Monthly Archives: January 2021

Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie Will be Scripted by Marvel Veteran

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige’s Star Wars film project has taken a significant step forward. Michael Waldron, writer and executive producer of Marvel’s Loki series, has been tapped to write the screenplay according to Variety.

Waldron also wrote the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Waldron got his start in Hollywood working for Dan Harmon on Community, eventually winning an Emmy for his work on Rick and Morty. He also co-wrote and executive producer Starz’s wrestling drama Heels.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/31/the-mandalorian-season-3-why-the-darksaber-is-key-to-the-war-for-mandalore-star-wars-canon-fodder"]

Waldron’s deal is also expected to bring him back for season two of Loki.

Understandably, there’s still no major details about Feige’s Star Wars film, although Feige has said that he is interested in exploring “new people and new places in that universe.” Disney has played its Star Wars lineup closer to the chest than its Marvel properties, but a slate of new movies have been announced in the past year. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is slated to direct a Rogue Squadron movie covering the titular ace pilots, and a second untitled film is being directed and co-written by Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi and 1917’s Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-in-the-mandalorian&captions=true"]

As for now, Star Wars fans are probably eager for more Star Wars with the conclusion of the Mandalorian season two. You can check out what season two’s dramatic ending means for the inevitable season three and see details on the upcoming Book of Boba Fett series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/dorksaber for IGN.

Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie Will be Scripted by Marvel Veteran

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige’s Star Wars film project has taken a significant step forward. Michael Waldron, writer and executive producer of Marvel’s Loki series, has been tapped to write the screenplay according to Variety.

Waldron also wrote the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Waldron got his start in Hollywood working for Dan Harmon on Community, eventually winning an Emmy for his work on Rick and Morty. He also co-wrote and executive producer Starz’s wrestling drama Heels.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/31/the-mandalorian-season-3-why-the-darksaber-is-key-to-the-war-for-mandalore-star-wars-canon-fodder"]

Waldron’s deal is also expected to bring him back for season two of Loki.

Understandably, there’s still no major details about Feige’s Star Wars film, although Feige has said that he is interested in exploring “new people and new places in that universe.” Disney has played its Star Wars lineup closer to the chest than its Marvel properties, but a slate of new movies have been announced in the past year. Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is slated to direct a Rogue Squadron movie covering the titular ace pilots, and a second untitled film is being directed and co-written by Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi and 1917’s Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-in-the-mandalorian&captions=true"]

As for now, Star Wars fans are probably eager for more Star Wars with the conclusion of the Mandalorian season two. You can check out what season two’s dramatic ending means for the inevitable season three and see details on the upcoming Book of Boba Fett series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/dorksaber for IGN.

Update: Twitch Indefinitely Suspends Donald Trump’s Twitch Channel

Update: 1/20/21: Shortly following the inauguration of Joseph Biden as the United States' new president, Twitch announced it has indefinitely maintained its suspension of former President Donald Trump's Twitch channel "due to the ongoing risk of further incitement of violence." The decision to indefinitely suspend the account comes as the company endeavors "to remove the potential for harm to our community and the general public," following the company's previous move to disable the channel earlier this month on January 7. Twitch's full statement reads:
“We have indefinitely suspended President Trump’s Twitch channel due to the ongoing risk of further incitement of violence. The President’s statements continue to be interpreted as calls to action, and we are taking this action to remove the potential for harm to our community and the general public. Twitch has clear rules that prohibit hateful conduct, harassment, or incitement of violence on our service, and we consider off-service events when making enforcement decisions. However, the events of the past weeks have highlighted a gap with respect to rhetoric that encourages violence, regardless of whether or not it was directly streamed on Twitch. We will be updating our policies as a result of our consideration of this situation.”
Original story follows: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Livestreaming platform Twitch has announced it has disabled the channel for President Donald Trump on Thursday. In a statement to IGN from a Twitch spokesperson, “In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel.” The company added, “Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President’s incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/08/president-trumps-violence-in-video-games-highlight-reel"] Yesterday, both chambers of U.S. Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections which determined Joe Biden as the winner. Donald Trump, who for weeks espoused conspiracy theories that the election has been stolen, addressed a nearby crowd who then marched to the Capitol and briefly clashed with police and occupied the Capitol buildings. US legislators from both parties were forced to either flee or barricade themselves for safety. Following these events, digital companies have taken measures to limit Trump’s presence to prevent further violence. Facebook has announced it will indefinitely ban Trump from Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter has initiated a temporary ban. Trump’s official Twitch channel was once suspended previously in 2020 after it rebroadcasted several rallies which Twitch says violated its Hateful Conduct guidelines. Twitch has also recently removed the popular ‘PogChamp’ emote based on fighting game player Ryan ‘Gootecks’ Gutierrez following comments he made in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill insurgency which Twitch says called for further violence. It’s unclear how long Trump’s Twitch account will remain disabled, but Twitch says it is focused on minimizing harm during the transition period, which is the next two weeks until Joe Biden is inaugurated as President. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Update: Twitch Indefinitely Suspends Donald Trump’s Twitch Channel

Update: 1/20/21: Shortly following the inauguration of Joseph Biden as the United States' new president, Twitch announced it has indefinitely maintained its suspension of former President Donald Trump's Twitch channel "due to the ongoing risk of further incitement of violence." The decision to indefinitely suspend the account comes as the company endeavors "to remove the potential for harm to our community and the general public," following the company's previous move to disable the channel earlier this month on January 7. Twitch's full statement reads:
“We have indefinitely suspended President Trump’s Twitch channel due to the ongoing risk of further incitement of violence. The President’s statements continue to be interpreted as calls to action, and we are taking this action to remove the potential for harm to our community and the general public. Twitch has clear rules that prohibit hateful conduct, harassment, or incitement of violence on our service, and we consider off-service events when making enforcement decisions. However, the events of the past weeks have highlighted a gap with respect to rhetoric that encourages violence, regardless of whether or not it was directly streamed on Twitch. We will be updating our policies as a result of our consideration of this situation.”
Original story follows: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Livestreaming platform Twitch has announced it has disabled the channel for President Donald Trump on Thursday. In a statement to IGN from a Twitch spokesperson, “In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel.” The company added, “Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President’s incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/08/president-trumps-violence-in-video-games-highlight-reel"] Yesterday, both chambers of U.S. Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections which determined Joe Biden as the winner. Donald Trump, who for weeks espoused conspiracy theories that the election has been stolen, addressed a nearby crowd who then marched to the Capitol and briefly clashed with police and occupied the Capitol buildings. US legislators from both parties were forced to either flee or barricade themselves for safety. Following these events, digital companies have taken measures to limit Trump’s presence to prevent further violence. Facebook has announced it will indefinitely ban Trump from Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter has initiated a temporary ban. Trump’s official Twitch channel was once suspended previously in 2020 after it rebroadcasted several rallies which Twitch says violated its Hateful Conduct guidelines. Twitch has also recently removed the popular ‘PogChamp’ emote based on fighting game player Ryan ‘Gootecks’ Gutierrez following comments he made in the aftermath of the Capitol Hill insurgency which Twitch says called for further violence. It’s unclear how long Trump’s Twitch account will remain disabled, but Twitch says it is focused on minimizing harm during the transition period, which is the next two weeks until Joe Biden is inaugurated as President. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

PS5: How Sony Can Maintain Excitement in 2021

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and guest Ray Apollo to discuss some of the news we missed over break and the state of the PS5 going into the new year. The cast offers updated thoughts on the Cyberpunk 2077 delisting news, the PlayStation Plus games for January (and moray eels!), before jumping into how Sony can continue the momentum of the PS5 in 2021. From supply constraint issues, more transparency with fans, and more, the cast offers hopes, excitement, and concerns about PlayStation going into 2021. Watch the episode above! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review and our PS5 wiki guide for tips on how to best use your system. And for more Beyond, be sure to watch the first episode of our Bloodborne let's play! [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f72748d4-3754-4213-a27e-66173a199a56"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

