Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Streaming

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Brings Back the Bad Bitch

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Brings Back the Bad Bitch

    Star Wars hasn’t always provided room to explore the grey areas of morality. Good is good. Bad is bad. Of course, that’s almost entirely driven by the binary nature of the Force. The Light is good; the Dark is bad. Jedi or Sith. While there’s room for redemption within George Lucas‘ original trilogy, “classic Star Wars” storytelling left no room for Force wielders who were neither Jedi nor Sith. Modern Star Wars storytelling, on the other hand, has found plenty of narrative space for characters who find no use for either Sith or Jedi. Following the collapse of the Republic, Ahsoka Tano and Baylan Skoll no longer consider themselves Jedi and Ahsoka’s good friend Ezra Bridger dabbled in the Dark Side without becoming permanently corrupted. Their journeys through the Force are a natural consequence of new stories being built on the foundation of Lucas’ stories. Modern Star Wars has expanded the scope of Force users beyond Jedi and Sith, including the exploration of other aspects of it and how it’s perceived and wielded by those outside of the binary constraints, such as the Nightsisters. Interestingly enough, there’s one character who has traveled all the paths described above, and in Episode 9 of Season 3 of The Bad Batch, her return antecedes the next round of chaos headed the way of Clone Force 99.

    As many fans presumed to be the case, Asajj Ventress is indeed the friend Fennec Shand turned to for information about M-count and, as the episode’s title, “Harbinger”, indicates, her arrival portends dark days for the Batchers. For fans who know Ventress only from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Dathomirian Nightsister who was once both a Jedi Padawan and a Sith apprentice seems like the last person anyone would turn to for help; however, after having been a pawn for others, Ventress walks a different path now: her own. And make no mistake, her meeting with Uhmeeguh falls under the category of one of Star Wars most thoroughly explored themes: destiny.

    Remember… you always have a choice to be better. You always have a choice to… to pick the right path. Even if that choice comes a little late.

    -Asajj Ventress, Dark Disciple
    Asajj Ventress in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 3 exclusively on Disney+. © 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    Explored in the canon novel Dark Disciple, Ventress began her ascent from darkness after teaming with Jedi Quinlan Vos to attempt to assassinate Count Dooku. Though it was believed she died while sacrificing herself to save Vos, the trailer for The Bad Batch made it clear that Lucasfilm saw further storytelling currency in Ventress and in “The Harbinger”, head writer Jennifer Corbett seemed to hint at just what that might be. After revealing the meaning of M-count to Clone Force 99 and realizing what danger lurks for Uhmeeguh and her presumably high Midi-chlorian count, Ventress agrees to test the clone’s abilities with the Force. While Uhmeeguh’s potential to wield the Force isn’t made clear to viewers, what is made clear is that Ventress can sense both her latent potential to use the Force and the danger in which it puts her. Though she skitters off at the end of the episode, it seems highly unlikely this is the last time Ventress and Omega meet. In fact, it might just be the start of one of the most unlikely relationships ever to unfold in the galaxy far, far away.

    Ventress has seen and done it all. She’s walked the path of light and descended into darkness but now, by her own omission, she walks her own path and it almost certainly is shaded grey. Given the totality of her own experiences, it’s almost impossible for it not to be. And what she sees in Omega is someone who, like her, whose life is being controlled by everyone but her…and it’s at least worth wondering if Ventress means to stop that and give Omega agency moving forward. Ventress mentions training Uhmeeguh during the episode and it would seem that might at least one possible option for what happens to the young clone (she’s somewhere between 12 and 14 years old during Season 3). While it’s known that Project Necromancer is ultimately at least sort of successful (Sleepy Sheev does inhabit a clone body in The Rise of Skywalker but it’s certainly no masterpiece) it doesn’t mean Omega has to die. The Bad Batch producer Brad Rau has teased the potential for more adventures with Ventress down the road and given Dave Filoni’s fascination for bringing animated characters into live-action, any number of possibilities exist including Ventress and Omega still being alive and well during the New Republic era. The producers once explored the possibility of using Ventress in Star Wars Resistance which is set long after The Mandalorian and, as the Nighsister said, she has a few lives left. Star Wars loves destiny; Star Wars loves to tell master and apprentice stories; and it’s starting to show some love to those who live in the grey which gives plenty of room for the continuing story of Asajj Ventress…and maybe Uhmeeguh.

  • ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist

    ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist

    With praise gushing forth from all corners of the internet for X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation finds itself in the catbird seat. Following an improved second season of What If…?, X-Men ’97 is the first of three animated series slated to stream on Disney Plus in 2024 and has fans buzzing about the possibility that Marvel Studios May not be dead after all.

    Though no release date has been revealed yet, Eyes of Wakanda has already caught the attention of fans. First announced at the What If…? Season 2 premiere, the animated series produced by Ryan Coogler will tell the story of “brave warriors” who “throughout Wakandan history have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts.” Other than that, little was know about the show but that’s changed now thanks to Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum.

    In am interview with Men’s Health, Winderbaum revealed quite a bit of new information about the series, including where it fits into the sometimes confusing Multiversal continuity. According to Winderbaum, Eyes of Wakanda “fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity.” Winderbaum also confirmed that the series had been directed by Todd Harris which also seems to have confirmed an interesting rumor about the series.

    In 2022, we learned that Harris was creating an animated series about “a secret society of humanoid aliens living on earth dispatches a team of spies across the world to collect a series of missing artifacts that threaten to influence mankind…” and that the series would feature a Mandarin-speaking character named “Jin.” The strong similarities between the official description of Eyes of Wakanda and the original description of Harris‘ show are obvious and further information about Jin seems to mesh nicely with a very interesting rumor about Eyes of Wakanda.

    Scooper CWGST shared a rumor that Eyes of Wakanda would introduce an Iron Fist by the name of Janora, an original character created just for the show, who would be working with a Wakanda named Basha. This lines up nicely with the information we shared in 2022 that indicated “Jin” was a “Chinese warrior” and “perhaps the best trained martial artist in the world.” Her story begins, it seems, when another character named “Bosco” steals one of the series’ MacGuffin artifacts. Connect the dots and it sounds like Basha may head to K’un Lun to retrieve some type of Vibranium artifact and then find himself at odds with Janora.

    Though we can’t confirm the connection, combined with our old Connecting Imaginary Dots piece,the new information seems to support the rumor that Eyes of Wakanda will feature an Iron Fist. Should it all work out, that Iron Fist will show up in the third episode of the series, as per the original information. Either way, it sounds like Eyes of Wakanda is lining up to be a blast!

    Source: Men’s Health

  • REVIEW: ‘X-Men ’97’

    REVIEW: ‘X-Men ’97’

    It’s been said that nostalgia is a hell of a drug. The sentimental longing for an overidealized past can all but rewrite reality within our minds, amplifying our perception of the emotional impact of past experiences and manifesting something that never truly existed in the way we remember it. It’s a road we’ve all traveled and the longer we stay on it, the further we get from the true nature of the original experience. Unlike fortune, nostalgia’s no fickle wench: it provides exactly what we want it to every time.

    Revisiting that imaginary hallowed ground simply reinforces whatever good feeling we’re searching for and is the source of every grumpy old man telling a young buck that “they don’t make them like they used to.” However, as it turns out, they do indeed make them like they used to and, every so often, even better. Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 stands as an exemplar of how studios can revisit known and even beloved quantities while finding something that may not have been there originally. Whether you grew up with X-Men: The Animated Series or have never seen an episode of the ’90s classic, X-Men ’97 is about to become your favorite Saturday morning cartoon.

