With the news that Deadpool 3 is in development, Charles and Charles dare to discuss how the Merc with a Mouth will fit in the MCU! We also talk the Black Panther 2 news, WandaVision’s release date and review Chapters 11 and 12 of The Mandalorian. Have a listen!!
The numbers are finally in. After a long wait in a rough year, the newest console generation has launched worldwide. Now, we all wondered if the game would dominate the sales charts. Well, it looks like the next-generation wallcrawler managed to top the charts for the PlayStation 5’s launch titles in the UK. Spider-Man: Miles Morales managed to beat out tough competition that included Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The PlayStation 5-only release Demon’s Souls nagged the fourth spot. Keep in mind that these are only physical sales. So, once online distribution numbers are released, we could potentially see a shift in their positions. Still, it is great to see the latest entry in Insomniac’s Spider-Man line-up perform well.
In general, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War saw a slight drop in launch week sales in comparison to its predecessor, which can easily be explained by the current conditions influencing in-store sales. FIFA 21 was the second-best-selling game in the UK, which was discounted as part of the Black Friday sale and saw an increase in sales by 121%. Miles Morales did see a weaker launch than its 2018 predecessor, as it was 57% smaller within the same two-week time frame. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla dropped to the fourth position with a 70% sales drop from last week. Nintendo’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity held the sixth spot with 324% higher sales than the original Hyrule Warriors Switch title. Yet, it sold 43% less than last year’s The Legends of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
Source: Games Industry
The third season of DC’s Titans is finally in production after a significant delay due to the ongoing pandemic. Fans have been clamoring for more info regarding the next season and were recently fed quite well with the reveal of Jason Todd’s Red Hood. There was also the hope that other characters get a much-needed upgrade to their design. Fans were especially hoping that Starfire, who has been one of the show’s standout characters, would finally get a comic-accurate costume. Anna Diop was once set to receive a suit back in the scrapped finale of the first season, which was seen in leaked footage.
Starfire first appeared in the series was involved with quite a bit of controversy regarding her overall design and Diop‘s casting in the role. Of course, once we saw her act, she made the role her own. Now, over the past few days, we’ve been receiving teases similar to that of the Red Hood reveal. Yet, this time, we’re given pieces of the concept art for the outfit for Starfire’s new look. Finally, we got the first look, and it seems they are going for an armored look that incorporates the classic purple and green.
Titans season 3 is currently in production and has no release date. It will premiere its third season on HBO Max after DC Universe became a digital comic library. The first two seasons of the series are now streaming exclusively on HBO Max. So, you should have more than enough time to catch up before the next one starts with the arrival of Red Hood and Starfire’s sister, Blackfire. Hopefully, fan-favorites Beast Boy and Raven also the redesign that they deserve. Seriously, poor Gar’s been wearing the same hoodie for two seasons now.
Source: Twitter
Marvel’s Avengers released in September with quite a bumpy start. Yet, it isn’t the end, as the Games-as-a-Service concept will see it grow over time. They confirmed that we will get free additional characters in the future that will round out the cast and continue the story. We are still waiting for an official roadmap, so here is a makeshift one based on the little information we have gotten so far. Later on, you can also find further details on the various confirmed and leaked characters, as well as a closer look at the various operations.
Marvel’s Avengers released with a core roster of six heroes. As the game is based on the Games-as-a-Service concept, we will slowly be introduced to new heroes throughout the game’s life. Crystal Dynamics teased a five-year plan of continuous content that would make up their Avengers Initiative. Since we have also gotten our hands on a variety of leaks that teased who may be joining the game in the near future. Here is an overview of what characters have been confirmed so far.
The leaks early on have also confirmed around 12 additional characters are in some stage of development. Keep in mind, this is just based on data available in the game, which doesn’t mean that any of these characters would release within the first year.
