Lord of the Rings superfan Stephen Colbert has addressed complaints around his upcoming spinoff movie, Shadow of the Past, and dismissed the idea he needs to prove his worth to fans.

Colbert's announcement that he was co-writing the latest Lord of the Rings spinoff project raised eyebrows earlier this year — firstly at there being yet another extension of the Middle-earth franchise on the way, but also at Colbert himself being involved.

The veteran late night talkshow host has long been public about his love and knowledge for Middle-earth, and has written for his own shows for decades — though nothing on the scale of a Lord of the Rings movie.

Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Colbert has acknowledged the online response from some Middle-earth fans to the film's announcement — after many suggested he only got the job because he was a high-profile fan, rather than because he was the best person to write a Lord of the Rings movie script.

"I mean, there's no reason to," Colbert said when asked why fans should trust him with the franchise. "And there's no value in me addressing that because all you can do as — I'll use a loaded term here — an artist is follow your heart and the craft that you have learned to try to turn this into something that is not fandom but drama."

Shadow of the Past will follow Andy Serkis' upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as yet another addition to The Lord of the Rings' movie canon, this time extending the original trilogy's narrative by revealing events unseen during the Fellowship of the Ring film.

Essentially, Colbert's movie will detail chapters 3 to 8 of Tolkien's original Fellowship novel, which were left out of Peter Jackson's movie adaptation. These pages see the Hobbits venture further out of the Shire and encounter the mysterious figure of Tom Bombadil — events which Jackson skipped over to get the characters to Bree and Weathertop at a greater pace.

A description of the film suggests these chapters will be explored through flashback, with an older Sam, Merry and Pippin recalling their past adventures to Elanor, Sam's daughter, more than a decade after the conclusion of Return of the King.

"Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo – Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure," reads a Shadow of the Past synopsis. "Meanwhile, Sam's daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began."

But while Colbert is seen by many fans as the most high-profile person working on the film, he is not penning its script solo.

"Luckily, I don't have to do this alone," Colbert continued. "I have a great Sherpa in [co-writer and LOTR veteran] Philippa Boyens, who cares about it in the same way I do. And I will just say that every moment has been a joy so far."

Boyens, a close collaborator with Jackson, also co-wrote the scripts for the original Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, as well as Jackson's other projects such as King Kong and The Lovely Bones.

For now, fans will likely have to wait a while longer for more details on The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, which currently lacks a release date. In the meantime, The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to be released on 17 December 2027, and before that there's the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power due later this year.

Image source: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Civilization VII is set for a major update that finally let players stay as one civ through all Ages, as the boss of parent company Take-Two has admitted: “we got it wrong.”

Civilization VII is over a year old now, and has fewer players on Steam than both Civilization VI and the 15-year-old Civilization V. When Civilization VII launched, players highlighted issues with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a lack of features they’d come to expect from the franchise. But some veteran Civ fans also didn’t get on well with the dramatic changes developer Firaxis made to the game.

At launch, a full campaign in Civilization VII was one that went through all three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Once the Age is completed, all players (and any AI opponents) experience an Age Transition simultaneously. During an Age Transition, three things happen: you select a new civilization from the new Age to represent your empire, you choose which Legacies you want to retain in the new Age, and the game world evolves. The Civilization games had never had such a system, and it proved divisive.

While Firaxis launched a number of key updates in a bid to turn sentiment around, and Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick indicated to IGN that he was confident Civilization VII would eventually prove to be a successful project, developer Firaxis suffered layoffs in September, and the game is still stuck on a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam — its core platform.

Speaking to Game File now, Zelnick took responsibility for Civilization VII’s struggles.

“Every time there’s a new Civ, the team at Firaxis thinks about: ‘How do we push the envelope far enough that it makes sense to buy this new game? And how do we preserve what people love enough so that they’re not disaffected?’ And we got it wrong with Civ VII, but it wasn’t for want of trying. And again, I take responsibility for it,” he said.

“So we’ve made a bunch of fixes. We’ll continue to make fixes. The game is a really good game. And it’s certainly a profitable enterprise for us. But this is one where I think what we tried to do was a bridge too far, from the consumer’s perspective.”

Zelnick’s comments arrive alongside the announcement of the biggest update to Civilization VII yet, dubbed Test of Time. Patch 1.4.0, due out May 19 and free for all players, makes major changes, chief among the the option to stay as one civ from Antiquity all the way to the Modern Age.

“You'll still have the option to switch during Age Transitions, but if you want to stay as one civ, you now have the tools — like the new Syncretism and Affirmation mechanics — to make that journey viable and deep,” Firaxis explained.

There’s more to the update, including a reworked Victories system, a new challenge and reward system called Triumphs that replaces Legacy Paths, a new Fractal Continent map, a new Commerce screen, a revamped Advisor Council, updated map generation, new Narrative Events, and a free new leader.

The question now is, will Test of Time turn Civilization VII sentiment around and, crucially for Take-Two and Firaxis, draw in more players? And what does this all mean for the inevitable Civilization VIII?

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Nintendo fans have been weighing in with their reactions to yesterday's surprise Switch 2 Star Fox reveal — and many can't believe the same game is getting yet another version.

