Weekly entertainment news roundup 09/05

Jonathan Victoria • 09 May 2024 News

Darth Jar Jar is coming, Game of Thrones spinoff details & more.

New details for ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel spinoff

The new Game of Thrones spinoff series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been given a new name, added a top director for a few episodes, and has been given an episode count for season one.

The new show, which was previously named  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, will feature six episodes in its first season and has signed on Black Mirror director Owen Harris for the first three episodes.

Harris’ previous work on Black Mirror was on the episodes San Junipero, Be Right Back and Striking Vipers, the former being one of the series’ best-rated episodes on IMDB.

As of yet, it is unclear who will be directing the second half of the spinoff series, with more details expected to come over the next 12 months before its eventual premiere sometime in 2025.

‘The Boys’ season 4 trailer revealed

Credit: The Boys – Season 4 Official Trailer | Prime Video (Prime Video, YouTube)

Prime Video released a new trailer for season four of their smash hit series The Boys ahead of its release in just over a month.

The trailer is packed full of chaos (as expected, but also heed our warning for some serious gore), continuing on from the eventful season three and picking up some elements from the spinoff Gen V series.

It’s election year in season four which comes with some added tension that is not only intensified but also provokes the violence and gore that makes The Boys a truly special show.

Season four of The Boys is set to land on Prime Video streaming on 14th June.

New cast added as ‘Wednesday’ season 2 begins filming

Wednesday was a surprise hit for Netflix last year, so fans of the first season will be pleased to know that season two of the Addams Family spinoff has begun filming.

Netflix released a cast photo to their Twitter/X account featuring several familiar faces but also included a few new ones who are said to become series regulars, such as Billie Piper (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Steve Buscemi (Broadwalk Empire) and Noah Taylor (Peaky Blinders).

Details of the second season other than those above are scarce right now, including a release date. But one thing we do know is that the next season will focus more on horror and less on romance, with series star Jenna Ortega hinting towards a “bigger” outing with each episode feeling “more like a movie”.

Darth Jar Jar is real in new LEGO Star Wars trailer

Credit: LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy | Teaser Trailer | Disney+ (Star Wars, YouTube)

Yes, you did indeed read that right. A new LEGO Star Wars special is bringing every fan's biggest wish to life after a trailer for LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy teased Darth Jar Jar.

The ever-hated character from the divisive prequel films developed a new, rather unexpected legacy within the Star Wars community as fans began to circulate an idea of a Sith Lord Jar Jar Binks. Because, well, why not?

And Lucasfilm has seemingly played into the joke by introducing him in the trailer for their upcoming special. It was made even better by the fact that he walks out of a Sith version of the iconic Millennium Falcon.

It’s so good it can’t be bad, so be sure to check out the trailer and tune in when LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy arrives on Disney+ later this year on 13th September.

Marvel limiting itself to fewer releases per year

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in a recent earnings call that Marvel Studios will be sticking to a somewhat reduced schedule for its MCU projects, with no more than three movies and two shows per year going forward.

The years after the release of Avengers: Endgame have been fairly unkind for the MCU, with the odd good showing being outnumbered by the numerous poorer projects.

Iger said in the call that the plan will be for Marvel to put out an average of two movies a year “or a maximum of three”, while Disney+ shows will be even less frequent, with “about two” being released a year.

The move is a clear step towards trying to regain fans’ faith in the studios while also recapturing the audience they had before amid fears of superhero fatigue after years of multiple MCU releases.

It could also be a more calculated move to trim down the number of projects that were set to introduce more heroes into the universe and instead focus on the ones who are already established. 

Whatever the reason, Marvel Studios and Disney will be hoping this change brings fans back onto their good side.