io9’s Top 100 Posts of 2024

Years come and go, but blogs? Blogs are forever. As 2024 comes to an end, revisit the very best of the thousands of posts io9 produced this year—from the biggest breaking news to critical analysis of the latest TV shows, films, games, and more—with the top 100 stories you all read and shared the most in the last 12 months. From everyone here at io9, thank you for sticking with us. Here’s to another year, and many more to come, of posting!

100) 8 Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books to Read Ahead of Their Adaptations

Since its earliest days, Hollywood has been fond of adapting books for the screen—and in recent years, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books have become even more popular with screenwriters and studios. io9 has done several lists like this in the past (there’s still time to read Mickey7 before Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson’s Mickey 17 comes out next year!), but there are always potential new film and TV projects being announced. [Read more here]

99) Looking Back at When Star Trek Made Its Own Galaxy’s Edge

This month, Disney is celebrating the Season of the Force at its theme parks—new additions to Star Tours, character tweaks at Galaxy’s Edge, and more merch and snacks than you can wave a lightsaber at. It’s the apex of what the company has done with Star Wars at the parks so far… but a long time ago, in a galaxy closer to home, the other Star franchise of our hearts did its own bang up job. [Read more here]

98) Optimus Prime Gets an Ultra Update in New Transformers HasLab Project

In the world of Transformers, Optimus Prime is the guy. The traditional leader of the Autobots is the most popular character in the entire franchise and for good reason. He rules. You’d imagine it couldn’t get much bigger than him, but thanks to Hasbro, Prime is about to get a lot bigger. [Read more here]

97) I Finally Watched The Last Airbender, and It… Wasn’t Worth It

Adaptations can be tricky, particularly when the source material is animated. More often than not, they’re reviled upon reveal, because they often feel like they’re going through the motions or twisting the original thing into something it’s not. It can be a dismal prospect to see something you grew up with lose its identity, and things get even worse when you can’t really let it go. [Read more here]

96) Star Trek Is Quite Different in the World of For All Mankind

In a certain way, the incredible Apple TV+ show For All Mankind can be looked at as an unofficial precursor to Star Trek. Both shows imagine an alternate reality where events in the past made it so technology and space travel continued to develop throughout our lifetimes. But while Star Trek starts in the future, on For All Mankind, we see that past. We took the moon, we took Mars, and we’re still going. If you shift that story a few hundred years into the future, you can easily imagine a Starfleet made up of ships with warp drives. [Read more here]

95) Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse Should Have Been Out This Weekend

Last year’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ended on a somewhat down note: Miles Morales was trapped on Earth-42, chained up by that universe’s version of himself, who’s operating as the new Prowler alongside his still-alive Uncle Aaron. Gwen Stacy, meanwhile, had rounded up her own team of Spider-heroes to go find him across the multiverse, just as an amped-up Spot had made his way back to Miles’ home dimension so he could consume it. That “To Be Continued…” card hit like a gut punch, but one alleviated by the fact that at the time, follow-up Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse was less than a year away. [Read more here]

94) Severance Reveals Its Return Date and a Tantalizing First Clip

Severance fans have been dangling on that agonizing cliffhanger since April 2022, and there’s a bit more of a wait to go until season two—but at least we know exactly when it’s coming. Apple TV+ has just announced that its quirky, Emmy-winning sci-fi thriller will return Friday, January 17, 2025, and shared some appropriately mysterious footage from the new season. [Read more here]

93) Umbrella Academy Season 4 Finally Has a Premiere Date

Who’s ready for another apocalyptic summer? Fans haven’t seen The Umbrella Academy’s Hargreeves family since season three’s space-time chaos arrived in June 2022—but we now know the fourth and final season will finally hit Netflix globally on August 8. [Read more here]

92) Lego’s April Releases Roll for Initiative

After a couple of bumper months—and with eyes looking ahead to next month’s celebration of Star Wars Day—Lego is keeping things a little more quiet in April. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great kits… and two very big, very special ones. [Read more here]

91) Hasbro’s New Deadpool and Wolverine Figures Are Not Deadpool & Wolverine Figures

Truly, it is the week of “here is merchandise featuring Deadpool and Wolverine, but it’s definitely not Deadpool & Wolverine merchandise, because licensing takes time.” Just after we got to see some rad Logan and Wade art, Hasbro has announced two updated movie figures of the irascible mutant duo… but it’s mostly so you have something to hold you over until actual Deadpool & Wolverine toys happen. [Read more here]

90) 10 Recent Horror Movies Streaming on Hulu

Winter weather is a great reason not to leave the couch—so why not crank up the heat, pile on some blankets, and seek chills in your entertainment instead? Hulu’s got a great selection of recent horror films streaming right now, so here are 10 to get you started. [Read more here]

89) Discovery Is Opening Star Trek‘s Biggest Pandora’s Box

This week, Star Trek: Discovery kicked off its final season with a bold adventure—one with intimate ties to a classic Star Trek: The Next Generation story no other show in the franchise has dared to follow up on. In doing so, it’s opening up the kinds of opportunities that only Discovery really can—but it requires a delicate balancing act in the process. [Read more here]

88) The Walking Dead Just Won’t Die

The zombie plague might be a bit of a MacGuffin in AMC’s The Walking Dead—you know, because the real drama comes from conflict between humans—but that life-after-death theme now applies to the franchise too. After 11 seasons of the main series, plus five previous spin-offs, the latest entry, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, is shaping up to be a ratings smash. [Read more here]

87) In Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2’s New Trailer, Voyager Flies Again

There’s definitely a certain song that could be sung about the road Star Trek: Prodigy’s second season will have taken to our eyeballs by the time we get to watch it on July 1. But now we have our first extended look at Prodigy’s sophomore season, I mostly just find myself whistling the Voyager theme song instead. [Read more here]

86) September’s Lego Releases Take Us to Hyrule and Halloween Town

After August’s Lego deluge, September is looking relatively quiet for the brickbuilder… outside of two massive sets in particular, that is. [Read more here]

85) San Diego Comic-Con 2024: 10 Winners and 5 Losers From This Year’s Event

San Diego Comic-Con 2024 was about as close to the Comic-Con of old as it could possibly be. Last year, the writers’ and actors’ strikes put a bit of a damper on some of the event’s prestige, but that was back and more in 2024. Huge drone shows, major movie premieres, massive celebrities, and big-time news were all back on the menu—and that was just from Marvel Studios. [Read more here]

84) Colin Farrell Hated Filming That Penguin Finale Scene as Much as You Did Watching It

While The Penguin‘s finale was filled with twists and turns as the series cemented its place in comic book TV royalty, perhaps it’s unsurprising to learn that star Colin Farrell had a terrible time making it. No prosthetic wang needed this time to make things miserable, but instead the sheer horror of having to work through one of the series’ darkest moments. [Read more here]

83) Netflix Cracks Down on Discord to ID the Person Behind the ‘Worst Leak in Streaming History’

Back in August, Netflix suffered from a massive leak that saw full episodes of shows like Arcane, Terminator Zero, and Ranma 1/2 leak online ahead of their official release. At the time, Netflix released an official statement saying it was “actively taking action” against the perpetrator of the leaks, and now the streamer has set its sights on Discord to unveil the perpetrator behind the leaks. [Read more here]

82) The Boys Completes Its Supernatural Infinity Stones With Jared Padalecki

Supernatural’s Jared Padelecki confirmed he’s finally ready to make an appearance on The Boys following the CW’s recent cancelation of the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot. [Read more here]

81) Hasbro Is Selling Power Rangers‘ History, and No One’s Happy About It

Last year, Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury brought a definitive end to the 30-year TV (and films, comics, etc) saga that began all the way back with Mighty Morphin in 1993. While the future of the franchise is currently up in the grid, its past is being put to bed in the worst way possible. [Read more here]

80) 10 Classic Sci-Fi Performances Snubbed by the Oscars

Oscar nominations will be announced later this month, and Poor Things’ Emma Stone and Barbie’s Margot Robbie are all but guaranteed to be in the Best Actress race. Last year, Everything Everywhere All at Once swept three of the four acting categories. That suggests sci-fi and fantasy films, whose stars don’t always get attention they deserve (same goes for horror; check out our list of recent horror snubs here), have fully entered into the realm of Academy Award prestige. [Read more here]

79) Deadpool 3 Set Pictures Tease a Multiverse of Madness

The Minecraft movie cast continues to grow weirder and weirder. Get a look at the stars of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender in new posters. Halo teases the fight for Reach in a new trailer. Plus, James Gunn talks Superman: Legacy’s addition of the Authority. Spoilers get! [Read more here]

78) Crunchyroll Will Start Paywalling One Piece Anime Arcs Behind Premium Subscriptions

Earlier today, Crunchyroll announced that it will soon be paywalling specific arcs of the megapopular One Piece anime arc on the streamer for premium subscribers. [Read more here]

77) Stellan Skarsgård Went Through Hell Playing Baron Harkonnen

Playing a role where your body is artificially enlarged, you’re constantly attached to tubes, and you spend large portions in a mystery liquid is obviously not easy. But that’s exactly what Stellan Skarsgård had to do not once, but twice, to play the evil Baron Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. And while the actor admitted the process was “hell,” it seems as if it was worth it. [Read more here]

76) Lego’s 25th Anniversary Star Wars Sets Deliver Ships, Droids, and a Must-Have Minifigure

In 1999, Star Wars changed the world all over again with the start of the prequel trilogy in The Phantom Menace—and changed the toy world all over again too. Not just with its own action figures though: 1999 saw Lego reveal its very first licensed subset in Lego Star Wars, and has been pillaging our savings with awesome toys ever since. So, to mark the 25th birthday of it all, the company is… well, pillaging those savings all over again. [Read more here]

