Despite the broad definition of a broker in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, an official of the U.S. Treasury Department says that non-brokers will not be targeted even if the bill is not amended. The official added that crypto advocates’ fears are unwarranted. Treasury Official Says Non-Brokers Will Not Be Targeted The U.S. Department of the Treasury explained Tuesday that the crypto reporting requirements in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill will not target non-brokers even if the bill is not amended, CNBC reported, citing an official of the department. Crypto advocates are concerned that the bill defines a broker so broadly that it could include miners and software developers who do not have the information sought by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Some lawmakers are very concerned about the language of the bill regarding the crypto requirements. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, for example, commented: “This infrastructure bill has in it a portion that is designed to obliterate crypto. That would be a tragic mistake.” Senator Pat Toomey said, “Simply put, the text is unworkable.” However, the Treasury official told the news outlet Tuesday that these fears are unwarranted. “Reporting requirements would only be extended to those able to comply, like certain decentralized exchanges, for example, if written into tax law,” the publication conveyed. A few amendments to the crypto provision in the infrastructure bill have been proposed, including a compromise amendment that is supported by the Treasury. Nonetheless, all of them failed to pass the Senate when the infrastructure bill passed on Aug. 10. In addition, the official clarified that the Treasury plans to take time to research to understand who might be asked to comply with the provision and verify whether they would be capable of doing so prior to establishing the law. This process could take years, the official indicated. The infrastructure bill is awaiting the House of Representatives to take up. There are efforts to get members of the House to amend the bill. Rep. Anna Eshoo from California recently urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “to fix potentially harmful language on cryptocurrency in bipartisan infrastructure bill.” On Tuesday, the House passed a $3.5 trillion budget resolution and advanced the bipartisan infrastructure bill. In a statement Tuesday, Pelosi said she is “committing to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill by September 27.”

According to a regional report, the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is focusing on the blockchain-powered game Axie Infinity over tax concerns. Finance Undersecretary Antonette Tionko explained to the press that BIR is looking into methods aimed at capturing Axie Infinity players failing to pay their income taxes. Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue Wants Its Cut From Axie Infinity Earners The Ethereum-game “Axie Infinity” has made waves not only in the crypto realm but also in terms of mainstream media attention. The game has gathered a lot of popularity and the native tokens called axie infinity (AXS) and smooth love potion (SLP) have seen significant gains this year. In places like the Philippines and Venezuela people are earning a lot of money playing Axie Infinity. In fact, some players are earning more playing Axie Infinity than they would at their 9-5 jobs. The Philippines government has caught wind of these earnings and just like all global tax collectors, BIR wants its cut. In a press release published by the tax authority, the agency and the region’s finance undersecretary Antonette Tionko say “Axie Infinity earnings are subject to tax.” Philippines Finance Undersecretary: ‘Remember the Principle of Taxation, It’s a Flow of Wealth’ Tionko stressed that regulators have not decided on whether or not “Axie” is a currency or security and believes that decision is up to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Tionko also thinks the central banking authority Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) should weigh in on the Axie Infinity subject. “But regardless of how it is characterized, it’s taxable, subject to income tax,” Tionko insisted on August 23. “It is not registered in the Philippines. That is one of the things that we hopefully capture once we have that system of registration for non-residents. It’s not in the Philippines, but certainly whoever earns currency from it, you should report it,” Tionko added. The creators of the Ethereum-powered game Axie Infinity Sky Mavis are based in Vietnam. Tionko further stressed to the public that all internet schemes that allow people to make money are subject to income taxes. “Remember the principle of taxation, it’s a flow of wealth,” Tionko concluded.

Fears of a major semiconductor chip shortage have started to make headlines again as the chips power nearly everything from new cars, phones, computers, and a myriad of other items. Reports stemming from Malaysia show that semiconductor manufacturers are dealing with an uptick in Covid-19 cases and this is plaguing the supply chain. Moreover, the machines that secure the Bitcoin network are also powered by these chips, and semiconductor prices might increase by over 20% in the near future. Semiconductor Shortage Could Cause a 10-20% Rise in Chip Costs On August 24, the well known German technology and engineering firm Bosch explained that the semiconductor supply chain is broken, as the world currently faces a major chip shortage. Covid-19 is hurting semiconductor manufacturing hubs like Malaysia that are dealing with the virus. The uptick in coronavirus cases in Malaysia is allegedly causing chip shortages, as major suppliers like STMicroelectronics Nvamong, NXP Semiconductors NV, and Infineon Technologies AG operate chip plants in the country. Despite Taiwan having almost zero Covid-19 cases, a regional report noted that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) could possibly increase the price of wafers by 20%. Unnamed sources stemming from the IC design houses say that TSMC has been notifying major clients that they could see a 10-20% hike on all chips involving sub-16nm process manufacturing. Smartphones, computers, cars, and bitcoin miners leverage sub-16nm process manufacturing and some of the top bitcoin mining rigs use 10nm to 7nm semiconductors. Taiwan’s Economy Minister: ‘Taiwan Is Doing Its Best to Assist on the Chips’ Similar to the way it was months ago, a few of the official websites of some of the top mining rig manufactures indicate that physical mining products are sold out across the board. A few firms do have rigs for sale on the spot, as Bitmain currently has mining rigs for sale that will ship in ten working days after the item is “fully paid.” At press time, the cost of an Antminer S19j Pro 100 TH/s is $10,000 per unit. The five other Antminer mining rigs Bitmain has advertised on the website are completely sold out. Every now and then in 2021, firms like Bitmain, Canaan, and Microbt announce large sales to some of the largest mining operations worldwide. The average consumer is forced to buy bitcoin mining rigs via second market providers, ones that usually tack on a significant premium. Meanwhile, a number of car companies are cutting production these days, as firms like BMW, Toyota, and Volkswagen have had major issues accessing chips. Taiwan’s Economy Minister, Wang Mei-Hua, addressed the public on Tuesday and said that Taiwan is doing everything possible to keep the supply chain of semiconductors going strong. Wang told the press that U.S. diplomat in Taiwan, Sandra Oudkirk discussed it with him on Monday. “I mentioned that Taiwan is doing its best to assist on the chips,” Wang told the press that day. Over the long term, alongside the fact that the shortage has already tightened supply chains, the effects of the global supply shortage of semiconductors may stall bitcoin mining operations and manufacturers who build these machines. Items like system on chips (SoCs), CPUs, GPUs, ASICs, and controllers are likely to cost more going forward if these shortages continue. All of the aforementioned semiconductor products are leveraged by the cryptocurrency ecosystem, in general.

