Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 128

The Trailer for the Unreleased ’90s FANTASTIC FOUR Movie Is Delightfully Cringe

This year, Marvel’s First Family will finally arrive in the MCU in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. And judging from the trailer, it’ll be a big-budget affair, faithful to the tone and scope of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original comics. But the new trailer reminds us of another trailer for a different Fantastic Four film, which came out thirty years ago. We should say, the trailer came out, because the movie never did. This Fantastic Four was made for dirt cheap—and it totally looks it. You can watch this wonderfully cringe-worthy trailer for the unreleased 1994 Fantastic Four below. And then we’ll explain how the heck this ever even happened.

Despite (almost) coming out in 1994, this trailer looks like it came straight from a 1978 drive-in. How did a Fantastic Four movie that looks so low quality exist in the era of Batman and Jurassic Park? Well, that’s because the movie was produced without the intention of it ever coming out. Back in the early ’80s, German film producer Bernd Eichinger bought the film rights to FF from Marvel for very little. Back then, the major studios totally dismissed comic book movies as commercially viable, and even Spider-Man couldn’t get off the ground. No studio showed interest, so he sat on the rights for years. In 1992, the rights were about to lapse. So he had to make a movie fast to retain them.

Eichinger enlisted Roger Corman, the so-called “King of the B-Movies,” and a music video director named Oley Sassone to produce the film. The movie told the FF’s origin story and their battle with Doctor Doom, and had a budget of only one million dollars. Even thirty years ago, that was minuscule for a movie of this kind. Despite all this, the movie cast in full costume made it to the cover of Film Threat Magazine, also made convention appearances and they announced a world premiere. The Fantastic Four trailer even ran on VHS tapes for other Corman movies. Just as the release date approached, Eichinger pulled it, much to the shock of the cast and crew. Despite the work of everyone involved, Eichinger never intended it for a theatrical release. The only Fantastic Four to reach screens in 1994 was the Saturday morning cartoon.

Marvel

Eichinger simply made the film for as little money as possible just to retain the rights to the FF property. His hope was to make a more expensive (and profitable film) down the line, at the right moment. In the 2000s, the success of the first two Spider-Man and X-Men movies proved Marvel Comics could work on screen. So Eichinger partnered with 20th Century Fox to produce the Tim Story Fantastic Four movie in 2005. While that movie isn’t as beloved today as other Marvel films, it actually became a decent-sized hit. Without a doubt, Eichinger made millions from it. So his elaborate and pricey ruse paid off.

Marvel

The subsequent sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, made less money than the first. Eventually, Fox gained complete rights after Eichinger’s passing in 2011, and then of course Disney bought Twentieth Century Fox. Now Marvel Studios has control of the property at long last. But we kind of wish we’d get an official release the 1994 version in all its low-budget earnestness. Even as just a glorified extra on the eventual The Fantastic Four: First Steps Blu-ray. Sure, bootlegs of the movie are abundant. But it would be nice after all the work folks put into it for there to be an official HD release at last, besides just for this one delightfully cheesy trailer.

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SAW XI Reportedly Canceled Due to Behind-the-Scenes Disagreements

Update as of 3/18/25: Bloody Disgusting reports that Saw XI has been canceled at Lionsgate due to behind-the-scenes disagreements. The publication shares that sources reveal the movie has been “totally dead,” and “It’s 100% over. Almost a year now.” And adds, “Everything went sideways in January 2024 … the producers started fighting.” Bloody Disgusting further writes, “While one producer attempted to ‘plow forward’ with the film, the other ‘put up roadblocks,’ stifling Saw XI’s production. Potentially, the report notes, Lionsgate might sell Saw XI to another company and the movie would start over. There has not yet been an official comment made but Saw XI‘s release date was delayed at least once.

Original reporting on SAW XI below.

“The game continues.” And indeed, we hope it never ends because is there a finer series than Saw? Many may look at it and see only horror and gore. Still, beneath the surface of disgusting traps that involve eyeballs, extremities, and other unpleasantness, there’s also sincere camp and sometimes even romance. (Just ask the unofficial Saw musical.) In any case, what could be better than Tobin Bell with a backward cap on pretending to be one of the youths? Nothing. And that’s why we’re delighted to hear that Saw will return with a new movie, and soon. Lionsgate has announced Saw XI will return to play more games with us.

Initially, the studio shared that Saw XI would be released on September 27, 2024. But according to Deadline, Saw XI‘s release date has now been delayed to September 26, 2025.

Saw X really missed a golden opportunity to refer to itself as “Sawks” or “Socks” and make all the traps for people who give you socks as Christmas gifts. However, we really hope that Saw XI or “Saw-xy” doesn’t miss the opportunity to pun.

On a more serious note, the only thing we know for sure about Saw XI is that Saw X director Kevin Greutert will return to direct this new Saw movie. Bloody Disgusting first shared this news. Greutert has directed Saw X, Sav VI, and Saw: The Final Chapter. He also worked as an editor on Saw I through Saw V, as well as Jigsaw. Saw fans will be glad to have him back!

Other than this piece of information, we know very little about the new Saw movie. And since it’s a part of the Saw universe, we’re really guaranteed very little. Saw X, of course, traveled back in the franchise’s timeline to shade in some cinematic real estate between Saw and Saw II. So Saw XI could take place in between any two Saw movies already in existence. It could even take place during a Saw movie already in existence. Perhaps Saw XI will bring us a prequel, or it could just exist as the next movie in the timeline proper. The world is our, and Jigsaw’s, oyster. As long as we play by his very arbitrary rules… And pretend like it’s all about a moral plane of existence anyway.

