Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice actor Matt Lanter has confirmed there will be another animated appearance from Anakin Skywalker in the galaxy far, far away. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Lanter, who voiced the infamous Jedi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, as well as Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, Star Wars Battlefront II, and The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, revealed that he had recently reteamed with Lucasfilm Animation on an as-yet-unspecified Star Wars project, which will see him reprise the role of Anakin in animated form. "There's some new Lucasfilm Animation going on. I've been a part of some things I can't talk about yet. You'll see Anakin again," he teased, speaking about Anakin's return to the animated Star Wars universe, which is expanding further with Star Wars: The Bad Batch on Disney+ next month. "I never quite put Anakin down, whether I'm doing a video game or something new for Lucasfilm Animation." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/12/star-wars-the-bad-batch-trailer-breakdown"] Hayden Christensen is also making an unexpected return to the Star Wars franchise, reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, 15 years after Revenge of the Sith and serving as a major antagonist in the Disney+ series alongside an ensemble cast that features a mix of familiar faces and returning favorites. The Obi-Wan series is just one of many Star Wars projects currently in the works at Disney. The Bad Batch is next up on the docket and will be heading onto the streaming service at hyperspace speed in time for May 4, also known as Star Wars Day, a recurring holiday that celebrates the franchise. The animated series will serve as both a sequel and a spinoff to The Clone Wars series. The Bad Batch will open with a 70-minute premiere episode, followed by new episodes every Friday. The series revolves around a group of five clones created to serve the nascent Empire, officially known as Clone Force 99. The individual troopers possess singular exceptional skills, but they also come with a rebellious streak, leading to them being branded enemies of the state and going rogue. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] The Bad Batch is just the latest Star Wars series to be slotted into the Disney+ schedule, following two seasons of The Mandalorian. Fans can also look forward to the upcoming Mandalorian spinoffs Star Wars: Ahsoka and Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic, together with The Book of Boba Fett in December. There's also a High Republic series called Acolyte and an anime titled Star Wars: Visions. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice actor Matt Lanter has confirmed there will be another animated appearance from Anakin Skywalker in the galaxy far, far away. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Lanter, who voiced the infamous Jedi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, as well as Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, Star Wars Battlefront II, and The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, revealed that he had recently reteamed with Lucasfilm Animation on an as-yet-unspecified Star Wars project, which will see him reprise the role of Anakin in animated form. "There's some new Lucasfilm Animation going on. I've been a part of some things I can't talk about yet. You'll see Anakin again," he teased, speaking about Anakin's return to the animated Star Wars universe, which is expanding further with Star Wars: The Bad Batch on Disney+ next month. "I never quite put Anakin down, whether I'm doing a video game or something new for Lucasfilm Animation." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/12/star-wars-the-bad-batch-trailer-breakdown"] Hayden Christensen is also making an unexpected return to the Star Wars franchise, reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, 15 years after Revenge of the Sith and serving as a major antagonist in the Disney+ series alongside an ensemble cast that features a mix of familiar faces and returning favorites. The Obi-Wan series is just one of many Star Wars projects currently in the works at Disney. The Bad Batch is next up on the docket and will be heading onto the streaming service at hyperspace speed in time for May 4, also known as Star Wars Day, a recurring holiday that celebrates the franchise. The animated series will serve as both a sequel and a spinoff to The Clone Wars series. The Bad Batch will open with a 70-minute premiere episode, followed by new episodes every Friday. The series revolves around a group of five clones created to serve the nascent Empire, officially known as Clone Force 99. The individual troopers possess singular exceptional skills, but they also come with a rebellious streak, leading to them being branded enemies of the state and going rogue. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] The Bad Batch is just the latest Star Wars series to be slotted into the Disney+ schedule, following two seasons of The Mandalorian. Fans can also look forward to the upcoming Mandalorian spinoffs Star Wars: Ahsoka and Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic, together with The Book of Boba Fett in December. There's also a High Republic series called Acolyte and an anime titled Star Wars: Visions. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Naughty Dog has written a story outline for The Last of Us: Part 3, but isn't making the sequel right now. Creative director Neil Druckmann says he hopes it can "one day see the light of day." Speaking on an episode of the Script Apart podcast about the writing of The Last of Us Part 2, Druckmann touched briefly on the possibility of a sequel: "I don’t know how much I want to reveal... [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/the-last-of-us-part-2-review"] Druckmann says there's been "quite a bit" of discussion internally about a Part 3, but pointed out how much work is involved in making a game like this a reality: "These games take so much to make. [Part 2], I've been thinking about it for seven years, between when the last game came out and when this came out [...] You want to make sure you’re jazzed by the idea that you have, [that] it feels like it’s challenging. "We’ve now had two games that I feel speak to something universal as well as telling a very personal story for these characters. With one game, there’s no pattern of what a franchise is. With two games, now there’s starting to be a pattern – now I feel like there are some structural and thematic themes you'd have to stick to if you're making a third game." It seems that Naughty Dog is currently exploring what to do next. "After we finish one of our big titles," Druckmann explained, "we take a long time to explore different ideas, whether it’s going to be Last of Us III, whether it's something new, whether there's some old franchise we want to go back to. I like to fully explore all of those, then look at, like: okay, we have all of these ideas in front of us. As a studio, what do we want to commit to? Because it’s a huge commitment – monetary, time, passion, talent, so you think about all the opportunity costs that come with that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-last-of-us-remake-in-development-days-gone-2-rejected"] Recent reports have suggested that Naughty Dog is (or at least was) working on a standalone Last of Us multiplayer game, a new Uncharted project, and a full remake of the original Last of Us. The full episode of Script Apart with Druckmann and Gross is well worth listening to, with stories around TLOU2's first draft, its occasionally troubled release, and discussion of the upcoming HBO series, which will reimagine the story of the first game, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in lead roles. [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.

