An animated series based off the 1984 comedy-horror classic Gremlins will reportedly be coming to Warner’s as of yet unnamed streaming service.

Reported by Variety, the show will allegedly be a period piece following a young Mr. Wing, the Chinese antique store owner from the original movie. Wing will reportedly go on adventures with Gizmo the friendly Mogwai throughout the show.

The series will reportedly be produced by Warner Bros. Television and Amblin Television, both of which produced the original two Gremlins films. Tze Chun, known for his work on Cold Comes the Night, Children of Invention, Gotham and Once Upon a Time, will reportedly write and executive produce.

For more on Gremlins, check out 12 things you (probably) didn’t know about the film, and our review of the movie on Blu-Ray, which we called “Great” saying “Director Joe Dante’s token sense of humor, seen in his earlier films like The Howling or Piranha, is perfectly blended with the amusing, and surprisingly scary horror elements, creating a fine horror-comedy genre-bender in a similar vein to something like An American Werewolf in London.”

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan  — Members of the 2016 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) landed in Tokyo, Japan for the USA vs Japan All-Star Series announced the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball on Tuesday.  Team USA will participate in three games against the Japan National Team, including a series-opening matchup at the Tokyo Dome.

Click here for the 2016 USA Softball Women’s National Team roster

The USA Softball WNT and Japan kick off the series on Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. JST time (4:30 a.m. CT) at the Tokyo Dome, including a pre-game “Home Run Derby”.  From there, the U.S. will head to Sendai for the remaining two games against Japan.  Held at Shellcom Sendai, Team USA will face Japan at 6:30 p.m. JST (4:30 a.m. CT) on Friday, June 24 and 2 p.m. JST (12 a.m. CT) on Saturday, June 25. 

Representing the U.S. at the USA vs Japan All-Star Series are: Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.), Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.), Kelly Barnhill (Marietta, Ga.), Bianka Bell (Tampa, Fla.) Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.), Raven Chavanne (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Amanda Chidester (Allen Park, Mich.), Kasey Cooper (Dothan, Ala.), Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.), Paige Halstead (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Jazmyn Jackson (San Jose, Calif.), Haylie McCleney (Morris, Ala.), Jessica Moore (Sutter, Calif.), Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.), Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.), Janie Takeda (Placentia, Calif.) and Jaclyn Traina (Naples, Fla.) 

Team USA will be led at the USA vs Japan All-Star Series by Howard Dobson (Baton Rouge, La./Asst. Coach at LSU), Lisa Dodd (San Diego, Calif./Head Coach at UNLV) and John Rittman (Valencia, Calif.).

Live stats will be available during the USA vs Japan All-Star Series, and fans at home can follow along with recaps and more at ASAUSASoftball.com.

— Courtesy of ASA/USA Softball

The Ontario government will force post-secondary schools to discipline students who interfere with “free speech.”

Premier Doug Ford’s office announced Thursday that it would require all colleges and universities that receive government funding to publish a “free speech policy” by Jan. 1.

Policies must meet requirements set by his office: include a definition of free speech, restrict speech that is considered illegal under Canadian law and discipline students who interfere. Interference is described as, “ongoing disruptive protesting that significantly interferes with the ability of an event to proceed.”

Ford said in a press release that schools “should be places where students exchange different ideas and opinions in open and respectful debate.”

Story continues after video:

The right to freedom of speech does not exist under Canadian law, like it does in the United States. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of opinion and expression, to a certain point. Speech that incites hatred against any identifiable group or leads to a breach of peace is punishable with jail time.

Representatives for Ford did not immediately respond to HuffPost Canada’s questions.

In March, the issue of freedom of expression on campuses hit a boiling point in Waterloo, Ont.

Faith Goldy, a commentator associated with the racist white nationalist movement, was prevented from speaking at Wilfrid Laurier University after someone pulled a fire alarm.

She had been invited to speak by a student group called Laurier Students for Open Inquiry. The group was launched by graduate student Lindsay Shepherd, who made headlines after she was disciplined for showing students a video of Jordan Peterson denouncing the use of gender-neutral pronouns for transgender people.

Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has indicated he supports the denial of funding to schools that censor dissenting opinions. But, he’s said there should be loopholes to make sure schools don’t provide platforms for hate speech.

Star Wars’ Oscar Isaac is in negotiations to join the cast of the Dune reboot, according to Variety.

Isaac will be cast as the father of Timothee Chalamet’s character, who was in negotiations last summer to star in the remake. Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, and Charlotte Rampling are also on board for the film.

Director of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, Denis Villeneuve, is helming the project and co-writing the script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts.

Villeneuve has been praised for his work in the sci-fi genre and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Director category for Arrival, along with seven other nominations for the 2016 film.

The Dune project has been on the sidelines for years, with multiple production companies trying to get remakes off the ground. Legendary Pictures finally acquired both film and TV rights to Frank Herbert’s popular sci-fi novel in 2016.

Isaac will be returning in his role as Poe Dameron in Star Wars: Episode IX on Dec. 20, 2019.

The X-wing fighter pilot also voices his character in Disney Channel’s Star Wars Resistance animated series. Read about how Isaac said the upcoming and final Star Wars film in the recent trilogy will honor the late Carrie Fisher.

Jessie Wade is a news writer for IGN and is excited about the Dune reboot. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade.

DENVER, Colo. – No. 5 Humboldt State is one win away from its third national championship after Madison Williams tossed a three-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over No. 3 North Alabama in game one of the Division II National Championship series on Friday evening from the Regency Athletic Complex on the campus of Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Prior to the game one win, the Jacks (54-6-1) earned their berth into the championship series with a 6-2 win over No. 16 Armstrong State in the “if necessary” semifinal game.

The Jacks and the Lions (57-7) will square off in game two at 2:00 ET on Saturday. A game three is scheduled for 4:30 should North Alabama win.

Championship Series Game 1 – No. 5 Humboldt State 5, No. 3 North Alabama 0

Madison Williams twirled a three-hit masterpiece to lead Humboldt State to a 5-0 win over North Alabama in the first game of the Championship Series. The junior surrendered just three hits to the nation’s third-best offense, struck out five and did not walk a batter to improve to 26-3 on the season.

The Jacks took advantage of an error to grab a 1-0 lead in the first. Three run-scoring singles in the fourth by Kalyn Paque, Cyndi Chavez and Hannah Holland gave HSU a 4-0 advantage. A sac fly by Sydney Roberts pushed across an insurance run in the sixth.

Paque and Hollingsworth each went 2-for-3 at the plate with Paque recording a double and scoring two runs.

Brooklynn Clark, Madeline Lee and Bailey Nelson each generated one hit for the Lions.

Semifinal – No. 5 Humboldt State 6, Armstrong State 2

Powered by a four-run fourth, Humboldt State earned a 6-2 win over Armstrong State to advance to the 2016 National Championship series. Reaching the semifinals and posting three wins, the Pirates (43-15) made their deepest run in their third trip to the National Championships.

Following three scoreless innings, HSU put a four-spot on the board in the top half of the frame. Paque broke the deadlock with a two-run home run to left. Chavez and Holland each drove in a run with a double and single, respectively.

The Pirates got on the board in the fifth on a Peyton Roth RBI single, but the Jacks would push their lead to 6-1 on a run-scoring singles up the middle by Holland and Tiffany Hollingsworth.

Holland finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two stolen bases. Katie Obbema improved to 24-3 with a complete-game effort. She scattered eight hits, struck out seven and walked one.

— photo courtesy of Jamie Schwaberow – NCAA Photos

While many are applauding “First Contact” — a Canadian docu-series aimed at unpacking the hard-baked stereotypes and preconceived notions white Canadians hold about Indigenous people and communities — detractors say the show is problematic in its approach to reconciliation.

The three-part reality program, which aired last week on APTN (The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) and began streaming online yesterday, features six participants on a 28-day journey across the country, as they’re immersed in different First Nation communities.

They travel to a fly-in reservation in Northern Ontario, participate in a seal hunt in the Inuit community of Kimmirut, and head to a prison in Edmonton.

The show has been met with positive reviews from many praising “First Contact” for educating about the experiences of Indigenous peoples.

However, some Indigenous people are critical, saying the show’s storylines are set up in a way that force Indigenous people to relive their traumas and validate their existence to white audiences.

“It is potentially traumatizing for Indigenous Peoples to see and hear these people spout their racist ideology, and it’s problematic to show the lengths that have to be taken to change their minds. What message does it send?” asked David A. Robertson, a Cree author who lives in Winnipeg, as part of a lengthy Twitter thread.

