Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1747

Boba Fett Movie in the Works from LOGAN’s James Mangold (Report)

There’s going to be a Boba Fett movie, folks. There’s no reason to fight it at this point. As much as we all might think, “Hey, this character looks cool, but has done less than nothing in any of his appearances; maybe make him a worthwhile supporting character in a new movie before he becomes the lead.” But no, it’s happening. The character whose most memorable movie lines include “Dad! Taun We’s here!” and “Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold” is getting his own movie. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news on Thursday that Logan writer-director James Mangold is in the process of making a Boba Fett movie a reality.

Mangold will write and direct the movie based on the coolest-looking but least useful character in the Star Wars universe, the report said. For all my shade, Mangold does seem like a natural fit for a movie that will probably amount to a spacefaring version of For a Few Dollars More, centering on an amoral lead out to prove that he’s the most feared bounty hunter in the cosmos (even though he’s a legitimately bad bounty hunter). Mangold not only co-wrote and directed Logan–a sort of modern western take on the superhero genre–but also the actual western 3:10 to Yuma. His whole directing aesthetic lends itself to that particular subgenre.

Boba Fett is certainly not the only standalone movie in the works over at Lucasfilm. Stephen Daldry (The Hours, The Reader, The Crown) is currently attached to direct an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, though there isn’t any information about that the script or if Ewan McGregor will reprise his role. (Though if he doesn’t, there’ll be something akin to fan mutiny.) As for who’d play Mr. Fett, it’s conceivable they could get either Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones and voiced him in The Clone Wars, or Temuera Morrison who played Jango Fett and all the clone troopers, since Boba’s a clone of Jango and all. Perhaps they could find an up-and-coming Maori actor to take over the iconic role. Or there’s a chance that he’ll never speak or take his helmet off, and it won’t really matter one way or the other. Might be a weird movie if that’s the case.

All I know is the Bounty Hunter video game starring Jango that came out around 2002 already has the best storyline for a possible Boba Fett movie, so just copy that, James Mangold.

Are you excited for a Boba Fett movie? What would you want to see from it? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Lucasfilm/Marvel

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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First Official Details Revealed For AVENGERS 4!

Avengers: Infinity War has been out for almost a month, but it’s still anyone’s guess when Marvel will finally tell us what Avengers 4 is really going to be called. Presumably we’ll find out some time before we sit down to actually watch it a year from now. This would have been a lot easier if it was still called Avengers: Infinity War Part 2! While Marvel has been even more secretive than usual with this sequel, the first official details about Avengers 4 were finally unveiled at a licensing show in Las Vegas. Today’s Nerdist News is breaking down the new intel with a snap of our fingers!

Join host and the Silver Surfer’s next traveling companion, Jessica Chobot, as she shares the very brief description of Avengers 4: “A culmination of 22 interconnected films, the fourth installment of the Avengers saga will draw audiences to witness the turning point of this epic journey. Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it.”

With a few minor changes, that description could have easily been used for Infinity War as well. But the way it describes reality as “fragile” suggests the new status quo may not be sustainable. Perhaps the universe itself is broken after the events that took place during the Battle of Wakanda. And it may require the heroes (especially those whose contracts are up) to “sacrifice” their lives to reverse the changes.

Because the Avengers cast has been spotted on set wearing their old costumes from the original Avengers movie, fans have speculated that a time travel solution may be in the works. However, the Russo brothers have denied this theory. It has also been suggested the flashback Avengers may be appearing through Tony Stark’s memory device from the beginning of Captain America: Civil War. But that seems unlikely to us. If time travel isn’t an option, then perhaps a trip through the multiverse would be more productive than traveling down memory lane.

How do you think Avengers 4 will play out? Share your theories in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Studios

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Is STAR WARS More Secretive Than Marvel and GAME OF THRONES?

What does the galaxy far, far away have in common with Westeros and the Marvel Cinematic Universe? All three mega-popular franchises must take unprecedented security measures to prevent prying eyes from finding out top-secret information about the projects before they finally make their way to audiences’ eyeballs on their approved release dates.

