Jeff Goldblum is joining the voice cast of the popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast Dark Dice for their upcoming season. Goldblum has worn several different hats throughout his acting career, having played everything from Jurassic Park's world-famous mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm to Thor: Ragnarok's Grandmaster and ruler of Sakaar, plus so much more, but his next big project will see him embark on an entirely new adventure, voicing the elven sorcerer Balmur on the second season of the D&D podcast Dark Dice. Balmur will make his debut on May 12, when the next season of the award-winning podcast launches. He will be featured as one of the five player-characters in the improvised audio drama, where the outcome of the story is determined by the fated rolling of dice. As part of the quest, Goldblum's team will be stalked by a deceptive being known as The Silent One who must be identified before it's too late. [caption id="attachment_2507074" align="alignnone" width="534"] Image credit: Fool and Scholar Productions[/caption] Akin to an audio movie, the role-playing podcast features immersive soundscapes, a diverse international cast, and an original soundtrack featuring an orchestra, over thirty medieval instruments, and a live choir singing in Infernal, Icelandic, and Elvish. The storylines also carry an unexpected emotional depth that unravels in each new episode, released monthly on all podcasting platforms. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/19/chris-pratt-and-tom-holland-want-to-start-an-avengers-cast-dungeons-and-dragons-party"] Dark Dice was created by Fool & Scholar Productions, which comes from husband-and-wife duo Travis Vengroff, who produces and edits, and Kaitlin Statz, who writes audio fiction. Together, they have created a series of well-known shows in the podcast industry, including Dark Dice, The White Vault, and VAST Horizon, garnering millions of downloads and winning numerous awards. The fantasy world of swords and sorcery will open up further in 2023 when Paramount's Dungeons & Dragons movie is released onto the theatrical table. Jeremy Latcham, who formerly served as SVP of Production and Development at Marvel, is producing the feature through his deal with eOne, Hasbro's entertainment arm, alongside Hasbro's Brian Goldner who is also on board as a producer. Spider-Man: Homecoming's Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are attached to direct the Dungeons & Dragons feature adaptation, which has already started to enlist a number of its key players. Actors Hugh Grant and Sophia Lillis were the latest additions to the movie's star-studded lineup, featuring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, and Rege-Jean Page. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier! [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Falcon and the Winter Soldier featured a location named Madripoor that has very important ties to the wider Marvel universe, and showrunner Malcolm Spellman has revealed how it made it into the Disney+ series. Speaking to Thrillist, Spellman discussed how Marvel doesn't necessarily force characters or locations on creators, and instead wants them to "first and foremost tell the best story they can." Then, the team will work to tie it into the "greater puzzle that is the MCU." This is where Madripoor came in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/02/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-episode-3-review"] "As far as I know, they don't do that," Spellman explained. "They want you first and foremost to tell the best story you can and then they see how the story you've already told can fit into the greater puzzle that is the MCU. For example, Madripoor started off as a city based on a real place where the restaurants sell endangered species and there's an open gun bazaar. Once we created a city like that they are looking through their metric of what they're going to be doing in the future, like, "Oh, what if that city was Madripoor?" So it was a perfect match." This same process occurred with Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She "started off as just sort of a shady ass CIA type and they said, "What if it's Val?" For those unfamiliar, Madripoor has a connection to Wolverine in the comics, and Spellman told us that "all kinds of discussions happened, and everyone at Marvel is aware of what Madripoor is and what it means to MCU. That's all I'm going to say" [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/25/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-6-how-the-finale-sets-up-captain-america-4-mcu-canon-fodder"] For more on our interview with Spellman, check out his comments on the meaning behind Baron Zemo's mask, his thoughts on Sharon Carter's controversial turn, and his discussion as to whether justice was served with John Walker. [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.

Michael B. Jordan recently suggested that he would not be suiting up as Superman for Ta-Nehisi Coates and J.J. Abrams' upcoming film based on the Man of Steel. When speaking to THR, Jordan was asked about this Superman reboot and, despite his similar pitch in 2019 for a Black Superman film when he made a deal with WB, he downplayed the possibility that he would be this film's star. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] "It's smart of DC to grab Ta-Nehisi to go ahead and adapt that project," says Jordan. "He's incredibly talented. It's going to be worth checking out. I'm flattered that people have me in that conversation. It's definitely a compliment, but I'm just watching on this one." Jordan has further connections to Coates, as the writer's work on the Black Panther comics were part of what convinced Disney's Bob Iger to go ahead with the big screen adaptation in which Jordan starred as Killmonger. Jordan shared his thoughts while promoting Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, a film based on the novel of the same name that will see Jordan taking up the role of John Kelly. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/26/does-without-remorse-set-up-a-rainbow-six-movie-michael-b-jordan-explains"] We spoke to Jordan about Without Remorse - which debuts on Amazon Prime Video on April 30 - and some of the other projects he is working on. He shared with us why his first Tom Clancy film is ignoring the Rainbow Six games and why Sylvester Stallone's Rocky won't be returning for Creed 3. [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.

