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STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Ending with Season 5, Its Final Chapter

As Star Trek: Strange New Worlds prepares to embark on its third season, we know that the show is already filming its fourth. Now, we also know for certain that Strange New Worlds will also get a fifth season, but sadly, it will be the show’s final chapter. The announcement that the show is ending and that season five will be Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ last one comes straight from Paramount+.

Here’s what Strange New Worlds‘ executive producers Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers, and Alex Kurtzman had to say about the starship Enterprise’s final journey under Captain Christopher Pike, as played by Anson Mount.

From the very beginning, Strange New Worlds set out to honor what Star Trek
has always stood for — boundless curiosity, hope and the belief that a better future is possible. We’re
deeply grateful to Paramount+ for the chance to complete our five-season mission, just as we envisioned it, alongside our extraordinary cast and crew. And to the passionate fans who’ve boldly joined us on this journey — THANK YOU. With three more spectacular seasons ahead for you to see and enjoy, this adventure is far from over.

Paramount+

Unlike the first four seasons, season five of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will consist of six episodes instead of the usual 10. By the time Strange New Worlds wraps up, it will have completed 46 episodes total. Which is the equivalent of just the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. And the original Star Trek had 55 episodes total by the end of its second year! But in the era of streaming, almost no series runs longer than three seasons, so we suppose five seasons is a blessing. Star Trek: Discovery, which spawned Strange New Worlds, also only ran 5 seasons. Although they had 65 episodes total, a significant amount more than Strange New Worlds will end with when its final season concludes.

Paramount+

So what can Trek fans expect in this abbreviated Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fifth season? Well, we’re just making an educated guess, but already we’ve seen the additions of classic Enterprise crew like Mr. Scott. Not to mention a heightened presence for future Enterprise Captain, James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley). Maybe Star Trek is putting all the pieces together for yet another spin-off? One that would feature Captain Kirk in the early days of his Enterprise Captaincy, with Spock as his First Officer? If so, we wouldn’t be shocked to hear casting announcements for Dr. McCoy and Mr. Sulu in the coming months. In the meantime, we still have season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds dropping its first two episodes on July 17 on Paramount+.

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New Cast Joins THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Season 3

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will return for season three. We know the season will feature a time skip and take us right into the heart of war. Such an intense change to the setting and story means we’ll likely see a ton of new cast join in the fun of The Rings of Power season three. Prime Video has most recently revealed three new actors who will come aboard The Lord of the Rings series.

Here’s what we know about the new cast members coming aboard The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three.

The Rings of Power Season 3 Adds 3 New Cast Members

The first new additions to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three cast are three new actors. One of them will play a series regularly. The other two will appear in recurring roles.

Ivan Weiss

Joining The Rings of Power season three as a regular cast member is Andrew Richardson, who is best known for his roles in theater to date, including Guys & Dolls, Uncle Vanya, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s hard to guess at who he might play given his background. Could he perhaps be Durin’s mysterious dwarven brother?

Abby Dunlavy

Joining The Rings of Power‘s season three cast in recurring roles are Zubin Varla and Adam Young. Varla also has a vast stage resume, and Young is best known for playing Jim-Bob in the horror movie, Don’t Breathe 2. We’re not sure about Varla, but Young has elven energy… or Sauron energy. It’s too soon to know exactly.

Leon PuplettMore About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3

In addition to new cast announcements, here’s what know about The Rings of Power season three. The third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and executive producer-director Charlotte Brändström. The third season of The Rings of Power recently began production.

The logline for The Rings of Power season three teases, “Jumping forward several years from the events of season 2, season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last.“

The creators of the series further shared with Nerdist, “Sauron needs Celebrimbor’s expertise to forge the Rings. He cannot make them alone. It would be cheating for Sauron to all of a sudden be able to make a Ring. He’s on his own journey of craftsmanship, and without Celebrimbor, now having to make a Ring is a potentially really interesting challenge for him.”

REad next

THE RINGS OF POWER Showrunners Talk Time Skips in Season 3 and Beyond, Celeborn, Celebrían, and Sauron Not Yet Knowing How to Forge the One Ring

This challenge will no doubt be the central focus on season three. But will these new The Rings of Power season three cast help or hinder Sauron? We’ll have to wait and see when the series returns. In the meantime, you can stream the first two The Rings of Power seasons on Prime Video.

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Krypto Soars with Kal-El in Cinemark’s SUPERMAN Popcorn Buckets

When it comes to superhero movie popcorn buckets, Marvel has been hogging the spotlight lately. After all, we’re about to get a giant Galactus head for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But now, DC is stepping into the ring. Because what can compete with a giant space villain for popcorn bucket supremacy more than Krypto the Superdog? Yes, Kal-El’s mighty pet from James Gunn’s upcoming Superman is front and center in several new popcorn buckets for Cinemark theaters. And the Man of Steel himself, he gets to adorn a few buckets too. You can check the first images of the Cinemark Superman popcorn buckets, and their other Superman exclusive merchandise, down below:

Click To View Gallery DC Studios/Cinemark Cinemark/DC Studios DC Studios/Cinemark Cinemark/DC Studios DC Studios/Cinemark Cinemark/DC Studios DC Studios/Cinemark Cinemark/DC Studios DC Studios/Cinemark Cinemark/DC Studios

The Krypto the Superdog popcorn bucket is the star of the line, with Kal-El’s Kryptonian pooch (based on James Gunn’s own dog Ozu) holding an old-school popcorn bag in his mouth. Also on the Krypto tip, Cinemark has a Krypto dog bowl popcorn bucket adorned with a Superman ‘S’ shield logo. You also have Superman flying with Krypto on a popcorn tin, and another popcorn tin with the Last Son of Krypton with his arms crossed and the ‘S’ shield logo on the back. Yet another popcorn tin has some classic DC Comics Superman art, also with Krypto. Superman’s arctic Fortress of Solitude cup looks like the perfect place to pour a chilly beverage. The Superman and Krypto plush toys are also adorable.

Cinemark/DC Studios

Cinemark has not revealed any prices for their exclusive Superman items as of yet. Although we imagine all the Cinemark Superman popcorn buckets and other merchandise should be available online at the official Cinemark Shop sometime very soon. AMC and Regal will no doubt debut their own Superman popcorn buckets and other merchandise soon. As always, these will be limited in quantity. James Gunn’s Superman from DC Studios will land in theaters on July 11.

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STRANGER THINGS: TALES FROM ’85 Shares Logline and ’80s Cartoon Inspirations

Hawkins High’s most famous students are finally ready to graduate after 20 years. Well, it only feels like they’ve been in school that long because of the interminable wait for Stranger Things‘ final season. But even though the hit Netflix series is getting ready to say goodbye, viewers will soon have another way to visit the Upside Down with the animated spinoff series Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85. And to get us ready for more interdimensional fun the streaming site has provided new insights into its nostalgia filled series. That includes the classic ’80s cartoons that inspired it.Netflix

Netflix and showrunner Eric Robles provided gave a presentation at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market. (We first heard about it at Variety.) Robles was on hand to discuss his new animated spinoff series, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85. It included revealing concept art for characters, monsters, and locations, as well as an animatic video for those in attendance. But while we still have to wait for Netflix to share all of that with us, there’s still plenty of new info to dive into like a box of Eggo Waffles. That includes the show’s official logline for the show. From Netflix:

Welcome back to Hawkins in the stark winter of 1985, where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town in Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an epic new animated series.

Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer serve as executive producers on the show. Robles said the brothers also sent “thousands of detailed photos from the live-action show to accurately design and model each location.” As for the show’s design, Australia’s Flying Bark is handling the animation. But the showrunner said the series look is based on Stranger Things fan art from Meybis Ruiz Cruz.

Stranger Things wouldn’t be Stranger Things without the ’80s movies and TV shows that inspired it, and Tales from ’85 is no different. Robles says his show draws from some of the decades’ most iconic cartoons. He cited The Real Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, and Transformers as foundational building blocks for his own nostalgia-filled series.

As for when we’ll actually see the show we still don’t know. But we’re not holding our breath like Eleven in a water tank. This is still the world of Stranger Things after all. No one in Hawkins graduates in a timely fashion.

