Monthly Archives: April 2020
Aronofsky on Almost Casting Phoenix in Batman: Year One
Many years before he won the Academy Award as Best Actor for the title role in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix was director Darren Aronofsky's first choice to play the title role in his Batman: Year One screen adaptation.
While that has been public knowledge for a few years now, Aronofsky recently revealed who Warner Bros. wanted for the role and ultimately why his vision of a Batman origin movie fell apart long before Christopher Nolan tackled it in Batman Begins.
“The studio wanted Freddie Prinze Jr and I wanted Joaquin Phoenix,” Aronofsky told Empire. “I remember thinking, 'Uh oh, we're making two different films here.' That's a true story. It was a different time. The Batman I wrote was definitely a way different type of take than they ended up making.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/14/actors-you-didnt-know-almost-played-batman"]
Aronofsky, a huge fan of Batman: Year One writer Frank Miller's work, wanted to go even grittier than the seminal DC comic did, with Miller saying Aronofsky's "vision of Batman was darker than" his own.
"The Batman franchise had just gone more and more back towards the TV show, so it became tongue-in-cheek, a grand farce, camp," Aronofsky explained back in 2012.
"I pitched the complete opposite, which was totally bring-it-back-to-the-streets raw, trying to set it in a kind of real reality -- no stages, no sets, shooting it all in inner cities across America, creating a very real feeling. My pitch was Death Wish or The French Connection meets Batman."
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Such '70s movie influences ended up coming into play with director Todd Phillips' Oscar-nominated Joker nearly two decades later.
While Aronofsky's vision of a young Batman didn't pan out, director Matt Reeves' The Batman, currently on hiatus due to COVID-19, will see Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight early in his career as a crime-fighter, with Reeves citing two particular '70s film classics as his touchstones for the film.
Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Xbox One X Console Revealed
After teases, and some leaks, Microsoft has revealed the Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Xbox One X console bundle. The console is set to launch in June, three months before the Cyberpunk's September 17 release date.
Based on the box shown in the reveal trailer, the bundle appears to come with a digital copy of Cyberpunk 2077, however the console will be available months before the game itself.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/17/cyberpunk-2077-limited-edition-xbox-one-x-console-trailer"]
Both the console and previously seen Cyberpunk controller feature designs straight out of Night City, including a glow in the dark message on the console that says "No future," along with themed custom panels that take after the game's futuristic setting. The controller features Johnny Silverhand’s black and silver color scheme, along with touches of red.
Yesterday, the Xbox Twitter account posted a teaser video filled with codes, along with text that read, "#breakthecode". Fans worked together to break the code, and were eventually rewarded with the limited edition console's reveal trailer, which was posted to Xbox's YouTube channel as an unlisted video.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-one-x-cyberpunk-2077-limited-edition-bundle-screenshots&captions=true"]
Today, Xbox acknowledged that fans successfully broke the code, saying, "Congratulations Choombas, you worked together to #breakthecode!"
The console reveal comes just a few days after Amazon Canada leaked the Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One controller, which is now confirmed to be included in this console bundle. For more, check out IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 preview from E3 2019, and learn about Cyberpunk 2077's DLC plan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/16/cyberpunk-2077-delayed-again"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.Congratulations Choombas, you worked together to #breakthecode!
— Xbox (@Xbox) April 17, 2020
Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Xbox One X Console Revealed
After teases, and some leaks, Microsoft has revealed the Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Xbox One X console bundle. The console is set to launch in June, three months before the Cyberpunk's September 17 release date.
Based on the box shown in the reveal trailer, the bundle appears to come with a digital copy of Cyberpunk 2077, however the console will be available months before the game itself.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/17/cyberpunk-2077-limited-edition-xbox-one-x-console-trailer"]
Both the console and previously seen Cyberpunk controller feature designs straight out of Night City, including a glow in the dark message on the console that says "No future," along with themed custom panels that take after the game's futuristic setting. The controller features Johnny Silverhand’s black and silver color scheme, along with touches of red.
Yesterday, the Xbox Twitter account posted a teaser video filled with codes, along with text that read, "#breakthecode". Fans worked together to break the code, and were eventually rewarded with the limited edition console's reveal trailer, which was posted to Xbox's YouTube channel as an unlisted video.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-one-x-cyberpunk-2077-limited-edition-bundle-screenshots&captions=true"]
Today, Xbox acknowledged that fans successfully broke the code, saying, "Congratulations Choombas, you worked together to #breakthecode!"
The console reveal comes just a few days after Amazon Canada leaked the Cyberpunk 2077-themed Xbox One controller, which is now confirmed to be included in this console bundle. For more, check out IGN's Cyberpunk 2077 preview from E3 2019, and learn about Cyberpunk 2077's DLC plan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/16/cyberpunk-2077-delayed-again"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.Congratulations Choombas, you worked together to #breakthecode!
— Xbox (@Xbox) April 17, 2020
Original Resident Evil 2 Leon Voice Actor Has Died
Paul Haddad, the original English voice actor for Leon S. Kennedy in Capcom's Resident Evil 2, has died at the age of 56.
Invader Studios, the team behind the upcoming Resident Evil-inspired Daymare 1998, confirmed Haddad's death on Twitter, as the actor had been set to appear in the upcoming horror game, which is set to be released at the end of April.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="470"]
Paul Haddad, the original English voice actor of Leon S. Kennedy in RE2[/caption]
"Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the RE community, has passed away recently. We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that He was. Rest in Peace Paul... You will live forever in our hearts," the tweet reads, accompanied by a tribute video to the actor featuring his voice work for Daymare.
Paul Haddad, the original English voice actor of Leon S. Kennedy in RE2[/caption]
"Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the RE community, has passed away recently. We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that He was. Rest in Peace Paul... You will live forever in our hearts," the tweet reads, accompanied by a tribute video to the actor featuring his voice work for Daymare.
Nick Apostolides, who voiced Leon in 2019's Resident Evil 2 Remake, has also posted a tribute to Haddad's memory. While Haddad did not appear in many other video games, he appeared in a host of other television shows and movies throughout his career, including work as Quicksilver in the original X-Men: The Animated Series and Mr. Fox from the children's animated show Franklin. Haddad did not go on to voice Leon in subsequent Resident Evil installments, but the character of course has become one of the most iconic from the franchise following that first appearance, most recently appearing in the Resident Evil 2 Remake.Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the RE community, has passed away recently. We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that He was.
Rest in Peace Paul... You will live forever in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/o6gkMqX7SI — Invader Studios™ (@InvaderDevs) April 17, 2020
Original Resident Evil 2 Leon Voice Actor Has Died
Paul Haddad, the original English voice actor for Leon S. Kennedy in Capcom's Resident Evil 2, has died at the age of 56.
Invader Studios, the team behind the upcoming Resident Evil-inspired Daymare 1998, confirmed Haddad's death on Twitter, as the actor had been set to appear in the upcoming horror game, which is set to be released at the end of April.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="470"] Paul Haddad, the original English voice actor of Leon S. Kennedy in RE2[/caption]
"Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the RE community, has passed away recently. We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that He was. Rest in Peace Paul... You will live forever in our hearts," the tweet reads, accompanied by a tribute video to the actor featuring his voice work for Daymare.
Paul Haddad, the original English voice actor of Leon S. Kennedy in RE2[/caption]
"Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the RE community, has passed away recently. We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that He was. Rest in Peace Paul... You will live forever in our hearts," the tweet reads, accompanied by a tribute video to the actor featuring his voice work for Daymare.
Nick Apostolides, who voiced Leon in 2019's Resident Evil 2 Remake, has also posted a tribute to Haddad's memory. While Haddad did not appear in many other video games, he appeared in a host of other television shows and movies throughout his career, including work as Quicksilver in the original X-Men: The Animated Series and Mr. Fox from the children's animated show Franklin. Haddad did not go on to voice Leon in subsequent Resident Evil installments, but the character of course has become one of the most iconic from the franchise following that first appearance, most recently appearing in the Resident Evil 2 Remake.Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the RE community, has passed away recently. We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that He was.
Rest in Peace Paul... You will live forever in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/o6gkMqX7SI — Invader Studios™ (@InvaderDevs) April 17, 2020
Watch Jurassic Park with Star Joseph Mazzello (Tim Murphy) – WFH Theater
Here at IGN, we're always looking for new ways to bring our community together to embrace what we're most passionate about. That's why we launched Watch From Home Theater, a weekly live show where we unite some of your favorite IGN personalities and special celebrity guests to have a digital movie night together with you watching some of our favorite films of all time.
This Thursday, April 23rd at 5 p.m. PT, we're watching Steven Spielberg's iconic and ultimate thrill ride, Jurassic Park, with special guest and original cast member Joseph Mazzello, who played Tim Murphy! Since his breakout role as the dinosaur-loving preteen grandson of John Hammond, Mazzello has gone on to star in The Pacific, The Social Network, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and, most recently, as Queen bassist John Deacon in the Academy Award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody.
"While we all continue to sit tight and wait for these scary and uncertain times to eventually be behind us, my favorite way to escape the worry and pass the time has been by watching classic films, and in my completely unbiased opinion, Jurassic Park is one of the all time greats," Mazzello told IGN. "I can’t wait to join together with other fans to celebrate this iconic film and share the stories, insight, and fond and funny memories I collected while playing 'Tim Murphy.' It’s gonna be a blast!"