According to a new deposition made public as part of Epic's case against Apple, it has been revealed that Epic is the one holding back Fortnite from becoming available on Xbox Cloud Gaming as it sees that service as competition. As reported by The Verge, Epic's vice president of business development Joe Kreiner was asked why Fortnite isn't yet available on Xbox Cloud Gaming, which was previously known as Project xCloud. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/27/top-10-battle-royales"] Kreiner responded and said, "we viewed Microsoft's efforts with xCloud to be competitive with our PC offerings." The court documents look to also include more of Kreiner's explanation of Epic's decision to block Fortnite from the service, but that part of the questioning has been redacted. Fortnite is free-to-play on Xbox consoles, but the only way to currently play the game on an iPhone is via Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud gaming service. Epic partnered with Nvidia to make this happen, and ensured that "all of the revenue from the original game’s purchase or any in-app purchases goes back to Epic rather than Nvidia." Microsoft currently doesn't allow for rival game stores to be on Xbox or Xbox Cloud Gaming, and all transactions would go through Microsoft. This is one of the main reasons Kreiner and Epic Games haven't even tried to negotiate with Microsoft over a solution. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-games-to-play-on-xbox-series-xs&captions=true"] Epic and Apple are set to go to an in-person trial on May 3, all over issues that began when Epic implemented a direct-pay system into Fortnite that aimed to bypass the Apple App Store and its 30% cut. Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store, and it still remains off of it as of this writing. Interestingly enough, The Verge also notes from these documents that iOS only accounted for 7% of the total revenue for Fortnite, with PS4 generating 46.8% and Xbox One generated 27.5% from March 2018 through July 2020. [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.

After more than 500 days, Google Stadia, the game streaming platform that is owned by the creator of the gold standard of search engines, is finally getting a search bar. As detailed in the latest Stadia update, the team confirmed that the search bar on Stadia for Web is rolling out now to all players this week. There will also be a new updated UI along with better library sorting that will let players keep track of their purchased, free, and Pro games. The Stadia team also shared work-in-progess screenshots of upcoming features, including an Activity Feed that will show off your best video captures, help friends find your game states with State Share, and explore content from other players. Players will also soon be able to access Stadia directly through an Android web browser rather than only through the Stadia app. Additionally, captures from gameplay will also soon be able to be deleted in bulk on Web. Despite Google Stadia shutting down its internal studios earlier this year, the streaming platform is continuing to push updates and has even promised that Stadia would be getting more than 100 games in 2021, including Resident Evil Village. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/22/google-stadia-review"] For more on Stadia, be sure to check out our breakdown of the report that detailed everything from Stadia's internal struggles on the development team to "tens of millions" of dollars spent on AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2. [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.

Sony has announced that a new State of Play will be airing on April 29, 2021 that will give us a brand new look at PS5's Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and updates on two upcoming indie games. IGN is carrying the stream and, as usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you can expect to see at the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ratchet-clank-rift-apart-gameplay-trailer"]

PlayStation State of Play Start Time

The upcoming State of Play takes place on Thursday, April 29, and will start at 2pm PT, 5pm ET, 10pm BST. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Friday, April 30 at 7am AEST. It’s expected to contain "more than 15 minutes of fresh gameplay" for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and updates on two upcoming indie games.

Where to Watch the PlayStation State of Play (April 2021)

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming State of Play, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the PlayStation State of Play:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's TikTok
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

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What to Expect at the Upcoming PlayStation State of Play

This State of Play was announced alongside a short gameplay trailer for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart that introduced us to the game's mysterious new female Lombax protagonist named Rivet. We will surely see more of her and other characters in the gameplay deep dive that will last for more than 15 minutes. As for what the two upcoming indie games could be, they could be one of the games featured in the most recent State of Play from February 2021, including Kena: Bridge of Spirits, the Kung Fu-inspired Sifu, Heart Machine's Solar Ash, or Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach. It's also been a while since we've heard updates for Braid: Anniversary Edition, Jett: The Far Shore, Stray, or Goodbye Volcano High. Obviously, these games could always be surprises and something no one has heard of yet. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

