With her starmaking days as Max in Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things behind her, Sadie Sink is forging a new path as part of the MCU in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

There have been plenty of early whispers that she is playing a character with ties to the X-Men, including Rachel Summers and Jean Grey. It's the latter that has garnered most buzz, and has led to one Marvel fan spotting an astonishing connection between Max and Jean Grey.

As you can see below, the red track jacket that Max first wore in Stranger Things season 2 bears a striking, uncanny resemblance to the outfit worn by Jean Grey during her comic origin story, as depicted in 2008's X-Men Origins: Jean Grey.

Just a coincidence? Almost certainly. Still, the mystery of exactly who Sadie Sink is playing in the fourth MCU Spider-Man movie isn't dying down. That's only been further intensified by a spoiler snafu at the Brand New Day world premiere – one which may have ruined her character's identity (click through at your own risk).

No matter who Sink is playing, fans can rest easy knowing that they're in for, potentially, one of the best Spider-Man movies of all time. Early Brand New Day reactions describe it as a "mini Avengers film" with Sink herself being described as "perfect."

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, and Jon Bernthal, swings into cinemas on July 29 in the UK and July 31 in the US.

For more, check out the movies and shows you need to watch before Spider-Man: Brand New Day, plus the other upcoming Marvel movies currently in the works. Then, thwip on over to our own Spider-Man: Brand New Day review.

Warhammer 40K's small-screen expansion got some big updates in the new annual report from Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree. First up, the upcoming Warhammer 40K TV series has enlisted the help of horror maestro Mike Flanagan, who was behind Netflix's Haunting of Hill House and the script for the upcoming Clayface.

Rountree confirmed he has completed "initial outlines" and "should soon be moving on to script". Henry Cavill and Vertigo are still involved, but the CEO makes clear that this will not be a quick process. "This is a long-term partnership with Amazon – and these adaptations will take years to bring successfully to market," he added, referring to "films and television series" that they're working on.

Another detail revealed in the annual report is that there is a Warhammer 40K animated series on the way. This will feature Space Marines – Deathwatch and is being written by Masters of the Air screenwriter John Orloff. No more revealed on that but it seems the Warhammer universe is taking its expansion onto the small screen seriously.

They will also have an episode in Amazon's Secret Level season 2, which will feature a story set in the Age of Signmar universe.

It's all quite a lot of information to take in from Games Workshop but it's reassuring to hear things are moving on the live-action series and beyond.

Cavill first announced the partnership with the company more than three years ago. "Together, we've been sifting through the plethora of incredible characters and poring over old tomes and texts," Cavill wrote on Instagram at the time. "Our combined efforts have led us to a fantastic place to start our Universe, which has been agreed upon by those up on high at both Amazon and Games Workshop. That starting place shall, for now, remain a secret."

For more, check out our guides to upcoming video game movies and our selection of the best Amazon Prime Video shows to stream now.

Even though most viewers going into the new adaptation will already know how Stephen King's Carrie goes, the first trailer for the upcoming Prime TV show gives a little too much away. However, one fan thinks they know why that may be.

"What if this is a 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' kind of adaptation where the entire plot of Carrie happens in episode one, and then it becomes about the aftermath?" said the fan on Twitter.

The first trailer, which you can see below, dropped this weekend at SDCC 2026, introducing fans to the modern version of the 1974 novel, with smartphones and all. However, to say this is the first trailer for a show that is set to release later this fall, it sure does show a lot, from the pivotal bathroom scene to Carrie's bloody prom dress.

The fan's theory does make sense. When the show was first announced, many King fans thought the story wouldn't be enough for a series, as the novel is on the shorter side by the author's standards, and fits feature length just fine. It also doesn't make sense for showrunner Mike Flanagan, best known for his horror shows The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, and more, to let the cat out of the bag so early.

However, Flanagan may use the eight-episode series to explore Carrie's mental state, and the full effect that both bullying and living with an overbearing mother can have on a teen. As per Prime Video, "the series expands King’s cultural landmark — deepening its characters and tensions, and following the small, everyday choices that build toward a single, shattering night, in a gripping, deeply human story about kindness versus cruelty, and whether we’re witnessing the making of a hero, a monster, or something far more complicated."

We already know that the series will stray from the original tale in some ways, including when it is set. Unlike the novel or the original Carrie movie, Flanagan's Carrie White will have to deal with the pressures of social media on top of everything else. Nevertheless, horror fans should worry not, as King himself is on board as producer.

The show stars Summer Howell as Carrie, alongside Samantha Sloyan, Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder, and Matthew Lillard.

Carrie hits Prime Video on October 7. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Stephen King movies and shows for everything else that's on the way.

According to Prime Video, Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher is back and bigger than ever in Reacher season 4, which is just as well, as the first trailer shown at San Diego Comic-Con gives us a glimpse at his most dangerous mission yet.

The trailer, which you can watch above, opens with Alan Ritchson's ex-soldier sitting inside a subway car when he witnesses a woman end her own life. The police pick up Reacher for the crime, but soon after escaping their clutches, Reacher sets out to solve the death, which he thinks was suspicious. Reacher meets up with the woman's brother (Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette), who is adamant she didn't kill herself. From then on, the two are pulled into a dangerous web of criminal activity.

At one point, Reacher is told to walk away. But, of course, our favourite lucky hero does no such thing, as he is prepared to beat down as many bad guys as it takes to get to the bottom of the murder. However, it looks like season 4's villain has connections in high places, as Reacher's dedication to cracking the case quickly makes him a wanted man. Plus, it wouldn't be a season of Reacher without a romantic subplot thrown in, and it looks like Reacher will hook up with a young journalist played by AGNEZ MO.

The action series' fourth outing adapts author Lee Child's thirteenth Jack Reacher book, Home Tomorrow. The official synopsis from Prime Video reads, "When a chance encounter with a distraught stranger on a subway goes horribly wrong, Jack Reacher is drawn into a complex and deadly game that pits him against ruthless foes from the highest echelons of power."

Also at Comic Con, the Reacher and Neagley panel revealed the first trailer for the upcoming Frances Neagley spin-off. The trailer, which has since been shared by Prime Video on YouTube, gives us a glimpse of Reacher's once right-hand woman as she and her PI squad take down criminals connected to the death of her beloved friend.

Reacher season 4 starts streaming on Prime Video from August 12, and Neagley season 1 premieres right after on September 16. Stay up to date with this year's San Diego Comic-Con with our SDCC 2026 live blog and our SDCC 2026 schedule.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Apple TV has unveiled the first trailer for its adaptation of William Gibson's sci-fi novel Neuromancer, which stars Callum Turner and Briana Middleton.

In the trailer, which you can watch above, Turner plays a hacker named Case. The show looks like a trippy, tense, tech-focused ride, and the trailer is very slick and stylish. While it doesn't give much away, Apple promises the show "follows a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case (Turner) who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high-stakes crime with his partner Molly (Middleton), a razor-girl assassin, as they pull off a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets."

Gibson is a founder of the cyberpunk genre: Neuromancer was released in 1984, over 10 years before The Matrix arrived in 1999.

Along with Turner, the rest of the Neuromancer cast includes Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, Joseph Lee, Clémence Poésy, Dane DeHaan, Max Irons, Emma Laird, Junia Rees, Jordan Kouamé, Marc Menchaca, André De Shields, and Isabella Pappas. Graham Roland and JD Dillard created the show, and Gibson is on board as an executive producer.

"Now, we've been building something special with Neuromancer, a world our dear William Gibson imagined in 1984," Turner said in a fittingly virtual appearance at SDCC. "He didn't just give us cyberspace, he helped define the entire cyberpunk genre. This is just your first access point. Stay sharp and enjoy the teaser, because you guys, you guys are the very first to see it."

The show arrives on Apple TV Plus on January 22, 2027. In the meantime, you can fill out your watchlist with our guide to all the best Apple TV Plus shows.

To keep up to date on all the action in San Diego, check out our SDCC 2026 schedule, our SDCC 2026 live-blog, and our SDCC 2026 predictions.

We're sure you were as heartbroken as we were during Fast X’s finale when John Cena's Jakob Toretto sacrificed himself to help his brother Dom, played by Vin Diesel in Fast X (yep, that sentence is still absolutely bonkers, isn't it?).

Then worry not, because it looks like the wrestler-turned-movie star has another high-powered vehicle to start up with in Apple's new movie Matchbox: The Movie, which just released a brand new trailer. In fact, there's not just one vehicle but several, and they're all getting smashed together in ridiculously explosive fashion.

The new film, directed by Extraction helmer Sam Hargrave, follows Cena as CIA agent Sean, who reunites with his old childhood friends from his Matchbox car days (like you didn't have those, either). Unfortunately, his efforts to keep his job under wraps hit a snag when his old pals (comprised of Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris) wake up and find themselves forced to tag along with our hero, who has been framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

From there, a globe-trotting adventure unfolds that really does feel like it's carefully parked between Fast and the Furious and The Hangover.

Joining the action are Danai Gurira, Golshifteh Farahani, Corey Stoll and Bill Camp, who will all undoubtedly be screeching, swerving and smashing into one another before miraculously walking away unscathed.

See how they handle things behind the wheel when Matchbox: The Movie arrives on Apple TV on October 9, 2026.

If you want more filmic fun from Apple TV, check out our rankings of the best Apple TV movies here. Follow along with all the San Diego Comic Con 2026 live coverage as well as checking out our SDCC 2026 schedule.

The Rings of Power season 3 will be jumping ahead five years when the Lord of the Rings show returns to Prime Video. According to co-showrunner Patrick McKay, this is actually an "advantage" for them and gives the show "a jolt of adrenaline".

Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, McKay said: "I mean, it's pure advantage. We love the idea that even if you've maybe never seen the first two seasons, season 3 is a great place to jump in because the stories are starting in a brand new spot. You know, if you're a fan who loved the first two seasons, that's wonderful, and now you can see where everybody has gone in five years."

He added at the roundtable attended by GamesRadar+: "This character is now friends with this character, and they've moved over here, and oh my gosh, the war seems to have been gone for a while here. An entire realm got built in Rivendell, an entire tower got built in Barad-dûr, in Mordor. So it's an opportunity to just kind of give your storytelling a jolt of adrenaline. Hit the ground running from the first minute of season 3 and hopefully never let up."

The Rings of Power season 3 trailer was released at San Diego Comic-Con and showed Sauron heading to Mordor to create the One Ring. It also introduced a whole new host of characters, including Jamie Campbell Bower's Celeborn, Galadriel's long-lost husband.

The new season begins on Prime Video on November 11 with a four-episode drop. Two episodes will then air weekly until the finale, which marks a very different approach to the show's previous release schedule. However, it does mean that it will be wrapped up by the time that Blade Runner 2099 begins on Prime Video on November 25.

For more from SDCC, check out our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 live coverage as well as our breakdown of the SDCC 2026 schedule.

Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower is playing a notorious Lord of the Rings character in The Rings of Power season 3 as he steps into Celeborn's shoes. The Elven warrior is Galadriel's husband, but he has been absent from the story so far.

It's now been confirmed that this will be addressed in the new season through an "epic" flashback. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, co-showrunner Patrick McKay shared the insight, explaining how we'll see a new side to Galadriel in the upcoming third season.

"You've gotten to know Galadriel as one character over multiple seasons, but whenever there's anyone who's really important in your life, that person brings out other qualities in you, and you see different things when someone is with someone that they really love," he tells GamesRadar+ and other press at a roundtable. "So bringing in Celeborn, you start to see this whole other part of Galadriel."

McKay added: "We're going to go back to the First Age when they first met in this really romantic, beautiful, epic scene. And then we're going to understand what has happened to her and why she has had this descent that she has had in the time since he's been gone. And then getting to see him come back again, you'll see again a totally different part of her begin to come out and flourish."

We do see a glimpse of this scene in The Rings of Power season 3 trailer, as Galadriel and Celeborn dance in a forest, surrounded by golden lights. The pair have been separated for hundreds of years when he returns in season 3 and he must join the fight quickly against the rising darkness.

For more on what's been revealed at SDCC, check out our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 live coverage and our SDCC 2026 schedule.

One of the biggest ongoing mysteries in The Rings of Power will be answered early on in season 3. The identity of Ciarán Hinds' Dark Wizard will be revealed in the new season, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have confirmed.

When asked by GamesRadar+ at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 whether we'll be finding out his identity, Payne promised: "We are! That's all we can say." Then his co-showrunner McKay gave an even more intriguing tease: "You'll find out, and you might find out sooner than you think."

It seems like we won't be waiting too long then into The Rings of Power season 3 to finally have some answers. While they didn't reveal the exact timings, the first four episodes will be released at once on November 11 so we're guessing there may be some big reveals in there.

There has been a lot of speculation about who the Dark Wizard really is, with some even wondering if he was Gandalf before the Stranger's big reveal. However, we know who he definitely isn't: Lord of the Rings character Saruman. .

"Well, I wonder if we can make news on this one. We can say definitively he is not Saruman. Definitively, 100% he is not," McKay told GamesRadar+ after season 2, while Payne teased: "I think we can say we do know who he is."

Elsewhere during our conversation at SDCC, the showrunners also teased their plans for season 3 – and where it stands in their timeline. "We always thought of this as one, five-season story that aspires to the epic, or even the mega-epic," McKay explained at a roundtable attended by GamesRadar+. "And when you watch any story or read any book at first you're not sure who's who. Is that a bad guy is that a good guy, what's their agenda, what's that person's real identity sometimes? That's always how things unfold."

He continued: "As we thought about the first two seasons, we thought about them as the first act of a huge three-act story, and sometimes in the first act you don't know who everybody is yet. But now the joy of a third season is actually, everybody's out in the open. The masks are off. We have full metal, evil dark lord Sauron. We have Gandalf appearing much more similar to his iconic, third age, novelistic appearance. And those are just the gifts that keep on giving as storytellers."

For more, check out the new The Rings of Power season 3 trailer. You can also follow along with out San Diego Comic Con 2026 live coverage and our SDCC 2026 schedule to not miss a moment.

Although DC Studios is choosing not to promote its stack of upcoming movies at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the Lanterns panel has given us another look at what's to come from DCU Chapter One on the small screen with a brand new trailer.