Featuring Academy Award-winning visual effects and groundbreaking filmmaking that has been hailed as "a triumph of special effects artistry" by Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, Jurassic Park is sheer movie-making magic that was 65 million years in the making. Taking audiences to an amazing yet dangerous theme park on a remote island where dinosaurs once again roam the earth and five people must battle to survive among the prehistoric predators, Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.
While we will be sharing some select scenes from the movie as part of IGN's WFH Theater live stream, we encourage you to watch Jurassic Park along with us on your own devices for the full live commentary experience! Be sure to stay with us throughout the entire live stream as we’ll be giving away digital codes for the film as well as mystery disosaur prizes from Mattel.
So grab your copy of the beloved 1993 Universal Pictures movie, and sync up with us. If you don't already own the movie, Comcast customers can find Jurassic Park on the newly launched Peacock streaming service, or you also can stream Jurassic Park on TNT or TBS to watch online through your cable provider. You also can rent Jurassic Park on any of the digital platforms below:
Watch From Home Theater isn’t just a show or an opportunity to watch a movie; it’s a hangout with passionate people who share one thing in common -- their love of film. Each week, we'll invite our viewers to join in the conversation by dropping questions into the chat on whatever platform you're watching for our host, Clint Gage, to ask our celebrity guest. With running commentaries that range from insightful to silly, each viewing will take on a life of its own based on each film.
If you missed our first episode, you can watch our live commentary of The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell below in its entirety!
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/watch-the-invisible-man-w-director-leigh-whannell-watch-from-home-theater"]
You can also watch our second episode, where we watched Night of the Living Dead with The Walking Dead EP and special makeup effects master Greg Nicotero:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/watch-night-of-the-living-dead-w-the-walking-dead-ep-greg-nicotero"]
And check out our watch-along of Rogue One with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz as well below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/star-wars-live-qa-rogue-one-sync-up-wgary-whitta-and-chris-weitz"]
Have any questions for us in the meantime? Drop them in the comments below and we'll do our best to answer before showtime. We're excited to watch with you!
Watch Jurassic Park with Star Joseph Mazzello (Tim Murphy) – WFH Theater
Here at IGN, we're always looking for new ways to bring our community together to embrace what we're most passionate about. That's why we launched Watch From Home Theater, a weekly live show where we unite some of your favorite IGN personalities and special celebrity guests to have a digital movie night together with you watching some of our favorite films of all time.
This Thursday, April 23rd at 5 p.m. PT, we're watching Steven Spielberg's iconic and ultimate thrill ride, Jurassic Park, with special guest and original cast member Joseph Mazzello, who played Tim Murphy! Since his breakout role as the dinosaur-loving preteen grandson of John Hammond, Mazzello has gone on to star in The Pacific, The Social Network, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and, most recently, as Queen bassist John Deacon in the Academy Award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody.
"While we all continue to sit tight and wait for these scary and uncertain times to eventually be behind us, my favorite way to escape the worry and pass the time has been by watching classic films, and in my completely unbiased opinion, Jurassic Park is one of the all time greats," Mazzello told IGN. "I can’t wait to join together with other fans to celebrate this iconic film and share the stories, insight, and fond and funny memories I collected while playing 'Tim Murphy.' It’s gonna be a blast!"
Featuring Academy Award-winning visual effects and groundbreaking filmmaking that has been hailed as "a triumph of special effects artistry" by Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, Jurassic Park is sheer movie-making magic that was 65 million years in the making. Taking audiences to an amazing yet dangerous theme park on a remote island where dinosaurs once again roam the earth and five people must battle to survive among the prehistoric predators, Jurassic Park stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.
While we will be sharing some select scenes from the movie as part of IGN's WFH Theater live stream, we encourage you to watch Jurassic Park along with us on your own devices for the full live commentary experience! Be sure to stay with us throughout the entire live stream as we’ll be giving away digital codes for the film as well as mystery disosaur prizes from Mattel.
So grab your copy of the beloved 1993 Universal Pictures movie, and sync up with us. If you don't already own the movie, Comcast customers can find Jurassic Park on the newly launched Peacock streaming service, or you also can stream Jurassic Park on TNT or TBS to watch online through your cable provider. You also can rent Jurassic Park on any of the digital platforms below:
Watch From Home Theater isn’t just a show or an opportunity to watch a movie; it’s a hangout with passionate people who share one thing in common -- their love of film. Each week, we'll invite our viewers to join in the conversation by dropping questions into the chat on whatever platform you're watching for our host, Clint Gage, to ask our celebrity guest. With running commentaries that range from insightful to silly, each viewing will take on a life of its own based on each film.
