Monthly Archives: February 2020

Eminem Returned to the Oscars After Refusing to Perform 17 Years Ago

Almost two decades ago, Eminem won an Oscar for the song "Lose Yourself," from the Curtis Hanson movie he starred in, 8 Mile. He didn't, however, attend the 2003 Academy Awards ceremony after being nominated, and was reportedly asleep when Barbra Streisand read his name aloud on TV, as the winner of the Best Original Song award. This year, after Hamilton creator/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda introduced a montage of famous movie songs (which featured Eminem's movie character B-Rabbit walking out toward a stage), Eminem arrived live and in-person to perform "Lose Yourself." Here's Eminem, Marshall Mathers himself, tweeting about his surprise performance... Earlier in the evening, Taika Waititi made history after winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit. Click here to see the full list of Oscar nominees and winners. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscar-record-holders&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Eminem Returned to the Oscars After Refusing to Perform 17 Years Ago

Almost two decades ago, Eminem won an Oscar for the song "Lose Yourself," from the Curtis Hanson movie he starred in, 8 Mile. He didn't, however, attend the 2003 Academy Awards ceremony after being nominated, and was reportedly asleep when Barbra Streisand read his name aloud on TV, as the winner of the Best Original Song award. This year, after Hamilton creator/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda introduced a montage of famous movie songs (which featured Eminem's movie character B-Rabbit walking out toward a stage), Eminem arrived live and in-person to perform "Lose Yourself." Here's Eminem, Marshall Mathers himself, tweeting about his surprise performance... Earlier in the evening, Taika Waititi made history after winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit. Click here to see the full list of Oscar nominees and winners. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscar-record-holders&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Taika Waititi Celebrates Oscar Win With Thor 4’s Natalie Portman

Update: Scroll down to see Waititi celebrating his big win with Thor 4 star Natalie Portman backstage. Director Taika Waititi took home his first Academy Award, as his satirical WWII movie Jojo Rabbit won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2020 Academy Awards. This is Waititi's first Oscar win out of three total nominations. In addition to being nominated for Best Short film for 2004's Two Cars, One Road, Waititi is also in the running for Best Director for Jojo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/13/jojo-rabbit-review"] Jojo Rabbit faced some stiff competition this year, ultimately triumphing over other contenders like The Irishman, Joker, Little Women and The Two Popes. The win is certainly well-deserved. In our review of Jojo Rabbit, we said Waititi "strikes just the right balance between comedy, tragedy, and drama, the result being a very funny WWII film that nevertheless carries an incredibly important message about the here and now." Waititi also makes history as the first person of Maori descent and the first indigenous person to win an Oscar. In his acceptance speech, Waititi said, "I want to dedicate this to all the indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories, original stories." An Oscar win should be a nice feather in Waititi's cap as he prepares to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Thor: Love and Thunder, a sequel he'll both direct and reprise his role as Korg. He wasted little time before celebrating his big win with presenter and Love and Thunder star Natalie Portman in the Oscars press room. Portman had previously made waves during the Red Carpet ceremony by wearing a cape adorned with the names of the various female directors snubbed in the nominations. [caption id="attachment_2300533" align="aligncenter" width="1364"]Credit: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Portman, Waititi and Timothee Chalamet in the Oscars press room. Credit: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S.[/caption] Waititi also got a big shout-out from fellow MCU director James Gunn. Gunn tweeted, "#Parasite and #JoJoRabbit are my favorite movies of the year. The last time my favorite movies of that year won Oscars was never." James Gunn Jojo Rabbit Waititi's upcoming projects also include the live-action Akira adaptation, which Waititi promises is still coming despite having to be postponed in favor of Thor 4. Click here to see the full list of Oscar nominees and winners.  [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-phase-4-official-lineup&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Taika Waititi Celebrates Oscar Win With Thor 4’s Natalie Portman

