The new trailer for Christopher Nolan's Tenet sheds a bit more light on the plot of the time-bending thriller even as it raises new questions about the film. But one debate that it does seem to settle is whether Tenet might bypass a theatrical release in favor of a VOD debut. The trailer ends with the words "coming to theaters" ... but when? Usually, trailers end with the theatrical release date of the movie, but the Tenet release date is conspicuously absent from the new trailer. Warner Bros. confirms to IGN that Tenet's release date is still July 17, 2020. But will that change? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/tenet-official-trailer-2"] While the studio declined to address the matter, the reality is that it's entirely possible Tenet's release could be delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Ending the new trailer with simply "coming to theaters" certainly casts some doubt -- or at least offers Warner Bros. some wiggle room to postpone the film's release if needed. Tenet director Christopher Nolan has made no secret of his advocacy for the theatrical experience -- particularly IMAX and 70mm, both of which formats Tenet will be presented in -- so a pivot to a digital debut for the movie was never really in the cards. The question is, how soon can Warner Bros. open Tenet when consumers and theaters agree it's safe to do so -- and will it be commercially viable for the studio? As Deadline recently reasoned, "Warner Bros needs at least 80% of the world’s theaters to be open, including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco (which rep 25% of a pic’s opening weekend), in order to keep Tenet on its original release date. If such signs don’t appear positive in the next three weeks or sooner, Tenet moves. In order to make bank on a $200M production, Warners needs the globe’s exhibition infrastructure intact." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=tenet-images&captions=true"] That gives Warner Bros. basically until early-to-mid June to make the final call on whether Tenet sticks to July 17 or moves to a later date. After all, any later and it will be difficult for them to stage the sort of marketing campaign such a big theatrical release would need. As Deadline notes in their report, if Tenet moves, then everything else on Warners' upcoming release slate -- from Wonder Woman 1984 in August to conceivably even Dune in December -- shifts to later dates as well. So as of right now Tenet is still slated to open in theaters on July 17, 2020. We should know within the next three weeks if that date is truly possible or not.

The new trailer for Christopher Nolan's Tenet sheds a bit more light on the plot of the time-bending thriller even as it raises new questions about the film. But one debate that it does seem to settle is whether Tenet might bypass a theatrical release in favor of a VOD debut. The trailer ends with the words "coming to theaters" ... but when? Usually, trailers end with the theatrical release date of the movie, but the Tenet release date is conspicuously absent from the new trailer. Warner Bros. confirms to IGN that Tenet's release date is still July 17, 2020. But will that change? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/tenet-official-trailer-2"] While the studio declined to address the matter, the reality is that it's entirely possible Tenet's release could be delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Ending the new trailer with simply "coming to theaters" certainly casts some doubt -- or at least offers Warner Bros. some wiggle room to postpone the film's release if needed. Tenet director Christopher Nolan has made no secret of his advocacy for the theatrical experience -- particularly IMAX and 70mm, both of which formats Tenet will be presented in -- so a pivot to a digital debut for the movie was never really in the cards. The question is, how soon can Warner Bros. open Tenet when consumers and theaters agree it's safe to do so -- and will it be commercially viable for the studio? As Deadline recently reasoned, "Warner Bros needs at least 80% of the world’s theaters to be open, including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco (which rep 25% of a pic’s opening weekend), in order to keep Tenet on its original release date. If such signs don’t appear positive in the next three weeks or sooner, Tenet moves. In order to make bank on a $200M production, Warners needs the globe’s exhibition infrastructure intact." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=tenet-images&captions=true"] That gives Warner Bros. basically until early-to-mid June to make the final call on whether Tenet sticks to July 17 or moves to a later date. After all, any later and it will be difficult for them to stage the sort of marketing campaign such a big theatrical release would need. As Deadline notes in their report, if Tenet moves, then everything else on Warners' upcoming release slate -- from Wonder Woman 1984 in August to conceivably even Dune in December -- shifts to later dates as well. So as of right now Tenet is still slated to open in theaters on July 17, 2020. We should know within the next three weeks if that date is truly possible or not.

The Batman actor Jeffrey Wright guested on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show this week during which time he insinuated that his character James Gordon might not be the Gotham City Police Commissioner in director Matt Reeves' upcoming franchise reboot. Wright was asked specifically about what his take was on Police Commissioner Gordon to which he replied, with a smile, "I play Gordon. I'll just say that. So, yes, I play Jim Gordon." If Wright's Jim Gordon isn't GCPD Commissioner yet that would be in line with this being a story set early in Batman's career. You may recall that Gary Oldman's Gordon didn't become Commissioner until part way through the second film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. The Westworld and James Bond franchise veteran went on to explain that he, Reeves, and his fellow actors are striving "to create something together that is our own, but is also Batman.” “This is the next evolution of Gotham," Wright declared. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/20/big-changes-for-the-batman-and-other-dc-movies-ign-now] Wright sang the praises of the film's new Batmobile, which Matt Reeves revealed on Twitter last month. “I read the script for the Batmobile and I was like, 'Yeah, that’s it,'" Wright enthused, saying this film's Batman "created the most badass muscle car you could imagine, but it’s grounded in Gotham. It’s grounded in Americana.” The Batman shut down production in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and there's no word yet when filming will resume. The delay is enough to postpone the film's release from June to October 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-how-robert-pattinsons-batmobile-draws-from-the-comics-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] For more on The Batman, learn about Robert Pattinson's workout regime (or lack thereof), what Andy Serkis had to say about the plot and tone, and Zoe Kravitz's comments on her Catwoman suit and quarantine.

The Batman actor Jeffrey Wright guested on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show this week during which time he insinuated that his character James Gordon might not be the Gotham City Police Commissioner in director Matt Reeves' upcoming franchise reboot. Wright was asked specifically about what his take was on Police Commissioner Gordon to which he replied, with a smile, "I play Gordon. I'll just say that. So, yes, I play Jim Gordon." If Wright's Jim Gordon isn't GCPD Commissioner yet that would be in line with this being a story set early in Batman's career. You may recall that Gary Oldman's Gordon didn't become Commissioner until part way through the second film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. The Westworld and James Bond franchise veteran went on to explain that he, Reeves, and his fellow actors are striving "to create something together that is our own, but is also Batman.” “This is the next evolution of Gotham," Wright declared. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/20/big-changes-for-the-batman-and-other-dc-movies-ign-now] Wright sang the praises of the film's new Batmobile, which Matt Reeves revealed on Twitter last month. “I read the script for the Batmobile and I was like, 'Yeah, that’s it,'" Wright enthused, saying this film's Batman "created the most badass muscle car you could imagine, but it’s grounded in Gotham. It’s grounded in Americana.” The Batman shut down production in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and there's no word yet when filming will resume. The delay is enough to postpone the film's release from June to October 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-how-robert-pattinsons-batmobile-draws-from-the-comics-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] For more on The Batman, learn about Robert Pattinson's workout regime (or lack thereof), what Andy Serkis had to say about the plot and tone, and Zoe Kravitz's comments on her Catwoman suit and quarantine.