Of course, mistakes do happen. The Force Awakens had to contend with drones flying overhead, snapping photographs, which prompted Disney to enlist its own fleet of drones to protect The Last Jedi‘s set. Marvel refuses to give its cast members complete scripts, lest Tom Holland accidentally open his charming mouth or Mark Ruffalo go on national television and reveal major plot points months in advance. Game of Thrones is taking things a step further by actually filming multiple fake endings and keeping the cast in the dark as to which one is the show’s true ending until it finally airs in 2019.

So which of these three series has the most intense security measures? To find out, I sat down with Solo: A Star Wars Story stars Emilia Clarke and Paul Bettany to get the inside scoop. Between the two of them, they have been a part of all three franchises. So which one sits atop the Iron Throne of being overly cautious? Watch the video and find out.

Solo: A Star Wars Story opens on May 25, 2018. Read our spoiler free-review!

Images: Disney/Lucasfilm

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@DanCasey).

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Celebrate SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY With Hot Toys’ Latest Figure Release

The backstory to the best pilot in the galaxy is finally here. Solo: A Star Wars Story opens this weekend, starring Alden Ehrenreich as everyone’s favorite scoundrel. To help initiate Ehrenreich into Star Wars canon, Hot Toys has released images for its upcoming deluxe sixth-scale figure. As with most Hot Toys figures, it looks awesome.

This stunning figure gives Ehrenreich his time to shine, while also showing off the arrogance and swagger we’ve come to know from Han Solo (except for The Force Awakens Han. He was kind of an old curmudgeon. In a good way, of course).

Wherever there is Han Solo, there is Chewbacca. We think only Batman and Robin could give them a run for their money in the category of “most popular duo” (With apologies to Meghan and Harry). While Chewie doesn’t come with the Han figure, we now have a preview for the next figure in the line.

The figure comes with Han’s legendary blaster and holster, five sets of interchangeable hands, and his lucky dice. The deluxe edition also comes with goggles,  interchangeable hair sculpture, a fur coat and climbing belt.

Solo: A Star Wars Story opens in theaters May 25th.

You can check out more pics in the gallery below and can pre-order the figure from Sideshow Collectibles on their website here.

So what do you think? Does this figure get you pumped to go see Solo? Let us know on Facebook or make a Kessel run into the comments below.

Images: Hot Toys

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Kelsey Grammer Missed Out on Playing Han Solo in STAR WARS

On the eve of Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s theatrical release, Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer recalled the time he missed out on playing the role of Han Solo in the original Star Wars film. Appearing on Wednesday’s Conan to promote his Netflix animated series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Grammer and host Conan O’Brien discussed the fact that the former’s character, the troll Blinky, has a brother named Dictatious. And who provides the latter’s voice? None other than Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.

Cue O’Brien’s amazement at the fact that a 20-something Grammer met with a 30-something George Lucas about “this movie about outer space” after the young actor was kicked out of New York’s Juilliard School. He specifically recalled Lucas wanted someone to play a “John Wayne character,” a reference he’s used before to describe Solo. Grammer obviously didn’t get the part, but can you imagine him playing a Wayne-like figure? Or even a Wayne impression, for that matter?

Honestly, it’s hard to picture the man who brought Frasier Crane to life doing the same for Solo. Then again, the fact that Grammer is even remotely connected to the Star Wars universe is great. Young Lando Calrissian himself, Donald Glover recently said (via Fader) that a standalone Lando film should be akin to “Frasier in space — like, a high-end guy in space.”

Do you think Kelsey Grammer would have made a great Han Solo? Does “Frasier in space” sound like a great Star Wars standalone film? Let us know in the comments!