NES Tetris players are using a new technique called Rolling to set new world records by achieving button presses of over 20 times per second. YouTuber aGameScout detailed this new up-and-coming playstyle that is taking the Tetris community by storm. Prior to this, DAS and Hypertapping were the two standards for Tetris pros, but Rolling allows for a high amount of button presses per second without the "superhuman finger speeds" needed for Hypertapping, modified controllers, or any gloves - which also makes it is perfectly legal for tournament play. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/05/23/the-top-7-tetris-blocks"] This technique, which is also called Flyheccing, was popularized by Hector "Fly" Rodriguez, who used Rolling on arcade cabinets to achieve higher speeds on Track and Field. However, the buttons on arcade cabinets are much larger than an NES controller, making it hard for it to translate to Tetris on Nintendo's first console, up until now. Cheez_Fish finally discovered a way to make it work on the NES after a viewer thought he was rolling his hands due to the slow framerate of his webcam. He took that to heart and watched a YouTube tutorial on button mashing where a player was getting extra taps by pushing the controller into the finger over the controller from the other side. [caption id="attachment_2506943" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Image Credit: aGameScout on YouTube[/caption] You can the Rolling technique here, as it is easier to grasp when watching it in action. However, it has the player position their thumb over the dpad direction they want to use, and then they roll their fingers on the bottom of the controller like a big button to achieve these high number of button taps. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/10/22/16-year-old-is-new-tetris-world-champion"] It took a lot of practice, but he eventually was able to consistently get 20 buttons taps per second. Cheez then started using this technique in tournaments like the WPL Classic Tetris Open 5 and achieved the first 1,300,000+ score and the Most Lvl 29+ Tetrises (4) in tournament history. He then set a world record for the highest score on a Level 29 Start with 259,000 points. Now, alongside DAS - which was the standard way to play Tetris by using pressing the dpad once and holding to control side movement - and Hypertapping - which has players tap the dpad as many times as they can in succession - we now have Rolling. It will be interesting to see how it is adopted and if it ends up becoming the new standard for NES Tetris play. [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.

After becoming the first woman of color to win Best Director at the Oscars, Nomadland director Chloe Zhao is going back to work on post-production for Marvel's Eternals. The film is shaping up to be unlike any other MCU story so far, as star Salma Hayek has teased the film had a very different production than the studio's other movies. In a comment reported by Variety, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige detailed Zhao's push for "really fighting for practical locations" during the Eternals' shoot. Feige recounted his experience showing a sample reel of the film to Disney's leadership. "I had to keep saying, ‘This is right out of a camera; there’s no VFX work to this at all!’” Feige said. “Because it was a beautiful sunset, with perfect waves and mist coming up from the shore on this giant cliffside — really impressive stuff.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/26/2021-oscar-winners-announced-ign-news"] After watching Nomadland, Feige was struck by how similar Zhao's approach to photographing and exploring American landscapes was. "That is not just what she wanted to bring to Marvel," he said. "This is a signature style." Feige's quote was included alongside a larger post-Oscars interview with Zhao in which the director detailed her awards season journey as well as her experience helming a Marvel film after working on more modest production scales. "I got the support of this incredibly talented team, some of the most talented artists in the world. And it really is a village to make this film, but they did let me lead," Zhao said. "Props to Marvel — from early on, they knew the way I wanted to make this film, how I wanted to shoot. It can’t be hundreds of people standing around. So they very much adapted how to run the set the way that I wanted to work. I’m still surrounded by 25 people. They just have armies, and each of them knew they needed to keep the army away." Zhao also discussed her own creative influences for Eternals, saying she was a fan of both Jack Kirby's original material and previous MCU films. "Jack Kirby and his imagination, his incredible work, is really the foundation of it," Zhao said. "On top of that, there is what Marvel Studios has built, this incredible journey they have going on. And then on top of that is me as a fan of the MCU. And then, me as a fan of the genre, but also growing up with sci-fi and manga and fantasy films. And how can we have this big melting pot and cook up something that may just taste a little bit different?" [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=Every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-marvels-eternals-movie&captions=true"] First announced back in 2018, Eternals is part of Phase Four of the MCU. Zhao reportedly shot the movie with the same rig she used for Nomadland in part because she "wanted to keep the story grounded and experimental." Zhao stated she is in the "final stretch" of post-production on Eternals. The film was originally set to release in November 2020, before the director would finish editing Nomadland, but rescheduling due to COVID-19 allowed the eventual Best Picture winner to release first. Eternals is now set to hit theaters on November 5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.

Vincent Kartheiser, better-known as Pete Campbell from the popular television show Mad Men, will take on the role of Scarecrow in Season 3 of Titans. It's hard to imagine anyone better-suited for the role. With his slender frame and highly-defined features, Kartheiser bears a huge resemblance to Jonathan Crane. It's easy to imagine him terrorizing Batman with a variety of neurotoxins, all while complaining about the world being cruel and unfair. The news was first reported by Full Circle Cinema, which spotted the announcement on the Titans Facebook Group. The official announcement went out a few hours later. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/19/ranking-the-batman-movie-villains"] Kartheiser has been in a number of productions, including Rockstar's L.A. Noire, but he's best-known for his portrayal of weedy rich kid Pete Campbell in Mad Men. Now if Titans just casts Jared Harris, it can reenact probably the greatest scene in television history. Production of Titans' third season is currently underway in Canada, with a release date expected for this summer. The first two seasons are currently airing on HBO Max, and you can read our coverage right here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is Senior News Editor at IGN.

Pixar staffers are reportedly frustrated and scratching their heads with Disney's decisions to send the studio's movies straight to Disney Plus. This news comes by way of Insider, which reports that some Pixar employees are frustrated that movies they've worked on are being sent straight to Disney Plus, with no theatrical release, while others wonder how these decisions will affect the future of the company. The tides began to turn when Disney broke its traditional 90-day theatrical release window with Pixar's Onward in 2020 when it was released digitally on Disney Plus. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/28/luca-official-trailer-2"] The cause of that was a global pandemic that left theaters empty two weeks into Onward's theatrical run, but Disney followed up that decision with additional Disney Plus releases. Its remake of Mulan was a premium $29.99 release on the company's streaming service. Later, Disney made the decision to release Soul, originally set to hit theaters June 19, 2020 (and later delayed to November 20 that year), digitally for free exclusively on Disney Plus on Christmas Day. As Insider's report notes, Soul was the first Pixar movie in the studio's 26-year history to not debut on the silver screen. According to Insider's sources, Pixar chief creative officer, Pete Docter, was disappointed to learn that Soul would have no theatrical run. That disappointment "was softened by the fact that Disney was ecstatic by how well the movie performed on Disney Plus," according to Insider. "That was so eye-opening," a source told the publication. "Disney was over the moon about the numbers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/14/pixars-soul-review"] Insider reports that most at Pixar understood the necessity behind the Soul decision — the same global pandemic still happening today was also happening last December, after all — but that those at the studio had hoped a decision like that would be a one-time thing. It wasn't, however, because it was announced that Luca, Pixar's next movie, would release exclusively on Disney Plus, and for free no less, unlike Disney's Mulan remake. "We don't want to be a title just on Disney Plus," one Pixar staffer told Insider. "These movies are crafted for the big screen. We want you to watch these movies with no distractions, no looking at your phones." Another Pixar employee that spoke to Insider pondered what it meant that Luca wouldn't have the "premium price" tag next to it that other Disney Plus releases like Mulan did. They said it's hard to grasp if that makes Luca "lesser." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=mulan-biggest-differences-between-the-animated-movie-and-live-action-remake&captions=true"] Beyond the disappointment and frustration expressed to Insider by Pixar staffers, those within the studio wonder what these straight-to-Disney-Plus decisions mean for the studio's financial future. A veteran staffer at Pixar told Insider that "everyone is worried about keeping their jobs if our films aren't seen by Disney as financially successful." "If these movies aren't having $1 billion (theatrical) runs, does that hurt the company? You wonder that," one Pixar animator told Insider. Insider reports that not everyone at Pixar is scratching their heads, disappointed and frustrated. One artist told the publication that if they're doing this to see their name in the credits on a theater screen, then they're doing it for the wrong reasons. Other staff members pointed out to Insider that "with Pixar's recent funneling of projects to Disney Plus, the opportunity for those rising up the ranks in the company to get their stories made has increased substantially," alluding to Disney Plus' SparkShorts series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-characters-and-the-actors-who-voiced-them&captions=true"] Despite all of the feelings being felt by Pixar staffers as a result of Disney's straight-to-Disney-Plus decisions as of late, one animator told Insider that the most important thing about Pixar — the quality of their art — has remain unchanged. "There will not be a change on how we make films," they said. "That's what's important: the piece of art. That's what matters." Pixar's upcoming movie, Luca, will hit Disney Plus on June 18, free of charge to subscribers. Watch the latest Luca trailer and then read this story about how Pixar made a sea monster into a real boy in Luca. Read our thoughts on the latest Pixar movie that debuted on Disney Plus in IGN's Soul review after that. Correction: The original version of this article originally noted that Onward was released on Disney Plus for $19.99. It was actually free. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.