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The hire marks OpenAI's latest push into India, expanding offices, partnerships and hiring.

⚡ Quick Take

• Brad Bird, director of Ratatouille, shared he won’t make a second movie.
• “That story’s been told,” said Bird.
• We think that’s a refreshing take in this age of endless sequels.

Ratatouille director Brad Bird offers a very refreshing take in the reboot and sequel world we live in. According to an interview with Collider, he shuts down any hope for a sequel with “No, that story’s been told.”

Disney-Pixar

A filmmaker showing this kind of restraint in a world where every other movie coming out is a remake or a sequel is relieving. Knowing that there are still big industry names capable of not taking advantage of a nostalgia-baiting money-grab movie allows me to hold out hope for a film renaissance in the near future.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Ratatouille. It’s a heartwarming tale about a rat longing to be a chef, his relationship with a high-end restaurant’s garbage boy, and their rise to culinary stardom. It was an integral part of my childhood. However, the movie had its happy ending. It came to a close. The concept hadn’t been done before, and it won’t be done again, and that is what makes it special.

During his interview, Bird mentioned that people often ask for sequels to his other movies.

“Any time you do something that ends up connecting with people, they automatically think, ‘How about another?’ People have mentioned it about The Iron Giant, which is hilarious to me because the film didn’t succeed at all in its initial release,” Bird said. “It’s caught up in time, but what would you do to follow that up? He’s lumbering around, still undiscovered? In other words, to me, that story is told.”

We live in a world of abundance. We can see it in everything from product over-consumption to the rise of on-demand streaming over movie theater attendance. The internet doesn’t help, delivering endless content with every scroll. If people want more of something, it is easy to get it. There is no line drawn, nobody asks themselves if they should get more of something.

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Especially with Disney, it’s common to see the company beating a story to death. Personally, I could have been perfectly happy stopping at Toy Story 3 or even 4. Unfortunately, Toy Story 5 dropped this month with an ending that hints at a sixth movie. Personally, I have no inclination to see it. I cried my eyes out in the theater watching Toy Story 4; it felt like the end of an era. In my mind, and in the words of Bird, that story is over.

That was all very negative, so on the brighter side, there are some amazing original stories coming out now. Obsession and Project Hail Mary (yes, I know it was based on a book) are incredible examples of recent movies that proved audiences still want to see original stories on the big screen. Shows like Widow’s Bay and The Pitt did the same. There is hope yet. Thank you, Mr. Bird!

The post Brad Bird’s ‘No Sequel’ Take on RATATOUILLE Is Refreshing appeared first on Nerdist.

Nvidia has dominated the AI chip market for years, but the era of total dependence might be ending.   OpenAI just shared its plans to spice things up with Jalapeño, its custom inference chip built with Broadcom, joining Google, Apple, and SpaceX in a growing list of companies building their way out of single-supplier risk. The goal is less of a […]

The hack on car giant Jaguar Land Rover last year was one the most disrupting, damaging, and costly hacks of the last few years.

⚡ Quick Take

• A retrospective look at our favorite TV shows of 2026, from adult animation to R. R. Martin’s fantasy series.

A multitude of great TV series have dropped this year, and now that we’re halfway through 2026, we can start to look at them retrospectively. From comedy horror to superhero animation, we have stayed fed when it comes to content. At Nerdist, we have plenty of strong opinions to go around, so we think these are the best TV shows that have come out this year so far, in no particular order.

Widow’s Bay Apple TV

This year’s biggest Apple TV success was definitely this small-town comedy horror set on an island off the East Coast. The series follows the mayor of (you guessed it) Widow’s Bay, as he tries to gain respect from the townspeople and increase tourism. The place has plenty of haunting mythology, which the mayor refuses to believe… until he sees it himself.

Comedy and horror are certainly hard to combine, but this show does so masterfully. With lovable, slightly odd characters and disgustingly horrifying monsters, it really does try to do it all, and succeeds.

Widow’s Bay debuted in April this year, and since then, critics and fans alike have praised it. In June, before the premiere of the first season’s finale, Apple TV greenlit the renewal of the show for season 2. There will be plenty more laughs and screams to come, but Apple has yet to reveal the release date.

Invincible (Season 4) Prime Video

Based on a comic series containing 114 issues, Invincible has been Prime Video’s geekiest crown jewel since 2021, when season one dropped.

This adult animated series follows a young superhero as he struggles with morality, his complicated (to say the least) relationship with his father, and one potentially world-ending catastrophe after another. Mark Grayson (Invincible) always pulls through, and season 4 was yet another series of those events. It was packed full of the gory action and well-animated fight scenes the series is known for. That said, it also showcased the more emotional side of all of the characters involved.

Invincible has a season 5 on the way, and a season 6 renewal came to the show on June 24. Its popularity definitely gave Prime Video the confirmation it needed to proceed with two more seasons. That, and the comic series it is based on, is not even close to over.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms HBO

If we had to guess, George R. R. Martin is making crazy money this year. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was adapted from his novella, The Hedge Knight, published in 1999. The series follows Dunk, a knight, and his squire Egg. The two exist within the same world as Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but the tone of their story is entirely different, focusing much less on royalty and more on the “little guy,” so to speak. According to our very own Michael Walsh, who reviewed the series, the vibe is much more “whimsical,” but it doesn’t take away from the high production value that fans know and love.

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The season only had six episodes, each between 30 and 36 minutes long. Season 2 is expected to come out next year, and will be based on Martins’ second novella, The Sworn Sword. The series’ director, Owen Harris, told Awards Buzz the next season will be more of a “road movie,” putting his own spin on the source material.

The Boys (Season 5) Prime Video

The Boys was popular from the beginning; however, this final season got more attention than ever.

The series is political and social satire disguised as a superhero show. It follows a group of ragtag revolutionaries as they attempt to stand up to what seems to be unyielding, absolute power of Vought and its bad supes. The fifth and final season of the show brought absolutely everything to a head (har har). Without significant spoilers, let’s just say most of the loose ends left from the first four seasons were tied up.

One Piece (Season 22) Toei Animation

If you’ve asked yourself how a show can possibly continue after 1,155 episodes, the answer is having a massive number of manga volumes the show is based on. As of March, the One Piece manga series has over 1,100 individual chapters. And boy, does the anime use the source material.

One Piece seasons have always varied in length, but none have been as short as this one with 12 episodes. One Piece season 5 was the closest in 2002, with only 13.

