WIRE Buzz: Harley Quinn renewed; Hasbro PulseCon schedule; and Smashing Pumpkins animated series

Great f***ing news, Gothamites! Harley Quinn has officially been renewed for a third season, and since DC Universe has gone through a major rebranding, the animated series is exclusively moving over to HBO Max. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, showrunners Patrick Schumacker and Justin Halpern admitted that they've had a good, long time to gestate on ideas for the next season.

"We're just super excited to finally actually be able to put that into action and actually get the ideas ping-ponging off both the returning writers and the inevitable new writers that we're getting to hire now. I am very excited to finally get those ideas out and about in the ether," Schumacker said.

Credit: DC Universe

The R-rated show follows Harley (Kaley Cuoco) as she breaks up with the Joker (Alan Tudyk) and strikes out on her own. Wanting to carve out her own villainous niche in the pantheon of Gotham City rogues, Harley moves in with Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) and begins a romantic relationship with the mistress of all things botanical. During the interview with EW, Halpern promised that fans will get to see more of Harley and Ivy's relationship in the upcoming season.

"This is the first time they're both going to be in a relationship where they really and truly have affection towards one another," he said. "They have a lot of responsibility. So I think like, 'what is it like to be in a good relationship after you've only ever been in bad relationships with abusive people?' is a big theme we want to play with."

Harley Quinn's supporting voice cast is full of recognizable acting talent like Sanaa Lathan ("Catwoman"), Tony Hale ("Doctor Psycho"), Giancarlo Esposito ("Lex Luthor"), Diedrich Bader ("Batman"), Tom Hollander ("Alfred Pennyworth"), Christopher Meloni ("James Gordon"), Rahul Kohli ("Scarecrow"), and Rachel Dratch (Nora Fries).

Break out that day planner, it's time to start planning your Hasbro PulseCon schedule.

Hosted by SYFY WIRE's own Jackie Jennings, the two-day virtual event will deliver on more than 50 reveals for high-end licensed products based on Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, Magic: The Gathering, Power Rangers, Transformers, Marvel, Star Wars, and Ghostbusters. The fun begins on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube channel next Friday, Sept. 25, and runs through Saturday, Sept. 26. Day 1 runs between 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST, and Day 2 runs between 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST.

For every viewer PulseCon attracts, Hasbro promises to donate a game or toy to Toys for Tots.

You should also stick around for special musical performances. Lights will close out the con's first day before Kyle Gass of Tenacious D arrives on Day 2 to take the digital stage at 1:30 p.m. EST. At the same time, John Cena (The Suicide Squad) is set to host a live Q&A. And finally, Saturday evening will close with a bang as Fall Out Boy delivers their own special concert.

Friday, Sept. 25:

• WIZARDS MAGIC: THE GATHERING PRESENTS: ZENDIKAR RISING LIVE!

Join Magic: The Gathering head designer Mark for a special PulseCon panel, where he’ll discuss behind-the-scenes stories and details about the newest Magic card set, Zendikar Rising. From the origins of the set’s design and the beginnings of his favorite set mechanics to the history of the fan-favorite world of Zendikar, this live event is the best place for exclusive insight on how Magic’s latest set was created. Moderated by Wizards of the Coast’s Blake, the panel will also include a short virtual Q&A for any burning questions about Zendikar Rising.

• DUNGEONS & DRAGONS PRESENTS: DRAGON TALK

Join us for a special episode of Dragon Talk, the official Dungeons & Dragons podcast. Hosts Greg and Shelly welcome back actor and D&D aficionado Matthew Lillard to chat about playing Dungeons & Dragons for decades and how it inspired him to co-found an exciting, immersive D&D game accessories company, Beadle and Grimm’s, with his gaming group.

• JOE MANGANIELLO’S GUIDE FOR DUNGEON MASTERS

Joe Manganiello (actor, director, writer, producer) will give players of all skill levels his advice on how to be a great Dungeon Master. Joined by Filmmaker Kyle Newman, one of the authors behind Dungeons & Dragons’ Art & Arcana as well as the upcoming Heroes’ Feast and a regular player in Joe’s home game, the two of them will give you a peek behind the DM screen of Joe’s long-running "War of Dragons" campaign, as well as other fun insights and stories ranging over their long history with the game.

• HASBRO STAR WARS PANEL

Join members of the Hasbro Marketing & Design teams and Lucasfilm Product Development team as they discuss the popular Hasbro Star Wars line, including The Black Series and The Vintage Collection. Attendees will get an in-depth look at Hasbro’s latest action figure and premium roleplay offerings from throughout the saga. Word on the Holonet is there may also be a few surprises.

• HASBRO STAR WARS HASLAB PANEL

In 2018, we launched HasLab with a dream: Make the biggest Vintage Collection vehicle ever, the ones fans had been requesting for years, Jabba’s Sail Barge, the Khetanna. Join members of the Hasbro Marketing & Design teams as they reveal the next Star Wars HasLab Vintage Collection dream project!

