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Science seeks the basic laws of nature. Mathematics searches for new theorems to build upon the old. Engineering builds systems to solve human needs. The three disciplines are interdependent but distinct. Very rarely does one individual simultaneously make central contributions to all three — but Claude Shannon was a rare individual.

Despite being the subject of the recent documentary The Bit Player — and someone whose work and research philosophy have inspired my own career — Shannon is not exactly a household name. He never won a Nobel Prize, and he wasn’t a celebrity like Albert Einstein or Richard Feynman, either before or after his death in 2001. But more than 70 years ago, in a single groundbreaking paper, he laid the foundation for the entire communication infrastructure underlying the modern information age.

Shannon was born in Gaylord, Michigan, in 1916, the son of a local businessman and a teacher. After graduating from the University of Michigan with degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics, he wrote a master’s thesis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that applied a mathematical discipline called Boolean algebra to the analysis and synthesis of switching circuits. It was a transformative work, turning circuit design from an art into a science, and is now considered to have been the starting point of digital circuit design.

Next, Shannon set his sights on an even bigger target: communication.

Communication is one of the most basic human needs. From smoke signals to carrier pigeons to the telephone to television, humans have always sought methods that would allow them to communicate farther, faster and more reliably. But the engineering of communication systems was always tied to the specific source and physical medium. Shannon instead asked, “Is there a grand unified theory for communication?” In a 1939 letter to his mentor, Vannevar Bush, Shannon outlined some of his initial ideas on “fundamental properties of general systems for the transmission of intelligence.” After working on the problem for a decade, Shannon finally published his masterpiece in 1948: “A Mathematical Theory of Communication.”

The heart of his theory is a simple but very general model of communication: A transmitter encodes information into a signal, which is corrupted by noise and then decoded by the receiver. Despite its simplicity, Shannon’s model incorporates two key insights: isolating the information and noise sources from the communication system to be designed, and modeling both of these sources probabilistically. He imagined the information source generating one of many possible messages to communicate, each of which had a certain probability. The probabilistic noise added further randomness for the receiver to disentangle.

Before Shannon, the problem of communication was primarily viewed as a deterministic signal-reconstruction problem: how to transform a received signal, distorted by the physical medium, to reconstruct the original as accurately as possible. Shannon’s genius lay in his observation that the key to communication is uncertainty. After all, if you knew ahead of time what I would say to you in this column, what would be the point of writing it?

This single observation shifted the communication problem from the physical to the abstract, allowing Shannon to model the uncertainty using probability. This came as a total shock to the communication engineers of the day.

Given that framework of uncertainty and probability, Shannon set out in his landmark paper to systematically determine the fundamental limit of communication. His answer came in three parts. Playing a central role in all three is the concept of an information “bit,” used by Shannon as the basic unit of uncertainty. A portmanteau of “binary digit,” a bit could be either a 1 or a 0, and Shannon’s paper is the first to use the word (though he said the mathematician John Tukey used it in a memo first).

First, Shannon came up with a formula for the minimum number of bits per second to represent the information, a number he called its entropy rate, H. This number quantifies the uncertainty involved in determining which message the source will generate. The lower the entropy rate, the less the uncertainty, and thus the easier it is to compress the message into something shorter. For example, texting at the rate of 100 English letters per minute means sending 26¹⁰⁰ possible messages every minute, each represented by a sequence of 100 letters. One could encode all these possibilities into 470 bits, since 2⁴⁷⁰ ≈ 26¹⁰⁰. If the sequences were equally likely, then Shannon’s formula would say that the entropy rate is indeed 470 bits per minute. In reality, some sequences are much more likely than others, and the entropy rate is much lower, allowing for greater compression.

Second, he provided a formula for the maximum number of bits per second that can be reliably communicated in the face of noise, which he called the system’s capacity, C. This is the maximum rate at which the receiver can resolve the message’s uncertainty, effectively making it the speed limit for communication.

Finally, he showed that reliable communication of the information from the source in the face of noise is possible if and only if H < C. Thus, information is like water: If the flow rate is less than the capacity of the pipe, then the stream gets through reliably.

While this is a theory of communication, it is, at the same time, a theory of how information is produced and transferred — an information theory. Thus Shannon is now considered “the father of information theory.”

His theorems led to some counterintuitive conclusions. Suppose you are talking in a very noisy place. What’s the best way of making sure your message gets through? Maybe repeating it many times? That’s certainly anyone’s first instinct in a loud restaurant, but it turns out that’s not very efficient. Sure, the more times you repeat yourself, the more reliable the communication is. But you’ve sacrificed speed for reliability. Shannon showed us we can do far better. Repeating a message is an example of using a code to transmit a message, and by using different and more sophisticated codes, one can communicate fast — all the way up to the speed limit, C — while maintaining a given degree of reliability.

Another unexpected conclusion stemming from Shannon’s theory is that whatever the nature of the information — be it a Shakespeare sonnet, a recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or a Kurosawa movie — it is always most efficient to encode it into bits before transmitting it. So in a radio system, for example, even though both the initial sound and the electromagnetic signal sent over the air are analog wave forms, Shannon’s theorems imply that it is optimal to first digitize the sound wave into bits, and then map those bits into the electromagnetic wave. This surprising result is a cornerstone of the modern digital information age, where the bit reigns supreme as the universal currency of information.

Shannon’s general theory of communication is so natural that it’s as if he discovered the universe’s laws of communication, rather than inventing them. His theory is as fundamental as the physical laws of nature. In that sense, he was a scientist.

Shannon invented new mathematics to describe the laws of communication. He introduced new ideas, like the entropy rate of a probabilistic model, which have been applied in far-ranging branches of mathematics such as ergodic theory, the study of long-term behavior of dynamical systems. In that sense, Shannon was a mathematician.

But most of all, Shannon was an engineer. His theory was motivated by practical engineering problems. And while it was esoteric to the engineers of his day, Shannon’s theory has now become the standard framework underlying all modern-day communication systems: optical, underwater, even interplanetary. Personally, I have been fortunate to be part of a worldwide effort to apply and broaden Shannon’s theory to wireless communication, increasing communication speed by two orders of magnitude over multiple generations of standards. Indeed, the 5G standard currently rolling out uses not one but two practical codes proved to achieve Shannon’s speed limit.

Shannon figured out the foundation for all this more than 70 years ago. How did he do it? By focusing relentlessly on the essential feature of a problem while ignoring all other aspects. The simplicity of his model of communication is a good illustration of this style. He also knew to focus on what is possible, rather than what is immediately practical.

Shannon’s work illustrates the true role of top-rate science. When I started graduate school, my adviser told me that the best work would prune the tree of knowledge, rather than grow it. I didn’t know what to make of this message then; I always thought my job as a researcher was to add my own twigs. But over my career, as I had the opportunity to apply this philosophy in my own work, I began to understand.

When Shannon began studying communication, engineers already had a large collection of techniques. It was his unifying work that pruned all these twigs of knowledge into a single coherent and lovely tree — one that’s borne fruit for generations of scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

WW84 is now available on HBO Max, but did you catch every little detail as you streamed?

Wonder Woman 1984 has finally arrived and, as anyone may have guessed, brought with it plenty of Easter Eggs and references both to DC Comics history and the real-life history of the 1980s. And while the wait may have been agonizing for Wonder Woman fans, the timing couldn't be better.

In our review, we singled out the much-needed feel good message of the film. "Wonder Woman 1984 features some cheesy-looking CGI effects and some even cheesier messages. But it's also an improvement on the original in some key ways--where the first movie concluded with Wonder Woman literally punching the anthropomorphized concept of War in the face, WW84's climactic showdown is much more nuanced. The message--that every individual person on the planet has a shared responsibility for the common good--gets slightly muddled in the end, but it's also the exact one we need right now. And Wonder Woman 1984 is the exact film you'll want to sit down and watch with family, friends, and loved ones this holiday--even if you're doing so over Zoom."

So whether you're settling in for a holiday viewing party with some long distance family and friends, or you're spending the day solo and looking for some good old fashioned escapism, here are all the little details in WW84 you may have missed. Naturally, plenty of spoilers to follow so proceed with caution.

The photos

Diana's history has been framed with old black-and-white photos from her debut in Batman v Superman, and we get plenty of callbacks here, including plenty of old war photos.

Etta Candy

Diana's best friend, Etta, naturally passed away at some point between World War I and 1984, but Diana still memorializes her with a photo of Etta as an old woman. It's definitely very sad but at least we know Etta had a long life.

Trevor Ranch

Steve may not have survived WWI but his legacy lives on in a photo of Diana at "Trevor Ranch," which we can assume was owned by his family. The ranch is an invention of the DCEU and never existed in the comics.

The watch

Diana still has Steve's watch, her one physical reminder of him after his death that we saw back in the first movie.

Diana's Smithsonian job

Believe it or not, Diana really did work at the Smisthonian in the comics--sort of. The name "Smithsonian" was never formally used, but Diana held a position at the Gateway City Museum in the mid '90s using her Diana Prince civilian alter-ego.

Alister Lorenzano

Max's son Alister doesn't exist in DC Comics but he does create an interesting parallel to Max Lord's comic book origins. As a child, Max was raised by his father who had an obsession with setting a good and righteous example for his child, but ultimately couldn't stand up under the weight of his own expectations and standards when he learned his company was manufacturing a lethal chemical that was costing people their lives. Max's father eventually committed suicide, leaving Max all but orphaned--a fate that Alister thankfully escapes.

Simon Stagg

Max's investor Simon Stagg is a character from DC history, and the CEO of Stagg Enterprises. In the comics, Simon is typically seen as a villain against some lesser known heroes like Metamorpho, but has been known to crop up whenever shady business dealings are a necessity.

Maxwell Lord/Lorenzano

Max Lord's story and identity have been largely reinvented for the movie but there are still thematic nods to his comic book past. Originally introduced as part of the late '80s reboot of the Justice League, Justice League International, Max Lord was at first just a kind-hearted and philanthropic financier for the League. It was later revealed that he was in fact a ruthless puppet being controlled by one of the New Gods (or, later, a psychotic computer program thanks to a retcon) in a bid for world domination.

This doesn't actually pan out in the movie, but Max's duplicitous nature and secret motives are definitely a major part of his story regardless.

Dreamstone

The dreamstone is a real thing that has existed in DC Comics since the '60s. It's typically linked to either Dream of the Endless or a supervillain known as Doctor Destiny.

Radar

Steve is taken off guard by the use of radar to detect planes, which makes sense considering the technology was first used in aircraft in the '30s and made standard in the '60s.

Invisible Jet

Diana uses a spell to cloak the jet she and Steve steal with invisibility, giving us a fun new version of her iconic invisible jet.

Bialya

The imaginary country of Bialya was invented for the same Justice League reboot that gave us Maxwell Lord in the late '80s. It has since become a go-to location for DC characters similar to any of the invented cities in America.

Duke of Deception

The name "Duke of Deception" gets tossed out rather casually during Diana's explanation of the dreamstone's origins, but it actually points to a character who exists in DC Comics history. The Duke is a relatively minor villain who has historically worked with evil gods like Ares and Circe against Diana and her teammates. He has nothing to do with Max Lord in the books, but we'll give them the reference anyway.

Brother Eye

Alright, you'll need to bear with us on this one. In the comics, one of Max Lord's biggest storylines involves him hijacking a satellite-based supercomputer (turned sentient and evil) called Brother Eye. Brother Eye was actually originally created by Batman--think a similar situation to Ultron and Hank Pym (or Tony and Bruce in the MCU).

Now, Lord was eventually caught by Diana who, with use of her lasso, learned that the only way to stop Lord's insane scheme was to kill him. She wound up snapping his neck--which was just as brutal as it sounded--but this turned out to be part of a greater and more hidden scheme where the sentient Brother Eye was able to tape and broadcast Diana murdering Lord (in what, to outsiders, looked like cold blood) to everyone on the planet, effectively turning the world on Diana in an instant.

Obviously that's not what happens here in WW84, but the bones of the story are still the same--Diana and Lord have a final showdown in what amounts to a Brother Eye-style broadcast room connected to every person on Earth where, instead of beaming out an image of Diana ruthlessly beating Lord to a pulp, she's able to connect with everyone and ask them to recant their wishes.

Asteria

The legendary Amazon Asteria doesn't exist in DC Comics but in the movie, she's a very meta reference to Wonder Woman history. In the post-credits stinger, we see that Asteria is not only alive in the world of men, but she's actually Lynda Carter who famously played Diana in the live action Wonder Woman TV show.

Adagio in D Minor

The song playing while Diana heads toward her final confrontation with Lord might sound familiar--it's the Adagio in D Minor, first heard in the movie Sunshine but since used in movies, TV shows, and even commercials.

Golden armor

In the movie the golden armor was an Amazonian heirloom, but it actually comes directly from the comics, where it was tailor made for Diana by fellow Amazon Pallas. It was first seen in the Elseworlds story Kingdom Come in the '90s but eventually crossed over to main DC continuity as well.

Cheetah

Barbara's transformation into Cheetah has had a lot of versions in the comics, and the movie borrows loosely from several of them. Her massive inferiority complex belongs to the first incarnation of the villain, Priscilla Rich, but her job and archeological leanings come directly from Barbara's own comic book origins. However, in the comics becoming a cat person had nothing to do with the dreamstone or Max Lord and instead involved a curse (by an ancient plant god--no, really) that not only made her a were-cat, but also gave her an insatiable craving for human flesh. Just trust us on this one, it was a whole situation--the version you get on screen is much more streamlined.

After a handful of major release date delays, Wonder Woman 1984 is finally here--and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home to watch it. It's streaming on HBO Max for the price of a subscription.

Chances are, if you've already made time to watch, you've got a few questions about the ending and what it all might mean for the DCEU moving forward. Or, maybe you're just a spoiler-hound looking for all the answers before you even sit down to see the movie through. We're not here to judge you if that's the case, but we will get into the ending here so, naturally, massive spoilers for WW84 from here on out. Consider yourself warned.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian has returned to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the second season of The Mandalorian was made. In this hour-long special, we not only learn some cool details about the show, but we are also treated to the most adorable clip of Baby Yoda/The Child/Grogu dancing with director Robert Rodriguez. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is available now on Disney+ and, to help celebrate its launch, Robert Rodriguez - who directed this season's episode titled The Tragedy - shared an extended clip featured in the special of him playing guitar as Baby Yoda dances along.

Here’s a Christmas present to all those who asked me what it’s like to hang out with Baby Yoda on the set of #TheMandalorian #TheTragedy. Check out #DisneyGallery for more behind the scenes! pic.twitter.com/6ShINBxJAN

— Robert Rodriguez (@Rodriguez) December 25, 2020

Spoiler Warning for the second season of The Mandalorian. As if that wasn't enough of a treat, Rodriguez also told the story of how he went to his backyard and filmed his sons and some Star Wars action figures to illustrate his vision for the epic Boba Fett scene from The Tragedy for the team. We even get a short glimpse of the video at the 42:10 mark in the special. Alongside these wonderful gifts from Rodriguez, The Mandalorian's crew reveal some very interesting details as they go through each episode, and you can check out some of our favorites below;

• The codename for The Mandalorian TV series is Huckleberry.
• The Volume, which is the groundbreaking wraparound LED screen that is used on set for backgrounds and immersing the actors in the scenes, was 100 feet long and 22 feet tall for this season.
• The Krayt Dragon in the season premiere was originally only designed to be 150ft long, but the team decided it needed to have much more presence and ended up being a 600-foot monster.
• David Choe was brought in to help make the graffiti in the premiere feel authentic. He even got the chance to play an alien this season.
• The ice spiders from the second episode of season 2 were inspired by the work of Star Wars legend Ralph McQuarrie. McQuarrie is responsible for so much of what makes Star Wars look like Star Wars.

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• Misty Rosas played the Frog Lady in season 2. Rosas also played Kuiil in season 1.
• Dave Filoni purposefully didn't bring Ahsoka Tano into the first season of The Mandalorian because he didn't want to mess her introduction up and rush into it.
• Ahsoka's lightsabers went through many iterations as Dave Filoni wanted them to be in a smaller form that was similar to Samurai katanas.
• Ahsoka, who was created by both George Lucas and Dave Filoni for The Clone Wars, was one of the first things Filoni ever drew for the project.

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• Robert Rodriguez turned that Boba Fett battle scene in The Tragedy from a "3-page battle scene into a 9-minute battle scene." He also wanted to make Boba Fett into what we all imagined him to be.
• When comparing Boba Fett to The Mandalorian, Rodriguez said that if The Mandalorian is a gunslinger, Boba Fett is a barbarian.
• Boba Fett actor Temuera Morison, who was born in New Zealand, requested that the gaffi stick he wielded take inspiration from Maori culture.
• While pretty much all of the scenes in The Mandalorian are shot in-doors in front of the Volume LED screen, the team had to go to Simi Valley in California to shoot the battle scene in The Tragedy as the indoor set was just too small.
• One of the most difficult parts of filming in Simi Valley was that they couldn't use explosions due to the risk of causing a fire. The one exception was for the scene where Fennec is running along the rocks as it was far away from anything combustible.

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• In The Believer, with the help of The Volume LED screen, we are able to see the interior of Boba Fett's Slave One rotating during take-off for the first time.
• While many miniatures of ships - like the Razor Crest - in The Mandalorian were scanned in to be used on The Volume, Moff Gideon's cruiser was built as a 5-foot-long miniature that was filmed using techniques seen in the original films.
• The staff wielded by Bib Fortuna in Jabba's Palace was taken from his action figure and is the first time it has appeared on screen.

For more on The Mandalorian, check out our full season 2 review, our explainer of the season's ending and what it means for season 3, and the reveal of The Book of Boba Fett spinoff series. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/22/the-mandalorian-season-2-in-17-minutes"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

HBO and the BBC have renewed His Dark Materials for a third and final season. As reported by Variety, the eight-episode third season's production is set to begin in Cardiff in 2021 and looks to tell the story that took place in The Amber Spyglass - the third and final book of Philip Pullman's trilogy of the same name. News of this renewal arrives less than a week before the finale of His Dark Materials' second season on HBO and two days after it aired on BBC. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/his-dark-materials-season-2-teaser-trailer-comic-con-2020"] His Dark Materials' second season saw the return of all of its main cast members, including Dafne Keen as Lyra, Amir Wilson as Will, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter, Ariyon Bakare as Lord Boreal, and James McAvoy as Lord Asriel. Newcomers include Andrew Scott as Colonel John Parry, Terence Stamp as Giacomo Paradisi, Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi, and Simone Kirby as Dr Mary Malone. Season 2 was mostly based off The Subtle Knife, the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry who have to work together to investigate the mysterious Dust phenomenon in the eerie disquiet of an abandoned city called Cittàgazze. For more on His Dark Materials, check out our review of the first season. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/11/lin-manuel-miranda-recaps-his-dark-materials-season-1"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

As a role-playing game, World of Warcraft features numerous methods for increasing your power within its MMO realms if you're prepared to engage in some violence to do so. One player has instead adopted a more pacifistic approach to reaching the level cap in the new Shadowlands expansion.

Doubleagent, who plays as a Pandaren monk, managed to reach level 60 without leaving the starting zone of the Wandering Isle that is meant for players who are below level 10.

Leaving that zone would have forced Doubleagent to pick a side, either The Alliance or the Horde, and thus become an accomplice in a faction that was responsible for the deaths of millions. Sticking to his pacifism, Doubleagent instead earned experience points by picking flowers for hours on end.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

This story contains spoilers through The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 8. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Mandalorian may be set in a distant corner of the Star Wars galaxy, but that certainly hasn't prevented a number of familiar characters from popping up in Season 2. This season we encountered Temuera Morrison's Boba Fett, plus Star Wars TV veteran Bo-Katan Kryze, and Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in live-action. And then there's the megaton cameo in the Season 2 finale...  Given that The Mandalorian takes place years after the events of the original trilogy, you might be wondering just how old these characters are supposed to be. Should Bo-Katan be thinking about retirement? Is Boba Fett as old as he appears after spending time in the Sarlacc pit? Read on to have all your age-related questions answered.

The Mandalorian's Time Period

First off, it's probably worth quickly rehashing how time is measured in the Star Wars universe and where exactly The Mandalorian falls in that timeline. The Battle of Yavin in the original Star Wars is treated as the franchise's watershed moment. Everything is measured in terms of BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin) and ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] The Mandalorian: Season 1 is set in roughly 9 ABY, or about five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. We don't know exactly how much extra time has elapsed in Season 2, but it doesn't appear that more than a few months have gone by. As the surprise return of Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker illustrates, most original trilogy characters wouldn't look significantly older in The Mandalorian compared to the classic films. Of course, the heavy use of CGI de-aging in Luke's scenes also shows why we may not see much of those human OT favorites. It takes a lot of work (or some major recasting) to bring back those iconic characters as they looked in the 1980's.

How Old Is Boba Fett in The Mandalorian?

Because only there are only about 19 years of time separating the prequel and original trilogies, a lot of Star Wars characters aren't as old as you probably assume them to be. Case in point: Despite the fact that Sebastian Shaw was in his late 70s when he played the unmasked Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, the character himself was only 45 when he died. The Dark Side takes a heavy toll on your skin. Boba Fett is definitely in this camp. He's only about 41 years old in the era of The Mandalorian. Boba was born in 32 BBY, the same year as the events of The Phantom Menace. Based on what we've learned of this period, Boba was created in a lab on Kamino alongside the rest of the initial batch of Clonetroopers. But unlike his "brothers," Boba ages at a normal rate. So while most of the surviving clones have probably died of old age by the time of The Mandalorian, Boba Fett is only just entering his 40s. If Boba looks far older than 41, that's probably thanks to spending some time in the belly of the Sarlacc. His body still carries the burns and scars of that ordeal and probably always will.

How Old Is Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian?

Bo-Katan's age is a little harder to pin down, as we don't know when exactly she was born. In fact, little is known about her early life until she joins Pre Vizsla's Death Watch faction in 21 BBY, at the height of the Clone Wars. Bo-Katan is an adult and a seasoned combat veteran at this point, so we'd assume she's at least in her early-to-mid-20s. Based on that, Bo-Katan is at least in her 50s when she appears in The Mandalorian: Season 2, if not even older. The character doesn't necessarily look that old, particularly since actress Katee Sackhoff is only 40 herself. Maybe Bo-Katan is actually younger than we realized in her Clone Wars appearances, or maybe Bo-Katan is extra diligent about dyeing her hair to keep that vibrant red sheen.

How Old Is Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian?

Fans of The Clone Wars had better get used to the idea of seeing Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan playing the role of the grizzled, battle-hardened warrior in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka Tano was born in 36 BBY, making her about 14 when she first debuts in The Clone Wars theatrical movie. Applying that math to the time period of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka is 45 years old in her Mandalorian debut. Given that she's a Togruta, and the fact that most alien species in the Star Wars universe seem to have longer lifespans than humans, Dawson's Ahsoka should still be in her physical prime during The Mandalorian. The next question is whether The Mandalorian will connect the dots to Ahsoka's cameo role in The Rise of Skywalker. Is she truly dead by that point in the timeline, or is she the one living voice among a sea of dead Jedi when we jump ahead a couple of decades? The upcoming Ahsoka spinoff series may have the answers we seek. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/24/ahsoka-tano-returns-the-ex-jedis-path-to-the-mandalorian"]

How Old Is Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian?

Season 2 ends with a cameo many Star Wars fans have dreamed of seeing. Mark Hamill returned to play Luke Skywalker at the height of his Jedi abilities, mowing down a whole platoon of Dark Troopers while barely breaking a sweat. Again, with the series set only five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Hamill's Luke shouldn't look significantly older than he did in 1983. Luke was born in 19 BBY, making him about 28 in the Season 2 finale. That's why the series had to rely so heavily on CGI to de-age Hamill. He's nowhere near being the grizzled, disillusioned hermit we see him as in The Last Jedi. The Star Wars timeline indicates Luke began travelling the galaxy in search of lost Jedi secrets around 5 ABY, once the Empire was decisively defeated at the Battle of Jakku. Discovering Grogu's existence may mark the point at which Luke ends his travels and devotes himself fully to teaching.

How Old Are Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn?

While no other veterans of The Clone Wars or Rebels have yet been announced, it's not exactly a stretch to assume we'll see more returning characters besides Bo-Katan and Ahsoka. Here's a breakdown of where some of those players land in the timeline. iZombie actor Rahul Kohli has been going out of his way on social media to create the impression he's been cast as Ezra Bridger, and the fact that Ahsoka namedropped Grand Admiral Thrawn in Season 2, Episode 5 would imply that Ezra may debut in The Mandalorian sooner rather than later. Kohli's tweets may all be a big joke, but assuming it's not, he'll be giving fans a much older and more seasoned version of Ezra than the one seen in Rebels. But it makes sense. The character was born in 19 BBY at the very dawn of the Empire, making him 28 in the era of The Mandalorian. Both Ezra and Thrawn were last seen being dragged to the far end of the galaxy in the finale of Rebels, but clearly, if Ahsoka is hunting Thrawn (and the Magistrate of Corvus is serving him) Thrawn has survived this long. His age is much harder to place, both because he's non-human and we don't know when exactly he was born or how old he is in Rebels. The best evidence we have is the novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, which takes place mostly during 19 BBY and shows Thrawn's rise through the ranks of the Chiss military. The character is probably in his mid-to-late 20s at that point, so that could put Thrawn in his 50s during The Mandalorian. Not a bad age for a high-level Imperial officer. Hera Syndulla is only seven years younger than Ahsoka, having been born in 29 BBY. That would make her about 38 during the time of The Mandalorian. And given that Hera's ship The Ghost is present during The Battle of Exegol, it's probably safe to assume she's still very active during this period. We're speculated that another Rebels favorite Sabine Wren will appear in The Mandalorian. Sabine is only two years older than Ezra, making her around 30 in this period. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/14/the-mandalorian-season-2-the-latest-huge-cameo-has-a-hidden-meaning-canon-fodder"] Then there's the question of Captain Rex. Like Boba Fett, Rex was created in 32 BBY, so he would also be around 41 during The Mandalorian. However, Rex is a bit of a strange case. Post-Clone Wars, Rex joins the Rebel Alliance and remains active all throughout the Imperial era despite the prior reveal that clones have artificially accelerated lifespans. Rex has even been retconned into the events of Return of the Jedi, as it turns out he was one of Han Solo's Rebel troops on Endor. At this point it's hard to say if he or any other Clonetrooper would still be alive five years later. We may yet learn Rex was somehow able to remove the accelerated aging effect baked into his clone DNA. For more on The Mandalorian's recent reveals, learn more about why some Mandalorians can't remove their helmets and see the essential Clone Wars and Rebels episodes for catching up on Bo-Katan's story. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The Mandalorian just ended its second season with one of the best episodes of Star Wars television to date. And just as with the Season 1 finale, there are plenty of new revelations and new mysteries for fans to ponder over in the months to come. If some of the big twists in the finale have you confused or wondering just where the heck the series is headed in 2021, fear not. We're breaking down what we learned from the finale, why the series may undergo a drastic transformation in Season 3, and how some of these loose ends will play into the growing lineup of Star Wars TV spinoffs on Disney+. Note: we've updated this article now that Disney has clarified The Book of Boba Fett is a separate spinoff series. Warning: this article contains full spoilers for The Mandalorian's Season 2 finale! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"]

What's Next for Din Djarin?

Season 2 caps off a pretty cohesive character arc for Din Djarin. He fulfilled his mission of finding Grogu's "people," ensuring his little buddy has a safe home with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and will be safe from the machinations of the Empire. He also once again proved his commitment to Grogu is greater than his need to adhere to his rigid Mandalorian code, revealing his face in the presence of multiple outsiders so he could say a proper goodbye. The question now is where Din's story will go in Season 3. Has his arc been completed? Is it time for a different character to step into the spotlight? While we now know Boba Fett is getting a separate spinoff series rather than becoming the main protagonist in The Mandalorian: Season 3, that doesn't mean The Mandalorian couldn't pivot to Bo-Katan Kryze or another character in future seasons. That's not to say there aren't loose ends on the Din Djarin front. For one thing, our hero basically gave up everything in his quest to bring Grogu home. His ship has been destroyed and his "son" is now hanging out with a CGI Mark Hamill. Din basically has nothing left but the armor on his back and a Beskar spear. Will he have to work his way up the bounty hunting chain all over again? Will he partner up with Bo-Katan and her crew? The galaxy is his oyster again, for better or worse. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/18/the-mandalorian-season-2-episode-8-review-spoilers"]

The Darksaber and Mandalore

The Season 2 finale also leaves a major plot thread dangling when it comes to the future of Mandalore. By defeating Moff Gideon in one-on-one combat, Din has now come into possession of the Darksaber. And with that blade, he's technically the rightful ruler of Mandalore. He clearly doesn't want the blade or the responsibilities that come with it, but giving it up may prove far easier said than done. You might be wondering why Bo-Katan is so reluctant to accept the blade when recovering that priceless artifact has been her main goal all along. As we learn, "the story" behind the Darksaber is as important as the blade itself. Bo-Katan needs her people to know she won the blade in honorable combat, proving that Mandalore has a strong, righteous leader again. The fact that she previously accepted the Darksaber as a gift from Sabine Wren in Star Wars Rebels may play into that desire. Bo-Katan took the easy way once, and the end result was Mandalore falling back into Imperial hands. She may actually see her planet's downfall as a consequence of her personal weakness, making her all the more determined not to repeat that mistake. So perhaps the two most pressing questions leading into Season 3 are 1) who will wield the Darksaber? and 2) what do they plan to do to liberate Mandalore? Bo-Katan has two choices. She can either fight Din for the blade, or she can accept him as her rightful leader and help him save their world. If Din is meant to remain the main protagonist of the series, the latter option is probably what will happen. But if "The Mandalorian" in question is fluid, then perhaps Bo-Katan claiming the Darksaber will also make her the series' new lead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/20/everything-you-need-to-know-about-mandalore"]

What Is 'The Book of Boba Fett'?

As if seeing a young Luke Skywalker back in action and saving the day wasn't enough, Season 2 also ended by returning to one of the most iconic locations in the original trilogy. The post-credits scene shows Boba Fett and Fennec Shand paying a visit to Jabba's palace, now ruled by Jabba's corpulent, former majordomo Bib Fortuna in the wake of the Hutt gangster's demise. The two waste no time before killing Bib and his cronies and claiming Jabba's throne (and extensive alcohol supply) for themselves. That post-credits scene ends with the tease "The Book of Boba Fett: Coming in December 2021." While it was initially unclear whether The Book of Boba Fett is a separate spinoff series or a direction change for The Mandalorian itself, we now know it's the former. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand are getting a spinoff set during the same time period as The Mandalorian. The spinoff series looks to be replacing The Mandalorian in 2021, as production on Season 3 won't begin until The Book of Boba Fett has wrapped. It remains to be seen how closely Boba's ongoing story will intertwine with that of Din Djarin, but we suspect both shows will continue exploring a common theme - there's no one, true way to live as a Mandalorian. For Din Djarin, being a Mandalorian means adhering to the old traditions (or, at least, it did until the end of Season 2). For Boba Fett, being Mandalorian means maintaining your family honor and your word, regardless of how other Mandalorians might view you. And for Bo-Katan, it means uniting her people under one banner and reclaiming their rightful homeworld. Each of these armored heroes is "The Mandalorian," and each has a path to follow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/star-wars-the-book-of-boba-fett-what-could-it-be-spoilers"]

The Fate of Moff Gideon

Moff Gideon may have been defeated in the Season 2 finale, but he's clearly not dead. Cara Dune made sure of that when she stopped Gideon from shooting himself, Black Panther-style. Given his high rank and his involvement in all sorts of top-secret Imperial projects (cloning Emperor Palpatine, perfecting the Dark Trooper), Gideon is too valuable a prisoner to the New Republic. The fact that Cara was the one to spare Gideon's life is a hint that their stories may continue to intertwine, even if it won't necessarily be in The Mandalorian: Season 3. Cara seems destined to play a key role in the upcoming spinoff series Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic. Gideon's capture may help drive the storyline in that series, as the New Republic interrogates him and tries to act on the intelligence he provides. Of course, we'd hardly expect someone as devious as Gideon to simply cooperate with his captors. He may have a long game planned, and we could easily see him playing the manipulative, Hannibal Lecter-esque villain in Rangers of the New Republic. We may also learn what he was able to accomplish with Grogu's DNA and how that sets the stage for the rise of Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order. But as far as The Mandalorian goes, Gideon may have outlived his usefulness as an antagonist. Both Din and Bo-Katan have gotten what they wanted from Gideon, even if that now puts them into direct conflict with one another. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/ahsoka-tano-spinoff-and-rangers-of-the-new-republic-series-coming-to-disney-plus-ign-news"]

Will Baby Yoda and Luke Skywalker Return?

