SPOILERS ahead for Season 2 of The Mandalorian. [poilib element="accentDivider"] A Lucasfilm creative art manager has defended a recent episode of The Mandalorian that features a few instances of Baby Yoda eating a creature's eggs. The Season 2 episode "The Passenger" features a creature known as Frog Lady who carries around a tank of water and eggs. Mando is helping Frog Lady bring the eggs to her husband so they can be fertilized, but Baby Yoda helps himself to a few of them in a couple of scenes in the episode. After a Twitter backlash from some users, Phil Szostak, who is a creative art manager at Lucasfilm and author of some of the movies' Making Of books, defended the episode in a series of tweets on Monday.

For the record, Chapter 10 of #TheMandalorian makes it clear that the Frog Lady’s eggs are unfertilized, like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy. But obviously, chickens aren’t sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect.#StarWars https://t.co/Js51fLpE3C

— Phil Szostak (@PhilSzostak) November 9, 2020

"For the record, Chapter 10 of #TheMandalorian makes it clear that the Frog Lady’s eggs are unfertilized, like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy," Szostak wrote. "But obviously, chickens aren’t sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/07/the-mandalorian-season-2-ep-2s-side-mission-means-more-than-you-think"] In another tweet, Szostak continued to defend the episode by saying that people are naturally going to react to "disturbing" jokes differently. "Fans of horror know that disturbing things make some of us laugh and some of us squirm, or both," Szostak tweeted. "Your mileage may vary." Lucasfilm and Disney clearly weren't prepared for any backlash as Entertainment Weekly points out that a Funko Pop toy of "The Child with Egg Canister" is now available for purchase. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] IGN's The Mandalorian: "The Passenger" review said the episode "is arguably the episode where Mando comes to realize what it truly means to be a parent - that it's not just about protecting your kid, but also making sure that they learn right from wrong and recognize that their actions have consequences." Anybody who has Xbox Game Pass can check out the episode since all Game Pass members can redeem a 30-day free trial of Disney+ for a limited time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

Justice League director Zack Snyder has revealed that he has ideas for a potential sequel that could follow up his HBO Max miniseries. As Screen Rant reports, Snyder recently appeared as a special guest on a League of Mayhem Livestream from The Nerd Queens to discuss his version of Justice League, which will release in four parts on HBO Max in 2021. Over the course of the conversation, Snyder revealed that he already knows how the story would develop beyond the series for a potential Justice League 2. "What do I say to the world about, you know, what happens when Darkseid comes to Earth?" he quizzed. "Then what? You know, is that a thing? And I think, listen, the truth is that, did I write and did I have and conceive a complete... do I know what happens when Darkseid? Yes. I do know what happens. To say and to speculate about what that is, that would be exciting. I think that's a fine thing." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/justice-league-the-snyder-cut-trailer-breakdown"] Ray Porter's Darkseid is expected to be featured a few times during the Snyder Cut of Justice League. First, Diana will see him depicted in an ancient mural and then, it seems, a flashback will show us Darkseid leading the Parademons against the Greek gods, as his pre-Darkseid version Uxas. It's likely the uber-baddie will appear a few more times in the movie as well, especially after Steppenwolf's defeat. Darkseid's role is just one of many confirmed differences that the Snyder Cut will offer, check out our slideshow below for more or read our individual stories about the new design for Darkseid's herald Steppenwolf, Jared Leto returning to reprise his Joker role from Suicide Squad, and Joe Manganiello reprising the role of Deathstroke for the Justice League reshoots, which reportedly cost $70 Million. For more on The Snyder Cut in general, check out our deep dive into the legendary project's history. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-all-the-known-differences-from-the-theatrical-version&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The upcoming Mortal Kombat movie reboot has been delayed indefinitely, according to its producer. It will not be released until theaters have reopened nationwide. Mortal Kombat was originally scheduled to launch in March of 2021. As spotted by Game Informer, Mortal Kombat’s producer Todd Garner answered a fan question on Twitter regarding the possibility of new information about the reboot. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=meet-the-cast-of-the-mortal-kombat-reboot-movie&captions=true"] “We’d always planned for it & thought we’d do it in March. The pandemic had other plans,” Garner said. “We won’t have a release date for the movie until theaters re-open. Same for trailer.” Garner also confirmed that they are reshooting some portions of the film since there’s currently no solid release date. This is just one of dozens of films that have been impacted this year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/17/mortal-kombats-jax-says-movie-will-have-grounded-realism-but-also-fatalities-ign-now] Although delays are never positive news, it’s probably best to wait until it’s safe to return to theaters. As we saw earlier this year, Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster Tenet underperformed at the domestic box office due to a majority of movie theaters being closed or operating at limited capacity. Hopefully, Mortal Kombat's cast and crew can use the additional time to iron out the kinks and perhaps deliver a faithful adaptation of the storied fighting franchise. For more Mortal Kombat action check out the history of its bizarre movie and TV adaptations and how the upcoming film will be grounded in realism. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Videos of the Xbox Series X spewing smoke have seemingly been debunked as nothing more than a prank utilizing a vape. As Xbox Series X consoles begin making their way into people’s homes, videos have begun appearing showing them fume with smoke. But those videos appear to be pranks that can be easily fabricated with nothing more than an Xbox Series X and a vaporizer. As demonstrated in this tweet from @XboxStudio (Not an official Xbox-affiliated account), the chimney-like design of the Xbox Series makes funneling smoke from the back vent through the top vent with vape smoke fairly easy.

CANSADO de las FAKE NEWS.

Os dejo un video MIO explicando porque es Fake lo de la consola "Quemada" y como han logrado este efecto incluso estando la consola "APAGADA" pic.twitter.com/LfXzIBSu6N — Xbox Studio (@XboxStudio) November 11, 2020

One of the biggest rumors leading up to the launch of the Xbox Series X was that the console had an issue with overheating. IGN’s review, and others, have debunked these rumors using heat tests, but the smoking video seemingly capitalized on those rumors. IGN has also reached out to Xbox for comment. There are some real, day one, issues with the Xbox Series X regarding firmware compatibility with certain TVs. And Xbox Live was temporarily down yesterday preventing some users from properly setting up their consoles. But those are unrelated to any kind of overheating. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-review"] For more, check out IGN’s review of the Xbox Series X and our Xbox Series X wiki for new owners. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

A reference to the Avengers being on the West Coast in Marvel's Spider-Man appeared to have been removed from the remastered version, but it is actually still in the game and the dialogue may have just been cut short due to nearby crimes or activities. IGN alum and Kinda Funny co-founder Greg Miller shared the scene in the remastered version, which is triggered when Spider-Man takes a picture of New York's Avengers Tower, and it appears to remove part of Spidey's response from the original.

Interesting.

Spider-Man 2018 originally referenced the Avengers being on the West Coast in this scene. This year, the Avengers game saw the team based in San Francisco. Spider-Man Remastered on #PS5 no longer makes the West Coast reference. pic.twitter.com/W6zxNa4Jid — Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy) November 11, 2020

In Marvel's Spider-Man, Spidey himself says "Avengers Tower, so cool! Too bad they’re never around to use it. They’re on the west coast or something. Probably surfing." IGN's Jonathon Dornbush also checked out this new scene, and he did have the line about the West Coast, but it did not have any mention of surfing.

Spidey does still say the line about the Avengers being on the west coast in #SpiderManRemastered on #PS5. pic.twitter.com/jRD0YVSHIx

— Jonathon Dornbush - Black Lives Matter (@jmdornbush) November 11, 2020

This variation in dialogue could be related to a ton of factors, including nearby crimes, Yuri or Otto calling Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson's podcast, and more. This potential change was thought to maybe avoid confusion with Marvel's Avengers, as a PlayStation-exclusive version of Spider-Man, which is different from Insomniac's Spider-Man, will be arriving in Square Enix's game in early 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-spider-man-remastered-ps4-pro-vs-ps5-graphics-comparison"] While this may not be a case, there was a pretty big example of Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered being changed from its original, as the face of Peter Parker has been completely replaced by a new actor, who also appears in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is part of the Ultimate Edition of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which is set to be released as a launch title for the PS5 tomorrow, November 12. In our review of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, we said it "may not be quite as packed with content as the original, but it stands out as an essential story in Insomniac’s Spidey Universe. It earns its spot as a fantastic follow-up, telling a wonderful Miles-specific story while improving upon the fundamentals of the first game with distinctive moves and enemies." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review-screenshots&captions=true"] [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.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer says reports about Xbox discussing Japanese developer acquisitions are likely not correct.

IGN can exclusively reveal that Showtime's Halo TV series has recast its Cortana actress, bringing in Jen Taylor for the role. You'll know Taylor from her role as Cortana in all the mainline Halo games. Cortana, the AI that assists (and occasionally turns on) Master Chief throughout the game series, was originally due to be played on TV by Natascha McElhone, who was cast in a dual role, also playing Cortana's creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey. Due to scheduling difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, McElhone can no longer complete her work as Cortana - but will continue in the role of Halsey. [caption id="attachment_2436796" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cortana and Jen Taylor[/caption] Step in Jen Taylor, who reprises the role she's played in Halo 1, 2, 3, Reach, 4, 5, and as Microsoft's virtual assistant on Windows devices. Taylor has also played Catherine Halsey in the game series, but that won't be the case here. It's not yet clear if Taylor will play the role in-person, or lend her performance to a full CGI character. Taylor will join Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, Danny Sapani and Olive Gray as Jacob and Miranda Keyes, Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, and Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy as three new Spartan characters. The Showtime series is being made in production with game developers 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror director Otto Bathurst is due to direct and executive produce the 9-episode first season. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/01/10/the-halo-tv-series-what-we-want"] It's not totally clear what the show's plot will centre on, but Showtime explains that it will dramatise "an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future." One major deviation from the games may come in the form of seeing Master Chief's face, but that remains unconfirmed. Behind closed doors, we've seen Schreiber wearing the Chief's iconic armour, and can report that it looks fantastic. With the major players all now seemingly in place, all that's left to find out is when we'll actually be able to watch the show – a question we sadly still can't answer. [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.

The judge presiding over the Epic Games vs. Apple case has thrown out some of Apple's claims brought in a counter-suit against the makers of Fortnite.

Jason Blum has revealed that the Five Nights at Freddy's movie is still in active development, though he admits the Blumhouse team "haven't quite figured it out" yet. Speaking to Inverse about the long-gestating video game adaptation, Blum opened up about some of the challenges that the creative team have faced in trying to bring the story to the big screen. He revealed it had been particularly difficult to choose which narrative threads to pick up for the screenplay, considering the range of expansive stories within the Five Nights universe. "It's still active," Blum assured fans. "We haven't quite figured it out, but we're getting closer every day." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/10/05/jason-blum-five-nights-at-freddys-movie-coming-pretty-soon"] He elaborated further, saying, "The story is the big challenge. You know, Five Nights at Freddy's should have been easier because there are books, there's a lot of lore and storytelling. For a video game, I think it has more storytelling than almost any other. But still, the story goes down so many rabbit holes. It goes down so many different directions. It's big. Choosing which part to tell the first time out of the gate — and how to tell it — has been tricky." A movie based on the creepy video game franchise has been planned since 2015 but the movie has been met with several delays and roadblocks during its development. In February 2018, it was announced that Chris Columbus would direct and write the movie while also serving as a producer alongside Blum and Five Nights at Freddy's creator Scott Cawthon. However, the production hit another snag in November 2018 when Cawthon rejected the greenlit screenplay. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] For those unfamiliar with the FNaF franchise, the original 2014 video game follows a group of animatronic robots terrorizing a security guard at a Chuck E Cheese-esque kid's restaurant called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The popular horror video game series spans several titles, including a number of sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and even some bestselling novels. The Five Nights at Freddy's movie is just one of many titles in a growing slate of video game movies and TV series' that have been announced, planned, or are currently in production, including Amazon's Fallout TV series, Netflix's Cyberpunk 2077 anime, and Sega's live-action Yakuza movie, which is being produced by Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has played 'quite a bit' of Elden Ring, the upcoming Hidetaka Miyazaki game with writing contributions from George R.R. Martin – and calls it "clearly the most ambitious game" Miyazaki has made. Speaking to GameSpot, Spencer was asked how much of Elden Ring he'd seen, and replied: "I've seen actually quite a bit. I've played quite a bit." That will come as a surprise to many, given that the game's development has been so quiet that the game's fan-run subreddit has essentially invented its own fantasy version of Elden Ring. As you might expect, Spencer stayed tight-lipped, but made clear his excitement for the project: "I can't tell you much other than, as somebody who's played all of Miyazaki's games over at least the last decade, this is clearly the most ambitious game that he's done. "I love his games, but seeing some of the gameplay mechanics stuff that he's tackling, that he and the team are tackling this time, of the setting, working with another creator in terms of story. I love it. I love seeing him challenging himself. He's a good friend of mine, expanding his horizons. I think it's a good thing." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/09/elden-ring-official-reveal-trailer-e3-2019"] Spencer also explained the dynamic of playing the game in front of its creator: "When he has me play – I go over – he has to leave the room. I think that's because I'm a bad player. And then he comes back, and we have a conversation about things that I think. He's so passionate about what he does, it's one of the things I just love about getting to work with him on some of these games, and seeing them come to our platform." That was, unfortunately, all Spencer said on the subject, meaning many, many details remain unknown. After a 2 minute, 20 second teaser at E3 2019, we've seen and heard practically nothing of the game. What we know is that it's an open world Souls-like game directed by Miyazaki, and with writing contributions from Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin. Miyazaki has previously called it an 'evolution' of the Dark Souls formula. Since those early hints, however, we've yet to learn more, with FromSoftware thanking fans for their enthusiasm anyway. While fans may have to wait a while to actually play Elden Ring, they will soon be able to play a remaster of FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, as it is a launch title for the PlayStation 5. [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.