The Pfangirl.com writing team is (mostly) taking a break for the rest of 2024, with our regular posting schedule resuming on 6 January next year. I personally want to thank all the writers for their hard work around demanding day jobs, the understanding family and friends behind the scenes, and, of course, our readers for your support. Regulars, we see you and are supremely grateful.

Our goals has always been to provide independent journalism and coverage of a high standard, and 2024 feels like a period that our efforts (three years in) have really been noted – reflected in the interviews and events we received invites for, and screeners and game codes we got access to. We’re grateful for every opportunity, and, of course, everyone behind us.

That just leaves me to say Happy Holidays. If you’re taking a break this festive season, may it deliver the decompression and rejuvenation you need. See you in 2025!

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Before that, though, we have one more bumper pop culture news recap to deliver for the year. And before we get into the exciting announcements, we need to mention the sad passing of South African actress Michelle Botes, aged 62, from cancer. Probably best known for her long-running role as love-to-hate villain Cherel de Villiers Haines in daily soapie Isidingo, in more recent years Botes also appeared in Binnelanders and Legacy.

Film

Breaking online records last week was the teaser trailer for Superman, James Gunn’s highly anticipated reboot of the Superman film series, and a tone setter for the new DC onscreen universe.

Superman, previously known as Superman: Legacy, seems absolutely stuffed with characters – look out for the likes of Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl – but your need to knows are that David Corenswet plays Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman as the hero tries to reconcile his Kansas values and Kryptonian heritage. Meanwhile, Rachel Brosnahan is feisty journalist Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor; and Krypto, the Superdog, finally makes his big screen debut in the film.

Superman comes to cinemas on 11 July 2025, and was shot for IMAX. The trailer release was preceded by a poster reveal.

Coming in a close second for the most attention-grabbing trailer of the past few weeks is 28 Years Later, the third film in the zombie survival franchise that, with Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, heralded in a new generation of Fast Zombie movies.

Director Danny Boyle​​​ and writer Alex Garland​​​ (himself an acclaimed filmmaker) reunite for this tale set almost three decades after the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, subjecting the UK to a brutal quarantine, and changing the infected and survivors alike. The cast includes Jodie Comer, ​Aaron Taylor-Johnson, ​Jack O’Connell, ​Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes

28 Years Later releases on 20 June 2025, and will be followed by a sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which was shot back to back… both on iPhones.

Action, romance and survival horror collide in The Gorge, which comes to Apple TV+ on Valentine’s Day, 14 February. Scott Derrickson, the filmmaker behind the likes of Doctor Strange, The Black Phone, Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, directs Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy as two highly-trained operatives who are given year-long posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast gorge, protecting the world from a mysterious evil within. Instructed not to engage with one another, they nonetheless form a connection, which is useful as they must soon work together to combat the gorge’s threat.

On matters of action movies, the past fortnight or so has also included trailer reveals for Daisy Ridley’s Die hard-esque turn in The Cleaner; The Boys’ Jack Quaid in Novocaine, where an everyman uses his inability to feel pain to rescue his girlfriend; and Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio sharing the screen in franchise regenerating Karate Kid: Legends.

Considered a good indicator of the Oscar results, the nominations have been announced for the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards, to take place on 5 January. And it’s a case of blockbusters taking a backseat as the film with the most nominations (10) is Emilia Pérez, about a transitioning Mexican drug cartel head. It’s followed by The Brutalist with seven noms, Conclave with six, and Anora and The Substance with five each. Wicked, for the record, is a contender in four categories:

  • Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
  • Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
  • Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
  • Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

Now for a whole bunch of movie news snippets:

  • Christopher Nolan’s next is revealed and it’s The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem about the efforts of the Greek hero to return home after the Trojan War. The ensemble cast already includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron. As a side note, look out for Ralph Fiennes in The Return, which chronicles the events on Ithaca once a ragged, unrecognisable Odyssey finally made it home.
  • In some notable Masters of the Universe casting, Jared Leto has been locked to play He-Man’s nemesis Skeletor in the big screen franchise reboot, while Alison Brie is Skeletor’s lieutenant, Evil-Lyn. On the good guys’ side Camila Mendes from Riverdale is Teela; and Idris Elba plays Man-at-Arms. Red, White & Royal Blue’s Nicholas Galitzine is He-Man/Prince Adam. The film is currently set for release in June 2026, and Bumblebee’s Travis Knight, the LAIKA head, directs.
  • Coming out on 21 November next year, Part 2 of Wicked now officially has a title – Wicked: For Good.
  • It doesn’t have a director or announced actors yet, but a Clayface movie is set for release on 11 September 2026. Doctor Sleep and The Haunting of Hill House’s Mike Flanagan has scripted this spin-off from the Batman universe, centred on the tortured, shapeshifting villain.
  • On matters of the MCU, meanwhile, it looks like Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell will appear in Avengers: Doomsday in some capacity. There’s been no official confirmation of their participation, but with Robert Downey Jr. also back, but as Doctor Doom, they could be any multiverse figure and not Captain America and Captain Carter as audiences know them.
  • The Pokemon Company and animation studio Aardman have announced that they will collaborate on a “special project”. It’s not sure whether the partnership is film or series related but it can be expected in 2027.

Series

Our top TV story for the period is the official trailer, after much teasing, for Severance Season 2. In this slow-burn sci-fi mystery from creator Dan Erickson and director-producers Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, white-collar employees at secretive Lumon Industries have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives.

In Season 2, the unit of Mark Scout (Adam Scott) and his friends must face the consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, at the same time they struggle to learn the true nature of their work, and connect their “innie” and “outie”lives. The cast includes Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette, with Sarah Bock a new addition for the sophomore season.

The 10-episode Severance Season 2 premieres 17 January on Apple TV+ with weekly episodes.

On the series news front:

Gaming

The Game Awards is one part awards show; one part showcase. The 2024 edition was one of the more satisfying installments, with highlights including reveal trailers for gritty RPG The Witcher 4, centred on Ciri; and the next inventive co-op adventure from It Takes two makers Hazelight, called Split Fiction.

The big winner of the evening, though. was Astro Bot, which took home four awards, including Game of the Year. It was followed by Balantro and Metaphor: ReFantazio, with three wins each.

You can watch the full stream here, see all the winners here, and browse through everything announced here.

As a side note, you can also check out the results of the Indie Game Awards, where Balatro came out on top as 2024 Game of the Year.

This week’s gaming news tidbit also involves an indie game: Car-centred survival hit Pacific Drive is in the early stages of a TV series adaptation under the production company banner of The Conjuring’s James Wan.