Latest news with #DeathandRobots'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tony Gilroy on Giving ‘Andor' a ‘Hopeful' End, Bringing Back K-2SO, and Episode 10's Revealing Backstory
On Tuesday, Disney+ dropped the last three episodes of 'Andor,' wrapping up the series and directly setting up 'Rogue One.' It's not typical that a television show needs to pass its baton to a film made almost a decade earlier, and 'Andor' creator Tony Gilroy did not want to approach the show's final episode in a typical way, either. While on this week's episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, Gilroy talked about fighting against the need to incorporate one final big decision or turning point in wrapping up the series heading into 'Rogue One.' More from IndieWire 'Murderbot' Review: Alexander Skarsgård's Goofy-Great Apple Series Wants Us to Watch TV, Together How 'Love, Death and Robots' Season 4 Made the Ultimate Cute Little Guy 'Episode 12 is really its own thing where we didn't put a lot of pressure to jack anything up,' said Gilroy on the podcast. 'This is kind of a 'deliver the pizza' episode, and the pizza is emotional, and everybody settled into it, and we took the pressure off ourselves.' Gilroy specifically wanted to go out on a hopeful note. 'Andor' Season 2 was about the personal sacrifices and impossible choices characters faced in taking on the cause of the nascent rebellion, and the series creator felt as if 'Andor' had earned the right to end with a measured note of optimism. 'We're really putting the audience through some amazingly difficult journeys [of] what time does to people that hopefully you care about, and [what] time, under these really extreme circumstances and these extreme adventures that they're on, does to them,' said Gilroy. 'So there's a lot of attrition at the end. There's a lot of sadness at the end. But really, in the end, this is the beginning of 'A New Hope.' What's going to come out of this is the phoenix of the Rebellion.' The last three-episode cycle 'Andor' also saw K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) back into the fold, returning to the prominent supporting role that the modified KX-series security droid plays in 'Rogue One.' It's a move Gilroy purposefully delayed and left to the series end. As Gilroy explained on the podcast, his initial involvement with 'Andor' was as a friend to the franchise, giving notes to Lucasfilm on its initial plans for a 'Rogue One' prequel series. In addition to his advice to take a 'back-to-the-studs' approach to Cassian Andor's (Diego Luna) arc, which would become the basis of his own series, he highly recommended they abandon their ambitious plans for K-2SO. 'I was saying, I don't think you can have K-2 all the way through this show, which they kept wanting to try to do because that was the, 'Let's have a Butch and Sundance' show,' said Gilroy of the initial plans to have Cassian and the droid go on 40-episodes worth of missions together — a proposal that reminded the 'Rogue One' writer of his own story struggles with K-2. 'He's the worst piece of luggage in the world. He's not a spy, you can't take him undercover, he's seven feet tall. KX units are so inhibiting. If you watch 'Rogue' with that in mind, how many times is he is not allowed to get out of the ship, or 'I have to wait here and do something.'' In a series which, at its core, is about supplying an emotional understanding of what brings characters of all stripes to fight a fascist Empire, Episode 10 is arguably the holy grail of 'Why We Fight' Rebellion backstories: Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) and Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau). Gilroy said very early on he knew he would explore Luthen's backstory, and was saving it for a key storyline of the stealthy underground leader for near the end of 'Andor.' 'I had a variety of backstories that Stellan and I spoke about early in the first season,' said Gilory. 'The one thing he didn't want was he didn't want revenge. He said, 'I don't want it to be a revenge story. I see that in some of the other characters, and I think that's the one I don't want.' The ultimate Episode 210 storyline, and the incorporation of Kleya, as an almost adopted daughter, into Luthen's backstory, was motivated and inspired by the talents of Dulau. Gilroy and Skarsgård had both been impressed by the previously unknown actress's talents, and wanted to give her and the character the opportunity to spread their wings before saying goodbye. 'Elizabeth Dulau, who plays Kleya, was such an incredible surprise. It's her first job. She came right out of RADA, and we had a couple of actresses who were signed up for that part, who got offered other things along the way, and we let them go. And suddenly we have this young actress [who we don't really know,' said Gilroy. '[Her] audition's very good, and her scenes are very good, but how good is she? And oh my God, you start to realize what someone can do. She's a Meryl Streep. I mean, she's just astonishing.' To hear Tony Gilroy's full interview, subscribe to the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. You can also watch the full interview at the top of the page or on IndieWire's YouTube page. Best of IndieWire The 19 Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in May, from 'Fair Play' to 'Emily the Criminal' Martin Scorsese's Favorite Movies: 86 Films the Director Wants You to See Christopher Nolan's Favorite Movies: 44 Films the Director Wants You to See
Tom's Guide
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
My favorite Netflix sci-fi anthology series is back — and it's not ‘Black Mirror'
