Naruto is now celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the anime's original premiere in Japan, and Japan's most famous cosplayer is really going all out for the occasion by taking on Naruto Uzumaki's wildest jutsu, the Sexy Jutsu! Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto franchise has been at its peak this year because while the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations sequel anime and manga has been in the middle of a hiatus, the original Naruto series has made a major comeback to help celebrate the anime's 20th Anniversary. It's got all sorts of projects in the pipeline for the young version of Naruto fans were introduced to all those years ago.

One of the ways that Naruto immediately stood out from all of the other shinobi in the Hidden Leaf Village was not only his status as an outcast, but the fact that he had a very unique take on the transformation jutsus that often caught his opponents by surprise. It's led to one of Naruto's most infamous yet iconic looks overall, and now Japan's most famous cosplay Enako (with over two million followers on Twitter) has shared their take on Naruto's wildest jutsu with some bold cosplay! Check it out below:

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What's Coming for Naruto's 20th Anniversary?

As part of the celebration for Naruto's 20th Anniversary, original Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto briefly returned to the franchise with a new manga one-shot story all about Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, while he developed the Rasengan technique. This is far from the only celebration for Naruto's anime, however, as the original run of the series is actually returning later this Fall with a special new anime taking the younger Naruto and the rest of the original Team 7 on a new mission.

Kicking off on September 3rd in Japan, Naruto's original anime will be returning for four new episodes in the pre-Shippuden timeline as fans will get to see a higher resolution take on the classic designs after all this time. It's the perfect time to catch up with the original Naruto anime before the new episodes hit as it's now streaming its entire run on both Crunchyroll and Hulu. There's also the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime and manga (which will be returning from its latest hiatus soon) if you're itching for more of the franchise's story overall.

What's your favorite Naruto jutsu? Let us know all of your thoughts about it and everything Naruto in the comments!

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins has been on the cutting edge of fashion on WWE TV week after week. That included an episode of Monday Night Raw back in February when he arrived in MSCHF's Big Red Boots and manage to deliver a Curb Stomp to The Miz while wearing them. Rollins arrived on the opening segment of Raw this week wearing MSCHF's new Big Yellow Boots, which are also a collaboration with Crocs. "The Visionary" managed to nail Finn Balor with a Big Boot attack while still wearing the shoes after a brawl broke out.

The shoes initially sold for $450 but can cost as much as $2,000 depending on your size if you try to buy them on secondary markets like StockX. Rollins was asked about wearing the Red Boots out to the ring during a recent interview with Complex while appearing on Sneaker Shopping.

Seth Rollins kicking another man in the head with comically large bright yellow boots made my night ? pic.twitter.com/2rs6ecZsXC

-- Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) August 8, 2023

Seth Rollins Teases Wrestling a Full Match in His Big Red Boots

"I remember the first time I saw them. I had not seen them, but I knew that they were kind of getting hot," Rollins said. I'm sitting in my hotel and [personal stylist] (King) Troi brings in this suitcase, opens it up and pops out these Super Mario-looking things. I couldn't believe what was happening. I couldn't believe that he wanted me to wear these things. Big red boots man. MSCHF. They're fantastic. They made for a hell of a viral moment in Brooklyn."

"I was actually shocked at how functional they were. I had intended to do no physicality initially because they're so obnoxious and big and clunky, so I thought," Rollins continued. "I put them on and they're really just like a boot lining inside of that big old thing. Your foot's not flopping around in that big space. It's lined up. Because it's got the extra support on the sides, you almost get more stability. Don't judge a book by its cover, or a shoe by its sole."

"I might be able to wrestle an entire match in that shoe," Rollins jokingly noted "Don't hold me to it, but it's possible."

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
• WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)

Earlier today, developer Sledgehammer Games gave fans their first tease of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The game is set to launch on November 10, and it will be coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC consoles. A Nintendo Switch version might also be in the works, but we don't know for sure just yet. What we do know is that the Modern Warfare 3 teaser included at least one fun Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers. If you pay close attention, there's actually a phone number seen in the teaser that's a number you can actually ring up, if you'd like.

The phone number was spotted by CharlieIntel and shared in a tweet. Their track record is more than solid, so you can trust this is legit. If you decide to text the number seen in the tweet below, you'll need to text "READY" to the number and then you'll be asked if you're ready to receive sensitive intel. You'd think you need to select "yes," but a few users in the comments actually declined and the account responded with "there is no choice. we must proceed" before continuing on like normal. Regardless of what you select, you'll eventually be treated to a screengrab of a map that seems to be the new map for Warzone.

A phone number was shown in the #MW3 Teaser Trailer.

+1-(202)-918-3022 (US code, txt/sms rates will apply). pic.twitter.com/0FlePTYHdY

-- CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) August 7, 2023

It's a bit of a strange marketing gimmick, but it starts to make a lot more sense when you notice that content creators are posting across Twitter about receiving old-looking cell phones as part of the marketing push. This slides right alongside that tactic while involving everyone who can text a US number the chance to join in. What'll be interesting is seeing if Sledgehammer continues to use the number to drop more updates as we move throughout the hype cycle.

Either way, fans won't have to wait too much longer to play it for themselves. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is currently set to launch on November 10. Of course, while you wait there's still plenty of content to grind through in Modern Warfare 2's ongoing seasonal content.

Marvel fans are about to see a very different version of Don Cheadle's James Rhodes in the MCU, as we all recently learned that the character we've been watching for several years isn't actually the real Rhodey. It was revealed in Secret Invasion that Rhodey was a Skrull, and that the actual character has been in a form of hibernation since his near-death experience in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. What no one realized is that Cheadle has been hinting at this big twist for some time now.

Last September, at Disney's D23 Expo, Cheadle spoke with ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis about his starring turn in the upcoming Armor Wars movie. When asked about where Rhodey finds himself in Armor Wars, Cheadle heavily hinted at the War Machine twist from Secret Invasion, though it was impossible to tell at the time because the show hadn't been released.

"At a very different place, and in a way that is something I can't really talk about," Cheadle said of his Marvel character. "But it is going to be very surprising to a lot of people."

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War Machine's Twist Hidden in Plain Sight

As it turns out, Cheadle did a lot of hinting at Rhodey's big Skrull twist over the last year or so. His comments seemed normal at the time, but Secret Invasion gives them a whole new context.

"We're finding Rhodey, as you said, he's someone who's gone through a lot," Cheadle said on Marvel's Instagram in September. "That's what's the fun about doing the Armor Wars series is that we're going to have an opportunity to really dig into that. What's he dealing with emotionally? What's he dealing with psychologically? So that's why I said 'yes' to it, because I think it's going to be a lot of fun to get to know him in a way that, even if that this many years we've known him, we really don't know him."

Cheadle also teased the Armor Wars story as a "rebirth" for Rhodey, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly last year.

"What does he want to do? What are his desires outside of the relationship with these people we've already seen? Who is he when he's by himself?" Cheadle explained. "A lot of these things we haven't seen before so there's a good opportunity to explore that stuff and hopefully create a full character that now when we see the suit, we see everything else... It's a rebirth in a way. It's coming back to this character, but we've never gone to the places we're about to go in the show, so I feel like in some ways we're just getting to know him even after all this time."

Marvel's Armor Wars

At this time, there isn't a release date for Armor Wars, and very little is known about the film outside of Cheadle's involvement. It was originally planned as a Disney+ series but Marvel announced at D23 last year that it would be a feature film instead.

Are you excited to see what's ahead for Rhodey in Armor Wars? Let us know in the comments!

One Piece has debuted a powerful new Luffy transformation with the anime's newest episode, and one question that immediately started popping up among fans was whether or not Gear 5 Luffy would be stronger than a fully powered Ultra Instinct Goku. Whether it's because Goku and Luffy's strengths have been compared in the past, or whether it's because their respective peak transformations both have white hair, but fans have been racking their brains over whether one is stronger than the other. There is an answer to this question, however, as one of their transformations currently doesn't seem to have any limits.

One Piece Episode 1071 fully introduced Gear 5 Luffy to the anime, and revealed that it was the true power of Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit that would give him "ridiculous" abilities. Fans got to see this in action as he turned the very serious fight against Kaido into a classic cartoon, and Kaido was bereft at how to fight back such a wild opponent. But against Ultra Instinct Goku, that power could be balanced in a way as Goku's martial arts skills could make up the gap against such a wild fighting style.

Who Wins Between Gear 5 Luffy and Ultra instinct Goku?

Goku's Ultra Instinct (at the current level of control that he has with it in the manga) is still incomplete as he's constantly training to have a better control over it. At his peak, this form is shown to give him both increased offensive and defensive abilities. But the main difference with Gear 5 is that it's a form that he needs to maintain through concentration and stamina. Regardless of its godly power, it's one that is still limited by Goku's own body and mind. The god power flows through him, but only so much that his training has allowed.

This just wouldn't work against Gear 5 Luffy, whose transformation is not only innate (as he was quite literally dead before his Devil Fruit awakened its true potential) but impacts more than his offensive and defensive abilities. Luffy's Gear 5 ability might also be tied into his body's stamina, but it also allows him to fight in any way he wants. He can quite literally bend the world around him, and thus a straightforward fighter like Goku would have some trouble.

It's likely the duo would adapt to one another as their fight continued, and likely wouldn't actually come to a decisive winner. They would just enjoy the fight too much. Gear 5 Luffy is the inherently stronger of the two because his new form also affects the world around him, but Ultra Instinct Goku could theoretically adapt to even the most cartoonish of techniques.

Who do you think is stronger between Gear 5 Luffy and Ultra Instinct Goku? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

If you're wondering why it's increasingly rare to see comedies in theaters, Adam Devine says he has a good idea as to what happened. According to the Workaholics star, Marvel is to blame for dwindling comedies, suggesting the Disney-owned studio has produced movies so large, movie-goers have not only become accustomed to seeing blockbusters rather than small-scale fare, but would rather choose to do so.

"You watch comedies nowadays and you're like, this is not a fucking comedy," Devine said on a recent episode of Theo Von's This Past Weekend. "Where are the jokes? Where are the bits? There's still good [comedy] shows, but movie comedy...it's hard. My theory: I think Marvel ruined it. I feel like superhero movies ruined comedies because you go to the theater and you expect to watch something that cost $200 million to make, and comedy movies aren't that. So you're like, 'Why would I spend the same amount of money to go watch a little comedy in the theater if I can spend that and watch something that is worth $200 million?' And they still make those movies kind of funny, like, 'Oh my god, is that raccoon talking? This is hilarious!' Which it is, but it's not a real comedy"

The comedian added, "Every studio used to put out several comedies a year and there were like 45 comedies in the theater per year. So every week or so there's a new comedy in the theaters. Now, last year, there was like 6 or 7. It's crazy."

Now Devine finds himself amongst the likes of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola as prominent filmmakers that have a bone to pick with the House of Ideas. After all, it was Scorsese who kicked the latest movement off nearly four years ago after he said he didn't feel Marvel movies were "cinema."

"I don't see them. I tried, you know? But that's not cinema," Scorsese told Empire at the time. "Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn't the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being."

Cody Rhodes made it clear he wants another shot at Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. "The American Nightmare" was successful in defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam this past Saturday in Detroit, then discussed what he wants to do next during the post-show press conference. Rhodes' first attempt at beating Reigns back at WrestleMania 39 fell short thanks to outside interference, which Reigns used yet again to keep his title reign and position as "Tribal Chief" alive in the SummerSlam main event against Jey Uso.

"I think everybody in the room probably knows what my plans are," Rhodes said, refraining from saying Reigns' name outright (h/t Fightful). "We were talking about finishing the story. Now, the thing that I've been saying to myself, saying out loud, saying while laying there on the mat is 'get back.' I want to get back to the situation that I was in, to the same scenario I was in, and fix that outcome. I'm not going to say specifically what that is, but I think we can all read between the lines, and the journey to get there is dang near next to impossible, it really is, including three (matches) with Brock Lesnar. That would be what I would hope, but consistently surprised, you never know. I don't mean that as a tagline. With me, on Monday nights, you never know. It's been a great surprise so far."

Do you think WWE will pair Rhodes and Reigns up again before the end of the year? What will "The American Nightmare" be up to in the meantime? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Cody Rhodes Reaching His "Final Form"

Elsewhere during the press conference, Rhodes discussed the evolution of his "American Nightmare" persona and how he feels it has reached its "final form" since returning to WWE. Rhodes previously used the moniker in companies like AEW, Impact Wrestling and New Japan prior to returning to WWE in April 2022.

