Batgirl will likely not see the light of day despite having mostly completed filming. While the movie will forever be known as a victim of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, reports say Batgirl will be shown on the WB lot for cast and crew as a "funeral screening."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "funeral screenings" will be held in secret for people who have worked on the movie, cast, crew, and executives as a way to send off the movie before it likely gets locked away in a vault.

Following cost-cutting measures by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, it was announced that the studio will shelve Batgirl, a movie that cost $90 million and mostly finished filming, in order to receive a tax write-down.

The film starred Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon and also featured Michael Keaton as Batman, JK Simmons as Jim Gordon, and Brendan Fraser as the film's villain, Firefly.

Any attempts to revive Batgirl similar to the way Zack Snyder revived Justice League have been shut down as attempts to do so could negate the tax write-down WB Discovery is trying to get by scrapping the movie. Furthermore, neither directors Adil El Arbi nor Bilall Fallah even has access to the movie anymore.

Instead, Batgirl will likely be locked away for good in the vaults, a fate shared by other Warner Bros. properties like the disastrous original pilot for Game of Thrones, and the pilot for the canceled spinoff Bloodmoon.

WB Discovery's cost-cutting measures have extended beyond Batgirl and several other films have either been shelved or removed from HBO Max.

You can read IGN's full rundown of the Batgirl saga, as well as the social campaign to release the film.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Batgirl directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have spoken out about its cancellation.

During an interview with SKRIPT, the Batgirl filmmakers explained that they were kept from accessing their own footage when the film was unceremoniously canceled… and they also revealed the real reason it was canned.

“The guys from Warners told us it was not a talent problem from our part or the actress, or even the quality of the movie,” said El Arbi. “They told us it was a strategic change. There was new management, and they wanted to save some money.”

“First, when I heard the news, I was shocked, I didn’t know how to react,” said Fallah. “I wanted to break stuff, cry, even laugh. I was like, ‘This is not happening.’”

Despite reports of a poor test screening, both filmmakers were clearly shocked by the news that their highly anticipated comic book movie had been axed.

But despite a rising social media movement calling for the studio to #ReleaseBatgirl, it looks as though that’s not on the cards… and the filmmakers themselves can no longer access their own footage to complete the project.

“[Batgirl] cannot be released in its current state,” said El Arbi. “Before it’s released one day, there would be a lot of work still to do. Just like the Snyder Cut. There’s no VFX, we still had to shoot some scenes. So, if [Warner Bros. Discovery] wanted us to release the Batgirl movie they would need to give us the means to do it, to finish it properly with our vision.”

Although, the filmmakers didn’t take the news sitting down. After news of Batgirl’s cancellation broke, the filmmakers realized they had limited time to try and save what remained of the project… but while Fallah attempted to access their earlier footage, it was no longer available to them.

“We have nothing,” said Fallah. “Adil called me and said, ‘Shoot everything on your phone.’ I went on the server, and everything was blocked.”

“We were like, ‘F****** sh**! All the scenes with Batman in them! Sh**!’” said El Arbi.

Although the footage was no longer there, it's unlikely that it was simply deleted. After all, Warner Bros. Discovery spent millions putting the film into production, and it would seem like a pretty vindictive move to simply delete it all.

But then, this whole debacle isn’t exactly another day at the office.

Instead, it’s likely that access to the footage was removed from El Arbi and Fallah… so it’s entirely possible that their original footage still exists somewhere. The fact that it remains out of their reach means this is of little comfort.

And it’s unlikely this footage will ever see the light of day. “We’re not going to launch a movie until it’s ready,” said Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav during a recent earnings call. So, for now, it looks as though Batgirl is forced to hang up her cape.

Want to read more about Batgirl? Check out why Batgirl was canceled in the first place as well as which upcoming DC projects could be affected by the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.

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

On January 15th, 2022, a submerged volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga, creating a terrifying tsunami wave roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty, according to the results of a new study published in the journal, Ocean Engineering.

Every now and again Earth’s oceans do something absolutely nightmare-inducing. This can be as simple as reminding humanity that enormous predators once roamed their depths, or, for example, by throwing out a monstrous wave capable of decimating everything in its path.

IGN covered megalodons recently, so for now we’ll focus on the destructive potential of the latter.

As part of a new study, a team of researchers has modeled the size of an enormous tsunami that rolled across the South Pacific Ocean earlier this year. The wave was created when an underwater volcano — called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai — erupted with cataclysmic force.

The sheer violence of the eruption, which took place roughly 70 km northwest of Nuku’alofa — the capital city of the Kingdom of Tonga — was enough to trigger the creation of a truly gargantuan wave, which proceeded to travel outward towards the coast before striking the shore.

