Last week we dedicated the News Round-up slot to the 2026 Academy Award results, so today we have a bit of a catch-up when it comes to notable pop culture announcements. Starting with industry deaths.

Sad, but not exactly shocking given he was 86, action icon and million memes-spawner Chuck Norris died suddenly on 19 March after being checked into a Hawaii hospital the day previously. A black belt in Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do and Chun Kuk Do, Norris notably faced off against Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon, before a splurge of 80s action movies including The Delta Force series and Missing in Action. He also played the title character in popular TV series Walker Texas Ranger for eight years, starting in 1993.

You don’t want to die around the time that a legend like Norris did, but that’s happened to Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon, who passed of natural causes in his sleep at age 54. Brendon, who played Xander, one of the title character’s geeky high school allies, in seven seasons of Buffy (1997 – 2003), later had a long-running role in Criminal Minds. However, he was dogged by addiction and mental health issues, and faced numerous criminal charges in his life, including for theft and domestic violence.

Finally, an influential figure in the comic book industry passed during the past fortnight as well.

Sam Kieth, who created Image comic series The Maxx (which became an MTV animated series), and co-created The Sandman with Neil Gaiman (providing art for the first five issues) died at age 63 from physical and mental degenerative disease Lewy Body Dementia. Kieth was most prolific in the late 80s and early 90s, which was considered a Golden Age for comic book respectability as an adult art form.

Film

Two teaser trailers for highly anticipated sequels dominated over the past two weeks.

The first is for Dune: Part Three, which serves as the conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy take on Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi Dune saga. Based primarily on Dune Messiah, the film is set over a decade into Paul Atreides’s holy war, with the emergence of Scytale (Robert Pattinson), a foe intent on dethroning Paul as Emperor. Anya Taylor-Joy is a notable new cast member, playing Paul’s sister Alia, alongside Isaach De Bankolé as Farok. Returning faces include Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem.

Dune: Part Three comes to cinemas on 18 December.

The trailer drop was paired with a poster set of the film’s cast.

Next up, we have the first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, serving as the fourth movie in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man film series. Following the events of 2021’s No Way Home, the world has forgotten Peter Parker, and, four years later, our hero devotes himself fulltime to protecting New York City as masked hero Spider-Man. However, just as his greatest threat emerges, Peter discovers that his powers are evolving erratically and dangerously.

No sign of Sadie Sink in this trailer, but we do see the return of Zendaya as MJ, and Jacob Batalon as Ned – Peter’s former closest allies – while MCU figures The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) both pop up.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day comes to cinemas on 31 July.

A couple of other movie news tidbits:

In a case of fan casting coming true, Agatha All Along’s Kathryn Hahn is officially confirmed to be playing Mother Gothel in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Tangled.

Still on matters of animated movies, this one is hardly a surprise, but even before KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Film at the Oscars, Netflix and Sony had confirmed that a sequel is on the way. It will be helmed by the original directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans.

Series

RIP Showmax. Well, we knew that new Multichoice owners Canal+ were discontinuing the unprofitable African streamer, but no one knew how fast. It turns out, VERY fast. As of 30 April, Showmax will be no more. What does that mean for Showmax Originals, like Die Kantoor and Devilsdorp?

Well, from May, they’re moving to DStv Stream, reportedly a stop gap before the Canal+ streaming app launches locally. Showmax Originals will live in a dedicated Showmax section within the DStv app, with more movies and series to be added over the coming weeks. This includes international content like Starfleet Academy, and The Burbs.

Just note that with an array of DStv products, Showmax Originals are only available with DStv Compact and DStv Premium packages, via their streaming version. DStv Compact Stream is available from R299 a month.

Look, normally something like comedy drama Margot’s Got Money Troubles wouldn’t really appeal to us. However, this Apple TV adaptation of the novel of the same name comes with some serious pedigree in front of, and behind the camera, and it actually looks like a lot of fun.

Recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo (Elle Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooters waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) and ex-pro wrestler (Nick Offerman), finds herself with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills and a dwindling amount of ways to pay them… Then she discovers OnlyFans. Also in the cast are Nicole Kidman, Marcia Gay Harden and Greg Kinnear.

Penned by David E. Kelley, the eight-episode Margo’s Got Money Troubles premieres on 15 April on Apple TV.

Despite casting announcements and the involvement of Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, along with original star Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Buffy revival series has been canned by Hulu. You can learn more here.

On the flipside, another beloved Joss Whedon series is set for a return (unless it too has the plug pulled at some point): sci-fi action adventure Firefly. Following a lot of cryptic teasing on his Instagram account, with the appearance of his old co-stars, star Nathan Fillion has revealed that an animated series is on the way. To ensure that fan-favourite characters aren’t excluded, the show will be set between the original 14-episode TV series and its film continuation, Serenity.

Lifestyle

What would an update of this section be at this time of year without new Comic Con Cape Town guest announcements? Some more homegrown heroes of the page and screen are joining this year’s international celebrity contingent – some for all four days of the con, and others for shorter windows in the 30 April to 3 May show period.

With Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action One Piece now streaming (and delighting) fans, several cast members of the South African-shot series will be appearing at CCCT 2026. These include Steven John Ward, who plays master swordsman Mihawk, and Cameroonian Martial T. Batchamen, who is pirate musician Brook.

These One Piece cast members are also joined by Season 2 cast members Jazzara Jaslyn, who plays Miss Valentine; Callum Kerr, who portrays Smoker; and Ty Keogh as Dalton.

On the comics front, meanwhile, Durbanite Anand Ramcheron, who has major global creative collaborations under his belt, along with pioneering local creator Andy Mason, will be part of the event’s comics-centric line-up, run by partner FanCon.

As a side note, if you have plans to attend CCCT this year, it’s a good idea to get your tickets sooner rather than later. Four-day passes and Saturday day passes are already sold out.