Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 413

Pixar’s SOUL, TURNING RED, and LUCA Are Heading to Theaters for the First Time

The pandemic prevented or delayed the theatrical release of many movies. More than one studio leveraged the closure of theaters to boost their streaming services, including Disney+. Disney made the baffling decision to premiere three Pixar movies directly on Disney+: Soul, Luca, and Turning Red. The latter was especially confusing, as it released in March 2022. Theaters had been open again for months. But now, whatever decisions were made in the past, these three Pixar movies are coming to theaters nationwide. We can finally see Soul, Luca, and Turning Red in the format they (and all the people who worked on them) deserve.

That trailer is a brief reminder of how excellent each of these movies is. Rewatching them on Disney+ hasn’t been the same. Plus, now that Pixar movies will be in theaters, they each get the traditional animated short film airing ahead of them. Even though the shorts aren’t new, it’s comforting to see these films following form.

Here’s the release schedule:

Soul with “Burrow” – January 12Turning Red with “Kitbull” – February 9Luca with “For the Birds” – March 22Pixar

We can’t wait to go see our friends on the big screen.

Featured Image: Pixar

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OPPENHEIMER’s Cillian Murphy and BARBIE’s Margot Robbie Talk Barbenheimer

I believe movie fans will come to remember 2023 as a truly great year for cinema. I have zero doubt which two films will come to define these past 12 months of movies. Barbie and Oppenheimer both arrived in theaters on the same day. Despite being about as different as two films can be, they’re forever connected. The two global blockbusters combined to give us “Barbenheimer,” an unofficial double feature created organically by fans. If, like so many others, you’re one of them, you can now appreciate both movies in a whole new way. Their respective stars, Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy, sat down to interview each other in the latest episode of Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” web-series.

Their delightful conversation provided tons of great tidbits and insights into the making of each film. It’s a conversation so good it should be an extra on both Barbie‘s and Oppenheimer‘s Blu-rays.

This fun, informative, entertaining chat between two of 2023’s most notable stars has too many amazing moments to mention all of them. Robbie and Murphy touched on a wide range of subjects covering almost every aspect of their movies, from pre-production through the overwhelming success of both. They also discussed everything and anything about their directors, Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, from their approach to filmmaking to each directors’ wardrobe choices on set. The two also talked about developing their characters, how they research their roles, finding the right accent, and what it was like to carry such a heavy burden as their films’ stars. If you love learning how the Hollywood sausage is made, this is a must-watch.

That’s also true if you also like listening to two talented, charming people enjoying each other’s work. That’s how you’ll learn which one ends up talking to themself in a basement before filming starts. Or which one loves wearing masks to see their own films while the other can’t stand to see themself on-screen. And it’s how you’ll learn they both love writing letters to people they hope to work with someday, how much they know about memes, and what they’re okay with people screaming at them on the street.

Variety

Peaky Binders fans will also be thrilled to know Robbie got to ask Murphy about the show. Meanwhile, he asked her about a possible Barbie sequel. And you definitely won’t expect which one of them used David Bowie as a reference in developing their character. (Seriously. It wasn’t Robbie. Seriously!)

Barbenheimer already made 2023 a great year for movie lovers. Turns out that phenomenon had even more to give us.

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Nerdist’s Top 10 Movies of 2023

Despite some of the bigger franchises in Hollywood having less-than-stellar years, 2023 has been outstanding for films. From arthouse hits to horror triumphs, you don’t need DC, Marvel, or Star Wars to have some fun at the movies. Below is a list of Nerdist‘s top 10 movies of the year, as decided upon by our great staff. This doesn’t represent anyone’s individual list, nor does it represent every good movie that came out this year. But it does have two movies based on Marvel properties. It’s still a geek website after all. Let’s start the countdown!

