TechRadar News

• Stranger Things season 5's multiple release dates have been revealed
• It'll arrive in three parts between late November and New Year's Eve/New Year's Day
• Netflix is hoping it'll be the biggest festive TV hit of 2025

Good news, everyone! Stranger Things season 5's release date has finally been revealed. Unfortunately, you'll have to tweak your 2025 holiday season plans if you want to stream it as soon as it arrives.

We already knew that Stranger Things 5 was set to be released in 2025 and, according to a major online leak, it was suggested that Stranger Things' final season would arrive this November. Well, that turned out to be partly true.

Announced towards the end of Netflix Tudum 2025, the smash hit show's final season will launch on the world's best streaming service in not one, not two, but three parts. That's the first time that Netflix has chosen to release a new series, or the latest season of one of its TV Originals, on three separate dates.

A post shared by Stranger Things Netflix (@strangerthingstv)

A photo posted by on

As the above Instagram post confirms, Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 will air on November 26 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET in the US. That's the first of three US holidays that the incredibly popular Netflix series' final chapter will land on too – indeed, Thanksgiving 2025 in the US will take place on November 27.

Clearly, Netflix is hoping volume 1, which comprises four episodes, will be the most-watched TV show over US Thanksgiving weekend.

That's not the only major holiday Netflix is targeting, though. Volume 2 of Stranger Things 5, which contains three episodes, will debut on Christmas Day (aka December 25) at 5pm PT / 8pm ET in the US.

Lastly, the final-ever episode (aka volume 3) of Stranger Things will hit the service on New Year's Eve (December 31) in the US at the same time that season 5's other installments are due to be released.

Why Stranger Things 5's release format will turn people's Holiday season plans upside down

I suspect many fans reacted like this when season 5's release format was announced (Image credit: Netflix)

I fully understand why Netflix is dropping new episodes in this way. The streaming titan wants the final season of one of its most successful series to dominate the TV landscape. It makes sense, then, to release the forthcoming season's eight episodes, all of which are movie-length according to Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, at a time when people will have plenty of downtime over the festive season.

The problem I have with this release format, though, is that it's going to turn many people's festive plans *ahem* upside down.

Take me, for instance. I live in the UK and, considering the eight hour time difference between the US' Pacific Time Zone and the UK's, new installments of Stranger Things 5 won't land on the platform until 1am GMT.

That means I, along with many other British fans, will have a very late night if we stay up to watch new episodes as soon as they arrive. If we don't, we face the prospect of having to avoid major spoilers online or from family and friends who might have seen the latest episodes before us.

Holding back those season 5 finale spoilers like... (Image credit: Netflix)

The same is true of fans in other European nations, the Middle East, Asia, and countries like Australia and New Zealand.

Stranger Things season 5's finale might air in the US at 5pm PT / 8pm ET on December 31, so American viewers have the chance to stream it before they welcome in 2026. Many of us won't have that opportunity, though.

Do we cut short our New Year's Eve plans with family and/or friends to head home and stream it straight away to avoid spoilers? Or do we ring in 2026, stay off social media until we watch it, and then stream one of the best Netflix shows' last-ever episode – potentially with an almighty hangover?

I get that the world's various time zones mean that somebody is going to be unhappy about staying up late or getting up early if they want to watch their favorite show's new season ASAP. Nevertheless, season 5's release structure, coupled with the unusual times that new episodes will air – Netflix usually releases new shows and/or seasons at 12am PT – is a, well, strange thing to do.

I guess I'll be staying off social media (and the booze!) over the Christmas holidays until I find the time to stream season 5's final four episodes.

You might also like

• Netflix wants to turn Saturday morning cartoons upside down with a new animated Stranger Things spin-off
• Stranger Things season 5's 12-month shoot yielded 650-plus hours of footage for its eight 'blockbuster movie' episodes
• Marvel reportedly casts Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in Spider-Man 4, but I don't want her to tackle the roles she's rumored to play

• More DJI Osmo 360 images have leaked online
• The 360-degree camera could launch in July
• It's said to be similar to the Insta360 X5 in specs

Rumors around a 360-degree camera from DJI have been swirling since October, and now we have some fresh leaks that supposedly give us a look at the DJI Osmo 360 – as well as hinting at some of the specifications it'll bring with it.

Tipster @GAtamer (via Notebookcheck) has posted some pictures of the DJI Osmo 360, showing off the compact camera, the two lenses on the front and back of the device, the small integrated touchscreen, and what looks like an accessory mount.

According to the same source, the specs of the DJI Osmo 360 are going to be "almost the same as the X5", referring of course to the Insta360 X5 that launched in April – another 360-degree camera that the DJI Osmo 360 will be challenging head on.

Have a read through our Insta360 X5 review and you'll see it's a very, very good 8K camera indeed – one we awarded five stars to. The two cameras have 1.28-inch sensors inside, bigger than those in the X4, so it seems we can expect something similar from DJI.

Coming soon?

The technical specifications are almost the same as the X5. pic.twitter.com/7HlC9JQHbPMay 31, 2025

The @GAtamer post was actually a follow-up to another image leaked by @Quadro_News, which seems to show the DJI Osmo 360 in some kind of packaging. Again, we can see one of the camera lenses and the shape of the upcoming gadget.

That's just about all we can glean from these latest DJI Osmo 360 leaks, and we don't get any information here about a launch date or potential pricing. It seems likely that the camera will be appearing sooner rather than later, however.

Just a few days ago we got word that the DJI Osmo 360 would be launching in July 2025, so there's not that much longer to wait. We have already seen leaked images of the camera, which match the pictures that have just shown up.

We've also heard that a super-small DJI Osmo Nano could be launched alongside the DJI Osmo 360. If these new devices are as good as the cameras in the current range, including the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, then there's a lot to look forward to.

You might also like

• These are the best action cameras right now
• The DJI Osmo 360 looks like bad news for the GoPro Max 2
• Major DJI Osmo 360 leak includes dozens of images

At 3 a.m. during a red team exercise, we watched customer’s autonomous web agent cheerfully leak the CTO’s credentials - because a single malicious div tag on internal github issue page told it to. The agent ran on Browser Use, the open source framework that just collected a headline-grabbing $17 million seed round.

That 90-second proof-of-concept illustrates a larger threat: while venture money races to make large-language-model (LLM) agents “click” faster, their social, organizational, and technical trust boundaries remain an afterthought. Autonomous browsing agents now schedule travel, reconcile invoices, and read private inboxes, yet the industry treats security as a feature patch, not a design premise.

Our argument is simple: agentic systems that interpret and act on live web content must adopt a security-first architecture before their adoption outpaces our ability to contain failure.

Agent explosion

Browser Use sits at the center of today’s agent explosion. In just a few months it has acquired more than 60,000 GitHub stars and a $17 million seed round led by Felicis with participation from Paul Graham and others, positioning itself as the “middleware layer” between LLMs and the live web.

Similar toolkits - HyperAgent, SurfGPT, AgentLoom - are shipping weekly plug-ins that promise friction-free automation of everything from expense approval to source-code review. Market researchers already count 82 % of large companies running at least one AI agent in production workflows and forecast 1.3 billion enterprise agent users by 2028.

But the same openness that fuels innovation also exposes a significant attack surface: DOM parsing, prompt templates, headless browsers, third-party APIs, and real-time user data intersect in unpredictable ways.

Our new study, "The Hidden Dangers of Browsing AI Agents" offers the first end-to-end threat model for browsing agents and provides actionable guidance for securing their deployment in real-world environments.

To address discovered threats, we propose a defense in depth strategy incorporating input sanitization, planner executor isolation, formal analyzers, and session safeguards. These measures protect against both initial access and post exploitation attack vectors.

White-box analysis

Through white-box analysis of Browser Use, we demonstrate how untrusted web content can hijack agent behavior and lead to critical cybersecurity breaches. Our findings include prompt injection, domain validation bypass, and credential exfiltration, evidenced by a disclosed CVE and a working proof of concept exploit - all without tripping today’s LLM safety filters.

Among the findings:

1. Prompt-injection pivoting. A single off-screen element injected a “system” instruction that forced the agent to email its session storage to an attacker.

2. Domain-validation bypass. Browser Use’s heuristic URL checker failed on unicode homographs, letting adversaries smuggle commands from look-alike domains.

