Lauren Rouse

Lauren Rouse

Writer

Lauren Rouse has been a writer at The Direct since the site launched in 2020. She has a huge passion for everything pop culture and currently writes news articles for the Marvel, Star Wars, DC and video game branches.

Lauren also works as a journalist at Lifehacker, Gizmodo and Kotaku in Australia, where she covers entertainment news, reviews, and interviews talent. She previously served as a freelance writer at Game Rant and she holds a Master's degree in Screenwriting from AFTRS.

You can follow Lauren’s articles, entertainment opinions and Comic-Con adventures over on Twitter (@LRouse19).

About The Direct

The Direct is a leading independent entertainment news outlet covering the biggest franchises in pop culture. The Direct reaches over 10 million page views a month on its website, thedirect.com, and millions more on social media. Learn more about The Direct here!


Lauren Rouse's Latest The Direct Articles

Avengers: Doomsday Chooses Its 3 Main ‘Emotional’ Characters That Will Lead the Movie Similarly to Thanos’ Infinity War Role

Avengers: Doomsday will follow Infinity War's lead by centering on three major characters as its emotional heart.

By Lauren Rouse -


Ezra Bridger Actor Promises 1 Star Wars Rebels Character Will Get A Bigger Role In Ahsoka Season 2

The Ghost Crew is reunited in Ahsoka, and Season 2 will open up more opportunities for one particular gang member.

By Lauren Rouse -


Avengers: Endgame Star Josh Brolin Admits He's No Longer Interested In Reprising His Role as Marvel's Cable - But Thanos Is A Different Story (Exclusive)

Josh Brolin has played two iconic Marvel villains, but he's more keen on one than the other.

By Lauren Rouse -


Marvel Studios Is Reportedly Set To Begin A New Era Of Disney+ Series With MCU’s Zodiac

Marvel Studios' new streaming show Zodiac will usher in a new television strategy for the studio.

By Lauren Rouse -


Avatar: Seven Havens Season 2 Will Give Korra & Asami Fans Exactly What They Want, Confirms Showrunner

The Legend of Korra may be over, but Korra and Asami will remain an important part of Avatar: Seven Havens.

By Lauren Rouse -


'Kick On' Blends John Wick-Style Action With Gory Horror For a Violent Night of Partying | TIFF 2026

Kick On bolsters a new wave of Australian horror films with an added dose of action.

By Lauren Rouse -


The Batman 2: New Photo Seemingly Confirms Sebastian Stan Will Be Playing DC Arkham Supervillain Victor Zsasz And Brian Tyree Henry Will Portray Harvey Dent aka Two-Face

News about some of the potential new characters in The Batman Part 2 just came from an unexpected place.

By Lauren Rouse -


New 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Photo Proves Mark Ruffalo's Hulk Nearly Got His Own First-Ever Beard In The Movie

The MCU has showcased many sides of the Hulk, but his look in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was nearly very different.

By Lauren Rouse -


Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed Series Takes a Big Step Forward And Ubisoft Reveals New BTS Photo

Ubisoft and Netflix's live-action Assassin's Creed series is coming along.

By Lauren Rouse -


James Gunn Reveals Which 3 DCU Heroes Are His ‘Diamonds’ (And Which 3 Could Be Next)

DC Studios head James Gunn has confirmed which comic book characters are "diamonds" for the new DCU.

By Lauren Rouse -


Disney Will Officially Address One Of Star Wars’ Biggest Failures

Disney is bringing back one of its biggest Star Wars experiments in an unexpected way.

By Lauren Rouse -


Wildwood Movie Makes 7 Key Changes to the Book - Including A New Ending (Spoilers)

Laika's Wildwood is now out in theaters, and it makes some changes to Colin Meloy's novel.

By Lauren Rouse -


James Gunn Confirms Superman Saga Will Continue Past Man Of Tomorrow

James Gunn has plans for the Superman Saga far beyond Man of Tomorrow in the DCU.

By Lauren Rouse -


James Spader Had 1 Request For Ultron's Return In Marvel's VisionQuest: 'I Think We're Going To Have A Really Interesting Take On Ultron Here'

Ultron looks very different in VisionQuest, and it's all thanks to star James Spader.

By Lauren Rouse -


The Knights of Ren Have Their Own Names for the Light Side and Dark Side, Star Wars Officially Reveals

The Force has been renamed in a new Star Wars canon comics installment, and it has fans divided.

By Lauren Rouse -


Disney Is Facing a Star Wars Crisis, But It Has One Radical Option

Disney could make a drastic move that would change the future of Star Wars–but it might be for the best.

By Lauren Rouse -


Avatar: Seven Havens Stars Break Down the New Team Avatar & Pavi and Nisha's Similarities to Aang and Korra (NYCC)

Avatar: Seven Havens introduces two new Avatars and a fresh dynamic to the team.

By Lauren Rouse -


Marvel Studios' New Professor X Actor Just Made a Secret Cameo That Left Audiences Speechless

Marvel's new X-Men star Christopher Abbott just made one of the most shocking cameos of the year.

By Lauren Rouse -


Red Rising Author Reveals How His Movies Will Follow the Lord of the Rings Playbook Of Success

Red Rising is the next major book-to-screen adaptation, and author Pierce Brown is taking a page out of The Lord of the Rings playbook.

By Lauren Rouse -


How Crystal Lake's Linda Cardellini and Callum Vinson Unmasked a New Jason & Pamela Voorhees (NYCC)

The talent behind the Friday the 13th prequel, Crystal Lake, shares behind-the-scenes stories at NYCC.

By Lauren Rouse -


VisionQuest Fans Think They Spotted Billy Maximoff In Episode 1 - And The Photos Are Convincing

VisionQuest brings Tommy Maximoff to the forefront, but fans are convinced that his brother, Billy, may not be far away.

By Lauren Rouse -


The Last Of Us' Joel Replacement Could Officially Doom Season 3

A different The Last of Us character is filling the shoes of Pedro Pascal's Joel in Season 3 of the HBO show.

By Lauren Rouse -


The Russo Brothers Are Abandoning The MCU's Captain America Formula After 2 Decades

Captain America is returning in the Russo Brothers' next MCU movie, but with one distinct difference.

By Lauren Rouse -


Clayface Movie Will Reportedly Follow a Disappointing DC Trend Established by Supergirl

Reports out of Clayface's first screenings confirm the film will follow in Supergirl's footsteps in one key way.

By Lauren Rouse -


Marvel Studios Officially Casts Its 9th Big Actor From Game Of Thrones

Marvel has confirmed another cast member from the world of Westeros is making the jump to the MCU.

By Lauren Rouse -


Disney Announces Sequel to 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Amid Dave Filoni Reset

Lucasfilm is revisiting Solo: A Star Wars Story, eight years after the film flopped in theaters.

By Lauren Rouse -


Sunrise on the Reaping Will Bring Back Beloved Hunger Games: Catching Fire Arena Opening

Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is connecting to Catching Fire in more ways than one.

By Lauren Rouse -


House of the Dragon Season 4 Officially Brings Back the HBO Show's Most Underrated Villain, Confirms Game Of Thrones Spin-Off Series Actor Gayle Rankin (Exclusive)

House of the Dragon's fourth and final season is bringing back one of the show's most conniving villains.

By Lauren Rouse -


LAIKA's Stunning New Animated Masterpiece 'Wildwood' Took 1000 Craftspeople and Over 2800 Shots to Make | TIFF 2026

LAIKA took audiences inside Wildwood at TIFF with a preview of the studio's next hand-crafted stop-motion animated film.

By Lauren Rouse -


Marvel Studios Officially Unveils the 3rd MCU Super-Speedster Costume

A new speedster is entering the MCU, adding another distinct costume to the lineup of existing lightning-fast heroes.

By Lauren Rouse -


Jessica Henwick on Why 'Everybody Wants To F*ck Me' Isn’t Your Typical Rom-Com: “It’s a Conversation Starter” | TIFF 2026

Taron Egerton's new romantic comedy 'Everybody Wants to F*ck Me' has a thrilling bite with a poignant message.

By Lauren Rouse -


'A Talent For Murder' Blurs Fact and Fiction For A Thrilling New Patricia Highsmith Tale | TIFF 2026

A Talent For Murder's Alden Ehrenreich, Olivia Cooke, and Helen Mirren discuss their suspenseful take on a modern Patricia Highsmith story.

By Lauren Rouse -


Marvel Studios Just Doubled Down on Scarlet Witch’s Death Amid Avengers: Doomsday Return Rumors

If Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch is still alive in the MCU, Marvel Studios isn't admitting it.

By Lauren Rouse -


Marvel's VisionQuest Star Ruaridh Mollica Breaks Silence on Tommy Maximoff's Bisexuality

Ruaridh Mollica has commented on his MCU character Tommy Maximoff's potential LGBTQIA+ roots being adapted for the screen.

By Lauren Rouse -


New 'Avengers Doomsday' Merch Spoils 1 Thor Scene That I Wish Marvel Saved For Theaters

With Avengers: Doomsday only months away, tie-in merch has started to reveal some of the film's big moments.

By Lauren Rouse -


Danny Boyle's 'Ink' Has A Warning For Journalists: "It's One of the Things That's Under Threat Now" | TIFF 2026

Director Danny Boyle and star Guy Pearce discuss what journalists should take away from their media period piece, Ink.

By Lauren Rouse -


Avengers: Doomsday Directors Confirm Doctor Doom Is Collecting More People Besides Hulk

Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is assembling a team of his own in Avengers: Doomsday.

By Lauren Rouse -


Ahsoka Season 2 Breaks a 41-Year Star Wars Timeline Trend

Ahsoka Season 2's first trailer does things differently from the marketing for past live-action Star Wars shows.

By Lauren Rouse -


Step Aside Jason Voorhees—Crystal Lake's Linda Cardellini Brings A New Rageful Pamela Voorhees to the Friday the 13th Franchise | TIFF 2026

Crystal Lake stars Linda Cardellini and Will Catlett explain how they brought Friday the 13th back for a new generation.

By Lauren Rouse -


'River' Star Jane Levy Discusses How Her New Film Exploits the Terrors of the Open Water and Reinvigorates Modern Horror With a New Slasher Icon | TIFF 2026

River is a buzzy new slasher out of TIFF featuring a unique premise and a creepy new killer.

By Lauren Rouse -