Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1792

You Can Attend WESTWORLD’s Season 2 Premiere in These 3 Cities

The robot uprising will be televised when Westworld returns to HBO for its second season later this month. Fans of the series are eager to explore the consequences of the series’ “violent delights,” but a few lucky viewers will be able to catch the season premiere early, as HBO has announced Westworld season 2 advance screenings in three cities: San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Each of the three Westworld screenings will be free, with cast members Simon Quarterman and Shannon Woodward in attendance for special post-screening Q&A sessions with the fans. To further immerse attendees into the world of the show, they will also be given personality tests to determine whether they are “white hats” or “black hats.”

Following the Q&A, fans are invited to attend a party held in a recreation of Sweetwater, the western town featured in the series. There will be a “curated menu” of Westworld themed dishes, as well as cocktails and whiskey drams from Westward American Single Malt Whiskey.

If you want to grab tickets for this event, head over to the official Westworld Facebook page on Friday, April 6, at 9am PST/Noon EST. The San Francisco screening will be held on April 18, with the Philadelphia event to follow on April 21. The final screening will be held in Boston on April 22, which is also the date the second season will premiere on HBO.

Are you excited about the opportunity to see Westworld early and visit the world of the show? Freeze all motor functions and leave a comment below!

MORE ABOUT WESTWORLD!

6 unsolved mysteries season two should answer.
Listen to Westworld‘s cover of “Heart-Shaped Box.”
Get your first look at Shogun World.

Images: HBO

Amazon’s LORD OF THE RINGS Will Be the Most Expensive Show in History

Nearly nine hours in theatrical release and over 12 in extended home releases were apparently not enough to get every last piece of enjoyment from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s immortal book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. The once-believed unfilmable books were turned into less-than-successful animated films in the ’70s and ’80s but massively successful live-action films in the early 2000s thanks to Peter Jackson. Now, Amazon has picked up the rights to turn it into a streaming series, and, according to a fascinating new piece by The Hollywood Reporter, it’s going to last at least five seasons and cost upwards of $1 billion. Precious indeed.

It was rumored at the time that the Lord of the Rings series would be the most expensive TV show in history, and now it seems to be absolutely the case. THR details the bananas-complex rights situation that landed the project in Jeff Bezos’ shire. Amazon was in a bidding war with Netflix for the rights to the novels, published between 1954 and 1955, and ended up paying a quarter of a billion dollars to the Tolkien estate, publisher HarperCollins and New Line Cinema. The deal, made in 2017, stipulates that production has to start within two years with a five-year commitment, and estimates are saying it’ll cost over a billy.

And as quickly as this deal came together, it’s one of the most complicated in Hollywood history. When Tolkien sold the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to United Artist in 1969, they subsequently changed hands multiple times, going through many, many parties (including the Weinsteins who deliberated profit sharing for all three Rings movies and the first Hobbit) before landing at New Line Cinema. New Line and Warner Bros. never had TV rights to the books, but Amazon now has rights to material created exclusively for the films. And Peter Jackson is apparently not yet involved, but is probably owed some money at some point.

All of this stems from Bezos’ September 2017 mandate that Amazon find the next Game of Thrones. Still, as much as I love the Tolkien books and Jackson’s trilogy, I truly don’t think there’s enough story to warrant five full seasons. Sure there’s Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion material, but we saw what happened when The Hobbit films were forced to be more Ring-like.

Do you think a Lord of the Rings TV show will be worth it? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: New Line

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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HARRY POTTER: HOGWARTS MYSTERY Game Enlists the Voices of Maggie Smith, Warwick Davis, and Michael Gambon

For a while there, we feared we’d make it to our deathbeds still waiting an owl-delivery of that acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Thankfully, we’ll get the chance the chance to enroll once the new Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery mobile game is released. But our time at the wizarding school is going to be even more authentic than we thought, because some of the most famous and beloved professors from the film franchise are returning to lend their voice to the game.

Jam City announced Maggie Smith, Warwick Davis, and Michael Gambon will return to play professors McGonagle, Flitwick, and Dumbledore in the game. They’ll also be joined by Sally Mortemore (Madam Irma Pince), Gemma Jones (Madam Pomfrey), and Zoe Wanamaker (Madam Hooch).

