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Russell T Davies to return as Doctor Who showrunner

BBC has announced that Russell T Davies will make his return to Doctor Who for its upcoming 60th Anniversary in 2023. The announcement comes after it was confirmed last July that current showrunner Chris Chibnall will be leaving the series after the upcoming thirteenth season and three 2022 specials.

Responsible for Doctor Who’s revival in 2005, he is credited with propelling the show into a global phenomenon and making it one of TV’s biggest hits. His tenure on the show oversaw a surge in popularity enjoying huge acclaim and success, enough to lead to two spin-off series, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures during that time.

The Witcher Season 3 and more spin-offs announced

Netflix has announced that their world of The Witcher is expanding. At their Tudum event, they announced a third season of the hit series is on the way. Additionally, a second anime feature is coming, and a kids and family series is in the works.

So far, no specific details have been revealed for any of those upcoming projects, but Season 2 of The Witcher is set to premiere on December 17th.

Marvel seeking legal action to maintain rights to some of its key characters

Marvel is currently suing to maintain full control of Avengers characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon, Thor, and others. The new lawsuits are directed at the heirs of their creators, including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Gene Colan.

Under current U.S. laws, the author of a given work (or their heirs) can usually reclaim the rights to that work for themselves after a certain period of time. However, Marvel is seeking declaratory relief, claiming that because these characters were created as works for hire, they are ineligible for copyright termination. The work-for-hire defense has been Marvel’s go-to strategy in the past, most notably in cases against Jack Kirby and his family.

If Marvel loses, Disney would have to share ownership of characters worth billions. Ultimately, this isn’t a threat to having any of Marvel’s characters taken away from them, simply that they would share ownership and profits with those characters’ creators.