Typically we're not crazy about the end of summer arriving, but one silver lining to the change in seasons is the launch of the fall TV slate, which always brings a bevy of new shows to the networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and various cable channels) and streaming services (Apple TV Plus, Hulu, Netflix, Peacock and more).

Fall 2025 is looking to have a solid lineup for viewers, both with a range of new shows and returning favorites. To help you identify some of the biggest comedies, dramas and reality TV series that you should be keeping an eye on, my colleagues Sarabeth Pollock, Terrell Smith and I are offering our most anticipated fall TV shows and why they're must watch.

Read on for our picks and when and where you'll be able to watch them this fall.

The Paper (Peacock)

The Office is, without a doubt, one of my favorite shows of all time. If you were to ask my friends, they’d probably tell you I can even quote lines from specific episodes of the series. It’s because of my love for The Office that I’m optimistic about the sequel show, The Paper.

The new mockumentary follows the employees of a dying newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, as they try to deal with job uncertainty along with the ebbs and flows of their personal lives. The concept of The Paper and The Office are similar, I just want the comedy of both shows to be similar as well. — Terrell Smith

The Paper premieres Thursday, September 4, exclusively on Peacock.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 (AMC)

After spending the first two seasons in France, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 is moving to Spain. Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) are still trying to get home and it looks like there could be a path, but it means venturing into Spain. They’ll face new challenges and new threats in addition to the hordes of undead wandering around.

Daryl Dixon will spend the next two seasons in Spain before the series bows at the end of season 4, so fans will be watching to see how Carol and Daryl’s arrival sets up the beginning of the end of their journey. — Sarabeth Pollock

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 premieres Sunday, September 7, on AMC and AMC Plus.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 (Hulu)

It's just not fall without an Only Murders in the Building mystery to solve. Since 2021, the series has probably been my favorite show on TV thanks to their clever mysteries, fantastic writing and directing, great supporting casts, but most importantly the wonderful and hilarious chemistry between stars Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short.

The show has yet to let me down, which is why I'm stoked to watch Only Murders in the Building season 5, which will attempt to solve who killed the Arconia's doorman Lester, with a host of suspects and new guest stars to choose from.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 premieres Tuesday, September 9, exclusively on Hulu.

High Potential season 2 (ABC)

I started High Potential when it premiered on ABC last fall and loved Kaitlin Olson’s performance as a struggling single mom who has an incredibly high IQ and becomes a consultant for the LAPD, but I got behind on the show and have had to play catch up. But I’m determined to stay up to date with High Potential season 2, as it is probably my most anticipated network TV show this fall.

I'm excited to see Olson’s Morgan Gillroy back on the case, using her unorthodox investigating skills, bantering with her partner (Daniel Sunjata) and trying to unravel what happened to her husband after he mysteriously disappeared years earlier. — Michael Balderston

High Potential season 2 premieres on Tuesday, September 16, on ABC; streams on-demand the following day on Hulu.

Gen V season 2 (Prime Video)

It’s been nearly two years since Gen V premiered, and as a fan of nearly all things The Boys, you can imagine my excitement to see the spinoff series pick up where it left off with Gen V season 2.

With Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Emma (Lizze Broadway) and the other actual “heroes” now portrayed as enemies of Homelander (Antony Starr) and Vought, I’m intrigued to see how the young supes get out of their predicament. On a sadder note, based on the trailer, I get the sense that the real-life death of show star Chance Perdomo, who portrayed Andre, will be handled with care and respect in the new episodes. — Terrell Smith

Gen V season 2 premieres Wednesday, September 17, exclusively on Prime Video.

Love Island Games season 2 (Peacock)

Love Island Games season 2 finally arrives this fall, nearly two years since the first season of the series premiered. Having become a major fan of Love Island USA and just wrapped Love Island USA season 7, the biggest season of the franchise to date, I’m ready to see which past islanders will be competing in the next round of Love Island Games and what romantic connections will be formed.

I’m hoping to see Love Island USA season 5’s Leo and season 7’s Coco, Andreina Santos-Marte and Jeremiah all back on screen in Love Island Games season 2. — Terrell Smith

Love Island Games season 2 premieres Wednesday, September 17, exclusively on Peacock.

Reasonable Doubt season 3 (Hulu)

During its tenure on air, Reasonable Doubt has provided a nice fix for my craving for high-octane legal dramas. With Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and Your Honor, all resting in the annals of TV history, Reasonable Doubt has stepped into the void and is doing an exceptional job showcasing the journey of high-profile attorney Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi).

Since Reasonable Doubt season 2 ended on a cliffhanger in regards to Jax and Lewis (McKinley Freeman) being sued over the death of Lewis’ baby with Toni (Tristan Cunningham), I can't wait to see if this becomes the case Jax is dealt a loss. — Terrell Smith

Reasonable Doubt season 3 premieres Thursday, September 18, exclusively on Hulu.

Chad Powers (Hulu)

Ted Lasso was born from a NBC Sports commercial for the Premier League; is our next great sports comedy going to have similar origins?

Chad Powers stars Glen Powell as a disgraced college quarterback who attempts to get a second chance at glory by donning some makeup and a wig and going by the alias Chad Powers to be a walk-on at a struggling program. The series was inspired by a prank video that featured two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning attend tryouts at Penn State.

Ted Lasso may be lofty expectations, but I’ve been a big fan of just about everything Powell has done in recent years, so count me in on this one. — Michael Balderston

Chad Powers premieres Tuesday, September 30, exclusively on Hulu.

Task (HBO)

Remember how Mare of Easttown, the Kate Winslet-led crime drama, had us all hooked back in 2021? Well, Brad Ingelsby, the creator of Mare of Easttown, is back with another series set in the Philadelphia suburbs.

In Task, Mark Ruffalo stars as an FBI agent who leads a task force created to put an end to a violent string of robberies in the area. There won’t be any mystery for audiences as to who is doing the crimes, as Tom Pelphrey (Outer Range) has been tapped for that role, but the hunt by Ruffalo and his team to take him down has the potential to be pretty compelling TV. And the pedigree of HBO and Ingelsby's last series bodes well. — Michael Balderston

There is no confirmed premiere date for Task at this time, though HBO has confirmed that the series will premiere in September, streaming simultaneously on HBO Max.

Abbott Elementary season 5 (ABC)

Over the past four seasons, Abbott Elementary has absolutely been the best comedy series in my opinion, so, of course, I’m excited for Abbott Elementary season 5. I can’t wait to see Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) take their relationship to the next level, Ava (Janelle James) get reacquainted with her job as principal and what other obstacles the Abbott crew faces as they just try to teach in this modern age. Also, who doesn’t want to see more quirky moments from Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis)? — Terrell Smith

Abbott Elementary season 5 premieres Wednesday, October 1, on ABC; streams on-demand on Hulu the following day.

Nobody Wants This season 2 (Netflix)

If Kristen Bell is in it, I’m usually invested in the project (sans Frozen, which I’ve embarrassingly enough haven’t seen). So when Nobody Wants This debuted last year on Netflix, I quickly powered through the episodes and loved the funny take on opposites attracting and falling in love. She was brilliant as Joanne, an agnostic dating podcaster, falling for Adam Brody’s Noah, a modern rabbi.

In season one, the duo faced a few obstacles as a couple, so I’m left wondering what additional obstacles they may face in season 2, especially given Noah’s promotion in the temple. — Terrell Smith

Nobody Wants This season 2 premieres Thursday, October 23, exclusively on Netflix.

Talamasca: The Secret Order (AMC)

The Anne Rice Immortal Universe is expanding with a brand new spinoff, Talamasca: The Secret Order. Based on the secretive society of observers who keep watch over the world’s supernatural residents, the series will be a spy thriller that sees the agents furtively keeping tabs on witches, vampires and other supernatural beings all over the world.

What we love about this series is that it has the potential for lots of crossovers between Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, so that means we get to see more from our favorite immortals. — Sarabeth Pollock

Talamasca: The Secret Order premieres Sunday, October 26, on AMC and AMC Plus.

Down Cemetery Road (Apple TV Plus)

Slow Horses remains one of my favorite shows on TV, and I’m excited about Slow Horses season 5. However, I’m just a bit more intrigued by the potential of Down Cemetery Road, a new Apple TV Plus series that is based on a book series by Slow Horses author Mick Herron.

Emma Thompson stars as a private investigator who helps Ruth Wilson in the search for a missing young girl, which quickly spirals into a wide-ranging conspiracy.

Premiering right after Slow Horses ends, it could be the perfect complimentary series and another exciting thriller to stream on Apple TV Plus. — Michael Balderston

Down Cemetery Road premieres Wednesday, October 29, exclusively on Apple TV Plus.

The American Revolution (PBS)

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, so there are going to be plenty of celebrations revolved around that, including probably more than a few TV specials. It’s a little early, but one of those is a PBS documentary series from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David P. Schmidt, The American Revolution.

Burns has made a name for himself with his in-depth documentaries, including previous ones about the Civil and Vietnam wars. We all know the basics about the American Revolution, but expect for Burns and his co-creators to dive into things that we may never have known about but should not be forgotten. — Michael Balderston

The American Revolution premieres Sunday, November 16, on PBS.

Stranger Things season 5 (Netflix)

At long last, the final season of Stranger Things is here. It’s been more than three years since Stranger Things season 4 set up the end game in the battle between our Hawkins heroes and the Upside Down, so expectations are high for the Duffer Brothers and company to close out the series.

Netflix is making sure that the series is at least getting an epic rollout, with Stranger Things season 5’s eight episodes broken into three parts. The first four premiere in time for Thanksgiving, the next three as a Christmas Day treat, and the Stranger Things finale dropping on New Year’s Eve.

I honestly am having a hard time remembering a series that has had this much anticipation around its finale since Game of Thrones. Here’s hoping they stick the landing better. — Michael Balderston

Stranger Things season 5 part 1 premieres Wednesday, November 26; Stranger Things season 5 part 2 premieres Thursday, December 25; Stranger Things season 5 part 3 premieres Wednesday, December 31, all exclusively on Netflix.

All Her Fault (Peacock)

When Marissa (Sarah Snook) sends her son on his first playdate, the last thing she thinks is that she’ll never see him again, but when it’s time to pick him up, the woman who answers the door isn’t the same mother she dropped him off with, and what’s more is that the woman has no idea who her son is. So begins All Her Fault, a thriller that portrays a desperate woman living through a parent’s worst nightmare. — Sarabeth Pollock

All Her Fault is coming to Peacock this fall.

All’s Fair (Hulu)

When Kim Kardashian dazzled critics with her turn as a devious attorney in American Horror Story: Delicate, Ryan Murphy quickly recruited her for another series he was dreaming up. All’s Fair is the story of a powerful Los Angeles law firm run by women. Kardashian plays the firm’s divorce lawyer who works with her team to get the best deal for her clients.

I'm excited to see this powerhouse cast that includes Kardashian, Glenn Close and Sarah Paulson. — Sarabeth Pollock

All’s Fair is coming to Hulu this fall.

Halloween Baking Championship season 11 (Food Network)

Spooky season is on the way and there’s nothing like Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship to get you in the mood to bake up some terrifyingly tasty treats. The series, now in its 11th season, features bakers who let their imaginations run wild as they create some of the most extraordinary confectionary creations ever seen.

Each season has featured special guest stars and fun themes so we’re eager to see what this season has to offer. (If they make a life-size M3GAN doll made of cake we’re out of here! — Sarabeth Pollock

Halloween Baking Championship season 11 premieres this fall on Food Network.

Holiday Touchdown: A Bill’s Love Story (Hallmark Channel)

Hallmark Channel partnered with the NFL in 2024, leading to their crossover film, Holiday Touchdown: A Chief’s Love Story, which premiered during Countdown to Christmas 2024. This season, Hallmark is heading to Buffalo to bring their brand of holiday magic to the Bills Mafia. Holland Roden, Matthew Daddario and Tony Danza star in what’s sure to be a holiday classic for years to come, especially if you’re a Bills fan. The movie will arrive during the 2025 Countdown to Christmas celebration. — Sarabeth Pollock

Holiday Touchdown: A Bill’s Love Story premieres this fall on Hallmark Channel and streams the next day on Hallmark Plus.

Next Level Baker (Fox)

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is taking baking to new heights with Next Level Baker. After the success of Next Level Chef, a cooking competition that features three teams competing on three different levels of a moving set, it makes sense that Ramsay would expand the franchise and add baking.

With cold weather right around the corner, nothing beats a good baking show to help us prepare for the holidays and we’re excited to see how Ramsay puts his unique stamp on the genre. — Sarabeth Pollock

Next Level Baker premieres this fall on Fox.

Since it first aired in 2014, historical fantasy epic Outlander has captivated viewers with the time-hopping romance between brave 18th-century Scottish soldier Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan) and his spirited 20th-century-born wife, World War Two nurse Claire (Caitriona Balfe).

With an eighth and final chapter of the saga – which is inspired by American author Diana Gabaldon’s series of bestselling novels – still to come, a much-anticipated prequel, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, now goes back a generation to explore two love stories: one featuring Jamie’s parents Brian Fraser and Ellen MacKenzie, and the other focusing on Claire’s folks, Henry Beauchamp and Julia Moriston.

Launching in the US on the Starz cable channel (episodes will air at 8 pm ET/PT every Friday beginning on Friday, August 8) and in the UK on MGM+ on Saturday 9 August, the 10-parter finds rival clan members Brian (rising star Jamie Roy) and Ellen (Pennyworth’s Harriet Slater) fighting their attraction to each other in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1700s, while Henry (Dalgliesh’s Jeremy Irvine) and Julia (We Hunt Together’s Hermione Corfield) are on holiday in Scotland in the 1920s.

• I went on Outlander: Blood of My Blood set

However, it’s not long before their worlds collide after Julia and Henry inadvertently– and separately – find themselves travelling to 1714 via the same circle of standing stones which transported their daughter from 1945 to 1743 in the original Outlander.

Here, Jeremy, 35, and Hermione, 31, reveal more…

We first meet the couple in the 1920s while they are on holiday in Scotland when they are married and parents to a young Claire, with a new baby on the way. And in just a few minutes there’s a steamy love scene and a car crash that sees you both being thrown into a river…

HERMIONE: "The car thing was actually that was a good day. It was fun. When we got thrown into the river, we fully went in. And it wasn't warm, it was freezing cold!. We were in the middle of nowhere, so we didn't really have a proper base at that location."

JEREMY: "We had to walk half an hour back to a little farmhouse to go and get warm.The stunt stuff's great. I loved it. That's like a fun day out for us. As for the sex scenes, you know what you have signed up for. It's just about making sure that everything’s done for a reason, that it’s relevant to the story and it shows two people’s romance as real as possible."

What was it like filming those first scenes in the Scottish Highlands?

JEREMY: "You've got the four lead characters and I'd say there's the fifth lead, which is Scotland. The scenery is just very evocative. It’s a big land of fairy tales and myths, and you can see how they would be believed in that sort of landscape. They all seem very possible. "

HERMIONE: "I like it when we're out in the elements. There’s something about the highlands and those landscapes. I think it's very inspiring."

Julia is transported through the stones to the 18th century at the end of the first episode and Henry soon follows while looking for her. What was it like playing the same character in two different eras?

HERMIONE: "The clothes helped. Julia’s clothes in the 1920s are very practical and pretty comfortable, I'd say. And then in the 1700s, the skirts are longer and heavier, and there are corsets. It’s a little more restrictive in terms of movement,"

JEREMY: "When I'm filming scenes in the 1700s, getting dressed is an absolute faff! You can't dress yourself. Someone has to come in and help you. It feels quite degrading because you're in your underwear, first thing in the morning, being wrapped up in a kilt, like a baby being swaddled. It's a very different vibe!"

Did you have to do double the research because the series is set in very different eras?

JEREMY: "I focused on the 1920s side of it, because the character is meant to be a fish out of water when he gets to the 1720s. I didn't want to go into a scene as Jeremy, thinking ‘I know what that is,’ because Henry wouldn't know what it is."

HERMIONE: "I would say I probably did more research into the 1920s, World War One, London, England, and women in that time period and what they could do in terms of being engaged in the war. As with any character work, you work out their backstory and what makes them do what they do."

How different is working on a period drama to starring in a series set in the modern day?

HERMIONE: "I wouldn’t say I have a preference. I think it's more down to character and storyline, rather than particular periods in time. I think period dramas are more of a challenge in some ways, because you have to do an extra layer of work, researching the customs of the time and getting that right."

JEREMY: "I don't approach them any differently, but there is something nice about doing a love story, which this show fundamentally is, in a different time period. There are more obstacles and social barriers in the way of characters falling in love and getting to be together! Nowadays, you can just text each other!"

HERMIONE: "It's so much more romantic doing a love story in the two time periods because there is so much more scope for romance and longing. That's really fun to play with."

What did you know about Outlander before you took the roles of Henry and Julia?

JEREMY: "I didn't know about it, particularly, but it’s been a lovely privilege to discover how popular it is. When we were filming this series, the Outlander cast and crew were filming their last season, and we were at the same studio, so we all, we all hung out. There were a few drunken nights with the Outlander gang!"

HERMIONE: "It was so lovely to meet them. We met our daughter [Caitriona Balfe, who plays Henry and Julia’s adult daughter in Outlander]! They were incredibly welcoming, and they told us a lot about their experiences. It’s quite an amazing thing to step into something that's so established and popular."

You’re currently back in Scotland, filming the second season of Outlander: Blood of My Blood. What’s it like to be back together with your castmates?

JEREMY: "This is one of a few jobs that I have done where we are all genuinely good friends together. Tomorrow we are hiring boats on Loch Loman. We hang out more in our off time than we do at work, which is a lovely thing. It no longer feels like coming to work for season two. I'm just on holiday in Scotland with my mates!"

Outlander launches in the UK with the first two episodes on MGM+ on Saturday 9 August. The rest of the 10-part series will be shown weekly.

After its exciting first season, Twisted Metal season 2 harks a lot closer to the video game it's based on, and you can watch episodes from Thursday, July 31.

Twisted Metal stars Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz as delivery drivers in a post-apocalyptic America, with Anthony Carrigan joining the cast in this season.

The second season of Twisted Metal sees the drivers engage in a demolition derby tournament which will see... well, metal twist. Fans of the games the show is from, will know that this is the premise of the titles.

So here's how to watch Twisted Metal season 2 from around the world.

How to watch Twisted Metal season 2 in the US

If you live in the US, you'll be able to watch Twisted Metal season 2 by using the streaming service Peacock. This is also where the first season can be watched.

A subscription to Peacock costs $7.99 per month for its ad-supported tier or an extra $6 for ad-free streaming on the Premium Plus.

So when can you watch Twisted Metal season 2? Well that's the question. Either two or three episodes land each Thursday starting on Thursday, July 31 until all 12 are out.

Here's the full release schedule:

1. PRSRPNT — Thursday, July 1
2. DOLF4C3 — Thursday, July 1
3. T3STDRV — Thursday, July 1
4. LZGTBZY — Thursday, August 7
5. ONURMRK — Thursday, August 7
6. MKAW1SH — Thursday, August 14
7. H1TNRVN — Thursday, August 14
8. SDDNDTH — Thursday, August 21
9. VAVAVUM — Thursday, August 21
10. M4YH3M — Thursday, August 28
11. OHLYNTE — Thursday, August 28
12. NUY3ARZ — Thursday, August 28

How to watch Twisted Metal season 2 in the UK

While the first season was a little tricky to see in the UK at first, Twisted Metal is coming day-and-date for UK viewers.

You'll be able to see the series on Paramount Plus, where the first season was previously added too. The streamer has announced that the series will premiere on Thursday, July 31, and it's not clear whether all 12 episodes will be available to see at once, or if the series will follow the US release (above).

A subscription to Paramount Plus starts at just £4.99, but that's for streaming on the ads tier. If you want to do away with ads, the £7.99 per month tier is what you need.

How to watch Twisted Metal season 2 in Australia

You can watch Twisted Metal season 2 in Australia by signing up for the streaming service Stan.

A subscription to Stan starts at $12 per month for its basic plan, but there are several other tiers which give you more simultaneous streams and screens.

