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As if the brand voted best in the world by Mossy Redwood Quarterly needed to print it on its cars, Wilderness is going to be a reoccurring name in new Subaru models. The 2022 Outback Wilderness is the first out the door. The Subaru Outback was already a popular choice for outdoorsy types who weren't into hardcore rock-crawling, and the Wilderness package incorporates changes that Outback owners were already making to their cars to make them more off-road capable—such as lift kits and all-terrain tires—as well as details to make the tall wagon easier to live with back at the campground, including a washable rear seatback and a hatch-mounted cargo light. The result looks like a Subaru Outback that spent six months in the gym. It's wider, tougher, and standing taller but still a comfortable, pliable ride with plenty of station-wagon utility. Spicing up the Outback was an easy task because the basic recipe was already a winner. Who doesn't like a chunky hatchback? Subaru just took what was already good about the Outback and added more of it. More cladding, more ride height, and more features specifically intended for outdoor activities. External changes might not be obvious to non-Subie fans, but current Outback owners will notice how the Wilderness tucks the corners of the front fascia for better cliffside clearance and extends the plastic cladding up the nose and above the wheel wells to lessen the likelihood of shrub-related scratching. Everything chrome on the standard Outback is satin black on the Wilderness, and important action points, such as tow-hook anchors and roof-rail tiedowns, are a bright anodized copper, giving the Wilderness a pirate's saucy gold-tooth grin. "Avast, mateys, I've come to haul your canoe." With a tow rating of 3500 pounds, the Wilderness could actually tow a good-sized boat, and the redesigned roof rack can haul up to 220 pounds in motion and support 700 pounds while standing still. Conveniently, that means it can not only carry bikes or kayaks but could also hold a rooftop tent—just don't try to move an occupied rooftop tent. We haven't had a chance to sleep atop the Wilderness, but we did get it dirty. It can't steamroller its way over obstacles like a Jeep Wrangler, but it climbed some steep, shaley hills with all-wheel-drive aplomb. The Outback's off-road X-Mode has two options: a Snow/Dirt mode that minimizes wheelspin to climb slippery hills or slick driveways and a Deep Snow/Mud mode that allows more wheelspin to keep the car from getting bogged down. X-Mode also recognizes a downhill slope and automatically controls vehicle speed based on braking input, down to around 5 mph on a loose surface. Along with sending us up and down sandy hills, Subaru had arranged a cairn of intimidating boulders, which we clambered over to demonstrate the Wilderness's goatlike agility and improved approach, breakover, and departure angles. Where the regular Outback would stuff its nose or drag its belly, the Wilderness cleared. To achieve the underside space, Subaru increased ground clearance to 9.5 inches, 0.8 inch more than the standard Outback. Taller springs also allow more compression travel, and the redesigned front and rear bumpers make a more forgiving hill climber. The end result is a 20.0-degree approach angle, a 21.2-degree breakover, and 23.6 degrees before you scrape the back bumper. It's not going to take a King of the Hammers trophy home, but you'll never meet a speed bump you need to brake for. If you don't tend to measure the angles of local obstacles—or fail to notice them, even with the help of the front-mounted 180-degree camera—you can add some optional underbody armor to minimize the repercussions of miscalculations. Under the hood, the Wilderness comes standard with the turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four making 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. It's backed by a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), which does its best to pretend to be an eight-speed but can't always maintain the illusion. On steep hills or leaving a stoplight, it does more of an impression of stepped-on chewing gum—streeeeeatch, and there we go, we're moving now. The CVT does its job just not with any joy. There's a similar dullness in the steering, and the tall sidewalls on the 225/65R-17 Yokohama Geolander A/T tires mean the on-pavement ride is on the squishy side. This last observation is not a complaint. Not everything needs to be a high-strung thoroughbred, and what you give up in high-speed cornering you can enjoy in cushioned ride comfort. Oh, by the way, if you pop one of those Geolanders on the trail or the highway, there's a full-size spare on a matched alloy wheel, complete with tire-pressure monitor, under the cargo area in the back. The interior of the Wilderness is attractive in a sensible way. The layout is ergonomically friendly, and the 11.6-inch touchscreen is mounted vertically, so it's all within reach of the driver. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, as is Subaru's full suite of driver's aids. There are a few options available, including a sunroof and reverse automatic braking, but the Wilderness comes pretty loaded even in its unoptioned form. The seats are covered in non-leather, water-resistant material, and the patterning and colors repeat the honeycomb of the grille and the copper of the exterior accents. With wet dogs and muddy gear in mind, Subaru's designers kept the headliner dark to hide scuffs, and the cargo area and that washable seatback is also waterproof. There's lots of room in the back seat and behind it. The rear seats are comfortable, with a folding rear armrest, USB ports, and optional seat heaters, perfect for getting cozy after someone has the bright idea to camp in the freezing cold desert over New Year's Eve. Not speaking from experience or anything. While the Subaru Outback Wilderness can't keep you from making bad decisions about when and where to venture, it can get you there and back in comfort. With a starting price of $38,120, it's one of the more expensive Outback models, but there's also a subtle flex to off-roading in a unibody wagon rather than the more traditional 4x4. Over the years, the Subaru Outback has certainly startled many a knobby-tired SUV driver by appearing on a trail long past the closest paved road, and the 2022 Outback Wilderness makes it that much easier to pick your way past the pavement. Source

The new generation of BMW's smallest coupe will once again include 230i and M240i versions, both available with either rear- or all-wheel drive. BMW has released details of the new 2022 2-series coupe, along with photos of a camouflaged prototype. It will be available in 230i and M240i forms, both with either rear- or all-wheel drive. The new model will start production this summer, with the RWD 230i and AWD M240i xDrive arriving first and the AWD 230i xDrive and RWD M240i to follow. One of our favorite BMW models is entering a new generation soon. Even as new front-wheel-drive sedan variants crop up around it, the new 2022 2-series will continue to offer a rear-wheel-drive coupe model with either an inline-four or an inline-six engine. BMW has confirmed that the M240i model will offer a more powerful turbo 3.0-liter inline-six with 382 horsepower, while we expect the 230i to continue with a turbo 2.0-liter inline-four with around 250 hp. These photos of a camouflaged prototype don't show much but do hint that the 230i and M240i will avoid the polarizing kidney grille treatment seen on the 4-series coupe. Earlier leaked photos showed the new model's rear end, which has modern-looking taillights. We've heard that the convertible won't return for this generation, but the even higher-performance M2 will. So far BMW has only shared details about the M240i's eight-speed automatic transmission, which has us worried that the more powerful 2er might drop its manual-transmission option. We sincerely hope that a six-speed manual will still be offered at least on the 230i. Both engine choices will be offered with either rear- or all-wheel drive. More information is coming in late July or early August and the 2-series should arrive at U.S. dealerships by this fall. The rear-drive 230i and M240i xDrive will go on sale first, with the 230i xDrive and rear-drive M240i arriving later, possibly for the 2023 model year. Source

May always feels like the greenest of months. The fizz of new leaves in the gardens, seedlings sprouting on the windowsill and early bunches of asparagus in the shops. The first of the homegrown radishes and tiny soft-leaved lettuces call out for salads by the bowlful: new potatoes with a puree of green peas and rocket; a broad bean salad with yoghurt; and a hollandaise sauce for asparagus into which are stirred wild garlic leaves. All of these have been on the kitchen table in the past few days, as have some early strawberries with the first few spikes of the garden mint. Could it have been the pandemic that has made this spring feel so life-enriching? Like a long glass of elderflower cordial on a parched summer’s day? Never has the arrival of the early green vegetables – the peas and the broad beans, the lettuce and rocket, the mint and the asparagus been such a welcome sight to this cook. Green to heal and invigorate us, to inspire and energise, to replenish and renew, after what feels like the longest winter of our lives. Broad beans and new potatoes Pea shoots taste, at least to me, of childhood. In particular the memory of snaffling peas – when no one was looking – from the rows my father grew at the bottom of the garden. I like it that the wispy sprigs now come in bags from the supermarket. Like salad leaves, they won’t keep long once the packet is opened, so I empty mine straight into a plastic storage box and keep them, tightly lidded, in the fridge. They are good with new potatoes and broad beans – your entire plate tastes of early summer. As good as fresh peas are, I rarely eat them any way other than raw straight from the pod. I use frozen peas in most recipes that call for more than a handful. Mixed with rocket and olive oil they make a fresh, bright tasting purée. We used it this week as a dressing for new potatoes, but there was enough left over to serve in little scoops aside slices of cold roast pork and cold, salty crackling, although I think it might be even better with a slice of pork pie. The purée kept well in the fridge for a couple of days. Serves 4 peas 300g (podded weight) broad beans 400g (podded weight) new potatoes 500g rocket 60g olive oil 200ml radishes 15 watercress 50g pea shoots 50g air-dried ham 200g, thinly sliced Bring a deep pan of water to the boil. Cook the peas for 3-4 minutes till tender. (They will take a little longer if you are using fresh peas.) Remove the peas and set them aside, then add the broad beans to the water and let them cook for 5-6 minutes till tender. Drain and, if you wish, pop the beans from their papery skins. Bring a pan of water to the boil, salt it generously, then add the new potatoes and let them cook for about 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain them and, if you wish, slip off their skins. Cut the potatoes in half and put them in a bowl. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the rocket and put the leaves in a blender with the cooked peas and the olive oil. Process to a thick, bright green purée. Halve the radishes. Trim and wash the watercress and pea shoots in cold water, then shake them dry. While the potatoes are still warm, toss them in the pea purée and transfer to a serving dish. Scatter the bro ad beans over the potatoes, lay the air-dried ham over the potatoes and add the watercress and pea-shoots. Beetroot with mustard and maple syrup So busy have I been baking beetroot I had almost forgotten how good it is raw – earthy and intensely crisp. Coarsely grated, it keeps its crispness better than any other root and it takes a dressing well. Maple syrup, despite its sweetness, is particularly good in a dressing for raw beetroot, especially when – borrowing from gravlax – you include dill and grain mustard. I should add that this salad keeps well, even after it is dressed, refusing to go soggy overnight. It is most appropriate with salmon, but is gorgeous with cold roast pork or beef too. You can, of course, grate the lot, but I like to take advantage of the beautiful candy-coloured rings of chioggia – the striped beetroot. Continuing the gravlax theme, this salad makes a fine filling for a sandwich made with dark, treacle-coloured rye bread and smoked salmon. Serves 4 beetroot 1kg, small, mixed cider vinegar 4 tbsp dijon mustard 2 tsp grain mustard 2 tsp maple syrup 1 tbsp dill 15g, finely chopped Peel the beetroot. Slice half very, very thinly, place them in a shallow dish, sprinkle with the cider vinegar and set aside for a good 45 minutes. Coarsely grate the remaining beetroot – I use the matchstick setting on the food processor. Make the dressing by mixing the two mustards and maple syrup with the vinegar from the beetroot. Add a pinch of salt. Finely chop the dill and stir into the dressing. Toss the grated beetroot with the mustard and dill dressing, and set aside for 15 minutes. Toss the sliced and grated beetroot together and serve. Asparagus with wild garlic hollandaise Wild garlic leaves seem more plentiful than they were. I can buy them, in generous 100g packs, in two local greengrocers, and a bagful comes in the weekly organic box. I notice you can get them online too. I have tried repeatedly to grow them at the shady end of the garden but they flatly refuse to take. I have given up. (The clue surely, is in the word “wild”.) There is a softness, a subtlety, to young garlic leaves that you can never find in even the freshest of whole cloves. The idea to put them in a hollandaise came from the mint that I used last in a butter sauce to accompany courgettes. It was a hunch and it worked. As always, the route to success with any egg and butter sauce is to ensure it never gets too hot. I often switch off the heat half way through making the sauce, beating the last of the butter in using just the residual heat of the water underneath. Should your sauce curdle, then it is worth trying my trick of removing it from the heat, adding a tablespoon or two of boiling water and whisking furiously. I have often rescued a naughty sauce that way. Serves 2 wild garlic leaves 100g asparagus 16 spears butter 200g egg yolks 3 white wine vinegar 1 tbsp lemon ½ Remove and discard the stems of the garlic leaves. You should end up with about 50g of leaves. Wash them, then put them in a pan over a moderate heat and cover tightly with a lid. Let the leaves cook briefly, for just a minute or two in their own steam, until they have wilted, then turn the leaves over with kitchen tongs and cook, again covered, for a further minute or two. Remove them from the heat, drain the leaves in a colander, then squeeze the water from them and chop finely. Put a saucepan of water on to boil. Melt the butter in a small pan and remove from the heat. Put the egg yolks and vinegar into a heatproof bowl that fits neatly into the top of the saucepan, and place over the boiling water. Lower the heat to a simmer and slowly beat in the melted butter with a whisk. Continue beating until all the butter is added and you have a thick creamy sauce. Stir in lemon juice to taste, then a little salt and the chopped garlic leaves. Cook the asparagus in deep, boiling water till tender (about 9 minutes depending on the thickness and freshness of your asparagus). Drain the spears carefully and serve with the garlic hollandaise. Cucumber, chickpeas and prawns There is an interesting contrast of textures here. The crunch of toasted chickpeas and cucumber, the chewy, herb-dressed flatbread, and the hot and spicy softness of the prawns. All is brought together by the cool yoghurt and garlic dressing. I am not really one for garlic with seafood, but here it works. You can get the chickpeas and cucumber ready an hour or two beforehand, cooking the prawns and assembling at the last minute. The crucial detail is the last-minute addition of the paprika-hued oil in which you cooked the prawns. Add it only at the last minute, just before everyone tucks in. Serves 4 For the chickpeas chickpeas 1 x 400g tin olive oil 4 tbsp garlic 3 cloves For the bread flatbread 150g olive oil 100ml, plus a little extra mint 10g parsley 15g coriander 10g For the salad thick kefir or yoghurt 350ml cucumber ½ olive oil 4 tbsp prawns 12, shelled mild paprika 2 tsp Set the oven at 180C fan/gas mark 6. Drain the chickpeas, pat them dry, then toss them with the olive oil. Spread them out on a baking sheet, tuck the peeled garlic cloves among them, and bake for 20 minutes till golden and lightly crisp. Remove and transfer to a bowl. Set the garlic aside. Tear the flatbreads into large, bite-sized pieces and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. (I use the one I used for the chickpeas.) Brush with a little olive oil and bake for about 7 minutes till just crisp, turn, then bake for a further 3-4 minutes. Crush the roasted garlic and stir it into the yoghurt. Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthways, then scrape out and discard the central, seedy core. Slice into finger-thick pieces. Mix the cucumber and garlic yoghurt in a large bowl and season. Make the dressing for the bread: in a blender, combine the mint, parsley and coriander with 100ml of olive oil. Dunk each piece of flatbread in the dressing. For the prawns, warm 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan, season the prawns with the paprika and a little salt and fry for about 3 minutes on each side till golden. Toss the chickpeas with the cucumber and yoghurt and the pieces of flatbread. Add the hot prawns. Trickle the paprika-flecked cooking oil into the salad at the last minute. Strawberries with orange blossom cream cheese The velvety texture of the cream cheese, the cream-coloured curds scented with black pepper and orange zest, will depend on the careful whipping of the cream. As the cream thickens and starts to feel heavy on the whisk, slow the speed down, so you can stop easily when the right texture is reached. The ideal consistency is when the cream is thick enough to keep a shape, but not yet thick enough to stand up in stiff peaks. As you introduce the mascarpone and the flavourings, do so with as few turns of the spoon as possible, to avoid over-mixing. You can use a sieve to shape the cream (I use a plastic carton with little holes in) so the whey can drain away – there won’t be much, but you need to get rid of it, so you end up with a thick, almost cheesecake-like texture. You may not need all of it for four people, there may be some left over. You could spread it, in thick waves, on hot toasted brioche, or fill a croissant with it. Without the sweetness of the mint syrup, you will probably need a fine dusting of icing sugar over the surface. Serves 4 For the cream cheese double cream 200ml mascarpone 200g orange 1 orange flower water For the mint syrup caster sugar 4tbsp water 250ml mint leaves and stems 10g strawberries 500g Make the cream cheese: put the double cream in a bowl and whisk till it starts to thicken. Stop when the cream will lie in soft folds. Gently fold in the mascarpone. Finely grate the zest of the orange and add to the mixture with a few turns of coarsely ground pepper. (You really need little more than a pinch.) Add two drips – no more – of orange flower water, then gently mix together. Line a small sieve with a piece of clean muslin, spoon in the cream cheese and fold the muslin over the surface. Place over a bowl to collect any drips of whey and leave overnight to drain. The next day, make the syrup. Put the caster sugar in a small saucepan, pour in the water and bring to the boil. Crush the leaves and stems of the mint in your hand – to release their fragrance – then add to the syrup, cover and set aside for 20 minutes. Slice the strawberries in half and remove their stalks and leaves. Put the berries in a bowl, pour over the mint syrup and refrigerate for an hour (any longer and they are inclined to go “woolly”). To serve, unmould the cream cheese (it just needs a good firm shake), and serve in generous spoonfuls with the marinated berries. Source

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- Nume: .DjC. - Rang: Network Anchor (4) - Data săvârşirii emisiunii/concursului: 17.05.2021 - Tipul emisiunii/concursului: Contest with the subject of Capital of World - Numele celor care au participat la emisiune/concurs: GaBBlue[ZEW] | [AIM]Haydenowski | [SoA]dotzo - Dovada (screenshot) pentru tipul concursului/emisiunii [/l]: https://imgur.com/aKHTnEQ - Dovada (screenshot) cu [/livemembers]: https://imgur.com/a/fHJ3gmv - Alte precizări: @GaBBlue | @Hayden ZEW | @dotzo

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Sumo Digital's medieval PvPvE game, Hood: Outlaws and Legends, has had a number of issues with long wait times in its lobbies across various platforms since its release a little over a week ago. While many thought that Hood: Outlaws and Legends's issues were simply down to a low player count on the servers, the developers have suggested that is not the case, and that the issue has been found and resolved. Long matchmaking times can be the bane of gamers and developers alike. Even titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone have suffered issues with matchmaking times, showing that lower player counts aren't always the issue. A blog post by Hood: Outlaws and Legends' game director surrounding the game's launch has finally shed some light on the long wait times plaguing players, as well as offering some other details regarding a new map, game mode, and Outlaw. In a blog post from game director Andrew Willans, the developer explained that while Hood: Outlaws and Legends' matchmaking has had some problems, they have "identified the issue that could cause long waiting times in the lobby even with the game’s high player counts." While many had speculated that low player counts were causing the sometimes 10-minute wait times, this was evidently not the source of the problem. While the resolution of the matchmaking issues may be the main takeaway from the blog post for many gamers sitting in unending lobbies, it also focused on some other aspects of Hood: Outlaws and Legends' launch. Namely, Willans notes that the developers will be releasing a balance patch that will aim to level the playing field between ranged and melee combatants, with the melee classes currently overperforming. He also mentions the release of the new Mountain map and "an exciting new game mode" for season one of the game, and a new Outlaw in season two. The developer suggests that much of the underperformance of ranged characters is down to an issue with low sensitivity on consoles having a "negative impact ranged Outlaws’ win rates." Many players have been complaining about the maximum sensitivity for ranged characters being too low on console versions of Hood: Outlaws and Legends, so this will likely be a welcome change. Willans does point out that Hood: Outlaws and Legends is fairly balanced for an initial release, with win-rates for all Outlaws hovering around 50%. Communication from developers is always important, and this blog post certainly shows that Sumo Digital is taking player feedback into account when it comes to balance changes and improvements. Long matchmaking times can be a death knell for a new game, so fans of Hood: Outlaws and Legends will be happy to hear that low player counts are not the issue. The release of the new Mountain map will likely help to maintain players' interest as well, and with a new Outlaw coming out in season two, many will be excited to see how the meta develops for Hood: Outlaws and Legends unique PvPvE gameplay. Source

Bethesda has released the Steel Reign Update for Fallout 76 on its PTS (Public Test Server). This update brings all-new quests to Fallout 76 with the Steel Reign questline, which picks up right where you left off with the Brotherhood of Steel at the end of Steel Dawn. Steel Reign quests are open to any level 20+ characters who have already completed the quest “The Best Defense” in the live version of the game at the end of the Steel Dawn questline. When eligible characters log in, a quest called “A Knight’s Penance” will lead you to speak with Russell Dorsey in Fort Atlas to continue the Brotherhood story. Alternatively, you can use the premade character, named “Quests,” that Bethesda has added to your PTS account to get started with Steel Reign no matter your existing characters’ quest progress. This option is only available on the PTS, and won’t be available when the update goes public. Furthermore, the Steel Reign Update adds Miranda who is a new vendor. Not only that, but Bethesda has also added the Legendary Crafting system. Players can use this system to turn normal items into legendary items. Moreover, they can re-roll their existing legendary items’ attributes, and even upgrade or downgrade their star-ratings. Source

No surprise that Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers intends to replace the Vantage and DB11 with all-electric models in the middle of this decade. In fact, the AMG-turned-Aston boss believes switching to battery power will be “mandatory” by 2025. But interestingly, he doesn’t think that’ll necessarily spell the demise of petrol-powered versions. A successor doesn’t always have to kill off its forebear... “You can’t go fully electric with the [DB11/Vantage] platform,” he admitted during a round-table interview in Gaydon that PH attended. “We will need to establish a new platform [for their successors], so for me it’s clear the next generation of these sports cars will be fully electric. But you can still run them a bit in a parallel way.” This wouldn’t be totally out of character for Aston Martin, given its recent track record for keeping the VH-underpinned Vantage alive after the 2018 replacement was revealed. Granted, that was with one-offs and special editions, like the Legacy Edition models revealed only last year - but Moers alluded to a full continuation of production for the current AMG V8-powered model, after an all-electric replacement arrives. Something that would give buyers a final few years to purchase a petrol-powered Vantage or DB car before the inevitable happens. Apparently, there have been internal discussions about “extending the life cycle of these models” already, evidenced by the lack of DB11 facelift, which “should happen now, or even last year...so it’s kind of an extended life cycle anyway for these cars”. Aston has never been one to pump out models in quick succession, although it's worth nothing the DB11 will be nine years old by the middle of this decade, and the V12 version isn't expected to survive the introduction of Euro 7 regs in 2025. The Vantage is also due a facelift in the near future, where it appears destined to lose its short-lived manual gearbox - a transmission which made "no sense" to the current CEO. Somewhat surprisingly, given Porsche’s enthusiasm and investment in the technology, Moers also doesn’t see synthetic fuels as a viable option to keeping Aston's petrol cars alive for longer. He was quick to play the subject down, suggesting that the firm is “not investigating that”, and adding that lab-developed alternatives to petrol were a more pressing priority for the air travel industry. By contrast, he reckons private car manufacturers “need to focus on batteries...synthetic fuels are cool but where does it come from? What energy does it use to make it?” Source

How different can these two cars really be? Platform sharing is by no means new, but by using fundamentally the same underpinnings and electric powertrains – motors, battery stacks, 800-volt electrical architectures and all – the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT take copying one another’s homework to entirely new levels. They look quite different, the Audi more striking in its design and the Porsche something of a minimalist. But both have tightly-wrapped sculptural forms, as though their bodies have been shrink wrapped around hard points that almost aren’t there. How low their bonnets are and how swollen their haunches illustrate just how much more freedom car designers have when working with compact electric powertrains. They won’t be mourning the demise of the combustion engine the way many of us will. For all that they look unalike from outside, within their cabins the Taycan and e-tron GT appear to have nothing in common whatsoever. The Porsche’s interior is so simple it’s almost plain. With the trio of crisp digital displays shut down, you just see flat black surfaces from door to door. There are almost no physical buttons at all, plus a seating position that sits you so close to the ground you wouldn’t believe you were sat atop a thick slab of battery cells. The Taycan’s cabin is so well built and its materials so high-grade that it sets new standards not just for Porsche and not just for electric cars, but for anything that can be bought for less than £100,000. And the e-tron GT? Its dashboard design is far busier with those angular forms that characterise all modern Audi interiors, plus hard and shiny plastics that the Porsche would sneer at. You sit slightly higher in the e-tron GT, looking down upon a cabin that looks and feels…familiar. Honestly, this could be any other upmarket Audi. It almost feels twee nowadays to toggle a physical button to change the AC temperature or cycle through driving modes rather than jab away at a digital display. If preferring the e-tron GT’s approach to that taken by the Taycan makes me a Luddite, hand me that mallet so I can smash this cotton mill to bits. Neither the Audi nor the Porsche offers quite as much rear seat space as you might expect. At six-foot tall I found I had enough legroom to be comfortable over a longer journey in either one, but both were just a little mean on headroom. So yes, they look quite different and their cabins, for the most part, are very unalike, but the Taycan and e-tron GT can hardly be said to have profoundly different characters on those grounds. So is that it then? Are we to accept that two cars from sister companies that share electrical gubbins are essentially one and the same? Well no, not at all. In fact, those far-reaching commonalities mean Porsche and Audi have actually had to work harder than ever on chassis tuning, steering calibration and the like just to inject some individuality. The outcome of all of that is that you can jump from the Taycan into the e-tron GT, drive the very same stretch of road you’ve just silently swept along and kid yourself the two cars have no DNA in common at all. As things to drive, these two barely seem to share a single gene. We’re testing the Taycan 4S and the (for now) base model e-tron GT, rather than the outrageously powerful Turbo or RS variants. These are the ones most people will actually buy. The Porsche costs from £83,580 and the Audi from £79,900. But those are merely starting points. The Taycan in question was specced up to a wholesome £97,906 with the Performance Battery Plus (£3906), Carmine Red paint (£1683) and rear-wheel steering (£1650), plus plenty more besides. The e-tron GT we had on the day, meanwhile, would set you back an eye-watering £109,115. You could very nearly have the 646hp RS e-tron GT for that. Why so costly? This particular car has the Vorsprung upgrade package, which adds air springs (they’re standard on the Taycan 4S) and rear-wheel steering, plus some additional kit. That package will set you back £25,000 and bump the price of your e-tron GT to within a couple of grand of the range-topping RS. Even Audi UK says most buyers simply won’t bother. With two motors apiece, one at either end, both the Porsche and Audi offer 530hp (the Taycan’s Performance Battery Plus ramps that up to 571hp with launch control) and they’ll sprint to 62mph in around four seconds. Audi claims a 298 mile range for the e-tron GT and Porsche 288 miles for the Taycan, which you’re only likely to achieve in the real world with a concerted effort. Those are the impressive numbers. The less edifying ones are 2,351 and 2,295, the weight in kilograms with a driver on board for the Audi and Porsche respectively. One reads those figures and sees a problem that will soon need to be addressed. Perhaps when the charging network throughout Europe and the rest of the developed world is both dependable and widespread, these cars will get away with using far smaller batteries and become less lamentably corpulent because of it. That does seem a way off. For all its mass, the Taycan 4S is a staggeringly good thing to drive. Fast, slow, town or country, it’s just so capable. Its air springs give it the kind of ride quality that soothes your aches and pains, all the bumps in the road surface ironed away effortlessly while – and this is the clever bit – the body stays level and calm. You’re not tossed about this way and that, which means you sit in the Taycan even on a B-road as serenely as you would in an armchair. It’s quiet during acceleration, of course, and quiet at a cruise with so little wind and road noise. That all gives the Taycan redoubtable grand touring credentials, except that it won’t go terribly far before needing its batteries replenished. And yet, it’s so crushingly effective along a flowing back road as well. There’s taut body control and prodigious grip, plus a very real sense that its centre of gravity is so close to the deck it’s almost scraping along the asphalt. With the batteries where they are, the bulk of the car’s weight is close to the road, helping the Taycan to feel stable, sure-footed and freakishly agile. But really it’s the steering. That’s what blows you away. One way or another, Porsche’s engineers have been able to make this 2.3-tonne electric car steer with much of the precision and clarity of the 1,600kg 911. It’s a thread that runs all the way from one to the other, and it means you guide the Taycan along a road with great confidence. Of course, it feels massively brisk as well. Crucially, though, its performance isn’t physically uncomfortable (which you can’t say about the two Turbo variants) but nor do you ever long for more. Goldilocks would drive a 4S. All of that augers very well indeed for the e-tron GT. Or does it? Given what Porsche has been able to achieve with this toolkit, anything less than genuine brilliance will seem a failure. If the Taycan steers like a Porsche, the e-tron GT steers a lot like an Audi. Rather than the crisp, reassuring response you find in the Porsche, in the Audi you discover a lighter wheel with vaguer responses and no sense of connection at all. At least it’s entirely free of slack and natural in its weighing, though. Like the Taycan, this air-sprung e-tron GT rides very well indeed, even on its optional 21-inch wheels. Better than the Porsche? Perhaps, but there’s almost nothing in it. I was surprised to hear so much more wind and tyre noise in the Audi, however, having expected it to major even more on long distance refinement. After all, that GT badging is fairly unequivocal, while Porsche tends to refer to its electric saloon as a four-door sports car. You feel the same resolute grip and absolutely steadfast traction in the Audi, but there’s more movement in the body, both as it leans in corners and rises and falls over crests and undulations. Meanwhile, where the Porsche seamlessly juggles energy recuperation with pad against disc during braking, its pedal offering consistently firm pressure against the ball of your foot, the Audi’s leftmost pedal twitches and shivers beneath your toes. The e-tron GT’s barrel-like motors make such light work of the car’s enormous mass you wonder what elemental forces are at play. Ah yes, magnetism. But while you wouldn’t crave more speed, it’d not be unusual to drive the Taycan a while, swap into the e-tron GT and wish from it more detailed steering, sharper body control, a more solid brake pedal and altogether more cohesion. The Taycan 4S is a better car to drive than the e-tron GT, but the takeaway from all of this for me is that even in this new electric age, two cars can share so much and yet still feel so different. SPECIFICATION | AUDI E-TRON GT VORSPRUNG Engine: Permanently excited electric motor, one per axle, 93.4kWh battery Transmission: Single-speed (front) twin-speed (rear), all-wheel drive Power (hp): 530 (launch control overboost, otherwise 476) Torque (lb ft): 465 (launch control maximum) 0-62mph: 4.1sec Top speed: 152mph Weight: 2,276kg (EU unladen) MPG: N/A (280-mile range) CO2: 0g/km (driving) Price: £106,000 (Vorsprung starting; price as tested £112,350, including Kemora Grey metallic paint for £950, e-tron sports sound for £500, 21-inch 10-spoke Trapezoidal aero alloys** for £1,740, extended leather pack for £1,665 and locking rear differential** for £1,495) ** These won't be offered on final UK-spec models (this is an early right-hand drive press car) outside of the RS range. With these non-UK options removed, price as tested is £109,115 SPECIFICATION | PORSCHE TAYCAN 4S PERFORMANCE BATTERY PLUS Engine: Permanently excited electric motor, one per axle, 93.4kWh battery Transmission: Single-speed (front) twin-speed (rear), all-wheel drive Power (hp): 571 (launch control overboost, otherwise 490) Torque (lb ft): 479 (launch control maximum) 0-62mph: 4.0sec Top speed: 155mph Weight: 2,220kg (EU unladen) MPG: N/A (288-mile range) CO2: 0g/km (driving) Price: £83,580 (price as tested £97,906, including Performance Battery Plus £3,906, Carmine Red paint £1,683, Rear Axle Steering £1,650, 20-inch Taycan Turbo Aero Wheels £1,524) Source

President Joe Biden on Friday shot down a Trump proclamation that blocked potential immigrants deemed to be a “financial burden” on the nation’s health care system from coming to the United States, saying it didn’t align with U.S. interests. “My Administration is committed to expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare,” Biden said in a statement. “We can achieve that objective, however, without barring the entry of noncitizens who seek to immigrate lawfully to this country but who lack significant financial means or have not purchased health insurance coverage from a restrictive list of qualifying plans.” The 2019 proclamation had required immigrants to prove they would get qualifying health insurance within 30 days of coming to America or have the resources to cover medical costs. Former President Donald Trump's White House had said the proclamation was aimed at "protecting health care benefits for American citizens." "People who come here shouldn’t immediately be on public assistance," a senior Trump administration told POLITICO at the time. "We should bring people here who contribute and not drain resources." Biden has sought to reverse much of former Trump’s immigration policy, calling for a “fair and humane” system. The proclamation Biden revoked Friday wasn’t the only Trump-era rule based on immigrants’ financial means. The administration's "public charge" rule allowed the government to hold back green cards from legal immigrants who received public benefits like Medicaid or food stamps or who were deemed likely to do so. In March, the Biden administration said it would no longer defend the rule, which was facing legal challenges. “Doing so is neither in the public interest nor an efficient use of limited government resources,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The Biden administration also recently ended a Trump policy that had prevented undocumented college students from getting federal pandemic relief grants for items like food and housing. Biden met with six DACA recipients in the Oval Office on Friday. The Biden administration has called for a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people and so-called Dreamers. When Biden took office, he almost immediately signed an executive order ending Trump’s so-called Muslim ban that barred travel from several Muslim-majority countries. Biden has faced intense criticism from conservatives on his handling of a surge in migrants, including many unaccompanied children, at the nation’s southern border. The number of unaccompanied children in custody has fallen sharply as of late. Source

