Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 258

Why DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Should Not Be Hugh Jackman’s Final Film as Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t reveal whether or not Hugh Jackman will return to the MCU on a more permanent basis. But should he? Could this be the start of a whole new era for him as Logan? There’s a great case for him to put away his adamantium claws for good, but there’s an equally compelling case for him not to. So we’re making both. In this piece, Eric Diaz argues why Deadpool & Wolverine should be Jackman’s official return to playing the iconic character long term. Meanwhile, Michael Walsh made the case for why this should be Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine swan song.

Marvel Studios

Hugh Jackman’s return as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine was a giant shock when they announced it. Mainly thanks to his very public retirement from the role after Logan, in which his iconic character nobly sacrificed himself to save his daughter Laura. Well, cut to seven years later, and Jackman is more excited than ever to pop his claws into some bad guys’ heads in Deadpool & Wolverine, which has now made over a billion dollars at the box office. And although the film works as a final swan song, we think he’s back in the saddle for the long term for him. And maybe that’s a good idea.

20th Century Studios

When Jackman retired from playing the character in Logan, he had played the part in nine films over seventeen years. He had starring roles in the original X-Men trilogy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, and X-Men: Days of Future Past, a Weapon X cameo in Apocalypse, and one colorful f-bomb laden cameo in X-Men: First Class. It’s a lot of times at bat, so we totally get why Hugh wanted to hang up the claws for good. But then, a few things happened that we think slowly changed his mind permanently. One of those was getting the chance to act against other Marvel heroes, something Jackman has always publicly wanted to do.

Since the days of 2013’s The Wolverine press tour, Jackman has talked about how he wished to join the Avengers. At the time, that all seemed impossible. But even then, Jackman seemed confident that one day, the powers that be would allow for the Fox Marvel characters and the Marvel Studios characters to play in the same sandbox. That prediction showed Jackman was a bit of prophet, because Disney bought Fox in 2018. One year after he retired from playing Wolverine. We bet he regrets the timing of that decision.

20th Century Studios

It should be noted that Jackman takes pride in the fact no one else has played Wolverine in live-action. (Well, except for a young future pop star Troye Sivan in X-Men Origins. But we don’t really count that one) From the time he first “snikt” his claws, we’ve had three Spider-Mans, three Hulks, three Supermans, and three Batmans. Soon we’ll even have three sets of the Fantastic Four. Through all of this, Hugh has remained the one and only Wolverine, synonymous with the role. Now that he’s back, we think he wants to take the record for actor with the longest tenure as one superhero. Honestly, who can do it better than him? At this point, we can’t think of many.

Getting older is usually a hindrance to playing a superhero for more than a few years. Yet given the gruffness and general “grumpy old man” nature of Wolverine, Jackman getting on in years might actually make him more Logan-like. His best performance as the character is still in James Mangold’s Logan, where they aged him up a bit. So we know a grizzlier, older Wolverine works great on screen already. Jackman, age 55, could easily pull the character off in this manner for another decade. Even if he might finally have to relax a bit on getting so shredded.

Twentieth Century Films

We are fairly confident that Jackman (and Ryan Reynolds) will both be in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. But what about after? Marvel has officially announced an X-Men reboot as coming in the next few years. One assumes this would be all-new actors in the roles of Xavier’s students. We think Jackman could very well carry over into the role into the MCU proper. But how would that even work? Well, the team dynamics would have to change, for starters. If it’s a younger Cyclops and Jean Grey, having Logan in a love triangle with them would be creepy. He also wouldn’t be contemporaries with the likes of Storm and Beast.

Marvel Comics

Kevin Feige might just do what he does best—look to the comics for inspiration. In the 2013 series Wolverine and the X-Men, after the deaths of Xavier and Jean Grey, Logan takes over as Headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters. The “Doesn’t play well with others” guy now had to become a father figure to a new generation of mutants. This could work in the MCU. Imagine if Logan arrives at the Sacred Timeline just as mutants are coming into their own. As a way of making up for his failure in his world, he dedicates himself to shepherding the 616’s emerging mutants. Some of which might be familiar to him from a previous life.

Twentieth Century Studios/Marvel Studios

We genuinely think that Hugh Jackman was sincere when he chose to retire from playing Wolverine back in 2017. But now that he’s chosen to come back, he feels very “all in” for the foreseeable future. And that includes going past Deadpool & Wolverine, and even past Avengers: Secret Wars, into the X-Men’s future in the MCU. In the comics, Logan’s favorite saying is “I’m the best there is and what I do. And what I do ain’t pretty.” Well, time has proven that Jackman is the best there is at what he does, which is play Logan. At this juncture, who could do it better? We have a very strong feeling Hugh Jackman is going to be the one and only Wolverine for some time to come.

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We Talk LEGO with Olympic Medalist Sammy Sullivan

The Olympics captivated the world in July with incredible feats from talented athletes. Team USA had an impressive showing, including the US Women’s Rugby Team winning a bronze medal in rugby sevens—the first-ever medal for the US in rugby sevens. After the victory, the Instagram algorithm brought me several joyful videos from the new Olympic medalists. Those videos included one of Sammy Sullivan passionately talking about LEGO in an interview. I don’t know if I have ever related to an Olympian on this level. Or at all. I talked to Sammy about what got her hooked on building LEGO sets, how LEGO helps her unwind, and more.

Nerdist: Congratulations on the medal! I feel weird being like, you won an Olympic medal, let’s talk about LEGO!