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THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM Is ‘Surprising’ But Captures Feeling of OG LORD OF THE RINGS Movies

There and back again, as the famous saying goes. Bilbo Baggins felt that was the theme of his life in The Hobbit, and now life is reflecting art. We are all going there and back again to the world of The Lord of the Rings. In early 2023, we learned that new live-action The Lord of the Rings movies were in the works at Warner Bros. Discovery. And now, our most recent updates reveal that Peter Jackson will once again craft these fantasy films. Additionally, we will see these new live-action The Lord of the Rings movies sooner than we think. The first of the new The Lord of the Rings films will release in 2026. (Yes, that’s 2026, not 2006, we had to check too.) It will be titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.

Some fans speculated that The Hunt for Gollum would be two films but, according to Comicbook.com, writer Philippa Boyens confirmed that it is just one film. It will likely be very long. Boyens also teased more potential The Lord of the Rings movies. “…we’ve begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being The Hunt For Gollum, the second one still to be confirmed,” said Boyens.

Andy Serkis Gives Brief Update on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Director Andy Serkis recently gave a brief update on the film, sharing:

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

We always like to see something that feels familiar yet new. And who doesn’t love to receive a greater exploration of complicated character?

Hugo Weaving Confirms He Will NOT Return for The Hunt for Gollum

Elrond’s actor in The Lord of the Rings movies, Hugo Weaving, weighed in on whether he’d return for the newest films. Weaving noted he would not, saying that he did not think it would be appropriate for him to continue to play Elrond, an immortal elf.

New Line Cinema

Here’s what Weaving had to say in full about not returning to Middle-earth in The Hunt for Gollum:

Personally, I’ve had enough of that. It was great being in New Zealand on and off over a ten year period. I did then go back and work with the same team [director Peter Jackson and writer Fran Walsh] on a project called Mortal Engines which was going to be their next big franchise, but it died on its arse. So, I’ve had enough of Middle-earth I don’t imagine anyone would ask me to do it again.

Elrond is meant to be immortal and I’m aging. Elrond is one of the few characters, I think there’s only three or four of them, who spans through The Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. But even when we went back to reshoot certain parts of Lord of the Rings, I was aware I was older than I was before. And shooting stuff on The Hobbit was starting to get slightly silly. I loved being a part of that franchise but I have absolutely no plans or desires to be a part of it anymore.

Here’s what we know about The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum movie so far.

What Will the New The Lord of the Rings Movie, The Hunt for Gollum, Be About?New Line Cinema

But what story will this new The Lord of the Rings movie tell? Well, Zaslav initially noted that it will “explore storylines yet to be told.” That could mean many things. But we certainly have a few ideas of what The Lord of the Rings tales we’d like to see on-screen. However, per Variety, the working title of the movie is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and it will star Andy Serkis’ Gollum. Andy Serkis will also direct the movie.

“Yesssss, Precious,” shared Serkis, “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”   

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy further noted, “For over two decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter [Jackson], Fran [Walsh] and Philippa [Boyens] have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision. We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy [Serkis] coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (working title), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history.”

Peter Jackson Will Be Involved in the New The Lord of the Rings MovieNew Line Cinema

Zaslav also revealed that the genius behind the first set of live-action The Lord of the Rings movies, Peter Jackson, will return for these new films. He notes that Peter Jackson and his writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “will be involved every step of the way.” The trio is producing the Gollum movie. Walsh and Boyens will also be writing the script. They will be joined by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens noted of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, “It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”

Recently, the movie’s creators shared a little bit more about why they chose to center Gollum in the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie.

The New The Lord of the Rings Movie Will Actually Be Two Films

Sir Ian McKellen recently shared more about his possible return as Gandalf in The Hunt for Gollum. He notes he expects to see a script in 2025 and then he will decide if he should go back. But more interestingly indicates that this new The Lord of the Rings movie is actually two The Lord of the Rings movies. “I’m told it’s two films.” McKellen says.

Will We See Other The Lord of the Rings Characters or Familiar Actors in The Hunt for Gollum?New Line Cinema

Peter Jackson revealed a bit of insight into the decision and also noted that it’s too early to tell whether other The Lord of the Rings character will appear in The Hunt for Gollum. He said, “The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic. I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us. We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films. It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”

Serkis also teased a bit about whether other familiar characters and their original The Lord of the Rings actors could appear in The Hunt for Gollum, noting, “That’s a difficult question to answer right at this moment in time, because we’re really in the nascent stages of what it is exactly where we’re doing, and where the story’s going to take us. So I don’t want to commit anything right now. I mean, because it’s so raw and so raw and wriggling, and we are just literally having very early state script discussions and ideas of exactly where and how we’re going to drop anchor with the character and his journey and how he is or comes into contact with other characters, and the characters that we know and don’t know. So still, I would hate to say anything that’s going to commit us at this point, because it’s literally all up for grabs.”

