Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 146

Legendary and Sony’s STREET FIGHTER Movie Lands Director Kitao Sakurai

We currently live in a world where video game movie and TV adaptations have finally, in most people’s estimation, reached their peak. HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us broke ratings records; the Sonic the Hedgehog movies made all kinds of money. And hell, even the 30-year stink of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. live-action movie has given way to what looks to be a pretty excellent animated film. Another franchise with a bad 1990s movie will soon get a similar reprieve. In 2023, we learned that Legendary obtained exclusive live-action film and TV rights to Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise. What’s more, a Street Fighter movie is on the way from Legendary and Sony. The Street Fighter movie will release in 2026.

Capcom

According to Deadline, the movie lost its original set of directors, Danny and Michael Philippou, who created the popular A24 horror movie, Talk to Me. In February 2025, THR reported that The Eric Andre Show and Twisted Metal director, Kitao Sakurai, will direct the movie.

Legendary will co-develop and produce this Street Fighter movie with Sony and Capcom, and Legendary and Capcom will work together on any future titles. Capcom has had success with the Resident Evil movie franchise, though those aren’t particularly faithful to the games. Legendary, meanwhile, saw success with its live-action Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie in 2019.

One of the highest-grossing video game franchises in history, Street Fighter all but invented the fighting game as we know it today. From 1987, the games have introduced and perfected a particular kind of superpowered brawler and introduced memorable and beloved characters like Ryu, Chun-Li, and Guile. Dozens of anime adaptations grew the game’s lore and roster, showcasing a global fight tournament against the evil M. Bison.

A 1994 live-action adaptation starring Jean-Claude Van Damme didn’t quite live up to anybody’s expectations, but is still fun if you’re into that particular mood. We can’t wait to hear more about this Street Fighter movie as it develops.

Originally published June 27, 2024

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

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Nike Is Releasing DONKEY KONG-Inspired Sneakers

Nike’s .Swoosh division, which previously focused its efforts on NFTs, has now pivoted to actually selling tangible products. Their pivot away from that space doesn’t surprise me, but Nintendo’s lack of involvement as of now does. Okay, so there is no word of an official collaboration yet, but it sure looks like Nike drew inspiration from Donkey Kong for these new shoes. The new Nike Air Max 1 Low Poly colorway is allegedly nicknamed “Big Head Origins,” according to Sneaker News.

Nike

The drop seems very inspired by the ironically barefoot monkey. Considering Swoosh’s tagline on its website: ” Swoosh is Nike’s Home for Gaming,” this is totally plausible. The shoes follow a brown and red colorway like Donkey Kong himself. The shoe’s upper features brown fuzzy brown suede…or should I say hairy. Of course, this mimics Donkey Kong’s fur.

The iconic Nike Swoosh is red with a polygonal design, making it less smooth and more Nintendo 64 vibes. The tongue of the sneaker says Nike Air Max in a pixelated design keeps this same old-gen game theme. On the back of the shoe, there is a yellow circular rubber Nike Air badge that screams banana coin.

Nike

Speaking of the Nintendo 64, I think this sneaker takes some graphics from Donkey Kong 64 because of the insoles. Which features a ground pattern similar to the one from the game. Additionally, the coins that are so close to DK but say DS for DotSwoosh. I don’t know about you, but with all the other details, the banana peel is giving Donkey Kong Country 2.

The shoe collaborations are ramping up as of late with Red Hulk clogs also releasing recently. There is currently confirmed no release date. However, the shoes will likely drop in Spring or Summer 2025 with a retail price of $150.

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These Viral Hyperrealistic Fruit Cakes Look So Tasty

These cakes that look exactly like real fruit are incredible. From raspberries to pumpkins to corn, these creations made by Dinara Kasko are so intricate, resulting in viral videos on TikTok. Kasko has amassed over five million likes for her unique cakes on her TikTok account @dinarakasko. It’s hard not to drool while watching the videos below.

@dinarakasko

Giant #strawberry 🍓 cake for #strawberrylover Rate my idea from 1 to 10❤️ #cake#asmr#cakevideo#cakevideos #strawberrycake

♬ original sound – DinaraKasko

@dinarakasko

Wooow, does it really look realistic? Just imagine, now you can eat the pillow😉and it will be very tasty. Cake recipe – included. Order our mould – link in bio. Worldwide shipping.

♬ оригінальний звук – DinaraKasko

Dinara Kasko is a Ukranian pastry designer who operates out of Los Angeles. Kasko makes her intricate fruit-shaped cakes through a variety of techniques, including using 3D printing and silicon molds that she makes herself. Additionally, in multiple of her videos, she uses airbrushing to make the fruit-shaped cake look less matte and more fresh. Kasko used to be an architect and uses her skills to design and create cakes with 3D modeling software.

Dinara Kasko

Kasko also has her own website where she sells the silicon molds she uses in her videos so you can make the cakes at home. Even with the molds, I’m sure mine will not look like the cakes in the video. I’ll have to work on my baking skills till I get there. Maybe one day I’ll be able to make a strawberry-shaped cake that looks like the real thing. The website also has a variety of other baking tools, like cake frames and non-stick mats, for people to buy. We’ve seen some pretty cool realistic cakes before, but these uber-real fruit ones have to be some our favorites to date.

Dinara Kasko Pastry Art

Kasko has longer videos on her YouTube channel, so you can see how the cakes are made and maybe even try to follow along. One day, maybe we can even try a delicious, realistic fruit-shaped cake. That would be a dream. For now, we’ll just be watching these cake videos over and over again. M

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Doughlicious’ New Extra Flamin’ Hot Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites Might Just Be Too Much Flavor

I’ve been on the gross/weird food beat for a long time. I’ve seen, eaten, and smelled a whole lot of things that would make your stomach literally churn. So after all those years of culinary chaos it takes a lot to get a rise out of me. Yet that’s exactly what Doughlicious has done with its latest product. The company took the concept of combining something spicy with something sweet and created a “dessert” that might be an abomination both outside and inside your body. And if you think that’s a little dramatic just wait until you hear the name of this very real product. Get ready to try or avoid Extra Flamin’ Hot Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites.

One more time in case your brain had trouble processing that. These are Extra Flamin’ Hot Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites.

Thanks (I guess) to FoodBeast for making me aware of a foodstuff that actually made me, a guy who once both made and ate Chidi’s Existential Peeps and M&Ms Chili from The Good Place, actually gasp “Oh no!” Doughlicious has partnered with PepsiCo on a spicy new item. Extra Flamin’ Hot Cookie Dough & Gelato Bites is a monstrous mix of intense flavors. Here’s how the company describes it:

Nothing can prepare your tastebuds for our indulgent Bird’s Eye Chilli cookie dough, Ghost pepper infused gelato, all dusted off with Chipotle cookie crumb. It’s cold outside, so lean back, take a deep breath, and get ready to bring the heat: if you dare!

Doughlicious

Not even if you triple dog dare me. But thanks. I simply do not want to eat this. I also can’t get past gelato balls looking like spicy fried mozzarella. If you want to try it though, knock yourself out. So long as you knock yourself out near your own bathroom.

I’ve been on this particular food beat for a long time. So trust me when I say that’s the best thing you can do for both yourself and others when you eat something this weird.

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Check Out the Trailer for GRAND THEFT HAMLET, About a Theatre Production in GTA

Film distributor and streaming service Mubi has acquired the Subscription Video on Demand distribution rights for Grand Theft Hamlet, a documentary about two out-of-work actors attempting to put on a production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. However, there’s a twist: the entire production is in the video game Grand Theft Auto V, not the upcoming GTA VI.

