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“There’s a new Toy Story movie coming out” is basically all the promotion Disney needed to do for the franchise’s fifth feature film. But promotion for the next Pixar film has certainly included a lot more than just a single sentence. Now it’s going to include a way for you to taste the movie. Select Papa Johns locations around the world are transforming into Pizza Planet pop-ups ahead of Toy Story 5‘s premiere.Papa Johns (Rendering)

Papa Johns Pizza Planet locations will serve customers what the restaurant chain calls an “immersive, retro‑inspired experiences designed to celebrate nostalgia, connection and the love of pizza.” On “select days” in June ahead of the animated film’s June 19 debut, certain Papa Johns locations in London, Seoul, Madrid, and Los Angeles will transform into Pizza Planets. (You can find the list of exact days and the locations here.) This is what the company says hungry Toy Story fans can expect during their visit:

“…each Papa Johns Pizza Planet pop-up will fully transport fans into the Toy Story universe, featuring all the elements synonymous with the iconic movie series. Designed as retro‑inspired pizza arcades, the spaces invite fans to step into an immersive world shaped by playtime and imagination as they reconnect over pizza.”

Th promotion will also feature “exclusive packaging, collectibles, and merch created for pizza lovers and Toy Story fans alike.” Papa Johns also promises “surprises around every corner,” as well as gifts and giveaways from adidas, Belkin, and more.

Participating locations will also offer three limited‑time Toy Story 5 pizzas. They will include Space Ranger Roni, Sheriff’s Roundup, and Reach for the Pie. Fans who can’t get to a pop-up can still order their own Toy Story pie at their local Papa Johns from May 26 until July 19.

Papa Johns

Did we need these pop-ups to get excited about Toy Story 5? We didn’t even need the trailers for that. But this crossover promotion is still a success. It has us, maybe for the first time ever, excited to go to Papa Johns.

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There is a moment that repeats itself throughout The Boys, though the details constantly change. A character stands before cameras, livestreams, or cheering crowds and realizes something intoxicating: being seen matters more than being good. That revelation powers nearly every major tragedy in the series.

For all its graphic violence, exploding bodies, parodies, and corporate satire, The Boys may ultimately be one of television’s best examinations of modern attention addiction. Not fame in the traditional sense, but the constant pressure to remain relevant. In the world of The Boys, attention functions as currency, validation, influence, and identity all at once. The characters admire it and rely on it as a survival tool. And increasingly, so do we.

Jasper Savage/Prime Video

According to data from the Pew Research Center, this fixation isn’t just a Hollywood pathology; it is a defining feature of contemporary American culture. In their studies on teen digital habits, 29% of teenagers reported feeling immense pressure to post content that would garner high volumes of likes or comments, while the vast majority noted that social media platforms now function as their primary ecosystem for connection and validation.

In other words, attention is no longer an asset exclusive to celebrities. For a generation of younger Americans, being seen has become fundamentally intertwined with belonging and status. Over its entire run, The Boys held up a mirror to this reality, proving that in a world governed by algorithms, the most dangerous superpower of all is the desperate need to be noticed.

Homelander Craves Attention More Than Power

No character embodies that terror more completely than Homelander (played by Antony Starr). What makes Homelander frightening is not just his powers and abilities. Popular culture is filled with violent men. What makes him disturbingly recognizable is his emotional dependence on public affirmation and his desperate, toxic desire for family approval (namely, his father Soldier Boy). His ego and mental state got so bad that he wanted to be worshiped like a god. Every smile, every chant, every camera flash functions like psychological fuel. When admiration weakens, he spirals emotionally like a little child. Homelander hungers for control but even more for validation. 

That distinction matters because The Boys understands something uncomfortable about modern life. People will often sacrifice morality in exchange for visibility. The show’s world repeatedly rewards performance over sincerity, confidence over competence, and spectacle over truth. Look no further than characters like The Deep and Firecracker, whose narrative arcs are defined by a complete lack of moral dilemmas. They are characters who willingly sacrifice their dignity and moral compass in exchange for Homelander’s approval and the public’s attention.

Prime Video

In many ways, Homelander resembles a modern influencer, media personality, or algorithm-driven celebrity more than a traditional supervillain. Researchers at Harvard Business Review have written extensively about how digital platforms reward outrage, emotional extremity, and constant visibility because engagement itself has become economically valuable. Attention is profitable even when it is destructive. Homelander operates on that same logic.

Vought Understands That Outrage Is Profitable

Vought International thrives not because people believe in heroism, but because it understands how effectively fear, aspiration, and emotional identity can be monetized through media.

The company does not sell superheroes. It sells attention. Every carefully staged apology, every choreographed rescue, every patriotic slogan and empowerment campaign reflects a culture where emotional reactions themselves become products. In one of the show’s most unsettling observations, outrage and admiration begin functioning almost identically. Both generate engagement. Both maintain visibility. Both keep audiences emotionally invested.

These ideas feel less like science fiction every year. A 2022 MIT study examining online misinformation found that emotionally provocative content consistently spreads faster than neutral information across social media ecosystems. Vought’s genius lies in recognizing that attention need not be positive to remain impactful. 

Butcher Represents a Different Kind of Attention Crisis 

Even Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban), who positions himself as morally detached from the system, repeatedly turns conflict into a way of life. His war against superheroes gives him purpose and something to believe in. Butcher represents a different response to the attention economy than characters like Homelander. He doesn’t crave public validation. If anything, he views anyone seeking attention with suspicion and outright contempt.

Part of that feels distinctly Gen X. Unlike Gen Z, Gen X came of age before a lot of current social media platforms, when identities were formed without likes, followers, and algorithms shaping every interaction. That doesn’t mean they reject digital culture, but many approach influencer culture with some skepticism. Butcher embodies that distrust. He assumes corporations, politicians, superheroes, and institutions are all corrupt, self-serving, and beyond redemption.

Jasper Savage/Prime Video

Yet his cynicism becomes its own kind of trap. It is a worldview shaped by decades of scandals, broken promises, and growing distrust of authority. The Boys suggests that cynicism can become just as consuming as narcissism. Homelander needs constant validation from an audience. Butcher needs constant confirmation that the world is as broken as he believes it is. He spends so much time exposing others’ hypocrisy that he struggles to imagine a future beyond fighting it.

Soldier Boy Represents the Last Era Before Attention Became Permanent

Unlike Homelander, Soldier Boy (played by Jensen Ackles) comes from a version of America where fame still had limits. He belongs to what historians and demographers define as the Greatest Generation, the cohort born between 1901 and 1927 that came of age during the hardships of the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II. Researchers who study generational trends often describe this era as one shaped by personal humility, emotional stoicism, and a clear separation between public duty and private life.