Season 22 follows the “Elbaph” story arc from the manga. In this storyline, the Straw Hat crew and the giants arrive in Elbaph, the Land of Giants. It focuses, too, on the Holy Knights of God and their plan to take over Elbaph

Monkey D. Luffy sails with his crew of Straw Hat Pirates through the Grand Line to find the treasure One Piece and become the new king of the pirates.

Since the series premiered in 1999, episodes have come out year-round. Now, the schedule has been changed so that only 26 episodes maximum are released each year. Netflix is also making its own The One Piece anime, which will debut in 2027.

Wonder Man Marvel Studios

Marvel’s TV series Wonder Man follows Simon Williams, a Hollywood star who gained his fame starring in a movie called Wonder Man. The series focuses on his relationship with fellow actor and comic relief character Trevor Slattery, who masqueraded as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3.

Wonder Man was a long-forgotten seventh Avenger who appeared in Marvel comics starting in the 1960s. Needless to say, this adaptation was long overdue. Even more niche Marvel heroes appeared in this show, such as Doorman, who appeared in the joke series Great Lakes Avengers.

Originally, his backstory included a deep hatred for Iron Man after Stark Industries beat out his family’s company, Williams Innovations. His involvement in the Avengers started merely as a way of getting back at Stark, but during his time there, his mind changed. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t delve into that story, but what is left is still a delightfully fresh take on the day-to-day life of a superhero.

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The series has been renewed for a second season, but Marvel has not yet announced a set release date.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Lucasfilm

Another mature/adult animated series that came out this year was Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord. Expectedly, the series follows the fan-favorite Sith lord, Darth Maul. Identifiable by his double-bladed red lightsaber, Maul spends the show’s first season gathering his bearings, rebuilding his criminal empire, and plotting his revenge against Emperor Palpatine.

The series takes place about a year after the Clone Wars, during the Galactic Empire’s reign. While it is very action-heavy, there are certainly still emotional stakes for Maul. In an interview with StarWars.com, Lucasfilm president and Maul creator Dave Filoni said that the character is “relatable.”

“He makes mistakes. He’s not perfect. He desires power, and then he gets toppled. That’s relatable. You know, we all probably feel like that when we have a low moment. He just doesn’t deal with it well. He keeps trying to attack his problems the same way. He can’t ever really let go of his hatred and his anger.”

Though definitely more detailed and updated, the animation style is reminiscent of older animated Star Wars content, like Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Even ahead of season one’s debut, Maul was renewed for a second season. Disney has not revealed an official release date.

The Vampire Lestat AMC

After five decades since its publication, Film and TV aren’t quite done milking Anne Rice’s 1976 series The Vampire Chronicles, and we’re so glad. After Interview With the Vampire came out in 2022 and ran for two seasons, based on her first book, The Vampire Lestat continues the story.

The season gives an in-depth backstory to Lestat, its main character, an actor-turned-vampire. Did I mention it’s also a musical? And a good one at that. Fans absolutely love the songs the show is churning out, enough that Lestat performed in concert in New York City this June.

One thing fans love about this series is that the more queer elements baked into the original story are made overtly clear—not swept under the rug or written off.

The Pitt (Season 2) HBO Max

There is nothing people love more than a good medical drama. Grey’s Anatomy has run for 22 (soon to be 23) seasons, after all. But The Pitt is something unequivocally fresh and new. This HBO Max series is like Grey’s Anatomy—if it were much darker. It takes place at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, and it shows in great detail the emotional and physical struggle of healthcare workers and their patients. Noah Wyle stars as Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch, the center’s Chief of Emergency Medicine.

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The show stays very current and realistic, dealing with real-life issues like ICE detainments and the inaccessibility of healthcare. It also portrayed violence against healthcare staff in a terrifyingly raw way.

The Pitt season one came out last year, becoming an instant hit, and even before the second season premiered, it had been renewed for a third, which can be expected to drop in early 2027.

Fallout (Season 2) Prime Video

This apocalyptic sci-fi favorite show was based on a video game series by the same name. After a nuclear apocalypse rocked the world, humans retreated to underground bunkers, where they have lived for decades. Generations later, one “vault dweller” named Lucy, played by Ella Purnell, ventures onto the destroyed surface after her father was kidnapped.

The second season continued to develop Lucy’s story, as she encountered people and creatures on the surface and got closer to uncovering the inner workings of big bad corporations, Vault-Tec and The Enclave.

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The Prime Video series came out in 2024, with its second season dropping this year and a third coming soon. If you love the Fallout story and want to see more, Prime Video is coming out with a reality series based on the vault society aspect of the show, dropping contestants into a bunker environment where they will complete challenges and compete for a cash prize. Fallout Shelter has no set release date.

What Next?

We are only halfway through the year, and we already have such an extensive list of fantastic TV series. That said, there is much more to come. Elle, a prequel to the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, and Lanterns, focusing on notable Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan, are just two that we are already excited about. Hopefully, this list will continue to grow as the year goes on!

The post The Best TV Shows of 2026 (So Far) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean reopened with an all-new audio-animatronic.
• The first-of-its-kind tech combines real-time front projection with a traditional figure.
• This provides a new way for Imagineers to tell stories within stories.

Disney attractions temporarily shut down for routine maintenance all the time. Few of them ever reopen with an entirely new type of technology. That’s exactly what guests will find on Disneyland’s iconic Pirates of the Caribbean after its recent refurbishment. The ride now features a brand new type of audio-animatronic that will change how Imagineers can tell stories. It seamlessly combines real-time front projection with a traditional moving mechanical head.

After months of being shuttered, Disney has reopened its famous pirate ride. It was worth the wait. When guests head out on their boats they’re going to find a new mini-story within the grand tale of piracy. An old figure has returned with a very modern upgrade. The skeleton pirate in the grotto room, forever sitting atop a treasure he’ll never spend, looks (and sounds) very different.

Rather than just seeing bones in pirate clothes, visitors will see a first-of-its-kind audio-animatronic. Imagineers have transformed a static skeleton into a dynamic lively pirate. He’s holding a cursed coin that abruptly turns him into a frozen skeleton. That ghastly figure, once full of life, then drops the coin, bringing him back to human form. That cycle that will repeat forever, as the greedy pirate never realizes what’s happening to him.

Disney

To create this effect Disney patented a whole new tech. Imagineers use a physical animatronic, just as it has since the park opened, along with Epic Games’ Unreal engine to front project a face onto a sculpted animatronic head. The system also simultaneously controls the animatronics movements, a hybrid of old and new.