Image: TBS

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This Corgi Sneaks Over to a Farm at Night to Ride His Pony Best Friend

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a dog making friends with an animal of a different species is always adorable. There’s no shortage of evidence to back this up (emotional support dogs for skittish cheetahs, anyone?), and we’re seeing more of it with every passing viral video. Speaking of which, we have a new favorite clip, and it’s about to be your favorite, too:

The story broke in the Springfield News-Leader shortly after Callie Schenker of Bolivar, Missouri shot a brief clip of her horse—“Cricket the one-eyed wonder pony,” as she refers to them—with her neighbors’ Corgi on their back. Both Cricket and the Corgi (whose name Schenker believes is Roper, though she isn’t certain) appear very much used to this arrangement, which Schenker witnessed once before she shot the video. Cricket doesn’t even give the camera a backward glance, and their rider is downright casual about the whole situation, gazing into the camera and adjusting position for comfort’s sake.

After Schenker posted it on Facebook, the video, as the kids are saying, blew up. (If you’re a fan of this dynamic duo and farmyard friends in general, you owe it to yourself to browse through her photo archives. There are some real gems in the gallery, as you’ll see below.) According to Schenker, the dog belongs to her neighbors, who avoid online activity for religious reasons. So don’t expect to see any officially licensed T-shirts featuring a pony and their passenger anytime soon on TeePublic. Hey, you could always make your own…

Who are the best animal buds you’ve encountered lately? Let us know in the comments!

Featured image: Alex Ansley/Flickr

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DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN is a Must-Play for Sci-Fi Fans (Review)

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race….It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” – Stephen Hawking to the BBC

“I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that. So we need to be very careful.” – Elon Musk

Artificial intelligence–and specifically our fears around highly advanced androids gaining sentience and rising up against their meatbag masters–is a pervasive concern in our popular culture. As we grow increasingly reliant on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things to make our daily lives easier, we edge ever closer to a world in which humans exist alongside humanoid machines that are so lifelike that we would be hard-pressed to tell them apart from real living, breathing humans.

 

Set in a futuristic version of Detroit in the year 2038, Detroit: Become Human takes place in a world where androids are as commonplace as iPhones. The result is that people have an unhealthy reliance on these incredibly sophisticated machines for nearly every aspect of their lives. Since they don’t sleep, androids have taken over most menial jobs, putting some humans out of work and creating a growing anti-android sentiment amongst those who were unable to adapt with the times. From serving as live-in nannies to human children to fighting wars overseas to working in android sex clubs, no part of the human experience has gone untouched by these incredibly lifelike robots.

But are they just machines? Or are they something more? Are androids capable of developing a soul? Of feeling what we would describe as “human emotions?” And what would happen if they did? These are the core question that Detroit seeks to answer. Whether it does so satisfactorily enough for you may depend on how much you like writer-director David Cage’s style of storytelling, but for the most part Detroit felt like an addictive, engaging melange of Westworld, Deus Ex, and Blade Runner.

Detroit: Become Human is an engrossing, tense, thrilling, cyberpunk fever dream of a game that puts the player in the shoes of three different androids: Connor, a highly advanced police model android tasked with hunting down “deviant” androids who have gone rogue; Kara, a housekeeping model android who becomes self-aware; and Markus, a caretaker model android who gains sentience and begins trying to liberate his fellow androids from the shackles of servitude. As their storylines play out, they begin to intertwine, intersect, and affect one another in surprising ways. Decisions made while playing as Connor can have ripple effects across Kara and Markus’ narratives, creating a complex, branching web of decision-making that ensures you will need multiple play-throughs in order to experience the staggering breadth of Detroit‘s story.

Separating art from the artist is an increasingly difficult task in 2018, and the allegations of toxicity and racism leveled against Quantic Dream are worth considering when assessing if you want to play Detroit. This is compounded by the fact that David Cage has never been the most elegant creator in his handling of sensitive situations in-game, and there are plenty of moments in Detroit that run the gamut from questionable to very problematic. Subject matter like child abuse, domestic violence, drug abuse, racism, and bigotry–all of which are present in Detroit: Become Human–should not be automatically considered taboo and can be tackled by video games in a thoughtful manner. However, in the case of Detroit, some of its storytelling may leave you feeling more than a little bit icky in how it deploys these concepts to further the game’s narrative and use as character development. It’s not a problem purely endemic to Detroit; Westworld, for example, has been called problematic for its depiction of sexual violence and race too. It is, however, something worth of consideration before you play and, more importantly, while you play.

