Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 299

Sony Pictures Buys Alamo Drafthouse Theaters

In a shocking move, Sony Pictures has announced that it has acquired Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Yes, Sony Pictures Experiences will now manage Alamo Drafthouse movie theaters. Sony pledges that it will “preserve Alamo Drafthouse’s distinctive movie-dining experience.” But fans of the very specific energy Alamo Drafthouse brings to the table are understandably nervous about this big change.

Bryce Bernier

Of course, the immediate question that comes to mind at this news is whether Alamo Drafthouse movie theaters will now play only Sony content. But don’t worry, Drafthouse fans, that will not be the case.  Ravi Ahuja, President and COO of Sony Pictures Entertainment notes of Alamo Drafthouse’s future under Sony, “We look forward to building upon the innovations that have made Alamo Drafthouse successful and will, of course, continue to welcome content from all studios and distributors.” Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how other studios react to the Alamo Drafthouse’s new ownership in response.

A release shares more about Sony’s acquisition of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema:

Alamo Drafthouse’s Michael Kustermann will remain CEO of the pioneering dine-in movie theater chain and head Sony Pictures Experiences, reporting to Ravi Ahuja, President and COO of SPE. Alamo Drafthouse will continue to operate all 35 of its cinemas across 25 metro areas under the Alamo Drafthouse brand. Alamo Drafthouse-owned Fantastic Fest, the world-renowned genre film festival, is included in the acquisition and will also continue to be operated by Alamo Drafthouse. The company’s headquarters will remain in Austin, Texas.

Alamo Drafthouse

Sony’s Ahuja further notes about the Alamo Drafthouse acquisition, “We believe strongly in engaging entertainment fans outside the home in fun and distinctive ways as seen most recently with our Wheel of Fortune LIVE! traveling tour, and the opening of Wonderverse in Chicago… Alamo Drafthouse’s differentiated movie-going experience, admired brand and devoted community fit well with this vision.”

All told, we just want to know our giant milkshakes are safe. Hopefully, Sony will do what they pledge and retain the unique movie-going experience of the Alamo Drafthouse. We’ll have to wait and see how this one plays out.

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THE ACOLYTE Twins’ Troubling Connection to Anakin and the Force

“I carried them.”
“I created them.”
“And what happens if the Jedi discover how you created them?”

We knew The Acolyte, which takes place more than a century before The Phantom Menace, would show the early days of the Sith plan to destroy the Jedi. But the series’ third episode raised an unexpected and troubling connection to Darth Vader and the Skywalker Saga. Like Anakin, The Acolyte‘s twins Mae and Osha have no father because they are children of the Force in the Star Wars universe. While it’s not clear what that means for the power, it is a dark omen for the role they might play in bringing darkness to the galaxy far, far away. It’s also a sign the Jedi helped create their own destroyer.

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“Who is his father?”
“There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can’t explain what happened.”

Shmi Skywalker told Qui-Gon Jinn her son Anakin was a miracle conception. Star Wars comic books have expanded the lore surrounding the Chosen One’s birth since The Phantom Menace. His creation is canonically more sinister and less magical than it comes across in the film. Palpatine is responsible for Anakin’s virgin birth. He used dark side powers to manipulate midi-chlorians in Shmi’s womb. Even with that revelation, though, Anakin’s very Star Wars existence remains rooted in the Force itself. He is a literal child of the Force. He also grew up to kill countless beings.

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“You and your sister are special, Osha. I want you to stay special.”

Now, long before Shmi will give birth to Anakin, Star Wars: The Acolyte has introduced two more like him. The twins Osha and Mae were conceived in a similar, possibly identical way to Anakin. Mother Aniseya, the witch some accuse of using dark magic, created her twins via the Thread, her name for the Force.

They “have no father.” Unlike Shmi and Anakin, though, The Acolyte’s Mother Koril carried the twins to term. Why did Mother Aniseya do this? The show suggested that the outcast coven forced into hiding had been unable to grow their ranks any other way. The girls are a “miracle” that offers the group hope. But it’s not yet known exactly what Mother Aniseya was trying to create in terms of their power. No matter her intentions, though, like Anakin, capable of both light and dark, the two girls seem to represent both sides of the Force. And if you know Star Wars lore, you know why breaking up a powerful duo like that is so dangerous.

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“Ascension is about walking through fear. It’s about sacrificing a part of yourself.”

During the Ascension, two celestial bodies over Brendok, one red and the other blue, converged in the sky. Only the two sisters meant to ascend together did not converge. Mae, so full of anger and already capable of hurting others, went through. The reluctant Osha didn’t even get the chance to refuse her mother, though, because the Jedi showed up and stopped the event. That Jedi interruption, rooted in Jedi hubris and a desire to control a Force that belongs to all living things, produced the very danger they were hoping to avoid in the first place.

The Jedi did not want any unauthorized people using the Force/Thread, especially witches thought to harness their power from the dark side. But Mae and Osha seem to be two parts of the same whole (maybe even a Force dyad). They are a living, natural balance of the very Force that created them. And very bad things happen when the Force is not in balance.

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Without their other half, each girl became lost. Mae was lost to the dark side, while Osha gave up on the light side. Separating the two drove Mae to embrace her natural darker nature we saw on display at the episode’s start. Meanwhile, taking eight-year-old Osha away from her protective and adoring sister resulted in so much loss. That experience left Osha with lifelong scars she has yet to heal from. They prevented her from becoming a Jedi. The Jedi meddling in Mae and Osha’s lives led to the twins’ entire coven dying. This The Acolyte occurrence mirrors how the Jedi taking a young, scared Anakin from his mother led to all those Tusken raiders dying. And the Younglings. Alderaan…

Anakin’s fear, hate, and anger led to innumerable suffering. Suffering only he was able to stop when a family member showed Anakin there was another way, the way Osha might have shown Mae on The Acolyte. Instead they’re both angry at one another. For Osha that has meant walking away from everything she wanted. For Mae, it has led to anger. That anger has led to hate. That hate…we know where that leads, both now and in the galaxy’s future.

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By creating two girls with the Force, Mother Aniseya might have been trying to embrace her coven’s mantra that the power of two not only overcomes the power of one but gives you the power of many. If nothing else, she recognized her daughters were stronger together, not because both were flawed but because they balanced each other. Only, her girls never had the chance to grow together or ascend together because the Jedi believed they knew better and only they had the right to use the Force.

That hubris pushed Mae to follow a Sith leader we know will help ultimately bring down the Jedi. Osha and Mae’s story, a story of the Force out of balance, will make Palpatine’s rise possible one day. That means the Jedi will have created their own destroyer in The Acolyte, just as they did when they took Anakin Skywalker from his mother without concern for what that would mean.

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The Jedi believed they, and they alone, had the right to use the Force. But the children of the Force continue to show why such an attitude is anything but balanced.

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Steve Carell Won’t Return for THE OFFICE Spinoff

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given he didn’t even stick around for the entirety of the original series run, but Steve Carell will not return for The Office reboot, according to Variety. Carell famously stepped away from the top-rated NBC comedy in 2010, a few episodes before the end of the show’s seventh episode. Though he’d return for the series finale a few years later, the Michael Scott era was well and truly over. And that won’t change in the upcoming spinoff, The Paper. However, the actor did provide some advice to the show’s new lead, Domhnall Gleeson.

NBC

“I know Domhnall Gleeson – who I did The Patient with – is going to be one of the leads. I know that for sure,” Carell told Jimmy Fallon during a recent interview on The Tonight Show. “He’s an excellent actor. And he actually called me and asked, you know, ‘Should I do this? Is this something… Did you enjoy it?’ I said, ‘Of course.’”

The Paper from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman will follow an office of workers at a failing local newspaper in the same fictional version of Scranton, PA, as The Office. The same faux documentary crew will shoot the show within the show. So far, only Gleeson and Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore have been cast in the series, which will begin production in July 2024. The series will debut on Peacock at some point.

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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PADDINGTON IN PERU Trailer Teases Some Beary Good Adventures

Paddington Bear is back for a third movie, and this time, he’s got a passport. That’s right, Paddington Bear can now head anywhere in the world, but he’s going to Peru. Paddington just wants to visit his Aunt Lucy at her home for retired bears. But Aunt Lucy has set off off on some kind. And that means Paddington has to head out into the Amazon forest to find her. What could go wrong? The Paddington in Peru trailer is honestly a life-enhancer, so we suggest you don’t delay and watch it now below.

Honestly, this Paddington in Peru trailer is just not enough for us. We need more Paddington Bear, stat! And we can’t wait to see just how one small bear will survive in one big rainforest. The Paddington in Peru synopsis that accompanies the trailer shares:

PADDINGTON IN PERU brings Paddington’s story to Peru as he returns to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

STUDIOCANAL

Paddington in Peru stars Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Carla Tous and Jim Broadbent. Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton both return as the voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy. Olivia Colman’s turn in the Paddington in Peru trailer is already iconic. Dougal Wilson directs the film.

What Is Paddington in Peru‘s Release Date?STUDIOCANAL

Paddington in Peru has set a UK release date of November 8. The Paddington Bear movie will release in US theaters on January 17, 2025. Additionally, the film is coming soon internationally.

That means there’s plenty of time to pick up a red hat and blue coat to wear to the theater.

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THE ACOLYTE Introduces a New Coven of Force Witches

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In episode three of The Acolyte, we get an extended flashback to the childhoods of Osha and Mae (Leah and Lauren Brady) on the planet Brendock. We see they were the only children raised by a coven of female witches, led by Mother Aniseya (Jodi Turner-Smith), who seemingly “created” them via supernatural means. It seems Aniseya’s partner, Mother Koril, carried the twins for her, but the how and why remains a mystery. These witches, whose sigil is a white, dotted circle painted on their heads, view the Force differently, referring to it as something no one can wield. Instead, they view it as “a thread that can be pulled.” Although they never name this coven, they are certainly not the first Force users, primarily women, who use the term “witch” to describe themselves in Star Wars.

Lucasfilm The First Force Witches in Star Wars Canon

The notion of Force witches began decades ago in non-canon Star Wars lore. “Mind witches” bedeviled Luke Skywalker in Star Wars comics in the early ’80s. However, the most famous Force witches first appeared nearly thirty years ago, in the Legends novel The Courtship of Princess Leia. That 1994 book by Dave Wolverton dealt with Han Solo and Leia’s marriage after Return of the Jedi, and was the first introduction to the Nightsisters of Dathomir, not to mention, the planet Dathomir itself.

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In Legends lore, the Nightsisters were founded by an exiled Jedi, some 600 years before A New Hope. When this female ex-Jedi was exiled to Dathomir, she trained Force-sensitive women on the planet into a coven of witches, neither Sith nor Jedi. A handful of Expanded Universe merchandise even showed what the Nightsisters looked like. Some of this later informed their in-canon looks later on. However, by the time of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, George Lucas decided to canonize the concept of witches innately powerful in the Force. He largely tossed out the backstory of the Nightsisters in the novels and made his own.

The Nightsisters in The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian

In the Clone Wars, they eventually reveal Count Dooku’s dark side apprentice, Asajj Ventress, a primary villain in the series, was a Nightsister from the planet Dathomir. During this prequel era, the Nightsisters channeled the dark side of the Force into something akin to magic. They felt their power most strongly on their homeworld. So they rarely, if ever, left Dathomir. That changed when the coven came under the sway of Mother Talzin, who collaborated with Darth Sidious during his climb to power. In fact, Talzin gave her son to Sidious to train as a Sith. That child grew up to become Darth Maul.

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In the Clone Wars episode “Massacre,” we witness the genocide of the Nightsisters, orchestrated by Count Dooku and General Grievous. Almost all of the Nightsisters die in this brutal attack. Even when the Nightsisters cast spells to resurrect their dead as warriors, they all fall in battle. We later discover that at least two girls survived the genocide. One was Asajj Ventress, and the other would grow up to become Morgan Elsbeth. Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) would first appear in season two of The Mandalorian, as a warlord steward of the planet in the New Republic era. She’d later play a central role in Star Wars: Ahsoka, where they further explored her ties to the Nightsisters.

The Great Mothers of Peridea Lucasfilm

In season one of Ahsoka, Elsbeth returned, as we learn that the witches of Dathomir actually originated in another galaxy, on the planet Peridea. Members of their sect traveled to the main Star Wars galaxy, presumably via Purgill, thousands of years prior. There, they established an offshoot clan of Nightsisters on Dathomir. Although they massacre the clan on Dathomir, the descendents of the original witches still live on that planet. Morgan is attempting to jump to another galaxy to find her master, Grand Admiral Thrawn. When she finds him, he’s not alone. He’s accompanied by several Great Mothers on the planet. The Great Mothers attempt to help Grand Admiral Thrawn return to his proper galaxy.

