Monthly Archives: May 2015
These Sweet X-Men Statues May Never be Released
Marvel has asked XM Studios, makers of premium collectibles, to cease production on its upcoming X-Men and Fantastic Four products.
According to Comic Book Resources, the studio based out of Singapore posted a message on its Facebook page stating it had been “asked to put a hard stop to all X-Men characters” indefinitely.
"Folks, it's been a sad day for us... due to reasons we aren't at liberty to disclose, we have been asked to put a hard stop to all X-Men characters for now," said XM studios. "That means Cable can't be released, and neither can the awesome Sentinel Diorama which we've all been so looking forward to."
Elektra May be in Daredevil Season 2
It appears casting is under way for ninja assassin and love interest of Matt Murdock, Elektra.
The news comes from Marvel_Spider’s tweet, which links to deleted video auditions for Shiva Kalaiselvan (no movie or TV credits) and Louisa Mignone (Wish You Were Here).
Both videos reportedly showed Kalaiselvan and Mignone's respective auditions from the same two scenes, the first with a criminal victim, and the second with Matt Murdock during their college years.
Although believed to be auditions for the role of Elektra, the videos claim the actors were auditioning for a character called Elise.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Rebooted
20th Century Fox is rebooting The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
According to Variety, John Davis (The Blacklist) is producing the remake. The movie is based on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, focusing on the exploits of a supergroup of public domain literary heroes.
Free Update for Dirt Rally adds Pikes Peak
Codemasters has released a new, free update for Dirt Rally which adds the world-famous Colorado, USA hillclimb course Pikes Peak to the impressive rally simulator.
The route comes to Dirt Rally in two guises, a full asphalt version and a mixed surface version.
The update also includes a trio of specialist hillclimbing vehicles to tackle Pikes Peak with; Codemasters has added hillclimb versions of the Peugeot 405 T16, the Peugeot 205 T16, and the Audi Sport quattro S1.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second-oldest motorsports event in the USA, second only to the Indianapolis 500.
The real course is all paved now, unfortunately.
Will the Need for Speed Reboot Capture the Original Essence of the Series?
Last week EA revealed its 2015 Need for Speed game, and it’s just called Need for Speed. No colon, no cute subtitle. Pitched as a “full reboot”, EA promises Need for Speed will draw on what it considers the core pillars of the series: “deep customisation, authentic urban car culture, a nocturnal open world, and an immersive narrative that pulls you through the game.” Ghost Games, in its words, is seeking to go back to the roots of Need for Speed.
Thing is, I’m not sure I necessarily agree these are, in fact, the roots of the Need for Speed series. They’re certainly part of the franchise’s identity now, but it’s worth remembering Need for Speed certainly wasn’t always about “nocturnal open worlds”, “immersive narratives,” or urban anything. This kind of content was introduced in the fun and very successful Need for Speed Underground, itself somewhat of a reboot for the Need for Speed series.
Game of Thrones Season 6 Casting Search Begins
The initial character descriptions for the next season of Game of Thrones have dropped, and they're ripe for analysis.
The breakdown, via Watchers on the Wall, is detailed below. Keep in mind that while these are broad, if you're extremely spoiler-averse you may want to close the tab.
- Pirate, man in his 40’s to late 50’s. He’s “an infamous pirate who has terrorized seas all around the world. Cunning, ruthless, with a touch of madness.”
He’s a dangerous-looking man. A very good part this season.
- Father. Aged 50’s to 60’s, he’s one of the greatest soldiers in Westeros- a humorless martinet, severe and intimidating. He demands martial discipline in the field and in his home. It’s described as “a very good part” for next year and that he’s “centrally involved” in a protagonist’s storyline.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PS4 Patch Out Now
The latest patch for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PlayStation 4 is now live, adding a number of fixes that improve overall game stability while also offering a few visual tweaks.
Dubbed Patch 1.03, this new update squashes a number of bugs, including one in which which the player is able to shoot bolts at friendly NPCs, and another that would result in a "spontaneous combustion of gas clouds."
Additionally, foliage behavior in select scenes has been improved and shadow popping has been reduced. Gwent addicts will be pleased to know that, not only have a few minor graphical bugs been dealt with, but the overall stability in gameplay during matches has been improved as well.
Jurassic World Tracking to Open at $100 Million
With brisk pre-release ticket sales and effective trailers, analysts predict a monster opening weekend for Jurassic World.
Jurassic World is in the top five for ticket sales this week on Fandango, and has continued to be a strong performer since pre-release orders became available May 15th. Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com tells Variety, “The trailers are connecting in such a big way."
This is the first Jurassic Park film since 2001's Jurassic Park 3, which grossed an admirable $181 million in the US, but far less than the first two installments, which were both directed by Steven Spielberg. While Spielberg will serve as the executive producer on Jurassic World, the directing reins were given to indie darling Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). However, Chris Pratt snagged the lead role, and should have enough box office karma thanks to last summer's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Halo 3: ODST MCC Release Date Revealed
The release date for the Master Chief Collection version of Halo 3: ODST is listed on Xbox.com as May 29, 2015.
The remastered port of Halo 3: ODST will join the numbered Halo games as part of the Xbox One collection in both the US and UK.
343 Industries announced in December that it would be giving the ODST add-on away for free to gamers who played Halo: The Master Chief Collection between launch day and December 19, 2014.
The freebie is a thanks to fans for their patience during MCC's bumpy start, when ongoing issues with the current gen update of the 4 numbered Halo games plagued the game. The problems included matchmaking problems that saw potential players waiting up to three hours before getting a match.
Why We’re Excited for Wolverine’s ‘Return’
We all want the best of the best, so let us point out the hottest comics and collectibles released each week. We spotlight our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent, new books that look cool, and any toys we can't wait to play with.
Check out our picks, then take to the comments to let us know what looks good to you!
By writer Chuck Palahniuk & artist Cameron Stewart | Dark Horse Comics