Images from a cancelled The Last of Us animated movie short have surfaced online, uploaded by animation studio Oddfellows. As spotted by Nerd4.life, the images were uploaded as part of a portfolio page on Oddfellow’s website. The studio was working in collaboration with Sony to create a “strong bridge” between the original game and The Last of Us Part 2. The short film would act as a “previously on” to allow both new and old fans to catch up on the story. “In anticipation of The Last of Us II, we were asked to create a compelling short film depicting the main characters Joel and Ellie as they retell their dramatic story chronicled in the original game,” the website states. Oddfellows cites the Blade Runner 2049 animated prequel and The Animatrix as influences, with this short film having a very different art design than the video game. “Our proposal was to reinterpret each of the chapters of the game with a unique visual treatment. Using singular narrative devices would allow us to bridge the styles and travel seamlessly between the past and present. Ultimately Sony decided not to move forward with this project,” the website concludes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-story-gameplay-details&captions=true"] This portfolio page of the Oddfellows website was quickly pulled, and conventional searches will only result in a page not found error. However, thanks to Google Cache, the page can still be accessed. A search for ‘Oddfellows The Last of Us’ also still shows the page in Google search results at the time of writing. Fans have uploaded the images to Imgur. The art style for this film is certainly striking, and it would have been great to have seen Ellie and Joel’s story come to light in this manner. It’s unclear if Sony pursued a different approach for a “previously on” element for The Last of Us Part 2 with another contractor, or if the entire idea has been permanently scrapped. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/24/the-last-of-us-part-2-delayed-to-may-2020"] The Last of Us Part 2 releases May 29. If you're looking to catch up, you could always watch our The Last of Us let's play series, or read our hands-on of the much-anticipated sequel. Spotted via GamesRadar. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Images from a cancelled The Last of Us animated movie short have surfaced online, uploaded by animation studio Oddfellows. As spotted by Nerd4.life (via GamesRadar), the images were uploaded as part of a portfolio page on Oddfellow’s website. The studio was working in collaboration with Sony to create a “strong bridge” between the original game and The Last of Us Part 2. The short film would act as a “previously on” to allow both new and old fans to catch up on the story. “In anticipation of The Last of Us II, we were asked to create a compelling short film depicting the main characters Joel and Ellie as they retell their dramatic story chronicled in the original game,” the website states. Oddfellows cites the Blade Runner 2049 animated prequel and The Animatrix as influences, with this short film having a very different art design than the video game. “Our proposal was to reinterpret each of the chapters of the game with a unique visual treatment. Using singular narrative devices would allow us to bridge the styles and travel seamlessly between the past and present. Ultimately Sony decided not to move forward with this project,” the website concludes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-story-gameplay-details&captions=true"] This portfolio page of the Oddfellows website was quickly pulled, and conventional searches will only result in a page not found error. However, thanks to Google Cache, the page can still be accessed. A search for ‘Oddfellows The Last of Us’ also still shows the page in Google search results at the time of writing. Fans have uploaded the images to Imgur. The art style for this film is certainly striking, and it would have been great to have seen Ellie and Joel’s story come to light in this manner. It’s unclear if Sony pursued a different approach for a “previously on” element for The Last of Us Part 2 with another contractor, or if the entire idea has been permanently scrapped. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/24/the-last-of-us-part-2-delayed-to-may-2020"] The Last of Us Part 2 releases May 29. If you're looking to catch up, you could always watch our The Last of Us let's play series, or read our hands-on of the much-anticipated sequel. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

China is temporarily closing 70,000 movie theaters across the country in order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, initially detected in the city of Wuhan in late December. According to The Hollywood Reporter, China's leading cinema chains Wanda, CGV, Bona, Lumiere Pavillions, Jinyi, Dadi, amongst others, are officially shutting their doors as they take precautionary lockdown measures in response to the growing epidemic. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/31/top-100-movies-of-the-decade"] The mass cinema closures come shortly after several distributors of major blockbusters cancelled their biggest movie releases ahead of the Lunar New Year this weekend, typically a high season at the box office, to play their part in controlling the situation. The report states that the coming week had been projected to generate as much as $1 billion in ticket sales revenue. However, as the coronavirus outbreak worsened, it became clear that there would be almost no traffic at the turnstiles amid public warnings about crowded places. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=59-movies-to-geek-out-over-in-2020&captions=true"] The big-budget movies that have been postponed include Wanda's comedy-action sequel Detective Chinatown 3, the third instalment in a commercially successful franchise, CMC's big-budget action drama The Rescue, directed by Dante Lam, Huanxi Media's highly-anticipated comedy Lost in Russia, the latest movie in Xu Zheng's Lost series, and sports biographical film Leap, starring Gong Li, among several others. It has been suggested that these titles may be rescheduled for later in the holiday, but for now, the focus is on avoiding exposing audiences to any unnecessary health risks. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-movies-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] To date, more than 800 people have been infected by the virus globally, while the death toll from the infectious disease has risen to 26. The virus, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread to a number of Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the United States, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

China is temporarily closing 70,000 movie theaters across the country in order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, initially detected in the city of Wuhan in late December. According to The Hollywood Reporter, China's leading cinema chains Wanda, CGV, Bona, Lumiere Pavillions, Jinyi, Dadi, amongst others, are officially shutting their doors as they take precautionary lockdown measures in response to the growing epidemic. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/31/top-100-movies-of-the-decade"] The mass cinema closures come shortly after several distributors of major blockbusters cancelled their biggest movie releases ahead of the Lunar New Year this weekend, typically a high season at the box office, to play their part in controlling the situation. The report states that the coming week had been projected to generate as much as $1 billion in ticket sales revenue. However, as the coronavirus outbreak worsened, it became clear that there would be almost no traffic at the turnstiles amid public warnings about crowded places. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=59-movies-to-geek-out-over-in-2020&captions=true"] The big-budget movies that have been postponed include Wanda's comedy-action sequel Detective Chinatown 3, the third instalment in a commercially successful franchise, CMC's big-budget action drama The Rescue, directed by Dante Lam, Huanxi Media's highly-anticipated comedy Lost in Russia, the latest movie in Xu Zheng's Lost series, and sports biographical film Leap, starring Gong Li, among several others. It has been suggested that these titles may be rescheduled for later in the holiday, but for now, the focus is on avoiding exposing audiences to any unnecessary health risks. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-movies-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] To date, more than 800 people have been infected by the virus globally, while the death toll from the infectious disease has risen to 26. The virus, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread to a number of Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the United States, Thailand, South Korea and Japan. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Ewan McGregor has confirmed to IGN that, despite the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series being put on hold, its not-currently-public release date has not been changed. McGregor spoke to IGN at a Birds of Prey media event, pointing out that these kinds of production delays are fairly common, but it shouldn't impact when fans around the galaxy will see the Obi-Wan Kenobi series debut on Disney+ (although we're not sure exactly when that was supposed to be).

"It’s just slid to next year, that’s all. The scripts were really good. I think now that Episode IX came out and everyone at Lucasfilm's got more time to spend on the writing, they felt like they wanted more time to spend on the writing." McGregor said. "I’ve read about eighty, ninety percent of what they’ve written so far, and it’s really, really good. Instead of shooting this August, they just want to start shooting in January, that's all. Nothing more dramatic than that. It often happens in projects, they just wanted to push it to next year. It will have the same release date, I don’t think it will affect the release date. They're still shooting towards having the film [show] release when it was going to be originally."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/24/obi-wan-kenobi-show-put-on-hold-ign-now"] Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi series was, according to multiple reports, put on hold because Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was not happy with the current scripts. The project was put on an "indefinite" hold and the pre-production crew that had reportedly assembled at Pinewood Studios in London was sent home. THR had reported that the Kenobi series only had two scripts written so far (despite Kathleen Kennedy saying the show's scripts were completed when the Kenobi series was announced at D23 last summer). It was also reported that Lucasfilm was trying to "reconfigure" Obi-Wan's six episodes into four as part of the redevelopment process, although when asked about the episode order being cut, McGregor told IGN, "I haven't heard that." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] This new series was set to take place eight years following the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Also, even though this story has found its home as a TV show on Disney+, it was originally set to be a movie. Deborah Chow, who directed episodes of The Mandalorian, will be directing the show, which is just one of many Star Wars TV projects that will help fill the void as the films take a break until 2022. For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out everything we know about the series and see the moment when the long-awaited show was revealed during the D23 Expo 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/what-could-the-disney-obi-wan-kenobi-series-be-about"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Ewan McGregor has confirmed to IGN that, despite the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series being put on hold, its not-currently-public release date has not been changed. McGregor spoke to IGN at a Birds of Prey media event, pointing out that these kinds of production delays are fairly common, but it shouldn't impact when fans around the galaxy will see the Obi-Wan Kenobi series debut on Disney+ (although we're not sure exactly when that was supposed to be).

"It’s just slid to next year, that’s all. The scripts were really good. I think now that Episode IX came out and everyone at Lucasfilm's got more time to spend on the writing, they felt like they wanted more time to spend on the writing." McGregor said. "I’ve read about eighty, ninety percent of what they’ve written so far, and it’s really, really good. Instead of shooting this August, they just want to start shooting in January, that's all. Nothing more dramatic than that. It often happens in projects, they just wanted to push it to next year. It will have the same release date, I don’t think it will affect the release date. They're still shooting towards having the film [show] release when it was going to be originally."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/24/obi-wan-kenobi-show-put-on-hold-ign-now"] Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi series was, according to multiple reports, put on hold because Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was not happy with the current scripts. The project was put on an "indefinite" hold and the pre-production crew that had reportedly assembled at Pinewood Studios in London was sent home. THR had reported that the Kenobi series only had two scripts written so far (despite Kathleen Kennedy saying the show's scripts were completed when the Kenobi series was announced at D23 last summer). It was also reported that Lucasfilm was trying to "reconfigure" Obi-Wan's six episodes into four as part of the redevelopment process, although when asked about the episode order being cut, McGregor told IGN, "I haven't heard that." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] This new series was set to take place eight years following the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Also, even though this story has found its home as a TV show on Disney+, it was originally set to be a movie. Deborah Chow, who directed episodes of The Mandalorian, will be directing the show, which is just one of many Star Wars TV projects that will help fill the void as the films take a break until 2022. For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out everything we know about the series and see the moment when the long-awaited show was revealed during the D23 Expo 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/what-could-the-disney-obi-wan-kenobi-series-be-about"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

PlayStation has confirmed the first event of the FIA certified Gran Turismo Championships 2020 season will take place in Sydney, Australia on February 15-16 The event promises 50 of the world’s fastest Gran Turismo racers from Europe, the Americas, and Asia going wheel-to-wheel with Australian and New Zealand competitors, including Cody Nikola Latkovski (who grabbed second in both the Nations Cup and Manufacturer Series at the 2019 World Finals in Monaco in November) plus Adam Wilk and 2015 GT Academy winner Matt Simmons. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/20/gran-turismo-sport-fia-world-finals-monaco-trailer] “I'm deeply moved to be able to host the FIA-Gran Turismo Championships in Australia,” said GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi in a statement supplied alongside the announcement. “I felt from way back during the first Gran Turismo that Australia is home to some of the most passionate GT fans of the world. Australia is also a very forward thinking country that took notice of the Japanese sports car culture which ultimately led to the creation of Gran Turismo, with cars like the iconic Nissan GT-R, which even became a part of their own sports car culture.” “Not only that but the Bathurst (Mount Panorama) Circuit is one of the most unique tracks in the world, with its beautiful scenery and frighteningly difficult course lay out. I think it’s the robust car culture of Australia that nurtured fans of Gran Turismo over the last 20 years and led to the birth of top Gran Turismo athletes such as Cody Nikola Latkovski and Adam Wilk. I'm looking forward to seeing them perform well in this world class championship which is being held for the first time on their home turf.” [caption id="attachment_229195" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Australian GT challenger Cody Nikola Latkovski.[/caption] Tickets are free and are available now on a first come, first served basis. Those who can’t make it to the event at Luna Park’s Big Top will be able to watch the coverage online via GT’s official channels. Managed by GT developer Polyphony Digital and FIA, the Gran Turismo Championships were established in 2018 and have previously visited Tokyo, Monaco, New York City, Paris, Nürburg, and several other cities across the globe. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

PlayStation has confirmed the first event of the FIA certified Gran Turismo Championships 2020 season will take place in Sydney, Australia on February 15-16 The event promises 50 of the world’s fastest Gran Turismo racers from Europe, the Americas, and Asia going wheel-to-wheel with Australian and New Zealand competitors, including Cody Nikola Latkovski (who grabbed second in both the Nations Cup and Manufacturer Series at the 2019 World Finals in Monaco in November) plus Adam Wilk and 2015 GT Academy winner Matt Simmons. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/20/gran-turismo-sport-fia-world-finals-monaco-trailer] “I'm deeply moved to be able to host the FIA-Gran Turismo Championships in Australia,” said GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi in a statement supplied alongside the announcement. “I felt from way back during the first Gran Turismo that Australia is home to some of the most passionate GT fans of the world. Australia is also a very forward thinking country that took notice of the Japanese sports car culture which ultimately led to the creation of Gran Turismo, with cars like the iconic Nissan GT-R, which even became a part of their own sports car culture.” “Not only that but the Bathurst (Mount Panorama) Circuit is one of the most unique tracks in the world, with its beautiful scenery and frighteningly difficult course lay out. I think it’s the robust car culture of Australia that nurtured fans of Gran Turismo over the last 20 years and led to the birth of top Gran Turismo athletes such as Cody Nikola Latkovski and Adam Wilk. I'm looking forward to seeing them perform well in this world class championship which is being held for the first time on their home turf.” [caption id="attachment_229195" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Australian GT challenger Cody Nikola Latkovski.[/caption] Tickets are free and are available now on a first come, first served basis. Those who can’t make it to the event at Luna Park’s Big Top will be able to watch the coverage online via GT’s official channels. Managed by GT developer Polyphony Digital and FIA, the Gran Turismo Championships were established in 2018 and have previously visited Tokyo, Monaco, New York City, Paris, Nürburg, and several other cities across the globe. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

