Dungeons and Dragons Core ‘SRD’ Rules Updated

DRAGONS AND TREASURES

The world’s most played fantasy TTRPG, Dungeons and Dragons, has had its core rules updated and made available to the public under Creative Commons.  (A system that allows the ‘for free’ distributions of an otherwise copyrighted work.

You can find the full System Reference Document v5.2.1 here.

Since the year 2000, the core rules of Dungeons and Dragons have been available under some form of open agreement.  This has vastly aided the popularity of the game, allowing creators to generate content for the game and fill the market with D&D-themed products.

The new SRD is extensive and over 364 pages long. SRD 5.2 expands on existing content with additional spells, feats, monsters, and equipment. More than enough to create new and exciting worlds, adventures and the like for a D&D game. (If you’re thinking you could use this to run your games, well you certainly could. However, the full books are very good and contain tonnes of good advice. The  Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Player’s Handbook are all worth owning and using if you’re going to play D&D. The SRD is nice, but nothing beats the actual core books.

You can download the latest SRD and its FAQ here.

(A previous version of this news piece was released on April 22nd2025. We have updated and republished as the SRD document was updated on May 1st 2025).

Sc-Fi Lit Auction Raises Funds for Trans Rights

Top authors Lauren Beukes and Jeannette Ng have raised over £14,000 so far for The Good Law Project and The Triangle Project.  The Genre Creators for Trans Rights In The UK & SA can be found here. The auction was launched at Eastercon 2025 in Belfast earlier this week.  Beukes and Ng were Guests of Honour at that convention.

Items up for sale include the promo flower and material for The 2nd Hellfire Gala X-Men storyline (donated by Kieron Gillen), a signed first edition of Terry Pratchett’s Monstrous Regiment (donated by Rob Wilkins and Rhianna Pratchett) and memberships for EasterCon 2026 and EasterCon 2027.

Also available are a variety of critiques and workshop-style services from authors and publishers in the field. KJ Charles has donated the dedication of their next book, All of Us Murderers, so if you ever wanted to be in a novel, now is your chance.

The auction ends at Midnight, British Summer Time on the 2nd of May. You can find out more here.

Elf Lyon’s Horror Project Seeks Funding

Elf Lyons

Crowdfunding has begun for The Corridor, a horror film based on Elf Lyon’s award-winning one-woman show, Raven.

Raven was loosely inspired by the work of Stephen King (it’s peppered with references to his work). It’s a mesmerising and darkly comedic piece of theatre that blends childhood fear, horror tropes and a graceful physical performance from world-class comedian Elf Lyons.

The Corridor is a project that intends to turn this stage show into a film. The directorr, Jack Carrivick, is no stranger to horror. His previous works include Aisling Bea’s horror short Be Uncertain and the critically acclaimed How To Disappear.

Carrivick told the press, “I want to make this film because horror is evolving, and ghost stories need to evolve with it. Rather than relying on conventional horror tropes, The Corridor taps into a universal fear, the passage of time, and the isolation that can come with it. This story resonates now more than ever as we navigate an era where past traumas and future anxieties constantly shape our present. By crafting a horror film that is both eerie and emotionally charged, I aim to engage audiences beyond the genre’s standard jump scares and offer something more profound, a haunting meditation on loneliness, memory, and perception.”

You can back the project here, and the campaign runs until Sunday, May 11th.

THE OTHER Trailer Teases Home Invasion Horror From FINAL DESTINATION Creator

the other official trailer 2025

While most look to outside their walls for threats, some homes are invaded from the inside, warns the trailer for The Other. A new horror film from the Final Destination franchise creator and Hellbent‘s director? Sign us up.

In The Other, after years of being unable to conceive, Robin and Daniel adopt Kathelia, a mute orphan who has survived a tragic childhood. But their shared dream turns to horror when they realise the violence in their foster’s past has returned to destroy the new family. As Kathelia’s behaviour grows unsettling, and as an evil force takes hold, the couple must fight for their survival.

Final Destination‘s Jeffrey Reddick produces the film, which also marks the return of Hellbent writer and director Paul Etheredge. This is Etheredge’s first film since 2009, when he directed renowned stunt actress Zoë Bell in the action thriller Angel of Death.

Starring in the upcoming feature are Olivia Macklin as Robin, Dylan McTee as Daniel, and Avangeline Friedlander as Kathelia. Also in the cast are Lily D. Moore and Shawnee Smith. Lisa Normand, Jeffrey Reddick, Jeff Walker, and Tim Nagle produce.

Quiver Distribution brings The Other to digital and on-demand platforms on June 13th, 2025. Watch the trailer below:

WEAPONS Trailer Sees Julia Garner Tormented By Missing Students

weapons trailer

The full official trailer for Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger’s newest horror project, Weapons, sees children disappearing from their homes in a small town. “Those kids walked out of the homes,” someone says in the trailer’s voiceover. “No one pulled them out. No one forced them.”

One normal Wednesday morning, “Every other class had all their kids. But Mrs Gandy’s room was totally empty… Because the night before, at 2:17 in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs, and into the dark. And they never came back.”

The multi-story film reportedly touches on police corruption, generational trauma, witchcraft, blood rituals, and religious abuse in a small Floridian community.

Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan star in the feature. Cregger, Roy Lee, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules and Miri Yoon serve as producers.

Cregger appeared on the CinemaCon stage earlier this month to share the first footage from Weapons. During the presentation, New Line boss Richard Brener described the movie as “intriguing and unpredictable, with a nice helping of batshit insane.”

Next, Cregger is writing and directing a reboot of the Resident Evil franchise, with Austin Abrams in the lead role.

Watch the trailer for Weapons below. Warner Bros. releases the film in cinemas from August 8th.

Dev Patel To Write, Direct, Star In Revenge Thriller THE PEASANT

dev patel in monkey man

Dev Patel once again exercises his triple-threat muscles, coming aboard to write, direct, and star in The Peasant, a period action thriller from Fifth Season and Thunder Road Pictures. Patel will also produce via his Minor Realm production banner.

Thunder Road had also produced the critically acclaimed Monkey Man, Patel’s feature directorial debut, which he co-wrote and starred in.

The project is being billed as having shades of Braveheart and John Wick (coincidentally, Thunder Road produced the Keanu Reeves franchise) as well as notes of King Arthur, as “it mashes up medieval knights with feudal India”. THR broke the news.

Set in the 1300s, The Peasant centres on a shepherd who embarks on a rage-fuelled campaign against a group of mercenary knights who ransacked his community, thereby revealing himself to be more than he seems.

Fifth Season had initially developed the project with Will Dunn, one of Ms. Marvel‘s writers, even landing on the 2023 Black List (an annual directory of the most popular, but unproduced screenplays). With Dev Patel on board, the background was changed from its Italian setting and the protagonist’s Church-connected backstory to an India that is near-mystical. Patel and Dunn are working together on the new drafts.

Emma Mackey Is NARNIA’s White Witch

emma mackey in sex education

Emma Mackey has landed the role of the White Witch in Narnia, Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the foundational fantasy novels by C.S. Lewis.

Gerwig’s take on The Chronicles of Narnia, which is being backed by Netflix, will reportedly tackle the sixth novel of the series, The Magician’s Nephew. Gerwig directs from a script she wrote. The casting decision marks a reunion for Mackey and the director, after working together on Barbie.

Reports state that Charli XCX was at one point tipped for the role of the White Witch, but that it eventually came down to Mackey and Margaret Qualley, who has received much acclaim recently for starring opposite Demi Moore in The Substance.

The White Witch is the primary antagonist in not only Magician’s Nephew, but also the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She is the one responsible for sending Narnia into an endless winter, and was known for turning her enemies into statues.

Casting is still underway, but Mackey will be joining Meryl Streep, who is in talks to play Aslan, the King of Kings. The film is getting a two-week theatrical release in late 2026, so further casting announcements are expected soon.

