John Cena has officially ruled out a return to physical performance in the WWE, having retired from professional wrestling in December.

The 17-time world champion hung up his jorts after an almost 25-year spell with the WWE following a submission defeat to Gunther in Washington, D.C. on December 13.

Since then there has been speculation from some fans that the Peacemaker actor may return to the ring, but in a new interview with the Today Show, he rubber stamped his retirement.

“I’m not going to perform again physically,” Cena declared. “There is no chance that I’ll perform again physically. And the WWE and I had a conversation about that, and we thought that at 49 it was the right time to step away. I put 23 years of physical service into the business.”

That’s that, then, for Cena’s career as a wrestler, but he’s not done with the WWE. He will return to the WWE in non-wrestling roles and as an ambassador, including the John Cena Classic in December. Cena said this live event will be based on the nostalgia for his WWE character, and the audience will decide the champion.

While Cena made a name for himself as a WWE star, he has also carved out a successful career as an actor. He has played DC anti-hero Peacemaker since 2021, including in James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe, and there is an expectation that he will reprise the role either in an upcoming DCU movie or a potential Peacemaker Season 3. He’s currently promoting action comedy Matchbox: The Movie, which is based on the toy brand Matchbox by Mattel.

Through it all is the question of whether a WWE retirement ever be considered genuine. Wrestlers have a habit of retiring and then returning to the ring, so while Cena has officially ruled out getting physical in the WWE again, I doubt anyone would be surprised if he came back for a match or two.

Still, his latest comments echo those he issued in June last year, before his final match. "There is no way," Cena told Good Morning America at the time. "There is absolutely... I don't want to speak in absolutes, because I don't want to close any opportunity, but I made a promise to the fans who've allowed me to be here for a quarter of a century. They allowed me to sit with you today. I wouldn't want to disrespect them like that. This is an event — when people attend, it's very exclusive."

The wrestler, who is considered one of the greatest of all time, also noted that he didn’t want to “ruin” the connection he’s built with fans throughout his career for the “selfish gain” of picking back up again after announcing his decision to step back from the sport.

Photo by Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images.

The first Stephen King book ever published — the 1974 bestseller, Carrie — immediately put the horror writer on the map, and also led to it quickly becoming the first King story to be adapted for another medium with Brian De Palma’s 1976 film version. King would turn out to be a shockingly prolific writer who went on to write a staggering amount of work filled with tons of beloved, instantly recognizable characters in the decades since. Yet still — even with the likes of IT, The Shining, Pet Sematary, and so many more that have now been given multiple incarnations — Carrie stands out for how many times it’s been adapted. In fact, almost no other King project really comes close… except for the strange case of Children of the Corn and its 11 (!) movies, most of which were straight-to-video projects few ever mention.

It’s easy to see why Carrie continues to be revisited. King’s horror-tragedy about a sheltered teenage girl raised by a domineering religious mother and bullied by her classmates, only to lash out in bloody revenge thanks to her hidden telekinetic powers, feels like a dark fairy tale of sorts. Its touchstones, most especially the prom that ends the story — and the image of Carrie covered in pig’s blood thanks to a diabolical prank, beginning her murderous rampage — are iconic and unforgettable.

October sees the debut of yet another version of Carrie, this time told in an expanded form as a streaming series from acclaimed filmmaker, television creator, and frequent King adapter Mike Flanagan. So with Carrie 2026 here, let’s look back at all of the adaptations we’ve gotten so far, from the beloved to the best left forgotten.

Carrie (1976)

The gold standard of Carrie adaptations, Brian De Palma’s film is still the one that all others are compared to 50 years later, and still counted amongst the best King adaptations for all of his work. Yes, there are some very dated and silly 1970s fashions and stylistic flourishes in the film, and a couple of puzzling diversions, such as a tux-renting comic relief montage featuring Carrie’s prom date, Tommy (William Katt), alongside two guys who barely register as characters outside of this one sequence. But De Palma’s film still expertly captures the essence of King’s book and its inherent tragedy, aided in no small part by his terrific casting choices of the excellent Sissy Spacek as Carrie and Piper Laurie as her mother, Margaret.

Both women received well-deserved Oscar nominations for their roles, and the film benefits from great casting across the board, including Amy Irving as Carrie’s sympathetic classmate, the regretful Sue Snell, and Nancy Allen as the nasty Chris Hargensen, who will ultimately push Carrie over the edge.

And of course, De Palma absolutely nails the prom sequence. Spacek bathed in blood is an all-time classic cinematic image, and his audacious use of split-screen effects to track the mayhem that follows as Carrie begins to kill her classmates works incredibly well.

Carrie: The Musical (1988)

The 1980s stand out as the only decade since Carrie’s publication in the ’70s without a new movie or TV project based on the book, but that didn’t mean nothing was happening on the Carrie front. An infamous stage musical arrived to get plenty of attention in all the wrong ways.

Though it shared the same writer as the 1976 film, Lawrence D. Cohen, and even one cast member — Betty Buckley, who played gym teacher Miss Collins (renamed from the book’s Miss Desjardin) in the film, and was cast as Margaret for this production – Carrie: The Musical hardly got the same response. Burdened by a notably high budget while still navigating major technical difficulties thanks to its tricky effects, and with original songs that received, at best, divisive responses, the show was greeted by some audible boos according to reports at the time.

Carrie would close after only 16 previews and 5 official performances, cementing its legacy as a legendary bomb… or as the New York Times called it, “the most expensive quick flop in Broadway history.” But perhaps it’s only fitting for a story that has been resurrected so many times that this wouldn’t be the end for Carrie: The Musical. But we’ll get back to that…

The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

The only Carrie story to date to serve as any sort of continuation or sequel came in this late ’90s follow-up to the 1976 film, which centered on Rachel (Emily Bergl), a teenage girl who doesn’t initially know she is actually Carrie White’s half-sister. And yes, she has the same powers. (King’s book establishes that there are other telekinetics, all women, but that men are the carriers of the “TK” gene. Carrie’s father, Ralph, is dead prior to the events of the book, but De Palma’s movie never mentions him, allowing for this sequel to suggest that he’s somewhere out there, getting other women pregnant with more telekinetic girls).

The Rage is one of those sequels that effectively functions as a remake. Rachel just so happens to also be an outcast girl who also has an awful home life — this time thanks to crappy foster parents — and who will also eventually be made to think she’s been accepted by her cool classmates only for a cruel prank to occur, this time at a house party and not the prom, with a sex tape of her and the boy she liked being played for all to see taking the place of the pig’s blood. The end result is the same; everyone laughs, and then everyone dies.

The Rage was a turbulent production, initially developed as a completely independent story before being reshaped into a Carrie sequel. The original director was replaced mid-production over the dreaded “creative differences,” with Katt Shea (Poison Ivy) replacing him. There’s an interesting use of a real-life story — and a reflection of the odious ways young men can treat young women — in its depiction of a group of guys who cruelly seduce and then discard every girl they can just to rank them with their friends. And there’s some fun to be had with Rachel’s pseudo-gothy look and the baffling but visually cool way that vine-like tattoos cover her body and face during her massacre. Sadly, though, The Rage is a pretty “whatever” movie overall. It’s also frustrating as hell on the legacy sequel front, with its one big returning character — Amy Irving back as Sue Snell — dispatched in an incredibly unceremonious way.

However, The Rage: Carrie 2 is at least a pretty amusing time capsule of a teen movie that came out in 1999, featuring plenty of touchstones of the era, including a ska song, a character quoting Scream, and the presence of Mena Suvari.

Carrie (2002)

Carrie made her first foray into television for this 2002 NBC TV movie, which is notable at this point because it was written by none other than Bryan Fuller a decade before he would create one of the best horror TV projects of all time (for NBC no less) with Hannibal. Fuller was the first person to utilize some of the true crime-style angle that the book is filled with, as King’s original story includes all sorts of excerpts from testimony, books, and other responses that occurred after Carrie’s massacre. The pared-down version here finds Sue Snell (Battlestar Galactica’s Kandyse McClure) and others speaking to the police about what happened as part of a framing device.

Fuller also brought back some other elements excised from the book in the 1976 film, including meeting the father (Michael Kopsa) of Chris (Lost’s Emilie de Ravin), a powerful lawyer trying to bully away the trouble his daughter got into by being a bully. Overall though, director ​​David Carson (Star Trek: Generations) delivers a functional version of the story that’s lacking in energy and longer than it needs to be.

Angela Bettis is quite good as Carrie and makes her distinct from Spacek’s version, though it’s notable how little Margaret resonates here. Despite being played by another great actress, Patricia Clarkson, she feels strangely peripheral thanks to a combination of being offscreen for long periods, and because Clarkson — perhaps in an effort by either herself, Carson, or both to not mimic Piper Laurie’s bombastic performance — plays the role as oddly subdued.

There is one other aspect of Carrie 2002 that stands out, and that’s the ending… Because Carrie White lives! Unlike King’s book or the other adaptations, she doesn’t die the night of the prom, but is instead saved by Sue, who sneaks her out of town. This ending was included because the Carrie TV-movie was actually intended as a backdoor pilot for a potential TV series, though that obviously didn't come to be.

Carrie: The Musical (2012 / 2015)

Perhaps not shockingly given its somewhat camp appeal, a bit of a cult following grew around the infamous flop that was the 1988 Carrie Broadway musical, leading to some unofficial productions being staged in the years afterward, including one at Emerson College (hello to my alma mater). But in 2012, the risky decision was made to officially bring Carrie back, this time as an Off-Broadway revival. Both Lawrence D. Cohen — whose ongoing connection to Carrie is pretty notable at this point — and the original composers, Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, returned for what was a rather massive reworking of the show, attempting to make it more focused on the psychological drama aspects. Much of it was rewritten, with seven of the songs from the original production dropped and new songs replacing them.

And lo and behold, this time it went over well! The new version received far better reviews than the original, and going forward, this was now the version that would be used for future productions. The revamped Carrie musical would go on to 2015 runs in both London’s West End and in Los Angeles, which were also well received.

