Lanterns Scores Massive HBO Debut While Naruto Casts Charles Melton and Batista Officially Becomes Kratos

Published 22 August 2026. Words like "tonight" or "next week" refer to that date.

Lanterns just posted one of the biggest premieres in HBO Max history, Naruto has found its Kakashi, and Dave Batista is officially stepping into God of War. We ran through all of it, and there is a lot for fans to unpack.

Lanterns pulls 9.3 million viewers in its HBO debut

According to Variety, the premiere of the DC Studios series Lanterns has racked up 9.3 million views in its first three days of availability across HBO and HBO Max. That is the biggest premiere for a DC Studios show on HBO Max to date, and one of the top five premieres on the platform overall. Of that total, 6.6 million viewers were in the US. For comparison, Welcome to Derry landed 5.7 million viewers in its first three days last year, while The Penguin took in 5.3 million US viewers in its first four days. The numbers come as James Gunn has assured fans on Threads that the series will clarify why multiple ring bearers are active on Earth. Gunn is currently approaching the three month mark on the shoot for Man of Tomorrow, and Lanterns is confirmed as an eight episode season.

We think that sounds like a hit. Put simply: "this is why whenever people talk about superhero fatigue, that's BS. It's mediocrity fatigue because this so far is a great show." The pilot delivers immediate chemistry between its two leads, mystery, intrigue, and final moments after a time jump that make people want to keep watching. Friends outside the comic book bubble have reportedly loved it too. There's also hope that this success could lead to a strong John Stewart presence in the wider DC universe down the line. We appreciated that the comparisons promising "true detective with space cops" actually held up, and that the writers avoided making the ring a deus ex machina, instead making the characters do real detective work and only use the ring in dire situations.

Charles Melton is in final talks to play Kakashi in the live action Naruto movie, but may still play Beast too

As reported by animenewsnetwork.com and confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Emmy nominated Beef star Charles Melton is in final talks to star in Destin Daniel Cretton's live action Naruto movie for Lionsgate. He is set to play Hatake Kakashi, the legendary shinobi and leader of Team 7 known as the copy ninja. The trade also learned a search is underway for a young actor to play Naruto himself. This confirms Naruto is next up for Cretton, who directed Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, later helmed episodes of Wonder Man, and most recently directed Spider-Man: Brand New Day, currently the eighth most successful movie in film history. Cretton had been eyed to helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before that project evolved into Avengers: Doomsday. Cameras are expected to roll on Naruto in February 2027, meaning Spider-Man 5 will either have to wait for Cretton or Marvel and Sony will need a new director.

Melton's breakout was on The CW's Riverdale before he took on more serious work in May December, Warfare, and Her Private Hell. He had been considered a frontrunner for Beast in Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot, and his absence from the D23 cast reveal was thought to be tied to his Naruto commitment. However, scooper My Time to Shine Hollow has reported that despite landing the Naruto role, Melton remains in talks to play Beast as well, suggesting the two projects could be worked around each other. The trade also notes Melton is a longtime anime and manga fan and a second degree black belt in Taekwondo who competed in the Junior Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Naruto is likely to hit theaters in 2028, though no release date has been set. We also discussed hearing rumors that production might jump straight into the Chunin Exam arc rather than starting with the Land of Waves arc, which sparked some debate about pacing and character introductions.

Masters of the Universe tops Nielsen's streaming chart after a soft theatrical run

Masters of the Universe made its streaming debut on July 22nd and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, shot to number one in Nielsen's overall streaming ratings for the week of July 20th. The film scored 1.17 billion minutes of watch time, making it one of just two titles that week to cross the billion minute threshold, the other being Big Bang Theory. The PG-13 fantasy adventure got a mostly positive reception from critics and fans of the original cartoon, but a soft opening and a B CinemaScore suggested general audiences weren't fully won over by its goofy tone, and it finished its theatrical run with just $113 million worldwide. MGM Studios head of domestic theatrical distribution Kevin Wilson said at the time, "This weekend represents a very solid start for Masters of the Universe and the passionate multigenerational audience response we're seeing around the world has been fantastic." On the actual chart, Masters of the Universe's 1.173 billion minutes edged out Big Bang Theory's 1.122 billion, and beat out Ride or Die, House of the Dragon, and Bluey. If a sequel moves forward, it will almost certainly be a direct to streaming release with a smaller budget.

Dave Batista is officially replacing Ryan Hurst as Kratos in God of War

Back in July, Sony and Amazon MGM's live action God of War adaptation suffered a major setback when Ryan Hurst sustained a torn bicep while filming an action scene. Because his recovery time meant he likely would not have been ready to return to set until next year, the decision was made to recast the role. The trades had reported Dave Batista was in talks to replace the Sons of Anarchy star, and it is now confirmed he has officially signed on to play Kratos. God of War has been given a two season order from Prime Video, with both seasons shooting back to back. Filming originally began in Vancouver in February and is expected to resume in the coming weeks, with all of Hurst's previously filmed scenes now being reshot with Batista. Despite reports to the contrary, Callum Wharry remains attached to play Kratos's son Atreus. Additional cast includes Max Parker as Heimdall, Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alistair Duncan as Mimir, Danny Woodburn and Jeff Gulka as dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri, and Ed Skrein as Baldur.

We are genuinely bummed for Ryan Hurst on this one. He looked the part physically, has that deep booming voice, and this role could have been the vehicle that made him a true household name rather than someone people recognize but can't place. It's especially tough because his injury happened while training and filming for this very role.

Marvel launches a Countdown to Avengers Doomsday podcast hosted by Iman Vellani

Marvel Studios will build hype for Avengers: Doomsday by launching an official podcast, Countdown to Avengers Doomsday, hosted by Frankie Alvarez of Fame and Marvel star Iman Vellani. They will rewatch The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame across five episodes, recapping fan favorite moments and discussing each film's legacy. Vellani is rumored to reprise her role in Doomsday. The first episode launched August 27th with new episodes airing weekly, and the fifth episode, covering Endgame, was set to coincide with the September 25th re-release of Avengers Endgame Encore in theaters. The podcast will be available on Disney Plus and YouTube, with audio only versions on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Avengers Endgame Encore will run four minutes longer than the original 2019 release

On September 25th, Marvel Studios will release Avengers Endgame Encore, an extended version of the 2019 film expected to include a custom introduction, additional new footage, and a special end tag exclusive to Dolby Cinema and IMAX releases. AMC has revealed the Encore will run 185 minutes compared to the original's 181 minutes, four minutes of extra content. That lines up with reports that the added scenes focus on Steve Rogers speaking with Ant-Man about time travel at Tony Stark's funeral, along with a previously unseen moment of Loki working in the TVA. It remains unclear whether these scenes are exclusive to Endgame Encore or are Avengers Doomsday clips inserted into the earlier film's narrative. Endgame opened to $1.2 billion worldwide six years ago and was the highest grossing movie ever at $2.799 billion worldwide until Avatar's pandemic era re-release reclaimed the top spot. That record should be back in play once Endgame Encore arrives.

Are you excited for Charles Melton's potential double duty in Naruto and X-Men, or do you think Masters of the Universe deserves a sequel after its streaming success? Let us know what you think.