Husband and wife duo Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls wrote and directed the film, which premiered at and won the documentary feature jury award at South by Southwest’s Film & TV Festival. The film will also premiere in the United Kingdom at the British Film Institute’s London Film Festival on Oct. 15. The actual production of Hamlet within the game won The Stage Innovation Award in 2023.

Crane is a stage actor with a career spanning over 20 years. He currently plays the lead, Harry Potter, in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child‘s West End production. Crane also appeared in Ridley Scott’s Napolean as Jacques-Louis David.

Mubi

Grand Theft Hamlet is Grylls’ first feature-length documentary. Although, her previous short documentary, Peter and Ben, was also screened at South by Southwest. Grylls’ has directed and edited documentaries for the BBC, BFI Doc Society, The Guardian, etc. She is also the co-founder of the Birds Eye View Film Festival, which aims to uplift filmmaking from women and non-binary people.

In January 2021, during the pandemic lockdown, actors Sam and Mark became engrossed in playing GTA to escape the confines of social isolation. GTA allows players to explore an open world and do everything from the game’s namesake and stealing cars to competing in a tennis match. While exploring GTA, Sam and Mark found a theater and considered staging a production in the game. Grand Theft Hamlet follows this journey. The concept stands in stark contrast to the usual objectives of the game, which makes it intriguing.

Mubi

Mubi obtained U.S. distribution rights for Grand Theft Hamlet‘s theatrical release. The streaming service has recently attempted to broaden its theatrical scope. Most recently, they distributed Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. Additionally, Mubi just signed a multi-territory deal for Challenger‘s director Luca Guadagnino‘s film starring Daniel Craig, Queer. A24 will be distributing the film in the U.S., but Mubi secured the rights for the film in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Latin America, Germany, Turkey, India, etc.

Mubi also obtained global rights to stream the documentary. Grand Theft Hamlet will be available to stream globally on Mubi starting February 21.

Originally published October 10, 2024.

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Why CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Should Have Kept Its Main Villain a Surprise

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The main villain of Captain America: Brave New World wasn’t really the Red Hulk, as promotional materials suggested. Although that is indeed who Cap has a big, final act fight with. We think it would have been silly to keep Red Hulk out of marketing. No, it was the long-forgotten MCU character Samuel Sterns, played by Tim Blake Nelson. His brain mutated thanks to gamma exposure, Sterns is now the classic Hulk villain the Leader. (Even if they never do use that name).

Marvel Studios

The actor returned to the role after almost two decades. And we think if Marvel Studios kept Stern’s return under wraps, a lot of Brave New World’s visceral impact might have remained. Instead, they spoiled a potentially huge twist years before the movie came out, we think to the film’s detriment.

Marvel Teased the Return of Tim Blake Nelson in The Incredible Hulk, Later Abandoning That Plot ThreadMarvel Studios/Universal Pictures

Marvel Studios introduced Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk, a seemingly helpful scientist who reveals his own greedy agenda. The movie included a scene of Bruce Banner’s blood infecting his brain in the 2008 film, thus teasing his emergence as the Leader in a potential sequel. But when that follow-up film never happened, that storyline languished in the MCU vault of unfinished plots and post-credits stingers. After so many years, not even the biggest MCU fan expected to see the Samuel Sterns teases ever pay off. We think most viewers would have been genuinely shocked. Assuming they remembered the character at all, of course.

Marvel Studios Spoiled the Return of Tim Blake Nelson at D23 in 2022Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios decided to publicly announce the return of Tim Blake Nelson with the full cast announcement for Captain America: Brave New World at the D23 Expo in 2022. So the reveal that his character Sterns would finally be “the Big Bad” was pretty much ruined in that moment. As a puppet master villain, there was no way that was not the direction he was taking in the MCU. Now if they had not structured the film to build up Sterns as a big reveal within the story itself? Then it wouldn’t have been a big issue. But the film has Sam investigating a mystery many fans already knew the answer to for much of its runtime. Yes, the ‘how” and “why” don’t get a reveal right away, but all of that is secondary to “who.” And the audience already knew “who” the Captain America villain was before Captain America did.