Soldier Boy was built for mid-century television appearances, military propaganda, and old-school celebrity culture, but not for the endless surveillance of the digital age. He expected the kind of admiration that came with walking into a room and instantly commanding respect, along with the privileges he believed came with it. What he never anticipated, however, was the modern demand for minute-by-minute emotional validation from millions of strangers online, or even from his own adult son.

Prime Video

Soldier Boy embodies an older, deeply flawed version of American masculinity that’s emotionally shut down, violent, and obsessed with dominance, but he still carries himself like someone shaped by a world where a public image could eventually switch off. A television interview ended. A commercial stopped airing. A newspaper cycle moved on.

He belongs to a pre-algorithmic era, which makes his arrival in the 2020s feel like a complete system shock. More than anything, Soldier Boy wants respect and to be left alone. With The Boys spin-off Vought Rising arriving next year, we’ll have an opportunity to see the world that he knew and was impacted by. 

Why We See Ourselves in The Boys

The lasting appeal of The Boys may be that its central characters are not simply superheroes and villains. They are generational responses to the same cultural problem. Most viewers probably recognize themselves somewhere within that spectrum. 

Some miss the privacy Soldier Boy took for granted. Others share Butcher’s distrust of institutions and public figures. And many understand, even if they rarely admit it, the desire to be seen, validated, and remembered that drives Homelander is what drives them, too.

Jasper Savage/Prime Video

That is what makes The Boys feel so contemporary, because it’s a story about Americans trying to navigate a culture where attention has become one of our most valuable resources.

The true horror of The Boys isn’t that a drug can give someone godlike abilities. It’s that the show understands how easily modern culture can transform attention into power and how difficult it has become to imagine ourselves without it. 

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Okay, we were obsessed with “Butterscotch Bitch.” That crooning sultry bop from The Vampire Lestat gave us everything we needed. But now, a new song from Lestat has arrived, and it’s HAUNTING. Yes, we’re talking about “Your Biggest Fan.” On the surface, it’s a soft, guitar ballad, maybe even romantic… But once we get into the lyrics, which we’ve shared with you below in full… Yup, it’s a dark doozy. The Vampire Lestat wasn’t available for comment on this one, but his great fans, the fledglings, are out there already speculating about the meaning behind the tale of obsession and fandom that “Your Biggest Fan” spins. You can listen to “Your Biggest Fan” below, or find it wherever you usually stream The Vampire Lestat‘s music.

Of course, long-time readers of Anne Rice will pick up some of the context clues embedded in this The Vampire Lestat song, which delves into yet another aspect of the complex vampire. For instance, the phrase “Wolf Killer” harkens back to a time in Lestat’s mortal life when he single-handedly killed eight wolves menacing his childhood home, a feat that shouldn’t have been possible for a mere human. As to who the biggest fan is, we couldn’t possibly say for sure. If you want to give yourself a better idea, might we suggest picking up Rice’s The Vampire Lestat book before the season arrives? But, in the meantime, we’ll leave you with some thoughts from The Vampire Lestat’s fans themselves. After all, who could know Lestat’s biggest fan better than all his other fans?

Me, at first thinking Your Biggest Fan was about Nicki and Louis: awww

Me hearing “I know I’m hard to look at sometimes”: wait….

Me hearing “wolf killer”: pic.twitter.com/uw1GwaOvZc

— 𝒮𝒶𝓇𝒶 🍒🍉🔞 (@MissSariie) May 28, 2026

how it feels listening to your biggest fan by the vampire lestat pic.twitter.com/ITDgPwtZkx

— sam reid’s emmy campaign manager (@sampunzels) May 28, 2026

This is NOT what I was expecting and I’m floored. Do you understand how insane this is. I need everyone to really sit down and listen and get how good this is. All releases have been very very well done but this is by far the best song they’ve put out omg pic.twitter.com/pIQ5zC1bgz

— m (@rockstatgf) May 28, 2026

curious that your biggest fan is the second song in a row where we have lestat talk about himself from an outside pov. first, a small “lestat is a hag”, but now a full song referring to himself in 2nd person. hinting at the depersonalisation he felt after the wolves and magnus? pic.twitter.com/vRsa5adyHa

— natalie 🩷 (@chikchikchirkun) May 29, 2026

ive been mulling over some of the your biggest fan lyrics and i think they are referencing lestat’s fear of death by saying if he drinks up, he will dance around the fire not be burned by it right and this goes back to the witches place pic.twitter.com/q5yB5U0MLm

— micky⁷ (@dionyjinsus) May 29, 2026

Just listened to Your Biggest Fan on over the ear headphones instead of my shitty earbuds and noticed the violins coming in at 2:28 in the pre-chorus for the first time pic.twitter.com/keWui2ghoV

— grace 💜 (@_griffonage_) May 28, 2026

#thevampirelestat your biggest fan pic.twitter.com/kPzC7bSca5

— tabslodge media (@tabslodgemedia) May 29, 2026

Well, The Vampire Lestat’s “Your Biggest Fan” certainly has his true fans in an uproar. And with a beautiful, multilayered emotional song like this one, it’s not hard to see why The Vampire Lestat is winning hearts and minds all over the world. You can watch his who story unfold when The Vampire Lestat releases on AMC and AMC+ on June 7.

The Vampire Lestat’s “Your Biggest Fan” Full LyricsAMC

[Verse 1]
You really caught my eye
I think you’re somethin’ special, babe
I wanna take you out tonight
I think we got real potential, babe

I got a bottle of wine
And yeah, that’s me at your window, babe
We’re gonna have such a God damn good time
I wanna be your crescendo, babe

[Pre-Chorus]
Don’t let me catch you cryin’
Don’t tell me the spell is breakin’
You’re so perfect in the ragin’ light
I know I’m hard to look at sometimes
But I’m here for the takin’

[Chorus]
I wanna give you everythin’ I got
I know you’re stubborn, but you have to ask for it
I can tell you’re everythin’ I’m not
Yeah, I’m a dog and you’re my brave little wolf killer
Yeah, I’m a dog and you’re my brave little wolf killer

[Verse 2]
Yeah, I’m your biggest fan
I came to see you every night this week
Yeah, you remind me of a man or two, or a few
I need you to need me
I got a bottle of wine
And that’s me watching as you sleep at night
And that’s me laughing in the darkness as you dream
All of the desperate desires of your life

[Pre-Chorus]
Don’t let me catch you cryin’
Don’t tell me the spell is breakin’
You’re so perfect in the ragin’ light
I know I’m hard to look at sometimes
But I’m here for the takin’

