Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is taking on Bullitt.

Spielberg is making a new original feature that’s based on the character of Frank Bullitt – the San Francisco cop famously played by Steve McQueen in the original 1968 film.

According to Deadline, the picture will star Bradley Cooper as the no-nonsense cop, but the film isn’t a straightforward remake. Instead, it’s said to be a new original feature that’s centered around Frank Bullitt.

Although Cooper has only just signed on for the role, he’s apparently been discussing it with Spielberg for some time.

“He and Spielberg have been talking about the character and what a new take on the story would look like going all the way back to the pandemic,” said Deadline reporter, Justin Kroll.

The original Bullitt saw the titular character trying to track down a mysterious mob boss who organized a hit on his star witness. It also features one of the most famous car chases in cinema history.

Unfortunately, there are no other details about the upcoming Bullitt film, with the plot remaining firmly under wraps.

Whether or not the new film will live up to the original remains to be seen, but with Spielberg at the helm, it feels as though Bullitt is in good hands.

The Post writer Josh Singer is writing the screenplay while Cooper, Spielberg, and Kristie Macosko Krieger are on board as producers. Steve McQueen’s son Chad McQueen and granddaughter Molly McQueen will serve as executive producers.

IGN’s review of Spielberg’s most recent film The Fabelmans gave it 9/10 and said: “Steven Spielberg goes autobiographical with The Fabelmans, his warmest and most personal film to date. With a coming-of-age story that is universal in its portrayal of misunderstood artists and broken homes, but hyper-specific in its portrayal of the childhood that formed a legendary filmmaker, this is a therapy session turned into a hugely entertaining movie, aided by a fantastic cast, and one of John Williams' best scores in years.”

Want to read more about Spielberg? Check out what the filmmaker thinks about films being dumped to HBO Max as well as his recent music video that was shot entirely on an iPhone.

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

Walkers have ravaged the screens of fans for over a decade now, but now, the Walking Dead is finally coming to a close. Well, kinda.

On Nov. 20, the original series of The Walking Dead will air its season finale. The episode, the 24th installment in season 11, will ultimately conclude the storyline that started with Rick Grimes waking up in a hospital in Atlanta. After numerous twists and surprise deaths, the finale of The Walking Dead has a lot to conclude. In a recent feature for Entertainment Weekly, the cast of the show explained how they would want to see their characters treated in the final episode.

Norman Reedus, who plays everyone's favorite crossbow-wielding badass Daryl Dixon, has a dark idea for his conclusion. What would he like to see? "Everybody dies."

Most of the rest of the cast doesn't share Reedus' dark ideas, though. For example, Cailey Fleming thinks that a lovely alternate ending for Judith would be a bit more magical. "I think that it would've been awesome to see her riding off into the sunset on a unicorn," she said.

Some of the long-standing cast members had competing ideas about their character's fake futures. Jeffrey Dean Morgan would want to see Negan profess his love to Maggie, leaving Annie behind. Meanwhile, Lauren Cohan thinks that Maggie would rather just go to Paris and eat croissants in a café all day.

One of the weirdest fake outcomes comes from Melissa McBride. She would find it fun to see Carol float off in a hot air balloon, out of sight and fate unknown.

The final episode of the Walking Dead will air Nov. 20 on AMC. While the original series will come to a close, the franchise still has a bevy of spinoffs slated for production.

Carson Burton is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @carsonsburton.

Splinter Cell fans today got an unexpected glimpse at the game’s upcoming remake.

Some new concept art was released by Ubisoft as part of Splinter Cell’s 20th Anniversary celebrations, depicting Sam Fisher in action with those familiar multi-vision goggles… not to mention a particularly intense-looking interrogation.

Creative director Chris Auty confirmed that the Splinter Cell remake is still “very early” in production, and it sounds as though it’s still a long way off.

But by the time it gets here, it looks as though it’ll include some improvements on the original.

“20 years later, we can look back at the plot, the characters, the overall story of the game [and] make some improvements - things that might not have aged particularly well,” said creative director Chris Auty. “But the core of the story, the core of the experience will remain as it was in the original game.”

The game may be a way off, but Ubisoft also explained how some of these improvements will work, including an upgrade to the game’s AI.

“Obviously a special forces soldier will be better trained,” said technical director, Christian Carriere. “They’re going to breach differently or enter rooms differently to something like a regular security guard would.”