The Witches in The Acolyte Are a New Breed of Force WitchesLucasfilm

So does the coven in The Acolyte have a connection to the Nightsisters? They don’t seem particularly dark-sided so far. While they have facial markings, they are nowhere near as intentionally creepy-looking as the Nightsisters. Mother Aniseya mentions that the coven was exiled to the planet Brendock. But exiled by whom? This is pre-Empire after all. The Nightsisters on Dathomir seem to more or less co-exist with the other clans, as we saw in Tales of the Empire. Perhaps they singled out Mother Aniseya’s clan for unknown reasons, forcing them to leave Dathomir. It’s possible they fought the Nightsisters with light-side magic, and lost, leaving them no choice but to flee.

Similar to the Nightsisters, there seems to be a visual component to the use of their powers. When the Jedi or Sith use the Force, it’s invisible. When the Nighsisters and the coven from Brendock cast spells, there’s a visual element to it. We see it as a green mist for the Nightsisters. And for the coven on Brendock, it’s more like vibrations in the air, like ripples in the water. Having more than one coven of witches in the Star Wars galaxy makes sense, however. Other cultures would perceive the Force differently, and wield it in different ways. The galaxy is a big place after all. Although we see this coven destroyed, we have a feeling they are not the only coven of similar witches in the galaxy. Or maybe even on Brendock. We are sure to learn more in the remaining episodes of The Acolyte.

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Lenore Zann, Rogue of X-MEN ’97, on Gambit, Magneto, and Season 2

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Actress Lenore Zann has been providing the distinctive Southern belle voice of Rogue since the first episode of X-Men: The Animated Series in 1992. Now, 25 years since the last episode aired, she reprised the role for the Disney+ continuation, X-Men ’97. The show took everyone by surprise by just how excellent the writing and acting were, eclipsing the classic series. And a large part of why it was so good was Rogue’s unexpected character journey, which in many ways was the main emotional thread of the series. And it was all played brilliantly by Zann, without missing a beat. We chatted with Zann about returning to Rogue after all this time, and what the future holds for the sassiest X-Man at Xavier’s School.

Marvel Animation

Nerdist: So many old TV shows have had revivals recently after decades away, usually to mixed results. Did you ever think X-Men ’97 might end up as something that didn’t live up to the original ’90s series?

Lenore Zann: No. I really thought it would be a huge hit. Judging from the fans that we’ve been meeting over the last five years at Comic Cons, who just loved the original show and couldn’t wait to see more episodes of a new show. And we had no idea that a new show was going to be happening until about three years ago, I guess 2021. But as soon as I got the scripts, I knew they were going to be good. I knew it was going to be good, because really that’s what it was the first time around. The scripts were so damn good. The writing was excellent. It’s the same this time, too. Without a script, you don’t have anything. And the scripts were amazing.

Rouge kind of had the most iconic moments of the season, from throwing Captain America’s shield to going full rampage on the military base. You could see she had the biggest character arc of the season. Which of all of the moments was the most fun for you to play?

Marvel Animation

Zann: Well, of course I loved the meeting with Captain America and throwing his shield.
“Well, if your hands are tied, I guess you won’t be needing this.” So that was a lot of fun. But to be honest, also the emotional scenes with both Remy and Magneto in episode five. And then of course, the sad, tragic loss of my loved one, my soulmate Gambit. That was a gift for an actor to be able to play those beats and those emotions and be able to use my own personal emotions and experience to channel them into my character.

It had literally been 25 years since you played Rogue in the original X-Men series. Was it like riding a bike, or did you have to learn to be that character again?

Zann: I liken it to putting on a pair of well-worn, very fine, very comfortable gloves. You just put them on. You haven’t had them on for many years, and they just fit, and they feel good. For me, that’s how it is with Rogue. She is a part of me, and there’s a lot of me in her. So yeah, it was just a joy to come back to Rogue again.

For the entire original series, Rogue’s only romantic interest was Gambit. But for X-Men ’97, you got to have a romantic storyline with Magneto. What was it like for you to play a totally different romantic dynamic with someone else in the series?

Marvel Animation

Zann: Well, it was great. Again, for an actor, any of these scenarios are fun to play. But I did wonder if the public, if our fans would be upset because there are so many Gambit fans. and Rogue and Gambit, “Romy,” as they call them, fans. But it was fun. And I also knew where Rogue was coming from, that she really wanted to touch somebody and to be able to have that physical connection.

So in the scene in episode five, where she kisses Magneto, she comes down out of the ceiling, which is a great entrance. And then they dance very seductively, and touch palms like Romeo and Juliet almost. And then they kiss. But then she pulls away from that kiss and she says, “Thanks for the dance, sugar.” And then there was another line there, and I don’t remember what it was, but I said to [former X-Men ’97 showrunner] Beau DeMayo, who was there directing me, and I said, “Would it be okay if I said something else instead? Can I try something?”

Marvel Animation

He said, “Sure, try it.” And I said, “Thanks for the dance, sugar. But Remy was right. Some things are deeper than skin.” He had already said that earlier in the episode, and I just thought that that would be the button that was needed to let people know, love, true love, is deeper than skin. And on another level, it doesn’t matter what you look like. It doesn’t matter what skin color. Love, it transcends everything. And it’s the same for the LGBTQ community. So I thought it would really sing, and they kept it in. So I’m really happy about that.

You just mentioned the LGBTQ community, which I’m a part of. We have a huge connection to the X-Men. I think more than any other major nerd property actually. Do you have any stories of queer people coming up to you, talking about what Rogue and the X-Men have meant to them?

Zann: Absolutely. I was really pleased and honored to be able to be in the West Hollywood Pride Parade. And I went with my friend Morph, JP Karliak, and we had a convertible and we had a bunch of X-Men cosplayers, about 30 walking with us. And I thought that it was so important to be able to be there and make the statement that, “Hey, we are allies. We are yours. We belong to this community, too. And that we support you.”