This is a much needed upgrade. Front projection is found throughout the parks. In recent years Disney has used facial projections onto flat surfaces with both new and updated rides. It’s led to mixed results. EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After recently switched to more traditional audio-animatronics, whereas Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom still employs it. But this new format adds much more depth, nuanced, and expressive capabilities because rather than a flat face it projects onto a sculpted mechanical face.

It maintains its real-time match thanks to markers invisible to guest but that the computer can see. (We also love they installed a backup system to make sure it’s always running.)

As this happy cursed pirate shows, this provides a new way for Imagineers to tell stories within stories. That’s why this first-of-its-kind audio-animatronic will soon just be the first of many.

The post Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean Reopens With Patented New Animatronic appeared first on Nerdist.

The lawsuit was connected to a fatal 2023 crash involving a vehicle using the company's advanced driver assistance system known as Full Self-Driving.

⚡ Quick Take

• Sheila Atim will play Akasha, Queen of the Damned and mother of all vampires in The Vampire Lestat.
• But who is Akasha in Anne Rice’s books? Among many things, she is the source of all vampire power, and if she dies, all vampires die.
• Ahead of her arrival in The Vampire Lestat, we breakdown Akasha’s history, her relationships with Marius and Lestat, and more.

One of the major players that AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe has been teasing since season two of Interview with the Vampire, Queen Akasha, will soon arrive as a character on The Vampire Lestat. She’ll be played by The Woman King’s Sheila Atim, and is sure to wreak much havoc. Many fans only know Akasha thanks to her portrayal by the late Aaliyah in the film version of Queen of the Damned. But that iteration only scratched the surface of her character. Before Akasha arrives on The Vampire Lestat, here’s the millennia-spanning existence of the Queen of the Damned.

Alfred A. Knopf/Ballantine Books Akasha Is First Introduced in The Vampire Lestat Book

In the Anne Rice lore, Akasha was first introduced in her 1985 novel The Vampire Lestat. Our titular undead narrator learns about the fabled Mother of all Vampires from her keeper, Marius de Romanus, who has tended to her care for nearly two millennia. She is an enigmatic figure in The Vampire Lestat, and doesn’t say much. Or even move much. But the follow-up novel, The Queen of the Damned, featured Akasha in a far more prominent role. And in that novel, she nearly destroyed the world as we know it.

The Mortal Life of Queen Akasha in Ancient Egypt

Akasha was born into mortal life over 6,000 years ago in the Kingdom of Uruk, in what is now present-day Iraq. At a very young age, her father married her off to the King Enkil of Kemet, which is now Egypt. This was long before the first pyramids. At the time, some local tribes practiced ritualistic cannibalism, which meant eating their dead in elaborate funeral feasts. Akasha considered this act barbaric and banned it. But this angered some of those tribes, and one of those tribes had two resident witches, red-haired twins named Maharet and Mekare.

How Akasha Became the First Vampire Warner Bros.

The red-haired twins, Maharet and Mekare, were able to communicate with powerful spirits who would obey their commands. When Akasha and Enkil’s forces attacked their village, the twins got their revenge by calling on a particularly powerful entity, Amel, to attack their kingdom. After Amel caused much destruction, there was a rebellion among Akasha and Enkil’s subjects. Mutinous soldiers stabbed the King and Queen in an assassination attempt. But as they lay bleeding, the spirit Amel entered Akasha’s body, fusing with her blood. She was not alive or dead, but an entirely new being. Akasha, we learn in The Vampire Lestat, became something we now call a vampire.

Queen Akasha and King Enkil Become “Those Who Must Be Kept”

Akasha now had an uncontrollable thirst for blood, one which she could not contain. She discovered that by spreading her blood to others, her hunger became less, as the spirit of Amel spread across more and more people. Akasha made her husband Enkil into a vampire right away, and then together they made more and more. But the more vampires she created, the less she herself needed to drink blood. But Akasha was vulnerable to the sun and fire. Eventually, she and Enkil were captured by the very vampires they created. These vampires kept them locked away because, it turns out, Akasha is the holy source of all vampire power. As the source, if Akasha dies, all other vampires will die as well in the world of The Vampire Lestat. And so Akasha and Enkil “Must Be Kept,” in order to keep all of vampire kind alive in Anne Rice’s world.

Akasha and Enkil Become Isis and Osiris in Egyptian Mythology Warner Bros.

Most vampires don’t know that Akasha is the source of their power and the keeper of their existence. In Anne Rice’s universe, Akasha and Enkil pass into legend, mythologized as Isis and Osiris. The vampires who are aware of this facet of vampiric existence kept both Akasha and King Enkil locked away for centuries, believing both of them to be the fountains of vampire power. In this state, Aksha and Enkil eventually stopped feeding, and then they stopped moving entirely. They were still alive, but essentially became frozen, like statues. Once again, in this state, they are the legendary “Those Who Must Be Kept.” Akasha and Enkil need to be kept, because should they get destroyed, their entire race would instantly die along with them.

Akasha Spends 2,000 Years in the Care of the Vampire Marius AMC

One of Akasha and Enkil’s keepers in the late Roman era finally went mad after observing them for centuries, and watching as neither ever moved an inch. One day, he left them out in the baking Egyptian sun. However, Akasha and Enkil were too old and powerful to die by the sun after 4,000 years. Instead, their skin became darkened and hard, furthering their appearance as statues, not living beings. But while they did not die, younger, less powerful vampires all across the globe burned up and were destroyed. Only those as old as Akasha also survived. Akasha rose from her centuries-long sleep and killed her keeper, but soon, she and Enkil had a new guardian, the newly made Roman vampire, Marius.

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Marius cared for Those Who Must Be Kept in a secret shrine, moving them from country to country. He did this for over 2,000 years. In the 18th century, Marius decided to entrust the young vampire Lestat with the truth about Akasha and Enkil, under the promise that he would never reveal the truth to anyone, vampire or mortal. As Akasha was the source of all vampires’ power, she needed protection from the outside world. Marius swore Lestat to secrecy. He could tell no vampire or mortal the secrets of the undead lineage, or where their power truly was contained.

The Vampire Lestat Awakens Akasha (Temporarily) Warner Bros.

On his last night with Akasha, Lestat played the violin for her. This woke Akasha from a centuries-long slumber, and she allowed Lestat to drink her blood. This act made Lestat far more powerful than any vampire of similar age. But this short-lived lovefest between Queen and Brat Prince ended when a jealous Enkil also awoke and tried to kill Lestat. Marius was able to save him, but told him to run away from the secret sanctuary as fast as he could. He wound up in New Orleans not long after, encountering Louis for the first time. All with deep secrets he could tell no one, living or dead.