Update: Scroll down to see Waititi celebrating his big win with Thor 4 star Natalie Portman backstage. Director Taika Waititi took home his first Academy Award, as his satirical WWII movie Jojo Rabbit won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2020 Academy Awards. This is Waititi's first Oscar win out of three total nominations. In addition to being nominated for Best Short film for 2004's Two Cars, One Road, Waititi is also in the running for Best Director for Jojo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/13/jojo-rabbit-review"] Jojo Rabbit faced some stiff competition this year, ultimately triumphing over other contenders like The Irishman, Joker, Little Women and The Two Popes. The win is certainly well-deserved. In our review of Jojo Rabbit, we said Waititi "strikes just the right balance between comedy, tragedy, and drama, the result being a very funny WWII film that nevertheless carries an incredibly important message about the here and now." Waititi also makes history as the first person of Maori descent and the first indigenous person to win an Oscar. In his acceptance speech, Waititi said, "I want to dedicate this to all the indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories, original stories." An Oscar win should be a nice feather in Waititi's cap as he prepares to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Thor: Love and Thunder, a sequel he'll both direct and reprise his role as Korg. He wasted little time before celebrating his big win with presenter and Love and Thunder star Natalie Portman in the Oscars press room. Portman had previously made waves during the Red Carpet ceremony by wearing a cape adorned with the names of the various female directors snubbed in the nominations. [caption id="attachment_2300533" align="aligncenter" width="1364"]Credit: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Portman, Waititi and Timothee Chalamet in the Oscars press room. Credit: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S.[/caption] Waititi also got a big shout-out from fellow MCU director James Gunn. Gunn tweeted, "#Parasite and #JoJoRabbit are my favorite movies of the year. The last time my favorite movies of that year won Oscars was never." James Gunn Jojo Rabbit Waititi's upcoming projects also include the live-action Akira adaptation, which Waititi promises is still coming despite having to be postponed in favor of Thor 4. Click here to see the full list of Oscar nominees and winners.  [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-phase-4-official-lineup&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Natalie Portman’s Oscar Attire Featured Names of Snubbed Women Directors

Natalie Portman's Oscars outfit drew a lot of attention this evening as it made a bold statement about the state of the Best Director category. As a reminder, at the Academy Awards two years ago, while presenting the Best Director award with Ron Howard, Portman memorably pointed out the lack of female nominees. At tonight's awards ceremony, Portman arrived in a black and gold dress, adorned by a black cape that featured the names of women directors who many felt should have been nominated for Best Director this year. The names listed, in gold embroidery, were Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Mati Diop (Atlantics), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Alma Har'el (Honey Boy), and Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire). [caption id="attachment_2300131" align="aligncenter" width="550"]Photo Credit: Amy Sussman / Getty Images. Photo Credit: Amy Sussman / Getty Images.[/caption] Portman's next projects include voicing her MCU character Jane Foster for Disney+'s animated Marvel's What If? series and then bringing Jane back to the Thor franchise in 2021's Thor: Love and Thunder - where Jane will be The Mighty Thor. Check out all the winners of this year's Oscars so far, including Brad Pitt and Toy Story 4. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscar-record-holders&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Natalie Portman’s Oscar Attire Featured Names of Snubbed Women Directors

Natalie Portman's Oscars outfit drew a lot of attention this evening as it made a bold statement about the state of the Best Director category. As a reminder, at the Academy Awards two years ago, while presenting the Best Director award with Ron Howard, Portman memorably pointed out the lack of female nominees. At tonight's awards ceremony, Portman arrived in a black and gold dress, adorned by a black cape that featured the names of women directors who many felt should have been nominated for Best Director this year. The names listed, in gold embroidery, were Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Mati Diop (Atlantics), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Alma Har'el (Honey Boy), and Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire). [caption id="attachment_2300131" align="aligncenter" width="550"]Photo Credit: Amy Sussman / Getty Images. Photo Credit: Amy Sussman / Getty Images.[/caption] Portman's next projects include voicing her MCU character Jane Foster for Disney+'s animated Marvel's What If? series and then bringing Jane back to the Thor franchise in 2021's Thor: Love and Thunder - where Jane will be The Mighty Thor. Check out all the winners of this year's Oscars so far, including Brad Pitt and Toy Story 4. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscar-record-holders&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Alita: Battle Angel Sequel Fan Campaign Buzzes the Oscars

