Upcoming Speculative-Fiction Releases Highlighted by Gizmodo

Gizmodo reports that Nicolas Cage is attached to star in Parish, a sci-fi action-thriller set 30 years after a nuclear apocalypse in which a hardened survivor must decide whether to admit a desperate woman and her infant into his fortified refuge. The same outlet notes that 4X4: The Event—directed by Alex Ullom—will follow eight contestants forced into an illegal sensory-assault livestream where they must kill or be killed using only items ordered online. A third project, Haunting Skies, adapts Christian Kang Bachini’s supernatural sci-fi horror novel; it follows an Earth conquered by alien invaders who abduct survivors for grotesque experiments, including a young girl possessed by Satan.

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Additionally, the outlet describes Family Movie, a meta horror-comedy starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick that centers on a low-budget horror production that turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body appears on set.

Gizmodo

In its coverage of upcoming TV, Gizmodo outlines the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, set five years after the fall of Eregion, with Sauron’s armies advancing across Middle-earth and isolated strongholds at Khazad-dûm, Lindon, and Rivendell resisting his domination. The outlet also relays an interview with director Andy Muschietti, who says the new season of It: Welcome to Derry will foreground the “horrible” cultural and economic conditions of the 1930s. Finally, Gizmodo shares that Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 will debut its second season on Netflix on September 17, as confirmed by showrunner Eric Robles.

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• Practical Magic 2 – PG-13 rating; theatrical release scheduled for April 23, 2027.

Gizmodo

• Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 – second season premiere scheduled for September 17 on Netflix.

Gizmodo

The announced films and series converge on themes of survival under extreme conditions—post-apocalyptic isolation, horror-driven livestream combat, alien conquest, and historical oppression. Several projects blend genre conventions with meta-commentary, such as a filmmaking family confronting real murder in Family Movie and a horror series deliberately exploring 1930s socioeconomic distress in It: Welcome to Derry. Collectively, these developments illustrate a continued industry focus on speculative storytelling that merges high-concept premises with contemporary cultural concerns.

Gizmodo