The Nerdist

⚡ Quick Take

• Halloween returns to the Final Frontier in IDW’s new Star Trek: Holo-Ween II, which takes the terror off the Enterprise and to Deep Space Nine.

We may be in the early part of summer, but that just means we’re that much closer to spooky season. And the folks at IDW Entertainment already have your Halloween comic books ready to go to Warp 10, once again taking place in haunted corners of the Final Frontier. Last time, the terrors stalked the corridors of Captain Picard’s starship Enterprise. This time, the haunted Halloween happenings are taking place on the station Deep Space Nine, in Star Trek: Holo-Ween II.

IDW Entertainment

Star Trek only really ever had one notable Halloween episode, back in 1967. But now IDW is giving us the DS9 Halloween episode we always wanted, but never got, with Holo-Ween II. This follows up on the first 2023 Holo-Ween series, which focused on the crew of The Next Generation. This mini-series arrives every week in October, written by Alex Segura, with art by Bailie Rosenlund.

Alex Segura shares of the exciting Halloween and Star Trek crossover:

Writing Star Trek has been on my bucket list for as long as I’ve been a writer – probably even longer! I remember my well-worn copies of classic Trek novels lining my shelves alongside stacks of Star Trek comics. Getting to weave a tale of the final frontier aboard Deep Space 9, with one of my favorite characters, Jadzia Dax, front and center? To call that a dream come true would be an understatement. I’m so lucky to be working with an amazing team – and Bailie’s refreshing art will help guide readers through a winding supernatural mystery that will hopefully keep them guessing – and turning the pages! Whatever you do, don’t step into the holosuite alone!

And if that doesn’t get you excited, we don’t know what will. There’s nothing we love more than a true fan writing for a series they love. Plus Halloween?! Our dream. You can read the synopsis for all four eerie issues, as well as check out the covers for each one, down below:

Star Trek: Holo-Ween II #1

A Halloween mystery unfolds on Deep Space 9! On the eve of a high-stakes diplomatic summit, Deep Space 9 is thrown into chaos by a sudden communications blackout and a string of deeply unsettling incidents. With senior leadership called away, Worf, Dax, Odo, and Bashir must hold the station together as tensions rise among visiting dignitaries.

Click To View Gallery IDW/Paramount Paramount/IDW Entertainment IDW Entertainment/Paramount

Then, a distressed starship arrives with explosive claims—and one member of the DS9 crew stands accused of murder. As suspicion spreads and paranoia takes hold, a creeping sense of dread settles over the Promenade. And somewhere inside the station’s holosuites, something has gone terrifyingly wrong… A locked-station thriller begins here.

Star Trek: Holo-Ween II #2 Click To View Gallery IDW Entertainment/Paramount Paramount/IDW Entertainmen IDW Entertainment/Paramount

The Halloween event continues—and the danger deepens. Deep Space 9 remains on edge as unexplained incidents multiply and trust continues to fracture. With conflicting testimonies, missing personnel, and diplomatic tensions nearing a boiling point, station security faces a mystery that refuses to add up. While suspicions mount and the clock ticks toward disaster, a growing sense of unease suggests the truth may be far stranger—and far closer—than anyone suspects.

Star Trek: Holo-Ween II #3 Click To View Gallery IDW Entertainment/Paramount Paramount/IDW Entertainment IDW Entertainment/Paramount

Part three of our Halloween event! A dire, garbled warning breaks through from Benjamin Sisko. He’s identified the suspects, and they’re extremely dangerous. Then the signal dies. With communications severed and panic spreading, Worf and Odo move fast to protect the civilians and visiting dignitaries, sealing off the station and turning Deep Space 9 into a high-stakes locked-room mystery. But just as order seems within reach, a chilling realization hits. Bashir and Dax are missing…and no one knows where they’ve gone.

Star Trek: Holo-Ween II #4 Click To View Gallery IDW Entertainment/Paramount Paramount/IDW Entertainment IDW Entertainment/Paramount

The terrifying finale of the Halloween event! Time has run out. Lives hang in the balance. And the nightmare consuming Deep Space 9 is finally ready to show its face. Cut off, outmatched, and pushed to their limits, the crew must confront the true force behind the chaos before the station—and everyone on it—pays the ultimate price. Shattering revelations ignite desperate gambits, fragile alliances strain to breaking, and survival demands impossible choices. Enter a final confrontation where horror meets heroism, morality is put on trial, and the fate of countless lives turns on a single perilous moment.

When Does IDW’s Star Trek: Holo-Ween II Release?

The first issue of IDW’s Star Trek: Holo-Ween II goes on sale October 7. This will be a 4-issue weekly Halloween event. Pre-orders for all 4 issues are due by 8/31/26.

The post Terror Comes to Starfleet in STAR TREK: HOLO-WEEN II (Exclusive) appeared first on Nerdist.

One of the primary tenets of Doctor Who that has kept the show alive for decades is regeneration. The Doctor’s ability to heal from what would be a fatal injury to humans and transform every cell into a form that’s totally different is incredibly cool. And, it has allowed a plethora of people to play the Doctor over the years. In more recent times, Doctor Who even created the concept of a bi-generation with Fourteen and Fifteen splitting from each other. But, if you ask Twelfth Doctor actor Peter Capaldi, Doctor Who does too many regenerations. 

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Capaldi made an appearance on the YouTube series 100 Questions with John Simmons, and spoke about this time on the show. He noted that it felt like it was time to leave the TARDIS because Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) had already left and showrunner Steven Moffat was leaving. When he spoke about Twelve’s regeneration into the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, Capaldi said it was “very sad,” and gave his opinion on regenerations, saying that the concept has become diminished over the years. 

“I love all the Doctors, but I’ve lost count now of how many of them there are, so the weight of this kind of regeneration is diminished. Whereas when I grew up as a kid, the first time it happened it was: ‘What just happened there?’ It was mysterious and strange. It holds the mystery of the show, the regeneration.” 

BBC

Well, he does have a point to a degree. It makes the danger that the Doctor is in feel less perilous because 1) they can regenerate and 2) we usually know in advance when an actor is leaving the role. There hasn’t been a surprise regeneration aside from the sorta fakeout one that we had when the Tenth Doctor used his severed hand to maintain his form. That’s totally different from Capaldi’s childhood experience with Doctor Who when no one knew when a regeneration would happen. 

And, with Doctors not spending as much time in the role, it feels like a regeneration happens far too often and they have indeed lost their poignant punch over the years. But, without regenerations, we wouldn’t continue to have a show anymore, so they are necessary. 

Hopefully, when Doctor Who returns in the distant future, there will be an actor who sticks around for a while. And maybe we will get a regeneration that surprises us in a big way without bringing back a familiar face for nostalgia bait.

The post Peter Capaldi Says DOCTOR WHO Has Too Many Regenerations appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• House of the Dragon stars Clinton Liberty, Kieran Bew, and Tom Bennett on what it’s like to be lowborn dragonriders and a silly spinoff idea.

House of the Dragon‘s second season gave us three new dragonriders. During the Red Sowing Targaryen bastards Ulf the White claimed Silverwing and Hugh Hammer claimed Vermithor. Meanwhile, in a dragon/rider role reversal, Seasmoke claimed Velaryon bastard Addam of Hull. The three men are very different, yet all have something very important in common. They are all baseborn denizens of Westeros who became some of the most powerful people in the world.

What does that mean for the three of them—both their characters and them as actors—going into season three? We found out when Nerdist took part in a virtual media roundtable with stars Clinton Liberty, Kieran Bew, and Tom Bennett ahead of the show’s HBO return, which will see them spending a whole lot of time together.

Turns out these three have more in common than just playing bastards who became dragonriders. They’re also very silly.

HBO

On how their lowborn backgrounds clash with the highborn members of House Targaryen.

Kieran Bew: I’ve always known I am directly connected to the family. [Hugh’s] mom was Daemon’s aunt and I’ve been keeping that a secret. I’ve always known that I was an illegitimate and secret cast out member. And he’s denied it as well. So actually admitting it to his wife and using that as a reason to go and fulfill this task is a strange shift for him given that he’s rejected it for most of his life.

Unfortunately, that means that Targaryen madness is waking up in someone who’s really been suppressing it. So for me as an actor, that’s really exciting because there’s an unpredictability to it. It’s quite fertile ground. There’s a lot there because the book exists, the script exists, the characters exist, and the Targaryenss are really fun. They’re f***ing mad, but they’re really fun.

Tom Bennett: Ulf comes from nothing. He is the lowest of the low, and he has told this story for 30 odd years that he’s part Targaryen. We’ve discussed, “Does he believe it? Did he ever believe it?” Until it actually comes true and it’s, “Oh shit, I’ve got a dragon. All of this, it was all true. Oh, right. Now it’s true.” Now it all suddenly gets a bit scary, rocky ground and uneven footing. He comes from nothing and now is one of the most powerful people on the planet. It’s a real shift and a real dynamic, certainly for someone with a chip on their shoulder.