Sony/Warner Bros/Focus10. Evil Dead RiseNew Line Cinema

I have to admit, when I first saw Evil Dead Rise, I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. It was a completely new take on the material, moving the action from a cabin in the woods to a dilapidated apartment building. Instead of hot teens out for some action, the curse of the Book of the Dead befalls a family just trying to get by. But at its heart, this new installment keeps much of the blood-soaked hallmarks of the original Sam Raimi movies, especially the hallowed Evil Dead 2. I’ve watched it several times since and I think it kinda rips.

9. Asteroid CityFocus Features

Another one that slow-burned its way onto this list. For a filmmaker already obsessed with artifice, Wes Anderson really outdid himself in Asteroid City. A story within a story within a story, layers and layers of separation between reality and fiction, and yet it’s entirely compelling from start to finish. The cast is outstanding, as per, and it might have the best use of Bryan Cranston since Breaking Bad. Anderson hides the real story under layers and layers of artifice and distance to give us a treatise on the American Theatre, UFO culture, and mid-century emotional stunting. It’s also super goofy and plays like a greatest hits of previous Anderson films. It’s a bafflement, but I can’t not applaud it for that.

8. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1Paramount Pictures

What a world we live in. Any other year, this latest installment in the unbelievably good Mission: Impossible series should have made a billion dollars, easy. But in 2023, it underperformed. That is by no means a reflection of quality. While it didn’t work quite as well for me as either Rogue Nation or Fallout, it’s still a tremendously enjoyable, exciting action adventure. The car chase through Rome with Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell handcuffed together would be enough to make it a good movie. Then we get to the end where they have to climb through a train that is simultaneously falling off a cliff. Just an incredible action sequence. These movies rule.

7. Talk to MeA24

2023 was actually a pretty amazing year for horror movies. The aforementioned Evil Dead Rise is but one. Possibly the best of the bunch is the indie Talk to Me, written and directed by Australian YouTubers-turned-filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou. A take on teenage drug use as a form of coping, replacing demonic possession for narcotics, the main character’s slow descent feels like you’re watching a movie about addiction more than a horror movie. And that’s what makes it all the scarier. I said it before, but it’s like Euphoria but with seances, in the best way.

6. Poor ThingsSearchlight Pictures

A dark horse addition to the list, Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest is a dark fairytale-esque look at women’s sexuality through the guise of a Frankenstein story. Emma Stone plays a newly revived experiment who quickly learns the wonders of life and lust only for “proper Victorian values” (which feel oddly accurate to today) try to keep her down. Mark Ruffalo gives a tremendously funny performance as the dandyish would-be lothario. It’s a very weird movie, as you’d expect from Lanthimos, but thoroughly engaging from start to finish.

5. BarbieWarner Bros.

Surely you’ve heard of this one. It was only the biggest thing in the world this summer. It’s delightful, it’s gorgeous, it’s funny and touching. No one expected a movie based on a doll would be the year’s biggest success story, but here we are. The suits will takeaway that the public wants more Mattel movies, or more toy movies. The real lesson is give Greta Gerwig a budget and people will flock to the cinema in record numbers.

4. OppenheimerUniversal Pictures

The other half of the one-two punch of the summer, Christopher Nolan’s surprisingly taut exploration of the man behind the atomic bomb is maybe the most engaging and resonant biopic we’ve seen in forever. A cast the size of the universe, and filmmaking prowess for miles, Oppenheimer proved Nolan’s more than gimmickry and tricksy narratives. If Cillian Murphy doesn’t win an Oscar, there’s a problem with the Academy. (Spoiler: there already is one.)

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Marvel Studios

Look, we’re not going to mince words. Most of the recent Marvel Studios offerings have been lacking a bit of lustre. We were really hoping James Gunn would bring his trilogy of Guardians of the Galaxy movies home in a satisfying way, especially since he’s moving on to run DC. We needn’t have worried. The third installment is maybe not as raucous or expansive as the previous two, but it focuses on the characters and gives everyone a satisfying conclusion. Plus it has a good villain in the High Evolutionary. Plus plus, that corridor fight sequence in faux-one take is truly masterful.

2. John Wick: Chapter 4Murray Close/Lionsgate

While I appreciated the action prowess of the second and third John Wick movies, neither held a candle to the first in terms of compelling narrative. That all changed with Chapter 4, which goes full spaghetti western-meets-samurai-showdown. Donnie Yen’s blind swordsman, Shamier Anderson’s nameless gunfighter, and Skarsgård’s repugnant aristocrat make for some superb additions to the saga’s underworld. But at the heart, it’s John Wick trying to survive an onslaught of millions and that makes it work. No hyperbole, it’s one of the best action movies ever made. The entire third act in Paris—a riff on Walter Hill’s The Warriors—is perfect. If John never appears again, he got a fitting (and bloody) send-off.

1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseSony

Look. I also didn’t think they’d ever match the glory of Into the Spider-Verse. How do you improve on perfection? You can’t. But you can do something different also perfectly. Expanding the roster of Spider-People by about 90 million and putting Gwen Stacy in the protagonist role changed things up in just the right way. Miles gets to be the catalyst for everything, and prove why uniqueness is good, while Miguel O’Hara shines as the de-facto antagonist. We cannot wait to see how the story concludes, but there’s enough in this entry to make it outstanding and rewatchable on its own forever. Also Spider-Punk is our new deity.

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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10 Marvel Heroes Who Still Need a Live-Action Debut

Over the last 15 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has flourished on both the big and small screens. Not to mention the X-Men movie universe at Fox, and the Spider-Man universe at Sony. From all indications, it seems as if almost no Marvel Comics hero is too small or obscure for the live-action treatment. Between the MCU, the former Fox X-Men films, and the Sony Spider-verse, just about everyone of importance has had their big screen debut.

In just the last couple of years alone, they have introduced Marvel Comics fans in quick succession to the likes of She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, Namor, Ironheart, and in cameo form, Hercules and Starfox, to name but a few. Wonder Man is even getting a series soon. And yet, there still are a handful of important Marvel Comics characters long overdue for the live-action treatment. So without further ado, here are our picks for the top 10 Marvel superheroes that still need to make it to MCU live-action film and television.

Marvel Comics10. Beta Ray BillMarvel Comics

In the MCU, we’ve only seen two other heroes worthy of lifting Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, — the Vision, and Steve Rogers. However, in the comics there was another who was worthy, a horse-faced alien from the planet Korbin. Beta Ray Bill was the champion of the Korbinites, given powers by his near-extinct alien race. Thanks to some classic comic book misunderstanding, Beta Ray Bill met Thor in battle when approaching Earth, and he actually defeated the God of Thunder. Not only defeat him, but he was able to wield Mjölnir, one of the few who could.

Impressed with Beta Ray Bill’s fortitude, Thor’s dad, Odin All-Father gifted the Krobinite with his very own enchanted hammer, Stormbreaker, which he now used as a hero and ally to Thor. Beta Ray Bill has almost made it to the MCU before. We’ve seen his statue on the planet Sakaar in Thor: Ragnarok, and his hammer Stormbreaker has also appeared in Infinity War and Endgame. We think Bill is long overdue for an MCU appearance. It just might be time for Thor to hand over Stormbreaker to its rightful owner.

9. Tigra (Greer Nelson)Marvel Comics

Greer Nelson, originally known as “The Cat,” was one of the first female heroes to receive her own Marvel comic. A runway model, Greer fought crime with cat-themed gadgets and a skin-tight cat costume. The Claws of the Cat only lasted four issues, and truthfully, seemed like a knockoff of DC Comics’ Catwoman—only with a neon yellow costume instead. Years later, the heroine Hellcat would use that costume with far more success.

But Marvel tried again with Greer a couple of years later. They gave her the powers of a magical lost race of Cat People, and suddenly Greer was a ferocious cat/human hybrid named Tigra. This version was far more popular, and served with the Avengers for years. A cat-person in a bikini might be hard to pull off in live-action, but we trust Marvel Studios to make the right changes. They mentioned someone named Greer in Hawkeye. Could it be? We hope to see her, tail and all, in the MCU one day.

8. Ka-Zar of the Savage Land (Kevin Plunder)Marvel Comics

On the surface, Ka-Zar just seems like a Tarzan rip-off. He’s the son of a British Lord who finds himself stranded in an exotic jungle location as a child. After his father dies, locals take him in. He no longer goes by the name Lord Kevin Plunder, but becomes Ka-Zar. Sound familiar? So how is this more than a dime-store Tarzan? Well, instead of a real-world location like Africa, Ka-Zar lives in the Savage Land, a secret primordial world in the Antarctic.

The Savage Land is filled with dinosaurs, humanoid mutates, and Ka-Zar’s trusty sabretooth tiger Zabu. In the comics, it became the prime location for many Uncanny X-Men stories. It even became the home base of Magneto for a time. Anyone who grew up with X-Men: The Animated Series will remember several episodes set in this location. To be fair, the location of the Savage Land world is much cooler than Ka-Zar himself, but he could be used to anchor a very cool Savage Land series or movie.

7. Captain Britain (Brian Braddock)Marvel Comics

Captain Britain has been a part of the Marvel Universe since the mid-’70s. But he first appeared only in the Marvel UK line of comics. Captain Britain Weekly #1 featured his canonical first appearance. In the comics, Brian Braddock was the nerdy heir of an old aristocratic British family. He received a bad injury in a lab accident and nearly died. Soon after, the wizard Merlyn appeared to him, and offered Brian the chance to become the United Kingdom’s mystically strong champion. And thus, Captain Britain is born.

In the UK, Captain Britain had his own comic for years, and teamed up with Spidey and Captain America in North American Comics. He eventually led the British X-Men spinoff team, Excalibur. His sister is Betsy Braddock, who fans know best as the prominent ’90s X-Man named Psylocke. All of these aspects of his character could prove interesting story material, as Marvel Studios seeds mutants into the MCU. Fans have been clamoring for Superman Henry Cavill to play Captain Britain. And we can’t say that we don’t approve of that choice.

6. Darkhawk (Christopher Powell/Connor Young)Marvel Comics

Darkhawk is one of the lesser-known Marvel heroes on this list, but in the ’90s, he was fairly popular. He even carried his own series for some 50 issues. Christopher Powell was a teenager from Queens, New York, just like Peter Parker. He came upon an amulet that allowed him to switch places with a powerful alien android body possessing huge metal wings, one that his mind could control. (And he had a Wolverine-like claw. As we said, quite popular in the ’90s.

Darkhawk joined the New Warriors, and briefly, the Avengers. Recently, Marvel Comics launched a new Darkhawk series, with a new teenage hero at its center. Connor Young was a star athlete, recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. As he struggles with his new medical reality, he also has to become a superhero when he discovers the amulet. The original comic series wasn’t all that memorable, but the ingredients for this new Darkhawk — the origin, the costume, the powers — are perfect for a live-action adaptation.

5. Moondragon (Heather Douglas)Marvel Comics

Moondragon is one of those oddball Marvel heroes. But this martial artist with psychic powers has ties to several prominent MCU characters. Namely, Drax the Destroyer and Thanos. In the comics, young Heather Douglas was driving through the desert with her family when they caught Thanos landing on Earth, totally by chance. The Mad Titan promptly killed her entire family, but Heather escaped.

Her father’s soul bonded to Drax, essentially making Drax her dad. And Mentor, Thanos’ own father, instructed her in the use of her powers. She joined the Avengers, and later, teams like the Defenders and the Guardians of the Galaxy. For the MCU, Moondragon’s origins could be simplified. She could be the literal daughter of Drax now. Perhaps the daughter he thought he lost to Thanos? And if Thanos’ father trained her, that would create a lot of conflict for this family. She’s also a bisexual character, and we know the MCU could use some more canonically LGBTQ heroes.

4. Quasar (Wendell Vaughn)Marvel Comics

They have introduced many of the most prominent Avengers into the MCU at this point. But one fairly major Avenger from the ‘90s has yet to show up, and that’s Wendell Vaughn, also known as Quasar. An Avenger during the early ‘90s, at which time he carried his own solo title for sixty issues, Vaughn was a SHIELD scientist who came across the cosmic weapons called the Quantum Bands. They bestowed on him incredible power, as the owner of the bands was the chosen Protector of the Universe, a title given by the cosmic entity Eon.

With the Quantum Bands now introduced into the MCU thanks to The Marvels, it would be interesting to see them wind up in the hands of a new hero like Quasar. After all, neither Kamala Khan nor Carol Danvers need the bands to activate their powers. They should go to someone else who can use them to do good. In Thor: Love and Thunder, we saw a representation of the cosmic entity Eon, so maybe he’ll appear to give the Quasar the Protector of the Universe title. Everything lately feels like it’s setting it up. With the MCU needing more spacefaring heroes, Quasar seems like a perfect choice.

3. Nova (Richard Rider/Sam Alexander)Marvel Comics

Although the Nova Corps, Marvel’s interstellar police force (and answer to DC’s Green Lantern Corps) has already been introduced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the Nova I’m talking about is Richard Rider. He had his own series in the late ’70s, The Man Called Nova, and then regularly appeared as a cast member of New Warriors. Rider was a working-class teen in the Peter Parker mold; he inherited the title and cosmic powers from a dying member of the Nova Corps. (We told you he was Marvel’s answer to Green Lantern).

The character has had a comeback in the last few years. Mainly because of Marvel Comics doubling down on their cosmic heroes with events like Annihilation. A new teenager named Sam Alexander recently took on the mantle of Nova, but either he or Richard Rider would make for ideal candidates for a TV series or a movie. Perhaps tying his origin to the offscreen destruction of the Nova homeworld of Xandar (referenced in Avengers: Infinity War) might be a good way to make this tie into the MCU.

2. Doctor Voodoo (Jericho Drumm)Marvel Comics

Jericho Drumm was created way back in 1973, and for five issues was the lead character in Strange Tales, the anthology that introduced Doctor Strange. Created by a group of Marvel legends, which included Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, John Romita, and Len Wein, the character originally went by the name Brother Voodoo. A psychologist originally from Haiti, Drumm returned home to discover his voodoo practitioner brother was dying. He sought out his brother’s mentor, Papa Jambo, who taught him mastery over voodoo practices and powerful sorcery, and Drumm assumed the title of Brother Voodoo.

Although his lead series was short-lived, Brother Voodoo continued to appear in various Marvel comics over the succeeding decades as a guest star, and hero and ally to many. He eventually became the Sorcerer Supreme, replacing Stephen Strange in the role. It was during this time he officially took the name Doctor Voodoo. He’s since served on over three different iterations of the Avengers. Although he was heavily rumored for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he never appeared. But the MCU needs some more magically powered heroes besides Strange, and we can’t think of a better one than Jericho Drumm.

1. Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)Marvel Comics

Despite what her name might suggest, Jessica Drew is anything but a female carbon copy of Spider-Man. Created in the ‘70s, Spider-Woman headlined her own ongoing series for over 50 issues, and even had a short-lived cartoon series on Saturday morning TV. In the comics, Jessica Drew’s parents were scientists who accidentally gave her arachnid-based powers as a child. The powers were a side effect of their trying to cure a lethal childhood disease. They have tweaked her origin story a few times over the past few decades, but the character always has ties to both SHIELD and HYDRA in any version.

Marvel put her on the shelf for nearly two decades years for inexplicable reasons. It was Brian Michael Bendis who brought Jessica as Spider-Woman back in 2004 in the pages of New Avengers. She’s remained a Marvel mainstay ever since. With her ties to both SHIELD and the Avengers, she’s an obvious choice for the MCU either on film or TV. She has appeared recently in animation, in Across the Spider-Verse. But we still await her live-action debut. Sony announced a Spider-Woman movie years ago with Olivia Wilde at the helm. But nothing ever came of it. The Madame Web movie will feature various Spider-Women, but not Jessica. We hope that Sony and Marvel Studios can find a way to work together and bring Jessica into the MCU where she belongs.

Originally published on April 23, 2017.

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You Are Not Prepared for How Big the LEGO Avengers Tower Is

No one can be Tony Stark or Iron Man. But with LEGO’s new Avengers Tower set, you can pretend. The massive set replicates the Avengers Tower we know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not really the Tower, formerly known as Stark Tower, at any fixed point in time, but more a showpiece of a key MCU location and the Avengers who have made it their base. That’s the best way to look at it—it’s a highlights reel of the Avengers throughout the Infinity Saga in towering LEGO form. Seriously, you don’t realize how tall Avengers Tower is until you assemble it. LEGO sent Nerdist a copy to unbox and snap together, piece by piece. It’s a mostly satisfying build that dwarfs anything else in my LEGO collection.

NerdistLEGO Avengers Tower Specs

The LEGO Avengers Tower comes with a whopping 5,201 pieces. (The pieces come in 39 bags!) It’s 10 inches deep, 14 inches wide, and 36 inches tall. That makes it LEGO’s tallest brick-built skyscraper. And so yes, it’s taller than the Daily Bugle set. (For what it’s worth, it’s also a far more interesting design than the Daily Bugle.) The set comes with 31 minifigures, the most ever included in a single LEGO set.

You can get the LEGO Avengers Tower for $499.99.

Building the LEGO Avengers TowerBuild Time

This is a set that will keep you occupied. I put around 13 hours into the build, most of it on my own. A little repetition comes with constructing a tall building with LEGO bricks. I felt that with the windows, of which the set has many. So many. In fact, it has the most windows in a single LEGO set. But watching it all come together to form the elegant outline of the skyscraper made it worth it.

NerdistOverall Design

If you have any LEGO City buildings, the Avengers Tower will bring a drastic change to your cityscape. It adds plenty of height and it brings another style of building to put alongside your shops. Adding it to a LEGO City street also means you can scatter some of the minifigs through town. The Kevin Feige minifig should, for example, be guzzling coffee at a café. Instead of attaching a Chitauri Leviathan to the tower, it could be casually invading your LEGO City. You have a lot of posing possibilities.

The options are dang near endless if you construct the tower as a standalone piece, too. You can dangle Hulk and Chitauri warriors off the side or remove the front of the building to showcase scenes from the history of the MCU Avengers. Though one quick note: if you’re used to LEGO City buildings with multiple floors, you are accustomed to the modular way of LEGO life. The Avengers Tower is not modular. Once you get a floor into place, it remains there.

Overall, it’s an architecturally sharp design. I wouldn’t have pegged LEGO as the best medium to bring the Avengers Tower and its curvy building to life, but it’s beautiful. The building’s construction and the storytelling present throughout come together as a tribute to the Marvel superhero team. Once you complete assembly, you’ll see every part of the building has things happening. It’s literally covered in content.

Nerdist

As mentioned earlier, the set comes with 31 minifigs, which is a lot. I would not have chosen the same 31 minifigs. Multiple Tony Stark figures come with the set, but no Bruce Banner. Meanwhile some other minifigs have no direct connection to Avengers Tower, nor are they part of the Avengers.

Surprises

This actually isn’t a surprise, because LEGO always delivers when it comes to detail, but the design goes above and beyond with discovery. It comes with a Captain Marvel beeper to put behind the building. A LEGO shawarma is by the dumpster. Maybe you’ve seen lots of photos or videos of the Avengers Tower set online. Even if you have, discovering and building the Easter eggs and all the MCU scenes is a delight. The set has two Captain America minifigs just to recreate the America’s a*s scene from Endgame. One of the upper floors has a Quinjet launchpad that has room for the ship to roll in and out of place. Those are only a few of the little touches in the set, and they really make it.

Click To View Gallery Nerdist Nerdist Nerdist Nerdist Nerdist Nerdist Nerdist

In summary, the LEGO Avengers Tower is a beast of a build that shows off the best of the Avengers. The designers are clearly giant MCU nerds, and we appreciate them for it. If you love the MCU and have a passion for LEGO, this is a set to save for.

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Steve Lightfoot Set as Co-Showrunner for Spider-Man Noir Live-Action Series

As we know, there are so, so many Spideys out in the world. It was a delight to see a few of them together in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, including Spider-Man Noir. The older and frankly worn out monochromatic hero from the 1930s is certainly an interesting take on the character. Now, Spider-Man Noir is getting his own live-action series at Prime Video. It could be yet another win for Amazon’s streaming service.

As Variety reports, Steve Lightfoot will be the co-showrunner alongside creator/writer Oren Uziel. Lightfoot is no stranger to the Marvel Universe, as he was the showrunner for The Punisher Netflix series starring Jon Bernthal.

Marvel Entertainment

The show will be set in its own universe and will not center around Peter Parker. The show will, however, take place in the 1930s and will presumably stick with the character’s black and white format. We can’t wait to see how a Spider-Man Noir series plays out. Right now, there’s no casting news nor a release window because things are in the very early stages. It will likely take a while before we learn anything else about this venture, but in the meantime fans can begin all the speculation. 

Originally published on February 9, 2023.

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Rockstar Reveals the First Trailer for GRAND THEFT AUTO VI

Rockstar Games announced a trailer reveal event for Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, for December 5. However, someone on X leaked it a day early. Given that, Rockstar let go of its December 5 launch. The game publisher officially released the GTA VI trailer a day early, saying simply, “Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube.” The GTA VI trailer confirms two important things. Grand Theft Auto will return to Vice City, and GTA VI will arrive in 2025. Watch the sun-soaked, alligator-filled action here:

Vice City appeared back in the fourth entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. Based on Miami, that story followed a mobster and how he gained power with a criminal empire. GTA VI‘s main character is Lucia. It’s the game series’ first female protagonist in its 20+ year history. The trailer starts with Lucia in prison, but later she’s out and doing crime. It seems she’s pulling someone else into her crimes, saying they need to be a team and stick together.

“Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games said in a release. “We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere.”

We’re sure it’s going to work out fine. We won’t worry about it too much. Instead, we’ll just be excited that new Grand Theft Auto is finally on the way after a 10-year break.

Rockstar Games

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Disneyland Galaxy’s Edge Gets a STAR WARS Fireworks Show

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney Parks is one of the most immersive theme park lands in history. When you set foot inside, it truly is like you’re on another world in the galaxy far, far away. But that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. The great John Williams did record a new theme for the land. However, you never hear a hint of any classic Star Wars music while you’re wandering Black Spire Outpost. Well, in 2024, that will change at the location in Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort.

According to Disneyland, 2024 will see the return of Season of the Force at Disneyland. This will include a new Star Tours adventure featuring Ahsoka Tano. Also, the event will feature the Hyperspace Mountain re-theme of Space Mountain and something new. The official announcement says “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will provide a fresh perspective on the fireworks above Disneyland Park, with galactic music sweeping through the spires.” Although obviously not 100% confirmed, we imagine “galactic music” is actual music from the many Star Wars films and Disney+ series.

YouTube/TheDIS

Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland is uniquely positioned for such a show. One can clearly see the fireworks above the peaks of the planet Batuu. But if you’re in Galaxy’s Edge, you don’t hear any music to go with the fireworks. It’s the perfect opportunity to create a totally separate musical score for the fireworks that only those visiting Galaxy’s Edge can hear. We’re already excited at the prospect of hearing Williams’ main theme, or “Duel of the Fates,” “Battle of the Heroes,” and “Imperial March,” all while fireworks explode above. The lack of classic Star Wars music has always been an issue with Galaxy’s Edge, and this would go a long way in correcting that mistake. Here’s hoping it stays past the allotted limited time. 

