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Eve Maracco walking through a neon-lit club in Ballerina: From the World of John Wick
Gaming Gear

‘It’s really misleading’: Ballerina director Len Wiseman explains why the John Wick series’ new movie shouldn’t be called a spin-off film

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  • Ballerina: From the World of John Wick shouldn’t be called a spin-off, its director says
  • The film series’ latest entry is set between the third and fourth John Wick movies
  • It “expands on the mythology” of the action thriller franchise, he adds

Ballerina director Len Wiseman has rejected claims that the John Wick film franchise’s latest entry is a spin-off.

Speaking to TechRadar ahead of the movie’s release, Wiseman argued that it should actually be called a “spin-on” – i.e. a film that puts its own spin on a film franchise’s well-established formula.

Wiseman admits that very few people, if anyone, will have heard the phrase “spin-on” before. Nevertheless, he insists that the Ana de Armas-starring film is “fully connected” to the movie series’ other entries – and not just because Wick appears in it.


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Ballerina‘s first trailer raised eyebrows about Wick’s inclusion. After all, at the end of John Wick Chapter 4, Keanu Reeves’ iconic hitman was – spoiler! – presumed dead. With John Wick 5 in early development, though, it’s likely that the well-dressed assassin hasn’t taken his last breath.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) Official Trailer – Ana de Armas – YouTube

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However, Ballerina takes place between John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum and its sequel, which is why Reeves’ gun-for-hire is, at this point on the John Wick timeline, still alive and kicking. For more on said timeline, read my guide on how to watch the John Wick movies in order.

But I’m getting off-track. With Ballerina set between Parabellum and John Wick Chapter 4, plus Reeves’ involvement in its story, the franchise’s latest entry should be viewed as the mainline series’ newest flick. It’s for that reason that Wiseman has coined the “spin-on” moniker for one of 2025’s highly anticipated new movies.

When I ask him if Ballerina should be labeled an “in-between-quel” – another industry term for a movie that’s set between two other films – Wiseman replied: “Yeah, it is. I’ve seen people call it a spin-off, which is really misleading.

“Ballerina’s events mostly run parallel to John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. We’re really building out the world of John Wick, so it’s more of a ‘spin-on’ than a ‘spin-off’. I know that’s not a phrase, but it should be!”

John Wick will have a supporting role to play in Ballerina (Image credit: Lionsgate)

Asked to explain how Ballerina explores the movies series colloquially known as the ‘John Wick universe’, Wiseman added: “One of the things that first attracted me to this film was the mythology of John Wick and how layered it is.

“Here, we’re able to dive deeper into that mythos and explore the Ruska Roma, who we’ve met in previous movies. Before, we’ve seen this group through John Wick’s eyes and his experiences [with them]. Now, we get to sift through the layers of their folklore, and try to balance that with what was previously established. We had a ton of fun with that and I think audiences will appreciate it.”

Ballerina: From the World of John Wick lands in theaters worldwide on June 6.

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Alex Garland's Elden Ring Film Will Reportedly Star Heartstopper's Kit Connor
Game Updates

Alex Garland’s Elden Ring Film Will Reportedly Star Heartstopper’s Kit Connor

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Elden Ring is one of the most critically successful games of all time, and with a whopping 30 million copies sold as of this April, it’s no wonder a movie studio is interested in adapting it to the big screen. Late last week, we learned that the studio in question would be A24 (Hereditary, Everything Everywhere All At Once) and it already had a director attached – Alex Garland, who has directed several projects with the studio, including this year’s Warfare and last year’s Civil War. Today, Deadline reported that an actor in the former project is set to star in Garland’s Elden Ring film.

 

Kit Connor is in talks to play the lead in the From Software adaptation, but no formal deal has been offered yet, according to Deadline. Given that players in the video game play as silent custom characters known as the Tarnished, it’s likely Connor portrays one of them, though it’s unclear what exactly that will look like. While he’s known best for his role as Nick Nelson in the Netflix series Heartstopper, Connor is not a total stranger to performing in video game stories, portraying Lucas in 2022’s A Plague Tale: Requiem.

A24 had no comment on the report, according to Deadline, which is unsurprising, given that any potential deal has yet to go through. Given that the movie is still in its earliest phases, we likely won’t expect it to release any time soon, assuming it gets made at all. While this movie was announced second, it will be interesting to see whether it beats the Death Stranding adaptation to the box office.

We, like most gaming outlets, adored Elden Ring at release, granting it the rare Game Informer 10/10. We were also big fans of its huge DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, and to a lesser extent, enjoyed Elden Ring Nightreign, which will launch tomorrow. For more Elden Ring, you can read about how one of our editors declared it one of the worst games to play with a newborn at home.

[Source: Deadline]

What do you want to see in an Elden Ring film? Let us know in the comments!



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kotaku
Game Reviews

Ranking Tom Cruise’s Haircuts In Every Mission: Impossible Film

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Image: Paramount / Kotaku

The Mission: Impossible film series is, unlike most Hollywood franchises, built less around lore and callbacks and more around recurring moments we expect each time we sit down in our seats to watch the latest entry. I expect to see people in lifelike masks, some twists, some turns, a few dangerous stunts, a car or motorcycle chase, and a villain trying to do something terrible. Oh, and one more thing I expect: Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt sporting a new hairstyle.

Yes, in nearly every Mission: Impossible movie, Cruise is rocking a new hairdo. Sometimes his hair is long. We like that. Sometimes it’s short. We aren’t as excited about that. So we decided to rank each of these haircuts from worst to best.

And before we hop into the list, just a heads-up that we are only focusing on the main movies starring Cruise. This isn’t about the OG show or any of the games or whatever. We are only ranking cinematic hair, the best kind of hair. Anyway, here’s the best haircut out of all the Mission: Impossible movies…



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There's an Elden Ring film on the way from Alex Garland and George R. R. Martin
Game Updates

There’s an Elden Ring film on the way from Alex Garland and George R. R. Martin

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An Elden Ring live action film is in the works from Ex Machina director Alex Garland, film production company A24 and game publisher Bandai Namco. It’s not clear whether developers From Software are involved, but Game Of Thrones novelist George R. R. Martin – who worked on Elden Ring’s story and characters alongside From boss Hidetaka Miyazaki – is contributing as a producer. All of this comes via Deadline.


Miyazaki has dangled the prospect of a movie adaptation in the past, while stressing that film-making very much isn’t his wheelhouse. “I don’t see any reason to deny another interpretation or adaptation of Elden Ring, a movie for example,” he told The Guardian last year. “But I don’t think myself, or FromSoftware, have the knowledge or ability to produce something in a different medium. So that’s where a very strong partner would come into play. We’d have to build a lot of trust and agreement on whatever it is we’re trying to achieve, but there’s interest, for sure.”


There’s no word yet as to the story, characters and cast, let alone a release date. Perhaps predictably, I struggle to imagine a film that captures the ambience of a From Software game, in which so much of the charm is being the one real agent of change in a static, ruined world. But I can think of a few references for the moodboard: David Lowery’s silty cinematic adaptation of Gawain And The Green Knight and Matteo Garrone’s dynastic triptych Tale of Tales. Perhaps they could pay homage to the soapstone functionality by encouraging audiences to write “is this a dog?” on the box office posters.

It’ll be a while till we learn more, I expect. In the meantime, you can get your fix of Limgrave from Elden Ring Nightreign.



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Elden Ring live-action film officially in development
Game Reviews

Elden Ring live-action film officially in development

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An Elden Ring live-action film has been officially confirmed, written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Warfare).

Film production company A24 and Bandai Namco are both behind the project, based on FromSoftware’s 30m-selling RPG.

George R. R. Martin is one of a handful of producers, Deadline reported. The A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) author was responsible for the game’s story and characters.

Elden Ring Nightreign | Overview Trailer. Watch on YouTube

It’s unclear if FromSoftware itself is involved, or the game’s creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. Peter Rice, Andrew Macdonald, and Allon Reich are all producers from British film company DNA (which helped producer Garland’s films).

No further details are available at this time, so it’s unknown what the plot will focus on, as well as casting details or a release date.

We’re thrilled to announce that Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and A24 are teaming up with writer and director Alex Garland to bring FromSoftware Inc.’s world-renowned video game ELDEN RING to life as a live-action film.

We’re truly excited to bring the world of ELDEN RING to… pic.twitter.com/E3SJaRX1Jc

— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) May 22, 2025

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Rumours have previously swirled about an Elden Ring film, with Martin in particular hinting at its possibility.

“I have nothing to say. Not a word, nope, not a thing, I know nothing, you never heard a peep from me. What rumour?” he said in 2024 on his personal blog.

Then earlier this year, Martin said there was “some talk” about the film but his involvement would be limited due to him being busy finishing up a certain book series.

Of course, Elden Ring has already been adapted in Japan into a manga series, which turns the game into a farce with its Tarnished wretch struggling to survive.

There’s also a fan-made Elden Ring anime in the works, due out later this year.

FromSoftware is following up Elden Ring this month with multiplayer spin-off Nightreign – it’s convinced me a multiplayer Souls game can work.





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Fujifilm's X Half is an $850 digital camera with an analog film aesthetic
Product Reviews

Fujifilm’s X Half is an $850 digital camera with an analog film aesthetic

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Fujifilm has already released one unusual camera this year in the GFX100 RF medium format compact, but it’s latest model may be the most offbeat yet. The $850 X Half is an 18-megapixel digital compact camera, but it uses half of a 1-inch sensor to shoot 3:4 vertical photos. To drive home the retro vibe, it has a rear screen dedicated to displaying the camera’s 13 film simulation modes and can only shoot JPEG and not RAW images.

The name comes from “half-frame” cameras popular in the ’60s, like the famous Olympus Pen F, that use a 35mm film frame sawed in half (18mm x 24mm in size). The backside-illuminated sensor on Fujifilm’s X Half is, well, half that size in both dimensions (8.8mm x 13.3mm) or a quarter the area. It’s also the smallest sensor on any recent Fujifilm digital camera, as the X-series uses the APS-C format and GFX models medium format. In fact, the X Half has the same 3:4 vertical ratio as Fuji’s Instax Mini instant cameras — so you can make prints using an Instax Mini printer via the new dedicated X Half smartphone app.