Sammy Sullivan: Thank you! And no, this is great.

Tell me about what first got you into LEGO and what your first LEGO set was.

Sullivan: My very first set, OG was elementary, middle school time. It was the big SpongeBob where you open it, and it’s Plankton or whoever controlling him. That was my first set that I can remember. But my twin brother, Jackson and my dad were always super into Star Wars LEGO, and being boy and girl twins, I feel like he would always get the LEGO sets for birthdays and Christmas and I would get whatever else. So growing up, unless I bought it for myself with spending money, I didn’t get LEGO.

But my first adult experience with LEGO was early 2023, my second year with the rugby team. I was not in the best place mentally, just struggling with sophomore year blues. A lot of the times when people have really successful rookie seasons, their second season can feel like a lot. And my second season being the Olympic year, I was really struggling with coming home, worrying about practices, worrying about rosters, and everything.

My happy place growing up was walking around Barnes and Noble. So, I went to Barnes and Noble one day after practice to smell the books, read the backs of books, the whole vibe, and there’s a whole section of adult LEGO sets. And so I’m looking at these sets, and I was like, you know what? Maybe instead of spiraling when I get home, maybe it would be good to do something with my hands. Something tangible with a gorgeous end product. So, my first adult set was the Hocus Pocus house.

Really, from there, it was an instant obsession with the building process and collecting.

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Building sets can be such a mindful activity. Has it continued to be a go-to for unwinding and calming your mind?

Sullivan: Yeah. It is so soothing. It almost takes you back to a childlike mind because ultimately LEGOs are toys in a sense—obviously some are meant for adults—but it takes you back to a simpler time where you come home from school and have something fun to do outside of homework. I put on a good podcast or a good YouTube video game playthrough in the background and have that disconnection from adult life. It’s definitely a bit of escapism from the every day. I mean, at certain times it definitely becomes maybe a little unhealthy when I’m not looking at the clock and I look up and it’s two in the morning and I’m on bag 13 of whatever…

That is very relatable. Do you collect certain types of LEGO sets or is just vibes?

Sullivan: It’s mostly vibes, but I typically go for structure sets: the treehouses, houses, huts. I’ve really been liking the medieval sets recently. I just got done with the Lion Knight’s Castle. I built the blacksmith set with the beautiful blue roof and the Viking village. I’m looking to get my next one, the medieval village that complements the Lion Knight’s set. Oh, and the big treehouse that’s safari-like with the two tree houses connected with the drawbridge—that one is absolutely gorgeous and one of my favorites.

But I think my next venture into LEGO will definitely be the Technic sets. It looks really complicated, but in a fun, challenging way. So yeah, definitely looking to get my hands on some Technic sets moving forward, but structures for sure are my favorite.

Sammy Sullivan

What LEGO set will you be building next?

Sullivan: The Dayton Brick Shop in Ohio was kind enough to send me the Eiffel Tower set after they saw my plea to LEGO after the Olympics. It’s currently sitting with my neighbors, but as soon as I get home—, I already told Josh, my husband, don’t talk to me for at least four days because that’s all I’m going to be doing. This is my plan. I’m going to decompress.

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The Iconic POLTERGEIST House Is Up For Sale. Creepy Clown Doll Not Included

Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist is one of the greatest horror movies of the ’80s. And that’s saying a lot, as that’s a stacked decade for horror. Written and produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist tells the story of an ordinary family in suburban California who move into a new house that’s got a serious haunting problem. Ghosts suck their six-year-old daughter into the netherworld via their TV set. Now, the house made famous by the film, located in Simi Valley, California, is up for sale for $1,198,700. You can check out the listing on Zillow. And yes, much of this house has remained in its ’80s-style glory.

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The Zillow listing does not shy away from the home’s Poltergeist legacy. It says “This house is clean. Seriously, it is!” This is, of course, quoting psychic Tangina Barrons’ claim “This house is clean” from the movie. (She was wrong though, the house was definitely not clean yet). Although much of the house in the film was shot on soundstages, they filmed exteriors (and we believe the kitchen) in the actual home. The house itself was constructed in 1979. And the real home inside is remarkably similar to the movie sets.

MGM

Much like the recently bought and restored the Brady Bunch house to its ’70s TV style, we hope some rich superfan buys this home and turns it into a Poltergeist-themed Airbnb. They wouldn’t even have to remodel that much. Maybe change the staircase to look like that very ’80s circular staircase from the film. After that, fill the house with various Star Wars toys, throw in some fake skeletons in the swimming pool, and make sure that creepy clown doll is somewhere about. Oh, and one old-school tube TV in the living room. That’s really all you need. We guarantee horror fans would pay a pretty penny to stay there overnight and freak themselves out. We know we would.

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Galadriel and Adar SHOULD Join Forces in THE RINGS OF POWER Season 2 and Fight Sauron Together

If there’s one soapbox I’ve stood on since I first watched The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one, it’s that the series’ best character (yes, I said it, best), Adar, deserves to have an “enemy of my enemy is my friend” storyline and his own version of a heroic arc. And now, as the series’ second season comes tantalizingly close to releasing, for the first time, it seems like I may actually get my wish. A key aspect of The Rings of Power season two’s final trailer seems to center around Adar and Galadriel realizing that they have more in common than they think. (Another long-treasured hope of mine.) And as Sauron looms large over Middle-earth, there might even be a team-up on the table.

Prime Video

But will it actually happen? Can Galadriel and Adar put their (many and painful) differences aside to fight the true evil that threatens them all? The Rings of Power trailer leaves us in a place that could go either way. But I am here to say, that regardless of what actually comes to pass, Galadriel and Adar SHOULD work together against Sauron in The Rings of Power season two. The complicated paralells between them, ones that echo louder than their differences, demand it.

From afar, it might seem like there are no The Rings of Power characters more unlike one another than Galadriel and Adar. After all, Galadriel is a high elf to her core, the Lady of Light. She’s a staunch believer in the distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong. Above all else, she’s on a mission to eradicate darkness from Middle-earth, permenantly. And, in Galadriel’s estimations, at least so far, that darkness firmly includes Adar at its center. Adar, meanwhile, exists as an elf fallen from grace. Over the ages, he’s been corrupted at the hands of Morgoth and Sauron and become the literal father of Orcs or Uruk, as we should probably call them in deference, the race most associated with evil.

Prime Video

Certainly, Galadriel would shudder to think she has anything in common with Adar, if her first meeting with the one-time elf is anything to go by. In it, she calls him “ruined,” among other pleasant things, and basically threatents to exterminate every one of his children. But although contemptous himself, Adar seems to see something in all of Galadriel’s rage at him that she can’t yet see in herself. He tells Galadriel in The Rings of Power season one, episode six, “It would seem I am not the only elf alive that has been transformed by darkness. Perhaps the search for Morgoth’s successor should have ended in your mirror.”

While the latter half of that sentiment certainly could be true, it’s the former that is of specific interest here. Adar refers to the way Galadriel’s fury and vengence have consumed her when he notes that she’s been “transformed by darkness.” But he’s more right than he knows at the time. At that very moment Galadriel is as bestotted with the Dark Lord himself, Sauron, in his Halbrand form, as she ever will be. Of course, she’ll soon further transform when she finds out the hard way that her stubborn, relentless pursuit of Sauron led her right to him, and him to his return. And its knowledge of this last painful transformation that Galadriel and Adar singularly share and make it so critical that they get the chance to work together.

Prime Video

Undoubtedly, Sauron hurt many people throughout the The Lord of the Rings‘ War of Wrath and after it. But none so intimately as Galadriel and Adar. They have both touched darkness, so to speak, and know what the feeling of hate Sauron but at the same time be drawn to him. In many ways, it seems to me that Sauron’s relationship with Adar was almost a prototype for Sauron’s relationship with Galadriel on The Rings of Power. In both cases, it seems that Sauron sought to corrupt an elf with pure intentions and bind them to his side and to his will. Adar was, perhaps, an imperfect model, one who became too corrupted, let’s say, damaged, but, in Galadriel, the Dark Lord saw an equal, someone to “bind him to the light.”

Prime Video

Still, their stories are remarkably similar. Adar, of course, succumbed to this corruption initially, allowing Sauron’s darkness to enter him in ways that we’ll hopefully learn more about in season two. But eventually, when the torment of his children grew too painful, Adar forcibly severed the ties between them. “I split him open,” Adar tells Galadriel, faintly prideful, faintly wounded. “I killed Sauron.” But we see throughout season one of The Rings of Power that Sauron lingers in Adar’s being. When the Southlander Waldreg accidentally calls him Sauron, he flies into a rage. When he sees what ostensibly is a homage to Sauron at Ostirith, he gazes up at it for a long moment, enchanted and terrified. And despite all the strife, he carries out the orders Sauron left behind for him and creates Mordor by exploding Mount Doom.

Prime VideoPrime Video

Galadriel, meanwhile, refuses to give into Sauron’s seductions once she learns his true identity and goes right to the attempted stabbing. Though for her too, the choice to refuse Sauron is clearly anything but simple, and costs her dearly. Clearly, her desires run in different directions although her brain knows what she must do. But again, despite strife, she too goes forth with the plans Sauron created for her, forging the elven Rings of Power. In short, though the contents of their journeys seem different, Adar and Galadriel travel twinned paths. They are mirrors of one another, both of them forged by Sauron. Both of them rejecting him, yet connected to him, and inadvertantly helping him get what he wants. And so it is only fitting they come together to defeat him.

And, most importantly, as The Rings of Power trailers seem to hint, both Adar and Galadriel will always have Sauron in their minds. At least someone defeats him. Gil-galad says in the latest The Rings of Power trailer, “Once the deceiver gains a being’s trust, he gains the ability to sculpt their very thoughts.” And Adar further notes, “Sooner or later, Sauron’s eye bores a hole, and the rest of him slithers in.” No doubt, both Galadriel and Adar feel this phenomonen acutely. Despite surface differences, the pair of them are perhaps the only two individuals in existence who have been engulfed by Sauron, but have resisted him, only to never truly free of him. And that is a character and story dynamic too naunced and fascinating not to explore.

Prime Video

After The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one, I wrote that Adar was such a tragic character because he was singular. As neither a true elf, nor a true Uruk, he was all alone. But now it seems, there is more than one elf alive who has been transformed by darkness. And in deference to the deep parallels that connect them, I think it would be only right for Galadriel and Adar to team up on The Rings of Power season two, no longer singular, but united, against Sauron, the one who created them both.

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ALIEN: ROMULUS Is Mostly a Welcome Return to Horror Form

I will always appreciate a massive swing for the conceptual fences from an established franchise. Star Trek doing a lighthearted comedy about endangered space whales for its fourth big screen installment comes to mind. Another is Prey, which set a Predator movie in the 18th century. And because of that mentality, I certainly appreciate Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Alien: Covenant for trying to turn the Alien franchise into more contemplative, more thoughtful treatises on existence. But sometimes, especially in this series’ case, a return to form is needed. Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus takes us back to the monster movie in space vibes, and it mostly delivers. Mostly.

20th Century Studios

I know Alien: Prometheus and Covenant have their defenders, and from a visual and design standpoint, they are unmatched. But often, it felt like the xenomorphs themselves got in the way of a heady discussion of what it means to be human. And the characters were abysmally stupid, which is never that fun to watch. Alvarez, known for the Evil Dead reboot in 2013 and Don’t Breathe in 2016, is a horror director and so smartly took the franchise away from Scott’s ponderousness in favor of a new riff on monsters versus people on a derelict spacecraft. Sheer simplicity.

Alien: Romulus follows Rain (Cailee Spaeny), a young colonist on a dismal mining planet who desperately wants off. Her only family is Andy (David Jonsson), the early generation Weyland Yutani synthetic who raised her after her parents died. The company, always the bastard, keeps raising the work requirements for relocation. Her only chance comes from a group of old friends (Archie Renaux, Isabella Merced, Aileen Wu, Spike Fearn). They plan to raid an adrift space station for its resources and need Andy’s access codes to do it.

20th Century Studios

Upon arriving on the station—with its two halves, Romulus and Remus—the group finds evidence of something nasty and very quickly the familiar trappings of xenomorph shenanigans appear. Now Rain and her friends have a ticking clock. They need to get what they came for and get off the station before the aliens, the company, or gravity itself kills them.

Alien: Romulus has a lot to love. Alvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues set the action after 1979’s Alien but before Aliens, and they absolutely capture the grungy futurism from the original. Additionally, they use what we know about the xenomorphs’ life cycle to create some excellent scares early on, from facehuggers to acid blood. When we finally see the fully grown xenomorph, it effectively stalks and hides and could be behind any corner, or in every ceiling duct. It’s a joy.

I won’t spoil anything, but while I was enjoying myself during most of the movie, it was the final act that really kicked it up a notch. Alvarez stages some action set pieces we’ve genuinely never seen before that left me breathless. He also gives us a final Alien: Romulus confrontation that was scary in a way the series often hinted at, even attempted, but never pulled off until now. Giger would be proud.

I also want to specifically call out Benjamin Wallfisch’s score. It’s a big, sweeping, orchestral soundscape that actively calls back Jerry Goldsmith’s score from Alien. Many sci-fi/horrors use synthwave scoring, which I love and am definitely here for. But in keeping with the aesthetic of the 1970s-style of futurism, a full orchestra and leitmotifs really add an air of classiness. It’s a standout, for sure.

20th Century Studios

So with all of these things to praise, you might expect me to give this movie full marks. Not quite so. I mentioned earlier that Alien: Romulus smartly goes back to basics. That’s true, but it also plays it safe in a way that we’ve seen before. It’s not as egregious as something like Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That is literally just A New Hope again but with references and Easter eggs galore. Here, the setup is familiar, which is fine, but a few, I think, needless references and callouts (and especially digital recreations of things) nearly spoiled the whole thing. I understand why a couple of them are there, thought another one was pretty clever, and one was so groan-worthy I wanted to tear my eyes out. All told, I wish they hadn’t done them.

The characters are also pretty thin. Andy is the only character with any kind of interesting arc—synthetic humans are always the most memorable of these movies—and while Spaeny is a capable and compelling heroine, Rain is only barely deep. The other four people are as two-dimensional as it gets. I will say, at the very least, they aren’t obnoxiously stupid. They’re young people who don’t know what they’re dealing with and make wrong decisions. They aren’t scientists who act moronic or who don’t know how to run perpendicular to a falling object.

Ultimately I was happy with Alien: Romulus, both from a visual and a tension standpoint. I think it delivers the back-to-basics thrill ride that many fans have wanted. While it never fully escapes the continuity of the earlier saga, it also doesn’t feel bogged down by it. And that third act has maybe the most fun and wild Alien stuff in decades. See it large, see it loud, revel in the screams.

Alien: Romulus hits theaters August 16.

⭐ (3.5 of 5)

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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THE CROW Reboot Shares Gory and Campy Clip Feat. Eric Draven Going to the Opera

Listen, we won’t blame you for remaining skeptical. We’re not exactly sure whether to believe this news ourselves. But it really does seem as though, after years of false promises and roadblocks, The Crow is getting resurrected. And the reboot will star someone who knows something about wearing face paint to scare others. IT‘s Pennywise, Bill Skarsgård, will bring the vengeful character back to the big screen. After this long wait, The Crow shared first-look images of Skarsgård in the romantically gothic role as well as an official trailer. And in case we still had doubts, Lionsgate even shared a new clip from the film.

Eric Draven Goes to the Opera in New The Crow Clip

Attending the opera has never been such a bloody affair. But in true The Crow, this scene, where Eric Draven takes in some culture is full of camp and gore. We kind of love it.

The Crow Shares a Painful, High-Speed Clip

Another new clip from The Crow shows the incredible abilities—and painful limits—that come with being a resurrected angel of death. It also offers insight into the level of violence and gore we can expect from the movie.

The Crow Reboot’s Release Date

It seemed like The Crow reboot finally had a release date. According to Deadline, it was set to release on June 7, 2024. But now, the publication reveals that The Crow will actually release on August 23.

LionsgateThe Crow Reveals Its Trailer and First-Look Images

We finally have our first good look at The Crow and its stars. And well, they certainly look good. Director Rupert Sanders shares with Vanity Fair, “I think the beauty of Bill [Skarsgård] is that he has a disturbing beauty, and as he transforms through his loss he becomes this thing that even he can’t control. It’s that famous line: ‘Whoever fights monsters must be careful that they don’t become one.’ That look was me in the ’90s when we were squat-raving in London, [mixed with some modern influences] like Post Malone and Lil Peep. I hope people who are 19 today look at him and go, ‘That guy is us.’”

You can check out The Crow‘s trailer and images below:

Lionsgate

Of the first-teased image of the crow, Vanity Fair notes, “That image captures the beginning of his transformation into the Crow.” And Sanders adds, “It’s the moment we realize bad things are coming.” An additional couple of first-look images from The Crow were also released.

LionsgateLionsgateThe Crow Reboots Synopsis and More

So what do we know? Well, James O’Barr’s supernatural comic series is getting a long-awaited new adaptation. Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) will direct with a script from Zach Baylin (King Richard) and Will Schneider. Skarsgård will play the titular hero out for revenge, Erik Draven. Erik returns to the world of the living thanks to a crow, where he seeks vengeance against those who killed him and his fiancée.

Hulu

Or at least he did originally. THR also reports the British singer and dancer FKA Twigs will play Erik’s fiancée. But, unlike previous iterations, the character will play a much bigger role and serve a co-lead in the film. What that means for her fate remains to be seen. But in a supernatural thriller where crows bring people back to life, the possibilities are endless.

Deadline shares the film’s synopsis, which is as follows:

Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. 

Lionsgate

Additionally, Vanity Fair notes, “While Eric’s and Shelly’s onscreen deaths occur in the opening minutes of the 1994 version of The Crow, Sanders says that he always wanted his version of the story to have a more even balance between light and dark. So we will see more of the smitten couple before tragedy steps in to tear them apart, making Eric’s quest for vengeance more emotionally resonant.”

More About the Original Movie

Fans first entered the dark and brooding world of The Crow more than 30 years ago. The indie comic debuted in 1989. However, many know it from its first ill-fated big screen adaptation. The original 1994 film starred Brandon Lee, the son of the legendary Bruce Lee. Brandon Lee sadly died on set from an improperly loaded prop gun. Lee had filmed most of his scenes when he died, though, and the studio still released the movie.

Sanders shares, “Obviously, it was a terrible tragedy, and it’s definitely something that we’ve always had in mind through the making of the film. Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow and I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again. His soul is very much alive in this film. There’s a real fragility and beauty to his version of the Crow, and I think Bill feels like he is a successor to that.”

The original movie was a box office success and more sequels with different actors in the starring role followed. A short-lived TV series, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, also had a one-season run in 1998. But since the last film, 2005’s The Crow: Wicked Prayer, the franchise has had a series of false starts while it mired in developmental hell.

The franchise seems to have truly left Hell behind now. So yes, this seems as though this The Crow reboot really is happening. And yet, like many of you, we’ll fully believe The Crow is back when we’re sitting in a movie theater once again watching Bill Skarsgård in face paint.

Originally published on April 4, 2022.

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Lucasfilm Sound Design Legend Ben Burtt Confirms It’s His Breathing as Darth Vader

How many actors does it take to play Darth Vader? Well, there’s David Prowse, the original physical Vader in the original trilogy. Then there’s James Earl Jones providing his iconic voice. In Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden Christensen played him. But a crucial part of Vader’s character is his labored, mechanical breathing. And that breathing came courtesy of sound design legend Ben Burtt. In a recent interview with Burt in The Hollywood Reporter, ahead of his being honored by the Locarno Film Festival with the Vision Award Ticinomoda, Burtt confirmed that was indeed his breathing you hear as Darth Vader. Here’s what he had to say:

Lucasfilm

Yes, that’s me breathing. It came about because the script described Darth Vader as having a respirator, some kind of breath mask with a life support system. That’s about as far as the description went. I went to a dive shop here in Marin County where they sold equipment and gave evening lessons. After the lessons were over, there were all these scuba tanks with regulators just lying around the pool. I went around and just recorded different ones breathing through them at different rates. I had a little tiny microphone that I could stuff inside the valve, so it was a very magnified recording of this mechanical opening and closing.

Burtt also confirmed that he slowed the recording down a bit, which became the signature Vader breathing. Later in the editing of A New Hope, they cut the breathing to be in rhythm with James Earl Jones’ speech. Originally, there were additional noises that went along with Vader’s breathing. Aside from the respirator, there were mechanical sounds when Vader was moving, to make him seem more robotic. “More machine now than man.” They deemed all of it too distracting, so they jettisoned everything else except for the breathing. Probably a good call.

Burtt also confirmed that R2-D2’s iconic noises took a long time to figure out. He recorded children and babies originally, hoping they could provide the answer, once remixed electronically. But small kids are notoriously hard to get a performance out of. So Ben Burtt just wound up doing it himself, with a synthesizer and a keyboard. Ben Burtt combined those electronic sounds with his own voice. This gives Burtt the honor of playing both Vader and Artoo, at least in part. As if his Star Wars resume wasn’t already stacked! Aside from George Lucas himself and John Williams, we can think of few who have contributed to the saga more than Ben Burtt.

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS’ 2024 Update is Bigger Than You Think

Before you ask, yes, they finally gave cats darkvision, folks! However, by opening this article, you accidentally triggered a trap. You hear a pressure plate sliding beneath your feet as a metric ton of brand new information about Dungeons & Dragons begins to emit from slits in the walls. Roll for initiative, adventurers, and prepare yourselves for what may potentially be a lot of psychic damage depending on how well you deal with change!

In early August, Wizards of the Coast opened a portal to Avernus in Indianapolis, IN. Not simply to summon a horde of demons – we presume – but to give press and Gen Con attendees a look at everything they’re working on for Dungeons & Dragons.

Image: John Grello / Wizards of the CoastBig Anniversary, Big Changes

The world’s most popular tabletop role-playing game is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. I have been playing it for at least 25 years, which makes my bones hurt more than a CR 0 skeleton on the wrong end of a paladin’s greatsword.

But wait, there’s more — this also marks the 10th anniversary of Fifth Edition, the game’s current ruleset. And like a hill giant in the distance, there are some big changes on the horizon. Beginning in September, Wizards of the Coast are rolling up sprawling updates to Dungeons & Dragons‘ three core rulebooks, the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. Each of these tomes will clock in at a whopping 384 pages and offer significant updates to a game system enjoyed by more than 64 million players worldwide.

So should players be scrambling to make an intelligence check? What does the future of Dungeons & Dragons hold? While at Gen Con, I spoke with Dungeons & Dragons game architect Chris Perkins. A 20-year veteran of Wizards of the Coast, Perkins has had in everything from Dungeon magazine to D&D Fourth Edition to serving as the longtime Dungeon Master for Acquisitions Incorporated games at Penny Arcade Expo and beyond.

Perkins is keenly aware of the scrutiny placed on Wizards of the Coast, especially in light of 2023’s contentious handling of the Open Gaming License. However, he and the rest of the team are focused more on making sure they’re giving the players what they want.

“This is a game with a long and storied legacy, and we are just the current stewards,” Perkins explained. “Our role is really to be listening to what the community wants, trying to gauge what is the best play experience for the most people possible, and not losing sight of the fact that we’re not building it in a vacuum.”

When it comes to redesigning Fifth Edition, Perkins said, “We have to be very mindful about the choices we make about what we present, how the rules are framed, and everything to make it as welcoming and accessible to as many people as possible, and with the understanding that it’s the community that really shapes the game, not the people who work on the game.”

A Decade in the Making

The process of designing and developing this massive update to Fifth Edition started long before the 50th anniversary. According to Perkins, it began “literally the day after we sent the 2014 books to the printer.”

For Perkins, this is the culmination of a design philosophy and passion sparked decades prior by the eye-catching artwork of a little game called Dungeons & Dragons. Specifically, the first edition Monster Manual, the game’s beastly bestiary full of all manner of ferocious fiends.

“I picked it up, started flipping through,” Perkins said. “I was totally captivated by the monster illustrations inside of it and the numbers or the statistics that were next to each monster. I said, ‘Oh, I have have no idea what this is, but I love the pictures. I’m going to buy it with my allowance and take it home,’ and [had] no concept that this was part of some greater game. So I just sat and read it cover to cover.”

Image: TSR Games

In the beginning, Perkins had no idea how to play the game, opting instead to memorize the stats and stage epic monster battles. Months after buying the Monster Manual, he discovered it was actually part of a larger game system and began playing with his next-door neighbor.

“I was the DM, and he played all the characters, and so, for us, it was the joy of just rolling up quick characters,” Perkins said. “I can’t remember which adventure I used, but it was great, because it was liberating. I don’t think either of us really still understood the game very well, so we were just kind of making it up, and I was killing characters and he was killing monsters, and we had a great time.”

While many rules lawyers out there are probably grinding their teeth into a fine powder, this is the beauty of D&D. There is no wrong way to play; the sourcebooks are there to help provide guardrails and structure to the collaborative story you tell.

“There was never any concern that we were doing it wrong, and I think that stuck with me,” Perkins explained. “Even all these years later, I feel like everybody kind of makes the game their own.”

Those childhood games and the sense of anything being possible inform Perkins’ design philosophy to this day. It’s a philosophy that carries over into the highly anticipated updates to Dungeons & Dragons‘ core rulebooks.

Image: Andrea Piparo / Wizards of the CoastIsn’t This Sixth Edition?

Like many fans out there, I was curious why these new sourcebooks are being positioned as an update to Fifth Edition rather than Sixth Edition or something brand new. Perkins acknowledged that they had conversations about potentially making an entire new edition of the game to coincide with its golden anniversary, but ultimately went a different way.

“And I think about maybe three years before the 50th, we’re like, ‘You know what? Fifth Edition is so popular. People love it. The sales of the game are still incredibly strong, year over year. We’re seeing even more sales from the previous year. It would be insanity, in a way, to burn it all down.'”

While the team at WOTC wants to create a comprehensive update to D&D, they don’t want to alienate players who have spent a lot of time, energy, and money on previous products. The Fifth Edition update is designed to be backwards compatible with much of the Fifth Edition material published between 2014 and present day. In a press conference at Gen Con, D&D lead designer Jeremy Crawford confirmed that “The new core books can be used on day 1 with the adventures and supplements you already have for Fifth Edition. The new core books replace the old books but not the other supplements you own.”

Image: Noor Rahman/Wizards of the Coast

With that said, there are some considerable differences. One of the most discussed is a system coming in the Dungeon Master’s Guide known as Bastion Rules. This is an optional system DMs can use to allow players to build strongholds of their very own. While that isn’t exactly a brand new idea to D&D, the gamification is: Perkins and the team built a robust system of mechanics that will enable your player’s Bastion to have tangible effects on the campaign.

