A Gruesome Theory Behind the Night King’s Spiral of Death

We were treated to a gruesome sight towards the end of Game of Thronesseason 8 premiere. Little Lord Ned of House of Umber was staked to a wall, encircled by severed arms. It was a message from the Night King. This macabre calling card was made all the more brutal when the undead Ned began screaming. Beric put him out of his misery, stabbing him through the chest with his flaming sword.

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 19, 2019
These 15 New Avengers: Endgame Photos Sizzle

We are now officially a week away from Avengers: Endgame. Marvel has just released a big old batch of new photos, highlighting our survivors’ new suits, new alliances, and old bonds. Nebula (Karen Gillan) and War Machine (Don Cheadle)? Yeah, we’ll take it. Especially Rhodey’s cool camo-suit. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) with a fresh new haircut and that full sleeve tattoo? You do you, Clint!

The marketing campaign for the epic conclusion to a decade’s worth of MCU films has picked up speed.

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 19, 2019
New Avengers: Endgame Spot Reveals a Possible Mistake by Thanos

Stop reading right now if you want to know as little as possible about Avengers: Endgame. We are well aware that every new trailer and TV spot could potentially give you more information than you really want. Then again, Marvel is expert at giving you bits and pieces to satisfy your craving without really telling you much of anything.

Still here? Great, let’s take a look at the new TV spot,

By The Credits  |  April 18, 2019
Jaime Lannister’s Coming Troubles Highlight Game of Thrones Episode 2 Images

We’ve got a fresh batch of images from the next episode of Game of Thrones. It’s still incredible we’ve got only five more of these things left. The new photos are all set in and around Winterfell, where the majority of the action in the season 8 premiere took place.

The last shot in the premiere was, for our money, the most potent of the entire episode.

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 18, 2019
Idris Elba is Black Superman in new Hobbs & Shaw Trailer

A brand new trailer for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is here to fire you up on a Thursday morning. The new look is as joyously super-charged as you could hope for. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are back as the stacked and jacked member of America’s Diplomatic Security Service and the former British military elite operative respectively. These iconic frenemies are forced to team up when a villain comes along who might be tougher than both of them.

By The Credits  |  April 18, 2019
John Cena up for Role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad

The cast for James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad is starting to shape up. When news broke that Will Smith wouldn’t be reprising his role as Deadshot, Suicide Squad fans were understandably concerned. Then we found out that Idris Elba would be taking over the role, and all seemed right in the world. What’s more, Elba’s version of Deadshot would be a more conflicted sort,

By The Credits  |  April 17, 2019
Star Wars Video Game Knights of the Old Republic to be Adapted

Oh, the bounty the Star Wars Celebration brings each year. We were as parched as the desert biome of Jakku for any information surrounding J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX until the celebration kicked off in Chicago on April 11. In short order, we found out a bunch. First, that title is The Rise of Skywalker (!!). Then we got our first look at the film,

By The Credits  |  April 17, 2019
The Final Trailer for Dark Phoenix Gets Cosmic

“Ladies and gentleman of NASA, this is Charles Xavier. Help is on the way.”

While the X-Men have always done their level best to help humanity, the results rarely work in their favor. They’re still mistrusted, loathed and feared by millions. They’re forever battling a war of perceptions, if not actual wars —often against fellow mutants led by Magneto (Michael Fassbender). And now, in the case of Dark Phoenix, their best-laid plans to help save a crew of astronauts results in a game-changing metamorphosis for one of their own.

By The Credits  |  April 17, 2019

Interview

Production Designer

How Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s Production Designer Creates the Occult

Based on the “Archie” comic book series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa cast another spell with Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The series takes the source material from the comics and infuses them with equal parts horror and humor. Here Sabrina (played by Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka) struggles with trying to reconcile her two very distinct natures—she is half mortal,

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 17, 2019
Rey’s Parents Will be Revealed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The reveal that Rey (Daisy Ridley)’s parents were nobodies in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi was astonishing. Some fans were apocalyptic (for muddled reasons, if you ask me), while we found the twist satisfying in all the right ways. It meant that her uniqueness and abilities weren’t born from some royal, Jedi lineage. The film positioned her strength of character and emerging abilities as a product of who she was,

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 16, 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s Ending Tweaked During Production

We waited a long time to find out anything about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. We were parsing comments made by J.J. Abrams around his initial hesitation about rejoining the franchise looking for clues. Then, tanks to the Star Wars Celebration, we now have a bounty of details to sift through. There is, of course, that enigmatic title. And all the juicy details revealed during that thrilling teaser.