Would Any of the Original Actors Return for the New The Lord of the Rings Movie?New Line Cinema

We haven’t yet heard from too many The Lord of the Rings actors, other than Serkis, about a return in the new The Lord of the Rings movie. But Viggo Mortensen did recently reveal that he would return as Aragorn in The Hunt for Gollum if it was right for the character.

Ian McKellen also shared he would happily return as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movie… as long as he’s alive. McKellen has also noted that production has indicated they would like him to return.

Additionally, Orlando Bloom, who plays the elf Legolas in The Lord of the Rings movies, expressed interest in returning for the film. But his tease of what the future would look like had fans raising their eyebrows. Bloom shared, “Oh, man, those things are amazing. Yeah. I don’t know how they’d do it. I guess with AI you can do anything these days. But, if Pete [Peter Jackson] says jump, I say, ‘how high?’ I mean, he started my whole career.”

New Line Cinema

Bloom also noted, “I really don’t know what [they are planning]… I did speak to Andy [Serkis] and he did say they were thinking about how to do things. I was like, ‘How would that even work?’ And he was like, ‘Well, AI!’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK!’ It was a pretty magical time in my life, and it’s one of those things where there’s not a downside to it.”

Most recently, he noted, “I think first of all, I’d like to see [Legolas] the same age as he was [in the original trilogy]. So, AI would have to come into play. I think I’d like to see him lithe and breezy and warrior-like so AI would have to come into play. And I think if they asked me, I would say, ‘Absolutely!’ It would be so fun just to go back to New Zealand and spend however long they want me there for. Because honestly, if you want to be anywhere in the world right now, New Zealand is the place.”

Personally, we’d prefer recasting these iconic roles and giving new actors a shot instead of using AI on actors who have already had their turn, depending on how heavily AI is applied in the scenario. Of course, Bloom was speaking casually, so it’s too soon to understand what level of AI might be involved. Even still, though, we feel wary of the note. But we guess we’ll have to wait and see what Peter Jackson has in store.

Why Gollum as the Star of this New The Lord of the Rings Movie?

Additionally, Boyens added of selecting Gollum’s story, “Gollum’s story is one of the most compelling to us in terms of a character that we couldn’t go as deeply into as we wanted to before, which sounds strange when you say that, given how familiar he is to everybody. Gollum’s life span takes place in such an interesting period of Middle-earth. When the question was first asked, this was the first story we thought of. Because I can tell you, and people might not believe this, but we had zero expectations of going back to this. It wasn’t something we were looking to do, particularly. So when the question was asked, it was, what would draw you back? And it was about working with the people we we’re working with. It was also about the chance to work with Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy at the studio. Alan Horn is now back at the studio. It just felt right.”

Once the story of the movie settled on Gollum, Serkis was the natural choice for director if it wasn’t going to be Peter Jackson. Boyens adds, “We wanted him to tell the story of Gollum and the hunt for Gollum as soon as we decided, okay, that’s the story. And Pete knew he didn’t want to direct go back into the world of Middle-earth again. [Peter] really enjoyed working with Kenji Kamiyama, who directed War of the Rohirrim. As soon as Pete decided, okay, I’m not going to direct it myself, and it’s going to be Gollum’s story, I swear to God, there was no one else but Andy Serkis.”

Finally, Serkis revealed, “Gollum has always stuck with me throughout all of these years. I’ve read audio books of the trilogy and the Silmarillion and The Hobbit, so Tolkien’s world has never left me in all of that time since we did the first films. And the character particularly has remained such an enormous part of my life. So it’s absolutely thrilling to be able to go back and do a deep dive into his world again, and specifically into Gotham’s psychology. I know we’re all interested in investigating on a deeper level who that character is, and on top of that, to be able to direct and hopefully create a film which has its place within the canon, but also something that’s fresh and new and a different approach.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Is Coming in 2027, Other New Movies on the HorizonNew Line Cinema

During Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-quarter earnings conference call, which we first saw on Variety, CEO David Zaslav dropped the precious news. He shared that Warner Bros. Discovery is “now in the early stages of script development” for the first of the new The Lord of the Rings movies. While at the time the company “anticipated” that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum would “release in 2026,” it’s actual release date is December 17, 2027.

