Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1780

Mezco’s BLADE Figure Follows a Toy Tradition of Greatness

The original Toy Biz Blade action figure remains one of the greatest toys ever made, with its removable trenchcoat, sunglasses, and multiple weapons in holsters—so much so it still fetches high prices on the secondary market. Well now, we finally have a contender of equal stature, as Mezco has bust out a 6-inch, 1:12 Blade figure that has all that and a fully tailored outfit to allow for dynamic poses even at his size.

Giant glowing-eyed monster head is not included, but guns, stakes, boomerang blades, muzzle flashes, various hands, all the weapons and even an alternate Blade head are part of this package. It’s comic-based, so it’s not Wesley Snipes–but next time you see the character in live-action he probably won’t be either.

Mezco are wizards with whatever fabrics they do use, because actual leather isn’t this posable at human scale sometimes, let alone 1:12.

To the second head, we can only say “Fangs a lot!” This is sculpting with bite.

Also, you know how you normally see a cool new figure announcement, and then the small print is all “Preorder now to get him in the third quarter of next year”? Not so with Blade. Preorder now with $20 down on an $80 tab, and you’ll have him in hand by the end of this year. Maybe even in time for Halloween.

The Dhampir approves. No need to ice-skate uphill this time.

Do you need this day-walker in your life? Stake your claim to an opinion in the comments section down below.

Need More Collectibles?

The new Star Wars toys confirm the Kessel Run in Solo.
The Black Panther Marvel Legends collectibles are rad.
And finally, the A Wrinkle in Time Barbie Dolls are TOO GOOD.

Images: Mezco

This POKÉMON Hack Is a Great Reason to Jailbreak Your iPhone

iPhone “jailbreaking” is a fad that lets Apple users break their device free from the company’s software restrictions, which limit interfaces and prevent access to non-iOS apps and expansions. Clever users have used these jailbreaks to create custom capabilities, like this upcoming incoming call tweak Pokémon fans will get a kick out of.

Via The Verge, reddit user FrozenPenguinToaster developed PokéCall, which transforms the iPhone’s incoming call screen to a battle from the classic Pokémon Game Boy game. Callers show up as “trainers” and you have the option to fight, meaning answer, or run, meaning ignore. The music from the game plays in lieu of a ringtone.

The hack isn’t currently available, but FrozenPenguinToaster shared its progress on the iPhone jailbreak subreddit. In the comments, the developer said they will allow trainer customization depending on the contact, and said they might implement a fellow user’s suggestion to display “wild” Pokémon when the call comes from an unknown number.

PokéCall will join a legacy of iPhone jailbreaking hacks, a phenomenon that started back in 2007. Apple has since cracked down on jailbreaking efforts, partly by increasing the flexibility of iOS updates. Alternative app store Cydia also lost two of its major depositories (ModMyi and ZodTTD/MacCiti), which limited the number of files available to jailbreakers. The practice waned in relevance, but users like FrozenPenguinToaster are keeping it alive for nostalgic and recreational purposes. Transforming your iPhone into a classic Game Boy interface is one fun reason to consider trying it out.

Have you ever “cracked” your iPhone to run an alternative app? Will you try out PokéCall? Let us know in the comments!

Image: Reddit/FrozenPenguinToaster

More tech to be amazed by!

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Make a working mechanical robot hand from cardboard.

JURASSIC PARK: FALLEN KINGDOM’s Dinosaurs Get All New Funko Pops!

The final trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom introduced us to the most dangerous creature to ever walk the Earth, the terrifying Indoraptor. However, you won’t be scared to see it show up in your own home so long as it’s as his new Funko Pop! But he’s not the only dinosaur getting added to the film’s line of figures, because the movie’s second wave of Pops! includes the most famous prehistoric beast of them all, who has never looked bigger.

The latest additions to Funko’s Fallen Kingdom Pops! features a genuinely cute-looking Stygimoloch, who we wish we could adopt as a pet (a pet that would grow up and eat us). Slightly less adorable is the new crossbred Indoraptor, whose figure is worthy of the trailer’s “most dangerous creature” description.

The only human character added to the line also features a dinosaur though, because the Target exclusive figure of Chris Pratt’s Owen has him holding a baby Blue in his arms. But the biggest addition–literally–is a towering 10-inch T-Rex, which is also a Target exclusive.

This handy graph really shows off just how big this new T-Rex is compared to the other normal-sized Pops.

Somehow that T-Rex is both frightening and cuddly, like at any moment it will eat the Owen Pop, but we’ll still find it charming.

These new figures join Funko’s previously announced Pops! for the movie, which included ones of Claire, Owen, and a full-sized Blue. Those will be available in stores this May, with this second wave joining them this summer. Which means we can see the Indoraptor scare the crap out of that little girl in her bedroom this June when the movie is released, and then we can go out and buy our own Indoraptor to live in our house.

