The spread of COVID-19 has forced numerous physical gaming events like E3 and PAX, as well as esports tournaments like Overwatch League, to go entirely virtual. While larger companies adapted quickly, smaller games businesses don’t necessarily have the resources to pivot as rapidly. However, this hasn’t stopped the movement of hosting gaming events in virtual spaces and making the content available for everyone. Still, many have made the effort to offer their virtual spaces to as many as possible, including The Game Gym – a community esports team and training center. The Game Gym’s Josh Hafkin and Evan Shubin spoke to IGN about how they’ve reacted to the pandemic and adjusted their locally owned and operated business to fit the current times. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Game Gym is located in Rockville, Maryland. Josh Hafkin, the founder and CEO, grew up playing both games and sports equally. He had the idea to form The Game Gym to fuse his love of sports and gaming when esports started to take off. Hafkin wanted to help create a place that serves as a community center to connect parents and their kids through an understanding of what gaming is, as well as a dojo that educates kids on cyberbullying, health and nutrition, and video game development. The Game Gym offers memberships for kids that teaches them to make healthy lifestyle choices by balancing gaming with other activities, provide insight on game design, and much more. Hafkin realized how few local opportunities there were at the community level for kids to get involved in esports and esports training in general and he wanted to bridge that gap. His sports experience gave him confidence in serving as a knowledgable coach to kids who were interested in learning more about gaming opportunities and how to improve their own skills. Since The Game Gym operates as a local club where kids and their families can come by in person and participate in numerous activities, including in-house tournaments, gaming in their private training rooms, and sitting in on presentations from guest gaming industry professionals – the impact of COVID-19 has caused some major changes to its community. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/e3-officially-canceled-over-coronavirus-concerns-ign-news"] Usually the memberships offered at The Game Gym included unlimited Gym access during open hours and access to classes and gaming tournaments that could be hosted in-house. Now, the staff has created a new system of online camp classes to supplement what would’ve been the summer camp program. Even with the unexpected hurdle of adjusting to stay-at-home life, The Game Gym has planned an entire special weekend of content to celebrate esports and the gaming community. This event, The DMV’s End of Summer Bash, goes live on August 21 and will run until August 23. The event will have educational and entertainment panels throughout the weekend and host different gaming tournaments. The goal is to raise $25,000 for Extra Life, which supports the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Evan Shubin, the chief operating officer of The Game Gym, told IGN he’d first been a part of The Game Gym as a customer when his two sons introduced him to the world of gaming. About four years ago, Shubin believed gaming was a “waste of time” and got in the way of his children's schoolwork. But when his son, Samuel, advocated for the game League of Legends and explained how its strategy-based gameplay actually taught him skills, Shubin realized there was a lot of technique and leadership involved – which was first step for him to realize gaming could offer much more than he thought. Shubin saw how big gaming could be for his son’s future when Ohio State introduced an esports program and its own arena, so he jumped on board with Hafkin to help operate The Game Gym’s vision. When asked about his experience educating parents on the topic of gaming and the possibilities of gaming extending beyond just a hobby and becoming a career, Hafkin said he acts as a translator between the kid and their parents. He helps bridge the gap between the two to help understand the different worlds. “A part of the issue that we’ve discovered is that the reason why we have so many issues is that no one is guiding our kids through their gaming process,” Hafkin said. “There are no coaches. Like, imagine if we taught football the way we teach gaming, which is essentially like watch a YouTube video then go do it.” Hafkin wants to foster coaching and help kids to game better and smarter while also helping parents understand the importance of being there to guide the process and encourage them. The End of Summer Game Bash is a free event that anyone can watch on The Game Gym’s Twitch channel, and it will include interview panels, presentations from esports players and team managers, and entertainment panels from content creators. Anyone is able to enter the tournaments – they are not closed off to non-Game Gym members. Donations can be made during the livestream to directly fund Extra Life, and the fees required to enter the tournaments will all go toward the charity fundraising goal. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Stella Chung is a video producer at IGN. Author’s note: Stella Chung will be involved in a panel for The Game Gym’s End of Summer Bash, live on the show on Saturday August 22 at 11:15 am ET/8:15 am PT. The event runs from August 21-23 and will have tournaments running for various games each evening that those interested can sign up for at the official website.