"I feel like I just stepped into the role right now the American Nightmare," Rhodes said. "And I mentioned this in the documentary. It's this collection of all these things that I've been and was. But here (in WWE) it has caught on in a way that I want to just continue what we're doing. I've never seen so many signs with this (points to his neck tattoo). You know, this went from being what wrestling and sports entertainment fans thought was the worst tattoo in the history of the industry. And now this, it's on every sign out there and you've got these wonderful young fans and just jumping on board. I just want to continue to go down that road.

"I think I've found my final form. And it took me a while," he continued. "Some folks get it right out the gate, they know who they're supposed to be and that's special. I don't begrudge them. Me, (I'm a) slow learner and I think I found my final form. So it's really just polishing up the best of the American Nightmare."

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
• WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)

The post-credits scene has become something of a common practice in today's world of TV and movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe took the idea to new heights and most franchises (or hopeful franchise-starters) tack on scenes during or after the credits to tease what might come next. You may not have noticed, but Peacock's Twisted Metal series is one of those titles that uses a post-credits scene to set up the future. Even though the final moments of the show's first season tee up what's to come, there's still one more scene that offers clarity on a major character's fate.

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for the first season of Twisted Metal! Continue reading at your own risk...

The first half of the Twisted Metal Season 1 finale is a full-on battle royale that brings to life the popular action of the video games the series is based on. Many of the major characters take to a vehicular battlefield to try and take one another out. Naturally, Sweet Tooth ends up in the fight. Unfortunately for the psychotic killer clown, he doesn't seem to make it through the action. He's shot in the eye and hit by a car going full speed. The last thing we see of Sweet Tooth is his iconic mask, lying bloody on the asphalt.

If you stick around through the finale's credits, though, you'll learn that Sweet Tooth is far from dead, and his thirst for revenge is stronger than ever.

Twisted Metal Post-Credits Scene

The scene after the credits starts with Stu and Michael sitting on a beach, roasting hot dogs over an open fire, having escaped Sweet Tooth's clutches. Remember, Stu turned on Sweet Tooth to save Michael, shooting him in the face in an effort to escape.

That turned out to be a terrible decision. A minute or so into the scene, Sweet Tooth emerges from the jungle behind the two men. He seemingly kills Michael with his sword (though it happens off-screen), before dragging a screaming Stu back into the trees behind him.

It felt like Sweet Tooth would definitely be back for Season 2 of Twisted Metal, provided Peacock orders another round of episodes, but it may have been surprising to see him return to quickly after his death fake-out.

This final scene of the season not only confirms that Sweet Tooth is definitely a part of the future for Twisted Metal, but that he and Stu's story together is far from over. Despite being a murderous maniac, Sweet Tooth opts not to kill Stu. He's got something else in mind for his "S Brother."

Twisted Metal Season 2

Peacock hasn't yet announced a second season of Twisted Metal, and there's no telling just when a decision on the show's future might be made. What we do know, however, is that the creative team clearly has plans in place for a potential Season 2. Not only does Sweet Tooth's return tease an additional story, but the finale also sets up the actual Twisted Metal competition, pitting the best drivers in the world against one another in a deadly tournament.

Do you hope to see Peacock renew Twisted Metal for a second season? Let us know in the comments!

Oppenheimer's IMAX run is being extended again. According to Variety, the Christopher Nolan film's 70mm run in IMAX theaters is being continued through the end of August due to popular demand. Late last month, the film's IMAX 70mm run had been expected to end on August 17th. Shot for IMAX with IMAX film cameras, the film had originally secured an exclusive three-week run in the premium format. The extension of the film's IMAX run means that Oppenheimer will control that particular footprint until September 1st, which will see Denzel Washington's The Equalizer 3 take its spot. Dune Part II, which was also filmed with IMAX cameras, is set to get an exclusive IMAX run starting on November 3rd.

Previously, IMAX indicated in a statement that even with the extension of Oppenheimer's screenings in the format, there were plans to bring IMAX showings back in the future.

"In light of its extraordinary performance, IMAX is extending Oppenheimer's run an additional week through August 16/17, with plans to bring-back IMAX showtimes of Oppenheimer in the late summer/fall, as availability permits," a previous statement read.

Nolan has been vocal about IMAX 70mm being the preferred viewing platform for Oppenheimer, previously telling the AP that the "sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled."

"The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled," Nolan said. "The headline, for me, is by shooting on Imax 70mm film, you're really letting the screen disappear. You're getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You've got a huge screen and you're filling the peripheral vision of the audience. You're immersing them in the world of the film."

IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond echoes this, telling Variety that the film actually looks better in the format.

"It actually looks better in film," he said. "It's not just about nostalgia. It's a better experience."

There Are No Deleted Scenes in Oppenheimer

While Oppenheimer is getting an extended IMAX run, one thing that fans of the film won't be getting are deleted scenes -- now or in the future. According to the film's star, Cillian Murphy, there simply aren't any.

"There's no deleted scenes in Chris Nolan movies," Murphy revealed. "That's why there are no DVD extras on his movies because the script is the movie. He knows exactly what's going to end up- he's not fiddling around with it trying to change the story. That is the movie."

"I tend to try and weed things out on paper because it's crazy expensive to shoot things that aren't going to be in the film," Nolan explained to MTV back in 2012 when discussing The Dark Knight Rises. "It also takes up a lot of time and energy. Pretty much with all my films, there are very few deleted scenes, which always disappoints the DVD crowd."

About Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer follows the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project, and his contributions that led to the creation of the atomic bomb.

The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Matthias Schweigh?fer as Werner Heisenberg, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsg?rd as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa Aurv?g as George Kistiakowsky, and Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.

Don't bug out before Blue Beetle credits have finished rolling. Xolo Maridue?a suits up as Jaime Reyes in the new DC film, becoming the superhero Blue Beetle when an ancient relic of alien biotechnology -- the Scarab (voiced by Becky G) -- chooses him to be its symbiotic host. Director Angel Manuel Soto and DC Studios co-chief James Gunn have hinted that Maridue?a's Blue Beetle will be sticking around for the new DC Universe, ushering in the next generation of heroes as part of the DCU Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.

Blue Beetle has two credits scenes hinting that "there's more story to tell" with Jaime Reyes, according to a fan who attended the official Blue Beetle Block Party in Austin, Texas. Soto was on hand for the fan screening in advance of its August 18th premiere in theaters.

"I think that's the beauty of it, right? I think it's pretty vague," Soto told ComicBook when asked if Blue Beetle is set in the existing DC Extended Universe or the soon-to-be-rebooted DC Universe. "We know Batman exists. We know Flash exists. We know Superman exists, but we don't say how, where or what."

The director continued, "I think it opens up the doors to any interpretation or any direction James Gunn wants to go and because it is setting Jaime up, what happens now moving forward is game. I think that's why they decided Jaime can be the first superhero of the new DCU because he is his own hero."

Gunn has confirmed that, while Maridue?a's Jaime Reyes will "continue on in the DCU" alongside "a handful of other characters" from the shared universe started with 2013's Man of Steel, the DC Studios movie canon starts with the upcoming Superman: Legacy in 2025. That means Maridue?a will still be Blue Beetle the character, but Blue Beetle the movie will exist outside of the new canon.

Maridue?a leads a cast that includes Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood) as Jaime's grandmother, Nana; Dam?an Alc?zar (Narcos) as his father, Alberto; Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans M.C.) as his mother, Bianca; Belissa Escobedo (Hocus Pocus 2) as his sister, Milagro; George Lopez (Lopez vs. Lopez) as Jaime's Uncle Rudy; and Bruna Marquezine (God Save the King) as Jenny Kord. Blue Beetle also stars Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario) as the villain Carapax, the indestructible man, Harvey Guill?n (What We Do in the Shadows) as Dr. Sanchez, and Susan Sarandon (Monarch) as Victoria Kord, CEO of Kord Industries.

Tickets are now on sale. DC's Blue Beetle opens only in theaters August 18th.

DC's Blue Beetle is the next superhero blockbuster to enter theaters, and it's currently tracking for a relatively modest opening weekend at the box office. According to the latest tracking numbers, the Angel Manuel Soto picture is expected to make around $30 million at domestic exhibitors. The sum would be nearly half of the opening weekend carried by The Flash earlier this summer, which was considered by most to be a sizable box office bomb.

That said, Deadline says word-of-mouth on Blue Beetle is already at surprising levels, suggesting $30M total could balloon much higher. According to the trade, Beetle is polling incredibly well with Hispanic and Latino audiences, and data points towards a bigger opening than both Alita: Battle Angel ($28.5M) and Meg 2: The Trench ($30M).

Is Blue Beetle in the DCU?

By all accounts, the upcoming feature is set in Warner Bros.' new DC Universe. DC Studios boss James Gunn has confirmed as much, and Soto says the film can be set on the timeline wherever Gunn and Peter Safran determine necessary.

"I think that's the beauty of it, right? I think it's pretty vague. We know Batman exists. We know Flash exists. We know Superman exists, but we don't say how, where or what," Soto told us earlier this month. "I think it opens up the doors to any interpretation or any direction James Gunn wants to go and because it is setting Jaime up, what happens now moving forward is game. I think that's why they decided Jaime can be the first superhero of the new DCU because he is his own hero."

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Blue Beetle, which arrives in theaters on August 18th, marking the DC superhero's first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridue?a in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes. Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

Starring alongside Maridue?a are Adriana Barraza, Dam?an Alc?zar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez (the "Rio and "Smurf" franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo and Harvey Guill?n. Soto directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed is now in the midst of celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the original TV anime series' premiere, and a new trailer has been released for its big movie comeback, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom! Gundam Seed is now in the works on a massive 20th Anniversary project that not only is bringing the anime back for a new movie set after the events of the original and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, but with all sorts of other planned projects that will also help to celebrate how far the anime has come since it first began all those years ago.

After revealing the first full look at the new movie earlier this Summer, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom has shared a new trailer showing off much more from the upcoming sequel project. Showing off more of the extended cast returning to reprise their roles in the new movie, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom has released a trailer (complete with English subtitles) that you can check out in full below as it gears up for its debut across theaters in Japan next January:

What to Know for Gundam Seed Freedom Movie

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom will be releasing across theaters in Japan on January 26, 2024. Directed by Mitsuo Fukuda (who also wrote the script alongside Chiaka Morosawa and Liu Goto) for Bandai Namco Filmworks with Hisashi Hirai designing the characters, and Toshihiko Sashashi composing the music, the voice cast will feature a largely returning roster as well. The returning cast includes the likes of Soichiro Hoshi as Kira Yamato, Rie Tanaka as Lacus Clyne, Akira Ishida as Athrun Zala, Kenichi Suzumura as Shinn Asuka, Maaya Sakamoto as Lunamaria Hawke, Fumiko Orikasa as Meyrin Hawke, Kotono Mitsuishi as Murrue Ramius, and more with Nanako Mori replacing Naomi Shindoh as the voice of Cagalli Yula Athha.

You can catch up with the original Mobile Suit Gundam Seed anime series streaming with Crunchyroll, and they tease Mobile Suit Gundam Seed as such, "In Cosmic Era (C.E.) 70... The tensions mounted between the Earth Alliance and theZAFT Forces caused by the 'Bloody Valentine' tragedy have erupted into an all-out war. The Earth Alliance's mobile armor forces and tanks launch...mobile suits are destroyed one after another...It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Earth Alliance, with its superior numbers, would be victorious. But this initial assessment proved to be false. Almost 11 months have passed since the conflict began, with no end in sight..."

What are you hoping to see in Gundam Seed's big comeback movie? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Gal Gadot's latest film, Heart of Stone, debuts on Netflix on Friday, August 11th and the action thriller is already shooting to be more than just a one-off with director Tom Harper having previously said that he's hopeful the movie is the start of a new, female-led action franchise in the vein of Mission: Impossible. But living up to the level of stunts that Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise pulls off in that franchise might be a daunting task. Gadot says that while she's up to pushing her own limits, Cruise is a "unicorn".

"Tom Cruise is a unicorn in this genre," Gadot told ComicBook.com's Chris Killian prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. "I don't think there's anybody like Tom. And he's a big inspiration. And I'll always try to push my limits."

