Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1839
February 12, 2018
Could George Lucas Ever Return to STAR WARS?
George Lucas helped out with a scene when he visited the set of Solo. Is it possible the creator of Star Wars would ever like to return to the galaxy far, far away? We discussed the possibility on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with whether or not the latest Infinity War teasers are doing anything to get us more hyped for the movie, and if the Peter Rabbit controversy has merit.
Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by producer Jesse Gill, Mothership writer Amy Vorpahl, and Nerdist News writer Joey Clift, and they assembled to first look at the latest TV spot for Infinity War. There was almost nothing new in it, so they kicked off the discussion by questioning the point of releasing a short spot like this.
We also found out last week George Lucas helped direct a scene when he visited the Solo set. Does this mean he hasn’t truly let go of his Star Wars baby? It’s hard to imagine, but maybe there’s a possibility of him returning to Star Wars in a more official capacity.
Finally, like everyone predicted, the Peter Rabbit movie has led to controversy, with Sony apologizing for how it depicted a food allergy. Is this too much sensitivity, or are parents right to be upset?
Remember Nerdist News Talks Back airs live on our YouTube and Alpha channels at 1 p.m. PT Monday through Thursday. Starting this Friday, Nerdist News What the Fridays will kick off; it’s our brand new hour long show recapping the week in pop culture, and it will air at 1 p.m. PT exclusively on Alpha.
No, George Lucas will not be involved with the show. Unless he wants to be, then he’s definitely welcomed to help out. The guy did create Star Wars after all.
We still want to hear from you about today’s show, so talk back to us in the comments below.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
Catch up on this news!
George Lucas helped direct a Solo scene.
What’s up with Cap’s shield in Infinity War?
Michael Fassbender will star in Kung Fury.
UMBRELLA ACADEMY Casts Mary J. Blige as a Time-Traveling Hitwoman
Netflix’s Umbrella Academy adaptation has been racking up a radical cast, including Tom Hopper, Ellen Page, and Robert Sheehan, since it was first announced last year. Today it added another exciting cast member: R&B legend and the Oscar-nominated costar of Netflix’s Mudbound, Mary J. Blige! Based on the contemporary cult classic comic book series by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy tells the story of a dysfunctional family of superheroes living in an alt universe version of 1977, reconnecting after the death of their father figure.
Blige’s addition is a massive get for the show, after she garnered Oscar noms both as a Supporting Actress and for Original Song for the astonishing Mudbound. Blige will be playing a character called Cha-Cha, whom the press release describes as “a ruthless and unorthodox hitwoman who travels through time to kill assigned targets. Even though she has a few gripes about the bureaucracy of her employers, this job is her life. She is sadistic, sociopathic, and her reputation precedes her. Her true love is torture, and she thinks of herself as a ‘pain artist.’ She really doesn’t care for people—except for her partner Hazel.” This is a really cool casting choice, especially as it veers aways from the Dark Horse Comics source material slightly where both Cha-Cha and Hazel were men.
In the comics, Hazel and Cha-Cha are assassins who love torture, candy, and… oh, they also wear giant plushie animal masks. They work for a shady organization called Temps Aeternalis, time police who’re committed to preserving the “timestream” by sending assassins like Cha-Cha and Hazel back in time to kill anyone who threatens the continuum.
Though we can’t know exactly how close to the comics the show will stick, the inclusion of Cha-Cha and Hazel confirms one thing: Umbrella Academy will likely be very, very violent. Lest we not forget these are the two characters who once cut off a chef’s limbs to make him cough up his apple pie recipe!
It’s so great to see Netflix diversifying the cast of the comic adaptation; seeing as Mary J. Blige has signed on for a full season order, we can assume that Cha-Cha and Hazel will be playing a much larger part in the show than they did in the book. We’ll be excited to see who they cast as Blige’s partner in crime, and can’t wait to see who else they add to this absolutely stellar cast before the show is released later this year!
Are you excited to see the comic that Grant Morrison once called “X-Men for cool people” finally brought to the small screen? Can’t wait to see what Gerard Way has been up to since My Chemical Romance? Just excited to see Gabriel Ba’s vision come to life? Let us know in the comments!
Images: Netflix, Dark Horse Comics
More news from the comic book world
Tank Girl is getting a 30th anniversary series
The story behind the #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe hashtag
Who is Deadpool 2‘s hidden X-Force member?
Michael Fassbender Will Star in a Feature-Length KUNG FURY
Michael Fassbender isn’t exactly known for his comedies (unless you count The Snowman), but that’s all about to change in a big way. Fassbender will star in a feature-length sequel to the 2015 short film Kung Fury, an ’80s homage comedy about a renegade cop in Miami who has super kung fu powers he uses to go back in time to fight the “Kung Führer,” i.e. Hitler, with the help of the Valkyries, Thor, and a T. rex.
The original 2015 short was written and directed by David Sandberg, who also starred as Kung Fury, after he raised a record-setting $630,000 to produce it on Kickstarter. The movie, a truly absurd (in the best way) comedy that paid tribute to the ’80s, martial arts films, fantasy tales, sci-fi, and police action movies, managed to pack a whole lot of insanity into only a half-hour run time, so the possibilities for a big budget feature are nuts to think about. Kung Fury also somehow managed to look way more expensive than its Kickstarter budget would let on… while also looking exactly as cheesy as you’d hope. We hope they keep that aesthetic even with an Oscar-nominated actor on board.
Sandberg will produce the film and also star alongside Fassbender (this reminds us of how Antonio Banderas took over the lead role in Desperado after El Mariachi was a surprise hit), while David Hasselhoff, who voiced “Hoff 9000” in the original and recorded an amazing song for it, will also return. As for the story they might tell, there’s no way to guess where they could go, but the original film ends with a perfect set-up for the next part of the journey.
Considering just how ridiculous the cult favorite is, it’s possible Michael Fassbender might be able to cram enough comedy into the new Kung Fury to make us think of him as a comedic actor from now on.
What do you make of this unlikely casting news? Kick into action with your thoughts in our comments section below.
Featured Image: LaserUnicorns
More movie news!
Ever want to see Liam Neeson as a deadly cupid?
A Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is in the works
Is Michael Bay the right director for a Lobo movie?
U.S. Curler Fully Embraces That He Looks Just Like Super Mario
Every four years, Americans rediscover that curling is the greatest sport in the world. Even if most of us don’t fully understand all the intricacies and strategies of the game, it’s still simple enough to completely captivate us. But this year’s Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, has given us another reason to latch on to most elegant rock-throwing event mankind has ever devised: U.S. curler Matt Hamilton, whose red hat, team uniform, and sweet mustache has made it feel like we’re rooting for a real-live version of Super Mario.
And it’s not just the sports-viewing world that has noticed; no one came up with a better Mario meme for Hamilton than the man himself. While his own team was highlighting the comparison like so…
Spot the difference. @MattJamilton pic.twitter.com/s1XxSYqnsw
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) February 8, 2018
…Matt was going next level. Or rather, he went out and found a Super Leaf and transformed himself into curling sensation Raccoon Mario.
I powered up and am ready for China today!! @heccabamilton and I had a great time at the opening ceremonies and we’re jacked to get back on the ice! #HamFam ready to rumble!? We’re not a 1-3 team and we prove it NOW! #TeamUSA #teamhamiltons #PyeongChang2018 #Curling pic.twitter.com/dDnliOHq8N
— Matt Hamilton (@MattJamilton) February 9, 2018
Is Matt Hamilton the greatest Olympic athlete in American history? If you want to go by something as arbitrary as “medals”—no, probably not. However, has any other competitor, from any nation, in either the summer or winter games, ever before posted a Photoshopped meme of himself throwing a green turtle shell as a curling stone while fully embracing the fact he looks like the one and only savior of Mushroom Kingdom?
Exactly.
Super Matt Hamilton is just one more reason curling is the best, even if we only remember that every four years.
Which version of Mario do you think would be the most appropriate form for a curler to take on? Tell us your best idea in the comments below.
Featured Image: Nintendo
More from the geeky world of sports!
Olympic figure skating meets Yuri on Ice!
The world’s highest basketball shot is mystifying
Miss the Kitten Bowl? Here are some highlights
A Fan Made a New SEGA GENESIS Game Using a Windows 95 PC
The 16-bit era of gaming wrapped over twenty years ago, but that hasn’t stopped one fan from achieving his dream of creating his own game for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Game developer Matt Phillips successfully crowd-funded Tanglewood, a game intended to be an authentic Sega title in the vein of The Lion King and Another World. Phillips was recently profiled on BBC News, where he demonstrated his level of commitment to that authenticity. Phillips developed Tanglewood using a Mega Drive development kit and a Windows 95 PC–neither of which proved to be very reliable tools.
As mentioned in the video, Phillips is making this game available on actual cartridges in addition to a digital release, so it should be able to play on Mega Drives and Genesis machines even though Sega wasn’t able to officially give their blessing to the project. This was a labor of love for Phillips, but he jokingly indicated that it may have cost him his sanity.