Lionsgate

We’ll find out more soon, we’re sure. In the meanwhile, there’s plenty of Saw to tide you over while you wait.

Originally published on December 12, 2022.

The post SAW XI Reportedly Canceled Due to Behind-the-Scenes Disagreements appeared first on Nerdist.

Nick Lutsko Premieres His ‘Reset’ Music Video and Dives Into His Life and Work with Us (Exclusive)

Nick Lutsko blew up in the fall of 2020 with his unauthorized theme for Spirit Halloween. The hilarious song was such an immediate viral sensation the seasonal store quickly hired him to write a second official one. What followed in the years since was much more than just a Spirit Halloween trilogy. The King of the spooky season went on to create an entire Nick Lutsko Expanded Universe. Lutsko’s absurd, surreal world consisted of connected characters and long-running bits. They’d crossover in his ridiculous songs (and their equally ridiculous music videos) on social media and with both taped and lived productions. He’s also done everything else. He’s produced his own live variety shows (including Saturday Nick Live, aka SNL). He starred in his own Gremlins 3 short film. And he’s also headlined entire weekends of concerts and experiences.

But no matter how many hats he’s worn, the one thing that has remained consistent since Nick Lutsko’s Spirit Halloween song became a beloved comedy classic has been the humor behind his work.

Until now.

My new album is available to purchase exclusively on Patreon patreon.com/nicklutsko

— Nick Lutsko (@nicklutsko.bsky.social) 2025-01-03T16:05:01.907Z

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE “RESET” MUSIC VIDEO BY NICK LUTSKO

During a lengthy break from social media and years of constantly creating new content, Lutsko wrote Ends. The fantastic record is his first non-comedy album since 2019’s Swords. While his loyal Patreon followers can already listen to all of it, he’s been releasing a new song and accompanying music video every month since December. Now he’s debuting his fourth release, “Reset,” and Nerdist has your exclusive first look at the video. It’s a labor of love for more than just Nick Lutsko. It’s also an ode to the kind of fanbase he has created. It features the work of more than 20 animators, all of whom reached out to him. (You can find a full list of them below.)

How did Nick Lutsko get so many people to work on this one video? And how does it reflect the challenges he’s faced as both an artist and online personality? Years after I first spoke to him about writing silly songs about skeletons chasing him out of a store, I got to ask him about getting serious with “Reset” and Ends. We also talked about the ideas and themes behind the album, why he needed to record non-comedy music after years of being funny, what it’s like for an artist who got famous on Twitter to navigate the broken social media landscape of 2025, and how becoming a dad at the same time he became famous has influenced more than just his music.

Nerdist: I’m going to ask the question that I think some fans who only know you from your comedic music are going to be asking themselves when they listen to “Reset” and Ends: Are you okay?

Nick Lutsko: :laughs: Yeah. Yeah, I’m great. What’s funny is I feel like this record is quite a bit more optimistic than the previous record of non-com songs, Swords. But I definitely can empathize and understand how someone coming from just the comedy stuff to this can get a major sense of like, “Wait, what am I listening to and who is this?” But yeah, I’m fine.

Even with Songs on the Computer, maybe not so much the Halloween stuff, which is more fun and games, there’s very much an underbelly of discontent with the status quo. That’s just been a constant throughline with most of my work.

You say this album is hopeful, but you are working through something with these songs. This is your own synopsis for this new video: “Reset” explores the push-pull of creation, the potential of triumph and pressure to change.” In the video, you are literally chased by your own creations, and this is a theme that runs throughout Ends. It’s this idea that you’ve had the success, but you can’t really rest on your laurels, so you are working through something here.

Lutsko: Totally. Yeah, I think that’s fair. And it’s funny because it’s an interesting record in general because I do feel like there are these two threads that are moving simultaneously. There is this dissatisfaction with the rat race of becoming an online content creator and not feeling fulfilled or satisfied. But I want to be clear, too. There’s a difference between the work and the art and then the process in which you present that to people. And I think with “Reset” in particular, and also “Run,” a single I released a couple months ago, there’s this feeling of you’re constantly chasing something that you can’t ever really obtain. And therefore, you can never really feel comfortable or satisfied where you’re at.

What I mean by that is I have experienced pretty high highs, but even then, it’s like, “I got to take it further, and I got to put something else out.” It’s like this quest that can’t be satiated. I hit a wall toward the end of 2023, but I began my career releasing sincere, earnest music before I kind of accidentally fell into more comedic stuff. And the more success I had with the comedic stuff, the more and more time went by where I was kind of neglecting this other part of my creative self.

I’ve been insanely lucky in that the comedic stuff introduced people to my past work, and I was getting more and more people saying, “Please do another record of this other stuff.” After a couple of years of going really, really hard on the comedy stuff, I decided to go offline to stop the constant race against time and the constant pressure to put things out. I was just going to write an album about exactly where I’m at. And because that is where I started, it’s no surprise that a lot of these songs are about my dissatisfaction with that whole process.

Nick Lutsko

But the other thread in this album is becoming a new dad. So there’s kind of like, “Here’s all these things that are driving me crazy, but look at this love,” is the answer to the problem. And that’s where I say the optimism comes from.  Even with “Reset” and a lot of these songs, if they start in a place of… I keep using the word discontent or dissatisfaction….there’s a lot of times that there’s another side.

Well, the album starts with your title track, “Ends,” and the song opens with the lyrics, “Here I stand/At the dawn of all creation/Carving words into sand/Leaving records/For some future civilization/About things I don’t understand.” That’s why I think some people are going to hear some of this, especially those who only know you from your comedic songs and be like, “Hey is the funny guy okay?” But like you said, by the end of this album it does feel like you’re okay. So how did working on non-comedic music help you get to that point where you said you were a little discontent, but now you’re in a good, happy place?

Lutsko: I hope the “Reset” video, in particular, kind of drives this home, but in that video, as you said, you see me being chased by past creations, and I’m constantly resetting. And obviously, there’s this pressure of, “Okay, that didn’t work. I need to throw something else at the wall. I’m going to try something else. Okay that was a flop, so reset, try this. Oh, that was insanely successful, but how am I going to top that? Okay, I could try this.” So even at the highest highs and the lowest lows, it’s just the same thing. You get to where you’re trying to get to, and you want to get back to where you were.

That’s a constant for me, even in the mundane aspects of my life. But by the end of that song I tried to showcase this constant of my life. My dad played guitar growing up and I was deeply interested in music as an extremely young child. I had a guitar birthday cake when I was five. (Note: you can see both his dad, who he somehow doesn’t realize he looks exactly like, and that cake in the video.) This is a reminder that I do this because I love it, and this is my superpower.

That’s the other end of the coin. As much as I hate the rat race and chasing the dragon, I would be doing this for nobody. If the internet didn’t exist, if people weren’t coming to my shows, I would be doing the same thing because I love it. And that’s why I view it as an optimistic thing. Because despite it being this thing that I hate, this is the greatest job in the world and I would never trade it for anything.

“Reset” is not the only song on Ends that gets into the album’s themes. So what is it about “Reset” that made you want to give it this big special treatment with 20-plus artists working on it? Why this song of all the songs on the album?

Lutsko: Initially, the video for “Run,” which we already released, was the one we were pouring all of our energy into. With “Reset,” initially, we were trying to do it as a B-side and were trying to come up with something very simple for the video. The initial concept was to get us all in a room and shoot, and every time the word “reset” was sung, we’d change wardrobes. The idea was it’ll just be a one-take thing, but we’ll shoot it a bunch of different times in different clothes. My band used to dress up in puppet costumes, so we were going to shoot one take like that. Then one in red dresses, or Gremlins, or Halloween characters, or tuxedos. Just pull different elements from different videos and kind of plug it in. We were going down that road.

With my past records, the non-comedy stuff, I’ve always really tried to go all out with the music videos because I have close friends that know what they’re doing and can help out. And they are willing to do it for very little money. So we just love really throwing everything at the wall and going all out.

I’ve noticed.

Lutsko: :laughs: Thanks. But the idea was to try to do it for as many songs as we could for this record. So I did this post on Instagram, my first post back after I went dark on social media for a while. And basically, I said, “If you’re a filmmaker, if you’re an editor, if you’re an actor or actress, or you make puppets or you do animation, hit me up. Let’s figure out a way to work together.” And I got an obscene amount of animators reach out, and this video just happens to be 20 of the best of the people that reached out.

Luckily, Nayt Cochran, a creative director at the animation studio Hey Neighbor Studio, was incredible because I don’t know anything about animation. So when I had all these animators reach out immediately, it was like, “Okay, this could actually be a much cooler version of that idea we had for “Reset.” Every time the word reset is said it could be a different style of animation. Then when I talked to Nayt, he said because the song doesn’t really sing the word “reset” consistently, rather than having these animators animate 30 plus seconds of animation, have everyone do five-second chunks.

And he said, “If someone comes and they kill the first five seconds and they do it in a timely fashion, we give ’em another one.” So that’s kind of how that started. And he basically had me sit down with that in mind and think about what I would like the journey of this song to look like. In a kind of stream of consciousness, I wrote it all out in an hour. It starts in a pseudo version of the “Run” video, and then it goes into the “Spineless” video, and then the Webby thing happens. Every single thing that I wrote down, it was very vague, just one or two sentences. We told every artist “embellish as you see fit.” And if whatever’s written here doesn’t speak to you, just do what you want.

The big thing was sharing early work-in-progress sketches on Discord. If someone knew that their segment was first and another person knew that theirs was coming right after it, the big thing to figure out was, “This one needs to end in a place where this one can pick up.” As long as we were able to figure out those transitions all the way down the line, it just made it a really intuitive process and, for me, a very simple process. I didn’t have to do any work on this one. But the scale of this was insane.

The goal was not initially for it to be this massive thing and it just kind of accidentally became that. And I’m just blown away by the end result and very humbled. I kept saying very early on that I don’t feel like it is statistically possible to have this many incredible, incredibly talented fans who are willing to work on something like this as a genuine labor of love. No one was getting rich off this project.

That post asking for artists came after a six-month hiatus from social media, right?

Lutsko: Yeah, exactly. And I’d written pretty much the entire album at that point. From then on, we just mixed and tracked, adding my mate stuff.

On this album, you talk about this pressure to keep coming up with something new, and you’ve said how you got burnt out, but you blew up in large part because of social media. So during those six months when you’re away from it, do you start to worry people are just going to kind of forget about you? That you might lose your moment or anything like that?

Lutsko: I mean, that’s the great irony of this record, that so many songs are about that. And then when I get back in, I’m reminded, “Oh, I gotta do all this again. I got to somehow grab people’s attention with the backdrop of everything that’s happening in the world right now.”

I don’t like trying to make myself the center of attention, especially with this music, which really doesn’t have a lot to do with what’s happening right now. So yeah, everything kind of feels like pissing into the wind, and that’s why I just have to be content with creating this stuff. I am proud of this record, and I got to be okay with that regardless of how it does.

It’s undeniable the comedy stuff does better. And I could name half a dozen factors. I went away for a year. The world is very different. From my perspective, I feel like all the algorithms are severely broken, and people just genuinely aren’t seeing [my work]. And even if they are seeing it, it’s not what they subscribe to me for. All my algorithms are broken because I feel like they want to put you in a box. I’m doing comedy stuff and non-comedy stuff, an hour-long variety shows, political stuff, and Halloween stuff. It’s really hard to pin me down.

And I love that, but just to clarify, when I was doing the comedy stuff, I was really dying to get back and do some of this type of work that I did on Ends. And there’s a part of me that had a fear that when I started doing this again that it would be like scales falling from my eyes. I’d be like, “How have I been neglecting this? I don’t know how I went down this other road.” But really, I can’t wait to get back to doing comedic stuff. I’m not me without either part. (Note: He has also released plenty of new comedy songs and videos since returning from his hiatus.)

And I think it is frustrating for some fans. Obviously, there’s a great amount of people who love it all, and that’s great for me, but I can’t blame other folks who maybe are more into one thing than another. I just hope those people can be patient that I get some of the stuff out of my system before I move on to something else.

When you put out the call for animators, and you got this overwhelming response, what was your reaction personally, not even professionally?

Lutsko: I was blown away. I know I said it, but I told the people I was working with, “I don’t feel like this is statistically possible that this many talented people are fans of mine.” I dunno. Maybe that’s just dumb. I don’t know if there’s a DIY-quality to the work that I do that attracts artists, and not just animators, either.

We talked a little bit about social media, and that’s how I first became aware of your work. Social media has dramatically changed since that time. You’ve talked about the algorithms being screwed up, but what’s been the tangible result of the fall of Twitter for you?

Lutsko: It is insanely frustrating because Twitter was my home base. That’s where I had most of my followers. That’s where I had the most success. And a lot of that came from, and I’ll always pay my respects and won’t fail to mention, that I did unsolicited work for Tim Heidecker, and he had my back and hired me to do some work for the Tim and Eric Tour. Right around that time is when I started Songs on the Computer. So we were just in conversation with each other, and it was just kind of a matter of fact, “Hey, this is what I’m working on.” Then he’d retweet it, and he’s a god in comedy. Anyone who likes comedy follows him, and that would make other huge accounts retweet or follow me. And all those people left Twitter, understandably.

But that was the great thing about Twitter. You could organically build something in that way that you can’t really on YouTube or Instagram or whatever. So yeah, that definitely chopped my legs a little bit.

If you can think of something that sounds smarter than “chop my legs,” I know that’s not a saying.

What did exodus from Twitter mean for the success of your three Bandcamp vinyl campaigns?

Lutsko: I did three, and each one was a little bit worse than the one before. But I anticipated each one was going to be a big fall, and none of them were. I sold around a thousand copies for each, with a standard deviation of 200 maybe. The thing that’s great is I’ve really fostered a community of diehards. This album, Ends, is going to come out this summer. But right now, it’s exclusively available to purchase on my Patreon.

The Patreon has almost doubled within the last couple of months since I released that. So that’s the other end of the sword here that is actually really great. Now I’m doing a kind of direct-to-the-audience thing, and not just because I posted something on one of my social media accounts. I don’t even know if people are seeing those posts. People are always telling me that they don’t see it.

So the Patreon has been this great thing. I’m financially doing better than I was probably five years ago, but it’s because I’ve always worn many hats. I’ll do my vinyl campaigns. I’ll do my Patreon. I get money from streaming. I do commercial work. And I do work for film and television. So things are great, but it’s very hard to navigate moving forward, especially if I’m trying to reach new people. Because I do have this really great cult following, but you always want to make the tent bigger. And that’s the thing that’s just seems really tricky.

Join me at 10 am EST as I take requests and discuss the new record! youtube.com/live/hz-_y21…

— Nick Lutsko (@nicklutsko.bsky.social) 2025-01-08T14:05:36.368Z

We talked about how part of this album is about the creative process, pushing yourself, reinventing yourself, and not resting on your laurels. But there’s the other part you talked about. You told me this before that the day Spirit Halloween reached out to you to write a second song was the same day you found out your wife was pregnant.

Lutsko: Yes.

So you were blowing up, and all of this has been going on for you while you became a dad. You mentioned that half of this album is about that, so how has becoming a father influenced everything you’re doing creatively?

Lutsko: In a very big way.

…I got to really think about how to say this. I don’t want to be overly…I dunno if “sentimental” is the right word, but it just puts things into perspective that a lot of other stuff doesn’t really matter. That this is the priority.

More proof that I am the reincarnation of Jim Henson: my daughter sometimes wears a hat with a Muppet on it

— Nick Lutsko (@nicklutsko.bsky.social) 2023-04-28T14:22:44.406Z

Swords, even though that was like five years ago, I consider Ends to be follow-up to even if it’s not very similar. But with Swords I wrote most of the songs in 2017-2018, right in the middle of the first Trump term. And the album was really about my total bewilderment that people are into this. So there were a lot of Chicken Little themes of, “I feel like the sky is falling, but no one else is acting like that.” Every song kind of dealt with a different facet of those times. It was all very external. I wasn’t really looking inward so much.

This record is the inverse of that. All of that is still happening, but there is a sense of calm. Everything was falling down, and nobody seemed to care, but while that hasn’t changed, it seems everything is actually significantly worse. When I was writing this record, it was looming. The election was gearing up. So all those fears were all there, but there’s this sense of, “You know what? I’m not going to let these people rob me of happiness, and I’m going to pour all of myself into my family and create my own happiness.” Hopefully, that makes sense.

I have to ask about one specific song on Ends that kind of stopped me in my tracks, “Hold You.” The music is gorgeous, but I couldn’t get through the lyrics. You and I became dads at the same time. I can’t even look at photos of my son when he was younger without getting emotional, and this beautiful piano ballad of yours is about that. So I’m curious how you were able to express an idea I find very difficult idea to even think about.

Lutsko: Three of the songs on Ends are about my daughter. I wrote them about my daughter. And the first one I wrote, “Show You,” I wrote during the first year of her life. The second one is, “Hi Baby.” Then “Hold You” is the most recent one that I wrote probably April of last year.

So two years ago, I write “Hi Baby,” and it’s super simple. I don’t really feel like there’s a lot of deep meaning. It’s just kind of a simple, silly song. And it came from my daughter, who would not stop saying, “Hi, baby.” She just said it all the time. Literally, she said it to strangers in the store. She’d be crying in the middle of the night. I’d go into her room, and she’d say, “Hi, baby.” First thing in the morning when she wakes up, “Hi, baby.” All the time. All the time, all the time, all the time.

I write “Hi Baby” and “Obituary” in like early 2023, late 2022. It’s before I decide I’m going offline and focusing on writing this record. So those are kind of on the shelf. And when I come back to writing this record full-time, I’m just kind of taking inventory of what I already have. Around April of last year, I listened to “Hi Baby,” and I just had this overwhelming feeling of sadness. “Oh man, she hasn’t said ‘hi baby’ in probably, I don’t know, eight months.” If I hadn’t written a song, I might’ve forgotten that she did that all the time. And it’s just this feeling of like….yeah, I mean, it’s hard to put into words. I feel like you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Spending my evenings at Spirit Halloween waiting for someone to notice me pic.twitter.com/qRtoswKDtz

— Nick Lutsko (@NickLutsko) September 7, 2023

This is why I wanted to know! How did you put it into a song? It is a very hard thing to talk about. It’s really hard.

Lutsko: It’s like there’s this kid you love more than anything, and you always will, but it is. It’s hard. You look at old videos and you look at old pictures like, “Oh, that’s a different person. And I didn’t even realize that she had moved from point A to point B.”

So it was trying to put those feelings into a song with the added affirmation for her, first and foremost, that no matter what, some things will never change. :he pauses: You can listen to the song….I don’t need to….

At this point, the very funny, surrealist man I first learned about, thanks to his absurd Spirit Halloween theme, took out his acoustic guitar and played the alternate original version of “Hold You” for me. He describes it as a more “alt country upbeat” take. It was just as beautiful and overwhelmed me just the same as the album version. Nick Lutsko says someday he’ll release that version as well, but you can hear that rendition and get a sneak peek at the song from this video of him and his band playing it live.

Okay, so what’s next?

Lutsko: “Reset” is coming out this month. The goal has always been to do a slow trickle. The album is available on Patreon for whoever wants it. But I’m doing a new video and a new single every month. I started in December. This is the fourth single. I’m hoping to do another four more. But it’s hard, man. It’s really hard. And people don’t appear to be super into it. The people that are on the Patreon love it, which is fantastic. But the whole goal of releasing one song at a time is to try to reach more people. I’m trying to give as many songs their moment in their shot.

We’re going to do that for a few more months. And then we’re going to release the full album publicly this summer. Then, I’m becoming a dad again. My wife is pregnant and the baby’s due in August. So, I’m going to focus on being a dad for a bit. Who knows what goes from there?

I will say Swords took years for people to really catch on. So I’m very content. I feel good about this stuff. I’m proud to put it out in the world and then move on to whatever’s next.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. His son’s favorite Nick Lutsko song is “Joker.” You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

“Reset” Song Credits

Written and performed by Nick Lutsko
Saxophones by Jon Elliott
Violins by Nick Hoy & Metiney Suwanawongse
Cello by Ben VanWinkle
Drums and Mixing by Adam Brown
Mastered by Charles Allison

“Reset” Music Video Credits

Animated by (with video timestamps):

Dieter Theuns – 0:13, 1:09, 2:08, 3:54 
Jack Sherry + Zain Awais – 0:24, 1:36, 3:37, 3:46, 3:56
Richard Stevenson – 0:30, 2:06, 3:52, 3:54
Nath Milburn – 0:35, 1:28, 3:07, 3:36, 3:45, 3:47
Dan Cupps – 0:44, 3:18, 3:39
Dann Beeson – 1:05, 3:00, 3:38, 3:40, 3:50
Nayt Cochran – 1:13, 2:57, 3:24, 3:29, 3:44
Mel McBee – 1:16, 1:46, 3:34, 3:47
Noah Campagna – 1:41, 2:14, 3:54
Esteban Martinez – 1:52, 2:11, 3:35, 3:49
Emilee Beeson – 1:57 (illustrated by Emilee Beeson, animated by Dann Beeson)
Kacper Korzybski – 2:00, 2:58, 3:31, 3:42, 3:51
Mike Patten – Storyboards – 1:57 – 2:19, Animation 2:03
Brielle Garcia – 2:48, 3:48
Justin White 3:11, 3:20, 3:26, 3:53
Tim Farrell – 3:38, 3:49, 3:51, 3:52
Brad Young – 3:41
Stephen van Wyk – 3:51  

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FINAL DESTINATION Was Originally an Episode Script for THE X-FILES

Somehow, Final Destination is 25 years old. The film came out in March 2000, so we can no longer pretend that 25 years ago was 1990. Time may be slippery but no one can cheat Death in this film franchise, which is getting a sixth installment this year. But, did you know that Final Destination was born from an episodic spec script from The X-Files? Once again, one of the greatest shows of all-time is influencing other media. 