RELATED ARTICLE

Release Date Alert: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM Sets 2027 Debut

Zaslav additionally noted, “Lord of the Rings’ is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for theatrical business.” With a 2027 release date, we guess we’ll hear more about these The Lord of the Rings movies sooner rather than later. Of course, given the “opportunity” here, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear about more new The Lord of the Rings movies very soon.

Originally published on June 10, 2024.

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Latest SUPERMAN Spot Has Supes Fighting Everybody

The Man of Steel has his work cut out for him in James Gunn’s Superman. For a brand new version of the character in a (mostly) all new cinematic universe, Supes (David Corenswet) sure has a lot of people and things out to get him. These threats—spearheaded by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult)—feel all the more overwhelming in the latest two-minute spot, signaling that you can now buy tickets. We see a good amount of footage from earlier trailers, but we get a whole lot more. Luthor doesn’t just want to kill Superman, he wants to utterly destroy him, and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and his whole family. Jeez. All that, plus Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) up in his grille?

The spot also gives us some fun new moments, like Lois flying a spaceship (wild), a good amount of Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Krypto and Superman tag-teaming some goons in the air. Good stuff all around. The more we get of Corenswet’s Superman, the more I like him. Him responding to Mister Terrific’s accusation of messing around is kind of delightful. “I’m not messing around, I’m doing important stuff.” He says it with such sincerity. It’s a great way to remember, while he is the most powerful being on the planet, he’s also just a guy doing his best. I’ve always loved that dichotomy about Clark Kent. What a dude.

DC Studios/Warner Bros.

Superman hits theaters July 11, or July 8 if you go through Prime Video. Either way, we can’t wait. Krypto, Kal-El and Kaiju…oh my!

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.

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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Returns to NYC in New Immersive Theater Performance, MASQUERADE

The Phantom of the Opera has one very key question for New York City: “Did you think that I had left you for good?” Phantom phans will know that’s a silly question. The Phantom of the Opera is always there inside your mind. But, as many fans of theater and Broadway know, The Phantom of the Opera recently closed its doors in 2023. The show was actually the longest-running musical on Broadway when it ended its 35-year run in NYC. But it wouldn’t be NYC if there was no The Phantom of the Opera playing somewhere in its streets. And now, the masked figure will return to the world outside your mind as well. A brand new immersive theater performance of The Phantom of the Opera, created by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is on the way. Get ready for Masquerade.

What is Masquerade? Well, the truth is, this The Phantom of the Opera immersive theater performance has been incredibly mysterious. Over the spring months, marketing for the show intensified, manifesting in a series of very cool immersive experiences and trinket drops that happened throughout the streets of New York City. Masquerade will take place in an NYC building that used to house Lee’s Art Shop on West 57th Street, which promises an elaborate and multi-floored setting for the immersive Phantom performance.

As best we can tell, Masquerade will contain all the songs of The Phantom of the Opera, but might take the shape of a haunted house-like experience, where guests walk through the scenes of the show. But this is all just speculation. Personally, my fingers are crossed for a full immersive dream like Sleep No More or Life and Trust.

What we do know is that you’ll soon be able to buy tickets to the experience… if you sign up to be a part of the Phantom’s ledger. A release from Masquerade shares:

Fondest Greetings,

As you will be aware, the story of my legend has regrettably not been available in New York City during the past two years, a matter for which those responsible will pay dearly.

In the meantime, I have obtained an address, considerably more salubrious than my previous,
on West 57th Street. It is here that I shall present a grand Masquerade, a spectacle that will
astound you and that further explores my legend. I have instructed my minion Lloyd Webber to assist.

On June 30th, an invitation shall be issued, unveiling a calendar of dates and instructions for
procuring tickets. Said invitation shall be extended only to those discerning few wise enough to
have signed my Ledger. All others shall remain in the dark. Further details will follow at my pleasure.

Your obedient servant, O.G.