    (L-R): Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Gambit (voiced by AJ LaCascio), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), and Beast (voiced by George Buza) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    Give Marvel Studios mad props. They smartly leaned heavily into ’90s nostalgia in promoting X-Men ’97, adeptly using the dope theme song from X-Men: The Animated Series and some sweet old-school posters to provide O.G. fans with a phat dopamine rush that reminded them just how off the hook chillin’ on Saturday mornings used to be. Back in the day, X-Men: The Animated Series was the bomb…or was it? Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

    For a nearly unquantifiable portion of a generation, X-Men: The Animated Series was the gateway drug into the uncanny world of mutant heroes and villains created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over 76 episodes, the series–heavily inspired by Chris Claremont’s work with the characters in the pages of Marvel Comics–became a frenetic highlight reel of the X-Men’s greatest hits. Without ever reading an X-Men comic, fans of the show could name a dozen X-Men, define an Omega mutant and summarize some of Marvel Comics’ greatest X-Men runs. Just as Claremont’s life-saving run on the Uncanny X-Men concluded, X-Men: The Animated Series cemented the characters in the era’s zeitgeist. The serendipitous multimedia symbiosis of page and animation no doubt led Fox to the inevitable conclusion that the X-Men would be a hit on the big screen and thus, the X-Men became embedded in pop culture, where they have firmly remained over 30 years later. But if the first three episodes of X-Men ’97 reveal anything, they reveal just how weak our minds can be when challenged by the nostalgia for better days.

    (L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    If you believe yourself a fan of X-Men: The Animated Series, challenge yourself to a modern-day rewatch. Unlike the finest of wines, the series struggles to mature with its audience, limited not only by the technology of its time but also by the sensibilities of an era gone by. And that’s just fine and totally fair…however, as Marvel Animation rolls out a brand new series set in that bygone era, it absolutely needs to be fit enough to survive the onslaught of modern fans. Showrunner Beau DeMayo aggressively relieves the evolutionary force of selective pressure by slightly changing the DNA of the series to favorably adapt to the modern environment in which it will be judged. What emerges is a new generation more fit than its predecessor on nearly every measurable standard.

    X-Men ’97 veraciously maintains the feverish pace of its progenitor. The first three episodes of the season cover more than 20 issues of Claremont’s run on Uncanny and resolve an eight-month line-wide comic run in 30 minutes. However, it’s here where a reflective member of the audience should stop, drop and roll back into common sense: regardless of your modern sensibilities, X-Men: The Animated Series was created to entertain children. In this sense, compared to offerings such as Teen Titans Go!, X-Men ’97 is much more Hawthorne than Hemingway.

    (L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), and Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    The first three episodes offer plenty of rawhide upon which to chew. Is Marvel Animation starting up its own connected universe? The Daily Bugle provides plenty of opportunities to believe so. Despite the statement that X-Men ’97 is doing its own thing, does the appearance of WHiH News portend some connection to the live-action MCU and the Multiverse Saga? When dealing with the timey-wimey concepts that are part and parcel of the X-Men, could the crazy sumbitches at Marvel Studios be planning to capitalize on nostalgia in a way ’90s kids could never have dreamt of by bringing the team that brought X-Men into pop culture back into pop culture in an all-new, all-different millennium?

    As of March 2024, there are no answers to those questions; however, in an ever-expanding wilderness of superhero projects, the fitness of X-Men ’97 is not dependent on the audience’s familiarity with the MCU. Should you have watched all 76 episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series once, twice or nonce, you’ll find yourself fully engaged in the story of Cyclops, Jean and the team as they learn to move forward in the absence of Charles Xavier who, by the way, “died” in Season 5, Episode 10 of X-Men: The Animated Series which aired in 1996. Yet somehow, some way, DeMayo and his writers’ room have found common ground for those who saw Charles “die” with those who only know who Charles is from Logan or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As Marvel Studios rightfully finds itself under fire, X-Men ’97 could ironically raise the roof of what fans consider as the shit while still being enjoyable for trifling busters.

  • ‘The Acolyte’ Provides the First Look at the High Republic Era

    ‘The Acolyte’ Provides the First Look at the High Republic Era

    As Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker, before the formation of the Empire, the Jedi Knights served as the “guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic” for “over a thousand generations.” While the order ultimately fell apart, they had a great run but fans of the galaxy far, far away have never seen them at their peak.

    While the prequels at least showed the order intact and in action, their hubris has already cemented their downfall. What’s been seen onscreen so far, in both films and series, is an order far removed from the glory days of the Jedi, which is why there’s been some serious excitement brewing around Lucasfilm’s latest D+ streaming series, The Acolyte. For the first time, fans will see the order outside of the Skywalker Saga timeline, providing some interesting opportunities to compare and contrast.

    Set in the High Republic era 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte will center around an investigation into a shocking crime spree which pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.

    Disney revealed the first look at the new series today, providing the first ever live-action glimpse at the shape of the galaxy during the High Republic.

    Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The series is set to debut on Disney Plus with two-episoses streaming on June 4th.

  • DC Studios Shifts Its Streaming Slate

    DC Studios Shifts Its Streaming Slate

    Later this year, DC Studios will release the animated streaming series Creature Commandos, the first project of the all-new, all-different DCU. It’s been expected for some time that the next in-universe streamer would be Waller, which was originally on track to debut in 2024; however, according to an update from DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, that’s no longer the case.

    Following an interview in which Peacemaker co-star Jennifer Holland revealed that casting on the second season of the Max streaming series was set to kick off this Summer, Gunn took to Threads to clarify how production on the series would fit into his busy schedule. As was the case with the first season of Peacemaker, Gunn wrote the scripts for the second season which he confirmed have been completed. And though he’ll still be working on finishing up Superman, Gunn will still direct some episodes of Peacemaker Season 2, though likely not as many as he did in the first season where he helmed 5 episodes. The bigger news, however, was that due to the 2023 strikes, Waller is still being written by Jeremy Carver and Christal Henry and will now be released–and be set–after Peacemaker Season 2.

    Originally described as Peacemaker Season 1.5, Waller now finds itself in a new spot. With both Peacemaker Season 2 and Waller set within the same continuity as Creature Commandos and Superman, fans had been theorizing that Waller would serve to explain how characters such as John Cena‘s Peacemaker, John Economos and Waller herself made the jump into the new DCU. While it remains to be seen how that will be addressed if at all, it looks like that ball may now be in Peacemaker’s court.

  • Release Schedule & Episode Titles for ‘X-Men ’97’

    Release Schedule & Episode Titles for ‘X-Men ’97’

    The release of the highly anticipated revival of X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97, is just around the corner. Beginning on March 20th, the first season of Marvel Animation’s new streaming series will hit Disney Plus. Ahead of that, Disney has provided a look at the full release schedule and the titles of all 10 episodes.

    As is often the case with series developed for its streaming network, Disney will roll out X-Men ’97 with a two-part premiere,”To Me, My X-Men” and “Mutant Liberation Begins.” From there, fans can look forward to one episode a week through May 15th. Season one of the new series is set to wrap with a 3-part story, “Tolerance is Extinction.”

    Given the streaming strategy, X-Men ’97‘s run will overlap significantly with the third and final season of Lucasfilm’s animated Star Wars series, The Bad Batch. The Bad Batch’s 15-episode run ends on May 1st, roughly one month before Star Wars next live-action series, The Acolyte, is rumored to premiere on Disney Plus.

    About X-Men ’97

    Marvel Animation’s X-Men’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.

    The all-new series features 10 episodes. The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura, and the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo. Featuring music by the Newton Brothers, Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 begins streaming on Disney+ on March 20, 2024.