Detroit: Become Human drew me into its gorgeously rendered, provocative world, forcing me to make tough choices and wrestle with important subject matter. With terrific performances from the game’s incredibly talented cast–including Jesse Williams, Lance Henriksen, Clancy Brown, and Valorie Curry–you will find yourself drawn deeper and deeper into its twisting, turning story. It is by no means a perfect experience. I encountered framerate drops and significant slowdown if I left the PS4 running for a while and came back to it. They smoothed out after a few beats, but were genuinely jarring at first. The game’s controls, which employ Quantic Dream’s signature quick-time event style of rapid button inputs, oscillate wildly between feeling fluid and frustrating. However, as an ardent fan of adventure games that grant players a high degree of autonomy to meaningfully affect the arc of the story, Detroit is a game I’ll be playing again and again and again. At least until my PlayStation 4 gains sentience and decides whether or not it wants to comply with my button inputs.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 burritos

Detroit: Become Human is available May 25, 2018 on the PlayStation 4.

Images: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Editor’s note: This review was completed on a standard edition PlayStation 4 using a review code supplied by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@DanCasey).

Check Out the Trailer for WWII-Set BATTLEFIELD V

In a livestream on Wednesday, EA revealed their upcoming entry in the Battlefield franchise, Battlefield V. Launching October 19th on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, Battlefield V follows up on the success of 2016’s World War I-era Battlefield I with another take on World War II.

Check out the reveal trailer below:

The franchise began with WWII, so it makes sense for Battlefield to return to its roots after the shakeup that the World War I setting brought with it. However, EA promises that V won’t simply be a rehash of its ancestors, offering stories and gameplay unseen in any WWII shooter. That distinction will be necessary if V wants to differentiate itself from last year’s Call of Duty: WWII, which saw the rival series return to classic “boots on the ground” (as Activision was so fond of saying) gameplay. Returning to WWII seems like a risky move in a genre so saturated with the era, but V hopes to mitigate that risk. War Stories, Battlefield I‘s highly-praised single player vignettes, will return, placing players into situations normally unexplored, such as playing as a Norwegian resistance fighter.

Classic huge-scale Battlefield multiplayer will return, with minor but much needed updates. For one, players can now move artillery and fortifications, meaning that a misplaced AA gun won’t ruin your team’s ability to deal with enemy bombers. EA is also taking a cue from Fortnite by allowing all players to build forts and structures, regardless of player class.

What do you think about Battlefield V? Are you as confused by the naming conventions as we are? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: EA

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Will Disney Really Lose Out on Fox to Comcast’s Massive Offer?

Comcast plans on beating Disney‘s big stock offer for Fox with a much bigger cash one, but would Fox be better off taking the smaller but safer deal from the Mouse House? On today’s Nerdist News Talks Back we discussed the latest on the potential mega merger, as well as Disney’s upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy Edge park, and if we just reached the beginning of the end for the PlayStation 4.

Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by senior editor Dan Casey, Editor-in-Chief Rachel Heine, and producer Jesse Gill (as well as a mustachioed, bet-losing Ben McShane). They kicked things off with Comcast’s plans to buy Fox for $60 billion cash, as opposed to Disney’s meager $52 billion stock offer. Comcast could run into anti-trust issues though, so should Fox take the sure bet at the expense of all that money? If Comcast does buy Fox, what should it do with all of its Marvel properties?

Disney also announced the opening date for its Star Wars themed area, Galaxy’s Edge, via an underwhelming video. Will we be there on opening day, or will we wait for the lines to die down first? What do we want to see from the park’s augmented reality lightsabers?

