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Full spoilers ahead for Netflix's Enola Holmes, now streaming globally. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The teen sister of storied sleuth Sherlock proves a capital detective in her own right in Enola Holmes, which is now streaming exclusively on Netflix (be sure to read our Enola Holmes review). However, the mystery at its center leaves some questions unanswered and some clues as to where a potential sequel might go. At the start, the eponymous heroine of Enola Holmes is dedicated to one mystery: the whereabouts of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter). With Mrs. Holmes gone, her city-dwelling sons Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin) convene in their humble, country family home. Swiftly, they decide to chuck the willful Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) into a boarding school, where she might be transformed into a submissive wife and proper lady. However, Enola escapes to London and gets sidetracked by The Case of The Missing Marquess (the name of the YA novel on which the film is based).

Enola Holmes Ending Explained: The Mystery of The Missing Mom

The solution to this mystery is a major departure from the source material. In Nancy Springer's books, Enola discovers that her mother has abandoned the constraints of Victorian society to live among the Romani people. In the film, Mrs. Holmes is revealed to be part of a secret society of suffragettes who train in jiu-jitsu and build bombs. This turn-of-the-century feminism is at the center of both missing-person cases. Mrs. Holmes ran off to fight for the cause, while the Marquess's grandmother wanted him dead to prevent him from backing a reform bill which would give women the right to vote. After all this, it is not Enola who finds Mrs. Holmes, but vice versa. Mrs. Holmes visits Enola's rented room, where she apologizes. "I wanted to tell you where I was going," she says, "but it wasn't safe." Of her activism, Mrs. Holmes goes on to explain, "I left you because I couldn't bear to have this world be your future. So I had to fight. You have to make some noise if you want to be heard." This brings us back to the bombs. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/new-to-netflix-september-2020"] In the early 20th century, real-life suffragettes used bombs in their militant campaign to secure the right to vote. Specifically, The Women's Social and Political Union committed more than 300 acts of activism-inspired arson, including smashing windows, blowing up mailboxes, and bombing unoccupied buildings. There are visual cues within the film that tie these fictional feminists to their real-life counterparts, including the violet ribbon worn as bracelets, the flyers promoting civil disobedience, and the bombs. However, the real-life incendiaries weren't the gray studded orbs shown in the Limehouse Lane sequence. Instead, these DIY explosives were built from milk tins. WSPU co-founder Christabel Pankhurst explained this violent activism in 1913, writing, "If men use explosives and bombs for their own purpose they call it war, and the throwing of a bomb that destroys other people is then described as a glorious and heroic deed. Why should a woman not make use of the same weapons as men? It is not only war we have declared. We are fighting for a revolution!" Revolutionary Mrs. Holmes does not stay with Enola, which suggests the reform bill is not the end of her group's campaign. However, it's worth noting that the group's violent methods are horrifying to Enola. Plus, the film seems to condemn them by paralleling the explosion plot with the story's villain, the Marquess's murderous grandma, who would kill her own grandson to further her political goals. (It should be noted neither in the movie nor real life was the suffragettes' intention to kill.) Yet this conflict of ideas is not resolved in Enola Holmes, which hints that Enola's run-ins with the suffragettes are not yet done. This too would be a departure from the books. Yet that might be what fans of the film -- or at least Henry Cavill's hunky Sherlock Holmes -- most desire.

The Blossoming Bond Between Enola And Sherlock

By the final act, Enola has proven capable of caring for herself and taking on cases of her own. Thanks to a reward for recovering the marquess safely, she can afford to hide from Mycroft and his suffocating control. However, a coded message from Sherlock suggests she need not flee from both brothers indefinitely. Then, the strapping detective tells their older brother that he'll take Enola on as his ward… if she should ever resurface. The films also take pains to establish the two have a shared love of drawing, puzzle-solving, and irreverence. This seems to set up a scenario in which Enola could become the Robin to Sherlock's Batman, mentored yet ready to roll out on her own adventures. This is not the case in Springer's novels. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/18/how-much-does-the-witcher-know-about-the-witcher"] The six-book series has Enola solving crimes while on the run from Sherlock and Mycroft, who serves as the overarching antagonist. Without her brothers, she tackles a string of missing person cases, including the vanishing of Sherlock's trusted sidekick Dr. Watson. Not until The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye, the final book in the series, do the siblings reunite with respect and love. Yet to pursue that long-game scenario would be to waste the incredible chemistry of Brown and Cavill, who crackle with a sibling-like jocularity in the film.

Enola Holmes 2: What Could A Sequel Be About?

With all of the above in mind, I deduce that should Enola Holmes take off on Netflix, the streaming service will pursue sequels that aim to blend Springer's plots with crowd-pleasing revisions. Specifically, screenwriter Jack Thorne has laid out too many details about Mrs. Holmes' secret society of suffragettes to blow past it. There's not only the mystery of her whereabouts but also the evolving message that Enola and Sherlock should take an active hand in shaping the world. "You wanted to be recruited?" martial-arts master/tea shop owner Edith (Susan Wokoma) asks as Enola rolls into her women-only dojo. This question resonates as the adventure races on, while Enola's role in the women's rights movement takes shape in saving the marquess. Later, when Sherlock comes calling, Edith, who is a Black woman, challenges this white man to check his privilege, saying of his apathy toward politics, "You have no interest in changing a world that suits you so well." The mystery of their mother is not fully resolved in Enola Holmes. So, it'd make sense that these siblings keep searching, if not for her, then at least to understand her. This might not mean the immediate return of Carter to the franchise. As Edith, Wokoma could serve as a surrogate and also a sort of Giles to Enola's Buffy, educating her further in both fighting and feminist activism. This overarching understanding of politics would tie-in to the YA convention of a young person coming to understand their world and what part they want to play in improving it. However, while fans might be hoping for more Cavill (I certainly am), the film's makers would have to be wary about giving him too big a role. Sherlock's world-renowned persona in-film and out could swallow up the importance of this spunky girl detective. The focus should stay on Enola. Yet part of the fun of this concept is seeing how it re-envisions the touchstones of the Holmes canon. So, there is arguably room for the missing Watson plot and sibling rivalry sprinkled with wit and restrained warmth. The key is striking an exciting balance between the fresh and the familiar. Finally, with Thorne weaving in historical elements that touch on the books' message of female empowerment, there's plenty of room to grow the concept. For instance, an Enola Holmes film series could follow an element from Springer's The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, weaving in historical icons like Florence Nightingale to give their cases an added oomph, as well as some thrilling stunt casting of other Netflix stars. The question, of course, will be first and foremost: do audiences want more Enola Holmes? After the success (whatever that means for a streaming service that doesn't release traditional ratings) of Extraction, Bird Box, and The Old Guard, Enola Holmes has big shoes to fill, but it certainly seems like a concept worthy of a franchise - especially since the film already boasts two of Netflix's most recognizable stars. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=enola-holmes&captions=true"] What did you think of Enola Holmes? Weigh in below and share your thoughts on a potential sequel. For more, read everything we know about Netflix's Extraction sequel, and check out our Watch From Home Theater watchalong of Extraction with Chris Hemsworth, director Sam Hargrave, and writer Joe Russo.

Here's everything we found in The Boys Season 2, Episode 5, "We Gotta Go Now."

More than halfway through its second season, The Boys has presented a lot of mysteries and provided few answers. What is Stormfront's goal? Who was that guy she spoke to on the phone? How does she fit into Stan Edgar's plans, and where do their goals diverge? Will Homelander reach a breaking point and finally snap? Will Butcher find a way to get Becca out from under Vought's thumb? And how much interference from The Boys will Edgar really tolerate, blackmail or not?

We have answers to come of these below, thanks to careful sleuthing and an awareness of the comic books. If you want to know who Shawn Ashmore's character is, keep reading.

Beyond that, we're thankful that The Boys is one of TV's most detailed productions, because it lets us do these deep dives every week to discover tiny hidden references, Easter eggs, and other morsels within each new episode. Enjoy.

1. We Gotta Go Now

Like the other episode titles, "We Gotta Go Now" refers to a volume of the comics--in this case Volume 4, in which The Boys confront a superhero team known as The G-Men. They've been referenced as an Easter egg in the show before, but not seen.

2. Joss re-write

If Dawn of the Seven is a Justice League parody, then it needs to have its own "Joss re-write," as Homelander puts it. Of course, this refers to Joss Whedon, who infamously stepped in to re-write and direct Justice League after Zack Snyder left the project. Granted, we're getting the Snyder Cut soon on HBO Max.

3. Peas to get lasered in half by you

The frozen peas Butcher uses to soothe his face are sold by Vought and branded with Homelander, including the slogan "superheroes eat their veggies." The sign over the freezer says "Vought Fresh Farms," and the store also has a Queen Maeve perfume stand and a Starlight skincare stand on display. Supes, entertainment, "news" media, pharmaceuticals, hygiene, and now agriculture--is there a pot in which Vought doesn't have a hand?

4. Like a Catholic priest

The line "they've been moving her around like a f***ing Catholic priest" references scandals involving the Catholic church moving priests around to cover up child abuse. For an excellent film covering the true story of the investigative journalism team that first brought such stories to light, check out 2015's Spotlight.

5. Squeak toys

When Butcher is in the drug store, you can see supe-themed squeak toys--one of which he'll later give to Terror--on the top shelf.

6. Outlander

The show Mother's Milk is watching is the Starz series Outlander, which is based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon. The series follows a woman who travels back in time and falls in love with a Scottish Highlander in the 18th century. MM is kind of a sap. Like The Boys, Outlander is a Sony production.

7. Dr. J 1976

MM's string of great t-shirts continues with this Dr. J 1976 shirt, which references New York Nets basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who won the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk championship.

8. Oh Snap (Wexley)

You might recognize this actor, Greg Grunberg, from various things, including the role of Snap Wexley in the most recent Star Wars films. Maybe more relevantly, he also starred in the 2006 series Heroes, a show about ordinary people realizing they have superpowers.

9. Stangirl

Stormfront accuses Starlight of "eye-f***ing [her] like a lovesick stangirl." The term "stan" stems from an Eminem song, but it has come to be associated with a particularly obsessive brand of fandom, making a "stangirl" an extra obsessive fan girl, though it's not a commonly used variation on the term. Stormfront is demonstrating her extensive knowledge of social media culture, while continuing to disguise her true age.

10. Extra

Here's a strange mash-up of references: Nancy O'Dell is a real entertainment reporter, well known for hosting Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. In addition, Extra, is a real celebrity gossip and Hollywood news show. However, as far as we can tell, O'Dell and Extra have never been associated with one another in real life.

11. Terror

Butcher's dog Terror is omnipresent in the comics. He goes everywhere with The Boys and often gets into scraps with them, following Butcher's every command. The fact that it took until Season 2, Episode 5 for the show to introduce him may be this series' biggest crime.

12. Metamucil

Butcher mentions Metamucil as he laments the prospect of getting old without his beloved Becca by his side. Metamucil is a dietary fiber supplement that contains the plant psyllium.

13. Katie Couric

Live with Katie Couric is not a real show, but Katie Couric is a real-life journalist, host, author, and more. She currently runs her own company, called Katie Couric Media.

14. Hamilton

The mobsters whose faces are about to get ripped off are arguing about Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical Hamilton, in which a cast of historical white characters are portrayed by actors of color. This is the second Hamilton reference this season, after the Dawn of the Seven writer/director guy revealed in a previous episode that Miranda was interested in voicing Translucent. The mobsters also mention Steven Levenson's 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen.

15. Hits

Much of this episode is borrowed from various points in the original comic books. For example, in the comics, Kimiko ("The Female") attempts to sate her unquenchable bloodlust by doing hits for the mob when she's not busy fighting supes with The Boys. She also has a penchant for ripping off faces in the books. Even the dialogue in this scene is taken almost word-for-word from the comics.

16. Lenny

Aunt Judy mentions Lenny, who she later reveals is Butcher's brother. Lenny is an element of Butcher's backstory from the comics. The show leaves some mystery there, but the comics eventually told Butcher's full life story, including Lenny's death.

17. Guest spots on Queer Eye

Vought's marketing bozos make several references in their plan for Starlight's "multi-pronged image makeover." They suggest Maeve and Elena guest-host Queer Eye, a realtiy show that was recently rebooted on Netflix. They then mention an It Gets Better PSA, referring to the nonprofit It Gets Better Project. Ashley mentions filmmaker Kimberly Peirce, known for the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry. They also suggest that Maeve and Elena will be made Grand Marshals at various pride parades (Grand Marshal is a ceremonial dignitary title for parades).

18. "Lesbian Ken Doll"

Elena is referring to Barbie's male counterpart, Ken, which Mattel introduced to the Barbie toy line in 1961.

19. ChurchoftheCollective.com

As of the time of writing, this website redirects to sonypictures.com/tv/theboys. We'll see once the episode airs, however.

20. Mister Marathon

Ashley mentions Mister Marathon, a character who hasn't been seen in the show. In the comics, Mister Marathon was A-Train's speedster predecessor in The Seven. He's seen only in flashbacks.

21. Walk Like an Egyptian

In the comics, Victor Neuman, or "Vic the Veep," is a very different character compared with the show's Congresswoman Victoria Neuman. The show has transformed her into a fictionalized version of New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). Homelander makes the comparison explicit when he mentions Neuman's online "Walk Like an Egyptian dance," calling to mind the video that surfaced showing AOC dancing during college. ("Walk Like an Egyptian" is a 1986 song by The Bangles that has its own iconic accompanying dance.)

22. Run-D.M.C.

MM's next great shirt is for Run-D.M.C., one of the most famous hip-hop groups of the '80s.

23. Lamplighter

This actor is Shawn Ashmore. You might recognize him from the X-Men movies, where he played Iceman. According to reports from earlier this year, Ashmore is playing Lamplighter, a former member of The Seven--you know, the one who murdered Mallory's grandchildren before the show's events began. In the comics, The Seven gave Lamplighter to The Boys as a peace offering to avoid war between the two groups; Mallory killed him, and then Vought resurrected him as a zombie who they keep in a feces-smeared cell that A-Train and Starlight are forced to clean. We're guessing the show is going in a different direction.

For more on Lamplighter, check out our full character explainer.

24. Sage Grove Center

Googling this phrase pulls up various assisted living homes, plus this report from last year that Amazon had been seen filming at a former psychiatric hospital in Canada. Lamplighter could be working at a hospital or senior home--although that doesn't illuminate what his and Stormfront's conversation was about.

25. Sevens

The scene preceding Black Noir's attack has a couple of references to the number seven, including the time on the clock and the seven-of-hearts playing card used in one of the booby traps.

26. Ronan Farrow

Butcher threatens to send the photos of Homelander and Becca's son to Ronan Farrow. Farrow is a real-life journalist whose investigative reporting helped expose Hollywood sexual abuser Harvey Weinstein in 2018.

27. Megan and Harry

Butcher reckons Homelander and Becca's kid would be "more popular than Meghan and Harry's little sprog." He of course refers to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who last year had a son named Archie Harrison. "Sprog" is British slang for child.

28. Stan Edgar's involvement

We learn in this episode that Vought CEO Stan Edgar really is behind most of the sketchy stuff going on this season. Not only is he overseeing Black Noir's pursuit of The Boys, but he's also involved in whatever is going on between Stormfront and Lamplighter at Sage Grove; although the image is partially out-of-focus, you can clearly see that all her emails are from Edgar.

29. Tilda F***ing Swinton

Stormfront compares Starlight with Tilda Swinton, a Scottish actress known for her idiosyncratic performances in Snowpiercer, Doctor Strange, Suspiria, and many other films.

30. "F*** it"

Butcher's command for Terror to f*** the Homelander doll comes straight from the comics, where Terror is seen humping--on command--everything from other dogs to people.

Mike and Dave give their theories about Compound V and Sage Grove, and break down the plot points and references from "We Gotta Go Now".

Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany has reportedly landed the title role in Marvel's She-Hulk, the upcoming Disney+ streaming series. According to Variety, the Emmy-winning Maslany has been cast as Jennifer Walters, the attorney who, in the Marvel Comics, transforms into She-Hulk. It should be noted that this was not an official announcement from either Marvel or Disney+, who both declined to comment for the trades. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Tatiana Maslany played multiple clones in Orphan Black.[/caption] While she possesses superhuman strength and speed, Jennifer's green behemoth also retains control over her intelligence and emotions, unlike her cousin Bruce Banner (yes, we know there have been exceptions in his case). In addition to Orphan Black, Maslany's credits include HBO's Perry Mason, Destroyer, Woman in Gold, and World Without End. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=she-hulk-through-the-years&captions=true"] The character of Jennifer Walters is expected to also eventually appear in the big-screen MCU. She-Hulk's creative team includes director/exec producer Kat Coiro and writer/showrunner Jessica Gao, who tweeted the following approval of Maslany's casting:

https://t.co/xt7zo1fEX8

— Jessica Gao (@ChairmanGao) September 17, 2020

Learn more about She-Hulk's origin, greatest stories, and more here.

In the original Star Wars trilogy, the Jedi are an all but forgotten phenomenon. Han Solo aptly summed up the average scoundrel's stance on the Force with his iconic line, "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Judging from the new trailer for The Mandalorian: Season 2, the Jedi are still obscure historical relics even five years after Return of the Jedi. How can Mando track down The Child's rightful family if he doesn't even know what a Jedi Knight is? But perhaps a better question is this - why does no one seem to remember the Jedi when the Order was active as recently as two decades before A New Hope? Why has the galaxy seemingly suffered a collective memory wipe on all things Jedi? Let's explore what we know about the wider galaxy's knowledge of the Jedi, and why those details don't entirely add up. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/15/the-mandalorian-season-2-trailer"]

The Jedi Purge

There's roughly 20 years of time separating the events of Episodes III and IV, and another nine years between Episode IV and The Mandalorian. That means plenty of people in the galaxy should still remember the Clone Wars in this Disney+ series. Din Djarin himself was orphaned as a result of the war, and he's surely far from the only person who was directly affected by that prolonged, devastating conflict. One would think plenty of people would vividly remember a war fought between faceless droid armies on one side and laser sword-wielding space wizards on the other. The explanation for this discrepancy has always been that the newly minted Emperor Palpatine went out of his way to bury all traces of the Jedi. He didn't just task Darth Vader and the Sith Inquisitorious with wiping out all surviving Jedi Knights; he used his unstoppable military to destroy temples and erase all tangible trace of the Jedi. And like any good fascist tyrant, Palpatine rewrote history to make the Jedi the villains of the Clone Wars. Whenever his subjects do think of the Jedi, they picture them as would-be usurpers of the Republic, not benevolent defenders of democracy. The harsh moon of Jedha as seen in Rogue One shows the fruits of Palpatine's anti-Jedi labors. A once-thriving Jedi temple has been razed, leaving enormous statues to crumble and vanish in the desert. The temple itself is being strip-mined for its precious Kyber crystals. Only hermits like Ben Kenobi and members of the Guardians of the Whills like Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus carry the torch for the Jedi Order of old. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-the-mandalorian&captions=true"]

Were the Jedi Celebrities?

While the Emperor's machinations certainly help explain why the exploits of the Jedi have been forgotten, it's still difficult to reconcile the fact that there's such a relative lack of time separating the original trilogy and the prequels. How can the Jedi become so utterly forgotten in two short decades? The simplest answer is probably that George Lucas - despite his occasional claims that he had the entire Skywalker Saga mapped out from the beginning - didn't really have the prequels in mind when he was writing A New Hope. At that point, Lucas may have envisioned the Clone Wars as a much older and more distant conflict. Part of the problem here is that the movies never really give us a good sense of how the wider galaxy perceives the Jedi. The Skywalker Saga is laser-focused on one family and a handful of planets. Was it common knowledge the Jedi had access to supernatural powers? Did Jedi ever make public appearances or give speeches that were broadcast throughout the Republic? Or were they viewed simply as antisocial recluses who stayed locked up inside their temples practicing a strange religion? Interestingly, author Matthew Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith suggests some of the Jedi (including Anakin and Obi-Wan) became intergalactic celebrities during the Clone Wars, with their exploits and victories being broadcast on countless worlds. While that novelization shouldn't necessarily be considered part of the official Disney canon, Lucasfilm certainly signed off on Stover's interpretation at the time. This makes it even more difficult to believe so many people have forgotten the Jedi and their superhuman feats after a few measly decades. Not to mention it highlights how bizarre it was that Owen and Beru Lars never bothered to change their nephew's last name to help hide his existence. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/03/the-mandalorian-season-1-review"]

The Ignorance of Han Solo

Han's dismissal of the Jedi in A New Hope is all the more strange now given what we know about his backstory. Han is older than both Luke and Leia, meaning he would remember the Clone Wars. In fact, at one point Lucas considered including a cameo of a young Han in Episode III, depicting Han as a ragged orphan on Kashyyyk. Had that cameo stayed in the script, Han may well have directly witnessed Yoda leading the Wookiees in battle. Han is also a veteran of the Imperial navy. As we saw in Solo: A Star Wars Story, he spent several years fighting as a grunt before defecting and seeking his fortune with Tobias Beckett's crew. Are we really to believe Han would have had no exposure to the Jedi in all that time? Surely he's seen enough of the galaxy and the dark truth of the Empire to know the Jedi are more than just a bunch of crazed cultists practicing a "hokey religion." Given that so much of Han's personality is a cocky facade designed to mask his true, more earnest self (even his last name is fake), it's possible he was being coy about his real thoughts about the Jedi. Still, it's clear he's meant to represent the average person's view of these lost mystics, and it's a view that never entirely makes sense. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/05/17/9-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-han-solo"]

The Mandalorians and the Jedi

Even if we accept that most residents of the Star Wars universe have become totally ignorant of the Jedi in the course of a few decades, it's hard to understand why Din Djarin and his fellow Mandalorians seem to know so little about these characters. The Mandalorians have a rivalry with the Jedi dating back thousands of years. They once waged a war against the Jedi - a war the Armorer references when she sends Din on his mission to reunite The Child with his family in the Season 1 finale. But even she seems to know very little about the Jedi, referring to them as "sorcerers" rather than their proper name. Granted, thousands of years is far longer than a few decades, but if there's anything we learned about Mandalorian culture in Season 1, it's that they're very big on tradition and following established customs. Why wouldn't they pass down stories of the valiant warriors who battled the Jedi and established Mandalore as one of the fiercest worlds in the galaxy? Why don't they at least know the name "Jedi?" [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-strangest-lightsabers-in-the-star-wars-universe&captions=true"] Even stranger is the fact that the Mandalorians cherish an ancient Jedi artifact above all others. The Darksaber is the ultimate artifact in Mandalorian culture. It was built by the first Mandalorian who joined the Jedi Order, and whoever wields it is the rightful ruler of Mandalore. If Mandalorians revere a lightsaber so much, why don't they know more about its heritage and origins? The Mandalorians seen in The Clone Wars certainly had plenty of encounters with Jedi like Obi-Wan and Ahsoka Tano. Why is this younger generation so Jedi-ignorant by comparison? This isn't the only discrepancy between The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. We still don't really know why Din is so averse to removing his helmet when the Mandalorians of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have no problem showing their faces. In both cases, there may be a story-based explanation (and we have our own theories about the helmet question). All we can do is wait for The Mandalorian: Season 2 to drop and hopefully shed more light on why the Jedi are all but forgotten. For more on all things Mando, check out our guide to every character in The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2, and refresh your memory on Ahsoka Tano's story leading up to The Mandalorian. [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.

Actor Chris Evans, best known for playing Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, found himself trending on social media the other day when he inadvertently posted a snap of his camera roll that included a nude photo. Using that leverage for good, he's tweeted out a reminder for Americans to get out and vote in this year's already fraught election.

After the actor accidentally posted the nude photo on his Instagram stories, fans immediately flooded hashtags and searches for his name with unrelated photos in a bid to stop screenshots of the leak from spreading. His co-star Mark Ruffalo also weighed in on the mistake with a "silver lining."

Now, Evans has created his own silver lining, tweeting out a reminder to vote in a tweet that started with the understatement of "now that I have your attention."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The state of New York has recruited Ant-Man star Paul Rudd for a new public health campaign to help raise awareness about wearing masks.

The video begins in a silly fashion, as Rudd pretends to be a young person. "Yo, listen hype-beasts, masks protect you and your dank squad. Because caring about other people is the new not caring about other people. We gotta yeet this virus."

It gets serious at the end, with Rudd breaking from character and staring into the camera as he delivers his message:

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Here's every Easter egg, comics reference, and hidden hint you might not catch in "Nothing Like It in the World."

The Boys Season 2 is now well underway, and with the release of Episode 4, "Nothing Like It in the World," we're confident that Season 2 is at least as good as Season 1, if not better--at least so far.

As Stormfront tightens her grip around public opinion and continues to manipulate Homelander, The Boys make some shocking discoveries about her. And Butcher reunites with Becca--much earlier in the season than we thought he would, although granted, it doesn't exactly go as planned.

Those are the broad brush strokes, but The Boys is also one of the most detailed productions on TV, and rewards multiple viewings from eagle-eyed fans. Luckily, that describes us pretty well, and we're using our knowledge of the comics and more to spot everything you might miss in each episode. Below, check out every Easter egg, comics reference, and hint of things to come that you might have missed your first time through The Boys Season 2, Episode 4.

1. Frenchie's drug use

You shouldn't be surprised by Frenchie's drug use if you watched Season 1, Episode 2, where Frenchie offered Hughie a combination of MDMA and LSD to calm him down while they figured out what to do with Translucent.

2. Taxi Driver

Homelander and Doppelganger-as-Stillwell are watching Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic Taxi Driver. Homelander is identifying with Travis Bickle, who goes on a rampage after becoming disillusioned with society and being rejected by a woman. We're seeing Homelander's slide toward outright villainy (as opposed to just, you know, secretive villainy) in real time.

3. Doppelganger

Don't feel bad if you forgot about this character--Stillwell used him to blackmail a senator back in Season 1, Episode 2.

4. Shockwave

In Vought Tower, A-Train glimpses his rival Shockwave getting into an elevator. Shockwave appeared in Season 1 when he and A-Train raced. In Season 2, Episode 1, you might have glimpsed a tabloid back cover claiming Shockwave was in talks to join The Seven. Guess they were right.

5. Starlight's song

When Starlight turns on the radio the first song that comes on is the one she sang at Translucent's funeral in the Season 2 premiere, "You'll Never Truly Vanish."

6. American Idol

Hughie praises Annie's "that wavering thing they do on American Idol." As Mother's Milk points out, he's talking about vibrato, a well-known but difficult singing technique. As for American Idol, the reality singing competition show premiered in 2002 and, besides a brief hiatus, continues to this day.

7. We Didn't Start the Fire

Yep, that's right--more Billy Joel. The song "We Didn't Start the Fire" was released in 1989 on the album--wait for it--Storm Front. In the song, Joel uses rapid-fire verses to list historically significant events that occurred between 1949 (the year he was born) and 1989. This sing-a-long is probably the moment Hughie decided he and Starlight are soulmates.

8. The Lovers of Valdaro

The Lovers of Valdaro referenced during one of The Deep's cult speed-dating scenes are a real thing. They were discovered in a tomb in San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy, in 2007.

9. More Scientology connections

So far in Season 2, the Church of the Collective has been painted as a broad parody of Scientology. The Deep's wife auditions, then, may have been inspired by Scientology's alleged wife-auditing process for Tom Cruise, as described in Vanity Fair.

10. Cherie

Cherie, played by Jordana Lajoie, has been around in a bunch of scenes since Season 1 but has never been featured this prominently.

11. Dunkin'

Starlight tells MM that her dad used to take her to Dunkin' Donuts secretively to get treats that were forbidden in her house. If you're from the western United States you're probably less familiar with Dunkin', which only recently expanded successfully in places like Los Angeles. But in much of the country--including Iowa, where Starlight's from--Dunkin' is a staple.

12. Baskin-Robbins

For his part, MM mentions Baskin-Robbins, an ice cream joint founded in 1948 that's known for its 31-flavor menu. Interestingly, Baskin-Robbins is owned by Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc., which, predictably, also owns Dunkin' Donuts.

13. Jeffrey Dahmer

Hughie tells Starlight that the only other person who likes Almond Joy besides her is Jeffrey Dahmer, an infamous serial killer active between 1978 and 1991. He is generally not someone you want to be compared to, even over something as trivial as taste in candy bars. However, there doesn't seem to be any actual connection between Dahmer and Almond Joy--it's just a joke on Hughie's part. Later, he makes a similar joke, but this time involving John Wayne Gacy, another serial killer.

14. The worst candy bars in the history of candy

The other candy bars that Annie mentions are Charleston Chew (chocolate-covered nougat, first sold in 1925) and Bit-O-Honey (honey-flavored taffy with almond pieces, invented in 1924).

15. Ed Sheeran

Another woman pitching herself as The Deep's cult wife reveals her tattoo of Ed Sheeran. Sheeran is an English musician and actor born in 1991.

16. In Depth

"In Depth with Maria Menounos" is not a real show, although Menounos is a real reporter, actress, and more, who's hosted Extra and E! News, plus served as a correspondent for Today and Access Hollywood.

17. I want my Compound V

There's a throughline in this episode that will likely come up again later: Now that the public knows about Compound V, everyone wants it for themselves. A protestor can be seen during Stormfront's scenes in the park holding a sign that reads "I want my Compound V," while a news ticker noted that protestors want Compound V turned over to the International Health Organization. After all, in addition to granting superpowers, Compound V might have all sorts of applications for curing disease and prolonging life in general.

18. People's Free Food Program

MM's t-shirt was inspired by this 1972 photograph by Steven Shames, which depicts two women with bags featuring the same logo. Between 1969 and the early '70s, the Black Panthers civil rights group provided free breakfast for tens of thousands of schoolchildren, according to this History.com article.

Meanwhile, the backstory that MM describes is taken largely from the comics.

19. The Raleigh Tribune

The Raleigh Tribune is not a real paper, although there was a Raleigh Daily Tribune in the 1800s. Most of the headlines are typical real-world news about things like a convenience store robbery and the opioid pandemic, although there's one about Kimiko's brother Kenji out of focus in the upper left corner.

As far as Stormfront, so far her backstory is sounding like it's going to be similar to the comics version's, although in the present day story she's very different.

20. The memes

The Homelander/Stormfront memes are a treat--someone who works on this show probably had a really fun time making these. They follow several popular image macro meme formats recognizable to anyone who spends time browsing Reddit.

The Boys Season 2 has some of the dankest memes around thanks to Homelander's rivalry with Stormfront.

Somebody who works on The Boys had a lot of fun making these memes, and when we watched Season 2, Episode 4, "Nothing Like It in the World," we had a lot of fun looking at them.

The rivalry that's heating up between Homelander and Stormfront is one of the most fun things this season--as well as one of the most stress-inducing. After all, two figures with that much power, one of which is a sociopath at the very least and definitely has a god complex, and the other a full-blown nazi--well, it probably isn't going to be great for the other characters when Homelander and Stormfront finally clash.

For now, there's simply a lot of tension bubbling under the surface, and Stormfront is using the powers of social media to burrow into Homelander's skin. How this will end is anyone's guess, but in the meantime, we took the opportunity to go through Episode 4 frame-by-frame and catch every single Homelander/Stormfront meme that so enrages the head supe. We present them here for your pleasure.

For more on The Boys Season 2, check out our review of the season's opening episodes, then join us on our hunt for every Easter egg and reference in the first three, followed by 20 more in Episode 4. Lastly, check out how the show characters stack up to the comics in our show-to-books comparison gallery.

This explainer contains full spoilers for The Boys Season 2, episode 4. Be sure to check out our review of The Boys Season 2, episode 4. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Sprinkled throughout the first three episodes of The Boys' second season are Easter eggs in the form of posters and even an old Budweiser advertisement featuring a superhero called Liberty. These brief glimpses of the forgotten hero never gave us a clear image of who this heroine might be... until now. Episode 4, titled "Nothing Like It in the World," revealed the shocking truth that Stormfront is somehow Liberty. While we still don't know how Liberty looks so good after 50+ years on the job (Compound V perhaps?), we spoke to showrunner Eric Kripke to learn more details about her transformation into Stormfront.

The Boys Season 2: Is Liberty from the Comic Books?

While Stormfront is a character from the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson who was created by the Nazis, Liberty is a completely new creation from Kripke and his writing team. While there are some key differences (the main one being that in the comics, Stormfront is a guy) it's very clear that she exhibits many of her comic book counterpart's beliefs. "From day one, I wanted to bring Stormfront in as a character, but we wanted to change it up as we do with a lot of the elements in the show," Kripke told IGN. "We wanted it to reflect 2020. And the truth is today, a lot of hate is packaged in this sort of savvy, charming social media package. Like, 'Hey, we're just iconoclastic free thinkers over here,' but really we've been pedaling hateful s**t for decades.' So we wanted to reflect that. So we start off with this character who's savvy and a free thinker, but then, once you scratch the surface you realize how hateful her thoughts and feelings are. And now, in episode 4, we realize that not only does she have those hateful thoughts, but she's also very old and she's holding onto very old hateful thoughts that's she's now just packaging in new ways." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/24/amazons-the-boys-season-2-review"] For the sake of spoilers, Kripke didn't go into too much detail about Stormfront's mysterious past or why she's decided to make a comeback all of a sudden. However, he did hint at why Vought may have given her a new persona. "So we knew that Stormfront is much older than she lets on," Kripke explained. "[Liberty] just came from a conversation of, well, Vought probably changed her image every couple of decades and just moved her around, like a catholic priest. And so, who would she have been in the '70s or '60s? Who would she have been if she had even greater freedom to be openly racist? So it emerged from that conversation." We also found it interesting that for a character called Liberty, she doesn't really live up to her name - Kripke explained why. "It falls under a very typical Vought M.O.," Kripke said. "They give their heroes very marketable names. And the heroes in many ways exhibit the exact opposite qualities of the names they're professing: Queen Maeve doesn't act much like a queen, Homelander isn't really protecting his homeland, and Liberty is about the opposite of liberty." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/02/the-boys-how-much-does-homelander-know-about-homelander"] For more on The Boys: Season 2, check out our review of episode 4, find out which character X-Men star Shawn Ashmore is playing in upcoming episodes, and who Supernatural star Jensen Ackles will play in Season 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/02/the-boys-how-much-does-homelander-know-about-homelander"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

In 2018 Microsoft had the idea to sink an entire data center to the bottom of the Scottish sea as an experiment to see if submerged conditions were better for data centers. After two years, Microsoft resurfaced its nautical data center and discovered the results turned out great. Microsoft sunk 864 servers, which contained 27.6 petabytes of storage, down 117 feet into the ocean. Microsoft’s Project Natick team believed these underwater conditions would actually be more energy-efficient and better overall for data centers. And it looks like they were correct. As it turns out, underwater data centers had just one-eight the failure rate of on-land data centers. The reason is that on land factors like oxygen, moisture in the air can corrode computer components. Not to mention the many temperature fluctuations over time. Meanwhile, if data centers are placed in Microsoft’s submerged pods, engineers can create a stable environment where they control factors like humidity and oxygen, or just keep data centers away from people who might break things themselves. Having deployable data centers like this can also allow companies to build servers near coastal areas that need them. The next stage of the experiment will see if Microsoft can safely recycle retrieved data centers once they reach the end of their lifespan. Check out Project Natick’s full research blog here, and the video explainer here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. Photo by Microsoft

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced a partnership with global home-furnishings giant IKEA that will see the development of a new and exclusive range of gaming-furniture solutions designed to...

The more smoke particles in the air, the fewer baby blue wavelengths make it through. (Pexels /)

If you live in the Bay Area and happen to peek outside your window, it probably looks a bit like the apocalypse: one giant orange haze in place of what used to be blue and cloudy skies. Surprisingly, this creepy side effect of the wildfires rampaging across 2.5 million acres of the US’s western coast has a pretty simple scientific explanation.

On a typical day, we can thank gases and particles, including water, in the Earth’s atmosphere for scattering light in all directions. Thanks to its itty bitty wavelengths, blue gets scattered way more than other colors. But when extra smoke particles fill our atmosphere, the sun’s longer visual wavelengths, namely orange and red, have a better chance of making it through the smog to give the sky some color. Once they make their way in, these hues, with their longer wavelengths, overwhelm the sky.

What #SanFrancisco looks like almost 2 hours after sunrise. #CaliforniaFires pic.twitter.com/KD6t39ctV1

— V (@vjeranpavic) September 9, 2020

This isn’t all too different from what happens when we see a sunset, according to NASA. When you spy a warm-toned watercolor sky on a pretty summer night, those colors are taking center stage because when the sun is just peeking over the horizon, rays of light have to travel through more layers of the atmosphere, blocking out the more petite wavelengths.

With enough smoke, giant smoke plumes may form starting “fire thunderstorms” that can block out the sun completely, creating some of the eerie darkness that comes along with the odd color, tweeted UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.

10:30am skies over Nob Hill in San Francisco.
Stay safe everyone! pic.twitter.com/H4pLL6XSco

— Zneha (@mithrilmaker) September 9, 2020

While the look of the sky is undoubtedly something to gap at, please do so from inside your home, if possible. All across the West Coast, and especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, smoke from the fires is making air quality abysmal. The smoke particles in the air can reach deep into the lungs, causing inflammation and injury to the lining,, USCF medicine professor John Balmes said in a press release.

“People should be sheltering in place as much as possible,” Balmes says. “Stay home with windows closed, ventilation turned to recirculate, and if possible, have a clean air room with a HEPA air purifying appliance.”

To avoid the ickiness that comes along with smoky air, and not to mention COVID-19, it’s probably best to hole up inside your home for the time being.

Never be without a roll. Using a Raspberry Pi and a sensor, you can get an email when you’re out of toilet paper.

Following a number of rumors and leaks, NVIDIA this evening announced that it is buying Arm Limited for $40 billion. The cash and stock deal will see NVIDIA buy the semiconductor and IP design firm from SoftBank and its associated SoftBank Vision Fund, with NVIDIA taking an eye towards expanding Arm’s IP licensing business while also using Arm’s technology to further pierce into the datacenter market. The deal is just being formally announced today and will likely not close for some time, as it is expected to be required to clear multiple regulatory hurdles in the UK, US, China, and other governments across the globe.

What is football without crowds? With the Premier League thought to be one of the most exciting football leagues to watch anywhere, a part of that is the atmosphere fans bring to games.

And so when the pandemic hit, fans were required to stay away – but without their presence matches lose a sense of colour, impact and most importantly, noise.

Which is why Sky set about bringing some semblance of the football experience back with Project Restart’s virtual crowd noise. Ahead of the 2020/21 season, Sky’s Kevin McCue elaborated on how they did it.

Related: How Sky is bringing Dolby Atmos to the masses

“What can we do to enhance the experience?”

The road to the eventual solution was not always clear. While it seems rather obvious now, other ideas were in the pipeline.

Sky had been approached by companies about the concept of live crowds in an empty stadium. One idea was to use a stadium’s PA array to playback crowds during a live broadcast. Another decidedly more sketchy idea, was that fans could use an app where “people could shout at their phone and it would come out in the stadium”. For anyone who’s sat among fans, you’ll know exactly the type of ‘creativity’ they can come up with.

And (unfortunately) Sky was aware too. With no guarantee there wouldn’t be any profanity, McCue, head of Technical Innovation and Facilities at Sky, said “we felt very uncomfortable, this idea of essentially unleashing a group of people on our live broadcasts that we have absolutely no control over and anything could happen. And for various reasons, including things like transmission delays, and all this other kind of stuff, it really wasn’t going to work.”

So Sky reached out to EA Games in Vancouver, Canada. Sky already had a long-standing relationship, recording the sounds of crowds used in the FIFA football games. Both had similar ideas as to how they’d create a dynamic crowd environment, potentially through AI, computer vision (training computers to understand the visual world) and other crowd interactions.

However, latency issues made that all but impossible. So the solution, to dreadfully paraphrase Indeep’s 1982 classic, was that a DJ came to save virtual football crowds (life).

“It very quickly became a little bit of a tumbling snowball”

Despite doubts as to whether the concept of pre-recorded crowds would work, after a few demonstrations the head bods came round and then it snowballed, with the concept applied to the English Football League and set to be used for the upcoming NFL season.

Working with EA and another company in Vancouver that produces soundscapes and assets for gaming giant, the elements that would become the crowd mix were collated in DJ application called Ableton Live. Perusing the Ableton website, Live looks like a sprawling and thoroughly complex piece of software to a DJ layman like myself. So it’s a stroke of fortune that Adam Peri, Sound Supervisor at Sky Production Services, was in the mix, so to speak.

Peri had experience with Ableton and had done a bit of DJ-ing himself, and McCue describes Peri’s process as spending “the first week at home with a laptop that we found with Ableton on it and a MIDI keyboard. At the end of that period of time he’s like, ‘right, I need a mixer, I need some buttons. I need this, this, this, this and this, I think I can make this work.’ We supplied him with the kit and off he went. He did the first couple of events himself.”

As things began to align with the technology, method of playback and how it was going to be used in place, Sky also had “to train a whole bunch of people that maybe have no experience of Ableton, or no experience of playing a crowd live and no way really to rehearse it to, to train all these people and go live with it.”

As McCue concedes, “there was [sic] a few mistakes. I think we triggered a goal when it was a miss”, but that “over time it became very refined and actually became a really integral part of our broadcasting.”

“It is very hands-on, very dynamic. There’s no algorithms per se and there are lots of different loops, and what [the] sound supervisors are doing, blending those loops on top of each other, and then having these kinds of specific events that they can trigger on demand.”

“It went from something flat to something very immersive and wrapped around you”

But Sky is also broadcasting Premier League football in Dolby Atmos. They adopted the object-based audio tech several years back, and have pushed its use from art shows to live music events. In the context of adding virtual crowds, that added a little more complexity.

Usually, matchday sounds are captured with mics positioned around the pitch, with mics also in the gantry and pointed back at crowds to create a sense of height, as well as layering in discreet effects (such as PA announcements). Without physical crowds, there’s a space that needs filling.

And so with the crowd chants mixed into the Ableton Live workflow, the team essentially lifted the crowd noises and as McCue explains “we kind of panned to them so they existed in the 5.1 realm, but also existed in the height realm, and what that did was give you a bit of a lump of immersion above you… it gave you that enveloping kind of singing crowd [that’d] you’d expect at a football match because that’s where a lot of the a lot of the noise comes from.”

And by sneaking in some localised PA announcements into the heights, McCue calls the difference “night and day”, with the “echoey ropey old stadium PA above your head” making you feel as if you’re at the venue.

Related: Best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Considering the initial reaction to virtual crowds was not unlike a bad rash, a good chunk of football fans have eventually been converted. There have been some occasions – with Sky and other broadcasters too – where I’ve forgotten there aren’t any physical crowds there.

And we’ll be hearing more of Sky’s work, taking what worked and what didn’t with Project Restart, and applying that to its virtual crowds as the new season gets up and running. You could even see it applied to other sports, such as boxing, in the near future.

While it’s undoubtedly a compromise, it’s an innovation that’s making the somewhat sombre feeling of not being in stadiums just that little less keenly felt.

The post Sky Sports and bringing virtual crowds to life in Atmos appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Doom Patrol has been renewed for a third season exclusively for HBO Max. The new season will premiere sometime in 2021. Doom Patrol, based on the DC Comics characters of the same name, stars a misfit group of heroes comprising Robotman, Negative Man, Crazy Jane, Elasti-Woman, and Cyborg. The first two seasons premiered on DC’s digital subscription service DC Universe, but WarnerMedia has since moved the first two seasons to HBO Max. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=doom-patrol-season-2-gallery&captions=true"] “Doom Patrol came to HBO Max with an already deep and passionate fan base and has risen to the top as one of the most-watched Max Originals on the platform,” HBO Max original content boss Sarah Aubrey said in a statement. Doom Patrol has been consistently praised for its off-kilter tone, gonzo plot, and unique sensibilities, especially compared to other superhero shows and even other DC shows. For example, the big bad of Season 1 was introduced with the arrival of a farting goat. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/doom-patrol-season-2-trailer"] IGN reviewed the Doom Patrol season 2 premiere and gave it a 9/10 calling it the “best thing on DC Universe.” However, given HBO Max’s higher profile, the move to the premiere Warner Bros. streaming platform will hopefully give Doom Patrol an even bigger profile and more attention. For more from DC FanDome, check out the biggest reveals and announcements from DC FanDome Day 1, peruse the full list of DC FanDome panels and how to watch them on our schedule, and read our exclusive interview with Jim Lee on how to navigate the impressive DC FanDome lineup. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-trailer-screenshots&captions=true"] [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The Recording Industry Association of America has released its mid-year report on the state of the US music industry. While there were plenty of expected outcomes (streaming way up, physical sales continuing to plunge), there were a few surprises.The...

Fear is the mind-killer.

Have you faced your fear and allowed it to pass over you and through you? If not, you might want to get on that--you can start by watching the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve's Dune and then heading back here as we break down every little moment you probably missed. But first, if you have watched the trailer and are completely new to the Duniverse, you may want to go check out our primer on every character you'll need to know--it's spoiler-free, so don't worry. Frank Herbert's novel may be 55 years old, but we're still invested in making sure you get a pure, Spice-infused Dune experience no matter how you come to the story.

Now, with that in mind, this trailer is pretty dense in terms of Dune lore, so strap in and prepare yourself to be a little overwhelmed by the scope and scale of it all as we take you through shot-by-shot.

Dune is set to hit theaters on December 18.

1. Meet Paul

Naturally, the first shot of the first trailer is dedicated to Dune's hero, Paul Atreides, heir to House Atreides. Paul is played by Timothee Chalamet in this version of the story.

2. Paul's Visions

One of the key elements in Dune's story is Paul's prophetic visions. Long before he actually sets foot on Arrakis, he begins to have dreams about the desert planet and, more specifically, about a woman he's never actually met. We see those dreams play out here in brief flashes--and though Paul doesn't know it yet, it's obvious the woman he's seeing is none other than Chani.

3. Chani

Chani, the daughter of Arrakis planetologist Liet-Kynes, is a prominent figure in Paul's dreams, and a critical part of Paul's introduction to Fremen culture. Chani is played by Zendaya in the 2020 version of Dune.

4. There's a crusade coming

Paul's visions are, unfortunately, not enough to help him completely circumvent the disaster that befalls his family--some moments of which we briefly see here. The story of Dune centers on the complicated political machinations of two great houses--the heroic House Atreides and the villainous House Harkonnen--with the planet Arrakis as the stage. Even if you're totally unfamiliar with the novel, moments like this in the trailer should tell you everything you need to know about exactly how poorly that goes.

5. Meeting the Reverend Mother

Dune's political system is complicated, to say the least, and while the galaxy is essentially ruled by an emperor, the emperor is surrounded by other extremely powerful and influential groups who are able to wield just as much--if not more--power and influence. One such group is the Bene Gesserit, an all-female cabal who blend theology and spirituality with socio-economic maneuvering to exert their influence across the galaxy.

The Reverend Mother Gaius Mohaim, portrayed by Charlotte Rampling, is an extremely high-ranking Bene Gesserit and the person responsible for training Paul's mother, Lady Jessica. She can be seen here, waiting for Paul, and heard narrating the bulk of the trailer.

6. The Gom Jabbar

One of the most famous parts of Dune lore has to be the Gom Jabbar Test of Humanity, which Gaius Mohaim gives to Paul. The test is relatively simple--the subject must put their hand inside a box which causes them great physical pain. As this happens and the pain escalates, the Bene Gesserit administering the test holds a Gom Jabbar--a needle coated with extremely lethal venom--at the subject's throat. If the subject removes their hand from the box or jerks away, the Bene Gesserit will drive the needle into their neck, killing them.

Rather than considering it a test of a person's pain threshold, the whole process was actually designed to see if a person was "human," in that they could ignore their instincts for long enough to hone their awareness and school their mind and body--which the Bene Gesserit believe to be the chief distinction between human and animal.

As Paul endures his own test, he taps into the Bene Gesserit training his mother gave him to hold out for longer than anyone Gaius Mohaim had ever tested--thanks in part to the Litany Against Fear, a Bene Gesserit meditation (and arguably the most famous quote from the series) which can be heard later in the trailer.

7. Goodbye Caladan

Dune's major inciting moment is the move of House Atreides from their home planet Caladan to the desert planet Arrakis--we see some of that migration here, as well as some establishing shots of Caladan, so you can see just how different it is from their new home world. Basically any shot with water in it throughout this trailer is on Caladan.

8. Shields

One of the stranger bits of tech in the Duniverse is the personal shield, or Holtzman shield, that can be projected over a person's body from an emitter usually worn on the belt, though in this trailer both Gurney and Paul wear theirs on their hands. A personal shield acts as a sort of one-man force field, bubbling the wearer in a protective case to help protect them from any potentially lethal blows and help with training--we can see a few different times here that the shields seem to flash blue when blows are blocked and red when blows break through. We see Paul activate his here.

9. Training with Gurney

Paul trains extensively with House Atreides' weapon master, Gurney Halleck--played by Josh Brolin. The scene here is likely from the beginning of the story, before the family relocates to Arrakis. Gurney is a poet and musician at heart, but is worried about Paul's safety on their new homeworld, so he's definitely not going easy on him.

10. The Duke

Duke Leto is, above all else, a noble man who tries to keep the best interests of his family at heart. The move to Arrakis was not an easy decision for him to make, but the potential reward was something he judged to be greater than the risks. We see him contemplating his choices here while the voice of Gaius Mohaim states ominously that he's losing his planet for a new one, and he'll lose that one, too. Duke Leto Atreides is portrayed by Oscar Issac in the 2020 adaptation.

11. Lady Jessica

Paul's mother, the Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica, is Duke Leto's concubine. The two never married for political reasons but remain absolutely faithful to one another. Rebecca Ferguson portrays Lady Jessica in this particular interpretation of the novel.

12. Bene Gesserit Sisters

The look and feel of members of the Bene Gesserit order is something that has changed pretty dramatically across every adaptation of Dune. Here we see Villeneuve's take on them, complete with sheer shrouds over their heads and gold ornamental jewelry.

13. Thufir Hawat

Duke Leto's trusted Mentat (human computer--see our character breakdown for more on him), Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinnley Henderson), is only briefly seen in the trailer, carrying a classy little parasol to help block out the harsh Arrakis sun.

14. Duncan Idaho

Duncan Idaho, played by Jason Momoa, is one of the most skilled fighters serving House Atreides. He was among the first to travel from Caladan to Arrakis in order to scout ahead and see if he could find any in-roads with the Fremen. We see him here as he's reunited with the family--especially Paul, who he trains.

15. Stilgar

Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem, is one of the leaders of the Fremen people. We see him here taking the mask off his stillsuit, a full-body device that repurposes all escaped moisture and bodily fluid (yes, all bodily fluids) into drinkable water.

16. The Harkonnens

We only briefly see the figureheads of House Harkonnen in this trailer--a murky, over the shoulder shot of Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgard) and a moment of Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), apparently surveying his troops.

17. Dr. Yueh

Dr. Wellington Yueh, the chief doctor of House Atreides, is easy to pick out in a crowd thanks to the tattoo on his forehead which marks him as a person who has undergone Suk Conditioning, which, in theory, prevents him from harming another living person.

18. The coming of the Sardaukar

One of the looming threats the Harkonnens hold above House Atreides is a connection with the Emperor and his elite military force, the Sardaukar. The Sardaukar are raised from birth on a prison planet called Salusa Secundus, which instills in them not only a natural survival instinct and fierce fighting ability, but a zealous and cult-like religious devotion to the Emperor. We get to watch them landing from their drop ships here, aided by their suspender tech which helps soften their fall--it's the same tech you might recognize from David Lynch's 1984 take on Baron Harkonnen, but, well, perhaps a bit more accurate to the novel.

18. "Let's fight like demons."

Duncan gets a featured spot in the trailer, showcasing just how great of a fighter he really is as he faces off against the Sardaukar troops. In the novel, Duncan was responsible for rallying House Atreides' only chance to defend themselves--the Fremen, who they believed to be the only fighting force in the galaxy who could come close to holding their own against the Sardaukar.

20. Thopter

Technology in the Duniverse is a strange thing--thanks in part to a historical war called the Butlerian Jihad, which took place some 10,000 years prior to the events of the story. The Butlerian Jihad completely pivoted the Dune timeline away from our own in terms of how tech works (especially computers) and totally reshaped the look and feel of most machines. We can see a "Thopter" here, the Dune version of a helicopter, obviously modeled after a dragonfly.

21. Atreides Battle Language

Paul and Duncan share a brief gesture that looks almost like a salute, but is more likely a sign in House Atreides' "battle language." Somewhere between military hand-signals and secret code, House Atreides developed their very own system of communication to be used on the battlefield that would be indecipherable to any outsiders

22. The Baron takes a dip

Though we don't see much of Baron Vladimir in this trailer, we do catch a quick glimpse of him emerging from some sort of bath. In the novel, the Baron is described as physically malformed and plagued with all sorts of health problems. In the 1984 version, he was covered in pus-filled boils. We'll have to wait and see exactly what sort of person he is in this version.

23. My his passage cleanse the world

Our first hint of a famous Arrakis sandworm is an aerial shot of one consuming a Spice mining craft--in the novel, this is Paul's first ever experience with a sandworm.

24. Liet-Kynes

We only get a brief glimpse of Dr. Kynes, Arrakis's resident planetologist, and the nearest thing the Fremen have to a unifying leader between all tribes. Head to our character breakdown for more info on her.

25. Paul and the Fremen

Given Paul's visions of Chani and the destruction rained down during the Harkonnen "crusade" against House Atreides, it's no surprise we see Paul finding his way to the Fremen.

26. The litany

Through the voiceover we hear part of the famous Litany Against Fear: "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

27. The Spice

Dune's famous Spice, or Melange, is found only on Arrakis and mined directly out of the sand. We see Paul take a handful and get a good look at it, glittering between his fingers. Spice apparently smells and tastes a lot like cinnamon--the more you know.

28. Duke Paul

Duncan bows and greets Paul as "my lord duke" at the end of the trailer, which probably tells you everything you need to know about how well Duke Leto fairs.

29. Shai-Hulud

The final shot of the trailer is a doozy, featuring Paul coming face-to-face (or, well, face-to-gaping maw) with a giant Shai-Hulud, or sandworm. While virtually everyone in the galaxy sees the worms as massive, deadly pests, the Fremen see them as divine and have mastered a way to work with them rather than against them for survival. This includes a way to ride them, and fashion their teeth into holy weapons called crysknives.

Note: IGN screened an extended, press-only version of the Dune trailer launch Q&A that included additional quotes from the cast and director. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Dune director Denis Villeneuve was the same age as the story’s 15-year-old protagonist Paul Atreides when he first read Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel. Villeneuve devoured the first book and went on to read the entire series. “I became obsessed by it,” said Villeneuve, whose passion for Dune arrived at the same time as he first dreamed about making films. “I felt that it had a massive potential on the screen.” Now, decades later, Denis Villeneuve’s realization of his lifelong obsession to adapt Dune as a film is almost finished. The first trailer for Dune was released Wednesday, providing viewers with their best look yet at Villeneuve’s interpretation. During a trailer launch Q&A with host Stephen Colbert, another huge fan of Herbert’s books, Villeneuve shed light on what makes Dune unique among sci-fi sagas and what the story and his screen adaptation are really about beyond giant sandworms and space spice. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/09/dune-official-trailer"]

What Is Dune About?

As a teen reading the book for the first time, Villeneuve was “craving” for “deep human adventure” and found it within the pages of Dune. “It was a very powerful, human story.” But, over the years, Villeneuve has appreciated the multiple levels Herbert’s story works on: “At its core, Dune is, you can see it from an angle as a simple adventure, powerful but simple epic adventure story. But it has so many roots in so many things. That is why it makes the books so rich. And we tried to keep that richness in the movies. So it's always tricky to choose one word or one specific theme because it has so many elements. But I would say that you could say it's that humans, we need to earn our destiny in order to change the world. And it's something for me, the movie's a kind of a call for action, for us to change things. Specifically for the youth. And that's what I would say, yeah. A movie about fate and destiny.” Villeneuve says Dune’s sci-fi and fantasy elements are “background” in his story, with the film focusing on “the human journey” at the heart of Paul Atreides’ transformation from a young aristocrat into a revered warrior-prophet.”That's what makes Dune so unique. It's, at the end of the day, it's a great human story. The technological elements are there in the background.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dune-movie-images&captions=true"] Oscar Isaac, who plays the noble Duke Leto Atreides I, father of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul, agrees with that grounded, relatable assessment. For Isaac, Dune is ultimately about “the clash of cultures and tribes. And the vast cultural history of humanity. And I think that's what Frank Herbert was really interested in. And so, this has a lot more to do with human tribes than it has to do with alien species.”

Why Dune Was Split Into Two Movies

But as intimate and human as Dune is, it takes place on a vast universe populated with many complex characters and story threads. That’s why one of Villeneuve’s conditions for production company Legendary Pictures, when he agreed to direct Dune, was that it be split into two films. “It's completely natural for us as screenwriters to break the story in two parts,” Villeneuve explained. “But the movie itself has its own arc, it is totally sustained itself as one journey. But to tell the [whole] story, we needed two movies.” [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/dune-director-explains-why-his-adaptation-will-be-split-across-two-movies-ign-news]

Who Are the Bad Guys in Dune?

One of the many rich yet complicated aspects of Dune is the vicious dynamic between the rival Great Houses that control politics, wealth, and power in the Galactic Padishah Empire. In a nutshell, Duke Leto’s House Atreides are the good guys and House Harkonnen -- led by Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen -- are the bad guys. For Villeneuve, distilling such complex maneuvering down into an understandable subplot for this first movie proved “a challenge,” but he cited one particular cast member as his “secret weapon” for making it work. “The politics of Dune is quite interesting and we try to keep it as simple as possible, keeping how rich it is. That was a challenge. I will say that my secret weapon for that was Stellan Skarsgård,” Villeneuve explained. The morbidly obese Baron Harkonnen is strapped into “suspensors” in order for him to be able to move (or, more precisely, float), which lent itself to how Villeneuve could depict the power dynamics between the Baron and other characters. “Because you put Stellan with the way we designed the Baron and we shoot him after five seconds onscreen, people will understand right away with is his position regarding the Atreides and the difference of moral values between the Atreides and the Harkonnens. So, frankly, I use the full power of cinema in order to bring that tension alive.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dune-movie-every-actor-in-the-sci-fi-reboot&captions=true"]

Dune's Desert Planet: Where Was Dune Shot?

In addition to demanding that Dune be split into two movies, Villeneuve‘s other condition when signing with Legendary was to film the scenes set on the planet Arrakis in a real desert. (The movie was partially shot in Jordan.) Beyond just giving his actors a tangible environment to respond to and the camera a real-world to capture -- “My argument was that they didn't shoot Jaws in a swimming pool” -- Villeneuve said filming in an actual desert was also key to conveying one of the main components of Frank Herbert’s novel and its environmentalist themes. “Dune is about [an] ecosystem. At the very core, what I deeply love about Dune is [the] exploration of life and the ecosystem and biosphere,” the director explained. “And all the science that Frank Herbert put behind that, it's so beautiful, it's so poetic. I think that in order to bring Dune to the screen, I needed to be as close to nature as possible.” Barring any pandemic-related postponement, Dune arrives in theaters this December. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dune-how-the-movies-have-depicted-the-iconic-stillsuit-costume&captions=true"]

A new study shows that valved masks and face shields offer less protection than cloth masks. A multi-layer cloth mask is a proven and effective way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. (Pexels/)

Labor Day weekend marked the unofficial end of a unique summer of social distancing and mask wearing. As fall approaches, epidemiologists and public health officials warn that even in areas that have flattened their curves, new spikes in coronavirus cases may follow in the chillier months to come. Meanwhile, drug companies are banding together to ensure any vaccine that reaches the market is safe and effective.

Drug companies pledge to vet vaccines for safety and efficacy before they reach public use

The race to create a coronavirus vaccine has been unlike any other. Before the pandemic, it took years or even decades for a new vaccine to make it through clinical trials. Now, immunologists and other researchers around the world are fast-tracking these trials to bring a vaccine to market as fast as possible. But with that speed comes concerns about safety and effectiveness.

President Trump has mentioned on many occasions that a vaccine could be available by election day on November 3rd. However, Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser for the coronavirus vaccine development program, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, told NPR last week that “there is a very, very low chance that the trials that are running as we speak could read before the end of October.”

This week, nine drug companies announced a joint pledge that they would not make a vaccine available unless it had been fully vetted for safety and efficacy, according to The New York Times. Three of the companies, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, are officially working on a vaccine for COVID-19. In the pledge, the companies didn’t say that they wouldn’t seek emergency use authorization for their vaccines—which is the only way a COVID-19 vaccine could make its way to the public by election day—but that they vowed to use the results of large clinical trials to determine if the drugs were safe and effective before bringing them to the FDA for review. You can follow developments on most vaccines here.

A new report suggests the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is now connected to over 250,000 cases of COVID-19

Last month, nearly 500,000 people descended onto a small town in South Dakota for an annual motorcycle rally. During the 10-day event, motorcycle enthusiasts from around the country crowded inside bars and restaurants, many without a mask. Since the rally, public health experts have feared that this event contributed to a number of new cases of COVID-19.

Now, one new paper out this week which tracked anonymous cell phone data from the rally acquired from the data company, SafeGraph, Inc. suggests that over 250,000 new cases of coronavirus that have popped up since the event have been linked back the gathering. According to economist Andrew Friedson, that’s around 19 percent of the total case count between August 2 and September 2.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, scientists have feared that big events, especially at indoor venues, could trigger super-spreader events where one or a few highly infectious people could spread the virus to an exponentially large number of people they interact with. The researchers also note that because the event was so long (it went on for 10 days), involved a large number of people from out-of-state, and had low mask compliance, that these factors could have further increased people’s chances of catching and spreading the virus.

Valved masks and face shields offer far less protection than cloth masks

A multi-layer cloth mask is a proven and effective way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Recently, other versions of face protection have become increasingly popular. Both face shields (plastic barriers that rest on your forehead) and valved masks, which have a one-way vent that lets air out but blocks germs from entering, have both become popular for their comfort and breathability. But a new study out last week in the journal Physics of Fluids shows that face shields worn without a cloth mask underneath as well as valved masks alone both allow large amounts of aerosols to escape when talking and breathing.

Research shows that the coronavirus can be spread via small and large viral droplets expelled when coughing and sneezing but also when talking loudly or in close proximity to others, especially for an extended period of time.

The study’s authors suggest that a cloth mask with at least two layers is the best option for consumers. N95 masks do likely offer the best protection but are often reserved for medical professionals. If you do want to wear a face shield, it can be worn in addition to a cloth mask for even more protection.

New York State’s signs of progress come with a warning and the midwest continues to see increased case counts

New York, home to one of the first and worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country, has had a COVID-19 test positivity rate of below 1 percent for 30 days straight, as of Sunday. That means of all the coronavirus tests the state performs each day, less than one percent of them have come back positive.

However, public health experts warn that case counts could spike again, especially as the economy continues to reopen and schools reopen their doors as well. At the State University of New York at Oneonta, there were 500 reported cases of COVID-19 just two weeks after the college opened. Researchers cite indoor crowded parties as a potential cause for the viral spread.

Around the country, cases are increasing in many parts of the midwest including North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri. You can see how your state and area is fairing here.

The Boys Season 2 arrived early, so let's dig in to all the references and other hidden nuggets we could find.

Amazon's The Boys is one of the best shows on TV, and not only because there's not technically a whole lot going on right now in Hollywood. Wonderfully, to make 2020 a little more bearable, Amazon released the new season's first three episodes--"The Big Ride," "Proper Preparation and Planning," and "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men"--a few hours early. Surprise!

If you loved The Boys Season 1 as much as we did and were just as excited for Season 2, chances are you already binged Season 2's initial three chapters. And if so, you must have noticed just how jam-packed these episodes are with background props, pop culture references, and countless other types of hidden nuggets. In just these three episodes, we managed to spot over 60 Easter eggs and other references--mind, that was after watching them each about five times, not to mention reading Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's original comics while we were at it. What can we say? We're obsessed.

If you want to know what we think of The Boys Season 2 so far, check out our review of Episodes 1-3. If you're curious how the versions of the characters in the show stack up against their counterparts in the comics, we have you covered there too. And if you want to know what you can spot when you go over every frame and each line of these episodes with a fine-toothed comb, read on for everything we spotted that you might have missed your first time through.

1. Yankee White

Stan Edgar says Vought requires a "top secret Yankee White" designation for Compound V. Yankee White is the term for a super high security clearance level within the US government.

2. Cone of Silence

Get Smart

Edgar also uses the phrase "cone of silence," a reference to a fictional device used in the Frank Herbert novel Dune, as well as in the 1960s spy show Get Smart.

3. Black Noir's Kill Bill shoutout

Black Noir encountering the child after killing the "supe terrorist" is reminiscent of the scene in Kill Bill vol. 1 in which Beatrix encounters Copperhead's daughter after killing her. Of course, Uma Thurman doesn't wave around a stuffed animal.

4. What lies before us

Homelander says Translucent's body "lies before us" in the glass coffin, but anyone who watched Season 1 knows that casket is empty, since Hughie blew Translucent up with a bomb shoved up his rear. In Season 1, The Deep found what was left of him buried at sea.

5. Maverick

After killing Translucent in Season 1, Hughie learned that the supe had a son. At his funeral, we learn that his son's name is Maverick. Translucent was such a douche--of course he'd name his son after Top Gun. That said, we wonder whether he'll pop up again--and if, like Homelander's son, he might have powers of his own.

6. Vought News Network

As if Vought wasn't corrupt enough already, the company apparently has its own news network. Unsurprisingly, the branding and logo look a lot like Fox News. No one's ever accused this show of being subtle.

7. #Voughtify

In addition, the song Starlight sings at Translucent's funeral, "You'll Never Truly Vanish," is streaming on a fictional service called #Voughtify--a play on Spotify.

8. TMZ

The bartender threatens to call TMZ if The Deep doesn't leave. TMZ is an infamous celebrity gossip website.

9. Pressure

The song that arrives with the title card is Billy Joel's "Pressure," from the 1982 album The Nylon Curtain. Recall from Season 1 that Hughie loves Billy Joel--the artist will come up again throughout these episodes. Related: Note the James Taylor t-shirt Hughie wears later in the episode.

10. Haitian Kings

Hughie walks by a mural for the Clarkson Avenue Haitian Kings. Some Googling helped us determine that this is not a real gang, although the Latin Kings are.

11. Conspicuous posters

In the pawn shop, the camera passes some conspicuous posters. One is for Terminal Beauty 3, a movie starring Popclaw (and apparently Billy Zane) that we glimpsed part of in Season 1. The other is for an unidentified "feminine product" made by Vought, and branded with the superhero Liberty--a figure who comes up one other time in these episodes.

12. Comic book shop? What comic book shop?

The pawn shop sells comic books, which of course all feature The Seven, including Homelander, Black Noir, A-Train, and The Deep. In the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic books on which the show is based, Hughie and Butcher meet frequently with a character named The Legend who lives in the back of a comic book shop.

13. Making Shockwaves

The New York Post's "Billy the Butcher" cover is the eye-catcher in this shot, but the back page features some new info about A-Train's speedster rival from Season 1, Shockwave. Not only has Shockwave set a new speed record during A-Train's incapacitation--he's also rumored to be in talks to join The Seven, apparently as A-Train's replacement. Then again, you definitely can't believe what you read in tabloids.

14. Church of the Collective

There's also a poster for the Church of the Collective, the Scientology-like cult that The Deep joins in these episodes. Their imagery (as seen on the poster and later, on the book) is even designed to look similar to the cover of L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics.

15. Alden Ehrenreich

Annie is apparently PR-dating Alden Ehrenreich (or so Hughie suspects). The actor played Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Hughie condescendingly calls him Ansel Adams, a 20th-century photographer.

16. Splash Zone Sandusky

Splash Zone is a real waterpark, although it's not in Sandusky, it's in Springfield, Ohio. Sandusky is, however, the home of the real-life amusement park Cedar Point, which has its own water park, formerly Soak City now Cedar Point Shores.

17. The Mariana Trench

The Deep references swimming in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean. The massive underwater canyon is almost 7 miles deep.

18. Fresca

Fresca is a real drink, created by The Coca-Cola Company in 1966. Why it's being featured so heavily in these episodes is still a mystery, although there's been a historical association between cults and specific beverages ever since the members of the Jonestown cult drank cyanide-laced Flavor Aid in their infamous 1978 mass murder-suicide--the source of the expression "drinking the Kool-Aid." We might have to start using "Fresca" instead after this season.

19. Vought-Con

Eagle the Archer mentions Vought-Con, an apparent fictional convention meant to parody Comic-Con. Wonder if Vought held their 2020 convention digitally?

20. Seth Rogen cameo

Seth Rogen is one of the show's executive producers. In this cameo, he's on a show called LOLTV to look back on Translucent's film roles, including Translucent: Invisible Force 2.

21. A Closer Look with Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen hosted the mid-aughts show To Catch A Predator, in which he entrapped and confronted would-be sexual predators.

22. Monsieur Charcuterie et Petit Hughie

Frenchie uses these nicknames for Butcher and Hughie, which come straight from the comics.

23. Marvin T. "Mother's" Milk

It was mentioned once in Season 1, but Mother's Milk's real name is actually Marvin T. Milk. The explanation for his nickname in the comics is, uh, interesting, so we're still waiting for the show to do some version of it.

24. Leaders

Lee Marvin in The Dirty Dozen

Frenchie references several fictional and real leaders when discussing why he believes The Boys need Butcher: Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith from The A-Team, The Dirty Dozen actor Lee Marvin, and The Beatles manager Brian Epstein.

25. La Croix

There are La Croixs in Stillwell's fridge. La Croix is a trendy carbonated water drink that's become popular in the last few years. Apparently Stillwell hadn't received the memo about Fresca from the Church of the Collective yet.

26. Blindspot

Blindspot is an invention for the show--not a character from the comics, like many of the other minor heroes mentioned or features on The Boys. He's an obvious parody of the Marvel hero Daredevil.

27. DivaCups

Homelander tells Ashley she'd be working at DivaCup if not for his recommendation that she get Stillwell's job. DivaCup is a brand of menstrual cup, a type of tampon alternative.

28. Eagle the Archer

Eagle's self-doubt about using archery in a modern setting echoes real-life conversations around the Marvel hero Hawkeye, who uses a bow and arrow to fight supervillains and aliens. In the comics, Eagle the Archer is a completely different character who makes an extremely brief appearance during World War II in a flashback issue.

29. News Easter eggs

The news show features multiple Easter eggs in the sidebar, including references to the G-Men, a supe team featured in the comics; Swatto, another supe from the comics; and Dawn of the Seven, a parody of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. There's a giant billboard for it later in this episode when the Boys meet with Raynor, and in Episode 3, we get treated to a script reading from the fictional movie's writer at Vought HQ.

30. Heroes to aspire to

Hughie knows he's no Lee Marvin, but he believes he can be a Harry Potter, John Connor (Terminator), or "whatsername from The Hunger Games" (Katniss). Great pop culture references, Petit Hughie.

31. Stormfront's livestream

Stormfront's livestream is brimming with Easter eggs. Look at the usernames of her commenters and you can spot references to The Legend (a comics-only character), Jack From Jupiter (another comics character), Lamplighter, A-Train, Homelander, Queen Maeve, Starlight, Shockwave, Popclaw, and Ezekiel, plus a user named "Maeve*Beats*WW42," which could be a veiled meta reference to the upcoming DC film Wonder Woman 1984 (42 is half of 84). The comment "Stormfront will rule the 7" might be a hint of things to come.

32. Lance Corporal Dan Miller

Stormfront points out that "army boy" is an actor who played "hotel clerk #2" from a Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders episode called "The Devil's Breath," which is a real episode of a real show. We have no idea if there's really a "hotel clerk #2" in it, as we haven't seen it, and IMDB doesn't list one.

33. Stormfront's earrings

Stormfront sports earrings in the shape of lightning bolts--a symbol of the Nazi SS. One of her livestream commenters even points them out. In the comics on which the show is based, Stormfront is more or less openly a Nazi, although the character in the show is very different.

34. You ain't John Cusack

Mother's Milk chides Hughie following Hughie's previous speech by telling him he's no John Cusack and lacks a "motherf***in' boombox." This is a reference to the 1989 movie Say Anything, in which John Cusack's character holds a boombox over his head and plays the song "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel in a grand romantic gesture that's since become iconic.

35. Congresswoman Neuman

Congresswoman Neuman is a reference to a The Boys comics character known as Vic the Veep, real name Victor Neuman. Vic, the vice president in the comics, is instrumental in Vought's plan to install The Seven in the US's national defense. Clearly, Congresswoman Neuman is very different from Vic the Veep.

36. Vought's origin

Soldier Boy and Butcher in the comics

During Stan Edgar's lecture on Vought's origin, he describes Frederick Vought, the company's founder, switching sides during the war, which really happened following WWII. He also mentions Soldier Boy, a supe from the comics who supposedly fought in World War II.

37. Tek Knight Lives

Tek Knight in the comics

Edgar tells Homelander to get to the premiere of Tek Knight Lives. Tek Knight is another supe from the comic books.

38. Tony Cicero's

In the Episode 2 flashback following the events of the Season 1 finale, Butcher wakes up in the parking lot of a Tony Cicero's. This is a running gag on the show--in Season 1, the Boys held Translucent captive in the back of a Tony Cicero's. There's a scene in which Hughie repeatedly punches a wall with the restaurant's logo on it.

39. BDP

Mother's Milk is wearing a t-shirt for Boogie Down Productions, a New York hip-hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. Their debut album was released in 1987, and La Rock was murdered five months later.

40. Savesmore Supermarkets

In the background of Eagle the Archer's apartment, you can see a poster for Savesmore Supermarkets, featuring Eagle himself. Eagle really is small-time compared with The Seven. Also, it's a weird choice for him to hang that promotional poster on his own wall.

41. Goo Goo Dolls

Deep says he did shrooms at a Goo Goo Dolls concert with "some poly-sci chick from Oberlin." The Goo Goo Dolls are a New York rock band formed in the mid '80s and popular throughout the '90s and beyond, and their popular song "Iris" plays during Deep's drug trip later. "Iris" was written for the soundtrack of City of Angels, starring Meg Ryan, who is Jack Quaid’s (Hughie) mother. In addition, Oberlin is a private liberal arts college and music conservatory in Ohio.

42. Edible Arrangement

Butcher sends an Edible Arrangement, a somewhat-trendy bouquet of fruit and chocolate, to Raynor's funeral. This is a callback to Season 1, when Raynor remarked that she'd send one to Butcher's funeral. Butcher's probably right when he says that "Raynor would have loved that."

43. Deep's gills

During The Deep's drug trip, his gills are voiced by comedian and actor Patton Oswalt.

44. Save the Music

Deep's gills mention the "VH1 Educator Awards." This is possibly a reference to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, which works to build music programs at schools, though we're not sure if there's a related award show.

45. Maggie Shaw

Queen Maeve reveals in this scene that her real name--or possibly her pseudonym, as we don't actually know much about her past--is Maggie Shaw. The Boys Wiki has this listed, so it may have been revealed previously, but we're not sure when.

46. Precious Moments

The porcelain figurine Queen Maeve brings Elena is reminiscent of the cheesy but popular Precious Moments figurines that have been sold since 1978.

47. Botched

When Maeve tells Elena that "watching Botched doesn't make you a f***ing medical expert," she's referring to the reality show that has run on E! since 2014. The show follows two doctors as they attempt to rectify apparently botched plastic surgeries.

48. You're Only Human (Second Wind)

Hughie's love of Billy Joel continues as he obsessively watches the 1985 music video for Joel's song "You're Only Human (Second Wind)." In the extremely dorky video, a teen contemplates suicide following a minor fender bender. Joel appears as a black-clad angel and takes him on an It's A Wonderful Life-style journey through his future. The song and video appear again at the start of Episode 3. And although this is likely coincidental, it's interesting to note that Joel's black trenchcoat vaguely resembles the leather dusters worn by The Boys in the comics.

49. Kevin

The gills also reveal Deep's real name: Kevin.

50. You Are So Beautiful

You probably recognize the song that Kevin and his gills sing to one another, but you might not know its history. "You Are So Beautiful" was written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and released in 1974 on the album The Kids & Me. It was popularized when another musician, Joe Cocker, covered it on his album I Can Stand a Little Rain.

51. Cristal

Jay-Z in the 2006 video for "Show Me What You Got"

When Starlight condescendingly recommends A-Train not hit the sauce so hard following his recovery, she mentions the drink Cristal, an iconic type of cuvée champagne that has a surprisingly tumultuous relationship with the hip-hop community.

52. Backpack surprise

As Stormfront walks away, you can clearly see where Starlight stashed the Compound V as A-Train approached: in Stormfront's backpack.

53. 12 Years A Slave

Maeve recounts a story from the Oscars part for the movie 12 Years A Slave. The 2013 film is an adaptation of Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir of the same name, in which the freeborn African-American man recounts being kidnapped and sold into slavery.

54. Jiffy Pop

Homelander requests some Jiffy Pop from Becca. Jiffy Pop is a brand of popcorn invented by Frederick C. Mennen in Indiana in 1958. Homelander likely views Jiffy Pop as quintessentially American.

55. Homedefender

Visit any Halloween store and you'll find cheesy knock-off superhero costumes. In the world of The Boys, these are obviously based on The Seven, because this show's production design is ridiculously detailed and great.

56. Brooklyn Bridge

The apparent terrorist in the costume store who Kimiko kills is looking at a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge, likely as a target for attack. In the alternate history of the comics, the Brooklyn Bridge was destroyed on 9/11 instead of the World Trade Center, due to The Seven's intervention--in a scene that was reinterpreted and adapted during Season 1, when Homelander and Queen Maeve failed to save the hijacked plane.

57. Pippi Longstocking

Stormfront's account of Pippi Longstocking's super-strength and temperament are accurate as far as we know. The character first appeared in an eponymous series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren that were originally published in 1945.

58. Liberty

The start of Episode 3 brings a juicy one: Mallory asks Butcher whether he's ever heard of an "old supe" named Liberty. Here's our theory: Liberty is Stormfront's previous identity, or possibly the identity of her mother or another figure from Stormfront's past.

Stormfront in the comics is a full-blown Nazi, and if the show version is as long-lived as some supes from the comics supposedly are, she might have been around earlier in the 20th century--say, during World War II. Even if that's not the case, Liberty could be someone related to Stormfront, or a mentor figure. In Episode 1, Stan Edgar told Homelander the story of Frederick Vought, a Nazi scientist who created Compound V and later switched sides. This figure might have been one of his early successes, made the trip to the Allied side with him, and assumed the ultra-American identity Liberty.

Here's some more evidence: Stormfront shares her name with an infamous white supremacy and neo-nazi website (note: link goes to Wikipedia). The site was formed in the 1990s, but according to books cited on that Wikipedia page, it was built on the foundation of an early internet message board system in the '80s. That message board system was called Liberty Net. Heck, even Stormfront and Liberty's color schemes match. Finally, Edgar personally installed her on the team. What do you think?

59. Saving America

When A-Train leaves the club and enters the bright sunlight he's passed by a bus that features an ad from the marketing campaign that Homelander and Queen Maeve were shooting in Episode 1 when they met Stormfront.

60. Hans Zimmer and Hitchcock

The movie storyboard scene has several pop culture references. The writer mentions Hans Zimmer, the iconic film score composer behind movies like Gladiator, The Dark Knight, and many more. Lin Manuel Miranda, who apparently wants to do the voice for Translucent, is the iconic creator of the popular musical Hamilton. And when Stormfront refers to "unknowable Hitchcock b****es," she's talking about influential 20th-century horror filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, whose treatment of female characters has been criticized.

61. Hughie's message

Hughie leaves Starlight a message on her burner phone saying "we did it" in reference to the Compound V's exposure. Later in the episode, Homelander is lurking in the shadows Hughie asks Starlight whether she got his message. No doubt Homelander will put two and two together and Starlight is basically screwed.

62. "Yellow"

The moment when Stormfront uses a racist slur against Kimiko's brother is inspired by a moment from the comics in which Stormfront and "The Female" fought.

Though a third season of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy has yet to be announced, the show is doing stellar numbers for the streaming giant, with Nielsen revealing that the series, since its Season 2 drop back on July 31, has pulled in numbers and headlines the first list of Top Streaming Shows in the US. Netflix may dominate this list thanks to shows like The Office and Grey's Anatomy but its the company's original series Umbrella Academy that lands in the number one spot - with 3 billion minutes watched over the week of August 3-9. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/31/the-umbrella-academy-season-2-review"] During the same window, viewers binged 1.1 billion minutes of the runner-up, Shameless, and 918 million minutes watching of number three, Grey's Anatomy. The last time Netflix had a hit this big it was with The Witcher, which became the second-biggest TV hit of 2019, behind Stranger Things: Season 4. Even in 2019, The Umbrella Academy was a success since its first season placed third behind Stranger Things. Here's how Nielsen's Top Streaming Shows in the US list breaks down:

• 1. The Umbrella Academy, 3.01 billion minutes viewed
• 2. Shameless, 1.13 billion
• 3. Grey’s Anatomy, 918 million
• 4. The Office, 897 million
• 5. Criminal Minds, 697 million
• 6. NCIS, 524 million
• 7. In the Dark, 418 million
• 8. Dexter, 316 million
• 9. Supernatural, 315 million
• 10. Parks and Recreation, 304 million

Viewers absorbed more minutes of The Umbrella Academy's first and second season when Season 2 released more than a month ago than the next three shows on the list combined. If you've binged the series already, make sure to check out our review of The Umbrella Academy: Season 2, including this deep dive explainer of the ending and what it means for Season 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/01/umbrella-academy-season-2-cast-breaks-down-bens-big-moment-spoilers"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

TCL has made a name for itself with its affordable TV sets and phones, but the company wants to prove it can also innovate and make new technology. It’s announcing something called NXTPAPER today — a new type of display that’s meant to offer better e...

Netflix has announced a new original series from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, which will be inspired by Liu Cixin's award-winning book trilogy The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past). Peter Friedlander, Netflix VP of Original Series, shared all of the details about the project on the company's official blog. In the post, he explained that the streamer had been granted rights from The Three-Body Universe and Yoozoo Group to produce the English-language series adaptation of the epic sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem and its two sequels, The Dark Forest and Death's End. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/5-great-sci-fi-movies-on-netflix-that-arent-star-wars-or-the-mcu"] The first book in the trilogy tells "the story of humanity's first contact with an alien civilization," portraying a vision of the future that sees "all of humanity vulnerable to the same external threat" and addresses "how this both unifies and divides humans." Author Liu Cixin has joined Netflix's project as a consulting producer with Ken Liu, who wrote the English translation for two volumes in the series. In addition, former True Blood scribe and The Terror: Infamy showrunner Alexander Woo has boarded the creative team for the Netflix series as a writer and executive producer alongside Benioff and Weiss, who have joined the project via their Netflix overall deal, together with executive producers Rian Johnson and producing partner Ram Bergman. Friedlander describes them all as being "fierce advocates for the source material." "David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo have experience tackling ambitious sagas over time and space. Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman have long dazzled fans with thrilling and mind-bending epics," said Friedlander. "As ardent fans, it was especially meaningful to us to get the support of Liu Cixin who created this expansive universe. We all share the same goal: to pay homage to this incredible story and take members on the adventure of a lifetime."

