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The Department of Commerce declined to give the Chinese-owned automaker a special authorization to keep selling EVs in the U.S.

Apple raises prices of MacBook Air and Pro along with iPad Air and Pro

⚡ Quick Take

• Focus Features shares the trailer for Sense and Sensibility at CinemaCon 2026. Daisy Edgar-Jones exudes yearning in this exclusive first look.

Sense and Sensibility brought much yearning to CinemaCon 2026. Coming later this year, Focus Features is adapting Jane Austen’s classic and beloved novel. Nerdist caught the exclusive trailer, which shows the beloved Dashwood family as they vacate their home. Daisy Edgar-Jones is set to play the beloved heroine Elinor Dashwood. Love and yearning is at an all-time high when Elinor becomes taken with the very handsome Edward.

Focus Features’ exclusive look of the upcoming adaption is short and sweet. We see the Dashwood family as they are forced out of their lovely estate. Soon after, Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw) arrives and sets out to have the Dashwood girls married. Edward appears next, struck by Elinor’s beauty and grace, while Marianne falls in love with the handsome John Willoughby. Much yearning follows, including a shot of Mr. WIlloughby carrying Marianna home after hurting her ankle.

Columbia Pictures

Sense and Sensibility is a classically beloved tale about love and heartbreak. When news broke that Focus Features is adapting its own version of the story, hopeless romantics everywhere rejoiced. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles will play the lovely Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Elinor is rational and composed, while Marianna is much more emotional and romantic. George MacKay and Frank Dillane will play the girls’ handsome suitors, while Caitriona Balfe is Mrs. Dashwood.

RELATED ARTICLE

This Jane Austen Board Game Is Perfect for Romantics

Daisy Edgar-Jones has proven her romantic acting chops in the past, starring alongside Paul Mescal Normal People (which is arguably more of a horror story than a romance, but I digress). Emma Thompson first portrayed Elinor in the 1995 film, lending Daisy some pretty big shoes to fill. But, with a reportiore like Daisy’s, we have no doubt that she’ll be able to step up.

Columbia Pictures/Mirage

Sense and Sensibility calls viewers to open their hearts and tune into their sense. We can’t wait to see how Focus Features will bring this classic tale of yearning to life. The film hits theaters on October 16, so we will see if it is yet another successful adaptation.

Originally published April 16, 2026.

The post Daisy Edgar-Jones Exudes Yearning in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The critically acclaimed live production of Paranormal Activity is now heading to the Broadway stage for a limited 20 week run.

When the found footage supernatural horror movie Paranormal Activity came out back in 2009, who could have believed this little movie that cost $15K would lead to an ongoing franchise? Now Paranormal Activity‘s stage production is coming to Broadway, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. This will be a limited 20-week engagement. Previews for Paranormal Activity – A New Story Live on Broadway begin August 14, with the official opening night performance on August 25 at the August Wilson Theatre. That opening date is a couple of week earlier than the original September date. Right now, the August Wilson Theatre is home to a new revival of Dog Day Afternoon starring Jon Bernthal.

Polk & Co

Paranormal Activity is written by Levi Holloway (Grey House) and directed by Felix Barrett (Sleep No More). Previously, this stage version played to audiences in London’s West End, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. But a run on Broadway was always the ultimate goal for the show. The play isn’t a direct adaptation of any of the movies or characters from the film. Instead, it’s an all-new supernatural story, in the same vein as the films. Jason Blum, whose Blumhouse Productions made a name for itself with the original film, has come on board as a producer. Down below is the official synopsis for the stage version:

James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape their past, but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are. With an original story inspired by the film franchise, Paranormal Activity reimagines the modern ghost story with an intimacy that only live theatre can provide.

Audiences have called the previous versions of Paranormal Activity the scariest horror-themed stage production of all time. With its arrival on Broadway, it will no doubt reach its biggest audience yet. With the play hitting Broadway and a reboot of the film coming in 2027, it looks like this franchise may be heading into a new era of prominence once again.

Originally published May 14, 2026.

The post PARANORMAL ACTIVTY Stage Production Heading to Broadway appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Millie Bobby Brown and the Duffer Brothers have a secret pact to not reveal the truth about Eleven’s fate in the Stranger Things finale.
• Brown revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that they are the only three people who know the truth
• The audience was hopeful that Eleven survived but Brown didn’t confirm nor deny their thoughts.

