Walter Hamada, DC Films president, was reportedly planning a Crisis On Infinite Earths movie prior to Warner’s sale to Discovery, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film would have been a take on the DC Comics story featuring characters like Flash and Supergirl.

The comic book adaptation was part of Hamada’s plan to release three or four films a year. He was brought on in 2018 after the shaky release of 2017’s Justice League. Other plans included films following Green Lantern Corps and Static Shock, but none of these ever panned out or acquired directors.

The comic for Crisis On Infinite Earths was first published in 1985 and ran for twelve issues. It would later receive two more entries, Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis, making the series a trilogy. It would serve as inspiration for the Arrowverse’s crossover event series, Crisis On Infinite Earths which saw Arrow, Superman, Black Lightning, and more join together.

Earlier this month, Hamada almost quit as DC Films President following the Batgirl cancellation, but agreed to stay with the studio until Black Adam’s release on October 21. A reset for the DC universe is also planned and includes a ten-year plan with a team that will just focus on DC, similar to what kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A number of DC films and series have been affected by the surprise Batgirl shelving. Be sure to check out our list of all those affected by the film’s cancellation.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

HBO's The Last of Us has officially cast Henry and Sam, the brothers who star in one of the original game's most famous storylines.

IGN can exclusively reveal that Henry will be played by Lamar Johnson, while his younger brother, Sam, will be portrayed by Keivonn Woodard.

In addition to Henry and Sam, Graham Greene and Elaine Miles will guest star as Marlon and Florence, two new characters being added to the series for the first time.

Spoiler Warning: Potential small spoilers for HBO Max's The Last of Us follow.

The official release describes the brothers this way:

Lamar Johnson as Henry and Keivonn Woodard as Sam, brothers in Kansas City hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance.

Fans of the original game will recall that Joel and Ellie meet Henry and Sam in Pittsburgh, where they work together to evade human hunters and infected alike while bonding over philosophical discussions about religion. Henry was played by Brandon Scott in the original game while Sam was played by Nadji Jeter.

In the HBO adaptation, Joel and Ellie apparently encounter Henry and Sam in Kansas City instead of Pittsburgh while the hunters are more clearly defined. Little else has been revealed about the plot, though Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel, is confident it can live up to the legacy of the original game.

The new characters, Marlon and Florence are described as "a married couple surviving alone in the wilderness of post-apocalyptic Wyoming."

Pascal was previously revealed to be playing Joel while Bella Ramsey takes on the role of Ellie. Pascal has said he purposely hasn't finished the original game so that he can avoid imitating Troy Baker's performance as Joel.

Gabriel Luna will play Joel's brother, Tommy – while Tommy's original actor will also a brand new role. Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who featured in the original game, will also have so-far-unannounced roles.

The Last of Us has been steadily revealing more of its characters and plot ahead of its expected 2023 release. In the meantime, Naughty Dog is preparing to release a remake of The Last of Us for PlayStation 5. It'll be out September 2.

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.

Black Adam has reportedly added a new post-credits scene into the film that reveals further ties between Dwayne Johnson's titular antihero and the wider DC universe.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Adam had a test screening in June, which included "a new post-credits scene introducing a new element to Johnson's place in the DC Universe." The report didn't divulge any further details about the footage, so it's currently unclear what ramifications this scene might have on the broader DC universe.

Black Adam is not your usual hero. Starting life as a comic book villain and nemesis of popular DC superhero Shazam it looks as though Johnson's portrayal of the classic DC character will veer more into antihero territory, and he says that will bring DC into a new era — one that features the Justice Society of America represented by Atom Smasher, Hawkman, Cyclone, and Doctor Fate.

Johnson has also previously teased a Black Adam cinematic universe by referring to his character's upcoming solo movie as "the beginning" of what he hopes to be "a very long storytelling road." We can likely expect to see Adam cross paths with traditional foe Shazam in future, but they won't be crossing paths any time soon, and Johnson also wants to fight Superman down the line.

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced a new 10-year plan for DC films that will be similar to what Disney and Kevin Feige have done for Marvel, but the "reset" has not gone down too well. DC Films president Walter Hamada was reportedly on the brink of quitting over the high-profile cancellation of Batgirl but has agreed to stay with the studio until at least the October 21 release of Black Adam.

Looking ahead to what's on the DCEU's future slate, Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods are both slated to arrive later this year, with Aquaman 2, The Flash, and Blue Beetle all arriving in 2023. The Flash is being framed as a major event for the DCEU, but it has been dragged down in recent months by the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller and their growing legal troubles.

