Monthly Archives: April 2017
King Arthur and Merlin Are Villains in ‘Unholy Grail’
In a new comic from AfterShock Comics called Unholy Grail, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Mirko Colak are putting a new spin on the classic legend of King Arthur, Merlin and the sword in the stone: what if all the legends were false accounts meant to hide how those iconic heroes were really the worst kind of evil?
“I've been fascinated by Arthurian legends since I discovered T. H. White's ‘The Once and Future King’ as a kid,” Bunn told IGN of where the idea came from. “From that point on, I wanted to explore every variation of the story, from Thomas Malory's work to the movie ‘Excalibur’ to the comic ‘Camelot 3000.’ One of the things that intrigued me was how there are so many interpretations of the epic -- as should be the case with all great myths -- and so many different takes on the story. At some point, years ago, I started to wonder what the Arthurian legend might look like if they were written as a horror story. I thought about it so much, I guess, that I started dreaming about it. I woke from one of those dreams and scribbled the sentence ‘The demon, who had no name in his own tongue, but would come to be called Merlin by mortals, uncoiled its serpentine body and slithered out of the shadows.’ That was over 20 years ago, but I still have the notebook where I first pondered the concept.”
8 Iconic Star Wars Battles Recreated in LEGO
You've likely seen Star Wars' iconic battles play out on the big screen. But have you ever seen them play out in LEGO form?
That's exactly what the folks at Greater Florida LEGO Users Group showcased at their 2017 Star Wars Celebration booth in Orlando, Fla. Check out the awesome recreations of some of the most significant scenes in Star Wars history below.
These LEGO models represent the entire 40-year history of Star Wars, which is exactly what Celebration is honoring this year. For more of IGN's Celebration coverage, check out the amazing cosplay on the show floor, the new animated initiative Forces of Destiny and a first look at some new 40th anniversary toys.
Nintendo Switch, Breath of the Wild Sales Numbers Revealed
After boasting about the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's strong launches in March, Nintendo has finally offered concrete numbers about just how strong those sales were.
Nintendo has revealed that the Switch sold 906,000 in its 28 days on sale in North America according to the NPD Group. Breath of the Wild, meanwhile, sold 1.3 million copies across Switch and Wii U in that same window (925,000 units were sold for Nintendo Switch/460,000 units sold for the Wii U).
According to Nintendo, it makes the Switch one of the fastest-selling video game systems of all time.
2 Generations of Skywalkers Unite at Star Wars Celebration
Several cast members of the first two Star Wars trilogies joined creator George Lucas, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and composer John Williams onstage at Star Wars Celebration's 40 Years of Star Wars panel Thursday.
Harrison Ford surprised the crowd with an appearance that reunited him with co-stars Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Warwick Davis.
Billie Lourd paid tribute to her late mom, actress Carrie Fisher, while John Williams performed selections from his iconic Star Wars score for attendees.
But there were just as many cool meet-ups and reunions backstage as the images in the slideshow below reveal. Yes, that's Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and his son Luke (Hamill) posing together.
A Close Look at New Star Wars 40th Anniversary Toys
Star Wars Celebration is currently underway in Orlando, Florida, and Hasbro has gotten in on the saga's 40th anniversary extravaganza with a series of new, highly articulated, 6-inch Black Series figures.
The twelves new figures, which were announced earlier this year at New York Toy Fair, honor the Star Wars films from A New Hope through The Force Awakens.
Check out our image gallery below of the Hasbro figures we saw on display at Star Wars Celebration 2017, including Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian, and Qui-Gon Jinn:
Star Wars Celebrations runs through Sunday, April 16.
Billy Dee Williams Says He’s Not in The Last Jedi
Billy Dee Williams will not be in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
The Lando Calrissian actor made the declaration during his "Smooth Talkin’ With Billy Dee Williams" panel Thursday at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Florida.
Williams played Lando, of course, in Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, but has also voiced the character in Rebels, Robot Chicken, Lego Star Wars, and Battlefront.
A younger version of Lando Calrissian, played by Donald Glover, will appear in the upcoming Han Solo anthology film.
In addition to his "Smooth Talkin’" panel, Williams also appeared at Thursday's "40 Years of Star Wars" panel alongside George Lucas and former co-stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Warwick Davis, and Peter Mayhew.
Ahsoka Still Set to Appear Again on Star Wars Rebels
Don't worry, Ahsoka Tano fans, the creators of Star Wars Rebels haven't forgotten about her, or their promise that you'd see her again on the series.
At Star Wars Celebration today, at the "Animated Origins & Unexpected Fates" panel, Rebels co-creator Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm's Pablo Hildago spoke about the character, and the fact that the better part of a year ago, at the last Star Wars Celebration, Filoni had revealed we'd see her again on the series.
At the time, Filoni had been coy on what form that would be, indicating that just because we'd see her didn't mean she was definitely alive following her encounter with Darth Vader - but did say he had changed his mind and gone back on his initial thought to never include her on the show again after Season 2's finale, after being reminded of how much fans loved the character in the wake of that episode.
Evil Dead Director Boards Labyrinth Spinoff Movie
TriStar Pictures has found its director for the upcoming Labyrinth spinoff movie in Evil Dead filmmaker Fede Alvarez.
According to Deadline, Alvarez will direct the film from a script he'll co-write with Jay Basu (The Girl in the Spider's Web). "I couldn’t be more thrilled to expand on Jim Henson’s mesmerizing universe, and take a new generation of moviegoers back into the Labyrinth," Alvarez said.
The movie reportedly won't be a reboot, but instead will tell a new story set within the same universe as the 1986 original.
Spider-Man Animated Movie Casts Voice of Miles Morales
Sony Pictures Animation's upcoming Spider-Man movie has found its Miles Morales in Shameik Moore.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Moore will be joined by Liev Schreiber, who's onboard to voice the film's villain. The identity of the movie's main antagonist has yet to be revealed.
Moore as Malcom in Dope
In addition to starring as Malcom in the 2015 film Dope, Moore also played Shaolin Fantastic in the Netflix drama series The Get Down and will appear in James Franco's upcoming drama The Pretenders.
A Cad Bane vs. Boba Fett Clone Wars Arc Was Planned
At previous Star Wars Celebrations, Dave Filoni had presented a lot of material from unfinished episodes and storylines from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but as it turned out, there was still more to reveal - as fans at Star Wars Celebration learned today via footage of a major showdown between Cad Bane and Boba Fett.
Filoni actually explained it as a storyline in which "Cad Bane teaches Boba Fett how to be a real bounty hunter." It seems likely this was from the same arc as a clip shown at Celebration two years ago, which found Bane and Fett camping out on Tatooine, only to come under attack by Sandpeople. Whether it was from the same arc or a different one, the footage today made it clear the two bounty hunters weren't going to stay allies in the long run.