Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1960
September 14, 2017
Do Blade Runners Even Exist in BLADE RUNNER 2049?
Next month, fans will return to the future in Blade Runner 2049, the long-awaited sequel the beloved sci-fi classic. Last month, director Denis Villeneuve set the stage for his story with Blade Runner 2036, a short film helmed by Luke Scott that revealed the new breed of Replicants after the original models were outlawed. Now, Scott’s new short, Blade Runner 2048: Nowhere To Run, introduces Dave Bautista‘s Replicant, Sapper Morton, while also raising an intriguing question: do Blade Runners even exist anymore?
#BladeRunner2049‘s @DaveBautista is a replicant on the run in this never-before-seen in-world prequel. Watch it now. pic.twitter.com/xGn3WfjATF
— iTunes Trailers (@iTunesTrailers) September 14, 2017
Sapper is clearly on the run from someone in this film, but it’s not clear who. If we had to hazard a guess, it’s likely that Jared Leto‘s Niander Wallace would want to put down Sapper, since his very existence proves that the new Replicants aren’t foolproof and they do have their own will. They’ve just gotten better at hiding themselves. It’s also worth noting that Ryan Gosling‘s lead character, Officer K, isn’t a Blade Runner like Rick Deckard. He’s just a member of the LAPD. There may not even be Blade Runners anymore if Wallace has convinced the public that rogue Replicants are a thing of the past.
It’s also intriguing that Sapper can do more than just pass for human. In this short, Sapper has a panic attack and he even formed an emotional attachment to other people. But the most striking thing about Sapper is that he is actively trying to learn what it means to be human. He wants to improve himself on a cognitive level, and that seems like more than just a simple upgrade or artificial intelligence. It may even be the birth of artificial consciousness.
There will be one more Blade Runner 2049 prequel short before the film opens in theaters on Friday, October 6.
What did you think about the latest Blade Runner short film? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures
More Blade Runner!
Does this clip hint at life beyond Earth?
Jared Leto stars in the first Blade Runner 2048 prequel short.
And there are Funkos, obviously.
Explore the Targaryen Conquest of Westeros in New GAME OF THRONES Animated Short
When it comes to Westeros, one thing is certain: those Rhoynar and Andals and First Men sure do love to fight and conquer through war games! It’s the nature of history, the effects of which reverberate throughout Game of Thrones, particularly in its seventh season. And one of the biggest war campaigns Westeros ever saw? The Targaryen Conquest of Westeros after the fall of Valyria (their ancestral home).
Thankfully, HBO is continuing their tradition of providing bountiful animated extras with the DVD and Blu-ray release of Game of Thrones‘ complete seventh season, following their coverage of Robert’s Rebellion (narrated by Ser Barristan Selmy a.k.a. Ian McElhinney) with one voiced by Viserys Targaryen himself, Harry Lloyd.
Illustrated in a far different animation style than its predecessors, the video gives you a greater understanding of how the Targaryens ended up in Westeros. It also makes us wish very dearly that the series could actually bring the beauty of Valyria to life on the series. (Because seriously, look at these amazing buildings!)
It’s interesting to note how reminiscent of the present some of these older battles/epic tales seem. Being that this is only part one, there’s surely much more we’ll be able to deduce about connections to Westeros’ present day once the rest of Game of Thrones Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms comes out. (It’s a limited edition attached to the physical release on December 12th).
Maybe chaos isn’t a wheel, but the history of the Known Realm is…constantly repeating the same old story for time immemorial. Tell us, Three-Eyed Bran, tell us!
What do you think of these animated histories? Anything else you’d like to see them cover? Let us know in the comments below!
Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/co-host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter!
WANT MORE GAME OF THRONES?
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Image: HBO
The Internet is Losing Its Mind Over Mario’s Nipples
Next month, Nintendo gamers will finally get their hands on Super Mario Odyssey, which will officially bring the long-running game series to the Switch. We’ve already been impressed by Super Mario Odyssey‘s gameplay innovations and its absolutely bonkers ability to let Mario possess anyone with his magic hat. But now, there’s something about the game that’s causing fans to freak-the-Koopa out. That’s why today’s Nerdist News is all about Mario’s nipples. This is true, and not a joke!
Join host and the new mayor of New Donk City, Jessica Chobot, as she runs down the craziest reactions to Mario’s “chest goombas.” You’d think that the internet never saw a shirtless video game character before! Or perhaps some people just aren’t used to seeing nipples without downloading a user created skin. Mario’s strangely flat and weirdly large nipples are clearly so salacious that we’re gonna have to hide them from kids and U.S. Senators!
— ラー油 (@daikai6) September 13, 2017
People are really taken aback by Mario’s nipples, but that means that they haven’t even asked the real question: how is Mario so hairless? Obviously, we’ve seen some manscaping before, but this is ridiculous! Given the state of Mario’s epic mustache, we always thought that it would take much more than a mere razor blade to cut through the forest of Mario’s body hair. That could even be its own Mario video game, if this whole Switch thing doesn’t work out.
What do you think about about Mario’s nipples? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
The Nerdist Podcast: The New FUTURAMA Episode (Feat. Chris Hardwick)
Woop woop! It’s finally here: the double-length podcast episode of Futurama! Created by Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, and the Futurama writers, the new episode features the original cast and our very own Chris Hardwick. If you’ve been playing along with Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, the mobile game from TinyCo (Jam City’s game studio), then you’ve already explored the exclusive episode content in-game, including a space mission to Junkleon 7, the deleted file planet! (If you haven’t played the game yet, you can download it and learn more about the new content right here.)
The new Futurama podcast episode finally reunites of the Planet Express crew, including Fry (Billy West), Bender (John DiMaggio), Leela (Katey Sagal), Professor Farnsworth (Billy West), Zoidberg (Billy West), Amy (Lauren Tom), and Hermes (Phil LaMarr)—plus Borax Kid, Calculon, and the return of the popular robot soap opera, “All My Circuits.” While on a routine mission to Junkleon 7, the crew encounters Klaxxon, a nefarious life form composed entirely of soundwaves from 21st-century podcasts. This sounds like a job for… The Nerdist Podcast!
Because not only does Chris Hardwick host and co-star in the new episode, he also helped bring this idea to life.
“Last year I cornered two fine gentlemen–Matt Groening & David X. Cohen–and pitched the idea of doing a new Futurama episode as a podcast/radio play because it’s one of my favorite things AND I NEED MORE OF IT,” Chris revealed. “Today I am drooling with unfiltered joy to say that a) it’s actually happening, b) I got to voice the villain (Klaxxon), and c) I’m a freaking head in a jar in Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow, a game I’ve been feverishly playing since it came out. Galaxies of thanks to Matt, David and TinyCo for acquiescing to the maniacal ravings of a well-meaning fanboy.”
The Futurama team had so much fun creating original content for the Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow game that Jam City and TinyCo collaborated with Matt Groening, writers from the show, and the cast to bring fans a brand-new Futurama podcast episode that plays directly into the game. “Futurama has set off a strangely sci-fi-ish paradox where the episodes inspired the Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow game, and now the game is inspiring new episodes,” shared Futurama head writer David X. Cohen. “Hooray for infinite loops!”
And because we love you, we have even more bonus content for you. Go behind-the-scenes with Billy West, Phil LaMarr, Chris Hardwick, and more with an inside look at the making of this very special episode!
Do you think this will usher in a new season of Futurama? Let us know what you think of the new episode on Twitter or in the comments below!
More from Futurama:
The essential Futurama episodes you should revisit.
Listen to Billy West and John DiMaggio on previous episodes of The Nerdist Podcast.
Could a Futurama scheme stop global warming?
September 13, 2017
Nerdist Podcast: Max Brooks Returns
Max Brooks returns to the Nerdist podcast! They talk about how Max’s dad likes to exchange dirty jokes with his Max’s son, listening to manual audio books and Chris teaches him how to use Twitter. They also talk about Max’s newest book Minecraft The Island, how he got the idea for the book and playing Minecraft with his son!
Image: Valerie Macon / Stringer
DOOM and WOLFENSTEIN II: THE NEW COLOSSUS Are Coming to Nintendo Switch
Earlier this year, Bethesda signaled its support of the Nintendo Switch with a port of the wildly popular Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. But at the Nintendo Direct Event, Bethesda brought out the big guns, literally! Both Doom and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus are confirmed to be getting ports for the Switch.
The good news for Doom fans is that they won’t have to wait very long to see some Rated-M action on the Switch. Bethesda didn’t reveal an exact release date, but it will be out for this holiday season. The Switch version of the game will feature multiplayer and the primary campaign, but it’s not currently known if there will be any Switch-specific features or gameplay elements. But even if there’s nothing new added to the game, it will still be fun to kill demons on the go!
The news isn’t quite as good for Wolfenstein II fans. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC are all going to get Wolfenstein II next month on October 27. Bethesda is only promising that the Switch version of the game will follow at some point in 2018, but a specific month and date were not a part of the announcement. Additionally, it’s unclear if the previous game, Wolfenstein: The New Order, will also be ported over to the Switch at some point down the line.
Wolfenstein II will pick up after the ending of The New Order, which seemingly left William “B.J.” Blazkowicz for dead. In the sequel, B.J. is going to have to fight his way through Nazi-occupied America, and the game was absolutely one of the wildest titles of E3. We can’t wait to see if the Switch port will have any additions that didn’t make it into the earlier ports.
Are you excited about Bethesda’s upcoming lineup for the Switch? Take aim in the comment section below!
Images: Bethesda
More Nintendo!
POKEMON ULTRA SUN and ULTRA MOON details
SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY Nintendo Switch Bundle info
Top 10 games Nintendo needs to bring to the Switch
Harrison Ford Punching Ryan Gosling in the Face “90% Gosling’s Fault”
Batfleck’s lost script, Wonder Woman 2‘s release, and no Zack Snyder — there’s so much going on in the DCEU right now, and we Steppenwolfed into all of it on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back. But we also had time to discuss the hot new “IT” couple in horror, and Harrison Ford‘s attempted “apology” for punching Ryan Gosling in the face.
Host Jessica Chobot was joined today by Nerdist editors Alicia Lutes and Kyle Anderson, as well as producer Jason Nguyen, to discuss all of the latest out of the DCEU. They led off with reports that Zack Snyder won’t be doing any press for Justice League. Does that mean it’s likely Josh Whedon (who stepped in as director following the tragic death of Snyder’s daughter) won’t as well? Will not having either of them around to promote the film hurt sales, or should Warner Bros. just leave that up to perfect humans Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot?
Speaking of Gadot, with the announcement from Lucasfilm that Episode IX will open in theaters on December 20th, 2019, one week after Wonder Woman 2 premieres, should DC think about moving the film to a better spot and not risk battling with Star Wars during the holiday season, when the galaxy far, far away has been a box office monster? Wonder Woman fears no man or god, but what about lightsabers and porgs?
But if you think that potential big budget fight could be something, it has nothing on the animosity that David Fincher has for Ben Affleck. Because we went back and listened to Fincher’s commentary on the Gone Girl DVD commentary, where the director was not a fan of his star’s professionalism — or more accurately, his apparent lack of it. Those harsh comments wouldn’t have been on our minds today, except new reports say Affleck’s script for The Batman was based on Fincher’s The Game. That would be like Katie Perry saying her next album was going to be based on Taylor Swift’s 1989.
And while we aren’t big on Hollywood romance gossip here at Nerdist, we are willing to make an exception when the latest couple being “shipped” is IT’s Pennywise and LGBTQ icon the Babadook. What does everyone think of all the fan art of the twosome flooding the internet? Is the whole “shipping” phenomenon fun, or kind of annoying at this point? Either way, is there a better horror character out there for the Babadook to find love with instead?
Finally, the gang broke down the story from GQ‘s interview with Harrison Ford about how he punched Ryan Gosling in his perfect face on the set of Blade Runner 2049. Was it really an accident, or jealousy? No matter the cause, was Ford’s single glass of Scotch a good enough apology? Or is Ford’s old crotchety act growing…well…old?
You can answer those questions, along with playing a quick round of “Marry, Punch, Kill” with Ford, Gosling, and Jared Leto, in the comments below. But we’d prefer if you got in on the conversation with us live every weekday, when Nerdist News Talks Back airs at 1:00p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels.
Where else can you let the world know if you’d rather be punched by Harrison Ford once, or slapped by Carrie Fisher 27 times?
Images: Warner Bros.
Want more from the DCEU?
Patty Jenkins will return to direct Wonder Woman 2
Everything you need to know about Justice League‘s Steppenwolf
Gavin O’Connor will direct the Suicide Squad sequel
Does Justice League have two separate heroes?
POKÉMON ULTRA SUN and ULTRA MOON Packs a Lot Of New Features
The Nintendo Switch is a phenomenal console, but let’s not forget that the Nintendo 3DS is alive and well, and there are still plenty of quality experiences to look forward to that are coming to the platform soon. The most obvious examples are Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and in today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, we learned a lot about the latest installments in the Pokémon franchise.
The most immediately exciting piece of news is the introduction of two mysterious new Ultra Beasts: UB Burst, which will be exclusive to Ultra Sun, and UB Assembly, which you’ll only find on Ultra Moon. Aside from some battle animations in the video, there’s not too much we know about either just yet. UB Burst looks almost like a mix of Mr. Mime and fellow Ultra Beast Nihilego, except UB Burst seems to be able to throw its floating, detached head and make it explode. Meanwhile, UB Assembly looks like a walking stone tower that also has the ability to levitate and seemingly store energy in its hollow body.
Direct feed screenshots of USUM’s new Ultra Beasts: UB Burst (Sun exclusive) and UB Assembly (Moon). pic.twitter.com/5uAAGCv4x9
— PLDH.net (@PLDHnet) September 13, 2017
The games also feature new legendary Pokémon Necrozma, who, despite what it looks like, is actually on the cover of both games. The Pokémon has a basic black form, but it is also capable of absorbing Lunala and Solgaleo to become Dawn Wings Necrozma and Dusk Mane Necrozma, respectively.
New areas are also introduced, as well as the ability to equip your character with new clothing items, a new way to encounter your starter Pokémon, and if you buy either game before January 10th, you can get a special Rockruff that can evolve into a Dusk Form of Lycanroc. Pokémon Gold and Silver will also be available for purchase via the Virtual Console, and buying them will net you a gift of Celebi for any of the current generation Pokémon games.
With all this news, the November 17th release date feels so far away now. What new features are you most excited about? Watch the video above and let us know in the comments below!
Images: The Pokémon Company
More Pokemon!
Trailer for Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You!
Mewtwo is finally coming to Pokemon Go!
Snapchat introduced Pikachu lens
The SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY Nintendo Switch Bundle is a Thing of Beauty
Nintendo Direct presentations are the gifts that keep on giving, and in today’s, the company revealed some new info about what is sure to be the Nintendo Switch’s second pillar alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Super Mario Odyssey.
Perhaps the most important piece of info here is the Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch bundle, which will be available on October 27 and will retail for $379.99. From the looks of it, there are definite advantages for prospective Switch considering the bundle, but also one drawback: The bundle includes a digital version of the game, meaning you will not have a physical version of it. That said, this pack comes with two Mario-red Joy-Con controllers and an exclusive Switch carrying case, both of which look pretty slick.
Super Mario Odyssey Switch bundle with exclusives #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/6F4w1fg6zL
— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) September 13, 2017
Another look at the Super Mario Odyssey Switch bundle exclusive carrying case pic.twitter.com/2EoXvlTosC
— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) September 13, 2017
Two other important features: The ability to play fetch with a dog by throwing your hat:
Super Mario Odyssey lets you play frisbee with a dog using Mario’s hat… Breath of the Wild who? Persona 5 who? pic.twitter.com/ykvxFV0Eku
— Zach (@Zacube3) September 13, 2017
And the world premiere of Mario’s nipples:
Super Mario Odyssey will be rated M for Mario’s Nipples worldwide. #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/YiBrzw7wIG
— Austin (@AustinCTweets) September 13, 2017
The video also provides a nice look at some of the game’s environments and gameplay, so check it out above and let us know in the comments below if you plan on picking up the Super Mario Odyssey Switch bundle and snagging those sweet, sweet red Joy-Con.
Featured image: Nintendo
Video Game Tattoo Sleeve with FINAL FANTASY, MASS EFFECT, and More
If you have a passion for any given video game, you might devote hours or maybe even weeks of your life to it. You can make your bond to a franchise even stronger and permanent with a tattoo. Conor’s doing just that with his video game sleeve. He’s chosen imagery from games that have had an impact on his life. His first video game tattoo was inspired by Space Invaders, because that’s the first game he remembers playing as a kid. He’s added to his inked art since then with designs from Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and more.
Conor and his tattooist, Alicia Thomas of Boston Tattoo Company, started working on the sleeve in 2015. She’s inked everything except the Space Invaders design. Conor loves her style and color work, and she’s helped him bring the games he loves to his skin. He told Nerdist, “Each one is a representation of how a game has effected me one way or the other. Video games are a big part of my life, besides it being a hobby it’s helped me through different periods of my life and has even brought me together with my closest friends.”
Normandy vs a Reaper (Mass Effect)
He plans to get his entire arm filled with more tattoos in the future to complete the sleeve. Keep scrolling to see more of Conor’s video game ink.
If you have nerdy ink on your skin or you’re a tattoo artist that applies pop culture, STEM, music, or other nerd-inspired ink on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. You can get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com. Send me photos of the tattoos you’d like me to feature (the higher resolution, the better) and don’t forget to let me know the name of your tattoo artist if you have it, as well the name of the shop he or she works out of. If you are the tattoo artist, give me links to your portfolios and/or Instagram accounts so I can share them with our readers.
Images: Conor
Chocobo and Mog | Final Fantasy
Social Link tarot card back | Persona
Umbreon | Pokémon
Geno | Super Mario RPG
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