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

Details of the cancelled campaign from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – the only game in the franchise without a dedicated single-player mode – have been leaked after four years.

As reported by Eurogamer, Reddit user Purpletoaster20 posted a detailed explanation of what was going to be a "co-operative live service" campaign that connected to Black Ops 4's multiplayer modes and specialists. The report arrived following months of research and discussions with those familiar with the cancelled campaign, the post said, and also included more than 400 images of concept art, storyboards, early mission planning, and more, lending credence to the leak.

The campaign was reportedly set in 2070 during "the year of chaos" and followed on from the events of Black Ops III. A global pandemic and several climate disasters reduced the world order to two main factions - the World United Nations (WUN) and the Free People's Army (FPA) - and the player would choose which to fight for.

Though also playable solo, the game would revolve around a 2 vs. 2 "race to the finish" mechanic with the world-state changing depending on which teams accomplished their goals first, essentially producing a number of different campaign experiences depending on performance and faction.

One mission, for example, called Data Control, saw the FPA infiltrate a data centre in Zurich, Switzerland to extract critical information, and naturally have players take down a number of enemies while doing so. The reverse perspective mission, however, saw the WUN infiltrate the lower parts of the facility and plant charges to destroy it. If the WUN players could do so before the FPA's data was extracted, the entire facility would be destroyed and the WUN would take the victory.

Developer Treyarch had created a number of original characters and cutscenes to go alongside the gameplay, with each faction having its own "handler", characters that would talk the players through each mission and generally oversee the campaign.

Sticking to the live-service theme, several DLC episodes were also planned according to the post, each featuring a handful of new missions (around one hour of content if played just once) and continuing the story of the two main factions.

The ambitious nature of the campaign may have led to its cancellation, as reports first emerged in April 2018 that Black Ops 4 would not include a single player mode for the first time in franchise history. It was allegedly scrapped because Treyarch couldn't meet the deadline, potentially threatening Call of Duty's annual release schedule.

The game instead prioritised the multiplayer and zombies modes and also saw the introduction of the franchise's first Battle Royale in the Blackout mode.

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

Xbox is back at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany this year, and it's released an official line up and schedule. Plans include a six-hour livestream and insight into a number of previously announced games.

The Xbox Booth @ gamescom Live Stream is a six-hour event that will take place on Thursday, August 25 from 5am-11am Pacific / 8am–2pm Eastern / 1pm-7pm UK. The livestream will feature developer interviews as well as gameplay, but Xbox isn't indicating that there will be new announcements as part of the stream.

The current, incomplete list, includes:

• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Gunfire Reborn
• Sea of Thieves
• Lies of P
• High On Life
• Grounded
• Pentiment
• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Minecraft Legends
• Planet of Lana
• Age of Empires IV

The Xbox booth itself will let attendees go hands-on with some of the latest games and updates from Xbox Game Studios, aloingside demos of upcoming games like A Plague Tale: Requiem and Pentiment. It will also showcase a demo of the new Xbox App on the latest 2022 Samsung Smart TV.

The booth will also include a statue of Starfield's companion robot, VASCO.

Xbox is also holding a virtual meet and greet with game creators from Sea of Thieves and Park Beyond for those who are unable to attend. These meet and greets will let gamers “chat directly with game creators about their games and their experience in the industry.”

You'll need to apply to be a part of these. "To enter for a chance to win," reads Xbox's website, "register as an Xbox FanFest fan at xbox.com/fanfest and opt-in for the meet and greet of your choice."

Xbox will be one of the biggest names at Gamescom as PlayStation is skipping the expo this year. Be sure to check out the Xbox blog post for the full lineup.

Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.

House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has suggested that the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel is tonally similar to Succession, but with dragons... lots of dragons.

In the latest issue of SFX magazine via GamesRadar, Condal acknowledged the comparisons between House of the Dragon and Succession as he addressed fan expectations for the upcoming HBO series. He admitted it wouldn't be too far from the truth to say that the Game of Thrones prequel is like "Succession with dragons" because those types of shows were actually used for inspiration in the writers room.

"I think that's actually a great metaphor," he said. "The things we referenced in the [writers'] room the most were The Crown and Succession, just as tonal analogs and as shows that we, the writers, were really enjoying and immersed in."

When Succession premiered in 2018, much of the drama revolved around the members of the Roy family as they jockied for their place in their aging father's media empire. These types of family sagas have been a fundamental part of many other TV series, including Game of Thrones, but Condal points out that House of the Dragon raises the tension from its flagship series by honing in on the dynamics of a singular family.

"The original Game of Thrones is really the War of the Roses, so it's the Yorks and the Lancasters [played out] with the Starks and the Lannisters – two separate families that never liked each other in the first place going at it," he explained. "This, however, is the Dance of the Dragons. It's a civil war that happens within a singular family, which in a way makes it much more engrossing and tragic, because you see people who are blood relatives turning against each other and going to war."

House of the Dragon is also expected to differ from George R.R. Martin's original book, Fire & Blood, which tells the story of the Targaryen family in the guise of a history book. Condal and co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik recently told IGN that they want their show to feel like it interacts with Fire & Blood, rather than just telling the same stories onscreen.

"The fun of this show is that it plays as a bit of a companion piece to the history book," Condal revealed. "It communicates with the history book. In a sense that, some things will line up. Other things will be told very differently. But the idea is that, in the end, the events are the same. It's just the 'why' and 'how' they happened that changes as you see the actual history."

House of the Dragon, which premieres on August 21, will flesh out the tales behind the Targaryen family, who ruled Westeros before the events of Game of Thrones. The first season is set 200 years in the past and will show the beginning of the end of the Targaryen reign, leading up to a civil war waged between family members – and the seeming death of dragons in the fantasy world.

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

The Splatoon 3 Nintendo Direct just concluded, and boy was that show dense. We received almost 30 minutes of detail on what the third entry in the squid-kid shooter would entail, and it came in such a veritable ink torando that it's understandable if you missed some details.

To help you catch up on all the latest news from Splatsville, here's a recap of all the biggest, freshest tidbits from the Splatoon 3 Direct:

Octolings are playable again

Though it seemed fairly obvious based on the footage we've seen so far, Nintendo confirmed that Octolings are indeed playable, and they appear to be available alongside Inklings from the start of the game. Both characters have all the same features and can wear the same fashions - from what we can tell, the main difference is purely a visual one in terms of their hairstyles and a few other small visual differences.

Many familiar NPCs return...

A lot of very familiar NPCs are making a comeback, including Turf War judges Judd and Li'L Judd as well as Ammo Knights proprietor Sheldon. We also got a glimpse of Cap'n Cuttlefish (who appears to once again beckon players toward the story mode), and Splatoon 1 hosts Callie and Marie. And it appears that once again, the elusive Mr. Grizz will be enlisting players to help with Salmon Run, while Murch will return to let you swap abilities on gear.

...alongside several new friends.

A ton of new NPCs were debuted today, too. Headgear is now sold by Gnarly Eddy at Naut Couture, and clothing can be bought from Jel La Fleur at Man o'Wardrobe. Shoes, meanwhile, come from the beefy Mr. Coco at Crush Station, and a number of new customization items are available through Harmony at Hotlantis.

Most notable, though, are the brand new Splatlands news hosts: Frye, Shiver, and Big Man the stingray. They're taking the place of Callie and Marie/Pearl and Marina from the previous games, though we're likely to see those duos crop up elsewhere in the game.

Turf War is still the main game mode, but it's not the only one

As in past Splatoon games, Turf War is the main mode of play if you just want to jump into the lobby for a casual match. The rules of it remain the same as before: two teams of four try to ink the most turf before three minutes are up.

However, there are plenty more modes of play. Anarchy Battles are the new Ranked mode where players can compete for rankings in rotating match types, including returning Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz. It appears that in Splatoon 3, rankings may work a bit differently though, with text in Anarchy Battles indicating that players can "win five and triumph" or "lose three" to be out.

We'll also see the return of Salmon Run with brand new boss salmonids Slammin Lid and Big Shot, alongside new King Salmonid Cohozuna. The Direct also teased a new mode called Big Run where salmonids invade the city of Splatsville - an event that apparently will occur once every few months.

And finally, there are two other modes that were teased for sometime after launch: League Battle, which returns from past Splatoon games, and a new mode called X Battle which is available only after obtaining a very high rank in Anarchy. More on those to come.

Play on new and returning stages...

We got brief glimpses of a lot of brand new stages joining the Splatoon 3 rotation, with names like Scorch Gorge, Eeltail Alley, Mincemeat Metalworks, Undertow Spillway, and Hagglefish Market.

And a number of stages return from prior games as well, including Museum D'Alfonsino, Hammerhead Bridge, Mahi Mahi Resort, Inkblot Art Academy, Sturgeon Shipyard, MakoMart, and Wahoo World. More stages are planned to be added later in free, post-launch updates.

...with new and returning weapons...

Just like the stages, weapons will see a mix of new and familiar types and styles. All basic weapons from previous Splatoon games will once again be available, alongside brand new weapons including the windshield wiper-like Splatanas and the bow and arrow-style Stringers.

