Viggo Mortensen – most famous for playing Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings – seemingly forgot all about Amazon's spin-off The Rings of Power TV show.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, as spotted by GameSpot, Mortensen was asked if he was going to watch The Rings of Power prequel, which is set 1,000 years before The Lord of the Rings.

"What is that?", he replied. "The TV thing? It is with Apple, or something?"

The reporter explained the show was being made by Amazon and is thought to be one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, with costs estimated to be north of $1 billion.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I'll watch that," Mortensen confirmed, though immediately enquired about the lore. "Do you know what source material they're using? What were they allowed to use?", he asked.

Upon being caught up and learning it was connected with the Tolkien estate, Mortensen's official verdict was in. "That's cool", he said. "It'll be fun to see."

The Rings of Power takes place during The Second Age of Middle Earth's history, a time only briefly touched on in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is the era when the Rings of Power were created and Sauron was defeated by the formation of the Last Alliance.

Amongst its many characters is Isildur, the ancestor of Aragorn and king who cut Sauron's finger off and claimed the One Ring.

The Rings of Power will be available on September 2 and Amazon is reportedly looking to make five seasons of the show. The early reviews are positive though may be a little biased, as Sean Astin - Samwise Gamgee himself - said he got chills when watching a preview.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Viggo Mortensen – most famous for playing Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings – seemingly forgot all about Amazon's spin-off The Rings of Power TV show.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, as spotted by GameSpot, Mortensen was asked if he was going to watch The Rings of Power prequel, which is set 1,000 years before The Lord of the Rings.

"What is that?", he replied. "The TV thing? It is with Apple, or something?"

The reporter explained the show was being made by Amazon and is thought to be one of the most expensive TV shows ever made, with costs estimated to be north of $1 billion.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I'll watch that," Mortensen confirmed, though immediately enquired about the lore. "Do you know what source material they're using? What were they allowed to use?", he asked.

Upon being caught up and learning it was connected with the Tolkien estate, Mortensen's official verdict was in. "That's cool", he said. "It'll be fun to see."

The Rings of Power takes place during The Second Age of Middle Earth's history, a time only briefly touched on in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is the era when the Rings of Power were created and Sauron was defeated by the formation of the Last Alliance.

Amongst its many characters is Isildur, the ancestor of Aragorn and king who cut Sauron's finger off and claimed the One Ring.

The Rings of Power will be available on September 2 and Amazon is reportedly looking to make five seasons of the show. The early reviews are positive though may be a little bias, as Sean Astin - Samwise Gamgee himself - said he got chills when watching a preview.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Scientists have found an ancient forest hidden within a giant sinkhole in the Guangxi region of China, which could be home to previously unknown species. It's all vaguely reminiscent of the Hollow Earth from Godzilla vs. Kong... but there's no sign of any kaiju yet.

Cave explorers alerted scientists when they discovered a sinkhole measuring 630ft deep, 1000ft long and 490ft wide, but its size was not the only matter of significance. According to Xinhua News, the prodigious pit was housing a well-preserved primitive forest filled with ancient trees as tall as 130ft, serving as a potential habitat for undiscovered species.

A cave exploration team abseiled down and trekked for several hours to reach the bottom of the sinkhole on May 6. China Global Television Network (CGTN) posted a video on Twitter showing highlights from their expedition to the tree-covered terrain, where they found dense shade plants coming up to their shoulders, and three caves hidden in the walls of the site.

30th giant karst sinkhole discovered in south China's Guangxi pic.twitter.com/52ZxFnyuWF

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) May 11, 2022

While the enormity of the sinkhole and its cluster of contents may be eye-opening for many, George Veni, the executive director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in the U.S., told Live Science the discovery is not as surprising to researchers, as southern China is known for its karst landscapes featuring "dramatic sinkholes and otherworldly caves."

Veni explained that karst landscapes are primarily formed by the dissolution of bedrock, which occurs when the acid concentration in rainwater builds up and collects carbon dioxide. It then drains into the cracks in the bedrock, dissolving the limestone and widening the gaps until, in some cases, the ceiling collapses to create a sinkhole and possible oasis for life.