The next Call of Duty game is officially titled Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War. As previously reported, the setting for the next Call of Duty will take place during the 20th century, geopolitical conflict between the United States and the USSR. Call of Duty posted an unlisted trailer that's short of gameplay but shows real video footage from the Cold War era of history. All the while using a voiceover from KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov as he explains the tools of fighting a cold war. You can watch the trailer below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/19/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-teaser-trailer"] The trailer ends with the title reveal for Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War. Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War is being developed by both Treyarch and Raven. It was previously reported that this year's Call of Duty game would be set during the Cold War. Activision has only recently started teasing a new Call of Duty game despite repeatedly assuring the community that a new shooter was going to be released in 2020. In August, Activision began sending out mysterious slideshow projectors that led the community on an alternate reality game that eventually uncovered a mysterious website that played news clips from the 1960s. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] The time period of the news clips seemingly confirmed the Cold War setting, and today's trailer officially confirmed the months-long rumors. Activision also embedded teasers for Black Ops Cold War into Call of Duty: Warzone. The company confirmed that Cold War will include the popular free-to-play Warzone mode as well. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

While The Batman is one of many Hollywood productions forced into hiatus by the COVID-19 pandemic, it won't be long before the cameras start rolling again. Variety reports the DC movie is expected to resume production in London in September. This good news comes a little more than a month after The Batman, Mission: Impossible 7 and several other Hollywood projects were cleared to resume shooting by the UK government. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-how-robert-pattinsons-batsuit-draws-from-the-past&captions=true"] Variety notes director Matt Reeves completed seven weeks of filming before the shutdown, leaving roughly three months of shooting left to go. Bearing that in mind, it's little surprise Warner Bros. opted to delay The Batman's release date from June 25, 2021 to October 1, 2021. Even if things remain on schedule from here on out, principal photography on The Batman won't wrap until late 2020. While the September timeline could still shift depending on the state of the health crisis in the UK and current safety guidelines, crew members have reportedly already begun building sets in London. Variety also points out filming has already resumed on The Matrix 4 in Berlin, which looks to be a positive sign for The Batman. Apart from The Batman and the Mission: Impossible sequels, other major film productions that were originally halted in the UK include the third Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them installment, Disney's live-action retelling of The Little Mermaid, and Universal's Jurassic World: Dominion, which resumed filming at Pinewood Studios in July after an almost four-month hiatus. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/19/batman-year-one-the-r-rated-reboot-that-almost-was-ft-frank-miller"] Despite teasingly claiming he was "just barely doing anything" for his physical training, The Batman star Robert Pattinson recently revealed his intensive workout and diet regimen. Bat-fans should expect to see the first footage from The Batman quite soon. Warner Bros. revealed the July 31 release of Tenet will include previews for upcoming Warners films, which could very well include The Batman since Pattinson stars in both films. Warners also announced their Comic-Con-style virtual event DC FanDome, which takes place August 22, will includes panels and footage from a number of upcoming DC movies, including The Batman. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Disney+ in September includes the much-anticipated release of Mulan on September 4. Mulan will forego its theatrical release in favor of debuting on Disney+ for a premium fee of $29.99. And as long as you have a Disney+ subscription, you'll be able to watch Mulan as many times as you want after you pay the purchase price. This exciting news was revealed in a recent investor call, which also revealed that the streamer has surpassed 60.5 million subscribers. On the TV front, all sevens seasons of ABC's Once Upon a Time will make its way to Disney+ on September 18. Also premiering on September 18 is a new series from executive producer and NBA star LeBron James, titled Becoming. According to Disney+, Becoming "chronicles the inspirational life stories of world-class entertainers, musicians, and athletes. Each episode follows a different celebrity back to their hometown as they revisit memorable locations that were central to their upbringing." Read on to see the full list of shows and movies coming to Disney+ in September: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/02/mulan-official-final-trailer"]

