Syfy has announced the release date for the fifth and final season of its supernatural hit, Van Helsing, which will premiere on Friday, April 16, 2021. Here's how Syfy describes Van Helsing Season 5: "Vanessa, Violet, and Jack will risk it all to finally bring an end to the Dark One once and for all. The Van Helsings must figure out ways to escape and evade the various obstacles in their path to prevent them from their mission, leading to an epic final showdown between the Van Helsings and the Dark One. Who will win the battle between light and dark?" IGN can exclusively reveal the official teaser trailer for Season 5, which you can watch in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/12/van-helsing-exclusive-season-5-official-teaser-trailer-2021-kelly-overton-tricia-helfer"] Van Helsing's fifth season will consist of 13 hour-long episodes. Returning cast members include Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Tricia Helfer, Aleks Paunovic, Kim Coates, Keeya King, Nicole Munoz, Jesse Stanley, Jennifer Cheon, and many more. Syfy has also unveiled an awesome new poster (see below) for Season 5, with the caption "The Mother of All Endings." What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out Season 5 of Van Helsing on Syfy on Friday, April 16 at 10pm ET/PT. [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Syfy has announced the release date for the fifth and final season of its supernatural hit, Van Helsing, which will premiere on Friday, April 16, 2021. Here's how Syfy describes Van Helsing Season 5: "Vanessa, Violet, and Jack will risk it all to finally bring an end to the Dark One once and for all. The Van Helsings must figure out ways to escape and evade the various obstacles in their path to prevent them from their mission, leading to an epic final showdown between the Van Helsings and the Dark One. Who will win the battle between light and dark?" IGN can exclusively reveal the official teaser trailer for Season 5, which you can watch in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/12/van-helsing-exclusive-season-5-official-teaser-trailer-2021-kelly-overton-tricia-helfer"] Van Helsing's fifth season will consist of 13 hour-long episodes. Returning cast members include Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Tricia Helfer, Aleks Paunovic, Kim Coates, Keeya King, Nicole Munoz, Jesse Stanley, Jennifer Cheon, and many more. Syfy has also unveiled an awesome new poster (see below) for Season 5, with the caption "The Mother of All Endings." What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out Season 5 of Van Helsing on Syfy on Friday, April 16 at 10pm ET/PT. [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Netflix has reportedly paid around $30 million to acquire most worldwide rights to Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man. According to Deadline, the movie recently wrapped filming, with the very first footage debuting at last week's virtual European Film Market. After watching the teaser at the event, one source apparently described the revenge-thriller as being like "John Wick in Mumbai." The concept is said to have piqued the interest of bidders on the project, though Netflix ultimately won and now plans to release it in 2022. In the movie, Patel stars alongside Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Psycho Raman), and Sikandar Kher (24: India). He plays "an unlikely hero who emerges from prison to take on a world enmeshed in corporate greed and eroding spiritual values, and seeking revenge from those who took everything from him years before." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/10/john-wick-3-parabellum-review"] The script is said to draw some inspiration from Hindu mythology about the deity Hanuman who is part human, part monkey. It is written by Patel together with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, who previously collaborated with Patel on the 2018 action-thriller Hotel Mumbai. "I'm so thrilled to be partnering with Netflix on this adventure," Patel said in a statement. "I hope this will be a fresh addition to the genre at a time in this industry where my story can become our story. Shooting a film during a pandemic has been quite challenging to say the least, but the opportunity to reimagine stories from my childhood and infuse them with my love of action cinema has been an absolute joy. Big love to Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for championing us from the very beginning and Aaron Gilbert and the team at Bron for giving an unproven filmmaker like myself a voice." Monkey Man is a co-production between Bron studios, the company behind 2019's Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, and Thunder Road Pictures, the producers of  John Wick, together in association with Creative Wealth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-march-2021&captions=true"] The movie is produced by Patel, Thunder Road's Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Jomon Thomas, Samarth Sahni, Christine Haebler, and Anjay Nagpal. Executive producers include Thunder Road's Jonathan Fuhrman, Bron's Aaron L. Gilbert, Creative Wealth's Jason Cloth, Bron's Steven Thibault, and Natalya Pavchinskaya. However, before Monkey Man is released, Patel will star in A24's The Green Knight, David Lowery's upcoming movie that tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight. The medieval fantasy film, which also stars Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton, will be released in July 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Netflix has reportedly paid around $30 million to acquire most worldwide rights to Dev Patel's directorial debut Monkey Man. According to Deadline, the movie recently wrapped filming, with the very first footage debuting at last week's virtual European Film Market. After watching the teaser at the event, one source apparently described the revenge-thriller as being like "John Wick in Mumbai." The concept is said to have piqued the interest of bidders on the project, though Netflix ultimately won and now plans to release it in 2022. In the movie, Patel stars alongside Sharlto Copley (District 9), Sobhita Dhulipala (Psycho Raman), and Sikandar Kher (24: India). He plays "an unlikely hero who emerges from prison to take on a world enmeshed in corporate greed and eroding spiritual values, and seeking revenge from those who took everything from him years before." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/10/john-wick-3-parabellum-review"] The script is said to draw some inspiration from Hindu mythology about the deity Hanuman who is part human, part monkey. It is written by Patel together with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, who previously collaborated with Patel on the 2018 action-thriller Hotel Mumbai. "I'm so thrilled to be partnering with Netflix on this adventure," Patel said in a statement. "I hope this will be a fresh addition to the genre at a time in this industry where my story can become our story. Shooting a film during a pandemic has been quite challenging to say the least, but the opportunity to reimagine stories from my childhood and infuse them with my love of action cinema has been an absolute joy. Big love to Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for championing us from the very beginning and Aaron Gilbert and the team at Bron for giving an unproven filmmaker like myself a voice." Monkey Man is a co-production between Bron studios, the company behind 2019's Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, and Thunder Road Pictures, the producers of  John Wick, together in association with Creative Wealth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-march-2021&captions=true"] The movie is produced by Patel, Thunder Road's Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Jomon Thomas, Samarth Sahni, Christine Haebler, and Anjay Nagpal. Executive producers include Thunder Road's Jonathan Fuhrman, Bron's Aaron L. Gilbert, Creative Wealth's Jason Cloth, Bron's Steven Thibault, and Natalya Pavchinskaya. However, before Monkey Man is released, Patel will star in A24's The Green Knight, David Lowery's upcoming movie that tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight. The medieval fantasy film, which also stars Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton, will be released in July 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

IGN has the exclusive reveal for the new IMAX poster for the upcoming film Godzilla vs. Kong. The poster is a stylized take on these two giants facing off against one another. Godzilla vs. Kong will hit theaters and IMAX on March 31, and to celebrate the jumbo-screened experience, IMAX is sharing this new exclusive poster here on IGN. [caption id="attachment_2485435" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Source: IMAX[/caption] The premise of Godzilla vs. Kong is pretty self-explanatory. The king of Skull Island will face off against the king of monsters in this (s)mash-up of two of Warner Bros.' and Legendary Entertainment's biggest monsters. Godzilla vs. Kong is directed by Adam Wingard, and members of the Godzilla: King of the Monsters cast will return, including Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kyle Chandler. New cast members include Rebecca Hall as Ilene Andrews, and Lance Reddick and Jessica Henwick in unknown roles. As previously announced, Warner Bros. is releasing its 2021 slate of movies on HBO Max the same day as theaters, so if IMAX is not an option for you, you'll still be able to check out Godzilla vs. Kong on HBO Max on March 31. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/24/godzilla-vs-kong-official-trailer"] At IGN Fan Fest, we caught up with director Adam Wingard, who told us that this fight will not end in a draw. "This is the decider," Wingard says, "One wins, and that's it." But who that is will remain a secret until the end of this month. For more on Godzilla, check out IGN's list of 10 best Godzilla movies, and an explanation on why Kong is suddenly able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla, height-wise. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

IGN has the exclusive reveal for the new IMAX poster for the upcoming film Godzilla vs. Kong. The poster is a stylized take on these two giants facing off against one another. Godzilla vs. Kong will hit theaters and IMAX on March 31, and to celebrate the jumbo-screened experience, IMAX is sharing this new exclusive poster here on IGN. [caption id="attachment_2485435" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Source: IMAX[/caption] The premise of Godzilla vs. Kong is pretty self-explanatory. The king of Skull Island will face off against the king of monsters in this (s)mash-up of two of Warner Bros.' and Legendary Entertainment's biggest monsters. Godzilla vs. Kong is directed by Adam Wingard, and members of the Godzilla: King of the Monsters cast will return, including Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kyle Chandler. New cast members include Rebecca Hall as Ilene Andrews, and Lance Reddick and Jessica Henwick in unknown roles. As previously announced, Warner Bros. is releasing its 2021 slate of movies on HBO Max the same day as theaters, so if IMAX is not an option for you, you'll still be able to check out Godzilla vs. Kong on HBO Max on March 31. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/24/godzilla-vs-kong-official-trailer"] At IGN Fan Fest, we caught up with director Adam Wingard, who told us that this fight will not end in a draw. "This is the decider," Wingard says, "One wins, and that's it." But who that is will remain a secret until the end of this month. For more on Godzilla, check out IGN's list of 10 best Godzilla movies, and an explanation on why Kong is suddenly able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla, height-wise. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

The PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in U.S. history by dollar sales, but the second best-selling hardware platform in February 2021, with Nintendo Switch continuing to lead the market. The NPD Group released its monthly report covering best-selling consoles, video games, and more for February 2021 in the U.S. and the Nintendo Switch leads the charge as the best-selling console for the month, with the PS5 behind it in second. However, the PS5 did overtake a record previously held by the Switch when it became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history after the NPD Group tracked "total dollar sales after four months in market." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] The Switch's unit and dollar sales last month were the highest of any hardware platform in a February since the Nintendo Wii back in February of 2009. Lifetime dollar sales of the Switch passed those of the Nintendo DS last month too, which makes the Switch the second best-selling Nintendo console in U.S. tracked history after the Wii, and the seventh best-selling overall. Elsewhere in video game numbers, consumer spending is up in a big way. "February 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a February record $4.6 billion, 35% higher when compared to a year ago," the NPD Group's report reads. "Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3 billion, 39% higher than the same period in 2020." Monthly sales of hardware increased by 121% this February compared to last February for a total of $406 million, which is the highest total since February 2011 when video game spending reached $468 million. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury-launch-trailer"] On the software side of things, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury took first place as the best-selling game for February 2021 in the U.S., and it's also the second best-selling game of 2021, despite a lack digital sales tracking for Nintendo games, according to the NPD Group. Little Nightmares II, which debuted in February, was the sixth best-selling game of the month, fifth best-selling game on Xbox platforms, and 10th best-selling game on PlayStation platforms. Video game accessory spending reached $195 million in February 2021 in the U.S., which is 41% higher than last February and the PS5 DualSense controller was the accessory with the most dollar sales for the month. Catch up on last month's NPD numbers and then read about how the Switch was the number one console in the U.S. last year. Check out this story about a new Switch with a larger screen and 4K output reportedly in the works after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

The PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in U.S. history by dollar sales, but the second best-selling hardware platform in February 2021, with Nintendo Switch continuing to lead the market. The NPD Group released its monthly report covering best-selling consoles, video games, and more for February 2021 in the U.S. and the Nintendo Switch leads the charge as the best-selling console for the month, with the PS5 behind it in second. However, the PS5 did overtake a record previously held by the Switch when it became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history after the NPD Group tracked "total dollar sales after four months in market." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] The Switch's unit and dollar sales last month were the highest of any hardware platform in a February since the Nintendo Wii back in February of 2009. Lifetime dollar sales of the Switch passed those of the Nintendo DS last month too, which makes the Switch the second best-selling Nintendo console in U.S. tracked history after the Wii, and the seventh best-selling overall. Elsewhere in video game numbers, consumer spending is up in a big way. "February 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a February record $4.6 billion, 35% higher when compared to a year ago," the NPD Group's report reads. "Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3 billion, 39% higher than the same period in 2020." Monthly sales of hardware increased by 121% this February compared to last February for a total of $406 million, which is the highest total since February 2011 when video game spending reached $468 million. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury-launch-trailer"] On the software side of things, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury took first place as the best-selling game for February 2021 in the U.S., and it's also the second best-selling game of 2021, despite a lack digital sales tracking for Nintendo games, according to the NPD Group. Little Nightmares II, which debuted in February, was the sixth best-selling game of the month, fifth best-selling game on Xbox platforms, and 10th best-selling game on PlayStation platforms. Video game accessory spending reached $195 million in February 2021 in the U.S., which is 41% higher than last February and the PS5 DualSense controller was the accessory with the most dollar sales for the month. Catch up on last month's NPD numbers and then read about how the Switch was the number one console in the U.S. last year. Check out this story about a new Switch with a larger screen and 4K output reportedly in the works after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Halo Infinite won't feature some of the series' past features, such as dual-wielding or playable Elites, but it will include a very new feature – you can knock enemies off of the edge of the Halo ring itself. Developer 343 Industries held a fan Q&A, in which a number of questions were answered by members of the team. The most unexpected answer definitely came in the form of a response to whether enemies could be knocked off the new Zeta Halo setting. "The answer is yes," replied Troy Mashburn, gameplay director, who went on to offer an anecdote about just that: "I can tell you just recently I was playing in space, and I happened to be driving in with a Scorpion tank. I came around the corner and was face-to-face with a Wraith [tank], and just out of pure luck, pure coincidence, I managed to push the Wraith over the edge and just watched it slowly tilt back and just fall into the abyss, which was amazing, unexpected, and just such a cool moment that happened... So absolutely, you can push things off the edge. It's going to be difficult, but if you manage to time it just right, you're going to see it." As community manager John Junyszek made clear, this is a brand new idea for a Halo game, and