Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1723

NBC Cancels TIMELESS Again, May Order a Two-Hour Series Finale

Last year, Timeless defied the odds by surviving cancellation after its first season. NBC had made the call to let go of Timeless, but the network quickly reversed itself after an outpouring of support from fans of the show. This year, Timeless once again came up on the bubble of renewal, and NBC has canceled it again. Unfortunately, this is one crisis that the Lifeboat team may not be able to solve.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, there is some hope that the cliffhanger ending from Timeless season 2 may be resolved in a two-hour movie that would act as a series finale. That appears to be the only option currently on the table to continue the series. As part of last year’s renewal, Sony TV gave NBC Universal a 50% ownership stake in Timeless. That may have limited the show’s options to find a new home.

Timeless co-creator Shawn Ryan shared a statement on Twitter thanking the fans, the performers, and the team behind the series for their two-season run. He also expressed optimism about the potential finale movie.

3. If NBC is sincere in wanting a 2 hour movie to give much needed closure to our amazing @NBCTimeless fans, we are ready to make it. We don’t want the journeys of Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus and the others to end yet. #ClockBlockers

— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) June 22, 2018

Series stars Abigail Spencer and Matt Lanter also weighed in with messages of support and gratitude to the Timeless fans.

It’s true. Thank you for all your support #Timeless fans! It’s been an absolute joy playing your Lucy. I sincerely hope we get to do the Timeless movie to wrap up the story and get one more go to wrap up the series in a powerful & elegant way! More soon! xoxo https://t.co/YI59x68dj6

— Abigail Spencer (@abigailspencer) June 22, 2018

Sounds like one of our only options right now is the possibility of a 2 hour movie finale. Let @nbc know if you’d like to see that too! #Timeless #ClockBlockers #SaveTimeless https://t.co/45QiXgihPy

— Matt Lanter (@MattLanter) June 22, 2018

At the moment, it’s unclear how close a Timeless series finale movie is to becoming a reality. Even if it goes forward, new deals will have to be made with the performers to bring them back one last time. Or could there be a miraculous season pick-up like Netflix’s recent acquisition of Lucifer?

How do you feel about the cancellation of Timeless? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Sony TV/NBC

More TV news!

Are you ready for Chucky to come to TV?
What about Clive Barker’s Nightbreed?
An elegant Game of Thrones cosplay photoshoot.

Clive Barker Is Rebooting NIGHTBREED At SYFY

For years, director Clive Barker has spoken about his plans to reboot his horror film Nightbreed for television. While Nightbreed, based on the book Cabal, isn’t as well known as Barker’s Hellraiser movies, it’s become a cult classic since it was released in 1990. Now, the Nightbreed TV series may finally have a home.

Deadline is reporting that Barker is developing Nightbreed at Syfy with Jigsaw writer Josh Stolberg, in association with Morgan Creek Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. Stolberg wrote the new take on Nightbreed, which will use the relationships between humans and monsters as a way to examine modern race relations in the United States.

The original movie starred Craig Sheffer as Aaron Boone, an innocent man who was transformed into a Nightbreed and eventually reborn as their new leader, Cabal. In that tale, Midian, the Nightbreed’s hidden sanctuary beneath a cemetery, was destroyed and Cabal promised to find them a new home. The TV series appears to be using that as a starting point. According to Deadline, the Nightbreed reboot will follow “a recently turned reluctant hero” who attempts to find his fellow monsters a new refuge while mourning his fiancée’s demise.

The recently restored “Cabal Cut” of Nightbreed greatly emphasized Barker’s metaphor of LGBT oppression, which is territory that has also been staked out by HBO’s True Blood. But it’s another angle that could potentially be explored in the Nightbreed reboot as well.

Are you excited about the potential rebirth of Nightbreed on TV? What do you want to see in the series? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Morgan Creek

More horror news!



Chucky is coming to TV as well with a Child’s Play series.
American Horror Story‘s eighth season will be a crossover.
Check out some modern horror movies with the special effects removed.

Chucky Is Coming to Television With a CHILD’S PLAY Series

Attention all you Chucky fans out there: everyone’s favorite demonic doll is joining is fellow horror icon Ash in jumping from the big screen to the small screen in a new Child’s Play television series. The news was confirmed by Don Mancini, the creator and producer of the long-running Chucky franchise, in a post on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/5Xqve1w88H

— Don Mancini (@RealDonMancini) June 22, 2018

The Chucky series of movies began in 1988 with Child’s Play, which told the story of Charles Lee “Chucky” Ray, a serial killer who transfers his soul into a little kid’s “Good Guy” doll via voodoo magic, and continues his killing spree in the cutest form imaginable. The arrival of Chucky on the big screen added to the horror pantheon of ’80s movie killers with very common names, and much like fellow slasher Freddy Krueger, Chucky loved to crack wise before offing his victims. In the thirty years since then, there have been seven entries in the series, with the most recent being 2017’s Cult of Chucky.

So what will a Child’s Play TV series actually be about? According to Bloody Disgusting, Brad Dourif will be back as the voice of Chucky, the show will be eight hourlong episodes to start with, and it will be within existing canon and not a reboot. There was a sequel announced to Cult of Chucky last year, but will this new television series be in addition to that movie, or will it just replace it entirely? It’s all a big unknown at this point, as is just which network this new show is supposed to land on.

One thing we do know about the new show is that it would use the term Child’s Play in the title, for the first time in decades. For various rights reasons, all Chucky films since 1998’s Bride of Chucky  have only used the name Chucky in the title, and not the original name of Child’s Play. It seems some kind of deal must have been worked out with the original rights holders. Hopefully, this attempt at a horror franchise coming to TV lasts at least as long as the beloved (but gone too soon) Ash vs Evil Dead.

What do you want to see in a Chucky TV series? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Universal, Netflix

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Check out some modern horror movies with the special effects removed.

The Most Elegant GAME OF THRONES Photo Shoot

When you have a group of talented artists who work in the wedding and fashion industries, themed photo shoots can be extravagant and beautiful endeavors. Case in point, this Game of Thrones styled shoot by a group who gets together to produce a snazzy set of photos every year. Paris Mountain Photography shared the images with Nerdist and said, “Game of Thrones is on our minds lately we decided to take the challenge to put together this GOT inspiration shoot! We wanted it to be different so we decided since we are all working women in the industry that it would be an edgy idea to make it an all girl shoot.”

Though she noted the gorgeous malamute in the photos is a boy.

Rather than trying to create exact replicas of Game of Thrones costumes and locations, the shoot evokes different female characters and a medieval mood. The styling for the models brings Sansa Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, and Arya Stark to mind. The costumes, especially the elegant red and blue gown, all look like they could be plucked from the wardrobe department on the HBO series.

Every aspect of this shoot, from the make-up, to the lighting, to the settings, is on point and utterly magical. Scroll to the gallery below to see more images.

Credits for the full Dream Team:

Photography: Paris Mountain Photography
Hair and Makeup: A Glamour Affair
Florist: A Perfect Wedding Floral Design
Fashion: Emily Kramer Designs
Custom Jewelry: Ambur Rose Designs
Location: Berry College/Spring Lake Events
Horse: Ashley Carroll
Models: Sydney Chambley, Jill Fazio, Jillian Griffith, Bandit the Malamute
Special thanks to: Kelley Garner and Precious Paws

Images: Paris Mountain Photography

Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter and keep up with her Disney food adventures on Instagram.

More stunning costumes!

A magnificent Wonder Woman cosplay shoot.
An elaborate Twilight Zone cosplay photo series.
An electrifying Thor: Ragnarok costume.

DRAGON BALL Z Remastered Films Will Hit U.S. Theaters This Fall

The Dragon Ball franchise has endured for decades, and Dragon Ball Super is bringing the saga to a new generation of fans. But this fall, three classic Dragon Ball Z animated films are finally getting their due with theatrical screenings, fully remastered with English dubs, courtesy of Fathom Events.

Via Entertainment Weekly, Fathom will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan by bringing it to select theaters on Saturday, September 15 and Monday, September 17. In the film, Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of their allies travel to New Vegeta and encounter other survivors of the Saiyan race. One of the survivors is Broly, the titular “Legendary Super Saiyan,” whose might is even greater than that of Goku or his friends.

On Saturday, November 3 and Monday November 5, Fathom will screen the Dragon Ball Z Saiyan Double Feature. The first film of that double feature is Dragon Ball Z: Bardock — The Father of Goku, which chronicles the tale of Bardock as he confronts Frieza and starts a rebellion to save his people before inevitably sending his son, Goku, away for his own salvation. The second movie is Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn, which thrusts Goku and Vegeta into an intergalactic crisis involving the dead coming back to life. To save the universe, Goku and Vegeta will have to fuse into a single being known as Gogeta.

Tickets are not yet on sale, but more information can be found on Fathom Events’ official site, where they should be available starting June 27th.

Are you excited to see these Dragon Ball Z movies on the big screen? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Toei Animation

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We’re getting more Looney Tunes!
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The Internet Reacts to That THE LAST JEDI Fan Remake

Star Wars: The Last Jedi received a surprisingly negative response from some fans. The film still made over one billion dollars at the worldwide box office, but a vocal minority felt The Last Jedi had somehow disparaged the Star Wars movies that came before it. At some point, we really need to have a discussion about fan entitlement. That’s because it reached a new height of absurdity this week when a group came forward to remake The Last Jedi…and they offered to cover Disney’s production costs. Obviously, this is never going to happen. But today’s Nerdist News is all about our favorite reactions to the would-be remake of The Last Jedi.

Join host and the penultimate Jedi, Jessica Chobot, as she dives into the occasionally hilarious responses to the proposed remake of The Last Jedi. Lucasfilm veteran Pablo Hidalgo had perhaps the sickest burn.

Encyclopedia Britannica senior editor Erik Gregersen embraced the absurdity of the remake by suggesting outlandish restrictions that could be placed upon it.

If I had $200 mil to remake Last Jedi, I’d hire Rian Johnson to redo it under absurd constraints like The Five Obstructions. Kylo Ren played by a different actor in every shot. Special effects only done in tech available in 1933. Poe Dameron always offscreen.

— Erik M. Gregersen (@erikgregersen) June 21, 2018

But the person who seems to want the remake to happen more than anyone is none other than The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, who took the attack on his work with remarkably good humor.

please please please please pleeeeeeeaaaase please actually happen please please please please please

Pennywise, Beetlejuice, and Elvira Are Getting Spooktacular Funko Toys

It’s officially summer, and you know what that means: only four more months until Halloween! Okay, well, maybe you weren’t thinking that, but if October is your favorite time of year and you love all things spooky, summer just means you’re that much closer to fall. And to celebrate the slowly approaching Halloween season, our good friends at Funko are releasing a new series of Pop! vinyls, Pop! keychains, and Dorbz featuring icons of fright like Beetlejuice, Pennywise, and the Queen of Halloween herself, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

First to arrive on store shelves will be Stephen King‘s most infamous villain Pennywise. In lieu of terrorizing small children, he’ll be focusing his efforts on a single house: yours! The iconic clown from last year’s smash film It remains terrifying even in Dorbz form, especially the gory Pennywise Dorbz with a piece of wrought iron through his head.  Pennywise is also now a Funko Pop! Keychain, in several forms, including his spider legs form, wearing a wig, or holding his signature red balloon. The Pennywise items will be hitting stores sometime this fall.

Next up, Tim Burton‘s “bio-exorcist” Beetlejuice gets a new Pop! vinyl, this time wearing his hat from the classic film. You may remember when Beetlejuice pops out of his coffin  and floats toward the newly dead couple, he’s wearing a hat that says “Guide.” Now there will finally be a Pop! figure to match that look. Beetlejuice will be available this July.

And last but certainly not least, the Hostess with the Mostest, Elvira is getting a pair of Pop! style keychains. One will be in her classic black outfit, and the second in her sequined red dress. Both of these are hitting stores this August. To see the complete set of new spooky Funkos, be sure to check out our gallery below.

Does the imminent arrival of these spooky Funkos have you excited about the upcoming Halloween season already? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.

Images: Funko

Collect more toy…stories!

A kinda creepy Yoda bust.
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Want to Learn How to Run Really Fast on All Fours?

Being bipedal is a critical reason why humans are the planet’s most dominant species. Most importantly, it has allowed us to use our hands and opposable thumbs to effectively craft and use tools. In turn, we created early civilizations that eventually evolved into the humankind-run society that we see around us today. That said, it’s not like we aren’t missing out on anything by walking around on just our hind legs. If you look at all the world’s fastest animals, for example, they’re all quadrupeds. Plain and simple, running on four legs is a heck of a lot faster than doing it on two.

The good news is that, while our bodies aren’t really optimized for running on all fours, we can definitely do it, and one YouTube user can teach you how (via LaughingSquid).

In an instructional video, Ya Boi Kev says he’s been running on all fours since he was six years old, and says that one of the most important things to remember is to keep your back straight and level with the ground. That makes sense: Just watch your cat or dog, and for the most part, their backs aren’t arched while they’re walking around. Beyond that, it seems to be about stride length, figuring out your stepping style, and practice.

Is this something you want to give a try, or are you fine standing up straight like the homo sapiens you are? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Featured image: Ya Boi Kev/YouTube

More fun with science!

Star Wars ships aren’t actually all that aerodynamic
How to fight a T. rex!
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The Best Food at Disney’s Pixar Pier

Pixar Pier opens on Saturday, June 23, at Disneyland Resort. The Disney California Adventure makeover is a re-theming of Paradise Pier into an area that celebrates Pixar’s vast catalog, from the shorts to newer films such as Coco. The Incredibles-inspired Incredicoaster anchors Pixar Pier, a white and red roller coaster winding above the different neighborhoods. Under its sprawling tracks, you’ll find the elements of Pixar Pier I’m most excited about: new food!

Nerdist participated in a media preview of Pixar Pier, and I devoted myself to sampling as many of the new snack items as possible (I know, what a sacrifice). This is the best food on Pixar Pier:

Pixar Pier Frozen Parfait – The Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats

Remember that gag in Monsters, Inc. with the abominable adorable snowman offering yellow snow cones proclaiming, “Don’t worry, it’s lemon!”? It’s the premise of this booth with a variety of dairy-free lemon soft serve options. I love the frozen parfait, which mixes lemon soft serve with a blue raspberry slush. While challenging to eat in hot weather because it melts quickly, the chilly treat is delicious and refreshing and the portion is sizable.

Note: do not let the lemon soft serve drip onto your hands, as it will take at least two hand washings to get the yellow coloring off your skin.

Crispy Piggy Wings – Lamplight Lounge

The Lamplight Lounge (formerly Ariel’s Grotto and Cove Bar) menu offers a variety of gastropub style dishes in small plate and entrée sizes. The Crispy Piggy Wings are in the Bites (small plates) category and are a refreshing, tender take on poultry wings; the chili ginger glaze reminds me of the duck wings available at Carthay Circle Lounge—spicy, a little sweet, and distinctive enough to make you want more immediately.

Jack-Jack Cookie Num Num – Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums

The scent of chocolate chip cookies plays a role in the Incredicoaster, as Mr. Incredible uses Jack-Jack’s favorite treat to tempt his son into safety. Then, when you exit the attraction, the Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums stand conveniently awaits you. Of the three cookies available, you can’t go wrong with the warm chocolate chip cookie with the same name as the food stall. It’s a thick cookie with chocolate chunks and chewy dough. I’m still thinking about it.

Potato Skins – Lamplight Lounge

I know. Potato skins. Big deal, right? They are a big deal at Lamplight even though they’re in the Bites section of the menu. These are a dressed up version of the bar food with a brown butter caper yogurt, a smoked paprika aioli, and manchego cheese. They’re fried, but they aren’t weighed down with oil. They’re light, fluffy, and can I get more right now? Bonus: the portion size for this small plate was surprisingly hefty and filling.

Caliente Churro – Señor Buzz Churros

Disney Parks has gone all in on the flavored churro train, and they’re continuing the new tradition with the rethemed churro stand on Pixar Pier. The Caliente Churro has some heat (which is a recurring trend with foods on Pixar Pier) with a vibrant red coating that tastes like crushed Red Hots. I’m ride or die for cinnamon flavoring, so I wanted to lick the sugar off the churro…which I partially did.

Chicken Drumstick Box – Poultry Palace

Poultry Palace from Toy Story Toon: Small Fry comes to life on Pixar Pier. You can find the menu items that used to be available at this food stand pre-Pixar makeover, including a turkey leg and corn on the cob with chili lime butter (so tasty), but the new item is my favorite: a chicken drumstick box. The breading is spicy and crisp, and the three drumsticks come in a cute lil’ box with a side of coleslaw.

Warm Donuts – Lamplight Lounge

Look, I know warm donuts aren’t anything innovative, but it doesn’t matter. The only dessert offered at Lamplight Lounge, the donuts come in an aesthetically pleasing box with chocolate and raspberry dipping sauces. They’re sugary, warm, and fluffy enough to practically melt in your mouth. Mmm.

If you’re going to skip a Pixar Pier snack, make it Angry Dogs. Take a picture of the cute Inside Out-inspired stall, and move on. The hot dogs at Angry Dogs are okay (you can get better ones at Award Wieners) and they come with Lays potato chips or Chester’s hot fries…which you can get outside the parks. But hey, like adventure, more food options are out there. Explore wisely.

Images: Amy Ratcliffe, Disney Parks

More Pixar fun!

The making of Bao.
The Instagrammable snacks of Pixar Fest.
Will Incredibles 3 take another 14 years to make?

STAR WARS Ships Aren’t Very Aerodynamic, Apparently

You’ve no doubt seen a Star War, and they’re all full of exciting space battles with cool looking spacecraft, but a lot of times, those ships are seen flying in atmosphere…would that even work? EC Henry, a YouTuber and sci-fi enthusiast, recently posted a video detailing the aerodynamics of various ships from the Star Wars franchise (via Geeks Are Sexy). He found 3D models of the fictitious spacecraft, and put them in a virtual wind tunnel to see how they hold up. According to him, the answer is not very well. Of course, there is no atmosphere in space, so wind resistance wouldn’t be too much of a problem, except for when those ships do go down into the atmosphere, which he does address.

While the ships may not be entirely efficient, he does point out that the results mostly stay true to the canon. For the most part, the faster ships in the films were more aerodynamic, and the slower ships were less so. Even if these ships might not make for the smoothest or speediest ride, it’s cool to know that they stay true enough to what the characters actually claim in the movies.

As it turns out, even the most aerodynamic ship from Star Wars would still have five times more drag than even an outdated jet that we have. The least efficient spaceship was the TIE Fighter, which had roughly the same drag as a cube. Ouch. None of these ships are real, so it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of life, but it’s fun to speculate. Star Wars has always been a go-to for fun, sci-fi stuff that looks cool. Lightsabers aren’t exactly scientifically realistic (yet) either, but we love them all the same!

Image: Lucasfilm

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