"I wouldn't be surprised to know that there are species found in these caves that have never been reported or described by science until now," said cave expedition leader Chen Lixin.

The notion of underground worlds has been explored in everything from Shakespeare to classic adventure novels and more recently, Godzilla vs. Kong. The 2021 Monsterverse film plays into the Hollow Earth theory, which posits that the Earth is entirely hollow and in most versions of the legend there are people or creatures living in it.

Some people claim our true Earth is hollow, while others extend this belief by suggesting there is a secondary sun within our planet. The idea has become a staple of science fiction storytelling, and even a popular conspiracy theory.

Craters can occasionally offer a passage to the past. The Chicxulub crater, for instance, marks the impact site of an asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago. Scientists determined that the asteroid crashed and created a 90-mile deep hole in the ground, which had such an impact that the resulting effects killed all dinosaurs and 75% of the world's animal species.

For more science news, read about the gates of hell and why they may finally be extinguised after burning continuously since the 1970s, find out how invisible walls in space may help to explain a problem that has been perplexing scientists, as well as how newly-discovered fossils reveal the ways in which ancient dogs differed from our own faithful companions.

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

Embracer Group - the owner of Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and other IPs bought from Square Enix in early May - sees "great potential" in making sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs of these franchises.

Revealed in the colossal holding company's latest financial results, Embracer said it had "further strengthened [its] development capabilities and IP-portfolio" by purchasing Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal which included "Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain and other IPs."

In addition to the sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs, Embracer also sees potential in "transmedia projects" across the group, later referring to similar initiatives from company's such as Netflix and Amazon.

Embracer Group also owns Dark Horse Comics and board game company Asmodee, which "will also enable the use of gaming IPs across yet another media".

Alongside the four previously-Square Enix games mentioned above, the Embracer deal also included more than 50 back-catalogue games developed by the three studios.

Tomb Raider is arguably the biggest franchise acquired in the deal and, while we last saw a new release in 2018 with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics announced not long before the Embracer sale that it was working on a new game in the franchise.

The last mainline Deus Ex game was 2016's Mankind Divided, while Thief returned briefly in 2014 after the original trilogy ran from 1998 to 2004, and there hasn't been a Legacy of Kain game since 2003.

Embracer's financial results also revealed that Borderlands creator Gearbox has nine AAA games in development as the developer/publisher continues to grow under its giant owner.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

After stomping through theaters again in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, the King of the Monsters is trying to conquer streaming as well. Back in January, Apple TV+ announced that a live-action Godzilla series was in development. Today, we have a few more details, as WandaVision director Matt Shakman has signed on to direct part of the series.

Shakman will direct the first two episodes and serve as executive producer. We still don't have a full title for the show, which Apple TV+ refers to as Godzilla and the Titans while also still calling it the "untitled Monsterverse series."

The show follows the events of 2014's Godzilla, where Godzilla and the MUTOs met in San Francisco for a massive battle. One family will have to dive into its past to uncover its secret connection to the global organization known as Monarch. The series is co-created by Chris Black, a writer on Star Trek: Enterprise and Outcast, and Matt Fraction, writer of comics like Hawkeye, The Defenders, and Sex Criminals. Black will also serve as the showrunner for the series.

The untitled Apple TV+ series isn't the only upcoming entry in Legendary's Monsterverse. Last week, Legendary tapped Dan Stevens as the star of the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel film. According to Deadline, Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard will be returning for the sequel, with production beginning this summer in Australia.

There's also the animated series Skull Island, which is being produced for Netflix. Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind other Netflix animated shows like Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation, is handling the show. Similar to the film Kong: Skull Island, the show will focus on a crew shipwrecked on the legendary island.

Neither Skull Island, the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, nor the live-action Godzilla series have any sort of release window. So there's a bright future for Godzilla and King Kong fans, we just don't know when that future is going to be realized.

After stomping through theaters again in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, the King of the Monsters is trying to conquer streaming as well. Back in January, Apple TV+ announced that a live-action Godzilla series was in development. Today, we have a few more details, as WandaVision director Matt Shakman has signed on to direct part of the series.

