The first trailer for Black Adam is here and it's filled with the kind of bombastic action befitting Dwayne Johnson's long-gestating DC anti-hero. It's our most in-depth look yet at the movie, which has been a decade-plus in the making, and it sets up a tragic backstory for Black Adam, as well as introducing a few members of the first big-screen iteration of the Justice Society of America.

The trailer opens on a peaceful snowy mountain range, and as we hear the dulcet tones of Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate begin to speak, a large black spaceship flies through the idyllic locale. "What have your powers ever brought you?" Doctor Fate asks as we see Black Adam within the futuristic ship, covered in liquid inside a containment unit. "Nothing but heartbreak," Fate continues as we see a quick shot of Brosnan's take on the mystical DC superhero. This moment hints that the film will be following one of the key parts of Black Adam lore: millenia ago, Shazam banished the villain into space and it took him 5,000 years to get back to Earth.

So what kind of heartbreak has Teth-Adam suffered? Well, we get a glimpse of that here as we see him in Kahndaq--if the comics lore is to be followed, this would be the aforementioned 5000 years previously--the fictional nation of his birth. "I was a slave until I died," Johnson's voice reveals. "Then I was reborn a god." This is an interesting reveal as it tells us the movie is taking directly from the New 52 era of the character where he was a Kahndaqi slave bestowed with the power of the Wizard Shazam.

Expanding more on his tragic backstory, we then learn that Adam's son sacrificed himself to save his father's life. It feels like this could be a reworking of the Black Adam lore introduced in the Shazam backups featured in the New 52 Justice League series. In that story, Adam's nephew Aman is given the powers of Shazam and shares them to save Adam's life. But when Aman doesn't want to use his newfound strength to kill those who murdered their family, Adam takes the power for himself, killing Aman and saving Khandaq.

However close they stick to that dark backstory, this tragedy will likely be a key part of the movie and an ongoing thread for what drives Adam and his choices, both good and bad. During the Q&A, director Jaume Collet-Serra and Johnson both spoke about the importance of family to the movie and to the "why?" of Black Adam that's introduced in dynamic and tragic fashion here.

"Now I kneel to no one!," Adam exclaims as we see the previously shared footage of him levitating as a black ops group shoots at him, their bullets bouncing off his iconic comic book cloak. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as we're reminded that "in this world there are heroes" and we get our first proper looks at Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centino), the former in his comics-accurate, gold-winged garb and the latter in giant mode running through a city. We also see Doctor Fate in his classic golden helmet with his powers manifesting as golden cracks appear in the sky. It's an exciting moment that'll get JSA fans extremely pumped.

But where there's light there's also dark, so of course there are villains too as the voiceover reminds us. Now who exactly the villain of this movie is remains a mystery, but it's likely Adam will begin as an antagonist who becomes an unlikely ally to the JSA. However, not all the members are happy about the situation, especially Hawkman.

In what will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about moments of the trailer, Black Adam faces down Hodge’s timeless Egyptian hero who tells him, "Heroes don't kill people." There's a beat before Adam says the explosive--yet very honest--words that will launch a thousand fan conversations: "Well, I do." That shouldn't come as a surprise to comic book fans but it might to casual viewers who are used to their superheroes being... well, super.

Black Adam's history is fraught and violent but it's also wacky – as are so many Golden Age characters – and we get a nice nod to that when he gets hit in the head Roger Rabbit-style with a bar that does no damage. Cut to his assailant being punched comically high into the sky. It's one of the most tantalizing hints at the tonal shifts that'll be key to capturing Black Adam in all his shades of gray.

The trailer ends with another glimpse of Doctor Fate and a final show of power by Black Adam, who catches a rocket in front of two very confused and impressed witnesses in a minivan. Who was shooting it at him? Well, that's the big question we're left with after this trailer. Could it be that the only antagonist is Black Adam? Unlikely as there's a threat so great that Doctor Fate is putting together the Justice Society of America, so what could that threat be? We'll have to wait and see as we get closer to the release of what the creative team is calling the DC "disruptor."

Black Adam hits theaters on October 21, 2022.

The first trailer for Black Adam is here and it's filled with the kind of bombastic action befitting Dwayne Johnson's long-gestating DC anti-hero. It's our most in-depth look yet at the movie, which has been a decade-plus in the making, and it sets up a tragic backstory for Black Adam, as well as introducing a few members of the first big-screen iteration of the Justice Society of America.

The trailer opens on a peaceful snowy mountain range, and as we hear the dulcet tones of Pierce Brosnan's Doctor Fate begin to speak, a large black spaceship flies through the idyllic locale. "What have your powers ever brought you?" Doctor Fate asks as we see Black Adam within the futuristic ship, covered in liquid inside a containment unit. "Nothing but heartbreak," Fate continues as we see a quick shot of Brosnan's take on the mystical DC superhero. This moment hints that the film will be following one of the key parts of Black Adam lore: millenia ago, Shazam banished the villain into space and it took him 5,000 years to get back to Earth.

So what kind of heartbreak has Teth-Adam suffered? Well, we get a glimpse of that here as we see him in Kahndaq--if the comics lore is to be followed, this would be the aforementioned 5000 years previously--the fictional nation of his birth. "I was a slave until I died," Johnson's voice reveals. "Then I was reborn a god." This is an interesting reveal as it tells us the movie is taking directly from the New 52 era of the character where he was a Kahndaqi slave bestowed with the power of the Wizard Shazam.

Expanding more on his tragic backstory, we then learn that Adam's son sacrificed himself to save his father's life. It feels like this could be a reworking of the Black Adam lore introduced in the Shazam backups featured in the New 52 Justice League series. In that story, Adam's nephew Aman is given the powers of Shazam and shares them to save Adam's life. But when Aman doesn't want to use his newfound strength to kill those who murdered their family, Adam takes the power for himself, killing Aman and saving Khandaq.

However close they stick to that dark backstory, this tragedy will likely be a key part of the movie and an ongoing thread for what drives Adam and his choices, both good and bad. During the Q&A, director Jaume Collet-Serra and Johnson both spoke about the importance of family to the movie and to the "why?" of Black Adam that's introduced in dynamic and tragic fashion here.

"Now I kneel to no one!," Adam exclaims as we see the previously shared footage of him levitating as a black ops group shoots at him, their bullets bouncing off his iconic comic book cloak. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as we're reminded that "in this world there are heroes" and we get our first proper looks at Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centino), the former in his comics-accurate, gold-winged garb and the latter in giant mode running through a city. We also see Doctor Fate in his classic golden helmet with his powers manifesting as golden cracks appear in the sky. It's an exciting moment that'll get JSA fans extremely pumped.

But where there's light there's also dark, so of course there are villains too as the voiceover reminds us. Now who exactly the villain of this movie is remains a mystery, but it's likely Adam will begin as an antagonist who becomes an unlikely ally to the JSA. However, not all the members are happy about the situation, especially Hawkman.

In what will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about moments of the trailer, Black Adam faces down Hodge’s timeless Egyptian hero who tells him, "Heroes don't kill people." There's a beat before Adam says the explosive--yet very honest--words that will launch a thousand fan conversations: "Well, I do." That shouldn't come as a surprise to comic book fans but it might to casual viewers who are used to their superheroes being... well, super.

Black Adam's history is fraught and violent but it's also wacky – as are so many Golden Age characters – and we get a nice nod to that when he gets hit in the head Roger Rabbit-style with a bar that does no damage. Cut to his assailant being punched comically high into the sky. It's one of the most tantalizing hints at the tonal shifts that'll be key to capturing Black Adam in all his shades of gray.

The trailer ends with another glimpse of Doctor Fate and a final show of power by Black Adam, who catches a rocket in front of two very confused and impressed witnesses in a minivan. Who was shooting it at him? Well, that's the big question we're left with after this trailer. Could it be that the only antagonist is Black Adam? Unlikely as there's a threat so great that Doctor Fate is putting together the Justice Society of America, so what could that threat be? We'll have to wait and see as we get closer to the release of what the creative team is calling the DC "disruptor."

Black Adam hits theaters on October 21, 2022.

As rumors keep swirling about a return to for the games, a new Silent Hill movie may also be in the works.

During an interview with Jeux Video (translated via ComicBook.com) Christopher Gans – who directed the first Silent Hill movie – teased that a new entry could be released as soon as 2023. It seemingly won't be a sequel.

“I'm currently working on it,” he said of a third Silent Hill movie. “The script for a new Silent Hill movie that is totally independent from the two previous movies made and respects the way Silent Hill has evolved.”

“Silent Hill is a bit like Twilight Zone, the Fourth Dimension, a place where anything and everything can happen,” he said. “I worked on a new Silent Hill which is a Silent Hill of the year 2023 since the film would be released next year… in 2023… and not a Silent Hill as I imagined it in 2006.”

That’s quite a surprise given the lack of interest in the films. The original Silent Hill made just $100 million on a budget of $50 million, with its sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation, doing even worse both critically and at the box office. But Gans believes the franchise can evolve.

“It is a Silent Hill for today's audiences while being ultra-respectful of the saga,” he added. “I am aware that Silent Hill is a very great video game franchise and a work of art in the noble sense of the term. The people who thought up Silent Hill put a lot of their guts into it.”

To date, there has been no official announcement about a third Silent Hill film. Equally, we have no idea who might star in the upcoming movie. But Gans asserts that Silent Hill 3 would reflect the changing face of modern horror.

“For me, it was important to design a Silent Hill in the light of the current public,” he explained. “It is clear that today's horror cinema no longer resembles the horror cinema of 2006. Good for that matter. Not that 2007 horror cinema wasn't good, but every genre is going through an evolution.”

“I'm trying to take into account what I've been able to see recently,” he added, “which is more original and more surprising in terms of horror films, and to see if in Silent Hill there are the seeds, or even the expression, of that. Silent Hill has always been a game beyond the norm and ahead of its time.”

It's interesting timing, given how many rumors we've seen in recent years about a return to the Silent Hill franchise in games. Reports have stated that the franchise will see at least two new games, said that Polish developer Bloober Team could be working on a Silent Hill 2 remake, and we've even seen leaked screenshots of what could be a new game.

It's possible that franchise owner Konami isn't just planning a return to the games, but the movies as well. In the meantime, read more about Silent Hill with IGN’s review of the original film, and find out why its sequel is on our list of the worst video game movies of all time.

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

As rumors keep swirling about a return to for the games, a new Silent Hill movie may also be in the works.

During an interview with Jeux Video (translated via ComicBook.com) Christopher Gans – who directed the first Silent Hill movie – teased that a new entry could be released as soon as 2023. It seemingly won't be a sequel.

“I'm currently working on it,” he said of a third Silent Hill movie. “The script for a new Silent Hill movie that is totally independent from the two previous movies made and respects the way Silent Hill has evolved.”

“Silent Hill is a bit like Twilight Zone, the Fourth Dimension, a place where anything and everything can happen,” he said. “I worked on a new Silent Hill which is a Silent Hill of the year 2023 since the film would be released next year… in 2023… and not a Silent Hill as I imagined it in 2006.”

That’s quite a surprise given the lack of interest in the films. The original Silent Hill made just $100 million on a budget of $50 million, with its sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation, doing even worse both critically and at the box office. But Gans believes the franchise can evolve.

“It is a Silent Hill for today's audiences while being ultra-respectful of the saga,” he added. “I am aware that Silent Hill is a very great video game franchise and a work of art in the noble sense of the term. The people who thought up Silent Hill put a lot of their guts into it.”

To date, there has been no official announcement about a third Silent Hill film. Equally, we have no idea who might star in the upcoming movie. But Gans asserts that Silent Hill 3 would reflect the changing face of modern horror.

“For me, it was important to design a Silent Hill in the light of the current public,” he explained. “It is clear that today's horror cinema no longer resembles the horror cinema of 2006. Good for that matter. Not that 2007 horror cinema wasn't good, but every genre is going through an evolution.”

“I'm trying to take into account what I've been able to see recently,” he added, “which is more original and more surprising in terms of horror films, and to see if in Silent Hill there are the seeds, or even the expression, of that. Silent Hill has always been a game beyond the norm and ahead of its time.”

It's interesting timing, given how many rumors we've seen in recent years about a return to the Silent Hill franchise in games. Reports have stated that the franchise will see at least two new games, said that Polish developer Bloober Team could be working on a Silent Hill 2 remake, and we've even seen leaked screenshots of what could be a new game.

It's possible that franchise owner Konami isn't just planning a return to the games, but the movies as well. In the meantime, read more about Silent Hill with IGN’s review of the original film, and find out why its sequel is on our list of the worst video game movies of all time.

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

Paramount Chief Brian Robbins has given an update on JJ Abrams' new Star Trek movie, revealing that they're currently "deep into it" and edging closer to the "starting line."

Robbins announced the new Star Trek film with Abrams at Paramount's Investor Day in February, but it's been relatively quiet on the bridge ever since. In a recent interview with Variety, however, Robbins confirmed that steady progress is being made on the movie and they're "excited" about the direction in which it is going, now that the Kelvin crew is on board.

"We're deep into it with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we're getting close to the starting line and excited about where we're going creatively," Robbins revealed before explaining why they decided to bring back Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin universe cast. "I'm a research nerd, and what the data tells me is that the audience wants that cast in this movie."

The last we heard, talks were underway with Chris Pine to reprise his role as James T. Kirk in the next Abrams-produced Star Trek film, with the intention of also bringing back the rest of the cast from the reboot trilogy, including Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Lieutenant Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, John Cho as Sulu, and Simon Pegg as Scotty.

Filming was scheduled to start in late 2022 and it sounds like they may be on target to set their phasers to stun and start the cameras rolling before the end of the year, under the direction of Matt Shakman, who apparently inspired fresh interest in the Star Trek franchise following his much-talked about run on Disney Plus' WandaVision miniseries.

The Star Trek script is being written by Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires, based on a prior draft by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but the original concept for the fourth Star Trek saw Captain Kirk contending with the legacy of his own father, who heroically sacrificed himself aboard the USS Kelvin during battle.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Paramount Chief Brian Robbins has given an update on JJ Abrams' new Star Trek movie, revealing that they're currently "deep into it" and edging closer to the "starting line."

Robbins announced the new Star Trek film with Abrams at Paramount's Investor Day in February, but it's been relatively quiet on the bridge ever since. In a recent interview with Variety, however, Robbins confirmed that steady progress is being made on the movie and they're "excited" about the direction in which it is going, now that the Kelvin crew is on board.

"We're deep into it with J.J. Abrams, and it feels like we're getting close to the starting line and excited about where we're going creatively," Robbins revealed before explaining why they decided to bring back Chris Pine and the rest of the Kelvin universe cast. "I'm a research nerd, and what the data tells me is that the audience wants that cast in this movie."

The last we heard, talks were underway with Chris Pine to reprise his role as James T. Kirk in the next Abrams-produced Star Trek film, with the intention of also bringing back the rest of the cast from the reboot trilogy, including Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Lieutenant Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, John Cho as Sulu, and Simon Pegg as Scotty.

Filming was scheduled to start in late 2022 and it sounds like they may be on target to set their phasers to stun and start the cameras rolling before the end of the year, under the direction of Matt Shakman, who apparently inspired fresh interest in the Star Trek franchise following his much-talked about run on Disney Plus' WandaVision miniseries.

The Star Trek script is being written by Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires, based on a prior draft by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but the original concept for the fourth Star Trek saw Captain Kirk contending with the legacy of his own father, who heroically sacrificed himself aboard the USS Kelvin during battle.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Don't expect Stranger Things to switch to weekly releases for its fifth and final season.

Speaking to Variety, Netflix’s head of scripted series for U.S. and Canada Peter Friedlander confirmed that there are no plans to switch over to weekly releases, and it will stick with releasing all (or at least most) of its episodes on the day it premieres..

“For the fans of Stranger Things, this is how they’ve been watching that show, and I think to change that on them would be disappointing,” he said. “To not give them exactly what they’ve been expecting — which is Stranger Things is a seasonal experience, they go through that with them — I think that it would be an abrupt change for the member.”

There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about which is the best way to release a modern TV season – in its entirety, like Netflix, or following the classic weekly release of broadcast TV. While some streaming shows have seen great success with weekly releases, it looks as though Stranger Things won’t follow suit. That said, it's worth noting that Stranger Things 4 has split its season into two distinct sets of releases – although this is seemingly more about giving the team time to finish the final episodes, rather than a conscious decision to keep fans hanging on.

It looks as though the binge-watch model will remain at Netflix at large. At least, for its scripted shows:

“We fundamentally believe that we want to give our members the choice in how they view,” he explained. “And so giving them that option on these scripted series to watch as much as they want to watch when they watch it, is still fundamental to what we want to provide. And so when you see something like a batched season with ‘Stranger Things,’ this is our attempt at making sure we can get shows out quicker to the members.”

Friedlander says that it’s all about “servicing” the needs of Netflix subscribers in the most expedient way:

“That’s what you see [with Stranger Things] and that’s what you see with Ozark,” he said. “So, we have had some experimentation in that space. But it’s also, you’re giving multiple-episodic-viewing experiences, it isn’t a standalone.”

“So, it really does, what we think, honors our relationship with our members and what their expectations are. There have been other types of launch cadences, but that’s connected to an unscripted approach or a competition approach.”

It's true that Netflix already has adopted a weekly release schedule for some titles, such as The Great British Baking Show, largely due to the show’s licensing deal. These also seem to be restricted to reality or competition-based shows. But it looks as though Stranger Things, and Netflix’s other scripted dramas, won’t be getting those weekly water cooler moments.

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

Don't expect Stranger Things to switch to weekly releases for its fifth and final season.

Speaking to Variety, Netflix’s head of scripted series for U.S. and Canada Peter Friedlander confirmed that there are no plans to switch over to weekly releases, and it will stick with releasing all (or at least most) of its episodes on the day it premieres..

“For the fans of Stranger Things, this is how they’ve been watching that show, and I think to change that on them would be disappointing,” he said. “To not give them exactly what they’ve been expecting — which is Stranger Things is a seasonal experience, they go through that with them — I think that it would be an abrupt change for the member.”

There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about which is the best way to release a modern TV season – in its entirety, like Netflix, or following the classic weekly release of broadcast TV. While some streaming shows have seen great success with weekly releases, it looks as though Stranger Things won’t follow suit. That said, it's worth noting that Stranger Things 4 has split its season into two distinct sets of releases – although this is seemingly more about giving the team time to finish the final episodes, rather than a conscious decision to keep fans hanging on.

It looks as though the binge-watch model will remain at Netflix at large. At least, for its scripted shows:

“We fundamentally believe that we want to give our members the choice in how they view,” he explained. “And so giving them that option on these scripted series to watch as much as they want to watch when they watch it, is still fundamental to what we want to provide. And so when you see something like a batched season with ‘Stranger Things,’ this is our attempt at making sure we can get shows out quicker to the members.”

Friedlander says that it’s all about “servicing” the needs of Netflix subscribers in the most expedient way:

“That’s what you see [with Stranger Things] and that’s what you see with Ozark,” he said. “So, we have had some experimentation in that space. But it’s also, you’re giving multiple-episodic-viewing experiences, it isn’t a standalone.”

“So, it really does, what we think, honors our relationship with our members and what their expectations are. There have been other types of launch cadences, but that’s connected to an unscripted approach or a competition approach.”

It's true that Netflix already has adopted a weekly release schedule for some titles, such as The Great British Baking Show, largely due to the show’s licensing deal. These also seem to be restricted to reality or competition-based shows. But it looks as though Stranger Things, and Netflix’s other scripted dramas, won’t be getting those weekly water cooler moments.

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

Hideo Kojima's next project may be a horror game called Overdose, starring Death Stranding actress Margaret Qualley.

Reported by repeated leaker Tom Henderson for Try Hard Guides, the news apparently stems from early footage showing a third-person character played by Qualley, exploring dark corridors using a flashlight. The footage reportedly ends with a jump scare, a game over screen, and the title screen.

Henderson has since said that Kojima Productions has asked him to remove the story from publication, lending weight to the truth of the leak.

The report is temporarily down as I've added a small update but it needs to be approved (the beauty of writing at 6am).

The update just says "Update - Kojima Productions have since asked for the publication of this report to be removed which we have declined." on the report.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 8, 2022

Henderson says this doesn't appear to be a Death Stranding sequel, despite the inclusion of Qualley, and the fact that Norman Reedus seemingly leaked the existence of that game last month.

Kojima famously began work on Silent Hills for Konami before falling out spectacularly with the developer and leaving to form his own company. Ever since, fans have wondered about a Kojima horror game, particularly after his P.T. demo became a phenomenon of its own. Back in 2017, the legendary developer said he didn't want to make a another horror, but we've since heard he's had casual chats with horror mangaka Junji Ito about reuniting.

Since Death Stranding was released, Kojima has hinted repeatedly about new projects, saying he's scrapped a major project, considered working on smaller, even episodic games, and gotten fans talking by just posting the contents of his desk. Hopefully, we discover something a little more concrete soon.

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.

A Joker sequel is officially in the works and director Todd Phillips has revealed the title for the sequel will be Joker: Folie à Deux.

Phillips, who directed and co-wrote the first Joker movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, is teaming up again with co-writer Scott Silver on the sequel. Phillips shared the red script cover on his Instagram page.

While plot details are scarce, Folie à Deux is defined as a psychological disorder where the same or similar mental disorder affects two or more people. Given that the Joker is known for having psychologically dependent relationships with characters like Batman and Harley Quinn, this title seems fitting.

The first Joker movie was released in 2019 as a standalone film set outside of any of the main Batman movie timelines. The origin story follows Arthur Fleck, a lonely party clown in Gotham City driven to the brink as he undergoes a transformation into the Joker.

The film was heavily influenced by movies like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, both directed by Martin Scorsese.

While there weren't plans for a sequel originally, Warner Bros. reportedly signed Phillips to write a sequel, and Phillips said he needed time to think of ideas for another installment. He previously said he would not return for a sequel unless he could find "some thematic resonance" like in the first movie.

Phoenix himself said he didn't know about any plans for a Joker sequel, but said that there were more stories they could explore for the character.

Joker was critically acclaimed at launch and went on to earn 11 Oscar nominations, taking home awards for Best Actor and Best Original Score. IGN gave Joker a perfect score calling it "a film that should leave comic book fans and non-fans alike disturbed and moved in all the right ways."

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