• Sign up for Stan here

The Twisted Metal season 2 episode release schedule will follow the US', and you can find that here:

1. PRSRPNT — Thursday, July 1
2. DOLF4C3 — Thursday, July 1
3. T3STDRV — Thursday, July 1
4. LZGTBZY — Thursday, August 7
5. ONURMRK — Thursday, August 7
6. MKAW1SH — Thursday, August 14
7. H1TNRVN — Thursday, August 14
8. SDDNDTH — Thursday, August 21
9. VAVAVUM — Thursday, August 21
10. M4YH3M — Thursday, August 28
11. OHLYNTE — Thursday, August 28
12. NUY3ARZ — Thursday, August 28

How to watch Twisted Metal season 2 everywhere else

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch Twisted Metal season 2, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite show, movie or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our rankings.

How to use a VPN to watch any stream

• Download the app at NordVPN
• Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
• Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!

Who do you want to spend eternity with? That is the question at the heart of the new comedy, drama, fantasy, romance A24 movie starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Turner and Callum Turner, aptly titled Eternity.

This is another 2025 new movie from fan-favorite studio A24. Already in 2025, they’ve released movies that include Parthenope, Warfare, Friendship, Materialists, Eddington and more, with Highest 2 Lowest, The Smashing Machine, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Marty Supreme also on the docket for this year.

But if you want to know more about Eternity, then read on as we answer many of your biggest questions directly below.

Eternity release date

We don’t have a specific release date for Eternity at this time, but press materials shared by A24 indicate that the movie will be released in November. That gives us the options of November 7, November 14, November 21 and November 28 (possible chance they go with November 26, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in the US).

Eternity joins a very busy slate of movies coming out in November, which include Jennifer Lawrence’s Die, My Love, Glen Powell’s The Running Man, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t and Wicked: For Good.

Eternity cast

Olsen, Teller and Turner lead Eternity, as the characters in an afterlife love triangle. Eternity marks both Olsen and Teller’s second notable movies of 2025 (The Assessment for Olsen, The Gorge for Teller), while Turner was most recently seen in the Apple TV Plus series Masters of the Air.

Joining the trio in the Eternity cast are Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers, Only Murders in the Building), John Early (Search Party, The Great North) and Olga Merediz (In the Heights, Blockbuster).

Eternity plot

From an original script co-written by Patrick Cunnane and David Freyne, here is the official synopsis for Eternity:

“In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Teller) and her first love (Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.”

Eternity trailer

Watch the Eternity trailer right here:

Eternity director

In addition to co-writing the script, David Freyne also directs Eternity. Freyne has two previous under-the-radar movies, The Cured (2017) and Dating Amber (2020).

When Outlander’s first spin-off series was announced, I was not really excited about it. The prospect of meeting Jamie and Claire’s parents made me a wee bit curious, but I was not too sure about following two couples on two completely different timelines. What tied them together besides their future children?

Then everything changed one dreary, Scottish summer day last year, when I sat across from Matthew B. Roberts and Maril Davis on the set of Outlander: Blood of my Blood.

Because I, as well as many other Outlander fans, had in fact been misled about how this prequel was really going to tackle the story of Jamie and Claire’s parents.

Time travel, it’s a family thing

It turns out that Roberts, who is the showrunner and executive producer of Blood of my Blood alongside fellow Outlander veteran EP Maril Davis, has been toying with the idea of a prequel series since season 5 of the original show.

Back then, he approached Diana Gabaldon, the author of the book series Outlander is based upon, who approved the idea of a prequel, and he started thinking: the story of how Jamie's parents met and fell in love is known in the Outlander books as he tells Claire about it, but what about hers? All we know is that they died in a car accident.

“What if they didn't die? She's a time traveler and we know that one of your parents has to be a time traveler,” explained Roberts during the set visit.

“What if they were on holiday in Scotland when that car crash happened? And what if they survived that crash and found the stones ? What if they go through the stones to the time where they meet Brian and Ellen?”

From there, Roberts figured the show would be about telling the love stories of these two couples, who are so intertwined that perhaps without Henry and Julia Beauchamp, then Ellen and Brian’s union would not have happened, meaning there would be no story to tell in Outlander.

Talk about ramping up the stakes! As soon as Roberts presented that time travel plot twist for Claire’s parents, I was sold on Blood of my Blood and wanted to know more.

Romeo and Juliet meet The Sopranos

And here is the thing: there is more, so much more to Blood of my Blood because this show is not just about romance, it’s about clans.

In fact, Roberts revealed that the Scottish clans featured on the show have a mob feel to them.

“You have this big clan, the Grants, and they're like the New York mob, they have all the soldiers and the power and they have the influence with the Crown. And then you have Clan MacKenzie, the smaller, maybe New Jersey clan or smaller Boston clan,” Roberts explained before noting that when he pitched the show, he described it as Romeo and Juliet meets The Sopranos.

“The politics are very much like that, but it's all based in family,” he added.

"It's a story of succession in a way which we haven't really seen in Outlander,” said Conor MacNeill who plays Ned Gowan, during a conversation with the show’s cast. "That's the fresh thing about this show, that narrative of succession and the clan laws in Scotland at that time."

Speaking of which, Scotland is another major character from the Outlander universe that Blood of my Blood is putting the spotlight back on. Because this prequel isn’t just diving into the youth of the MacKenzie siblings or Murtagh Fitzgibbons, it’s also revisiting the place which captured the minds of the Outlander fandom.

“You can put a camera anywhere in Scotland and it just looks incredible,” said Jeremy Irvine, who plays Henry Beauchamp. “Even when the weather is bleak it still looks amazing on camera. It really is magic.”

Returning to Outlander’s roots

Yes, Scotland is magic but so are the studios in which Outlander: Blood of my Blood is filmed. Nothing can quite prepare you, as a fan, to walk through the iconic sets of the Outlander universe. They are gigantic and full of details, and it feels like you’ve stepped through the stones yourself.

Looking around the set of Castle Leathers, the temporary home of Lord Lovat, Brian’s father, which was designed to look like the most decrepit of the three castles featured in the show since Simon Fraser has lost his social standing, I noticed an interesting ceiling showcasing celestial symbols.

Production designer Mike Gunn then said these were meant as a nod to the time-travel aspect of the story, and added that each set used in Blood of my Blood features that type of Easter egg.

He then took us to the great hall of Castle Leoch, where Outlander fans will notice several differences since they last saw it in the original series. The fireplace on one end has been removed, for example, as Gunn figured it would make sense for the castle to have changed during the three decades between Blood of my Blood and Outlander.

“We also shortened the balconies so it would appear that over time, they got bigger,” pointed out Gunn.

In this younger version of the castle, viewers of Blood of my Blood will meet the younger versions of key characters from the main series, like Dougal and Colum MacKenzie.

However, they will have no trouble recognizing them, as details from their overall look were influenced by their Outlander counterpart. Costume designer Trisha Biggar said that Dougal, for instance, already has his signature hat in the prequel.

Showing off the various costumes made for Blood of my Blood, which range from World War One soldier outfits to Beltane celebration dresses, Biggar underlined all the incredible details featured in them and the inspiration behind the designs.

That level of detail in the costumes and set designs of the series is something all the actors praised, explaining that little imagination is required of them when they step on the sets.

“The attention to detail is so incredible,” said Jamie Roy, who plays Brian Fraser. “It really does make everything so immersive that you don’t really have to think that hard. You put these clothes on, you stand in these sets and automatically you are in the world, and you can just concentrate on telling the best story you can.”

He’s right, because just standing in the great hall of Castle Leoch or in Julia’s flat in 1921 London, I felt like I was there, and I wasn’t even dressed in a period costume. And speaking of Julia’s home, it is another place where eagle-eyed Outlander fans will have fun finding Easter eggs and nods to how much of her there is in Claire.

As I left the studios, I could not help but think that Outlander fans were in for a treat with this new series, as it promises to be just as epic as anyone could hope.

And if die-hard Outlander fans need one more reason to check out this new show, note that more than one episode of season one was penned by none other than Diana Gabaldon herself. If that isn’t a seal of approval, then I don’t know what is.

Outlander: Blood of my Blood arrives in the US on Starz on August 8th, and on MGM+ in the UK on August 9th.

UPDATE (July 28): The Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer is now available to watch online.

People have started to talk about the Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer, the first look at James Cameron's third movie in his sci-fi saga. But if you’re trying to find it online, you’ll be out of luck (any you find are likely AI-generated fakes). Instead, to watch the Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer, you’ll have to head out to your local movie theater.

The Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer is playing exclusively in front of The Fantastic Four: First Steps screenings. Though Avatar is a 20th Century Studio movie and The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the latest from Marvel Studios, since they both fall under the overall Disney banner, the pairing makes sense. We’ve outlined all the details you need on how to watch The Fantastic Four: First Steps to see where it (and the trailer) are playing in your area.

As of right now we have no indication of when the Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer will be made available online.

While some breakdowns of the trailer and what it shows us about the next chapter for Jake Sully and his family as they fight against a new enemy are already online, the visuals of Cameron’s Avatar franchise are best displayed on the big screen. That’s likely part of why Disney opted for this exclusive debut for the trailer. Though the decision also raises the question of whether a new trend is emerging for the trailers of highly anticipated movies?

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third noteworthy movie this summer to premiere its trailer exclusively in movie theaters, following Wicked: For Good, which was shown in front of a special screening of Wicked, and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which played in front of Jurassic World Rebirth (all of those are Universal Pictures movies). The Wicked: For Good trailer was released online practically simultaneously with its theatrical debut, but three weeks since Jurassic World Rebirth was released, Universal still hasn’t released The Odyssey trailer online.

The fact that three of the biggest movies coming out in the next year are making people come to the movie theaters to watch the trailers could be the start of a new trend to get people to buy movie tickets, even for movies that they might otherwise have skipped. I’m an example of that.

After the middling Jurassic World Rebirth reviews, my enthusiasm for the movie waned. But knowing that I’d at least get to see The Odyssey trailer was a significant factor for me in going to see Jurassic World Rebirth in theaters.

Now Jurassic World Rebirth and The Fantastic Four: First Steps were likely never going to need a major incentive like a chance to see these trailers to earn big bucks at the box office, but the fact that two different studios are trying this strategy signals that there could be a trend forming. The real test might be if a studio like Warner Bros. opts to premiere another big blockbuster trailer (Supergirl, maybe) in front of one of their remaining 2025 new movies.

Even if this becomes a new trend, nothing may ever top when the Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace trailer played in front of Meet Joe Black.

Avatar: Fire and Ash, starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Oona Chaplin, and more, releases in movie theaters on December 19.

The second and latest episode of Foundation season 3 brought multiple big revelations that could change the course of this Isaac Asimov-adapted show (here's how to watch Foundation season 3 and I'd recommend you do so, because I'm going to jump into big spoilers after this paragraph).

If you've watched the second episode of the new season, or read our Foundation season 3 episode 2 recap, you'll know that the Galactic Empire has a planet-destroying weapon, that the Third Crisis of this season is just a warm-up for bigger dramas to come, and that an elderly Hari Seldon has been whisked away to who-knows-where by an enigmatic entity, taking the form of a long-dead mathematician from Seldon's past, who hints that they could be a god or some other kind of super-powerful entity.

This is just the latest bump in the road for the main driving force behind Foundation: he currently exists in two distinct forms on opposite sides of the galaxy, neither of which is his original form (it was recycled and turn into the Vault on Terminus during season 1), and after his space-faring digital version was mysteriously gifted a real biological body in season 2, it's clear that plans are in motion which heavily involve Seldon.

But what are they? Prior to the release of Foundation season 3, What To Watch participated in a roundtable interview where we asked Seldon actor Jared Harris about his character and performance

The body of the problem

Not beating about the bush, we asked Harris simply what the status of the real Hari is, specifically about his trip to Oona's World in season 2 (where he gained his real body) and where the lingering questions about his humanity could go.

However he responded: "I've got a lot of questions about that as well! I mean, how did he know about [Kalle's presence on Oona's World]? Is it a real body? Honestly, there are questions that I have that I don't know the answers to, and I'm waiting to see what happens if this thing carries on."

At the time of writing, Foundation season 3 hasn't been officially renewed for a fourth season, but Deadline reports that work on it is underway nonetheless. Other works by Asimov that are linked to the Foundation universe, and even later books in the series, speak of super-powerful Eternals who control the threads of time, but the TV show Foundation has adapted Asimov's ideas in very different ways so it remains unclear if that's where the show is going with the deity-like figures it's newly introduced.

It doesn't sound that Foundation's showrunners (David S. Goyer for the first two seasons, Ian Goldberg for the third) are making things up as they go along, though, just that they're keeping the cast in the dark:

"You ask these questions on set, and they smile and nod at you and go 'yeah, that's a good question'. And then you pitch answers to them: 'is it this, or is it this', and they just nod and smile at you and go 'yeah, that's an interesting idea'."

This all sounds to me like the showrunners are just being coy, and that makes sense for Foundation. Lots of the themes around the story (largely in the book, but partly in the show too) are about secrecy, and people being better at their tasks if they don't know what said task is.

The acting challenge

So how much input does Harris have on Hari's character and direction? Well, it depends on the stage: "by the time I enter the conversation, the season has been written, so a lot of that conversation has already taken place in rooms that I'm not in. And when the actors arrive, you start to have a dialog with the writers, and you're mostly trying to figure out how the information that you already have from previous seasons, is still relevant to the season that you're doing."

"There's a good dialog back and forth, taking on board ideas that the characters, who are playing the characters, have. Because after all, our job is to know these characters in such detail, that at some point, we're going to know these characters better than the director or the writer will. But we're not in control of where the story is going".

During the interview, Harris wasn't just grilled for a deep dive into the entire character arc of Hari Seldon. He was separately asked what his favorite thing about his role was:

"Pretending that I'm smart, that's the best thing! That I understand quantum physics, that I'm a mathematical genius, none of which is true in real life".

We also asked what it was like playing two similar-but-different versions of the same character, the digital version in the Vault on Terminus and the real flesh-and-blood Hari on Ignus. And according to Harris, "that was the fun!".

"The pitch of it was that there's these two different versions of the character that you're going to do. It was slightly described as Dead Ringers (the 1988 David Cronenberg thriller starring Jeremy Irons as two identical twins), along the idea that there were these two versions of the character, and they were going to be very different. It was this very attractive acting challenge."

You've had to wait two years for Foundation season 3, so the seven days of waiting for episode 2 can't have been too bad. 'Shadows in the Math', as S3E2 is called, hit Apple TV Plus on Friday, July 18.

In the first episode of this newest season, we caught up with the state of the galaxy 150 years on from season 2: we met new antagonist The Mule, saw how the Empire was losing more and more ground with new Cleons who were unruly than the last, and learnt how Foundation re-established itself after being routed in the last season.

Foundation season 3 episode 2 comes with some big twists and turns though including not one, not two but three revelations which could change the direction of the series. Plus it catches us up with returning characters absent from the first episode and introduces us to new ones who book readers will understand to be pivotal to the future of the series.

So here's our recap of 'A Shadow in the Math'. This article will contain plenty of spoilers, not just for this episode but for past seasons, so you've been warned. No spoilers for future episodes though!

Future calamities and unseen powers

We begin on Ignis. As a comet passes overhead, a ritual is carried out which ends with the reawakening from cryosleep of Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) and Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), and they're welcomed into the Second Foundation. Then we learn that this was actually 151 years ago.

We're told that over the years the duo were woken up for a few weeks every year, for Seldon to educate the Second Foundation on psychohistory and Dornick to help them understand their psychic powers. However Seldon is worried that they're not progressing fast enough to beat The Mule or deal with whatever's set to happen afterwards, so he stays awake, and Dornick is put under for many years.

When she awakens she meets a very-old Seldon, on the verge of death. He's made a new version of the Prime Radiant which contains all the information he knows about eight crises, including the third which is coming soon, as well as "where everything is headed" after The Mule (which implies a bigger calamity in the future, the first of the big revelations I mentioned before).

That evening Seldon is visited by a representation of Kalle (a mathematician, whom we met another version of on Oona's World in season 2 and who gave Seldon his corporeal body there). She creates a portal to take him somewhere, and admits that she needs Hari to have skin in the game because "we can't". This implies an extra hitherto-unseen power of which she's a part, the second big revelation of the episode).

Dornick returns to her sleep-wake cycle for a few more years but gets dreams of The Mule, and wakes up in time to deal with the Third Crisis. However the First Speaker (ie, leader) of the Second Foundation shows Gaal what Demerzel showed the Cleons at the end of the last episode: The Mule's conquest of Kalgan has abruptly frayed the trajectory of psychohistory.

Forces are moving on Trantor and Kalgan

Talking of that prior scene, psychohistory acts as our segue to it: Demerzel (Laura Birn) is still showing Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton), Brother Dusk (Terrence Mann) and Brother Day (Lee Pace) the issue. The former two want to find a way to deal with it but Day seems to think that Demerzel and her reliance on the Prime Radiant is the reason for the decline of Empire in the first place.

Dusk also asks Demerzel if he can be spared the fate of all Dusks in being vaporized in 10 days when Dawn ascends to be Day and Day to Dusk, in order to help deal with the impending crisis. However she denies him.

Over on the planet of Kalgan, The Mule (Pilou Asbæk) meets his new subjects. He tells them about his ability to manipulate emotions, calling people who've been tampered with Converted. He demonstrates this by bringing out the granddaughter of the former Archduke of Kalgan and getting her to shoot herself in front of the audience (luckily for her, the gun isn't loaded). We learn that manipulating many minds is tricky for him, but by sowing fear with stunts like this it makes his job easier.

Back on Trantor, Day is gambling with soldiers at a barracks, and is particularly friendly with one man whose child is very unwell. Day complains about the imminent ascendency and how he'll have to look after a new child when it happens (who would be, of course, the new Brother Dawn).

We return to Kalgan, and to meet two new faces: Bayta and Toran Mallow (Synnøve Karlsen and Cody Fern), two rich traders who've just completed an antiquated tradition called 'marriage' and are on their honeymoon. They're annoyed when The Mule flies his ship in the way of the sun and return to their ship.

There, they're visited by Han Pritcher (Brandon P. Bell), who maligns how the rich like them don't see what The Mule's coup is doing to the lower classes of the planet. He wants them to help him meet the new warlord by bringing him as +1 to a party that the new ruler is hosting soon.

Brother Dusk's hidden power

We return to Day, who's now hanging out with his girlfriend. He muses that he'd like to leave Trantor before the Empire falls, after which Dusk visits and apologizes for not believing Day's skepticism about Demerzel and the Prime Radiant.

We learn that following on from the genetic drift (established in season 1), Cleons suffer cognitive decline quicker (ie, they're younger when they start to lose their mental faculties), and so to compensate, at some point in the past a Brother Day changed the timing of ascendency so that each Cleon was alive for less time. Dusk asks the current Day to revert this, just for a few months so he can help deal with the impending crisis (and put off his own death) but Day refuses.

Next Dusk goes to the robing ceremony, where Dawn is being fitted for his robes for his ascendence, and asks Dawn to come to dinner with the ambassador for Foundation later. He also implies he has another gift for Dawn that even Demerzel doesn't know about, and we quickly find out what it his when Dusk visits a space station.

It emerges that Dusk has created a Dyson Sphere (not a Foundation concept but a real hypothetical idea, more on Wikipedia here) around a Black Hole. It can harness the power of this subject to create a strong beam which can completely vaporize a planet, in the third big revelation of the series which gives scary amounts of power to whoever holds the weapon.

At the dinner with Dusk and the Foundation ambassador, Dawn admits that he has worries about the Mule. Afterward he goes to his quarters to retrieve a hidden communication device, and begins to speak to someone... who turns out to be Gaal Dornick, who tells Dawn that it's time to act.

It has been announced today, Monday, July 14, that production is now underway on the HBO Original Harry Potter TV series at the Warner Bros. Studios in the UK.

A first look image of the series, which is set to hit our screens in 2027, has also been shared, with newcomer Dominic McLaughlin dressed in his Gryffindor robes as Harry Potter.

But eagle-eyed fans of the franchise will notice that the famous Hogwarts uniform has had a slight makeover for the TV series, probably in a bid to separate it from the world-famous movie franchise also based on JK Rowling's bestselling novels.

Both the tie and jumper look different from the ones Daniel Radcliffe wore as Harry in the movies, and while the traditional Gryffindor colours remain the same, the designs of the uniform are definitely different.

The red and yellow piping around the V-neck of the jumper is new, and the lines on the tie vary from the movies, all giving the TV show costumes a fresh new feel.

It was announced earlier this year that newcomers Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout would be playing Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

Along with Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, the trio will be taking on the roles played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who were all propelled to stardom when they appeared in the movies.

New cast members were also announced today, with Rory Wilmot starring as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson taking on the role of Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey playing Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser joining the cast as Garrick Ollivander.

One other exciting thing we already know about the series is that we can expect 10 seasons of the show, meaning the seasons may not be divided along the lines of J.K. Rowling's novels.

The Harry Potter TV series will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max where it’s available, including in upcoming launch markets Germany, Italy, and the UK.

Now that Foundation season 3 is here, people who've been enjoying the Apple TV Plus space opera might be wondering whether it's worth reading the classic sci-fi texts that they're based on. But it's not as simple a question as for most book adaptations.

The hit TV show is an adaptation or interpretation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series of stories, a collection of short stories first written in the 1940s and since collected into a series of novels (and I'll be referring to the series via the latter, as it's how most readers read the books).

Over time Asimov made his series more complex, adding prequel and sequel texts as well as linking it to other book series he'd released, most notably Robot (which you may know as I, Robot is an adaptation of one such tale). Now, it's hard to decide what's required reading and what's not.

But back to the TV show; if you prefer to read a book before you see its adaptation, does that stand true for Foundation? Let's explore.

Do you need to read Foundation to watch the TV show?

In a nutshell, no.

That may be a controversial stance for most TV shows, but Foundation fans largely seem to agree on this point.

The reason is simple: Foundation is less an adaptation of the books, and more an interpretation or retelling of their core premise. It's vastly different in countless ways, and that's not a criticism of the show, as it seems something the creators intended and it works well.

Many of the core principles of the Foundation books don't stand true in the show, and vice versa, and the reason seems to be that the novels are quite esoteric; to survive TV-ification, lots of elements need to be changed.

Take, for example, the structure. Particularly at the beginning, the novels are broken up into short stories that are spread apart in time and space. This would be hard to convey in a TV show, as we wouldn't have any recurring characters.

The vast majority of the novels are told via internal narration or through long-winded speeches, again which wouldn't translate well to the screen.

Foundation (the TV show) adds lots of elements that help us understand the changes in the universe over vast amounts of time. Hari Seldon being an AI intelligence instead of a simple projection, Gaal Dornick using cryosleep to survive centuries and the entire concept of the Genetic Dynasty for Empire ensures we can understand the universe through the eyes of repeat characters.

Plus, sci-fi trends and mores have changed; you wouldn't catch something like The Quatermass Xperiment airing nowadays!

It's best to enjoy the book and the TV show as two separate entities, perhaps with a few shared names and places, rather than as an adaptation. A possible exception is season 3 which, no spoilers, has many more encounters and scenes lifted straight from the books than past seasons.

Should you read the Foundation books?

Even though you don't have to read Asimov's books to understand the Foundation TV show, it's well worth doing, because they're still absolute classics of the genre.

By nature of the medium, some parts of the story are explored in much greater depth or detail than in the show.

Reading them, I personally enjoyed characters' reliance on strategy, intellectual maneuvering and subterfuge in order to solve situations, rather than action or head-to-head conflict like in the show.

The concept of psychohistory is explored in a lot more detail, especially in later books, and I preferred the Second Foundation's treatment in the novels than in the TV show too (it's largely a mystery in the early books, instead of a thing we see formed).

When reading them, you'll need to constantly remind yourself that it's a different thing to the Foundation TV show though, lest you get confused about characters or plots.

• Amazon US: Find Foundation books here
• Amazon UK: Find Foundation books here

Which Foundation books does the show draw from?

If you're going to read the Foundation series and want to focus on the novels that are relevant to the show, there are some you should read and some that are less important.

The first three books are obviously the most important: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation.

Each of the first three seasons of Foundation draw from each of these novels in different ways, and it's not a straight 'one novel to one season' adaptation like in many other series. Elements introduced in the first episode are only mentioned late in book 3.

Lots of aspects of the show are also first introduced in Asimov's universe via the prequel books: Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation, the latter of which was Asimov's final entry into the saga (it was published posthumously). This includes a lot more about central character Hari Seldon, and information about Empire which is scant in the original trilogy.

At the time of writing, the TV show doesn't include much from the Foundation sequels which Asimov wrote later in life: Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, though if the series continues that could well change.

Nor does it include elements from the many Foundation-series books written by other authors, of which there are many.

Later in his career Asimov linked the Foundation books to other series he'd written, though he himself admitted that they aren't totally consistent. But the Foundation show creators have included elements of some.

By that I'm referring to the Robot series: The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn and Robots and Empire, which introduced the now-famous laws of robotics which have been described in the Foundation TV show. These are all set tens of thousands of years prior to Foundation, but there are a few links (like the introduction of the Spacer faction of genetically-modified humans).

Also set far in the past, but linked to the Foundation books more explicitly, is the Galactic Empire series which chart the early days of the creation of the Empire. These are The Stars, Like Dust, The Currents of Space and Pebble in the Sky.

Beyond those there are a handful of stand-alone books and countless short stories, but I've already listed 14 books for you to add to your reading list

• Amazon US: Find Foundation books here
• Amazon UK: Find Foundation books here

Netflix has added The Sandman season 2 after a long wait for fans of the fantasy drama series.

The first season dropped in August 2022, and nearly three years later, we're getting 12 new episodes — although they’re not all landing at once. Episodes 1-6 have arrived today (Thursday, July 3). Episodes 7-11 will be available starting Thursday, July 24, and episode 12 will be available on Thursday, July 31.

Based on Neil Gaiman's comic books, we find the brooding Lord Morpheus, AKA Dream (Tom Sturridge) — who presides over the world of the sleeping — busy restoring his kingdom until a family reunion forces him to reconcile with his past decisions.

Called to meet with his siblings, Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Desire (Mason Alexander Park) and Despair (Donna Preston), Dream also reunites with two more of the Endless brood; stoic eldest brother Destiny (Adrian Lester) and younger, chaotic sister Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles).

But as their gathering is fraught with old wounds, will their seventh sibling, Destruction (Barry Sloane) — who abandoned his family 300 years ago — return to the fold?

“Dream is in a place of rebuilding and is trying to bring his kingdom back to its former strength, but then he’s called by his brother [Destiny] to a family meeting, the consequences of which are enormous,” says Tom Sturridge. “It's thrilling to have the siblings of the Endless together in one room for the first time, though.

“Ultimately, The Sandman is a story about a family and beyond the Endless being these divine embodiments of different expressions of the soul, they are siblings, and they behave and interact in a way that’s entirely familiar."

The new cast includes Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson and Clive Russell as hobgoblin Puck and Dream’s long-time ally, Odin. Freddie Fox plays Loki, the god of chaos, Ruairi O’Connor is Dream’s idealistic son, Orpheus, and Laurence O’Fuarain joins as hammer-throwing storm god Thor.

Plus Douglas Booth is royal emissary Cluracan with Steve Coogan voicing Barnabas, while Gwendoline Christie reprises her role as Lucifer, who vows to destroy Dream.

Teasing season 2, Netflix says: "After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds. To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals.

"But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything. Based on the beloved award-winning DC comic series, the second season of The Sandman will tell Dream's story arc in full to its thrilling conclusion."

As to why the show is ending now, showrunner Allan Heinberg released a statement to Variety back in January saying: "The Sandman' series has always been focused exclusively on Dream’s story, and back in 2022, when we looked at the remaining Dream material from the comics, we knew we only had enough story for one more season.

“We are extremely grateful to Netflix for bringing the team all back together and giving us the time and resources to make a faithful adaptation in a way that we hope will surprise and delight the comics’ loyal readers as well as fans of our show.”

The first six episodes of The Sandman season 2 are available to watch on Netflix now. Check out our best series on Netflix guide for more recommendations.

Max is giving people what they want, as the biggest movie of 2025, A Minecraft Movie, is available on the streaming service as of today, June 20.

A Minecraft Movie is an adaptation of the popular video game series that allows players to create almost anything in its virtual world. In the movie, a group of misfits find themselves transported into the cubic world and teaming up to save it from an evil force using their imagination. Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Hansen and Emma Myers star in the movie.

Audiences turned out in droves for A Minecraft Movie, powering it to a $423 million haul at the US box office, with nearly an additional $530 million from around the world. They back their dollars up with how they scored the movie on Rotten Tomatoes — an 85% positive rating from general audiences — and with all the viral trends that came about from the movie, most notably the wild cheers when the chicken jockey appears.

Critics weren’t so kind to the movie, as it earned a “Rotten” designation from them. It also divided What to Watch, with our Tom Bedford giving the movie a passing grade in his A Minecraft Movie review, and our editor saying that the movie is an example of how “Hollywood hates parents.”

Whichever way you lean, A Minecraft Movie is one of the biggest movies to stream in June, and adds to Max’s solid library of 2025 new movies. Other titles from this year streaming on Max include Mickey 17, The Alto Knights, Companion and Parthenope.

In the near future, the streamer will also add other A24 titles like On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (July 4), Opus (July 11) and Death of a Unicorn (July 25), and one of 2025’s other big hits from theaters, Sinners (date TBD).

In order to stream A Minecraft Movie on Max, you must be a subscriber to the streaming service. If you aren’t, the movie is available to rent via digital on-demand platforms; that’s the only choice for UK viewers right now, as A Minecraft Movie is not yet streaming in the UK.

If you need any final convincing to check out A Minecraft Movie, here is the trailer:

It’s time for a new generation of moviegoers to take flight with Hiccup and Toothless, as the live-action How to Train Your Dragon is now available to watch. But how and where can you see the classic fantasy story? We’ve got all the details you need to know on how to watch How to Train Your Dragon right here.

This is the latest live-action remake of an animated classic, and the second one to headline the 2025 summer blockbuster movie season after Lilo & Stitch became a hit. While some live-action remakes haven’t earned raves, there’s a considerable amount of buzz for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, possibly giving kids and perhaps their parents who loved the original animated movie something to watch together.

If you’re looking forward to watching How to Train Your Dragon, here’s everything you need to know.

How to watch How to Train Your Dragon in movie theaters

How to Train Your Dragon is still playing in movie theaters worldwide.

To find out exactly where and when How to Train Your Dragon is playing near you, check out the movie’s official website or visit Fandango. Each option will let you see all of the locations where How to Train Your Dragon is playing in your area, as well as available showtimes. You can make it a one-stop shop and purchase your ticket for the movie directly online as well.

If you have a particular movie theater you like to go to, you should look into movie theater subscription and membership programs. Not only will this let you see locations and showtimes, but it also gives you an opportunity to save some money as these programs typically offer free, discounted or monthly allotments of movie tickets, as well as deals on concessions and other moviegoing perks.

Is How to Train Your Dragon streaming?

You can now watch How to Train Your Dragon at home. Not through a streaming platform, but via digital on-demand.

Movie fans can buy or rent How to Train Your Dragon on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Google Play and more on-demand platforms.

We don’t have any information about when How to Train Your Dragon will make its streaming premiere, but it is all but assured to do so on Peacock in the US.

We’ll update this post as more info on How to Train Your Dragon’s streaming plans are shared.

In the meantime, you can stream the original animated How to Train Your Dragon. In the US, the movie is available on HBO Max. In the UK, it’s streaming on Sky TV.

What else to know about How to Train Your Dragon

The story of How to Train Your Dragon is well known by now, but here’s the official synopsis in case you need a reminder:

“On the rugged island of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundation of Viking society.”

Mason Thames stars as Hiccup, while Nico Parker stars as Astrid and Chief Stoick is played by Gerard Butler (reprising his role from the animated movies). Also starring in the movie are Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz and Murray McArthur.

Butler isn’t the only member of the original animated movies back for the live-action remake, as director Dean DeBlois takes on the same role for the new adaptation.

Reception for How to Train Your Dragon has been good, as the movie is officially “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. But how does it stack up to Lilo & Stitch’s Rotten Tomatoes score?

Watch the trailer for How to Train Your Dragon directly below if you need any last-minute convincing to go see the movie:

The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon is on pace to bring in $80-$100 million at the US box office when it releases on June 13, according to projections. Combine that with the mega hit that has been the live-action Lilo & Stitch (the second highest-grossing movie of the year in the US after nearly three weeks in theaters), and live-action remakes of animated movies aren't likely going anywhere.

In fact, we already know that DreamWorks is planning to continue with the trend, as a How to Train Your Dragon 2 live-action movie is already in the works.

I understand the reasoning behind these movies — taking beloved IP and giving it a new look to play on older moviegoers’ nostalgia while trying to give younger audiences their own version has been pretty consistent at the box office. But one of the main critiques of both How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch (though notably not enough to earn either a “Rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes) is that perhaps they’re too close a remake of their original material.

When these live-action remakes began in earnest, I actually really liked how movies like 2015’s Cinderella and 2016’s The Jungle Book and Pete’s Dragon expanded on and added new depth to their stories and were visually impressive. I’d love to see DreamWorks do something similar with a movie I feel is vastly underrated in their library: The Road to El Dorado.

Released in 2000 (happy 25th anniversary!), The Road to El Dorado tells the story of 16th-century swindlers Tulio and Miguel who come into possession of a map to the fabled City of Gold in South America, El Dorado, and set out to find it. Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh led the cast as Tulio and Miguel, with Rosie Perez, Armand Assante, Jim Cummings, Edward James Olmos and, surprisingly, Tobin Bell also lending their voices.

Another key component to the movie was its music, which featured a score by Hans Zimmer and original songs by Elton John and Tim Rice.

Refresh your memory by watching The Road to El Dorado trailer below:

The Road to El Dorado didn't quite qualify as a hit when it was released, earning $50.8 million at the US box office. Critics were also pretty divided by it. The movie has a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes (which does classify it as “Rotten”), with some of its critics citing a lack of emotional depth and predictability. But the movie did have its supporters, including famous critic Roger Ebert, who called it “bright and zesty.”

While I would firmly place myself in the camp as someone who really enjoys The Road to El Dorado, the fact that the movie has a split opinion is exactly why it would be a perfect candidate for a live-action remake — you can play around with the story to try and improve upon it.

Because the original animated How to Train Your Dragon is so beloved, if DreamWorks had made drastic changes to the story, then they would have likely heard from angry fans about it. But with The Road to El Dorado, you could take a few more risks with the story to try, add new layers. You wouldn’t have to wholly reinvent the plot, but you could look to iron out any of the perceived shortcomings that critics of the movie previously had.

Beyond that, a live-action The Road to El Dorado could be an incredible visual experience for the big screen. An adventure in the jungles of South America with the legendary City of Gold could be an incredible opportunity for a production designer. Plus, there are a number of exciting set pieces from the original movie that could be fun to bring to live action.

If we’re going to keep doing live-action remakes of old animated movies, let’s at least pick some movies that are in need of a revitalization. The Road of El Dorado is a perfect example of that.

The Road to El Dorado is currently available via digital on-demand platforms or is free to watch with ads on YouTube in the US; it is streaming on Netflix, NOW Cinema and Sky in the UK.

The casting of Daniel Rigby as Uncle Vernon in the new Harry Potter TV series has sparked wild debate over whether the actor is "too handsome" to play the part.

And you have to say, at first glance, the 42-year-old English star doesn't look the obvious choice to play Vernon, who's at one point described by J.K. Rowling as "a large, beefy man with very little neck and a busy black moustache".

Daniel, whose credits include Renegade Nell and Tom Jones, also looks a million miles away from the late Richard Griffiths, who played Vernon with devilish aplomb in the original movies.

One fan wrote on X: "While I am sure Mr Rigby is a fine actor, he is much too handsome to play Vernon Dursley".

Others have observed that at just 42, Daniel seems rather young for the part.

However, there has been a backlash against these views, with a whole Reddit thread springing up to defend the casting.

"I can see Daniel Rigby as Vernon. People criticizing the choice, take it easy! Characterization and makeup do wonders," wrote one Rigby defender.

Another wrote: "No idea why anyone would take one glance at a professional headshot photo and decide someone isn't right for a role. Utterly bizarre".

A third wrote: “Do people think the original cast just strolled up to the set, no make up, no nothing and just… looked like that?"

• Harry Potter movies ranked

Joining Daniel Rigby is A Small Light's Bel Powley as his wife, Petunia Dursley. Bel's casting also raised a few eyebrows, as she's notably younger than Fiona Shaw was when she played Aunt Petunia in the films. The role of their young son, Dudley, is still to be cast.

The makers are no doubt nervously looking at the reaction as they walk the tightrope of delivering on their promise to make a "faithful" adaptation of the books, while also executing a new take. After all, there's not much point to the TV series if it's just the same as the beloved movies.

Also cast in the latest announcement were Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy. Plus Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown. And finally Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.

Let’s be honest, we will only discover the wisdom or not of the casting when the TV series finally comes out next year. All true Harry Potter fans will be hoping the makers have got it spot on...

The live-action remake of animated classics has been a trend for a while now, but it’s hitting another level this blockbuster movie season, as moviegoers have the choice between two live-action remakes playing in movie theaters at the same time — How to Train Your Dragon, which releases everywhere on June 13, and Lilo & Stitch, which is playing in movie theaters right now.

Lilo & Stitch is the latest in Disney’s slate of live-action remakes, this one for the 2002 animated movie about a mischievous alien who is befriended by a young girl in Hawaii. Meanwhile, the live-action of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon about a young Viking who becomes the first in his village to befriend a dragon instead of hunt one, is one of the first live-action remakes of a DreamWorks Animation movie.

Because of their proximity in release and the fact that they’re targeting the same primary audiences (both young kids and even a number of adults who are nostalgic for the animated movies), How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch are going to be compared to each other a lot, including with what so many movies are based on these days, their Rotten Tomatoes scores.

With reviews for How to Train Your Dragon now available, we’re making it easy for you to compare the two with a breakdown of how both movies are scoring on Rotten Tomatoes as of publication (we’ll update this post as How to Train Your Dragon gets more reviews in).

How to Train Your Dragon Rotten Tomatoes score

As of June 12, How to Train Your Dragon is "Certified Fresh" at an 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The takeaway from critics is that the movie is a faithful adaptation of the original animated movie, maybe too much so.

Helen O’Hara of Empire Magazine wrote, “It’s clearly made with real love and care, but shows far too much deference to its progenitor. Even in a remake, we need more originality and less playing the hits.”

Slant Magazine’s Justin Clark adds, “As heartwarming as this story remains at its core, it’s hard to shake that you already know how it will play out.”

However, a number of critics praised what the live-action remake brought to the table.

Brian Truitt of USA Today called How to Train Your Dragon “a heartwarming, meaty adventure perfect for a new generation of young film fan (sic) but doesn’t forget to entertain the older movie kids, either.”

The Associated Press’ Lindsey Bahr wrote, “It’s the kind of immersive sensation and giddy wish fulfillment that might just have you forgetting momentarily to breathe and, maybe more importantly, that you’re still in a movie theater.”

At this time, there are no fan reactions or scores for the movie.

For comparison, the original How to Train Your Dragon has a 99% “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lilo & Stitch Rotten Tomatoes score

The bar that How to Train Your Dragon will have to clear with critics on Rotten Tomatoes is Lilo & Stitch's 72% “Fresh” score. However, it’s worth noting that the Disney live-action remake has a “Verified Hot” score of 93% from general moviegoers. The original Lilo & Stitch animated movie earned an 86% “Certified Fresh” score.

The critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon — the remake recaptures a lot of what movie fans loved about the original, though critiques revolve it either not quite living up to the original. Still, at 72% “Fresh,” Lilo & Stitch has one of the better scores for a Disney live-action remake (ahead of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast and 2023’s The Little Mermaid).

While the critical consensus can sum up the general feelings about a movie, the biggest factor for whether a movie is a hit or not is how it performs at the box office. And in that regard, Lilo & Stitch is a bonafide hit. The movie has made $335.7 million as of publication in the US, and $772.5 million worldwide. Those numbers make it the second highest-grossing movie of 2025 in the US to date, and the third highest-grossing in the world.

You can watch Lilo & Stitch in movie theaters right now, while How to Train Your Dragon premieres worldwide on June 13.

If you want to rewatch the animated movies as well, Lilo & Stitch is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus, while How to Train Your Dragon is streaming on Peacock and Max.

Excited about the release of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon set for next Friday, June 13? Well then, you’re probably going to want to watch Soaring to Life: The Making of How to Train Your Dragon, a behind-the-scenes special for the movie that is airing on NBC on Friday, June 6, at 8 pm ET/PT.

