Backrooms director Kane Parsons says he is working on three different "dream projects," which has caused no end of speculation regarding a possible collaboration with Valve.

When speaking on The Kyle Buchanan Show, Parsons confirmed he has three "dream projects" currently in the works, all while wearing a Valve hoodie. The young director has made no secret of his love for Valve, particularly Portal and Half-Life.

Earlier this year, Parsons made his big-screen debut with Backrooms, a film adaptation/expansion of his highly popular web horror series. Ever since then, he's been a hot commodity in Hollywood. The filmmaker expressed interest in making a Portal movie around the time of Backrooms' release, which excited fans.

Tomorrow, Kane Parsons comes on The Kyle Buchanan Show to talk about life since the BACKROOMS movie and what he’s working on next. Tune in for the full conversation wherever you watch or listen to podcasts! https://t.co/qu2F31jw1h

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) October 27, 2026

Following the release of his debut film, Parsons visited Valve's office, which has led some to believe that he's been actively meeting with the developer to bring their IP to life. This wouldn't be the first try at adapting Valve's franchises, as J.J. Abrams was attempting to bring Half-Life and Portal to the big screen. Abrams said in 2021 that he was still developing Portal, and that a script was being actively worked on. However, no one has heard anything since then.

It's possible Abrams could help produce a Portal film from Parsons, or that Parsons could band together a new creative team. Either way, given the filmmaker's experience and love for Valve's IPs, he'd be a great fit. Whether or not Portal or Half-Life are part of these three "dream projects" remains to be seen, but he did note that they belonged to "powerful forces." He joked that he would be hit with space lasers if he said too much about them, something that doesn't seem as likely if it were an original IP or a continuation of Backrooms.

Heated Rivalry actor Connor Storrie is in talks to play the villain in Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor will go toe-to-toe with Gosling's Johnny Blaze. There were some questions over whether or not Gosling would play a different Ghost Rider, but Blaze always made the most sense, and that appears to be the case, per THR's reporting. As of right now, we're not sure which villain Storrie would portray. However, it would be a big leap forward for the actor, who exploded onto the scene earlier this year in the hockey romance series Heated Rivalry.

The actor had also previously starred in Joker: Folie à Deux, as the inmate who fatally stabs Arthur Fleck and is heavily implied to be the "real Joker." Although he had only a couple of minutes of screen time, the role was significant in terms of its impact. Now, it looks like he'll be given a chance to play a real villain in one of the biggest franchises in cinematic history.

The MCU's Ghost Rider film was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con this summer, and production has been ramping up rather quickly. The film is expected to begin shooting next year and will target a July 2028 release date. Shawn Levy will direct the film after developing a good relationship with Marvel on Deadpool and Wolverine and Ryan Gosling on his upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter.

THR also notes that Dune Part 3‘s Linus Sandgren has already been tapped to be the director of photography on the new Ghost Rider movie, and the project will shoot on film. Although this is now a rarity, it's in vogue once again thanks to directors like Christopher Nolan and Ryan Coogler championing the format while successfully getting audiences on board.

Not much else is known about the new Ghost Rider film, but it will be one of the first films post-Avengers: Secret Wars, which should usher in a new era of the MCU. Only time will tell where Johnny Blaze's story will take us, but it sounds like it'll be an exciting prospect.

Acclaimed voice actor and screenwriter David Hayter opened up about his canceled Lost Planet movie adaptation, explaining why it never got off the ground in a throwaway tweet more than a decade after it was first confirmed.

Did you know that David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake in the Metal Gear games, wrote the screenplay for a Lost Planet movie? I didn’t either, until he tweeted about it today — almost twenty years after the project fell through.

Hayter spoke up about the film on October 27, 2026, reminding fans that yes, he writes for movies, and one of those movies would have been an absolute dream for fans of Capcom’s long-forgotten sci-fi shooter series Lost Planet.

Fun Fact: I wrote a huge LOST PLANET movie for Warner Brothers in 2008, and then the entire financial world crashed, and that was the end of it.

— David Hayter (@DavidBHayter) October 27, 2026

“Fun Fact: I wrote a huge Lost Planet movie for Warner Brothers in 2008, and then the entire financial world crashed, and that was the end of it,” he wrote.

While Lost Planet’s demise has been thoroughly catalogued at this point — and it’s been so long that newer generations were completely unaware that it even existed, in the first place — this appears to be one of just a few times Hayter has spoken on the 2008 financial crisis playing a part in the project’s premature end.

Previously, Hayter said that internal company politics was to blame, telling MTV in 2010 that there were “some internal issues between a couple of the companies, which I think has caused a delay there.”

And in 2014, Hayter told IGN that the movie — which he described as a “Lawrence of Arabia on an ice planet” — was interrupted by the financial crisis. “Unfortunately, right about the time I was delivering the script, the financial crash hit, and it just devastated the business — in ways that I don't think people grasped. Like, I would get phone calls saying, ‘Well, Disney wants to do such-and-such, but they're out of money until August,’” he explained.

“I heard that about a number of studios. ‘Oh, they're out of money until January,’ or whatever, and I'd never heard that about a movie studio before. So in the midst of all of that turmoil, it just went away, as these things tend to do. So, you know, I guess Warners probably still owns it, and they have my script. I don't know if there are any plans to bring it back up or not. But that was just one of those Hollywood casualties, unfortunately.”

Hayter expounded on some details about his Lost Planet movie in his interview with MTV, saying it “had this incredible visual world. Great suits of armor, great creatures, and its story was about energy — the dwindling energy resources of the Earth and how we’re going to other planets to [solve that problem]. So I thought it was really timely and the world was beautiful. And the other thing that I really felt as a screenwriter made it ideal for adaptation was, the original story in the game was… not… great."

"It was sort of presented in a very Japanese storytelling fashion. It’s very elliptical and difficult to follow, and you’re not really sure who’s who. That’s fine in a game because… you’re really trying to get to the next level. It’s a great opportunity for me as a screenwriter to step in and infuse that incredible visual world with a really compelling — for lack of a better term — American-structured film."