PS5: How Sony Can Maintain Excitement in 2021

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and guest Ray Apollo to discuss some of the news we missed over break and the state of the PS5 going into the new year. The cast offers updated thoughts on the Cyberpunk 2077 delisting news, the PlayStation Plus games for January (and moray eels!), before jumping into how Sony can continue the momentum of the PS5 in 2021. From supply constraint issues, more transparency with fans, and more, the cast offers hopes, excitement, and concerns about PlayStation going into 2021. Watch the episode above! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review and our PS5 wiki guide for tips on how to best use your system. And for more Beyond, be sure to watch the first episode of our Bloodborne let's play! [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=f72748d4-3754-4213-a27e-66173a199a56"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Dave Bautista Passed on James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad to Work With Zack Snyder

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Dave Bautista said he passed on a role in James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad reboot to work on Zack Snyder’s Netflix zombie heist film Army of the Dead.

Snyder originally reached out to Bautista for the starring role in Army of the Dead, but Bautista says he quickly declined at first.

"I said I wasn't interested," Bautista told EW. "I had this chip on my shoulder and was looking for juicy [dramatic roles]. Then I read the script and it was a lot deeper and had more layers than I thought. And also, to be quite frank, I wanted to work with Zack."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/08/dave-bautista-responds-to-ign-comments"]

Bautista previously worked with Gunn on both Guardians of the Galaxy films, and even went so far as to say he wouldn’t do Guardians 3 unless Gunn directed it following Disney’s decision to fire Gunn in 2018.

Bautista initially reacted to the news of Gunn directing the Suicide Squad reboot by asking “where do I sign up?!” on Twitter.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"]

Army of the Dead stars Bautista leading a group into the heart of a zombie-infested Las Vegas still rife with cash.

"We're running around killing zombies on craps tables," Bautista says. "It's just a ton of fun."

Snyder promises the Netflix film, which is also coming with a four-hour animated prequel series explaining the zombie outbreak’s origins in Area 51, is a genre mash-up of (obviously) zombie cinema and heist movies like Ocean’s 11.

Snyder is also plenty busy with releasing the mythical Snyder Cut of Justice League on HBO Max reportedly in March this year.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's googling Bautista workout regimen this very moment.

Dave Bautista Passed on James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad to Work With Zack Snyder

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Dave Bautista said he passed on a role in James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad reboot to work on Zack Snyder’s Netflix zombie heist film Army of the Dead.

Snyder originally reached out to Bautista for the starring role in Army of the Dead, but Bautista says he quickly declined at first.

"I said I wasn't interested," Bautista told EW. "I had this chip on my shoulder and was looking for juicy [dramatic roles]. Then I read the script and it was a lot deeper and had more layers than I thought. And also, to be quite frank, I wanted to work with Zack."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/08/dave-bautista-responds-to-ign-comments"]

Bautista previously worked with Gunn on both Guardians of the Galaxy films, and even went so far as to say he wouldn’t do Guardians 3 unless Gunn directed it following Disney’s decision to fire Gunn in 2018.

Bautista initially reacted to the news of Gunn directing the Suicide Squad reboot by asking “where do I sign up?!” on Twitter.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"]

Army of the Dead stars Bautista leading a group into the heart of a zombie-infested Las Vegas still rife with cash.

"We're running around killing zombies on craps tables," Bautista says. "It's just a ton of fun."

Snyder promises the Netflix film, which is also coming with a four-hour animated prequel series explaining the zombie outbreak’s origins in Area 51, is a genre mash-up of (obviously) zombie cinema and heist movies like Ocean’s 11.

Snyder is also plenty busy with releasing the mythical Snyder Cut of Justice League on HBO Max reportedly in March this year.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's googling Bautista workout regimen this very moment.

