Latest news with #Jinx
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Arcane' cocreator reflects on Season 2 and looks ahead to the future of ‘League of Legends'
Prior to 2021, Riot Games' League of Legends was primarily known as a wildly successful battle arena game. But the characters created for that game became even more popular after Netflix debuted the first season of Arcane, a thrilling animated series that rivaled Pixar in terms of visual flare. After a three-year hiatus, Arcane returned for its second and final season in November 2024. The series' swan song is now potentially a contender to win its second Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. Prior to the voting period, Gold Derby caught up with Christian Linke, the cocreator of Arcane and one of the primary driving voices behind it. Linke shared his thoughts on the origin of the show, Season 2's change in direction, and where the franchise may go in the future. More from GoldDerby 'Prizzi's Honor' at 40: How John and Angelica Huston made history together with his penultimate picture 'So indescribable and special': 'Happy's Place' stars Belissa Escobedo and Melissa Peterman on working with Reba McEntire Sam Rockwell on Frank's 'White Lotus' backstory, Woody Harrelson's influence, and going all in on 'this arc of Buddhist to Bad Lieutenant' Linke noted that most of the story and lore behind Arcane didn't exist before the show. All of that was built around asking questions about the characters as they appeared in the game. "What was there to start to work with was the characters, Vi, Jinx, Jayce, Viktor, Caitlyn, Ekko, That was really the heart of what inspired the show, and frankly made us fall in love with wanting to to work on this project because we had been with these characters for at that point, five or six years. We've been playing the game for hundreds or thousands of hours with these characters. And just over time, you start to have questions. 'Who are they when they're not just these game characters? How do they live their lives? What happened to these sisters that became enemies?' These were just all the questions that started to pop up over time. Jinx — as voiced by Fallout's Ella Purnell — turned out to be one of the show's most popular characters just as she is in the game. That didn't come as s surprise to Linke and his collaborators. "Jinx, to a large degree, inspired the entire show," said Linke. "I think there's always been something about Jinx that is magnetic. When she's on the screen, it's just fun. Her scenes are fun. She's always been one of the most successful characters from our game. So I think there's just something about that wild character and expression that is the ultimate power fantasy of doing whatever you want and being interesting and original. We've always known that Jinx is our powerhouse." However, Linke admitted to being shocked by how much viewers liked Jinx's second adoptive father, Silco (Jason Spisak), who was one of the unambiguously villainous characters in Season 1. "We weren't sure what kind of reaction to expect from Silco," admitted Linke. "He is a manipulative, criminal, ruthless, and at times violent man who does a lot of messed up stuff. I think we were pretty surprised to see how after the first season was out, there were a lot of Silco fans. I think that was a bit of a learning experience for us. It was fascinating to see how there were a lot of people who were willing to forgive a lot of pretty messed up stuff that he was doing as the underground kingpin of Zaun. I think that was perhaps the most interesting reaction we had to process." Netflix If the first season of Arcane was built around introducing the game's characters to a wider audience, Season 2 was meant to find new layers for the champions of the rival cities of Zaun and Piltover. "In many ways, Season 1 was all about getting the characters to that state that they're at in the game," said Linke. "When they're champions of League of Legends. Season 2 was about 'What have we not seen from these characters yet? What have we not seen in the game yet?' "We flipped a lot of the characters on their heads," continued Linke. "Caitlyn, for example, goes from a hopeful character who wants to work with the underground and really becomes an opponent and a very fierce aggressor after her traumatic experiences at the end of Season 1. And Jinx becomes this unlikely icon/hero of Zaun, which she really didn't expect. I think that was really fun to explore." Netflix The two seasons of Arcane were not only filled with emotional story arc, it also had some of the most jaw-dropping animation seen on TV or streaming that rivals Pixar itself. Linke gave full credit for Arcane's unique mixture of 3D and 2D animation to Fortiche, the French animation studio behind the show. "[Mixing 3D and 2D] was always their trademark look and I think it's because they had a lot of artists coming from comics and being in love with traditional 2D animation, 2D VFX," related Linke. "They just always wanted to find this approach that blends things together. It really was just leaning into that. They have this identity already as artists and it felt like it made 2D work on the big screen. It was a cool blend and I just always loved it. I tried to enable them to lean into that." Netflix According to Linke, Arcane was always going to run for only two seasons. But the League of Legends universe lives on. Regarding a potential live-action League of Legends, Linke said "there are explorations." He also said that the team has considered making an Arcane movie. "[Making an animated movie] has crossed our minds," admitted Linke. "We'll see. Now, we're exploring follow-up projects, and there are a bunch of features among them. Which ones will actually go? It's still a big TBD. In the last few weeks, when you have these screenings going on awards consideration, Arcane really holds up well on the big screen. That was a wonderful experience for us. Definitely everybody is excited to think about what future projects could look like on the big screen." For the present, Linke noted that Riot wants to keep the team behind Arcane intact as they decide what the next project will be. "What we're starting with is the people," said Linke. "We've worked together now for 10 years on Arcane. We're very inspired by Pixar, where people started working together on Toy Story, and then after that, people became captains of their own ships, because you learn from each other. That's where we're at. Right now, we want to invest in a few key people that worked on Arcane to explore new stories and see what they're drawn to. We still have to prove that we have strong stories and worthy stories to invest in. We're really investing in the talent that made Arcane. Best of GoldDerby Sam Rockwell on Frank's 'White Lotus' backstory, Woody Harrelson's influence, and going all in on 'this arc of Buddhist to Bad Lieutenant' Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh admit they 'never had the audacity to realize' a show like 'Deli Boys' was possible From 'Housewives' overload to the 'shadiest queens' alliance: The dish on 'The Traitors' Season 4 lineup Click here to read the full article.