So yeah, actually even since that parade, I’ve had two different young men come to me. I was in the Apple store, and I was having dinner somewhere else in Hollywood. And two different people said, “I saw you in the parade. I’m in the LGBTQ community. Thank you so much for being there. It meant a lot to us. And you made my childhood. You made us feel safe. Your show was a safe place for us to go. I could relate to Rogue. I’ve always loved Rogue.” It was really heartwarming. And this is what we hear over and over again.

Episode 5 was the turning point for the series. It’s when X-Men ’97 went from being just a nostalgic exercise, taking things to another level. And it had Rogue’s most heartbreaking moment, when she cradles Gambit’s dead body and says “I can’t feel you.” This asked you to go places as an actor the classic show never did. How did it feel getting to play the same character in a more grown-up and emotionally real setting?

Marvel Animation

Zann: No, because I’ve always been an extremely emotional actor. I have no problem going to the depths of my emotions and channeling them into a performance. And I’ve been known for doing a number of very strong performances, particularly in theater. When I was 19, I was discovered to play the role of Marilyn Monroe, in a rock opera about her life. And I was only 19 when I got it, and it was called Hey, Marilyn. I had to play her from the age of 16, all the way through her Hollywood years as Marilyn Monroe, to her final denouement at 36 when she died. And I had to do it all on a song on stage with 2000 people. So that was what kickstarted my career. If I can do that, then I can do anything.

You know a show has struck a nerve when it’s got plenty of memes, and the meme game for X-Men ’97 was wild. One of them had Rogue replicating the Kill Bill poster, saying “Kill Ya’ll” after Gambit died. What was it like seeing the reactions week to week, with the fandom so engaged? 

Revenge is a dish best served with sugah!

The clip for the episode "Bright Eyes" got me thinking one thing… Rogue's out for revenge!

X-Men 97 Kill Bill pic.twitter.com/D7SwtzSUxh

— ʟᴜᴄᴀs (@artoflucas) April 24, 2024

Zann: It was very funny. AJ LoCascio, who plays Gambit, and Matthew Waterson, who plays Magneto, we all get along really well. And we’ve all got a really good sense of humor. So we were sending each other these memes. But also, they were making memes about stuff we were doing in real life. Like when we went to a dinner with a whole bunch of people. And suddenly all the people were in one end of the room, and AJ was sitting by himself at one of the tables, and I was sitting with Matthew. I said, “Let’s do a photograph with AJ, showing him in his Gambit crop top by himself, over there at the table, and we’ll just gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes.” And then they shared that on social media, and then that became a meme. It was hilarious. It was a lot of fun.

After Genosha and Gambit’s death, Rogue chooses to go and join Magneto. Did that twist surprise you when you read it in the script, or was it something they told you Rogue was going to do from the get-go?

Marvel Animation

Zann: No, they didn’t tell me from the beginning. Again, I just found out as I got each script what was going to be happening, which I like it that way, so that I’m surprised as well. And then I can delve into it. But Rogue started off as a villain. And in these comic books, sometimes the heroes become the villains, back and forth, for various reasons. So I found that I thought it was very interesting.

And I thought, in a way, it made sense for Rogue at that point to find out that A: Magneto didn’t die. And B: that she’s starting to think that he could be right. As they say, “Magneto was right.” Which I think shows that Rogue, she wants to get vengeance. She wants to get justice for Remy, and also for all of the people that were killed in that genocide. And so she does what she does for a reason. But I am glad she came back by the end.

Are the any plotlines from the original series you wanted to see followed up on in X-Men ’97 that weren’t? I was a bit surprised the Rogue and her mother Mystique never had a moment.

Marvel Animation

Zann: I think it would be fun at some point to have some scenes again with Mystique. I’m not sure when it will come. We didn’t have any in this particular season. But I’m always interested in her relationship with Mystique because it’s definitely fraught with a lot of emotions. And anybody who’s ever had any mother issues can relate. But I was glad to see Nightcrawler playing a large role, and that was really lovely. The scenes between Rogue and Nightcrawler, Mystique’s son and her adoptive brother. I love it.

It was great that X-Men ’97 was a true ensemble show and not just the Wolverine show. Having said that, you and Cal Dodd didn’t have a ton of moments together. Can we hope to see some more Rogue and Logan moments in season two?

Marvel Animation

Zann: I can’t say. But there were a lot more Rogue and Storm moments in the original show as well. And in this show, they played up Jean and Storm being really close friends. Storm is one of my favorite characters, I just love her. And I think the way Alison Sealy-Smith plays her, with her incredible voice. She is like a goddess. And she’s done so much theater in Stratford and things like this. She’s perfect for the role. So I hope I get to do some more stuff with Storm in the future as well. And of course, Cal and Alison and I, and George Buza as Beast, we’re all good friends. And it’s always great to see them at Comic Cons when we have these various reunions.

Yeah. So where are you guys now with season two? Not in terms of what it’s going to be about, but have you guys recorded your lines? Where are you guys at?

Zann: I’ve recorded all my scenes for the whole season. A lot of people have, but a lot of people still need to be recorded. But the animation is what takes a long time. So they usually start with our voices, it’s called pre-lay. And then they do the animation to the voices. And then we come back for cleanups or pickups or line changes and things like that. Yeah, I’m excited and I can’t wait for season two to air, and I hope people really like it like they liked the first season.

Marvel Animation

What are your hopes for the future of Rogue going forward into, not just season two, but maybe season three and four, if we get that?

Zann: I am happy to do whatever the writers choose to do. I’m an actor at the end of the day. I take writers’ words and I try to make them live and breathe. And I’m up for anything really. I love her journey so far. I love her journey in season two. And I’m just looking forward to seeing where she goes from here. But at the end of the day, it is, we are a team and we have an amazing team. The artists, the writers, the music, the composers, the Newton brothers, the entire cast, the producers, the directors. It’s like lightning in a bottle. The way Larry Houston, our original director, likes to call it. He said, “We had lightning in a bottle the first time around, and we’ve had lightning in a bottle a second time,” which is just amazing.

When we first met the original writers again, Eric and Julia Lewold and Larry Houston. for the very first time, it was five years ago at a Comic Con in Texas where we were all invited to come. Cal Dodd, me, the rest of them, and the writers and the director. We had never met before, because back in the ’90s, we were performing in a studio in Toronto. And they, of course, were all in Los Angeles. And there were no cell phones then. There was no internet.

