Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1726
June 20, 2018
Is the T. Rex the Secret Hero of JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM?
Who is the true hero of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Is it Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing, a onetime cog in Simon Masrani’s ill-advised corporate machine-turned-activist for once-extinct creatures on the verge of another untimely death? Is it Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady, a freewheeling animal behaviorist who trains velociraptors not to be weapons of war but healthy animals living their best lives? Is it Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm, who delivers the title line of the movie? Or is it the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, whose deafening roar inspires terror in the hearts of all who hear it? While it might seem like a dinosaur as deadly as the T. rex is a heroic figure, the iconic creature may just surprise you with its turn in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
To find out, our reporter Markeia McCarty traveled to Hawaii to interview the cast and crew of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom about their thoughts on if the T. rex is, in fact, the unsung hero of the movie. What did Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, and director J.A. Bayona have to say? Well, watch the video above and find out.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opens everywhere on June 22, 2018. Read our spoiler-free review!
Images: Universal
MORE PREHISTORIC FUN
Read what the Internet thinks about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jurassic World Alive lets you capture dinos with your phone
Celebrate 25 years of Jurassic Park with this new Hot Topic collection
Editor’s note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Entertainment
LUCASFILM Reportedly Puts Standalone STAR WARS Movies on Hold
We may not be getting any more standalone Star Wars movies anytime soon. According to a rumor from Collider, Lucasfilm is putting its A Star Wars Story spin-offs—including the reported Obi-Wan and Boba Fett films—on hold. Nerdist reached out to Disney, who declined to comment on the story.
Given the box office returns of Solo: A Star Wars Story, it doesn’t come as a shock that the higher-ups at Lucasfilm would want to focus on broader stories, using more resources for the forthcoming Episode IX and the movies David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and Rian Johnson have in the works. What is somewhat surprising about the report is that the studio is putting all standalones, including those already in development, on hold. Recent rumors surfaced that James Mangold (Logan) would be writing and directing the Fett origin story, and Stephen Daldry would direct the Obi-Wan movie. Neither of those rumors were commented upon or confirmed by Lucasfilm though.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about all this is that Solo didn’t tell us much we didn’t already know, while Fett and Obi-Wan deep dives could reveal rich backstories we haven’t seen much of on-screen–besides Obi-Wan’s story in the prequels, that is. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get the bounty hunter or Jedi Master movie of our dreams eventually and maybe this rumor is unfounded.
All we know right now is that Episode IX is scheduled to premiere December 20, 2019. Fingers crossed we’ll have some idea of future films by then.
What do you hope to see instead of a spinoff now that those are a long way off? Let us know in the comments!
Image: Lucasfilm
More Star Wars!
Funko’s making Clone Wars toys!
Could Lando appear in Episode IX?
But can we get a movie about Qi’ra?
What Does GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 3’s Timeline Mean for AVENGERS 4?
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn said Vol. 3 will take place after Infinity War, so what does that mean for Avengers 4? We discussed the future of the MCU on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with the latest Disney offer to buy Fox, new promos for Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the rumored new Star Trek shows that could return Jean-Luc Picard to his captain’s chair.
Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by editors Dan Casey and Kyle Anderson, as well as producer Derek Johnson, and they started with new trailers for The Meg and Creed 2. Is a giant monster movie exactly what we need right now, or will it bite? Are we more excited for a Creed sequel? Or are we more intrigued by Disney’s latest massive offer for Fox Entertainment? Is this mega-merger finally going to happen?
Speaking of Disney, fake rumors about Avengers 4 are making their way around the web, but Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn confirmed the third film in the franchise won’t be a prequel and will take place after Infinity War. What does this mean for Thanos’ snap? How many of the Guardians will return? All of them? And what do we make of new promos for Ant-Man and the Wasp referencing Infinity War? Is this a smart move by Marvel to generate interest?
Finally, the final frontier could be getting a lot bigger soon, with a reported four new Star Trek shows in development, including two series that wouldn’t involve a lot of actual trekkin’ through the stars. Does that sound like a good idea? Could an animated show open up a whole new world of incredible possibilities? And how excited are we by the possible return of Captain Picard and Patrick Stewart? What would be the best time period to set that show?
Remember Nerdist News Talks Back has an all new start time. We’re still live every Monday to Thursday on our YouTube and Alpha channels, but now you can join us at 11 AM PT. We’re still ending our week with Nerdist News What the Friday at 1PM PT, exclusively at Alpha. And unlike the MCU, all of our shows go in chronological order, so we won’t have to worry about today’s show spoiling tomorrow.
What did you think of today’s topics? Talk back to us about them in our comments section below.
Images: Marvel, CBS
More of the latest Nerd News!
This fan theory claims the robot Wall-E is actually Satan !
AMC Theaters announces its own version of MoviePass !
Possible first “look”(?) at Wonder Woman 1984‘s invisible jet !
Rainbow Glitter Pizza Is the New Food Trend You Never Knew You Always Wanted
No, it’s not a sparkly cake. It’s pizza, covered in glitter, and it’s exactly the sort of joy-infused food we could use right now.
While the rest of the world burns, a pizza shop in California is bringing happiness in the form of a doughy, glittery, saucy rainbow. DagWoods Pizza in Santa Monica has developed a pizza they call the “MagicalAF,” a margarita-style pie that comes in a rainbow palette, with a unicorn-style glitter topper. The sparkly pizza has caught the attention of celebrities like Holly Madison and Jimmy Kimmel, who featured it on his late night show.
Introducing the mythical, legendary, and #MagicalAF Pizza. Tasting is believing. #dagwoodsfeelsgood
A post shared by DagWoods (Santa Monica) (@dagwoodspizza) on Dec 12, 2017 at 4:11pm PST
A post shared by DagWoods (Santa Monica) (@dagwoodspizza) on Apr 27, 2018 at 12:45pm PDT
Glitter pizza is just one of many glitter-tinged foods in what is looking like a bona fide trend. It joins glitter cappuccinos, glitter bagels, glitter beer, and even glitter gravy. There isn’t much information on the DagWoods website about the taste or texture of the glitter, or on how that might affect the overall dining experience or quality of the pizza, but as with all trendy foods, that’s hardly the point.
If you live in the Santa Monica area, you can order a MagicalAF straight from the DagWoods website. If you’re not a local, you’ll sadly have to marvel from afar and dream of the day glitter pizza is at a trendy restaurant near you.
Image: DagWoods Pizza
More fun with food!
This Jurassic World-inspired salad includes a bacon volcano!
Layered bologna cake is a cruel, cruel trick
Anyone for ramen ice cream?
This Parrot Can Sing “Bacon Pancakes” from ADVENTURE TIME!
When you live in the fiery ash hellscape that is 2018, it can feel like finding joy in anything is somehow a betrayal of the serious issues rending civilized society in twain. But taking a moment to enjoy something light and silly can help folks dust themselves off and recharge to fight another day. In that vein, here is a delightful Quaker Parrot named Milo singing Adventure Time‘s fan favorite ditty, “Bacon Pancakes.”
Via The Laughing Squid, Milo lives in Nova Scotia with his human, Erica Croke, and his Facebook page is filled with small joyful interludes such as dunking a basketball and trying to weasel human food from his mom. Quaker parrots, also known as Monk parrots, are native to Argentina. They became popular pets beginning in the 1960s when their capacity for large vocabularies made them desirable. Quaker parrots can learn scores of human words and phrases. If you’re charmed by Milo, be aware these birds can live up to 30 years and that some states—including California, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Hawaii, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wyoming—have banned the sale or ownership of Quaker parrots due to the number of owners that were freeing their birds and wreaking ecological havoc on native species.
For those not in the know, “Bacon Pancakes” was an earworm that spread across the Internet in 2012 after airing on the Adventure Time episode “Burning Low.” Written by Rebecca Sugar and composed by Tim Kiefer, the song quickly permeated Internet culture. Check out the original below!
Image: Cartoon Network
More fun stuff!
Wanna dress up like a giant sloth?
Or make friends with a robot fish?
How about watch spiders take to the winds?
June 19, 2018
STAR TREK VS. TRANSFORMERS Comic Series Beaming Down This September
Ever since the ’90s, the universe of Star Trek has collided with pop culture properties of all shapes and sizes, from X-Men to the Legion of Super-Heroes, to more recently, Doctor Who, Green Lantern, and even Planet of the Apes. Now the finest Starfleet has to offer are teaming up with the Autobots in IDW’s new limited series Star Trek vs. Transformers.
Announced via io9, this new mini-series comes with a cool aesthetic twist: the Transformers will be illustrated to resemble the beloved 1984 animated series that skyrocketed the franchise to popularity, and Star Trek will be made to look like the 1973-75 animated series, complete with crew members that were unique to that series, like the cat-like alien Lt. M’ress.
The new four issue series will hit comic book shops this September, and is coming via the creative team of writers John Barber and Mike Johnson, together with artist Philip Murphy and colorist Leonardo Ito. The storyline will begin in the Star Trek universe, when the Enterprise responds to a distress beacon near the border of Klingon space, only to find a dilithium mine under attack from 20th century-era jets and helicopters; although of course we know they are much more than that. And in no time at all, Optimus Prime will meet Captain James T Kirk.
In a statement, Mike Johnson said “This is a crossover several decades in the making, and we could not be more thrilled to bring it to fans. John and I are having a blast writing the first meeting of Starfleet and Cybertronians, and Phil is the perfect artist to bring these two franchises together on the page.” Here is hoping that Mr. Spock has a nice chat with Galvatron, since both animated characters were brought to life by the one and only Leonard Nimoy. Who won’t enjoy hearing that conversation in their heads?
Star Trek Vs. Transformers hits this September. You can check out the two covers for issue #1 above.
Are you excited for this clash of pop culture legends? Be sure to let us know down below in the comments.
Images: IDW Comics
More news!
Jon Bernthal’s returning to The Walking Dead.
Voltron‘s showrunners talk about a galactic civil war.
BBC’s dropping new comedies, including one with David Tennant.
Funko’s STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS Toys Include Two Ahsoka Tano Figures
Star Wars: The Clone Wars kicked off with an animated film ten years ago in 2008. The story set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith unfolded over six seasons of television and followed Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The important part of that sentence is Ahsoka Tano. Introduced in the animated series, she’s become a fan favorite character–which is why it’s so exciting that Funko‘s wave of Clone Wars Pop! figures includes not one, but two Ahsokas.
And Ahsoka, a.k.a. Snips, wouldn’t look right on the shelf without Skyguy, a.k.a. Anakin Skywalker (oof, I’m perfectly okay with those nicknames disappearing in later episodes of the series). If you want to block out what happens between these two after Anakin turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader, you could just look at these figures and remember happier times.
And because Funko toys are big on the exclusives, you can get this version of Ahsoka Tano in her first costume from Hot Topic.
Then bounty hunter Cad Bane will be available as a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive.
The Clone Wars Pop! figures will arrive in August. Check out the rest of the collection in the gallery below. If seeing them is inspiring you to do a rewatch, may I recommend targeting these 12 episodes?
Which of these figures do you absolutely need to add to your collection? Drop your choice into the coments?
Images: Funko
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.
More about The Clone Wars!
Clone Wars content is coming to Battlefront II.
Mortis became part of Star Wars Rebels.
Why Ahsoka Tano deserves her own Star Wars comic.
Watch Flamethrower Drones Fry Junk Off Power Lines
Power lines are virtually everywhere, and since they’re so high up in the air, various airborne objects sometimes have a tendency to get tangled up in them. This is often harmless if the objects are small or aren’t damaging the line, but there are cases where it can develop into a more serious scenario, causing the lines to break and leading to power outages or perhaps a more dangerous scenario. So what is one to do if something caught on a power line needs to be taken down? You could get some sort of specialized vehicle with a raised bucket, put somebody in said bucket, and retrieve it manually, sure, but why do that when you can torch it down with a flamethrower drone?
I saw this GIF on Reddit today, of some sort of fabric stuck on a line and being burned off of it by a drone with a flamethrower, and it’s pretty awesome. It turns out that this wasn’t an isolated incident of some home garage tinkerer modifying his consumer-grade drone in dangerous ways: The video above is from early 2017, and shows an electric power maintenance company in Xiangyang, China using the drones to clear debris off a line. The whole set-up (before adding flamethrowing abilities, that is) costs about $2,500, which seems like a small price to pay for being able to burn things out of the sky.
What other uses do you see this fiery drone being good for? Whatever you’re thinking, let us know in the comments (but please leave the birds alone, thanks).
Featured image: motboltz/YouTube
Is This the First Look At Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet?
Last year, the first Wonder Woman movie gave the DC Extended Universe a much needed boost with fans and critics. That’s why director Patty Jenkins is once again at the helm of Wonder Woman 1984, with Gal Gadot in the title role and even Chris Pine back as Steve Trevor…somehow. The ’80s were a very influential period for Wonder Woman’s adventures, and that setting may allow Jenkins to introduce another familiar element from the comics. Today’s Nerdist News examines some newly leaked footage from Wonder Woman 1984 that may be our first glimpse of the Invisible Jet!
Join the Greek Gods’ favorite host, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through the intriguing video of Gadot’s wire work from a recently filmed scene. In the clip, Gadot is suspended above a city street in a sitting position and her hands appear to be working some invisible controls. It’s far from definitive proof, but we think it’s pretty strong circumstantial evidence that she’ll be getting an Invisible Jet added in post production.
Some naysayers have cast doubt on this footage’s Invisible Jet hints by pointing out how low over the street Gadot is and mentioning the jet’s engines would be potentially dangerous for the nearby cars. But comic book science is never an exact science, or even real science. Potential explanations that would cover those issues exist. In some iterations, the Invisible Jet can change its shape and size at will. This could simply be the moment that the jet returns to a smaller size as Wonder Woman arrives at her destination.
What do you think about the leaked Wonder Woman ’84 clip? Do you see what we see? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures/Warner Bros. Animation
More of the latest nerd news!
How Lando’s return could affect Episode IX.
Is Batfleck out of the DCEU for real?
First look at Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman 1984.
Amazon Orders Robert Kirkman’s INVINCIBLE As an Animated Series
The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman landed a big development deal with Amazon Studios last year. Now, Amazon is ordering an adaptation of Kirkman’s other signature comic book series: Invincible.
Via The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Amazon has lined up Invincible as an one-hour animated drama series with eight episodes for its first season. Teen Titans veteran Simon Racioppa will be the showrunner of the Invincible animated series, and Catherine Winder (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) will executive produce it alongside Kirkman and Racioppa. The Invincible comic book was created by Kirkman and artist Cory Walker in 2003, but Ryan Ottley provided the art for most of the series’ 144 issues. Invincible‘s final issue was released earlier in 2018.
Like the comic that spawned it, the Invincible animated series will follow Mark Grayson, the son of world’s greatest superhero: Omni-Man. After turning 17, Mark begins to inherit his father’s vast powers and he adopts the Invincible persona as he sets out to become a hero. However, dark secrets will threaten the bond between Mark and his father; it’s not simply another teenage superhero story. Invincible was also a comic with moments of shocking violence. We expect the adaptation will also include those moments as well.
Intriguingly, THR‘s report indicates the live-action Invincible movie is “still active.” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are still attached to write, direct, and produce the Invincible film. Perhaps the animated series will give the project an additional push towards production.
Are you excited about the new Invincible animated series? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Image Comics/Skybound
Stay animated with these stories!
Voltron‘s showrunners discuss galactic civil war.
Rick and Morty season four starts production.
Archer references you might have missed.
Chris Hardwick's Blog
- Chris Hardwick's profile
- 132 followers