While built from the ground up for Switch 2, the new Star Fox is a remake of Star Fox 64 (which itself was a reboot of the original Star Fox for the SNES).

Of course, Star Fox 64 also got a revamped release on Nintendo 3DS back in 2011, titled Star Fox 64 3D. And then there was Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, a further reimagining of the same experience.

While fans are happy to see Star Fox back, the fact this is yet another do-over for the franchise has become something of a meme online. Plenty of fans have also commented on the game's art style, which appears less cartoon-like than Fox McCloud's recent appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

The first franchise in history to gain four remakes of the same story. pic.twitter.com/nMUvL1wcGj

— 🌼🎃Samhain🎃🌼 (@SamHain31st) May 7, 2026

IT'S CALLED STAR FOX 64 BECAUSE THE PLAN IS TO REMAKE IT 64 TIMES! DOHOHOHOHO pic.twitter.com/epAoGzh124

— RaiBread (@RaiBread776) May 7, 2026

So a new Star Fox game is announced and... welp I'm gonna add it in lol#StarFox #Nintendo #NintendoDirect #VideoGame pic.twitter.com/jKLMU6QyMj

— Official-PSASD (@OFC_PSASD) May 6, 2026

This is the fourth time we've released Star Fox 64, and we've become exceedingly efficient at it pic.twitter.com/Mo70uP6I9Q

— jackierích o'luddshaw (@jack_luddy) May 6, 2026

Why is Nintendo remaking Star Fox 64 once more? It may be that the company feels like this game is a strong entry point into the franchise for newcomers — perhaps some of those who saw Fox pop up in theaters — ahead of more interesting (and all-new) adventures ahead. Getting the Star Fox gang back on screen via a remake would also likely be a more straightforward step for Nintendo's development teams, before they push on with the franchise to create something fresh.

While yesterday's Direct arrived with just a few minutes' warning, the impending arrival of a new Star Fox project was one of the key titles mentioned in a recent, major leak of upcoming Nintendo projects — which also spoiled the existence of a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake due this Christmas, and mentioned an all-new 3D Mario game due in 2027. Both of these projects now feel like sure bets.

An Ocarina of Time remake and a Starfox 64 Remake released in the same year?
I’ve seen this story before. pic.twitter.com/fNlF1UHVeM

— Tony Coffey (@The__Goomba) May 6, 2026

Can't let you do that, Star Fox. https://t.co/ZNCyc9Qa7s pic.twitter.com/BOFjM89AVD

— Risa | Kuni 🍀😈 VTuber (@ImakuniVT) May 7, 2026

Earlier today, Nintendo confirmed its pricing model for the new Star Fox game, which will launch exclusively for Switch 2 on June 25 at the relatively cheap price of $49.99 via the Nintendo eShop. Physical copies will meanwhile cost $59.99, due to Nintendo's new policy of pricing physical and digital Switch 2 games separately.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Just a few weeks after revealing that action adventure game Pragmata had sold 1 million copies in just two days, Capcom is back with another sales update: it's now sold over 2 million copies in just 16 days.

In the announcement, Capcom attributed the success to marketing initiatives such as the playable demo, plus an aggressive campaign to boost visibility of the all-new IP.

That's not all, though; the developer also believes the emotional, narrative-driven story on top of its "unique" gameplay has solidified its position in Capcom's storied portfolio, alongside juggernaut franchises like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry.

Capcom USA's chief operating officer, Rob Dyer, recently teased that Pragmata could be spun out into a multi-title franchise. As reported by Game File, Dyer revealed at the recent iicon event — a conference for video game company leaders from the people that used to host the annual E3 event — that despite the six-year development time, Pragmata's reception has been "worth the effort."

"We're to a point now where we’ve got another IP that Capcom — and god bless them, has an arsenal — that we can continue to go down," he said.

An all-new science fiction action-adventure with its own unique hacking twist, Pragmata is set in the near future as protagonists Hugh and his android companion Diana must work together as they make their way through the cold lunar research station. IGN's Pragmata review returned an 8/10. We wrote: "Punchy shooting action and a creative hacking-puzzle gameplay mechanic make combat the true highlight of Pragmata. The story may seem like an afterthought, but its sci-fi drama gives enough to see it all the way through and experience this satisfying third-person shooter."

Need a little help to get started? We've got you covered — check out IGN's tips on the best upgrades as well as our 100% Pragmata walkthrough.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

James Cameron and Disney are facing a lawsuit over the alleged unauthorised use of an actress’ likeness during the production of the 2009 film Avatar, reports Variety. Filed by actor Q’orianka Kilcher, the suit claims Cameron based the core character of Neytiri on her without her knowledge and consent.

Neytiri is portrayed by Zoe Saldaña in the film series.

Kilcher alleges that, following her appearance as Pocahontas in Terrence Malick’s 2005 film The New World when she was 14 years old, Cameron overtly instructed his design team to use her likeness from a photograph from the set of The New World as the basis for Neytiri. The filing explains that Kilcher “never consented to Defendants’ use of her likeness, either in Avatar or in any related product or promotion.”

The filing also states that Kilcher and Cameron met briefly at a charity event shortly after the release of the original Avatar, where Cameron personally invited Kilcher to visit his office. Upon doing so around a week later, Cameron was not present – but his staff gave Kilcher a framed print of a character production sketch, along with a handwritten note which read, “Your beauty was my early inspiration for Neytiri. Too bad you were shooting another movie. Next time.”