Shakman will direct the first two episodes and serve as executive producer. We still don't have a full title for the show, which Apple TV+ refers to as Godzilla and the Titans while also still calling it the "untitled Monsterverse series."

The show follows the events of 2014's Godzilla, where Godzilla and the MUTOs met in San Francisco for a massive battle. One family will have to dive into its past to uncover its secret connection to the global organization known as Monarch. The series is co-created by Chris Black, a writer on Star Trek: Enterprise and Outcast, and Matt Fraction, writer of comics like Hawkeye, The Defenders, and Sex Criminals. Black will also serve as the showrunner for the series.

The untitled Apple TV+ series isn't the only upcoming entry in Legendary's Monsterverse. Last week, Legendary tapped Dan Stevens as the star of the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel film. According to Deadline, Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard will be returning for the sequel, with production beginning this summer in Australia.

There's also the animated series Skull Island, which is being produced for Netflix. Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind other Netflix animated shows like Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, and Masters of the Universe: Revelation, is handling the show. Similar to the film Kong: Skull Island, the show will focus on a crew shipwrecked on the legendary island.

Neither Skull Island, the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel, nor the live-action Godzilla series have any sort of release window. So there's a bright future for Godzilla and King Kong fans, we just don't know when that future is going to be realized.

The Danny Ocean-connected universe continues to grow.

The Ocean’s Eleven franchise is getting a prequel with Margot Robbie slated to star, according to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter. Not only is Robbie cast in the lead, but she’s also producing the Warner Bros. film alongside Tom Ackerley, her production partner at LuckyChap.

Details regarding the plot are under lock and key, but it’s said to be an original addition to the series set in 1960s Europe. The project is in active development, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but it is not greenlit. The goal is to begin production in spring 2023.

The 2001 Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of the original movie from the 1960s. It featured a star-studded ensemble cast with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts. The film was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and garnered a lot of critical success.

It would go on to have two more ensemble entries in 2004 and 2007. In 2018, the series returned with a Sandra Bullock-led, all-female spinoff called Ocean’s 8. The film’s cast was highly praised, so it’s no surprise to see Robbie taking the lead in the prequel.

Robbie, who’s had her own fair share of success lately, will share the helm with Jay Roach who directed her to a best-supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2019’s Bombshell. Robbie has also had a number of scene-stealing turns as Harley Quinn in three different Warner Bros films. Last summer, she announced she needed a break from playing the “exhausting” character.

Be sure to keep an eye on Robbie this summer. She will take on the role of the iconic plastic doll, Barbie, alongside Ryan Gosling, who will play Ken.

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

The Danny Ocean-connected universe continues to grow.

The Ocean’s Eleven franchise is getting a prequel with Margot Robbie slated to star, according to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter. Not only is Robbie cast in the lead, but she’s also producing the Warner Bros. film alongside Tom Ackerley, her production partner at LuckyChap.

Details regarding the plot are under lock and key, but it’s said to be an original addition to the series set in 1960s Europe. The project is in active development, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but it is not greenlit. The goal is to begin production in spring 2023.

The 2001 Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of the original movie from the 1960s. It featured a star-studded ensemble cast with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, Bernie Mac, and Julia Roberts. The film was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year and garnered a lot of critical success.

It would go on to have two more ensemble entries in 2004 and 2007. In 2018, the series returned with a Sandra Bullock-led, all-female spinoff called Ocean’s 8. The film’s cast was highly praised, so it’s no surprise to see Robbie taking the lead in the prequel.

Robbie, who’s had her own fair share of success lately, will share the helm with Jay Roach who directed her to a best-supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2019’s Bombshell. Robbie has also had a number of scene-stealing turns as Harley Quinn in three different Warner Bros films. Last summer, she announced she needed a break from playing the “exhausting” character.

Be sure to keep an eye on Robbie this summer. She will take on the role of the iconic plastic doll, Barbie, alongside Ryan Gosling, who will play Ken.

