Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie just lost its director

Marvel Studios

Director Jon Watts’ involvement in Marvel’s wildly successful Spider-Man movies from the past few years made Kevin Feige’s 2019 announcement that Watts would be helming the studio’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie make more than a bit of sense. It seems now, though, that the plans for Marvel’s First Family returning to the big screen have hit a snag.

Deadline reports that Jon Watts has amicably walked away from the upcoming Fantastic Four movie out of a very understandable desire to take a well-deserved break from making superhero movies. In a public statement, Kevin Feige expressed that working with Watts on the past three Spider-Man films was a joy and that the studio would very much like to collaborate with him in the future.

“We were...

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Every ridiculous thing we learned today about Elon Musk’s plan to take over Twitter

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

This is the end of the first week after Twitter accepted Elon Musk’s $44 billion buyout offer, and one of the strangest tech transactions ever just keeps adding new twists. A detailed report from The Wall Street Journal has peeled back a few layers on the process that began with Musk accumulating Twitter stock back in January and what that might mean when he eventually closes the deal and becomes its owner. Taken with additional information from The Verge contributing editor Casey Newton in Platformer and a new report from Reuters, the picture starts to become clearer.

Reuters is adding more details to earlier reports from Bloombergand The Washington Postabout the ideas Musk pitched to bankers who will loan him some of the money he...

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Netflix has canceled Space Force after two seasons

Steve Carell as General Mark Naird, John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory in Space Force. | Netflix

After initially debuting in 2020 as a somewhat timely lampooning of the United States Space Force, Netflix’s Space Forceworkplace sitcom is being canceled. Deadline reports that Netflix has decided to scuttle the Jeff Daniels and Steve Carell-created series, likely in response to Space Force netting somewhat less-than-stellar ratings over the course of its short run. Space Force’s second season debuted this past February and followed as its characters struggled to weather a change in presidential administrations. Though Space Force’s cancellation may be a sore spot, from Netflix’s perspective, it’s likely yet another cost-saving measure the streamer ultimately felt was necessary to take as it continues to figure out its long-term...

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Microsoft is adding a free built-in VPN to its Edge browser

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is adding a free built-in virtual private network (VPN) service to its Edge browser in a bid to improve security and privacy, a Microsoft support page revealed.

Called ”Edge Secure Network,” Microsoft is currently testing the Cloudflare-powered VPN service and says it will roll it out to the public as a part of a security upgrade.

When turned on, Edge Secure Network should encrypt users’ web traffic so internet service providers can’t collect browsing information you’d rather keep private, like, say, health-related searches or just plain bizarre queries.

The new feature will also let users hide their location by making it possible for them to browse the web using a virtual IP address. That also means users could access...

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Intel CEO now says the chip shortage will ‘drift’ into 2024

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Six months after predicting the global chip shortage would last until at least 2023, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger is now suggesting it might be 2024 before we’re fully out of the woods.

“[W]e believe the overall semiconductor shortage will now drift into 2024, from our earlier estimates in 2023, just because the shortages have now hit equipment and some of those factory ramps will be more challenged,” he told CNBC on Friday.

But while that sounds a little doom-y and gloom-y, you should know that the “chip shortage” is an involved, evolving situation that doesn’t affect every kind of chip at every time. Some industries and some kinds of parts have been worse hit than others as things go on. In fact, Intel’s own chips are doing fairly well....

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Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’ won’t be in the Barbie movie

Warner Bros.

While Warner Bros.’ and Mattel Films’ upcoming Barbie movie is sure to have some level of self-awareness about its main character’s status as a real-world cultural icon, Mattel is taking a firm stance against featuring the iconic doll’s very unofficial anthem that basically everyone knows by heart.

The small tease of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie that Warner Bros. shared this week — a still image of Margot Robbie all dolled up and driving a dream car — singlehandedly put the project at the back front of people’s minds as something they might actually want to see. Partially because of the bright, colorful, “fun” vibes the image gave off, a number of fans began speculating what sorts of music Barbie might feature, and Aqua’s 1997 Hit “Barbie...

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Cyberpunk cat simulator Stray has been delayed to summer 2022

Stray, an upcoming game where you play as a cat, will now be released in summer 2022, according to a video in an official PlayStation tweet. Last July, publisher Annapurna Interactive said Stray would be released in early 2022 on PS5, PS4, and Steam, but it seems now we’re going to have to wait just a little bit longer to play the game.