“When I received Cameron’s sketch, I believed it was a personal gesture, at most a loose inspiration tied to casting and my activism,” said Kilcher. “Millions of people opened their hearts to Avatar because they believed in its message and I was one of them. I never imagined that someone I trusted would systematically use my face as part of an elaborate design process and integrate it into a production pipeline without my knowledge or consent. That crosses a major line. This act is deeply wrong.”

Kilcher reportedly learned the actual background of the sketch late last year after seeing footage of an interview with Cameron where he specifically identified Kilcher as the original source.

“The source for this was a photograph that was in the LA Times as part of the promotion for The New World,” says Cameron in the video. “There’s a young actress named Q’orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in The New World. This is actually her lower face. She had a very interesting face.”

Cameron and Disney are yet to comment.

At a worldwide gross of just under $3 billion, the original Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time.

The third installment of the series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, was released in December last year. A fourth and fifth film already have release dates and are reportedly “full speed ahead” in planning, even though James Cameron recently conceded he needs to find a way to produce them cheaper to get them over the line.

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.

The Boys is almost over, with just two episodes of the fifth and final season to go. And while there has been plenty to chew on week to week, some fans have said that Season 5 contains too many “filler episodes” that focus on character development over moving the overarching plot forward. As you'd expect, co-creator and showrunner Eric Kripke doesn’t agree with that sentiment at all.

There are some The Boys fans who want it to feature bigger scale action more often, given it revolves around supes with outlandish powers. In truth, a lot of this stems from fans wanting to see Homelander, the overpowered supervillain with pretty much all the powers Superman has, let rip in a big battle. Most of the fights we see are on a smaller scale, involving one or two or, at best, three supes knocking lumps out of each other.

In an interview with TV Guide, Kripe insisted character development was essential to setting up a satisfying conclusion to the series. And he hit back at the suggestion The Boys should feature more large scale battle scenes.

"None of the things that happen in the last few episodes will matter if you don't flesh out the characters," he said. "I'm getting a lot of online dissatisfaction, to put it politely. And I'm like, 'What are you expecting? Are you expecting a huge battle scene every episode?'"

Kripke then made a point he’s made before: despite being one of the most popular shows on Amazon’s Prime video streaming platform, The Boys doesn’t have the budget for Marvel-style battles that involve scores of superheroes fighting each other. But it sounds like even if he did have the money to make that happen, he wouldn’t.

"One, I can't afford that,” he said. “And two, it would be so empty and dull, and it would just be about shapes moving without having any import."

The “online dissatisfaction” Kripke mentions here was no doubt fuelled by the recently released Season 5, Episode 5, called One-Shots. It told a series of One-Shot-style mini-stories from a single character’s perspective, and while it contained a dramatic moment or two (Firecracker’s fate will live long in the memory), it also contained a rather plodding attempt from Homelander and crew to obtain V-One, and a bizarre section from the perspective of Butcher’s dog, Terror.

The prior episode, King of Hell, also came under fire from some fans for a rather contrived plot point that involved the main characters turning on each other while under the influence of spores (no, it’s not like The Last of Us). The Boys ended the episode in pretty much the same position as they began it, although in the process had revealed to each other their inner thoughts. Even Homelander and his father, Soldier Boy, had a moment.

Kripke said this character development was “important,” and that he owes it to all the main characters “to flesh them out and humanize them and their stories." Television, Kripke added, “is the character business.”

At this point in the interview, Kripke got a little spicy, saying, “...apparently, just because it's not plot, you're like, 'Nothing happened!' I'm like, 'Nothing happened, what?' The craziest, biggest moves happened. It just wasn't someone shooting someone else and going, pew, pew, pew. And if that's what you want, you're just watching the wrong show."

Kripke suggested the “online dissatisfaction" may stem from The Boys being a weekly release, which creates a space for people to talk and argue about the show in between each episode’s launch. If Season 5 had been released all at once, fans might have had a different experience, he suggested.

“My guess is if you were bingeing it or watching it all at once, you would have a very different experience than watching one episode a week that you might find slow or slower than usual, and then you have to wait a whole other week for the next piece. I think that aggravates people, probably," he said. "To be clear, I'm a proponent for this release schedule, but I've been wondering if that was one of the side effects."

The Boys Season 5, Episode 6 was packed with twists and turns, some fans had predicted, others they had not. But after its dramatic conclusion, there is a clear theory for Homelander’s fate. Last week, Homelander actor Antony Starr addressed concern that The Boys may join the growing list of controversial TV show endings by insisting it won't conclude like a recent series finale that failed to kill anyone (he didn’t name it, but he was clearly talking about Stranger Things).

“As our boss Eric [Kripke, The Boys showrunner] has said, don't get attached to any characters on this show because everyone's head is potentially on the block,” Starr said.

Image credit: Jasper Savage/Prime.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Following last night's surprise reveal of a new Star Fox game for Switch 2, Nintendo has now confirmed the game's price.

Star Fox will be the second game with pricing confirmed to feature Nintendo's new pricing policy, where Switch 2 exclusives have different costs based on whether you buy them physically or as a digital download.