Friday, September 4

• Ancient China from Above (Season 1)
• D2: The Mighty Ducks
• D3: The Mighty Ducks
• Never Been Kissed
• Strange Magic
• Trick or Treat
• The Wolverine
• Mulan
• Earth to Ned
• One Day At Disney: Episode 140 - “Alice Taylor: Studiolab”
• Muppets Now: Episode 106 - “Socialized”
• Pixar In Real Life: Episode 111 - “Coco: Abuelita Says No Music”
• Weird But True: Episode 304 - “Germs”

Friday, September 11

• Christopher Robin
• One Day At Disney: Episode 141 - “Amanda Lauder: Chef Chocolatier”
• Weird But True: Episode 305 - “Photography”

Friday, September 18

• Bend it Like Beckham
• Coop & Cami Ask the World (Season 2)
• Europe from Above (Season 1)
• Ever After: A Cinderella Story
• Kingdom of the Mummies (Season 1)
• Marvel Super Hero Adventures (Season 4)
• Notre Dame: Race Against the Inferno
• Once Upon a Time (Seasons 1-7)
• Soy Luna (Seasons 2-3)
• Violetta (Season 3)
• Wicked Tuna (Season 9)
• Becoming: All Episodes Available
• One Day At Disney: Episode 142 - “Dr. Natalie Mylniczenko: Veterinarian”
• Weird But True: Episode 306 - “Trains"

Friday, September 25

• Fancy Nancy: Fancy it Yourself (Season 2)
• The Giant Robber Crab
• Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted (Season 2)
• Muppet Babies (Season 2)
• Oceans
• Port Protection: Alaska (Season 3)
• Sydney to the Max (Season 2)
• Wild Central America (Season 1)
• X-Ray Earth (Season 1)
• Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
• One Day At Disney: Episode 143 - “Ashley Girdich: R&D Imagineer Manager”
• Weird But True: Episode 307 - “Venomous Animals”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/12/20-actors-who-were-almost-x-men"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Update: Rocksteady has published a new statement direct from the company, rather than a new letter drafted by its female employees. In it, Rocksteady says it worked to tackle the issues raised in the 2018 letter that alleged Rocksteady did nothing about its sexist work place. "In response to the initial communication, we met with all our female staff, we listened, and we dealt with the issues raised. All formal complaints were thoroughly investigated, addressed appropriately, and a number of serious measures were taken in response to the issues that were surfaced, including discipline or termination of staff." As a follow-up, Rocksteady says it will work with an independent, third-party to speak with all employees at Rocksteady who wish to speak up about the company's culture.