Which one of these figures do you most want to see hatch in your home? Tell us why in the comments below.

Want More Collectibles Content?

The Sandlot gang has been Funkoized.
Wanna see what  The Shape of Water cast looks like in plastic?
And finally, more Rick and Morty Pops.

Images: Funko

This DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Baby Beholder Costume Will Paralyze You with Cuteness

The word “cute” might not cross your mind when looking at one of Dungeons & Dragons‘ most iconic monsters, the grotesque beholder, but this sweet baby in her purple “baby-holder” costume might change your opinion. The one-of-a-kind costume was knitted by Mazzmatazz, a self-described “knit-cro-mancer” and an obvious fan of Dungeons & Dragons. Be sure to take a look at their other knitted creatures from the Monster Manual (or commission your own!) to be even more amazed by their monstrous talent with yarn and needles.

Beholders are classic magical monsters that have proven to be the bane of adventuring parties in their early quests for fame and glory. You can see them in their usual, non-knitted form in the featured image above. Each eye stalk of the creature can wreak havoc on players, from instilling fear, to petrifying, to charming and turning a player against his companions. This knitted beholder might not scary anyone, but the look definitely has the same charming effect on anyone who looks at the photos shared by her proud parents.

The baby-holder herself is the daughter of Will Doyle, co-author of Wizard of the Coasts’ Tomb of Annihilation, and illustrator and artist Stacey Allan. Stacey has even thought of what all of those teeny, adorable eye-stalks can do to happily hapless adventurers:

Thank you SO much to the very talented @mazzmatazz – what an awesome gift! We had loads of fun with the photo shoot!! Oh and the eye beams are: ray of bubbles, babbling, wriggling, giggling, rattling & rhyming xD https://t.co/Mo3ot1W8Jv

— Stacey Allan (@staceyallanart) April 14, 2018

Will called this look his daughter’s “first D&D cosplay,” and we hope that means there will be more adorable monsters in the future for us to “ooh” and “ahhh” over. (The good kind of “ahh,” not the “Ahhh, a beholder!” kind.)

Which D&D monsters do you think would make adorable costumes? Tell us in the comments.

Images: Wizards of the Coast,  Will Doyle

Roll more dice for these stories!

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Steven Spielberg Will Make DC’s BLACKHAWK Movie

With Ready Player One, Steven Spielberg proved he can tackle big nostalgia properties for the meta age, having created most of them himself. Were we surprised? He’s Steven effing Spielberg for crying out loud. But, for all of his many achievements in the field of blockbuster spectacle entertainment, he’s never yet dipped his toe into the field of comic book movies, that genre that is all anyone can talk about or watch for the past 18 years. That changes, however, with DC Comics announced Spielberg will produce and hopes to direct a movie based on Blackhawk, a comic about a team of WWII-era fighter pilots.

Spielberg will produce with his Amblin Entertainment company working in tandem with Warner Bros. Pictures. Frequent Spielberg collaborator David Koepp will pen the screenplay. In the press release, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich said, “We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure. We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing Blackhawk to movie audiences worldwide.”

DC has owned the copyright on Blackhawk and all of its characters since 1957 when it bought Quality Comics (the same deal that brought Captain Marvel/Shazam! into the DC Universe), but the characters date back to 1941, making Blackhawk among the first Golden Age series, made first as U.S. military entertainment. Blackhawk has made several appearances over the years, including in Darwyn Cooke’s landmark DC: The New Frontier, and was rebooted during The New 52. The Blackhawk series also gave the DC Universe the well-known heroine, Lady Blackhawk.

Spielberg said of the announcement, “It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bring Ready Player One to the screen. They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have a tremendous history in this genre. I am excited to reunite with them on Blackhawk.”

With this announcement, DC is truly swinging for the fences; Blackhawk may not be a marquee title for the publisher, but Spielberg’s name, and a setting in a heightened, semi-sci-fi version of WWII-era, is a terrific gamble. Earlier Tuesday, DC announced a new Birds of Prey movie to star Margot Robbie and with Cathy Yan as director, and recently announced Ava DuVernay would direct The New Gods.

Are you stoked to see what Spielly B can bring to Blackhawk? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: DC Comics/Warner Bros

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and an avowed DC Comics fanboy. Follow him on Twitter!

More of that nerdy goodness!

Cathy Tan will direct DC’s Birds of Prey movie , with Margot Robbie starring!
We owned a a Matt LeBlanc toy because of 1998’s Lost in Space!
DC’s Injustice comic will cross over with He-Man !