Whatever happens in Season 3, it's clear we're in for at least one huge change to the series' formula. Baby Yoda is no longer going to be one of the main characters. Grogu is off with Master Luke now, likely making him one of the first recruits in Luke's Jedi Academy. Season 3 either needs to find a new plot catalyst or, as we've discussed, shift focus to a new main character. We highly doubt Grogu is being permanently shuffled off-stage. He's a popular character, and quite possibly Disney's biggest Star Wars merchandise money-maker right now. Din's vow that he and Grogu will see each other again seems confirmation enough that Baby Yoda will return before The Mandalorian wraps up for good. Grogu may well return in a future episode, but the character seems destined to play a larger role in a spinoff series focused on Luke's Jedi Academy. That's a story that needs telling sooner or later. We've seen glimpses of the events that led to the destruction of the school, both in the sequel trilogy and in the prequel comic Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, but we've seen little of the Academy in its prime, and nothing of its origins. It doesn't seem like much of a stretch to assume we'll get a Jedi Academy series on Disney+, one that shows Luke training Grogu, a young Ben Solo, and other fledgling Jedi. However, that series will almost certainly be animated rather than live-action. No doubt the process of de-aging Mark Hamill through CGI was incredibly time-consuming and expensive. Repeating that process for an entire series rather than a handful of shots in a single episode is surely impractical. And if Disney had any intention of recasting the Luke Skywalker role as they did with Han Solo, they probably would have done so in this episode. An animated series offers a much simpler workaround, and it allows for Hamill to either reprise the role in vocal form or another actor to take over in a less distracting way. In short, we may see that adorable Grogu puppet return in a future season, but we're anticipating a Jedi Academy series to be the next animated project announced after Star Wars: The Bad Batch. For more Mando goodness, find out how old these returning Star Wars characters are in the era of The Mandalorian, and why it matters that the series showed us Baby Yoda's dark side. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Disney Investor Day 2020 event was jam-packed with new announcements. The company revealed a number of new projects in the works for both the Disney+ streaming service and theaters, covering huge franchises like Marvel and Star Wars, live-action remakes like Pinocchio and a new lineup of animated movies and series. If you're having trouble keeping track of it all, fear not. Here's a quick breakdown of every movie and series announced at the event.

Star Wars Series on Disney Plus

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/star-wars-andor-official-first-look-trailer-disney"] In what may well be the biggest news from the event, no fewer than six live-action Star Wars series were discussed. Here's a quick rundown of what we learned:

• The Rogue One prequel is called Star Wars: Andor.
• Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Will Feature Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.
• Leslye headland's mystery series is revealed as The Acolyte, a female-driven series set in the High Republic era.
• Lando Calrissian is getting an "event series."
• The Mandalorian will have at least two spinoffs - Star Wars: Ahsoka and Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic.

Additionally, Disney showed a teaser trailer for the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch  and revealed the anime anthology project Star Wars Visions.

Patty Jenkins' Star Wars Movie

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/star-wars-rogue-squadron-patty-jenkins-announcement-video"] In addition to these many Star Wars TV projects, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy revealed the next Star Wars theatrical film. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron will be directed by Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins and feature a new generation of heroic pilots.

New MCU Series

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/ms-marvel-disney-plus-teaser-trailer"] Several new MCU series and specials were confirmed for Disney+. That lineup includes:

• Secret Invasion, starring Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos
• Ironheart, starring Dominque Thorne as armored heroine Riri Williams
• Armor Wars, starring Don Cheadle's War Machine as he fights to stop Tony Stark's armor tech from falling into the wrong hands
• Baby Groot, which is a series of animated specials revolving around the tiny Guardian of the Galaxy
• Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, written and directed by James Gunn and slated to debut in Holiday 2022.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/marvels-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-official-trailer-1"] Marvel's Kevin Feige also revealed release windows for several previously announced projects. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is debuting in March 2021, followed by Loki in May 2021 and What If...? in Summer 2021. Additionally, Tatiana Maslany has finally been confirmed to play the lead role in She-Hulk, and Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth are also confirmed to reprise their roles as Bruce Banner and The Abomination, respectively.

Fantastic Four Movie Confirmed

While few details are known yet, Feige announced a Fantastic Four movie is officially in development at Marvel Studios, with Spider-Man: Homecoming's Jon Watts attached to direct.

MCU Movie Reveals

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Feige also revealed some intriguing new details about future MCU projects. Here's a quick rundown:

• Ant-Man 3 is officially called Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
• Both Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau will appear in Captain Marvel 2.
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will connect to the events of Spider-Man 3, and Xochitl Gomez is confirmed to be playing Miss America Chavez.
• Christian Bale is confirmed to be playing Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Marvel Won't Recast T'Challa

Feige definitively addressed the biggest question surrounding Black Panther 2. Marvel won't be recasting the T'Challa role out of respect to the late Chadwick Boseman. Instead, the Black Panther series will expand to spotlight other characters, using the branding "World of Wakanda. Ryan Coogler remains attached to Black Panther 2, but the sequel's release date has been pushed back to July 8, 2022.

Indiana Jones 5 in Preproduction

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/27/logan-director-takes-on-indiana-jones-5-ign-now"] Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy confirmed Indiana Jones 5 is in preproduction with a planned 2022 release, revealing this will be the final film to feature Harrison Ford's iconic adventurer.

Noah Hawley's Alien Series

Fargo's Noah Hawley is overseeing a new Alien series for FX. The series is set on Earth and blends the "timeless horror of the first Alien film with the non-stop action of the second, it's going to be a scary thrill ride that will blow people back in their seats."

Pixar's Toy Story 'Prequel' Lightyear

Pixar announced a new animated film called Lightyear, one connected to the Toy Story franchise. Lightyear is described as an origin story for Buzz Lightyear, charting his rise from test pilot to Space Ranger. Directed by Finding Dory co-director Angus MacLane, Lightyear will star Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz and is scheduled to hit cinemas in summer 2022.

Tiana and Moana

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/29/the-25-best-disney-animated-movies"] Two of Disney's newer animated princess are getting spinoff series, with both Tiana and Moana headed to Disney+.

Pinocchio on Disney Plus

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/disneys-pinocchio-live-action-remake-official-teaser"] Disney live-action Pinocchio remake starring Tom Hanks is forgoing a theatrical release entirely and will head straight to Disney+. Disney hasn't revealed whether other live-action remakes like Cruella and Peter Pan and Wendy will follow suit.

Raya and the Last Dragon Coming to Premier Access

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/raya-and-the-last-dragon-official-teaser-trailer"] Disney's upcoming fantasy animated film will be the next addition to the Premier Access line. Raya and the Last Dragon will debut in theaters and on Disney+ on March 5, though like with Mulan, subscribers will have to pay an additional fee to watch it.

Four More Seasons of It's Always Sunny

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/26/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-about-to-set-new-world-record"] Disney and FX have renewed It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a further four seasons. Assuming the series reaches the Season 18 mark, it'll officially become the longest-running live-action sitcom in TV history. FX and Disney also announced that new seasons of Atlanta, American Horror Story, Dave, What We Do in the Shadows, Mayans, Better Things, Snowfall, and Archer are all coming to FX.

Disney's Encanto & Iwájú

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/disneys-encanto-official-first-look-trailer-2021"] Disney's next animated feature film after Raya and the Last Dragon will be Encanto. In a brief synopsis from Disney, "Encanto takes you to Colombia, where a magical family lives in a magical home." The film is directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, co-directed and co-written by Charise Castro Smith. Encanto's music will be written by the prolific Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Moana). Disney is also developing a new sci-fi animated series called Iwájú, which will debut on Disney+ in 2022.

Other Disney Franchises

Disney will expand on many more iconic franchises on Disney+, with new spinoff series announced for The Mighty Ducks, Chip & Dale, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia. Disney also announced a sequel to 1993's Hocus Pocus and a reboot series for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

As promised, BioWare shared a new teaser for its next Dragon Age game during The Game Awards. It doesn’t seem the sequel has a title yet, with the studio simply calling the project “The Next Dragon Age.” While the clip doesn’t tell us much about what...

A new Mass Effect was officially revealed during The Game Awards. The project is currently in "early production," according to BioWare. The reveal provided little information about what can be expected from Mass Effect's next chapter, though the teaser trailer ended on a shot of an asari who may be Liara. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/mass-effect-new-installment-announcement-trailer"] BioWare previously confirmed a "veteran team" was working on the next Mass Effect, though this is the first we've seen of it beyond concept art. The series' latest entry, Mass Effect Andromeda, was released in 2017 and is widely considered the weakest Mass Effect. IGN's review said Andromeda "only occasionally recaptures the series' brilliance, but delivers a vast and fun action-RPG." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=mass-effect-next-chapter-game-award-trailer-screenshots&captions=true"] Ahead of the next Mass Effect, BioWare and EA will release Mass Effect Legendary Edition in Spring 2021 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The long-rumored remastered collection of Mass Effect 1-3 was confirmed last month on N7 Day. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.

Find out what "The Tragedy" is (and more) in our breakdown of The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 6.

Things sure are happening on The Mandalorian. In Season 2, Episode 6--Chapter 14, AKA "The Tragedy"--Mando and Grogu (yes, we have to call him that now) arrived at the ancient Jedi temple on Tython, got ambushed by Boba Fett, and fought a bunch of extremely dumb stormtroopers.

And that's pretty much it! This was an episode jam-packed with action, with very little plot. Besides Boba Fett's admittedly exciting arrival, there isn't much else to discuss. Let's get into it, then check out our breakdowns for the previous Season 2 episodes:

• Episode 1
• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4
• Episode 5

1. "The Tragedy"

The episode is called "The Tragedy." Since nobody actually dies in the episode, we can only assume this is a reference to the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise--not a story the Jedi would tell you.

2. Slave 1

Boba Fett arrives in his iconic ship, Slave 1. The ship's first appearance was in Empire Strikes Back, and it's had many appearances over the years, including most recently (we believe) on The Clone Wars.

3. Grogu Meditates

As Grogu sits on the seeing stone, we see him meditating like many Jedi before him throughout the franchise. Force-sensitive beings used meditation to make it easier to connect to the Force with a clear mind.

4. Boba Fett

Boba Fett is the mysterious character played by Temuera Morrison at the end of Chapter 9. He's been tracking Mando to get his armor. It turns out he survived the Sarlacc pit, after all.

5. He Said The Line

The line "I'm a simple man making his way through the galaxy, like my father before me" is a callback to a scene between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan on the planet Kamino in Attack of the Clones.

6. Fennec Shand

Ming-Na Wen's character returns from Season 1. The last time we saw her was in the Season 1 episode Chapter 5, when an unseen person saved her. It turns out it was Boba Fett.

7. RIP Razor Crest

Didn't this thing just get repaired?

8. Dark Troopers

It's confirmed that the army of suits shown at the end of Chapter 12 were Dark Troopers, which we see in action here. While there are currently multiple phases of Dark Troopers in canon, these appear to be Phase 1. The name was first introduced in the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces, which is now considered non-canon in Star Wars. They've since appeared in over half a dozen video games, including the Battlefront series.

9. Gideon's Light Cruiser

Moff Gideon's Imperial Light Cruiser appears again after we last saw it in Chapter 11 and Chapter 12. Before The Mandalorian, this Arquitens-class light cruiser was never seen in live action before, but was frequently shown in The Clone Wars and Rebels.

10. Jango Fett's History

We learn Jango Fett was a foundling like Din Djarin, who was adopted into the Way of the Mandalore. Boba Fett also tells Din that his father fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars. In Clone Wars, Almec haid said Jango wasn't a Mandalorian, but perhaps this was just a slight against foundlings.

11. Searching For Migs

Mando asks Cara for help finding Migs Mayfeld. Mayfeld is Bill Burr's character from Season 1. The last time we saw him was Chapter 6, in a jail cell.

12. The Darksaber

After appearing in the finale of Season 1, the Darksaber returns for Moff Gideon to use it to taunt Grogu for some reason.

Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian (Season 2, Episode 6) revealed a few new things about a long-term fan favourite character from the Star Wars universe, which confirmed a long-standing question about them. Spoilers follow for The Mandalorian Chapter 14: The Tragedy. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/15/the-mandalorian-season-2-trailer"] First up, this episode fully confirmed that the robed character seen in Season 1’s premiere on Tatooine was indeed Boba Fett. It also confirmed that the mysterious figure seen back in Chapter 5, standing over Fennec Shand’s body, was also Boba Fett, as so many fans had theorised. But the big reveal was final confirmation that Boba Fett himself is indeed a true Mandalorian. Fett explained in the episode that his father was a foundling, and fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars. This effectively means that Jango - and by extension Boba - are Mandalorian in the same way Din Djarin is, and that their armour would have been gifted to them by Mandalorians. [caption id="attachment_244763" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Boba Fett finally straps on his Mandalorian armour, years after losing it.[/caption] For many years, fans have debated whether Boba Fett, and by extension his father, Jango Fett, are actually Mandalorians. Jango claims to have been born on Concord Dawn, part of the Mandalore system, but conflicting comments from various Star Wars creators and media - notably Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group - have said that the Fetts merely wear Mandalorian armour, rather than being actual Mandalorians themselves. With The Mandalorian considered canon, we now have an official, in-universe answer to this long-debated question. Boba Fett is not just a man wearing Mandalorian armour, he is a Mandalorian. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=boba-fett-lives-how-the-bounty-hunters-story-continued-after-return-of-the-jedi&captions=true"] To recap more of what happened in the action-packed latest chapter, check out our The Mandalorian S2E6 review. You can also catch up with the big reveal from last week: Baby Yoda’s real name. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

This review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 6, titled "Chapter 14 - The Tragedy." Here's our Mandalorian Season 2, episode 5 review to refresh your memory of where we left off. For more from The Mandalorian, Giancarlo Esposito explains why Moff Gideon's armor is so Darth Vader-esque, and find out how old Boba Fett and Ahsoka Tano are in The Mandalorian's timeline. [poilib element="accentDivider"] After the adrenaline rush of Ahsoka Tano's debut in Chapter 13, I'll admit I was expecting The Mandalorian Chapter 14 to be another side quest that would delay Mando and Grogu's arrival on Tython until the penultimate episode of the season, but dank farrik, am I glad to be wrong. Just as "The Jedi" delivered deep-cut lore, intriguing backstory, and thrilling action, "The Tragedy" doubled down on that formula and turned things up to 11, aided by the dynamic direction of Robert Rodriguez - who's no stranger to helming epic western gunfights fought beside unlikely allies. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/27/the-mandalorian-season-2-episode-5-the-truth-behind-the-jedi-and-her-secret-mission-star-wars-canon-fodder"] Even if the episode had settled for simply being a team-up between Mando, Boba Fett, and the resurrected Fennec Shand (now sporting some cybernetic innards to make up for being shot by that punk Toro Calican, who we will never speak of again), it still would've been pretty badass, since the entire sequence delivered the most creative and well-executed action we've seen on The Mandalorian so far. The glorious moment when Boba Fett returned in his iconic - if battered - armor to take out basically an entire squad of stormtroopers was worth the price of admission alone, enough to redeem the bounty hunter's ignominious exit in Return of the Jedi. (Wrist rockets! Knee darts! Those no-look kill shots! How he swung that gaffi stick! We're not worthy.) The whole endeavor was so deeply nerdy that I'm even willing to forgive the slight logic gap that Boba Fett would've allowed the far less threatening Cobb Vanth to hold on to his armor all this time, and instead chose to wait until a clearly deadly Mandalorian took it halfway across the galaxy before he and Fennec tried to get it back - Star Wars has plenty of those kinds of plot contrivances that can be handwaved away for the sake of a cool moment, after all. This single episode did more to cement Boba Fett's lethal reputation than any of the movies, and still managed to find time to offer some official, canonical backstory for Boba and Jango Fett, establishing Jango as a Mandalorian foundling, just like Din Djarin; one who even fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars. (Will this finally settle the endless debates about whether Boba Fett and Jango are really Mandalorian? This is Star Wars fandom, so probably not, but I'd say the show has made its stance perfectly clear.) [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=boba-fett-lives-how-the-bounty-hunters-story-continued-after-return-of-the-jedi&captions=true"] The script from Jon Favreau (although we can also feel Dave Filoni's influence here) managed to echo two iconic Star Wars quotes in Boba's introduction - Jango Fett's "I’m just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe," from Attack of the Clones, and Luke Skywalker's "I'm a Jedi, like my father before me" from Return of the Jedi, effortlessly evoking the spirit of the franchise and encapsulating the character in one simple line. Despite being mercenaries, it's refreshing that the episode also went out of its way to emphasize that Boba Fett and Fennec Shand are ultimately honorable warriors even when it comes at the expense of their own safety, which goes back to something that Filoni explored with a young Boba way back in The Clone Wars (go watch the final three episodes of Season 2 for a refresher), when Hondo Ohnaka encouraged him to act honorably because it was what his father would've done. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/04/05/star-wars-the-clone-wars-tv-clip-boba-fett-debut-trailer"] Considering Chapter 14 was less than 30 minutes long once you subtract the recap and credits, Favreau's script was surprisingly dense, covering plenty of narrative and geographical ground: introducing Tython and Baby Yoda's impressive attempt to contact another Jedi; spotlighting Mando, Boba Fett, and Fennec Shand's alliance (after a typically western standoff) and trooper takedown; showing Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers in intimidating action; bringing Mando back to Nevarro to ask newly-minted New Republic Marshal Cara Dune to locate his old pal Mayfeld (Bill Burr, last seen in Chapter 6) to help him track Gideon's cruiser; and ending with a bang by showing Gideon's Tarkin-esque faceoff with Grogu, who laid the smackdown on some stormtroopers with serious panache. And the episode still found time for some adorable Mando and Baby Yoda bonding time early on, with Mando going full dad mode over being able to use Grogu's real name and play Force-catch with his surrogate son. The prospect of Mando, Boba, and Fennec teaming up to rescue Baby Yoda for the final two episodes is a tantalizing one after the firepower on display here, especially with Mayfeld also in the mix, and if the show can keep up the momentum established by episodes 5 and 6, we're in for a truly epic Season 2 finale - particularly if Grogu actually did manage to reach another Jedi who might be willing to help him while he was communing with the Force on Tython. One final note: RIP Razor Crest, now your watch has ended. The bucket of bolts withstood a lot over two short seasons, but even Kuiil couldn't fix that damage. Still, seeing the epic return of Boba's Slave I almost made up for it. 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With so many films delayed from this year, there's a huge number of must-see movies awaiting release in 2021.