The Earth Is Spinning Faster Than It Has in 50 Years

The Earth's rotation is the fastest it's ever been in 50 years, which means time is passing by quicker than it has in the past five decades. As reported by Daily Mail, because the Earth is spinning faster, time is passing by quicker and now, the 24-hour day is ending just half a millisecond sooner, according to timekeeping scientists. Those timekeeping scientists are now debating whether or not a second should be deleted from time to account for the discrepancy caused by the Earth's faster rotation. This deletion of a second is what's known as a negative leap second and it's never been done before. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/21/scientists-claim-evidence-of-parallel-universe-where-time-runs-backward-ign-news"] "It is certainly correct that the Earth is spinning faster now than at any time in the last 50 years," senior research scientist with the National Physical Laboratory's time and frequency group, Peter Whibberly, told The Telegraph. "It is quite possible that a negative leap second will be needed if the earth's rotation rate increases further...and it's also possible that the need for a negative leap second might push the decision towards ending leap seconds for good." While a negative leap second might be a first for the world, a change in the earth's literal timeline isn't anything new. As pointed out by Daily Mail, since the 1970s, 27 leap seconds have been added to the time to keep atomic time lined up with solar time. Leap seconds are added when the Earth takes longer than 24 hours to complete a single rotation and that's happened quite a bit in the past few decades. Scientists began to notice an increase in the Earth's rotational speed in the middle of 2020. We'd like to think the Man of Steel himself, Superman, is behind this as he's no stranger to flying around the earth to mess with time, but knowing the change started to happen last year, it's probably something to do with 2020 and everything that year put the world through. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Daily Mail reports that on July 19, 2020, scientists noticed the day was 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than usual, which was the shortest day since records of a day's length began. The shortest day before July 19 of last year happened in 2005. That 2005 record has been broken 28 times in the past twelve months and on average, days are passing half a second faster now. Does half a second of time actually matter though? To those living out their usual days, half a second likely won't matter, but it could matter for things like satellites and communication relays, which rely on atomic time aligning near exactly with solar time. That's why scientists are debating the use of a negative leap second. Only time will (literally) tell what they decide to do. While waiting for that decision, check out this story where some scientists claim evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backwards and then read about how there's a 50-50 chance we are living in a simulation. If all this talk of science has you in the mood for some sci-fi viewing, check out our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix right now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

The Earth Is Spinning Faster Than It Has in 50 Years

The Earth's rotation is the fastest it's ever been in 50 years, which means time is passing by quicker than it has in the past five decades. As reported by Daily Mail, because the Earth is spinning faster, time is passing by quicker and now, the 24-hour day is ending just half a millisecond sooner, according to timekeeping scientists. Those timekeeping scientists are now debating whether or not a second should be deleted from time to account for the discrepancy caused by the Earth's faster rotation. This deletion of a second is what's known as a negative leap second and it's never been done before. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/21/scientists-claim-evidence-of-parallel-universe-where-time-runs-backward-ign-news"] "It is certainly correct that the Earth is spinning faster now than at any time in the last 50 years," senior research scientist with the National Physical Laboratory's time and frequency group, Peter Whibberly, told The Telegraph. "It is quite possible that a negative leap second will be needed if the earth's rotation rate increases further...and it's also possible that the need for a negative leap second might push the decision towards ending leap seconds for good." While a negative leap second might be a first for the world, a change in the earth's literal timeline isn't anything new. As pointed out by Daily Mail, since the 1970s, 27 leap seconds have been added to the time to keep atomic time lined up with solar time. Leap seconds are added when the Earth takes longer than 24 hours to complete a single rotation and that's happened quite a bit in the past few decades. Scientists began to notice an increase in the Earth's rotational speed in the middle of 2020. We'd like to think the Man of Steel himself, Superman, is behind this as he's no stranger to flying around the earth to mess with time, but knowing the change started to happen last year, it's probably something to do with 2020 and everything that year put the world through. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Daily Mail reports that on July 19, 2020, scientists noticed the day was 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than usual, which was the shortest day since records of a day's length began. The shortest day before July 19 of last year happened in 2005. That 2005 record has been broken 28 times in the past twelve months and on average, days are passing half a second faster now. Does half a second of time actually matter though? To those living out their usual days, half a second likely won't matter, but it could matter for things like satellites and communication relays, which rely on atomic time aligning near exactly with solar time. That's why scientists are debating the use of a negative leap second. Only time will (literally) tell what they decide to do. While waiting for that decision, check out this story where some scientists claim evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backwards and then read about how there's a 50-50 chance we are living in a simulation. If all this talk of science has you in the mood for some sci-fi viewing, check out our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix right now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes