Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2168

This Philippines Restaurant Sells Burgers That Look Like LEGO

Ordering a burger from a restaurant is wonderful because, well, it’s a burger, but if there’s a drawback to the experience, it’s that sometimes that darn thing has a hard time staying together. Wouldn’t it be easier if a burger’s components could snap together like LEGO bricks, making it virtually impossible for them to come apart?

That’s what a restaurant in the Philippines is thinking, or at the very least, they’re a big fan of the plastic building bricks: Brick Burger’s menu is populated by burgers whose buns technically aren’t modeled after LEGOs (for legal reasons, we’d imagine), but they sure do look like them (via RocketNews24).

The restaurant itself looks like it’s made of giant LEGO, and the branding, while technically original, sure seems to borrow its aesthetic from the Danish bricks. True to the beloved toys, Brick Burger offers burgers with buns in a variety of colors, like black, orange, yellow, and red.

The restaurant definitely isn’t hiding the fact that it’s based on LEGO, as they openly admit their inspiration.

“It’s one of the most recognizable toys in the world, and I think almost everyone is familiar with it,” said Ralph Abogado, head of marketing for Brick Burger, in the video above. “LEGO is a right of passage as a kid, it’s one of the first toys we play with.”

Brick Burger is only in the Philippines at the moment, but let us be thankful for the things we do have, like… we’re coming up short. We just want LEGO burgers.

And check here for a complete breakdown of how painful LEGO bricks are to step on.

Featured image: Brick Burger/Facebook

Will Arnett shares LEGO Batman’s secret ability

Swamp Thing Continues Cultural Takeover in INJUSTICE 2

With last year’s Rebirth relaunch, the popularity of the DC Universe in comics form has hit a new high, and several of its most beloved characters have gone through a renaissance of sorts as the New 52 timeline bled into an even newer one. But of all the characters going through reappraisal, perhaps none has gotten as big a mainstream push as Swamp Thing, the hulking mass of humanoid vegetation that started as a scientist getting doused with chemicals and became the millennia-old defender of Earth itself. Now he’s in two different animated versions, and will soon be a playable character in the upcoming Injustice 2.

(Check out Everything We Know About Injustice 2 so far!)

The above video, from Internet Gaming Network, shows off Swamp Thing’s special moves and fighting abilities—which utilize his various plant life-harnessing prowess—like trapping combatants in vines or even making a plant duplicate of himself to aid in the pummeling, a-la Noob Saibot from Mortal Kombat. (Remember, Injustice 2 comes to us from NetherRealm Studios, founded by Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon). Plus, it’s just kind of funny to see a huge plant beat the tar out of Damien Wayne, I have to say.

The amazing thing to me is not how well the character is rendered for the fighting game (though that is quite good), it’s that the character has finally permeated the zeitgeist to be one of the most-requested characters to debut in Injustice 2. We’re talking about a character who began life as a one-off story by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson in a 1971 issue of House of Secrets and had steadily grown in popularity over a 15-year-span. It was incredibly popular in the ’70s but fell victim to the DC implosion of 1978 (read more about that in Eric Diaz’s excellent history of Teen Titans).

He hit another brief high in 1982 with a (pretty crappy, I must say) Wes Craven movie (reviewed for Schlock & Awe) but truly hit creative pay dirt when Alan Moore took over the writing of the monthly Saga of the Swamp Thing series and turned the character from a scientist-made-swampy after a chemical explosion, into plants trying to approximate human form after exposure to the aforementioned scientist. He expanded that even further by saying that Swamp Thing was a defender of Mother Earth and had been since the dawn of time, making him part of every ecosystem in the world, able to travel from marsh to marsh. Moore’s stories started getting much more deep and philosophical, with a distinct tinge of psychedelia.

Swamp Thing almost had a big resurgence in the ’90s with a film sequel, a syndicated live-action series, a very short-lived cartoon series, and a couple of poorly received video games, but alas it was not to be (even though I did get a Swamp Thing action figure in 1991 because of that cartoon. It’s arm pulled out on a string). While the character had some comics love more and more in recent years (appearing in the Brightest Day arc and showing up in the Justice League Dark comics), it wasn’t until word got around that Swamp Thing would have appeared in Guillermo del Toro‘s Justice League Dark aborted film version that the character was legitimized again.

Now he’s both appeared in the animated Justice League Dark animated movie that recently came out, and as a semi-regular on the younger-viewer aiming Cartoon Network series, Justice League Action, voiced by Mark Hamill. The fact that both Swamp Thing and John Constantine—who began in the pages of Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing—are now so ubiquitous that they are in a children’s TV show is baffling to me.

So, hooray Dr. Alec Holland, or whatever name you choose to go by, on finally getting your proper due. I look forward to playing as you in a video game where I get to beat up the worst Robin very soon.

Share your Swamp Thing thoughts in the comments below!

Images: DC Comics/NetherRealm Studios/Cartoon Network/WB Animation

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and an avowed DC Comics fanboy. Follow him on Twitter!

Here’s a complete history of Justice League Dark:

Celebrate Galentine’s Day with BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER’s Buffy and Willow

While re-watching the particularly underrated Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Restless” in preparation for this year’s Galentine’s Day, I noticed something special about Willow and Buffy’s friendship. In this unorthodox season four finale, which picks up right after the gang saves the world from the government baddie Adam, the Scoobies are trapped in their dreams and must make their way through some legit subconscious leaps and bounds, courtesy of the first Slayer.

In Willow’s dream, Buffy is the only Scoobie to insist that Willow’s wearing a costume and hiding her true self. Who else would know her better than even she knows herself? Towards the end of the dream, Buffy rips off Will’s grown-up college student “facade,” finally revealing high school Willow in all her sweet, meek glory, nervously reading her book report of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in front of her friends and two loves. (Hello, random Oz and Tara fandom we didn’t know we needed!)

That moment in “Restless” points to some major BFF goals. Buffy and Willow became exceptionally close in less than 12 episodes, and remained so for the entire series. During the high school years of the first three seasons, the two built their friendship on mutual admiration and respect after being labeled misfits of Sunnydale High. These seasons were lined with lots of girl talk in the bathrooms, venting about boys/vampires, researching demons in the library, and casting wacky new spells. You know, innocent teenage stuff. Oh–they also had that one sleepover in Buffy’s room with garlic braids, stakes, and crosses at the ready because evil Angelus broke into both of their rooms and killed Willow’s fish. Ovaries before brovaries, am I right?

Towards the end of high school and going into college in seasons three and four, Buffy and Willow were at peak friendship levels. Willow started to evolve into more than just a sidekick to Buffy’s superhero struggles, grabbing hold of her own sense of self while remaining vigilantly at Buffy’s side for most of these coming-of-age episodes. From graduation to the government work, what didn’t kill them made them stronger. Their college gal pal moments included picking out courses in the graveyard and alternating slayage with study sessions. Some of their most heartbreaking hugs were also shared during these two seasons, particularly when Buffy broke down and confessed to killing a man with Faith in season three and when Oz left Willow after a nasty fight with a she-wolf early in season four. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)

Between seasons five and six, something revolutionary happened in their friendship. Buffy and Willow became equals. After years of fighting baddies and saving the world, the superhero slayer and her human friends reforged their unique gift: their friendship, something all other slayers before Buffy lacked. And building on her self discovery as not just another sidekick, Willow turned badass

Willow (literally) lost Buffy in the end of season five and Buffy (metaphorically) lost Willow in the end of season six, but the crux of those losses transformed their friendship forever. In perhaps the dopest bonding moment ever, Buffy and Willow shared one woke AF mind-meld chat inside a comatose Buffy’s mind during “The Weight of the World.” Willow alone brought Buffy back from the brink of catatonic apocalypse catastrophe.

It doesn’t stop there–in season six, their friendship got a bit damaged, but it’s only after their epic finale fight that they started to take their friendship to a whole ‘nother level. They kicked it lady-style in the TV series’ final season and saved the world once again. After doing away with junkie Willow, rehab Willow helps Buffy the most. Hear me out–Buffy randomly becomes the leader for tons of teenage slayer wannabes, which makes her wig out in new and scary ways, and who’s got the most experience dealing with nerves? Here’s looking at you, Red!

Their trademark gal pal moment from season seven showed up in the end of “Same Time, Same Place.” Worn out, physically and mentally, Willow and Buffy recharge their energy and friendship in a meditative chill sesh. The effects of this moment echo through the comic seasons to follow. Also on their Galentine’s schedule in season seven were some wicked spell casting to save their slayerettes and scythe powering-ups, cause scythe matters!

