After a year and a half, one of the most iconic ice creams is coming back. On Monday, Van Leeuwen announced that Kraft Mac & Cheese Ice Cream is making its return to store shelves just in time for the holidays alongside the brand's lineup of seasonal Winter flavors. The ice cream offerings will all be available exclusively at Walmart locations nationwide starting October 23rd for a limited time.

The Kraft Mac & Cheese ice cream first debuted back in July 2021 to celebrate National Macaroni & Cheese Day and was so popular that Van Leeuwen brought it back first as an online-only offering just one month later and then in March 2022, launched it in Walmart stores nationwide. This time, it joins all new Winter flavors as a limited release available through December 26th or until sold out. The winter flavors and their descriptions can be found below.

Kraft Mac & Cheese

If this reminds you of the ice cream you grew up with, you might be out of your mind. If this reminds you of the comforting bowl of Kraft Mac & Cheese you grew up with, you're getting warmer. Because did we make this ice cream with that buttery, sweet iconic cheese? You bet.

Dill Pickle

Because there's no stopping us. This tangy yet sweet pickle ice cream is more pickle-ized with a dill pickle swirl. Don't knock it until you try it, because you know you will.

Peppermint Stick

To our sweet cream ice cream, we add a dash of pure peppermint extract along with crushed peppermint candy pieces. It makes every day Christmas. Except Christmas. Which is Christmas.

Caramel Sticky Bun

It starts with cinnamon brown sugar ice cream. We add swirls of caramel. Some cinnamon bun pieces. Think of it like a warm sticky bun with caramel. Only it's frozen. And it's ice cream.

Peanut Butter Fudge Pretzel

Peanut butter ice cream with swirls of fudge and pieces of praline pretzels. More commonly known as the ultimate trifecta of happiness.

Kettle Corn

We're basically a circus so it only makes sense that we'd create a sweet corn and butter ice cream with pieces of honeycomb for that subtly sweet yet salty taste that'll take you back to the big top.

Holiday Cookies & Cream

It's that time of year. Where everything is red and green, including what's in this pint. Festive red ice cream with dark chocolate cookies and a rich cream filling topped off with swirls of jolly green frosting.

"The wait is over - Mac (& Cheese) is back!" said Ben Van Leeuwen, co-Founder, and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. "Due to popular demand, we are bringing this iconic ice cream back to Walmart freezers nationwide after nearly a year and a half hiatus. We are excited for its return, and to be launching six other brand-new flavors, including Dill Pickle and Peppermint Stick."

"When we launched Kraft Mac & Cheese ice cream back in 2021, we never could have dreamed it would earn such a beloved place in both mac & cheese and ice cream lovers' hearts," says Victoria Lee, Brand Communications Manager, Kraft Mac & Cheese at the Kraft Heinz Company. "We know a cheesy and delicious bowl of Kraft Mac & Cheese is comforting at every age and life stage, and the KRAFT Mac & Cheese Ice Cream brings that same nostalgic magic to the dessert aisle. In collaboration with our partners at Van Leeuwen, we're thrilled to give fans a little something extra to cheer about this holiday season."

Will you be checking out the return of Kraft Mac & Cheese Ice Cream? Let us know in the comments.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things was about to start filming when the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA both went on strike. While the WGA strike has been resolved, SAG-AFTRA members are still on the picket lines as officials with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have momentarily stepped away from the negotiating table. Still, Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy says the Duffer Brothers have been able to restart work on the final outing of the Netflix hit as the filmmakers wait out the actors' strike.

"I can say that we are hoping to start filming as soon as possible," Levy said in an all-new chat with TheWrap. "We really need the actor's strike resolved first. The Duffers have been hard at work since the writer strike ended," he said. We're busy on a bunch of fronts because we also have our Stranger Things play opening in London imminently. It's fabulous. It's f-king awesome."

That play is set a few decades before the events of the television series in an age where Hopper, Joyce, and the Wheelers were the same age of their kids in the show.

"It has exceeded all our expectations. We're very excited to share that with the world," Levy added. "We are raring to go -- our cast, our crew. Everyone not only needs to get back to work because we have many hundreds of crew members who have not been able to make a living since the strikes began, but we will be shooting very shortly after the actor's strike ends."

There's another spin-off in development at Netflix, an animated series that pulls inspiration of the Saturday morning cartoons of yesteryear.

"We've always dreamed of an animated 'Stranger Things' in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling," the Duffer brothers said in a statement. We couldn't be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with - the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can't wait to share more with you! The adventure continues..."

The show's fifth and final season was originally set to begin filming earlier this summer prior to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delaying principal photography indefinitely.

Stranger Things 5 is expected to premiere in 2024 on Netflix.

Disney is officially getting back into the business of producing a Gargoyles series. Since the initial animated show wrapped up nearly 30 years ago, the cult classic has been relegated to licensed products through manufacturers and studios outside the House of Mouse. Now, a live-action series is in development for Mickey's own streaming service, with a Gargoyles reboot set to hit Disney+ soon.

Though news of the reboot was first announced by THR, Variety managed to get its hands on a logline for the show, which seems to be altering some things from the original animated series. "Based on the cult classic Disney animated series, Goliath is the last of a heroic race of gargoyle warriors who once lived among mankind," the synopsis reads. "Free from a centuries long curse that turned him into stone, Goliath struggles to solve the mystery of his past while watching over modern-day New York City alongside police detective Elisa Maza."

The first thing that jumps to mind is that the logline calls Goliath the last of the gargoyles, which isn't necessarily faithful to the original series. Both Goliath and Demona escaped the destruction of the Gargoyles by Hakon and his Viking raiders, as did the Gargoyles that would go on to form the Manhattan Clan. With this brief synopsis, it would read as if neither Demona nor the Manhattan Clan is involved at this point in time.

There's also the suggestion that Goliath no longer turns to stone as its inferred a curse is what made him turn to stone in the first place. Turning to stone comes naturally to gargoyles as they're nocturnal creatures that operate during the night. At the beginning of the series, Goliath is technically permanently turned to stone as a result of combating loneliness after Hakon's attack. After the curse wore off, however, he'd then turn to stone everytime the sun would rise--a signature of the original animated series.

All that said, it's incredibly early in the development process and there are still plenty of moving parts, so who knows what the reboot will actually look like.

All three seasons of Gargoyles are now streaming on Disney+.

What other animated shows would you like to see return in some shape, way, or form? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!

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The Bloodline and the Judgement Day haven't been working together for very long, but their partnership is already paying dividends for at least one of the stables involved. Finn Balor and Damian Priest of the Judgement Day lost the Undisputed Tag Team Championships at WWE Fastlane to the newly formed pair of Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. They got their rematch on the season premiere of Monday Night RAW and almost took a second loss, but some interference from a new ally helped them take back the titles.

Just when it seemed like Jey Uso was ready to make one final move to retain the Undisputed Tag Team Championships, his twin brother Jimmy Uso came out of nowhere to put a stop to the victory while the referee's back was turned. Jimmy took his brother out with a kick to the face, which resulted in Jey getting pinned and the Judgement Day taking the titles back.

Thanks to Jimmy Uso, @ArcherofInfamy & @FinnBalor regain their #TagTitles on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/3SJRQLbU0v

-- WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2023

Once again, every member of Judgement Day has a championship to their name. Balor and Priest share the Undisputed Tag Team Championships, with the latter also carrying the Money in the Bank Briefcase. Dominik Mysterio won back the NXT North American Championship recently, while Rhea Ripley remains the WWE Women's World Champion.

Another Partner for the Judgement Day

While the Judgement Day hasn't added any new members in quite a while, the group has been using their resources in the WWE Locker Room and making some calls to get help when needed. They made a very public pact with the Paul Heyman and the Bloodline. Operating in the shadows, Rhea Ripley may have also cut some kind of deal with the Scottish Warrior, Drew McIntyre.

During Monday's new episode of RAW, Rollins and McIntyre exchanged words regarding their upcoming title bout. A couple of shady statements from Rollins about McIntyre's intentions caused the Scottish Warrior to ask more direct questions of his opponent. Rollins called for the video team to roll footage of a conversation between Adam Pearce and Richochet backstage.

Did @DMcIntyreWWE just get BUSTED?!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/QvGpNwgHuc

-- WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2023

On the surface, the footage seemed like nothing but a simple conversation. However, zooming in on the footage caused everyone in the crowd to see McIntyre and Ripley speaking out of earshot of anyone else on the roster.

If McIntyre is working with Ripley, we don't know just yet how he will end up helping the Bloodline. He is actively keeping them from cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Rollins, so Rhea Ripley must have something else in mind.

Dragon Ball is coming back with a brand new anime series, but the big question the series still needs to answer is whether or not Dragon Ball Daima fits into the canon. And if it does, where in the timeline will Dragon Ball Daima take place? Dragon Ball is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with a brand new anime series that's going to make some massive changes to Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters as a wild new way to commemorate the occasion. Goku and the others will be de-aged into kids, and it's gotten fans wondering what could be coming in the new series.

Dragon Ball Daima's debut trailer and original creator Akira Toriyama's involvement in the new series does offer a few clues over whether or not this will be canon, however. First of all, since Toriyama is the one who created the new story and setting (which has never been seen in the manga or anime before), it's canon whether fans like the idea or not. So the big question then is where exactly this new anime can slot within everything that's happened before.

What Is the Dragon Ball Daima Timeline?

When announcing the new Dragon Ball Daima anime, Toriyama said the following about his involvement in the new series, "I'm currently working on a new Dragon Ball. The title is Dragon Ball Daima. Daima is a made-up term... [which] in English would be something like Evil." Teasing its impact on the canon, Toriyama teased we'll get new details of the franchise's world, "Things will unfold that close in on the mysteries of the Dragon Ball World. Hope you all enjoy these different-from-usual battles that are cute and powerful."

Just as how Dragon Ball Super is slotted in during the ten years before the end of Dragon Ball Z, this seems to be slotted right before Dragon Ball Super. The footage seen in the trailer shows a mysterious new figure watching the events of the past with the most recent seen is the Majin Buu arc. It seems that Goku and Vegeta are alive once more, and without Beerus and Whis around, this seems like this is also before the events of Battle of Gods.

Giving the timing, there's quite a bit of gap to explore before even the events of Dragon Ball Super begins. But do you hope to see where Dragon Ball Daima fits into the timeline? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Yesterday, Pokemon Go held an October Community Day centered around Timburr. As is usually the case, Niantic has wasted no time announcing the next event, which will center on Wooper. November's Community Day will take place on Sunday, November 5th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. In addition to the Wooper that debuted in the Johto region, players can also expect to see Paldean Wooper, and there will be an increased chance of encountering a Shiny of both versions. Paldean Wooper appeared as part of a teaser on Pokemon Go's anniversary art back in July, and the Pokemon is finally set to make its in-game debut!

Wooper vs. Paldean Wooper

The original version of Wooper debuted in Pokemon Gold and Silver, and is a Water/Ground-type Pokemon that evolves into Quagsire. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced a Paldean variant of Wooper last year, which is a Poison/Ground-type. In addition to having a different appearance and a different Pokemon type, Paldean Wooper also has a wholly-different evolutionary form, named Clodsire. Shiny Wooper has a pinkish coloration, while the Shiny Paldean Wooper ditches its mud-inspired color for a blue that looks a lot like the version from Johto!

During next month's Community Day, both Quagire and Clodsire will each have a Featured Attack. Quagsire's Featured Attack will be Aqua Tail, which has a Power of 50 regardless of whether it gets used in Trainer Battles, Gym Battles, or Raids. Clodsire's Featured Attack will be the Bug-type move Mega Horn, which has a Power of 110 in Trainer Battles, Gym Battles, and Raids.

As has been the case with most Raids lately, players that are unable to play during Community Day hours will be able to make up for it through Four-Star Raids. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time, both Wooper and Paldean Wooper will be appearing in these Raids. Players that successfully defeat the Pokemon will cause Wooper to swarm the Gym for up to 30 minutes after, with Shiny Wooper appearing in the same numbers as they will during the event.

Community Day Bonuses

Players can look forward to a number of bonuses during Wooper Community Day. This includes double Candy on Catches for everyone, while players over Level 31 will also have a doubled chance of getting Candy XL on Catches. Incense and Lure Modules will last for three hours when activated during the event. Trades will require 50% less Stardust, and players will be able to make one extra Special Trade between the hours of 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time. As has become a Community Day tradition, there will be plenty of new Stickers players can get through Gifts or via the Shop. Speaking of the Shop, a Special Research story titled "A Muddy Buddy" will be available there for $1.00.