• STAR WARS ENTERTAINMENT PANEL

Join Ashley Eckstein, aka Ahsoka Tano, and the Captain himself, Dee Bradley Baker, from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels to discuss both shows as well as new and exciting Hasbro product inspired by the series. Moderated by Patrick from the Hasbro Star Wars Brand Team, you’ll get the inside scoop on their personal Star Wars collections and a first look at their reactions to seeing their characters come to life in figure form.

• HASBRO MARVEL PANEL

The Hasbro Marvel product experts will discuss some exciting news around Hasbro’s ever-popular Marvel LEGENDS action figure line! Viewers will also get a sneak peek of upcoming, never-before-seen Marvel action figures plus some special surprises as well.

Saturday, Sep. 26:

• G.I. JOE PANEL 

Tune in and be the first to see new items, find out which characters will be launched next, and get a peek inside the development process directly from the Hasbro team. And if knowing is half the battle, you’re going to want to join in for G.I. Joe trivia and show off your expertise. Plus a special message from Henry Golding, star of the upcoming film Snake Eyes.

• THE VOICES THAT INSPIRED GENERATIONS OF TRANSFORMERS FANS! 

The powerful voices behind many of the most iconic characters – the heroic Autobot Optimus Prime and the villainous Decepticons Megatron & Soundwave – come together as friends and share stories around the legacy they have helped create. With more than 30 years of Transformers voice acting history and decades of friendship, this talented duo will fill the air with untold stories and glimpses behind the microphone of some of the most memorable recording sessions. Panelists include: Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and Ben from Hasbro Transformers Brand Team.

• TRANSFORMERS WAR FOR CYBERTRON KINGDOM TOY REVEAL!

Join the Hasbro Transformers team as they officially reveal toys from the third and final chapter of the War for Cybertron trilogy, KINGDOM, including the entire first wave of the product line. You won’t want to miss it; it’s going to be a beast! Special guest John will share the inspiration behind the collection and give his final farewell to the Transformers brand! The celebration will continue with the 2020 Transformers Hall of Fame and a well-deserved induction of the newest human honoree ... ME excited! Be prepared for huge surprises, a 10-year anniversary celebration, and exclusive reveals seen first here!

• GHOSTBUSTERS PANEL

Part 1: Classic Ghostbusters:

Tune in for ghostly surprises, classic toy news, and a visit from a very special guest: Ernie Hudson, otherwise known as Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters!  Get ready to hear him answer your fan questions!

Part 2: The Making of Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Toys:

Continue your journey through the ’80s with an inside look at the making of The Real Ghostbusters toys from original Kenner toy designer Mark Boudreaux. Next, you’ll see behind the scenes of sculpting with Dave. Finally, meet the Hasbro team that relaunched the Kenner Real Ghostbusters toys in 2020. Hear about how they answered the call to bring this beloved toy line back for the fans, and be the first to see the next Kenner Real Ghostbusters toy to hit shelves!

 Part 3: Ghostbusters: Afterlife:

The Ghostbusters celebration with a nod to the future … the new Ghostbusters: Afterlife feature film, coming to theaters in March 2021. Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning filmmaker Jason Reitman, director of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, will take you on a tour of the Ecto-1 that was used in the new film. He’ll end his tour with an exciting reveal! You’ll then hear from the Hasbro team about the next toy inspired by the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film to hit shelves!

• HASBRO POWER RANGERS PANEL

Featuring morphinomenal news and brand announcements across new Power Rangers product. Be the first to see new Power Rangers Lightning Collection figures and other products yet to hit shelves, as well as sneak peeks of upcoming items. All of this exciting news will be followed by a Q&A with the design, sculpting, creative, and marketing teams from Hasbro.

• POWER RANGERS ENTERTAINMENT PANEL

The cast of Power Rangers Beast Morphers will be reuniting live at PulseCon sharing-behind-the scenes stories from the set and talking about what life has been like being a Power Ranger! The panel, moderated by Andre Meadows (@BlackNerd), will feature never-before-seen footage and a live Q&A. Hasbro also plans to make a historic announcement … or should we say PREHISTORIC!

Get more info here.

Is it the '90s again?

Variety has confirmed that Smashing Pumpkins plans to release a new double album (titled "Cyr") Friday, Nov. 27. But 20 additional songs isn't the only thing the Chicago-based band (fronted by Billy Corgan) has cooking. The group also produced a five-part animated series called Ashes. Episodes 1 and 2 are scheduled to drop next Friday, Sept. 25. Written by Corgan (credited as William Patrick Corgan), all five installments will feature music from the new album.

Check out the sexy teaser trailer below:

Corgan previously described "Cyr" as "a dystopic folly ... One soul against the world sort of stuff, set against a backdrop of shifting loyalties and sped-up time. To me it stands as both hopeful and dismissive of what is and isn’t possible with faith."