In a Variety interview, writer Jeffrey Reddick dished on the connection between Final Destination and The X-Files. He got the idea from an article about a woman who had a premonition before boarding a plane. Like Alex Browning, she got off the plane before it took off. In her case, the plane crashed. 

20th Century Fox/New Line Cinema

Here’s what he had to say:

“When I read the article, it just went into my head: what if she “cheated” death, and what would that look like if death decided to come after her? I wrote that idea as an X-Files [spec script] … so it was very serendipitous that we ended up having the film go to [The X-Files executive producers] James Wong and Glen Morgan, who were two of my favorite writers of all time.

As we know, James Wong directed Final Destination and Glen Morgan helped with the screenplay. Of course, the story would’ve been different if it became an X-Files episode. Those strange tales are from Mulder and Scully’s perspective. But, a story about supposedly cheating Death only to reap (ha!) the consequences seemed destined for straight up horror. In fact, Reddick’s X-Files story that became the first Final Destination film drew dark inspiration from a classic horror flick. 

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FINAL DESTINATION 6 Sets Release Date, BLOODLINES Coming in May 2025

“The original story was very A Nightmare on Elm Street-influenced, where Death played with their survivor’s guilt or some secrets that they had to drive them to suicide, which was pretty dark,” Reddick revealed. 

So there you have it. We have The X-Files and a real-life woman’s disturbing premonition to thank for this franchise.

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BALLERINA, the JOHN WICK Spinoff Movie, Shares 4 New Images to Tease Trailer

The world of John Wick is a sprawling one. Although the main franchise of movies focuses on a narrow slice of one assassin’s life, there’s a lot in the universe to explore. And now, John Wick will get its first cinematic spinoff with the Ballerina movie. We still have a lot of questions about how the movie will connect into the main John Wick universe and what exact story it will tell. But we do know, we can’t wait to immerse ourselves back into this deadly web of underground criminals and assassins. This time Ana de Armas will serve as our guide.

The Ballerina trailer is coming soon and in celebration of it, the John Wick movie has released four new images.

Click To View Gallery Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate Lionsgate

Here’s everything we know about the John Wick spinoff movie, Ballerina.

TitleUniversal Pictures

The title of this John Wick movie is Ballerina, alluding to the main character’s training as both dancer and assassin in the Ruska Roma.

LionsgateBallerina‘s Plot

Plot details for Ballerina are still sparse. A logline for the movie simply shares:

The world of John Wick expands with BALLERINA, as Ana de Armas stars as an assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma.

Lionsgate

That description tells us more about the character than the movie, but we do know a few more bits and pieces. According to Deadline, “Ballerina focuses on a young female assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family.” But whether one of those people is John Wick himself, we still don’t know. Potentially, the family Armas’ character wants to avenge is actually her family from the Ruska Roma, who were left hurting in John Wick: Parabellum.

Keanu Reeves, who will appear in the film as John Wick, gave us a better idea of when Ballerina takes place on the John Wick timeline. He noted that the movie fits in between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. So, although the movie will release after Chapter 4, it will take us back in time. And we’re grateful for it because we can’t wait to see Reeves in action as our favorite assassin.

Ballerina‘s CastLionsgate

Ana de Armas will star in Ballerina. Joining her are quite a number of members of the John Wick family as well as some new faces. First, as mentioned, John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves, will return in Ballerina. We don’t know yet how big of a role he’ll have in the movie. In addition, Ian McShane is set to reprise his John Wick role as Winston, the manager of The Continental Hotel, in Ballerina. Anjelica Huston will also return as The Director in the John Wick movie as well. Her presence, of course, makes a lot of sense considering the heavy presence of the Ruska Roma in the little information we’ve received so far. The late Lance Reddick will also return as Charon, one of the concierges at the Continental Hotel, in the movie. Sadly, the actor recently passed away, but it seems he had already filmed his appearance.

Jace Downs/AMC

Joining the John Wick franchise, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Gabriel Byrne will star opposite of de Armas. In addition, The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus has joined the cast of Ballerina. Finally, Deadline reports that two actors joined the movie during reshoots, Umbrella Academy‘s David Castañeda and Sharon Duncan-Brewster.

Behind the Scenes 

Behind the camera, Len Wiseman will direct Ballerina. Shay Hatten, meanwhile, penned the script. Reports indicate that Emerald Fennell also assisted in its writing. John Wick director Chad Stahelski will serve as a producer on the movie alongside Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee.

Ballerina‘s Release Date

Ballerina was set to release on June 7, 2024, but reportedly its release date has moved to June 6, 2025.

Originally published on April 20, 2023.

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Ronald D. Moore Reveals Amazon’s GOD OF WAR Series Is Already Renewed for Season 2

It’s tough when a highly touted TV project loses its creative team before the show even comes out. Hard time all around, uncertainty abounding. Amazon’s high-profile adaptation of Sony’s beloved God of War game franchise parted ways with its showrunner and executive producers in October 2024. But that dark time ended quickly. It was a really rough…weekend, I guess? God of War very quickly received a new showrunner. And God of War‘s new showrunner wasn’t just anyone—joining the Prime Video God of War series was a highly respected and proven writer-showrunner, Battlestar Galactica and For All Mankind creator Ronald D. Moore.

Sony Santa Monica Studios

Moore will run the nascent God of War series, writing and producing as well. This is, of course, customary with television programs of this ilk. What’s not so customary is Moore’s recent reveal that God of War has actually been greenlit for two seasons. Moore shared in a recent interview with Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff, “Right now, I’m working on an adaptation of, there’s a video game called God of War, a big title in the gaming world that Amazon has ordered two seasons of and they’ve asked me to come in. So I’m literally in the writer’s room, and working on that. That’s my new thing.” Two seasons, you say! That’s a lot of confidence in a show that’s been in development for a really long time. But hopefully, it’s as good as the company thinks. You can hear Moore discussing the God of War series and its two seasons at the 1:17:17 mark below.

Moore admits that though he’s helming the God of War series, he’s not a gamer. He shares that he “took a stab at it” but couldn’t conquer the controllers. “‘Press R1.’ Which one’s R1? Oh, I’m dead,” Moore joked. But what Moore does have is a rich history developing some excellent series for TV. Moore returned to Sony TV following his departure in 2020. During his initial tenure with the studio, Moore developed or created long-running shows Outlander for Starz and For All Mankind for Apple TV+. Both shows are continuing and have spinoffs on the way; Blood of My Blood and Star City, respectively. Moore will serve as EP for both the flagship God of War series and any spinoffs.

Sony Santa Monica Studios

After two years on the project, God of War lost its original writers and showrunner in 2024. The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins had been at the helm, with The Expanse creators Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus writing the series and serving as executive producers. Deadline learned Sony and Amazon were looking to hire a whole new writers room following “creative differences” with the trio of writers. Moore has likely had plenty of thoughts about that God of War writer’s room.

The God of War series will almost assuredly adapt the 2018 PlayStation megahit and 2022 sequel, God of War: Ragnarok. Both feature Greek demigod Kratos having slaughtered the pantheon of Greek god and retiring with his son to Scandinavia where he must contend with mythical figures of Norse mythology. The first of those won Game of the Year.

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 Instagram and Letterboxd.

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MORTAL KOMBAT 2 First-Look Images Reveal Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Kitana, Shao Kahn, and Scorpion

It is time to FIGHT! We officially have our first images from Mortal Kombat 2 and they give us some first looks at new characters we’re excited to see like Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Kitana, and Shao Kahn. In the mix is also a new Mortal Kombat 2 image of beloved actor Hiroyuki Sanada’s Scorpion, returning for the second movie in the franchise.

Warner Bros.

Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat co-creator and head of gaming developer NetherRealm Studios, shared with EW a little bit more about our first look at Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage and what we can expect from the character. Boon revealed, “You finally get to see Johnny Cage. His integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores. He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways. He’s adding his own flare to it, but I think it’ll feel fresh. There’s like a novelty factor in there.”

Additionally, Boon notes that Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage is an audience surrogate, letting the audience understand more about the new tale we see in Mortal Kombat 2. Evidently, the character is also downright hilarious, but not without nuance. Director Simon McQuoid reveals,”We wanted a character that wasn’t just completely silly, comic book…It’s a character that could instantly go there and become too light and throwaway if we were to lean too much into the kind of cheese. The casting of Karl Urban for that role allowed that character to have more depth.” We do love to see Karl Urban in everything he does.

Warner Bros.

In addition to our first-look image of Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat 2, we also get to see Adeline Rudolph as fan-favorite Kitana, and Outworld overlord Shao Kahn. We also get to see our first image of Hiroyuki Sanada’s return as Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 2. Check out the images below.

Warner Bros.Warner Bros.

Mortal Kombat 2 will release on October 24, 2025. This sequel movie will center on the Mortal Kombat tournament, which features champion fighters from different realms. If Earthrealm loses this tournament, its 10th consecutive loss against Outworld, then Shao Kahn will take over the Earth. Yikes! The movie will even be “keeping score.” Boon reveals, “There’s a visual representation of who is winning…. It’s not just a tournament for the sake of a tournament. There are huge consequences, so you really are keeping score. And there are a lot of twists in it that keep you on your toes.” McQuoid promises the movie will visit many different realms and lean even harder into the lore and history of Mortal Kombat. We can’t wait to see what happens.

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LEGO POKÉMON Sets Are Arriving in 2026 (Finally!)

You’ve heard of catching ’em all. Now get ready to build ’em all—because Pokémon LEGO sets are finally coming our way. A leaked video seemed to hint something big was on the horizon. But now we have official confirmation. LEGO announced that it would be collaborating with Pokémon on a number of sets, the first of which will be released in 2026. But that will only be the start because this collaboration between LEGO and Pokémon is a multi-year partnership. And that means we’ll have plenty of time to build up our LEGO Pokédex.

LEGO Pokémon Sets Will Arrive in 2026

Get ready to electrify your imagination in 2026 💛 ⚡️ #LEGO #Pokemon #LEGOPokemon pic.twitter.com/EaFoVetuvg

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) March 18, 2025

Yes, that is Pikachu’s tail coming together out of LEGO bricks and sending sparks into the air, and we’re obsessed. We don’t know too much about what the partnership between LEGO and Pokémon will bring us yet, but we do know that building our own Pokémon will be a treat. If there’s any company we can trust to get all the details exactly right, it’s LEGO.

And The Pokémon Company agrees. Gaku Susai, Chief Product and Experience Officer at The Pokémon Company International notes “The LEGO Group and Pokémon have strong shared values of imagination, creativity and fun, making this the perfect partnership to deliver unique, meaningful and engaging ways for Trainers to experience the Pokémon brand. Working with the best-in-class team at the LEGO Group and seeing their dedication and passion for the project has culminated in an innovative and groundbreaking collaboration that will surprise and delight fans. We cannot wait to see both LEGO fans and the Pokémon community’s reactions in 2026.”

Innovative, groundbreaking, and delightful? We can’t wait to test our true mettle as Pokémon Masters as we embark on these LEGO builds.

What Kind of LEGO Pokémon Builds Can We Expect?