The authorities of Spain must prepare a registry of cryptocurrency exchanges and custody providers to comply with legal requirements to address transparency and terrorism financing issues. This registry is specified by the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Law, approved last year. The process, which started in April, gives these service providers until October to register. Spain to Create Virtual Asset Provider Registry The Bank of Spain must determine the requirements to start registering cryptocurrency exchanges and custody providers, as determined by Spanish law. The virtual asset service providers must register with the institution to implement anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing measures. This is mandated by the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Law that was approved last year. The period established by law to allow these providers to register started in April and ends in October. After that, cryptocurrency service providers will have a second period to register that finishes in January 2022. The law states the purpose of the registry is to: …improve the mechanisms for the prevention of terrorism and improve the transparency and availability of information about true cryptocurrency owners. Stringent Regulations Spain has been busy regulating cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency interactions this year, approving a series of laws that exert more control on crypto and fiat holdings. The so-called anti-fraud law, passed on July 7, establishes that Spanish citizens must disclose their cryptocurrency ownership for assets inside and outside the country. The law also states that custody providers must report information about their customers and their holdings. The antifraud law prescribes harsh penalties for failure to disclose this information. Customer data will be available to all countries in the European Union, as well. According to Alejandro de la Cruz, a Spanish financial lawyer, the registry will mark a before and after for crypto-related service providers in Spain. This might affect the growth of cryptocurrency adoption in the region because exchanges will have to comply with a lengthy process and identity themselves and their customers to regulators. However, part of the Spanish congress seems to understand the importance that cryptocurrencies can have in the lives of citizens. A new draft law introduced earlier this month, seeking to modernize the Spanish legal structure, would allow Spanish citizens to pay their mortgages with cryptocurrency.

NFTs are of the biggest developments to come from the emergence of DeFi, and have created a mania not seen in the market since the 2017 cryptocurrency bull run. NFT art has raised some fascinating questions over where value can be identified, but it is in the gaming world that NFTs could prove to be truly groundbreaking. NFT gaming is now one of the hottest spaces in crypto as leaders in the field create digital worlds with self-sustaining economies that utilize in-game NFTs that command a tangible value in the wider market and give participants a way to monetize their game time. Tezotopia Marketplace Sells Out in 20 Mins One emerging leader, Gif.games, recently launched an NFT marketplace and game called Tezotopia which allows users to play in a virtual environment and trade virtual assets using a currency called Unobtainium (UNO) which will soon command its own open market value. A testament to the huge interest that is quickly snowballing within the NFT gaming space, the Tezotopia marketplace launch on August 9th sold out in only 20 mins, raising an initial $76,514, which was spent on various in-game assets, and resources. The Potential of NFT Gaming NFT art grabbed the imagination of the crypto market in Q1 of this year and now the accessibility of play-to-earn NFT-based titles like Axie Infinity and Tezotopia is creating a whole new level of interest amongst casual players and hardcore gamers alike. NFTs raked in over $1.2 billion in sales in July 2021 and in just the last month dApp user volume has increased a massive 23.72% with more than 1.4 million daily unique users. This massive growth can be put down to a number of factors, but the most notable is the game-changing nature that in-game NFTs have brought to the table. In the virtual world, in-game items have always held high interest with players but lacked any tangible value outside of the game, until now. In-game NFTs allow players to own and control what they own, in a way like never before. The blockchain technology behind NFTs provides a probability for item authenticity so that such items can hold both not only their in-game value but also their open market value for players to sell or trade. Tezotopia: Explore, Excavate, Create Tezotopia is an open-world NFT game and marketplace for virtual assets based on Tezos. Players can buy, sell, and trade digital territories (known as Tezotops) & build numerous virtual assets using the in-game cryptocurrency, Unobtainium (UNO). On their futuristic journey across the open-world map, players use Unobtainium (0.5 UNO and 50 Energy points) to create new Tezotops. Players can also use Unobtainium and other resources such as minerals and energy to produce machinery and build battle units. Unobtainium not only has full utility within the game, but it will also be an FA2 token with liquidity, backed by Tezos. UNO has a maximum supply of 333,333 and is available to buy on Quipiswap exchange. These mechanics mean that players can conduct trades, barter, and exchange outside of the confines of Tezotopia. Gif.games have taken full advantage of the capabilities of NFTs with Tezotopia, tokenizing all of the minerals, energy, and machinery within the game through Unobtainium and giving its players the freedom to use their NFTs outside of the gaming environment. $GIF Governance Token IDO On the back of the Tezotopia launch success, Gif.games was quickly accepted into the Blockchain Gaming Alliance as a silver member. Gif.games is now preparing to launch an IDO for its $GIF governance token with partner and decentralized launchpad Rocket Launchpad, on Tezos on August 28th, 2021. $GIF is a Governance token for all current and future blockchain titles from gif.games. $GIF holders will benefit from holders’ rights and have their say in any new project proposals and have the right to vote on things that affect Tezotopia and other future titles. $GIF holders’ will also get other benefits such as in-game perks, early access to new games, airdrops, and much more. The IDO will give anyone interested the opportunity to buy $GIF at a reduced price. Anyone interested in details about token supply and allocation can learn more here. What is Next for Gif.games With much already accomplished in the last month Gif.games is now preparing to have $GIF listed on Tezos’s DEX QuipuSwap, following the completion of the IDO which starts on August 28th. Funds from the IDO will be used to help scale games, bring on more developers & artists to expand the universe of Gif.games. The Tezotopia dApp is expected to be complete following the IDO so players will be able to build unique NFT assets on top of their Tezotop blocks. Later this year Gif.games plans to airdrop 10,000 $GIF per Tezotop to the owners of the first 400 Blocks of Tezotopia and have new collaborations planned with talented Tezos NFT Community Artists. $GIF token holders will be given access to Beta Test Gif.games battle engine and plan to announce a new game title later in the year.