Gadot Has Previously Spoken About Heart of Stone's Action and How It's For "Everybody"

Gadot previously told Empire Magazine about how she wanted to create a female-driven action movie for everyone, not just a story focused on male characters.

"I realized that there was an audience for a female action protagonist," Gadot said. "I grew up watching Bond, and Mission, and Bourne. I wanted to create a really strong, female-driven action movie that is for everybody, not a male story that's been done many times already."

She also spoke about one of the scenes from the film that had a particularly wild sequence that they worked on to ensure that it was really something that a real human could do -- and how she always goes into things to really perform them with intention.

"The scene was even crazier, at a higher altitude," Gadot revealed. "and we got into the science of it and dialed it down so that a human could do it. That was something I wanted to really make sure we nailed. That could be done by people."

"What I can do as an actor, I'll always go for it and... fight with intention and really perform that," Gadot continued. "The crazy, crazy stuff, I can't, they won't let me!"

What is Heart of Stone About?

This is how Netflix describes Heart of Stone: Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) appears to be an inexperienced tech, on an elite MI6 unit headed up by lead agent Parker (Jamie Dornan). What her MI6 team doesn't know is that Stone actually works for the Charter -- a covert peacekeeping organization, secret even from other spies, which uses cutting-edge technology to neutralize global threats. Rachel has been trained to be the consummate professional: a phenomenal field agent who sticks to the mission, follows the numbers, and trusts no one. When a routine mission is derailed by mysterious hacker Keya Dhawan (Alia Bhatt), Rachel's two lives collide. As she races to protect the Charter and strives to beat the odds, her humanity might just be her biggest asset.

Heart of Stone debuts on Netflix August 11th.

One Piece has fully introduced Gear 5 Luffy to the anime with its newest episode, and also explained the secret behind the real power hidden within Luffy's Gum-Gum Devil Fruit! One Piece is now in the true climax of the Wano Country arc as Luffy and Kaido restarted their fight on the roof of Onigashima's Skull Dome, but Luffy's much different than he was the last time as he unlocked a powerful new form. It's a form that brings him to a godly new kind of level that impacts the world around him, and it's apparently a power that the World Government has been trying to lock down for hundreds of years.

One Piece Episode 1071 not only unleashed Gear 5 Luffy in the anime, and with it saw the Five Elders in the World Government reveal why they interfered in Luffy and Kaido's fight in the first place. While sacrificing one of their CP0 agents to take out Luffy and make Kaido angry, they argue it's much better than the alternative in letting Luffy loose. Because it turns out that the Gum-Gum Fruit actually goes by a different name with a much more ridiculous power than expected.

Luffy's Real Devil Fruit Name and Power Explained

One Piece Episode 1071 cuts to the Five Elders while Luffy is in the middle of transforming into Gear 5, and they explain that the World Government has been after the Gum-Gum Fruit for 800 years but has failed to nab it for themselves. It's like the fruit itself had been avoiding them, and it's revealed to actually be a Zoan Devil Fruit with a probable mind of its own. Not only that, but it's a mythical one tied to the powers of an ancient god. Dubbed the The Zoan, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Type, Model Nika, it shares powers with the ancient Sun God Nika of legend.

The Fiver Elders explained that Nika's power was that his body had shared the properties of rubber, and awakening its true power gives the user more strength and "freedom." Calling it a truly "ridiculous" power, fans see this in action as Luffy's now making everything a cartoon as he fights against Kaido for this last stretch of the Wano Country arc. With this godly power at his disposal, it's made Luffy's place in the One Piece world all the more intriguing.

How do you feel about Luffy's new Gear 5 powers? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

One of the only true theatrical comedies of the year is finally making its way to living rooms across the country later this month. No Hard Feelings, starring Hunger Games breakout and Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, is an R-rated comedy about a woman in a tough spot and a teenager trying to find his own way. The film was popular amongst critics when it was released earlier this year and went on to gross around $85 million at the box office. Soon, it will be available to own.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced the home release dates for No Hard Feelings on Monday. The digital version of No Hard Feelings will be available on various on-demand platforms on August 15th. Two weeks later, on August 29th, the film will be making its way to Blu-ray and DVD. Both the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film will include a digital code for the movie.

There are a few special features for No Hard Feelings, all of which are available on the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD editions of the film. The special features include a reel of outtakes and bloopers, "A Motley Crew: Meet the Characters," and "A Little Wrong: Making No Hard Feelings."

What Is No Hard Feelings About?

Here's the official synopsis for No Hard Feelings:

"Maddie thinks she's found the answer to her financial troubles when she discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to "date" their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, and bring him out of his shell before he leaves for college. But awkward Percy proves to be a real challenge, and time is running out. She has one summer to make him a man or lose it all."

The film is directed by Gene Stupnitsky, who co-wrote the script with John Phillips. Lawrence stars alongside Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Natalie Morales, Scott MacArthur, and Matthew Broderick. Alex Saks, Naomi Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero, Justin Ciarrocch, and Jennifer Lawrence produced the film.

No Hard Feelings marks one of Lawrence's first films back after a brief hiatus, which took place after 2019's Dark Phoenix.

"I was not pumping out the quality that I should have," Lawrence told Vanity Fair of her decision to take the acting hiatus. "I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I'd gotten sick of me. It had just gotten to a point where I couldn't do anything right. If I walked a red carpet, it was, 'Why didn't she run?'... I think that I was people-pleasing for the majority of my life. Working made me feel like nobody could be mad at me: 'Okay, I said yes, we're doing it. Nobody's mad.' And then I felt like I reached a point where people were not pleased just by my existence. So that kind of shook me out of thinking that work or your career can bring any kind of peace to your soul."

Jeopardy! Season 39 faced difficulties in its final weeks earlier this year after the Writers Guild of America strike forced series co-host Mayim Bialik to temporarily depart from her duties on the show. Given the strike is still ongoing and there's virtually no end in sight, the long-running trivia show will be reusing questions from earlier seasons in its touchstone 40th season. Not only that, but the series will also bring back previous contestants, with showrunner Michael Davies saying it "it would not be fair to have new contestants making their first appearance on the Alex Trebek Stage, doing it with non-original material" on the latest episode of Inside Jeopardy!.

Furthermore, Davies confirmed Season 40 would us "a combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database, and material that has been re-deployed from multiple seasons of the show."

Currently set to premiere on September 11th, the series will feature a tournament from contestants who previously lost matches in Season 37. Following that, additional contestants from both Season 37 and Season 38 will be featured.

"We decided that, really, we needed to invite back and give a second chance in general to players who probably thought that their chance to come back and play on the Alex Trebek stage had gone forever," Davies said.

Given Bialik left the show at the onset of the strike, it's likely her co-host Ken Jennings will be handling the majority, if not all, of the tapings for the forceeable future.

Why is the WGA striking?

The WGA strike began at the beginning of May, after the Guild was unable to come to a consensus with representatives from studios. This is the second time that the WGA has gone on strike in fifteen years, after striking for 100 days from 2007 to 2008.

"Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal -- and though your strike vote gave us the leverage to make some gains -- the studios' responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing," the WGA said in a statement on May 1st. "We must now exert the maximum leverage possible to get a fair contract by withholding our labor."

The statement continued: "The WGA Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, but the studios' responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing. The companies' behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing. From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a 'day rate' in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership."

Bryan Randall, photographer and the longtime boyfriend/co-parenting partner of actress Sandra Bullock has died at the age of 57 after a private battle with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

In a statement from Bryan Randall's family (via PEOPLE), they say the following in his remembrance:

It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS. Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request.

We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours.

At this time we ask for privacy to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan. --His Loving Family.

Sandra Bullock started a relationship with Bryan Randall in 2015. Bullock had divorced her former husband, motorcycle culture star Jesse James in 2010 while adopting her first child a, son named Louis; she met Randall when he was working as the photographer for Louis's birthday in January of 2015, and went public with the relationship later that year. By the end of 2015, she adopted a three-year-old daughter, Laila; Randall also had a daughter who was regularly in their lives.

While never married, Bullock told Jada Pinkett Smith during a 2021 episode of Red Table Talk that the family she had built with Bryan Randall was everything she ever wanted out of life:

"I found the love of my life. We share two beautiful children- three children, [Randall's] older daughter. It's the best thing ever. I don't wanna say do it like I do it, but I don't need a paper to be a devoted partner and devoted mother."

In the same interview, Bullock spoke highly of Randall as a father and role model, saying; "He's the example that I would want my children to have," and noting how he had come to fit into her life as a complete partner: "He is an example even when I don't agree with him. I'm stubborn but sometimes I need to sit back and listen and go, 'You're saying it differently but we mean exactly the same thing.' It's hard to co-parent because I just want to do it myself."

We send our condolences to Bryan Randall's family, friends, colleagues and fans. His family requested that anyone seeking to honor him do so by making donations to ALS Association and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 officially brought the Gojo's Past arcs to an end with the newest episode of the anime, and the original creator behind Jujutsu Kaisen has shared their praise for how the anime handled the flashback as a whole! Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 started out with a look into Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto's past for the Hidden Inventory and Premature Death arcs that helped to explain why the two of them are enemies at the time of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and beyond. It was necessary to set up some big events to come, and fans praised each of the episodes since.

This praise also comes from original Jujutsu Kaisen manga creator Gege Akutami as well. With Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 5 bringing the Gojo flashback to an end and moving back into the present day, Akutami shared a special note with fans on Twitter praising how the anime team handled bringing this flashback to life. Recommending those interested in creating anime and manga to watch the five episodes of the arc, Akutami seemed certainly pleased as to how it all turned out.

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?8/10?17(?)???(???)???????! pic.twitter.com/NI49M1tCok

-- ???????? (@jujutsu_PR) August 3, 2023

What Jujutsu Kaisen's Creator Thinks of Episode 5

"Everything has been created with such painstaking care and detail, if they'd told me that Season 2 of the anime would be a flashback arc only, I wouldn't have doubted it for a second!!" Akutami began in a special message to fans (as translated by @soukatsu_ on Twitter). "I can't believe we're also getting Shibuya after all this!! Shoving aside my own original work for a minute here, but I really want to highly recommend to anyone who wants to be involved in creating manga or anime in the future to watch all five episodes of this past arc!! It's been five straight weeks of being overwhelmed by all the possibilities of the current generation and upcoming generation!!"

With the tease for what's coming our way in the rest of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, it's time to get ready for the Shibuya Incident with the next major arc of the season kicking off with Episode 6 airing on August 31st in Japan following a couple of weeks of breaks.

How did you like Gojo's flashback in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2's first episodes? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

The 2023 Pokemon World Championships will take place this weekend, and for players that can't make the trek to Yokohama, Pokemon Go will be celebrating with a new in-game event. The event will begin Friday, August 11th at 11 a.m. local time and will last through Tuesday, August 15th at 8 p.m. local time. The Alolan Pokemon Passimian will make its debut during the event, and players will find a new costumed Pikachu. The 2023 World Championships Pikachu can be found by completing Timed Research or through One-Star Raids.

The World Championships Pikachu will be wearing a special jersey, which players can obtain for their avatar in the game's shop. A special jacket will also be available for purchase. Players that don't want to drop any PokeCoins to change their look will be happy to know that a free t-shirt item will be available in gray. The shirt features Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxley, and a yellow variant of that will also be released. The yellow version will be available via a code that will be given out during the World Championships stream, and on social media.

During the event, a handful of Pokemon will have special Featured Attacks. This will be similar to how it works during Pokemon Go Community Day events, where players receive a Pokemon knowing these moves if they're evolved during the event. These will include:

• Alolan Sandslash- Will know the Fast Attack Shadow Claw.
  
• Machamp- Will know the Charged Attack Payback.
  
• Dewgong- Will know the Fast Attack Ice Shard and Charged Attack Icy Wind.
  
• Walrein- Will know the Fast Attack Powder Snow and Charged Attack Icicle Spear.
  
• Obstagoon- Will know the Charged Attack Obstruct.
  

Players hoping to get Pokemon knowing these Featured Attacks will be able to find Machop and Spheal more commonly in the wild. Spheal will also be a Field Research task encounter, alongside Seel, Galarian Zigzagoon, and Alolan Sandshrew. Scraggy will also be seen more commonly in the wild and in One-Star Raids, which is notable, as the Shiny variation will be appearing in Pokemon Go for the very first time!

