News Bites: Shootout & Shackles on Mars!
The For All Mankind universe is expanding and expanding in all of the directions it can whizz. Into the shadows of the Cold War, is one of those new directions, with Star City, a “propulsive paranoid thriller” premiering May 29, 2026, on Apple TV+. Moving away from the hopeful sci-fi of the original series, this spin-off dives into the 1970s Soviet space program. It focuses on the intense personal and political risks faced by cosmonauts, engineers, and KGB officers as they navigate a landscape of surveillance and high-stakes secrecy behind the Iron Curtain.
Led by an impressive cast including Rhys Ifans as the Chief Designer and Anna Maxwell Martin as a KGB surveillance head, the series will arrive just as For All Mankind Season 5 concludes its run. After two debut episodes in May, the season will air weekly through July 10, offering a gritty, grounded look at the cost of winning the race to the Moon from the perspective of the Soviet stars.
Production on Michael Mann’s highly anticipated Heat 2 is shifting into high gear following the project’s move to United Artists. In a major casting update, Christian Bale has officially confirmed his involvement, reuniting with Mann for the first time since Public Enemies. While Leonardo DiCaprio remains attached to the sequel, the specific roles are still shifting; though DiCaprio was long rumored for the role of Chris Shiherlis (originally played by Val Kilmer), new reports suggest Bale may be eyeing that part, potentially leaving DiCaprio to portray the sadistic villain Otis Wardell.
The ensemble around the two leads continues to take shape, with Adam Driver tipped to play a younger version of Robert De Niro’s iconic Neil McCauley. While heavy hitters like Bradley Cooper, and Austin Butler have been linked to the film, formal offers for those roles haven’t been finalised yet. With Bale confirming he’ll be “back in Chicago soon” for filming.
The POV slasher that redefined the genre is returning as IFC and Shudder have unveiled the first teaser for In A Violent Nature 2. Following its breakout success as a 2024 Sundance cult hit, the sequel moves from the isolated wilderness to a classic summer camp setting. Ry Barrett reprises his role as the undead killer Johnny, who is reawakened by a stolen locket and sets his sights on a young outcast camper, his counselor sister, and their friends during an end-of-season party.
While original creator Chris Nash returns to pen the screenplay, directing duties have been handed to Nathaniel Wilson, the first film’s assistant director. The sequel aims to escalate the “ambient slasher” style with even more inventive, high-fidelity brutality, shifting from a pure POV experiment to a more propulsive narrative. Produced by Zygote Pictures and Shudder, In A Violent Nature 2 is currently in post-production and is slated to bring its “exponential increase of ultraviolence” to theaters later in 2026. I implore you to check out the original, I have my review of In A Violent Nature here.