Month: September 2021

There are more streaming networks than ever before, so if you have questions about the future of streaming, then you’ve come to the right place. All week long, IGN’s State of Streaming 3.0 initiative is featuring reviews and in-depth analysis about current streaming providers like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and more!

Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, nearly a century of Conan the Barbarian – these are just a few of the comic book and book adaptations headed to Netflix over the next few years.

From a heaping helping of Mark Millar comics — such as American Jesus and Super Crooks — to Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman, the super streamer currently has a massive catalog of cool projects in development, ranging from best-sellers to gory graphic novels. Read on or check out the gallery below for a quick look at all the new movies and shows coming to Netflix that are based on the printed page.

The Sandman

The Sandman, based on Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed comic series, will revolve around a powerful entity known as Dream or Morpheus (though he has many other names, too). Morpheus is the living embodiment of dreams and a member of a family known as The Endless. After a decade-long trek into a formal adaptation, The Sandman will feature Tom Sturridge (Velvet Buzzsaw) as Morpheus, along with Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar, Charles Dance as occultist Roderick Burgess. and Narcos star Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian, a rogue nightmare-turned-serial killer created by Morpheus.

The series also stars Kirby Howell-Baptiste (as Death), Mason Alexander Park (as Desire), Donna Preston (as Despair), Jenna Coleman (as Johanna Constantine), Joely Richardson (as Ethel Cripps), David Thewlis (as John Dee/Doctor Destiny), Kyo Ra (as Rose Walker), Stephen Fry (as Gilbert), and Patton Oswalt (as the voice of Matthew, Dream’s raven emissary).

Conan the Barbarian

Netflix is currently developing a live-action Conan the Barbarian series, based on the sword-swinging titan created by Robert E. Howard’s for 1930s pulp sci-fi/fantasy magazines. Since then, Conan has been adapted into books, (Marvel and Dark Horse) comics, and films (two in the 80s with Arnold Schwarzenegger and one in 2011 with Jason Momoa). Back in 2018, it was reported Amazon was developing its own Conan series, but it appears that the project is now dead.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Taika Waititi is set to write, direct, and executive produce two new animated series for Netflix, both of which will be based on the beloved works of Roald Dahl.

The first series will be inspired by the 1964 classic children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, while the other series will be a wholly original take on the Oompa-Loompas, otherwise known as the carolling characters who manufacture candy at Willy Wonka’s infamous factory.

This project is part of Netflix’s overall deal to adapt Roald Dahl’s catalog into animation – including such stories as Matilda (based on the stage musical adaptation), The BFG, The Twits, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Boy – Tales of Childhood, Going Solo, The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Henry Sugar, Billy and the Minpins, The Magic Finger, Esio Trot, Dirty Beasts, and Rhyme Stew.

The Warmth of Other Suns

Currently in development by Shonda Rhimes’ production house Shondaland, as part of her mega-deal with Netflix (see: Bridgerton), is an adaptation of The Warmth of Other Suns, which tells the story of the Great Migration, the movement of Black Americans out of the Southern United States to the Midwest, Northeast, and West from approximately 1915 to 1970. Shondaland is also developing Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change based on Ellen Pao’s memoir, and The Residence, which is a nonfiction book by author Kate Andersen Brower.

The Overstory

The Overstory, by Richard Powers, is about five trees whose unique life experiences with nine Americans bring them together to address the destruction of forests. It’s currently being adapted into a series by executive producers by Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and D.B. Weiss along with Hugh Jackman.

Millarworld Projects: Super Crooks, American Jesus, and More

Though Jupiter’s Legacy, based on Mark Millar’s comic series, was canceled after one season, Netflix still has a ton of Millarworld projects in the works. With The Forever Purge’s Everardo Gout on board to direct American Jesus, a story about Jesus Christ returning to Earth to help save humanity from the Antichrist, will be an action-comedy series spoken in both English and Spanish.

Super Crooks, which is getting both an anime (13 30-minute episodes) and live-action series, is about a ragtag gang of supervillains, con artists, petty thieves, and leg-breakers who band together for the heist of the century.

The Magic Order — Mark Millar’s first comic book distributed by Netflix — is becoming a live-action series. It tells the tale of five different families that all possess magical abilities ridding the world of dangerous threats. The Saw and Conjuring’s James Wan is attached to direct.

On top of these, there are also Millar titles Reborn, Sharkey The Bounty Hunter, Huck, Empress, Prodigy, and Space Bandits.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel, which became a movie in 2011 starring Matthew McConaughey, is becoming a Netflix series from David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, Goliath). It will star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, a defense attorney in Los Angeles who works out of a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car rather than an office. Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson, and Christopher Gorham also star.

Pieces of Her

Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote star in this adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s 2018 thriller, about a woman who witnesses her mother violently taking out a mass shooter at a local diner. Slowly, she unravels her mother’s actions from that day as their entire familial relationship takes a new turn.

Firekeeper’s Daughter

Angeline Boulley’a YA thriller Firekeeper’s Daughter, which is set on an Ojibwe reservation, was optioned by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, to develop as an original series. The story follows 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a half-native, half-white former hockey player/aspiring scientist who never feels fully settled in either her reservation or the outside world. She finds herself even more torn when she witnesses her best friend’s murder and is pulled into an FBI investigation centered on a lethal new drug running wild among her friends and family.

DeadEndia

This British-American animated series created by Hamish Steele — which is based on the graphic novels of the same name by Steele and Cartoon Hangover’s Too Cool! Cartoons web short Dead End — follows the story of a group of employees (Barney and Norma) who work at a theme-park haunted house during the summer which might be a portal to hell.

BRZRKR

From Keanu Reeves (with Matt Kindt and Ron Garney), BRZRKR follows an immortal warrior, known as Berzerker, as he fights his way through the ages. Netflix is developing a live-action film adaptation and a follow-up anime series based on the comics with Reeves cast as the lead.

Astérix

Iconic French comic book series Astérix (about Gaulish warriors who fight the Roman Republic during the era of Julius Caesar) has been adapted many times, as movies and TV shows, over the past 80 years. Now Netflix will take a stab at an Astérix animated series, to debut in 2023, adapted from one of the classic volumes, Asterix and the Big Fight, where the Romans, after being constantly embarrassed by Asterix and his village cohorts, organize a brawl between rival Gaulish chiefs.

The Talisman

Steven Spielberg and Stranger Things’ Duffer Brothers are adapting Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman as a feature-length film. The fantasy novel follows a teenage boy named Jack Sawyer searching for the Talisman, an object that can heal his dying mother and save the world. Sawyer journeys across America and “the Territories,” a grim parallel world to our own.

Anatomy of a Scandal

David E. Kelly, who we mentioned earlier for The Lincoln Lawyer adaptation, is also developing an anthology series — based on the Sarah Vaughan novel — that will depict various scandals within the elite class of the United Kingdom. Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend, and Naomi Scott are set to star.

The Witcher: Season 2

Netflix mega-hit The Witcher returns in December with a new season that will adapt Andrzej Sapkowski Witcher stories Blood of Elves and Time of Contempt, as Henry Cavill’s Geralt takes Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) back to Kaer Morhen, an old keep where witchers of the School of the Wolf were once trained in order to protect her.

You: Season 3

Based on the 2014 novel by Caroline Kepnes, You returns to Netflix for its third season, following sociopathic killer Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and his fraught relationship with Love (Victoria Pedretti), who is pregnant with his child in a new suburban home.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Netflix is going all-in with C.S. Lewis’ Narnia-verse, producing new films and shows based on The Chronicles of Narnia. Mark Gordan, Douglas Gresham, and Vincent Sieber are currently set to serve as executive producers on the films and producers on all upcoming Narnia shows. Furthermore, Coco co-writer Matthew Aldrich will serve as the creative architect and oversee the development of all films and shows adapted from C.S. Lewis’ beloved Narnia universe.

Three Wishes

A series based on the novel Three Wishes, from Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, is in development at Netflix. The story centers on three wildly different sisters as their lives intertwine and unfold around their glamorous Manhattan wedding weekend that ends in a shocking tragedy. When a scandalous secret emerges, the tight-knit bond among the sisters is tested as they unravel a mystery that ripples throughout each of their lives.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s classic novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is being adapted into a Spanish-language series by Netflix. Originally published in 1967, the book tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founded the (fictitious) town of Macondo.

The Midnight Club

Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep) is adapting Christopher Pike’s pulp horror novel The Midnight Club into a series. The story takes place at Rotterdam Home, a hospice run by an enigmatic doctor, where a group of terminally ill patients regularly meet up at midnight to exchange scary stories with one another.

Flanagan is also slated to direct an adaptation of Christopher Pike’s The Season of Passage, a sci-fi horror novel set on Mars.

Girls on the Bus

From Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals) and Greg Berlanti (CW’s Arrowverse), Girls on the Bus features four female journalists as they follow a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could take down not just the presidency but our entire democracy along the way. The series is inspired by Amy Chozick’s book “Chasing Hillary.”

Which book and comic book adaptations coming to Netflix are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments

Horizon: Forbidden West won’t offer a free upgrade from PS4 to PS5 on its standard or special editions, and you can’t pay to upgrade a standard edition to one that does include the PS5 version.

