James Whitbrook, Author at Gizmodo

Game of Thrones Showrunners Say the One Thing They Got Right About the Pilot Was Admitting It Sucked

Game of Thrones’ original pilot is infamous—one of the most secretive pilots in recent TV history, spoken of in hushed whispers. Apparently, it was far, far from the quality of the first episode of Thrones we actually saw, thanks to a radical reshoot overhaul and some big cast changes. But the only reason that turnaround…

io9 James Whitbrook Sep 14

Marvel’s Avengers Works Best Putting the Spotlight on Its Unlikeliest Stars

The story of Crystal Dynamics and Square-Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers caught many off-guard heading into the grindy, loot-driven brawler, expecting a perfunctory tutorial to the game’s all-encompassing live-service mechanics. Instead, we got maybe one of the most sincerely intimate Avengers stories in years, and it works because of the game’s true stars. It’s no longer really…

Games James Whitbrook Sep 14

Star Wars Squadron‘s New Cinematic Short Celebrates the Pilots of a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Spaceships are, as previously established, extremely cool. But the people in their cockpits are the real heroes of the Star Wars universe, and our latest look at the new video game all about them is a gorgeous new short teaser. Released this morning, the short delves into the world of Squadrons, set in the immediate…

Trailers James Whitbrook Sep 14

The Witcher‘s Second Season Could Take Us to an Iconic Location From the Books

Sigourney Weaver takes a dive for the Avatar sequels. Geoff Johns teases Stargirl’s second season. Thor: Love & Thunder will utilize the groundbreaking stage tech from The Mandalorian. Plus, what’s up on Lovecraft Country, and a sneak peek at Lucifer going musical. Spoilers away! Don’t Worry Darling Due to scheduling conflicts, Harry Styles will replace…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Sep 14

Javicia Leslie Is Beyond Thrilled to Step into the Role of the CW’s New Batwoman

Ruby Rose’s shock exit from the DC/CW Universe after just one season of Batwoman is still a mystery for both the audience and the show to process. But just as easily as one Batwoman swung out of the picture, a new one has swung in, and Javicia Leslie, the new Batwoman, could not be more…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Sep 12

A Star Wars Gaming Legend Returns, and More of the Most Sinister Toys of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular roundup of the coolest toys we’ve seen on the internet lately. And frankly, friends, this week the plastic is taking a trip to the sinister side: Hasbro resurrects a Star Wars legend for the Black Series, Todd McFarlane really wants you to know he loves DC Metal, and…

Toys & Collectibles James Whitbrook Sep 11

Disney’s Response to Mulan‘s Xinjiang Backlash Is Unsurprisingly Vague

Disney, one of the largest and most influential movie studios in the world, arguably had a single job to do when controversy exploded in the wake of Mulan’s at-home release. When the film’s credits revealed the company had shot parts of the film in a region of China where Uighurs are facing a xenophobic crackdown,…

Movies James Whitbrook Sep 11

Ewan McGregor Says the Obi-Wan Show Is a Limited Series

Another iconic hero returns for Screen 5. The writers behind The Conjuring have written an Omen prequel. Batwoman casts a mysterious new figure, while Creepshow adds to its roster. The cast and crew of Supernatural prepare to say goodbye. Plus, Amazon teases Billy Butcher’s between-seasons antics on The Boys, and what’s to come on Star…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Sep 11

Image: Francesco Manna, Espen Grundetjern, and Ariana Maher/Marvel Comics

Rise of Ultraman‘s Debut Is Less About the Ultra, and More About the Man

Don’t come into the first issue of Marvel’s new Ultraman series expecting big superheroes punching equally big monsters. At least, not yet: this is, after all, the retelling of the classic tokusatsu series’ origins, and a loving one at that. But Rise of Ultraman’s opening is a crucial reminder of what Ultraman and his human…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Sep 10

Image: Patrick Ollife and Lee Loughridge/Comixology

Chuck Austen Returns to Comics With Your First Look Inside Sci-Fi Western Thriller Edgeworld

It’s been over a decade since Miracle Man and X-Men writer Chuck Austen was making comics—but he’s back with an all star team for a new creator-owned series. It’s one that promises a heady mix of Firefly, Westworld, and Deep Space Nine, and we’ve got a first look inside. Coming to Comixology as part of…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Sep 10

A RoboCop Prequel Series Could Be in the Works

Jennifer Lawrence and Rob Morgan are going to play apocalyptic astronomers in Netflix’s new disaster movie. Giancarlo Esposito teases an almighty clash for Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian. Plus, what’s to come on The 100 and Raised by Wolves. To me, my spoilers! Don’t Look Up Jennifer Lawrence and Rob Morgan have been cast as…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Sep 10

On Star Trek: Lower Decks, We Finally Meet an Ensign Who Actually Sucks at Their Job