Co-founder and CEO of Jam City Chris DeWolfe said in the announcement that their goal with the game “is to make players really feel for the first time like they’re attending Hogwarts,” and having the voices we know and love filling the halls will go a long way to making that happen. And while we have always adored the tough-but-loving Professor McGonagle and wanted to attend her Transfiguration class, Dame Maggie Smith said she’d most love to sit in on another famous professor’s course.

“If I could attend Hogwarts as a student, I would be most excited to attend the potions class taught by Severus because it is the most exotic,” said Smith. Knowing the yearly chaos of the Defense Against the Dark Arts course, we’d argue that’s the most exotic class, but we don’t dare disagree with Professor McGonagle or Maggie Smith.

The studio also announced when fans will be able to finally enter the famous school of magic: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery will be made available on iOS and Android on Wednesday, April 25!

Which professor would you most want to speak with? Cast a spell with your answer in the comments below.

Images: Jam City

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SPYRO THE DRAGON Gets a Remastered Trilogy This Fall

Earlier this year, rumors swirled that Spyro the Dragon would be remastered in time for the 20th anniversary of the franchise. The original Spyro charmed Playstation gamers in 1998 with its plucky title hero and his fun dragon powers. Now, a new generation of players will get a chance to enjoy brand new versions of Spyro’s first three games for both Playstation 4 and Xbox One.



Activision has officially announced Spyro Reignited Trilogy, which will include modernized takes on Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Skylanders developer Toys for Bob is completely reimagining the games with noticeably improved graphics and cinematics, as well as enhanced background and lighting effects. Activision also promised analog stick support, a new version of Stewart Copeland’s soundtracks, and a much smoother camera experience.

If you’re happy to see Spyro again, you can thank Crash Bandicoot. The success of last year’s Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy paved the way for Spyro’s comeback. The real question now is whether it will lead to a brand new Spyro game. It’s been a decade since Spyro had his last solo adventure, and we’d love to see this little dragon take flight with an even more impressive update. But this is definitely a good start, and we’ll have Spyro Reignited Trilogy on preorder when it hits on September 21.

Are you excited to see Spyro the Dragon heading back to consoles? What would you like to see in a brand new Spyro game? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Activision

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Reactions to RAMPAGE Say The Rock Delivers a Fun Popcorn Flick

“Of course the wolf flies.”  “I was just thinking the only thing that’s missing right now is a giant crocodile.“

The trailers for Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming action movie Rampage, based on the video game series, wasn’t shy in its trailers about embracing its ridiculous concept. When you’re going to have The Rock team up with a monster-sized gorilla to save Chicago from a giant wolf and huge reptile you obviously aren’t trying to make the Citizen Kane of the animal kingdom, you’re promising moviegoers a super fun, entertaining experience. So did it deliver on its promise? Based on the first reactions to the film after it’s world premiere in Los Angeles it certainly sounds like it did.

Our Dan Casey was in attendance and he got the movie he wanted and expected to see.

#Rampage was incredibly fun and exactly the movie I hoped it would be. Just ridiculous, delightful, explosive B-movie silliness from top to bottom starring @TheRock as an indestructible primatologist. pic.twitter.com/1yopRcPrj6

— Dan Casey (@DanCasey) April 5, 2018

He wasn’t alone in having his popcorn-flick expectations filled either, because it sounds like this is one of those times where calling something “mindless” is a huge compliment.

#Rampage: This movie is exactly what you think it's going to be. Afterward, a guy near me said to his friend, "That was great. You didn't have to think AT ALL!"

— Ben Pearson (@benpears) April 5, 2018

All I heard from other audience members while watching #Rampage last night was “this is f—— awesome.” It’s ridiculous and entertaining and @JDMorgan’s character is so much fun to watch. @TheRock #RampageMovie

— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) April 5, 2018

RAMPAGE is a fun time at the movies. Just big monster smashing fun. @TheRock sells it but he has some tough competition from the sweet, funny and smashy George (@theJasonLiles). Great popcorn flick to escape to! #RampageMovie

— Yolanda Machado (@SassyMamainLA) April 5, 2018

RAMPAGE is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Brad Peyton has created a big budget B movie & Dwayne Johnson delivers his most outrageous performance to date. #Rampage is the ultimate monster movie and is non-stop campy fun. Did I mention that Dwayne Johnson fights a giant flying wolf? pic.twitter.com/0aFNqnxRl7

— Scott Menzel (@TheOtherScottM) April 5, 2018

Rampage is big, loud and fun as hell. Especially touching to see the Harambe in memoriam card during the closing credits. @TheRock’s got another massive hit on his hands! #RampageMovie

— Mr. Ræger (@S_Weinstein95) April 5, 2018

Harambe died so that Rampage could live?

