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We Break Down the New LUKE CAGE Trailer

Sweet Lloyd Christmas this new trailer for Luke Cage looks straight up amazing, and we’re breaking it all down right here on Nerdist News! We learned at Comic-Con last month that Luke Cage would take place after the events of Jessica Jones season one. That means we already know Luke has lost his wife, dealt with Kilgrave’s mind control, and met his future wife slash baby mama. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean his origin story won’t play a factor in the new show!

In the trailer, we got a sneak peek at the experiment that first made Luke Cage indestructible. In a classic nod to Luke’s classic Power Man costume from the 70’s, Cage dons the classic wrist bands, tiara, and hair, and we love it! Sure, it’s a little doofy, but a nice homage to the past. Speaking of homages, Luke’s much-discussed gray hoodie with a yellow lining is another nod to the Power Man costumes of old.

On another track, holy crap, can we talk about how amazing the music is gonna be on this show? The whole trailer played out like a soundtrack to my dreams. And then the shot of Mahershala Ali with Biggie’s crown over his head? This show looks intense to say the least. I mean, Cottonmouth is pounding a dude’s face into mush. Notably, he looks a lot different than his comic counterpart, who was older with white hair and teeth carved down into fangs. But somehow, Netflix’s version is no less scary. We’re still wondering, however, if he’ll go through a transformation of his own to bring him closer to the comic look.

But they’ve got more than just badass brutality to offer! Not even a Marvel show is complete without a Ross and Rachel, and even though we know Jessica Jones eventually becomes Cage’s Rachel, we still get to see a couple Carols and Monas along the way. First up is Claire Temple, who seems to become close with Cage just like she was with Matt Murdock. We also just got confirmation that she’ll be popping up in Iron Fist next year too, so hopefully she’ll become the Phil Coulson of the Netflix MCU.

And then there’s the debut of Misty Knight, who seems to be playing both a romantic interest and moral center, warning Cage that even though he’s bulletproof, Harlem isn’t. Luke’s only weakness may be the people he cares about, and from the looks of the trailer, it seems like Misty might be the one who pushes him to become a hero. As of now, it’s unclear whether she’ll have her trademark bionic enhancements of kung fu skills. But one thing we’re willing to bet on is that Luke Cage won’t be the last we see of Knight- she’s a major love interest on Iron Fist as well.

Finally, we get a nice shot of Luke enjoying an Easy Rawlins novel. Rawlins was the main character in a series of hard-boiled detective novels that started in the 90’s and have become iconic for blending noir tradition and social justice. Hmm, seems like that’s Luke Cage‘s mission statement all in one shot, and we can’t wait!

But what do you guys think? Are you as psyched for Luke Cage as we are? Did you notice anything in the trailer we missed? Will the characters on Luke Cage say “Harlem” more than Daredevil characters say “this city?” Let’s discuss!

Before you go, be sure to check out our second Inkshares winner that hit bookstores today! The new book is a coming of age and coming out story set in the zombie apocalypse… in Florida. So basically a quadfecta of all my dreams in one awesome book. If you want your own copy, you’ve come to the right place because we’re giving some away right here on Nerdist News. That’s right, just click this link to tweet in the post below and you’ve got a chance to win a copy for yourself. Or, if that’s too grab one in person at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your own local bookstore!

Marvel’s GHOST RIDER Returns in New Ongoing Comic Series

Last month, Marvel revealed that the modern Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes is making his live-action debut on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this fall. In the comic book universe, it’s been over a year since Reyes’ series, All-New Ghost Rider came to an end. But Ghost Rider will soon ride again in a new ongoing series!

TV Guide broke the news that the writer of the previous Ghost Rider series, Felipe Smith is joining forces with artist Danilo Beyruth for the new series, for which Smith will also serve as one of the cover artists. All-New Ghost Rider artist Tradd Moore will also contribute a backup story for the new Ghost Rider series.

Unlike previous Ghost Riders, Robbie Reyes isn’t possessed by a spirit of vengeance. Instead, he shares his body with Eli Morrow, his uncle, who just so happens to be an evil Satanic serial killer who drives Robbie to kill. As Ghost Rider, Robbie also has the power to transform his vehicle into a demonic muscle car.

Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Axel Alonso told TV Guide that Smith’s other gig (on Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series) that held up the return of this incarnation of Ghost Rider. “I would have loved to have launched it sooner,” said Alonso. “But he has a prosperous career in animation, we needed the time to carve it up and do it right.”

The report indicates that the new Ghost Rider series will feature Robbie’s encounters with Amadeus Cho (a.k.a. the star of Marvel’s Totally Awesome Hulk) and the female Wolverine who was formerly known as X-23.

Ghost Rider #1 will be released in November.

Are you excited about the new Ghost Rider comic? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Comics

Watch Cate Blanchett’s Face Melt Off in Massive Attack’s New Music Video

Have you ever watched The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and found yourself wondering, “Man, I wonder what Cate Blanchett would look like if her face melted plum off her body?” Us too! Thankfully legendary trip-hop group Massive Attack are on the same page as all of us and imagined that very strange set of circumstances in their new music video for “The Spoils.”

Having just released a similarly creepy music video last week for their brooding song, “Come Near Me,” Massive Attack complimented that sonic dreariness with the orchestral lushness of “The Spoils,” which features Mazzy Stars’ vocalist Hope Sandoval uttering foreboding lyrics: “I’ve got that bad feeling.” Seemingly simple, the music video pans in circles around the soft visage of Cate Blanchett—okay, pretty normal—and then she starts to sweat. Alright, that happens to faces when they got hot. Then it turns out, her face isn’t sweating, per se; rather, it is melting right off her head. The visual effects and makeup team did a really convincing job on this one as Blanchett gradually loses the nuance and features of her face, becoming first a mannequin with a wig and then slowly, a decayed stone statue. It is extremely unnerving and makes you think about the impermanence of identity in an increasingly transient, obsolescent world. It also makes you think: boy I sure hope my face doesn’t melt plum off my head!

What do you guys think of this creepy ass video? Are you also now worried about your face? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: Warner Bros., Paramount

Matt Grosinger is the music editor of Nerdist and is actually a 65-year-old aging in reverse.

Make Endless FUTURAMA Memes and GIFs with the Morbotron (Or Be DESTROYED!)

We now have a rival for the best thing we’ve ever seen—besides Bender steering the Planet Express Ship with his ass—It’s called the Morbotron, and it’s a search engine that allows people to find any Futurama quote and turn it into a meme or a GIF. Like this one:

The Morbotron is, of course, named after Morbo the Annihilator (we are all vermin in your eyes, Morbo, we know), who hosts the popular shows Entertainment and Earth Invasion Tonite, as well as Tea with Titans.

The search engine is the brainchild (Brainspawn?) of Paul Kehrer, Sean Schulte, and Allie Young, who previously built the glorious Frinkiac, which functioned exactly like the Morbotron, except it focused on The Simpsons.

Kehrer wrote in a blog post announcing the Morbotron that it has 861,414 unique frames, 124 episodes, four movies, and a whopping 63,527 subtitles from which to satiate your lust for relating everything in this universe to everything in the Futurama universe. Schulte also announced the delivery of the Morbotron, but chose to do so with the grace of man who’s well versed in cham-pag-in and the art of making sweet sweet… candy:

We got our launch strategy from Brannigan. #Morbotron https://t.co/sU4ia0XWGh pic.twitter.com/SeKj4N4haJ

— Sean Schulte (@sirsean) August 8, 2016

As far as actually using the Morbotron, it’s pretty self-explanatory, although keep in mind that in order to make a GIF you’ll need to select multiple frames. You’ll also need to add the meme to the GIF before building it if you want it to have the text overlay.

Now everybody get naked and let’s celebrate Morbotron Day!

What do you think about the Morbotron? Is it far worse than the Frinkiac OR DOES MORBOTRON LAUGH IN THE FACE OF THE SIMPSONS? Let us know now in the comments below OR TREMBLE AT THE WELL-STATED OPINIONS OF OTHERS.

Images: 20th Century Fox via Morbotron

Nerdist Podcast: The Marriage Refs

It’s some Hostful goodness! Matt and Jonah talk about what they did for their birthdays, Jonah talks about trying a sensory deprivation tank and Chris doesn’t eat pizza anymore. Chris talks about his upcoming wedding, Matt and Jonah give him some some wedding advice and Chris had to get a rectal exam. Chris then brags about all the Pokeman he has caught recently!

STAR WARS REBELS Introduces Thrawn, GAME OF THRONES Concert, and More TV News

August arrived nine days ago—I barely noticed, so I thought I’d point it out to you. The passing of time means a lot of things are getting closer; things like fall television premieres. Star Wars Rebels announced their season three debut date and we have that in today’s TV-Cap along with news about an early premiere for Son of Zorn, info on a Game of Thrones concert tour, and more.

Don’t Feel Blue. Season three of Star Wars Rebels will arrive on Disney XD on September 24, and the premiere episode is bringing a key villain into canon: Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Chiss Imperial was introduced in Legends books in the ’90s, and this marks his first on-screen appearance. Besides the entrance of Thrawn, the premiere will show how much more powerful Ezra’s become since we last saw him. [Nerdist]

Being Reckless. Fox had their day at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour on Monday, and Lethal Weapon (premiering September 21) was one of their new TV series on the table for discussion. Martin Riggs is a little different in reboot of the film, and actor Clayne Crawford stopped by the TCAs to discuss this Riggs’ background. Read his comments here at Nerdist.

Still on the Table. While at the TCAs, Fox entertainment president David Madden was asked about the status of more episodes of The X-Files. He said the network is interested, but scheduling the relevant parties for filming is tricky. He also mentioned “significant talks” are happening with Chris Carter, David Duchovny, and Gillian Anderson and told reporters they’d like the potential eleventh season to have more episodes than the six episode season 10. [TVLine]

Power. House. Luke Cage is coming. The next of Marvel’s series on Netflix will arrive September 30, and Netflix has released this powerful poster—and trailer!—showing off the bulletproof hero. [Nerdist; Nerdist | Image: Netflix]

TCA Tidbits. Ready for a couple more highlights from the TCAs? First of all, Fox is going to do a crossover for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl. Learn more about that here. And over at Amazon, Good Girls Revolt is going all Mad Men; read the report right this way.

Look to the Skies. Legends of Tomorrow is bringing the cosmic staff-wielding Stargirl to season two. Sarah Grey will play the character that will be part of the Justice Society of America. [Comic Book Resources]

Music of Westeros. What would a concert featuring the music of Game of Thrones be like? You’ll be able to find out next year because composer Ramin Djawadi is taking his work for the fantasy series on the road to 27 cities. I can’t wait to go, and I can’t wait to see the cosplay that happens at the concerts. Get the tour schedule at Live Nation. [Nerdist, Image: Live Nation]

Early Arrival. Fox’s Son of Zorn was going to premiere at the end of September, but they’re bringing the live-action animated combo comedy to the public earlier. The first episode will air on September 11 after the first NFL doubleheader of football season. Then it will go back to its usual timeslot on September 25. [Nerdist]

No Such Thing as Free. Hulu is letting go of its free streaming services. Some television series and films on the service were free to watch, but they’re changing the program. Customers using the free service will be getting notifications with free trial period offers. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Rapid Change. Gotham’s Poison Ivy has been recast, and the character looks much, much older. The first look at Maggie Geha as Ivy Pepper shows Ivy couldn’t appear more different. There will be an in-universe explanation for the change involving a monster from Indian Hill. [ComicBook.com, Image: Fox]

Play It Again. To say the Twin Peaks soundtrack is memorable would be a massive understatement. The music by Angelo Badalamenti added to the setting and story, and now, it’s being re-released on vinyl. Learn where to score the record here at Nerdist.

Are you planning to get tickets for the Game of Thrones concert tour? Let me know in the comments.

Featured Image: Disney XD/Lucasfilm

Nick Kroll and Brett Gelman Make it Weird in JOSHY Clip (Exclusive)

Bachelor parties have long been the cultural equivalent of a Viking funeral. Except instead of sending the lifeless body of a berserker felled in battle out to sea on a blazing longboat, it’s a bunch of dudes drinking themselves into a stupor, consuming their body weight in drugs, and hiring strippers to commemorate the end of sowing their wild oats. But what do you do when your engagement ends without any notice? If you’re the characters in the new indie dramedy Joshy from writer-director Jeff Baena, you go right on ahead with that proud American tradition and dial it up to eleven. Or at least you’ll try to, as you’ll see in this exclusive clip from Joshy in which Brett Gelman, Nick Kroll, and Alex Ross Perry realize that making small talk with the sex worker (Lauren Weedman) you’ve hired for your bachelor party can be excruciatingly uncomfortable.

The film, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, stars a murderer’s row of funnypeople, including Thomas Middleditch, Brett Gelman, Jenny Slate, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Pally, Nick Kroll, Lauren Graham, Alison Brie, and many more. Middleditch plays the eponymous Joshy, a man who suddenly finds himself suddenly fiancé-less before getting married. But rather than letting him succumb to sadness, Joshy’s pals decide to give their forlorn friend the weekend of a lifetime at his would-be bachelor party in Ojai, California. The dark comedy isn’t your standard cinematic story of a debaucherous bachelor weekend though; it’s an exploration of grief, friendship, and catharsis too. But don’t worry — there’s plenty of jokes in there, so you won’t leave feeling like Giles Corey crushed under the weight of an emotional boulder.

Here is the film’s official synopsis:

“After his engagement suddenly ends, Joshy and a few his friends decide to take advantage of what was supposed to be his bachelor party in Ojai, California. In their attempt to help Joshy deal with the recent turn of events, the guys turn the getaway into a raucous weekend filled with drugs, booze, debauchery, and hot tubs.”

Joshy opens in theaters and on VOD on August 12, 2016.

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

Scientists Discover the Ecological “Blue Whirl” Fire Tornado

There’s been arguably no more integral “invention” to humankind than our discovery of fire. With our ability to harness its energy for things like cooking and heat, we significantly advanced the possibilities for the human race. Quite simply: delay that discovery, delay human progress. But what about fire tornadoes? Might it be possible to harness their energy, too?

“A fire tornado has long been seen as this incredibly scary, destructive thing,” says Michael Gollner, co-author of a new fire tornado study at the University of Maryland. “But, like electricity, can you harness it for good? If we can understand it, then maybe we can control and use it. This is the first time fire whirls have been studied for their practical applications.”

One of the downsides of fire is that its burn creates damaging emissions. But perhaps there’s a way to control fire tornadoes, fire’s hellish evolved form, for a cleaner burn.

For the new study, scientists were testing fire tornadoes’ response to fuel on the surface of water, hoping that they might discover a more efficient way to burn oil after major spills. During their tests, they observed “blue whirls” inside the tornadoes.

“Blue whirls evolve from traditional yellow fire whirls,” said Elaine Oran, another of the study’s co-authors. “The yellow color is due to radiating soot particles, which form when there is not enough oxygen to burn the fuel completely. Blue in the whirl indicates there is enough oxygen for complete combustion, which means less or no soot, and is therefore a cleaner burn.”

The blue whirl, in addition to being a great ecological analog to superheroes like Storm and the Red Tornado, means a much cleaner means of cleaning up oil spills. The challenge will be scaling it from lab-sized samples to full-fledged, ocean-ready vortices.

“Fire whirls are more efficient than other forms of combustion because they produce drastically increased heating to the surface of fuels, allowing them to burn faster and more completely,” adds Gollner. “In our experiments over water, we’ve seen how the circulation fire whirls generate also helps to pull in fuels. If we can achieve a state akin to the blue whirl at larger scale, we can further reduce airborne emissions for a much cleaner means of spill cleanup.”

This blue whirl is also relatively quiet and stable compared to other fire tornadoes, meaning it probably won’t destroy us in its cleaning missions. Ideally, we could bypass the problem of oil spills altogether by relying less heavily on oil as a fuel source, but at least this will offer a better alternative for the time being.

The research appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), as New Atlas reports. Check out the video above and let us know what you would do with a blue whirl in the comments.

Image: University of Maryland

Relive 50 Years of Comic Book Movies in New Supercut

As the Suicide Squad movie proved once again over the weekend, the comic book movie isn’t going away anytime soon! While the last few years have seen an explosion in comic book adaptations, it’s a tradition that goes back several decades. And as demonstrated in this new supercut, not all of them involve superheroes!

Moon Film’s new 50 Years of Comic Book Movies supercut starts in 1966 with the Batman movie starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin, the Boy Wonder. It could have actually started much earlier, since Captain America, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Batman, and Superman were all featured in black and white film serials during the ’30s and ’40s.

The video is set to Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” and it’s a largely complete accounting of the comic book movies from the last five decades, including titles like Ghost World, American Splendor, A History of Violence, and Road to Perdition that had no capes and tights…at least not of the superhero variety.

However, there are some surprising omissions, including Howard the Duck and Whiteout. Howard the Duck is still one of Marvel’s beloved cult characters, even if the film didn’t do him much justice. And Whiteout was based on an acclaimed comic book series by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. We can understand some of the other omissions like the Captain America film from 1990 and the Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie that was never officially released. Those movies were, to put it charitably, not great.

Captain America: Civil War serves as the last film in this supercut, which leaves Suicide Squad and Doctor Strange out of the mix. But the video was still an enjoyable way to revisit some of the highs and lows of the last 50 years of comic book films.

What did you think about this supercut? Let us know in the comment section below!

Here are what critics said about Suicide Squad.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

BATMAN Meets SCOTT PILGRIM In “Bruce Wayne Vs. The World”

Sure, Batman is really just a violent and dangerous sociopath suffering from acute narcissism and extreme identity disorder as a result of severe trauma he experienced as a small child when he witnessed the murder of both of his parents, but does every movie about him have to be so serious? Wouldn’t the Dark Knight benefit from just a little bit of fun and levity for once? Maybe the kind a director like Edgar Wright, a man who already knows a little something about adapting a beloved comic book character famous for his fighting prowess to the big screen, could bring to the gritty world of the Caped Crusader?

That’s just the mashed-up universe imagined by Inventor Headquarters, which took Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale and combined it with the surreal and lively ethos of Scott Pilgrim, to bring us a trailer for “Bruce Wayne Vs. The World.”

You can see how this mix-up trailer compares to the actual Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World trailer right here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you want your comic book movie adaptation to do well don’t be shy about showing some punches, lots and lots of punches. The people go nuts for punching.

Also, I would much rather hang out with The Joker, even if it got me killed, than I would want to hang out with Gideon Graves at his pretentious club. I mean, at least The Joker enjoys a good game of pool, you know?

For just being a fun mash-up, this trailer actually brings up a great idea: let Edgar Wright direct a fun Batman movie. We can already see it in our mind’s eye.

What do you think Edgar Wright’s Batman movie would look like? Tell us in the comments below.

Image: Warner Bros./Inventor Headquarters/YouTube