Marvel Studios looks to be changing quite a bit about Namor as the iconic hero makes his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But one major detail isn't changing - Namor is still a mutant in the MCU.

Actor Tenoch Huerta confirmed that detail in an interview with Empire. This makes Namor one of the very first mutant characters to appear in an MCU project. That's fitting, as Namor is often described as "Marvel's first mutant" in the comics. Because his father is human and his mother Atlantean, Namor carries the mutant gene and possesses certain powers that set him apart from his fellow Atlanteans.

This reveal makes Namor the third major mutant character to appear in the MCU this year. Previously, Patrick Stewart reprised the role of Professor Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while a major hero is apparently being reimagined as a mutant in the MCU.

Director Ryan Coogler also shed more light on his decision to make Namor the villain of his sequel, describing Namor as "a dream antagonist."

“The contrast between T’Challa and Namor – their characters, and their nations – just leaps off the page,” Coogler told Empire. “He’s a dream antagonist.”

In fact, Coogler originally planned on teasing Namor's debut in the first Black Panther. Marvel's Kevin Feige revealed that Coogler pitched a post-credits scene showing a series of wet footprints leading up to the Wakandan throne. Marvel ultimately wound up keeping Namor's appearance under wraps until Huerta's role was officially confirmed at Comic-Con.

In other Wakanda Forever news, Feige revealed it was "much too soon" after Chadwick Boseman's passing to consider recasting T'Challa in the sequel. Instead, the movie will address the tragic death of Boseman, tackling the theme of moving on in the face of insurmountable odds.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The late Alan Rickman was a major part of the Harry Potter films as the enigmatic Professor Snape, but there was a point where Rickman nearly quit the famous films. Published in The Guardian, extracts from Rickman’s diaries reveal that it wasn’t all fun and wizardry behind the scenes on Harry Potter. At least, not for Rickman.

“Talking to [agent] Paul Lyon-Maris about [Harry Potter] exit, which he thinks will happen,” he wrote on December 4, 2002. “But here we are in the project-collision area again. Reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it.”

His comments came following Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002, which propelled the franchise to even dizzier heights following The Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001.

But this glimpse into Rickman’s experience with the franchise reveals major truths, including Rickman's admiration for series lead Daniel Radcliffe..

“[Daniel Radcliffe] is so concentrated now. Serious and focused – but with a sense of fun,” he wrote in May 2003 as they began filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. “I still don’t think he’s really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct/produce. And he has such quiet, dignified support from his parents. Nothing is pushed.”

Rickman also talked about the pressure faced by the film's directors, as well as what it was like to work with children who didn't always know their lines.

“The day got off to a fabulous start with the screen guillotining on to my head,” he wrote on July 30, 2003. “A sudden, swift blackout followed by day-long melancholy. Alfonso [Cuarón, director] was quietly ballistic with me. I love him too much to let it last too long so I wailed offset and we sorted it out. He’s under the usual HP pressure and even he starts rehearsing cameras before actors, and these kids need directing. They don’t know their lines and Emma [Watson]’s diction is this side of Albania at times. Plus my so-called rehearsal is with a stand-in who is French.”

By Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, disaster struck. Rickman was soon forced to confront health issues, having been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2005. But despite his own personal struggles, he decided to stick with Harry Potter.

Weeks after an operation to remove his prostate, he wrote: “Finally, yes to HP 5. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: ‘See it through. It’s your story.’”

Thankfully, Rickman continued to see out the entire franchise, appearing as Professor Snape throughout all eight main Harry Potter films. In 2007, he wrote about his character’s ending.

“… I have finished reading the last ‘Harry Potter’ book,” he wrote on July 27, 2007. “Snape dies heroically, Potter describes him to his children as one of the bravest men he ever knew and calls his son Albus Severus. This was a genuine rite of passage. One small piece of information from Jo Rowling seven years ago – Snape loved Lily – gave me a cliff edge to hang on to.”

Rickman died on January 14, 2016, at the age of 69.