Are you excited for the 2023 Pokemon World Championships? How do you feel about the in-game event? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Marvel VFX crews have voted to unionize. According to Vulture, a supermajority of more than 50 on-set employees petitioned to be represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) with the National Labor Relations Board. This petition asks for an election for representation with workers asking for the election to be held as early as August 21st of this year. This move is the first time that VFX professionals have come together to demand the same rights, protections, and professional oversight that other segments of the entertainment industry have via union representation. IATSE represents more than 170,000 artisans, technicians, stagehands, craftspeople, and more in television, film, and theater in the U.S. and Canada.

"For almost half a century, workers in the visual-effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their coworkers and crewmates have relied upon since the beginning of the Hollywood film industry," VFX organizer for IATSE Mark Patch said in a statement. "This is a historic first step for VFX workers coming together with a collective voice demanding respect for what we do."

This move by Marvel's VFX crew comes on the heels of various reports in the past year of troubling working conditions for crews at the studio, reports that have claimed issues of overworking and underpayment. In January of this year there were reports that VFX artists for the studio were considering pursuing unionization.

"Turnaround times don't apply to us, protected hours don't apply to us, and pay equity doesn't apply to us," VFX coordinator Bella Huffman said. "Visual effects must become a sustainable and safe department for everyone who's suffered far too long and for all newcomers who need to know they won't be exploited."

VFX Workers Are Just the Latest in Entertainment to Unionize

Earlier this year, workers at Sega of America voted in favor of forming a union. Plans were announced by the group back in April, creating the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS-CWA). At the time, management at Sega of America had declined to voluntarily recognize the union. In a statement from April, Sega QA lead Mohammad Saman talked about the potential improvements for employees.

"By creating our union, AEGIA-CWA, we'll have a say in the decisions that shape our working conditions and ensure the job security and working conditions that we deserve," Saman said in a statement provided to Axios.

Nickelodeon workers also moved to unionize, voting to unionize at the end of 2022. In January it was reported that the company had agreed to work with The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839.

Labor Relations is a Major Ongoing Issue in Hollywood

Marvel VFX workers moving to unionize comes as labor relations continue to be a major ongoing issue in Hollywood and entertainment. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) since May 1st and while talks recently briefly resumed, they quickly stalled due to multiple issues. The actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, has also been on strike since mid-July with the dual strikes effectively resulting in a complete shutdown of Hollywood.

What do you think about Marvel Studios' VFX artists moving to unionize? Let us know in the comment section.

When Assassin's Creed Mirage releases on October 12, it's set to be a return to the franchise's roots in many ways. Not only is it putting the focus back on stealth assassinations compared to the modern games but it's also going to have a much shorter runtime than the increasingly bloated offerings the series has been known for in the last few entries. That said, it doesn't look like Ubisoft is completely leaving the modern games behind as a recent leak is seemingly confirming that Assassin's Creed Mirage will include microtransactions.

The leak was first spotted by Redditor KvasirTheOld on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit. They noted that a Twitter user who goes by xj0nathan on the platform posted an image showing off the microtransactions that will apparently be included. At the time of writing, that image has since been removed due to copyright, but you can still find backups on Reddit and other places. The long and short of it is that fans will be greeted by various cosmetic microtransactions when they boot up Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Assassin's Creed Mirage leaked gear pack (microtransacrions confirmed :/)
by u/KvasirTheOld in GamingLeaksAndRumours

Of course, this isn't new for the Assassin's Creed franchise. Since moving to more RPG-focused gameplay, Ubisoft has steadily provided ways for fans to purchase all kinds of cosmetics. Even before that, the team sold booster-style upgrades that could speed up your playtime if desired. That said, with Mirage going back to the franchise's roots, some were probably hoping Ubisoft would keep microtransactions out since they weren't there in the original. However, with the way modern games are made, it's not really a big surprise to see these pop up. And, as long as there's no competitive advantage, it's hard to find too much of an issue. If you read through the comments on either the post on Reddit or the tweet, most players seem to agree that adding cosmetic gear isn't really an issue for them.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is out on October 12 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. While the game is being supported by microtransactions, Ubisoft has made it clear that it likely won't support it much with post-launch content, yet another way it's much different from modern games in the franchise.

Black Clover is getting ready for the final battles of Yuki Tabata's manga series overall, and the newest chapter of Black Clover has revealed a new anti-magic trick Asta is bringing into the final arc! The Ultimate Wizard King arc started off on a terrible foot for Asta as he took a massive loss to Lucius Zogratis and was sent to the Land of the Sun before the final battles for the fate of the Clover Kingdom began. But upon getting sent to this new country, Asta ended up training in a whole new kind of technique that helped him take his anti-magic control to a new level.

The latest slate of Black Clover chapters have put the Black Bulls through the ringer as they had been trying to protect the Door of Fate ritual to quickly bring Asta back to the scene of the battle in the Clover Kingdom, and thankfully they were successful in this endeavor despite all of the near-death damage they took to make it happen. It's here Asta is able to help them quickly recover, and even become stronger, thanks to a new ability he's developed alongside his Zetten training. He can now pass on anti-magic to others.

Black Clover: Asta's New Anti-Magic Power Explained

Black Clover Chapter 367 picks up shortly after Asta was able to return to the battlefield and confirms that he was able to take out the Paladin Damnatio with a single Zetten strike. Confident in his ability to help the Black Bulls despite how near-death they all were, it's explained that Asta now has a greater control over his anti-magic powers than ever before thanks to his Zetten training. Ryuya theorizes that because Asta can make other things anti-magic with his power, it could be applied to people as well.

He also mentions that compatibility with anti-magic and time spent with the people are a factor, but the end of the chapter reveals that Asta was successful in sharing his power with the rest of the Black Bulls squad. Transforming them into the "Ultimate Black Bulls," now the final fights across the Clover Kingdom are at hand and the squad people once ridiculed are actually poised to save everyone before it's all said and done.

How do you feel about Asta's new anti-magic power for Black Clover's final arc? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

SummerSlam's main event between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso was competed under "Tribal Combat" rules with both the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and Reigns' status as "The Tribal Chief" on the line. Like most of Reigns' matches, the ending was heavily influenced by outside interference as both Solo Sikoa and a returning Jimmy Uso got involved and helped Reigns retain. However, fans have since taken online to point out a noticeable oversight by someone within WWE. When the match was first announced, the rules were explained on WWE.com that there would be no disqualifications and no count outs. But there was also a note that no one was allowed to interfere, something that was clearly ignored.

It's unclear what happened here. Were there wires crossed when the WWE.com preview article was written? Did WWE forget they had added this to the stipulation when setting up the match? Or was there originally supposed to be no interference, but plans were changed and the company's higher-ups hoped that nobody noticed? Tell us what you think in the comments!

So wtf happened to the supposed rules of Tribal Combat?
by u/dalekofchaos in SquaredCircle

Paul Heyman on Roman Reigns' Run Not Hitting the Halfway Point

Reigns' "Wise Man" Paul Heyman spoke at the post-show press conference and once again claimed Reigns is in the "third inning" of his dominant run. The same line was used after Reigns retained at WrestleMania 39.

"We are just figuring this stuff out," Heyman said (h/t WrestleZone). "We haven't even hit our stride yet. If you want to take the arrogant approach, I'm sure Paul Levesque will tell you all the box office records that have been smashed. Every Friday night when we show up at SmackDown, we're always told, 'This is the largest gate of this and the largest gate of that.' 'This is the largest premium live event.' 'This is the largest WrestleMania.' Okay, we can sit there and point to what clearly drove all this, and it's the Bloodline, and when I say the Bloodline, I mean the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.

"There is so much more for us to master. It's a craft, and it's an evolving craft. It's an ever-evolving form of entertainment," he continued. "If you sit there and you think, 'We got this, this is it, we're cruising to WrestleMania,' we're going to be replaced, and we should be. If you don't come at this with the greatest ambitions to be much better tomorrow than you are today and much better two days from now, then you're not here to be the greatest of all time."

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
• WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)

Last month, three retired members of the United States Armed Forced testified before a House Oversight subcommittee regarding UAP or unidentified anomalous phenomena. While under oath, the likes of Ryan Graves, David Grusch, and David Fravor spoke to their experience with UFOs, with Grusch even going the length to say the United State government "absolutely" has nonhuman space craft in its possession. Now, Graves says what he said during the hearing was just the "tip of the iceberg."

Graves, a former pilot in the Air Force, said he personally witnessed a UAP/UFO with no visible means of propulsion nearly 10 years ago. According to the pilot, the craft was able to "remain motionless" amid Category 4 hurricane winds. Furthermore, the craft was able to accelerate at supersonic speeds and operate all day without refueling or charging.

"Today, these same UAP are still being seen; we still don't know what they are; and our government has no idea of the scope of the problem. That's because pilots, both commercial and military, are encountering UAP, and the majority of these cases are going unreported," Graves now says in a new op-ed in Newsweek.

The retired pilot now oversees Americans for Safe Aerospace, a non-profit looking to destigmatize the reporting of UAP and other unidentified craft.

"The majority of UAP witnesses I talk to are commercial pilots at major airlines. Often, they are veterans with decades of flying experience," Graves continued. "Pilots are reporting UAP at altitudes that appear to be above them at 40,000 feet, potentially in low earth orbit or in the grey zone below the Karman line, making inexplicable maneuvers, like right hand turns and retrograde orbits, or j-hooks. Sometimes these reports are recurring, with numerous recent sightings north of Hawaii and the North Atlantic. Our most recent report was from Tuesday."

He added, "Why then is our government turning its back on the UAP reports from credible eyewitnesses who are responsible for the safety of millions and are motivated to protect our national security? If commercial pilots are routinely observing new foreign drones north of Hawaii, why wouldn't we want to track those reports? Why would the FAA not want to assess potential safety of flight implications? Why does our government want to leave open a domain awareness gap that could pose a flight risk and national security risk?"

Though steps have been taken forward by members of Congress through the use of hearings, new reporting procedures have yet to surface. Now that there's been considerable momentum regarding the subject, however, more Congresspeople are turning their eyes to the topic.

For additional space and cosmic stories, check out our ComicBook Invasion hub here.

A new Mortal Kombat 1 leak is making the rounds as it promises a nice surprise for Scorpion fans. As you probably already know, and as its name suggests, Mortal Kombat 1 is set to reboot the franchise, but there will still be some connection to previous games. To this end, if you were wondering what happened to Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion, it will be revealed in the new game, or at least that's what a leaker who relayed word of Reptile and Havik before they were revealed over the weekend is claiming. To be fair, Reptile was being teased by creative director on the game Ed Boon before his reveal, but the image below came before this and Havik was not teased in any capacity.

Unfortunately, this is the extent of the leak. The anonymous leaker "FateUnknown" says players will discover what happened to Hanzo, but that's all they say. This would presumably happen in Story Mode, but not even this claim is made. All there is right now is a vague commitment that players will find out what happened to Hanzo.

MK1 Leak Tweet
Hanzo Hasashi exists in this universe and will be discussed in Story Mode, according to FateUnknown, one of the most reliable MK leakers we have right now.

Edit: This image is a week old. pic.twitter.com/zya5LaAYxe

-- thethiny ? (@thethiny) August 7, 2023

As always, take everything here with a grain of salt. This is just a rumor from a source that is seemingly reliable but has a small track record and is anonymous.

Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release worldwide on September 19 via PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. When the fighting game releases, it will cost $69.99. For more coverage on the title, click here.

"NetherRealm has been putting out winner after winner for over a decade at this point and it doesn't seem like Mortal Kombat 1 is going to end that hot streak," reads a snippet from our official preview of the game. "Outside of simply shaping up to be another fantastic fighting game, though, what makes Mortal Kombat 1 so enticing is just how fresh it feels. This isn't simply a sequel/reboot that looks to expand slightly on what was seen in Mortal Kombat 11 and is instead a game that is looking to chart a new course for a series that has been around for 30 years. It remains to be seen if all of these big changes are for the better, but based on my own brief experience, it looks like Mortal Kombat 1 is finding a perfect balance between the new and the familiar."

Demon Slayer wrapped up its third season earlier this year, and the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga is celebrating Muichiro Tokito's role in it all with a special trailer celebrating the Mist Hashira's birthday. Although he was introduced alongside the rest of the Hashira line up during the first season of the anime, it wasn't until Demon Slayer Season 3 that Muichiro himself got into the center of the action. Facing off against a member of Muzan Kibutsuji's Upper Ranks through the Swordsmith Village Arc, fans got to see what the Mist Hashira was truly capable of in an all-out fight.

With Muichiro's birthday on August 8th in Japan, Shueisha took the occasion to celebrate how much the Mist Hashira accomplished during the Swordsmith Village Arc with a cool new trailer highlighting his biggest moments of the arc. Showing off the manga's take on everything that happened, Muichiro is now one of the fighters who will be returning to the anime when Demon Slayer Season 4 finally premieres in the near future. You can check out Muichiro's special celebratory birthday trailer below:

Where to Watch the Demon Slayer Anime

Now is the perfect time to catch up with the Demon Slayer anime so far as Demon Slayer Season 4 has been announced to be in the works and will be adapting the Hashira Training Arc from the Demon Slayer manga. There has yet to be a release window or date set for the next season of the anime as of this writing, but it will feature a returning staff and cast from the previous anime efforts. You can find the first three seasons of the Demon Slayer TV anime and Mugen Train Arc movie now streaming with Crunchyroll.

If you're jumping into the franchise for the first time, Crunchyroll teases the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime as such, "It is the Taisho Period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a 'demon slayer' so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family."

How did you like seeing Muichiro Tokito in action in Demon Slayer's newest season? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

The WWE Women's Tag Team Championships have never truly found their footing. The titles and accompanying division was introduced in early 2019 when Sasha Banks and Bayley were crowned as the inaugural titleholders. Banks and Bayley's reign was cut significantly short when they were dethroned by The IIconics at WWE WrestleMania 35 just weeks later. The titles would continue to hot potato across the women's tag division for months to come until Banks and Bayley regained them in May 2020. With both of those women at the top of Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown at the time, it looked like the titles were primed for a big run.

Outside of that second reign from Banks and Bayley, the WWE Women's Tag Titles have resorted back to quick changes. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler seemed primed to get a long reign but lost the titles before they could gain any steam. The women to dethrone them, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, lost the titles themselves just weeks after winning them. Many have looked to current fan-favorite champions Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green as the women to finally bring legitimacy to the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, but they have hit a significant road bump.

Sonya Deville Suffers Torn ACL

According to TMZ, WWE Women's Tag Team Champion tore her ACL on the July 28th WWE SmackDown during a championship defense against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. She is set to undergo a procedure on Tuesday.

While there is no timetable for Deville's return to the ring, torn ACLs usually leave athletes out of action for 6-9 months.

It's unclear as to how WWE will move forward with the WWE Women's Tag Titles from here. While Deville will most likely be forced to vacate her title, there is no word on if that means Green will have to do the same. The most probable outcomes point towards Deville and Green relinquishing the titles together or Green replacing Deville with a new partner.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for live coverage of Monday Night Raw tonight and updates on the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles.

WWE SummerSlam Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• SummerSlam Battle Royal: LA Knight def. field
• MMA Rules Match: Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
  
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka and Charlotte Flair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)

Starfinder is getting a new edition, this time fully compatible with Second Edition. During Paizo's keynote address that coincided with the start of Gen Con, Paizo officially announced that they would be launching a second edition of Starfinder, the sci-fi "cousin" to Pathfinder. This new edition will be fully compatible with Pathfinder Second Edition, meaning that all content made for either game will be compatible with each other. This means that a player could hypothetically send their Pathfinder character into the distant future or fling their Starfinder character into Golarion, the world of Pathfinder whose disappearance is actually one of the main hooks of the lore of Starfinder.

Paizo will launch a full playtest in Summer 2024. However, a Starfinder Field Test, a preview document showing what the Starfinder development team is working on, was released last weekend and shows off the first five levels of the Soldier, a new base class for Starfinder Second Edition. Other classes confirmed for Starfinder's playtest next year includes the Mystic, Envoy and the Solarian. The Mystic, of course, was a Pathfinder class who has yet to appear in Second Edition.

Starfinder was originally launched in 2017 and used a radically overhauled version of Pathfinder's 3.5E inspired game engine as its core. However, the game featured rules for ship combat and faster-than-light travel and also allowed players to customize their loadouts and ships within the game. While Starfinder was technically compatible with Pathfinder, characters required some conversion, which now no longer will be the case as the game moves to its second edition. Pathfinder similarly received a second edition back in 2019, with a remastered version coming later this year that serves to refresh and update game rules and overhaul its lore to move it away from D&D OGL material.

The first Starfinder Field Test is available to download now.

News broke on Monday that legendary filmmaker William Friedkin had passed away at the age of 87. Director of films such as The Exorcist, The French Connection, and Sorcerer, Friedkin left an indelible mark on American cinema over the course of his career, and it came as no surprise to see so many in the entertainment industry pay tribute to the filmmaker after the news of his passing made the rounds. Among those who penned messages about Friedkin was Ellen Burstyn, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role as Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist.

"My friend Bill Friedkin was an original; smart, cultured, fearless and wildly talented," Burstyn said in her statement. "On the set, he knew what he wanted, would go to any length to get it and was able to let it go if he saw something better happening. He was undoubtedly a genius."

Burstyn will actually be reprising her role as Chris MacNeil in a new Exorcist film from the Halloween reboot trilogy director David Gordon Green. With MacNeil's appearance, The Exorcist: Believer will have direct connections to Friedkin's original film.

Jason Blum on William Friedkin

The Exorcist: Believer, like the Green's Halloween films, comes from hit-making horror studio Blumhouse. Jason Blum, producer and founder of the company, also took some time on Monday to pay tribute to Friedkin. Blum said that he is "personally indebted" to Friedkin for his contributions to horror, and that he's "intensely grateful" for the work of the filmmaker.

"I am personally indebted to William Friedkin and saddened by his loss," Blum said. "More than any other filmmaker, he changed both the way directors approached horror films and also the perception of horror films in the broader culture. We are deeply saddened to hear of his passing and intensely grateful for the body of work he has left behind."

Scott Derrickson, whose Black Phone was released by Blumhouse last year, took to social media to share his thoughts and memories about Friedkin, a massive inspiration to his work.

"It was an honor to have numerous lengthy chats via Twitter with William Friedkin," Derrickson wrote. "He also sent word through his wife to one of my producers that he watched & loved The Black Phone -- a gesture I will always treasure. The Exorcist and Sorcerer are 2 of the greatest films ever made."

William Friedkin's Final Film

Prior to his passing, Friedkin completed work on one final film. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial stars Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Clarke and is set to make its debut at the Venice Film Festival in a few weeks.

Over the course of five films, the Final Destination franchise would often focus on all-new groups of characters, though the earliest entries included some attempts at offering connective narrative tissue. Creator of the franchise Jeffrey Reddick recently recalled that this wasn't always the plan for the series and that, had schedules permitted, Final Destination 2 would have starred both Devon Sawa and Ali Larter from the original film and seen the pair having a child together. Larter did return to reprise her role as Clear, but he hoped that Sawa's Alex would have been the focus of the franchise.

"I wanted to bring both Alex and Clear back. There were some issues with scheduling and stuff with getting Devon Sawa back, and I got annoyed how they just killed him off with a brick, which I thought was a big F you. That's really my only complaint with Final Destination 2," Reddick revealed to Collider. "If I had them both back, I had always planned on killing Clear, but I wanted to keep Alex alive. I had a cool twist at the end where it still was, you know, she has a life that saves her life, but then death gets her once she has the kid and Alex is still kind of the torch-bearer."

He added, "That was my original take, but with the scheduling stuff, we ended up with no Alex. And I'm like, 'Ah, if I'd known we weren't gonna bring Alex back, I would have not have killed Clear,' because I love bringing original people back, but I don't like killing them."

While that first sequel didn't directly focus on Larter's Clear, the surviving protagonists instead reached out to her to ask for assistance, knowing that she had similarly escaped death, at least temporarily. After Clear's death in that film, future sequels were almost entirely disconnected from their predecessors.

In Final Destination 5, however, the protagonists survive a tragedy in the opening scene and some of these figures survive the events of the rest of the film. The finale confirms that these survivors don't escape death forever, as they die in the plane crash that Alex had escaped in the original film, revealing itself to have actually been a prequel to the debut movie.

A Final Destination 6 is currently in the works.

Do you wish Sawa returned for Final Destination 2? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

Natalie Portman (42) has reportedly separated from her husband, French dancer/choreographer Benjamin Millepied (46), after eleven years of marriage. News of Portman's separation is coming just a month after the Thor star and her husband were making scandalous headlines for reports of Millepied having an alleged affair with climate activist Camille ?tienne (25). Portman was recently spotted and photographed on her 11th wedding anniversary without her ring on her finger; she and Millepied have two children together, a son Aleph (12), and daughter Amalia (6).

"After news of his affair came out, they've been trying to work on their marriage but are currently on the outs," a source allegedly told US Magazine.

When rumors of Millepied's affair first broke, a source told the following to US:

"Natalie believes Benjamin's affair was a brief and stupid liaison that means nothing to him," the source said, adding that Natalie was "willing to see if she's capable of rebuilding her trust," so that their children don't "grow up in a broken home."

A second source said that "Right now, they are talking and working on it together for the sake of their children."

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied first met on the set of Darren Aronofsky's film Black Swan in 2009, in which they both starred. Portman won an Oscar for her performance as Nina Sayers, a mentally-troubled ballet dancer who lands a lead role in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, in the New York City Ballet Company. Millepied played the Prince Siegfried character in the performance, creating an odd mirror to the real-life romance that eventually unfolded between Portman and Millepied. The two were married in 2012. s

"I met my husband on it [Black Swan], so I think I was in, like, dreamland," Portman said of the movie during a SiriusXM interview back in 2018. "He was teaching me to dance. You know, one of those romantic [stories] ... It was definitely exciting and fun. It was beautiful. I don't know about instant. It was like I really got to know him and that was when it seemed like, 'Oh this is the person.'"

Millepied raised eyebrows back in Spring of this year when he responded to a question about collaborating with his wife by saying "We're like two artists with different ambitions and interests." Although Millepied did acknowledge he and Portman were always aware of what the other was working on, and even had a possible collab project coming up, the comment still held an odd undertone that felt validated when rumors of the affair started swirling weeks later. Millepied released a feature-film re-imagining of Carmen starring Melissa Barrera (Scream) and Paul Mescal (The Lost Daughter), and Elsa Patakay (Fast Five) last year; it received mixed reviews, got little exposure, and took in just $565K at the box office.

Cartoon Network is finally bringing a major international animated series to North America as The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe is now scheduled for a premiere on Cartoon Network in the United States later this Fall! The Summer 2023 season is winding down, and that means Cartoon Network is looking ahead to their Fall schedule to close out the year. While there are a number of new animated series now in the works, Cartoon Network's international library is full of major series that have huge fanbases around the world but have yet to make their debut in North America.

That's going to change for one series as The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe is finally going to make its premiere in the United States. According to Cartoon Network's newest press release announcing its plans for the Fall, The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe will be premiering on November 11th at 9:00AM with it then being available for streaming on Max soon after. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, this will be the first United States premiere for the series since it debuted overseas back in 2017!

What Is Prince Ivandoe?

The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe was created by Eva Lee Wallberg and Christian B?ving-Andersen for Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, and premiered on Cartoon Network in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden territories back in 2017. This was the second major series produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe and teased as a parody of Sir Walter Scott's famous novel, Ivanhoe. It started out as a series of animated shorts before getting a full series order, and now it's getting ready for its worldwide takeover as a result.

As for what to expect from the new series, Cartoon Network teases The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe as such, "Produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe and set for its U.S. debut on Cartoon Network on Nov. 11 at 9:00 am, the series tells the tale of Prince Ivandoe, a self-assured and delusional young buck, joined by his dedicated and clever squire, Bert, on a magical and hilarious hero's quest, through kingdoms filled with swashbuckling, royal rivalries, and magical fairy tale creatures."

Are you excited to finally check out Prince Ivandoe in the United States? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

Are you ready to binge another anime music video? If so, you better check out the latest video release by Tove Lo. The Swedish singer has teamed up with Galverse NFT in Tokyo to create an anime MV for her new single, and it recruited help from Tokyo Mew Mew.

The new music video, as you can see above, brings anime magic to Tove Lo's single "I Like You." The track features adorable character designs by Toshi Ishino who oversees the art design for Tokyo Mew Mew New. Directed by Yuta Takamura and Ayaka Ohira, Tove Lo's anime music video is a trippy trek through space, and its 90s nostalgia is incredibly strong.

"I wanted to create something like a science fiction spectacle. I thought a lot about how to combine the sadness of love and a story on a cosmic scale. Tove and I talked about how we wanted to express the insecurity, vulnerability, and powerful strength of women, as well as the intense and bizarre side of Tove's character," Ohira shared.

As for what this music video is all about, Tove Lo's project brings the singer into the world of animation, and her anime avatar confronts a robot seen in a previous Tove Lo music video. As the wild video goes on, we see the singer take on everything from invading aliens to a scorpion power boost with deadly consequences. Truly, the anime MV has everything a good shojo series needs, so we're kind of obsessed with this take.

Of course, Tove Lo's anime music video is far from the first of its kind. A number of Japanese artists have used anime to bring their tracks to life and so too have international artists. In the past, acts like Linkin Park and Twice have used anime in its music videos to great success. And now, Tove Lo can be added to that list thanks to their throwback tribute.

What do you think about this new Tove Lo video? Which anime music videos rank as your favorite? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Ronda Rousey was on the losing end of her "MMA Rules" match with Shayna Baszler at the SummerSlam premium live event this past weekend in Detroit. It was then reported that the match would be Rousey's last in WWE, at least for the foreseeable future. The UFC Hall of Famer took to Instagram after the bout with photos from the match, writing, "[Shayna Baszler] you were the reason I got into this business... Now I got no reason to stay."

While she famously appeared in a segment at WrestleMania 31 involving Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, she wouldn't make her in-ring debut until WrestleMania 34 three years later. While she'd have a notable break in-ring action from WrestleMania 35 in 2019 to the 2022 Royal Rumble, she'd still compete in 142 WWE matches. Her list of accomplishments includes two reigns as SmackDown Women's Champion, one reign as Raw Women's Champion (which held the record for longest reign for a time), a brief run as WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Baszler, a Women's Royal Rumble win and the honor of being in the first WrestleMania main event to only feature women.

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WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
• WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)

Shayna Baszler on Her Personal Issues With Rousey

While Baszler and Rousey are close friends in real life, the former NXT Women's Champion claimed in a recent appearance on The Bump that their onscreen feud was rooted in real issues. She'd then go on to mention their time together in MMA during emotional pre-match promos.

"One thing I've always said about wrestling fans, I guess sports fans in general, is they can smell when you're faking the funk. All this is like legit and real talk. I think they connect to stuff that's real," Baszler explained. "I have seen some stuff from people like, 'Who am I supposed to be cheering for? Who's the bad guy?' ...You just cheer for who you like. And it just happens to be me, because the stuff I'm saying is real. And if we're being honest, the stuff I'm saying is the stuff fans have been saying ever since Ronda got signed [by WWE]. So, I'm done being quiet about it."

Apex Legends Season 18 officially kicks off tomorrow, but developer Respawn dropped the patch notes today to give players a chance to look through them and prepare for launch. The biggest update coming with Season 18 is a rework for Revenant, which is giving the Legend a collection of new abilities so different from his previous iteration, that he has now changed classes to become a Skirmisher. It'll be very fun to see some of the world's best Apex Legends players using his new Shadow Pounce abilities to dive bomb opponents with big damage.

Season 18 also adds an update to Ranked that was previously highlighted by Respawn. However, in the blog post the team mentions that they've decided to not give a straight increase to elimination bonuses, instead, they've "reduced placement scores to make eliminations more valuable when compared to the now lowered placement score." On top of that, the notes are highlighted by the Resurrection map rotation and the changes to the Ring size, the damage it does if you're caught outside, and how quickly it moves.

Apex Legends Season 18 starts tomorrow across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC platforms. You can find the full patch notes below.

BALANCE UPDATES

Armor Changes

• White to Blue evo points required increased to 200 (was 150)
  • Crafted evo points increased to 200
• Fixed overflow damage on level up applies to the next tier

Crafting Rotation

• Rampage and R-99 leave the crafter and are back on the floor
• Nemesis and Mozambique with Hammerpoint Rounds enter the crafter
• Double Tap Trigger and Hammerpoint Rounds removed from rotation
• Boosted Loader and Disruptor Rounds added to rotation
• Medkit price increased to 20 (was 15)

Care Package Weapon Rotation

• Hemlok Burst AR returns to the floor
  • ADS Recoil increased
  • Damage reduced to 22 (was 23)
  • Headshot multiplier reduced to 1.75 (was 1.8)
• Prowler Burst PDW enters the care package
  • Damage increased to 16 (was 15)
  • Select Fire Enabled defaulting to Full Auto

Gold Weapons Rotation

• Hemlok, Peacekeeper, Alternator, Rampage, Charge Rifle

Loot Spawn Changes

• Blue and Purple Weapon Attachment spawn rate reduced by 20%
• Blue and Purple Armor spawn rate reduced by 30%

WEAPONS

Charge Rifle Rework

• New ballistics and projectile
  • Removed hitscan
  • Removed pre-fire laser
  • Projectiles have player passthrough: 80% damage retained
  • Opens doors
• Projectiles gain damage with distance
  • 50 meters: 75 Damage
  • 300 meters: 110 Damage
• New charge mechanics
  • Holding the trigger down will increase charge
  • Releasing the trigger will decrease charge
  • Fires at 100% charge
• Added Extended Sniper Mag attachment slot
  • Base: 4
  • White: 5
  • Blue: 6
  • Purple/Gold: 8
• Ammo Consumption per shot reduced to 1 (was 2)
• Handling timings adjusted
  • Tactical reload time decreased to 3.5 (was 4.0)
  • Empty reload time decreased to 4.6 (was 5.1)

All SMGs (R-99, Alternator, CAR, Volt)

• Strafe Speed: ADS strafe scale reduced to 0.75 (was 0.85)
• Headshot multi reduced to 1.25 (was 1.5)

R-99

• Vertical Recoil slightly increased
• Ammo capacity reduced
  • Base Ammo reduced to 17 (was 19)
  • White Mag reduced to 20 (was 21)
  • Blue Mag reduced to 23 (was 24)
  • Purple/Gold Mag reduced to 26 (was 27)

M600 Spitfire

• Added Barrels for improved stability
• ADS Recoil improved
• Hipfire spread slightly improved

Mastiff

• Blast pattern tightened

HOP UPS

Boosted Loader (Hemlok, Wingman)

Reloading when near empty will speed up reloading and overload the next magazine

• Hemlok overload ammo: 9
• Wingman overload ammo: 3

Disruptor Rounds (Alternator, Peacekeeper)

Increases shield damage

• Alternator shield damage increased by 20%
• Peacekeeper shield damage (per pellet) increased by 25%

Double Tap Trigger (EVA-8, G7 Scout)

• Removed from floor and crafting bundles

Grenades

• Frag Grenade
  • Outer Radius increased to 350 units (was 320)
  • Inner Radius increased to 125 units (was 96)
• Thermite
  • Adjusted fire VFX to better match damage area

  LEGENDS

  Revenant has been reborn

  • Updated class to Skirmisher (was Assault)
  • New abilities (see above)

  Ultimate Cooldowns

  • Bangalore: Rolling Thunder to 240s (+60s)
  • Catalyst: Dark Veil to 150s (+30s)
  • Gibraltar: Defensive Bombardment to 180s (-90s)
  • Horizon: Black Hole to 210s (+30s)
  • Loba: Black Market Boutique to 150s (+30s)
    • Ultimate Accelerants grant 25% ult charge (up from 20%)
  • Mad Maggie: Wrecking Ball to 120s (+30s)
  • Pathfinder: Zipline Gun to 180s (+60s)
  • Wraith: Dimensional Rift to 180s (-30s)

  Tactical Updates

  • Ballistic's Whistler
    • Reduced delay before an overheated weapon starts cooling down to 1s (was 2s)
    • Reduced how long it takes an overheated weapon to cooldown to 8s (was 12s)
  • Loba's Burglar's Best Friend
    • Cooldown reduced to 25s (was 30s)
  • Seer's Focus of Attention
    • Slow Duration reduced to 0.5s (was 2.5s)
    • Silence Duration reduced to 8s (was 10s)
    • Firing Speed increased to 1.4s (was 0.9s)
      

  MAPS

  • Broken Moon
    • Maps added to Mixtape: Production Yard & The Core (Read more about these maps in our highlights blog here)
    • Multiple rat spots removed
  • Kings Canyon: multiple rat spots removed
  • World's Edge: smoothed Legend movement on road edges

  WORLD SYSTEMS

  • Crafting Workbenches, Survey Beacons, Ring Consoles
    • Removed 'exclusion radius' that caused some POIs to get these objects more than others
    • All POIs now have an equal chance of receiving a Ring Console, Survey Beacon or Crafting Workbench

  MODES

  • Control
    • Capture Bonus bounty reduced ~20%
    • Capture time reduced to 10 seconds (was 20 sec)
    • Score limit reduced to 1000 (was 1250)
    • Spawn waves removed: players should spawn instantly at the location they choose including Home Base, Captured Points, and MRB (Note: MRB will still use the dropship)
    • Timed events: Airdrops, MRB, Capture Bonus should all start ~30% sooner in match-time

  BUG FIXES

  • About Game Mode button now works while in game modes
  • Adjusted sizing and positioning of elements on the Switch's communication wheel to give it more breathing room
  • Consumables UI no longer freezes while in use and reviewing inventory
  • Dying or swapping Legends with a Golden Backpack full of large healing items no longer causes the items to be thrown from the player in Firing Range
  • Challenges no longer flip to NBR version when tracking in Ranked matches
  • Fixed black line in Kill Feed when a player dies out of bounds
  • Fixed persistent gift notifications after returning to lobby
  • Fixed players from different teams being able to ride in the same trident if they interacted with both a mounted Sheila and the trident simultaneously
  • Fixed Support Bins occasionally being prevented from providing Survival items (Heat Shield or Mobile Respawn Beacons)
  • In-game map no longer clips behind the challenges on 16:10 resolutions
  • Players should now properly spectate the player who knocked or killed them (without being knocked), and not who killed their teammates or who thirsted them from the downed state
  • Players can no longer get stuck inside a Trident's collision box
  • Pinging Icarus Vault from the map (with vault key in inventory) won't present a malformed string
  • Predator badge no longer fades away on Champion screen
  • Reduced the animate in time of death recap in Control, Team Deathmatch, and Gun Run
  • Spectres no longer stand in Catalyst's Piercing Spikes
  • Unitframe consumable progress now updating in the inventory screen
  • Using remapped controls on a Gamepad/Controller no longer prevents pinging from the map
  • Fixed players seeing the ranking of players they are spectating

AUDIO

• Fixed animations not playing audio in rare cases
• Improved prioritization for certain enemy movement sounds
• Players movement transitions no longer occasionally play duplicate audio events

• Ballistic
  • C.A.R SMG doesn't default to heavy ammo after being converted to a golden gun in sling with light ammo
  • Tempest no longer applies to teammates when friendly fire is enabled in Firing Range
• Pathfinders voicemails during an Ash heirloom inspect no longer stretched on 16:10 resolutions

• Gibraltar and Bangalore
  • Fixed ultimates not triggering if thrown on Ziprail Launcher and Skydive Towers
  • Fixed ultimates not cooldown if they're killed while holding the ultimate grenade
• Horizon: Lethal Lass skin no longer obstructs ADS on Prowler with 1x HOLO
• Loba: Lunar Wolf skin no longer has broken mesh
• Rampart: Sheila's ammo counter now correctly rotated

• Broken Moon:
  
  • Added building west of the core to minimap
  • Loot tick now correctly drops loot at Production Yard
  • Removed invisible collision above playing field
• Olympus: indoor props without collision no longer blocks picking up loot

• Firing Range:
  • Ballistic's Whistler is no longer heard across Firing Ranges when shot at the ground
  • Dummies no longer occasionally shoot while set to inactive
  • Small door's audio and FX no longer heard/seen across Firing Ranges

• Left most ammo on squad member unitframes now represents their currently equipped weapon
• L-Star: low ammo indicator now only appears when ammo is actually low
• P2020: fixed high inaccuracy with first shot using ADS

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Firing Range
  • Dynamic dummy spawning now remains off when you die
  • Legend ultimates will be fully charged after loading into the Firing Range, swapping Legends, and dying
  • A new nessie... and more!
• French
  • In-game/lobby chat now available when language is set to French on console
  • Corrected French translation for R-301 Mastery Challenge Level 20
• Kill feed will now call out when a player has been removed from the match
• Multiple stickers can now be placed
• Players can longer interact with enemy holosprays through walls
• Ranked progress bar no longer bounces value while sitting on Match Summary screen
• Seer: Exhibit AR throw indicator is no longer offset from ground
  • (no longer gives false impression of where the Ultimate will land)
• Support Perk - Crafting Banners: after grabbing the first banner, you can now immediately grab the second one as well
• Weapon Mastery:
  • New animated celebration sequences when unlocking and completing trials, as well as mastering weapons
  • New animated icon in the HUD weapon element when a weapon is level 100

It's been just over three months since the release of Redfall, and it's safe to say that the game has been a disappointment for Xbox fans. The game launched on May 2nd, and Arkane Studios' latest left a lot to be desired. Still, some players have been hoping for the best, and many purchased the game's Bite Back Edition as it was supposed to offer post-launch content, including "future heroes." However, Arkane and Xbox have offered no information on when this content might release, and users on the Xbox Series X subreddit have been airing their frustrations with the situation.

"Additional characters are promised to people who paid extra for the bite back edition, 60 fps was promised for Xbox Series X users, but the fact they literally haven't even had ONE SINGLE SUBSTANTIAL UPDATE in 3 months is alarming, this concern only grows worse by the fact the devs haven't given any real update on when we can actually expect any of the promised content," poster welshdragon888 writes.

The Redfall Bite Back Edition is still being offered for sale on the Microsoft Store and the Epic Games Store, where it retails for $99.99. That's a pretty steep amount, and it's easy to see why someone that might have purchased it wouldn't be happy with the current situation. The reality is, game development takes time, and it's possible that Arkane is hard at work trying to make more content available for Redfall. However, it's also understandable how the radio silence from both Microsoft and Arkane might lead some players to wonder whether the content was cancelled, and if they'll be getting a refund for what they purchased.

It will be interesting to see if Arkane does get these updates out, and if they can help turn around perception. Some studios have managed to do just that, and it seems 343 Industries is in the middle of winning back hearts on Halo Infinite. That's a lot easier with an established brand like Halo, however, so we'll just have to wait and see if the same can eventually be said for Redfall.

Did you purchase the Redfall Bite Back Edition? What do you think of this situation? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter and on Hive at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Exputer]

The Teen Titans are GO-ing Hollywood (again!) in an all-new special celebrating 100 years of Warner Bros. It was announced Monday that Teen Titans GO! season 8 continues with the Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary Special, premiering Saturday, September 23rd, at 9:30 a.m. on Cartoon Network. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the special episode is part of WB's year-long centennial celebration marking the studio's 100th anniversary. According to the synopsis, the special sees the Teen Titans -- Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg -- "visit the famed Warner Bros. studio lot for an adventure with exciting surprise guests."

Along with the Teen Titans GO! Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary Special, the network announced new episodes of We Baby Bears (August 26th at 10:00 a.m.), the return of DC's preschooler series Batwheels (September 11th at 7:45 a.m.), and the U.S. debut of Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe's The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe (November 11th at 9:00 a.m.). Cartoon Network's fall programming lineup will continue to stream on Max.

"Cartoon Network presents the best in animation for all generations with iconic, creator-driven shows," said Michael Ouweleen, president of Cartoon Network and Boomerang. "This fall is no exception as we premiere new seasons and series from the talented crews at Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe."

Based on the DC Comics super-teen team, Teen Titans GO! premiered in 2013 as a comedic revival of Cartoon Network's original Teen Titans series that aired 65 episodes across five seasons between 2003 and 2006. Jump City's resident superheroes -- Batman's sidekick Robin (Scott Menville); the alien princess Starfire (Hynden Walch); the half-demon, wholly sarcistic Raven (Tara Strong); the shape-shifting Beast Boy (Greg Cipes); and the robotic Cyborg (Khary Payton) -- previously visited Hollywood in the 2018 feature film Teen Titans GO! to the Movies.

Best Cartoon Network Shows to Watch Right Now ? The Best Cartoon Network Classics to Watch Now ? Adult Swim: The Venture Bros. Movie Announces TV Release

"It is a surprise that we are here 10 years later, especially for kids' animation," executive producer Pete Michail recently told ComicBook when Teen Titans GO! marked its 10th anniversary earlier this year. "A lot of these shows last two, three seasons and they're out, so for us to be pushing nine and here 10 years later, still strong, it's an absolute blessing."

Michail also teased another major milestone: the 400th episode.

"Season 8, we are hitting our 400th episode. I can't tell you what it's about, but we're doing something we've never done before," Michail said. "It's something we've been wanting to do for years and years, and now we are finally doing it, so that's going to be big."

Episodes of Teen Titans GO! are available to stream now on Max, including the first 12 episodes of the ongoing season 8. Sign up for Max here.

Jujutsu Kaisen has been delivering hit after hit this summer. Weeks ago, the hit anime marked its return with season two, and its version of Gojo's Past arc was sheer perfection. The comeback gave anime fans more context about Gojo and Geto's bond before the pair experienced a spectacular break up. And now, the emotional scene has sparked a reply from none other than KFC.

Oh yeah, you read that right. Kentucky Fried Chicken is getting in on this debacle now. Taking to social media, KFC began commenting on the Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 break up, and it seems the colonel is sick over Gojo and Geto.

Still wiping our tears

-- KFC (@kfc) August 3, 2023

"Still wiping our tears," KFC shared on Twitter after replying to one fan's still of the Jujutsu Kaisen break up. In the image, you can see Geto in all black walking down a sidewalk in Tokyo, and it is impossible to overlook the background here. After all, Geto is standing next to a KFC... or rather a KIC due to trademark issues.

In the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, creator Gege Akutami held the pair's break up in front of a KFC, and the absurd setting became a quick meme. Readers were eager to see how Jujutsu Kaisen would handle the break up, and it did so perfectly with help from KFC. After catching wind of the ordeal, the chain chicken restaurant had to speak up, so KFC is now deep in its feels with Jujutsu Kaisen fans.

Of course, this is not the last Jujutsu Kaisen will see of Gojo and Geto. The series puts plenty of focus on the Six Eyes user, and we know from Jujutsu Kaisen season one that Geto is still on a rampage. His challenge of war will kick off soon as Geto promised to upend jujutsu society on Halloween in Shibuya. This long-awaited arc will kick off when Jujutsu Kaisen season two returns to television this month. So if you need to brush up on the series, you better do so ASAP.

After all, Jujutsu Kaisen is streaming on Crunchyroll right now. For more details on the hit supernatural series, you can read its official synopsis below:

"For some strange reason, Yuji Itadori, despite his insane athleticism would rather just hang out with the Occult Club. However, her soon finds out that the occult is as real as it gets when his fellow club members are attacked! Meanwhile, the mysterious Megumi Fushiguro is tracking down a special-grade cursed object, and his search leads him to Itadori..."

What do you think about this Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 update? Did you ever expect KFC to weigh in on the drama? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Hitting theaters in September is The Nun II, a sequel to the spinoff from The Conjuring 2, which adds another chapter to the ever-growing horror franchise. With the series being inspired by the real-life exploits of Ed and Lorraine Warren, there can sometimes be challenges when it comes to finding ways to continue or expand the franchise, though The Nun II director Michael Chaves recently pointed out that there are still plenty of years left to explore for these characters and that the supernatural nature of the premise means not all endings are as final as you might think. The Nun II hits theaters on September 8th.

"There's a line in the movie: 'Demons are infinite,'" Chaves shared with SFX Magazine, per GamesRadar, about getting a The Nun 3. "I like the idea that she's always been here in different forms. I think that there's still more stories of Valak the demon nun to be told."

The further the spinoffs get from the Warrens, the further that films get from real-life encounters, but Chaves noted that The Nun II definitely "plays a part" of the core franchise.

"I wouldn't want to give anything away, but this is continuing the timeline. Anyone who saw the first Conjuring knows that Maurice is possessed and then exorcised by the Warrens, and we know that that happens in the late '60s in the Conjuring timeline. This is set in the '50s so we're still a ways off from that," the filmmaker explained. "The events of what happens in between this starts to fill out that story a little bit more. There's other big ideas and big swings in there, and it's filled with a bunch of cool Easter eggs. Without giving anything away it continues to fill out the picture and the bigger canvas."

The upcoming film is described, "1956 -- France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun."

Taissa Farmiga (The Nun, The Gilded Age) returns as Sister Irene, joined by Jonas Bloquet (Tirailleurs, The Nun), Storm Reid (The Last of Us, The Suicide Squad), Anna Popplewell (Fairytale, The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy), and Bonnie Aarons (reprising her role from The Nun), surrounded by an ensemble cast of international talent.

Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) directs, from a screenplay by Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing (Eli, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) and Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant), with a story by Cooper, based on characters created by James Wan & Gary Dauberman.

The Nun II hits theaters on September 8th.

Do you hope we get The Nun 3? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

Cody Rhodes managed to defeat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam this past weekend inside Detroit's Ford Field stadium. "The American Nightmare" brought down "The Beast Incarnate" after hitting his Cross Rhodes finisher three consecutive times. But Lesnar quickly made his way back to his feet after the match and dropped his MMA gloves, eventually embracing Rhodes and raising his hand in victory for the fans in attendance. But while this wound up being a touching moment, Rhodes thought for a second that he was about to be in a real fight with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

"As I saw him taking his gloves off, I sincerely thought he was going to start swinging," Rhodes said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "Then we went head-to-head, and it felt like we were a millisecond away from starting up again. So I didn't anticipate that handshake coming. When I saw his hand, I was grateful. That's not something he does. Again, this run has consistently surprised me. The torch isn't passed. You have to take it,"

"I came to the back, there was a nice ovation in the Gorilla Position, but Brock was nowhere to be found," he later added. "I didn't see him the rest of the night. The way I see it, we didn't need to speak. Brock left it all in the ring."

Paul "Triple H" Levesque on the Brock Lesnar/Cody Rhodes Moment

Levesque revealed in the post-show press conference that the moment between Lesnar and Rhodes was completely unplanned. "The Game" admitted Lesnar's display of sportsmanship even shocked him.

"Name the amount of people that Brock Lesnar has gotten up after going through a match like that, shook their hand pulled them in to hug them before walking out. I know Brock, I work with him all the time. That was a holy s-- moment for me," Levesque said.

"That's a moment. And if that doesn't state to you where Cody is at, where this journey has taken him from what many people questioned at WrestleMania to where he is right now, that rise just continues to be phenomenal. And he delivers at all turns, so it's awesome" he continued.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
• WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)

Xbox Live Gold is going away next month, but PlayStation Plus isn't. To this end, whether you're a PlayStation Plus Essential subscriber, a PlayStation Plus Extra subscriber, or a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber you have seven extra free downloads for the month of august in addition to the customary free game downloads. In this case, free downloads does not refer to full-on free game downloads, but in-game downloads for various games that would normally cost you money, but if you're a PS Plus subscriber, they are free.

What are these free downloads? Well, they feature a variety of games and are as follows: Azure Crusader's Armor Bundle, War Thunder: Helicopter Snail Bundle, World of Tanks - Supply Drop (August 2023), Mortal Blitz: Combat Arena - PlayStation Plus VIP Booster (August 23), Disney Speedstorm - PlayStation Plus Exclusive Pack, Dauntless - Summer Slayer Pack for PlayStation Plus, and Path of Exile: Bundle 12 - PlayStation Plus.

How long these downloads are free via PlayStation Plus, we don't know. This information is not disclosed. As a result, it's worth remembering that while these downloads are available at the moment of writing this, by the time you're reading this, the deals may have expired.

New PS+ Exclusive Packs added for Path of Exile, Dauntless, Disney Speedstorm, Mortal Blitz, World of Tanks, War Thunder, Puzzle Quest 3
by u/MeDungeon in PlayStationPlus

If you didn't know about these freebies, you're not alone. PlayStation not only does next to nothing to advertise them, but they are difficult to find, even when you look for them in the dedication PlayStation Plus perks section on PSN.