It’s Hard to Keep Marvel Casting Under Wraps, But Deadpool & Wolverine Proved That It Can Be DoneMarvel Studios

To be fair to Marvel Studios, it is extremely difficult to keep characters and cast a secret. We recognize that fact. Especially when making movies with huge fanbases like these. Movie sets have leaks, and scoopers online have made that spoiler culture pervasive. But Marvel Studios has also proven that one can keep casting announcements and characters a secret, as with Deadpool & Wolverine. That film had a metric ton of major cameos, most kept under wraps completely until the movie dropped. So it’s not impossible. It’s just very hard to do. Would the Sterns surprise suddenly make Brave New World a five-star movie? Well, no. But that big twist might have had fans genuinely shocked, and impressed them with how well Marvel played the long game. That itself would have been a positive. Sadly, it’s a creative decision they simply dropped the ball on.

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Neil Newbon On His First DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Character and THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN

The magic of Dungeons & Dragons captured in an immersive improv theater experience. That’s what you’ll get to be a part of if you visit Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern in New York City. You’re always the most important guest at any showing, of course. But recently, another epic figure joined the party, or The Party, if you will. Neil Newbon, the beloved voice actor who portrays Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion, took to the stage as a Featured Player at The Twenty-Sided Tavern. (Much to the great delight of fans everywhere.)

On the heels of one of his final performances at The Twenty-Sided Tavern, Neil Newbon sat down with Nerdist to discuss his time on the show, the magic of the show and its community, and his strong Dungeons & Dragons roots. We even touched on Newbon’s first-ever Dungeons & Dragons character and discussed some of his personal favorite campaigns. 

Nerdist

You can read the full interview below, but first, we must share with you this clip from the performance we attended. In it, the power of the die compelled Newbon to suddenly enter the Regency era and engage in a romantic interlude with the villain of the tale. 

And Part 2! pic.twitter.com/AZGnyG1ZbD

— Rotem Rusak (@Moondancer1626) February 14, 2025

Nerdist: Amazing job tonight. It was a beautiful story.

Neil Newbon: Yeah, well, the whole point of The Twenty-Sided Tavern is that it’s different every night. We have zero idea where it’s going to go, which is the fun of it for us. And I think the audience as well. No two shows will ever, can ever statistically be the same.

We’ve had ones that are more like jokey chaos, kind of. This was nice. I enjoyed this one’s narrative.

When did you first hear about The Twenty-Sided Tavern, and what made you want to be a part of it?

Newbon: I actually met the creators of the show and a few other members of the cast at a convention last year. They’d asked me to just talk about my experience in MOCAP and D&D, that kind stuff. It was a panel they doing about this show, and that was the first time I heard about it. And I saw their stuff, and it just looked awesome. So I met them, and we had a chat, and we just went, maybe we can work together. So then when they approached me, I said, yes.

There are three main roles in The Twenty-Sided Tavern‘s party. Did you get to choose to be the Spellcaster?

Newbon: They actually suggested it. And to be honest with you, the Trickster is too obvious. I’m kind of too rogue-coded already. So, for me, it was really nice to play something that I don’t always get to do.

They’ve been really silly, fun characters, but very, very different from other ones I’ve played in some regards. So I really appreciated the fact that The Twenty-Sided Tavern was thinking about me in terms of, “Well, let’s try something else that you’re not used to.”

Nerdist

What surprised you the most about being a part of the show?

Newbon: It really exceeded the fun factor for me. I thought it was going to be a lot of fun. I didn’t think it would be this much fun. This is way past my expectations of how fun the show would be.

I didn’t have any expectations of how the show should be, but it was a beautiful moment to be welcomed in by everybody and realize that genuinely, there is an amazing atmosphere between the group, the cast, and everybody really. They’re just amazing people. And you don’t always get that on a production, especially like this one, where there are lots of moving parts, and many people rotate in and out. But they all get on with each other. And they’re just incredibly welcoming to people like me, guests coming into their family. So that was amazing. I loved it. That’s one of my favorite parts of this experience.

