We all knew it was just a matter of time before one of the world’s richest and most controversial men would get the biopic treatment and now it’s happening. Elon Musk is getting his very own movie, helmed by acclaimed director Darron Aronofsky and produced by A24, as originally reported by the Variety.

The film’s going to be based on Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography, which has received its share of unfavorable reviews, with outlets like the Los Angeles Times suggesting the author “mostly accepts Musk’s confident prognostications as gospel” and The Guardian calling it an “insight-free doorstop.” Not all reviews were that dire, of course, but many point to Isaacson’s book as being a clear example of the perils of access journalism.

Isaacson also wrote a biography on Steve Jobs, which was adapted into the 2015 film starring Michael Fassbender and directed by Danny Boyle. This movie ended up being an incredibly loose adaptation of Isaacson’s book, so we’ll see what Aronofsky does with the material. If anyone can put their personal stamp on things, it’s the director behind Mother!, The Whale, Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan.

This film’s still in early development, so there’s no writer attached yet and there have been no casting announcements. In a recent Reddit thread, commenters' top-voted casting picks for Musk were Nicolas Cage, Rami Malek, Jesse Eisenberg and Robert Downey Jr, as collated by Variety.

Arcane finally has a streaming date for its second season, two years after Netflix renewed the League of Legends-based series. The bad news? It'll arrive on the streaming platform in November... 2024. Fans will have to wait one more year before they can see the next installment of the story that centers around sisters and rivals, Vi and Jinx. Riot's former CEO Nicolo Laurent did say in an interview earlier this year that season two won't be ready until 2024. He explained that the company didn't expect the show to be so successful, so the developer, along with French animation studio Fortiche, started on the second season later than they should have. 

Last year, the show became the first streaming series to win an animated Emmy award, beating out more established rivals, such as Rick and Morty and What If...? Arcane was universally praised by critics for its storyline and animation, and it was also well-received among viewers, even those who don't play LoL. Arcane creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee said that the series was always going to be about Vi and Jinx even though the game has more than 150 champions. Their background as sisters who grew into bitter rivals with opposing stance, fighting for opposite sides, after all, make for an intriguing plot. "The fact that Jinx and Vi’s relationship is a bit of a mystery from the outset allows us to sort of satisfy both [fans of the game and new audiences]," Linke told Engadget. 

Netflix has released a very short teaser for the show's second season, but it'll likely publish longer trailers over the next few months as we get closer to its release date. Actors Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell are expected to reprise their roles as Vi and Jinx, respectively, along with Katie Leung as Caitlyn Kiramman. 

Five years in the making, Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action remake is one step closer to gracing our screens. Netflix has released a new minute-and-a-half teaser that gives us a first look at the cast and key scenes. Plus, drum roll, please, we also finally have a release date: February 22, 2024.

At an event in June, all Netflix made public was a quick 37-second teaser showing the four nations' (Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads) symbols and that the show would come out in 2024. At the time, cast members discussed memorable parts of filming Avatar: The Last Airbender, such as haircut day, but now we get to see their transformation firsthand. The cast includes Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai and Ian Ousley as Sokka.

Despite a deeper look into the upcoming series, questions remain about how it will compare to the original. Back in 2020, co-creators of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, left the project. "I realized I couldn't control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded," DiMartino said at the time. "So, I chose to leave the project. It was the hardest professional decision I've ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity." He added that the show had "potential" but wouldn't align with his vision for it.

Microsoft's Xbox leadership is starting to take shape following the company's blockbuster Activision Blizzard acquisition. The new head of Xbox Game Studios is Alan Hartman, former boss of Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10, according to a LinkedIn post seen by Game Developer. "Thrilled to be representing such an elite set of game creators in my new role leading Xbox Game Studios!" he wrote. 

Hartman has led Turn 10 since 2005, with recent stints as corporate VP of Forza and Fable. He oversaw the release of Forza series games and the ForzaTech engine, which is used in both Forza Horizon and the upcoming Fable reboot. 

Hartman succeeds Matt Booty, who was promoted to president of gaming content and studios. Other execs recently changing positions include Sarah Bond, who became Xbox's first black president in its 22 year history. She reports directly to Microsoft Gaming president Phil Spencer. More shakeups could be coming with Microsoft's $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition, as properties like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and others now fall under the company's purview. Bobby Kotick remains as CEO of Activision Blizzard, but will step down at the end of 2023. 