Clinton Liberty: All of us coming from being commoners and coming from a normal background, we all want different things. But there’s conflict there because Addam’s trying to prove himself to the Queen and his family, but Ulf is after something different. Addam knows that we all need each other in order to increase our likelihood of survival. And then [Hugh] is kind of cool, laid back. You don’t really know what he’s after. You can’t quite read him, but all want something coming from a common background. It’s kind of trying to get at the same mission of pleasing the Queen and the royalty, but also getting what we all want in to be cohesive.

HBO

Bennett: And we are the only three people in the world that have come from any of our positions.

Liberty: Exactly.

Bennett: The Targaryens as a clan have been raised to speak High Valyrian and ride dragons. We haven’t. So we’re the only three humans on the planet that have shared this experience. That shared experience does make us a little bit of a team or a dysfunctional family, all of whom are trying to work each other out and work out the lay of the land, which is brilliant. So much fun for us to play with.

On what a potential spinoff focusing only on their adventures would look like.

Liberty: Funny.

Bennett: I’ve discussed this with Ryan [Condal, the showrunner]. He tends to walk away when I try and discuss it, but I think there is a lot to be said in a lighter, half hour sitcom filmed in front of a live studio. We don’t do the dragons because they’re expensive.  So actually we can make it quite cheaply and it’ll be lighthearted. It’d be a bit of fun. We visit a different town or village. We solve a problem or kill a monster in every town or village. Villain of the week stuff.

Bew: Exactly.

Bennett: Filmed in front of a live studio audience. But Ryan walks away when I mentioned that.

Liberty: And with a budget enough to only have one shot of Vermithor or Silverwing and then that was it.

HBO

Bew: We were talking about the dragon training about how funny that would be to watch us all mess up dragon training and mispronounce all the words and the dragons are doing different things. So dragon bootcamp would be fun. But also the idea that [the royals] treat us really badly and we all have to sleep in the same room on bunk beds.

Bennett: We should all be in a triple bunker.

Bew: Because [the Targaryens] treat us like sh*t.

Liberty: And also learning how to speak High Valyrian.

Bennett: Yeah, because my accent… I can’t speak High Valyrian.

Bew: But your thing about the detective, the sort of story of a week detective thing, that’s quite funny.

Bennett: Ryan doesn’t seem interested in it.

At this point the conversation moved on to bemoaning the fact the title How to Train Your Dragon is already claimed, but the trio landed on “How To Train Your Dragonriders” as a possible name for their spinoff.

Ollie Upton/HBO

On what it was like as performers to return to the show knowing they now have an elevated position within the story?

Bew: It’s really exciting.

Bennett: Exciting.

Bew: Except we’re still bound within the confines of whatever they want us to do, the aristocracy. But it’s incredibly exciting coming in knowing that there has been a time shift. We have learned to ride the dragons and we’ve done some skirmish as missions and whatnot and that time has moved on. We get new costumes for a start, which is amazing, always fun to come in with new threads. But yeah, it’s really,

HBO

Bennett: And coming back for a new season, there is less of a degree of it’s your first day at school. Like, “Oh yeah, we’ve been to school here for a year. We know the lay of the land a bit. We’ve been given a bit more power. We get to fly dragons.” It’s such a nice place to work and be and get to play and just knowing that we got to do it again and knowing that we get to do it again is, for me, magical.

Liberty: Also just in season two, feeling like because we were like the new kid on the block, having to kind of prove yourself because season one was already established and it was a massive hit and then you’re coming in. But then in season three, feeling more established and more part of the family, it’s just exciting and you just get to enjoy it a lot more.

For me, I was a lot more grounded this season because last season I was so nervous. I wanted to do as best a job I could, but this season it was really fun and it’s always, always a pleasure. And all jokes aside, Kieran and Tom, I learned so much from them. I talk to them all the time, especially when we’re in between takes or we’re just chilling in our trailers. They’re just absolute dreams to work with. So I’m extremely grateful that I get to come back to work with them specifically as well.

HBO

Bennett: Knowing we get to do it all together again as a threesome, it’s great because we all get on so well because we have to spend a lot of time with each other. Unlike the

Liberty: Unlike the characters, we really love each other.

Bew: It’s funny, though, because I think the frustrations of the characters within what they’re allowed to do and not do is the same for us because we would like to just go for a big ride on the dragons. When you get off the book, when we’ve done the work, you’re like, “Really? Can we not just keep going? Do it tomorrow?”

Liberty: Or just stealing the buggy and going to different sets that you’re not even a part of. It’s like you can’t even do that.

Bennett: Because they really tell you off. “Where’s your pass?”

Liberty: I’m a dragonrider!

Bennett: I’m dressed like an idiot. Why do I need a pass?

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s Addam, Ulf, and Hugh Talk Season 3 and Their Silly Spinoff Idea appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat showrunner Rolin Jones teases a “devastating scene” from later Anne Rice books in Louis’ arc this season.
• Jones notes that Louis and Lestat are on “parallel journeys.” And Jacob Anderson shares he’s happy with Louis’ arc.
• We can’t begin to say which scene is involved, but we’re sure it will hurt.

Much to the chagrin of fans throughout the ages, after telling his story in Interview with the Vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac barely appears in Anne Rice’s second novel, The Vampire Lestat. But this was an especially great area of concern for fans of AMC’s adaptation of the series, returning to our screens as The Vampire Lestat in season three. In seasons one and two of Interview with the Vampire, we had all come to adore Jacob Anderson’s rendition of the complex and tragic Louis de Pointe du Lac—and we were not ready to lose him to the narrative. Happily, neither was showrunner, Rolin Jones. When Nerdist asked about finding the right arc for Louis in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat, Jones gave us a juicy tease. Here’s what he had to say.

“Always go to Anne.” Rolin Jones wisely noted as he began his discussion of the shifting narratives for Louis in The Vampire Lestat. “And there was a very, very devastating scene in one of the books later on. Said, ‘Okay, that’s an interesting place to drive.’ We also had some things that lingered from season two, and in the writer’s room, we thought they didn’t get quite there, or there was still more to uncover. And probably somewhere in working on that, we saw how that would actually bring Lestat and Louis together on a parallel journey. So it’s one of those wonderful times in the way we’re adapting this, where we took a book from the future, grabbed it, and used it for the here and now.”

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Anderson adds about bringing more Louis into The Vampire Lestat, “Yeah, I fought them on it. I’m not going to lie. But I think that my own personal sense of wanting things to be sort of clean and neat had to be challenged, and it really was. And I think it’s very satisfying. I’m happy with Louis’ arc.”

AMC

Of course, both Jones and Anderson laugh together over this and note they were not really fighting about Louis’ journey in The Vampire Lestat, but merely collaborating on their visions of the story to push the series to its greatest heights as a team. And that’s the kind of meeting of the minds we’re excited to see the results of.

Now, what is this “devastating scene” from later Anne Rice books that gets pulled into The Vampire Lestat as a part of Louis’ arc? Of course, we will have to leave you to speculate on that one. But rest assured, when a scene from The Vampire Lestat gets called out as specifically devastating, as opposed to just garden-variety upsetting, angsty, and intense, well… it must be major.

The Vampire Lestat (or season three of Interview with the Vampire) is currently streaming on AMC and AMC+. New episodes arrive Sundays at 9 pm PT/ET on AMC and at midnight on AMC+. You can also read Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat book today.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She cannot take any more Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat devastation for Louis, Lestat, or anyone else.

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!

The post Rolin Jones Teases ‘Devastating Scene’ From Later Books in Louis’ THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Arc appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• House of the Dragon stars Matthew Needham and Tom Glynn-Carney talk about Larys and Aegon’s partnership.

House of the Dragon‘s second season produced an unlikely partnership. Larys “The Clubfoot” Strong found a kindred spirit in Aegon Targaryen after his brother Aemond bathed the King in dragonflame. Larys then helped Aegon escape a second attempt on his life by his brother, Aemond. The two fled King’s Landing for parts unknown. What will that mean for both in season three? House of the Dragon stars Matthew Needham and Tom Glynn-Carney talked about that and a whole lot more during a virtual media roundtable Nerdist participated in recently.

HBO

The “most enticing thing to explore” about Larys and Aegon’s relationship and what this partnership taught each character.

Matthew Needham: For Larys it’s about being out of control. He’s used to machinations in court. And he’s used to controlling people in very not calm environments, but less hectic than this. Suddenly he’s in the wilderness with a crazed, rage-fueled person he has to try and shepherd to safety. It’s a real test. His patience is tested. He’s an endlessly patient person, but it’s really stretched breaking point this season.

Tom Glynn-Carney: I feel for Aegon. He’s at a point in his life where everything he had, and had been accustomed to, has crumbled away. He’s starting again almost with a new physicality and a new way of approaching life. That is obviously anxiety inducing. I don’t think Aegon deals very well with that and lashes out. [He’s] a ball of untamable energy, with a lot of rage like Matt said. And working out how to navigate each other and essentially get the thing that we both want, which we have common ground on at least.

HBO

What their characters’ dynamic would be if they were in a buddy-cop movie.

Needham: Sam and Frodo if they’re both amoral psychopaths? It’s a very twisted road trip, isn’t it? It’s these very dysfunctional people who can only actually learn to function with each other.

Glynn-Carney: Yeah. Can’t be with you, can’t be without.

Needham: But really they are. It’s so desperate. They are all that they have. There’s an antagonism to that at the beginning, but hopefully it becomes something later on. It sort of mellows into something different, let’s say that.

HBO

On whether they ever expected to be a part of season three considering both characters vanish from the written history at this point in the story and Game of Thrones’ itself sidelined Bran for an entire season.

Glynn-Carney: I didn’t think of it like that. I’ve always seen such potential in Larys and Aegon’s relationship and their journey together. It would’ve been a waste to not focus on that, even though they’re away doing their own thing. Also, it expands the world a bit more. It pushes people out of King’s Landing to other more recognizable places like Dragonstone and Harrenhal. We really do expand the world of it through our plotline this year.

Needham: Although it would be so funny to just turn up in episode four with tans.

Glynn-Carney: Beautiful tans. Ripped.

HBO

On whether or not they liked being off on their own side quest in season three.

Needham: I liked being off on our weird little rookery adventure. I had a lot of King’s Landing in the previous season, so it was nice to just get out and get feathery. It was good fun.

Glynn-Carney: It was nice to have some fresh air. We were stuck in those studios for a good couple of years. So it was nice to get out and see some daylight.

Needham: Although hour four inside that wagon—

Glynn-Carney: The wagon days were tough. Those ravens were vicious as well. Those days were tough.

HBO

What was it like for Glynn-Carney to play a physically vulnerable Aegon.

Glynn-Carney: Very, very satisfying to lean into. The whole thing I’ve been trying to carve out with Aegon is to bring to light his fragility, his vulnerability, and his childlike nature. Not just play the villain. So now, having the physicality that lends itself to that vulnerability and fragility, helps the cause. Definitely.

But also, when you see someone in a vulnerable state like that, they’re in survival mode. They’re desperate, and there’s a way of behaving that is inherently childlike. And needing Larys there with him really, this love/hate situation going on. I found it really nice to lean into that aspect of Aegon this time.

If protecting Aegon is an ego boost for Larys.

Needham: Probably on some level. He wants control. He wants influence rather than power, but I think it’s more immediately dangerous than that. There’s more at stake. It really is, it’s life or death every minute and he is [Aegon’s] only hope and chance of survival. It’s more about preservation than ego at the moment, but I’m sure there’s a quality of it there.

HBO

Whether Larys and Aegon see the humanity in each other or if this partnership is entirely a marriage of convenience for both.

Needham: Larys sees a lot of humanity and a lot of himself and his own pain he had as a child growing up in what Aegon is going through in the moment. He sees a lot of similarities in him. They’re both brothers who are overshadowed by their brother, don’t feel the love of their father. There’s a lot of similarities. It doesn’t mean it’s not convenient though, but I believe it’s sincere.

Glynn-Carney: I agree with Matt on that. It might start off as convenience and we later discover that, ”Oh, actually, no, it’s more than that.” There’s levels to it.

What it’s like as actors to play characters with this level of intimacy but who don’t always get along.

Needham: It’s really fun because you get to be on the receiving end of very explosive energy and you have to absorb it rather than giving it back in any sort of way. Which is a really lovely challenge to do. Larys grows to respect Aegon’s defiance and bravery and singleness. I just don’t think it’s a trait that [Larys] has in himself. He admires that.

HBO

Glynn-Carney: Aegon has a growing respect for Larys throughout the season. Ebbs and flows. It’s not just a gradual gradient, but there’s a real respect for Larys’ determination and his kind of stop-at-nothing attitude to achieving what we are set out to achieve.

Matt described Larys before with a beautiful analogy as a rat that would chew his own arm off to get out of his confined area. And there’s an aspect of that that Aegon sees and just has a complete respect for and wants to be able to have that access.

It fuels Aegon’s motivation and the momentum that they eventually achieve.

On the conversations they had before the season about the dynamic shift between the two.

Needham: We didn’t go into huge detail. We talked about who was carrying the crown as being symbolic of where [Aegon’s] trust was in Larys. And there were times when it was given back and forth, because I don’t think it’s a steady mistrust or trust.

Glynn-Carney: That’s a little Easter egg for people, to be able to spot and go, “Oh, that’s how [Aegon] feels about Larys at this moment on this day.” It was so circumstantial, depending on the scene and depending on what had just happened and whether a character had been able to gain trust in the other. It just changed so much. But that’s what makes that relationship so dynamic and unpredictable and volatile, as well.

How Aegon feels about his family this season.

Glynn-Carney: Not supported, put it that way. His mom has basically fed him to the lions. His brother has tried to kill him. And his sister is in her own world of existence and got her own things to think about and deal with and she’s not really present. So he’s a lone wolf this time, which is why the relationship with Larys is so vital for him. It’s such an anchor, a grounding force. Without him he would either spiral out of control or fade away into nothing and just be a corpse on a hill somewhere. So they really do rely on each other.

The family thing really doesn’t play, at least into my mind. The only thing that I had in my back of my mind as playing this season was the hatred and the vengeance towards Aemond and wanting to give him a taste of his own medicine at some point.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s Matthew Needham & Tom Glynn-Carney on Larys and Aegon’s Partnership appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Spider-Man’s Daily Bugle is getting its very own giant LEGO set, and it comes with 25 minifigures to recreate your favorite Spidey moments.

Today’s top story: LEGO Hits Daily Bugle’s Front Page! The most memorable building in the entire Spider-Verse is available in stores. But this giant set won’t just be a good place to get pictures of Spider-Man. It will also let you play through some of the web-slinger’s most famous stories alongside iconic friends and foes. Check out LEGO Spider-Man‘s Daily Bugle Building set below.

LEGO

LEGO has released its massive new 3,772-piece Daily Bugle headquarters Spider-Man set. The “intricate” collectible is designed for grown-ups, partly because it will tower over kids. It measures 82 cm (about 2.8 feet) tall. And with all that room, there’s plenty of space to turn that memorable Marvel news hub into an entire week’s worth of stories.

The Spider-Man Daily Bugle set boasts three floors full of office furniture and equipment, along with a front street and the back alley. The whole set is also modular, so you can remove walls and floors to access the inside. There you’ll find plenty of famous characters and popular Spider-Man stories waiting to be recreated. That starts with the ground floor entrance. It can be “destroyed to look like an explosion has taken place.”

LEGO

Things get even more dangerous when you get inside the Daily Bugle. You might find the Green Goblin smashing Peter Parker’s office window on the second floor. Or Doctor Octopus clinging on the other side. And on the top level, fans will find both Betty Brant’s and J. Jonah Jameson’s offices. That’s where you’ll hear the most screaming. (Not because anyone is in danger. Just because you’ll be too busy playing with the set to get Mr. Jameson those pictures he’s demanding.)

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The Spider-Man Daily Bugle LEGO set also comes with a whopping 25 minifigures. That includes five new exclusives: Blade, Jameson, Punisher, Black Cat, and Daredevil. Joining them are Fire Star, Blade, Doc Ock, Spider-Man, Betty Brant, Venom, Miles Morales, Spider-Ham, Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy, Carnage, Punisher, Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen, Robbie Robertson, Ben Urich, Mysterio, Daredevil, Sandman, and Aunt May. Along with a newspaper worker, a New York taxi driver, and a receptionist.

LEGO

A big set comes with a big price tag. You can get your LEGO Daily Bugle set today for $349.99. That’s pretty steep for a street-level hero. But for Spidey… He is one of our very favs. And if you get this set, you’re going to get all the Spider-Man you want.

Originally published on May 17, 2021.

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The post SPIDER-MAN’S Daily Bugle Building LEGO Set Lets You Swing Into Spidey’s World appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Bob Odenkirk returned as Saul Goodman to revamp a classic in-show PSA in honor of the USA’s 250th anniversary.

Better Call Saul, the popular spinoff of the even-more-popular Breaking Bad, ended its run in 2022. But in many ways, Saul Goodman never left us. Today, Bob Odenkirk reappeared in character to give a version of his classic in-show commercial in honor of America’s 250th birthday.

In his sarcastic way, Odenkirk lists off multiple constitutional rights and references the “wallpaper” behind him. He pays homage to the “whole bunch of good people, 250-years-worth” who have upheld the constitution.

“Hi, I’m Saul Goodman. Did you know you have rights?”

The spiel ends with Odenkirk encouraging viewers to “never give up” their constitution-given rights.

The 45-second video was uploaded to a YouTube account called “Saul4Democracy,” and it is unclear when the clip was filmed. The caption reads, “Saul Goodman wants YOU to know your rights!” Peter Gould, the executive producer of Better Call Saul, reposted the video on his BlueSky account and confirmed it was not AI-generated. The video has garnered over 123,000 views so far.

Better Call Saul was a spinoff series of the Golden Globe-winning Breaking Bad. It followed a minor character who first appeared in season two.

Albuquerque lawyer Jimmy McGill scrapes for clients and respect, but every win drags him closer to shady deals, dangerous players, and the alter ego Saul Goodman.

This PSA comes just in time for America 250, or the United States’ 250th “birthday.” For fans of the show, this video was a welcome sight four years after the story concluded. This is made even more impactful after Odenkirk’s 2025 statement.

“He’s not getting out [of prison]. If there’s another Saul show, it takes place inside prison.”

At the very end, the video featured an appearance from Mike Ehrmantraut, played by Jonathan Banks, another beloved character from the series. Many of the comments are raving about the cameo.

This is likely not a sign that the Better Call Saul universe will continue to expand. However, beyond the humor, the message within the video is important and certainly relevant.

The post Did You Know You Have Rights? Saul Goodman Returns for a PSA Honoring America 250 appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• CBS will pay a fine for the unauthorized use of a song on Stephen Colbert’s finale episode of The Late Show.
• The rights owners will donate the fine to charity.

It hasn’t even been a full month since Stephen Colbert gave his final bow as host of CBS’ The Late Show and already it feels like years. The eyeball network has moved on to pastures far less green. (They’ve also lost the timeslot’s audience, by some reports). But if you thought Colbert didn’t still have one gift left for his former network, you’d be wrong. You see, on The Late Show series finale, Colbert played a piece of music specifically without a license. Now CBS has to pay for it.

CBS

In news we first saw via The Wrap, Colbert played the song “Lucy and Linus” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio on the episode. (You know, the Peanuts song.) He specifically called out how they didn’t obtain a license for it. Well, now the network has to pony up. The rights holders, Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., said in a statement that they’ll donate the fee. It will go to Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, Colbert’s charity of choice. The Kitchen sends food around the world to areas hit by problems from natural disasters to civil unrest.

“LMFP found the music’s use on ‘The Late Show’ funny and entertaining, and is proud to support World Central Kitchen’s mission,” Jason Mendelson, Chairman of LMFP, said in a release. “A principal goal of our enforcement actions is to educate individuals, businesses, and government entities about the need to obtain written license agreements to use music in a commercial setting.”

When Colbert had his house band, Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine, to play “Lucy and Linus” in the May 21 episode, he explained that LMFP had cracked down on unlicensed use of Guaraldi tracks. The show had not obtained such an agreement.

“Oh no,” Colbert said. “I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money.” Neither party has disclosed the amount of money CBS has to pay. But it’s bound to be less than the $16 million parent company Paramount paid to the President of the United States so the Skydance deal went through.

The post CBS Forced to Pay Fine for Colbert Finale’s Music Usage appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli’s renowned animator and filmmaker, brought Kiki’s Delivery Service to the screen in 1989.
• Now, 40 years after the publication of the book series it was based on, BBC studios is bringing the story into the 3-D world.

Eiko Kadono’s Kiki’s Delivery Service book series became an instant classic in Japan when it came out. Just a few years later, animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki picked up the story and released what would become a Studio Ghibli essential watch. Now, 40 years after the book series it was based on came out, Kiki will come into the 3-D world in a live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service TV series.

Studio GhibliWhat Do We Know About the Kiki’s Delivery Service Live-Action Series?

The story of Kiki’s Delivery Service follows a young, broomstick-riding witch and her cat as they move to a calm, seaside town. Throughout the movie, Kiki meets a variety of characters, overcomes challenges, and gains independence by working her own delivery service.

Eiko Kadono, author of the original novels, shares of the live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service movie.

Kiki is about to set off on another adventure into a new world. I can’t wait to see the series come to life.

BBC studios announced that Irena Brignull will write the ten-episode series. Brignull also contributed to The Boxtrolls (2014) and The Little Prince (2016). The project is a collaboration between BBC Kids and Family, Wheel in Motion, and the Kadokawa Corporation based in Japan. The Kiki’s Delivery Service live-action series will be based on the first volume in the six-book series—not the animated Studio Ghibli film. Episodes will be about a half-hour long each.

Nerdist’s Take: Will This Live-Action Kiki’s Delivery Service Series Be Good?

This is not the first time filmmakers have attempted to bring Kiki into our world. A Japanese live-action movie came out in 2014. However, it did not garner much attention or serious criticism and is not available for streaming. Like the upcoming series, the movie was based on the book and not the preexisting animation.

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Miyazaki has been historically incredible at capturing childhood innocence in a way that many other animators are not able to. From Ponyo (2008) to even stories with darker themes like Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Ghibli’s characters have been astonishingly realistic.

And so, it is no surprise that Miyazaki’s thoughtful animation was able to fully capture the story of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Kiki’s complex character, and her surrounding world in such a lush, vivid way. Whether or not a live-action remake will be able to do the same is still unclear.

When Will the Kiki’s Delivery Service Live-Action Series Release?

The Kiki’s Delivery Service live-action series has no release date yet.

The post KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE Live-Action TV Series Is Coming appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• After three decades, McDonald’s is bringing back their iconic friend apple pie for America’s 250th birthday, but only for a limited time.

If you grew up somewhere in the timeframe of the late ’70s to the early ’90s, then chances are you are intimately familiar with those McDonald’s fried apple pies. These delicious confections often burned the roof of your mouth like sweet lava, but we loved them anyway. Sadly, McDonald’s took them off the menu back in 1992, but Gen X and elder Millennials will forever be nostalgic for them. Well, via People, we’ve learned that as a way of celebrating America’s 250th birthday, the fast food giant will soon bring the fried apple pies back for a limited time only, after 34 years. After all, what’s more American than apple pie, right?

McDonald’s

To commemorate this long-awaited return, McDonald’s also announced they are building a 35-foot version, creating McDonald’s largest fried apple pie. Probably one for the record books. This will become a huge roadside attraction, located off Route 66 just outside of Chicago. Which just so happens to be the headquarters of the iconic fast food chain. McDonald’s said that the giant pie found “off America’s most iconic road,” is a tribute to a “classic American dessert.” The attraction will be available for travelers to stop and look at from June 23 to July 4. Its location is 920 N Broadway St., Joliet, IL 60435.

RELATED ARTICLE

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The McDonald’s fried apple pie began as a family recipe from East Tennessee owner and operator Litton Cochran back in 1968, where it became popular locally. It eventually found its way onto the menu across all McDonald’s locations. But by 1992, America had become far more health-conscious and traded in friend apple pies for baked ones. Which they still sell to this day. But millions never forgot those tasty treats of yesteryear, and are happy to have them back. Whether our cholesterol suffers or not. Hopefully, they still come in those old-school pie cartons, just to make the nostalgic experience complete.

The post McDonald’s Brings Back Fried Apple Pie After 34 Years appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Former Lucasfilm president says Spielberg and Lucas battled it out writing the script for the fourth Indiana Jones movie.

Indiana Jones, the brave tomb-raider and adventuring archaeologist, was one of the most beloved characters of the ’80s—and many fans wish it could have stayed that way. Nonetheless, two more films came out after the year 2000. One of those was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was nobody’s favorite—even the director’s, according to new comments from Kathleen Kennedy.

Lucasfilm

Crystal Skull was a legacy sequel to the original trilogy. It came almost twenty years after the “final” film, The Last Crusade. It holds a steady 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, by no means a bad score. However, it is certainly not the highest-revered movie in the series.

Lucasfilm producer Kathleen Kennedy has said that the most significant contributor to why Crystal Skull was so ill-received was the fact that nobody working on it had their heart fully in it—and the fans seemed to know.

According to a Spielberg career overview from Vulture, the alien aspect introduced in the franchise’s fourth movie created a significant rift between he and George Lucas. Spielberg and star Harrison Ford believed aliens didn’t quite fit into the world of Indiana Jones. Kennedy told the publication:

“Steven was struggling with that movie. Harrison was struggling with the movie. They didn’t want to do a ‘Raiders’ movie that involved aliens, and they kind of got into a fight with George [Lucas] about it.”

Lucas said that his original idea for the movie was War of the Worlds-esque, even featuring UFOs. The team went through five scripts before settling on one. It satisfied everybody enough, but still kept the concept of otherworldly beings.

Kennedy says that Spielberg and Ford still never entirely bought into the concept. She thinks this is why the movie was worse than the previous installments. Spielberg went on to pull out of production for the fifth movie, The Dial of Destiny, in 2023. George Lucas, for the first time in the franchise’s run, played no role at all.

Whether or not this lack of participation from the franchise’s founding fathers was due to the tension ignited in 2008 is unclear. James Mangold took over, and the 2023 movie was rated even lower than its predecessor. But at least it didn’t have aliens.

The post Kathleen Kennedy Reveals Why CRYSTAL SKULL Was the ‘Weakest’ Indiana Jones Movie appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• DC Studios’ Upcoming Jimmy Olsen Series is also a Gorilla Grodd series.
• Co-presidents Peter Safran and James Gunn confirm it will shoot soon.

Supergirl is about to release theatrically, and Man of Tomorrow is currently shooting. But a third spin-off of James Gunn’s Superman is also confirmed to start shooting this year, now confirmed by DC Studios co-head Peter Safran. The previously announced HBO Max Jimmy Olsen spin-off, once thought to be titled “DC Crime,” will start production later this year. In an interview with @GoodNerd23 (via Screen Rant), Safran confirmed that the series, which will focus on Jimmy Olsen investigating villain Gorilla Grodd, starts shooting soon. Here’s what he had to say:

We’ve talked about the Gorilla Grodd show for HBO that we’ll start shooting this year. That’s big news, by the way. I probably shouldn’t have said that.

DC Studios/DC Comics

In a post on Threads, James Gunn confirmed the series is a Jimmy Olsen AND Gorilla Grodd show. The rumored title for the show is American Villain, perhaps a nod to the series American Vandal. Rumors suggest it’ll be a faux docuseries about various villians in the DCU, hosted by Daily Planet staffers. In season one, it’ll be Jimmy Olsen with a focus on Grodd. The inclusion of Grodd suggests that another iconic hero of the DC Justice League pantheon may arrive soon, and that’s none other than the Flash.

Threads/James Gunn

Gorilla Grodd, in the pages of DC Comics, is not traditionally a Superman villain. The hyper-intelligent ape from the hidden Gorilla City is one of the arch enemies of the Flash. It would seem impossible to tell Grodd’s story without an appearance by DC’s Scarlet Speedster. After the 2023 movie The Flash bombed, the new DC Studios didn’t seem to be in a rush to announce any new Flash-centric projects. But eventually, this cornerstone of DC lore will need to appear. And this Jimmy Olsen/Grodd series may stealthily introduce him. Which makes this show a much bigger deal than it may seem at first. We imagine we’ll know more very soon.

The post DC Studios’ Jimmy Olsen/Gorilla Grodd Series to Shoot Soon appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Matt Reeves’ The Batman – Part II will prowl the streets of Gotham again as a DC Elseworlds movie project. Here’s what we know about the film.

Although it will not belong to the main on-screen DC Universe, we were very happy to hear that The Batman – Part II will continue on in DC’s new world order. Under James Gunn and Peter Safran, The Batman – Part II will belong to DC’s Elseworlds Projects. These projects will take place in TV, movie, or game form but will not factor into the main universe story. Still, they play a critical role in keeping the DC Universe varied and interesting.

Warner Bros.

After A LONG journey, The Batman — Part II finally has an official logo. We know a script for the DC movie was completed in August 2025. But… that’s almost a year ago now. So, it’s good to see some forward motion on the film.

Warner Bros.

Here’s everything we know about The Batman – Part II.

Title

For now, the sequel to The Batman carries the descriptive title of The Batman – Part II.

The Batman – Part II‘s Plot

We don’t know much yet about The Batman – Part II‘s plot. But we do know that a cinematic universe is building for The Batman. Next up, we’ll see a Penguin series on HBO Max, and that will tie directly into the coming sequel.

Warner Bros.

One thing is clear about The Batman – Part II; its focus will stay on Batman, a.k.a Bruce Wayne. Reeves shares:

To me, the thing that I really feel is that I also believe that Rob [Pattinson] is so special in the role. My goal has always been to do these point-of-view stories that allow the character to always be the emotional center of the story. Because a lot of times what happens is, after you do the first one, then suddenly other Rogues Gallery characters come in, and they kind of take over, and then Batman takes a backseat sort of character-wise, or emotionally.

But what is the current state of The Batman – Part II? Unfortunately, the film has been delayed once more. Although The Batman – Part II was originally meant to arrive in 2025, it will now be released on October 1, 2027, after two delays. James Gunn confirmed the news on Threads, revealing, “The only reason for the delay is there isn’t a full script (those of you who follow me here probably know that already). Matt is committed to making the best film he possibly can, and no one can accurately guess exactly how long a script will take to write. Once there is a finished script, there is around two years for pre-production, shooting and post-production on big films.”

But happily, Matt Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin have finally finished The Batman—Part II‘s script. They took to Instagram to celebrate the news. And hey, although the script was delayed, it comes right on schedule, at least according to James Gunn.

Gunn recently shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “Listen, we’re supposed to get a script in June. I hope that happens. We feel really good about it. People should get off Matt’s nuts because it’s like, let the guy write the screenplay in the amount of time he needs to write it. That’s just the way it is. He doesn’t owe you something because you like his movie. I mean, you like his movie because of Matt. So let Matt do things the way he does.”

Gunn additionally shared, “I am irritated by people. I mean, it’s just that thing people don’t need to be entitled about. It’s going to come out when he feels good about the screenplay. And Matt’s not going to give me the screenplay until he feels good about the screenplay.” Happily, it seems like that time has finally come. Reeves and co made the June deadline. And, according to Variety sources, “the studio is thrilled with Matt Reeves’ just-submitted screenplay draft for the sequel to The Batman.” Huzzah!

The Batman – Part II‘s CastWarner Bros.

For now, we know Robert Pattinson will return as our Bruce Wayne/Batman. It just wouldn’t be a The Batman movie without him. In addition, an article in GQ notes that Matt Reeves has confirmed Andy Serkis’ return as Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman – Part II.

A February 21, 2024 interview on Vanity Fair also confirmed Barry Keoghan—who had a brief cameo in the first film as the Joker—will return, presumably in a much bigger role, for The Batman – Part II.

Warner Bros.Behind the Scenes

Matt Reeves is returning to write the sequel to The Batman. But this time, he will find a co-writer in Mattson Tomlin. We assume Reeves will also direct The Batman – Part II.

The Batman – Part II Release Date

The Batman – Part II will release on October 1, 2027. Production on The Batman—Part II officially began in the spring of 2026.

Originally published on February 8, 2023.

The post THE BATMAN – PART II Shares Official Logo appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• In the lead-up to The Vampire Lestat, we spoke to Eric Bogosian about Daniel Molloy’s queerness and how it manifests across the series.
• Daniel Molloy’s queerness has always been a fascinating aspect of his character, one that fans want to know more about.
• Eric Bogosian confirms that Daniel Molloy is queer across Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat and says he’ll “taste any flavor.”

One of my favorite parts about AMC’s Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat is that every character is queer. In fact, famously, showrunner Rolin Jones specifically asked actor Ben Daniels if it would be okay with him if his character wasn’t queer—a vision which ended up making no sense and getting cast aside for yet more glorious queerness. And it’s exactly this expansive representation of love and sexuality that allows the series, inspired by its source material, to explore what it means to be queer via many different lenses, presentations, and definitions. Characters can confidently assert they are queer and exactly how, be deliciously murky yet settled in their romantic/sexual/lifestyle visions, or find themselves on the path toward understanding exactly who they are and what they want with no boundaries on what that might mean. (All of which is a hell of a lot more interesting than just assuming heteronormativity with no further interrogation, if you ask me.) Which leads us to the queerness of Daniel Molloy, played to perfection across Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat by Eric Bogosian and Luke Brandon Field.

AMC

Daniel Molloy’s queerness has been a fascinating aspect of the character so far in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe. On the one hand, we literally meet the ’70s version of Daniel Molloy at a gay bar, where he allows himself to be picked up by Louis de Pointe du Lac, lured by the promise of drugs. Young Daniel, played by Brandon Field, tells Louis before they leave together, “If something happens, I’m cool.” And notes that he’s “into counter-cultures.” After Louis provides a veritable buffet of substances to him, he immediately begins to strip, anticipating a reciprocation of sex for goods offered, calling it “fulfilling my side of the social contract.” Perhaps most telling, when begging Louis to turn him into a vampire and give him the dark gift, he invokes “marriage and cancer” in the same breath, calling it a part of “all this shit” that humans need to carry; something that absolutely makes us feel like young Daniel has no interest in a cookie-cutter life.

Of course, trading sex with men for drugs does not necessarily imply queerness of any kind, as much as it highlights a blend of addiction and desperation in Daniel. Indeed, Bogosian’s older Daniel tells Louis in Interview with the Vampire season one that he met Louis at a gay bar because it was “A good place to score. I did what I had to.” And yet, there’s a certain wistfulness to him when Louis confirms to him that the pair did not have sex with one another in season two, and he says, “I really thought we did.” Something almost shy appears to come over Daniel when Louis laughs and offers, “Do you want to now?” The expression the character wears in response feels meditative and somehow intense over the notion, and not remotely dismissive of it.

AMC

As we continue to understand Daniel in Interview with the Vampire, the question of his queerness is continually complicated. On the one hand, we see that Daniel stumbled into attempts at a kind of “normative” life throughout his years. He marries twice, both times ostensibly to a woman, and has children, but, of course, spectacularly blows up all his romantic and familial relationships. In the end, Daniel always prioritizes his work as a journalist over a more conventional existence. Meanwhile, we also learn that during the beginning of the AIDs epidemic, Daniel published a running series of articles on Karposi Sarcoma, a cancer that afflicted AIDS patients. And in the ads for his online journalism courses, older Daniel shows images of ACT UP and other shots of the AIDs crisis while noting, “There are some stories out there that need to be told. There’s shit out there that’s just, you know, wrong.”

AMC

Additionally, when Daniel Molloy speaks about queerness in Interview with the Vampire, he refers to the idea of being a “homophile.” The term “homophile” is one that was used by queer people in the ’50s and ’60s as they fought for their rights and societal acceptance, and served to emphasize the love and romance that exists in queer relationships (versus the more sexual emphasis in “homoesexual.”) Again, none of these aspects of Daniel confirm or deny his queerness, but are merely a whirlwind of interesting information about him, feeding our curiosity.

And so, with all this in mind, in the lead-up to The Vampire Lestat, Nerdist asked Eric Bogosian directly about Daniel Molloy’s queerness, and here’s what he had to say:

Well, I mean, Daniel and I have roughly the same timeline. So anything that has to do with queer stuff back in the ’70s has to be also rebellious if it has any sort of public aspect to it. Daniel wasn’t in the closet. He was hanging out in gay bars. He’s not strictly homosexual, he’s kind of like everything. And that is also of the Boomer ’70s. If it feels good, do it. That’s pretty much Daniel’s thing. So I think that is a part of Daniel. He’s against the status quo. The status quo is a straight, breeder world, and he’s always been ready to walk into any doorway and taste any flavor. And if it feels good, do it.

Whilst in Interview with the Vampire, Daniel’s queerness felt a bit like it had a question mark next to it. Without spoiling too much, I will say The Vampire Lestat goes out of its way to confirm that Daniel’s trysts with men were not born out of the press of addiction or desperation, but came from his own desires, as Bogosian suggests here. And that, throughout his life, his sexuality has been an evolving, complex thing, but he has NOT been straight. (And no, this doesn’t have anything specifically to do with any Armand revelations, SORRY!) While fans might be like, “Duh!” I feel this was an important path to walk for the series.

AMC Networks

And that’s basically what we get from Eric Bogosian’s discussion of Daniel as well, a firm confirmation of Daniel Molloy’s ever-present queerness in The Vampire Lestat and Interview with the Vampire. And we kind of love the idea that Daniel doesn’t have a defined label for his queerness, but that he is, in fact, diffusely queer and prepared to be queer in whichever way suits him best. Too often, even within queer circles, there’s a strong emphasis on how one’s queerness should manifest. It makes perfect sense for Daniel to be totally unconcerned with that and still totally queer. We also like his allusion to being a Boomer in the ’70s. As my writer Eric Diaz notes, “not an insignificant amount of Boomers were pioneers when it came to sexual expression.” And it’s an important fact to remember.

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An Afternoon with Eric Bogosian: On HUMPTY DUMPTY, IWTV, Art, and More

Of course, in real life, no person would ever have to overtly confirm whether or not they are queer to be queer. But in a TV series, that knowledge is important and impactful. In our mainstream properties, meaningful queer representation of any kind still struggles to bloom, and anything beyond the most normative vision of queerness struggles that much more. When it comes to queer representation, Daniel
Molloy, as played by Eric Bogosian, offers what I’ve previously called a seminal opportunity for, in colloquial terms, “elder queer representation” on our screens. Or, in more serious terms, Bogosian’s Molloy offers a chance for a generation of queer men who aren’t only missing from our screens but tragically missing from our realities to step into the limelight of a fictional work. And we’re glad the series is working to deliver on the possibility.

AMC

In the past, Bogosian shared of Daniel Molloy’s journey and queerness:

I was transfixed by episode five, what Luke [Brandon Field] did as the young Daniel, and what was going on in that. And strangely, it paralleled my own life, which is also weird. I mean, Daniel is not an old guy in the books, and yet here we have this guy who’s kind of grumpy and old, and he’s been celebrated, but now nothing is really going on for him other than a masterclass. And that was sort of where I was at as we begin to work on the show. But if you go all the way back to the mid-seventies, I’m there too. That’s what’s weird about it, is that there wasn’t a door I didn’t walk through. There was nothing that scared me. I was fascinated by whatever was going on. My gay experiences were very limited, but it wasn’t like I wouldn’t do something… So, Luke, studied me to play this part, which was crazy, without me knowing it. And those scenes start to bring up all these questions.

And there’s also this thing when they go fishing in my mind, and I propose to my wife in Paris, and I get turned down. What about those? There are so many scenes. Then there’s the present-day relationship with Armand. There’s also this amazing moment, it kind of goes by pretty quickly, of Armand’s backstory, which is so deep. And so if you’ve read the books, there’s a lot to think about with what that represents, and then what you just brought up, which frankly I haven’t even thought of, the AIDS crisis in the story. But what would that do? What would that be?”

AMC

Definitely a slew of questions that we hope to see answered in time. And, so far, in The Vampire Lestat, the queerness of Daniel Molloy feels like it has risen to the surface. Daniel and Lestat certainly have some tension. Fans also quickly grew fond of the idea of trysts between Daniel and Dee Pharma, played by Amaka Umeh, who is definitely queer, after Daniel drank from her and she called him “Papi.” (Daniel also showers in the middle of Lestat’s tour bus in some scenes, which isn’t necessarily a queer thing to do, but is a nice nod to the idea that people of any age can be sexy.) But on a more emotional level, Daniel recently spoke about the vampiric bond he shares with his wayward maker, Armand, in quite romantic terms. Armand, of course, is Daniel’s great love in the books, and a love between the pair of them is something that fans of the series immensely hope will develop this season.

Where all this will go, we don’t yet know. But we do know that Daniel Molloy is queer and not in the closet in The Vampire Lestat. And we couldn’t feel happier to hear it.

The Vampire Lestat (or season three of Interview with the Vampire) is currently streaming on AMC and AMC+. New episodes arrive Sundays at 9 pm PT/ET on AMC and at midnight on AMC+.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is ready for Devil’s Minion to become canon so one of her ships can finally sail.

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The post Eric Bogosian Talks Daniel Molloy’s Queerness in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Last House is about a family of four who are sealed inside their home without warning and are unable to escape.
• The scariest part? They have no idea what is keeping them there.

A brand new “locked-room” horror movie will come out later this year, and the trailer dropped today. It is directed by Louis Leterrier, known for The Incredible Hulk (2008) and a handful of the Fast and Furious movies. It feels very “remember the pandemic?” only in this case, they literally can’t leave. But why? Check out the trailer below.

A family of four are suddenly sealed inside their home with no way out, and must work together to survive against both their dwindling resources and the mysterious, looming threat that is keeping them trapped.

The movie will star Greta Lee, who made a splash in her leading role in Past Lives, which received two Oscar nominations in 2023. Wagner Moura, her costar, starred in Narcos and Civil War (2024).

The Last House follows what appears to be a worldwide crisis: ordinary citizens trapped within their homes suddenly, without explanation. The natural world begins to take over outside. People live their lives unable to escape the walls of their own houses, forced to survive on ever-shrinking resources.

Netflix

This idea is unique. Commonly in locked-room horror setups, like the Saw franchise, for example, the protagonists are stuck somewhere with the threat. In the trailer, it appears that the threat is coming from outside.

Some well-chosen closeups of Lee frozen in horror alongside some tension-filled music make it clear that the movie will terrify. The trailer gives nary a hint at what monster or force could be behind the event.

Unfortunately, the trailer might be too vague. At the least, a few more clips with dialogue between characters definitely wouldn’t have hurt. At the most, more action or even a flashed image of something horrifying might have made it even more intriguing.

The trailer relies on the loose premise and an unseen, mysterious force to maintain its thrill. It hopes to entice horror lovers willing to take a chance going off of very little information. Hopefully, this means whatever is behind the trap is so scary that putting it onscreen would ruin the fun.

The Last House will be available to watch on Netflix starting August 7, 2026.

The post THE LAST HOUSE Trailer Teases New Locked-Room Horror appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• An emotional, poignant, creative, and hilarious Toy Story 5 further cements the franchise as the best in movie history.
• Conan O’Brien’s Smarty Pants is an all-time great character.
• A few choices felt contrived, but overall, the movie was incredible.

Going into Toy Story 5, I thought Pixar’s signature series was the greatest movie franchise of all-time. I didn’t even think that was really debatable. It was four-for-four at the box office, boasted a bunch of great specials and shorts, and changed animated forever. No other franchise comes close to having such an unblemished resume. The only real threat to its top spot in cinematic history was itself via a mediocre or even bad installment. And a dud seemed almost mathematically inevitable. It’s hard to make truly great movies even when you’ve already made four of them. Go on long enough, and you’re bound to eventually make a misstep, right? Apparently not. Not even a little bit, because the fantastic Toy Story 5 is a moving and creative entry that only further cements the franchise as the most unimpeachable ever.

Toy Story 5 does just about everything well. The animation is more gorgeous than ever. (During the end-credits, I briefly thought I was looking at a live-action sequence.) The art’s crispness, color, and fluid style is on full display immediately. The film opens with a terrific scene featuring an army of lost, technologically advanced Buzz Lightyear toys. It’s vivid and lively, which matches the scene’s energy, while later sequences, especially with Jessie, are softer and more ethereal, matching the tone and spirit of those moments.

That lost Buzz army subplot starts off far removed (literally) from the main plot, but the entire time I had full confidence it would pay off in a meaningful way. That’s exactly what happened, as Toy Story 5‘s plot, though initally disjointed, makes sense and comes together in delightful, creative ways.

Pixar

The movie also pulls off something many sequels in older franchises can’t. It’s both reverential to the past while not feeling beholden to it. Toy Story 5 threads the needle of paying homage to its predecessors—via callbacks, Easter eggs, and playful gags—without those references ever feeling forced. It’s fully aware of its own history and deftly utilizes it to make something that is new. Yet it does so without betraying the series’ heart and soul.

In addition to the stellar animation of the normal scenes, Toy Story 5 also shows us new way to experience “play.” When Bonnie or the film’s other main youngster, Blaze, use their imaginations, the animation style changes in a distinct manner that makes sense. It’s almost like a kid’s playful crayon drawing come to life with actual toys. It’s incredibly innovative and fun, one of my favorite additions to the franchise. More importantly, it contributes to the film’s themes about the importance of play and imagination.