Queen Akasha Begins Her Reign of Terror in The Queen of the Damned

In the modern era, which we now see in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat series, Lestat finally threw caution to the wind and revealed all his long-held secrets about Akasha through song and music videos as a rock star.  This eventually awoke the Queen again—this time permanently. First, she killed her husband Enkil with one swift blow. She then used her Fire Gift to set nearly every vampire in the world ablaze. Akasha spared only those who were too old (which took far more effort) and those Lestat loved, like Louis, Gabrielle, and Armand. The vampire race was reduced to a mere handful. She made Lestat her new Prince Consort, seeing him as the only vampire equal to herself in terms of ambition.

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However, Akasha’s true intent was truly heinous. She planned to use her Mind Gift to kill 99% of all men on Earth, because, as she saw it, men were responsible for every grand injustice for the last several thousand years. She would keep just enough alive to continue breeding the species, and she would name herself “Queen of Heaven” and rule over humanity. A humanity where only women ruled. The remaining vampires find a way to stop her genocidal plan, all while keeping the source of the vampiric existence intact. But we won’t spoil that yet, as that is the literal plot of Queen of the Damned. We’ll see if Akasha’s story unfolds as it did in Rice’s novels in The Vampire Lestat series. Assuming we get a fourth season (perhaps with a new name).

Akasha’s Future in AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe AMC Networks/Warner Bros.

In AMC’s The Vampire Lestat, it remains to be seen how much we’ll see of Akasha outside her unmoving, frozen form. For now, she hasn’t yet arrived in the narrative, although Lestat has dropped the fact that he has “the blood of Akasha inside of him” more times than we can count.

pic.twitter.com/p768dipgbj

— xander (@BRATLEST4T) June 18, 2026

We imagine we’ll see Lestat awaken her by playing the violin, and her feeding her own powerful blood to him. But if there’s a fourth season adapting Queen of the Damned, then she’ll soon have a starring role. We can’t wait to see what Sheila Atim brings to the role and witness her onscreen chemistry with Sam Reid’s Lestat.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a life-long Anne Rice fan. Yes, he is a member of the OG fan club.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post Who Is Akasha? THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’S Queen of the Damned, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

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Peter Diamandis is the latest tech executive to argue that global surveillance will make the world a better place, following Larry Ellison's comments in 2024.

⚡ Quick Take

• We dove into Halloween Horror Nights 2026’s INVASION: Alien Abduction House and got exclusive insights about this scary, original adventure.
• INVASION: Alien Abduction House doesn’t want to make aliens comedic or campy, it is going to make them terrifying.
• This Halloween Horror Nights 2026 House will utilize new technologies and scares, including a vibrating floor and tentacles that can snatch you.

Our favorite time of year is almost upon us. That’s right. It’s Halloween ALL year, but it’s only Halloween Horror Nights for SOME of the time. And we can’t wait to return to the incredible world of fabulous mist, gore-gous horror, and incredible scares. Universal Orlando Resort is still announcing its full Halloween Horror Nights line-up. But so far, we could not be more enchanted. A Sinners House? We can hardly wait. And today, it’s Nerdist‘s honor to give you an exclusive look at a new original House coming to Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Orlando, INVASION: Alien Abduction. In the wake of this exciting House annoucement, we spoke to Charles Grey, one of the show directors and creators of this incredible House.

Universal Orlando Resort

The description for Halloween Horror Nights’ 2026 INVASION: Alien Abduction House is simple enough, “Guests witness a terrifying encounter with an aggressive, unseen alien craft that has abducted a family and its livestock from a remote homestead…and they are now plotting to tear everyone apart.” But as we delved into its depths with Grey, we learned just how foundational, scary, unexpected, and NOVEL this House will be. These aren’t your campy, comedy aliens. Oh no. True horror is coming to Halloween Horror Nights in the form INVASION: Alien Abduction House. And that’s complete with tentacles, claws, home invasion, claustrophbia, a vibrating floor, and an incredible amount of delicious chaos. Read our full interview with Charles Grey below and get excited for Halloween Horror Nights 2026 like never before.

Nerdist: We’re always so excited about Halloween Horror Nights, and especially the original houses, which are always so beautiful and so thoughtful. So it’s our pleasure to hear exclusively from you about INVASION: Alien Abduction. It feels like it’s been some time since we saw an original Halloween Horror Nights house take on aliens. What made it the right time to bring aliens back to your original houses?

Charles Grey: We’d actually been talking about this for, gosh, the last five years. And every time we got together as a group, because what we normally do is a bunch of us get together in a room and kind of toss ideas around for what’s best for which year, they’ve never quite made it to the forefront. The reason being is when you do the little gray men or the aliens, it can quickly get humorous. It can quickly get kitsche and cheesy. And we’ve done that type of house before or Scare Zone, too, but, in INVASION: Alien Abduction, we really wanted to tell a story of the horrific moment at night when they are coming to take you. And that’s frightening. We had talked about it and talked about it and finally, I think we came up with a story that really encapsulates that almost home invasion type of horror and fear.

But they have this technology and kind of layering out what the aggressors are. So yes, we have the little gray men, but also there’s different types of little gray men. As you go through the INVASION: Alien Abduction Halloween Horror Nights house, you won’t see the same character over and over again. We have a diverse group of aliens coming at you.

And then we also had the issue of “How do you create a giant, two-football-field-sized alien craft?” So what we decided to do is really use lights to become the character. And then also what is coming out of the ships is an important question?

So we have these big, giant tentacles. And then, out of those big giant tentacles, come these little organic claws that can puncture you, pull you into the ship. So it’s really gory, really violent, and just put that aesthetic on everything. And it really changed our story and we got very excited about it. And just one little nugget of difference, too. It’s always like some Midwestern place in these stories. We’re like, what if it takes place in the Southwest? So it’s got a little bit of that kind of turquoise and cactusy flavor to it. That’s the area where I kind of grew up. So I was like, oh, let’s do that.

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Many original Halloween Horror Nights Houses connect into lore that’s been started or teased in other Houses or Scare Zones. Do you feel like INVASION: Alien Abduction connects directly into existing Halloween Horror Nights lore in any way, or is it starting new lore for you?

Charles Grey: Something interesting we’ve done in the past on anniversary years, because this will be an anniversary year for us… We always incorporate a lot of stories into past, but if you’ll notice, in our history, there’s usually one or two foundational news stories we’re telling during an anniversary year. And INVASION: Alien Abduction is one of those foundational stories. We didn’t want to tie it to anything because most of the event is tied to a something or another tale or a prequel or things like that. So we really wanted this to be the first chapter. And so we’re really excited about that. And then we’ll see what happens after this.

