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“Sometimes I see a picture of Monica Barbaro and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s a picture of me. Oh no, that’s Monica,'” Rodrigo replied after being asked who would play her in a film. “So maybe her. And she’s a fantastic actress.”

“Good choice,” Crowe responded. “But then there’s also you.” “Yeah,” Rodrigo agreed. “I could do it. I mean, you’re directing it. You have to cast it.” She added, “We’ll sidebar.”

Barbaro proved her musical prowess in 2024 film A Complete Unknown, playing Baez opposite Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan. Baez later praised the performance. “I loved what she did in the film,” Baez told her hometown paper, the Marin Independent Journal. “If I didn’t think she was good at it, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it in general. But she looked enough like me and she had my gestures down. You could tell who it was. She worked so hard. Kudos to her for taking the role on.”

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Barbaro, who initially had five months to prep for her role, told the paper she did extensive research during that time and also worked with a vocal coach and guitar teacher — she said she wasn’t a singer nor did she play guitar beforehand. “Joan’s fingerpicking style is so intricate, so specific, and I had no experience at that,” she said.

Rodrigo spoke with Crowe and performed several songs during her event at the Grammy Museum. She told the director that she wrote “Stupid Song” after walking around New York City early in the morning and being asked out by a stranger. “I was like, ‘No, but this is the best day ever. Oh my God,'” she recalled.

This might change soon, however, as the latest Unearthed Arcana playtest material teased that an Underdark-focused product could be revealed as part of D&D’s lineup in the near future. If the “Underdark Options” subclasses aren’t enough to persuade you to prepare your spelunking gear and anti-spider repellent, another big clue was subtly revealed during Gen Con 2026’s D&D Vision Keynote.

Actor and producer Joe Manganiello has joined the D&D team to lead a new initiative called D&D Icons, which will bring together legendary creators from the game’s rich history to work on original products. The lineup includes Dragonlance creators Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Gary Gygax’s son and Greyhawk loremaster Luke Gygax, and the author of The Legend of Drizzt series, R.A. Salvatore.

While it’s known that Weis and Hickman will work on a Dragonlance book, and Gygax will handle Greyhawk, it’s still unclear what Salvatore will be working on, but the answer isn’t hard to guess. The prolific writer has popularized the Underdark and its most famous denizens, the drow (dark elves), through 40 novels, most of which feature the iconic ranger Drizzt Do’Urden. An Underdark-focused D&D product designed by Salvatore would surely attract the longtime fans that seem to be the main target audience for the D&D Icons line.

What is the Underdark in Dungeons & Dragons?

Image: Larian Studios

“Underdark” is the term used in the Forgotten Realms to describe the vast regions under the surface of the world in many D&D settings, including Greyhawk (where it’s called Underoerth or Deepearth), and Eberron (where its name is Khyber). It first appeared in one of the earliest adventures authored by Gary Gygax, Hall of the Fire Giant King (1978), and was then the main setting for Gygax’s D-series of adventure modules, part of the larger Queen of the Spiders series. The Underdark was first described in detail (and named) by Douglas Niles in 1986’s Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide.

Image: Wizards of the Coast/Keith Parkinson

The appeal of the location comes from dropping adventurers in a completely hostile environment. In the Underdark, there are no peaceful towns to rest in or friendly innkeepers waiting to share the latest gossip; even the environment itself is out to kill you. Moreover, the Underdark's unique ecology creates a simultaneous sense of alienation and wonder that always leaves a mark on players. Many of the game’s most iconic monsters, such as Beholders and Mind Flayers, are native to the Underdark, along with fascinating (and usually hostile) civilizations like that of the drow or the duergars (the dwarven equivalent of the drow).

