Starting on March 5, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has given permission to New York City movie theaters to reopen with limited capacity, Variety reports. Theaters will be allowed to operate at 25% capacity, with no more than 50 people. COVID-19 safety measures including masks and social distancing will also be required. Movie theaters outside of New York City were allowed to reopen in October last year with the same restrictions. Sports arenas have also previously been given permission to reopen with limited capacity starting Tuesday. The decision to reopen movie theaters will almost certainly draw a mixture of sharp criticism and relief. With the United State's COVID-19 death toll recently eclipsing 500,000, vaccination efforts in New York state have also experienced slowdowns due to harsh weather conditions. New York City had fewer than 1,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on-hand Saturday, according to ABC 7 New York. New York City currently has approximately 110,000 of the second vaccine doses, but state and federal officials remain hesitant to crack into the supply. That said, the number of COVID-19 cases has reached below 3% for the first time since November. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] While movie theater companies and film studios will be glad to hear of the reopening measures, it remains to be seen if enough customers will visit to sustain the business. Movie studios have delayed the likes of Fast and the Furious 9, James Bond: No Time to Die, and Black Widow, but at 25% capacity, it's unlikely that NYC movie theaters will make a big enough box office splash to merit a studio releasing a big budget film. Big movie theater chains will no doubt take any opportunity to stem losses, though. AMC reported a 90.9% drop in revenue in its fiscal third quarter, going from more than $1 billion revenue in 2019 to a (relatively) meager $119.5 million in November 2020. AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron has also been harshly critical of HBO opting to release Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max during the pandemic, saying it sacrifices profitability to subsidize the streaming platform. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

The world of Toronto esports is getting a big makeover. A new $500 million entertainment venue, with seating for up to 7,000 fans, is currently being planned for a 2025 opening.

OverActive Media, owners of the Overwatch League’s Toronto Defiant and Call of Duty League’s Toronto Ultra, announced plans for the new venue on Monday. The currently unnamed venue, which will be located on a four-acre plot north of Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto’s 192-acre Exhibition Place grounds, will be the first sports or entertainment venue built in the city since the construction of BMO Field in 2007.

Check out the arena's concept art, which shows off how it will look from both the outside and inside.

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OverActive Media says the facility plans to host more than 200 events each year, mostly entertainment and music bookings, while also facilitating conventions, corporate events, awards shows, and esports competitions. The venue will serve as the home of both Toronto Defiant and Toronto Ultra, but OverActive hopes it will draw in other esports organizations and teams as well.

"It has always been our intention to develop a venue and hosting strategy and to build a facility that could not only serve as an iconic home for our two franchises, but ultimately emerge as a global hub for major international esport events,” OverActive president and CEO Chris Overholt said in a statement. “We are already in active discussions to attract some of the biggest esport events in the world.”

The venue is being designed by Populous, a design firm responsible for work on events such as the London Olympics, the Super Bowl, and Yankee Stadium.

The plan for the venue is still in early stages, however. Toronto’s City Council and Exhibition Place board of governors have yet to give final approval on the proposal.

“We are in the final stages of putting our business terms together with city officials and we are optimistic that we can soon wrap up our discussions to everyone’s satisfaction,” an OverActive spokesman told the Toronto Star. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Mercy main for IGN.

Sony is officially moving forward on a live-action Twisted Metal TV series at last, with the producer of Cobra Kai and the writers of Deadpool on board. A report today from Variety states that the coming action-comedy series will be based on an original story in the Twisted Metal universe from writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who previously worked on both Deadpool movies, as well as Zombieland. The series will be led by executive producer Michael Jonathan Smith, who also produced and wrote for Cobra Kai. Other production names on board include Will Arnett, Marc Forman, and Peter Principato, as well as both Reese and Wernick. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/21/twisted-metal-tv-series-in-development-ign-daily-fix"] Twisted Metal first came out in 1995, and has had a number of sequels follow, with the most recent being Twisted Metal: Black (which originally came out in 2001) launching on the PS4 in 2015 through PSN. The games are focused around demolition derby, with each following a different storyline that somehow revolves around "Twisted Metal," a derby event taking place once a year that grants its winner one wish of their choice. The live-action TV series is reported to center around an as-yet-unnamed protagonist trying to complete a delivery in a post-apocalyptic world, in exchange for a promise of a better life. Not much else is known, though it is said that the clown character Sweet Tooth -- a recurring antagonistic clown who drives an ice cream truck -- will make an appearance. Twisted Metal was first publicly posited as a TV series by Sony in 2019, and this is the first we've heard about it since. A Twisted Metal movie was previously announced back in 2012 but never came to fruition. And unfortunately for anyone who hoped this might spark interest in a new Twisted Metal game, there hasn't been any news to that effect in years, and the series' creator David Jaffe unfortunately shut down his development studio back in 2018 following a cancelled project. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Like something out of a Mad Max movie, a new study shows that dust storms on Mars might glow with tiny sparks. A new abstract published by a group of scientists that simulated the low-pressure atmosphere of Mars reveals that the electrical discharge, or static shock, we're familiar with here on Earth might happen on Mars, as reported by Inside Science. Furthermore, it might happen within the massive dust storms that occur on the Red Planet, which means the dust clouds roaming the planet's hills and craters could glow with tiny sparks of electricity. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] Static shock is scientifically known as a phenomenon called triboelectrification, which is essentially a buildup of electricity between two surfaces touching each other. It's what happens when you drag your feet across a carpet and then touch a metal doorknob or your friend's arm. Before this abstract, there wasn't evidence that triboelectrication occurred on Mars. The team of scientists behind the abstract recreated Mars' atmosphere by stirring up small pieces of volcanic basalt, which are similar to the type of rocks detected on Mars, inside low-pressure containers, according to Inside Science. They then used jets of carbon dioxide gas to stir up the particles inside the containers in such a way that kept the dust inside away from the container's walls. On Mars, those walls don't exist so if the sparks appear as a result of the collision between that dust and the walls, it wouldn't count as a direct simulation of what occurs on Mars. To the surprise of the team, sparks began to fly and scientist Méndez Harper believes this implies that dust storms on Mars "[crackle] with electricity." Harper states in the abstract that because of Mars' lower pressure compared to Earth, sparks discharge easier on the Red Planet, which means the long streaks of lightning we're used to likely don't occur there. Instead, that electrical discharge translates into dust storms that flash with tiny sparks that cause the dust clouds to glow purple. [caption id="attachment_2476886" align="alignnone" width="720"] An artist rendition of Perseverance on Mars, Image Credit: NASA[/caption] Harper says this phenomenon is called a "corona glow" and that NASA might get a glimpse of that courtesy of its Perseverance rover that landed on Mars last week. "You could imagine that as [the small helicopter that flew Perseverance to Mars called Ingenuity] takes off, it might churn up a bunch of dust," Harper said. "I look forward to watching that." For more news on Mars, read about how researchers are trying to turn the Red Planet green and check out this story about how researchers may have new ideas about the formation of Mars. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Dracula is no doubt one of the most iconic villains in pop culture. But where most modern takes on that classic story tend to paint this undead villain as a figure of tragedy, designer and artist Ricardo Delgado has a very different take in mind. His new illustrated novel Dracula of Transylvania aims to explore a more terrifying side of Vlad Dracula, portraying him as nothing short of "a complete horror." While timed to the 90th anniversary of Universal Pictures' seminal Dracula movie, Dracula of Transylvania is specifically a re-imagining of the original Bram Stoker novel. In this version of the story, published by Clover Press, Dracula is a terrifying, inhuman threat to all of mankind. In fact, he's depicted as the literal son of Satan. Opposing him, as ever, is heroic solicitor Jonathan Harker, who in this version of the story is an Indiana Jones-like adventurer whose travels take him from the Catacombs of Paris to the Roman Colosseum and into the heart of Dracula's native Transylvania. To get a better idea of how this new story is transforming such a familiar villain, check out our exclusive first look at Delgado's character designs and other artwork from Dracula of Transylvania: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dracula-of-transylvania-reimagines-the-iconic-vampire-as-a-complete-horror&captions=true"] “DRACULA OF TRANSYLVANIA supports and builds upon Stoker’s classic, haunting original story, but this is most certainly not your parents' Dracula or your grandparents’ Dracula,” said Delgado in Clover Press' press release. “This personification of the Nosferatu king is dark and powerful, a malevolent antagonist who suffers no fools, accepts no failure and crushes anyone in his path. This Dracula is not a romantic. He’s a complete horror. Just the way I always wanted him to be.” “Dracula is vileness incarnate, a pure thing of Hell,” added Delgado. “He’s spent the past thousand years putting sword to flesh and tearing at the tapestry of history as the son of Satan himself. Kings, Popes and armies fear Dracula. And so should you.” Delgado has worked as a storyboard artist and character designer for a number of film and TV projects, including Apollo 13, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Incredibles, The Matrix: Reloaded, Men in Black and Wall-E. Comic book fans will also recognize him as the creator of the long-running Dark Horse Comics series Age of Reptiles. Dracula of Transylvania is currently being offered through Kickstarter, with the campaign running until March 25, 2021. The campaign includes a number of different pledge tiers, with bonuses including everything from signed, leatherbound copies of the book to art prints to original sketches. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/10/17/bram-stokers-dracula-whats-the-difference-cinefix"] This isn't the only drastically new take on Dracula to be announced in 2021. Marvel's Eternals director Chloe Zhao is writing, directing and producing a new Dracula movie with "futuristic, sci-fi western" trappings. Not to be outdone, Blumhouse Productions is developing a new Dracula movie inspired by the success of 2020's The Invisible Man reboot. For more Dracula goodness, find out what we thought of The BBC's quirky but enjoyable Dracula series. [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.

