, we have now added five more goals, trying to strike a good balance between what has been requested and what is doable without jeopardizing the timeline of the entire project," Free League writes in an email to anyone that's followed the campaign. These new stretch goals range from bonus maps to an all new location.

The latter is probably the most interesting; it will take us to The Tower of Triumph in Umbar. This is a place we've only ever heard about in passing, so being able to go there is tantalizing. That's because it's a stronghold of humans that serve Sauron where "seers and sorcerers of the city keep watch upon Gondor, and work many dark designs".

The most recent stretch goal to be unlocked is optional rules for setting up camp. These are made to complement instead of replace the existing travel mechanics, and "can be used to enliven shorter traveling sequences, or whenever the Company’s choice of campsite and preparations for the night are likely to matter."

Two more stretch goals remain: a digital art compilation unlocked at $2.2m, and a map of Bree in the new Core Rules book that becomes available at $2.4m. Considering how quickly we hit the previous marks (the pledge number has literally jumped several hundred dollars while I've been writing this story), I doubt it'll take long to reach them.

While we're on the subject of Middle-earth, these new Warhammer Mordor Orc models are reeling me back into the Lord of the Rings wargame again.

• See the current One Ring lineup at Amazon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping release date

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

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

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping plot details

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

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

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

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

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

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping trailer

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

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

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

After The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd star Skyler Gisondo claimed last week that the upcoming DCU true-crime mockumentary takes place before the events of Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, DCU boss James Gunn has taken to social media to clarify its place on the DCU timeline.

Responding to a report on Threads, Gunn said: "Overall in continuity, it's after MoT (and won't come out until then)." This certainly makes sense as, for the most part, the DCU is unfolding in chronological order as each new project releases; though, notably, Clayface is set to take place before the events of Superman.

However, there is one small wrinkle that Gunn notes when it comes to The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd: "I mean it's a true crime series, so it jumps all over the place." Expect the show to jump around in time, in other words, which could mean we learn a lot about the state of the DCU over the years. In all likelihood, this helps explain the many Gorilla Grodd leaks that have popped up online in recent weeks, which show Gorilla Grodd attending college (and singing acapella).

The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd is one of the more unusual projects on the DCU Chapter One slate. Starring Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen, it'll see the Daily Planet journalist and rizzed-up ladies' man investigating the 2021 conviction of Gorilla Grodd, who was sentenced to a stint in Stryker's Island Penitentiary after murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City.

Created by Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda – the brains behind hilarious Netflix true-crime mockumentary series American Vandal – The People Vs. also stars Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd. Tatro previously appeared as the accused in the first season of American Vandal, and most recently popped up during Scream 7's bloody pre-title sequence.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Gisondo discussed his appearance in buzzy A24 drama Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, and the process of returning to play Jimmy Olsen soon after. "It's quite a change-up," Gisondo said. "I actually went straight from – not straight, [after Primetime] the next thing was Focker-in-Law... which is just, tonally, a very different movie.

"Now being back doing Jimmy Olsen, and [The People v. Gorilla Grodd] is like a mockumentary, true crime thing, so it's very Lance [Oppenheim]-adjacent, and it is funny." Rob said something in one of our interviews where, in The Odyssey, he hears a little bit of Chris Hansen's voice sometimes, and you're like, 'Oh right, [...] I gotta shake that off...'

The People vs. Gorilla Grodd will release after Man of Tomorrow. To find out more about what's going on with the future plans for the studio, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and TV shows.