Remember that time when good ol’ Peter Parker called a drone strike on his classmates because another guy was flirting with MJ? Well, the artificial intelligence that made it happen is back, this time in snarky Canadian form! Deadline is reporting that Schitt’s Creek alum Emily Hampshire has been cast as E.D.I.T.H. in Vision Quest, the upcoming Disney+ series starring Paul Bettany as the synthezoid Avenger. E.D.I.T.H., of course, made her debut as a pair of ugly, gaudy sunglasses the late Tony Stark bequeathed to Peter in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Through E.D.I.T.H., Peter had access to vast technological resources, resources that Mysterio wanted to use for himself. At the end of Far From Home, Peter reclaimed the E.D.I.T.H. glasses and in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a screen readout assured us that they were inactive. Moreover, No Way Home ends with Peter having his secret identity wiped from everyone’s memory and a closing shot of him hand-stitching his own costume in a dingy New York apartment, suggeting that the MCU experiment of making working-class Peter Parker into the scion of a tech bro was done. That may still be true, in which case Vision Quest is a much better place for E.D.I.T.H. to exist. Created by Terry Matalas, showrunner of the Twelve Monkeys TV series and the third season of Star Trek: Picard, Vision Quest will follow the next phase in the life of the synthezoid Vision, who was killed in Avengers: Infinity War and resurrected as an initially evil clone in WandaVision. The title Vision Quest comes from a 1989-1990 arc of West Coast Avengers, written and penciled by John Byrne, in which the U.S. government dismantles Vision and recreates him into a mindless and easily controllable form, signified by his new bleach white look. Fans of the MCU will recognize that storyline from the last episodes of WandaVision, in which S.A.B.E.R. did the same thing to Bettany’s character. However, the Vision Quest comics continued to tell the story of Vision attempting to recover the humanity and personality he’d previously gained over the years, which will presumably be the plot of Vision Quest. However, E.D.I.T.H.’s casting is just the latest in a host of synthetic characters who will appear in the show. James Spader will return as Vision’s creator Ultron, and T’Nia Miller has joined the show as Jocasta, a female synthezoid originally created as Ultron’s bride. A few humans will show up as well, including the return of Faran Tahir as Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist cell, last seen in Iron Man, and frequent Matalas collaborator Todd Stashwick as a mystery man hunting Vision. That’s a packed cast, but as anyone who recalls the Picard season 3 episode in which androids Data and Lore merged, Matalas knows how to tell an interesting story about artificial intelligence. That episode also showed that Matalas knows how to add levity to heavy conversations about existence, making Hampshire’s casting as E.D.I.T.H. a wise choice. Just don’t let her anywhere near another school bus full of teenagers. Vision Quest is slated to appear on Disney+ in 2026.

A film adaptation of hit video game “Split Fiction” starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Jon M. Chu has landed at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has confirmed. As Variety first reported last month, along with the news of Sweeney’s casting (the actress signed on to the project March 6, the day the game launched) and Chu directing, the script for the movie is being written by “Deadpool & Wolverine” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Related Stories From developer Hazelight Studios and publisher Electronic Arts, “Split Fiction” blends fantasy and science fiction, following a pair of authors, Mio and Zoe, who become trapped in the worlds they wrote. Written by director and Hazelight studio chief Josef Fares and Sebastian Johansson, “Split Fiction” is a co-op adventure game that features gameplay mechanics involving split-screen combat, platforming challenges and differing abilities for each character. Popular on Variety The “Split Fiction” film will be produced by Mike Goldberg and Dmitri M. Johnson’s Story Kitchen (formerly dj2 Entertainment) and Chu’s Electric Somewhere. Sweeney, Story Kitchen’s Timothy I. Stevenson, and Hazelight Studios’ founder Josef Fares and COO Oskar Wolontis are executive producing. “Even in early development here at Hazelight, it was clear how much potential ‘Split Fiction’ had to become a kick-ass movie,” Wolontis told Variety Monday. “We now know it’s got a shot at becoming something truly special with such an amazing creative team behind it. Jon M. Chu, Sydney Sweeney, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, together with Story Kitchen, have all been champions and true fans of this project since day one, and we can’t wait to see their vision for this movie come to life! Amazon MGM has shown intense interest in this project and we’re happy to see them show both confidence and clear intent to bring this movie to all current and future fans of ‘Split Fiction’ out there. We look forward to holding them to that and working together to bring Mio and Zoe to screen.” It has yet to be decided whether Sweeney will be playing Zoe or Mio, and the film is actively looking to cast her co-star. Released March 6, “Split Fiction” quickly became a hit with players and critics alike, receiving positive reviews and massive sales. According to Hazelight, the game sold more than two million copies in the first week following its launch, and that number continues to rise at a rapid clip. Variety first reported the “Split Fiction” film was in the works, and attracting top Hollywood studios for a bidding war, during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March. “Split Fiction” marks the third film adaptation Hazelight has set up with Story Kitchen, following projects in development based on games “It Takes Two” (also at Amazon MGM Studios and counting Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks as producer) and “A Way Out.”

Movie & Games Trailers Happy Gilmore 2 By Vincent Frei - 04/06/2025 He’s back on the green—and still swinging like no one else! Watch the official trailer for Happy Gilmore 2, starring Adam Sandler in his most iconic role. The chaos returns! The Production VFX Supervisor is Marcus Taormina. The Production VFX Producer is Mare McIntosh.Director: Kyle Newacheck Release Date: July 25, 2025 (Netflix)Screenshot © Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2025

Ballerina is what happens when a studio wants to extend a franchise but really has no reason to do so except a financial one. Subtitled From The World of John Wick, this action thriller contains too much action and precious little thrills. Directed (maybe) by Len Wiseman of Underworld fame, Ballerina is set in the same universe as the four majestic adrenaline epics starring Keanu Reeves, and incorporates as many elements from those films as possible, including the Continental Hotel and the Ruska Roma, not to mention appearances from Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, the late, great Lance Reddick, and Mr. Reeves himself. But what is also found in ample supply in the John Wick movies and sadly missing in Ballerina is heart, character, and a sense of conviction. At the center of the movie is a miscast, utterly bland Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, whose father’s death sent her as a little girl into the custody of McShane’s Winston Scott and, eventually, the tutelage of the Director (Huston) of the Ruska Roma ballet/assassin school. It’s there that Eve goes through the usual training montage, with her inability to dance only matched by her evident aptitude at killing and fighting. Once her training is complete, Eve is sent out into the world on Ruska Roma business, but of course her main goal is avenging her dad, who was killed by members of a mysterious cult led by the enigmatic Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). No sooner can you say “she’s gone rogue” than she does just that, jetting off to Prague in pursuit of a cult member (Norman Reedus) who’s trying to get himself and his own little daughter out from under the Chancellor’s thumb, while finding herself at odds with the Director and pursued by the Chancellor’s minions at every turn. The movie’s thin “lady vengeance” premise, which we’ve seen countless times before, is reheated once again by screenwriter Shay Hatten, who has co-written the last two John Wick entries but seems lost here. Unlike John Wick himself, whose single-minded quest for revenge over the death of his dog took on mythic overtones as more layers to both John and the surreal world of elegant criminality in which he moved were revealed, Eve has nothing to define her that hasn’t been done or said before. It doesn’t help that Armas, while up to the role’s physicality, offers nothing in terms of personality—she’s an empty vessel. Which is a shame, since she’s displayed earthiness (Knives Out), complexity (Blonde), and a sexy playfulness (No Time to Die) in previous work. The rest of the non-Wick cast is forgettable as well, with Byrne’s Chancellor and his entire regime badly underdeveloped, and Reedus completely wasted in what amounts to maybe two scenes. McShane, Reddick, and Huston just go through their paces, spouting lots of portentous lines about “choice” and “fate” that ring mostly hollow, as does a late-stage twist that carries no weight because one of the characters involved barely registers. As for the Baba Yaga himself, the largely non-verbal Reeves is the “Chekhov’s gun” of the film: introduced briefly in the first act, he inevitably turns up again in the third act, parachuted in by the magic of rumored reshoots even though his contribution to the narrative amounts to absolutely nothing. It’s always nice to see him, but if you took him out, it wouldn’t drastically change the picture. Speaking of reshoots, there’s a Frankenstein nature to the proceedings that provides evidence for the reports that Wick director (and franchise torch-bearer) Chad Stahelski refilmed much of the movie after Wiseman’s first draft came up short. While the first act is a murky, enervated slog, things seem to pick up in the middle, with a more eye-catching color scheme (such as a sequence in a neon-lit club reminiscent of a similar scene in the magnificent John Wick: Chapter 4), a creative, free-flowing use of the camera, and some of the more inventive, oddball action that has become part and parcel of the franchise—most notably in a scene where de Armas and an enemy smash a pile of dinner plates over each other’s heads with manic Three Stooges-like energy. Unfortunately, there’s also a sadistic edge to a lot of the action this time as well, particularly in a climactic fight involving flamethrowers that badly wants to emulate the famous overhead apartment shot from John Wick: Chapter 4 but goes on for far too long and ultimately becomes actively unpleasant. That’s a problem with even the better action on hand in Ballerina, as if the filmmakers want to make up for the film’s deficiencies by overdoing what the series is best known for. Hatten’s script was an original piece that was rewritten to fit into the John Wick universe, with elements introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum to pave the way for the arrival of Eve and Ballerina. But this reverse engineering highlights the pitfalls of trying to create a cinematic universe without stopping to wonder whether it’s a good idea. Watching John Wick stonily fight and slaughter his way through his off-center world and its population of funky, eccentric weirdos has been fantastic fun (the threat of an arc-undermining John Wick 5 notwithstanding) because of the unique nature of the character and that world. But dropping the more conventional, cliched tropes of Ballerina into the mix, along with a protagonist (and actor) not nearly as compelling, only exemplifies that the John Wick movies are character-driven first and foremost. All the brutal action, heavy-handed callbacks, and predictable cameos in the world can’t make this Ballerina into a better dancer. Ballerina opens in theaters in the U.S. on Friday, June 6. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