Naughty Dog has written a story outline for The Last of Us: Part 3, but isn't making the sequel right now. Creative director Neil Druckmann says he hopes it can "one day see the light of day." Speaking on an episode of the Script Apart podcast about the writing of The Last of Us Part 2, Druckmann touched briefly on the possibility of a sequel: "I don’t know how much I want to reveal... [co-writer Halley Gross] and I did write an outline for a story, that we're not making – but I hope one day can see the light of day – that explores a little bit what happens after this game. We’ll see.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/the-last-of-us-part-2-review"] Druckmann says there's been "quite a bit" of discussion internally about a Part 3, but pointed out how much work is involved in making a game like this a reality: "These games take so much to make. [Part 2], I've been thinking about it for seven years, between when the last game came out and when this came out [...] You want to make sure you’re jazzed by the idea that you have, [that] it feels like it’s challenging. "We’ve now had two games that I feel speak to something universal as well as telling a very personal story for these characters. With one game, there’s no pattern of what a franchise is. With two games, now there’s starting to be a pattern – now I feel like there are some structural and thematic themes you'd have to stick to if you're making a third game." It seems that Naughty Dog is currently exploring what to do next. "After we finish one of our big titles," Druckmann explained, "we take a long time to explore different ideas, whether it’s going to be Last of Us III, whether it's something new, whether there's some old franchise we want to go back to. I like to fully explore all of those, then look at, like: okay, we have all of these ideas in front of us. As a studio, what do we want to commit to? Because it’s a huge commitment – monetary, time, passion, talent, so you think about all the opportunity costs that come with that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-last-of-us-remake-in-development-days-gone-2-rejected"] Recent reports have suggested that Naughty Dog is (or at least was) working on a standalone Last of Us multiplayer game, a new Uncharted project, and a full remake of the original Last of Us. The full episode of Script Apart with Druckmann and Gross is well worth listening to, with stories around TLOU2's first draft, its occasionally troubled release, and discussion of the upcoming HBO series, which will reimagine the story of the first game, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in lead roles. [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.

