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Actor Given Stuurman has wowed audiences with his portrayal of Sphelele Dlamini in Netflix’s 2026 crime thriller series, “uMthetho”.

Sphelele is the younger brother of Mbali (Nqobile ‘Nunu’ Khumalo) and Moses (Tony Kgoroge), and is trying to find his place in society while navigating the complicated dynamics within his family.

For Stuurman, building the character was not particularly difficult because he had encountered a version of Sphelele before.

“I think for me, how I came about writing the book was seeing what was presented in front of me, seeing what I know that relates to it, and then deciding what different element or what different thing can I bring to it.”

One of the challenges was making Sphelele different from the familiar portrayal of young men from the kasi.

“That was my journey, trying to find those emotional beats, those moments, those heartfelt moments that a lot of kasi guys run away from.”

Sphelele is caught in turmoil as he tries to be a good partner and father, finish his studies, get his business off the ground, make ends meet and make his older siblings proud.

For Stuurman, there was something deeply relatable about Sphelele’s struggle to navigate life as a young man.

“It’s a reality that a lot of black men face, growing up without a direct father figure or any father figure for that matter. Sphelele’s father died when they were very young.

“The self-discovery comes from navigating being a good guy, being a good boyfriend, and now he’s a good father.”

Stuurman was particularly interested in exploring how Sphelele navigates his emotions, his relationship with his late father and his complicated bond with his brother Moses.

“There’s a lot of emotional beats, a lot of emotional moments, a lot of self-introspective moments, I felt, even though they were not obvious. But there are moments where you could see, okay, Sphelele is introspecting himself now.”

Sphelele’s choices in ‘uMthetho’

At the heart of “uMthetho” is a fight for justice and the difficult choices characters have to make to achieve it.

For Stuurman, one of the most intriguing aspects of the series is seeing how a single decision can completely alter the course of the story.

In the series, Sphelele makes several choices that drastically change his life. One decision ultimately lands him in prison, forcing his sister Mbali to fight tooth and nail for his release.

“All the characters, you could literally pick the one scene where, had this character done something different here, the story would have totally been different.

“I think that’s what’s exciting to watch, because in those scenes, the characters make the worst decisions.”

Stuurman’s portrayal of Sphelele is raw and emotional, bringing to life the struggles faced by many young men trying to find their place in society.

His journey also highlights how the choices people make can have consequences that extend far beyond themselves.

A different side to Given Stuurman in ‘uMthetho’

Stuurman has taken on several roles since emerging as a child star in the entertainment industry.

His role as Kgosi in “Scandal!” is one that audiences immediately gravitated towards, but his portrayal of Sphelele has allowed the actor to reveal another layer of his acting ability.

Through Sphelele, Stuurman delivers one of his most emotionally complex performances yet, giving audiences a glimpse into the vulnerability, uncertainty and pressure that can sit beneath the surface of a young man trying to find his way.

“uMthetho” is currently streaming on Netflix, and the Black Brains Production has already made the number one spot on the streaming platform.

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Actor Given Stuurman has wowed audiences with


Friday’s Disney Entertainment Showcase featured no shortage of exciting announcements regarding the Mouse’s imminent film slate, but what will perhaps go down as the most consequential moment of the night came when Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige did his best Charles Xavier impression and called to him, his X-Men.

Flanked by director Jake Schreier and Jean Grey herself, Sadie Sink, Feige introduced the initial cast members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming X-Men relaunch. Christopher Abbott, Maya Boyd, Inde Navarette, and Adam Driver joined the cast alongside the previously reported Samara Weaving, Kit Connor, and Sink.

X-Men cast

It’s a frankly stacked lineup that instills tremendous confidence in the MCU’s forthcoming Mutant Saga. It’s a stellar mix of established names and burgeoning stars, and per Feige, Marvel isn’t done adding to the cast.

With our initial X-Men now confirmed, it’s natural to speculate about the direction Marvel plans to take the team and which comics are providing primary inspiration. Schreier spoke about these very topics during a Friday interview with Good Morning America.

‘X-Men’ Director Talks About His Approach

The X-Men world is a simultaneously daunting and intriguing one for a filmmaker. Though it’s been explored in 14 different movies over the past three decades, there’s over half a century of source material—quite literally thousands of stories that have yet to be adapted to film.

It’s these stories that Schreier is prioritizing as he conceptualizes his X-Men relaunch. He touched on the world’s narrative richness and untapped potential while speaking to GMA.

Jake Schreier

Photo Credit: Michael Tackett

“I think one of the great things about the comics is [that] there is such a rich and broad history,” Schreier said. “That was one of the first things that Kevin [Feige] and I talked about when I came in, was they’ve made great movies in this world, and they’ve made so many great things.

“Let’s find the things that haven’t recently been done well.”

X-Men cast

Photo Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Schreier went on to mention two particular comic eras that he’s delved into.

“All of these other corners of the universe, and digging back into those comics like 20 years, the whole Chris Claremont run, the newer Jonathan Hickman stuff, there are so many stories that are still untold to honor and to reach into and to meet this cast and try to do something new,” the filmmaker said.

X-Men cast

Photo Credit: BBC/Getty Images

“I think you always want to see something that reveres where it came from and then is still taking a new spin of where we want to go.”

Claremont & Hickman’s Runs

Claremont’s time on Uncanny X-Men is broadly viewed as the comic’s definitive run. It was under the writer’s stewardship that the team ascended to its contemporary status as industry titans.

He worked on the comic from 1975 to 1991, penning many of the team’s most iconic stories and creating some of its most enduring characters.

Dark Phoenix Saga

Photo: Marvel

Any X-Men adaptation is inherently going to have some Claremont influence, as he’s intrinsically linked with the property. Schreier’s mention of Hickman is a bit more intriguing, as his lauded run just concluded in 2024.

Hickman’s ambitious run, dubbed the “Krakoan Age,” saw mutants create a sovereign nation on the living island of Krakoa. It was an expansive, interconnected story told across more than 80 different series. Fans today revere it for just how distinct it was.

Krakoan Age

House of X (2019) #1 (Photo: Marvel)

Adapting some of the Krakoan Age stories would certainly set these new X-Men films apart from their predecessors. The Krakoan Age didn’t exist when the initial films were produced.

The logo revealed on Friday also appears to take some aesthetic influence from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s New X-Men. That famed run could be an influence, as well.

X-Men

Regardless, the imminent relaunch makes it an exciting time to be an X-Men fan. The as-yet-untitled relaunch will hit theaters on May 5, 2028.

Make sure to keep an eye on MickeyBlog for continued coverage of the latest news out of D23.

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Despite the many attempts to replicate Game of Thrones‘s success throughout the 2020s, House of the Dragon remains the biggest current fantasy show. However, Prime Video’s long-awaited epic is likely to make it feel small. Despite the production quality of HOTD‘s competitors — The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, and The Witcher, to name a few — none of the 2020s’ much-anticipated fantasy series come close to matching the Game of Thrones franchise.

There will be more opportunities for fantasy television to recapture its momentum and top its spin-offs, though, from Mike Flanagan’s Dark Tower adaptation to Apple TV’s take on Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. And done properly, there’s one Prime Video epic — which is also focused on dragons — that will make House of the Dragon feel small. It may not have the extensive world-building and history of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe, but it has a couple of things going for it that will catapult it to greater heights.

Prime Video’s ‘Fourth Wing’ Show Will Make the ‘House of the Dragon’ Hype Look Small

The Viral Sensation Is Set to Have a Wider Appeal

Fourth Wing cover art is displayed
Fourth Wing cover art is displayed

There’s no denying the popularity of the Game of Thrones franchise, but the larger mainstream hype surrounding HBO’s TV universe has died down a bit since the original show’s ending. House of the Dragon Season 3 and the debut of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are helping it regain momentum. Yet it seems like many of the casual viewers who made every Game of Thrones Sunday feel like an event are less tuned into its off-shoots. And House of the Dragon‘s book changes are even alienating diehard George R.R. Martin fans. Those who still check in weekly aren’t always as excited about the spin-off as one might hope.

By contrast, Prime Video’s Fourth Wing adaptation has the chance to ignite similar excitement to the original Game of Thrones, as it’s a long-awaited project and based on a viral sensation. The fact that Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series is drawing such a wide base of readers — even ones who don’t normally read fantasy or “romantasy” — means its TV series can have the same broad appeal as Game of Thrones. Adapted properly, it can also generate similar appreciation as an adaptation (and it shouldn’t have to worry about catching up to the books).

Fourth Wing is just starting, so it will have a lower barrier to entry, too — something House of the Dragon doesn’t benefit from. All of this gives Prime Video’s epic dragon series an opportunity to make House of the Dragon feel like smaller by comparison. Looking at House of the Dragon‘s continued success, that’s saying something.

‘Fourth Wing’ Should Have Way More Dragon Action Than the ‘Game of Thrones’ Spin-off

Caraxes and Daemon in House of the Dragon Season 3 HBO

In addition to the elements of the Fourth Wing that will help its show resonate with several audiences, it should ideally top House of the Dragon in another area: the number of dragon scenes and action sequences. This will depend on the effects budget that Prime Video dedicates to the series, but based on the source material, Fourth Wing‘s dragons should be far more central than those in House of the Dragon. The Game of Thrones spin-off mostly uses them as weapons and steeds, even if Season 3 gives them more personality.

Fourth Wing, on the other hand, infuses its dragons with personality from the jump — a necessity given their ability to communicate with their riders mentally. It also ensures they’re present from early in the story, and Yarros’s book throws them into action right away. This means Fourth Wing should have large-scale combat earlier than House of the Dragon and more dragons throughout. For anyone on the hunt for a thrilling dragon series, it’s going to be a can’t-miss release.

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Despite the many attempts to replicate Game

Double Fine is bringing back its game jam initiative and letting fans pick its next game project, following the studio’s split from Xbox last month.

Amnesia Fortnight 2026 will launch on August 31 and feature a documentary and Kickstarter campaign, Double Fine announced on Friday.

“We’re going to do a Game Jam, live on the internet, in which our backers will get to choose which of our myriad of ideas get made into four new prototypes – and which of those final four will become a real (small) game,” the studio said.

Amnesia Fortnight is a game jam Double Fine traditionally held every few years, but which went on hiatus following its sale to Microsoft in 2019.

The two-week event sees the studio’s developers create game prototypes, with their development documented online, and fans eventually voting on which ones they’d like to see made into full games.

Previously, Amnesia Fortnight prototypes led to games such as Costume Quest, Spacebase DF-9, and Headlander. Others inspired parts of games, such as Compton’s Cookout in Psychonauts 2.

Alongside South of Midnight creators Compulsion, Double Fine was allowed to return to independence by its former owner Microsoft, with both companies retaining their IPs and game catalogs, and receiving investment to get them started.


Buying Double Fine games ‘helps support the studio’

Speaking to Kinda Funny Games alongside Friday’s Amnesia Fortnight announcement, Double Fine boss Tim Schafer said that although it had received financial runway from Microsoft, the game jam is designed to extend that.

“Being independent again [means] we can go back to doing a lot of things we were doing before, like crazy game jams, our usual fortnight game jam where we split into small groups and make a game in two weeks,” he said.

“We got a little bit of runway following the departure to sign some games. We want to sign some game deals and get going. It’s kind of a scary time to be out there. But it’s a runway, not a freeway – it won’t go forever.

“It’s just a little patch where we can take off on our own power. And we want to extend it a little bit, so we’re doing a game jam, which we used to do a lot.”

Schafer also confirmed that all of Double Fine’s previous game rights have returned to the studio, and that future sales of such games will help support the company’s future.

“The IP came back to us, and we’ve got the publishing rights back for our games. It still says Microsoft on some of them [because] it just takes a while to process. When people buy our games, it supports the studio.

“So if you’re curious, buying any of our games helps support the studio, and we can turn that money into extending that runway.”