Marvel Animation

So we would record together in a group with a circle of microphones in the studio, and then they’d send the tapes to Los Angeles. I think they FedExed them or something. So when we finally met, we got along so well. And we all went out for a dinner one night at the end of this Comic Con five years ago, and I said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody bought the rights to the X-Men, and decided to reboot the animated series and brought us all back again?” And we said, “Let’s toast to that, and let’s put it out there to the universe to manifest.” I’d like to have seven seasons and an animated film. And then a spin-off with Gambit and Rogue. I’d like to do that, too.

All episodes of X-Men ’97 are now available to stream on Disney+.

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10 Best Seasons of KAMEN RIDER, Ranked

Since 1971, Toei Studios’ Kamen Rider franchise has been at the forefront of tokusatsu. (Kamen means “masked” for reference.) Despite not having the westernization of Super Sentai with Power Rangers, or the push into international markets like Ultraman, Kamen Rider has an amazingly fervent fanbase, perhaps the most of any toku in the west. Each season has its own, completely different Rider(s), and beginning in 2000, each has its own theme and focus. It’s easily the most varied of the big three.

Toei

While only a few seasons are available through *traditional* means here in North America, it’s worth tracking the others down. They each offer something unique. Not all of them will work for you, but the action, characters, and suit designs always bring something of value. Below are my 10 favorite seasons, and ones that will give new fans some fun. Keep in mind each season is quite long, 40 episodes at least. So give them a couple episodes and see if you dig it.

10. Kamen Rider Gaim (2013-2014)Toei

This season is certainly singular. Written by prolific and iconoclastic anime scribe Gen Urobuchi (Psycho-Pass), Kamen Rider Gaim is about rival dance teams who turn into fruit-themed samurai to fight against an evil organization hoping to use the forbidden fruit of a mystical forest to begin Ragnarok and remake the world. It’s a trip of a season for sure, made all the stranger given how much teen angst and drama it packs in. But Gaim is a blast and the armors are among the best in the show’s history.

9. Kamen Rider OOO (2010-2011)Toei

One theme of the early seasons on my list is that they just evoke fun times. From the ska-punk theme song to the hero Eiji’s surfer vagabond vibe, OOO (said aloud like “Oze,” as in the letter O pluralized), is a delight. The concept follows the awakening of the Greeed (three Es), evil beings which feed on human desires. Ankh, the floating, disembodied arm of an ousted Greeed, takes over the body of a slain police officer and recruits Eiji to find and collect various Medals of power, giving the abilities of various animals.

When Eiji puts three in his belt, he can transform into Kamen Rider OOO. We also eventually get a secondary Rider in Kamen Rider Birth, a jovial mercenary who works for the mysterious Kougami Foundation. I confess, this season’s happy-go-lucky tone actually put me off at first, but eventually I had to give in. It’s fun, start to finish.

8. Kamen Rider Fourze (2011-2012)Toei

If OOO put me off at first, you’d probably assume Fourze did too. But actually, nope! I knew what I was in for from the beginning. Set entirely in a high school, Fourze‘s lead character, Gentaro, is a bad-boy-styled transfer student who loudly decrees he’s going to make friends with everyone in the school. And through sheer force of will, he begins to do just that. At the same time, strange alien creatures called Zodiarts begin attacking the school, and Gentaro uses space-themed inventions to turn into rocket-ship-looking Kamen Rider Fourze.

If you go into this one with the right frame of mind, it’s a blast, often literally. It mimics American high school drama shows (including a beefy football player and mean girl cheerleader) while also having a theme of space travel and going to the moon. What a mix!

7. Kamen Rider (1971-1973)Toei

The OG, the one that started it all. Toei didn’t have the money or the effects to compete with Tsuburaya’s Ultraman series, but what it did have was the iconic design and concept of mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori. Insect-themed cyborg hero fights other monster-like cyborgs while riding a motorcycle. It just works.

One of the easier shows to find in North America, I also need to warn new fans that, at 98 episodes, it’s a beast. Luckily, it easily splits up into different segments. The first 13 episodes follow motorcyclist collegiate genius Takeshi Hongo who is the latest experiment by evil organization Shocker to create cyborg threats. He manages to escape with all the strengths but with his mind his own. The is first arc relies heavily on mood and an almost horror movie atmosphere.

While filming these first episodes, actor Hiroshi Fujioka broke his leg doing a motorcycle stunt necessitating first a sidekick character in Taki (Jiro Chiba) and later a whole new main character in Hayato Ichimonji (Takeshi Sasaki). Ichimonji, a brash and stylish photographer, led the series as Kamen Rider 2 from episodes 14 through 52. These episodes lightened up the tone and incorporated children side characters as well as a group of Rider Club members. During the Ichimonji tenure, the show became a hit.

Fujioka returned for a couple of guest appearances before retaking the series beginning in episode 53, at which time Sasaki went to guest status on occasions. This second Hongo tenure is pure action and introduces the best main villain of the early franchise, Ambassador Hell.

Its lower placement on this list might indicate I don’t love it thoroughly. I do. But it’s very, very samey after a while. Watch 1-13, some from the middle 30s, the crossovers, and the final like 10 episodes and you’ll get the gist.

6. Kamen Rider Kuuga (2000-2001)Toei

The first Rider season following a decade-long drought, Kamen Rider Kuuga needed to hit big to reestablish the franchise. And boy did it. Its mix of police procedural, J-drama, and mystical superhero adventure made it feel very modern. Didn’t hurt that lead actor Joe Odagiri was a favorite of women viewers.

The story follows young polymath adventurer Yusuke (Odagiri) who becomes preternaturally drawn to an artifact belt discovered at an archaeological dig site. The dig also releases the Grongi, a race of ancient creatures who take human form to once again conquer Earth. Yusuke puts on the belt and unleashes the power of Kuuga, the ancient warrior who defeated the Grongi millennia earlier. Helping him are police detective Ichijo, college researcher (and eventual love interest) Sakurako, and Yusuke’s younger sister Minori.

The very last series to date to only have a single Rider. But, the story and characters are so good you’ll hardly miss it. Kuuga is really great, and if you can get passed the early 2000s video and CGI, it’s a very rewarding watch.

5. Kamen Rider V3 (1973-1974)Toei

Everything I love about the original Kamen Rider but half the length. The direct sequel to the original has a young man named Shiro (tokusatsu legend Hiroshi Miyauchi) witness Destron (an offshoot of Gel-Shocker, an offshoot of Shocker) commit a murder. The villains pursue him and, not finding Shiro, slaughter his whole family. He seeks aid from the two Kamen Riders who turn him into a cyborg following a near-fatal wounding. He becomes V3, or Version 3, the third Kamen Rider, who takes up their mantle to protect Japan from evil.

I Showa-era tokusatsu a lot, and V3 has a lot less filler than its predecessor. The series eventually introduces Riderman, a Destron cyborg sent to kill V3 who slowly becomes an ally.

4. Kamen Rider Geats (2022-2023)Toei

The most recent series on my list, I’m honestly shocked I love Geats as much as I do. The original concept was to capitalize on the global success of Squid Game with a series about contestants forced to compete in the Desire Grand Prix, a Battle Royale televised event in which Riders (each with animal-themed armor) fight plant-monsters called Jyamato who attack innocent people. The winner gets their true wish, no matter what it is. We quickly learn that the DGP is the plaything of wealthy people from the future who laugh at misfortune and drama.

At the center of the story is fox-themed Kamen Rider Geats, the alter-ego of Ace Ukiyo, the undefeated champion several DGP running. He knows there’s more to the games, and the mysterious overseers, than meets the eye and he’ll do whatever it takes to learn the truth. This goal puts him at odds with Kamen Rider Buffa who only wants to destroy Kamen Riders, and Kamen Riders Tycoon and Na-Go who are in it for more personal reasons.

This series just came to Blu-ray from Shout! Studios so I’d highly recommend picking it up.

3. Kamen Rider W (2009-2010)Toei

Kamen Rider W (spoken “Kamen Rider Double”) has one of my favorite gimmicks ever. It follows a self-styled hard-boiled private detective named Shotaro and his “guy in the chair” Philip, who has a mysterious past and encyclopedic knowledge of everything. They work in Fuuto, or “Windy City,” and every two episodes is a different case involving monsters called Dopants arising from people implanting Gaia Memories. It’s basically like kaijin PCP. At the beginning of the series, Akiko Narumi, the daughter of the detectives’ mentor, arrives to take ownership of the agency and hit Shotaro with a shoe.

Luckily, our heroes have a method to battle Dopants without succumbing to the evil effects. They pool their abilities, Philip loses consciousness, and they become Kamen Rider Double, both minds inside of Shotaro’s body. I truly love this gimmick and these characters. Over a decade later, we’d get a manga and then anime follow-up to this series called Fuuto P.I.

2. Kamen Rider Black (1987-1988)Toei

After a brief hiatus in the ’80s, the series returned with a pair of seasons that effectively rebooted the franchise, taking a darker and scarier tone. For the first season at least. Kamen Rider Black is awesome, eschewing the silly excesses of the ’70s for straightforward, more mature storytelling with great fights, stunts, and monsters. The hero is one of two brothers stolen by the evil organization and forced to undergo cyborg conversion. Like the original, he doesn’t lose his autonomy and fights against the baddies, while his brother dies… or does he. The season has a gorgeous Blu-ray release from Diskotek Media, so it’s relatively easy to watch.

The story continued with the following year’s Kamen Rider Black RX with the same lead character. However, it decides to turn fully back into a kid’s show and, while fine, it’s not great. It was also the Japanese footage that gave the U.S. the short-lived Saban’s Masked Rider, so it has a lot to answer for. Just stick to Black.

1. Kamen Rider Build (2017-2018)Toei

My very favorite season of Kamen Rider, and not coincidentally its theme is science and experimentation. Build begins after Martian artifact causes a cataclysmic event, which splits Japan into three regions, separated by enormous walls. (Just go with it.) Along with complex socio political turmoil between regions, the event also unleashed creatures called Smash which terrorize everybody. Our hero is Sento, an amnesiac genius who was taken in by a cafe owner who gives him the Build Driver. The driver, which coupled with two bottles of power essences, turns him into Kamen Rider Build. Like W, each one of Build’s forms requires two different abilities combined.

The story of Kamen Rider Build has dozens of twists, turns, and double-crosses. Characters go from hero to villain or vice-versa. It’s one of the more emotionally resonant seasons, which gives it more heft than it could otherwise have. But what makes Build take my top spot, it’s that all of the characters work and have their own inner life and circumstances. I genuinely care what happens to all of them, and the final arc is heartbreaking in the best way. Plus Banjo, aka Kamen Rider Cross-Z, is the himbo we all want to root for.

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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10(ish) Best ULTRAMAN Seasons, Ranked

The imminent release of the animated feature Ultraman: Rising on Netflix might have you curious as to learning more about this weird “Ultraman” thing. You may have heard of Shin Ultraman which came out in North America in 2022, but did you know the Ultra series is one of the longest running in TV history? Take a hike, Doctor Who! Get outta here, The Simpsons! Ultraman and its spinoffs have been going in some form since 1966! 35 official seasons, plus special seasons, miniseries, and dozens of movies. That is, by anyone’s estimation, a long-ass time.

Tsuburaya Productions

But, you may ask, which seasons are the best? Lucky for you, yours truly has watched all of the Ultra series and has you covered. Below is a list of my favorite seasons, with an edge toward people who haven’t seen any or much of it. I’ve already written about why you should watch Ultraman, so check that out. Like all tokusatsu shows, every Ultra season is standalone, however with occasional crossovers with other seasons and characters. By and large, very easy to watch since they have their own circumstances and worlds.

10. Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990)Tsuburaya Productions/South Australian Film Corporation

Perhaps an out-there choice for many people. This was one of two English-language productions from the ’90s. The second of those, Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero from 1993, was an American co-production and is largely quite terrible. However, this first one from Australia is super fun. It was actually the very first Ultraman thing I ever saw, likely in 1990 or ’91 when I was five or six.

This is an easy show to like. The characters are fun, the monsters—original and unique to this particular production—are great looking, and the central Ultra (Ultraman Great) is incredibly likable. That’s often the key to an enjoyable season: do you like the main hero who turns into Ultraman?

Towards the Future has a lot to recommend it, and I think it just gets the vibe of what the Japanese Ultraman seasons offer.

9. Ultraman Geed (2017)Tsuburaya Productions

I confess to not being the biggest fan of the early “New Generation” era, which began in 2013. The seasons are fine, but they feel very small in a lot of ways. However, Ultraman Geed is another matter entirely. Like other seasons it deals with a young person who becomes an Ultra with the aid of a small group of experts and/or friends. Unlike others, it brings in a huge amount of story from the greater Ultra universe and especially the Ultraman Zero continuity, a smattering of feature films that sustained the franchise during the fallow period.