Want to read more about Harry Potter? Get sorted into your Hogwarts house right now for Hogwarts Legacy and find out why the game won’t feature playable Quidditch.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will take more of an ensemble cast approach compared to the other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's catalog. This is because Marvel decided to not recast T’Challa after actor Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020.

Now, Marvel boss Kevin Feige is sharing more about what went into the discussions around Black Panther 2, saying it was simply too soon to place another actor in the role.

“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast,” Feige told Empire. “Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan [Coogler] poured that into the story.”

Coogler is the director and writer of Wakanda Forever, and has shared similar sentiments about Boseman's impact on the upcoming movie. Coogler said the movie will address the tragic death of Boseman, tackling the theme of moving on in the face of insurmountable odds.

Feige also said the pre-production conversations focused heavily on incorporating Boseman's legacy into the story.

“The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’” Feige said. “And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.”

Instead of one lead character, Wakanda Forever will focus on a larger cast, including Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda, Winston Duke's M'Baku, and Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to hit theaters on November 11, 2022. For more, check out our breakdown of the first Wakanda Forever trailer.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

E3 2023 has announced the dates of its return, June 13-16 – with separate days (and halls) for press and public.

Following three years of uncertainty, E3 is set to return in 2023 at the Los Angeles Convention Center for an in-person experience. Partnered digital events will precede the physical expo (beginning on June 11) but the legendary event will run from Tuesday, June 13 to Friday, June 16.

While recent E3s blended business and consumer sides of the industry into a single event, E3 2023 will separate them into two fairly distinct parts. Tuesday, June 13 to Thursday, June 15 will be dubbed E3 Business Days and will concentrate on industry professionals and gaming media.

Meanwhile, Thursday, June 15 and Friday, June 16 be known as E3 Gamer Days, offering an increased focus on consumers where they can "go hands-on with the future of gaming and connect with developers, content creators, media personalities, and more." Gamer Days will take place in a separate hall to Business Days.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is partnering with event production company ReedPop – which has been behind New York Comic Con, PAX, Star Wars Celebration, and more – clearly hoping to bring a much more focused and memorable E3 for businesses and fans alike.

"Our vision is to reunite the industry by re-establishing the traditional E3 week, bring back that spark, and restore E3's role as a truly magical global showcase event for game creators and consumers,” says Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop's VP of gaming.

Despite once being the most well-known and adored yearly event in gaming, E3 has been a point of controversy and instability over the past few years. 2019's event saw over 2,000 attendees' personal information become accessible to the general public on the official ESA website, while the COVID-19 pandemic understandably closed down the show since 2020.

Though it returned in 2021 with a virtual event, a lack of cohesion and meager showings left much to be desired, and 2022's event was cancelled altogether. Luckily, it's sounding like E3 2023 could be a return to form for a beloved expo that was once so meaningful to millions of enthusiasts around the world.

Billy Givens is a freelancer at IGN with over a decade of experience writing gaming, film, and tech content. His work can also be found on GameSpot, USA Today, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide, and more. You'll find him blabbering on about video games and more on Twitter at @mektige.

Update: We've gotten a first full trailer for HBO's The Last of Us series:

Released as part of the Last of Us Day celebrations, the mostly wordless trailer gives us our first glimpses at live-action Clickers, the overgrown United States landscape, characters old and new, and even that iconic opening scene from the game.

Save who you can save. #TheLastOfUs is coming in 2023 to @hbomax. Follow @TheLastofUsHBO for the latest updates. pic.twitter.com/h8q77RLgdh

— HBO (@HBO) September 26, 2022

While we've seen a lot more of the show today, we still don't know a release date, with a mere '2023' still our only hint.

HBO has teased a new look at the upcoming series, The Last of Us, which feels likely to arrive today.

As part of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Day (previously known as Outbreak Day), it looks as though HBO will release a new glimpse at its upcoming video game adaptation starring Pedro Pascal's Joel, and Bella Ramsey's Ellie.