Pixar

The film also feels fresh thanks to its point of view. This is Jessie’s movie, not Buzz or Woody’s. The latter is essentially a side character, which makes sense after how Woody’s arc ended in Toy Story 4. By centering Jessie, Toy Story 5 feels both familiar and new. It also accomplishes this by making its human children a bigger part of the story than ever before. Bonnie and Blaze are essentially co-stars with Jessie and one unexpected character. (We’re getting to that toy, believe me.) Toy Story 5 fully invests in telling us who Bonnie and Blaze are and why being a kid is really hard sometimes. By prioritizing their struggles, and in turn their relationship with the toys in a way no previous entry has before, the film hits a powerful and emotional chord it hasn’t quite touched on before.

Jessie’s story on its own is also sad, powerful, and beautiful in Toy Story 5. She spends the movie grappling with her past while also desperately trying to save Bonnie from the dangers of technology. Bonnie’s new Lilypad tablet, which her parents got her to help make friends, has no use for old-fashioned toys. Greta Lee’s Lily believes Bonnie will only find friendship with her digital help and will eliminate anyone who stands in her way.

Pixar

This battle of old versus new in Toy Story 5 inadvertently leads Jessie to a place she never expected to return to. It’s the kind of development that in lesser hands would easily result in a saccharine tale of regret and nostalgia. While on this journey, Jessie learns a lot about her past, her purpose, and understanding others. It’s gorgeous, simply gorgeous. and leads the film to a really beautiful place I didn’t see coming, as Toy Story 5 avoids making anything resembling an easy or even lazy choice. It’s everything I love about this franchise. (Jessie’s journey also results in a moment so beautiful I will put it up against any scene in franchise history. Yes, any scene, you Toy Story 3 fanatics.)

But like its predecessors, Toy Story 5 isn’t just excellent because it’s emotional and moving. It also never forgets to entertain its audience. It’s creative, interesting, fun, and funny. Really funny, especially because it’s surprise co-main character, the electronic potty trainer Smarty Pants, is so incredible, I almost can’t believe it.

Pixar

And that brings me to the hardest part of this review, because I’m not sure how to talk about Conan O’Brien’s performance without sounding like a volcano of hyperbole. He’s that good.

O’Brien’s Toy Story 5 performance, which at points is absolutely unhinged and manic in the best way, touches on more emotions than most people experience in a year. At points, he’s unbelievably intense, angry, loud, obnoxious, condescending, mean, arrogant, and out of control. At others, he’s incredibly reflective, poignant, insightful, thoughtful, and kind. And he carries that sprawling range of emotions while also being wildly, almost impossibly entertaining. He’s massively funny. I could not get enough Smarty Pants, who is not the side character I expected. He’s one of the film’s leads, and he carries a lot of both the plot and the emotional weight. I was in genuine awe at how good Conan O’Brien was in the Toy Story 5 role. His performance goes right to the top echelon of all-time great voice performances.

I guess that’s fitting for a movie that only further cements Toy Story as the greatest franchise in movie history. The only thing that holds this fifth film back from absolute perfection is that, unlike past entries, this is the first movie to seem conscious that it will have a sequel. Woody’s diminished role felt like a setup for a big return in the future. There are also enough alterations to toys (Woody’s hilariously maligned poncho for example) I couldn’t shake the feeling someone was at least thinking about new merchandise opportunities.

That’s a little unfair to the film, especially since those new, upgraded Buzz Lightyear toys very much serve both a narrative and thematic purpose. But, at least on my initial viewing, I couldn’t fully ignore the sense a handful of small choices were inspired by corporate considerations rather than story ones.

Pixar

The fact that’s my only real criticism of Toy Story 5 is as big a compliment as anything I can say in its favor. It’s everything I want from this franchise. It’s everything I have come to expect from it, even if I keep thinking it’s essentially impossible to keep delivering movies this good after this long. But after more than 30 years, Toy Story is not just still great, it’s the greatest.

⭐ (4.5 of 5)

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He tried to be as normal as possible about Conan O’Brien’s performance as Smarty Pants. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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⚡ Quick Take

• The first teaser trailer for Shrek 5 begins a new magical adventure, as Shrek, his kids, and Donkey head to the kingdom of Further Further Away.
• Shrek 5 brings us some not-so-safe-for-work visuals like a twerking Gingerbread man.
• The trailer also introduces us to Zendaya in her role as Felicia in Shrek 5 and a few other famous newcomers, including Skyler Gisondo.

Do you find a certain famous studios’ animated movies too safe? Instead of kids’ movies starring adorable snowman who love warm hugs, do you want to see kids’ movies that feature a snowman selling his icy body in seedy back alleys? And do you also want a cartoon with a Gingerbread Man who has a gumdrop ass that just won’t quit? Universal hopes so, cause the first teaser trailer for Shrek 5 shows things are just as wild for our favorite big green ogre as ever, as he heads out on a new journey with Donkey and his large ogre kids to the kingdom of Further Further Away.

It’s good to have Donkey back in our lives. It’s also good to have his large friend, too. And after so much time away, Shrek’s kids are almost as big as their dad. They’re all going out on what DreamWorks Animation calls a “thrilling, magical new comedy adventure.”

Shrek 5 additionally marks the return of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz. This trailer also serves as an introduction to the franchise’s three newcomers. Zendaya (Dune, Spider-Man ) joins the series as their daughter, Felicia. Marcello Hernandez (Saturday Night Live) plays their son, Fergus. And Skyler Gisondo (Superman) joins as their other sibling, Farkle.

Universal Pictures

Shrek 5 comes from directors and franchise alums Conrad Vernon and Walt Dohrn. It’s co-directed by Brad Ableson (Minions: The Rise of Gru). Vernon also continues in the role of Gingerbread Man, whose twerking in this Shrek 5 teaser trailer really deserves a second shoutout. Shake that candy for all its worth, Gingy, you beautiful sentient cookie.

Universal Pictures

But maybe stay away from that snowman in the alley. He’s not offering warm hugs. At least not for free. As for Shrek 5, we’ll find out what this new magical adventure has to offer in 2027. It debuts in theaters next summer.

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⚡ Quick Take

• Tom Holland will return as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Here’s everything we know about the Marvel-Sony movie so far.

If Peter Parker falls off a New York City skyscraper and no one knows who he is, does he make a sound? Please don’t bother trying to answer that very silly question, because we all know Tom Holland’s web slinger is going to cause a ruckus at the box office when he returns as the iconic character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. What will this new chapter for the (currently anonymous) superhero look like? What will Peter Parker be doing when he wears his super suit?

Click To View Gallery Marvel Studios Marvel Studios Marvel Studios Marvel Studios

For now, we have four brand new images from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and they spotlight our favorite “Guy in the Chair” Ned and his Spidey Tracker. Even though Ned has forgotten Peter Parker, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t still feel connected to Spider-Man.

Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures

Here’s everything we know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day so far.

TitleMarvel Studios

Tom Holland’s fourth standalone film as everyone’s favorite neighborhood hero is called Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The movie takes its title from the 2008 Marvel Comics series. Its storyline shares many similarities with the current plight of the MCU’s character, as it followed Peter Parker after a universe-changing event undid his marriage to MJ. The series was part of a controversial Spider-Man storyline that upset some fans.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Plot Marvel Comics

A new Spider-Man: Brand New Day synopsis teases us with a little bit more information, it shares, “After the record-breaking global success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks an entirely new chapter for Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves. Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he’s devoted himself entirely to protecting his city — a full-time Spider-Man — but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.”

That lines up with comments franchise producer/steward Amy Pascal provided about the film. She told Deadline‘s Behind the Lens, “We have to deal with the fact that he decided he was going to give up being Peter Parker, and he was gonna focus on being Spider-Man, because being Peter Parker was too hard. So that’s what the movie is about.”

Marvel Studios

We also know it won’t be rated R. Kevin Feige has confirmed it will feature a more family-friendly version of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. Feige revealed, “When Punisher is in the Spider-Man movie, it’ll be a different tonality” than when he’s in his own TV-MA rated Disney+ special. But Punisher WILL appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, shares the Marvel boss.

Behind the Scenes Marvel Studios

Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is taking over directing duties from Jon Watts. Cretton took to Instagram in December 2025 to confirm that filming is done.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Cast Sony/Marvel Studios

Zendaya and Jacob Batalon will return alongside Holland as Peter Parker’s memory-wiped love interest and best friend/guy in the chair MJ and Ned. Sadie Sink will also join the MCU in a still unreleased major role. (Jean Gray, perhaps?)

Netflix

One actor whose role we do know is Jon Bernthal’s. He will make his MCU movie debut as the Punisher, Frank Castle. The vigilante might very well be Peter’s unexpected ally.

Marvel Studios/Netflix

Most recently, it was reported that Marvin Jones III will play Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Tombstone is recurring Spider-Man villain and one of New York’s worst crime bosses in the Marvel Universe. Marvin Jones III also voiced Tombstone in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Sony/CWSpider-Man: Brand New Day’s Release Date

Spider-Man: Brand New Day will swing into theaters on July 31, 2026.