Here is our statement: pic.twitter.com/ssyzNWfyhB

— Rocksteady Studios (@RocksteadyGames) August 21, 2020

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Original Story: Rocksteady Studios, the London-based video game developer behind the Batman Arkham series and the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, has come under fire after the revelation the company allegedly did not take action when presented with stories of sexual harassment within the company. The Guardian published a report regarding a letter signed by over half of Rocksteady’s women employees back in November 2018 that claimed, among other things, of sexual harassment experienced in the workplace. The letter, signed by 10 of the company’s 16 women employees at the time, raised issues about the workplace that included “slurs regarding the transgendered community” and “discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues,” as well as “unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman’s body, and inappropriate comments in the office.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/rocksteady-reportedly-working-on-a-suicide-squad-game"] The Guardian's anonymous source, who signed the letter in 2018, claims that the letter was kept private from the rest of the company and resulted only in a single training seminar on sexual harassment in the workplace. The source alleges Rocksteady still has issues of sexism and harassment from the workplace. Since the publication of The Guardian’s report, Kim MacAskill, former senior scriptwriter for the upcoming Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, came forward with her account of working at Rocksteady. In her 13-minute video, MacAskill says that 97 percent of the employees at Rocksteady were supportive of her as a woman and developer. “It’s just so unfortunate that because one or two people weren’t so good that this happens and it happened because the company is so inept to limit this stuff,” she said. MacAskill delves into the time when she gathered Rocksteady’s female employees, save for those who worked in Human Resources (HR), to discuss their experiences with sexual harassment at the workplace. MacAskill says all but one of the women she spoke to claimed to have experienced some form of harassment at Rocksteady. MacAskill also alleges HR failed to appropriately handle the allegations. Following these allegations, Rocksteady has remained mostly silent on the matter. The company says it’s working on a response to the news but, in the meantime, shared a letter on the company’s official Twitter account, which it claims is a voluntary response from 7 of the ten signatories of the original 2018 letter. This new letter claims that “immediate action was taken” to address matters of sexual harassment at Rocksteady and that the original 2018 letter sent to The Guardian was done so without their consent.

While working on our response to the recent news, we received the following unsolicited letter. pic.twitter.com/sozmsp6u3C

— Rocksteady Studios (@RocksteadyGames) August 19, 2020

The allegations surfaced just as Rocksteady is about to reveal its latest game, Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, at the upcoming DC Fandome. This is the studio’s first game since releasing Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015 and Batman: Arkham VR in 2016. IGN has reached out to Rocksteady regarding the report and allegations. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Microsoft unveiled an extensive look at the new Xbox user interface, which is designed to provide a cohesive experience for players across a variety of devices, including Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and Android devices via cloud gaming. The overall layout should be familiar to longtime Xbox players, but with a faster, more focused design. Take a look at the UI in the gallery and video below. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-series-x-user-interface&captions=true"] Microsoft says that the home screen will load more than 50% faster when booting up the system, and around 30% faster when returning from a game. The improvements also cut down on memory usage considerably – around 40% Microsoft says. Other improvements include the consolidation of Parties and Chat into a single tab to streamline communication and make it easier to track what's going on with your friends. One key aspect mentioned is how the system will connect to mobile devices using a new Xbox mobile app. When you capture a gameplay clip, for example, it will automatically be sent to the mobile app, making it easy to then share to your social media of choice. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/19/next-gen-xbox-ui-features-detailed-coming-to-series-x-and-xbox-one"] Microsoft says these new features – like an update to the Microsoft Store – will begin rolling out in the coming weeks, with the major overhaul coinciding with the Xbox Series X launch in November.