[Chorus]
I wanna give you everythin’ I got
I know you’re stubborn, but you have to ask for it
I can tell you’re everythin’ I’m not
So I pray that your love won’t last for it
I wanna give you everythin’ I got
I know you’re stubborn, but you have to ask for it
I can tell you’re everythin’ I’m not
Yeah, I’m a dog and you’re my brave little wolf killer
Yeah, I’m a dog and you’re my brave little wolf killer
Yeah, I’m a dog and you’re my brave little wolf killer, oh

[Bridge]
Oh, wolf killer
Wolf killer
My little wolf killer
Drink up and dance around the fire tonight
Wolf killer
Wolf killer
Brave little wolf killer
Drink up and dance around the fire tonight
Wolf killer
Wolf killer
My little wolf killer
La da-da-da da-da-da da-da
Wolf killer
Wolf killer
My little wolf killer
La da-da-da da-da-da da-da

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The era of the reboot, revival, and reimagining continues with Baywatch. Yes, the infamous lifeguard ‘90s series that made Pam Anderson and Carmen Electra stars will return to TV with a new cast soon. Fox Entertainment and Fremantle will produce the Baywatch reboot, which already has a 12-episode order and will air during the 2026-2027 broadcast season.Peacock/Daniel Poplawsky

According to Deadline, Jessica Belkin has a starring role in the new Baywatch TV series as Charlie Vale. She’s the daughter of Hobie Buchannon (Stephen Amell), who never knew about her. Charlie leaves Galveston and shows up at her father’s place with the goal of becoming a Baywatch lifeguard. She’s said to be “fearless, passionate, and occasionally reckless.”

Mary McDonnell will portray Charlie’s grandmother Gayle, whom Variety describes as a “sophisticated woman with a wryly funny presence.”

“She cares deeply for her family and is there for them even when they’re not sure they want her help,” according to the character description. “Gayle and Hobie have a long, complicated history, but no matter how much time or distance gets between them, family always seems to find its way back together. She’s learned a thing or two about second chances over the years, and she shares that wisdom with humor and grace.”

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David Chokachi will reprise his original role of Cody Madison, who now runs the bar-and-grill spot called The Shoreline. And he even puts on the red trunks to save lives occasionally in-between mentoring young lifeguards.

Additionally, Pretty Little Liars alum Shay Mitchell will also join the cast of Baywatch as Trina, a former lawyer who left her firm to become a full-time lifeguard. I guess she doesn’t like having money…

Livvy Dunne is also joining the Baywatch reboot cast in a recurring role as Grace, a junior lifeguard. Dunne, a former LSU gymnast, has 15 million people following her across her social platforms, so surely her fans will tune in.

Filming is set to start this Spring, so we will probably get this series later this year. And the cast is already giving their IG followers some first looks at them donning red swimsuits and swimming trunks as they film Baywatch.

Livvy Dunne/Instagram

Matt Nix will be the Baywatch reboot showrunner. A press release notes says that “fans can expect all the adrenaline-fueled rescues, tangled relationships, complicated chemistry and beachside heroics that defined the original—now with an entirely new cast, contemporary trappings, tensions and challenges, and a renewed mission to protect Southern California’s shoreline.”

The Baywatch reboot series will honor the original show’s legacy while bringing some fresh scripted drama to TV. Honestly, I will take that over all these reality shows. 

“Baywatch has always been a treasured asset in Fremantle’s portfolio and remains one of the most iconic series in television history globally. We have found the perfect partners in FOX to help us maintain this legacy. With Matt Nix at the helm, we are in great hands, as he excels at telling engaging and entertaining stories,” said Christian Vesper, CEO Global Drama, Fremantle. “Our goal is to reconnect with existing fans while also introducing a new generation to the world of these famous lifeguards.” 

Originally published on September 24, 2025.

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In 2024, George R.R. Martin teased an upcoming stage play in London about one of the most momentous events in the history of Westeros. It promised to let A Song of Ice and Fire fans finally see what really the happened at the infamous Tourney of Harrenhal. That’s where Rhaegar Targaryen met Lyanna Stark, a romance that forever changed the Realm. That play was expected to premiere some time in 2025. It obviously didn’t. But don’t worry, this is not another The Winds of Winter situation. It’s really happening. Soon. Martin and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King will arrive in London on July 20, with shows through September 5. HBOWhat Story Does the Game of Thrones: The Mad King Play Tell?

Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a prequel set more than ten years before the events of HBO’s show/Martin’s first novel in the series, will showcase Westeros in a different manner – on a live stage. Tickets are already on sale at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s website.

The stage show, from playwright Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, will tell a story that has always been at the heart of A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s when Jon Snow’s parents met. That set off a war that changed the Realm forever. It also might have saved the world from the dead.

But as the title of the play suggest, that romance is only one part of this tale. It’s named after King Aerys II, the man who nearly destroyed his entire house forever. The Mad King, long a recluse, was in attendance because he suspected the tourney was really cover for something else. In a statement, Macmillan and Cooke teased the conspiracy that made the Tourney at Harrenhal dangerous even before an unlikely love bloomed. From the show’s official announcement:

A long winter has started to thaw and, for the first time in years, all the great houses come together for a tournament – destined to be the greatest of the age. It feels like a new dawn, full of hope and opportunity. But tournaments always have a darker purpose.

HBO

In his own statement, Martin said, “Duncan’s masterful script honours the world completely, and I am so excited for both fans of the series, and perhaps people who have never picked up one of my books, to experience this new story in a theatre.”

Who Will Star in Game of Thrones: The Mad King?

And now we know who will bring this legendary event to life. The RSC has announced the play will have a 36-person cast. Because whether on the page, on the screen, or on a stage, Westeros is a really big place with a whole lot of people.

The Royal Shakespeare Company additionally revealed the names of the 36 stars of its show. (Which we first heard about at Variety.) Among the most notable casting announcements are Michael Shaeffer playing the Mad King, Aerys II. Michael Abubakar stars as Eddard Stark. Noah Ritter joins him as Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince who fell in love with Harmony Rose-Bremner’s Lyanna Stark. She was the betrothed of Callum Woodhouse’s Robert Baratheon, the sister of both Luke Brady’s Brandon Stark and Miles Barrow’s Benjen Stark, and the daughter of Alexander Newland’s Lord Rickard Stark.

Maxim Ays will also play Ser Jaime Lannister. Daisy Franks stars as his twin sister and lover, Cersei Lannister. Marty Breen will play Catelyn Stark, Tanisha Spring stars as Ashara Dayne, and Islam Bouakkaz as Howland Reed.

Learn More About Game of Thrones’ Mad King

And those are just a fraction of the famous characters who will join the stage. Why are so many notorious figures from Game of Thrones involved? Not sure what to expect from this play? We have you covered. Read our pieces about The Mad King, Rhaeghar Targaryen, and his relationship with Lyanna Stark. Soon we’ll all find out together what has always been myth and what really happened. This play might have been delayed, but unlike some other projects in Westeros it really is coming soon.

Originally published February 18, 2026.

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More than four decades after Sylvester Stallone introduced us to the action hero known as Rambo, we are getting a prequel film in this universe. According to Deadline, John Rambo will go back to the character’s days during the Vietnam War. It’s pretty clear that those events are a major part of what shaped this gun-toting protagonist, so we can’t wait to see what happens. This Rambo prequel film will star Noah Centineo, who is certainly an actor on an upward streak. He will also play Ken Masters in Legendary’s live-action Street Fighter movie. 

Joining him is Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White (Yellowstone), and Tayme Thapthimthong. We can assume that they are soldiers during the war who interact with Rambo.

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Lionsgate is behind this film and production took place in Thailand. Jalmari Helander is set to direct the Rambo prequel film with Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani penning the script. Helander himself confirmed John Rambo’s active production status.

JOHN RAMBO — Now in Production. pic.twitter.com/UlnVY4kICe

— John Rambo Film (@JohnRamboFilm) January 29, 2026

We now have a release date for John Rambo, which is June 4, 2027. It’s a smart time to hit theaters before things become hyper competitive with movies like Star Wars: Starfighter and Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Sylvester Stallone is behind the scenes as an executive producer. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to return to the role in some capacity. According to Deadline, Stallone revealed on The Playlist‘s Bingeworthy podcast that he once pitched an AI de-aged version of himself as a teenage Rambo. “Everyone thought I was crazy,” said Stallone. “AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image. So it isn’t as big a stretch.”

Instagram/Orion Pictures

Well, that’s certainly an idea that we are glad stayed an idea. We will keep our eyes out for more information as it surfaces.

Originally published August 11, 2025.

The post JOHN RAMBO Prequel Film Sets 2027 Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

Curry Barker’s Obsession film left fans shaken and stirred with its bloody and dark ending. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t watched it yet in this opening paragraph, but let’s just say that Bear and Nikki do NOT have a happy ending. It leaves some questions about what could possibly happen next, and it turns out that we will get answers to a degree in this director’s next horror foray. According to Deadline, Barker himself revealed during an Obsession Q&A that his upcoming movie Anything But Ghosts is set in the same universe. 

Now, onto the spoilery talk! As we know, Obsession was about Bear, a guy who harbored a major crush on his co-worker Nikki, who didn’t seem to be into him romantically. Bear uses a One Wish Willow to essentially cast a love spell that will make her love him more than anyone in the world. Well, it goes as you’d expect it would with Nikki becoming disturbingly obsessive over him.

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The film ends violently with Nikki starting to kill people in the name of her love for Bear. And the only way for Bear to break this spell is for him to die. He takes a bunch of pills to die by suicide and the film ends with Nikki crying over all the horrors that have taken place. I truly feel so, so sorry for her because she’s truly the real victim. The movie ends with the credits rolling on a fuzzy TV screen as we hear her sobs. But we don’t get any information about what she does next nor how she moves on. 

Focus Features/Universal Pictures

Barker says that Anything But Ghosts, which is about two con artists who pretend to be ghost hunters and end up meeting an actual dark entity, will address Nikki’s fate. “There’s like a news article thing on the next movie where you hear a news anchor talking about a triple homicide [by] a woman,” Barker told an audience during a recent post-screening Q&A.

Poor Nikki. We assume that means she either went to jail or is a suspect on the run. Personally, I hoped she would get Ian’s money and run away to live her best life, but oh well. S**t ain’t sweet when you’re in a horror story. There’s no indication that Barker wants to make an Obsession sequel nor continue Nikki’s story, but it is interesting that he’s building a universe of terror.

The post Curry Barker’s Next Horror Film Is Set in OBSESSION Universe appeared first on Nerdist.

When Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987, it was a huge tonal shift from the original Trek 20 years earlier. In the show’s chronology, 78 years passed between Kirk’s era and Picard’s. But within the show itself, there was next to no explanation as to why the more militarized Starfleet of Kirk’s Enterprise gave way to the “hotel in space with nice carpeting” of the Enterprise-D. In 2007, a novel was written by author Christopher L. Bennett called The Buried Age, explaining the origin story of the TNG era. Now, YouTubers Spacedock and Rowan J. Coleman have collaborated on a video that details how this obscure novel explained the genesis of an iconic Star Trek era. You can watch the video in full below:

Not only does the video explain the in-universe tonal shift, but it also explains many unexplained mysteries about the Enterprise-D crew the show never answered. Why did Jean-Luc Picard go nine years without a command after the loss of his previous ship, the Stargazer? How did he first meet future crew members like Data and Deanna Troi? And what was Picard’s relationship with future Voyager Captain, Kathryn Janeway? We know the two knew each other, but how? The Buried Age explains a lot of this. Yes, it’s all from a non-canonical novel, technically. But the video explains exactly why it should absolutely be canon to Star Trek lore.

Paramount

Right now, Star Trek as a franchise is in limbo. Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy are all ending, burning off the finale episodes next year. No new series is in production. But when it eventually returns (and it always does), it wouldn’t hurt Paramount to look at some of these novels as a source for inspiration. Even if it’s all produced in animated form, fans will eat it up. And with Star Trek: The Next Generation turning forty next year, now is the perfect time.

The post Video Details the Origin Story of the STAR TREK: TNG Era appeared first on Nerdist.

Apparently, someone out there had the thought, “There’s really not enough see-through food.” And no, ice doesn’t count as food. (Well, maybe on the hottest summer days it does.) But finally, someone has invented transparent chicken wings, and yes, they are entirely edible. No, before you ask, they don’t come from transparent chickens. Sadly. Via Food Beast, we’ve learned about an “unorthodox food blogger” and YouTuber named Cai Nan, who has figured out a way to create transparent meals. In a video that recently went viral, he gives a step-by-step process for making transparent crispy chicken wings. You can watch Nan’s video, titled “I want to make the fried chicken transparent, but the result is strange,” down below. Oh, and we must say, great title for a video. No notes.

To replicate the bones, Nan created a mixture of bone marrow, collagen, and cold gel. He then put it into bone-shaped molds to set. Turning the meat transparent became a more complex procedure, achieved with a contraption that extracts liquid from food. Nan then used a technique in “molecular gastronomy” that changes liquids into a moldable gel to recreate the muscle fiber structure. The meat then went into its own meat-shaped mold to set. The hardest part was figuring out how to make the crispy skin transparent as well. You can see how Cai Nan managed to make that all happen in the video above.

YouTube/Cai Nan

The final result looks more like an art project than actual food, but Nan maintains that it is all entirely edible. It looks less like something one eats, and more like those Kryptonian information crystals in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. The funny thing is, this is not the only transparent food experiment on Nan’s YouTube channel. A few months back, he posted a video on how to make a transparent burger, too. So, pretty soon, you can have your own transparent dinner party. We thought the future would have flying cars on Mars colonies. Somehow, we never predicted transparent food items. What a world.

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Thanks to a brand new trailer, we have a much better idea about the many storylines for X-Men ’97 season two. We already knew about Apocalypse, and the X-Men time-traveling, but now we know much more. Yes, many things we learned about early, thanks to the X-Men ’97 merchandise revealed earlier this year. But the trailer gave us some tantalizing new things we didn’t know about before, and here are just five we saw in the trailer, all of which should excite longtime Marvel mutant fans. Marvel TelevisionExodus Will Play a Big Role

One of the prominent villains we see in the season two trailer is none other than Exodus. This is a character created in the ’90s, but who somehow never made it into the old animated series. He does cameo briefly in X-Men ’97 season one, however. But it looks like they expanded his role next year. Exodus is an Omega-level mutant whose real name is Bennet du Paris. His powers include telekinesis, flight, teleportation, and energy blasts, all powers that are enhanced by Apocalypse.

Marvel Television

Hailing from 12th-century France, he was once part of the Crusades. A religious fanatic, he’s always looking for a new mutant messiah to worship. In the ’90s, it was Magneto. At least for a time. And when Magneto was believed dead, he took over his worshipful Acolytes. We see him fighting Nightcrawler in the trailer, crossing swords, suggesting he’ll have a big role to play. Will he think of Apocalypse as his messiah, or Magneto? We shall have to wait and see.

Colossus Will Become an Acolyte of MagnetoMarvel Television

Colossus, a.k.a. Piotr Rasputin, has been the X-Men’s Russian powerhouse since 1975. Despite being a major X-Man, the metal-skinned mutant featured in only two episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series. He wasn’t a full-blown member of the team, just an ally. But it looks like one of his most pivotal comic book storylines will play out in season two. We see him in the trailer cradling the body of his sister, Illyana. She apparently died in the massacre on Genosha. In the comics, his bitter anger over his sister’s death led him down a darker path for a while, and he joined Magneto’s Acolytes. In the trailer, we see him wearing the traditional Acolyte costume, meaning X-Men ’97 is adapting this ’90s storyline.

Iceman Dead??Marvel Television

One scene in the trailer shows a memorial wall of the fallen of Genosha. Prominently featured is Illyana Rasputin, a.k.a. Magik. But an even smaller picture we noticed among the dead and missing is that of Iceman, Bobby Drake. His ex-girlfriend, Lorna, also has a picture of them together next to lit candles. The original X-Men: The Animated Series showed Iceman as a founding member of the team, just as in the comics. Would X-Men ’97 really kill Bobby off-screen like that? Actually, we don’t think so. But we think his near-death will lead to a power increase, as it did in the comics. Iceman is eventually revealed as an Omega-level mutant himself. Also, we imagine a glow-up will also include Bobby finally coming out of the closet as a gay man, just as in the comics.

The Return of the Alien BroodMarvel Television

In one scene, we see Morph shapeshift into Deadpool of all people. But that’s not the big reveal in that moment. The big reveal is that he’s fighting a member of the alien Brood, frequent enemies of the X-Men. These insect-like aliens have a long history of taking on the mutants, usually in some kind of cosmic adventure. The Brood appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, and this shows they are likely making a comeback in X-Men ’97 season two. We love Marvel’s answer to the xenomorphs from Alien, so we can’t wait to see more. Especially without Saturday morning network censorship to worry about. They can be as nasty as they wanna be.

The AI Danger, Formerly the Danger Room, Will Cause Trouble for the X-MenMarvel Television

We already knew from previous leaked art that X-Men ’97 was going to move on from the ’90s comics, at least when it came to stories to adapt. We saw several members of the team in the 2000s era Grant Morrison New X-Men costumes, as part of the company X-Corp. But it looks like we’re going even further into the 2000s, with the introduction of Danger, the sentient AI Danger Room from Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run. We’re not sure how she’ll play into the story, but we have a feeling it’s Danger behind the Sentinels that are attacking the X-Corp building in the trailer. Just a hunch.

X-Men ’97 season two drops on July 1 on Disney+.

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When The Simpsons’ first episode debuted in 1989, the animated series couldn’t have seemed less like the types of cartoons Disney made. But, when you’re on the air for 37 years and counting, a whole lot can change in Hollywood. Disney not only acquired Fox Entertainment, it embraced the Simpsons clan as one of its own. Disney+ is home to the show’s more than 800 installments as well as exclusive, original episodes and shorts. And that will soon include three new summer episodes on the Mouse House’s streaming service. And all of them will continue the great Simpsons tradition of parodying famous stories.Disney+

Disney+ announced Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie are getting three more exclusive episodes. The summer release schedule will kickoff with a double-episode. Here are the official titles, dates, guest stars, and synopses for all three:

“Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition”  (June 17) – In this Disney+ exclusive double-episode, Homer and Marge’s fun couples’ date night goes off the rails when Marge learns Homer left the kids unsupervised with only the doorbell camera as a babysitter. Frustrated with her imperfect husband, a tipsy Marge stirs up a trilogy of fantasies of a different Homer. The special guest stars Betty Gilpin, with musical guests Laufey and Tegan and Sara. 

“Simpsley” (July 3) – When penniless con-artist Marge Bouvier is sent to Italy to convince wealthy sap Seymour Skinner to come home, she’s tempted by the trappings of his affluent lifestyle. But there’s a big fat fly in the ointment: Skinner’s clingy, dim-witted mooch of a houseguest, Homer Simpsley. Lies, lust and Italian lira are abound in this Disney+ exclusive Simpsons noir.

“Yellow Mirror” (Aug. 26) – A defective lamp reveals a heartbreaking truth about what Homer believes is reality, and an AI-powered tablet befriends and controls Maggie. The Simpsons struggle to find the light through two dark tales of the curious and bizarre in this Disney+ exclusive.

Disney

Those all sound very Simpsons-y. (And not just because we’ll be meeting Simpsley.) The fact they’ll belong exclusively to Disney’s streaming service is not something anyone could have predicted in 1989. But then again, neither were streaming services. Things change a lot in Hollywood over 37 years, even if the Simpsons family doesn’t.

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Robert Pattinson (or, as we like to call him, RPatz) has quite the resume of varied roles. From being the sullen Edward Cullen to portraying the Dark Knight, there’s not much that this guy cannot do. But this latest role isn’t one that we saw coming at all. Robert Pattinson will portray Chris Hansen from To Catch a Predator fame in an A24 biographical crime drama called Primetime, which just released an intriguing trailer. A24

In it, we hear Pattinson put on a new voice as he says that man must be made accountable for the decisions that he makes. Honestly, he does not sound recognizable at all. We see several clips across what looks like four video screens as he introduces himself as Chris Hansen and says that you’re about to be a part of television history. That’s absolutely true. To Catch a Predator changed investigative journalism through uncovering sexual predators who preyed on children via the Internet. 

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The Internet Ships THE ODYSSEY’s Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson After Flagrant Use of ‘Daddy’What Is the Release Date for Robert Pattinson’s Primetime Movie? 

We will see Pattinson morph into Chris Hansen when Primetime hits theaters on September 11.

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There have been countless adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. There’s something about that crafty and extremely brilliant spy that people just can’t seem to get enough of. And, quite recently, CBS even did a modern reimagining of this right hand man Watson. Sadly, that show was canceled after two seasons, but there’s another famous Holmes character who will come to the small screen. Deadline reports that there’s a Moriarty series coming from Fremantle and Archery Pictures that will focus on Sherlock’s arch nemesis. 

Prime Video

According to the team behind this project, the Moriarty series will be a “modern reinvention of the crime procedural, based on the most famous villain in all of detective fiction.” In it, Moriarty is a Professor of Criminal Psychology at Durham University. However, he leads a secret life as the mastermind behind virtually every calculated crime in England.

Things heat up when a rival criminal begins to trifle with his underground empire. So, Moriarty joins the police as a consultant, using the law as a weapon to dismantle his enemy while keeping his true identity hidden from authorities. He partners with Detective Imogen Burrows, but Moriarty will soon realize that the real threat isn’t what he thinks it is. 

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Honestly, this sounds like a vibe. It is not clear if Sherlock Holmes will appear in any fashion in this upcoming Moriarty series. And, there’s no casting news nor any info about when it will start filming yet. But our eyes are open for sure.

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In August of 2025, Disney announced a big addition to an iconic attraction that the company’s namesake personally created. Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress would kick off with a new animatronic of Walt Disney himself. Since then, there’s been no update on when Walt would take the stage. Turns out that’s because Imagineers were working on more than just a new opening scene. Today, Disney revealed the Carousel of Progress is getting a massive refresh. And this latest version will, fittingly, move the show forward while staying true to Walt Disney’s original vision.

Disney

For years, some fans have wondered if the future of Walt Disney World would even include a “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” There have been those (but definitely not this Carousel-loving writer) who found the attraction dated. That’s because the Carousel of Progress literally is. Created from concept to completion by Walt Disney for the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair, the rotating attraction and its animatronic stars arrived at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland in 1967. It remained there until 1973, before arriving at the Magic Kingdom in 1975. Since then, it has become the most performed American stage show ever.

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While the Carousel of Progress has undergone many changes (some significant) over the years, the core of the show has largely remained the same. It’s an ode to technology, bygone eras, embracing change, and, most importantly, family. The new, updated version of the Carousel of Progress, whose new poster hearkens back to the show’s past and future, will still focus on all of those elements. Because while this total overhaul will bring Carousel far into the future (in more than one way), Imagineers are staying true to the original premise and spirit.

Disney

Walt Disney set the first scene of the show—which explores four distinct time periods—sixty years earlier near the start of the 20th century. That’s what Imagineers are doing, too. The show’s revamped timeline will begin 60 years prior to modernity. The updated Carousel of Progress will kick off, essentially, where Walt left off: the ’60s. Don’t worry, fellow Carousel nerds. John, Sarah, the kids, Grandma, Grandpa, and yes, Uncle Orville are sticking around. We’ll just be seeing them—along with what we were told by Disney executives, many Easter eggs—in very different settings. Here are the new show’s four eras and official descriptions:

Act 1 – the 1960s: In the summer of 1969, our Carousel family, along with millions around the world, gather around the television to witness one of humanity’s greatest achievements: the historic moon landing. Filled with awe, the moment captures the spirit of innovation and possibility that has always been—and always will be—at the heart of Carousel of Progress.

Act 2 – the 1980s: It’s the ‘80s, where everything bigger is better, and things keep on getting bigger! We pick up with the family on Halloween Night of 1985, and for the first time ever, Sarah is taking center stage. She’ll share how all the new appliances and gadgets are making life easier for the whole family. Speaking of John, we’ll find him out on the porch handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, and poor Uncle Orville can be found in the bathroom with “no privacy around here!”

Act 3 – The New Millennium: With the ‘90s drawing to a close, our Carousel family is preparing to ring in the new millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999. Amid the excitement of the countdown to 2000, a new thing called the Internet is bringing John, Sarah, Jimmy and Patty – and the world – closer together than ever before. And if you’re anything like my family, not everyone is making it to midnight. Grandpa has already nodded off before the big countdown, while Grandma sneaks the TV over to wrestling when no one’s looking.

Act 4 – The Possible Future: As we reach the end of our show, we see the family one last time in the distant future, in a home off planet. From a helpful robot assisting with everyday tasks to space travel, the scene imagines a future where extraordinary innovation has become part of life and proves that a beautiful tomorrow is just a dream away.

Disney

Imagineers took inspiration for the final scene from original Carousel concept sketches by Disney Legend John Hench. Executives also told us the off-world scene doesn’t have a definitive timeline. It’s set so far in the future it won’t feel dated anytime soon. Unlike the current final scene in the Carousel of Progress, which has a VR video game that would have looked old in 1997.

In one sense, this will be a different Carousel in many significant ways. And yet it will still be the same attraction fans have adored for sixty years. It will feature a lack of privacy, Grandma’s secret love of wrestling, Sarah still doing most (though not all!) of the hard work, plenty of terrible/great jokes, and a family adapting to an ever-changing world. That’s the show Walt Disney created on a rotating stage long ago. We can’t wait to see this new version of that same show.

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When will we get that chance? The current iteration of the Carousel of Progress will close at Magic Kingdom beginning on July 6, 2026. Disney says it expects it to reopen in 2027. The day it does, you know what song we’ll be singing, because it will always be a “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” when we see the Carousel of Progress.

Disney

Plus, they’re obviously keeping that perfect Sherman Brothers song. Imagineers love this attraction as much as we do. That’s why they’re ensuring it’s around for at least another 60 years.

The post Walt Disney’s Iconic Carousel of Progress Getting Massive Update appeared first on Nerdist.

No escaping inflation right now, somehow an even worse time for consumers than the already bad times of recent years. Shit is way too expensive and it seems like prices won’t go down any time soon. And this goes for everything, from staples like groceries and gasoline, to luxuries like technology and entertainment. But even at a time when price hikes are commonplace, what Valve has just done is unprecedented. They’re raising the price on their proprietary Steam Deck handheld gaming system by an exorbitant amount. Like, legitimately a “f**k you” amount.Valve

As we saw in a BlueSky post by Wario 64, Valve’s prices for the Steam Deck have gone up close to 50%.

Valve has raised Steam Deck prices in the US

• 1TB OLED $649 -> $949
• 512GB OLED $549 -> $789

still out of stock

store.steampowered.com/steamdeck

Now, $650 for a handheld was already pretty damned expensive. Nintendo’s Switch 2 is only $499.99, for example. But, given the robustness of Steam as a gaming platform and a digital storefront, it’s somewhat understandable. But going up by $300?! Nearly a thousand dollars for a gaming system when nobody in America can afford to drive places is truly criminal.

Valve is clearly trying to keep pace with Sony. Earlier this year, PlayStation announced the prices of its PS5 console would increase. The PS5 Pro went up to $899.99, which is crazy expensive. However, that’s a full console with 4K capabilities. The Steam Deck is still just a handheld. A very good handheld, but not in the ballpark of a PlayStation 5. Valve also announced its own console a while back, but no date or price for that have materialized, owing to costs of everything. So is raising the price of Steam Deck just a way to subsidize the Steam Machine?

Valve

It’s a rough time in the gaming world for everyone, but it’s an especially bad time for people trying to get into playing games. Video games are a bigger industry than movies but with a much, much higher cost of entry. With thousand-dollar consoles and AAA games heading steadily toward $100 per game, this century’s definitive artform looks to also be its most exclusive.

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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After a long two-year wait, X-Men ’97 will return in July with its long-awaited second season. We finally got our release date along with the new trailer for season two, which continues on from the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series. But fans of Marvel’s mutants have even more to rejoice about, as we now know that X-Men ’97 will have not only a third season, but also a fourth as well. And the wait between seasons won’t be more than a year, unlike the last time. All of this was confirmed in an interview with X-Men ’97 executive producer Larry Houston in Entertainment Weekly. Here’s what he had to say:

They want everyone to know it’s only gonna be a year now between seasons, not two-and-a-quarter years. It’s gonna be a year until the next one and a year until the next one [after that]. They are on schedule now. One of the reasons they’re on schedule is we’ve gone over, given notes on, responded to not only all the scripts for season 3, all the animatics for season 3, we are in season 4 giving script notes. So that’s how deep they are into the development.

Marvel Television

Houston also said nothing is stopping Marvel Television from doing a fifth season, and even more after that. X-Men ’97 co-producer Eric Lewald, in the same interview, said, “There’s a commitment until our grandchildren have grandchildren.” Houston and Lewald, along with his wife Julia Lewald, are all veterans of X-Men: The Animated Series. Look, we’d be happy with the traditional “six seasons and a movie.” But we’ll gladly take more.

With an upcoming farewell to the Fox-era X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday, an MCU X-Men reboot following Secret Wars, a possible Deadpool and X-Force movie, and X-Men ’97, we may be entering into a new Golden Age for Xavier’s students on screen. And it’s long overdue. They’ve taken a backseat to those Avenging people for long enough. X-Men ’97 season two drops on Disney+ on July 1.

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Way back in the year 2015, my friend and former colleague Kyle Hill started playing a little game called The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. I’d never heard of The Witcher, nor at the time did I even have any of the systems required to play this game. Kyle could not have loved this game more. It felt like he was playing it for years. And in truth, the game is enormous. Even just the base game takes well over 150 hours if you want to do everything. Add to that, two expansions that take anywhere from 10-30 hours apiece and that’s a good chunk of your life. Well, people in Kyle’s camp will be jumping for joy because out of nowhere, we’re getting another, brand new expansion to The Witcher III next year.CD Projekt RED

This kind of thing is a bit unprecedented. Sure, games like Hitman will have updates and new content even years after the launch window, but for a game like this, which dropped all of its content a decade ago, to suddenly offer a new expansion, it’s like Christmas.

From the official Witcher Twitter account:

Medallion’s humming… that can only mean one thing! It’s time to announce The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past!

This brand new expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will take you to the Path with Geralt of Rivia once more. It’s being co-developed with @Fools_Theory and is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 in 2027. Stay tuned for more information in late summer.

Complete with some sexy new artwork, the tweet offered fans just a taste of what they can expect next year. Geralt of Rivia will walk the Path and take on some tree hag or something. We obviously won’t know how long this expansion will be. It has to use the original game’s engine and UI, but since Witcher III got a current-gen gussy-up in 2022, it’ll fit right in.

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Fans have been hoping for a fourth full game for quite awhile. The Witcher IV is said to be in development. In the time since The Witcher III dropped, an entire multi-season TV series based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels has started and ended (likely). But excitement and enthusiasm for the property hasn’t waned. Hopefully, for Kyle Hill’s sake, the fourth installment doesn’t take another 10 years.

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.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

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It’s here. We know you’ve been waiting for this one! And by this one, we mean one of the most exciting trailers of the year—our first real look at The Legend of Vox Machina season four. We now know that this is the penultimate season of The Legend of Vox Machina and that it will release in June. With only one more season of The Legend of Vox Machina to go after this one, Critters know there will be no punches or bleeps pulled. It’s a huge season of What the Duck?!! action and drama. And you can get your first taste of it below. Press play now on The Legend of Vox Machina season four trailer.

The Legend of Vox Machina season four’s trailer does NOT disappoint. It’s full of all the elements we’ve really missed from this Critical Role series. Serious portents of doom, high stakes, cultists, and… a lot of laughter. Not to mention, some GORGEOUS animation courtesy of Titmouse. Is there an animated series out there that looks as good as The Legend of Vox Machina? But most of all, it’s the show’s tone that we love seeing return to our screens. That irreverent wittiness that keeps things from getting too serious, even as the literal fate of the world hangs in the balance.

And, would it really be a The Legend of Vox Machina trailer without some new words of wisdom from Grog Strongjaw? This time around, he lets us know that “Most problems can be solved by punching, and when they can’t, you kick!” Genius, truly!

RELATED ARTICLE

THE ART OF THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA Exclusive Excerpts: Percival de Rolo Sketches, Keyleth Concept Art, and a Creator Interview

The synopsis for The Legend of Vox Machina season four, shared along with the trailer, reveals to us a bit more about what we can expect this season. It shares, “The trailer finds our loveable heroes facing their most challenging and darkest foe to date. The group will be tested in more ways than they could possibly imagine.” And adds, “The Legend of Vox Machina Season Four is set a year after the Chroma Conclave. Vox Machina has separated, searching for love, family, and purpose. But as always, the call of adventure is a breath away. When a long-slumbering evil awakens to threaten the realm, they must reunite to take on an epic foe.”

Prime Video

As we’ve written before, “Critters will know that in the original fifth and final arc of Critical Role‘s Vox Machina campaign, our party faced off against Vecna, who proved to be an intense foe, almost too strong to defeat. But for the purposes of The Legend of Vox Machina season 4, we probably won’t hear the official V-word tossed around.” Instead, Vecna will be known as “The Whispered One” on The Legend of Vox Machina season four. But he’ll be just as epic by any name.

You can also check out new images from season four below.

NEW FRAMES OF VOX MACHINA SEASON 4 pic.twitter.com/Q1gsLjX4ff

— Ashesofwidogast Hal's biggest fan, HAL'S DEFENDER (@brotherdawn04) May 27, 2026

In conclusion, as usual, everyone is in danger. Classic Vox Machs. But our favorite team will be turning up the volume on power, adventure, and awesome, and we can’t wait. We’ll definitely be rewatching this The Legend of Vox Machina season four trailer at least 100 times.

The Legend of Vox Machina season four will release on June 3; season four will have a three-episode weekly rollout on Prime Video. You can stream the first three seasons of the show on Prime Video today.

Originally published on April 23.

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The first Enola Holmes film came out in 2020, and became a surprise hit for Netflix during the pandemic. Starring Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, the film focused on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ youngest sibling, who has a knack for solving mysteries just like her big brother. The film pulled in many viewers, and quickly got a sequel in 2022. Now, four years later, the character returns at last in Enola Holmes 3. No longer a young kid, Enola accepts a marriage proposal from the handsome Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). But it seems a little adventure may get in the way of her arrival at the altar in time. You know how that happens.

You can watch the new trailer for Enola Holmes 3 right here:

Philip Barantini directs the third Enola Holmes film, replacing the first two films’ Harry Bradbeer. Joining Millie Bobby Brown once more is Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, and Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes, their mother. Rounding out the cast are Himesh Patel as Dr. Watson, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Mira Troy/Moriarty, returning from previous films. Like the previous Enola Holmes movies, it looks like our titular heroine will continue to break the fourth wall, addressing the audience directly. So kind of like a 19th-century Deadpool, with less of a potty mouth. Also, not a dude.

Netflix/Legendary

The Enola Holmes movies are based on Nancy Springer’s series of young adult novels. There are ten Enola Holmes Mysteries books in total. So plenty of stories remain for the character, waiting to receive an adaptation. That is, should Netflix choose to pursue a part four, five, and beyond. In the books and in the films, the name Enola is “alone” spelled backwards. But she’s clearly anything but that in these stories. Just look at how stacked the cast is! Enola Holmes 3 officially drops on Netflix on July 1.

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks

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Prime Video’s Critical Role series have seen many a guest star. But this latest announcement is one of the BIGGEST yet. Yes, Andy Serkis will guest star on The Legend of Vox Machina season four. The man, the myth, the legend, the person who gave us Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, will be shifting from Middle-earth to Exandria as he comes aboard the penultimate season of The Legend of Vox Machina in a mysterious role. But who will he play? Well, fans are already abuzz with what shoes Andy Serkis could fill in the Critical Role world. Here’s who made it to the top.

A legend joins the cast of The Legend of Vox Machina! All will be revealed on June 3rd. pic.twitter.com/LDA1D7mpqZ

— The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein (@LVMandM9onPrime) May 27, 2026

And yep. Basically, fandom has decided. They all think that Andy Serkis will play The Whispering One or VECNA in The Legend of Vox Machina season four. Past seasons of the series have teased the long-anticipated arrival of this true evil, which played a major role in the endgame of The Legend of Vox Machina‘s campaign. Of course, Critical Role can’t call him Vecna because of some pesky legalities, but we all know who The Whispered One really is.

The Fans Really Think Andy Serkis Will Play Vecna/The Whispered One on The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4

You can check out the fan reactions to Andy Serkis’ casting in The Legend of Vox Machina below.

I’m saying this now he’s gonna be the Whispered One

— mika 🐦‍⬛ watching campaign 1! (@bellatrixisme) May 27, 2026

Out of all the well famed guest stars, I never thought Andy Serkis would appear in VM, im betting he is playing the Whispering One.

— adrian flores (@adrianf94137821) May 27, 2026

The only logical character he could be is Vecna / The Whispered One.

— Jason Garwood (@itsGarwood) May 27, 2026

Sooo all we need left is Frodo, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, and Aragorn. Got it pic.twitter.com/NR8xavHDOL

— VAXLETH HAS DONE THE DEED #VMANDM9SPOILERS (@kikisraven) May 27, 2026

so andy serkis is joining vox machina season 4 right.
what if, and hear me out critters, he's playing VECNA.

ANDY SERKIS. AS VECNA. IMAGINE THE AWESOME DISCOURSE OMG.

— Gabriel Corbin (@emeraldwritings) May 27, 2026

can u imagine telling the cr cast back in like 2017 that they'd be bagging andy serkis for the animated show of vox machina. crazy times

— sol ☭ (@onewfan) May 27, 2026

The synopsis for The Legend of Vox Machina season four reads, “The Legend of Vox Machina Season Four is set a year after the Chroma Conclave. Vox Machina has separated, searching for love, family, and purpose. But as always, the call of adventure is a breath away. When a long-slumbering evil awakens to threaten the realm, they must reunite to take on an epic foe.”

Prime Video

Could Andy Serkis be the long-slumbering evil in The Legend of Vox Machina season four? The only way we’ll know for sure is when The Legend of Vox Machina season four will release on June 3; season four will have a three-episode weekly rollout on Prime Video. You can stream the first three seasons of the show on Prime Video today.

The post Andy Serkis Joins THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA Season 4—Here’s Who Fans Think He’ll Play appeared first on Nerdist.