“We have nothing to prove to you, and we owe you nothing. My dad has told me that in the larger scope of reconciliation, between Indigenous and settlers, it is the Indigenous Peoples who have NOTHING to reconcile,” he continued.

Indigenous author Chelsea Vowel agreed, calling the Indigenous efforts to educate Canadians “exhausting and gruelling and thankless,” and something that “prevents us from doing other things like oh, building up our communities and nations.”

Ryan McMahon, an Anishinaabe comedian, offered up a suggestion for a different show that would relieve Indigenous people of any emotional labour.

An Australian show of the same name, on which the Canadian “First Contact” was based, received similar criticism when it aired in 2016.

Producers of the series acknowledge that the Indigenous people who took part went above and beyond what could reasonably expected of them — but said that many were glad for the opportunity to educate.

“We were turned down very little,” producer Stephanie Scott, who is Anishinabe, told HuffPost Canada in an earlier interview. “Everyone that participated in the show wanted to share their stories, and hoped that someone would learn something from them.”

“The people, the communities that participated deserve a huge amount of kudos for being willing to do it,” said Jeff Newman, another producer.

“The first reaction to the idea is, ‘Why would we want these people to come here?'” Newman continued. “But through the dialogue we had with the communities — they understood what our intentions were, and they were willing to make the leap with us.”

Jean La Rose, APTN’s CEO, said his network considered these potential criticisms when “First Contact” was first pitched, but ultimately it came down to moving the needle forward on reconciliation.

“Reconciliation means, in many ways, for Canadians to get a better sense of who (Indigenous people) are, what they know about us, and what they think of our communities,” he told HuffPost Canada in a phone interview.

“This is a way to get that conversation going, to get (Canadians) to stop and look at the facts,” he continued.

“And if we don’t start it, who will?”

La Rose says a second season of the show is already in the works, and will build upon the themes presented in season one.

Michael Redhead Champagne, a Winnipeg activist and member of the Shamattawa Cree Nation, who makes an appearance in the series’ opening scene, addressed the criticisms in a note on Twitter.

“My own participation was not naive, and I understand and feel the frustration of needing to perform in front of outsiders just to prove the point that Indigenous people are people too,” he wrote.

However, he says “First Contact” is important because “(it’s a show) where Indigenous people and families are the heroes.”

R.J. Jones, an Ontario advocate for the Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Indigenous communities, said it would be useful to see a future follow-up on the series’ participants.

With a file from Maija Kappler

The latest Hearthstone expansion – Rise of Shadows – has just been revealed! Rise of Shadows will feature 135 new cards, and will launch on April 9 in North America and April 10 in Australia/New Zealand.

The set introduces the “League of E.V.I.L.”; a coalition of returning villains led by Arch-Thief Rafaam, and featuring King Togwaggle, Madam Lazul, Dr. Boom and Hagatha the Witch.

These familiar faces bring with them a number of new gameplay mechanics. Schemes, for instance, are spells that grow in power each turn they’re in your hand. So far we’ve only seen Hagatha’s Scheme, which is obviously a horrible top deck, but can be insanely powerful if given time to charge up.

Lackeys are also new – these minions are generated by cards like EVIL Miscreant and have powerful battlecries relative to their cost. Players that have been around since Goblins vs Gnomes could think of them a little like Spare Parts, except with a body attached. There are five Lackeys in all.

In a neat touch, the set will also debut a number of “callback cards”. The new Priest spell Forbidden Words, for instance, riffs on Forbidden Shaping from Whispers of the Old Gods, except instead of spending all your mana to summon a random minion that costs the same amount, you’re able to spend your remaining mana to destroy a minion with that much attack or less. It’s powerful single target removal for Priest that very much fits the class’ identity and goes well alongside the similarly tricky board clear Mass Hysteria. It’s also fitting that the card art features Madam Lazul, who fans will remember from the Whispers of the Old Gods trailer, and who is debuting as a new playable Priest hero with this expansion.

Rise of Shadows isn’t just about bad guys, however, as the expansion will also feature cards themed around a “mysterious crime-fighting group” known as the Defenders of Dalaran. These heroes also bring their own mechanics, such as the new Twinspell keyword. A spell with Twinspell generates a copy of itself into the player’s hand when cast. In other words, they’re spells that can be cast twice.