While Thor has always ranked among the strongest members of the Avengers, lately he's reached new heights of power after agreeing to become a herald of Galactus. And now Thor #6 illustrates just how powerful the Mighty Thor has become in 2020, as the thunder god slays his most fearsome opponent yet. Read on to learn what new foe has fallen before the might of Mjolnir, but beware of full spoilers for Thor #6 ahead! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=epic-marvel-covers-showcase-thors-new-costume&captions=true"] Thor is arguably at the peak of his godly strength right now, having first ascended to become the new Allfather of Asgard and then being infused with the Power Cosmic by Galactus. Galactus needs a mighty herald to help him defeat the Black Winter, a sentient cosmic plague that's currently sweeping the multiverse. It even killed the Justice League. But as Thor learned in issue #5, Galactus has a very personal reason for despising the Black Winter. In the previous incarnation of the Marvel Universe, before he became the Devourer of Worlds, the man known as Galan of Taa was the Black Winter's herald. The Black Winter reveals it has no interest in destroying the universe all over again. It simply wants its right-hand man back. At this point Thor is fed up with the temporary alliance he forged with Galactus. The thunder god absorbs all the energy he helped Galactus gather and turns it against his "master." [caption id="attachment_2394870" align="aligncenter" width="1867"] Art by Geoff Shaw. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] Last time Thor directly battled Galactus in the 2011 Mighty Thor series, he barely managed to dent his foe's armor. This time around, one of the most powerful beings in the universe is left broken and defeated. But Thor isn't finished. Equally disgusted with the Black Winter, Thor channels all of his power into Galactus, transforming him into a bomb that obliterates both enemies. When the dust finally settles, Galactus is nothing more than a smoking suit of armor and the Black Winter has been reduced to a single snowflake. But before Thor crushes the plague to death, it shows him a vision of his death. Even as the story flashes forward several months to a victorious Thor reigning over his kingdom, he's still haunted by what he saw in that moment: [caption id="attachment_2394869" align="aligncenter" width="1868"] Art by Geoff Shaw. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] That's right, apparently Thor is doomed to die fighting Thanos, with the Mad Titan wielding both a black version of the Infinity Gauntlet and Mjolnir empowered by the Infinity Stones, while also controlling an army of Marvel Zombies for good measure. Writer Donny Cates began his sprawling cosmic Marvel saga with Thanos Wins back in 2017, and it seems all roads lead back to Thanos in the end. At the moment, it's anyone's guess as to when this fateful conflict will play out, but we do have a better sense of what the immediate future holds for the Odinson. Asgard is currently at peace, though an unknown enemy is manipulating Thor's fate and erasing the future previously glimpsed in Jason Aaron's Thor run. Every day, Thor spirals deeper into a drunken stupor and Mjolnir grows heavier. He may have been strong enough to slay Galactus, but how can Thor fight an enemy who won't show their face? We also have to wonder what the consequences of Galactus' death will be. It's long since been established Galactus is less a villain than a necessary force of cosmic balance that keeps life in check. What happens when that balance is destroyed? Let us know in the comments below what you think of Thor's impressive victory and the implications of his vision of Thanos. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/19/dc-fandome-hall-of-heroes-event-trailer"] In other comic book news, find out about Wolverine's gory new anthology series and learn how the recent WarnerMedia layoffs could impact DC Comics in 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Both legendary comic book writer Frank Miller and director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Fountain) wrote their own scripts for the rejected Batman: Year One movie. While neither was used, some think they may have affected future projects, including Christopher Nolan's eventual Batman trilogy. While it was known that Miller and Aronofsky had collaborated on the failed pitch for an R-rated Batman movie following Batman & Robin, Miller told IGN that they had both written separate treatments for the movie. In IGN's new documentary, Batman: Year One - The R-Rated Reboot That Almost Was, Miller explains: "Darren wrote one version and I wrote one version. Neither got produced." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/batman-year-one-the-r-rated-reboot-that-almost-was-ft-frank-miller"] Despite the double-headed approach, both creators were ultimately turned down, with Miller joking, "It has to be agreed upon by the entire United States Congress before it proceeds." He continued, "It’s Batman! So many people have to approve anything to do with a trademark of that value that the odds are that anything is going to be squashed." Interestingly, while those drafts were ultimately never used to make the intended film, they may not have been unused entirely. Former Warner Bros. president of worldwide production, Lorenzo di Bonaventura explained to IGN how those rejected scripts may have affected future movies, including Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, which did end up taking a grittier tone: "I don’t remember what Chris [Nolan] did or didn’t read as he jumped in. But any time you do a draft like that, everybody reads that draft who comes aboard, right? So those ideas can filter in. The Anne Hathaway Catwoman, was it affected by the Aronofsky draft? I have no idea. I find that in the process of developing any big franchise, little ideas somehow find a way when they’re good of never dying, no matter how many drafts, no matter how many filmmakers. Somehow they keep coming back in. "I have no doubt that the exploration of Darren’s version impacted everything following it to some degree. Now you tell me how much. That’s a hard one." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movies&captions=true"] There's far, far more to learn in the full documentary about Batman: Year One, which would have been a darker, bloodier take on the Batman mythos, had it ever seen the light of day. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.  