On the Nintendo eShop, Star Fox will cost $49.99. Physical copies will meanwhile be priced at $59.99. That's cheaper than many Switch 2 blockbusters — and perhaps a reflection that the game is (another) Star Fox 64 remake.

For comparison, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book has a digital price of $59.99, while its physical counterpart will now be sold at $69.99.

"The cost of physical games is not going up," a Nintendo spokesperson told IGN previously about the company's new pricing policy. "This means that when Nintendo sells digital versions of Nintendo published games exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 to consumers in the U.S., those prices will have an MSRP that is lower than their physical counterparts. Retail partners set their own prices for physical and digital games, and pricing for each title may vary."

Nintendo revealed Star Fox yesterday during a shadow-dropped, dedicated Nintendo Direct broadcast which revealed the project to be a ground-up remake of Star Fox 64 (known in some regions as Lylat Wars).

The reveal follows the character's recent reappearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and a recent, major leak that pointed to a new game in the franchise being on the way — the first for nearly a decade.

Star Fox launches exclusively for Switch 2 on June 25, slotting in neatly between Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on May 21 and Rhythm Heaven Groove on July 2. It's going to be a busy summer for Switch 2 releases, with Splatoon Raiders following all of that on July 23.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

RGG Studio has lifted the lid on its next big game, Stranger Than Heaven. Announced back at The Game Awards in 2024 with the codename Project Century, Stranger Than Heaven was re-revealed last summer with its final name. In partnership with Xbox, the Yakuza developer released a 30-minute presentation where it dove deep into everythign you'd want to know about Stranger Than Heaven with heaps of new gameplay footage. It’s immediately clear that this is quite different from the Yakuza games, as it will take place over the course of half a century.

The story begins in 1915 with protagonist Makoto Daito sneaking onto a ship to escape from his life in San Francisco after the passing of his parents. He heads for Japan, but aboard the ship he meets a cutthroat smuggler known as Orpheus, played by Snoop Dogg.

As you might imagine, Makoto gets wrapped up in a life of crime after Orpheus takes advantage of Makoto’s ability to speak Japanese and fit in with the culture. Makoto grows ambitious and seeks power in Japan, eventually entering the world of show business while still leveraging the skills and authority he gained from his criminal background.

Over the course of the game, the world will evolve as time passes. Makoto will travel to various cities depending on where he is in his life and what his goals are. This prevents the world from becoming static, as things are constantly shifting as you progress. New mini-games will open up based on what era and city you’re in. The world itself is also extremely layered. Of course, there are businesses you can enter and find activities in, but there is also a dangerous criminal underworld to explore.

As for the gameplay, it is clear that RGG Studio has done a lot to differentiate Stranger Than Heaven from the Yakuza games. The combat itself appears to generally be much more grounded, but has a great deal of depth. For instance, players have buttons that are specifically mapped to the right and left sides of the body, as well as their respective limbs.

If you want to throw a right punch, you press the right bumper. If you want to throw a left kick, you press the left trigger. It’s a style of combat that will likely force you to be more thoughtful with your approach, rather than button-mashing. It also appears there are contextual animations, as Makoto can be seen tackling an enemy on some stairs, prompting them to properly roll down the stairs. It looks very scrappy and brutal, which should make for some extremely bloody but engaging fights.

You’ll also have a wide variety of melee weapons that you can find, purchase, and upgrade, providing more depth to what’s possible in the combat. It’s also believed there may be access to guns. Makoto can be seen doing target practice with a gun at one point during this presentation, but it’s unclear how prevalent they’ll be in combat.

Another key mechanic has nothing to do with violence whatsoever. As part of Makoto’s show business aspirations, he can collect sounds from around the world. Whether it’s animal noises, an enemy clanging a metallic weapon around, or a train sound, Makoto can make note of these and then combine them into original compositions later on to make songs from them.

He can also manage a band and set up performances with different instruments and musicians, allowing for a great deal of control over the more calm side of Makoto’s life. Various musicians will be part of the game’s cast, including Tori Kelly, who also produced an original theme song for the game.

Stranger Than Heaven is targeting a winter 2026 release window for Xbox Series X and S, PS5, and PC. Xbox owners are also in luck as Stranger Than Heaven will be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on day one.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

If you were holding out hope for a return to NFL 2K or MLB 2K, you probably shouldn't hold your breath. In a new interview with Game File's Stephen Totilo, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about the status of 2K's NFL game. Unfortunately, it isn't happening anymore, but there's hope that 2K could try again if the opportunity arises.

“What we hoped would come to fruition creatively did not,” Zelnick said. “Some of the stuff we tried to do didn’t work out creatively.”

Ultimately, it sounds like 2K couldn't put together a compelling enough experience worth putting out as opposed to some business disagreement with the NFL.

The last NFL 2K game to be released was Visual Concepts' ESPN NFL 2K5, which enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim upon its 2004 launch. Soon after, EA Sports acquired an exclusive rights agreement with the NFL to be the sole creator of NFL video games, giving Madden the space to itself.

Zelnick was also asked about a possible return to 2K's MLB series, which he doesn't see happening: “Probably not,” he said. “We had a tough history with MLB. It’s no secret there [that] we lost a great deal of money with them. And I don’t like losing money."