We'll also see brand new special weapons attached to regular weapons such as the Tacticooler (a fridge that can feed stat boosting beverages to an entire team) and the Wave Breaker (which sends out damaging waves that can be jumped over), and returning weapons including the Reefslider, the Tentamissiles, the Inkjet, the Ink Storm, the Ultra Stamp, and the Booyah Bomb.

Weapons can be purchased from Sheldon at Ammo Knights as in the past, but it looks like they're now attached to a currency called Sheldon Licenses. One license gets you one weapon that you already have unlocked by being at the appropriate level to use it; or you can spend more licenses to unlock weapons before you've leveled up high enough.

...and brand new abilities.

Separate from weapons are two new movement abilities that haven't existed in previous games. Squid Surge allows you to swim up a wall in a rapid burst, while Squid Roll lets you execute a quick turn around to move in the opposite direction while popping you into the air fro the ink. Squid Roll glows momentarily, during which time it slightly repels an opponent's ink, adding an extra layer of movement strategy to Splatoon 3.

Meet me in the lobby

While previous Splatoons have included match lobbies that were no more than glorified waiting screens with minigames, Splatoon 3's lobby is an entirely different beast. It's an actual, physical space you can run around in and includes a test range for weapons where you can warm up while waiting for a match to fill up.

While Anarchy Open Battle and Private Battle modes offer different ways to play with your friends, the lobby will also display "ghost" versions of your friends who are online and in matches allowing you to see what they're doing, all them to join you in battles, or hop into an existing match that they're already in. You can also view replays of battles you've already finished with fast forward and skip options, view them from different player perspectives, or even upload those replays to share with others.

What's more, there's a wonderful new feature called the Locker Room where you can view your own locker, as well as the lockers of other players you've played with recently. Lockers are customizable spaces you can deck out with gear, stickers, and photos you take in the game's photo mode, and then share with friends to show off your personal style.

The latest catalog

Lockers aren't the only new option for customization. You can also now save gear combos as "fits" in-game, allowing you to quickly swap between builds without using amiibo like in previous games. And there are a number of other visible customization options, including a customizable emote for when you win a match, and "splashtags" that appear at the start of battle with banners, badges, and titles. All these can be obtained through gameplay, and new ones will surface every three months or so with the appearance of a new "catalog" in game.

Splatoon, the TCG

Ever think to yourself, 'Hey, Splatoon should be a trading card game?' Well, it is now. An in-game TCG called Tableturf Battle allows you to play in a competitive 1v1 card game spinoff of turf war. There are over 150 collectible cards, and you'll get an in-game starter deck as part of regular play. It's unclear if you'll be able to play against friends or online yet or not, but we do know you'll be able to play against NPCs.

The new story mode has a title

It's called "Return of the Mammalians," and it focuses on discovering the secrets of "The Fuzzy Ooze," set within an area called Alterna. You're recruited as Agent 3 to the New Squidbeak Splatoon, and battle the Octarian Army alongside a Smallfry friend. We don't know much else as of yet, except that Cuttlefish, Callie, and Marie will all make appearances.

SplatNet returns

Yes, the trusty app from previous Splatoon games is also coming back. Available at launch, you'll be able to access SplatNet 3 through the Nintendo Switch Online app to check battle records, order in-game gear not available outside of the app, and voice chat with your teammates in matches. There's also a new feature called Crusty Sean's Wander Crust where you help a character named Crusty Sean on their journey by inking more turf in battles to earn points.

Yes, illustrations are back

And vertical designs are supported now as well as horizontal, so you can cover the billboards around Splatsville with your artistic creations. Let the memes begin.

We're getting new amiibo

Three, to be exact: Octoling Blue, Inkling Yellow, and Smallfry - your companion in story mode. The three new amiibo are slated for release this holiday, and in the meantime, all past Splatoon series amiiibo are scannable in-game to obtain special gear and to save fits to for quick swapping your loadout.

There are serious long-term content plans

Not only are we expecting free post-launch updates to the catalog, more weapons and stages, and game modes coming down the line, Nintendo has also teased "large-scale paid DLC" for Splatoon 3, with more details coming at a later time.

We also got a ton of new details around the return of Splatfests, which now include three teams to choose from instead of the traditional two. The first of these Splatfests is coming on August 27 as a pre-release event, and the theme is Rock, Paper, Scissors. More details can be found here.

Phew. That was a lot of Splatoon 3! Keep your eyes here on IGN for all the latest updates surrounding the game as it nears its September 9 launch.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

With Splatoon 3 just on the horizon, Nintendo has announced that a pre-release version of the game will arrive on August 27. It will let players take part in a brand new format for Splatfest, the series' battle-based public voting events.

As part of a Splatoon-themed Nintendo Direct, the company announced that the Splatfest World Premiere will take place on August 27. In the US, it will take place from 9am-9pm Pacific (so 12pm-12am Eastern). In the UK, it will take place from 9am-9pm BST.

The theme will be Rock, Paper, Scissors, which you might notice is different from Splatfest’s usual X vs. Y themes. That’s because Splatfest will now feature three teams instead of two.

The first half of Splatfest will follow the Turf War format, where players will be divided into teams and must splat the arena to advance. The second half will become something called Tricolor Turf War where the leading team with four members will face two other teams of two.

The leading team will start at the center of a large arena, while the other two teams will start on either side and work together to stop the leader.

As usual, Splatfest will be a hosted event, with this new format MC’d by characters Frye, Shiver, and Big Man, the members of an in-game band called Deep Cut. Frye will be the Paper supporter, Shiver backs Rock, and Big Man supports Scissors.

Be sure to check out everything else we learned from today’s Splatoon 3 Nintendo Direct, including how Nintendo is planning years’ worth of DLC, and new gameplay and quality of life changes coming to the sequel.

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

If you're liking the look of Splatoon 3 based on today's Splatoon-focused Nintendo Direct: good news. we're about to get a lot of it for a long time. Nintendo has confirmed it will support Splatoon 3 with free updates for at least two years, and will also have "large-scale paid DLC" available at some point in the future.

While we don't know what the paid DLC will consist of, we can confirm at least what some of the free updates will be. From today's Direct, we learned about the new "catalog" feature, which is effectively a seasonal rotation of customization items that will change every three months. The items include new titles, backgrounds, badges, and emotes that players can display to opponents at the start and end of matches.

Additionally, new weapons will be added to the game regularly, at roughly the same time as the catalog updates, and it seems safe to assume new outfits might accompany them at some point as well.

We also know that two game modes, X Battle and League Battle, are planned for Splatoon 3 but will not be available at launch. They're both planned for release in future updates.

And of course, there are the Splatfests. We've already got one Splatfest on the way as a pre-release event on August 27, so it stands to reason there will be plenty more Splatfests to come down the line. Splatfests now include three teams instead of just two, and take place over two halves: the usual Turf War, followed by a Tricolor Turf War where the current leading team must fend off the two challenging teams working together to topple them.

Today's Splatoon 3 Direct was extremely dense with new info, and you can find a roundup of everything we learned right here on IGN as well are more details about the upcoming pre-release Splatfest.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The Suicide Squad star Idris Elba has revealed that he would like to return to the DCEU as Bloodsport to see his character go up against Superman.

The Suicide Squad's writer and director James Gunn considered Elba for a few different DC Comics characters before eventually settling on Bloodsport, an obscure 1980s comic book character best known for shooting Superman with a kryptonite bullet. The Suicide Squad touched on this backstory, but Elba told Variety that he would like to explore their history further onscreen.

"I would definitely like to tell the Superman story. There's no doubt," Elba told the outlet while promoting his new movie Beast. "Bloodsport versus Superman. It needs to happen."

The Superman backstory is taken directly from the comics, as Bloodsport is notorious for managing to come closer than any villain besides Doomsday to actually killing Superman. In his original appearance, Bloodsport managed to fire a Kryptonite-laced projectile and seriously wound the Man of Steel, and may well have killed him if not for the timely intervention of Jimmy Olsen.

Some fans had hoped to see a flashback of Bloodsport going toe-to-toe with Superman in The Suicide Squad, but the reference to their comics history didn't make it past a line of dialogue. However, Gunn previously revealed that he had toyed with the idea of pitting Task Force X against the Man of Steel in a story that would have positioned Superman as the main villain of the DCEU movie.

Gunn ultimately decided to give Starro a chance to shine, having recognized a few complications surrounding Superman's place in the DCEU. "There was a time when I thought The Suicide Squad should fight Superman," he explained. "At the time, there were a lot of questions like, 'Who is Superman in the DCEU? Is this movie outside the DCEU?' I just didn't want to deal with it all that much."

Despite seeing a middling reception at the box office and on HBO Max, The Suicide Squad continues to spawn interesting spinoffs. The movie got an HBO Max spinoff centered around John Cena's Peacemaker, and they are now hoping to follow up on the success of that series with another Suicide Squad spinoff that will reportedly give Amanda Waller her own time in the spotlight.

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