  • REVIEW: ‘Invincible’ Season 2, Part 2

    REVIEW: ‘Invincible’ Season 2, Part 2

    In 2021, Season 1 of Amazon Prime’s animated subversive superhero series Invincible enraptured audiences starved for content. An adaptation of creator Robert Kirkman’s long-running Image Comics series, the streaming series worked wonderfully as counter-programming to the world’s most popular film franchise. Season 1’s cagey navigation of the superhero tropes fans think they know and love allowed for its hard-hitting finale to serve as a major shock to the system while leaving fans craving more. Over two-and-a-half years later, in November 2023, the first four episodes of the show’s second season finally debuted and delivered a somber and blood-soaked follow-up that took the series lead, Mark Grayson, on a heavy emotional journey that crescendoed in a reunion with his father, Nolan, and another titanic battle that, once again, left Invincible feeling rather vincible and, of course, teasing fans with plenty of potential for what’s next. Thankfully, the gap between Season 2, Part 1 and Season 2, Part 2 was nowhere near as interminable as the gap between Seasons 1 and 2. On March 14th, Part 2 of Invincible Season 2 debuts on Amazon Prime and the four episodes that comprise it are as saturated in emotional trauma as they are in the blood of the heroes and villains of the series.

    It’s in the exploration of Mark’s trauma where these episodes of Invincible make their greatest impact. While the show’s savagery caught the attention of unsuspecting audiences in Season 1, returned with renewed vigor in Season 2, Part 1 and remains part of the fabric of the story in Season 2, Part 2, Invincible is no one-trick pony. Indeed the show’s greatest strength remains not in its ability to raise the bar in terms of onscreen brutality but rather to generate genuine pathos through the continued exploration of its characters’ response to trauma. As the title character, Mark is rightfully front and center in that exploration but Season 2, Part 2 also peels open the emotional wounds of Mark’s mom, Debbie, Donald, Eve, Amber, The Immortal, Robot, Monster Girl, Rex, Rick Sheridan and yes, even Nolan. And even as the characters recover from black eyes, broken arms and bullets to the head, Invincible never hesitates to remind the audience that it is the wounds others cannot see that heal most slowly, if at all, and often take the greatest toll. And for as depressive and weighty as that sounds, Invincible also reminds us of one of the most important universal truths of humanity: we’re stronger together and none of us need to face our trauma alone.

    Of course, time to heal from both physical and emotional wounds is hard to come by when you’re the savior of Earth and, unfortunately for Mark, the four episodes of Season 2, Part 2 provide the hero no time for respite. As social media continues to keep trying to make fetch happen in terms of superhero fatigue, Invincible Season 2, Part 2 presents the fatigued superhero. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Mark can and will survive and recover from even the most egregious physical damage; however, over the course of these four epsidoes, the question of just how much emotional damage Invincible can sustain adeptly arises.

    One of the few and admittedly mild criticisms of Part 1 of the sophomore season was that it felt bloated with new characters and setups that played no significant role over the course of its four episodes. Unfortunately for Mark, his mother and baby brother and the Guardians of the Globe, those characters and setups are cascadingly paid off, culminating in the episode eight showdown with Angstrom Levy. Already at his breaking point as Mark Grayson’s needs continue to take a back seat to Invincible’s uses, Mark faces an all-new challenge that proves more than the hero can abide, pushing him toward the inevitable existential crisis his ruptured relationship with Nolan created: is he his father’s son?

    As part of a series that Kirkman has expressed he hopes will continue on for seven or eight seasons, Season 2, Part 2 is partially a prolepsis of two major events to be adapted from the 144 issues of the Invincible comics. The ability of the episodes to elucidate the dangers of the present is never impeded by foreshadowing the colossal challenges ahead for Mark. Rather, they continue to provide Invincible with ample opportunity to appraise his abilities ahead of the ordeals coming his way and to find out just how Invincible he truly is. Truly dark and cataclysmic, Season 2, Part 2 of Invincible takes its hero to a place on his journey rarely explored in the genre. And while the final post-credit scene hints that there may be some hope on the horizon, one is left to wonder if Mark can recover enough to recognize help when he sees it.

    Invincible Season 2, Part 2 begins streaming on March 14th.

