James Whitbrook, Author at Gizmodo

The First Lego Super Mario Expansions Look Wonderfully Weird

When Lego and Nintendo first announced a collaboration to bring the Mushroom Kingdom to the world of plastic bricks, we all immediately dreamed up collectible minifigure sets and lavish models. What we’re getting is…not that, but something much weirder and cooler than your standard licensed sets—and its latest additions are just as fascinating. Lego revealed…

Toys & Collectibles James Whitbrook Apr 7

Steven Moffat Takes on Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor in the Latest Doctor Who Short Story

Doctor Who’s ongoing short story series is one of the most lovely things to come out of this otherwise pretty grim period of social isolation we all find ourselves in right now. It’s giving us beautiful little snippets, and samples of things we’d never thought we’d actually get—like former showrunner Steven Moffat taking on a…

io9 James Whitbrook Apr 7

Birds of Prey’s Cathy Yan Wants Harley and Poison Ivy in the Sequel

Universal sets its sights on the Twilight-esque Crave. A new look at The Walking Dead: The World Beyond teases familiar faces and a long legacy. A new rumor suggests Marvel’s Blade movie may happen sooner than you’d think. Plus, what’s to come on Westworld, and a couple of new looks at Black Widow. Spoilers now!…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Apr 7

Star Trek: The Original Series’ Must-Watch Episodes

Star Trek. It’s one of the most quintessential pieces of science-fiction television around. And there’s a whole damn lot of it, even if you cut it down to the current eight different shows in the franchise (there’s even more on the way!). Want to start, but need a little guidance? We’ve beamed up to help…

io9 James Whitbrook Apr 6

Lord of the Rings Takes Us There and Back (in Time) Again With Old-School VFX Reels

These days we’re so used to fancy, high-tech visual effects reels that break down every little facet of the CG-laden blockbusters of modern Hollywood that they’ve almost started to get a little too clever for their own good. So it’s nice of Weta to remind us just how quaint (and yet still cool) these sizzle…

Movies James Whitbrook Apr 6

Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Female Heroes Tell Us About Being Part of a Defining Piece of Pop Culture History

For many video game fans of a certain age, the world changed 23 years ago when Final Fantasy VII was released on the PlayStation. Its impact on games and the culture around them is burned into the hearts and minds of millions, and it’s about to explode this week with the release of Final Fantasy…

Games James Whitbrook Apr 6

Kevin Feige Teases Big Surprises for Black Widow‘s Origin Story

Could Russian Doll’s Natasha Lyonne have a role to play in the Doctor Strange sequel? Godzilla vs. Kong toys tease some intriguing upgrades for both monsters. The original voice cast is back for Hulu’s Animaniacs reboot. Plus, get a glimpse of Adventure Time’s HBOMax return. Spoilers now! Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Former…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Apr 6

Meet the Almost Excruciatingly Wholesome Jedi of Star Wars‘ High Republic

When the next era of Star Wars publishing begins with the “High Republic” initiative, we’re going to an unseen period of the galaxy far, far away, to a time when the Jedi were at the apex of their power. That means we’re going to need to get to know a few new Star Wars faces…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Apr 3

A Godzilla Magic Card Is Being Removed Because of the Coronavirus

It was already weird enough this week that we got the totally-not-an-April-Fools’ reveal that the king of all Kaiju himself was making his way to Magic: The Gathering. What’s even weirder: That one of the Godzilla cards in that special set of Magic cards is about to become incredibly rare, thanks to…the novel coronavirus? Sixteen…

Toys & Collectibles James Whitbrook Apr 3

Disney’s Obi-Wan TV Show Has Hired a New Writer for Some Significant Changes

Universal has rescheduled A Quiet Place Part II. Superman & Lois has found its General Lane. Francisco Angones teases the cameos to come in Ducktales’ third season. Get a first look at Riverdale taking on Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Plus, what’s to come when NOS4A2 returns. Spoilers now! Untitled Japanese Folk Horror In conversation…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Apr 3

Clone Wars Teaches Ahsoka the True Gulf Between the Jedi and the People They’re Meant to Protect

One of the overarching complaints that the Star Wars prequels always put into question was how the average citizen of the galaxy could so quickly believe that the Jedi could turn on the Republic. This week’s Clone Wars episode shows us just how easy it was for people to do so, and how Ahsoka might…

io9 James Whitbrook Apr 3

Anson Mount’s Reaction to Learning He Was Playing Captain Pike on Star Trek Is Adorable

