The Bad Batch is set to be the centrepiece of this year’s Star Wars Day. The 75-minute debut episode will reintroduce us to Clone Force 99, who we last saw in the final season of The Clone Wars. All indications are that it’s going to be something special, though by the time it drops I’m hoping we’ll have also seen new teasers for at least some of the many upcoming Disney+ Star Wars shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and The Book of Boba Fett.

In any case, to get folks caught up on what they need to know before The Bad Batch arrives, the Mouse House has now put together a handy little promo which you can see up above. Remember, they also suggested Clone Wars episodes to catch up on prior to the premiere and between that and this new video, folks should be able to get fully up to speed in no time.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Official Poster Teases Palpatine’s Return

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Rumors are that the show’s arc will see one of the Bad Batch members betray the others and side with the Empire. I can’t imagine the rest of them taking this lying down, so expect some serious sparks to fly when they finally get their revenge. Along the way we’re also due to receive guest spots from several already established characters, with The Mandalorian‘s Fennec Shand, Rogue One‘s Saw Gerrara, The Clone Wars‘ Captain Rex, and A New Hope‘s Grand Moff Tarkin all confirmed to make appearances.

A previously released poster hints at Emperor Palpatine playing a part in the story as well, but his role remains mysterious as of now. Everything should become clear soon, though, when The Bad Batch premieres on Disney Plus on May 4th.

Disney has a lot to answer for when it comes to the depiction of classic fairy tales, with their saccharine dilution of frequently sinister and violent stories leaving people with the wrong impression of what they were originally like. In such a tradition is British horror flick The Curse of Humpty Dumpty, a trailer for which has now been released.

The plot sees sisters Hazel and Elizabeth arriving to care for their mother Wendy, whose dementia-afflicted mind has deteriorated to the extent that it’s no longer safe for her to live alone. They’re greeted at the door by a creepy old doll thought disposed of years ago and who has ties to a tragic incident in the past, the details of which, along with whether or not the hideous creation might actually be alive, are locked in the faded shadows of Wendy’s memories.

Although it’s standard to depict Humpty Dumpty as an anthropomorphic egg, nowhere in the famous rhyme does it explicitly state him to be such. While the image of a pool of yolk and shell irreparably smashed on the ground certainly fits the lyrics, the notion actually stems from a description of the character in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, published in 1871. This interpretation blends the two, with the doll’s smooth pallid skin certainly being reminiscent of an eggshell, while the spiderweb of black cracks invokes the idea of it being broken and put back together.

It’s entirely possible that rather than merely being a straightforward tale of a killer doll coming to life, the story will be a metaphorical one exploring the ramifications of the soul-consuming black hole that is mental illness, if for no other reason than it would be a little disappointing to see the condition used merely as a plot device to justify why nobody remembers what previously happened. Either way, we’ll find out when The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is released in the UK on November 21st.

Mortal Kombat punching its way to the top of the box office with an opening weekend of $22 million has further reinforced Warner Bros.’ credentials as the kings of pandemic-era cinema. Not only is it the sixth of the studio’s movies to debut at number one since the Coronavirus took hold following in the footsteps of Tenet, Wonder Woman 1984, The Little Things, Tom & Jerry and Godzilla vs. Kong, but the streak is virtually guaranteed to continue when The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It debuts on June 4th.

However, Universal are set to get back into the game in a huge way with a little film called Fast & Furious 9. The next chapter in the blockbuster franchise arrives on June 25th, and to celebrate the occasion, each prior entry in the series with the exception of spinoff Hobbs & Shaw is coming back to theaters every Friday between now and then, with tickets costing absolutely nothing.

Fast & Furious 9 Gallery

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Not only that, but a brand new promo – seen up above – puts Vin Diesel back in the driver’s seat, with the action hero’s signature gravely tones letting everyone know how important going to the movies has been to people all over the world for a century. There’s some brand new footage from F9 on display, too, including a fresh look at a rocket-powered automobile that would be ridiculous in any other property, but is par for the course from The Fast Saga these days.

Having been delayed for fourteen months, fans are champing at the bit to get reacquainted with Dominic Toretto and the gang, so the Fast Friday events should be packing houses across the country until Fast & Furious opens exactly two months from today.

Most fans would probably agree that Captain Marvel doesn’t rank among the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s very best efforts, telling a functional if hardly spectacular origin story for Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, but it certainly didn’t deserve to be the victim of a heavily coordinated trolling campaign that tried to tear the movie down at every opportunity.

Despite a very vocal subsection of so-called ‘fans’ trying to downvote Captain Marvel into oblivion and sabotage its ratings on both Rotten Tomatoes and YouTube, it still rocketed to over a billion dollars at the box office. For some reason, Larson hasn’t proven to be a universally popular member of the MCU’s roster, but she’s here to stay and is widely expected to lead the Avengers the next time Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assemble.

