What Hollywood Needs To Learn from Your Name’s Success
Think about the last animated films you've seen advertised in the United States. How many of those were meant for adults? Were any of them not a comedy? Hollywood has an animated movie (and, to an extent, TV) hang-up, relegating it to the kiddie corner and sometimes allowing for lewd, adult humor. As far as they’ve shown us, it’s not for serious stories outside of Pixar’s generally kid-friendly movies. That's why I hope Your Name’s critical and financial success help change the minds of whatever is holding back Hollywood from celebrating animation as a serious storytelling medium.
Your Name is about two Japanese teens that randomly swap bodies when they sleep. While much of the film is about them learning how to make their strange situation work, it’s as much about them discovering their own identities. Your Name could easily be made into a live action movie; its story isn't so fantastical that it calls for many special effects. However, the only way I'd want to experience Your Name is as an animated film.
Nintendo Discontinues the NES Classic Edition
Nintendo will discontinue the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition and the last shipments will go out to retailers throughout this month.
A Nintendo representative provided the following statement to IGN:
“Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product.”
Arrow: Wild Dog, Black Canary Promoted to Series Regulars
Wild Dog and the new Black Canary will now be series regulars on Arrow for Season 6.
IGN can confirm that Rick Gonzalez (Mr. Robot), who joined Arrow in the Season 5 premiere as the hockey mask-wearing vigilante Wild Dog, will be returning for the new season.
Juliana Harkavy (The Walking Dead), who first appeared in the 10th episode of Season 5 as Tina Boland, will also be a series regular. She was then revealed to be the original Black Canary of the comics, Dinah Drake. The character has been taking over the role of Black Canary from Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), who's also returning as a series regular, but this time as Black Siren.
Bandai Namco Teases Game With Tagline ‘Prepare to Dine’
Bandai Namco has released a teaser for a new project it's developing, which will be revealed on April 20. The unannounced game's tagline, "Prepare to Dine," is an obvious nod to "Prepare to Die," made famous by From Software's Dark Souls — also published by Bandai Namco.
The tagline isn't the only nod to From Software's legacy. The animated teaser's gothic style shares some similarities with Bloodborne, however it leaves us with very little details regarding gameplay or story.
Watch the teaser for Bandai Namco's unannounced game below.
The animation comes with the following statement from Bandai Namco's website: "Enjoy this original animation inspired by a new title in development by Bandai Namco Entertainment, due to be announced on April 20th, 2017."
Star Wars Casts, Filmmakers Unite at Celebration
Star Wars Celebration kicked off in grand fashion Thursday with the "40 Years of Star Wars" panel, moderated by Return of the Jedi and Rogue One's Warwick Davis, that brought together many of the stars and filmmakers behind the beloved saga.
Previously announced guests included Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor/Darth Sidious), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm President), and Dave Filoni (executive producer, Star Wars Rebels). But it wouldn't be a true fan convention without appearances by some surprise guests.
To roaring applause from fans, George Lucas took the stage and shared his thoughts on the franchise, saying he created the saga for kids. "I'm not supposed to say this and I wasn't supposed to say it then, but it's a film for 12 year olds," he said.
Beauty and the Beast Crosses $1 Billion at Worldwide Box Office
Beauty and the Beast is the first film of 2017 to cross the $1 billion mark.
Disney's live-action remake is the 29th film to officially hit that number at the worldwide box office, helping it to maintain its position as the highest grossing film of the year so far. It is also the highest grossing live-action musical of all time.
Beauty and the Beast had the biggest opening weekend ever for the month of March, grossing $174.8 million and beating Batman v Superman's $166 million record. Beauty made another $180 million internationally for an estimated total of $350 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the fourteenth highest opening haul ever.
Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Get Christmas Makeover
Harry Potter fans will get to experience the holidays in a -- if you’ll forgive the term -- magical new way when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort debuts a new Christmas experience this year.
The experience will be included at both the Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley portions of the Wizarding World, and reflected by storefronts decked out with uniquely-themed decorations, along with special holiday themed food, drink and entertainment.
Perhaps most notably, as night falls, Hogwarts Castle in the Hogsmeade portion of the Wizarding World will use projection mapping and special effects to visually transform, in a presentation that also will include memorable Christmas moments from the Harry Potter series.
Xbox Project Scorpio Unveil Confirmed for E3 2017
Microsoft will fully unveil its upcoming Xbox console, codenamed Project Scorpio, at E3 2017.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer confirmed the impending reveal in a post on Xbox Wire. "I'm proud of the progress made with Project Scorpio and what it will mean for the creators who fuel the passion of gamers around the world," he said, adding, "We’re excited to unveil Project Scorpio and the amazing game experiences it powers at E3 this June."
Microsoft announced Project Scorpio last year at E3 2016, touting it as "the most powerful console ever built." Last week, the company revealed Scorpio's tech specs and, just yesterday, pulled back the curtain on the Project Scorpio dev kit.
Everything You Need to Know about Prey
The Prey of 2017 is narratively, tonally, and mechanically divorced from the Prey of 2006.
It’s not a sequel or a remake; Instead it’s a “reimagining” that keeps the name, plus the basic principle of a first person shooter where you’re hunted by aliens, and builds something completely new.
Here’s everything you need to know about Prey before it launches.
After the success of the first Prey, work on a sequel fell into development hell. The rights to the game transferred to Bethesda in 2011, but in October 2014 the publisher officially confirmed it was cancelling a game titled Prey 2.
Pokemon Go Easter Event Offers Double XP
Niantic has announced an in-game “Eggstravaganza” for Pokemon Go that will offer egg-themed bonuses and rewards.
Beginning today and lasting until April 20th, players will earn double experience points for in-game actions like hatching eggs, catching Pokemon, and spinning PokeStops. During the event, Lucky Egg items from the shop will also be half-price. Since Lucky Eggs normally double experience points earned for a 30-minute period, players will be able to earn 4x experience by using a Lucky Egg during the duration of the event.
In a blog post on Pokemon Go’s official site, Niantic also teased that “a greater variety” of Pokemon will hatch from 2 kilometer eggs, expanding the pool Pokemon you can potentially get from hatching eggs. In addition, hatching eggs will earn players twice as much candy during the event.