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John Kobal Foundation/Moviepix/Getty ImagesIn recent years, a surprisingly large number of filmmakers have apparently thought to themselves, “What the world needs is a fresh take on Frankenstein.” This latest wave of reimaginings kicked off in 2023 with [missing title], followed by Guillermo del Toro’s [missing title] and then Maggie Gyllenhaal’s [missing title] in rapid succession. But while The Bride! “is so desperate to be novel and provocative that it forgets to offer any real substance,” as Inverse’s Hoai-Tran Bui writes, the original revisionist Frankenstein film wove complex ideas about gender and sexuality into a cash-grab sequel whose director had to be persuaded to take the job.A WWI veteran who got his start in theater, James Whale’s Hollywood career took off when his 1931 adaptation of Frankenstein became a hit for Universal Pictures that fall. In the years after, he alternated between horror films and more straightforward dramas and rom-coms; early in his career, Whale had directed multiple projects about “The Great War,” and he feared being pigeonholed again—this time as a “horror director.” So he turned down Universal’s initial offer for a Frankenstein sequel, saying the script “[stunk] to high heaven” and that he’d “squeezed the idea dry” with the first film.After several script drafts and the studio’s promises of future non-horror work, Whale finally agreed, and production on The Bride of Frankenstein began on January 2, 1935. Drawing from a subplot in Mary Shelley’s original novel where the Monster asks Dr. Frankenstein to make him a companion—a task the doctor starts but never finishes—The Bride of Frankenstein focuses on the relationship between Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his mentor Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesinger), with Henry’s fiancée (now wife) Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson) mostly serving as a wholesome, or at least human, counterpoint to the Monster’s grotesque yet glamorous Bride.Whale’s homosexuality was an “open secret” in 1930s Hollywood, but between Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, the infamous Hays Code banned any portrayals of sexuality—especially homosexuality—in American films for the next three decades. Thus, the queer coding in The Bride of Frankenstein is covert but not particularly subtle: for example, Henry and Dr. Pretorius spend their nights in the lab trying to create new life while the younger doctor’s pretty wife sits alone in her bedroom.Savvy 1930s audiences would have picked up on Pretorius’ flamboyant mannerisms just as easily as modern viewers do, and the Monster’s (Boris Karloff) lonely existence—feared and rejected for being different—takes on a heartbreaking melancholy when compared to the struggles of queer people in early-20th-century America. Queer horror generally emphasizes identifying with the villain, and Karloff’s creation is the most sympathetic of all Universal’s monsters.Much is made of the fact that Elsa Lanchester has only about five minutes of screen time as the titular Bride, but the British actress makes the absolute most of her brief appearance. Her look is iconic: a tower of black hair with a shocking white streak, bandaged arms, and perfectly done eye makeup. But it’s Lanchester’s performance that truly makes the Bride memorable—her wide, panicked eyes, craning neck, and jerky head movements, which she learned by observing swans at the park.And though it was invented for the movie, the ending of The Bride of Frankenstein aligns closely with the feminist spirit of Shelley’s original novel. Mary Shelley was the daughter of a famous feminist, and in Frankenstein, she notes the irony of Frankenstein trying to create life through science while sidelining and silencing the women in his life.Brought back without her consent to be the companion of a man she didn’t choose, the Bride is an example of a woman whose bodily autonomy is hijacked by men who see her as little more than a means to an end. (It’s always ironic to see art depicting Frankenstein and his Bride as a happy couple.) And while the Monster is sympathetic in other ways, he becomes enraged and burns down Dr. Frankenstein’s lab when the Bride rejects him—he’s an undead version of the “nice guys” who react violently when women don’t give them the affection they feel they deserve.It’s no wonder she wakes up screaming.The Bride of Frankenstein is now streaming on HBO Max.

Paramount+In 1996, the biggest news for Star Trek fans wasn’t the franchise’s 30th anniversary—it was proving that The Next Generation crew could fully carry their own feature film. Beyond the on-screen talent, this record-breaking, instant-classic Trek film was helmed by one of its stars. Frakes had already directed multiple episodes of The Next Generation, and with First Contact, his behind-the-scenes work grew just as legendary as his portrayal of Will Riker.Thirty years later, Jonathan Frakes is still directing Star Trek. His latest—and for now, final—Trek directing job is the penultimate episode of Starfleet Academy Season 1, “300th Night.”Like Leonard Nimoy before him, who directed , Frakes’s ability to shift from Trek actor to director has become the stuff of legends over decades. From the legacy cast to the newer stars of Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Picard, and now Starfleet Academy, Frakes has been there for all of them: a modern behind-the-scenes force, yet also someone cast by Gene Roddenberry back in 1987 (and who even shares the Trek creator’s August 19 birthday). Simply put, Frakes’ ties to Trek run deep.Jonathan Frakes and Sandro Rosta on the set of Starfleet Academy. | Paramount+“I believe [Alex] Kurtzman and Noga [Landau] have both preserved Roddenberry’s vision—if you will—and expanded on it,” Frakes tells Inverse. “And I was fortunate with the Starfleet Academy cast: by the time I directed them, they’d spent months and thousands of hours together. They’d found their rhythm, and they clearly love being around each other.”That said, this episode held something unique for Frakes beyond the Starfleet Academy regulars. Since “300th Night” centers on Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) finally finding his long-lost mother, Anisha Mir, Frakes notes the performance was special. “I also had the secret weapon of Tatiana Maslany,” Frakes says, lauding the actress who plays Anisha. “That storyline really resulted in something special.”When Caleb locates his mother on a remote planet poised to be invaded by the, the entire SFA steals a shuttle and launches a daring rescue—right in line with Star Trek’s grand tradition. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew stole the Enterprise in The Search for Spock, and more recently, Picard Season 3’s adventure kicks off when Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Riker (Frakes) trick Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) into taking the to find Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden). “It had all the elements,” Frakes says of the new episode. “Including the ending where we fly over the town and beam our heroes up to the ship to save them.”This scene—where the USS Athena flies close to beam up the straying cadets—feels clearly reminiscent of Picard Season 3’s ending, where the Enterprise-D did the exact same thing to save Riker, Picard, Worf (Michael Dorn), and Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday—not three years ago—that we witnessed that amazing Star Trek reunion?Gates McFadden, Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, showrunner Terry Matalas, Jonathan Frakes, and Jeri Ryan at a SAG screening of Star Trek: Picard in 2023. | Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images“I just had lunch with Terry Matalas,” Frakes says when discussing Picard Season 3 and his thoughts on the TNG legacy. “He essentially turned Picard into Next Generation Season 8. It was incredible. We’re all like family—sounds a little corny, but it’s true for many of us.” TNG-era fans still wonder: Will Frakes ever work with that group again? And what about Matalas? Now that Matalas is showrunning the major new MCU series VisionQuest (featuring Trek alums including and ), could Frakes see a future collaboration with Matalas—even outside Star Trek?“I hope so,” Frakes says, channeling the beloved warmth and optimism of Riker. “I’m really hoping to work with Terry again. He’s a very clever man.”Starfleet Academy streams on Paramount+. The Season 1 finale premieres Thursday, March 12, 2026. Jonathan Frakes co-hosts a new podcast with Brent Spiner called

LionsgateOver the past ten years, few American action franchises have matched the John Wick series in terms of adoration, influence, and critical acclaim. Starring Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman lured back into action by a group of Soviet gangsters’ disastrous choice, the franchise has already spawned four mainline films (and )—with a and another installment on the horizon. The expansive universe of rival assassins and hidden societies has evolved far beyond its origins—when a group of ill-fated criminals made one of the worst choices imaginable by killing a dog—and it’s set to expand even more in the coming months.A new John Wick video game is on the way from developers at , a third-person shooter-action title designed to let players step into the boots of the deadliest assassin ever to serve the High Table. Though details are limited right now, a recent chat with Saber’s Chief Creative Officer could reveal some insights into how the game will fill in the gaps about Wick’s early years as a top-tier hitman.Saber’s CCO Tim Willits discussed the game and the creative principles guiding their take on this beloved franchise. Willits noted not only that the films already have video game-like traits—such as the waves of foot soldiers Wick battles in each entry before going up against the boss-level rivals in every installment—but also revealed that the game is set before the first movie. He pointed to a trailer moment where John is being measured for his first iconic bulletproof suit, a staple of his later films.A major question on fans’ minds following John Wick: Chapter 4—which acted as a climax to the current film arc—is how a sequel can exist after the character seemingly died in the last installment. While we won’t get that answer until the fifth film drops, the upcoming game avoids this issue entirely by focusing on one of the many contracts Wick must have completed before his on-screen debut. Given his legendary status and the countless minor characters who’ve heard stories of his feats, Saber Interactive has almost unlimited freedom to craft the character’s “origin” from scratch—similar to IO Interactive’s approach to their upcoming James Bond game; Fingers crossed Saber brings to life John’s lethal sense of creativity. | Lionsgate EntertainmentAnother advantage of the game’s timeline placement is its potential to reveal details about the many fabled “impossible” tasks teased in John Wick’s past throughout the films. These include the legendary, unnamed job that earned John his freedom (as described by Viggo Tarasov’s myth-building speech in the first film) and the mysterious incident where John killed three men in a bar using only a pencil. A large part of the character’s dangerous, enigmatic aura comes from these scattered stories shared by enemies and allies across four movies—wouldn’t it be satisfying for fans to step into John’s shoes and experience one of his many unfathomable feats as the Baba Yaga? While no official release date has been announced yet, fans likely won’t have to wait much longer to step into the role of the Boogeyman and learn exactly where this upcoming game fits in the timeline.The original John Wick is available to stream on HBO Max.

Brianna Bryson/WireImage/Getty ImagesWith The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power moving into its third season, enthusiasts of Tolkien are eager for updates. However, series actor Ismael Cruz Cordova isn't revealing anything. The performer, known for portraying the elf warrior Arondir since the first season, is committed to keeping secrets when questioned about the upcoming plot.“Three seasons, six years so far... I have not swam this long to drown off the shore,” Cordova tells Inverse with a smile. “I can hint that it was enjoyable. I can say it was a real page-turner, featuring the thrills you expect and more. I feel the love pouring in and influencing our work on the series. But yeah... I’m sworn to secrecy.”His caution is understandable: The Rings of Power is a massive and highly confidential production for Prime Video, and the next season is set to expand on this world. The wait for its comeback might be tough, but followers of Cordova can find solace in his new movie, The Bluff. Cordova may be “sworn to secrecy” regarding The Rings of Power, but viewers won't have to wait long for his next project. | Prime VideoUnder the direction of Frank E. Flowers, The Bluff is a revenge thriller set in the 19th century featuring clashing pirates. Cordova plays T.H. Bodden, a steadfast sea merchant who clashes with a savage pirate crew, marking a departure from the high fantasy of Middle-earth. Cordova calls Bodden a “damsel in distress,” noting that the character takes a secondary role in this female-driven thriller. This shift was a key reason he swapped his bow for a cutlass. Another factor was Flowers’ aim to portray a unique aspect of Caribbean piracy, bridging the gap between big-budget blockbusters and realistic historical dramas.The Bluff centers on Ercell (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), an unassuming “fish wife” with a hidden history as a formidable pirate. When her former crew invades her home on Cayman Brac seeking treasure she supposedly stole from Captain Connor (Karl Urban), Ercell must revive the skills she abandoned to save her husband (Cordova’s Captain Bodden) and family. While The Bluff is an exciting narrative, Flowers also incorporates the heritage of his homeland, the Cayman Islands, to ground the story in historical fact.“Many people categorize it as a genre film,” Cordova remarks. “But truly, it is a historical piece. It isn't soft. It is quite gritty, representing the authentic reality of the Caribbean. Pirates existed; they are part of our history.”The Bluff explores the “gritty” reality of Caribbean piracy. | Prime VideoBorn in Puerto Rico, one of the many Caribbean islands where pirates operated freely for ages, Cordova commends The Bluff for moving the focus away from the glorified fun of looting and toward the real people impacted by piracy. “Frank shared his inspiration and motivation for making this movie with me,” Cordova adds. “He wanted to bring this narrative to the forefront: our voice within this historical era, the events that transpired, and the consequences of crossing those involved.”This straightforward, crowd-pleasing story is rich in detail, particularly regarding its historical setting and the tender moments shared between Ercell and Bodden. Although The Bluff is not strictly a romance, illustrating the bond between these characters was essential for establishing the film's emotional core and authenticity.“For us, depicting two brown people together was vital,” Cordova states. “You rarely see that... and when you do, it is often labeled as ‘the Black film’ or ‘the Latino film.’” The Bluff stands out by allowing its characters to simply exist, portraying a nearly post-racial society that has vanished over time. This element is just one thread of the movie's tapestry, but it significantly helps the audience understand what the anti-heroine is fighting for when she finally faces off against Connor.The Bluff is currently available for streaming on Prime Video.

Prime VideoIf the Trump parallels weren’t evident enough over four seasons of , the fifth and final season of Prime’s gory superhero satire fully embraces that concept. After developments in the political sphere, Homelander (Antony Starr) finally has absolute power within his reach. Season 5 will begin shortly after the death of Vice President Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), the impeachment of President Robert Singer (Jim Beaver), and the election of a new leader of the free world, who happens to be a Homelander admirer. With martial law enforced and his opponents fleeing, Homelander can focus on his “greater destiny”: immortality.This is the start of the latest trailer for The Boys’ much-anticipated final season, which outlines Homelander’s ultimate plan in vivid, blood-drenched detail. The all-powerful supe is seeking V1, the original version of the substance that transformed ordinary humans into super-powered beings. With assistance from his crude-tongued father, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Homelander will embark on a quest for the fountain of youth. By then, he’ll be unstoppable — unless Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and the Boys intervene.The Boys may be concluding, but its final season will end with an explosive confrontation. Though no one is more anti-supe than Butcher, Season 4 showed that his repeated use of Temp V has truly turned him into a supe. He’s now using his repulsive tendril powers to eliminate any supe in his path — and even some human allies by his side. Butcher’s ruthless strategy will involve every hero we know, including the main characters of . But if Butcher succeeds, they might be heading straight into a suicide mission: he intends to release a virus that would wipe out supes worldwide, including himself. The Boys’ mission to take down one villain has become significantly more complex. Taking down Homelander is challenging enough, but Butcher poses another, equally chaotic threat. It’s unclear how Hughie (Jack Quaid), Annie (Erin Moriarty), and their team will unite to save the world, but that uncertainty is just one of the reasons The Boys Season 2 will be a must-see.The Boys Season 5 debuts on April 8 on Prime Video.

Getty ImagesPicture this: the creator behind putting their own spin on The X-Files in a series featuring future cast members from Mindhunter, Sleepy Hollow, and the John Wick films. That sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, it already exists—and you can stream it for free on PlutoTV.Fringe was J.J. Abrams’ follow-up to Lost, which was still on the air (though no longer at its peak popularity) when the Fringe pilot aired in November 2008. Specifically, it debuted between Lost Seasons 4 and 5—aka the point where things on the island got really weird. At the time, Abrams was also working on his first Star Trek movie, so he brought in writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci to help develop the series. The trio compared it to The Twilight Zone, David Croneberg’s films, Ken Russell’s 1980 mind-bender Altered States, and of course The X-Files.Lead character Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) was initially conceived as a Dana Scully-type: a brilliant, driven FBI agent who specializes in all things unexplained and inexplicable. In the pilot, she teams up with brilliant but eccentric “fringe scientist” Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson, of Dawson’s Creek fame)—who must sign his estranged father out of a mental institution to help Dunham uncover the real truth behind what first appears to be a terror attack. Chemical weapons, floatation tanks, a dairy cow, and lab-grade LSD are all involved, adding a welcome dose (no pun intended) of sci-fi weirdness that sets this paranormal FBI drama apart.Like The X-Files, Fringe started with a mix of monster-of-the-week and mythology episodes. As the series progressed, though, it shifted focus to its own internal lore—introducing a parallel universe just a few degrees off from ours and setting up a battle between the two. (Classic J.J. Abrams move.) Each lead has a counterpart in this alternate reality, adding a fun twist to both their character relationships and the actors’ performances.Fringe’s de facto skeptic, and his mad scientist father. | Moviestore/ShutterstockThough it never became a ratings juggernaut, Fringe ran for five seasons and 100 episodes on Fox before ending in 2013. Since then, its complex characters and deep sci-fi concepts have earned it a fiercely loyal cult audience—fans who’ve kept the show alive via novels, comic books, and obsessive rewatches. The series was released on DVD during its original run and aired in syndication on the Science Channel for a time; still, it’s been hard to find on streaming platforms—until now.As of March 1, the Fringe Division has been reactivated: the full series is now available to stream on Pluto TV, the free-with-ads streaming app. The service shared in a press release:“Starting March 1, all 100 episodes of Fringe will be available to stream on demand on Pluto TV, expanding the platform’s lineup of serialized, mythology-driven science fiction. Investigations into the unknown are strongly encouraged.”Fringe is now streaming on Pluto TV.

HuluThe Republic of Gilead, an ultra-religious regime bent on returning women to their “rightful place,” has always been portrayed as a nightmarish hellscape in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Over six seasons, viewers watched Handmaids struggle to break free and resist from outside Gilead’s borders — but its upcoming sequel series, The Testaments, will depict a similar fight from within the regime’s own confines. The show is taking shape as a dystopian coming-of-age thriller that feels uncomfortably close to our real world, following a group of young women as they grapple with the future awaiting them as wives and Handmaids to a dehumanizing, chauvinist elite. The first trailer for The Testaments plays with that tension in entertaining ways, reintroducing a character well-known to The Handmaid’s Tale fans. Chase Infiniti, star of One Battle After Another, portrays Agnes — the daughter taken from June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) and raised in Gilead’s society. She has no idea her mother is a revolutionary fighting the very forces holding her hostage; in the trailer’s opening moments, she’s completely unaware she’s a prisoner at all. Her charmed life as a member of the “Plums” is set to The Cranberries’ “Dreams,” which effectively highlights that false sense of security. And while that bubble eventually bursts, it’s clear The Testaments is charting a new course for the franchise, giving this gritty dystopia a young adult (YA) spin.“A plucky heroine rises up against an all-powerful authoritarian regime” is a timeless trope in YA fiction, but it’s been less prominent since The Hunger Games and its clones exhausted the trend in the 2010s. That said, it’s still incredibly effective — especially when paired with a world like Gilead. The Handmaid’s Tale never shied away from depicting Gilead’s indoctrination tools, but The Testaments brings a fresh feel to this. Narrated by Agnes, its first trailer repeats countless platitudes straight out of YA novels. “It’s easier to accept a story than believe the people around you are monsters,” she says, hinting at the start of a very different revolution.The Plums don’t take long to radicalize themselves, and the arrival of Daisy (Lucy Halliday) — a disguised member of the Canadian resistance — will only accelerate this uprising. Her presence forces a reckoning for Agnes and her classmates, who each begin to realize how insignificant their own desires are. Change is in the air, and not just because hormones are raging, tempting the Plums into “impulsive” decisions. The heroines of The Testaments are coming into their power just as their predecessors in The Handmaid’s Tale did — and with this YA setting, their fight against Gilead might not be quite so bleak.The Testaments debuts April 8 on Hulu and Disney+.

Warner Bros. PicturesYear after year, discussions about superhero fatigue surface, so it’s remarkable that 2022’s The Batman managed to stay entirely out of that discourse. Released at a time when the genre was reeling from high-profile critical and commercial flops like Morbius and Black Adam, The Batman was a breath of fresh air—a neon-lit neo-noir that resonated with both fans and critics while raking in over $770 million. Director Matt Reeves’ take on the Dark Knight, separate from , captivated audiences so much that four years later, they’re still anxiously waiting for updates on the highly anticipated follow-up.Now the moment has finally arrived: has entered pre-production, and a slow but steady stream of updates is emerging. It’s already confirmed that, alongside most of the original film’s cast returning, two Marvel alums are switching sides—Sebastian Stan will play Harvey Dent, and Scarlett Johansson has an undisclosed role (possibly as his wife, Gilda). Now rumors are circulating about another A-lister potentially joining the cast; though unconfirmed, they hint at a character partially responsible for the creation of one of Batman’s greatest villains.The Batman was the biggest win for DC in years. | Warner Bros. PicturesGiantFreakinRobot that Daniel Craig has allegedly been offered the role of Christopher Dent in The Batman Part 2. Christopher, the father of Harvey Dent (aka Two-Face), is an intriguing character—he doesn’t have a large presence in comics, but he’s appeared in other Batman media, most notably as part of Harvey’s backstory in the Arkham games. In both comics and his other appearances, Christopher is portrayed as an abusive alcoholic (sometimes struggling with dissociative identity disorder himself) who flips a one-sided coin to pretend his son’s beating is a matter of chance.If the rumors are true, Reeves could deliver a unique depiction of Two-Face far from Tommy Lee Jones’ kitschy comedic performance or Aaron Eckhart’s sudden, vengeance-fueled turn in The Dark Knight. Exploring Harvey’s history of abuse could bring him closer to the Two-Face of Batman: The Animated Series; while schoolyard bullies created that show’s “Big Bad Harv” persona, swapping in a violent father-son relationship could serve the same purpose. Instead of a Harvey Dent who cracks under sudden tragedy, we might get one who breaks after decades of suppressing trauma and explosive anger from his volatile childhood.Batman: The Animated Series’ Two-Face is born from childhood trauma. | DC StudiosWith The Batman, Matt Reeves dived deep into Bruce Wayne’s psychology, depicting him as an emotionally stunted manchild seeking catharsis through vigilantism. For Part 2, Reeves could bring that same depth to one of Batman’s most psychologically complex villains, turning Two-Face’s origin into something operatic and emotionally charged. Whether Craig’s potential involvement is true remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: introducing Harvey Dent means Batman’s fight against crime will get much messier when the sequel finally arrives.