Monthly Archives: October 2015
Jessica Jones Premieres and it’s Decidedly Adult
At New York Comic Con tonight, the producers and the entire cast (minus David Tennant, who is currently in a play in London) from Marvel's Jessica Jones were on hand for a big panel for the show and what we assumed would be the debut of a bunch of new footage - similar to how NYCC last year was where several long scenes from Daredevil debuted. Instead, a big surprise was in store, as the entire first episode was screened, to very enthusiastic response.
While a full review is coming down the line, I will say Jessica Jones starts out with a strong premiere episode that firmly marks the series as the most mature Marvel Cinematic Universe project to date. Yes, Daredevil took the MCU into much darker, more violent places, but Jessica Jones not only matches that, it goes further.
Bruce Campbell to Join Mallrats 2
Filmmaker Kevin Smith managed to pull off a casting coup while moderating today's Ash vs. Evil Dead panel at New York Comic Con.
As one point, Smith turned to panelist Bruce Campbell and asked, "I'm making my next movie in January. It's called Mallrats 2. Bruce, will you be in it?" To which Bruce said "Hell yeah!"
Obviously, we can all now ponder if this leads to an actual deal being made, but at least Smith has plenty of witnesses to the verbal agreement!
Smith said in May that the sequel was actually titled Mallbrats. Its cast already includes Jason Lee (returning as slacker Brodie Bruce), Shannen Doherty, Michael Rooker, Jason Mewes and Ethan Suplee.
The X-Files Revival Is Good!
The truth is out there -- the return of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully is real! The premiere episode of The X-Files revival, which is more of a miniseries but is also being referred to as Season 10, made its debut at New York Comic-Con today. Not surprisingly, the fans in attendance loved it. But even stepping back from that fan response, it appears that the return of those much-loved monster and alien hunters is getting off to a good start. (Click here for what went down during the panel Q&A today with David Duchovny, Chris Carter and Mitch Pileggi.)
The Matrix Star to Play Iron Fist Character
At New York Comic Con during the Jessica Jones panel, it was revealed that Carrie Anne Moss will be playing a gender-swapped version of the character Jeryn Hogarth.
Hogarth is an attorney for Wendell Rand, father of Danny Rand aka Iron Fist. He eventually becomes the attorney for Heroes for Hire, the team-up group featuring Iron Fist and Luke Cage.
Moss's Hogarth will be in Jessica Jones Season 1 when it debuts on Netflix on November 20.
Daredevil Season 2 Footage Teases Elektra and Punisher
The panel for Marvel's Daredevil at New York Comic Con 2015 kicked off with a teaser trailer for Season 2.
It starts with a montage of Season 1. Then in some new footage we see Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson and Karen Page sitting in a church. Matt says, "Why do I still feel guilty?" before Father Lantom replies with, "Guilt can be a good thing."
In montage, we see Daredevil in full costume going down a grimy stairway, Elektra putting on a veil-type mask across her lower face, and bullet shells being picked up off the floor of a crime scene. We see Karen looking at an x-ray-type image of a stylized skull... and then Frank Castle aka the Punisher (we don't see his full face) walks down what appears to be a hospital corridor holding a gun. In voice over he says just one word, "Beg."
We Were There for Ash vs Evil Dead’s Surprise Premiere
Attendees at the packed Ash Vs. Evil Dead panel today at New York Comic Con were given a special surprise, when Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi revealed the entire first episode of the series was going to be screened.
The premiere is great. It's a massive crowd-pleaser and played just as well as you'd expect at NYCC, with a ton of cheers throughout. Fans of the Evil Dead series will love the nods to past events and moments, as Ash (Campbell) returns, older, but hardly wiser. His age is not only acknowledged but a big source of humor, as he’s not quite as fit as he once was.
As viewers of series like Spartacus and Black Sails know, Starz has no hesitation on airing what would be considered “hard R” style material, and Ash vs. Dead doesn’t hold back on the blood and gore. In classic Evil Dead style, there’s all sorts of body parts being torn off and apart and blood splattering in the faces of various characters. I wasn’t thrilled with the use of some CGI blood in a couple of moments, though it should be stressed there’s a ton of practical FX and on-set red stuff that outweigh those quick bits.
Why Shannara Chronicles Had to Be Made
The cast and crew of the upcoming MTV fantasy series The Shannara Chronicles arrived at New York Comic Con to talk about the show and share their excitement for the project with fans.
The panel included actors Poppy Drayton (Amberle Elessedil), Austin Butler (Will Ohmsford), Manu Bennett (Allanon), John Rhys-Davies (Elf King Evantine Elessedil) as well as executive producers Al Gough & Miles Millar, director Jonathan Liebesman and the author of the books on which the show is based, Terry Brooks. Check out IGN's breakdown of the characters and what they look like.
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Proves Standalone LEGO Games Are Still Worth It
With the recent release of LEGO Dimensions, I wondered if we still need standalone LEGO games. After years of tie-ins for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and many more, Dimensions seemed like such a smart solution -- tiny, satisfying hub worlds for each franchise that deliver plenty of fan service without overstaying their welcome. Why return to the old format?
After seeing LEGO Marvel’s Avengers, I understand why standalone games can coexist.
In a demo at New York Comic-Con, we saw two sections of LEGO Marvel’s Avengers from two key Avengers: Age of Ultron scenes. The first was in Korea shortly after Captain America and the Maximoff twins have stopped a runaway train. A cutscene setting up the scenario featured actual lines from Age of Ultron and added a goofy LEGO twist (notably including a pig) to provide context. Mechanically, the characters were smart. Quicksilver can enter slow-mo mode to avoid obstacles, Cap can set ricochet targets before throwing his shield, and Scarlet Witch can pick up any obstacle, be it a car or a group of enemies. More importantly, though, the scene felt like part of a bigger world.
New Titles Announced for Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Publishing Program
On September 4, the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens publishing program launched. The first wave of titles, including Aftermath, Shattered Empire, and Lost Stars, explored the canonical Star Wars galaxy post-Return of the Jedi for the first time. The program shows how the universe is changing -- the books and comics contain clues and easter eggs that subtly hint at the future -- and that will continue with new novels and short stories. Lucasfilm's Michael Siglain moderated a panel at New York Comic Con with Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens authors Jason Fry, Greg Rucka, Claudia Gray, Chuck Wendig, Adam Bray, and Pablo Hidalgo, and they looked back at the program so far and announced new titles.
Vin Diesel: XXX 3 Will Be Directed by D.J. Caruso
According to Vin Diesel, Eagle Eye and Disturbia director D.J. Caruso will to direct xXx 3.
"I’m excited as hell about xXx," Diesel told io9. "D.J. Caruso is directing it, which is exciting. The big question now is which will race to production first now that F. Gary Gray is on
? Will xXx race to production first or will Fast race to production first?"
Diesel previously claimed that shooting on xXx 3 would begin this December, but with Furious 8 slated for release in April 2017, that production date is still up in the air.