Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1728

THE PRINCESS BRIDE Meets TROLLHUNTERS in This New Crossover

On this week’s episode of Talkin’ Toons, host Rob Paulsen welcomed prolific voice actor Frank Tatasciore—whose credits include Voltron, Family Guy, and a whole mess of animated Marvel series, on which he often plays the Hulk—to the show to recreate a scene from William Goldman’s The Princess Bride. Paulsen picked Principal Willoughby, an admittedly obscure character from Jimmy Neutron, to stand in for Westley. For the role of Fezzik, who was memorably portrayed by André the Giant, Tatasciore decided to perform in the style of AAARRRGGHH!!! (yes, that is how it’s spelled), from the Trollhunters animated series on Netflix. It turned out to be an inspired choice, as Westley and Fezzik’s confrontation became even funnier in this reinterpretation.

Even in this version, Westley was far outmatched by Fezzik’s size and strength. But the scene became even sillier when Tatasciore switched his Fezzik voice to Bagdwella, another character from Trollhunters. Tatasciore quickly followed that turn by using his Señor Uhl voice.

To see the rest of this ever-changing crossover, you’ll have to become a member of our online Alpha community. Alpha is the official home for full episodes of Talkin’ Toons, and it’s only one of our terrific lineup of original shows and exclusive content. If you haven’t joined up yet, then your first 30 days on Alpha are free.

Which alternate Fezzik voice was your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below, and check back next week for another Talkin’ Toons!

Images: DreamWorks Animation TV/20th Century Fox

Maltin on Movies #184: Rick and Veronica Baker

In honor of Fathers’ Day, Leonard and Jessie invited another father-daughter duo: seven-time Oscar winner Rick Baker, master of makeup whose credits range from The Exorcist and Star Wars to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and his daughter Veronica, who grew up in a kind of wonderland and is now pursuing her own creative ideas at D.C. Rick’s stories of getting started and finding the right mentors are inspiring and fun to hear…along with Veronica’s memories of growing up Baker (especially on Halloween).

Follow @LeonardMaltin and @jessiemaltin on Twitter! And be sure to check out leonardmaltin.com

Subscribe to Maltin on Movies on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

VOLTRON’s Showrunners on Season 6’s Galactic Civil War

The good thing about smaller seasons of Voltron: Legendary Defender is you’re never too far away from a new batch of episodes. The bad thing about that is it’s over so quickly! Believe it or not, Friday sees the release of the sixth season of Voltron, and it’s arriving at a very tumultuous time in the storyline. Yes, Zarkon is out of the picture, and Lotor has won the right to lead the Galra Empire–a good thing for the paladins of Voltron–but this was done under much protest, and the Galra are about to embark on a period of horrible civil war. So, fun stuff.

We chatted with executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos and co-executive producer Lauren Montgomery about this latest outing for our heroes, and why the Galra just can’t get along.

“Allura and Lotor are continuing their journey, trying to reunite the Galra Empire, quell the fission there, and then just continue to try to bring peace and set right what was wrong,” explained Montgomery. “Unfortunately it’s not just, ‘You killed Zarkon and everything’s great.’ They’ve got a lot of work to do and they’re just still plugging away at that.”

“Lotor is obviously doing right by the team at the moment, but there’s more there,” cautioned Dos Santos. “There’s more brewing. He’s not a traditional sort of villain archetype, but he’s a very, very deep character and he’s working with our heroes because he believes that’s the right thing to do. But there is a level of depth there that will be explored in the following season.”

But with Galra fighting Galra, you’re going to get a lot of big, similar-looking monolithic ships fighting each other with Voltron in the middle. How will the audience tell who’s who? “It’s very confusing,” said Dos Santos. “What you end up seeing is just a mass of Galra ships blasting away in space and I think that was kinda the point–that it really is a civil war of the same group of people. We didn’t do anything as distinct as what Lotor was visually compared to the rest of the Galra. This is definitely Zarkon’s armada split in half fighting each other.”

That fission between a once mighty and unified empire, even one unified through fear and a lust for power, is something that can happen in any form of government, which the Voltron production team realized mirrored real life rather nicely. “Lotor won and now we’ve got a weird situation in the Galra Empire that’s not that far off from the situation in our country right now,” Montgomery explained, “where you’ve got two very different sides that don’t all approve of who’s in charge.”

“Believe me,” Dos Santos interjected, “we would have not liked it to work out this nicely.”

