Generation Star Wars

Channel 4 on Disney+

2026-10-28T08:00:00.000+00:00

On Tuesday, Channel 4 and The Walt Disney Company announced a streaming partnership on Disney+.

Channel 4, like rival public-service broadcasters, is battling a tough advertising market and declining audiences for its linear ⁠channels. It said last month it would cut about 340 jobs, representing more than a ⁠quarter of its workforce.

Priya Dogra, Chief Executive, Channel 4, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Disney+ to give audiences even more ways to discover and enjoy Channel 4’s brilliant shows. Channel 4 is home to some of the UK and Ireland’s most talked about and trusted programming, and this new service will help those shows reach viewers in new places. This exciting step shows how collaboration between broadcasters and streamers can create more choice and value for audiences.”

Disney+ already shares content with ITVX, which may be affected by Sky (owned by Comcast) buying ITV's television and streaming assets for £1.6 billion.

Adam Smith, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment, said: “Local broadcaster partnerships are very important as we build our content libraries and serve fans around the world. Channel 4 has created shows with strong appeal to audiences in the UK and Ireland, and we’re excited to bring some of those favourites to Disney+. This agreement is the latest example of our global strategy, pairing high-quality local programming and cultural relevance with a complementary audience and more personalised streaming experience on Disney+.”

From early 2027, Disney+ subscribers will be able to watch Channel 4’s linear HD channel, plus hundreds of hours of its acclaimed scripted and unscripted content through its on-demand catalogue, from Big Mood and Tip Toe to 24 Hours in A&E, directly on Disney+ at no extra cost. There's no news on whether or not this will be ad-free on standard (which I subscribe to) or premium tiers.

What are your thoughts on Channel 4 on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Tomb Raider 30th anniversary teaser trailer

2026-10-27T07:00:00.000+00:00

An official teaser trailer dropped for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a reimagining of the original Tomb Raider video game.

Read the official synopsis:

"Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a stunning reimagining of the 1996 genre-defining game.

As Lara Croft, harness your wits and athleticism to explore exotic locations lost to time—from the jungles of Peru to the ancient ruins of Greece, the deserts of Egypt, and a mysterious Mediterranean island shrouded in myth. Traverse treacherous landscapes, solve deadly contraptions, and face lethal predators as you hunt for the scattered pieces of the Scion, an artefact of immeasurable power.

Whether you're a veteran raider or new to Lara's world, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis delivers jaw-dropping visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, modern game design, and new surprises, while honouring the spirit and atmosphere of Lara Croft's debut adventure."

While the original Tomb Raider was first released on the Sega Saturn 30 years ago, the action-adventure video game franchise became synonymous with PlayStation.

I've been a fan of the Tomb Raider franchise since the original PlayStation, and the reboot Survivor trilogy was amazing. Alix Wilton Regan replaces Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft. Mass Effect fans (myself included) will recognise her as the voice of Samantha Traynor.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will release on PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on 12th February 2027. Tomb Raider: Catalyst, a sequel to Tomb Raider: Underworld, is arriving sometime in 2027.

Pre-order Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis at Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis? What are your memories of playing Tomb Raider? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: Starfighter outspends The Force Awakens

2026-10-25T11:00:00.000+00:00

Forbes reports that Star Wars: Starfighter cost more to produce than Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In summary:

"Disney revealed that its upcoming sci-fi film *Star Wars: Starfighter* cost $226.5 million to make by the time filming finished at Pinewood Studios. Set five years after *The Rise of Skywalker*, the movie stars Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, and Mia Goth, with Shawn Levy directing. Financial statements from the production company, Blue Mist Productions, covered spending up to January 31. The U.K. government's Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit provided a $51.5 million refund, reducing net spending to $175 million. Filming also took place in Sardinia, Italy, to maximize funding benefits. Additional visual effects work in London could increase future refunds and costs before the scheduled release in late May next year."

Star Wars: Starfighter is due to release on 28th May 2027, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of George Lucas' space opera.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Starfighter? Let me know in the comments below.

Mass Effect: Universe trailer leaked

2026-10-23T11:35:24.844+01:00

After news of BioWare's closure and the cancellation of Mass Effect 5 broke on Wednesday, an employee leaked a trailer, made by a small team with pre-production assets.

It features a new N7 protagonist and fan-favourite Liara T'Soni, set sometime after the original Mass Effect trilogy. Are they searching for Commander Shepard? The trailer ends on the game's title: Mass Effect: Universe.

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier confirmed the trailer is genuine. I watched it on YouTube, and the game is evidently further developed than officially suggested; after all, it was announced in 2020. As the trailer keeps getting removed, I won't link to it here. You should find it easily with a quick search.

As I've mentioned previously, Mass Effect 5 could still be saved with stewardship from a developer that nurtures character-driven role-playing games. EA has massive debt, is cutting 400 jobs, and should sell BioWare's IPs.

Have you watched the Mass Effect: Universe trailer? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

BioWare closes, but there's hope for Mass Effect

2026-10-22T16:00:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday, EA announced the closure of BioWare, the award-winning studio behind Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect.

I belatedly discovered the Mass Effect franchise after winning an XBOX 360 S in 2012. BioWare's stellar space opera drew inspiration from Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and Star Wars. Mass Effect 2 is the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back of video games - a hill I'm prepared to die on.

Behind the shiny space-age sheen, the original Mass Effect trilogy was, at its core, a tale of found family in the darkest of times. Jennifer Hale will always be Commander Shepard. Joker, played by Seth Green, was the first video game character I could identify with as a paraplegic...

Read the official statement from BioWare:

"For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life.

Baldur’s Gate. Neverwinter Nights. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Dragon Age. Mass Effect. Anthem.

Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.

There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.

What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember. These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own.

From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story."

My thoughts are with all those affected.

EA has massive debt and should sell the Dragon Age, Jade Empire and Mass Effect IPs to a studio like Larian Studios or CD Projekt Red. Mass Effect 5 could still be saved with stewardship from a developer that nurtures character-driven role-playing games. Multiple sources suggest that Respawn and DICE studios will collaborate on a future project: Star Wars: Battlefront III for Lucasfilm Games.