The LA production was an immersive theater production that slightly tweaked the 2012 revamp’s dialogue and songs, including restoring a few verses from songs that were there in 1988 but removed in 2012. The staging was much more grandiose, with gallons of blood dropped from the rafters, select floor seats that would be moved during the show with the action, and other immersive elements like some audience members getting to join in and dance at the prom (before all the death stuff, naturally). Its success would lead to a second limited engagement of the show later that same year.

A 2018 episode of Riverdale involved characters on that show performing in a production of Carrie, and included several songs from the production, meaning that showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was once more involved with telling Carrie’s story, in a manner of speaking, after writing the 2013 film.

Carrie (2013)

Carrie returned to movie screens for yet another remake in 2013, this time with an impressive pedigree that included director Kimberly Peirce — whose 1999 film Boys Don’t Cry had received two Oscar nominations and ultimately secured Hilary Swank her first Academy Award — and a buzzed-about star in Chloë Grace Moretz.

There was some discussion at the time of Moretz simply being too attractive to play the unpopular Carrie, which felt overblown. Yes, King describes her in the book as a bit overweight and pimply — something that no adaptation has ever tried to replicate — but when she gets dressed up for the prom, he also makes it explicit that she looks genuinely beautiful, and it’s made clear the things that make Carrie an outcast stem from her upbringing and demeanor, and not her looks. But the big issue with Carrie 2013 was simply its feeling of sameness, and that it was too beholden to De Palma’s beloved movie instead of finding its own unique take.

Yes, it’s the first version to include smart phones as part of a modern day bully’s arsenal, but it’s by and large echoing the 1976 film, including using enough of its structure and even dialogue from that film to the point that Lawrence D. Cohen received a screenwriting credit alongside the film’s actual writer, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, despite not writing anything new this time.

Once more, performances aren’t an issue, with Moretz and yet another excellent actress as Margaret, Julianne Moore, having some strong moments playing off one another. Judy Greer is also an inspired choice to play Miss Desjardin, who feels a bit more prominent than in previous versions. Nevertheless, Carrie 2013 feels like a missed opportunity to really shake up the story by sticking too close to what came before.

Carrie (2026)

And that brings us to the newest version, as Carrie returns via a modern-day streaming series for Prime Video. Tackling Carrie yet again is obviously a tricky endeavor that on the surface makes fans wary given how much it’s been done; just look at all of those examples above! But there’s a reason to be optimistic, because this time the man guiding the series is Mike Flanagan, who not only has made several acclaimed series at this point — including The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass — but is also a massive Stephen King fan who’s already given us strong adaptations of King’s work that include Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep.

With the blessing of King himself, who’s serving as an Executive Producer, Flanagan has greatly reworked the story, starting with having Carrie (Summer H. Howell) now just beginning school for the first time ever, having been hidden away at home by Margaret (Samantha Sloyan). With the story now taking place over an entire semester, Flanagan told IGN he felt like he had the opportunity to better focus on what modern-day high school kids deal with, including violence in school and “what cruelty and bullying can be in a world where every single one of those incidents and any mistakes you make in your formative years can be broadcast permanently for the world to see on the internet.” Flanagan is also including glimpses of other young women with telekinesis in the series, noting that in the book, “King is explicit that [Carrie’s] not alone in this,” even if Carrie herself is unaware of that fact.

You can see the end result for yourself when Carrie debuts October 7.

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale has arrived, dropping the paperback Witcher box set is down to its lowest price all year. You can grab the five-book collection for $39.99, down from $89.99, saving you 47% off of the sticker price. This collection goes on sale often, but now's a good time to pick it up if you've been wanting to jump into the book saga alongside The Witcher 3 Remastered.

Prime Big Deal Days is upon us, and with it comes another great addition to the impressive library of massive supplemental Lord of the Rings books. The Complete History of Middle-Earth box set is currently on sale for only $86.07 during the sale period, down from its original sticker price of $250. This is the lowest price we've seen on this collection all year, making it a great time to pick it up if you've had your eye on it.

With Prime Big Deal Days in full swing and Halloween rapidly approaching, it's a good time to start thinking about your costume for this year. If you're into cosplay, the Marvel Legends Series Daredevil Born Again mask and billy club set is a detailed recreation of its onscreen counterpart, and the perfect start to your Matt Murdock get up. During the sale period, it's down to $97.99 on Amazon, reduced from its $139.99 list price.

Amazon has officially launched its '3 for 2' book sale ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, and it includes a number of hardcover Dungeon Crawler Carl books. These types of sales are the best possible time to start your collection of Matt Dinniman's hit LitRPG books for cheap.

Not all of the Dungeon Crawler Carl hardcover books are eligible for the sale, however. A Parade of Horribles, the latest book in the series, is included alongside five other books. The second and third books are missing, but they do have their own separate discounts.

Buy 2, Get 1 Free Dungeon Crawler Carl Books

Amazon is already one of the best places to buy books at a discount, so these types of sales are perfect if you're looking to buy every book in a series. And while not every Dungeon Crawler Carl hardcover book is getting discounted here, there's enough of them here that you can still take advantage of this sale twice.

If you add all six of these books to your cart, Amazon will automatically drop the price of the two cheapest ones off your cart. This amounts to an additional $34.35 of savings if you're already going to be buying them all.

The other two books that aren't included in the '3 for 2' sale are also two of the cheapest in the series already with a combined price of $32.75. So although two of the eight books aren't actually included in the promotion, you can still get the whole collection of hardcovers for $118.52.

Amazon's Audible deal is great for the audiobook versions

Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Lanterns Season 1, Episode 8!

Lanterns has ended its eight-episode run on HBO, with the finale addressing some of the show's most burning questions. How and why does Aaron Pierre's John Stewart become a Green Lantern? Is Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan truly dead, and who killed him? We finally have our answers in what turned out to be a somber but enjoyable finale episode.

IGN attended a press conference where Pierre, Chandler, and executive producers Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King spoke more about these key developments and the challenges of crafting the series. Why give John his own Green Lantern oath? Does Hal actually love John? Read on to learn more about the big twists from the Season 1 finale.

The New Green Lantern Oath

Lanterns Season 1 ultimately culminates with John Stewart embracing his destiny and becoming a Green Lantern. However, he does so strictly on his own terms. John wields Hal's old ring and pairs it with the fear-infused Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) forged for Noah (Shea Pritchard). He's a strictly unsanctioned Lantern who effectively blackmails his way into taking jurisdiction of Earth from Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). And to reflect this unique status, John activates his ring by uttering his own oath:

In brightest day, in darkest night,

I'll embrace my fear, I'll do what's right.

I choose this ring, I choose this fight,

In service to this lantern's light.

Why introduce a new Green Lantern oath? How do these lines better reflect John's character at the end of Season 1?

"I think the idea was we sort of were taking a look back at what we had done with the season, and so John’s path was not the normal path," Mundy told press. "The ring didn’t choose him, he was interviewed, he was kind of raised for it. He was having to choose this thing, then he decided not to do it, and then decided that he needed to do it on his own terms. We wanted it to be true to the original and respectful of the original, but his version is rooted, obviously, in the OG version of it, but we also wanted to tweak it to talk about the themes that we talked about, and fear, and make it be a choice that he was choosing this thing and not something he was like, 'I’m doing it because my parents want me to do it, or I’m doing it because these things.' So, I think at a certain point, you end writing a season and you have a split second to look back on what you built and what was important inside of it, you hope people will like it, and it was our way to reflect what we built."

Lindelof added, "When you watch the totality of John Stewart’s story, it’s really hard to get to the end of it and say that he is in alignment with the Corps, with the Green Lantern Corps, and Lianna, and everything that it stands for, and for a man who pledged his loyalty to the military, to his parents, [that's his] idea of saying, 'I’m kind of beyond doing that for other organizations, and in order for me to formulate an oath, it has to be on my own terms and in my own way.'"

"What we see at the end is that John is not a hundred percent a Green Lantern anymore, he has a Lantern that has a bit of yellow in it, has a bit of fear in it. It’s an unsanctioned Lantern, as Guy says," King said. "And so, he’s not saying the same oath as every other Green Lantern because he’s not like every other Green Lantern. So, just like a Yellow Lantern says something different, or a Green Lantern says something different, or an Orange Lantern says something, this thing that John is, this utterly unique creation that he has not been given to him, that he is not chosen for but that he... chose for himself, gets its own unique oath, seemed to line up very much with the lore and where we’re going from here."

Hal and John's Mutual Love

John becoming a Green Lantern in the finale is nothing if not a bittersweet moment. The act of charging up his new ring means all traces of Hal will be purged from it, erasing the Halogram and finally putting an end to the tumultuous bond between John and Hal. But just before the Halogram dies its final death, we're treated to a final, very poignant moment between the two. Both characters tell each other "I love you," a testament to the bond that exists between John and Hal despite the latter's best efforts to push aside his trainee over the years.

Chandler and Pierre discussed the challenges of acting out that pivotal scene and why it's such an important way of wrapping up their shared, season-long arc.

"The characters, they fell in love through this action and this friendship, although it was pretty rocky, I got to say [laughs]," Chandler said. "But for that moment to occur at the end, it was just such a human factor, and it was the thing that maybe a film in the '50s or the '60s and you’ve got the Duke standing there and he’s just not going to say, [imitates John Wayne's drawl] “Well, I love you, kid," doesn’t happen that way back then. But these were words that were actually expressed, and it was really nice to be able to do that, and it was painfully exposed."

Chandler continued, "The fact of the matter is it’s a human experience, and it was a purely honest, open moment for an actor to express themselves, and it was a joyous thing to be able to do on screen. And it was easy to do with Aaron because, although I really don’t like him very much [laughs], I knew I was getting paid, so, you know, the checks were [cashed]…"

"It’s funny because Kyle and I, so much of our dynamic in the series is tumultuous [laughs], and it’s volatile, and who knows what’s going to happen at any given moment," Pierre added. "And even in our personal lives, Kyle and I, particularly when we’re on set, we’re constantly digging at each other, we’re constantly trying to get each other to be the laughingstock of the crew, like this is going on for six months, we’re constantly doing it. But there are certain moments within the script that, I think for Kyle and I, when we realized that kind of stopped all of that for a moment, not that that stuff wasn’t thrilling and enjoyable and a bunch of fun, but when there were moments in the script that made us stop that and really lock into the emotional beat — that was really quite moving for us, I think, as the characters but also as the individuals playing the characters. And I think that’s one of those moments, and it was really very special. And Kyle believes he made me cry on that day, I think I made him cry [laughs], but we’ll have to let the episode bear and see what the verdict is."

Were There Different Plans for the Finale?

Lanterns Episode 8 defies expectations in that it's not an epic, action-packed climax to the season. The writers clearly got all of that out of their system with Episode 5. The finale is instead a more moody, introspective affair that focuses on capping off John Stewart's emotional journey toward finally embracing the Green Lantern mantle. The producers were asked if there was a version of Season 1 that might have ended with more action and spectacle. The short answer? Not really.

"There was never a version of the finale that was more action-oriented," Mundy said. "This story was about these two guys. And so, we knew that if we landed it emotionally with them, we would have done our job. And obviously, over the course of the season, we knew there were going to be action things and all that, but... we barely even talked about it because we all just knew this is what we were going for, that that would have been distracting, that that would have been just incident instead of emotion, you know?"

Mundy continued, "What I love about the huge fist fight that those guys have is that’s a huge fist fight, but it’s like literally these two guys and it’s an emotional scene even though they’re beating the hell out of each other. And the ending had to be an even quieter connection of these two people. And so, if we were going to ask people from the very first second of the pilot to invest in these two guys and the relationship with these two guys, we just had to land it in their relationship or we wouldn’t have done our jobs."

For King, an action-centric finale would have been a "cliché" that would have turned the series into a lesser version of itself.

"I think one of our sort of sticking points from day one is no clichés," King said. "Avoid clichés like they’re the plague. As someone who consumes a lot of superhero content, that can leak into that content and make it boring and can give you the superhero exhaustion that we’ve seen a thousand pieces about. I’ve seen a lot of shows that end with no action and emotion. But I watched the finale today, I hadn’t seen it in months, it’s just the acting, to me, is more powerful, is so beautiful and so thrilling, and I’m on the edge of my seat the entire time in a way I’m not when I just see people clinging against each other and I don’t care about them. It’s not what you expect, and that’s entirely what this show has been and is sort of what we’re always going to do."

The Fate of Hal's Pet Plant Earl

The conference ended with perhaps the most pressing question of them all: What happened to Hal's beloved pet plant Earl? The finale includes a flashback scene where Hal and Earl are trapped in a burning house. Hal falls into the basement and burns in much the same way John burned back in 2016, but he, too, is saved by Manhunter technology. But what of Earl? Did he survive the blazing inferno? Did he have to be reskinned, too?

Technically, we know Earl was fine, because he interacts with John followinng Hal's murder in Episode 6. But the attendees were still quick to reassure fans and point out that this little carnivorous houseplant is a tough cookie.

"That’s an excellent question that I’ve never considered," Mundy said. "Someone went deeper than we did, and we thought we went deep. I don’t think Earl needed to be reskinned; I don’t think Earl goes down that easy…"

Lindelof concurred, saying, "Yeah, I think Earl is pretty resilient. The botanical creatures of the galaxy can grow their own skin, I would imagine. Earl probably has the thickest skin of anybody on the show, I would imagine."

Basically, if there is a Season 2 — and all signs point to that right now — Earl should still be a vital part of the cast.

For more, see what James Gunn had to say about the criticisms surrounding Hal's death and brush up on every DC movie and series in development.

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

Lanterns Season 2 is in early development while it awaits an official green light at HBO, co-creator Damon Lindelof has confirmed.

One of the creatives behind DC's popular Green Lantern show offered the second season update during a conversation with Collider. Although it may not be the firm commitment to more episodes that many were hoping to see after Lanterns aired its first season finale, it's at least a sign that some of the minds at DC Studios are already working to will them into existence behind the scenes.

With Season 1 officially over and (most) questions answered, the main thing most fans want to know is: Where is Lanterns Season 2? Lindelof said he does "not know anything" about how the DCU's John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) may evolve in the future, but he did confirm that there are already "writers who are working on ideating on Season 2."

Warning! Lanterns Season 1 finale spoilers follow.

Of course, those who finished the HBO show's first season know that Chandler's Hal Jordan is well and truly dead by the time its final episode's credits roll. The topic of the DC superhero icon's death – and all of the controversy surrounding it – is something Lindelof also addressed as fans wait for Season 2 confirmation.

"I can only tell you that everybody in the Season 1 room," he said, "inclusive of the writers who are working on ideating on Season 2, felt like even though we knew that it was going to be emotionally devastating and/or disappointing and maybe even frustrating, that the worst possible schmuck-baity thing that we could do is show you a pilot where Hal Jordan was definitively dead, and then try to walk it back and say, 'Oh, he was a clone' or 'He's only mostly dead' in the Princess Bride vernacular."

At least as far as the eight episodes we've received and the greater DCU is concerned, Hal Jordan's final moments were spent arguing with Kelly Macdonald's Sheriff Kerry Kane on the bleachers of a high school football field in Rushville, Nebraska. Ulrich Thomsen's Sinestro did tease that he knows a way to bring Chandler's fan-favorite character back from the grave, but given it seems he's just starting his villainous ways, it's hard to take his offer to John Stewart at face value.

Lindelof really wants fans to know that he doesn't know what the future may hold. That said, he's also well aware that DC comics have been known to play with Green Lantern lore in the past.

"I do not know anything about the creative," he continued, "and I wouldn't want to hamstring those writers in any way for what future storytelling mechanisms they could indulge in. Knowing what the comics have done with Parallax — and Hal, I think, has died at least three or four times over the course of the canon, and celebrating everything that Kyle did in his performance to get the audience to fall in love with Hal."

Lanterns has been surrounded by theories for weeks, and considering we know the DCU Green Lantern Corps will return in the future, they'll surely only continue in the months and years ahead. Pierre, for example, is already confirmed to reprise his role as Earth's new Green Lantern in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow when it premieres next year. Just how prominent his role will be, or how his potential part in the yet-to-be-greenlit Season 2 fits in, remains to be seen.

Chandler's Hal Jordan may be gone, but fans still love what they've seen so far. Some have even gone as far as to say the choice to have him play the character is a casting decision that rivals Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man.

While we wait to see if Lanterns Season 2 is officially on the way, you can check out IGN's 8/10 review of the finale. You can also read about how DC Studios' James Gunn and Peter Safran fit into a newly reorganized Warner Bros. and Paramount.

Doctor Who ex-showrunner Russell T Davies has described his unresolved cliffhanger ending as "a piece of p***" for the series' next production team to resolve, following his departure from the franchise amid clear frustrations over plot leaks.

Davies' tenure as the head writer of Doctor Who officially ended this summer when the BBC finally admitted that it (plus Davies and production company Bad Wolf) were no longer planning a final Christmas special to wrap up the show's current era. This followed the collapse of Disney's co-production deal after two seasons, and significant reshoots to navigate the exit of series star Ncuti Gatwa.

Doctor Who now sits in limbo as the BBC searches for a fresh production company to take the series forward. And, in the meantime, Davies has now published his first account of what happened as his time on the show came to an end.

In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir The Queerest of Folk: A Life in Television published by The Guardian, Davies said that the future of the Disney co-production deal was unclear when he was writing the second season.

"That was nothing to do with us at Bad Wolf; it was down to conversations with Disney and the BBC," Davies wrote. "So we had no idea what was going on. Deep down I thought it wouldn't. You could tell what I was thinking, because I was already creating new work," he added, listing off a couple of other projects that he had already begun planning for other broadcasters.

"In some ways it would have been a nightmare for me if that third series had come along, but I would have managed it," he continued. "As the third series was in flux, the finale was intended to climax with an open-ended regeneration. So we shot that with Ncuti: he smiled and said his last line, and the screen melted into a golden glow... Except when we edited that together, it looked like the death of the show. We said, 'Think of children watching that. It's like a death. We can’t do that to them.'"

There's a lot to unpack here, but first it's worth noting what Davies has not discussed — the fact that the second season finale was initially something else entirely before Gatwa's regeneration was shot. On-set reports, leaked images and actor interviews have all discussed that the season was set to end on a positive note, with a party featuring the show's main cast being observed by original Doctor Who actress Carol Ford, who played the Doctor's granddaughter Susan.

Davies has not discussed what happened here to prompt the need to film Gatwa's exit — something that required a rewrite of the episode's ending and reshoots in order to film. There's also no sense of Davies himself or Bad Wolf being in any way responsible for the Disney deal's collapse. Rather, Davies paints the matter as a business decision between Disney and the BBC — which it was, but likely one judged against the success of the show Davies and Bad Wolf delivered.

Finally, there's the sense that an open-ended regeneration sequence would have acted "like a death" for the show. This is going to be a matter of personal taste, but what we got instead — the promise of a big reveal for why Billie Piper appeared, and a Christmas special — has arguably been more painful.

"When it came to announce the end of the Disney deal, the BBC was very keen to announce the existence of a Christmas Special for 2026 at the same time, to confirm its dedication to the show," Davies wrote, discussing his final episode that, ultimately, never came to be.

"Now, I had my doubts, right from the start," Davies claimed, "a Christmas Special about what, who for, where's the money coming from? – but for the first time in my life, I allowed my name to go on a press release that I actually felt kind of queasy about. That'll teach me!"

One other interesting point to note here is Davies acknowledging the show's current status of being put out to tender had been discussed internally already, though was expected to "lurk somewhere in the future, maybe 2028 or 2029." This would fit with previous fan expectations that Davies was due to deliver four years of Doctor Who (perhaps three seasons and a series of specials, similar to David Tennant's era?) before bowing out.