Pascal’s Wager a hardcore action-RPG originally released on iOS and Android devices is coming to Steam on March 12. Pascal’s Wager: Definitive Edition will include updated visuals and support for 4K resolution. Pascal’s Wager is a Souls-like RPG originally developed for mobile. After selling over 1 million copies, Pascal’s Wager is heading to Steam with new features and previously released DLC content. This is also developer TipsWorks first game to be released on PC. Along with updated graphics, Pascal’s Wager: Definitive Edition will allow uncapped frame rates, and fully mappable mouse/keyboard and controller keybinds. Check out the new trailer exclusively here on IGN below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/22/pascals-wager-definitive-edition-steam-launch-trailer"] Set in the fictional land of Solas, players can choose between different members of a traveling group of fighters led by Terrence the Courier. There are five playable characters, each with their own combat style, skill tree, and abilities. Dodge, slash and parry your way through enemies and uncover the mystery behind an unknown disease that’s plaguing the land. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pascals-wager-definitive-edition-screenshots&captions=true"] The Souls-like genre, named after FromSoftware’s brutally punishing RPG series, is now filled with plenty of worthy challengers, from the Nioh series to Mortal Shell. Pascal’s Wager made waves bringing the genre to mobile, but we’ll see how it measures when it comes to PC next month. Pascal’s Wager: Definitive Edition is coming to Steam on March 12, 2021, and comes packaged with the expansion The Tides of Oblivion. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is News Editor at IGN.

A reporter has stated that Fantastic Four is in the very early stages of development, with production not expected to start for "awhile." Deadline reporter Justin Kroll shared a status update on the hotly anticipated Fantastic Four project, countering recent rumors about the movie's supposed casting and shooting schedule. He claimed that Marvel Studios was only just starting to meet with potential writers to work on the Jon Watts-directed movie, which means there is "no script" and "it will be a while" before production begins.

All I’m gonna say is this, Marvel just started meeting with writers on FANTASTIC FOUR, there is no script and it will be awhile before this film starts shooting

— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) February 21, 2021

This comes shortly after reports circulated about Jennifer Lawrence's rumored casting as Sue Storm (AKA Invisible Woman). One such report, coming from The Daily Telegraph, claimed that Marvel would be relocating its blockbuster movies to film out of Australia for the "foreseeable future," with Lawrence expected to arrive Down Under for the new Fantastic Four movie, per The Daily Mail. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/every-marvel-announcement-from-disneys-investors-call"] Kevin Feige officially announced Marvel's Fantastic Four project at Disney's Investors' Day in December following a deluge of updates about new Marvel TV shows. "I'm happy to announce a film about one of the truly iconic Marvel families - in fact, Marvel's first family: the Fantastic Four," he said. "We're working on a feature now and it will be directed by the director of our recent Spider-Man films, Jon Watts." Feige didn't offer any other details about the story or cast, and it could be sometime before those details start to emerge. Director Jon Watts is currently tangled up in Spider-Man 3's shooting schedule after production kicked off towards the end of last year. The untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel is scheduled for release on December 17, 2021, after Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Eternals. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Yet another new image of Jared Leto as The Joker in Zack Snyder's Justice League cut has surfaced, and he looks alarmingly beatific. The image first appeared in an interview with Snyder published by Vanity Fair, which admittedly does not get into further details about this holy rendition of the character, but does touch on the Snyder Cut itself -- including the fact that Snyder hadn't actually seen the version of Justice League that was released in theatres three years ago after his departure from the project. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Photo Credit: Vanity Fair and Zack Snyder[/caption] This new image of Joker comes following several other images that dropped earlier this month, all of which seem to feature a more classic interpretation of the Joker than we've seen in other recent films with the character, though this latest one opens up some interesting potential questions. As has been previously revealed, the Joker will appear in the Snyder cut as a part of a new sequence, all a vision experienced by Bruce Wayne intended to show what will happen if Darkseid is not stopped. Other images have shown the Joker in the same hospital gown as seen here, but the crown of thorns appears to be new, with the image clearly intending to recall religious imagery of a tortured Christ-figure at the Crucifixion. We've also previously seen new images of Ben Affleck's Knightmare Batman from the cut, and gotten word that the release will occur on the same day worldwide as the US launch on HBO Max next month. Zack Snyder will join us for IGN Fan Fest at the end of this week, where he'll offer fans an inside look into the making of the long-awaited Snyder Cut. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.  

Zack Snyder has never watched the version of Justice League released in 2017, despite being credited as its director. And for his re-cut of the film, he’s not being paid anything. In a new feature from Vanity Fair, Zack Snyder reveals that his wife, Deborah Snyder, recommended that he not watch the final version of Justice League. That version had been partially re-shot and edited by Joss Whedon, who took over directorial duties when Snyder left the project following the death of his daughter. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/14/zack-snyders-justice-league-official-trailer"] “They came and they just said, ‘You can never see that movie,’” Snyder said, referring to a time when his wife, along with executive producer Christopher Nolan, had just seen the Whedon’s final cut of Justice League. Deborah Snyder said that she knew the version would “break his heart”. Now, just weeks away from Snyder releasing his own version of Justice League, it has been revealed that Warner Bros. are not paying the director for his work. “I’m not getting paid,” Snyder told Vanity Fair. He claims that going without a wage has meant he has held onto creative control of the project. “I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone, and it allowed me to keep my negotiating powers with these people pretty strong.” For more on the project, check out the news of the Snyder Cut's international release, and why the film is not in widescreen. And be sure to visit us for IGN Fan Fest, when we'll be interviewing Zack Snyder himself about his new cut of Justice League. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

A fan project that reverse-engineered the source code of Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto Vice City has been taken down, seemingly by Rockstar's parent company. You can see the project in action in this YouTube showcase video, which shows all of the improvements brought to the game due to the team's reverse-engineering efforts over many years, such as fully-featured debug menus and modernized video settings. As reported by Eurogamer, accessing the repository for Re3 or ReVC on GitHub will now lead users to a "Repository unavailable for DMCA takedown" page. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/new-grand-theft-auto-in-development-at-rockstar-games"] The DMCA itself is available to read here, which appears to come from the copyright holder Take-Two Interactive Software, the parent company of Rockstar Games. The project would have allowed fans to thoroughly mod the game and port it to various platforms, now that the game was fully decompiled and understood. The project lead told Eurogamer that the DMCA could be from a troll, but it was "better to assume it was real" going forward. Asked about the move by IGN, Rockstar declined to comment. In other GTA-related news, a report has alleged that a new Grand Theft Auto game is in development, with the studio reportedly making changes to fix crunch culture. Here's every IGN Rockstar game review, to tide you over until then. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.