I have my Off-Broadway family now. It’s great.

As a longtime Dungeons & Dragons player, do you feel being in The Twenty-Sided Tavern is like being in a game of Dungeons & Dragons?

Newbon: Oh, totally. I used to do LARPing back when it was deeply unpopular and very uncool. So for me, this is a kind of weird mishmash between all of my childhood fantasies, my aspirations of being an actor and my adult geekiness to be able to perform a LARP and play D&D, the whole thing in one hit is insane. Yeah, it’s really cool.

RELATED ARTICLE

BALDUR’S GATE 3’s Neil Newbon Gets Candid About Astarion’s Most Emotional Scene, Head-Canons, and How ‘Darling’ Came to Be

So you’ve done quite a few of these performances now. Is there one that struck you as the funniest version of the character? One that really hit?

Newbon: Not really. I think that’s the thing because we’re not entirely sure what kind of version of the character you want to portray going in. We tend to have ideas just to kick off the very first bit when we walk in. We tend to improvise like, “Okay, we can do this, do that.” As you walk into the pub after that, it’s really whatever comes out of people’s mouths and the dice has a big factor in that as well.

I think one of the things that we’ve definitely had, which has been amazing, is the right nat 20 or the right Crit 1 at the right moment, just when you absolutely need it. Those moments are electrifying. They’ve happened so far at the most pivotal moment where it can happen, and that is just mind-blowing. There’s no trickery. It’s just rolls. It’s statistically unlikely rolls.

So we’ve definitely had Nat 20s that have come literally at the right moment, and it’s just been awesome.

Amazing. And is there a joke or a line or a piece of banter that you’ve done with one of your fellow performers that you were like, ah, that one really hit at the right moment?

Newbon: Again, loads of things. There’s not a particular quote of the whole run. I think it’s just different. I like the moment when you know that you’ve got trust for people and that you can try anything, and they’ll go with you. All the “yes, and” or “no, but” experiences, which is wonderful. I think I had that moment very early on, basically in the first show. I suddenly realized I was completely safe here, and this is amazing, and this is awesome.

Your previous performances come up quite a bit from the audience. Have you injected them into your performances at all?

No, I try not to, but the audience are a whimsical bunch. So they have tried to shoehorn many characters in there. It is quite funny at times. But you don’t want to get too derailed by all that kind of stuff. But it’s funny; it’s very sweet that people like my work, so I appreciate it.

Larian Studios

Tonight, you had to act with all your limbs turning to stone so you couldn’t use them. What has been the toughest curve ball that was thrown onto your acting from the blue?

Newbon: I don’t know, actually. I think I had to play Astarion in a scene. That was tough because I was kind of trying to avoid playing Astarion. So we had to do that. I think a few sessions ago, I was playing Dustin, and he ended up being forcibly morphed into Astarion. So that was tough, I kind of just wanted to play Dustin, do you know what I mean?

But losing my limbs—all that stuff—that’s funny as hell because it gave me the ability to be a Stone Fonzy.

How does performing in an improv show like this compare to the other acting that you’ve done so far?

Newbon: I come from a classical theater background. Originally, I started National Youth Theater in Bloomsbury, Edinburgh Fringe, Royal Court, and other places. Some really heavy theater stuff. And Shakespeare as well. I love improv because you are required to understand the baseline foundation of what you’re doing. We’re playing a kind of character, so you have an idea of character, and then everything is purely reactive and up for grabs, and it keeps you working continually.

And happy accidents happen continually. And if something doesn’t quite land, you don’t get another chance to go. You have no way of salvaging it. You just got to make it work and move on. I think it’s a really interesting exercise for actors. It’s a very good lesson in humility as well. I think an actor may feel they’re good. But to come into improv comedy, it’s a hell of a skill, and it will humble anybody, I think. But it’s also great to work with these people who are so experienced in this. It’s nice to see my fellow cast members fly and learn from them, as well as to be able to offer up.

