Disney Imagineers have made a fully mobile, bipedal version of Guardians of the Galaxy's Groot, and it may one day be walking around Disney Parks. As reported by TechCrunch, this adorable Groot is part of a walking bipedal robotics platform called Project Kiwi, a "first of its kind for Disney and a real robotics milestone." Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director James Gunn shared a short gif of this Groot in action, and it's pretty great. You can also see a more in-depth video of the tech behind Groot and Project Kiwi here.

Groot IRL. pic.twitter.com/6JHMoexoEa

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 23, 2021

[caption id="attachment_2504882" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Image Credit: Walt Disney Imagineering R&D Inc.[/caption] Disney has made some impressive robots/animatronics in the past of characters like Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge's Hondo Ohnaka and Avatar's Na'Vi Shaman, but those have always been stuck in place. This version is free to walk around, wave, and be as wonderfully cute as Groot is known to be. This platform was developed over the past three years by WDI researchers and robotics, and while Groot is the character being featured at the moment, this is "a platform first and foremost, which means it could take this form when it gets to the parks, or another form entirely." There are currently no immediate plans to bring Project Kiwi to the parks, as there is still much work to be done, but its an impressive achievement none-the-less and a glimpse of what the future of Disney robotics can look like. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/07/28/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2-designing-baby-groot-bonus-feature"] This is another example of Disney working hard behind-the-scenes to bring movie magic to the real world, and follows its announcement that it is working on a realistic, retractable lightsaber from Star Wars. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Man of Steel's Russell Crowe plays Marvel's Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder.

In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launching of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the observatory at a "celebrity star" that is "waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destruction." As reported by NASA, this star, called AG Carinae, is one of the brightest stars in the Milky Way and is surrounded by a glowing halo of gas and dust that is the result of it "living on the edge." The image captured of AG Carinae, which you can see below, is a "composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter." [caption id="attachment_2504848" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Image Credit: NASA, ESA, STScl[/caption] The expanding shell of gas and dust surrounded this star is roughly five light-years wide and was created by "one of the more giant eruptions about 10,000 years ago." This expelled material is nearly 10 times our sun's mass. This is typical activity for a rare breed of star called a luminous blue variable, a star that "lives fast and dies young." They only live for a few million years, which is a short lifespan when compared to the roughly 10-billion-year lifetime of those like our sun. AG Carinae is also up to 70 times bigger than our sun and "shines with the blinding brilliance of one million suns." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=gorgeous-photos-of-earth-from-space&captions=true"] These outbursts occur only once or twice in a luminous blue variable's lifetime and only happen when the star is in danger of self-destruction as a supernova. The red material in the image is glowing hydrogen gas laced with nitrogen gas, while the blue highlighted material are "dust clumps illuminated by the star's reflected light" that are shaped by stellar wind.

Fun Facts About the Hubble Space Telescope

At the end of the article, NASA shared some info about the Hubble Space Telescope, including that it launched on April 24, 1990 and has made more than 1.5 million observations of about 48,000 celestial objects in its lifetime. It has made more than 181,000 orbits around earth, which equals over 4.5 billion miles, and its observations have produced more than 169 terabytes of data. This data has led to more than 18,000 scientific papers, with 900 of those published in 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/04/07/scientists-discover-theory-changing-supermassive-black-hole-ign-news"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

When it was released in 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's intense, zippy visual style earned near-unanimous critical praise. On Friday, the film's lead animator, Nick Kondo, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the most difficult shot in the movie to animate. For a blockbuster brimming with unique characters and colorful action, Kondo highlighted a surprisingly quiet, though pivotal moment in the film. Spoilers for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse below [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/11/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-cast-takes-ultimate-villain-quiz"] "I suppose as the years passed and I digested my experiences working on the film, it was this run of shots - Jeff, Miles, & Aaron in the alleyway - that suddenly came leaping to mind," Kondo wrote. The clip Kondo shared comes from a moment in the film after Miles Morales experiences the betrayal and death of his Uncle Aaron aka Prowler. Miles is confronted by his father Jeff, a New York City police officer, in an alleyway. Jeff doesn't recognize Miles and the prospective Spider-Man is forced to make an escape without revealing his identity.

(1/10) I was asked recently - "What was the most difficult shot you animated on Spiderverse?" My answer came spilling out and surprised me actually... A thread... pic.twitter.com/i8ES3RW8xq

— Nick Kondo 近藤 (@NickTyson) April 23, 2021

Kondo reflected on Miles' psychological state in the scene and spoke on how he drew from his own personal experience with grief to animate the shots. "It’s a devastating emotional load on Miles," Kondo wrote. "And to try to put myself in his shoes, I dug back to when I lost my dad suddenly & unexpectedly just after college -- Remembering the crushing feeling of getting the midnight call to find out he was gone." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-voice-actor-cameos&captions=true"] Kondo also provided other details behind the sequence's animation, such as changing the positioning of Jeff's firearm and a playful Easter egg of the character's gun disassembling for an instant. The sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is currently in production. Sony Pictures Animation recently announced a trio of directors helming the project. The film is set to hit theaters on October 7, 2022. We named Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse IGN's movie of the year in 2018. In our review, IGN gave the film a 9, calling it "a visual experience unlike anything we've ever seen before." [poilib element="accentDivider"] J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.

On Saturday, hundreds of drones took flight in Shanghai to perform a light show, culminating in the machines forming a massive QR code over the city's waterfront, as first reported by Vice. The event was put on by the Chinese video-streaming company Bilibili to commemorate the one-year anniversary of its release of the mobile game Princess Connect! Re:Dive, a popular Japanese role-playing game. The game was first launched in Japan three years ago. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/29/5-ways-pop-culture-science-fiction-has-influenced-real-technology"] The armada of 1,500 drones performed over the Bund, a waterfront area, using lights to form the Princess Connect! Re:Dive logo as well as the likenesses of various characters from the title. The final QR code links to the game's homepage, allowing users to download the title and its one-year anniversary package. Drone performances above Shanghai's waterfront have become a more common advertising strategy over the past few years. However, the inclusion of a precisely rendered, scannable QR code is a particularly novel element of Bilibili's advertising campaign. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Bilibili used a similar advertising strategy last year to launch Princess Connect! Re:Dive. The publisher put a scannable QR code on the side of a building, which navigated users to the game's download page. QR codes are an everyday tool in China. Millions use them to add friends on social media apps and pay for items. Local governments even assigned citizens QR codes to track COVID-19 transmission, requiring residents to display their code before entering public venues. Last year, Masahiro Hara, the creator of the QR code, expressed his pride that his invention was being used to help improve people's safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo Credit: Bilibili [poilib element="accentDivider"] J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.

New details have been revealed for The Continental, the John Wick spinoff series that takes place 40 years before the films, including that Keanu Reeves will not be making an appearance. Lionsgate Television chairman Kevin Beggs told Deadline that the new prequel series will focused on a younger version of Ian McShane's Winston, and will be set in 1970s New York City. "What we’re exploring in The Continental is the young Winston and how it came to be that he and his team of confederates found their way into this hotel which we have met for the first time in the movie franchise 40 years later." Beggs explained. McShane had previously confirmed that he won't be appearing in The Continental, but that he may return for some voice-over work. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/19/john-wick-3-best-fight-scenes"] The Continental is a major location in the John Wick trilogy, and is the assassin's hotel that has a rule that you can't kill anyone when inside its grounds. However, step one foot outside its boundaries and all bets are off. The studio took a lot of pitches for this spinoff series, but the one that won out was from the creative team of "this obscure little show called Wayne that was on YouTube." Beggs was impressed because it solved "a lot of problems" and even used The Sopranos as an inspiration. It will feature "a crumbling New York in the 1970s with a garbage strike that has piled up bags of garbage to the third floor of most brownstones, the mafia muscling in on that business which is why in The Sopranos he’s in the sanitation business, and other things that are really real as an interesting backdrop to explore the origins of The Continental..." Beggs explained. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=john-wick-chapter-three-photos&captions=true"] Beggs also shared that the way they are approaching the first season is as "three essentially 90-minute events which you could construe as a limited series or a limited event series." Those hoping for Keanu Reeves to make an appearance may be disappointed, as this story takes place "way back pre-John Wick and even pre-young John-Wick" and, according to Beggs, he will not be finding "his way into the universe." However, he is in talks to executive produce the series. "We are in the John Wick universe, but it’s way back in time," Beggs said. "Think about the Game of Thrones prequels before you know any of the players, but you do know the world. But Keanu and Chad have read every draft and been enthusiastic supporters of expanding this universe in a meaningful way. So, I never rule out anything, but at this point he’s pretty busy making his movies which are very important to us.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/03/john-wick-series-in-5-minutes"] While they will be missing series creator Derek Kolstad, those craving more of John Wick's adventure can rest easy knowing that both John Wick 4 and 5 are set to be filmed back-to-back in 2021, with John Wick: Chapter 4 arriving on May 27, 2022. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman will write the script for Captain America 4 alongside Falcon staff writer Dalan Musson. The Hollywood Reporter says the creator of Falcon and the Winter Soldier will develop the fourth Captain America movie for Marvel Studios. The previous movies being Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Captain America: Civil War. No other details about casting or talent have been announced, nor any news about a director. The last two Captain America films were helmed by the Russo Brothers who have since gone on to direct Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. There's also no mention of any plot details or even a proper title. Major Spoilers for Falcon and the Winter Soldier Below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/12/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-mid-season-trailer"] While plot details haven't been revealed, the finale for Falcon and the Winter Soldier has a new Captain America in the MCU with Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie. Though of course there are still some loose threads such as John Walker's rogue U.S. Agent in the mix and the reveal of Sharon Carter's true identity. Similarly, there's no mention of whether Chris Evans will return as Steve Rogers. The last we saw of the character, Rogers was an old man who decided to live out his full life after traveling back in time. Rogers didn't make an appearance in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, though his character was mentioned several times and his legacy loomed over each of the main characters. Falcon and the Winter Soldier for Disney+ grappled with this legacy and told a story of how Sam Wilson, with the help of Bucky Barnes, rises to the mantle of Captain America. A film could continue that storyline especially given how the series ended. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Captain America 4 joins several other MCU projects focused on a returning, or legacy character. Taika Waititi is currently filming Thor: Love and Thunder starring Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson's long-awaited Black Widow solo movie will finally be released this summer. You can read our Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale review here for our thoughts on Sam Wilson's new identity. If you made it this far, then you should already be aware of spoilers. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

Respawn, the studio behind Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, is working on building a new franchise from scratch. This news comes by way of Vince Zampella, the head of Respawn Entertainment, who quote-tweeted a tweet announcing that a small team at Respawn was hiring for a new intellectual property. The team is currently made of up five individuals, but it's looking to hire a coder to make it six.

Looking for an exciting new opportunity? New Respawn project, super exciting stuff. Get in early! https://t.co/48UOhXhq7e

— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) April 23, 2021

As you can see in Zampella's tweet above, the new project is early in development and while the tweet is about hiring, it also doubles as news that Respawn is working on a brand new IP. This means it isn't Titanfall 3, something fans have wanted for years as you can see in the tweet replies to Zampella's tweet, and it isn't a sequel to 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. If you're wondering whether or not it might be a new non-sequel game in either the Titanfall universe or the Star Wars universe, that seems very unlikely considering those are both already-existing IP. The hiring tweet Zampella quote-tweeted specifically says the project is a "new IP" built "from scratch." Looking at the position being advertised on Respawn's website reveals that the small team is looking for someone to "pioneer new ways to enable 'adventuring until the heat death of the universe'," and someone who can make gameplay feel good. The job being advertised is for a coder so the post doesn't reveal much else about what this project might be. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/15/apex-legends-review-2021"] While waiting to learn more about what this new IP could be, check out our thoughts on Respawn's last game released in IGN's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order review. Check out our thoughts on Respawn's battle royale in IGN's 2021 Apex Legends review after that and then read about Valkyrie, the latest hero joining the roster of Apex Legends. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

2021’s Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid almost didn’t work on the film at all, THR reports. The director, who also made PlayStation’s 2011 “Long Live Play” commercial, says he didn’t want to work in video game adaptations as he transitioned into feature filmmaking.

"The first movie out, I think it shouldn't be a video game,” McQuoid remembers telling his agent. “I've done video game commercials, and I get it, but let's try to get something other than that."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/22/mortal-kombat-movie-review"]

Despite that hesitancy, McQuoid’s agent Dan Cohan persisted in getting the Mortal Kombat script in front of his eyes.

"When I read the script, I thought, 'Well, there's enough here that if we can have this elegance and this cinematic beauty and authentic grit inside it, then maybe we can do that,'” McQuoid said.

Staying true to Mortal Kombat’s roots as a violent fighting game franchise, awash in gory finisher moves, wasn’t ever up for debate, McQuoid adds.

“[An R rating] was never in debate,” McQuoid said. “We never talked about a rating. All we talked about was, "We have to do the title justice and we have to be authentic and we have to be powerful and fun and we have to make sure we're giving the game the respect it deserves." Then obviously, out of that, comes a certain stylistic thing, which gives a rating. We knew to do that, it's not going to be a PG-13. It's not going to be a G. But it was never in debate. Never discussed.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=meet-the-cast-of-the-mortal-kombat-reboot-movie&captions=true"]

As for the future, McQuoid says that while he’s “genre-agnostic,” he enjoys spy and heist films, but isn’t a fan of horror.

Mortal Kombat is out now on HBO Max and in theaters. IGN’s review calls it a “fun time for fans of the game franchise” that stumbles a bit through the first half as it sets up a ton of characters. Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim (The Raid, The Night Comes For Us) says he's signed on for four more films if the franchise takes off. If you're still on the fence, you can watch the first seven minutes of Mortal Kombat here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Universal Pictures has announced "Fast Fridays," a free event that will see a Fast & Furious movie air in theaters each week for eight weeks leading up to the release of F9. Fast Fridays begins on April 30 when The Fast and the Furious hits over 500 U.S. theaters. The event will eventually expand to over 900 theaters nationwide and the Friday after April 30, 2 Fast 2 Furious will hit the silver screen. The following Friday, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift will play in theaters and so on. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=f9-character-posters&captions=true"] All of this leads directly into the release of F9 on June 25. F9 technically isn't a part of Fast Fridays — it's just releasing the Friday after the eighth movie, The Fate of the Furious, hits theaters. Expect to pay the standard cost of a ticket when going to see F9. Tickets for each movie will be available the Friday before each weekly screening. It's important to note that there is still a global pandemic happening and while more and more people are getting vaccinated every day, not everyone has been vaccinated. Keep that in mind when going out to a theater where you'll likely be joined by strangers who may or may not be vaccinated and, because the pandemic is still ongoing, you should wear a mask. Participating theaters include the following: AMC Theatres, Regal, Cinemark Theatres, Marcus Theatres, Harkins Theatres, Showcase Cinemas, Santikos Entertainment, B&B Theatres, Cinépolis USA, Georgia Theatre Company, Marquee Cinemas, Epic Theatres, EVO Cinemas, Megaplex Theatres, Maya Cinemas, Xscape Theatres, Silverspot Cinema, Golden Star Theaters, MovieScoop Cinemas, and Premiere Cinemas. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/14/f9-official-trailer-2"] "The Fast films are all about family, and Universal wanted to find a way to thank our huge family of Fast fans around the country for their passion and loyalty over the past 20 years," Universal's president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, said. "We cannot wait to blow everyone's mind with the release of F9 on June 25." While waiting for F9 to hit theaters, check out this story about how director Justin Lin decided to repair the Han-sized hole in the franchise and then read about how the movie brings the series' women "into the forefront." Watch this official trailer for the movie after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.