Line of Duty creator bids on Doctor Who

According to Deadline, Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has tendered a bid for Doctor Who.

Mercurio, a pre-eminent TV writer responsible for shows including Trigger Point and Bodyguard, has submitted his interest via Hat Trick Mercurio (HTM), the production company he co-founded with Jimmy Mulville.

Mercurio is a sci-fi fan and created the BBC series Invasion: Earth in the 1990s.

The BBC will announce the successful tender in March 2027.

Whatever happens, BBC Studios will remain in control of the TARDIS, handling distribution, licensing, consumer products, digital, and immersive experiences.

In the meantime, Whovians (myself included) can look forward to seeing The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut in cinemas on Doctor Who Day, and the BBC has commissioned an animated series, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew, coming to CBeebies.

Who would you like to win the tender for a new Doctor Who series? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew coming to CBeebies

While Doctor Who fans (myself included) await the outcome of the BBC tender for the next live-action series, an animated adventure is coming to CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

BBC Children's and Education has unveiled a first look at Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew, a brand-new animated preschool series that introduces younger audiences to the wonder, adventure and endless possibilities of the Whoniverse.

Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning for CBeebies, said: "The TARDIS is ready for its youngest crew yet. Packed with imagination, humour and adventure, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will inspire children to be curious, courageous and kind as they explore incredible worlds across time and space. It's everything families love about Doctor Who, wonder, excitement and endless possibility, reimagined for CBeebies' youngest explorers."

Created for CBeebies viewers, the series follows the Doctor, a young Time Lord, and his friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE as they embark on extraordinary adventures through time and space. Travelling aboard the iconic TARDIS, they encounter incredible creatures, discover amazing new worlds and come face-to-face with legendary Doctor Who foes, including the Daleks.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will arrive on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer in late 2027/early 2028.

The Satan Pit in cinemas on Doctor Who Day

Doctor Who fans (myself included) can watch The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut on the big screen on Doctor Who Day!

For the first time ever in cinemas, the acclaimed two-part adventure The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit have been specially re-edited into a single movie-length presentation, created exclusively for theatrical audiences.

Join the Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose (Billie Piper) as they travel to Sanctuary Base 6, a remote outpost perched on a planet orbiting a black hole.

When an ancient force awakens beneath the surface, the crew find themselves trapped in a battle against an evil older than time itself.

This special Doctor Who Day screening also includes exclusive bonus material, featuring previously unseen content and a brand-new interview with a special guest, reflecting on the making of one of the most celebrated stories of the modern era – from encounters with the Ood to facing the terrifying Beast, alongside behind-the-scenes memories from the set.

Natasha Spence, Global Events Director, BBC Studios, said: “Part of what makes Doctor Who so extraordinary is that there is always more to discover. Even with a story as loved as The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit, we’re able to offer fans something they haven’t experienced before, with previously deleted scenes restored into the adventure and never-before-seen extended footage included in this special cinema cut. Doctor Who Day is the perfect moment to celebrate that sense of discovery with fans. We’re delighted to be working with CinemaLive again to bring this unforgettable Tenth Doctor and Rose story to the big screen, and to give audiences the chance to experience it together in cinemas for the first time.”

John Travers, Head of Acquisitions & Distribution, CinemaLive, said: "Following the incredible reaction from fans in UK & Irish cinemas to last year's Doctor Who season finale, we're thrilled to be partnering with BBC Studios again and expanding the scope of this very special Doctor Who Day cinema event so that Whovians from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can also come together and join in this big screen celebration."

Pre-order The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut at Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you going to see The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut in cinemas on Doctor Who Day? Let me know in the comments below.

Paramount-Warner Bros. named Skydance

Skydance is the new name for the company formed by the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, announced by CEO David Ellison on X (formerly Twitter).

“We will honor what makes Paramount and Warner Bros. special — giving both studios the opportunity to grow, tell more great stories and bring those stories to even broader audiences around the world, powered by the scale and capabilities of Skydance,” he wrote in a statement announcing the branding change Friday.

The $110 billion merger is expected to be finalised on Tuesday after a year-long pursuit by Ellison and a two-month delay caused by antitrust lawsuits by 12 states and the Writers Guild of America.

From Batman to Star Trek, a Skydance-branded app merging HBO Max and Paramount+ would be a strong streaming challenger to Netflix and Disney+. However, it seems Paramount+ and HBO Max will remain standalone subscription services for now.

“I don’t want to comment on what is going to happen or anything like that, but I would point to the HBO Max-Disney bundle, which has been very successful,” Ellison said, adding, “So, could you see something like that happening? That would make a lot of sense.”

HBO Max launched to much fanfare last March in the UK. It was a complicated rollout as HBO has a storied history with Sky (owned by Comcast). Sky Atlantic has been the exclusive home to the award-winning Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Westworld and many more prestige dramas from HBO. This may be subject to change in the wake of the merger.

What are your thoughts on the name Skydance? Let me know in the comments below.

Age of Ultron continues in VisionQuest

On Thursday, Marvel Television dropped an official trailer for VisionQuest coming soon to Disney+.



Read the official synopsis:

"VisionQuest marks the final chapter in the trilogy that started with Marvel Television’s WandaVision, where a grieving Wanda Maximoff conjured a new Vision and life in a world that wasn’t real. Now, rebuilt and rebooted, Vision possesses all of his former self’s memories, but none of his virtue, and searches for new meaning."

Vision, rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponise him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the infamous Ultron. His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepherd, a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnated. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron's influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.

VisionQuest stars Paul Bettany, James Spader, Ruaridh Mollica, Todd Stashwick, T’Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, with Emily Hampshire, and James D’Arcy. The series is directed by Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro, Vincenzo Natali, Terry Matalas, and written by Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Christopher Monfette, Nicole Falsetti, and Matthew Okumura.

Watch the two-episode premiere of Marvel Television’s VisionQuest on 14th October, only on Disney+.

Are you ready for VisionQuest on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

BBC boss on AI-generated Doctor Who

BBC boss Matt Brittin, formerly at Google, commented on a fan-made, AI-generated Doctor Who episode.

"Somebody sent me a 50-minute episode of Doctor Who that was AI-generated the other day," Brittin said, speaking at the Royal Television Society (RTS) conference in London this week.

"It's pretty good. I mean, it's not going to replace humans, and we'll come on to that.

While Brittin didn't disclose the AI-generated episode, many media outlets speculate it may be the controversial episode, The Curse of Kilmorag, from The Unmade Season, featuring the regeneration of the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) that was removed from YouTube after a copyright claim.

"So everyone's a creator. Not all the creativity is bad," Brittin continued. "Everyone's got the ability in their hands — or six billion people have — to create content at the standard of a Hollywood studio."

The BBC needs to save £500 million over the next 3 years, has experimented with generative AI, and put Doctor Who out to tender. Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have departed the series now that the Disney+ deal has ended, and the previously announced Christmas special will not go ahead as the BBC instead focuses on Doctor Who’s long-term future.

With Amazon, Disney and more pivoting to AI-generated content to save money, this may be an AI battle the Doctor can't win.

What are your thoughts on an AI-generated Doctor Who series? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars snares Spider-Man director

Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts is no stranger to a galaxy far, far away... He co-created and co-wrote the Star Wars spin-off series Skeleton Crew on Disney+.

According to an exclusive Knight Edge Media report, Watts is coming back to Star Wars for Episode X! The Hollywood Reporter (THR) has confirmed the story.

"The film is expected to continue the saga as Episode X following the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Daisy Ridley (We Clean the Dead) is also expected to return as Jedi Master Rey. Her spin-off film, Star Wars: New Jedi Order, was in development for a while but was shelved in favor of Episode X. She is expected to have a minor role in this film, and it may possibly expand in the sequels. It’s unknown if John Boyega (Finn) or Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) will return after their public exit from Disney in 2019. Lucasfilm is currently casting new, relatively unknown male and female leads. Production could begin as early as next year if everything goes according to plan."

Simon Kinberg, best known for his work on the X-Men film franchise, has been tapped to write Star Wars: Episode X.

Lucasfilm had no comment.

Next year is the 50th anniversary of Star Wars, created by George Lucas. The restored re-release of Star Wars, directed by George Lucas, is in cinemas on 19th February 2027. Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone story set 5 years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) and stars Ryan Gosling (Project Hail Mary), and is due to release on 28th May 2027.

Are you looking forward to a new Star Wars trilogy from Jon Watts? Let me know in the comments below.

Life is Strange on Prime

After buying the Life is Strange Collection on sale for XBOX, I'm finally replaying the remastered video games as the autumn days grow shorter.

I've been a fan of the 'hella good' Life is Strange franchise since the original episodic video game was first released in 2015. Following photography student Max Caulfield's coming of age, it was a love letter to fans of character-driven storytelling. An award-winning interactive timey-wimey My So-Called Life featuring a superlative soundtrack.

However, I hadn't realised that a live-action series is being produced for Prime Video. Starring Maisy Stella and Tatum Grace Hopkins as Chloe and Max, filming is expected to wrap next month.

A few years ago, Life is Strange: True Colors captured my imagination on Game Pass Ultimate! Replaying the spin-off video game has become an annual autumnal tradition, and this year is no exception. As a fan of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Halloween and mystery, what's not to like?

Are you looking forward to Life is Strange on Prime Video? Let me know in the comments below.

Halo moves to Call of Duty's Activision

The XBOX brand's reset under Asha Sharma continues with Tuesday's announcement of further layoffs and Halo moving to Activision, the developer of Call of Duty (COD).

“We’re thrilled to welcome Halo, Rare, and World’s Edge to Activision. It’s an honor and a responsibility that we do not take lightly. These teams and their games have inspired fans around the world for decades,” Rob Kostich, the Activision president, said in a statement. “For Halo, our goal is clear: make the greatest Halo game ever, worthy of its universe and legacy, while staying true to what made players love it in the first place. It is a bold ambition, one that this franchise deserves. We have already begun assembling a purpose-built team, unique in capability and talent, ready and excited to deliver this next chapter with the community. To the World’s Edge and Rare teams, we can’t wait to get to work together.”

As I've written previously, my XBOX journey began with Halo: Combat Evolved in 2002.

As a Mac User since 1995, I vividly remember Apple CEO Steve Jobs announcing Halo at MacWorld 1999 before Microsoft bought Bungie, much to Jobs' chagrin. From the opening scene, I was captivated by Master Chief and Cortana's space opera adventure. Bungie's seminal first-person shooter (FPS) was an XBOX killer app and system seller.

My original XBOX had a faulty power cord (it could have overheated and caught fire). Essentially worthless, I disposed of the console in 2005. So, I traded in my XBOX video games, including Halo: Combat Evolved and Dead or Alive 3.

For almost a decade, I played exclusively on PlayStation. Then, I unexpectedly won an XBOX 360 S after entering a LOVEFiLM (now Prime Video) competition in 2012. The XBOX 360 era introduced me to Mass Effect, BioShock, and Call of Duty, and my unexpected XBOX homecoming culminated with Halo 4. Meanwhile, my PlayStation 3 (PS3) gathered dust.

The Halo brand has been mismanaged for years, and generations of gamers only know Master Chief from Fortnite. Bungie split from Microsoft in 2007, developing Destiny for Activision, and is now part of PlayStation Studios. Going forward, Activision will take over the Halo franchise from Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries). Raven Software could be a good fit for Halo: I reviewed the studio's Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

Whatever happens, let's hope the next Halo is not filled with microtransactions.

What do you think about Halo moving to Activision? Let me know in the comments below.

Spider-Man surpasses Star Wars

Spider-Man: Brand New Day passes Star Wars: The Force Awakens, grossing $936.7 million, to become the biggest blockbuster in US box office history.

Lucasfilm took to social media to congratulate everyone involved:

"Impressive. Most Impressive.

From a galaxy far, far away, everyone at Lucasfilm sends massive congratulations to Destin, Tom, everyone at Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios and the entire team behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day on setting a new domestic box office record and taking the crown from Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Have you seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.