WIRE Buzz: Furiosa to run us over in 2023; Among Us hits half a billion users; WW1984 watch party

Though 2023 might seem a long way off, Warner Bros. is already announcing the theatrical release dates of some of its films (well timed, perhaps, to take away from the kerfuffle of releasing its 2021 movie slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max).

According to Variety, the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa will come out on June 23, 2023 and the animation/live-action hybrid film Coyote vs. Acme will premiere on July 21. Given those dates are over two years in the future, we can only hope that these two theatrical releases will no longer be subject to global pandemic concerns. 

Furiosa features Split's Anya Taylor-Joy — who is currently best known for her role in The Queen’s Gambit — in the titular role, and co-stars Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen, Aquaman). Fury Road director George Miller is once again at the helm, and will chronicle an earlier story involving Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 film.

Coyote vs. Acme will focus on the ne’er-do-well Wile E. Coyote and the company that keeps him well-supplied in anvils. Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) has been tapped to direct, and James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad fame will be co-writing.

The video game Among Us had approximately half a billion(!) players this November. According to Superdata, a Nielsen Company, the title is now “by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players.”

The game is similar to the in-person party game Werewolf or Mafia, where one or two people in a group are secretly working to undermine the others. In Among Us, those playing take on roles of astronauts looking to launch into space — one of them, however, is secretly trying to sabotage the mission and kill everyone on board.

The game is available on several platforms, and is so popular that even members of Congress, specifically Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been known to play.

Despite being free on mobile platforms, the game garners revenue from its PC version, which, with a $5 upfront price, makes up 64% of the game’s revenue even though PC users are only 3% of the total player base.

Granted, 3% of half a billion is still a decent chunk of change, and serves as another proof point that video games have become the biggest entertainment moneymaker this year. Superdata further supports this conclusion by reporting that, in November, digital games grossed $11.5 billion in revenue, a 15% year-over-year increase.

Those looking to get into the Wonder Woman mood before the Dec. 25 premiere of WW1984 on HBO Max (and in theaters where they happen to be open) can now watch old school Wonder Woman episodes on the streaming platform. OG Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter, announced the availability of the 1975 series on Twitter today:

Gal Gadot’s 2017 foray as Wonder Woman in the Patty Jenkins-directed film, Wonder Woman, is also currently streaming on HBO Max, giving fans plenty of WW content to enjoy before the 25th.

Then when the 26th comes along, you'll be good and prepped to watch along with Jenkins and Gadot...

Wonder Woman 1984's official watch party kicks of at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Dec. 26.