“We can really improve AI engagement, how they’re reacting, and what they’re reacting to,” added senior game designer Andy Schmoll. “With all of that, we can make improvements to the cat-and-mouse gameplay between Sam and the enemies, especially with our enemies behaving like trained professionals.”

Splinter Cell included some ground-breaking systems when it was released in 2002, including the use of the trademark Stealth Meter (or Light Meter) when sneaking through the shadows.

The remake will reportedly improve on the atmospheric lighting with ray-traced global illumination as well as better audio simulation that will “create some really, really, really compelling and detailed settings.”

Want to read more about Splinter Cell? Find out how the remake will update the story for a modern audience and check out every Ubisoft game currently in development.

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

Embracer Group has announced that Borderlands developer Gearbox now owns the Risk of Rain franchise.

“After the quarter, Gearbox acquired the Risk of Rain IP along with all released games in the commercially successful video game franchise from Hopoo Games,” Embracer Group explains in its second-quarter interim report.

“Risk of Rain now joins Gearbox’s portfolio of owned games that includes acclaimed franchises such as Borderlands, Brothers in Arms, Homeworld, and more.”

Risk of Rain was released in 2013, developed by Hopoo Games and published by Chucklefish to critical and commercial acclaim. A sequel, Risk of Rain 2, was published by Gearbox into early access in 2019 with a full 1.0 launch in 2020.

In IGN’s Risk of Rain 2 review, we said, “What’s here now is polished, fun, and immensely replayable, and what’s on the horizon leads me to believe I’ll be playing Risk of Rain 2 for a very long time to come.”

In the same report, Embracer Group has also transferred Saints Row developer Volition from PLAION Group to Gearbox, moving 195 employees over. Furthermore, after Embracer’s recent acquisition of Square Enix’s former western studios, the company is also integrating Eidos Shanghai into Gearbox.

This would allow Gearbox to work with development teams in Asia as well as have them support North American studios too.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He's been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

An RTX 4090 owner has filed a class-action lawsuit against Nvidia over the company's controversial connector cable.

As reported by Tom's Hardware, Lucas Genova filed a lawsuit last week concerning the 12VHPWR 16-pin connector used for the company's current high-end graphics card, the GeForce RTX 4090. In the legal complaint, Genova's legal team notes that he purchased an RTX 4090 graphics card and noticed the connector cable began to melt shortly after installing it into his PC.

Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The cause of the melting appears to be a design flaw, relating to the high wattage flowing through each of the 16 pins," the legal complaint notes. "If there is even a temporary break in the electrical connection for any of the pins, too high a current will flow through the remaining pins, causing a meltdown."

Genova is not the only user to publicly flag melting issues with the connector cable, as several other RTX 4090 owners have also expressed issues with the connector cable melting on websites like Reddit. Nvidia revealed it was still investigating reports.

The suit calls for relief in the form of Nvidia paying damages to the plaintiff and all other RTX 4090 owners affected by the 16-pin cable connector melting.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

An upcoming Spider-Man spin-off based on Marvel’s Silk is heading to Prime Video.

Angela Kang, who served as showrunner on The Walking Dead, will head up Silk: Spider Society which also sees Spider-Verse alumni Phil Lord and Chris Miller as well as Sony boss Amy Pascal as executive producers.

“I'm beyond thrilled to be joining the Amazon Studios family for this next chapter of my career,” said Kang. “I look forward to working with the executive team on diverse, character-forward, watercooler shows for a global audience and am so excited to dive into my first challenge—bringing Korean-American superhero Silk to life on screen.”

The show is based on the character Cindy Moon aka Silk – a Korean American hero who was bitten by the same spider that bit Peter Parker, imbuing her with Spider-Sense, web-shooting abilities, and superhuman strength, speed, and agility.

Silk was originally created by comic book creators, Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos.

Additionally, Silk: Spider Society will be the first in a series of Spider-Man spin-offs heading to Prime Video as part of a multi-series deal.

“Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Sony’s recent live-action and animated reimagining of the Spider-Man franchise has represented some of the most dynamic superhero storytelling in film,” said Amazon Studios head, Jennifer Salke. “Together with Angela Kang’s creative vision, we couldn’t be more pleased to bring Silk: Spider Society to our MGM+ and Prime Video customers.”

The project was first revealed to be in development way back in 2020 as part of Sony’s ongoing efforts to build its own Spider-Verse.

Since then, the character of Cindy Moon has already made her live-action debut – a classmate of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in the recent Marvel movies, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

It’s unknown whether original actress Tiffany Espensen will return for the series, or whether the role will simply be recast.

Want to read more about Spider-Man spin-offs? Check out the upcoming Spider-Man spin-off El Muerto as well as our first glimpse of Across the Spider-Verse’s villain.

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

Update 11/17 2:56 pm PT: IGN has learned additional details leading to what ended Activision Blizzard's 14-year partnership with NetEase following one NetEase executive's social media statement pointing the finger at a 'jerk.'

According to sources at Activision Blizzard familiar with the company's partnership with NetEase, the agreements between the two companies are reviewed every few years in order to extend the existing agreements.

However, a new proposal from NetEase would have "fundamentally changed" the terms of the agreement and impact certain aspects of the deal including, "how games are launched and operated," as well as changes over the "control of our IP."

Our sources also indicate that the company is committed to the Chinese gaming market, one of the largest consumer markets in the world, and that "alternatives" are being looked at to bring the games back to the region in the future.

Original Story: NetEase and Blizzard’s partnership might not mean too much in North America, but was the reason why Blizzard games were available in one of the world’s largest gaming markets. That partnership is dead as of today and according to one senior NetEase figure, it’s all because of one “jerk.”

Simon Zhu, a 10-year veteran at NetEase who has held several senior positions at the company, including President of Global Investment and Partnership, wrote a short post on LinkedIn mourning the end of the NetEase and Blizzard partnership.

“As a gamer who spent ten thousand hours in the world of Azeroth, starcraft and overwatch, I feel so heartbroken as I will no longer have the access to my account and memories next year,” Zhu writes. “One day, when what has happened behind the scene could be told, developers and gamers will have a whole new understanding of how much damage a jerk can make.”

Activision Blizzard announced that several game franchises including Overwatch, Diablo, and World of Warcraft will become unplayable in CHina starting on January 23, 2023.

The company said it couldn’t reach a new deal with NetEase, the Chinese company responsible for publishing Blizzard games in the country and a necessary partner to navigate China’s publishing bureaucracy.

Mobile games like Diablo: Immortal, will still be playable as they fall under a separate agreement.

“We’re immensely grateful for the passion our Chinese community has shown throughout the nearly 20 years we’ve been bringing our games to China through NetEase and our partners,” Blizzard said in a statement.

But from Zhu’s perspective, it sounds like they view a lone “jerk” individual at Blizzard as responsible for the partnership’s end. However, it’s unclear who that person may be and what exactly they did to end the partnership.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

There's a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram between superhero comic book readers and pro wrestling fans, and that's the target audience for The Gimmick. This upcoming Ahoy Comics series mashes up both genres to create a violent, darkly comedic tale right out of a Coen Bros. movie.

The Gimmick's creative team includes writer Joanne Starer (Sirens of the City), artist Elena Gogou (Quests Aside), colorist Andy Troy, letterer Rob Steen and editor Tom Peyer. The series also boasts covers from The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl artist Erica Henderson, with Khary Randolph (Excellence) also illustrating a variant cover for issue #1. Starer also brings some real-world wrestling cred to the series, as she's an industry veteran who previously oversaw a pro wrestling promotion based in Pennsylvania.

The Gimmick centers on Shane Bryant, a wrestler whose successes in the ring haven't helped him develop the perfect, crowd-pleasing persona. That's despite the fact that Shane also possesses superhuman strength. And when he accidentally, violently dismembers an opponent on live television, Shane is forced to flee to Tijuana and build a new identity for himself both in and out of the ring. But even as Shane finally creates his elusive "gimmick," his new world is threatened by unfinished business from his old one.

“The Gimmick is born from the wild, incredible, and sometimes terrible experiences I had in the world of pro-wrestling,” said Starer in Ahoy's press release. “I've seen it from many angles: as an in-ring performer, a promoter, and a wrestler's girlfriend. I've got stories, y'all.”

“The Gimmick combines three of my favourite elements in a story, comedy, violence and character drama,” added Gogou. “Shane is the human equivalent of a dumpster fire, going from one messy situation to the next in the most ridiculous ways. He makes a man's head explode in the first pages of the first issue, goes on the run with his mentor, falls in love. It is an outrageous, fun and messy ride and I was immediately sold when I was approached about working on the book. The way Joanne has tackled this story perfectly encapsulates the over-the-top essence of wrestling, but remains grounded by its characters, who are distinctively flawed and human. I'm really excited for people to read what we've created!”

Look for The Gimmick #1 to be released on March 8, 2023.

If this new series has piqued your interest, why not read the entire first issue of My Bad, another genre-bending series from Ahoy Comics? You can also read IGN's exclusive preview of The Incal: Psychoverse, a new prequel to the acclaimed graphic novel series.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

A new Legacy of Kain game is looking likely after Embracer Group received 100,000 responses to its recent survey asking fans if they wanted more from the franchise.

In its second quarter financial results, Embracer Group said it was overwhelmed with the number of responses to the survey it released in October and responded plainly: "We hear you loudly and clearly".

Phil Rogers, CEO of Embracer's 12th operative group that encompasses Legacy of Kain creator Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Interactive, said: "We wanted to gain a community perspective on what players are looking for should we revisit the land of Nosgoth and, of course, our iconic IP Legacy of Kain."

He continued: "In the post we've found that surveys typically get between [1,000] and 3,000 responses, but when we asked folk about Legacy of Kain we received over 100,000 responses, and 73,000 gamers completed it entirely.

"We saw the news of our survey shared across social and press platforms and really felt this was a great way to reignite this passionate fan community with this legendary PC console game series. Rest assured, we hear you loudly and clearly and will continue to update you on the 'What if?' possibilities ahead for Legacy of Kain in the future."

Embracer Group had made clear its plans previously to explore its developers' back catalogues, announcing in May that it sees "great potential" in making sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs from dormant franchises. Legacy of Kain certainly fits the bill, with 2003's Legacy of Kain: Defiance being the most recent entry in the franchise.

Legacy of Kain is a series of action-adventure games focusing on vampires living in the grim fantasy world of Nosgoth. They were notable for their high quality writing and puzzle solving alongside action, winning many fans along the way. Uncharted creator Amy Hennig directed several of the games in her time at Crystal Dynamics.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Developer EA Dice has announced that Battlefield 2042 Season 3: Escalation arrives on November 22, bringing a new map, Battle Pass, Specialist, and more.

The new map, Spearhead, puts players in the Swedish wilderness as they fight in and around two high tech weapon manufacturing facilities. Season 3 will also see launch maps Manifest and Breakaway reworked, but not until December and January respectively.

A refreshed 100-tier Battle Pass will also arrive with the update that includes new Specialist Rasheed Zain as one of the free unlockables. This Egyptian-born security expert comes armed with an XM370A airburst launcher designed to force enemies out of cover and the fastest health recharge of any Specialist.

Speaking of weapons, Season 3 brings the Rorsch MK-4 Railgun, NVK-S22 Smart Shotgun, NVK-P125 Bullpup Pistol, and the Battlefield-favourite throwing knives to 2042. A new vehicle, the EMKV90-TOR Tank, is also being added to the game, which can be switched into different modes depending on the situation.

New assignments are also being added, letting players unlock even more Vault weapons to use in All Out Warfare.

EA DICE also announced that its Specialist rework will be arriving sometime during Season 3, seeing a return of the classic Battlefield Class system. Though it won't be finished until Season 4 is available, Specialists will be slowly but surely changed to reflect the new system.

It did share some details on what exactly will change, revealing that Irish will be moving to a Support class and taking Crawford's trait. Crawford will therefore be changing to Engineer and receive a new, unannounced trait based on the switch.

Battlefield 2042 hasn't had the smoothest first year on the market, only launching its Season 1 in June (seven months after launch) as it was delayed to focus on more pressing issues such as including a scoreboard, but this update was also delayed.

Publisher EA admitted around the same time that Battlefield 2042 did not meet expectations, and soon after a petition asking for refunds started online that more than 230,000 players have now signed. Battlefield 2042's numbers had diminished in the meantime, as in early March it had fewer players on Steam than Battlefield 1, 4, and 5.

EA DICE is looking to show fans how the game has improved since launch, however, following a generally well received Season 2. It's bringing Battlefield 2042 to Xbox Game Pass and EA Access alongside its Season 3 launch and is also hosting several free-to-play weekends throughout December.

The game can be downloaded and played for free on Xbox from December 1 to 4, on Steam from December 1 to 5, and on PlayStation from December 16 to 23.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.