While development of Mass Effect 5 may have ended, hope remains for the beloved sci-fi franchise. According to IGN, Prime Video is proceeding with a live-action series following the success of Fallout. The series has been in development since 2024.

What are your favourite BioWare video games? Let me know in the comments below.

The Lord of the Rings by BBC Radio

2026-10-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

The 1981 audio adaptations of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings were a childhood gateway to a lifelong love of radio dramatisation, culminating in my work with Sir Christopher Lee on director Dirk Maggs' The Gemini Apes broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Day in 1998.

Demon Music Group has announced a limited edition box set of The Lord of the Rings featuring stunning artwork.

“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them; One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.“

Presenting ‘The Lord of the Rings’, a limited edition deluxe 14CD box set (limited to 4000 worldwide) of the original 1981 BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, released for the first time in its original 26-episode broadcast format. Over 13 hours of newly-mastered audio drama in superb stereo sound with every tense cliffhanger (and stirring theme music reprise) intact, plus a standalone disc of the series’ celebrated soundtrack by the renowned composer Stephen Oliver.

The contents are presented across 14CDs in deluxe 7” sized box set packaging. Each set is individually numbered and features beautiful original artwork, re-imagining the landscape of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Starring Ian Holm (Alien, The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, Chariots of Fire) as Frodo, Michael Hordern (Barry Lyndon, Gandhi, Paddington) as Gandalf, John Le Mesurier (Dad’s Army) as Bilbo, Bill Nighy (Love Actually) as Sam, and Robert Stephens (Romeo and Juliet) as Aragorn, alongside Gerard Murphy (Batman Begins), Peter Vaughan (Game of Thrones), Simon Cadell (Watership Down) and Michael Graham Cox (The Stone Tape) this acclaimed 1981 full-cast production was dramatised by Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell.

A 12-Page booklet, featuring behind the scenes cast photos and a note about the making of the series by dramatist Brian Sibley, is also included along with full cast and credits for every episode.

Also available as a numbered and limited edition 14LP vinyl box set.

Pre-order The Lord of the Rings at Amazon (affiliate link).

Have you listened to the BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of The Lord of the Rings? Let me know in the comments below.

From fan art to Star Wars: Paul Shipper

2026-10-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

I befriended Star Wars and Marvel artist par excellence and fellow Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fan Paul Shipper on social media a long time ago. He has always made time for fellow fans, and I once recommended a Buzz Lightyear toy from Mattel Creations (formerly Matty Collector). Hope you've still got it, Paul!

Shipper has been profiled by the BBC. Here is an extract:

Among the projects he has worked on are posters and artwork for blockbuster titles including Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Skeleton Crew.

The illustrator said becoming a movie poster artist had originally seemed a long way off, before the early days of the internet helped his work find an audience.

“It was just through kind of sheer dumb luck really and the internet that it happened,” he said.

“Before you know it, there are people who see it who are connected with the movies and then all of a sudden you get asked if you’re interested in working on a Steven Spielberg movie or something like that.”

Shipper described himself as “a Spielberg and George Lucas kid”, saying franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones were the films that first inspired him to become an illustrator.

For Shipper, the appeal of poster art lies in being able to tell a story with a single image.

“You’re trying to distill something within one image,” he said.

“It is kind of like a trailer... there are posters that tell you too much, so there is a fine line.”

What are your favourite posters by Paul Shipper? Let me know in the comments below.

Grand Theft Auto VI launch trailer

2026-10-16T16:18:31.890+01:00

On Thursday, Rockstar Games released a launch trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI ahead of its November release!

Read the official synopsis:

"Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive."

The launch trailer is soundtracked by Justice’s new single Flower In A Hurricane featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The infectious tune transported me back to the 1980s and listening to music on my Sony Walkman.

GTA VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond, in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series yet. With a reported budget of over a billion dollars and a female protagonist (Lucia), GTA VI was originally due to release in 2025.

The long-awaited next instalment in the GTA franchise will be released on PlayStation 5 (PS5) and XBOX Series X|S on 19th November and will be digital-only. The halcyon days of midnight launches are gone forever post-pandemic, and vertical companies will control distribution, availability, and dynamic pricing.

This has sparked controversy (I'm team digital on XBOX, but prefer physical on PlayStation).

Grand Theft Auto VI is a monoculture moment in entertainment, and I pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition on PS5. Personally, the footage captured on the base PS5 justifies the price tag!

Pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI at Amazon (affiliate link).

What did you think of the Grand Theft Auto VI launch trailer? Have you pre-ordered the game? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars Zero Company

2026-10-15T09:00:00.000+01:00

The former developers of XCOM turn (see what I did there?) their attention to the Clone Wars in a galaxy far, far away...

Guest post by Søren Kamper

Bit Reactor turns cover, squad bonds, and one missed shot into a surprisingly human Star Wars story.

There is a very particular kind of silence that follows a missed shot in a turn-based strategy game. A moment earlier, everything looked perfectly sensible. The enemy was exposed, your soldier had a respectable chance of hitting, and the rest of the plan depended on that blaster bolt finding its target. Then it misses. The battle droid is still standing there, apparently delighted with itself, and three other enemies have suddenly acquired some rather exciting ideas about your squad's immediate future.

In a Star Wars film, somebody would shout a warning, and John Williams would arrive to save the scene. In Star Wars Zero Company, you stare at the battlefield and realise that the person responsible for this disaster is sitting in your chair. That is the essential appeal of Bit Reactor's new tactical adventure. It puts the Clone Wars into your hands, then asks you to live with what those hands have done.

After spending substantial time with Zero Company, I think its finest achievement is not the lightsaber combat, the spectacular environments, or even the surprisingly generous character creator. It is something smaller. Zero Company makes you care about the people who would ordinarily vanish behind the grand machinery of Star Wars. Not legendary bloodlines or the fate of the Jedi Order, but a clone with a battered past, a Jedi Padawan who cannot solve everything alone, an astromech whose contribution is mostly measured in excellent timing, and whichever unlucky recruit you decided to bring along because you thought the mission looked easy. They are not merely a collection of colourful abilities. If Bit Reactor's systems click with you, they become your people. And then the game has the nerve to put them in danger.

The Clone Wars, without the safety net

The first thing to understand is that Zero Company is not an action game in which you happen to pause occasionally. It is a proper turn-based tactics game, made by people who clearly understand the peculiar terror of an XCOM percentage. Former Republic officer Hawks leads an unconventional group of Operators during the twilight of the Clone Wars, hunting the sinister Infinite Coil and its leader, Kundri Fathom. The broad setup is familiar Star Wars material: an obscure threat, a galaxy exhausted by war, and several people with complicated loyalties being asked to trust one another.

The perspective is what makes it interesting.

Nick Smith has already looked at the Clone Wars in When Clones Attack!, where a familiar war gains new texture through the soldiers caught inside it. Zero Company takes that same human-scale idea and makes it mechanical. A squad member's place in the story is not guaranteed by a screenplay; sometimes it depends on whether you remember to put them behind something sturdier than a decorative crate.

Each Operator normally works with three Action Points, and the clarity of that basic economy is one of the game's strengths. Moving, attacking, preparing Overwatch, or using a special ability is never quite as simple as clicking the largest icon. Half-cover offers reassurance until an enemy moves around it. Elevation changes an engagement. A good flanking position might be worth more than one extra shot, while moving too far can leave a perfectly competent soldier stranded in the sort of place military instructors use in cautionary presentations. Zero Company rewards preparation, but it also understands the pleasures of improvisation. An ambitious plan can collapse in seconds, and recovering from it often produces a better story than executing it flawlessly.

The small miracles of a working squad

What separates the combat from a competent imitation of XCOM is how naturally the Operators begin to work together. Successful attacks generate Advantage, a shared resource that supports powerful team abilities without simply duplicating the ordinary Action Point system. That means a routine shot can become the beginning of something larger: an ally moves a target, another Operator exploits the opening, and a final attack finishes the job before the enemy gets a chance to object. The best turns feel less like operating four separate characters and more like conducting a slightly irresponsible orchestra. The instruments happen to include blaster rifles, Force abilities, and the occasional astromech that appears to have been built specifically to embarrass the rest of the army.

I particularly like the way the game treats its Jedi. A lightsaber is exciting, and it should be, but a Jedi is not an automatic solution to every problem. Tel-Rea can reshape a battlefield, yet her value becomes greater when those Force moves create opportunities for everyone else. Likewise, a clone trooper's firepower, a support Operator's utility, and a custom recruit's carefully chosen Specialisation all matter because no single member can comfortably do every job.

This is Star Wars remembering something that Republic Commando and the older LucasArts tradition understood: a galaxy becomes more convincing when its heroes have professions, limitations, and colleagues, rather than merely impressive entrance music.

There are a few rough edges. When multiple abilities, cover states and reactions overlap, the interface can become busier than the underlying decision really deserves. Some of the strongest combinations are so rewarding that they tempt you to return to comfortable routines rather than experiment. But these are complaints about the friction around an unusually enjoyable tactical core. Most missions leave room to find a different solution, and a good decision has a satisfying physical result: a target displaced, a defensive line opened, a vulnerable squadmate rescued. You can see the plan working. Better still, you can usually see exactly why it failed.

The Den is where the war follows you home

Between deployments, Zero Company retreats to the Den, a battered base aboard a ship at the Ring of Kafrene. This is where you recruit and customise Operators, manage equipment, handle injuries, and decide which opportunities deserve the squad's attention. On paper, it sounds like the familiar management half of a tactics game. In practice, it is where the combat begins to acquire memory. People who repeatedly fight together develop Bonds that can improve the way they support each other. Training and Specialisations give you room to build unexpected partnerships. A recruit who initially seems like a temporary answer to a missing role can gradually become central to the whole operation. Conversely, an injured favourite can leave a very noticeable hole in a carefully balanced squad. Your decisions on one mission have a habit of waiting for you when the next one begins.

The larger campaign runs on Cycles, so opportunities do not necessarily wait politely while you finish every available errand. Operations, tactical missions, resources and upgrades compete for attention. It gives the galaxy a valuable sense that events continue beyond the four people currently exchanging laser fire. It can also be frustrating. There are moments when the strategic clock adds tension, and others when it feels like being handed a particularly complicated appointment diary in the middle of a war. The Den itself sometimes asks you to spend more time in menus than the emotional weight of the next decision can justify. Zero Company is most absorbing when the base is a place to remember what happened on the battlefield; it is less compelling when it becomes a shopping trip with unusually high mortality rates.

One of the best design decisions is that building a squad is not confined to selecting whoever has the biggest damage number. Specialisations can complement each other in ways that make two ordinary Operators more useful than one glamorous hero. Bonds reward continuity without making experimentation entirely pointless. Injury and optional permadeath make the consequences of a disastrous turn linger beyond the victory screen.

Star Wars: Gaming's complete Star Wars Zero Company guide gathers the class breakdowns, squad builds, bonds, campaign progression and more advanced tactics in one place. But there is a good argument for spending your first hours making mistakes. The game is unusually good at turning a badly timed decision into a lesson you will remember.

A Star Wars story that doesn't need another Skywalker

The storytelling is strongest when it trusts the squad's own relationships. Hawks is a useful anchor because a former Republic officer can plausibly gather people whose experiences of the war have been very different. Trick's clone background, Tel-Rea's connection to the Jedi, and the other authored characters give the group enough texture to feel more like uneasy colleagues than four interchangeable equipment slots. The custom Operators add something equally important: they allow the player to supply a little of the imagination that Star Wars has always invited. You begin by choosing a species, a face and a role. A few missions later, the same recruit has earned a reputation in your head that no character editor could possibly have supplied.

That is not to say the script is consistently wonderful. Kundri Fathom and the Infinite Coil make an ominous enemy, but the central threat is occasionally more interesting as atmosphere than as drama. The conspiracy has the familiar problem of many modern Star Wars stories: it must sound important enough to threaten the galaxy even though the smaller, personal conflicts are often what we most want to follow. Some dialogue carries its exposition a little too proudly. But the cast helps compensate, and the tactical structure does something a cutscene cannot: it makes relationships useful without reducing them to a simple friendship meter. The moments that stay with me are not necessarily the dramatic revelations. They are the missions where somebody survived because another Operator had exactly one action left.

