Peter Dinklage Joins ALIEN: EARTH Cast in Season 2
Can we officially add Peter Dinklage to the roster of greatest genre actors of all time? Aside from his iconic turn as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, he’s also starred in projects like X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Wicked, Avengers: Infinity War, and most recently, Dexter: Resurrection and The Toxic Avenger. Now, we can add the world of Alien to his already impressive geeky resume. Via Deadline, we’ve learned that Dinklage has joined the cast of Alien: Earth for season two. The Noah Hawley-produced FX/Hulu series will begin shooting next month in the UK.Showtime/FX
So far, FX has revealed nothing about who Dinklage may be playing. We suspect he’ll portray one of the heads of one of the other five big corporations that rule the Earth in the future the series takes place in, a few years prior to the events of Alien. One is Weyland-Yutani, another is Prodigy. But who controls the other three remains a mystery. Alien: Earth begins shooting at Pinewood Studios soon, a place which carries its own long history with the Alien franchise. It’s where Ridley Scott shot the original 1979 classic, and also where he shot the 2012 prequel Prometheus. In between those two Ridley Scott movies, David Fincher shot Alien 3 at Pinewood back in 1991.
Peter Dinklage joins an incredible cast that includes Sydney Chandler as hybrid synthetic Wendy, along with Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, Essie Davis, and Samuel Blenkin. Rounding out the cast are Babou Ceesay, David Rysdahl, Adarsh Gourav, Jonathan Ajayi, Lily Newmark, Diem Camille, and Moe Bar-El. With a May production start date, we don’t expect to see Alien: Earth drop its first episodes any time before summer 2027. But given the high quality of season one, we’re sure it’ll be worth the wait.
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United Relax Row Lets Economy Passengers Lie Down
One of the most annoying parts about long flights is getting comfortable enough to fall asleep. As someone who travels frequently, I can personally attest to this. Unless you’re flying Coach, you can basically kiss your beauty rest goodbye. United Airlines is looking for a way to make flying economy more comfortable. Introducing United Relax Row, a new seating option that lets economy passengers convert their row into a makeshift bed. This makes United the first North American airline to offer economy lie-flat seats.
Lie-back seating is something we can definitely get behind. It seems much more comfortable than propping your head against the window or leaning forward on the tray table. The new economy seating option will be available in 2027. It is designed for solo travelers, couples, and families with young children. The video above shows exactly how it works. First, the leg rests fold up to create a makeshift bed. Travelers can then add a fitted mattress pad and extra pillows for added comfort. United will offer twelve Relax Row sections for each flight the seating option is available on. They will sit between United Economy and United Premium Plus.
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United Airlines Aiming to Launch Supersonic Jets in 2029Glimpsing past the glittering camouflage of comfort, I do have just one concern. How many people can people can comfortably fit in one row? Pessimistically, I would say no more than one adult or one parent and a child. Definitely not three people, unless you want to get reallyyy cozy. I raise this question because it directly correlates with price. Whether you’re a solo traveler or a mom with two small children, you’re paying for the whole row. It’s something to consider when juggling how much you’re willing to spend in the name of comfort. This Instagram video breaks it down a little more.
As you can see, the economy Relax Row is really not that spacious when you lie down. It all depends how much you’re willing to spend for comfort. I imagine tons of people out there would pay a pretty penny for a good night’s rest. It does seem like a pretty relaxing way to fly, especially for long international flights. But whether it’s worth the cost is up to you. The United Relax Row will arrive sometime in 2027.
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ONE PIECE: Netflix vs. Anime (Season 2)
Netflix’s Live-Action One Piece is back with a new season that is bigger and better than before. But how does it compare to the manga and anime? Dan Casey sets sail for the Grand Line to break down the biggest changes One Piece: Into the Grand Line made from the source material!
