Latest news with #io9
The Verge
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Pixar's Elio has a gorilla fight question of his own.
Charles Pulliam-Moore is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. While you may have forgotten that Elio is hitting theaters next month, the film's latest trailer makes it seem like Pixar has been listening to the ridiculous 100 men vs 1. gorilla hypothetical fight people have been debating about for the past few weeks.
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
How ‘The Handmaid's Tale' Pulled Off That Surprising Finale Reunion
If you've been following io9's coverage of The Handmaid's Tale season six, you might have caught our list of five things viewers needed to remember about season five. There was a long gap between seasons, and quite a few high-stakes plot threads to keep track of. One of the items on that list was the departure of fan-favorite character, whose absence was explained away in the season five premiere. We wondered if perhaps that person might return in season six, and, well… Yes! Alexis Bledel's Emily, fearless fighter and noted salted caramel ice cream fan, did indeed show up for some closure in 'The Handmaid's Tale,' the series finale episode. In season five, we learned she'd left her wife and son—after a hard-fought escape to safety—to return to Gilead and keep fighting. It was an abrupt end for a character who'd been so important as both a friend to June (Elisabeth Moss) as well as to the plot of The Handmaid's Tale as a whole; it's because of Emily that we learned about Mayday. She's the reason why Bradley Whitford's Commander Lawrence entered the story. Her experiences also illuminated the bleak life for exiles in the Colonies, as well as the genital mutilation forced upon women who refused to obey Gilead's draconian laws. Though the character's absence was due to Bledel choosing to leave the series, it was tempting to imagine Emily would soon pop up again. But she was MIA throughout season five and all of season six until the very end. In interviews with the Hollywood Reporter, Bledel as well as Moss and show creator Bruce Miller discussed how they planned her cameo. 'We were both thrilled that it might work out,' Miller told THR. 'I think she was really excited when we talked. The only thing that was hard was the logistics to get her up for the time we needed … It was wonderful to see her and [Moss] get right back into it after all that time.' Moss added, 'She wanted to do it from the beginning. She didn't need convincing at all. My first official scene on day one [on set] was with Alexis. So it meant a lot to get to work with her again.' In a separate interview with THR, Bledel said returning to The Handmaid's Tale was 'an immediate yes' because 'it felt right to bring closure to Emily's journey and offer the audience a sense of completion … I hope viewers take away to keep hope alive when things seem impossible. Even if it seems like seeds you plant couldn't possibly grow, plant seeds of hope anyway. You never know; they might find a way.' The Handmaid's Tale finale is now streaming on Hulu.
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Epic Universe Ups the Ante for Theme Park Foodies
You'll need to fuel up to keep your energy going at Epic Universe, and there's no short supply of the most bananas (in some cases) and bonkers fandom-inspired food and drinks in each portal. io9 recently visited Epic Universe during its media preview and got to try many of the theme park foodie culinary delights to see what's worth trying—and what might just be cute for a social media picture. From Viking fare in Berk to lab concoctions in the Dark Universe, here are some of the most outrageous things we tried. Super Nintendo World Okay, we had to try the DK Crush Float because we needed to get the barrel mug it came in. Never mind the taste—which was a pungent pineapple soda and banana ice-cream assault on the palette. You'll feel like you got the barrel cracked open into your mouth along with it, complete with caramel popcorn pieces and shards of chocolate. It's a lot. But if those flavors are your thing, you do you. Special mention: there's a plant-based green shell for vegan representation. The Isle of Berk Hands down the best handy meal at Epic Universe: the mac and cheese cones at Hooligan's Grog & Gruel. They come in various combination toppings including Goldfish crackers, PB&J (pork, bacon and jam), and Dragon Fire Chicken (spicy). They're incredible and easy to eat. Special mention: The Mead Hall's Yaknog, which is basically a cinnamon forward iced hot chocolate, and Stormfly's Catch of the Day, a decorated chocolate mousse filled fish (just the shape, not the flavor) served on a bed of colorful crispy cereal (think Fruity Pebbles). Dark Universe The Burning Blade is the most metal themed food location in the park. It's a fun, themed tavern with drinks that pay homage to the Universal Monsters. The Monocaine mocktail is fizzy and green—and is inspired by what turns the Invisible Man invisible. It also comes in a souvenir lab beaker and does not in fact make you invisible enough to ride Monsters Unchained multiple times. Special mention: the Frankenstein's Monster head-shaped pretzel that comes with a white cheese dipping sauce, available at De Lacey's Cottage. (We brought it into the Burning Blade Tavern for photo purposes.) Celestial Park The Pizza Moon locale is a delightfully tasty and gorgeous spot with A Trip to the Moon aesthetics, where you can keep cool and eat some darn good pizza pies. We loved the Pizza Lunare, which features a purple ube crusted dough and is topped with melty béchamel, fromage de lune ricotta, pancetta, and roasted garlic. Special mention: Frosty Moon ice cream with swirl cones topped with celestial marshmallow charms and star-shaped gold sprinkles. Epic Universe is now open. Some food was provided by Universal and some was paid for by the writer.
Gizmodo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Everything You Need to Know About Epic Universe
Here's everything you need to know about navigating Epic Universe if you managed to nab tickets to its opening season. To make the most of your trip you might want to temper your expectations: operations at the first theme park to open in 25 years in America are going to have their hiccups—and not just the How to Train Your Dragon kind. io9 attended as a paying guest before participating in media week to get a sense of what the park will really be like for guests visiting this summer. Prioritize your portals Are you a Universal Monsters fan or a gamer ready for Super Nintendo World? Rank your fandoms and move accordingly. Don't be afraid to jump to portal option two if your first option has more wait times. Mind the time of day as well. If one of your ride choices is outside, try to get on early or later in the day. The Florida heat and humidity is quite oppressive. Attractions such as Harry Potter at the Battle of the Ministry have reached five-hour waits during preview and opening day already, but that does go down after the morning rush. Hit other hot ticket attractions instead. I had no interest in visiting the Ministry of Magic attraction, which is where most of the rope drop crowd flocked to. Instead, I headed straight for Donkey Kong Country in Super Nintendo World to check out Mine Cart Madness, since Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge is a duplicate of the one at Universal Studios Hollywood and Japan. Mine Cart Madness is the newest ride in Nintendo's expansion, and I had to know what the track jumping was going to feel like. It's delightful and just how I pictured being in the game itself might be. Fans of the game won't be disappointed! Expect delays Taking advantage of the morning rush to one particular land, I went from Super Nintendo World to Dark Universe and straight onto Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. The ride is a technical marvel with state-of-the-art animatronics and a ride system that's thrillingly terrifying. But there's seemingly still some kinks being worked out, which we found out firsthand when the ride broke down while we on it. Unless you're stuck on a ride outside—which I was for about 15 minutes on Curse of the Werewolf—I'd say don't worry and keep calm in the AC. I quite enjoyed being stuck in a comforting, creepy corridor. (Honestly at one point, I decided, 'Well, I live here now.') Seriously, though, some rides like Monsters Unchained will probably break down often, as it so often goes with new park attractions. You'll be granted the option to ride again on your way out. Mobile ordering is (unfortunately) key One of my gripes for all theme parks is when visitors are required to rely on their phones. It can be a major battery-drainer. And at Epic Universe, many dining locations are mostly mobile order only. In the Isle of Berk during lunch, all the food options save for one are outside. So you're ordering outside in the heat while your phone is warming up in the sun, fighting for its battery life. If the single tented dining area is already full, you'll be hard-pressed to find any shade. For Berk I'd strongly suggest ordering their mac and cheese cone and eating it in a long queue. Double fist it with a beverage, it's the Viking way! Prepare to wait for character meet and greets The most popular character meet and greets we encountered were Donkey Kong in Super Nintendo World and Toothless in the Isle of Berk. They're both outside queues, which means you'll spend a lot of time waiting in the sun; hydrate and slather on that sunscreen accordingly. If you have littles in your group, designate one person to wait in line—but also bear in mind the performers in the outfits need breaks more than you do. You may not get to meet them during their appearance and may continue to wait during their time to presumably cool off. For Donkey Kong, I'd say we waited about an hour to meet him, while Toothless took just under 45 minutes. Fair warning: Hiccup isn't always with Toothless and you might end up with an anonymous Viking handler in your pictures. This meet and greet let me down the most as the images of my kid meeting Toothless resulted in awful pictures in which she or Toothless were obscured by the rough photography staging. I recommend seeing the robot baby dragon walk-around performance over this. On the other hand, the line for the Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Monster meet and greet is more fun and a little less brutal of an experience. Plus, the building they're at is a shaded alleyway within Dark Universe's Darkmoor village. The wait time for that was about 25 minutes as there was more of an effort to cap it by team members. For Donkey Kong and Toothless it felt a bit more chaotic, but again, this was opening week and the kinks are all hopefully being worked out. Popular merch may already be sold out If you're on a quest to do the dragon egg hatching ceremony at the Isle of Berk, like I was for my daughter, it's going to be hard for a while at least. The popular immersive activity where you get to hatch and adopt a plush baby dragon sold out during previews and, as of publication, had not yet been restocked. The same goes for the elusive Captain Cacao, Celestial Park's adorable mascot in teddy bear form. To get souvenir satisfaction, you may need to look beyond the park's most viral items. I took my daughter to the shops at Dark Universe and had her pick her first Universal Monster from the array of cutesy creature plushes, and she loved it. There's no recording on rides We're glad this is being instituted, as many influencers have ruined the ride experience at other parks with their cameras and obnoxious antics for the views. These rides are new, and people have paid a lot of money to experience them without interruption. Your face will be captured for entry and more When you scan in, your picture will be snapped along with your admission to make sure you're you and not passing the ticket off. Understandably, this can make folks a little leery. Pictures are also taken if you use lockers to store valuables. Thankfully, it's only enforced on rides that require it, including Hiccup's Winged Gliders, Stardust Racers, and Monsters Unchained. For purposes of this review, io9 paid for a ticket, dining, and merchandise at Epic Universe.
Geek Tyrant
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
RICK AND MORTY Showrunner Promises Shorter Wait Between Future Seasons as Seasons 9 and 10 Are in Development — GeekTyrant
For Rick and Morty fans who've weathered the long, unpredictable gaps between seasons (Season 3 to 4 still lives in infamy), we have some good news to share as the wait times between seasons are shrinking. While Season 8 is set to drop on May 25 on Adult Swim, showrunner and executive producer Scott Marder gave io9 an exciting update during a recent press day. Not only is Season 9 nearly finished, but the team is already deep into Season 10, and they're sticking to a tighter timeline going forward. Marder shared 'We're now through writing season 10. So we've got a cool view of the whole front 10. We definitely have cool things ahead.' If that doesn't get you grinning like Mr. Meeseeks, Marder had even more good news about the season that comes after the upcoming one: 'It is almost entirely into color, which is the last stage. I mean, we're through all the heavy lifting on it. It's an excellent season. We just started production on season 10, which is also an excellent season. You should be getting every [new season] a year [after the last one].' Rick and Morty has had its fair share of delays, some due to writing timelines, others due to industry-wide slowdowns like the 2023 strikes. But Marder's confidence in a more consistent rollout is nice to hear. The series has already been greenlit through Season 12, so if everything stays on track, fans might actually get a new season each year without needing to rewatch the entire series out of sheer withdrawal. With Season 8 just weeks away and future seasons already cooking, it feels like Rick and Morty has finally stabilized its portal-jumping schedule. Time to reset the season countdown clock with a lot less existential dread.