How to Train Your Dragon, one of WTW’s most anticipated summer blockbuster movies of 2025, is a remake of the classic 2010 animated movie of the same name about a Viking boy named Hiccup who goes against his people’s traditions of fighting dragons to befriend one named Toothless. Dean DeBlois, who directed the original animated movies, directs the live-action version as well, which stars Mason Thames as Hiccup, Nico Parker as Astrid and Gerard Butler as Stoic, taking on the role he voiced in the original movie.

In Soaring to Life, NBC has put together a half-hour special that shows how DeBlois took his original animated vision and reimagined it for this new adaptation. That included elaborate hand-crafted sets and cutting-edge filmmaking technology, which will all be previewed by Thames, Parker and Butler in the special.

To watch Soaring to Life: The Making of How to Train Your Dragon on NBC, you must have access to the broadcast network. That can be through a traditional pay-TV provider, a TV antenna or a live TV streaming service (Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV are all examples of ones that carry NBC). Peacock Premium Plus subscribers can also watch the special live on the streaming platform, while all Peacock subscribers can watch it on-demand starting Saturday, June 7.

If the special has you itching to watch the original animated How to Train Your Dragon again ahead of the live-action remake, the movie is currently streaming on Peacock (as well as Max).

At this time, there are no reviews for How to Train Your Dragon. However, the movie was shown in its entirety at the annual CinemaCon conference in April, where early reactions were quite strong, as shared by Rotten Tomatoes.

NBC has been helping to build the excitement for some big Universal Picture movies recently. Last fall they had a Wicked special ahead of the movie musical’s release; they’ll be doing the same this fall ahead of Wicked: For Good.

But tonight is for How to Train Your Dragon. Again, you can tune in for the special at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC, or stream it on demand on Peacock starting June 7.

Check out the How to Train Your Dragon Trailer right here:

Paranormal romance has arrived on Passionflix with the debut of Black Dagger Brotherhood. Based on JR Ward's bestselling novels, the inaugural season of the series follows the events of the first book, Dark Lover, and its vampire protagonist Wrath (Robert Maaser, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina) and Beth (Olivia Applegate, Love & Death), the woman he's sworn to protect. What to Watch previewed the first episode and the vampire series manages to sink its teeth from the very start.

Wrath is the last pureblooded vampire and leader of the clan of warrior vampires known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood. An old friend asks him to watch over his half-human daughter, Beth, who has no idea that she's not fully human. Wrath doesn't want to accept the job but as soon as he meets Beth he's drawn to her. Beth's life is in danger, but thankfully she has the most powerful vampire around to protect her.

The rest of the cast is made up of Joel Cederberg, Michael Roark (The Young and the Restless), Alex Cubis, Andrew Biernat (Wait with Me), Sia Zami and Victory Van Tuyl.

It's important to note that Passionflix is committed to bringing several books to life (Ward has written over 20 books in the BDB series thus far) and the actors have signed on to be part of this world for about 15 years and however many seasons of the story they can put together. The characters they play show up in various ways in each book, so you'll be seeing a lot from these actors in the future.

Black Dagger Brotherhood's strength is that the story and dialogue have been faithfully translated from page to screen, as is the Passionflix way. In that regard, it's going to be a massive hit for Ward's fans who love the stories and want to see them come to life as authentically as possible. (In case you're wondering what Ward thought of the casting, you can watch her reaction to the first time seeing Maaser as Wrath below)

The show's strength is also a potential weakness, though; if you're not a fan of the books, then the series may not be your cup of O-negative. (Then again, there have been several instances where I have not cared for the book version but ended up loving the Passionflix adaptation.)

Admittedly, I'm a newcomer to Ward's BDB world. I didn't read Dark Lover until Passionflix optioned the series so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into the series. I didn't have a vision of what the characters needed to look like but I trusted Passionflix to deliver the same top-level casting that fans have come to expect. I wasn't disappointed.

I was drawn into the story from the start. I don't recall all of the details from the book so there were lots of elements I didn't understand, but I know that everything will be explained in time. For the uninitiated, patience will be key, as there is a lot of world-building that has to happen in order for Ward's world to come to life.

I can't say enough about the scope and magnitude of this series. Though I've only seen one episode, every detail of Ward's world has been recreated faithfully and in loving detail. It's a thrilling start to what's about to be a very long relationship.

New episodes of Black Dagger Brotherhood stream on Thursdays on Passionflix.

Anyone want to hit the road through time and space with Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie? That is what looks to be on the table with A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, a 2025 new movie that blends romance and fantasy.

Farrell briefly teased the movie in an interview with Collider back in 2024. He described A Big Bold Beautiful Journey as “magical realism.” “It’s grounded in a world that we recognize, but it also is removed enough into the world of fantastical that it goes into these kinds of whimsical places,” he added.

If that intrigues you, read on to find out more about A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, including when it is going to premiere, who else stars and get a look at the movie’s trailer.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey release date

Audiences will be able to watch A Big Bold Beautiful Journey when it premieres on September 19 in the US, UK and elsewhere around the world. It will initially be playing exclusively in movie theaters.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey cast

Farrell and Robbie star as A Big Bold Beautiful Journey's central characters, David and Sarah. This is the first time in a few years that we’ve seen either Farrell or Robbie on the big screen.

The last movie that Farrell starred in was The Banshees of Inisherin, for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Though he has still had some prominent roles, just on TV, as he’s starred in the Apple TV Plus series Sugar and the HBO series The Penguin. In addition to marking a return to the big screen, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a reunion for Farrell with director Kogonada, as the two worked together on After Yang.

Robbie, meanwhile, hasn’t been on screen at all since she fronted the 2023 blockbuster Barbie. Instead, she’s been busy behind the camera, producing movies like Saltburn and My Old Ass, as well as serving as an executive producer on the Netflix series Sirens.

Official press materials also cite Kevin Kline (Disclaimer) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) as members of the cast. Other outlets also include Jodie Turner-Smith (The Agency), Lily Rabe (Shrinking), Hamish Linklater (Nickel Boys) and Billy Magnussen (Lilo & Stitch) being in the movie.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey plot

With an original script by Seth Reiss (The Menu), here is the official synopsis for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey:

“What if you could open a doorway and walk through it to re-live a defining moment from your past? Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on A Big Bold Beautiful Journey — a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present… and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.”

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey trailer

Be whisked away on the magical journey of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey by watching the trailer directly below:

Who is Kogonada?

South Korean filmmaker Kogonada is the director of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. He began his career creating video essays about movies and TV shows, but has now become an acclaimed director of them in his own right. To date his feature directing credits include the movies Columbus (2017) and After Yang (2021), as well as multiple episodes of the TV series Pachinko and The Acolyte.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey behind the scenes

Sony Pictures is the studio behind A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, while production companies TriStar Pictures, 30WEST, Chapel Place Productions, Imperative Entertainment and Original Films working on the movie.

The movie’s producers include Bradley Thomas, Ryan Friedkin, Reiss and Youree Henley.

If you’ve still got Cynthia Erivo belting out “Defying Gravity” in your head, then you’re probably anxiously awaiting the Wicked: For Good trailer to give you the first look at the continuing story of Elphaba and Glinda that started with the 2024’s breakout hit Wicked. Well, the wait will soon be over, but there’s a way to watch the Wicked: For Good trailer before most of the rest of the world — at a special re-release of Wicked in movie theaters on Wednesday, June 4.

This one-day screening of Wicked in select North American movie theaters will not only include the Oscar-winning, $755 million box office earner movie (WTW’s top movie of 2024), but at the end of the movie fans will be treated to the Wicked: For Good trailer.

These screenings will take place at more than 100 movie theaters in the US and Canada at the same time (6 pm ET/3 pm PT) to ensure that all in attendance will see the trailer at the same time. After the screenings the trailer will then be made available online for everyone else to watch.

Among the theaters that are participating in this Wicked event are ones located in Los Angeles, New York City, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, DC, Vancouver, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix and dozens more. Check Fandango and other local listings to see if and where the Wicked special screenings are taking place in your area, or visit the official Wicked website.

In addition to the trailer, attendees will also receive exclusive in-theater giveaways, including a Wicked: For Good commemorative film poster.

Based on the Broadway play, Wicked is an alternative version of the classic story of world of Oz we know from The Wizard of Oz. It focuses on Elphaba and Glinda and their relationship as their lives take different paths, with Elphaba ultimately becoming known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda becoming Glinda the Good Witch. Erivo stars as Elphaba with Ariana Grande playing Glinda; both stars were Oscar-nominated for their performances in Wicked.

Also starring in Wicked are Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang and more. The movie is directed by Jon M. Chu.

Wicked: For Good premieres exclusively in movie theaters on November 21. You can stream Wicked right now on Peacock in the US; it’s available to rent via on-demand in the UK.

After months of speculation and anticipation, the three main roles have been cast for the new Harry Potter TV series.

It was revealed today, Tuesday, May 27, that the HBO series will see newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

The trio will be taking on the roles played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who were all propelled to stardom when they appeared in the movies.

The TV series is set to be a 'faithful adaptation of JK Rowling's book series, and more than 30,000 children auditioned when an open casting call for the roles was announced last year.

Speaking of trying to find the perfect actors for the roles, executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod said: “After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”

While this is the first time all three of the stars will front a major series, they aren't complete strangers to the world of TV and theatre. Arabella has previously starred in the West End production of Matilda, as well as the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of Starlight Express.

Meanwhile, Alastair has appeared in TV advertisements, and Dominic is set to be seen in Sky Original comedy Grow.

The young cast will join John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, with the school's key professors being played by Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu, as Severus Snape.

Other confirmed actors in the series include Nick Frost as the affable groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as professor Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as caretaker Argus Filch.

The Wheel of Time's legion of fans have reacted with a mixture of fury and disbelief at the news that the sci-fi hit has been axed after three seasons.

A campaign is now on to save the show, starring Rosamund Pike and based on Robert Jordan's book series, either by getting Prime Video to reverse its decision or by encouraging another streamer to pick the series up.

It's a puzzling move by Prime Video to many, as the third series has a 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with the general feeling that it was the best of the lot.

One fan wrote on X: "This story 100 per cent deserves to be told. Please find it a new home. It’s so good."

"We need to finish this incredible story," wrote another. Others mentioned feelings of grief, frustration, and fury at the show’s axing.

Some vented frustration that The Wheel of Time has been axed, while Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power has been renewed despite a less positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

So why did Prime Video axe The Wheel of Time?

Deadline reports the series was axed due to a mixture of money and the fact that its audience had slipped in America, with the fantasy saga's third season dropping out of Nielsen's Top 10 Originals ranker after the third week. In short, not enough people were watching it in America, and it's very expensive.

The Wheel of Time certainly isn't cheap to make. Various estimates put it at over $10 million per episode.

How likely is it that another streamer will pick up The Wheel of Time?

While fans shouldn’t give up hope, as Netflix, for example, has rescued series before, the eye-wateringly high budget is going to make bosses think twice. On the positive side, they know there's an audience for the show.

The first three seasons are available to watch on Prime Video now. Setting up the series and her character, Moiraine Damodred, before the first series, star Rosamund Pike said: "Moiraine is the guide figure. She changes the youngsters’ lives forever as they go out into the big bad world.

"As the series goes on, the group fragments and splinters, and you begin to realize where the wheels of power turn in this world. The intrigue and drama escalate to another level and the story gets bigger and bigger."

"Moiraine is very driven and single-minded. She has a true path and follows her purpose to the cost of everything else. She’ll sacrifice love, friendship, and family for what she believes in. It’s like a religion that she’s bound to."

Is anyone going to fork out the money to save The Wheel of Time? Let's hope so.

Rom-coms and action. Everybody associates them with Netflix, and they've proved to be the foundation of their movie line-up. There are generous helpings of sci-fi and horror as well, but when it comes to critical acclaim, the streamer has made a name for itself in a separate genre. Animation.

They've become a regular among Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, giving Disney a run for their money, and as recently as 2023, had a pair of films competing against each other on the shortlist. One was a computer-animated fantasy, The Sea Beast (2022), which received an impressive 94% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Made with families in mind, the movie more than lived up to the "animation isn’t just for kids" mantra, with its environmental messages and extraordinarily detailed visuals, as well as some literary references. The brainchild of Chris Williams, director/writer of Disney’s Oscar-winning Big Hero 6 (2014), it ventured back in time to what looked like the 1800s, a massive change of setting after his previously futuristic vision where the main character was a personal healthcare robot.

It’s the epic tale of Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator), whose parents were killed in a sea beast attack and, after escaping from an orphanage, stows away in the good ship Inevitable. Captain Crow (the voice of Jared Harris), first mate Jacob (voiced by Karl Urban), and the crew are pursuing a monster known as the Red Bluster but when Maisie and Jacob are separated from the ship, the girl becomes friends with the giant creature, complicating matters no end.

• Best movies on Netflix right now

The monster itself is a startling shade of red and draws on favourites like Moby Dick and Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon and its ocean habitat is truly spectacular. The animation really comes into its own in creating some stirring action sequences, while still holding on to its anti-hunting theme. What makes the film’s animation truly stand out is the human characters, which are even better drawn.

A feast for the eyes, working on a number of levels and appealing to audiences of all ages, it’s often overshadowed by the other contender that year for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. That film? Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which was the winner.

There's an impressive line-up of talent voicing the characters, including Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Jim Carter and Doon Makichan, as well The Boys’ Urban and the distinctively rasping tones of Jared Harris. He's due back on our screens when the long-awaited third season of Foundation lands on Apple TV Plus on July 11.

His pivotal role, that of famed mathematician and psychologist Hari Seldon, is just the latest highly praised performance from the actor who, after coming to the fore in Mad Men, cemented his star status in Chernobyl (2019) as Valery Legasov, the true-life scientist who headed the team responding to the 1986 disaster. The role that everybody associates with him resulted in a BAFTA, as well as a slew of nominations.

It’s two years since Foundation, based on the novels by Isaac Asimov, first arrived on our screens. The epic saga of the fall of an empire spanning 25 million worlds, it focuses on Seldon (Harris) and his theory of “psychohistory” which can predict the empire's fall.

The new season starts 152 years after the shocking events of season two and the latest teaser promises nothing short of all-out war. Alongside Harris, Lee Pace returns as the formidable Brother Day — but with a very different look — and Lou Llobell is back as mathematician Gaal Dornick. New faces include Cherry Jones and Oscar winner Troy Kotsur (CODA) as Preem Palver, leader of a planet full of psychics.

While the third season promises to be full of action and intrigue that fans expect, there’s good news about the future of the show as a whole. After production of the new season wrapped last year, its original showrunner, David S Goyer, decided to leave, but he’s being replaced by Fear The Walking Dead writer, Ian Goldberg, and work on the script for season four is currently underway. Looks like there’s a whole lot more to come from Foundation — and July isn’t as far away as it sounds!

Season three of Foundation arrives on Apple TV Plus on 11 July in the US and UK. Seasons one and two of Foundation are currently available on Apple TV Plus in the US and UK.

The Sea Beast is on Netflix in the US and UK.

They may not be Earth’s mightiest heroes, but the Thunderbolts* are the next Marvel team getting the big screen treatment. And with the movie getting some of the best reviews for any Marvel movie in a while, there’s plenty of excitement to check this one out, so we’ve got all you need to know about how to watch Thunderbolts* right here.

The second of three Marvel movies to be included in the 2025 new movie schedule (after Captain America: Brave New World and ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Thunderbolts* brings together many recognizable faces from past Marvel projects, including Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as it’s the antiheroes' turn to try and save the day.

Find everything about how, when and where to watch Thunderbolts* directly below.

How to watch Thunderbolts* in movie theaters

Thunderbolts* is no longer playing in movie theaters in the US or UK.

Is Thunderbolts* streaming?

Thunderbolts* is available to watch at home now, as the movie is available via digital on-demand platforms.

You can buy or rent Thunderbolts* on Fandango at Home, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube and Prime Video.

We don’t have any timeframe on when Thunderbolts* will eventually makes its streaming debut on Disney Plus.

We’ll update this post as more information comes in about the Thunderbolts* at-home viewing plan.

What else to know about Thunderbolts*

Here is the official synopsis for Thunderbolts*:

“Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”

As mentioned, the cast includes Florence Pugh as Yelena, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, David Harbour as Red Guardians and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina, while they are joined by Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster and Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost. Others making their MCU debut in the movie include Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Pierce.

The movie is directed by Jake Schreier, whose notable other directing credits include all six episodes of Netflix’s Beef and an episode of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

The critical reception for Thunderbolts* has been good, with the movie being “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 88%, making it the highest rated Marvel movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Check out the trailer for Thunderbolts* right here if you need any final convincing to go see the movie:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks has a special place in my heart ever since my late dad took me to see Angela Lansbury's Disney classic at my local Odeon cinema in south London in 1972. I was just four years old and totally enthralled, insisting Father Christmas deliver me the album of the film I'd seen on the shleves in Woolworths. I played that on endless repeat throughout the 1970s.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks was the first musical I'd ever seen and to watch such a magical spectacle unfold on a big screen has obviously clouded my judgment somewhat in concluding that Bedknobs and Broomsticks is the best live/animated action musical produced by the Disney film studios, including Mary Poppins!

The movie of Bedknobs and Broomsticks followed three siblings, Charlie, Carrie, and Paul Rawlins, who during World War Two were evacuated from London to England's south coast where they were billeted (by Tessie O'Shea no less) to go and live with the very eccentric, motorbike-driving spinster Eglantine Price, played by Angela Lansbury, who they soon discovered was an apprentice witch! Cue them all going on a magical adventure thanks to an enchanted bed knob which whisked a double bed to any location the youngest child Paul cared to mention and hooking them up with Professor Emeritus Brown (David Tomlinson) a delightful if dubious magic show man who'd been 'selling' spells to Miss Price as part of a made-up university's correspondence course. He was shocked that his 'mumbo jumbo' spells actually worked, as he found out when Miss Price turned him into a cartoon rabbit!

For many reasons, Bedknobs and Broomsticks has been compared to Mary Poppins, a Disney musical made seven years previously, as both involve magical women who sing and dance and have their quirks and oddities.

They both end up looking after initially sceptical children, but those comparisons have often been unfavourable to Bedknobs and Broomstricks. Mary Poppins was released in 1964 so came first and for this reason has the better reputation of the two among many Disney fans who simply believe Bedknobs was a downgraded version of a very similar story. But as we shall explore below, I believe this is totally unfounded. Out of the two, I think Bedknobs and Broomsticks is the better movie and here's why...

My assessment of The Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mary Poppins cast

British stars Angela Lansbury and Julie Andrews had ruled the stages of London's West End. Mary Poppins was Julie Andrews first ever movie role, and although she was fantastic I felt Angela Lansbury had more of a movie pedigree by 1971, with The Picture of Dorian Gray and Blue Hawaii to name but two, and I just felt she gave Eglantine Price in Bedknobs just the right amount of eccentricity needed for her lovable witch. Julie just played Mary Poppins as a strait-laced nanny who did some magic as the job required, but within the bigger plan of bringing Michael and Jane Banks closer to their parents, particularly their dad.

To give credit to both Julie Andrews and Angela Lansbury, both actors actually sang the songs themselves without dubbing as had been the case with many musicals in the 1950s, 60s and 70s — go check out My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Gigi and Oliver! So in my opinion, this puts both as a star rating above many leading ladies in musicals of that era.

Around 1969, Julie Andews had actually been offered the role of Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks first but sensibly turned it down as she didn't want another 'magical lady' role which could typecast her. Angela stepped in and the rest is history...

The child actors in Bedknobs and Broomsticks were Iain Weighill as Charlie, Cindy O'Callaghan as Carrie, and Roy Snart as Paul and as a South Londoner I think I identified with these three Rawlins kids and their cockney-ness much more than the Poppins pair (and the less said about Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent in Mary Poppins the better of course).

Michael and Jane Banks were cute in their own way, but were essentially little rich kids lacking parental love. Charlie, Carrie and Paul were scampish and weren't above a bit of bribery to get their way, even using blackmail to get some better food on the table by threatening to tell all about Miss Price being a witch! The three young Bedknobs actors were just less 'stage school' and more of the real world than the Poppins duo and I stick by this with every viewing. I'm not sure of the actors' history before Bedknobs but I see Cindy O'Callaghan went on to play Andrea Price in EastEnders — wondering now if the Walford surname of Price was an inside joke re Angela Lansbury's Miss Price.