Earlier this month substantial leaks for The Last of Us Part 2 made their way online. Since then, it’s become sadly easy to come across spoilers for the upcoming game on social media. Some have even taken to responding to every Naughty Dog Tweet and Facebook post with leaks. Now, Naughty Dog is using a brand new Twitter tool to try and at least fight spoilers from appearing on that particular social media service. It’s a new tool Twitter began testing yesterday that makes it so that accounts can choose who is allowed to respond to a given tweet, even preventing anyone from responding at all. The new Twitter convo tool lets accounts select who can @mention reply to your tweets. The options include either: Everyone, People you follow, or Only people you mention. The latter option makes it so that if a social media account doesn’t mention anyone, nobody can respond. This is still a tool Twitter is testing, and the company has only rolled it out to a certain percentage of users globally, so this is likely not a permanent solution. But given the proliferation of The Last of Us 2 spoilers in such a short amount of time, it is a useful tool to help anyone who doesn’t wish to see spoilers under every new Tweet or update from Naughty Dog. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/20/the-last-of-us-part-ii-inside-the-gameplay-video"] While Twitter’s tool may change further along in testing, right now it’s looking like a potential way to prevent spoilers from proliferating online. Or at least directly underneath tweets that fans are most likely going to see. The Last of Us Part 2 is out in a couple of weeks and Naughty Dog has been sharing gameplay and story details online ahead of the launch. Check them out along with IGN’s Last of Us Part 2 preview. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Earlier this month substantial leaks for The Last of Us Part 2 made their way online. Since then, it’s become sadly easy to come across spoilers for the upcoming game on social media. Some have even taken to responding to every Naughty Dog Tweet and Facebook post with leaks. Now, Naughty Dog is using a brand new Twitter tool to try and at least fight spoilers from appearing on that particular social media service. It’s a new tool Twitter began testing yesterday that makes it so that accounts can choose who is allowed to respond to a given tweet, even preventing anyone from responding at all. The new Twitter convo tool lets accounts select who can @mention reply to your tweets. The options include either: Everyone, People you follow, or Only people you mention. The latter option makes it so that if a social media account doesn’t mention anyone, nobody can respond. This is still a tool Twitter is testing, and the company has only rolled it out to a certain percentage of users globally, so this is likely not a permanent solution. But given the proliferation of The Last of Us 2 spoilers in such a short amount of time, it is a useful tool to help anyone who doesn’t wish to see spoilers under every new Tweet or update from Naughty Dog. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/20/the-last-of-us-part-ii-inside-the-gameplay-video"] While Twitter’s tool may change further along in testing, right now it’s looking like a potential way to prevent spoilers from proliferating online. Or at least directly underneath tweets that fans are most likely going to see. The Last of Us Part 2 is out in a couple of weeks and Naughty Dog has been sharing gameplay and story details online ahead of the launch. Check them out along with IGN’s Last of Us Part 2 preview. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

UPDATE 2: Universal Orlando is reportedly aiming to reopen for business June 5. The Hollywood Reporter says plans for the targeted reopening have been filed with the city government. "Universal Studios will open June 1 just for employees as a dry run of sorts and then on June 3, some invited guests would visit. Then the park would open to the public on June 5, officials said," according to THR. "The CityWalk district within the Florida resort reopened earlier this month with strict new measures in place such as a mask and temperature check requirement." There's no word yet on when Universal Studios Hollywood will reopen. UPDATE: Universal announced Thursday that they have extended the closure of Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, including the theme parks and Universal CityWalk at both destinations, at least through May 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company also announced that some staff will have their reduced to 80% while other employees will be furloughed as Universal continues to monitor the ongoing crisis. Our original report from March 24 follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The company also announced that they will be asking some employees to take a 20% pay cut while furloughing others as they continue to monitor developments in the ongoing crisis. Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood will remain closed beyond the original March 28 reopening date that Universal announced March 12. "We are extending the closure of Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood through April 19 as we continue to respond to current conditions and make the health and safety of team members and guests our top priority," Universal said in a statement posted Tuesday. "This includes our theme parks and Universal CityWalk at both destinations. The Universal Orlando Resort hotels have also temporarily suspended operations. We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed, based on guidance from health agencies and government officials." Our original report follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Universal has shut down operations at the Universal Studios theme park, with current plans to reopen as of March 28 at this time. Variety reports that in response to and in order to help contain the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19, Universal will be closed starting March 14. “The health and safety of our team members and guests is always our top priority,” Universal Studios spokesperson told Variety. “Out of an abundance of caution and in response to the guidance provided by the California Department of Public Health, Universal Studios Hollywood will temporarily close beginning Saturday, March 14. The theme park anticipates reopening on March 28 as we continue to monitor the situation." Universal CityWalk, however, will remain open. Universal joins Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in closing in response to efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. Those two parks, however, are closed indefinitely as of this time. News of Disney World's closure has yet to be announced, and that park is operating normally as of press time. The film world has also seen several changes due to efforts to contain COVID-19. Universal Pictures earlier announced nearly a year's delay for the release date of Fast 9. And Disney has delayed the releases of Mulan, as well as pushed the release dates for New Mutants and Antlers. IGN spoke with a number of medical experts to learn how movie delays may help stop the spread of COVID-19. Events like E3 2020 and SXSW that bring large amounts of people together have closed as well.