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The MCU X-MEN Director Reveals Which Comics Inspired Him
Longtime X-Men fans have been waiting for any solid information on their upcoming MCU debut, directed by Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier. So far, he’s remained pretty tight-lipped about his take on Marvel’s mutants. But thanks to an interview with Collider, we have some idea of which X-Men comics he’s pulling from for inspiration. And, not surprisingly, he’s citing the seminal Uncanny X-Men run of writer Chris Claremont as his primary source of inspiration. Claremont defined the team in their most popular era, writing the characters for 16 years, from 1975 to 1991. Here’s what Jake Schreier had to say, after announcing Sonny Lee Sung Jin (Beef) and Joanna Calo (The Bear) as the latest X-Men screenplay writers.
They have come in and are working on a draft right now, which is really, really exciting to be able to put that group of people together again. I also think just having the time to kind of sit back, and I’ve just been digging into so many of the old comics and the entire Claremont run, and just going through stuff and really trying to think about what can we do well that feels new and feels different, and that hasn’t been done well before? Obviously, there’s such an incredible cinematic tradition of these comics, but what can we do? And how can we put our own spin on what that is?
Marvel Comics“Claremont run” signifies a very long time in comic book terms. So it may seem like it’s hard to pinpoint which characters will make up the roster. But despite writing Uncanny X-Men for so long, most of Claremont’s era focused on a tight-knit group of characters. During the book’s sales peak, from 1975-1987, the main characters were Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Kitty Pryde, and Rogue. Later additions were Havok, Dazzler, and Longshot. However, their tenures were relatively brief, only sticking around for a couple of years.
Marvel ComicsThe other two most significant Claremont additions toward the end of his tenure are Psylocke and Gambit. Claremont wrote the team’s rebirth in 1991’s X-Men #1, which saw the return of team founders Angel, Iceman, and Beast. But he left the series after issue three, so they weren’t prominent characters during his era. Of course, Professor Charles Xavier led the team for much of this era as well. So if we were to venture a guess as to who makes the cut? Then we’d say look at which heroes Claremont had the strongest affinity for during this time. So expect some of the X-Men’s most iconic heroes when they arrive in the MCU.
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THE BOYS’ Jessie T. Usher on A-Train’s Unforgettable Season 5 Premiere
This interview contains major spoilers for The Boys‘ season five premiere. If you want to run away from them until you see the episode head over to our non-spoiler review of the show’s final season. Otherwise, dive into A-Train’s journey on The Boys season five with us.Prime Video
The Boys‘ fifth and final season ended with a moment that was shocking yet not totally surprising. Homelander finally caught his former Seven colleague A-Train, leading to his death. It was a farewell that brought Reggie Franklin’s story—which began on the show with him running through Hughie’s girlfriend Robin—full circle. He died as a hero after avoiding an innocent pedestrian while fleeing Homelander. He also died bravely, laughing in the face of the world’s most powerful Supe.
What was it like leaving the show in such an epic way? What was it like filming his memorable goodbye and working on his final episode? We spoke to A-Train himself, Jessie T. Usher, on the eve of The Boys‘ season five premiere.
Prime VideoNerdist: You’ve been living with this episode for a long time.
Jessie T. Usher: Yeah.
Now that season five of The Boys is finally premiering, does A-Train’s death feel more real?
Usher: Yes. Yes, it does. I’ve been living with this deepest secret for the last two years. I heard about A-Train’s death and how it was going to play out about a year before we got the script. Eric called me as soon as they started workshopping the idea, and I kept it from the cast. They didn’t know. I kept it from all my closest friends. I’m getting threats from my family and friends. They want to know so bad, but I feel like I’ve made it this far. I’m not going to let anything, no cats, out the bag. I’m going to let people live in their heads the way that I have for the last two years with this thing.
I cannot wait to have people finally see what’s going to happen and how it’s going to end for the character. I’ve been biting my tongue for so long.
Prime VideoWhat was your initial reaction when Eric told you, “Hey, we’re going to start this season off with you (A-Train) dying?”
Usher: I felt with everything that happened with A-Train he had to die. I felt like he had to. It’s the only thing that sort of makes sense with all the shit that he’s done. So when I got the call, my initial reaction was like, “Okay. It’s happening.”