Season of the Force is celebrated at Disneyland Park from April 5-June 2, 2024.

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Iron Man’s Heroic Death Will Not Be Undone in the MCU

There have been many rumors that the original roster of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will all return in Avengers: Secret Wars. And yes, that would presumably include Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man/Tony Stark. But via Variety, we’ve learned that in a recent story on Downey for Vanity Fair, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said there are no plans to bring Tony Stark back from the grave. Iron Man’s heroic death in Avengers: Endgame, in which he saved the universe from Thanos, was just too important to undo. Here’s what Feige had to say:

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

Marvel Studios

So it seems like the MCU creatives powers that be will never use magic or nanotech to revive Tony’s corpse for a future film. This is a choice which we all of course applaud. However, we must point out that Feige very carefully worded that response. It’s safe to say we can take Feige at his word, and the MCU won’t resurrect the Tony Stark we knew and loved in 11 films. Iron Man’s death will not change. But that does not mean we are never seeing Robert Downey, Jr. play him again.

Right now, we are in the middle of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. And we would be genuinely shocked if we did not encounter a multiversal variant of Tony in Secret Wars. And for that matter, a variant of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlet Johansson) too. With Secret Wars likely capping off twenty years of the MCU, it’s hard to imagine no Tony Stark involvement in that. Regardless of what Kevin Feige said, don’t count out seeing Iron Man again. He just won’t exactly be the one you remember. Because that guy is staying dead for sure.

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PlayStation Will Delete Users’ Purchased TV Shows with No Refunds

There’s only one sound to describe the current state of streaming. Ooof. And the latest news reveals that streaming shenanigans don’t stop at the traditional streaming platforms that first come to mind when we think of streaming our favorite shows. No, the most recent, unfortunate streaming news has to do with streaming via PlayStation. PlayStation users were recently informed that Discovery content they purchased via the PlayStation Store would no longer be accessible to users and would be removed from their libraries. To be clear, PlayStation and Sony are talking about TV shows that users spent money to specifically access and now that content will vanish. We see titles come and go on streaming all of the time, but usually, not titles that come from a store-based interface. PlayStation did not indicate that users would receive a refund for the lost content.

Sony is deleting a ton of TV shows from the PS Store at the end of the year

If you purchased this content, you’ll no longer be able to use it pic.twitter.com/qPwAgPPHMB

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) December 3, 2023

The message to users is short and not so sweet. Playstation/Sony notes, “As of 31 December 2023, due to our content licensing arrangements with content providers, you will no longer be able to watch any of your previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library.”

You can find the full list of Discovery titles that PlayStation will remove from users’ accounts here. Among other titles, purchased versions of Cake Boss, Deadliest Catch, Dirtiest Jobs, Mythbusters, and more will vanish… Alongside the money users spent on purchasing them. Forbes notes that PlayStation will delete over 1,200 titles in total. As mentioned, there’s no discussion of a refund or a way to download Discovery content purchased for PlayStation.

Adam Savage’s Tested

There’s also no clear word on what exactly is driving this sudden removal. But, of course, Discovery recently merged with Warner Bros. and is no longer a stand-alone channel, so that could have something to do with the change in access. But regardless of the source, it doesn’t really matter. The takeaway that matters goes something like this. Not even streaming media that is specifically purchased is really “owned” anymore. We already knew that, of course. But we really know it now. At the same time, it’s becoming more and more difficult to purchase and play physical media versions of shows and movies. So consumers are truly in a pickle.

We say it every time, but we really and truly do not like this trend. Fingers crossed that PlayStation, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery can find some way to grant renewed access to titles, or, at the very least, reimburse users for their purchased TV shows.

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