When conducting their study, the scientists used data collected by sea-level coastal tide gauges, and air pressure recordings.

According to the team, the eruption created powerful atmospheric pressure waves that swept around the Earth multiple times. A combination of the water displacement from the eruption and these pressure waves both fed into the January event, creating a two-stage tsunami.

Coastal regions were first hit by fast moving waves triggered by the atmospheric pressure, which were followed roughly an hour afterwards by the large wave triggered by the eruption-induced water displacement.

“We are under-prepared for volcanic tsunamis”

The computer simulations run by the team revealed that the volcano could have displaced a staggering 6,600 million cubic meters of water, creating a 12 km (~39370 ft.)-wide wave that had a maximum height of 90 meters (~295000 ft.) above sea level.

If the maximum height were true, the displacement wave would have been nearly nine times the height of the wave that struck the Japanese coast in 2011, causing widespread damage and loss of life.

Thankfully, in the case of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption, the distance between the volcano and the Tongan coast seriously reduced the destructive potential of the wave.

Tragically, however, there were still five fatalities, and according to the World Bank, the devastation wrought by this wave and the ashfall that blanketed the kingdom soon after caused an estimated 90.4 million U.S. dollars in damages.

The authors of the study believe that the Hunga Tonga Ha’apai eruption should serve as a warning for world governments on the danger of future volcanic tsunami events.

“This was a gigantic, unique event and one that highlights that internationally we must invest in improving systems to detect volcanic tsunamis as these are currently around 30 years behind the systems we used to monitor for earthquakes,” comments Dr Mohammad Heidarzadeh, one of the authors of the study from the University of Bath, and Secretary-General of the International Tsunami Commission, "We are under-prepared for volcanic tsunamis."

Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN.

Article Image Credit: Shutterstock, Ian Mitchinson

Super Smash Bros director Masahiro Sakurai has launched his own YouTube channel called “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games.”

Sakurai explains in an introductory video on the channel that he won’t be streaming any games, but rather will be talking about topics like game development and what makes video games fun.

“I’m often asked to give lectures at game development schools, and while I think it’s a great idea, such presentations can only reach so many people.” He continues, “I’ve also realized that developer conferences like GDC or CEDEC, while good for technical concepts aren’t always the best forums for discussing design theory.”

Sakurai also mentions that he’ll keep his videos relatively short between 2-5 minutes and that the channel is his personal project, so he won’t be profiting off of it. Additionally, he’ll have both English and Japanese versions of his videos on the channel.

As for Nintendo content, Sakurai explains that he will share things like Smash Bros development builds and design documents he’s written. Of course, he has to run this idea by Nintendo, and he has gotten approval to do so.

Sakurai reiterates his intentions for the channel, hoping to educate viewers on how game development works as well as inspire others. Furthermore, the channel is open to everyone, regardless of whether you’re in the games industry or not.

I've decided to start a new YouTube channel called "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games."
It launches...right now!

Subscribe today and you can brag (?) about being one of the very first to join me on this new endeavor. I'll share more details soon!

[EN]https://t.co/NC0yM3U9sd pic.twitter.com/oXDajaS8ld

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) August 24, 2022

He says, “I hope this can someday lead to more creators down the line. That, in turn, will lead to more fun games for all of us to play.”

According to Sakurai, there are no plans for a sequel to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, if Nintendo ever wanted to greenlight one and offers him the job, he’ll start thinking about it.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Well Go USA Entertainment has released a clip for the genre-bending Korean film, Alienoid, which will make its US theatrical debut on Friday, August 26, 2022.

Here's how the studio describes Alienoid: "In the year 2022, Guard and Thunder live on Earth, managing alien prisoners who have been locked up in humans’ brains. One day, a spacecraft appears in the sky over Seoul, and the police detective Moon witnesses a strange sight…Meanwhile 630 years earlier during the Goryeo Dynasty, the hapless dosa (Korean tao magician) Muruk, the so-called 'The Girl Who Shoots Thunder,' each scramble to outwit each other in pursuit of the mystical Divine Blade, for which a huge reward is being offered. Two sorcerers in search of the Divine Blade’s secrets, Madam Black and Mr. Blue, as well as the masked Jajang, also set out on a desperate scramble to obtain the Blade. Meanwhile, a spacecraft emerges from a deep river, emitting light."

IGN can exclusively debut the action-packed clip from Alienoid in the video below or at the top of the page:

Directed and written by Choi Dong-hoon, Alienoid features a large ensemble, including Ryu Jun-yeol (as Muruk), Kim Woo-bin (as Guard), Kim Tae-ri (as Ean), So Ji-sub (as Moon Do-seok), Yum Jung-ah (as Madam Black), Jo Woo-jin (as Mr. Blue), Kim Eui-sung (as Jajang), Lee Ha-nee (as Min Galien), Shin Jung-geun (as Right Paw), Lee Si-hoon (as Left Paw).

What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments.

And for more on the world of entertainment, be sure to check out when Halloween Ends will stream on Peacock, the final trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and which Batman title got canceled by Warner Bros. Discovery.

David Griffin is the Senior Editor, Features and Content Partnerships for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Netflix has shared an inside look at the creepy and kooky (and altogether ooky) character Wednesday Addams from its upcoming Addams Family spinoff, premiering later this year.

The new featurette from Netflix shines a spotlight on the beloved Addams Family daughter, portrayed by Latina actress Jenna Ortega in the series. Ortega explains in the video that she set out to deliver a different take on the classic character and that she even attended fencing lessons and cello sessions twice a week to prepare for the role.

"Wednesday is technically a Latina character and that's never been represented. So for me, any time that I have an opportunity to represent my community, I want that to be seen." — @jennaortega pic.twitter.com/LYdHIJLpTQ

— Netflix (@netflix) August 24, 2022

"Wednesday's the classic outsider, obviously. She sees things very black and white… mainly black, but in the past incarnations she's been very cartoony, so in this longer form, you're just trying to give it a reality," director Tim Burton added about her character. "She's like a silent movie actress in a sense, where she's able to convey things without words. To see the inner life and the subtleties was very exciting."

Showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough emphasized that Netflix's Wednesday isn't a remake or a reboot but rather "a new chapter" that will explore the titular character's "journey into adulthood" and her various antics along the way, including her expulsion from a normal, everyday school and eventual enrolment at Nevermore, an academy for outcasts.

The series is described as "a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams' years as a student at Nevermore Academy, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the murder mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago."

Alongside Ortega in the lead role, Wednesday also features Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams together with Hunter Doohan, Georgie Farmer, and many more. Their stories will unfold across eight episodes, four of which will be directed by Tim Burton, who is making his TV directorial debut on the series.

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

Fast X star Jason Momoa is ready to be the villain. During an interview with Variety, the 43-year-old actor known for his work as Aquaman offered up a hint about his new character.

“Time of my life,” he said about his time filming the high-octane sequel. “I get to be the bad guy finally. I’ve been the good guy for a while. He’s very sadistic and androgynous and he’s a bit of a peacock… He’s got a lot of issues, this guy. He’s definitely got some daddy issues.”

The upcoming sequel, called Fast X, sees Momoa step away from his heroic Aquaman persona to become the franchise’s latest villain.

And he’s even teased the return of a villain we’ve seen before…

“I get to shoot with some really cool people that I have never — I get to work with Charlize [Theron] first up, which I'm really excited about. She's amazing,” he said. “I'm excited I'm working with Vin. I'm excited I'm working with Charlize.”

Fast X was supposed to be directed by franchise stalwart Justin Lin… but the director left the project back last year. It was reported that this move cost Universal hundreds of thousands each day until he was eventually replaced by The Incredible Hulk director, Louis Leterrier.

The Fast & Furious sequel had already been bumped to May 19, 2023… and thankfully, there’s no sign of it being pushed back further.

At least, not yet.

But with complaints from L.A. residents about the effect of Fast & Furious filming in the area, there could be new problems on the horizon… and they might be even worse than Vin Diesel’s clash with the film’s former director.

“If this film shoot is allowed to go forward in Angelino Heights, or any part of it from F10 Productions […] we will stage a protest and will invite many reporters and news cameras to film us protesting this film shoot all day and night,” said an email from residents.

Momoa may be enjoying his time as a villain, but let’s hope it doesn’t spill over into the real world.

Want to read more about Fast X? Check out our guide on how to watch the Fast & Furious movies in chronological order as well as the reason why Dwayne Johnson won’t be back.

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

How close is Xbox to acquiring Activision Blizzard? At the moment, we have no idea… but Xbox boss Phil Spencer is feeling “good” about how far they’ve come in the process.

During an interview with Bloomberg, the Microsoft CEO of gaming gave an update, of sorts, on the upcoming deal which see Microsoft own the beleaguered games company.

“I feel good about the progress that we've been making, but I go into the process supportive of people who maybe aren't as close to the gaming industry asking good, hard questions about ‘what is our intent? What does this mean?” he said. “If you play it out over five years, is this constricting a market? Is it growing a market?”

Of course, the deal has been under widespread scrutiny since Microsoft announced it would purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion back in January. The deal has already been investigated for potential insider trading, and the UK has since begun probing the acquisition to ensure the deal is good for consumers.

“I've never done a 70 billion-dollar deal, so I don't know what my confidence means,” added Spencer. “I will say the discussions we've been having seem positive.”

If the deal does go through, it will see Microsoft own one of the biggest gaming studios in the world But don’t worry – the company assures consumers that console exclusives are “something we’re just going to see less and less of.”

“Maybe you happen in your household to buy an Xbox and I buy a PlayStation and our kids want to play together and they can't because we bought the wrong piece of plastic to plug into our television,” he said. “We really love to be able to bring more players in reducing friction, making people feel safe, secure when they're playing, allowing them to find their friends, play with their friends, regardless of what device — I think in the long run that is good for this industry. And maybe in the short run, there's some people in some companies that don’t love it. But I think as we get over the hump and see where this industry can continue to grow, it proves out to be true.”

It's not the first time Spencer has hinted that console exclusivity is a thing of the past.

But more importantly, what’s Microsoft going to do about Activision Blizzard’s troubled legacy of sexual misconduct and harassment allegations?

Blizzard Activision has already agreed to clean up its act (and public image) before the deal was made… and Spencer still seems to take the company on its word.

“I believe they're committed to that,” said Spencer. “When I look at the work that they're doing now — there's always more that can be done — but I believe from the studio leaders there that I know very well, some of them former Xbox members, that they're committed to this journey. And I applaud that regardless of the deal.”

Whether or not Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard will make a positive difference to the company remains to be seen. But it looks as though the deal is progressing regardless.

Want to find out more about the Activision Blizzard deal? Check out how the deal stacks up against other major video game acquisitions as well as Microsoft’s approach to unionization.

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

It’s official – Hellraiser is coming to Hulu on October 7, 2022. The upcoming “reimagining” of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, the 1987 horror classic, will debut online as part of Hulu’s upcoming Huluween – an annual celebration of horror movies.

Hulu has even released a very brief teaser via Twitter which gives us our first glimpse at the new Pinhead, played by Sense8 actress, Jamie Clayton.

#Hellraiser, a reimagining of Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic from director David Bruckner, will premiere on October 7. pic.twitter.com/C0qsKfK4lL

— Hulu (@hulu) August 24, 2022

Clayton will be the fourth actor to play the iconic Cenobite, who was first portrayed by Doug Bradley in the 1987 movie.

Here’s a synopsis to explain what the Hellraiser reboot is all about:

“In the all-new Hellraiser, a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.”

Giving the horror classic a modern-sounding twist, it looks as though the Hellraiser reboot will use the familiar puzzle box to lure in its victims… and it’s great that the reboot won’t be changing that, at least.

The new Hellraiser flick will be the eleventh in the franchise, with fans hoping this marks a turning point for the long-running, but ailing, horror franchise.

IGN’s review of 2018’s Hellraiser Judgement called it “painful”.

“Hellraiser: Judgment is one of the better straight-to-video Hellraiser sequels, but that says a lot more about how bad those other films are than how good this one is.”

The Hellraiser remake will star Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Goran Visnjic, and Hiam Abbass.

David Bruckner will direct the film based on a script by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski, and David S. Goyer. Clive Barker is on board as producer alongside Goyer, Keith Levine, and Marc Toberoff.

Want to read more about Hellraiser? Check out the most anticipated horror movies of 2022 as well as which horror movies you should watch this Halloween.

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

Apple will be holding its next event on September 7, the company announced today with an invite featuring the tagline "Far Out."

Like previous event announcements, outside of a tagline and time and date, Apple did not share any details on what we can expect; there is a high probability that the iPhone 14 will headline the show. Rumors for the iPhone 14 suggest the next generation of Apple's smartphone will not include a "Mini" model like the iPhone 12 and 13 series.

However, the iPhone 14 could still have four models available. In March, reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo anticipated that the iPhone 14 would consist of four phones: two with a 6.1-inch display and two with a 6.7-inch display. In July, MacRumors spotted leaked images of third-party cases for the upcoming iPhone 14 lineup, with the 14, 14 Pro, 14 Plus, and 14 Pro Max above the cases.

Other rumors suggest the iPhone 14 Pro models may get some noticeable upgrades, like ditching the notch in favor of a hole-punch selfie camera and an always-on display.

Outside of new iPhones, other products that may likely appear outside of new iPhones are the Apple Watch, including a high-end, more durable model made for "extreme sports athletes," and a second generation of the Apple Watch SE. The company may also unveil a new AirPods Pro model, which could feature lossless audio support.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.