In the comic seasons eight to 10, Willow and Buffy have had their share of issues–it wouldn’t be a Whedonverse without personal battles and character shifts. But these gal pals are experiencing a renaissance of friendship. In “Long Way Home: Part 4,” Buffy saves Willow from the return of Warren in the nick of time, and Willow delivers the rad line, “Have I ever told you about my best friend…?” Jump forward to the recent finale of season 10 and the two are pretty close to unstoppable, owning their strengths and weaknesses as they rewrite the laws of magic side-by-side. Finally, we got another silly and strange dream scene together in “Slayer, Interrupted,” which comes full circle in showcasing the power of their friendship that we saw back in “Restless.”

Galentine’s Day exists because of close female friendships like Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins, Cher and Dionne, Buffy and Willow. These are just a few reasons why I adore Buffy and Willow’s friendship. Like IRL friends, there are many ways to celebrate your BFFs. Three cheers for all the gal pals everywhere! Season 11 of Buffy is on-going right now with its side series, “Buffy: The High School Years,” continuing this year too. What are some of your favorite Buffy and Willow moments? Let us know below!

Images: 20th Century Fox

Keanu Reeves Spills BILL AND TED 3 Details!

They are Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted “Theodore” Logan, and together they are Wyld Stallyns! As foretold in the two Bill & Ted movies, everyone’s favorite pair of time-traveling dimwits are destined to change the world with their music. But they haven’t done it yet, and it’s been 26 years since the last sequel. Bogus! But thanks to the success of John Wick 2, Keanu Reeves is riding another Hollywood comeback. On today’s Nerdist News, we’ll tell you what that means for a potential Bill & Ted 3!

Join host, and one of the princesses from the distant past, Jessica Chobot, as she takes a look at the latest update on the long-awaited Bill & Ted sequel, straight from Reeves himself! While promoting John Wick 2 on The Graham Norton Show, Reeves said that a script has already been written, and it would follow up on the fact that Bill and Ted still haven’t lived up to their potential.”Basically, they’re supposed to write a song to save the world and they haven’t done that,” related Reeves. “The pressure of having to save the world, their marriages are falling apart, their kids are kind of mad at them, and then someone comes from the future and tells them if they don’t write the song it’s just not the world, it’s the universe. So they have to save the universe because time is breaking apart”

Sadly, Bill and Ted’s mentor, Rufus, can’t be the one to come back from the future (because the great George Carlin passed away years ago), but we’re still hoping to see William Sadler return as the Grim Reaper!

What do you think about the possible continuation of Bill & Ted? Play some wicked air guitar and then let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Lin-Manuel Miranda Made an Amazing Galentine’s Day Playlist

It’s February 13th, which means it is officially one of the best days of the year: Galentine’s Day—a holiday started by the amazing (albeit fictional) Leslie Knope on NBC’s dearly departed series, Parks and Recreation. If you’ve never heard of the holiday before, Galentine’s is a day where women get together and celebrate friendship, one another, and waffles. Always waffles. It’s a fantastic holiday, but for the longest time, it had been missing the proper musical accompaniment.

Thankfully, the internet’s collective bestie, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has gifted the world with yet another amazing playlist, this time perfectly crafted for any Galentine’s Day festivities you may have going on. As we all have seen with the Hamilton Mixtape and his own Spotify account, Miranda is no stranger to whipping up a pretty killer mix.

He most certainly doesn’t disappoint with his latest playlist, pulling in musical stylings that span decades, from all sorts of amazing female artists (with a cover photo of the original Schuyler Sisters, because who better to represent Galentine’s Day than the women who brought us #AndSisterhood). But with badass women from Queen Latifah, Destiny’s Child, Regina Spektor, Florence and the Machine, and more, this playlist is sure to set just the right mood for any Galentine’s Day celebrations you and your girls have planned. Even better, like any good playlist, this one is fun to listen to year-round, keeping that Galentine’s Day spirit alive 365 days a year.

If you don’t already follow Miranda on Spotify, I’d recommend remedying that quickly. So far his account has four fantastic public playlists, Add Yourself, Amaze and Astonish, Rise Up Eyes Up Wise Up, and his Galentine’s Day playlist. It seems like he has a lot of fun making these playlists for us, so we can hope there are many more for in the future!

I mean, no pressure, Lin, but also, please make us more fun playlists. Be sure to let us know your thoughts about it as well as your favorite Galentine’s Day tunes in the comments!

Image credit: Nathan Hughes Hamilton/Flickr

The Greatest in Memes From Last Night’s Grammy Awards Ceremony

As expected, last night’s Grammy Award ceremony was a real hoot, condensing everything from Carpool Karaoke to a bunch of gold in one musical spectacle that won’t soon be forgotten. Host James Corden sang songs with some of our favorite musicians, Lady Gaga and Metallica pulled off an intense collaboration, and a bunch of other stuff happened, but let us never forget the memes. Ah yes, the sweet, sweet memes.

