Monthly Archives: April 2020

WWE Releases a Bunch of Wrestlers, Furloughs Some Staff

WWE has announced a series of roster cuts and will furlough a portion of its workforce, even after it was declared an essential business and allowed to continue operating amidst the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on its official website, WWE announced it has released several high-profile wrestlers including Kurt Angle, Rusev, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Drake Maverick, Heath Slater, Eric Young, Rowan, Sarah Logan, No Way Jose, Mike Chioda, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Ec3, Aiden English, Lio Rish, Primo, and Epico. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-wwe-game-review-ever&captions=true"] According to ESPN, WWE also released a press release announcing a series of cuts and furloughs as part of a financial restructuring of the company. Along with temporary furloughs, executives will have their salaries reduced and the construction of a new headquarters has been paused. Some big WWE stars were released in today’s cuts, including Hall of Famer Kurt Angle who retired in 2019 but stayed on as a producer backstage. Rusev, Gallows, and Anderson were also prominent mainstays on the show in the past decade. Maverick released a video on his Twitter account talking about his cut from the roster. In an emotional video, Maverick revealed that while he’ll still be partaking in the NXT cruiserweight tournament, it will likely be the end of his wrestling career. The state government of Florida declared WWE an “essential business” earlier this week, meaning the company was allowed to continue filming shows out of its Orlando training facility. Flordia’s governor Ron DeSantis said services declared essential are “critical to Florida’s economy.” WWE is currently airing taped episodes without fan attendance. Other wrestling programs like AEW are also hosting shows without fans in attendance. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

WWE Releases a Bunch of Wrestlers, Furloughs Some Staff

WWE has announced a series of roster cuts and will furlough a portion of its workforce, even after it was declared an essential business and allowed to continue operating amidst the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on its official website, WWE announced it has released several high-profile wrestlers including Kurt Angle, Rusev, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Drake Maverick, Heath Slater, Eric Young, Rowan, Sarah Logan, No Way Jose, Mike Chioda, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Ec3, Aiden English, Lio Rish, Primo, and Epico. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-wwe-game-review-ever&captions=true"] According to ESPN, WWE also released a press release announcing a series of cuts and furloughs as part of a financial restructuring of the company. Along with temporary furloughs, executives will have their salaries reduced and the construction of a new headquarters has been paused. Some big WWE stars were released in today’s cuts, including Hall of Famer Kurt Angle who retired in 2019 but stayed on as a producer backstage. Rusev, Gallows, and Anderson were also prominent mainstays on the show in the past decade. Maverick released a video on his Twitter account talking about his cut from the roster. In an emotional video, Maverick revealed that while he’ll still be partaking in the NXT cruiserweight tournament, it will likely be the end of his wrestling career. The state government of Florida declared WWE an “essential business” earlier this week, meaning the company was allowed to continue filming shows out of its Orlando training facility. Flordia’s governor Ron DeSantis said services declared essential are “critical to Florida’s economy.” WWE is currently airing taped episodes without fan attendance. Other wrestling programs like AEW are also hosting shows without fans in attendance. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

New Trailer: Tom Hardy Is Al Capone!

The long-gestating Fonzo, director Josh Trank's film about gangster Al Capone starring Tom Hardy, has a new title, release date, and trailer. Trank tweeted the first trailer for the retitled Capone with the reveal that the movie will be released on May 12. Trank noted the title change from Fonzo in his post: "Different title. My cut." Here's the official statement on Capone's VOD release: "With theatres closed, Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment have teamed up to release CAPONE as a home premiere VOD release on May 12th  with an on-demand 48-hour rental. The distributor is still hoping for a theatrical release later in the summer as things return to normal." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/16/capone-official-trailer-1"] Trank also tweeted that while Capone will debut on streaming, he hopes it will also receive a theatrical release later this year. Capone, the director explained, had initially been made for a theatrical release not streaming. Capone is just one of many films whose theatrical release has been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Capone follows the titular gangster's later years after his release from federal incarceration, as he slowly loses his mind to the ravages of neurosyphilis. Here's the official plot synopsis: "Once a ruthless businessman and bootlegger who ruled Chicago with an iron fist, Alfonse Capone was the most infamous and feared gangster of American lore. At the age of 47, following nearly a decade of imprisonment, dementia rots Alfonse’s mind and his past becomes present. Harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life. As he spends his final year surrounded by family with the FBI lying in wait, this ailing patriarch struggles to place the memory of the location of millions of dollars he hid away on his property." It was revealed earlier today that Capone will be rated R "for strong/bloody violence, pervasive language and some sexuality" and that its domestic distributor is Vertical Entertainment. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=new-movies-coming-to-vod-early&captions=true"] For more streaming content, check out all the new titles out this month to Netflix and Disney+.

Netflix Is More Valuable Than Disney (For Now)

Shares of Netflix hit an all-time high on April 15, boosting the company's value over that of rival Disney, which is deeply struggling amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As reported by Variety, Netflix's stock "closed up 3.2%, to $426.75 per share. That gives Netflix a current market capitalization of $187.3 billion, putting it just over Disney’s $186.6 billion." Netflix will report its first quarter 2020 earnings on April 21. With people worldwide quarantined at home due to COVID-19, streaming viewership is surging. U.S viewership alone is up 109% in March 2020 over the previous year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/new-to-netflix-for-april-2020"] While both Netflix and Disney+ are the beneficiaries of this increased stay-at-home viewership, Disney, as a company dependent on consumers being out in public, has suffered more revenue loss than Netflix due to the pandemic. With movie theaters, stores, cruise lines, and theme parks indefinitely closed, Disney is reportedly losing upwards of $30 million a day. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-plus-spotlight-april-2020&captions=true"][poilib element="accentDivider"] Disney, meanwhile, aims to rebound once bans on public gatherings are lifted and theme parks and movie theaters can reopen. In the meantime, Disney recently reshuffled their theatrical release slate, pushing several notable 2020 movies to next year.

Netflix Is More Valuable Than Disney (For Now)

Shares of Netflix hit an all-time high on April 15, boosting the company's value over that of rival Disney, which is deeply struggling amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As reported by Variety, Netflix's stock "closed up 3.2%, to $426.75 per share. That gives Netflix a current market capitalization of $187.3 billion, putting it just over Disney’s $186.6 billion." Netflix will report its first quarter 2020 earnings on April 21. With people worldwide quarantined at home due to COVID-19, streaming viewership is surging. U.S viewership alone is up 109% in March 2020 over the previous year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/new-to-netflix-for-april-2020"] While both Netflix and Disney+ are the beneficiaries of this increased stay-at-home viewership, Disney, as a company dependent on consumers being out in public, has suffered more revenue loss than Netflix due to the pandemic. With movie theaters, stores, cruise lines, and theme parks indefinitely closed, Disney is reportedly losing upwards of $30 million a day. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-plus-spotlight-april-2020&captions=true"][poilib element="accentDivider"] Disney, meanwhile, aims to rebound once bans on public gatherings are lifted and theme parks and movie theaters can reopen. In the meantime, Disney recently reshuffled their theatrical release slate, pushing several notable 2020 movies to next year.

Cooking Mama: Cookstar Publisher Says It’s ‘Fully Within Its Rights’ to Release the Game

Planet Entertainment, the publisher contracted to release the new Cooking Mama game at the center of a bizarre controversy, has fired back at allegations that it was not authorized to release the new Cooking Mama: Cookstar. The Japanese creators of the Cooking Mama series, Office Create, released a statement earlier today calling the new Switch game, Cooking Mama: Cookstar an “unauthorized” release citing that it had “rejected a wide range of deficiencies affecting the overall feel, quality and content of the game” produced by Planet Entertainment and developer 1st Playable. As such, Office Create seemingly requested the new Cooking Mama game to be pulled from digital retail. Hence why the title mysteriously disappeared from Nintendo eShop stores and some retailers.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cooking-mama-cookstar-screenshots&captions=true"]

In a counter-statement released by Planet Entertainment, the company says that “Planet is fully within its rights to publish Cooking Mama Cookstar” and that “There is no active litigation or ruling that prevents pLanet from publishing the game.” Planet admits that there were some “creative differences” that arose towards the completion of Cooking Mama Cookstar that “were outside the scope of our agreement and the game design approved by Office Create,” but that it was still allowed to publish the game. At this time, Planet Entertainment is selling copies of Cooking Mama: Cookstar on its official website and used physical copies can be found online. However, the game is still not available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/cooking-mama-creator-says-cookstar-release-unauthorized-is-considering-legal-action"] Cooking Mama: Cookstar is a new game in the long-running Cooking Mama series. Earlier this month, around the time Cookstar was officially listed for release, the game mysteriously disappeared from retailers. While Planet Entertainment maintained the launch was still incoming, details came out that seemed to hint at some kind of dispute between Office Create and Planet. The dueling statements seem to confirm that, while there no legal case, there is some dissatisfaction between the two parties. IGN was able to obtain a copy of Cooking Mama: Cookstar and you can read our review here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Cooking Mama: Cookstar Publisher Says It’s ‘Fully Within Its Rights’ to Release the Game

Planet Entertainment, the publisher contracted to release the new Cooking Mama game at the center of a bizarre controversy, has fired back at allegations that it was not authorized to release the new Cooking Mama: Cookstar. The Japanese creators of the Cooking Mama series, Office Create, released a statement earlier today calling the new Switch game, Cooking Mama: Cookstar an “unauthorized” release citing that it had “rejected a wide range of deficiencies affecting the overall feel, quality and content of the game” produced by Planet Entertainment and developer 1st Playable. As such, Office Create seemingly requested the new Cooking Mama game to be pulled from digital retail. Hence why the title mysteriously disappeared from Nintendo eShop stores and some retailers.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cooking-mama-cookstar-screenshots&captions=true"]

In a counter-statement released by Planet Entertainment, the company says that “Planet is fully within its rights to publish Cooking Mama Cookstar” and that “There is no active litigation or ruling that prevents pLanet from publishing the game.” Planet admits that there were some “creative differences” that arose towards the completion of Cooking Mama Cookstar that “were outside the scope of our agreement and the game design approved by Office Create,” but that it was still allowed to publish the game. At this time, Planet Entertainment is selling copies of Cooking Mama: Cookstar on its official website and used physical copies can be found online. However, the game is still not available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/cooking-mama-creator-says-cookstar-release-unauthorized-is-considering-legal-action"] Cooking Mama: Cookstar is a new game in the long-running Cooking Mama series. Earlier this month, around the time Cookstar was officially listed for release, the game mysteriously disappeared from retailers. While Planet Entertainment maintained the launch was still incoming, details came out that seemed to hint at some kind of dispute between Office Create and Planet. The dueling statements seem to confirm that, while there no legal case, there is some dissatisfaction between the two parties. IGN was able to obtain a copy of Cooking Mama: Cookstar and you can read our review here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Mark Ruffalo Confirms Hulk May Appear on She-Hulk Show

After raising the prospect last month, Mark Ruffalo has again confirmed he may appear on Marvel's She-Hulk, the upcoming Disney+ streaming series. However, the Hulk actor cautions that it's not set in stone and his future as the mighty monster remains uncertain. “There’s nothing completely at a place where it’s a done deal,” Ruffalo told Variety. “There’s some talk of having Banner/Hulk show up in She-Hulk. If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting. Right now that’s about it. That’s all there is on the table.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=she-hulk-through-the-years&captions=true"] Ruffalo would love to headline a Hulk solo movie, something he previously admitted would be very difficult given Universal has the rights to any Hulk solo films, hence why Ruffalo's Bruce Banner has only appeared as a supporting character in the Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok. Ruffalo's idea for a Hulk solo film would explore Banner/Hulk's life when he's not alongside his fellow Avengers. “We’ve never really followed him into his life. He’s always kind of off on the side. He’s like the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the Avengers," Ruffalo explained, likening Hulk to those notable supporting players in Shakespeare's Hamlet. "It’d be interesting to fill in all the blanks about what happened to him in between all these movies.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/12/the-mcus-infinity-saga-ranked"] What's more, Ruffalo -- who told Variety he grew up reading X-Men comics -- has an even bigger, geekier idea for the green goliath's screen future: "Maybe Hulk and Wolverine could hook up." Given that Disney now has the rights to X-Men such a crossover isn't unthinkable. It's also quite appropriate given that Wolverine made his full debut back in the pages of The Incredible Hulk #181. For more on Marvel's She-Hulk, check our rundown of her origins and most famous storylines.

Mark Ruffalo Confirms Hulk May Appear on She-Hulk Show

After raising the prospect last month, Mark Ruffalo has again confirmed he may appear on Marvel's She-Hulk, the upcoming Disney+ streaming series. However, the Hulk actor cautions that it's not set in stone and his future as the mighty monster remains uncertain. “There’s nothing completely at a place where it’s a done deal,” Ruffalo told Variety. “There’s some talk of having Banner/Hulk show up in She-Hulk. If we come up with something good, that would be really interesting. Right now that’s about it. That’s all there is on the table.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=she-hulk-through-the-years&captions=true"] Ruffalo would love to headline a Hulk solo movie, something he previously admitted would be very difficult given Universal has the rights to any Hulk solo films, hence why Ruffalo's Bruce Banner has only appeared as a supporting character in the Avengers films and Thor: Ragnarok. Ruffalo's idea for a Hulk solo film would explore Banner/Hulk's life when he's not alongside his fellow Avengers. “We’ve never really followed him into his life. He’s always kind of off on the side. He’s like the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the Avengers," Ruffalo explained, likening Hulk to those notable supporting players in Shakespeare's Hamlet. "It’d be interesting to fill in all the blanks about what happened to him in between all these movies.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/12/the-mcus-infinity-saga-ranked"] What's more, Ruffalo -- who told Variety he grew up reading X-Men comics -- has an even bigger, geekier idea for the green goliath's screen future: "Maybe Hulk and Wolverine could hook up." Given that Disney now has the rights to X-Men such a crossover isn't unthinkable. It's also quite appropriate given that Wolverine made his full debut back in the pages of The Incredible Hulk #181. For more on Marvel's She-Hulk, check our rundown of her origins and most famous storylines.

This Spawn Figure Has Already Made Over a Million Dollars on Kickstarter

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane is developing a new action figure of his most famous creation, and fans are clearly very excited. The Kickstarter campaign for the figure has already earned well over a million dollars. The campaign began in early April and almost immediately blew past its initial $100,000 pledge goal. As of publish, the campaign has earned over $1.4 million with more than three weeks remaining. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-original-spawn-action-figure-gets-an-amazing-remake&captions=true"] Why so much excitement over an action figure? For one thing, it's been quite a while since McFarlane has released a new series of Spawn toys. Apart from the figure based on Spawn's DLC appearance in Mortal Kombat 11, the company hasn't released a new Spawn figure since 2008. McFarlane Toys has instead focused on other properties like The Walking Dead, Fortnite and its recently launched DC Multiverse line. But even more significant is the fact that this figure is a remake of the very first Spawn toy released in 1995. Dubbed "Original Spawn Figure Remastered," this figure is directly based on that old design but upgraded with a larger, more detailed sculpt and improved articulation. The Kickstarter features three different variants - a classic Spawn costume, a modern costume, and a grayscale Artist's Proof edition. Each version costs $40 (or $80 with an added autograph), and fans can also purchase a bundle with all three versions for $160, an autograph and two additional head accessories. McFarlane has been revealing new stretch goals for the campaign in recent days, adding more accessories like interchangeable hands and real metal chains to each version of the figure. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/17/unboxing-dc-multiverse-action-figures-from-mcfarlane-toys"] Even if you're not a toy collector, the massive success of this Kickstarter could be a positive sign for the long-awaited Spawn movie reboot. Back in December 2019, McFarlane vowed to get the reboot made with or without traditional studio support. Last we heard, Jamie Foxx was attached to star as Spawn/Al Simmons, with Jeremy Renner playing Detective Twitch Williams. McFarlane envisions the reboot as a hard-R-rated horror film rather than a superhero movie. Will you be picking up this incredible Spawn figure? Let us know in the comments below. [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.