We start this week’s pop culture news recap with the breaking story that actress Hayden Panettiere has died aged 36. While no cause of death was given with the shocking announcement, Panettiere has spoken before about her struggles with addiction and severe post-partum depression. She also reportedly had been complaining of back pain in the last year.
Panettiere is probably most iconic for her role as regenerating high school cheerleader Claire Bennet in super-powered series Heroes, along with her fan-favourite Scream character Kirby Reed. She was also one of the mo-capped stars of hit horror game Until Dawn.
Lifestyle
The latest batch of guest announcements for Comic Con Africa 2026 is in the “local is lekker” spirit. Look out for returning comic creator Sean Izaakse, urban artists Ali Bate and Moelycaen, and One Piece actors Nahum Hughes (who plays Bartolomeo) and Cameroonian Martial T. Batchamen (Brook). Just be aware that the guests are appearing on select days for the most part, so if you really want to see them, make sure you get tickets accordingly.
Comic Con Africa 2026 is taking place at the Joburg Exhibition Centre from 24 to 27 September.
Film
Before we jump into all the Disney news of the past few days, thanks to the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, we first have to put thriller Verity on your radar – especially if you enjoyed last year’s The Housemaid.
Based on the novel by Colleen Hoover, this Amazon MGM Studios production stars Anne Hathaway as the title character, a bestselling novelist who has disappeared out of the public eye. Dakota Johnson plays struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired by Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) to ghost-write Verity’s highly anticipated next title. Confined to the family’s remote estate, Lowen discovers disturbing secrets about her new employers.
Verity comes to cinemas on 2 October, and you can probably expect it on Prime Video circa January 2027.
Right, now back to Disney’s annual fan event. To be honest, reading about the exclusive first looks and other reveals (see a summary of everything here!) to happen behind closed doors at D23 isn’t quite the same as getting to watch them ourselves. A couple of trailers have made their way online (officially), and you’ll find them below. But, as for a summary of the biggest Disney movie announcements i.e. brand-new upcoming projects, these are our standouts:
- The MCU’s X-Men have been announced: Joining the already revealed Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) as Jean Grey, and Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as Emma Frost, are Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Christopher Abbott (Catch-22) as Professor Charles Xavier, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) as Rogue, Maya Boyd (& Juliet) as Storm, and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Mister Sinister. X-Men comes to cinemas on 5 May 2028, with Thunderbolts filmmaker Jake Schreier directing.
- Here’s the first, 45-second teaser trailer for The Bluey Movie which is releasing in August next year.
- Believe it or not, the Ice Age franchise is on its way back to the big screen. Reuniting the whole cast of prehistorical critters and their all-star voice cast, Ice Age: Boiling Point releases in cinemas on 5 February 2027.
- Pixar exploring new projects is always exciting to see, and currently set for a March 2028 release is Ghost Market, a supernatural adventure where a fast-talking kid named Kyle blunders into a secret little plate lunch shop in Hawaii that serves spirits stuck between life and death.
Series
Star Wars fans are no doubt pumped for the return of Ahsoka: Season 2 on 20 January next year (watch the trailer now), but over the on the MCU side of things, a small screen trilogy comes to an end later this year with a new miniseries.
Following the events of WandaVision and Agatha All Along comes VisionQuest. Android Vision (Paul Bettany), rebooted and on the run from those who wanted to weaponize him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D’Arcy), and the infamous Ultron (James Spader). They point in the direction of Thomas Shepherd (Ruaridh Mollica), who may be Vision’s son, reincarnate.
Watch VisionQuest on Disney+ from 14 October.
Finally, Kingdom Hearts, the crossover video game series that mixes Disney and Square Enix characters in a fantasy universe is getting an anime series adaptation. Developed in partnership with video game creator Tetsuya Nomura, the series reimagines the iconic adventure with a brand-new story. It’s coming to the Disney Channel and Disney+.
One final piece of TV news: Nicholas Hoult has joined Season 2 of HBO’s Harry Potter series as celebrity wizard, and new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart was previously played on the big screen by Kenneth Branagh. With each season of the show covering a different J.K. Rowling book in the Harry Potter series, Season 1 premieres on Christmas Day.
That said, with DSTV owners Canal+ dumping its contract with Warner Bros., there will be no way to watch Harry Potter legally in South Africa, as is the case with House of the Dragon Season 3 right now.