Latest news with #TheExpanse
CNET
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Will Take Cues From Mass Effect, Souls Games and More
For a certain kind of science fiction fan, the surprise news of a video game set in one of the most beloved TV and book series, The Expanse, hit like a freight train of hype. The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is an action RPG currently in development from Owlcat Games with no release date yet, but that hasn't stopped the studio's creative director, Alexander Mishulin, from giving me some early details about the game. There are many reasons The Expanse has been so successful, the largest of which is its deft mix of well-written characters interweaved with political intrigue affecting grand theaters. Unlike Star Wars and other popular space fiction, The Expanse -- both the books by James S.A. Corey and the Syfy/Amazon Prime show -- is "hard" science fiction with realistic physics and scenarios. From chatting with Mishulin, Cyprus-based Owlcat Games is making sure all of this makes it into its game. The announcement trailer for Osiris Reborn, released during Summer Game Fest earlier this month, shows plenty of hallmarks from the TV show: zero-G ship combat, sealed flight suits, tactical gunplay and the protomolecule. But the end showed something even more promising: early gameplay footage that, despite being prealpha and not representative of how the final game will look, represents the third-person exploration that Owlcat Games is aiming to use. It looks, well, very Mass Effect. Many of Mishulin's teammates are fans of BioWare's legendary sci-fi action RPG series, and he acknowledged that it in some way inspired Osiris Reborn. But he emphasized that the team also drew on RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 for its cinematic story focusing on companions, while Japanese RPGs served as models for great characterization that keeps you attached to characters through the long story of a game. "I'm not saying we are taking something from, say, Persona 5, but the approach, the idea that characters are front and center of the story and how they evolve all through the story up until the end is a little bit similar," Mishulin said. Osiris Reborn is set in the same near-Earth area as its source material, specifically during the events of the first and second seasons of the show (or the first two books). It'll have entirely new characters for the player to meet and add to their party, which was done to give Owlcat Games more creative room to tell stories rather than strictly adapt the books or show, though they may run into some more well-known heroes and villains. Owlcat Games "You will be seeing with your own eyes the repercussions of Holden's actions, all the situations like The Canterbury, and how it affects people in the belt, people in the inner planets," Mishulin said. "You will be having your own adventure with your own goals, choices, consequences in the same universe [with] all the major events unfolding in this universe alongside your story." What players will recognize more are the planets, moons and locations they'll visit in Osiris Reborn -- in fact, the game starts on Eros Station. Show and book fans will remember what was happening there at this point in the timeline, and yes, the human-altering extrasolar protomolecule will make an appearance in the game, evoking a similar horror as it does in the show. Relatedly, the corporate subsidiary Protogen that studies the alien molecule will also appear, Mishulin said, hinting that its most sinister project, the human-protomolecule hybrid Caliban, will also show up. From the trailer and Mishulin's descriptions, Osiris Reborn sounds like it will be very different from other adaptations of the franchise, such as Telltale's narrative-driven Expanse game. And for Mass Effect fans, it sounds like Owlcat's game will have RPG systems and combat that have some similar elements to BioWare's classics, but give players more capability to build characters and play how they want. Mix in strong characters with comparisons to other popular RPGs and Osiris Reborn sounds like a lot of what fans want in a game adapting the franchise. Owlcat Games Modern third-person space RPG combat Osiris Reborn's combat will allow a variety of approaches, Mishulin said, letting players mix and match their reliance on gunplay and various abilities. In the announcement trailer, the trio of heroes showcased three different approaches to fights: traditional guns, drone-based support from a distance and a defensive ballistic shield (along with a shoulder-mounted weapon), which worked in tandem to hit enemies from all sides. "The RPG system is very open, allowing you to build whatever character you like. It's part of our vision of the game to allow you to experiment and find things you like," Mishulin said. Characters aren't class-based, and players can try out weapons and devices they find along the way. Weapons you pick up will have different parameters, like damage, accuracy or recoil, so