UPDATE: IGN spoke to Ewan McGregor during a press event for his upcoming DC movie Birds of Prey a few hours after the news broke, and McGregor downplayed the severity of the Kenobi series delay and issues with the scripts: "I’ve read about eighty, ninety percent of what they’ve written so far, and it’s really, really good," he told IGN. "Instead of shooting this August, they just want to start shooting in January, that's all. Nothing more dramatic then that." Click the link above for more from our chat with McGregor. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series is reportedly on hold following news that Lucasfilm president and Obi-Wan producer Kathleen Kennedy was not happy with the current scripts. As reported by Collider, the Kenobi series hasn't been cancelled, despite last week's rumors, but the crew that had assembled at Pinewood Studios in London for preproduction was sent home and were told that the Obi-Wan show would be down "indefinitely." As for the scripts, Collider's sources have stated that "what will most likely happen next is the scripts will be reworked with the hopeful goal of reassembling this summer, but there’s always the possibility that that timeframe could shift." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/what-could-the-disney-obi-wan-kenobi-series-be-about"] THR reports that only two Kenobi scripts were completed so far, despite Kathleen Kennedy telling fans at D23 that the entire Kenobi series had been written when the show was announced, with the trade's sources alleging that "story became an issue and that the entire package has been jettisoned." THR says Lucasfilm is searching for a new writer for the series and that the original plan of six episodes is being "reconfigured" to four. One further source claims the current Kenobi story was too similar to the Mandalorian's, as Obi-Wan helping guide a young Luke or Leia would too closely mirror the tale of the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, set to star Ewan McGregor, is hardly the first Star Wars film to have a rocky steps. Rogue One went through many rewrites during filming, and Solo: A Star Wars Story saw its directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller leave in the middle of production. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=obi-wans-greatest-moments&captions=true"] This new series, which was originally set to be a movie, takes place 8 years after Revenge of the Sith and will be directed by Deborah Chow, who recently directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Hossein Amini was previously attached as a writer on the series. This much-requested story is just one of many Star Wars shows in development at Disney+ that will help fill the starry void as the Star Wars films go on a hiatus. For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out everything we know about the series and see the moment when the long-awaited show was revealed during the D23 Expo 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/24/obi-wan-series-stage-reveal-with-ewan-mcgregor-d23-2019"] IGN has reached out to Disney for comment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series is reportedly on hold following news that Lucasfilm president and Obi-Wan producer Kathleen Kennedy was not happy with the current scripts. As reported by Collider, the show hasn't been cancelled, but the crew that had assembled at Pinewood Studios in London was sent home and were told that the Obi-Wan show would be down "indefinitely." As for the scripts, Collider's sources have stated that "what will most likely happen next is the scripts will be reworked with the hopeful goal of reassembling this summer, but there’s always the possibility that that timeframe could shift." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/what-could-the-disney-obi-wan-kenobi-series-be-about"] THR reports that only two scripts were written so far, and "story became an issue and that the entire package has been jettisoned." THR says Lucasfilm is searching for a new writer for the series and that the original plan of six episodes is being "reconfigured" to four. One further source claims the current Kenobi story was too similar to the Mandalorian's, as Obi-Wan helping guide a young Luke or Leia would too closely mirror the tale of the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda. Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, set to star Ewan McGregor, is hardly the first Star Wars film to have a rocky steps. Rogue One went through many rewrites during filming, and Solo: A Star Wars Story saw its directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller leave in the middle of production. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=obi-wans-greatest-moments&captions=true"] This new series, which was originally set to be a movie, takes place 8 years after Revenge of the Sith and will be directed by Deborah Chow, who recently directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Hossein Amini was previously attached as a writer on the series. This much-requested story is just one of many Star Wars shows in development at Disney+ that will help fill the starry void as the Star Wars films go on a hiatus. For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, check out everything we know about the series and see the moment when the long-awaited show was revealed during the D23 Expo 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/24/obi-wan-series-stage-reveal-with-ewan-mcgregor-d23-2019"] IGN has reached out to Disney for comment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.