The Ana de Armas-starring John Wick movie was supposed to arrive in June 2024 – here's why its launch was pushed back.

June 02, 2025 Eagles Star Hurdles into Madden 99 Club and Iconic Madden NFL 26 Covers After Championship and Record-Setting Season Fans Can Pre-Order* The EA SPORTS MVP Bundle Now To Get Madden NFL Deluxe Edition and Early Access To Madden NFL 26. REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and EA SPORTS™ announced today that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will grace the cover of EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26, the first Eagle to do so in 20 years. Barkley’s record-setting season earned him both the cover and induction as the first member of the coveted Madden NFL 26 ‘99 Club.’ Barkley appears on two unique covers with one memorializing his spectacular reverse hurdle from last season. New features coming to Madden NFL 26 will be revealed this Wednesday, June 4 and Madden NFL 26 will launch worldwide on August 14 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via EA app for Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store.Eagles Superstar Saquon Barkley Soars Onto Standard and Deluxe Covers Following Record-Setting, Super Bowl-Winning Season“Starring on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and being named to the Madden NFL ‘99 Club’ are both dreams come true,” said Barkley. “I’m grateful to my teammates, coaches, and Eagles fans for their support, and I can’t wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26.”Barkley etched his name in the record books in 2024 with one of the most dominant seasons ever, becoming the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,500 yards in a single season, including playoffs, and leading Philadelphia to a Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs."Saquon's reverse hurdle was one of the rare, defining moments in NFL history that would have once been described as 'something out of a videogame,'” said Evan Dexter, VP, Franchise Strategy & Marketing, EA SPORTS Madden NFL. “Now, it’s a display of the athleticism and creativity of one football's most electrifying athletes. Madden NFL 26 will deliver the most real NFL experience we've ever built so that players can experience more of the unreal moments that Saquon put on display all season long. The full reveal is this Wednesday - don’t miss what’s next."Fans can pre-order* the Madden NFL 26 Deluxe Edition now to unlock a host of benefits, including 3-day early access, 4600 Madden Points, and a range of amazing extras. Pre-ordering* theEA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle for PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S gets fans deluxe editions of EA SPORTS™ College Football 26 and Madden NFL 26, complete with 3-day early access and a suite of rewards for both games. EA Play** subscribers will enjoy a 10-hour early access trial alongside recurring monthly in-game bonuses for Madden NFL 26.Follow the Madden NFL 26 journey on the official website and social channels (Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube) for the latest updates and stay tuned for the trailer and feature reveal coming Wednesday, June 4. Madden NFL 26 is developed by EA SPORTS in Orlando, Florida, and Madrid, Spain.*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-26/legal-disclaimers for details. **Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See EA Play Terms for details.For Madden NFL 26 assets, visit: EAPressPortal.com.About Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.In fiscal year 2025, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS FC™, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ College Football, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and EA SPORTS F1®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS FC, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Dragon Age, Titanfall, and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.Category: EA Sports Erin Exum Director, Integrated Comms [email protected] Source: Electronic Arts Inc. Multimedia Files:

June 02, 2025 Eagles Star Hurdles into Madden 99 Club and Iconic Madden NFL 26 Covers After Championship and Record-Setting Season Fans Can Pre-Order* The EA SPORTS MVP Bundle Now To Get Madden NFL Deluxe Edition and Early Access To Madden NFL 26. REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and EA SPORTS™ announced today that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will grace the cover of EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26, the first Eagle to do so in 20 years. Barkley’s record-setting season earned him both the cover and induction as the first member of the coveted Madden NFL 26 ‘99 Club.’ Barkley appears on two unique covers with one memorializing his spectacular reverse hurdle from last season. New features coming to Madden NFL 26 will be revealed this Wednesday, June 4 and Madden NFL 26 will launch worldwide on August 14 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via EA app for Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store.Eagles Superstar Saquon Barkley Soars Onto Standard and Deluxe Covers Following Record-Setting, Super Bowl-Winning Season“Starring on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and being named to the Madden NFL ‘99 Club’ are both dreams come true,” said Barkley. “I’m grateful to my teammates, coaches, and Eagles fans for their support, and I can’t wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26.”Barkley etched his name in the record books in 2024 with one of the most dominant seasons ever, becoming the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,500 yards in a single season, including playoffs, and leading Philadelphia to a Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs."Saquon's reverse hurdle was one of the rare, defining moments in NFL history that would have once been described as 'something out of a videogame,'” said Evan Dexter, VP, Franchise Strategy & Marketing, EA SPORTS Madden NFL. “Now, it’s a display of the athleticism and creativity of one football's most electrifying athletes. Madden NFL 26 will deliver the most real NFL experience we've ever built so that players can experience more of the unreal moments that Saquon put on display all season long. The full reveal is this Wednesday - don’t miss what’s next."Fans can pre-order* the Madden NFL 26 Deluxe Edition now to unlock a host of benefits, including 3-day early access, 4600 Madden Points, and a range of amazing extras. Pre-ordering* theEA SPORTS™ MVP Bundle for PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S gets fans deluxe editions of EA SPORTS™ College Football 26 and Madden NFL 26, complete with 3-day early access and a suite of rewards for both games. EA Play** subscribers will enjoy a 10-hour early access trial alongside recurring monthly in-game bonuses for Madden NFL 26.Follow the Madden NFL 26 journey on the official website and social channels (Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube) for the latest updates and stay tuned for the trailer and feature reveal coming Wednesday, June 4. Madden NFL 26 is developed by EA SPORTS in Orlando, Florida, and Madrid, Spain.*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/madden-nfl/madden-nfl-26/legal-disclaimers for details. **Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See EA Play Terms for details.For Madden NFL 26 assets, visit: EAPressPortal.com.About Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.In fiscal year 2025, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS FC™, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ College Football, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and EA SPORTS F1®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS FC, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Dragon Age, Titanfall, and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.Category: EA Sports Erin Exum Director, Integrated Comms [email protected] Source: Electronic Arts Inc. Multimedia Files:

Following the breakout success of ‘Your Friends and Neighbors’, which stars Jon Hamm and wrapped its first season last week, Apple has extended its deal with showrunner Jonathan Tropper, Deadline reports. Three-time Apple signee Apple TV+ first partnered with Tropper back in 2019, when he served as executive producer and showrunner for See, one of the platform’s launch titles. Since then he’s quietly become one of the most prolific creators on Apple TV+, with two active series and two high-profile films currently in the pipeline. Under the terms of this latest multi-year extension, he’ll continue developing and producing original content for Apple through his production company, Tropper Ink. Here’s Tropper: “Working with the entire team at Apple continues to be the single most creatively fulfilling collaboration of my career, and I’m looking forward to bringing Lucky and other new projects to the platform, while making more seasons of Your Friends & Neighbors” Breakout success According to Nielsen sampling data, Your Friends and Neighbors is the most-watched new Apple drama series of the year, based on first-month viewership across U.S. households. It’s also on track to break into the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 for the first time, a rare feat for a newer Apple TV+ original. Notably, Apple had already seen the breakout coming: the show was renewed for a second season back in November, months before it even premiered. Season 2 is currently in production. Up next Coming up next from Tropper: Lucky, a limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy (The Gorge, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) and based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, is expected to debut later this year. On the film side, Tropper is writing and producing The Corsair Code, a sci-fi mystery adventure starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok), and Matchbox, an action-comedy based on the iconic toy brand, featuring John Cena (Peacemaker), Jessica Biel (The Illusionist), and Sam Richardson (Veep). Outside of Apple, Tropper is also writing an upcoming Star Wars film for director Shawn Levy. Not bad. Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Studio, The Morning Show, Shrinking and Silo. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Following the breakout success of ‘Your Friends and Neighbors’, which stars Jon Hamm and wrapped its first season last week, Apple has extended its deal with showrunner Jonathan Tropper, Deadline reports. more…

Apple TV+ kicks off the summer with a June release slate that offers a little something for everyone. There’s a Ted Lasso-style sports comedy, new children’s programming, a Sydney Sweeney-starring horror film, Bridgerton-like historical romance, and