Everyone wants to die by Eric’s pen. That’s the thing when you start working on an Eric Kripke show. “How are you going to die? Do you get to die?” So I was like, “Okay. I finally get my death from Eric.” And then he told me how it was going to play out and the symbolism that’s going to happen in the full circle moment that A-Train’s going to have.
Honestly, tears in my eyes. I can’t thank him enough for taking the time to have this character make these real changes and have these real moments that play out on screen. That he’s been able to process and express throughout the course of the show. It’s just not often you get a chance to play a character that makes a full turn. It’s rare. Super, super rare.
This character, who had a less significant role in the comics, from the beginning of the series, I just felt like they really, really cared about him. And this ending, going out the way that A-Train goes out, it’s such a strong ending and such a strong moment for him. It’s a really big thing. It just feels massive, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I love it.
Prime VideoIn 2022, I asked you what you thought would be the fairest ending for A-Train and what you personally hoped would happen to him. You thought losing everything and having to live with that was fair. But personally, you said, and I quote, “I want to die in an epic way; I want something legendary to happen. I don’t know, some slow-motion scenes, something crazy that only we can do on this show. I want to see something cool. That’s all.”
Usher: Woooow.
Considering you got what you personally wanted and more, did you have any input into this ending and A-Train’s death?
Usher: No, no. I trusted Eric 100%. He gave me the idea, and I purposefully didn’t want to put anything in his mind. I just feel like whatever it is that I’m thinking, he’s thought about it a hundred times over. His ideas are always greater than mine. I praise his pen. I think he’s incredible. So no, he told me from the jump that A-Train’s going to run; it’s going to be Homelander that’s going to do it. And we’re not going to bend or break the rules. [A-Train] is actually still going to be the fastest man. We’ll see him actually losing Homelander, so we’ll know if it weren’t for [A-Train] making the decision not to hit the girl, he actually would have gotten away.
That to me was epic. That’s all I can really ask for. Because I want this character to stay who he is and to be as legendary as we built him up to be. And for the fans and stuff, they’re always going to ask, “Oh, is he that fast? Is Homelander faster?” It’s like, no, we can finally answer that question. A-Train is faster. But he’s also wiser now, and that brought him to his end.
But it was epic, man. I had no notes. I loved what they wrote. And I loved the moments leading up to that final moment. I felt like we finally just get some real genuine honesty out of him. It just felt like I was playing a different character. I’m not in the suit and I’m being honest. I was like, “What the hell is this? Is this even A-Train?” It’s a different person altogether.
Prime VideoI don’t want to succumb to recency bias or overlook all of the great work you’ve done on The Boys before, but I think it’s fair to say that your last scene is as good as any performance you’ve given on the show.
Usher: Wow. Thank you.
How did you prep for it?
Usher: This is interesting because my preparation is almost exactly the same for everything I do. The process is two days before I start working on the material, I get comfortable with the words. Then I start digging into what they all mean and the emotion that goes behind everything. I forget the words and only focus on the emotion. But with this scene, I felt like I learned the words, and then I completely let it go. This was the only time that I really wanted to discover how I felt about what I was saying as I was saying it. And it changed so many times. Every time me and Antony (Starr) had a different take. I wish that we could watch back all of those outtakes because there are a hundred different versions of that scene.
There are some really emotional ones, there are some quiet ones, there are some louder, some angrier ones. There are a lot of sad ones. And some where I came to tears a few times.
Prime VideoWith that laugh, I didn’t know I was going to enjoy that moment that much. I didn’t. And when I felt it, that’s when I went, “Oh, that’s it. That’s the moment that feels right.” And Antony sort of pushed me in that direction too, because we were leaning towards it a little bit. Then he goes, “To be honest with you, Jessie, I think A-Train wins in this moment.” And I go, “Yeah, I think he wins too.”
Antony said, “Yeah, I think he wins, and that is going to do more to Homelander than trying to be mean to him or whatever. I think if you take the win here, I think it’ll sit with me more. I think that’s the bigger, stronger choice.”
And I remember getting off the ground for that take, and I looked up at him, and I just started laughing. I just busted out laughing. And it didn’t feel right in that moment, but the joy that [A-Train] got from finally not being on the run and not being afraid anymore was what we knew we were going to live with. So it was really a crazy discovery process. We were throwing out so many different things, trying everything, seeing what sticks, and then just a moment of contentment was the one that really felt the truest and the purest. So that’s how we got there.
Prime VideoYou talked about it feels in that moment for A-Train, who is realizing this guy’s a loser. But how did you personally feel while filming that, knowing this was the end for this character?
Usher: Oh man, too many emotions to even start. You feel everything in those moments, even though you know what’s going to happen. I’ve read the script, I’ve rehearsed these scenes. Being there, there was a crazy moment of peace that came over me. It was 4:00 a.m. in the winter in Toronto, by the way. So I was laying on the ground and it was like a sheet of ice on the ground. I was just laying there freezing my ass off. But I just had this breath, where I felt relieved that we’ve built this thing up and we cared about this thing for so long, and now we’re presenting this character’s end in this way. And it just felt like … I don’t know, man. I’m feeling it now. Just being like, “Damn, I really did love playing this character.”
I really did. In that moment, that’s what you feel. You feel the love that you’ve grown to have with these characters. You really do realize that you actually are connected to them in a way that I can’t even begin to explain.
Prime VideoI used to always hear actors saying they had a hard time letting go of a character or getting out of a character. And I never really felt that way. I always felt like the moment they yelled “cut,” I’m out. It doesn’t take long to get out of the character. But with A-Train, when I finished that scene, and I took my seat-back….because I always take my little seat-back from every show that I’ve worked on. I have them all, and I took it, and I put it in my room, and I didn’t put it with the rest of them for about four months.
It was very unconscious. But one day I walked in, and I said, “Am I still having a hard time letting go of this character?” I really was, though. I had to sit down with myself and say, “Okay, it’s fine. We’ve done it. This is what we dreamed to do with the character from the very beginning. We were promised five seasons. We were blessed to be able to make it to five, and the characters just had such real, impactful turning points and decisions.” And I put so much into him, and I felt like this was the moment that I got all of those emotions back all at one time. But it was really crazy to feel. It was bananas.
This episode gave you one last scene with The Deep, whom I think A-Train has been most connected with on the show. You and Chace Crawford had a lot of great moments together. What was it like shooting that last scene together?
Usher: Oh, man. I was just happy to be on screen with him again. (laughing) I love working with Chace. He’s so funny. He’s one of my favorite characters because I don’t know how he’s able to find comedy in the stuff that he does. But every moment on screen with him, I genuinely do enjoy like a fan, just sort of watching him do his thing.
But these characters have a lot of history together, The Deep and A-Train. And they’ve been sort of side-by-side in the same world, in the same room, a lot. Most of the time they’ve always just been wearing the same mask. They’ve been lying to each other about everything. They’ve been lying about how they feel about each other or how they feel about the world that they live in. And this was the first time that we were able to just have a quiet, honest moment.
Prime VideoI was happy that it happened with him because of that reason. We see these two characters together so often, and it’s never a genuine moment. But this was a genuine moment that I hope stays with The Deep as he continues on throughout the course of the show. Where it’s like, “It’s okay, man. We can say to each other that we’re scared of Homelander, bro.”
I love that I was able to have that moment with him. That was a beat I didn’t expect to have in the show, but I’m grateful we were able to have that moment. And I’m grateful that A-Train was able to say what he said to that person. It was the only way that felt right.
What did you learn about yourself, both as an actor and a person from working on a show this good for this long?
Usher: Oh my goodness. That I can work 20 hours, no problem if I love what I’m doing. (laughs) As an actor, this show really does put you through it. It’s a challenging show to work on. It’s very technical. You have to be on an exact mark. With A-Train, it’s extremely technical because of the visual effects aspect. But I was able to put together a lot of pieces. You can’t learn that in acting class. You just really can’t. There’s no workshop out there that could have taught me how to be A-Train other than just playing him. It opened my eyes. It made me realize that, “Okay, if I need to juggle a hundred things, I feel like I can do it.”
