Out of nowhere, Sony has announced that free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is now on PlayStation 5, allowing people to watch movies and TV shows for free, in exchange for watching ads. FAST programming is growing in popularity, and some of the current market leaders include Roku, Tubi, and Pluto, among others. FAST content was already on PS5 through dedicated apps for some of those services, but now Sony is launching its own FAST channel. For its part, Microsoft offers some FAST channels apps like Tubi and Pluto on Xbox as well. Available on PS5 in the US, the new "Live TV on PS5" comes from Sony's own Sony Pictures Television. There are more than 100 live channels, as well as on-demand programming spanning news, sports, movies, TV shows, and anime. Here's how to access it on your PS5: Go to the Media tab: Select the Live TV on PS5 icon. Select “Sign In With My PlayStation Account” to connect your PlayStation account and start watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txpaWqfcFFU Some of the content available includes movies from MovieSphere, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits, and Cinevault. Some of the TV shows people can watch include The Walking Dead, Community, Unsolved Mysteries, and Hell's Kitchen. Anime programming available on the service includes Naruto, Sailor Moon, and Death Note, as well as some Crunchyroll channels. For sports fans, programming from Fox Sports, Nascar, NBC Sports Now, and UFC are available. There are also news and weather channels, along with "creator" content like Hot Ones and The Ringer programming. Live TV on PS5 will be updated over time with more channels and content, while Sony said it’s looking to expand it to Canada and other regions later. FAST is a growing segment of the entertainment landscape. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Netflix are also mulling plans for FAST content as well. Before this, Sony operated the paid live TV service PlayStation Vue, but the company shut it down in 2020 due in part to how expensive it was to operate...
Following the report that said Battlefield 1's Jack Lowden is circling the role of James Bond for the next 007 movie, it’s now rumored that another actor who appeared in a video game, Jack Barton, could be in the mix as well. PageSix reported that Bond 26 director Denis Villeneuve and casting director Nina Gold are looking at a "stream of unknowns" to play James Bond next. One such person is Barton, who played Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. That is Barton's only video game credit. On TV, he appeared in Steven Knight's SAS: Rogue Heroes and the TV show War of the Worlds. In film, Barton appeared in Yorgos Lanthimos' Oscar-winning 2023 movie Poor Things. The report went on to say Barton will do a screen test to play James Bond, as will other contenders, including Lowden. These tests will begin in early September and will also reportedly include people like Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, and Harris Dickson. In May this year, Bond movie production company Amazon MGM Studios said the search for the next James Bond actor was underway and that the film studio would not comment on the casting process. It has been a long wait for the next James Bond movie, as the latest entry, No Time to Die, was released in 2021. However, it was expected to be release much sooner, but had three delays due in part to COVID. Daniel Craig played James Bond in five 007 films, and wrapped up his run with No Time To Die. Amazon MGM Studios bought the franchise and reportedly paid a lot of money to regain creative control from the longtime series stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. The new James Bond movie will be directed by Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for the Dune franchise. He’s also directed the movies Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049, and Arrival...
If the recent re-release of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North got you excited about the fantasy franchise and looking for more, Amazon currently has a great deal going for the Peter Jackson movies. The retailer is selling a digital copy of the three-movie extended-edition bundle for just $15. It normally goes for $45, so this is quite a deal, at least if you're OK owning the movies digitally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zckJCxYxn1g 2026 is the 25th anniversary of the films, as The Fellowship of the Ring debuted in 2001. The sequels The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 2002 and 2003, respectively. They were all big hits critically and commercially. Return of the King, for its part, swept at the Oscars in 2004, winning all 11 of the awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. There are more The Lord of the Rings movies now in the works, including The Hunt for Gollum in 2027. As for the game series, recent entries like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and Tales of the Shire left a lot to be desired. There are new games now in the works, including a "deeply immersive" game from Kingdom Come studio Warhorse. Additionally, Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics is said to be working on its own The Lord of the Rings game. There will also be more re-releases of "classic" The Lord of the Rings games coming up...