"Yes, that leaves us with a Billie puzzle, but c'mon, that's easy," Davies wrote, addressing his biggest dangling plot thread. "Doctor Who problems are simple to solve (remember, in 1996, it was proclaimed that the Doctor is half-human – that was fixed by everyone discreetly never mentioning it again). A new production team can either seize hold of that appearance happily, or – and this is more likely – they can explain the event away with exactly seven words. Painless. That's not a problem, that's a piece of piss."

It's worth stating that the Doctor's claimed half-human parentage is one of many fans' biggest plot holes and bugbears from the show's history.

Davies' excerpt concludes with a lengthy airing of his frustrations with a prolific Doctor Who leaker who revealed every key plot beat from the Gatwa era up to a year ahead of transmission. How this leaker gained this information remains a mystery, though their complete accuracy and intimate knowledge of the show's production means they must have been part of a small circle of team members working on the series.

"It's absolutely extraordinary, and I swear it did a lot to destroy the profile of the show," Davies wrote. "It introduces a cynicism among fans, because they're not surprised by anything any more. Their response to a leak is weariness, an instant assumption that whatever has been leaked won't work. They instantly imagine the worst version of it, and then, when they eventually see it, it inevitably confirms their bias. So we had to work for two years knowing that leaks were happening, and yet we were powerless."

While the leaks were damaging, it's fair to state that only a fraction of the series' audience would have likely heard about them. They were discussed on Doctor Who fan forums and reddit boards dedicated specifically to leaks, rather than something shared in the mainstream.

"The BBC managed to track down the person who was putting the information online, but it was a member of the public. They were probably friends with someone at some point in the delivery chain of Doctor Who, and we simply didn't have the legal right to seize that person's emails. I wish we did," Davies wrote. "This was my copyrighted material – why don't I have the legal right to get that person arrested? But the BBC was always very scared of how that would look – a member of the public being prosecuted for simply breaking copyright; it would be like breaking a butterfly on a wheel.

"To this day, we don't know who the leaker was, which made us suspicious of every single person we worked with," Davies concluded. "There were some tricky conversations at work. But somewhere down the line, all these episodes go through a hundred technical processes in a hundred different suites, and I'm quite sure it’s just some random person sitting in the back of a room – not the person in charge, but the person whose job it is just to press play on every single thing we ever did, who'd then tell his mate, who'd then post it online. That person is still out there. They might be reading this and frothing with glee. Well done, mate, enjoy your masturbation."

Lanterns Season 1 is over, and the verdict is in: Fans say Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan rivals Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man as one of the best superhero casting choices of all time.

Warning! Spoilers for the Lanterns Season 1 finale follow.

Fans had a lot on their minds as the DCU show's first season drew to a close. John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) will keep Earth safe whether Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and the Guardians like it or not, and now, the planet has another Manhunter to worry about, too. It was a quieter final episode for Lanterns that did a lot of groundwork to set up the next chapter for its characters, but for now, at least, it truly seems Hal Jordan's story has come to an end.

Yes, it's true: Lanterns Season 1 suggests the DCU's Hal Jordan really, truly died in Rushville, Nebraska. It's a story beat that will no doubt leave at least some hardcore Green Lantern fans disappointed, no matter how hard Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) may have teased an option to bring him back to life. As the dust settles, though, the weight of Chandler's potential absence in the DCU proves that he left quite the mark on the Green Lantern name.

Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan #Lanterns https://t.co/G4KPB0DMdB

— Nicholas (@NicholasPas5) October 5, 2026

“Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan”

Confidently found his place among the best of the best. Just one of THOSE castings without a doubt in my mind. https://t.co/ftZxjEmkOm

— Craig (@CS11__) October 5, 2026

If this is the last time I see Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan… just know that I loved you. https://t.co/VSXDHF66TF

— 𝙶𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚖 🃏︎ (@TheJokersGrimm) October 5, 2026

"Zero Reasons why they can't bring back Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan for a prequel," one fan hoped. "I don't care if it's a movie or show, or animated. You doing that writers' room for season 2 now? Yeah bring back Hal."

"If tonight is truly the last time we see Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan he will forever go down as one of the greatest CB castings of all time," another said.

While sharing the screen with Pierre through Lanterns' eight-episode first season, Chandler has emerged as one of the brightest lights the show has to offer. He's received praise for his work as Earth's first Green Lantern since Episode 1, with fans only showing his character more love as the weeks went on.

It's recognition that's earned him a place in the same conversation as Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Although the DC universe hasn't quite managed to accumulate a Marvel-sized list of A-listers who nailed their superhero parts at the same level, fans have had Heath Ledger's unforgettable performance as the Joker to cling to. Now, Chandler's Hal Jordan is right up there, too.

Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan #Lanterns https://t.co/ukJ6AHGuH5

— Sabrina 🦇 (@nightswayness) October 5, 2026

sinestro what you were saying about bringing hal jordan back https://t.co/NR5KBvPIG7

— ꗞ (@clubsadie) October 5, 2026

#Lanterns https://t.co/heGENOnrJ2

— John_ElSuperman (@John_ElSuperman) October 5, 2026

Chandler was announced to play Hal Jordan in 2024, but he’s an actor whose time in Hollywood has seen him star in everything from Godzilla and King Kong movies to Super 8 and The Wolf of Wall Street. Until some superhero shenanigans explain away his absence, it does seem his time in the DCU has come to an end. That won't stop fans from hoping to see him show up in a yet-unconfirmed Season 2, and it certainly won't stop them from fawning over what time we did get to spend with his Hal Jordan.

Social media timelines have flooded with love for Chandler's performance in the weeks Lanterns has been on the air, but that's not to say his role as Hal Jordan is the only one receiving any praise. Pierre's John Stewart has constructed a similarly sized following of fans. The main difference between his presence as a Green Lantern and Chandler's, though, is that Pierre is already confirmed to reprise his role in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

Being locked in for a future in the DCU means fans have not feared they'd only see him play John Stewart for one season of TV. The mystery surrounding Chandler's character made a follow-up appearance less likely from day one, so viewers have done their best to soak up every second of screen time. Another fan-favorite character from Lanterns is Kelly Macdonald's Sheriff Kerry Kane, though her place in the future of the franchise remains unclear.

Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler are so perfectly cast as John and Hal it hurts. #Lanterns https://t.co/lpHBOutBr1

— Green Lantern DCU Updates (@LanternUpdates) September 28, 2026

"Kyle Chandler being cast as Hal Jordan is a top 3 CBM casting ever man, the DCU finally has their RDJ," one fan said as Season 1 aired.

We learned a lot about the DCU in Lanterns Season 1, but there's still so much room for the cinematic universe to tell stories about the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians, Sinestro, and more. Whether or not the HBO Max show will even return for a second season is also uncertain. IGN gave the finale an 8/10 review, saying, "Though most of the twists can be seen coming well in advance, Lanterns Episode 8 manages to wrap up the season on an emotionally satisfying note."

Until Chandler (hopefully) returns for another swing at Hal Jordan, you can read about how DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran recently secured their future under Skydance. You can also read about the Batman casting rumor Gunn shut down earlier today.

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Lanterns Season 1, Episode 8!

How much you enjoy the finale of Lanterns Season 1 is going to depend heavily on how well you can manage your expectations. There have been plenty of outlandish fan theories regarding where the series has been building towards and the identity of Hal Jordan’s killer. Is Hal even dead, or is this all part of some massive conspiracy involving complex doppelganger constructs or Manhunter-based resurrection? Well, it’s best to put all of that to the side and just enjoy the finale for what it is. It’s probably not going to shock most of us with its plot twists and character developments. Nor does it represent a pivot back to the sort of spectacle we saw in Episode 5. But it does deliver an ending that feels true to the story the series has been telling all along.

A lot of burning questions have been hanging over the series in light of Episode 7, which changed the game by dragging John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and the Halogram to a war-ravaged alien world and inserting Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) back into the mix. Is this where the series blows the doors wide open in terms of the cosmic Green Lantern elements? Is Sinestro himself, not the mysteries in Rushville, the ultimate endgame of Season 1?

No, not really. The fact that Episode 8 opens with a quiet flashback to 2016 and then to Hal’s life immediately after being released from prison clues us into the fact that this is still a small-town murder mystery at its core. Even when the focus does shift to Sinestro and the gang, Sinestro himself is more a means of exposition than a supervillain mastermind. These early scenes wind up resolving a number of the show’s ongoing mysteries. We learn that Noah (Shea Pritchard) is indeed a Manhunter of sorts. He was the one who busted Sinestro out of Spazkaban, all for the purpose of forging a Lantern Noah can use to slaughter the Guardians. Everything is wrapped up in a neat little package. Mostly.

Part of me is disappointed that Sinestro's ultimate role in the series is so minimal. He’s the Green Lantern villain, after all, but we only see him in a handful of scenes this season, one of which involves him being waterboarded by John. The series never fully leaned into the possibilities of Sinestro as the Hannibal Lecter to Hal’s Will Graham. Worse, perhaps, is that his comments about the value of fear as a weapon suggest that there’s no real history of Sinestro forming his own Lantern Corps in the DCU. Maybe we’ll get there in a future season, but probably not with Hal in the picture. Like with Hector Hammond (Jason Manuel Olazábal), it feels like the series has really downplayed Sinestro’s importance in Hal’s own story.

That all being said, the Noah of it all works well for me. No, the Manhunter reveal is not the most surprising direction the series could have taken. But as Christopher Nolan would argue, just because we can predict a plot twist ahead of time, that doesn’t automatically invalidate the story. Sometimes you just have to let these things play out as they should.

The same goes for the later reveal that Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) is Hal’s actual killer. I think most of us saw that one coming, but it makes too much sense not to go down that road. She’s a character who’s been deceiving Hal and John from the very first episode. Not out of malice, but a desire to protect those two alien beings she loves so dearly. For all the ambitious theorizing surrounding Hal’s murder, it feels appropriate that the whole thing boils down to a momentary burst of passion. And you really can’t fault Macdonald’s performance in this episode, particularly during her tearful confession to John.

The same goes for Pierre, who’s given an awful lot of meaty material to work with in the finale. Early on, John is quietly wracked with uncertainty and dread regarding the revelations about Noah. As the episode unfolds, he becomes a man at peace with himself and his place in the cosmos. Through it all, Pierre remains a master of saying a lot through subtle facial expressions and body language. I’ve said it before, but this is a role that could easily have been boring in the wrong hands. Pierre’s are clearly the right hands.

Most satisfying of all is the way this episode caps off the season-long tension between John and Hal and shows us the all-important passing of the torch. The Halogram is able to express emotions the real Hal never could, allowing us to appreciate a bond the latter would never be caught dead acknowledging. Hal saying “I love you too, Junior,” is almost hokey, but Kyle Chandler sells the scene so well you simply have to believe it.

Granted, I am disappointed the finale doesn’t find a way to keep Chandler in the picture, either by preserving the Halogram or somehow resurrecting the real Hal (something Sinestro seems to believe is possible). It’s tough to imagine a second season of Lanterns working half as well without that critical dynamic between Hal and John. But I suppose that’s a problem for another day. For now, this farewell really tugs at the heartstrings.

What we’re left with is a mostly cohesive and satisfying account of how John Stewart finally embraces his destiny as Earth’s Green Lantern. I do think the show could have done a slightly better job of exploring how John has learned to embrace fear rather than push it away. His arc has been more focused on overcoming his conditioning. However, that’s more an issue with the season as a whole rather than this episode in particular. And in any case, the final scenes do a great job of setting him up for bigger and better things in the DCU. At long last, it’s time for John Stewart to fly.

Saturday Night Live weighed in on GTA 6 vs. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake with a new Weekend Update skit featuring video game protagonists Jason Duval and Link.

Gaming fans were probably surprised to see two of November's biggest releases represented in SNL Season 52. The bit starred live-action versions of GTA 6's Jason and The Legend of Zelda's Link, played by Marcello Hernández and Mikey Day, respectively, and mostly saw the two icons arguing about who has the better game.

Also starring Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che, the six-minute video game skit laid it on thick with references to stealing cars, buying RPGs, and solving puzzles in the kingdom of Hyrule. You can see the SNL Weekend Update segment in question below.

The protagonists from Legend of Zelda and GTA6 stop by the Update desk pic.twitter.com/19fsg7desg

— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) October 4, 2026

The SNL episode was hosted by Verity star Dakota Johnson with musical guest Turnstile and even featured a surprise cameo from pop music mega-star Taylor Swift. The long-running celebrity skit show is no stranger to nights like this, and although it's been known to feature the odd gaming reference here and there, it's safe to say full-on appearances from Link and Jason probably weren't on anyone's bingo card.

So, how did this go over with gaming fans? Well… It's not great.

"Now, I don't know much about gaming because I've had sex," Jost opened the bit, joking, "but I'm told that people are calling your releases the 'Barbenheimer of video games.'"

pic.twitter.com/lI1PCiEOqg

— Rampage (@RR4mpage) October 4, 2026

GTA 6 fans say Hernández's Jason leaves much to be desired, with his references to Grand Theft Auto most limited to waving around an RPG and stealing lots and lots of cars. The outfit that helped him bring Jason to life, meanwhile, is little more than a bloody bandage and a tropical button-up.

While this Jason falls more into the last-minute Halloween-costume category, Day's Link getup has received praise for being shockingly accurate to the character's specific Ocarina of Time remake tunic. It had some of the same specific details, too, and even came with elf ears and a convincing-enough wig. The jokes, however, didn't land quite as well, and mostly involved Link yelling about puzzles and arguing that his tunic is not a dress.

"I'm somebody who still watches SNL most weeks but this sketch was pretty rough," one fan online said. "Basically all of the jokes here were ones I've already been hearing for like 20 years."

"Aren't these the same jokes we've heard about Zelda since 2000?" another added.

I was simply stunned by this: how unending it was, that old ass “people who play video games never have been laid” joke, a complete disregard for specificity in service of surface level nonsense, the middle school talent show presentation. Utterly baffling.

— That Week In SNL (@ThatWeekInSNL) October 4, 2026

They were trying SO hard to make Link and Zelda look like nerd shit, but you could tell the sketch fell apart at the start when the crowd cheered louder for Zelda and the puzzle joke😭 https://t.co/YSYOSr8YkG

— An Average Gamer - N (@AnAverageGamerX) October 4, 2026

"This is funny but also confused how they are doing a parody of a character who we don’t know that well yet," one of the more positive comments said.

The SNL skit stemmed from a place that gaming fans have been anticipating for months. Games big and small have (mostly) completely cleared out of November 2026 to avoid launching against GTA 6, with Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake remaining as the biggest exception to that rule. Considering the former won't be available on the console the latter is exclusive to, there won't be quite as much competition, but gamers will absolutely still have some tough calls to make in just a little more than 30 days.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches for Nintendo Switch 2 November 5, and GTA 6 is set to follow for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S November 19. For more, you can check out our newest look at at the new Zelda re-imagining, and you can read up on what a new age rating told us about Rockstar Games' latest.

RuneFest 2026 is over, and we’ve got a roundup of everything announced at Jagex’s big show celebrating its long-running fantasy MMORPG.

RuneScape 4

This year saw a number of significant announcements, none bigger than confirmation that a fourth RuneScape MMO is in the works. Jagex hasn’t officially called it RuneScape 4 (RS4 is the working title), but we know it’s built on Unreal Engine and is designed to use the latest technology and design, so it really does sound like a next-gen RuneScape game. There’s no information on when it will be released, but the teaser trailer is below.

New RuneScape animated adaptation

Jagex announced a new RuneScape animated adaptation, in partnership with YouTuber Charlie White, aka MoistCr1TiKaL, and production company Lyrical Media. No word on what this is exactly or when it will be released, but it’s happening!

RuneScape Reignited

Jagex announced RuneScape Reignited, which launches December 2. Jagex called it a “defining moment” for the 25-year-old game, designed to rekindle interest among lapsed players and get existing players excited. There’s a Remastered Journey and Adventure Guide, a fresh economy, and brand-new hi scores. Players can get full Reignited Access without membership from December 2-12. The long-awaited Plugin API launches this month, with players getting an early hands-on ahead of official release. The debut trailer is below:

We also got what Jagex called “the biggest roadmap in the game’s history.” 2027 content unfolds in three story arcs, all of which tie into long-running storylines. Hoard of Dragons (January) offers a sequel to the popular Dragon Slayer quest, City of Gnomes continues the gnome storyline, and Secrets of Karamja introduces a new endgame raid. Also coming is an Agility skill rework, new skilling and solo bosses, new area expansions, and a new Grandmaster Quest.

Old School RuneScape

Old School RuneScape, meanwhile, got an updated roadmap. The Golden Gates to Menaphos are opening finally after 20 years, alongside a suite of fan-demanded content. The Fractured Archive, a new endgame raid, launches October 20. Hardcore Worlds launches November 4. And next year will also see the continuation of the Fairytale questline, Quest month, Dungeons of Gielinor, a Mining and Smithing rework, Chosen Commander, and the Tower of Xorphoros.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds

The recently released spinoff, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, saw the announcement of the Blood Crystal Saga and updated plans for 2027. The Luminance update is a prelude to 2027’s Blood Crystal Saga, and launches in December this year. This features the introduction of the Elves into RuneScape: Dragonwilds, new elven-themed customisation options for player characters and buildings alike and the Prayer skill.

The Blood Crystal Saga kicks off in 2027 starting with the Song of Rebellion in early 2027. These updates feature enemies like Moss Giants, Kebbits, and Implings, the Hunter Skill as well as new areas for players to explore, new quests and gear as well new decorations for houses inspired by the classic RuneScape city of Prifddinas.

Expect quarterly updates, which will include new Skills such as Hunter and Slayer, as well as monthly updates featuring side quests, weapons, decorations and quality of life improvements. Official modding arrives on Dragonwilds in 2027 through a new partnership with CurseForge — complete with dedicated creation tools and an in-game mod browser and installer, available across all platforms including console.

Developer Jagex has announced a fourth MMO in the long-running RuneScape franchise, as well as an animated adaptation.

At RuneFest in Birmingham, England, Jagex offered a glimpse at this new MMO, which it said was built “for a new generation of players.” It’s still in early development (a release isn't expected for at least a few years), and it doesn’t have an official title (Jagex is going with RS4 as a working title for now), but it will “bring the world of Gielinor to life in Unreal Engine, combining the depth, freedom and community-led spirit that have defined RuneScape for 25 years with the technology and game design possibilities of today.”

Jagex currently operates RuneScape itself, Old School RuneScape, and spinoff RuneScape: Dragonwilds. RuneScape has seen a number of major updates tied to sequel names, including a rename to RuneScape 2 in 2004 and RuneScape 3 in 2013. But both were dropped in favor of, simply, RuneScape, and it is now treated as an ongoing live service. It's tempting, then, to call this new game RuneScape 4, and it may end up justifying the name, but Jagex has yet to rubber stamp any title.

Indeed, we hardly know anything about this new RuneScape MMO, but with the mention of Unreal Engine, the expectation is it will have modern visuals and design. An image from the concept teaser and the concept teaser itself are below.

Here's the official blurb on the fourth RuneScape MMO:

Headlining RuneFest was the first glimpse of an ambitious new chapter for RuneScape: a fourth RuneScape MMO, built for a new generation of players. Still early in development, the as-yet-unnamed title will bring the world of Gielinor to life in Unreal Engine, combining the depth, freedom and community-led spirit that have defined RuneScape for 25 years with the technology and game design possibilities of today.

In a blog post, Jagex explained that it has announced RuneScape 4 so early because it wants to build on the tech development it made for Dragonwilds, and lean on the community co-development it established through RuneScape and Old School. The developer insisted RS4 is not a replacement for either RuneScape, Old School, or Dragonwilds, each of which has its own dedicated team and will continue to see investment. "We’ll be designing RS4 to sit alongside them as an additional way to experience RuneScape and the world of Gielinor," Jagex said.

"In fact, we think having different RuneScape experiences can make the whole family stronger," the developer continued. "Players may spend most of their time in one game, move between several, or discover Gielinor for the very first time through RS4. The ambition isn't to replace the RuneScape games you love. It's to make the RuneScape universe bigger."

Jagex also confirmed RS4 will be set in Gielinor, as you'd expect, and in the Sixth Age. "But we're beginning somewhere that RuneScape players have only recently started to discover - and that is Ashenfall. An area first explored in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and a landmass to the north-east of the Gielinor.

"RS4 will take place years after the events of Dragonwilds and the destruction of the Dragon Queen Kuldra. Time has passed, the world has moved on, and Ashenfall has changed with it. But Ashenfall is only the beginning.

"Our ambition is for this adventure to grow far beyond Ashenfall over time, moving into places you know and love, as well as opening up new places and stories across Gielinor."

RuneScape is of course one of the longest-running video games in the world. Jagex says it’s seen over 300 million player accounts created in the 25 years since RuneScape first launched. But the company’s plan is to expand the franchise into new genres and even adaptations. For example, at RuneFest Jagex also announced work had started on a new RuneScape animated adaption, in partnership with YouTuber Charlie White, aka MoistCr1TiKaL, and LA-based production company Lyrical Media. Here’s the official blurb:

Additionally, Jagex unveiled plans to expand RuneScape beyond games, partnering with creator and internet phenomenon, Charlie White aka MoistCr1TiKaL as well as acclaimed LA Based production business Lyrical Media, to bring the world, characters and stories of Gielinor to life in a new exciting animated adaption.

Jagex announced a lot more at RuneFest today. Here’s everything we saw.

October is finally here to bring spooky season to the world — please ignore the Christmas decorations already on display at your local pharmacy — and that means plenty of terrifying television coming to your screen this month as well!

Don’t worry; it’s not all scares and screams, as we’ve also got some highly anticipated drama debuts, the finale of one of the most discussed superhero series in recent years, the debut of what looks to be one of the other most discussed superhero series in recent years, and much more.

So without further delay, let’s get into our list of 10 picks for movies and TV shows we can’t wait to stream this month. There’s so much good stuff, it’s… scary!

(Note: This list is presented in release date order.)

East of Eden (October 1)

While MCU fans will probably be thrilled to see Black Widow (Florence Pugh) and the new Professor X (Christopher Abbott) play opposite each other, and costume drama aficionados are feasting with this latest sumptuous literary adaptation (John Steinbeck this time), the real story of Netflix’s East of Eden is behind the scenes.

That’s because it’s created by Zoe Kazan, who you might know from her on-screen work in everything from Revolutionary Road (2008) to The Big Sick (2017). With this series, she steps into the writer’s chair — all eight episodes were written or co-written by Kazan —and provides her own adaptation of the same work her grandfather Elia Kazan famously directed in 1955.

How will Kazan update or change things? You’ll have to watch for yourself to find out. But if you’re curious about the premise, the show follows the interwoven stories of two families over the decades. Steinbeck, who also wrote Of Mice and Men and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath, considered this his greatest work. Clearly, Netflix has a lot of faith in the Kazan version: They’ve already put her in charge of a reboot of Lonesome Dove.

Read our East of Eden review.

Lanterns Season 1 Finale (October 4)

What shenanigans will brothers John Lantern (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Lantern (Kyle Chandler) get into in the final episode of the HBO series? Will they switch places to get John’s parents back together, or will their buddy Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) finally get what he deserves in front of the whole school?

We kid, but only because as of this writing, the HBO series has built up steam at a fever pitch with a time jump to the modern day, a ton of DCU references and easter eggs, searing lead performances by Pierre and Chandler, and consuming cultural conversation that’s the perfect Venn diagram of comic book and HBO Sunday Night Mystery fans.

The biggest question going into the finale isn’t any of the ongoing mysteries, but A), whether the excellently crafted Green Lantern series can stick the landing, and B), how much (if at all) it will set up Man of Tomorrow as well as a second season of the series. The other big question: Are you afraid?

Carrie (October 7)

Carrie, the new adaptation of the iconic Stephen King novel by TV’s horror maestro Mike Flanagan, is not what you think. To say more is to risk spoilers, but one aspect of the eight-episode Prime Video series we can talk about is that the show is set in the modern day, which changes things significantly.

When the telekinetic Carrie White’s (Summer H. Howell) father dies, she’s taken from home-schooling to high school. In 2026, that means social media, cell phones, school shooter drills — all the things that 1976 Carrie didn’t need to deal with, and 2013 Carrie only tangentially addressed. While you will see all the scenes you expect, from the “plug it up” scene in the shower to the iconic prom disaster, other things go in some jaw-dropping directions, from Margaret White (Samantha Sloyan) becoming an influencer to a fair amount of sympathy for teen bully Chris Hargensen (Alison Thorton).

We may not have needed another adaptation of King’s novel after four (!!!) previous movies and a stage musical, but this Carrie is relevant, surprising, has a huge twist we won’t spoil, and is another TV winner for Flanagan, showing his move from Netflix to Amazon is off to a great start.

Read our Carrie review.

Below (October 8)

The Josh Hartnettaissance continues with Netflix’s new six-episode series, which finds a small town besieged by a seeming sea monster. While it might seem like this is biting onto Widow’s Bay fever — small town, monsters, quirky — this was filmed last year, way before the Apple TV Emmy dominator was even on the radar. Based on trailers at least, Below also looks much more serious, and more in the vein of a supernatural Jaws.

Alongside Hartnett as a fisherman trying to save the Newfoundland town of Snook’s Arm, the cast also includes Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, and for a bit of Species vibes, Natasha Henstridge. Early reviews out of TIFF, where the pilot screened, are exceptionally positive, noting that while the show does play to some clichés, it’s gorgeously filmed and supremely gory.

Animals (October 9)

Speaking of great casts, Ben Affleck is putting a team together for his new Netflix crime thriller, which finds the director/co-writer/star taking on the role of a mayoral candidate named Mark Kimball whose son is kidnapped. He and his wife (Kerry Washington) have mere hours to get the money to save their son’s life, with the unfortunate additional note that all their money is tied up in Kimball’s campaign. The movie also stars Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and more, so you know it’s going to be extremely watchable at the very least.

As a director, Affleck hasn’t crushed it every time, but from the Oscar-winning Argo to the surprisingly engaging sneakers drama, Air, if you’ve got an Affleck movie that starts with the letter “A,” you’ve got a better than average chance it’ll earn an “A” from critics as well.

Avatar: Seven Havens (October 9)

Where to start with this new animated Paramount+ series? It’s the third show in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, and the first since The Legend of Korra completed its run in 2014. In the intervening time, there’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes controversy generated by the live-action series on Netflix and the stumbling release of the sequel movie Avatar Aang (though thankfully that turned out to be pretty good).

Seven Havens takes place after Korra (Janet Varney) did something very bad; now everyone hates the Avatar. Enter Pavi (Saheli Kahn), a young Earthbender who finds out she’s the next Avatar — the one who can control all four elements (earth, air, fire, water). She’s also got a twin sister Nisha, and together they may be able to save the Seven Havens, which is all that’s left of civilization after whatever Korra did in the past.

With a new animation style and a seemingly darker tone than the franchise has had before, can Seven Havens succeed where other extensions of Avatar have… well, not failed, but definitely not gone as smoothly as one might have hoped? With 13 episodes in Season 1 and a second (and final) season already in the works, we’ll have plenty of time to find out.

Matchbox: The Movie (October 9)

The extraordinarily weird premise of Matchbox: The Movie, based on the Mattel toys of the same name, is that John Cena is a superspy reunited with his childhood friends when they’re drugged and kidnapped by a villainous group searching for a nuclear warhead. The rest of the gang — played by Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and Teyonah Parris — are all normal folks in over their heads, except for one crucial detail: They all played with Matchbox cars as kids. So the gang will use the skills they developed playing with tiny toy cars in their backyard to drive real cars, steal a nuclear warhead, and clear their names.

…Uh, what? In practice, the movie looks just like Fast and the Furious, but more comedic. Cena, at least, has a knack for choosing projects that show off his comedy chops in surprising ways; see the recent Coyote vs. Acme for one example. But — and we must repeat — what? Not that this movie needed to have everyone shrinking down to drive toy cars, but the Matchbox connection seems as tangential as a bunch of folks who bought a zoo because they used to play Hungry Hungry Hippos.

The Barbie film (based on another Mattel property) worked because Greta Gerwig turned the lens back on the cultural impact of the iconic toy and used the premise to delve into our relationship with toys and the legacy of feminism in culture. Does anyone have the same relationship with Matchbox cars? And will the director of Extraction, Extraction 2, and Extraction 3 (Sam Hargrave) bring the same analytical lens to Matchbox that Gerwig did to Barbie and Ken? Vroom vroom — let’s drive on over to Apple TV to find out!

VisionQuest (October 14)

The modern MCU era of Marvel live-action TV began with WandaVision, and it sure looks like it’s going to end with VisionQuest, the third chapter after Agatha All Along. If so, things are going out with a bang. Taking over to finish out the trilogy is Terry Matalas of the superb 12 Monkeys series and the excellent third season of Star Trek: Picard; he’ll be bringing the new version of Vision (Paul Bettany) face to face with his somehow alive son Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica).

But the even more anticipated match-up is Vision and Ultron (James Spader), who’s back thanks to a group of marvelous AIs that Vision has stored in his head, including (all in human form) F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D’Arcy), and more. They’re all hunted by the villainous Paladin (Todd Stashwick) and his associate, Philomena Cunk… sorry, actress Diane Morgan.

There’s lots going on here, but the MCU on Disney+ has always been at its best with shows like WandaVision and Agatha All Along, which feature great actors playing characters we love while fueling wild fan theories that invariably turn out not to be true… except when they do. We see the vision for this show; now it’s time to quest for answers.

Crystal Lake (October 15)

The Young Jason Chronicles? The long-in-development Friday the 13th prequel series has seen an incredibly rocky road to screen, but now the A24 production is finally here — or almost here — on Peacock, with Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees… aka the most murderous lunch lady known to screen.

Now helmed by showrunner Brad Caleb Kane — the singing voice of Aladdin (look it up) — who is making his name with prequel TV series about iconic movie monsters (look IT up), the show expands on the scant info we have about Pamela in the original slasher movies as well as opening up more about the town of Crystal Lake and the infamous camp that resides there. Plus, there are plenty of teases of game-changing mythology for the Friday the 13th franchise.

Is Friday the 13th on the same level as Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween? Not really. So injecting any sort of sense into the nonsense could help flesh out the Jason Universe (no relation to Steven Universe). Add in Cardellini, who’s fresh off an Emmy win for DTF St. Louis, and you’ve got a meaty stew of ideas you’ll want to machete your way into.

Yaga (October 23)

Ever heard the tales of Baba Yaga, the witch who lives in a chicken house and steals children, and thought, “what if this was hella sexy?” Have we got the TV series for you! Premiering weekly on AMC+, Noah Reid stars as Rapp, a man investigating a disappearance in his small fishing town when he meets Katherine (Carrie Anne-Moss), a teacher who may or may not be Baba Yaga.

Also on the Canadian series is Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams in not one but two roles, as well as other folks you will likely recognize from Canadian productions. Canada: It’s large, but there don’t seem to be a lot of actors!

Short version: If you want some blood sex magic with your witchy season (aka October), then Yaga might very well be your thing.

Spoilers follow for Lanterns Episodes 1-7.

Lanterns, am I right? While the HBO series set in James Gunn’s DC Universe was divisive among some fans at the outset – what with the whole killing off Hal Jordan in the first episode situation – it has become increasingly buzzy with each passing week, with showrunner Chris Mundy and his fellow creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King building mystery upon mystery over the course of the first season.

And now, as we head into the season finale this weekend, there are a ton of questions that need to be answered. We’re breaking down the biggest ones we have right here, but please comment below and let us know what other questions you might have regarding Lanterns Season 1… and the possible answers and theories you have as well!

Who Killed Hal Jordan?

Assuming, of course, Hal (Kyle Chandler) even is dead (see below for more on that), there are obviously several possibilities as to who could’ve put a bullet in the ex-Green Lantern’s head in the 2026 time period. The chief suspects seem to be:

• John Stewart
• Sheriff Kerry Kane
• Noah Macon
• Hal himself

John Stewart

Taking these one at a time, it seems pretty unlikely that John (Aaron Pierre) would’ve killed Hal. For starters, he’s one of our two lead characters, and while both of these Lanterns can be sort of assholes – especially to each other – they’re still ultimately meant to be figures who we sympathize with and want to cheer on. But even beyond that, it doesn’t make much story sense for John to have done this; he essentially already “beat” Hal during the events of Episode 5, leaving him a broken man without the ring and only the consequences of his own actions left to face up to. By the time we catch up with John, now an architect and businessman, in 2026, he clearly still harbors a lot of feelings about his past as a Lantern, but needing to kill Hal is not one of them.

Sheriff Kerry Kane

Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) on the other hand, well… as much as we love her, the good sheriff has been known to keep secrets from our heroes in the past. And while I buy that she and the post-prison, repentant Hal had a thing going, as well as that she is truly gutted by his death, that doesn’t mean that their relationship would’ve kept her from doing the deed if it was necessary for a greater cause. Let’s not forget, Kerry was saved by Zoe Macon the Manhunter (Poorna Jagannathan) back when she first arrived in Rushville while on the run from Gotham City. And it was during that encounter that she essentially swore her allegiance to Zoe. So if there is still some contingency plan in place for Zoe, even though John killed the Manhunter in 2016, there’s every reason to believe that Kerry would still be instrumental in keeping that plan on track…

Noah Macon

Which brings us to Kerry’s son, Noah (Shea Pritchard). There sure seems to be something fishy with this kid – the dude went and copped out on the college hat ceremony after the whole town showed up for it with bated breath! He also, you know, had a grandmother (step-grandmother, but still) who was a Manhunter. We’ll talk more about him below, but he’s high on the list of suspects.

Hal Himself

Look, Kerry told John how, after he got out of prison, Hal was on a relentless mission in Rushville to make up for the disastrous events that landed him behind bars in the first place, knocking on doors and offering his help and such. Is it out of the realm of possibility to think that in order to keep the town safe this time – or maybe even to make up for what happened to the town 10 years ago in 2016 – that he would take his own life if need be?

That is, assuming he actually did die…

Wait, But Is Hal Really Dead?

I’ve already talked about this before, but it’s very much not out of the realm of possibility that Hal isn’t even dead. Maybe he’s just “dead-ish” even? We already know that the show is full of aliens who walk around posing as humans, which means that the body we’ve seen could just be an alien that took Hal’s form. It’s also possible that Hal is regenerating from the wounds that killed him. Yes, it’s a crazy sci-fi concept, but John previously got a total skin graft after Zoe let him burn in that car fire and, as many eagle-eyed fans have pointed out, the trailer for the season finale shows a similar circular mark on Hal’s inner arm that John had after that Manhunter Miracle Medicine. Zoe explained to John that basically her tech required a skin sample (pulled from that spot on his arm) in order to repair/replace his burned skin, so perhaps the same methodology is being used to fix Hal… albeit it would have to unscramble his shot-up brains in this case. Or maybe the dead body was just a clone spawned from that same technology?

Why Can John Stewart Create Constructs Without the Ring?

Remember in Episode 2 when John tried to fly, but instead he created a cute little green bird construct? And the bird still existed and followed him around, even when he didn’t have the ring on? This was the first – but not last – indication that John has some kind of, well, super superpower that other Green Lanterns don’t. The Halogram is very impressed by this ability in Episode 7, when John summons him without the ring, saying “Bravo… it’s goddamned incredible!” It’s nice to get compliments from your seemingly dead mentor’s hologram.

But that still doesn’t answer how he’s able to do it. Presumably, John’s extraordinary ability to Green Lantern without a Green Lantern ring is tied to his extreme potential and the frankly insane training during his childhood by his we-need-a-new-word-for-helicopter-parents parents. Don’t forget, Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) told Hal from Space Azkaban that the second greatest threat Hal was facing was the Manhunter, with the implication being that the greatest threat was John. And what could be more powerful than a Green Lantern who doesn’t need the ring… or the Guardians for that matter?

Is Noah Macon Part Manhunter?

Again, this perfect Rushville all-state quarterback has got to have something going on beyond being a perfect Rushville all-state quarterback. The hat ceremony thing, which I previously mentioned, was just weird (and also rude), but also, with such a short season, why would the show’s writers introduce the aged-up version of Noah in Episode 6 if he wasn’t going to be important in some way? In Episode 5, his step-grandmother/Manhunter Zoe tells the young Noah (Cary Christopher) to remember what she taught him… and that’s the same episode where everything goes to hell in a handbasket in town. We know Zoe meticulously planned her own protection by essentially drafting half the town to work for her, including Noah’s mom, so it only makes sense that she would have Tony Soprano/Batman-style contingency plans upon plans upon plans, including what would happen if she was killed. But then again, are we sure it was even Zoe who actually died in Episode 5? Could Noah be Zoe!?

What’s the Deal With Sinestro on That Dead Planet?

Man, speaking of really holding your fire until the end of a short season. Sinestro, discussed here or there and seen briefly in Episodes 2 and 4, finally shows up at the end of Episode 7, seemingly stranded on the dead world that John and the Halogram have traveled to via portal… but apparently meant to be an important part of the season finale. Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) had previously said that someone broke Sinestro out of the Guardians’ prison, and that Hal was a likely suspect if not for the fact that he was also in (Earth) prison. (And by the way, the timeline here is a little wonky because Guy tells John this info in an almost whispery, gossipy way, as if it’s breaking news, but meanwhile we know Hal has been out of prison for about a year – and is believed to be dead – at that point. Which would mean Sinestro must’ve broken out of Space Azkaban at least a year ago.)

So how does Sinestro popping up on that alien planet connect to everything? This is the same world that Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) and his people hailed from, a race that was virtually wiped out by the Manhunters. It’s also the world that Hal left a portal to in his storage unit, which he apparently wanted John to find. Did Hal want Sinestro and John to team up for some reason? Neither is a particular fan of the Guardians, so could Hal perhaps be orchestrating some kind of Oan revolution from beyond the grave… one last “f you” to the powers that be?

What Did Kerry Get Up to in Gotham That Was So Bad?

We saw in flashback how Kerry would’ve been killed by a pair of scary dudes who had tracked her from Gotham City to Rushville, if not for the timely intervention of Zoe. After being saved by Zoe, she essentially began a new life in the town and eventually became sheriff (and a secret surrogate of Zoe’s). As IGN’s Jesse Schedeen has previously pointed out, Kerry’s name is also a big Batman clue: the Kane family are related to Bruce Wayne, as Martha Wayne was originally Martha Kane. Kathy Kane and Kate Kane, depending on when you were reading comics or watching CW shows, were both also Batwoman. So assuming the name of this character is not an accident – and not much on this show is – we’ve gotta wonder how a high-falutin’ member of the Kane family could fall in with such a rough element that she would’ve been killed if not for a Manhunter. It seems unlikely that Lanterns Season 1 will have time to dig further into this topic, but if the show moves forward with a Season 2, perhaps we’ll learn more about Kerry’s history… and maybe even any rich, famous, orphaned, dressed-in-black cousins she might have back home?

Remind Me: What Exactly Has Been the Order of Succession for Earth’s Green Lanterns?

This one’s easy! In 1986, Abin Sur crashed on Earth, and his ring almost went to John Stewart’s father, but Stewart Sr. couldn’t cut it, so instead Hal Jordan inherited the Green Lantern mantle. Hal was Earth’s Lantern for the next 20 years, until the disaster in Rushville when John took the ring from him. But he rejected the Guardians’ offer to become the new Green Lantern. It was around this same time that the gym teacher named Guy Gardner became the new Green Lantern, and continues to be through 2026. (Also, for comics fans, it seems that Alan Scott – the Golden Age Green Lantern – never took the mantle… in this timeline anyway.)

What questions do you have heading into the Lanterns finale? Let’s discuss below!

DC's latest live action series is wrapping up its first season this weekend. Even if the series makes some interesting departures from the source material, it's safe to say that Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart have charmed both new and existing fans of the Green Lantern.

Amazon happens to be launching its October Prime Day sale next week. In the lead-up to that sale and the Lanterns season finale, the retailer has dropped prices on tons of Green Lantern merch. If you’ve fallen for the space cops or are just looking for an easy Halloween costume, now’s a great time to grab some gear.

Green Lantern Merch Sale Ahead of Lanterns Season Finale

There’s not an easy sale hub to scroll through, so I’ve just picked out all of the officially licensed Green Lantern merch I could find on sale. You’ll find 15% discounts across the board, which might not seem like much, but is most likely the best price we’ll see on these shirts, which typically stick at $20, all year.

Two of the shirts on sale are specifically based on the new Lanterns series, showing images of Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler in their respective roles. Like the rest of the sale, these are officially licensed shirts straight from DC Comics.

Other shirts are based on specific comic versions of the same characters. One of my personal favorites shows a comic cover of Jordan with the quote “Hal Yeah.” Suits him, you know.

Even more shirts take a simplistic approach to the overarching Green Lantern iconography. You have plenty of options with the Green Lantern logo, or a graphic print of the full Green Lantern oath. Some shirts even feature full panels from various comic runs.

While they aren't included in Amazon's deals, Funko Pop is dropping a new line of Green Lantern figures at NYCC. An official Lanterns Power Ring is also available for $70 through the official DC Shop.

Green Lantern Comics Also on Sale

Amazon has also been discounting a spread of Green Lantern comics. These deals have nothing to do with Prime Day, so you don't have to be a Prime member to grab them.

The best discounts are on the omnibus editions of the iconic run by Geoff Johns, which resurrected the one and only Hal Jordan.

UPDATE October 2, 2026, 12:22 p.m. PT: Skydance's David Ellison reportedly told James Gunn and Peter Safran to "keep doing what you're doing" at a meeting that took place earlier this week.

The Hollywood Reporter's sources say the two moviemakers are staying right where they are "at least for the foreseeable future" after they had a positive meeting with Ellison yesterday. They were both invited to stay, with one source saying that Ellison asked them to simply "keep doing what you're doing." He also allegedly visited the Man of Tomorrow set in Atlanta earlier this summer.

Who the two DC Studios CEOs will report to in the immediate future, however, is less clear. Deadline also corroborated reports that Gunn and Safran will continue to build out their DCU as the merger is finalized.

ORIGINAL STORY: DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran will seemingly keep their vision for the DCU alive following the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

Rumors that the two comic book movie executives would be shuffled out amidst the tumultuous merger have swirled for months. Now, as the $110 billion deal comes to a close under its new Skydance banner, it seems Gunn and Safran – as well as the cinematic universe that includes projects like 2025's Superman and Lanterns – are safe.

Puck has reported that both creatives "will be invited to stay on at DC, at least initially" as all the moving pieces come together behind the scenes. What the long-term future holds remains to be seen, but it sounds like more DC movies and shows will continue to fall in line as the DCU navigates its early ups and downs.

Adding weight to the continuation of the current iteration of the DC universe is Gunn himself. After that new Skydance title was announced, the former Marvel director took to Instagram to celebrate the news by sharing its flashy new trailer. Included amongst the cuts of Paramount and Warner Bros. logos are shots from Superman, Robert Pattinson's The Batman, and even the DC logo itself.

"What once was the peak, is now just the beginning," Gunn, echoing the trailer, said in the post's caption.

Gunn and Safran officially took over the DC entertainment business in 2022 and will continue to oversee it – at least through 2027. That's when their contracts are set to expire, and while there are plenty of other projects set to release before then, whether they'll choose to renew under new leadership remains to be seen.

In the meantime, the DCU charges ahead. After Superman started things off with a bang and Supergirl failed to live up expectations, the cinematic universe is just days away from airing the Lanterns Season 1 finale. The Green Lantern introduction series has received praise from critics and fans thanks to strong casting choices in Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. Next up for this month is a theatrical release in Batman body horror spinoff, Clayface.

Next year, The Last Son of Krypton will find his way to the big screen once again when Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow premieres in July. With Xolo Maridueña already set to return as Blue Beetle and fans hoping to see Adira Arjona play a new take on Wonder Woman, it's clear there's still room for the DCU to grow.

For more as we wait to see what Gunn and Safran have planned for the future, you can read about the Mr. Terrific TV show that's said to be in the works. You can also see what Pattinson had to say about theories that his Batman may cross over with David Corenswet's Man of Steel.

Photo by Arturo Holmes/WireImage.

Once merged, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones company Warner Bros. will exist alongside Paramount as a sub-brand of Skydance.

The historic film and TV studios are being slapped together by David Ellison and backed by his billionaire dad Larry Ellison in a deal worth $110 billion, following a hostile bid for WB last year and despite various regulatory blocks that have attempted to scupper the deal in the U.S. and abroad. Concern has been raised that the merger may lead to thousands of job losses through corporate consolidation, afford control over a huge chunk of Hollywood to the Ellison family, and in turn risk the independence of news networks such as CNN.

However, opposition to the deal has now largely melted away and, with the merger's completion appearing imminent, Ellison has now confirmed that "Skydance" will be the name of his soon-to-be enormous entertainment empire. The Warner Bros. and Paramount branding will still be kept for their relevant subdivisions.

Indeed, a bombastic new trailer for Skydance has also been revealed, showcasing the vast swath of Warner Bros. and Paramount intellectual property that Skydance will have access to, including the DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter franchises.

What once was the peak, is now just the beginning.

Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren't rewriting history — we're equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for… pic.twitter.com/uInLRY3IrE

— David Ellison (@ellisonskydance) October 2, 2026

"These brands are more than a destination, they are the launch pad," a voiceover for the trailer states, in a script that sounds like it was written by an AI. "They don't just live on screens, they move through culture. Each one, distinct. Built on story. Driven by technology. A new center of gravity. A constellation. A shared vision to go beyond. Look up. What once was the peak, is now just the beginning."

Whatever that's supposed to mean, the trailer includes clips from notable WB and Paramount movies and TV series such as Inception, Titanic, Superman, Barbie, Minecraft, The Godfather, The Sopranos, Star Trek, The Matrix, Game of Thrones, The Shawshank Redemption, Casablanca, A Star is Born, Grease, Sinners, Forrest Gump, Dune, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Great Gatsby, and Euphoria.

A selection of brand logos shown at the end of the trailer highlights that Skydance will own Paramount, WB, DC Comics, CNN, Paramount+, CBS, Nickelodeon, and HBO Max, plus MTV, TCM, Showtime, Adult Swim, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Eurosport, Miramax, NewLine Cinema, Animal Planet, the UK's Channel 5, and many, many more.

The deal that will cement ownership of all this under Skydance is now expected to close on October 6, the companies have said.

Full spoilers follow for the season premiere of War.

HBO’s slick new legal drama War will almost certainly be its next big watercooler show, and deservedly so, as it’s a sharply written, deftly paced, and well-acted trashy delight.

The Season 1 premiere quickly establishes rival London law firms Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne and their respective clients: social media mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) and his movie star wife Carla Duval (Sienna Miller). Their long, now loveless marriage is basically over. So that means a very expensive and very public divorce will inevitably follow.

Carla not only wants out of the marriage, but she also wants to take Morgan’s fortune with her. But their pre-nuptial agreement is designed to keep Morgan bulletproof — provided he has lived up to his end of their bargain. He hasn’t. He’s been unfaithful to her before but this time Carla is armed with photographic evidence thanks to a honey trap.

Carla assures her lawyers she didn’t enlist her younger actress friend to sleep with Morgan but that doesn’t ring true. Her lawyers Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) and Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle), partners in both the firm and romantically, don’t like Carla’s underhandedness as it could be bad optics. Carla wants to file for divorce first but she and Taylor & Byrne are unaware that Morgan and his lawyers at Cathcarts have already deduced that she’s poised to file.

Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi (Nina Sosanya) and St John Smallwood (Pip Torrens), Serena and Nicholas’ counterparts at Cathcarts, fire the first shot in this war by serving Carla divorce papers on the red carpet at the premiere of her new movie, a savage move reminiscent of Olivia Wilde being served onstage at CinemaCon. And Carla then has to smile for the cameras with Morgan at her side?! Ouch.

The episode’s biggest surprise, however, is saved for when we learn that the ambitious, overconfident young lawyer Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) – newly hired by Taylor & Byrne specifically to work on Carla’s divorce – is, in fact, a mole working for Cathcarts. For the entire episode, we follow Johnny’s desperate search for a job at a law firm, so the reveal that he’s going to be the show’s equivalent of Matt Damon in The Departed is a fun twist.

Still, as a scrappy, lower class guy trying to make his way up the social ladder, Johnny is sympathetic — for now. Like Charlie Sheen’s character in Wall Street, the question remains just how much of his soul he’s willing to sell to succeed and how many personal relationships Johnny may destroy in the process. It’s a testament to the writing and to Renaux’s nuanced performance that the viewer remains invested in Johnny even when his arrogance gets the better of him.

War is impeccably acted across the board by an ensemble cast filled with familiar UK character actors playing the respective firms’ legal teams. As for the leads, West finds some sad-sack sympathy in his tech bro mogul, while Miller imbues Carla with a steely resolve that suggests she’d have been a natural fit in the boardroom had she not pursued acting. They’re only in one sequence together this episode but it’s rife with tension.

Showrunner George Kay’s finely tuned script is as darkly funny as it is sad in its portrait of the wounded (if not outright lost) humanity of its many characters, people who may not want to be this nasty but, well, that’s what you’re paid for, luv. I can’t wait to see what these posh bastards do next.