2K Sports' MLB deal ran from 2006–2012, and effectively killed competition like EA's MVP Baseball. But the series ended with MLB 2K13 after consistent financial losses and poor critical reception, leading to the cancellation of the franchise in 2014.

While Zelnick seems burnt out on baseball, NFL seems to be a more lucrative idea that he's willing to explore again should the opportunity arise. 2K's NFL game was going to be more arcade-y, as EA has exclusivity over football action simulation games. It's unclear exactly what 2K was planning to differentiate itself, but it may have been more along the lines of MLB The Bigs, which was an exaggerated and over the top version of an MLB game.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

A new Planet of the Apes film is in the works from The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman. The film is expected to be yet another reboot of the franchise, as Deadline reports that Shakman is developing an original story separate from the last film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Shakman is working on the story with writer Josh Friedman, who penned the script for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Plot details are being kept under wraps, and it's currently unclear when the film might be released.

The previous film was released in May 2024 and received strong reviews in addition to a solid box office performance. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was supposed to kickstart a new trilogy, and 20th Century Studios Boss Steve Asbell stated in October 2024 that a sequel was in the works with a 2027 release date.

It seems like all of that has been thrown out the window or, at the very least, shelved for the time being. It's also unknown if this direction is the result of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball moving on to helm The Legend of Zelda film for Sony. Ball may be more interested in the Nintendo sandbox, and as a result, won't have the time to do more Apes movies.

It's also unclear how this might impact future Fantastic Four films, with the superhero team set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Another Fantastic Four may may be further off, and give Shakman time to play with the apes before going back to Marvel. It's also possible that Shakman passes the baton to another director, but it may be years before we find out what Marvel has planned post-Secret Wars.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

An impressive-looking new Star Fox remake has just been announced for Switch 2, via a shadow-dropped, dedicated Nintendo Direct broadcast.

The game is simply titled Star Fox, and is a ground-up remake of Star Fox 64 (known in some regions as Lylat Wars). Today's reveal follows the character's recent reappearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and a recent, major leak that pointed to a new game in the franchise — the first for nearly a decade.

Once again, you'll be piloting an Arwing over the skies of Corneria and other planets alongside Falco, Peppy and Slippy. Level layouts will be familiar to anyone who has played the original Star Fox 64, though the game has received a huge graphical overhaul.

The game appears to remain an on-rails experience, albeit with some control over your craft's movement to boost, brake and (of course) do a barrel roll. Sections in the Landmaster ground tank and Blue-Marine submarine are also again included.

Switch 2 mouse controls have been added, and two players can take control by sharing a Joy-Con with a friend, with one controlling the Arwing's movement, while another mans the ship's guns. Alternatively, you can enjoy a retro feel by using the Switch's N64 controller!

While the story of the game may be familiar, Nintendo says it has added fresh cutscenes adding new story moments between characters, expanding on the game's narrative. Campaign mode features easy, normal and hard modes, with the latter removing the ability to continue on after a Game Over.

Challenge mode allows you to replay levels with new objectives that aren't found in the main campaign (there's an Expert difficulty for veteran pilots, too).

Battle mode, meanwhile, sees you going head-to-head against players on team Star Wolf via online battles, locally via GameShare, or online using GameShare via GameChat. On Corneria, you'll be battling over zone control, while on the icy planet of Fichina you're collecting energy crystals and dodging meteorittes. Finally, in the deep space Sector Y, you're collecting cargo.

Speaking of online play, a cool addition here is the ability to apply AR filters for any of the Star Fox team while using GameChat. So, yes, you can create your own Star Fox team banter — with avatars for Fox, Slippy and the gang that mirror your facial movements and expressions.

While tonight's Direct arrived without warning, the impending arrival of a new Star Fox project was one of the key titles mentioned in a recent, major leak of upcoming Nintendo projects — which also spoiled the existence of a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake due this Christmas, and mentioned an all-new 3D Mario game due in 2027. Both of these projects now feel like sure bets.

Star Fox launches exclusively for Switch 2 on June 25, slotting in neatly between Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on May 21 and Splatoon Raiders on July 23.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

LEGO released its first-ever Pokémon sets earlier this year, and they all look fantastic. I myself had the chance to build LEGO Eevee and it's one of my favorite sets I've ever built. But since it's still a relatively new theme, the official sets barely even scratch the surface of the Kanto Pokédex.

Thankfully, fans have been looking for alternative ways to build Pokémon LEGO sets for years now. Some of these MOCs (My Own Creations) are absolute abominations, but every once in a while you get a really cool build like LEGO Cubone.

This version of Cubone is made up entirely of pieces from the 3-in-1 Cute Animals: Playful Puppy set that was released back in January. These 3-in-1 LEGO sets are designed to be built into a total of three different things, so they are often a great source of inspiration among the Rebrickable community. This alternative build uses a total of 297 pieces of the 336 set, so there are still a few pieces leftover. The version in the image above was created by MOC Designer CG_valphalk, and you can purchase the full instructions for $15 at Rebrickable to learn how to build it yourself.

Mortal Kombat II looks on course for a big opening at the global box office, with various reports indicating it will make its money back during its theatrical run.

The video game adaptation sequel, which sees Karl Urban's Johnny Cage take center stage, hits theaters five years after its predecessor, which came out in April 2021 following a series of COVID-enforced delays. Warner Bros. also streamed the film simultaneously on HBO Max, where it enjoyed big success. Mortal Kombat went on to make $84.4 million globally during its theatrical run.

Mortal Kombat II, however, seems certain to outperform the first film by quite some margin. TheWrap said that while Warner Bros. projects a $35 million domestic and $65 million global haul for Mortal Kombat II this weekend, it is set for closer to $51 million from North American theaters, with a global tally of $70-80 million. Variety said Mortal Kombat II was produced for $80 million, above the first film’s $55 million cost, so it seems certain to turn a profit.

Mortal Kombat II is currently sitting on a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. IGN’s Mortal Kombat II review returned an 8/10. We said: “The bar for video game movie sequels isn’t very high, but this one not only clears the bar, it twirls it around like a bo staff.”

Mortal Kombat III was announced as in development last year, signalling confidence from Warner Bros. But it seems the third entry is now assured.

Mortal Kombat II will be released in theaters on May 7.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is just as disappointed as the rest of us when it comes to the never-ending development of the next BioShock game.

For years, a team known as Cloud Chamber has been working on what is tentatively referred to as BioShock 4. While some games can take as many as four or five years to make, BioShock 4 has been in the works since at least 2019, when the project was announced, but it has likely been even longer than that. Cloud Chamber went through some restructuring last year to get BioShock 4 on track for release, but no one knows when it is expected to come out.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked by Game File's Stephen Totilo if he was surprised by how long it has taken to make BioShock 4. He noted that it's hard to be surprised when he sees the inner workings firsthand, but he is disappointed.

"Surprised? Never,” said Zelnick. “Think about what ‘surprise’ implies,” Zelnick said. “That’s like, one day, everything’s awesome, and the next day, I’m like, ‘Holy shit.’ And I don’t run the business that way. But I think if you’re saying ‘disappointed,’ yes. Deeply disappointed.”

Zelnick also addressed why it is taking so long and noted that BioShock 4 may have gone down some paths that didn't pan out, resulting in setbacks.

“I think we, in retrospect, wasted a lot of time and money chasing down some creative alleys that turned out to be dead ends,” he said.

It was reported last year that BioShock 4's biggest issues revolved around its narrative, and the team was taking measures to overhaul the story. 2K Games stated at the time that it believed that it had a good game, but was making efforts to deliver a great game that would meet fan expectations.

Last year, Zelnick assured fans that BioShock 4 would come out despite its troubled development. He doesn't foresee it as a project they need to pull the plug on, and they brought in industry veteran Rod Fergusson to help get the game on track. Fergusson was previously brought in to help finish BioShock Infinite when it went through development issues before moving on to work on Gears of War 4 at The Coalition.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

HBO is feeling confident in its new Harry Potter TV series, as it has renewed the show for a second season. In a new report from Variety, it was confirmed that Harry Potter's second season will adapt the second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This is hardly a shock to anyone, but something that may excite fans is that the new season will enter production this fall.

Given how long it takes to make VFX-heavy TV shows these days, some feared that the new Harry Potter series would take an extended amount of time to roll out. However, it seems HBO is keeping the momentum going on this series. Season 2's production will overlap with post-production on the first season of the show, which is scheduled to premiere this Christmas.

Series writer Jon Brown has also been promoted to co-showrunner on Season 2 in order for the show to keep its momentum.

“As we have laid out our plans for the overlapping production schedules to finish Season 1 by Christmas and to return to production for Season 2 this autumn, it has become clear that bringing on a co-showrunner is the key to maintaining our momentum," said Season 1 showrunner Francesca Gardiner in a statement. "I’ve loved working with Jon from the very first day we met on ‘Succession’ through to these recent times together on ‘Harry Potter.’ Not only do I have huge admiration for his writing, but he’s also a brilliant collaborator and a lovely person. We are lucky to have him.”

Still, despite this news, HBO has made it clear that fans shouldn't expect a new season of Harry Potter every single year. HBO boss Casey Bloys explained to The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year that the scale of productions like this limits how quickly they can work.

"You have to balance it," Bloys said. "For some of the bigger shows like Harry Potter or House of the Dragon, or The Last of Us, huge world-building shows, it would be nice to have those on an annual basis. But from a production point of view, it's just not possible.

"It's not that everybody involved is just taking their time and sitting around," he continued. "These shows are complicated to do. In order to bring a show back on an annual basis, you do have to start from the beginning with people who know how to do it, people like [The Pitt executive producer] John Wells or Greg Berlanti, and it's helpful if there are not dragons that need to be rendered, or zombies and things like that."

HBO tends to release its shows weekly, so the first season of Harry Potter will likely run through February 2027. Maybe Harry Potter Season 2 will target a summer or fall 2028 release, but we'll just have to wait and see. It's a rather ambitious undertaking, but given the show revolves around young actors, the team behind the series will have to work quickly so their cast doesn't age out of their roles.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Scream and Daredevil: Born Again actor Matthew Lillard is joining the all-star cast of the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. A new report from Deadline revealed Lillard will be joining the likes of David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, and many others in a mystery role. It's unclear how big of a role Lillard will play or if he'll have any superpowers, but Man of Tomorrow is expected to be one of the biggest films of 2027.

Man of Tomorrow has already cast Lars Eidinger as Brainiac, which is expected to be the film's primary villain. Maybe there's another villain for Lillard to play, or maybe he'll have the opportunity to play a superhero. Director James Gunn likes to utilize obscure characters, so it wouldn't be surprising if Lillard is playing someone who isn't immediately obvious.

Lillard recently joined DC's rival, Marvel, for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. He plays the part of a CIA agent named Mr. Charles. The shadowy character worked closely with, but also against, Wilson Fisk, making his allegiances relatively unclear.

Ultimately, Mr. Charles seems to be a puppet master and is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals, even if we're not entirely sure what those goals are. Marvel fans have theorized there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Mr. Charles, but we will likely have to wait until Season 3 or beyond to find out for sure.

Matthew Lillard's career has had a sort of second wind in recent years. He gained prominence in the 90s and early 2000s with films like Scream and Scooby-Doo, which paved the way for him to make a career out of voicing Shaggy in animated projects. Throughout the 2020s, he has starred in both Five Nights at Freddy's films. Scream 7, and is now part of two major superhero franchises. Lillard has attributed nostalgia as the reason for his long-running career, noting that peoples' love for films like Scooby-Doo ensure he remains in demand. We'll just have to wait and see if Lillard's DC role is a one-off part or one that will be reprised for years to come.

Man of Tomorrow is currently in production and scheduled for release on July 9th, 2027.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

The directors of Captain America: Civil War and the last two Avengers films have addressed Uncle Ben’s influence on Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man.

When Tom Holland was introduced as the MCU’s Spider-Man, there was a conscious decision not to repeat the character's well-trodden origin story. That story had been told twice within the span of a decade, so fans were intimately familiar with how Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man. When he’s introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Peter has already been Spidey for about six months and Uncle Ben isn’t in the picture. However, as time has gone on, many have questioned whether or not Uncle Ben existed or had any notable impact on Peter Parker at all… and it seems like we have an answer now.

In an interview with CBR for Civil War’s 10th anniversary, the Russo Brothers were asked if Peter Parker was responsible for the death of Uncle Ben. According to the directors, Peter isn’t responsible.

"Spider-Man was one of my favorite characters growing up, if not my favorite," said Joe Russo. "And what I related to was this idea of a kid with incredible responsibility, right? And I think you could manifest that responsibility through accidental death, right? And feeling the pressure, and the sense of loss in your life in a way that would keep the spirit that we wanted.

"[But] what Tom Holland is as an actor, if he blamed himself for his Uncle Ben's death, I think he becomes a very different character. So in our minds, no, he wasn't responsible for Uncle Ben's death. That would have been a different interpretation. A more intense interpretation of the character."

It remains unclear exactly what happened to Uncle Ben in the MCU. There’s an off-handed mention of an “accidental death,” but what does that really mean? Was Uncle Ben killed in a car accident? Did he accidentally fall to his death from a great height? Was Peter involved at all? Who knows! Nevertheless, the comments have raised some eyebrows from fans.

“This is so backwards,” said one user on X. “Him not being responsible for his uncle’s death is the different interpretation. Him being responsible for his Uncle’s Death is the ENTIRE POINT of his origin.” "James Gunn says that Bruce Wayne's family died in a car accident, not by being shot in Crime Alley,” said another user.

Historically, Uncle Ben’s death is a result of Peter failing to act as Spider-Man. In the comics and previous live-action films, Peter neglects to stop a gun-wielding thief, feeling like it’s not his responsibility. As a result of his inaction, the thief ends up encountering Ben and shoots him.

From there on out, Peter vows to use his powers with great responsibility and ensure others won’t be harmed because of his negligence. Even in Civil War, Peter’s first scene has him telling Tony Stark that he became Spider-Man because bad things happen if he doesn’t act.

The MCU’s Uncle Ben is never explicitly referenced in the films. His initials are on a suitcase in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but that’s as far as things go. The mere idea of his death seems to loom across the films, but is never directly addressed. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Aunt May’s death seemed to serve as the motivation for Peter Parker to always do the right thing as Spider-Man, as she delivers Ben’s iconic quote before dying: “with great power, there must also come great responsibility.” The other Peter Parkers in the film reference their Uncle Bens once they hear this quote repeated by Tom Holland’s Peter, but Holland’s Peter doesn’t really react to the name.

Maybe the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day will canonize what happened to Uncle Ben or offer a more direct reference to him. Maybe it will continue to be vague. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon has revealed his wishlist for future guest characters in the fighting game series.

In a new interview with Collider while promoting the Mortal Kombat 2 movie, Boon confirmed another Mortal Kombat game is being planned at NetherRealm, but failed to share details. However, when asked which guest characters he wanted to see in the future, he mentioned Street Fighter, which, if it were to actually happen, would finally provide fighting game fans with the crossover they've been waiting 30 years for.

“I would love to see a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat. I’m a huge fan of Street Fighter,” Boon said. "We’ve had Joker as a really dark character, but DC and Marvel, it would be a lot of fun to see those characters as well.”

Mortal Kombat is famous for its guest characters, which typically skew on the more violent side of entertainment. Fans have already seen the likes of The Terminator, Ghostface, and Rambo guest star in Mortal Kombat. Perhaps, if Marvel were to give the green light, Deadpool and Wolverine would be a good fit.

But is it likely that any of this would actually happen? A Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter game has been talked about for years, but there's no indication Capcom would ever go for it. Street Fighter is nowhere near as gory as Mortal Kombat, which, if it were to have the likes of Ryu and Chun-Li included, would have to see them ripped to shreds.

Boon also touched on the rivalry between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, which began in the playgrounds of the early '90s and was recently thrust back into the headlines when new movies based on both franchises began their marketing push. Andrew Shultz, who plays Dan Hibiki in the upcoming Street Fighter film, delivered a fresh jab at the 2025 Game Awards, where the comedian claimed that the Mortal Kombat team “only care about money,” while excusing their absence from attending the award show to promote their film.

Speaking to Collider, Boon called the rivalry "fun," and insisted there are "no hard feelings." "At the end of the day, I think we'll see, when both films have been released, how they both did and stuff. But honestly, I'd love to see them both do well, just because there's an audience for more, which would be great," he said.

And on the subject of Marvel, NetherRealm is owned by Warner Bros. Games, which owns DC (NetherRealm's next game is rumored to be DC fighting game Injustice 3). It seems more likely that a DC guest star will pop into Mortal Kombat, rather than a rival character owned by Marvel. Of course, NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe in 2008, so it knows what it means to have Sub-Zero fight Batman.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

Barack Obama has again insisted that the government isn't covering up any extra-terrestrial life — and now said that, if it were, it would definitely have leaked.

Speaking to The Late Show host Stephen Colbert (via EW), the former president was questioned over his previous, oddly-worded remark made back in March that aliens were "real" but that he "hadn't seen them."

Within days, Obama was forced to later clarify that statement — when he insisted via social media that he'd simply meant that "statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there." Not that he'd ever seen evidence of it, he again assured.

"I thought it was so obvious what I meant," Obama told Colbert this week. "Here's the thing: for those of you who still think that we've got little green men underground somewhere, one of the things you learn as president is the government is terrible at keeping secrets.

"This idea of conspiracy theories..." Obama continued, "if there were aliens or alien spaceships or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about, seen photographs, what have you, I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend and impress her. It would leak!"

Obama previously admitted that he had asked about the government records regarding alien life when he became president. In 2021, he told late night TV host James Corden that he sought answers on whether there was a lab "where we're keeping the alien specimens and space ship." "They did a little bit of research and the answer was no," he added. However, Obama acknowleged footage and records of objects in the skies "that we don't know exactly what they are."

Recent years have seen an increased interest in UFOs, officially referred to as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), particularly as drone technology is improved and global tensions increase (remember those weather balloons?) Still, while many examples can be explained, the US government tracks a list of instances where reported phenomena defy current explanation.

Last month, President Trump said a recent UFO review had turned up "many very interesting documents," which his administration would release "very soon" so that flying saucer fans can "go out ​and see if that phenomena is correct."

For NASA's part, administrator Bill Nelson recently pledged that the agency would not to conceal the existence of aliens, if they were discovered to be the cause of any UAP it is working to investigate.

Image credit: Angelina Katsanis - Pool/Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Matt Fraction's Batman series has been busy establishing a new status quo for the Dark Knight and his city, and we've already seen some massive changes (including a radical reinvention of the Batman/Joker dynamic). But issue #9 is easily the most important chapter yet. This story completely changes Batgirl's place in the DC Universe and drops another huge bombshell of a twist.

Read on to find out what happens in this issue, but beware of spoilers for Batman #9 ahead!

Issue #9 builds on recent events in the series, with GCPD Commissioner Vandal Savage intensifying his war against Batman and the city's other costumed vigilantes. Savage sends his forces to raid various Bat-bunkers across the city, forcing our heroes into a race against the clock to remove sensitive data and technology before it can be confiscated.

Heroes like Signal and Spoiler face close calls in their respective missions, even as Oracle guides them from her perch in the Clocktower. Finally, Oracle realizes that she has no choice left but to surrender herself to GCPD custody and take the heat off her friends.

Meanwhile, across town, Batman and Robin are carrying out a vital mission of their own. Batman pays one last visit to his family's ancestral home at Wayne Manor (which had previously fallen into the hands of Commissioner Savage) before detonating a series of explosives he planted throughout the building. Wayne Manor is no more. Good thing Bruce and his family have their new home at Pennyworth Manor.

The explosion is barely a blip on the evening news, however, as everyone is too distracted by the biggest news of the day. The GCPD has arrested one of Batman's closest allies, and she's none other than Barbara Gordon, the daughter of former Commissioner Jim Gordon.

This is obviously a huge change for the once and future Batgirl, and it's one that directly sets the stage for a new series called Barbara Gordon: Breakout. In breakout, Barbara is sent to Savage's new supermax prison, where she'll be forced to fight for her survival while being locked up with many of the criminals she helped put away.

What do you think of the big changes introduced in Batman #9? Is this the right move for Oracle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

For more, check out our new look at Marvel Creator Collection No. 1: Barry Windsor-Smith and X-Men '97: Season Two #1.

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