Monthly Archives: April 2021
The Prisoner: Beloved Sci-Fi Series Finally Gets Licensed Toys
The Prisoner is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential science fiction series of the 1960's, even though the series was never fully appreciated during its brief, original run. But now there's good news for Prisoner fans. The show is finally getting some officially licensed action figures, a mere 53 years later.
IGN can exclusively reveal the first wave of The Prisoner action figures from Wandering Planet Toys. Fittingly, these 4-inch figures are being designed with a retro approach in mind, boasting limited articulation and vintage-style packaging similar similar to Funko and Super7's ReAction line or Hasbro's Marvel Legends Retro Collection. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see some of the figures in the first wave:
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There is one catch, however. Given the somewhat unusual nature and niche appeal of this toy line, Wandering Planet is relying on Kickstarter to crowdfund the first wave of Prisoner toys. The Kickstarter drive is live now and will run through May 26, 2021. The first wave includes no fewer than five versions of Patrick McGoohan's main character, Number 6, including one limited edition version featuring packaging in the shape of The Village's guardian enforcer, Rover. The wave also include a pair of two-pack sets that include versions of Number 6 packed with his rivals Number 2 and Number 12, respectively.
Fans can purchase individual figures or the entire lineup through the Kickstarter. Those who opt for the full line will also receive an exclusive T-shirt.
“The Prisoner is quintessential cult TV,” said Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Chris “Doc” Wyatt in a statement. “Depending on the viewer it can be seen as a stylish spy drama, an allegorical social commentary, a paranoid conspiracy thriller, or even a piece of avant-garde filmmaking. Our Wave 1 toys are dedicated to the idea of honoring the series and contributing to its fandom.”
“Wave 1 of The Prisoner action figures are far along in development,” said Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Gavin Hignight. “The figures have been sculpted, the packaging has been designed, and approvals have already been granted by our partners at ITV. As longtime fans of The Prisoner, we are so excited for fans and collectors to see these toys and the detail we're putting into them, but that can only happen if the campaign is funded.”
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Will you be adding any of these figures to your collection? Let us know in the comments below.
In other toy news, Hasbro just revealed a life-size replica of Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamotto and a massive, $700 Optimus Prime toy that can automatically transform.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Justice League: Ray Fisher Claims ‘Gaslighting Occurred’ During Joss Whedon’s Reshoots
Ray Fisher has spoken about the "gaslighting" behavior that he claims to have experienced on the set of Joss Whedon's Justice League reshoots.
In a new interview with Empire (which will be fully published in the magazine's next issue), Fisher shed more light on what he experienced on the set of Justice League following the departure of Zack Snyder in 2017. In particular, the actor addressed the nature of the troubled reshoots and the mixed messages that he allegedly received during the production.
Fisher reportedly told the publication that he had been actively encouraged to share his thoughts about Cyborg in the movie, but that he felt his feedback wasn't well-received by the people who requested it. He claimed that "gaslighting occurred" on the set because people were "asking for input, but, ultimately, biting people's heads off when you gave it."
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Fisher previously spoke about how Whedon had altered Zack Snyder's intended arc for Cyborg, alleging that every single scene with Cyborg in the theatrical cut turned out to be a reshoot, except for one brief appearance from his character assembling alongside the Justice League. However, the star claims that it would have helped if this change of direction had been communicated with the cast.
"Transparency would have gone a long way; if they had said to us, 'Hey, we don't like Zack's movie, we want to shift gears completely and we need you guys to buckle down,'" Fisher explained to Empire. "But they were trying to hold on to this narrative of doing it for Zack and maintaining his vision, all the while completely not doing that."
Ultimately, Whedon's vision didn't align with Snyder's intentions for the movie and Fisher voiced his opinions on some of the proposed new material. He said he argued against a scene in which Cyborg was drawn and quartered by Steppenwolf, claiming, "I had to try to rein those guys in. It was not a good look to essentially pull this Black man, who has already endured so much physical trauma, limb from limb."
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After having Cyborg's arc shaved down to the bare minimum in Whedon's version of Justice League, Fisher expressed his contentment over his character's portrayal in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max last month. In fact, Fisher has dedicated a lot of time to the four-hour Snyder Cut, having watched the movie a total of seven times since it was released.
If you've had a chance to sit down and give it a watch yourself, then you'll know that Snyder's Justice League ends on a massive cliffhanger. The director has addressed the reason for this ending and why his version of the film sets up a direct sequel that is not likely to happen, even though he has ideas on how a potential trilogy could have ended with a shock new superhero, and much, much more.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Players Reportedly Unable To Download Essential PS3 Game Patches Ahead of Store Closure
Players are reporting that some PlayStation 3 games are not downloading essential patches ahead of the forthcoming store closure.
A PSNProfiles thread is compiling all of the PS3 titles that are experiencing difficulties downloading patches, which are often essential in order for the user to play online and earn trophies. The list includes games like Journey, LittleBigPlanet (GOTY), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Battlefield 4, Gran Turismo 5, and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
A growing thread on ResetEra is corroborating the list, with some users confirming that their owned games are not receiving updates. "Just popped in Lords of Shadow and sure enough, no update. This sucks because I literally just bought the DLC for it last week," Liam Allen-Miller said.
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Players are reporting that even manually requesting an update via the game tile on the PlayStation home screen just results in nothing. And across the conversation, there's a picture being painted of patches downloading in one region but not another.
There's potential that this could be a bug, rather than directly related to the upcoming closure, and that Sony may be in the process of fixing it so that users can get their games ready to go before the digital store shuts down. After all, players will still be able to redownload their owned games after the store shuts down in July.
Sony confirmed at the end of March that it will close the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 and PSP on July 2, 2021. The PSN Store for the PlayStation Vita will then close later this year on August 27, 2021.
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
The Art of Overwatch Vol. 2 Deluxe Edition Revealed
Dark Horse is revisiting the world of Overwatch with another in-depth art book. But in addition to the previously announced Art of Overwatch Vol. 2, Dark Horse will also be publishing a Deluxe Edition version with all the bells and whistles collectors have come to expect.
IGN can exclusively reveal the first details for The Art of Overwatch Vol. 2: Deluxe Edition. First off, check out the slideshow gallery below to see the exclusive new cover variant, slipcase and other goodies included only with the Deluxe Edition:
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As you might expect, The Art of Overwatch Vol. 2 is designed as a companion to the first book. This volume covers all the new additions to the game from 2017 to the present, focusing on newer characters like Doomfist and Echo and the more recent modes, levels, skins and cinematics added to the game. The book is written by Blizzard senior writer Matt Burns and features plenty of developer commentary and other behind-the-scenes details on the evolution of Overwatch. Blizzard is even teasing some material focused on the upcoming Overwatch 2.
As for the Deluxe Edition, in addition to the unique gold foil cover, that version comes packaged inside an exclusive slipcase and includes three lithograph art prints.
The Art of Overwatch Vol. 2 is priced at $49.99 for the standard hardcover and $99.99 for the Deluxe Edition. The standard version will release on October 15, 2021, with the Deluxe Edition following on October 27.
This isn't the only new Overwatch book to look for this fall. Dark Horse is also releasing a hardcover of Overwatch: Tracer - London Calling in September, collecting all five chapters of the previously digital-only series.
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These books should help fill the void until Overwatch 2 finally arrives on PC and consoles. Game director Jeff Kaplan gave a big update on the sequel during Blizzcon, but we also got confirmation neither Overwatch 2 nor Diablo 4 will be released in 2021. For now, here are 55 new things we learned about Overwatch 2.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Days Gone 2 Was Pitched With a Co-Op Mode and Shared Universe
Jeff Ross, the former game director of Days Gone, has revealed that the pitch for Days Gone 2 featured plans for a shared universe and cooperative play component.
Talking to God of War creator David Jaffe as part of a livestream on Jaffe’s YouTube channel, Ross discussed topics that arose in the wake of Blomberg’s recent report about an unsuccessful Days Gone 2 pitch from developer Bend Studio. While Ross was unable to confirm if Days Gone 2 was indeed rejected due to a non-disclosure agreement, he did reveal a few details about the pitch he submitted to Sony for the sequel.
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“We wanted co-op from the beginning [in Days Gone 1], but obviously you have to make concessions for what you’re not going to be able to do,” explained Ross during the conversation, as reported by VGC.
When asked by Jaffe if the ideas for a co-op mode would have been implemented in a sequel, Ross said: “It’s one of the things that we had in our pitch, yeah. It was the idea of a shared universe with co-op play.”
Explaining the vision for the co-op, Ross described it as: ”[taking] this world that you’ve built, and all these assets and systems, and repurpose them for some sort of similarly themed multiplayer version of this universe. So [it] would be with guys like Deacon trying to survive, building up a clubhouse or a crew. I think it would be fun to be in that world cooperatively and see what horde battles could be like.”
While Ross’ openness about an unannounced game does make it feel as if Days Gone 2 is probably not going to happen, Ross reinforced that he cannot confirm the game’s situation. “I don’t think it’s publicly confirmed what the status of [Days Gone 2] is. I don’t want to be the guy who’s the official source for whatever that is.”
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Ross himself no longer works at Bend Studio, but notes that his departure “had nothing to do with the status of the sequel or anything else that the studio was doing.”
While discussing the Bloomberg report, Ross also stated that it was “never the reality” that Bend had lost autonomy and had become a support studio for Naughty Dog. Instead, he insisted that the link between the two studios was a collaboration.
That same report also suggests that a remake of 2013's The Last of Us is in development. If true, that could well be intended to launch on the back of HBO's anticipated The Last of Us show, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
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Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
BAFTA Film Awards 2021 Winners Announced: Nomadland Scores Top Honors
The winners of the 2021 BAFTA Awards have been announced, with Nomadland taking top honors at this year's event.
Chloé Zhao's drama emerged as the big winner at the 74th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, scooping up four awards in total, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Leading Actress for its star Frances McDormand. Zhao is only the second woman to get the Best Director accolade at the BAFTAs, following Kathryn Bigelow's win in 2010 for The Hurt Locker.
The rest of the awards were more evenly distributed, with several titles picking up two awards, including Promising Young Woman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Sound of Metal, Soul, and The Father — which saw Sir Anthony Hopkins become the oldest recipient of the Leading Actor BAFTA. He was nominated alongside Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, Tahar Rahim, Chadwick Boseman, and Adarsh Gourav.
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The full list of winners for the BAFTA Film Awards 2021 follows:
Best Film
- The Father
- The Mauritanian
- Nomadland - WINNER
- Promising Young Woman
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Director
- Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
- Shannon Murphy, Babyteeth
- Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
- Chloé Zhao, Nomadland - WINNER
- Jasmila Žbanić, Quo Vadis, Aida?
- Sarah Gavron, Rocks
Leading Actor
- Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
- Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
- Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger
- Sir Anthony Hopkins, The Father - WINNER
- Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round
- Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian
Leading Actress
- Bukky Bakray, Rocks
- Radha Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version
- Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
- Frances McDormand, Nomadland - WINNER
- Wunmi Mosaku, His House
- Alfre Woodard, Clemency
Supporting Actor
- Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER
- Barry Keoghan, Calm With Horses
- Alan Kim, Minari
- Leslie Odom Jr, One Night In Miami
- Clarke Peters, Da 5 Bloods
- Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Supporting Actress
- Niamh Algar, Calm With Horses
- Kosar Ali, Rocks
- Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Ashley Madekwe, County Lines
- Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari - WINNER
Best Original Screenplay
- Another Round
- Mank
- Promising Young Woman - WINNER
- Rocks
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Adapted Screenplay
- The Dig
- The Father - WINNER
- The Mauritanian
- Nomadland
- The White Tiger
Best Original Score
- Mank
- Minari
- News of the World
- Promising Young Woman
- Soul - WINNER
Best Cinematography
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Mank
- The Mauritanian
- News of the World
- Nomadland - WINNER
Best Costume Design
- Ammonite
- The Dig
- Emma
- Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - WINNER
- Mank
Best Editing
- The Father
- Nomadland
- Promising Young Woman
- Sound of Metal - WINNER
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Production Design
- The Dig
- The Father
- Mank - WINNER
- News of the World
- Rebecca
Best Hair and Makeup
- The Dig
- Hillbilly Elegy
- Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - WINNER
- Mank
- Pinocchio
Best Sound
- Greyhound
- News of the World
- Nomadland
- Soul
- Sound of Metal - WINNER
Best Special Visual Effects
- Greyhound
- The Midnight Sky
- Mulan
- The One and Only Ivan
- Tenet - WINNER
Best Casting
- Calm With Horses
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Minari
- Promising Young Woman
- Rocks - WINNER
Outstanding British Film
- Calm With Horses
- The Dig
- The Father
- His House
- Limbo
- The Mauritanian
- Mogul Mowgli
- Promising Young Woman - WINNER
- Rocks
- Saint Maud
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer
- His House, Remi Weekes (Writer/Director) - WINNER
- Limbo, Ben Sharrock (Writer/Director), Irune Gurtubai (Producer)
- Moffie, Jack Sidey (Writer/Producer)
- Rocks, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Writers)
- Saint Maud, Rose Glass (Writer/Director), Oliver Kassman (Producer)
Film not in the English Language
- Another Round - WINNER
- Dear Comrades!
- Les Misérables
- Minari
- Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Documentary
- Collective
- David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
- The Dissident
- My Octopus Teacher - WINNER
- The Social Dilemma
Best Animated Film
- Onward
- Soul - WINNER
- Wolfwalkers
Best British Short Film
- Eyelash
- Lizard
- Lucky Break
- Miss Curvy
- The Present - WINNER
Best British Short Animation
- The Fire Next Time
- The Owl and the Pussycat - WINNER
- The Song of A Lost Boy
EE Rising Star (voted for by the public)
- Kingsley Ben-Adir
- Morfydd Clark
- Bukky Bakray - WINNER
- Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù
- Conrad Khan
Loki’s Logo Design Teases What the Show Is All About, Says Tom Hiddleston
The strange, multi-font, ever-changing logo for Marvel’s Loki works as a pretty good teaser for what the show is about, according to Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston.
Talking to Empire for the magazine’s June 2021 issue, Hiddleston refused to explain what the show is truly about, but pointed to the “shapeshifting logo” as a good indicator as to the show’s theme.
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“I think that shapeshifting logo might give you an idea that Loki, the show, is about identity, and about integrating the disparate fragments of the many selves that he can be, and perhaps the many selves that we are,” Hiddleston said. “I thought it was very exciting because I’ve always found Loki a very complex construct. Who is this character who can wear so many masks, and changes shape, and seems to change his external feeling on a sixpence?”
He also notes that Loki is the “quintessential shapeshifter” and that this means audiences are never quite sure if the Asgardian trickster god is a hero, villain, or anti-hero.
Loki is due to launch on Disney+ in June, and could well feature Lady Loki. While the first season is yet to air yet, reports suggest Loki season 2 is already in development.
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Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
Sonic Colors Remaster Leaked by Voiceover Studio
A remaster of Sonic Colors has been seemingly leaked by a German voiceover studio.
As discovered by Twitter account Gum | Kupo, German voiceover studio iksample had a listing for Sonic Colors Remastered, detailing that the studio worked on localization for the game in December 2020. You can see in the tweet below a screenshot from the listing, although since that posting iksample have removed the page from its website.