Amazon has announced five new additions to the cast of its TV adaptation of Robert Jordan's fantasy epic The Wheel of Time. Sophie Okonedo, the Oscar-nominated actress who rose to fame playing Tatiana Rusesabagina in 2004's Hotel Rwanda, has been cast as the legendary Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche, who was raised from the Blue Ajah in the Wheel of Time books. She will star alongside Game of Thrones alum Kae Alexander who will be assuming the role of Elmindreda "Min" Farshaw, another fan-favorite character from the best-selling series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-wheel-of-time-cast&captions=true"] Also joining the Wheel of Time cast in recurring roles are Kate Fleetwood (Peacock's Brave New World) as Liandrin Guirale, Clare Perkins (Netflix's The Crown newcomer) as Kerene Nagashi, and Finnish actor Peter Franzen (History's Vikings) as Stepin. With these new additions, the series has secured most of its main cast, though fans are still awaiting cast announcements for Elayne and Gawyn Trakand, two other major characters in the first book. The latest quintet joins an array of previously announced cast members, including  Michael McElhatton as Tam Al'Thor, father of Rand Al'Thor, Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, Barney Harris as Mat Cauthon, Madeleine Madden as Egwene Al'Vere, Zoë Robins as Nynaeve, and Daniel Henney as al'Lan Mandragoran. Alexandre Willaume also recently joined the cast as beloved gleeman Thom Merrilin alongside three other key characters. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/04/20/wheel-of-time-in-60-seconds-what-you-need-to-know"] Amazon's official description for The Wheel of Time series describes the show as one that is "set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it." The story follows "Moiraine, a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity." For more on The Wheel of Time, check out our guide to everything you need to know about the upcoming series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion movie adaptation of Pinocchio has rounded out a star-studded cast including Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, and Ron Perlman. McGregor will play Cricket, with actor Gregory Mann starring as Pinocchio. The press release and a tweet from an official Netflix account calls Mann a "newcomer" but an IMDb page belonging to a Gregory Mann has one prior role in Cats (2019). David Bradley, who played Walder Frey in Game of Thrones and Mr. Filch in the Harry Potter movies, will play Gepetto. Tilda Swinton, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and Burn Gorman will join Waltz and Perlman in the movie, which is going to be a musical. The film is set to debut in theaters and on Netflix. Principal photography has been going on since fall 2019 in Oregon. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/01/new-to-netflix-for-august-2020"] “After years of pursuing this dream project, I found my perfect partner in Netflix," del Toro said in a statement. "We have spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew and have been blessed by continuous support from Netflix to quietly and carefully soldier on, barely missing a beat. We all love and practice animation with great passion and believe it to be the ideal medium to retell this classic story in a completely new way." del Toro is directing the movie with the animation director of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mark Gustafson. del Toro and Patrick McHale, a writer for Adventure Time, wrote the script with del Toro and Katz writing the song lyrics. The Shape of Water composer Alexandre Desplat will compose the music score. Gris Grimly designed the Pinocchio character that will be seen in the movie. Grimly illustrates books with nightmarish depictions of classic characters and has a depiction of Pinocchio on his website with a caption claiming it's from 2003. The puppets in the movie will be designed by Mackinnon & Saunders, who previously worked on Corpse Bride and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Members of The Jim Henson Company are also listed as producers on the project. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-horror-movies-on-netflix&captions=true"] del Toro was also in production on an adaption of Nightmare Alley with another star-studded cast, including Blanchett and Perlman. Deadline reported in March that Disney shut down production over coronavirus concerns, but documents from the Director's Guild of Canada released on Friday say the film is back in pre-production with full production set for November. Here's a list of everything that came to Netflix in August and lists of the best horror movies, drama movies and comedies on the service for August 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who has a Netflix subscription but this one sounds like it's actually worth a trip to the theater.