The fan campaign to get a sequel to 2019's Alita: Battle Angel has expanded to the Oscars. According to a tweet from writer and producer Steven Santos, a plane trailing the message #AlitaSequel and #AlitaArmy has been spotted flying around Hollywood during the Academy Awards red carpet. This comes after fans brought the hashtags up to trending status on Twitter recently, as reported by ScreenRant. There were over 19k tweets which included images, fan art, memes, clips, and more from fans to celebrate the movie and help push for a sequel to be made. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/07/james-cameron-on-bringing-alita-to-life"] Alita: Battle Angel wasn't as successful as many had hoped, especially in the US. Combined with James Cameron's decision to focus on his Avatar sequels over this project, fans are concerned they won't get a sequel to this film. At IGN, we happened to think the movie was pretty great and it even made it into our best reviewed movies of 2019. For those who do want to see a sequel, a good move is to vote with your wallet and pick up the film which released on digital, Blu-Ray, and DVD last July. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-reviewed-movies-of-2019&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN who really enjoyed the aesthetic of the first movie. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Alita: Battle Angel Sequel Fan Campaign Buzzes the Oscars

The fan campaign to get a sequel to 2019's Alita: Battle Angel has expanded to the Oscars. According to a tweet from writer and producer Steven Santos, a plane trailing the message #AlitaSequel and #AlitaArmy has been spotted flying around Hollywood during the Academy Awards red carpet. This comes after fans brought the hashtags up to trending status on Twitter recently, as reported by ScreenRant. There were over 19k tweets which included images, fan art, memes, clips, and more from fans to celebrate the movie and help push for a sequel to be made. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/07/james-cameron-on-bringing-alita-to-life"] Alita: Battle Angel wasn't as successful as many had hoped, especially in the US. Combined with James Cameron's decision to focus on his Avatar sequels over this project, fans are concerned they won't get a sequel to this film. At IGN, we happened to think the movie was pretty great and it even made it into our best reviewed movies of 2019. For those who do want to see a sequel, a good move is to vote with your wallet and pick up the film which released on digital, Blu-Ray, and DVD last July. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-reviewed-movies-of-2019&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN who really enjoyed the aesthetic of the first movie. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

System Shock 3 Team ‘No Longer Employed’ Report Says

The entire team behind the upcoming System Shock 3 is “no longer employed” at developer OtherSide Entertainment, according to a report from VideoGamesChronicle.

This follows previous reports of other core members of the team announcing their departure over the past five months, including System Shock 3’s writer and director, lead programmer, and others. Just this week, design director Chase Jones changed his LinkedIn profile to reflect the end of his time at OtherSide.

The anonymous source also stated that System Shock 3 was “critically behind” in its development. We last saw how the game was progressing in a gameplay trailer released back in September 2019, which showed off the return of the iconic gaming villain/rogue A.I. SHODAN. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/11/system-shock-3-gameplay-trailer"]

An anonymous poster claiming to be a developer from OtherSide posted on RPG Codex, explaining some additional background info.

“The only reason I'm posting is because I saw so much confusion about the state of the company and the project I thought some first person information would be welcome,” the user wrote. “I never suggested we were halfway done, core systems are a great foundation for a game but most of the work is content development which we were critically behind in, both in real assets and in tool support for an efficient pipeline.

“Was the failure of the project right? It's hard to say. If Starbreeze hadn't gone into crisis I think we would've delivered something interesting with some fresh and innovative gameplay, but a much smaller game than what people were expecting and inevitably disappointing for a sequel to such a beloved franchise.

“Those high expectations drove a lot of expensive experimentation. We were a small team and knew we couldn't compete with current immersive sims in production quality and breadth, so we had to be creative and clever and weird. And we were on our way to make something unique and possibly fun, but probably not what the audience was hungry for.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"]

The user also shared that they “don't actually know what's going on, but the team is no longer employed there,” and refrained from commenting further over concerns they may break their non-disclosure agreement.

Adding some legitimacy to the report, VGC cites a community manager that confirmed the poster’s comments.

System Shock 3 appears to be the victim of both the woes of its former publisher Starbreeze and its own difficulties in finding a new publisher. Starbreeze reported back in mid-2019 that it would soon experience a “liquidity shortfall” following poor sales of Overkill’s The Walking Dead game and a subsequent raid performed by law enforcement after indications of insider trading.

Starbreeze decided to sell off the publishing rights to System Shock 3 back to OtherSide in order to raise the desperately-needed cash it required to continue operations.

 [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/02/system-shock-remastered-official-early-pre-alpha-trailer"]

With OtherSide seemingly now floating in the ether, creative director Warren Spector (System Shock, Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) told VGC that the company was in talks with a “lot” of interested publishers. That was back in May 2019. He told VGC that the company had enough capital to fund itself for a period of time, and was also considering self-publishing System Shock 3.

IGN has reached out to a third-party PR company that previously handled communications for OtherSide for comment. We’ll update this story as we learn more.

The remaster of the original System Shock is still on our list of games we’re most looking forward to in 2020. Developer Nightdive Studios is handling work on that.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

System Shock 3 Team ‘No Longer Employed’ Report Says

The entire team behind the upcoming System Shock 3 is “no longer employed” at developer OtherSide Entertainment, according to a report from VideoGamesChronicle.

This follows previous reports of other core members of the team announcing their departure over the past five months, including System Shock 3’s writer and director, lead programmer, and others. Just this week, design director Chase Jones changed his LinkedIn profile to reflect the end of his time at OtherSide.

The anonymous source also stated that System Shock 3 was “critically behind” in its development. We last saw how the game was progressing in a gameplay trailer released back in September 2019, which showed off the return of the iconic gaming villain/rogue A.I. SHODAN. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/11/system-shock-3-gameplay-trailer"]

An anonymous poster claiming to be a developer from OtherSide posted on RPG Codex, explaining some additional background info.

“The only reason I'm posting is because I saw so much confusion about the state of the company and the project I thought some first person information would be welcome,” the user wrote. “I never suggested we were halfway done, core systems are a great foundation for a game but most of the work is content development which we were critically behind in, both in real assets and in tool support for an efficient pipeline.

“Was the failure of the project right? It's hard to say. If Starbreeze hadn't gone into crisis I think we would've delivered something interesting with some fresh and innovative gameplay, but a much smaller game than what people were expecting and inevitably disappointing for a sequel to such a beloved franchise.

“Those high expectations drove a lot of expensive experimentation. We were a small team and knew we couldn't compete with current immersive sims in production quality and breadth, so we had to be creative and clever and weird. And we were on our way to make something unique and possibly fun, but probably not what the audience was hungry for.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"]

The user also shared that they “don't actually know what's going on, but the team is no longer employed there,” and refrained from commenting further over concerns they may break their non-disclosure agreement.

Adding some legitimacy to the report, VGC cites a community manager that confirmed the poster’s comments.

System Shock 3 appears to be the victim of both the woes of its former publisher Starbreeze and its own difficulties in finding a new publisher. Starbreeze reported back in mid-2019 that it would soon experience a “liquidity shortfall” following poor sales of Overkill’s The Walking Dead game and a subsequent raid performed by law enforcement after indications of insider trading.

Starbreeze decided to sell off the publishing rights to System Shock 3 back to OtherSide in order to raise the desperately-needed cash it required to continue operations.

 [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/02/system-shock-remastered-official-early-pre-alpha-trailer"]

With OtherSide seemingly now floating in the ether, creative director Warren Spector (System Shock, Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) told VGC that the company was in talks with a “lot” of interested publishers. That was back in May 2019. He told VGC that the company had enough capital to fund itself for a period of time, and was also considering self-publishing System Shock 3.

IGN has reached out to a third-party PR company that previously handled communications for OtherSide for comment. We’ll update this story as we learn more.

The remaster of the original System Shock is still on our list of games we’re most looking forward to in 2020. Developer Nightdive Studios is handling work on that.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.