Monthly Archives: October 2016
Legends of Tomorrow Creator on the New Team Leader
Warning: Full spoilers for the October 20th Legends of Tomorrow episode, “The Justice Society of America,” below.
This week’s Legends of Tomorrow introduced the Justice Society – while also killing off one of that famous team’s members. On the heels of that event, along with Nathan Heyward's near-death experience, Legends executive producer Marc Guggenheim spoke to press about what’s to come in the series, including the status of Rip Hunter, Nate's future and more.
Asked how Legends of Tomorrow might still keep the Justice Society in play, it was noted that it didn’t seem viable to have the team keep going back to 1942, to which Guggenheim replied, “You're absolutely correct.”
Agents of SHIELD: May’s Back in Action
Ming-Na Wen's Agent May, briefly sidelined by ghostly infection (and also, um, death), is back and ready to kick some butt as Coulson and his team begin their search for the mysterious ancient book, the Darkhold.
In the Marvel's Agents of SHIELD episode "Lockup," which airs Tuesday, October 25th, our heroic agents break into a prison with the aid of Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna) -- aka Ghost Rider -- the only man who can actually fight, and kill, the rampaging ghost scientists. Check out the photo gallery below, along with the official teaser for the episode.
The synopsis for "Lockup" reads:
As Robbie Reyes struggles to control The Ghost Rider, S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltrates a high-security prison to unravel the secrets that haunt them all.
The Perfect Symmetry of Logan
Today we got the first teaser trailer for Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine 3, the film that star Hugh Jackman says will be his last as the clawed X-Men character. But interestingly, this final outing for Jackman looks like it may track thematically with where Logan was when we first met him on the big screen 16 years ago. There’s a symmetry shaping up here for Wolverine, and it could prove to be the perfect high note for Jackman to go out on.
Some spoilers follow for the original Old Man Logan comics story from 2008.
In the original X-Men movie, which was released as superhero cinema was just exiting the Dark Ages in the year 2000, Jackman’s Logan is a lone wolf, a pained and tormented character who lives life on the road, apparently subsisting on a mix of cage matches for cash, cheap cigars and stale beer. While we’d later learn his full backstory, Logan’s initial introduction to moviegoers was as an amnesiac with no real sense of where he came from or how he came to be Wolverine. He was painted as a lost, sad character all alone in the world.
Leaving Netflix in November
Here's your monthly list of all the movies and TV shows expiring from Netflix. Take note of these titles, folks, as they'll be vanishing this November and you'll miss your chance to - say - finish watching all five seasons of a fun series like Chuck or snark at the terribleness that is Gigli.
Time to bid farewell to E.T., Scream 2, Major League, Rounders, The Addams Family, Almost Famous, The Boxtrolls, xXx, both Legally Blonde movies, Deliverance, The American, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and more.
Also, animated shows like The Boondocks, Uncle Grandpa, the original Powerpuff Girls, Chowder, and Courage the Cowardly Dog are leaving.
September Saw Sports Games at the Top of Sales
The best selling game for the month of September 2016 was NBA 2K17 according to numbers released by the NPD Group.
The next 3 games on the list were also sports titles, with Madden NFL 17, FIFA 17, and NHL 17 rounding out the top 4.
Overall spending was down 23% over last year, according to the NPD Group. Neither the second month of the Xbox One S nor the debut of the PS4 Slim were "enough to stimulate total hardware spending."
Last week Microsoft announced its Xbox One was the top-selling console for September 2016, its third consecutive month at the top of the charts.
Developers Respond to Nintendo Switch
This morning, Nintendo announced its new home console and portable hybrid, the Nintendo Switch, along with an image boasting third-party support from some of the industry’s biggest names.
While we don’t have a full list of every game coming to Switch just yet, IGN reached out to various publishers and developers on the list to get their thoughts on Nintendo’s new platform, and their plans to support it.
Not every publisher or developer was willing to comment, but here are the ones we heard back from.
What Wii U Games Could Be Ported to the Nintendo Switch
Nintendo’s official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch — previously codenamed NX — included gameplay of several familiar titles. The reveal trailer highlighted both Splatoon and Mario Kart playing on the Switch, but Nintendo has yet to confirm whether these are entirely new entries in the series or the Wii U’s Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon.
If the latter is the case, the appearance of these ports would support rumors reported earlier this year reported by Eurogamer, NintendoLife, and more that several Wii U titles would be ported to Nintendo’s next console. (For all rumors on the Switch, be sure to check out IGN's wiki on what has been confirmed, debunked, and may still be possible.)
PS4 Pro Users Can Replace Internal Hard Drive
While the PlayStation 4 Pro won't feature a built-in solid state drive, users will be able to replace the console's internal HDD with a new drive of their choosing.
"Yes, it is user replaceable," PlayStation 4 lead architect Mark Cerny told IGN when asked if PS4 owners will be able to upgrade the console's internal hard drive.
Cerny went on to note that PlayStation 4 Pro has "the same setup" as the standard PS4, confirming that while the company has no current plans to release a version of the console with a built-in solid state drive, "you are free to put an SSD in there," if you so choose.
PlayStation 4 Pro will be available starting November 10. For more on Sony's mid-generation console upgrade, which supports both 4K and HDR, read up on what Cerny told us about PS4 Pro's modest RAM boost.
Star Wars: Rogue One Prequel Sheds Light on Erso, Krennic
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is getting a prequel novel that sheds light on the tenuous relationship between Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) and Imperial officer Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).
According to USA Today, Rogue One: Catalyst is written by James Luceno and will be released on November 15. It will lead up to the Rogue One film, with Felicity Jones’ character Jyn Erso also receiving an introduction as a little girl in the book, helping fans better understand her actions in the movie.
Pablo Hidalgo, a creative executive in Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Story Group, told USA Today that the book will answer questions about the Death Star, its architects, where the idea first came from, and the important role both Erso and Krennic play in its construction.
Aquaman Director Compares Film to Indiana Jones
Aquaman filmmaker James Wan is making sure his DC film feels similar to an Indiana Jones adventure.
Speaking with ET, Wan talked about the setting and mood of Aquaman. "I kind of don't want to give too much away but know this: The spirit that I'm going for is like a classic sort of swashbuckling action adventure, sort of high seas adventure story," he said. "It's ultimately a quest story in the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Romancing the Stone."
Justice League will first introduce Jason Mamoa as Aquaman and Amber Heard as Mera. And Wan, who's previously helmed Furious 7 and The Conjuring, said the DC superhero team-up movie will give us a sense of his standalone flick.