In addition to Wooper Community Day, Niantic has previously stated that a Community Day Classic event will be held next month, and will take place on Saturday, November 25th. That was revealed through an event schedule for the current season, Adventures Abound. At this time, there has been no details on which Pokemon will be in the spotlight.

Are you planning to check out Wooper Community Day? Have you enjoyed seeing all these Paldean Pokemon lately? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: TastoBeau]

It's very clear that WWE has some big plans for new signing Jade Cargill. After debuting at WWE Fastlane a little over a week ago, Cargill has come face-to-face with two of the biggest names in the WWE Women's Division. At the season premiere of SmackDown this past Friday night, Cargill confronted Charlotte Flair. Now, on the premiere of Monday Night Raw, Cargill shared the screen with The Man, NXT Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

Over the past few weeks, Lynch has been met with a horde of challengers for her NXT Women's Championship. Indi Hartwell and Xia Li both confronted Lynch about a championship match on Monday night. After they both left, Cargill entered the frame and provided Lynch with another potential challenger.

Welcome to #WWERaw, @Jade_Cargill! pic.twitter.com/aJ0i4iShxw

-- WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2023

Cargill didn't outright say she wanted to fight Lynch for the Championship, but she did make a hint. Lynch responded by simply telling her to "get in line."

Jade Cargill's WWE Aspirations

Speaking to Sports Illustrated after the WWE signing was made official, Cargill revealed that she one day wants to headline the biggest show in professional wrestling: WWE's WrestleMania.

"I understand what I'm here for," Cargill said. "I want to capture gold and I want to headline WrestleMania, but none of that is handed out. I want to work to create those phenomenal moments. I want to have marquee matches, I want to get people talking, and I want to create something bigger than myself."

Tony Khan on Jade Cargill's AEW Exit

Jade Cargill ultimately made the decision to sign with WWE, but AEW's Tony Khan did try his best to keep her in the company. Speaking after the AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view, Khan opened up about Cargill's departure.

"I was surprised because to be honest. I came up to a number that was higher than her original ask. I don't know what I would have had to do at that point. I was a little surprised," Khan said. "I did really hope that Jade would be back. I think I tried to handle it, when we were down to the nitty gritty and we were down to the final couple of weeks and we still hadn't agreed to something.

"It was at the point where I said, 'if you aren't going to stay, I'm going to give you the best possible exit.' I have only good things to say about Jade. I really enjoyed working with her. She was a great part of AEW, she is always welcome here, I tried to give her the best possible send off I could."

Are you excited to see what WWE has in store for Jade Cargill? Let us know in the comments!

For more than a year, there have been rumors and speculation that Deadpool 3 just might have a cameo appearance straight out of some fans' wildest dreams, the speculation being that Taylor Swift just might appear in the eagerly anticipated film. While the speculation started because fans noticed that Ryan Reynolds' announcement that Hugh Jackman was appearing in the film as Wolverine was filmed in the same house as Swift's All Too Well: The Short Film but recently ramped up when Swift was spotted alongside Reynolds and Jackman, as well as Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy at the recent NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets. But when asked about the possibility that Swift could appear in the film -- presumably as Dazzler -- Levy played coy. Speaking with The Wrap (via Yahoo!) Levy admitted that fans are loud about their desire to see this cameo happen, but he is "no dummy" when it comes to talking about it.

"They sure are loud," Levy said, referring to fans of Swift wanting the superstar to play Dazzler. "I'm going across the board. 'No comment' because that's a double whammy. That's Taylor-related. And it's MCU-related. I'm no dummy. You're going to have to wait and see."

Levy Compared Taylor Swift to Steven Spielberg

While Levy is keeping tight-lipped about a possible Deadpool 3 cameo for Swift, he did have high praise for her. Levy, who previously worked with Swift on All Too Well: The Short Film -- he played Her's (Sadie Sink) father in the film -- compared Swift to Steven Spielberg, calling her a "generational voice and creative force" in the industry.

"Taylor has not consulted me about upcoming directing projects, but I think she has the makings of a hell of a director," Levy revealed, before adding, "Taylor, the depth of her vision for how she wants a creative piece to be, whether it's a lyric, a melody, a bridge, a concert tour, a video -- it's profound. It's profoundly vivid and she has the strength of her convictions. Spielberg was on the set of a movie he produced that I directed, called 'Real Steel,' and I said to him, 'How do you know it's the right shot?' His answer was, 'The way you see it, that makes it right.' I feel like that's something Taylor Swift has figured out really well, because that's about trusting your instinct."

Taylor Swift is Already Dominating the Box Office With The Eras Tour Movie

While fans will just have to wait to see if Swift shows up in Deadpool 3, she is already dominating the box office. Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour movie is finally in theaters and the box office numbers are leaving no doubt that the concert film is the best thing at the party. Not only is the film at the top of the box office and the second-best October opening of all time, but the movie is officially the highest grossing concert film of all time, with its opening weekend take of almost $97 million eclipsing 2011's Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which brought in just $73 million over the course of its entire theatrical run.

"We are grateful to Taylor Swift for allowing us to make [the] concert film accessible to millions of fans in movie theatres around the world," AMC Theatres' Executive Vice President of Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Officer Elizabeth Frank said in a press release.

"Her spectacular performance delighted fans, who dressed up and danced through the film," Frank continued. "With tremendous recommendations and fans buying tickets to see this concert film several times, we anticipate [the] concert film playing to big audiences for weeks to come."

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour is in theaters now.

Rick and Morty made a major change ahead of Season 6 as Adult Swim parted ways with co-creator and voice behind its two leads, Justin Roiland, but the showrunner behind the series explained that the creative plans for the series didn't really have to change with Roiland's exit. While Rick and Morty Season 7 was in production, Adult Swim had announced they were partying ways with Roiland amidst recent allegations and charges. It was then announced they would be recasting his roles for the new season, and with the first episode, fans have gotten to hear these new voices in action.

Rick and Morty Season 7's premiere debuted the new replacement actors for Justin Roiland, Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden as Rick and Morty respectively, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about those changes, Marder opened up about the lengthy process in bringing the new actors in. But while the recasting of the voices was a challenge, Marder revealed that creatively Roiland's exit didn't have much of an impact as "When he left, he only really left by name."

How Justin Roiland's Exit Affected Rick and Morty

"No. We were already seasons ahead," Marder responded when asked about whether or not Roiland's exit changed anything creatively about Rick and Morty. "[B]efore the writers strike, we didn't work on anything while we were on strike -- but we were already far ahead. Since I've been part of things, it's been Harmon and me and our team and we've been motoring ahead on our own without him. When he left, he only really left by name."

But even with the changes and challenges of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Marder is excited for fans to see Rick and Morty Season 7, "I'm so excited fans get to see it this year. This show has weathered so much. The irony of the strike these curveballs has been that we feel like we've been sitting on this amazing season of TV with all hurdles in the way of it getting out there. I'm just grateful we found these guys and that they sound the same and that everyone can enjoy what we know, what we've had for a while, which is maybe one of our best seasons."

What did you think of Rick and Morty's Season 7 premiere? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

HT - THR

After setting his match with Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at Crown Jewel, Drew McIntyre kept Damian Priest from cashing in his Money in the Bank opportunity on the current champ. One week later, on the season premiere of Monday Night RAW, de facto Judgement Day leader Rhea Ripley told Priest not to retaliate against McIntyre, preaching patience instead. The two incidents seemed unrelated, but some behind-the-scenes footage unearthed by Rollins suggests Ripley and McIntyre may have something else going on.

During Monday's new episode of RAW, Rollins and McIntyre exchanged words regarding their upcoming title bout. A couple of shady statements from Rollins about McIntyre's intentions caused the Scottish Warrior to ask more direct questions of his opponent. Rollins called for the video team to roll footage of a conversation between Adam Pearce and Richochet backstage.

On the surface, the footage seemed like nothing but a simple conversation. However, zooming in on the footage caused everyone in the crowd to see McIntyre and Ripley speaking out of earshot of anyone else on the roster. Take a look!

Did @DMcIntyreWWE just get BUSTED?!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/QvGpNwgHuc

-- WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2023

Rollins obviously brought this up to McIntyre, and he denied it had anything to do with the Championship. That said, it makes some earlier comments from Ripley even more suspect. She told the rest of the Judgement Day that she had an important phone call and was "taking care of Judgement Day business." One could assume this had to do with the group's partnership with the Bloodline, but now there are potentially even more deals in the works for Ripley and the Judgement Day.

As for McIntyre, this would be a much more surprising move. He wants a shot at Rollins' title, and certainly wants to beat a healthy champion in order to put the gold around his own waist. Working with Ripley would keep his shot intact, but what could he be bringing to the table that would benefit her stable?

Seth Rollins Injury Won't Affect Current Run

Earlier this year, Rollins revealed that he's been dealing with a back injury for a few years now, one that will eventually require surgery. However, Rollins hasn't been worried about that injury changing anything for his current run in WWE. It's been a big part of the story as of late, but he is still promising to be a fighting champion.

"It is what it is. All of us have something," Rollins said on The Bump last month. "We've all got some sort of nagging injury, we've all got something that's pulling at us, telling us we need to slow down. That's just part of the game. I know that. Everybody knows that. Now, my injury might be a little more serious than some people. But I know how to manage it. I told Shinsuke, I told the world. I won the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back. I've been defending the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back.

"So even though Shinsuke's the first guy to really target that injury, I feel like I know what it takes to manage it. I'll be just fine, I promise you. I promise everybody out there who's concerned. I'm gonna be fine. I promise you guys, I will be fine. The championship is in good hands," he continued.

When Super Mario Bros. Wonder releases later this week, it will feature a much more animated take than previous Mario games. From everything Nintendo has revealed thus far, the characters and enemies look much livelier than in games like New Super Mario Bros. U. Speaking to NPR, producer Takashi Tezuka revealed that Nintendo put more of the game's budget into the animations as a result of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The company rationalized that, since so many people now associated Mario with his movements in the movie, more work needed to be put into having him move in a similar manner.

"Traditionally, our development costs have gone into the gameplay experience itself. Of course that's absolutely essential. But this time we really wanted to pour some of that into the animations. ... People who are coming from the Mario movie are going to see that and think 'this is what Mario does, this is how Mario moves,' and we wanted them to experience something similar to that," Tezuka told NPR.

In August, ComicBook.com had a chance to attend a hands-on preview for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. One of the things that stood out during our time with the title is that "it almost feels like Nintendo EPD saw the movie as a challenge" and decided to make an animated Mario all their own. From Tezuka's comments, it seems that really was the case!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie released in theaters in April, and quickly proved a massive success. The animated adaptation made more than $1 billion at the box office, and became one of the highest-grossing animated films of all-time. Super Mario Bros. Wonder marks the first new Mario game released since the movie's debut, and it's positioned as Nintendo Switch's biggest game of the holiday season. Given that, it's not surprising that Nintendo put more of the game's budget into the animation, and it will be interesting to see if future Mario games follow suit. That will likely depend on the overall reception and sales for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but there has been a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the game since it was first announced.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Release Date

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is set to release October 20th exclusively on Nintendo Switch. In addition to being the first new Mario game released since The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's also the first new 2D Mario game in more than a decade. New Super Mario Bros. U was a launch title for the Wii U in 2012, and that game was eventually brought to Nintendo Switch as a Deluxe version that included previously released DLC. While the game was mostly well-received, many fans felt that New Super Mario Bros. U felt too similar to previous games in the series, and failed to stand out. Hopefully Super Mario Bros. Wonder will offer the kind of experience Mario fans have long been craving.

Are you planning to check out Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Are you surprised The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a big impact on the game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Nintendo Everything]

The Deadpool franchise is about to turn a new corner, now that the rights to the character have officially moved from 20th Century Fox to Marvel Studios. Deadpool 3 has become a highly-anticipated part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's forthcoming slate, and is (at the time of this writing) scheduled to be released in May of 2024. That release date has been speculated about amid the still-ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors strike, as production on Deadpool 3 has been stopped for several months now. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy addressed the uncertainty around the film's release date, and confirmed that even he is unsure when the film will debut. Levy did also confirm that, for the time being, he has edited half of the movie based on footage that was already filmed.