The presentation generally understands the assignment. Battlefields feel worn, industrial and convincingly inhabited, rather than like generic grids decorated with familiar logos. Clone armour, Separatist machines, cluttered installations and alien faces supply the visual shorthand of the era, while the combat animations make successful moves feel appropriately decisive. It is a nice companion to the argument in Generation Star Wars' feature about how Lucasfilm Games kept the franchise alive between films: Star Wars has always benefited when games let us visit the less glamorous working parts of its universe. Zero Company is full of those places. It makes the war feel enormous precisely by refusing to put us in command of the entire thing.

The cost of another turn

After dozens of hours, the game's strengths are clear. Combat offers enough information for a thoughtful plan and enough uncertainty to keep that plan interesting. The shared Advantage system and squad Bonds push you toward cooperation rather than simply building four individual killing machines. Customisation is deep enough to make different campaigns feel personal, while the strategic layer gives successes and mistakes some staying power. The weaknesses are real too. Menu-heavy stretches can slow the pace, a few campaign systems need more explanation than they receive, and the central villain never becomes as compelling as the squad trying to stop her.

Players who dislike turn-based tactics are unlikely to have a conversion experience just because the uniforms are from Star Wars. This is a game that asks you to enjoy thinking before shooting.

Yet that commitment is also what makes Zero Company such a pleasant surprise. Just as Star Wars: Galactic Racer found a personality beyond Star Wars: Episode I: Racer nostalgia, Bit Reactor has resisted the obvious temptation to make its game a parade of famous faces with a few tactical buttons attached. It has built a real strategy game and allowed Star Wars to grow around the rules.

Where a film shows a heroic charge, Zero Company asks who covered the retreat, who needed medical attention afterwards, and whether the people involved can trust one another on the next assignment. Those are questions that belong naturally to the Clone Wars, but a tactics game can make them feel like your responsibility.

There is a reason that missed shot at the beginning matters so much. A film can make a character's death tragic through music, dialogue and a beautifully timed close-up. Zero Company has another method. It allows you to train somebody, equip them, build relationships around them and watch them become indispensable. Then it places them behind half-cover, offers you a percentage that looks perfectly reasonable, and waits for you to make a decision.

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn.

Occasionally, you spend the next ten minutes explaining to yourself why the plan was sound even though the evidence suggests otherwise. That is a very Star Wars kind of heroism, only without the guarantee that the next scene will rescue you. The galaxy has plenty of legendary warriors. Zero Company reminds us that the people keeping it together were often the ones who never expected to become legends.

Score: 8.5/10

Buy Star Wars Zero Company at Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you playing Star Wars Zero Company? Let me know in the comments below.

Søren Ahrensborg Kamper has written about Star Wars games, their history and the communities around them since 2009. He is the editor of Star Wars: Gaming, where he covers new releases, game history and the strange decisions that become much more reasonable once somebody adds a hyperdrive.

LEGO Ideas Star Wars Marvel mash-up

2026-10-13T16:52:03.452+01:00

At New York Comic Con (NYCC), the LEGO Group announced a first-of-its-kind LEGO Ideas challenge. For the first time ever, fans are invited to mash-up Star Wars and Marvel by reimagining characters, vehicles and scenes from the two universes in LEGO form.

What’s more, the LEGO Ideas platform means that once the build has been submitted and fans have voted on the design, the favourite submissions will then become immortalised as an official LEGO product.

Fede Begher, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Group at the LEGO Group, said: “This challenge is a milestone for LEGO Ideas and our fan community. For the first time ever, fans can build with both Marvel and Star Wars in a single LEGO Ideas challenge, unlocking entirely new possibilities for creativity and storytelling. We know our fans never stop imagining new ways to bring their favourite worlds together, and we’re excited to see the originality, passion and innovation they bring to this unique crossover.”

As a tribute to the landmark 50th anniversary of the Star Wars franchise in 2027, the Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles comic series was unveiled this past summer. Launching in January, it’s the first-ever crossover between the Star Wars and Marvel Comics universes. The LEGO Ideas challenge celebrates that crossover and honours the 50th anniversary.

Open from today, fans simply need to visit ideas.lego.com, choose from three challenge themes of mashing up Star Wars and Marvel vehicles, characters or scenes, review all challenge rules and guidelines, and then get building with LEGO elements. Voting for the submissions begins December 15, 2026, with the Grand Prize Selections being announced next year.

Discover LEGO Star Wars on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Will you be submitting an idea? Let me know in the comments below.

Return of the Atari 800XL

2026-10-12T07:00:00.000+01:00

As an Atari-age kid, I always wanted an 800XL! It was the Porsche of 8-bit home computers, and Atari has a storied history with Lucasfilm, spawning Atari/Lucasfilm Games in 1982.

I’ve written about how Atari was my gateway into playing video games when I was gifted an older cousin's unwanted Video Computer System (VCS) on my 8th birthday in 1980.

After school, I avidly played Space Invaders, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Pitfall, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and many more with childhood friend Kevin Simpson.

My first family computer was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K. However, the Atari XL line was alluring, with its sleek look and premium price tag. Atari and Retro Games Ltd are bringing the 800XL back as a full-sized modern recreation in 2027. This coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Atari VCS and Star Wars.

“The 800XL represents an important moment in Atari’s history, when home computers were becoming a gateway to gaming, programming and creativity,” said Matt Burnett, VP of Strategic Operations at Atari. “It gave an entire generation the opportunity to discover what they could do with a computer, while offering an incredible catalog of games and software. That combination is what makes the 800XL such an important part of Atari’s legacy, and working with Retro Games Ltd. and Plaion we are excited to bring back this modernized version.”

Beautiful beige box.

“The 800XL was one of those rare machines that really showed what an 8-bit home computer could be capable of,” said Stuart Chiplin, COO at Retro Games Ltd. “When recreating it, we wanted to capture not just how the original looked, but what made it such a compelling computer – the freedom it gave people to play, program and create. A lot of work has gone into making THE 800XL feel authentic while bringing the experience up to date for today’s players.”

THE 800XL is £199.99. Pre-orders are open now, with shipping in late April 2027. I hope to review THE 800XL as soon as possible.

Pre-order THE 800XL at Amazon (affiliate link).

Will you be adding THE 800XL to your retro collection? What are your favourite Atari 8-bit video games? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer

2026-10-09T11:00:00.000+01:00

Can Star Wars: Galactic Racer recapture the high-octane thrills of fan-favourite Star Wars: Episode I: Racer on PlayStation 5 (PS5), XBOX Series X|S and PC?

Star Wars: Gaming's Søren Kamper goes back to Jakku.

Guest post by Søren Kamper

In February, Generation Star Wars looked at the first proper gameplay trailer for Star Wars: Galactic Racer and wondered whether Lucasfilm Games had finally found a way back to the thrill of Star Wars: Episode I: Racer. That was the obvious question. It was also, as it turns out, slightly unfair to the finished game.

Memories of the 1999 classic have had twenty-seven years to become smoother, faster and rather better behaved than the original hardware ever was. Star Wars: Galactic Racer knows those memories are waiting at the starting line. It gives us podracers, Sebulba and machinery that appears to have been designed by engineers who regarded safety regulations as a challenge. Then it does something more useful: it keeps going.

After spending the last couple of days buried in the campaign, multiplayer and vehicle systems, my biggest surprise is not that Fuse Games understands why Star Wars racing was fun. It is that the studio has found a way to make racing feel like a living part of the galaxy again.

A racer, not a nostalgia exhibit

The first thing Star Wars: Galactic Racer gets right is the simple part that racing games cannot fake: movement feels good.

Landspeeders are broad, physical machines that like to be thrown into corners. Speeder bikes are quicker and far less forgiving. Skim speeders reward smooth lines and a willingness to think about the track in three dimensions. Podracers are the dangerous end of the family tree, and they remain exactly as unreasonable as they should be.

The differences are important because they change how you read a circuit. A corner that feels generous in a landspeeder can become an invitation to disaster on a bike. A gap that looks decorative in one class may become a viable route in another. This is where Star Wars: Galactic Racer starts to separate itself from licensed racing games that offer a garage full of vehicles which all feel suspiciously related.

There is also a welcome amount of aggression. Boost management, heat, contact and takedowns keep races busy without turning them into a floating weapons arena. The Criterion and Burnout heritage around Fuse Games is easy to feel, but Star Wars: Galactic Racer never forgets that the fastest line still matters. Smashing a rival into scenery is satisfying. Doing it while preserving enough speed to make the next corner is better.

The result is immediately readable and surprisingly deep. You can enjoy the spectacle after a few minutes, but there is enough beneath it to reward players who learn the handling rather than simply holding the accelerator and hoping the Force has an unusually generous insurance policy.

The campaign changes what losing means

The stranger decision is the campaign.

Instead of a fixed sequence of races, Shade moves through Tours built around branching events, temporary upgrades and choices about what to risk next. Some progress survives failure, but a strong run can still collapse if you push the wrong machine too far or take one dangerous event too many.

On paper, attaching runs-based design to a Star Wars racing game sounds like something produced during a particularly excitable whiteboard meeting. In practice, it gives the campaign a reason to keep asking questions after the racing itself has already proved enjoyable.

Do you take the event with the better reward, even though the vehicle is already carrying damage? Do you improve straight-line speed or make the next few corners easier? Do you keep leaning into the build that is working, or spend resources preparing for a weakness you know is coming?

That makes failure more interesting than a normal restart screen. A bad race can affect the next one. A good part can reshape the rest of a Tour. A vehicle that felt ordinary at the start can become a wonderfully specific little monster by the final events.

It also means the game avoids the old racing-game problem where progression becomes a list of cups to tick off. Star Wars: Galactic Racer has a rhythm of preparation, risk, recovery and another attempt. I often found myself telling myself that one more event would be enough for the evening. This was rarely true.

Star Wars: Gaming's complete Star Wars: Galactic Racer guide dives deeper into the campaign, vehicles and progression for readers who want the nuts-and-bolts version of the systems.

The Galactic League feels like Star Wars from the side streets

The setting helps. Shade enters the Galactic League after the fall of the Empire, in a galaxy where military hardware, old rivalries and people with questionable employment histories have all found their way into an underground racing culture. That gives the game a useful distance from the usual Star Wars obsession with galactic destiny.

Nobody needs to save the Force before bedtime. Nobody is waiting to reveal that a minor mechanic is secretly descended from somebody important. The world works because Star Wars has always been full of machines, smugglers, gamblers, pilots and people making a living in places the films only pass through.

That fits nicely with the point we made in our earlier Generation Star Wars feature about how Lucasfilm Games kept the galaxy alive between movies. Games are often at their best when they take a familiar corner of Star Wars and ask what everyday life might actually look like there. Star Wars: Galactic Racer turns that idea into motorsport.

The paddocks are a big part of the effect. Walking around between events, talking to rivals and mechanics, and seeing the League as a community gives the campaign personality. Kestar Bool provides the obvious target, while Hibi and the wider cast make the competition feel less like a menu and more like a travelling circus with engines.

There is a price for that ambition. The story and the runs-based structure do not always move at the same pace. Sometimes the next conversation arrives exactly when the campaign needs it. At other times, the game asks you to walk across the paddock when every part of your brain is already sitting on the next starting grid.

It never becomes a serious problem, but Star Wars: Galactic Racer is better at making me care about the League than it is at making Shade the most interesting person in it.

The galaxy is beautiful at several hundred kilometres per hour

The environments are frequently spectacular.

Jakku is an obvious highlight because racing through the wreckage of the Galactic Civil War gives the game an immediate sense of scale. The remains of Star Destroyers stop being background scenery and become geography. Elsewhere, ice, industrial structures, caves and hostile terrain change both the look and the rhythm of the circuits.

The downside is that tracks sharing the same planet can occasionally blend together. Star Wars: Galactic Racer has strong worlds, but not every individual circuit has the one unforgettable corner, hazard or silhouette that makes a racing track live in the memory for years.

That is one area where Star Wars: Episode I: Racer still casts a long shadow. The old game could be crude, but its best courses had sections you remembered instantly. Generation Star Wars revisited Star Wars: Episode I: Racer when the classic returned on Nintendo Switch in 2020, and that comparison is useful because the new game ultimately succeeds by refusing to behave like a remake. The older title is still there in the DNA, especially when podracers arrive, but Star Wars: Galactic Racer is not trying to preserve 1999 under glass.

Multiplayer keeps the garage door open

The online side gives the game another reason to last beyond the campaign.

Multiplayer Tours carry the same build mentality into competition, letting temporary setups develop across a sequence rather than treating every race as an isolated event. That makes the garage choices matter online too. You are not only racing another player, but you are also racing the decisions that got both of you to the grid.

At its best, this creates wonderful chaos. Players arrive with different strengths, different levels of confidence and, judging by some of the opening laps, very different opinions about whether braking is mandatory.

At its worst, the same chaos can become noise. A large group, aggressive contact and environmental hazards can turn a clean plan into debris very quickly. That will delight some players more than others. I enjoy the fact that Star Wars: Galactic Racer allows races to become stories, but competitive players looking for clinical purity may occasionally want the galaxy to calm down.

Still, multiplayer feels like an extension of the central design rather than a box ticked on the back of the package. That matters.

Verdict

Star Wars: Galactic Racer has rough edges. The story occasionally interrupts the momentum it is trying to build, some circuits within the same world need more individual character, and the game can become gloriously messy when too many systems collide at once.

None of that changes the central result.

The racing itself is excellent. The vehicle classes genuinely alter how the game is played. The campaign makes upgrades and failure meaningful without burying the fun beneath spreadsheets. The Galactic League gives Star Wars racing a culture rather than simply a collection of tracks.

Most importantly, Fuse Games has not spent twenty-seven years staring backwards.

When Generation Star Wars covered the gameplay trailer earlier this year, the easy hope was that Star Wars: Galactic Racer might be a worthy successor to Star Wars: Episode I: Racer. It is. The more interesting achievement is that, after a few hours, being a successor stops feeling like the most important thing about it.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer has its own identity, its own rhythm and enough ideas to survive once the first wave of nostalgia has passed. Star Wars racing did not need another museum piece. It needed somewhere new to go.

After a very long wait, it finally has one.

Score: 8.5/10

Buy Star Wars: Galactic Racer at Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you playing Star Wars: Galactic Racer? Let me know in the comments below.

Søren Ahrensborg Kamper has written about Star Wars games, their history and the communities around them since 2009. He is the editor of Star Wars: Gaming, where he covers new releases, game history and the strange decisions that become much more reasonable once somebody adds a hyperdrive.

Line of Duty creator bids on Doctor Who

2026-10-07T15:46:06.982+01:00

According to Deadline, Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has tendered a bid for Doctor Who.

Mercurio, a pre-eminent TV writer responsible for shows including Trigger Point and Bodyguard, has submitted his interest via Hat Trick Mercurio (HTM), the production company he co-founded with Jimmy Mulville.

Mercurio is a sci-fi fan and created the BBC series Invasion: Earth in the 1990s.

The BBC will announce the successful tender in March 2027.

Whatever happens, BBC Studios will remain in control of the TARDIS, handling distribution, licensing, consumer products, digital, and immersive experiences.

In the meantime, Whovians (myself included) can look forward to seeing The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut in cinemas on Doctor Who Day, and the BBC has commissioned an animated series, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew, coming to CBeebies.

Who would you like to win the tender for a new Doctor Who series? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew coming to CBeebies

2026-10-06T16:00:49.630+01:00

While Doctor Who fans (myself included) await the outcome of the BBC tender for the next live-action series, an animated adventure is coming to CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

BBC Children's and Education has unveiled a first look at Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew, a brand-new animated preschool series that introduces younger audiences to the wonder, adventure and endless possibilities of the Whoniverse.

Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning for CBeebies, said: "The TARDIS is ready for its youngest crew yet. Packed with imagination, humour and adventure, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will inspire children to be curious, courageous and kind as they explore incredible worlds across time and space. It's everything families love about Doctor Who, wonder, excitement and endless possibility, reimagined for CBeebies' youngest explorers."

Created for CBeebies viewers, the series follows the Doctor, a young Time Lord, and his friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE as they embark on extraordinary adventures through time and space. Travelling aboard the iconic TARDIS, they encounter incredible creatures, discover amazing new worlds and come face-to-face with legendary Doctor Who foes, including the Daleks.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will arrive on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer in late 2027/early 2028.

The Satan Pit in cinemas on Doctor Who Day

2026-10-05T14:51:00.121+01:00

Doctor Who fans (myself included) can watch The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut on the big screen on Doctor Who Day!

For the first time ever in cinemas, the acclaimed two-part adventure The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit have been specially re-edited into a single movie-length presentation, created exclusively for theatrical audiences.

Join the Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose (Billie Piper) as they travel to Sanctuary Base 6, a remote outpost perched on a planet orbiting a black hole.

When an ancient force awakens beneath the surface, the crew find themselves trapped in a battle against an evil older than time itself.

This special Doctor Who Day screening also includes exclusive bonus material, featuring previously unseen content and a brand-new interview with a special guest, reflecting on the making of one of the most celebrated stories of the modern era – from encounters with the Ood to facing the terrifying Beast, alongside behind-the-scenes memories from the set.

Natasha Spence, Global Events Director, BBC Studios, said: “Part of what makes Doctor Who so extraordinary is that there is always more to discover. Even with a story as loved as The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit, we’re able to offer fans something they haven’t experienced before, with previously deleted scenes restored into the adventure and never-before-seen extended footage included in this special cinema cut. Doctor Who Day is the perfect moment to celebrate that sense of discovery with fans. We’re delighted to be working with CinemaLive again to bring this unforgettable Tenth Doctor and Rose story to the big screen, and to give audiences the chance to experience it together in cinemas for the first time.”

John Travers, Head of Acquisitions & Distribution, CinemaLive, said: "Following the incredible reaction from fans in UK & Irish cinemas to last year's Doctor Who season finale, we're thrilled to be partnering with BBC Studios again and expanding the scope of this very special Doctor Who Day cinema event so that Whovians from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can also come together and join in this big screen celebration."

Pre-order The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut at Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you going to see The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut in cinemas on Doctor Who Day? Let me know in the comments below.

Paramount-Warner Bros. named Skydance

2026-10-03T13:00:28.598+01:00

Skydance is the new name for the company formed by the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, announced by CEO David Ellison on X (formerly Twitter).

