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SHE-RA Returns in First Look at Netflix’s Reboot

We learned in December that classic ’80s animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power would be getting a modern makeover on Netflix; they’re working with DreamWorks to produce the series with showrunner Noelle Stevenson, creator of beloved comic Lumberjanes. Now, via Entertainment Weekly, we have our first look at the series’ poster, as well as the first voice cast, character announcements, and official series description.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is the story of an orphan named Adora (Carrero), who leaves behind her former life in the evil Horde when she discovers a magic sword that transforms her into the mythical warrior princess She-Ra. Along the way, she finds a new family in the Rebellion as she unites a group of magical princesses in the ultimate fight against evil.

Note the name of the series: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.  Princesses. Plural. It seems She-Ra’s fabulous friends have been elevated to the status of powerful monarchs in their own rights. Other than that, the costume for She-Ra looks like the classic costume from back in the day. No sign of her flying horse Swift Wind, but I can’t imagine he’d get left out entirely.

The cast of DreamWorks #SheRa and the Princesses of Power with executive producer Noelle Stevenson. Photo Credit: Stefanie Keenan pic.twitter.com/puY3cVHDs7

— She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (@DreamWorksSheRa) May 18, 2018

She-Ra boasts a rather impressive voice cast, including Aimee Carrero (Young and Hungry) as Adora/She-Ra, Jordan Fisher (Dancing with the Stars) as Seahawk, Marcus Scribner (black-ish) as Bow, Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black) as Shadow Weaver, Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) as Castaspella, Karen Fukuhara as Glimmer, AJ Michalka as Catra, Reshma Shetty as Angella, Keston John as Hordak, Lauren Ash as Scorpia, Christine Woods  as Entrapta, Genesis Rodriguez as Perfuma, Vella Lovell  as Mermista, Merit Leighton as Frosta, and Krystal Joy Brown as Netossa.

All of those characters are straight from the classic series and toy line, but it’s interesting to note the comic relief characters from the original series, Madam Razz and Kowl, are not listed. Also notably absent is any mention of She-Ra’s famous brother He-Man.

Although Noelle Stevenson didn’t grow up watching She-Ra, having been born some six years after it debuted, she understands why it matters to so many, telling Entertainment Weekly, “She–Ra was ahead of its time. I’m so excited to bring these stories of female power and love and friendship back now when it seems like we need them more than ever.” Truer words have never been spoken. The series is set to debut by the end of 2018.

Are you excited to revisit the real of Etheria with She-Ra? Let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Netflix / Filmation

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Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller Makes Gaming More Accessible

Gaming is for everyone–or at least it should be. For gamers with disabilities, enjoying the latest and greatest can often be a challenge due to a lack of accessible titles and tools with which to play them. Nonprofit charity AbleGamers has been working to change that for over a decade, even working with Evil Controllers to produce an accessible, though pricey, adaptable controller for the masses. At $395 (only five dollars above production costs), the Adroit Switchblade was the first controller of its kind, allowing gamers to hook up a variety of switches and adapt the controller to best suit their own abilities. The Switchblade and its wireless successor have been the only controllers of their kind on the market since 2011, but that’s set to change later this year when Microsoft releases the Xbox Adaptive Controller.



Created in a collaboration with AbleGamers, as well as The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, SpecialEffect, Warfighter Engaged, and Craig Hospital, the XAC has a distinct design with two oversized programmable buttons grabbing a lot of the surface space. There are also a whopping 19 3.5mm jacks and two USB ports, so disabled gamers can easily hook up special joysticks, switches, and any other tools they may need. And for homes with multiple gamers with limited mobility, the Adaptive Controller has three custom profiles, making it easy to switch back and forth to each individual’s preferences.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller and its affordable $99 price point is a huge step forward in “make gaming a possibility for every player,” as AbleGamers puts it. Microsoft hasn’t announced pre-order information or an available date yet, but it will be available exclusively through the Microsoft Store, and more information will be made available at E3 in a few weeks. Kudos to Microsoft for taking this incredible step, and here’s hoping other hardware publishers will soon follow.