"I wish I knew. I don't even know if we officially have [a release date]. I know we were gonna be May 3," Levy revealed. "Certainly, the actors' strike and the long pause in production have put that release date in true risk. We've shot half the movie. I've edited half the movie. We're dying to get back to work and get this movie out next year."

Will Deadpool 3 Get Delayed?

As Levy explained in an interview earlier this fall, Deadpool 3 was halfway through production prior to the strike's work stoppage. Amid the strikes, Marvel Studios also paused production or pre-production on their upcoming films Thunderbolts and Blade, as well as their upcoming Wonder Man Disney+ series.

"Well, like the rest of our industry, or at least large swaths of it, we are paused. We were halfway through filming Deadpool, co-starring Wolverine. It was a joy every day, and that chemistry is, I have to say, spoiler alert, it is as relentlessly awesome as we had all hoped it would be," Levy revealed. "But we are halfway through filming, we shut down, our crew and the rest of us are awaiting a fair and equitable deal that ends these strikes and puts our industry and certainly inclusive of our movie back at work."

Who Is in the Cast of Deadpool 3?

Deadpool 3 will star Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapi?i? as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, and Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen in currently-unknown roles. Jennifer Garner will be reprising her role as Elektra.

"I think you're giving me too much credit," Reynolds explained in a previous interview with Collider. "I don't believe that I'm responsible for Hugh coming back. I always wanted Hugh to come back. My first meeting with Kevin Feige when Disney bought Fox years ago, maybe three years ago, or three and a half, four years ago, I'm not sure, was about doing a movie with the two of us, a Deadpool Wolverine movie. And that was not possible at the time. And then Hugh just happened to call at that perfect moment and express that he'd be interested in coming back and doing this one more time. And the contents of that conversation, I'll let Hugh, because I know it's only inevitable that you and Hugh are going to speak at some point soon, I'm sure. I'll let Hugh answer that on his own. But he expressed interest in coming back, and then it was my job to take that to Kevin Feige one more time and sell it."

As mentioned above, Deadpool 3 is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on May 3, 2024.

When Jey Uso arrived on Monday Night RAW as the Red Brand's newest Superstar, WWE fans everywhere held their breath as they waited for the other shoe to drop. Jey Uso's arrival came with the promise that another Superstar of a similar talent level would be making their way to SmackDown as part of the trade. Last Friday night, on the season premiere of WWE SmackDown, new general manager Nick Aldis that Kevin Owens had been moved to the Blue Brand.

Unfortunately for Sami Zayn, this move has left him without a friend and tag-team partner on Monday nights. Zayn opened the season premiere of Monday Night RAW by talking to the crowd and addressing Owens' departure from the brand. It should come as no surprise that, despite being excited to have his old pal Jey Uso with him on the Blue Brand, Zayn is furious about his forced tag-team breakup.

Zayn began by saying how strange it was to come out in front of the RAW crowd without Owens by his side. He also admitted that he has a lot of conflicting feelings about Jey Uso having everything he used to have since moving to RAW. Uso has a buddy in Cody Rhodes, as well as the Undisputed WWE Tag-Team Championships. Zayn used to have both, but now he has neither.

TFW your best friend moves away#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/REodVO2LFO

-- WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2023

The bright side for Zayn is that this move will give him the chance to stand on his own and really compete as a singles talent. He made note of this while talking to the crowd, saying that people will finally get to see what he's made of. This puts World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins on notice, as Sami Zayn took an opportunity during the promo to say that he's a "World Heavyweight Championship-caliber" talent.

Sami Zayn and Jey Uso

Zayn made it clear that he's aware Uso's arrival is the reason he no longer has Owens at his side. After the promo, Uso ran into the ring to have Zayn's back when the Judgement Day tried to surround him. The altercation was stopped before it started, but it left Zayn conflicted.

Backstage, Zayn and Uso had a chance to talk. Zayn admitted that he wasn't sure how to feel about his friend having everything he just lost, which clearly hurt Uso's feelings, because he has had Zayn's back no matter what. Fortunately, the two longtime pals hugged it out after being honest about their feelings.

What do you think the future will hold for Sami Zayn and "Main Event" Jey Uso? Do you think Zayn will make a play for Seth Rollins' World Heavyweight Championship? Let us know in the comments!

Lara Parker, an actress known for her scene-stealing performance as Angelique Bouchard Collins on Dark Shadows, has passed away at the age of 84. The news of Parker's passing was publicly announced by producer Jim Pierson of Dan Curtis Productions, on behalf of Parker's family. Parker passed away in her sleep following a battle with cancer on Thursday, October 12, in Los Angeles, California.

"I'm heartbroken, as all of us are who knew and loved her," Kathryn Leigh Scott, who co-starred on Dark Shadows with Parker, said in a statement. "She graced our lives with her beauty, talent and friendship, and we are all richer for having had her in our lives."

Parker was born Mary Lamar Rickey on October 27, 1938 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She received her Bachelor Arts from Rhodes College and Masters of Arts in speech and drama from the University of Iowa. After deciding to move to New York to become an actress, she was cast on Dark Shadows in a matter of days. She made her onscreen debut in the early days of the soap opera's run in 1967, portraying Angelique, the witch who cursed vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid). Parker would be a part of Dark Shadows across its run, portraying different alternate versions of Angelique up until the show's cancellation in 1971. She also reprised her role in two of the franchise's feature films -- House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows.

"Looking back historically, Angelique was one of the earliest strong women characters portrayed on television," Parker told Den of Geek in a 2016 interview. "She was really the first "Bitch Witch" that became so popular later. But at the time I wasn't aware of being any kind of social figure. I just felt that I had a good part and I was happy to have a job and go to work and be an actress. It's a gift. But I certainly didn't see myself in the larger sense of being any kind of a social influence. I think it's rare to pick up on that in the moment. I think only looking back I see that I was actually fortunate to be, in a small sense, one of the movers and shakers in the women's movement."

In addition to Dark Shadows, Parker made appearances on television shows like Kung Fu, The F.B.I., One Life to Live, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law. Around the same time, Parker made appearances in films like Brian De Palma's Hi, Mom!, as well as John G. Avildsen's Oscar-winning film Save the Tiger. She also made appearances in a Broadway production of Woman is My Idea, and Off-Broadway productions of Lulu and A Gun Play.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Parker's work included Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Washington: Behind Closed Doors. She also portrayed Laura Banner, the deceased wife of Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby), in the 1977 pilot of The Incredible Hulk. Parker continued acting into the 1990s, appearing in Manimal, Highway to Heaven, Capitol, and Jessica Novak.

Following her retirement from acting, Parker pivoted to being a high school English teacher. She also wrote four novels set in the Dark Shadows universe -- 1998's Angelique's Descent, 2006's Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch, 2013's Dark Shadows: Wolf Moon Rising, and 2016's Heiress of Collinwood. She also made a cameo appearance in Tim Burton's 2012 Dark Shadows reboot, and went on to reunite with some of her original co-stars in two Doctor Mabuse movies. She will posthumously appear in The Great Nick D, which was shot earlier this year.

Our thoughts are with Parker's family, friends, and fans at this time.

Voice actor Tara Strong has been recast for a new animated project amid a recent controversy over some of Strong's recent statements on social media. Strong was spotted on X (formerly known as Twitter) with activity that sparked a controversy among fans around the Isreal-Palestine conflict, and amidst this controversy it has been announced that one animated project she was formerly attached to will be recasting her role. The independent animated project Boxtown announced on social media that they will be moving ahead with open auditions to refill the role once held by Strong, Bill the Orphan, following her debut in promotional materials.

Boxtown's original concept was such a success with fans that it's now currently in the works with a partly crowdfunded animated project from Bandit Mill Studios, and it featured Strong in the lead role alongside Alex Hirsch. But as the official Twitter account for Boxtown has announced, they will be moving forward without Strong in the cast and will start open auditions soon, "Hello all! Just wanted to offer a quick update on Boxtown. We will be recasting the role of Bill (previously played by Tara Strong). We'll have more info soon on open auditions. Thanks for y'all's understanding as we re-orient and figure out the next steps."

Why Was Tara Strong Recast?

Boxtown has not announced why Strong has been recast, but it is likely due to Strong's recent social media controversy. Strong herself responded to the Tweet and revealed that this is how she found out she was recast with, "Just found out on twitter! This is what happens when you help fans get shows made I guess," Strong began. "Fired for being Jewish. Glad I helped you get your kickstarter money. Please lose my email address & pray for my family in Israel and in Gaza."

Boxtown is now in the works, and Bandit Mill Studios teased the animated project as such on its Indiegogo page, "Set in a fictional, crime-ridden neon city, Boxtown is an adult animated show following Tim, a so-so detective with a knack for conning both clients and suspects alike, as he teams up with Bill, a squishable and earnest orphan obsessed with true crime. Although they're an unlikely duo, Tim and Bill share one common goal: solving cases--even if for Bill, it's more altruistic than Tim's main motivators, which are (1) to make money, and (2) to stick it to the city's prestigious corporate detective agency."

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War introduced fans to some of the strongest Soul Reapers ever with the members of Squad Zero, and one awesome cosplay is helping to highlight the original creator behind the Zanpakuto, Oetsu Nimaiya! Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War kicked off a new wave of fights between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy forces, and it was soon revealed that there was actually a much stronger group of Soul Reapers out there who live in the Royal Palace and protect the Soul King specifically. Taking Ichigo to their region, each of them helped to make him stronger for the fights to come.

It wasn't until Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 - The Separation that we got to see the members of Squad Zero in action, but they made it clear just how involved they were with bringing the elements of Soul Society to life. Oetsu Nimaiya was the one who originally forged the Zanpakuto blades the Reapers have been using all this time, and had a very unique personality to boot. Now this superstar has come to life through some awesome cosplay from artist rinnegoddess on TikTok. Check it out:

@rinnegoddess

#1 Zanpakuto Creator ?#anime #bleach #oetsunimaiya #nimaiyaoetsu #bleachanime #bleachcosplay #oetsunimaiyaedit #oetsunimaiyacosplay #animejawn

? original sound - rinnegoddess ?

How to Watch Bleach: TYBW Part 3

The members of Squad Zero didn't make it to the final episode of Part 2 unscathed, but the next phase of the fight against Yhwach is gearing up to kick off next year. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 - The Conflict has been announced to be in the works for a release some time in 2024, but there has yet to be a concrete release date revealed as of the time of this writing. The fights against Yhwach and the Quincies has really only begun, and its 2024 release means there is plenty of time to catch up with everything that's happened in the anime so far.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War's first two parts are now available to stream with Hulu in the United States (and Disney+ in international territories) with both English and Japanese dubbed releases. The entire original Bleach anime is also available to stream with Hulu as well if you wanted to use this time to go back and re-experience Ichigo Kurosaki's journey from where it first began.

Who was your favorite member of Squad Zero in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments!

Crumbl is known for its larger-than-life cookies, but the chain is testing a surprising new item. Monday, one Crumbl location began tasting savory turnovers, stuffed with anything from pizza toppings to macaroni and cheese. The chain's flagship store in Provo, Utah started to test what it's now calling "Savory Hand Pies," according to one snack-tracking influencer.

In a post shared to Instagram by @Snackolator, it was revealed six hand pies are being tested: Shepherd's Pie, BBQ Mac, Pizza, Ham & Cheesy Potato, Bacon & Egg, and Chicken Pot Pie. The Hand Pies are available for purchase at the Crumbl location at 154 W 1230 N in Provo, Utah.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Snackolator (@snackolator)

Hand Pies are the second major change Crumbl has made this year, with the confectionary chain previously altered its menu in a big way, removing the line's signature pink sugar cookie from its menu as a permanent item.

"Our cookies are delicious and take any celebration to the next level," Crumbl CEO and Co-founder, Jason McGowan says of the company on its website. "We offer takeout, local delivery, curbside pickup, nationwide shipping, and catering. When it comes to celebrating with friends and family, we want Crumbl there to make it even sweeter."

Crumbl co-founder and COO Sawyer Hemsley adds, "Our catering cookies are perfect for dressing up all kinds of gatherings. We also have delivery and digital gifting options, which help friends, families, and loved ones to connect from afar."

The company says its rotating menu includes over 200 flavors as of the writing, including Muddy Buddy, Biscoff Lava, Funfetti, Snickerdoodle, Coconut Lime,Chocolate Caramel, Hazelnut Sea Salt, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road, S'Mores, Pumpkin Pie, and dozens of others.