“The Last of Us Day is our way of celebrating the incredible The Last of Us community who bring so much positivity, kindness, and joy, not only to us at the studio but to each other,” said Naughty Dog. “For 2022, we have some surprises that we’re thrilled to share!”

Based on HBO's Twitter feed, it looks as though one of those surprises is a glimpse of the upcoming show. A short, five-second-long stinger reveals the iconic HBO logo along with the unmistakable sound of a clicker – the infamous enemies from the world of The Last of Us.

#TLOUDay pic.twitter.com/V6aDsHM3Dh

— HBO (@HBO) September 26, 2022

Tweeted out with the hashtag #TLOUDAY, it looks as though the video will give The Last of Us fans even more reason to celebrate. Exactly what we’ll get remains unclear – the video itself doesn’t give anything away. Still, it seems like the perfect time to unveil a little more of the upcoming TV adaptation.

“We’re so humbled to celebrate The Last of Us community annually with #TLOUDay,” said Naughty Dog. “To the edge of the universe and back – with all the gratitude and thanks to our incredible community – endure and survive.”

Again, there’s no mention of the upcoming HBO series, but if there’s not a new glimpse at Joel and Ellie in action by the end of the day, you can throw us to the clickers.

Of course, this won’t be the first time we’ve seen the upcoming show after HBO released a first look at The Last of Us just last month.

Alongside Joel and Ellie, the short teaser gives us a glimpse at Joel's daughter Sarah (Nico Parker), fellow survivor Bill (Nick Offerman), a clicker (or the remains of one) stuck in a wall, and potentially Frank (Murray Bartlett).

What we’ll see today remains firmly under wraps… but it sounds as though the zombies are coming.

Want to read more about The Last of Us? Check out who’s been cast as Henry and Sam, as well as our first look at Joel and Ellie in the new show.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A fan has just finished a colossal project inside Super Mario Maker 2 – spending seven years (across both Mario Maker games) creating an entire Mario game, which they've dubbed Super Mario Bros. 5.

On Twitter (below), Metroid Mike 64 wrote, "I’ve finally finished creating my Super World in Mario Maker 2 and have unofficially named it Super Mario Bros 5. I’ve been working towards this moment since 2015, trying to create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves."

I’ve finally finished creating my Super World in Mario Maker 2 and have unofficially named it Super Mario Bros 5. I’ve been working towards this moment since 2015, trying to create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves. pic.twitter.com/eUNvHQysVq

— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022

If those dates don't quite add up for you, it's because Metroid Mike 64 says he's been planning to do this since the first Mario Maker game arrived in 2015. When the sequel came out for Switch, he says he studied his creations and "painstakingly imported them block-for-block" from the first game to the second.

The key was the addition of the World Maker update for Mario Maker 2, allowing players to stitch multiple levels together into full games, with proper World Maps. Metroid Mike 64 used it to bring together 40 courses spread across 8 worlds, separated into three styles – "24 courses from Super Mario World, 14 from SMB3 and 2 courses from SMB."

The unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 is a love letter to the NES and SNES era of Mario games, and includes some of their hallmarks with new touches: the 7 Koopalings are end-of-world bosses, there are branching world maps, puzzle courses are included, and more. The gameplay is described as "classic Mario", without the troll levels or higely difficult skill challenges that dominate a lot of Mario Maker's user catalogue.

Ultimately, Metroid Mike 64 says he's been trying "provide you with something Nintendo should’ve done already, make a full Mario game within Super Mario Maker 2, that’s fun as heck!" You can play through his work by typing in the Mario Maker 2 ID, 0G9-XN4-FNF.

Unique course design like this airship course that’s made to look like a tank. This is Wendy’s Battletank of Doom. pic.twitter.com/lYQPKBaLNY

— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022

The response has been incredibly positive, with Metroid Mike 64's announcement garnering almost 4,000 retweets and more than 25,000 likes at time of writing. On Twitter, Klein Felt wrote, "Played through a bunch of it yesterday and am blown away. This is the classic Mario sequel you have been waiting for." Benzuko said, "The attention to detail and satisfying risk/reward gameplay is brilliant. Fire it up and get involved."

Many have pointed out the oddity of a fan having to take the creation of a new 2D Mario game into their own hands. The last new, mainline 2D Mario game came in 2012 with New Super Mario Bros. U, and while 2019's Mario Maker 2 did have an excellent Story Mode, it was built more to showcase the flexibility of the tools than to provide a new, classic Mario game. The Switch has seen New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, but we've yet to hear word of a brand new 2D Mario from Nintendo itself.

This is, of course, testament to how flexible and impressive Mario Maker 2 is – which is why we awarded it a 9.5/10 review, calling it "the most accessible game design tool ever created," and saying "it's astonishing how incredibly well it's all held together in one cohesive package."

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.

A new Silent Hill game called The Short Message may be on its way, according to a Korean rating.

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea (via Gematsu) has given a rating to the previously unannounced Silent Hill: The Short Message. Unfortunately, it’s not known what this new game is, or even what platforms it will appear on. Some have speculated that the title could allude to a playable teaser, not unlike PT, the last mainline Silent Hill release.

The publisher was listed as UNIANA – the publisher of Konami’s recent free-to-play soccer fiasco, eFootball 2023. It’s also unknown whether The Short Message will be a new instalment in the Silent Hill, a teaser, a spin-off, or mobile game. Considering UNIANA’s production of arcade cabinets, it could even be a new Silent Hill arcade experience.

Silent Hill was originally released for the PS One in 1999 and tells the story of Harry Mason – a man searching for his missing adopted daughter in the titular fictional American town. The survival horror was a huge hit, spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs over the years.

It’s been about 10 years since the last full games, and fans are eager for more. Unfortunately, P.T. was the last time we saw anything official, all the way back in 2014 – the legendary teaser for the since-cancelled Silent Hills by Hideo Kojima.

However, a slew of leaks and rumours have pointed to, potentially, multiple new Silent Hill games in the works. Whether or not Silent Hill: The Short Message is connected to these leaks is unclear. For now, we’ll have to wait and see, but it could be good news for Silent Hill fans.

There are currently eight mainline games in the Silent Hill series, beginning with the original Silent Hill in 1999 and ending with the lacklustre Silent Hill: Downpour in 2012.

Want to read more about Silent Hill? Check out how someone recently trolled Konami with SIlentHill.com and find out how P.T. became a modern urban legend.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A new Silent Hill game called The Short Message may be on its way, according to a Korean rating.

The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea (via Gematsu) has given a rating to the previously unannounced Silent Hill: The Short Message. Unfortunately, it’s not known what this new game is, or even what platforms it will appear on. Some have speculated that the title could allude to a playable teaser, not unlike PT, the last mainline Silent Hill release.

The publisher was listed as UNIANA – the publisher of Konami’s recent free-to-play soccer fiasco, eFootball 2023. It’s also unknown whether The Short Message will be a new instalment in the Silent Hill, a teaser, a spin-off, or mobile game. Considering UNIANA’s production of arcade cabinets, it could even be a new Silent Hill arcade experience.

Silent Hill was originally released for the PS One in 1999 and tells the story of Harry Mason – a man searching for his missing adopted daughter in the titular fictional American town. The survival horror was a huge hit, spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs over the years.

It’s been about 10 years since the last full games, and fans are eager for more. Unfortunately, P.T. was the last time we saw anything official, all the way back in 2014 – the legendary teaser for the since-cancelled Silent Hills by Hideo Kojima.

However, a slew of leaks and rumours have pointed to, potentially, multiple new Silent Hill games in the works. Whether or not Silent Hill: The Short Message is connected to these leaks is unclear. For now, we’ll have to wait and see, but it could be good news for Silent Hill fans.

There are currently eight mainline games in the Silent Hill series, beginning with the original Silent Hill in 1999 and ending with the lacklustre Silent Hill: Downpour in 2012.

Want to read more about Silent Hill? Check out how someone recently trolled Konami with SIlentHill.com and find out how P.T. became a modern urban legend.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The new Final Destination movie found its directors in Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein after they delivered a deadly Zoom pitch that proved they were the right people for the job.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lipovsky and Stein, the filmmaking duo behind the 2018 sci-fi thriller Freaks, were already in the running for the Final Destination directing gig but ultimately sealed their fate when they jumped on a final Zoom pitch with New Line execs and producers. The pair created quite a scene to ensure they were the frontrunners after the meeting faded to black.

Towards the end of the call, the fireplace situated behind Lipovsky and Stein became engulfed in flames and the mantel began burning, putting an urgent pause on proceedings. The filmmakers quickly extinguished the blaze, much to the relief of the other meeting participants, but the chaos continued when an overhead ceiling fan came crashing down and decapitated one of the directors.

The tension in the air was immediately lifted as the execs and producers realized that Lipovsky and Stein had pulled a stunt. The filmmakers reportedly used a combination of pre-recorded footage and visual effects to create the action-packed scene, which elicited laughs from the crowd and secured their places in the directors' seats for Final Destination 6, as it's currently known.

Plot details for the Final Destination reboot are seemingly being kept under the cloak of the Grim Reaper, but it is understood that the sixth movie will follow a similar formula to the other films in the franchise, wherein a group of people cheat death and then death comes back to claim them by using any means possible, resulting in some very elaborate and unexpected death sequences.

Guy Busick, who worked on the screenplay for the latest Scream film installment, is said to be in charge of the script along with Lori Evans Taylor. Jon Watts is producing the picture after also writing the treatment for the relaunch. He is being joined by his wife and manager, Dianna McGunigle, who is serving as a producer alongside Final Destination franchise veterans Craig Perry and Sheila Hanahan.

Final Destination first terrified audiences back in 2000. Four sequels followed that initial movie, with each new installment focusing on a different group of characters being pursued by Death. The franchise has earned over $655 million at the global box office, making it a huge commercial success, but Perry previously assured fans that the sixth overall entry wouldn't feel like a "cash-grab."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The new Final Destination movie found its directors in Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein after they delivered a deadly Zoom pitch that proved they were the right people for the job.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lipovsky and Stein, the filmmaking duo behind the 2018 sci-fi thriller Freaks, were already in the running for the Final Destination directing gig but ultimately sealed their fate when they jumped on a final Zoom pitch with New Line execs and producers. The pair created quite a scene to ensure they were the frontrunners after the meeting faded to black.

Towards the end of the call, the fireplace situated behind Lipovsky and Stein became engulfed in flames and the mantel began burning, putting an urgent pause on proceedings. The filmmakers quickly extinguished the blaze, much to the relief of the other meeting participants, but the chaos continued when an overhead ceiling fan came crashing down and decapitated one of the directors.

The tension in the air was immediately lifted as the execs and producers realized that Lipovsky and Stein had pulled a stunt. The filmmakers reportedly used a combination of pre-recorded footage and visual effects to create the action-packed scene, which elicited laughs from the crowd and secured their places in the directors' seats for Final Destination 6, as it's currently known.

Plot details for the Final Destination reboot are seemingly being kept under the cloak of the Grim Reaper, but it is understood that the sixth movie will follow a similar formula to the other films in the franchise, wherein a group of people cheat death and then death comes back to claim them by using any means possible, resulting in some very elaborate and unexpected death sequences.

Guy Busick, who worked on the screenplay for the latest Scream film installment, is said to be in charge of the script along with Lori Evans Taylor. Jon Watts is producing the picture after also writing the treatment for the relaunch. He is being joined by his wife and manager, Dianna McGunigle, who is serving as a producer alongside Final Destination franchise veterans Craig Perry and Sheila Hanahan.

Final Destination first terrified audiences back in 2000. Four sequels followed that initial movie, with each new installment focusing on a different group of characters being pursued by Death. The franchise has earned over $655 million at the global box office, making it a huge commercial success, but Perry previously assured fans that the sixth overall entry wouldn't feel like a "cash-grab."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.