The Nerdist

⚡ Quick Take

• The fourth and second-to-last season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brings us closer to the era of the original Kirk and Spock Enterprise.
• We are excited to see more of Kirk and Spock’s friendship emerge.
• The new trailer doesn’t give us story details, but it captures the feeling of classic Star Trek.

The penultimate season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts this summer, bringing us closer to the end of Star Trek’s Paramount+ era. And now, Paramount+ has released a new trailer and key art for the upcoming season. It features Captain Pike (Anson Mount) winding down his time on the Enterprise, making room for Paul Wesley as Captain Kirk… and his iconic partnership with Spock. The new trailer doesn’t give many story details. But it does show that Kirk is now at least a semi-regular member of the crew. You can watch the trailer for season four of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds down below:

The Official Synopsis for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4

And here is the official synopsis for season four of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds:

In season four of the Paramount+ Original Series, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise – led by Captain Christopher Pike – embark on a series of thrilling and emotional adventures across the stars. As they journey to strange new worlds, they will battle inner demons and external threats, encounter colorful new characters, reunite with familiar faces and confront terrifying aliens. Through it all, they strive to embrace a bright, hopeful future.

Nerdist’s Take on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Synopsis and Trailer

The official synopsis and trailer don’t give us much to go on when it comes to the adventures that await in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season four. But it seems we are back to more episodic stand-alone stories again. We see Spock (Ethan Peck) and Kirk bonding further, bringing them closer to the legendary friendship that defined popular culture. Still no hint of Spock’s half-brother Sybok, who was teased back in season one. Will he ever show up again before the series’ run is over? We’ll have to wait and see how it all shakes out.

Paramount+

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia, Babs Olusanmokun, and Martin Quinn, along with guest stars Carol Kane and Paul Wesley. Season four drops on Paramount+ on July 23.

The post STRANGE NEW WORLDS Season 4 Trailer Spotlights Kirk and Spock Friendship appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Milly Alcock revealed that some of the fabric used to make Christopher Reeves’ cape is in her Supergirl cape.

Former House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock is the fourth actress to portray Kara Zor-El in live-action in Supergirl. But unlike the stars of the original 1984 Supergirl, Smallville, and The Flash, she’ll have a lucky charm in her film that the others didn’t have. While appearing on Raiders of the Lost Podcast (via Deadline), Alcock revealed that her Supergirl cape is actually partially made from a genuine piece of Hollywood history. The costume designers made it from the same fabric used to create Christopher Reeve’s cape in Richard Donner’s Superman. Here is what she had to say:

My cape in this film was remade using material from the original Superman cape. Yeah, I think that they found there was like 16 meters of that material, so yeah, that’s in the back of my cape now.

Warner Bros./DC Studios

To millions of fans, the late Christopher Reeve will always be the quintessential Superman actor. To this day, he remains the default when people think of the character. So carrying a piece of his cinematic legacy around when portraying his cousin on screen has to be very cool. We’re not sure if any of the subsequent actors who played Superman had the same honor. But we think if they did, we would surely have heard about it by now.

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What Happens in the SUPERGlRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW Comics?

In the pages of DC Comics and on screen, the character of Supergirl has had a metric ton of costumes. There are far more variations to her look than Superman, in fact. The one she wears in the film is very classic in its design. And it looks nearly identical to the one drawn by artist Bilquis Evely in the comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Here’s hoping that Christopher Reeve’s old Superman cape transfers some of his on-screen charm and confidence to Milly Alcock when portraying Kara. Not that she needs it, but who can’t use some extra Christopher Reeve on-screen magic?

Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie, arrives in theaters everywhere on June 26.

The post Christopher Reeve’s 1978 Cape Fabric Used for SUPERGIRL Cape appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Luke Brandon Field and Assad Zaman posted a silly video on Instagram, but we really think it should be their pitch for Night Island.

In the lead-up to The Vampire Lestat, I spoke to executive producer and head of the AMC Immortal Universe, Mark Johnson, about a long-percolating show in the franchise, Night Island. Night Island, is, of course, the name of the island and palatial complex that the vampire Armand and his human lover, Daniel Molloy, built together in Anne Rice’s books. Johnson gave me a positive response about the series, and fandom rejoiced. But, of course, it’s been three years since we learned about Night Island, and the premise of the series will have likely changed, not the least of all because we know way more about Armand, Daniel, and their relationship now. But, actors Assad Zaman, who plays Armand in The Vampire Lestat, and Luke Brandon Field, who plays a young Daniel in Interview with the Vampire, gave us a silly video that feels like a pretty good pitch for what Night Island should be like to us. Check it out and have whatever day you’re having made even better.

Okay, if this isn’t Zaman and Brandon Field’s serious pitch for Night Island, it should be. AMC, are you paying attention? We need this hilarious version of Night Island, stat. Or at least we need this to be a web series we receive regularly. You can’t squander this incredible talent. I was grumpily waking up, and now I am cackling and happy to be alive to witness this level of shenanigans.

Besides, in my opinion, this incredible vision that Zaman and Brandon Field present fits with the Devil’s Minion relationship. Armand and Daniel’s romance can be said to be a dark and twisted psychosexual drama… but you have to admit the Devil’s Minion chapter of Queen of the Damned is also HILARIOUS. Armand ordering every item off the menu because he didn’t know what Daniel would like, comedic genius. Armand making Daniel call France and throwing money all over the bed, I was giggling. (And you can check out this illustration of it here, please and thank you.) So, we can really see a slice-of-life sitcom Night Island happening after this video, and we WANT it. Although please invite older Daniel actor Eric Bogosian for a round two of this video, please and thank you.

Assad Zaman

In any case, Night Island or not, we all needed this. Millennial Safe Space, indeed.

The post Luke Brandon Field and Assad Zaman Make a Good Pitch for NIGHT ISLAND (Do It, AMC!) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Honoring 50 years of the Muppet Show, Marvel is bringing Kermit, Piggy and the rest into the Marvel Universe this fall.

After Marvel’s heroes recently teamed up with a plethora of DC Comics icons, what could possibly follow that up? Well, we have an answer. The iconic heroes of the Marvel Universe will soon join forces with none other than Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and all the other Muppets. Coming in September is The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1, from a creative team that includes writers Chip Zdarsky, Mackenzie Cadenhead, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Adam F. Goldberg, Ashley Allen, Kyle Starks, and more. Artists include Pete Woods, David Baldeon, Áthila Fabbio, E.J. Su, Paco Medina, and Mike Henderson. This special comic celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show, which recently returned to Disney+.

Below is the main cover for The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1, by artist, along with a statement on this new collaboration from Leigh Slaughter, Vice President of The Muppets Studio.

MarvelThe Muppets Take on the Marvel Universe #1

It has been exciting for The Muppets Studio to collaborate with Marvel Comics in a new and unique way to bring the personality, humor and mayhem of The Muppets into the Marvel Universe and vice versa. To do this during the 50th anniversary year of The Muppet Show makes this project even more meaningful.

Writer Chip Zdarsky said, “With the great power of two iconic properties comes great responsibility. I promise not to let down Kermit, Fozzie, and Animal the way Spider-Man let down his Uncle Ben.” Ouch. That’s a low blow sir! Would you talk that way about the other character you famously wrote, Batman? We think not. Zdarsky continued, saying, “It’s impossible to overstate how excited I am to write for Miss Piggy, who I consider to be one of the greatest icons of the last hundred years, a character who speaks to every generation. I also got to write Deadpool.”

Click To View Gallery Marvel/Muppet Studios Muppet Studios/Marvel Marvel/Muppet Studios Muppet Studios/Marvel Marvel/Muppet Studios

There will also be several variant covers. Humberto Ramos’ cover features Kermy swinging along with Spider-Man, and iconic Infinity Gauntlet artist Ron Lim illustrates Gonzo racing Ghost Rider on his bike. Matteo Lolli’s variant cover pays homage to the iconic ’90s movie Muppet Treasure Island, with Deadpool standing in for Long John Silver. Wade Wilson as a pirate? Yeah, we can totally see it. The final variant features a logo mashup, showing a split logo between Spider-Man’s mask and Kermit the Frog’s face.

Muppets Take on the Marvel Universe #1 arrives in comic shops on September 23.

The post Kermy Meets Spidey in MUPPETS TAKE ON THE MARVEL UNIVERSE appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• SPOILER FREE review of the first four episodes of X-Men ’97 season two.
• We’re still in love with the Merry Mutants.

The first season of X-Men ’97 in 2024 was nothing short of amazing. Week after week, the travails of Marvel’s Merry Mutants in animated form was among our favorite things that year. (Go back and listen to Eric Diaz and I talk about it on the Laser Focus podcast from whence.) As with anything I love, the prospect of a second season made me both excited and worried whether it could live up to the orig. Obviously, changing people behind the scenes would have some effect. I’ve now gotten to see the first four episodes of season two, and I’m pleased to share, it’s good. Time will tell if it’ll be as good.

Marvel Television

The first season crammed a lot of story development into only a few episodes. Thus far, it feels like X-Men ’97 season two is covering a lot of ground without burning a ton of storylines. The four episodes that begin the season deal with several, but not all, of the dangling plot threads from the cliffhanger at the end of the last season. As a result, we don’t get to spend a ton of time with everyone yet, but who we do spend time with get plenty of development. And, naturally we get lots of action to keep X-Men fans happy.

Last season ended with half the team in the far-future where Apocalypse reigns supreme. This is where we find Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine, Storm, and young Nathan Summers. The other half went to the ancient past to a young Apocalypse, known as En Sabah Nur, before turning down his dark path. This team is Professor X, Magneto, Beast, Rogue, and Nightcrawler. Meanwhile, some team members and side characters remained in the present where they have to continue the freedom fighting after the world almost died thanks to Bastion and the Sentinels. Cable, Jubilee, Sunspot and others fill this slot.

Marvel Television

While remaining as spoiler-free as possible, I’ll just say that episodes one and two deal with two different time periods while episodes three and four act as a mini-movie in a third time period. For me, the episodes got better as they went. I liked the premiere just fine but it’s the one the felt the most rushed. The second episode gave us a really fun riff on some characters from last year plus a host of new ones.

It is, however, the two-parter that really lets us know this season isn’t just about spectacle and piling on the characters. These give us some real depth and intrigue and allow the players and the themes to breathe. These two feel like they’ll have the most impact going forward. If you’re fans of Magneto and Professor X, then these are definitely up your alley.

The animation remains incredible, the colors pop with vibrancy. I’ve always been impressed by how the animators were able to take the gorgeous but stilted imagery of the original ’90s cartoon and bring it to life so dynamically. You want big, explosive action from your X-Men stories and you get it here and one can imagine it’ll only go up from here.

Marvel Television

I’d say the most disappointing thing about X-Men ’97 season two so far is that I only got to see four episodes and there are only five after that. I’m glad we’re getting yearly seasons from here on because I don’t think we could handle having to wait another two years. While the jury is still out whether the rest of the season will hold up, and none of the episodes so far have reached the heights of individual season one episodes, I’m supremely optimistic for what’s to come.

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

Episodes 1-4 ⭐ (4 of 5)

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.

The post X-MEN ’97 Season 2 Starts Out Just Right (Eps 1-4 Review) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has revealed Anya Taylor-Joy has joined the cast as a new character called Seren.
• We don’t know anything about Seren yet, but we speculate she could be a Silvan elf from Mirkwood.
• Potentially, The Hunt for Gollum movie will follow Aragorn’s search for Gollum after he escapes from Mirkwood, making this a sensible place for Anya Taylor-Joy to fit in.

A new character is joining the world of The Lord of the Rings in the upcoming movie, The Hunt for Gollum. Today, The Hunt for Gollum confirmed that the most elfy actress of all, Anya Taylor-Joy, would indeed play a character in the new Lord of the Rings movie. But this isn’t a Lord of the Rings character we’ve ever crossed paths with before. No, Anya Taylor-Joy will play an original character in The Hunt for Gollum: (what we assume is) an elf called Seren.

Nerdist’s Take on Anya Taylor-Joy‘s New Elf Character, Seren, in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Nothing is yet officially known about Seren in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, except that she is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Still, given the bow in her hands and the fact that Anya Taylor-Joy literally looks like a Lord of the Rings elf, we’re going to assume Seren is an elf. And by the looks of things, she’s a wood elf or one of the Silvan Elves, at that. The Lord of the Rings‘ Legolas is a Silvan elf from Mirkwood. And we know that for a time, Gollum was held by the elves of Mirkwood before he escaped in The Lord of the Rings‘ world, exactly during the time The Hunt for Gollum will likely take place. In fact, it was Sauron who orchestrated Gollum’s escape from Mirkwood, ultimately allowing the Dark Lord to capture Gollum and find out that the One Ring was being kept in the Shire.

Universal Pictures

Perhaps Anya Taylor-Joy’s Seren is one of the elves that was assigned to guard and subsequently lost Gollum, bringing her story and The Hunt for Gollum‘s together.

Anya Taylor-Joy joins the following cast in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum: ” Sir Ian McKellen will once again play Gandalf the Grey. As we recently learned, Kate Winslet will play Marigol. A new actor will portray Strider (aka Aragorn) taking over for Viggo Mortensen. That actor is The Fall and 50 Shades star Jamie Dornan. Leo Woodall will play Halvard, a fellow ranger from the North. And two big returners: Lee Pace will play Thranduil, the ruler of the Wood Elves, and most excitingly, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins.”

More About The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

In previous, Andy Serkis shared the following about The Hunt for Gollum:

We’re very early on in the process. We’ve been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so. We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it’ll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it’s a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release. I’m incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy. The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we’re investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.

RELATED ARTICLE

HUNT FOR GOLLUM Announces Jamie Dornan as Strider

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will release on December 17, 2027.

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The post HUNT FOR GOLLUM Confirms Anya Taylor-Joy as New LOTR Character, Seren appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Here are all of the characters you might not remember but need to before House of the Dragon season three premieres on HBO.

After two seasons everyone knows the major players in the Dance of the Dragons. Season two gave us more than it took, as Rhaenyra gained three new dragonriders after Rhaenys’ death. Wars are often won by the overlooked, people like Alys Rivers. She’s hard to forget, but we would hate for you to overlook anyone who might prove important to ending this civil war. So to help you prepare for House of the Dragon season three we put together a list of characters you might not completely remember.

Jason Lannister Theo Whiteman/HBO

While Tyland went off to negotiate a treaty with the Triarchy, his pompous identical twin brother Jason is leading a western force towards Harrenhal. In season two, he beckoned the Prince Regent, Aemond Targaryen, to come with his dragon to aide the army. Aemond did not like that, nor did he go.

Sharako Lohar HBO

Jason’s more present brother Tyland, the Greens’ Master of Ships, made a deal with Triarchy admiral Sharako Lohar. The flashy commander is leading 90 ships to battle Corlys Velaryon at the Gullet.

Grand Maester Orwyle Ollie Upton/HBO

Aegon only survived his catastrophic injuries at Rook’s Rest thanks to the highly capable and even-keeled Grand Maester Orwyle. He has served on the Green council since the start of the war. He was part of Viserys’ small council prior to the King’s death.

Oscar Tully  HBO

Brave and fearless Lord Oscar of House Tully is wise beyond his years. The new Lord Paramount of the Riverlands stood up to both Daemon and the riverlords hesitant to follow such a young man. He quickly proved himself a worthy, capable leader who understands people. He forced Daemon to execute Willem Blackwood for war crimes even though Willem was acting on Daemon’s behalf.

Cregan Stark HBO

The young, serious Lord of Winterfell sent 2,000 “greybeards” to fight on behalf of Queen Rhaenyra. His younger men are helping him prepare for the coming of winter in the North, but Cregan promised age would not hinder his mens’ fighting ability. That force of grizzled warriors were seen marching south through the Twins in season two’s finale.

Lord Forrest and Lady Sabitha Frey HBO

The Lord and Lady of the Twins agreed to fight for Rhaenyra after Prince Jace promised to protect their home with a dragon. They then opened their bridge for Cregan Stark’s greybeards.

Lady Jeyne Arryn Theo Whiteman/HBO

Another major house sworn to Rhaenyra is House Arryn in the Vale. It’s led by the stern Lady Jeyne Arryn also took in Rhaena (who ended season two chasing after a wild dragon in the Vale mountains), as well as princes Aegon and Viserys, Rhaenyra’s two sons with Daemon.

Ser Gwayne Hightower HBO

Alicent’s brother Gwayne Hightower was not on King’s Landing long. He went to war alongside Ser Criston Cole. Together the two have led a destructive rampage through the crownlands, with their most memorable victory coming at Rook’s Rest. Gwayne figured out the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard had an inappropriate relationship with his sister.

Ser Simon Strong’s Grandsons Germund and Paxter HBO

We know you remember Ser Simon Strong, whose calm demeanor helped him deal with Daemon Targaryen after Daemon took Harrenhal. You might not remember Ser Simon’s two grandsons, Germund and Paxter, who are often by his side eating with their mouths open. Which one is Germund and which one is Paxter? It doesn’t matter.

Jasper Wylde HBO

The sarcastic, gruff Lord Jasper Wylde is the Green council’s Master of Laws. He conspired to put Aegon on the Iron Throne.

Ser Rickard Thorne HBO

Ser Rickard Thornes is a member of Aegon’s Kingsguard. He has served as Alicent’s personal protector since Aegon named Criston Cole Hand of the King.

Joffrey Velaryon HBO

Rhaenyra had three illegitimate children with the late Ser Harwin Strong: Jace, Luke, and Joffrey. Aemond killed Luke. The show did everything it could to kill your memory of Joffrey.

Maester Gerardys HBO

Gerardys serves as Grand Maester for Rhaenyra and her small council.

Ser Lorent Marbrand HBO

Ser Lorent was a member of Viserys’ Kingsguard. He was with Rhaenyra on Dragonstone when Viserys died. Lorent then swore fealty to Rhaenyra and has served loyally on her Queensguard ever since. He often stands by the Queen’s side and protects her bedchamber.

Alfred Broome HBO

Ser Alfred is a member of the noble House Broome in the Westerlands who serves on Rhaenyra’s small council. The brash Broome clashed with the queen multiple times, but she still trusted him to deliver a message to Daemon at Harrenhal. Despite swearing his allegiance, Broome did not seem thrilled when the riverlords all unifed around Rhaenyra. He had already said the Realm needed a King and leader of men like Daemon to rule. Broome asked Daemon to declare for himself, and his frustration with her newfound support was evident as an unhappy Broome disappeared into the cheering crowd at Harrenhal.

Bartimos Celtigar HBO

The vocal Lord Bartimos is a member of Rhaenyra’s small council. He has frequently undermined the Queen, resulting in her slapping him once.

Gormon Massey HBO

Lord Gormon Massey joined Rhaenyra’s small council in season two. His family’s seat at Sharp Point sits on the peninsula that serves as the southern border of the Gullet, the vital waterway that connects Blackwater Bay and the Narrow Sea. He’s also father to Elinda.

Elinda Massey HBO

Rhaenyra’s loyal and dedicated lady-in-waiting served her in King’s Landing Queen long before the Dance of the Dragons. The noblewoman returned to the capital in season two to help execute Mysaria’s covert plans to turn the city against the Greens in hopes they would back Rhaenyra.

Dyana HBO

In season one Aegon sexually assaulted Dyana and got her pregnant. The serving girl was then convinced/manipulated/threatened to drink moon tea and remain silent by Queen Alicent. Dyana ultimately found a job at a tavern where patrons mistreated her. when Mysaria sent Elinda to King’s Landing the lady-in-waiting met with Dyana who helped execute the White Worm’s plans.

Sylvi HBO

Prince Regent Aemon Targaryen used to frequent the Mother’s brothel run by Sylvi. He relied on and confided in Sylvi, who served as a comforting mother-like figure for Aemond, who was unusually vulnerable when he was with her.

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.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Characters You Might Not Remember Before Season 3 appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Stranger Things’ creators the Duffer Brothers have received a November 2028 release date for their mysterious “event film” at Paramount.

The Duffer Brothers sure do like keeping fans in the dark. They waited until the end of Stranger Things to reveal what the Upside Down actually was. Then they left Eleven’s ultimate fate ambiguous enough not even the cast can agree if she’s still alive or not. Now the sibling duo is working on a new film we don’t know anything about. Almost anything, that is. Paramount has given the Matt and Ross Duffers’ mysterious big screen movie project a November 2028 release date. And it sounds like it’s going to be a big undertaking.

Netflix

Paramount has scheduled the Duffer Brothers film to arrive in theaters on November 3, 2028. It sounds like it will be a big budget release. The Hollywood Reporter says Paramount describes the movie as an “event” film.

There are no details about the untitled project before its release date and general ambition. It will also be part of the brothers’ mega four-year deal they signed with Paramount ahead of Stranger Things‘ finale. The chance to make featured films for the big screen was one of the main reason they left Netflix for Paramount. The agreement cited “ambitious” and  “large-scale theatrical” projects.

Their deal with Paramount did not end the Duffers work with Netflix. In the announcement for their new Paramount deal, they cited their continued involvement producing Netflix’s Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and The Boroughs. They are also still working on Stranger Things spinoffs.

The LEGO Group

As for this “event film,” it feels very far away because November 2028 might as well be a hundred years away. But with an early holiday release it’s clearly going to serve as an anchor for Paramount’s theatrical release calendar that year. The movie’s late-in-the-year premiere date also raises the possibility that Paramount might consider the movie Oscar-worthy.

Could that really be the case? In true Duffers Brothers fashion we have no idea! They really like to keep fans in the dark.

The post Duffer Brothers’ Mystery Movie Gets November 2028 Release Date appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• We spoke to House of the Dragon star Abubakar Salim about what it was like returning to House of the Dragon for season three.

Even the biggest House of the Dragon fan might not immediately recognize Abubakar Salim if they passed him on the street, but for a very different reason than you might not recognize some of his colleagues. Unlike the other members of House Velaryon, the star of Assassin’s Creed Origins doesn’t have to wear a wig on the show. He undergoes a physical transformation from his natural state as a gregarious actor with a big warm smile and a video game obsession into the super serious Alyn of Hull with just a shaved head, a clean face, a few scars, and what he calls a “brooding, angry” demeanor.

Obviously, a lot more goes into playing the legendary Westerosi seaman than looking stoic and sporting a bald head. So what does it take to portray a beloved character from George R.R. Martin’s world? How was that challenge different this time around versus when he joined the series in season two? And what’s it like being on a show this popular? Nerdist asked Salim about all of that and a whole lot more when we spoke to him ahead of the premiere of House of the Dragon season three.

Turns out being a great Alyn of Hull involves a lot more Elden Ring music than you’d think.

Ollie Upton/HBO

Nerdist: You’ve starred on some big shows, but with House of the Dragon, you’re a significant part of one of the most popular series in the world, which itself is part of one of the most popular franchises in the world. That’s a different level of fame than most actors will ever have. So what has it been like living as Alyn of Hull since season two?

Abubakar Salim: Very surreal. The more I think about it, and the more I begin to not only learn about his story, but also have fans and people tell me about his story, the more I realize how important it is and how big of a role it is. It’s frightening, but also very, very exciting. I feel very lucky and blessed to have the privilege to be playing such a character who has lot of complexity to him. There’s a lot to mine from him. It’s like an actor’s dream to have a character where there is a lot of nuance to mine from.

Westeros is full of big showy characters, but Alyn is among the most buttoned down, serious figures from any HBO Game of Thrones show. Do you ever find yourself frustrated by having to play it so stern? Or is that actually more fun when you’re in this chaotic world?

Salim: It’s more fun in the chaotic world, because you then wonder what happens when he does buck. :laughs: That’s something I really enjoy diving into and leaning into. It’s like when you look at a duck on water. They look so calm, but their feet are like this. That’s kind of where Alyn is. There are so many cogs whirring. There are so many things happening. But rather than show the panic and the manic-ness of where he’s at, it’s better to retain it. It’s good fun. It’s good fun to be able to do that and play with that and have those moments where, if something does kick off it pays off, rather than necessarily it feeling like he is just stoic.

Ollie Upton/HBO

Speaking of your performance, with such a big gap between seasons, do you find yourself struggling to remember everything that happened in season two?

Salim: Oh yeah. :big laugh: It’s tough. The great thing about the world we live in is that we can basically turn it on and watch the whole season to remind you essentially what’s happened. But yeah, it’s quite funny being like, “Okay, where am I? What happened? Who am I again? How did I perform this scene?” There is also something really quite refreshing about having that space and gap to reflect and take and enjoy the season that comes out.

We have this huge gap, and I’d love to just keep going and keep giving more stories. But there is also an enjoyment of being like, “Oh yeah, I can sit back and watch this series and enjoy it with everyone else and be like, all right, here we go again.”

You said you can go back and be like, “Oh, where was I? I’m here.” But did you have to rewatch any episodes to recenter your performance or was the character still fully realized in your head?

Salim: No. For me, whenever I do character work I always build a soundtrack. I always listen to my soundtrack and that is what centers me.

Whenever I watch, it’s more so to just enjoy the story and see what my other mates and colleagues were doing because I have no idea. Especially season two was funny because I was just on the dock and I generally thought it was just my show. :laughs: Whereas when I watch it, then I’ve got every other character coming in and I’m like, “Who are these people? ” But for me, I do feel that it’s always better to progress and trust the words and trust the story and trust that that will bring your character, and my soundtrack, to connect me to that cadence, what is my inner cadence and lean into that. Which helps. It really does help.

What’s the number one song on the playlist for Alyn?

Salim: Oh, you want to know?

C’mon. You gotta tell me.

Salim: Okay. Hold on. I’ll tell you right now because I have it right here. I listen to it all the time whenever I’m playing. :he searches his computer: I’ve got so many different character playlists. I have to scroll through. Where is it, where is it…here we go. Ready?

The first one I listened to is “The King,” which is from The Northman, the OST soundtrack. Then we’ve got “The Power of Prophecy,” which was from House of the Dragon season one. Then “House Velaryon.” So those are my three kind of ones that get me in. Then I’ve got “I Am His Vengeance” and “Strike, Brother” as well from The Northman. So really The Northman and House of the Dragon are the ones that I really pull from.

Then, if I’m really feeling as though I want to just get into the feels, or get into the character or the world of it, Elden Ring OST is my go-to. Specifically Shadow of the Erdtree. I think it’s powerful and it’s a great soundtrack to listen to. The playlist is what gets me into it. Then if I just want to sit in the mood of it, it’s Elden Ring.

Before we move on to season three, I want to go back to the end of season two and what followed. I’m certainly not going to ask you to speak about what George R. R. Martin said about the show, but I am curious how you felt about it. What was your reaction to his big post where he shared his issues with House of the Dragon?

Salim: Look, I mean, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know too much about it. I wasn’t really engaged on that front. For me, my job as the actor is essentially to do what has been given to me. And I feel incredibly lucky to be given the character where it’s, again, it’s something that he has created and he’s put a lot of care and passion into, to bring that to screen and enjoy it. But yeah, I don’t know. I didn’t really engage on that front because again, it’s like one of those ones where it didn’t really feel like it was something for me to do. But yeah, you’re asking the wrong guy. :laughs:

Things between him and Ryan Condal have not improved. Did those creative differences manifest in any noticeable ways while filming season three?

Salim: No, not at all. Again, my process of season three was a wonderful one. It was a beautiful one. I had a great time working on it. Ryan is one of the funniest and the most caring [people]. And probably a bigger nerd than I am. And that’s saying something for a guy [like me] who plays video games basically 24/7. It’s pretty amazing how much this guy cares about this show and how much he cares about the people around it. So as I say, I don’t know. They’re probably the best people to ask on this stuff because I just listen to my music and focus on my lines.

Warner Bros. Discovery

Speaking of that, what was different for you this time around returning to a show as a veteran versus joining it in season two as a newcomer?

Salim: I wouldn’t even say that I’m a veteran. I think I’m still learning.

It’s funny, I remember the feeling on Raised By Wolves when we did season one. It was all very new for everyone. And then season two was like, “Okay, we know what we’re doing. We’ve got an idea, we’re accustomed to it.” But even then, it was still full of surprises. And that’s the beauty of this industry is that it’s always surprising. It’s always an interesting space to play in, because as soon as you get comfortable, that’s when mistakes happen and that’s when you should probably move on.

As actors, you’re so used to being uncomfortable all the time, be it through auditions or through work, that you never really feel seasoned or like a veteran. It’s always new, it’s always fresh. And I think that’s what makes a good actor. It’s like when you’re watching it, you’re like, “Oh, this is the first time they’re saying these lines.”

Ollie Upton/HBO

Well, you also got off the dock this year, so that was new, right?

Salim: This is what I mean. I learned that I obviously have supporting artists working with me on my main show, so I had to get used to that. That was probably the biggest thing I learned.

Where is Alyn emotionally heading into this season and how is it meaningfully different from where we saw him in season two?

Salim: There is a lot bubbling. We ended season two with Alyn essentially opening his heart and telling Corlys where to stick it. But again, it came from a place of being vulnerable and opening up. And that’s where we’re entering into now. We’re entering into seeing Alyn being more vulnerable, seeing Alyn be more engaged in politics that he doesn’t really want to be a part of, but having to be forced into. That’s an interesting space to play, especially for someone who is just used to serving and doing the job. Now he’s having to think a bit on his own feet and play in that. It’s an evolution, a place where Alyn feels uncomfortable. Where he’s going to have to suck it up and either survive or die.

Ollie Upton/HBO

Speaking of the Sea Snake, Steve Toussaint is such a presence on this show. He’s incredible just to watch. What’s it like filming with him, especially during these very intimate, highly charged scenes that you have together?

Salim: Oh, it’s phenomenal. I’ve learned so much from just being on set and seeing him both behind camera and on camera. He is one of the loveliest, most brilliant and passionate human beings I’ve ever met. And when that camera turns on and brings the game in, it’s always just amazing to see. I have so much time for Steve.

It is very daunting and quite terrifying to come on such a huge show not really knowing many people. It’s always the first time. The first time’s always tricky because you don’t know anyone, you’re learning about the dynamics of the show, you’re learning about different kinds of friendship groups and whatever. And Steve made me feel like I had been there from the beginning. That’s such a powerful testament to who he is as a person that I wish to carry that on whenever I do productions and shows. Making other people feel that way, because the way he makes me feel makes me feel as if I could do anything.

Well, anything besides probably being glad you don’t have to wear that wig like the rest of your family.

Salim: I mean, look…it was either….it’s…it’s…..yes, I’m very happy. :laughs: Because there’s a lot of time in the makeup chair that is saved because all I’ve got to do is shave this head. And I’m happy I also have hair to come back to.

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

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s Abubakar Salim on Alyn of Hull’s Season 3 Return appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Walt Disney World can seem like its more geared towards adults now, but new experiences show Disney still very much has youngsters and families in mind.

The first time I brought my young son to Walt Disney World, it felt as though I had never been there before. Rides, shows, and even restaurants I thought I knew intimately felt fresh, as if I’d never fully experienced them before. Being there with my bubs made every aspect feel new and special. He made it possible for me to appreciate the parks in ways I couldn’t otherwise. But…

“But….”

Going to Disney with a young child is fundamentally different than going alone, with other adults, or even with older kids. It’s a whole lot harder. Young children require way more rest and attention. They can’t control their emotions as well as (most) grownups in a place designed to make them feel big emotions. And they pose logistical issues you don’t have to deal with otherwise. Hopping on a bus by yourself to get to EPCOT so you can drink around the world is easy. But “easy” does not describe desperately struggling to quickly fold up a stroller you’re unfamiliar with so you can squeeze onto an overcrowded bus at 11:30 at night. While exhausted. And overheated. And hoping your kiddo can hold it together for 20 long anxious minutes.

As he gets older, it will get easier for my wife and I to take him (We noticed a big difference just from age three to age four.) But while we’ll age out of those issues, they will always exist for families who take their little ones to Disney. Fortunately, our most recent trip made it obvious the company knows that and is trying to make things easier both littles and their bigs. Because while countless vloggers and fansites can make it seem as though Disney parks have become more geared towards adults, new additions and a renewed focus on kids show Disney is still very much a place for families.

Enjoying the ease of an unexpectedly empty Monorail

Last year, Walt Disney World invited my family and I down to experience the kickoff of the first ever Cool Kids Summer. I described it as a boondoggle for worn-out parents. Clearly many others agreed. Executives told media in attendance for this year’s Summer Fun Fest event it was a resounding success with guests, which is why Disney brought Cool Kids’ Summer back this year.

The program once again includes discounted tickets for children. There is also a free kids dining plan offer and lower rates at select Disney resorts. During the summer, those participating hotels also run unique activations and experiences for youngsters. Children can enjoy special character interactions, libraries, pajama parties, sing-a-longs, campfires, and more. Plus, once again everyone in your party gets free entry to one of two Disney World water parks on the day you check into any Disney resort.

Can’t do better than a free water park visit and a tub of Dole Whip.

(Of all the Cool Kids’ Summer perks, the free water park entry might be my favorite. I love both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon for very different reasons. And it’s possible to do both. You can go to either one on the day you arrive. Or you can do a split resort stay and go to a water park in the middle of your trip. Either is a truly fantastic way to take a break from the theme parks without feeling like you’re missing out. Some of our favorite moments on both vacations happened at the water parks.)

All of that is great for kids, since youngsters always need more breaks from the hot summer Orlando weather. That means more time at the resorts. But this year Disney is also making it physically easier for parents and caregivers to take them there. Cool Kids’ Summer now includes complimentary amenities adults would otherwise have to trudge along or forego entirely. In addition to pack and play cribs, Walt Disney World is now providing free-to-use items like bottle warmers, baby bathtubs, diaper trash cans, nightlights, and bed bumpers. If you don’t have to worry about things like baby bottles or your toddler sleeping in a tall bed, that might not sound like a big deal. If you do, it’s like having the Blue Fairy grant a wish you didn’t even know you could make.

Click To View Gallery Bed bumpers = Boo yeah Hercules-sent Simple but glorious Old standby with new amenity friends

Disney’s focus on families and its youngest guests extends well beyond ticket discounts and hotel bonuses. The parks are full of attractions and shows meant for them. During the Summer Fun Fest media presentation, we got sneak peeks at three new park activations that opened after Memorial Day. Animal Kingdom is now home (full-time) to Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station.

It’s a free-flowing interactive experience with dancing, games, and photo ops inspired directly by the show. The reaction from my four-year-old and the other kids in attendance to playing magic asparagus with Bluey and Bingo was exactly as joyous and exciting as you’d think. It was like the kids version of The Beatles arriving to play The Ed Sullivan Show.

Keepy Uppy with Bluey and Bingo!

The children at the event also went wild for the song, dance, and games addition that has arrived at the Magic Kingdom for the summer, Jessie’s Roundup: A Rip-Roarin’ Revue. Toy Story‘s Jessie, Woody, and friends have taken over the Diamond Horseshoe during Cool Kids’ Summer. Like with Bluey’s Wild World and the third activation, the returning GoofyCore experience at EPCOT, kids went wild for this show. All told my son spent an hour dancing and having the time of his life with all three activities.

GoofyCore remains undefeated

And for me? I didn’t have to do much more than enjoy watching him have fun while cast members helped keep him engaged and entertained.

Like I said last year, Cool Kids’ Summer is secretly just as much for parents as it is little ones.

You’ve got a friend in any cast member who keeps your kid dancing.

(Like its east coast counterpart, Disneyland Resort is also offering special experiences and discounts for little ones as part of its own Kids Rule Summer celebration. It features the Disney Friends Dance Party at DCA’s Disney Theater. You can also find Experiment-626 at Stitch’s Interplanetary Beach Party Blast at Tomorrowland. And there are new opportunities and characters in Galaxy’s Edge, as well as special ticket and hotel rates.)

My optimism as a park-loving Disney dad is about much more than special summertime activations, though. I’m far more excited about the permanent additions and updates that have arrived or are coming to Walt Disney World, because it’s obvious Disney is making a big family-centered investment in its parks. There are already far more characters and live-performers than there had been in years. They’ve added a kinetic energy that each park was clearly missing. Last year Magic Kingdom also introduced the lovely nighttime Starlight Parade. It’s exactly what it needed. My little guy loved Starlight the way I adored the old Main Street Electrical Parade when I was a kid.

A little nighttime Starlight magic

Walt Disney World’s signature theme park also just underwent two huge refurbishments on famous attractions, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. The latter was my son’s favorite ride last year. And while he loved it (and rode it) more than ever thanks to the ride’s special new blasters and targets, the former was his favorite this year. With good reason. Big Thunder Mountain has never been smoother or more fun.

(My son was obsessed with the new story behind Big Thunder. I never fully appreciated the storytelling aspect of Disney attractions until a toddler started asking me four million questions after every ride. Every time. And I do mean every ride, every time. Weeks later he’s still asking about the Na’vi after going on Na’vi River Journey at Animal Kingdom.)

The only actual nap my bubs took the whole long trip!

Magic Kingdom, which is getting a giant Carousel of Progress overhaul in 2027, will soon be home to the new Cars-themed Piston Peak and Villains Land as well. Meanwhile Hollywood Studios, where a refresh has made Smuggler’s Run a lot more re-rideable, is working on Monstropolis (which I got to visit) and Animal Kingdom is building its new Tropics of America area. These are giant, park-shifting changes that will offer even more experiences for youngsters and their families.

While those new lands are years away, Hollywood Studios has already opened an incredible new area. It couldn’t be anymore family-centered. The newly revamped Animation Courtyard is a big open whimsical space full of characters and shows for kids. I already covered the area and why it’s going to be even better in just a couple of months when The Magic of Animation opens. The multiple experience space, located next to the wonderful new Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! kids’ show, will include the park’s first playground for little ones. It will also feature plenty of seating and charging stations for parents, another small but meaningful way Disney is prioritizing the big people who take little ones to the parks.

Nerdist

Another way Disney is trying to simplify things for grownups is by making things easier before you even arrive. The company is working on a big refresh of its Disney parks apps and websites. I attended a media panel about how they’re doing exactly that. Executives and designers talked about making the apps and sites less cluttered more intuitive. They’re also focused on making things easier for non-Disney veterans. They know booking, planning, and going to the parks can feel like a puzzle to solve. They also know not everyone knows what that puzzle even looks like.

I (generally) know how to use the apps and sites. Yet even after spending countless hours on both, there are still features I don’t know about. There are also ones I don’t like or wish existed. Some important elements are hard to locate even after you’ve already found them once. Disney has heard from guests about those problems. It is trying to make it easier for everyone to use, but in a way that won’t make newcomers feel overwhelmed . The goal is to make it so someone trying to book their first vacation doesn’t feel like they’re forgetting a bunch of things.

A surprise meeting with Goofy at our hotel

(I am generally enthusiastic about Disney’s efforts to make both booking a trip and using the apps once you’re in the parks less cumbersome. I’m less excited by the new AI search tool execs say they’re adding. It’s the one component the panel did not seem eager to elaborate on. It’s unclear if that’s because they know it’s a controversial subject or because they’re still developing the technology they plan to employ. In either case, they very intentionally did not get into specifics when asked about it.)

I’ve had wonderful times in Disney parks by myself or with just other grownups. Solo or adult-only trips are great. They’re also easier for the same reason taking young children anywhere is inherently harder. It’s less physical and emotional work to only worry about your own energy level, body temperature, and what you want to eat and drink. But you know what else rules? Seeing your kid’s face erupt in pure joy because he didn’t know Encanto‘s Mirabel was going to come to your table. Nothing compares to hearing him tell strangers about “the wildest ride in the West” while waiting to go back on his new favorite attraction. There’s simply nothing better than watching him give Mickey Mouse a hug.

Click To View Gallery The best Also the best The best reminder why it’s all worth it The dancing best

It’s a lot of time, money, and effort to make those moments happen. Any adult who has taken a small child to Disney knows why. They also know there’s no level of exhaustion or frustration, no amount of heat and humidity, they wouldn’t endure to see him their little ones that happy. So while Walt Disney World has evolved to become a place adults can enjoy on their own, it’s still a magical place to bring children. And Disney has made it priority to keep it that way. And it’s doing so by making it easier to visit with your kids.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. His bubs especially loves the “magic” pictures you can get with Photo Pass photographers. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post How WALT DISNEY WORLD Embraces Its Youngest Guests and Families appeared first on Nerdist.

Fox is leveling up in the streaming game with a $22 billion dollar purchase of Roku. Yes, you read that figure right. That’s a whole lotta billions for Roku, the popular TV streaming platform that around 100 million people use.  Fox will acquire Roku for $160.00 per share in a combination of cash and Fox Class A common stock, in case you are wondering where that amount came from. Combining Fox’s stacked lineup of sports, entertainment, and news shows with Roku devices and its streaming channels is a big deal. It will make Fox more competitive with giants like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max. Fox

“This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,” said Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch. “Today, we take the next step: bringing together the most valuable live content portfolio in video consumption with the preeminent streaming platform through which America watches it.” 

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And, in case you are wondering, the competitor apps on Roku will continue to be available for consumers. The deal that Fox struck to buy Roku for $22 billion will likely finalize in early 2027, so we will have to wait and see what comes of this partnership. 

The post Fox Buys Roku for a Staggering $22 Billion Dollars appeared first on Nerdist.

For the first time in over 20 years, the beloved and enduring sci-fi series Doctor Who is taking an extended (and indefinite) break with a future that still feels uncertain. Fans were looking forward to a Christmas special, but now that’s cancelled. Recent showrunner Russell T Davies and his Bad Wolf production team are no longer involved with the show. No one has any idea who the next Doctor will be, but it surely will NOT be Billie Piper in the role. And it is not clear who the BBC will partner with next to bring Doctor Who to the masses, as the show is up for competitive tender. While it is disheartening to see Doctor Who in such a precarious position, a long-term break is exactly what the series needs right now. 

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In 2005, Doctor Who made a strong return to television after a hiatus since 1989. The revived show’s first two Doctors—Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and David Tennant’s ever-popular Tenth Doctor—catapulted Doctor Who into a modern era with global success. A new wave of Who fans joined Classic era lovers as the BBC pumped out merchandise, encouraged live-tweeting, and consistently delivered seasons that felt cohesive and fresh. Podcasts popped up all over the place and Doctor Who fan conventions were busier than ever. The years went by and, although there were some bumps and not-so-great episodes/arcs along the way, the general consensus was that Doctor Who provided a solid blueprint for commercial sci-fi success. 

Things became even more exciting for Doctor Who’s swelling and diverse fanbase when Jodie Whittaker stepped into the role in 2018. With companions like Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan by her side, this TARDIS team felt deeply representative of the show’s global fanbase. However, Doctor Who’s ongoing train of time and space adventures began to lose its creative steam.

BBC/Disney+/Bad Wolf Studios

Seasons 12 and 13, the latter of which was both truncated and overstuffed, were largely uneven with massive changes to the Doctor’s backstory that didn’t sit well with the fandom overall. Payoffs felt less epic and satisfying, with some pretty forgettable foes. And, the fandom became more divided than ever, with certain people (you know the ones) unfairly blaming the show’s creative stumbles on its diverse cast.

The television watching landscape also changed significantly, with more shows going straight to a growing number of streaming services. In a world with seemingly endless options and some incredibly consistent and solid shows, Doctor Who’s viewership experienced a continuous decline. 

The 2023 anniversary specials felt like a grab for nostalgia, bringing Donna Noble into the mix and giving David Tennant the chance to briefly play the Fourteenth Doctor. Were they enjoyable episodes? Sure. Did they do much to honor the milestone legacy and lore of Doctor Who as a whole? Not really. 

Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor showed much promise as Russell T Davies returned to helm the series and a big streaming partnership with Disney+. However, Gatwa’s run was more chaotically creative, with massive mysteries like Ruby’s mom coming to a fizzle and episodes that were flat out stinkers. Uneven character and plot development riddled the season and often undermined the genuinely great chemistry between Gatwa and Millie Gibson. For every gem like “73 Yards” and “Rogue,” there were episodes and conclusions that made their punch feel weaker.

Lara Cornell/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf

The same goes for Gatwa’s second and final season, with a conclusion that led to a disappointing and bizarre ending for both Fifteen and Belinda Chandra. The “odes” to the past were not very seamless and there was nothing particularly interesting that pushed the Doctor forward as a character. Again, there were far too many people who wanted to blame progressive casting and themes for the show’s decline when it was simply not well packaged together with inconsistent tone and quality overall. 

A hiatus gives the BBC a chance to not only carefully vet and secure a new partnership for its future, but for there to be meaningful conversations about future leadership and creative strategy. What is the structure of a season in terms of storytelling format, number of episodes, and release schedule? How does Doctor Who compete in a world where streaming has a far stronger foothold than it did 20 years ago? What are ways to bridge the gap between generations and honor the show’s long-standing legacy yet still push it forward?

Those are just a few questions that require time and deep thought to ensure that this next foundational overhaul is solid. Personally, I’d rather see a return to earlier form with more practical effects and props versus super CGI-heavy effects, and return to some darker, weirder, and more grounded storytelling that still sends poignant messages about hope, humanity, and the future. Also, as a long time lover of this franchise, I think Doctor Who is not as weird and quirky as it used to be. Bring back those eccentric vibes over something far more polished that looks and feels, well, a little too much like most things on TV.

BBC/Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+

Most of us don’t love the long waits between seasons of a show in our post-COVID world. But, in this case, absence really can make the heart grow fonder. With Doctor Who streaming on AMC+ and Big Finish Audios giving us fresh stories, fans who feel a bit disconnected from the fandom can reconnect with the series and reignite that passion for it.

Unlike newer shows that are frequently flash-in-the-pan, forgotten successes, Doctor Who has staying power through its fandom and core principles. It will never, ever not be cool to see an humanoid alien with two hearts travel in a space box that’s bigger on the inside. That type of wonder, joy, and even danger is an escape that we all increasingly crave in fraught times.

As a fandom, whether we’ve loved, hated, or felt indifferent about a certain character, episode, or arc, we forget that we’ve had quite the luxury of having this era of the series around for two decades. We need that time not only to miss it, but to find creative ways to maintain and build new connections and perhaps stop giving voice and platforms to people who only mean to incite division and push harmful and horrible rhetoric. Nothing is above criticism, but it is something different when bigotry clouds the lens.

Current fans aside, newbies also have a chance to dive into the Whoniverse and eagerly wait for the day it returns. Because, as far as the BBC has stated, it will indeed return. For fans who truly love Doctor Who, the wait will be worth it if the BBC takes its time to recalibrate the series and set it on an exciting new trajectory. 

The post Why DOCTOR WHO and Its Fandom Need This Hiatus appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• It looks like the lights are back on for the Dead by Daylight film adaptation, as the production company has found writers and a director for it.
• Thordur Palsson will come on board to direct the Dead by Daylight movie.
• David Leslie Johnston-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja will pen the script for the upcoming movie.
• Blumhouse-Atomic Monster brings this video adaptation movie to life.

A few years ago, we learned that Dead by Daylight would be yet another video game franchise to get a live-action adaptation. And, with the news that Blumhouse-Atomic Monster would be the force behind it, we surely thought things would move fast. Well, that wasn’t the case until now. It seems the lights are back on for the Dead by Daylight film adaptation, as the production company has found writers for it and a director. 

Behaviour Interactive

David Leslie Johnston-McGoldrick and Alexandre Aja will pen the script for Dead by Daylight’s upcoming movie. The former has worked with James Wan and helped to craft a few of The Conjuring films. Aja is a director who is known for his work on the Wes Craven remake The Hills Have Eyes, among other ventures.

Meanwhile, Thordur Palsson, who directed Iceland’s first-ever Netflix original series, The Valhalla Murders. Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse Atomic Monster, shared of the Dead by Daylight director decision, “There is no better moment than the tenth anniversary to share this news. Thordur is the filmmaker we trust to carry ‘Dead by Daylight’ from the screen you play on to the big screen you watch in theaters.” 

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Additionally, Blum noted of the film’s writers, “What David and Alexandre bring to Dead by Daylight is a rare balance of character-driven storytelling and relentless genre intensity,” said Jason Blum, Blumhouse’s founder and CEO, in a statement. “Drawing from survival horror and psychological terror, their work establishes a world where fear is not just experienced, but earned. It is a cinematic blueprint designed to attract a director who can elevate that vision through performance and scale.”

Of course, it will still be a while before the film moves forward with casting, trailers, and all the things we love to see. But at least this Dead by Daylight project by Blumhouse is still in the works.

Originally published in March 2023.

The post DEAD BY DAYLIGHT Movie Sets Director appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• AMC’s The Vampire Lestat pulls many elements from Anne Rice’s original novels, but also makes some fairly major changes too.

AMC’s The Vampire Lestat pulls many scenarios and moments straight from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Naturally, the series mainly pulls from book two, The Vampire Lestat, but also borrows from other titles in Rice’s 13-book series. Here, we detail where the AMC series draws direct inspiration from Rice’s prose, episode by episode, but especially where it deviates from the books in a big way. Let’s check out the biggest references and most major changes that The Vampire Lestat makes to Anne Rice’s books.

The Vampire Lestat Episode 1: “Detroit”AMCThe Vampire Lestat (1985), “Downtown Saturday Night in the 20th Century: 1984”: Location Changes, Louis Insertions, and Time Shifts

Lestat living adjacent to a garage band named Satan’s Night Out, who convince him to join their band, is all from how Anne Rice’s novel opens. This takes place in the chapter “Downtown Saturday Night in the 20th Century: 1984.” However, in The Vampire Lestat book, this all occurs in New Orleans, not Montreal.

Also, Lestat learns from the band that Louis has detailed their lives together in book form. In the AMC series, Lestat finds out the book via an email alert. He has already reunited with Louis in the AMC series, and the book serves to break them up again. This also marks a major change from The Vampire Lestat, which barely features Louis at all. In fact, in the book, Lesat forms a rock band partially to lure Louis back to him. Also, all of this takes place in the present day in the The Vampire Lestat series, and not in 1984.

The Vampire Lestat (1985), “Dionysus in San Francisco: 1985”: Dracula’s Daughter Changes LocationsAMC

In episode one, the Detroit vampires attack Lestat in the boutique hotel called Dracula’s Daughter. This references the vampire covens attacking him at his Halloween night concert in the climax of Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. However, in the book, Dracula’s Daughter is a bar in San Francisco, not a hotel.

The Vampire Lestat, Episode 2: “Toledo” AMCThe Vampire Lestat (1985),”Lelio Rising”: Lestat’s Stuttering is a TV Series Invention

Lestat’s flashbacks to his mortal life in 18th-century France are how he begins his story in Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. All the details about his cruel older brothers and father tormenting him as a child are from the opening portions of the novel, “Lelio Rising.” Lestat de Lioncourt, taking on the task of killing the wolves attacking the local village, is also from this section of the novel. So is his close relationship with his mother, Gabriella.

However, Lestat’s struggles with stuttering as a young child, which The Vampire Lestat spends a great deal of time on, are an invention of the AMC series.

The Queen of the Damned (1988), “The Short, Happy Life of Baby Jenks and the Fang Gang”: The Fang Gang and Baby Jenks Change From Book to The Vampire Lestat Series

The name of the Detroit vampires, the Fang Gang, comes from the third Vampire Chronicles novel, The Queen of the Damned. But in the Anne Rice novel, the Fang Gang were not against Lestat for exposing the secrets of the undead to the world. Instead, they wanted to join him. The Fang Gang in the AMC series, meanwhile, is attempting to kill Lestat for breaking “The Great Laws.”

This is what most vampires were threatening to do at the start of the novel, The Queen of the Damned. Additionally, in the novels, Baby Jenks is a newly created vampire who is a part of the Fang Gang. She is killed by Queen Akasha when she rises. In the show, that has yet to occur, marking another change between The Vampire Lestat series and Anne Rice’s books.

The Vampire Lestat (1985), “Downtown Saturday Night in the 20th Century: 1984”: Who Is Telling the Truth? AMC+

When Daniel Molloy and Louis talk about Daniel’s publishing of Interview with the Vampire, Louis says he didn’t like how he came across in it. He says he was a liar, and not just a “Lying to myself kind of liar, a f#%*ing liar.” Daniel says Lestat claims an entire scenario described in Interview with the Vampire, with Lestat attacking them on a train, flat out never happened. This tracks with Lestat’s revelations in the opening chapter of The Vampire Lestat. This is where he says some of Louis’ confessions about him were complete fabrications. In the TV series, it remains unclear if either one of them is telling the full truth.

The Vampire Lestat (1985) “Viaticum for the Marquise.”AMC

Lestat’s recollections of making his dying mother into a vampire come from the section of The Vampire Lestat titled “Viaticum for the Marquise.” Gabriella’s decision to become a vampire right away is from this section of the book. One big deviation is that in the AMC series, Lestat and Gabriella return to Lestat’s ancestral home and kill Lestat’s brothers. Gabriella then kills her now-blind husband, and they leave their bodies for their children to find. In the novels, Lestat’s blind father survives, escapes the French Revolution, and flees to New Orleans. In Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, Lestat asks Louis to kill his father, because he can’t bring himself to do it. This is a major change to the text and in Lestat’s story in The Vampire Lestat.

We are quite certain the series will make even more changes to Rice’s text as the The Vampire Lestat continues. So keep checking back here for new updates. In the meantime, you can watch The Vampire Lestat and Interview with the Vampire on AMC and AMC+.

The post Major Changes AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Makes to Anne Rice’s Books appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• We’ve heard about the Great Conversion a few times in Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat and it may become more important this season.
• The Great Conversion appears to be a movement by vampires to grow their numbers and take power in IWTV and The Vampire Lestat.
• The synopsis for The Vampire Lestat mentions the Great Conversion and we’ve recieved different bits of information about it.

The Great Conversion. We’ve been hearing about it distantly in Interview with the Vampire for two seasons. And the phrase was included in the synopsis for The Vampire Lestat. Now, we hear it again as the season begins in earnest. But the Great Conversion is not a storyline from Anne Rice’s books, so there’s not exactly a direct analog we can turn to as we examine this Vampire phenomenon in Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. So, what is The Vampire Lestat‘s the Great Conversion, and what do we know about it from Interview with the Vampire and the current season? Let’s dive in.

AMCThe Great Conversion in Interview with the Vampire

In Interview with the Vampire, the Great Conversion was mentioned twice. Once by Louis de Point du Lac in his interview with Daniel Molloy. And once by Talamasca Agent, Raglan James. Here’s what we learn about The Great Conversion in these instances.

Louis Introduces The Great Conversion as a Vampiric Movement

Louis shares the following in Interview with the Vampire season one, episode two, in response to a question from Daniel about whether the vampires in the world have mastered their instincts, “Just the opposite, most of them are slaves to the blood… Exhausted from decades, centuries, of hiding, giddy to increase their numbers.” And then adds that this spurred by the “Pandemic, the unraveling of geopolitical foundations…” And notes, “One of them a brute in Madagscar called it the Great Conversion.”

When Daniel expresses some dubiousness about whether humans would want to be converted, Louis scoffs, “Yes, what on earth would a meth-addicted son of a coal miner in West Virgina want with eternal life? Or the Arab youth whose family were wiped from existenced from a Western drone?”

AMC

In all, this makes us feel like the Great Conversion is a vampiric movement to well… convert humanity to vampirism. And well, we feel like if we were vampires, always forced to hide our true nature, we might not be so opposed to it either. And to Louis’ point, wouldn’t eternal life be of interest to many mortals?

But the way Louis describes, the Great Conversion is a loose collection of disgruntled vampires, trying to push vampirism forward. Is the Great Conversion actually a meaningful meaningful movement in the world of Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat? We guess we need a bit more information to know the truth about that.

Raglan James Adds in a Few Details About The Great ConversionAMC Networks

And when one needs information, the Talamasca is a pretty good place to start. In Interview with the Vampire season two, Talamasca agent, Raglan James (who we see lurking in the first episode of The Vampire Lestat) offers us a few more details about the Great Conversion. He reveals in season two, episode three, “We were tracking 900 of them a month ago.. We’re tracking 1,600 now. The Great Conversion. It’s real, it’s happening.”

Okay, a near doubling of Vampires in the matter of a month does seem more serious that just errant grumbles in the night. As we mentioned, The Great Conversion is not a part of Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, or any other of Anne Rice’s books. But in the context of the series, it does feel like the vampires are gathering, amassing numbers in a purposeful way, to the end of… a vampiric world order? The decimation of mortals? It’s hard to say as of yet.

The Great Conversion in the Synopsis for The Vampire Lestat

In the plot description for The Vampire Lestat, we learn, “In the new rock and roll centric season, the Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by ‘muses’ from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population. In addition to Reid, The Vampire Lestat stars Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle and is executive produced by award-winning producer Mark Johnson, creator, writer and showrunner Rolin Jones, Hannah Moscovitch, along with Christopher Rice and the late Anne Rice.”

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But what is Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion? We know Lestat is singing songs about being a vampire, more specifically his life as a vampire. Could these songs serve to make mortals interested in vampirism? Or conversely, will they give humans too much knoweldge about the vampire, perhaps enough to make them dangerous? So far, we can’t be sure.

The Great Conversion in The Vampire Lestat

The Great Conversion has only been brought up minimaly in The Vampire Lestat‘s first episodes. In episode one, Lestat listens to the vampire voices discussing his tour. Some of them seem to echo the sentiments of the Great Conversion as they consider his music, calling for vampires to “make more.”

Then in episode two of The Vampire Lestat, Gabriella tells Lestat that she fancies one of the strippers she kissed in an Ohio bar. “Predatory spirit. A good candidate for the Great Conversion.” Seems like the Great Conversion is on someone’s mind… Very curious.

So, What Is the Great Conversion?AMC

Ultimately, The Vampire Lestat‘s Great Conversion appears to be a quickly growing, somehwhat organized movement/effort by vampires to increase their numbers and find more of a footing in this world. Undoubtedly, Daniel Molloy’s book, which flagrently reveals truths (and untruths) about vampires and The Vampire Lestat’s musical tour, will have some impact on whether other vampires wish to join them in the metaphorical sun and how humans come to see vampires, whether as real or extra false.

In The Vampire Lestat book, the Vampire Akasha is awakened by Lestat’s music, with devestating plans for both vampire and human kind. As mentioned, the Great Conversion is not a part of the books’ plot… But perhaps here, something about the mass formation of new vampires will not please the Queen.

We’ll surely learn more about the Great Conversion as The Vampire Lestat continues to air. The Vampire Lestat releases at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to arrive.

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⚡ Quick Take

• Episode two of The Vampire Lestat sheds some light on the vampire bond between Armand and Daniel and how it manifests. And it is ROMANTIC.

Unfortunately, the vampire Armand does not appear in episode two of The Vampire Lestat. And yet, his presence hovers intensely over the narrative as we finally spend an honest moment with his fledgling, Daniel. In the first couple of episodes of The Vampire Lestat, Daniel is in fine form. He busily needles at Lestat with an icy humor and a sharp tongue, guzzles blood from a hookah, and overall drips with snark and disdain as the tour’s resident lovable menace to society. Absolutely, though there’s not a trace of transformation trauma on Daniel. No sir. He loves being a vampire. But in episode two, we get a brief moment where Daniel’s walls drop, and we see a brush of what’s underneath, something yearning and vulnerable. And for Daniel, much to the delight of Devil’s Minion shippers, this The Vampire Lestat moment comes courtesy of Armand… Or at least the impact of the vampiric bond that lives between Armand and Daniel. And yeahhh, to us, the way Armand and Daniel’s maker/fledgling connection manifests couldn’t be more romantic.

AMC

It’s hard being a vampire whose maker has abandoned you. Doubly hard when you broke your only vampire friend’s trust to publish a book about his life, and inadvertently caused yet another breakup for him. But the good thing about vampiric life is that it tends to be long. And Louis begrudgingly agrees to speak to Daniel again in The Vampire Lestat episode two. Only, we bet he wishes he didn’t when Daniel starts to wax poetically about his bond with Armand, the vampiric equivalent of girl talk, we suppose… Except this time it involves Louis’ manipulative ex, who lied to him for over 70 years, so it’s not surprising he’s not too thrilled about the topic. We, however, are seated.

“I have this weird thing that happens where suddenly everyone around me disappears, like the rapture’s come… and I… You know, I feel him.” Daniel confesses to Louis, suddenly stripped of his cackling shrewdness and draped in wide-eyed helplessness. And phew, we have to hand it to Eric Bogosian, who plays Daniel; the delivery of these lines is absolutely crushing. For me, a person invested in this romantic relationship, it stabs me right in my heart. Daniel’s obvious loneliness, the hesitant way he clearly wants to talk about Armand and their bond, but has been locking away the thoughts, even from, especially from, himself—all of that comes flooding to the surface in this brief moment. And the incredible skill it takes to make us feel every bit of Daniel’s vampiric infancy, the way he’s lost, looking for an anchor that isn’t there, we cannot say enough about it.

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Also incredible is the deadpan, unimpressed way Jacob Anderson’s Louis delivers, “Armand?” in response to Daniel’s confession, making me briefly cackle. But Daniel presses on, self-depricating and wry, asking “Yeah…That happen with you and Lestat?” Louis confirms it didn’t. (“No. Sounds weird.”) And they move on. But I’m still stuck in that moment.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Of course, according to Louis in Interview with the Vampire season one, all vampires are connected to their makers in an intense, emotional way, and vice versa. Louis, not immune to poetic maker whims himself, describes his own connection with Lestat in the following gorgeous way. “The vampire bond. There is no human equivalent… It’s a bond that can never fully be severed. A bond like that makes you believe there are only two of you on the planet. Freedom and chastity wrapped in one person.” And, in season two of Interview with the Vampire, it’s implied that after Louis transforms Claudia’s companion, Madeleine, into a vampire, she can sense his feelings, and he can sense her presence and absence. While in both cases, a powerful tie exists, it does seem like Louis’ great love for Lestat makes his bond with his maker even stronger and more affecting.

AMC

Which leads us to Armand, Daniel, and the case of the missing universe. Because even though Louis notes his bond with Lestat “[makes] him believe there are only two of [them] on the planet,” we guess he means that figuratively, not literally. Whereas Daniel seems to be indicating he’s experiencing… an actual falling away of reality that leaves only Daniel and the feeling of Armand in existence, when Armand isn’t even there… That we know of. That feels like a pretty powerful bond to us. A bond of love, we might extrapolate? If it’s magnifying the impact of the maker/fledgling connection even beyond where Louis and Lestat’s bond lives, taking it into completely new territory.

We don’t yet know exactly how Daniel was turned in Interview with the Vampire, and it sounds like we may not know for certain until season four. We also don’t know whether fan theories based on Anne Rice’s books, which speculate that Armand and Daniel fell in love when Daniel was young, only for Armand to erase those memories at some point, hold any water. What we do know is that we can’t imagine anything more beautifully romantic and deliciously toxic than the whole world turning to nothing, leaving only Armand and Daniel in it, as a reflection of their vampiric bond. Inject it. Put it in my veins.

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Weirdly, I’m reminded of Wanda and Vision from the MCU, who were meant to be the romantic heart of the franchise. And though I personally didn’t really super resonate with their love story, even I could see their most intense line was point-perfect. In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda has to destroy Vision, and as she does, he tells her that she doesn’t have to worry about him because, “I just feel you.” In a sense, it feels to me like Daniel isn’t really feeling much of anything at this point, but sometimes he just feels Armand.

All of this just over the ephemeral vampiric bond between Armand and Daniel, and the pair haven’t even shared a scene yet in The Vampire Lestat. I know I speak for many people other than myself when I say, “and then what happens?”

The Vampire Lestat releases at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to arrive.

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.

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 The Manifestation of Armand and Daniel’s Vampire Bond Is SO Romantic (THE VAMPIRE LESTAT) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Star Sam Reid and showrunner Rolin Jones discuss the dynamic between Lestat and Armand in The Vampire Lestat.
• Sam Reid notes that “hate is too strong a word” for them and that they have “a flirty, sexy vibe,” but also can be vicious to one another at the drop of a hat.
• Rolin Jones notes that Lestat does respect Armand.

In the world of Interview with the Vampire, now known as The Vampire Lestat, there exists a tangle of complicated relationships that are some of the most winding, twisted, dark, and deliciously queer to ever appear on our screens. That’s because when you have a set of immortal vampires whose humanity is not withered, but heightened, by their endless lives, and who have little choice but to spend forever with one another, things tend to get messy. Of course, when we think of The Vampire Lestat, some obvious relationships spring to mind: Louis and Lestat, Claudia and Madeleine, and Armand and Daniel, to name a few. But, as a lifelong enjoyer of what you might call “the rare pair,” the relationship between Armand and Lestat (what some call “Lesmand”) also piques my interest.

In prior seasons, we’ve gotten glimpses of the two in Armand’s recollections of the past, however apocryphal they may be. And this year, we’ll likely see more from the past, but also some of the present relationship between Lestat and Armand. In The Vampire Lestat book by Anne Rice, Armand and Lestat have somewhat of an oscillating relationship between love and hate, but how does that manifest in the series? Here’s what Sam Reid had to say about what exists between Lestat and Armand in The Vampire Lestat.

AMC

Reid shared of Lesmand, “I don’t know if there’s a lot of… I mean, hate is such a strong word. I think that their dynamic is actually pretty accurate to the books. I think there’s like a flirty, sexy vibe that they’ve got that goes on between the two of them. Lestat thinks he’s a joke, like he thinks he is in the book. But Armand can come back and fucking own Lestat and destroy his life at a moment’s notice when he wants to. And Lestat’s aware of that. And I think the dynamic is their dynamic. I love the Armand and Lestat scenes in this season. So I think we’re doing it. Yeah.”

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Showrunner Rolin Jones added, “And I think Lestat is actually incredibly respectful. There’s a bit of VO [in one of the episodes] when Lestat introduces Armand that might be one of the most accurate descriptions of Armand yet. So there is some inherent respect too about his power.”

AMC

Lestat, of course, is largely so irreverent that his respect is no small thing. And even though he can be vicious to Armand, who can be wholly awful right back, we love the idea of this undercurrent of understanding between them. A relationship with naunce and complexity keeps us coming back for more, one that was all hate wouldn’t be interesting at all. As for the “flirty, sexy vibe,” we can confirm it’s strong. And we can’t wait for you all to see what Armand and Lestat get up to this season on The Vampire Lestat.

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+.

The post THE VAMPIRE LESTAT: Sam Reid on Lestat/Armand’s Complex Relationship, ‘I Love Their Dynamic’ appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The DOJ has approved the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. without asking for any major concessions.
• Paramount and the DOJ claim this is a pro-competitive action, but state AGs are considering an antitrust lawsuit.
• Consumers deserve a competetive market and for their media not to be in the hands of only a few.

In wild news, the massive merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. has been approved by the DOJ without any concessions necessary to gain this regulatory approval. Although it seemed like the Netflix bid to acquire Warner Bros. has been well and truly dead, it comes as a massive shock that no major amendments were required of the proposed (nearly) $111 billion purchase. This merger creates, in essence, a super-powered studio. And while Paramount views the deal as pro-competitive—to those in the entertainment industry, it seems like a massive shifting of power. In sum, this deal allows Paramount to acquire the Warner Bros. movie studio, CNN, HBO, and other Warner Bros. Discovery properties.

Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery

A Paramount spokesperson shared the following with Deadline about the Warner Bros. acquistion, “We are grateful for the Department of Justice’s thorough review of this transaction, as well as the work of the other agencies that have completed their reviews and provided clearance to date. This deal is pro-competitive, resulting in a stronger company better positioned to compete against dominant technology platforms in an industry increasingly defined by intense competition for audiences, talent, technology, and investment. We remain focused on completing the transaction as soon as possible and delivering its benefits to consumers, creators, and the entertainment industry as a whole.”

The DOJ noted that the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. “is not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers, including with respect to: (1) streaming video on demand (“SVOD”); (2) linear television; and (3) studio development, production, or distribution of films for theatrical release.”

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Meanwhile, state attorneys general in California, New York, and other states are considering an antitrust lawsuit, but whether that would be enough to slow or end the deal is unclear.

In all, it’s hard to know what the best options for consumers, the people who matter most to us at Nerdist, might be. But ultimately, the continued consolidation of our networks, studios, and news channels into the hands of only a few remains alarming. We want our media to reflect many voices and perspectives, not be streamlined to the will of just a handful. We’ll see what comes of this union between Paramount and Warner Bros.

The post DOJ Approves $111B Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Before House of the Dragon season 3 returns to HBO, here’s everything you need to remember about the Dance of the Dragons.

It’s been a hot dragon flame minute since we last saw Rhaenyra’s forces clash with her half-brother Aegon’s on House of the Dragon. What’s the current state of the Targaryen civil war on the Game of Thrones prequel? How did both sides end up spreading fire and blood across the Realm in the first place? And what awaits both factions when the series returns? Here’s everything you need to remember before House of the Dragon season three.

HBO

The Dance of the Dragon, the Targaryen civil war at the heart of the show, takes place around 130 years after Aegon conquered Westeros. That’s about 90 years before A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and 170 years before Game of Thrones. Each side of the family is vying for the Iron Throne following the death of King Viserys.

If you need a complete refresher of what led to this violent war of succession in the first place, we already have you covered. Check out these pieces from our past coverage:

• What You Need to Remember for House of the Dragon Season 2
• Every Major Character Death From House of the Dragon Season 1
• Who Are House of the Dragon‘s 17 Dragons?
• House of the Dragonn Houses That Didn’t Appear on Game of Thrones

In season two, Rhaenyra’s side found itself stuck in place. For Rhaenyra, that meant being mostly confined to Dragonstone. She had very little support there among the men of her small council. They also refused to let her fight, since Rhaenyra’s death would likely mean they all lost their heads. Without her, their faction would have a very weak claim since everyone knows—even if they won’t say it lest Daemon cut off their head—that her son and heir Jacaerys “Jace” is bastard born. (As is Prince Joffrey, her other surviving son she had with the late Harwin Strong. Rhaenyra also has two boys with Daemon, her own Aegon and his younger brother Viserys.)

HBO

Ultimately, Rhaenyra turned to her new unlikely adviser, Mysaria. The White Worm concocted a plan to turn the people of King’s Landing against King Aegon and his side of the family to set the stage for Rhaenyra’s planned return to the capital city. The two also shared an unscripted kiss, in case the Queen’s reliance on Daemon’s former paramour wasn’t complicated enough.

Meanwhile Rhaenyra and her son Jace came up with a plan to find more dragonriders after the death of Princess Rhaenys. Rhaenyra put out word that anyone with Valyrian blood could try to claim a dragon. During “The Red Sowing,” many died, but Targaryen bastards Hugh Hammer and Ulf the White each claimed a large dragon and joined Rhaenyra’s side. Hugh is the grandson of King Jaehaerys, who ruled before Viserys. He rides Vermithor, second largest dragon in the world only behind Aemond’s Vhagar. Ulf is believed to be the bastard brother of Viserys and Daemon. He mounted Silverwing.

Rhaenyra also found a third dragon rider when her not-actually-dead husband Laenor’s dragon Seasmoke claimed Addam of Hull. (Yes, the dragon claimed the rider, a piece of dragonlore the show created.) Addam himself is of Valyrian stock as the bastard son of Ser Corlys Velaryon. As is Addam’s brother, the great seaman Alyn of Hull. Neither Addam nor Alyn have a good relationship with their absentee father, but Corlys did recruit a standoffish Alyn into his service during season two.

HBO

Corlys was ready to quit the war after the death of his wife Rhaenys, but instead he accepted the position as Hand of the Queen after his granddaughter Baela pushed him to keep fighting. Baela also rejected his offer to become heir to Driftmark, seat of House Velaryon. She said as a dragonrider (of Moondancer) she is made of fire and blood. He needs some of salt and sea to take the mantle of House Velaryon.

Baela does not have a good or close relationship with her father, Prince Daemon. It only got worse after the death of her mother Laena, who was Daemon’s second wife. (Rhaenyra is his third.) Baela is betrothed to Jace and an important part of Rhaenyra’s fighting force.

Baela’s sister Rhaena has never been able to claim a dragon and was shipped off to the Vale under the protection of Lady Jeyne Arryn. But rather then be sent off to Pentos, Rhaena ran off to chase after a wild dangerous dragon named Sheepstealer. She ended season two cold and alone in the mountains of the Vale at the end of season two.

HBO

After a huge blowout with Rhaenyra on Dragonstone, Daemon went off to rally the lords of the Riverlands. A paranoid Daemon claimed Harrenhal from a compliant Ser Simon Strong. But the Prince then upset the rest of the lords when he allowed Willem Blackwood to commit war crimes against his family’s ancient foe, House Bracken. Daemon also suffered from terrible nightmares inside the haunted Harrenhal. There he also met possible-witch Alys Rivers. She seemed to know about events, past, present, and future she shouldn’t have been able to. With her help (and by beheading Willem), Daemon eventually gained the Riverlands support for Rhaenyra.

Alys also led Daemon to the sacred weirwood tree where he saw a vision. It included the Three-Eyed Raven, Daenerys Targaryen, and the White Walkers. Once he learned about Aegon the Conqueror’s Song of Ice and Fire, he gave up his own ambitions to rule and fully and finally supported his wife’s claim. The duo rejoined with renewed focus and energy in the season two finale.

Things on the other side of the war are somehow even more complicated.

An overmatched, unprepared King Aegon reacted to the brutal death of his son and heir by the assassins Cheese and Blood with foolish rage. He ordered the death of every ratcatcher in King’s Landing. His heinous crime completely wasted all of the work his grandfather, Otto Hightower, did in using the child’s death as a way to earn goodwill from the Realm, which blamed Rhaenyra for Daemon’s vengeance.

HBO

Aegon made things worse when he ultimately fired Otto Hightower as Hand of the King. He then gave the title to Ser Criston Cole, who almost as quickly began working with Aemond to win the war without Aegon’s input. The two hatched a plan that knocked out one of Rhaenyra’s best dragonriders, but at a huge cost.

Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys died during Ser Criston Cole and Prince Aemond’s surprise attack on Rook’s Roost. But when Aegon, eager to prove his worth to everyone, including his mother, arrived at the battle, his brother tried to kill him. Aemond wants to rule instead. Half of Aegon’s body suffered severe burns, but he barely survived thanks to Grand Maester Orwyle’s care. Larys Strong the Clubfoot then tried bonding with the injured Aegon by talking about how others would now view the King the way they view Larys. Ultimately Larys helped sneak Aegon out of King’s Landing to keep him safe from his brother Aemond.

HBO

Criston Cole continued his attacks against Rhaenyra’s supporters with the help of Alicent’s brother, Gwayne Hightower. However, he lost hope after seeing what Aemond did at Rook’s Roost. Cole seems certain they will all burn in dragonflame.

Otto Hightower went missing after being relieved as Hand. Aemond ordered Larys Strong to find his grandfather when he become Prince Regent following his brother’s injuries. No one could find the missing Otto, but we saw him locked away in a dark dungeon during season two’s final moments.

HBO

Aemond also tried to recruit his sweet innocent sister, Aegon’s sister-wife Queen Helaena, to join the war efforts with her dragon Dreamfyre. She refused. Season two also revealed Helaena has prophetic visions, possibly because she is a “dreamer” like others throughout House Targaryen’s history. Her visions spoke of doom for Aemond, just as Alys told Daemon the first time she spoke to him that Daemon will one day die at Harrenhal.

The Prince Regent sent small council member Tyland Lannister to Essos to recruit the Triarchy fleet to Aegon’s side. Daemon and Ser Corlys spent many years fighting the Triarchy over the Stepstones, an important archipelago in the Narrow Sea. There, Tyland met with commander Sharako Lohar, a flashy male-presenting warrior played by trans actress Abigail Thorn, who ultimately agreed to fight for Aegon. Tyland was returning with Lohar and the Triarchy to take on Rhaenyra’s fleet led by Corlys and his first commander, Alyn of Hull.

HBO

Tyland’s older identical twin brother Jason is also leading his own force for Aegon in the West. Lord Ormund Hightower, with Alicent’s never-seen son Daeron, is also marching from Oldtown. But Rhaenyra also has her own allies headed towards war. Lord Cregan Stark is sending old grizzled warriors to honor his oaths as he prepares his people for winter. They crossed to the south via the Twins Jace secured House Freys support earlier in season two.

What no one knows, though, is that Alicent has already agreed to let Rhaenyra win. The two met in secret in King’s Landing during season two. There Alicent realized she misunderstood her dying husband when the King was speaking about the Song of Ice and Fire. Once she realized Viserys never wanted Aegon to rule, that he was talking about why Rhaenyra must protect the Realm from the dead, Alicent became disillusioned with her life of service, which somehow led to her being Larys’ personal foot fetish and Criston Cole’s paramour.

In the season two finale, Alicent snuck off to Dragonstone to meet with Rhaenyra. In exchange for Alicent and Helaena’s safety and a chance at a quiet peaceful life, Alicent will open up the gates to King’s Landing and her own son Aegon’s head. Alicent also knows this will certainly mean the death of Aemond, too.

Rhaenyra plans to accept the offer, but will anyone else? We’ll find out when season three begins. And until it does read more of our coverage from season two to get caught up.

• Every Major Character Death in House of the Dragon Season Two
• Every Major New Character on House of the Dragon
• The Most Brutal, Shocking, and Gross Moments of House of the Dragon Season 2

Ollie Upton/HBO

Oh yeah, and George R.R. Martin is so upset with the series’ changes and his (now non-existent) relationship with showrunner Ryan Condal that the author publicly scorched both with a blistering screed.

Will Condal and Martin meet under a banner of peace before the show ends? There’s not much time left for that to happen. The last thing to remember about House of the Dragon season three is that it’s the show’s penultimate outing. It will end with season four.

HBO

But before it says goodbye….

• Everything We Know About House of the Dragon Season 3

Fire and blood is returning to HBO. Now you’re ready for it.

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

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⚡ Quick Take

• Both Doctor Who and Star Trek off the air for the first time in 60 years
• What does that mean for science fiction?

If the sci-fi world sounds empty to you right now, echoey and cavernous, there’s a reason for that. We now live at an unprecedented time (and space). Earlier this year, all Star Trek series ceased production with no movies in the immediate future. This week, we learned that the BBC put Doctor Who on blocks with no production until, per sources, at least 2028. This one-two punch to fans bestows 2026 with a dubious honor: it is now the first year without a Doctor Who or Star Trek thing in production since 1963. That’s 63 years, people.

Paramount+/Disney+

Doctor Who premiered November 23, 1963. It was on the air for 26 seasons before its extended hiatus (e.g. the BBC quietly canceled it) on December 9, 1989. After a single TV movie in 1996 and another long break, it returned March 26, 2005. It then went on for 20 full years.

Star Trek debuted initially on September 8, 1966. After 79 episodes, it went off the air in June of 1969. After a super underrated animated series from 1973 to 1974, the franchise turned to movies, making six from 1979 to 1991. In the meantime, Star Trek: The Next Generation began its seven-year run in September 1987. That started an extended period of overlapping TV series production. TNG went on from ’89 to ’94. Deep Space Nine went from 1993 to 1999; Voyager from ’95 to ’01; and Enterprise from 2001 to 2005. Then, beginning with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017, the Paramount+-era had many different series all going on at once. The final two seasons of Strange New Worlds are yet to air, but their production wrapped.

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The ’80s and ’90s Star Trek TV shows almost exactly filled in the period when Doctor Who was off the air. In fact, the revived Who began only two months before Enterprise ended. These are perennial science fiction properties that for the first time since before they started are both in a holding pattern.

I have full faith both Star Trek and Doctor Who will return at some point, be it 2028 or later. But to realize we have neither creating new stories in the present day is weirdly devastating. Now all we have is Star Wars of the big three…and, let’s just say we need more than that.

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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