The premise of Tanglewood puts players into the role of Nymn, a young creature who is separated from the rest of his family after the sun goes down. It’s a platform title that chronicles Nymn’s quest to survive the terrors that come out at night and reunite with his family. Phillips has posted a few demo videos of the game on his YouTube channel, including the below preview.
According to Phillips, Tanglewood is still on target to be released later this year. You can find more information about it at the game’s official site.
Are you excited about the opportunity to play a new Sega Genesis game? Let us know what you think about Tanglewood in the comment section below!
Image: Big Evil Corporation
Play more stories about games!
Crash Bandicoot’s getting a new action figure.
New Kingdom Hearts III trailer shows off Monstropolis.
Play with a Jigglypuff controller.
LUPITA, ANGELA, and More Discuss the Power of BLACK PANTHER’s Dora Milaje
Of the many, many gifts Black Panther has already given us, perhaps the greatest of them all is the women of Wakanda. From our new favorite Disney Princess, Shuri, to the Dora Milaje, Ryan Coogler‘s Marvel venture is chockablock with some of the most empowered, cool, and exciting female characters we’ve ever seen in ANY film, superhero or otherwise. And the women and men involved in the film seem to agree with us.
We sent Markeia McCarty to get the goods from the cast on what makes their female characters so celebratory and exciting to watch on screen. From the joyful intelligence of STEM master, Shuri, to the strength and power of T’Challa’s mother, Ramonda, and (of course) the badassery the Dora Milaje bring to any and all fight scenes, everyone was in agreement: there is some serious Black Girl Magic happening in this film, with effects that will surely resonate for years to come.
I mean, have you seen the #WhatBlackPantherMeansToMe hashtag? The power of this film’s visibility and representation is already deeply resonating with audiences.
But don’t just take our word for it–watch the video yourself and try to not jump up and down with anticipation from now until February 16 when the film hits theaters.
What are you most excited about when it comes to Black Panther? Let us know in the comments below!
Get in on More Black Panther Goodness!
What we learned on a Black Panther set visit.
Six things to know about Wakanda.
The coolest Black Panther toys.
February 11, 2018
An Epic Cat Battle Inspires the Best Photoshops
There’s no shortage of cat videos and pictures online, so it takes something really memorable for these felines to break out from the pack. But a recent cat fight photo has sparked a Photoshop battle on Reddit that’s turned it into a clash of the titans. Via Mashable, here’s the original picture that was taken by a staff photographer for the Japanese newspaper, Kumanichi.
A post shared by 熊本日日新聞社写真部 (@kumanichi_nekoshima) on Jan 29, 2018 at 4:00pm PST
These two orange tabbies remind us of Puss in Boots, and that black cat in the background could be their Kitty Southpaws. We believe it’s the strike to the throat that makes this picture so memorable. And it’s led to some very funny edits of the original pic. And we might as well start with the Mortal Kombat inspired pics.
Cat wins. Fatality!
And now for a little old school Star Wars. Because, if this is a consular ship, then where is the ambassador?
Someone’s a big fan of Pantera. This editor even changed the colors to better match the cover of Pantera’s album, Vulgar Display of Power.
In the ring of life, you can be Rocky and the cat can be Apollo Creed.
This cat brought a knife to a claw fight.
And finally, this cat is every bully ever.
You can find more of these edits at the original source on Reddit.
What do you think about this cat battle? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image: DreamWorks Animation
We can never get enough memes.
Porg memes, of course, rule.
Generate your own Rick and Morty meme.
ReyLo get dance numbers to some favorite songs.
Pickstarter: The Ultimate Guidebook to Hasbro WWF Wrestling Action Figures
Hasbro‘s 1990 acquisition of the World Wrestling Federation toy license led to what at that point was the greatest wrestling toy line ever made, and one of the all-time great toy lines. Replacing the giant rubber non-poseable figures from LJN, each character could execute a spring-loaded wrestling move, and the facial likenesses, in an era before laser scans and McFarlane Toys, were surprisingly accurate. The line is so beloved, in fact, that last year the current now-WWE license holder Mattel began making modern superstar figures in the same style, and this year brought out an exact replica of the old Hasbro ring playset for them to battle in.
And now some avid collectors want to publish the definitive history of the line. Thanks to a Twitter tip from out friends at Comics Culture Cabal, we came upon the Kickstarter project by Manchester, UK-based Lee Roberts. His team have been in contact with former Hasbro employees, concept designers, and even some of the wrestlers sports-entertainers themselves.