And speaking about the overall theme of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, how do you feel INVASION: Alien Abduction has fits into that stained glass window of Halloween Horror Nights this year?

Charles Grey: Well, between the two iconic aggressors we have of Jack and Oddfellow, they represent chaos and control, but are the two sides of the same coin really. And this one most definitely leans towards the chaos. It is super chaotic. We just did an audio walk last week and there’s this stuff all over the place and it’s a very particular audio that draws your attention one way, but then something chaotic’s happening over here. So we’re drawing your attention over here. It really ping pongs you through the experience and people are getting pulled up into the spaceship left and right. So it’s going to be awesome.

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That sounds amazing. So you’re almost making these mini-movies when you create these Halloween Horror Nights Houses. What was the character design process like for all your different aliens here? Like you were saying, aliens can mean all kinds of things. There’s the stereotypical alien, but it sounds like you have a few kinds of aliens. What was the creature creation like for INVASION: Alien Abduction?

Charles Grey: Well, what we wanted to do is tap into people’s expectations, think about what they expect to see. And in a lot of stories, you always see the silhouette outline of the little gray man. So we took that, but then what’s inside the outline is not what you expect.

We get claws, teeth, just very horrific. So if you see it back lit, you’d be like, “Oh, this is what I expect to see. I’ve seen this before.” And then once you get closer, it gets really horrific, especially when they’re right on top of you.

I was especially curious about the part of the description that noted that the aliens abducted some livestock. Are we going to be possessed by alien, terrorized by possessed cows and how do you bring the animal aspect to life here?

Charles Grey: And again, when we were talking about how we create this and what’s the story we want to tell, are these aliens sinister? We thought that the scariest thing would be that they just don’t care. They’re grabbing animals, people. It’s almost like the little kid with the magnifying glass kind of thing. It’s just like they don’t see us as they’re not there to terrorize us. They’re there to take us and they don’t care what wall they puncture through, what kind of animal it is. They just want to do their experiments or whatever, but that’s what makes us so violent is these big tentacles just breaching through walls and grabbing whatever their heat-seeking device sees. So goats and cows and people, it doesn’t matter. They’re just grabbing them all.

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Halloween Horror Nights is always evolving with its scares. I know you mentioned these grabbing tentacles in INVASION: Alien Abduction, but did you feel like you invented any kind of new scares or utilize any new technologies or effects in this?

Charles Grey: Yes, we have two new things, but I can’t talk about them. That’s the problem. I can’t give away the scare. But we have one technological thing we’re experimenting with this year and one new scare for this location. So I can say that much.

To me, some of the most resonant parts of Halloween Horror Nights is how you create a true immersion of horror. Can you tease any unexpected sensations we might encounter in the house like scents or textures or temperatures?

Charles Grey: One thing I can share is we found a way to use vibration and floors, so it’s a little bit, we’re trying to work with what you’re feeling below you. A lot of times with subwolfers or anything low tone, you feel how it kind of hits you in the chest, but a lot of times it just gets eaten up by the people and the scenic parts and things like that. We’re trying to incorporate it into the floor itself so that way you feel the ship and the power of the scanning lights just really shaking the house apart, which is actually part of the story as you go through scene by scene, you’ll see more and more destruction.

Can you give us an overall idea of how brave you need to be to go through this house? Do you think INVASION: Alien Abduction will be one of the scarier Houses at the park during this year’s Halloween Horror Nights?

Charles Grey: I do because I do because of the unexpected amount of gore and violence and also the tightness and levels of attack, we’ll say. I think we’ve done a good job of keeping things confined and feeling very close to you, which works to our advantage

We also did some video shoots and we created a unique way for these aliens to move, too. So they’re shuffling and moving in their own way, which is something that was fun to work with the performers on. And it looks really creepy when they’re moving towards you.

And gore wise, if you have a weak stomach, you should prepare?

Charles Grey: Yes, you’ll be hanging onto your friends very tightly, but you’ll have a great time.

Every Halloween Horror Nights House has hidden Easter eggs and it can be hard to find them all when you’re busy being scared. Do you have a favorite small Easter egg from INVASION: Alien Abduction that you can tell us about and maybe alert our readers to where they might keep their eyes out for it?

Charles Grey: I’ll say look at family photos.

What’s your favorite memory of putting this House together?

Charles Grey: Just that it took a while for it to grow legs and I’m just excited to finally see it happen. I’m excited to see what a lot of us had championed, a lot of creators and scenic designers. So again, it sounds stereotypical, but it takes a village. It really did. It took the whole farmhouse to create this one.

What would you tell longtime fans of Halloween Horror Nights to get them excited about this original INVASION: Alien Abduction House?

Charles Grey: For longtime fans, I would say this has the flavor of old HHN. It really does. This is most definitely kind of a love letter for those who’ve been here for coming back for a long time and also the guy or the lady who’s coming in and bringing their kid for the first time that they’ve been for a long time. I would say this is most definitely for that fan to be like, “Hey, this reminds me of when I first came to the park and let me share this experience with you.”

And then conversely, what would you tell to somebody who’s never been to Halloween Horror Nights to get them excited about coming to this original house?

Charles Grey: Well, for somebody new, and I think of myself here, because my daughters are very new to this event, this will only be their second year. I think the facade and the tone and just before you get into the House itself will be quite the adventure. You’ll be able to feel and hear the story before you get into the House, and I think will be something new fans of Halloween Horror Nights could really appreciate, that storytelling before you even encounter the first scare.

Well, if we weren’t excited before, we are EXCITED now. INVASION: Alien Abduction comes to Halloween Horror Nights this year at Universal Orlando Resort. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

The post INVASION: Alien Abduction Will Make Aliens TERRIFYING at Halloween Horror Nights 2026 appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Nerdist Features Editor Tai Gooden spoke with writer and pop culture figure Preeti Chhibber about Scarlet Witch: House of Harkness, a witchy YA graphic novel.
• The story follows Wanda Maximoff as she attends a magical new school where Agatha Harkness is the queen bee.
• Together, they solve a big issue by combining their forces.
• Preeti talks about this graphic novel, what she nerds out about, and how sports fans and nerd fans are more alike than most people think.

When it comes to comic book characters, there’s endless possibilities for the types of stories that writers and artists can tell. Sure, there may be certain timelines and story beats that a film universe or TV franchise must abide by. But graphic novels have the choice to create wholly unique backstories and adventures that are separate from established canon, whether in previous comics or in current on-screen appearances. That’s exactly what we get with Scarlet Witch: House of Harkness, a YA graphic novel written by longtime Marvel collaborator and pop culture mainstay Preeti Chhibber, with artwork by Jodi Nishijima and Kiichi Mizushima. 

Scholastic/Marvel/Jodi Nishijima

The story follows Wanda Maximoff, a 16 year old student who just arrived at House of Harkness, a famed school of magic for talented teens. Things quickly go awry when she makes a fast enemy of Agatha Harkness, whose family just so happens to own the school. Their ongoing feud soon takes a back seat to a bigger mystery that forces the duo to combine their powers to save everyone. We caught up with Chhibber to chat about crafting this wonderfully witchy tale and so much more. 

Nerdist: Tell us about House of Harkness and why this witchy adventure between Wanda and Agatha felt like the right one for you to write.

Preeti Chhibber: It is a magical kid alternate universe with all of our favorite magic users from Marvel where a lot of them have been de-aged to being teenagers. There’s this mystery that’s going on at the school. Wanda’s the new kid, and Agatha’s the legacy. Marvel approached me and was like, “We want to do this kind of dark academia YA, manga-inspired Scarlet Witch story.” I was like, “That sounds awesome! I’m super into it. ” 

One thing I’m really interested in on the kidlit side of storytelling is the heightened experience you have with friendships and relationships when you’re in school. And so bringing some of that fraught energy that exists in the comics between Wanda and other people, including Agatha, into a school setting was something I was really excited to do.

It’s also a great entry point for kids who maybe don’t know where to start with Marvel. What’s so fun about comics is that there are a lot of ways you can come into it. But in this day and age, it can feel really daunting to find a place to begin. So I hope this is a really fun intro to the characters that will inspire kids to be like, “Oh, I want more. Let me go see what else is out there.”

I love that! Of course, a graphic novel isn’t a project that a writer tackles alone. How did you partner with the illustration team to craft something that feels both narratively and visually compelling? 

Chhibber: [Artist] Jodi Nishijima came on board and created these incredible character studies for a lot of the main characters like Wanda, Agatha, Stephen Strange, and Loki. Jodi thought about the look and feel of the uniforms and how they would be wearing them differently given their personalities. And we all went back and forth. She sent over a bunch of ideas and we were like, “Oh, we like this one. We like the pants from this one, the shirt from this one.” 

When I write my scripts, what I hope for is a true partner. I try to leave some room where I drill down what I need in a panel for the story to keep going. And then everything else is like, have fun with it as the artist!

Courtesy of Preeti Chhibber

It all came together beautifully, you make a great team. And I love that all of the students are diverse. There’s queer representation, which is so important for kids because it reflects the world they live in and maybe their own identity, too. What were some of your favorite characters to develop, outside of Wanda and Agatha? 

Chhibber: Loki was particularly super fun. I was so excited. When I pitched the idea, I was like, “This is going to be Team Wanda. This is going to be Team Agatha.” Team Chaos always existed as is with Nightmare and Loki. Loki was really fun. And then also I love Nico Minoru in Runaways, and so I wanted to bring her in. I’m sure some people might be like, “That’s kind of a weird pairing between her and wildly different characters from wildly different eras of comics.” 

But that’s the great part about comics! You can create alternate realities and play with known characters. I love the way that Wanda and Agatha teamed up together to solve a big problem, which I’ll let people figure out when they read it. The ending does leave room for more stories. Do you have plans to continue with these characters or is this more of a one-shot deal?

Chhibber: I would love to! I left it open because I think the characters are so fun and it would allow for the opportunity… I think it’ll depend largely on if people will come to the table for this kind of book. Will it get a foothold with younger readers? And that will dictate if there’s more, but there’s definitely ideas for more.

Very fair. Let’s have a little fun. Which House of Harkness character are you most like and which one would you want to be more like? 

Chhibber: I mean, obviously I wish I was more like Wanda. I think Wanda has such confidence and she has true belief in her own abilities. A lot of us, including me, have to deal with imposter syndrome and things like that. Wanda has her moments of wondering, “Did I do the right thing?” But largely she really believes in herself and she believes in her work, which I love. In terms of who I’m really most like in the book, I don’t know. I think there are aspects of me in Shri and Loki. Some of the more kooky chaos pieces are me, but also some of that part of Agatha where she has to question everything that her parents have told her. That re-learning what the truth is and how you engage with that when all of a sudden your worldview is shifted.

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Yeah, that part of Agatha’s story will definitely resonate with teens and adults, too. Sometimes, kids can see their adults as infallible or not capable of making really bad choices. They have to reconcile that and it may come a time where they have to push back against authority figures in their lives in the name of what’s right. 

Chhibber: Yeah, I think learning your parents are people and people make mistakes and difficult choices and maybe choices you don’t see as right. And what do you do when that happens?

Right. I know you’re a big comic fan, obviously a big Marvel and Wheel of Time fan. But, of course, we know that nerding out goes far beyond those things. What do you nerd out about that most people wouldn’t expect you to? 

Chhibber: I am deep into the World Cup right now. I love the World Cup, my friends, and I do a draft every year, every World Cup. Sports are maybe not necessarily expected from me. But I like to be a nerd about everything that I like! Crafting, LEGO, sports, this is what it looks like for me. 

You can totally be into all sorts of sportsball in a nerdy way. I think there’s more overlap to how sports fans interact with each other and celebrate their favorites and how, say, nerdy fandoms interact with others and celebrate what they like. People are basically cosplaying at NFL games.

Chhibber: Yeah! Everything has a narrative. There’s a reason I love sports movies and shows. I love them because it’s the triumph, it’s the determination, and the training montage. I love all of that. And when you have real life sports like volleyball or basketball or whatever, there are these wonderful story narratives that come out of it like the Knicks.

I’m not a huge basketball person, but I love the sort of joy and excitement and the culmination of catharsis that came out of that win for New York City. And that is all narrative and story and the connection you feel. And that through line absolutely exists with all fandoms.

I totally agree. If you could describe House of Harkness in three words, which ones would you use?

Chhibber: Friendship, magic, and chaos.

Scarlet Witch: House of Harkness will release on July 7, and you can order your copy right now.

The post Preeti Chhibber on Her New Graphic Novel SCARLET WITCH: HOUSE OF HARKNESS appeared first on Nerdist.

Aseon Labs, which came out of Y Combinator's 2026 spring cohort, has raised $10 million from Crane Venture Partners and others.

Save up to $190 on your pass to TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026. Early Bird pricing ends today, at 11:59 p.m. PT, after which rates increase. Register now.

