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⚡ Quick Take

• The post-credits scene for Evil Dead Burn makes no sense.
• It brings back a character from a previous movie in a baffling way.
• Ultimately, this Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene breaks the rules established by the rest of the franchise.

While the original three Evil Dead movies all had the same lead character, Ash Williams played by Bruce Campbell, the three movies that followed have all more or less felt standalone. None of the lead characters carry over, nor does the direct storyline. Or so we thought! Evil Dead Burn does carry over in certain ways with the previous movie, Evil Dead Rise. And while one aspect is pretty minor, the second, taking place during the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene, is more overt. It also, according to me, makes no f***ing sense.

New Line Cinema The Evil Dead Burn Opening Scene

The opening of Evil Dead Burn gives us the reawakening of the deadites via Joseph (Hunter Doohan) playing a recording from his occultist grandfather. The recording says that he found, and subsequently hid, a sacred dagger that can kill the Evil Dead. The opening scene of Evil Dead Burn then quickly cuts to under a lake, where we see a deadite open her eyes.

New Line Cinema

She might not be instantly recognizable, but this is Jessica, the victim of deaditism (not a word) from the wraparound segments from the previous movie, Evil Dead Rise. Jessica then pops out of the lake and kills a couple of guys fishing in the rain before trudging on to the wooded road only for Will (George Pullar) to plow into her with his car. This then sets the entire plot of the movie in motion.

Jessica doesn’t have the instant recognition you might expect for a carryover character, but the character that arrives in the post-credits Evil Dead Burn scene definitely does.

The Post-Credits Evil Dead Burn Scene Brings Back Ellie From Evil Dead Rise

After the whole of the credits, and a mid-credits scene which sees the deadite Grandma Polly (Maude Davey) dragging herself down the road and attacking a motorist, we cut back into the funeral home from earlier in the movie for the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene. In this scene, the funeral director (Greta van den Brink) and her elementary-age daughter put urns of cremains on a shelf. The daughter asks why they have all these dead people here. The director shares that sometimes families don’t come and pick up the cremains, and she keeps them for a while.

She then goes to check on a knock at the door, leaving the little girl alone with the urns. She looks at and reads aloud some comically large name plates. The first says “Christopher Leroy.” For the life of me, I can’t figure out who this is supposed to be. It’s not a character in the movies. My best guess is it’s the name of a friend of director Sébastien Vaniček. The second name we hear in the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene is “Ellie Bixler.” Now this IS a character in the Evil Dead universe.

New Line Cinema

Just then, we hear a woman’s voice, and the girl naturally thinks it’s her mother. But it isn’t. She looks in the mirror, and instead of her own reflection, we see Ellie, the mother who becomes a deadite in Evil Dead Rise. Yes, Ellie is back in the post-credits scene of Evil Dead Burn.

Played by Alyssa Sutherland, Ellie in deadite form, with her red hair and devilish grin, was far and away the standout image of that movie. A great performance. After a quick Marx Bros. routine with the girl and Ellie mirroring each other, Ellie is suddenly behind the girl for real. She reaches out and snaps the girl’s neck before saying, “Mommy’s back.” This is a reference to the best line in Rise: “Mommy’s with the maggots now.”

Why This Evil Dead Burn Post-Credits Scene Makes No Fucking Sense

This Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene implies that Ellie’s body was cremated following the events of Evil Dead Rise and that that movie’s two survivors, Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Kassie (Nell Fisher), left those remains at the funeral home. But…no. The final act of Evil Dead Rise finds Beth and Kassie fighting off a horrifying bodily amalgam of Ellie and her two deaditified kids, Bridget and Danny. Using a chainsaw, Beth chops up this nightmare family and forces it into the whirring blades of a tree shredder. Blood and gore go a-flyin’.

New Line Cinema

What I’m saying is, there’s nothing left of their bodies at all. So what exactly was cremated? Did the authorities scoop up the hunks of Ellie viscera and take that to a funeral home? And how could they have separated the Ellie bits from the Bridget and Danny bits? What CSI got that job?

None of this matters really anyway, because the Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene fundamentally breaks the rules of the Evil Dead universe. Since the first movie, and in every single movie since, including the TV series, the incorporeal demon entities possess the bodies of people, turning them into deadites. Established time and again, the way to destroy a deadite is totally bodily dismemberment and pulverization. The demonic entity then dissipates and either goes into hiding or possesses another person.

At no point in the Evil Dead universe is a deadite ever a ghost, and never does the demonic entity keep the visage of a previous host. Once the host body is destroyed, the demon goes elsewhere. This whole Evil Dead Burn post-credits scene breaks the laws of the movie (albeit fictional, I know, I’m not delusional. I’m just a pedantic nerd) simply to bring back the newer movies’ most recognizable and iconic character.

Why It Matters

It doesn’t. Ultimately, who cares? And good for Alyssa Sutherland getting another paycheck. But it is a wholly cynical studio move to try to drum up excitement for the next movie, Evil Dead Wrath, due out in 2028 from director Francis Galluppi. I’m clearly in more of a minority when it comes to my feelings on Evil Dead Burn compared to several critics, but I can’t imagine any of them found this scene good or sensical.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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OpenAI's new family of models will continue to power Microsoft's suite of workplace and productivity apps.

The new exchanged-traded funds exclude companies that are founded, controlled, or led by Elon Musk. That means no SpaceX or Tesla.

OpenAI's No. 2 executive, Fidji Simo, is stepping down from her full-time role after her medical leave proved longer than expected — a leadership vacuum that comes at a tricky time as the company eyes a possible IPO and races to catch Anthropic in the enterprise market.

OpenAI's latest family of models promise improvements across a range of areas, including cybersecurity.

Lyzr, a startup that builds AI agents for enterprises, used its own AI agent to raise a $100 million round — proof, evidently, that the product actually works.

OpenAI is sunsetting its AI-powered browser after less than a year. But it's moving some agentic browsing features to its desktop app and a Chrome extension. 

Should Anthropic trust Elon Musk to host its models? With about $40 billion in revenue at stake, Musk insists that the company can.

The AI ROI debate has returned and the numbers are even bigger, as are, perhaps, the consequences.

⚡ Quick Take

• Notorious Flash villain Gorilla Grodd has been cast for the upcoming Jimmy Olsen-centric DC Crime series, with Scream 7’s Jimmy Tatro.

Despite the setback of Supergirl’s critical and box office failure, James Gunn’s new DCU is not about to shut down over one flop. Via a report from Deadline, it looks like the Jimmy Olsen-centric “DC Crime” series for HBO Max is still chugging along, even though it doesn’t have an official greenlight from Warner Bros. yet. But it appears it has already cast one of its primary characters, as actor Jimmy Tatro, most recently seen in Scream 7, will play the part of arch-villain Gorilla Grodd. The hyper-intelligent ape has been a mainstay DC Comics bad guy for several decades. The show, should it get the greenlight, will start shooting soon.

Paramount/DC Comics

DC Crime comes from Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, creators of Netflix’s American Vandal series. That true-crime satire series ran from 2017 to 2018. They’ll both write, executive produce, and serve as series showrunners. From all reports, this show will retain a similar mockumentary format, focusing on the life and crimes of one particular villain, told through the reporting of Daily Planet journalist Jimmy Olsen. Skyler Gisondo will reprise his role from last year’s Superman. One would imagine if the series gets another season, the focus would shift to a different villain. In an enormous show of restraint, the series did not start out with a Batman villain, focusing instead on Gorilla Grodd.

In DC Comics, Gorilla Grodd is a telepathic ape with a genius-level intellect. He’s been one of the Flash’s main bad guys since Flash #106 in 1959. He hails from the hidden Gorilla City, a society of intelligent apes in Africa. All of whom are peaceful and advanced, except for Grodd, who wishes to conquer humanity. In animation, Grodd became iconic thanks to his Legion of Doom membership on Super Friends, and later, Justice League. A version of Gorilla Grodd also became a primary antagonist for Barry Allen on the CW The Flash series. The character appeared in Creature Commandos, confirming his existence in the DCU. Now, it remains to be seen if his arch-nemesis, the Flash, appears in this series. It’s hard to imagine Gorilla Grodd without his main squeeze.

The post SCREAM 7’s Jimmy Tatro May Play Gorilla Grodd in the DCU appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment are bringing all five The Hunger Games movies back to theaters this fall ahead of Sunrise on the Reaping.

Do you love watching innocent children slaughter each other for the entertainment of the uber wealthy? If you said “yes,” we will need you to clarify you are only interested in fictional stories. If that is the case, then you can continue reading this very good news. This fall Lionsgate and Fathom Entertainment are bringing all five Hunger Games movies back to theaters.

Hunger Games movie fans will soon get a chance to see each installment up on the big screen once again. All five films in the franchise—The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay — Part 1, Mockingjay — Part 2, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes —will return to movie theaters from September 3 to September 7.

If you want to see all five Hunger Games films, get ready to spend five straight days at the movies. Each will get its own day in theaters. The first Hunger Games movie will kick things off in theaters on the 3rd. The special rerelease will then end with the first prequel movie, the last film to debut in theaters, 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Lionsgate/Fathom Entertainment

This event will come a little more than a month before the release of the franchise’s next installment, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The story of young Haymitch’s time in the arena will premiere on November 20. Each theatrical rerelease will also include a sneak peek at the latest adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ series. You can already order your tickets here.

“Jennifer Lawrence’s performances as the hero Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games movies were landmark cinematic achievements from 2012-2015. Fathom Entertainment is thrilled to partner once again with Lionsgate in bringing The Hunger Games: All Five Films to the big screen September 3-7,” said Jason Brenek, Chief Executive Officer, Fathom Entertainment, in a statement about the Hunger Games movies returning to theaters. “With each film featuring a distinct, theatrical exclusive look at The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, this is a must-see series of films for fans.”

Odds are, if you really love FICTIONAL stories of kids killing each other for sport, you’ll be seeing all five of these Hunger Games films in movie theaters, the way they were meant to be seen.

The post All 5 HUNGER GAMES Movies Returning to Theaters This Fall appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• A Free Willy reboot is in the works from Warner Bros.
• The ’90s cult classic movie, Free Willy, which advocated for animal rights, was a box office smash. But its sequels didn’t do so well.
• The Free Willy Reboot will be executive-produced by the Russo brothers.

I am begging anyone to come up with an original idea. As of now, Warner Bros. has announced a reboot of the 90s movie Free Willy, according to Variety. This cult classic movie focuses on a young boy’s relationship with an orca and his attempts to save it from captivity. The original Free Willy was a huge hit, so naturally the studios proceeded to make three more… But ratings were consistently worse with each movie. The most logical conclusion? Reboot Free Willy entirely in 2026 and try again.

Donner Productions/Regency Enterprises/StudioCanal/Alcor Films

The Russo brothers will produce the Free Willy Reboot. They have worked on various Avengers films, including Infinity War and Endgame, and will soon be back in the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday. So this movie about a whale will certainly be a change of pace. Theirs won’t be the only Marvel influence, with screenwriter Mary-Margaret Kunze having started her career working on Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Does this mean the Free Willy reboot will have the biggest team-up of famous movie orcas of all time? We’ll have to wait and see.

The original Free Willy movie had a $20 million budget, but grossed over $150 million worldwide—making it WILDLY successful. It inspired activism about orca captivity. 20 years later, Blackfish came out, a documentary about the perils of orca captivity, which led to more activism against aquariums and aquatic theme parks. And, to be fair, if this Free Willy reboot can spark that energy for our sealife, we’re not mad at about it.

Marvel Studios

Free Willy was not only heartwarming on the surface level but sparked public interest in important animal rights issues. The issues that Free Willy advocates against are absolutely still relevant today, with plenty of animals (marine or not) still in unsafe captivity. But we’re not sure if raising this kind of awareness is the main purpose of this reboot.

Other recent movies have dealt with animal rights issues, everything from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 vividly portraying the cruelty of animal experimentation to movies like Good Boy that star animals and emphasize their well-being on set. So, it is possible. But we’ll have to wait a while yet to see what this Free Willy reboot from the Russo Brothers holds. The movie has no set release date yet.

The post FREE WILLY Reboot (From the Russos) Is Happening… For Some Reason appeared first on Nerdist.

Meta's pitch to users is Spark's ability to handle large agentic workloads, fix bugs, and help with large code migrations — the kind of automation that enterprises are increasingly turning to AI companies to provide.

In this week’s episode of Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen talks with Precursor Ventures' Charles Hudson about the headwinds facing early-stage founders today and the most common mistakes founders should avoid in order to get funded. 

⚡ Quick Take

• Marvel Studios will officially return to Comic-Con in San Diego this year, and we expect some big reveals, especially for Avengers: Doomsday.

Although it was heavily rumored for some months now, it’s now confirmed: Marvel Studios will return to Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, with a special presentation. This is separate from the rumored Spider-Man: Brand New Day panel, which is said to be happening, and would be a Sony Pictures panel. The Marvel Studios Hall H Presentation will take place on Saturday, July 24, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. PT. The only tease we have of what’s to come from Marvel at SDCC is the following blurb: “Join Marvel Studios, alongside special guests from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, for an exclusive look at what’s next.”

Marvel Studios/Comic-Con International

We imagine Marvel Studios’ head honcho Kevin Feige will be there as he always is, being the best carnival barker in the movie business. We expect to see the Avengers: Doomsday trailer (finally), and maybe some new casting announcements for Avengers: Secret Wars. Will RDJ and Chris Evans reunite on stage? We don’t count it out. Another possibility for the Marvel SDCC panel is that we get some of our first X-Men reboot casting announcements. It seems those are due just about any day now. And hey, maybe we actually get some news about Blade. Just kidding, that probably isn’t in the cards. Although stranger things have happened at Marvel’s SDCC Hall H outings!

Of course, “Marvel” doesn’t just mean “Marvel Studios.” The hottest Marvel Comics-related thing right now is probably Marvel Rivals, with two panels centered on the game, one for Thursday, July 23, and one for Friday, July 24. And Marvel Comics’ big horror/superhero mashup line, Marvel’s Midnight Universe, is getting a big push at this year’s SDCC. X-Men ’97 will also have a special presentation as well. And as always, there will be a Marvel cosplay meetup. It wouldn’t be Comic-Con without the cosplay. For Marvel’s complete schedule at SDCC 2026, be sure to click on this link.

The post Marvel Studios Returns to SDCC’s Hall H in 2026 appeared first on Nerdist.

News publishers say OpenAI hid tools and datasets that could identify copyrighted journalism in ChatGPT outputs, escalating their lawsuit with a new motion for sanctions.

Slate has an answer for owners who have always want to drive a truck with bright crayon colors.

The video calls highlights the murky relationship between professional athletes and gambling apps.

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