If I asked you to name a Netflix original sci-fi anthology show, there's a good chance your mind would go straight to 'Black Mirror.' But for me, the top contender in this (admittedly pretty niche) area is 'Love, Death and Robots.' Debuting in 2019, the show now spans 45 episodes (with runtimes that range from merely a few minutes to around 20), so if you've yet to discover the bizarre joys of this Tim Miller-created show, you've got plenty of chapters to keep you entertained, and maybe a little disturbed. 'Love, Death and Robots' season 4 debuted earlier this week (on May 15), and it's already looking like a prime candidate for the best Netflix show you're currently not watching. While 'Black Mirror's' most recent season went straight to No. 1 last month, more than 24 hours post-launch, and 'Love, Death and Robots' (often referred to as 'LDR') has yet to even rank in the top 10. That's a real shame, because while 'Love, Death and Robot' can be characterized as uneven, a common issue with anthology series, when it's firing on all cylinders, it offers unique explorations of sci-fi, fantasy and horror, and is like nothing else on Netflix. The fourth season of the (typically) animated anthology show offers 10 new installments, and these run the gamut from surrealist comedy to chilling nightmare-fuel. This season, there's even a string puppet concert that returns director David Fincher to his music video roots. Yup, the first episode, 'Can't Stop,' is a Red Hot Chili Peppers gig with a real twist: The entire band has been transformed into string puppets, and dance around the stage like otherworldly Pinocchios. It's pretty awesome, and I'm not even a huge Chili Peppers fan. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. That's just the start of the eccentric mix of shorts within 'Love, Death and Robots' season 4, another sees an alien apocalypse play out in miniature form, while one presents interviews with household appliances in the style of beloved Aardman classic 'Creature Comforts.' There's even a rare live-action outing for the series, in 'Golgotha,' a 10-minute short that sees a vicar (Rhys Darby) encounter an alien race that believes a dolphin to be their messiah. Plus, for longtime viewers, the third installment sees a return to a fan-favorite universe. Because (almost all) episodes are standalone, you can totally dive into 'Love, Death and Robots' at this junction. It's very much a series where you can pick and choose the concepts that appeal most to you, or you can make your selections based on fan episode rankings. Which isn't to say the full season isn't worth watching. While it does have its peaks and valleys (the Chili Peppers episode has proved less popular with viewers), overall, 'Love, Death and Robots' season 4 holds a perfect 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. One of my favorite things about 'Love, Death and Robots' has always been that it's the perfect palate cleanser in between longer watches. With episodes that can last only a few minutes, it's great for a quick fix of sci-fi creativity or when you have a little time to fill. If you've never seen the show, you've got plenty of worthwhile episodes to get caught up on, and for longtime fans, 'Love, Death and Robots' season 4 continues to carry the show's offbeat but compelling torch. Stream 'Love, Death and Robots' on Netflix now
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Love, Death and Robots' Season 4 Sets May Return Date, Releases First Look
'Love, Death and Robots' Season 4 is officially returning to Netflix May 15 with ten short animated stories done in varying styles. The official synopsis for this season reads: 'Dinosaur gladiators, messianic cats, string-puppet rock stars, it can only be 'Love, Death and Robots.' The fourth volume, presented by Tim Miller ('Deadpool,' 'Terminator: Dark Fate') and David Fincher ('Mindhunter,' 'The Killer'), sees Jennifer Yuh Nelson ('Kung Fu Panda 2,' 'Kill Team Kill') return as supervising director for ten startling shorts showcasing the series' signature, award-winning style of bleeding-edge animation, horror, sci-fi and humor. Buckle up.' More from Variety Rene Liu Helms Netflix Taiwanese Drama 'Forget You Not,' Teaser Unveiled 'Monopoly' Competition Series Lands at Netflix Jaume Collet-Serra to Direct Psychological Thriller 'An Innocent Girl' for Netflix (EXCLUSIVE) Since premiering in 2019, the series has gone on to win 13 Emmy Awards across 15 nominations. Most recently, it picked up its third straight nomination for best short form animated program — the same category the first two seasons won for. For Season 3's 'Jibaro,' Alberto Mielgo won the juried Emmy Award for best individual achievement in animation. The show has also garnered high-profile voice actors over the years, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel McHale, Topher Grace, John DiMaggio, Elodie Young and Chris Parnell. At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2021, Miller said: 'The way I felt is that there was not a lot of adult animation in the west, and particularly not in America, and particularly not at the budget levels that allowed for really high-end CG like what was going on at Pixar and DreamWorks for kids. And we felt it was time to do that for adults.' Watch the first official teaser below. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Forbes
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
My Honest Thoughts On The ‘Marathon' Reveal
Marathon This weekend, Bungie debuted a lengthy stream in the wake of a huge creator event focused on Marathon, its upcoming extraction shooter that the studio has worked on for years, pre-dating its purchase by Sony. After a trailer and some concept art and a couple ARGs, we now finally have a look at actual gameplay, and how both creators and the general public are reacting to Marathon's first look. While some aspects seem promising, I've come away from this event concerned about the fate of the game ahead of its release just five months from now in September. A disclaimer up front here, I have not played the game yet as I did not attend the creator event. So, I am where most people are, sitting on the sidelines with impressions based on what was just shown, plus a broader knowledge of the market it's entering. Marathon Ever since its debut, the 'vibe' of Marathon has been excellent. I've probably watched the first trailer a few dozen times just because of how cool it was. I've had the recently released audio tracks on repeat since they arrived a few days ago. It's a sick-looking world, one that I'd love to live in. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Though I will certainly dive into Marathon and give it a lengthy shot, ultimately, it is what I always knew it would be, an entirely PvP-focused extraction shooter. I think I need to divide things into two disparate things here, as whether it's 'for me' specifically is probably less relevant, given that anything that's purely PvP was just not going to be what I was hoping for, be it an arena shooter or battle royale. But this is not exactly news, and the demands of the industry do not operate on my whims. Rather, we can comment on what was newly shown, and more generally how the broader public is reacting to it. The vibes are no longer good. I hate to say it, but scanning social media and essentially all the top comments on posts about the game, the sentiment is largely negative. Common complaints are that it looks boring, dated or like it's not doing enough to stand out. You can see the split between the world of the game and how cool they can make it look in marketing materials, and how it looks when you're in the game itself. Looking at the metrics of the gameplay trailer online (some may say this is meaningless, but it does correlate with perception, and sometimes even the future success of titles), it's at a not-great 15K to 8K dislike ratio. Meanwhile, the exceptional cinematic short from Love, Death and Robots' Alberto Mielgo has a 49K to 2.3K ratio. It is a stunning work of art. It is also not the actual game. The visual style of Marathon's promotional materials only translates to the game itself to a point. I was a bit concerned about how this would go given that we had seen really nothing in-engine to this point, even the pre-show teaser video wasn't. This Mielgo spot might as well be a Secret Level short. Rather, the actual game is layered on top of Bungie's long-running Tiger engine, and in many aspects, mainly character animations, it does appear at least a little dated compared to its competition, a bit too close to Destiny 2, a game which is now almost eight years old. Despite not having played Marathon, I have little doubt that Bungie has crafted an excellent-feeling shooter. Between Halo and Destiny they have never not crafted an excellent-feeling shooter. However, the problem is that the gameplay here does not come off as especially new or innovative. It very much looks like Apex Legends gameplay, and while the 'classes' may be less locked than other games with broader customization, it still gives off those vibes. As an extraction shooter, however, it's missing things that other games in the genre have, proximity chat, social areas, solo modes, etc. The scope of the game may actually be its biggest problem. Marathon is likely going to be priced at $40, as most reports indicate. Costing anything at all in a largely free-to-play market is hard at baseline, but Marathon is launching with just six heroes, three maps and one main mode. Apex had eight characters at launch and most importantly, was free. But, despite the price, this will be a game with paid seasonal battle passes and a shop full of microtransactions. Standard for the live service genre perhaps but again, with a not-common $40 price on top of it. This worked for Helldivers. That did not work for Concord. No, I do not believe Marathon is going to be a new Concord. I think people forget what a truly unprecedented, generational failure that game was. But it is still a challenge in a brutal multiplayer market to get any new game to take off, much less one that costs anything up front. Marathon Marathon does seem to be a game that you're going to need to get hands on in order to see if it just feels that good where yeah, it's going to be something you want to invest into long term as more heroes, more maps and more modes will no doubt be added. I have little doubt these gunfights will play well. I do question the decision to launch an NDA-ed alpha just five months before release when you really want to get hands-on as fast as possible to start spreading the gospel if it's actually that good, but that's what's happening. The social reaction is simply not very good, there's no getting around that, it's just a fact that probably 80% of the commentary you'll see based on viewing the gameplay isn't positive. Again, the original trailer, this new blockbuster cinematic, excellent. So many individual aspects of the game, art, music, likely lore, are stellar. The game, as a game? That remains to be seen, but you just cannot say that this initial gameplay reveal has blown many people away. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Bluesky Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