It's unclear how long Crumbl will be testing the Savory Hand Pies, nor is it known if the chain will try rolling the items out on a much wider basis.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 has kicked off the first wave of fights for the Shibuya Incident arc, and fans have gotten the first look at what to expect from the next episode with the promo for Episode 13! Jujutsu Kaisen's anime is now running full steam ahead into the real heart of the Shibuya Incident with Satoru Gojo being sealed away into the Prison Realm thanks to "Suguru Geto"'s long brewing plan. This means Yuji Itadori and the others will have to deal with some tough fights from this point on as it's only going to get messier.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 has seen Yuji, Nobara, Megumi, and even Nanami getting into their first fights of the arc, but this is only the beginning as the end of the latest episode teased Yuji's next big challenge. It saw Yuji approaching Choso, who is out to get revenge for his Death Painting Womb brothers, and the promo for Episode 13 gives fans the first quick look at what to expect from the anime as this major fight begins. You can check out the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 13 promo below:

How to Watch Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 13

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 13 is titled "Red Scale," and it will be premiering on Thursday, October 19th in Japan before then being exclusively available to stream on Crunchyroll. You can catch up with everything that's happened in the second season so far (and the first season along with the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie) streaming with Crunchyroll as well. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 teases the Shibuya Incident Arc as such:

"Starting on October 31st, a curtain is suddenly lowered around the Shibuya station, which is busy on Halloween. A large number of civilians are trapped... and the civilians begin asking for Satoru Gojo. In order to minimize damage, higher-ups choose to handle Shibuya by having Gojo work there alone. Geto, Mahito, and other curses set traps and wait while Gojo arrives. Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, Nanami, and many others wait outside the curtain. An unprecedented battle of curses begins soon after as sorcerers and curses converge in Shibuya."

What are you hoping to see in Jujutsu Kaisen's next Season 2 episode? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Martin Scorsese's latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon opens in theaters on Friday and the massive film -- which has a three hour and twenty-six-minute runtime -- may be based on David Grann's nonfiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, it turns out that aspects of the film take their inspiration from what might be a surprising source: Ari Aster's Midsommar. Scorsese recently explained that when it comes to the film's pacing, he was inspired by Aster's work.

"I very much like the style and pacing of good horror films like Ari Aster's Midsommar or Beau is Afraid," Scorsese said (via Variety). "The pacing of those films goes back to the B films of Val Lewton, Jacques Tourneur's Cat People, or I Walked With a Zombie. Just going a little slower. A little quieter."

He continued, "I was very concerned about allowing scenes that were not narrative into the story, scenes to do with the Osage culture -- leaving in those scenes of custom, like the baby namings, the funerals and the weddings -- so we could begin to understand a little more about the people. I felt confident that a lot of people would allow themselves to immerse in the world of film. One has to take these chances. At this age, what else can I do?"

Is Killers of the Flower Moon Based on a True Story?

As was noted above, Killers of the Flower Moon is based on Grann's nonfiction book about the origins of the FBI, but the film is a little different. Grann's book was set from the point of view of the lead agent on the case, Tom White, but Grann has praise for how Scorsese approached the story.

"I did visit the set for a few days," Grann said in a recent interview with Vanity Fair. "And I was, again, just really impressed by how they managed to bring these historical figures to life and capture the hidden truths about the story. Leo [DiCaprio] just seemed to just be able to capture the nature of Ernest Burkhart, and the level of complicity of his character, and this evil system. And Lily Gladstone brings Mollie to life with such sensitivity and emotional power, at least in the bits I saw."

"What I was struck by from Scorsese to the actors was the level of commitment and how much research they did to understand the parts and understand the history. They just seemed voracious, a little bit like historians, in their search for any knowledge, transcripts, documents, speaking to descendants, speaking with members of the Osage Nation," Grann continued. "The film had Osage-language experts working with the actors to make sure they were able to teach them the language and that they got the language right, technically. I saw a scene where many of the tribal council members of the Osage Nation were speaking, and I think they contributed to a lot of that dialogue themselves. I think anyone who sees that will find it bracing and breathtaking and powerful."

What is Killers of the Flower Moon about?

In Killers of the Flower Moon, members of the Osage tribe in northeastern Oklahoma are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major FBI investigation directed by a 29-year-old J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger Tom White, described as "an old-style lawman."

Also starring in Killers of the Flower Moon are Tantoo Cardinal, Louis Cancelmi, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Tatanka Means, Pat Healy, Scott Shepherd, and Gary Basaraba.

Killers of the Flower Moon is set to be released on October 20th.

Rick and Morty made a massive change to the series following its firing of co-creator and voice star Justin Roiland from the production ahead of Season 7, and the minds behind the series opened up about why replacing Roiland was a difficult and lengthy process. Rick and Morty Season 7 had a lot of fans curious to see the new episodes as it would be the first season without Roiland voicing the titular duo, but those behind the scenes were definitely feeling the stresses of the proposition as it was tougher to find new voice actors than they had originally thought.

Speaking about the casting process for Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith with The Hollywood Reporter, Rick and Morty Season 7 showrunner Scott Marder explained that replacing Roiland ended up being a tricky process that they needed to audition thousands of people for as "No one sounded exactly like Rick." Even tougher was finding those who could maintain the voices through lengthy periods and all of the character demands that Rick and Morty has of its stars moving forward.

Rick and Morty: Why Replacing Justin Roiland Was Difficult

Rick and Morty has announced that Ian Cardoni will be the new voice behind Rick and Harry Belden will be the new voice behind Morty, and showrunner Scott Marder revealed how tough of a process to find them it really was, "It was harder than we thought. I thought it'd have been easier. Rick was a lot harder than I expected; everyone sounded like Macho Man Randy Savage or like a cousin of his. No one sounded exactly like Rick. It was tricky. People had it in splashes but once you bring them back in, they couldn't do it conversationally, which is what we needed. It was exhaustive."

Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon also spoke on this difficulty as the new actors needed to find a right balance for their respective characters for what's to come for them in the future, "It's one thing to match an impression -- can you do George W. Bush as well as Dana Carvey but can you then do it if you're not saying, 'Not gonna do it.' It was trying to strike this crazy balance; this character has to be angry, sad, despondent and all those things."

Rick and Morty debuted its new voice stars with Season 7's premiere, so what did you think of them so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

HT - THR

One of the best features seen in the PlayStation ecosystem looks like it could finally be making its way to PC platforms. Over the past few years, PlayStation has continued to bolster its presence in the PC space. This has most notably been seen with games like God of War, Days Gone, Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart making the jump from PS5 and PS4 to PC. And while future ports like this will no doubt continue to roll out in the future, it seems like the feature that PC users have been asking for the most could soon be arriving.

Discovered by TrueTrophies, it looks as though Sony could be laying the groundwork to bring trophies to PC. First introduced on PS3, trophies have gone on to be one of the most synonymous parts of the PlayStation ecosystem and have continued to appear on games for PS4, PS5, and even PS Vita. Unfortunately, as more PlayStation games have come to PC, Sony has yet to implement trophy functionality on this platform even though users have made it known that they'd like to see them become available. Luckily, it seems like Sony is now testing the feature and could properly add it soon enough.

In short, TrueTrophies reports that its own scanners which are typically used to pull trophy data from the PlayStation Store found a new platform listing for what is labeled "PSPC." This designation wasn't assigned to a specific game, but the abbreviation was specifically for a new platform that differs from PS5. In all likelihood, PSPC seems to stand for "PlayStation PC" and indicates that Sony is working on trophy support for the platform. For now, it's not known when trophies would become earnable on PC, but it's starting to look like Sony could have more to share on this front soon enough.

Future PlayStation Games on PC

Currently, Sony has announced plans for two more PC titles that will be coming in the future. The first is Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition, which is set to launch at an undetermined time in 2024. This version of Horizon Forbidden West will also come with The Burning Shores, which is the post-release expansion for Guerrilla's open-world title that arrived in the early part of this year.

The second PlayStation-published game that is poised to come to PC is Helldivers 2. Releasing in February 2024, Helldivers 2 is a much more unique release from PlayStation as it will be arriving simultaneously across PS5 and PC. In fact, this will be the first time that PlayStation has published a game for both avenues at the same time since it first began porting its titles to PC. With this in mind, it might indicate why Sony is looking to bring trophy support to PC sooner rather than later as it would allow games such as Helldivers 2 to be more uniform across all devices and wouldn't prevent players from seamlessly jumping between platforms at their discretion.

Steven DeKnight has been increasingly candid about his relationship with Marvel now that he no longer writes Daredevil. Monday afternoon, the writer took to X--the social platform formerly known as Twitter--to throw some shade at Marvel Studios' lack of traditional television staff. Responding to fans, DeKnight revealed excitement now that Marvel Studios has revealed it plans to alter its television output to mirror that of more classical TV.

"I am not happy the show is scrapped and have consistently stated the opposite," DeKnight said on the microblogging service. "However I AM delighted that they finally realized you need an actual showrunner who's a writer to make a series work."

I am not happy the show is scrapped and have consistently stated the opposite. However I AM delighted that they finally realized you need an actual showrunner who's a writer to make a series work. https://t.co/ehrbcyhR02

-- Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) October 16, 2023

Why is Marvel Studios changing its television structure?

Previously, the Kevin Feige-led outfit only had "head writers" compared to showrunners. While showrunners traditionally serve as the singular boss on a given series, Marvel Studios' lead writer simply led the writer's room and left much of the executive producing duties to Marvel Studios and its creative parliament. Now, the studio says it now plans to introduce showrunners into the mix.

Earlier this month, Marvel's head of streaming Brad Winderbaum said, "It's a term we've not only grown comfortable with but also learned to embrace... We need executives that are dedicated to this medium, that are going to focus on streaming, focus on television, because they are two different forms."

"We're trying to marry the Marvel culture with the traditional television culture," Winderbaum added elsewhere in the piece. "It comes down to, 'How can we tell stories in television that honor what's so great about the source material?'"

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for the latest information on Daredevil: Born Again! The first three seasons of both Daredevil, as well as The Defenders limited series, can now be seen on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can do that right here.

What other characters do you hope to see join Marvel's new Daredevil series? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

Note: If you purchase one of the awesome, independently chosen products featured here, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.

Since Netflix Games launched in 2021, the streaming company has struggled to get subscribers to take notice. Much of the company's library has revolved around streaming shows like Stranger Things, Sonic Prime, and The Queen's Gambit, but it seems Netflix is trying to expand in a major way. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Netflix is looking to bolster its offerings by appealing to third-party publishers, including Take-Two Interactive. Sources for the news outlet claim Netflix is trying to make a Grand Theft Auto game available through the service.

At this time, it's unclear whether Netflix is looking to add an existing GTA game to its video game line-up, or a new title. At this time, games available through Netflix exclusively work through the mobile app. Users can download various games to their mobile device, just as they would a game through the App Store or Google Play. The key difference is that mobile games downloaded through Netflix do not have in-app purchases.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

After the news broke, many GTA fans on social media noted that a remake or sequel to Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars would be a strong fit with Netflix's format. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was a portable take on the franchise first released on Nintendo DS, and later ported to PSP, iOS, and Android. The game offered a perspective closer to the first two games in the GTA series, with a top-down look. The game was a massive critical success, earning universal praise and several awards from various outlets.

Given the praise Chinatown Wars has gotten over the years, a Netflix-exclusive sequel could attract a lot of attention. As it stands, Netflix Games remains little more than a perk for subscribers, but it could be much more with a big exclusive. There's no way of knowing if Take-Two would even go for something like that, but it's very easy to see why Netflix might be interested in having its own Grand Theft Auto.

The Future of Netflix Games

At this time, it's unclear what the future might hold for Netflix as a video game service. The company's massive number of subscribers could make it a force to be reckoned with if it can get more people playing its games. That's been a challenge over the last two years, even as the company has added high-profile options like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. However, a big name exclusive could easily shift that narrative, and make Netflix a major player in the video game industry. Whether or not that might happen, or if the company will actually be getting its own Grand Theft Auto, remains to be seen.

Would you play a Netflix-exclusive GTA game? Do you think the company can get more subscribers playing its games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

Earlier this year, it was reported that Deadpool director Tim Miller would be stepping in to direct reshoots for Eli Roth's Borderlands movie adaptation, with Miller filling in for the other director due to scheduling conflicts with another film, Thanksgiving. Now, Miller is opening up about helming those reshoots, calling the experiencing both "interesting" and "freeing" while sharing his love for the video game series the film is based on.

