Monthly Archives: November 2017
Star Wars Series Announced for Disney Streaming Service
Disney has announced plans to debut a new live-action Star Wars television series on its forthcoming streaming service.
Bob Iger, the chairman and CEO of Disney, shared the news during the company's quarterly earnings call, Variety reports. During the call, Iger also announced that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson will create a brand-new trilogy of Star Wars films.
In addition to the live-action Star Wars series, the company is also at work on TV shows based on Monsters Inc. and High School Musical, as well as a new original series from Marvel.
EA Buys Respawn for $455 Million, New Titanfall Confirmed
Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind the Titanfall franchise, is being bought by EA.
Both companies are already working together on several projects, including a VR game, a Star Wars game, and "a new title in the Titanfall franchise."
EA announced the acquisition today, saying the move "builds on a successful publishing partnership" already in place between the two companies.
Respawn CEO Vince Zampella said the move "brings the resources and support" his company needs for its"long term success."
"We're excited to combine our strengths," he said of the acquisition.
19 Actors Who Were Replaced During Movie Production
In a shocking development, due to the allegations of sexual misconduct against Kevin Spacey, director Ridley Scott has decided to remove the actor from the film All the Money in the World, which is still scheduled for a December 22nd release.
Replacing Spacey in the role of J. Paul Getty in the movie is Christopher Plummer, whom Scott has stated was his first pick for the part. With reshoots of key scenes set to begin right away, and the film's cast and crew — including Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams — all in agreement, this is an unprecedented eleventh hour change up for a film so close to its premiere.
Last Jedi Director to Create Star Wars Trilogy
Rian Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, will be creating a brand-new trilogy of Star Wars films, and is set to write and direct the first of the three films.
StarWars.com announced that Johnson will write and direct the first of the three films along with his long-time collaborator Ram Bergman as producer. The trilogy will be separate from the Skywalker saga and "introduce new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored."
Though reports have said Lucasfilm is looking into making more films beyond Episode IX featuring the characters introduced in The Force Awakens, the official announcement of Johnson's films indicate these will be entirely different projects.
Brian Michael Bendis’ 14 Biggest Marvel Stories and Creations
Comic book fans the world over were shocked by the news that longtime Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis is leaving the company to work for DC Comics. Bendis has been such a prominent fixture at Marvel for so long that it's be hard to imagine the company without him.
If you're not familiar with Bendis' 18-year Marvel career, we've broken down the key storylines, projects and characters he contributed to the Marvel Universe. From Ultimate Spider-Man to New Avengers, these are the books that made Bendis a superstar in the industry.
For more on Bendis' big move, here are 8 DC comics we want to see Bendis write.
Clue, Wiffle Ball, Paper Airplanes Enter Toy Hall of Fame
Clue, Wiffle Ball, and paper airplanes are this year's National Toy Hall of Fame inductees.
The three entires beat out nine other 2017 finalists, according to The Strong Museum, including Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox Cars, My Little Pony, PEZ Candy Dispenser, play food, Risk, sand, Transformers, and Uno.
The 2017 National Toy Hall of Fame inductees. Image via The Strong
PAX East Tickets Now on Sale
If you want to go PAX East, now's your chance. Tickets have just now gone on sale and predictably, the site is down due to the massive influx of people trying to get their tickets.
If you want to hit F5 and try to get your own, the registration link does work eventually, and honestly, while it isn't snappy, it's much better than past years.
PAX East is held each year in Boston at the Boston Civic Center and has proven so popular, an extra day has been added. That puts it in-line with PAX West, formerly known as PAX Prime, which is the original event held each year in Seattle.
PAX East no longer offers 3-day passes, so if you want to attend for the whole weekend you need to grab an individual pass for each day.
How The Punisher Was Born from Vigilante Movies of the 1970s
Between the 1989 film with Dolph Lundgren, the 2004 version with Thomas Jane, the wonderfully bonkers 2008 take with Ray Stevenson, and the upcoming Netflix series with Jon Bernthal (which debuts on November 17th), most TV and film audiences are now familiar with the origin of The Punisher. As the myth goes, Frank Castle, a grizzled ex-soldier, saw his family murdered by bad guys and went on a dark, eternal quest for vengeance against all criminals. He's like Batman, but without the intellect or finesse; he's usually seen sporting two machine guns, frowning into the shadows, shooting those he has deemed to be guilty. For Marvel comics, The Punisher is exceptionally dark.
But where did a character like The Punisher come from? What was happening in the world that Marvel Comics, in 1974, should allow such a dark, violent character to enter their canon of brightly dressed Spider-Men and weirdo space-dwelling Silver Surfers? In fact, The Punisher's origins are perhaps more political than most fans generally realize.
Star Wars Battlefront 2: The Last Jedi Content Detailed
Star Wars: Battlefront 2's first DLC "season" based on The Last Jedi arrives in December.
As detailed on EA's blog post, the add-on content includes new multiplayer maps, playable characters, and a new single-player story mission following the First Order's rise to power. All of this new content will be free, as will all of Battlefront 2's future DLC.
Starting on December 5, players can ally themselves with either the First Order or the Resistance. This choice will be important, because over the next few weeks you'll be completing special challenges to earn your faction specific rewards.
For Honor: Every Shaman and Aramusha Execution and Emote
The fourth season of For Honor, dubbed Order and Havoc, hits PC and Consoles on November 14.
In addition to kicking off Season 4 of the persistent faction war, Order and Havoc will be bringing quite a bit to the table. Starting with a pair of new heroes – The Vikings' Shaman and the Samurai Aramusha – the update also adds two new maps, new armor and weapon variations, and new new mode called Tribute.
Thw two new heroes will be included with the season pass and playable on November 14, or can be unlocked for 15,000 Steel and playable for non-season-pass holders one week later on November 21. But before you can get your hands on the Shaman and Aramusha you can see every execution and emote these warriors are bringing to to the battlefield.