Geed concerns the son of Ultraman Belial, a once-great warrior who succumbed to evil. Belial became the main antagonist of the Zero movies, and Zero himself (a fan-favorite) became the secondary Ultra of the season. Geed, and his human form Riku Asakura, have to learn about their legacy and choose whether to follow in their father’s footsteps or attempt to bring him back to the Light. It’s a rad season.

8. Ultraman Nexus (2004-2005)Tsuburaya Productions

Tsuburaya Productions took some risks in the 2000s while attempting a full, darker reboot of the franchise. Among the films that tried to age-up the saga was the season Ultraman Nexus, the first specifically aimed at adults. Most seasons before this employed an episodic, monster-of-the-week ethos. Nexus went for deeper character development and a continuing, unfolding narrative. The titular Ultra and his host was not the main character, instead following a young member of the kaiju-fighting organization Night Raider as they investigate the mysterious Ultra.

The experiment at the time didn’t really work, and the Tokyo Broadcasting System shortened the series order of Ultraman Nexus from 50 to 37. Even truncated, it’s still an interesting and complex series with great action and a pretty dope design. Plus the theme song kinda rips.

7. Ultraman Decker (2022)Tsuburaya Productions

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of perennial favorite Ultraman Tiga in 2021, the Ultra series have audiences Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga. The series—owing in no small part to COVID—felt very jumbled and disjointed, and seemed like it didn’t know what kind of show it wanted to be. It wasn’t my favorite. That’s why I was pretty unsure if I’d enjoy the following year’s Ultraman Decker, a 25th anniversary season for Ultraman Dyna. What we got instead was a fantastic, fun, and thought-provoking season.

The series takes place years after Trigger with Earth in a period of peace and kaiju having long since disappeared. Right then, the alien Spheres decide to strike, cutting Earth off from the rest of the solar system. A young shop worker obtains the means to embody Ultraman Decker and joins up with GUTS-Select, the small group of specialists who try to take down these new threats.

Decker deals with some heavy sci-fi ideas, including a very cool arc in which a descendant of our hero comes from the future with the ability to become an Ultra himself. Decker also brings back many characters and storylines from Trigger, retroactively making me like that earlier series better. Truly a feat in and of itself.

6. Ultraman (1966)Tsuburaya Productions

The very first series to feature an Ultraman and the second in the Ultra series overall. This one is essentially the most important series of them all. The first in color, it also gave us the basic setup for everything going forward. A government agency employs a small monster investigating unit (here, the Science Special Search Party, or SSSP) to keep Japan safe from kaiju. One member (rookie Shin Hayata in this case) obtains the ability to grow to the size of the kaiju and become the alien hero Ultraman. It’s beautiful in its simplicity.

The reason this one is relatively low (one might argue) on the list is for a few reasons. First, while very fun, the episodes all eventually feel very samey. Of the series’ 39 episodes, you probably could only watch half and feel like you’ve seen everything integral. Second, the episodes all hew very close to the edict that Ultraman himself only appears for three minutes toward the end of the episode. It’s a good series, an important series, a fun series, but—honestly, for the best—the franchise continued to grow from here.

5. Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, Ultraman Gaia (1996-1999)Tsuburaya Productions

This is 100% a cheat and I don’t care. I’m putting three seasons in this spot because it’s so hard to split them up, and they’re all of such high quality that they all deserve your time. Beginning with Ultraman Tiga in 1996, the Ultra franchise’s triumphant return to Japanese production after 16 years made a big splash. The effects were great, the cast of characters were huge and varied, and these seasons all explicitly took place in a different universe, with more a focus on myth and legend than science and tech.

The TDG seasons, as people call them, are consistently great. It’s hard to say if I had to give an edge to any one of them, however Gaia (the third one) feels to me a lot like Space Battleship Yamato. These seasons also introduce the concept of different forms or power types for the Ultras, each with a different color scheme. I just love them all, and they each give something a little different.

4. Ultraman Mebius (2006-2007)Tsuburaya Productions

The 40th anniversary season, Mebius is in many ways the same as pretty much all the shows before it. However, as the series progresses, it begins to overlap with the entire Showa era. Each legacy Ultra makes an appearance or two, and each teach this season’s young hero, Mirai, a lesson on how to be a better Ultra. This is also the first mainline season to have a regular secondary Ultra—Ultraman Hikari—who takes human form and joins the crew.

I will say, it’s perhaps better to check out at least a few episodes of each of the 1966-1980 seasons to better appreciate the last half. But even if you don’t, Mebius is an epic and exciting story with endearing characters and fun action.

3. Ultraman Z (2020)Tsuburaya Productions

Here’s where we get into the heavy hitters for me. Ultraman Z, along with the two seasons next on the list, are the reason I love this franchise. Z aired in 2020 when we really knew lockdown was going to go on and on. This was the first of the seasons to drop on YouTube concurrently in North America and on TV in Japan. It also coincided with me catching up on earlier seasons, making my enjoyment grow week to week.

Ultraman Z again follows a small, underfunded group of kaiju fighters who utilize mechs to fight them off. Haruki, a young and naive member of the team, meets Ultraman Z, a young and naive Ultra, and the two team up to merge and fight against alien threats both large and very large. This season has a few big guest stars, including Ultramans Geed, Zero, and Ace, and a couple of surprise crossovers I won’t spoil here.

These shows will occasionally have a (very, very chaste) romance between the hero and the touch gal on the crew and this show’s (along with Tiga and Dyna) is maybe my favorite. Due to the pandemic we never got a post-season movie for Z but that didn’t stop him from being a beloved Ultra among the fandom.

It also has absolutely the very best theme song in show history. Friggin’ banger.

2. Ultra Q (1996)Tsuburaya Productions

The very first Ultra show, its success led TBS to ask Tsuburaya for another show quickly, and in color, which gave us Ultraman. Ultra Q is essentially the Japanese X-Files, 30 years earlier. A helicopter pilot, his goofy sidekick, and a plucky young woman reporter team up to investigate strange, paranormal occurrences in the country. These usually include giant monsters, utilizing Eiji Tsuburaya’s knowhow from directing the effects for all of Toho’s Godzilla movies.

