Neil Druckmann, the writer and creative director behind The Last of Us, will seemingly direct at least a portion of the upcoming HBO TV series based on the game.

An updated production list on the Directors Guild of Canada lists Druckmann as one of five directors for the show's first season.

Listed alongside Druckmann as directors for the series are co-writer and showrunner Craig Mazin, as well as Jasmila Zbanic, and Peter Hoar. They are joined by Kantemir Balagov, who recently wrapped up directorial duties on the show's pilot episode.

While it was already known that the Naughty Dog co-president would feature as an executive producer and writer on the show, it is currently unclear whether Druckmann's role as a director will span a single episode or more.

Since its initial announcement last year, HBO's The Last of Us has since confirmed a number of casting choices for the post-apocalyptic series. The Mandalorian and Narcos' Pedro Pascal was previously confirmed to be undertaking the role of series protagonist Joel while Bella Ramsey (of Game of Thrones fame) is set to play Ellie.

Since then, the show's most recent addition to its cast comes in the form of Fringe's Anna Torv, who will take on the recurring role as Joel's smuggling companion, Tess.

While many of the details surrounding the show have been kept closely under wraps, back in July it was said that the TV adaptation of The Last of Us would have a budget that "exceeded the eight-figure per episode mark" likely making it "the largest project shooting in Canada".

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Sony Pictures has released four new character posters for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, including one for Michelle Williams' Anne Weying that teases the return of She-Venom.

The official @VenomMovie Twitter shared a new batch of posters, highlighting the duality of the characters in Andy Serkis' upcoming Venom sequel. The images spotlight the characters' symbiote-fuelled transformations, with portraits of Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom, Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady/Carnage, and Naomie Harris' Frances Barrison/Shriek.

Michelle Williams' Anne Weying also gets her own poster, featuring a silhouette that teases the return of She-Venom. The tagline in the tweet accompanying the poster also points to Williams officially suiting up as She-Venom in the sequel. "She's back in black," the tagline revealed. Take a closer look at her poster along with all of the others in our gallery below:

Williams previously spoke of her desire to have more screen time as She-Venom in Let There Be Carnage, having briefly spawned into her symbiotic counterpart in the 2018 movie. The actress said she hoped that she would be able to assume her alternate identity for "equal time" in the sequel to the blockbuster anti-hero superhero film.

Fortunately, we don't have too long to wait to find out. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was recently moved up on Sony's release calendar, with the PG-13 rated sequel now expected to hit theaters on October 1. Some fans are speculating that Venom might make another appearance this year too, in Spider-Man: No Way Home when it's released in December.

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

Sony Pictures has released four new character posters for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, including one for Michelle Williams' Anne Weying that teases the return of She-Venom.

The official @VenomMovie Twitter shared a new batch of posters, highlighting the duality of the characters in Andy Serkis' upcoming Venom sequel. The images spotlight the characters' symbiote-fuelled transformations, with portraits of Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom, Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady/Carnage, and Naomie Harris' Frances Barrison/Shriek.

Michelle Williams' Anne Weying also gets her own poster, featuring a silhouette that teases the return of She-Venom. The tagline in the tweet accompanying the poster also points to Williams officially suiting up as She-Venom in the sequel. "She's back in black," the tagline revealed. Take a closer look at her poster along with all of the others in our gallery below:

Williams previously spoke of her desire to have more screen time as She-Venom in Let There Be Carnage, having briefly spawned into her symbiotic counterpart in the 2018 movie. The actress said she hoped that she would be able to assume her alternate identity for "equal time" in the sequel to the blockbuster anti-hero superhero film.

Fortunately, we don't have too long to wait to find out. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was recently moved up on Sony's release calendar, with the PG-13 rated sequel now expected to hit theaters on October 1. Some fans are speculating that Venom might make another appearance this year too, in Spider-Man: No Way Home when it's released in December.

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

Nvidia has officially confirmed that the PC version of Deathloop has support for its Reflex software tech.

Nvidia notes that Reflex will benefit Deathloop's single-player experience as the software tech will reduce system latency by up to 40%. The tech does this by reducing the time it takes for your computer to process your input.

Nvidia Reflex is a toolkit that measures and reduces system latency. Unlike other Nvidia tech such as DLSS, Reflex does not require an RTX graphics card and supports older Nvidia cards, starting with the GTX 900 series or newer. Nvidia Reflex was released last year, and more than 20 games currently support the software tech, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, Splitgate, and the soon-to-be-released Battlefield 2042.

An interesting thing to note is that Nvidia Reflex is commonly implemented in competitive games. While Deathloop is not a competitive game like others on the list, the game does include an invasion mechanic. In this PvP multiplayer feature, players have the option to have their session invaded by another player controlling Juliana or join another session controlling the character. But, Nvidia also notes that the software tech will also benefit players that are playing the single-player mode, as you can disable human-controlled invasions.

While Relfex support is now available, Deathloop does not support Nvidia DLSS. The game does support FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), though, AMD's supersampling tech released last June.

Ahead of Deathloop's release last week, the game was met with critical acclaim, including IGN's 10/10 review score. Yet, the PC version has been criticized for stuttering issues. While players initially thought it had something to do with Denuvo Anti-Piracy software, it was later revealed by multiple sources, including Digital Foundry, that those stuttering issues are actually tied to framerates and mouse input controls.

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

Nvidia has officially confirmed that the PC version of Deathloop has support for its Reflex software tech.

Nvidia notes that Reflex will benefit Deathloop's single-player experience as the software tech will reduce system latency by up to 40%. The tech does this by reducing the time it takes for your computer to process your input.

Nvidia Reflex is a toolkit that measures and reduces system latency. Unlike other Nvidia tech such as DLSS, Reflex does not require an RTX graphics card and supports older Nvidia cards, starting with the GTX 900 series or newer. Nvidia Reflex was released last year, and more than 20 games currently support the software tech, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, Splitgate, and the soon-to-be-released Battlefield 2042.

An interesting thing to note is that Nvidia Reflex is commonly implemented in competitive games. While Deathloop is not a competitive game like others on the list, the game does include an invasion mechanic. In this PvP multiplayer feature, players have the option to have their session invaded by another player controlling Juliana or join another session controlling the character. But, Nvidia also notes that the software tech will also benefit players that are playing the single-player mode, as you can disable human-controlled invasions.

While Relfex support is now available, Deathloop does not support Nvidia DLSS. The game does support FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), though, AMD's supersampling tech released last June.

Ahead of Deathloop's release last week, the game was met with critical acclaim, including IGN's 10/10 review score. Yet, the PC version has been criticized for stuttering issues. While players initially thought it had something to do with Denuvo Anti-Piracy software, it was later revealed by multiple sources, including Digital Foundry, that those stuttering issues are actually tied to framerates and mouse input controls.

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

Ahead of its September 21 launch, Kena: Bridge of Spirits developer Ember Labs has announced that the game will feature a photo mode.

Revealed in an article on the PlayStation Blog, Kena: Bridge of Spirits' photo mode will include one or two functions not typical of the more 'standard' versions of the feature seen in many games.

Instead of simply stopping time to allow players to take a quick freeze-frame of the action, Bridge of Spirits grants players the option to bring its characters to life as they look to set up the perfect snap. While moving the camera in photo mode, Kena and the game's other characters will keep their attention on you; readjusting their positions to cater for more personality-fueled intimate shots.

In addition, the photo mode also comes with its own "Cheese" function. Once you've pinned down your angle and you're ready to add another shot to the album, selecting the function will cause the characters in the photo to say "CHEESE" and strike a pose. According to Ember Labs, many characters in the game come with multiple poses, meaning that you can take various shots at any location within the game without it feeling repetitive and unmemorable.

Ember Labs producer, Thomas Varga, spoke a little further about why the team wanted to flesh out their photo mode for Kena: Bridge of Spirits. "Developing photo mode and the Cheese function were exciting animation opportunities for us," he said in the PlayStation Blog post. "Not only does this function introduce another entertaining element for players, it also allowed us to showcase character personalities as we developed each unique pose."

For more, make sure to check out our Kena: Bridge of Spirits preview, which looks at how the game looks to weave together features of different PlayStation hits like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn to create an intriguing blend of Pixar-style animated combat and exploration.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Ahead of its September 21 launch, Kena: Bridge of Spirits developer Ember Labs has announced that the game will feature a photo mode.

Revealed in an article on the PlayStation Blog, Kena: Bridge of Spirits' photo mode will include one or two functions not typical of the more 'standard' versions of the feature seen in many games.

Instead of simply stopping time to allow players to take a quick freeze-frame of the action, Bridge of Spirits grants players the option to bring its characters to life as they look to set up the perfect snap. While moving the camera in photo mode, Kena and the game's other characters will keep their attention on you; readjusting their positions to cater for more personality-fueled intimate shots.

In addition, the photo mode also comes with its own "Cheese" function. Once you've pinned down your angle and you're ready to add another shot to the album, selecting the function will cause the characters in the photo to say "CHEESE" and strike a pose. According to Ember Labs, many characters in the game come with multiple poses, meaning that you can take various shots at any location within the game without it feeling repetitive and unmemorable.

Ember Labs producer, Thomas Varga, spoke a little further about why the team wanted to flesh out their photo mode for Kena: Bridge of Spirits. "Developing photo mode and the Cheese function were exciting animation opportunities for us," he said in the PlayStation Blog post. "Not only does this function introduce another entertaining element for players, it also allowed us to showcase character personalities as we developed each unique pose."