There were plenty of moments for the internet to endlessly dissect, which led to a bunch of hilarity—some of which we’ve highlighted below. If you’re among our friends getting snow dumped on you in the northeastern part of the country, here are some hot, spicy memes to warm your chilled bones. If not, enjoy the pics anyway.

Let’s start at the most obvious spot: CeeLo Green’s new golden persona, Gnarly Davidson. There have been plenty of all-gold figures in pop culture history, so our friends on Twitter were quick to point out a few of them:

AGENT: I just can’t get a call back on your Klytus audition for the Flash Gordon remake

CEELO: …I got an idea pic.twitter.com/ttOahHUXtR

— Alamo Drafthouse NYC (@AlamoNYC) February 13, 2017

why is ceelo green out there looking like a ferrero rocher?#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/zWM3vVitV9

— Typical Girl (@SoDamnTrue) February 13, 2017

Who wore it better? #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/3MCs2bNul1

— Dan Casey (@osteoferocious) February 13, 2017

.@CeeLoGreen we see what you did there ⚡ #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/1Ja6F8EDOt

— Power Rangers (@PowerRangers) February 13, 2017

Those are few of many, but now, we ask you:

Today’s #NerdistNews poll: We need to settle this debate, who was CeeLo Green dressed as at the #GRAMMYs last night?

— Nerdist (@nerdist) February 13, 2017

Alright, here are a few more of CeeLo before we move on.

I edited Ceelo Green into the background of pics of Trump in his apartment and holy shit pic.twitter.com/VurY7DMJ1w

— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) February 13, 2017

The Suicide Squad/Power Rangers crossover no one asked for #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/1z1SF7pZfR

— SteveFoxe (@steve_foxe) February 13, 2017

me: whats your favorite color?

crush: golden

me:#grammys pic.twitter.com/YEifv7UyNP

— lucas (@LwithP) February 13, 2017

Speaking of gold, let us not forget Beyoncé:

pic.twitter.com/R3IvNrlP38

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) February 13, 2017

replacing the iconography pic.twitter.com/hjrFsXvEeo

— deaux (@dstfelix) February 13, 2017

ill never trust anything more than Beyonce trusts this chair not breaking pic.twitter.com/MTA4TziJJa

— Lil Wobo From 50th (@World_Wide_Wob) February 13, 2017

youtube makeup tutorials vs. real life pic.twitter.com/RaewmC23By

— Ziwe (@ziwe) February 13, 2017

Isaac Newton: I present my universal law of gravitation theory

Beyoncé: I think not sweetie #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/aWfEjhPxjE

— BEYONCÉ CAPITAL (@BeyonceCapital) February 13, 2017

Those were the two main points of interest, but that doesn’t mean Mike Posner’s interesting new hairdo, James Corden biting it, and others weren’t meme-worthy too.

Mike Posner or The Joker

Who wore it better? #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/VW5XGAPaUc

— Hardys® (@HardysMedia) February 13, 2017

Me each time Chance won a Grammy tonight: pic.twitter.com/PHtvrQd8i8

— Erica Gonzales (@ericagonzo) February 13, 2017

“How’s life treating you?” #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/hpTiHZmjOy

— Common White Girl (@girlhoodposts) February 13, 2017

Me before and after Lady Gaga’s performance with Metallica. #Grammys #MetalliGa pic.twitter.com/HIDjsNsQB6

— COME TO MAMA (@JoanneMonster96) February 13, 2017

Me when someone tells me to smile for a pic. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/5tDKqfBcdx

— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) February 12, 2017

Those are the memes we saw and loved, but if we missed anything crucial, give us a shout, let us know. What are you favorite jokes to have come out of a super fun Grammys?