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has officially ended its strike, which lasted for 118 days, after reaching a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios. In its announcement, it said it was able to secure a contract "valued at over 1 billion dollars" and that it was able to negotiate "above-pattern" compensation increases, as well as "unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI."

The union will release more details about the agreement after its national board looks it over on Friday for "review and consideration." However, generative AI became the sticking point that prevented both parties from being able to strike a deal earlier than this. According to a previous report by The Hollywood Reporter, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) wanted to make AI scans of Schedule F performers — union members earning more than $32,000 per TV episode or $60,000 per film — which they could then keep reusing without having to pay them again. Studios could even continue using the actors' likeness after they pass away without permission from the union or from their estate. Variety says AMPTP has agreed to adjust the language it used for AI in its proposal, which has presumably led to the tentative agreement. 

In September, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) also officially ended its strike after securing a deal with AI provisions it approved of. Under the terms of its new contract, studios can't use generative AI to write or rewrite literary material, and anything it produces cannot be considered source material. Studios can't force writers to use generative AI software unless they want to, and they have to disclose whether materials handed over to a writer include anything generated by AI. Finally, "exploitation of writers' material to train AI" is explicitly prohibited. 

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has officially ended its strike, which lasted for 118 days, after reaching a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios. In its announcement, it said it was able to secure a contract "valued at over 1 billion dollars" and that it was able to negotiate "above-pattern" compensation increases, as well as "unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI."

The union will release more details about the agreement after its national board looks it over on Friday for "review and consideration." However, generative AI became the sticking point that prevented both parties from being able to strike a deal earlier than this. According to a previous report by The Hollywood Reporter, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) wanted to make AI scans of Schedule F performers — union members earning more than $32,000 per TV episode or $60,000 per film — which they could then keep reusing without having to pay them again. Studios could even continue using the actors' likeness after they pass away without permission from the union or from their estate. Variety says AMPTP has agreed to adjust the language it used for AI in its proposal, which has presumably led to the tentative agreement. 

In September, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) also officially ended its strike after securing a deal with AI provisions it approved of. Under the terms of its new contract, studios can't use generative AI to write or rewrite literary material, and anything it produces cannot be considered source material. Studios can't force writers to use generative AI software unless they want to, and they have to disclose whether materials handed over to a writer include anything generated by AI. Finally, "exploitation of writers' material to train AI" is explicitly prohibited. 

YouTube is adding a new For You section to creator channels. The TikTok-like feature will be personalized to each visitor, recommending content from a channel based on each viewer’s watch history. The company’s support account on X posted (via The Verge) about the upcoming feature, which launches on November 20.

Creators can prepare for the For You section by confirming their options before its release date. You can toggle the feature’s availability and change its settings in YouTube Studio by selecting Customization > Layout and then checking each of the prompts under the For You section. It allows you to toggle whether full-length videos, shorts and livestreams are available for the feature.

The company had already teased the feature in a May video posted to its Creator Insider channel, a hub where YouTube employees have “direct conversations” with YouTubers. In that clip, product manager Ann Katrin Kuessner framed the feature as an alternative to the static home page. “You’re trying to find a configuration that is one-size-fits-all since the channel page looks the same today for every person that visits it,” Kuessner said, summarizing a problem creators face. She said the feature’s personalization “will be especially effective if your channel has multiple topics, languages, or content formats.”

Lego just unveiled another set based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and boy is it a doozy. The massive 5,200-piece Avengers Tower set measures nearly three feet tall and ships with 31 minifigures, including Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige. It also includes several dioramas that let you create many of the important scenes that took place in Avengers Tower, from the Chitauri battle of the original film to the party scene from Age of Ultron and beyond.

The set releases on November 24 and will cost an eye-watering $500. Still, this is the 17th-largest collection the company has ever made and the one with the most minifigures. Beyond Feige, other figures include Captain America, Thor, Loki, some Ultron drones and just about every other major character that appeared in Avengers Tower throughout the films. There’s even an appropriately-scaled Hulk.

In addition to the tower itself, which actually opens to allow for interior sequences, the set ships with a Quinjet and a Chitauri invasion ship. You also get plenty of accessories to help pose the minifigures in a variety of action-packed scenarios. About the only thing missing is the shawarma shop down the street.

