We’re happy to report that there were no shock celebrity deaths this past week, after the news that Heroes, Nashville and Scream actress Hayden Panettiere had passed aged 36. While the investigation is ongoing as to her cause of death, Panettiere was found in a state of cardiac arrest, apparently as a result of a drug overdose.

From that developing story onto other pop culture news from the past seven days…

Lifestyle

Today is officially one month until Comic Con Africa 2026 kicks off at the Johannesburg Exhibition Centre at Nasrec. CCA 2026 opens its doors on the public holiday Thursday, 24 September, running through to Sunday, 27 September.

During the past week, one more international celebrity guest and two more celebrated comic creators from overseas were added to the line-up.

On the former front, we have actor Richard T. Jones, one of those performers who has consistently popped up everywhere over the course of his 30+ year career. We’re talking Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, Hawaii Five-0, Narcos, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Event Horizon, Godzilla, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? And, perhaps most famously, The Rookie, where he plays police sergeant Wade Grey. Jones is at CCA 2026 from 25–27 September.

On the comic front, look out for a returning Sam Humphries. The American writer (who has scripted the likes of Harley Quinn, New Avengers and Jessica Jones) and TV show host was last on South African shores for FanCon 2019. He’s joined by first-time visitor Mostafa Moussa, an artist and inker who has worked for the full spectrum of comic book publishers.

Series

Before we jump into TV trailers, the news is official. Dave Bautista has been officially cast as the new Kratos in Prime Video’s God of War game-to-series adaptation. Original star Ryan Hurst had to drop out of the show after tearing his bicep.

Happy birthday month to me! Paired with a new trailer came the announcement that Netflix’s acclaimed adult animated series Blue Eye Samurai returns in January 2027 with its long-awaited second season. The show debuted back in November 2023. In S2, mixed race ronin Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine) journeys from Japan to London with treacherous Abijah Fowler (Kenneth Branagh) as she hunts down the two men who could be her father. Back in Japan, meanwhile, Akemi (Brenda Song) and Taigen (Darren Barnet) navigate Edo Castle under a dangerous new shogun, while Ringo (Masi Oka) searches for a new purpose without Mizu.

At the same time as the trailer dropped, Netflix revealed the series has been renewed for a third and final season, to stream in 2028.

As a sidenote, you can check out the latest teaser trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, which features a new story and cast of characters to Season 1. All ten episodes of S2 release on Netflix on 20 October.

If you’re old enough to have spent loads of time in video game arcades while growing up, chances are you’ll be curious to check out adult animated series Golden Axe. Greenlit by Comedy Central, Golden Axe is a homage to SEGA’s 1989 arcade game (later ported to PC and various consoles), and centres on legendary warriors Ax Battler (voiced by Liam McIntyre), Tyris Flare (Lisa Gilroy) and Gilius Thunderhead (Matthew Rhys) as they reunite to save Yuria from the evil giant Death Adder. Complicating matters is inexperienced adventurer Hampton Squib (Danny Pudi), who joins their band.

Golden Axe releases on 16 September on Paramount+.

Finally, there’s a new upcoming entry in Netflix’s serial killer anthology series Monster. Kicking off on 17 September, following the lead of Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein and Lyle and Erik Menendez, comes Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. This season zooms in on the infamous 19th Century murder trial of respectable lady Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty, Warren and Annette Bening’s daughter), who was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. The cast also includes Vicky Krieps, Charlie Hunnam, Rebecca Hall, Billie Lourd, and Sarah Paulson.

As with the previous Monster entries, don’t expect historical accuracy here. This show is all about shock and sensationalism.

Film

One of our genre guilty pleasures is the survival thriller – those high-stakes tales where an individual, or typically tiny cast, must draw on ingenuity and courage to get out of an impossible situation while time runs out.

On the watch list, then, is Whalefall, based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, who co-scripts the adaptation with No One Will Save You filmmaker Brian Duffield. The premise:

Following the death of his father (Josh Brolin), Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his remains, but is swallowed by a massive sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape.

Whalefall comes to cinemas on 16 October.

There’s not much else going on on the movie front, apart for a new Wildwood trailer (the LAIKA stop-motion film releases on 23 October), and hey, this is no fan fantasy! Rebecca Ferguson and Greta Lee are really filming a still-untitled lesbian romance together.

Gaming

Heads up. With gamescom 2026 being held in Germany this week, you can expect a considerable amount of gaming news to drop in the coming days.

Sure to be a major source of info is the annual gamescom Opening Night Live show, taking place on the evening on 25 August. Geoff Keighley hosts the live event, which will also be streamed online. Though there are sure to be plenty of surprises (come on, Tomb Raider!), Keighley has already confirmed that the following games will feature during the two-hour presentation.

  • The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past
  • Final Fantasy VII Revelation
  • Gears of War: E-Day
  • Ananta
  • Tides of Annihilation
  • Metro 2039
  • Game of Thrones: War for Westeros
  • Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons