Alex Cranz

Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez immediately stood out when she appeared in Disney Plus’ Hawkeye back in 2021. Among a cast of charismatic goofballs and assassins with hearts of gold, Maya was a terrifyingly deadly foil, constantly reminding the audience and characters of the stakes. Disney was so enamored with Cox’s portrayal of the deaf Native American heroine, it greenlit a spinoff, and on Friday we got our first look at it. We also got the surprising announcement that the show, Echo, would be coming…

Variety had a new report yesterday about the many challenges facing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From new Marvel villain Jonathan Majors’ significant legal issues to the overworked and recently organized VFX teams, the piece is a fascinating look at what happens when a company focuses too much on the business of making entertainment and not on the entertainment itself. It’s clear the studio is losing the trust of audiences, but its latest move to regain it seems to be less about fixing the pro…

Variety had a new report yesterday about the many challenges facing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From new Marvel villain Jonathan Majors’ significant legal issues to the overworked and recently organized VFX teams, the piece is a fascinating look at what happens when a company focuses too much on the business of making entertainment and not on the entertainment itself. It’s clear the studio is losing the trust of audiences, but its latest move to regain it seems to be less about fixing the pro…

The Touch Bar was too ahead of its time. This happens occasionally. We finally reach the point we can make a really cool idea technologically feasible but not feasible enough for widespread adoption. Think 3D TVs or augmented reality headsets. The Touch Bar, which is no longer available on any Mac sold by Apple, was like that. A really cool idea, executed pretty well, and never embraced by anyone but us diehards. When the Touch Bar launched, it felt like touching the future. It was an OLED stri…

The Touch Bar was too ahead of its time. This happens occasionally. We finally reach the point we can make a really cool idea technologically feasible but not feasible enough for widespread adoption. Think 3D TVs or augmented reality headsets. The Touch Bar, which is no longer available on any Mac sold by Apple, was like that. A really cool idea, executed pretty well, and never embraced by anyone but us diehards. When the Touch Bar launched, it felt like touching the future. It was an OLED stri…

I’m trying to remember the last time a company’s big event came for prime-time TV the way Apple’s 8PM ET keynote is trying to lock down our attention tomorrow. The only company I can think of that’s done it successfully lately is Victoria’s Secret with its fashion show. While I suspect there’s some overlap in audience between that and an Apple keynote, I also suspect Bella Hadid is a bigger draw than a new iMac. But Apple is still going for it! Promising a keynote that will air on its website,…

I’m trying to remember the last time a company’s big event came for prime-time TV the way Apple’s 8PM ET keynote is trying to lock down our attention tomorrow. The only company I can think of that’s done it successfully lately is Victoria’s Secret with its fashion show. While I suspect there’s some overlap in audience between that and an Apple keynote, I also suspect Bella Hadid is a bigger draw than a new iMac. But Apple is still going for it! Promising a keynote that will air on its website,…

Gargoyles, one of Disney’s weirdest and best ’90s cartoon experiments, is coming back. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Gary Dauberman and James Wan, who also made the whole Annabelle series of scary movies, are adapting the series as a live-action show for Disney Plus. Dauberman will write, executive produce, and showrun the series. The series will presumably follow a similar path to the original cartoon, also available on Disney Plus. The cartoon aired from 1994 to 1997 and followed a…

Gargoyles, one of Disney’s weirdest and best ’90s cartoon experiments, is coming back. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Gary Dauberman and James Wan, who also made the whole Annabelle series of scary movies, are adapting the series as a live-action show for Disney Plus. Dauberman will write, executive produce, and showrun the series. The series will presumably follow a similar path to the original cartoon, also available on Disney Plus. The cartoon aired from 1994 to 1997 and followed a…

Crunchyroll is in the news today, and I’m gonna get to all of that. But first, a moment of silence. When I saw Crunchyroll in a headline flying across my RSS feed, I thought for sure it was the streaming service announcing it has fixed its app for smart TV. Instead, it launched a new FAST channel and settled a class action lawsuit. Crunchyroll, which is owned by Sony, who purchased it from AT&T and WarnerMedia, is one of the primary ways to get anime legally and inexpensively in the United Sta…

Crunchyroll is in the news today, and I’m gonna get to all of that. But first, a moment of silence. When I saw Crunchyroll in a headline flying across my RSS feed, I thought for sure it was the streaming service announcing it has fixed its app for smart TV. Instead, it launched a new FAST channel and settled a class action lawsuit. Crunchyroll, which is owned by Sony, who purchased it from AT&T and WarnerMedia, is one of the primary ways to get anime legally and inexpensively in the United Sta…

Bridgerton is big business for Netflix. It’s one of the most-watched dramas in the service’s history (according to Netflix). It launched a boom in Regency romance novels, a spinoff prequel, and there’s even a Bridgerton experience. Naturally, other streamers are out to replicate the show’s success, and Apple TV Plus has entered the fray with one of the most visually similar shows, The Buccaneers. The bright pops of color Bridgerton has made its hallmark are on display in the first trailer for T…

Bridgerton is big business for Netflix. It’s one of the most-watched dramas in the service’s history (according to Netflix). It launched a boom in Regency romance novels, a spinoff prequel, and there’s even a Bridgerton experience. Naturally, other streamers are out to replicate the show’s success, and Apple TV Plus has entered the fray with one of the most visually similar shows, The Buccaneers. The bright pops of color Bridgerton has made its hallmark are on display in the first trailer for T…

After a few years of fairly quiet Meta Connect developer conferences, the big virtual reality show is back with a whole mess of announcements in 2023. This year, we’re getting actual details on the upcoming Quest 3, Meta’s mainstream VR headset. The company announced the product and showed off its design back in June but promised that actual details would follow at this year’s Meta Connect. While we know the new — hopefully affordable — headset is coming at the event, there’s been nothing offici…

As of midnight, the Writers Guild of America will no longer be picketing. Instead, members of the union will be poring over new details on the contract negotiated with the AMPTP and deciding whether they will vote to ratify this new contract. (Disclosure: The Verge’s editorial staff is also unionized with the Writers Guild of America, East.) The WGA dropped a summary of the contract tonight and it’s historic. The flashiest wins for the WGA are around pay increases and artificial intelligence.…

After a few years of fairly quiet Meta Connect developer conferences, the big virtual reality show is back with a whole mess of announcements in 2023. This year, we’re getting actual details on the upcoming Quest 3, Meta’s mainstream VR headset. The company announced the product and showed off its design back in June but promised that actual details would follow at this year’s Meta Connect. While we know the new — hopefully affordable — headset is coming at the event, there’s been nothing offici…

As of midnight, the Writers Guild of America will no longer be picketing. Instead, members of the union will be poring over new details on the contract negotiated with the AMPTP and deciding whether they will vote to ratify this new contract. (Disclosure: The Verge’s editorial staff is also unionized with the Writers Guild of America, East.) The WGA dropped a summary of the contract tonight and it’s historic. The flashiest wins for the WGA are around pay increases and artificial intelligence.…

Soundbars are tricky. They need to be big enough that they sound better than the dinky speakers on your TV, but they need to be cheap enough that you don’t balk at upgrading your sound after just spending a lot of money on a TV. I didn’t get to spend enough time with Amazon’s $119.99 Fire TV Soundbar, but I can confirm it sounds bigger than it looks. What I didn’t hear was a lot of detail. Voices rumble with appropriate amounts of bass — but in the very audio-unfriendly environment we listened…

A new kind of cable bundle has arrived, one that will unify two increasingly costly bills — Charter’s Spectrum cable and Disney’s streaming services — into one. It’s the kind of move we all would have loved cable to make 10 years ago when we all subscribed to cable. This is exciting news, but for a rapidly shrinking audience. This bundle is the surprising result of a protracted dispute between Charter and Disney. Earlier this month, Disney-owned channels on Spectrum went dark. No ESPN. No Disne…

The controversy continues to grow.