Warner Bros. brought Dune: Part Three to CinemaCon 2026 with Denis Villeneuve, Timotheé Chalamet, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa. Villeneuve says that this next chapter takes place 17 years after the second film and is a faster, more emotional, and more action-packed.

Rather than simply repeating what came before, the film looks ready to show the cost of everything Paul Atreides has become. The world has changed, the visions and nightmares have turned real, and Paul is now living with the consequences. The story was described as a redemption arc and as a broken love story between Paul and Chani. That emotional split appears to be the heartbeat of the movie.

Timothée Chalamet framed Paul as a man who has become his own worst vision. He is still trying to hold onto part of himself while protecting the people he loves, even as he takes his place as a dark emperor. On the other hand, Zendaya’s Chani also seems poised to fight for more here. The years have not been kind to the world of Dune, and they have not been kind to her either. Even under that pressure, the film appears ready to keep her at the center of the story rather than leaving her in the background.

One of the more intriguing reveals involved Duncan Idaho. His body has been regenerated from Duncan’s cells, but he is no longer the same man. They present him as a gift to Paul, yet also described in stark terms: “he’s hate now.” That alone hints at a Duncan who could be both tragic and dangerous.

Finally, attendees were shown footage of the first 7 minutes of the film, which immediately set a harsher tone. Sirens wail as ships descend toward Paul’s home planet of Caladan. Explosions light up the sky, and the falling ships crash toward the surface. The sequence has a war-film feel, with a heavy sense of dread hanging over everything.

Inside the dropships, soldiers sit in near silence. The mood is tense and carries a strong Saving Private Ryan energy. These soldiers are Fremen, and they’re led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem). One of them talks about “water falling from the sky” because for the first time, they’re about to see rain. Remember, for the Fremen, rain is not normal. It is something almost unbelievable. Once on the ground, they move ahead.

The calm does not last. Stilgar warns everyone to wait, then shouts for them to get down. Sentry guns fire, spraying bullets as soldiers and ships are hit. A tower rises from the ground, turning the battlefield into a trap.

Stilgar keeps the group moving, brushing aside the moment with, “Enough sightseeing.” From there, Stilgar calls out coordinates, and a giant missile slams down toward the tower. The Fremen ask for the Shield Piercer, and Stilgar asks for three shots, but even that is not enough. The blasts bounce off, and some of the fire comes back toward them.

The footage sounds like a brutal opening, one built on fear, confusion, and overwhelming firepower. It also sets the stage for a much more war-driven film than audiences may expect.

After that opening, Warner Bros. showed a montage of scenes from the rest of the film. Paul tells Duncan, “You’re an Atreides, I need Duncan Idaho,” suggesting that their relationship will be a major part of the story. The montage also teases the growing divide between Paul and Chani. At the end, Chani stands against Paul on a battlefield while a sandworm bursts out of the sand.

For longtime fans, Dune: Part Three looks like the chapter where everything finally comes crashing together. It’s an emotional conflict on a huge scale. Paul is no longer just facing destiny. He is trapped inside what he created. We can’t wait.

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Jacques Heim is the founder of Diavolo, and his credits include choreographer for Cirque du Soleil’s KA. His experience has helped craft a show that fuses dance, story, and movement, resulting in a raw and chaotic performance that must be seen to be believed.

Check out the video below to get a taste of what the show has to offer:

Escape
Diavolo | Architecture in Motion

Dates: Performances begin on Saturday, March 28, 2026
and run through Sunday, June 14, 2026:

• Fridays at 8 pm
• Saturdays at 8 pm
• Sundays at 6 pm

Doors open half an hour before show time – Audiences are encouraged to come early and enjoy the interactive pre-show.

Venue: L’ESPACE DIAVOLO
616 Moulton Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90031

Tickets: Start at $39, and can be purchased by visiting www.diavolo.org/escape.

VIP seats — $79 Friday and $99 Saturday and Sunday feature best sightlines, a free drink and priority access to the pre- and post-show interactive elements

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To celebrate the partnership, KPop Demon Hunters and McDonald’s, along with IW Group, hosted an unforgettable party, KPop Demon Hunters x McDonald’s Battle for the Fans: After Dark, at the Bellwether in Los Angeles.

Kevin Woo, the singing voice of Mystery, was a special guest, and attendees danced the night away with a DJ playing all the hits from KPop Demon Hunters and other Kpop artists, including Black Pink, BTS, Stray Kids, and more. Activities included a cosplay contest, a dance battle, a photo station where fans could get their own photo card, and more.

McDonald’s Saja Boys or Huntrix meals were available, along with the Derpy McFlurry, and more.

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Stargate Universe’s Stargate Model

The miniature replica is of the gate that was found on the Destiny, a large ancient ship, in Stargate Universe. The gate is older than those found in the Milky Way Galaxy. The replica’s glyphs light up, with the address for Earth. It measures 9.25 inches across and is made of polystone. The item was based on the digital model supplied by MGM.

It retails for $59.99 and is available at MovieReplicas.com.

Stargate The Movie: Ra’s Pyramid Premium Model

Ra was the main antagonist in the Stargate film, and his base of operation was a ship shaped like a giant pyramid. The replica is 12 inches long and over 8 inches tall and was sculpted by Ed Giddings. It retails for $125 and is available via MasterReplicas.com.

F-302 Fighter Interceptor

Earth’s first fighter designed to operate in space was developed using alien technology. The ship includes railguns and guided missiles, with a hyperdrive for interstellar travel.

The model is 4 inches long and 8 inches wide. It retails for $64.99 at MasterReplicas.com.

Daedalus BC-304 Battle Cruiser

The ship is Earth’s second-generation capital ship. The model is available for pre-order here.

Master Replicas features products from other franchises, including The Matrix, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Fallout, Foundation, The Expanse, The Lord of the Rings, Dune, and more.

About Stargate the Movie

The film was written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich and directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day). It stars Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, and Viveca Lindfors. It was released in theaters on October 28, 1994.

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I had the chance to interview Nella Cole, who portrays Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife. Her song “Don’t Lose Your Head” is a high-energy pop track that captures her story, drawing inspiration from Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne.

“This show was a dream of mine, and Anne Boleyn was my dream role,” Cole tells Nerd Reactor. “So I first learned about it, I think, during the pandemic. Everything was closed, but I found out about Six and started listening to the music, and I became obsessed.

Cole has a background in pop music and commercial dance, so Six was definitely a musical that would have everything she would love.

“Six definitely blends all of my skills together,” she explained. “As soon as I got familiar with it, I was like, ‘I have to be in this show.’ And then it was a journey of going in and auditioning. And then you don’t hear anything, and then they bring you back again. It’s a lot of callbacks. It’s a lot of rounds. It just took a couple of years. I’m just coming back and getting to know the team and everything. Finally, I got the call that I got Anne Boleyn, and it was just a dream come true.”

The tale of the six ex-wives of King Henry VIII is known to many British. The saying, “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived,” is a popular saying among them.

“I think what’s interesting is Six has become so popular in the States, but it’s not our history,” she said. “So there’s a lot that we kind of miss that goes over our heads. But when we have team members who are from the UK, and we get to hear from them, it’s like a completely different thing in the UK. The history of the six wives is super prominent in their upbringing, and they learn about it in school. We open our show, you know, the first lyrics are divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. And I didn’t know that’s like a chant that they say in England, growing up to remember the six wives. So it’s totally different here in the States, but people have embraced it, and they love it.”

For Six the Musical tickets at Segerstrom, you can click on the link here.

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The trailers didn’t quite sell me. They made it look like light chaos, bright colors, maybe a few solid jokes, and not much else. I mean, even though it’s mentioned in the film, it ACTUALLY felt like it was going to be Avatar for kids. Pixar has built a reputation on emotional storytelling, but the marketing here felt like it was holding something back. I’m very glad I ignored my doubts.

Hoppers isn’t just fun; it’s heartfelt, thoughtful, and far more layered than its previews suggest.

Directed by Daniel Chong and written by Jesse Andrews, the film follows an animal lover named Mabel who uses new technology to transfer her consciousness into a life-like robotic beaver. She goes undercover in the animal kingdom, befriending a beaver named King George to save their habitat from the city’s development-focused Mayor. Piper Curda leads the ensemble with warmth, sincerity, and genuine compassion, bringing a vulnerability that anchors the film’s emotional core, while giving space for the character’s personal revelations.

Bobby Moynihan delivers steady humor that never undercuts the heart, but adds to it. He is an honest-to-goodness ray of sunshine who endures throughout the film. Jon Hamm brings a surprising amount of fun stubbornness to his performance, which marries well with the cast. Kathy Najimy adds a sense of chaotic fun as the professor, and Dave Franco rounds things out with a lively and nefarious energy as the Caligula-like Insect King.

The chemistry within this vocal cast is what truly makes the film soar. These performances feel connected. Conversations bounce naturally, emotional exchanges land without feeling forced, and the humor comes from developed character rather than punchlines. It feels like a group that actually knows one another, and that makes every moment resonate more deeply.

Visually, Pixar remains in a class of its own. The animation bursts with texture and light. Landscapes feel lived in. Expressions are layered and nuanced. The world of Hoppers carries a sense of movement that feels both playful and intentional. There are sequences that shimmer with imagination, yet it’s the quiet character beats that linger the longest.

What surprised me most was how confidently the story leans into its emotional themes, despite the heavy emphasis on zany antics based on the trailers. It explores community, insecurity, ambition, and the courage to embrace who you are without becoming heavy-handed. The humor keeps things buoyant, but the sincerity gives the story weight. I found myself laughing one moment and sitting quietly reflective the next.

Going in, I was uncertain. Walking out, I felt genuinely grateful that I had given it a chance.

Hoppers is the kind of animated film that sneaks up on you. It looks playful on the surface, then reveals a depth that feels earned and honest. It reminded me why Pixar remains such a powerful storyteller when it trusts its characters and lets them breathe.

Right now, it stands as the best animated film I have seen this year.

Rating: 5/5 atoms

Hoppers, starring Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, and Dave Franco, hops its way into theaters this Friday, March 6th.

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Starring as King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot is Major Attaway, who has the title of the longest continuous run of playing the Genie in the Broadway musical Aladdin. As the King of the Britons, he is on a quest for the Holy Grail.

“The Broadway show premiered in 2005, it won Best Musical, and now I get to do the show for a very mixed audience, which is wonderful,” Attaway tells Nerd Reactor. “There are parents and grandparents who know every word that I’m about to say, which is very exciting, except for the random updates that we’ve made. And then you have people who have seen the film recently for the first time or never seen it before. My favorite thing about this show is that they can still come and have a complete experience, even if there are jokes that they don’t already know the punchline to. That means the comedy is still precise and clear enough to still be funny after all these many years. And I think that is fantastic. That’s what’s keeping us going.”

Attaway is no stranger to comedy, who has performed in Aladdin and Little Shop of Horrors.

“With the Genie, I was the person they were most likely looking at because my costume, bright blue, covered in crystals, my head covered in glitter,” he explained. “So I understood what it was like to have to hold the attention, but redirect it. And the King definitely does that. He’s not necessarily the focal point of the situation, which is confusing in a bit of a way, but he’s like the put-upon man. He’s like, ‘I have this job to do, but everyone keeps getting in the way,’ even though I do the job. It definitely helped with how I control pacing on stage. My job is to make sure everyone else is funny in this show, not for me to be funny.”

The actor talks about one of his favorite moments in Spamalot, which allows him an opportunity for some improv.

