Matthew Kadish's Blog: Matthew Kadish's Evil Hive Mind Blog, page 6

Star Wars Episode 7 Boba Fett Movie Breakdown

So, a while back I wrote a post about how Disney apparently has no idea what to do with Boba Fett.  But that doesn’t mean they’re not still going forward with the spin off!  Charlie, over at the excellent Emergency Awesome YouTube channel, has just done a breakdown of everything we know about the upcoming Boba Fett flick, and a few other tidbits of news on the Star Wars front.

Charlie theorizes that a great deal of the Boba Fett movie will be taken from the now defunct Star Wars 1313 video game, which already had a ton of money sunk into its concept art and designs.  I can see this making a lot of sense, because… well, why not?  The game was never released so no one really knows the details of the storyline.  It was geared toward a Boba Fett-like character (which later actually became Boba Fett) and set in a dark and gritty underworld of Coruscant.  It would be pretty easy to take all that and adapt it into a movie, and since Disney is struggling with how exactly to portray Fett in the movies, having something that’s already been developed to work off of makes a lot of sense.

Which is precisely why they’re not going to do it.

I have a feeling whoever is chosen as the director of this is probably going to be working closely with J.J. Abrams and his stable of writers to come up with something they all like.  I will be interested to see if these spin-offs somehow tie-in with the new trilogy, much like how Marvel does their movies.

Anyway, check out Charlie’s video below.  He always does a great job of reporting on the news and rumors of various awesome subjects, and this one is no different.  So I’ll leave you with this – do you think he’s right?  Will the Boba Fett movie be a live-action version of Star Wars: 1313?  What do you think the Boba Fett movie will be about?  Actually… what would YOU like to see in a Boba Fett movie?

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LORD OF THE RINGS Explained In Rare Lost Recording

Okay all you Lord of the Rings fans out there… are you ready to crap your pants?  Well, get ready.  Because major news just dun dropped!

In 1958, author J.R.R. Tolkien attended a “Hobbit Dinner” in the Netherlands. Tolkien’s Dutch publisher set up the event, and 200 hardcore fans attended to hear their favorite author talk about The Lord of the Rings and reveal the real meaning behind the story. He even recited a poem in Elvish.

Tolkien’s speech was recorded, but until recently it was thought to have been lost. The recording was discovered in a basement in Rotterdam. The man who found it kept this important reel-to-reel tape hidden away. Until recently, only he had heard the recording.

According to the Huffington Post, the reel-to-reel tape “was discovered in 1993 by a Dutchman named René van Rossenberg, a Tolkien expert who owns a shop in the Netherlands devoted to all things Middle-Earth.” When asked why he didn’t share it with anyone until now. Rossenberg said, “Like Smaug I am guarding my treasure, hissing at any collector who comes near.” He then added, “I am looking forward to sharing with all Tolkien aficionados the great joy I felt when I first played the tape and heard Tolkien give his great speech.”

Legendarium.me co-founder Jay Johnstone somehow found out that the recording existed and convinced van Rossenberg to let the world hear Tolkien’s speech. The recording is in the process of being remastered, but you can listen to excerpt from it below.

Doesn’t it give you chills to hear Tolkien speak?  I really can’t wait to hear what he has to say about his work.  This is like the nerd equivalent of a new Beatles album being released!

What do you think Tolkien will talk about on this tape?  Inquiring minds want to know!

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10 DC Comics Movies That Should Be In Development Right Now (And 4 That Need To Be)

With DC Comics and Warner Brothers getting ready to (finally) launch their roster of comic book-related movies, there is a lot of speculation as to which characters are going to get the movie treatment.  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League are already in the pipeline. Dawn of Justice is shooting right now, to be followed up by Justice League, which is setting the stage by establishing at least four Justice League members that we know of (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg, who has also been cast).  Knowing this, we can speculate as to which films Warners/DC is planning to bring to the big screen as part of this new, shared, Justice League universe.

# 1:  Batman (duh)

Someone clever recently said that there’s always a Batman movie in development at Warner Bros. and, given the value of Batman as a franchise and the reported duration of Ben Affleck’s contract to play the character, it seems a given that Batman v Superman isn’t the only one we’ll be getting soon.  Affleck’s older, more world-weary Batman gives the filmmakers the opportunity to jump into the deep end, using his appearances in Dawn of Justice and Justice League as all you really need to know and avoiding an origin story altogether since this is, after all, the second reboot in 20 years.

And, yes, there are rumors of Affleck (who won an Academy Award for Best Picture just prior to signing on to play Batman) will direct the first Batman solo feature after Man of Steel. It wouldn’t be surprising if that turned out to be true, especially since at one point not that long ago, Affleck was quoted as saying that he was so much more interested in directing these days than he was in acting that in most cases he’d rather just act in films he’s already directing.  And I’d be willing to bet Kevin Smith would use whatever blackmail he has on Affleck to work on the script in some capacity.  (Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, in my opinion.)

#2 Wonder Woman

DC has been trying to get a Wonder Woman vehicle off the ground for some time, with most attempts being on TV.  Wonder Woman has a large fan-base, and is arguably the most recognizable female comic book heroine of all time, so it just makes sense that she’s going to get her own movie at some point, despite claims by the WB that there are no plans to do this.  I guess it all depends on how the Amazon mythology of the DC Universe is incorporated into these Justice League movies, and whether Gal Gadot delivers on the character.  I think DC/WB is still wary about female comic characters ever since the travesty that was Catwoman bombed harder than Hiroshima.  But the fan interest is there, and the potential for all types of mythological smack-down goodness is there.  This one should really be a no-brainer.

#3 Aquaman

Aquaman is a superhero from the DC roster that has flirted with TV and movies for a while.  There was the failed pilot a decade ago from the Smallville producers, and then there was the buzz of a movie thanks to HBO’s Entourage having an entire season based around a fictional James Cameron directed big-budget Aquaman movie.  Though Aquaman is widely considered a bit of a “goof” character, his treatment by DC in recent years has made him much more powerful and awesome than his Golden Age counterpart.  Just look at all the bad assery that occurred in Flashpoint with Aquaman at the helm.  A dude who can control literally 90% of the Earth’s surface is nothing to sneeze at.  Already, Matt Damon’s name has been bandied about by fans as a good choice for the King of Atlantis.  However, I tend to think Josh Holloway or Alexander Skarsgaard would be a better casting choice.  Regardless, I could totally see Aquaman as something very similar to The Abyss.  But its big budget would likely warrant the character prove himself in the Justice League movies first.

#4 The Flash

This might seem like an odd choice since The Flash is getting the full TV treatment with a new series on the CW, but The Flash is also a huge aspect of The Justice League, so it would be hard to leave him out.  Rumor has it the WB is very high on Grant Gustin, who was cast to play The Flash on the TV show.  If WB pulls a Marvel and actually decides to tie their movies in with their TV shows, the cross-over potential for a Flash film as an extension of the CW series could be huge, with fans of the TV show flocking to theaters to see it.  (It worked for Serenity, after all.)

#5  Green Arrow

Again, this is dependent upon how the TV properties are tied into the cinematic ones, but the success of Arrow on the CW has generated a ton of interest in the Green Arrow character, and it would be foolish of WB/DC to ignore that.  No doubt there are plans to either tie in the TV show, or launch a rival “movie version” of the character.

#6 Green Lantern

The first Green Lantern bombed hard.  Not Catwoman-level of bombing, but it was still a big disappointment.  However, the character is too popular and too recognizable to just let him sit on a shelf.  And if any aspect of the Justice League movies have to do with Darkseid and the greater galaxy at large, then leaving out the “Space Cops” of the DC Universe simply won’t do.  I think it would be wise for the filmmakers to bring back a non-Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern in the Justice League movies and then possibly branch him out into his own thing.  You can bet this character is still somewhere in the “What the heck do we do with this?” pile on some WB exec’s desk.

#7 Shazaam

A kid who can turn into a magical version of Superman?  That’s got all kinds of teen angsty goodness written all over it.  And now that DC has full rights to the “Shazaam” name, you can bet your britches they’re gonna figure out some way to use him.  He may not tie into the Justice League films, but he could get his own CW show or movie franchise.

#8 Sandman

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is attached to produce with rumors that either he or screenwriter David S. Goyer will direct. Neil Gaiman is attached as a consultant of some kind…and JGL also might star. That’s literally everything that’s known about this project, which is probably more real than almost anything else on the list.  However, there isn’t a wide public awareness of the Sandman series, despite its popularity in comic fan circles.  I’m guessing this will be 100% outside of the Justice League shared universe.

#9 Martian Manhunter

Despite David Goyer’s recent disrespect of the character, MM is a huge part of the Justice League.  He’ll definitely be appearing in the Justice League films in some capacity, which means he’s a prime candidate for a spin-off at some point, most likely a movie one.  A shape-shifting martian who solves crimes.  That’s practically a CBS procedural right there, people.

#10:  Hawkman/Hawkgirl

The “Hawkpeople” (I don’t know what else you’d call them)(Thanagarians, apparently) are mainstays of the Justice League, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a version of them turn up at some point.  They’d also be good candidates for their own movie franchise.

Characters I’d Like To See Developed Into Films

Booster Gold

I’m a huge Booster Gold fan and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  There has been talk that this character is in development for a movie at Warners, but details have been sketchy at best.  I just love the idea of an egomaniacal self-promoter turned superhero who travels through time.  How can you go wrong with something like that?

Dr. Fate

Just for his cool helmet.

Zatanna

Because she’s hot.

Plastic Man

Hire Jim Carrey and let him do his thing.  This movie would be awesome.

What about you guys?  Which DC heroes do you think will make it to the big screen in their own films?  And which would you LIKE to see make it?

 

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Shocking Revelations About True Detective Season 2

Now, I likes me my atmospheric, hard-boiled detective stories as atmospheric and hard-boiled as the next guy.  And I really enjoyed HBO’s True Detective, even if it did get a bit too atmospheric for my tastes at times.  The thing that makes True Detective different from other HBO dramas is that its an anthology series, which means each season will tell a different story with different characters.  So Matthew McConnaghay and Woody Harrelson will not be returning for the second season.  So what does this mean for the story/characters of Season 2?

Well, not much has been revealed about what can be expected… until now!

While speaking on public radio, True Detective Creator and Showrunner Nic Pizzolatto revealed that Season 2 of the pulpy anthological series will have three lead detectives and will be set in California. But not Los Angeles.

On To The Best of Our Knowledge, Pizzolatto said, “Right now, we’re working with three leads. It takes place in California—not Los Angeles, but some of the much lesser known venues of California—and we’re going to try to capture a certain psycho-sphere ambiance of the place, much like we did in Season 1,” he said. “The characters are all new, but I’m deeply in love with each of them. We’ve got the entire series broken out with a couple of scripts, and we’ll probably start casting in earnest in the coming months.”

So the new season will be set in California, but NOT Los Angeles.  One of the lesser-known parts of California.  Like Bakersfield.  Never heard of Bakersfield before, you say?  Well, let me tell you, it is a PERFECT setting for a hard-boiled detective story.  And if Bakersfield isn’t available, I definitely say Barstow should be on the shortlist for True Detective locations.  Or at the very least, that smelly alley behind the 7-11 in Santa Monica where all the bums like to urinate.  Now THAT’S atmosphere, people.

But the interesting revelation is that there will be three leads instead of just two in the new season.  So… maybe 2 police detectives and an FBI liaison?  There was a big hullabaloo (its a word) about the lack of “strong female characters” in season 1, so I’m guessing one of those three will be a chick.  But if they REALLY wanna make sure the feminists who only tune into HBO to watch GIRLS are happy, they can just go full-on girl power and have True Detective season 2 be a Charlies Angels remake, with all three main leads being super-hot chicks that kick butt and bring killers to justice while having LSD flashbacks and wonderful hair.  Damn, I’m smart.  (HBO needs to hire me, like, now.)

So what are your predictions for True Detective Season 2?  I’m guessing we’ll be hunting another serial killer up in the Oakland area.  Though, I’m still holding out for True Detective: True Angels, my Charlie’s Angels spin-off idea.  It’s just too good NOT to make!

 

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Princess Leia Will Be Changed For STAR WARS EPISODE 7

Carrie Fisher made a guest appearance at the Hay festival in Wales recently, and answered a few Star Wars related questions.  Though she couldn’t share a whole lot of details about the highly anticipated new movie, she did share a few interesting tidbits bout how she’ll be portraying Leia this time around.  It’s been officially announced that she’ll be joining fellow original trilogy cast members Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in J.J. Abrams’ tentatively titled Star Wars: Episode VII, and she had this to say about her and her fellow adventurers from a galaxy far, far away…

“We all look a little melted. It’s good to see other melted people.  And it is good to have us all in a room because it’s unique. I mean, I don’t suppose they have reunions for the Gone With The Wind gang.”

Melted.  That’s putting it, um, mildly? lol.  Hammil has had a rough go of it ever since his car accident before Empire was filmed, and Fisher… well…

Before

After

 

To be fair, that’s not a very recent/flattering after picture, but you get the idea.  Fisher’s struggle with alcoholism hasn’t aged her well.  Maybe she’ll get “in shape” before the movie starts film, who knows?  But she’s not going to be that same Princess from Alderaan we all know and love.  Not just in the looks department, but in the fact that Fisher plans to play Leia much different this time around.  How much different?  Well her British… I mean… Alderaanian accent will be gone.