Stranger Things wrapped up its fifth and final season at the very end of 2025. For some reason, that feels like a lifetime ago. Maybe it is because some fans are still somehow holding out hope that Conformity Gate is real and that another episode is coming, despite being told many times that this theory is bogus. Or perhaps it’s the ongoing debate about what really happened to Eleven at the end of the series. Did she actually die or is she living someone in solitude and peace to keep her friends safe? Well, there are only three people who really know the answer to that. Millie Bobby Brown said that she has a secret pact with the Duffer Brothers to never, ever reveal the truth about what happened to Eleven in the Stranger Things series finale. 

Netflix

Deadline reports that Brown opened up about this on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. She’s currently on the interview circuit to promote her next project with Netflix, Enola Holmes 3. When speaking with podcast host Josh Horowitz in front of an audience, she said that she’s sworn to secrecy by the Duffers about what happened to Eleven. 

“They were like, ‘Do not tell anyone. Because we made it a secret kind of pledge,’” Brown said. “No one else knows. It’s just us three. And what we do with that information, it’ll be up to them.” 

When asked what they believed Eleven’s fate was, the majority of the audience decided to go the Mike Wheeler route and stay hopeful. This delighted Brown, but she stuck to her pact and did not confirm nor deny any definitive truth.

In my sensitive heart and based on the fact that the Duffer Brothers have a hard time killing kids, I’d like to think that she’s out there somewhere. And who knows? Maybe a reunion special or reboot years down the line could reveal that information. But, for now, we will have to continue to be in the dark about Eleven’s actual ending.

The post Millie Bobby Brown Is Sworn to Secrecy About Eleven’s STRANGER THINGS Fate appeared first on Nerdist.

2 days left to lock in your spot at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 and save up to $190 before Early Bird rates expire on June 26 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register here.

The Department of Transportation wants to remove the brake-pedal requirement for vehicles "designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems."

⚡ Quick Take

• HALO fans built an enormous version of Reach‘s New Alexandria out of LEGOs, and debuted it at Brickworld Chicago this weekend.

Over 20 people contributed to an enormous LEGO build of New Alexandria, a level from Halo: Reach. The finished product debuted this weekend at Brickworld Chicago. It showcases a glassing attack by the Covenant on the “Reach City,” civilians running for their lives, and rescue efforts.

The city serves as the setting for the eighth level of Halo: Reach, and the LEGO build certainly does it justice. There are plenty of moving parts, with Falcons “flying” above the water, their rotors spinning continuously, and minifigs looking like they were frozen in action, fleeing or in battle.

The build is also well-lit, with interior beacons making the panic of the covenant attack feel real, along with glowing lasers and buildings illuminated from inside, adding to the scene. The builders even added music to pull the piece together and make it immersive.

A post from Instagram user and build collaborator David Ainza (@ainza_builds) lists out the collaborators’ handles.

This comes at a perfect time—Halo: Campaign Evolved comes out next month. The game will be a remake of the 2001 game Halo: Combat Evolved. It will include a revamped version of the old campaign, with improved graphics alongside additional missions and gameplay.

RELATED ARTICLE

Original HALO Remake Heading to PlayStation for the First Time

Brickworld Chicago is an annual, massive showcase of elaborate LEGO builds as well as workshops and panels related to LEGO. The convention began in Chicago but now boasts four locations annually.

Also displayed there this year was a model white house, accompanied by a massive bald eagle, a “framed” Monet’s Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies, and various other scenes set everywhere from the Wild West to space.

Brickworld brings LEGO conventions to Chicago, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, and, this September, the next will appear in Grand Rapids.

The post Fans Built a Huge LEGO Version of HALO’s New Alexandria appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Netflix’s The One Piece anime remake will set sail in February 2027, and there’s new information about what it will show.
• In June 2026, The One Piece finally dropped its first trailer to show off a sleek yet not overly polished animation style.

It is safe to say that Netflix is all in on the One Piece universe. The streaming service’s successful One Piece live-action series made its debut in 2023 and it is already gearing up for a third season, titled The Battle of Alabasta, that’s coming in 2027. A while ago, we got news that Netflix would also have its own anime adaptation for One Piece, and that’s moving forward in a big way. The One Piece will adapt the original manga from the beginning of the East Blue saga and will release on Netflix in February 2027. 

Now, we finally have our first trailer for The One Piece, which looks like a ton of fun. This is a great way for new fans to get into the franchise and for old fans to relive all those early glory moments in a fresh format.

In addition to that trailer, The One Piece also dropped a few first images of some of our favorite characters.

Click To View Gallery Netflix Netflix

This series will have production by WIT Studio and we already know some tidbits about it. Netflix’s The One Piece anime series season one will cover approximately the first 50 chapters of the original manga. It will have seven episodes that lead up to Luffy’s encounter with Sanji, the sous chef of the floating restaurant Baratie. 

Netflix

Additionally, there’s new key art for The One Piece. In it, we see a scene in Windmill Village, where Monkey D. Luffy spent his childhood. It shows Luffy enjoying a lively time at the village bar, aptly titled Party’s Bar, alongside the visiting Red-Hair Pirates captain Shanks and first mate Benn Beckman, and the bar’s owner, Makino. 

RELATED ARTICLE

ONE PIECE Will Get a New Anime Remake at Netflix, THE ONE PIECE to Come From WIT Studio

We cannot wait for this fresh take to set sail when The One Piece hits Netflix in February 2027.

Originally published May 5, 2026.

The post Netflix’s THE ONE PIECE Anime Releases Its First Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.

Adobe said that it will integrate Topaz Labs' tools across its apps.

Amazon’s latest India investment comes as global tech companies race to expand AI infrastructure in the country.

Security researchers found evidence that Russian authorities hacked the iPhone of a political opponent using a phone-unlocking device made by Cellebrite, even after the company said it would stop selling to Putin’s government.

As ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet told TechCrunch in May, what China can currently buy are older-generation deep ultraviolet tools — gear first shipped about a decade ago — the same machines the MATCH Act would now put off limits.

Backed by Mayfield and Aramco Ventures, Vishal Sikka’s new venture brings together veterans from SAP, Infosys, and VianAI.

Right now he's merely a several-hundred-billionaire, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.

In its first earnings report since going public, the AI chipmaker forecast a narrower gross margin in its core business, scaring investors.

⚡ Quick Take

• Olivia Cooke told Variety that she auditioned for Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
• Apparently, the audition was very bad.
• Cooke talked about this and more on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast.

During an episode of Happy Sad Confused, a podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz, House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke revealed she had once auditioned for Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

According to Variety, Cooke said in the interview that the audition did not go well.

Rey, the main character of the sequel trilogy, has been played by Daisy Ridley since 2015.

Cooke reminisced on who she was at the time of that fateful audition. “I just wasn’t that kind of an actor at that time,” she said. “It just wasn’t a fit.”

We have to say, thank goodness she didn’t get the part. Cooke has been the face of films like Ready Player One and Sound of Metal, alongside various other feature films and series. Her most consistent role? Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones spinoff series.

She has definitely progressed since the 2010s, not only having time on her side but also extensive film and TV experience.

“I was sh-t,” Cooke said. “I was really bad.”

HBO

Cooke’s House of the Dragon character, Alicent, has been instrumental in the plot of House of the Dragon, and she has played the role well. House of the Dragon season 3 has begun premiering, with Alicent Hightower already having appeared in episode 1. Not only did she appear, but she has entertainment publications everywhere (including us!) raving about an uncomfortable kiss between Alicent and her son. During an interview with Nerdist, Cooke discussed the complexity of her character’s feelings about the interaction.

RELATED ARTICLE

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Cast Talks TV’s MOST Awkward Kiss Ever

If that doesn’t get you interested in seeing Cooke’s acting chops for yourself, I don’t know what will.

New House of the Dragon episodes premiere every Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max. Episode two comes out this Sunday.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s Olivia Cooke Auditioned for Star Wars appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Season two of X-Men ’97 will introduce the mutant strike team X-Force, led by the cyborg Cable.
• The X-Force comics in Marvel history has a strange and varied set of adventures.
• X-Force has had several iterations over 35 years.

One of the new heroic teams coming in season two of X-Men ’97 is the militaristic mutant freedom fighters known as X-Force. Although the X-Force we’re introduced to in the series, led by the cyborg mutant Cable, isn’t a roster from the pages of Marvel Comics, it is based on several different versions of the team. But X-Force has a long and strange history in the Marvel Universe, going back to the early ’90s. Although their genesis really goes back well before that, to one of the very first X-Men spin-off teams, the New Mutants.

