- It's no secret that Amazon has been seeking "the next Game of Thrones" for its streaming service, but it still came as a surprise to me that they might shell out big money to develop a series based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the archetypal high fantasy classic.
- Word surfaced this week that Disney has held talks to acquire 20th Century Fox and other assets from its parent corporation. If it materializes, that brings Disney one step closer to controlling most of our media consumption... but also closer to Wolverine et al joining the Avengers, so, y'know, tradeoffs.
- Speaking of Disney: the company announced this week that Rian Johnson, director of the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi, "will create a brand-new Star Wars trilogy*... separate from the episodic Skywalker saga" (in other words, not Episodes X-XII). On top of that, a Star Wars live-action series is in the works for Disney's new streaming service.
- The developers of Pokémon Go are creatingHarry Potter: Wizards Unite, likely to be your next mobile gaming addiction. Wizard duels? Monster collection? Both of the above?
- Last but not least, the BBC released the first pic of new Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker in costume, as she prepares to break the glass ceiling for TV Time Lords.