For now, all fans can do is pine after what could have been… though, given Capcom’s renewed interest in “reactivating IPs that haven’t had a new title launch recently," on top of its successful movie adaptations for Resident Evil and Street Fighter, it’s possible that Hayter’s long-awaited Lost Planet flick could come to light. (But maybe that’s just me trying to cope.)

Curry Barker, writer and director of the brilliantly twisted Obsession, is releasing a new short film on YouTube on October 29. The filmmaker shared the news on Instagram along with its title, Mama Bear. The project appears to be part of some sort of Microsoft Windows partnership, but the title suggests something that links to Obsession, rather than an ad for Outlook.

Obsession fans will immediately spot that the title probably relates to the movie's lead character, Baron "Bear" Bailey. We learn early on that he's living in a house he inherited from his grandmother, but his parents are absent from the movie. It makes sense that Barker could explore either Bear's early life or his mother's reaction to the events that happen at the end of the film.

In interviews, Barker has revealed that there's potential for a follow-up to Obsession, telling Deadline:

“I obviously have a couple more things that I’m excited about next, but I do see Obsession 2, maybe. Or even what really is exciting to me is maybe an anthology, like a one-hour episode. Each episode is a different wish that goes completely off the rails. Maybe I’ll direct the pilot with the same DP, and you could invite other filmmakers to kind of give their spin at it. That would be really cool.”

Obsession was a hit in terms of both capitalism and audience reactions. It raked in $520 million worldwide (not bad for a film made on a budget that fell somewhere between $600,000 and $750,000), has already taken home a bunch of awards, and scored high with critics and the public.

A few new details on the story for A24’s Elden Ring movie have emerged, including its possible runtime. And, if that remains the case, it’s going to be epic.

Deadline reports that writer-director Alex Garland’s screenplay, based on FromSoftware’s acclaimed fantasy video game, “runs to at least 180 pages with visuals, implying the movie could push towards three hours. While plot details are largely being kept under wraps, we understand that in-demand Heartstopper actor [Kit] Connor is the protagonist and the ‘faithful’ film will follow his journey. There are said to be battles between his character and impressive monsters and dragons.”

The site also claims that A24 is allowing potential international buyers to read Garland’s Elden Ring script, but only with a studio staff member present (for security reasons, naturally).

It was reported last week that the Elden Ring movie is the most expensive film A24 has ever produced – Deadline’s report today pegs it at “between $175 million-200 million, but closer to the latter” – and now comes word that the studio, which fully financed the film, is looking to mitigate some of that risk by bringing in a partner with very deep pockets: Amazon.

According to Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios has now acquired “a bunch of international pay-1 streaming rights... The pact is understood to cover a large number of international markets, and sources speculate to us that it is easily worth tens of millions of dollars. We hear the deal could also potentially lead to interesting activations on Amazon’s Twitch platform.”

The film’s huge price tag makes Elden Ring one of the most expensive films that will be shopped at next month’s American Film Market, which touts itself as “the premier marketplace for the acquisition, development, financing, and distribution of independent film, television, and premium content for audiences worldwide.”

Potential buyers at AFM will reportedly be treated to an Elden Ring movie presentation of some kind, including possibly seeing the very first footage from this highly-anticipated film.

After some set photos made their way online, Elden Ring wrapped filming in July and is scheduled to open in theaters on March 3, 2028.

In addition to Kit O’Connor, the cast includes Ben Whishaw, Cailee Spaeny, Tom Burke, Havana Rose Liu, Sonoya Mizuno, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Offerman and Peter Serafinowicz.

Are you excited by the prospect of a three-hour Elden Ring movie? Let us know in the comments.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three may ostensibly be an adaptation of author Frank Herbert’s novel Dune Messiah, but it’s been clear from the start that this sequel is going to make some major deviations from its source material. That fact is made even more abundantly clear with the release of the final trailer for Dune: Part Three, which teases the role Chani (Zendaya) and her children will play in this massive intergalactic conflict.

How different will this sequel be from the source material, and what role will these Fremen radicals play? Here’s what the new trailer tells us.

Zendaya’s Chani and Her Children

Again, it was obvious from the moment the credits rolled on 2024’s Dune: Part Two that the third and final act of Villeneuve’s trilogy would be blazing new ground for the franchise. That’s because the second film leaves Zendaya’s character in a very different place compared to the books.

Part Two wraps with a disillusioned Chani leaving her lover Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and returning to the Arakeen desert. Unlike Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and his fellow fundamentalists, Chani is not a believer in Paul’s jihad, and she’s heartbroken that he went back on his word not to claim power for himself. But in the original Dune novel, Chani remains by Paul’s side, relishing her role as his faithful concubine even as Paul marries Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) to cement his claim to the throne.

That film set up Chani to play a vastly different role in Dune: Part Three. Rather than being Paul’s lover and confidant, she’s estranged from him. Rather than struggling to conceive a child as Irulan poisons her with contraceptives, Chani is safe from Irulan’s grasp and is raising two children, Leto II (Nakota-Wolf Momoa) and Ghanima (Ida Brooke).

The fact that Paul and Chani have two teenage children during this adaptation of Dune Messiah is arguably an even bigger change to the source material. In the books, Leto II and Ghanima don’t fully come into play until the third novel, Children of Dune. And they fill a very different role there. In Children of Dune, the characters are somewhat younger, and they’re held up by the Fremen as Paul’s rightful successors. It’s a burden neither is quite ready to accept at first, at least until Leto II becomes radicalized during the course of the story and resurfaces as a superhuman crusader ready to finish what his father started.

None of that seems to apply in Dune: Part Three. Here, both children are older and clearly standing in direct opposition to their father. We can only guess as to how characters like Stilgar will react upon learning of their existence. Either way, both have their part to play as Paul struggles to steer his religious crusade and his enemies plot against him.