The Arkansas Board of Education on Thursday postponed decisions on all but one of the first round of applications from school districts that want to operate digital or virtual learning academies in the 2021-22 school year. Concerns about the number of students per class and the total number of students assigned per teacher in some of the proposed academies were among the issues that gave board members pause in their review of applications from 10 of the state’s school systems, including Springdale, Rogers and Texarkana. The others are Trumann, Pea Ridge, Bergman, Fort Smith, Russellville, Harrison and Westside-Johnson County. The board did approve a single application — one from the Siloam Springs School District for a kindergarten through eighth grade virtual academy — which had broader waiver requests. That favorable vote came after Superintendent Jody Wiggins, participating in the meeting via the Zoom conferencing platform, answered board member questions about his district’s plans. The digital academy proposals come after many Arkansas school systems scrambled this current school year to offer students an online instructional program as a way to combat the spread of the contagious and potentially fatal covid-19 virus. Some districts provided a full-time virtual instructional program. Others offered a combination of virtual and on-campus instruction. At the very least, districts were prepared to shift their students to online instruction for a few days at a time in the event of a covid-19 outbreak. The continued use of digital learning academies is a national issue. A February survey of districts by the EdWeek Research Center showed that almost 70% of districts plan to offer a range of remote instructional options. More recently, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has said that school districts in his state won’t be allowed to offer virtual learning next year —even for parents who want that option. The 10 digital academy applications presented to the Arkansas board Thursday are the initial group from a total of 150 applications that have been submitted by districts to the state Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. Each of the dozens of proposals requires waivers of some state rules and laws, which require Education Board approval under Act 1240 of 2015. Arkansas Education Secretary Johnny Key ultimately proposed that the board invite representatives of some of the first 10 districts to a board workshop “to talk through” or answer questions about their digital academy plans. The workshop will be at 9 a.m. May 20 before the board holds a special meeting May 27 to act on as many as half of all the applications. Most of the proposals ask for five-year waivers of some state rules and laws, the length of which was a concern among board members who asked if one- or two-year waivers would allow for a quicker evaluation of program success. “My concern is the huge numbers we saw in some of these plans — the big teaching load and the larger class sizes,” said Education Board member Ouida Newton of Leola, who acted as the board chairperson Thursday. “I would be hesitant to approve those without hearing from the districts on how they are going to ensure that every student is going to be engaged and whether every teacher will be listened to and not have too much put on them. “This year for teachers has been very stressful, very hard. We don’t want to do anything to continue that for teachers,” Newton added. Board member Adrienne Woods of Rogers also asked that the board be able to hear explanations from district representatives about the digital academy plans. “We’ve not done this before. I just want to talk to people,” said Woods, who noted that the Rogers School District proposal limits the number of online middle school students to no more than 200 per teacher and the number of high school students to as many as 300 per teacher. Generally, a secondary school teacher in a traditional school has a 150-student cap with exceptions for courses such as physical education, band and Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. Board member Sarah Moore of Stuttgart questioned the value of having digital learning academies in kindergarten-through-eighth grades when it is not being forced by a pandemic or other conditions. She noted that there are already existing digital learning options available. “My disgruntlement, when I get to the root of it, is more with digital learning,” Moore said, adding that she believes it can be done well but not always. In January, the Education Board gave the state Division of Elementary and Secondary Education staff the authority to streamline a process for accepting and reviewing school district applications for digital academies — including waivers of some state laws and rules — to ultimately be approved by the state board. For the coming 2021-22 school year, the state agency has provided a guide to districts to help with the planning. The instructional plan, for example, has to take into account how students and teachers will interact, and the delivery of instruction — be it live instruction or recorded for later viewing or a combination of the two. Additionally a district’s remote instruction plan has to address teacher support and student support, including food security, physical and mental health, state education leaders said. The plans have to describe how special services will be delivered, such as special education, gifted education and education for students who are not native English-language speakers. Districts also have to have policies for attendance, discipline and grading, and they must show that stakeholders were involved in the planning of the digital academies and that the school board approved requests for waivers. The state offered districts to apply for a set of waivers of laws and rules to qualified school districts in regard to student attendance, class sizes, teaching load, the minimum six-hour instructional day, student recess and the minimum time required for instruction. School districts could apply for additional waivers. Stacy Smith, deputy education commissioner, and Kiffany Pride, the assistant commissioner for learning services, were among the agency staff that explained on Thursday the academy application process and how those applications were reviewed. Smith said that a team of 17 agency leaders reviewed the plan components and that the applicants had to meet a high bar. A level of risk is assigned to each of the components of a district’s plan as a way to ensure its adequate oversight. Wiggins, the Siloam Springs superintendent, who received a 6-0 board vote of approval for his district’s kindergarten-through-eighth grade digital academy — including a waiver of generally required elementary art and music teachers — said that the process was the most rigorous and frustrating his district has experienced in working with the state agency. The district submitted and resubmitted its plan three times, he said, as the result of questions from reviewers. Source

For actor Paul Bettany, all roads lead back to the one he trudges down in A Knight’s Tale. The argument holds water when you consider how his American studio-feature-film debut planted the seeds for a robust screen-acting career that has put the BAFTA-nominated performer toe-to-toe with Tom Hanks (The Da Vinci Code) and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), had him co-leading prestigious small-screen and indie dramas (Discovery’s Manhunt: Unabomber, Margin Call), and launched him into some of today’s largest entertainment franchises with Solo: A Star Wars Story and, of course, 13 years voicing J.A.R.V.I.S. and playing Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the story goes, Bettany’s performance as a fictionalized Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight’s Tale so impressed filmmaker Brian Helgeland that when Ron Howard needed an actor to play Charles Herman, the imaginary roommate and confidant to Crowe’s schizophrenic mathematician in A Beautiful Mind, he threw Bettany’s name up for consideration. The job was his. He met his future wife, Jennifer Connelly, on set; both Howard and Crowe became repeat Bettany collaborators down the line; and forward the world spun. “Life is really curly, and you can keep doing that because it’s all this sort of continuous rolling kind of weird journey,” Bettany reflects by Zoom from his rented London flat. “The truth is, one thing always leads to another.” A Knight’s Tale is remembered not just for its fusing of period-specific 14th century flourishes with a contemporary pop-rock soundtrack and other modern nods, but for being a Heath Ledger breakout vehicle. The late Oscar winner stars as peasant and squire William Thatcher, who, upon his employer’s death, adopts the knight’s armor (and the name Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein) to “change his stars” and follow his dreams as a master swordsman and jouster. Flanked by two fellow squires (played by Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy), William stumbles upon a nude and muddied Chaucer, the esteemed Canterbury Tales author and poet of the Middle Ages. He agrees to forge documents proving Thatcher’s noble lineage in exchange for clothes, food, and companionship. Thus begins a rollicking buddy action-comedy-romance that made a star out of Ledger and helped solidify its supporting players as future screen stalwarts. In recognition of the film’s 20th anniversary, Bettany — fresh off his run on Disney+ and Marvel’s WandaVision — took a break from filming the upcoming A Very British Scandal (in which he and Claire Foy dramatize the notoriously contentious divorce of the duke and duchess of Argyll) to reminisce on his time filming, his intoxicated (and admittedly blurry) bonding with Ledger and Helgeland, and the wrap present that to this day makes him blush in memory. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of filming A Knight’s Tale 20 years ago? Well, what year was it? It came out in May 2001, so you must’ve been filming in 2000. The first thing that comes to mind is Brian Helgeland, who really supported me and had tried to get me on a previous film [called The Sin Eater, which was later made in 2003 as The Order, reuniting A Knight’s Tale actors Ledger, Addy, and Shannyn Sossamon without Bettany], but the studio didn’t want me. This was for The Sin Eater? Yeah, and the studio didn’t want me. He fought and fought and fought and then he decided he was going to write me something that wasn’t the lead so that he could sneak me in. So he did, and I auditioned, and the studio didn’t want me. And he flew me over to meet with everybody, and I auditioned. They looked at the tape and decided they didn’t want me. [Laughs] So I went home, and I came out again; he flew me out and I auditioned again. And … they decided they didn’t want me. And finally, Brian said, “All right, I’m not gonna make the movie.” And I think that they had such a going concern with Heath, who was suddenly a big star, I guess, from 10 Things I Hate About You — is that what it’s called? — that they didn’t want to lose the picture. So they thought, All right, we’ll let him have this gangly, blond actor from England. I’m really glad they did let him! What was your read of the situation when you were getting that feedback? I think I was too young and naive to have any thoughts regarding it except to think I wasn’t good enough. What was it that developed your relationship with Brian in the first place? The story Brian told me was that I had sent in a video … I went to a casting director — I don’t know who it was — in England, and I tested. I did an audition and I sent it off into the world and then didn’t think about it — nor did he because he didn’t get to see it. And then he found the video in some office in L.A. for Sin Eater, and he was like, “Oh, I like this guy! Who’s this guy?” And then he flew over to London and did a proper screen test with a crew and everything — and God bless him, I don’t know why. I mean, I guess we just really enjoyed each other’s company and he recognized in me, maybe — I don’t know! Maybe he recognized somebody like himself who was trying to sort of, like in A Knight’s Tale, change their stars. Plus, we have a shared love of the Beatles. I had assumed you might have been friends beforehand, but it turns out he was just a fan of yours. Oh, no! I hadn’t even met an American at that point. Looking at the way A Knight’s Tale really plays with genre and modernizes some aspects while keeping others period-specific — was that playfulness appealing to you? What made you want to play this character in the first place? Oh, Ben — having a job was appealing to me! I was just trying to pay my rent at that point in my life and just get experience. I fell in love with being in front of cameras. Well, let me clarify: I hate being in front of still cameras, but [I loved] being in front of movie cameras, and I loved everything about being on a set, and I had a sort of voracious appetite for knowledge about how it’s done. And so I was just excited to go and play in another movie. What kind of research, if any, went into playing Chaucer? There’s not really a lot you can do, except reading The Canterbury Tales. There’s not a great deal of source material on that, so no, I was just sort of making it up as I went along, I think. For your first scene in the film, you’re butt naked, for lack of a better phrase. You’re covered in mud. Was that a daunting ask for you to bare it all on screen? I didn’t really think about it at that point. The idea was: If you could pull off being naked and covered in mud and still have a smile on your face, the audience is probably going to love you. That was, I’m sure, Brian’s idea for writing it like that. No, I wasn’t daunted at walking naked — I was much more daunted at … I remember costume coming to me, and I went, “Oh! I’ve got a costume? I thought I was naked.” And they brought my costume, which was a Day-Glo yellow sock. I can imagine what that was for … Well, I didn’t! I couldn’t! I said, “What’s this for?” And they said, “Um, it’s to put on your penis.” And I said, “Well, why would I put a Day-Glo yellow sock on my penis?” And they went, “In case you feel embarrassed.” And I went, “The one thing more embarrassing than walking down the street naked in front of people is walking down the street with a Day-Glo sock on your penis.” So we didn’t go with the sock. Actually, my wrap gift from Brian Helgeland was — because it was all on film — all the cut footage of my penis in a film tin that must be somewhere in my house, never to have been shown. Have you revisited that footage, or it’s just good to know it’s in a safe place? Well, you know, I haven’t a projector, so I never really thought about revisiting it. Speaking of costumes, a lot of people love the jacket that costume designer Caroline Harris had you in as Chaucer. What are the chances that’s still hanging in your closet? I don’t know that in real life that jacket would have worked on me. I can’t imagine a situation where I might find myself wearing that jacket. Not to in any way deride the jacket — the jacket’s marvelous, in a medieval-pop comedy. But I don’t think, walking down the streets of New York City — it doesn’t feel like a good choice for