What’s your take on the Xbox Adaptive Controller? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

Images: Microsoft

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DEADPOOL 2 Writers Reveal a Deep Cut X-Men Reference That Got Axed

What’s the only thing harder than bringing a beloved comic book character to life on the bring screen and making a record-breaking hit movie? Doing it a second time. On today’s special (mostly spoiler-free but not entirely spoiler-free!) edition of Nerdist News Talks Back we were joined by Deadpool‘s writers to learn all about their second Merc with a Mouth movie.

Nerdist editors Dan Casey and Kyle Anderson welcomed Deadpool 2 screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to today’s show to talk about the highly anticipated sequel. They asked the duo about which new characters are coming into the franchise and what’s “fun” about the ones they chose. Reese and Wernick are comic book fans, so they came into the project with favorite characters and an idea about essential parts of Cable’s incredible backstory.



They also told us how much Ryan Reynolds was involved in the writing process with them. But how is he “the absolute best” even while he “makes you hate yourself?” Who could the still unrecognized cameo in the film be? How does having Deadpool’s voice “living in” their heads help them write for the character? How do they find the right balance between comedy and action? What could they be saving for a future movie? And what Longshot joke (yes, there was a Longshot joke) didn’t make the cut?

But we also asked them what they’re personally nerds about, the rumored Zombieland 2, why they didn’t want a Deadpool origin story initially, other comic characters they’d love to write for, why a joke about Disney that Ryan Reynolds wrote got cut, and their amazing idea for an end credits Chris Evans gag.



Don’t forget Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels at 1PM PT every Monday through Thursday, and tune in tomorrow as we end the week in pop culture with our hour-long Nerdist News What the Friday at 1PM PT, exclusively at Alpha. When you join us live to be a part of the discussion you help us form our very own little X-Force. But, like, if we were all Peter and our only power was great conversation.

What are you most looking forward to with Deadpool 2? Tell us in the ****ing comments section below.

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What CAPTAIN MARVEL’s New Rumors Means For the MCU!

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War !

Now that Infinity War is in our rear view mirror, we can look ahead to one of the next big movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain Marvel. The Infinity War end credits scene hinted that Carol Danvers’ alter ego is going to have a major role in the rematch with Thanos in Avengers 4. But how did Carol become Captain Marvel in the MCU? We are going to get an origin story in her solo film, but it may not play out like every MCU movie we’ve ever seen. Today’s Nerdist News is breaking down the latest Captain Marvel news and rumors to see what they mean for the future of the MCU.

Join senior editor and guest host, Dan “the Accuser” Casey, as he brings the hammer down on some recent comments from Captain Marvel producer Nate Moore. While speaking to Cinema Blend, Moore acknowledged that many of the MCU films have followed the same formulaic origin stories so many times that even casual fans can predict what’s going to happen next. But according to Moore, Captain Marvel is going to break out of that trend.

Moore indicated that the Captain Marvel creative team would subvert the typical structure of superhero origin films while telling their story “in a way that will feel unexpected and hopefully keep audiences off balance.” We think that one of the ways Captain Marvel will pull this off is by setting up a dual origin story for Carol Danvers and Nick Fury. Samuel L. Jackson is reprising his role for the movie, which is set back in the ’90s. So we may see how meeting his first superhero turned Fury into the pile of dust that he is today.

But in all seriousness, this should be the movie where we see how Fury lost his eye and how he became involved with the “bigger universe” of superheroes. Fury has previously hinted that his eye injury came because he trusted someone he shouldn’t have, but the fact that Fury had an emergency pager for Captain Marvel suggests that they’ve at least formed an alliance beforehand. Perhaps we’ll see that in the movie as well.

Do you think Captain Marvel will successfully break away from the MCU origin format? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel

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The Weirdest STAR WARS Lore Alden Ehrenreich Researched for SOLO

To the uninitiated, taking the plunge into the galaxy far, far away can be a daunting task. Even with Disney hitting the reset button on Star Wars‘ sprawling Expanded Universe back in 2012, there are still scores of novels, comic books, and ancillary content to pore over. So when Alden Ehrenreich was cast as Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, he didn’t take the responsibility lightly. As part of his preparation for the role, Ehrenreich did a deep dive into the annals of Star Wars history, which inevitably led to discovering some truly weird stuff. No, I’m not talking about eyebrow-raising fan theories like A Bigger Luke or Jar Jar Binks being a secret Sith lord; rather, I’m talking about the genuinely weird stuff that is a part of the ever-expanding Star Wars canon. While sitting down with Ehrenreich at a recent press day in Los Angeles, I asked the actor about the strangest piece of lore he came across during his studies, and the results definitely didn’t disappoint.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to see that deleted scene of Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes noodling on a Dorenian Beshniquel, trying to crack what would become the iconic theme song heard in Chalmun’s Cantina on Tatooine many years later.

What’s your favorite piece of weird Star Wars lore? Share it with us in the comments below!

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CHARMED Reboot Trailer Unites the Power of Three

One of the new series coming to The CW this fall, headlining their first ever Sunday night line-up, is the much talked about reboot of Charmed.The original series about a sisterhood of three powerful witches was a fixture on the CW’s predecessor, the WB and premiered in 1998. It ran for eight seasons, until 2006. Now the new version, which is more ethnically diverse, has an extended trailer that goes into heavy plot details for the pilot episode of the series. Watch:



Actresses Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery, and Madeleine Mantock will headline this new iteration of the series as the witchy trio. In this new version, Mel (Diaz) is the socially conscious sister, while Maggie (Jeffery) just wants to get into a sorority. Both are college students at fictional Hilltown University. Several months after the mysterious death of their mother, they learn about a secret half-sister, Macy (Mantock), who just arrived in town and is seeking them out. The trio then becomes the new Charmed Ones.

Judging from the preview, it seems the reboot will have a lot in common with the original. Just like the first time, we have a trio of sisters who, unbeknownst to them, had a mother who was a powerful witch. They each have a specific power, and gain access to their mother’s Book of Shadows, which pretty much looks identical to the book used on the original Charmed series.

Early rumors about the Charmed revival indicated it would take place in the same universe as the original series. Although this trailer doesn’t make that clear, there are enough similarities to indicate that could happen down the line. I suppose it depends on if actresses Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, Rose McGowan and maybe even Shannen Doherty would be interested in returning. Combs did slam the revival, so that could be unlikely.

Are you on board with the Charmed reboot, or should this show have been left in the past? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Images: The CW

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Who Is SHATTERSTAR in Deadpool 2?

Deadpool 2 is almost upon us and with it a barrage of new characters, including one of the most outrageous fan favorites of all time, Shatterstar, created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, and shaped by some of the ’90’s biggest names like Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and Greg Capullo. Like so many of the characters born out of the ’90s comic boom, Shatterstar’s backstory is an enigmatic thing, filled with plot holes, canon changes, and an almost impenetrable amount of weird AF stuff that makes the character near unknowable. But luckily for you, we’re here to give you all the info available to help you decipher Deadpool‘s newest teammate and potential love interest…

Where does Shatterstar come from?

Shatterstar has one of the most baffling backstories of all time, if not THE most baffling. He was allegedly created in a “gestation chamber” on the planet Mojoworld in the alternate dimension known as the Mojoverse, but it’s also been hinted at that he’s the child of Dazzler and Longshot. That’s strange enough… but then you add in the fact that due to a temporal paradox, Shatterstar is also Longshot’s father! And lest we forget that Shatty also had his soul transferred into the body of Benjamin Russell–by his maybe dad and/or son Longshot, no less–a doppelganger from Earth with whom he shared multiple memories.

What’s Shatterstar’s real name?

Shatterstar has three known names, the first being Gaveedra-Seven, the name from his birthing tube on his home planet of Mojoworld. The second is, of course, Benjamin Russell, the name of the mutant that he was merged with. And that leaves us with the third, which is just plain Shatterstar. This moniker was potentially given to him by his maybe-father in X-Men #11 when, after Xavier reveals that he senses an unborn child inside of Dazzler, Longshot is seen touching her belly as she says, “‘Shatterstar?!’ You’ve got to be kidding!”

