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March 29-30, 2025
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From film to TV, anime to comics and everything in between, here’s what you might have missed in pop culture news this week.
The latest Game of Thrones teaser has, as expected, sent the internet into meltdown. The new teaser brings together Jon Snow, Sansa, and Arya, confronted with a cold and deadly presence. Season eight will begin on April 14.
More good news for Star Trek fans this week as CBS gives the green light for a spin-off around Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou. The production is currently in early development.
Frank Castle returns to Netflix today! Get excited for The Punisher season two with the latest trailer.
Trouble doesn’t fix itself. You have to fight back. pic.twitter.com/Bgj9dWBywg
— The Punisher (@ThePunisher) January 16, 2019
Calling all fans of The Office! Steve Carell and Greg Daniels are teaming up for new Netflix workplace comedy Space Force. The series, set to star Carell, will follow the people who are hired to bring President Trump’s “Space Force” to life.
FILM
The first teaser trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home swung its way onto the web this week. The trailer features Peter Parker headed for a European school trip, where he bumps into Nick Fury, Mysterio and more.
It has been revealed that Disney is developing a live-action musical adaptation of the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang attached. Its current title is Hunchback.
A new Ghostbusters film set in the original universe has been officially announced by Sony Pictures, revealed in an Entertainment Weekly exclusive with Jason Reitman (Juno), the sequel’s co-writer and director. Jason Reitman is the son of the original film’s director, Ivan Reitman. The film is slated for a 2020 release date and set ton begin filming in the next few months. It is yet to be confirmed if original Ghostbusters Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray or Ernie Hudson will appear in the sequel.
Aquaman has officially grossed $1 billion at the global box office and has become the most successful DCEU film yet.
In other DC news, reports have surfaced that the red spandex outfit worm by the titular hero of David F. Sandberg’s upcoming film Shazam! costs $1 million. And they made 10 of them.
Speaking to UK newspaper The Sun, director Rob Marshall has confirmed talks of a sequel to Mary Poppins Returns. Whilst the idea is in early stages, there were, as he says, “eight books, so there’s still lots of great material to mine.”
A cryptic image from the set of Star Wars: Episode IX has emerged via John Boyega’s (Finn) Instagram.
The next Jumanji sequel has added a new member to its cast in the form of Danny Glover. Other new cast announcements include Danny DeVito and Awkwafina.
Warner Bros. Minecraft movie will move ahead with a new director. Peter Sollett of Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist will helm the production based on the video game, taking over from Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).
Comedy anime Kaguya-Sama: Love is War has begun streaming on Animelab’s simulcast this week. The show is a wonderful blend of Kakegurui and Ouran High School Host Club so it is highly recommended for fans to check this out.
Popular swimming anime Free! will be diving into cinemas with a new movie set to be released in 2020. A compilation movie for the show’s third season is also set to splash into Japanese cinemas this July and apparently will feature a new episode.
Diamond Comic Distributors’ year-end report packed some revelations, listing Marvel’s 1992 release The Infinity Gauntlet as the highest selling graphic novel of 2018. Jim Starlin and George Perez’s seminal tale of Thanos the Mad Titan served as one of the chief inspirations for the MCU box office goliath Avengers: Infinity War and the movie’s impact spread to book stores and comic stands worldwide. However, it was the only Marvel book in the top 10 best sellers of last year, the rest being (in descending order): Saga Vol. 9, Saga Vol. 1, Saga Vol. 8, Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman, The Walking Dead Vol. 29: Lines We Cross, Paper Girls Vol. 1, Batman: White Knight, Dark Nights: Metal and Monstress Vol. 1. Fairing a little stronger than Marvel, DC placed three times, whereas independent powerhouse Image beat out “The Big Two” by placing a whopping six titles.
As far as single issues are concerned, Marvel dominated as the top publisher with a 40.4% controlled share of the market and seven of the top 10 single issues of the year coming from the industry magnate. DC, however, had the top selling single issue of the year in Action Comics #1000 which was joined by Batman #50 and Batman Who Laughs #1 in the top 10 single issues of the year. Courtesy of the award-winning space opera Saga from Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples, Image Comics was the third highest selling publishing house after DC.
Batton Lash, the award-winning writer and artist behind popular strip Supernatural Law, passed away at the age of 65. Lash ran Exhibit A press, one of the longest running small comic book companies, with his editor and wife Jackie Estrada. Lash would also go on to write an award-winning arc for Bongo’s Radioactive Man and the Archie Meets the Punisher crossover.
Ron Smith, a stalwart of the comic book industry since the 1940s, passed away this week at the age of 94. Smith got started at D.C Thomson & Co in 1951 and drew a range of books until 1971 before becoming a freelancer in 1972. Well known for his tenure on Judge Dredd, Smith started drawing the character in 1979 and continued to do so until 1994 before retiring from comics in the late ’90s.
THIS WEEK’S PICKS
Invaders #1 (Marvel) – To celebrate Marvel’s 80th anniversary, their first superhero team is back! Join Captain America, The Human Torch, The Winter Soldier and Namor – the team who fought together in WWII, except this time Marvel’s King of the Ocean is a threat to the entire world and his former comrades reunite to take him down!
Avatar: Tsu’tey’s Path #1 (Dark Horse) – Fans of James Cameron’s Avatar will remember Tsu-tey, the Omatikayan warrior betrothed to Neytiri whose life is turned upside down when Jake Sully drops out the sky. This sidequel from novelist Sherri L Smith sheds light on an unseen story from 2009’s blockbuster smash.
Batman Who Laughs #2 (DC Comics) – If you’re not already on board with another twisted and ingenious tale of the Caped Crusader from Scott Snyder and Jock, it’s not too late to jump on with the second issue of the Batman Who Laughs. This issue sees more of fan-favourite and new iteration of Batman: The Grim Knight.
Black Widow #1 (Marvel) – Black Widow is back from the dead and on a rampage in this brand new blood splattered series from horror writers Jen and Sylvia Soska and artist Flaviano.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder in Hell #1 (IDW Publishing) – A brand new mini-series in the Turtleverse from Mateus Santolouco sees Shredder return… and sent straight to hell!