My confidence as an actor went up a lot from playing this character. We’ve had to find some real genuine, quiet moments in the middle of exploding a lot of stuff. There was one moment in particular where earlier in the show A-Train Kills Popclaw-
A hundred years ago.
Usher: A hundred years ago, it feels like. But that was my first time having a really emotional moment. And in that moment, we had to do so many different technical things with the speed and the syringes and stuff like that. I literally told my parents, “I didn’t even know I could stay in that state for that long and do it again and again and again.”
This is like a boot camp for actors being on this show, because everyone’s really bringing their A-game. Every single person who’s ever stepped a toe on The Boys has brought their absolute A-game, and you have to do that. And as a person and as an actor, I realized we should be doing that for everything that we do. Every line that I deliver, I should be trying to do my absolute best as often as I can, if I can.
If I can go that 16th hour, I’ll go that 16th hour. If I can play around with this line and give you 40 different reads on it, then I feel like I can do it. So why wouldn’t I? You know what I mean? I just felt like I learned a lot about myself, in what I was able to do and what I was willing to do by playing this character.
I’m sorry you had to live with this for two years. I had to live with it for one week. I was the only one on staff for one week who saw the episode, and I was like, “Please! Somebody watch this. I have to talk about it. I have to talk about it.”
Usher: (laughing) Yeah. I can’t wait to talk about it, man. I’m going to be talking my lips off, I’m sure, for the rest of the month.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He wants you to know that Jessie T. Usher still has one of the best laughs in the world. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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Amazon to Stop Supporting Kindles Bought Pre-2012
Planned obsolescence has been a major thing in the consumer tech world for basically forever. As tech advances, old tech either stops working, or more likely, stops working with the network or whatever. I’m no scientist. But tech companies want to keep making money, of course, so they will also plan for their devices to stop functioning after a period of time so you have to buy new ones. It’s capitalism, innit? Well, now you can add various old Kindle devices to that list as Amazon has announced Kindles older than 2013 will no longer have access to support or new books.
From PCMag, we learned of this cut-off, which will go into effect next month. Amazon told the site: “Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store.”
AmazonNow, the good news is the devices will still work, they won’t just stop functioning. But if you don’t have all the books you want on it before May 20, you won’t get to put more on it. Amazon went on to say, “These models have been supported for at least 14 years—some as long as 18 years—but technology has come a long way in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward.”
“If you deregister or factory reset these devices, you will not be able to re-register or use these devices in any way.” The company does plan to email all affected users and offer 20% off discounts on new models. Gotta still make money, of course. But yeah, if you have an old Kindle, it’ll soon go in the bin…dle.
Now as for why this is happening… one customer thinks they have it pegged.
I finally discovered why they are doing this! The new Kindle devices have ads in them, which you have to pay extra to remove them. I’m assuming they couldn’t put ads on the old Kindles. Sooner or later the ads will play every other page! We live in corporate hell now! https://t.co/Ge8nlMLDtt
— Hugo Guerra @FMX_Conference (@HugoCGuerra) April 8, 2026Given how many ads are on Prime Video and other Amazon services you already pay for, it doesn’t sound that weird. So get ready for ads for dog food every few pages of your extreme horror novel.
The models impacted are:
- Kindle: Kindle 1st Generation (2007)
- Kindle DX and DX Graphite(2009 and 2010)
- Kindle Keyboard (2010)
- Kindle 4 (2011)
- Kindle Touch (2011)
- Kindle 5 (2012)
- Kindle Paperwhite 1st Generation(2012)
- Kindle Fire Tablets: Kindle Fire 1st Gen (2011)
- Kindle Fire 2nd Gen (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012)
- Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012)
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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ONE PIECE Season 3 Sails to Alabasta in Sneak Peek
One Piece season three was confirmed before One Piece season two ever aired. And that was a wise choice because One Piece season two absolutely crushed it. Now, Netflix has given us a sneak peek at the upcoming season, no doubt knowing that we cannot WAIT for more from the live-action adaptation. In this new look at One Piece season three, Netflix confirms what we already knew. One Piece season three will take on One Piece‘s famed Alabasta arc, bringing together powerful villains, emotional bonds of friendship and family, political intrigue, and a whole lot of adventure. Up until now, One Piece‘s episodes have been focused on island hopping through character backstories and tales. But now, we have our crew, and we’re ready to set sail into one breathtaking plot. Here’s what we know about One Piece season three and its journey into the Alabasta arc.