Stealing a Sandworm

So how exactly do Chani and her children factor into the plot? The final trailer is actually pretty revealing on that front. Previous trailers focused mainly on the initial fight between Chani and Paul post-Dune: Part Two, along with glimpses of the two battling one another in the deserts of Arrakis. But the final trailer confirms one very important detail. It tells us that Chani is actively participating in the plot against Paul.

As in Dune Messiah, Dune: Part Three focuses on an alliance of Paul’s enemies, including Irulan, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohaim (Charlotte Rampling), and a Tleilaxu face dancer (or shapeshifter) named Scytale (Robert Pattinson). Their goal is to destabilize Paul’s regime and force him to abdicate the throne by any means necessary. Part of that plot involves the resurrection of Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), who now takes the form of a ghola (essentially a clone with mental conditioning) named Hayt.

The fact that Chani and her children are involved in this plot is a huge change for the Dune franchise. But what is their end goal here? We don’t get the impression that Chani is necessarily trying to kill Paul. She still holds a great love for him, despite Paul being responsible for billions of deaths and untold carnage. She and the twins seem to have a different goal in mind.

The trailer makes it appear that Chani and her Fremen loyalists have been tapped to help steal a sandworm from the desert. We see a massive machine shooting mechanical ropes into the sand, so the goal is probably to lure a sandworm, ensnare it, and take it offworld.

This plot makes sense. Paul may have a massive army of well-trained fanatics, but the real source of his power is that he maintains a stranglehold on the galaxy’s supply of spice. As they say, “He who controls the spice controls the universe.” Scytale clearly hopes to break Paul’s monopoly on spice and give his alliance some added leverage against the emperor.

Whether or not Chani and her children are ultimately successful in their sandworm heist (likely they won’t be), we suspect that their team-up with Scytale and his allies will collapse by the end of the film. Scytale has no compunction about killing Paul, whereas Chani probably only wants him to step down and reunite their family. The real question is whether her ultimate fate will be similar to that of the book. At this point, Dune fans can take nothing for granted with this sequel.

For more, learn why the Game of Thrones movie needs to take inspiration from Dune in order to succeed.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Superman 2: Man of Tomorrow brings Daredevil: Born Again actor Matthew Lillard into the wider James Gunn DCU, but comic fans might not recognize his character. Man of Tomorrow mixes a returning cast with fresh characters as David Corenswelt’s Superman agrees to an unsteady alliance with Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor.

Brainiac is the antagonist this time, giving us a bigger-brained baddie than Superman’s bald-headed human rival. A guy with a bigger brain is basically Luthor’s own kryptonite.

Rachel Brosnahan will return as Lois Lane and Skyler Gisondo is back as Jimmy Olsen. These returning cast members will bump into players from the wider DCU, including Blue Beetle and the Justice Gang. Matthew Lillard’s role in all this, however, has not been announced.

On a promotional tour for Prime Video’s adaptation of Carrie, Lillard was asked whether his character is someone comic fans will recognise or not. Fan theories that he would play the DCU’s Barry Allen were previously shot down by DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.

"It's a very James Gunn moment,” Lillard told The Direct. “So, I wouldn't worry too much about finding him in the comics."

While short and sweet, it does suggest Lillard will play an original character, rather than someone already established in the comics. Gunn has already introduced a range of original characters to the DCU, including Amanda Waller's daughter and Mister Handsome.

Here’s everything we know about the plot of Superman 2: Man of Tomorrow so far. Fans are also speculating about who Gunn will cast as Wonder Woman — probably not Lillard.

Gunn recently shot down rumors that Milly Alcock had been fired from her role as Supergirl. "Oh brother," his post said at the time. "You guys just have to stop listening to BS, and I'm mostly done shooting down rumors, as there are so many and I'm not on here much."

Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 9, 2027.

October 31 is nearly here and time is running out to buy yourself a costume. This is the week that Spirit Halloween starts to look fully picked over and popular costumes become incredibly scarce. Thankfully, If you happen to have an Amazon Prime membership, there are a number of options still available that will actually ship to you on time. And if you're a Lord of the Rings fan specifically, this official Gandalf costume is an excellent choice for the price.

Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive has responded after confirming Chucky would be removed from stores last week, explaining that horror icons will "continue to have an open invitation to join (or rejoin)."

There was a bit of confusion amongst fans when the studio behind the hit asymmetrical horror game announced Chucky as the latest icon to leave its roster. Following the removal of Pinhead last year and Michael Myers just months ago, fans were sad to see another Killer exit stores so soon.

However, it's ultimately not up to Behaviour when it comes to the date some franchises may depart. In a statement sent to IGN, Behaviour said that, while its "goal is always to keep licenses" in Dead by Daylight forever, that can't always be the case. That's why, "despite our best efforts," Chucky and others have left and could continue to leave in the future.

No one wants to see Dead by Daylight's staggering roster of Killers and Survivors shrink for any reason, especially when Behaviour has consistently delivered variety in the decade since its launch. Unfortunately, that's what will happen come November 24, 2026, when the Chucky Chapter is made unavailable to purchase.

The upside, as Behaviour made clear in last week's announcement, is that anyone who purchases the possessed killer doll and any of his accompanying cosmetics will have the freedom to use them beyond the cutoff date. It means that, while Chucky may show up in fewer lobbies over time, he'll never truly be gone.

It's something Behaviour made sure to reiterate in its statement to IGN, reassuring fans that "Dead by Daylight will always be gaming's House of Horror." This means that, even when licenses expire, the Child's Play, Halloween, and Hellraiser franchises will always have the same invitation to enter the Fog that newcomers have. You can see the studio's full statement on Chucky's exit below.

"As with all live service games, players can expect regular updates, new content, and occasional changes over time," Behaviour said. "Our goal is always to keep licenses in our game forever. When they have to go away, it's because - despite our best efforts - it wasn't possible to retain them.

"We want to reassure our community that Chucky will remain part of the Dead by Daylight experience for existing owners. Players who already own The Good Guy, his perks, or any associated cosmetics will still be able to use that content after November 24, 2026.

"Dead by Daylight will always be gaming's House of Horror, and horror icons will continue to have an open invitation to join (or rejoin) us in the Fog."

It'll be painful to see one of Dead by Daylight's more unique Killers leave the Fog, but a return is definitely not off the table. One of the more famous examples of an IP leaving and eventually coming back was Stranger Things and its playable Demogorgon, which was removed from stores in November 2021 before being added back in November 2023.

For now, there's no telling when Chucky and Child's Play may return. Meanwhile, we recently found out that Terrifier's Art the Clown would enter the fray starting next month. Friday the 13th's Jason was added in June. For more, you can check out everything Behaviour announced during its 10th Anniversary Broadcast over the summer.

DC Studios boss Peter Safran confirms they've had conversations with Alan Ritchson for a variety of roles, but are still looking to find the right one.

When speaking with Collider, Safran confirmed that Ritchson is an actor with whom DC Studios has had several conversations and wants to utilize. He noted that they've eyed him for a handful of projects, but none of them have come to fruition.

Although the actor has been heavily speculated about and is on fans' wishlist to play the DCU's Batman, it doesn't sound like that's the role DC wants him for. However, DC sees more in him than just a big badass brawler, which is the kind of role he's best known for (see: Reacher).

"[...] He's just good," said Safran. "I also think there's a lot more depth to him than you might have seen. I think there's more that he can do that people haven't seen."

It's unclear what roles he could play. Obviously, given his size, he's a great fit for someone like Bane, Deathstroke, or some other physically imposing character. However, it sounds like Safran is trying to find something that allows him to flex his acting chops and show off his range. DC is currently producing a film centered around Bane and Deathstroke, so it's possible he ends up playing one of those characters, but it's hard to say right now.

Although Robert Pattinson is currently firmly seated in the role of Batman, he's not expected to play the character in the DCU. Pattinson himself has even noted that the tonal difference between his DC universe and James Gunn's might be too jarring. Instead, the DCU is expected to introduce an older Batman with a son, Damian Wayne. It's unclear when we will actually see him or when we will learn who is playing him, as the project was announced nearly four years ago and has received very few updates.

The DCU's Batman was briefly seen in Creature Commandos, but it wasn't anything super notable. The character does not appear in DC's Clayface movie, either, so the studio is clearly trying to find the right way to properly introduce him. Maybe he'll be in next year's Man of Tomorrow, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Nothing says date night like the smell of "the heat of flesh that was once human." Robert Eggers' Werwulf hits movie theaters at Christmas, but you can pre-order an official perfume set based on the movie right now. Focus Features has teamed up with the very fancy Heretic Parfum for a set of three very specific fragrances.

Designed to represent each stage of a werewolf transformation, the descriptions of each of the scents are a wild ride.

• The Wode Hath Teth: The scent of the feral woodland itself. Cold bark, frozen soil, and smoke in the air. Resinous. Mineral. Austere.
• Werwulf: The transformation. Skin, damp earth, root, resin, and the suggestion of wet fur. Intimate. Warm. Primal.
• Blodwode: The memory of what the forest has witnessed. Bleeding tree bark, leather, musk, and the heat of flesh that was once human. Animalic. Resinous. Untamed.

The set is limited edition, $55, and won't ship until at least November 6, but at least that's in time for Grandma's Christmas present. You can also grab each perfume individually for $125.

It's not the first movie collaboration Heretic has done. Nosferatu Eau de Macabre used notes of "wilting lilacs, velvety vegan ambergris and strikes of lightning" while one for the The Bride promised "Jasmine and rose stitched together as flesh. Cedarwood as bone. Frankincense as breath or spirit." The company is perhaps most notorious for creating the viral “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle with Gwyneth Paltrow in 2020.

Francis Lawrence, director of Netflix’s BioShock movie, opened up to IGN about his favorite video games of all time, and we have to admit that he knows ball.

You might know Lawrence from his work on the Hunger Games films. He's directed almost every single one of them, after all, most recently lending his talents to the upcoming prequel film Sunrise on the Reaping, which hits theaters this November.

With a slew of blockbuster adaptations under his belt, Lawrence is now helming the live-action BioShock movie at Netflix — a project that's nearly 20 years in the making. Given he’s a self-professed fan of the series, we had to ask about his favorite games of all time.

"Well, the big ones for me were Metal Gear Solid, BioShock, and Call of Duty," he answered. "I'd say the original GTA. I don't think I played beyond the original GTA, but the original one was pretty wild when that came out, the sort of technology of it. But I think those were all kind of my favorites."

When we brought up the imminent release of GTA 6 — arguably the most technologically advanced game in the franchise and one of the most highly anticipated pop culture launches of all time — Lawrence bemoaned how close the game's release is to Sunrise on the Reaping.

"Unfortunately, I think it comes out right around the same time our movie does. Hopefully, people find time for both. Play GTA, go see our movie, play more GTA," he joked.

We got the chance to chat with Lawrence about his BioShock movie, which he said was initially brought to him by Gore Verbinski back in 2009. However, due to scheduling conflicts, he wasn’t able to take the project. Guillermo del Toro was later in talks to direct the film, but "didn’t see eye-to-eye" with the game’s creator, as Lawrence put it.

The version of events that Guillermo del Toro gave to us, however, was far less mild. "We had a very contentious call about a couple of games," he told us as part of our IGN30 Icons interview series. "...So adapting it, BioShock, we had a couple of calls. They are probably one of the most disastrous calls I've ever had. So no, f**k no."

Lawrence is also gearing up to direct a film adaptation of Red Rising, a young adult book series written by author Peirce Brown. That project, too, has been in development hell, but finally found a home at Paramount and a writer to pen the script.

We got the chance to chat with Francis Lawrence, director of the forthcoming Red Rising movie, who let us in on some exciting updates about the project and its current status at Paramount.

