Back to regular scheduled programming. We’ve got three weeks of pop culture news to catch up on… so let’s do that, focusing on the peak of standout announcements from this period.

Film

For better or worse (probably worse, ultimately, for anyone who isn’t a white male heterosexual conservative), the Warner Bros. and Paramount merger has overcome the final legal hurdles and is expected to be complete on 6 October. The new consolidated mega media corporation will be renamed Skydance Corp., in a nod to the film company that served as a foundation for David Ellison’s aggressive Hollywood takeover. Skydance now has an estimated $43-55 billion in debt to cancel out, which it incurred to pay for the $110 billion WB takeover.

After that troubling news, let’s keep things on the lighter side, with two animated movies coming to home screens these holidays.

First up is Ray Gunn, from acclaimed Incredibles and The Iron Giant filmmaker Brad Bird. A marriage of retro-futurism and crime noir, the animated film sees private eye Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) drawn into a conspiracy involving aliens, murder and an erratic multimedia star named Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson).

Ray Gunn comes to select cinemas from 4 December, and premieres on Netflix a few weeks later, on 18 December.

Before that, though, in time for US Thanksgiving, is Steps. Taking a page from Shrek, this subversive fantasy adventure puts a fresh spin on fairy tale Cinderella – by depicting events from the perspective of one of the so-called “evil” stepsisters. The voice cast includes the likes of Ali Wong, Amanda Seyfried, Stephanie Hsu, Nikki Glaser, Daniel Radcliffe, and Young Mazino, with Peter Dinklage and Bette Midler.

Steps comes to Netflix on 20 November.

Some other movie news tidbits:

  • From tomorrow, 6 October, you can watch record-breaking smash-hit Spider-Man: Brand New Day at home. You’ll be able to buy the Tom Holland starrer on the Apple TV platform, while its VOD options extend to rental on 17 November.
  • Also, in 2028, Gizmo is back on the big screen. Finally. Releasing on 28 June, two years from now, is Gremlins 3, directed by Chris Columbus, who scripted the 1984 horror comedy original. Of course, with the WB-Paramount merger things may change, but right now we’re on track for a looooong awaited sequel. Gremlins 2 released all the way back in 1990.

Two other trailers you may be interested to watch from this period:

Ebenezer, a new take on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, starring Johnny Depp, and directed by X, Pearl and MaXXXine’s Ti West. Out 13 November.

The new trailer for Werwulf, Robert Eggers’ latest gothic horror tale, starring Aaron Taylor Johnson, and featuring period-appropriate Middle English dialogue. Releasing on Christmas Day like Eggers’s last, Nosferatu.

Series

For this update, we’re keeping the TV news focus on Disney+. Out of nowhere, 90s animated favourite Darkwing Duck is getting a reboot. Officially greenlit, the new series features the voices of Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar. The upcoming show even has an official synopsis:

For the last 35 years, Darkwing Duck (Hamill) has been trapped in his worst nightmare: an alternate world that’s never heard of his superhero exploits. Now a rebellious teen named Duckie (Lilimar) who knows all about his heroic past shows up to pull this ego-fueled vigilante back into battle. Together, this unlikely duo will get dangerous to fight old enemies like Negaduck and Megavolt and reunite with allies Launchpad (Rogen), Gosalyn (Caplan) and Morgana to save the entire universe.

Out of interest, while Darkwing Duck goes ahead, another Saturday morning cartoon from the same period has had its revival shelved. Plans for a live-action Gargoyles revival were scuppered last month.

Finally, still talking of revivals. MCU series Daredevil: Born Again will end with Season 3.

Gaming

The biggest gaming news from the past three weeks? Xbox announced a new phase of its big brand Reset on 22 September. Over 260 people (many of them working on Halo) lost their jobs, while the in-house studio structure underwent a reshuffle.

  • Activision will expand its remit to World’s Edge (Age of Empires), as well as Rare (Sea of Thieves). Activision will also be developing the next Halo title. A small team at Halo Studios will continue supporting Halo games in-market.
  • Bethesda will take Obsidian in-house, which will continue its current projects, including Grounded, as well as the new Fallout project.
  • Playground and Turn 10 will come together as one studio focused on the Forza and Fable franchises.

Finally, there were updates on the various studios Xbox entered negotiations with, in a bid to avoid their closure. South of Midnight makers Compulsion and Psychonauts’ Double Fine returned to indie self-management, while State of Decay’s Undead Labs is now aligned with a new publisher to release their next game. The sad news is that there have been no takers for Hellblade developers Ninja Theory, and it looks like shuttering is on the cards for that pioneering studio.

Lifestyle

Finally, Comic Con Africa may be over but there is still one big geeky event on the calendar for 2026.

Moving forward a week versus the past few years is rAge Nation 2026. Headline sponsored by Nedbank, and now with Mettlestate on board as a strategic partner, rAge is taking place from 27–29 November at Level 8, Fourways Mall in Johannesburg.

What makes this year different? rAge Nation is evolving into a broader gaming and digital culture festival. From families and casual enthusiasts to hardcore fans, everyone is covered with offerings that include the likes of esports and walk-in gaming competitions, cosplay, anime, tech, tabletop gaming, live entertainment, and the ever-popular weekend LAN.

On the cosplay front alone, there are 7 competitions and attractions, with many returning after a successful launch last year:

  • GES rAge Annual Cosplay Competition – The big one, for the serious crafters. Now in its 11th year.
  • The Great Cosplay Indaba – A celebration of Cosplay across Africa.
  • rAge Lip Sync Cosplay Competition – Performance-only, where entrants bring characters to life with nothing but attitude and lip-sync magic.
  • rAge Masquerade – Open to all cosplayers of all skill levels, regardless of costume source.
  • Padawan Cosplay Competition – A contest for kid cosplayers only.
  • Cosplay Photography Competition – A special challenge for photographers. Showcase your best shots across three divisions.
  • On-Site Photography Cosplay Challenge – Artistry under pressure! Photographers have 20 minutes to shoot with the same model in the same location, then 2 hours to edit.

rAge Nation day passes start at R220, while a 3-day ticket is R460. Family passes, covering 4-5 people, are also available.