“Our director described it as doors that open,” Attaway said. “There are doors that open to allow us to do whatever we feel will make the moment funny and move it forward. But then there are clear moments where that improv has come to a close. That means we have to get back on script. That’s how I still have so much freedom in my ad-libbing in the show, because I know when to do it. I know when it’s safe to go off the rails. We have to keep the story on track because my character is the push for the minimal plot that we have anyway. If King Arthur doesn’t remain focused on it, then everything could just fall apart.”

Tickets for Monty Python’s Spamalot are available at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts site. It will be returning to Southern California at the Hollywood Pantages from March 24 to April 12, with tickets available via Broadway in Hollywood.

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For anyone who needs a refresher, Secret Lair is the place where Wizards takes familiar cards and gives them fresh art, wild themes, or special twists that collectors and fans will love. These drops are limited and often available only for a short window, so they carry a mix of excitement, urgency, and a “did you snag that yet?” energy every time they drop.

This newest Superdrop leans hard into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover spirit, mixing mutant mayhem with surprising Magic staples. There are six drops in total, and each one brings its own personality:

This set, the Secret Lair x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: VHS Villains, features classic villain vibes like Higure, the Still Wind as “Shredder, Criminal Mastermind” and Triskelion as “Krang’s Android.”

Wizard’s is breaking out of their shell (pun intended) with Secret Lair x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Mighty Mutanimals, bringing us cards like Deepglow Skate as “Man Ray, Eco Avenger” and Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar as “Mondo Gecko, Esquire.”

Being a huge fan of the Last Ronin comic series, I am so excited for Secret Lair x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, which will bring fans Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni as “Splinter, Vengeful Sensei,” as well as incredible artwork pulled straight from the series’ pages.

Two drops featuring art by Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Turtles, give fans both colors and inks editions to enjoy.

A collection “Featuring Stan Sakai” brings Usagi Yojimbo into the mix with flavorful new identities.

Each of these drops will be priced at $29.99 for non-foil and $39.99 for foil versions, and if you want every card in one go, the Totally TubuLair! Everything Bundle offers both foil and non-foil versions for $399.99. There are also bundle options focused on specific subsets, like the Turtle Power Foil Bundle and a non-foil combo set.

This release is absolutely built for fans who enjoy seeing unexpected corners of pop culture woven into the Magic multiverse, and are super excited for the rest of the Universes Beyond set’s release. From sewer skirmishes to the philosophic calm of a ronin’s blade, the Totally TubuLair Superdrop feels like a celebration of collaboration and creativity that brings a beloved franchise into a new context.

Like all Secret Lair drops, these are likely to disappear once the window closes, so if any of these turtle-powered cards call to you, mark your calendar and prepare for the launch at 9 a.m. PT on March 2.

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For players who have been around competitive Magic for a while, this kind of announcement is part of the rhythm of the game. Wizards has explained that the goal of these updates is to keep formats feeling fun and fair without tipping the scales too far in any one direction, and what we got today reflects that mindset.

Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy: Still Quiet

For most of the big constructed formats, the verdict was simple: no changes. Standard stays as it was, with its wide variety of viable decks thanks to better diversity in the meta. Pioneer, Modern, and Legacy were untouched this round, meaning cards players expected could be targeted didn’t see any restriction or ban. For players who were rooting for a banning of certain over-performing cards in those formats, this will feel like a collective shrug, but also a sign that things are relatively balanced right now compared to past years.

Historic Shifts: A Bigger Story

The biggest individual hits went to Historic, where several cards were moved off the legal list entirely. Eldrazi Temple, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Crop Rotation, and Scholar of the Lost Trove are now banned in that format. On the flip side, a whole suite of cards previously absent from Historic are now legal again, including Magus of the Moon, Harbinger of the Seas, Force of Vigor, Force of Negation, Endurance, and Wilderness Reclamation. Agent of Treachery also returns to Historic playability after being freed by today’s changes.

This is the part where many players will feel their predictions were partly right; there were expectations that Historic would see some shake-ups, and Wizards delivered exactly that. However, the presence of several unbans was a bit more generous than some anticipated, so players who were bracing for only bans might feel pleasantly surprised.

Timeless Format Gets a Tweak

In Timeless, one noteworthy move was made: Necropotence is now restricted. This means players can still use it, but in a limited way that curbs some of its overwhelming power without removing it entirely from the format. That middle ground approach was something many players called for, given how iconic Necropotence is and how much it warps games when unrestricted.

Commander Sees Real Change

Commander, the format that generates perhaps the widest range of banlist speculation, got some true surprises. Two cards that have been banned for quite some time are now unbanned: Biorhythm and Lutri, the Spellchaser (Lutri is still banned as a companion, but otherwise legal). For Commander players who have been begging for these updates, this feels like recognition that the format continues to evolve and that some old restrictions might not matter as much in the context of broader multiplayer play.

Community discussion prior to the announcement saw wild price movements on cards like Primeval Titan, Prophet of Kruphix, and Jeweled Lotus as speculators anticipated potential unbans, but ultimately today’s changes were more measured than the most extreme expectations.

What This Means for Players

For folks playing Standard at your local store or queueing up for day one of a Premier event, today’s announcement probably won’t radically change your deckbuilding plans. But for Historic and Commander players, there’s plenty to explore. Some decks that were dormant may see new life, and interactions that once felt unthinkable could become part of your next game night.

Taken together, this update reads as an interesting conversation between Wizards and the community, rather than a list of unilateral strikes. It’s a reminder that balance is a moving target, and that part of what makes Magic so engaging is seeing how formats shift as new sets, strategies, and play habits emerge.

If you’ve been glued to prediction threads about which cards would be struck or restored today, this announcement gives players a good indication as to the trajectory Wizards is planning to move in future decisions. Whether you’re building a new Historic brew or dusting off your Commander deck, there is plenty to talk about and explore after today’s banlist shift.

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Brassroots District: LA ’74 will be in Los Angeles beginning on February 7, 2026.

“So we have built a show that basically allows you to live your funkiest ’70s dreams,” said Andrew Leib, the co-creator of the experience. “It’s about a band on the rise in early ’70s Los Angeles. They’re all over the airwaves. They’re climbing the charts. They’re selling out venues all over town. And you have been invited as an attendee to their album release show. And just as if you were to go to an album release show in real life, you’re listening to the music of the band, you’re getting really excited, you come to the show, and you might meet some folks and characters of the venue. You might meet the band’s manager, Nancy, who comes up to you and says, ‘Hey, you should come backstage. Do you want to meet the band?’ Or maybe you’ll meet Cassie the Brassy, the head of the fan club.”

Audiences will get to dive deep into the band members’ dynamic, along with experiencing the happenings of the time.

“It’s about a band on the rise,” Leib explained. “It’s about interpersonal relationships between band members and characters. It’s about the time period with politics and race relations and culture and fandom and music. It’s about all of that stuff, and it’s pretty in your face.”

The show features all original funk and soul music. Inspirations include Sly & The Family Stone; KC and The Sunshine Band; James Brown; Earth, Wind & Fire; and more.

Audiences are encouraged to immerse themselves in this ’70s world.

“You get to experience this whole universe, and we invite you into it,” the co-creator added. “Audiences dress up. They put away their phones. We put them in these blackout bags. And so it’s a no-phone experience. And in lieu of no phones, we have professional photographers roaming around the venue, snapping you as you’re dancing and interacting with characters, and we upload them right after the show for you to share. Those will be filtered in our universe. No show would be the same for any attendee because you can go down the rabbit hole of a character and be pulled in a certain direction.”

Brassroots District: LA ’74, an immersive theater & concert experience, will have shows on February 7, 14, 20, 28, March 7, 14, 20, 28. Tickets are available at https://www.brassrootsdistrict.com/.

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