So far, LEGO hasn’t given us any specifics about the kinds of sets we can expect from this collaboration with Pokémon. But the teaser trailer for the partnership obviously suggests LEGO Pikachu will be in the mix of the 2026 releases. We really hope we get a super extravagant Pikachu build that’s 1,000 pieces at least, if not more! Maybe some cool light bricks could make its cheeks glow with electric power. (See: LEGO’s Barad-dûr build.

LEGO

After that, the sky is basically the limit. There are 151 original Pokémon LEGO can choose from, and a total of 1,025 Pokémon out there as of the time of this writing. (More if you count in regional forms, Mega Evolutions and Gigantamax Pokémon.) Personally, I vote for a LEGO Mew. But Eevee is always a crowd pleaser, so we bet we’ll see that Pokémon in a LEGO set before long, maybe with a few of its Eeveelutions as build options.

Honestly, if LEGO could find a way for the set to allow a Pokémon to “evolve” that would be really neat.

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In any case, we’re probably going to get a number of Pokémon LEGO sets to catch and add to our collections because, as mentioned, this will be a multi-year partnership between the brands. The Pokémon LEGO sets releasing in 2026 sound like only the beginning.

Why Haven’t There Been LEGO Pokémon Sets Before?

On the LEGO Pokémon landing page, and FAQ sections asks, “Has the LEGO Group ever made a Pokémon set?” and the answer is “We can’t say that we have, no. But in 2026, the answer to that question will be totally different.” And that’s because Pokémon and Mattel have had a long-running exclusive deal which let Mattel’s Mega Bloks corner the Pokémon building market. Fan reaction to Pokémon Mega Bloks is that is has just been a fine experience. Some really don’t like the builds, but most just feel they were okay, just not spectacular. In any case, it seems like that exclusive deal is up now, freeing up Pokémon to either leave behind Mattel’s Mega Bloks altogether or, at the very least, diversify into LEGOs as well.

Well, we’re pretty sure LEGO’s offerings will be spectacular and as electrifying as the teaser trailer promises.

Is There An Exact Release Date for the Pokémon LEGO Sets?

Not yet, but as we mentioned the first Pokémon LEGO sets will release in 2026.

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Otherwise, LEGO notes, “Fans should keep their binoculars peeled and their Pokédex ready to experience the world of LEGO Pokémon, coming their way in 2026. For more information as it is revealed: www.lego.com/pokemon” And we’ll keep you updated here as well.

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Aiel Warrior Aviendha and Warder Lan Spar in Exclusive THE WHEEL OF TIME Clip

The wheel continues to turn as forces of Light and Dark come to a head. So far, The Wheel of Time season three is taking fans on a journey to several new locations. This includes Rand’s trek towards the Aiel Waste with Lan, Moiraine, Aviendha, Egwene, and others. The newly-minted Dragon Reborn seeks to raise an army and prove himself to be the Aiel’s Car’a’carn. But just because he’s a powerful man doesn’t mean that he can stroll into Rhuidean and do as he pleases. In our exclusive Wheel of Time clip from episode four, we see Aviendha and Lan spar after she lays down more rules for Rand.

The group is near the city and preparing to rest at a campsite. Aviendha reminds Rand that he is not supposed to touch a sword. Ever the sassy man, he challenges her authority in this space despite knowing nothing of the Aiel ways. She responds to his sassiness by quickly putting him on his back. Lan watches with some level of amusement before Aviendha turns the spear to him and says he will not do it either.

Lan squares off like he wants to square up with her, and she asks him if he wants to dance. And they indeed to a dance that only a warrior and a Warder can do, with Aviendha holding her own against him. Everyone else hoots or curiously watches as the pair fights with flickering flames in the background.

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Yes, we know that Lan and Nynaeve are in love and all. But this exclusive scene from The Wheel of Time’s third season gives off an… energy that we aren’t mad about at all. What will happen after this fun spar? We will have to wait and see when episode four hits Prime Video on March 20.

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Han’s Torture in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Was Almost Way More Grisly

George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy sparked the imagination of a whole generation, inspiring countless merchandise, much of it aimed at very young kids. Because of this, Lucasfilm substantially trimmed down one of the most disturbing moments from The Empire Strikes Back. Originally, George Lucas and director Irvin Kershner were going to show Han Solo’s torture at the hands of Darth Vader on Cloud City in greater detail, but cut away from most of it. But the YouTube channel Star Wars Analyst details how that scene was once much more graphic, but ultimately cut way down, so as to not traumatize ’80s children.

In the DVD commentary for Empire, Kershner describes how originally, the scene with Vader torturing Han was longer. Vader did all this so Luke would sense Han’s pain via the Force, and fall into Daddy’s trap. We see a brief glimpse of this mechanical torture before the camera cuts away. Harrison Ford’s muted screams behind closed doors are all that remains. But according to Kershner, he even cut that down. All because he and Lucas thought it was too disturbing for “the kiddies” who bought all those Kenner toys. And to be fair, Lucas was right. Like Leia’s torture by Vader in A New Hope, we didn’t need to see it to know it happened.

Lucasfilm

I do take issue with the narrator of this video saying that ’80s kids were “too soft” for this scene, when he grew up with Anakin’s immolation in Revenge of the Sith. I have to defend my generation’s honor a bit here. We Gen-Xers grew up with a shark eating a kid in Jaws, a guy ripping his face off in Poltergeist, and melting Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark. And let’s not even get into Artax the horse’s death in The Neverending Story.

We could handle a lot, thank you very much. But Lucas made the original trilogy prior to the invention of PG-13. He didn’t want to push the envelope and risk an R-rating. He didn’t have the luxury of PG-13 existing, as he did with Revenge of the Sith. But aside from that dig, this video properly highlights how The Empire Strikes Back was very nearly that much darker.

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