Monthly Archives: January 2015
Marvel’s Star Wars Comic Bodes Well for Disney
Ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm and gained the rights to Star Wars, there’s been a cautious optimism about where the franchise is headed. While there were some good aspects to the prequel movies, they are ultimately viewed as a big misstep, so the worry is that these new movies will be just as bad.
But with J.J. Abrams at the helm with one great Star Trek movie under his belt, reports of a focus on practical effects instead of CGI, and that tantalizing teaser trailer full of fresh faces and that crazy lightsaber, the general sense is that, hey, this new Star Wars movie might not be so bad after all. And at the very least, it sounds like they’ve learned their lesson from what people didn’t like about the prequels.
The Real Reason Tom Hardy Left Suicide Squad?
Yesterday a report came in that Tom Hardy had dropped out of the Suicide Squad movie due to a scheduling conflict. But now word has dropped that there may have been more to the matter than that.
Latino Review reports that many of the lead actors of the DC comics adaptation were not shown a script before they signed on. But the site's sources say that once Hardy got the screenplay,"He simply didn't like the script he was finally given, he didn't like the drastic change to the character." That character is Rick Flag, the leader of the Squad. LR adds that Flag also has less screen time in the latest draft of the script, allowing for characters like Deadshot and Joker to get more action.
Dying Light: 3D Zombie Figurine Revealed
While players have just two short weeks to wait to finally get their hands on Dying Light, the parkour game's developer Techland has announced a new website and 3D figurine to introduce fans to the zombie-infested world a little early.
Harran-city.com is the official website of Dying Light's devastated city. The site has a blog that survivors of the plague are using to reach out to the rest of the world for help. Visitors can also take a look at what "the finest city in the world" once looked like in the "B4 Outbreak" section, along with its various buildings and residents.
The website's mysterious hacker also recounts the events leading up to Harran's downfall, and players can start to piece together the outbreak story and other elements yet to be revealed about the game.
Marvel to Celebrate Hip-Hop Duo With 2 Variant Covers
Marvel Comics will pay special homage to hip-hop duo Run the Jewels by releasing two variant covers featuring the likes of Deadpool, Thanos, Rocket Raccoon, and Howard the Duck.
Howard the Duck #2's variant cover, drawn by Mahmud Asrar, has both Howard and Rocket standing side-by-side, doing the gun-to-fist gesture synonymous with Run the Jewels. Similarly, the cover of Deadpool #45 by Skottie Young depicts the severed hands of Deadpool and the big bad Thanos pulling the same gesture. Both are expected to release later this year.
The Ring Remake Lands Its Chief Victim
The reboot of The Ring -- called Rings, of course -- has scared up its female lead in Italian actress Matilda Lutz.
According to The Wrap, Lutz will head up the Paramount redux which is being directed by F. Javier Gutierrez (Before the Fall). Rings revives the franchise for the studio, which of course originated as a series of Japanese horror TV projects and films before going American with two Naomi Watts-starring outings. Watts is not expected to return for this film.
Rings will reportedly feature old spooky Samara again and her videotape from hell, even though most kids these days don’t even know what a videotape is. (Seriously. The younger ones are starting to not even know what DVDs are.)
Laura Palmer’s Back for Twin Peaks
Here's a video (taken at the Twin Peaks UK Festival) of Twin Peaks star Dana Ashbrook, who played Bobby Briggs on the short-lived but beloved 1990 David Lynch series, announcing that (after getting a text from Twin Peaks star Sherilyn Fenn, who also might be returning) both he and Laura Palmer herself, Sheryl Lee, will be reprising their roles for Showtime's upcoming nine-episode run of Twin Peaks.
Just click the image or the link below to watch the video on Instagram.
Producer Gives Updates on Ouija 2 & Purge 3
Platinum Dunes producer Brad Fuller has given fans an update on two of Michael Bay's production company's upcoming low-budget sequels.
In a chat with Collider, Fuller confirmed that “Ouija 2 is coming.” Last fall's Ouija grossed $84.4 million on a budget of roughly $5 million. The site adds that the sequel won't have anything to do with the original film's story and will "focus more on the powers of the ouija board and the nostalgia of using one rather than the lame backstory of whatever evil entity is manipulating it."
Platinum Dunes' other low-budget thriller franchise, The Purge (which they make with Blumhouse) saw its second installment, The Purge: Anarchy, also perform well in 2014. That $9 million production grossed $110.6 million, far more than its 2013 predecessor.
YouTube Stars Get Super Bowl Halftime Show
YouTube is producing its own halftime Super Bowl show featuring some of its biggest stars.
It will stream live on the Google-owned video website during the game and will be hosted by Harley Morenstein, host of stunt cooking series Epic Meal Time. The program will featuring musical performances, stunts, and fake Super Bowl ads, and is described as being designed to appeal to viewers who care more about the ads than the actual game.
Harley Morenstein, as seen in Epic Meal Time
Marvel Teases All-New, All-Different Avengers Comic
Earlier this week, Marvel confirmed that both of their flagship Avengers comics - The Avengers Vol. 5 and New Avengers Vol. 3 - will be ending in April as writer Jonathan Hickman gears up for his yearlong Secret Wars project. But with Avengers: Age of Ultron hitting theaters in May, is Marvel really going to cancel these popular titles without having replacements in the wings? Probably not. Today the publisher released this image teasing a new start for Earth's Mightiest Heroes:
Teacher Convicted for Showing ABCs of Death
A former substitute teacher who screened The ABCs of Death to high school students has been found guilty of "disseminating matter harmful to juveniles."
Sheila Kearns showed the comedy-horror film during five periods of Spanish classes with students ranging from 14 to 18 at a Columbus, Ohio, high school. The jury convicted Kearns of four felony counts carrying possible jail sentences, reports The Columbus Dispatch.
Kearns' defense attorney argued that Kearns didn't know the content of the movie, saying, “There’s no way you would show that movie with knowledge of its content. I can’t even make up a reason. It’s clear that she didn’t know.” He reiterated that no one “who is not pleading insanity” would knowingly expose high school students to it.