Twelve months ago, no one could've expected to see movies such as Black Widow, No Time To Die, F9: The Fast Saga, and Dune on a list of 2021's most anticipated films. But that was before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters across the world, leading studios to delay the release of their scheduled films. While a few titles were immediately pushed into 2021, most simply moved into the later part of the year. But as the months wore on, it became clear that normal theatrical releases in 2020 weren't going to happen, and gradually the vast majority of the year's movies were given new release dates in 2021.

Of course, things remain very uncertain right now, and there's no guarantee that every movie on this list will arrive on its current scheduled date. But there's no question that there's an absolute wealth of high-profile cinema waiting in the wings when life does regain some normality, and 2021 has the possibility of being an incredible year for movie fans.

After an entire year without a single release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are three set to arrive in 2021--Black Widow, The Eternals, and a new Spider-Man movie. The Bond film No Time To Die will finally be with us, as will the ninth Fast and Furious and seventh Mission Impossible, plus new movies in such popular series as Ghostbusters, The Kingsmen, and the Matrix.

Outside of these big franchises, there are adaptations of video games Mortal Kombat and Uncharted, more films in Sony's universe of Spider-man spin-offs, and belated sequels to much-loved '80s movies Top Gun and Coming To America. Horror is well represented with new Halloween, Purge, Conjuring, Candyman, and Saw movies, plus intriguing new scary films from Edgar Wright and Guillermo Del Toro. And of course, there's loads of animated family releases on the way too, with another original movie from Pixar as well as Minions, Hotel Transylvania, and Addams Family sequels.

With any luck, very few of the movies on the following list will also appear on GameSpot's rundown of biggest movies to watch in 2022 a year from now. So let's stay optimistic, and look forward to an amazing year of cinema in 2021!

Chaos Walking

Release date: January 22

This sci-fi thriller has had something of a troubled history--it started shooting back in 2017 ahead of a 2019 release, but extensive delays and reshoots has meant that it's taken nearly four years to reach the screen. It features Spider-Man star Tom Holland as a survivor in a dangerous futuristic world where people can hear each other's thoughts, and the cast also features Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, and Demián Bichir. While the credited director is Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow), Don't Breathe director Fede &Aacute;lvarez helmed the reshoots. Let's face it, delayed movies with multiple directors don't always turn out that well, but Patrick Ness's original novel was highly acclaimed, so let's hope it was worth the wait.

Antlers

Release date: February 19

Guillermo Del Toro's next directorial effort, Nightmare Alley, isn't expected until 2021. As a producer, though, his name continues to be attached to a variety of films. Hot on the heels of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, we have Antlers. It's a spooky tale of a young boy and something scary that lives in the woods that's been picking off the locals. Antlers stars Keri Russell (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) and Jesse Plemons (El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story), and is directed by Scott Cooper.

The King's Man

Release date: February 26

The King's Man might be the third movie in the Kingsman series, but it's actually a prequel set decades before the first two films. It explores the origins of the franchise's secretive spy organization and stars Harris Dickinson as a young agent who is recruited to take part in a series of dangerous adventures. The film has an impressive cast list that also includes Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Daniel Brühl, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and like the previous films, it's directed by Matthew Vaughn, so expect a similar mix of intrigue, comedy, and outlandish action.

Coming 2 America

Release date: March 5

While sequels to Eddie Murphy's '80s 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop were made a long time ago, it's taken over 30 years to get a follow up to his 1988 favorite Coming To America. But with any luck, Coming 2 America will be worth the wait. Murphy returns as Akeem Joffer, the prince of Zamunda, who is about to be crowned king of his nation. But when he discovers that he has an American son that he was unaware of, he heads back to the US to meet his now-adult offspring. The movie also reunites Arsenio Hall as Akeem's best friend Semmi and James Earl Jones as his father, with comedian Jermaine Fowler playing Akeem's son Lavelle. It's helmed by Craig Brewer, who also directed Murphy in last year's acclaimed Netflix movie Dolemite is the Name. It'll hit Amazon Prime Video in March.

The Many Saints of Newark

Release date: March 12

It's been 13 years since the final episode of the groundbreaking gangster drama The Sopranos, but this highly-anticipated prequel movie is on the way. The Many Saints of Newark is co-written by creator David Chase and directed by series veteran Alan Taylor. It's set in the 1960s during the Newark race riots and focuses on Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano, played by Jon Bernthal. The cast also includes Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, and Ray Liotta, plus Michael Gandolfini, who will play the young version of Tony Soprano, the role made famous by his late father James.

Morbius

Release date: March 19

Spider-Man might be staying with the MCU for the time being, but that doesn't mean that Sony's universe of characters from Spidey comics is waiting for him to join them. Morbius follows the hugely successful Venom and focuses on the "living vampire" of the title. Jared Leto takes on the lead role as scientist Michael Morbius, who is given vampiric superpowers after an experiment to cure a blood disease goes wrong. The original Morbius comics had a dark horror edge, and while there's no word yet if Morbius will have a PG-13 or an R rating, director Daniel Espinosa previously showed his genre skills with the sci-fi horror Life.

No Time To Die

Release date: April 2

No Time To Die is the 25th movie in the long-running James Bond series. Daniel Craig returns as the iconic British super spy for the fifth (and probably final) time, and now he's facing off against a mysterious villain named Safin, played by Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek. There are a few characters returning from previous films, including Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) and iconic criminal mastermind Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) from 2015's Spectre, and director Cary Joji Fukunaga has proved himself to be a stylish and exciting filmmaker with shows and movies such as Maniac, True Detective Season 1, and Beasts of No Nation. The Bond series might be nearly 60 years old, but it seems it's not ready to die quite yet.

A Quiet Place: Part II

Release date: April 23

With A Quiet Place, The Office and Jack Ryan star John Krasinski proved that he wasn't just a talented actor--he also had serious chops as a filmmaker too. The movie was a tense, terrifying, and moving experience that transcended its gimmicky setup (make a sound and a monster will get you), and grossed more than $340 million worldwide. Krasinski also directs the sequel, which stars Emily Blunt once more, alongside Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou. Krasinski previously hinted that the sequel will expand the setting of the movie, stating, "[It] isn't just a character to remake or a group of characters or a story. It's actually a world, which is a whole different, very unique experience."

Last Night in Soho

Release date: April 23

The zombie comedy classic Shaun of the Dead proved that director Edgar Wright is a huge horror fan, and with Last Night in Soho, he'll get the chance to show if he can make scary as well as funny. It's a '60s-set London-based psychological horror that reportedly takes influence from British classics such as Don't Look Now and Peeping Tom.The movie stars Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit), Anya Taylor-Joy (The WItch), and Matt Smith (Doctor Who) alongside veteran British stars Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp.

Black Widow

Release date: May 7

She might have reached an unpleasant end in Avengers: Endgame, but Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff is back to headline her own movie. Black Widow is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War and sees Natasha return to Russia to sort out "unfinished business" involving the Red Room, the training program that produced Black Widow agents. Florence Pugh (Midsommar) plays Yelena Belova, another Black Widow, David Harbour is retired Soviet superhero Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz plays Melina Vostokoff, a former agent also known as Iron Maiden in Marvel's comic books. The first trailer doesn't give too much away plot-wise, but it looks like an exciting mix of Bourne-style action and more traditional MCU thrills.

Godzilla vs Kong

Release date: May 21

2018's Godzilla: King of the Monsters might not have been as big a hit as 2014's Godzilla, but a third appearance from the iconic movie monster is due next year. As the title suggests, this one will see Big G face off against the legendary giant ape King Kong for what promises to be an earth-shaking slugfest. Godzilla vs. Kong is directed by Adam Wingard (The Guest, Death Note) and stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, and Brian Tyree Henry.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw

Release date: May 21

The Saw series is one of the most successful horror franchises of all time, and the ninth movie is on the way. The awkwardly-titled Spiral: From the Book of Saw stars Chris Rock as a cop who gets pulled into a strange murder case, which seems to have links to the activities of the notorious (and very dead) trap-setting maniac Jigsaw. The movie also stars Samuel L. Jackson, and it's directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who previously helmed Saw 2, 3, and 4. Despite the title and weird, arty poster, the recent first trailer suggests that it'll be gory business as usual.

F9: The Fast Saga

Release date: May 28

2019's Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw gave Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham their own movie, but next April, we return to the main series. All the old gang are back (minus Dwayne and Jason), so that's Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris. Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron will also reprise their roles from The Fate of the Furious (as Deckard Shaw's mom Magdalene and evil cyberterrorist Cipher respectively), and John Cena is among the new additions to the cast. This will be Justin Lin's fifth time helming an entry in the series, and by now, fans will know exactly what to expect. So buckle up for more insane, impossible car action and multiple uses of the word "family."

Infinite

Release date: May 28

Mark Wahlberg is set to star in two big movies next summer--Infinite and Uncharted, which arrives in August. Infinite is sci-fi thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer, Training Day), which stars Mark Wahlberg as a schizophrenic man who joins a secret organization who possess the ability to access memories of their past lives. The cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange), Dylan O'Brien (Maze Runner: The Death Cure), and Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service).

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

Release date: June 4

The Conjuring universe is now the most successful horror movie franchise ever made, and the third film in the main series arrives this year. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren, who, as the movie's title suggests, take on an unusual case of demonic possession. Wilson has stated that the film will have "a much different feel" to previous movies. It's produced by series creator James Wan once more, and directed by Michael Chaves, who previously helmed 2019's The Curse of La Llorona.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Release date: June 11

With 2016's Ghostbusters reboot disappointing at the box office, the latest movie in the supernatural comedy series is returning to the franchise formula with a sequel to the original '80s movies. The film takes the action from New York to rural Oklahoma, where the grandkids of one of the original team members encounter something weird happening in their town and discover their link to those first ghostbusting legends. The new cast includes Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), and there will be appearances from many of the original cast, including Bill Murray, Dan Akyroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver. The first trailer gives off a strong Stranger Things vibe, and director Jason Reitman will hopefully deliver some of the magic that his dad Ivan brought to the classic first movie.

Luca

Release date: June 18

The release of Pixar's next movie, the musical fantasy Soul, might have been delayed to December this year, but that hasn't stopped the studio from announcing its subsequent film. Luca arrives in June 2021, and will be set on the Italian Riviera. We don't have many details about it so far, but Pixar has released the first image, while director Enrico Casarosa (Incredibles 2, Up) has described it as "deeply personal films [and] a celebration of friendship."

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release date: June 25

The follow-up to 2018's Spider-Man spin-off Venom sees Tom Hardy reprise his role as reporter Eddie Brock, who is host to the titular alien symbiote, while Woody Harrelson will play convicted serial killer Cletus Kasady, who has been possessed by the equally dangerous Carnage. The first movie wasn't exactly a critical hit, but it made a lot of money at the box office, so don't expect this one to change up the ridiculous formula. Andy Sirkis directs, taking over Ruben Fleischer.

Top Gun: Maverick

Release date: July 2

Top Gun was the most successful movie of 1986 and now stands as one of the decade's most-loved films. So it's surprising it's taken over 30 years for the sequel to arrive, but with Tom Cruise as big of a star now as he's ever been, there's no reason to think Top Gun: Maverick won't match the original's success. Cruise is back as hotshot fighter pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, and the cast also includes Westworld's Ed Harris as a tough admiral, Miles Teller (Whiplash) as the son of the Maverick's late pal Goose, and Val Kilmer, who will reprise his role as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. Time to get back into the Danger Zone.

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Release date: July 2

The 2015 Despicable Me spin-off Minions proved to be even more successful than any of the main films, so inevitably a sequel is on the way. Minions: The Rise of Gru is set in the '70s and focuses on Steve Carell's Gru, who is a young boy dreaming of becoming a feared supervillain. In order to prove his villainy, he steals a valuable stone from the evil group Vicious 6 and finds himself on the run. Luckily, those iconic yellow Minions are on hand to help him out. The voice cast is almost certainly the most eclectic of the year--it includes Taraji P. Henson, Julie Andrews, Danny Trejo, and Jean-Claude Van Damme--and the popularity of the Minions should make this another smash.

The Forever Purge

Release date: July 9

In just seven years, the Purge series has produced four movies and two seasons of a spin-off TV show, and a fifth film is on the way. Creator James DeMonaco previously stated that this would be the last one, but given 2018's prequel The First Purge was the most successful one so far, it's hard to believe producers Blumhouse will stop here. But either way, The Forever Purge will pick up where 2016's Election Year left off, with director Everardo Gout (Luke Cage, Banshee) making his feature debut.

Uncharted

Release date: July 16

It might almost be hard to believe if you've followed the many attempts to get an Uncharted movie made over the past decade, but production on the film has wrapped and the film arrives next summer. The video game adaptation stars Tom Holland as adventurer Nathan Drake, with Mark Wahlberg as Drake's companion Victor "Sully" Sullivan, plus Antonio Banderas (The Expendables 3), Sophia Ali (Grey's Anatomy), and Tati Gabrielle (The Owl House). Director Ruben Fleisher has confirmed that the movie will be a prequel to the game series, although Holland has also said it will take inspiration from the fourth game, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

Jungle Cruise

Release date: July 30

While many big movies have been turned into theme park rides over the years, the opposite is sometimes true as well. Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride became a hugely popular five-film franchise, and the studio will be hoping for the same for Jungle Cruise. The river boat attraction has been turned into a big-budget adventure comedy starring Dwayne Johnson as a riverboat captain who specialises in cruises down a dangerous jungle river in the 1930s. Emily Blunt plays an adventurer in search of a mystical tree with healing properties and hires the reluctant Johnson to take her on the dangerous mission downriver to find it. Expect lots of laughs and Indiana Jones-influenced action.

The Suicide Squad

Release date: August 6

Guardian of the Galaxy director James Gunn will make his DC debut with The Suicide Squad. While the movie does include several cast members from the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, such as Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, it's not a direct sequel. The film will feature a host of new stars, including Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Pete Davidson, and Peter Capaldi, and it's been described both as "a gritty 1970s war movie" and "a comedy" by producer Peter Safran and star Joel Kinnaman respectively. We'll find out exactly what Gunn has in store when the movie arrives in August.

Hotel Transylvania 4

Release date: August 6

The Hotel Transylvania franchise is not even a decade old, but it has already produced three hugely successful animated movies, a TV spin-off, and a series of video games. The fourth movie arrives in August, and will once again star Adam Sandler as Dracula, plus Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez. No plot details have been revealed yet, but expect more spooky fun set in the monster resort of the title.

Don't Breathe 2

Release date: August 13

Fede Alvarez's highly suspenseful Don't Breathe was one of 2016's big surprise hits, making $157 million at the worldwide box office from a modest production budget of $10 million. The movie didn't necessarily leave the door open for a second entry, but that has rarely (ok, never) stopped Hollywood, and the sequel is on the way. Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues have written the screenplay once more, with Sayagues taking over directorial duties. Stephen Lang will be back as the sinister Blind Man, and he confirmed in October that production has now wrapped on the movie ahead of its release next summer.

Candyman

Release date: August 27

As well as directing the hit movies Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele has kept busy by writing and producing a slate of other genre TV shows and movies. He's co-written this new version of the terrifying '90s horror classic Candyman, which is based on the story by Clive Barker. It's described as a "spiritual sequel," and while there has been a bit of confusion about who will play the vengeful ghostly former slave of the title, it has been reported that it will in fact be original star Tony Todd. The cast also includes Aquaman's Yahya Abdul Mateen II, and it's directed by rising director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods, Top Boy).

Dune

Release date: October 1

Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel is getting an epic new movie adaptation from Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve. Dune was previously adapted by David Lynch in the '80s and as a TV mini-series in the early 2000s, but both versions were very flawed, and Villeneuve's undeniable vision as a sci-fi filmmaker--plus the amazing cast he's assembled--promises great things from this saga of warring galactic families and giant spice-worms. Timothy Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides, with Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonen, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Dave Bautista as "Beast" Rabban.

The Addams Family 2

Release date: October 8

Everyone's favorite spooky family returned to screens in 2019 in an animated movie that ended up grossing $204 million worldwide. A sequel is on the way, which will be directed by Greg Tiernan once more. Most of the high-profile cast are returning too, with Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Charlize Theron as Morticia, Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester, Snoop Dogg as Cousin Itt, and Bette Midler as Grandmama Addams. Javon Walton takes over from Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, while Bill Hader will voice a new character named Cyrus.

Halloween Kills

Release date: October 15

The huge success of 2018's Halloween reboot/sequel proved there's still life in the long-running slasher series. Director David Gordon Green has shot the next two movies back-to-back, and the first will be with us in October. Original star Jamie Lee Curtis is back to fight her masked nemesis Michael Myers on the streets of Haddonfield once more, and series co-creator John Carpenter will provide another iconic score. The third movie, the almost-certainly inaccurately titled Halloween Ends, is due in 2022.

Snake Eyes

Release date: October 22

The decades-old GI Joe toy line produced two moderately successful live-action movies in 2009 and 2013, and the franchise is set to reboot this year. Snake Eyes will focus on the popular character of the title, the enigmatic, highly-skilled commando who will be played by Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians, The Gentlemen). The cast also includes Samara Weaving as Scarlett and Idonisiean martial arts star Iko Uwais as Hard Master, and it's directed by Robert Schwentke, who previously helmed both movies in the Divergent series. Expect lots of action.

The Eternals

Release date: November 5

While Black Widow kicks off Marvel Phase 4, that's still a film about a familiar and popular character. The Eternals presents an all-new cast and a team who are not nearly as well known as The Avengers. But that was equally true for Guardians of the Galaxy, and it didn't long for Star-Lord and his crew to become household names and expect this film to deliver the usual Marvel magic on a spectcaular cosmic scale. The Eternals stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, and Salma Hayek as part of an immortal alien race who must protect mankind from the evil Deviants.

Mission: Impossible 7

Release date: November 19

Tom Cruise might be nearly 60, but he shows no sign of slowing down. The seventh movie in the globe-trotting action series is shooting in Italy, Norway, and the UK and it sees Ethan Hunt and team facing a new villain played by Ozark's Esai Morale. Agent Carter star Hayley Atwell joins the cast this time round, playing a character she describes as "destructive force of nature," while long-time fans will be excited to see the return of Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge, the former CIA director last seen in the first Mission: Impossible.

West Side Story

Release date: December 10

West Side Story is one of most famous and best-loved musicals of all-time, so it takes a director of Steven Spielberg's stature to tackle a new version. Reportedly, this new movie is closer to the 1957 Broadway original than the first movie version, which was made in 1961. It's a reworking of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and focuses on the romance between Tony and Maria, two teenagers in '50s New York who are affiliated with rival street gangs. Baby Driver's Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler take on the lead roles, while Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her role of Anita in the first screen version, will also appear. Amazingly, this is Spielberg's first musical, but it's a good bet that he knows what he's doing.

Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel

Release date: December 17

For a while it looked like we might not get any more Spider-Man movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but thankfully Disney and Sony worked out a deal and Spidey will return for at least one more MCU film. Job Webb directs Tom Holland as Peter Parker for the third time, and he'll be joined by Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and--very surprisingly--Jamie Foxx as Electro. Given Foxx previously played the role in the non-MCU Amazing Spider-Man 2, could Stephen Strange create some kind of live-action Spidey multiverse in this next movie?

The Matrix 4

Release date: December 22

While 1999's The Matrix is a modern sci-fi action classic, for many fans the two sequels, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, were a big disappointment. But nearly 20 years later, we're getting a fourth movie, which will hopefully prove to be fitting follow-up to the groundbreaking original. Series co-creator Lana Wachowski directs once more, and Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as Neo and Trinity. New cast members include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist), and Neil Patrick Harris (Gone Girl). Plot details are currently underwraps, but Reeves has stated that it was Wachowski's "beautiful script and a wonderful story" that persuaded him to return.

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Release date: TBD

Despite the persistence of many fans, it looked unlikely that we'd ever see Zack Snyder's original vision for the troubled DC movie Justice League. Snyder was famously replaced during the making of the film by Joss Whedon following a family tragedy, and the end result was not exactly warmly received by fans or critics. But in 2021, the Snyder cut of Justice League will premiere on HBO Max. Admittedly, this won't be what we would've seen in 2017 had Snyder stayed on board--it was revealed at last month's DC FanDome that the new version will be four hours long and divided into four parts. But for those who felt that the legendary superhero team were ill-served by what was originally released, anticipation is sky-high.

The Woman in the Window

Release date: TBD

This delayed adaptation of Daniel Mallory's best-selling novel has had a few behind-the-scenes problems, including reshoots after reported negative test screenings and controversy about Mallory himself, and it's now set to hit Netflix at some point. It's got an A-list cast (Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Julianne Moore), a high-profile director (Atonement's Joe Wright), and the book was the first debut novel in more than a decade to enter the New York Times' Best Seller List at No.1. It's a Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who starts to investigate the disappearance of a friend.

Mortal Kombat

Release date: TBD

The long-running video game series Mortal Kombat is getting a new movie reboot. The film will feature a number of characters familiar to fans of the game, including Liu Kang, Mileena, Jax, Sub-Zero, and Raiden, and will reportedly deliver R-rated fighting, as opposed to the PG-13 violence of the two previous '90s movies. Hopefully, it retains some of the silliness of those films, though. It's produced by Aquaman director James Wan and directed by Australian commercials director Simon McQuaid.

The French Dispatch

Release date: TBD

Wes Anderson's idiosyncratic and stylish comedies have won him a dedicated fanbase, and his latest movie looks every bit as stylish and funny as the likes of The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel. The title of the film refers to an American magazine operating out of a French city during the mid-20th century. Bill Murray plays the owner, and the cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Benicio del Toro, Owen Wilson, Léa Seydoux, and many, many more.

Free Guy

Release date: TBD

Shawn Levy is a producer and writer on Stranger Things, as well as the director of the successful Night at the Museum movies. His latest film is Free Guy, a sci-fi comedy set within a fictional open world game titled Free City, which is based on Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite. Ryan Reynolds plays a non-player character who becomes aware of his reality and sets about trying to become a hero character before the game is shut down. The cast also includes Killing Eve star Jodie Comer and the ubiquitous Taika Waititi, and there will be cameos from YouTube personalities such as Seán William McLoughlin, Tyler Blevins, and Imane Anys.

Death On The Nile

Release date: TBD

Kenneth Branagh was last seen as the main villain in Christoper Nolan's Tenet, and next he will return to a more heroic role--Agatha Christie's iconic detective Hercule Poirot. Death on the Nile follows 2018's Murder on the Orient Express, and is directed by Branagh once more. Like its predecessor, this one has a star-studded cast that includes Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, and Sophie Okonedo. The first movie made more than $350 million at the worldwide box office, and this could become a similar success.

The Green Knight

Release date: TBD

The overwhelmingly stylish trailer for The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel, first garnered a lot of attention for its edgy, artistic take on the medieval folktale of the same name. Written and directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story, Pete's Dragon), The Green Knight was initially supposed to hit theaters in May of 2020 at the annual SXSW festival, but was delayed indefinitely when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the festival entirely. We're awaiting its arrival in 2021 with bated breath, if only to see Dev Patel's take on Sir Gawain face-off against hallucinogenic monsters and struggle to prove himself worthy as a knight.

The entertainment industry may have ground to a halt in 2020, but there's plenty to look forward to in 2021 and beyond.

2020 was a year full of delays and postponements across most entertainment, and TV was no exception. It felt as though everything from superheroes to sci-fi was put on hold or shoved into the indefinite future thanks to production shutdowns and schedule shuffles. It's not all doom and gloom, however--with any luck, 2020's misfortune will make for a jam-packed 2021 with all the projects we were looking forward to watching this year settling into their new time slots in the near future.

Unfortunately, one of the byproducts of 2020's massive upheaval is a lot of "to be determined" premiere dates, even into next year. And while we'd love to give you some guarantee that everything on this list will absolutely, positively be hitting small screens in 2021, we're not oracles. That said, we've done our best to keep our ears to the ground and or eyes on the horizon in terms of tracking productions picking back up and filming progressing through the pandemic uncertainty. Rest assured, we're looking forward to shows like Lord of the Rings, Y, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as much as you are.

The good news is that there are a handful of up-and-comers who have locked in their premiere dates, like WandaVision, the MCU's first streaming TV show, heading to Disney+ on January 15 and Cobra Kai Season 3, which is set to hit Netflix on January 8.

Check out those and more here in our breakdown of 2021's most anticipated shows to look forward to.

Cobra Kai Season 3

Netflix, January 8, 2021

The first two seasons of the Karate Kid spin-off Cobra Kai screened on YouTube Premium, but for Season 3, the show is moving over to Netflix. This is great news for fans of the continuing adventures of Daniel and Johnny, 30 years after the original hit ‘80s movies. And fans of the films who haven’t had the chance to see Seasons 1 and 2 will also be able to catch up on those on Netflix too.

Wandavision

Disney+, January 15

With The Falcon and the Winter Soldier delayed until next year, WandaVision will be the first MCU show to hit Disney+. We've known for some time that it wouldn't be a standard superhero show, and the recent trailer revealed just how strange it promises to be. Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are now living in suburbia, trying to maintain "normal" lives, and much of the trailer suggests this will be presented in a classic sitcom format. But as MCU fans know, Vision was killed in Infinity War--something the trailer alludes to--and things are definitely not what they seem.

Lord of the Rings

Amazon Prime Video, TBD

Peter Jackon's Lord of the Rings films elevated fantasy as a pop culture genre and cemented Tolkien's seminal series as essential for new generations. Those movies may be decades old, but they hold up just as well now, so it's a good thing that Amazon's Lord of the Rings show isn't a reboot or re-telling of the same story. Instead, it's set thousands of years earlier. The cast and talent involved are largely unproven, but then, so were the creators of HBO's Game of Thrones at one point, so we're looking forward to this one nonetheless.

The Wheel of Time

Amazon, TBD

If Amazon's Lord of the Rings show is a disappointment, the streaming service will have a backup: the upcoming Wheel of Time adaptation. We don't know much about the series, an adaptation of Robert Jordan's 14-book fantasy epic. Last we heard, they were still announcing casting choices. But we're hopeful we might see the show in 2021.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (live-action)

Netflix, TBD

Netflix is working on a live-action adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. This isn't the first time such a thing has been attempted, but there's a good chance this will be better than the loathed 2010 movie (low bar, we know). That said, the cartoon's original creators cast some doubt on that notion recently. Time will tell, and we're hoping to see this show in 2021.

The Witcher Season 2

Netflix, 2021

The Witcher was one of Netflix's most popular shows in 2019, and it's a no-brainer that the streaming service has a second season in the works. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has said that The Witcher Season 2 will arrive in 2021, and that the story will be more linear than Season 1, which we criticized for its confusing structure. There's also a spin-off on the way, The Witcher: Blood Origin, though we likely won't see that for a while yet.

Cassian Andor show

Disney+, TBD

Rogue One's Cassian Andor may have met a tragic fate at the end of his debut movie, but that won't stop him from getting his own spin-off series on Disney+. The untitled project is returning Diego Luna to the role of Cassian, the resistance spy who helped secure the plans for the original Death Star at the cost of his own life. Though not much is known about the show, it can be safely assumed to be set some time before the events of Rogue One, and is confirmed to be a spy thriller in tone and genre, in keeping with Andor's character. Alan Tyduk is returning to voice Cassian's droid pal K-2SO, and Genevieve O'Reilly is returning as Mon Mothma as well. A premiere date has yet to be announced for the project.

Parasite show

HBO, TBD

We learned in early 2020 that HBO has a Parasite series in the works, and we're still hoping to see it in 2021. The show will relate in some way to the lauded 2019 Bong Joon-Ho film of the same name, though at the time of the series' announcement, it was unclear whether it's an English-language remake, a continuation of the movie's story, or something else.

The Expanse Season 6

Amazon, likely 2021

Amazon announced that The Expanse will return for a sixth--and final--season before Season 5 had even begun streaming on the Prime Video service. We don't know much about it yet, as we'll have to wait and see what happens in Season 5. But given what a good home Amazon has been for the series (after rescuing it following its cancellation by Syfy), we're expecting more greatness. If production goes smoothly and Amazon sticks to a consistent release schedule, we're expecting The Expanse to release in late 2021.

Clarice

CBS, TBD

Cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter got his own TV show a few years ago, and now it's the turn of his Silence of the Lambs nemesis, FBI Agent Clarice Starling. Clarice stars Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars) in the title role, and the show is set six months after the events of Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal showed that there was plenty of mileage left in that character, so with any luck this new look at Starling should prove to be a successful new addition to the roster of great crime TV shows. It also stars Kal Penn (Designated Survivor), Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead), and Nick Sandow (Orange is the New Black).

Y

FX, TBD

Y: The Last Man is one of Vertigo's most beloved comic books. The series followed a man (Yorick) and his monkey (Ampersand), who were the last two males on the planet after a disease wiped out everything with a Y chromosome. Getting this comic adapted has been a bumpy ride, though. It was a TV show, then a movie, then a TV show once again. Most recently, Eliza Clark (The Killing) has taken over as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Comic creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra spoke about the show at NYCC 2019 saying this will be the series comic fans deserve. Let's hope FX does this amazing comic justice.

AHS Season 10

AMC, TBD

It's almost nine years since the hugely popular anthology show American Horror Story premiered, and the series doesn't show signs of finishing any time soon. In January, it was renewed for another three seasons, and Season 10 will arrive this year. The only image we've seen from the new season so far is this poster, which suggests an aquatic horror theme. The cast this time includes Home Alone star Macauley Culkin, as well as Kathy Bates, Billie Lourd, Finn Wittrock, Lily Rabe, Adina Porter, Leslie Grossman, and Angelica Ross. And fans will be excited to learn that series favorites Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters are also returning.

I Think You Should Leave Season 2

Netflix, TBD

Tim Robinson's sketch show I Think You Should Leave was bizarre, easily one of the weirdest sketch comedy series in years. Robinson's unique brand of humor is absurdist and pushes the envelope for how far it's willing to go to deliver its comedy. While we don't know a lot about the upcoming season, series co-creator Zach Kanin told Variety that The Lonely Island will be involved.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

CBS All-Access, TBD

For many viewers, the best thing about Star Trek Discovery Season 2 was the addition of Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike. Mount wasn't the first actor to play Pike, but his charming, charismatic performance made him an immediate fan favorite, and there were demands for him to get his own show almost as soon as that season ended. In May 2020, it was confirmed that this is happening, and Mount, Ethan Peck (as Spock), and Rebecca Romijn (as Number One) will return for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The new show will be set a decade before the original Star Trek series, and will follow the trio on adventures around the galaxy in the Enterprise.

Falcon and Winter Soldier

Disney+, 2021

Disney+ may not pump out the quantity of original content that Netflix does, but it does have the most-hyped shows and movies, primarily from the worlds of Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was set to debut in August 2020, but will now arrive in 2021. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan return to play their respective roles, and they'll be joined by Daniel Brühl reprising his role of Zemo from Captain America: Civil War.

Batwoman Season 2

The CW, TBD

There's a pretty big change in the second season of The CW's Batwoman. Ruby Rose played the hero in Season 1, but she has now quit the series and the role of Kate Kane wasn't recast. Instead, a new character is taking on the Batwoman mantle. Ryan Wilder has been created specifically for the show, and will be played by Javicia Leslie, best known for her roles on CBS's God Friended Me and BET's The Family Business. Wilder is described as "likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed," and while we won't know what villains or adventures she will get involved in, it's exciting to see what Leslie will bring to the role.

MODOK

Hulu, TBD

We got a first look at Hulu's upcoming Marvel TV show, MODOK, at 2020's New York Comic-Con, where we learned that it was going to be a Robot Chicken-like stop-motion animation extravaganza featuring one of the Marvel Universe's weirdest villains. MODOK is, essentially, a floating head with baby limbs whose only real mission is to prove his intellectual superiority while also ruling the world. In this show, however, he's also a family man--which is sure to make for some truly absurd hijinks for everyone involved. Currently MODOK has no release date on the schedule, but is set to hit Hulu some time in 2021.

What If…?

Disney+, TBD

Since the 1970's, Marvel 's "What If…?" comics series has theorized about what would happen if key events in Marvel history had turned out differently. What if the Avengers didn't exist? What if Captain America became President? What if Uncle Ben didn't die? Marvel will be applying this concept to the MCU in their upcoming animated series on Disney+ of the same name. Featuring vocal performances from the original film actors, "What If…" will feature cosmic historian The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) as the series' narrator. The first episode will ask: What if Peggy Carter took the Super Soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers? Sounds intriguing.

Loki

Disney+, TBD

Thanos killed Loki in Avengers: Infinity War. But then, Avengers: Endgame gave the God of Mischief an out, when he stole the Tesseract after the Battle of New York and escaped custody. Tom Hiddleston will reprise his role as Loki, who exists in a new, alternate timeline that's unburdened by the events of Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. Expect lots of Easter Eggs and additional subversions of established events.

Law & Order: Organized Crime

NBC, TBD

Originally scheduled for Fall 2020, the latest iteration of Law & Order is expected to debut later this year. Starring a returning Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, who we haven't seen since Season 11 of Law & Order: SVU, the show will deal with Stabler's personal life and his new role as head of the NYPD's organized crime unit. In other words, it's Law & Order; some iteration of it has been on the air for the past three decades. You know what to expect at this point.

House of the Dragon

Has enough time passed since the Game of Thrones series finale for the public to embrace another Westeros adventure? We'll find out when House of the Dragon debuts on HBO. The show will trace the history of the Targaryen family--specifically, it'll focus on King Viserys I (Paddy Considine)--who ruled Westeros two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones--and his children, who fought for the throne in a bloody civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Unfortunately, we're not expecting to see it until 2022.

Halo show

Showtime, TBD

Production on the Halo TV show began in 2019, but was subsequently shut down in 2020 due to COVID. 343 Industries' Kiki Wolfkill gave an update over the summer, and we're still hoping to see the series in 2021.

Cowboy Bebop (live-action)

Netflix, TBD

There have been some really unfortunate live-action anime adaptations in recent years, from Ghost in the Shell to Death Note. However, we can't help but look forward to seeing a new take on one of our favorites, Cowboy Bebop. While casting news has emerged as recently as November, there's no release date yet for Netflix's live-action adaptation, but we have high hopes that it might stream in 2021.

Baby Yoda's backstory wasn't the only thing this episode revealed.

Say what you want about The Mandalorian, but no one can deny that it's full of fan service. With Season 2, Episode 5, "The Jedi," that got ramped up several notches: The Mandalorian introduced the first ever live-action incarnation of Ahsoka Tano, explained Baby Yoda's backstory and revealed his name, and name-dropped several other important things from Star Wars lore, including Grand Admiral Thrawn and the ancient Jedi planet Tython.

And that's not all--but don't worry if you can't keep it all straight. We're going to do our best to explain everything we caught in this episode, so keep reading if you want to know more.

1. Ahsoka Tano

After being reported for months, we finally got a live action version of Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson. Ahsoka was the former Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker who has been featured in The Clone Wars and Rebels. She's also armed with her trademark pair of white lightsabers--one single-bladed, and one scaled shoto lightsaber.

When Ahsoka first appears to the magistrate, you can hear the Anakin and Ahsoka theme playing in the background.

2. I'll be back

This character is played by Michael Biehn, who you most likely recognize as Kyle Reese (John Connor's father) from the original Terminator.

3. Jedi vs. Mandalore

The magistrate mentions to Mando that "The Jedi are the ancient enemy of Mandalore." This is a reference to the Mandalorian-Jedi war, a series of conflicts between the Jedi and Mandalore. The final war resulted in the devastation of Mandalore.

4. Beskar vs. lightsaber

We don't know much about the Mandalorian metal beskar, but we learned one thing in this episode: it's apparently resistant, or possibly outright impervious, to lightsabers. Mando would have probably had a much harder time fighting Ahsoka otherwise.

5. The Owl

While Mando is walking through the forest, you can see Morai, Ahsoka's companion in the top left. Morai is a female convor that appears in The Clone Wars and Rebels, who accompanied and watched over Ahsoka throughout her life.

6. Baby Yoda's name

The Mandalorian is often light on story, but this week the show dropped a major revelation: Baby Yoda's name. Apparently it's "Grogu" for some reason. Guess we have to call him that now? Ugh.

7. Jedi Temple on Coruscant

While explaining Grogu's backstory, Ahsoka mentions that the baby was being trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, which anyone who's seen the prequel trilogy is familiar with. Coruscant was the capital of the galactic government.

8. Justice for Yaddle

Ahsoka mentions that she's known one other creature like Grogu. She was, of course, talking about Yoda, which is probably the closest this show will ever get to calling him Baby Yoda.. There's one problem, though: Ahsoka definitely would have known of Yaddle, the other Yoda-like creature in Star Wars canon, who was a renowned Jedi Master. Guess we're just not going to talk about her anymore. Oh well.

9. Remembering Anakin

Ahsoka makes a comment referring to her former master, Anakin Skywalker, telling Mando, "I've seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi knight," and that she "will not start this child down that path." Clearly, she still feels bad about the whole Darth Vader situation.

10. HK-series assassin droids

Mando mentions HK-series assassin droids, which are like deadly versions of C-3PO. They've appeared in Star Wars games including KOTOR and The Old Republic.

11. Loth-cat

A wild screeching loth-cat appears! These small, temperamental cats native to planet Lothal first appeared in Star Wars Rebels. This marks the second appearance of a loth-cat on The Mandalorian, after first being seen in Chapter 4: Sanctuary.

12. Thrawn

Ahsoka is looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn, which ties directly to the ending of Rebels. Ahsoka picked up Sabine Wren to go find Ezra Bridger, who Thrawn was last seen with. Thrawn is a major antagonist in the Star Wars franchise who first appeared in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire.

13. The Jedi Planet

Ahsoka sends Mando and Grogu on the path to the planet Tython, which is believed to be the location of the first ever Jedi Temple. This is one of the first times it's been mentioned in the new Disney canon, after appearing in the 2019 comic book Doctor Aphra 40 (pictured above).

As video games get more and more realistic, it becomes harder for an untrained eye to distinguish screenshots and real-world photographs. The latest victim of this mistake is Oregon local news station NewsChannel 21, who published a stunning Red Dead Redemption 2 screenshot in its 'Out & About' nature photography segment.

The image first appeared on Reddit, with the catch proudly shared by the father of the person responsible for the fake-out. "My daughter sent another picture into our local TV station… from Red Dead Redemption 2 for their "Out & About" segment…" the post reads. "And once again they fell for it!"

The screenshot still exists in a video of the segment posted to NewsChannel 21's YouTube channel, which has accumulated a number of comments poking fun at the screenshot's inclusion.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

This review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 5, titled "Chapter 13 - The Jedi." To remind yourself where we left off, here's our Mandalorian Season 2, episode 4 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Dave Filoni just delivered a shot of pure Star Wars straight into our eyeballs, and damn, it felt good. Rosario Dawson's debut as Ahsoka Tano came with a camtono full of mythology (including more deep cut references to the Old Republic legends like the planet Tython and the HK assassin droids), and the seeming confirmation that Filoni and Favreau intend to connect The Mandalorian with Star Wars Rebels, with Ahsoka still on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn (meaning Ezra Bridger can't be far behind). One could make a few aesthetic nitpicks about Ahsoka's live-action translation - her appearance seems more reminiscent of her early Clone Wars design than how she looked in Rebels, including her shortened montrals, which was a bit jarring (I assume the producers tested CGI montrals as well as practical effects and decided the latter would be more effective, but I can't help but wish they were a little more dynamic), and considering how blistering her lightsaber skills were in the animated shows, her fight with Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth seemed a little lackluster in comparison (mostly because a heavy beskar staff is never going to be as easy to wield as a lightsaber) - but as a fan of the character, it was truly thrilling to see her in the flesh. And, unlike Boba Fett and Bo-Katan's nebulous age, Ahsoka Tano should be around 45 in the time of The Mandalorian, which lines up pretty well with Dawson, who is 41. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/28/star-wars-the-clone-wars-ray-park-as-darth-maul-official-featurette"] While Dawson will never be able to recreate Ashley Eckstein's delivery, she easily embodies the grace and gravitas of the character. Her stealthy introduction - sneaking around in the woods to take down the Magistrate's guards - helped build the tension and emphasize the skill and style of a character who trained under Anakin Skywalker and has been wielding the Force for decades at this point. Seeing her two lightsabers ignite through the mist was an evocative image, and Dawson easily sold Ahsoka's creativity in battle, slashing chunks out of trees to throw at her enemies and leaping out of nowhere to strike with deadly accuracy. Naturally, Filoni also managed to sneak in Ahsoka's trusty convor (aka owl) companion, Morai, as an easter egg when Mando was exploring the forest. But it was Ahsoka's quiet moments with Baby Yoda - whose real name is apparently Grogu (it'll never catch on) - that really evoked the best of Star Wars (anyone else catch Yoda's theme playing subtly in the background?), from Ahsoka's wistful recollection of the Jedi Order's history to the acknowledgment that the bond between Mando and Grogu is unbreakable - and potentially harmful, as far as Baby Yoda's Jedi training is concerned. We learned that the Child was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant but hidden after Order 66, after which point his memory becomes conveniently "dark." As with all good TV shows, these revelations raise more questions than answers: did Ahsoka know about Grogu at the Temple? If Ahsoka has only ever known one other being like Grogu, Yoda himself, does that confirm that Grogu is Yoda's son? (RIP Yaddle, I guess?) Who took Grogu from the Temple and hid him for all these years, and how did he end up on Arvala-7 and on Gideon's radar? [caption id="attachment_2444849" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian Season 2[/caption] From a character standpoint, it's also interesting that Ahsoka didn't correct Mando or anyone else when they called her a Jedi, given that she left the Order a long time ago, but maybe she just didn't want to be pedantic given how few surviving Jedi there are now. (She also didn't correct his description of her lightsabers as "laser swords," just giving him a knowing smile.) We're unlikely to see Luke in the show given The Mandalorian's timeline relative to Mark Hamill's age, but Ezra Bridger, Cal Kestis, and Cere Junda are possibilities; although if Ahsoka is specifically hunting Thrawn, it stands to reason that she may be hoping that if Baby Yoda reaches out through the Force when he gets to Tython, it might be Ezra who responds to his call. Ahsoka's refusal to train Grogu makes sense in the context of Anakin's fall, and it's also possible that she's sending Mando on a wild goose chase to Tython, knowing that it's unlikely any Jedi will answer Grogu and reveal themselves if they've been hidden this long. The show has already toyed with Baby Yoda struggling with some dark impulses, like Force-choking Cara in defense of Mando, so it would be interesting if Favreau and Filoni wanted to explore the lure of the dark side with the child - but that seems unlikely, given that the kid still can't articulate himself verbally, so he can't exactly throw Anakin-style temper tantrums. Ever since Ahsoka left the Jedi Order, I've been hoping to see the idea of Gray Jedi explored in the films or shows; it seemed as if The Last Jedi could've taken Rey in that direction, but JJ Abrams ultimately decided not to follow that thread for The Rise of Skywalker. While I don't think Ahsoka would ever dabble in the dark side after seeing what it did to Anakin, it would be interesting, after the fall of the Order and the destruction of the Jedi way, to see those ideas explored in some way - and Baby Yoda and Ahsoka could be a good conduit through which to explore what it truly means to be a Jedi, even with the Jedi Order gone. Check out Ahsoka Tano's timeline from The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/24/ahsoka-tano-returns-the-ex-jedis-path-to-the-mandalorian"] Aesthetically, Filoni is paying homage to the samurai films of Kurosawa - another major Star Wars influence - in Chapter 13, giving us a break from the western-inspired desert locales that are the show's bread and butter, although there's still plenty of lone gunslinger imagery here, especially in Mando's blaster showdown with Michael Biehn's Lang, juxtaposed with the samurai-inspired saber and spear duel between Ahsoka and the Magistrate. Another useful bit of lore revealed this week: Beskar is resistant to the energy of a lightsaber, which is surely setting the stage for Mando's eventual showdown with Moff Gideon (hopefully with an assist from Ahsoka). And there's still the Chekov's gun of Gideon's tracking beacon on the Razor Crest, which will no doubt come into play within the next couple of episodes. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=4e0fa992-0bcd-4071-a852-58410d8cc3d3"]

Warning: Full spoilers follow through The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Mandalorian: Season 2 has been busy bringing all sorts of fan-favorite characters into the mix, from Temuera Morrison reprising the role of Boba Fett to Rosario Dawson bringing Ahsoka Tano into live-action at long last. And it appears that Ahsoka's live-action debut heralds the return of another major Star Wars character. Ahsoka is hunting Grand Admiral Thrawn, a fact that should give the leaders of the fledgling New Republic plenty of sleepless nights. If you haven't followed the animated series Star Wars Rebels or read the many novels penned by Thrawn creator Timothy Zahn, you may not understand why this latest tease is such a big deal. Read on to learn what makes Thrawn such a fearsome and unique Star Wars villain. These are the topics we cover here:

• Who Is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
• Grand Admiral Thrawn's Origin
• Grand Admiral Thrawn's Powers and Abilities
• Thrawn's Story So Far
• Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Expanded Universe
• Where Is Thrawn Now?

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Who Is Grand Admiral Thrawn?

Emperor Palpatine may be an all-powerful Sith Lord, but his Empire only functions if he has a few good commanders to whom he can delegate the responsibility of keeping the galaxy in line. No Imperial commander has done a better job of enforcing Palpatine's will than Grand Admiral Thrawn. He's a ruthless military leader with an almost superhuman gift for understanding and outwitting his foes. If Thrawn didn't have the misfortune of going MIA just before the events of A New Hope, the war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance might have turned out very differently. But that doesn't mean Thrawn won't still be a threat to the New Republic when he does return. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=He's%20a%20ruthless%20military%20leader%20with%20an%20almost%20superhuman%20gift%20for%20understanding%20and%20outwitting%20his%20foes."]

Grand Admiral Thrawn's Origin

Grand Admiral Thrawn originally debuted in the 1991 novel Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, one of the progenitors of what quickly became known as the Expanded Universe. In this period without new Star Wars movies, stories like Heir to the Empire and Dark Empire helped keep the franchise alive. Even now, Thrawn remains among the most popular and enduring Star Wars characters who hasn't appeared in a movie. Thrawn's distinctive blue skin and glowing red eyes mark him as a Chiss, a mysterious race who lurk in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. Thrawn's people have formed the Chiss Ascendancy, an oligarchy ruled by a handful of powerful families. Thrawn himself was born to a low class family. His birth name is actually Kivu'raw'nuru. But after showing early signs of military genius, Thrawn is adopted into the powerful Mitth family and renamed Mitth'raw'nuru (later Mitth'raw'nuruodo). But because Chiss is a very difficult language to pronounce, he usually goes by "Thrawn." Thrawn distinguishes himself in the Chiss Defense Fleet through a number of military victories, even though his arrogance and tendency to ignore the chain of command make him plenty of enemies. That pattern of bad behavior eventually catches up with him, and Thrawn is apparently exiled by his own people. However, he finds a new home among Palpatine's Empire, quickly rising through the ranks to become a Grand Admiral and becoming perhaps the single greatest threat to the young Rebel Alliance. Even so, that meteoric rise comes with the same personal conflicts as before, and more than once Thrawn has been forced to choose between his loyalty to his own people and his newfound Empire.

Grand Admiral Thrawn Cheat Sheet

First Appearance: Star Wars - Heir to the Empire (1991) Creator: Timothy Zahn Aliases: Kivu'raw'nuru, Mitth'raw'nuru, Mitth'raw'nuruodo Affiliated Groups: The Galactic Empire, The Chiss Ascendancy, The Chiss Defense Fleet Recommended Reading/Watching: The Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising & The Last Command), Outbound Flight, Star Wars: Thrawn, Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, Star Wars Rebels Seasons 3-4

Grand Admiral Thrawn's Powers and Abilities

Like all Chiss, Thrawn has the benefit of enhanced senses. His hearing is far more acute than that of ordinary humans, and his glowing red eyes allow him to see infrared light. However, Thrawn's mind is his true super-power. Thrawn is among the most gifted military commanders in the entire galaxy, with a knack for taking on seemingly insurmountable opponents and handily defeating them through clever strategy alone. Oddly enough, Thrawn credits his appreciation for art with his ability to outthink his enemies. He spends much of his free time contemplating the art and culture of his enemies, which he claims allows him to understand how their people think, feel and react in life-or-death situations. His track record basically speaks for itself. You might assume Thrawn is Force-sensitive given his ability to outthink and outsmart everyone around him, but that's actually not the case. Only young, female Chiss ever manifest Force powers, and even those that do tend to lose those powers in adulthood. Those Chiss are often employed as "sky-walkers," using their gifts to help ships navigate the deadly hyperspace routes of the Unknown Regions. Thrawn himself has actually been known to take advantage of creatures called the Ysalamiri, which generate a bio-energy field that repels the Force and cancels out Jedi abilities. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/07/20/why-star-wars-fans-are-freaking-out-that-thrawn-is-back"]

Thrawn's Story So Far

With Thrawn's various Expanded Universe appearances being rendered non-canon in the Disney era, most of his story has been told in one of two forms - in the animated series Star Wars Rebels and through a new series of books by author Timothy Zahn. Zahn has devoted his time to fleshing out Thrawn's early years in this revamped Star Wars timeline. 2017's Star Wars: Thrawn kicked off a full trilogy of books shedding light on Thrawn's early years in the Empire and his relationships with characters like Anakin Skywalker, Governor Arihnda Pryce and fellow Imperial cadet Eli Vanto. The first book has also been adapted by Marvel Comics as a limited series. Having wrapped that trilogy, Zahn is now focused on the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, which delves back even further in the timeline and explores Thrawn's rise through the ranks of the Chiss Defense Force. Perhaps the biggest revelation to come out of Zahn's recent Thrawn books is the twist that Thrawn wasn't actually exiled by the Chiss. In fact, Thrawn is basically a spy for his people, one tasked with infiltrating the Empire and determining whether Palpatine's military is a threat or a potential ally to the Chiss Ascendancy. Thrawn was unimpressed with the Republic during his brief alliance with Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, but he sees something far greater in Palpatine's vision for the galaxy. Thrawn plays a key role in the latter two seasons of Rebels (voiced by Lars Mikkelsen), as Governor Pryce turns to the ruthless Grand Admiral to quell the increasingly dangerous Rebel cell on Lothal. Thrawn scores a number of victories for the Empire over the course of the series, thanks in no small part to his ability to study the art of Mandalore and extrapolate the best way to defeat its warriors. But in the end, even Thrawn proves unable to stop Jedi hero Ezra Bridger and his allies. The series ends with both Thrawn and Ezra being dragged across the galaxy aboard a runaway Star Destroyer. While it's generally assumed both characters survived and are still alive in the time period of The Mandalorian, this disappearance means Thrawn was missing all throughout the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. The loss of his greatest commander may well have cost Palpatine the entire war. That said, Thrawn's intelligence on the Unknown Regions is also what allows the remnants of the Empire to retreat and begin consolidating power far from the prying eyes of the New Republic. Without Thrawn, there may never have been a First Order.

Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Expanded Universe

Thrawn is among many characters and elements originally created for the Star Wars Expanded Universe and later adapted and overhauled to become a part of Disney's official series canon. Thrawn is more or less the same character in both versions of the Star Wars timeline. Zahn has even told IGN he's made a point of not contradicting his older EU stories whenever possible. And while the original Thrawn trilogy and other books like Outbound Flight no longer "happened," they may still offer important clues as to what role Thrawn will serve in the Disney era. Heir to the Empire introduces Thrawn as a veteran Imperial officer who takes control of the scattered Imperial Remnant five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Thrawn scores several major victories against the New Republic before revealing the full scope of his plan. Thrawn wants to bolster the Empire's numbers by recovering a lost fleet of Old Republic-era ships called the Katana Fleet and staffing them using a new army of clone soldiers. Thrawn also recruits an insane, cloned Jedi Master named Joruus C'baoth. Thrawn alone seems to realize that Palpatine used a Dark Side ability known as "battle meditation" to make his forces fight more efficiently, which explains why the Battle of Endor was lost the moment Darth Vader killed his master. C'baoth agrees to serve the same role for Thrawn, provided the Grand Admiral allow him to turn the Skywalker siblings to the Dark Side. [caption id="attachment_2446225" align="aligncenter" width="1464"] Heir to the Empire introduced Thrawn and helped kick off the larger Expanded Universe.[/caption] With a greatly bolstered fleet and a new Dark Jedi to make his soldiers fight as one, Thrawn comes perilously close to destroying the larger but weak and divided New Republic. However, just as with his defeat in Star Wars Rebels, Thrawn proves to have one fatal weakness. He's a man who prides himself on considering every angle, except being outwitted by those he considers beneath his notice. Thrawn is assassinated by his own bodyguard. That, combined with the death of Joruus C'baoth, proves to be the end of Thrawn's grand plan. Thrawn continued to play a role in the larger EU after the end of the Thrawn trilogy, with the Clone Wars-era novel Outbound Flight fleshing out his pre-Empire days and Zahn's Hand of Thrawn duology teasing a potential return for the villain via cloning (a plot point that ultimately never panned out). The EU also took a slightly different approach to the complicated dynamic between Thrawn and Palpatine. As much as Palpatine respected Thrawn's tactical brilliance, his xenophobic nature made him loath to embrace an alien outsider. Thrawn was relegated to patrolling the far edge of the galaxy, which explains why he didn't play a more active role during the events of the original trilogy. However, later stories established that Thrawn and Palpatine were united in their concern about an inevitable invasion by the Yuuzhan Vong, a fearsome warrior race from a galaxy where the Force doesn't exist. Thrawn's motivation for rebuilding the Empire was to strengthen the galaxy against the Yuuzhan Vong, whose war against the New Republic is chronicled in the lengthy New Jedi Order series. Ironically, by defeating Thrawn, the New Republic left itself vulnerable to an even greater threat.

Where Is Thrawn Now?

Thrawn's current status quo is a bit of a mystery. As we touched on before, Thrawn and Ezra Bridger both vanished in the series finale of Rebels, and neither character has appeared after that point in the official Disney timeline. However, the finale also shows Ahsoka Tano resurfacing to lead the hunt for Ezra immediately following the events of Return of the Jedi. And with The Mandalorian making it clear Ahsoka is hunting Thrawn five years later, it's probably safe to assume Lucasfilm has major plans for Grand Admiral Thrawn. As shown in The Mandalorian, the Empire is a shadow of its former self by this period, even as warlords like Moff Gideon are hellbent on clinging to power and trying to restore Palpatine to life. Thrawn may serve a similar purpose as he did in the EU. He could resurface in this post-RotJ era, ready and willing to rally the scattered remnants of the Empire into an effective fighting force. This isn't to say Lucasfilm will necessarily adapt Heir to the Empire and its sequels in live-action form, but elements of those stories could inform what happens next. In either timeline, Thrawn may prove to be the Empire's last, best chance at reclaiming its lost power, even if the sequel trilogy makes it clear that won't ultimately be what happens. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/27/the-mandalorian-season-2-episode-5-the-truth-behind-the-jedi-and-her-secret-mission-star-wars-canon-fodder"] Thrawn's return could also give fans further insight into how exactly the dying Empire transforms into the First Order. For all we know, Thrawn becomes a key player in the First Order. As The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian have shown, at least a handful of characters like Allegiant General Pryde and Moff Gideon are aware of Palpatine's endgame, so it stands to reason Thrawn would also be a member of that exclusive club. The real question is when and where Thrawn will appear next. It's not clear if he's being set up as a villain in The Mandalorian itself or a future Ahsoka or New Republic-focused series. At this point, Disney has a number of live-action series and movies in the works we know almost nothing about, so there are many places Thrawn could appear in the years to come. With any luck, the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian will give us a better idea of what the future holds for this iconic Star Wars villain. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=1583b485-663e-4e5e-b2ed-0ed054c91f30"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Do states with larger rural regions need mask mandates? The data says yes. (Mladen Borisov/Unsplash/)

The governors of Iowa and North Dakota recently announced mandates that require people to wear masks in public. Both leaders previously resisted mask rules but issued them in the past week as daily COVID-19 cases spiked in their states, overrunning hospitals and intensive care units.

Data from states and counties that have so far required masks in public show that when these policies go into effect, cases and deaths decrease. Models predict that if the US adopted a universal mask mandate, cases would almost immediately drop and lower death tolls would follow. But 14 states across the country still don’t have a sweeping policy for the protective gear. “This is something that states should have taken care of before,” says Christopher Adolph, professor of political science and statistics at the University of Washington and leader of the COVID-19 State Policy Project. “If they haven’t yet, it’s a very low-cost thing that everyone can do.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her decision late on Monday. She had previously recommended wearing masks but resisted making it a mandate, calling it a “feel-good” measure that wasn’t being enforced in other states. However, she changed course as cases rose sharply in Iowa, making it the state with the fourth highest rate of COVID-19 in the country. Still, her rule contains many exceptions. For instance, it only requires people to wear masks when they’re in indoor public spaces, within six feet of individuals outside their household for, and hanging around for at least 15 minutes.

“If Iowans don’t buy into this, we lose,” Reynolds said at a press conference, referring to both the mask mandate and new reopening restrictions. “Businesses will close once again. More schools will be forced to go online. Our health care system will fail and the cost in human life will be high.”

After refusing to require masks for months, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota also made the move late last Friday to ease the burden on the state’s overwhelmed medical system. North Dakota has the highest per-capita COVID-19 rate out of any state in the US, and as of last Saturday had only 18 free ICU beds throughout the state. It also recently logged a higher COVID-19 mortality rate than any country in the world. Regardless, some Republic legislators in the state have criticized the mask requirement, calling it unconstitutional. Despite a $1,000 fine for those who don’t adhere to the mandate, residents and businesses in the western part of the state have continued to go mask-less. Many sheriffs in the area have said they don’t plan on enforcing the law, either.

The new mask policies could help Iowa and North Dakota tamp down on the virus, says Timothy Brewer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at University of California, Los Angeles Fieldings School of Public Health. If the remaining 14 states that don’t have mandates follow suit, “they would probably decrease the risk of transmission and cases, lower the burden on their healthcare systems, and help to protect their populations,” he notes.

The remaining states without mask mandates all have Republican governors. This is not a coincidence, according to a preprint study from August that still has to undergo peer review. At the time it was published, 17 states still hadn’t made masks a requirement. The researchers investigated whether the pattern could be explained by geographic location or COVID-19 prevalence—but they found that the biggest commonality was the party of the state governor. Political ideation of the residents also seemed to play a role.

Despite the political controversy, research shows that mask mandates have great returns for public health. A paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine last month found within an eight-week period, that states that reopened without a mask policy had 10 times the number of excess COVID-19 cases than states that reopened with one. (Excess values were calculated by taking the observed number of cases among 100,000 residents in each state and subtracting it from the predicted number of cases both before and after reopening.) What’s more, the 13 states with mandates tallied 50,000 fewer excess deaths in a six-week span. Another analysis, published in Health Affairs in June, estimates that mask rules in 15 states and Washington D.C. prevented more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases this spring.

The effect of mandates in curbing COVID-19 infections is especially apparent in Kansas, where Gov. Laura Kelly issued an executive order requiring masks in public in early July—but still gave counties the option to set their own laws. In the 81 counties that chose not to require masks, daily COVID-19 cases showed an increase of 100 percent by mid-August, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the 24 counties that did, daily cases dipped by 6 percent.

If the US enforces universal masking, the country could avert 65,000 deaths by March 1, 2021, as per a model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. The number of new daily infections would almost immediately begin to decline. But to see those benefits, 95 percent of the country’s population would have to wear a mask at all times in public. The number is currently closer to 68 percent, IHME states.

“More is better when it comes to mask wearing, but some is better than none,” Brewer says. “It’s never too late, particularly when things are getting worse.”

If you have been swinging around New York City in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, you may have noticed that the iconic Chrysler Building has been replaced by a generic skyscraper. Even though the Chrysler Building has appeared in 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man and other Marvel media, copyright issues prevented its inclusion in Insomniac's latest adventure. As reported by Game Informer, the Chrysler Building went under new ownership in 2019 and no agreement was made before the launch of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] Image via Game Informer[/caption] Since 2008, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, which is an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, owned 90% of the building while the New York-based real estate investment company Tishman Speyer Properties owned 10% and managed the building. In January 2019, the Chrysler Building was put up for sale and it was co-purchased by the Austrian company SIGNA Group and New York real estate development company RGR Holding LLC. for $150 million. As an interesting aside, this sale price was "down from the reported $300 million ($433 million inflated for 2019) it was purchased for in 2001, and significantly less than the $800 million ($957 million inflated for 2019) Abu Dhabi Investment Council reportedly spent in 2008 for its majority of the building and the retail space next door." Michael Lee, the founder of Lee Law, spoke to Game Informer and explained how the copyright process works in regards to buildings like the Chrysler Building. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review"] "If you have just a basic box of a building that looks like just a generic building, you can't go around and sue every building in Manhattan, and say, 'You have stolen my idea of what a building looks like,'" Lee said. "You can't protect the functionality of something, but you could protect the artistic parts of it. So when it comes to certain architecture, whether it has big spires at the top, or whether it has curved glass, whether you see something and you see that it's unique and different, that's absolutely protected by copyright. So in order to reproduce it in either another building or make a derivative work such as a T-shirt, a model, or even putting it in a video game, you need authorization from the copyright owner to reproduce the protected thing – which in this case could be the Chrysler Building." Lee also mentioned that if a movie or form of media has a quick glimpse of the Chrysler Building or other skyscraper, it may not be an issue, but for a game like Spider-Man: Miles Morales where you can climb up and inspect every part of the building, it could have opened up Insomniac, Marvel, and Sony to possible litigation. Insomniac Games reportedly tried to get permission to use the Chrysler Building, but the new owners and Insomniac could not come to an agreement for Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-spider-man-miles-morales-review-screenshots&captions=true"] "When creating our representation of the city we wanted to include as many landmarks as we could to add to the sense of immersion," James Stevenson, Insomniac's community director, told Game Informer when asked for comment. "Sometimes negotiations to use those locations didn’t work out, which was the case with the Chrysler Building in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales." For more on Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, check out our review, some of the greatest Easter Eggs in the game, and how it pays homage to both Stan Lee and Chadwick Boseman. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.

HBO has officially ordered a series based on The Last of Us video game franchise, HBO executive vice president of programming Francesca Ori announced Friday. Though a series based on The Last of Us had been in discussion for some time now, Friday's announcement reconfirms HBO's intent on the show and attaches a few key names to the project. Writing the series are The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin. Druckmann will also be executive producing the series alongside Cheryl Strauss (Chernobyl and Game of Thrones) as well as Naughty Dog president Evan Wells and PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan. HBO is partnering with Sony Pictures Television on the series, with PlayStation Productions, Word Games, and Naughty Dog all co-producing. “Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own,” said Orsi. “With them at the helm alongside the incomparable Carolyn Strauss, this series is sure to resonate with both die-hard fans of ‘The Last of Us’ games and newcomers to this genre-defining saga. We’re delighted to partner with Naughty Dog, Word Games, Sony and PlayStation to adapt this epic, powerfully immersive story.” The Last of Us evidently won't be the only video game property that Sony hopes to convert into a TV production. “We’re thrilled to be working with HBO and this fantastic creative team to bring ‘The Last of Us’ series to life,” said Jeff Frost, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios and Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions. “PlayStation’s innovative storytelling and ingenuity is a natural complement to SPT’s creative focus. Our collaboration is a great example of our ‘One Sony’ philosophy at work. We look forward to developing even more iconic game IP in the future.” According to HBO's announcement, the series will focus on the events of the original The Last of Us game, which sees Joel and Ellie smuggling themselves out of an oppressive quarantine zone and traveling across a post-apocalyptic United States. HBO says that the series will be available on both the HBO channel and to stream on HBO Max. Last we heard, Mazin (a self-described Last of Us fan) assured fans in a BBC interview that he hopes to "expand" upon the series rather than "undo" any part of it, including Ellie's sexual orientation. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/keyboard clicker for IGN.

The upcoming Monster Hunter movie has gotten a new trailer in advance of its upcoming December 30 release in the United States. The latest trailer is from the international market, as the movie releases in China on December 4. This one ups the action by showcasing a number of massive and fierce monsters, and a strange visual gag about weak points.

The trailer also showcases a tongue-in-cheek tone--in one moment, having the get-pumped line "Let's do this," land with a total thud--perhaps suggesting the film will both embrace and tweak action-movie conventions.

Despite these new details, all but the broadest of strokes concerning the film's plot are still relatively hazy--not totally surprising for any video game adaptation that already has a built-in audience that knows what to expect.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The upcoming sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking has taken a long time to reach the screen. Principal photography on the adaptation of Patrick Ness's acclaimed novel wrapped back in 2017, but extensive reshoots and clashing schedules meant the movie was delayed from its initial 2019 date. It finally arrives in January, and the first trailer has been released.

The trailer starts with a ship containing a woman named Viola, played by Daisy Ridley, crashing to Earth. But the world she finds is very different to the one we know--every woman on the planet is now dead, and the remaining men are able to hear each other's thoughts. She teams up with a young man named Todd (Tom Holland) and embarks on a dangerous mission. It looks like familiar post-apocalyptic territory, but Ridley and Holland will hopefully make it worth watching. Check the trailer out below:

The movie also stars Mads Mikkelsen as the main villain, a tyrant named David Prentiss, plus Demián Bichir (Alien Covenant), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), and singer Nick Jonas. It's directed by Edge of Tomorrow's Doug Liman, while Fede Álvarez (Don't Breathe) was brought on to assist Liman with the reshoots in 2019.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Katee Sackhoff has shared some insight into the "surreal" experience of bringing her fan-favourite Star Wars character Bo-Katan Kryze to life in the newest episode of The Mandalorian. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sackhoff, who portrayed Bo-Katan in the third episode of The Mandalorian Season 2, discussed her role on the series and her connections to other characters. In particular, she detailed how Bo-Katan has evolved on-screen, from her animated appearances in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels up until now. "I think that there is a little piece of Bo-Katan that I don't think you see coming," Sackhoff teased. "She's got something else going on in her mind and everything she does is purposeful. And I think that is new for her. She's grown into the role of a leader, and she finally believes she is a leader. And there is an ego that comes with being a leader that may or may not work against her." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2012/07/14/the-clone-wars-season-5-obi-wan-and-bo-katan"] "Bo-Katan has a scar on her face and I was really attached to that," she added. "I was really attached to her freckles. I was really attached to how her eyebrows point down in just the weirdest way, where it was finding the animated version of it which was a bit cartoonish in the sense that they go down at such a point, and then translating that onto a real person and making sure it didn't look cartoonish." Sackhoff avoided dropping any spoilers about her character's storyline in The Mandalorian but she did acknowledge that she has a "story" with Moff Gideon and that she, like the fans, wants to know what happened with the Darksaber. She also teased her "history" with Ahsoka Tano, another character who played a key role in both the Clone Wars and the early years of the Rebel Alliance. "I love the character from [Star Wars: The] Clone Wars and [Star Wars] Rebels so I would love to see her," Sackhoff said about Ahsoka, though she wouldn't confirm the Rosario Dawson casting rumours for The Mandalorian. "There's a lot of history with those two. There's a lot of story there. There's a lot of comradery and respect, but there's also a lot of pain and distrust. So we'll see what happens." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-in-the-mandalorian&captions=true"] In our review of Chapter 11 - The Heiress, we called Sackhoff's live-action introduction to Bo-Katan Kryze "pitch-perfect," saying that her "commanding on-screen presence" made the newest Mandalorians (including WWE Superstar Sasha Banks - aka Mercedes Varnado - as Koska Reeves and Simon Kassianides as Axe Woves) "an immediate force to be reckoned with." If you want to know more about Bo-Katan, check out our rundown of the animated character's best Clone Wars and Rebels episodes. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

SPOILERS ahead for Season 2 of The Mandalorian. [poilib element="accentDivider"] A Lucasfilm creative art manager has defended a recent episode of The Mandalorian that features a few instances of Baby Yoda eating a creature's eggs. The Season 2 episode "The Passenger" features a creature known as Frog Lady who carries around a tank of water and eggs. Mando is helping Frog Lady bring the eggs to her husband so they can be fertilized, but Baby Yoda helps himself to a few of them in a couple of scenes in the episode. After a Twitter backlash from some users, Phil Szostak, who is a creative art manager at Lucasfilm and author of some of the movies' Making Of books, defended the episode in a series of tweets on Monday.

For the record, Chapter 10 of #TheMandalorian makes it clear that the Frog Lady’s eggs are unfertilized, like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy. But obviously, chickens aren’t sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect.#StarWars https://t.co/Js51fLpE3C

— Phil Szostak (@PhilSzostak) November 9, 2020

"For the record, Chapter 10 of #TheMandalorian makes it clear that the Frog Lady’s eggs are unfertilized, like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy," Szostak wrote. "But obviously, chickens aren’t sentient beings and the Child eating the eggs is intentionally disturbing, for comedic effect." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/07/the-mandalorian-season-2-ep-2s-side-mission-means-more-than-you-think"] In another tweet, Szostak continued to defend the episode by saying that people are naturally going to react to "disturbing" jokes differently. "Fans of horror know that disturbing things make some of us laugh and some of us squirm, or both," Szostak tweeted. "Your mileage may vary." Lucasfilm and Disney clearly weren't prepared for any backlash as Entertainment Weekly points out that a Funko Pop toy of "The Child with Egg Canister" is now available for purchase. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] IGN's The Mandalorian: "The Passenger" review said the episode "is arguably the episode where Mando comes to realize what it truly means to be a parent - that it's not just about protecting your kid, but also making sure that they learn right from wrong and recognize that their actions have consequences." Anybody who has Xbox Game Pass can check out the episode since all Game Pass members can redeem a 30-day free trial of Disney+ for a limited time. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

The first episode of Marvel's WandaVision was filmed in classic black and white in front of a live studio audience, as a "love letter to the golden age of television." These new production details emerged in Entertainment Weekly's cover story for the highly anticipated MCU series, which was originally planned for a Spring 2021 release before being moved up to December 2020. In the article, it is revealed that the cast and crew took a truly authentic approach to the production of WandaVision to ensure that they captured the vintage look of an old school sitcom. The six-episode series reunites Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's Vision in a trippy dreamscape that seems to shift the duo through family sitcom styles of the past - from the black and white '50s/early '60s era to the groovier '60s/'70s period and the classic '80s/"TGIF" '90s. In order to replicate the classic sitcoms, Olsen and Bettany acted out some scenes in front of a live studio audience. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/21/marvels-wandavision-official-trailer-1"] "It was insanity," Olsen said of her live performance for the first episode. "There was something very meta for my own life because I would visit those tapings as a kid, where my sisters were working [on Full House]." Bettany added that the cast and crew were on a "high by the end of it," as he admitted that they wanted to "keep on running the show" after experiencing the thrill of the live shoot. The team's commitment to creating something that felt like a midcentury sitcom extended through many aspects of production, with each department playing their own unique part in the traditional setup. Crew members arrived on set wearing 50s-style clothing, make-up artists added blue to their colour palettes to make Vision appear in grayscale, camera operators used different lenses and lighting techniques to create a vintage glow, and the SFX team performed practical effects for a throwback feel. "The show is a love letter to the golden age of television," explained WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer, whose name is credited on Marvel Studios' upcoming Black Widow movie and last year's Captain Marvel superhero flick. "We're paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we're also trying to blaze new territory." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-wandavision-all-the-tv-sitcom-influences&captions=true"] The show has now wrapped production, and is scheduled to launch on Disney+ in December 2020 - although an exact date has not yet been set. So before you tune into WandaVision, grab yourself a TV dinner and surf through IGN's other stories about Marvel's six-hour miniseries — we have the latest images and plot details from EW's cover story, a breakdown of all the House of M Easter eggs hidden within the trailer, and a deep dive into the comics that might have inspired the show. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The second episode of The Mandalorian Season 2 has arrived on Disney+, taking Mando and Baby Yoda on a series of sidequests as they continue trying to take The Child home. In this new episode, "Chapter 10: The Passenger," the duo make a new friend and run into some trouble along the way, and ultimately there are far too many cute moments courtesy of the little green alliance. However, there were also quite a few Easter eggs and references to other corners of the Star Wars galaxy for you to find.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of The Mandalorian, "Chapter 10: The Passenger." If you haven't watched it yet, stop reading now.

From callbacks to Season 1 to familiar ships, to even a nod to the Star Wars area at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, there was plenty in the episode that was hidden in plain sight. Did you catch them all? Take a look at our favorite Easter eggs and references below, then sound off in the comments with the ones you spotted. Then, go ahead and check out our Easter egg breakdown for "Chapter 9: The Marshal" and take a look at our explainer for that very special Star Wars cameo last week.

1. The Vodran

The first alien species we see setting up a trap for Mando is a Vodran, known for their distinctive horns around their face.

2. Mos Eisley Cantina

Before leaving Mos Eisley, Mando stops by the cantina that first appeared in A New Hope. The recreation of the location is pretty spot on, with plenty of scum and villainy milling around.

3. Meet Dr. Mandible

While it's hard to say for sure, Dr. Mandible, the massive ant-like creature, looks a lot like the species known as Killik. If that is, in fact, what the good doctor is, it marks the first live-action appearance of the species. The creatures were first introduced in the novel Dark Nest I: The Joiner King. It's also pretty funny that Ant-Man director Peyton Reed directed this particular episode, given that led to him directing another very large ant.

4. They're playing Sabacc

Peli and Dr. Mandible are playing a game of Sabacc. This widely-popular game was first mentioned in Empire Strikes Back, but it also appeared in Rebels and The Force Awakens, and was heavily featured in Solo.

5. A very clever Galaxy's Edge Easter egg

If you haven't been to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, you probably missed this one. Outside of the cantina, Mando passes a WED-15 Treadwell droid roasting meat on a pod racer engine. When visiting Galaxy's Edge, you can visit an eatery called Ronto Roaster that purports to cook its meat the same way. In reality, the massive burning pod racer engine in the eatery is for show, but it's still nice to see Galaxy's Edge represented.

6. "I'm not some Rodian"

Peli remarks that she's "not some Rodian", referring to the green-skinned species with large pupil-less eyes which have popped up throughout the franchise. A number of Rodians worked as bounty hunters, like Greedo in A New Hope.

7. Traveling sublight

Peli tells Mando that the passenger can't travel using hyperdrive, and instead must travel sublight. This refers to sublight engines that let ships fly at speeds below the speed of light.

8. "Do you speak Huttese?"

Clearly, Mando doesn't speak whatever language frog lady talks to him in. However, he does suggest they both use Huttese, the language spoken by the Hutts--including Jabba. Sadly, it doesn't seem she knows that one.

9. X-Wings join the party

The New Republic cops that pull Mando over are flying the iconic X-Wing ship. It gets its name from the shape of its wings when it enters combat mode (as seen in the episode).

10. Those pilots look familiar

If you're wondering where you've seen those pilots before, we can help solve that. One of them is Trapper Wolf, played by Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni. Filoni also directed episodes of The Mandalorian in Season 1, and first appeared as Wolf in Episode 6, "The Prisoner." The other pilot was played by actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who you might know from the show Kim's Convenience.

11. The New Republic

The pilots mention to Mando that they represent the New Republic. Fans of the politics of Star Wars will remember the New Republic is the government that rose following the destruction of the Empire. You may also remember that the New Republic was wiped out by the First Order in The Force Awakens because time is a flat circle in Star Wars.

12. May the Force be with you

Mando may not be a Jedi--and the pilots likely aren't either, for that matter. Still, that didn't stop him from throwing out a Jedi pleasantry in hopes it would keep the representatives of the New Republic from wanting to hold him up any longer. It didn't work.

13. A callback to last season

Instead of letting him go, the pilots flag Mando for his involvement in the prison escape in the Season 1 episode "Chapter 6: The Prisoner." One of the pilots even mentions Lt. Davan, the character played by Matt Lanter in that episode.

14. That busted droid looks familiar

If you're wondering where you've seen the scraps of droid Mando has on his ship, they were introduced last season in "Chapter 6." That droid's name was Zero and it was voiced by Richard Ayoade--who returns in this ep to lend his voice to the character once again.

15. The Mandalorian code

Speaking through Zero, the frog lady reminds Mando of the Mandalorian code. We're not entirely sure how that fits this particular situation, as previously the Mandalorian code was concerning one-on-one combat to settle disputes. It's how Sabine challenged Fenn Rau on an episode of Star Wars Rebels.

16. Those disgusting spiders

The spiders that attack Mando and company are Krykna. These carnivorous creatures were also referred to as "crawlers" in Star Wars Rebels. The rebels were attacked by them after building a base on Atollon in the Season 2 episode "The Mystery of Chopper Base."

17. Prisoner X6-911

This is yet another callback to Season 1 Episode 6, "The Prisoner." In it, Mando helps free a prisoner, which it turns out the New Republic isn't very happy about.

18. And about that frog lady

The voice of the frog lady should be familiar to some Star Wars fans. It's voice actor Dee Bradley Baker, who was the voice of the clone troopers and Commander Rex in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He'll next be heard as the clone troopers once more in the animated Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

This review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 2, titled "Chapter 10 - The Passenger." To remind yourself where we left off, check out our Mandalorian Season 2, episode 1 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] It's becoming clear that The Mandalorian Season 2 is purposefully differentiating itself from the structure of its first season, which kicked off with a three-episode arc that played very much like a self-contained movie before venturing into standalone episodic territory. So far in Season 2, we've had a premiere that was essentially a remix of two other Season 1 side quests with a dash of Boba Fett mythology thrown in, and what is essentially a survival horror story that does nothing to further the ongoing storyline, but at least attempts something new for the series in terms of genre inspiration and tone. How you feel about each episode likely depends on what you enjoy most about the series: if you're in it primarily for the nostalgic joy of how The Mandalorian fits into the larger Star Wars universe and the way it's able to explore parts of the galaxy that the movies just don't have time for, you were probably willing to forgive "The Marshal" for being a bit repetitive and heavy-handed with the easter eggs, whereas I was itching for the show to give us something we hadn't already seen before (although the worldbuilding was admittedly awesome). In that way, I found "The Passenger" a bit more interesting in terms of the new shades it brings out in Mando as a character, although both episodes fall into the same trap of failing to advance the plot in any substantive way. Check out all the celebrity cameos and characters in The Mandalorian so far: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-in-the-mandalorian&captions=true"] In theory, there's nothing wrong with an episodic format that blends "case/monster/quest of the week" procedural elements with larger overarching mythology - The X-Files and Supernatural are two long-running examples - but the difference is that those shows had 20 or more episodes per season to balance the plot with the "filler" (which is an imperfect term anyway, because no episode is ever completely fluff, the way the word implies). But the fact that The Mandalorian is sticking to a svelte eight-episode season makes that balance between worldbuilding and narrative momentum all the more important, and right now it kind of feels like the executive producers are stalling just to torture us and build anticipation for the next Moff Gideon encounter. It's probable that episode 3 will address the lack of plot development and will be a total joyride, but you can't help but think the season might've been better served by coming out of the gate hot. "The Passenger" can best be summed up by its focus on parental instinct. Mando has spent the series thus far (rightly) prioritizing the safety of The Child above all else, but that blind devotion is complicated when he encounters another parent who is equally dedicated to securing a future for her offspring. He - and the audience - is forced to reckon with the question of why he considers his quest any more vital, or his preferences any more important, than this nameless mother's, aside from the fact that she's not a fighter so has to rely on the kindness of strangers to secure safety for her family. We've known since the series premiere that Mando has empathy, so it's no surprise that he would help this woman even when it's deeply inconvenient for him, although once again, there's a transactional element to the deal - he's ultimately helping her because he wants information on the location of other Mandalorians. Watch the video below for our theories on Boba Fett's return and what it might mean for The Mandalorian Season 2: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/31/the-mandalorian-season-2-what-the-big-cameo-really-means"] Episode director Peyton Reed (already in the Disney family thanks to Ant-Man) does a nice job of subtly framing Mando and Baby Yoda's dynamic with the Frog Lady (seriously, they couldn't have given her a name when she took over Zero's vocabulator?) and her spawn's throughout the episode. When she challenges Mando about honoring the Mandalorian Code, the look he gives The Child is telling - he knows he needs to lead by example, and think about the kind of legacy he's leaving for his own Foundling. The Mandalorians who rescued him as a child obviously did so at great personal risk to themselves, so why should he behave any differently when it comes to the future of this desperate family? This is probably exacerbated by the fact that Baby Yoda is acting like... well, a child - or, more accurately, an infuriating toddler. He has no sense of right and wrong yet, as evidenced by his (kind of horrifying, despite it being played for comedy) determination to eat the Frog Lady's eggs and, when he can't chow down on those, seeking out the eggs of the spider-like creatures he finds in the cave instead. While it could be a coincidence that all the eggs start hatching after The Child eats one, it's also easy to interpret the terrifying events that follow as punishment for Baby Yoda's lack of consideration when it comes to the child of another species - the consequences of one kid pushing another kid over on the playground writ large. The creatures attack only after one of their offspring is threatened, which evokes one of the franchise's central themes: respecting every species' right to life, and emphasizing that things tend to get thrown out of balance when one group prioritizes their own desires above those of all other living things. On a macro level, this is the episode where Mando has an opportunity to grow up and start to consider his place in a larger story, rather than blindly pursuing his own objective - and seemingly realizes that parenthood is about far more than just a child's physical safety (although that's certainly the immediate concern in this episode). And seeing Baby Yoda's evolution from cutesy troublemaker into a more overtly mischievous (and obliviously self-destructive) kid is a realistic progression that's probably only going to get worse for our hero. For those reasons, there's something quietly resonant about Chapter 10, which could otherwise be dismissed as just another throwaway quest. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] As for the nightmare-inducing spider creatures, they seem immediately reminiscent of the resilient krykna that the team encountered on Atollon in Star Wars Rebels, although there are some key differences: adult krykna had six legs while the giant versions of these spider monstrosities had eight (although the babies seemed to be six-legged), and the krykna were a lot harder to kill, since they were pretty much invulnerable to blasters. (Another fun easter egg, given the potential Rebels callback, is that Dee Bradley Baker, the voice of Rex, also voices the Frog Lady.) Both species, if they're not the same, probably draw inspiration from concept art created by Ralph McQuarrie for The Empire Strikes Back, which featured a "knobby white spider" that was native to Dagobah. Naturally, the horrifying creatures and their eerie eggs also have a healthy dollop of Alien DNA, especially when one tries to launch itself at Mando's face. Confidently directing the escalating action, Reed does an excellent job at ratcheting up the horror of the skittering creatures as they swarm Mando and his companions, making for the most skin-crawling sequence in the show so far. The odds seem truly insurmountable until Dave Filoni and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's X-Wing pilots show up to save the day. Nice to know that even in the New Republic, some universal annoyances - like bureaucracy - will never change. 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