For more, make sure to check out our Kena: Bridge of Spirits preview, which looks at how the game looks to weave together features of different PlayStation hits like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn to create an intriguing blend of Pixar-style animated combat and exploration.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

With ghost hunting horror co-op game Phasmophobia having just had its first anniversary, developer Kinetic Games has celebrated the milestone achievement with the launch of a brand new update that adds a single-player mode to the game.

The update, which was revealed in a post on Phasmophobia's Steam update page, makes a number of changes to the game, ranging from small bug fixes to the more noteworthy addition of a solo mode. For those of you brave enough to tackle the game's many haunted locales without backup, the game's new single-player experience allows players to play Phasmophobia without connecting to its servers.

A number of other revisions were also made as part of the anniversary update. The journal has been overhauled and made easier to use, and now allowing players to cross off evidence found and change settings from the pages. Tweaks to contracts will now mean that the payout amount received for failing a level will be rewarded in terms of the level's selected difficulty, while failing a contract will now automatically show you what the ghost type was.

New fonts have also been added to the game for several languages with missing characters, and the VR mute button has been remapped as the pause button for all controllers. Ghost orbs that appear during some contracts will now periodically change position in the room that the ghost is inhabiting, and players will now no longer be able to see the D.O.T.S Projector ghost if they have been killed.

Kinetic Games also took the chance in the update post to thank its fans for their support toward the game. "It has been an amazing year for Kinetic Games and Phasmophobia and I would like to thank everyone for their amazing support," the post reads.

"Today, Phasmophobia is one of the highest rated games on Steam which is incredible and something I never imagined happening. It doesn't stop there either, we have many great updates planned for the future including this Halloween!"

While we wait to hear more about what lies ahead for Phasmo's upcoming Halloween update, players can head into the game's main menu area, which has received a party-themed anniversary redesign for fans to celebrate together in. If you're new to Phasmophobia, make sure to check out how the game uses audio to hunt its players.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. In his time with Phasmophobia, he often aggravates its many horrors before leaving his friends to face the consequences. You can follow him on Twitter.

Dune has officially made its international debut in theaters in 24 markets with total earnings of $36.8 million. Furthermore, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has not only reached $320 million overseas, but it has also secured a third-straight domestic box office win.

While Dune doesn't release in North America in theaters and on HBO Max until October 22, it is off to a promising start overseas as it has ranked #1 in "virtually all markets" it has appeared in. Additionally, it is "tracking +4% ahead of TENET, +33% ahead of BLACK WIDOW, +52% ahead of BLADERUNNER 2049, +58% ahead of SHANG-CHI and +80% ahead of GODZILLA VS. KONG."

Dune also broke pandemic-era box office records in IMAX theaters in 10 territories including Russia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Singapore. These 142 IMAX screens accounted for "roughly 10% of the total weekend" and had a "$25k per screen average."

As reported by Box Office Mojo, Shang-Chi has continued its domestic box office streak and held on to the top spot for the third time with $21 million. It saw a 37.5% drop from last week and handily defeated Free Guy's $5.2 million.

In third place, Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho made its theatrical debut with $4.5 million. Cry Macho is also available on HBO Max. Rounding out the top five are Candyman's $3.5 million and Malignant's $2.6 million.

For more on Dune, check out our review, our exclusive scene breakdown with director Denis Villeneuve and the one reference he wished he could have included in his movie.

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.

Dune has officially made its international debut in theaters in 24 markets with total earnings of $36.8 million. Furthermore, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has not only reached $320 million overseas, but it has also secured a third-straight domestic box office win.

While Dune doesn't release in North America in theaters and on HBO Max until October 22, it is off to a promising start overseas as it has ranked #1 in "virtually all markets" it has appeared in. Additionally, it is "tracking +4% ahead of TENET, +33% ahead of BLACK WIDOW, +52% ahead of BLADERUNNER 2049, +58% ahead of SHANG-CHI and +80% ahead of GODZILLA VS. KONG."

Dune also broke pandemic-era box office records in IMAX theaters in 10 territories including Russia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Singapore. These 142 IMAX screens accounted for "roughly 10% of the total weekend" and had a "$25k per screen average."

As reported by Box Office Mojo, Shang-Chi has continued its domestic box office streak and held on to the top spot for the third time with $21 million. It saw a 37.5% drop from last week and handily defeated Free Guy's $5.2 million.

In third place, Clint Eastwood's Cry Macho made its theatrical debut with $4.5 million. Cry Macho is also available on HBO Max. Rounding out the top five are Candyman's $3.5 million and Malignant's $2.6 million.

For more on Dune, check out our review, our exclusive scene breakdown with director Denis Villeneuve and the one reference he wished he could have included in his movie.

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.