What does one do in a cyberpunk cat simulator, you might ask? “Stray is a third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity and the murky environments of its seedy underbelly,” developer BlueTwelve Studio says on the game’s Steam page. “Roam surroundings high and low, defend against unforeseen threats and solve the mysteries of this unwelcoming place inhabited...

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Ubisoft confirms leaked Skull and Bones gameplay video is real

Ubisoft

Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones finally seems to be emerging from the depths of development hell. As reported by Kotaku, test footage has leaked online, showing off the biggest glimpse of the live-service pirate adventure that’s been seen since its announcement at E3 2017.

In the video, a voiceover explains some of the core details of Skull and Bones. A stat called “infamy” is used to gauge how good players are at being a pirate. Players can increase their infamy via raiding ships, completing contracts, and finding hidden treasure. Higher tiers of infamy grant players access to more difficult bounties and contracts, and failure will result in the loss of some infamy.

Players will start with a modest pirate ship that they can then upgrade with...

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A walk through the end with Naoki Yoshida

Photo by Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images

The celebrated game director shared insight into the process of crafting Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’s story

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Thomson Reuters commits to human rights assessment of ICE contracts after union investor push

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

In its latest notice to shareholders, Thomson Reuters announced that it would align with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and conduct an independent, company-wide human rights impact assessment of its products and services, including contracts with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The announcement comes after years of criticism over data brokerage services provided by the Canadian media conglomerate to ICE, which uses a Thomson Reuters database service known as Clear to track, arrest and deport undocumented migrants in the US. Currently, Thomson Reuters has more than $100 million of contracts with ICE and provides the immigration agency not only with raw data gathered from cellphone...

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Apple’s Pachinko has been renewed for a second season

Mari Yamamoto as Hana | Apple

Ahead of Pachinko’s season 1 finale, Apple has just renewed its adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s best-selling novel for a second season.

Today, Apple announced that it’s moving forward with more of series creator Soo Hugh’s multigenerational story about a family of Korean immigrants surviving and thriving in Japan throughout the 20th century. In a press release about the renewal, Hugh was mum about what’s next for Pachinko, but she called out the show’s fandom for having been vocal about its desire for more.

“Words cannot express my joy in being able to continue telling the extraordinary story of this indomitable family,” said Hugh. “I’m grateful to the amazing team at Apple and Media Res studio for believing and supporting this show, and to...

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Activision Blizzard again accused of threatening employees for speaking out

It isn’t the first time. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Activision Blizzard is facing another complaint to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that it’s trying to keep employees from talking about their working conditions, despite their legally protected rights to do so. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has filed an unfair labor charge against the company, alleging that it told workers “they could not discuss issues related to the sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by state of California against the company,” according to a press release from the union.

According to the complaint, an employee was threatened by a manager after posting an article about the lawsuit in Slack and discussing holding Activision Blizzard accountable with other co-workers. According to...

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California takes on Big Plastic over recycling myths

A tractor drives through a giant pile of plastic bottles at the San Francisco Recycling Center April 22, 2008 in San Francisco, California. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California will investigate whether fossil fuel companies have broken the law by perpetuating myths about plastic recycling, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced yesterday.

The investigation marks a fresh attempt to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for downplaying the harm their products inflict on the planet. California will be looking into whether companies havemisled consumers into thinking that recycling keeps plastic out of landfills and ecosystems — and whether they’ve broken any laws in the process.

The reality is that the vast majority of plastic — more than 90 percent of all plastic ever made — never gets recycled.

“Enough is enough”

“Enough is enough,” Bonta said in a press release. “For more than half a century,...

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ latest teaser would like you to meet the Illuminati

Marvel Studios

There’s only one week left until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness drops, but rather than waiting for news to spread by word of mouth, Marvel’s just dropped a new teaser featuring a cameo that might change the future of the MCU.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Steven Strange headlines Marvel Studios’ upcoming Multiverse of Madness, but he isn’t the only heavy hitter slated to make an appearance in the movie. Both the Scarlet Witch and America Chavez will somehow factor into the second Doctor Strange film’s story about the entire MCU collapsing in on itself — an event that’s raised more than a few questions about the narrative territory Marvel’s journeying into.

While Multiverse of Madness’ newest teaser doesn’t explain what’s happened...

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Elon Musk unloads $8.4 billion of Tesla stock to finance Twitter takeover

Photo by Christian Marquardt - Pool/Getty Images

Elon Musk sold around $8.4 billion worth of his shares in Tesla this week as he seeks to line up the money to buy Twitter, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. But the billionaire claims he won’t sell any more Tesla stock “after today.”

Musk sold the bulk of his shares on Tuesday and Wednesday, offloading 4.4 million shares, the filings show. He sold another 5.2 million shares on Thursday, after which he tweeted, “No further TSLA sales planned after today.”

Tesla’s share price plummeted 12 percent on Tuesday and has since inched up higher. The stock was up about 3.9 percent on Friday.

“No further TSLA sales planned after today”

On April 25th, Twitter’s board of directors accepted Musk’s offer of $54.20...

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Tone-deaf Samsung ad is a reminder that smartwatch safety still has a ways to go

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has SOS emergency features, but that doesn’t equate to having “freedom to exercise at all hours.” | Screenshot: Samsung

Samsung is under fire for a recent ad depicting a woman wearing a Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Buds running alone in the middle of a city at 2AM. Critics have called the ad both “unrealistic” and “tone-deaf” in the wake of the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23 year old who was killed while running in January in Dublin, Ireland. The ad is oblivious to the dangers of nighttime running, but that makes sense since many smartwatch makers don’t seem to understand how their limited safety features may fail runners.

Samsung has since apologized for the ad, telling BBC Radio 1that it hadn’t intended to “be insensitive to ongoing conversations around women’s safety” and that “the ‘Night Owls’ campaign was designed with a positive message in mind: to...

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BioWare contractors want a union

The contractors have worked on games like Mass Effect Legendary Edition_._ | Image: EA

A group of contractors supporting EA-owned BioWare is trying to unionize. Part of the reason is because they’ll be required to return to the office, even while full-time BioWare employees who work at the same location are being offered a hybrid work from home option, two employees told The Verge.

The organizing group is employed by Keywords Studios, a company that offers services like quality assurance testing and localization for game development companies. One employee expects the unit will consist of between 15 and 20 individuals.

These Keywords employees are embedded directly with BioWare’s team at the company’s office in Edmonton, Canada, and have worked on titles like Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the newest Star Wars: The Old...

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16 states sue to block USPS plan to buy hundreds of thousands of gas-guzzling mail trucks

Photo by George Rose/Getty Images

Sixteen states as well as several prominent climate activists sued the United States Postal Service this week over its plan to purchase 148,000 gas-guzzling delivery trucks over the next decade, alleging the agency failed to consider the environmental impact of its decision.

The states accuse the USPS of only performing a “cursory environmental review to justify the decision to replace 90 percent of its delivery fleet with fossil fuel-powered, internal combustion engine vehicles, despite other available, environmentally preferable alternatives,” the lawsuit reads. “In doing so, the Postal Service failed to comply with even the most basic requirements of [National Environmental Policy Act].”

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court...

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The best webcam to buy right now

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Some standout options for multiple budgets

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Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 review: hot specs and hot air

Good performance, iterative design

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How to run the Red Dead Redemption 2 benchmark

This is another good benchmark to run

One of the games we often use to test gaming laptops and PCs here at The Verge is Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s a popular, demanding game that includes a wide range of effects and scenery, from snowy blizzards to sandy roads and dynamic gunfights. Its benchmark is easy to use and can help you see how well your PC can run demanding games and which settings it can handle.

First, you need to get the game if you don’t already have it. To do that:

• Open Steam and click Store
• Search for Red Dead Redemption 2
• Select Add to Cart and check out. It’s currently priced at $59.99.

Once the game is downloaded, open it to get started.

How to run the Red Dead Redemption 2 benchmark

• Click Settings

There are all kinds of other...

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This is what Apple retail employees in Atlanta are fighting for

Kristen Radtke / The Verge

The Apple Store, located in Atlanta’s Cumberland Mall, is the first of the company’s 272 retail locations to file for a union election. Employees have written an open letter explaining what changes they are pushing for: fair compensation and transparency on alleged pay inequality within the company, a commitment to promote more BIPOC employees into leadership positions, and increased COVID-19 safety measures in stores.

“We want to have a voice in our workplace,” says Elli Daniels, a retail employee and union organizer. “We are doing this because we adore Apple and we love our jobs and we want to make sure we can continue to love the company as much as we do right now. We aren’t doing this because we want to turn our backs on the...