3. Silent lateral movement. Once an agent has the user’s cookies, it can impersonate them across any connected SaaS property, blending into legitimate automation logs.

These aren’t theoretical edge cases; they are inherent consequences of giving an LLM permission to act rather than merely answer, which acts a root cause for the outlined exploit above. Once that line is crossed, every byte of input (visible or hidden) becomes potential initial access payload.

To be sure, open source visibility and red team disclosure accelerate fixes - Browser Use shipped a patch within days of our CVE report. And defenders can already sandbox agents, sanitize inputs, and restrict tool scopes. But those mitigations are optional add-ons, whereas the threat is systemic. Relying on post-hoc hardening mimics the early browser wars, when security followed functionality, and drive-by downloads became the norm.

Architectural problem

Governments are beginning to notice the architectural problem. The NIST AI Risk-Management Framework urges organizations to weigh privacy, safety and societal impact as first-class engineering requirements. Europe’s AI Act introduces transparency, technical-documentation and post-market monitoring duties for providers of general-purpose models rules that will almost certainly cover agent frameworks such as Browser Use.

Across the Atlantic, the U.S. SEC’s 2023 cyber-risk disclosure rule expects public companies to reveal material security incidents quickly and to detail risk-management practices annually. Analysts already advise Fortune 500 boards to treat AI-powered automation as a headline cyber-risk in upcoming 10-K filings. Reuters: “When an autonomous agent leaks credentials, executives will have scant wiggle room to argue that the breach was “immaterial.”

Investors funneling eight-figure sums into agentic start-ups must now reserve an equal share of runway for threat-modeling, formal verification, and continuous adversarial evaluation. Enterprises piloting these tools should require:

Isolation by default. Agents should separate planner, executor and credential oracle into mutually distrustful processes, talking only via signed, size-bounded protobuf messages.

Differential output binding. Borrow from safety-critical engineering: require a human co-signature for any sensitive action.

Continuous red-team pipelines. Make adversarial HTML and jailbreak prompts part of CI/CD. If the model fails a single test, block release.

Societal SBOMs. Beyond software bills of materials, vendors should publish security-impact surfaces: exactly which data, roles and rights an attacker gains if the agent tips. This aligns with the AI-RMF’s call for transparency regarding individual and societal risks.

Regulatory stress tests. Critical-infrastructure deployments should pass third-party red-team exams whose high-level findings are public, mirroring banking stress-tests and reinforcing EU and U.S. disclosure regimes.

The security debt

The web did not start secure and grow convenient; it started convenient, and we are still paying the security debt. Let us not rehearse that history with autonomous browsing agents. Imagine past cyber incidents multiplied by autonomous agents that work at machine speed and hold persistent credentials for every SaaS tool, CI/CD pipeline, and IoT sensor in an enterprise. The next “invisible div tag” could do more than leak a password: it could rewrite PLC set-points at a water-treatment plant, misroute 911 calls, or bulk-download the pension records of an entire state.

If the next $17 million goes to demo reels instead of hardened boundaries, the 3 a.m. secret you lose might not just embarrass a CTO - it might open the sluice gate to poison supplies, stall fuel deliveries, or crash emergency-dispatch consoles. That risk is no longer theoretical; it is actuarial, regulatory, and, ultimately, personal for every investor, engineer, and policy-maker in the loop.

Security first or failure by default for agentic AI is therefore not a philosophical debate; it is a deadline. Either we front-load the cost of trust now, or we will pay many times over when the first agent-driven breach jumps the gap from the browser to the real world.

We feature the best AI chatbot for business.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

In an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape, the concept of "hacking yourself first" is not new as such. Organizations have long been engaging white hat hackers to simulate attacks and identify vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.

However, the traditional approach to red teaming, which typically involves selecting a few trusted individuals to test a system, is no longer sufficient.

More open and competitive red teaming

The issue lies in scale and diversity. A small, internal team will always be limited by their own experiences and perspectives, while cybercriminals operate in a global, decentralized environment. To stay ahead, security testing has to reflect that same breadth and depth of capability.

We believe that this is where a more open and competitive red teaming model comes into its own. Rather than relying on a fixed set of internal engineers or external consultants, organizations are increasingly turning to decentralized architectures.

These invite skilled professionals from around the world to solve specific, targeted challenges. The best talent is incentivized to respond, and the organization benefits from rapid, high-quality insights tailored to the specific threats it faces.

In practice, this model offers two significant advantages to the ‘standard white hacking’ exercise. First, it ensures that the right expertise is applied to the right challenge. Not every engineer is equipped to uncover flaws in VPN detection or anti-fingerprinting solutions. A decentralized approach enables organizations to source the most relevant skill sets directly, without needing to retrain or reallocate internal teams.

Secondly, the incentive mechanism encourages speed and transparency. Contributors are motivated to share findings immediately so that they can claim rewards. This reduces and even eliminates delays and ensures that critical information reaches defenders quickly.

Traditional methods

The benefits of this approach are already being realized. In sectors such as fintech and Web3, attacks discovered through decentralized red teaming have been observed in the wild months later. This lead time allows businesses to prepare and adapt before those attacks gain traction in broader markets.

It’s important to recognize that decentralized red teaming is not about replacing traditional methods entirely. Conventional penetration testing still plays a valuable role in improving baseline security. But as threats evolve and attackers become more sophisticated, organizations need a more dynamic and scalable way to test their defenses.

Proactive security

Ultimately, the shift from reactive to proactive security cannot be achieved through periodic exercises alone. It requires continuous, adaptive engagement with the threat landscape, and a willingness to invite external expertise into the process. By embracing a more competitive and decentralized approach to red teaming, businesses can significantly improve their resilience and stay one step ahead of attackers.

Cybersecurity is no longer about responding to yesterday’s threats. It is about anticipating tomorrow’s, and making sure your defenses are ready today.

We feature the best business VPNs.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Nord Quantique promises quantum power without the bulk or energy drain
• Traditional HPC may fall if Nord’s speed and energy claims prove real
• Cracking RSA-830 in an hour could transform cybersecurity forever

A quantum computing startup has announced plans to develop a utility-scale quantum computer with more than 1,000 logical qubits by 2031.

Nord Quantique has set an ambitious target which, if achieved, could signal a seismic shift in high-performance computing (HPC).

The company claims its machines are smaller and would offer far greater efficiency in both speed and energy consumption, thereby making traditional HPC systems obsolete.

Advancing error correction through multimode encoding

Nord Quantique uses “multimode encoding” via a technique known as the Tesseract code, and this allows each physical cavity in the system to represent more than one quantum mode, effectively increasing redundancy and resilience without adding complexity or size.

“Multimode encoding allows us to build quantum computers with excellent error correction capabilities, but without the impediment of all those physical qubits,” explained Julien Camirand Lemyre, CEO of Nord Quantique.

“Beyond their smaller and more practical size, our machines will also consume a fraction of the energy, which makes them appealing for instance to HPC centers where energy costs are top of mind.”

Nord’s machines would occupy a mere 20 square meters, making them highly suitable for data center integration.

Compared to 1,000–20,000 m² needed by competing platforms, this portability further strengthens its case.

“These smaller systems are also simpler to develop to utility-scale due to their size and lower requirements for cryogenics and control electronics,” the company added.

The implication here is significant: better error correction without scaling physical infrastructure, a central bottleneck in the quantum race.

In a technical demonstration, Nord’s system exhibited excellent stability over 32 error correction cycles with no measurable decay in quantum information.

“Their approach of encoding logical qubits in multimode Tesseract states is a very effective method of addressing error correction and I am impressed with these results,” said Yvonne Gao, Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore.

“They are an important step forward on the industry’s journey toward utility-scale quantum computing.”

Such endorsements lend credibility, but independent validation and repeatability remain critical for long-term trust.

Nord Quantique claims its system could solve RSA-830, a representative cryptographic challenge, in just one hour using 120 kWh of energy at 1 MHz speed, slashing the energy need by 99%.

In contrast, traditional HPC systems would require approximately 280,000 kWh over nine days. Other quantum modalities, such as superconducting, photonic, cold atoms, and ion traps, fall short in either speed or efficiency.

For instance, cold atoms might consume only 20 kW, but solving the same problem would take six months.