75) Sonic 3 Confirms a Major Character Casting

Wes Ball details the setting for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. New set pictures reveal Disney’s live-action take on Lilo & Stitch. Plus, another Marvel Netflix star wants to make a return for Daredevil: Born Again. Spoilers, away! [Read more here]

74) Borderlands‘ First Clip Is a Bunch of Bloodless Bull(et)crap

Gearbox’s Borderlands games are known for quite a few things, but the biggest among those is arguably its sense of humor. It was Borderlands 2 where the franchise’s sense of comedy really took shape, and the series has since been littered with humor largely in the vein of crass or internet humor. No surprise then that carries over to the live-action film, whose first clip is…well, it is what it is. [Read more here]

73) The Acolyte Ends as the Rot Within Becomes the Rot Without

“Power corrupts, and when you’re in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they’re actually not,” George Lucas once said in a 2005 interview with Wired, heralding the end of the Star Wars prequel trilogy—seemingly at the time, with Star Wars at all—in Revenge of the Sith. The movie gave us the fall of the Republic, the fall of the Jedi Order: the twilight of a golden age wrought by a series of choices, personal and systemic, that saw grasps on power slip and and tighten on all sides of its conflict until even its ultimate survivors were left forever scarred in some form or another. [Read more here]

72) Lego’s Nightmare Before Christmas Set Comes With a Perfectly Long-Legged Jack Skellington

When Lego first confirmed that it would be taking a fan-designed Nightmare Before Christmas pitch from its “Lego Ideas” crowdsourcing platform and turning it into an official set, there were some interesting questions as to how the brick-builder was going to take the unique shapes and aesthetics of Henry Selick’s animated classic and render them in block form. Well, now we know, and the result is pretty genius. [Read more here]

71) Disney’s New Tangled Ride Has to Be Seen to Be Believed

Here’s our first look inside Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, a new dark ride at Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs based on Disney Animation’s Tangled. The attraction is a boat ride not unlike Pirates of the Caribbean that takes you through the story of Rapunzel’s dream to see the floating lanterns glow—and discover that her “mother” kidnapped her to use her magical long hair for eternal youth, and that maybe she’s her kingdom’s lost princess. [Read more here]

70) Alex Garland’s Controversial Civil War Is Now Playing at Home

One of the year’s best and most polarizing movies just made its way home. Alex Garland’s Civil War, the terrifying near-future thriller about a United States that’s no longer so united, is now available on demand. It grossed almost $70 million domestically, which means plenty of movie fans saw it, but even more didn’t. So now, if you were on the fence, you can check it out in the comfort of your own home. [Read more here]

69) It’s Time for Power Rangers to Morph Into Something New

The Power Rangers have been doing their thing for decades, but recent times have been kind of all over the place. While the Boom! comics have been going for nearly a decade in the Mighty Morphin time period under a rotating roster of creators, Hasbro hasn’t done a lot with the larger property. But a new beginning is seemingly in store for the Rangers, so let’s unpack what’s happening, shall we? [Read more here]

68) House of the Dragon Director Breaks Down Alicent’s Big, Silent Moment of Horror

House of the Dragon‘s most memorable moments tend to be flashy, (quite literally) fiery, and shot through with agonizing violence. There was plenty of that in last week’s episode, but episode five, “Regent,” which aired last night, gave us one of the most powerful reactions we’ve ever seen on the show—and also one of the quietest. In a new interview, “Regent” director Clare Kilner discussed how it all came together. [Read more here]

67) The Best Mutant Movie of the Year Has a New Trailer

When Marvel’s mutant-filled film Deadpool 3 hits theaters in July, we’re confident it’ll be great. However, no matter how amazing that massive film ends up being, we’re going to bet director Thomas Cailley’s new film, The Animal Kingdom, ends up being the best mutant movie of the year. It’s out in March and io9 has your exclusive look at its brand new trailer. [Read more here]

66) Kurt Russell Offers His Own Take on The Thing’s Enigmatic Ending

During Kurt Russell’s acting retrospective for GQ, the famed actor gave his thoughts on the ever-constant debate of which survivor is the Thing at the end of John Carpenter’s The Thing. During the shoot, what would be shown of the divisive ending was a matter of contention even for Carpenter himself, who now swears he’s the only one who knows who the Thing is—even though director of photography Dean Cundey has claimed the answer is in the eyes of the final two left standing. [Read more here]

65) Godzilla Minus One Keeps Getting Bigger and Bigger in the US

Ever since Godzilla Minus One came to North America in December, it’s been raking in cash and catching audience attention. Either on its own merits or becausethe Monsterverse movies have helped keep him in folks’ minds over the last few years, there’s a larger Godzilla fever that made Minus One’s reception and turnout a pleasant surprise. And as of this weekend, it’s now crossed a new milestone and hit a new benchmark for Japanese-made films in the U.S. [Read more here]