me, sartorially speaking. Tell me a little bit about these big introductory speech scenes before the jousting tournaments. How’d you go about memorizing those lines? Was anything ad-libbed? I remember on the first day, there was a big list of names — I just had to recite a bunch of names, and I just couldn’t learn it. I said, “Look, you’re just gonna have to put it on the wall behind this actor’s head so I can do it.” Because there’s no logic to it, and I couldn’t learn it. I remember all the producers getting very worried, like, “He’s got these huge speeches coming up!” And the difference between huge speeches and lists is that I don’t really have to — I don’t know what to say about this because I know some people who do learn lines. I don’t ever learn my lines. It never comes to the point, really, where I’m learning lines because they just start sticking to whatever the idea of the speech is. They just start sticking, and hopefully they stick in the right order. There wasn’t really improvisation. But there was a lot with the speeches of me going to Brian saying, “Oh, what about this?” and him going away with that idea and rewriting. But Brian is a really great writer; I’ve never felt the need to mess with his words. At this point, there was a lot of buzz around Heath’s career after 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot. But you were 28, 29; he was 20, 21. Was that a felt age difference, or were you quick friends? What can you tell us about working with him? I can tell you that he just had a light that shined off him. He was a movie star, you know? Just immediately, you met him, and he shone, as you lot say, and it was very hard not to fall in love with him — I think for anybody. He was a very playful, joyous spirit. For the two weeks prior to filming, I’ve read, you, Heath, Brian, and the rest of the cast had a “rehearsal period” that turned into mostly drinking and bonding in Prague, is that right? Yeah, it’s a little blurry. Or maybe I was a little blurry. But yeah, we became a really tight-knit group that really enjoyed each other’s company, and it was just a really funny time. You can imagine: We were all young and in the Czech Republic all together having a ball. And then at some point, it turned out we had to start working, but it never really felt like work at all. My understanding from there is that it was also Brian who put you on Ron Howard’s radar for A Beautiful Mind, and then you can connect the dots from there to several other projects, and to several personal developments in your life — including meeting your wife, Jennifer Connelly. Is it funny for you to be able to link it all back to A Knight’s Tale? There’s so much of that, though. Life is really curly and you can keep doing that because it’s all this sort of continuous rolling kind of weird journey. The truth is, one thing always leads to another, so yes, I believe that is true. But other things are true: I remember Peter Weir had an issue when my name was put up for being in Master and Commander, with my being blond. [He] couldn’t believe that I could look brunette, and he really wanted the character to be brunette. So my manager sneaked into his hotel and left a video of me in another film where I was a brunette outside his door. So, you know, there’s all of those stories. A Knight’s Tale also showcases your comedic skills, which you haven’t always had the chance to flex until something like WandaVision, where you’re playing with all those sitcom mini-genres. Is comedy something you would’ve liked to explore a bit more in your career or that you hope to in the future? I don’t really think like that. There are certain sorts of comedy that I just don’t think I’d be any good at at all. But I mostly respond to a mixture of the material just being really good and speaking to me or a sort of quite bullish desire to do something that’s very opposite of what I’ve just done. And I can’t shake that. I’m not sure it’s particularly helpful for a young actor because I sort of always wanted to be a character actor and play lots of different sorts of roles. But I happened to be coming up at a time when branding yourself was really happening and you branded yourself as this sort of an actor. And I just didn’t want to. I’m hoping it’s going to pay dividends now as I’m not in my 20s any longer, but I can’t shake that thing, you know? Right now is an example, in point of fact: I finished WandaVision, where I’m playing Vision, who’s an incredibly sort of warm, Jimmy Stewart sort of character. And now I’m doing this thing with Claire Foy where I’m a misogynistic drunk duke who’s incredibly cold and cut off. So I still have that instinct. As a final question for you, we really are taking a walk down memory lane here: If you could give your younger self any piece of advice, something that you’ve learned over the years that would’ve been helpful back then, what would it be? I’d say this: 90 percent, maybe more, 95 percent, of the things that you’re gonna spend the next 30 years worrying about are never gonna happen, and if you worry about each and every single one of them, you’re going to be exhausted when a real crisis comes up. So keep your worry powder dry, and enjoy being young. I think that being young is almost wasted on the youth, you know? It’s so vital, it’s such a vital time. I really try and teach that to my kids. It’s extraordinary. It’s just extraordinary, and the world is opening up for you, and it will open up for you. Don’t worry so much. Source

After years of teases and delays, Indiana Jones 5 is getting even closer to becoming a reality, with the film adding Boyd Holbrook (Logan, The Predator) and Shaunette Renée Wilson (The Resident) in undisclosed roles alongside Harrison Ford as the titular archaeologist, per Deadline. Other newcomers to the franchise include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, and Thomas Kretschmann, with all of their roles in the new film, as well as the sequel's plot details, remaining a secret of the production. The film is set to be directed by James Mangold from a script he wrote with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. Indiana Jones 5 is expected to begin production this summer for a July 29, 2022 release date. Steven Spielberg, who directed the previous four entries, had long been attached to direct the fifth film, and while he ultimately handed the production over to Mangold, he'll remain involved as a producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel. Additionally, John Williams is attached to once again compose the film's score. Understandably, with there being so much creative turnover behind the scenes, some fans might be apprehensive about the new outing being consistent with the tone of its predecessors, though Mikkelsen recently made comments that should quell those doubts. "I’m very, very excited about it… I rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark the other day, it is so well-done and so charming, and it’s such great storytelling. So yes it’s a great honor to be part of that franchise that I grew up with… I’m in a lucky position where they let me read the script before. And yes, it was everything I wished it to be, so that was just great," Mikkelsen shared with Collider. "I do think I'm invited in to create a character, I think that everybody wants that. That’s why they pick certain actors that they think can come up with certain things, and it will be a collaboration as it always is." The actor added of his mysterious role in the new film, "Interesting enough, again a little like Riders of Justice, there is kind of a genre mix in Indiana Jones always. There is something that is a little larger-than-life, almost back to the '30s with a Peter Lorre kind of feel, and then you have Indiana Jones who kind of is a straight man. But he does produce a lot of funny and interesting things, but there are different character genres in some of those films." Source

Nu inteleg. dar dau +1

Bine