The Whoniverse goes to war this Christmas

On Friday, the BBC dropped an official trailer for The War Between the Land and the Sea.



Read the official synopsis:

"When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war."

The five-part series stars Russell Tovey as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, with Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac and Vincent Franklin. Additional guest stars who can be spotted in the trailer are Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu and Ann Akinjirin.

The upcoming Doctor Who spin-off series is darker in tone, similar to Torchwood, and features a soundtrack composed by Lorne Balfe (His Dark Materials). Fans (myself included) can listen to Barclay's Theme on streaming services ahead of the full soundtrack release.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

The double episode premiere of The War Between the Land and the Sea is preceded by a special edition of The Sea Devils on 7th December.

Are you looking forward to The War Between the Land and the Sea? Let me know in the comments below.

Stranger Things crashed Netflix

On Thursday, Stranger Things 5 premiered and instantly crashed Netflix for a few minutes, due to the unprecedented demand for the final series of the streamer's most beloved franchise.

Netflix acknowledged the brief outage in an email to Reuters. The company wrote: “Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes.”

Read the official synopsis:

"The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time."

The cast of Stranger Things 5 includes: Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).

Stranger Things invaded Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, turning it Upside Down.

In my teens, I had the biggest crush on Winona Ryder! No spoilers, but the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5 are amazing! I couldn’t love this series more… That said, I wish Netflix had switched to weekly episodes instead of 3 volumes during the holiday season. I understand it's a business decision, but it would keep the conversation going for longer on social media.

Are you watching Stranger Things 5? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Toy Story: To Infinity and Beyond

It’s been 30 years since Tom Hanks and Tim Allen brought Woody and Buzz Lightyear to life in the original Toy Story!

Pixar’s computer-generated movie masterpiece, directed by John Lasseter and distributed by Disney, would weave itself into the fabric of my final year as an undergraduate studying BA (Hons) Media Production.

A friend, who was studying computer graphics, invited me (I cheekily snuck in) to attend an early preview screening of Toy Story before its widespread release in the UK.

It all starts with a Tin Toy!

It was preceded by a Q&A with a university professor who discussed the influence of Disney’s Tron and the Lucasfilm Graphics Group, which Apple CEO Steve Jobs bought from George Lucas after he was fired from Apple and where he would triumphantly return a few years later and leave a lasting legacy. Toy Story’s genesis can be found in Tin Toy, an animated short film featuring the titular Tinny trying to escape from Billy, a human baby. That nascent narrative thread was developed into a buddy comedy.

Steve Jobs sold Pixar to Disney before his untimely death in 2011. The studio that once dwarfed the House of Mouse is but a brand alongside Marvel and Star Wars on Disney+. However, Toy Story’s cultural impact cannot be overstated.

What are your memories of Toy Story? Let me know in the comments below.

Stargate reopens on Prime Video

On Wednesday, Prime Video dropped a surprise announcement. After 14 years, the Stargate is about to reopen for a new generation.



"Twenty years ago, my first real job in television was as a Story Editor on Stargate: Atlantis,” Blindspot creator Martin Gero said. “I spent five years at the franchise working across all three series, Stargate taught me everything about making television — it’s written into my DNA. I’m beyond thrilled that Amazon MGM Studios has entrusted me with guiding this incredible franchise into its next phase. For those who’ve kept the gate active through conventions, rewatches, and unwavering faith — this one’s for you. And for those that are new to our world — I promise you’re in for something extraordinary."

The Stargate franchise centres on the titular device, which creates a stable wormhole and allows near-instantaneous travel across the cosmos.

“It is not a reboot,” Gero said. “It is a brand new chapter. It’s its own unique chapter in the Stargate universe.”

For fans wanting to catch up in the meantime, you'll first need to watch the original Stargate movie, followed by the spin-off series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe.

Stargate will be streaming exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Stargate on Prime Video? Let me know in the comments below.

Disney+ to add user-generated AI content

Disney+ will be adding user-generated artificial intelligence (AI) content as part of a major overhaul to the streaming service! Isn't there already an app for that?

“The other thing that we’re really excited about, that AI is going to give us the ability to do, is to provide users of Disney+ with a much more engaged experience, including the ability for them to create user-generated content and to consume user-generated content — mostly short-form — from others,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said at the company's recent investment call.

AI is a disruptor with untold consequences for all industries.

Disney’s latest gambit is an astonishing development, considering the company’s extensive efforts to protect its own intellectual property (IP) from misuse by AI. The House of Mouse has already utilised AI for Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion on Disney+. Prophetic, as the company was forced to concede its use of AI after being called out by eagle-eyed viewers.

This has been met with mostly derision, leading to a backlash from Disney+ subscribers (I won't be renewing an annual subscription due to the cost of living crisis) and creatives, too.

The creator of The Owl House, Dana Terrace, urged fans to unsubscribe. "If you pay us we’ll let you make your own content slop! That we will own!" Terrace wrote as she shared the news on X (formerly Twitter).

Iger implied a deepening relationship with Epic Games by adding game-like features to Disney+.

“The opportunity here, we think, is enormous in terms of increasing our engagement with Disney fans across the world,” Iger added.

What are your thoughts on user-generated AI content shared on Disney+? Is it good or bad? What safeguards should be in place? Let me know in the comments below.

The Legend of Zelda movie first look

On Monday, Nintendo released an official first look at The Legend of Zelda live-action movie, which is directed by Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes). The look of Link and Princess Zelda is inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, who is producing, revealed the casting of Link and Zelda over the summer, writing in a social media post: “I am pleased to announce that for the live-action film of ‘The Legend of Zelda,’ Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason-san, and Link by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san. I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen.”

The beloved fantasy action-adventure video game franchise, drawing inspiration from Miyamoto's childhood and The Lord of the Rings, debuted on the Famicom Disk System in 1986 and holds a special place for many gamers (myself included).

Following leaked footage from the New Zealand-based production, where The Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed, Miyamoto has responded: "The release is some time away, so we'd appreciate it if you would wait patiently and look forward to it."

The upcoming live-action movie adaptation from Nintendo and Sony Pictures will be released in cinemas on 7th May 2027.

Are you looking forward to The Legend of Zelda movie? Let me know in the comments below.

The Sea Devils return from the depths

The Sea Devils return in more ways than one next month in The War Between the Land and the Sea, a 5-part spin-off series, on 7th December, as the original 1972 serial gets a special edition on BBC Four.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer says: “52 years after they first rose from the depths, it’s Sea Devil night across the BBC! A great idea never dies, and viewers young and old can now heed the warning: watch the seas!”

Fans are set to be transported back to 1972 with a newly re-edited version of the classic Doctor Who story The Sea Devils, airing on BBC iPlayer from 6am and BBC Four at 7pm on Sunday, 7th December, ahead of the foes’ highly-anticipated return in The War Between the Land and the Sea at 8:30pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

This new 90-minute blockbuster special condenses the original six-part adventure into a feature-length experience, with updated sound design by Mark Ayres, and an enhanced score featured in The War Between the Land and the Sea created by the legendary Lorne Balfe, which has been woven together with Malcolm Clarke’s groundbreaking 1972 music.

The Sea Devils stars Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor between 1970 and 1974, alongside Katy Manning as companion Jo Grant, and features the iconic villain, the Master, played by Roger Delgado. Written by Malcolm Hulke and directed by Michael E. Briant, the story introduced audiences to the formidable aquatic species, the Sea Devils.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to The Sea Devils and The War Between the Land and the Sea? Let me know in the comments below.

War is coming in Fallout

Prime Video has dropped an official trailer for Fallout season two.



The new season will pick up in the aftermath of season one’s epic finale and take audiences along for a journey through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas. Season two will premiere this December exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.

The series stars Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets, Sweetpea), Aaron Moten (Emancipation, Father Stu), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus, The Righteous Gemstones), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), and Frances Turner (The Boys).

The dynamic between Lucy (Ella Purnell) and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) was the beating heart of season one, and I can't wait to follow their road trip to New Vegas this holiday season.

Fallout is streaming exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Fallout season two? Let me know in the comments below.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens in 2026

The starship-like Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, a $1 billion passion project envisioned by Star Wars creator George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, will open to the public on 22nd September 2026, it has been announced.

“Stories are mythology, and when illustrated, they help humans understand the mysteries of life,” said George Lucas, co-founder of the museum.

Exhibits include a life-size Naboo Starfighter, General Grievous on his wheel-bike and original concept art for Indiana Jones.

“This is a museum of the people’s art—the images are illustrations of beliefs we live with every day. For that reason, this art belongs to everyone,” said Lucas Museum co-founder Mellody Hobson. “Our hope is that as people move through the galleries, they will see themselves, and their humanity, reflected back.”

As a Star Wars fan since 1977, I'm hoping the tour guides are astromech and protocol droids.

Are you planning to visit the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art? Let me know in the comments below.

Alien: Earth renewed for second season

Alien: Earth, the first spin-off series from the Alien franchise on Hulu on Disney+, premiered to rave reviews. Noah Hawley's prequel series is a blood-stained Peter Pan parable.

According to Deadline, Hawley's (Fargo) series has been renewed for a second season, with production moving to London, where it will begin filming in 2026.

“It has been our great privilege to work with Noah for more than a decade on some of FX’s best and biggest shows, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership well into the future,” said FX Chairman John Landgraf in a statement.

He continued: “Noah never stops surprising us with truly original stories – and his unique ability to bring them to vibrant life as a director and producer as well as writer makes him extraordinary.

"We can’t wait to get to work on the next season of Alien: Earth, as well as some equally exciting future projects in advanced development.”

Set 2 years before the original Alien, the series explores corporate espionage, an age-old quest for immortality and xenomorphs! Delivering the best hour of genre television this year. What’s not to like?

Eric Schrier, President, Disney Television Studios & Global Original Television Strategy added: “I learned first-hand that Noah was a unique talent while we worked on Fargo at FX. He has gone on to make many of the best shows in television, and I couldn’t be more excited that Noah will continue his FX partnership and broaden it across Disney Entertainment Television.”

Hawley's series introduced Alien fans (myself included) to a menagerie of monsters. T. Ocellus quickly became the star of the series, leaning into Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Hawley added: “I’m thrilled that this expanded deal opens the door to new opportunities across all of Disney Entertainment Television. FX has always supported bold, character-driven storytelling. From the very beginning with Fargo, they’ve encouraged me to take creative risks and follow the story wherever it leads. I’m grateful to continue exploring the world of Alien: Earth alongside our partners, cast, and crew as we begin the next chapter.”

Did you enjoy Alien: Earth? Are you excited about a second season? Let me know in the comments below.