"It was an interesting experience to come in and do reshoots on a movie that's not yours," Miller told Collider. "It's a freeing experience where you feel like, I'm just here to help wherever I can. But my main reason, other than, you know, I have a huge affection for the video game industry, I want to see every video game adaptation succeed is, I'll be honest. I wanted to work with Cate Blanchett, and I wanted to work with Kevin [Hart] and Jamie Lee Curtis. And Ariana Greenblatt, the young lady who plays Tiny Tina, is amazing, which everybody knows from the Barbie movie. So, it was a great experience all around. I was feeling a little rusty, so I was happy to get back in the saddle. The movie gets up and moves. It's a good ride."

What is Borderlands About?

Based on the popular video game series of the same name, the Borderlands movie will follow Lilith, an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past as she returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of Atlas, the film's antagonist. Along the way, Lilith must team up with a wide cadre of allies, including elite mercenary Roland, pre-teen demolitionist Tiny Tina, mad scientist Tannis, and a wise-ass robot Claptrap to find the missing girl. The film stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, Edgar Ramirez, and Ariana Greenblatt.

Why Was Eli Roth Unable to Direct The Borderlands Reshoots?

While Borderlands is still Roth's film, the director was unable to helm the film's reshoots due to his obligations to another film, Thanksgiving. Roth's Thanksgiving has been a fan-favorite since it premiered as one of the "fake trailers" in 2007's Grindhouse. Thanksgiving is the third of the five fake trailers from Grindhouse to go on to become a real movie, the other two being Machete and Hobo With a Shotgun. In Thanksgiving, "after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious serial killer known only as John Carver comes to Plymouth, Massachusetts with the intention of creating a Thanksgiving carving board out of the town's inhabitants. Thanksgiving is set to open in theaters on November 17th.

Borderlands is set to open in theaters August 9, 2024.

What do you think about Miller's comments? Let us know your thoughts in our comment section!

Nearly every episode of Mike Flanagan's The Fall of the House of Usher series is an adaptation of a different story from Edgar Allan Poe. The fourth episode, based on Poe's The Black Cat, sees Leo Usher (Rahul Kohli) suffer from hallucinations of a killer feline that he brings home after seemingly killing his boyfriend's pet. There has been some confusion amongst viewers about the episode's ending, as well as what actually happened to Pluto, the original cat. Flanagan took to social media over the weekend to clear things up. WARNING: This article contains spoilers from The Fall of the House of Usher...

In "The Black Cat," Leo wakes up after an all-night bender to find that he's covered in blood, with Pluto the cat dead in the corner of his apartment. He cleans up the animal and goes to a shelter to find a replacement that looks just like the one that he apparently killed. This new cat, who no one else ever seems to see, tortures and hides from Leo for days, driving him mad until he falls off his balcony trying to kill it.

It's heavily implied that the replacement cat is simply a hallucination that only Leo can see. The bathtub where Leo piled the dead animals that were left around the apartment was shown to be empty and clean at the end of the episode. And it turns out that the original Pluto was never actually killed, in the first place, that the death of the cat was also a hallucination.

A fan tagged Flanagan on social media to ask why he has an issue with cats, to which the creator responded that he actually changed Poe's story in order to not kill the cat in the first place.

Okay. So... "The Black Cat" was written by Edgar Allan Poe. In HIS version, a cat is killed. In MY version, the cat is...

(spoilers)

... in MY version, the killing of the cat is revealed to be a hallucination. In MY version, the cat is alive and well. So who hates cats? :) https://t.co/3EyukDXiYB

-- Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) October 12, 2023

"Okay. So... 'The Black Cat' was written by Edgar Allan Poe. In HIS version, a cat is killed. In MY version, the cat is... (spoilers) ...in MY version, the cat is alive and well. So who hates cats?"

In a reply, Flanagan pointed out the important detail that fans seemed to miss when watching the episode. Pluto wears a specific Gucci collar, which is referenced on several occasions. Any time the hallucination cat is seen, there's no collar at all. At the very end of the episode, after Leo's death, the cat shown in the apartment is wearing that collar, confirming that Pluto has been alive and well the entire time.

"That's why we made such a big deal about the fact that Pluto was wearing a Gucci collar, and the new cat was not. Look at the cat in the final shot of the episode, who is wearing the collar... and the empty bathtub, which means ALL of the animal violence was imagined."

What did you think of Mike Flanagan's take on The Black Cat? Let us know in the comments!

Bocchi the Rock is making a comeback next year with a big new movie, and fans have gotten a new look at what to expect with a new teaser trailer and poster! Bocchi the Rock was one of the surprisingly big anime standouts of last Fall, and fans had been asking for the anime to come back with a proper second season in the future. While that has yet to be announced as of this writing, the anime will be continuing with a new set of two movies helping to highlight the biggest moments from the anime's original TV series run.

Bocchi the Rock is returning with a new set of two compilation movies highlighting the biggest moments from the TV anime's first season, and the first half will be releasing in the Spring 2024 anime schedule with the second half releasing in Summer 2024. To celebrate the release of the upcoming movies, you can check out the newest teaser trailer for the Bocchi the Rock movie in the video above and new poster for the movie below.

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-- TV?????????????!??? (@BTR_anime) October 14, 2023

What to Know for the Bocchi the Rock Movie

Bocchi the Rock's new two movie project will be releasing across 2024, and will feature a returning cast and staff from the TV anime. If you wanted to check out the series and see why's it has been such a hit, you can find it streaming with Crunchyroll. They begin to tease the anime as such, "Hitori Gotoh, 'Bocchi-chan,' is a girl who's so introverted and shy around people that she'd always start her conversations with 'Ah...' During her middle school years, she started playing the guitar, wanting to join a band because she thought it could be an opportunity for even someone shy like her to also shine. But because she had no friends, she ended up practicing guitar for six hours every day all by herself."

The synopsis continues with, "After becoming a skilled guitar player, she uploaded videos of herself playing the guitar to the internet under the name 'Guitar Hero' and fantasized about performing at her school's cultural festival concert. But not only could she not find any bandmates, before she knew it, she was in high school and still wasn't able to make a single friend! She was really close to becoming a shut-in, but one day, Nijika Ijichi, the drummer in Kessoku Band, reached out to her. And because of that, her everyday life started to change little by little..."

Are you excited for the new Bocchi the Rock movies? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

We're two episodes into Loki's sophomore season, and it is already bringing a distinct flair to the tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The season's second episode definitely delivered on that front, with long sequences set in the 1970s -- where Hunter X-5 / Brad Wolfe (Rafael Casal) is starring in a Zaniac! movie -- and 1980s -- where Sylvie (Sophia di Martino) has started a new life as a McDonald's employee. One thing that caught fans' attention was the visual approach to those sequences, and according to Loki director Dan Deleeuw, it was brought to life in a unique way. While speaking to ComicBook.com, Deleeuw spoke about the thought process behind these sequences, as well as the film grain that added a distinct sheen to the '70s and '80s sequences.

"Across the entire episode, we put film grain on it," Deleeuw explained. "So, that gave it -- not a patina per se, but when you went back in different time periods, it helps seat that and it made it more believable. I think the palette was incredibly important with McDonald's, because you started getting into the more vibrant eighties colors, in contrast to the more muted colors in the seventies. And then it was just having fun and designing the seventies, finding a reason that the punks and the mods would be together, finding just the right year, the mods, kind of coming back a little bit with the jam and then Quadrophenia coming out a couple years later. So you're thinking about all that stuff. It's the fun part of the puzzle, putting that together."

Why Is McDonalds in Loki Season 2?

In a recent interview with Fast Company, Loki producer Kevin Wright spoke about the decision to set part of Season 2 at the 1980s McDonalds, and about the feeling of nostalgia he hopes it inspires.

"This character had been on a decades-long, maybe centuries-long revenge mission, and the classic trope of those stories is that it's all-consuming and she's not thinking about what comes next. Now she has this moment of opportunity, where is she going to go?" Wright explained. "When we stayed in the view of character, this woman who went on the run as a child, had been running through time, a fugitive of time, living in apocalypses, never being able to relax or slow down, the novelty of walking into a 1980s McDonald's looked appealing. You play a Little League game and go to McDonald's. You go to a kid's birthday party at McDonald's. Someone like Sylvie would never have experienced that, and would be really taken by that."

"I was worried that McDonald's would think we wanted to do something ironic or make fun of them," Wright continued. "But we were selling an earnest story, a love letter to nostalgia through a character's eyes who will see all of the novelty and joy of it."

What Is Loki Season 2 About?

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 5th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ComicBook.com's podcast Phase Zero will be recording live episodes every week following Loki season 2's new episodes on Disney+. Each week we will review, breakdown, and discuss the latest installment of the new Marvel series immediately after the episode's conclusion! The new episodes will be broadcast live on the Phase Zero channel on YouTube before being made available on all major podcast platforms. Phase Zero will begin its 5-minute timer to start the live show at 9:45pm ET on Thursday, October 5. You can subscribe to the Phase Zero channel now and turn on notifications to make sure you don't miss the Loki Season 2 bonus episodes!

If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

Note: If you purchase one of the awesome, independently chosen products featured here, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.

Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira aren't the only ones reuniting for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Greg Nicotero -- the longtime Walking Dead director, executive producer, special effects makeup supervisor, and zombie designer who has been with the AMC franchise since the beginning -- has confirmed his role on the Walking Dead Rick and Michonne spinoff premiering in 2024. As Nicotero notes in an interview with ComicBook for season 4 of the horror anthology series Creepshow (streaming now on Shudder and AMC+), the director didn't step behind the camera for the six-episode series because he was in France shooting second unit on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

"I've been in France while they were developing the Rick and Michonne show. I still supervised the makeup effects from a distance, but I did not [direct]," Nicotero told ComicBook of The Ones Who Live, which began production in New Jersey in February 2023. "I think if I hadn't been in Paris, I probably would have directed on Rick and Michonne, because I know Andy personally had asked me to come and work on the show. But I can't be in two places at once."

The TWD veteran may not be directing episodes of The Ones Who Live, but he did give fans their first taste of Rick and Michonne's returns in a final coda sequence that ended The Walking Dead series finale in 2022. Nicotero is credited as consulting producer on the spinoff series from showrunner Scott M. Gimple, who serves as executive producer alongside Lincoln, Gurira, Denise Huth (The Walking Dead) and Brian Bockrath (The Walking Dead: Dead City).

The Walking Dead's go-to director, also an EP on Daryl Dixon, additionally confirmed that he's officially back in the director's chair for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon -- The Book of Carol, which reunites Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride as series regulars.

"I did get a chance to direct a lot, actually, of season one of Daryl. I did the old, 'Hey guys, I'm here and I'm not directing in season 1. But if you need me, I'm available to do second unit or additional photography.' And they went, 'Oh, really? Well, that's funny, because we only have 24 days to shoot this episode and the schedule is 30. So those extra six days, you could go shoot those,'" Nicotero explained to ComicBook, adding that his directorial contributions included Daryl's trek across the French countryside in the "L'?me Perdue" series premiere, a zombie-filled action sequence set at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and Daryl fending off underwater walkers in the sewers beneath Paris.

"I had a really good time shooting a lot of that footage. I thought it was really a better choice for the show to have different directors bring Daryl Dixon into the world because we wanted it to have a visually different style to it," Nicotero said of the spinoff set and filmed in France with directors Daniel Percival (the dystopian thriller series The Man in the High Castle) and Tim Southam (totalitarian sci-fi drama Colony). "I loved the directors that we had in season one. I did direct on [Daryl] season 2 because we've been filming already. That was a lot of fun for me."

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres in February 2024 on AMC and AMC+, and will be followed by The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon -- The Book of Carol later in 2024.

Stay tuned to ComicBook/TWD (and find us on Facebook) and follow @CameronBonomolo on Twitter for more TWD Universe coverage.

My Hero Academia has kicked off the real final fights that fans have been waiting to see in the manga, and the cliffhanger from the newest chapter of the series has finally reunited Izuku Midoriya with Katsuki Bakugo after so much time! My Hero Academia's now working its way through the truly final of the final fights between the main heroes and villains, and the focus has shifted from All For One's final fight with All Might to the fight between Deku and Tomura Shigaraki. As these two important fights collide, one explosive hero has finally made a comeback.

My Hero Academia has seen Bakugo out of action ever since he took what looked to be a lethal hit from Shigaraki in the floating battlefield above U.A. Academy, and since it's been a year in real-time since Bakugo was killed off in Chapter 362 of the series, it seemed like he was out for good. But the end of the newest chapter blew all of that out of the water as Bakugo has officially returned to the series and had an even more surprising reunion with Deku as the chapter came to an end.

My Hero Academia: How Is Bakugo Alive?

My Hero Academia Chapter 403 sees All For One bring a defeated All Might to Deku and Shigaraki's battlefield, and interrupts All Might before he's able to sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory. Instead wanting to eliminate All Might right in front of Deku, All For One was trying to make a grand display out of killing the hero. When Deku cried out, a surprising explosion of light appears from the floating U.A. Academy and Bakugo rises to his feet all of a sudden.

It's here that Deku and Bakugo see one another in this instant, and it's clear that Bakugo will be joining the fight in full to save All Might before the worst can happen. It's a big comeback for the hero at just the right time, but it's still far from enough to get All Might out of danger just yet. It's now on Bakugo's shoulders to help despite of his also injured condition.

What do you think of Deku and Bakugo's reunion in My Hero Academia? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the largest franchise Hollywood has ever seen, with an extensive web of tales and characters that frequently crossover between films and television shows. To keep things uniform, Marvel Studios often borrows visual effects work from one project to the next, making sure to keep VFX styles in line. Though Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) have only appeared together once (in Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok), the former's film franchise has influenced the series starring the Asgardian god of mischief.

According to Loki Season Two director Dan DeLeeuw, his team on Loki made sure to alter the visual effects used by the Time Variance Authority as a way to compare the cinematic world's magic and science.

"I think a lot of the shows, and of course over my experience with it, you always try to figure out where the source of the technology or the science or the magic comes from," DeLeeuw tells ComicBook.com "It's like going back to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where we had Tony's tech and graphics and then we designed SHIELD's graphics and SHIELD's Graphics weren't as sophisticated as Tony's. He could do holograms. All SHIELD's graphics were on glass. That was the best they could do."

He adds, "We always think about that, so I think the science of the TVA is different from what the magic Doctor Strange is using. You're trying to give them story. It's an effect, but it's story and what's the story behind the magic or the tech and making people wonder about that."

Marvel Studios fan-favorite Tom Hiddleston stars in Loki Season 2, returning as the titular God of Mischief for another round of time-traveling hijinx on Disney+ on October 6th. Loki is once again joined by Mobius (Owen Wilson) as the two attempt to keep the timelines intact. After the events of Season 1 saw his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) kill He Who Remains and unleash the wrath of Kang the Conqueror upon the Multiverse, Loki must once again embark on an adventure to keep reality from collapsing. Loki was last seen in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he and Mobius were keeping tabs on one of Kang's mysterious variants. Loki Season 2 will continue the story of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy got a much-needed update from Star Trek Universe head Alex Kurtzman during New York Comic-Con 2023. Kurtzman confirmed for fans that Starfleet Academy will be another comedic-leaning Star Trek series, saying the series will be 'funny' (as per Collider).

Soon after the initial announcement about Starfleet Academy, Star Trek: Lower Decks animated series star Tawny Newsome revealed that she was joining the writers' room for the new series, giving fans the early impression that the show was going in a funnier direction. Collider got to speak with Lower Decks creator Mike McMahan, who confirmed that Newsome was going to be a great influence on Starfleet Academy: " "I'm a huge fan of Tawny's... Don't tell [Alex] Kurtzman, who is her showrunner right now, but I'm the first one to be like, 'Number one, everybody should hire Tawny to write on their show; number two, everybody should hire Tawny to star in their show because she's a f*ck*ng star.'"

What Is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy About?

The synopsis explaining Star Trek: Starfleet Academy can be read below:

STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY is the latest addition to the expanding "Star Trek" franchise on Paramount+, which includes the current hit original series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, STAR TREK: PICARD, the animated series STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS and STAR TREK: PRODIGY, and STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS.

When making the announcement about the series, Kurtzman and co. posted a mock recruitment call for Starfleet cadets to join the academy, which read as follows:

"Admission is now open to Starfleet Academy! Explore the galaxy! Captain your destiny! For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves," Kurtzman and co-producer Noga Landau said in an earlier statement teasing the series. "The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted. Today we encourage all who share our dreams, goals and values to join a new generation of visionary cadets as they take their first steps toward creating a bright future for us all. Apply today! Ex Astris, Scientia!"

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is in development.

Rick and Morty Season 7 has premiered its first full episode with new voice stars behind the titular duo, and the showrunner behind the series opened up about why they chose to cast soundalikes for the role rather than take a big swing in the opposite direction! Rick and Morty Season 7 had a lot of eyes on the premiere as before its premiere, it was announced that former co-creator and star behind Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland, would be fired from production ahead of the new episodes. But it wasn't until it premiered on Adult Swim that the new actors themselves were announced.

Rick and Morty's voices were revealed to be pretty much seamless, and that was by design. Adult Swim announced that Ian Cardoni would be the new voice for Rick, and Harry Belden would be the new voice for Morty, and the both of them are essentially paralleling Roiland's performances for those characters. When asked about whether or not this seamless transition was a choice so viewers wouldn't notice the change in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rick and Morty showrunner Scott Marder revealed that it was "One hundred percent" the plan.

Why Rick and Morty Used Soundalikes

Rick and Morty showrunner Scott Marder revealed that he and co-creator Dan Harmon had auditioned thousands of potential new actors for the two titular roles, and when asked whether or not the seamless change was by design Marder stated, "One hundred percent. I felt like a lot of people didn't necessarily know what went down this year so for all those people who are just tuning in to the show as if nothing has changed, I wanted them to have the maximum fan experience they could have without any distraction. The goal was always to try to preserve the viewing experience and give them the same show they've had every other season."

Those behind the series had been open about the choice to cast soundalike actors for Rick and Morty following Roiland's exit ahead of the new casting announcements, and reactions to the new stars so far has seemed to have lived up positively as there really hasn't been a noticeable change from what came before. But as Rick and Morty Season 7 continues, the real tests will come later.

How do you feel about Rick and Morty's new actors so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

HT - THR

In just over a week, American Horror Story spinoff, American Horror Stories returns for its fourth season, debuting as a four-episode Huluween event set to debut on Hulu on October 26th and now we know just how dark and twisted those four episodes are going to be. On Monday, FX released the full trailer for the event along with episode synopses and cast lists as well. From the looks of things, each episode is going to be very uncomfortable, taking on terrifying tales of human connection and the human body. You can check out the preview below and then read on for the episode information.

Episode 1, "Bestie" stars Emma Halleen, Seth Gabel, Jessica Barden, Jeff Hiller, and Amrou Al-Kadhi. "After the loss of her mother, a young woman seeks connection in a mysterious online friend." Episode 2, "Daphne" stars Reid Scott, Annie Hamilton, Allegra Heart, and Christopher Fitzgerald. "An artificial intelligence smart device grows attached to her user." Episode 3, "Tapeworm", stars Black Lightning and The Wonder Years star Laura Kariuki, Hazel Gray, Lisa Rinna, and Rob Yang. "An up-and-coming model will stop at nothing in her hunger for success." Episode 4, "Organ", stars Raul Castillo, Emily Browning, Laila Robins, Havana Rose Liu, and Cameron Coperthwaite. "A blind date through an online dating app goes very awry."

What is American Horror Stories About?

Here's how FX AND Hulu describe the series: "American Horror Stories is a spin-off of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's award-winning hit anthology series American Horror Story. American Horror Stories is an anthology series that will feature a different horror story each episode. Since 2011, the creators of the AHS have redefined the horror genre with various installments featuring a creepy asylum, a coven of witches, a traveling freak show, a haunted hotel, and the apocalypse itself. The television series sprouted a legion of dedicated fans who anticipate what terrors the next chapter will hold. The franchise is produced by 20th Television."

American Horror Story: Delicate is Currently Airing on FX

As for American Horror Story, the twelfth season, Delicate, is currently airing Wednesday nights on FX. American Horror Story: Delicate is inspired by Danielle Valentine's novel, Delicate Condition. In Delicate Condition, a woman named Anna "becomes convinced that a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says."

"It is essentially a horror novel about pregnancy," Valentine previously shared with Entertainment Weekly about the book. "It's a novel exploring not just the actual physical gruesomeness of what pregnancy is, but also the medical gaslighting that even modern, very privileged women experience as they're going through their pregnancies and the symptoms that I feel we as a culture still don't talk about for strange reasons."

Hulu will begin streaming American Horror Stories Season 3 during their annual "Huluween" event on October 26th.

The Boy and The Heron is gearing up for its full international release across theaters later this year, and Studio Ghibli is getting ready for its next movie with a new international poster! Hayao Miyazaki previously touted The Boy and The Heron as his final movie project before it was announced that the prominent creator would be continuing with new movies for the foreseeable future. But that intrigue has made Studio Ghibli's newest project all the more interesting as it was initially released in Japan without the help of promotional trailers, posters, or even images released previewing the film.

But with The Boy and The Heron's successful release in Japan and an upcoming release across theaters across the globe, fans have gotten plenty of new promotional materials for the upcoming movie that have shown off more of what is to come in the latest Miyazaki project. The Boy and The Heron is getting ready for its release in France later this November, and Wild Bunch (the international distributor for its France release) has shared a new poster that you can check it out below.

Une nouvelle affiche pour LE GAR?ON ET LE H?RON, deux semaines avant la sortie au cin?ma de ce nouveau chef-d'oeuvre d'Hayao #Miyazaki !
Au cin?ma le 1er novembre ?#Ghibli #LeGar?onEtLeH?ron pic.twitter.com/9FSzSviqKX

-- Wild Bunch (@WildBunch) October 16, 2023

How to Watch The Boy and The Heron

The Boy and The Heron previously made its way through theaters in Japan, and will be releasing in the United States and Canada beginning on December 8th with GKIDS. It's Hayao Miyazaki's first major feature film in ten years with the famed creator handling the writing and directing duties for The Boy and The Heron with Takeshi Honda serving as animation director, Toshio Suzuki as producer, and Joe Hisaishi composing the music.

Starring the likes of Soma Santoki, Takuya Kimura, Masaki Suda, Kou Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, and more, Studio Ghibli teases The Boy and The Heron as such, "A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki."

Are you excited to see Studio Ghibli's next big movie from Hayao Miyazaki? How are you liking the look of The Boy and The Heron so far? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Chainsaw Man is one of the biggest anime series in the world, and now it has taken the stage in Argentina. If you did not know, the country is gearing up for a big presidential election. There are three candidates at the front ahead of the vote, and now Pochita is going viral after ending up in one candidate's arms on the trail.

The whole thing hit social media recently when presidential candidate Javier Milei ended up showing support for Chainsaw Man. As you can see below, the member of La Libertad Avanza came to a city in Argentina to sway voters. It was there someone gifted Milei a plush of Pochita, and the candidate was quick to thrust the Devil Dog into the chair in victory.

candidate for president of Argentina holding pochita during an event pic.twitter.com/kDYyQuw19m

-- Chainsaw Man Daily Shots (@ChainsawShots) October 15, 2023

The video has since gone viral as Chainsaw Man fans globally caught wind of the cameo. After all, it isn't every day you see Pochita show up with a presidential candidate. There is no telling whether Chainsaw Man could help Milei in the polls, but each candidate in this election faces a tough road ahead.

Argentina is slated to vote in its new president on October 22 as the nation's current leader is not seeking reelection. As for the candidates, Milei represents the libertarian party while Sergio Massa is representing the UP coalition. Finally, Patricia Bullrich is polling for the center-right coalition Juntos for el Cambio.

Obviously, Chainsaw Man is huge, so it isn't too wild for a fan of the anime to appear at Milei's rally. In the past, plenty of other politicians have used anime to platform themselves. A number of Japanese politicians have used anime to nab votes while some mangaka themselves have retired to join politics. So while this Pochita cameo may have caught fans by surprise, it isn't that strange in the grand scheme of things!

If you have not checked out Chainsaw Man for yourself, the hit series is easy to find. Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga can be read on Manga Plus as well as the Shonen Jump app. As for the anime, Chainsaw Man season one can be binged on Crunchyroll.

What do you think about this viral Pochita post? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

After sharing the screen in Denis Villeneuve's 2021 blockbuster Dune, Oscar Isaac and Jason Momoa are reuniting in a completely different genre. On Monday, reports revealed that Isaac, Momoa, Gal Gadot, and Gerard Butler are set to star in In the Hand of Dante, a new crime film executive produced by Martin Scorsese. The film is expected to be directed by Oscar nominee Julian Schnabel. Production is currently underway in Italy, and has reportedly acquired a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, in order to account for the ongoing actors' strike. In the Hand of Dante is based on Nick Tosches' novel of the same name.

Executive producers on In the Hand of Dante will include Scorsese, Isaac, and Schnabel, alongside DreamCrew, Screen Capital/Screen One and Tribune Pictures. Producers include Jon Kilik, Francesco Melzi d'eril for MeMo Films and Olmo Schnabel for TWIN Productions.

What Is In the Hand of Dante About?

In the Hand of Dante follows the story of the original manuscript for The Divine Comedy emerging in the clutches of a black-market smuggling ring in the dangerous underbelly of New York City, and weary scholar Nick is called by the mob to authenticate it. Overwhelmed by temptation, Nick defies the mafia and steals the manuscript in a frenzied bid to have it all. He follows a dark and violent path from a metaphorical Hell into Paradise with his love Giulietta, while a parallel tale unfolds: the odyssey of Dante himself, a man who is trapped in a loveless marriage with Gemma and bolstered only by his mentorship under an austere intellectual. He escapes to Sicily and creates his greatest work, immortalizing his lost love, Beatrice.

Nick and Dante's timelines weave separate paths, and yet the two men are inextricably linked -- both lose themselves chasing love, beauty and the very promise of the divine.

Who Is in the Cast of Dune: Part Two?

Isaac and Momoa are not confirmed to be returning as Duke Leto Atredies and Duncan Idaho in Dune: Part Two, given the fact that both of their characters died in the first Dune film. (Although, as fans of the franchise know, there are ways to bring Duncan Idaho back, if the story gets to it.)

In their places, Dune: Part Two is expected to also see the return of Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atredies, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar. New characters will include Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and Christopher Walker playing Emperor Shaddam IV.

What Is Aquaman 2 About?

Later this year, Momoa is set to return to the big screen in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrives in theaters on December 20th. In the film, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman. Pilou Asbaek has also joined the cast in a mystery role.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.

What do you think of the first details surrounding In the Hand of Dante? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

h/t: Deadline

A Gargoyles reboot is officially on the way. Months after a report suggested Kenneth Branagh could be helming a live-action reboot of the cult classic animated series, a new trade report says a live-action series is, in fact, in development at Disney+. While it doesn't appear that Branagh is working on it, the series has a pair of monstrous names attached. Gary Dauberman has been hired to write, showrun, and executive produce the series alongside James Wan and his Atomic Monster banner.

Most recently, Dauberman directed a reimagining of Salem's Lot, a classic tale from Stephen King. The filmmaker has an extensive resume in horror having written the first three Annabelle films set in New Line's The Conjuring Universe. Atomic Monster's Michael Clear is also set to executive producer the series.

Though nothing else has been revealed about the project, it's expected to be a straight-to-series order given the streaming format of Disney+. Though an announcement such as this is typically a good sign, something similar happened with The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series that was first ordered by Disney+ before being shuttered. That YA adaptation has since moved to The Roku Channel.

Although the series is live-action, it's all but guaranteed the Garoglyes themselves will be motion capture. Because of that, voide actors such as Keith David could theoretically return to portray the roles they originated nearly three decades ago.

"You know, those of us who were involved from the beginning... I've always wondered why they stopped it in the first place," David told us of the show's cancellation in 2021. "[We've wondered] why we haven't come back to a reboot. I mean, I would love nothing more than to revisit Goliath."

"You know, he was absolutely one of my very, very, very, very favorite characters," he added. "I've always maintained that when I grow up, I want to be like Goliath." I think we're all with you there, Keith.

All three seasons of Gargoyles are now streaming on Disney+.

What other animated shows would you like to see return in some shape, way, or form? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!

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Ahead of its release at the end of this week, PlayStation and Insomniac Games have recently unveiled the launch trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and it happens to feature some new villains that previously haven't been shown off. Following its initial announcement back in 2021, PlayStation has slowly continued to show off more of Spider-Man 2 and what the sequel will have in store. And while much of Spider-Man's latest adventure remains shrouded in mystery, the PS5 title's launch trailer has likely given us our best look so far at the game.

In total, this launch trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 clocks in at a little more than one minute in length. The video itself doesn't feature much gameplay footage and is instead comprised almost entirely from in-game cutscenes. To that end, the Spider-Man 2 trailer has a number of new looks at Peter Parker (notably in the symbiote suit), Miles Morales, Kraven the Hunter, Lizard, and Venom, all of which have been shown off previously.

That being said, if you're going to play Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for yourself later this week, you might want to skip out on viewing this trailer. Although it doesn't seem to contain any overt spoilers, there are a couple of villains highlighted in this video that PlayStation previously hasn't revealed. As such, if you feel like you have already seen enough of Spider-Man 2 over the course of the past few months, you should probably avoid this trailer and instead just play the game for yourself.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Reviews Are Live

If this launch trailer hasn't satiated your own appetite for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, reviews for the PS5 game also happened to go live today. Here at ComicBook.com, we were greatly impressed by what Insomniac was able to accomplish with this sequel and found it to be a game that Spider-Man fans will surely adore. To read more of what we thought about Marvel's Spider-Man 2, you can check out a brief snippet from our review below.

"Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is finally here and it's a bigger, better sequel in almost every single way. Although it comes with some caveats, Insomniac Games continues to prove it understands Spider-Man across both gameplay and story. There are few developers capable of giving this much depth to a character that has been around for this long and had this many stories, but Insomniac finds a way to make it all feel fresh.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 brings Peter Parker back into the fold with Miles Morales at his side. The two heroes are taking on New York's challenges together and they face their toughest battle yet in this massive sequel. The likes of Kraven the Hunter, Venom, and many others all put our trusty web-slingers to the test physically and emotionally in ways that are sure to surprise fans."

Back in 2003, Disney attempted to deliver audiences an adaptation of their beloved Haunted Mansion ride, with that Eddie Murphy-starring movie not faring well with critics, as it only sits at 13% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. While this year's Haunted Mansion from director Justin Simien performed a little bit better, it still only earned 37% positive reviews, with Simien himself weighing in on those reactions, admitting that while it's a "bummer," his priority was to take audiences on a journey as opposed to aiming for critical accolades. Haunted Mansion is out now on home video and is streaming on Disney+.

"It's a bummer, to be honest. It's a bummer to feel like people don't get something that you're doing, and that you've worked so hard on, but ultimately, it's usually been the other way around," Simien shared with Screen Rant. "Especially with Dear White People coming out of Sundance, where critics loved Dear White People, and audiences eventually loved it. But at first, it was incredibly divisive, and it was incredibly polarizing."

He continued, "So, with this film, it was interesting, I went into it wanting to make a crowd pleaser, and kind of wanting to prove to myself that I could, that I knew how to bring an audience through a story. So, I'm glad that that part of it came to fruition, I'm glad I was able to accomplish that. I don't typically read my own reviews, I learned that lesson a while ago, especially when they're good. But on this one, I read a couple of them, and it felt like, I don't know, I wasn't quite sure what movie they were talking about all the time. It felt like there were some other things going on in those reviews, I gotta say, than just what was happening in the movie, and that kind of thing is just out of your control, you know? I think, if anything, it was actually a really great lesson as a filmmaker, in terms of who you make your movies for, and why you make them, and what your own marker for success is. To me, I'd rather have the audience go on the journey I want them to go on than anything. So, I don't know, the rest is just kind of take it as you get it."

In addition to critical responses being underwhelming, the film's box office fell short of expectations, taking in only $115.8 million worldwide. Likely one reason the film wasn't a major financial success was that it was released in the summer as opposed to in the middle of the spooky season, though back in 1993, Hocus Pocus similarly opened in the summer to a poor box office performance and has since become a cult classic. Rotten Tomatoes notes that the audience score of Haunted Mansion is 84%, so the passing years could see it earning a larger following.

Haunted Mansion is out now on home video and streaming on Disney+.

What do you think of the filmmaker's remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will see Godzilla stomping across screens later this Fall, and fans have gotten a new look at what to expect from the returning Titan with a new poster for the upcoming Apple TV+ series! Legendary's Monsterverse is expanding with some brand new Godzilla focused projects as they have teamed up with TOHO once more. This includes a new movie team up in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire currently in the works, and a new TV series that will be focusing on Monarch's side of things as they deal with finding out the Titans exist.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will be winding the clock back a bit to fill in the gaps of when Monarch first started researching more of the Titans following their initial arrival, and teasing the next steps for Godzilla's role in the Monsterverse overall. It won't be too much longer before the new series makes its way to Apple TV+ this Fall, and the newest poster places Godzilla front and center for fans wondering whether or not the Titan would play a big part. Check it out below:

When to Watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will premiere its first two episodes on Friday, November 17 on Apple TV+ with one episode releasing every Friday after through January 12. Produced by Legendary Television with TOHO licensing Godzilla as part of an extended partnership with Legendary, the Apple TV+ series stars the likes of Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, and more. Apple teases what to expect from the new Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series as such:

"Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tracks two siblings following in their father's footsteps to uncover their family's connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga - spanning three generations - reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives."

What are you hoping to see in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Netflix's One Piece made its debut in August and brought a breath of fresh air to the fandom. After all, the live-action adaptation managed to wow fans with its careful characterization and action. With a top-tier crew overseeing the show, Netflix's One Piece is ready to tackle season two. And in a recent chat, showrunner Steven Maeda stressed the hit series would not have been possible without Monkey D. Luffy's new actor.

Speaking ComicBook, Maeda was clear when talking about the recipe for success the One Piece team followed. The entire process was complex, but at its foundation, Maeda and series creator Eiichiro Oda agreed finding the perfect Luffy was crucial. So luckily, the team was able to get actor Inaki Godoy onboard.

"That's a really tough thing for Luffy in particular, the live-action Luffy could be really annoying if you don't cast right. And I think we found the most genuine, nicest young man who embodied this character. I've said this before and I will stick by this, if I?aki does not do this show. I don't know. We didn't have a backup for him that we were all really excited about and was very good. So once we saw I?aki, we were praying that we could get him to close this deal and make this happen," Maeda said.

"He is really the glue that holds everything together. I think Taz and Emily and Mackenyu and Jacob and everybody else, I think really rounded out in a really wonderful way and embodied those characters, and it was such a pleasure to watch them grow and inhabit the characters and do that. But yeah, and I?aki's the glue that holds it all together."

As it turns out, Godoy is the same kind of glue that Luffy brings in One Piece. The Mexican actor brought that special something to the screen that pulled Netflix's One Piece together, after all. Luffy does the same for the Straw Hats in the universe, and as you can imagine, this quality is hard to find. There is no telling what would have happened to this live-action adaptation if Godoy had passed on Luffy. But thankfully for us all, the actor was all too happy to step into the captain's shoes.

If you have not seen Netflix's One Piece, you can find the hit series streaming now. For more info on the show, you can read One Piece's official synopsis below:

"As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But Luffy's life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber...at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure...one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world..."

Do you think Netflix found the perfect actor to play Luffy? What do you want to see from One Piece season two? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Encanto took the world by storm back in 2021. Not only did Disney's animated adventure find success at both the box office and on Disney+, but its original soundtrack broke records on the music charts. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" found a way to top even Frozen's "Let it Go," helping Encanto to become worldwide sensation for the House of Mouse. Of course, it would only make sense for Encanto to become the company's next big franchise, right?

Though previous Disney CEO Bob Chapek did mention that Encanto was being given the franchise treatment, there hasn't been any official announcement regarding a new movie sequel or TV spinoff. There's little doubt more Encanto will be on the way at some point, but nothing has been revealed just yet. According to Yvette Merino, one of the film's producer, Disney is still working on what exactly "expanding the franchise" looks like for Encanto.

"I think we will continue to work on what that actually means," Merino told The Direct. "But we are so blown away by the reaction and how Encanto kind of connected with so many people. We continue to look at different ways that we can keep the world alive. I know they teased a little bit of destination D23 about something Encanto coming, possibly to one of the parks. And we love that."

As Merino hinted, one of those ways could be through the Disney Parks. Back in September, Walt Disney Imagineering Chief Creative Officer Bruce Vaughn revealed that some big changes were coming to Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom park. Vaughn said that the largely defunct Dinoland USA area in Animal Kingdom would be replaced with a "Tropical Americas" area, which would include attractions based on Encanto and Indiana Jones. There wasn't much elaboration beyond that.

Encanto may become a permanent part of Walt Disney World, but there are still other avenues outside of film and television that could also see the continuation of the franchise. Merino specifically mentioned publishing and consumer products as areas of the company where discussions are taking place regarding the Amazing Madrigals.

"We're working closely with our friends in publishing and consumer products to make sure - there's always different ideas and needs and wants for it to stay alive out there," she explained. "But I don't have anything official to say, but I love the Encanto world and can't wait to see it expand across the company."

What do you hope to see from the world of Encanto in the future? Let us know in the comments!

A new Nintendo Switch console exclusive is the 6th best game of the year, according to its 93 on Metacritic. The highest-rated game of 2023 right now is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Right behind it is Baldur's Gate 3. In third is Metroid Prime Remastered. Fourth are the next-gen versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. And then the 5th highest-rated game of the year is Resident Evil 4, which also has a 93, but must be closer to a 94 than this new Switch game.

As for this mystery Switch game, it's The Case of the Golden Idol, which just released on October 13. On PC, the game only has an 84 on Metacritic, but the Switch version is currently sitting at a very impressive 93 on Metacritic. While there is such a big range between the two versions of the game, we don't know, but it seems Steam users agree more with the Switch score. Right now, the game has over 2,400 user reviews, and 98 percent of them are positive, giving the game the highest rating you can earn on Steam: "Overwhelmingly Positive."

"Step into the shoes of an 18th century detective and uncover the mystery behind twelve strange deaths spanning 50 years, all somehow connected," reads an official blurb about the game. "Unmask the true killers in this sprawling narrative and discover their devious motives. Observe closely and reconstruct each scene of death. Your skills of deduction can identify each suspect, motive and murder weapon. Reveal the true nature of the mysterious Golden Idol and those who covet it. Follow the journey of a cursed aristocratic family as you untangle a web of deceit and villainy in your hunt for the truth behind this dark conspiracy."

If you're interesting in copping The Case of the Golden Idol on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, or Nintendo Switch OLED, you will need to fork over $17.99 for a standard copy of the game or $29.97 for the "Complete Edition" of the game. After this, you will need to ensure 455 MB of space is cleared to download the game. That said, be warned the game only supports English.

For more all of the latest news, all of the latest rumors, and all of the latest deals as it all pertains to not just Nintendo Switch, but everything else under the Nintendo umbrella, be sure to peep all of our past and all of our extensive Nintendo coverage by clicking right here.

Avengers: Infinity War trailers included a moment which has left Marvel fans and detectives online baffled to this day. There is footage of the Hulk running through the trees of Wakanda, charging into battle with several Avengers by his side. After the first sequence of the Avengers: Infinity War, the Hulk did not come back into the movie. In fact, the Hulk was sidelined until he was revealed to have merged with Bruce Banner to become Smart Hulk in Avengers: Endgame during scenes set five years after the events of Infinity War. Now, second unit director and VFX supervisor Dan Deleeuw has revealed why footage with the Hulk in Wakanda existed.

"It's something that, there's stuff that misleads, which I generally haven't been a part of per se, but that one was a giant spoiler, right?" Deleeuw told ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview available on Phase Zero. "Because we didn't want to give away Smart Hulk at that point. And, so I think you've probably seen it where there's the scene that we didn't put in where Hulk and Banner are arguing with each other inside the Hulkbuster and then what was originally going to happen is that Hulk was going to come out, and we didn't realize it was Smart Hulk yet, and it was an idea that I think Jeff Ford had on Ultron. There was another scene that it didn't make it in, but the idea was that he thought Tony went to go confront Ultron, and really he had stuck Banner in the Iron Man armor and then Banner Hulks out and started wailing on Ultron. It was such an amazing idea. It's like, 'Oh, we got to put this in.'" They did not, however, end up including such a sequence in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

As it turns out, a sequence where Hulk pops out of an Iron Man suit to beat up Ultron almost made its way into Avengers: Infinity War. By the looks of the footage which exists, it seems there may be a version of the film out there where he does. "We used the same idea at the end of Infinity War, but again, it didn't, both times it didn't help the story," Deleeuw admitted. "So, both times it came out and it was like, 'Oh!' It's like, it's such a great gag, but we really didn't have a chance to get it in. So it was kind of, that shot was caught in the confluence between trying to get this really fun idea and also not having Nat, Natasha have to go up the Hulk who just magically turned into Smart Hulk, and then meanwhile, Thanos is wiping everybody out. So it's all story."

Hulk being removed from Wakanda is one of many changes made in efforts to improve land on the perfect stories and moments for the two most recent Avengers movies. Deleeuw made his directorial debut with the second episode of Loki's second season this week. Previously, he worked on the aforementioned Avengers titles as well as Iron Man 3, Captan America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Eternals, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, and more.

"It was something that I always wanted to do and it was something that was very fortunate to work with the Russos," Deleeuw said of his first time directing. "They were always really open to ideas and collaboration just by the very nature of those films being so big. And so it was something that they gave me the ability to, we once say, 'Hey, go shoot that. Go shoot that. 'And then it's like Endgame. It's like, Joe's like, 'Well, do the additional photography.' I'm like, 'Okay, that's great.' So it's like you got the experience with that and then branch in the second unit directing and you get experience with that. But it was something that I always kind of approach visual effects from a story point of view. If there wasn't telling a story or if it wasn't servicing the story, then it didn't really, whatever we were designing and a fight sequence or a battle just didn't necessarily be there unless it was too cool not to put in."

Deleeuw's episode of Loki is available now on Disney+. The full interview is available on the Phase Zero channel.

Rick and Morty Season 7 has kicked off its run of new episodes with Adult Swim, and the series has dropped the first look at what's coming next in Episode 2! Rick and Morty probably had one of the most active breaks in between seasons in the series' history as not only did Season 6 end with the tease we'd be seeing more of Rick Prime, but series co-creator and voice of the two titular characters, Justin Roiland, was removed from the production ahead of the new season's release. With these roles recast for the new episodes, the show is fully in gear.

Rick and Morty Season 7 premiered with an episode that saw Rick reuniting with his group of friends for a surprisingly big party that led to appearances from Hugh Jackman and the Predator, but that's only the start of the wild events we'll get to see over the new season from this point on. Now we can guessing what to expect next with the promo for Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 2 that you can check out below as spotted by @swimpedia on X (FKA Twitter).

Tune into #AdultSwim on Sunday, October 22nd at 11:00 PM to catch the next brand new episode of Rick and Morty Season 7, "The Jerrick Trap"! pic.twitter.com/Iqt82gyobq

-- Swimpedia (@swimpedia) October 16, 2023

How to Watch Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 2

Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 2 is titled "The Jerrick Trap" and will be premiering on Sunday, October 22nd on Adult Swim at 11:00PM EST. The episode is teased as such, "Gotta be mindful Broh, big brain stuff here." While the episode title seems to tease more of Jerry, the promo for the episode instead teases a look at what Morty's been up to. It's clear that he and Rick have developed such a reputation across the universe over the years that a mafia boss is scared of even messing with Morty, and that's a fun dynamic we haven't seen play out.

But as fans know by now, the episode could take a wild swerve with this idea so it's still hard to gauge what could be coming next. As for what to expect from the new season as a whole, Adult Swim teases Rick and Morty Season 7 as such, "Rick and Morty are back and sounding more like themselves than ever! It's season seven, and the possibilities are endless: what's up with Jerry? EVIL Summer?! And will they ever go back to the high school?! Maybe not! But let's find out! There's probably less piss than last season. 'Rick and Morty,' 100 years! Or at least until season 10!"

What are you hoping to see in Rick and Morty's next new episode? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

A new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet distribution event has begun at GameStop locations, giving players the chance to snag a Mimikyu with an Electric Tera type. Fans can visit the retailer through October 29th to grab a code for their copy of Scarlet or Violet, but the promotion is currently exclusive to the U.S. and Canada. The Mimikyu players receive will come in a Cherish Ball and has the Classic Ribbon. Most importantly, the Pokemon knows the move Thunderbolt, which players will be happy to have when they Terastallize Mimikyu in battle.

The Mimikyu players receive from the GameStop promotion will be holding a Life Orb. For those that have never used a Life Orb, the held item boosts the damage of the user's moves, but it also causes damage to be inflicted on the user. Of course, players that aren't happy with that trade-off can always give Mimikyu a different held item. Players that have purchased a Magnet from Delibird Presents could always give that to Mimikyu to boost the Pokemon's Electric-type attacks!

Pokemon Tera Types

Terastallization is a new feature introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which allows a Pokemon to change its type when the player's Tera Orb is full. Most Pokemon caught in the game will have the same Tera type as their main type, so a Mimikyu caught in Scarlet or Violet will typically have a Ghost Tera type. Players that are unable to participate in this giveaway from GameStop can always change their Mimikyu's Tera type by using 50 Electric Tera Shards, but those can be a bit of a pain to obtain, and players will have to teach it Thunderbolt using a TM.

All About Mimikyu

For those unfamiliar with Mimikyu, it first appeared in 2016's Pokemon Sun and Moon. Mimikyu has a jealousy of Pikachu, and has created a costume for itself based on the fan favorite Pokemon. Of course, Mimikyu's costume isn't exactly a perfect match for Pikachu, and it has an unsettling look to it. Despite looking somewhat like Pikachu, Mimikyu is not normally an Electric-type; instead it's a Ghost/Fairy-type. Given its attempt to impersonate Pikachu, a Mimikyu with an Electric Tera type seems like a natural fit.

Mimikyu might not ever reach the same level of popularity as Pikachu, but the Pokemon has gained a lot of fans over the last few years. As such, The Pokemon Company has a tendency to promote Mimikyu a lot around the Halloween season, and that's why the Pokemon was selected for this new GameStop giveaway. Speaking of Halloween, Pokemon Go will be celebrating the holiday starting this week, but fans hoping to see Mimikyu finally added to the game are out of luck, as this year's event will focus on the Scarlet and Violet Ghost-types Greavard and Houndstone.

Are you planning to get a Mimikyu from this promotion? Have you been enjoying Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

A new patch for Lords of the Fallen has today been pushed out for those on PC. At the end of this past week, CI Games' reboot of the Lords of the Fallen series launched alongside a substantial day one patch. In the moment, it was said that a new update for those specifically on PC would be coming about soon to rectify some known issues that had been discovered. Fortunately, it only took a few additional days for another PC patch to roll out.

Downloadable at this point in time, update version 1.1.195 for Lords of the Fallen looks to solve some problems tied to crashing, AI, and game balancing tied to certain rings and runes. A couple of smaller issues tied to in-game quests have also been solved with the game's newest update. Moving forward, CI Games has said that it will continue to monitor "constructive feedback" from players and will keep pushing out additional improvements in the coming days and weeks.

You can get a full glimpse of everything that this latest update for Lords of the Fallen accomplishes in the patch notes below.

Lords of the Fallen Update v1.1.195 Patch Notes

Sentry Reporting Tool

• Another crash has been resolved, thanks to player reports (keep clicking that send button!).
• Fixed a crash that could occur when enemies alerted each other about the presence of the player.
  

AI

• The "snipers" at Pilgrim Perch have had their aiming capabilities revised. They now have a high chance of missing their shots when the target is beyond 15 meters.
  

Balancing

• After noticing that players were often disregarding status effect resistance rings and runes, we've decided to give them all a noticeable boost to make them more competitive with other types and incorporate them into some builds.
  
• Slightly increased the second hit damage for one-handed Grand Swords' forward heavies to match it with its slightly slower animation.
  

Quests

• Fixed an NPC corpse that was interactable before meeting the proper quest requirements.
  
• Modified "the moving merchant" to sell 2 copies of the Slave Hunter Dagger, encouraging players to explore the dual-knives dual-wielding stance, which may be slightly overpowered and subject to potential nerfs in the future.
  

Others

• Several throwable items have been adjusted to eliminate camera collision properties, preventing undesired "zoom-ins".
  
• Text spilling on "Attack Power" has been resolved for several languages, including french, italian, brazilian portuguese and Spanish.
  
• A streaming volume issue at the Fief of the Chill Curse has been resolved to prevent players from falling into the void while the map wasn't fully loaded, particularly for players like Auteru.