RICK AND MORTY Fans Are Overreacting To the MY LITTLE PONY Cameo

Rick and Morty fans are currently living in a world where the fourth season appears to be very far away, and the closest thing we’ve seen to a new episode was an April Fool’s Day prank. That was the last time the titular duo appeared until a recent episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Sharp-eyed fans spotted equestrian incarnations of Rick and Morty hanging around in the background, and the hardcore Rickies are going out of their *BURP*in’ minds. Today’s Nerdist News isn’t just for the Bronies as we explain why Rick and Morty‘s fandom has overreacted. Again.

Join guest host Amy “Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub” Vorpahl, as she walks us through some of the fiery hot takes on Rick and Morty‘s cameo appearance. The most vocal detractors seem to be offended at the very idea of their beloved cartoon icons getting the MLP treatment, and they’re hoofing mad!

Oh yeah, they’re really squanching over this one as if My Little Pony doesn’t have a long history of throwing in fun cameos like this. Did anyone see the Whovians freaking out when Doctor Whooves appeared in the background? Even within the context of Rick and Morty itself, the multiverse is real and we’ve met dozens of different Ricks and many Morty variants. If Cronenberg Rick and Morty exist, then shouldn’t Pony Rick and Morty as well?

No less than Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon has said everyone’s theories about the show are true until they aren’t. So as far as we’re concerned, Pony Rick and Morty are the official crossover between the two shows. Only a fourth season of Rick and Morty can prove us wrong!

What do you think about the MLP/Rick and Morty cameo? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Adult Swim/Hasbro Studios

More of the latest Nerdist News!

Did the Russo Bros just confirm our worst fears about Avengers 4?
Who is the Screenslaver in the Incredibles 2 trailer ?
Captain America’s mystery weapon has the internet stumped!

What ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Reference Will Appear in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR?

The Avengers will soon do battle with Thanos, but we’re still getting lots of new reports and footage from Infinity War. So on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back we broke down what it could all mean when the Mad Titan invades Earth, along with the DCEU choosing another female director, and Steven Spielberg‘s record-setting milestone.

Guest host Amy Vorpahl was joined today by Nerdist News writer Aliza Pearl, editor Kyle Anderson, and producer Ben McShane. With a little over a week to go before Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters they began with the latest on Marvel’s epic showdown with Thanos, including a new commercial for the film where Spider-Man and Iron Man go toe-to-toe with the big purple baddie. Does this new teaser have us more worried about who might die in the movie? Why is Ben convinced the Silver Surfer is still going to appear despite the Russo Brothers saying he won’t? And what exactly could the Arrested Development reference they teased for the film be?

Speaking of huge superhero franchises, Cathy Yan has been tapped by Warner Bros. to direct their Christina Hodson-penned Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey spin-off. This makes her the third female director for the DCEU, so how bad does Disney look for not having a single woman direct either a Star Wars or MCU movie yet? As for the actual movie, do we hope they adapt a story from the comics or create an entirely new one? And between this, Gotham Sirens, Suicide Squad 2, and that Joker vs. Harley Quinn movie, is this character overkill? Or are they just giving fans what they want?

Finally, according to The Wrap Steven Spielberg has become the first director to cross the ten billion dollar mark worldwide for his career. Peter Jackson is in second place at $6.5 billion, so do we ever see someone topping Spielberg for the top spot? Is there any other director who can match his genre-spanning resume? And do we prefer his fun fare or his serious works more?

As always Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. PT. Then we end the week with Nerdist News What the Fridays, our new hour long recap of the biggest trending pop culture stories, at 1 p.m. PT only at Alpha. It’s the place to be to discuss what we can expect from Infinity War, and it will be the place to be to discuss what we saw in it after next week.

But what about today’s show? We want to hear your thoughts on it in the comments below.

We’ve Got More Talks Back For Ya!

Will fans end up rooting for Thanos?
Did Thrones film its final battle?
And finally, the cast of Lost in Space stopped by!

Images: Marvel, HBO

Mondo’s PLANET OF THE APES Tiki Mugs Are Dedicated to the Lawgiver

This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of one of the greatest science fiction franchises ever to hit the big screen: Planet of the Apes. The movie came out on April 3, 1968. An instant sensation, the movie spawned four sequels, a live-action and an animated series, a big budget remake from Tim Burton (that is perhaps best forgotten), and a more recent reboot trilogy that was truly transcendent. And now, Mondo has the best way to celebrate fifty years of those damn dirty apes with a new set of Planet of the Apes tiki mugs featuring the legendary Lawgiver from the original films.

The Lawgiver was the orangutan prophet/deity seen in the Planet of the Apes films in statue form; he was played by John Huston in the final Apes movie from the ’70s. The handcrafted tiki mug of the Lawgiver will hold approximately 18 ounces of your favorite drink, tiki-themed or otherwise. It will be available in four glazeways (Regular Sandstone, Liberty, Bone, and Bloody) starting on April 18 at 11AM CT on Mondo’s website. A fifth version (featuring the Alamo Drafthouse Brown Glaze) will be available at a later date. Each of these mugs is handmade, so slight variations from images shown may occur.

Head to the gallery below to see more photos of each finish.

What do you think of these amazingly cool tiki mugs? Will you be ordering any? Let us know in the comments.

Images: Mondo

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Directors Say Silver Surfer Won’t Be in the Movie

We’re expecting Avengers: Infinity War to have a few surprise appearances, but the movie’s directors just shot down one popular theory about a character fans had legitimate reason to believe might show up: the Silver Surfer. Despite evidence pointing towards him being in the movie, the Russo brothers say this is one wave he won’t be riding.

In an interview with YahooUK (via Collider), Joe and Anthony Russo were asked about the rumor the character was going to be in Marvel’s epic showdown with Thanos, despite 20th Century Fox still owning Silver Surfer’s big screen rights. But while they say that might be a possibility when/if the Disney-Fox merger goes through, the crossover isn’t happening in Infinity War.



Any character who could possibly be fantasy cast in the movie has been “rumored” to be appearing at some point by hopeful fans, but this specific theory carried a little more weight because, well, he’s listed as being in the movie. Metacritic still, as of this writing, has actor Curt Clendenin in the cast playing “Silver Surfer.”

Erroneous casts listings aren’t uncommon, but this was followed up by Curt Clendenin changing his Twitter banner to–you guessed it–an image of the Silver Surfer.

Considering how insane Marvel has been about spoilers for the movie, the smart money is on this just being Clendenin’s way to have fun with Metacritic‘s mistake.

Unless…do you think this is this damage control from the Russo brothers? Isn’t this exactly what they would say if Silver Surfer WAS in the movie? We know Infinity War is going to have some surprises, and seeing the Silver Surfer now would really be unexpected.

Do you think there’s any chance the character could show up in the movie? Surf into our comments section and let us know why.

Featured Image: 20th Century Fox

To Infinity War and beyond!

Thanos’ backstory will be explored in a book.
Will Loki die in the first scene of Infinity War?
How Wakanda is essential to surviving Infinity War.

New STAR WARS Book Has Lando Being the Most Lando

Lando Calrissian is more than a man. He’s a presentation. He’s the kind of guy who selects every piece of his outfit with deliberate care because he knows it makes a statement about who he is. Lando’s putting together a package for the world to admire, and also, he talks about his package in Daniel José Older’s new Star Wars book, Last Shot.

Last Shot, a Han and Lando novel, follows the duo as they chase after a powerful transmitter that could have a devastating effect on the galaxy. The story takes place in a few timelines: before Solo: A Star Wars Story, after that film but before A New Hope, and after the Battle of Jakku (which happens a year or so after Return of the Jedi). So, we see Lando at different points in his life and career, and it is the most Lando the character has ever been in the current storytelling universe.

What do I mean by most Lando? When you imagine the character, you think about someone who’s suave, flirtatious, and enamored with himself and clothing. And you’d be right. Last Shot focuses in on Lando, with detailed descriptions of him choosing an ensemble and getting dressed, but Older also takes care to show Lando has more depth–way more than he wears on his sleeve. I’ll let you read the book to discover Lando’s inner thoughts on your own, but I need to highlight a particular passage on page 41 of the hardcover edition about part of an outfit Lando’s wearing:

“Pants: Dark purple with a gold stripe up either side. Pressed and creased sharply down the middle, of course. Subtly flared at the hems over shined and waxed narrow-tip dewback-skin boots, sloping inward and tight toward the top. Tight enough for a bulge and insinuation of an ass; not so tight as to cut off circulation or impede a smooth cavort across the dance floor.”

Lando taking note of and admiring his butt and bulge is everything I didn’t know I needed from a Lando story.

A few more facts about Lando in Last Shot (these could be considered minor spoilers):

Toddler Ben Solo calls him “Unca Wanwo.”
His ship in the post-Return of the Jedi timeline is the Lady Luck. The ship belonged to Lando first in Legends; it was introduced in Heir to the Empire.
When he owned the Millennium Falcon, he did indeed have a cape closet. Ron Howard previewed what it will look like in Solo:

#UntitledHanSoloMovie Care to guess whose closet this is?

A post shared by RealRonHoward (@realronhoward) on Jul 11, 2017 at 11:31am PDT

Last Shot is available today, April 17, wherever you buy books.

Images: Del Rey, Lucasfilm

Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. She likes Star Wars a little. Follow her on Twitter.

More Lando!

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The best Lando Calrissian gifs.