  • Review: ‘Iwájú’

    Review: ‘Iwájú’

    In the age of remakes, reboots, reimaginings and revivals, new IPs are hard to come by. Even harder to come by are new IPs from the minds of new storytellers. Through an unprecedented collaboration with the Pan-African storytelling company Kugali Media, Walt Disney Animation Studios found just that in the six-episode animated series Iwájú. An Afrofuturist coming-of-age tale set in Lagos, Nigeria, Iwájú plays as a vibrant, fun and extremely fast-paced exploration of some relevant and timely themes. A decade after the studio rolled the dice on Big Hero 6, Iwájú feels like a thematic sequel infused with the spirit and culture of Lagos.

    At the center of Iwájú is the innocent and effervescent Tola (whose spirit is brought to life by voice actor Simisola Gbadamosi) a 10-year old girl whose father, Tunde, has kept her sheltered and safe at their home on Lagos Island. Eager to experience the buzz of the big city on the Mainland with her best friend, Kole, Tola’s curiosity puts her in the crosshairs of the nefarious Bode DeSousa (Femi Branch), a crime lord whose fortune has been made running a kidnapping racket in which he extracts heavy ransoms from the wealthy parents of the kids he steals from the streets. For Tola’s 10th birthday, Tunde–a tech genius whose work with robotics and AI have kept him from truly bonding with his daughter–gives her Otin, a robotic agama lizard whose sole purpose is to protect Tola.

    Eager to experience the Mainland against her father’s wishes, Tola and Kole head to the Ajegunle Market and, ultimately, Tola ends up in the clutches of Bode. While the plot plays pretty straightforward from this point on, the thematic exploration of the economic disparity in Lagos hits hard. Tola’s empathetic and upbeat nature are central to the story and allow her and Kole –with a lot of help from Otin–to prove their mettle to Tunde.

    While it’s still mainly an outlet for Disney to roll out projects from its biggest studios (Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm chief among them), Iwájú reminds us of the full potential of Disney Plus. Screenwriter/director Olufikayo Ziki Adeola along with Kugali Media cofounders Hamid Ibrahim and Tolu Olowofoyeku meant to share their stories and the rich culture of the African diaspora with the world. Their collaboration with Disney resulted in a wonderfully fresh take in a familiar genre thanks to a passionate vision and the means to convey it through strong storytelling and a beautiful and creative visual environment. If you love Big Hero 6, you’ll find yourself drawn right into Iwájú.

  • GoT Prequel ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Set for 2025

    GoT Prequel ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Set for 2025

    As the Summer release of Season 2 of Max’s House of the Dragon draws nearer and HBO begins to develop another Game of Thrones prequel in Aegon’s Conquest, another series based on the fictional world of George R.R. Martin that’s been in development for some time received an update from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov. The Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, based on Martin’s Dunk & Egg stories, has been given a “late 2025” release window as revealed in an earnings call.

    In development since 2021, the prequel series is “set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.” It was ordered to series in April 2023,

    A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg.

    Logline for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

    Production on the series is set to get underway this spring with Martin and Ira Parker serving as the head writers.

  • Max Sets Date for ‘Harry Potter’ Streaming Series Debut

    Max Sets Date for ‘Harry Potter’ Streaming Series Debut

    As part of the rollout of their new and improved streaming service, Max, in April 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed the rumored development of a streaming series based on J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter novels. Warner Bros. Discovery is working closely with Rowling on the series which the author said “will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.” Nearly a year has passed since the announcement and other than a recent comment by Channing Dungey, chairperson of Warner Bros Television, revealed that the studio was meeting with writers in their search for a showrunner, not much has surfaced about the new adaptation. Now, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has provided some info about when the first season of the series can be expected to hit Max.

    During an earnings call, Zaslav indicated that the first season of the news series is currently planned to hit Max in 2026. “We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter. We spent some real time with JK and her team,” said Zaslav of a recent meeting in London with the author. “Both sides just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max.”

    The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.

    According to Variety, the current plan is for the new series to span 7 seasons which would, of course, mean each of the 7 books would be adapted into a single season. Once the studio decides on a showrunner, the casting process could become a cultural phenomenon.

    Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.

    Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content, on the development of the Harry Potter streaming series for Max

    Source: Variety