Tenzing yearns to reach the top of Mount Everest, and he had many doubters. Phuntsok explains that the Sherpa way of life is about survival.

“It’s honestly for survival,” Phuntsok tells Nerd Reactor. “The Sherpa people keep climbing, keep working as porters, just to survive and help their families. Even though they risk their lives every day, they keep doing this, pushing themselves to do that. And if they don’t do that, maybe it’s hard to find another job. Of course, it’s also part of the dream, but it’s more than a dream. It’s survival.”

The movie shines a light on who Tenzing is and his origin story. Phuntsok wants more people to know about him.

“I hope all the people around the world will pay attention to the Sherpa people and give them more love,” the Tibetan actor said. “There aren’t many stories from this perspective. This movie explains what the Sherpa people are doing in the valley.”

Willem Dafoe, known for playing the Green Goblin in Spider-Man, portrays Hunt as someone who wants the British to be the first to reach the summit. There are some clashes between John Hunt and Tenzing and Edmund. However, circumstances forced Hunt to change his approach in the expedition.

“He’s a guy that was born in India during the Raj,” Dafoe said. “He’s a mountain guy and military man, but his relationship to the Sherpas is not necessarily racist, but he sees them as apart. There’s the British over here; they’re always apart. That’s expressed very early in the movie. And it’s not a personal expression of how he feels. It’s a given feeling of the time, an accepted position at the time. And you see through experience how that shifts in the course of the expedition.”

One line Hunt says is: “Failure is not an option.” However, Dafoe believes that failure IS an option.

“After the expedition, I’m sure he would have said failure is an important part of learning, which is an important part of living,” Dafoe said. “It’s inevitable. That expressed his initial approach, which was a very military approach. But in fact, I think that gets adjusted in the course of the expedition.”

The interview has been edited for clarity.

About Tenzing

Synopsis: Based on true events, “Tenzing” chronicles the little-known story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), a gifted Himalayan climber who, alongside New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), became the first to summit Mount Everest. Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they persuade Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing belongs on the British climbing team, rather than merely serving it.

Where Western climbers see “Everest” as something to be conquered, Tenzing reveres “Chomolungma” as the sacred mother goddess. What follows is an ascent defined as much by the tensions between backgrounds, classes and competing ambitions as by the perils of the mountain itself. But high above the world, empire, rank and aspiration fall away, leaving two outsiders bound by mutual respect and trust — and for Tenzing, the fulfillment of both a life-long dream and a spiritual calling.

Directed by Jennifer Peedom from a screenplay by Luke Davies. The film is executive produced by Norbu Tenzing, Simon Gillis, and David Michôd.

The film stars Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe, Caitríona Balfe, Tenzin Dalha, and Thinley Lhamo.

Tenzing releases in select theaters on October 9, 2026, and on Apple TV on October 16, 2026.

The post Willem Dafoe and Genden Phuntsok Discuss Tenzing and the Historic Mount Everest Expedition appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Loki recently made a surprise appearance in Avengers: Endgame Encore, visiting Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter in the past. The scene gave fans a taste of things to come for Avengers: Doomsday.

“At the end of Loki season two, he realizes that he can use his power as a demigod for a greater purpose, that the whole journey of Loki has been an exploration of purpose and meaning,” Hiddleston tells Nerd Reactor during the press junket for Apple TV’s Tenzing. “And his purpose exists for others, and that he’s going to use that purpose. So I arrived in Doomsday with all of that experience, with that story having been told, and it created a new starting point.”

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With Loki holding down the timeline in the MCU, it has given rise to a theory about his importance in Avengers: Doomsday. One theory suggests that he is serving as the stand-in for Molecule Man, a powerful Marvel Comics character featured in the Secret Wars storyline who helped Doctor Doom create Battleworld. However, Hiddleston did not confirm the theory during the interview.

You can catch Hiddleston in Tenzing, currently in select theatres and will be available on Apple TV on October 16, 2026.

About Avengers: Doomsday

Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Doomsday” is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo; produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito and Jonathan Schwartz.

The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Hayley Atwell, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Kathryn Newton, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Alan Cumming, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, Mabel Cadena, and Tenoch Huerta Mejia.

Synopsis: In “Avengers: Doomsday,” beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.

“Avengers: Doomsday” releases in theaters on December 18, 2026.

The post Tom Hiddleston Explains How Loki Season 2 Shaped His Return in Avengers: Doomsday appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The Corn Maze Superdrop arrives October 12, 2026, exclusively through MagicSecretLair.com, giving players and collectors plenty of new cardboard to chase just in time for the spooky season.

And honestly, this might be one of those Secret Lair drops where the hardest part is figuring out which one you want.

Enter the Labyrinth

For me, the biggest surprise in this Superdrop is the Jim Henson’s Labyrinth collaboration.

Secret Lair is giving the beloved 1986 fantasy classic three separate drops: Fear Me, Love Me, Should You Need Us, and Through the Labyrinth. Each one reimagines Magic cards around characters and moments from the film.

Fear Me, Love Me brings Jareth, Goblin King to the table through Muxus, Goblin Grandee, while cards such as Claim the Firstborn become “The Kidnapping of Toby” and Trinisphere becomes “I’ve Brought You a Gift.”

The second drop expands the cast with Sarah, Sir Didymus, Ludo, Hoggle, and the Wiseman. The reversible Lu Xun, Scholar General as Sir Didymus is particularly fun, giving fans a little extra personality to play with.

Then there is Through the Labyrinth, which dives into the actual journey through the maze with cards inspired by the Fireys, the Goblin King’s offer, the Cleaners, the Shaft of Hands, and more.

For anyone who grew up watching Sarah attempt to make her way through that ridiculous, wonderful maze, this feels like a natural fit for Secret Lair.

KPop Demon Hunters Joins the Party

Then things take a hard turn from 1980s fantasy into modern pop culture with Secret Lair x KPop Demon Hunters: How It’s Done.

The drop features seven cards, including Dawn’s Truce, Unbreakable Formation, Freed from the Real, Swan Song, Demonic Counsel, Tempt with Immortality, and Underworld Breach.

It is another example of just how wide Secret Lair’s collaboration net has become. One minute you’re wandering through the Labyrinth with Hoggle, and the next you’re dealing with supernatural K-pop stars.

And somehow, that is exactly what makes these drops so much fun.

Marvel Zombies Are Coming

Marvel fans aren’t being left out either.

Secret Lair x Marvel: Zombies brings six cards into the Superdrop, including Unstoppable Slasher, Zombie Apocalypse, and four cards reimagined as zombie versions of some familiar Marvel heroes.

God-Eternal Bontu becomes Zombie Thor, Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver becomes Zombie Captain America, Varina, Lich Queen becomes Zombie Scarlet Witch, and Vogar, Necropolis Tyrant becomes Zombie Giant-Man.

There is something wonderfully ridiculous about seeing these characters translated into Magic’s undead vocabulary, and I am absolutely here for it.

The Artists Get Their Moment Too

Not everything in the Corn Maze Superdrop is a major pop-culture crossover.

The Artist Series: Veronique Meignaud features four cards, including Bloodsoaked Champion, Voldaren Pariah, Ashnod’s Altar, and Cabal Stronghold. Meanwhile, Manufactured Grounds by See Machine gives five artifact lands new treatments through Ancient Den, Seat of the Synod, Vault of Whispers, Great Furnace, and Tree of Tales.

Then there is Peace, Love, & Treefolk, which gives five Treefolk cards a dedicated collection featuring Dauntless Dourbark, Leaf-Crowned Elder, Timber Protector, Treefolk Harbinger, and Doran, the Siege Tower.

That variety is probably what I appreciate most about this Superdrop. There is no single theme tying everything together, yet each individual drop has a clear identity.

How Much Is It Going to Cost?

Each individual drop is priced at $29.99 for non-foil and $39.99 for foil. Wizards is also offering several bundles for collectors who want to grab multiple drops at once.

The Pumpkin Spiced Non-Foil Bundle comes in at $239.92, while the Full Moon Foil Bundle costs $319.92. For those who want absolutely everything, the A-Maize-Ing Everything Bundle includes both foil and non-foil versions of all eight drops for $539.99.

There is also a fun bonus attached to larger purchases. For every $199 spent, customers will receive a foil Maze of Ith featuring The Labyrinth as the promo, while supplies last. Orders over $99 also qualify for free shipping.

Get Ready for the Maze

The Corn Maze Superdrop goes live October 12 at 9 a.m. PT, exclusively through MagicSecretLair.com. Wizards is also bringing back the pre-queue system, which opens at 8 a.m. PT, one hour before the sale begins.

If you are planning to grab something, Wizards recommends having your account information, payment details, and shipping address ready ahead of time. And remember, putting something into your cart does not reserve it. Your order is only secured once checkout is complete.

Between Labyrinth, KPop Demon Hunters, Marvel Zombies, artist showcases, and a whole lot of Treefolk, the Corn Maze Superdrop is another reminder of just how strange and wonderfully unpredictable Secret Lair has become.

Personally, I’m already looking at that Labyrinth collection and hearing David Bowie’s voice in my head.

Magic players know how this goes. You enter the maze looking for one card. You leave with eight drops.

The post Secret Lair: Corn Maze Superdrop Brings Labyrinth, KPop Demon Hunters, Marvel Zombies, and More to Magic appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

That’s the question we asked Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly, the stars of Dark Matter. The second season has debuted on Apple TV+, and it continues the adventures of the Dessen family as they try to survive alternate worlds and alternate versions of Jason Desson, portrayed by Edgerton.

“Personally I think there’s an inclination when life doesn’t feel like it’s working out to look back and diagnose the problem being further into your past, go, ‘It’s because of this that I’m in this bad place,'” Edgerton tells Nerd Reactor. “But, you know, the Chinese philosophy that bad things can lead to good and good things may actually lead to the next thing that’s bad. The accumulation of all things is why you’re at the place you’re at right now.

“I’m in a happy place, so I’m not diagnosing there being any problem and all the bad things that have come in my past, I’m happy for them because I am where I am. But there is a fascination with looking back and wondering how did that affect where I am or why I have what I have.”

People’s backgrounds are different, and Connelly acknowledges that it’s a difficult question to answer.

“I think that’s really hard to answer because we’re all in such different circumstances,” Connelly said. “I mean, some people are in situations that are oppressive, and they don’t have the freedom to make choices in their own lives. Some of us are in places where it’s easier to make ourselves believe that we’re not able to make choices in our own lives, but it’s difficult since we’re all in such different places. It’s so difficult to answer such a big question, I think.”

After the events of the first season, the Dessen family have to leave their home in order to survive. What does home mean when all they really have is each other?

“To me, that’s home,” Edgerton replied. “To me, home is my family. You could be anywhere. What the challenge becomes, and this is sort of partly with having a growing teenage boy, is that we have to be complicit in a choice to stay or to go together or to be in a place together. But also we want to make sure that the three of us together are finding a way that we’re okay with those choices, and it becomes very complex.”

“And the way that if home is each other, they get to a place that’s pretty dysfunctional,” Connelly added. “So they have to sort that out together.”

Dark Matter Season 2 premieres on Apple TV+, with new episodes releasing weekly until October 30, 2026.

The post Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly on Changing One’s Past – Dark Matter Season 2 Interview appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

“Every single day I did it, because I’ve never done a show where the past and the present and the future were all in one place,” Davidson said about how the show felt refreshing. “So we’re going into a show that’s a show about a show. So it’s a workplace show.”

In Martin, Varnell Hill was the foil to the titular character. In The Varnell Hill Show, it’s vice versa.

“Now he comes to haunt me,” the actor said jokingly. “You know what I mean? He comes back to haunt me, but he comes back as multiple characters. If you looked at Martin’s show, Martin Payne wasn’t just one Martin.”

Davidson has been in the business for decades, and he wants to make the show the best it could be.

“And the common denominator for me that makes it the best is that I get to bring my gift to it, which is making people laugh, entertaining people, and making people feel good,” the actor said. “So for me, doing that every day, shooting that show was really the fruits of a lot of work and a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of just frustrations.”

About The Varnell Hill Show

Synopsis: Nearly three decades after audiences first met him, Varnell Hill is stepping back into the spotlight — and he’s determined to prove he’s still the star of the show. Set behind the scenes of a long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show follows Varnell (Davidson) as he fights to stay relevant in a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. Between network executives eager to modernize the show, a chaotic writers’ room, celebrity guests, family drama, and his own outsized ego, Varnell quickly discovers that keeping a television empire together may be harder than building one in the first place.

The Varnell Hill Show eight-episode first season will make its worldwide debut on Paramount+ with two episodes on Tuesday, September 1, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13.

The post Tommy Davidson Talks The Varnell Hill Show, Reuniting with Martin Lawrence appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

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Thompson has been behind the scenes as a director on many TV shows, including The Goldbergs, The CW’s Stargirl, Star Trek: Picard, Resident Alien, and Will Trent. However, Anna Pigeon was a different beast for her.

“I’ve been behind the scenes a lot as a director, and I’ve directed my own feature, but this is the first time I’ve done my own TV show that I’ve been working on for almost 15 years” Thompson tells Nerd Reactor. “It feels weird. I mean, it does kind of feel weird that I’m not acting in it, you know what I mean? It kind of feels weird.”

Even with many movies and shows under her belt, there is still much to learn.

“But it was so much work and it gave me so much respect for people who produce TV shows because it is just an immense amount of work. It’s an immense amount of give and take. I learned so much from Morwyn and Sonia, my producers, and Morwyn’s the showrunner, about how to respect everybody’s job. I mean, I feel like I’ve always done that, but it was a really great learning curve, and everybody has to reinvent themselves all the time in our new culture. So this was a big reinvention for me, and it’s very exciting to be doing something completely new and different.”

About Anna Pigeon

Anna Pigeon, played by Tracy Spiridakos, is a former city slicker who became a park ranger after a devastating loss changed the trajectory of her life forever. While Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds, no matter who or what gets in her way.

The upcoming crime drama is based on the best-selling mystery novels by Nevada Barr and also stars Paulina Alexis, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Tricia Helfer, Kim Coates, Crystle Lightning and Nikki Hallow.

Lea Thompson directs and executive produces the 10-episode season.

The post Lea Thompson Reflects on Reinventing Herself Behind the Camera With Anna Pigeon appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

One of the stars of the show, Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), is portraying William Macon. Per Deadline, he plays “modern cowboy William Macon, a self-righteous, conspiracy-minded man who masks his ruthless ambition behind a charming and calculated facade.”

Nerd Reactor spoke to the actor about his role in the DC show set in the DC Universe.

“I would certainly say I am an antagonistic presence to the Lanterns, but I know that Macon doesn’t think he’s a villain,” Dillahunt said. “He thinks they have similar goals in a lot of ways, but just different ways of going about it. And I think that’s where the tension comes in.”

There have been many fan theories as to his character, with some thinking that he was going to play Green Arrow.

“I kind of like all the fan theories,” the actor explained. “I like that they’re a little confused. I get accused of… or people suspect me of being all kinds of different characters, and I’m excited to… some of them are right, and it’ll be fun to see what happens when they find out who’s right and who’s wrong.”

About Lanterns

Synopsis: Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The Lanterns pilot is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner.

The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct.

The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, James Gunn, Peter Safran, King, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes. Based on the DC comic characters from “Green Lantern.”