Marvel Comics The New Mutants Laid the Foundation for X-Force

To truly understand the origins of X-Force, we have to go back a decade earlier, to Uncanny X-Men’s first spin-off series, The New Mutants. Launched with a graphic novel in 1982, The New Mutants was created by X-Men architect Chris Claremont as a junior X-Men team. However, they were formed as a response to the apparent death of the X-Men. (They’d have a few of those.) A distraught Professor Charles Xavier gathers young mutants just coming into their own power from across the globe. But unlike the X-Men, they were meant to be trained in controlling their abilities only, not becoming mutant heroes. However, that plan didn’t quite work out. These kids got into all kinds of trouble.

Marvel Comics

The original New Mutants consisted of teenagers Cannonball (Sam Guthrie), Sunspot (Roberto DaCosta), Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair), Mirage (Dani Moonstar), and Karma (Xuân Cao Manh). They were soon joined by Colossus’ sister Illyana, now called Magik, and Doug Ramey (Cypher), the alien Warlock, and Magma (Amara Aquila). But Xavier eventually left for outer space after nearly dying, leaving his old friend/rival Magneto in charge. Needless to say, that didn’t work out, and Magneto eventually returned to his terrorist ways. By the late ‘80s, the New Mutants were without a mentor, and without a home after the X-Mansion was destroyed. After a brief time with the original five X-Men, now called X-Factor, they fused their rescued young mutant charges, like Boom-Boom and Rictor, with the New Mutants.

The Cyborg Soldier Cable Transforms the New Mutants into X-Force Marvel Comics

The New Mutants was still one of Marvel’s best sellers, thanks to writer Louise Simonson. But by 1989, it was running out of steam. So, Marvel hired a young artist named Rob Liefeld, tasked with bringing youthful energy to the series. He created a cyborg soldier named Cable, militant like Magneto, but believed in mutant/human coexistence like Xavier. He felt Xavier was too soft with his students, and molded them into a paramilitary unit. Introduced in New Mutants #87 in 1990, Cable proved instantly popular, giving The New Mutants new buzz.

Marvel Comics

As New Mutants‘ centennial issue approached, the “New” part of the title no longer applied. After issue #100, Marvel re-branded the title as X-Force with an all-new first issue, written by Fabian Nicieza. It sold a staggering 5 million copies, a world record at the time, broken a mere two months later by X-Men #1. We should note, a very important Marvel character emerged in the buildup to X-Force. New Mutants #98 was a Marvel milestone, as it introduced Deadpool to the Marvel Universe. Originally, he was meant to be a villain, but years later, he’d join a version of X-Force. Even more than the X-Men, Deadpool would forever have ties to the team.

X-Force Becomes A Marvel Comics Bestseller

X-Force only retained two members from the New Mutants, Cannonball and Boom-Boom. Another young mutant, the Native-American Warpath, brother of the long-dead X-Man Thundebird, also joined. Liefeld created all the rest of the members, including the alien mutant Shatterstar, the lucky Domino, and the catlike Feral. Former New Mutants like Rictor and Sunspot would soon rejoin, along with Banshee’s daughter Siryn. At the height of the ’90s comics boom, X-Force was selling hundreds of thousands of copies monthly, outstripping any previous sales from its former incarnation as New Mutants.

Marvel Comics

Cable remained mysterious for a time, but within a year, Marvel revealed him as the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, sent to the future as an infant. After growing up in this dangerous future, he went back in time as an older man. His goal was to return to the era of his birth to stop the rise of the villain Apocalypse, who ruled his future with an iron grip. X-Force was a very “of its era” series, with lots of big battles, big guns, and big shoulder pads. It also had a lot of teen soap opera elements. Think 90210, with powers. But while it sold well, the writing was often lackluster, with a far bigger focus on art and big action. When the trend of “extreme” comics died late in the decade, X-Force felt like a relic of an earlier era. One that was slightly cringe.

X-Force’s Brief Off-Brand Era Marvel Comics

By the early 2000s, the ‘90s style of X-Men comics, pioneered by Jim Lee and Liefeld, had grown stale. Especially as Lee and Liefeld had left to form Image Comics years earlier. New Marvel EIC Joe Quesada decided Marvel needed an injection of indie comics energy, and with issue #116, X-Force totally transformed. Madman creator Mike Allred created a whole new team called X-Force, stars in a reality TV show. This concept proved popular, but it really wasn’t X-Force in any way. So, after the original X-Force show up demanding their name back, they rebranded as X-Statix. But technically, they were an X-Force team, so we had to mention them.