"Thank you! It's absurd how hard it is to find these new PlayStation Plus goodies when they appear," reads one comment on the Reddit post above. "I swear nobody bothers updating the dedicated PlayStation Plus perks section in the store at this point."

It's worth noting that some users have had problems locating these freebies on the PS5 store. Meanwhile, others have encountered an error message when trying to access the freebies via browser. If you run into either of these problems, try the PlayStation App. In the meantime, for more PlayStation coverage -- including all of the latest news, rumors, leaks, and deals as it pertains to PS Plus -- click here.

2023 has been a banner year for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The franchise kicked things off in January when cameras were rolling for the final few weeks of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 production. The eight-episode Disney+ series officially wrapped filming in February. In May, author Rick Riordan released the first Percy Jackson spin-off book, The Sun and the Star, alongside co-author Mark Oshiro. Things stayed quiet for the subsequent summer months until San Diego Comic-Con in July, as the convention was home to the show's first character posters which spotlighted Walker Scobell's Percy, Leah Jeffries's Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri's Grover.

While future plans for the show's promotion and premiere remain unclear at this time, the next big Percy Jackson release has set its rollout. Riordan is set to release a sixth book within the main Percy Jackson franchise entitled Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods. This book won't deal with a world-in-the-balance threat like past adventures as it has been touted as a fun adventure between the franchise's core trio before they head to college.

Rick Riordan Dedicates Percy Jackson 6 to Disney+ Cast

As shared on his Instagram, Rick Riordan has dedicated Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods to the Disney+ trio of Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri, and Leah Jeffries.

"To Walker, Aryan, and Leah," the dedication reads. "Here's to new adventures!"

my heart pic.twitter.com/5uw9dw5PyO

-- Liam (@LiamTCrowley) August 7, 2023

What is Chalice of the Gods About?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods will follow Percy during his senior year of high school. It takes place after the events of the Heroes of Olympus sequel series but before the Trials of Apollo books, making it technically the 11th installment within the greater universe's chronology. In order to ensure he can get into New Rome University, Percy needs to gather letters of recommendations from gods themselves, which sets quests in motion.

"Back in 2019, when we were beginning to explore the idea of a new Percy Jackson adaption, I pitched an idea to Disney that I hoped might convince them to move things along," Riordan shared earlier this year. "If they'd help me get a live-action series off the ground, I would be willing to write a new Percy Jackson novel, or even several, which Disney Publishing could release when the show came out."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods hits bookshelves on September 26th.

Gran Turismo 7 bills itself as "the real driving simulator," which is a moniker you can't claim unless you're giving players the most realistic handling vehicles from across the world. Fortunately, the upcoming 1.36 Update finally does just that, giving players access to the 2021 Toyota Ambulance Himedic. With this, fans will be able to test their limits as they race around the city in a massive, somewhat unwieldy emergency vehicle. Seriously though, the Himedic is one of just four new cars coming to Gran Turismo 7 with Update 1.36, and the others are much closer to the type of car players are used to.

The other cars coming with the free update are the 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, the 2020 Maserati MC20, and the 2022 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition. The latter two should hold their own in competitive races, while the Chevy serves as a showpiece and something to trot out in races against other classic cars. Meanwhile, the team is also celebrating the release of the Gran Turismo movie and is dropping a livery for the 2018 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 that would fit right in with the film. We've known about this inclusion for a bit, but it's nice to finally see it actually hitting the game.

Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.36 brings the addition of a Gran Turismo movie experience, four new cars, three Cafe Menus, a Scapes location, two GT World Series campaigns to earn credits and rewards, and more. #GT7 pic.twitter.com/6KjYsrqZgG

-- Gran Turismo (@thegranturismo) August 7, 2023

Outside of the new cars, players are getting three new Extra Menus in the Cafe. These will give players with a specific Collector Level the chance to learn more about Maserati, Aston Martin, and Kei. Of course, to celebrate the inclusion of the Ambulance, the team at Polyphony Digital is adding a new Scape that lets players take pictures at the Fukuoka Eastern Fire Station in Japan. While not the most massive update GT7 fans have seen, getting four new cars to play around with, especially one as unique as the Ambulance, should be fun. That's even more true when you remember it's coming in for the low price of free.

Gran Turismo 7 is currently available on PlayStation 4 and 5. The Gran Turismo movie, meanwhile, is out on August 25 after being hit with a slight delay from its original August 11 release date.

One Piece has had one hell of a week, and the fun is far from over. Just days ago, the entire anime fandom rose up to welcome the anime's best episode in years. At last, the One Piece anime welcomed Gear 5 Luffy to the screen, and its animation was nothing short of incredible. Gear 5 Luffy has taken One Piece to a new level, and after careful viewing, fans have found a ton of Tom & Jerry nods in the anime's big event.

Over on social media, fans began to piece together the cartoon references in One Piece episode 1071. As you can see below, a number of Gear 5 moves shown in the anime make references to Tom & Jerry. From Luffy's slapstick laughter to his inflated physique and more, One Piece was not subtle with its homage to Tom & Jerry.

Anime : One Piece x Tom & Jerry pic.twitter.com/JZcv7wt3ju

-- Daily OP Memes (@DailyOPMemes) August 6, 2023

Anime fans were quick to spot these cartoony nods as they watched One Piece episode 1071, but as for manga readers? Well, they already knew to be on the lookout. One Piece made its Tom & Jerry throwback clear in the manga. In fact, series creator Eiichiro Oda confirmed the tribute in an interview overseas as he said making the cartoon homage was very difficult.

"For the concept, think of it as if I suddenly drew Tom and Jerry," Oda shared. "When I tried to draw it, it was actually difficult. The world of Tom and Jerry works because of the two of them. I suffered because of the difference in attitude when I looked at Luffy being the only one making pranks in battle and his opponent not. But I feel this time I was able to draw it."

Clearly, the team at Toei Animation was able to bring Oda's homage to Tom & Jerry to life, and there is more on the way. Gear 5 is all about untapped potential, joy, and the boundless power of imagination. When in this form, Luffy can make just about anything happen and that definitely includes slapstick nods to a classic cartoon. So if you are not caught up on One Piece, we suggest you start binging the Wano arc ASAP.

Not familiar with One Piece? Well, no sweat! The anime is easier to catch up on now than ever as it is streaming on Netflix and Crunchyroll. For more details on One Piece, you can read its official synopsis below:

"As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But Luffy's life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber...at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure...one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world..."

What do you think about this One Piece throwback? Did the debut of Gear 5 Luffy live up to your expectations? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

Shooting Clerks, a Kevin Smith biopic from Scottish writer-director Christopher Downie, Auld Reekie Media and Pink Plaid Productions, will on Sunday afternoon at Kevin SMith's recently-acquired Smodcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. The movie centers on the creation of Clerks, Smith's debut feature, which he funded with $27,000 by maxing out his credit cards, selling his comic book collection, and casing out an insurance settlement for a totalled car. It's often told as a solo endeavor, since Smith wrote, directed, and financed the movie, but Shooting Clerks will go into the story of the people who helped him make the movie a reality.

With an early rough cut shown during its initial festival run of test screenings, Shooting Clerks managed to rack up a number of accolades, including the Audience Awards at the Monmouth Film Festival in New Jersey and the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival, where it also to k home the Independent Film Inspiration Award, the Indie Spirit Award at Orlando Film Festival, Best Picture at the Super Geek Fil Festival, and the Director's Choice award at the Melbourne Independent Filmmaker's Festival.
Smith also featured the film along with its makers on an episode of his AMC show Comic Book Men.

Downie was a key part of the campaign to get Clerks inducted in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, a noteworthy collection of films selected for preservation based on historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions. Clerks earned the accolade in December of 2019.

The main cast is comprised of both American, British and Scottish up-and-coming talent including Downie's long-time collaborators Mark Frost, who has previously portrayed indie a teur Kevin Smith in Auld Reekie Media's previous biopic short films Emo Kev, Babble-On Begins, and Get Greedo. Said shorts also introduced the fanbase to actor Chris Bain (Cops and Monsters, Redcon-1) in the electrifying role of Smith's longtime friend nd collaborator, Jason Mewes. The short films fir t caught the attention of Smith who jumped on as executive producer and hosted the digital release on his YouTube channel. Joining them are such names as TROMA's Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger), James Rolfe (The Angry Video Game Nerd), Sanjeev Kohli (Still G me, Filth), Matthew Postlethwaite (Peaky Blinders, The Great Artist). Principle photography took place in Fife, Scotland while second unit as carried out in the United States by Producer Ryan James (Chasing Chasing Amy, Cannibal Comedian) of Pink Plaid Productions in New Jersey, New York, Florida and Los Angeles.

Immediately following the screening, the cast and crew, including Kevin Smith himself, the film's director Christopher Downie and
producer Ryan James will take to the stage for an all access Q & A.

This event marks the start of a US theatrical tour with further dates to be announced via the film's official website. Tickets for all events can be purchased online at https://www.shootingclerks.com.

A new sale has gone live on the Nintendo Switch eShop, giving users the opportunity to check out a number of discounted multiplayer games. The sale is live right now, and prices will be good through August 20th at 11:59 p.m. PT. A number of high-profile games have been discounted, including several Mario titles. That should be good news for those looking to try something new after watching The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is now on Peacock! A few of the sale's highlights can be found below:

• Mario Party Superstars- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario Strikers: Battle League- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario Golf: Super Rush- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario Tennis Aces- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020- $29.99 (from $59.99)
• Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Kirby Star Allies- $41.99 (from $59.99)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection- $23.99 (from $39.99)
• Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak- $39.99 (from $59.99)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition- $23.99 (from $69.99)
• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain- $20.99 (from $29.99)
  

This list is just a small handful of the games that are currently discounted, and readers interested in seeing everything on the list can do so right here. Over the last six years, the Nintendo Switch has played host to a very large number of games, which has helped the system build a passionate fanbase. Sales like these are helpful in that they give users a chance to check out titles that might have otherwise flown under the radar.

As is always the case, readers might want to shop around before making any commitments. When sales like these go live, some retailers will offer similar discounts, and Switch owners that prefer physical games might be able to get the same games physically at the same price, or possibly even better!

Are you planning on taking advantage of any of these discounts? Which game are you hoping to see a price cut on? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Star Wars: Ahsoka has released some new character posters, which you can check out below!

In addition to Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, the new character posters for Star Wars' latest Disney+ series include heroic allies Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), as well as the more questionable and/or villainous characters in the series, like former Jedi turned mercenary, Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson), his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), and Grand Admiral Thrawn's ally Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto).

Ahsoka is a highly-anticipated new entry in the Star Wars franchise - especially for diehard fans of the Star Wars Animation Universe. Ahsoka will serve as a sequel to the events of the Star Wars Rebels series, which featured Hera, Sabine, and their "Spectre" Rebel cell working with Ahsoka against the Empire while helping shape the Rebel Alliance.

In addition to being a sequel to Rebels, Ahsoka will re-introduce the Spectres' archnemesis, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), and set up Star Wars writer/director/producer Dave Filoni's upcoming crossover movie event, which will bring together the characters of the New Republic Era - a time period that includes Ahsoka Tano, The Mandalorians, Boba Fett's syndicate, and all the New Republic officers, bounty hunters, and Imperial remnants that stand in-between.

Rosario Dawson has already let it be known that if the opportunity for Ahsoka Season 2 or some other crossover appearance for her version of the character, she's already more than game for it:

"If more comes next, I'd be really excited and grateful," Dawson told EW. "I feel like every time I get to step into her shoes, I learn more. I experience what I could never experience otherwise, and I feel like I keep getting better."

Fan-favorite Star Wars hero Ahsoka Tano returns in the brand new series on Disney+. Rosario Dawson stars in Star Wars: Ahsoka, premiering August 23rd on the streamer. The series picks up after the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, in which we saw the former Jedi searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and helping Luke Skywalker train Grogu. Ahsoka will be joined on her new mission alongside longtime allies Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as they attempt to track down Thrawn, who was last seen disappearing to the far reaches of space after a confrontation with Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Star Wars: Ahsoka is the latest live-action series from Lucasfilm's creative duo of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

Star Wars: Ahsoka premieres its first two episodes on Disney+ starting on August 23rd.