The post Garret Dillahunt Explains Why His ‘Lanterns’ Character Doesn’t See Himself as a Villain appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out our video interview below!

About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 sees the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise – led by Captain Christopher Pike – embark on a series of thrilling and emotional adventures across the stars. As they journey to strange new worlds, they will battle inner demons and external threats, encounter colorful new characters, reunite with familiar faces and confront terrifying aliens. Through it all, they strive to embrace a bright, hopeful future.

The post Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Cast on Hidden Talents, Challenging Episodes, and Dream Vacations appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

J.K. Simmons, known for his roles as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man and Omni-Man in Invincible, portrays Eamon Sweeney, the boss of The Westies, inspired by real-life gangsters.

“JJJ is pretty much all bark, as you said, and he barks very loudly and quickly,” Simmons compares his Spider-Man character to his The Westies character. “I think one of the things, and this was just on the page to me, in the way that Michael and Chris wrote it, there’s a quiet menace there, and you see the same thing often with a lot of characters in the show, really.”

As Sweeney, he has to deal with other criminal organizations and the younger members.

“You see it with Hamish Allan-Headley as John Gotti,” Simmons added. “You see it with Titus, you see it with Jimmy. I mean, a lot of the time, the younger ones might tend to be a little more there, might be a little more bravado and in your face, but the older guys who have survived for this long, I think that quiet menace is very organic to who these guys are.”

The showrunners wanted more freedom in the story, and so they decided not to make this a biopic or docudrama.

“We’re not doing a biopic or a docudrama, so we’re not using the names of Jimmy Coonin or Mickey Featherstone or Mickey Spillane,” Panes said. “You know, what we’re doing is creating a fictionalized show inspired by a multitude of characters from that era, so to distill the essence of it, because we want audiences to stay with these characters over multiple seasons and grow with them and three-dimensionalize them and make them kind of people you want to invite in.”

About The Westies

Synopsis: The Westies is a gritty and kinetic crime drama centering on New York City’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name. The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.

The series stars J.K. Simmons, Titus Welliver, Tom Brittney, Stanley Morgan, Sarah Bolger, Jessica Frances Dukes, Hamish Allan-Headley, Vincent Walsh, Allen Leech, and Hillary McCormack. Additional cast includes Aidan Wojtak-Hissong, Jeremy Walmsley, and Rohan Mead.

The series is written by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes.

It’s directed by Alan Taylor (101, 102), Chris Grismer (103, 104), John Fawcett (105, 106), and Adam Kane (107, 108).

Executive prodicers are Chris Brancato, Michael Panes, Raymond Quinlan, Alan Taylor, Frank Siracusa, and John Weber.

The post J.K. Simmons on Finding the ‘Quiet Menace’ Behind His Westies Mob Boss appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Filmmakers are inspired by the films before them. With Sébastien Vaniček and Evil Dead Burn, he was focused on having his own style.

“I’m trying to stay away from movies I love because I don’t want those directors to influence me too much,” the director tells Nerd Reactor. “I’m trying to create my own style and my own thing.”

Evil Dead Burn balances the shared moments that many have had, and then the filmmakers would try to take those moments and twist them.

“We always try to create real things,” Vaniček said. “We start the process by talking about things we experienced, and then we make them even more horrible. We put the stakes higher, and everything is higher, more dangerous, more horrible, more this, more that. So characters are a little bit bigger than life, but we start the writing process with things from real life, from our experience.”

The kissing scene in the film is sure to be the most talked-about scene. It’s bloody, yet also very passionate.

“I think also the fact that you, for example, love that kissing scene, there is a reason,” Souheila Yacoub tells me. “It’s not just aesthetic. It’s how we say in French, ‘gratuit’… free. It’s because there is a context with the characters, and we believe in their relationship in their past lives.”

You can check out our full video interview above!

Evil Dead Burns releases in theaters on July 10, 2026.

The post Evil Dead Burn Director Explains Why He Avoids Copying His Favorite Movies appeared first on Nerd Reactor.