it behooves the player to find out which guns best fit their build. In that way, Mishulin vaguely compared Osiris Reborn to a Souls game -- not in its difficulty, but in discovering weapons during the game and strengthening your play style around it. The team wants players to tinker with their abilities and weapons to find what's best for them, including finding unique synergies. Mishulin gave one example: a visor that highlights enemies through smoke and cover (which "allows you to start feeling a little bit like a character in a lot of '80s or '90s movies," Mishulin said) that will help players shoot enemies through walls. It works better with slow and hard-hitting weapons than with a fast-firing submachine gun, he noted, so it's only helpful with certain play styles. Owlcat Games In Osiris Reborn, players will also have two companions to bring into combat, though the rest of your ragtag crew won't just stay on the ship, killing time, Mishulin noted. They'll help you fulfill objectives as the missions progress -- sometimes even forming second teams to handle situations elsewhere. As seen in the trailer, players will have their own small ship (similar to the Rocinante in The Expanse books and show) that the main characters call home and use to launch into missions. And while ship-to-ship combat won't be in Osiris Reborn -- at least not controlling it like other dogfighting simulator games -- players will get to roam around and lightly customize their vessel. And while it won't necessarily relate to combat, players will create their main character and establish their backstory as being from Earth, Mars or the Belt (the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter). Player characters will face hostility due to their origins and other choices or consequences, but later in the game, they'll be able to shift their allegiances as they choose -- perhaps they'll be born a Belter but slowly shift toward the ideology of Mars, Minshulin suggested, or choose to be a double agent. Ultimately, there will be a lot of paths and choices for players to pick their own experience, one defined by choices. Owlcat Games Adapting The Expanse after working on Warhammer 40K and other franchises Owlcat Games is most known for its titles taking place in the universes of popular nerdy properties like Warhammer 40K and Pathfinder (a tabletop game similar to Dungeons & Dragons). Games like Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader showed how Owlcat's developers can bring a specific scenario and story to life in the world of an intellectual property through close involvement with those who hold the rights. "Our previous games taught us how to communicate this approach, how to communicate our vision and our passion for this particular universe to an IP holder," Mishulin said. Fans of The Expanse among the developers at Owlcat Games put together a pitch for an adaptation and approached Alcon Entertainment. The Expanse universe was a good fit for the studio's type of storytelling, Mishulin said: grounded, gritty sci-fi with a lot of political power plays and webs of intrigue. More importantly for Owlcat, the universe has lots of opportunities to introduce player agency in choices, consequences and big decisions -- which is pretty evident in the books and show. Owlcat started developing Osiris Reborn in 2021 and spent almost a year prototyping the game, as it switched from the Unity engine used for its previous games to Unreal Engine 5 to better suit its vision. While its prior games were isometric tactical games controlling multiple characters from above, Osiris Reborn positions the camera over the main character's shoulder for a more intense experience that suits the shooter gameplay and cinematic approach. Owlcat Games Owlcat's game aims to preserve The Expanse's realistic approach to science fiction, Minshulin said, including how it treats the lethal vacuum of space. "One big part of our Expanse experience is [conveying] that space is a very dangerous and unwelcoming place to be," Minshulin said. From decompression to navigating zero-G environments to the "click" of boots magnetizing on surfaces, players should see authentic visual and audio touches from the show and books. The one exception they're making: gunshots will make sounds in space, but should respect the "feeling of the physics and how it should be" in their game, Minshulin said. The studio will have a similar approach to the physics phenomena of traveling in space or being on a space station, especially when it looks cool and immerses the player. Regrettably, Minshulin couldn't give me an example of one of these physics phenomena -- because it would spoil content that's going to be in the game's hands-off demo Owlcat is showing off in August at this year's Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany. While Owlcat hasn't yet set a release date for the game, fans of The Expanse will soon get to see more of what Owlcat has in store for what's looking like the biggest adaptation of the sci-fi franchise so far.
Newsweek
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Bryan Cranston Reveals Why Original Dewey is Not Returning for 'Malcolm in the Middle' Revival
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Millennials across America are ecstatic about the upcoming "Malcolm in the Middle" sequel mini-series coming to Disney+. First look at the 'MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE' revival series. Coming soon to Disney+ — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 22, 2025 One of the most popular sitcoms of the 2000s, the sequel will bring back multiple cast members from the original show, including Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Justin Berfield, and Christopher Masterson. More Entertainment: 'Malcolm In The Middle' Revival Recasts Dewey However, one member of The Wilkerson Family won't be returning: Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey. Instead, the intelligent younger sibling will be played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark of "The Expanse." Now, we know the reason why. The entire cast of "Malcolm in the Middle" The entire cast of "Malcolm in the Middle" Fox Network During an appearance on Dana Carvey's and David Spade's "Fly on the Wall" podcast, Cranston stated that Per Sullivan had no interest in returning for the revival since he has retired from acting. "I talked to Erik and I said, 'Hey, we got the show! It's gonna come back,'" Cranston said, per Tony Maglio of The Hollywood Reporter. "He goes, 'Oh, that's fantastic!' And I go, 'Yeah, so we're looking forward to having you back.' He goes, 'Oh, no, no, I don't want to do it. But it's fantastic that you are.'" Erik Per Sullivan is not returning as Dewey for the 'MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE' sequel series because he is going to Harvard. (Source: — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 12, 2025 Additionally, it was revealed that Per Sullivan would be getting his masters at Harvard instead. "He's actually going to Harvard," Cranston said. "He's really, really smart, and I think he's getting his master's at Harvard right now. He said, 'Oh God, no, I haven't acted since I was nine or something. So I'm not into it.'" More Entertainment: Dept. Q Ending Explained: Who Shot Morck? Despite this, Cranston couldn't be prouder of the actors who are like actual children to him. "It's amazing how these boys — who were my boys on that show — are now around the same age I was when we first started," Cranston said. "They've got children of their own." Now, the award-winning star of "Breaking Bad" is excited to get most of the family back together again, something he has been working on for a long time. "It's something I was pushing for for the last 10 years," Cranston said. "I just started wearing [series creator Linwood Boomer] down until he said, 'I've got an idea.' I said, 'Good.'" More Entertainment: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Canceled 'A Minecraft Movie' Hits HBO Max for Free Streaming in June: What to Know Best Films to Stream in Summer 2025 on Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video For more television and entertainment news, head on over to Newsweek Entertainment.
Gizmodo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘The Expanse' Does a ‘Mass Effect' With New Game ‘Osiris Reborn'
Prime Video's The Expanse ended a few years ago, but the sci-fi franchise hasn't completely gone away. During Saturday's Future Games Show, viewers were treated to the reveal of Osiris Reborn, a new video game. Developed by Owlcat Games and set during the show's first two and a half seasons (and featuring some returning cast members reprising their TV roles), Osiris puts players in the boots of a Pinkwater mercenary enjoying shore leave on Eros Station. After things go to hell, the merc gets caught up takes a ship and puts a team together to uncover a system-wide conspiracy. Your merc, or the Captain, has three backgrounds to choose from (Earther, Martian, or Belter), different abilities depending on their class, and is playable in a third-person perspective while issuing squad commands to two teammates in combat. Sound familiar? Yeah, Osiris Reborn sounds pretty Mass Effect, something design producer Yuliya Chernenko admitted in an IGN interview. Much of the Owlcat team first played BioWare's RPG franchise when they were young, and it 'left a lasting impression. We're building on that legacy and expanding what players on what players anticipate from this experience.' Despite the comparisons, creative director Alexander Mishulin went on to stress this would be would be an Owlcat title through and through, with 'more choices and…more focused on a modern approach where you can make your own playstyle, make your own experience through the game.' He considers The Expense a 'perfect universe' to bring the studio's ideas for a sci-fi action-RPG to life, calling its world 'grounded in realism and complexity, perfect for telling a story how we like — mature and character-driven, where your choices truly matter.' If this sounds cool to you, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is 'coming soon' to PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
Gizmodo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘The Wheel of Time' Was a Damn Good Show