“We will honor what makes Paramount and Warner Bros. special — giving both studios the opportunity to grow, tell more great stories and bring those stories to even broader audiences around the world, powered by the scale and capabilities of Skydance,” he wrote in a statement announcing the branding change Friday.

The $110 billion merger is expected to be finalised on Tuesday after a year-long pursuit by Ellison and a two-month delay caused by antitrust lawsuits by 12 states and the Writers Guild of America.

From Batman to Star Trek, a Skydance-branded app merging HBO Max and Paramount+ would be a strong streaming challenger to Netflix and Disney+. However, it seems Paramount+ and HBO Max will remain standalone subscription services for now.

“I don’t want to comment on what is going to happen or anything like that, but I would point to the HBO Max-Disney bundle, which has been very successful,” Ellison said, adding, “So, could you see something like that happening? That would make a lot of sense.”

HBO Max launched to much fanfare last March in the UK. It was a complicated rollout as HBO has a storied history with Sky (owned by Comcast). Sky Atlantic has been the exclusive home to the award-winning Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Westworld and many more prestige dramas from HBO. This may be subject to change in the wake of the merger.

What are your thoughts on the name Skydance? Let me know in the comments below.

Age of Ultron continues in VisionQuest

2026-10-02T16:09:12.357+01:00

On Thursday, Marvel Television dropped an official trailer for VisionQuest coming soon to Disney+.

Read the official synopsis:

"VisionQuest marks the final chapter in the trilogy that started with Marvel Television’s WandaVision, where a grieving Wanda Maximoff conjured a new Vision and life in a world that wasn’t real. Now, rebuilt and rebooted, Vision possesses all of his former self’s memories, but none of his virtue, and searches for new meaning."

Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponise him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepherd, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnated. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron's influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.

VisionQuest stars Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, with Emily Hampshire, and James D’Arcy. The series is directed by Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, Terry Matalas, and written by Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Christopher Monfette, Nicole Falsetti, and Matthew Okumura.

Watch the two-episode premiere of Marvel Television’s VisionQuest on 14th October, only on Disney+.

Are you ready for VisionQuest on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

BBC boss on AI-generated Doctor Who

2026-10-01T09:00:00.000+01:00

BBC boss Matt Brittin, formerly at Google, commented on a fan-made, AI-generated Doctor Who episode.

"Somebody sent me a 50-minute episode of Doctor Who that was AI-generated the other day," Brittin said, speaking at the Royal Television Society (RTS) conference in London this week.

"It's pretty good. I mean, it's not going to replace humans, and we'll come on to that.

While Brittin didn't disclose the AI-generated episode, many media outlets speculate it may be the controversial episode, The Curse of Kilmorag, from The Unmade Season, featuring the regeneration of the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) that was removed from YouTube after a copyright claim.

"So everyone's a creator. Not all the creativity is bad," Brittin continued. "Everyone's got the ability in their hands — or six billion people have — to create content at the standard of a Hollywood studio."

The BBC needs to save £500 million over the next 3 years, has experimented with generative AI, and put Doctor Who out to tender. Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have departed the series now that the Disney+ deal has ended, and the previously announced Christmas special will not go ahead as the BBC instead focuses on Doctor Who’s long-term future.

With Amazon, Disney and more pivoting to AI-generated content to save money, this may be an AI battle the Doctor can't win.

What are your thoughts on an AI-generated Doctor Who series? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars snares Spider-Man director

2026-09-28T11:37:13.167+01:00

Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts is no stranger to a galaxy far, far away... He co-created and co-wrote the Star Wars spin-off series Skeleton Crew on Disney+.

According to an exclusive Knight Edge Media report, Watts is coming back to Star Wars for Episode X! The Hollywood Reporter (THR) has confirmed the story.

"The film is expected to continue the saga as Episode X following the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Daisy Ridley (We Clean the Dead) is also expected to return as Jedi Master Rey. Her spin-off film, Star Wars: New Jedi Order, was in development for a while but was shelved in favor of Episode X. She is expected to have a minor role in this film, and it may possibly expand in the sequels. It’s unknown if John Boyega (Finn) or Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) will return after their public exit from Disney in 2019. Lucasfilm is currently casting new, relatively unknown male and female leads. Production could begin as early as next year if everything goes according to plan."

Simon Kinberg, best known for his work on the X-Men film franchise, has been tapped to write Star Wars: Episode X.

Lucasfilm had no comment.

Next year is the 50th anniversary of Star Wars, created by George Lucas. The restored re-release of Star Wars, directed by George Lucas, is in cinemas on 19th February 2027. Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone story set 5 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) and stars Ryan Gosling (Project Hail Mary), and is due to release on 28th May 2027.

Are you looking forward to a new Star Wars trilogy from Jon Watts? Let me know in the comments below.

Life is Strange on Prime

2026-09-25T16:30:16.927+01:00

After buying the Life is Strange Collection on sale for XBOX, I'm finally replaying the remastered video games as the autumn days grow shorter.

I've been a fan of the 'hella good' Life is Strange franchise since the original episodic video game was first released in 2015. Following photography student Max Caulfield's coming of age, it was a love letter to fans of character-driven storytelling. An award-winning interactive timey-wimey My So-Called Life featuring a superlative soundtrack.

However, I hadn't realised that a live-action series is being produced for Prime Video. Starring Maisy Stella and Tatum Grace Hopkins as Chloe and Max, filming is expected to wrap next month.

A few years ago, Life is Strange: True Colors captured my imagination on Game Pass Ultimate! Replaying the spin-off video game has become an annual autumnal tradition, and this year is no exception. As a fan of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Halloween and mystery, what's not to like?

Life is Strange is streaming exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Life is Strange on Prime Video? Let me know in the comments below.

Halo moves to Call of Duty's Activision

2026-09-23T08:00:00.000+01:00

The XBOX brand's reset under Asha Sharma continues with Tuesday's announcement of further layoffs and Halo moving to Activision, the developer of Call of Duty (COD).

