Monthly Archives: May 2016
New Rumors on Dafoe’s Aquaman Connection
Willem Dafoe will appear in DC's Justice League movies, but it hasn't been clear what role the actor will play. A new rumor, however, suggests Dafoe will play an Atlantean in the film.
Sources at Birth.Movies.Death. have no more information regarding exactly which Atlantean the actor might be taking on, but it's previously been reported that Dafoe's character will be a "good guy" in Justice League.
Atlanteans—for those unfamiliar—are not Mermen, but the native species of the continent of Atlantis. A.k.a., Aquaman's home town.
Dark Souls 3 Was April’s Best Selling Game in the US
According to numbers released by the NPD Group today, Dark Souls III was the best-selling game for April 2016 in North America.
The top 10 list several console exclusives, with Star Fox Zero for Wii U premiering at the 10 spot ND Quantum Break, the Xbox One exclusive, coming in 7th overall. But the biggest console-exclusive title in the top 10 was Sony's Ratchet and Clank, which took second place.
Here's the entire list for April 2016:
- Dark Souls III (PS4, XBO)
- Ratchet & Clank 2016 (PS4)
- MLB 16: The Show (PS4, PS3)
- Tom Clancy's The Division (PS4, XBO, PC)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
9.7 Million People Played Overwatch’s Open Beta
Blizzard Entertainment is certainly pleased with the reception from the Overwatch open beta. The developer announced today 9.7 million players logged on for some "intense, competitive action."
The open beta—which ran from May 3 until May 11—was Blizzard's biggest ever. Players on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC logged over 4.9 billion minutes, which adds up to over 81 million hours, across 37 million matches. For comparison, just over 2 million people played Gearbox Software's team-based shooter Battleborn.
PS4 Tops Hardware Sales in US for April
PlayStation 4 was the the top-selling console in the United States last month, according to The NPD Group.
Not only was Sony's gaming machine the best-selling console in the US for April, it also outpaced Xbox One and Wii U during the month of March, as well as February.
The NPD Group's Liam Callahan said that hardware sales dropped 23 percent when compared to April of last year, due in large part to a 19 percent decline of $30.4 million in console sales. Current-gen console spending dropped by 15 percent, while last-gen console dollar sales declined by over 70 percent. Additionally, portable hardware sales dropped by $11.3 million.
Disney Infinity Plans Reportedly Included Rogue One, 12 Inch Figures
In the wake of Disney Infinity's cancellation, news have surfaced of what could have been for the future of the series.
As reported by Kotaku, plans for the franchise included toys and sets based on upcoming films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Cars 3, Star Wars Episode VIII, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and Thor: Ragnarok. While Rogue One content was slated to debut later this year, the rest would've been a part of 2017's Disney Infinity 4.0.
CW Picks Up Archie Series Riverdale, Frequency, More
In addition to renewing nearly the entire current lineup and adding Supergirl to its schedule next season, The CW has ordered three new television shows, including the Archie-inspired series Riverdale, Frequency and No Tomorrow, per Variety.
Riverdale comes from Greg Berlanti, the executive producer of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, meaning he'll now have five different comic book-based series on the same network.
Missile Command and Centipede Movies in Development
Two classic Atari games are poised to receive the big screen treatment.
Deadline reports that Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films has struck a deal with Atari to produce big screen versions of 1980s video game titles Missile Command and Centipede.
Atari CEO Fred Chesnais told Deadline the company was “thrilled to partner with Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films to develop feature films based on two of our most beloved titles. Centipede and Missile Command are part of Atari’s unparalleled and rich library of popular games and we cannot wait to see the movies come to life.”
Madden NFL 17 Release Date, Cover Star Announced
Earlier this week, EA announced an August 23rd release date for Madden NFL 17, coming to Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3. Today, EA also unveiled cover art for the latest entry in the Madden series, which features New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski as its star.
If you have EA Access, you can demo Madden NFL 17 before its August 23 release date for a limited time through Play First Trial. This is only available on Xbox One.
Our review of Madden NFL 16 from last year called it "one of the best Madden games of recent memory," praising its new passing and defending mechanics and Draft Champions game mode.
Force Awakens’ Lupita Nyong’o in Talks for Black Panther
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o is reportedly in negotiations to star in Marvel's Black Panther. She'll appear opposite Chadwick Boseman, who made his first appearance as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War.
The film, which is being helmed by Creed director Ryan Coogler, is expected to hit theaters on February 16, 2018.
Lupita Nyong'o using motion capture for her role as Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Nyong'o will play Black Panther's love interest. Exact character details have not been revealed, The Hollywood Reporter said.
How Steven Spielberg Discovered the New Han Solo
It turns out Alden Ehrenreich, who will star as young Han Solo in Disney's upcoming Star Wars solo film, was discovered by Steven Spielberg at a bat mitzvah.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor "had to go in for multiple tests," but thanks to the backing of Spielberg and The Godfather filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, he was able to nab the role.
Ehrenreich was discovered by Spielberg when he was 14 years old in a bat mitzvah video, and his first two film acting gigs were for Coppola. So, according to insiders, both Spielberg and Coppola reached out to Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy in support of casting Ehrenreich as Han Solo.