Salvatore’s first trilogy of novels, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, is not set in the Underdark, but that’s where the author introduced Drizzt (in 1988’s The Crystal Shard). Despite being originally conceived as a sidekick to the barbarian Wulfgar, Drizzt’s popularity soon warranted a prequel dedicated to his origins. In The Dark Elf Trilogy, readers witnessed the first literary depiction of the Underdark, which set up a long-lasting standard. Salvatore’s take on drow society drew heavily on Gygax’s description of the creatures in the first Monster Manual and his Greyhawk adventure series. The mighty city of Menzoberranzan is ruled by a council of rival noble Houses, each led by a high priestess of the evil goddess Lolth, the Queen of Spiders, who holds absolute power over the drow (until more recent retcons changed her role to make dark elves more nuanced).

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Salvatore’s depiction of Menzoberranzan and the wilds of the Underdark fascinated generations of readers. Many of them were also D&D players, and the game released plenty of Underdark-related content over the decades, up to 2015’s 5th edition campaign Out of the Abyss, which gives players the challenging task of escaping from the drow while surviving an invasion of demons in the Underdark.

What will D&D’s next Underdark product look like?

It’s been a decade since the latest Underdark product was released for D&D. The Underdark Options playtest material teases that there’s finally more coming in the future, but what is that going to look like?

Image: Wayne England

Based on the design trends shown in the D&D 5.5e products, a new big Underdark adventure in the vein of Out of the Abyss is unlikely. A dedicated campaign setting including new character options and a “gazetteer” focused on locations and inhabitants, accompanied perhaps by a short adventure, would be more in line with the most recent D&D books.

However, that’s only if D&D Icons follows the established design practice of the “mainline” D&D products. Manganiello has teased that Icons will have a lot of creative freedom, but what this entails is still a mystery.

There’s still a chance that this hypothetical Underdark product could be very story-focused. The Underdark Options playtest material focuses on the city of Deep Imaskar, a relatively unexplored location. It also introduces a new form of magic called “unlight,” originating in Deep Imaskar, which the original settlers used to create a safe haven in the hostile Underdark. While the Great Seal protecting the city was established in the lore, this is the first time that this magic has been called “unlight.” This revision wouldn’t make much sense unless the D&D team had something in the works for Deep Imaskar. As the city is located in the lowest reaches of the Underdark, this could be a chance to explore a still-mysterious part of one of the most popular D&D locations.

And if you’re going to have a story-focused Underdark book, who better than R.A. Salvatore to write it? To be clear, this is just speculation: It’s still unknown how the D&D Icons team will interact with established mainline projects. But no matter who is involved, plenty of D&D players will be excited to dive again into the unexplored, deadly depths of the Underdark. %!s()

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• list 1 of 1What to know about the US primary election in Massachusetts

Here are five key takeaways from the Massachusetts primary election results.

Veteran Democrats survive challenges from younger rivals

Several of Massachusetts’s longest-serving Democrats survived challenges in Tuesday’s primaries.

Senator Ed Markey, 80, defeated 47-year-old Representative Seth Moulton to secure the Democratic nomination.

Similar challenges also failed in the House. Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, who has held his seat since 2001, defeated 39-year-old progressive lawyer Patrick Roath in the 8th Congressional District.

In the 1st District, 77-year-old Representative Richard Neal, first elected to Congress in 1988, defeated 39-year-old public school teacher Jeromie Whalen.

All three will now advance to November, with Democrats heavily favoured in Massachusetts.

Markey wins the progressive argument despite his age

Moulton campaigned on the need for a new generation of political leadership, but Markey’s age did not appear to work against him.

Markey, 33 years older than Moulton, ran as the more progressive candidate, with backing from prominent figures on the Democratic left, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent Senator Bernie Sanders.

Markey also had the backing of Senator Elizabeth Warren and other members of the state’s congressional delegation, while no member of the delegation endorsed Moulton.

Moulton, a Marine veteran who ran as the more moderate alternative, instead received support from groups including VoteVets and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

Markey also repeatedly attacked Moulton over his comments questioning transgender girls’ participation in girls’ sports. Moulton later apologised and said he supported the transgender community, but Markey continued to raise the issue during the campaign.

“If you’re in the trans community or you’re a trans kid feeling the weight of the Trump administration and the Supreme Court, you matter,” Moulton said during an August debate. “You’re valued, and I will always have your back.”

However, the opposite dynamic played out in the 8th District, where the younger Roath — unsuccessfully — challenged Lynch from the left.

The results showed that age and ideology did not necessarily go hand in hand in Massachusetts.

“Generational change isn’t about compromising, to do the small things better,” Markey said Tuesday. “It’s about fighting to do the big things best.”

In a concession speech, Moulton said he would now support Markey.

“Challenging the establishment and calling for a new generation of leadership isn’t easy. But it is necessary,” Moulton told supporters. “We started conversations that needed to happen.”

Progressive challengers make gains but fall short

While younger challengers failed to defeat the state’s veteran Democrats, some still mounted competitive campaigns.

Roath raised about $1.3m compared with roughly $910,000 for Lynch, despite taking on a congressman who has represented the area for more than two decades.

He also significantly narrowed the gap during the campaign. Lynch led Roath by 26 points in a February poll, but by the final stretch of the campaign, his lead had narrowed to seven points.

But Roath ultimately fell short against Lynch.

Whalen also challenged Neal from the left in the 1st District, campaigning on progressive policies including Medicare for All, but fell short against the veteran congressman.

Massachusetts bucks the national trend

The Massachusetts results differed from several Democratic primaries elsewhere in the country, where younger progressive candidates have defeated long-serving politicians.

In Connecticut last month, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated Representative John Larson, 78, who had served in Congress for nearly three decades.

In June, 29-year-old Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated Representative Diana DeGette, who had represented her Colorado district for nearly 30 years.

That came a week after two Democratic members of Congress were defeated by left-wing challengers in New York, including five-term Representative Adriano Espaillat.

In Massachusetts, all three major challenges to long-serving lawmakers failed.

But the results were not necessarily a rejection of progressive politics. Markey himself ran from the party’s progressive wing, while Lynch and Neal faced younger candidates running to their left.

Instead, the common factor was the strength of long-serving politicians, regardless of whether their challengers came from the centre or the left.

Biden-backed Dan Koh wins primary for open House seat

Former Biden White House aide Koh won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District, the seat being vacated by Seth Moulton as he ran for Senate.

Koh stood out in the five-way race for openly embracing the former Biden administration. He was endorsed by former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as former Labor Secretary and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

Koh will now head into November as the favourite to win the heavily Democratic district.

Democratic primaries may have decided the races

In heavily Democratic Massachusetts, the primaries may prove to be the biggest electoral hurdle, with Democratic winners heavily favoured to prevail in November’s general election.

Markey will face Republican John Deaton, who ran unopposed in his primary on Tuesday. Deaton previously ran for the Senate against Elizabeth Warren in 2024, losing by about 20 percentage points.

The Democratic nominees in several House districts will also head into November as heavy favourites, meaning Tuesday’s results could in effect determine much of the state’s congressional delegation for the next term. %!s()

A Sri Lankan official said this week that some of Asia’s top teams had raised doubts over facilities and accommodation at the games, taking place in Nagoya and the wider Aichi area from September 19.

Cricket is a minor sport in Japan, and its fixtures will be played at a new purpose-built ground, with reports of tents serving as dressing rooms and distant toilet facilities.

There is no dedicated athletes’ village at the games, with organisers instead relying on cabins in a cruise ship, rooms in temporary wooden containers and hotels.

Organisers said last week that accommodation was already stretched to the limit after the number of Asian Games athletes ballooned to 17,000.

The number of athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics was about 11,000.

The cricket tournament is being run by the Asian Games organising committee in collaboration with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Japan Cricket Association CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji said the two bodies had been discussing accommodation options “for a long time”.

“The participating teams in cricket are being offered hotel accommodation,” Miyaji said on Wednesday.

“Many other sports are being accommodated in much more limited facilities, such as a cruise ship or container hotels.”

Matches will be played at Korogi Sports Park, a converted baseball field that is a 40-minute train ride from central Nagoya.

Media reports in India said the country’s cricket board was unhappy with arrangements and might send a second-string squad after originally naming 15 players led by Shreyas Iyer and including 15-year-old rising star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Miyaji said the organisers “only had 17 months to prepare and had to start from scratch” for cricket at the games.

He said they had been working “to ensure that the best facilities are provided within the limited timeline and facility restrictions”.

“Despite being temporary, the facilities will provide as comfortable a space as possible for the players and officials,” he said.

Miyaji said the pitch, which is being prepared by the curator of the 35,000-capacity Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka, would be of a high standard.

“From what I have seen, the playing surface and field will be the best seen in cricket’s inclusion in the Asian Games,” he added. %!s()

The film is presented by Panorama Studios in association with Locomotive Global and credited as a Fusion Flicks and Locomotive Global production. Producer credits go to Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak, Sunder Aaron, Vikas Sharma and Amit Dalmia, while Rajesh Menon and George Cameron serve as co-producers and Abhinav Mehrotra as creative producer.

Krishnan is known for roles in “96,” “Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,” “Ghilli” and “Ponniyin Selvan.” Sarathkumar has appeared in “Kizhakku Cheemaiyile,” “Pasumpon,” “Thanga Magan” and “Theri.” Balamurali’s credits include “SooraraiPottru,” “Maheshinte Prathikaaram” and “8 Thottakkal.”

Menon, whose credits include “Airlift,” “Chef” and “Pippa,” is making his first foray into psychological horror with the project.

Kumar Mangat Pathak, founder and chair of Panorama Studios, said, “Tamil cinema has always been a space for bold, original and culturally rooted storytelling, and we wanted our first Tamil production to reflect exactly that spirit. This is a genre film with a very intriguing world at its core, and Raja has brought a distinctive vision to it. We are delighted to partner with such talented collaborators and are confident that this film will offer audiences a fresh cinematic experience.”

Menon added, “Someone once quite aptly called me ‘genre agnostic’, and this film is another exploration in that journey. This is a story that is a first for me in many ways – my first film in Tamil, my first psychological horror, and my first story centred entirely around women. Adding to that is the privilege of working with Trisha Krishnan, Radhika ma’am, Aparna Balamurali, the wonderful cast and a fantastic crew. It makes this journey all the more exciting. Panorama Studios and Kumar Mangat ji have been incredibly supportive of my creative process, while Vikas and Sunder from Locomotive Global share the same commitment to telling the story the way it should be told, without compromising on anything. I couldn’t have asked for a better set of people to take this new journey with.”

Sunder Aaron, managing partner and producer, and Vikas Sharma, producer, at Locomotive Global, said in a joint statement, “At Locomotive Global, we are drawn to stories that transcend borders while remaining rooted in powerful human emotion. We were immediately drawn to the world of this Tamil-language psychological horror, with its mystery, atmosphere, emotional depth and sustained tension. Shot in London and led by an exceptional cast including Trisha Krishnan, Radhika Ma’am and Aparna Balamurali, the film marks an exciting step in our growing pipeline of elevated horror projects. Bringing together Raja Krishna Menon, Kumar Ji and Panorama Studios on a project with such a distinctive voice makes this a particularly meaningful collaboration for us. We look forward to taking this unique film to audiences.”

The Tamil film adds to Panorama Studios’ expanding presence in South Indian cinema, following its Malayalam productions “Anomie,” “Unmadham” and “Tiki Taka.” Two more Malayalam titles, “Production No. 4” and “Munpe,” starring Tovino Thomas, are shooting at present, and the studio has also struck collaborations with Malayalam industry figures including Fahadh Faasil.

Further details about the film, including its title, are expected in due course.
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