Monthly Archives: August 2018
Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen Gets Series Pickup from HBO
In "well, duh" news, HBO has given a series order to Damon Lindelof's Watchmen, which is set to premiere on the premium cable network in 2019.
Lindelof has previously stated that the show will not be a straight adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal graphic novel, and HBO's description seems to confirm this: "Set in an alternate history where 'superheroes' are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own."
According to an Instagram note from the showrunner, the original story "will not be retread nor recreated nor reproduced nor rebooted," but instead "remixed. Because the bass lines in those familiar tracks are just too good and we’d be fools not to sample them. Those original twelve issues are our Old Testament. When the New Testament came along, it did not erase what came before it… It all happened."
8 Things the Power Rangers Sequel Needs to Get Right
Though 2017’s Power Rangers movie under-performed at the box office and received mixed reviews, Hasbro has announced plans to make a sequel. That Hasbro is deciding to continue with the franchise instead of starting fresh with a reboot means they thought it had potential, and we do too! Here are the strengths the sequel should lean into and where they need to make some improvements.
More Action in the Armor
We admired the 2017 movie for taking a Batman Begins-inspired approach -- methodically building up the team by showing their training and deepening bonds between its members so that when they finally did become Power Rangers, it had a big emotional impact. However, that structure left little time for any big-screen Power Rangers martial arts action, which is what the franchise is known for. The fight between the fully armored team and the Putty Patrol lasted all of two minutes, and the Rangers were barely challenged as they obliterated one CGI enemy after another. Underwhelming, to say the least. For the sequel, showing the team in multiple action-packed fights featuring practical stunts -- while wearing the suits -- is a must.
This Fortnite Tool Lets You Preview Different Skin Combinations Before Buying
A Fortnite fan created a tool that allows you to preview a skin with your desired back bling before you make a purchase.
The Fortnite Visualizer presents you with a 3D model of your character and provides an option to select the outfit of your choice and the back bling you'd like to combine it with. The in-game item shop doesn't preview skins with your back bling and instead presents them with the back bling associated with the skin or nothing at all. Sadly, this is an early version of the tool and does not yet include every outfit.
Seeing as some skins can cost up to $20 a piece, having the ability to preview your combinations before you buy is a welcome option. Reddit user __Player1__ created the web-based tool and is already looking to add additional outfits, including adding leaked skins that haven't been released. Pairing your skins with different harvesting tools is another potential addition.
Liam Neeson’s Next Role Is a Snowplow Driver Out for Revenge
Liam Neeson will be taking his "very particular set of skills" to new profession in his latest movie, Hard Powder, as he plays the role of a snowplow driver out for revenge for the murder of his son.
Reported by Deadline, Liam Neeson will be starring as Nels Coxman in Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment's Hard Powder that will be opening in theaters on February 8, 2019.
Coxman is "a local snowplow operator recently named Citizen of the Year of his small Colorado ski town for keeping the roads open through the Winter."
This Futurama Movie Predicted Matt Groening’s Netflix Show Disenchantment
The Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening's new Netflix series Disenchantment is set in the fantasy kingdom of Dreamland (perhaps named after the artistic enclave co-founded by filmmaker John Waters?) and follows the parodic misadventures of Princess Bean, her dimwit elf companion Elfo, and a tiny, vicious deadpan demon named Luci. Like Groening's previous two animated series, Disenchantment appears to function primarily as a wry comedic deconstruction of a well-worn and beloved television genre. The Simpsons tackled the American sitcom, Futurama dissected sci-fi and all the tropes therein, and Disenchantment, it seems, seeks to dismantle the storytelling conventions and stock characters commonly used in Tolkien and Gygax-derived medieval fantasy.
Venom Could Be on Track to Break October Box Office Record in North America
Venom is reportedly tracking to have the biggest North American opening weekend ever for October.
Per BoxOffice Pro, the Sony film is on track to gross anywhere from $55-$85 million, up from the company's previous $30–50 million estimate.
If the current estimates don't change, Venom could surpass 2013's Gravity, which currently holds the record for the biggest October opening weekend in North America, grossing roughly $55.8 million.
Venom will open in theaters on October 4 in Australia, and October 5 in the U.S. and U.K.
For more on the movie, which stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, find out why Sony is reportedly pushing for a PG-13 rating.
IGN UK Podcast #448: Yankee Doodle Dandies
We stretch the truthfulness of our podcast's name this week, as Joe and Cardy are joined by Tina and Andrew from the IGN San Francisco office. We talk all things Gamescom, segue into a lovely story about Final Fantasy X, and feel the looming jeopardy of our US bosses realising just what it is we're up to over here, before shutting this all down.
Plus, a new and exciting all-American Boss Keyword Countdown!
Vampyr Is Getting a TV Series
Another Dontnod Entertainment game is being adapted as a television show. Fox21 has been granted the rights to make a Vampyr series, publisher Focus Home Interactive announced today.
The series will be developed by DJ2 Entertainment and Wonderland Sound & Vision. DJ2 previously partnered with Square Enix to produce a show based on Dontnod's Life Is Strange.
No release window was announced for Vampyr's TV adaptation, but DJ2 Entertainment CEO Dimitri Johnson said his production company got "on board" with the project "well before" Vampyr was even released in June.
The 25 Best Superhero Movies Ever
It is time once again, in this post-Infinity War world where Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, to narrow down the 25 best comic book-based superhero films of all time.
But please keep in mind: Just to alleviate some of the bloat, this list features superhero/fantasy-based movies only. Sorry, no Road to Perdition or Ghost World or a handful of other excellent movies that happen to have been notable comics first. We love those flicks, but you kind of have to have superpowers (or a pretty dope costume) to hang in this 25. So let's dig into brainwashed super-soldiers, foul-mouthed invulnerable vigilantes, ragtag crews of galactic scavengers, a couple Spider-Men, several Batmen, and more!
Far Cry 5: Dead Living Zombies DLC Release Date Announced
Far Cry 5's third DLC, Dead Living Zombies, will be released on August 28, 2018, and a new teaser trailer gives us a glimpse of the zombie-filled chaos.
Players will be working with "D-tier film director Guy Marvel" as he takes your through seven maps and scenarios as he attempts to pitch "his vision for an epic zombie saga."
The teaser trailer below reveals that these stories include a take on Romeo & Juliet, in a world filled with zombies, where Romeo is "a mashup of all the monsters you can think of." One other attempts to combine Return of the Living Dead and Bridges of Madison County.