Rampage is ridiculous and fun!

It's a big movie, kind of like Transformers, back in the days when they were pretty good, but with giant monsters.

Rampage embraces what it is visciously well, so that @TheRock and @JDMorgan can be epic on screen! Buckle up. pic.twitter.com/NhtyeuY3eS

— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) April 5, 2018

Jeffrey Dean Morgan was also singled out for his performance by many in attendance, although the film’s main villain seems to have left a lot to be desired.

RAMPAGE was a mindless, popcorn action flick, in all the best ways. the VFX looked great, and watching the creatures destroy a full city was pretty awesome. Jeffery Dean Morgan steals the movie, only negative I have is the villain is a little to over the top.

— Skyler Shuler (@Skylerhxc) April 5, 2018

Jeffery Dean Morgan’s character was great. The movie really did capture the ridiculousness of the game.

— Skyler Shuler (@Skylerhxc) April 5, 2018

Even the harshest criticism, which came from /Film’s Peter Sciretta, had praise for The Rock’s relationship with George.

#Rampage certainly doesn’t break the video game movie curse and has some of the worst villains I’ve seen on screen this year (and I saw Ready Player One) but it’s enjoyable in a disposable sense. I cared more about the Rock/ape relationship than I did the city smashing.

— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) April 5, 2018

Sounds like despite getting its villain wrong, Rampage offered up a fun time at the movies. And when your film prominently involves a giant flying wolf, what more could you ask for?

Rampage soars into theaters on April 13th.

What do you make of these first impressions? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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Russell T. Davies created new female Doctors after Jodie Whittaker!
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Featured Image: New Line

Russell T. Davies Created New Female Doctors After Jodie Whittaker

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from nearly 55 years of Doctor Who being a thing, it’s that time can be rewritten. And unwritten and written the same, but differently. One of the biggest of these came around the 50th anniversary when, out of necessity with the lack of Christopher Eccleston’s participation, Steven Moffat unveiled a secret, as-yet-unheard-of past incarnation of the Doctor, which existed in between Paul McGann’s Eighth and Eccleston’s Ninth. Writers have fun with the Doctor’s history (and future) quite a bit, and now one of the series’ most important figures is ret-future-conning more of the Doctor’s life.

Russell T. Davies was the head writer and showrunner responsible for bringing Doctor Who back to television in 2005 and helmed the series for its first five years. As we told you a few weeks back, Davies—along with his successor Steven Moffat and writers Paul Cornell and Jenny Colgan—is adapting new series episodes into novelizations in the style of the Target novelizations done for the original series. Davies’ contribution is “Rose,” the first episode of his first series. According to Radio Times, Davies has thrown in some Easter eggs about future Doctors…including some that haven’t happened yet.

In the episode, if you remember, Rose encounters the Doctor in the mall where she works and runs away from the Autons with him. Afterward, she finds a man named Clive who has photos and case histories about the Doctor popping up in history. In the episode, it’s just pictures of the Ninth Doctor–the goal of Series 1 was to introduce the concept of Doctor Who without the baggage–but in the novelization, Davies has Rose look at pictures of all the previous Doctors, and the future ones (she turns away during a photo of the Tenth, conveniently) and he didn’t stop there:

Rose saw a photo of a man with a fantastic jaw, dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. Then Clive kept the sequence going; an older, angry man in a brown caretaker’s coat, holding a mop; a blonde woman in braces running away from a giant frog in front of Buckingham Palace; a tall, bald black woman wielding a flaming sword; a young girl or boy in a hi-tech wheelchair with what looked like a robot dog at their side…

This excerpt describes the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Doctors (let’s hope we see Jodie Whittaker fighting giant frogs in Series 11!) as well as “a tall, bald black woman wielding a flaming sword,” which, holy crap, that would be the coolest Doctor in the whole wide world. And he even includes a gender neutral, differently-abled Doctor. Unheard of Doctors?!?! How can this be!?

