Monthly Archives: December 2015
Amazon Announces New Series and Renewals
After dipping its toe into original programming these past couple of years, Amazon Prime is plunging into the deep end as it brings a full five of its six pilot season shows to series, not to mention three children's shows and new seasons for Hand of God, Red Oaks, and Tumble Leaf.
New half-hour series include Highston which is executive produced by Sacha Baron Cohen and follows a 19-year-old whose penchant for imaginary celebrity friends disturb his parents (played by 24's Mary Lynn Rajskub and SNL's Chris Parnell) and delight his Uncle Billy (American Dad's Snot). The pilot features cameos by Shaquille O’Neal, Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and is written by Academy Award nominee Bob Nelson.
ABC Airing Captain America 75th Anniversary Special
The 75th anniversary of Captain America is coming in 2016, and ABC is celebrating the momentous occasion by airing a one-hour special that pays tribute to the long history of Marvel's iconic Avenger.
The special, dubbed "Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years," will air on Tuesday, January 19 at 8pm ET. It chronicles Cap's evolution from 1941 to now, exploring "how the character has been a reflection of the changing times and the world he has existed in throughout the years."
Several big-name Marvel creatives, including Stan Lee, Joe Quesada and Louis D'Esposito will share a few words about the iconic hero, as well as Steve Rogers actor Chris Evans, Phil Coulson's Clark Gregg and many more. If that weren't enough, Marvel Comics will also be making an exclusive announcement during one-hour event.
Bring Back the Star Wars Expanded Universe
There are very few downsides to the idea of Disney breathing new life into the Star Wars franchise, but one of them is the fact that the old Expanded Universe has been jettisoned in favor of a new, streamlined, Disney-approved Star Wars continuity. All the old novels and comics and video games have been swept away, leaving only a handful of new books and Marvel projects standing alongside the films and TV series. I won't argue that Disney and Lucasfilm were wrong to to want a clean slate on which to build their Star Wars universe. However, there's no reason the Expanded Universe can't still live on in a more limited capacity. There's plenty of room for the new Star Wars continuity and the Expanded Universe to co-exist.
The Force Awakens Spoiler Discussion
So, hey, a certain movie has finally opened. Yes, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is actually now playing and we all, of course, have so many thoughts. You can check out our spoiler-free review of The Force Awakens, but we also wanted to give everyone a place to openly discuss all the big plot points for the movie and you're looking at it!
IGN's Keepin' it Reel has done a special episode that's all about The Force Awakens and you can check out the video below, as Chris Carle, Terri Schwartz and Eric Goldman delve into the film, what they thought worked best, what didn't and much more.
Official IGN App Now Available on Apple TV
IGN is now available on the big screen with our official IGN App for Apple TV.
With the Apple TV IGN App, you'll be able to access all of IGN.com's video content directly on your television. That means game reviews, previews, special features, gameplay clips, IGN Plays, live event coverage, and all the latest from your favorite movies and television shows, too.
Instant-on, auto-playing videos turns IGN into a true TV-like experience. Plus, the app automatically highlights our latest content, so you'll never fall behind on what's new at IGN.
Our Apple TV IGN App is also the only Apple TV app that lets you browse content while you watch, optimizing your IGN viewing experience.
IGN Editors Talk Force Awakens (Full Spoilers!!!)
Is Daniel Craig in The Force Awakens or Not?
Earlier this year, Daniel Craig shot down reports claiming he makes a cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens; however, it appears the SPECTRE star may have been in J.J. Abrams' space epic after all.
Minor spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens ahead.
Multiple sources told Entertainment Weekly that Craig does indeed have a smart part in The Force Awakens as a Stormtrooper during one of the film's nostalgia-driven scenes. "He did it for sh–s and grins," one source told the outlet.
According to the report, one particular scene depicts Rey (Daisy Ridley) being captured and attempting to get a Stormtrooper -- possibly played by Craig -- to help her escape. We won't say anymore, but it's a fun scene that calls back to Star Wars lore.
EarthBound Costumes Coming to Mario Maker in Japan
Super Mario Maker is getting two EarthBound-themed costumes, as Mr. Saturn and Master Belch join Nintendo's creation-centric platformer.
Like prior costume additions, the two character skins will be accessible by completing new Event Courses. The EarthBound-themed levels will be added to the game on December 19 in Japan.
See Mr. Saturn in action below:
And here's a look at Master Belch:
Nintendo will be releasing a new update for Super Mario Maker next week on December 21 in North America and December 22 in Europe. Here's a detailed breakdown by director Yosuke Oshino on what's included.
Force Awakens Sets New Thursday Box Office Record
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has set a new U.S. box office record for Thursday-night showings.
Variety reports that the latest of the Star Wars franchise brought in $57 million on its opening night, far surpassing the previous Thursday record of $43.5 million set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
In addition, The Force Awakens brought in $72.7 million in its first two days on international markets. It also set a record for advance tickets, having sold more than $100 million in them by Tuesday. Altogether it's expected to bring in more than $200 million domestically for opening weekend. That gives it a chance to beat the current record holder, Jurassic World, which brought in $208.4 million in its first weekend.
Images of 2nd HTC Vive Headset and New Controllers Leaked
HTC's Vive VR headset was just delayed to 2016, but a pair of leaked images may have prematurely revealed new iterations of the hardware that people can now look forward to.
Some keen Reddit users found the two images of the 2nd Vive headset and new controllers last night, which were apparently posted to a page (now removed) on the HTC Vive developer site. We can see that the next headset will feature the same design as its predecessor, save for a smoother front and only a single camera. However, that's all we can make out, as the front-facing perspective doesn't show much of the rest of the headset.