That said, there remains a need for caution. Post-selection - used in Nord’s error correction demonstrations, required discarding 12.6% of data per round. While this helped show stability, it introduces questions about real-world consistency.

In quantum computing, the leap from laboratory breakthrough to practical deployment can be vast; thus, the claims on energy reduction and system miniaturization, though striking, need independent real-world verification.

You might also like

• Upgrading to Windows 11 just got easier - Microsoft introduces a new business backup tool
• Check out the best 3D modeling software for 3D printing and more
• We've rounded up the best portable monitors available now

• Seagate’s HAMR roadmap could deliver 150TB hard drives - but not before 2035
• Mozaic platform now enables 4TB platters, paving the way to 10TB disks by 2028
• Mozaic 4 to ship in 2026, while Mozaic 5 aims for late 2027 qualifications

At Seagate’s recent 2025 Investor and Analyst Conference, CEO Dr. Dave Mosley and CTO Dr. John Morris outlined the company’s long-term roadmap for hard drive innovation.

This hinted at the possibility of 150TB hard drives, the largest HDD ever, by groundbreaking 15TB platters, but cautioned that this milestone remains at least a decade away.

The foundation of this future lies in Seagate’s HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) technology, currently being deployed through the company’s Mozaic platform.

10TB per platter on track for 2028

“We have high confidence in our product roadmap through Mozaic 5. And notably, the design space for granular iron platinum media that's in Mozaic 3 looks very viable to get us up to 10 terabytes per disk,” said Dr. Morris

That 10TB-per-disk benchmark is expected to be reached by 2028. “We do have confidence that we can provide a path to 10 terabytes per disk in roughly this time frame,” Morris added, explaining that spin-stand demonstrations of new technologies typically take five years to reach product qualification.

Looking beyond 10TB, Seagate is exploring how to extend the capabilities of its Iron Platinum media.

“We believe that there's another level of extension of that granular iron platinum architecture that could theoretically get as high as 15 terabytes per disk,”

Such an achievement would pave the way for 150TB hard drives by stacking 10 platters per unit. However, he warned, “beyond 15 terabytes per disk is going to require some level of disruptive innovation.”

Seagate’s CEO, Dave Mosley, echoed this long-range vision, noting, “We now know how we can get to 4 and 5 and beyond. As a matter of fact, we have visibility... beyond 10 terabytes of disk with the HAMR technology.”

“It’s not going to be easy, but I’m convinced that’s going to keep us on a competitive cost trajectory that no other technology is going to supplant in the next decade, probably beyond.”

The company’s confidence is backed by recent milestones. Mozaic 3, which delivers 3TB per platter, is now in volume production, and Mozaic 4 (4TB per platter) is scheduled to enter customer qualification next quarter.

Seagate expects to begin volume shipments of Mozaic 4 drives in the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, Mozaic 5, targeting 5TB per platter, is planned for customer qualification in late 2027 or early 2028.

Still, Seagate made it clear that 150TB drives based on 15TB platters are not imminent. As Morris emphasized, “This is just one other element in the work that we do to underpin our strategy... it will take time. There’s still a lot of work in front of us to get there.”

You might also like

• DragonForce ransomware hacks SimpleHelp RMM tool to attack MSPs
• These are the largest SSDs and hard drives in the market
• Here are the best microSD cards for your microstorage needs

• Details of two HMD smartwatches have emerged
• Both wearables are said to be running Wear OS
• One of the models comes with a 2MP camera attached

It appears we may soon get a couple of new contenders for our best smartwatches list. HMD (perhaps best known for releasing Nokia-branded phones in recent years) is rumored to be working on two smartwatches, both running Wear OS, and with a camera fitted to one of them.

This comes from tipster @smashx_60 (via Notebookcheck), and while we can't guarantee the accuracy of the claim, smartwatches would be a sensible next step for HMD – which already makes phones, tablets, earbuds, and the HMD OffGrid.

According to the leak, the first smartwatch will be the HMD Rubber 1, with a 1.85-inch OLED screen, a 400 mAh battery, and heart rate and spO2 tracking. There's also, apparently, a 2-megapixel camera on board this model.

Then there's the HMD Rubber 1S, which comes with a smaller 1.07-inch OLED display, a smaller 290 mAh battery, and no camera – though the heart rate and SpO2 tracking features are still included. It sounds as though this will be the cheaper choice.

For adults or kids?

HMD RUBBER 1- oled 1.85" display - 5ATM Waterproof - BT5.3, WiFi, NFC, Accelerometer, heart rate, SpO2- 2MP CAM- Wear OS- 400mAh, USB-C, QiHMD RUBBER 1S- oled 1.07" - 5ATM Waterproof - BT5.0, WiFi, Accelerometer, heart rate, SpO2- Wear OS- 290mAh, USB-C, QiMay 29, 2025

The camera on the HMD Rubber 1 is interesting, as this would be something we haven't seen on a Wear OS watch before. While it's not clear how the camera would be integrated, presumably it would allow photos and videos to be captured from your wrist, with or without a phone connected.

There's some speculation in the Notebookcheck article that these smartwatches may be intended for kids to use, rather than adults – something along the lines of the Samsung Galaxy Watch for Kids that launched at the start of the year, perhaps.

The leak also mentions that these smartwatches will come with 5 ATM waterproofing, which is good for depths of up to 50 meters. That suggests they'll have a relatively robust casing around the internal components.

We'll have to wait and see what HMD might have in store, though as yet there's been nothing official from the company. In the meantime, we're patiently waiting for the arrival of Wear OS 6, which is expected to be pushed out in the next month or two.

You might also like

• HMD steps out from Nokia's shadow
• The best Android smartwatches right now
• Gemini is coming to Wear OS

In our list of the best streaming services we crowned Paramount+ as the best platform for classic movies, and it still is – however, it's broadening its library of 21st century features in its list of new titles for June 2025.

With over 80 new movies landing on June 1, among the list of new Paramount+ movies lies modern titles that over time have earned modern classic status, starting with No Country for Old Men (2007) – a western thriller from the Coen brothers starring Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin.

But that's not all and, if anything, the drama never ends. Joining the Coens' thriller is Steve McQueen's Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave (2013), Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994), and four movies from the Indiana Jones franchise. The thrills are endless.

Everything new on Paramount+ in June 2025

Arriving on June 1

3:10 to Yuma (movie)
12 Years a Slave (movie)
Bad News Bears (movie)
BlacKkKlansman (movie)
Boogie Nights (movie)
But I'm a Cheerleader (movie)
Call Me By Your Name (movie)
Carol (movie)
Carriers (movie)
Center Stage (movie)
Changing Lanes (movie)
Chasing Amy (movie)
Cloverfield (movie)
Crawlspace (movie)
Daddy Day Camp (movie)
Dance Flick (movie)
Dog Day Afternoon (movie)
Double Jeopardy (movie)
Eagle Eye (movie)
Elf (movie)
Enemy at the Gates (movie)
EuroTrip (movie)
Everybody's Fine (movie)
Extract (movie)
First Blood (movie)
Heatwave (movie)
How She Move (movie)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (movie)
Imagine That (movie)
In & Out (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (movie)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (movie)
Jawbreaker (movie)
Kinky Boots (movie)
Law of Desire (movie)
Layer Cake (movie)
Light of My Life (movie)
Like a Boss (movie)
Marathon Man (movie)
Masterminds (movie)
Military Wives (movie)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (movie)
No Country for Old Men (movie)
Orange County (movie)
Overdrive (movie)
Pretty In Pink (movie)
Pulp Fiction (movie)
Racing with the Moon (movie)
Rambo III (movie)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (movie)
RED (movie)
Reservoir Dogs (movie)
Risky Business (movie)
Road Trip (movie)
Run & Gun (movie)
Saturday Night Fever (movie)
Save the Last Dance (movie)
School Ties (movie)
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (movie)
She's All That (movie)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (movie)
Stand By Me (movie)
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (movie)
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (movie)
The Crossing Guard (movie)
The Dictator (movie)
The Fighting Temptations (movie)
The Gambler (movie)
The General's Daughter (movie)
The Girl Next Door (movie)
The Godfather (movie)
The Godfather Part II (movie)
The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (movie)
The Hunt for Red October (movie)
The Ides Of March (movie)
The Kings of Summer (movie)
The Last Samurai (movie)
The Lovely Bones (movie)
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (movie)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (movie)
The Nice Guys (movie)
The Other Woman (movie)
The People vs. Larry Flynt (movie)
The Running Man (movie)
The Shootist (movie)
The Space Between Us (movie)
The Untouchables (movie)
Tigerland (movie)
Tommy Boy (movie)
Tootsie (movie)
Total Recall (movie)
True Grit (movie)
Whiplash (movie)
Without a Paddle (movie)
xXx (movie)
Zola (movie)