Featured image: The Recording Academy

4 X-MEN Characters Maisie Williams Might Play in NEW MUTANTS

Over the weekend, New Mutants director Josh Boone tweeted out a piece of concept art of Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams as the Scottish lupine mutant Wolfsbane. In fact, Boone tagged both the artist and the Arya Stark actress in the tweet, all but confirming was has been rumored for several months, that Williams had landed the role of the werewolf student of Xavier’s School for the Gifted. You can see Boone’s tweet below:

Wolfsbane by Mid-World’s very own @AshleyRGuillory @Maisie_Williams pic.twitter.com/XskXseRwK2

— Josh Boone (@JoshBooneMovies) February 12, 2017

However, it could be a smokescreen, and maybe Maisie Williams is up for an entirely different mutant role. It’s not above the makers of these movies to troll the fans hard sometimes using social media and play with our expectations. So while we think that it’s almost a certainty that Williams is in this movie (or possibly another X-Men universe film) maybe she’s not necessarily playing Wolfsbane? Here are our guesses as to who Maisie could be playing, starting with the most obvious choice:

Wolfsbane

Okay, Boone probably isn’t trolling the fans and it’s very likely that Maisie Williams is indeed playing Rahne Sinclair, a.k.a. Wolfsbane. To be completely honest, she would be perfect for the role. In the comics, Rahne (pronounced “rain”) was raised by a Reverend, who told her that her werewolf-like mutancy was a result of her being in league with Satan. This turned the deeply religious Rahne into a ball of self loathing and rage, one that took Professor Xavier and her fellow students a long time to get her to work through. We all know from Game of Thrones that Maisie Williams can do pint-sized ball of rage very well, which makes her perfect for Wolfsbane. So odds are, that’s who she is actually playing.

Rachel Summers

However, if we are being trolled and Williams is playing another mutant, I think I know who it could be (or at least who I would like it to be). New Mutants isn’t the only X-Men film going into production soon. Actress Sophie Turner confirmed she is going before the cameras soon to film a sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse, which everyone is expecting to be a Dark Phoenix Saga do-over. What if Maisie Williams shows up in this film instead, possibly as Rachel Summers?

For those not super familiar with the comic book lore, Rachel Summers is the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey from a dystopian, alternate future, who comes back in time to join the X-Men. This would be another ideal role for Williams to play. And wouldn’t it be trippy if the actresses who play sisters on Game of Thrones were playing mother and daughter in another franchise?

Magma

Ok, back to reality. Since Josh Boone tweeted the image, chances are that Williams is playing a part in New Mutants, since that’s the film he’s actually directing. Boone has previously suggested that the line-up of comic characters in New Mutants would include Wolfsbane, Mirage, Cannonball, Sunspot, Magick, and Warlock. Mirage is Native American, and Magick is a curvy Russian blonde, so she is probably not playing either of those two. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t added other New Mutants characters from the comics to the lineup since then.

One possibility is Magma, a volcano powered member of the team, who joined around the same time as the other characters we know to be in the film. Magma, whose real name is Amara Aquila, comes from the fictional country of Nova Roma (New Rome), a colony of the ancient Roman Republic  founded after the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. The colony is hidden in the Amazon Rainforests of modern Brazil, and when Amara was revealed as a mutant, her father sent her to Xavier’s School in America. Well, if they do introduce Magma it’s possible they skip all that whole “from a lost Roman colony” part and just make her from Manchester, England. I don’t think anyone will mind.

Pixie

Pixie, real name Megan Gwynn, is a more recent member of the X-Men, but since the movies mix and match timelines big time, there is no reason that she couldn’t be in a New Mutants film. And the character originated as a junior member of the Xavier Academy, so she would fit right in with the New Mutants’ world. Megan Gwynn’s mutation grants her pixie-like eyes, colorful wings that allow her to fly, and “pixie dust” which causes hallucinations.

Eventually, she learns how to use real magic, but if she ever appears in an X-Men film, I doubt they’ll go that route. Pixie is a more whimsical, light hearted character than the one we are used to see her playing on Game of Thrones, but who is to say she doesn’t have the range? Besides, at only 5’1, Maisie Williams is already Pixie-sized.

—

Which X-Men universe character do you think suits Maisie Willimas best? Should Josh Boone do the expected and cast her as Wolfsbane, or are you hoping for something a little more out of left field? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Everything You Missed in the Logan Trailer:

Images: HBO / Marvel Comics

Help Make This Vincent Van Gogh Action Figure a Reality

He’s one of the most famous and influential artists of all time, although for some people, they just know him as “dude who cut off his own ear.” Nineteenth century post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh wasn’t a successful artist in his day, and like many other tortured artists, wouldn’t become truly famous until after his death by self inflicted gunshot (needless to say, the dude had issues). But over a century later, “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers” are pieces of art that nearly everyone and their pet goldfish knows.

