Monthly Archives: February 2016
JJ Abrams: ‘Of Course’ Star Wars Will Have Gay Characters
Star Wars: The Force Awakens' success in theaters proves that the film's inclusivity works—and matters.
Director J.J. Abrams expects the franchise to explore adding openly gay characters to the cast. "When I talk about inclusivity it's not excluding gay characters," Abrams said Thursday at Bad Robot HQ during the US-Ireland Alliance's annual Oscar Wilde Awards. "It's about inclusivity. So of course."
"To me, the fun of Star Wars is the glory of possibility," Abrams added. "So it seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldn't be a homosexual character in that world." And he's right. Openly gay characters may be new to the movie universe, but have been previously included in the Star Wars expanded universe. io9 points out the inclusive of Moff Delian Mors in Paul Kemp's Lords of the Sith and Sinjir Rath Velus and Esmelle Wexley in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath.
Kanye West Names Next Album After a Game Console
Kanye West's next album will be named after a nearly 30-year-old video game console.
The artist revealed over Twitter that the album will be called "Turbo Grafx 16" after the Japanese TurboGrafx-16 home console from Hudson Soft and NEC. Another tweet from earlier in the week revealed that it's set for release sometime this summer.
My next album is titled "Turbo Grafx 16" as of now…
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 27, 2016
The device — known as the PC Engine in Japan and parts of Europe — was the first of the 16-bit consoles. According to West it was one of his favorites as a child. His favorite game for the TurboGrafx was Blazing Lazers, which was also produced by Hudson and NEC along with Compile.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s Latest Addition
Tommy Flanagan is the latest actor to join Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
He'll join Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, and Chris Sullivan as newcomers on set.
Flanagan's involvement was first reported by Heroic Hollywood and later confirmed by Variety's sources.
5 Cool Things in the New Pokemon Sun/Moon Teaser
This morning's brief, Pokemon-themed Nintendo Direct gave us our first glimpse at Pokemon Sun and Moon versions. The games, due during the holiday season, are the first all-new Pokemon entries since 2013's X and Y.
Mostly, the video presentation was a celebration of 20 years of Pokemon. The original games launched in Japan February 27, 1996, and to celebrate "Pokemon20," Nintendo's video took us through the series chronologically. The video peaked with the official Sun and Moon reveal.
Even though the new games took up a small fraction of the overall video, there was a lot to see. From new designs, to a new Pokemon, to trucks and ambulances, we took a look at everything Nintendo packed into the announcement.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Gets a Prequel Comic
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will get a comic book prequel, exclusive to those who purchase select Doritos products from Walmart.
Image via DC Comics
The one-off comic book will be titled "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Upstairs/Downstairs" and will become available on February 29. Those who purchase Batman v Superman-themed Doritos Family Fun Mix will receive a code that can be redeemed on the DC Comics website.
Customize Your IGN Browsing Experience with the IGN iOS and Android App
Out and about and wondering where you can see the new Star Wars: Rogue One trailer? Curious when you can finally play Uncharted 4? Want to know what we thought of this week's episode of The Walking Dead right after it airs? Can't find that last Bobblehead and not near your computer? There's an app for that! The IGN iOS and Android app is here to keep you on top of all the latest games and entertainment news, trailers and reviews.
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Keep Track of 39 TV Revivals and Reboots
Ecclesiastes 1:9 stated that there's nothing new under the sun. Well, that notion holds especially true when it comes to TV as we now find ourselves in the middle of Peak Reboot. Revivalgeddon. Sequelocalypse.
Whatever you want to call it, a ton of old movies and TV series -- some not even all that old -- are returning as new TV shows and being exploited for any ounce of name value they might still retain with fans.
Of course, there's an upside to this. Some beloved shows and movies are coming back to us complete with their original creators and cast. The X-Files. Evil Dead. Twin Peaks. And while there's no guarantee that these will land well, a sequel series using the original players is definitely the most auspicious TV-vival scenario. A show or film you once loved returning with the same actors and writers in tow.
Gabe Newell Fires Dota 2 Commentator
Valve has fired commentator James Harding from its Dota 2 Shanghai Major presentation, along with the production company behind the tournament. Speaking on Reddit, Valve's Gabe Newell explained, "James is an ass, and we won't be working with him again."
Newell continued, "As long as we're firing people, we are also firing the production company that we've been working with on the Shanghai Major. They will be replaced, and we hope to get this turned around before the main event."
Harding announced that was "let go" from the Shanghai Major following a segment last night. He plans to provide his own statement soon.
No Deadpool/X-Men Crossover Movie in Near Future
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the screenwriters and executive producers of the blockbuster Deadpool, have tempered fans' expectations for a full on crossover between the merc with a mouth and the related X-Men movie franchise.
The duo informed The Playlist that while Deadpool 2 may see some X-Men pop up in small roles as Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead did in the first film, there are no immediate plans for an X-Men/Deadpool franchise crossover film.
Using the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a model, Reese explained that it took two Iron Man films to set up The Avengers and called that "a very prudent path" for them to follow as well. Reese also cited the X-Men movies' current timeline as an issue (X-Men: Apocalypse is set in the 1980s while Deadpool takes place in the present day).
Laura Vandervoort on Fighting Supergirl as DC’s Indigo
DC Comics villain Indigo makes her debut on Monday’s Supergirl played by a very notable guest star – Laura Vandervoort, who kicks off a new recurring role on the CBS series.
Vandervoort of course played Kara/Supergirl on Smallville, and now fans will get to see her onscreen -- and battling -- Melissa Benoist, the current incarnation of the Girl of Steel.
I spoke to Vandervoort about what to expect from Indigo, the makeup process involved, working with Benoist and more.
Laura Vandervoort as Indigo in Supergirl.