Get ready for a whole mess of space action and political intrigue on Voltron: Legendary Defender season six, streaming now on Netflix.

Images: DreamWorks Animation

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s written the animation retrospectives Batman: Reanimated, X-Men: Reanimated, Cowboy Rebop, and Samurai reJacked. Follow him on Twitter!

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Get Ready for INCREDIBLES 2 with an Incr-edibles Appetizer Party

It’s been 14 years since we saw Disney Pixar‘s super family on the big screen in The Incredibles. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl and their children Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack are back in Incredibles 2, in theaters on June 15, and they haven’t aged a day–they’re animated, so that makes sense.

A return to crime-fighting requires a celebration, and this crew deserves the best: a feast of Incr-edibles appetizers! Throw together some of Dash’s speedy snack mix, see your way through some Invisigirl clear gelatin, while you carefully mix up a blazing bowl of Jack-Jack’s fiery fries.

And as tribute to the leaders of this classic crew, put together Mr. Incredible Meatball dumbbells with a side of Elastigirl Grilled Cheese. When pulled apart, the deliciously cheesy dish will stretch as far as required to save the day and dinnertime.

Elasti-Grilled Cheese

You’ll need:

Superhero cookie cutter

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread

2 slices of swiss cheese

1 slice American cheese

2 tablespoons butter

Sandwich the swiss cheeses and American cheese between two slices of bread.

Heat half the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the sandwich in the skillet, until browned—then add the rest of the butter to the pan—flip the sandwich and cook the other side until also golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Move to a cutting board and use the cutter to cut out the shape.

Make small cuts at the joints, then pull the sandwich apart to “elasticize.”

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STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Fires Showrunners, Replaces Them with Alex Kurtzman

Star Trek: Discovery has only recently begun filming its second season, but it is already undergoing a major shake-up. According to a story in The Hollywood Reporter, showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who took the reins of running the show from Bryan Fuller before shooting started on the series’ first season, have been let go. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman, who wrote and produced the first two J.J. Abrams movies, will take over as showrunner and head of the Discovery writers’ room for the second season.

It’s said that the first five episodes of the season are already done, so Kurtzman’s takeover won’t really be reflected until episode six. According to the original report, Berg and Harberts were accused of abuse from some of the show’s writing staff, and several of the writers are said to have been very uncomfortable working on the series under their watch. Some had apparently threatened to file a complaint with human resources, or quit the show’s writing staff.

Also leaving the series is executive producer Akiva Goldsman, though it isn’t immediately clear if the controversies surrounding his departure—THR reports that he had “a management style that clashed with the writing staff”—are in any way related or comparable to the above.

The early seasons for modern Star Trek have always been filled with behind-the-scenes turmoil. The first two season of Star Trek: The Next Generation were filled with creative changes, and the plug was almost pulled on the show in its early days because of it. Similar stories abound for spin-off series Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Hopefully, Discovery finds the right people behind the camera who have a solid vision for the show based on good storytelling and less on plot twist sensationalism, and, more importantly, who treat their staff with respect and humanity. The cast deserves something better, and so do the fans.

What do you want to see change on Star Trek: Discovery? Be sure to leave your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: CBS

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NERDIST AFTER | MARVEL’S CLOAK AND DAGGER Explores the Magic of New Orleans

Every week Nerdist is proud to bring you the aftershow for Freeform’s Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger, Nerdist After. Join hosts Hector Navarro and Aliza Pearl after a new episode airs each week for answers to your questions, Easter eggs you might have missed, interviews with the show’s cast and crew you won’t find anywhere else, and much, much more.

This week actress Emma Lahana, who plays Detective Brigid O’Reilly, stops by to chat with Hector and Aliza, along with showrunner and executive producer Joe Pokaski.

Hector, Aliza, and Nerdist Editor-in-Chief Rachel Heine kick off the aftershow by running down the highlights of the third episode, “Stained Glass,” from the literal and figurative magic of New Orleans to Tandy and Tyrone’s budding relationship. Olivia Holt shares thoughts on the Big Easy, and Pokaski reveals what steps the writers and crew of the show took to represent both the city and the practice of voodoo properly.

One Thing to Watch For

Each week, the cast and crew of Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger reveal hidden details, comic book influences, and Easter eggs that you might miss if you don’t watch Nerdist After | Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. This week, Pokaski unlocks a shadowy, secret detail from the third episode that makes the hosts gasp in surprise. Joe will be back week after week to highlight one thing to watch for in each episode, so stay tuned!

Do you have a question for Nerdist After’s hosts or future guests? Tweet it to @Nerdist with the hashtag #CloakandDagger, and you might just see answered on the show.

Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger airs on Freeform, Hulu, and the Freeform app Thursdays at 8 PM ET/PT and 7PM Central.

How do you like the new setting of New Orleans for Tyrone and Tandy? Tell us in the comments.

Images: Freeform/Marvel

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Has Comcast Killed the Disney and Fox Deal?

The deal between Disney and Fox seemed destined to happen…until recently. But Comcast has finally come in with its $65 million cash bid for 20th Century Fox, which is at least ten million higher than the House of Mouse was offering. Today’s Nerdist News Talks Back wonders if we’re about to see a high stakes bidding war between two of the biggest media companies in the world. And if Disney loses, then will the dream of a truly unified Marvel Cinematic Universe die as well?

Amy Vorpahl guest hosts today’s show and welcomes her guests: director Andrew Bowser and Nerdist News writers Aliza Pearl and Joey Clift. After discussing the soulless world of corporate entities, their next topic was the fate of the zombies on The Walking Dead. With the immanent departure of Lauren Cohan and the possible exit of Andrew Lincoln, the show may be nearing its end. Can The Walking Dead overcome the loss of these cast members?



Next, a report from Screen Rant says Jon Favreau’s live-action Star Wars TV series may begin shooting this fall or this winter. We still don’t know too much about the project beyond what Favreau told us at the Solo world premiere. Our panel has a few ideas they’d like to see onscreen, including a Mos Eisley as Cheers pitch that we’re totally into.

Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels at 1PM PT every Monday through Thursday. Starting next Monday, June 18, we’re changing the start time to 11AM PT from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays, we end the week in pop culture with our hour-long Nerdist News What the Friday at 1PM PT, exclusively at Alpha. It’s the best daily talk show on the internet, and no topic is too big or too small for us to breakdown.

What did you think of today’s topics? Let us know in the comment section below.

Images: Marvel/20th Century Fox

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What the Symmetra Rework Means for the OVERWATCH League

Symmetra is known for being the most infamous hero in Overwatch. Her kit, including turrets that microwave you to death and a teleporter that seems to bring enemies back faster than you can kill them, can be downright annoying and even frustrating to play against at times. On top of that, her specific abilities—like the photon barrier, a shield she projects out from herself—make her a viable pick in only a few circumstantial scenarios, like defending point A on the map Temple of Anubis or holding the first choke point on King’s Row. Because of this, she is the only character on the roster to not be played in the entirety of the Overwatch League’s inaugural season thus far.

The Overwatch team has made it clear they take into account what the pros think in reworking various heroes’ kits (just look at the Mercy rework from last year based on pros saying she wasn’t fun to play), so it’s not surprising to see Symmetra changes coming on the horizon. Now that the details of her new kit have dropped, various players have voiced their opinions on what this could mean for the League. Houston Outlaws player Jake tweeted that now she “might really have potential to actually fill a damage/utility role in a few defensive situations.” While it doesn’t sound like she’ll be getting tons of playtime right off that bat, this rework could shift the shield-dominated meta (or set of strategies that dominate the game in its current state) that has settled after the newest hero Brigitte’s launch.

Actually excited for the changes to symmetra. Her primary weapon was shockingly useless in high skill matches, now it looks like she might really have potential to actually fill a damage/utility role in a few defensive situations.

— Jake (@jakeow) June 6, 2018

Even before talk of the rework, there was a lot of talk within the player base that suggested Symmetra should have been moved to defense sooner. Her old ultimate, either a teleporter to get her team back to the fight more quickly or a shield generator to give her team more health, were abilities of the support variety.

However, the previous state of her kit left her in a bit of a limbo in the meta. A telltale sign of this was that, where two healers are required in basically every situation, teams would have to opt for only one if a Symmetra was selected as the other support. Alternatively, with a Symmetra, there could be two healers, but the team would lose one of its valuable tanks or damage dealers. In her previous state, she simply didn’t provide enough support to be a true support hero, and didn’t deal enough damage to be a true DPS (damage per second) hero.

Now that she does deal more damage, she’s been moved out of the support category entirely, finding her new place in the roster among the defense line-up. This was where she was used most often previously, if at all. Among her new set of abilities is a reduced number of turrets that are thrown from her and stick to surfaces; additionally, the teleporter now functions as a secondary ability that moves teammates 25 meters on the battlefield, and her primary fire changed from a lock-on beam to something more closely resembling Zarya’s particle cannon beam. Finally, Symmetra now boasts an ultimate that’s a giant 5000 health shield.

Symmetra has always been strong against shield-heavy comps, and with the death of the dive and the rise of Brigitte, she could be the counter we need to a notoriously powerful character in the current meta. If you ask me, we won’t see a ton of playtime on her right away, except for some situational defense points like Hanamura and Volskaya. With Sym going from a troll pick to easily one of the highest skill cap characters in the game, it will be interesting to look out for what she can really do in the hands of the pros.

Images: Blizzard Entertainment

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AMERICAN HORROR STORY Season 8 Will Be The MURDER HOUSE/COVEN Crossover

American Horror Story’s eighth season goes into production soon, and fans have been wondering just what the them of this year’s installment is going to be. Well, wonder no more, because series creator Ryan Murphy has revealed that long talked about crossover season between Murder House, AHS‘ first installment, and Coven, the show’s third iteration, is going to be the subject of season eight. Murphy confirmed the news in a tweet, which you can read down below:

The Coven/Murder House AHS crossover season won’t be happening next year…because it’s happening THIS YEAR. AHS #8 WITCHES RULE THIS SEPTEMBER

— Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) June 14, 2018

Ok, so what does this mean? Well, all we have heard about season eight before this in terms of premise is that it will be set some 18 months in the future. Series regular and MVP Sarah Paulson is once again coming back for this season, and it’s been revealed that her character will be wearing dental appliances, so she is probably not reprising her role as Coven’s Supreme Witch. Also coming back are series regulars Kathy Bates and Evan Peters, who can be currently seen in Murphy’s other FX series, Pose.

In keeping with Murphy’s tendency to cast fierce older actresses, he revealed that Dynasty diva Joan Collins had joined the cast. Later, he revealed that Evan Peters will portray a comedic hairdresser and that Collins will play the part of his grandmother, so that means Peters won’t be playing either his Murder House or his Coven character. Other AHS alum coming back for year eight are Adina Porter, Cheyenne Jackson, Billy Eichner, Billie Lourd, and Leslie Grossman. None of them were in Murder House or Coven either, so they will be playing all new characters one assumes.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Murphy stated “It’s a season unlike anything we’ve done because there’s a big hook to it. There’s a huge thing that happens in episode five. You will see so many fan favorites return that you’ll feel like it’s The Love Boat. It’s a very high concept.”  Can we dare hope for a brief return of Jessica Lange? Finger crossed AHS fans.

What do you think of the crossover season of AHS finally arriving this year? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: FX

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Is Batfleck Finally Out of the DC Extended Universe?

Oh Batfleck, we just can’t quit you. It seems like only yesterday we were talking about the never-ending rumors regarding Ben Affleck‘s exit from the DC Extended Universe. But it wasn’t yesterday, it was last Tuesday. Amazingly, it’s not over yet. Despite reports that Matt Reeves’ The Batman is going with a younger Bruce Wayne, there may still be room for Batfleck in the DCEU. Today’s Nerdist News digs through the Batcave to get some the answers.

Join guest host Amy “Rockin’ Robin” Vorpahl as she goes over the latest developments. Here’s what we know: Reeves turned in the first act of his Batman script, and we’re relatively sure Warner Bros. won’t pay millions of dollars to digitally de-age Affleck to play a much younger Batman. That would open the floodgates for jokes that go beyond Superman’s hilariously bizarre CGI shaved lips in Justice League.

But all is not lost for Affleck if he decides he wants to stick around. After all, if there can be two Joker movies in simultaneous development that have nothing to do with each other, then surely there’s room for more than one Batman at the box office. Let The Batman have its younger Dark Knight, but leave elder statesman Batfleck available for supporting roles in other films like a Justice League sequel (if it happens).

Plus, we still haven’t gotten a satisfying onscreen confrontation between Affleck’s Batman and Jared Leto‘s Joker. If we’re going to get a changing of the Batmen, we want to see the face-off happen in the Joker movie headlined by Leto.

Should Affleck stay in the DCEU if he won’t get his own Batman movie? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Warner Bros.

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