Three seasons—and then an abrupt end. It's a routine genre fans are unfortunately familiar with. There are still people out there (me included) holding out hope for fourth seasons of The Orville and Hannibal. The latest three-season casualty is Prime Video's The Wheel of Time. Sometimes a miracle happens and another platform steps in; remember when Lucifer made three seasons at Fox, then got resurrected for three more at Netflix? Or when The Expanse was rescued from the Syfy scrap heap after its third season, and got a few more notches on its belt from Amazon? Amazon's the one doing the scrapping this time around: The Wheel of Time fans learned last week that the fantasy show will not be returning for a fourth season. Pickup elsewhere seems like a grim prospect, no matter how passionate the online outcry, mostly because the reason given for its cancellation was how much it cost to produce—a price tag that apparently wasn't justified by its viewership numbers. That's a true shame, because The Wheel of Time was a damn good show. Its budget wasn't as lavish as Prime Video's other big fantasy series—The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which is currently working on its own third season—but it definitely wasn't made on the cheap. It had a large cast headed up by Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred; though the rest of the main characters were mostly played by up-and-comers, more familiar faces (Sophie Okonedo, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Olivia Williams, Lindsay Duncan, Hayley Mills) were sprinkled through the supporting cast. Across the board the performances were excellent; special shout-out to Madeleine Madden for Egwene's absolutely searing season-two arc, though. Its production values were outstanding; on a show filled with a vast array of cultures across diverse landscapes—deserts, forests, cities, villages, throne rooms, dungeons, freaky in-between worlds—it did a striking job creating tones and textures that felt distinct and detailed. The costumes were particularly notable in this regard. I'm still haunted by the spooky outfits, especially the gold mouth shields, forced onto the magic-wielding 'damane' slaves in season two. The special effects were also impressive, bringing both practical creatures (Loial the Ogier, brought to life by Hammed Animashaun in heavy prosthetics, being particularly emotive) and mystical magic 'weaves' to the screen. Much like Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time is based on a beloved book series, though as popular as Robert Jordan's work is, it's definitely not part of mainstream culture the same way JRR Tolkien's work is. There's no Oscar-winning trilogy of epic movies for The Wheel of Time, for one thing. Though there had been games (both video and tabletop) based on The Wheel of Time in the past, the TV adaptation drew in a lot of newcomers along with seasoned readers, and the show was careful to remain accessible for the former while also dotting in winks and Easter eggs for the latter. The worldbuilding was high-quality, and if the story felt familiar and trope-y at times—it's kind of Tolkien meets Game of Thrones but with more women-powered magic, and an end-of-the-world prophecy that's both cyclical and inevitable—the series, broken into eight-part seasons of episodes that ran at or just under an hour, was still propulsive and enjoyable. The tone was overall fairly serious (as we mentioned, the fate of the world is at stake here!), and many of its storylines dealt with darker themes of trauma and grief, as well as the frustration of being powerless to control one's fate, especially in a world where prophecies are seen as both irrefutable and subject to interpretation, depending on who you ask. But The Wheel of Time also made room for humor, romance, music, and even some delightfully campy moments, especially as the show found its footing in seasons two and three. Perhaps the biggest bummer about the show's cancellation is that it was clearly building toward something very big. The Wheel of Time's 'Last Battle' is, as implied, the showdown at the end of days between the Dragon Reborn, the reincarnated chosen one, and a villain so sinister he's known only as the 'Dark One,' with lieutenants running around among humankind known as 'Darkfriends' (if they're mortal) and 'Forsaken' (if they're not). The Last Battle was teased throughout all the show's seasons, with the character of Rand learning in season one that he was the Dragon Reborn. Season two followed him as he came to terms with that awful yet awesome responsibility, compounded by the known fact that in this world, men with magical abilities will inevitably go insane. And season three saw him begin to prepare, strengthening his control over his burgeoning powers while building an army of supporters. Every other character, without exception, is also invested in the Last Battle in some way. They're on different sides and serve different purposes, but they're all counting down to it just the same. It is the defining event of the story. Everyone knows it's coming. And Amazon pulled the plug before the show got there. This is all the more crushing because Wheel of Time series creator Rafe Judkins had high hopes that Amazon would grant the space to tell 'the whole story,' as he explained to io9 in an interview ahead of season three. There are over a dozen books in the Jordan series, so you can't imagine he meant that Wheel of Time would continue for a decade. But he definitely had plans for a fourth and maybe a fifth season, and you can tell that season three was plotted accordingly. While fan campaigns are now underway to save Wheel of Time (read more about that on Nerdist), maybe the best case scenario would be a made-for-Amazon movie. Another Prime Video show that's meeting an early end for entirely different reasons—Good Omens—is getting a send-off movie in place of a third season, wrapping up that show's own tantalizing cliffhangers. With a fourth season apparently relegated forever to Tel'aran'rhiod, The Wheel of Time's slippery dream world, would it be too much to ask for, say, one more jumbo-sized episode to craft a satisfying conclusion? Especially for fans who invested time and emotions into the three existing seasons? Of course it would be. At least you can always pick up Jordan's books and find out how the author envisioned the Last Battle—then stick around to dive deeper into the world the show, after just three seasons, has sadly left behind.