Francis Lawrence might as well be the end-all, be-all of young adult book-to-screen adaptations. Best known for directing almost every single movie in the Hunger Games series, Lawrence recently helmed The Long Walk and is following that up with the next Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, in November.

Given his extensive pedigree with YA literature adaptations, we had to quiz him about the upcoming Red Rising movie, the long-awaited adaptation of author Pierce Brown’s galaxy-spanning sci-fi epic.

According to Lawrence, multiple "regime changes" at Netflix — where the movie was first set to release — set things back, but after eight long years, it finally found a home at Paramount.

"I have been attached to Red Rising for about eight years, and Pierce [Brown] and I have become friends. The books were actually brought to me by my producing partner, Cam [MacConomy], who's a producer on this movie and has worked with me since 2010. He found the books and brought [them] to me, and I fell in love with them, and Cam is in love with them. We met with Pierce and we brought it out to market and went to Netflix. We were going to do it as a series, originally. Unfortunately, our experience at Netflix — we had two amazing pilots written, but regimes kept changing and they kept creating these departments of 'tentpole, now it's YA, back to tentpole again,'" he explained.

"It was getting bounced around, and it's not a cheap [project] to make and to do it right. They never got the guts to pull the trigger on it. And so, the rights reverted back to Pierce. Pierce then went to Paramount, which I was happy about, because I actually prefer the theatrical approach for Red Rising rather than streaming, because I think it's a series that's definitely deserving of a theatrical experience and IMAX and the whole thing.

"I'm very, very excited about that. We have a writer that we like, who is now starting work on a script, and hopefully that's something that we will put together quite quickly. It seems to be a priority at Paramount, which is great. Super, super, super excited about that. But I love the books and I love Pierce and I'm really, really excited."

Despite the news going public just two weeks ago, Lawrence has been eagerly involved in this project for almost a decade, and it — much like the highly-anticipated BioShock movie — is finally moving forward after years of red tape and production complications.

Speaking of BioShock, Lawrence opened up about the forthcoming film and gave us all the gritty details as to why it’s taken so long to get made, but assured us that, as a gamer, he’s doing everything he can to be as faithful to the source material as possible.

Image Credits: Greg Doherty/Getty Images for Lionsgate

As streaming services gear up for the holiday season, HBO Max has announced a particularly exciting addition for Studio Ghibli fans: the return of Calcifer's Yule Log. A Warner Bros. press release confirms the ambient video will be making its return to streaming on November 1.

While Calcifer's Yule Log first debuted in HBO Max during the 2021 holiday season, it was later removed from the service and largely scraped from the internet. It returns briefly during the holiday season each year as part of HBO Max's "Yule Log" lineup, which has grown to include properties like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Harry Potter, and even Rick and Morty.

Warner Bros. has yet to confirm whether the video will remain on the service permanently, or will once again be removed after the holiday season.

Howl’s Moving Castle was first published as a book by one of the most influential fantasy authors, Diana Wynne Jones. The Studio Ghibli adaptation, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was released in theaters in 2004. It’s since grown into one of the animation studio's most popular properties, serving as the basis for tons of merchandise and entire sections of the Ghibli Park. We consider it one of the best Studio Ghibli movies of all time.

Calcifer, who was voiced by Tatsuya Gashuin in the original release and Billy Crystal in the English dub, quickly became one of the most popular characters in the animated adaptation. The flaming creature quite literally powers Howl’s titular moving castle, and despite his sassy remarks, offers a surprising amount of warmth in his relationships with Howl and Sophie.

While the Yule Log video doesn’t quite focus on the spirit’s boisterous personality, it’s a pleasant holiday offering for Studio Ghibli fans. The 30-minute video, inspired by the "virtual fireplace" trend, shows Calcifer peacefully keeping Howl's fireplace lit alongside music and ambient noises from the film.

HBO Max has long been the U.S. streaming home for Studio Ghibli movies, including Howl's Moving Castle. However, plenty of eyes are on the service as Paramount finalizes its acquisition of Warner Bros under the Skydance banner. Some reports are already suggesting that the deal will lead to the merging of the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services.

Potentially in anticipation of some streaming shake-ups, Shout! Factory has been reprinting its line of Studio Ghibli steelbooks. Howl’s Moving Castle was one of the reprints in the bunch, now available from Amazon for $27.99.

We got the chance to sit down with Francis Lawrence, the director of Netflix’s BioShock movie, who gave us some of the gritty details as to why this adaptation has taken so long to make.

The BioShock movie is a project that’s been floating in limbo for more than a decade. The film initially had Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) attached to direct, but it fell through. Later, Guillermo del Toro was in talks to helm the steampunk movie, but that didn’t work out, either.

Now, Lawrence — who directed almost every Hunger Games movie and, most recently, The Long Walk — is taking over. Lawrence chatted about his history with the BioShock movie in an interview for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which comes to theaters next month. When asked about what projects he’d like to adapt in the future, he mentioned BioShock but admitted it’s been “tricky” to translate to the silver screen.

“I'm also working on BioShock. That's another one that I've been really trying to get going, which is also at Netflix, which is partially tricky. That's a tricky adaptation, because it's an amazing, amazing world. But as a player, you are the lead character of that story. So cracking that is a tough one, but we're getting close, which is also exciting,” he told us.

Lawrence admitted the film has been in his orbit since 2009, saying that Verbinski actually approached him about it — essentially offering it up to him on a silver platter — after his vision for the movie was shot down by Universal.

“This thing has kind of been on my radar for a long time, as was The Long Walk," he continued. "The Long Walk was something that I tried to do probably 20 years ago, and then somebody else got the rights, and then it kind of bounced around, bounced around, bounced around, and I sort of tracked it, and then it finally landed in my lap, and I went and made it. I remember BioShock was around 2009, I think Gore Verbinski was going to do it at Universal. But it was a $200 million movie, and he wanted a very specific person in it that was not a star, and it was R-rated. Universal was like, ‘No way are we doing this.’ So Gore actually approached me and asked if I wanted to do it, but I was already doing something else and couldn't.

“So since probably 2009, it's kind of been in my orbit and something that's always been percolating a little bit like Long Walk. And then yeah, when Guillermo didn't see eye to eye with some of the — I think it was the creator of the game — and that kind of fell apart, then it came my direction. And so I sort of jumped at the opportunity and so I have been trying to develop that one.”

Lawrence’s remark about del Toro not seeing “eye to eye” with BioShock’s creator is a gentle way of putting their conversation; speaking with IGN earlier this year, del Toro told us that he never wants to try his hand at adapting a video game ever again, citing a “disastrous” phone call he had with the folks behind BioShock as the reason why.

“We had a very contentious call about a couple of games,” he recalled. “...So adapting it, BioShock, we had a couple of calls. They are probably one of the most disastrous calls I've ever had. So no, f**k no.”

Lawrence assured us that he's dedicated to making the movie the best it can be, telling us that he's focused on honoring the source material and making sure the game is faithfully brought to the screen as best it can be.

"The creator of BioShock had to basically just give the sign off on me, my knowledge," he said. "Again, [he] wanted to know that I was in love with the spirit of the game. I think he wanted to really protect certain elements and ideas and themes, as one should if you're the creator."

You can read more from our interview with Guillermo del Toro, and check out more news about Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The Batman Part 2 star Robert Pattinson has called Steven Soderbergh stepping in to help finish the film a "selfless" act.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Steven Soderbergh would be stepping in to help finish The Batman Part 2. Director Matt Reeves ultimately had to step away from the film during its final weeks of production for a personal matter, and Soderbergh offered to help get principal photography across the finish line. He will then pass the baton back to Reeves, who will handle the post-production process.

It's a unique situation, but one that Soderbergh is doing to help Reeves deliver on his vision. It's not a case of a studio getting rid of one guy to bring in a yes-man to carry out their wishes; it's a friend helping out a pal during a tough time.

When speaking with GamesRadar, Pattinson addressed the situation and spoke highly of Soderbergh for helping out on The Batman Part 2.

“I am so happy he’s come on to help Matt,” Pattinson said of Soderbergh. “It’s incredibly generous of him – and he’s doing it in the loveliest way. It’s completely selfless. I think Matt had put so much work into the script, and we’re almost done. So for someone to come in and say, ‘I just want to help Matt do it; I want to do it in conjunction with him and just get it to the edit.’ And to have someone who’s as talented as Steven doing it is great.”

Pattinson also noted that filming has resumed, and he is expected to return to set as Bruce Wayne/Batman next week. The film's story remains tightly under wraps, as we don't even know who the villains are. Sebastian Stan is expected to play one of the antagonists and has long been rumored for Harvey Dent, but his shaved head has made fans wonder if that's accurate. Scarlett Johansson is also confirmed to have a large role, but it's unclear who she will play or what side of the moral spectrum she will be on.

The Batman Part 2 is slated to hit theaters on February 18, 2028.

According to a comment from a cast member, all actors involved in the 2026 Street Fighter movie signed on for three films — something that helps its cliffhanger ending make a lot more sense now.

Olivier Richters, the 7-foot-2 actor who played Zangief, revealed the news in a YouTube comment on October 25. This comment was in response to a fan video complaining that viewers didn’t get to see very much of the Red Cyclone in the film.

While this fact is objectively true, Richters explained that his brief appearance in the movie was intentional, saying this was done to make viewers extra eager for a sequel to see more of him and his invincible iron body in another installment.

“When they asked me to play Zangief, it was all very clear. There was one goal: Show a [glimpse] of Zangief and his power, so we all want more," he wrote. "All actors, including me, signed for three movies. ‘If a sequel is made, Zangief will shine,’ was the promise. Apart from that, you can't expect, from a two-hour movie with so many characters, for everyone to shine in the first part. But anyways, thanks for wanting to see more of Zangief!”

In the Street Fighter movie, Zangief appears in two sequences — one where he receives an invitation to join the second World Warrior tournament courtesy of Chun-Li, and another where he brawls with Ken and company in a club fight.

Almost all of his moves in this second scene are taken directly from the games, and his finisher was performed practically. It was a delightful treat for players to see, and the overwhelming sentiment from fans was that they’d hoped to see more from him… and from the actual World Warrior Tournament, in general.

However, given the movie’s post-credits scene and its abrupt ending, it’s clear that Legendary’s Street Fighter movie was intended as the first in a series of films, and it set things up for a direct sequel. While we won’t spoil that here, you can check out our ending explained article for more details.

The cast has been open about wanting to film more Street Fighter movies, in large part due to how fun the first was to make — but given this latest revelation, it seems that not being able to do so would put a major damper on the studio’s plan for a trilogy.

Street Fighter’s battle at the box office has been modest; with a reported budget of around $80 million, it topped the domestic box office on its opening weekend with $51 million. As of October 26, it has grossed $79 million worldwide, meaning that it’s just shy of making back its budget.

With more time left in theaters and a streaming run in the future, it's looking likely that this movie will end up being a profit for Legendary — if a moderate one. We’ll just have to see if a sequel does, indeed, get greenlit, and if plans remain in place for a trilogy.

In the meantime, you can check out our interview with the Street Fighter cast, who told us that they are more than enthusiastic about a possible crossover flick with the Mortal Kombat crew.

Eric Bauza, the voice acting legend behind Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and countless other classic characters, has died at 46.

Confirmation of Bauza's passing arrived in a post shared on his Instagram account. As reported by KTLA, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said he died October 25, 2026, of hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Additional details surrounding the sudden announcement remain unclear. His family promised to share more soon with a message posted on social media.

"Eric Bauza, Emmy Award-winning voice actor and the modern voice of iconic Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with dozens of other beloved cartoon characters, has passed away suddenly," a message from his family said. "More details to come."