See you in 2027, Straw Hats! 🏴☠️ The battle of Alabasta is approaching. pic.twitter.com/ciAnbHnB6N
— ONE PIECE(ワンピース) Netflix (@onepiecenetflix) April 7, 2026Netflix reveals, “In this upcoming season, war is coming for Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat crew in the desert kingdom of Alabasta, Princess Vivi’s homeland. A rebellion threatens to tear the nation apart, fueled in secret by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the ruthless Sir Crocodile, and his underground syndicate Baroque Works, who seek to conquer Alabasta for themselves. In a season defined by unbreakable bonds and impossible choices, the Straw Hats must face a brewing civil war and a powerful warlord to save Vivi’s kingdom before it crumbles into the sand. Fans can look forward to formidable new enemies and brand-new worlds where the stakes have never been higher.”
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Shocking ONE PIECE Cameo Confirms Long-Time Fan TheoryJoe Tracz and Ian Stokes, ONE PIECE co-showrunners add, “The Alabasta saga is one of the best-loved stories in all of ONE PIECE — and one of our personal favorite arcs — so it’s a huge honor to bring it to life. Season Three builds on everything we’ve done before to tell a war story that’s epic and emotional, spectacular and surprising. We can’t wait for fans to join us in Alabasta, where the stakes are high… and the ducks are big.”
THE DUCKS ARE BIG. We are seated.
NetflixWe don’t want to spoil too much of the Alabasta arc for you—but we do have a character explainer for Sir Crocodile, who will prove to be a most important character in this arc. Additionally, we’ll remind everyone that Xolo Maridueña has been cast as Portgas D. Ace for One Piece season three. And, in short, Ace is basically another important member of Luffy’s found family. Will we see any other members of Luffy’s extended community appear? What about his blood family? We don’t know yet. But we do know that more Baroque Works agents are on the horizon. One Piece season three: The Battle for Alabasta will arrive in 2027.
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ONE PIECE’s Baroque Works, Explained (A Spoiler-Free Guide to the Agents and Organization)Hold onto your sails, kids, this one is going to be EPIC. You can stream seasons one and two of One Piece on Netflix right now.
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Universal Fan Fest Previews Scooby-Doo, ONE PIECE, and More
Last year, Universal Studios Hollywood launched a new event, Universal Fan Fest Nights. Think of it as several immersive experiences in the iconic theme park keyed to particular IP, similar to their Halloween Horror Nights. Only with far more family-friendly vibes. This year, they’re bringing in new experiences to Fan Fest Nights, including Scooby-Doo, and one epic-looking One Piece: Grand Pirate Show. As a way of celebrating this year’s FFN, Nerdist recently attended a preview of everything coming to this year’s event. Here’s an overview of what to expect from this year’s event, including all the new merchandise and copious amounts of new and tasty food offerings.Universal Studios HollywoodScooby-Doo Meets the Universal Monsters: Mystery on the Backlot
Scooby-Doo x The Universal Monsters is maybe the experience we’re most excited about. In Mystery on the Backlot, guests will venture into the century-old Little Europe and Court of Miracles sets on the Universal Backlot, via Studio Tour tram. During this immersive walk-through experience, fans are transported into a real-life Scooby-Doo episode.
Universal Studios HollywoodAt last, you’ll get to solve a mystery with the Mystery, Inc. gang. Only this time, they’re not fighting cheap monster knock-offs with “Old Man Fill-in-the-Blank,” they’re running scared from the actual Universal Classic Monsters, including Frankenstein, Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, and the Wolf-Man. Zoinks!
Click To View Gallery Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios HollywoodIn addition to the experience itself, in which guests will become embroiled in “The Case of the Phantom Director,” there will be several Scooby-Doo-themed food items available. You’ll be able to buy actual Scooby Snacks, which consist of honey and cinnamon dog tags, and chocolate paw prints. We can confirm these are delicious, and we finally get Scoob’s longtime obsession with them. You’ll also be able to taste a Super Saggy Sandwich and Colossal Monster Dog. And when they say “colossal” they mean it. These are exactly the kind of gigantic items you’d see the ever-hungry pair of Scooby and Shaggy eat on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon show. You can have a sneak peek at these tasty offerings above.
One Piece: Grand Pirate ShowUniversal Studios HollywoodAfter a successful character meet and greet last year, in 2026, the iconic anime One Piece returns to Fan Fest Nights, only this time, with a live-action spectacular on the Waterworld staging area. The show, featuring Luffy and friends, is called the One Piece: Grand Pirate Show. The Universal Studios Japan production inspired this new one at the Hollywood location. Beloved One Piece characters Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew will put on an action-packed show filled with laughs and stunts, and will also introduce Buggy to Fan Fest Nights.
Click To View Gallery Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios HollywoodIn addition, there will be a One Piece-themed takeover of the surrounding area, including a new menu of food options. You’ll be able to taste Brook’s Spicy Katsu, along with Jinbee’s Watermelon Salad. But we think the biggest hit will be the Pirate Funnel Cake. At the preview event, we got the chance to taste Luffy’s Meat on the Bone, which was indeed delicious. Other food items include Sanji’s Seafood Rice, Franky’s Loco Moco Burger, Luffy’s Straw Hat sugar cookie, and one very sweet-looking Chopper Cupcake. In terms of drinks, they’ve got Luffy’s Monkey Punch, Zoro’s Santoryu Strike, and Nami’s Tangerine Breeze, among others.
Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of WaterdeepUniversal Studios HollywoodReturning from a successful run last year that left fans thrilled is Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep. Although this is a returning experience, expect some updates and surprises. Like last year’s activation, Dungeons & Dragons: Secrets of Waterdeep transports guests to the town of Waterdeep within the world of D&D. Guests can join the heroic spy network called the Harpers to help put an end to the Beholder known as Xanathar and save the realm. The Xanathar animatronic, created by Jim Henson Studios, was a big hit with guests last year. We expect he’ll thrill newcomers just the same.
Click To View Gallery Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios HollywoodA Dungeons & Dragons bar will also return, featuring a new menu of food options. There’s the Beholder’s Brew Fondue, Cockatrice Hot Wings, and the sweet Dragon Egg Cheesecake. These look especially tasty. For drinks, if you really want to celebrate, there’s Red Dragon’s Breath, a cherry-red cocktail, and Detect Magic, a non-alcoholic blue-tinged beverage. Will any of these give you magic powers to defend the realm? Only one way to find out.
Super Nintendo World: Colorful Yoshi Celebration Universal Studios HollywoodDuring Fan Fest Nights, we’re sure Super Nintendo World: Colorful Yoshi Celebration will top off the event for many guests. This activation will bring in a metric ton of Yoshis to the Mushroom Kingdom located in the park. Expect new photo ops with a whopping five new Yoshis, among them green, light blue, pink, yellow, and purple ones. Guests will have their choice of several Yoshi smoothies, and a Yoshi and egg drink bottle will be on sale as well, which you can see below:
Click To View Gallery Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios HollywoodAnd there’s even more at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fan Fest Nights 2026, including a Sailor Moon CGI short film, shown for the first time in the United States, as well as others. Universal Studios Fan Fest Nights run for 12 select nights this spring. The dates are April 23-25, May 1-3, 7-9, and 14-16. For more information, and for how to purchase tickets, be sure to head on over to Universal Studios Hollywood Fan Fest Nights’ official site.