As previously mentioned, this isn’t Lego’s first MCU-adjacent set. The company has released a giant Hulkbuster suit from Age of Ultron, a battle scene based on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Iron Man’s armory, among others. It has also shipped some sets based on other Marvel properties, like a Miles Morales figure and a Daily Bugle collection. Beyond superheroes, Lego launched a nifty Pac-Man arcade console set this year and one based on the Xbox 360.

In addition to music and podcasts, Spotify has recently been working to cement its presence in the audiobook space. Today, the company announced Premium users in the US will be able to stream 15 hours of free audiobook content monthly as a part of their subscription. This offering was previously only available to Premium users in the UK and Australia.

The company says there's no need for users to do anything. Audiobooks that are available to stream will be marked as “Included in Premium” and users can hit play right away. Spotify notes that 15 hours is roughly two average audiobooks per month. If you end up hitting the limit, you can purchase a 10-hour top-up.

The company says its Spotify Premium audiobook catalog now has something for everyone. Users with a Premium subscription can access over 70 percent of today's bestsellers, including Britney Spears’ The Woman in Me and Jesmyn Ward’s Let Us Descend. There are also many classic pieces of literature, like Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Spotify believes its listeners will "love exploring the depths of our 200,000-strong catalog, unearthing genres from 'cozy mystery' to 'historical romance.'"

Books that aren't eligible for free streaming will need to be purchased outright. Those books will have a lock on the play button, which means you'll need to purchase the title. To make a purchase, you'll follow a link to your browser. Once that's completed, you'll be taken back to the app to listen to your new book. All your purchased titles will show up in your library and be available for offline listening. Spotify also gives you the option to control playback speed so you can listen at your own pace.

It makes sense that Spotify has included audiobooks in its app, but there are a few things that may deter users from tapping in. Yes, having a single place to listen to your music, podcasts and books is convenient but unlike with music and podcasts, you have a streaming limit here. Additionally, only a limited number of books are free to stream with your $11 subscription. While Audible also charges a subscription fee, users get one book to own every month, which may make it the more appealing and affordable option for some.

We Met in Virtual Reality, a documentary shot entirely inside VRChat (now available to stream on Max), was one of the highlight's of last year's Sundance Film Festival. It deftly showed how people can form genuine friendships and romantic connections inside of virtual worlds — something Mark Zuckerberg could only dream of with his failed metaverse concept. Now the director of that film, Joe Hunting, is making an even bigger bet on virtual reality: He's launching Painted Clouds, a production studio devoted to making films and series set within VR.

What's most striking about We Met in Virtual Reality, aside from the Furries and scantily-clad anime avatars, is that it looks like a traditional documentary. Hunting used VRCLens, a tool developed by the developer Hirabiki, to perform cinematic techniques like pulling focus, deliberate camera movements and executing aerial drone shots. Hunting says he aims to "build upon VRCLens to give it more scope and make it even more accessible to new filmmakers," as well as using it for his own productions.

Additionally, Hunting is launching "Painted Clouds Park," a world in VRChat that can be used for production settings and events. It's there that he also plans to run workshops and media events to teach people about the possibilities of virtual reality filmmaking.

His next project, which is set to begin pre-production next year, will be a dramedy focused on a group of online friends exploring an ongoing mystery. Notably, Hunting says it will also be shot with original avatars and production environments, not just cookie-cutter VRChat worlds. His aim is to make it look like a typical animated film — the only difference is that it'll be shot inside of VR. It's practically an evolution of the machinima concept, which involved shooting footage inside of game engines, using existing assets.

"Being present in a headset and being in the scene yourself, holding the camera and capturing the output, I find creates a much more immersive filmmaking experience for me, and a much more playful and joyful one, too," Hunting said. "I can look up and everyone is their characters. They're not wearing mo-cap [suits] to represent the characters. They just are embodying them. Obviously, that experience doesn't translate completely on screen as an audience member. But in terms of directing and the kind of relationship I can build with my actors and the team around me, I find that so fun."

Throughout all of his work, including We Met in Virtual Reality and earlier shorts, Hunting has been focused on capturing virtual worlds for playback on traditional 2D screens. But looking forward, he says he's interested in exploring 360-degree immersive VR projects as well. It could end up being part of behind-the-scenes footage for his next VR film, as a part of an experimental project in the future. In addition to his dramedy project, Hunting is also working on a short VR documentary, as well as a music video.