Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin wasn’t so involved in later seasons of the show.

During an interview with the New York Times, the 73-year-old author revealed that he wasn’t kept up to date by the final seasons of the hit HBO fantasy series.

“By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop,” he revealed. Asked why he became estranged from the show, he simply replied: “I don’t know — you have to ask Dan and David.”

This is a remarkable turnaround when compared to the early seasons of the show, on which Martin consulted. He was heavily involved in most aspects of Game of Thrones, from the show’s scripts to its casting. The report says David Benioff and D.B. Weiss declined to comment.

If you ask fans of the novels, they’d likely tell you that Martin's waning involvement could be felt throughout later seasons of the show. But Martin did previously admit that he was involved in at least “conversations” about the show’s ending.

“I don't think Dan and Dave's ending is gonna be that different from my ending because of the conversations we did have,” he said. “But they may be on certain secondary characters, there may be big differences. There's no way to get in all the detail, all the minor characters, all the secondary characters.”

Thankfully, Martin has been a lot more hands-on with the upcoming prequel, House of the Dragon.

“George, for us, in this process has been a really valuable resource,” said HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys. “He is literally the creator of this world. He is its historian, its creator, its keeper. And so I can’t imagine doing a show that he didn’t believe in or didn’t endorse.”

Whether or not Martin will remain as involved in House of the Dragon as the show progresses remains to be seen. But for the time being, it looks as though it’s got his approval.

Want to read more about House of the Dragon? Check out how the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel will differ from the books, and check out some of HBO’s unused prequel ideas.

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

John Wick will be back… with an even longer runtime.

During an interview with Collider, director Chad Stahelski revealed that John Wick 4 is the longest film in the whole franchise. “It's longer than the other three, but not that long,” he said.

At the moment, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the longest film in the series at a lengthy 131 minutes… and that means the upcoming fourth installment has to be at least 2 hours 11 minutes long.

John Wick Chapter 2 is the second longest coming in at 122 minutes, while the original John Wick is a measly 101 minutes.

It’s rumored that Stahelski’s cut of the film is pretty substantial and may get shortened during the editing process… but it sounds as though Stahelski is nearly done, leaving not much time for the film to get cut down.

“We're on the final stretch for picture lock, and then we have our VFX music,” said Stahelski. “But this is the furthest along I've ever been, this much in post. We love the music that we've got so far. We still have Tyler Bates doing the composition on some of the bigger sequences.”

In fact, it sounds as though John Wick 4 is incredibly close to being finished.

“VFX are going to be coming in throughout the rest of the year. But we're dangerously close. In our edit, as far as our picture lock goes, we're within a few minutes of locking. Our sequences are done. The movie is essentially done. There's probably another few weeks of tweaking overall, then we lock picture, and we're about music sound and the effects.”

As for how the picture is coming together, it looks as though it’s all a lock… except perhaps the film’s ending.

“There's one [action sequence] for the end of the film that I think we've almost got figured out, so we can be initiating, so I'll have an end of the movie,” he explained.

Whether or not that affects the film’s already hefty runtime remains to be seen. But honestly, more John Wick? Make it as long as you like, Chad. I’ll eagerly watch every last minute of it.

Want to read more about John Wick 4? Check out our first look at John Wick’s return not to mention the film’s gripping first trailer.

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

John Wick will be back… with an even longer runtime.

During an interview with Collider, director Chad Stahelski revealed that John Wick 4 is the longest film in the whole franchise. “It's longer than the other three, but not that long,” he said.

At the moment, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the longest film in the series at a lengthy 131 minutes… and that means the upcoming fourth installment has to be at least 2 hours 11 minutes long.

John Wick Chapter 2 is the second longest coming in at 122 minutes, while the original John Wick is a measly 101 minutes.

It’s rumored that Stahelski’s cut of the film is pretty substantial and may get shortened during the editing process… but it sounds as though Stahelski is nearly done, leaving not much time for the film to get cut down.

“We're on the final stretch for picture lock, and then we have our VFX music,” said Stahelski. “But this is the furthest along I've ever been, this much in post. We love the music that we've got so far. We still have Tyler Bates doing the composition on some of the bigger sequences.”

In fact, it sounds as though John Wick 4 is incredibly close to being finished.

“VFX are going to be coming in throughout the rest of the year. But we're dangerously close. In our edit, as far as our picture lock goes, we're within a few minutes of locking. Our sequences are done. The movie is essentially done. There's probably another few weeks of tweaking overall, then we lock picture, and we're about music sound and the effects.”

As for how the picture is coming together, it looks as though it’s all a lock… except perhaps the film’s ending.

“There's one [action sequence] for the end of the film that I think we've almost got figured out, so we can be initiating, so I'll have an end of the movie,” he explained.

Whether or not that affects the film’s already hefty runtime remains to be seen. But honestly, more John Wick? Make it as long as you like, Chad. I’ll eagerly watch every last minute of it.

Want to read more about John Wick 4? Check out our first look at John Wick’s return not to mention the film’s gripping first trailer.

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

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind just got its first trailer.

Warner Bros. Animation revealed our first look at Snow Blind in this impressive trailer, teasing a confrontation between Kenshi and one of Mortal Kombat’s long-running antagonists, Kano.

“The Storm is Coming,” they said via Twitter. “Enjoy this exclusive first look at the new trailer for Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind.”

The Storm is Coming. Enjoy this exclusive first look at the new trailer for Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind #MortalKombatLegends pic.twitter.com/RJhO9opJbQ

— Warner Bros. (@WBHomeEnt) August 10, 2022

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is the third animated feature based on the popular gaming franchise and a sequel to Scorpion's Revenge and Battle of the Realms.

Offering a new perspective on the iconic fighting franchise, Snow Blind finally makes Kenshi (voiced by Manny Jacinto) the protagonist, squaring him up against Kano who attacks Kenshi’s village. But when a soulnado leaves Kenshi blind, it’s up to Sub-Zero to train him up and prepare him for the long road ahead.

Snow Lind features several other Mortal Kombat regulars with Kabal, Kira, Kobra, and Erron Black all appearing in the trailer as members of Kano's gang.

Eagle-eyed viewers will even spot Shang Tsung and the ninja Tremor in there.

As well as the recent animated features, Mortal Kombat has been making a bit of a comeback with a live-action movie unexpectedly impressing audiences last year – enough that a sequel has since been greenlit with director Simon McQuoid set to return.

IGN’s reviews of the animated features have so far been mixed. Scorpion’s Revenge “never finds anything interesting or insightful” to say about its protagonist and feels like a “missed opportunity”. Meanwhile, Battle of the Realms was considered a “hollow movie that may still have some appeal to hardcore Mortal Kombat fans thanks to its over-the-top violence and references to the games, but even then, it’s hard to recommend.”

Whether or not Snow Blind will buck the trend remains to be seen. But it certainly looks promising.

Although no release date has been confirmed, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind will head to digital and Blu-ray later this year.

Want to read more about Mortal Kombat? Check out our rundown of the 10 best fighting games, and learn all the fatalities in Mortal Kombat 11 with our handy guide.

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

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind just got its first trailer.

Warner Bros. Animation revealed our first look at Snow Blind in this impressive trailer, teasing a confrontation between Kenshi and one of Mortal Kombat’s long-running antagonists, Kano.

“The Storm is Coming,” they said via Twitter. “Enjoy this exclusive first look at the new trailer for Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind.”

The Storm is Coming. Enjoy this exclusive first look at the new trailer for Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind #MortalKombatLegends pic.twitter.com/RJhO9opJbQ

— Warner Bros. (@WBHomeEnt) August 10, 2022

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is the third animated feature based on the popular gaming franchise and a sequel to Scorpion's Revenge and Battle of the Realms.

Offering a new perspective on the iconic fighting franchise, Snow Blind finally makes Kenshi (voiced by Manny Jacinto) the protagonist, squaring him up against Kano who attacks Kenshi’s village. But when a soulnado leaves Kenshi blind, it’s up to Sub-Zero to train him up and prepare him for the long road ahead.

Snow Lind features several other Mortal Kombat regulars with Kabal, Kira, Kobra, and Erron Black all appearing in the trailer as members of Kano's gang.

Eagle-eyed viewers will even spot Shang Tsung and the ninja Tremor in there.

As well as the recent animated features, Mortal Kombat has been making a bit of a comeback with a live-action movie unexpectedly impressing audiences last year – enough that a sequel has since been greenlit with director Simon McQuoid set to return.

IGN’s reviews of the animated features have so far been mixed. Scorpion’s Revenge “never finds anything interesting or insightful” to say about its protagonist and feels like a “missed opportunity”. Meanwhile, Battle of the Realms was considered a “hollow movie that may still have some appeal to hardcore Mortal Kombat fans thanks to its over-the-top violence and references to the games, but even then, it’s hard to recommend.”

Whether or not Snow Blind will buck the trend remains to be seen. But it certainly looks promising.

Although no release date has been confirmed, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind will head to digital and Blu-ray later this year.

Want to read more about Mortal Kombat? Check out our rundown of the 10 best fighting games, and learn all the fatalities in Mortal Kombat 11 with our handy guide.

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

Disney+’s ad-supported offering will be available on December 8 which will become the new cheaper offering once Disney+ raises its ad-free subscription price.

Disney announced that starting on December 8, the new Ad-supported subscription will cost $7.99 a month, that’s the price Disney+ is currently at without ads. The ad-free subscription will be called Premium and will cost $10.99 a month.

The ad-supported versions of Disney+ will also be incorporated into new Disney Bundle plans. An ad-supported bundle that includes Disney+ and Hulu will cost $9.99 and an ad-supported bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ will cost $12.99.

“With our new ad-supported Disney+ offering and an expanded lineup of plans across our entire streaming portfolio, we will be providing greater consumer choice at a variety of price points to cater to the diverse needs of our viewers,” said Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution chairman Kareem Daniel in a statement.

