Ridley Scott‘s thriller feature The Dog Stars continues to announce its cast list, following news that Jacob Elordi would replace Paul Mescal in the lead role. Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce are in final talks to star in the 20th Century Studios film, an adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 apocalyptic novel written by Mark L. Smith and Christopher Wilkinson.
Set in Colorado after the world’s population has been ravaged by a pandemic, The Dog Stars centres on a civilian pilot living on an abandoned airbase with his dog and an ex-Marine he has befriended. When a mysterious transmission comes through on the radio while he is flying his 1956 Cessna, it sparks a hunt for the provenance of the sound in hopes of a better life.
Margaret Qualley earned well-deserved praise for her role in last year’s body horror The Substance, in which she starred opposite Demi Moore, and can be seen later this year in Honey Don’t! and Happy Gilmore 2. Brolin’s next films include Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and Edgar Wright’s remake of The Running Man. Meanwhile, Pearce is nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in The Brutalist.
A film adaptation of the bestselling YA vampire fantasy, 12-book series House of Night is in the works. Cinematographer Rain Li (Paris, Je T’aime, Paranoid Park) will direct from a script she co-wrote with P.C. Cast, who authored the novels with her daughter, Kristin Cast.
The story follows Zoey Redbird, a 16-year-old girl who is “marked” and thus becomes a fledgling vampyre. Her new designation requires her to attend the House of Night boarding school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the marked learn to endure their transformation. As she navigates the highs and lows of teenage romance, friendships, and her transformation, Zoey discovers she possesses extraordinary gifts that make her both revered and feared in a vampyre world steeped in magic.
Davis Films’ Victor Hadida, best known for producing Resident Eviland The Crow, will produce the project alongside Hassell Free Productions’ Molly Hassell.
“I have long loved the unique universe that P.C. and Kristin have created in their beloved books,” said director Li. “I am so excited to cinematically realize their vision for new audiences as well as the millions of avid followers of the books.”
“I’ve been working closely with Molly and Rain to bring this film to fruition, and could not be more proud of the work they have done in respecting our universe,” Cast added. “Our fans have been waiting many years to see their beloved characters and their journeys come to the screen, and we are beyond excited at what they will see.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been renewed for a third season, which will surprise no one considering the major cliffhangers on which season 2 ended.
(Spoiler ahead) The second season ended with Sauron (Charlie Vickers) amassing an army of orcs and defeating the elves at their stronghold, Eregion. However, the elves and dwarves stand united against the dark lord, and they have their own powerful rings to stand against him in season 3.
This new season is expected to begin filming this spring. “‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ continues to captivate audiences worldwide, and we’re thrilled that a third season is underway,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “The creative team has an extraordinary vision of what’s to come with stories that have left us enchanted and enthralled. We look forward to continuing this epic journey, for our global customers, delving even deeper into the legendary tales that shaped Middle-earth.”
Charlotte Brändström, who was co-executive producer and directed multiple episodes in both seasons, will continue as exec producer and director for this third season. Sanaa Hamri will also return to direct, with director Stefan Schwartz also joining the series.
Taylor Lautner is set to star in a very self-aware TV series, which he will also executive produce for Amazon MGM Studios, titled Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter. The project was brought to Amazon by Tornante, the studio behind the beloved series BoJack Horseman. Daisy Gardner will serve as creator and showrunner, while Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will serve as directors and exec producers.
The official logline, per a Variety exclusive, states: “After wrapping the final ‘Twilight’ film, Taylor Lautner vanished from the spotlight. Fans speculated, tabloids theorized—but the truth is wilder than fiction. Taylor wasn’t just taking a mental health break. He was preparing for his real calling…Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter. Playing himself, Taylor is drawn into a secret society of werewolf trackers who need his unique expertise. As he navigates his double life—Hollywood actor by day, supernatural warrior by night—Taylor must wrestle with the ultimate irony: fighting the very creatures that made him famous. Between saving the world, reviving his career, and falling in love, he faces the ultimate question—what happens when your biggest role becomes your greatest enemy?”
Gardner is known for writing on critically acclaimed shows like 30 Rock, Silicon Valley, Modern Family, South Park, and The Goldbergs. Radio Silence’s most recent credits include Screamand Scream VI, as well as Abigailand Ready or Not.
Room star Jacob Tremblay and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul will star in The Night House from producer Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity, Split). The Night House is based on the 2023 novel by Jo Nesbø, whose writing was previously adapted in 2007’s The Snowman, and bears no relation to David Bruckner’s 2020 film of the same name.
In the wake of his parents’ recent death, high schooler Richard has been sent to live with relatives in the remote town of Ballantyne. One day, during an innocent prank call in a phone booth, Richard shockingly witnesses his classmate violently get sucked into the phone receiver and disappear without a trace. Police suspect Richard to be responsible, and no one believes his story except Karen, a fellow teenage outsider. As Richard and Karen try to understand their friend’s inexplicable death, they soon realise they have unleashed terrifying evil forces. As reality starts to blur, can Richard even trust himself?
Tremblay and Paul will play different aged versions of the protagonist, Richard, in the psychological horror.
Other upcoming projects for the actors include Tremblay appearing in Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Life of Chuck, and Macon Blair’s reboot of The Toxic Avenger. Paul will next star in the sci-fi horror film Ash.
After debuting an excerpt of the film during the Super Bowl, Universal Pictures has released the full trailer for How to Train Your Dragon, a live-action remake of the beloved animated film from DreamWorks Animation.
As an animated trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon centred on the growing relationship between a young, clumsy Viking teen and aspiring dragon hunter named Hiccup and Toothless, an injured dragon he saves. Meanwhile, the female lead, Astrid, progresses from someone prejudiced against dragons to a warrior bonded to one.
Writer-director Dean DeBlois’ film stars Mason Thames as Hiccup and Nico Parker as Astrid. Also in the cast are Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz and Murray McArthur.
This live-action feature is based on the 2010 animated film that DeBlois had co-directed with Chris Sanders, itself inspired by the book series from Cressida Cowell. DeBlois, Marc Platt and Adam Siegel also serve as producers.
During a trailer-unveiling event, DeBlois discussed the origins of the new movie (as relayed by The Hollywood Reporter). “With the rushed production schedule and the limited resources that we had on that first movie for DreamWorks, there were things that we skipped past that we could have maybe done a little more justice to — some of the characters, some of the depth of relationships and the immersive action,” he said. “It’s a reimagining that holds quite faithful to the story and yet finds moments where we could enrich character relationships, give a bit of depth, give a little bit of mythology that might have been lacking in that original.”
DeBlois explained that he always felt the character of Astrid “was a little underserved” in the original film: “Nico Parker plays Astrid, [and] that feeds into this idea that she has come from a different culture, that she is a descendant of one of those prized dragon-fighting warriors that were collected by Vikings in different places. She hopes to be chief of this tribe one day. She’s got great ambition, and what’s nice about it is that it creates a conflict between she and Hiccup.”
The director also explained his desire not to make the dragons too anthropomorphic. “The challenge has been upon our animators to do exactly what our DreamWorks animators had to do, which is watch a whole lot of dog, cat and horse videos and find those cues that we humans interpret as being the attitudes that we want to be expressed, so that we don’t sacrifice personality,” DeBlois said. “With every dragon, there’s a sense of reinvention because some of them were cartoonier than others.”
Watch the trailer for How to Train Your Dragon below.
Hasbro Entertainment is creating a cinematic universe based on its Magic: The Gathering game and is teaming with Legendary Entertainment to span television and film projects. Reportedly, the first step in this ambitious franchise will be adapting the game as a movie.
Magic: The Gathering was launched in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast as the world’s first trading card game, becoming a near-instant, global hit. Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast in 1999. Players in agame represent powerful, duelling wizards called Planeswalkers. Each card a player draws from their deck represents a magical spell which can be used to their advantage in battle.
“We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than Magic: The Gathering,” said Mary Parent, Legendary’s chairman of worldwide production. “Alongside the fantastic Hasbro team, we look forward to creating a multimedia universe that thrills longstanding fans and creates a broad wave of new ones.”
“This is an exciting and complementary partnership, uniting one of the world’s most iconic brands with a powerful and proven steward,” said Hasbro Entertainment head of film Zev Foreman. “Magic: The Gathering has inspired decades of epic world-building and creative storytelling. It is a perfect match for Legendary’s diversified approach to marquee IP, and we are excited to work together to build a whole new Magic: The Gathering universe.”
Hasbro also already has a television series based on the game lined up at Netflix with showrunner Terry Matalas, best known for Star Trek: Picard.
Autobots beware! Hasbro has unleashed the ultimate Decepticon upon the world. Well, they’re about.
In a move that will open the wallets of Transformer’s fans worldwide, Hasbro Pulse has officially launched its latest HasLab project: the Transformers Legacy Liokaiser Combiner, also known as Chest Force. Leaping out of the Japanese anime Transformers: Victory, this 30cm tall combiner toy is a premium production.
This fearsome combiner breaks down into six Voyager-scale Decepticon bots—Leozak, Gaihawk, Ellbat, Jaruga, Killbison, and Drillhorn. Each figure measures 14 cm. They each transform into a unique vehicle and feature a removable Chest Animal that converts into a weapon accessory.
In the anime, Liokaiser is a staunch ally of Deathsaurus, so if you already have that toy, then this is a must-have.
Transformers Legacy Liokaiser Combiner is being fan-funded on Hasbro Pulse until March 25th, 2025, and it’s the only way to guarantee to own this must-have monster of a combiner Transformer. More details here.
Critical Role‘s much anticipated TTRPG, Daggerheart, will launch on May 20th, 2025. Produced by Darrington Press (Critical Role’s publishing arm), the fantasy roleplaying game is seen by many fans as a legitimate challenger to Wizard of the Coast’s latest edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
The game’s core mechanic uses two 12-sided dice, one representing Hope, the other Fear. Players roll these dice to determine the outcome of actions, with Hope and Fear representing the ebb and flow of the story. The DM, on the other hand, rolls a twenty-sided die in order to control the actions of everyone who aren’t the players.
“We built Daggerheart from the ground up to be a toolbox for crafting heartfelt, epic tales of adventure, and we’re so excited for the finished game to be in people’s hands finally,” said game designers Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall. “Through years of hard work, with an army of collaborators, and thanks to an incredible open beta playtest with the community, the game is now ready for you to make your own. We look forward to hearing about all the campaigns you build, the enemies you slay, and the stories you tell at the table together!”
The Daggerheart Core Set will include a 300-page, lavishly illustrated hardcover rulebook, including everything you need to run and play the game. It also comes with 279 illustrated cards for smoother playing. It is set to retail at around $59 USD. A Limited Edition Core Set is also available, including a GM screen, tokens, dice, a notepad, and a fancy hardcover.
Pre-orders for Daggerheart are open atDaggerheart.com, offering both Standard and Limited Edition sets. Daggerheart games will be available to play this year at UK Games Expo (Birmingham, May 30th – June 1st), Gen Con(Indianapolis, July 31st – August 3rd), andPAX Unplugged (Philadelphia, November 21st – 23rd). You will be able to find the STARBURST team at the UK Games Expo playing this game if you’re lucky.
Legendary Entertainment has partnered with Hasbro (who own Wizards) to create a live-action feature film and television series set in the trans-planar world of Magic: The Gathering. Mary Parent, Legendary’s Chairman of Worldwide Production, said, “We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Alongside the fantastic Hasbro team, we look forward to creating a multimedia universe that thrills longstanding fans and creates a broad wave of new ones.”
The card game is set up to accommodate multiple storylines set in entirely different magical worlds. Potentially, this means that live-action shows could involve adorable woodland creatures taking on hordes of vampires in a magi-tech world obsessed with racing. However, it’s probably going to be about the Gatewatch, a team of folk who guard reality against that sort of nonsense.
Zev Foreman, Hasbro Entertainment’s Head of Film, said, “This is an exciting and complementary partnership, uniting one of the world’s most iconic brands with a powerful and proven steward. MAGIC: THE GATHERING has inspired decades of epic world-building and creative storytelling. It is a perfect match for Legendary’s diversified approach to marquee IP, and we are excited to work together to build a whole new MAGIC: THE GATHERING universe.”
Legendary is best known for its work on franchises like Godzilla vs Kong and Dune. Hasbro has been developing it’s reach into TV, with Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble game shows already produced. A Magic: The Gathering TV show is in production via Netflix, with 12 Monkey’s showrunner Terry Matalas already involved.
We look forward to finding out who in the production team plays Commander.
