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Category: News

  • Charles Martinet No Longer Voicing Mario and Friends

    Charles Martinet No Longer Voicing Mario and Friends

    In a way, we all knew this day would come eventually. Charles Martinet has been voicing most of the cast of the Super Mario Bros. franchise for over 30 years. Yet, it’s still something none of us really wanted to say is definite. We already had to adjust to the fact that Chris Pratt took over as the character in the major motion picture release earlier this year and now the official statement has been made by Nintendo that Martinet will no longer voice the character moving forward.

    It’s a shame that the announcement arrives in a simple red-tinted image rather than through a Nintendo Direct that highlights his career. Perhaps one is on the horizon that’ll unveil the new voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and many more moving forward. It does seem unlikely that Pratt is going to continue in this story. Most did notice that perhaps the voice teased in Super Mario Bros. Wonder wasn’t the one we are most used to.

    Now, we can only count the days until Martinet passes the torch to the next generation of voice actors to take on these iconic characters. He also isn’t leaving the character behind, as he is set to remain a “Mario Ambassador” moving forward to ensure that whoever takes over is always well prepared. A video message has been teased for the future, so we’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the official statement.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Faces Box Office Blues Heading to $25M Opening Weekend

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Faces Box Office Blues Heading to $25M Opening Weekend

    DC Comics is just having a harsh time at the box office this year. While Marvel Studios’ worst remains a dream for most releases this year (Quantumania still remains in the Top 10 of this year’s box office; that’s how bad it’s been this summer), their biggest competitor in the superhero genre is facing some box office blues. After The Flash ran out of steam, Blue Beetle is set to open to around $25M by the end of this weekend.

    Early numbers are pointing to it opening around $9.8M on Frida including previews. The film has a big push from Latino audiences and remains a big theater release but with previews at $3.3M, it’s lower than Shazam! Fury of the Gods earlier this year. With some strong word-of-mouth, the film could still move towards $32M and will finally dethrone Barbie, who is looking at a strong $24M in its fifth weekend.

    Word-of-mouth could still give the film a boost, but it not hitting Shazam’s $11.7M isn’t a good sign that it’ll start beating expectations. The film cost $104M which is lower than others in the market given the habits of $200M+ price tags, but still won’t really make its money back. Review scores are higher than that film and its CinemaScore could give us an indication of where the film is heading.

    Its only real new competition this weekend is Strays. Though the raunchy comedy wasn’t loved by critics and is seemingly heading to a $8.5M opening weekend. At the cost of $46M, it’s not a great sign either for the film. As much as people want Barbenheimer to be the sign of cinema healing, it’s definitely the exception once again rather than the rule. People aren’t tired of sequels, they are just far more selective and it’s hurting overall.

    Source: Deadline

  • First Single from Netflix’s Live-Actone ‘One Piece’ Teases Pirates and Adventure

    First Single from Netflix’s Live-Actone ‘One Piece’ Teases Pirates and Adventure

    One Piece is almost upon us with a few more days to go until it finally releases on Netflix. To keep us going until its release, Netflix and Collider have provided the first single of the pirate adventure we’re about to embark upon. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli have released the piece “Wealth Fame Power,” inspired by the iconic lines from Gol D. Roger in the series’ opening, and tease their approach with the music.

    The main theme interestingly enough will also push the themes that connect Roger and Monkey D. Luffy. As such, the main theme for the series is that of Luffy, but Roger’s is that same theme in reverse. It adds an interesting layer and also matches Eiichiro Oda’s love for having elements echo each other.

    There’re many shared similarities between Gol D Roger and the Straw Hat’s captain, Monkey D Luffy, their personalities and character traits absolutely match up, so are their music themes. Monkey D Luffy’s theme is the main theme of our show. Gol D Roger’s theme is Luffy’s theme reversed.

    Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli

    They go on to showcase the structure of “Wealth Fame Power” starting off with Roger’s theme before turning into that of Luffy, as the pirate age is unleashed upon the world. In a way, it also matches how Loguetown, where we first meet Roger, reflects the beginning and end with the pun in its name.

    ‘Wealth Fame Power’ opens up with Roger’s theme. It’s powerful, just like Roger himself, driving, and dynamic. It’s a dark, mighty anthem featuring the iconic “musical Jolly Roger” – hurdy-gurdy. As soon as the swords are drawn and the crowd rushes out in search of One Piece, we reverse Roger’s theme and introduce Luffy’s theme, the main theme of our show. Roger’s theme is all about the descending motion since this is the end of the journey for Roger. Luffy’s theme, however, is all about the ascending motion since it’s the beginning of his exciting adventure toward becoming the King of the Pirates.

    Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli

    It’s definitely an exciting prospect to hear how much work has gone into the soundtrack, as it is something that seemingly gets sidelined in modern blockbusters. Having a main theme connect the one who starts the pirate age and our main protagonist as an inversion adds a lot of thematic relevance. Hopefully, we’ll also see more elements like these throughout that connects the Straw Hats thematically.

    Listen to the theme here:

    Source: Collider

  • Disney Sets Release Date for ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Streaming Series

    Disney Sets Release Date for ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Streaming Series

    After stalling out as a theatrical franchise following a pair of less-than-well-received films, Rick Rirodan’s YA novel series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, is being resurrected as a streaming series on Disney Plus and now fans can mark their calenders for the new show’s debut.

    According to EW, the James Bobin-helmed series, which was originally expected to hit Disney Plus in 2024, will roll out a two-episode debut on December 20th. That date was previously set to be the release date of Lucasfilm’s Skeleton Crew and while there’s been no announcement, it seems unlikely that Disney would push both series out on the same date.

    Percy Jackson & The Olympians tells the fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Now Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.

    Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadr headline the new series which is expected to return for a second season with Jonathan E. Steinberg, who co-ran Season 1 with Dan Shotz, on board as showrunner.

    https://youtu.be/nK0HytQwrw8

    Source: EW

  • Disney Plus Moves ‘Ahsoka’ to Prime Time

    Disney Plus Moves ‘Ahsoka’ to Prime Time

    While fans have been largely engaged in the big brand TV series produced by Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios for Disney Plus, they have long bemoaned the awkward release schedule that has seen them debut at 3:00 AM ET/12:00 AM PT. Now fans can cross another thing off of Bob Iger‘s to-do list after returning to Disney.

    Disney’s next big streaming series, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Ahsoka, will become the streaming service’s first major offering to debut during the traditional TV time period known as “prime time.” Originally set to debut on Wednesday, August 23rd at 3:00 AM ET/12:00 AM PT, the Rosario Dawson-led series will now roll out its two-episode debut on Tuesday, August 22nd at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM ET.

    To be clear, it’s not just the premiere that will inhabit the prime time time slot as Disney is committing–at least with Ahsoka–to the 9:00 PM ET release. Fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones franchise can attest to the power of the late evening release which allowed for far more viewers to watch the newest episodes and be part of the “water cooler” conversation the next day. The awkward middle-of-the-night releases have often left everyone other than the hardest of hardcore fans on the outside looking in and avoiding social media as not to be spoiled until they could get home from work and catch up. On the surface, this looks like a no-lose scenario for Disney as they look to get their streaming poop in a group.

    Source: What’s On Disney Plus

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Opens Strong with Rotten Tomatoes Critics

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Opens Strong with Rotten Tomatoes Critics

    While Warner Bros. spent much more time and effort marketing The Flash, it seems as though its latest release, Blue Beetle, resonated much more strongly with critics who saw the film ahead of its August 18th premiere. The Angel Manuel Soto-directed superhero film was screened last week and again last night in São Paulo and, so far, has been a hit with critics.

    While its score will certainly fluctuate over the next week or two, Blue Beetle opened to a strong 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes through its first 67 reviews.

    USA Today’s Brian Truitt says Blue Beetle is “The DC movie universe has been holding out for a hero, and it might just be a 22-year-old Mexican college grad with a really cool family.” And the Reyes family seems to be a hit across the board with critics as Mashable’s Kristy Puchko and YouTuber Jimmy Cage point out.

    Blue Beetle is set to premiere this weekend!

  • First Reactions Hail ‘Blue Beetle’ as a Much-Needed Hit for DC

    First Reactions Hail ‘Blue Beetle’ as a Much-Needed Hit for DC

    Once upon a time, Blue Beetle was destined for release on HBO Max; now, the film is being hailed as a huge win for Warner Bros. just when audiences had all but given up on its line of DC films. The film, which stars Xolo Maridueña as hero Jaime Reyes, screened last night ahead of its theatrical debut this weekend and positive reactions have been coming in droves.

    A Surprise Hit

    Many of the film’s most positive reactions have marked it as one of the best surprises of the summer, which in itself is unsurprising given its less-than-awesome marketing scheme.

    Xolo Maridueña is a Star!

    Fans of Cobra Kai already know how charismatic and loveable Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña can be and it sounds like the new film is his breakout performance.

    Family

    Jaime Reyes’ family is at the center of the film and according to many of the first reactions…that’s a very good thing!

    Though it’s very common for most films to have positive first reactions from the media members invited to the screening, it seems as though Blue Beetle might be the boost Warner Bros. needed to keep interest in their DC films afloat until the all-new, all-different DCU–which Blue Beetle will be apart of–gets rolling.

  • James Gunn Reaffirms Jaime Reyes’ Place in His New DCU

    James Gunn Reaffirms Jaime Reyes’ Place in His New DCU

    For those that have paid attention since its inception, Blue Beetle has been fun to watch develop. Initially planned as an HBO Max release, the Angel Manual Soto-helmed DC flick was promoted to a full theatrical release in December 2021. That theatrical release is now just days away and in another interesting development, the film–which was greenlit and produced before James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reigns at DC Studios–will connect to the all-new, all-different DCU. Gunn has said as much on more than one occasion but reiterated it at the film’s recent screening.

    Blue Beetle will introduce audiences to hero Jaime Reyes, played by Xolo Maridueña, who Gunn now says “will be an amazing part of the DCU going forward!”

    Exactly how Reyes will tie into the future of DC Studios slate, which is expected to kick off with the animated adventure Creature Commandos, remains to be seen; however, given that Gunn’s Superman: Legacy takes place in a world where metahumans are already well-established, it’s possible that the new DCU could build out from the world introduced on-screen in Blue Beetle. Of course, given the nature of superhero projects, any number of other measures could be taken to make sure Reyes ends up sharing the universe with Kal-El.

    Blue Beetle opens in theaters on August 18th.

  • First Look at Live-Action ‘One Piece’s Young Straw Hats Leaked Early

    First Look at Live-Action ‘One Piece’s Young Straw Hats Leaked Early

    The official live-action One Piece Instagram account may have shared the next batch of images a bit earlier than initially planned. They dropped a post that included a new batch of images that actually give us our first look at the younger versions of everyone’s favorite Straw Hats in the upcoming Netflix series.

    As saved by @DesnesCitrus, we have received our first look at a young Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Nami. They definitely are going to explore all their iconic flashbacks from the manga, which are the essential aspects of what defines them as characters. It’ll be interesting to see just how much time we spend with the younger cast throughout the series.

    https://twitter.com/DesnesCitrus/status/1691475464668241920

    A younger Usopp has also surfaced online from the Instagram posting, where he even has the iconic Scream-inspired crossbones bandana that we saw in the manga. The sequence likely being from one that many manga and anime enjoyers will easily recognize.

    It’s great to get a tease of the young cast and there’s a chance they might officially post it later today or at some point this week. We’re still waiting for an update on the character posters for the new series. We’ll likely still get two or three clips as we near the release on August 31st.

    Source: Instagram via Twitter

  • Sasheer Zamata’s ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Role Confirmed

    Sasheer Zamata’s ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Role Confirmed

    In late 2022, Deadline broke the news that SNL alum Sasheer Zamata had joined the cast of the WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Once shrouded in secrecy, plot details of the upcoming Disney Plus streaming series started rolling out pretty steadily once Zamata’s co-star, Patti LuPone, broke Marvel Studios’ well-known vow of silence. Rumors about the project–both legit and bogus–have been commonplace since including one about the identity of Zamata’s character. Now, in an interview with Mashable, Zamata followed LuPone’s lead and confirmed which witch she’ll be playing in Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

    According to Mashable, Zamata will be playing Jennifer Kale, a character with some interesting connections in the Marvel Comics. The daughter of the leader of an ancient cult, Kale has shared adventures with some of Marvel’s most heavy-hitting supernatural characters such as Doctor Strange, Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch and recent MCU newbie, Man-Thing. Interestingly enough, she’s also been part of the Midnight Sons, a team that’s oft-rumored to be on its way to the MCU. However, according to Zamata, the MCU’s Kale might be a bit different than the one first introduced in the comics in 1972.

    “I definitely did do as much [comic book] research as I could,” said Zamata, “but the way we formed this character is very different from what I think people expect.” As long-term fans of Marvel Studios projects know all-too-well, that could very well mean that the character is essentially an entirely original character who is simply borrowing a name from an established comic book character. Whatever the case, Zamata made it clear that the production took its witchiness seriously, calling her time on set “magical and ethereal.” “It brought that out of everyone on set,” explained the actress, saying “there were crystals and candles everywhere. We saged and cleansed the stage all the time. It was the perfect environment for me.“

    Though Agatha: Coven of Chaos completed principal photography before the WGA and SAG strikes began, there’s still no firm release date for the project. While it’s expected to stream in 2024, it is believed that–like all MCU projects–it’ll need some additional photography and reshoots which won’t be able to be completed until the strikes come to an end. At this point, it seems like it’s now destined to be released at some point in the second half of 2024.

    Source: Mashable