Monthly Archives: November 2021

Matrix: Resurrections and Aquaman Star Leaves the Cast of Mad Max: Furiosa

Matrix: Resurrections star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has exited George Miller’s Furiosa – the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road spin-off.

According to Deadline, the 35-year-old actor will be replaced by Tom Burke, who played Orson Wells in the Oscar-winning Netflix movie, Mank.

Abdul-Mateen II is parting ways with Furiosa due to a scheduling conflict. It’s currently unknown what his other project will be. “Sources say it is a secret passion project he had been developing for some time,” Deadline revealed. “Production recently moved up on it, which ultimately led him to leaving Furiosa.” The star will soon appear in The Matrix: Resurrections as a version of Morpheus, and will reprise his role as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom next year.

Mad Max: Furiosa will star Anya Taylor-Joy in its leading role – a younger version of Charlize Theron’s Mad Max Fury Road character, Imperator Furiosa. The upcoming Mad Max spin-off will reveal the character’s origins, but little else is known for the time being.

Chris Hemsworth will also star alongside Anya Taylor-Joy in an undisclosed role, while George Miller returns to direct, write and produce alongside his producing partner, Doug Mitchell.

Although little is known about the film’s plot, George Miller has confirmed that its structure will be very different to Fury Road.

“Whereas Fury Road essentially happened over three days and two nights, this happens over many years,” he said. “You try to make films that are ‘uniquely familiar...’ This will be familiar to those people who know Mad Max, and in particular Fury Road, but also it will be unique.”

Mad Max: Furiosa was originally due to be released on June 23, 2023 but was recently delayed until 2024. Miller also recently revealed that it was an early screening of Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho that convinced him to cast Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role.

The film also marks an early major studio project for Tom Burke, who is perhaps best known for the role of Athos in the 2014 BBC drama, The Musketeers.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Matrix: Resurrections and Aquaman Star Leaves the Cast of Mad Max: Furiosa

Matrix: Resurrections star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has exited George Miller’s Furiosa – the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road spin-off.

According to Deadline, the 35-year-old actor will be replaced by Tom Burke, who played Orson Wells in the Oscar-winning Netflix movie, Mank.

Abdul-Mateen II is parting ways with Furiosa due to a scheduling conflict. It’s currently unknown what his other project will be. “Sources say it is a secret passion project he had been developing for some time,” Deadline revealed. “Production recently moved up on it, which ultimately led him to leaving Furiosa.” The star will soon appear in The Matrix: Resurrections as a version of Morpheus, and will reprise his role as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom next year.

Mad Max: Furiosa will star Anya Taylor-Joy in its leading role – a younger version of Charlize Theron’s Mad Max Fury Road character, Imperator Furiosa. The upcoming Mad Max spin-off will reveal the character’s origins, but little else is known for the time being.

Chris Hemsworth will also star alongside Anya Taylor-Joy in an undisclosed role, while George Miller returns to direct, write and produce alongside his producing partner, Doug Mitchell.

Although little is known about the film’s plot, George Miller has confirmed that its structure will be very different to Fury Road.

“Whereas Fury Road essentially happened over three days and two nights, this happens over many years,” he said. “You try to make films that are ‘uniquely familiar...’ This will be familiar to those people who know Mad Max, and in particular Fury Road, but also it will be unique.”

Mad Max: Furiosa was originally due to be released on June 23, 2023 but was recently delayed until 2024. Miller also recently revealed that it was an early screening of Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho that convinced him to cast Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role.

The film also marks an early major studio project for Tom Burke, who is perhaps best known for the role of Athos in the 2014 BBC drama, The Musketeers.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Record-Breaking Twitch Streamer Ludwig Moves Exclusively to YouTube Gaming

Twitch streamer Ludwig – who broke records for his number of subscribers on the platform – is making a move away, announcing that he's signed exclusively for YouTube Gaming.

The streamer announced the move on Twitter (below), where he shared a short clip that shows him and a friend switching out of a car sporting Twitch's iconic purple colour scheme and into another coated in YouTube red, before the words "Streaming exclusively on YouTube Gaming" appear.

During the clip, the pair talk about a range of topics from hairlines to Clifford the Big Red Dog before also making a nod towards Twitch's DMCA music strikes: "Don't you get into trouble for playing music?", his friend asks. "Not in this car," Ludwig responds.

Earlier this year, Ludwig broke Twitch's subscriber record during a 31 day non-stop stream that saw him overtake the previous holder, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. The plan for the stream was to keep it running until people stopped subscribing - with every additional subscriber to the channel adding an extra ten seconds onto the time. While the streamer initially thought the event might last a day or two, it ran for the duration of a month, during which he kept the stream running day and night.

While Ludwig's move to YouTube Gaming is certainly significant for the platform, he isn't the first major streamer to make the switch in recent memory. Earlier this year, prominent Call of Duty Warzone streamer TimTheTatMan made the jump while other creators such as CouRageJD, LazarBeam and Valkyrae have completed similar moves in the past.

Despite the fact that Twitch will likely be hoping that other streamers don't follow suit, the company offered a classy response to Ludwig's move on Twitter, stating: "You're a mogul in every sense, Ludwig. Best of luck and keep doing big things out there."

For more on Twitch, make sure to check out this piece detailing how you can now download an app for the streaming platform for Nintendo Switch.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Record-Breaking Twitch Streamer Ludwig Moves Exclusively to YouTube Gaming

Twitch streamer Ludwig – who broke records for his number of subscribers on the platform – is making a move away, announcing that he's signed exclusively for YouTube Gaming.

The streamer announced the move on Twitter (below), where he shared a short clip that shows him and a friend switching out of a car sporting Twitch's iconic purple colour scheme and into another coated in YouTube red, before the words "Streaming exclusively on YouTube Gaming" appear.

During the clip, the pair talk about a range of topics from hairlines to Clifford the Big Red Dog before also making a nod towards Twitch's DMCA music strikes: "Don't you get into trouble for playing music?", his friend asks. "Not in this car," Ludwig responds.

Earlier this year, Ludwig broke Twitch's subscriber record during a 31 day non-stop stream that saw him overtake the previous holder, Tyler "Ninja" Blevins. The plan for the stream was to keep it running until people stopped subscribing - with every additional subscriber to the channel adding an extra ten seconds onto the time. While the streamer initially thought the event might last a day or two, it ran for the duration of a month, during which he kept the stream running day and night.

While Ludwig's move to YouTube Gaming is certainly significant for the platform, he isn't the first major streamer to make the switch in recent memory. Earlier this year, prominent Call of Duty Warzone streamer TimTheTatMan made the jump while other creators such as CouRageJD, LazarBeam and Valkyrae have completed similar moves in the past.

Despite the fact that Twitch will likely be hoping that other streamers don't follow suit, the company offered a classy response to Ludwig's move on Twitter, stating: "You're a mogul in every sense, Ludwig. Best of luck and keep doing big things out there."

For more on Twitch, make sure to check out this piece detailing how you can now download an app for the streaming platform for Nintendo Switch.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Valve Confirms That There Won’t Be Steam Deck-Exclusive Games

Valve has confirmed that it has no interest in publishing games that are exclusive to the Steam Deck.

As confirmed on an FAQ page covering questions asked by developers and publishers at the company's Steamworks Steam Deck event, Valve has said that it isn't interested in developers creating games exclusive to the upcoming handheld.

When asked about the matter, Valve's response was short and clear. "No, that doesn't make much sense to us. It's a PC and it should just play games like a PC," responded the company in the FAQ. To delve into Valve's comments a little further, upon launch, the Steam Deck will run a modified version of Valve's SteamOS - designed with a console-like interface that will allow players to easily navigate the Steam Store and their own Steam libraries.

However, the handheld will also allow players access to an unrestricted computer desktop where third-party applications can be used and installed. What this essentially means is that you'll be able to run non-Steam games and launchers on the device - making it a handheld PC. With that in mind, creating Steam Deck exclusive titles that you can't run on PC would likely serve little purpose – it may boost sales of the handheld, but it would also frustrate fans who didn't own a Deck.

Earlier this month, Valve announced that it was delaying the Steam Deck's launch by two months. The first units of the portable computer handheld will now be shipping in February 2022, instead of its original December 2021 scheduled release date. In addition, this will also mean that those further back in the queue for a Steam Deck will also need to adjust their expectations as the company has said that dates will shift back accordingly.

For more from Valve, make sure to check out this piece detailing how Steam has banned blockchain games that issue NFTs or Cryptocurrency.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Valve Confirms That There Won’t Be Steam Deck-Exclusive Games

Valve has confirmed that it has no interest in publishing games that are exclusive to the Steam Deck.

As confirmed on an FAQ page covering questions asked by developers and publishers at the company's Steamworks Steam Deck event, Valve has said that it isn't interested in developers creating games exclusive to the upcoming handheld.

When asked about the matter, Valve's response was short and clear. "No, that doesn't make much sense to us. It's a PC and it should just play games like a PC," responded the company in the FAQ. To delve into Valve's comments a little further, upon launch, the Steam Deck will run a modified version of Valve's SteamOS - designed with a console-like interface that will allow players to easily navigate the Steam Store and their own Steam libraries.

However, the handheld will also allow players access to an unrestricted computer desktop where third-party applications can be used and installed. What this essentially means is that you'll be able to run non-Steam games and launchers on the device - making it a handheld PC. With that in mind, creating Steam Deck exclusive titles that you can't run on PC would likely serve little purpose – it may boost sales of the handheld, but it would also frustrate fans who didn't own a Deck.

Earlier this month, Valve announced that it was delaying the Steam Deck's launch by two months. The first units of the portable computer handheld will now be shipping in February 2022, instead of its original December 2021 scheduled release date. In addition, this will also mean that those further back in the queue for a Steam Deck will also need to adjust their expectations as the company has said that dates will shift back accordingly.

For more from Valve, make sure to check out this piece detailing how Steam has banned blockchain games that issue NFTs or Cryptocurrency.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

George R.R. Martin Reportedly ‘Begged’ HBO To Do 10 Seasons Of Game Of Thrones

More than two years after its original release, Game of Thrones' ending remains controversial with fans. In particular, many believe that Game Of Thrones ended too soon, curtailing certain major arc and making the ending seem abrupt. Author George R.R. Martin agrees.

As first reported by Insider, Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, a new book by journalist James Andrew Miller, details how Martin flew to New York to "beg" HBO to do 10 seasons.

"George would fly to New York to have lunch with [former HBO CEO Richard Plepler], to beg him to do 10 seasons of 10 episodes because there was enough material for it and to tell him it would be a more satisfying and more entertaining experience," Martin's agent Paul Haas says in the book.

According to Haas, Martin also reportedly worried that HBO wasn't "following his template" in terms of plotting out the story. "George loves [Game of Thrones showrunners Daniel Weiss and David Benioff], but after season five, he did start to worry about the path they were going because George knows where the story goes. He started saying, 'You're not following my template.'"

Game of Thrones' final season includes multiple shocking turns, particularly for Daenerys Targaryen. Many fans likewise expressed disappointment with how other major plots were resolved, including the ultimate winner of the Iron Throne and the battle with the Night King.

"[A]fter last week's undercooked (no pun intended) Daenerys twist, the finale couldn't entirely stick the landing, struggling to resolve many of the show's lingering plot threads in a satisfying and coherent conclusion (and ignoring others completely), and once again falling victim to the season's needlessly truncated episode order," reviewer Laura Prudom wrote for IGN back when the episode first aired.

Fast-forward to 2021, and HBO is still defending the finale.

"If there had been another episode or two, of course, that would have been helpful," HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys said in Tinderbox. "I would have taken two more seasons! But I do believe if you look at the totality of her arc over the series, as opposed to the final episodes, her turn was more than earned, and was planned."

Martin is likewise sanguine about the ending.

"I wish it had run for ten years," Martin said. "I think that would've given us a little more time in the later seasons to end it. But that might be just because I'm still trying to end it in these books here."

For now, Martin continues to work on Winds of Winter, which does not yet have a publish date. Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers is available now.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

George R.R. Martin Reportedly ‘Begged’ HBO To Do 10 Seasons Of Game Of Thrones

More than two years after its original release, Game of Thrones' ending remains controversial with fans. In particular, many believe that Game Of Thrones ended too soon, curtailing certain major arc and making the ending seem abrupt. Author George R.R. Martin agrees.

As first reported by Insider, Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, a new book by journalist James Andrew Miller, details how Martin flew to New York to "beg" HBO to do 10 seasons.

"George would fly to New York to have lunch with [former HBO CEO Richard Plepler], to beg him to do 10 seasons of 10 episodes because there was enough material for it and to tell him it would be a more satisfying and more entertaining experience," Martin's agent Paul Haas says in the book.

According to Haas, Martin also reportedly worried that HBO wasn't "following his template" in terms of plotting out the story. "George loves [Game of Thrones showrunners Daniel Weiss and David Benioff], but after season five, he did start to worry about the path they were going because George knows where the story goes. He started saying, 'You're not following my template.'"

Game of Thrones' final season includes multiple shocking turns, particularly for Daenerys Targaryen. Many fans likewise expressed disappointment with how other major plots were resolved, including the ultimate winner of the Iron Throne and the battle with the Night King.

"[A]fter last week's undercooked (no pun intended) Daenerys twist, the finale couldn't entirely stick the landing, struggling to resolve many of the show's lingering plot threads in a satisfying and coherent conclusion (and ignoring others completely), and once again falling victim to the season's needlessly truncated episode order," reviewer Laura Prudom wrote for IGN back when the episode first aired.

Fast-forward to 2021, and HBO is still defending the finale.

"If there had been another episode or two, of course, that would have been helpful," HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys said in Tinderbox. "I would have taken two more seasons! But I do believe if you look at the totality of her arc over the series, as opposed to the final episodes, her turn was more than earned, and was planned."

Martin is likewise sanguine about the ending.

"I wish it had run for ten years," Martin said. "I think that would've given us a little more time in the later seasons to end it. But that might be just because I'm still trying to end it in these books here."

For now, Martin continues to work on Winds of Winter, which does not yet have a publish date. Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers is available now.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Chucky Renewed For a Second Season

Everyone's favorite serial killer doll with a penchant for voodoo magic is returning once again. Syfy's Chucky series has officially been renewed for a season two.

Syfy and USA Network announced the news, adding that Chucky's first season had reached a total of 9.5 million viewers. Don Mancini, the longtime director of the Child's Play/Chucky franchise, will return as executive producer.

A date for season two's release was not included in the announcement.

In a statement, Mancini says, "We're thrilled to start pulling the strings on a second season of puppet mayhem with 'Chucky,'... Many thanks to our partners at USA, SYFY and UCP for their incredible support and guidance bringing 'Chucky' to the small screen, bigger than ever. And to fans, Chucky sends his still-undying thanks and a message: 'This isn't over, not by a long shot. You better watch your backs in 2022!"

The Chucky series picks up following the events of Cult of Chucky when the titular serial killer returns to his hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey. The series also stars Zackary Arthur (5th Wave), Alyvia Alyn Lind (Daybreak), and Teo Briones (Pretty Little Liars, Ratched) as a group of teens who find themselves wrapped up in Chucky's mysterious murders.

The series has been praised for tackling topics like LGBT issues, and for effectively converting the Child's Play horror formula from film to television. You can check all that out in IGN's series premiere review or in our reviews for subsequent episodes, including the penultimate episode.

You can watch Chucky on Peacock starting December 1 or catch the season 1 finale on USA and Syfy on November 30 at 10 PM ET/PT.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's got the Strangler on Wabash and Van Buren.

Chucky Renewed For a Second Season

Everyone's favorite serial killer doll with a penchant for voodoo magic is returning once again. Syfy's Chucky series has officially been renewed for a season two.

Syfy and USA Network announced the news, adding that Chucky's first season had reached a total of 9.5 million viewers. Don Mancini, the longtime director of the Child's Play/Chucky franchise, will return as executive producer.

A date for season two's release was not included in the announcement.

In a statement, Mancini says, "We're thrilled to start pulling the strings on a second season of puppet mayhem with 'Chucky,'... Many thanks to our partners at USA, SYFY and UCP for their incredible support and guidance bringing 'Chucky' to the small screen, bigger than ever. And to fans, Chucky sends his still-undying thanks and a message: 'This isn't over, not by a long shot. You better watch your backs in 2022!"

The Chucky series picks up following the events of Cult of Chucky when the titular serial killer returns to his hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey. The series also stars Zackary Arthur (5th Wave), Alyvia Alyn Lind (Daybreak), and Teo Briones (Pretty Little Liars, Ratched) as a group of teens who find themselves wrapped up in Chucky's mysterious murders.

The series has been praised for tackling topics like LGBT issues, and for effectively converting the Child's Play horror formula from film to television. You can check all that out in IGN's series premiere review or in our reviews for subsequent episodes, including the penultimate episode.

You can watch Chucky on Peacock starting December 1 or catch the season 1 finale on USA and Syfy on November 30 at 10 PM ET/PT.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's got the Strangler on Wabash and Van Buren.