“We are doing it over again so I can get Princess Leia right this time. I think less British. I looked a little pretentious faking the accent. It was sort of a viral accent – it came and went. I would rather have played Han Solo. When I first read the script I thought that’s the part to be, always wry and sardonic. He’s always that. I feel like a lot of the time Leia’s either worried or pissed or, thank God, sort of snarky. But I’m much more worried and pissed than Han Solo ever was, and those aren’t fun things to play.”

You may remember that Fisher affected a pretty noticeable Brit accent in the first film, but it had all but vanished by Return Of The Jedi.  Of course, I’m sure all the bad guys in the film will sport British accents.  After all, you can’t have evil space people without them sounding a little British.  That’s just a sci-fi no-no, am I right?

I doubt Leia’s role will be big enough in Episode VII to really be all that concerned about.  I have a feeling the original three will just make appearances for fan service and to pass the torch, much like Nimoy did in Star Trek.  In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if J.J. Abrams plans to have Luke and Leia killed off.  (This will, of course, pave the way for Billy D. William’s triumphant return as Lando Calrissian in Episode VIII.)(Not really, but a guy can hope.)

So what do you guys think?  How big of a role will the original three play in Star Wars Episode 7?  And how do you think they’ll change their characters?

 

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Robocop: The Remix You Won’t Be Able To Get Out Of Your Head

Oh, wow.  Just when I’d gotten over the “Slap Chop” remix, now we get one from Robocop!  And its all types of awesome.  Mike Relm, you sir, are a genius.

 

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Batman v. Superman Is The First Of 5 Movies, Says Kevin Smith

 

So it would seem, at least according to Kevin Smith, that the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (I still don’t like that title) is really just the first of a series of 5 movies.  Check it out:

“They’re obviously beginning something…and so this is the beginning of the Justice League, as we all suspected as they were announcing that cast. We were like, ‘This is the beginning of a Justice League movie.’ From what I understand now, it’s no longer like, ‘This is Superman 2.’ They’re not doing these things. They’re doing like, ‘Here’s Man of Steel. Here’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ The next one is not like a sequel to one of the characters. They’re just going to keep building their universe for about five or six movies. But all of them…it’s supposed to tell one massive story, which is all Justice League oriented,”

I tend to believe Smith’s take on this, since he’s not only an industry insider, but good friends with Batfleck himself, so he’s probably got the inside scoop on a lot of this.  Now, if what he says is true, then the next 5-6 DC comics movies are all going to be “Justice League” focused, building up to one big climax.  So that new Batman movie?  The new Wonder Woman movie? The new Martian Manhunter movie?  They’re not going to be solo adventures.  They’re going to be ensembles featuring other DC comics characters, continuing the story from the movie that came before it.

This is a different take on what Marvel is doing.  Marvel gives each of their characters their own solo adventures that loosely tie-in with a larger story.  But from the sound of it, DC will be taking a larger story with the same characters, but featuring one more prominently than the others in the different parts of the story.  It almost reminds me of the way the story for the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us was structured.

Frankly, if this is the case, that’s actually the first bit of exciting/cool news I’ve heard come from the BvS camp that hasn’t made me want to jump out of a window.  What do you think?  Is this what DC/Warner Bros is doing?  And if so, is it the right direction to take their franchise?

 

 

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Is Benedict Cumberbatch Sexy Enough for ‘Sherlock’?

Frankly, I don’t think he’s very sexy.  But then again, I’m a grown-ass 35 year old heterosexual man.  What do I know?

It may seem mad, but the BBC reportedly didn’t think Benedict Cumberbatch was sexy enough to play Sherlock Holmes.

That’s the word from “Sherlock” showrunner Steven Moffat, who recently revealed that he had to fight to secure his chosen lead for the series after BBC brass declared that Cumberbatch didn’t have the looks to bring the legendary detective to life. Speaking at the U.K.’s Hay Festival of Literature and Arts on Monday, Moffat also said that the Beeb wasn’t too keen on his selection of then-unknown (and future “Doctor Who” star) David Tennant to play the heartthrob Casanova in another series.

“They said of casting David Tennant as Casanova, ‘Damn, you should have cast someone sexier,’” Moffat told the crowd. “With Benedict Cumberbatch, we were told the same thing. ‘You promised us a sexy Sherlock, not him.’”

Anyone who’s ever called themselves a Cumberbitch would dare to disagree, though we all know that Moffat’s instincts were proven right. Cumberbatch has become an international star, with high-profile turns in films like “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “12 Years a Slave,” “The Hobbit,” and “August: Osage County,” and no end to his popularity in sight. And Tennant became a beloved member of “Doctor Who” lore, and now is set to star in the Fox show “Gracepoint,” a remake of British series “Broadchurch,” alongside “Breaking Bad” star Anna Gunn.

Of course, Moffat admits that Cumberbatch’s stardom has become a bit…cumbersome (sorry), especially when it comes to slating new seasons of “Sherlock,” which costars Martin Freeman as Watson.

“It can be quite annoying … if you’re scheduling a damn show,” Moffat said of Cumberbatch’s success.

Honestly, when I first saw the promos for Sherlock, Cumberbatch’s looks really turned me off.  I just didn’t LOOK like a Sherlock Holmes.  In fact, I’d go so far as to say he looked downright weird to me, because he isn’t your traditional leading man.  But holy crap, is that guy a good actor!  He won me over after 3 seconds of seeing him on screen, and its no wonder he’s exploded the way he has.

I still don’t think he’s a very good-looking dude, though.  Ladies (the zero of you who read this blog), what do you think?  Is Cumberbatch cumber-licious?  Should I consider myself a Cumber-he-bitch?  You decide.

 

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Danny McBride Gets New Comedy Series On HBO

I really, really enjoyed Eastbound & Down.  So I’m very much excited to see this news.

HBO is back in business with the creators of Eastbound & Down.

The premium cabler has handed out a straight-to-series pickup of 18 episodes for comedy series Vice Principals. It’s unclear how many episodes each season will consist of, with HBO noting additional details — including a premiere date — will be announced at a later date.

Created by Danny McBride and Jody Hill, Vice Principals tells the story of a high school and the people who almost run it, the vice principals. McBride will star and exec produce alongside Hill, David Gordon Green and Stephanie Laing, who all exec produced Eastbound & Down. The series has been in the works for nearly a year; HBO first teased a high-school-set comedy from the duo at TCA last July.

It sounds a lot like The Office, only set in a High School instead of a paper company.  But with McBride’s style of adlibbing and Hill’s off-beat sensibilities, I can only imagine that this show is going to be freakin’ hilarious.  (HBO, if you’re reading this, feel free to quote me on that.)

Are there any die-hard Danny McBride fans here?  What do you think of this news?  Does it make you want to j*rk-*ff all over your TV screen?  (Please say yes.)

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What Stallone Films Other Than ‘Cliffhanger’ Should Get A Reboot?

You know, I love Stallone as much as any red-blooded American male who grew up in the 80s.  In fact, I might even have an unhealthy obsession with the man.  So I’m all for this.

Cliffhanger – the 1993 action/mountain-climbing film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone – was easily one of the more successful Die Hard-esque films ever made (in this case, Die Hard on a mountain). It was generally well-received and made over four times its budget at the box office.

But it was also a fairly self-contained film. After all, it’s one thing to have a reckless cop like John McClane constantly getting into international incidents involving terrorists or thieves posing as terrorists, but how does one contrive such a sequel featuring a guy who rock climbs for a living? And while a reboot has been in the works for quite some time, we haven’t heard much about it since 2009.

That is, until now. According to Deadline, the reboot – or, in their words, “reimagining” – is finally moving forward from producer Neal Moritz (the Fast & Furious franchise). Joe Gazzam has been hired to write the script. He was apparently one of many writers who pitched a Cliffhanger reimagining, and his was the one that got Moritz’ attention.

Interestingly, Gazzam was previously hired to write an early draft of another film produced by Moritz, 21 Jump Street, before Jonah Hill took it in a different (probably more comedic) direction. Unfortunately, he hasn’t written anything that’s made it into production, so there’s no telling what kind of Cliffhanger reboot/reimagining/remake we can expect.

Frankly, I think Hollywood should just go on a bender and remake EVERY Stallone movie ever made.  No, seriously.  Stop laughing.  (I’m being serious.)

Think of all the Stallone movies that could be done RIGHT this time around!  Could you imagine a “re-imagined” COBRA?  What about a “re-imagined” Tango & Cash?  Or even a “re-imagined” Rhinstone with Rhianna in the Dolly Parton role?  (I’M BEING SERIOUS!!!!)  Stallone has so many movies in his filmography that could be re-imagined and made better, its ridiculous.

What Stallone movie would you want to see “re-imagined?”  And +10 cool points to anyone who can tell me WTF “re-imagined” means.

 

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