Now we’ve learned that Today Is Art Day (via Action Figure Insider)–an art enthusiasts community found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook–have begun a Kickstarter campaign to celebrate the genius of Vincent Van Gogh with an action figure in his honor.  According to their official Kickstarter site, the goal with action figure is  “to make art history more fun, develop a new kind of product for art history fans, and to pay tribute to one of the greatest painters of all time.” And before you even ask…yes, the action figure will come with removable ears. Both of them, in fact.

https://ksr-video.imgix.net/projects/2526995/video-745017-h264_high.mp4

If their goal is met, the Vincent Van Gogh figure will be 5 inches high and made out of PVC. It’ll come in a high-quality box that presents fun facts about the artist and some of his most recognizable masterpieces, with the option of being able to cut out the paintings and make a paper easel from the box. The hope is that Vinny will be the first in a series of action figures featuring art history heroes,  with the figures eventually becoming available in major museum shops around the world. You can see more images in our gallery below.

Which other great artists do you think deserve their own action figures? (Sign us up for an Andy Warhol action figure, stat!) Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Today is Art Day

GHOST IN THE SHELL’s Villain Reveals Himself in New Trailer

Now that’s what I call a face-off! Paramount released the second trailer for director Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell on Monday morning, and it offers our best look yet at the hotly anticipated anime adaptation. It also offers us a horrifying look at Michael Pitt’s villainous Kuze having an uncomfortably creepy tête-à-tête with Scarlett Johansson’s cyborg cop, The Major, before tearing off her face. Okay, maybe he doesn’t tear it off, but he still removes part of it, revealing the beeping, booping circuitry beneath. If nothing else, it’s emblematic of the sinister cyberpunk sensibility that permeates the trailer.

Unlike the previous trailer, this one gives us our clearest indication yet of the direction the story is heading. After all, with a little over a month until the film hits theaters, it might be time to start giving audiences an idea of what they’re in for (apart from controversy over alleged whitewashing in the casting process). Scarlett Johansson stars as the Major, a cyborg police officer working with an elite counterterrorism unit known as Section 9 to stop the most dangerous cyberterrorists around. One of these terrorists is a man named Kuze, who seems to be both stalking the Major–all while taunting her about a past she can’t seem to remember–and cutting a bloody swath across the city. Yet as this game of cat-and-cybermouse gets increasingly deadly, it seems that the Major will have to face some uncomfortable truths that her employers–the fine folks of Section 9, including Takeshi Kitano as Chief Daisuke Aramaki and Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouélet–seem to be hiding from her.

While the film seems to be blending aspects of the manga, the anime feature film, and the TV series, it does seem like Sanders is trying to remain faithful to the source material as much as possible. Case in point, at a trailer launch event in Tokyo last November, the filmmakers showed off the infamous shelling sequence in which the Major’s shell–the cyborg body into which her consciousness is implanted–is assembled, and it is shockingly close to the original animation.

Ghost in the Shell opens on March 31, 2017.

What do you think of the latest Ghost in the Shell trailer? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: Paramount

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).

James Corden Brought Carpool Karaoke to the Grammys with Neil Diamond, Jennifer Lopez, More

While hosting the 59th annual Grammy Awards, James Corden brought his most recognizable sketch, “Carpool Karaoke” to the Staples Center and performed “Sweet Caroline” live with Neil Diamond, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, and many more.

In a very self aware bit in between awards, Corden joked that CBS was really nervous about him hosting this event since his show is on so late, and was thereby contractually obligated to bring his famous series to the Grammys. A tight shot of Corden zoomed out to reveal that he was wearing a giant cardboard cutout of a car and theoretically sitting on the passenger side. After the host parked next to a seemingly unsuspecting Jennifer Lopez, a star studded group of musicians appeared in the frame and burst out into a rendition of Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” (although we’re not sure how many of them actually knew the lyrics…)

Carpool Karaoke with Blue Ivy: coming in 2025. #GRAMMYs @JKCorden pic.twitter.com/qJQK2awAca

— Nerdist Music (@NerdistMusic) February 13, 2017

This was a fun little moment during a very erratically cringeworthy and entertaining Grammys, even if it tricked us into watching a commercial for Apple Music’s forthcoming Carpool Karaoke spinoff series. But hey, if it’s halfway as entertaining as this interstitial bit, we’ll have to give it a chance.

Did you guys stick it out through the Grammys? What was your favorite moment of the evening? Will you be checking out the new episodes of “Carpool Karaoke” Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter.

Image: CBS

Matt Grosinger is the music editor for the Nerdist and low-key does carpool karaoke every day on the way to work.