What exactly is Shatterstar?

Due to the fact that Shatterstar comes from another planet, he’s canonically an alien. But he’s also a mutant born of one mutant Earth parent and one Mojoverse parent, if we follow the storyline that names him as Longshot and Dazzler’s son. And then there’s the mystery of Benjamin Russell, which posits that Shatterstar is essentially a mutant (or alien?) possessing another mutant’s body… which is really, really creepy.

What’s Shatterstar’s sexual orientation?

For a large portion of his life, Shatterstar had no romantic or sexual attraction to anyone, despite having a “genetic bond mate” that he never met in the Mojoverse. Due to this, many fans saw Shatterstar as asexual, though that was never confirmed by his creators until years later. However, Shatterstar is now canonically bisexual after dating some female teammates at the time that he shared his first kiss with long term BFF Rictor in X-Factor vol. 3 #45 drawn by Marco Santucci.

What timeline is Shatterstar from?

Shatterstar is a consummate timeline hopper, and it’s never really been clear exactly what his deal is when it comes to the time from whence he actually comes. The planet Mojoworld as we see it in the comics exists around 100 years in the future from the contemporary era in which Shatterstar is introduced, which definitely makes him a time traveler. But the Mojoverse itself actually runs concurrent to the contemporary timeline, and seeing as he’s in both that means he can exist in multiple timelines too. If you can make any sense of that, hop into the comments below and let us know because we still have no idea.

What’s are Shatterstar’s powers?

Not to be outdone by a famous alien superhero published by Marvel’s Distinguished Competition, Shatterstar possesses superhuman senses, strength, speed, reflexes, agility, dexterity, coordination, balance, endurance, and durability along with other fantastic features like hollow bones, enhanced learning capabilities, and a healing factor. Whew! Still with us? Okay, we’re almost done. Ol’ Gavy-Sev also has two more “lesser seen” abilities which have popped up infrequently in the comics–vibratory shockwave generation and empathically-driven teleportation.

What’s up with Shatterstar’s weird swords?

Eagle-eyed comic book fans will know that the ponytailed alien wonder has one single bladed sword that he mostly uses with his right hand while the other sword often used on his left is actually two swords stuck together that share the same hilt. Deadpool 2 seems to be taking after more recent comics, which have simplified this by just giving him two double bladed swords. However, his original sword configuration begs the question of… why?!? And the sad truth of the matter is that, like almost everything else about Shatterstar, we don’t know.

Do you feel up to date on the dealings of Shatterstar? Feel like we missed an integral part of his wild backstory? Know the mysteries of his timeline? Let us know below!

Images: Marvel Comics

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You Won’t Know What You’re Hearing With These Yanny-Laurel EDM Remixes

We settled this once and for all yesterday: The audio in the (in?)famous meme of the moment is saying “laurel” and not “yanny.” (It was taken from the vocabulary.com page for “laurel.”) Regardless of what the facts say, though, people are going to hear what they’re going to hear; it’s not due to any willful ignorance, but a matter of sound frequencies and perception.

What’s not so up for debate, though, is what should be considered an alternate Rule 34 of the internet (look that up if you want, but you might come across some graphic material): If it exists, there is an EDM remix of it.

It’s been just a few days since Yanny-Laurel took off, and the web is already filling up with electronic songs based on the uber-confusing meme.



I’m opting not to make any value judgments about the songs above and below, instead focusing on what they’ve got to offer: heavy electronic beats, “laurel-yanny” repeated a lot, and some deep synth bass. Hey, maybe it’d even be fun to hear them once at a club (and then not so much after that first time). If these prove anything, it’s that the internet is a wonderful place where people can let their creativity flourish, no matter what form that takes.



Which of the three above is your favorite? Are you into any of them? Or is there one out there that you actually really dig? Let us know what you’re hearing down in the comments!