Originally published on June 23, 2025.

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⚡ Quick Take

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day is launching a new interactive Spidey Tracker website so you can locate the friendly neighborhood hero wherever he swings.
• You can become the “guy in the chair” for Spider-Man, learn how via “Ned Talk.”
• The site will go live on Wednesday, June 17 at 3 PM ET.

Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Peter Parker a forgotten man. Dr. Strange’s spell saved his dimension from a multiverse-sized villain invasion, but at a great cost to Peter personally. It meant no one knew him or Spider-Man’s real identity anymore, not even his loved ones. But those lost memories don’t mean his old “guy in the chair” is done with the Web-Slinger. Because even though Ned has no idea who Peter Parker is, he still wants to help the masked figure who has saved his life countless times. And now you can help, too. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is launching a new Spidey Tracker website. It will let you locate the friendly neighborhood superhero wherever he swings.

Sony Pictures has partnered with Samsung and one of the MCU’s most beloved characters. The Spidey Tracker is a custom site created (in-world) by Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds in Spider-Man: Brand New Dayand powered by Samsung Galaxy. We got a sneak peek at the site thanks to a Ned Talk, which is fitting since Spidey Tracker essentially fills Ned’s former role as a digital eye in the sky.

What exactly does the site do (besides promote the film)? Sony calls it “a one-of-a-kind fan-driven experience unfolding online and in real-world spaces throughout the summer.” The interactive “hub for all things Spider-Man” identifies the secret superhero’s location, whether he’s at the grocery store, at a live event, or battling bad guys. It will also share “Spidey hangs,” provide news and updates on villains, online content where Peter Parker appears, and let you share info to help make the neighborhood a little more friendly for everyone.

Sony

SpideyTracker.com will go live on Wednesday, June 17, at 3 PM ET, which is also when we’re getting a new trailer for the highly anticipated film. Something tells us you won’t need Spidey Tracker to find that. But it will be very useful to find out where Spider-Man watched it.

You can absolutely find Spider-Man in theaters when Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases on July 31, 2026.

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⚡ Quick Take

• House of the Dragon season three will deliver the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet. Here’s a spoiler free breakdown of what you need to know before it’s fought.

House of the Dragon season two put all the pieces in place for one of the most infamous sea conflicts in the history of Westeros. Then it ended without giving us the Battle of the Gullet. George R.R. Martin readers know why it’s one of the most infamous moments from the Dance of the Dragons. Showrunner Ryan Condal does, too. After season two ended he cited limited resources and apologized for making fans wait. But he also said the series wanted to give the Gullet “the time and the space that it deserves.” Now, House of the Dragon is finally ready to bring that legendary fight to life in season three.

What is the Gullet and why is it so important anyway? Who will meet there and what do they both want? And why are cast, crew, and book readers so excited to finally see the sea fill with blood on HBO? Before the shooting starts here’s everything you need to know—WITHOUT SPOILERS—about the Battle of the Gullet.

Where Is the Gullet? HBO

The Gullet is a narrow and vital span of water to the east of King’s Landing. It connects Blackwater Bay to the Narrow Sea. You can see it in the image above. It’s marked in yellow to the east.

At the top of the Gullet sits two important islands. The first is Dragonstone, ancestral Westerosi seat of House Targaryen. Next to Dragonstone on its western shore sits Driftmark of House Velaryon. Driftmark is home to two castles. One is the older castle that gives the island its name. The other is High Tide. Ser Corlys Velaryon built High Tide, which we saw full of treasures in season one, after accumulating wealth that rivaled House Lannister.

On the southern side of the gullet is the peninsula known as Massey’s Hook. It’s home to Sharp Point of House Bar Emmon, whose lord swore fealty to Rhaenyra at the start of the Dance. In a fit of rage, Aemond and Vhagar burned Sharp Point during season two.

While there is a very small stretch of water above Dragonstone and Driftmark, those who hope to sail into Blackwater Bay and ultimately into King’s Landing must pass through the Gullet. It’s a vital point for all trade into the Realm’s capital, which is exactly why Ser Corlys advised Rhaenyra to close it off at the start of the Targaryen civil war.

Why Is the Gullet So Important to Winning the Dance of the Dragons? HBO

Lord Corlys and his fleet already controlled the Narrow Sea before the Dance of the Dragons. He’d spent decades with Daemon Targaryen fighting the Triarchy of Essos for control of the Stepstones. Corlys almost died during his last battle in the archipelago, so to avoid having to fight over the Stepstones again, he had taken “care to fully garrison the territory this time.” With the Narrow Sea, and by extension all trade within it, secure, he suggested to Rhaenyra they block the Gullet as well when the Dance began. “We can cut off all seaborne travel and trade to King’s Landing,” he said.

His wife, Princess Rhaenys, said she would also patrol the stretch of water with her dragon, Meleys. She fulfilled this task until her death at Rook’s Rest. Even without Rhaenys, Rhaenyra’s forces controlled the Gullet thanks to Corlys’ fleet. The blockade resulted in a deadly food shortage, rising inflation, and even unpaid debts by the crown in King’s Landing. We saw future dragonriders Ulf the White and Hugh Hammer both suffer because of the blockade, especially Hugh. His sick daughter died.

HBO

Mysaria concocted a plan, augmented by word-of-mouth propaganda, to use that very same famine Rhaenyra created to the Queen’s advantage. The White Worm sent ships of food to the hungry people of King’s Landing to garner support for Rhaenyra. They believed the true queen remembered them when King Aegon and his family had forgotten them. That led to a riot that almost claimed the lives of Alicent and Helaena. The denizens of the capital were a prime target for the efforts, as they were already mad about inflation, perceived indifference from the crown, and seeing livestock fed to the Greens’ dragons.

The Prince Regent Aemond did not care about the lack of food and suffering in the capital. He even had the gates closed so no one could leave. He also didn’t understand why the people blamed his side, since it was Rhaenyra who’d blockaded trade by shutting off the Gullet.

Ultimately Aemond decided to do something about it, even though it meant reaching out to one of the Realm’s most frustrating enemies.

Why Did Tyland Lannister Reach Out to Sharako Lohar? HBO

Aemond sent his Master of Ships, Tyland Lannister, to Essos to meet with the Triarchy. The Prince Regent wanted to break the blockade of the Gullet but believed the Hightower and Lannister navies would take too long to get there. Overtured to House Greyjoy and the Iron Fleet were also repeatedly ignored.

Tyland met with the commander of the Triarchy fleet, Admiral Sharako Lohar. Once the prim and proper Tyland proved his worth to the flashy Lohar, the Admiral agreed to the treaty. The Triarchy will fight its old nemesis, Ser Corlys Velaryon, in exchange for control of the Stepstones. Season two ended with Lohar leading 90 ships to the Gullet.

Who Are the Major Players During the Battle of the Gullet? HBO

The Velaryon fleet led by Corlys and his new righthand man, his bastard son Alyn of Hull, command Rhaenyra’s forces. Sharako Lohar, with Tyland Lannister in tow, commands the massive Triarchy fleet. But those are just the sea forces that will fight in the shadow of Dragonstone, home to multiple dragons.

Even if Rhaenyra’s council continues to insist she cannot enter a battle atop , she now has six dragonriders on her side. There’s her son Jace (Vermax), her niece/stepdaughter Baela (Moondancer), Addam of Hull (Seasmoke), Ulf the White (Silverwing), Hugh Hammer (Vermithor), and her husband Daemon (Caraxes). If any of them are nearby when the Triarchy arrives they can take to the sky to supports Corlys and Alyn.

In nearby King’s Landing, only Aemond and the world’s biggest dragon, Vhagar, stand ready to fight. Queen Helaena refuses to burn anyone atop her dragon Dreamfyre. The Greens also rely on Aemond and the presence of Vhagar to protect the city, but Queen Alicent told Rhaenyra her son plans to leave for Harrenhal soon.

Ollie Upton/HBO Why Didn’t House of the Dragon End Season 2 with the Battle of the Gullet?

When Ryan Condal talked about the show’s season two finale he addressed the decision to delay the Battle of the Gullet. He said no show has “infinite time and resources.” He then said the series also wanted to “rebalance the story in such a way” it guaranteed three additional “great seasons of television” after the first. (Condal has confirmed the show will end with season four.)

The showrunner also tried to assuage frustrated fans by saying the legendary battle would be “the biggest thing to date” House of the Dragon has pulled off. He also guarnateed it would be worth the wait. “We’re going to pull off a hell of a win with The Battle of the Gullet,” promised Condal.

Fans won’t have to wait long to see if the series makes good on that tease.

When Will the Battle of the Gullet Happen on House of the Dragon?

Condal confirmed the Battle of the Gullet will take place in season three’s first episode. He also said the sequence “is unlike anything that’s ever been done in television before.”

Will House of the Dragon Make Any Changes from the Books to the Battle of the Gullet?

Yes, and we’ll explain all of them after it airs. But both book readers and newcomers to the tory alike will have to wait for House of the Dragon‘s season three premiere to see exactly what changes the show has made. They’ll do that soon enough. The show returns to HBO on Sunday, June 21 at 9 p.m. ET.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermikeOpens in a new tab. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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