“We’re thrilled to welcome Halo, Rare, and World’s Edge to Activision. It’s an honor and a responsibility that we do not take lightly. These teams and their games have inspired fans around the world for decades,” Rob Kostich, the Activision president, said in a statement. “For Halo, our goal is clear: make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy, while staying true to what made players love it in the first place. It is a bold ambition, one that this franchise deserves. We have already begun assembling a purpose-built team, unique in capability and talent, ready and excited to deliver this next chapter with the community. To the World’s Edge and Rare teams, we can’t wait to get to work together.”

As I've written previously, my XBOX journey began with Halo: Combat Evolved in 2002.

As a Mac User since 1995, I vividly remember Apple CEO Steve Jobs announcing Halo at MacWorld 1999 before Microsoft bought Bungie, much to Jobs' chagrin. From the opening scene, I was captivated by Master Chief and Cortana's space opera adventure. Bungie's seminal first-person shooter (FPS) was an XBOX killer app and system seller.

My original XBOX had a faulty power cord (it could have overheated and caught fire). Essentially worthless, I disposed of the console in 2005. So, I traded in my XBOX video games, including Halo: Combat Evolved and Dead or Alive 3.

For almost a decade, I played exclusively on PlayStation. Then, I unexpectedly won an XBOX 360 S after entering a LOVEFiLM (now Prime Video) competition in 2012. The XBOX 360 era introduced me to Mass Effect, BioShock, and Call of Duty, and my unexpected XBOX homecoming culminated with Halo 4. Meanwhile, my PlayStation 3 (PS3) gathered dust.

The Halo brand has been mismanaged for years, and generations of gamers only know Master Chief from Fortnite. Bungie split from Microsoft in 2007, developing Destiny for Activision, and is now part of PlayStation Studios. Going forward, Activision will take over the Halo franchise from Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries). Raven Software could be a good fit for Halo: I reviewed the studio's Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

Whatever happens, let's hope the next Halo is not filled with microtransactions.

What do you think about Halo moving to Activision? Let me know in the comments below.

Spider-Man surpasses Star Wars

2026-09-20T09:00:00.000+01:00

Spider-Man: Brand New Day passes Star Wars: The Force Awakens, grossing $936.7 million, to become the biggest blockbuster in US box office history.

Lucasfilm took to social media to congratulate everyone involved:

"Impressive. Most Impressive.

From a galaxy far, far away, everyone at Lucasfilm sends massive congratulations to Destin, Tom, everyone at Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios and the entire team behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day on setting a new domestic box office record and taking the crown from Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Have you seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who put out to tender by BBC

2026-09-18T10:00:00.000+01:00

After months of speculation, the BBC has officially opened the tender process for the next era of Doctor Who, confirming a new series is scheduled for 2028/29.

“We are flexible in the way the series is structured i.e. serialised or ‘story-of-the-week’ and the number of episodes which make up the series,” the BBC said. “We are not necessarily looking to work to a strict showrunner model and would expect once in production that the series will also use episodic writers.”

The tender process is expected to move quickly, with initial applications closing on 2nd October, with a shortlist selected in November and full bids due in December. The BBC will announce the successful tender in March 2027.

Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have departed the series now that the Disney+ deal has ended, and the previously announced Christmas special will not go ahead as the BBC instead focuses on Doctor Who’s long-term future.

Whatever happens, BBC Studios will remain in control of the TARDIS, handling distribution, licensing, consumer products, digital, and immersive experiences.

Who would you like to win the tender for a new Doctor Who series? Let me know in the comments below.

JustWatch TV to launch in October

2026-09-16T10:39:28.298+01:00

Our friends at JustWatch have sent over details regarding their new streaming service with content partners that include Paramount, New Regency and Bleecker Street.

On Tuesday, the JustWatch Group, operator of the world's largest streaming guide, announced the launch of JustWatch TV, a new streaming service available directly inside the JustWatch apps and website.

Launching next month across the United States & Canada, the UK & Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. JustWatch TV will offer free ad-supported viewing, transactional rental options, and an ad-free subscription-based option.

JustWatch TV content launch partners include Paramount, New Regency, Fremantle, Bleecker Street and Vortex Media, among many others to be announced on the new service.

The launch marks a significant expansion for the JustWatch Group, which has spent more than a decade helping over 50 million monthly users discover what they want to watch across more than 1,500 streaming services worldwide. With JustWatch TV, the company is using that unique demand intelligence and consumer insights to build a catalog around real audience appetite.

"Every day, millions of people come to JustWatch searching for simpler ways to watch and discover hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows,” says David Croyé, Founder and CEO of the JustWatch Group. "For over a decade, our mission has been to connect fans with their favorite films and shows, particularly the hard-to-find and previously unavailable titles. With the launch of JustWatch TV, we aim to make content discovery, access and engagement even easier."

JustWatch TV will offer a unique model that both encourages consumers to discover titles and watch them directly on JustWatch, or on their preferred streaming services across the world. Quentin Carbonell, JustWatch’s SVP of Global Content Acquisitions and Strategy, adds, "JustWatch TV is designed to meet that demand head-on, offering a straightforward solution at a time of fragmentation. We are curating film and TV hits and hard-to-find gems that you can watch for free or rent on JustWatch, or easily rediscover them on your favorite services. This way, JustWatch TV aims to support the whole industry, from filmmakers to distributors to streaming platforms across the world."

Because JustWatch TV will be integrated directly into the existing JustWatch apps and website, users move from browsing to watching available titles without switching platforms or creating new accounts. The service will be made available next month to all existing JustWatch users across launch markets.

Find where to stream new, popular & upcoming entertainment with JustWatch.

Are you looking forward to JustWatch TV? Let me know in the comments below.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art first look

2026-09-12T11:00:00.000+01:00

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is opening to the public later this month in Los Angeles.

Exhibits include a life-size Naboo Starfighter, General Grievous on his wheel-bike and original concept art for Indiana Jones.

Lucasfilm founder and Star Wars creator George Lucas said, “The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was created to honor humanity’s stories and the artists who illustrate them. The artists in this collection didn’t just create images, they connected our modern imaginations with our ancient emotions—with common beliefs creating community. Their work spans genres, media, and time. They deserve to be in a museum.”

Fans were invited to a press preview earlier this month.

The starship-like Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, a $1 billion passion project envisioned by Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, will open to the public on 22nd September.

Are you planning to visit the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art? Let me know in the comments below.