Revealed during Gamescom 2021 Opening Night Live, a limited edition Xbox Elite Series 2 controller is coming this November 15 to honor the Halo franchise’s 20th Anniversary. The incredible design mimics the classic Master Chief armor, and comes with many swappable pieces and extra accessories. Joseph Staten, the Campaign Lead for Halo Infinite shared the Gamescom stage with Geoff Keighly to officially announce the Halo Infinite release date. This big reveal was accompanied by more information on the Season 1 multiplayer story, along with the announcement of the Halo Elite Series 2, as well as a beautiful Halo-themed Xbox Series X console. The green-and-black Elite gamepad comes with: Swappable adjustable-tension thumbsticks Swappable thumb grips Set of two D-pads: Standard, Faceted Optional paddles that add extra button inputs Thumbstick-adjustment tool Laser-etched charging dock Custom green and orange USB-C charging cable Digital Halo Infinite weapon charm Carrying Case The Xbox Elite controllers are well known for their level of customisation and durability, and it looks like this version follows suit. Some fans might be put-off by its $199.99 price tag, but considering a regular Xbox Series X controller will set fans back $69.99, an extra $130 for a highly customizable, durable gamepad that also comes with a charging dock and in-game content doesn’t seem too much more to pay for. In addition to the Elite Controller and Halo Infinite Xbox Series X Bundle, a Razer Kaira Pro Headset and Seagate Game Drive will also be released with a Halo-themed makeover. The Razer Headset also comes with an in-game Halo Infinite "Deathly Poison Armor Coating," but no price or release date. The Seagate Drive is available at $99.99 for 2TB of storage, or $159.99 for 5TB, and will be available some time in October. While the reveal that Halo Infinite will lack co-op and other major features at launch was a big disappointment to many fans, these incredibly designed extras are a great way to celebrate the iconic first-person-shooter’s massive 20th anniversary. Confirmation that the game is still on track for a 2021 release after it was delayed for over a year is also great news for Master Chief fans. As limited editions, the Series X and Elite Series 2 Controller will inevitably sell well, but the high price point and limited quantity might put a lot of fans off. Offering something smaller at a more reasonable price could have helped a lot of old and new Halo fans feel more included during the special anniversary.

Over the years, there have been a lot of popular simulation video games available for gamers. From games that let players get behind the wheel of race cars to others that let them negotiate intergalactic alliances, there seems to be a simulation game for everyone. Recently, the developers at Frontier Developments revealed a gameplay trailer for their newest simulation game, a dinosaur park simulator called Jurassic World Evolution 2. Originally announced back at the Summer Games Fest 2021, the game is a sequel to 2018's Jurassic World Evolution. Even Jeff Goldblum, famous from the original Jurassic Park, lent his voice for the reveal trailer narration. However, that original video only teased the project, this new trailer provides actual in-game footage. Revealed during Opening Night Live 2021 at Gamescom, this gameplay trailer gave players a new look at the gorgeous visuals of the sequel to Jurassic World Evolution. The trailer revealed a number of impressive looking dinosaurs such as the Mosasaur from the 2015 Jurassic World movie. The game appears to include a robust set of tools to help design exhibits as features for shaping terrain and rotating objects were seen. Futhermore, a number of different regions were shown for park settings like mountains and desert environments. Fans won’t need to wait long until they can play the game for themselves. In addition to providing gameplay footage and a glimpse of the creation tools available to players, the developers revealed that the park simulator launches on November 9. Pre-orders for the game are now available. Beyond this new trailer from Gamescom, fans have been receiving other updates on the game over the past few months. In a series of YouTube videos called "Developer Diaries," eager fans have been able to learn more details about the game. Furthermore, the developers have published a collection of species field guides showcasing some of the new and exotic dinosaurs coming to Jurassic World Evolution 2 such as Pteranodon, Dimorphodon, and Qianzhousaurus. This new trailer comes as the original Jurassic World Evolution is over three years old now. The first game in the series of prehistoric park simulators, the game gave players the opportunity to run a theme park full of dinosaurs that included favorites like the iconic Velociraptor. As is the case with dinosaurs, things often don’t go according to plan, forcing the player to resolve emergency situations at the park. The game also included some impressive voice actors such as Jeff Goldblum and Dallas Bryce Howard. It’s exciting for gamers to see this news about Jurassic World Evolution 2 come out of Gamescom 2021. It will be interesting to see what other features and new types of dinosaurs fans learn about before the game’s launch later this year. Jurassic World Evolution 2 is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 9.

Activision Blizzard has officially added a quality-of-life feature back into Call of Duty: Warzone that was originally added with Season 4. This feature allows players to make changes to their loadouts in the pre-game lobby. Raven Software originally removed the edit loadout feature from the pre-game lobby shortly after it was added. According to the team behind Call of Duty: Warzone and videos that were surfacing at the time, players were able to exploit the system in order to gain blueprints, free camos, and even an in-game advantage. The feature was quietly removed as a result of the bugs and exploits associated with it. Players who were benefitting the most from this feature were able to acquire infinite Dead Silence, giving them a significant advantage over the competition. With this game-breaking bug, among several bugs and exploits attached to the edit loadout feature, Call of Duty: Warzone players have had to edit their loadouts before a match. Thanks to the return of the feature, players will be able to edit loadouts as they wait for their next battle royale match. Call of Duty: Warzone Season 5 released with update 1.41, and it includes several changes to the game. Included with the return of the pre-game lobby feature in Warzone are new weapons, perks, map changes, and a Gulag inspired by the Rush game mode. Unlike the previous seasons to release, Season 5 doesn't include significant bug fixes or weapon balancing. Frustrated Call of Duty: Warzone fans have voiced their displeasure about the removal of the pre-game lobby loadout feature. Modern Warfare fans, in particular, had been affected by this change, as depending on the attachments they wanted to use, they weren't able to test them out in multiplayer mode first. Upon the return of this feature, Raven Software announced that it would be coming to Plunder and Modern Warfare multiplayer in addition to Warzone. On top of the changes to the Call of Duty: Warzone pre-game lobby, Raven Software also officially announced that Warzone update 1.41 changed the lobby screens for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone. The pre-game lobby edit loadout feature has been a highly requested addition to Warzone since it was removed with Season 4. With this old Call of Duty: Warzone feature returned to the game, it seems like Activision Blizzard and Raven Software are listening to the Warzone community. With Modern Warfare and Cold War fans both receiving this feature, it's likely that Call of Duty: Vanguard will include something similar with its Warzone mode. Call of Duty: Warzone is available right now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Gamescom Opening Night Live featured announcements, reveals, and more for over 30 different games, but for Valheim fans there was only ever one thing worth looking forward. Details regarding Valheim's long-awaited Hearth and Home update have been highly anticipated for months, as developer Iron Gate AB wrestled with viral success and demand for quick updates and new content. The time has come, as Iron Gate AB is ready to confirm that Valheim's Hearth and Home arrives on September 16. To celebrate Hearth and Home's release date announcement Iron Gate AB shared an animated cinematic trailer made just for the reveal. It featured a Nordic warrior battling a dragon and taking its head, followed by a long and perilous journey back to his homestead filled with friends and food. Of course, the effort was all to mount the dragon's head above the hearth, because home is where the heart is. Alongside the release of the trailer, Iron Gate AB also dropped its monthly blog on Steam for fans to delve into for more detail. To start, Iron Gate AB reiterated what players can expect in Valheim's upcoming update. Hearth and Home will include new furniture, building pieces, food, and more. The development team also teased two additional new additions via screenshots. One is a new type of forge and the other is a carved ornamental wolf head with jaws agape. While Iron Gate AB tells Valheim players that they can find early looks at other additions coming in the Hearth and Home update on its social media, it also says that an official list of content will not be forthcoming. That's not bad news, however. There are no problems, delays, or ongoing issues preventing Iron Gate AB from sharing that information. Rather, it's a decision made by the team. Iron Gate wants Valheim players to discover all of the new content for themselves. Some of the other changes being made to Valheim as part of the Hearth and Home update include changes to the reworked food system, as well as to shields. For food, there is now health food and stamina food, allowing players to choose what best suits their playstyle, with timed buffs instead of the food bar. Shields and blocking will be dependent on overall health, with the tower shield getting a buff just for tank characters who like defending. Another exciting development is that Valheim's developer has officially hired three new employees, bringing the total number of employees to eight. That includes a new animator, a new programmer, and a QA lead, which could mean that Valheim updates to follow Hearth and Home could come faster and more polished, or perhaps just larger. It'll be exciting to see what's next for Valheim. Valheim is available now on PC.

In many ways, 2013’s Outlast helped redefine what small-studio horror games were capable of. While Amnesia rocketed indie horror onto the scene with the help of YouTube personalities, it’s difficult to deny the Outlast franchise’s impact on the genre. Now, the next entry in the franchise, The Outlast Trials, has received a new trailer – though this game has a multiplayer twist. The trailer gives close-up looks at some of the titular trials that players will be facing as they work their way through the game. In a way, the trailer closely resembles a SAW film, with bloody rooms and vicious-looking obstacles dominating many of the game’s environments. It certainly doesn’t seem like a place for the faint of heart, though the Outlast games never have been – one of the contributing factors to their success. Undeniably the stars of the show are the enemies that are featured over the course of the gameplay trailer. Traditionally, the Outlast games have packed in one or two primary big baddies for players to avoid, but The Outlast Trials trailer shows a suite of enemies chasing down players. Impressively, each one of the enemies is uniquely terrifying, offering up some distinct visual elements that distinguish them from the others. The narration also adds a creepy layer to the trailer’s overall vibe, as the speaker claims to be helping the protagonists, ensuring their safety and insisting he's their friend. That clearly doesn’t seem to be the case, as players are subjected to physical and mental torment throughout the gameplay. Luckily, the game will support teams of up to four players, so at least there’s the option for allies to tackle each trial with. The gist of what's know so far is that the game is set during the height of the Cold War. Players are abductee test subjects taken by the Murkoff Corporation and held prisoner in a secret facility. There, they’ll be forced to take part in “physical and mental ordeals,” many of which seem to end with players being hung, stabbed, or otherwise brutalized if the corpses shown throughout the trailer are any indication. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of question marks about The Outlast Trials. This is by far the best look that fans have had at the game since it was revealed, but the only release date right now is a vague 2022 window. There are some other horror games coming out soon to fill the void, like House of Ashes, but The Outlast Trials seems particularly exciting. The Outlast Trials will release in 2022.

The upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles: Shredder's Revenge has released a new trailer that confirms another member of the franchise's cast will be joining the game. Early trailers from the Shredder's Revenge reveal hinted at some extra characters possibly being playable, but a new trailer confirms it for the series' popular leading lady, April O'Neil. With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge having a very retro art style, harkening back to the 1987 cartoon series and accompanying arcade titles, this means players will be able to jump into the game as the most recognizable April O'Neil. Additionally, the fan-favorite redhead will have her own weapon that leans in on the character's history as a reporter and investigative journalist. This new trailer starts off by showing the four turtles in a menu reminiscent of older TMNT arcade titles, before April appears using a microphone as her weapon. Her full moveset includes plenty of punches and kicks without the weapon, but several of her special attacks also add a news camera on top of a tripod as her heavy hitter. The whole loadout makes April a force to be reckoned with, as she has little trouble taking out dozens of Foot Clan ninjas with as much ease as any of the other turtles. In addition to her own attacks, April will also be able to combo with the main cast of turtles, moving from jump and spin attacks right into being thrown like a wrecking ball into a group of enemies. Overall, April is a welcome addition to the style of classic TMNT arcade beat 'em ups that developer Dotemu is striving for with Shredder's Revenge. Although, it isn't clear if April will be the only new character to be added for players to take control of through the upcoming game. Having April take her place in the fight alongside the turtles is a huge step for the classic 80's style that Shredder's Revenge emulates, especially considering the way that more recent adaptations have made her a more active part of the team. However, Dotemu may still have more in store for fans, as the initial reveal trailer for the game back in March implied that Master Splinter may also have a part in the fighting. While Splinter may be relegated to being an acquirable power-up or temporary ally, it is exciting to see April get the upgrade from stage presenter all the way to playable combatant. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge is set to release in 2022 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Dr Disrespect is not only one of the most popular YouTube streamers going at the moment, but he has something of a controversial reputation, often being very vocal about his criticisms of video games. After being banned from Twitch more than a year ago, the Doc recently mentioned how he'd known the reason for months, revealing that he knew why the banhammer came down on him and his videos. On top of that, he has also spoken frankly about how the aftermath has made it difficult for him to partner up with big companies. In his latest YouTube video, Dr Disrespect laments how being banned from Twitch's platform has had an impact on his ability to work with companies like Disney or Nike, saying that it's affected him from a business perspective, as well as from a financial one, adding that his income is only a quarter of what he was making through Twitch. He added that Google searching his name brings up the news about his banning, believing that such headlines are the reason why he's struggling to work with huge companies. He concluded his statement by saying that it "f***ing sucks!" Dr Disrepect's banning from Twitch has caused quite a stir over the last year or so. With the ban being permanent, there were some uncertainties as to why he was kicked off the platform in the first place. One theory suggested that him being a high profile streamer who earns a lot from Twitch, his removal meant the streaming company could bring in more, smaller content creators instead of paying for one big star. However, those were only speculations, and nothing has been proved on that front. It's not unusual for the Doc to make headlines in the media. His brash opinions on certain video games often catch the attention of the community. Just recently, Dr Disrespect criticized the reveal for Call of Duty: Vanguard, having been let down by the teaser, saying that he would have preferred some hands-on action, rather than just a "cinematic" experience. Given that the Doc is now starting his own video game company, in which he plans to make a vertical Battle Royale title, it seems as though the moustachio'd champion gamer is making the most of his time away from Twitch. With his YouTube channel at a lofty 3.46 million subscribers, it begs the question of just how much bigger he could become if Disney and other huge companies would partner with him were it not for the controversy.

With the re-release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, fans have been celebrating the occasion in a wide variety of ways. Nintendo announced a while back the re-release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl under the new name Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl with a brand new look to the game and its well known characters like Barry, Dawn, and Cynthia. Fans have been celebrating across all socials media formats, creating a hefty amount of fan-made content and leading one specific fan to recreate Dawn in a glorious cosplay. Originally, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl was released in 2006 on the Nintendo DS. With the cast of game becoming eventually even more well known due to their appearence in the Pokemon television series, devoted fans of the title have taken to fan content creation during the wait for the November release. Fortunately for many fans of the original game, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond is bringing back fan favorite features, and the community has been continuously fed this uplifting information from Nintendo as the wait continues on. With the character Dawn having joined Ash Ketchum, and becoming part of the main cast of the Pokemon television series, she has always been a popular character among longtime Pokemon fans. With Dawn also starring in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, a devoted fan cosplayer by the name of KawaiiQueen created an incredibly accurate recreation of the fan favorite character in celebration of the re-release. With fans already comparing the re-release Pokemon graphics to older ones, it is always refreshing to see Pokemon renditions in 3D. One of the little things KawaiiQueen added to her posts that just perfectly finishes it, is her addition of Sinnoh Region for the location of the picture on Instagram. From the skirt to the scarf, she amazingly recreates Dawn accurately, only missing her faithful Piplup campanion. Maybe Piplup is simply inside of the Pokeball she's holding. With Dawn's current involvement in Pokemon Masters and Brilliant Diamond, a cosplay this true to the original is a welcome sight for hyped fans. KawaiiQueen has a handful of posts on her Instagram of the dedicated Dawn cosplay and her love for the original game. She also cosplays Cynthia, who stars in both the anime and upcoming re-release as well, further showing her dedication to the series. With fans creating everything from life-size papercraft Eevee to bringing beautiful characters from the games into real life, the Pokemon community will have quite a lot to discuss while they wait for the official re-release. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release on November 19, 2021, for Nintendo Switch.

Since the first team to score a raid clear in 2014, players continue seeking challenges to conquer inside the various raids available across Destiny and Destiny 2. The toughest players out there have been able to conquer Destiny's raids in either duos or solo, finding ways to beat bosses like Atheon and Riven at a severe disadvantage. However, one titan has overcome Atheon with nothing more than a hammer and some lucky glitching. Twitter user VoteforShifu posted the short clip from one of their most recent and successful Atheon solo runs inside the Vault of Glass raid. The clip shows the devastator titan using their throwing hammer melee on several vex harpies for a damage boost before turning their attention to Atheon. VoteforShifu then throws their charged hammer at Atheon twice, defeating the powerful Vex mind in just two melee hits. Several Twitter users were quick to comment about this, saying how surprised they were at how Atheon was beaten while others asked how VoteforShifu beat Atheon in two melee hits. A few users pointed out the throwing hammer bounces after making contact and glitched on Atheon's leg, causing the massive damage. Damage glitches like this are nothing new to Destiny's various raids, typically being found by fellow solo raid runners like VoteforShifu. Players uncovered another Destiny 2 damage glitch in January 2020 which allowed players to solo most raid encounters until was ultimately patched out. The glitch required players to run a hunter armed with a sword, plenty of heavy ammo, and the card shuffle emote for a combination of emoting, dodging, summoning their ghost, and hitting bosses with a jump slash. Another glitch was subsequently found in the Deep Stone Crypt raid after Bungie patched out the aforementioned damage glitch. This saw various warlocks casting nova bombs at the rubble before the raid's final encounter and dying, causing Taniks to zero-out if done correctly for a quick Guardian victory. However, VoteforShifu's glitch run is among the more ridiculous solo run completions seen within Destiny 2. Raid bosses typically require some combination of heavy weapons, supers, and strong secondary weapons, even with past damage glitches as highlighted above. Some melees can provide damage boosts, but are not typically strong enough to defeat major enemies in one or two blows. It will be worth watching to see if anyone is able to recreate VoteforShifu's lucky combination because, now that it has been done, other players will be keen to try and replicate it. Destiny 2 is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Those who are familiar with the modding community, will almost certainly be familiar with Nexus Mods, a website which houses a plethora of fan-made add-ons for a huge variety of games. Despite the fact that Nexus has angered some of its users when it changed certain policies recently, it's still one of the go-to places to get hold of custom mods for free. Even serious horror games like Resident Evil aren't safe from the community, as one fan does a model swap in the remake of the third game to make for a rather surreal experience. Uploading the file earlier today, user PlayStar201 has modified Resident Evil 3 which replaces one character with another. More specifically, what they've done is swap out Carlos for the brutish Nemesis model. The images show Jill and other characters completely stone-faced to have the Tyrant creature battling alongside them as opposed to with them, making for a rather humorous mod. While some mods aim to make Resident Evil 3 much more difficult, PlayStar201's contribution throws a little spanner in the works by making Jill and Nemesis companions throughout the game. The description on the mod page says that players will also get to control Nemesis, just as they would with Carlos, during the hospital/police department sections. However, the author does warn that Nemesis may only be "semi-playable" but that players who use the mod should be able to "work around this" to make the Tyrant/Carlos fully playable. It doesn't say much about what will happen when players face off against one of Resident Evil's most infamous Tyrants and actually have to fight him, but it can be assumed that the rest of the game will play out as normal. Jill will take on the ever-evolving beast as she would throughout a normal playthrough, and scenes will be interspersed with her conversing with, and helping out, a much smaller Nemesis. There's also no word about whether the swapped out model will still have Carlos' voice, the thought of which is quite hilarious. When the remake was first released, Resident Evil 3 changed quite a bit about the original characters. While Carlos has a new voice actor, and is given more play time, PlayStar201's mod goes that one step further by taking him out of the equation entirely, and at the same time, making it look like having Nemesis as a companion is the most natural thing in the world in this universe. Resident Evil 3: Remake is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage reportedly will not be delayed to 2022 and is still set for its scheduled October release. Originally scheduled to come out last fall, the highly-anticipated sequel has been pushed back multiple times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It was only a couple weeks ago Venom: Let There Be Carnage was delayed from a September premiere, primarily over concerns about the spreading Delta variant causing new COVID-19 cases to rise across the country. With the film's latest release date just a couple months away, there's still been some uncertainty about Venom: Let There Be Carnage's impending debut. Moviegoers feel less confident about going back to theaters now than they did earlier in the year, causing box office numbers to drop (see: The Suicide Squad). Even though there have been hits such as Free Guy this summer, there have been questions regarding the state of the fall 2021 release calendar. It looked like Venom: Let There Be Carnage was going to get delayed again to 2022, but that appears to be untrue. Per Variety, Venom: Let There Be Carnage will not be delayed to next year. It's still coming out in October, positioned as Sony's major release this fall. Of course, everything is subject to change given the pandemic. Marvel's Eternals reportedly could be delayed if Shang-Chi bombs at the box office, so there are factors that could influence Sony to delay Venom: Let There Be Carnage again. At the same time, box office numbers aren't going to return to 2019 levels for a while, and constantly delaying a movie is an expensive endeavor (see: No Time to Die). Sony would arguably be better-served to just release Venom: Let There Be Carnage and try to make as much as they can. For what it's worth, the studio seems to be committing themselves to their planned release dates. They finally released the first Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, reaffirming the MCU installment's December premiere. It will be interesting to see how Venom: Let There Be Carnage performs at the box office, especially since it's a theatrical exclusive. The Delta variant and recent surge in new cases doesn't bode well for its commercial prospects, but Free Guy managed to surpass expectations despite everything. It's possible Venom: Let There Be Carnage could be a hit too (relatively speaking), especially since there's still time for things to improve before it comes out in theaters. The first movie was a big blockbuster, grossing $856 million worldwide. There's much anticipation for the sequel, so audiences will likely turn out to see it on the big screen.

The Sinister Six lineup in Spider-Man: No Way Home is missing one member, so who will the movie's final villain be? The third installment of Sony and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man franchise appears to be where a version of the Sinister Six will finally debut. Sony has had multiple ideas in the past to bring a collection of Spider-Man's greatest villains together on the big screen. This included a Sinister Six movie as part of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot of Spider-Man scrapped those plans, it might be Spider-Man: No Way Home that brings the villainous team together. The first Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer confirmed that multiple villains will be featured in the movie. In an expected twist thanks to rumors and leaks, these villains will be from previous non-MCU Spider-Man movies. Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man trilogy is represented with Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, and Thomas Hayden Church's Sandman. The movie also includes Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Lizard (Rhys Ifans) from the Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield Amazing Spider-Man films. That only gives Spider-Man: No Way Home five villains, which is one short of the expected Sinister Six lineup. Now that one of Spider-Man: No Way Home's possible Sinister Six villains is absent, that leaves a major question as to who will join the team. The most likely candidate based on the movie's rumors is another villain from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Paul Giamatti is reportedly returning to play Rhino in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Giamatti has denied these reports when he's been asked, so there is a chance he won't. It would be a nice piece of symmetry if Rhino was included, though, as it would give Spider-Man: No Way Home three villains from each of the previous Spider-Man franchises. And unless Dane Dehaan is brought back as Harry Osborn's Green Goblin, the Amazing Spider-Man films don't have another real option. Plus, Rhino's return would point to every villain in Sinister Six originating through the multiverse. There is a chance that Spider-Man: No Way Home could round out its Sinister Six team with someone that Holland's Spider-Man already knows too. Vulture (Michael Keaton), Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine), and Scorpion (Michael Mando) are all still alive. Any of them could take part in the villain team-up, with Scorpion possibly the most likely of the three to participate since he desperately wanted to know who Spider-Man really was. Now that Peter's identity has been outed, Scorpion could strike. It's also worth considering that Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio could join the Sinister Six instead. He appeared to have died in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but after teasing an origin connected to the multiverse, Spider-Man: No Way Home could actually make that true and include another version of him. Due to the multiverse connections Spider-Man: No Way Home's current Sinister Six roster contains, it is also possible that Sony will use a character from Sony Spider-Man Universe. Tom Hardy's Venom would be the biggest possible candidate to appear, while Jared Leto's Morbius is also a contender. This might be unlikely as an appearance by either would surely build off their upcoming solo films, but both are not expected to release until after Spider-Man: No Way Home now. If Sony really wants to get creative, an appearance by Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven the Hunter could happen here. Kraven was long rumored to be in consideration to be one of the film's main villains, but that appeared to change once the multiverse story was cracked. In terms of which other Spider-Man villain has the best chance to be on the Sinister Six, the odds should be in Rhino or Scorpion's favor most likely. Both could fit with what Spider-Man: No Way Home is doing, although Rhino's multiverse connection might give him the edge between the two. Fans will know for sure when the movie finally comes out.

Shuri actor Letitia Wright suffered minor injuries on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever last night while performing a stunt for the film. The highly anticipated sequel to 2018's Black Panther is currently in the midst of filming in the Boston area. The shoot is taking place at the campus of MIT where the film will introduce future Ironheart Riri Williams. The highly anticipated film is one of the more mysterious projects on Marvel's upcoming slate as audiences await to see how it will honor actor Chadwick Boseman's legacy after his untimely passing in 2020. Wright is reprising her role as T'Challa's little sister, Shuri. She will be joined by original cast members Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Winston Duke, and Angela Basset. In addition to Dominique Thorne, who will be playing Riri Williams, I May Destroy You's Michaela Cole has also been cast in an undisclosed role. Tenoch Heurta will also star as rumored villain Namor the Sub-Mariner, setting the stage for the introduction of the MCU's version of Atlantis. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been in production since the end of June, shooting in Atlanta before moving to the Boston area. Now, Deadline reports that, as shooting continues in Massachusetts, Wright has suffered a minor onset injury. The injury reportedly occurred during an incident with a stunt rig. The actress is currently in the care of a local hospital and is expected to be released soon, according to a statement from Marvel. Wright's injury will not delay production of the film, according to the report. Thankfully, the injury sounds minor and with Wright expected to make a quick recovery, she should be back on set in no time. Her role in Black Panther 2 will likely be extremely important - as the only sibling of T'Challa, she very well may be tasked with carrying on her brother's legacy in Wakanda. While there's no word on who, or even if, someone will be taking over the mantle of Black Panther, Shuri seems the most natural choice to do so if Marvel decides to go that route. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be about honoring Boseman's legacy first and foremost, though, something that is necessary after his impactful and inspiring performance as Wakanda's king in the 2018 film. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's shoot expected to last six months, principal photography is about a third of the way done. The film is slated for release at the end of summer 2022, meaning it may be a while before an official look at the highly anticipated film is released. Fortunately, Shuri, and Wakanda, will be back in full force in no time.

Ryan Reynolds shot a grand total of 75 ads for Free Guy. In a summer movie season unlike any other, Free Guy has emerged as Hollywood's surprising hero. The movie, which stars Reynolds as a video game NPC who learns the truth about his world and embarks on a wild adventure, was delayed from last year by the coronavirus pandemic. Even in normal times, its performance at the box office would be uncertain. However, after weeks of concern over consumers' confidence in movie theaters, Free Guy exceeded expectations in its debut and had the best second weekend hold of the entire pandemic. Its worldwide total stands at $113.4 million. Free Guy was aided by positive reviews and a fun premise, but there's no doubt that Reynolds' involvement helped greatly. Reynolds has become a fan favorite actor, and he brought his hilarious public persona to the movie's marketing. From a series of funny cast promos to a video where Reynolds' Deadpool reacted to a Free Guy trailer alongside the MCU's Korg, the actor ensured the promotional efforts for this movie were anything but conventional. It makes sense, then, for Reynolds to have had such an unusually large presence in the movie's ads. In a THR feature about Free Guy's marketing, it's said Reynolds shot about 75 promos for the movie. The typical number for a lead actor is between 10 and 15, which just shows how much of an effort Reynolds put into this. He did so to set a variety of tones for different situations. "I think people would presume that to be kinda frustrating, but I love marketing," Reynolds said. "It’s more opportunity for storytelling, more opportunity to play with culture and mess with expectation." Between Free Guy and the Deadpool movies, Reynolds has proven himself to be a master at marketing. These days, it can be hard to get audiences' attention for new movies, particularly when it isn't based on any existing properties. Just having a big name star in the lead role isn't enough, but as Reynolds has shown, if they really integrate themselves into a movie's promotion, it can help increase buzz. For example, the Deadpool video was a major success and brought Free Guy some extra press. Free Guy has become such a success, Reynolds confirmed Disney is already interested in a sequel. Free Guy 2 hasn't been greenlit, but there definitely seems to be an audience for more adventures set within the movie's world. Reynolds has put his heart and soul into Free Guy, so it's safe to say he'll return if he can. If it happens, fans can expect more hilarious promotional videos. With Deadpool 3 also in the works, audiences just might be seeing a lot more of Reynolds' unique marketing strategies.

The official title of the long-anticipated Matrix sequel has finally been announced as The Matrix: Resurrections, and after the film's first trailer was unveiled during Warner Bros' CinemaCon reel, there's a lot of speculation about exactly what that title might mean. The Matrix changed the face of sci-fi back in 1999, and after two sequels were released in 2003 to flesh out the trilogy, it seemed that the franchise had come to a natural end. Given that Keanu Reeves' Neo met his end in the war against the machines, the biggest question is exactly how Neo survived, but there are likely more meanings - and implications - to the Resurrections subtitle. The Matrix followed Thomas Anderson's liberation from the titular simulation and his awakening as Neo, mankind's savior. The series later went on to have him fight in a futuristic war for the survival of humanity alongside Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss) and Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne). It seemed for a long time that the trilogy played out exactly as intended, with a definitive beginning and end to the story, and that there was really no need for any future installments. At one point, the Wachowskis even went as far as to express their disinterest in continuing the franchise, but with Reeves' role as John Wick making him one of this generation's most beloved action heroes, popular demand won out, and Resurrections is now slated for a December 2021 release. One of the biggest problems Resurrections will face has seemingly already been solved by its name, though. The Matrix Revolutions' ending saw Neo sacrificing his own life in order to free humanity, and the upcoming sequel's title is quite clearly a reference to Neo's return - but it also hints at an awful lot more, including the possibility that it is the Matrix itself that has been resurrected, as teased by Matrix 4 footage shown at CinemaCon. Neo is one of cinema's most iconic and obviously messianic figures - a prophesized savior of humanity with powers beyond that of normal humans who ultimately sacrifices himself so that mankind can survive - and so his apparent return from the dead isn't altogether surprising. However, early footage from the film reportedly shows Neo (living once more as Anderson) inside the Matrix, only subconsciously aware that he's living in a simulation. This hints that maybe the titular resurrection isn't about Neo, after all, and that maybe it's the machines' stranglehold on humanity that's been revived. It is also already known that Carrie-Ann Moss will also be returning as Trinity and that she, like Neo, is apparently living in blissful ignorance inside the Matrix. The Resurrections subtitle could simply be a reference to the two characters' reemergence, but it also denotes the rebirth of a franchise that many considered to be long-finished. It also carries with it the religious connotations that were inherent in the original trilogy, which signifies that this newest installment will also seek to match the tone of its predecessors. With what is already known about The Matrix: Resurrections, and with what can logically be surmised, it certainly seems that the subtitle can be taken both literally and metaphorically on multiple levels.

The first poster and footage for Spencer, a biopic about Princess Diana starring Kristen Stewart, have been revealed at CinemaCon. Taking place during a specific weekend in December 1991, Spencer focuses on the moment when the late princess decided to divorce Prince Charles and pursue a life outside the royal family. The film is directed by Pablo Larraín (Jackie) and scripted by Peaky Blinders' scribe Steven Knight. The title Spencer is in reference to Princess Diana's maiden name, before she joined the royal family. The film stars Stewart in the lead, with Jack Farthing as Prince Charles, Olga Hellsing as Sarah Ferguson, Niklas Kohrt as Prince Andrew, as well as appearances from Sean Harris, Timothy Spall, and Sally Hawkins. Stewart has done massive research for the role, from reading biographies to mastering Diana's accent, as well as watching The Crown season 4. The film is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September before its official release in theaters on November 5th, 2021. During a presentation at CinemaCon today, Screen Rant was able to see new footage and a trailer for Spencer. In addition, Neon shared the new poster for the film, which features Stewart's Diana in an elaborate dress and turned away in despair. The footage features a dialogue scene between Diana and Prince Charles, spaced out between a pool table, where the prince is lecturing her about her royal duties and her attire, saying that she has to make her body do things she hates for the good of the country, as the people don't want the royals to be people. Diana is upset about one of her sons taking up shooting, which leads to her angrily hitting the pool table, as Charles continues to confront her about everything, from wandering the grounds alone to possible infidelities to the way she opens curtains. The scene ends with Charles rolling the eight ball at Diana, which she catches and drops to the floor. In addition to the poster reveal and footage, a first look trailer was shown, which is mostly a montage of Diana being immersed in the royal life under a piano score. Uttering only a few lines, Diana's life is glossed over, from her massive wardrobe being laid out to elaborate royal meals at a long table to Diana hiding in a bathroom (as well as dodging paparazzi) to dancing in the palace and otherwise sauntering through her life as a royal princess and looking miserable at every step. The overall impression given is that Diana is at the end of her rope and in desperate need of a way out. Aside from Stewart transforming into such an iconic historical persona, the biggest selling point for Spencer is director Pablo Larraín, who has shown great care in constructing stories from a female perspective, notably the Jackie Kennedy biopic Jackie and recently with the Julianne Moore-led adaptation of Stephen King's Lisey's Story mini series. Larraín has a strong eye for subtle details within a big landscape and has proven to be able to bring these larger-than-life characters to the big (and small) screen exceptionally. While Spencer isn't parading as a "historically accurate" tale, it looks to capture the essence of Princess Diana's struggle with royal life and peel back the layers for all to see. With Stewart's portrayal and Larraín's direction, Spencer easily fits within the fall season crop of award's season hopefuls.