Switching to Dungeons & Dragons generally, I know you mentioned you’ve LARP-ed and played Dungeons & Dragons since you were much younger. Do you remember your first Dungeons & Dragons character?

Newbon: Oh, interesting. I dunno if I do. I want to say it was a swashbuckler, but I think that’s wrong. It was probably like a fighter, a thief, like a dual class. I can’t remember which edition we used now. But it was definitely multi-class. I think like a fighter thief. I’m pretty sure that was probably one of the first one we played.

Nerdist

And do you have any early stories of playing Dungeons & Dragons you could share?

Newbon: I do remember derailing a friend of mine who made an entire quest and campaign for me. And he was going to introduce other people. But it was just the two of us around, none of our other friends could make it, it was like summer holidays or something. And so he made this whole campaign up for me, and I was playing a swashbuckler.

And I derailed the entire campaign by, right at the beginning, as opposed to jumping off the ship that I’m escaping from… I just decided to turn around with two crossbows and take on the entire pirate ship who promptly killed me and ended the entire campaign.

So that was an interesting moment. My friend just looked at me like, “You want to do what?” He was like, “Really? You mean you’re going to die?” I was like, “I don’t care, let’s go for it. I like those odds.” And then I died. He went, you died. I told you you’re going to die. That’s it. The campaign, the story’s over, and he’s like, “That’s it.” There was a moment of silence, and I was like, “Well, thank you all that work that you did.” Yeah. Lasted half an hour that game.

And is there a character that you’ve played that has been dear to you or that you’ve been really proud of creating as a Dungeons & Dragons player?

Newbon: Actually, I really like the character I’m playing in Baldur’s Gate 3 at the moment called Bow’ee, who’s a half-elf, wood-elf, Circle of the Moon Druid, pansexual.

She’s very cool. I like her a lot. She’s very emotionally intelligent and pretty stupid, so she’s a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic, really. I like Bow’ee immensely. She’s a good-hearted person who makes bad decisions because she’s naive.

Esproc69 on TikTok

You’ve mentioned before that you’re a rogue for life, but what is it about being a rogue that really appeals to you?

Newbon: I think I’m always a perpetual Loot Goblin. That’s pretty well-known. I like playing by and breaking and bending the rules. I know that rules are often in place for good reason. Sometimes, they’re not. I always believe that sometimes it’s okay to abandon and sometimes break the rules because life sometimes demands that.

So, rogue for life.

I love that. And what exactly is it about being a Loot Goblin that calls to you so much?

Newbon: I haven’t done enough therapy to deal with that. I’m not sure why.

Do you feel like you’ve been a Loot Goblin on The Twenty-Sided Tavern?

Newbon: No, I’m not playing a Loot Goblin. Tonight, for instance, this particular character, Leighton’s not a Loot Goblin at all. I think he doesn’t really care about any kind of earthly possessions; he’s more about the experience of life. So, I like to try and always veer away from me as a person in my characters. It’s easy to share your own characteristics with them, I guess. But I quite enjoy coming up with a recipe for a new character and try to avoid doing what I would do to do what I ought not to do, if that makes sense.

Nerdist

And as far as your D&D alignment, what calls to you as a person and a character?

Newbon: As a person? I think it’s up to other people to choose my alignment to perfect, honest. But I like sort of chaotic characters. Chaotic good characters are fun to play Me as a person. Couldn’t tell you, can I? Not sure.

And do you ever DM in the sphere of the D&D?

Newbon: Yeah, sure. I used to Games Master and DM for quite a long time. In fact, I was almost the perpetual Games master really for many, many years. So, in fact, I very rarely get to play characters these days. I still have a D&D group, and we’re currently playing at the moment and I’m DMing that. I dunno what it is, but I really enjoy the DM position.

But for something like this, I’d much rather be a player. That’s a lot of work. Both Stomp and Connor, who are amazing, have to do extraordinary, huge amounts of work, all while still being on the same “Yes, and” page and offering constant variation. It’s a lot of work, man.

I was going to say The Twenty-Sided Tavern are having their very first guest DM, upcoming.

Newbon: Yes, Aabria Iyengar!

Nerdist/Twenty-Sided Tavern

Would you ever be interested in trying it out on the big stage?

Newbon: No. But I’d love to give her a run for her money by being a player with her, though. That’d be cool. I’ve done that before. I’ve been a player with her before with at one of the cons. We had a convention together where we played a game of D&D together. It was lovely. She was our DM with Brendan Lee Mulligan, Anjali Bhimani, Brennan Lee Mulligan and Samantha Béart. It was amazing. It was really awesome.

And if you ever came back to The Twenty-Sided Tavern, would you want to try a different character on?

Newbon: Sure. I mean, I’m kind of open to anything, really. I quite like the Spellcaster. Warrior could be interesting. I think avoiding Trickers would be probably better. Just because it’s a bit obvious. But never say never.

Although I have enjoyed the Spellcaster a lot, actually. So I wouldn’t mind coming back for Spellcaster.

Neil Newbon’s run has ended on The Twenty-Sided Tavern, but the show continues. Check out how you can go see it at the official website for the experience. And make sure to follow Newbon on his channels to keep up with all his latest projects.

The post Neil Newbon On His First DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Character and THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN appeared first on Nerdist.

HBO Promises Epic HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 3 Battle and Teases More Targaryen Spinoffs

House of the Dragon‘s second season ended on the brink of a major battle from the Dance of the Dragons. That’s not exactly the conclusion fans wanted. They wanted to actually see that epic conflict. But HBO continues to promise viewers they will be glad they waited. Francesca Orsi, HBO’s Head of Drama Series and Films, told Deadline the Battle of the Gullet will be even better because they held back on filming it. If that’s not enough to get Targaryen bannermen excited, though, she also said the network is already considering renewing A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for two more seasons. And HBO is also still developing some other potential big budget spinoffs featuring the Seven Kingdom’s dragonriders.

HBO

The Battle of the Gullet from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood is coming. Eventually. Until it does HBO wants frustrated/disappointed viewers to believe the delay will ultimately be a good thing. “You know what, it was worth the wait,” Orsi told Deadline during The White Lotus season three premiere. “I was just on set [for season three] and saw all the elements and what was behind it,” she said. “I’m so glad we waited because it’s going to be better than ever, and I don’t think we had the time at that point to do what it is that we’ve achieved now this season.”

HBO changed the show’s second season from its originally planned ten episodes to eight. The Battle of the Gullet ended up on the wrong side of the divide. But whether or not Orsi is being wholly honest when she says the set for the battle is “just so massive, we needed the time to build it,” she’s certainly building up anticipation the show will now need to deliver on. But if any TV series can pull off a spectacle of this magnitude it’s House of the Dragon. The show’s well-discussed season two issues did not include its action sequences.

HBO

Of course, we have a long way to wait to see the Battle of the Gullet. Production on season three has just begun and it won’t premiere until spring 2026 at the earliest. We won’t be waiting nearly that long for the next Game of Thrones spinoff, though. The six-episode first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will debut later this year. It might not be long until we see both seasons two and three, either.

Orsi said, just like George R.R. Martin, HBO is very happy with the lower budget series. It’s already discussing not only renewing it for two more seasons (Martin has written three Dunk & Egg novellas), but filming them back-to-back. Considering one of its two stars is very young that will help with the problem of actual humans aging in ways fictional characters don’t have to.

HBO

But while Orsi described production of A Knight of the Seven Kingdom as “intimate,” she said other potential shows in Westeros would be similar in both scope and budget to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. “We have other spinoffs that we’re working on right now, one of which — which I won’t get into — is very promising,” said Orsi. She also added that show is also about House Targaryen. (Our bet is she means Aegon’s Conquest.) “There’s a number of other spinoffs, we can’t really guarantee what’s going to go forward, but we are very big budget on the other ones.”

No matter which projects in development ultimately make it to air we just have one request. Please don’t make season-ending teases of major battles the norm. Even if the Battle of the Gullet ends up being worth the wait we’d prefer not to.

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MAGIC: THE GATHERING and FINAL FANTASY Crossover Reveals Commander Decks

Over the last several years, the iconic collectible card game Magic: The Gathering has produced several crossovers with popular video games. These games include Fallout and Assassin’s Creed, among others. Now, prepare for another collaboration with a celebrated video game, as four different Final Fantasy games will receive Commander Decks in a new set from Wizards of the Coast. The Magic: The Gathering/Final Fantasy crossover launches in June, featuring the art beloved Final Fantasy artist, Yoshitaka Amano. You can check out several of the cards and their packaging down below in our gallery:

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The Magic/Final Fantasy crossover will be a fully draftable, standard-legal set accompanied by the four preconstructed decks in the gallery above. It will consist of 100 cards, both reprints of existing cards along with newly commissioned Final Fantasy art, as well as new cards designed with Magic’s most popular format, Commander. Each Commander precons will be built around a single Final Fantasy game. In this case, Final Fantasy 6, 7, 10, and 14. The revealed cards include Terra from Final Fantasy VI, Tidus from Final Fantasy X, Y’shtola from Final Fantasy XIV, and Cloud from Final Fantasy VII. Although these Commander Decks center on just four games, the rest of the set will showcase all 16 Final Fantasy games.

Wizards of the Coast/Square Enix

Special features include the following:

Saga Creatures – Summons are making an appearance in this set, as part of Magic: The Gathering’s first-ever Saga creatures. Players can call the summons for aid in battle.

Double-Faced Cards – Double-faced cards return in Magic: The Gathering—Final Fantasy. By casting the front side of the card for its mana cost and fulfilling its required conditions, players can transform it to experience its alternate form. Iconic Final Fantasy characters, minigames, story moments, and more are represented on double-faced cards throughout the set. 

The Magic: The Gathering/Final Fantasy crossover launches June 13.

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POPEYE’S REVENGE Trailer Features Popeye Getting (Low Budget Public Domain Horror) Revenge

Well Popeye must have entered the public domain. I wasn’t aware of that before, but it must be true because the spinach-loving sailor is the latest iconic character getting an uninspired, low-budget horror film that makes no sense whatsoever. But hey, there’s clearly an audience for these things, otherwise people wouldn’t keep making them. (I assume?) So whether you’re included in that group or you have a natural morbid curiosity, here’s the trailer for Popeye’s Revenge.

Cause Popeye needs revenge. For some reason.

ITN Movies bills Popeye’s Revenge as a “horrifying take on the classic character.” We agree with that. Just not in the way the company means it. This is horrifying because it’s just Friday the 13th with Popeye.

…Cool.

Directed by William Stead (Children of the Night), the film comes from the same team producing behind Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey 1 & 2. In this movie “the legend of Popeye haunts a group of friends as they intend to open a summer camp.”

….Great.

ITN Movies

The slasher flick stars Kelly Rian Sanson (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2), Danielle Scott (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey), and Danielle Ronald (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey). Steven Murphy plays this killer version of Popeye. We’ll go ahead and assume a can of spinach plays itself.

So…how many more of these public domain horror movies that all look and feel exactly the same can the universe can pump out before we demand a change to copyrights laws that specifically ban them? After watching this trailer it feels like it won’t take too many more. But despite our Popeye’s bicep-sized snark, we’ll remain open to the possibility this one is especially fun. I mean, at least it only has a run time of 79 minutes. We definitely don’t hate that!

Popeye’s Revenge is now available to stream exclusively at Amazon. Good luck to you and the public domain.

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