Author Liu Cixin said of the project: "I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences. I set out to tell a story that transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races; one that compels us to consider the fate of humankind as a whole. It is a great honor as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix.” 

"Liu Cixin’s trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we’ve read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe," said writers and exec producers Benioff and Weiss in a statement. "We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.” “It’s a privilege to be adapting one of the great masterpieces of Chinese science-fiction," added Woo. "The Three-Body Problem trilogy combines so many things I love: rich, multi-layered characters and true existential stakes - all told as an elegant and deeply human allegory. I’m thrilled to kick off my partnership with Netflix with this accomplished creative team.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-september-2020&captions=true"] Bernadette Caulfield rounds out the creative team as an executive producer, together with Nena Rodrigue, T-Street's President of Television, Lin Qi, Chairman of the rights-holders, and Zhao Jilong, Vice President of The Three-Body Universe. Plan B Entertainment will help to bring the literary property to the screen in conjunction with Primitive Streak's Rosamund Pike and Robie Uniacke. While you're waiting for this mind-bending new drama to hit your screens, check out everything that is new to Netflix this month to fill up your watchlist, take a look at our rundown of the biggest shows coming to streaming in the second half of the year, and discover more about the very best original movies on the streaming service to have a listen to that classic "ta-dum" sound again. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

It's rare that a piece of merch has a practical use, but when it does, it lets you feel a little better about cluttering your house with more evidence of your various obsessions. If you're a Star Wars fan--or looking for a gift for one--here's a new accessory to consider: GameStop has a Millennium Falcon charge pad that'll wirelessly charge your phone and look cool while doing it. Even better, it's on sale for $20, down from its usual $50 list price, so there's no better time to snag this neat accessory. This deal is only available for today.

The Millennium Falcon wireless charger has over 90 reviews and a 4.7 (out of 5) rating at GameStop, so fans seem happy with its effectiveness. Be sure to check if your device allows for wireless charging before buying.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Testing blood sugar frequently and administering insulin as needed throughout the day isn’t easy, especially if the individual with diabetes is a young child who can’t do it on their own yet. Now, there’s an FDA-sanctioned device that could make thin...

Update your work available/busy/meeting status on a Raspberry Pi LCD screen from your desktop.

Even though we'll see more than one familiar Batman return in 2022's The Flash movie, we're also getting a brand new incarnation of The Dark Knight in 2021. Robert Pattinson is playing the Caped Crusader this time around. And now we've gotten our first look at Matt Reeves' The Batman thanks to DC FanDome. Read on to learn everything we know so far about The Batman, including the release date, the cast and all the images and footage released so far. Be sure to also check out everything we know about Wonder Woman 1984 and everything we know about The Matrix 4. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-official-trailer-1-stills&captions=true"]

The Batman's Release Date

The Batman is currently scheduled for release on October 1, 2021. Originally it was intended to be a summer movie, but it was pushed back from its June 25, 2021 release date after production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There's no guarantee the release won't slip back further, but we're hoping director Matt Reeves can meet the new timetable.

The Batman's Title

With this reboot changing production dates, directors, writers and lead actors in recent years, about the only thing that's remained constant is the title. This new Batman film will simply be titled The Batman. It may be no coincidence that the movie shares a title with the 2004 animated series. Both projects focus on a younger Bruce Wayne early in his crime-fighting career. "The Batman" is how the people of Gotham tend to refer to their protector early on, when he's an unfamiliar and mistrusted presence in a city plagued by crime and corruption. Reeves teased that Gotham's residents are actually afraid of Batman, as he hasn't yet become the symbol of hope his city truly needs.

The New Batman Movie's Trailers

Fans didn't have to wait long after production began before seeing their first glimpse of The Batman. Reeves posted a short costume test video featuring Pattinson in a dramatically redesigned Batsuit. That costume seems to be drawing inspiration from both the comics and the Arkham video games. The first full-length trailer for The Batman was released during DC FanDome in August 2020. You can watch it out below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] Then you can check out IGN's full breakdown of the trailer and the secrets hidden within: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-breakdown-riddler-penguin-catwoman-and-no-more-lies-explained"]

The Batman Cast & Crew

When word of Warner Bros.'s next solo Batman movie first surfaced in July 2015, it was believed that Ben Affleck would direct and star, with Affleck and Geoff Johns co-writing the screenplay. However, the project has undergone a major shift since then, with Affleck dropping out (first as director and then completely) and the screenplay being substantially altered. That seemed to mark the end of Affleck's tenure as Batman, though we've since learned he'll be appearing in both the Snyder Cut of Justice League and in a "substantial" role in 2022's The Flash. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-cast-every-actor-and-character&captions=true"] Matt Reeves (War of the Planet of the Apes) has now been tapped to direct The Batman. Reeves is also writing the film and serving as producer alongside fellow Apes veteran Dylan Clark. Michael Giacchino (Rogue One, Lost) is scoring the film, and said he has "total freedom" with his take on the franchise. Robert Pattinson (Cosmopolis and, yes, the Twilight movies) is starring as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The choice to cast Pattinson was apparently a simple one, with a Warners insider describing it as "quicker than normal." Pattinson's main source of competition was Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class), with both actors participating in a costume test in May 2019, shortly before Pattinson officially signed on. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/31/robert-pattinson-is-batman-for-a-trilogy-ign-now"] Zoe Kravitz became the next cast member to officially sign on. Kravitz will play Selina Kyle, with Reeves describing the movie as an origin story for Catwoman. Westworld's Jeffrey Wright will play Commissioner Gordon. Jonah Hill was rumored to be in the running for either Penguin or Riddler, but he's since dropped out of the running. Instead, There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano has been cast as Edward Nashton/The Riddler. Reeves recently confirmed several other casting choices. His Apes collaborator Andy Serkis will play Alfred Pennyworth. Reeves also announced Do the Right Thing's John Turturro will play mob boss Carmine Falcone and confirmed previous rumors that In Bruges' Colin Farrell will play the Penguin. Newcomer Jayme Lawson and Black Mass' Peter Sarsgaard are also joining the cast. While neither actor's role was confirmed at first, we've since learned both Lawson and Sarsgaard will be playing entirely new characters. Lawson is playing a mayoral candidate named Bella Reál, while Sarsgaard is playing Gotham's District Attorney Gil Colson. Previous rumors suggested Sarsgaard was playing a pre-Two Face Harvey Dent and Lawson's character is actually Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and it's possible these new characters are meant to be red herrings to help keep the plot under wraps. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/30/the-batman-director-on-casting-plot-release-date-and-villains"] Joe Manganiello was expected to play master assassin Deathstroke in the Affleck/Johns movie, and even appeared in a brief post-credits scene in Justice League as a new recruit to Lex Luthor's supervillain team. However, it's unknown where or even if Manganiello will reprise the role now.

The Batman's Plot

Despite featuring a young and still largely unproven hero, The Batman isn't an origin story. The movie is set in Year 2 of his superhero career, as Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is still perfecting his equipment and methods and establishing a relationship with the GCPD. The plot revolves around the hunt for a serial killer who murders wealthy Gotham residents, as well as Batman's discovery of a deep conspiracy reaching far back into Gotham's history (and potentially involving his own parents). The Riddler has a big part to play in this conspiracy, though it's unclear whether he's actually the killer Batman is hunting. Early rumors suggested The Batman is set in the '90s (fueling speculation Pattinson is actually playing a younger version of Affleck's Batman.) However, the trailer shows modern technology like cellphones and late-model cars, so it appears to be a contemporary story. However, there's certainly a retro muscle car quality to the new Batmobile design. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-batman-breaking-down-the-new-batsuit-ign-now"] Moreover, The Batman isn't connected to the DCEU and takes place in its own universe. However, with DC emphasizing the multiverse in its future live-action projects, that doesn't necessarily mean we won't see Pattinson's Batman appear elsewhere. The Batman will take a more noir and mystery-oriented approach to the Dark Knight's world, emphasizing his detective skills more than previous movies and drawing inspiration from films like Chinatown and the work of Alfred Hitchcock. However, Reeves is said to have recently tweaked the script to include more action and give fans a more well-rounded superhero experience. However, expect some big action scenes, as Pattinson is currently training in jiu-jitsu. And Andy Serkis promises The Batman is darker than any of its predecessors. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=7-detective-stories-the-batman-could-adapt&captions=true"] Early rumors pointed to The Batman featuring anywhere from two to six villains. We know that Catwoman, Riddler and Penguin will all appear, and another rumor claims the Mad Hatter and Two-Face could also be in the movie. Multiple reports suggest The Batman is the start of a new trilogy. Reeves revealed as far back as 2017 that he has ideas for a multi-movie Batman story. "I have ideas about an arc," Reeves said in 2017, "but really, the important thing is just to start... you have to start with one."

The Gotham PD Series

Not only are fans likely to see multiple Batman movies starring Pattinson, the franchise is also getting a small screen spinoff. WarnerMedia announced a prequel series called Gotham PD. The series is exclusive to HBO Max and will be executive produced by Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter. Gotham PD is set one year before the events of The Batman and will delve deeper into the corruption and conspiracies at the heart of the movie. "The idea of this story was a story in which Gotham, which has this depth of corruption, and the idea that we could do a series that is going deeper into an aspect of it, which in this case is the corrupt police department, the corrupt inner workings of the city," said Reeves at DC Fandome. "And the way we’re gonna do this series… Terence Winter is just an incredible writer, so the idea that we got him to do this, just is literally a dream. The idea is, we go back to year one, and year one is the beginning of the first emergence, the first appearance of this masked vigilante that starts to unsettle the city, and you start to see the story through the POV of these corrupt cops, and one in particular. And the story is actually a battle for his soul." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=everything-coming-to-hbo-max&captions=true"]

The Batman's Development

With The Batman undergoing some major changes over the past few years, a breakdown of the film's rocky development is probably in order.

• July 2015 - Ben Affleck enters talks to co-write, direct and star in a solo Batman movie, with Geoff Johns expected to co-write.
• March 2016 - Affleck's screenplay draft is completed. Johns hints the solo Batman movie may deal with the backstory of the defaced Robin costume seen in Batman v Superman.
• April 2016 - Then-Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara confirms the studio is moving forward on a solo Batman movie with Affleck directing and starring.
• May 2016 - Jeremy Irons confirms his involvement with the film.
• August 2016 - Affleck releases test footage of Manganiello's Deathstroke.
• October 2016 - Affleck reveals the film's working title as The Batman.
• December 2016 - Affleck confirms filming is expected to begin in spring 2017 for a planned 2018 release.
• January 2017 - Affleck steps down as director but pledges to remain onboard as actor and producer. Chris Terrio turns in a new draft of the script.
• February 2017 - After conflicting reports, Matt Reeves signs on to direct and co-produce The Batman. Production is delayed until 2018 to allow Reeves time to complete War for the Planet of the Apes.
• August 2018 - After a lull period, Reeves speaks about The Batman at a TCA panel, confirming it won't be an origin story and teasing a more noir-inspired approach.
• January 2019 - After months of speculation, Warners confirms Affleck has dropped out of the project entirely.
• May 2019 - Robert Pattinson is officially confirmed to star as Batman.
• September 2019 - Reports surface that Jonah Hill and Jeffrey Wright are in talks to star.
• October 2019 - WB officially confirms Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Paul Dano as Riddler and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.
• November 2019 - Reeves confirms Andy Serkis as Alfred and John Turturro as Carmine Falcone.
• December 2019 - Peter Sarsgaard officially signs on to play a mystery character speculated to be Harvey Dent.
• January 2020 - Farrell is officially confirmed to be playing Penguin. Reeves shares a set photo from the first day of filming.
• February 2020 - Reeves posts a costume test video showing Pattinson wearing the new Batsuit.
• March 2020 - The design for the new Batmobile is revealed. Production is halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• April 2020 - The release date is pushed back to October 2021.
• July 2020 - The prequel series Gotham PD is announced.
• August 2020 - Reeves appears at DC FanDome and unveils the first trailer. Preparations begin to resume filming in the UK.

For more, check out our ranking of all the Batman movies. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.