X-Force: The X-Men’s Secret Black Ops Team Marvel Comics

In 2007, a proper X-Force returned in a new series by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost. Cable’s father, Cyclops, reformed the team as a secret strike force to hit the X-Men’s enemies first. And, to use lethal force if necessary. This team was formed after the Scarlet Witch removed the power of most mutants, now an endangered species. Cyclops recruited Wolverine, X-23, Angel, former members Warpath, Wolfsbane, Caliban, and others. This team lasted about three years, ending in 2010. But this time, X-Force would be back much sooner. But it was during this era that the concept of X-Force shifted from a group of teen mutants to a deadly unit made up of established, adult X-Men. And that has remained ever since.

Uncanny X-Force Becomes the Team’s Best Iteration Marvel Comics

In 2010, Uncanny X-Force launched, with Wolverine returning once again as leader. This team featured several A-list X-Men, like Archangel, Psylocke, Deadpool, and Fantomex. Wolverine formed this team behind Cyclops’ back, created in order to stop emerging threats like Apocalypse. Thus, going back to the original intent of the team. This became the most critically acclaimed version of X-Force, thanks largely to Rick Remender’s writing, and art by Jerome Opeña and Esad Ribić. This version of the team lasted about two years. But it remains the most beloved run. A new version of Uncanny X-Force launched with Psylocke, Storm, Bishop, Spiral, and Alpha Flight’s Puck soon after. But this version only lasted a couple of years as well.

Cable Leads a Competing X-Force Title Marvel Comics

Oddly, there was a second X-Force series at the same time as Uncanny X-Force, which once again featured a team led by Cable. In Cable and X-Force, Nathan Summers gathers a team consisting of Colossus, Domino, Forge, and Dr. Nemesis. This was a bit more like the original ’90s X-Force, with Cable and his unit coming into conflict with the Avengers. This was the only time that X-Force was a franchise of its own, with two separate teams using the same name, with separate missions. In 2018, the original X-Force reunited in a new series by Ed Brisson and illustrated by Dylan Burnet, and that series ran about 10 issues only.

Marvel Comics X-Force in the Modern Marvel Comics Era

In the 2020s, X-Force evolved yet again. In the Dawn of X/Krakoa era from writer Jonathan Hickman, when mutants lived in a prosperous island nation for their kind only, a new X-Force formed as a kind of CIA-style team designed to go after Krakoa’s enemies, despite the nation’s official stance of “harm no human.” This team consisted of X-Men founders Jean Grey, Beast, original X-Forcer Domino, Sage, Kid Omega, and Colossus. More than any previous X-Force, this version did a lot of shady things.

Marvel Comics

Post-Krakoa, X-Force became yet another proactive militaristic team, featuring well-known mutants like Betsy Braddock, Rachel Summers, Forge, Colossus, Sage, and other established X-Men. The current Inglorious X-Force comic has gone back to its roots once more, with Cable going back in time and assembling a mutant kill squad with members like Archangel, Hellverine, and original member Boom-Boom. It seems that X-Force, in some iteration, will always exist as long as Marvel publishes X-Men comics.

X-Force in X-Men ’97 Marvel Comics

In X-Men ’97, we’re introduced to a version of X-Force inspired by several versions of the team. Cable is clearly the leader, just as he was back in the day. He recruits Sunspot, a former student of Xavier’s, who matched the original 1991 concept. Archangel and Psylocke represent the popular Uncanny X-Force team. Jubilee, however, was never an X-Forcer in the comics. Will they add other classic members to their ranks? We know Colossus is in the season, so it’s possible. We’re excited to see how this quintessentially ’90s Marvel team meshes with the world established in the X-Men: The Animated Series universe. We wouldn’t be shocked if the animated version is one of the best iterations in the team’s long history.

The post The Marvel Comics History of X-MEN ’97’s X-Force appeared first on Nerdist.

While AI dominates the layoff narrative, engineers are actually making up a larger share of new hires, according to SignalFire data.

Top AI researchers Jonas Adler and Alexander Pritzel are leaving Google for Anthropic, following departures from top scientists Noam Shazeer and John Jumper.