As previously announced, Forbidden West will be receiving distinct PS4 and PS5 versions of the same game – you can play the PS4 version on PS5, but it won’t receive the same visual and performance upgrades. Revealed on the game’s FAQ page under the headline “Can I upgrade my PS4 version to the PS5 version?”, it’s revealed that Standard and Special editions of the game will come with no dual entitlement (i.e. include PS4 and PS5 versions).

Dual Entitlement is included in the (naturally more expensive) Digital Deluxe, Collector’s, or Regalla Editions, but they are entirely separate, full-game purchases. Unlike other PS5 games like Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, there won’t be a less expensive paid upgrade, either: “There are no plans for an update offer from standard to digital deluxe edition at this time,” reads the FAQ.

Amid the already confusing landscape of upgrades on PS5, it’s perhaps the least appealing. Sony hasn’t formally explained its decisions in Horizon: Forbidden West’s case but, aside from the fact that it will make it more money per game, it may stem from the fact that the company wants to use one of its biggest releases as a means of getting loyal fans to switch console now, rather than further down the line.

With the game delayed to February 2022, it seems likely we’ll be seeing more of Aloy’s next adventure during the PlayStation Showcase 2021, which will arrive next week.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

What We Do in the Shadows Season 3 premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.

The vampire housemates in FX’s horror comedy What We Do in the Shadows, based on the film of the same name by Taika Waititi and series creator Jemaine Clement, have been chided for their lack of ambition since the series’ first episode. Tasked with taking over the Western Hemisphere, they could barely get their acts together to take over Staten Island. In Season 3, they’ve finally achieved some real power (through no fault of their own), and the new dynamic provides an excellent opportunity to further develop the characters and their absurdly mundane world of magic and monsters.

The catalyst for the change and most improved character is Guillermo De la Cruz (Harvey Guillén), who started the series as a servant — or familiar in vampire lingo — to the elder vampire Nando the Relentless (Kayvan Novak). Guillermo was a pathetic character, obviously being strung along with promises of eternal life that Nandor never intended to make good on. But rather than maintain the sad status quo or having Guillermo abandon his master, the writers gave nuance to his character with the revelation that he’s a descendent of Abraham Van Helsing and has inherited his ancestor’s vampire hunting skills.

Giving powers to the mundane character in a supernatural show is a genre cliche usually required to keep up with power creep. But What We Do in the Shadows subverts that trope since the vampires spent Season 2 oblivious to the escalating danger they were in as Guillermo secretly protected them, right up until the finale where he had to reveal his true nature in an epic spectacle of violence. Season 3 picks up soon after, with the bumbling vampires trying to decide his fate while also fearing retribution. “I just want to protect you from yourselves,” Guillermo pleads as office drone energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) and the sex-obsessed Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry) hurt themselves more than Guillermo in their ill-thought out attempts to intimidate and punish their prisoner, even as the always confident Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) looks on with exasperation and urges a quick execution.

One of the series’ greatest strengths has always been the ability to propel action forward at a breakneck pace to get plenty done within a 25-minute episode. “The Prisoner,” the first part of the Season 3 premiere, is no exception. In a surprising message from the Supreme Worldwide Vampiric Council, the vampires are told that “Vampire must never kill vampire. But when a vampire kills like 37, 38 vampires, well, these are vampires who know how to get things done.” Rewarded with control of the East Coast, the vampire housemates have an entirely new source of conflict with the rest of the area’s undead and each other.

Both the film and the show have always felt like watching a game of Vampire: The Masquerade, with the vampires playing at being powerful and intimidating but winding up getting hilariously sidetracked by petty squabbles. That’s never been more true as the group tries to figure out how to share responsibility when faced with the declaration that they have to choose a leader to sit upon the Council throne. The episode makes great use of slapstick physical humor by having Colin, Nandor, and Nadja fight over the chair like unruly children. The real winner of the conflict is clearly Lazlo, who coolly opts out of the game, saying “I didn’t become a vampire to become a pen-pushing bureaucrat. I became a vampire to suck blood and to f*ck forever.”

The second episode of Season 3, “The Cloak of Duplication,” provides a glimpse at just how much material the writers can get from this plot twist. The Guide, played by Kristen Schaal of Bob’s Burgers and 30 Rock with her signature vaguely ominous perkiness, serves as something of a quest giver, instructing the new leaders of their responsibilities like ensuring upstart young vampires pay their dues. Of course, they’re still just as easily sidetracked. An artifact in the Council headquarters that lets the wearer take on someone else’s appearance provides fodder for a goofy farce as the other vampires try to help Nandor with his love life.

Nadja has always not-so-secretly been the most competent vampire in the core group, and she really shines in her new role where she’s free to turn her frustrations with others into sudden violence while lashing out at her disappointing colleagues for not being prepared to do what it takes to rule. Guillermo’s no closer to his dream of being a vampire, but he’s confident in his role of stake-wielding bodyguard. Guillén gets to show off more of his comedic chops, since instead of always being something of a put-upon straight man, he’s now free to poke fun at his ignorant “masters” rather than just being servile.

Laszlo also demonstrates the same cocky, carefree attitude that served him well as his alter ego Jackie Daytona, enjoying the privileges of power — namely the Council’s legendary pornography collection. Bizarre, archaic looking artwork is a regular feature of the show — originating in the movie — and the penis images from the ancient Knobnomicon continue that absurdly weird tradition.

Colin, who feeds off boring and annoying others, continues to provide some of the show’s weirdest non sequiturs, like obsessing over the contents of the imprisoned Guillermo’s poop bucket. He also gets some time to shine when dealing with a young energy vampire who primarily feeds by making people’s eyes glaze over when he goes into far too much detail talking to them about weed. Having lost control of his familiar, Nandor seems to be in a bit of a slump, but that feels more like fodder for a season-long conflict than a failing of the writing or Novak’s performance.

Konami has revealed the release date for its upcoming free-to-play title, eFootball 2022. The company has announced that its replacement for the Pro Evolution Soccer series will launch on September 30 – though it should be noted that the game will be limited in both features and game modes until a post-launch update this fall.

Konami announced that eFootball 2022 will provide its users with a “taste of what to expect from the new free-to-play football simulation platform” when it launches for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC on September 30. The game will then receive its first major update later this Fall, which will coincide with the launch of eFootball 2022 on iOS and Android devices.

Some fans may feel disappointed with the title’s launch, although Konami has previously said that it’s ‘basically a demo”. eFootball’s offline mode, for example, will only contain nine teams and six stadiums when it releases. Whilst those teams include the likes of Barcelona, Juventus, and Arsenal, many may feel disappointed that after a busy transfer window, teams such as PSG, Manchester City, and Real Madrid won’t be playable in the mode when the game comes out. We’d previously heard that the launch version of the game will also be missing some in-match mechanics.

Konami has also said that the game will launch with online cross-generation matchmaking. However, until a subsequent update, it seems that online play will be delivered through weekly online events that fans can enter using pre-set teams to earn rewards such as GP – an in-game currency earned through gameplay.

The game’s first major post-launch update sounds like it should add a far greater range of content to the title. Most notably, it will introduce a Creative Teams mode to the game. From Konami’s description, fans should see a number of team customization features added through the new mode.

In Creative Teams, Konami says that you will be able to “sign footballers and coaches that match your favourite formations and tactics, then train and strengthen them to play against players from around the world.” Fans will also be able to “target the signings that they covet the most, making team building more accessible,” and can, “choose a base team from one of over 600 licensed clubs in the game”. Creative Teams will premiere alongside eFootball’s Creative League where players can compete against one another, bid for promotion, and look to become the best in the world.

Creative Teams isn’t the only additional content launching with the update. Additional ways to play, including a 1v1 Match Lobby, Online Quick Matches, and Tour and Challenge Event modes will be arriving post-launch. Performance-related player types will also make their appearance at this point, from the addition of trending players who’ve recently put in impressive performances on the pitch to legendary figures who’ve had remarkable seasons. Each new player can be signed through in-game contracts earned via GP or through eFootball Coins – the game’s premium currency.

On that note, it’s probably important to point out that eFootball’s Autumn update will also introduce the platform’s new monetization model. Whilst the term ‘monetization model’ is always likely to prick up the ears of any fan base, Konami promises that its new model is “re-balanced to ensure that all players can reach the same potential, regardless of how they acquire in-game items”. As part of the model, eFootball will feature a Match Pass that looks to reward players with items after they’ve played a number of certain match types. In addition to the standard Match Pass, an ‘Advantage Match Pass’ will also feature in the game that fans can purchase for better rewards.

eFootball Series Producer Seitaro Kimura spoke about the current installment of eFootball. “With ‘eFootball’ being the name of our overall platform, eFootball 2022 is the official title for our first season of content,” Kimura said. “Platform updates bringing new functionality, such as cross-platform matchmaking and mobile controller support, will happen frequently over the coming months and will always be free. Future content updates and game modes will be offered to players as either free or premium options. We look forward to getting players on the pitch and receiving their feedback.”

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.