Vancouver Sun
06-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Trump plans to sit down with film industry to discuss tariffs: ‘I want to make sure they're happy'
Donald Trump says that that he will meet with moviemakers and studio heads to discuss his plan to slap 100% tariffs on foreign-made films. 'I'm not looking to hurt the industry; I want to help the industry,' he said, according to CNBC . 'We're going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they're happy with it, because we're all about jobs,' Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. 'Hollywood doesn't do very much of that business. They have the nice sign and everything's good, but they don't do very much.' In a post to his Truth Social page Sunday evening, Trump said he plans to impose a 100% tariff on foreign-made Hollywood movies , a move that would rock Canada's multibillion-dollar film and television industry. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,' Trump wrote. Calling foreign film production 'a National Security threat,' Trump declared that films shot outside of the U.S. are a form of 'messaging and propaganda!' Trump provided no details on how his tariffs would be implemented, but U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to the president's bombshell announcement by saying, 'We're on it.' The tariff idea, CNBC reported, came from actor Jon Voight, who Trump tapped, along with Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson, to help devise a plan to bring business back to Hollywood. Trump downplayed the idea that taxing movies shot outside the U.S. was a certainty. Meanwhile, Voight tried to soften Trump's fiery social media post that sent the stocks of entertainment companies tumbling Monday. 'We look forward to working with the administration, the unions, studios, and streamers to help form a plan to keep our industry healthy and bring more productions back to America,' Voight said in a statement. 'By creating the right environment through smart incentives, updated policies, and much-needed support, we can ensure that American production companies thrive, more jobs stay here at home, and Hollywood once again leads the world in creativity and innovation,' he added. Plan to rescue Hollywood White House spokesman Kush Desai said said in a statement that 'no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made.' Still, many Hollywood projects are shot in Canada, with Amazon-MGM ( The Boys , The Expanse , Reacher and The Handmaid's Tale ), Paramount ( Star Trek ) and Netflix ( The Umbrella Academy, Fubar and Ginny & Georgia ) utilizing studios in Toronto. In Ontario, m ajor Hollywood studios and streamers helped lift business in the province to the tune of $3.15 billion in 2022 with more than 35,000 people employed in business. In 2023, Ontario's film and television industry contributed $1.8 billion to the provincial economy. But in an interview with Postmedia, Canadian producer Robert Lantos, who has worked with David Cronenberg, Istvan Szabo and Atom Egoyan, among others, downplayed Trump's rhetoric saying his ultimatum is 'much ado about nothing.' 'First of all, administering it would be virtually impossible to measure,' Lantos said in a phone interview. 'What would you base the tariff on since the (filming is taking place) outside the U.S. but most of it is done by Americans? The directors, actors, department heads, most of them are Americans. So are you having tariffs on Americans? … It's a case of a dog barking. I don't think it will have the slightest impact.' Meanwhile, Noah Segal, the co-president of Canadian distributor Elevation Pictures, added that he can't see how any sort of tariff could be applied and that implementing one would have a 'major impact on the production services' but would also be 'impossible to administer.' 'Service businesses and IP businesses are almost impossible to tariff because of the nature of the product. It's not like a plastic toy that's manufactured and shipped on a boat. It's completely different,' he said in a phone interview Tuesday. 'What they're suggesting is a tariff on all things made up here,' he continued. 'Most films are not made in the United States, so therefore there would be a tariff on those films … It would add to their costs and the price for those movies to release into the marketplace would go up. All it would do would just increase the cost (to buy) a movie and that cost would be passed on to the consumers, either as a higher price for streamers or we'd have to make more money in theatres.' A tariff, Segal believes, could lead to less movies being made. 'Not only would there be less movies made, because the margins are low as it is … distributors around the world would release less because they wouldn't be able to afford this extra costs, which no one budgeted for.' Still, Segal calls Trump's desire to see more productions shoot in the U.S. a 'reasonable idea.' 'He has recognized that American production of films has decreased dramatically … I can see what he's trying to do,' he said. 'But what he has to focus on is coming up with some sort of value proposition to bring back producing films in the United States … I suspect when the smoke clears, he'll come up with some other way to attract business back to the United States.' Elevation also produces its own films, which it then sells worldwide. Segal thinks there's an opportunity for Canadian creatives to make 'commercial Canadian fare.' 'Films like Paw Patrol , Infinity Pool and BlackBerry , which (Elevation) made, we can make those as Canadians. If he's going to put up a border, it's not about pushing back in terms of tariff wars. It'll just be an opportunity to make great content,' he said. mdaniell@