Brie Larson Shares Captain Marvel BTS Photos To Celebrate Her MCU Anniversary

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Her solo sequel is arriving in 2022, and it’s probably safe to assume it’ll be tackling a Skrull infiltration. WandaVision‘s post-credits scene set Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau up for both Disney Plus series Secret Invasion and Captain Marvel 2, and that’s without mentioning she’s got superpowers of her own now as well. Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan is also on board with Zawe Ashton tapped to play a mystery villain, but that’s about all we know so far. And now, a new fan trailer that you can see up above (edited by Billy Crammer) hammers home that notion by being very smartly edited while revealing nothing at all really.

That being said, the presence of rising star Nia Da Costa behind the camera, a script by WandaVision‘s Megan McDonnell and cinematography by Academy Award nominee Sean Bobbitt, who lensed the likes of 12 Years a Slave, Widows and Judas and the Black Messiah, at the very least indicates we’ll be getting a movie that’s visually and narratively superior to its perfectly acceptable predecessor when Captain Marvel 2 hits theaters in November 2022.

If the internet buzz generated by the clip is any indication, then Sony may have stumbled onto a merchandising gold mine thanks to Ghostbusters: Afterlife‘s Mini-Pufts. The footage in question saw Paul Rudd’s Mr. Grooberson discover the sentient marshmallows during a trip to the grocery store, and it looks to have summed up director Jason Reitman’s approach to the franchise he inherited from his father in a microcosm.

Much like the cast of the original film, Rudd is one of the most popular and talented comedic actors of his generation, and the Mini-Pufts update a beloved aspect of the original while putting a fresh spin on it to strike the balance between the new and nostalgic, which pretty much sums up Afterlife itself.

The storyline has strong ties to the mythology first established in 1984 and brings back several of the legacy players, but will look to stand on its own two feet in order to launch a brand new multi-film series, as well as delivering the direct sequel to Ghostbusters II that fans have been waiting over 30 years to see.

First Ghostbusters: Afterlife Photos Reveal The Return Of The Ecto-1

Bill Murray is clearly a fan of the Mini-Pufts, too, with a reaction video revealing original helmer Ivan Reitman letting the star see the clip for the first time. The look on Murray’s face is priceless, and he admits that it’s got the feel of the original duology, which is even better news for fans given that the franchise’s Peter Venkman isn’t known for mincing his words.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is finally set to hit theaters in November having been delayed for well over a year, and it’s looking like it’ll be well worth the wait based on nothing but Murray’s response to the Mini-Pufts.

The next season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is coming in May. The great thing about the animated spinoff of the dino-themed franchise is that we never have to wait long for new episodes, as the first run debuted last October, the second dropped in January and the third is due in just a few short weeks. And to hype it up, Netflix has now shared a fresh trailer which confirms that a familiar threat from the movies is returning.

Yes, it’s the Indoraptor! This genetically engineered hybrid of the Indominus Rex and a velociraptor was introduced in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. This follows on from the series taking its cues from the first Jurassic World in previous seasons, as the rookie run was mostly a prequel to the film, before it was ultimately revealed that it was set concurrently and our young heroes were trapped on Isla Nubar when it was evacuated.

The next chapter then found the teenagers – including Darius (Paul-Mikel Williams), Brooklynn (Jenna Ortega) and Kenji (Ryan Potter) – having to survive on the island along with some untrustworthy characters. The finale saw their efforts to escape dashed, though, with a mysterious dinosaur – which we now know to be the Indoraptor – emerging from cryonic suspension. So, the kids’ troubles are far from over.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 3 Poster

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While we’re waiting for more Camp Cretaceous, remember that Jurassic World: Dominion is on its way to cinema screens next year, promising to conclude the entire six-film saga in explosive fashion as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard’s characters team up with the original Jurassic Park trio – Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern. That’s coming in June 2022. With any luck, we’ll have a few more seasons of this animated spinoff before then, though it’s currently unclear if Netflix is moving forward with the show after this next run.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous returns for new episodes on Friday, May 21st.

The lingering effects of the Coronavirus pandemic are still being felt across the industry, and it’s even affecting the marketing campaigns for some of the year’s biggest upcoming titles. For instance, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is the third film in the massively popular series and the eighth overall installment in the highest-grossing horror franchise in history, but just 24 hours after we saw the first official images, the maiden trailer has arrived, a little over six weeks before the movie hits theaters and HBO Max simultaneously.

Back when times were much more certain and precedented, the promotional effort for a high profile sequel like The Devil Made Me Do It would have rolled on for months and featured multiple trailers, TV spots, teasers, character posters and everything in between, but The Conjuring brand has become so popular that it’s poised to do big business regardless of how much time Warner Bros. has to launch the marketing blitz.

New Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Photos Tease Tomorrow’s Trailer

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Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are back as Lorraine and Ed Warren, with the story following one of their most notorious cases that culminates in a murder suspect using demonic possession as grounds for their defense. It’s an interesting hook for The Conjuring 3, and at the very least, the two leads can be relied on to give solid performances as the esteemed paranormal investigators.

The Devil Made Me Do It looks as though it hits all of the required beats and ticks the mandatory boxes expected from the franchise, but perhaps the most pressing question is how well director of disappointing Conjuring spinoff The Curse of La Llorona Michael Chaves acquits himself, as he’s faced with the tough task of replacing James Wan behind the camera.

Capcom has continued to reveal information about Resident Evil Village today, with the emphasis this time being on showcasing several mechanics.

Up until now, fans have been led to believe that the developer has relied largely on borrowing gameplay elements from Resident Evil 4 and giving them a spit and polish for modern audiences which is definitely true, but Leon’s encounter with the Los Illuminados isn’t the only series entry from which this year’s installment draws inspiration.

Lady Dimitrescu, the blood-sucking castellan and one of many villains to star in Ethan’s upcoming nightmare, will feature prominently in the story, not only as an NPC but an enemy that the recently widowed protagonist will have to evade if he’s to survive through the night. Similar to Mr. X and Nemesis as seen in remakes of RE2 and RE3 respectively, Dimitrescu and her three daughters will hunt Ethan immediately upon his entering the castle gates and Capcom has even been kind enough to reveal exactly how that looks with some new footage that you can see over on PS Blog (though IGN has also shared some material that can be viewed above).

Judging from what we have here, it would seem Mother Miranda’s abnormally tall subordinate will function similarly to Umbrella’s aforementioned bioweapons by slowly and methodically hunting down her prey (that’s you, by the way), wherever it goes. On the occasions where that isn’t possible, her offspring will continue the chase, though given that they’re less powerful, it would appear as if the trio can be repelled with conventional weaponry. As for how Dimitrescu herself will be subdued, that’ll likely be impossible outside of a scripted boss battle, but it remains to be seen if she, too, can be delayed via certain means.

Whatever the case, players will have their work cut out for them when Resident Evil Village releases next month, May 7th, for consoles and PC.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become so popular that the franchise has made a conscious effort to shy away from origin stories in recent years. Indeed, the mere existence of a superhero blockbuster hailing from Kevin Feige’s outfit is more than enough to sell any project to the masses, but casual viewers definitely need a crash course when it comes to something like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Out of the eleven Phase Four movies confirmed so far, twelve if you include Deadpool 3, only Shang-Chi and Eternals are introducing brand new faces. Jon Watts’ Fantastic Four might be rebooting the titular team for the MCU, but most fans are fully aware of who those characters are, and Chloe Zhao’s cosmic adventure takes place over thousands of years, so origins are arguably non-essential. But Destin Daniel Cretton’s martial arts comic book epic is another story, and we finally have the first trailer for the film, offering up a solid taste of what to expect.

First Teaser Poster For Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

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The title hero may have made his Marvel Comics debut in 1973, but he’s far from a household name, although that looks as if it’s about to change in a major way. Simu Liu is poised to deliver a star-making turn as Shang-Chi, who finds himself forced to reckon with his past after being drawn into the orbit of The Mandarin, with Tony Leung cementing the retcon of Iron Man 3‘s divisive Trevor Slattery twist.

The Ten Rings organization ties it firmly to established MCU canon dating all the way back to Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, and based on the footage, it looks to be a whole lot of fun. Awkwafina, Fala Chen, Men’ger Zhan, Florian Munteanu, Ronny Chieng and Michelle Yeoh co-star, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings coming to theaters on September 3rd.

We don’t have too long to wait for Mortal Kombat, which will be with us on April 23rd. Although we’ve already received a lot of details about the movie, including some positive early praise, this week sees the release of a new clip showing Scorpion going up against Sub-Zero. Providing us with a taste of what to expect from the hard-R picture, the short video, available above, gives us a lot to be excited about.

Things kick off with Joe Taslim’s Sub-Zero creating an ice sword to take on 60-year-old legend Hiroyuki Sanada’s Scorpion, with the fight set in what appears to be a frozen-over warehouse. The two fighters proceed to go at each other with the blade and Scorpion’s kunai, with the latter appearing to gain the upper hand before Sub-Zero throws up a double to block his attack.

First Mortal Kombat Reboot Photos Tease A Bloody Brawler

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Although lacking gore, this look at Mortal Kombat showcases the martial arts prowess of its cast, as well as their physical abilities. Indeed, Taslim has commented on how shooting the video game adaptation was tougher than The Raid, partly due to having to carry more weight on his body during his scenes. Moreover, it does seem that making the fights as authentic as possible was key to the Simon McQuoid-directed film, including the performers doing all their own stunts.

This particular moment between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is likely the one we had brief glimpses of in a recent trailer, and confirms remarks from the producers regarding the importance of both characters to the overall story. With less than a week to go until its HBO Max and limited theatrical premiere, we’re keen to see whether Mortal Kombat lives up to the substantial hype, and just how much violence and bloody fatalities it manages to squeeze in without tipping over into NC-17 territory.