Finally, the PlayStation 4 is coming to the end of its “Harvest Period,” as Sony will no longer be investing in the system’s hardware. With the company also announcing the PS5 is probably three years away, is this the end for the PS4? How will we enjoy our remaining time with it?

Remember Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels at 1PM PT every Monday through Thursday, followed by our hour-long Nerdist News What the Friday at 1PM PT, exclusively at Alpha. It’s the internet’s best place to sincerely debate whether or not a massive corporation should accept a deal for 60 billion dollars or “settle” for only 52 billion. What a conundrum!

What did you think about today’s topics? Talk back to us in the comments below.

Images: Disney, Sony

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SUPERGIRL’s Casting a Transgender Character for Season 4

After hints at the beginning of the year, The CW’s Supergirl has put out a casting call for a transgender actress to join the show’s fourth season. The public casting call, put out by Cast It Talent on behalf of the show, sheds some light on the role of the character Nia Nal and how she’ll be integrated into the cast:

“Transgender woman, early 20s, open ethnicity. A confident, wunderkind of a fashionista. Once a political speechwriter, Nia is the newest addition to the Catco investigative reporting team. With her she brings sparkling wit and biting humor but under that banter-y, chic façade, lays a soulful young woman who has much to offer the world. A young ‘Cat Grant’ type.”

Calista Flockhart starred as Catco Worldwide Media founder and CEO Cat Grant in the first season of Supergirl and has since had a recurring role.

Nia Nal thus appears designed in part to fill the shoes of Calista Flockhart‘s Cat Grant, who has been largely absent since the beginning of season two, when production shifted from Hollywood to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The casting call comes four months after Supergirl executive producer and writer Greg Berlanti spoke at the DC in D.C. event about the lack of trans representation in the broader Arrowverse. “We don’t have an active trans character across the shows, you know. And we had a trans actress playing a trans in a show I did that was not a superhero show, eleven years ago. And so I still feel behind the times every day on that issue,” Berlanti said in response to an audience question about creating more diverse queer representation.

Berlanti previously worked as executive producer on Dirty Sexy Money, which aired on ABC from 2007-2009, and featured trans actress Candis Cayne in a recurring role as Carmelita Rainer.

Jared Leto won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, but his casting and performance were widely criticized within the transgender community.

While transgender characters have been more common in television and film in the past several years, it remains rare for them to be played by trans actors. Trans women characters, especially, are still frequently played by cisgender men, including such prominent roles as Jeffrey Tambor in Transparent, Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club.

Casting cis actors in trans roles has become increasingly controversial, however. In a 2016 guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Nick Adams of GLAAD put the issue succinctly: “The decision to put yet another man in a dress to portray a transgender woman touches a nerve for transgender people, and rightfully so. It’s yet another painful reminder that, in the eyes of so many people, transgender women are really just men.”

Casting a trans woman for the role of Nia Nal is thus a major deal, as well as a sign that Berlanti and the CW intend for the character to be authentic and representative, rather than another stereotype.

Cover of Supergirl vol 7 #19, art by Jorge Jiménez and Alejandro Sanchez

While Nia Nal might be the first trans character in The CW’s Arrowverse, she’s not the first trans character associated with Supergirl. In a recent issue of the Supergirl comic, co-writers Steve Orlando and Vita Ayala and artist Jamal Campbell introduced Lee Serrano, a National City high school student who is non-binary. In the issue, Supergirl rescues—and befriends—Lee during a battle in National City. With a little moral support from Supergirl, Lee is able to stand up for themself against a bully at their high school, as well as come out to their parents.

No word yet on whether Lee might also be joining the Supergirl on The CW anytime soon, though they would be a great candidate to add to the vanishingly little non-binary representation in television and film.

In the meantime, I’m quite excited to see Nia Nal and how she’s integrated into the Supergirl universe.

What are you looking forward to most in Season 4 of Supergirl? Hit us up in the comments!

Images: The CW, Focus Features, DC Comics

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