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EXIT 8 Movie Trailer Gets Freaky in the Subway
Video game movies are finally coming into their own. It’s like filmmakers finally played enough games to realize why people like playing games. And while big AAA titles like Street Fighter and Resident Evil will always have the name recognition, smaller titles will need to rely on premise. We’ve just seen how Markiplier’s uber-low-budget film version of Iron Lung cleaned up at the box office. Now we have another indie horror game is arriving stateside with a trailer that looks absolutely terrifying. Please enjoy the madness of Exit 8.
The Exit 8 (the “the” often dropped colloquially) is a 2023 puzzle horror game wherein you, the player, must walk through a seemingly normal subway corridor that inexplicably repeats and repeats forever. If you see any kind of anomaly, if anything appears different on one of your walks, you must immediately go back the other way. Eventually, you find the exit. But along the way, the anomalies get scarier, weirder, and even more uncanny.
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EXIT 8 Manages to Turn a 20 Minute Game into Compelling Feature Film (Review)I confess to skepticism when I heard the game was getting a movie adaptation. How, after all, could a puzzle game such as this that only runs around 30 minutes turn into a feature film? Somehow, it looks like director Genki Kawamura actually pulled it off. The movie premiered at Cannes last year and did the genre festival circuit for a while. NEON has picked up the movie for US distribution, which means we’ll all get to see what looks like it understands why people like games like Silent Hill more than the makers of Return to Silent Hill do.
NEONExit 8 looks like a hallucinatory nightmare and that’s exactly right. It kind of makes us wonder if the infamous P.T., the playable teaser for the abandoned Hideo Kojima Silent Hills game, could make a good movie. If Exit 8 does well, maybe we’ll get to see.
You can check out an additional trailer for Exit 8 below.
Exit 8 hits cinemas April 10, 2026.
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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Every Streaming Cost Increase In 2026: TWO Price Hikes Already
Last year, we set out to chronicle the number of price hikes we’d see across streaming platforms. It had started to feel like every day, a streaming platform would raise its prices and increase its costs to subscribers. And that turned out to be… basically true. In 2025, we saw a total of SIX streaming price hikes — averaging out to about one cost increase every other month. While in a vacuum, streaming price increases can feel immaterial, taken altogether, the constant cost hikes are INTENSE. So this year, we’re doing it again. Join us as we take a look at every streaming price hike and cost increase in 2026. Will we be over or under the 2025 total? We hope for under, but we don’t feel that hopeful about it.Table of Contents; Jump To:
All the Streaming Price Hikes in 20263/26/26 – Netflix Increases Costs Across All Subscription TiersNetflixNearly three full months into the year, we had our second streaming price increase. Netflix raised its costs across all streaming subscription tiers. Here’s the breakdown:
- Netflix’s Standard with Ads Plan went from $6.99 to $8.99/month.
- Netflix’s Standard (No Ads) Plan went from $17.99 to $19.99/month.
- Netflix’s Premium Plan went from $24.99. to $26.99/month. It inches VERY close to $30/month.
This time, we didn’t see any added perks associated with the 2026 price increase. AND this increase in Netflix cost comes just about ONE year after the last time the streaming platform raised its prices. You can read all about it here.
3/13/26 – Prime Video Increases Price of Ad-Free TierPrime VideoWe saw our first streaming price hike of 2026 in March. Prime Video raised the price of its ad-free tier for the first time. Nominally, we understand this increase to be aimed at driving subscribers toward subscription tiers with ads. But we have to ask. Once subscribers all move to ad-supported plans, will the subscription cost increases STOP? If not, then we again have to ask, where does it end?
Originally, the Prime Video ad-free tier cost an additional $2.99/month on top of the Prime subscription. Now, the Prime Video ad-free tier is seeing a price hike of $2/month, bringing the cost to $4.99/month. You can read all about it here.
How Many Streaming Price Increases Will We See in 2026?So how will streaming price hikes stack up in 2026? It’s too soon to tell, but we’ve seen two price hikes in three months, so… right now, it’s looking like another year full of streaming cost increases. Will consumers finally have enough? Will moving to ad-supported tiers stop the price hikes from coming? Will we simply see a model where consumers subscribe and then unsubscribe? Only time will tell.
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