“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” currently in production on its third season, has been renewed by Paramount+ for Season 4. Meanwhile, “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” the first animated “Star Trek” comedy, will conclude its run on the streamer with its fifth season, which will debut in the fall.“Strange New Worlds” — set in the years when Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) commanded the USS Enterprise, and featuring younger versions of several legacy characters, including Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Kirk (Paul Wesley) — has been a fan favorite since it premiered on Paramount+ in 2022. Season 2 of the series, which included a musical episode and a crossover episode with “Lower Decks,” made Nielsen’s chart of the 10 most-watched streaming original series over multiple weeks.The “Star Trek” TV universe, overseen by executive producer Alex Kurtzman through his Secret Hideout production company and produced by CBS Studios, has enjoyed a robust expansion since “Star Trek: Discovery” first premiered in 2017. Along with “Strange New Worlds,” the made-for-television movie “Star Trek: Section 31” recently concluded production with star Michelle Yeoh, and the new series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” will begin shooting later this year. (via Variety)

The Doctor Who Season 2 finale, The Reality War, delivered one of the most unexpected twists in the show’s long history. Fans were left stunned as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor sacrificed himself to restore the timeline—only to regenerate into a very familiar face: Billie Piper. Gatwa’s tenure as the Doctor lasted two seasons, making his run one of the shortest in modern Doctor Who history. His final moments saw him channeling his regeneration energy into the Time Vortex to correct a reality shift that had erased his daughter, Poppy. The emotional farewell was punctuated by a surprise appearance from Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, who briefly assisted him in stabilizing the timeline. In a jaw-dropping moment, Gatwa’s Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper, who famously played Rose Tyler, the beloved companion of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. Piper’s return marks the first time in Doctor Who history that a former companion has taken on the mantle of the Doctor. However, the episode’s credits listed her as “Introducing Billie Piper,” rather than explicitly naming her as the Sixteenth Doctor, leaving fans speculating about what this means for the future of the show. Showrunner Russell T. Davies remained cryptic about Piper’s role, stating, “Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she’s done it again! But quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told”. With no official announcement about the next season or a Christmas special, fans are left wondering whether Piper’s Doctor will be a permanent fixture or a temporary twist. Another factor to keep in mind is that David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor is still out there and would probably find this whole thing very interesting. 

Joseph Quinn, who plays Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, accidentally confirmed that Mole Man will appear in the film during an interview at CCXPMX25. He mentioned the character while discussing the movie’s stacked cast, saying, “There’s also Mole Man, who is wonderful in it. But Galactus is the big bad”. While Quinn didn’t elaborate on Mole Man’s role, previous reports suggest that the villain may appear in a montage of past battles the Fantastic Four have faced. Paul Walter Hauser who was announced as part of the cast months ago is the one rumored to be playing Harvey Elder, aka Mole Man, the first villain the team faced in the comics. He appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in 1961 from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and is a nuclear engineer and explorer who discovers Subterranea, an underground city filled with creatures called Moloids. This will be the character’s first appearance in live action.    

Last night was Netflix’s Tudum 2025 event that featured reveals, trailers, and release date announcements for some of the platform’s upcoming films and series. The annual fan celebration featured appearances from major stars and performances by Lady Gaga and Hanumankind. Here are some of the major announcements from the evening. Netflix confirmed that the final season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts: November 26, December 25, and December 31, 2025. Fans were treated to a highlight reel of memorable moments from the series, along with a brief sneak peek of what’s to come. The cast of Squid Game took the stage to unveil the official trailer for the third and final season, which will premiere on June 27, 2025. Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday returned with an exclusive preview of the first six minutes of Season 2. Netflix also announced that the new season will be released in two parts: August 6 and September 3, 2025. A major surprise was the confirmation that Lady Gaga will guest star in the second part of the season. Daniel Craig reprised his role as Benoit Blanc in the third installment of the Knives Out franchise. The film, directed by Rian Johnson, will premiere on December 12, 2025. The cast of One Piece introduced the newest crew member, Tony Tony Chopper, confirming that Season 2 will arrive in 2026. Fans got their first look at Chopper in live-action. Adam Sandler returned for Happy Gilmore 2, with Netflix debuting the official trailer. The sequel is set to release on July 25, 2025. Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Frankenstein was officially unveiled, starring Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth. A teaser trailer was shown, promising a dark reimagining of the classic tale. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s crime thriller The RIP was revealed with a first-look teaser. The film will premiere on January 16, 2026. 

Netflix has just dropped its latest crime thriller, Dept. Q, and it’s already being hailed as one of the best law enforcement mysteries since Mare of Easttown. Based on the Department Q book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the show takes viewers deep into the world of cold case investigations, blending suspense, drama, and razor-sharp dialogue.   Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, the series follows DCI Carl Morck, played by Matthew Goode (Watchmen, The Imitation Game). Morck is a brilliant but deeply troubled detective, haunted by a shooting that left his partner paralyzed and a young officer dead. As punishment, he’s exiled to the basement of the police department, where he’s assigned to Dept. Q, a newly formed cold case unit that’s more of a PR stunt than a serious investigative team. But Morck refuses to let the department be a joke. Alongside his unlikely team—including Akram Salim played by Chernobyl’s Alexej Manvelov, a Syrian immigrant with a mysterious past, and Rose Dickson played by Call the Midwife’s Leah Byrne, a young detective battling PTSD—he starts digging into cases long thought unsolvable.   The 9-part series is holding a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and is being praised for its sharp writing, gripping performances, and atmospheric storytelling. Critics have highlighted its cinematic visuals, slow-burn tension, and jaw-dropping twists, setting it apart from other crime dramas. If you’re looking for a new bingeworthy show, this appears to be it. 

As part of the upcoming King of the Hill revival, the studio had to recast the voice of Dale Gribble after the passing of Johnny Hardwick in 2023. Hardwick voiced the character in the original run and had recorded six episodes for the upcoming season before his passing, and he will still be credited for those episodes. The new voice actor stepping in is Toby Huss, who is actually a familiar name to fans of the show—he previously voiced Kahn Souphanousinphone and Cotton Hill in the original series. The revival, premiering August 4 on Hulu, takes place years after the original series, with Dale still being an extreme conspiracy theorist, but now with even wilder theories. 

Don’t bother looking for Marvel Studios in this year’s Hall H panel list for the San Diego Comic-Con 2025. With the delay of Avengers: Doomsday from May 2026 until December, the studio has decided to hold off any major announcements and with the film still in production, they want to avoid suspending filming just to bring the cast to Southern California and then back again. That doesn’t mean Marvel is completely skipping the convention though. They still have panels scheduled that will focus on comics and games and a booth that will promote their upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which opens the same weekend. The studio will likely return in 2026 to promote their fifth Avengers film. 

Hulu has released a first-look at the “King of the Hill” revival, marking the show’s return to TV after 15 years.

The 14th season of the beloved animated series will debut all 10 episodes on Aug. 4. In addition to the first-look photo that can be seen above, Hulu also released the updated opening credits, which can be seen below.

The official description for the new season: “After years working a propane job in Saudi Arabia to earn their retirement nest egg, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed Arlen, Texas, to reconnect with old friends Dale, Boomhauer and Bill. Meanwhile, Bobby is living his dream as a chef in Dallas and enjoying his 20s with his former classmates Connie, Joseph and Chane.” (via Variety)

Updated opening credits video: https://youtu.be/R189-YSWvsY

Today Skybound and Image Comics unveiled a first look at interior pages and variant covers from Ultramega #9, the series finale of the Eisner Award-nominated series. From creator, writer, and artist James Harren (BPRD, Rumble) and colorist Dave Stewart (Hellboy, Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!), the ninth and final supersized issue will be available at comic book shops on May 14, 2025.

Every Ultramega before Noah has fallen. But will he follow in his father’s footsteps...or blast his own path, covered with the corpses of his enemy? James Harren’s masterwork comes to a ferocious finish! Ultramega #9 will feature a main cover by Harren & Stewart, an open to order variant cover by Andrew MacLean (Head Lopper), a 1:10 incentive black and white variant cover by MacLean, and a 1:25 incentive black and white variant cover by Harren.

For the second arc of Ultramega, comics legend Mike Mignola (Hellboy) served as guest artist for covers on issue #5, Eisner Award nominated artist Matías Bergara (Step by Step) drew covers for issue #6, Eisner Award winning artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta (Phantom Road, Vision) was the guest cover artist for issue #7, and Eisner Award winning artist Sanford Green (Bitter Root, Doom) drew guest covers for issue #8.

Ultramega by James Harren #9 (of 9) (SRP $7.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

The full list of covers is below:

Ultramega #9 Cover A by James Harren (Lunar Code: 1224IM357)

Ultramega #9 Cover B by Andrew MacLean (Lunar Code: 1224IM358)

Ultramega #9 Cover C B&W Full Art (1:10 Incentive Variant) by Andrew MacLean (Lunar Code: 1224IM359)

Ultramega #9 Cover D B&W Full Art (1:25 Incentive Variant) by James Harren (Lunar Code: 1224IM360)

Marvel's most recent casting rumor could be a historic moment for the MCU as it integrates one of its actors from the ABC era of Marvel Television into a live-action Disney+ show.

Before Disney+, Marvel Studios partnered with ABC for several Marvel TV series, most notably Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. Marvel Studios has often dodged acknowledging whether these shows are canon in the MCU, but the crossover of actors between the ABC shows and Marvel Studios films and series is opening the door for more integration between these disparate corners of the Marvel world.

One of Marvel's anticipated upcoming Disney+ shows is Vision Quest, which explores Vision's (Paul Bettany) journey for answers after he was resurrected as White Vision. However, Vision isn't the only character the MCU is resurrecting in the show, with entertainment insider Daniel Richtman reporting that actor James D'Arcy is set to reprise his role as Edwin Jarvis in Vision Quest. Jarvis is known for being Howard Stark's butler and an ally of Peggy Carter. He also inspired Tony Stark's A.I. companion JARVIS, whom the younger Stark named after his family's friend.

Now in Vision Quest, D'Arcy is tipped to reprise his role yet again, which will mark the first time an actor who originated their role in an ABC Marvel Television show has reprised that role in a live-action MCU Disney+ show. (via The Direct)

The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in a parallel universe and that means we're getting a bold new take on Marvel's First Family.

One of the biggest changes to how these characters are typically portrayed on screen is the addition of Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. In the comics, he's a powerful reality warper and one of the most powerful beings in the universe, even at a young age.

Today, we have a first look at some upcoming statues for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, where Franklin is shown alongside his mother, the Invisible Woman.

There's been a Funko Pop version of Franklin floating around, but these statues are reportedly movie-accurate and indicate that he'll at least be a toddler by the time this movie ends. Heading into Avengers: Doomsday, it would not be unlikely to bet on him being aged up even further.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to be released in theaters on July 25. (via ComicBookMovie)