Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 321
May 9, 2024
Disney Giving HERCULES A Live-Action Remake (But It’s Slow Going)
In 2020, Disney has announced the latest in its long line of live-action remakes of beloved animated films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it appears that Hercules will be flexing his Olympian muscles on screen at some point in the future. And it will have something of a Marvel-ous pedigree attached behind the scenes. Avengers’ Joe and Anthony Russo are on board as producers, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ writer Dave Callaham attached to write the screenplay.
Walt Disney Animation Studios
This is still in the earliest stages of development, so there is no word on whether this will keep the music from the film, or go the Mulan route and ditch the songs for a more action-oriented take. But given that this is one of the most memorable Disney musicals from the post Howard Ashman/Alan Menken collaboration era, I would say the odds are in favor of this one going full musical theater.
Although several years have passed since the initial announcement, there’s been very little movement on live-action Hercules so far. Most recently, in May of 2024, the Russo brothers indicated they are still ” “waiting on a script.” It doesn’t sound promising, but it doesn’t sound dead either.
So who will play the son of Zeus? As mentioned, it is way to early to know, as casting ages away. But when they do start filming, fans are already clamoring for pop diva Ariana Grande to take on the role of Megara, mainly due to her rendition of the film’s song “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” during the Disney Family Singalong. Maybe that was her stealth audition?
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Also unknown is whether this one will be theatrical, or go straight to Disney+ like Lady and the Tramp and the upcoming Robin Hood. But given that that this Greek mythology infused tale will probably need a big budget, one would expect Disney to “go the distance” and make sure this one hits theaters before landing on their streaming service.
Originally published on April 30, 2020.
Featured Image: Walt Disney Animation Studios
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Everything We Know About DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
After years of speculating, in 2022, Marvel Studios confirmed that Deadpool would officially join the MCU for a third installment of the R-rated comic book franchise at the start of Phase Six. This would mark the first official character of the Fox X-Men universe joining the MCU (although Patrick Stewart as a variant Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kinda counts too, we suppose).

Interestingly enough, Deadpool appears to be holding a TVA TemPad in our latest look at the film. Could this be how Deadpool will hop around the MCU and other Marvel timelines? We’ll have to wait and see.

Here is everything we know so far about Deadpool & Wolverine.
Title
Thanks to a Super Bowl trailer (check it out below!), we know that this film, formerly called Deadpool 3, is actually Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine‘s PlotThe plot of Deadpool & Wolverine remains a mystery. All we know is that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine, and that it takes place before the feral X-Man’s death in Logan. In fact, Jackman has confirmed that time travel will be involved in the threequel in a big way.
While originally, Deadpool & Wolverine was called Deadpool 3, director Shawn Levy wants to make sure fans understand that the title change is not just cosmetic. Levy notes to Screen Rant:
As far as crafting the Deadpool & Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you’re talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles. It also gave me an opportunity. It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.
As most folks know by now, Deadpool’s third solo film will reunite him with his X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star. Deadpool and Wolverine will work together, although they have made it very clear that these two characters “hate each other.” It will not be a love-fest in this story. But the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine is smack in the middle of the Multiverse Saga should give us all a clue as to what’s going to go down, and probable multiversal shenanigans will ensue.
Dogpool, of course, will also star.
Make sure to follow him on Instagram.
We also now know what Deadpool & Wolverine‘s new official logo looks like thanks to a fun poster.


We know Hugh Jackman will return, along with the very obvious Ryan Reynolds. Here’s who else we know about: Karan Soni, cab driver Dopinder, Leslie Uggams, Emma Corrin, and Matthew Macfadyen. In exciting news, Morena Baccarin and Stefan Kapicic are reprising their roles as Vanessa and Colossus in Deadpool & Wolverine. So are Rob Delaney’s Peter, Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), and Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio). Jennifer Garner’s Elektra from the 2003 Daredevil Marvel Fox movie is also reported to reprise her role in this MCU film.