⚡ Quick Take

• Supergirl has had a few origin stories in the pages of DC Comics over the decades.
• The 2026 movie uses the character’s first origin from the Silver Age.
• It ignores many of the changes the comics made in the modern iterations.

The character of Supergirl has existed in DC Comics for almost 70 years, and in that time, the character has had several different iterations of her backstory. Far more than her cousin Kal-El, whose origin story has remained fairly consistent for nearly nine decades. But which origin story is the DCU version of Kara Zor-El, played by Milly Alcock, using as its basis? Director Craig Gillespie went back to the very beginning in Supergirl. And they ignored many of the changes made in the more modern iterations.

DC Comics/DC Studios Supergirl’s Silver Age Origin Has Her Born After Krypton’s Destruction

Supergirl’s first appearance was in Action Comics #252, back in 1959. In this story, Kara explained her backstory to Superman when she landed on Earth. She explained to her cousin that she hailed from Argo City, a domed city that survived the destruction of Krypton. Zor-El’s intention with the dome was to keep Argonians healthier by breathing the purified air of the city. In a very Silver Age convention, we learned that when Krypton exploded, the chunk of the planet with Argo City on it just floated away, containing thousands of Kryptonian survivors alive, thanks to the dome.

DC Comics

Eventually, Zor-El and his wife, Alura, gave birth to a daughter on Argo, named Kara. She grew up there, but the Argonian society began to collapse once Zor-El discovered that the bedrock underneath Argo was becoming Kryptonite. This was during the time Kara hit her teens. Slowly, the Kryptonite in the soil began to poison the population. Zor-El and Alura, to protect their daughter, decided to send her to Earth to survive this second destruction. The 15-year-old Kara rocketed to Earth, where her superpowered older cousin Kal-El welcomed her, and she became the heroine Supergirl.

New Supergirls, New Origin Stories DC Comics

Supergirl famously died in the event series Crisis on Infinite Earths, back in 1985. And she remained dead for almost two decades. In that time, another heroine took on the name Supergirl. But she wasn’t a version of Kara, but an artificial lifeform from another dimension. Superman: The Animated Series introduced a version of Kara where she was Superman’s spiritual cousin, but not his literal one. In the DCAU, Argo wasn’t a chunk of Krypton, but a neighboring world that died when Krypton blew up. Kara was its sole survivor, whom Kal-El adopted as his cousin. But soon, the true Kara Zor-El would return to mainstream DC continuity, with a twist to her origin.

Supergirl’s 21st Century Origin Revision: Now Superman’s Older Cousin DC Comics

In 2004, DC reintroduced Kara, once again Superman’s teenage cousin. But this time, with a twist. This version of Kara was not born on Argo City after Krypton’s destruction. She was born on Krypton before its death, and knew her cousin Kal as a baby. Her father sent her to Earth to protect and raise her baby cousin when she was a teenager. But a meteor shower knocked her ship off course, and she didn’t arrive until her baby cousin was the adult hero Superman. This is the version introduced in 2004 by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, in the Batman/Superman story “The Supergirl from Krypton.” Smallville used a version of this origin, and later, the CW Arrowverse Supergirl series used a variation of it as well.

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When DC rebooted its universe in the 2011 series Flashpoint, it resulted in the New 52 universe. And Kara’s origin changed yet again. She was still sent to Earth to raise her baby cousin, but she landed in Siberia of all places. The 2023 Flash movie went with a version of this Kara Zor-El, even keeping her landing in Russia and being kept prisoner. But this new wrinkle was short-lived. In 2021, a high-profile new comic book would shine a light on the classic origin once more.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Restores the Classic Origin DC Comics

The 2021 graphic novel Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, restored the classic 1959 version of her origin. Which is what the new DCU version is going with. However, this series is not in continuity with the mainline DC Universe. According to the recent New History of the DC Universe by Mark Waid, Kara was a teenager when Kal was born, sent to Earth to raise him, but became stuck in a time warp. That’s the current canon in 2026. But with the DCU version restoring Kara’s classic 1959 origin story, it’s probably only a matter of time before it becomes canon in the comics again as well.

The post SUPERGIRL Doesn’t Use the Character’s Modern Origin appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Supergirl (2026) features its lead character reacting differently to different colors of suns.
• This is very true in DC Comics history.

In Supergirl, Kara Zor-El is exposed to a green sun, which begins to poison her, and rob her of her powers first. But even the most hardcore DC Comics fans out there might not be aware of how different colored suns alter the biochemistry of those from Krypton, like Superman and Supergirl. Just as there are multi-colored Kryptonites, and many colored Lantern Corps besides green, the DCU also has many different suns. And they all have vastly different consequences on those who wear the ‘S’ shield. But let’s start with one of the deadliest suns for super folk, the green one.

Green Suns DC Comics

A green sun is pretty rare in the pages of DC Comics, although we do see one in Supergirl. A verdant star doesn’t just rob a Kryptonian of their powers like a red sun; it does so while slowly killing them. It basically does what green Kryptonite also does to them, only on a larger scale. Kal-El first came across a green sun in Superman #155 from 1962, in the story appropriately titled “Under a Green Sun.” The comic book Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, on which Supergirl is based, introduced the concept of the green sun not only taking her powers away, but also slowly poisoning her.

Yellow Suns DC Comics

Famously, Earth’s yellow sun is what gives Superman and Supergirl their powers. We’re talking about the baseline “Super” powers here, like super strength, invulnerability, flight, x-ray vision, heat vision, super hearing, freeze breath, and super speed. Any being native to a red sun world gains their powers under a yellow star, and that doesn’t just include Kryptonians. The alien Daxamites, like the hero Mon-El, fall under this rule as well. Even animals from red sun worlds get the same powers as humans under a yellow star, as proven by Krypto the Super dog. Yellow stars are why the supers are super.

Red Suns DC Comics

Since Krypton orbited a red sun named Rao, all native beings lose their powers under a similar red sun. A red sun isn’t like Kryptonite, as it won’t kill a Kryptonian. It will just render them powerless, as they would be if they were still on their homeworld. If Superman or Supergirl travels to Earth’s future where the yellow sun has turned red, they will lose all their powers, although not instantly. The first story to show Superman losing his abilities under a red sun world was in 1963, in Superman #164. In that story, Lex Luthor tricks Superman into traveling to a red sun world, so the two can have a fair fight. This story established red suns as taking away Superman’s powers.

Blue Suns DC Comics

In an early 2000s Action Comics story from writer Geoff Johns and Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner, we learned that Bizarro’s twisted version of Earth, actually called Hrtae (you try and pronounce it) orbits a blue sun. So what does a blue sun do to Kryptonians? It actually gives them all new powers, like “Superman vision,” which allows the Man of Steel to shoot beams out of his eyes that give regular folks Kryptonian powers. He gave his own Pa Kent powers this way, albeit briefly. The “extra charge” is supposedly because blue suns are much hotter than yellow ones. But not as hot as the next sun, which can really give Kal-El and Kara a boost.

Orange Suns DC Comics

An orange sun (sounds like a fruit drink) doesn’t strip Superman and Supergirl of their powers, but it does reduce them in half. Which makes all the sense, since it’s right between red and yellow on the spectrum. A trip to an orange sun world will give Kryptonians powers equivalent to Superman’s powers back in the Golden Age. This was back when he could “leap tall buildings in a single bound,” but not actually fly. The most recent example of Superman encountering an orange star was in 2020’s Superman #27, by writer Brian Michael Bendis.

White Suns DC Comics

A white sun is the hottest known sun in the DCU. And what it does to Kryptonians is nothing short of making them gods. A white sun will enhance Superman and Supergirl’s powers to nearly omnipotent levels. Under a white sun, Kryptonians can manipulate time, teleport, and create energy constructs, similar to Green Lantern. It also gives them tactile telekinesis, a power usually reserved for Superboy/Conner Kent. The first instance of Superman getting a power increase like this was in a ’70s issue of Super Friends, with a white dwarf star. It also gave non-Kryptonians (like Jimmy Olsen) powers. In 2023, in Action Comics #1050, DC added even more powers to his white sun upgrade.

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The opposite of a white sun is a black sun. One of these robs a Kryptonian of their powers, but not as a red sun does. Since black suns emit no solar energy, they literally drain away the powers from a Kryptonian. So they don’t just stop powering up Kryptonian cells, they drain them like a battery.

Violet Suns DC Comics

Yes, there are even violet/purple suns in the DC Universe. Although, as far as we can tell, they’ve only appeared in one Superman story, way back in the Bronze Age of Comics. Under a purple star, a Kryptonian can actually warp reality, creating objects merely with their mind. Essentially, a purple sun gives someone from Krypton “mind over matter” powers. In the story “Mind Over Money,” from 1982’s Superman #371, Kal-El flies too close to a violet star going supernova, and absorbs the energy. He can then (temporarily) will what ever he thinks into existence. While we don’t think violet stars are official DC canon after many reboots, back in the early ’80s, it was. We’d like to think the late, great Prince was born under such a star. It would sure explain the musical superpowers.

DC Comics

Are there other colored suns out there in the DCU? What would a teal sun do to Supergirl, or a pink sun to Superman? We’d like to think one day, we’ll find out. In the meantime, Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, is now playing in theaters everywhere.

The post How Different Colored Suns Affect Supergirl and Superman appeared first on Nerdist.

penAI reportedly plans to share its newest model, GPT 5.6, with a select group of partners instead of to the broader public. The reason: the Trump administration told it to.

⚡ Quick Take

• Hasbro faces backlash after contractually requiring child actors to sign away the rights to their voices for use by AI.

Hasbro is facing controversy after asking its Peppa Pig child actors to sign the rights to their voices away to AI.

This is not the first time actors—specifically children—are being asked to do this. Because shows want to keep the same sound as long as they run, and children’s voices change as they age, studios are attempting to combat this with AI.

Hasbro

Over 1,000 people have signed an open letter condemning these clauses for child actors. The letter was created by the Agents of Young Performers Association (AYPA), and defends the rights of children to own the rights to their voices.

Though the letter technically named no names, according to Deadline, they were referring to Peppa Pig.

“Any agreement involving a child’s voice should be fully exempt from all AI usage. No child should have their future professional identity shaped by an AI model created before they were old enough to understand its consequences. Their voice should not become a permanent commercial asset before they have the legal and personal capacity to decide for themselves.”

These kinds of deals can have lifelong repercussions for child actors. They get no say in what their parents do with the rights to their voice, and once they reach adulthood, those consequences don’t just go away.

Issues when it comes to child actors’ rights and treatment have been in the public eye of late. After the lengthy Dan Schneider controversy, a whole world of mistreatment of Disney and Nickelodeon kids came to light. Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV was an exposé docu-series about abused child actors. I’m Glad My Mom Died was a memoir by Disney star Jennette McCurdy discussing her mother’s abusive control over her life and stardom.

Hasbro

While this is not quite as immediate a threat to children’s safety, it is one to their well-being and future careers. According to Deadline, Hasbro has acknowledged the letter’s existence.

“The protection of child performers is core to who Hasbro is, it’s part of our DNA. As industry standards around AI continue to evolve, we are committed to engaging with this issue in a responsible and transparent manner.”

There have been no confirmed updates to the contracts.

The post PEPPA PIG Child Actors Required to Sign Voice Rights to AI appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• Texas Chain Saw Massacre is returning to theaters this August in 4K quality.
• The original film was released over 50 years ago, but its fanbase is still alive and well.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the great classics in horror movies, without a doubt. One of the first major slashers of the seventies, even 50 years later, this movie is still terribly disturbing. Now, it is returning to theaters for one night only on August 18.

Bryanston Distributing Company

After last year’s Texas Chain Saw Day, the hosts of the event, Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment, have decided to make the event annual.

Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre took heavy inspiration from the story of Ed Gein, a real-life murderer and body snatcher. Gein’s odd family dynamic was very significant to why he turned out the way he did. These themes come through in Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with its main antagonist, Leatherface, living in a house with his cannibal family and taking part in chaotic and terrifying dinner rituals. The gross connections between the two stories continue—Gein used tanned human skin in crafty ways, and Leatherface wears a tanned human face. The house shown in the dinner scene also contains furniture made out of human skin and other parts.

Ed Gein inspired other fictional killers. The Silence of the Lambs‘ Buffalo Bill and Psycho‘s Norman Bates both utilized aspects of Ed Gein’s real story.

In 2022, Netflix produced a remake of TCSM. I am of the personal belief that if it ain’t broke, there’s no reason to fix it. Nonetheless, A24 is also working on a “reimagining” of the franchise, with a movie and television series in the works. Obsession writer-director Curry Barker is attached to the movie.

Fortunately, though, the screening on Texas Chain Saw Day is of the original film. Tickets for the event will be available on July 21, so be sure to check your local theaters for a place to participate.

The post See a Classic Slasher in Theaters on TEXAS CHAIN SAW Day appeared first on Nerdist.