It’s Superbowl weekend in the US, which means dozens of teaser and full trailer drops are on the horizon, for blockbuster movies and high-profile TV series alike. Hell, the trailer for trilogy-capping Jurassic World Dominion has already landed.
While we wait for the full set, though, here are the other pop culture announcements and reveals that caught our eye this week.
Television
The most quotable TV series of all time is back, baby! After months of negotiations, streaming service Hulu has finalised a deal for 20 new episodes of Futurama, in what will be its third revival. Slated to premiere in 2023, most of the original cast (including Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille and more) will be returning, with one noticeable absence. Negotiations with John DiMaggio, (the voice of Bender and many, many others) have apparently stalled. Deadline has the details.
The first trailer for Shining Girls has been released by Apple. Based on South African author Lauren Beukes’s award-winning novel of the same name, Elizabeth Moss takes on the role of Kirby Mazrachi – the survivor of a brutal assault on the hunt for the truth about her attack when wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey weirdness ensues. Shining Girls will stream on Apple TV+ from 29 April, with Moss additionally producing and directing.
In other news, Disney+ has finally confirmed a release date for Obi-Wan Kenobi, and somehow it’s not on Star Wars Day. Skipping over the obvious choice of May 4th, we’ll be able to see Ewan McGregor reprising his role on May 25. We also got our first look at the series key art and a few interview quotes from McGregor about returning to the character’s robes, and filling in the jedi’s history between Episode III and IV.
Courtesy of Vanity Fair, we also have our first look at Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Kludging together a story from the backstory laid out in Tolkien’s vast appendices, the mega-big-budget prequel follows young elf Galadriel (Saint Maud’s Morfydd Clark) on what Amazon is obviously hoping will be an epic fantasy journey to rival Game of Thrones. The series starts streaming this September.
Movies
Honestly, it’s more of an obligation to report on the 2022 Oscar Nominations at this point. Interest in the glitzy Academy Awards has been on the wane for a good few years, even before the worldwide upheaval of 2020. Nevertheless, it’s still an industry event too big to die, so here we are. Highlights of this year’s list include Netflix’s The Power Of The Dog, leading the pack with a total of 12 nominations, followed by the “unadaptable” sci-fi epic Dune with 10 nominations. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story round out the biggest contenders with 7 nominations each.
The biggest snubs this year include Lady Gaga, who missed out on a nomination for her scene-stealing work in House of Gucci, and Denis Villeneuve, who was denied a Best Director nomination despite Dune doing well across the board. Spider-Man: No Way Home also missed out on a nod for Best Picture, despite the incredibly difficult task of making bank in a somewhat-post-pandemic cinema world. But the Oscars have never been about popularity, so it’s not too much of a surprise.
You can get Variety’s full breakdown of the nominations here.
Dakota Johnson has been singled out as the front-runner to portray Madame Web (presumably the Julia Carpenter version of the character) in an upcoming Sony project, as Sony expands on their Spider-IP. Fifty Shades star Johnson, who most recently appeared in the Oscar-nominated The Lost Daughter, came out tops in a months-long decision-making process and will join director S.J. Clarkson (The Defenders, Jessica Jones, Life on Mars) for the as-yet unnamed and undated film. More here.
Zach Snyder’s love letter to Star Wars, the grandiose sci-fi epic Rebel Moon, has expanded its cast. The Netflix backed film now boasts a full cast of Sofia Boutella (The Kingsman Secret Service, Atomic Blonde), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim), Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond), Ray Fisher (Justice League), Doona Bae (Sense8, The Silent Sea), Jena Malone (The Hunger Games, Sucker Punch), Staz Nair (Game of Thrones, Supergirl), E. Duffy (Girlfriends, Acid Noir), Charlotte Maggi (complete newcomer) and Sky Yang (Tomb Raider, the upcoming Halo series). More on the epic sci-fi adventure here.
After the teaser that had everyone abuzz (sorry), Pixar have released the full trailer for their upcoming Toy Story spin-off, Lightyear. Along with the trailer drop, we also get a little more insight into how the movie came to be, courtesy of director Angus MacLane.
“Buzz’s world was always something I was excited about,” said MacLane. “In ‘Toy Story,’ there seemed to be this incredible backstory to him being a Space Ranger that’s only touched upon, and I always wanted to explore that world further. So my ‘Lightyear’ pitch was, ‘What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?’ I wanted to see that movie. And now I’m lucky enough to get to make it.”
Lightyear is out June 17.
Alex Garland, director of the bizarre and beautiful horror movie, Annihilation, has joined forces with the home of beautiful and bizarre horror – A24 – for Men. The new trailer shows all the strangeness and foreboding you have come to expect from Garland and A24, while giving precisely nothing away. Men is slated for international release on 20 May, 2022
Gaming
It feels like a relatively quiet last week for gaming news. Probably because everyone is knuckling down to play (and review in some cases) the glut of February releases.
That said, there’s currently a free weekend underway for Ubisoft’s online extreme sports game Riders Republic (ending on February 14 at 11am PT / 8pm CET). Coinciding with the event is a collaboration with fashion brand Prada, to bring its iconic red stripe collection, Prada Linea Rossa, to Riders Republic’s open world playground. For some years now, Pokemon Go has partnered with real-life brands like The North Face and Uniqlo, introducing their offerings to the mobile game, but this is a first for Riders Republic. The in-game Prada collection includes apparel, gear and a special event. More here.
Comics and books
Just two intriguing crowd-funded titles for you today, because we’re very out of touch with DC’s next big Crisis event.
Diablo House is an all-new, horror anthology, featuring terrifying tales about horrendous humans, all of whom are more willing to part with their souls just to get ahead. This anthology features an eclectic line-up, with new short stories from New York Times-bestselling and Bram Stoker Award winner Nancy Holder, board game writers, and comic book authors. The anthology also includes the comics debut of bestselling novelist Grady Hendrix. Kickstarter page here.
Useful advice meets comic! Now funding on the Iron Circus Comics’ website, The Poorcraft Cookbook is a 200+ pages of recipes, techniques, and budget-conscious buying tips from cartoonist Nero Villagallos O’Reilly. This is the third installment in the Poorcraft series, following 2009’s Poorcraft: The Comic Book Guide to Practical Urban and Suburban Frugality, and Ryan Estrada’s essential guide to frugal traveling, Poorcraft: Wish You Were Here. Crowdfunding page here.