feels in-line with its aspirations to be a more sandbox-y, open experience than previous games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/engineer-explains-how-halo-infinite-is-being-optimized-for-more-devices-beyond-xbox-one-ign-news"] The answers also covered the facts that the game will have a day-night cycle (which affects the enemies you run into), dynamic weather, multiple biomes and sub-biomes, audio logs to discover, and cutscenes will reflect the equipment you're carrying, and the time of day you're in when they begin. However, while Halo Infinite clearly brings a lot of new features, some older ones won't be making a return. Dual-wielding weapons, for instance, has not made it in. Quinn Delhoyo, lead sandbox designer, explained why: "That's not on the cards right now... Whenever you set out to make a game the size of Halo Infinite there's just so many things you can do. I think we have a very talented team where we can do anything, but we can't do everything. So we wanted to really focus down on the gunplay, grenades, melee - and where we wanted to put that bet this time was on bringing equipment back." Delhoyo was also asked about another older feature - playable Elites, who were available in previous Halo campaigns and multiplayer modes. They also won't make a return: "Similar to the last answer, no we're not currently planning on supporting Elites as a playable character - and the reason is that this is a Master Chief story, and a Spartan story, especially in multiplayer. We want to make sure that we focus on how Spartans battle against each other, and that it feels fair, and it's competitive, it's balanced. We love Elites – never say never, maybe we'll see that one day – but right now the current plan is you're going to be playing Spartans." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/halo-infinite-team-to-provide-monthly-updates-on-development-starting-this-week-ign-news"] For those interested in Infinite, it's well worth watching the full Q&A – 343 has a lot to say about its upcoming Halo game, and it's a great look into the design ideas behind the game, and how it's improved since its infamous delay last year. The game is now planned for release in Fall 2021, and its multiplayer mode will be free-to-play. If you cannot wait for more Halo, there's a way of... tasting the series right now - Pringles has released a flavour that tastes like an extinct animal from Halo: Reach. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Halo Infinite won't feature some of the series' past features, such as dual-wielding or playable Elites, but it will include a very new feature – you can knock enemies off of the edge of the Halo ring itself. Developer 343 Industries held a fan Q&A, in which a number of questions were answered by members of the team. The most unexpected answer definitely came in the form of a response to whether enemies could be knocked off the new Zeta Halo setting. "The answer is yes," replied Troy Mashburn, gameplay director, who went on to offer an anecdote about just that: "I can tell you just recently I was playing in space, and I happened to be driving in with a Scorpion tank. I came around the corner and was face-to-face with a Wraith [tank], and just out of pure luck, pure coincidence, I managed to push the Wraith over the edge and just watched it slowly tilt back and just fall into the abyss, which was amazing, unexpected, and just such a cool moment that happened... So absolutely, you can push things off the edge. It's going to be difficult, but if you manage to time it just right, you're going to see it." As community manager John Junyszek made clear, this is a brand new idea for a Halo game, and feels in-line with its aspirations to be a more sandbox-y, open experience than previous games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/engineer-explains-how-halo-infinite-is-being-optimized-for-more-devices-beyond-xbox-one-ign-news"] The answers also covered the facts that the game will have a day-night cycle (which affects the enemies you run into), dynamic weather, multiple biomes and sub-biomes, audio logs to discover, and cutscenes will reflect the equipment you're carrying, and the time of day you're in when they begin. However, while Halo Infinite clearly brings a lot of new features, some older ones won't be making a return. Dual-wielding weapons, for instance, has not made it in. Quinn Delhoyo, lead sandbox designer, explained why: "That's not on the cards right now... Whenever you set out to make a game the size of Halo Infinite there's just so many things you can do. I think we have a very talented team where we can do anything, but we can't do everything. So we wanted to really focus down on the gunplay, grenades, melee - and where we wanted to put that bet this time was on bringing equipment back." Delhoyo was also asked about another older feature - playable Elites, who were available in previous Halo campaigns and multiplayer modes. They also won't make a return: "Similar to the last answer, no we're not currently planning on supporting Elites as a playable character - and the reason is that this is a Master Chief story, and a Spartan story, especially in multiplayer. We want to make sure that we focus on how Spartans battle against each other, and that it feels fair, and it's competitive, it's balanced. We love Elites – never say never, maybe we'll see that one day – but right now the current plan is you're going to be playing Spartans." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/halo-infinite-team-to-provide-monthly-updates-on-development-starting-this-week-ign-news"] For those interested in Infinite, it's well worth watching the full Q&A – 343 has a lot to say about its upcoming Halo game, and it's a great look into the design ideas behind the game, and how it's improved since its infamous delay last year. The game is now planned for release in Fall 2021, and its multiplayer mode will be free-to-play. If you cannot wait for more Halo, there's a way of... tasting the series right now - Pringles has released a flavour that tastes like an extinct animal from Halo: Reach. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.