Making movies and TV can often be a secretive business—especially in nerdy genre fields where fans are eager to learn the ins and outs of production as soon as they can. Sometimes, that means a bit of skullduggery and that even actors don’t know the parts they’re truly auditioning for. For a Star Trek diehard…

io9 James Whitbrook Apr 2

Oh Thank God, We’ll Be Able to Hear Korra and Asami Be Queer Real Soon

The Legend of Korra ended with our titular Avatar beginning the next step of her life hand in hand with her new girlfriend, Asami. We’ve gotten to see that story continue even with the show’s end, thanks to both fan works and Dark Horse’s great graphic novel series. But now we’re going to get a…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Apr 2

Watch These 5 Genre Series You’ve Always Wanted to Try, Now That You Have All the Time

We’ve all said it. We’ve nodded along as our friends and co-workers gush about a series, pulled it up on our phones and panic-glared at the number of episodes, and then politely said “I’ll check it out when I’ve got the time!” knowing full well that we will never have the time. Well, times have…

Television James Whitbrook Apr 2

The Essential Clone Wars Stories Every Star Wars Fan Should Watch

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is back in our lives for one last time, with its seventh season now airing on Disney+. Maybe you dismissed it when it first aired because it’s “just” a cartoon, maybe you just never got around to watching, but either way, you’ve missed out on one of the greatest pieces…

io9 James Whitbrook Apr 2

Godzilla Is Coming to Magic: The Gathering, and He’s Bringing Friends

Spend two mana, tap Godzilla: Player may stand up and yell one “SKREE-ONK” into the air. Jokes aside, no joke: Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast, and Toho have teamed up to create a special series of Kaiju cards celebrating decades of Godzilla’s titanic scraps within the next expansion set for Magic: The Gathering. Which is…

Toys & Collectibles James Whitbrook Apr 2

Could a Flash Crossover Be in Stargirl‘s Future?

Universal is setting up a fishy new monster movie. David F. Sandberg says Shazam 2 is still on track. Michael Caine teases his Tenet role. Plus, Black Widow gets a surprise new composer, a new look at the animated Mortal Kombat movie, and what’s to come on Vagrant Queen. To me, my spoilers! Don’t Go…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Apr 2

Image: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, and David Curiel

Our Fascination With Canon Is Killing the Way We Value Stories

As the pop culture we love becomes increasingly dominated by vast franchises of interconnected worlds and stories, so does it become dominated by one, singular question from diehard fans: Is the thing we’re about to consume canon to everything else we’ve consumed before? It’s an attitude that’s turning our love of stories into some bizarre,…

Movies James Whitbrook Apr 1

These Doctor Who Short Stories Should Always Be a Thing, Pandemic or Otherwise

As the world slows down and people shut themselves indoors to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, the cast and crew of Doctor Who are just one of many production teams that have risen to the task of both comforting and entertaining people in these trying times. But one thing they’ve been doing is…

io9 James Whitbrook Apr 1

Stargirl Reveals Its Young New Justice Society

Edward Chiado says there’s been talks to bring Killer Klowns From Outer Space back. Colin Trevorrow drops a tiny little tease for Jurassic World: Dominion. Don’t expect a sequel to Solo any time soon. Plus, what’s to come when Siren returns, and we could be getting a glimpse of Halloween Kills soon. Happy liars day!…

Television James Whitbrook & Gordon Jackson Apr 1

James Whitbrook

The First Lego Super Mario Expansions Look Wonderfully Weird

Steven Moffat Takes on Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor in the Latest Doctor Who Short Story

Birds of Prey’s Cathy Yan Wants Harley and Poison Ivy in the Sequel

Star Trek: The Original Series’ Must-Watch Episodes

Lord of the Rings Takes Us There and Back (in Time) Again With Old-School VFX Reels

Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Female Heroes Tell Us About Being Part of a Defining Piece of Pop Culture History

Kevin Feige Teases Big Surprises for Black Widow‘s Origin Story

Meet the Almost Excruciatingly Wholesome Jedi of Star Wars‘ High Republic

A Godzilla Magic Card Is Being Removed Because of the Coronavirus

Disney’s Obi-Wan TV Show Has Hired a New Writer for Some Significant Changes

Clone Wars Teaches Ahsoka the True Gulf Between the Jedi and the People They’re Meant to Protect

Anson Mount’s Reaction to Learning He Was Playing Captain Pike on Star Trek Is Adorable

Oh Thank God, We’ll Be Able to Hear Korra and Asami Be Queer Real Soon

Watch These 5 Genre Series You’ve Always Wanted to Try, Now That You Have All the Time

The Essential Clone Wars Stories Every Star Wars Fan Should Watch

Godzilla Is Coming to Magic: The Gathering, and He’s Bringing Friends

Could a Flash Crossover Be in Stargirl‘s Future?

Our Fascination With Canon Is Killing the Way We Value Stories

These Doctor Who Short Stories Should Always Be a Thing, Pandemic or Otherwise

Stargirl Reveals Its Young New Justice Society

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