PlayStation 5 has sold 7.8 million units in its first fiscal year on sale, ending March 31, 2021 – outstripping PS4's 7.6 million units sold in the same period. Revealed in Sony's full year earnings release today, the number means that Sony has managed to hit its target of outselling PS4 at launch, despite the global pandemic, and the current semiconductor shortage slowing production. It's a major success, and contributes to Sony's Game & Network Services Division having its biggest ever year, bringing in approximately $25 billion in revenue. As analyst Daniel Ahmad points out, that hardware sales made up 20% of that revenue, while digital software reached 21%, and add-on content (which includes microtransactions and DLC) made up a huge 34% of revenue – presumably due to the increased popularity of free-to-play games. As you might expect, physical games were a less successful story in the last financial year, only accounting for 5% of revenue, even beaten by sales of PlayStation peripherals at 6%. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-is-the-fastest-selling-console-ever-in-the-us-does-it-matter-next-gen-console-watch"] Sony expects that success to continue, forecasting even higher revenue for the next fiscal year (although it expects profit to drop due to increased game development costs, among other things). Part of that success will come down to its already-announced target of 14.8 million units sold in PS5's second year. While parts shortages could well continue to be a problem for that, SIE boss Jim Ryan has said the company is actively working to increase supply. Despite the shortages, PS5's launch has been a successful one for Sony, including seeing the console become the fastest-selling console (for both unit and dollar sales) in US history. As you'd expect, PS4 saw a major slowdown in sales during the last fiscal year, selling 5.7 million units – down from 2019's 13.5 million. Despite the major shift towards PS5, Jim Ryan has previously said he expects Sony to continue making PS4 games until at least 2022, given the enormous size of the install base. [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.

PlayStation 5 has sold 7.8 million units in its first fiscal year on sale, ending March 31, 2021 – outstripping PS4's 7.6 million units sold in the same period. Revealed in Sony's full year earnings release today, the number means that Sony has managed to hit its target of outselling PS4 at launch, despite the global pandemic, and the current semiconductor shortage slowing production. It's a major success, and contributes to Sony's Game & Network Services Division having its biggest ever year, bringing in approximately $25 billion in revenue. As analyst Daniel Ahmad points out, that hardware sales made up 20% of that revenue, while digital software reached 21%, and add-on content (which includes microtransactions and DLC) made up a huge 34% of revenue – presumably due to the increased popularity of free-to-play games. As you might expect, physical games were a less successful story in the last financial year, only accounting for 5% of revenue, even beaten by sales of PlayStation peripherals at 6%. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-is-the-fastest-selling-console-ever-in-the-us-does-it-matter-next-gen-console-watch"] Sony expects that success to continue, forecasting even higher revenue for the next fiscal year (although it expects profit to drop due to increased game development costs, among other things). Part of that success will come down to its already-announced target of 14.8 million units sold in PS5's second year. While parts shortages could well continue to be a problem for that, SIE boss Jim Ryan has said the company is actively working to increase supply. Despite the shortages, PS5's launch has been a successful one for Sony, including seeing the console become the fastest-selling console (for both unit and dollar sales) in US history. As you'd expect, PS4 saw a major slowdown in sales during the last fiscal year, selling 5.7 million units – down from 2019's 13.5 million. Despite the major shift towards PS5, Jim Ryan has previously said he expects Sony to continue making PS4 games until at least 2022, given the enormous size of the install base. [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.

While the future of Legendary's MonsterVerse hasn't been officially revealed as of yet, sources have said that Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is in talks to return for another film that could possibly be Son of Kong. As reported by THR, Legendary is "quietly taking steps to stretch the series into one or more installments" following the success of Godzilla vs. Kong. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/25/godzilla-vs-kong-director-adam-wingard-explains-his-hollow-earth"] Not only did Godzilla vs. Kong smash the pandemic record for an opening weekend box office debut, the latest film in the MonsterVerse has also already surpassed $400 million globally. This success is despite the movie also being available on HBO Max. If Legendary can secure a new deal with Wingard, this would be the first time a director has returned for a second film since the MonsterVerse began with 2014's Godzilla. However, there is no timetable for Wingard's return as he has already committed to directing both a feature film adaptation of the animated television series Thundercats and a sequel to 1997's Face/Off, which starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-10-best-godzilla-movies&captions=true"] THR also notes that Wingard has been very involved in "creating Godzilla vs. Kong set-pieces as well as the world-building for the movie’s Hollow Earth plotline." They've also been discussing plenty of ideas for what this new film would be, and Son of Kong is one of these that is being "floated internally." 1933's Son of Kong was originally a sequel to King Kong that was released nine months after the original. The story picked up a month after Kong's destructive time in New York City. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/8-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-godzilla-and-king-kong"] [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.

