Amazon’s The Lord of The Rings Reportedly Casts Markella Kavenagh

Amazon has cast the first actor for the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel series. According to Variety, actress Markella Kavenagh is in talks to appear in the series.

Little else is known about the role, though Variety reports sources have told them her character's name is Kyra.

Kavenagh's previous TV projects include Romper Stomper, Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Cry.

Amazon is still keeping the prequel series shrouded in mystery. Early rumors suggested the show will focus on a young Aragorn. However, in March Amazon confirmed the series will take place in the Second Age of Middle Earth, thousands of years before the events of the original trilogy.

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Update: Injured Fast and Furious 9 Stuntman Leaves Intensive Care

Update: Stuntman Joe Watts has now left intensive care after suffering head injuries on the set of Fast and Furious 9. Per Variety, The Watts family and girlfriend Tilly Powell released the following statement:

“While Joe remains in hospital and there is still a long road ahead, he has been moved out of the ICU and doctors are pleased with his progress. We’d especially like to send an enormous thank-you to the air ambulance crew, all the fantastic doctors, nurses and staff at the Royal London Hospital who have provided amazing care to Joe. We have been overwhelmed by the incredible support from friends, family and the stunt community, as well as the ‘Fast & Furious 9’ cast, crew and Universal Pictures.”

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James Gunn Apologizes for No Guardians 3 in Marvel’s Phase 4

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was notably absent from Marvel's Phase 4 reveal this weekend at San Diego Comic Con, and now writer-director James Gunn has explained why.

"Sorry to disappoint," Gunn wrote on Twitter. "Guardians Vol. 3 IS happening, but I am finishing The Suicide Squad first." The Suicide Squad reboot will begin filming later this year ahead of its August 6, 2021, release date, according to previous reports.

With the Marvel Phase 4 timeline in mind, Guardians 3 shouldn't be expected until after November 5, 2021, the day Phase 4's final film, Thor: Love and Thunder, is released. Marvel previously announced three release dates for its movies beyond that date: February 18, May 6, and July 29, 2022. While the company didn't tie any movies to those specific dates, it's possible one will belong to Guardians 3.

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James Cameron Congratulates Marvel over Avengers Box Office Win

As Avengers: Endgame finally overtakes Avatar’s Box Office Record, directors James Cameron and the Russo Brothers exchanged congratulations and heartfelt thanks.

It took a while, but Avengers: Endgame has finally overtaken Avatar's $2.79 billion box office takings to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. In response, Cameron sent on his congratulations to Marvel Studios.

Overwatch’s New Hero Sigma Announced With Origin Story Video

Overwatch's next hero is here and he's an astrophysicist named Sigma. The character was revealed via an animated short origin story similar to ones we've seen for previous heroes.

Sigma is "an eccentric astrophysicist who hopes to unlock the secrets of the universe, unaware that he is being used as a living weapon," according to the official Overwatch Twitter account.

In his origin story, he rambles about gravity and the possibility of harnessing the power of a black hole. We see him imprisoned and tortured by flashbacks and a somber piano melody (Gnossienne No.1). He describes both "freedom and imprisonment" as an illusion but it's unclear how these internal conflicts will translate into gameplay.

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This Life-Size Michael Myers Bust Is Terrifying

This year's Comic-Con truly was a collector's dream. Name an iconic pop culture franchise and it's a safe bet at least one or two companies were showing off figures or statues at the show.

We've put together a combined slideshow gallery with an eclectic assortment products from three companies - Hollywood Collectibles Group, Icon Heroes and Quantum Mechanix. Check it out to see some amazing life-size busts and props, figurines, statues and other goodies covering everything from Halloween to Ghostbusters to Harry Potter to DC superheroes.

The standout item at the HCG booth was easily the life-size bust of iconic slasher movie villain Michael Myers (based on his appearance in the the original film rather than the 2018 follow-up). We were also impressed by the series of 1:4 scale Ghostbusters statues based on the original movie and the various prop replicas covering items like the motion tracker from 1986's Aliens and Deckard's pistol from 1982's Blade Runner.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Gunsmith Feature Detailed

Teasing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s full multiplayer reveal next week, today Activision shared details on its Gunsmith weapon customization system.

An official blog post described the multiplayer gunsmithing system as “robust weapon customization” that will allow you to modify both your primary and secondary loadout weapons. It will allow you to equip things like sights, stocks, and muzzles to your guns that will alter the stats however suits you.

Each weapon will be able to equip five custom parts at once, but will have more than five slots to choose from, requiring you to pick which pieces are important to you. For example, assault rifles will have slots for a muzzle, laser, optic, stock, rear grip, magazine, underbarrel, barrel, and a perk, but you’ll only be able to fill five of them.

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The Pokemon Company and Tencent Announce They’re Partnering on a New Game

The Pokemon Company is partnering with Chinese internet giant Tencent to develop a new Pokemon game.

The two companies announced the partnership today and revealed that Tencent’s Timi Studio will lead development on the unannounced game. Timi specializes in mobile games development, including the upcoming Call of Duty: Mobile. So the new Pokemon game could be mobile as well.

The Pokemon brand is currently thriving on mobile. Niantic’s Pokemon Go AR game has been a smash hit, and there a new Pokemon mobile game from DeNA, Pokemon Masters, will be released later this summer.

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Sir Patrick Stewart Reveals the Name of the Dog in Star Trek: Picard

Amidst the hype of Comic Con 2019, superheroes, and reboots of many a franchise, one question persisted among fans excited for Star Trek: Picard: What is the name of Picard’s dog, and is he a good boy? Well, internet, we finally have our answer.

The legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart joined IGN during Comic Con to discuss the show and its new and familiar faces, including Picard’s dog.

“Oh, he’s a very, very good boy, as you saw," Stewart said. "Well, you haven’t really seen it yet, have you? When you see the episode, you’ll see how much he has to do, and how good he really is….His real name is Dinero. His cast name is ‘Number One.’”

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