Monthly Archives: February 2016
Kojima Wanted to Make Silent Hills With Gears of War Creator
Hideo Kojima once approached Cliff Bleszinski to collaborate on the now-defunct Silent Hills, according to the Gears of War creator.
"Kojima once told me he wanted me to do a new Silent Hill w him together out of LA," Bleszinski wrote on Twitter. "I was flattered but declined."
In a separate post, Bleszinski explained why he declined Kojima's offer. "I don't like LA, I love new IP, and I woulda f**ked up SH," he wrote.
Kojima went on to team with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus for the project, before its official cancellation last April. Following his split with Konami, Kojima formed Kojima Productions, an independent development studio creating a console-exclusive game for PlayStation platforms.
New LEGO Minecraft Sets Revealed
LEGO has revealed all-new Minecraft sets at Toy Fair 2016.
The block-shaped toy sets based on the sandbox game, which uses textured cubes as its primary component for construction, will retail between $20 and $110 USD.
The LEGO sets will be available with a variety of characters and in settings like The End Portal, The Jungle Tree House, and The Fortress.
In related LEGO news, last week, a new LEGO Ghostbusters set based on the upcoming film directed by Paul Feig was revealed.
Michael Martin is a full-time freelance writer with way too many pop culture mash-up t-shirts to count. Follow him on Twitter @Bizarro_Mike.
McFarlane Toys’ Reveals Latest The Walking Dead Figures
McFarlane Toys has revealed its latest line-up of figures, statues, and bobbleheads based on AMC’s The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead TV shows at Toy Fair 2016.
The showcase is highlighted by an enormous, highly-detailed Negan statue. He stands on a pile of zombies with his fist raised high, while holding his trademark baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
If you’ve ever wanted to reenact the Walkers overrunning the prison in The Walking Dead, there’s a whole playset for that now. Also on display are a range of excellent looking deluxe figures, including an assault rifling-toting Glenn, Darryl with a motorcycle, and Travis from Fear the Walking Dead.
Speaking of Darryl, McFarlane Toys’ upcoming Darryl Dixon resin statue looks incredible. Darryl sits atop his motorcycle, running over a zombie with his front tire while scoring a headshot with this crossbow on another.
DC Bombshells as Poseable Barbie-Style Dolls
Tonner Doll Company is showcasing its new line of "DC Stars Collection" Bombshell dolls this weekend at Toy Fair 2016.
The collection features poseable Barbie-style figures of Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Batwoman. In addition, a pair of My Imagination outfits for Supergirl and Wonder Woman were on display at the event, all of which can be seen in the gallery below.
The My Imagination outfits are $40 each, while the Bombshell dolls are a bit more expensive, with Wonder Woman priced at $170, and Harley Quinn and Batwoman for $180 each.
That's not the only set of comic-themed toys on display at Toy Fair 2016, as Funko is showcasing an array of Suicide Squad figures, including The Joker, Harley Quinn and Rick Flag, as well as several Marvel heroes, including Doctor Strange and Spider-Gwen.
Black Sails: The Importance of Blackbeard to Vane
Zach McGowan is quite a presence on TV these days. The actor can currently be seen in Season 3 of Starz’ Black Sails, as his character, Charles Vane, finds himself wanted dead or alive, and back in contact with his old mentor – Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson).
In addition, McGowan has a recurring role on the CW’s The 100 this year, as Roan – who just had one hell of a fight scene in this week’s episode.
I recently sat down with McGowan to talk about how things have changed for Vane on Black Sails, the importance of characters like Jack Rackham and Blackbeard to him and more.
We also chatted a bit about The 100 and that aforementioned fight scene he had with Lexa this past week (you may have seen some of these quotes in an earlier piece about that fight specifically).
Deadpool Has Biggest R-Rated Opening Day Ever
Deadpool performed incredibly well at the box office on Friday, setting the new record for an R-rated film's debut day.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox's new film—starring Ryan Reynolds as its smart-mouthed antihero—earned a whopping $47.5 million Friday, putting it among the top 10 comic book movie openings of all time, and at number one for an R-rated feature, regardless of genre. The opening day is also higher than any of 20th Century Fox's other X-Men-related films to date.
Thanks to its impressive debut, Deadpool is on track to gross $117 million during its first three days and $130 million over the course of the four-day President's Day weekend. Seeing as how only ten superhero movies have ever crossed the $100 million mark during a weekend debut, Fox is undoubtedly pleased with how its film is currently performing.
Ashley Judd Joins Twin Peaks: Season 3
Ashley Judd has reportedly joined the cast of Twin Peaks.
According to Deadline, the Divergent actress will appear in the new season of David Lynch's upcoming TV revival, which premieres on Showtime early next year.
Ashley Judd in Divergent.
In addition to Judd, other new cast members, Deadline notes, include Naomi Watts, Tom Sizemore, Grant Goodeve, Larry Clarke, Caleb Landry Jones, Amanda Seyfried, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Laura Dern, Robert Knepper, James Belushi, Tom Sizemore, and Balthazar Getty. Plus, director David Lynch is rumored to reprise his role from the original series as FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole, and co-creator Mark Frost is believed to cameo.
Cage to Reunite With Ghost Rider 2 Director for Mom and Dad
Nicolas Cage is set to re-team with Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance co-director Brian Taylor for the upcoming horror-thriller Mom and Dad.
"This is the kind of role Nic was put here to play," said Taylor, who co-directed both the second Ghost Rider film and both Crank movies with Mark Neveldine. "Human, funny, scary -- somehow grounded while at the same time completely off the rails. For a filmmaker there is nothing quite like the experience of Nic Cage bringing a character you’ve written to life."
Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
Warcraft/Vikings Star Joins All Quiet On The Western Front
Travis Fimmel (Warcraft, Vikings) has been cast as the lead in All Quiet On The Western Front.
Directed by Roger Donaldson, the film tells the anti-war story of four young, German soldiers during World War I. According to ScreenDaily, Fimmel will play Captain Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky, one of those young soldiers.
Fimmel in History's Vikings.
Doctor Strange, Suicide Squad Among Funko Toy Fair Lineup
Funko will showcase an assortment of new figures at Toy Fair 2016, including several that will undoubtedly please fans of Marvel and DC Comics.
In a post on Funko's official site, the company shared a sneak peek at its Toy Fair lineup, which includes an array of Suicide Squad figures like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, Deadshot and Killer Croc. A number of Marvel heroes, including Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and Spider-Gwen will be on display as well.
Funko's Toy Fair 2016 lineup also includes figures from the Warcraft, Game of Thrones and Ghostbusters universes, all of which can be seen in the gallery above.