The Batman will be the most emotional Batman movie ever, according to its director Matt Reeves. Originally a solo outing for Ben Affleck's Dark Knight, the upcoming film eventually evolved into a standalone entry into the DC Universe, much like 2019's Joker. To don the cape and cowl, The Batman movie cast Robert Pattinson, who is best known for his leading role in the Twilight saga but is also the star of recent films Tenet and The Devil All the Time. The Batman is reportedly set on Earth-2 and therefore bears no relation to the two previous Batmen, Affleck and Michael Keaton, who will appear in the upcoming DCEU film The Flash. Alongside Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, The Batman features all the usual suspects, including his butler Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis) and Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) will help Batman in his fight against multiple iconic DC villains, primarily Paul Dano's Riddler. Batman will also face off against Colin Farrell's Penguin, who has a much smaller role. The first look at some of these characters came in a teaser trailer that premiered at the 2020 DC FanDome. Now, more recently released footage is hinting at what's to come in Reeves' upcoming project. The latest look at The Batman comes in a featurette screened during CinemaCon, an event held for the benefit of theater owners. It featured some new footage of Serkis' Alfred, along with some interviews with the cast. The footage also included comments from director Reeves, who spoke about what sets his Batman adaptation apart from others. Reeves said The Batman "could be the most emotional Batman movie ever made." Read what Reeves had to say below: "I felt that we've seen lots of origin stories. It seems things go further and further into fantasy, and I thought, well, one place we haven't been is grounding it in the way that Year One does, to come right in to a young Batman, not being an origin tale, but referring to his origins and shaking him to his core. You can have it be very practical, but I also thought it could be the most emotional Batman movie ever made." There is always a great deal of emotion baked into any version of Batman's origin story given the tragic murder of his parents. However, The Batman will skip his origin story entirely, since it has already been told on screen countless times before, and dive straight into DC's Year One comics storyline. In addition, the film will follow a younger version of the Caped Crusader who is just coming into his own in Gotham City, as opposed to the hardened and jaded version portrayed by Affleck in Zack Snyder's DCEU movies. Past Batman adaptations from Christopher Nolan and Snyder were certainly emotional in their own ways, so it will be interesting to see if Reeves' bold claim holds up to scrutiny. Coupled with its promised emotional arc, The Batman seems to be establishing a gritty and gloomy aesthetic unrivaled by past versions. Hopefully, The Batman lives up to the hype when it releases in theaters on March 4, 2022.

Elijah Wood recalls making his audition tape for Lord of the Rings. Wood made his film debut in 1989 with a brief role in Back to the Future II and later gained recognition as a child actor in early '90s films like Radio Flyer, Forever Young, and The Adventurers of Huck Finn. One of his biggest roles as a teenager came in the 1998 disaster film, Deep Impact, before landing the role of a lifetime as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's high fantasy epic of the same name, Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies went on to become one of the most successful cinematic trilogies of all time, with each installment more successful than the last, grossing nearly $3 billion at the box office combined. Throughout the trilogy, Wood was part of an unbelievable ensemble cast that also included Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, and Andy Serkis. During GQ's ongoing series in which actors break down their most iconic characters, Wood recalled wanting to land the role of Frodo so badly that he made his own elaborate audition tape (which was not common at the time) to impress director Peter Jackson. Read how Wood recounted the experience below: I went to a vocal coach for the dialect and enlisted some friends, including George Wang, who is a writer and filmmaker. We went out to the woods in Griffith Park and shot two of the audition sequences there and one at my house. There were three scenes, each one was sort of a different aspect of Frodo along the journey, the last one being quite deeply affected by the ring. After shooting the tape at several locations, Wood edited it at the Miramax office, sent the VHS tape off to Jackson, and the rest is history: I got a call from Peter himself, which was amazing, totally mindblowing and the adventure and opportunity of a lifetime. Similar to Wood, Peter Jackson was largely unknown before the Lord of the Rings trilogy, having only directed lower-budget features like Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners. It's likely that Jackson was impressed by the ambition and resourcefulness that Wood demonstrated by shooting and editing his own audition tape, given that Jackson once was an independent filmmaker himself. Wood's big efforts certainly paid off, and he clearly followed through once he was chosen to play Frodo. Today, it would be difficult to imagine anyone but Wood and Jackson occupying their respective roles in the trilogy. After the Lord of the Rings, Jackson went on to make the Hobbit trilogy, the first film of which, An Unexpected Journey, Wood reprised his role as Frodo for. Since then, Wood has starred in a few eccentric indie dramas like I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, but it's hard not to think all this success hinged on the elaborate Lord of the Rings audition tape he made one afternoon.

The highly anticipated Downton Abbey sequel is officially titled Downton Abbey: A New Era. The film is written by Julian Fellowes, creator and writer of the original series and first Downton Abbey movie in 2019, and directed by Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn). It will continue the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their downstairs staff, who were first introduced to viewers in 2010. The critically and commercially-acclaimed Downton Abbey TV series found international success and ran for six seasons before concluding in 2015. Rumors of a sequel swirled after the first film’s release. Fellowes stated that he already had ideas for the story, and fans were eager to see more of the beloved characters. In early 2021, star Hugh Bonneville confirmed the Downton Abbey sequel would start production once the cast and crew had received their COVID-19 vaccinations. Filming reportedly began a couple of months later. Though there has been much speculation about the potential plot lines of the sequel, further details about the project have been scarce, including hints about what the film’s title would be. Now, that question has been answered, as the official Downton Abbey Twitter account has revealed the title of the long-awaited sequel as Downton Abbey: A New Era. According to the post, the "entire Downton cast is back” for the new film, with Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West joining on as new characters. It also confirms that, after being delayed from its original December 2021 premiere date, A New Era will now be released on March 18, 2022. According to the post, the film will receive an exclusive theatrical release. The title, A New Era, suggests that changes are coming to Downton. This won’t be a surprise to viewers who have witnessed the struggles the Crawley family has already faced in keeping their treasured estate running. England went through tremendous social and political changes during the 1910s and 1920s (the era spanned thus far by Downton Abbey), and the fictional Crawleys have many real-life counterparts who were unable to maintain their way of life. It seems likely that the Crawleys may also have to adapt to the changing times in the upcoming film. Though nothing is yet known about the plot of the second film installment of Downton Abbey, Fellowes likes to weave historical events into his narratives. It’s possible that the Great Depression, which began in 1929, may figure into the new story. Whatever the future holds for the Crawley family and their staff, fans can look forward to the return of the talented cast, the sumptuous sets and costumes, and Fellowes’ trademark wit (most often deployed through Maggie Smith’s delightfully acerbic Lady Violet). And by the time Downton Abbey: A New Era premieres in March 2022, fans of the series will no doubt welcome the opportunity to escape into the world of the Crawleys once again.