Latest news with #Futurama
Engadget
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
An animated Clash of Clans series is coming to Netflix
The latest video game to be getting the TV show treatment is a pair of hugely popular mobile titles. Developer Supercell is partnering with Netflix for an animated series based on the world of its games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale . Fletcher Moules, who directed the original Clash of Clans animated videos on YouTube, will be the showrunner for the Netflix project and Ron Weiner, who has worked on Silicon Valley , 30 Rock , Futurama and Arrested Development , will be the head writer. Clash of Clans debuted in 2012 and the casual strategy game got a deck battler sequel in Clash Royale , which launched in 2016. According to the show announcement, the pair of games have more than 4 billion downloads and more than 180 billion gameplay hours logged by players. The Netflix show will center on the Barbarian character from this game universe as he tries to "rally a band of misfits to defend their village and navigate the comically absurd politics of war." The series is in pre-production, and no additional casting or release info has been shared at this stage. Netflix has hosted several animated shows based on video games, from Arcane to Devil May Cry . If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
Express Tribune
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Clash of Clans animated series coming to Netflix from Futurama writer and Supercell director
Netflix has officially ordered a new animated series based on Supercell's hit mobile games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, according to Variety. Titled Clash, the series is currently in pre-production. The series follows a determined yet inexperienced Barbarian who must unite a band of unlikely heroes to defend their village, all while navigating the absurd and comical politics of war. Set in the expansive and humorous universe shared by the two games, Clash aims to bring the franchise's fan-favorite characters and whimsical battles to life. Originally released in 2012 and 2016 respectively, Clash of Clans and Clash Royale have remained wildly popular. Together, they have been downloaded more than four billion times, with players logging over 180 billion hours of gameplay. Fletcher Moules, who previously directed Clash of Clans animated videos for YouTube—amassing hundreds of millions of views—will serve as showrunner. Ron Weiner, known for his work on Futurama and Arrested Development, joins the team as head writer. Animation for the series will be produced by ICON Creative Studio. This order adds to Netflix's growing list of animated projects. The streamer recently announced Mating Season, an adult animated comedy from the creators of Big Mouth, which is nearing its eighth and final season. Netflix is also preparing to launch Long Story Short, a new series from BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, featuring voice talents such as Abbi Jacobson, Max Greenfield, and Nicole Byer. That show is set to premiere on August 22.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Murderbot' review: Alexander Skarsgård's killer robot comedy is slow to boot up
Security Unit 238776431 is the property of the Company, a powerful mega-conglomerate located in the galaxy's Corporation Rim. Programmed to serve, the heavily armed robot soldier does not love its job. 'I was built to obey humans,' explains SecUnit (Alexander Skarsgård) in the series premiere of Murderbot. 'But humans... well, they're assholes.' Unbeknownst to its owners, however, this SecUnit — a misanthropic robot in the vein of Marvin the Paranoid Android (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and Bender (Futurama) — just hacked its 'governor module,' freeing itself from techno-slavery. Though it could kill its human captors and set off on its own, SecUnit does not want to risk discovery as a 'rogue' bot, which would result in being stripped for parts and melted in an acid bath. Choosing instead to bide its time, the SecUnit — which decides to rename itself Murderbot — reluctantly joins its next assignment: Working for a team of researchers from Preservation Alliance, a distant planet that rejects the Corporation Rim's harsh laws and embraces an egalitarian form of government. Murderbot resigns itself to protecting these 'hippie scientists,' though all it really wants to do is watch entertainment 'content' downloaded from the Company's satellite feed. Murderbot, adapted by Chris and Paul Weitz (About a Boy) from Martha Wells' popular book series, has a hilarious premise, an admirable cast, and a lavish, Apple TV+ budget. It also has a real pacing problem; the first half of the 10-episode season is puzzlingly light on plot momentum and laughs. While the action, characters, and comedy do ultimately gel by the end, viewers will likely have to wait for a season 2 to see Murderbot reach its killer potential. Preservation Alliance leader Dr. Ayda Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) and her team of scientists — Ratthi (Akshay Khanna), Bharadwaj (Tamara Podemski), Gurathin (David Dastmalchian), Arada (Tattiawna Jones), and her wife, Pin-Lee (Sabrina Wu) — embark on a research expedition to an uninhabited planet with Murderbot in tow. (Though Mensah says her team is 'not comfortable with the idea of a sentient construct being required to work for us,' the Company will not provide insurance for their research project unless the team takes security.) Murderbot has little interest in Mensah and her 'weird' crew. Still, it easily homes in on the team's subtle interpersonal dynamics, as when its pulse-rate monitor identifies a love triangle between Pin-Lee, Ratthi, and Arada. It also quickly realizes that Dr. Gurathin, an 'augmented human' whose brain can perform some computer functions, suspects that it might be rogue. The unit keeps one 'eye' on the scientists, and the other on its favorite soap opera, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, which features a romance between a dashing captain (John Cho) and a beautiful Navigation Bot (DeWanda Wise). But when Mensah discovers that another research team on the planet has been killed by unknown assailants, Murderbot is forced to engage with its 'helpless and useless' clients. It may be a (literally) heartless machine, but Murderbot shares more in common with its clients than it's willing to admit. Like many humans, it is uncomfortable with sustained eye contact; it would rather take an acid bath than give a speech; and it prefers the company of TV characters to real people. Also, its coworkers drive it up a wall. Unfortunately, the Planetary Alliance gang insist on treating Murderbot like one of the team, inviting it to ride in their transport vehicle (instead of the cargo bay, where SecUnits usually travel) and giving it a crew uniform to wear when its armor is damaged. Murderbot's struggle to accept being embraced — figuratively and literally — by its human clients, who insist on valuing its input and individuality, is the show's comedic engine. When Murderbot gets really desperate, it searches Sanctuary Moon and other TV shows for examples of small talk ('Tell me, Dr. Arada, what planet are you from originally?'), which it mimics with comical discomfort. For nearly five episodes, though, the Weitz brothers stall their lead character's development by relegating its emotional turmoil to excessive voiceovers. Murderbot's inner monologue can be funny ('I don't have a stomach so I can't throw up, but if I did, I would'), but it also keeps the story in a holding pattern: Mensah and her team try to connect with Murderbot; it stonewalls them while stewing over how annoying they are; repeat. The debut season of Murderbot is based on the first book in Wells' series, All Systems Red, which clocks in at about 150 pages. I mention this because the Apple TV+ adaptation suffers from 'season-long pilot' syndrome — a common malady in which a new streaming series spends much of its initial 8 to 10 episodes restating its premise. The Weitz brothers, credited as the series' sole writers, hew close to Wells' source material for their adaptation, but there simply isn't enough story to fill 10 episodes, even at around 25 minutes each. As a result, the season is nearly half over before Murderbot's dynamic with its team, and the ongoing mystery about the slaughtered researchers, really start to develop. When Murderbot finally starts voicing its annoyance to Mensah and the team, the series gets a lot more entertaining. 'I wish I didn't have to, but of course I can hear you,' grouses SecUnit, after Pin-Lee complains about its eavesdropping. "I'm a highly advanced piece of technology.' Skarsgård, a stealth comedic presence in Succession, also puts his Nordic reserve to good use as Murderbot. The actor enhances his character's long inner monologues with his eloquent ice-blue eyes, which can convey emotions ranging from disdain and discomfiture to despair and devotion. Dumezweni makes Mensah believable as both a thoughtful leader and an overly anxious empath prone to panic attacks. And Pen15's Anna Konkle drops in for an amusing turn as Leebeebee, a survivor from the other research team who can't stop speculating about Murderbot's anatomy. Viewers who stick with Murderbot will be rewarded with a moving finale, one that solidifies the characters' relationship with SecUnit and seems to set up the story from Wells' second book, 2018's Artificial Condition. Apple TV+ has yet to announce a renewal, but the streamer isn't opposed to giving expensive sci-fi series multiple seasons, so it's not unreasonable to believe that Skarsgård's restless robot will be back. Now that Murderbot finally found its voice, it deserves a chance to use it. Grade: B- The first two episodes of Murderbot premiere Friday, May 16 on Apple TV+. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Forbes
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Osaka Virtual Expo 2025 Is A Fully Playable Video Game
My avatar, wearing a Suntory vending machine skin and looking out over the city fo the future, in ... More the virtual "Future of Life Pavilion" at Osaka Virtual Expo 2025. It recalls Norman Bel Geddes's Futurama exhibition at the 1939 New York World's Fair. I love world's fairs and expos. I've always wanted to visit one and this year I finally got the chance—at least virtually. The Osaka World Expo, a mega exhibition titled 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives,' will host an expected 28 million visitors over 184 days from April 13th to October 13th. But the online Osaka Virtual Expo could attract over 250 million, allowing people who cannot travel to Japan an opportunity to experience the expo, nearly quadrupling the in-person attendance record set by Shanghai Expo in 2010. The massive public events have defined and redefined our modern world. The 2025 Osaka Expo marks 174 years since the legendary 1851 London exhibition where modern architecture was born in the form of the glass and iron 'Crystal Palace', and 55 years since Osaka Expo 1970, where wireless telephones, electric cars, and moving sidewalks were first displayed to the public. It remains one of the most spectacular displays of art, architecture, and technology in the 20th century. The Kodak and Rocoh pavilions, Osaka Expo '70. In 2020, the Dubai expo was forced online due to COVID-19, and the digital version attracted around 250 million from around the world. The 4.38 square-kilometer physical site in Dubai was recreated and beamed into visitors' living rooms with Google Maps' Street View and 360-degree imagery after the event was postponed by the pandemic. But the Osaka Expo is the first completely virtual expo, with a full, dedicated video game app. These types of online environments were novel before the 2020 lockdowns, when they suddenly proliferated and became instantly insufferable as every exhibition had an in-browser version. Facebook jumped on the bandwagon and renamed itself Meta. It became clear very quickly that the metaverse was not somewhere people wanted to spend significant time shopping or hanging out. However, when done right, these online environments excel at recreating exhibitions and extending their reach. Now, visitors need not travel to Osaka to experience at least part of the expo. And it can live forever online, long after the physical pavilions are decommissioned and deconstructed. 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 Osaka is already a leader in adapting emerging technologies. This year's IRL expo will take place on Yumeshima, an artificial island in nearby Osaka Bay, while the Virtual Expo lives online and can be downloaded as an app on desktop, mobile devices and Meta Quest 2 or 3. Playable, digital versions of the pavilions and sponsor rooms are arranged on twelve islands, including "Harmony Island", "Progress Island", and 'Encounter Island'. Visitors are invited to 'discover a whole new version' of themselves, and can acquire skins, collect loot, use a selection of emotes, and collect badges in a 'guide' for visiting each pavilion. The gameplay is smooth for the most part. Often it is possible to get frustrated by the map and feel slightly lost. This is perhaps a good quality, as that is a familiar feeling when attending a large event. The warp function works well between islands, but within each island, the experience of the space allows the exhibition's content (videos, slides, static images), to remain organized spatially. The tools, such as embedded video and imagery, or choreographed movement through three-dimensional information space, give designers and storytellers an enhanced online media in which to present ideas and visual narratives. It resists the perfect, simple smoothness of a website, or the relentless, flat interface of the social media feed. A sinuous, translucent ring of blue light encircles the entire site, connecting the islands. It is a digital, gamified version of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto's monumental Grand Ring with local sugi cedar and hinoki cypress in a 3d grid that references Japanese temple designs. This hybrid physical and digital strategy aligns with the goals of Japan's national strategy 'Society 5.0', a vision of a future empowered by Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, and biotechnology. The Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. pavilion's display of future mobility technologies, including ... More CORLEO, a rideable robot horse. Like past expos and fairs—most famously New York 1934, where GM showed 'Futurama'—a dream of a city built around cars and corporate pavilions takes center stage. Japanese telecom provider NTT—the producer of the virtual expo—shows several tech innovations including FeelTech, a wearable that allows users to share sensory perceptions via 6G signal. They also showed off futuristic concepts such as telepathy for dogs to communicate with their owners. At the 'Future City' pavilion, Japanese mobility company Kawasaki had an impressive display including hydrogen engines, concepts for train cabins with robot waiters, and a ridable horse robot called Cor-leo. Live feeds of the Expo's Vertiport were available for virtual visitors to see large drones landing and taking off at the IRL Osaka site. Other corporate standouts were Japanese energy company Niterra's underwater expedition that had educational mini-games alongside promotional content showcasing their latest R+D innovations, often with extensive information on digital placards. Drinks conglomerate Suntory had a fun game where players can get drinks from a vending machine, toast them, and recycle the cans or bottles. Beermaker Asahi showcased their forest, where lumber is harvested sustainably. A selfie in the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE PAVILION. Exterior of the digital version of NERI, designed IRL by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. The Japanese ocean non-profit NERI's physical Osaka pavilion is a set of domes designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. Virtually, it is an underwater experience where a turtle explains the challenges and successes of ocean stewardship. The 'Future of Life' pavilion displayed futuristic visions of healthcare, education, mobility, and various other aspects of future living, developed by companies in collaboration with artist TK. There were also several more abstract experiences, such as the null^2 pavilion, a mysterious conceptual experience, and the Japan pavilion, where players' avatars are morphed into a pile of food waste (the objective of the mini-game is to turn on the bio-digestor in order to escape). I even took a selfie with a life-size Gundam, which is on-site at Osaka in addition to living virtually. Better Co-Being is a series of pavilions in Osaka, one of which is designed by Pritzker Prize laureate SANAA. Online, it is the most abstract experience, with a minimalist version of SANAA's ethereal gridded structure that floats amongst the 'Forest of Tranquility'. The digital version of Better Co-being Pavilion by Japanese architects SANAA, part of the Forest of ... More Tranquility. Better Co-being mini game. All of this is about the future. The future of how we live, how we connect, and how we steward nature. Past fairs, up until 1970, were instrumental in defining what was next, both in architecture as well as technology. But are expos today a futurism of the past? What is "the future" today? And what role do these expos play in constructing it and broadcasting it? Are the gee-whiz tech innovations still relevant like the electric light bulb or the elevator were? Or is the Osaka Virtual Expo a 'hammer in search of a nail', like the metaverse itself? Personally, I think there is great value in extending the experience of this exhibition to the world, and hope it continues to expand in 2030— including more national pavilions.
CBS News
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chicago C2E2 2025 starts Friday at McCormick Place: Guests, directions, opening time and more
The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo is bringing all things pop culture back to Chicago's McCormick Place this weekend. The three-day event allows fans to interact with some of their favorite creators, artists, and stars from the world of gaming, film, comics, anime, and cosplay. Attendees can engage in fandom while having access to exclusive C2E2 merchandise and collectibles from multiple vendors on the showroom floor. Over 85,000 attendees are expected to attend the convention over the weekend. This year's event will feature panels, photo ops, and autographing opportunities with celebrity guests including: Casts of members from "Robocop," "Futurama," and "Starship Troopers," just to name a few, will also be there this weekend. There will also be a reunion of the core cast of the film " The Breakfast Club" in celebration of its 40th anniversary. For those driving to the convention, parking will be available in Lot A at 2200 S. Prairie Avenue. The rate for parking Is $27 an hour for up to 16 hours and $40 from 16 to 24 hours. If you don't mind a bit of a walk, Lot C at 2227 S. Fort Dearborn Drive is also an option. The same rates apply. Parking can also be purchased online . The best way to get to the convention is via rideshare or public transportation, including the CTA Green and Red lines. The event will be held from Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13, at the McCormick Place South Building, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. Below are the hours and remaining ticket prices for each day: Friday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. - $70 for adults Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. - $80 – Sold Out Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. - $80 Kids 3-day tickets - $45 (for ages 6 to 12) Digital pass available Fans who can't attend the convention in person can purchase a monthly digital pass for $5.99. This pass allows live access to panels, the showcase, and the C2E2 archive.