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Layers of Flavor are Here: Jinx Debuts New Premium Dog Treats - Chicken & Bacon Layers, Beef & Cheese Layers, Salmon & Bone Broth Biscuits and new Beef & Bone Broth Mini Biscuits
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jinx, the premium dog food company committed to making high-quality nutrition accessible to all dogs, is thrilled to announce the official launch of a brand-new suite of dog treat offerings. This expanded lineup includes Chicken & Bacon Layers, Beef & Cheese Layers, Salmon & Bone Broth Biscuits and new Beef & Bone Broth Mini Biscuits - perfect for small dogs. Jinx's new products are now available at Walmart, Chewy, Amazon, and other national retailers. Jinx Chicken & Bacon Layers and Beef & Cheese Layers are here to bring layers of mouthwatering flavor! This innovative new format has two distinct layers - it's like two treats in one. Beef & Bone Broth Mini Biscuits use Jinx's novel biscuit formula made with high quality beef and beef bone broth in a bite-sized biscuit. These new biscuits are perfect for small dogs or as training rewards. Lastly, Jinx has introduced a Salmon & Bone Broth Biscuit that brings their best selling protein into a crunchy and savory biscuit. Jinx always uses high quality protein sources and never any corn, soy, wheat, or artificial ingredients in their best selling treats. All of these new offerings are Made in the USA. Jinx was founded on the belief that happier, healthier dogs start with better nutrition. The company offers a range of thoughtfully crafted recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients. 'We are so excited to introduce these new slate of treats, each designed to bring a fun and flavorful experience while also being crafted with premium ingredients. At our core, we are always designing products centered on the idea that your dog is a part of your family." said Kyle Banahan, President & CEO of Jinx. Pet parents can now shop Jinx's full collection of kibble, wet food, treats, and meal toppers at and at retailers nationwide. For more information on Jinx and its commitment to premium pet nutrition, visit About Jinx: Jinx is a premium dog food company on a mission to make healthier dog food a reality. The company offers a range of kibble, wet food, treats, and toppers made with clean, wholesome ingredients, without any artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. Jinx believes that better nutrition makes for happier and healthier dogs and is committed to bringing better nutrition to dogs everywhere.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Arcane' Showrunner Christian Linke On Exploring Character Relationships & Artistic 'Extremes' For Season 2
It may have been quite a wait for fans of Arcane in between seasons, mostly due to difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the level of detail in animation and storytelling that earned the series an Emmy was not something that could be rushed. Showrunner Christian Linke says that even though the team was met with setbacks initially, there was still a drive to go into more 'extremes' creatively for the final season. Arcane focuses on the story between two sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), who soon become embroiled in a conflict within their utopian society. Season 2 begins with the sisters on opposite sides of the conflict and, though other stories happen around them, Linke says the sisters' relationship was always at the heart of the plot. More from Deadline David Harbour On Feeling Relieved Over 'Stranger Things' Ending: "You're Having To Play A Lot Of The Same Beat" 'Nobody Wants This', 'Monsters' & 'Forever' Teams On Showing LA On Screen - Netflix FYSEE 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 3 Debuts At No. 1 On Netflix TV Charts, Boosting Entire Series Back Into Top 10 DEADLINE: Coming into season 2, knowing that this was going to be the last one, was there anything specific that you wanted to tell or enhance from the first season? CHRISTIAN LINKE: Yeah, I think a lot of the character arcs that we set up, we felt like we needed to see the end of them. It's really about the relationships between characters. You have the brotherhood between Viktor and Jayce and you have the sisterhood between Vi and Jinx. That's really at the heart of it. There's a lot of stories that are happening with different characters, but really at the heart, those were the most important ones. The question since the very beginning was can Vi and Jinx ever be sisters again? For Jayce and Viktor, the question really was what happens when you lose sight of your dream and you get seduced by power and other people and what they're trying to turn your dream into, and can you find your way back to that core dream? I think on the larger scale of the story, those were the ones we really had to dive into and answer. DEADLINE: I know is not generally known as a story-driven game, what was it about these specific characters that made you want to tell their story? LINKE: Primarily, it starts with the gut feeling of Jinx and Vi are just fucking cool. They were just cool, there was attitude and they also weren't the typical fantasy video game characters. There was just something else about them and I think they just added really interesting questions. As players, we played these characters for many years and always wondered what happened between them as sisters. That's a