Well, it’s pretty typical, actually. The beauty if the Doctor is that the character is “ancient and forever,” a figure of hope throughout time and space, unbound by the rules of chronology. In Tom Baker’s second season in 1976, the story “The Brain of Morbius” featured the Doctor in a battle of the minds with Time Lord criminal Morbius, and we see projections of the Doctor’s past selves, and several future selves. Those were all just members of the production team dressed up; obviously none of them have ever been the Doctor. In the following season’s “The Deadly Assassin,” it’s established Time Lords can only regenerate 12 times, which we now know is not binding.

Davies had to play things rather safe in that arena, given the show was essentially brand new again, but now, eight years after leaving the series, he can have a ball and mess with continuity. He did something similar during Matt Smith’s era, when the Eleventh Doctor guested on episodes of Davies’ spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. Davies as writer had the Doctor says he can regenerate 507 times, during a time when the LAW was still 12.

Whether or not Chris Chibnall or whomever else decides to use these future Doctors, it’s a great way to nod to the now-fully established possibility for the Doctor to be anyone, regardless of gender, race, or physical ability of the actor playing them.

Russell T. Davies’ novelization of “Rose” is available for pre-order at various outlets now.

Images: BBC

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor and the resident Whovian for Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!

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Will J.J. Abrams Change Rey’s Parents in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX?

Simon Pegg said J.J. Abrams originally had a different plan for Rey‘s parents than what we saw in The Last Jedi, so could he change things again in Episode IX? On today’s Nerdist News Talks Back we discussed if she might still end up being related to the Skywalkers, along with the future of Flashpoint, and if the next Indiana Jones will be a woman.

Guest host Dan Casey was joined today by editors Alicia Lutes and Kyle Anderson, as well as producer Jesse Gill. They started with the subject that will apparently never die: Rey’s real parents. (Sigh.) Simon Pegg said J.J. Abram’s plans for them were more in line with Star Wars “lineage,” hinting at more of a Skywalker connection. Could he retcon this in the last film in the trilogy? If he does will it undo some of the emotional impact of The Last Jedi? Would doing so appease the fans who didn’t like Rian Johnson’s film? If Rey’s parents don’t change, will the next movie focus on Kylo who actually is a Skywalker? And did Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy do the right thing in not mapping everything out so much in advance?



There’s also a new report the Flash movie won’t be called Flashpoint, but that it still might adapt that story line just under a different name. What do we make of this? Are all of the film’s changes with directors and writers something to worry about, or is DC doing what they need to to get it right? Are they still making this movie just so they can reboot the franchise? Speaking of the DCEU, do we believe Matt Reeves’ claim his Batman movie is coming along well? And will all of the studio’s schedule shuffling hurt them with moviegoers?

Finally, Steven Spielberg said he’s open to a woman taking over as Indiana Jones after the fifth movie, which he expects will be Harrison Ford’s last playing the character. What do we think of this gender-swap idea? How would we like to see them do it? A reboot, or a passing of the torch? Why doesn’t he understand calling her “Indiana Joan” is not how names work? And would we ever want to see the character in a more modern setting?

Nerdist News Talks Back airs live Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. on our YouTube and Alpha channels  PT, and the supersized Nerdist News What the Fridays ends the week at 1 p.m. PT exclusively at Alpha. It’s the place to be when someone brings up the topic of Rey’s parents, which means it’s the place literally all the time.

What did you think of today’s topics? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Talk Back with Us Some More!

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COBRA-KAI Teasers Show Daniel’s Karate-themed Car Dealership

In 1984, The Karate Kid charmed movie fans with the story of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), a teenager who came under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). Thanks to Miyagi, Daniel learned some valuable life lessons and just enough martial arts to pull off an improbable victory over Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) at the All-Valley Karate Tournament. Over thirty years will have passed in Cobra Kai, a new YouTube Red original series that catches up with Daniel and Johnny. In one of the latest teasers for the show, we learn Daniel has taken everything he experienced with Miyagi and corporatized it to help him sell cars on TV.



While life has been very good to Daniel, he can still be triggered by his memories from that fateful summer. In the second clip, Daniel discovers the Cobra Kai dojo is coming back, and he doesn’t look pleased.



Daniel isn’t the only one holding a grudge. Cobra Kai is putting most of its focus on Johnny, who apparently never fully got over his loss to Daniel. In the next preview clip, Johnny takes offense when Daniel’s latest ad campaign appears to directly reference their match.



Will Johnny and Daniel once again face off in a fight? While we can’t put it past either of them, Cobra Kai appears to be setting the stage for the next generation of their rivalry. Johnny is teaching a new group of students, and the final teaser hints it will all come down to another karate tournament at the end.



Cobra Kai will premiere on YouTube Red on May 2.

Who are you rooting for now: Daniel or Johnny? Pick a side in the comment section below!

Image: YouTube Red

 

More Karate Kid

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Here’s Your First Look at Kiernan Shipka in THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA

Filming is currently underway for Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa‘s upcoming Netflix series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and after weeks and months of hints, we finally have some photos from set. And guess what? They’re adorable and great.

Well, it’s out there. A 1st look at Harvey and Sabrina from the “Chilling Adventures of #Sabrina.” ADORBS, right? pic.twitter.com/9n8cznpv2c

— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) April 4, 2018

Aguirre-Sacasa also shared an image of Sabrina’s iconic talking cat, Salem.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet #Greendale’s latest resident. All hail, Salem! #sabrina, #netflix pic.twitter.com/XZ1dNPgvja

— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) February 9, 2018

Looks pretty spot-on to us!

The Chilling Adventures is based on a graphic novel of the same name written by Aguirre-Sacasa and illustrated by Robert Hack. It’s a gothic take on the famous teen witch who first appeared in the Archie digests in the 1960s, and who was previously portrayed by Melissa Joan Hart in the 90s ABC television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This time, Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka is stepping into the role, and can be seen in these first photos with her fictional boyfriend Harvey Kinkle, played by Ross Lynch.

No release date has been announced yet, but that hasn’t dampened our excitement – there’s so much to look forward to when it comes to The Chilling Adventure‘s potential. Aguirre-Sacasa’s other series, Riverdale, is a major hit that renders the classic Archie comics in shades of noir and horror, but his take on Sabrina is even darker. Instead of having charming powers, she’s part of a dark coven and is stalked by Madam Satan, a witch who returns from Hell to prey on the Spellman family. There’s ritualistic sacrifice, black magic, devil worship, and the scariest thing of all time: high school. Riverdale exists in the PG-confines of The CW, but the Netflix release of The Chilling Adventures means it get as bloody and nasty as it wants – and we can’t wait!

What do you think about this first look at The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Do you think Kiernan Shipka is a good fit? Does Salem look convincing enough? Let us know what you think!

Need More Sabrina Talk?

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Image: Archie Horror

“Weird Al” Yankovic Wrote a Crossword Puzzle for The New York Times

After forty-plus years of “Weird Al” Yankovic‘s antics, we really shouldn’t be surprised at anything he does. He’s a talented musician, singer, satirist, actor, and a writer. But now, Weird Al is taking his love of wordplay to the next level by writing a crossword puzzle for The New York Times.

Weird Al and NYT contributor Eric Berlin co-wrote the crossword puzzle for Wednesday, April 4, and it’s got a lot of food puns, especially about cheese. For example, there are a few clues that require adding cheese to the title of a movie. That’s how A Few Good Men became A Few Gouda Men, or Fatal Attraction became Feta Attraction. Our favorite is The Pelican Brie.

There are also clues which feature callbacks to Star Trek, Looney Tunes, and a very famous member of Monty Python. Readers will also have to figure out how to identify a “rock that rolls.” Here’s a hint: the correct answer has only four letters. It’s probably going to be a challenge for most players.

You can fill out the entire crossword puzzle created by Weird Al in the latest The New York Times. If you’re willing to take the plunge, head to the Times‘ official site. For anyone who doesn’t have the patience for that, the completed answer key can be seen below.

What do you think about Weird Al’s crossword puzzle? Solve the clues and fill in your thoughts below!

Images: RCA Records/The New York Times

WANT MORE WEIRD AL?

Watch him sing a song about not getting nuked
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