Good Morning Youtinians. We are back to our regular schedule; there is nothing to see here. At Youtini, we are very excited about Taylor Swift's new album, which is coming out this week—the Youtini Show dove deep into Swiftie's fandom and the culture surrounding her and her fans. 

Last week, we asked you if you were planning on participating in Free Comic Book Day, and over 60% of responses indicated that you were going to pick up some free comics. Listen to The Cosmic Force for up-to-date Star Wars comics coverage.

The past week has been explosive with trailers, announcements, news, and more from many fandoms, so it's a perfect time to mindfully explore new ones while still celebrating the ones we already love.

— Corey Helton & JG Carse

Two New Star Wars Trailers!

It has been an incredible week for Star Wars fans, with two new trailers dropping. This week, we got an announcement and trailer for the next round of shorts, Tales of the Empire. And just a few days later, a new trailer dropped for the upcoming game Star Wars Outlaws.

Tales of the Empire: If you watched Tales of the Jedi in 2022, you probably heard the whispers about a second round of shorts coming soon. The announcement and trailer for Tales of the Empire finally confirmed those rumors this week. This new round of shorts comes out on May the 4th — less than a month away! Based on the trailer and poster, these stories seem to focus on the arcs of the calculating Nightsister from Ahsoka, Morgan Elsbeth, and the traitorous Padawan, Barriss Offee.

Star Wars Outlaws: We’ve been excited about this game since its initial announcement in January 2021, and the new trailer is just feeding the flames. Star Wars Outlaws is the story of Kay Vess, a cunning criminal working with — or against — various crime syndicates during the reign of the Empire. The game is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, so the Rebels have become a timely distraction for the Empire, leaving open a wealth of opportunities for those in the galaxy brave enough to step up and claim their share. Star Wars Outlaws releases on August 30th, so there is still a bit of a wait before the game is in our hands, but everything we’ve seen this week makes that wait feel well worth our time.

We’re all fine here now—how are you? What upcoming Star Wars media are you most excited about? Let’s talk about it in the Youtini Discord!

CinemaCon 2024 Recap

CinemaCon 2024 has ended with tons of announcements and reveals from some of the major film studios. Taking place in Las Vegas, CinemaCon is a convention for movie theater owners showcasing upcoming films in the next year and occasionally some further out. In addition to the flashy presentations, there is much more for the theater owners, from smaller displays to a trade show and more. 

With studios showcasing film footage and news, journalists have been invited to break the news. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest news to come out of this year's CinemaCon:

Warner Bros. Pictures

• A teaser trailer was shown and released to the public for Joker: Folie à Deux, showcasing Joaquin Phoenix returning as The Joker and introducing Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn.

• The first footage of M. Night Shayamaln’s new horror/thriller, Trap, was shown. The film takes place during a major concert that a father and daughter attend while the police set a trap to capture a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher.”

• Bong Joon-ho’s (Parasite) unveiled a new sci-fi film, Mickey 17,  with a trailer featuring Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette. The story follows a man named Mickey on a perilous mission to colonize another world. Each time he dies, a new clone iteration takes his place. 

Universal Pictures and Focus Features

• Universal announced that a sequel to A Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel is officially set to release in 2025. 

• Universal also showed exclusive footage was shown for Twisters, Despicable Me 4, The Wild Robot, Wolfman, and Wicked.

• Focus Features showed off Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, a retelling of the classic 1922 horror film set to release on Christmas Day this year.

Lionsgate

• Lionsgate officially confirmed that a live-action adaptation of the highly regarded anime Naruto, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is in the works.

• In addition, Lionsgate announced a remake of The Blair Witch Project by Blumhouse as well as a live-action Monopoly movie from Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap production company.

• Attendees saw the first trailer for the biopic Michael. The film will feature over 30 songs and tell the story of Michael Jackson throughout his life. Michael is scheduled for release on April 18, 2025..

Paramount Pictures 

• A R-rated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: The Last Ronin live-action movie movie is coming. Based on the comic storyline, this adaptation will feature a more gritty and mature story that has yet to be seen on screen for the franchise.  

• Glen Powell will star in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man remake. 

• We learned the title of the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender film. Aang: The Last Airbender will star Eric Nam as the voice of Aang and Dave Bautista as the lead villain. 

Disney Studios 

• Marvel Studios gave attendees the first look at Captain America: Brave New World, set to release next year on February 14. The footage included Harrison Ford as President Ross and the surprising return of Carl Lumby’s Isaiah Bradley from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

• Pixar showed off the first 35 minutes of Inside Out 2, which continues the story of Riley entering adolescence with new emotions. While we won’t spoil the details, you can check out more from the film's beginning here. 

• Kevin Feige also introduced nine minutes of footage for Deadpool and Wolverine, and teased the yet-to-be-revealed mischievous popcorn bucket designed by Deadpool himself. 

Wrestlemania XL Knockout Hit For WWE

Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA, was home to Wrestlemania XL. The two-night event broke the record for attendance, drawing in 145K+ fans, which is up from last year’s event in Los Angeles. Not only was in-person attendance increased, but so were the viewing numbers. 

The air was electric with anticipation as wrestling enthusiasts eagerly awaited the two-night extravaganza. The first night was a whirlwind of action, featuring seven matches, three of which were championship bouts. The evening kicked off with a high-stakes Women’s World Championship match between Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch, culminating in Ripley successfully defending her title. This was just the beginning of the thrilling journey that Wrestlemania XL had in store. 

The first night concluded with a colossal match that set the stage for the finale on night two. The Rock and Roman Reigns faced off against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in a battle of epic proportions. With the match swinging back and forth between both sides, it all came down to The Rock pinning Rhodes for the victory. This win secured the right to determine the rules for Rhodes vs. Reigns the following night and added a thrilling twist to the unfolding drama of Wrestlemania XL. 

The stage was set for night two. While many titles were on the line, it would come down to the WWE Universal Championship between Reigns and Rhodes. The odds were against Rhodes after the loss the night prior. The match escalated into the crowd even. Both sides got numerous assistance towards the end, with John Cena aiding Rhodes and, once again, The Rock backing up Reigns. It wasn’t looking great until The Undertaker took down The Rock. Eventually, Rhodes got the pin to claim the championship and finish the story.

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• The official trailer for MaXXXine was released. The film continues the story of horror films X and Pearl in a surprise trilogy from writer and director Ti West. The cast includes Mia Goth, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Bacon, and more.

• The winningest coach in NCAA basketball history is retiring. Tara VanDerveer of Stanford's Women's Basketball team is retiring after 1,216 victories. She led Stanford to 14 Final Fours and 3 National Championships.

• Alex Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season for the 18th time in his career, passing Hall of Famer Mike Gartner. The goal ended up being the 129th game-winning goal of his career, leaving him six behind record-holder Jaromir Jagr.

• A comic-con-like experience is on the way for sports fans from Fanatics called Fanatics Fest. They have it scheduled to be in New York City from August 16 to 18. So far, NFL legends Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, MLB legend Derek Jeter, and NBA superstar Kevin Durant are attached to participate.