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

Just in case you thought the CW was done making shows based on DC characters, the network unveils a first look at their newest show, Gotham Knights focused on Gotham City after the death of Batman.

The photo was posted to Twitter by showrunner Natalie Abrams as well as the official Gotham Knights Twitter page. This first look shows off the main cast members including Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Bow, Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley, Fallon Smythe as Harper Row, and Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela.

Who will protect Gotham now? #CWGothamKnights is coming 2023 to The CW! pic.twitter.com/85HkzvWKXe

— CWGothamKnights (@TheCW_GothamK) May 19, 2022

Not to be confused with the video game, Gotham Knights, the show is nevertheless centered around the Dark Knight being killed. The official synopsis is as follows:

Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan, “De Son Vivant”) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan, “Days of Our Lives”), an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe, “grown-ish”), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara, “The Virgin of Highland Park”), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent (Misha Collins, “Supernatural”) and the GCPD hot on their trail, Turner will rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore, “All American”), and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson, “Raven’s Home”). But our Knights will soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the GOTHAM KNIGHTS.

To be clear, Gotham Knights doesn't take place with the well-established "Arrowverse." That said, Supergirl and Black Lightning didn't either, yet were able to take place in crossover events like Crisis on Infinite Earths. It wouldn't be surprising if Gotham Knights somehow made a cameo appearance in one of the Arrowverse shows.

The Gotham Knight promotion comes as The CW continues to shut down other DC superhero shows such as Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow. While this could be a harbinger of the future of the Arrowverse, The Flash was renewed for season 9 and Superman & Lois received a greenlight for season 3.

While it's not exactly the same story, it is the inspiration for the Gotham Knights game being developed by WB Games Montreal. Instead of the children of villains, the game centers on Batman's bat-prodigy like Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood.

David Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in consumer tech and gaming. He also strongly believes that sugar does not go in grits. Follow him on Twitter @shortblktechie

Just in case you thought the CW was done making shows based on DC characters, the network unveils a first look at their newest show, Gotham Knights focused on Gotham City after the death of Batman.

The photo was posted to Twitter by showrunner Natalie Abrams as well as the official Gotham Knights Twitter page. This first look shows off the main cast members including Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Bow, Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley, Fallon Smythe as Harper Row, and Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela.

Who will protect Gotham now? #CWGothamKnights is coming 2023 to The CW! pic.twitter.com/85HkzvWKXe

— CWGothamKnights (@TheCW_GothamK) May 19, 2022

Not to be confused with the video game, Gotham Knights, the show is nevertheless centered around the Dark Knight being killed. The official synopsis is as follows:

Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan, “De Son Vivant”) is framed for killing the Caped Crusader, along with the children of some of Batman’s enemies: Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan, “Days of Our Lives”), an unpredictable fighter and skilled thief who was born in Arkham Asylum and abandoned by her father, Harper Row (Fallon Smythe, “grown-ish”), a streetwise and acerbic engineer who can fix anything, and her brother Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara, “The Virgin of Highland Park”), a clever transgender teen who is tired of being polite and agreeable. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent (Misha Collins, “Supernatural”) and the GCPD hot on their trail, Turner will rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore, “All American”), and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson, “Raven’s Home”). But our Knights will soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the GOTHAM KNIGHTS.

To be clear, Gotham Knights doesn't take place with the well-established "Arrowverse." That said, Supergirl and Black Lightning didn't either, yet were able to take place in crossover events like Crisis on Infinite Earths. It wouldn't be surprising if Gotham Knights somehow made a cameo appearance in one of the Arrowverse shows.

The Gotham Knight promotion comes as The CW continues to shut down other DC superhero shows such as Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow. While this could be a harbinger of the future of the Arrowverse, The Flash was renewed for season 9 and Superman & Lois received a greenlight for season 3.

While it's not exactly the same story, it is the inspiration for the Gotham Knights game being developed by WB Games Montreal. Instead of the children of villains, the game centers on Batman's bat-prodigy like Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood.

David Matthews is a freelance writer specializing in consumer tech and gaming. He also strongly believes that sugar does not go in grits. Follow him on Twitter @shortblktechie