If you missed our first episode, you can watch our live commentary of The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell below in its entirety!
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/watch-the-invisible-man-w-director-leigh-whannell-watch-from-home-theater"]
You can also watch our second episode, where we watched Night of the Living Dead with The Walking Dead EP and special makeup effects master Greg Nicotero:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/watch-night-of-the-living-dead-w-the-walking-dead-ep-greg-nicotero"]
And check out our watch-along of Rogue One with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz as well below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/star-wars-live-qa-rogue-one-sync-up-wgary-whitta-and-chris-weitz"]
Have any questions for us in the meantime? Drop them in the comments below and we'll do our best to answer before showtime. We're excited to watch with you!
DC to Resume Shipping New Comics
April 2020 has been an unusually dry month for new comic book releases, but that dry spell is slowly coming to an end. DC Comics has revealed it will resume shipping new comics to stores on Tuesday, April 28.
The slowdown began earlier this month when Diamond Comic Distributors announced it would stop shipping deliveries of new books to stores as of April 1. Both Marvel and DC opted not to continue releasing new books digitally, so the only new releases in recent weeks have been trade paperback collections and digital-first titles like Batman: The Adventures Continue. DC previously indicated it was exploring a "multi-distributor model," and it would seem they've found a temporary solution for printing and distributing comics while Diamond remains shut down.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"]
Unfortunately, don't expect a full roster of new DC releases right off the bat. The publisher will be shipping a more limited selection of books over the next few weeks, with flagship titles like Batman and Superman still MIA. Here's the full shipping list revealed so far:April 28
- Batman #89 (3rd printing)
- Daphne Byrne #4
- The Dreaming #20
- Nightwing #70 (2nd printing)
- Batman GIANT #4
May 5
- Batman and the Outsiders #12
- DC Super Stars #17 (Facsimile Edition)
- The Flash #753
- The Green Lantern: Season Two #3
- Hawkman #23
- House of Whispers #20
- Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #4
May 12
- Harley Quinn #72
- Justice League #44
- Justice League Odyssey #20
- Lois Lane #10
- Metal Men #6
DC to Resume Shipping New Comics
April 2020 has been an unusually dry month for new comic book releases, but that dry spell is slowly coming to an end. DC Comics has revealed it will resume shipping new comics to stores on Tuesday, April 28.
The slowdown began earlier this month when Diamond Comic Distributors announced it would stop shipping deliveries of new books to stores as of April 1. Both Marvel and DC opted not to continue releasing new books digitally, so the only new releases in recent weeks have been trade paperback collections and digital-first titles like Batman: The Adventures Continue. DC previously indicated it was exploring a "multi-distributor model," and it would seem they've found a temporary solution for printing and distributing comics while Diamond remains shut down.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"]
Unfortunately, don't expect a full roster of new DC releases right off the bat. The publisher will be shipping a more limited selection of books over the next few weeks, with flagship titles like Batman and Superman still MIA. Here's the full shipping list revealed so far:April 28
- Batman #89 (3rd printing)
- Daphne Byrne #4
- The Dreaming #20
- Nightwing #70 (2nd printing)
- Batman GIANT #4
May 5
- Batman and the Outsiders #12
- DC Super Stars #17 (Facsimile Edition)
- The Flash #753
- The Green Lantern: Season Two #3
- Hawkman #23
- House of Whispers #20
- Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #4
May 12
- Harley Quinn #72
- Justice League #44
- Justice League Odyssey #20
- Lois Lane #10
- Metal Men #6
San Diego Comic-Con 2020 Cancelled
San Diego Comic-Con 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is the first time in the con's 50-year history that SDCC has been canceled. The event will instead return to the San Diego Convention Center from July 22-25, 2021.
WonderCon Anaheim, which was scheduled to run April 10-12, 2020, will now return March 26-28, 2021.
Comic-Con released the following statement Friday explaining their decision to cancel the event:
"Recognizing that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, they had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer. Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] SDCC also announced the following information for badge holders, exhibitors, and hotel bookings:- Individuals who purchased badges for Comic-Con 2020 will have the option to request a refund or transfer their badges to Comic-Con 2021. All 2020 badge holders will receive an email within the next week with instructions on how to request a refund.
- Exhibitors for Comic-Con 2020 will also have the option to request a refund or transfer their payments to Comic-Con 2021 and will also receive an email within the next week with instructions on how to process their request.
- In the next few days onPeak, Comic-Con’s official hotel affiliate, will be canceling all hotel reservations and refunding all deposits made through them. There is no need for anyone who booked through onPeak to take any action, including trying to cancel their reservations online or contacting the company via phone as the process will be handled automatically. Those who booked rooms through onPeak will be notified when refunds have been completed.