Disney announced that a cheaper subscription with ads would be coming and that day is finally approaching. While subscription services like Netflix and Hulu have all enacted price hikes, ad-supported tiers are becoming more common as well.

In face of growing subscription costs and declining viewership, Netflix announced that it is also exploring ad-supported tiers for its users.

Will you be opting for an ad-supported version of Disney+ for the current price? Let us know in the comments below.

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

Disney+ and Hulu will both be receiving price hikes in both their ad-supported and premium tiers, Disney announced today.

The price hike is timed with the impending release of Disney+'s ad-supported tier, which will cost $7.99. The ad-free version, meanwhile, will rise to $10.99 — an increase of $3 per month.

As for Hulu, it will jump $2 per month, rising from $12.99 to $14.99 on October 10. Meanwhile, the ad-supported verion will rise from $6.99 to $7.99.

The price hikes come amid strong subscriber increases for Disney+, which rose to 151 million subscriptions. However, those increases have been tempered by large losses. According to Disney's financials released today, Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ have combined to lose $1.1 billion.

Disney+'s ad-supported tier launches December 8.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan is prepping his next show.

According to Deadline, the project is a wholly original idea that’s already highly anticipated by the eight or nine platforms lining up to hear his pitch.

It’s reported that this new project is more X-Files than Breaking Bad – a big departure from the crime-ridden world of Gilligan’s previous two shows. But it’s not sci-fi. Gilligan’s tenure on X-Files tended to focus on the more human side of the paranormal, and this is said to be the aim of the new series, “exploring similar themes of bending reality while holding a mirror to humanity.”

The new show is reportedly also being compared to The Twilight Zone and is described as a “blended, grounded genre drama”.

“It is said to be set in our world while putting a tweak on it, focusing on people and exploring the human condition in an unexpected, surprising way,” said Deadline co-editor, Nellie Andreeva. It’s also expected to continue Gilligan’s trademark tone, balancing humor and human drama.

In preparing his pitch, Gilligan is said to have written supplementary material to accompany his idea, much the same as his pitches for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. The upcoming new show is said to play out over a few seasons with an overall story arc rather than being a monster-of-the-week style show.

Whatever Gilligan does next, it’s likely to be met with plenty of enthusiasm.

Breaking Bad has won two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series while the show’s star, Bryan Cranston, was nominated for four consecutive Golden Globes, and won four Emmys for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Better Call Saul has done equally well on the awards circuit, picking up a staggering 46 Emmy nominations across its six-season run.

Gilligan himself has won four Emmys and four Golden Globes for his work on the shows.

Want to read more about Better Call Saul? Check out what Better Call Saul gets right about being a prequel as well as this incredible Game Boy version of the show.

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

The DC television series Pennyworth returns for its third season on HBO Max this October and, as IGN can exclusively reveal, the prequel show now boasts a new title: Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler.

The new title appears at the end of the show’s official Season 3 trailer, which you can watch exclusively here via the player above or the embed below.

The origin series from Warner Bros. Television is based on DC Comics characters created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. It follows former British SAS soldier Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) who, in 1960s London, goes to work with billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) and his wife Martha (Emma Paetz) in the years before they become the parents of Bruce Wayne.

The official plot synopsis for Season Three, which will run ten episodes, reveals a new time period and how things have changed since viewers last saw Alfred and the Waynes:

“Season three of the psychological thriller begins after a five-year time jump: the civil war is over, and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse – ushering in a new age of Super Heroes and Supervillains.”

Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler stars Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Emma Paetz, Paloma Faith, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Ramon Tikaram, Harriet Slater, and Simon Manyonda.

The show is executive produced by Bruno Heller, Matthew Patnick, Danny Cannon, and John Stephens.

The third season of Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler debuts this October on HBO Max as a Max Original.

EA and the NFL have announced a multi-year renewal of their partnership that guarantees the continuation of their Esports league, the Madden NFL Championship Series (MCS).

The companies didn't specify exactly how long the partnership had been renewed for but they did announce that the previous year's MCS season proved immensely successful as it saw a four times increase for its average minute audience year over year.

The MCS will be aligned with the actual NFL season as a result of the continued partnership, meaning the Esports championship, the Ultimate Madden NFL 23 Bowl, will take place during the week of Super Bowl LVII. The finals include a prize pool of $1 million in addition to another $700,000 available throughout the season.

"Madden NFL esports continues to deepen the love of the game with fans, players, and viewers. It’s teaching viewers how to improve at the game, while deepening engagement with Madden’s most loyal fanbase," said VP of EA Esports Brent Koning. "Since the MCS started five years ago, it has helped showcase the game by elevating the greatest players in the world, while giving every single Madden NFL player the chance to go from couch to champion."

Ed Kiang, vice president of video gaming at the NFL, also added: "Extending our partnership with EA is another avenue for the league to grow fandom off the field and enhance the EA Sports Madden NFL Championship Series by aligning Madden competitive gaming with NFL moments."

Madden NFL 23 is just a week away from its August 19 release date and EA has promised it has serious upgrades to its franchise mode and long-awaited gameplay changes (and that the game will actually work).

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.