“First edition even had mechanics for [Bastions], but I think one of the things that was missing out was the idea of building a stronghold that is actually giving you something back, that is helping your character in some way, and also building a system whereby it doesn’t interfere with your character’s role as an adventurer,” Perkins said.

The key question for Perkins and his fellow designers to solve was “What can we do that’s meaningful to players, that would be a fun engagement activity for them, as engaging as making a character, basically, that they can own and it can be theirs?”

According to Perkins, “[We hit] upon this idea that there has to be an in-game payoff. In addition to the joy of just building something on your own, there has to be something that makes your character better, makes the party better. The other trick, of course, was we knew that this would be something that DMs would have to unlock.”

The system has previously been released in prototype form on D&D Beyond, the game’s digital marketplace, as part of their Unearthed Arcana collection, a series of playtest mechanics and materials for adventurous players to beta tests in their home games. The response was so positive that Perkins and the team were confident the structure was okay.

But what proved to be the biggest challenge from a design perspective? According to Perkins, they were threefold. The first was thinking of all three sourcebooks as one massive 1,000 page grimoire that works seamlessly together. The second was finding ways to make the Dungeon Master’s Guide feel more indispensable. The third was one that will likely have the biggest impact on players: class and subclass design.

A Class Act

The Player’s Handbook will boast 16 classes, each with 4 subclasses of their own, bringing that to a whopping 48 subclasses in total.

“We have very detailed information about what people are playing, and we have a lot of information about how popular, not only classes and subclasses are, but individual features within subclasses and classes,” Perkins said. “Some of the classes were basically falling way behind, In terms of their popularity and figuring out a way to level them up to make them as popular as some of the more popular ones. We know that the Rangers struggled, the Monks struggled, and the Druids struggled, and the biggest design challenge was how far can you basically blow up something or uplevel something and still have it be familiar?”

Many of these subclasses have been effectively rebuilt from the ground up so they feel more satisfying for players and enticing for people to actually run at their tables. As for which class Perkins is most excited for players to get their hands on? “I am very excited for people to start playing the new version of the Monk,” he said. “People have sort of kicked it around a lot and said, ‘This is not as awesome as it could be.’ And I just feel like the team killed it, just killed it with the Monk, so I’m looking forward to it. I hope that our belief is affirmed, that this is going to be one of the, no pun intended, most kick-ass classes.”

Image: Mike Schley/Wizards of the CoastBack to the Beginning

While Dungeons & Dragons as a system serves as a blank canvas upon which players and DMs can paint the story that serves them the best, the Fifth Edition Update will also feature a complete campaign seting for players to use. And not just any campaign setting; they’re returning to Greyhawk, the first ever published campaign setting for D&D.

According to Perkins, “We had a lot of other things to put in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, so the combination of wanting something that was kind of lean and mean and skeletal, but also felt like it was a beautiful creative springboard.”

It’s a bold choice considering how dominant settings like Forgotten Realms have become in pop culture and the consciousness of many players. Created by Ed Greenwood in 1987, Forgotten Realms is the backdrop for mega-popular games like Baldur’s Gate 3, as well as movies like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. But fortune favors the bold and the connection to D&D‘s origins was too tempting for the design team to ignore.

“This also being releasing in the 50th anniversary year when we’re celebrating the legacy of D&D, it made sense,” Perkins explained. “Because we haven’t done anything with Greyhawk in the whole life of Fifth Edition to bring that back, to hit the nostalgia hammer. At the same time, we’re saying, ‘This is a platform from which you can now launch a new campaign and keep it true to the original Greyhawk that it is very spare, that it’s meant to be a skeleton upon which you now built.'”

Did they really give cats darkvision?

Meowth, that’s right.

Anyway, folks, that’s all the news coming out of Greyhawk so far. We will keep you posted on any other major developments in the world of D&D…unless we fail our perception checks. Speaking of which, make sure you turn all of your Beholder-like eyestalks over to Geek & Sundry, which is relaunching this September with a brand new actual play tabletop role-playing series, Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode!

Editor’s note: This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

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BG3 MTG Astarion Cards, BORDERLANDS Debuts to 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, RSVLTS at D23, and Other News Odds & Ends

The Boy and the Heron finally sets a US streaming release date. Meanwhile, Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Karlach and Astarion strike out on their own adventure (and also get featured on Magic cards). New Disney American Girl dolls have arrived. So did Borderlands, but not to great applause. Here are all these news odds & ends, and more.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Wizards of the Coast

Astarion and Karlach, two of our favorite Baldur’s Gate 3 companions will be featured in a Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair drop celebrating Dungeons & Dragons. The Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons® 50th Anniversary Superdrop will feature, among others, the following two cards:

Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons®: Astarion’s Thirst Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons®: Karlach’s Rage 

In addition to the above, we now know which four other cards are included in the Astarion’s Thirst Secret Lair drop. In total the five Astarion cards are: Astarion, The Decadent, Exquisite Blood, Anguished Unmaking, Sanguine Bond, and Mortify. Check them out below.

Click To View Gallery Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast

We can’t wait to roll for these. The Astarion drop will be accompanied by four other Magic: The Gathering drops. These Secret Lair drops will arrive on August 27. Each one will cost $29.99, with foil variants available at $39.99 each.

RSVLTS @ D23

If you’re heading to D23, make sure to stop by RSVLTS’ booth, Booth #8002, also known as the Workshop of Wonders. There you’ll find some very special exclusives that come from the minds of Disney imagineer Tony Baxter and the dynamic artist/creative tandem of James C. Mulligan & Michael Mulligan, alongside the RSVLTS team. The theme of this ten-shirt collection is “Magic & Mystery,” so of course, there’s no one better than experienced Disney creative minds to have along.

RSVLTS will also showcase eight officially licensed Disney x RSVLTS pins that match the shirt designs available at D23. It’s truly a magical line-up. You can take a look at what’s available below. We know we’re obsessed with that Lion King button-up.

RSVLTS Borderlands Lionsgate

The Borderlands movie reviews have started to arrive and things don’t look too great for the movie. Borderlands debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 0% rating (and remained there after more than 20 reviews had been shared). It has since climbed up to 7%.

The CEO of Take-Two, the company that owns Gearbox, which created and owns the Borderlands franchise, is not despairing, though. Strauss Zelnick notes, “Let’s give the film a chance. A lot of people worked really hard on it. The underlying intellectual property is phenomenal, the cast is amazing, and I think the look and feel are really terrific. So let’s see what audiences have to say.”

It’s always possible the audience score and the critical score could be vastly different. But that is quite a rocky start for Borderlands.

Deadpool & Wolverine

One of the funniest “jokes” in Deadpool & Wolverine involved the idea that Hugh Jackman would play Wolverine for Marvel Studios until he was 85. Whether or not that’s the reality of things, Hugh Jackman is mentally preparing himself for it. Check out his dread-filled Instagram post that simply says, 2058. Good luck with playing Old Man Logan, Hugh Jackman. The concept is right there, after all…

Pierre Escargot

The people spoke, and Kenan Thompson brought back Pierre Escargot. It’s pretty hoh-hoh-hilarious. Check it out above.

Disney x American GirlAmerican Girl

American Girls have been icons of the doll world for generations. And now they’re teaming up with some even bigger super stars. That’s right, you can now American Girl versions of Ariel, Cinderella, and Tiana. And newly added to the collection are Frozen‘s Anna and Elsa and Rapunzel. It’s the greatest crossover the world has ever seen. These iconic dolls are available for purchase now.

Click To View Gallery American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl American Girl The Boy and the Heron Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki’s award-winning film The Boy and the Heron is finally coming to streaming in the US. The Studio Ghibli movie will stream on Max beginning on September 6. It joins the rest of the Studio Ghibli library exclusively available on the streamer.

A synopsis of the The Boy and the Heron shares:

After losing his mother in a hospital fire, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself. Featuring the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Two of your favorite Baldur’s Gate 3 companions, Karlach and Astarion, recently teamed up to go on an adventure all their own. Samantha Béart, who voices Karlach, and Neil Newbon, who voices Astarion, participated in GenCon’s live Dungeons & Dragons show and explored what the duo might get up to if Tav didn’t invite them into their party. The description for the video shares, “Astarion and Karlach from Baldur’s Gate 3 strike out on their own adventure after Tav doesn’t choose them for their adventuring party, meeting new friends and encountering challenges as they explore the Underdark.”

Sounds delightful!

Terrifier 3

Terrifier 3 released a teaser trailer for its Christmas-themed outing. In addition to many jump scares, it includes Art the Clown making blood angels… Very festive.

Screambox

Terrifier 3 releases on October 11. Its description notes, “In Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting’s Terrifier 3, directed once again by Damien Leone, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is set to unleash another round of chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.”

Originally published on August 7, 2024.

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LEGO Ideas’ NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Set Brings Halloweentown to Life

It may still seem like summer outside, but a chill in the air is imminent. Fall will be here soon, and with the start of the spooky season, it means it’s time for a return to Halloweentown. And this year, you get to build the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington’s home territory for yourself. All thanks to the new LEGO Ideas The Nightmare Before Christmas set. It features connectible models for three separate locations from the classic stop motion film. There’s Spiral Hill, Jack Skellington’s house, and the Halloweentown Town Hall. You can check out images of the new LEGO The Nightmare Before Christmas set right here in our gallery:

Click To View Gallery LEGO/Disney Disney/LEGO LEGO/Disney Disney/LEGO Disney/LEGO LEGO/Disney Disney/LEGO LEGO/Disney

This The Nightmare Before Christmas LEGO set has several details that diehard fans of Tim Burton’s iconic characters will appreciate. There’s the walking bathtub, and the chalkboard in Jack’s house with his formula for Christmastime. There’s also the lectern at the Town Hall, where Jack gave his speech to convince the Halloweentown citizens that taking over Christmas was a good idea. (Turns out, not so much). The LEGO set includes eight characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas as minifigures — Jack Skellington, Sally, Santa (Sandy?) Clause, Lock, Shock, and Barrel minifigures. Not to mention Zero, Jack’s loyal ghost dog, and a brick-built Mayor figure with both of his faces.

LEGO/Disney

Intended for the age 18+ adult collector, the LEGO model of Jack Skellington’s house in this 2,193-piece model kit measures over 10.5 in. (32 cm) high, 20 in. (51 cm) wide, and 10.5 in. (27 cm) deep. This is the perfect holiday decoration to display in your home for both the Halloween and Christmas seasons. The new LEGO The Nightmare Before Christmas set will set you back $199.99, and will be available to purchase starting September 6. For more information, be sure to head on over to the official LEGO site.

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