David Tomlinson had the luck to appear in both movies as Mr Banks and Professor Emeritus Brown. He absolutely shone in both, there's no doubt, and held Mary Poppins together for the main thrust of the story, in that he was a father who loved his children dearly but was unable to show it, until Mary Poppins intervenes.

In Bedknobs, Emeritus Brown was the interloper and a con man who put together a bogus correspondence course to which Miss Price had signed up and paid for. He truly shone through in Bedknobs during the cartoon scenes, taking Eglantine's arm under the sea for a Strictly-style underwater ballroom spectacular and then refereeing a football match between wild animals on the island of Naboombu! Apart from the Let's Go Fly A Kite finale in Mary Poppins, Mr Banks had less of an opportunity to shine.

Comparing the songs

Firstly, it has to be said that both Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks have wonderful songs by the legendary Sherman brothers but for a young teenager, Bedknobs hit the mark. We were all at the Age of Not Believing once, and me more than anybody 'rushing around doubting everything I ever knew' mainly that . So it was a song that hit home more than say Spoonful of Sugar.

I so wanted to be like the kids accompanying Miss Price with the spell Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Satis Dee on the sidelines, clicking my fingers and bouncing up and down and making clothes and suits of armour come to life.

Cutting two songs from Bedknobs and Broomsticks — With A Flair recorded by David Tomlinson and Step In The Right Direction by Angela Lansbury — was an absolutely monstrous decision. Who cares if their inclusion pushed the running time to 2 hours and 20 minutes? My four-year-old self wouldn't have minded one bit, and back then, my attention span was pretty low. These two songs are Sherman brothers' classics and the only way to hear With a Flair and Step In The Right Direction is to go on Ebay or Amazon and try to get your hands on the 1970s Bedknobs and Broomsticks vinyl album, which I'm so grateful to still own, despite the many scratches! Luckily, I think you can still get them through Alexa and Spotify, too!

I do admit there's nothing quite as emotional as Feed The Birds from Mary Poppins, but I don't think that song really fed into the movie's narrative that well. After all it was essentially a song about a stranger who had no lines in the film. All songs in Bedknobs and Broomsticks stuck to the story wonderfully.

The human actors mixed in with animation sections worked equally well in both movies with the song Beautiful Briny hitting all the right notes in Bedknobs as Eglantine and Mr Brown danced an underwater routine with an octopus, flounder and cod among other aquatic delights in a lagoon ballroom. This was a much better format than the fox hunt and dancing penguins in Mary Poppins on their English country outing cartoon sequences. A little-known fact is that Beautiful Briny was originally intended for Mary Poppins but was rejected and thankfully ended up in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

The plots and scenes

Both movies are based on classic children's novels Bedknobs and Broomsticks by author Mary Norton which is actually the combination of two books The Magic Bedknob and Bonfires and Broomsticks.

Nanny Mary and Eglantine Price both practice magic, but only Bedknobs has the honesty to call Miss Price a witch, albeit an apprentice one. Mary should be considered a witch too, but the 1964 never addresses this, so it is much less honest. Bedknobs and Broomsticks revels in the witchcraft and celebrates it in a light-hearted manner. There's much more of the children in this film, revealing who and what Miss Price is, which is exactly what children at that age do!

There was never any suggestion of love between Dick Van Dyke's Burt and Mary Poppins... it was strictly a magical arrangement to impress the kids Jane and Michael Banks. Romance was strictly off limits, as Mary was far too much of a prim and proper nanny for that type of nonsense, although they did undoubtedly dance well together with cartoon penguins and chimney sweeps! As Craig Revel Horwood might say if they were Strictly contestants: 'Where was the chemistry?'

Clearly Eglantine Price and Mr Brown develop a love for one another as they would. Wartime often brought romance and the movie never shied away from it.

Above all what gives Bedknobs and Broomsticks its heart and gravitas is World War Two going on in the background. It's why the evacuated kids were sent to Miss Price in the first place, why they were so worldly wise as they knew the dangers, and it was why Miss Price was trying out witchcraft — to be of some help in the war effort. Remember in 1940 when Britain was in the grip of fear that Germany was about to invade. We found out nothing about how Mary Poppins acquired her magic and if she was prepared to use it in defence of the realm. It was primarily for smaller things, like tidying up rooms and magical outings. There was just a slight hint of wider politics in Mary Poppins, as Mrs Banks was a suffragette. Otherwise, it was a deferential world of servants, privilege and doffing one's cap to your betters, plus cleaning their chimneys without health and safety!

In Bedknobs, even invading Nazis got their comeuppance from Miss Price and her army of knights, all to music, so definite echoes of The Sound of Music there!

What I liked above all in Bedknobs and Broomsticks is the kids' role in helping to initiate the magic, particularly young Paul who was owner of the magical bed knob and successfully worked out the secrets of Astoroth long before the adults. All three children helped in the magical investigations and making the all-important spell of Substitutiary Locomotion work properly by singing along with Miss Price. The kids were part of the spell-making process in Bedknobs not just the beneficiaries of the magic as in Mary Poppins.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks has the best unintended funny moment

Of course there are classic moments in both movies but my absolute favourite appealed to my childish schoolboy humour when young Paul Rawlins declared in Bedknobs and Broomsticks: "What's that got to do with my knob?" in one unintended piece of innuendo. Whether the producers intended it or not, it's a snigger-out-loud moment for most of us watchers even today. See the wonderful clip below...

There's no such moment in Mary Poppins I can think of, but my favourite is when Michael Banks was taken out for the day to the bank where his father worked and demanded his penny back. The day at the bank must have been so dull compared to the days out with Mary and Burt riding cartoon carousel horses and flying through the air whenever he laughed.

The faults

I have to admit there just aren't too many faults in either Bedknobs and Broomsticks or Mary Poppins aside from the laughable Dick Van Dyke cockney (I wont' even say 'mockney' as I think Dick himself thought he was doing a good job). But in its way the accent had charms of its own and became part of the immense Mary Poppins history.

As per above, I still don't think the songs With a Flair and Step In The Right Direction should ever have been cut from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I loved all the songs on my album and these two were just as good as those that remained in the final cut.

It's also a shame we never got to see more of Roddy McDowall's vicar character Mr Jelk in Bedknobs. A hero of mine since the early Planet of The Apes movies, Roddy only gets two short scenes, one that involves flying clothes and his hat levitating. Apparently Roddy had more scenes than this, but they were cut as the film was thought to be overly long! I personally would love to see a 'Directors Cut' longer version, a bit like they did with Apocalypse Now, so director Robert Stevenson could put back in Roddy's scenes and also include the deleted songs (there I go again!).

Where you can watch both Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mary Poppins so you can compare.

Make a lazy Sunday of it and watch both Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mary Poppins back to back so you can judge for yourself.

Both are currently available on the Disney Plus streaming service, plus regularly repeated during holiday seasons like Easter and Christmas on the BBC.

One name leapt out to me when I read the official casting announcement for the Harry Potter TV series — Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. And note for the makers, please cast his TV fishing pal and fellow comedy legend Bob Mortimer as Peeves!

To me, Whitehouse is an inspired piece of casting as I can already imagine The Fast Show star perfectly capturing the grouchiness of the Hogwarts caretaker. While Whitehouse might not be a familiar name in America, he's about to become one thanks to this news. Also officially announced are John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, and Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell.

I love the casting of Whitehouse so much as it shows that the makers are following the tradition of the movies in casting great British actors. Mind you, like the rest of the new cast, he has a lot to live up to.

David Bradley was superb in the films as cantankerous Filch, who relishes chasing students along the corridors of Hogwarts and hates rule breakers. Bradley captured both the ridiculousness of Filch while also giving the character depth. Whitehouse will certainly be able to capture the comedy side of Filch, although he doesn't quite have the long acting CV that David Bradley has. However, I'm certain Whitehouse can give a hugely entertaining performance. It's a tantalising prospect having Whitehouse's Filch potentially clashing with Nick Frost's Hagrid.

Filch was a great character throughout J.K. Rowling's book series. Every student can relate to having a mean caretaker insisting on stupid school rules being followed. Indeed, there's a great scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where poor Filch nervously wobbles on his ladder as he hammers Umbridge’s educational decree notices onto the wall.

But there's also a tragic side to Filch, who is continually frustrated by the fact that he is a Squib, someone who has no wizarding ability despite being from a magical family. Plus, his only real emotional attachment seems to be to his cat, Mrs Norris.

The new TV series will be a "faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter series", according to its makers. And the big hope from fans is that the TV series will be able to spend more time on each story and thus give us a greater insight into the characters. Filch is just one of the characters who should get more of a look in the TV version.

Bob Mortimer as Peeves?

I'd love for HBO to next announce that Whitehouse’s TV fishing partner Bob Mortimer was being cast as Peeves! Rik Mayall's scenes as poltergeist Peeves were famously cut from the movies, but hopefully the TV series will include Peeves, and Mortimer would surely be brilliant as the mischievous character. We could just imagine Mortimer having a great time singing one of Peeve’s songs!

It's going to be incredibly difficult for the TV series to live up to the greatness of the Harry Potter movies, but with Whitehouse's casting, I feel the makers are going in the right direction.

We're of course still awaiting the big news of who will be playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione...

After numerous reports and in some cases direct confirmations from the stars themselves, HBO has announced the first six members of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series it is making, all of whom are playing key members of the Hogwarts teaching staff and are some fan favorite characters.

Officially, John Lithgow is set to play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer is playing Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essideu is confirmed to portray Professor Severus Snape and Nick Frost is playing Rubeus Hagrid. All four are going to be series regulars on the show.

Two other actors were confirmed in what are being billed as guest/recurring roles for the first season, though are well known characters to Potter fans. Luke Thallon has been tapped to play Professor Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse is portraying Argus Filch.

HBO’s Harry Potter TV series is being described as a “faithful adaptation” of the iconic Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, with each season tackling one book. The series about a boy wizard who learns magic and must rise to the challenge of facing a dark lord seeking to rule the wizarding world was previously adapted into eight movies that are just about as beloved as the books and made billions at the worldwide box office. Though if there were any complaints from fans it was that the movies couldn’t get all of the details from the books in, something the TV show can potentially fix.

Lithgow had openly confirmed that he was playing Dumbledore ahead of this announcement. He is now the fourth person to portray the role, following Richard Harris in the first two Harry Potter movies, Michael Gambon for the remaining six movies following Harris' death and Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Lithgow is coming off an Oscar nomination for his role in Conclave and is a six-time Emmy winner for Amazing Stories, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter and The Crown.

McTeer actually just starred opposite Lithgow in the spy drama The Old Man season 2, so the two will continue to work together despite that show’s cancellation. Among McTeer’s other notable roles are her Oscar-nominated work in Albert Nobbs and Tumbleweeds, Emmy-nominated work in Into the Storm and other roles like The Menu, Kaos and Ozark. She takes on McGonagall, the role that was famously played by Magige Smith in the original movies.

Essideu taking on the role of Snape, which in the original movies was memorably played by Alan Rickman, is another one that has long been reported and is now confirmed. Essideu earned an Emmy nomination for this work in I May Destroy You and has also starred in Gangs of London, The Lazarus Project and The Outrun.

Taking over the role of Rubeus Hagrid that originally was played by Robbie Coltrane in the movies, is Frost. Frost is well known for his work with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, including in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. More recently he’s been seen in Skeleton Crew and is starring in How to Train Your Dragon.

Playing Professor Quirrell, Thallon will be a new name for many, as he only has a few credits listed on IMDb, including an uncredited role in The Favourite and as part of the cast of Present Laughter, a stage production that was filmed and shown on the big screen.

Finally, Whitehouse is a veteran UK actor, the winner of five BATFAs for The Fast Show, Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry and Paul and Help. Some of his other notable roles have included Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, The Death of Stalin, The Personal History of David Copperfield and The Change.

There is still no word on who will be playing the roles of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermoine Granger and the other students of Hogwarts, but it is expected that those will be new names, much like Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were when they were cast.

The earliest we’d likely be getting the Harry Potter TV series is 2026, so if this has you itching to watch something Harry Potter related, all eight movies are streaming right now on Max and Peacock in the US; they’re streaming on Netflix in the UK.

It’s time to check out more adventures in the library, as TNT has aired The Librarians: The Next Chapter, a spinoff series to the popular TV series and TV movies from the early 2000s and 2010s.

The franchise began as a 2004 TV movie The Librarian: Quest for the Spear on TNT that starred Noah Wyle (current star of The Pitt). They would make three movies of The Librarian in total before a TV series launched in 2014 that ran for four seasons and featured Wyle as well as Rebecca Romijn, Christian Kane, Lindy Booth, John Kim and John Larroquette. The Librarians: The Next Chapter features a new cast, though one familiar face pop ups in the new series.

Here is everything you need to know about The Librarians: The Next Chapter.

The Librarians: The Next Chapter how to watch

All episodes of The Librarians: The Next Chapter have aired.

The show has not been added to a major streaming platform as of yet, but you can watch some episodes on-demand on TNT.com.

If you want to catch up with the original TV movies and series of The Librarians, the TV movies are streaming for free on Peacock, The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home and more, while the TV series The Librarians is also streaming for free on Prime Video.

The Librarians: The Next Chapter cast

There’s a new group of characters at the center of The Librarians: The Next Chapter. Leading things is Callum McGowan (Jamestown) as Vikram Chamberlain. He is joined in the cast by Jessica Green (The Outpost), Olivia Morris (Hotel Portofino) and Bluey Robinson (Britannia).

There will be one holdover from the original The Librarians TV series, as Christian Kane is set to return as Jabob Stone in a guest role. Also set to be a guest star on this series is Caroline Loncq (Lift).

The Librarians: The Next Chapter plot

Here is the overview of what The Librarians: The Next Chapter will cover its 12-episode run:

“The Librarians: The Next Chapter centers on Vikram Chamberlain, a ‘Librarian’ from the past who time traveled from 1847 and now finds himself stuck in the present. When Vikram returns to his castle in Belgrade, Serbia, and discovers that it is now a museum, he inadvertently releases magic across the continent. With the help of a new team of eclectic heroes, including a savant in world history, a scientific genius, and a highly skilled Guardian, Vikram has only six months to clean up the mess he made.

“Throughout the season, the team will embark on fantastical adventures, including a surprise reroute to a manor where Agatha Christie-styled murders take place, a time-travel back to the days of King Arthur at Camelot and even an encounter with the first-ever vampire.”

Dean Devlin, who was an executive producer on the original The Librarians TV series, returns to once again executive produce and serve as showrunner for The Librarians: The Next Chapter.

The Librarians: The Next Chapter trailer

Get a sneak peek at the series with the official The Librarians: The Next Chapter trailer right here:

If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then great news, because every episode of the Sarah Michelle Gellar classic has just landed on ITVX as fans await the much-hyped revival.

Yep, you can now rewatch or even enjoy for the first time Gellar's performance as vampire slayer Buffy Summers over seven seasons and 144 episodes.

And in more great news for fans, ITV has also revealed it will be adding the supernatural spin-off Angel, starring David Boreanaz, on Thursday, May 1.

Both shows join Romantasy hits The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Vampire Diaries: Legacies — with all episodes of those shows available to stream now.

But the big draw for many will be Buffy. Commenting on the show's legacy, Sarah Michelle Gellar once said: "While we knew the potential, I don't think any of us saw the lasting impact our show would have.

"As an actor, you wish for that one role where you can leave your mark and forever be remembered, with Buffy I got so much more. She’s a feminist challenge to gender hierarchy. Buffy may have been the Chosen One, but I was the lucky one."

Buffy revival

Sarah Michelle Gellar is expected to reprise her role as Buffy in a new sequel series which is being made by Hulu. She will also act as an executive producer on the new show which is yet to be given a title.

The new series is in early development stage but it’s been reported that it will focus on a new Slayer. TV Line says the character will be a "cerebral 16-year-old" who is "very smart and a bit of a loner". Gellar’s Buffy is thought to be appearing as a recurring guest character.

ITVX can be a great place to find shows. For example, earlier this year ITVX added all four seasons of Snowpiercer including the fourth series which hadn't previously been available in the UK.

All episodes of Buff the Vampire Slayer are available to watch now on ITVX. Angel will be added on Thursday, May 1. All of ITV's best dramas are also available to stream on ITVX.

It's easy to call any historical action movie "X's answer to Game of Thrones" but I think Apple TV Plus' new epic really does deserve that title, and the streamer has provided us an exciting update on the project.

We've known about Chief of War for a while now, and I even compared a Netflix show to it in February, but Apple has been quiet on it... until now, by sharing a first-look image of the series and also sharing its plotline and a release date.

Now, we know when we can see Chief of War, as Apple TV Plus has pencilled in a premiere date of Friday, August 1 for the series. Two episodes will land then, with a weekly rollout afterwards in true Apple style.

Apple has also shared a look at the show, which you can see above, and has also provided a long cast list. These includes a fair share of newcomers as well as Star Wars' Temuera Morrison, The Night Agent's Luciane Bucnahan and Training Day, The Meg and Fear the Walking Dead's Cliff Curtis.

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Chief of War is a historical epic co-created by Hollywood actor Jason Momoa, set in 18th-century Hawai'i. It follows the real warrior Ka'iana, who fights to unify the disparate island nations and prepare them for a wave of American colonizers looking to take over the land.

So you've got a historical conflict, multiple battling nations and an overarching invasion threatening them. Remind you of Westeros yet? Unlike many other Game of Thrones imitators that offer lots of drama or intrigue but little action or scale, the real history of Hawai'i (and Ka'iana in particular) sets itself up perfectly for GoT-style expanse (though don't read up on the history unless you want to risk Chief of War spoilers!).

Chief of War is described as a "passion project" for Momoa as well as co-creator Thomas Pa'a Sibbett (who's known for producing and co-writing some of Momoa's past movies, including the Aquaman sequel). While Momoa is mostly known for his blockbuster movies, most recently A Minecraft Movie, he's also credited with several behind-the-scenes roles, including directing the 2014 thriller Road to Paloma, co-writing the story of The Last Manhunt and also directing the final episode of Chief of War itself.

Apple TV Plus has a burgeoning list of historical shows; while most are set in the 20th century, it also has the likes of The Buccaneers, Manhunt and Dickinson, all set in the 1800s and Franklin, also set in the 18th century. None of them are epics like Chief of War, but they'll still appeal to history fans; here's how to get Apple TV Plus free trials if you haven't checked any of them out yet.

There are probably many people bursting out into song today, as Wicked made its streaming debut Peacock on March 21; it’s particularly easy as the Wicked sing-along version is also available to stream in addition to the theatrical version.

Setting box office records, inspiring TikTok dances and earning 10 Oscar nominations and two wins (Best Costume Design and Best Production Design), Wicked was truly a phenomenon. But as musicals are a divisive genre, there were some with dissenting viewpoints (notable critics Amy Nicholson and Justin Chang among them) about this adaptation of the popular Broadway musical that gives us a different backstory to the classic world of Oz.

I hadn’t seen Wicked since November when I saw it in movie theaters, but I recently remedied that, curious about a few things. How would I feel watching the movie on a TV screen and would a rewatch change my opinion of the movie at all, having called it one of my top 10 movies of 2024 and giving it five stars in my Wicked review?

I’m happy to report that I'm still a big fan of this movie. As an unabashed lover of musicals, my opinion shifting to disliking Wicked was likely never really in the cards, but the rewatch reaffirmed that not only was this one of the best movies of last year, it’s one of the best studio movies of the last 10 years and is poised to be a classic for years to come.

Exhibits A and B as to why that is were the fantastic performances of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. In addition to their incredible voices pulling off all the high notes (particularly Erivo during “Defying Gravity”), they have a great chemistry in bringing the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda to life.

Then there’s director Jon M. Chu, who accomplished something truly special in his new depiction of Oz. The movie looks magical from top to bottom, and Chu’s vision helped bring that to life.

One common complaint I remember hearing from some critiques of the movie was that it was too long (especially considering it only covers the first-half of the Broadway musical). And while I’ll give you a couple of the musical numbers may stretch their limitations (I even had that feeling a bit during “Popular”), the movie still had me and kept me from scrolling through my phone, despite not being in the movie theater setting and no one getting mad at me if I did.