Masquerade

To add yourself to the list for this The Phantom of the Opera NYC immersive theater experience, head to https://masqueradenyc.com/.

Warner Bros.

Until then, we’ll have to stay tuned and see what the Phantom of the Opera has in store for us all as we get ready to sing once again with him in NYC.

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The Secret History of Board Games (w/ Tim Clare)

How is Abraham Lincoln’s beard responsible for modern board gaming? Did Swedish prisons really make inmates roll death saves? What is it about board games that sink their hooks into us? This week on Quests N’ Answers, Dan Casey sits down with author Tim Clare to answer all of these questions and more, which are explored at length in his new book Across the Board: How Board Games Make Us Human

Learn more about Across the Board: How Board Games Make Us Human: http://bit.ly/403G7Nh

New episodes of Quests N’ Answers air every Wednesdays on Geek & Sundry or wherever you get your podcasts: ⁠https://lnk.to/goblinmodepod⁠

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#podcast #boardgames #author

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Prime Video Developing STEVEN UNIVERSE Spinoff LARS OF THE STARS

Steven Universe, one of the most beloved, highest rated animated series of all-time, said goodbye in early 2019. Later that year Steven Universe: The Movie arrived. But after the limited-run Steven Universe Future ended in 2020, it seemed like that might truly be the franchise’s onscreen end. Turns out, thankfully for fans, it wasn’t. It’s officially getting ready to return to airwaves once again. Cartoon Network Studios has announced its developing a spinoff series, Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars, for Prime Video.Cartoon Network

Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe made a huge announcement during its Studio Showcase presentation at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Cartoon Network Studios revealed it is currently developing what it calls a “follow-up” to the beloved series. Only, this new show will instead follow a different character from the original show, Lars Barriga.

A different main character isn’t the only major change. Unlike the original series, which aired on Cartoon Network for five seasons and 160 episodes, Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars is heading to Prime Video. It will also give viewers a chance to go both backwards and forwards through its own universe. Here’s the show’s official synopsis:

From executive producers Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey, Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars explores the past, present and future of the Steven Universe universe. The sequel series follows Lars Barriga, eternal teenager and space outlaw, as he and his pirate crew smuggle contraband, evade the authorities, and uncover the darkest secrets of the fallen Gem Empire.

Cartoon Network

This sequel/spinoff wasn’t the only big news announced during the presentation. Cartoon Network also revealed Teen Titans Go! is a go for season 10.

That’s a really good day for animation fans for very different reasons. One of those show’s we expected to return. The other we weren’t sure we’d ever see again. But it’s just hard to keep a good (Steven) universe down.

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Disney Now Owns All of Hulu (For the Cheap Price of $438.7 Million)

Oops, Disney did it again. They bought up a whole company that is now theirs to do whatever they’d like with. Yes, Disney now owns all of Hulu as it officially buys out Comcast’s stake after a lengthy process, reveals Reuters. Disney first came to own a majority stake of Hulu in 2019. And after a two-year appraisal of Hulu, Disney will now own 100% of the streamer, buying out Comcast for an additional $439 million. And, honestly, it turns out this was a steal for Disney, which initially offered $8.61 billion for Comcast’s stake. Comcast demanded more, but now they’ll get much, much less. But we guess it’s hard to feel too sorry for them.

Still, as Disney continues to buy up many companies and streamers in the entertainment world, we do have to give the company a little bit of a critical side-eye. Of course, Disney basically owned all of Hulu before this deal. But now it REALLY owns all of Hulu, and one more company is purely at Disney’s disposal. With so much under one umbrella, are we really getting a diversity of thought and creation in our media? It’s a problem that’s becoming harder and harder to ignore. For a consumer, it’s always preferable for there to be a greater plurality of company ownership. When only a few companies control everything, it’s only a matter of time before everything starts to look the same. And now, behind Hulu… there’s only Disney.

Disney

Bob Iger notes in a statement about Disney’s new ownership of Hulu that “the transaction gives Disney complete ownership of Hulu, clearing the way for a deeper integration with the Disney+ streaming service, and ESPN’s coming direct-to-consumer offering.”

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Warner Bros. Discovery Splits Back Into 2 Companies

Wonderful, we suppose. It’s nice when ideas can play well together. But it’s also nice to see more than one idea on the table.

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