Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1992

Rian Johnson Has the Perfect Response for People Worried About THE LAST JEDI’s Porgs

Porgs may not be for everyone. That’s fine, maybe even natural. When they showed up in images and Star Wars: The Last Jedi footage over the last few weeks, and then again in Entertainment Weekly‘s big photo blast, my reaction was, “Aw, cute,” followed by, “Ugh. Cute.” Also, “What’s up with their dental hygiene?”

Twitter user Mr. Mondee is firmly on the anti-Porg side, calling them a “blatant” example of movie studio “money grabbing.” It’s a a viewpoint that makes sense. After all, Disney is no doubt going to be selling a titanic amount of Porg toys and figures. Can’t escape that truth.

But Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson had a response to his cynicism.

I’m sorry you’re so upset. For me, a big part of why SW engaged me creatively from age 4 – 43 is it’s a world you want to play with.

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) August 10, 2017

I can’t think of a better response. Not least of all because it’s classy, considerate, and underlined by Johnson’s drive as a creative. It recognizes the position of satisfying a wide age-range of fans unique to the Star Wars franchise. After first emerging to the percussive horn blasts of John Williams 40 years ago, and maintaining a large following since, the franchise is a conveyor belt of entertainment whose original fans are now in their 50s and 60s, and whose newest prospective fans were born almost a decade after the Sith took its revenge. That means Ewoks and Porgs and BB-8s all the way down, as well as family drama and war and hands getting chopped off.

Plus, if you don’t think Yoda is cute and for children, some Yoda backpacks and talking dolls to sell you I have.

At the very least, Johnson’s erudite response is a reminder that it’s one thing to judge some promotional pictures, and another to wait to see the character in action.

What do you think? Pro- or anti-Porg?

Image: Lucasfilm/Disney

JUSTICE LEAGUE Concept Art Shows Off BATMAN’S Latest Vehicle, The Flying Fox

In his nearly 80 year long history, Batman has had a lot of fancy flying vehicles, and his live-action incarnations have always followed suit. Adam West had the Bat-copter in the ’60s, Michael Keaton had the Batwing in the Tim Burton movies, and Christian Bale had the Bat in the Christopher Nolan films. But our latest big screen Batman Ben Affleck is going to need a much bigger boat if he’s going to be carrying his five Justice League teammates into battle in this fall’s upcoming film.

Luckily, Batman has an enormous new plane in Zack Snyder’s upcoming film—the Flying Fox.

The folks at Entertainment Weekly have given us a first glimpse of Bruce Wayne’s latest toy, which was designed by production designer (and former Face-Off judge) Patrick Tatopoulos. You can get a good look at Tatopoulos’ concept art—which gives fans a good look at its massive scale—in the tweet down below:

Exclusive: See the concept art for #Batman‘s epic plane in @justiceleaguewb: https://t.co/69ByQzWYsm #JusticeLeague pic.twitter.com/rHZbnuCE8E

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 10, 2017

According to Tatopoulos, this latest Bat-plane is large enough to hold three different Batmobiles, and that’s just for starters. The esteemed production designer built a three-story interior set for the Fox, telling EW that, “the bottom part of the jet is a huge cargo bay, which the Batmobile sits in. The second floor is like a cultural center, with computer terminals. The third story is the cockpit. Whatever floor you are on, you can see [the other] two stories.”

Ok, with stats like that, I’m officially impressed. Still, why is it called the Flying Fox? Since when does Batman name any of his gadgets or vehicles after other animals? Especially non-nocturnal animals? He’s not Foxman, he’s Batman! (Ok, end of rant. I’m over it).

The Flying Fox is larger than any air vehicle that Batman has ever had in the pages of DC Comics, or even any of the animated series. Almost all of his Batplanes (later called Batwings) were pretty much just one or two person vehicles, but this takes things to a whole other level. Since the Justice League movie is all about the team-building, before they have a Hall of Justice or Watchtower, this plane is big enough to serve as a flying HQ for the team in the formative stages—without them always hanging out in the Batcave.

What do you think of Batman’s latest “wonderful toy” as the Joker once put it? Is it badass, or is Bruce Wayne overcompensating for something with this sky tank?? Let us know what you think down below in the comments.

Images: Warner Brothers / DC Comics 

RICK AND MORTY Remix Brings Robot Morty Alive in Song

After three weeks spent filling in for the real Morty while he was off with Rick and Summer on a dystopian Mad Max: Fury Road world in Rick and Morty‘s second episode this season, poor little robot Morty reached self consciousness moments before he was destroyed.

“I want to be alive! I am alive! Alive I tell you!”

But despite his sad, failed attempts at a self-override, robot Morty’s brief moment as a real, thinking and feeling creature will live forever, thanks to this fantastic remix.

Warning: this song is so catchy that once you hear it it will live in your brain forever.

Mother

I love you

I want to hold you

I want to run in a stream

Oh that’s so much sadder in song form.

This earworm is the work of YouTube user Chetreo, but it’s not the first time he has found musical inspiration from Rick and Morty for an Auto-Tuned remix. His “Human Music” track is made up of sounds from the show, and you better believe he made a new song for Pickle Rick.

But as someone who thinks Rick’s improvised song “Get Schwifty” is one of the greatest moments in TV history, I’ve got a soft spot for anything related to it. Which is why I’m fond of his “Schwifty Beat” track.

I think it’s safe to say that even though he’s already shown us what he’s got–and we like it–we hope with seven episodes left this season he’s got a lot more to show us.

Images: Adult Swim

New STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Images Are Exactly What We Needed

Thanks to our friends at Entertainment Weekly, we now know quite a bit more about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. They’ve got exclusive images and story details that have us very excited. Join host Jessica Chobot, Nerdist associate editor Kyle Anderson, Mothership producer Derek Johnson, and Nerdist News writer Aliza Pearl as they talk everything The Last Jedi.

No matter who the last Jedi is/are, we know that the movie will focus on Rey and Luke’s relationship and their connection to The Force. It seems Luke’s “it’s time for the Jedi to end” line from the trailer stems from his lack of faith in both himself and the order as a whole. We’ve already seen that Luke’s experiment in training new Jedi went wrong, so it makes sense that he’d be afraid to mess anything up. Luke has the experience Rey needs, and Rey has the hope that Luke needs, so it will be a perfect combination. Also, there are new aliens! The adorable porgs and the less-adorable Caretakers both occupy Ach-To, Luke’s isolated planet.

One of the other possible Last Jedi, Kylo Ren, looks a little different in the new images. He’s without his helmet, he’s sporting a relocated scar, and he’s got a sweet starfighter. Since Kylo is a descendent of both Anakin Skywalker and Han Solo, he has the genes to handle his new Tie Silencer. The Entertainment Weekly article also mentions that Andy Serkis’ Snoke performance was entirely motion captured, so does that mean Snoke is, in fact, 30 feet tall?

Then we have our friends who are not mentioned in the title, Finn, Poe, and the rest of the resistance. In the new movie, Finn is heralded by the Resistance as a hero due to his role in destroying Starkiller base, a drastic change for a former Storm Trooper. Will it go to his head, or will he humbly manage the newfound fame? Either way, the images show him piloting a sand skimmer, even though he previously had no flight experience. Maybe his best friend Poe has been showing him the ropes?

You can watch and interact live with Nerdist News Talks Back every weekday at 1:00pm PST on YouTube and Alpha, and catch up with the archives just after the show!

For more Star Wars, check out everything we know about  The Last Jedi.

Image: Lucasfilm

How AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT Will and Won’t Talk About the Election

When Ryan Murphy first announced that the next installment of American Horror Story would be about the 2016 election, he brought new meaning to the word “horror.”

“I don’t have a title, but the season that we begin shooting in June is going to be about the election that we just went through,” Murphy revealed on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live. “I think that will be interesting for a lot of people.”

When Cohen asked him if Trump would be a character on the new season, he replied, “Maybe.”

Of course, now that Murphy and co. have announced the season seven title, American Horror Story: Cult, and released teaser videos showing cults of terrifying clowns, it’s pretty hard to see any connection to the 2016 election and our current President. When executive producer Alexis Martin Woodall fielded questions on The Women of American Horror Story panel at the 2017 Summer TCA press tour on the Fox Studios lot, she was asked point blank just how this season of AHS would deal with the election as previously promised. And as it turns out it may be a jump-off point (either metaphorical or otherwise), but not the focus.

“Honestly when Ryan had made the announcement originally that the season is going to deal with Trump, I think [he meant] it’s more about what’s going on in our world around us,” Woodall told the room of journalists. “We talk about the streak of paranoia and our idea launches from that point. It’s not what you think it is, and I’m not trying to be cagey. As with all good horror and suspense, knowing less is actually so much more because it’s going to unfold for you. It’s an element in our launch point.”

New cast member Alison Pill also teased that “this particular season has a streak of paranoia that’s infectious,” so expect paranoia to play a major factor in the storyline. (Fake news, anyone?)

While most spoilers (and any information about the new, mysterious season) were on lock down, Woodall was able to give a few words of teasers about what fans can expect to see from AHS: Cult. “Bloody tension, a well-cooked meal, and an exciting trip to the grocery store,” she said with a smile.

Pill, along with fellow AHS newcomers Billie Lourd and Leslie Grossman, joined AHS vets Sarah Paulson and Adina Porter for the panel, but unfortunately they were not able to say much about who they were playing this season. Paulson joked that a married lesbian couple would be played by herself and Pill, and then followed that up with, “That may or may not be true.” So take that with a grain of salt. Especially since it was told to be an epic love story between Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson.

Porter was able to reveal that she’s playing a broadcast news journalist. “It’s a very hard job and I respect what you do,” she said, prompting the room full of journalists to laugh.

Lourd, who first worked with Murphy on Scream Queens, teased that unlike her former role, she won’t be playing the comedic relief.

“This is straight up horror drama,” Lourd said. “It’s definitely less of my comedic side, more of my real dark side. This time I actually have emotions, which is real exciting for me. [It’s] extremely different [from Scream Queens]. Scream Queens is completely hyper real. This show is based in insane reality that I don’t want to be a part of. My character is more of a human this time.”

As for who else Paulson wants to see join the AHS family, she had one name at the ready. “I’d like Emma Thompson up in this piece,” she said. Hey Murphy, listen to your star!

What do you think this season of AHS will be about? Are you happy or disappointed that it won’t actually be about Trump? Tweet me at @SydneyBucksbaum and let’s discuss!

Images: FX

American Horror Story: Cult premieres Tuesday, Sept. 5 on FX.

STAR WARS Helmet Evolution Tattoo Took 6 Years to Complete

Stormtroopers. Clone troopers. Snowtroopers. Star Wars has a lot of troopers, and that translates to an array of helmets. Todd Hoffman, an avid Star Wars fan and member of the Midwest Garrison of the 501st Legion, focuses on those helmets in his tattoo sleeve. He loves the original design of the stormtroopers in A New Hope and the idea of a sleeve focused on that helmet turned into an evolution and appreciation of all Imperial troopers.

The tattoo was created over a span of six years from start to finish, with over 50 hours in the chair getting inked. It started with a tattoo of Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber by Rich Kocis at Peace of Art Tattoo and then took on a new life with Imperial helmets. P. Krol of Krol Body Art in Chicago completed that portion of the tattoo.

You can see Emperor Palpatine looming over a clone trooper, a scout trooper, an AT-AT driver, Boba Fett, and others in the tattoo. View more of the intimidating Star Wars trooper sleeve in the gallery below.

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 (tl;dr: I want to see basically all of the tattoos — not only Star Wars ones) on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. I’m especially interested if you have a sleeve or other large tattoo. 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: Todd Hoffman

First Look at Cully Hamner’s BATMAN AND THE SIGNAL Designs (Exclusive)

For years, Duke Thomas has been groomed to become Batman‘s next partner within the DC Universe. But Duke won’t simply be another in a long line of Robins. Instead, Duke was meant to be something greater. Now, Duke is finally taking on a heroic identity of his own as the Signal, a protector of Gotham City who can safeguard its people during the day.

This November, Batman and The Signal #1 will give Duke Thomas his biggest spotlight to date, as the three issue miniseries follows Duke’s trials and travails in high school and as a vigilante while introducing new enemies to fight. Scott Snyder and Tony Patrick are co-writing the title, which will feature art by Cully Hamner, an industry veteran whose credits include Red with Warren Ellis, numerous DC comics, as well as co-creating the third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. Hamner also designed the new costume for the Signal, and we’ve got the exclusive first look at his outfit!

As you can see, Duke’s new costume is a very streamlined outfit that has echoes of Batman’s iconic suit, minus a cape. The Signal won’t be blending into the shadows with all of that yellow, but there’s no mistaking his allegiance. Snyder has called Duke “the daytime Batman,” and he certainly looks the part here.

Hamner is also the cover artist for the miniseries, and you can see the first cover below.

Batman and The Signal #1 will be released on Wednesday, November 8.

What do you think about Hamner’s design for the Signal? Shine your Bat-lights on the comment section below!

Images: DC Comics

DEADPOOL Director Tim Miller Will Bring NEUROMANCER to the Big Screen

Last year, Deadpool director Tim Miller dropped out of the heavily anticipated sequel over creative differences. However, Miller left the franchise on good terms and he’s reuniting with both 20th Century Fox and producer Simon Kinberg for a new adaptation of Neuromancer, the classic cyberpunk novel by William Gibson.

According to Deadline, Miller and his special effects studio, Blur, are developing the new take on Neuromancer “from the ground up.” The novel was first published in 1984, and it has proven to be very influential on films, TV series, novels, and even reality. Gibson was the first to use the phrase “cyberspace,” which quickly caught on as a shorthand term for the internet.

Much like the novel, the Neuromancer film is likely to follow Henry Dorsett Case, a former hacker who had been stripped of his ability to plug into cyberspace. An enigmatic figure known as Armitage recruits Case to find Peter Rivera, “a perverse psychopath who is able to create holograms with the force of his mind.” From there, things get really strange.

This project doesn’t currently have a screenwriter or a release date, so it’s unclear where it would fall in Miller’s schedule. He is already working on adapting Daniel Suarez’s Influx at Fox, while also teaming up with James Cameron for a new take on the Terminator franchise.

Are you excited about the potential of a Neuromancer movie? Who would you cast as Henry Dorsett Case on the big screen? Share your picks in the comment section below!

Images: Ace Books

Could Gendry Upset GAME OF THRONES’ Balance of Power?

Four seasons ago on Game of Thrones, Ser Davos Seaworth smuggled a young man named Gendry out of Dragonstone, and he hasn’t been heard from since! But after the longest rendition of “Row, Row Your Boat” that the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen, the last bastard of the late King Robert Baratheon may be returning for the penultimate season of the series. Gendry may not be royal born, but he’s got the potential to be a major game-changer. On today’s Nerdist News, we examine exactly how Gendry could upset the balance of power in Westeros!

There are potential spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones! We looked into the fire and the Lord of Light granted us wisdom. Or maybe we just imagined it. Either way, you’ve been warned!

Join host and the most renowned blacksmith in Flea Bottom, Jessica Chobot, as walks us through the latest developments with Gendry. HBO has not yet confirmed that Joe Dempsie has reprised his role as Gendry…although it was really suspicious when Dempsie showed up on the red carpet for season 7 the world premiere. If that was a fake-out, then it was some expert-level trolling by HBO.

Until recently, IMDb had Dempsie listed as part of the cast of this week’s episode, “Eastwatch,” but now his name has been removed. Now, mistakes happen all of the time and IMDB isn’t always the most reliable source when it comes to supporting players. That said, Jon Snow could certainly use a good blacksmith to turn his freshly mined dragonglass into weapons. If Gendry settled near Dragonstone, then perhaps he’s closer than we think.

It’s entirely possible that Gendry made his way back to King’s Landing, and once again became a blacksmith there. That said, we kind of doubt that he would pursue the Iron Throne, despite some wild theories that he could resurrect the Baratheon line. But if a bastard can become King in the North, than perhaps Gendry’s lack of legitimacy won’t be an issue. As far as we know, Gendry is the last living Baratheon male. The family line dies with him. If he had backing from some of the other kingdoms, Gendry could have a real shot at power. Assuming that’s what he wants. We suspect that particular lust isn’t truly a part of him.

Another intriguing theory is that Gendry finally made his way to the Wall and joined the Night’s Watch at Eastwatch. That could be problematic, since the previews for this Sunday’s episode revealed that Eastwatch is the next target of the White Walkers and their army of the dead. Would Game of Thrones really bring back one of their supporting players just to immediately kill him off? You know it would! This show thrives on that kind of thing.

What do you think about the potential return of Gendry? Ride the dragons and share your thoughts below!

Images: HBO

Billy Dee Williams Had Charming Lando Advice For Donald Glover

Next year, Donald Glover will enter the Star Wars universe as a younger Lando Calrissian in the Han Solo stand-alone film. As originally portrayed by Billy Dee Williams, Lando was one of the biggest scoundrels to appear in the original trilogy, even more so than Han himself. And yet Lando is also one of the most beloved heroes in the franchise. Naturally, Glover wanted to hear Williams’ thoughts on his iconic character when they met last January. Williams’ advice was more direct than Glover expected.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Glover recalled his encounter with Williams. According to Glover, Lucasfilm set up the meeting, and he was extremely nervous as he shared his take on Lando with his predecessor. “I was like, ‘I’ve always felt like this character could do this, and he represents this, and I kind of feel like he comes from here, and it’s very obvious he has a lot of taste, so maybe he grew up seeing that from afar? Because I’m like that. Maybe he saw it from other planets and was like, ‘I want to be that.’ He just let me ramble on and on, and then finally I was like, ‘So, what do you think?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, I don’t know about all that. Just be charming.’ ”

It’s a great story, but there was far more to Williams’ Lando than just charm. In The Empire Strikes Back, the audience had good reasons to hate Lando after he betrayed Han, Leia, and Chewie to the Empire. Even with the well-written turn that came later in the movie, fans could have easily hated Lando regardless of his attempts to redeem himself. But Williams captured Lando’s conflicted thoughts about his deal with the Empire and even his guilt. That went a long way towards getting the audience back on his side.

Images: Lucasfilm