Deadpool & Wolverine‘s director for this third outing will be Shawn Levy, most recently known for his work on Stranger Things. This would be a reunion for Levy and Reynolds, as the pair previously worked together on the movie Free Guy. Levy is also known for the time travel movie The Adam Project.
On the writing side of things are Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, writers for the popular animated series Bob’s Burgers. The writers for the first two Deadpool films, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, are also contributing to movie number three’s screenplay, as is Ryan Reynolds himself.
Deadpool & Wolverine Release Date
Deadpool & Wolverine will arrive on July 26, 2024.
Originally published on January 4, 2023.
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Mark Hamill’s Joker Officially Joins the MULTIVERSUS Game
For an entire generation, Mark Hamill simply is the Joker. He voiced the Clown Prince of Crime first in Batman: The Animated Series, continuing the role in a variety of projects over the decades. But with the death of Batman actor Kevin Conroy, it looked like Hamill would retire his Joker. Although that still seems to be the case, both Hamill and Conroy got to play their characters at least one more time. Via IGN, we’ve learned Warner Bros. and Player First Games will include Hamill’s Joker in MultiVersus. They even made a trailer showcasing Hamill’s return, which you can watch right here:
In the teaser, the Joker says “Wait till they get a load of me.” This is a reference to yet another iconic Joker from popular culture. It’s a rather famous like spoken by Jack Nicholson’s version in Tim Burton’s Batman. We see other Warner Bros. characters who will be a part of MultiVersus in the trailer aside from Batman and Joker. There’s Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, Bugs Bunny, and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Those are just some of the famous characters from the Warner Bros. library who appear in MultiVersus.
After Kevin Conroy passed away in 2002, Hamill announced he would no longer play the Joker. He said, “Without Batman, there is no punchline.” Luckily, he had a few unannounced performances together with Conroy recorded and ready to go. One is MultiVersus, and the other appears to be the third part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths animated trilogy. The recent trailer for Crisis showed Batman and Joker fighting it out in their classic Batman: The Animated Series looks. That project is almost certainly their last one together, and should be something special for the fans.

MultiVersus launches for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S for free on May 28. This will include full cross-play and cross-platform support.
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The ColourPop x POKÉMON Collection Invites You to Catch ‘Em All
We always love to catch ’em all when it comes to the world of Pokémon. But we especially love this most recent mission given to us by ColourPop’s collaboration with Pokémon. Because this time, we’re catching all the makeup. Not only is this ColourPop x Pokémon collection nostalgically perfect and incredibly gorgeous, but it also homages all our favorite Pokémon. ColourPop is known for really getting it right when it comes to fannish collections, and this one is no different. Let’s take a look at what’s in store.

The ColourPop x Pokémon collection features eye makeup, cheek makeup, and lip makeup. The official site describes the full collection as containing the following products:
Pallet Town Eyeshadow Palette – This exclusive collectable palette features 24 rainbow hues from soft pastels to fun brights inspired by the Kanto region!Super Shock Shadow – Our cult-favorite crème-to-powder shadow delivers supercharged, ultra-creamy sparkling colour with zero fading or fallout.Evolution Ultra Glossy Lip Trio – Swipe on our sheer pearlized hi-shine gloss made with Hyaluronic Acid for a hydrated pout! Inspired by Jolteon, Flareon and Vaporeon.Transforming pH Lip Balm – Transform your lips with our colour-changing lip balm that reacts to your natural pH to create the perfect pink shade! Inspired by Pikachu, Ditto, and Jigglypuff.You’re a Catch Berry Lip Mask – Nourish your pout with our leave-on lip mask that locks in moisture and softens lips with a yummy berry flavor. Comes in a collectable Poké Ball-shaped jar!Instant Crush Cream Blush – You’ll totally crush on our super blendable cream blush that melts into skin for a weightless wash of soft-focus colour with a diffused natural matte finish! Inspired by Pikachu, Clefable, and Gengar.
You can check out images of this ColourPop collection in all its Pokémon glory below:
Click To View Gallery








The ColourPop x Pokémon collection is available now on ColourPop.com, so don’t delay! Because we feel like some of these products will become increasingly rare very soon. Best to throw your Poké Ball now if you indeed want to catch ’em all.
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THE WITCHER Fans Need to Give Liam Hemsworth a Chance, Says Ciri Actress
Freya Allan wants The Witcher fans to keep an open mind as the show transitions from starring Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth as Geralt in season four. The Ciri actress shared with Collider, “I don’t want to speak for him, but from what I’ve understood, I feel like he’s really wanting to try and bring the heart. He’s been training. I feel sorry for him, honestly, because, number one, that fan base can be very attack-y, and it’s not an ideal situation to be in taking up someone else’s role.”
Allan also notes she’s eager to see what Liam Hemsworth will bring to The Witcher and Geralt, offering, “I’m really excited to see what he does. And he’s such a lovely guy. I just hope that people give him the time of day, you know?”

Recasts can be difficult, especially when it’s the star of the series who is changing. But, hopefully, fans will give Liam Hemsworth a chance to prove himself a true Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher‘s upcoming seasons. The Witcher season four is now in production.
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TED Prequel Series Renewed for Season 2
We admit we weren’t really sure if a Ted prequel series was a necessary addition to our lives when we first heard about it. But it seems like the talking bear has once again won hearts and minds. Ted was originally envisioned as a mini-series at Peacock, but now Seth MacFarlane’s creation will get a season two, per Variety. According to Peacock, Ted was its most-watched original title to date and Neilsen data suggests it was one of the top streaming comedies in the US for over two months. How about them stuffed animals?

The synopsis for the original Ted series reads, “In this comedic prequel event series to the Ted films, it’s 1993, and Ted the bear’s (Seth MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.“
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Ted the bear and his friends in season two.
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May 8, 2024
Mondo’s Sr Creative Director on a New Product Line Coming Soon and Embracing Fan Input
For a long time, Mondo has been the go-to for fans who love to celebrate their favorite properties with literal works of art. But as Mondo continues to change and evolve, bringing to the table posters, figures, soundtracks, and more, it’s heartening to know that fans and their desires are still at the center of the company’s core.

At C2E2 in Chicago, Nerdist was delighted to speak with Peter Santa Maria, Senior Creative Director of Collectibles at Mondo, about what goes into creating a Mondo collectible, how fans shape the ultimate designs of Mondo’s works, what’s on the horizon for the brand, and more. Santa Maria was even able to tease a whole new kind of Mondo collectible on the horizon, citing something the brand has never done before. We can’t wait to find out what that is, but in the meantime, take a deep dive into the world of Mondo with us.
Nerdist: Mondo is known for its incredible creations and high-quality designs. Can you talk a little bit about how you decide what to make into a collectible and how you decide what it should look like?
Santa Maria: Yeah, across the board, whether it’s our soundtrack, posters, or collectible figures, we always start from, “Are we a fan of this internally?” So whoever is working at the company and is a fan is going to steer the product.
We don’t make something that we’re not likely to buy ourselves as a fan, right? So we have our favorite properties that we love to hit on, like Godzilla and Masters of the Universe; of course, we love Marvel and DC, but we also recently put out some Scott Pilgrim collectibles.

We love that. But the idea is if you’re going to work with a franchise that’s very big, very well-known, and has products out there, what do we bring to the table? So it’s curation. It’s finding the right artist out there and then matching them up with the right movie, show, whatever it is, so that it’s like a new synthesis that happens. People are like, “Wow, I’m excited because I never thought I would see so-and-so designed in that style.”
So, that’s really what I mean. Are we getting excited about the idea of it? Are we excited for so-and-so doing such-and-such project? If we are then that means the fans for sure are going to be.
Nerdist: Yeah, I was looking at the latest set, and I saw the Beavis and Butt-Head poster, which I thought was super interesting. So I think it’s really cool that you kind of follow your fannish desires and not necessarily just go by what movie is coming out.
Santa Maria: No, no, and there are a lot of times where we will turn something down that’s a big thing because we don’t have a personal connection or we don’t know what we would bring there.
So if it doesn’t talk to us, we’ll be like, “Not yet, maybe in the future.” But you mentioned Beavis and Butt, we just did that beautiful screenprint of the artist, Kensausage. Probably one of my favorite artist things of all time. He designed a bunch of sketches for us for what that poster could be like and we’re like, “Yeah, they’re all awesome, which one do we pick?” But that strange mutant version of Beavis and Butt together, we felt, we have to have that. It’s a new interpretation, but it feels of the show, of the movie when they have their psychedelic experience or whatever it is.

And now we’re also introducing a bunch of fans to Kensausage. And then you can place the poster back to the artist and their other artwork and it creates a brand new audience for that art, which is the best part of what we do.
Nerdist: So really, at any time, Mondo might decide to create something new for an older property? (Nerdist personally pitched more Hannibal posters.)
Santa Maria: Yeah, if we have the license, and we feel like there’s excitement about it, or we think, “We wouldn’t normally do this, but this looks awesome we should probably,” then yes.
You never know; you might see us design like a big robo-mechanized Hannibal that looks like it’s a figure that came out of Japan in the ’60s. Right? No one else would make that. That’s the idea.

Nerdist: I would be so into that. And I think that’s really great because so often, if you’re a new fan to an older franchise you won’t get the opportunity to experience new merchandise, so it’s cool that’s where Mondo can step in.
Santa Maria: Exactly, 100%.
Nerdist: How much does fan input influence your decision-making?
Santa Maria: We’re always listening to the fans in terms of, there are comments sometimes it’ll be about, “Hey, I love this line so much, please don’t forget to include such and such character because he always or she always gets overlooked.” Or, “I love the franchise. I love that you’re doing it on this scale, but why don’t you guys do it in soft line or whatever it is?” So we’re always listening to that, and that’s how we get better. We’re not going to be able to do this without fans and the fan’s excitement. So we do what we think is awesome, we put it out there, fans respond and go, “Great idea, or hold on we’re almost there,” and then we work on that.
Nerdist: Do you have an example of that kind of interaction?
Santa Maria: Yeah, Masters of the Universe, specifically. I can’t reveal anything, but there are certain characters that we know from other lines that don’t get put out as figures very often. In the Facebook group, people mentioned it, and I’ve seen it in the YouTube comments, and so we go internally, “You guys, we have to do this.”
And when people see it, they’re going to flip.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by MONDO (@mondonews)
Nerdist: That ties into my next question: Are there any upcoming releases that your fans can get really excited about?
Santa Maria: Yes, there are some big surprises that are going to be mentioned tomorrow in our panel. And then at Comic-Con, we have our brand new Scareglow from Masters of the Universe 1/6 and Scaremare, our original. We designed a character for Masters of the Universe that Mattel allowed us to do, and we’re debuting it at that show, and it’s going to be super, super exciting. Of course, Scott Pilgrim is coming out. Our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle vinyl figures are releasing. We’re trying to hit every fandom we can with something new, refreshing, that feels worthy of your shelf space.
Nerdist: Mondo is pretty well-known for its posters and, as you mentioned, figures, vinyls, and more. Is there another sort of arm or kind of collectible that you imagine putting out in the future or thinking about?
Santa Maria: I mean, yeah, we are working really hard on our posters, our screen prints, to figure out what hasn’t been done yet, what interpretations haven’t been done yet. We love going back to visit the universal monsters. We love going back to visit that.
But we’re exploring anime now in a bigger way and how anime gets reinterpreted when the fans already love the style of anime. But can we challenge those aesthetics and make something new and interesting? That’s a big one for us.
Also, our soundtracks, we continue to want to really engineer exciting designs for the packaging, so that people have that whole experience when they’re opening them up, listening to the music, but also going through the album. You can expect some great stuff.

Nerdist: But in addition to that could we see any new types of Mondo projects in addition to collectibles, figures, and soundtracks?
Santa Maria: Yes, there is a… Let’s see, I have to say this without spoiling. There is a new product line coming that will be announced in the next couple of months from Mondo. We’ve never done it before. I think people, especially people who love to do unboxings on YouTube and watch those, they’re going to love this one.

Nerdist: Just to wrap it up, what do you think your most successful release has been? And what is your personal favorite?
Santa Maria: Well, I’m biased to the figures that I personally designed, like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Godzilla, and Mechagodzilla. But in terms of the most successful releases this year, I mean, we had a huge success with Rogue from our X-Men 1/6 animated line. We had a huge success with Scareglow, our soft vinyl figure from our Masters of the Universe line.
We also had a Godzilla: Minus One poster that worked well for us. That was huge. So you never know. You can kind of get a sense of what it’s going to be, but you never know. You always just have to see where the fans are and what they direct to you.
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Okay Sure, Disney and Warner Bros. Announce Disney+, Hulu, and Max Streaming Bundle
These times are uncertain for streaming services. Platforms that were once separate have merged. Various streaming services have increased prices and brought in ad tiers. Let’s not even get into various crackdowns on password sharing. But in a turn of events we could not have seen coming, Disney Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery have announced a new streaming bundle. This streaming bundle comes with Disney+, Hulu, and Max and will be available this summer in the US. What times we live in.

A Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundle obviously brings a lot of brands together. The release points out it encompasses ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight, and Warner Bros. among others. Customers will be able to purchase the bundle on any of the three streaming platform’s websites and choose between ad-supported and ad-free plans. It’s not yet clear if subscribers will be able to access the bundle through a single interface or separate services. If it’s a single interface, we can’t wait to see that design and how they make it not overwhelming.
Joe Earley, President, Direct to Consumer, Disney Entertainment, said in a release:
On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value. This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.
Additional details about the Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle will be shared “in the coming months.” Summer arrives next month, so we’ll see.
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DOCTOR WHO: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson & Russell T Davies Talks New Series
Doctor Who stars Ncuti Gatwa (The Doctor) and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday), and showrunner Russell T Davies sit down with Nerdist’s Kyle Anderson to discuss the new series, their favorite costumes, and the episodes they’re most excited for fans to see!
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WEDNESDAY’s Thing Becomes a TikTok Influencer to Celebrate Season 2
Who could have imagined Wednesday‘s thing engaging in a skincare routine or doing a fit check? We certainly did not have it on our Bingo cards. But in celebration of Wednesday season two, Thing is taking the TikTok world by storm and sharing its beauty and fashion secrets. What’s not to love about that? Take a look below.
@wednesdaynetflixRest. Reset. Resuscitate. Get ready with me for Wednesday S2! @VictorDorobantu
♬ som original – ThingTok
Honestly, we can’t wait to see what manner of thing Thing will cook up next. We’re crossing our fingers that a fun TikTok dance will come next. And hopefully, Thing’s TikTok will make an appearance on Wednesday season two. It’s the one thi- piece we were missing.
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