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Go read this exposé on how FAFSA got caught sending personal info to Facebook

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you applied for financial aid through Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in the US in early 2022, there’s a very good chance some personal information was provided to a platform that’s completely irrelevant to the process: Facebook.

This report from The Markup exposed that, as early as January 2022, the US Department of Education sent data from website visitors to Facebook, potentially including information submitted on forms like first and last name, country, phone number, and email address, via the “Meta Pixel” tracking pixel — even if the person didn’t have a Facebook account. The Markup also notes that this data collection began “even before the user logged in to studentaid.gov.”

It’s unknown how many students had...

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Mars helicopter spots wreckage from Perseverance landing

Ingenuity captured images that shows debris from the Mars landing site featuring Perseverance’s parachute and backshell | Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

New pictures from the Ingenuity helicopter offer a fresh perspective of the wreckage left behind when the Perseverance rover landed on Mars last year, NASA saidon Wednesday.

Launched in 2020, the Perseverance rover successfully landed on the Red Planet in 2021, with the mission of finding ancient signs of life on Mars. The rover carried theIngenuity helicopter onboard — an experimental project that scientists on Earth hoped would be able to see sights that the rover couldn’t.

Perseverance went through a grueling process known as the seven minutes of terror to descend onto the Martian surface. As it entered the atmosphere, a heat shield helped protect the rover from the blistering heat of reentry and slowed it down dramatically. After...

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Vergecast: Snapchat Pixy, Elon Musk buys Twitter, Studio Display update

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and editor-at-large David Pierce discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.

On today’s episode, David, Nilay, and Verge deputy editor Liz Lopatto get into the implications of Twitter accepting Elon Musk’s buyout offer and talk about what they think his plans will be for the social network. They also debate what to make of all the rumors flying around that the deal won’t go through at all, even as Musk makes plans for the company’s future under his leadership.

In the second half of the show, Verge senior editor Alex Heath joins to give us all the details on the Pixy, Snap’s new...

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How Hatching’s charmingly terrifying monster was brought to life

The Hatching monster hiding under a bed. | Image: IFC Films

Animatronics designer Gustav Hoegen has worked on some of the biggest film franchises around. He’s helped bring to life the likes of the adorable mechanic Babu Frik from Rise of the Skywalker and the towering engineer from Prometheus. But some of the most stressful experiences in his career came on the set of Hatching, a Finnish body horror movie that debuted at Sundance and premieres in theaters and on-demand today. Unlike those productions, Hatching is a smaller-scale film, with only one creature to make — and Hoegen’s team was responsible for every aspect of its creation. “It’s definitely not good for the nerves doing this on your own,” he tells The Verge.

Hatching tells the story of Tinja, a young girl in a seemingly picture-perfect...

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Hatching finds horror in grotesque acts of self-care and violence

IFC Midnight

Director Hanna Bergholm’s Hatching will disturb you

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Save $69 on this Xbox Series S bundle that includes an extra controller

BuyDig is currently selling the Xbox Series S with an extra controller for just $294.99. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

We’ve been seeing a lot of good deals on Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox Series S console recently, but today’s BuyDig deal stands out because it comes bundled with an extra Xbox wireless controller from Microsoft in addition to the one that’s already included. You can currently nab this bundle for $294.99 instead of $363.99 when you apply promo code DIGAPRIL5 at checkout. In comparison, you can buy the console by itself with one controller included for $289.99 from Amazon, which, while a new all-time low at Amazon, isn’t even the best price we’ve seen.

While the Xbox Series X is becoming more readily available these days, the Xbox Series S is an affordable alternative that retails for less than half the price. It also plays the same games as...

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Windows 11 basics: how to use System Restore to go back in time

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A few years back, I was working as a freelancer for a company that was trying to develop a US market for its rather obscure hardware products and needed a native English speaker to tweak the text on its site. Everything was going swimmingly until my second week on the job, when I went to the site — and found that I was suddenly getting weird ads flashing across my screen and had lost the ability to access my security software.

I needed to get rid of whatever had invaded my system — hopefully, without the need to reset my PC (and lose more time reinstalling all of my apps and files). Here’s what I used: System Restore.

System Restore is a handy feature that takes a sort of snapshot of your PC’s software, registry, and driver...

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Polar Pacer Pro review: same watch in a slightly different package

I feel like I’ve tested and seen this Polar watch before

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