Donations are taken in English pounds, but if you can spare $350, the reward is a custom Hasbro-style figure of your choice. The parameters of choice aren’t specified, but presumably the intent is to make a figure that was never actually available (I always wanted Brother Love, myself). Could it be one inyour own likeness? You’ll have to contact them to find out.
But if you’ve ever wanted to know what happened to the Rhythm and Blues Greg Valentine, or who would have been in the next series (Men on a Mission, believe it or not), and hear from the people who actually worked on the line in greater detail than an hourlong show like The Toys That Made Us will ever do, this is a Kickstarter to keep an eye on, as it appears headed for success.
Are you ready to read the real story behind “Real Wrestling Action”? Tell us your favorite Hasbro figure in comments.
Images: Kickstarter/Wrestling Superstore
Ready to rassle? Here’s more:
Macaulay Culkin enters the ring using Home Alone tactics.
The best wrestling moments of 2017.
Sumo-wrestling robots!
CRASH BANDICOOT’s Getting an Insane New Action Figure
In the wake of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the ’90s were filled with mascot characters starring in their own video game franchises. Most of these creations have been rightfully forgotten, especially you, Bubsy! But Crash Bandicoot still has a special place in our hearts from his earliest adventures. And while Crash is still awaiting a full-fledged video game comeback, fans won’t have to wait long to pick up a new Crash Bandicoot figure.
NECA has revealed the first pictures from its Crash Bandicoot line of figures, and who better to start with than Crash himself? This 5.5 inch figure not only captures the look of Crash, it also has ball-jointed eyebrows to recreate some of his crazy facial expressions.
Naturally, Crash’s new figure features additional areas of articulation for “maximum wumps,” and it will also come a thick cardboard replica crate, which just happens to be Crash’s favorite thing to smash.
NECA plans to release Crash in May, but the rest of the figures in the line are currently unannounced. Presumably we’ll see more variations on Crash himself, and it would be nice to see his nemesis, Dr. Neo Cortex, also get a figure. But what we’d really like to see is a new Crash Bandicoot game. Last year’s Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy remaster of the original trilogy went over well with fans and critics alike. Hopefully the renewed interest in Crash will push the franchise towards a full revival.
What do you think about the new Crash Bandicoot figure? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: NECA
You’d figure we have more toy stories.
Val Kilmer and John Wesley Shipp get overdue DC action figures.
The Justice League cast play with their toys.
Is this the ultimate Deadpool toy?
Neural Network Creates Bizarre Candy Heart Messages for Valentine’s Day
Would you trust a computer to woo the person of your dreams on your behalf? Even the most advanced computers aren’t quite able to pull off a Cyrano de Bergerac while making you look good for the object of your affection. But that doesn’t mean that computers can’t make us laugh with their strange ideas about love. Research scientist Janelle Shane recently released the results she received after she trained a neural network to write candy heart messages for Valentine’s Day. And while some of the network’s candy heart messages aren’t bad, there are a few that were masterpieces of unintended comedy.
I trained a neural network to generate new candy heart messages – some more successful than others. https://t.co/tPZyGV3upg pic.twitter.com/9J8HjiMshV
— Janelle Shane (@JanelleCShane) February 9, 2018
We came across Shane’s work via Inverse, and she expanded on her findings at her official site. The more acceptable messages included “Dear Me, My My, Love Bot, Cute Kiss, My Bear, and Love Bun.” When we reached out to Shane, she told us that her favorite was “‘All Hover,’ because that sounds like it’s straight out of Welcome to Night Vale. Either that or the one that just said ‘Hole.'”
Things got a little weirder with “Time Hug,” “Pin a Face,” “You’re Me,” “All Hover,” and “Bear Wig.” Then there were the more insulting messages: “U Hack,” “You Are Bag,” “Sweat Poo,” “Stank Love,” “Look Big,” and “Chert Face.” We’re not even sure what “Chert Face” means, but it doesn’t sound good.
On her site, Shane indicated that the neural network also created more “suggestive” messages that “thought of some nice new four-letter words to use.” While Shane declined to post those messages, she did offer to send the non-PG candy hearts to anyone who fills out this form. She was also kind enough to share a few with us as well.
What did you think about the neural network’s candy heart messages? Reply in your own candy heart messages in the comment section below!
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
All you need is love stories.
Enjoy nerdy Valentine’s Day cards featuring Ian Malcolm, Kylo Ren and more.
In lieu of candy, bouquets of plush toys are in.
If they give you bacon roses, they are the one.
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