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 16, 2019
The Final Avengers: Endgame Trailer is Emotional & Epic

“Heroes. It’s an old fashioned notion.”

These words come from the late Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who perished in the post-credits scene in Avengers: Infinity War in the midst of sending one very important message. The final trailer for Avengers: Endgame is a chills-inducing epic for any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It connects the marquee films in the MCU’s decade-long, 22-film arc,

By The Credits  |  April 16, 2019
Samwell Tarly vs. Daenerys Targaryen is Game of Thrones Most Intriguing Battle

Game of Thrones is, among many other things, a show about the price of intolerance. Most of the show’s characters and the majority of those who want to rule the Seven Kingdoms are more or less intolerant. They see an unbending will as strength and punishing would-be usurpers and run-of-the-mill rebels as a necessity of good governance. The Stark’s high moral codes, so infamously self-defeating, also required a level of intolerance,

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 16, 2019
Emperor Palpatine’s Mysterious Return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The most shocking revelation in the trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker came at the very end. While we were in the midst of digesting the title (!!) and the shots of Rey flipping backward over Kylo Ren’s customized TIE-Fighter, the trailer ended with a very familiar laugh—that of Emperor Palpatine. The long-dead–or so we thought—Palpatine was last seen, chronologically speaking, getting thrown down a shaft to his by Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. 

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 15, 2019
It’s a Wrap: New Photo Celebrates End of Birds of Prey Principal Photography

We’ve got a fresh photo from the set of director Cathy Han and star Margot Robbie’s Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Producer and star Robbie is reprising her role as everyone’s favorite psychopath, Harley Quinn. It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with Birds of Prey. The new photo posted on Instagram by Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment celebrates the film wrapping principal photography.

By The Credits  |  April 15, 2019
Unpacking the Game of Thrones Episode 2 Trailer

So you watched the premiere, “Winterfell,” and are still working through its many twists and turns. We wrote this lengthy recap where we did our level best to sort out all that we learned—and all that was presaged—in the premiere. There were reunions, revelations, and tasty rebuttals (the Stark sisters had the episodes best lines.) Somehow, we only have five episodes left for all of these characters and their various issues, ambitions, and desires to coalesce.

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 15, 2019

Interview

Costume Designer

A Visit to Theaterkunst, Germany’s Oldest and Biggest Costume Design House

What do Metropolis, Ben-Hur, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay all have in common? Their actors were outfitted, in full or in part, by a costume house in Berlin. And not just any costume house, but one that survived two world wars and Germany’s partitioning. It is now the country’s largest collection of historic and contemporary garments and accessories.

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  April 15, 2019
Game of Thrones Season 8 Premiere Recap

The season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones offered a number of long-awaited reunions. For most of its 54-minutes, “Winterfell” was a satisfying if stately table setter, with a double dragon ride and some zesty clap backs. Then the episode went into overdrive for its final few minutes, ending with a reveal many years in the coming, a grisly scene that felt inspired by David Fincher’s Se7en, and a face-to-face that brought us all the way back to the pilot.

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 15, 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Title & Teaser Revealed

And there it is, folks. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the official title for the 9th and final film in the Skywalker Saga. What’s more—we’ve got our first look at J.J. Abrams’ Skywalker capper with a compelling, crackerjack teaser. The title and teaser were revealed during the Episode IX panel at the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago. The Rise of Skywalker is, needless to say,

By Bryan Abrams  |  April 12, 2019
Watch the Star Wars: Episode IX Panel Live

Stephen Colbert just burst onto the stage at the Star Wars celebration, folks. He’s excited. We’re excited. Are you excited? If you’re reading this then we bet you are!

There’s been a lot of Disney-related news lately. There was the historic acquisition of Fox, and yesterday’s in-depth reveal of their upcoming streaming service, Disney + news yesterday (read our breakdown of the Mouse House’s new streaming service here).

By The Credits  |  April 12, 2019