Sega has not officially announced a Sonic Colors remaster, and so this appears to be the first indication that the project may be in the works. And, should the project be real, it seems sensible to predict that it may have German localization, considering iksample’s location. Additionally, French games retailer Sogamely currently features a pre-order page for Sonic Colors Ultimate for PS4. As leaks such as the infamous drop from Walmart ahead of E3 2018 show, retailers can know about unannounced games ahead of time. But retailers can and do get things wrong. As such, it’s worth waiting for any official announcement before assuming a Sonic Colors remaster is definitely in the works. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/10/sonic-the-hedgehog-2-title-announcement"] Sonic Colors released in 2010 on Wii and Nintendo DS. Our review back then was impressed, calling it the “best Sonic game in 18 years”. If you prefer your blue hedgehog live action, though, then you'll be pleased to hear about the movie sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.I found out that the German dubbing studio of the Sonic games dubbed Sonic Colours Remastered in 2020 :O I'm excited now. @LennFennex Source:https://t.co/vpUmHxUg65 pic.twitter.com/n4tj5ExLqk
— • Gum | Kupo (@Kutairo_) April 8, 2021
Nintendo Warns of Possible Switch Stock Issues Due to Semiconductor Shortage
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has warned that, while the company has been able to secure materials for the "immediate production of semiconductors" needed for Switch production, shortages may change that later in 2021.
As reported by VGC, Furukawa was speaking to Nikkei about this ongoing global semiconductor shortage that has been causing supply issues for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, graphics cards, and much more.
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“We have been able to secure the necessary materials for the immediate production of semiconductors for switches,” Furukawa said. “However, in Japan and other countries, demand has been very strong since the beginning of the year, and there is a possibility of shortages at some retailers in the future.
“It is difficult to say how we will deal with this, but in some cases we may not be able to prepare enough for orders.”
Nintendo has been dealing with Switch shortages for some time, especially due to the growing demand for the console during the COVID-19 pandemic that and made worse by supply chain problems and a group of resellers that were buying up as many consoles as they could to mark up the price and make a profit.
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While Nintendo has yet to confirm its existence, this also brings in to question how Nintendo will be able to keep up with producing the current Switch, Switch Lite, and possibly the alleged "Switch Pro," as people have called it, that could reportedly be released in Holiday 2021.
This new Nintendo Switch is said to feature a larger screen and 4K output when docked, and will also include an Nvidia chipset that would bring with it an updated CPU and increased memory.
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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Nintendo Warns of Possible Switch Stock Issues Due to Semiconductor Shortage
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has warned that, while the company has been able to secure materials for the "immediate production of semiconductors" needed for Switch production, shortages may change that later in 2021.
As reported by VGC, Furukawa was speaking to Nikkei about this ongoing global semiconductor shortage that has been causing supply issues for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, graphics cards, and much more.
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“We have been able to secure the necessary materials for the immediate production of semiconductors for switches,” Furukawa said. “However, in Japan and other countries, demand has been very strong since the beginning of the year, and there is a possibility of shortages at some retailers in the future.
“It is difficult to say how we will deal with this, but in some cases we may not be able to prepare enough for orders.”
Nintendo has been dealing with Switch shortages for some time, especially due to the growing demand for the console during the COVID-19 pandemic that and made worse by supply chain problems and a group of resellers that were buying up as many consoles as they could to mark up the price and make a profit.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/23/switch-pro-reported-to-have-better-graphics-possibly-higher-priced-ign-now"]
While Nintendo has yet to confirm its existence, this also brings in to question how Nintendo will be able to keep up with producing the current Switch, Switch Lite, and possibly the alleged "Switch Pro," as people have called it, that could reportedly be released in Holiday 2021.
This new Nintendo Switch is said to feature a larger screen and 4K output when docked, and will also include an Nvidia chipset that would bring with it an updated CPU and increased memory.
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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.