Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2024

The Joker Becomes Gotham City’s WHITE KNIGHT in New Miniseries This Fall

This fall, Gotham City will finally have the hero it deserves: the Joker! And we’re serious, the Joker might be the man to finally save the city from Batman. That’s the premise for Batman: White Knight, a new alternate universe miniseries that imagines a world where the Joker has been completely cured of his madness and his homicidal tendencies.

“We know the Joker is a genius,” said Sean Gordon Murphy during an interview with Wired. “We know he’s relentless, and we know he can play the crowd, so why not make him a politician? Why not strip away the psychosis (the thing that’s holding him back) and let him challenge Batman unimpeded? And to make it even scarier, what if he did it legally and without breaking any rules, so that Batman couldn’t stop him?”

Murphy is writing and penciling the White Knight miniseries, which gives the Joker sanity and a real clarity of purpose. Judging from this preview page, it looks like the Joker’s ambitions for his old enemy may come to pass.

Within the story, the Joker reinvents himself as a politician named Jack before leading a crusade to take down Batman. The intriguing thing is that the Joker isn’t wrong about Batman’s impact on the city. He views Batman’s war on crime as a never-ending cycle of vengeance and violence that can only be stopped by taking the Dark Knight out of the equation. One of the ways that Murphy is exploring that issue is by showing the readers that comic book morality doesn’t even work in comic books anymore. Crime can’t be stopped by a violent vigilante. Even with an army of sidekicks and associated heroes, Batman has failed to save his city.

The real question is whether Gotham City will be saved before the Joker inevitably slips back into madness. Since this story is freed of the DC Universe’s continuity, it could end with the Joker victorious. However, we think that the Clown Prince of Crime will always be true to himself, even if it means shedding the White Knight image that he creates for himself. But at least he’s got Harley Quinn by his side!

Batman: White Knight #1 will be released on Wednesday, October 4, and the miniseries will run for seven issues. You can see more preview pages in our gallery below!

Are you eager to see the Joker become a White Knight? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: DC Comics

Team Nerdist Discovers (and Abuses) Their Buggy New Super Powers

Today, Spider-Man: Homecoming is out in theaters…and we’re just a little bit jealous here at Nerdist headquarters. Why is Peter Parker the only one who gets to run around with the proportionate strength of a spider? Team Nerdist wants some superpowers of our own, and we’re gonna get them no matter what it costs!

The video provides a quick glimpse at daily life at the Legendary Digital Networks office, as Nerdist News host Jessica Chobot watches her own program and science editor Kyle Hill gets his mad science on. Do you know what we say when that happens? “Must be Friday!” In full view of everyone, Kyle attempts to recreate the effects of a radioactive spider bite by irradiating an entire group of insects…shortly before accidentally setting them upon himself and others.

With no safety measures in place, Kyle transforms into the Honey Bee, Jessica becomes the Cicada, Hector Navarro turns into the Cockroach while the Critical Role duo of Matt Mercer and Marisha Ray make the change into Cricket Boy and Cricket Girl. Together, they’ll form a team of heroes with no control over their fate or their powers. They’ll soon need all of the help they can get against some random guy who is supposedly called Andrew Bowser. A likely story!

Special thanks to Marvel Puzzle Quest for making this video possible! Download Marvel Puzzle Quest now to play the Original Match-3 RPG that puts the Marvel Universe in your hands. Available on iOS, Android and Amazon devices. For more info about this game, check out its official site!

Decoding the First Look at THE INCREDIBLES 2!

Long before Disney purchased Marvel, Pixar released the best Fantastic Four movie that anyone has ever done. Director Brad Bird gave The Incredibles the best aspects of Marvel’s superhero family, and helped transform into a uniquely wonderful world of its own. It’s been a long, long wait for the sequel, but The Incredibles 2 is finally on the horizon and we may even get a sneak peak at the D23 Expo later this month. But first, today’s Nerdist News is taking a look at an intriguing piece of concept art that may offer some hints about the eagerly anticipated sequel.