64) Lego’s Tribute to Batman: The Animated Series Is a Stylish City Skyline

Lego has, of course, done plenty of Batman sets in its time. But how do you capture the unique aesthetic of one of the character’s most iconic adaptations—the legendary Batman: The Animated Series—in brick form? It’s not the traditional play set some might have hoped for, but this new build is probably about as good as you can get. [Read more here]

63) 10 Years Ago Today, Star Wars Changed Forever

Arguably the most important, game-changing event in the history of Star Wars storytelling happened 10 years ago today. On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm announced that the Star Wars Expanded Universe was being pushed aside. All future storytelling would be part of the same, cohesive canon, and the EU stories fans knew and loved over the years would become disconnected “Legends.” [Read more here]

62) 30 Years Ago Today, Deep Space Nine Made Star Trek‘s Deadliest Threat Clear

There is a lot to love about Deep Space Nine before it quote unquote “Gets Good.” The show’s first two seasons are, in a lot of ways, about the things many praise DS9’s back half for dealing with: the cost of compromising Star Trek’s utopian future on the furthest fringes of its final frontier. But even then, few things prepared its audience for the moment everything changed with the arrival of the Dominion War. [Read more here]

61) Steven Spielberg’s New Movie Will Battle Avengers and Star Wars

Forty years to the day after Steven Spielberg sent Indiana Jones on a mine cart chase, he’s chasing his next movie, and it sounds like a biggie. The legendary director just set May 15, 2026 for the release of his new movie, which is being described as a “new original event film.” David Koepp, who penned Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds for Spielberg, is writing the script based an idea by Spielberg himself. [Read more here]

60) Doctor Who‘s New Streaming Home Has Been a Huge Success

To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary last year, the BBC made a huge, unprecedented move: for the first time, almost the entirety of Doctor Who, from episodes from 1963 all the way up to the then-airing anniversary specials, would be made available to stream in the UK in one place, on the BBC’s own streaming platform iPlayer. And it turns out doing so has helped the BBC break streaming records over the festive period. [Read more here]

59) I Must Not Fear the Dune: Part Two Wormussy Popcorn Bucket

Everything about the moviegoing experience is merchandisable, and long has been. But the rising trend of increasingly complex and elaborate collectible popcorn buckets might have finally reached the apex with Dune: Part Two, which invites you to place your hand in a very different kind of Gom Jabbar test. [Read more here]

58) Inside Out 2 Becomes First Animated Film to Earn $1 Billion

Variety reports Inside Out 2 has now “surpassed $1 billion at the international box office,” becoming the first animated film in history to do so. [Read more here]

57) Captain America: The Winter Soldier Trapped the MCU in a Machine of Its Own Making

Back in the early Marvel Cinematic Universe days, the second movies of a sub-franchise weren’t much to write home about. Both Iron Man 2 in 2010 and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World felt like unremarkable sequels compared to their predecessors, hamstrung by being fast-tracked before they were ready or just not doing much beyond offering some light spectacle. [Read more here]

56) 2024 Is a Hell of a Year in Star Trek History

The year 2024 is shaping up to be solid for Star Trek in our own reality—we’ve got the final season of Discovery, work is underway on Michelle Yeoh’s Section 31 film, and we’ve got the future of Strange New Worlds, Prodigy, and Lower Decks to look towards (and maybe even more?). But in Star Trek itself, this year is… well, it’s not great. [Read more here]

55) Glasgow Worldcon Apologizes for ‘Damage’ Caused by 2023 Hugo Awards Controversy

You’d think the biggest headlines surrounding an annual celebration of sci-fi and fantasy writing would be applauding the winners—but that’s not always the case with the Hugos. Its latest controversy involves works being deemed “not eligible” for consideration at the 2023 event, which was presented by Chengdu Worldcon in Chengdu, China. Now, we have a touch more clarity about what happened—and an apology from the organization as it looks to the future. [Read more here]

54) 10 More Amazing Sci-Fi Shows to Watch on Amazon Prime

This week brought the news that all four seasons, plus the miniseries and the made-for-TV movie, of the Battlestar Galactica revival are now easily accessible on Amazon Prime. That addition means the streamer—which is already an excellent destination for sci-fi films—has even more reason to lure in fans of deep-space shenanigans, wasteland adventures, and alien encounters. [Read more here]

53) 10 Essential Giallo Movies to Watch on Shudder to Understand True Horror

What is a giallo, and why should you watch one? io9 has previously covered that question in detail, but the quick answer is: these vintage European, horror-adjacent thrillers deliver style and sleaze in equal measures. Looking for coherent plots and capable acting? Keep it moving. But for lurid good times that very much reflect the era in which they were made, these Shudder titles have you covered. [Read more here]

52) Mads Is a One-Shot Rollercoaster Ride Through a Deadly Outbreak

We’ve all seen movies that show the beginning of an outbreak. Viral, zombie, no matter which it is, the outbreak always starts with one person and then quickly spreads everywhere. What you probably haven’t seen, though, is that story told in real-time without edits, following a group of friends on what was supposed to be a fun night out that turns into an absolute nightmare. [Read more here]

51) How the Finale of the Dungeons & Dragons ’80s Cartoon Became a Pop-Culture Mystery

Hasbro’s multitude of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons include streaming the fan-favorite 1980s D&D cartoon on the 24/7 Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures FAST channel. The animated series, despite a relatively short run of three seasons and 27 episodes, has become a fantasy genre classic. The engaging storytelling and dark themes greatly influenced future media—and the characters were so memorable, 40 years later they caused a social media frenzy when their live-action counterparts made an unexpected cameo in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. [Read more here]

50) One of the Most Important Sci-Fi Shows of the 21st Century Is Finally Easy to Stream Again

Just like having to jump away every time the Cylons show up, Battlestar Galactica has long had a bit of a rough time having a stable home on streaming—perhaps all too thematically potent a reminder of the pitfalls of streaming’s dominance over physical media in the last few years. But if you haven’t snagged a good Blu-ray copy yet, then good news: Battlestar Galactica is taking a little time between jumps on Amazon Prime. [Read more here]

49) 13 Must-Watch Cult Movies That Make Tubi the Underrated King of Free Streaming

With nearly every big service committed to regular price hikes, there’s never been a better time to check out free, ad-supported streamers like Tubi. But with so much content in the FAST world, it can be overwhelming just trying to pick a movie. Cult fans, we got you: here are 15 wonderfully weird titles to start off your Tubi journey. [Read more here]

48) Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making

People watch Saturday Night Live to laugh, of course, but there are laughs and then there are sketches that last forever. This past weekend, Ryan Gosling hosted SNL and the episode may have featured one of those all-time sketches. What starts as a discussion of AI then turns into one of the most absurd and random pop culture references imaginable as two audience members who look like the characters from Beavis and Butt-Head derail the whole thing. [Read more here]

47) Next Star Wars Movie The Mandalorian & Grogu Has a Release Date

It’s probably slightly early to get in line at the theater, but The Mandalorian & Grogu has an official release date. The next Star Wars movie will arrive May 22, 2026—replacing a slot held for “Untitled Star Wars” on Disney’s release schedule. [Read more here]

46) 10 Cult Horror and Sci-Fi Movies to Stream on Peacock Tonight

As io9 has noted before, Peacock has an excellent array of horror films. While you can find recent releases like Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Exorcist: Believer, and Sick, why not dig a little deeper into the vault? Here are 10 to get you started, and there’s a lot more to discover once you’re ready for more. [Read more here]

45) Okay, *Now* Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is Ready to Show You Season 3

Impacted as it was by the Hollywood strikes last year, when Paramount beamed into San Diego earlier this year to give Comic-Con the first look at Strange New Worlds season three, things were… weird. Instead of a trailer, fans were treated to a scene from an episode from the new season, and it was one that raised some questions (and a few Vulcan ears) that irked diehard fans who would otherwise be excited for what Strange New Worlds has been cooking in Star Trek‘s past. Now at New York Comic Con, however, the show is in a much better place to tease what’s coming. [Read more here]

44) 10 Sci-Fi Movies on Amazon Prime Just Asking For Repeat Viewings

There are lots of reasons to re-watch movies—the obvious being you love them so much, you just want to enjoy them again. There are also situations where a movie has so much going on, or whips out a big third-act reveal that upends all of act one, that you just soak in more when you go back for seconds. [Read more here]

43) 25 Years On, Final Fantasy VIII‘s Real Opening Remains Incredible

The destruction of Zanarkand in Final Fantasy X, the Bombing Mission in Final Fantasy VII, the Magitek mechs stomping through the snows towards Narshe, Final Fantasy XVI‘s Game of Thrones-ian slaughter. The beloved gaming series is known for some truly wild set pieces to hook you into an dozens upon dozens of hours of adventure. But one still hits, even if it takes a moment for you to actually get it: Final Fantasy VIII‘s landing at Dollet. [Read more here]

42) John Wick Presents Ballerina Looks Like a Genuine Wick Flick

The next John Wick will be worth the wait. That was the message Lionsgate had at CinemaCon 2024 as it dropped all new footage from John Wick Presents Ballerina, the now June 2025 release starring Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Gabriel Byrne, and Norman Reedus. [Read more here]

41) NASA Really Made Its Own Tabletop RPG for You to Play

NASA still has plenty of cool projects afoot in the real world—did you hear about that asteroid-redirecting test? Or those space-friendly cameras?—but it’s also trying to stir imaginations in fantastically creative ways, too. Enter The Lost Universe, the agency’s first-ever tabletop roleplaying game. [Read more here]

40) A Fourth Game of Thrones Spin-Off Is Seemingly Still in the Works

Game of Thrones architect George R.R. Martin might be less than thrilled with the current state of House of the Dragon, which just concluded its second season and has a third on the way, but HBO—which pushed through the negative reaction to Thrones‘ final season and launched Dragon to great fanfare—isn’t shying away from exploring more of Westeros. We already know of two more spin-offs, one that’s officially en route and one that might be happening, and now a second title in that latter category has a small update to share. [Read more here]

39) 10 More Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Books to Read Before They’re Adapted

If you’re not already backlogged on reading all the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror books that are in line to be adapted (past io9 lists here, here, here, and here), get ready: we’re about to add to the pile. Here are 10 more genre books coming to screens soon, a mix of familiar classics and recent best-sellers. [Read more here]

38) The Marvels Heads Home Starting Next Week

It seems like not as many people took the chance to see The Marvels in theaters as Disney and Marvel may have liked, given how the studio quietly stopped publicly updating its box office and then very publicly decided on who it could blame for that. But now, people will get a chance to see what Carol, Monica, and Kamala were up to when the film begins its home release next week. [Read more here]

37) DC Is Already Preparing For Its Heroes’ Public Domain Era

The arrival of Steamboat Willie—and with it, the first steps of Mickey Mouse himself—into the public domain at the start of 2024 has been a milestone that, in just under three weeks, already seen a bevy of horrifying riffs and a look ahead to what other stalwarts of culture will join him next. At Warner Bros., just as it prepares to refashion a new superhero movie era, all eyes are on the near horizon. [Read more here]

36) Eric Kripke Addresses Certain Fans Realizing The Boys Was Always About Them

The Boys season four has gotten some disparaging ratings on Rotten Tomatoes thanks to some of the most hilarious self-owns coming from a certain small demographic of fans who didn’t realize the show was a satire. Somehow it escaped them until now that yes—it’s always been about them. [Read more here]

35) Every Moment You’re Playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Feels Like Torture

Indiana Jones should be the perfect video game hero. He solves puzzles, he shoots Nazis, he leaps and swings through an international cavalcade of locations primed for platforming. His very existence has inspired some of the greats of the medium, from Tomb Raider to Uncharted, all in homage to the whip-slinging blueprint Indy provided. And while he’s definitely starred in plenty of attempts over the years, he still feels like he’s waiting for his moment to shine in the world of games of his own accord, rather than simply via the impact of his legacy. [Read more here]

34) X-Men ’97 Just Sped Through One of the Greatest Stories in Comics History

Adaptation is always a challenge—but it’s a particularly daunting one in the case of comic books, where a new medium has to reckon with translating sagas told across years of issues and continuity fluxes. For the most part, X-Men ‘97‘s latest episode navigates this task the best it can, but the sacrifices it makes come at the cost of a character brimming with potential for further exploration. [Read more here]

33) Lego’s Super Mario and Mario Kart Sets Will Have You Dashing to Stores

If you’ve been thinking to yourself, “I need some new Legos to put on my shelf,” the company’s got you covered. Along with its newly revealed set for Batman: The Animated Series, a new array of sets for its Super Mario line are in the works. [Read more here]

32) A Deleted Scene From David Lynch’s Dune Has Suddenly Resurfaced

David Lynch’s 1984 Dune was the eccentric auteur’s take on Frank Herbert’s “unfilmable” classic science fiction book series. It was divisive but became a cult film nonetheless, and stars Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow, and Linda Hunt. [Read more here]

31) Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Changes Its Name for Paramount+

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One finally came to theaters last year after a longer than expected wait due to COVID. If you decided to wait for it to hit streaming, good news: it’s hitting Paramount+ next Friday, January 25. [Read more here]

30) Kevin Feige Rejected So Many of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 Pitches

The pairing of Deadpool and Wolverine in their own full-fledged action comedy always somehow felt inevitable—despite Wolverine’s grand send-off in Logan, Ryan Reynolds seemingly willed his re-teaming with Hugh Jackman into existence. But enthusiasm is only the first step, and in a new interview, the star and Marvel’s Kevin Feige discussed how they plotted the characters’ long-anticipated entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [Read more here]

29) The Fifth Element Is Making Its Way Back to the Big Screen

There’ve been plenty of big re-releases in theaters this year, mainly because 2024 is home to some sizable anniversaries in film and pop culture. The newest movie to make its way back to the big screen is Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, courtesy of reliable re-release distributor Fathom Events. [Read more here]

28) Discovery Will Be the First Star Trek Show in 50 Years to End Without a Jonathan Frakes Appearance

When you think of the most important people in Star Trek history, in terms of actors at least you might look to the legacies of people like William Shatner or Patrick Stewart. But the real answer to that question is probably Jonathan Frakes, who has been a part of pretty much all televised Trek since the ‘70s—and when Discovery ends in a few months, it’ll break the trend of his influence, at least in front of the camera. [Read more here]

27) Somehow, Ventress Returned

Today Lucasfilm dropped our best look yet at the third and final season of Disney+’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch. But beyond setting the stage for the crew’s attempts to save Omega from the clutches of the Empire, the trailer also brought with it a shocking reveal: Asajj Ventress, the fallen former Sith disciple turned renegade, is back. And with that reveal came a lot of questions. [Read more here]