Bauza has such a thorough career in animation and voice acting that almost everyone who has enjoyed any TV shows, movies, or games in the last 25 years has probably heard his work. His time lending his unforgettable talent in the industry started with smaller roles in the 2000s, including spots in World of Warcraft, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Sims 2, Chowder, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, just to name a few, but it wasn't long before he graduated to become the prolific actor he's known as today.

In the 2010s, Bauza took on parts in video games like Batman: Arkham City, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13. Eventually, his work in animation took him to the Looney Tunes universe, where he would go on to play modern iterations on characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, and many, many others.

"I’m in complete shock and disbelief," Phineas and Ferb's Vincent Martella said. "A tremendously talented and kind coworker who I always had great conversations with and learned from. Sending so much love to his family. He was a giant. A titan in our industry."

More recently, pop-culture fans may have caught him voicing a few names in Invincible or The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. He also played characters in kids-programming-turned-horror-film Buddy, as well as High on Life 2. Moviegoers heard him reprise his role as Bugs Bunny and other classic Looney Tunes characters in the once-shelved Coyote vs. Acme when it made its way to theaters in August of this year. You can also hear him as Jin-Woo, Kuzon, Pich, and more in Avatar: Seven Havens.

For all intents and purposes, Bauza was a legend not just in animation but entertainment in general. You could fill a book just listing the roles he's played, and that's exactly why the internet has already lit up with friends, fans, and fellow entertainers posting their condolences. IGN interviewed Bauza about how he fought to save Coyote vs. Acme in 2024. You can see some of the ways the internet is remembering the star below.

Still can’t believe it. Eric Bauza was one of the most talented, kind, compassionate, lovable, giving, and wonderful people I’ve ever known. We worked shoulder to shoulder every week during my most formative years. He married my wife and I. We were some of the first people to hold each other’s children. We shared our hopes and dreams and watched each other grow, and I witnessed him become the actor, man, and father he always wanted to be. The world will be a dimmer place for his loss. Love you, buddy.

— Robbie Daymond (@robbiedaymond) October 26, 2026

"I am at a loss for words," Winnie the Pooh actor Jim Cummings shared in a reply to the Instagram post. "Such a young kind man."

"My life was immeasurably changed for the better by having met Eric Bauza," El Tigre creator Jorge R. Gutierrez said. "He just made everything he worked on better. A generational talent. A legend. I would write and design characters giddy thinking how he would bring them to life. And behind the scenes, an incredibly kind, humble and open-hearted good dude. How lucky we all were to have been able to witness his talent shine. And boy did it shine!!! My heart goes out to his family and friends. Adios, amigo. You will never be forgotten."

"I’m so sorry," Ghost of Yōtei star Erika Ishii said. "Much love to you and the rest of the family. He was a good man, a literal voice for change, advocacy, and a pioneer in animation, not to mention the Asian American community. The rest of the voice acting community is here for anything."

I still cant believe this is real. I'm absolutely numb right now. This feels like a bad dream. Eric Bauza was not only one of the most gifted people to grace the voice acting industry and a phenomenally talented artist, but one of the humblest, kindest, most supportive souls in the business. He had the warmest smile and was always sincere. He let his talent speak for itself and made everyone feel like he was their biggest fan. He will always be a legend but I'm devastated that I'll never be able to give him a hug, or hear him joke, or see him smile again. Fuck, man.

— Josh Keaton🇵🇪🏴✊🏼 (@joshkeaton) October 26, 2026

Eric Bauza was so kind to me and everyone he interacted with. Such an exuberant and lively soul who never said no when asked to voice these iconic characters. He will be missed. https://t.co/wK0gczaRmT

— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) October 26, 2026

this fucking sucks, what a loss

— Arin Hanson (@egoraptor) October 26, 2026

Eric Bauza dying might be the worst thing to happen to animation in like decades, im so fr, that man was the modern day Mel blanc. He was SO passionate about carrying on those characters to the modern day, he was such an amazing actor and created so many characters of his own.

— 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙩_𝙤𝙛_𝘼𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 (@sortofamusing) October 26, 2026

Eric Bauza and I didn’t cross paths very often, but you’d never have known it for the genuine warmth and friendliness he showed me every time we did. His talent was only eclipsed by his humility, and that’s saying something. https://t.co/eDkOYMF2C0

— Patrick Seitz (@Seitz_Unseen) October 26, 2026

We have now lost Peter Cullen and Eric Bauza in the same year.

This hurts.💔 https://t.co/uyHrztZc4C

— ToonHive (@ToonHive) October 26, 2026

RIP Eric Bauza, the man who brought the Mel Blanc scream back to the Looney Tunes and so much more.

— Ryan W. Mead (@rwmead) October 26, 2026

We are deeply saddened to hear of Eric Bauza's passing. His voice talents extended to Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man, Batman: Arkham City, MultiVersus and so many more. https://t.co/KZwIPnKIin

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) October 26, 2026

crazy to think that this is the last time we got to hear him voicing bugs bunny and it almost never got released. he should’ve had way more years ahead of him, still doesn’t make sense that he’s gone. RIP Eric Bauza https://t.co/VZCn8QS8xY

— Jared Gilman (@realJaredGilman) October 26, 2026

Photo by JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images.

Professor X actor Christopher Abbott said Marvel fans won't see him in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars because he needs to wrap up his time with X-Men before doing any cameos.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer tried his best not to play coy during a conversation with Rolling Stone. When pressed on whether comic book fans will see his shaved head fighting against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom at any point in the next year or so, he insisted he doesn't have any additional team-up movies on his plate for now.

"I don't think so," when asked if he'll appear in any cameo roles before X-Men. "I don't even know… See, what's happening? What do you mean?"

Christopher Abbott, who will play Professor X in 2028's ‘X-Men’ reboot, says he will not be in the upcoming Avengers movie.

“I don't think so. Well, I don't even know–what's happening? What do you mean? I don't know what's going on. On no. I'm not in that. I gotta do the ‘X-Men’ movie first before any of that stuff.”

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 25, 2026

When the interviewer clarified, asking if he'll play in Doomsday, he had a quick reply: "No, I'm not in that."

Abbott joined a cast of other would-be mutant heroes when Marvel Studios confirmed he had been picked to play Professor X at D23 earlier this year. The announcement also came with a May 2028 release date, giving him plenty of time to prepare to play the group's leader, and if fans are lucky, show up for a scene or two beforehand.

After all, Doomsday and Secret Wars aren't just your run-of-the-mill superhero flicks. These are saga-ending event films packed to the gills with A-listers and, of course, cameos to keep the MCU going well into the future. With the 2000s versions of the X-Men, including Patrick Stewart's version of Charles Xavier, having already shown up for a few Doomsday trailers, many have wondered if the new X-Men cast would show up on-screen before Marvel's 2027 slate launched. If Abbott is out, though, the chances of an early MCU debut for other X-Men (besides Sadie Sink's Jean Grey) just got a little less likely.

"I gotta do the X-Men movie first before any of that stuff," he continued.

When the interviewer interjected, pointing out that hard launching characters without a cameo is "famously not how Marvel works," Abbott said with a chuckle, "Look, no coyness: I'm not in that movie."

With Doomsday less than two months from its December 18, 2026, release date, it really does sound like Abbott won't show up. However, his answer regarding Secret Wars, the only other movie between now and X-Men, didn't seem quite as definitive. With more than a full year before that film follows come December 17, 2027, and no trailers out yet, who knows? That said, at least as far as this new take on Professor X is concerned, it is still probably best not to get hopes up too high in the meantime.

Set to join Abbott on the team are Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm, Asa Germann as Angel, and more. We'll at least see the X-Men team unite when the reboot premieres May 5, 2028. Until then, you can get a sneak peek at Navarrette's progress on developing Rogue's accent.

Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images.

Clayface looks set up to be a win for the DCU after securing the top spot at the box office with an estimated global haul of $43 million.

It's a strong start for the low-budget DCU film, split between $24 million domestically and $19 million internationally. The opening weekend total falls toward the higher end of early projections as audiences showed up to see Tom Rhys Harries bring a twisted and often overlooked Batman villain to the big screen.

With brutal body horror elements in a story that sees the birth of its titular character, Clayface follows Matt Hagen as he attempts to rebuild his life after a horrible attack leaves his face scarred. Starring Harries, directed by James Watkins, and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, this latest DCU movie took viewers into the darkest corners of James Gunn and Peter Safran's universe they've seen yet, with a pretty hard-R rating.

It's for these reasons that the DCU's foray into a new live-action Gotham City left fans with question marks as they feared how a more adult-oriented story could fit into the same world as something as bubbly and bright as 2025's Superman. So far, at least, it seems to have paid off, at least compared to Supergirl, which landed as a dud in the DCU earlier this year.

The Milly Alcock-led superhero movie was deemed a box office bomb after it premiered in June. That's mostly due to its almost $200 million budget, which towered over the comparatively measly $126.46 million it gathered throughout its run (via Box Office Mojo). Clayface, on the other hand, is starting its time in theaters almost matching the $44 million budget reported by Variety.

Although there is certainly plenty of ground to cover before officially being declared a success, it seems like a strong start. A few factors will help carry Clayface throughout the rest of its run: Firstly, its October release timing means Halloween moviegoers will have something spooky to watch next weekend. Reviews have been pretty solid, too, with Rotten Tomatoes recording a 75% from critics and 94% from audiences.

Gunn, at least, is proud of Matt Hagen's live-action introduction in the DCU. As viewers went to theaters to squirm at Clayface's backstory, movie fan surveyor site CinemaScore polled an "A-" from audiences. It's a feat rarely seen in the horror genre, something the DC Studios co-chairman made sure to note in a post on Threads.

"Really proud of this," Gunn said. "Sinners is the only horror movie to have EVER gotten an A CinemaScore, and only three horror movies have gotten an A- in the last couple years – Obsession, Weapons, and, now, Clayface. As always, all praise goes to James, Mike, Hossein, Tom, Naomi and the whole gang."

Clayface is in good company in the horror world and in its opening weekend. Coming in second, domestically, was Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's Elizabeth Holmes documentary, You Can See Everything. After a limited launch drew rave reviews and positive earnings last weekend, the three-hour movie returned for its second bout with an additional $19.5 million. That's a 25% increase from its debut, driven by wider availability across an additional 1,800 theaters in the market.

Strong word-of-mouth could see the Fielder picture continue to attract viewers in the coming weeks as moviegoers dare to dip their toes into Holmes' world and the story of Theranos. Stop-motion studio Laika, meanwhile, might be in for a rough time. Its latest claymation feature, a fantasy epic directed by Travis Knight called Wildwood, came in third at the domestic box office with $11.77 million. That's above projections for the Coraline moviemaker but still far, far below its reported budget of $100 million.

Though still well above 2019's Missing Link, Wildwood's opening weekend numbers put it toward the lower end of debuts in the studio's history, too. Those who have seen Laika's latest might be surprised to hear it could struggle to recoup costs, as Laika has managed to pull some remarkably strong reviews so far. Rotten Tomatoes shows it with a 100% from critics and 97% from audiences. We here at IGN gave it an 8/10, calling it an "arresting, exciting fantasy epic made all the more impressive by the fact that it's handmade and hand-animated."

Other box office highlights as we approach Halloween are Street Fighter, which brought another $16.8 million worldwide in its second weekend. Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Colman's Wicker had a domestic total of $5.75 million in its more limited first weekend.

For more on the biggest movies of the weekend, you can read IGN's 7/10 Clayface review. You can also read why we thought You Can See Everything is a 10/10. If you caught the new DCU flick in theaters – or if you didn't becuase you're a bit squeamish – you can see our breakdown of its ending here.