Join host and Frozone’s former partner, Dan Casey, as he examines The Incredibles 2 print that made its debut on the D23 app. On the surface, so little has changed that it could easily be mistaken for concept art from the first film. But if this really is meant for the sequel, it could indicate that The Incredibles 2 will move away from the time jump tradition of previous Pixar sequels. If we had to hazard a guess, we would say that The Incredibles 2 takes place almost immediately after the first film!

Note the presence of the Underminer, the supervillain who made his debut in the closing moments of the first film. Almost all of our favorite characters from the first film are also represented, including Frozone and Edna Mode, plus the kids don’t appear to have aged at all. As much as we’d like to see what happens when the family gets older and the children grow up, it makes sense that Pixar would keep them frozen in time for now. The entire first movie was basically their origin story as a team. Now we get to see that team in action.

We are absolutely in love with the retro-futuristic vibe from this piece of art, which hopefully means that the sequel will maintain the same visual aesthetic. Although, we do want to know what’s going on with the raccoon on top of Violet’s force shield. Does the Parr family have a new pet? And is it joining them on an adventure? It may seem silly, but we’re still ridiculously excited to see where Bird takes us in the sequel.

What do you think about the first glance at The Incredibles 2? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

A New MAURICE SENDAK Book Has Been Discovered

In 2018 we’ll see a brand new book by beloved children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, most well known for his classic book Where the Wild Things Are. Though he passed away five years ago, an accidental discovery by Lynn Caponera–president of the Maurice Sendak Foundation–means that another generation of children will soon discover the wondrous world of Sendak’s stories.

While going through the authors files, Caponera happened across Presto and Zesto in Limboland, an entire manuscript complete with illustrations by Sendak and his regular collaborator Arthur Yorinks. It began as illustrations which Sendak created to accompany a 1990 London Symphony Orchestra performance of Leoš Janáček’s Rikadla, a piece that set a series of Czech nursery rhymes to music. Caponera reached out to Sendak’s old publisher and editor, Michael di Capua, who “read it in disbelief” and said to Publishers Weekly: “What a miracle to find this buried treasure in the archives. To think something as good as this has been lying around there gathering dust.”

This will be the third published collaboration between Sendak and Yorinks, who previously collaborated on Mommy? and The Miami Giant. Yorinks had been inspired by the illustrations from Rikadla and suggested to Sendak that they make book a from them. Originally the pair–alongside Di Capua–had thought of getting someone to translate the original Czech nursery rhymes but Yorinks said, “it just seemed hopeless, like trying to translate Finnegan’s Wake.” Sendak was incredibly busy and the drawings went forgotten until seven years later when they were used for a charity violin concert. Before they were put away again the idea of a book was raised, but what would the story be?

The pair spent “a hysterical afternoon of cracking each other up” that soon saw a narrative developing, a story which Yorinks calls a “homage” to the pair’s own friendship, which is why they named the characters after themselves, Presto and Zesto. The book only took a few months to complete, but Sendak soon became obsessed with his other projects and the material was left unpublished for 20 years.

With its recent rediscovery, we’ll finally get the chance to read a new book by one of the most influential children’s authors of the 20th century, and his collaborator is just as excited as we are. When asked if the publication should move forward, Yorinks stated, “Holy mackerel. Are you kidding me?” and quickly got to work on the minor revisions that the book needed. Presto and Zesto in Limboland will be published in fall 2018 by Michael di Capua Books/Harpers Collins.

Are you excited to read an entirely new vision by Maurice Sendak? Or do you think that publishing a deceased author’s manuscript is tantamount to betrayal? Jump in the comments and let the wild rumpus start!

Images: The Maurice Sendak Foundation

Nerdist Podcast: Andy Samberg #3

Andy Samberg returns to the Nerdist Podcast for the third time! He and Chris talk about all the toys Chris has in the studio, movies they have seen recently and how Andy really wants to be in a disaster movie. They also talk about how badly they want a third Bill and Ted movie, comedians who are buff and his new movie on HBO Tour de Pharmacy!

Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty

Tobey Maguire’s SPIDER-MAN Screen Test Was A Lot Darker Than You’d Expect

Spider-Man: Homecoming is approximately the four millionth live-action Spider-Man movie of the past twenty years. The three main instances — Tobey Maguire’s version in 2002’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and Tom Holland in  Spider-Man: Homecoming (which we loved, our review) — each bring something different to the role, though, which is why each iteration has fans who proclaim it to be the best one.

Maguire’s performance often made fun of for the goofy faces he made and the oh-so-weird “cool Peter Parker” scene from Spider-Man 3, but it turns out that early on in production, it’s possible the movies were going to be a lot darker than they ended up being. Homecoming is in theaters today, which reminded The Hollywood Reporter of an early screen test for Spider-Man that have been on YouTube for a few years now, and it teases a very different kind of movie.

For one, Maguire is pretty darn ripped in this minute-long scene: From behind, as several YouTube commenters pointed out, he looks a lot like Bruce Lee, and not the nerdy high school kid that Peter Parker is supposed to be. What’s also weird is that the no-name bad guys in the scene decided to say the F-word for some reason, which definitely steps outside of the movie’s eventual PG-13 rating.

So Maguire’s Spider-Man franchise went from this to having a scene where he combs his hair “stylishly” and snaps his fingers and random women on the street. It’s definitely bizarre to see Maguire’s Spider-Man take on this tone, so let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

Featured image: Columbia Pictures

5 Custom GAME OF THRONES LEGO Characters Worthy of Bran the Builder

Bran the Builder, the legendary Northern figure from the Age of Heroes, is believed to have erected the Wall. That fondness for building one-of-a-kind items is why we have a feeling he’d really appreciate these Game of Thrones‘ LEGO character portraits.

These custom images, which we came across at io9, are the work of Stephanie Ng and Harris Lim of Two Three Bricks. They’ve been sharing them on their Instagram page as a countdown to Game of Thrones‘ upcoming season seven premiere on July 16. So far the collection is heavy on House Stark, including new King in the North Jon Snow, who as usual is in the middle of a winter storm.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWF4VRJlEzf/

Jon is no longer alone in the North though, ever since he and Sansa reunited. That’s why she too finds herself standing in the snows of the North. That’s only fitting since winter has finally arrived.

When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. – #SansaStark // ⠀ Super excited for the new #GOTSeason7 now that we're in July – check out our ongoing series at #BricksCountdownGOT

D23 Will Not Have a New LAST JEDI Trailer

This April, Lucasfilm premiered the first trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With the film coming out in 6 months, many nerds had assumed that this month’s D23 Expo would give us the next taste of Rian Johnson‘s take on the franchise. However, it turns out D23 will not feature a new trailer. Today on Nerdist News Talks Back, Host Jessica Chobot, Managing Editor Alicia Lutes, and Senior Editor Dan Casey discuss Thor: Ragnarok, San Diego Comic-Con, and what to expect from D23.

The Last Jedi may not be getting a new trailer, but Thor: Ragnarok is! The newest TV spot does not contain much new footage, but honestly we’ll take every bit we can get of Taika Waititi‘s film. The first two Thor movies are among the least well-received movies in the MCU, but they’re still fun, and Chris Hemsworth is a gem. Ragnarok looks like it’s ditching the previous film’s attempts at a Shakesperean epic in favor of a fun, colorful romp around the galaxy, and we think it’s the perfect direction to take Thor.

San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner, so you may be wondering what geekery Nerdist will be bringing to the table. Well, worry no longer. Just like last year, we will be hosting Conival, your one-stop-shop for all things Nerdist and Geek & Sundry. For more details on what exactly you can expect from us, click here. And for what you can expect from Comic-Con in general, click here. Whether or not you’ll be with us at the convention, there are sure to be tons of announcements, so keep your eyes and ears open.

The week before Comic-Con is Disney’s D23, which is almost more than our little hearts can take! Rather than show a trailer #2 for The Last Jedi, it appears we’ll just be getting a behind-the-scenes look at the film. Still cool, but hopefully the next trailer will drop soon. There are more Star Wars films in the works, though. We’ll likely hear some more info about Han Solo, but the big question is whether or not the next standalone anthology film will be announced. Marvel is a bit more of a known quantity, since they will not be announcing more movies until Avengers 4 is out. They might completely surprise us by showing something from Avengers: Infinity War, though. You never know.

Relax Han, we’re sure you’ll be fine.

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!

Image: Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm

Watch Jared’s Troubling SILICON VALLEY Behavior Get Made Into a Horror Movie

It’s safe to say that Jared Dunn (played to perfection by Zach Woods) has always been the funniest part of HBO’s Silicon Valley. Sure, Thomas Middleditch might be the star and T.J. Miller’s been getting all the press lately since his departure from the show, and both are extremely funny dudes—but it’s Jared’s startlingly earnest nature and will to overcome adversity that keeps Pied Piper afloat. Mostly the second part.

In fact, if you didn’t actually know that Jared wouldn’t harm a fly, his actions and increasingly disturbing childhood memories might seem… dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, that in this parody trailer Matus Labs put together that paints Jared as the creepy antagonist of a horror film, it actually makes a lot of sense. Check it out and see for yourself:

“You might know him as the Head of Business Development at Pied Piper, but do we really know Jared’s darker side?” the video description reads. “This guy…KILLS. Coming to theaters this Octcember.”

I’ve always wondered about where Jared’s breaking point might actually be, given all the horrifying bits of backstory he’s teased out over the years—Child Protective Services could never find his birth certificate, he used to sleep in a box, his best friend growing up was a stuffed animal made out of a Ziploc bag, he shouts German Nazi propaganda in his sleep, etc. It seemed like he might have almost come close to it when he almost resigned from Pied Piper this past season (and when he called Gavin’s Blood Boy a dick), but after watching this, I shudder to think of where that line truly lies. My sweet, precious Jared. May God help us all if you succumb to your dark urges.

Did this trailer scare the pants off you, too? Let us know in the comments!

Image: HBO

Ryan Reynolds Is Here to Help You Get Over Your Breakup

Breakups suck. Not only do you have to deal with the heartache, but they also make your life post-breakup super difficult. Returning borrowed items, dealing with shared friends, and figuring out what to do with the photos memorializing your time together is nothing short of tedious and sad. It’s even worse when that breakup happens a few days after a big event with tons of photographic evidence. Like prom, for instance.

When Gabi Dunn’s boyfriend ended their relationship after prom, she was stuck with loads of pictures of herself in a kick-ass dress standing next to her ex. Honestly, should a great picture of yourself in a beautiful gown get destroyed simply because you’re not dating the other person in the picture? Hell no! So Gabi decided to get creative, and she photoshopped red carpet pictures of Ryan Reynolds onto her boyfriend in all of her prom photos.

My boyfriend and I broke up a few days after prom, so I decided to “edit” the photos a little @VancityReynolds pic.twitter.com/Ecvn5Wkgb4

— Gabi Dunn (@gabidunn99) July 4, 2017

And while the idea would be hilarious on its own, Reynolds saw the tweet, and offered his suggestion to “enhance” other instances where her ex might appear. Namely, the school yearbook.

We should photoshop me over his yearbook picture next. #DontMessWithGabi https://t.co/o0qFBXvSNi

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 6, 2017

Getting over a break up is a whole lot easier when you’ve got Deadpool on your side! It looks like this whole things have given Gabi some really fun memories to drown out the bad ones from her breakup. And if nothing else, she’s got one heck of a story to tell at parties from now on.

Have you ever photoshopped a celebrity onto pictures of an ex? Tell us about it in the comments!

Image: 20th Century Fox