A few other cars have also been revealed, and they’re pretty interesting…

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Rise of Shadows pre-purchase bundles are available now, with two options: a 50-pack bundle that includes a random Legendary and the Jewel of Lazul card back, and an 80-pack Mega Bundle that includes a random golden Legendary, the card back and the new playable Priest hero Madam Lazul. These bundles are available for USD $49.99 / AUD $66.95 and USD $79.99 / AUD $109.95 respectively. They’re limited to one of each per account.

The release of Rise of Shadows will usher in the Year of the Dragon, which is set to shake up the game considerably, particularly with Genn and Baku being sent to the Hall of Fame early. It will also mark the first chapter in a yearlong story for Hearthstone that will be told across three expansions and three solo adventures. The solo adventure for Rise of Shadows will be released starting in May, and the first chapter will be free, with the additional four chapters unlocked for 700 gold each or AUD $9.50 / NZD $10.99 each. The complete set can be purchased for USD $19.99 / AUD $26.95 / NZD $31.99.

Cam Shea is Editor in Chief for IGN’s Australian content team and spends a lot of his time in the worlds of CCGs. He’s on Twitter.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Akron’s Lauren Burke, Coleman’s Cassidy Tucker, North Duplin’s Rylee Pate, Chase County’s Bailee Swift and Marist’s Lauren Burke have been named MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Players of the Week for contests played May 9-15.

East Region – Abby Stone (Akron (N.Y.) HS)
Stone had a game and a week to remember at the plate for the Tigers. The sophomore captain hit .750 (12-for-16) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 20 RBI, including 11 in her first game of the week. Stone collected 12 hits, scored 11 times and her nine extra-base hits attributed to her 1.812 slugging percentage. Her monstrous week started with a bang as Stone erupted against Wilson for the the tune of five hits, 11 RBI, a double, two triples, a pair of long balls and five runs scored. Not to overshadow the rest of the week, she recorded a four-hit game against Albion, registered two doubles and three RBI versus Greene and generated a double, home run and four RBI in a 5-0 triumph over Athens.

North Region – Cassidy Tucker (Coleman (Minn.) HS)
In four games for the Comets, Tucker put up an .824 batting average with a double, two triples, three home runs, 15 RBI, 11 runs and a 1.733 slugging percentage. In game two of a doubleheader sweep of Montabella, Tucker clubbed two home runs and knocked in seven during a 20-1 victory. In the opener, she finished 4-for-4 with a double and four runs scored. The senior second baseman/outfielder continued her hot bat into game one against Ashley in which she went 3-for-3 with a triple, long ball and five RBI.

South Region – Rylee Pate (North Duplin HS – Calypso, N.C.)  
Pate’s dominance in the circle last week was highlighted by a perfect game against Gates County. The junior allowed just one hit, recorded two shutouts, struck out 30 and did not walk a batter in 12 innings. Against Gates County, she retired all 21 batters she faced, sending 16 back to the dugout via a strikeout in a 3-0 victory. Earlier in the week, she tossed a one-hit complete-game shutout versus KIPP Pride. Pate fanned 14 over five innings and also helped herself out at the plate with a double and four RBI.

South Central Region – Bailee Swift (Chase County HS – Cottonwood Falls, Kan.)
Swift was crucial in doubleheader sweep of Moundridge last week. She went 6-for-7 (.857) with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, a 2.000 slugging percentage and .875 on-base percentage. In game one, the junior infielder was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored. Swift closed out the sweep with two dingers, a double, five RBI and two runs scored in a 6-2 triumph. In addition, she was flawless in the field, recording 10 putouts and four assists without committing an error.

West Region – Lauren Burke (Marist HS – Eugene, Ore.)  
Picking up the first award out of Oregon this year, Burke was nearly perfect at the plate with a .900 batting average (9-for-10), a double, triple, three homers, 10 RBI and a whopping 2.100 slugging percentage. The junior shortstop started the week with back-to-back 3-for-3 outings against Crater and Ashland. Burke homered twice in the first contest with three RBI and three runs scored. Three days later in game one against Ashland, she doubled, left the yard, knocked in four runs and scored three times. In game two of the twinbill, she was 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI.

MaxPreps.com, the official high school statistical provider of the NFCA, provides all statistics for the NFCA High School Player of the Week award. 
To nominate a player for the award, the coach must enter his or her athlete’s game stats into MaxPreps.com  by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week’s award.

The MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of the Week are announced on NFCA.org every Monday during the spring season, with one representative chosen from each of five separate high school regions. During the fall campaign, just a single player will be selected representing all participating regions.

Please note, in order for a school to have multiple player(s) recognized during the course of a season, a coach from that institution must be an NFCA member. To become an NFCA member, please click HERE or call 502-409-4600.

MaxPreps is a free stat tool that is available to high school coaches across the country and is one of the most recognized and respected high school athletics websites on the internet. Coaches who enter their team’s stats on Max Preps will not only be nominating their players for this award, but they will be getting their team’s information out to thousands of high school sports fans, as well as college coaches across the country.

Previous 2015-16 Max Preps/NFCA Players of the Week

5/9

Bri Mirabile | Hopkinton (Mass.) HS | East

Isabel St. Arnold | King (Wis.) HS | North

Ashlee Swindle | Curry (Ala.) HS | South

Montana Fouts | East Carter (Ky.) HS | South Central

Hannah Peterson | South Summit (Utah) HS | West

5/2

Nicole Williams | St. Joseph (Conn.) | East

Sammi Miller | Indian Lake (Ohio) HS | North

Laura Peyton Trammell | Germantown (Miss.) HS | South

Kennedy Ratliff | Rison (Ark.) HS | South Central

Mikayla Rojas | Heritage Academy (Ariz.) | West

4/25

Cassie McGrath | Tuckahoe (N.Y.) HS | East

Kelsey Corn | Menominee Indian (Wisc.) HS | North

Alexee Haynes | Sissonville (W.Va.) | South

Tylar Vernon | Pangburn (Ark.) HS | South Central

Amanda Naylor | Manti (Utah) HS) | West

4/18

Kelly Nelson | Norton (Mass.) HS | East

Emily Lipsett | Culver (Ind.) Academies | North

Makray Odom | Dickson County (Ky.) HS | South

Abby Garcia | Sweetwater (Texas) HS | South Central

Noemi Farfan | Calvary Christian (Calif.) | West

4/11

Raeanne Geffert | Seymour (Conn.) | East

Rachel Kedl | Red Rock Central (Minn.) | North

Corynn Miner | Admiral Farragut (Fla.) | South

Hannah James | East Jessamine ( Ky.) | South Central

Jadin Placencio | Cobre ( N.M.) | West

4/4

Cameron Lischinsky | Lakeland (N.Y.) | East

Maggie Balint | Avon Grove (Pa.) | North

Madison Aughinbaugh | St. Mary’s Ryken (Md.)  | South

Haidyn Bassett | Oskaloosa (Kan.) | South Central

Mikayla Rojas | Heritage Academy (Ariz.) | West

3/28

Jillian Weinstein | Half Hollows Hills West (N.Y.) | East

Ashley Swartout | Westfield (Ind.) | North

Rivers Andrews | Cedar Ridge (N.C.) | South

Jordan Carlson | Council Grove (Kan.) | South Central

Ashley Bodin | Spring Creek (Nev.) | West
  

3/21

Nicole Danyi | Baldwin (N.Y.) | East

Abby Marlow | New Athens (Ill.) | North

Mia Davidson | Orange (N.C.) | South

Grason Gasser | Bethlehem (Ky.) | South Central

Hailey Heeringa | Valley Christian (Ariz.) | West

3/14

Emily Merritt | Herford County (N.C.) | South

Aziah James | Spring (Texas) HS | South Central

Amanda Sink | Legacy (Nev.) HS | West

3/7

Hera Varma | Tampa Catholic (Fla.) HS | South

Tylar Vernon | Pangburn (Ark.) HS | South Central

Shaye Bowden | Sunnyslope (Ariz.) HS | West

 
2/29

Sarah Dugan | Oak Grove (La.) HS | South

Jordan Llinas | Cypress Woods (Texas) HS | South Central

Aurora Adams | Santiago (Calif.) HS | West

Fall

10/13 – Jessie Briley | Bishop Neuman (Neb.) HS | South Central

10/6 –   Victoria Haugsness | North Platte (Mo.) HS | South Central

9/28 –   Taylor Parham | Wilber-Clatonia (Neb.) HS | South Central

9/21 –   Savannah Chalfant | Gilmer (Ga.) HS | South

9/14 –   Madison Ingram | Bowling Green (Mo.) HS | South Central

9/7 –     Riley Craig | Mountain Range (Colo.) HS | West

8/31 –   Sieara Price | Eaton (Colo.) HS | West

8/24 –   Callyn Carter | Charlton County (Ga.) HS | South