The new clip opens with Hal Jordan rudely waking his trainee, Jon Stewart, giving us a taste of the duo's Training Day-style relationship. As the pair uncover a string of crimes, Hal becomes convinced that aliens are to blame. Well, ol' Hal is correct, as later in the trailer we find out that extraterrestrial antagonists known as Manhunters, which "can take the shape of any species," are at large on Earth.

Elsewhere in the trailer, it seems as though there is quite a bit of friction between Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart, as Jon seemingly wants rid of his mentor. "The Ring has always been mind. Jordan is just keeping it warm," he says. We also get a glimpse at Nathan Fillion's Superman character Guy Gardner, and what looks to be Green Lantern's nemesis Sinestro, who you can see below.

Starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as intergalactic cops and members of the Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan and new recruit Jon Stewart, Lanterns follows the duo as they investigate a murder in the American heartland, but in the process are drawn into a dark mystery.

Unlike the most recent DCU project to hit the screen, Supergirl, Lanterns is set on Earth. The show is set across two timelines, both in 2016 and in 2026, sometime after the events of Superman. But just like Supergirl, it looks like Lanterns will feed into Superman sequel Superman: Man of Tomorrow, as it has cast Jon Stewart actor Aaron Pierre.

Lanterns, which has been described as a buddy cop show meets True Detective, is the third TV show to come from Gunn's DCU, following on from Creature Commandos and Peacemaker season 2, and is the fifth project overall. However, the HBO show has a bit of pressure on it not only for being the only DC series released this year, but after Supergirl flopped at the box office, DC Studios needs Lanterns to be a hit.

Lanterns is co-created and co-written by Lost's Damon Lindelof, Criminal Minds' Chris Mundy, and comic book writer Tom King. DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are on board as producers. The show also stars Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, and Ulrich Thomsen.

Lanterns arrives this August 16. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else the DCU has in store.

Blade Runner 2099 is almost here, and thanks to a bunch of recent news that just dropped during San Diego Comic-Con, excitement for the next outing in the sci-fi series is at an all-time high.

While Blade Runner started with Ridley Scott's 1982 movie, the upcoming show is a sequel to the second flick in the franchise, Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049. That movie came out all the way back in 2017, so yeah, it has been a good long bit of waiting for the follow-up for all of us Relpicant fans. Blade Runner 2099 was also announced all the way back in 2021, so seeing a bunch of recent updates arrive as part of the SDCC 2026 schedule was a welcome surprise, and I've gathered all the new details and information you need to know right here.

From the Blade Runner 2099 release date, plot details, casting news, and more, here is a complete breakdown on everything that you need to know about Amazon Prime's upcoming Blade Runner 2099 TV show.

Blade Runner 2099 release date speculation

Blade Runner 2099 will be released on Prime Video on November 25, 2026.

The news was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. During the panel, Amazon also mentioned Rings of Power season 3 (which also releases in November 2026), so it seems like the streamer was keen to highlight a big fall schedule.

Blade Runner 2099 plot

The official plot has been released for Blade Runner 2099, which is set 50 years after the previous movie. "Welcome to a future we no longer control," reads the tagline which teases how much the world has changed since that film. A war has taken place between the humans and the replicants, and the humans have lost.

Now the replicants are in charge and the humans are the second-class citizens. Hunter Schafer plays Cora, a human, opposite Michelle Yeoh's replicant Blade Runner named Olwen. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner confirmed that Cora and Olwen will be working together in the new show.

"Hunter is playing a human who is a fugitive and has spent her life running from Blade Runners," Silka Luisa said. "And now has to pretend to be one. In this struggle to survive and just trying to live day-to-day, she’s actually lost her humanity. So she’s a human who has lost her humanity. And the question for the series is: Once you’ve lost her humanity, can you regain it?"

Olwen and Cora will be working together and investigating the missing rogue replicants — and this being Blade Runner, don’t expect any of the answers they find to be simple or expected.

I'll keep you posted as soon as more news breaks, but for now you can check out our list of the best sci-fi movies to watch in the meantime.

Is there a Blade Runner 2099 trailer

The trailer for Blade Runner 2099 came our way during San Diego Comic-Con 2026, during the Prime Video panel. You can watch it for yourself above.

In the clip, we get our first look at futuristic LA as well as Schafer and Yeoh in action. So far, it looks stunning. It shows a grim post-war world where the humans are at the mercy of the replicants. I'm excited to see even more teasers in the future. Hopefully, we get more story details in the next trailer, but for now, the sci-fi vibe has been perfectly captured here.

Blade Runner 2099 cast

Currently, there have been quite a few Blade Runner 2099 casting announcements, the two biggest being Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer as the two leading roles. However, many character details and names are undisclosed right now. I'm still waiting to see if we get any familiar characters being recast or mentioned, so watch this space.

Here is the confirmed Blade Runner 2099 cast list so far:

• Michelle Yeoh as Olwen
• Hunter Schafer as Cora
• Dimitri Abold
• Lewis Gribben
• Katelyn Rose Downey
• Daniel Rigby
• Johnny Harris
• Amy Lennox
• Sheila Atim
• Matthew Needham
• Tom Burke
• Maurizio Lombardi
• Hugo Hamlet

Is Blade Runner 2099 connected to the Blade Runner movies?

Good news: Blade Runner 2099 is indeed connected to the two Blade Runner movies, taking place in the same universe and 50 years after the events of the 2017 movie, Blade Runner 2017.

This means that the Blade Runner 2049 ending is canon for the series, so I'd highly recommend giving that a rewatch before you dive in. I won't get into spoilers here, but that film does set up a lot of context around the state of humanity as well as how Replicants are treated. I'm sure that the series will give newcomers who haven't seen the films some kind of context, but for the full picture, watching the movies for yourself is likely going to be the best route.

Also, Ridley Scott is an executive producer on the series, so we can rest easy knowing that he'll likely make sure canon is followed.

Additionally, according to producer Andrew Kosove, the new series will have "connective tissue and character and storylines that relate to the first two movies," but you won't need to know them to enjoy it.

Speaking at SDCC, showrunner Silka Luisa also teased the difference between the previous movies and Blade Runner 2099. "2019 was dark and rainy. 2049 was snowy and cold," she said. "Our show is a rebirth. It's the rebirth of a city, it's a rebirth of all of our characters, and so to me that felt like it should be hot and sticky and chaotic, and that's where we got the idea for the 'sunshine noir,' and so you're you're seeing Blade Runner, Ridley's Blade Runner, but through the lens of hard sunlight and deep shadow where you still have neons, and hopefully that feels like it's both familiar but completely different."

While we wait for more Blade Runner news, you can head over to our list of the best shows on Amazon Prime to stream right now. Or, look ahead with our round-up of the best new TV shows on the way.

Simon Pegg's Balrog will be "an intelligent, strategic, dangerous adversary" in The Rings of Power season 3.

Balrog, voiced by Pegg, was teased at the tail-end of The Rings of Power's second season, where the Mines of Moria – and King Durin's madness – uncovered the fiery creature lying in wait.

But whereas most Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fans may know him as the one who fought Gandalf in an epic duel, The Rings of Power's latest season will seemingly show a new side to the fearsome foe.

"So, creatures in Tolkien talk, full stop. And the Balrog is not just a monster; it's not a mindless beastie. This is an intelligent, strategic, dangerous adversary, and we think of him as a character," co-showrunner Patrick McKay teases at The Rings of Power's Hall H panel at SDCC 2026 – with GamesRadar+ in attendance.

"And every season, we want to show a different side of him, a different facet of him that you've never seen before. And we are crazy, stupid, or wild enough to imagine that this season he should have a scene with Sauron."

Perhaps teasing a spark that would soon become Sauron's meddling in Mount Doom, McKay adds. "I don't want to give away the game, but you know Balrogs know how to live in fire and be on fire and live. And if Sauron goes into a volcano to forge a ring, that might be a kind of dark magic that he would need to understand. He essentially goes to the Balrog to try to learn this power, and it also found a really cool opportunity to show another side of Sauron's character. Because Sauron is a Maiar, he's constantly interacting with people who are, in some ways, just a different class of being than him. The Balrog is the same class of being, so it's Maiar versus Maiar in this, and it's something that Sauron generally has to respect."

The Rings of Power season 3 premieres on Prime Video on November 11. Stay up to date with this year's San Diego Comic-Con with our SDCC 2026 live blog and our SDCC 2026 schedule.

The first trailer for The Rings of Power season 3 is finally here, and it's sees Sauron crafting the One Ring to rule them all.

Beginning with Mount Doom, the trailer promises the most dramatic season yet as we see the Dark Lord begin the task, stating, "Now is the mightly hour come." Much of the first focuses on Sauron's journey to creating the One Ring as Middle-earth tries to battle the rising darkness. Elsewhere, we see Celeborn and Galadiel reunite, Gandalf warning about death to come, and epic battles on the way. "The shadow rises in Middle-earth, how would you like to rise with it?" Sauron asks.

The trailer dropped during San Diego Comic-Con 2026, and it wasn't the only thing revealed in the Lord of the Rings show's panel.

Excitingly, some major casting news also dropped. Eddie Marsan will play King Durin IV's older brother Thrain, Andrew Richardson will play Elendil's son and Isildur's brother Anarion, while Adam Young is Marnûkh, billed intriguingly as "a mysterious Orc who may not be what he seems."

Most excitingly of all, however, is the reveal that the Balrog will return, and it'll speak for the first time. And, it'll be voiced by none other than Simon Pegg.

The official synopsis for season 3 reads: "Middle-earth is at war. Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion. Sauron's armies have marched across the whole of the world, conquering all in their path. Only a few isolated pockets stand between the Dark Lord and total victory – Khazad-dûm, where the Dwarves are now sealed deep within their mountain halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, which are protected by their Three Rings. But deep in the land of Mordor, in his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, the Dark Lord toils day and night, obsessed with harnessing a power that will bring the last of his enemies to their knees: One Ring to rule them all...

"Now, all the free peoples of Middle-earth – Dwarves, Elves, Men, and Wizards alike – must find a way to come together, in a race against time to prevent Sauron from achieving his goal of utter domination of all life…"

The Rings of Power season 3 arrives on Prime Video this November 11 with four episodes dropping at once. Then, episodes 5 and 6 arrive on November 18, and finally the remaining two episodes land on November 25.

While you wait, check out our guides to the most exciting upcoming shows and upcoming movies, as well as our SDCC 2026 schedule, SDCC 2026 live-blog, and SDCC 2026 predictions to make sure you don't miss a second of the action in San Diego.

Blade Runner 2099 didn't just get a first trailer and a release date at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the showrunner also gave us an interesting tease about where it stands in relation to the rest of the franchise.

"2019 was dark and rainy. 2049 was snowy and cold," showrunner Silka Luisa said at the panel, attended by GamesRadar+. "Our show is a rebirth. It's the rebirth of a city, it's a rebirth of all of our characters, and so to me that felt like it should be hot and sticky and chaotic, and that's where we got the idea for the 'sunshine noir,' and so you're you're seeing Blade Runner, Ridley's Blade Runner, but through the lens of hard sunlight and deep shadow where you still have neons, and hopefully that feels like it's both familiar but completely different."

The new Prime Video takes place 50 years after Blade Runner 2049 where a war has happened "and the humans have lost". The official synopsis reads, "Our worst fears imagined. The replicants are now the power brokers of the city. And humans are the second-class citizens."

Producer Andrew Kosove also promised that you can come in fresh to this series, without needing to have seen what's come before. "They will see connective tissue and character and storylines that relate to the first two movies," he added. "At the same time, this was designed in a way such that if you're not deeply ingrained in the first two pictures, you can pick this up very easily and connect to it. It's not. This is not meant to be inside baseball. This is indeed meant to bring in a whole new generation of fans."

Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Tom Burke, and Dimitri Abold, who were all at the panel. The official synopsis reads, "And between 2049 and 2099, that's happened. So the war has happened and the humans have lost. Our worst fears imagined. The replicants are now the power brokers of the city. And humans are the second-class citizens."

Blade Runner 2099 comes out on November 25, 2026.

To make sure you don't miss anything else from SDCC, read our SDCC schedule 2026 and our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 live coverage.

This week, we're anticipating a hefty Avengers: Doomsday news dump on the horizon, what with the Latverian leader set to make his presence known at SDCC this weekend.

One other MCU legend that could also be making an appearance, though, is the lawyer-turned-lawbreaker, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) aka Daredevil. After the events of season 2 and behind-the-scenes footage of Élodie Yung back in action as Elektra, it's clear that the Devil of Hell's Kitchen will have a lot on his plate when he's back on our screens, and we might see some this weekend. If you can't wait that long, well, don't worry. The snoops of the internet have revealed more leaked images hinting at how he'll be looking when he returns.

A batch of images of gifts the crew was given on production have appeared online, with the most noticeable item showing Matt dressed the same way he was when he was put in prison during comic writer Chip Zdarsky's run from 2020. That artwork, from Marco Checchetto and Matt Wilson, can be seen on a poster for the show's SPFX department, who are also labeled the "Gate Keepers of Cell Block D," referencing the Ed Brubaker-penned arc from 2006. Besides wielding a great, big bushy beard and the traditional orange prison jumpsuit, Matt also dons an orange rag to make a balaclava similar to the black one we first saw Cox wear in the original Netflix series.

For the more keen-eyed fans, though, there's an even greater detail to take away from these photos, and it's the one spread across Charlie Cox's back. The T-shirt he's wearing for Born Again season 3 shows the "Daredevil" lettering, which is composed of various different comic book issues, some of which seem crucial to next season's story.

Firstly, there's a Zdarsky issue, followed by "Defenders" #2 from 2017 (no surprise there given the gang are getting back together). There's also an image of the female Muse, Morgan Whittier, from "Daredevil: Unleash Hell" #1, who was the inspiration for Matt's unhinged ex, Heather (Margarita Levieva), and her trajectory in the show's next chapter. In the comics, that Muse also went up against Elektra when she took on the mantle of Daredevil herself. Could this suggest that two of Daredevil's very lethal exes are going to throw down with one another while Matt is behind bars? If so, then perhaps it's better that our legendary lawyer stays there and lets his former lady friends air out their issues. That is, as long as an old fan-favorite assassin doesn't get to one of them first.

Perhaps the most noticeable comic issue on this t-shirt is in "Daredevil" #181, which any fan of old Hornhead will know saw Bullseye (played by Wilson Bethel) kill Elektra with her own sai.

Regardless of seeing Poindexter head off to parts unknown at the end of season 2, leaks confirm that Bethel will be back in an upgraded costume that looks more in line with the very set Bullseye wears in the comics when he kills Elektra. With that in mind, could Yung's return to Hell’s Kitchen be a brief one?

We're really going to have to wait and find out when Daredevil: Born Again returns next year. Should he make an appearance at SDCC this weekend, we'll be sure to update our live blog here.

At this rate, there are enough canned Star Wars projects to fill an entire star system. Thankfully, though, news from SDCC reveals one forgotten show will be coming back from the brink and has been described by its creator as "Simpsons in the Star Wars universe."

During the "Inside the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art" panel, it was announced that a formerly shelved show, Star Wars: Detours, will be viewable at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will be opening in September (via Entertainment Weekly).

The show was originally conceived by Seth Green, who is no stranger to the Star Wars universe after voicing a variety of characters in shows like The Bad Batch and Star Wars Rebels. He's also no stranger to getting laughs out of the galaxy far, far away by way of Robot Chicken and the Family Guy specials that saw his character Chris take up the mantle of Luke Skywalker.

Star Wars: Detours sounds like it's tickling a similar funny bone, with the show's original premise looking at the mundane daily goings on in the universe of Jedis and Jawas. "We made a show with George, an animated series," Green confessed to the audience. "He wanted to make Simpsons in the Star Wars universe. It's called Detours, and there's… going to be a curation of episodes from that show on display for the public."

The series, which was originally announced back in 2012, was set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. 26 episodes were done and dusted when it was originally revealed, and even featured guest appearances from Anthony Edwards, Ahmed Best, Billy Dee Williams, Lucas himself, along with a lot of the Robot Chicken alumni. Search for the right thing on YouTube, and you might even be able to find some of them (just don't ask us to help you).

The last time Green spoke about the show was back in March, when he recalled that Detours got put on the back burner when attention shifted to the new trilogy of movies that were on the horizon. He also didn't anticipate them getting revived for streaming.

"Detours itself would have to be edited, upgraded – they'd have to do new work on it to make it possible to put it on streaming," he told ComicBook. "I just don't think they're willing to commit the spend to update and release this when they can't see a clear benefit."

Thankfully, the show will now see the light in what is practically a treasure trove of Star Wars goodness, and Green couldn't speak highly enough of his lost little show getting some new time to shine. "It was the greatest," he said. "It was literally one of the greatest experiences I think I've ever had."

You'll be able to see just what we've been missing when the Lucas Museum opens in Los Angeles on September 22. As for any other Star Wars announcements, look on our SDCC 2026 live blog and our SDCC 2026 schedule.

As we head closer to the end of July, plenty more movies and shows are being added to your favorite streaming services. However, it can be a bit of an intimidating task working out what's new and what's worth watching. That's where we come in. We've trawled all the new releases to bring you a list of the best things to watch this weekend.

In our list below, we'll take you through six new movies and shows that will keep you hooked, covering every genre from action to comedy. Starting off strong, two recent movie releases are heading to streaming, just a few months after they arrived in theaters. Masters of the Universe, the new He-Man movie, is heading to Prime Video. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat 2 is arriving on HBO Max, lining you up for a fantasy franchise heavy weekend of viewing. Elsewhere, Apple TV have released The Dink, a new sports comedy.

If you're looking for a series to binge instead then Paramount Plus has released a new season of crime thriller The Crow Girl that has been landing rave reviews. Netflix also has a second season of its beloved Western Ransom Canyon to enjoy. Finally, MCU star Tom Hiddleston is also fronting a new show for Disney Plus all about the history of Pompeii.

Read on for our complete guide to the best new shows and movies streaming this week.

The Dink

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV+

A tennis comedy from the creators of Dodgeball? Sign us up. Apple TV has a new movie starring New Girl star Jake Johnson as a washed-up tennis player. Forced to try and save his dad's local club, he ends up having to learn the sport of pickleball, much to his consternation.

The movie also stars Ben Stiller (who is on board as a producer), Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, and Chloe Fineman. The comedy chops don't stop there as the movie boasts Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar director Josh Greenbaum behind the camera too. Full of heart and laughs, The Dink is perfect escapism and is available to stream now.

See what else we recommend with our guide to the best movies on Apple TV Plus.

Mortal Kombat 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: HBO Max

It doesn't feel like long ago that Mortal Kombat 2 was out in theaters but it's already heading to HBO Max. The sequel to the much-maligned first Mortal Kombat movie won over critics with its fresh take on the story. This time around, new characters joined (including Karl Urban's Johnny Cage and Adeline Rudolph as Kitana) as we finally headed to the arena for some real fights.

Our Mortal Kombat 2 review gave it 3 stars, praising its bloodthirsty action. As our reviewer writes, "Karl Urban adds irreverent energy as a post-Deadpool Johnny Cage, while the all-important fights mostly deliver the goods." You can stream it on HBO Max now.

Check out our guide to the best HBO Max movies for more essential viewing.

Masters of the Universe

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video

Another new release is hitting streaming platforms this week too as Masters of the Universe arrives on Prime Video. Starring Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, the movie follows him as he returns to his home planet to take on his destiny as He-Man. However, he'll first have to fight the evil forces of Skeletor, played by Jared Leto.

Masters of the Universe is a ton of fun if you're looking for laughs and escapism this weekend. Galitzine really gives his all as the beloved hero and Leto brings an unexpected energy to legendary villain Skeletor. If that wasn't enough to convince you, our Masters of the Universe review praised how it "never takes itself seriously" and feels true to its source material. You can stream it now on Prime Video.

Our list of the best Prime Video movies is stacked with quality entertainment.

Ransom Canyon season 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix

Netflix's Western romance Ransom Canyon is back with new episodes this weekend. Following Staten (played by Josh Duhamel) and Quinn (Minka Kelly), the drama picks up with the pair chasing new ventures to try and bring some life back to Ransom Canyon's dwindling ranches.

The second outing has slightly fewer episodes but all eight are available to stream now. The first season had a mixed response from critics who compared it to the juggernaut Western Yellowstone, but it has developed a cult following of fans who adore the romance and the drama it brings to the screen. If you're looking for a perfect excuse to get lost in a diverting story, then look no further.

See what else we recommend with our guide to the best movies on Netflix.

Pompeii: Out of Time

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus

It's always a treat to see Tom Hiddleston back on our screens. Fresh of the Loki star having a brief cameo in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, he's fronting a new Disney Plus history series. Called Pompeii: Out of Time, the three part show sees Hiddleston team up with scholars to dissect what really happened during the eruption of Vesuvius.

Reviews have been very positive, praising the documentary filmmaking as thrilling and witty. The Guardian even called it "a low-key tearjerker" as it takes viewers through the heroism of ordinary people on that fateful day. You can stream all episodes now.

Here's our round-up of the best shows on Disney Plus.

The Crow Girl season 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Paramount Plus

Based on the book series by Erik Axl Sund, the Paramount Plus drama The Crow Girl is back for a second season. Starring Eve Myles and Katherine Kelly as DCI Jeanette Kilburn and Dr Sophia Craven, the second outing follows the pair as they're drawn into another investigation.

Reviews have been praising this dark serial killer drama, which is perfect for fans of noir thrillers. Myles and Kelly are also fantastic as the central duo who's relationship evolves in unexpected ways. The entire season is available to stream now, perfect for a weekend binge.

For what else is coming out this year, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

The Rings of Power season 3 is releasing later this year and will showcase one of the most pivotal moments for Middle-earth. The showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne confirmed that the forging of the One Ring will play a big part in the upcoming episodes.

Speaking to Empire Magazine, McKay explained: "This is the season where Sauron makes the One Ring in the volcano." Adding that filming it was "the single most ambitious, technically challenging sequence we’ve ever done on the show. Charlie’s performance is absolutely staggering. We never could have prepared for it."

Now that is some statement for a show that last year staged a multi-episode battle that took weeks to film. We're expecting big things then from the moment Sauron turns full villain this year – and actor Charlie Vickers also told the publication how excited he is for it.

He added: "The first day I walked onto that set, I cried. "What an amazing privilege and honor to be able to tell that story."

We're still several months away from the third season, but news is starting to come in thick and fast ahead of the San Diego Comic-Con panel (check out our SDCC 2026 schedule for when that is).

We recently got our first look at Gandalf in his hat too in an unexpected way. There's also been news that a fourth season is already in the works, reportedly, and filming could begin pretty soon.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 begins on November 11. For more, check out our list of the new TV shows arriving in 2026 and our selection of the best shows on Prime Video right now.

If you want to know how to watch the World Cup Final, everything that you need to know is right here.

England's hopes of another World Cup victory were dashed on Wednesday in a rather bad-tempered battle with Argentina, with the Argentinian team winning 2-1 to go through to the final. That will see them face off against Spain, who trounced France 2-0 in their semi-final.

Argentina are the reigning World Cup champions, and they'll be hoping to become the third country to win two World Cups back to back: the others were Italy (1934/38) and Brazil (1958/62). But Spain have played very well in this tournament and many pundits say that the result of the final is simply too close to call.

Sunday night's final (Monday morning in Australia) won't just be a exciting game of football. It'll also be a spectacle thanks to a half-time event curated by Coldplay and featuring Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS, Burna Boy, characters from The Muppets and more. That means the timings are a bit unpredictable for the final: officially the half-time show is going to be 11 minutes, well within the 15-minute half-time break, but reports suggest it'll overrun quite considerably.

Once again for this match different streamers have the rights in different countries. But if you're watching from the UK you don't need to check whether this is a BBC match or an ITV one: both broadcasters are showing the World Cup final live so you can use whichever app you prefer.

Here's how to watch the World Cup final on the 19th of July in the US, Canada and UK, and on the 20th of July in Australia.

How to watch the World Cup final free around the world

In many countries the World Cup final will be streamed and broadcast for free, usually by the national broadcaster – so for example in Ireland the RTE Player is streaming the final to Irish viewers for free. In the UK the final will be streaming on both the BBC iPlayer app and on ITVX. In Australia, free streaming is provided by SBS On Demand.

Free streaming services often block people who are connecting from outside their home country. That's because broadcast and streaming rights are sold to different organizations in different places, so for example SBS has the rights in Australia while TSN has the rights in Canada. But if you're away from home during the World Cup final you can use a VPN app to persuade your chosen streamer that you're connecting from home.

Free streams available in:

• UK: BBC iPlayer, ITVX
• Australia: SBS On Demand
• Ireland: RTE Player

How to watch the World Cup final in the US

Unfortunately there are no official free streams of the World Cup final in the US. But that's okay: many streamers offer free trials, so if you're a new customer you can sign up for the final and then either cancel afterwards or stick with your subscription. YouTube TV hopes you'll go for the latter option, so in addition to offering 10 days for free it then discounts the Sports Plan from $64.99 to $54.99. That also gives you sports from ESPN, TNT, the NFL Network and more.

Telemundo has had a brilliant World Cup in part because it's been streaming the games in both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. The Spanish-language streams are available free to Peacock Premium subscribers, who pay $10.99 a month – but if you're a new customer there's an even more attractive option. Peacock Premium is available as part of a Walmart Plus subscription, and that bundle is just $1 for 30 days.

Fubo is streaming World Cup coverage from Fox and FS1 via its Sports+News package. That usually costs $55.99 per month but new sign-ups currently get a five-day free trial.

Fox One will be streaming the World Cup final in sharp 4K to customers on its $19.99/month plan. There's a three days free trial.

The kick-off for the World Cup final is 3pm Eastern Time on Sunday 19 July.

How to watch the World Cup Final in the UK

The BBC and ITV have been splitting coverage of this World Cup between them, but the final will be broadcast by both. That means you can choose between the BBC iPlayer and ITVX (STV in Scotland). Kick-off is at 8pm UK time on Sunday 19 July.

If you'll be away from the UK and want to watch the final you can access the live streams with a VPN such as Norton VPN, which is our current favourite VPN for streaming video services.

How to watch the World Cup Final in Canada

TSN+ is streaming the World Cup Final live in Canada: the kick-off is at 3pm ET on Sunday 19 July.

If you won't be in Canada you may discover that you're blocked from streaming when you try to stream the World Cup Final. Not to worry: you can use Norton VPN to stream the final as if you were watching at home.

How to watch the World Cup Final in Australia

The World Cup Final is the final time you'll need to get up early to catch a match live: the final is at 5am AEST on the morning of Monday 20 July. Once again SBS on Demand will be streaming the match live.

If you'll be outside Australia but still want to stream the match on SBS, Norton VPN can solve geographic blocking. It's fast, easy to use and delivers smooth streaming.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Following a muted non-annoucement and an unspecified delay, the director's cut of the maligned 2008 standalone movie The X Files: I Want to Believe now has an official streaming date on Hulu and Disney Plus, and a bizarre new title along with it.

As announced by the big D (h/t Gizmodo), the "never-before-seen R-rated Chris Carter Director’s Cut" of The X Files: I Want to Believe will stream from August 14 on Hulu or Disney Plus, depending on which part of the world you live in and which bundle you may or may not have. Set to "faithfully restore the filmmaker’s original vision," the standalone X-Files movie has also been re-monikered with a strange new title: The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn.

That new title – a clear reference to Victor Frankenstein in Russian – isn't totally out of left field. If you watched I Want to Believe, you may recall it doesn't involve aliens at all, but is instead about the grisly theft of organs, which are used to keep one particular character alive, Frankenstein-style. There's also some ill-advised backstory involving abusive priests. With any luck, Carter has cut that stuff.

Carter revealed the existence of the director's cut on X-Files star David Duchovny's podcast last year, with Carter explaining it was an opportunity to "make the scary movie that I always intended." The original cut was widely panned and is sitting at just 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.

As for The X-Files, after two uninspiring sequel seasons featuring Mulder and Scully, the show is currently being rebooted by Sinners director Ryan Coogler. Filming on the pilot episode recently wrapped, starring The Odyssey's Himesh Patel and Station Eleven co-star Danielle Deadwyler. There's currently no official release date.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn streams on Hulu and Disney Plus from August 14. For more, dive into our list of upcoming horror movies, or the best movies on Hulu right now.

If you have tuned into Netflix at any point this year, there's a good chance you may have watched content created with AI, as the streamer has admitted to using Gen AI on roughly 300 movies and shows this year alone.

On Thursday, July 16, Netflix updated its shareholders on the company's performance. In the shareholder letter, which has since been obtained by Kotaku, the streamer admitted to using AI tools in the production of many projects from the concept stage, right through to filming and editing, in order to cut costs and produce content more quickly.

"We are increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost than traditional methods," reads the letter, "In some cases, productions would have had to leave out key shots and sequences in the absence of GenAI technology." Netflix said that, for now, AI is mostly used in post-production and has been implemented "in roughly 300 of our titles" in 2026 alone.

The streamer failed to list all of the projects made using AI, but did mention a couple of titles, including Glory, The American Experiment, and Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri. Executive-produced by Tom Hanks and directed by Brian Knappenberger, The American Experiment is a five-part docuseries that explores the founding of the US and American democracy. However, Netflix says the team used GenAI on the show to enhance "crowds, historical battle sequences, and world-building establishing shots."

Netflix states that without AI, "productions would have had to leave out key shots and sequences," which makes us wonder if the site's AI use really just comes down to budget. Aside from using it in shows and movies, Netflix also applies AI to the site itself to "improve title discovery" via search and the homepage, and "better understand member preferences," so the app can recommend content tailored to users.

For more, check out our guides to the best Netflix movies and the best Netflix shows.

After two years of 'is he, isn't he', The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 will go full Gandalf after season 2 finally confirmed that Daniel Weyman's Stranger was, in fact, the grey wizard all along. And now we have our first glimpse of Weyman in full Istar garb… thanks to an ad on the side of a San Diego Comic-Con tram.

As snapped by SD_Comic_Con over on Twitter, the image features Weyman sporting a familiar-looking hat and holding Gandalf's instantly recognizable gnarled staff. The beard, of course, is still intact. Check it out below.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 is set for a full reveal at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, with Weyman, Sauron star Charlie Vickers and showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne among those set to appear during Saturday's panel. Prime Video is pairing the Rings of Power panel with a first look at their sci-fi sequel series Blade Runner 2099, making it one of the convention's hottest tickets. We'll be reporting live from the ground. Head over to our constantly updating San Diego Comic-Con 2026 schedule to make sure you don't miss a minute.

The Rings of Power returns to screens this November. A first look at season 3 was released in May, featuring Vickers' Sauron wearing Morgoth's Iron Crown, seemingly Annatar no more. Exact plot details are currently thin on the ground, but we do know season 3 is set to feature a time jump following the events of season 2, and will take place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron.

The Rings of Power season 2 ended with the Stranger finally learning his true identity after much soul-searching across Middle-earth, and Sauron securing all nine rings for himself after defeating Galadriel. There are also some interesting newcomers joining the cast this season, including Deadpool 2's Eddie Marsan, Andrew Richardson and Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell-Bower. We don't know who they're playing yet, but Campbell-Bower has been teasing fans about his mystery character.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 begins on November 11. San Diego Comic-Con 2026 kicks off on July 23. Check out our list of all the new TV shows arriving in 2026 and beyond, as well as our round-up of the best shows on Prime Video right now.

Shock news from Svartalfheim: actor Ryan Hurst will no longer play Kratos in Prime Video's God of War TV show after suffering a significant injury during production on the live-action video game adaptation.

Hurst, who can currently be seen on-screen as Mentor in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, reportedly tore a bicep in late June. Due to the lengthy recovery time involved with such an injury (typically 6 months), the physicality required to play a god-killer like Kratos, and the show's production schedule, the decision has been made to recast the lead role and reshoot the four episodes filmed so far.

It's another blow for the God of War show, which was faced with widespread scepticism following the release of a first-look still in February, now likely to be our only glimpse of Hurst in full Kratos garb, alongside Callum Vinson as his bow-wielding son, Atreus.

Vinson is just 12 years old, and in order to avoid the kind of on-screen growth spurts that have plagued the likes of Stranger Things and Avatar: The Last Airbender, the God of War show was set to film seasons one and two back-to-back. Reshooting the four episodes banked so far is considered a necessity to avoid a visible difference between footage of Vinson captured earlier this year and new material.

There's currently no news on who will step into the hulking boots of Kratos, but filming is on track to resume in mid-October, making it likely that the show won't release till 2028 or late 2027 at the earliest.

An adaptation of the acclaimed Santa Monica Studio's duology – God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarok – the show will seemingly mix up the timeline somewhat as it's set to feature the likes of Odin (Mandy Patinkin), Thor (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), Heimdall (Max Parker) and Sif (Teresa Palmer), who don't fully feature until Ragnarok, alongside first-game figures including Baldur (Ed Skrein), Mimir (Alastair Duncan), and Freya (Sonya Walger). No word yet if Daredevil's Deborah Ann Woll will reprise her Faye from the games alongside her starring role in God of War: Laufey.

God of War on Prime Video is currently undated. For more, check out the new PS5 games on the horizon, plus all the new TV shows coming your way in 2026 and beyond.

Despite not being able to see our favorite duo on the big screen anymore, Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin and his little apprentice's beautiful father-son relationship lives on in a new Star Wars claymation.

The video, which was posted to Star Wars Kids on YouTube on July 15, shows little clay Mando and Grogu characters recreating some of the best moments travelling around the galaxy, including the duo taking a ride on the Razor Crest. Watch the clip below.

The claymation is, of course, inspired by The Mandalorian and Grogu, which recently finished its theatrical run. The movie debuted to mostly positive reviews, but only managed to earn just over $340 million worldwide. This is quite the dip, as the last Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, made over $1 billion at the box office in 2019. But with many Star Wars fans seemingly skipping The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas, they will soon be able to watch the new movie in the comfort of their own homes.

The newest Star Wars movie has finally locked down a digital release date and will be available to purchase on platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango from July 21. Fans will be able to add The Mandalorian and Grogu to their physical media collection from August 25, including the special SteelBook version.

But that's not the end of Mando and Grogu's story, as while we don't know if we will ever see The Mandalorian season 4, there is another adventure releasing soon. On July 14, Star Wars announced a new special episode, titled LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian, which will premiere on Disney Plus on September 2. As per StarWars.com, the animated special "celebrates your favorite stories and characters from all three seasons of The Mandalorian series," including when Mando met baby Grogu.

For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, as well as our roundup of how to watch the Star Wars movies in order.

If you want to know how to watch England vs Argentina in the 2026 World Cup, everything that you need to know is right here. We've also created a complete guide on how to watch the whole FIFA World Cup for free.

Wednesday night's semi-final will see two old rivals face off for the first time in two decades as England and Argentina battle for a place in the final. Argentina are the reigning champions, while England haven't won since 1966. The two teams first met in the 1962 World Cup group stage and their most recent World Cup match was in Korea/Japan 2002 where David Beckham scored the only goal of the game.

Argentina's World Cup hasn't been entirely smooth so far: they came close to defeat against Cape Verde and only just beat Egypt in a late comeback after a controversial VAR call. But star player Lionel Messi has been exceptional, becoming the leading scorer in World Cup history, and England's defence will need to be at their very best if England's going to triumph.

England manager Thomas Tuchel's criticisms of the team's playing against Norway have been echoed by Wayne Rooney, who told BBC Sport that "we have to show more quality... we've shown courage and mentality but you're going to need the quality as well in the semi-final." Rooney reckons Jude Bellingham may be the English team's not so secret weapon in what's bound to be a nail-biting semi-final; many predictions expect a narrow England victory well into extra time.

As with previous matches in this World Cup, different streamers have the rights in different countries - and in the UK the World Cup coverage has been shared between the BBC and ITV. This one's a BBC match so it'll be streaming on the iPlayer app.

Here's how to watch England vs Argentina on the 15th of July in the US, Canada and UK, and on the 16th of July in Australia.

How to watch England vs Argentina free around the world

In the UK, England vs Argentina is one of the BBC's matches so you can tune in via the BBC iPlayer app. In Ireland the RTE Player is streaming the England v Argentina match for free, and in Australia the free streaming is once again offered on SBS On Demand.

Free streaming services are frequently geographically limited when broadcast and streaming rights are sold per country, so for example TSN has the rights to show World Cup games in Canada while SBS has the rights for Australian viewers. When you're away from home you can use a VPN app to persuade your preferred streamer that you're right there at home.

Free streams available in:

• UK: BBC iPlayer
• Australia: SBS On Demand
• Ireland: RTE Player

How to watch England vs Argentina in the US

The US doesn't have an equivalent to the UK and Ireland's free streaming, but many services are offering free trials that'll get you through this semi-final and in some cases through to the World Cup final too. While YouTube TV doesn't currently offer its very generous 21-day free trial, it still offers 10 days for free to new sign-ups on its Sports Plan. After the ten-day trial the subscription is discounted from $64.99 to $54.99 per month for three months. Your subscription also gives you sporting action from ESPN, TNT, the NFL Network and more.

Telemundo has been broadcasting the World Cup in both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, an industry first, and its Spanish-language coverage is available free to Peacock Premium customers. That's normally $10.99 a month but there's an even cheaper option for new customers of Walmart Plus: sign up for that and you get Peacock Premium as part of the bundle. That bundle is just $1 for 30 days.

Fubo is once again streaming Fox and FS1 World Cup coverage to customers of its Sports+News package. That usually comes in at $55.99 per month but there's a five-day free trial.

Fox One is streaming World Cup matches in glorious 4K to customers on its $19.99/month plan, and it offers a short three days free trial.

The kick-off for England vs Argentina is 3pm Eastern Time on Wednesday 15 July.

How to watch England vs Argentina in the UK

The BBC has the rights to broadcast and stream the England vs Argentina semi-final, and it'll be streaming the match live on iPlayer. Kick-off is at 8pm UK time on Wednesday 15 July.

If you'll be away from the UK and want to watch England play you can access the live streams with a VPN such as Norton VPN, which is our current pick for streaming video services.

How to watch England vs Argentina in Canada

TSN+ is once again the best place to stream the World Cup live in Canada: England vs Argentina will be streaming on TSN+ with the kick-off at 3pm ET on Wednesday 15 July.

If you'll be away from Canada for this match you might find that you're blocked from streaming when you try to stream England vs Argentina in a different country. No worries: simply use Norton VPN to stream the game as if you were watching at home.

How to watch England vs Argentina in Australia

Sorry folks, this is another really early one for Australian football fans: the England vs Argentina kick-off is at 5am AEST on the morning of Thursday 16 July. SBS on Demand will be streaming the match live.

If you'll be away from Australia that morning but still want to stream the match on SBS, Norton VPN can solve any geographic issues. It's simple, rock-solid and speedy.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

If you're looking for how to watch France vs Spain in the 2026 World Cup, hello! Everything you need to know is right here.

Get your popcorn ready because this semi-final, the first of two, is going to be a thriller. France have been on excellent form in the World Cup so far, blasting through the knockout rounds; Kylian Mbappé, widely considered one of the best footballers in the world, has racked up eight goals, second only to Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Mbappé plays for Spain's Real Madrid, but don't expect him to go easy on the Spanish team this week.

Spain got off to a slower start in this, its first World Cup since South Africa 2010, but they've become more confident as the competition has continued, helped in large part by Mikel Merino's late goals against both Portugal and Belgium. Merino's playing in those matches has been described as "extraordinary" and "heroic".

France and Spain's football rivalry goes back a long way: they've faced off against each other 38 times in various tournaments. In their last World Cup encounter in 2006, France beat Spain by three goals to one.

If you look at the numbers for all their encounters including the Nations League and other tournaments, Spain has won more matches against France – but France tends to do better in the really big tournaments such as the World Cup and European championships.

As with other matches the rights for France versus Spain have been split between multiple broadcasters, and in the UK the World Cup coverage has been split further with both the BBC and ITV getting a share of the match rights. This one's an ITV match so it'll be on iTVX.

Here's how to watch France vs Spain on the 14th of July in the US, Canada and UK, and on the 15th of July in Australia.

How to watch France vs Spain free around the world

In many parts of the world, World Cup matches can be streamed for free. In the UK, France vs Spain is one of ITV's matches so you can tune in via the ITVX app or the STV app in Scotland. In Ireland the RTE Player is streaming the match for free, and in Australia the free streaming comes courtesy of SBS On Demand.

Free streaming services are often geo-blocked because the broadcast and streaming rights are sold per country, so for example TSN has the streaming rights in Canada while SBS has the Australian rights. But if you're away from home during the match you can use a VPN app to appear to the streamer as if you're right there at home.

Free streams available in:

• UK: ITVX
• Australia: SBS On Demand
• Ireland: RTE Player

How to watch France vs Spain in the US

There aren't any free live streams for US viewers, sadly, but you can get around that by taking out a free trial with one of several broadcasters and streamers. Unfortunately YouTube TV appears to have closed its 21-day free trial, but it still offers 10 days free on its Sports Plan. After the ten days are up it's discounted from $64.99 to $54.99 per month for the first three months. That Sports Plan subscription also gives you sporting action from ESPN, TNT, the NFL Network and more.

Telemundo has been a huge hit this World Cup in part because its Spanish-language broadcasts of the matches are being served up free to Peacock Premium subscribers. In a world first this is the first major sporting event to be broadcast in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos thanks to a team-up between Telemundo and Dolby Labs. A Peacock Premium subscription is usually $10.99 a month but there's an even more affordable option: if you're a new customer signing up for Walmart Plus, which bundles Peacock Premium, it's just $1 for 30 days.

Fubo is streaming Fox and FS1 World Cup coverage on its Sports+News package. That's usually $55.99 per month but there's a five-day free trial.

Last but not least, Fox One is streaming World Cup matches in super-sharp 4K on its $19.99/month plan and it offers a short but still useful three days free trial.

The kick-off for France vs Spain is 3pm Eastern Time on Tuesday 14 July.

How to watch France vs Spain in the UK

ITV has the rights to broadcast and stream the France vs Spain semi-final, and it'll be streaming the match live on ITVX. Kick-off is at 8pm UK time on Tuesday 14 July.

If you won't be in the UK and want to watch the match you can still access live streams with a VPN such as Norton VPN, which is our current favourite for streaming video.

How to watch France vs Spain in Canada

TSN+ is the place to stream the World Cup live in Canada: England vs Norway will be streaming on TSN+ at 5pm ET on Tuesday 14 July.

If you'll be away from Canada you might find that you're geoblocked when you try to stream France v Spain in a different country. That's not a problem: use Norton VPN to stream the game as if you were watching at home.

How to watch France vs Spain in Australia

Australian football fans will be used to the early starts by now, and this is another one: the France vs Spain kick-off is at 5am AEST on the morning of Wednesday 15 July. As ever, SBS on Demand will be streaming the match.

If you'll be somewhere that isn't Australia but still want to stream the match from SBS, Norton VPN can deliver the streams you need. It's speedy, rock-solid and easy to use.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The Fallout TV show may have a fair few fans as one of Prime Video's most popular shows, but one game writer wishes the scripts were a little tighter. Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas writer and Obsidian co-founder Chris Avellone recently shared his take on the video game adaptation, admitting that he feels "embarrassed" by some of the dialogue.

"I kind of wish the game writing for TV shows like that where they're mimicking a game, would kind of elevate a bit," he told Insider Gaming. "[Cyberpunk] Edgerunners was really cool, no problems there but sometimes I just wish the script quality on the Fallout TV show was a little higher. I guess I feel embarrassed when I see some of the lines being done but it's a fun show."

Avellone, who has also worked on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was pushed on why he thinks the script isn't quite there. "I don't mean to put all Hollywood writers in this category but I think some of them still struggle with, 'Okay, well I'm writing a game franchise and obviously those game writers didn't really know what they were doing because I'm a respected Hollywood writer and I know how these things are supposed to look,'" he added.

"So I think for some of them it's really easy to dismiss that work and go in their own direction which they think is more solid but the problem is when they do that they don't have any real sense of, they probably haven't played Fallout 3 or Fallout 4 or New Vegas, so a lot of the context has gone and so have opportunities."

The video game writer and designer does love the cast of the series though, saying seeing Walton Goggins as The Ghoul was "amazing" as "he added a lot of legitimacy to the show". Equally, he feels that Lucy star Ella Purnell "has the right features and cast and delivery for being a naive Vault dweller with a little bit of steel in there".

Filming recently kicked off on Fallout season 3. Goggins confirmed the news with a picture of him back in the make-up chair, and some fans have spotted the crew filming in Colorado. There's no confirmed release date yet, but we'll keep you updated on the show's return.

In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Prime Video shows and the best Prime Video movies to watch right now.

The first trailer for Mayday is here, and it looks like a lot of fun. The new action-comedy is heading to Apple TV later this year and stars Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh.

The trailer opens with Reynolds' fighter pilot, Troy Kelly, being held in enemy territory after an operation goes wrong during the height of the Cold War. The person holding him hostage is Branagh's Nikolai Ustinov, who brightly informs him that he performed emergency surgery on him with limited anaesthesia.

Luckily for Kelly, ex-KGB agent Ustinov is actually something of an Americanophile, and is even sure he would love McDonald's if he tried it. The pair form something of an unlikely partnership in the action comedy as Ustinov helps Kelly escape from behind enemy lines as the Red Army hunts him down.

The first trailer looks like a lot of fun, set to a punchy soundtrack with lots of laughs. Branagh and Reynolds seem to have easy chemistry too, which should be a lot of fun to watch when the final movie arrives on Apple TV on September 4. Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova, and David Morse all also star.

Some pretty impressive names are behind the scenes, too, with the Deadpool and Wolverine producers on board and the Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein directing and producing.

Mayday is one of the projects that Apple TV will be showcasing at San Diego Comic-Con. For more, check out our guide to the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 schedule and our breakdown of all the upcoming movies you need to know about.

Mayday releases on Apple TV on September 4. For more, check out our list of the best movies on Apple TV.

If you're looking for how to watch England vs Norway in the 2026 World Cup you've come to the right place.

The biggest danger to each team this time around may not be their World Cup rivals but the US weather: the quarter-final may experience similar thunderstorms to the ones that delayed England vs Mexico. The temperature is currently predicted to reach 34ºC, with high humidity making it feel like a deeply unpleasant 43ºC. This is one match where the controversial "hydration breaks" may actually be necessary.

The BBC is predicting thunderstorms just before kick-off and possibly during the match too. If a lightning strike is detected close to the stadium, the rules say the game has to be stopped.

Assuming nobody gets hit by lightning this promises to be an exciting game with two of the World Cup's most notable players facing off: England's Harry Kane and Norway's Erling Haaland. Haaland has already scored seven goals in this World Cup, and he's a formidable opponent: as England midfielder Morgan Rogers told Reuters, "Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? Not sure they have, but we're gonna try."

England will be feeling pretty positive going into this quarter-final after an impressive 3-2 victory over Mexico despite being a man down for most of the match. But this isn't the Norway that England has faced in the past: it's a formidable team that knocked out both the Ivory Coast and the five-times champion Brazil in the round of 16. Here's hoping the weather doesn't disrupt what's sure to be one of the highlights of the World Cup so far.

The streaming rights for World Cup matches are split between multiple broadcasters around the world, and in some cases – such as in the UK, where the rights are split between the BBC and ITV – theyre then split between different broadcasters. For viewers in the UK this match is an ITV one, so it'll be streaming on iTVX.

Here's how to watch England vs Norway on the 11th of July in the US, Canada and UK, and on the 12th of July in Australia.

How to watch England vs Norway free around the world

You can stream the World Cup for free in many parts of the world. In the UK this match is one of the ITV ones (the competition is split between the BBC and ITV, with each broadcaster getting a share of the streaming rights), so you can watch in the ITVX app. In Ireland the RTE Player is delivering free streaming, and in Australia the same thing is happening with SBS On Demand.

Free streams are typically geo-blocked because broadcast and streaming rights are sold on a country by country basis, so for example the UK rights are sold separately from the rights in the US or Australia. But if you're a resident who'll be away from home during the match you can use a VPN app to appear as if you're sat on the sofa at home.

Free streams available in:

• UK: ITVX
• Australia: SBS On Demand
• Ireland: RTE Player

How to watch England vs Norway in the US

Unfortunately there isn't a no-strings free streaming option for US viewers, but we have a workaround: free trials of services you'd normally pay for. Right now the longest free trial is YouTube TV, which has a very generous 21-day free trial of its Sports Plan.

Once the free trial is up you'll pay a discounted rate: $54.99 a month for the first three months. A Sports Plan subscription also gives you sporting action from ESPN, TNT, the NFL Network and more.

The Spanish-language Telemundo has been attracting big audiences for the World Cup thanks to its tie-up with Peacock, whose premium subscribers can tune in to the Telemundo coverage as part of their subscription and enjoy both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos – the first time a major sporting event has been broadcast in both technologies. Peacock Premium is usually $10.99 a month but there's a much cheaper option: if you sign up for Walmart Plus, which bundles Peacock Premium, it's just $1 for 30 days.

Fox and FS1 World Cup coverage is being streamed on Fubo's Sports+News package, which usually costs $55.99 a month but currently offers a five-day free trial.

Finally, Fox One is streaming matches in super-sharp 4K on its $19.99/month with the option of a short but still useful three days free trial.

The kick-off for England vs Norway is 5pm Eastern Time.

How to watch England vs Norway in the UK

While the BBC and ITV have been splitting the coverage of the World Cup between the two broadcasters and streamers, ITV has the rights to England vs Norway and it'll be streaming live on ITVX. Kick-off is at 10pm UK time on Saturday 11 July.

If you're going to be away from the UK during the match you can still access your iPlayer streams with a VPN such as Norton VPN, which is our current recommendation for streaming video.

How to watch England vs Norway in Canada

TSN+ is the place to stream the World Cup live in Canada: England vs Norway will be streaming on TSN+ at 5pm ET.

If you'll be away from Canada you might find that you're geoblocked when you try to stream England vs Norway in a different country. That's not a problem: use Norton VPN to stream the game as if you were watching at home.

How to watch England vs Norway in Australia

The England vs Norway match is scheduled at 7am AEST on the morning of 12 July, so you'll need to set your alarm if you don't want to miss the live action. SBS on Demand will be streaming the match.

If you'll be outside Australia but still want to stream the match from SBS, Norton VPN can deliver the streaming you need. It's fast, reliable and easy to use.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The Ghost in the Shell director Toma Kimura, professionally known as Mokochan, says he prayed to an imaginary version of original manga creator Masamune Shirow while developing the new adaptation.

"I would pray to this imaginary version of Shirow that emerged from my reading of the manga," Mokochan told WIRED Japan. "Then, after about three days, the answer would just quietly appear. At that point, it no longer mattered whether the answer came from my own inner thoughts or from my interpretation of the source material. That’s what I mean by spiritual communion."

Masamune penned the Ghost in the Shell manga, which debuted in 1989. The 1995 anime movie adaptation, directed by Mamoru Oshii, is widely considered one of the best anime movies of all time... so I absolutely understand praying to an imaginary Masamune for guidance. The Western live-action adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson, however, wasn't the most well-received (but we don't need to talk about that).

Per the official synopsis from Prime Video, the new Ghost in the Shell is set in a near-future "where information networks envelop the world and advanced cyborg technology has enabled the creation of a cyberbrain" and tells "the story of the full-body cyborg Motoko Kusanagi and the combat unit she leads in the fight against cybercrime."

Ghost in the Shell is airing now on Prime Video. Keep up to date with our Ghost in the Shell release schedule. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the best anime to watch this year and keep up with new anime.

Ghost in the Shell lends itself to remakes more perhaps than any other manga to date.

The original story, written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, is set in a world where identity and consciousness are no longer defined by the physical. Technology in this cyberpunk future has developed to the point where people now possess cyberbrains that allow them to interface with various networks and therefore inhabit different artificial forms, remoulding themselves each time.

The same is true of Mamoru Oshii's 1995 movie adaptation which arrived in theaters five years after the manga ended. Considered a box-office failure upon release, the film has since been heralded as a sci-fi classic, even though it deviated wildly in tone from the story that inspired it.

While Shirow's original work was funny and even goofy at points, this energy was redirected into a quieter, philosophical meditation on the meaning of life itself in the film. Subsequent adaptations largely stuck to this tone, including Oshii's more ponderous sequel, although Kenji Kamiyama's Stand Alone Complex dived further into political intrigue. The less said about Netflix's poorly-conceived SAC 2045, the better.

Fluidity is as integral to this franchise as wires and circuitry are to its dystopian future, yet even within this constant state of evolution, it took hitting a hard factory reset to now give us what might be the best version of Ghost in the Shell yet.

A new approach

Like previous adaptations, the vast sci-fi world of Science Saru's new Ghost in the Shell is centred by Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg who leads the elite tactical unit Public Security Section 9 in their fight against cybercrime and terrorism. With help from a fellow cyborg named Batou, Kusanagi eventually comes into conflict with a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master who can control the cybernetic minds of others from afar for his own nefarious gains.

This fundamental wiring connects every version of Ghost in the Shell, no matter where their thematic emphasis might lean, but the most radical take on Kusanagi yet is the one that ends up being most faithful to the original story.

Leaning into the manga's spiritual roots, Science Saru draws heavily from the humor and lighthearted tone that initially defined this world in their new adaptation, giving us a new take on Ghost in the Shell that's never been seen on screen before.

The weighty existentialism that's become the default for this franchise has now taken a back seat in favor of jokes and even some slapstick comedy. While that might sound like an affront to what Ghost in the Shell has become known for, watching Kusanagi and her team bicker mid-firefight actually grounds this series with a newfound humanity which speaks to themes around identity in a very different, yet no less relevant way.

Key to this is how the remake rewires Kusanagi herself, transforming our introspective, incredibly serious lead into someone far more spunky in her approach to crimefighting.

This version of Kusanagi isn't afraid to tell you what she thinks, quick to crack jokes or blow up when things aren't going her way. "This is why I hate letting insensitive jerk wads into my brain," she says at one point, teasing her bestie Batou. Play your cards wrong and Kusanagi might even hack your ghost to make you punch yourself in the face.

But there's a lot of love there for her team still, and episode two even throws some physical loving her way, sexualising Kusanagi in ways that give her agency rather than just ogle at her body from afar (as has so often been the case in previous adaptations).

Although some areas of the fandom might be less than willing to embrace such change, this is far from a betrayal. Science Saru were in constant contact with the creator of Ghost in the Shell, regularly asking Shirow questions to ensure that the story was in line with his original vision.

That's also true of the animation, which harkens back to the manga with exaggerated features and retro vibes that feel like they've been lifted directly from the pages of Young Magazine Zōkan: Kaizokuban (where Ghost in the Shell first appeared circa 1989).

Human nature

The character work is more expressive, matching the new energy this remake brings, and the colors are far more vibrant too. Early on in episode one, there's a scene where bright red robotic devices shine under the sun that streams through branches of cherry blossom trees as they shed their petals overhead, creating a gorgeous vista that's miles removed from the cold tech-noir cityscapes this franchise is usually known for. Those still exist though, of course. It's just that the remake brings more variety and intriguing use of light to its palette.

And it's not like the serious undertones of Kusanagi's mission are absent entirely. Those bursts of color sometimes come with bursts of pixelated blood in a series where violence remains intrinsic to said mission. The members of Public Security Section 9 regularly fight for their lives in explosive gunfights where death, be it the death of a human or the destruction of their cybernetic shell, is commonplace throughout.

This again brings into question what it means to be a human, how technology can lead us further from our essence, or our "ghosts", if you will. Such concerns are threaded into wider, even more timely issues around corruption, human experimentation and the abuse of AI, which, while always present in the franchise, are accentuated further here. So this is very much a Ghost in the Shell story still, perhaps more so than any other adaptation so far given Science Saru's dogmatic faithfulness to the original text.

Such an approach doesn't automatically guarantee success though. Where the remake succeeds most is in how it balances all this so well, finding humor within dystopia without sacrificing the tension and extreme violence that's inherent to this property. Like they've done so effectively in Dandadan, Science Saru brings seemingly disparate tones together with what feels like ease, enhanced of course by the world-class visuals and voice-acting you'd expect from a studio of such repute.

Who knew that a humorous take on Ghost in the Shell would turn out to be one of this year's biggest and best surprises? And even more surprisingly, who knew that this would turn out to be one of the rare remakes that justifies its existence by being more faithful to the original, not less? Ghost in the Shell continues to subvert expectations even now, 37 years after Shirow first put pen to paper, but that's incredibly fitting for a franchise long defined by change.

Ghost in the Shell episode 1 is out now on Prime Video. Make sure you don't miss a moment with our The Ghost in the Shell release schedule. We've also got a list of the best shows on Prime Video to keep you busy too.

The Boys season 5 didn't snag any Emmy nominations in the acting department this year, despite submitting a whopping 28 of its actors.

Per Gold Derby, the hit Prime Video show submitted lead actors Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, and Karen Fukuhara, as well as supporting actors Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Chace Crawford, Jessie T. Usher, Nathan Mitchell, Daveed Diggs, Jensen Ackles, Susan Heyward, Colby Minifie, and Valorie Curry.

But that's not all: guest stars Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Elisabeth Shue, Paul Reiser, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Will Forte, John Noble, Cameron Crovetti, Giancarlo Esposito, and Samuel L. Jackson (who provided the voice for a shark named Xander) were submitted as well.

The show did, however, earn five Emmy nominations overall:Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for Oh Father's song 'Raise Him Up,' Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi costumes, Outstanding Sound Editing, Outstanding Music Supervision, and Outstanding Stunt Coordination. The Boys season 5 joins non-satirical superhero shows Peacemaker season 2 and Spider-Noir in the Outstanding Stunts category.

Though this may be the end for the main cast of The Boys, we still have two spin-offs on the way: The Boys: Mexico and Vought Rising.

The Boys season 5 is now streaming in full on Prime Video. For more, check out our The Boys season 5 episode 8 finale recap, our take on the episode in our The Boys season 5 finale review, and all the details about what's next in Vought Rising.

After the news that Sony will be sunsetting PlayStation discs, Hideo Kojima has spoken out on the importance of physical media.

"Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad," Kojima said at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival (translated via Genki_JPN). "Currently, I've been buying up a lot of Blu-rays, such as various movies, and CDs too.

"The situation is different for games, as they are downloaded to the hard drive, that means the game data remains on your own hardware. However, if things shift to streaming in the future, that won't be the case anymore," he continued.

"With streaming subscription services, like Netflix or Amazon, there is a server somewhere, and you essentially just have the right to turn the tap, and when you do, the data flows out. That's how movies work on these platforms, right? You don't download the data, you access it directly through a subscription. And the consequence of that is that you don't actually possess the data yourself.

"There are companies that own these servers and let you 'turn the tap' for a monthly fee. However, with nations, politics and various ways of thinking, one naturally has to consider the possibility that if there is a change, the data inside will stop being distributed. And if that happens you won't be able to watch or play the movies and games you like. That is what is frightening.

"So, what is happening to video games in 2028, might also happen to movies. I'd like everyone to keep that in mind," he said.

One hot topic in streaming has been movies or shows getting deleted from their streaming homes, effectively rendering them lost media. For example, Disney and Lucasfilm's Willow TV show was removed from Disney Plus and, since it never got a physical release, you can no longer watch it.

As for games, the shift might already be here ahead of 2028, as GTA 6 will ship out codes in boxes rather than a physical disc.

"As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format," Sid Shumen, senior director of SIE's content communications, announced in a post on the official PlayStation site.

"This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.

"We'll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that's at retailers or PlayStation Store. We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support," the post concluded.

Keep up to date with all of this year's biggest film releases with our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies.

Delicious in Dungeon season 2 finally has a release window, which means 2027 is shaping up to be a big year for new anime.

Netflix shared a new poster for Delicious in Dungeon season 2, adding that we can expect it to hit the streamer in October 2027. You can check out the poster below.

Blue Eye Samurai season 2, another Netflix anime original, also has a 2027 release window, with Frieren: Beyond Journey's End season 3 to follow suit on Crunchyroll. Chainsaw Man season 2, Jujutsu Kaisen season 4, and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle are all also expected to arrive in 2027... making it a pretty stacked year.

Delicious in Dungeon debuted in 2024, with a second season officially announced in June, shortly after the season 1 finale aired. A trailer was also released in 2024, with an initially speculated release date of 2026. There hasn't been much by way of news until now, with Studio Trigger initially announcing the release window at Anime Expo.

The first season centered on the hunt for Falin (voiced by Saori Hayami and Lisa Reimold), the sister of adventurer Laios (Kentarô Kumagai and Damien Haas), who was eaten by a red dragon during a dungeon raid gone wrong. The second season does not yet have an official synopsis, though we can expect it to adapt the Dwarf City Ruins arc from chapter 56 of the manga.

While we wait, check out our complete guide to 2026's remaining new anime, as well as our essential best anime movies selection.

If you're looking for how to watch USA vs Belgium in the 2026 World Cup, all the streaming details are here.

USA vs Belgium promises to be pretty exciting: both teams are very closely matched, with the US men's team delivering impressive wins against Paraguay and Australia. After a slightly sluggish start Belgium were on top form in an explosive five-goal victory over New Zealand, followed by a 3-2 win over Senegal. Neither team has won a World Cup before, and the odds are slightly in Belgium's favor: the team is ranked 9th in the FIFA rankings with the US at 17.

This is the third time the US and Belgium have played against each other in a World Cup: their first ever match was at the first ever World Cup in 1930, and the US won 3-0. In their 2014 rematch Belgium won 2-1 in extra time.

If you're a fan of sports betting it seems that the bookmakers expect a USA win this time around: FanDuel gives the US team +155 to win against +165 for Belgium and +250 for a draw.

This game is taking place amid a growing controversy over a red card decision: the US team's top scorer, Folarin Balogun, was given a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Referees' judgements are final and that meant Balogun would be suspended for at least this match in a major blow for the US. And then President Trump intervened, and FIFA reversed the decision. Trump publicly thanked FIFA for "reversing a great injustice."

The reversal hasn't gone down well, especially with Belgium: the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was "astonished" by FIFA's move. The organization is "investigating all potential options". However, at the time of writing Balogun will now play in this match.

As with other World Cup matches, different broadcasters and streamers have the broadcast and streaming rights in different countries, and in the UK the rights are split further with the BBC getting some games and ITV others. If there isn't a free stream in your country you may be able to get a free trial instead, or connect via a VPN.

Here's how to watch USA vs Belgium when it kicks off at 8pm Eastern Time on Monday 6 July.

How to watch USA vs Belgium free around the world

You can stream the World Cup for free in many countries. In the UK this match is being streamed by the BBC, so you can watch in the BBC iPlayer app. In Ireland you can stream for free with the RTE Player, and in Australia the free streaming is delivered via SBS On Demand.

Free streaming is often geo-blocked, so if your device appears to be located in a different country the stream may not play. There's an easy solution to that, though: you can use a VPN app to stream the match from wherever you are.

Free streams available in:

• UK: BBC iPlayer
• Australia: SBS On Demand
• Ireland: RTE Player

How to watch USA vs Belgium in the US

It's a shame that USA vs Belgium isn't streaming for free in the US, but free trials mean you can still catch the match without spending any money – or at least, you can if you haven't previously signed up for the trials.

At the moment we think the best free trial is the one offered by ouTube TV, which is a very long 21-day free trial. If you don't cancel at the end of the trial the first three months are discounted to $54.99 a month for the first three months, giving you ESPN, TNT and the NFL Network too. That's called the Sports Plan.

If you'd like or don't mind Spanish-language commentary you can experience the match in both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on Peacock, thanks to its deal with Telemundo. You'll need to be a premium Peacock subscriber or a Walmart Plus member, as Walmart bundles Peacock as part of the subscription. The free trial for Walmart Plus is currently down to just $1 for 30 days. Peacock Premium is $10.99 a month.

Fubo is offering full English-language Fox and FS1 World Cup coverage on the Sports+News package. That package usually costs $55.99 a month but you can sign up for a five-day free trial.

Fox One is once again streaming this match in pin-sharp 4K on the $19.99 per month plan. The free trial for that one is very short: Fox is currently offering three days free.

The USA vs Belgium game starts at 8pm Eastern Time.

How to watch USA vs Belgium in the UK

UK viewers have to split their World Cup viewing between two broadcasters and streamers: some matches are broadcast and streamed by the BBC, and others by ITV. The USA vs Belgium match is a BBC one, so the free stream is on BBC iPlayer. The kick-off time is 1am BST on Tuesday the 7th of July.

If you think you'll be away from the UK during the match you can still access iPlayer streams with Norton VPN, which enables you to tune into streams even when you're not home.

How to watch USA vs Belgium in Canada

The TSN+ streaming platform will be streaming USA vs Belgium live from 8.00PM ET.

If you're traveling outside Canada while this match takes place you might be geoblocked when you try to stream the fixture. You can get around that with Norton VPN, which enables you to stream normally from anywhere.

How to watch USA vs Belgium in Australia

The USA vs Belgium match is another morning match for Australian viewers: kick-off is 10am AEST on 7 July. SBS on Demand will be streaming the match live.

If you aren't going to be in Australia that morning but still want to stream the match on SBS, we'd recommend Norton VPN: it's rock-solid and delivers smooth streaming.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Get ready to have your heart ripped out all over again in Night City.

Speaking at the show's Anime Expo 2026 panel, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 writer Bartosz Sztybor was quoted by multiple attendees – and Japanese outlet Famitsu – as describing the first season as like a Michael Bay movie, with the second season more resembling a Martin Scorsese movie.

Sztybor also warned fans not to get "too emotionally attached" to characters. Given how the first season judiciously bumped off some of our favorite characters – including hero David and most of the crew he ran around with – that doesn't bode well for the four new faces we'll be spending time with as part of the second season.

Already, there appears to be drama afoot with cyberpunk legend Weak Kingsley as a leak suggested he may have family ties with pink-haired Maelstrom member Talia. We don't anticipate nomad D. or the camera-wielding Roman to have an easy time of it, either.

Scorsese, of course, is best known for sweeping, epic gangster dramas, with the director never too squeamish about shockingly killing off major characters at a whim. The Departed and Goodfellas are just two examples of the auteur's penchant for letting blood run freely on the big screen.

First Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 reactions have unanimously praised the Netflix anime's opening episode, with CD Projekt Red producers also praising fans for not leaking footage from the Anime Expo panel.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners hits Netflix this fall. For more, check out our picks for the best anime on Netflix.

Good news: Netflix has announced full release plans for the next two 'Stages' of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run. The bad news? They almost perfectly line up with a leak that suggests the cross-country saga won't come to a close until 2028.

As confirmed by the streamer, 'JoJo Friday' will return as Steel Ball Run gallops into sight with weekly episodes from September 25.

Unfortunately, those hoping for a full run of 20-plus episodes in typical JoJo's fashion will be disappointed.

As part of the 2nd and 3rd Stages of Steel Ball Run (each Stage is a leg in Johnny Joestar's mammoth horse race across America), there will be 11 episodes from September through until December.

Sadly, this lines up perfectly with a previous leak we hoped wasn't going to be true. A Redditor by the name of crossleboss took to the platform six months ago to detail a – fittingly – bizarre release schedule.

In it, there would be one initial episode in March (which was true, and caused much consternation among the rabid fanbase) followed by 11 from September. So far, so accurate.

From there, we could apparently be getting a further 12 episodes next June, 10 episodes in October 2027, and the final nine episodes in May 2028. And we thought the wait for Attack on Titan's never-ending Final Season was bad.

Need something else to watch in the meantime? We have a complete guide to 2026's remaining new anime, as well as our essential best anime movies selection. If you're still playing catch up, here's our guide on how to watch JoJo's in order.

The first Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 reactions are in as its creators and producers thank fans for not leaking the first episode.

Attendees of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2's panel at this year's Anime Expo were among the first in the world to watch the opening episode of the new Netflix series.

They responded to the opportunity with a wave of wildly positive responses, as well as protecting the secrets that lie within the animated return to Night City.

"I watched the first episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. It perfectly blends classic Night City vibes with exciting new characters," one wrote on Twitter. Exactly what I hoped for from [writer Bartosz Sztybor] and Studio Trigger. Top-tier animation, production, and voice acting. Looking Preem as Hell, Chooms."

Another attendee remarked, "Episode one of Edgerunners 2 is an incredible and beautiful start to season 2, I can’t wait for the rest to come out."

Perhaps most excitingly, one Twitter user gushed, "This is gonna be an all timer, it resonates in my bones." Another said it was, simply, "pretty special."

Media outlets who were in the crowd also reacted favorably to what they saw.

Polygon's Ryan Epps kickstarted the groundswell of great feeling surrounding the Studio Trigger follow-up, writing, "Packed with incredible colors, gorgeous framing, and punchy sound design, Edgerunners 2 is a fresh take on a beloved world. It immediately feels like a Ghost in the Shell-meets-Trigun experience, offering this gritty, grounded study of Night City through realistic action and character drama."

Gizmodo's Isaiah Colbert intrigues by stating, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is "both a sequel that expands itself outward, weaving a bigger, bolder, ambitious tale, while also feeling viscerally intimate and small-scale."

In a rare moment of pop culture confidentiality, not a single second of footage is seemingly available online from the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 premiere. While some descriptions are out there – if you know where to look – those who want to go in fresh can rest easy in knowing Anime Expo 2026 was a leak-free zone.

"We really appreciate everyone’s understanding and for helping us keep the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 episode one screening at Anime Expo spoiler-free by not recording any footage," CD Projekt Red's global PR director Radek Grabowski tweeted.

CD Projekt Red's associate country director for Japan Satoru Homma added, "Thank you so much for keeping your promise properly."

For those chooms late to the party, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 is a standalone story following four new protagonists: veteran edgerunner Weak Kingsley, seeming cinephile Roman, Maelstrom member Talia, and nomad D.

As per the official synopsis, 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 pulls you back into Night City, where lives become entangled to the extreme. Weak, a washed-up cyberpunk legend, is now forced to live without chrome as he searches for a sense of purpose in a world that’s passed him by. Meanwhile, the deadly nomad D sets out on a path to revenge that brings him close to corpo secrets never meant to be found. Across this ten-episode standalone series, uncover a story of family, obsession, legacy – and how your lens reflects the stories of the people around you."

If the first Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 reactions are anything to go by, we can prepare for peak. The series hits Netflix this fall.

For more, check out our picks for the best Netflix anime around.

If you're looking for how to watch England vs Mexico in the 2026 World Cup we have all the details here.

Mexico are the favorites here, not least because they're playing in their home stadium: that stadium is more than 2,000m / 7,000 feet above sea level, which gives the home team a serious advantage over England players who have to acclimatise to the different oxygen levels.

Mexico have been playing brilliantly so far, blasting through the group stage with a 100% record. England had a much harder group stage. While Harry Kane has become a record-breaking World Cup scorer for England, the team's performance against Panama was widely described as "unconvincing" despite ending in a 2-0 win. And it took England some 75 minutes to catch up with DR Congo's early goal, managing a second winning goal just minutes from the final whistle.

The broadcasting and streaming rights for this year's World Cup matches are split between multiple organisations. Some broadcasters are streaming the matches for free, while streamers in some other countries are offering free trials. In the UK the broadcasting and streaming rights are shared between the BBC and ITV; this match is a BBC one.

Here's how to watch England vs Mexico on the 5th of July in the US and Canada and on the 6th of July in the UK and Australia.

How to watch England vs Mexico free around the world

You can stream the World Cup for free in many countries. In the UK this match is being streamed by the BBC, so you can watch in the BBC iPlayer app. In Ireland you can stream for free with the RTE Player, and in Australia the free streaming is delivered via SBS On Demand.

These free streams tend to be geo-blocked, which means that if your device appears to be located in a different country the stream won't play. However, you can use a VPN app to make any device appear as if it's at home and stream the match from wherever you happen to be.

Free streams available in:

• UK: BBC iPlayer
• Australia: SBS On Demand
• Ireland: RTE Player

How to watch England vs Mexico in the US

There isn't a free streaming option for the England vs Mexico match in the US, but you can still watch for free with judicious use of free trials. Most streamers offer short trials for new customers, and at the moment the most generous one is YouTube TV, which offers a 21-day free trial. After the trial there's a discount that takes the monthly fee down to $54.99 a month for the first three months. That Sports Plan subscription doesn't just give you the World Cup. It also gives you ESPN, TNT, the NFL Network and more.

Spanish language broadcaster Telemundo has been breaking viewing records this World Cup, partly because Peacock subscribers can tune in for free and enjoy the matches in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. That's exclusive to Peacock Premium subscribers, and the cheapest way to get a subscription is to sign up for Walmart Plus. That includes Peacock Premium, at just $1 for 30 days. The normal price of Peacock Premium is $10.99 a month.

If you'd rather have English-language commentary Fubo offers full Fox and FS1 World Cup coverage on the Sports+News package. That's usually $55.99 a month but you can get a five-day free trial.

Last but not least, Fox One is streaming all the matches in pin-sharp 4K on the $19.99 per month plan. The free trial for that one is very short: Fox is currently offering three days free.

How to watch England vs Mexico in the UK

The BBC and ITV have been splitting World Cup matches between them, and this time it's the national broadcaster's turn to show the national team: the England vs Mexico match will be broadcast on the BBC and streamed on the BBC iPlayer. The kick-off is 1am UK time on Monday 6 July.

If you won't be in the UK during the match you can access your iPlayer streams with the help of Norton VPN, which enables you to stream as if you were at home on the sofa even if you're not physically in the UK.

How to watch England vs Mexico in Canada

The TSN+ streaming platform is once again the service you need to stream the World Cup live: England vs Mexico will be on TSN 1/4 and streaming on TSN+ at 8pm ET.

If you'll be away from home and outside Canada for this one you might find that you're geoblocked when you try to stream the match. Don't worry: you can use Norton VPN to stream normally as if you were watching at home.

How to watch England vs Mexico in Australia

Good news for Australian football fans: the England vs Mexico match is scheduled at a reasonable time, 10am AEST on the morning of 6 July, so you won't need to stay up late or get up super early. SBS on Demand will be streaming the match live.

If you won't be in Australia but still want to stream the match from SBS, we'd recommend Norton VPN: it's speedy, stable and reliable.

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The first trailer for new Star Wars anime show The Ninth Jedi has arrived, and it teases an epic new series.

In the brief clip, which can be viewed above, young Kara goes on a colorful, action-packed, and dangerous adventure through the galaxy. She goes up against a mysterious masked foe... who, it's revealed by his blue lightsaber, might just be a former Jedi.

The limited series picks up after adventures in Star Wars Visions Volume 1 and Volume 3, and sees Kara continue on her quest to find her missing father and evade Jedi Hunters.

The original The Ninth Jedi short was released in 2021 as an episode of Star Wars Visions and is set a thousand years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. A sabersmith named Lah Zhima builds six lightsabers to bring back the mostly non-existent Jedi order before being captured by the Sith. His daughter Kara arms herself with a lightsaber and sets off on a journey to find other Jedi to help her rescue her father.

The second installment, The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope, was released in October 2025 and continues Kara's journey, this time after an unexpected attack.

"It was such a big endeavor – the first full-on anime Star Wars series, so we would support the team from early pitch stages through designs and production as the story was built out," Visions executive producer Josh Rimes previously told Polygon.

The Ninth Jedi releases on Disney Plus this August 5. For more, check out our list of the best Disney Plus shows, or look ahead with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows.

If you're looking for the best new shows and movies to stream this weekend, then you've come to the right place. We've got recommendations from across the spectrum of streaming services, meaning whatever you subscribe to, we've got you covered.

Highlights this week include the return of animated series X-Men '97 on Disney Plus, the third film in the Enola Holmes franchise on Netflix, and horror-comedy sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (though we're still mad it wasn't called Ready or Not: Here I Come).

It's a corking July 4 weekend for the best streaming services around, with more than enough to fill a long weekend's viewing, between trips to the BBQ. So read on for our streaming picks of the week, and where to find them.

X-Men '97 season 2

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus

Marvel's nostalgic animated revival continues with X-Men '97 season 2. The first three episodes dropped this week, perfect for immersing yourself back in a world of mutant mayhem, with further episodes set to release weekly on Wednesdays. Be sure to bookmark our X-Men '97 season 2 release schedule, so you never miss an episode.

Picking up moments after that jaw-dropping season 1 cliffhanger, season 2 sees the X-Men spread across time in the battle against original mutant Apocalypse. It's been two years since season 1, so if you're feeling a little lost, be sure to check out our X-Men '97 season 1 recap, or check out our spoiler-free X-Men '97 season 2 review for our verdict on the first four episodes (spoiler: we liked it a lot).

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

Silo season 3

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV

Apple's post-apocalyptic mystery show is back for its third, and penultimate, season. After venturing outside the silo in season 2 and discovering that they were not alone, Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) now faces a different struggle – ol' memory loss.

OK, so a bit of a cliched start for Silo season 3, but after two seasons of questions, the show is finally set to provide answers, with a dual timeline flashing back to the creation of the silos themselves. The best news is that a fourth and final season has already been shot, so there's no risk of being left hanging.

For what else to watch, here's our pick of the best Apple TV shows.

Enola Holmes 3

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix

Enola Holmes is back! Sherlock's younger sister, played by Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, is about to wed Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) in Malta when her crime-solving big brother – once again played by Henry Cavill – disappears. So it's up to Enola to solve the case of the missing Holmes, and expose the shadowy conspirators pulling the strings.

Enola Holmes has proven one of Netflix's more successful ongoing film franchises. This latest entry is once again written by prolific screenwriter Jack Thorne, who has enlisted his acclaimed Adolescence collaborator Phlip Barantini as director, so impressive credentials behind the camera. Here's to many more cases!

Fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix movies

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Hulu/Disney Plus

The sequel to 2019 horror-comedy Ready or Not is another fun, frantic spin on the most dangerous game, as returning survivor Grace (Samara Weaving) again finds herself being hunted for ritualistic sport by the council of elite families. The twist this time: Grace's estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton) is also part of the chase.

Arriving seven years after the first entry (directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett helmed Screams 5 and 6, and vampire flick Abigail in the intervening years), Ready or Not 2 has been a long time coming, but is another blood-soaked blast. For an even more outrageous spin on a similar premise, check out They Will Kill You, which hit HBO Max last month.

For more, dive into our list of best movies on Disney Plus

Lee Cronin's The Mummy

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: HBO Max

Warner Bros' full-on Mummy reboot faced a mixed response when it released earlier this year, with critics knocking the fact that it's more of an exorcist movie than a Mummy movie, and pointing to its somewhat indulgent 135-minute runtime (and that meaningless title) as signs that it was a movie in need of a few more studio notes. But everyone can agree, it's pretty gnarly.

The story of a modern-day family whose daughter is kidnapped, only to mysteriously return 8 years later, having been found in a sarcophagus, wrapped in bandages (never a good sign), it's a movie that brings the Mummy myth into the home. Midsommar's Jack Reynor and Moon Knight's May Calamawy star.

For more, here are the best movies on HBO Max

Human Vapor

Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix

This South Korean sci-fi thriller show is actually a reimagining of a 1960 Toho movie, hence the charmingly retro premise: a man gains the ability to transform into a gaseous state and uses his powers for bank robberies. Only here, of course, instead of robbing banks, murder is involved.

We're not going to lie: there was clearly a limited VFX budget, so some of the gas effects are a little ropey, but Human Vapor has been admirably updated for the prestige TV era; this gripping 8-episode limited series will keep you hooked till the very end.

For more from the biggest streaming service around, check out our list of the best shows on Netflix.

If nothing on our list seems right for you, have a read of our guides to the best Prime Video shows, and the best Apple TV movies you can watch right now.

House of the Dragon season 3 has found a very clever way to reference its source material, George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood.

In the new opening credits, the tapestry chronicling the history of the Targaryens is added to each episode with the latest major events from the season. But, if you pay close attention, you'll notice that the artistic rendering of these events is slightly different from what actually happened.

For example, in the Battle of the Gullet, it was Alyn who killed Sharako Lohar, but, in the tapestry, Corlys Velaryon is shown dramatically facing off with Lohar. Similarly, Jacaerys Velaryon is shown being killed by arrows, though the actual circumstances of his death are subtly different in the show to the tapestry (he's falling backwards in the tapestry, while in the show, he was already in the water).

"I love working in the contested history of Fire & Blood into these little flourishes," says one fan on Twitter – and it's true that this seems to be a deliberate nod to Martin's book.

Fire and Blood is a pseudo-historical text that tells the history of House Targaryen, but the twist is it's presented as coming from three different sources who each disagree with each other on the details. That means the truth of what really happened is unknown. So, the tapestry telling a false version of history perfectly fits the book's themes.

The source material has been a hot topic for House of the Dragon season 3 after Martin's infamous blog post about a "toxic" butterfly effect caused by making changes to his book. One change to Fire and Blood might have accidentally erased Daenerys Targaryen from canon (though it's an easy fix), while the show might even have referenced Martin's blog post with a sly Easter egg.

House of the Dragon continues weekly on HBO in the US and HBO Max, Sky, and NOW in the UK. Keep up to date with our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule.

For even more, check out our House of the Dragon season 3 review or our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.

As other anime studios lean into the use of AI, the director of Science Saru's upcoming The Ghost in the Shell anime series promises the remake will stay clear of GenAI.

Toma Kimura (otherwise known as Mokochan) took to the stage at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Festival and gave fans an insight into how the team achieved the finer details of the upcoming anime remake. "We wanted every street sign to be specifically designed, but it became too much of a burden,” he said. “Instead, we used this worm-like lettering that looks like kanji but is actually gibberish."

This led Kimura to the topic of AI. "We decided on this before generative AI became prevalent, so please know that zero GenAI was used on the project." Complex reports that after that statement, the crowd "erupted" into applause.

The Ghost in the Shell's "zero GenAI stance" is a breath of fresh air for anime fans. AI has slowly crept into the genre over the past few years, starting with subtitles, but it has now spread to generating art and animation too.

Earlier this year, Wit Studio, best known for producing the first three seasons of Attack on Titan and the hit show Spy x Family, admitted to using AI to generate backgrounds in the opening sequence of Ascendance of a Bookworm season 4. Once outed, the studio quickly apologised, stating it is still committed to hand-drawn animation, and removed the AI-generated images.

But Science Saru won't make that mistake. At Annecy, producer Kohei Sakita added, "The feeling of something drawn by a person is the whole appeal of animation to me."

Based on the hit manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow, The Ghost in the Shell is set in a near-future "where information networks envelop the world and advanced cyborg technology has enabled the creation of a cyberbrain," as per Amazon. The upcoming cyberpunk show follows "the story of the full-body cyborg Motoko Kusanagi and the combat unit she leads in the fight against cybercrime."

Ghost in the Shell arrives on Prime Video on July 7. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the best anime to watch this year and keep up with new anime.

Somehow, Kang returned. The time-traveling supervillain – last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – has a surprising appearance from one of his most prominent (and popular) variants in X-Men '97.

The third episode of X-Men '97 season 2 charts the origins of Apocalypse, then known as En Sabah Nur, in Ancient Egypt circa 3000 B.C.

En Sabah Nur rises up against a familiar leader, a Pharaoh with technology far beyond his current time. In actuality, he is Rama-Tut, a younger variant of Kang the Conqueror.

While X-Men '97 is under the Marvel Studios banner, it's not part of the MCU or the Sacred Timeline (in fact, a separate live-action X-Men movie is on its way in the near future).

However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's post-credits scene revealed the Council of Kangs and a congregation of almost every Kang in the multiverse – including Rama-Tut.

The kicker there is they all resembled actor Jonathan Majors, who was dropped from the role after being charged and later convicted of third-degree assault and second-degree harassment.

Ever since, the MCU has clearly been reluctant to re-introduce Kang, even going so far as reworking Avengers: The Kang Dynasty into Avengers: Doomsday, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.

Rama-Tut's appearance in X-Men '97, though, is worlds away from Majors' take. The episode, a loose adaptation of the Rise of Apocalypse comic, may open the door ever so slightly for Kang's return in the future. After all, the multiverse is a rich space with infinite possibilities. Kang may have been conquered by Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, but more can live on – with a different face – and still prove popular. X-Men '97 might be the first step towards bringing the supervillain back into the fold.

For more, check out the X-Men '97 release schedule, or check out our spoiler-free X-Men '97 season 2 review, for our verdict on the first four episodes.

As House of the Dragon season 3 continues to air, Game of Thrones fans are debating all of the important topics, including who is the best swordfighter in all of Westeros' history.

The debate kicked off over on Twitter when one fan asked, "Who’s coming out alive" in a fight to the death between Jamie Lannister and Daemon Targaryen. Now, not that this would ever happen, as Daemon was born hundreds of years before Jaime, but a lot of fans seem to be backing the Golden Lion over the Rogue Prince.

"George R.R. Martin says Jamie is a top three fighter in the entire history of A Song of Ice and Fire," said one fan, while another added, "If your name isn't Barristan Selmy, Arthur Dayne, Aemon the Dragonknight, Daemon Blackfyre, Robert Baratheon or Aegon the Conqueror, Jamie is killing you within 5 moves."

However, many fans think Daemon has it in him to beat the Lannister, as he has shown just what he can do with a sword in House of the Dragon. Who could forget when he sliced Ser Vaemond Velaryon's head in half with one swipe in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8, after Lord Corlys' brother badmouthed Rhaenyra. "This is disrespectful to Daemon," added one Twitter user.

Funnily enough, Daemon star Matt Smith has already answered a similar question in the past. But rather than asking if Daemon could beat Jaime in a fight, it was Jon Snow. "Mate, I've got a dragon," said Smith on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in 2024. "Jon Snow is a bad boy. Don't get me wrong. Kit Harington, lovely man, lovely guy. I have a lot of respect. But don't get it twisted. I would fuck those brothers up." Well, there you have it.

As for Jaime Lannister, the Knight didn't go out in a blaze of glory, but was crushed under the Red Keep after Daenerys Targaryen invaded King's Landing. Daemon is still fighting strong in his respective show, but as the Dance of the Dragons continues to play out, no one is really safe on Team Black or Team Green.

House of the Dragon season 3 episode 3 hits HBO on July 5 in the US and on HBO Max and Sky on July 6 in the UK. You can find exact timings in our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule. For more, read our House of the Dragon season 3 review, and keep up with upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.

The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 English-language voice cast has been announced, but fans are (understandably) zeroing in on one of its most recognizable names.

As revealed by CD Projekt Red, veteran edgerunner Weak Kingsley will be played by Clancy Brown, the prolific actor known for everything from playing Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants to the hardened detective Lieutenant Anderson in Detroit: Become Human.

Amid the wave of Mr. Krabs-related jokes about saving eddies and calling Plankton a gonk, fans are united in their reaction to the news.

In short, fans are overjoyed: "Clancy Brown as Weak has to be one of my top five favorite castings," one wrote on Twitter, to which executive producer Saya Elder noted that it was a "personal recommendation" from writer Bartosz Sztybor.

"Might have to watch the English dub of Cyberpunk Edgerunners II when it comes out now," another remarked.

"I'm about to start watching the Cyberpunk anime just for Clancy Brown," one newcomer to Edgerunners said. Another added that they expect Weak to be one of the dopest characters in the Cyberpunk universe."

Elsewhere, it has been confirmed that Kimoy Lee will voice Talia Yang, Nazeeh Tarsha will voice D, and Valeria Rodriguez will voice Roman Carax.

Excited to hear them in action? A select few will get a chance to watch the first episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 early at the show's Anime Expo panel on July 3.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2 hits Netflix this fall. For more, check out our guide on new anime releases, plus our picks for the best anime on Netflix.

It seems as though fantasy fans are just not feeling the second season of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, as ratings reveal that less than half the number of viewers who tuned into season 1 have returned for season 2.

According to Tudum, Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2, which hit Netflix on June 25, was viewed 8.7 million times over its first four days on the platform. That's a huge drop from season 1, which hit the streamer in 2024 with 21.2 million views, meaning the new installment is down by 59%.

The season sits in second place on Netflix's top 10 list of most popular English-language shows right now, and in third place is the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which amassed 3 million views in the same week season 2 hit the streamer. Both seasons of Avatar sit behind the new Harlan Coben series I Will Find You, which earned 34.1 million views in its first full week on the site before hitting 24 million views in four days the same week as Avatar season 2.

It is not clear why the live-action Avatar show has seen a dip in viewership, as even though the sophomore season debuted to divisive reviews, that isn't really much of a change from season 1. In fact, Avatar season 2 sits at a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is actually a slight improvement from season 1, which stands at 62%.

In our Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 review, we call the new installment "better in basically every way to its first season," however, "it struggles under the weight of adapting the events of its animated counterpart" and "fumbles in ways that make its future concerning." That being said, Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3 is on the way and has already been filmed. Season 3 will mark the end of the live-action adaptation.

Following their bittersweet victory in saving the Northern Water Tribe from the Fire Nation, season 2 follows Avatar Aang, Katara, and Sokka as they set off to convince the Earth King to help them fight the Fire Lord Ozai. However, their journey leads them to series newcomer Toph (Miyako), whose skill in earthbending aids their quest.

Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 is available to watch on Netflix now. For more, check out our guide ot the best shows on Netflix, and keep up with new TV shows on the way.

Netflix's One Piece season 3 has finished filming, and with a brand new cast photo in tow.

In the photo, which can be viewed below, Luffy (Inaki Godoy), Nami (Emily Rudd), Sanji (Taz Skylar), Zoro, Usopp (Jacob Romero), and new series regular Vivi (Charithra Chandran) are standing in front of a wall that has a Sir Crocodile mural painted across. The villain, revealed to be Mr. 0 at the end of season 2, is set to play a major part in season 3 as the show rounds out the anime's Alabasta arc.

One Piece season 3 was greenlit in August 2025, and began filming in South Africa in November 2025. Given that One Piece season 2 premiered in March 2026, a premiere date of 2027 feels like a pretty quick turnaround (especially given the fact that so many shows nowadays have a three-year wait).

One Piece season 3 will see Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat crew, with Tony Tony Chopper (Mikaela Hoover) in tow, head to Vivi's homeland of Alabasta in hopes of freeing it from tyrannical reign. New cast members include Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña as Portgas D. Ace and Cole Escola as Bon Clay, with Joe Manganiello (Mr. 0), Lera Abova (Miss All Sunday), and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Nefertari Cobra), all promoted to series regulars.

One Piece season 3 doesn't have an exact release date yet, though we can expect it around Spring 2027. For more, check out how to watch One Piece in order or our One Piece filler list to help you navigate the 1,000-plus episodes of the anime.

The latest episode of House of the Dragon season 3 is a major paradigm shift for Westeros, as Rhaenyra Targaryen at last ascends to the Iron Throne.

But there's also one moment that might be a nod to one of the most controversial Game of Thrones moments of all – George R.R. Martin's infamous blog post taking aim at the butterfly effect caused by changes the HBO show made from his book Fire and Blood.

While the bulk of the post revolved around the decision to remove Helaena and Aegon's son Maelor from the Blood and Cheese incident (and, indeed, the entire show so far), Martin ended his post with these ominous words: "And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…"

Now, in House of the Dragon season 3, episode 2, Helaena is in the garden reading a book about butterflies. Not just any butterflies, either, but butterflies from Naath, which carry a deadly illness that kills invaders (so, toxic butterflies).

The moment has naturally been spotted by fans and posted across social media:

There is a Reference to GRRM's "Beware the Butterflies" blog post in House of the Dragon 3x02 (Spoilers Extended) from r/asoiaf

After the blog post, Martin was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, and he shared that his relationship with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal is "abysmal."

"Then we got into season 2, and he basically stopped listening to me," Martin told the publication. "I would give notes, and nothing would happen. Sometimes he would explain why he wasn't doing it. Other times, he would tell me, 'Oh, OK, yeah, I'll think about that.' It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed. Finally, it got to a point where I was told by HBO that I should submit all my notes to them and they would give Ryan our combined notes."

House of the Dragon continues weekly on HBO in the US and HBO Max, Sky, and NOW in the UK. Keep up to date with our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule.

For even more, check out our House of the Dragon season 3 review or our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.

X-Men '97 season 2 is almost upon us, and we can definitely expect another high-stakes, heartbreaking, and action-packed season.

After the X-Men were left stranded across time at the end of season 1, a new threat was introduced: Apocalypse. The ultra-powerful mutant is robotic in appearance but god-like in his abilities, to the point where it almost hits immortality. How did we get here? Well, a lot happened in X-Men '97 season 1. And, if you don't have time to go back and watch all 10 episodes, we've made a handy-dandy list of the most important things to know before diving into season 2.

Scroll on down for the five biggest things to remember before watching X-Men '97 season 2, but be warned: there are massive spoilers for X-Men '97 season 1 below.

1. The X-Men are stuck in three different timelines

And it's all because of Magneto. It's also why everyone on Earth thinks that the X-Men are either dead or missing. At the end of X-Men '97 season 1, Magneto manages to wipe out all of the Prime Sentinels (while killing thousands of people in the process) and retreats to his little mutant haven, an orbital space station known as Asteroid M. Bastion, still yet to be defeated, decides to crash Asteroid M into the earth... which would effectively blow up the planet. Xavier manages to help Magneto launch the asteroid into space, but it still explodes, and presumably takes the X-Men with it.

A six-month fast-forward shows us that Bishop and Forge are still in 1997, but Nightcrawler, Beast, Xavier, Magneto, and Rogue are sent to somewhere in Ancient Egypt circa 3000 B.C., while Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Morph are sent to a dystopian future circa 3960 A.D. X-Men '97 season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off.

2. Scott and Jean sent their son Nathan into the future because of his condition

In the X-Men '97 season 1 finale, when Cyclops and Jean are sent to the future, they meet a mystic mutant named Mother Askani, who is leading a desolate planet of hopeless people. This also just so happens to be the same future that their son, Nathan, was sent to as an infant. Shortly after he was born, Sinister injected him with a techno-organic virus with the intention of making him immortal, but it ended up almost killing him.

Realizing that there is no cure on Earth, they send him into the future with Bishop in the hopes that they can find a timeline with a cure. In the finale, Nathan is a teenager and seems pretty healthy... though we know that his cyborg-esque mutation remains, given that he eventually becomes the X-Men hero known as Cable. It's Cable who appears in X-Men '97 season 1 episode 5 and tries to warn them about Bastion's genocidal attack on Genosha.

It's important to remember that Nathan eventually becomes Cable, though it's a little confusing that Cyclops and Jean go into the future and encounter a teenage Nathan, rather than an adult Cable – meaning they've entered an alternate timeline of sorts.

3. Gambit died in the Battle of Genosha

I'm still not over it, but Gambit died during the Battle of Genosha in X-Men '97 season 1 episode 5. He throws Rogue out of harm's way before launching himself at Master Mold, the most powerful of the Prime Sentinels, which explodes and takes Gambit with it. Because of Marvel Cinematic Universe rules (though X-Men '97 is not canon to the main Earth-616 storyline), a lot of us sat and waited for him to miraculously return someway or another... but he still, sadly, seems pretty dead.

A popular theory among fans is that the show will take a page out of the comics and see Gambit brought back from the dead to become one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen. The X-Men '97 season 1 post-credits scene gives this further credibility, with the final moments of the season seeing Apocalypse pick up one of Gambit's playing cards in present-day (1997) Genosha.

X-Men '97 season 2 episode 8 is titled, 'The Dead Man's Hand,' and I'm pretty sure that's a reference to Gambit... so we'll just have to wait and see.

4. Magneto pulled the adamantium out of Wolverine

Though Wolverine seems alive and well in the X-Men '97 season 2 trailer, it's important to remember that he was on his deathbed when the first season ended. In case you forgot, X-Men '97 began with the X-Men and the world assuming that Xavier had died as a result of Gyrich's assassination attempt (which happened in the series finale of X-Men: The Animated Series, which aired on TV in, you guessed it, 1997). In his last will and testament, Xavier leaves the X-Men and the X-Mansion to Magneto, which causes a rift amongst the entire group.

Magneto tries his best to be an upstanding citizen, but is captured by Bastion. It's Dr. Cooper who finds Magneto and unleashes him, figuring that he's the only being powerful enough to kill Bastion and the Prime Sentinels. She's right, but it destroys most of the world in the process. After Magneto flees to Asteroid M, Xavier, alive and well after hiding out on an alien planet, finds him and tries to get into his mind. Magneto retaliates by almost killing Xavier, which prompts Wolverine to attack. Magneto then uses his freaky-deaky magnet powers to rip all of the adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton, leaving him in a half-dead, feral state where he can really only use his bone claws. X-Men '97 season 2 episode 5, titled 'Weapon X, Lies, and DVDS,' will likely focus on Wolverine.

5. The future where Apocalypse reigns is inevitable

I can't tell you exactly why this is important to remember, other than that Apocalypse is the primary focus of X-Men '97 season 2, but you'll just have to trust me on this one. In the X-Men '97 season 1 finale, we meet not one, but two versions of Apocalypse. In Ancient Egypt, where Xavier, Magneto, Rogue, and Nightcrawler are trapped, they encounter a mutant named En Sabah Nur. En Sabah Nur is the birth name of Apocalypse, and this particular timeline is one where he hasn't transformed into a supervillain just yet. We see Apocalypse in his present-day form in the post-credits scene, when he picks Gambit's playing card up off the ground.

In the season 2 trailer, Apocalypse makes it clear that his mission is to destroy the X-Men... in every timeline. It's important to note that he more or less can't be killed, which is what makes his reign of terror inevitable throughout time.

X-Men '97 season 2 hits Disney Plus on July 1, with the first three episodes in tow. For more, check out our X-Men '97 season 2 review, and never miss an episode with our X-Men '97 season 2 release schedule.