When Star Trek: Lower Decks was first announced, the elevator pitch was essentially “people on an unimportant Starfleet ship being comically bad at their jobs.” And while its heroes have done plenty of mucking up (about as much as any Starfleet officer we’ve met on screen does, really), Lower Decks so far has introduced a crew…

io9 James Whitbrook Sep 10

Oh Hell Yeah, Q’s Coming to Star Trek: Lower Decks

John de Lancie is returning to Star Trek, and in just the right medium for more Continuum shenanigans. During yesterday’s Star Trek day celebrations—which gave us, among other things, a new Discovery trailer and very important images of David Ajala wearing a cat like it’s the fall’s hottest new look—the crew behind Star Trek: Lower…

io9 James Whitbrook Sep 9

Updates From Shazam 2, and the Future of Alien

Bill Skarsgård has had to exit Robert Egger’s mysterious next movie. Get a look at Netflix’s gorgeous new sci-fi family movie, Over the Moon, Chris McQuarrie teases another wild stunt for Mission Impossible 7. Plus, what’s to come on Lovecraft Country, and how much longer Lucifer has left going into its last season. Spoilers now!…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Sep 9

Star Trek: Discovery‘s New Trailer Brings the Fight for the Federation to the Far Future

The crew of the Discovery made a terrible sacrifice at the end of season two, leaving their lives as they knew them behind and flinging the ship 930 years into the future, where the Federation is in some dire straits of its own (again). Now it seems it’s up to Michael and her friends to…

Trailers James Whitbrook Sep 8

Get a Look at One of Magic: The Gathering‘s Twisty New Double-Sided Cards

A new Magic: The Gathering set is on its way, and with it, new cards and new twists on mechanics that have kept us tapping lands and filling graveyards for decades. But one of the new tweaks Zendikar Rising is adding to the mix is inspired by a mechanic introduced nearly a decade ago—and we’ve…

Games James Whitbrook Sep 8

The Train Beasts Only Came Out at Night

On the clearest nights, a sudden fog would envelop the streets, heralding the unearthly screech of their whistles and horns. The railway graveyards would empty, but were these locomotive creatures of the night here for good or ill? Come tell us. Welcome back to another io9 Concept Art Writing Prompt! We’re still on the look…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Sep 7

In Awe at the Size of This Lad, Absolute Moon-it

Welcome to the embodiment of Bovine intervention. It’s been five years since Games Workshop made the (at the time highly controversial) decision to completely reboot its beloved tabletop miniature game Warhammer Fantasy Battles into what is now Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Completely changing not just the ruleset of the game but literally blowing its entire…

Games James Whitbrook Sep 7

Chaos Rising Is a Fascinating, Inscrutably Alien Look Into One of Star Wars‘ Most Mysterious Species

Star Wars races, by and large, aren’t really all that alien. The ones that are tend to be there more for background flavor, because the races we do spend time with are either humans, or just human-ish enough that what little we learn about their cultures already feels familiar. But the Chiss, the people of…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Sep 7

You’re Not Meant to Capitalize Star Wars‘ ‘tauntaun’—and There’s a Suitably Weird Reason Why

Welcome, friends, to what is becoming a recurring occasion where I just talk about silly Star Wars linguistics, apparently. Over the weekend, Lucasfilm story group member Matt Martin blew my mind with a shocking revelation: The Empire Strikes Back’s Tauntauns aren’t Tauntauns. They’re…tauntauns. As Martin went on to explain, he wasn’t correcting people who have…

Movies James Whitbrook Sep 7

James Whitbrook

Game of Thrones Showrunners Say the One Thing They Got Right About the Pilot Was Admitting It Sucked

Marvel’s Avengers Works Best Putting the Spotlight on Its Unlikeliest Stars

Star Wars Squadron‘s New Cinematic Short Celebrates the Pilots of a Galaxy Far, Far Away

The Witcher‘s Second Season Could Take Us to an Iconic Location From the Books

Javicia Leslie Is Beyond Thrilled to Step into the Role of the CW’s New Batwoman

A Star Wars Gaming Legend Returns, and More of the Most Sinister Toys of the Week

Disney’s Response to Mulan‘s Xinjiang Backlash Is Unsurprisingly Vague

Ewan McGregor Says the Obi-Wan Show Is a Limited Series

Rise of Ultraman‘s Debut Is Less About the Ultra, and More About the Man

Chuck Austen Returns to Comics With Your First Look Inside Sci-Fi Western Thriller Edgeworld

A RoboCop Prequel Series Could Be in the Works

On Star Trek: Lower Decks, We Finally Meet an Ensign Who Actually Sucks at Their Job

Oh Hell Yeah, Q’s Coming to Star Trek: Lower Decks

Updates From Shazam 2, and the Future of Alien

Star Trek: Discovery‘s New Trailer Brings the Fight for the Federation to the Far Future

Get a Look at One of Magic: The Gathering‘s Twisty New Double-Sided Cards

The Train Beasts Only Came Out at Night

In Awe at the Size of This Lad, Absolute Moon-it

Chaos Rising Is a Fascinating, Inscrutably Alien Look Into One of Star Wars‘ Most Mysterious Species

You’re Not Meant to Capitalize Star Wars‘ ‘tauntaun’—and There’s a Suitably Weird Reason Why

First Statewide Data Center Ban Passed by Maine Legislature

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice