Presumably most people in the entertainment industry were catching their breath after the usual Super Bowl trailer drop frenzy because this past week was a bit more restrained. The period did include another shock celebrity death though. Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues star James Van Der Beek died aged 48 from colorectal cancer, which he was diagnosed with three years ago. His family are currently running a GoFundMe campaign to cover his medical bills and keep their home… because Murica.
Lifestyle
It’s two and a half months to Comic Con Cape Town 2026 and the international guest count now stands at three. Following the news of anime voice actor Christopher Sabat and cosplayer Yaya Han appearing at the pop culture celebration, comic creator Ron Marz has joined the roster.
Veteran writer Marz is perhaps most well known for creating graphic designer Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, and reinvigorated Witchblade for Top Cow. This will be his third con appearance in South Africa, following previous Fan Con and ICON tables pre-COVID. He will be present on all four days of CCCT 2026. If you need a reminder, CCCT takes place at the Cape Town ICC from 30 April to 3 May.
Series
While movie news has been light this past week (barring the announcement that Jason Momoa is signed up for a Helldivers film adaptation), streamers have been considerably more active. Prime Video unveiled the trailers for two upcoming series. You can check out Nicole Kidman in crime thriller Scarpetta, based on Patricia Cornwell’s massively popular book series. That show debuts on 11 March.
Then there’s Spider-Noir, a live-action spin-off from the Spider-Verse movies. Nicolas Cage reprises his role from that animated franchise, playing aged private investigator Ben Reilly, who years before gave up his superheroic alias The Spider due to tragedy. Still tormented by events from his past, Reilly must don the mask once more to solve an exceptional case.
Spider-Noir comes to Prime Video on 27 May with all eight episodes at once. You’ll be able to watch the series in black & white, or full colour, depending on your preference.
Spider-Noir isn’t the only comic series on the horizon. Arriving 10 March on Netflix is Season 2 of One Piece, based on the iconic manga and anime from Eiichiro Oda.
Following a handful of teasers, we now have a proper official trailer for the next part of this boisterous, warm-hearted pirate adventure (which is filmed in South Africa, for the record). With his crew of Straw Hats assembled, Captain Luffy sets sail for the legendary stretch of sea known as the Grand Line. In addition to the area’s wonders, they have to contend with a further threat: powerful operatives from criminal organization Baroque Works. Look out for familiar faces like David Dastmalchian, Katey Sagal and Joe Manganiello in Season 2, while One Piece fans will be delighted to see that beloved reindeer character Tony Tony Chopper makes his onscreen debut.
Gaming
PlayStation delivered their first hour-long State of Play presentation of 2026 last week, and in the process outlined a strong upcoming slate, with shadow drops and DLC news thrown in for good measure. You can read about everything here (plus watch every trailer), but on the announce front, if we had to single out our top two announcements, they would be:
Silent Hill: Townfall
Out this year for PS5 and PC, and riding high on the success of the remade Silent Hill 2, and Silent Hill f, is the next entry in the survival horror franchise. Silent Hill: Townfall takes players to the mist-shrouded island of St. Amelia, where, as Simon Ordell, you need to “put things right” and face your suppressed past. Townfall, which is unusually played in the first person for the series, is a collaboration between publishers Konami and Annapurna Interactive, while the game’s developers are Stories Untold and Observation’s Screen Burn.
Kena: Scars of Kosmora
Action adventure Kena: Bridge of Spirits, from developer Ember Lab, was one of the defining PS5 titles in the early days of that console launch. Now an all-new adventure, titled Kena: Scars of Kosmora, is on the horizon, as an older, renowned Spirit Guide Kena travels to a mysterious island seeking a cure for her life-long affliction. There, a powerful spirit fractures her staff, forcing her to embrace a forgotten form of Spirit Guiding to tap into the elemental power she needs to help the spirits and living alike.
Kena: Scars of Kosmora launches on PS5 and PC later this year.
Kena: Scars of Kosmora launches this year on PS5 and PC.