
Updates from D23 and Nintendo Direct covering upcoming movies, games, and Marvel's X-Men casting.
Major entertainment announcements from D23 and Nintendo Direct include hints about The Simpsons: Hit & Run returning, Star Wars and X-Men movie updates, and Kingdom Hearts IV details.
AI-generated summary
Entertainment companies showcased upcoming media projects at recent industry events including D23.
At D23, when asked about the potential for a sequel to the cult classic The Simpsons: Hit & Run game, Matt Groening replied, “I think the original game is coming back in some form,” before current showrunner Matt Selman added, “or not.” The tone in both of their voices and the body language suggests that Groening may have just revealed something he wasn’t supposed to.
The original title came out way back in 2003 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Windows. While it’s possible to get the game up and running on modern computers, it’s not available on modern consoles. It’s currently not in the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog or on the Xbox backward compatibility list. It’s possible that the game could simply return that way, as a direct port. But a more interesting possibility is a full HD remaster. They wouldn’t even need to rerecord the voice acting since the original cast absolutely nailed it the first time around. Alright, mindless drones, return to your ugly families.
Season two of Star Wars: Ahsoka is still months away, but Lucasfilm still took the opportunity to tease it a bit at D23. The company dropped the first trailer for the new season ahead of its January 20th, 2027 debut. The clip shows a darker, witchcraft-filled take on the Star Wars universe, with Grand Admiral Thrawn (blue skin, red eyes, and an unsettlingly calm demeanor) threatening to thrust the galaxy back into large-scale war after the fall of the Empire.
Ryan Gosling also took the stage at D23 to tease the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie. Unfortunately, while some footage was shown, it was exclusive to those in the room, and Lucasfilm hasn’t officially released it online. There have been a few supposed leaks posted on social media, but we haven’t been able to verify their authenticity. However, it likely won’t be too long before the general public gets a look, with Star Wars: Starfighter scheduled to hit theaters on May 28th, 2027, starring Matt Smith, Aaron Pierre, Mia Goth, and more alongside Gosling.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day behind us, and its reveal of Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Marvel is finally ready to officially welcome the X-Men into the MCU. At the D23 event in Anaheim yesterday, the company revealed the cast for its upcoming, untitled X-Men film, which is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5th of 2028. Though, seeing as that’s quite far into the future, we wouldn’t be surprised if that date shifted slightly before then.
In addition to Sink, the film will star Kit Connor as Scott Summers (Cyclops), Christopher Abbott as Charles Xavier (Professor X), Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Inde Navarrette as Rogue. Navarrette is fresh off a potentially star-making turn in the surprise critical and commercial hit Obsession. The team will be facing off against Nathaniel Milbury, AKA Mister Sinister, played by Adam Driver.
A different kind of Sora is back in the news. Square Enix just teased the long-awaited next entry in the Kingdom Hearts series, though there’s not much in the way of info just yet. It’s called Kingdom Hearts IV and it’s launching on the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox, and PC, but there’s no release date in sight. It’s the first all-new entry in the series since KH III in 2019. You can watch the brief new teaser trailer above.
That’s not the only KH-related news from the Nintendo Direct. If you missed out on earlier entries in the series, the first three titles are getting released in a single package for the Switch 2. It’ll be available on October 8th, though you can play a demo of Kingdom Hearts III right now.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Star Wars: Ahsoka season two debuts
Very likely · Within months
Untitled X-Men film hits theaters
Possible · Within months

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Lucasfilm teased Star Wars: Ahsoka season two with a new trailer at D23 and previewed the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie starring Ryan Gosling.

Marvel Studios and Star Wars made major announcements on the first day of D23 in Anaheim, California, revealing trailers, casting details, and footage for upcoming projects including VisionQuest, Ahsoka S2, Avengers: Doomsday, and the MCU's X-Men.

Marvel revealed the cast and May 5, 2028 release date for its upcoming untitled X-Men film at D23 in Anaheim, featuring Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister.