Monthly Archives: November 2019
Joker Director Says Sequel Reports ‘Anticipatory at Best’
Joker director Todd Phillips has shot down a recent report that said he was in talks to direct and co-write a sequel.
The Hollywood Reporter claimed Wednesday that Phillips had a meeting with Warner Bros. after Joker's record opening weekend. It was reported that the meeting gave Phillips the go-ahead on a Joker sequel and another separate DC origin story. The article said that Warner Bros. and representatives of Phillips declined to comment. Within hours, however, other outlets, including IGN, were debunking that report.
Why It’s OK to Call The Mandalorian’s Breakout Star ‘Baby Yoda’
Now that true plot of Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian is out in the wild, fans have become enamored with Baby Yoda. Yet that nickname has irked some fans because The Child is technically not a baby version of Yoda given that the Jedi Master passed away and became one with the Force five years before the events of The Mandalorian. Rather, the creature in question is simply a baby of the same species as Yoda.
Nitpicky? Sure. But it does raise the question of what we should be calling this little bundle of green joy. George Lucas has long kept Yoda’s species a mystery and has never even given it a name, so what are we to do?
JJ Abrams Says It’s ‘Not an Accident’ That Rey Is So Strong
J.J. Abrams said that there's definitely a reason why Rey is so strong with the Force in the new batch of Star Wars movies.
In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Thursday, the interviewer pointed out that Rey is picking up on the Force at a fast pace. Rey knew nothing at the beginning of The Last Jedi and was lifting boulders by the end of the movie. Abrams agreed with that statement and hinted at some clarity for Rey's abilities in The Rise of Skywalker.
"Yeah, spooky, right?
It’s a fair point," Abrams said. "It’s not an accident."
Unused Leia Footage Came From This Cut Force Awakens Plotline
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams has frequently discussed how he's using leftover scenes from The Force Awakens in order to bring back the late Carrie Fisher's General Leia one last time. Thanks to a new Rolling Stone interview, we have a better idea of what those deleted Leia scenes were about and why they weren't included the first time around.
Abrams tells Rolling Stone The Force Awakens originally had more buildup to the scene where Starkiller Base destroys the Hosnian system and wipes out billions of lives. The movie featured an entirely new character who ultimately perished on Hosnian Prime. However, Abrams eventually decided that the subplot didn't fit the framework of the movie.
Here’s How JJ Abrams Felt About Rian Johnson’s Last Jedi Choices
In the lead up to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, returning director JJ Abrams has revealed how he reacted to the big twists in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, namely the abrupt death of Supreme Leader Snoke and Luke Skywalker’s dark revelation, and whether those surprises affected his plan for the Sequel Trilogy.
JJ Abrams on the Death of Supreme Leader Snoke
When asked by Rolling Stone what he thought of Snoke getting killed off, Abrams said, “When I read his first draft, it made me laugh, because I saw that was
take and his voice. I got to watch cuts of the movie as he was working on it, as an audience member. And I appreciated the choices he made as a filmmaker that would probably be very different from the choices that I would have made. Just as he would have made different choices if he had made Episode VII.”
Star Wars: JJ Abrams Responds to George Lucas’ Criticism of The Force Awakens
JJ Abrams offered his response to the news that George Lucas felt disappointed by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Lucas’ feelings towards the first episode of the sequel Star Wars trilogy was detailed in Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent memoir. But even though Lucas may have felt let down, Abrams says he has nothing but “gratitude” towards the man who created Star Wars.
“It’s probably a complicated thing for him. To decide you’re going to sell this thing that you created, that was your baby, to anyone,” Abrams said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “That must be more complicated than signing a check and smiling about it. But he’s been incredibly gracious. He’s been super-generous.”
Half-Life: Alyx Trailer Full of New Details, Enemies, and Easter Eggs
The first Half-Life game in 12 years has officially been revealed, and the Half-Life: Alyx trailer is packed with familiar faces and brand new surprises alike. It's a prequel set between Half-Life one and two, so join us as we breakdown every secret, reveal, and reference we caught.
The Half-Life: Alyx Trailer Explained
If you haven't watched the Half-Life: Alyx trailer yet, you can do that below. We'll also be listing timecodes for specific moments and using loops of them throughout:
Here’s the Best Streaming Site to Watch Anime
With an abundance of streaming providers, including the newly released Disney+ and Apple TV+ platforms, all competing for your hard-earned cash, knowing which streaming service is the best can be a pretty daunting task. If you still have questions about the future of streaming, then you've come to the right place. All week long, IGN's State of Streaming initiative will be debuting reviews and in-depth analysis about current streaming providers like Netflix and Amazon, as well as upcoming services like NBCUniversal's Peacock and WarnerMedia's HBO Max. So keep it locked on IGN this week for all of your streaming needs.
Baby Yoda Merch Will Be Here in Time for the Holidays
Baby Yoda, the adorable, unexpected star of The Mandalorian, is getting merchandise soon. According to a report from CNBC, shirts, plushes and toys featuring Baby Yoda could arrive as early as Friday - just in time for your holiday shopping.
According to those same sources, Amazon, Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Hot Topic, Box Lunch, and Zazzle are all planning on selling merchandise. Disney will also begin selling Baby Yoda merch at their physical and online stores as well as at the Disney theme parks.
This news arrives on the heels of an interview with ET in which series executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni explained that it was their decision to hold back on any promotional material or Baby Yoda merchandise so as not to spoil the surprise, which has been kept secret until the premiere of The Mandalorian's first episode.
Fortnite Is Hosting Its First Official Fishing Tournament This Weekend
Fortnite will be hosting an epic in-game fishing tournament this weekend for the first time ever. The tournament will be open to everyone and will offer an exclusive Bottom Dweller pickaxe to category winners, as well as the opportunity to win a real-life Fortnite Llama trophy.
Dubbed the Fortnite Fishing Frenzy, the event will be kicking off Friday, November 22 at 5 am PT/8 am ET/1 pm GMT and will wrap things up on Sunday, November 24 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET/1 am GMT (Nov. 25). The rules for the Fortnite fishing tournament are pretty simple — catch the most fish.
There will be four different categories in the event, which can be seen in the list below. Each category will have one winner per server region, with NAE and NAW servers being combined. If you reign victorious in one of the four categories below in your respective server region, you'll earn yourself a real-life Llama trophy.