Some of the episodes don’t involved giant monsters and instead focus on bizarre and often terrifying phenomena. The writing on the series is top notch, the acting from the leads is uniformly great, and the camaraderie between the three of them is truly special. I love Ultra Q to bits, as I’ve written about here. Even if giant silver superheroes isn’t your thing, give this one a try.

1. Ultraseven (1967-1968)Tsuburaya Productions

And finally, the very best Ultra show and my personal favorite. Think of it like a mix of Ultra Q and Ultraman, with an alien as our lead character working for an investigative unit. Ultraseven was not meant to connect to Ultraman beyond similar premises, however it proved to popular that by the time of The Return of Ultraman in 1971, it was firmly ensconced. Seven himself also recurs the most of any Ultra in the series, because he’s incredibly popular.

Ultraseven is a little bit more mature than Ultraman, with a little more focus on alien invasion plots rather than simple monster fights. The writing and direction here are some of the best ever, especially the work of the legendary director Akio Jissoji. Seven can also change size to fit the situation, so he can be human-sized if needed, or even smaller. The theme song will get stuck in your head, just be prepared. But for 48 episodes, you’re going to be in tokusatsu heaven.

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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TUESDAY with Julia Louis-Dreyfus Is a Surreal, Poignant, and Wholly Original Modern Fairy Tale

At the end of this paragraph you’ll find a trailer for Tuesday, the debut film from writer-director Daina O. Pusić. It’s pretty good. It’s interesting and correctly conveys some very important things about this obviously emotional story. It shows star Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the terrified mom of a terminal teenager who Death itself comes for her. Rather than appearing as the typical Grim Reaper, here Death is a talking bird who can change its size. And yet, despite not being misleading in anyway, this trailer is not really an accurate representation of the film. Tuesday is a moving and poignant story that is far more original, wonderfully weird, and absolutely captivating than it looks.

A24 describes its latest film as “a heart-rending fairy tale about the echoes of loss and finding resilience in the unexpected.” This comes a lot closer to capturing the essence of this film than its trailer, because it definitely has major elements of traditional fairy tales. Bizarre, dark, disturbing, and morbidly funny things happen without any sanitization. This film does not hold back its story from naturally where it wants. It’s refreshingly free to do its own thing. But it’s less about the “echoes of loss” and more about the actual process of dying, saying goodbye to those we love, and accepting that death is an unavoidable and necessary part of life.

That alone makes it stand out from the sea of modern stories that only want to focus on grief and loss after death. What really makes it stand out is everything else. Tuesday is really weird in ways it doesn’t even hint at until you’re watching it. So much so that I expect some viewers will either find it outright inaccessible or too strange to connect with. Others will also consider it too slow. I am none of those people. It’s definitely methodical, but also mesmerizing. And while its trailer makes it look like it might be maudlin, it’s anything but. Tuesday earns every emotion it pulls out of you.

A24

Some of those feelings are heartbreak, no doubt, but it’s also full of joy, wisdom, and even laughter. How and when it gets those laughs are one of its most impressive aspects. Tuesday manages to be funny even during scenes that don’t tonally feel like they should be. It’s really something to see. Somehow the movie blends disparate genres, styles, and tones so seamlessly it essentially exists as its own, totally unique movie. If you’re looking for something “different” or “new,” Pusić has delivered exactly that along with some really pleasing visuals, interesting points of view, and camera movements.

A big reason why Tuesday feels so different is her approach to Death, who is a otherworldly, pained, lonely figure tormented by his endless task and the voices he hears crying out for him. Voiced by Arinzé Kene, this winged creature is no mere harbinger or symbol. He’s a fully fleshed out, fascinating, wholly dynamic character who provides both gravitas and incredible comedy. (I won’t spoil any of his funniest moments, but if I did a lot of his moments would sound super silly out of context. In the movie, however, they all fit perfectly. Like I said, Tuesday hums along on its own wavelength to make something different yet beautiful.)

A24

Dreyfus is also incredible as a mom unable to face her daughter’s impending death. Like the film itself, which feels real and authentic even when it gets really strange, Dreyfus’ Zora is honest and grounded no matter what she must do. And she does both a lot of bizarre stuff and also some very flawed, human things! She delivers a really moving performance that exceeds even the best expectations for someone so talented, because her job is much harder and nuanced than you expect.

The same is true for her fantastic young co-star, Lola Petticrew. Her Tuesday is fully realized and helps keep the movie focused and centered. She’s mature beyond her years, yet still very much a kid. She’s the bedrock of the film and even a slightly lesser performance would have hurt the film.

A24

With more time and more viewings I expect I will like Tuesday even more, but not much more because of how much I already do. I didn’t get the film the trailer teased. I got something even better, weirder, beautiful, unique, and memorable.

⭐ (4 of 5)

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HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2 Episode 1 Release Date and Other Watch Information

House of the Dragon season two, episode one is just around the corner. Soon, dragons will take to the skies as the Greens and the Blacks face off in a bloody civil war. We’ve many great pieces to read before the Game of Thrones show returns, including ones that will catch you up on everything from House of the Dragon‘s main characters (and its many dragons) to what you should remember from season one of the series. But the most important thing you need to know is what is House of the Dragon season two, episode one’s release date? When should you tune in to watch it? And which platform will stream this return to the world of Game of Thrones? Let’s break down all the practicalities of catching House of the Dragon season two’s first episodes right when they air.

HBOHouse of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 Release Date

House of the Dragon season two, episode one release on June 16. If you don’t want to be spoiled about the deaths, disgusting moments, dramatic betrayals and more, we suggest you make a plan to tune in right on the Sunday.

What Time Does House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 Air?Ollie Upton/HBO

House of the Dragon season two, episode one, releases promptly at 6:00 PM Pacific/9:00 PM Eastern. It will also simultaneously release/be simulcast in the UK. If you’re in the UK, you can catch House of the Dragon season two, episode one at 2:00 AM BST on June 17.

Where Can You Stream House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 1?

In the United States, House of the Dragon season two will release on HBO and Max, the streaming network, at the same time. In the UK, House of the Dragon season two, episode one will stream on Sky and its streaming service, NOW TV.

What Watching the Rest of House of the Dragon Season 2?

There are eight episodes of the season to watch, after all. Here’s our guide to House of the Dragon season two’s full release schedule.

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