While the future of Legendary's MonsterVerse hasn't been officially revealed as of yet, sources have said that Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is in talks to return for another film that could possibly be Son of Kong. As reported by THR, Legendary is "quietly taking steps to stretch the series into one or more installments" following the success of Godzilla vs. Kong. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/25/godzilla-vs-kong-director-adam-wingard-explains-his-hollow-earth"] Not only did Godzilla vs. Kong smash the pandemic record for an opening weekend box office debut, the latest film in the MonsterVerse has also already surpassed $400 million globally. This success is despite the movie also being available on HBO Max. If Legendary can secure a new deal with Wingard, this would be the first time a director has returned for a second film since the MonsterVerse began with 2014's Godzilla. However, there is no timetable for Wingard's return as he has already committed to directing both a feature film adaptation of the animated television series Thundercats and a sequel to 1997's Face/Off, which starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-10-best-godzilla-movies&captions=true"] THR also notes that Wingard has been very involved in "creating Godzilla vs. Kong set-pieces as well as the world-building for the movie’s Hollow Earth plotline." They've also been discussing plenty of ideas for what this new film would be, and Son of Kong is one of these that is being "floated internally." 1933's Son of Kong was originally a sequel to King Kong that was released nine months after the original. The story picked up a month after Kong's destructive time in New York City. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/26/8-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-godzilla-and-king-kong"] [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.

In a wonderful Tuesday night surprise, the first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale's fourth season are now available on Hulu, one day earlier than when they were scheduled to arrive. The cast of The Handmaid's Tale, including Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, Sam Jaeger, Bradley Whitford, Joe Fiennes, Ann Dowd, Amanda Brugel, Madeline Brewer, and O-T Fagbenle, shared the exciting news in a video to the show's fans on Twitter.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL Here's a special Season 4 message from The #HandmaidsTale cast. pic.twitter.com/7uvdAhHFmm

— The Handmaid's Tale (@HandmaidsOnHulu) April 28, 2021

These first three episodes, which are titled "Pigs," "Nightshade," and "The Crossing," kick of the show's 10-episode season that will see new episodes arriving each week. This new season follows June's fight for freedom against Gilead, yet her "desire for justice and revenge threaten to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships," according to Hulu's official description. As The Handmaid's Tale continues on Hulu, so does work on the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Testaments, which is the sequel to this story. This new novel was published in September 2020 and is set 15 years after the events of the original. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/01/the-biggest-streaming-movie-and-tv-releases-of-april-2021"] [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.

In a wonderful Tuesday night surprise, the first three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale's fourth season are now available on Hulu, one day earlier than when they were scheduled to arrive. The cast of The Handmaid's Tale, including Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, Sam Jaeger, Bradley Whitford, Joe Fiennes, Ann Dowd, Amanda Brugel, Madeline Brewer, and O-T Fagbenle, shared the exciting news in a video to the show's fans on Twitter.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL Here's a special Season 4 message from The #HandmaidsTale cast. pic.twitter.com/7uvdAhHFmm

— The Handmaid's Tale (@HandmaidsOnHulu) April 28, 2021

These first three episodes, which are titled "Pigs," "Nightshade," and "The Crossing," kick of the show's 10-episode season that will see new episodes arriving each week. This new season follows June's fight for freedom against Gilead, yet her "desire for justice and revenge threaten to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships," according to Hulu's official description. As The Handmaid's Tale continues on Hulu, so does work on the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's The Testaments, which is the sequel to this story. This new novel was published in September 2020 and is set 15 years after the events of the original. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/01/the-biggest-streaming-movie-and-tv-releases-of-april-2021"] [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.