Emma Mackey, best known for her starring role in Netflix’s Sex Education, recently starred as the titular character in Emily, a reimagining of the life of Emily Brontë that scored the actress two BIFA nominations. She’s also in production on J.J. Abrams’ untitled feature for Warner Bros., starring alongside Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega. She also has a supporting role in Alpha, the latest movie from Titane and Raw filmmaker Julia Ducournau, which premieres soon at Cannes.

PREDATOR: BADLANDS Teaser Trailer Sees The Monster Become Hero

predator: badlands teaser trailer still

The Predator franchise returns to the big screen with director Dan Trachtenberg’s (the excellent prequel Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) Predator: Badlands, the teaser trailer for which has just been released online.

The Neon Demon actress Elle Fanning stars as Thia, a character who, rather than fight against the film’s Predator, will team up with the alien hunter. “Something unprecedented happens in this movie, and my character is not the one being chased,” Fanning told CinemaCon’s audience. “My character actually teams up with the Predator, and you get to see him in a whole new light.”

This follows what director Trachtenberg previously revealed of his film, saying: “The creature is front and centre, leading the charge. He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too. Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting.”

As previously reported, Predator: Badlands won’t be the only Predator film releasing this year, as 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell teased that there’s another unnamed feature set to release before Badlands. Details on this other film are near non-existent.

The Predator franchise kicked off with the action-horror classic in 1987. That was followed by sequels Predator 2, Predators, The Predator, and the prequel Prey, as well as the two Alien vs. Predator movies.

Watch the Predator: Badlands teaser trailer below, full of fun little Easter eggs (including, dare we say, an Independence Day nod?). The film releases in cinemas on November 7th, 2025.

URBAN LEGEND Slasher Is Getting Rebooted

urban legend of slender man

Screen Gems’ 1998 slasher movie Urban Legend is getting a modern era reboot, with the hiring of Shanrah Wakefield to pen the script. Gary Dauberman (whose video game adaptation Until Dawn releases this month) will produce via his Coin Operated banner, while Neal Moritz, who was one of the producers of the original film, is also in negotiations to produce this new version.

The original Urban Legend, which was directed by Jamie Blanks from a script by Sylvio Horta, is set in a New England university and featured a killer whose murders were inspired by popular urban legends of the period, such as death by Pop Rocks, being pursued by a gang in a car with their lights turned off, or a re-enactment of the ‘ankle slasher under the car’ story.

The movie starred Jared Leto, Joshua Jackson, Alicia Witt, Michael Rosenbaum, Rebecca Gayheart, and Tara Reid. Two sequels followed.

Plot details of this reboot are unknown, though The Hollywood Reporter states the story aims to be an examination of what an urban legend looks like in a post-digital world.

Does that mean we can expect deaths by Slender Man, Staten Island’s Cropsey, Smile Dog, or the Man in the Walls? What other urban legends of the digital age (think back to the Creepypasta days of the internet, or what crawled out of 4chan) do you think would make for an entertaining movie moment?

OUTRUN Video Game Gets Michael Bay Movie Treatment

outrun video game graphics by sega

Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney are teaming up for a high-octane movie adaptation of OutRun, the classic Sega video game franchise.

Originally released in 1986, OutRun challenged players to dodge traffic and race against the clock to reach their destination. It quickly became a flagship title for Sega, spawning multiple sequels over the years.

The project is being developed by Universal Pictures, with Bay attached to direct and produce, and Sweeney also on board as a producer. Jayson Rothwell is writing the script, though plot details remain under wraps. Bay and longtime collaborator Brad Fuller are producing through Platinum Dunes via their first-look deal with Universal. Toru Nakahara is producing for Sega, while Sega Corporation president Shuji Utsumi will oversee the project on the company’s behalf. At Universal, the project is being overseen by Matt Reilly, executive vice president of production development, and Ryan Jones, senior vice president of production development.

Hollywood continues to embrace video game adaptations following box office hits like Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog series, and Warner Bros./Legendary’s Minecraft film. Universal is also prepping Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, a sequel to its successful horror adaptation starring Josh Hutcherson, set for release later this year. There’s also, of course, the presently airing Last of Us season 2.