Featured image: Veld Music Festival/Flickr

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CW Will Introduce Batwoman in This Year’s Arrowverse Crossover

One of DC Comics‘ most popular characters of the last decade is finally making her debut in live-action, as The CW just revealed Batwoman will play a role in this year’s upcoming Arrowverse crossover, involving Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow. Arrow star Stephen Amell made the Batwoman announcement himself to the crowd at Upfronts, where they also showed key art for the crossover featuring a Bat-signal in Batwoman’s traditional red colors.

#Arrow star reveals that this year’s @TheCW DC crossover event will introduce #Batwoman. pic.twitter.com/Gbqud31rDu

— Michael Schneider (@franklinavenue) May 17, 2018

The existence of Batman and his universe has been hinted at on Arrow and Supergirl (although that would be two separate Batmen, as Arrow and Supergirl take place on separate Earths), but this will be the first time any Gotham-verse heroes have appeared on any of The CW series. This may be happening now since Gotham is ending its run on Fox soon, allowing characters from Batman’s world to appear in other series. Whatever the reason, Batwoman is a major player in the DC Universe, so it’s great to see she’s getting her due.

The original Batwoman, named Kathy Kane, was introduced in the pages of DC Comics in 1956 as a kind of girlfriend for Batman. DC was forced to give Batman a traditional female love interest because of the wave of hysteria associated with the book “Seduction of the Innocent,” which implied Batman and Robin were lovers. She was written from a sexist point of view, as she was only interested in getting Batman to marry her.

In 2006, DC reintroduced Batwoman as an openly LGBT hero. She now goes by the name of Kate Kane and is Bruce Wayne’s cousin. She also had an on/off again relationship with Gotham PD’s Renee Montoya. Over the last few years, she’s had her own comic book series, making her comics’ most high profile LGBT hero.

Although not announced, we would bet money The CW is introducing Batwoman in such a grand fashion as a backdoor pilot for her own series, which would be most welcome. If she doesn’t land her own show, here’s hoping she becomes a regular on Supergirl after the crossover ends. After all, she and Kara Danvers are both the cousins of famous heroes, so they would have that in common. And she would make an awesome new love interest for Kara’s sister, Alex Danvers. Think about it, CW!

Are you as excited as we are to see Batwoman finally enter the world of live-action? Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments.

Images: DC Comics

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The CW Announces 3 Series Will End Next Season

The CW announced some changes to their schedule for the 2018-2019 season at Upfronts, an event where networks present their upcoming fall schedules, on Thursday. The biggest news, via Deadline: the next seasons of iZombie (season five), Jane the Virgin (season five), and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (season four) will be the final seasons. This isn’t necessarily a surprise for the two latter shows; the stars of both comedies have discussed the upcoming seasons as being the last ones, it just wasn’t officially confirmed until Upfronts. And iZombie has been on the bubble, so at least this way there’s one more run of episodes to wrap things up.

Rachel Bloom of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend expressed gratitude to fans of the show in a video she shared on Instagram:

#crazyexgirlfriend

A post shared by Rachel Bloom (@racheldoesstuff) on May 17, 2018 at 5:29am PDT

iZombie lead Rose McIver took to Twitter to celebrate the show and the misfits in it.

So the fifth season of #iZombie will be our last. I am therefore committed and excited to make it the best one yet! Really proud to be on a show that celebrates the misfits and I pinch myself every day that I get to be a part of the iZombie world with you guys. Thank you

— Rose McIver (@imrosemciver) May 17, 2018

And to joke that she knows people who can take input on how the Vertigo Comics-inspired show should end.

And also – how do you think the series should end? I know people who know people. *as the writers’ room sends all my emails to spam folder* #iZombie

— Rose McIver (@imrosemciver) May 17, 2018

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend will return in the fall, while Jane the Virgin and iZombie will premiere midseason.

Which of these series will you be the most sad to see go? Do you have any hopes or theories about how they’ll end? Tell us in the comments.

Images: The CW

Amy Ratcliffe is a Managing Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.

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