great story to explore. For Jayce and Viktor, there was always this question of what if these two people work together on this technology and they come from these different angles. One from a bit more utopian, like reach for the skies, which is Jayce. Like a brighter, better tomorrow. And Viktor is much more grounded around the fact that there are people like me who have broken bodies, broken souls, and we can fix them. It's a different approach and when the technology becomes reality, you're going to go in different ways. So, I think there was just always these differences that felt like it was a great promise for a story and that's just what inspired us trying to explore it. DEADLINE: What was the process of making the story accessible for people who have never played the game, while still keeping true to the characters that people know? LINKE: On one hand there was the character story, which had to be universal. Just this question of these two sisters who need to overcome trauma before they can connect with anybody. Then comes the fighting and their abilities, as these are very capable, potent warriors, so we had to make sure that feels accurate to the players. When we think about in the game, if you play Vi and there's a fight, you're going in first and you'll probably not make it out alive. Jinx needs to keep it distant. She always fights from afar, and if you ever get to her, she's toast. But if she can keep the distance long enough, then she will absolutely wreck you. So, we know that from the meta and from the behavior of our players, and that's what we also took into Arcane and really tried to make it so that this feels accurate. There were different levels of authenticity that we had to just respect to make sure we get it right. DEADLINE: Can you talk a little bit about the style of animation for this season? LINKE: I think so much of season one was just proving that we can do it. Season two, we had more confidence to say, okay, let's go crazy. If we have an inspiration for doing something bold and different, let's do it. Because season one, until it's out, it's just a theory. Are people going to like it? We don't know. Season two had bolder directions with some scenes and artistic directions that we probably just didn't feel comfortable doing during season one, like what we did with Viktor toward the end of season two. It gets pretty surreal and abstract and impressionistic and it's pushed pretty far. I think that came from a place of artistic inspiration that strays more. For sure with Warwick, we had some straight up horror in certain scenes, so I think going more into the extremes is something that we wanted to do. Best of Deadline List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Die Another Day: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Pierce Brosnan's final outing as Bond, with Halle Berry as Jinx and an invisible car 2002
Gizmodo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Charlie Cox Promises a Lot More Karen Page In Daredevil Season 2
Plus, Halle Berry finally confirms her James Bond spinoff is no longer happening, two decades later. Wednesday teases the arrival of the extended Addams family. Osgood Perkins' mysterious new horror film gets a suitably weird and mysterious teaser. Plus, Doctor Who gets ready to do Eurovision in a new clip from this week's episode. Spoilers get! Touch Me Variety reports Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired the distribution rights to Touch Me, a sci-fi/horror/comedy in which 'two co-dependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world.' Directed by Addison Heimann, the film stars Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lou Taylor Pucci and Jordan Garvis. M3GAN 2.0 Bloody-Disgusting reports M3GAN 2.0 has been rated PG-13 for 'strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language, sexual material, and brief drug references.' Predator: Killer of Killers Meanwhile, the animated Predator movie at Hulu has been rated R for 'strong bloody violence, some gore and language.' [Bloody-Disgusting] 007: Jinx During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Halle Berry confirmed the planned Die Another Day spinoff starring Jinx is no longer moving forward… 23-years after it was announced. And, no, I doubt there will be a Jinx spin-off. There was a time [when] that could've happened … probably should've happened, I would've loved for that to happen. But I think that time has passed. Final Destination Bloodlines A ten-minute featurette goes behind-the-scenes of the new Final Destination. Keeper Meanwhile, the teaser trailer for Osgood Perkins' Keeper contains 66 minutes and 6 seconds of looped footage. Smurfs Rihanna is Smurfette in a new trailer for the animated Smurfs movie co-starring James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Kurt Russell, John Goodman and the Snooterpoots. Daredevil: Born Again During a recent interview with TV Line, Charlie Cox revealed the second season of Daredevil: Born Again includes 'a lot more' of Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page. Thank god. Some of the stuff she's up to is some of the coolest stuff she's ever had. She's amazing in this season. Wednesday A teaser for the second season of Wednesday introduces a few new members of the extended Addams' family. Doctor Who Finally, the Doctor and Belinda arrive at the Interstellar Song Contest in a clip from this week's new episode of Doctor Who.