Long story short, whether you will be watching Wicked for the first time or like me revisiting the movie, Wicked is an absolute must-watch on Peacock, and the key to getting ready for part two, Wicked: For Good, later this year.

A Peacock subscription is required to stream Wicked in the US, though the movie is available on-demand if you aren’t a subscriber. In the UK Wicked is only available via digital on-demand.

Another Pixar movie is coming to the big screen this year, as the heralded animation studio has Elio as its 2025 new movie, a space adventure with, as usual, a star-studded voice cast.

Thirty years ago Pixar made history with the first fully computer animated feature-length movie, Toy Story. To this day the studio remains among the pinnacle of animation in Hollywood. In that time the studio has made countless animation classics and box office hits, including 2024’s Inside Out 2. Elio will look to add to that legacy.

Find everything you need to know about Elio directly below.

Elio how to watch

Elio is now playing. Here's everything you need to know on how to watch Elio.

Elio cast

Pixar has put together an impressive voice cast of familiar actors, including recent Oscar-winner Zoe Saldana, who voices Aunt Olga. She’s joined by Pixar alum Brad Garrett (Finding Nemo, Ratatouille) as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) as Ambassador Questa and Shirley Henderson (Bridge Jones: Mad About the Boy) as OOOOO.

There are also a couple of young rising stars providing the key voices of Elio and the alien Glordon. First is Yonas Kibreab (Sweet Tooth) as Elio and Remy Edgerly (Sing 2) as Glordon.

Elio plot

Here is the official synopsis for Elio:

“For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers — in Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film Elio, the universe calls back! The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.”

Elio was written by Adrian Molina, who previously wrote the Pixar hit Coco.

Elio trailer

Watch the trailer for Elio right here:

A second trailer for Elio is now available online as well:

Elio reviews

Elio is officially "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.

Elio directors

In addition to writing the screenplay, Adrian Molina is one of the co-directors of Elio, along with Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi. Molina was a co-director on Coco, while Shi was the director of Pixar’s Turning Red. This is the first Pixar movie that Sharafian is co-directing, though she earned an Oscar nomination for the short film Burrow and previously worked on Coco and Turning Red as part of the art department.

Elio behind the scenes

Elio is produced by Mary Alice Drumm, with Pete Docter on board as an executive producer.

"He's gonna catch hell." So proclaims Prime Video about its newest supernatural thriller series, The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon.

The story follows Bacon's Hub Halloran, a bounty hunter who comes back to life on a mission to return demons to their hellish prison. After living a tumultuous life himself, Hub is forced to reconcile with his past to help pave the way for the future. He can't do his job without help from his family, but their complicated history forces him to mend bridges and confront their history while battling some of Hell's fiercest demons.

Here's everything we know about The Bondsman.

The Bondsman release date

All eight episodes of The Bondsman will be available on Prime Video in more than 240 countries around the world on April 3, 2025.

To watch the series you need a subscription to Amazon Prime, which includes a subscription to Prime Video. There are several options for you to choose from below:

The Bondsman premise

Here's the official synopsis of The Bondsman from Prime Video:

"Murdered bounty hunter Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon) is resurrected by the Devil to trap and send back demons that have escaped from the prison of Hell. By chasing down those demons with the help and hindrance of his estranged family, Hub learns how his own sins got his soul condemned -- which pushes him to seek a second chance at life, love, and country music."

The Bondsman cast

The Bondsman features an all-star cast that includes Kevin Bacon (Footloose) as Hub Halloran, Jennifer Nettles (The Righteous Gemstones, The Exorcist), Damon Herriman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Justified), Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men, Donnie Darko), Maxwell Jenkins (Arcadian, Lost in Space), and Jolene Purdy (The White Lotus, Orange is the New Black).

The Bondsman trailer

Take a look at the official red band trailer for The Bondsman below.

The Bondsman behind the scenes

The Bondsman hails from Blumhouse Television and Amazon MGM Studios, along with Marker 96 and CrimeThink Production Company.

Executive producers on the series include showrunner Erik Oleson, Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Chris Dickie, and Chris McCumber for Blumhouse Television, as well as Kevin Bacon, Paul E. Shapiro and series creator Grainger David. Erik Holmberg serves as a co-executive producer.

Blumhouse Television previously developed The Horror of Delores Roach for Prime Video.

Fantasy fans assemble: after a year and a half The Wheel of Time season 3 is finally here, and I'm going to give you all the information you need to see it.

With this new season, that was shot back-to-back with season 2, we'll be returned to a world in peril: allies of the Dark One have been let loose, and though the Dragon Reborn has been discovered, this may be a blessing or a curse as we'll discover in the new season.

The Wheel of Time season 3 is based on the fourth book of Robert Jordan's long-running saga, entitled The Shadow Rising, although according to reports some elements are drawn from the succeeding book The Fires of Heaven.

So here's everything you need to know to watch The Wheel of Time season 3 including when episodes come out and how you can stream them.

How to watch The Wheel of Time season 3

Returning fans of the show will now how to watch The Wheel of Time season 3, because it's the same as for past seasons, but if you're new: the show will release on Prime Video.

The Wheel of Time is made by Amazon, exclusively for its video streaming service Prime Video. Prime Video is one facet of an Amazon Prime subscription, along with a few other tools and services.

A subscription to Amazon Prime costs $14.99 / £8.99 per month or $139 / £95 per year, but that's for ad-enabled streaming. An additional fee of $2.99 / £2.99 per month lets you stream ad-free, and you can find out how to remove adverts from Prime Video here. If you've never signed up for Prime before, you'll be glad to hear that there's a 30-day Prime Video free trial.

All past seasons of The Wheel of Time can be watched on Prime Video.

The Wheel of Time season 3 episode release schedule

So you've figured out how to watch The Wheel of Time, but when do episodes come out?

The Wheel of Time season 3 gets a three-episode premiere on Thursday, March 13 followed by weekly episode drops.

Episodes of Prime Video shows generally get added at midnight GMT, which is 10am AEST that day or 8 pm ET/5 pm PT the day before. Presumably, this release schedule will follow for TWoT season 3, but we'll have to find out for sure.

Here's the full release schedule:

• Episode 1, To Race the Shadow — Thursday, March 13
• Episode 2, A Question of Crimson — Thursday, March 13
• Episode 3, Seeds of Shadow — Thursday, March 13
• Episode 4, The Road to the Spear— Thursday, March 20
• Episode 5, Tel-aran-rhiod — Thursday, March 27
• Episode 6, name TBC — Thursday, April 3
• Episode 7, name TBC — Thursday, April 10
• Episode 8, name TBC — Thursday, April 17

How to read The Wheel of Time for season 3

By all accounts, The Wheel of Time season 3 will be based on the fourth book in Robert Jordan's series, which is called The Shadow Rising.

You can find The Shadow Rising on Amazon US here or Amazon UK here. In the US it seems to be on Kindle Unlimited, if you subscribe to that, and audiobooks in both regions are available on Audible. You can easily buy it in hardback or paperback too.

Showrunner Rafe Judkins has also confirmed that season 3 will also incorporate some parts of the fifth book, The Fires of Heaven, which you can find on Amazon US here and Amazon UK here. Between the two books that's a combined 1,400 pages, so you'd better get reading!

How to watch The Wheel of Time season 3 everywhere else

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch The Wheel of Time, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite shows, movies or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our VPN experts.

How to use a VPN to watch any stream

• Download the app at NordVPN
• Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
• Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!

While Bryan Cranston is known for things like his Emmy-winning role in Breaking Bad, his Golden-Globe nominated performance in Your Honor (a series I love) and his Oscar-nominated showing in Trumbo, the A-lister also took a dip in the superhero genre with 2017’s Power Rangers, now streaming on Netflix.

Before I jumped into MCU’s rabbit hole of movies like Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther and Avengers, and predating my adventures with Christian Bale’s Dark Knight, I was "morphin" with the Power Rangers. I was all into the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series of the early 90s and the subsequent two movies of the mid and late 90s. Now once the rangers started becoming samurais and were in space, I trailed off to other pastures. But the original version of the series was the Golden Age in my book.

As such was the case, you can understand my excitement when the original got a reboot with the 2017 movie, Power Rangers. Although critics were incredibly mixed on it (it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 51%), it managed to become the highest-grossing Power Rangers movie ever and won me over as a fan.

Is the movie a bit campy? Yes. Does it have all the bells and whistles of an Avengers film? No. But my inner child appreciates that the movie was able to capture the essence of what made the original show and movies work, while adding a level of nuance. For example, I can’t say enough how much I love the modern aspects of CGI, as the graphics of the 90s pale in comparison.

I also enjoy that alongside Cranston's Zordon character, you have the Emmy-nominated Elizabeth Banks appearing as the one and only Rita Repulsa, the movie’s villain. Banks adds her signature wit to the role of the big bad, and I appreciate her at times comedic approach. Her version of Rita wasn’t all bluster and doom.

It's also worth noting the fight sequences were in many ways improved from the 90s, and the Billy (RJ Cyler) character felt like less of an outsider.

Overall, Power Rangers may not land with critics among one of the best superhero movies of all time, but if you’re a millennial who is craving some nostalgia, it may fit the bill.

You can now watch Power Rangers on Netflix with a subscription. Check out the trailer directly below.

Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt are teaming up with a rag-tag group of robots to save the day in The Electric State, an all-new Netflix movie that could be the next must-watch on the streamer. The directors of the movie, the Russo brothers, know a thing or two about epic team-ups.

Anthony and Joe Russo are of course best known for directing Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game, two of the biggest movies of all time. While they’re not dealing with any Marvel superheroes here, they are reuniting with MCU star Pratt and are hoping to have another fun viewing experience for fans with their latest movie.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about The Electric State.

The Electric State release date

A Netflix exclusive, The Electric State debuts on the streamer on Friday, March 14.

Of course, this means if you want to watch The Electric State when it premieres, you must have a Netflix subscription to do so.

The Electric State cast

Headlining the movie are the aforementioned Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, two A-list stars right now. Brown, who plays Michelle in The Electric State, is a Netflix stalwart, having starred in Stranger Things, the Enola Holmes movies and Damsel for the streamer (outside of Netflix she has starred in Warner Bros’ recent Godzilla movies).

Pratt, meanwhile, plays Keats in the movie, the latest hero role for Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy and the voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

There are plenty more big names making up The Electric State cast. Among them are:

• Stanley Tucci (Conclave) as Ethan Skate
• Ke Huy Quan (Love Hurts) as Dr. Amherst
• Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) as Ted Finnster
• Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) as Colonel Bradbury
• Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Brave New World) as Herman
• Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien) as Cosmo
• Woody Harrelson (Last Breath) as Mr. Peanut
• Brian Cox (Succession) as Pop Fly
• Jenny Slate (It Ends With Us) as Penny Pal
• Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) as Perplexo
• Woody Norman (The Last Voyage of the Demeter) in an undisclosed role

The Electric State plot

Based on Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 graphic novel, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely adapted the screenplay. Here is the logline from Netflix:

“Set in the aftermath of a robot uprising in an alternate version of the ’90s, The Electric State follows an orphaned teenager who ventures across the American West with a cartoon-inspired robot, a smuggler, and his sidekick in search of her younger brother.”

The Electric State trailer

Check out the trailers for The Electric State right here:

You can also watch a clip from the movie courtesy of Netflix:

The Electric State reviews

Reviews for The Electric State are starting to come in. Check out Rotten Tomatoes to see what critics are saying about the movie.

The Russo brothers movies

Anthony and Joe Russo have been behind some big blockbusters, but here is a quick reminder of their entire resume:

• Pieces (1997)
• Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
• You, Me and Dupree (2006)
• Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)
• Captain America: Civil War (2016)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Cherry (2021)
• The Gray Man (2022)

The Electric State behind the scenes

Netflix is the studio behind The Electric State, though the Russo’s production company AGBO, Anthem & Song, Double Dream and Skybound Entertainment also were part of the production. The movie was produced by Chris Castaldi, Mike Larocca, Patrick Newall, the Russos and Angela Russo-Otstot.

According to Netflix’s blog Tudum, creating the robots and world of The Electric State was done with a mix of voice and motion capture work; they actually state that there are more motion capture performances than those of real humans in the movie, with Russo-Otstot saying there is “more CGI animation happening than Anthony and Joe did on their biggest films at Marvel.”

Much of the film was shot in Atlanta, per IMDb.

One of the most famous shows of the 21st century has got to be Game of Thrones, which ran from 2011 all the way until 2019, and if you haven't seen the show yet it's about time you caught up on all 8 seasons.

Based on a series of novels by George R.R. Martin and set in the fantasy land of Westeros, Game of Thrones is about the various families and forces vying for control of the Iron Throne, and role of all the land.

It's part political thriller, part fantasy epic and part horror, and it's cemented its franchise as one of the biggest modern fantasy worlds. It's since been spun off into House of the Dragon and a few upcoming new shows, but Game of Thrones is where it all started.

So if you haven't seen the show, or want to re-watch it, here's how to watch Game of Thrones online.

How to watch Game of Thrones in the US

If you live in the US, you'll be able to watch all of the episodes of Game of Thrones (as well as its spin-offs) using the streaming service Max. Some re-runs get shown on HBO, the channel it initially aired on, but the reliable way to watch is via Max.

Max costs $9.99 for its ad-supported tier, but considering that there are 80 hour-long episodes of the show, ads could substantially increase how long it takes to watch! The ad-free plan is $16.99 per month so it's a bit more expensive but it'll be worth it if you don't want to see the commercials. There are annual plans at $99.99 and $169.99 respectively for those tiers.

There's also a top-tier plan called Max Ultimate which costs $20.99 per month or $209.99 per year. This will let you watch 4K streams of certain titles including Game of Thrones so if you want to see the show in high resolution, then this is your streaming pick.

How to watch Game of Thrones in the UK

You've got two different options for watching Game of Thrones in the UK, and whichever you pick, it'll work for the spin-offs too.

First is Sky TV, which includes it as part of its Sky Atlantic library. This is available on every tier of a Sky TV subscription including the cheapest, the £15-per-month Sky Essential TV. That may seem a lot but the plan includes access to Netflix and Discovery Plus so it's a pretty good deal.

Your other option is Now TV, which costs £9.99 per month but doesn't let you watch Netflix or Discovery Plus.

Neither of these options has Game of Thrones in 4K, so if you want to see the show in high-res in the UK, you'll have to rely on physical media. More on that below.

How to watch Game of Thrones in Australia

In Australia, there are two streaming services with which you can watch Game of Thrones, and both have all eight seasons plus the spin-offs.

First up is Binge TV, which is your cheaper option at just $10-per-month for its most affordable plan. That will let you stream the show in SD but the Standard plan for $19 will let you watch in HD.

To see the series in 4K, you'll need to sign up for Foxtel Now. This is a lot pricier at $25 per month for its cheapest tier but if you want to stream in 4K, it's your only option.

How to watch Game of Thrones on physical media

Many fans choose to watch Game of Thrones via physical media, ie by buying the DVD or Blu-Ray. The benefits of this are threefold.

Firstly, you can ensure it's always available to watch, which may be important if your streaming service of choice removes it (or can't be accessed for internet connection reasons). Secondly, it'll let you enjoy all the behind-the-scenes and background material that's not available on streaming. Third, it'll let you watch the shows in 4K, which isn't available in all regions and costs a lot where it is.

You can buy the Game of Thrones box sets in various bundles; be it for standalone seasons or the whole run. You can also generally pick between DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K, which each costs a little more than the last.

They're all fairly expensive but you can often find them discounted so it's worth shopping around.

How to watch Game of Thrones everywhere else

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch Game of Thrones, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite show, movie or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our VPN experts.

How to use a VPN to watch any stream

• Download the app at NordVPN
• Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
• Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!

The 2025 Oscar nominations dropped earlier this week, and one notable multi-nominee is The Wild Robot: along with being recognized in the Best Animated Feature category, the Academy also nominated the Chris Sanders-directed animated flick for Best Song and Original Score. And if you missed the acclaimed 2024 movie when it hit theaters back September, you can catch up starting today, January 24, as The Wild Robot joins Peacock's streaming platform.

The heartwarming DreamWorks title is a big-screen adaptation of Peter Brown’s beloved, New York Times best-selling novel of the same name. The film's official synopsis reads: "The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, 'Roz' for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling."

Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o (A Quiet Place: Day One, Black Panther) leads the cast as the voice of robot Roz; she's joined by Emmy nominee Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as fox Fink; Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek, Best in Show) as opossum Pinktail; Oscar nominee Bill Nighy (Living, Love Actually) as goose Longneck; Kit Connor (Heartstopper, Rocketman) as gosling Brightbill and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fall Guy) as Vontra, a robot that will intersect with Roz’s life on the island. Star Wars lovers will also no doubt recognize the voice of Luke Skywalker himself pop-culture icon Mark Hamill.

To stream The Wild Robot at home, you're going to need access to Peacock. The streamer currently offers two subscription options: the ad-supported Premium plan will cost you $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year (which will get you 12 months for the price of 10), or the commercial-free Premium Plus option, priced at $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year.

Check out the official trailer for The Wild Robot before settling in to watch the Oscar-nominated animated flick starting today, January 24 on Peacock. And tune in to the Oscars 2025 ceremony on Sunday, March 2, to see if the movie ends up taking home gold!

After setting up a strong foundation in the first season, Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches season 2 is sultry, sexy and scary as hell. While season 1 reveled in all its Southern Gothic glory, season 2 basks in its darkness as a true horror story. Reviewers were given the first seven episodes of the season to review and I can tell you without hesitation that season 2 is bewitchingly brilliant.

Season 2 picks up shortly after season 1. Mayfair designee Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) has given birth to Lasher but the child is no ordinary creature; the milk-guzzling demon is growing by leaps and bounds by the hour in his new human form. Rowan is concerned, but when she sees the youngster shedding his baby teeth with a bloody grin she knows that she’s in trouble. What’s keeping her from seeking help, however, is the fact that her powers are growing exponentially with her son (and former lover) nearby and she’s not exactly willing to part with them. But when an older Lasher (Jack Huston) starts getting into deeper trouble, Rowan is forced to act.

Meanwhile, Sip (Tongayi Chirisa) is trying to navigate the complexities of the Talamasca knowing that they, too, have interests in Lasher. Cortland Mayfair (Harry Hamlin) was turned to stone by Rowan after his web of lies started to untangle; though he’s a statue hidden in her basement, however, Cortland is on a horrifying journey of his own.

New to the cast this season are Alyssa Jirrels as Moira Mayfair, Ben Feldman as Lark and Ted Levine as Julien Mayfair. Moira arrives in New Orleans after her sister Tessa’s death in the first season. The young mind reader wants answers and she knows Rowan is the one who knows the truth. She’s smart and witty, and it didn’t take long for her to become one of my favorite Mayfairs.

Lark and Rowan go way back; she turns to him in the present day for help and given how close they once were. Lark provides some much-needed levity to break up some of the more tense moments in the series; as the outsider, he watches the Mayfair affairs like a spectator sport. While he’s a fish out of water, he doesn’t hesitate to offer assistance as Rowan and her allies hunt for Lasher.

Daddario has found her footing as Rowan, skillfully portraying her as off-balanced and uncertain as she navigates her strange motherhood journey, her new powers and her role as the Mayfair designee. Huston’s Lasher is a child in a man’s body. He can’t control his urges, which puts the Mayfairs in danger. It’s fun watching Huston shift from charming to childlike and back again, making it easy to forget that Lasher is still, in fact, a demon in sheep’s clothing.

I find that Mayfair Witches’ true strength as a series comes from the supporting characters. Hamlin and Chirisa could (and should!) absolutely front their own spinoff series, while Jirrels, Feldman and Levine are very welcome additions to the fold (and could have their own spinoffs, too!). Hamlin masterfully portrays the razor-thin line between Cortland’s trademark shrewdness and his newfound sense of vulnerability while Chirisa brings out Sip’s humanity as a man torn between shattered truths and an uncertain future. And we have to give credit to Charlayne Woodard as Dolly Jean Mayfair and Jen Richards as Jojo Mayfair, who elevate every scene they’re in.

While I can’t say much about Levine’s Julien yet, I will say this as a non-spoilery preview: if you appreciated Ben Daniels’ stellar turn as Santiago in Interview with the Vampire season 2, you’re going to love watching Levine’s portrayal of Julien. Let me put it this way: if Sam Reid’s Lestat and Levine’s Julien were competing in a Brat Prince contest, it would probably be a tie. That should tell you everything.

Showrunner Esta Spalding has course-corrected from the often sluggish first season to give season 2 a much quicker pace and a darker, horror-laden feel. Mayfair Witches season 2 sheds the heavy narratives that bogged down the first season, seizing the strong foundation that was built to elevate the story. With only eight episodes, though, there are moments when you wish there was more time to explore certain stories and characters. All in all, after watching the first seven episodes I’m genuinely excited to see what’s ahead for Mayfair Witches in the future.

Anne Rice fans will appreciate the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the new season, which not only provides a few links to Interview with the Vampire but also to the new Talamasca series as well. In fact, it’s fair to say that Mayfair Witches season 2 is the glue between AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe, not only building its own future with a strong story but also providing a nod to what’s ahead in the shared universe as well.

Mayfair Witches season 2 premieres Sunday, January 5, at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and will be available to stream same day on AMC Plus.

The Wicked movie ended on a major high note, but if you left the theater feeling like there was still a lot of things unresolved, there’s a very good reason for that — the movie was the first half of the story, which is going to be concluded with Wicked: For Good (originally titled Wicked: Part Two), one of the most anticipated 2025 new movies.

A number of big Hollywood movies have opted to split their stories into two parts in recent years (Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame, Dune, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). But Wicked has an inherent advantage; as a Broadway play it was already split into two acts. Wicked (aka Wicked: Part One) was an adaptation of the musical’s first act, while Wicked: For Good will take on the second act of the show.

What happens in Wicked: For Good and, perhaps most importantly, when can you see Wicked: For Good on the big screen? We’ve got everything you need to know about the movie right here.

Wicked: For Good release date

Wicked: For Good is releasing exactly one year after Wicked, with the sequel hitting movie theaters on November 21.

In the meantime, here’s how you can watch Wicked to make sure you’re caught up with the movie ahead of release the second part's release.

Wicked: For Good cast

The cast of Wicked: For Good will include just about all of the main cast members from Wicked’s first half. Most importantly that includes Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda; both actresses received Oscar nominations for their performances in Wicked.

That also includes Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madam Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Ethan Slater as Boq and Bowen Yang as Pfannee.

No new additions to the cast have been announced at this time, though we know we are getting Dorothy (an official announcement on who is playing Dorothy has not been made).

You can get your first look at the Wicked: For Good cast with this video teasing the release of movie's trailer:

Wicked: For Good plot

Here is the official synopsis for Wicked: For Good from Universal:

"Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard.

"Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible, Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.

"As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.

"As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good."

Wicked: For Good trailer

Watch the Wicked: For Good trailer right here:

Wicked: For Good director

Jon M. Chu continues on as the director for Wicked: For Good. Here is a full list of his feature directing credits, including the first half of Wicked:

• Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
• Step Up 3D (2010)
• Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011)
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
• Justin Bieber’s Believe (2013)
• Jem and the Holograms (2015)
• Now You See Me 2 (2016)
• Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
• In the Heights (2021)
• Wicked (2024)

Wicked: For Good behind the scenes

Both parts of Wicked were filmed back-to-back, so production on Wicked: For Good is already completed. A TV special on the production of Wicked is available right now if you want to learn more about it, with Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked now streaming on Peacock.

In addition to the cast and director, some of the movie’s other key contributors include Winnie Holzman, who wrote the adaptation of the Broadway show for the big screen, and producers Marc Platt and David Stone. Universal Pictures is the studio behind the movie, alongside Marc Platt Productions.

Check out some behind-the-scenes footage and hear from the stars and director of Wicked: For Good with this behind the scene's video:

With Wicked now playing movie theaters, what better time than to look book on the movie that helped inspire the 2024 new movie: The Wizard of Oz. One of WTW's 100 best movies of all-time, The Wizard of Oz is beloved my many, but do you know some of the fascinating behind-the-scenes facts for the movie? Take your best with these 50/50 The Wizard of Oz trivia questions:

• True or false: The Wizard of Oz was the first movie to use Technicolor?
• Over/under: three directors worked on The Wizard of Oz?
• Which classic Wizard of Oz line ranks higher on AFI’s 100 greatest movie quotes: A) “There’s no place like home”; B) “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
• True or false: The Wizard of Oz is the most-watched movie in history?

Play an interactive version of the game below to get an official score on how many you can get right (all you have to do is type in the appropriate answer; for the AFI quote, type in "A" or "B").

If you enjoyed that, check out more games from What to Watch:

• Take Two: M. Night Shyamalan
• Take Two: Channing Tatum
• Take Two: Winona Ryder
• Take Two: English Remake vs International Original
• Take Two: George Clooney vs Brad Pitt
• Take Two: Andrew Garfield vs Florence Pugh
• Take Two: classic horror movies
• Take Two: best Netflix original series
• Take Two: Hugh Grant movies

Check out the official answers, with some additional insight into each, right here.

True or false: The Wizard of Oz was the first movie to use Technicolor?

The Wizard of Oz is famous for the scene in which Dorothy exits her sepia-tinged life in Kansas with the vibrant world of Oz, presented in glorious Technicolor. It is one of the most famous early examples of the use of color in movies, but it's not the first. In fact, Technicolor was first experimented with in the 1917 movie The Gulf Between. The Wizard of Oz was not even the first movie to primarily use the three-strip Technicolor technology that helped give the movie its classic look. That was in 1935's Becky Sharp. Of course, black and white still remained the dominant format for years to come in Hollywood.

Over/under: three directors worked on The Wizard of Oz?

Not one, not two, not three, but five directors worked on The Wizard of Oz at some point. As detailed by the Yale Film Archive, the first was Norman Taurog, who worked during pre-production, including some early Technicolor tests. Richard Thorpe was brought in to replace Taurog, but only lasted two weeks before he was replaced with George Cukor. Cukor only oversaw things while production was shut down and didn't actually shoot any footage used in the movie, but he is credited with revising the looks for Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. Victor Fleming then came in and shot most of the movie and is the one who gets primary credit. However, he was not able to finish the movie (funnily enough called in again to replace Cukor on Gone with the Wind). King Vidor was the fifth and final director to contribute to The Wizard of Oz, shooting the Kansas scenes.

Which classic Wizard of Oz line ranks higher on AFI’s 100 greatest movie quotes: A) “There’s no place like home”; B) “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

The American Film Institute's list of 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes ranks the most memorable lines from American movies (up until the mid-2000s). Of The Wizard of Oz's many classic lines, Dorothy's "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" was ranked no. 4 on the entire list, 19 spots higher than "There's no place like home."

One other line from The Wizard of Oz made the final list, the Wicked Witch's "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!", which was voted to no. 99.

True or false: The Wizard of Oz is the most watched movie in history?

According to the Library of Congress, The Wizard of Oz is the most-watched movie of all time. The basis for this assertion are the TV airings of The Wizard of Oz that became major events, with the Los Angeles Times saying it drew 45 million viewers the first time it aired on TV in 1956. From the movie playing once a year as a big TV event to today where it is reaired more frequently, it's not hard to understand how The Wizard of Oz earned this title.

After becoming a Broadway sensation, Wicked is now a major movie event, and we’ve got everything you need to know about how to watch Wicked right now.

Wicked is an alternate look at two of the classic characters from The Wizard of Oz: the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. Originally a novel by Gregory Maguire and then turned into a Tony-winning Broadway musical, the story details how the two characters, opposites in the classic movie, first became friends before going down diverging paths.

What to Watch’s Wicked review dubbed the movie one of the best musicals in years. If you’re looking to see why for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about how, when and where to watch Wicked.

How to watch Wicked in movie theaters

Wicked is playing in movie theaters in the US, UK and most of the world.

In order to find Wicked showtimes you can visit the movie’s official website or go to Fandango. Both are going to show you all of the movie theaters in your area where the movie is playing as well as what times are available. You can then purchase your tickets for your desired showtime directly through the sites (a Fandango app is also available for download on smart devices).

If you’re a regular at a particular movie theater, you may want to look into signing up for a movie theater subscription and membership program. In addition to allowing you to see what movies are playing at your favorite movie theater, these programs also offer free, discounted and monthly allotment of movie tickets, as well as other moviegoing perks like deals on concessions. Numerous US and UK movie theater chains offer subscription/membership programs.

Is Wicked streaming?

No, you cannot stream Wicked directly on one of the major platforms, but the movie is available to rent via digital on-demand.

Because Wicked is a Universal Pictures movie, we can make a pretty safe bet that whenever it does become available for streaming, it will do so first on Peacock, where all Universal are first streamed.

We’ll update this page as info on Wicked’s streaming plans are announced.

What else to know about Wicked

Here is the official synopsis for Wicked:

“Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning and Oscar-nominated powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman misunderstood because of her green skin who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman gilded by privilege who has yet to discover her true heart.

“The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.”

(FYI, this movie part one of two, covering the first act of the Broadway show; Wicked Part Two is slated for November 21, 2025).

In addition to Erivo and Grande, Wicked stars Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage and Jeff Goldblum. The movie was directed by Jon M. Chu.

Critics are loving Wicked, as the movie is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 92% as of publication.

Watch the trailer for Wicked right here:

One of the most beloved animated movies of the 21st century, How to Train Your Dragon has spawned sequels, TV shows and now a live-action remake. Set to be one of the big blockbusters of 2025, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon looks to continue the original movie’s legacy.

While Disney has had a penchant for making live-action versions of its beloved animated movies (with another one coming in 2025 with Lilo & Stitch), this is the first classic DreamWorks animated movie to get such treatment. While there will be plenty new with the movie making the switch to live action, there are some constants remaining, including a cast member from the animated movies reprising their role.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about the live-action How to Train Your Dragon.

How to Train Your Dragon how to watch

How to Train Your Dragon is still playing in movie theaters. It is also available to buy or rent via digital on-demand services in the US and UK. Here are more details on how to watch How to Train Your Dragon.

How to Train Your Dragon cast

The How to Train Your Dragon voice cast for the animated movies was great, but unfortunately, Jay Baruchel and company won’t be able to reprise their roles seeing as most of the main cast were kids. However, there is one holdover from the animated movies — Gerard Butler is once again playing Stoick, Hiccup’s father.

As for the new cast, Mason Thames (The Black Phone) is taking on the lead role of Hiccup, the young Viking who’s conflicted about taking on the tradition of killing dragons. He’s joined by Nico Parker (Suncoast) as Astrid and Nick Frost (Skeleton Crew) as Gobber, as well as Julian Denison (Y2K), Gabriel Howell (Nightsleeper), Bronwyn James (Wicked), Harry Trevaldwyn (Smothered), Ruth Codd (The Midnight Club), Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Murray McArthur (The Rings of Power).

How to Train Your Dragon plot

Many of you are already probably familiar with the plot of the animated movie, but just in case, here is the official synopsis for the live-action How to Train Your Dragon:

“On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast, Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.

“With the fierce and ambitious Astrid and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding.

“As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader”

How to Train Your Dragon trailer

Watch the trailers for How to Train Your Dragon directly below:

How to Train Your Dragon reviews

Critics have begun to share their thoughts on the How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake, with the movie earning an 83% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes as of the morning of June 9.

How to Train Your Dragon director

In addition to Butler carrying over from the animated movies, so too is director Dean DeBlois, who directed all three animated movies in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. He also directed the animated Lilo & Stich movie. This is going to his first live-action narrative movie (he did direct a documentary following the band Of Monsters and Men).

How to Train Your Dragon behind the scenes

The live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon is being produced by Marc Platt (Wicked, La La Land) and Adam Siegel (Drive, 2 Guns).

John Powell, who was nominated for his score for the animated How to Train Your Dragon, is back to do the same for the live-action movie.

As we mentioned, the movie was shot in IMAX, which will help make many of the sequences in the movie feel as epic as possible.

And if you’re curious about where they shot How to Train Your Dragon, reports indicate that the movie was filmed in Northern Ireland.

You can also watch these behind-the-scenes video that discusses why they are bringing the classic animated movie to back as a live action movie, the process of casting the main characters and bringing the world of Berk to life:

And here is director Dean DeBlois and composer John Powell discussing the iconic score of How to Train Your Dragon:

After finding fame as the lead in Netflix's hit legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer, which recently saw a third season, Mexican actor Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's new movie is now on the streaming service too.

Pedro Páramo is the name of the film, and it arrived on the streaming platform on Wednesday, November 6. Like The Lincoln Lawyer, it's a Netflix Original, having been made for the streamer, so you can't watch it anywhere else.

The movie is about a young man who tries to fulfill his mother's deathbed request to travel to the village he was born in, to locate his father (after whom the movie is titled). He finds the village full of ghosts (literal and metaphorical ones) which help him to better understand his past.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays the titular Pedro Páramo with Tenoch Huerta as the lead, Juan Preciado.

Pedro Páramo is based on a classic novel of the same name by Juan Rulfo, first published in 1955, which is currently considered one of the most influential Mexican books ever written. It was a favorite of Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez (the latter of which is seeing their classic novel One Hundred Years of Solitude also adapted into a Netflix series).

The novel was written in a nonlinear fashion as a magical realism novel, and by all accounts, this movie follows suit. Reviews suggest that it can be a little hard to follow at times but have interesting themes like the book.

At the time of writing, prior to the movie's full release on Netflix, Pedro Páramo has a perfect run on Rotten Tomatoes, with all six reviews listed on the site being positive ones (although when the movie comes out, and more people review it, the full score could alter).

With The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 not officially confirmed by Netflix yet (at the time of writing), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo doesn't have any upcoming projects for the streamer in the pipeline. According to IMDb, his only upcoming project is Jurassic World Rebirth, the seventh movie in the Jurassic Park franchise which is scheduled for release in July 2025.

He's joining Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey and Rupert Friend in the cast and he's set to play the patriarch of a civilian family who gets dragged into the expedition of the main characters when he's in a shipwreck.

A24’s filmography has been predominantly geared toward more adult audiences (recent entries like MaXXXine, Babygirl and Heretic being prime examples), but its upcoming The Legend of Ochi looks like it may be trying to emulate classics like E.T., The Goonies, Paddington and others, ones that all members of the family can enjoy.

The Legend of Ochi hails from Isaiah Saxon, who is making his feature directing debut with the movie and also wrote the original screenplay. Add in some popular and well known actors and a creature that is sure to win over some people with its cuteness, and you have an enticing option among the slate of 2025 new movies.

Find out more about The Legend of Ochi, from where you can watch the movie to its cast and the first official trailer for the movie right here.

The Legend of Ochi release date

The Legend of Ochi is now playing in movie theaters everywhere in the US and the UK.

The Legend of Ochi cast

Helena Zengel takes on the lead role of Yuri in The Legend of Ochi, the young girl that finds and befriends a baby ochi. This is Zengel’s second major Hollywood movie, following her starring role opposite Tom Hanks in the 2020 movie News of the World.

She’s being join by an impressive lineup of Hollywood veterans, including Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard (most recently seen in Saturday Night); Emily Watson, who is starring in the HBO series Dune: Prophecy; and the always busy Willem Dafoe, who starred in four 2024 movies, Kinds of Kindness, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Saturday Night and Nosferatu.

The Legend of Ochi plot

Here is the official synopsis for The Legend of Ochi from A24:

“In a remote northern village, a young girl, Yuri, is raised to never go outside after dark and to fear the reclusive forest creatures known as the ochi. When a baby ochi is left behind by its pack, she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to reunite it with its family.”

The Legend of Ochi trailer

Check out the official trailer for The Legend of Ochi right here:

The Legend of Ochi reviews

The Legend of Ochi has been seen by critics, who have shared their thoughts on the movie, giving it a "Certified Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Legend of Ochi behind the scenes

Isaiah Saxon may be making his feature directing debut with The Legend of Ochi, but he already has a reputation among the filmmaking community. His work in music videos and short films, particularly his 2008 Björk: Wanderlust music video when he was part of a duo known as Encyclopedia Pictura with Sean Hellfristch. He was named to Filmmaker’s Magazine 25 New Faces of Independent Film and was a Sundance Fellow in 2018.

Saxon is also a producer on the movie, but he has support from some big names in Hollywood, as the Russo brothers (Joe and Anthony Russo), famous for their role in MCU, are executive producers on The Legend of Ochi. Production company Neighborhood Watch is also involved in the movie, with Traci Carlson and Richard Pete as producers.

When the trailer was released, some online speculated that generative artificial intelligence was used to create the titular ochi creature. However, Saxon told IndieWire that no AI was used in the movie, that the ochi was created using animatronics. He also tried to stamp out any comparisons to The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda, saying he started writing and designing the movie in 2015, four years before The Mandalorian premiered.

Watch this video on the making of The Legend of Ochi to get some more behind the scene details:

King Pharazon of Numenor made plenty of moves during The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2.

At the start of the series he seemed broadly happy to accept Numenor’s Queen Regent, Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), as the kingdom’s next monarch… until he discovered she’d been consulting the Palantir. 

Many of her subjects felt the ‘Elvish artefact’ influenced her decision to send Numenor's armies to Middle-Earth to help Galadriel at the end of the first series, where swathes of them were killed in the Battle of the Southlands 

It was a decision that proved very unpopular with some Numenoreans and seemed to be a watershed moment for Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle)...  

The event awoke an ambition to supplant his cousin and become the next King of Númenor, which he achieved when he disrupted her coronation, with many fans believing he hijacked the eagle that had come to give Miriel its seal of approval.

Those who’ve studied Tolkien’s writings will know all about the role King Pharazon played in the fall of Numenor, but we’re beginning to wonder if the show’s writers might have an even worse fate for him.

With Sauron - and a reluctant Celebrimbor - producing the much-anticipated nine rings for mortal men in Eregion, could Pharazon be one of the first to get his hands on one and become a Nazgul? 

Let’s take a look… 

What happened to Pharazon in Tolkien’s writings? (SPOILERS FOLLOW)

King Pharazon does not become a Nazgul in Tolkien’s writings. 

The author's famous tome, The Silmarillion, describes him becoming King of Numenor after forcing Queen Regent Miriel to marry him, before sending his armies to Middle-Earth to launch an assault upon Mordor itself.

He eventually takes Sauron hostage, yet the Dark Lord is able to trick Pharazon into worshipping Morgoth and turning Numenor into an iron-willed dictatorship.

As King Pharazon grows old and starts to fear death, Sauron - who is now his most trusted advisor - is able to persuade him to attack Valinor (otherwise known as The Undying Lands) in the hope of obtaining the same immortality as the elves. 

However that aggression prompts Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme deity of Middle Earth, to submerge Numenor in the sea in retribution for the arrogance and greed of men. Pharazon is then trapped in the Caves of the Forgotten for eternity. Bad times. 

Will Pharazon become a Nazgul in The Rings of Power?

In his later works, Tolkien had some interesting comments about the origins of the Nazgul…

“… it is said that among those whom Sauron enslaved with the Nine Rings three were great lords of Númenórean race,” he wrote, which puts Pharazon at the front and centre of our search for potential Ringwraiths.

Yet while Pharazon wasn't one of those 'great lords' in Tolkien's legendarium, we know The Rings of Power's writers aren't shy about tweaking the tale when it suits them - and it certainly wouldn’t be a huge leap for them to turn Pharazon, a man with a dangerous ambition, into a Nazgul. 

They also have a black canvas to play with in some regards, as Tolkien didn’t explicitly explain who any of the nine were before they took the rings of power in his works.

Basically the showrunners have creative licence to pick any nine men (and women!) from the Second Age and turn them into Sauron’s most terrible servants - and they’re certainly teeing up Pharazon nicely for that.

You may also remember how earlier in this year’s series, Pharazon's son Kemen (Leon Wadham) asked his father why he seemed dissatisfied, even after becoming the King. "Is the sceptre of Numenor not enough?" he asked. “All my life I believed it was..” ruminated Pharazon, before tailing off.  

It’s a comment that matches up with the character’s story according to Tolkien, yet it could be telling that the show’s writers are featuring such scenes while Sauron and Celebrimbor are making the nine rings in Eregion. 

King Pharazon is also openly envious of the elves’ immortality and Trystan Gravelle, who plays him in the series, is quite open about how that envy is curdling into resentment.

“Why adhere to a faith that, when you strip everything back, says men are second-rate citizens compared to elves?” he says. “Pharazôn has an internal ambition. He knows exactly what he wants.”

We know the rings of power have the ability to make men immortal, meaning he would almost certainly accept one if Sauron proffered it up. (We very much doubt Sauron the Deceiver would bother mentioning the serious drawbacks of his gift or that it comes with a life sentence in the Unseen World.) 

As such, becoming an immortal Nazgul would be everything Pharazon has ever wanted - kind of… 

With promotional images of scenes-yet-to-come also hinting that King Pharazon starts using the Palantir he took from Queen Regent Miriel (above), it seems Sauron could have a hotline straight to the King of Numenor! 

Will Kemen become a Nazgul? 

With three Numenoreans becoming Ringwraiths in Tolkien's writings, there's certainly space for King Pharazon's son, Kemen (Leon Wadham) to join him as one of Sauron's most terrible servants. Or maybe become a Nazgul instead of him, which would be a cool twist! 

"Kemen is suddenly starving, he's hungry for power," Leon Wadham told RNZ. "He wants more responsibility. He wants more respect. He wants it immediately, as well, which is an issue. What'll be interesting this season is that Kemen is tipping closer and closer toward the darkness." 

The King's son is certainly showing the kind of cruelty and malice you might expect from a Nazgul, while we can't forget Pharazon's tale about Kemen's mother, who prophesized he would come to "ill ends". 👀

Fans have been asking “Who is the Dark Wizard?” since the mysterious figure made his debut in the opening episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 on Prime Video last month. 

The character played by Ciaran Hinds has caused much debate among fans in recent weeks, yet we gained a few more clues to his real identity in the season finale. 

In the opening triple bill of episodes we found him in Rhûn with one of his mysterious 'acolytes' reporting back on The Stranger's progress through the land that lies in the far East of Middle-Earth. 

In the first season this trio of acolytes believed The Stranger to be Sauron, but ‘The Dark Wizard’ told them he was in fact an Istar (a wizard sent by the Valar to assist the peoples of Middle-earth against Sauron).

Prime Video's saga is set during The Second Age, yet according to Tolkien-lore there were five known Istari in Middle-Earth by the time The Third Age rolls around - Gandalf, Radagast, Saruman and the two Blue Wizards. They were sent by Manwe, leader of the Ainur and King of the Valar.

The Dark Wizard confirmed that he and The Stranger (who’s confirmed to be Gandalf later in the episode) are both Istar when he told his companion “Manwe promised you would come..” in the season finale. He then called The Stranger “old friend” and said they “were as kin” at one point in time. 

“Five of us there,” he continued. “But you were the one who convinced me to leave the uttermost West for this world, because you know none of us could ever hope to defeat Sauron alone.” 

So we know The Dark Wizard is an Istar - or is at least claiming to be one - but which one is he? 

Let's take a look at the possibilities... 

Who is The Dark Wizard? Is The Dark Wizard Saruman? 

There’s no shortage of material in the finale of The Rings of Power season 2 to suggest ‘The Dark Wizard’ is in fact Saruman. Not only does he call The Stranger “old friend” - a line Saruman uses in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

There are also shades of their Third Age meetings when Gandalf asks his companion if defeating Sauron would be enough and whether The Dark Wizard will seek to become his successor. “In time we will both be his successors” comes the reply. Does this line allude to Saruman’s meeting with Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring, where he suggests they join forces with Sauron? 

It’s all very suggestive, but when we take a look at Saruman’s timeline in Tolkien's original works, it seems he didn't come to Middle-Earth until The Third Age.

But then neither did Gandalf, so if the show's writers Patrick McKay and John D. Payne have brought his arrival forward, it stands to reason they could have done the same with Saruman. 

We know Saruman headed east soon after he arrived in Middle-Earth, which means he could well be masquerading as The Dark Wizard in the land of Rhûn. The character played by Ciaran Hinds also appears to be wearing white robes, which would fit with him being Saruman (later known as Saruman the White).

As the scene comes to an end The Dark Wizard tells us he rejects the name the desert people have given him. Yet he somewhat undermines those words by bringing down an avalanche of rocks upon the harfoots and stoors when Gandalf refuses to join him in his bid to replace Sauron.

Could this be an early sign of the malice that Saruman eventually succumbs to in the Third Age? 

Is The Dark Wizard Khamûl? 

The Dark Wizard claims to be an Istar, but could he be lying to Gandalf? Could he actually be someone completely different?

Only two of Sauron's nine Ringwraiths - or Nazgul - were explicitly named in Tolkien's writings, although it seems certain that McKay and Payne will be filling in the blanks with enthusiasm over the coming seasons of The Rings of Power.

One was their leader, The Witch-King of Angmar, while the other was Khamûl - nicknamed "Shadow of the East" - who was thought to be an Easterling who ruled Rhûn.

Little is known about Khamûl before he accepted one of the nine rings from Sauron, but from what we've seen so far The Dark Wizard would almost certainly accept one if The Dark Lord came calling. Could he one day become a member of the Nazgul? 

• Will the Nazgul be in The Rings of Power season 2? Everything we know

Is The Dark Wizard one of the Blue Wizards? 

In Tolkien's early writings, the Blue Wizards arrived in Middle-Earth at the same time as the other three members of the Istari, yet in later writings he hinted the two Blue Wizards - named Morinehtar and Romestamo - arrived in The Second Age.

In his earlier works the author also explained how they travelled East with Sauraman, yet unlike him, they didn't return, with some theorising they fell into darkness. In a 1958 letter, Tolkien expanded upon their fate...  

"I really do not know anything clearly about the other two wizards – since they do not concern the history of the North West. I think they went as emissaries to distant regions, East and South, far out of Númenórean range: missionaries to 'enemy-occupied' lands, as it were. What success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and 'magic' traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron."

Tolkien's later works hinted at a slightly different fate, suggesting they had more luck holding back Sauron's forces than he previously mentioned. 

Yet with the Blue Wizards' official biography vague at best, there's definitely room for The Rings of Power's writers to introduce one of them as The Dark Wizard in season 2. 

Is The Dark Wizard Radagast? 

Okay, so we don’t think there’s much chance of The Dark Wizard eventually becoming Radagast, the peace-loving woodland wizard who was played by Sylvestor McCoy in The Hobbit trilogy.

Radagast is an Istar, so it’s possible, but we reckon he’d need a complete personality change. There’s no way Radagast would hurt a desert mouse, let along bring down a load of rocks on a group of stoors! 

Is The Dark Wizard a Balrog? 

The Istari are simply a branch of the Maiar in Tolkien's writings so some have suggested The Dark Wizard could be a different type of Maiar, such as a Balrog.

A few fans have theorised that Balrogs could actually take a different form before they became the horned smoke monsters, so maybe Hinds could be a one pre-transformation?

It seems unlikely, apart from one comment made by the show's Production Designer Kristian Milsted, who may have hinted at The Dark Wizard's future home while discussing his current lair. 

“It’s more a kind of teasing of what might happen here,” says Milsted. “It’s all carved out of a massive mountain.”

Tolkien's writings explain that Balrogs were Maiar that had been seduced by Morgoth into his service, turning into dreadful Ûmaiar, who wielded the flame of Udûn - as apposed to the flame of Anor used by the Istari. His works also describe them spending centuries hiding beneath mountains.

Now Morgoth might already be long gone by the time The Rings of Power starts, with Sauron stepping into his shoes as Middle-Earth's main villain, but could the writers have altered the Balrog's timeline so that Sauron corrupts them?

We've already seen one fiery demon of the ancient world stir beneath the dwarf-realm of Khazad-dûm, yet with "between three and seven" of these creatures existing in Middle-Earth, is it possible The Dark Wizard could be another one in the making? 

Charles Edwards has lifted the lid on Lord Celebrimbor’s dark dilemma and his tortured relationship with Annatar - aka Sauron - in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2.

The elven-smith didn’t trust his companion at the start of this year’s eight-part series, yet was convinced to continue forging rings of power when Halbrand revealed himself to be Annatar, Lord of Gifts, a messenger from the Valar (below).

Celebrimbor agreed to forge seven rings for the dwarves of Khazad-dûm, however he became increasingly wary of his blonde companion, especially when he heard rumours of the dwarven rings' dark properties.

When Annatar (Charlie Vickers) suggested making nine rings for mortal men, the elven-smith refused, saying their work was now finished, however he was shocked when the 'Lord of Gifts' decided to proceed without him.

Yet Celebrimbor was tricked into helping him in this week’s fifth episode, setting in motion a chain of events that will have serious repercussions in Middle-Earth for centuries to come. 

“Sauron really drives this season,” says Charles Edwards, who plays Celebrimbor. “It’s very much about how easily good can tip into evil through manipulation, predatory behavior and seduction.”

“Celebrimbor is heroic in a way because his intentions are good,” he continues. “Although they become twisted and muddied. What befalls him later in the season is quite tragic. It's sad to see what happens to him.

“I think he wants his name on a plaque somewhere saying he did this, but he also wants whatever that thing is to have been of benefit. So he's kind of a dichotomy. Because he’s someone who's very susceptible to vanity and shiny things, but also someone who wants to be remembered for having done something good.”

Shooting scenes with Charlie Vickers - who plays Annatar - was also a real pleasure for Edwards, who said their characters reminded him of a married couple. 

“Even against this massive backdrop of Tolkien’s world, their relationship actually becomes quite domestic in a funny kind of way,” he says. “They spend a lot of time together. They bicker, they start to p*ss other off. They play mind games with each other. They disagree. I really loved that side of it.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 continues on Thursday on Prime Video

The Harry Potter TV series has finally revealed an image of it's new star, Dominic McLaughlin, as the boy wizard at the centre of the series!

It comes hot on the heels of news that Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout, will play his two pals, Hermione Grainger and Ron Weasley.

The trio will be taking on the roles played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who were all propelled to stardom when they appeared in the movies.

HBO has also confirmed John Lithgow will play Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost will play Hagrid. Plus, Janet McTeer will play Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu will take on the role of Severus Snape, Paul Whitehouse will play Argus Filch, and Luke Thallon will star as Quirinus Quirrell in the opening series.

There are also rumours that Cillian Murphy is being considered for Voldemort.

Francesca Gardiner, who was Succession consulting producer for Seasons 3 and 4, will be taking charge of the HBO show, with Mark Mylod, who worked with Gardiner on Succession, directing multiple episodes.

The casting call, which was issued in September 2024, confirmed it was "committed to inclusive, diverse casting".

The as-of-yet unnamed wizarding saga has been described as a "decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for," according to a statement from Warner Brothers.

"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," said the entertainment giant in a statement.

J.K. Rowling will be acting as executive producer on the live-action series, which will be based on all seven books in her series published between 1997 and 2007.

"The studio's commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me," she said. "I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series.”

Here's everything we know so far...

Harry Potter TV series release date

Filming began in the summer of 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, UK.

In a brief statement, studio bosses also confirmed the first series will be arriving on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.

How many seasons of the Harry Potter TV series will there be? 

Early reports suggested each season of the series would focus on one of the seven books in the Harry Potter series, but Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content said the project would run for “10 consecutive years."

That means we can expect 10 seasons of the show, which would lead us to believe seasons may not be divided along the lines of J.K. Rowling's novels. Bloys has also confirmed that the Fantastic Beasts novels would not be a part of the series.

What's the title of the Harry Potter TV series? 

There's no news on this from HBO as of yet, but some have suggested The Boy Who Lived could be a decent title. Indeed back in 2023, a star of the original films hinted that Warner Bros. could be keen on the idea.

Harry Potter TV series plot

The plot of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series will be well known to the hundreds of millions of people who've read J.K. Rowling's books, yet fans will still be desperate for more details on this adaptation.

With some of the later films in the hit movie franchise struggling to fit all the content from the author's novels on to the screen, there should be plenty of new material on show once the series arrives.

Here's what HBO CEO Casey Bloys said about the show in a statement.

"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."

"We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World."

Harry Potter TV series: 7 subplots we want to see!

Harry Potter TV series cast

It was revealed on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, that the HBO series will see newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

John Lithgow (The Crown, Conclave) will play Albus Dumbledore, and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) will take on the role of Hogwarts groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.

Meanwhile, Janet McTeer (Ozark) will play Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (The Capture) will take on the role of Severus Snape, Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show) will play Argus Filch, and newcomer Luke Thallon will star as Quirinus Quirrell in the opening series.

The internet is abuzz with rumors about who will play Lord Voldemort, with some suggesting Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy could take on the role.

HBO also revealed another batch of cast members in early June, with a host of big roles from the books being filled (all pictured in the above Instagram post).

Katherine Parkinson (Rivals) will play Molly Weasley, Johnny Flynn (Ripley) will star as Lucius Malfoy, while newcomer Lox Pratt will play his son Draco Malfoy.

Elsewhere, Leo Earley will play Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni stars as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah will take on the role of Lavender Brown

Bel Powley (Masters of the Air) will play Harry Potter's aunt Petunia Dursley, while Daniel Rigby (I, Jack Wright) will star as Vernon Dursley

Finally, Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster) will play Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge

Will there be any other Harry Potter TV projects? 

“We’re free to do anything we want,” says Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav. “Some areas we need to do with J.K., other areas we have the full ability to go forward. This is a full deployment on Max of Harry Potter. We can still develop other properties.”

So it sounds like more tv projects could be a distinct possibility! Dobby spin-off anyone?

When will there be a trailer for the Harry Potter TV series? 

Unfortunately there won't be a trailer for the first season available for a few years yet, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as one apparates on the web.

Sauron continues his rise in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 and we're hoping we might finally get to see the emergence of "his most terrible servants". 

He's already handed out three Elven rings and the seven Dwarven rings won't be far behind, but the pieces of jewellery we're most keen to see are the nine rings the Dark Lord gives to "mortal men doomed to die". 

Fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy will be very familiar with the Nazgul (also called the Ringwraiths or simply, The Nine) but in Prime Video's prequel series we will almost certainly see their origins. 

As such, fans are getting quite excited at the prospect of seeing who the Nazgul were before they accepted Sauron's rings and how they fell into shadow. But will we be getting our first glimpse of them in season 2, and if so, will they be characters from the opening season? We take a look at the evidence... 

Who will become a Nazgul - what are the Nazgul? 

The Nazgul were nine powerful mortal men who were given Nine Rings of Power by Sauron in the Second Age and subsequently fell under his influence. 

The rings gave their bearers great power and immortality, but gradually corrupted them and reduced them to invisible wraiths, servants bound to the power of the One Ring and completely under Sauron's control.

In The Silmarillion, Tolkien describes them as such...

"Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their downfall. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. 

"And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths, the Úlairi, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death."

Tolkien isn't explicit in their origins in the book, but many scholars have theorized they are most likely to have been three lords of the once-powerful island realm of Númenor, along with kings of countries in Middle-earth.

However, others have claimed the first line of the previous passage suggests the Nazgul were not great kings or warriors before they were given the ring, but only became them afterwards... 

• How many Rings of Power are there?

Who were the Nazgul? 

Only two Nazgul were named in Tolkien's works. The most prominent was THE WITCH-KING OF ANGMAR, who featured heavily in Peter Jackson's film trilogy. He was said to be the greatest of "The Nine" and famously stabbed Frodo on Weathertop. He also killed King Theoden at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where he was eventually defeated by Éowyn. 

In the centuries before the events of The Lord of the Rings, he fought alongside his master when he was defeated by the Last Alliance of Men and Elves. The Witch-King then disappeared after The One Ring was cut from Sauron's finger by Isildur, before reappearing in the Third Age's 14th century. 

He founded the evil realm of Angmar, where he ruled for almost seven centuries, but returned to Mordor to facilitate Sauron's reemergence. In the immediate run-up to the trilogy he took Gondor's city of Minas Ithil, refortified it as Minas Morgul, and (almost) destroyed the line of Kings of Gondor. 

The other Nazgul named in the text is KHAMÛL, an Easterling who ruled in Rhun. Khamûl was the second-in-command of the Nazgul; in his other writings, Tolkien suggests it was he who knocked on Gaffer Gamgee's door in the Shire to ask about Bilbo in Jackson's films. He did briefly become the leader of The Nine when the Witch-King was killed in The Return of the King. 

Tolkien experts have also suggested GOTHMOG, a character only mentioned once in the author's writings, could be a Nazgul. He was the chief lieutenant of the Nazgul city, Minas Morgul, and does have an Elvish name, which suggests he's more likely to be a corrupted man than a high-ranking orc. 

Where did the Nazgul come from? 

It's widely presumed that Sauron chose at least three men of NÛMENOR to become his Nazgul. Originally, the Dark Lord got the Elf-smiths of Eregion to craft 19 rings: three for the elves, seven for dwarves, and nine for men. In secret, he also forged the One Ring for himself.

Sauron gave men the most rings as they were the most easily corrupted, but it also stands to reason that he would have chosen men from Númenor, as they were the most powerful during the Second Age. 

Meanwhile, others have theorized that Sauron could have chosen lords from regions including HARAD and KHAND, both of which were loyal to him in the Third Age, to become his most high-profile servants. Yet places such as Rhudaur, Dunland, and the White Mountains, where men admired Sauron greatly could also be likely candidates.

Who will become the Witch-King of Angmar? 

The Witch-King's exact identity is unclear, but Tolkien scholars have long believed that he was probably a king and a powerful sorcerer, possibly of Númenórean heritage. Indeed the Númenórean were considered the highest of all men, so it stands to reason that the leader of the Nazgul would hail from that part of Tolkien's world.

One man who fits that description is KING PHARAZÔN (played by Tristan Gravelle in The Rings of Power). In the source material, Pharazon becomes the tyrannical King of Númenor, eventually worshiping Morgoth and dooming his kingdom forever through his tyranny and arrogance... all under Sauron's influence. 

It wouldn't take much of a jump for the showrunners of The Rings of Power to adjust that story to turn King Pharazôn into the tale's first Nazgul. Tolkien also describes the Nazgul as being "great kings of men" before Sauron seduced them, which would lend credence to the theory. 

However, another possibility is that King Pharazôn's son, KEMEN (Leon Wadham), an original character created for the series who urges his father to act faster in his plot against the Elves, could become the Black Captain.

Or, since the showrunners are adjusting Tolkien's works, could they go as far as creating a female Nazgul and making QUEEN MIRIEL (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) the previous King's daughter, the Witch-King? While others have speculated that Elendil's daughter EÄRIEN (Emma Harvath) could be seduced to evil. 

There have also been rumours swirling that ADAR, who'll be played by Sam Hazeldine in season 2, could be a good candidate. When speaking to Radio Times, Charlie Vickers (who plays Sauron) teased the pair's relationship...

"It's certainly something that I was eager to discover and like things we've learned about as we've begun the second season, but there is a rich history there between the two of them. And I think that you see that in the sixth episode, you see that there's something complex and some kind of, you know, a long-standing relationship there. Which I think will be really interesting to watch unfold as the show goes on."

Will Khamûl be in The Rings of Power season 2?

Khamûl was an Easterling who ruled in Rhûn, which is where The Stranger — aka Gandalf — and Nori are headed in season two, so it seems highly possible they could cross paths, with some theorising he could be The Dark Wizard (Ciaran Hinds). 

However, if they do meet, Khamûl could well be a pleasant and good ruler who is tricked into taking a Ring of Power by Sauron. A passage in Tolkien's writings that outlines how the Nazgul fell into shadow suggests:

"One by one, according to their native strength and the good or evil in their wills, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and under the dominion of the one." 

The passage at the top of the article also points to how the men who took Sauron's rings could fall into darkness after being deceived and deluded by him. It also hints at the symptoms these individuals could experience as they begin to enter the "Unseen World" — the parallel reality Frodo slips into when he puts on the ring in Peter Jackson's films. 

"They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron." 

Which characters from The Rings of Power season 1 could become a Nazgul? 

If you're looking for character arcs that suggest a possible future in the Unseen World, then look no further than THEO (Tyroe Muhafidin) of the Southlands. Bronwyn's son found the broken hilt of a sword with Sauron's mark on it in the first season and began to cherish it in the same way that Frodo began to grow fond of the ring.  

Some have speculated that fellow Southlander, WALDREG (Geoff Morrell), could be another possible candidate. Let's face it, he probably wouldn't need much corrupting; he's already a loyal follower of Sauron!

Finally, if we're looking at Númenóreans, Isildur's father ELENDIL (Lloyd Owen), and his friends and fellow soldiers, VALENDIL (Alex Tarrant) and ONTAMO (Anthony Crum), have been mooted as other potential candidates to become Ringwraiths.