Fujifilm

The X Half naturally uses Fujifilm’s film simulation and grain effect modes. Among the new ones are “light leak” for a blown-out quality that happens when film get exposed to light inadvertently, “expired film” and “halation,” an effect caused by light bouncing off film emulsion layers. To really get you into that analog film mood, you can switch to the new Film Camera Mode that limits your view to the optical viewfinder, makes you pull a frame advance lever for each new shot and only lets you see the photos once they’re “developed” through the X Half app. It even produces a “contact sheet” layout for 36, 54 or 72 images.

Another feature is 2-in-1 images that let you combine two still images or movies into one composition in-camera for extra artistic possibilities (using the film advance lever again). That also means the X Half can shoot video as well as photos, with a vertical or square size (up to 2,160 x 2,160) that looks ideal for social media — especially with film simulations applied. Also exuding nostalgic vibes is the “Date Stamp” function that lets you imprint dates in the bottom right of images, just like on old-school Kodak-style film camera.

On top of the main rear 2.40inch LCD 3:4 monitor, the X Half has an optical rather than an electronic viewfinder, adding another analog touch (and the accompanying parallax distortion errors). The camera itself is small enough to slide into a pocket and weighs just 210 grams (7.4 ounces). Other features include a built-in flash, massive 880 frame battery life and SD UHS-I card slot.

The X Half looks like it could be coveted by social media users or anyone looking for a fun party or vacation camera. However, it’s expensive considering that you can just get an Instax (or regular film camera and a lot of film) for a lot less. Fujifilm has definitely captured the photography zeitgeist before with models like the X100 VI, though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a hit. The X Half is now on preorder for $850 (in black, charcoal silver and silver) with shipping set to start on June 12.



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Bob Odenkirk in Nobody 2
Esports

Michael Bay drops cryptic teaser for Skibidi Toilet movie as film begins production

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Production on Michael Bay’s Skibidi Toilet movie has officially begun, and the director has already shared a weird teaser that’s left fans confused… and excited.

In February 2023, Alexey Gerasimov – via his YouTube channel DaFuq!?Boom! – uploaded an 11-second video of a man’s head emerging from a toilet singing a nonsensical version of Timbaland’s ‘Give It To Me.’ It spawned the world of Skibidi Toilet, one of the internet’s strangest and biggest sensations.

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Without getting too deep into the lore, it has a simple story: the Skibidi Toilets try to take over the human race, sparking a war against the Cameramaen, Speakermen, and TV-men. However, down the line, they need to contend with the Astro Toilets, a race of extraterrestrial toilets that pose a grave threat to Earth.

Okay, maybe it’s not that simple, but Bay’s involvement makes sense; it is one of the most explosive and irreverent web series ever made, and he’s made some of the best action movies of all time. Now, the film is shooting, and the director is giving fans a taste of what to expect.

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Michael Bay’s Skibidi Toilet teaser leaves fans confused

After Invisible Narratives (Bay’s media company) dropped a press release announcing Skibidi Toilet was in production, the filmmaker posted an Instagram Reel that may indicate what the film is actually about.

The reel shows the Bayhem logo (a term Bay has now trademarked), before you see two people looking up at the sky. “They are coming,” the text on the video reads.

Could it be that the film will mostly revolve around the conflict with the Astro Toilets, with the movie giving more of an overview of the battles between the Skibidi Toilets and humanity’s alliances?

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“Wonder if the Skibidi Toilets are going to be aliens invading Earth. If so, that sounds cool,” one user commented. “Skibidi toilet alien invasion type of movie?” another speculated. “The Skibidi Toilets/Astro Toilets are about to invade Earth,” a third wrote.

DaFuq!?Boom!

Others are still baffled, but that doesn’t mean they’re not hyped. “I seriously, SERIOUSLY cannot f**king believe this is real. Wtf is the STORY even going to be?” one user wrote.

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“This needs to be the most violent, action-packed movie you’ve ever made,” another commented.

Four days prior, Bay posted another reel of an AI-generated street with battered buildings and raging fires. “Don’t worry, not going to use AI in my films – but there is a clue here,” he wrote, and it’s clear now that it’s linked to Skibidi Toilet.

Beyond this, little has been confirmed about what shape the movie will take; will it be live-action or a hybrid with animation, will it include dialogue, and who will star in it? Hopefully these questions are answered soon.

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We know the project has tapped VFX supervisor Rob Legato (who served in the same role on Avatar and Titanic), so you should expect an enormous spectacle.

In an earlier statement, Invisible Narratives CEO Adam Goodman promised that if they ever “decided to go film or television” that it would be “lifted beyond the resources that creators have on the internet.”

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In the meantime, keep tabs on the year’s releases with our 2025 movie calendar and check out our list of the best movies of all time.

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