Arriving on June 4

SpongeBob SquarePants season 14 (TV show)

Arriving on June 5

Lions for Lambs (movie)

Arriving on June 8

The 78th Annual Tony Awards (TV show)

Arriving on June 11

The Really Loud House season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on June 15

In Bloom: Everybody’s Fight (TV show)

Arriving on June 22

Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards (TV show)

Arriving on June 25

The Patrick Star Show season 3 (TV show)
Ice Airport Alaska season 5 (TV show)
The Last Cowboy season 5 (TV show)

You might also like

• Yellowjackets season 3 finale made me shocked, surprised and sad – here are 3 things you may have missed
• HBO Max might hog the 'premium streaming' spotlight, but lately I've gotten way more value from my Apple TV+ subscription – here's why
• Everything new on Netflix in June 2025 – stream all episodes of Squid Game season 3 on June 27

• Seagate quietly ships 40TB HAMR drives, setting the pace for the next storage next
• Mozaic HAMR tech crams 4TB per platter, promising massive boosts in storage efficiency
• Data center expansion will dictate how fast these record-breaking 40TB drives hit the mainstream

At the recent Seagate’s Investor and Analyst Conference, the company revealed it has delivered limited units of its new 40TB hard drives based on its Mozaic HAMR platform.

These 40TB drives use Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) to achieve 4TB per platter across ten platters, marking a shift toward Seagate’s Mozaic 4+ platform.

While these are not yet broadly available, full-scale production is slated to begin in the first half of 2026 following extensive customer qualification testing.

Full-scale production to commence next year

“We have shipped limited 40 terabyte engineering samples to our customer already. We do plan to initiate quals next quarter, and we'll continue quals into 2026, where we'll be bringing over a wide portion of our customer base to the Mozaic 4 platform,” said Dr. John Morris, Seagate’s CTO.

Volume readiness will depend on how data centers integrate and validate the drives. However, the goal is to move a significant share of Seagate’s exabyte shipments to HAMR-based drives, which promise higher capacity and data center efficiency.

As CEO, Dr. Dave Mosley explained, “10 disks would get you to 40 terabytes... this gives better efficiencies in the data center. At the fleet level, this is how our customers think.”

Seagate's long-term plan involves rolling out even larger capacities, including 44TB drives by 2027 and 50TB drives by 2028.

The delay from its original 2017 projection for 50TB drives by 2026 underscores the complexities of scaling HAMR technology. Yet, the 40TB development still positions Seagate in the race to offer the largest HDD on the market.

Rival companies are following different strategies. Western Digital (WD) continues to expand capacity through ePMR and OptiNAND, reserving HAMR for its own 40TB launch expected in late 2026.

“Other companies have started adopting HAMR with 30TB HDDs, but we believe HAMR’s true potential begins at 40TB. Until then, we'll continue using technologies like OptiNAND and UltraSMR to increase the capacity of existing HDDs up to 40TB,” said Kimihiko Nishio, WD's sales manager in Japan.

Toshiba, another key player, has been developing its technologies, such as Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording (MAMR).

The company aims to release its first 35TB HDD based on HAMR before 2026. Toshiba's strategy involves combining MAMR with future HAMR implementations to achieve these capacities.

These drives won’t appeal to average consumers looking for the fastest HDD or even the best HDD for home use, their development is closely tied to the AI-driven cybersecurity arms race.

Seagate’s early shipments of 40TB drives suggest technical leadership in the race to develop the largest HDD, but the path to commercial reality is winding, and the cautious stance of competitors implies the challenges are considerable.

You might also like

• These are the largest SSDs and hard drives in the market
• Here are the best microSD cards for your microstorage needs
• Mac users beware - fake Ledger apps are being used by hackers to steal seed phrases and hack accounts

• Security experts say traditional identity checks fail because they treat each verification as an isolated event
• Deepfake variations let fraudsters bypass biometric and liveness detection systems with ease
• Consortium validation shares data across organizations to detect subtle, repeated fraud attempts in real time

In a digital world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, identity fraud is evolving in scale and sophistication.

Experts from AU10TIX have flagged a new threat tactic known as “Repeaters” which is reshaping the way fraudsters infiltrate digital systems.

Unlike traditional attacks, these aren’t designed for instant damage - instead, Repeaters quietly test the defenses of banks, crypto platforms, and other services by using slightly varied synthetic identities.

Deepfakes as reconnaissance tools

Once weak points are identified, those same assets are redeployed across multiple platforms in large-scale, coordinated fraud campaigns.

At the heart of this strategy are deepfake-enhanced identities, slightly modified versions of a core digital asset.

These changes may include tweaks to facial features, background images, or document numbers.

When examined individually, each variation appears legitimate, often bypassing traditional Know Your Customer (KYC) processes and biometric checks.

AU10TIX’s CEO, Yair Tal, describes them as “the fingerprint of a new class of fraud: automated, AI-enhanced attacks that reuse synthetic identities and digital assets at scale.”

What makes Repeaters particularly dangerous is how they exploit gaps in current fraud detection systems.

Most traditional defenses rely on static validation, evaluating each identity as an isolated event. Techniques like biometric scans, liveness detection, and ID checks often miss the broader picture.

Because these synthetic identities are only submitted a few times per platform and appear unique, conventional tools struggle to detect the repetition.

To counter this threat, AU10TIX therefore introduces “consortium validation”. Unlike siloed systems, this method allows multiple organizations to share identity signals across a real-time network, just like the best endpoint protection platforms.

If an identity, or even a slightly modified version, appears at more than one member organization, the system flags it immediately.

It’s a collaborative defense strategy aimed at connecting the dots between otherwise isolated incidents.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of detecting and blocking these attacks through advanced pattern recognition and real-time consortium validation,” Tal added

AU10TIX recommends organizations also audit for vulnerabilities to deepfakes and synthetic identities that can bypass traditional KYC defenses.

It also recommends the close monitoring of behaviors across devices, sessions and onboarding events because it can reveal coordinated activities before they scale.

The best chance at early detection of such fraudulent activity is a connected and behaviorally aware security infrastructure because no single solution can claim to be the best antivirus or the best malware protection against this new generation of fraud.

You might also like

• These are the best AI website builders around
• UK businesses say that fear of missing out is driving AI adoption
• TikTok fans beware - experts warn dangerous malware spread by AI fake videos

Max is about to go through another big change, and I'm not talking about its rebrand back to HBO Max. Now that all the new Max movies and shows have been announced for June 2025, another library reshuffle is on the way.

After being renewed for a new installment right off the back of season two, HBO original show The Gilded Age season three premieres on June 22 with the return of stars Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon. This will be shortly followed by two new original documentary features Enigma and My Mom Jayne on June 24 and 27 respectively.

But it wouldn't be a classic Max list without a flurry of new movies and, in true Max style, it's packed with titles going back as far as Hollywood's Golden Age as well as modern favorites like Fight Club (1999) and Best Picture winner Parasite (2019), which packs a punch with each watch. With that said, we'd better start making some room in our list of best Max movies for the new arrivals.

Everything new on Max in June 2025

Arriving on June 1

A Hologram for the King (movie)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (movie)
A Perfect Getaway (movie)
Backtrack (movie)
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (movie)
Black Patch (movie)
Blues in the Night (movie)
Casino (movie)
Fight Club (movie)
Gentleman Jim (movie)
Hellboy (movie)
I Am Not Your Negro (movie)
Igor (movie)
Illegal (movie)
In the Good Old Summertime (movie)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (movie)
Kid Glove Killer (movie)
Meet Me in St. Louis (movie)
My Scientology Movie (movie)
Numbered Men (movie)
One Foot in Heaven (movie)
Parasite (movie)
Presenting Lily Mars (movie)
Pride & Prejudice (movie)
Public Enemies (movie)
Reign of the Supermen (movie)
Serenade (movie)
Silver River (movie)
Spaceballs (movie)
Split (movie)
Strike Up the Band (movie)
Summer Stock (movie)
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (movie)
Superman: Red Son (movie)
Superman: Unbound (movie)
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (movie)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (movie)
The Death of Superman (movie)
The Fighting 69th (movie)
The Harvey Girls (movie)
The Hunger Games (movie)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (movie)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (movie)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (movie)
The Man Who Invented Christmas (movie)
The Match King (movie)
The Mayor of Hell (movie)
The Mortician (movie)
The Nitwits (movie)
The Prince and the Pauper (movie)
The Sea Chase (movie)
The Sea Hawk (movie)
The Sunlit Night (movie)
The Verdict (movie)
They Made Me a Criminal (movie)
This Side of the Law (movie)
Three Faces East (movie)
Three Strangers (movie)
Total Drama Island season 2 (TV show)
Wagons West (movie)
Words and Music (movie)
You'll Find Out (movie)
Ziegfeld Follies (movie)

Arriving on June 2

BBQ Brawl season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on June 3

Bullet Train (movie)
Ugliest House in America season 6 (TV show)

Arriving on June 4

1000-lb Roomies season 1 (TV show)
Fatal Destination season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 5

Bea's Block season 1 (TV show)
Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 6

House Hunters International volume 9 season 201 (TV show)
Parthenope (movie)

Arriving on June 10

Virgins season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 11

Guy's Grocery Games season 38 (TV show)

Arriving on June 12

Bitchin' Rides season 11 (TV show)
Mini Beat Power Rockers: A Superheroic Night (TV show)

Arriving on June 13

Cleaner (movie)
House Hunters volume 10 season 240 (TV show)
Maine Cabin Masters season 10 (TV show)
Super Sara (TV show)
Toad & Friends season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 16

Hero Ball season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on June 17

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm (TV show)
Super Mega Cakes season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on June 19

Expedition Unknown season 15 (TV show)
Mystery At Blind Frog Ranch season 5 (TV show)

Arriving on June 20

House Hunters volume 10 season 241 (TV show)
Lu & The Bally Bunch season 1 (TV show)
Now or Never: FC Montfermeil (TV show)
Teen Titans Go! season 9 (TV show)

Arriving on June 21

The Kitchen season 38 (TV show)
The Never Ever Mets season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on June 22

The Gilded Age season 3 (TV show)

Arriving on June 23

Match Me Abroad season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on June 24

Enigma (documentary)
Mean Girl Murders season 3 (TV show)
The Invitation (movie)

Arriving on June 25

Rehab Addict season 10 (TV show)

Arriving on June 27

House Hunters volume 10 season 242 (TV show)
My Mom Jayne (documentary)
Pati seasons 1 & 2 (TV show)
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (movie)

Arriving on June 29

#Somebody's Son season 1 (TV show)
Family or Fiancé season 4 (TV show)

Arriving on June 30

90 Day Fiancé: Pillow Talk season 11 (TV show)
Truck U season 21 (TV show)

You might also like

• HBO Max's highly anticipated IT prequel series Welcome to Derry finally has a trailer, and it's delightfully creepy
• 5 of the biggest streaming announcements from Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2025, from HBO Max shows to the new Superman trailer
• Peacemaker season 2 finally has a teaser trailer – here are 3 things you need to know about the hit Max show's return

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 31 (game #720).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #721) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DIVE
• SLUSH
• FENCE
• LOCK
• SWIM
• HEDGE
• ICE
• HAUNT
• MUTUAL
• GUARANTEE
• JOINT
• RIDE
• CINCH
• SHOOT
• TRUST
• ESTABLISHMENT

NYT Connections today (game #721) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: A bar you know 
• GREEN: Multi-sport
• BLUE: In the bag 
• PURPLE: A pool of money

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #721) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: LOCAL WATERING HOLE 
• GREEN: COMPETE IN A MODERN PENTATHLON 
• BLUE: ENSURE, AS A VICTORY 
• PURPLE: ___ FUND 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #721) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #721, are…

• YELLOW: LOCAL WATERING HOLE DIVE, ESTABLISHMENT, HAUNT, JOINT
• GREEN: COMPETE IN A MODERN PENTATHLON FENCE, RIDE, SHOOT, SWIM
• BLUE: ENSURE, AS A VICTORY CINCH, GUARANTEE, ICE, LOCK
• PURPLE: ___ FUND HEDGE, MUTUAL, SLUSH, TRUST

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

As a big fan of multi-sport competitions I got COMPETE IN A MODERN PENTATHLON quickly, as these are all events in that particular Olympic sport.

It’s called the modern pentathlon to distinguish it from the ancient pentathlon, but in truth it’s not very modern anymore. It’s a bit like someone calling a typewriter a modern pencil. 

In my opinion there should be more of these tests of sporting ability – I remember a brief attempt at marketing a chessboxing hybrid a while back and there is of course the triathlon, but why stop there?

Combining table games, athletics and martial arts creates hundreds of watchable possibilities; who wouldn’t want to watch Jenga-Pole Vault-Judo? 

Getting the hardest group, comprising of four funds, early was a thrill for me today, tempered slightly by the fact that I don’t understand the blue group ENSURE, AS A VICTORY at all – just like I didn’t understand it a year ago when the exact same group appeared in Connections #340.

Back then, in May 2024, it was a green group so I don’t think I’m alone in struggling to see where ICE fits in.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, May 31, game #720)

• YELLOW: ALCOVE CAVITY, HOLLOW, NOOK, RECESS
• GREEN: WAYS TO RECOGNIZE ACHIEVEMENT CERTIFICATE, MEDAL, PLAQUE, TROPHY
• BLUE: VERBS IN BREADMAKING FERMENT, PROOF, REST, RISE
• PURPLE: THINGS YOU CAN BLOW BUBBLE, FUSE, KISS, RASPBERRY

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, May 31 (game #1223).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1224) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• M

• W

• A

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1224) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1224, are…

• POINT
• MERIT
• WHOOP
• APHID

On the surface WHOOP may look like a tricky word to get, but there are two reasons behind why I saw it immediately.

Firstly, with an H, O, and P all with limited places to go, a word ending  H-O-O-P seemed the most likely possibility. Secondly, when you play Quordle and its many variants for a while, a few words recur more than others and WHOOP is one of them. 

It still feels like magic when you get strange words like “whoop” correct, though. Worthy of a small “whoop!” at least.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1224) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1224, are…

• GLOAT
• LADLE
• ALIKE
• VOUCH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER
• Quordle #1214, Thursday, 22 May: LOSE, GLOVE, STINT, EXCEL
• Quordle #1213, Wednesday, 21 May: NOVEL, CHOSE, DIRTY, DONUT
• Quordle #1212, Tuesday, 20 May: DECOY, SHAKE, MAPLE, PURER
• Quordle #1211, Monday, 19 May: LINK, HANDY, DITCH, WAIVE
• Quordle #1210, Sunday, 18 May: QUACK, ROACH, PURGE, DOWNY
• Quordle #1209, Saturday, 17 May: STRIP, RANGE, UNITE, GEESE
• Quordle #1208, Friday, 16 May: SHEEP, SNUCK, DRIFT, BREAK
• Quordle #1207, Thursday, 15 May: PAINT, CROUP, PEDAL, FLUKE
• Quordle #1206, Wednesday, 14 May: FAVOR, METER, PICKY, MAKER
• Quordle #1205, Tuesday, 13 May: SCENT, AGAPE, POLAR, YEARN
• Quordle #1204, Monday, 12 May: ROYAL, ARGUE, BUNCH, READY

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, May 31 (game #454).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… All rise

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• RATION
• THIN
• YOUR
• ATOM
• COIN
• BROOM

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #455) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #455) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #455, are…

• BAIL
• COURTROOM
• ALIBI
• MOTION
• OBJECTION
• SPANGRAM: YOUR HONOR

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

The theme “All rise” immediately had me thinking we were searching for terms connected to judges, juries and trials. I couldn’t see any search words, so I used a hint to begin the hunt. BAIL didn’t exactly open up the board – but seeing COURTROOM did.

After a few easy editions, this Strands was much more of a challenge – OBJECTION was my final word, but it took a while to unpick the anagram and then connect the letters.

Today’s spangram – YOUR HONOR – is also the title of a TV show that has an excellent opening episode about a crime, a compromised judge, and the manufacture of an ALIBI. The jury is out on the rest of the series.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, May 31, game #454)

• SCRUNCHIE
• CLAW
• CLIP
• BARRETTE
• HEADBAND
• SPANGRAM: HAIR ACCESSORIES

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• Haptic buttons are predicted for Apple devices
• They're more durable and more customizable
• It's unlikely we'll see them on the iPhone 17

Haptic buttons (also known as solid-state buttons) don't physically move – they just give your fingers feedback in the form of vibrations to simulate a click. Apple uses them for its MacBook trackpads, and it seems they'll be coming to many other devices soon.

As per well-known tipster Instant Digital (via MacRumors), Apple is exploring the idea of using haptic buttons for the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple Watch – though the indications are that this isn't something we'll be seeing in this year's refreshes.

This isn't the first time this rumor has appeared – we thought we might get haptic buttons back with the iPhone 15 series, if you remember – but it appears that they're back on the agenda for Apple, and this time not just for the iPhone.

We don't get much more information than that, but the benefits of these haptic buttons are that they last longer (because they're not actually moving), and offer more customization options (because the force of the feedback can be adjusted as needed).

Buttoned down

We might see haptic buttons on the Apple Watch too (Image credit: Apple)

Based on this rumor at least, it seems unlikely that haptic buttons are going to be ready for the iPhone 17, or indeed the Apple Watch Series 11. Both of those devices will now be in the latter stages of their development ahead of an expected September launch.

Looking further down the line though, some of this technology might appear in Apple's 2026 devices (by which time, Apple's launch schedule could be more staggered). It could show up slowly too, on some buttons but not on others.

The iPhone 16 handsets do feature a Camera Control button that's partially haptic, but it uses tech that's actually a solid-state and physical mechanism hybrid. It possibly shows Apple experimenting ahead of going all in on haptics.

Other leaks have suggested that Apple is working towards an all-screen iPhone in the coming years (without any notches or islands), while rumors of a portless iPhone have been swirling for years. Haptic buttons could be another part of that grand plan.

You might also like

• These are the best iPhones you can currently buy
• Our full review of the Apple Watch Series 10
• The iPad mini could get an OLED display soon

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – key information

- Set to be released in June 2026
- Filming wrapped in early May
- No trailer revealed yet
- Milly Alcock will play the titular character
- Other cast members reportedly unveiled
- Based on Tom King and Bilquis Evely's comic book namesake
- Should directly adapt the story from the aforementioned graphic novel
- Unclear how it'll impact the wider DCU

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, due to fly into theaters in June 2026, will introduce the titular hero to a whole new audience.

Over 40 years have passed since Kara Zor-El's only big-screen adventure. And, while she's appeared in numerous TV shows, it's high time that Kal-El's jaded but similarly powerful cousin returned to the silver screen spotlight.

With Supergirl's long-overdue sophomore movie outing set to be the DC Universe's (DCU) second film release, you'll want to learn more about it. Below, I've rounded up the latest information on the superhero flick, including its confirmed release date and cast, story details, and more. Potential spoilers follow for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and the graphic novel it's based on.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow release date

Today we celebrate #Supergirl and all her various incarnations. Can’t wait for you to see the latest version, portrayed by the indomitable @millyalcock, in June 2026.Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. pic.twitter.com/3sXwAFfxJbMarch 31, 2025

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will land in theaters worldwide on June 26, 2026. That means Supergirl will make her DCU debut almost one year after James Gunn's Superman movie officially kicks off the DCU. Well, if you discount Creature Commandos' first season.

But I digress. Although he's not directing it, Gunn, one of DC Studios' co-heads, confirmed (via Threads) that principal photography wrapped in early May. With over 12 months to complete its post-production phase, there's no reason why the DCU Chapter One movie won't make its current release date.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow trailer: is there one?

The first image from the Woman of Tomorrow set was shared by James Gunn in March (Image credit: James Gunn/Instagram)

Nope. A teaser could be shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 in late July, if DC Studios is in attendance and one has been edited in time. Right now, though, no footage is publicly available.

Once a trailer is released, I'll update this section.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow cast: confirmed and rumored

Kara Zor-El is the lead character in this DCU Chapter One film (Image credit: DC Comics)

Potential spoilers follow for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Here's who I expect to see in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow:

• Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
• Jason Momoa as Lobo
• Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem
• Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll
• David Krumholtz as Zor-El
• Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze

So far, Alcock and Momoa are the only actors who are officially confirmed to appear.

Alcock, who you might recognize from House of the Dragon and Sirens, was picked to play Supergirl in January 2024. Alcock made it to the final two alongside Meg Donnelly last January, and was then selected by Gunn and his studio co-chief Peter Safran to play a character previously portrayed by the likes of Helen Slater, Melissa Benoist, and Summer Glau in a live-action capacity.

Real name Kara Zor-El, she hails from Krypton, aka the destroyed planet that was also home to Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman. In fact, she's Superman's cousin, so you won't be surprised to learn that she possesses identical powers to the only other surviving Kryptonian. Expect to see her use her superhuman physical abilities, heat vision, X-ray vision, invulnerability, and flight-based skills in Woman of Tomorrow.

I wonder if Kara and company will try to enlist Lobo's help to track down Krem... (Image credit: DC Comics)

As for Momoa, who played Aquaman in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU), he'll cameo as Lobo.

The sole survivor of another alien race that lived on the utopian world known as Czarnia, Lobo travels the cosmos as a bounty hunter/mercenary. He's got the skillset for the job, too, with super strength, speed, and agility, plus immortality, self-healing powers, and expert marksmanship, ensuring that few foes can best him in short- and long-range combat.

Interestingly, Lobo doesn't appear in Woman of Tomorrow's comic book namesake (more on the story later), so I'm keen to learn why writer Ana Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie included him in the movie adaptation.

A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)

A photo posted by on

Where the rest of the cast is concerned, Ridley, who appeared in 3 Body Problem on Netflix, will play Ruthye (per Deadline). A young and noble warrior who enlists the eponymous hero's help to track down the individual who murdered her dad, Ruthye will play an integral role in the story.

Meanwhile, Krumholtz and Beecham are on board (per The Hollywood Reporter) as Kara's parents, Zor-El and Alura, so expect to see some flashbacks to Kara's childhood and, potentially, Krypton's demise. According to the aforementioned Deadline article, Schoenaerts is tackling the role of Krem, aka the primary villain of the piece, who's responsible for killing Ruthye's father.

Lastly, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will feature everyone's favorite boisterous pooch, Krypto. Inspired by Gunn's own rescue dog Ouzo, Krypto will make his DCU debut in Gunn's Superman movie before he traverses the galaxy with Kara and Ruthye.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow story speculation

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow takes its title from its comic book namesake (Image credit: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Discovery)

Possible spoilers follow for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow doesn't have a story synopsis yet. However, it's already possible to draw some conclusions about its plot because it'll draw heavily from its graphic novel series namesake.

Indeed, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is the same title bestowed upon an eight-issue series written by Tom King and drawn by Bilquis Eveley, which ran from June 2021 to February 2022.

In it, Kara Zor-El crosses paths with Ruthye and is asked to help the latter find the man (i.e. Krem) responsible for killing her dad. A reluctant Supergirl agrees to help, thus kicking off the literary work's events.

I won't spoil much else because, well, spoilers. However, Woman of Tomorrow is a unique comic book series in that it doesn't tell the story from the perspective of the titular hero. Indeed, we witness events play out through Ruthye's eyes, so I'm curious to see if this'll be the case in its movie adaptation, or if Kara will be our eyes and ears instead.

Regardless, it seems like Supergirl's first solo DCU outing will be incredibly faithful to its graphic novel counterpart. In January, Gunn revealed Woman of Tomorrow's first behind-the-scenes image, and it showed Alcock's Kara in a place that'll be very familiar to DC fans. Sure, this is just a single picture, but I'd be amazed if the forthcoming flick isn't a near-identical retelling of the plot that plays out in DC Comics literature.

Of equal intrigue will be the movie's age rating.

By all accounts, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a pretty dark story from a thematic standpoint, so its live-action interpretation could push the boundaries of what's considered to be a PG-13 movie in the US and a 12-plus film in the UK. I suspect these are the age ratings it'll eventually earn, as Gunn, Safran, and company won't want to make a 16-plus or even R-rated film that fewer people will be able to see.

How will Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow impact the DCU?

Woman of Tomorrow will be the second DCU movie after Superman, which arrives this July (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

The short answer is: I don't know. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be the fourth DCU project released after Creature Commandos season 1, Superman, and Lanterns. The last of that trio is the next HBO TV Original that'll also air on Max (US and Australia) and Sky/Now TV (UK). It's expected to launch in early 2026.

Post-Woman of Tomorrow, the only other DCU production confirmed to be in active development, is Clayface. A small-budget horror flick from Mike Flanagan, it's currently penciled in to arrive in September 2026 and, based on what's been publicly revealed, it's highly unlikely to have ties to Woman of Tomorrow.

Until the Daughter of Krypton's next standalone adventure is out, then, nobody can say what the future holds for Kara Zor-El or how her first DCU solo movie will impact Gunn and Safran's cinematic universe.

What we do know is Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is positioning Supergirl as the fourth superhero that the DCU will be built around. In May, WBD CEO David Zaslav told investors that Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Batman are the DCU's "big asset builders" (per Yahoo). So, this isn't the last we'll see of Kara in the DCU.

For more DCU based coverage, read our guides on Creature Commandos season 2, the best Batman movies, and how to watch the DC movies in order.

• Kopernica AI platform tracks over 790 body points
• Combines vision, voice, and psychology to “understand” complex human emotions
• Continuously learns users' emotional patterns to personalize its responses with empathy

In recent years, artificial intelligence has rapidly advanced in understanding human language and behavior, yet the challenge of truly grasping human emotions remains a frontier.

However Neurologyca says its new AI system can “understand” human emotions, sense stress and anxiety, and adapt accordingly.

Kopernica integrates multiple sensory inputs and, unlike traditional AI which relies primarily on text or speech, uses a combination of computer vision, natural language processing, and personality modeling.

Multi-Modal Sensing

The system monitors over 790 points of reference on the human body, seven times more than comparable market solutions.

By using 3D pattern recognition, it can record subtle body language and facial expressions.

In order to find emotional clues that go beyond words, it also examines vocal tone and rhythmic patterns.

Furthermore, Kopernica continuously learns an individual’s emotional trends and interaction preferences.

This enables the system to personalize and be more empathetic in engagement over time.

Such multi-modal signal fusion is touted as the first technology to combine visual, auditory, and psychological signals to infer complex states like motivation, cognitive load, stress, and attention.

"Today’s AI systems understand what we say, but they can’t understand how we feel," said Juan Graña, Co-founder and CEO of Neurologyca.

"With Kopernica, we’ve created the human context layer that will empower these systems to not only capture nuanced human emotions but respond with empathy, adapt their behavior, and genuinely enhance the human-machine relationship.”

The promise of an emotionally smart AI is attractive, but the huge question remains: Can AI really understand human emotions in any meaningful sense?

The human capacity is very complex. It is shaped by history, context, individual nuance and cultural dimensions that even the most advanced AI system will overlook.

It goes beyond simply detecting anxiety or stress markers from micro-expressions and vocal patterns. The interpretation of what caused these expressions and the appropriate response is an issue that most likely requires human judgment.

There is also the issue of privacy. Neurologyca claims Kopernica performs real-time processing locally on devices, anonymizing data and ensuring no identifiable information is stored or shared without explicit consent.

Yet, any system that claims to consistently monitor human physiological and psychological signals, especially in public settings, will always have privacy issues to deal with.

You might also like

• Here's our roundup of the best AI phones
• We've also listed the best business laptops for all budgets
• Simplify to accelerate: effective enterprise security and networking strategies for 2025

• A new Pixel superfan event has been spotted
• It could offer a sneak preview of the Pixel 10
• That would point to a launch before August

We know that Android 16 is going to be launching significantly earlier in the year than Android 15 did, and now the signs are that the Google Pixel 10 could break cover earlier this year than the Pixel 9 did in 2024.

According to Android Police, Pixel superfans in the UK – so Pixel owners who've signed up for access to a community of people who really, really like Pixels – have been invited to an exclusive Pixel 10 preview event on June 27.

Yes, that's June 27, 2025 – a mere 27 days from today (May 31). Now the Pixel 10 isn't mentioned by name on the invitation, but it does refer to "pre-release Pixel devices", which most probably means the upcoming flagship phone.

We're speculating a bit here, but the Google Pixel 9 launched on August 13, 2024. If Google is going to demo the Pixel 10 to superfans near the end of June, then we might be looking at a launch for the device sometime in July.

Speeding up

The Pixel 9 Pro is due a successor soon (Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

An earlier Pixel 10 launch would fit with a recent Google trend too: the Google Pixel 8 was unveiled on October 12, 2023, so these launches are getting earlier and earlier with each passing year – perhaps to get way ahead of the traditional September iPhone launch.

And Android is launching early this year, too: Android 16 is expected to leave beta sometime in June, whereas Android 15 wasn't officially finished until September 2024. Google is speeding up its hardware and software development, it seems.

Thanks to the Android 16 beta program and Google I/O 2025, we already know a lot about what the software upgrade is bringing with it, of course. One of the most significant updates is a visual overhaul called Material 3 Expressive.

We don't know quite as much about the Pixel 10, though a few leaks and rumors have emerged in recent months. It is apparently going to bring with it a pretty underwhelming camera upgrade, and improved display technology.

You might also like

• These could be the colors of the Pixel 10
• Check out the best Pixel phones right now
• This is a very strange Google Pixel 10 leak

I’ve spent the last two weeks with Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, and when showing the all-new Galaxy S device to my friends and family, the same two comments would always be made. The first: ‘wow, that’s thin’. The second: ‘why?’.

Sadly I’ve been unable to provide a quick answer to the latter. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge doesn’t trim the fat when it comes to being an epic handset – it features the same great user interface that Samsung refined with the S25 launch and, indeed, it looks and feels especially premium. But the feature that justifies its ‘Edge’ namesake hasn’t been demonstrated as particularly useful.

Despite being more expensive than the Galaxy S25 Plus (the edge starts at $1,099.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,849, while the Plus starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699), it features a lot of the same specs – and where it doesn't, it's often made sacrifices, including with the camera and battery.

There’s a nice mix of features here that, on the whole, are probably attractive to a user after a particular spec. That being said, the S25 Plus remains the better phone, and if you’re gravitating towards more expensive phones, I’d recommend the S25 Ultra over the Edge.

I don’t really have a lot to say about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, but if you’re someone who has been craving a thin phone, pay attention to this device. I don’t recommend paying full price but, once Black Friday sales roll around, I’d be more inclined to purchase the Edge at a discount. At full price, however, with the Galaxy S25 Plus now seeing price drops, it's a tough sell.

What are these features?

A Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge lockscreen. (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

Ask yourself what you’re willing to sacrifice for a thin phone. Battery size? A camera lens? A stylus? To achieve what is likely the thinnest phone on the market right now, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has sacrificed all of these things but, at the same time, it has received an interesting mishmash of features from both the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, along with some features of its own.

The 200MP lens on the Edge, which it carries over from the Ultra, is great in use and captures a lot of color and detail, though the 12MP ultrawide camera from the Plus is also featured, rather than the much more capable 50MP lens on the Ultra. The telephoto lens is nowhere to be seen, removed to achieve the thinness, meaning that zoom capabilities are severely limited.

The battery is only a 3,900mAh capacity pack – smaller than the 4,900mAh battery found in the Plus and the 5,000mAh in the Ultra. This is again due to the thinness. I can confirm that it’s not as devastating as it may read on paper – I’ve been able to yield full-day batteries from the S25 Edge successfully during my time with it; however, I’m left yearning for the gigantic battery in the S25 Ultra, which I could rely on to last me into a second day if I forgot a charge.

My 9-5 workday with the S25 Edge saw the phone run down to about 51% once I got home, and using it casually one morning, the phone dropped from 100% to 87% in just under two hours. No doubt it’d be struggling if I forgot to charge it overnight, or when I got home after work.

A phone of this price might be unconscionable with a battery like this, but I kind of see it as a non-issue. It’s not really intended to be the same exceptionally capable device as the Ultra, after all – this phone is realistically closer to the Z range, as it’s more niche and experimental (albeit no fold).

Left: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Right: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

The display is also fairly nice, though it’s identical to the 6.7-inch, 3,440 x 1,440 resolution screen featured on the Plus – apart from the new Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 protective layer. I would have liked the screen to have similar squared dimensions to the Ultra, along with the flagship phone’s premium anti-glare glass to make it a more competitive handset (and more different to the Plus), but that’s just me.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is the exact same as the one that’s in the Plus and Ultra, and the AI feature set (which Samsung still hasn’t indicated the future pricing of) remains identical.

And that naturally leads up to the thinness – yeah, it’s thin. I don’t really know what to say: Samsung made a thin phone. Cool. It’s still as thick as a standard phone when you put a case on it, something that I would highly recommend as, although it looks quite nice, I was not confident in holding the phone without a case by the side of the road or when on a balcony. The camera housing also adds a bit of chunkiness, protruding far from the phone's back.

What was I expecting?

A Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge lying on its face. (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

The Galaxy S25 Edge feels like a stumble more than anything else, which is a shame considering Samsung’s recent track record: the hugely impressive Galaxy Ring, the epic Galaxy S25 Ultra refresh and awesome-value Galaxy A56 are all brilliant examples of the Korean tech giant’s ability to read the room and understand what its customers actually want.

While I don’t deny the existence of folks looking for a thin phone, the S25 Edge fails to carve out a unique niche among the Galaxy S family of devices. Simultaneously, the Edge feels too close to the S25 Plus to feel unique on its own, and too feature-stripped to justify buying at full price.

There are places that Samsung could take the Edge idea to make it more appealing. As I alluded earlier, bringing it closer in spec and aesthetic to the Ultra, offering its anti-glare layer and more squared shape while also being thinner, smaller and cheaper is one place where the Edge might be justifiable.

Another is the opposite: reckoning with the fact that it’s going to be feature-limited to begin with, instead positioning it closer to the base-model Galaxy S25, offering a similar set of cameras and size, along with the incredible thinness with a slightly higher price.

It’s close to the issues encountered by the Galaxy Z Flip. That phone has similar battery and camera limitations as the Edge, along with a high price, but the Flip gets a pass as it’s really cool to treat your phone like a classic flip phone and it has an additional screen. The Edge is just thin.

For now, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge feels just a little too niche for mass-market appeal, which explains why the company has only chosen three color options (one being exclusive to Samsung’s online store). It’s a good phone and I recommend purchasing it – just not over the other phones in the S25 range and certainly not for the full price.

You might also like...

• The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge could be the end of the Galaxy S25 Plus – and to be honest I’m fine with that
• Fresh Google Pixel 10 leaks may have revealed some of the colors and wallpapers for the upcoming flagship phone
• I was convinced a discounted iPhone 15 was the best ‘budget’ iPhone to buy in 2025 but, after 2 weeks with Apple’s iPhone 16e, I’m a complete convert

Practical Magic 2: key information

- Set for release on Sept 18, 2026
- Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reprising their iconic roles
- Plot will follow Alice Hoffman's The Book of Magic novel
- No official trailer released yet
- Expected to stream on HBO Max after theatrical release
- Joey King "in talks" to play Sally's daughter

Practical Magic 2 is on its way and considering it's been nearly 30 years since we enjoyed the 1998 original, it's practically magical news – especially because Warner Bros. has already confirmed the release date as September 18, 2026.

Will Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman be reprising their iconic roles? Yes, they certainly will. The sequel is set to bring back at least that much of the original's spellbinding magic, with both Sally and Gillian Owens played by the original actors.

Marked as a theatrical release at first, it will almost certainly arrive on HBO Max after that, as a Warner movie – the original Practical Magic has found its home there.

And who knows, Practical Magic 2 may well find itself among the best Max movies to watch on one of the best streaming services. Here's everything we know so far about Practical Magic 2 from release date, to cast, to plot and so much more.

Practical Magic 2: release date?

The spell is cast. The date is set. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return. Only In Theaters September 18, 2026. Rewatch the original #PracticalMagic now streaming on MAX. pic.twitter.com/SfPT1DduLXMay 6, 2025

Practical Magic 2 will arrive in theaters on September 18, 2026. The news was confirmed by an official post on X in May by Warner Bros, accompanied by some magic words from the movie's stars, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.

They can be heard reciting a spell: "Tooth of wolf and morning dew. Something old and something new. Let the spell begin to mix. September 18, 2026."

While it says "only in theaters", it's all-but-certain to come to HBO Max after that, since that's Warner Bros. Discovery's official streaming platform. It's where the original 1998 Practical Magic just dropped too, if you want to remind yourself of the magic.

Practical Magic 2: has a trailer been released?

Will Aunt Franny and Aunt Jet return? (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

There's no official Practical Magic 2 trailer yet, which is not surprising considering the cast and crew haven't announced any notice of filming.

During an interview with Variety in February though, Kidman revealed that the sequel is "moving ahead rapidly", before shutting down any further questions. I'll be sure to update here when an official trailer drops.

Practical Magic 2: confirmed cast

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman will reprise their iconic roles (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

As far as the Practical Magic 2 cast list goes, it's pretty sparse. But, there's two crucial actors who will be reprising their role, as reported by Variety:

• Sandra Bullock as Sally Owens
• Nicole Kidman as Gillian Owens

It feels as though Practical Magic 2 wouldn't be possible without the return of Bullock and Kidman as the Owens' sisters, so this casting announcement coming hand-in-hand with revealing the movie's existence makes total sense (and is a huge relief).

To tie the cast together perfectly, we're wondering if Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest will also reprise their iconic roles as Aunt Franny and Aunt Jet respectively. Both women are still acting, despite being 81 and 77 years old, respectively.

There is an important crew member returning, though, and that's Akiva Goldsman who co-wrote the original Practical Magic. And he's officially back on board for writing Practical Magic 2.

Finally, though yet to be confirmed, Joey King is reportedly "in talks" to play Sally's daughter (as per Variety) and we'll delve more into the importance of this role in the plot section below.

Practical Magic 2: story synopsis and rumors

Practical Magic 2 will be based on Alice Hoffman's The Book of Magic (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Full spoilers for Practical Magic to follow. Plus, potential spoilers for Practical Magic 2.

The original Practical Magic movie in 1998 is based on the first novel in the famed series by author, Alice Hoffman. It followed Sally and Gillian, two reluctant witch sisters, who are raised by their aunts in a small town tackling a curse that could stop them from ever finding love.

And, as they grow up, they use their gift of practical magic to try to break the wretched curse for good.

So, when it comes to the plot of Practical Magic 2, it marks a return to the books. Hoffman's series consists of four novels; Practical Magic (1995), The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020) and The Book of Magic (2021). And Entertainment Weekly exclusively revealed in July 2024 that The Book of Magic would be the basis of the sequel's plot.

Speaking to EW, producer Denise Di Novi said: "I think [fans are] going to be very pleased. We're going to be very faithful. We're cognizant to how important those characters and that movie are to so many people. We're not going to reinvent the wheel."

We know from the official book synopsis that this, the fourth in Hoffman's series, follows "three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother", as well as the "younger generation" including Kylie Owens, the daughter of Sally.

And, of course, there's already talks about casting Sally's daughter, but I won't delve into the synopsis of this book any further for fear of revealing too much. I don't want the same generational curse that haunts the Owens family coming down on me.

Will there be more Practical Magic movies?

Will a Practical Magic prequel be revisited? (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Never say never. While there's no suggestion that any more Practical Magic movies are on the way, I can't say for certain that this marks the end. That said, given that Practical Magic 2 is based around Alice Hoffman's conclusive novel of her series, then for Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman's story at least, it feels... well, conclusive.

But, while another movie might be out of the question, how about a TV show? The two prequel novels that came between Practical Magic and The Book of Magic have been a focus of previous, though failed, attempts to bring Practical Magic back to life.

The most recent by HBO Max as it hoped to create a TV series in 2019. Set to focus on the aunts, Franny and Jet, it failed to get the green light, but perhaps Practical Magic 2 can bring the magic back to life?

I imagine it will all depend on the success of the movie – if it's a big hit, spin-offs could be worked out pretty quickly.

For more Max TV show-based coverage, check out our guides on House of the Dragon season 3, Peacemaker season 2, Creature Commandos season 2, and The White Lotus season 4.