26) And DC’s New Supergirl Is…

James Gunn’s new DC Universe has found its Supergirl, and she already knows how to fly. Milly Alcock, who played the young dragon-riding Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen on HBO’s House of the Dragon, has been cast as the Kryptonian, beating out several other actresses for the role. [Read more here]

25) Stranger Things’ Final Season Recasts a Season 1 Character

Outlander sets its return. Scott Derrickson’s new snipers-vs-monsters movie The Gorge gets its first look. Plus, what’s coming on Rick & Morty: The Anime, and a countdown to the werewolf apocalypse officially begins. Spoilers now! [Read more here]

24) Marvel’s Agatha Harkness Show Gets Its Actual, Obvious Title

Agatha All Along was, of course, Agatha all along. Tuesday, Marvel Studios finally finished its multi-year magic trick, changing the title of the upcoming Agatha Harkness show every few months, and landed on its official title. And it’s the one we expected all along: Agatha All Along. The show will debut with a two-episode premiere on September 18. [Read more here]

23) There’ll Be No More Bluey for a While After This Week’s ‘Surprise’ Episode

If viewers felt that after the 28-minute Bluey finale “The Sign”—and its unannounced season three coda episode “Surprise,” which dropped on Disney+ last night—that there was a sense of finality to the beloved animated series, it was in a way intentional. [Read more here]

22) Bluey Mini Theme Park Just Got Its First Commercial

Bluey’s World is opening later this year in the Heeler family’s neighborhood of Brisbane, Australia. Inspired by Ludo Studio’s hit animated series Bluey, this mini theme park experience is an upgrade from a traveling pop-up; it’s more of a permanent residence with attractions throughout, offering a real recreation of Bluey’s house and familiar areas seen on the show for families to explore. Set to open on November 7, it’s gearing up to be a must-visit for die-hard Bluey fans. [Read more here]

21) The New Civil War Trailer Sets Lincoln’s Legacy on Fire

We’ve already gotten one scary look at Civil War, and the new trailer for Alex Garland’s near-future action thriller is just as chilling—it’s light on fresh plot details, but heavy on disturbing atmosphere. America has splintered into factions at war with each other, with civilians, cities, and even beloved national monuments in the crosshairs. [Read more here]

20) Picard’s Famous Tea Cup Is Coming Back, Years After It Was Discontinued

While we’ve occasionally questioned Jean-Luc Picard’s tastes in both food and drink, no matter how you feel about Earl Grey you can’t deny that he and the Starfleet of the 2360s had great taste in mug design. Taste so great, in fact, almost a decade after the real-world mug TNG used to highlight Picard’s favorite past time was discontinued, it’s making its way back on sale. [Read more here]

19) There’s New Bluey Out There, and We Can’t Watch It!

The Bluey moment has reached a fever pitch as the hit animated series about a family of Heeler dogs has attracted fans across generations. Even among those without kids, the endearing and clever show has gained a considerably powerful fandom that wants more. [Read more here]

18) Seth MacFarlane Just Gave New Hope to Orville Fans Across the Galaxy

The Orville’s third season finale, which sure felt like it could be a series finale, warned you right in its title: “Future Unknown.” But though there’ve been no new Orville episodes since 2022, the Hulu show’s passionate fan base has been keeping the faith on social media. And now, creator and star Seth MacFarlane has offered some fresh hope for a possible fourth season. [Read more here]

17) I Can’t Believe The Acolyte‘s Cool Helmet Is Han’s Hoth Jacket All Over Again

Lots of shocking things came out of this week’s episode of The Acolyte, but for me, one stands above the rest. It’s the fact that our new favorite maybe-Sith, the Stranger, is wearing a bronze helmet, not a black helmet. [Read more here]

16) Evangeline Lilly Is Done With Acting, Marvel Included

The Marvel Cinematic Universe loses its Hope Van Dyne after a run in the Disney franchise world starring in Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania—as well as appearances in the MCU event Avengers films. The Wasp is done. [Read more here]

15) Japan Has Said Goodbye to Its Life-Sized Gundam

A little over three years after it made its stomping debut, the mechanized, moving real-scale replica of the original legendary Gundam in Yokohama is no more. But Bandai sent out its walking, talking giant robot with a bang—and a tribute that paid homage to Gundam’s past and present. [Read more here]

14) New Disney Leak Reveals Early Look at Gravity Falls, Owl House, and Plenty More

Just before the weekend started, the animation space lit up when someone suddenly leaked a lot of never-before-seen internal material from Disney. We won’t link to it, but included in that material is a sizable amount of stuff from the company’s TV animation slate across its Disney Channel and Disney XD networks that goes as far back as the mid-2000s. Gravity Falls, Owl House, you name it: if it’s got a sizable fanbase (and isn’t a Marvel cartoon), then it’s probably featured here in some fashion. [Read more here]

13) John Krasinski’s IF Is an Absolute Disaster

In a world of cinematic universes, it makes no sense that IF exists. You may think we mean that because IF is an original, big-budget Hollywood release, the likes of which we don’t see much anymore. But that’s not it at all. What we mean is in a sea of films that are beholden to strict rules of canon and storytelling, somehow IF was made without any acknowledgment of that. It makes rules, it breaks rules, it starts storylines and never pays them off, and in the process gives us a film that’s so maddening, any minor goodwill it gains goes right out the window. Everything that Hollywood has learned in the past few decades was not applied to IF. [Read more here]

12) Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Ride Actually Goes Off the Rails

At Universal Studios Japan, Super Nintendo World’s “jumping” Donkey Kong ride puts visitors in the mine-cart action of the video game, broken tracks and all. That’s right, you’ll be experiencing a very realistic simulation of being in Kong’s cart and jumping onto a completely different rail on this coaster set to open at Universal Studios Japan. [Read more here]

11) Watch the Movie That Scared Horror Master Mike Flanagan

Mike Flanagan is no stranger to giving people nightmares, thanks to a filmography that includes The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and Gerald’s Game. (His 2011 feature debut, Absentia, haunts me anytime I see a sidewalk that enters into a tunnel.) With a new Exorcist film on his list of upcoming projects—something he recently told the Hollywood Reporter he views as “an opportunity to make the scariest movie I’ve ever made”—he was asked which movies he personally finds terrifying, and his answer was surprising. [Read more here]

10) Yes, That Was Who You Thought It Was in The Acolyte

For the most part, The Acolyte has set itself apart from the rest of Star Wars—both in terms of its placement in the timeline, a hundred years before the prequel trilogy, and in its desire to focus on new characters and explorations, rather than the familiar. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some intriguing connections… [Read more here]

9) The Boys Creator Doesn’t Care if You Stop Watching Because You’ve Just Noticed Its Agenda

The Boys returns to Prime Video next week with a big election storyline—and the skewering of current events will be more present than ever in Eric Kripke’s hit superhero satire. As the series enters its fourth season, the showrunner says he’s totally fine with turning off certain viewers who aren’t on board with that. [Read more here]

8) The First Footage From The Mandalorian & Grogu Is As Cold As Ice

In a surprise move at D23 tonight, Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni took the stage to give attendees the very first look at the next Star Wars movie: The Mandalorian & Grogu. [Read more here]

7) The New Battlestar Galactica Reboot Gets a Promising Update

News of Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail developing a new version of Battlestar Galactica broke almost five years ago. In that time, there haven’t been many updates, but now, finally, there’s a huge one and we’re hoping this is the news that pushes the project into reality. [Read more here]

6) Deadpool 3‘s Trailer Is Here to Save the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel Studios is only releasing one movie this year—but, from the looks of it, it’s going to be unforgettable. That movie, of course, is Deadpool & Wolverine, which brings the R-rated, fourth-wall-breaking hero from Fox’s X-Men Universe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ryan Reynolds stars and, this time, he’s bringing along his friend Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. [Read more here]

5) Blade Runner 2049 Still Keeps Denis Villeneuve Awake at Night

Things are going really, really well for Denis Villeneuve right now. Dune: Part Two—the sequel to his six-time Oscar-winning 2021 Dune—has gotten rapturous reviews and is on track for massive box-office success. And his career pre-Dune was also full of acclaim. But one film in particular carried so much weight, he still feels its heft from time to time. [Read more here]

4) Meet the Characters of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: New, Old, and Very Old

There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Tim Burton finally returning to this wild world he created all those years ago. Michael Keaton hopping back into one of his most iconic characters. Finding out what’s happened in the years since with Winona Ryder’s character Lydia, especially after the traumatic experience of the original film. And did Beetlejuice ever get to the front of the line in the waiting room? [Read more here]

3) The Greatest Sci-Fi Show You’re Still Not Watching Is Getting a New Season—and a Spinoff

The world of For All Mankind was forever changed when the Soviet Union arrived on the moon before the United States. That one event changed the course of the show’s alternate history, and now we’ll get to see exactly how it happened. [Read more here]

2) AMC Exec: We Wouldn’t Have Made the Dune Popcorn Bucket if We Knew You’d Be Sickos About It

Dune: Part Two has been a huge hit, and perhaps only one thing could eclipse it in infamy: the viral AMC sandworm popcorn bucket that had everyone talking… and doing other things. Looking back, it appears the theater chain/increasing novelty popcorn holder vendor might have done things very differently if it knew it was going to become a moment. [Read more here]

1) Fallout Makes the Latest Case to Kill the Binge Model

Like pretty much everyone else this weekend, I’m watching the TV adaptation of Fallout. I’m really enjoying it, and there’s a lot about it to like, from its characters and sense of place to the way it incorporates the game’s mechanics and setting into a non-interactive format. It’s a very solid show that has the potential to be great over time, something Amazon is reportedly already giving it with a season two renewal. [Read more here]

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.