You can click on the operation icons to get more details on the story, cast, and promotional material:
Here a shoutout to some from the Avengers community
that helped me out with some of the research, so here is a thank you to @woffen, @CalexStreams @SonicPhoto, and TonyStank13.
I spent a lot of time when I was younger playing games on my Nintendo DS. I am a big fan of Role-Playing Games, and the handheld console was a haven for a variety of new entries into the genre. One action-RPG stood out among the rest The World Ends With You. The game released back in 2007 and featured some stunning artwork by Tetsuya Nomura, who many might recognize as the mind behind Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII. It was a unique entry that played out like an urban fantasy, where a bunch of kids had to survive a dangerous game in the shopping district of Tokyo. Now, after almost 13 years, we got the announcement to a sequel titled NEO: The World Ends with You.
NEO: The World Ends with You is the follow-up to the hit action role-playing game The World Ends with You.
NEO: The World Ends with You transports players to the streets of the Shibuya, where they will take part in the “Reapers’ Game,” a life-or-death battle for survival. Players will take on the role of Rindo as they explore the heart of Tokyo to uncover the mysteries behind the sinister Game in which they have been forced to take part.
NEO: The World Ends with You brings a re-creation of modern Shibuya to life in a unique and comic-inspired style. Players can explore and enjoy the sights, sounds, and culture of this bustling city, fight monsters alongside their ally companions in fast-paced action battles, and complete missions as they seek to change the fate they’ve been handed.
The Reaper’s Game returns with a brand new group of teenagers having to survive Shibuya. The biggest surprise is that the game retains its original art style, but most of the gameplay has moved from 2D to the third dimension. It seems like they managed to translate the visuals from the original, but it will be interesting to see how they implemented the gameplay. In the original, you moved and fought using your stylus pen. The timing of this announcement is also to build up hype for next year’s anime adaptation of the original game. It is great to see this iconic franchise make a return, as the only reference we got was the appearance of Neku and the gang in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. It’ll be interesting to see how this game will work in a new dimension for a new generation.
One of the fundamental components of what makes Star Wars… well, Star Wars, is its Jedi mythology, the lightsabers, the whole Force component. This is what many people want to see in a Star Wars property. Yet, in late 2018 when Jon Favreau revealed the first details on The Mandalorian, this facet of the Star Wars universe wasn’t alluded to at all, focusing more on how the show would “follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic”.
However, when the series finally premiered it didn’t take long before unveiling how the Force would actually take center stage in the story they would be telling. After that Chapter 2 reveal, it took another six episodes for the Jedi to be mentioned by name by The Armorer, making their presence in the show was all but assured by having Din Djarin’s search for them a central part of the plot. Chapter 11 brought Din almost within striking distance of his goal when Bo-Katan disclosed the location of Ahsoka Tano, finally setting the stage for a reunion that a year ago no one knew they wanted but that now everyone seems to need.
As we’ve written before, The Mandalorian isn’t about instant gratification and Djarin’s journey would get sidetracked one more time, delaying that Ahsoka Tano live-action debut for one more week. But as the show has proven to us time and time again, there’s always something deeply relevant to the plot hiding in plain sight in these apparent sidequests Djarin and The Child find themselves in every other week. Speaking of this season alone, Chapter 10 “The Passenger” also seemed a bit unnecessary, but that was until we realize that it was that episode that, in the end, made the Razor Crest have to go back to Nevarro for repair work, thus setting the stage for Chapter 12. And it was in this last episode that, even though we didn’t see Din getting any closer to his end goal, we got what is sure to be regarded as one of the most plot-heavy episodes of the entire series when it’s all said and done, adding to the overarching storyline that few have done before. And ironically, the Force was a huge part of that. Again, we got what we needed, even though we didn’t even know we wanted it in the first place.
By veering away from the main storyline, by not immediately giving us the elements Star Wars is mostly known for, by delaying an appearance by the Jedi that will bring together (at least) two force-sensitive characters, by giving us what is easy to refer to as a simple “filler episode”, the future of the series became all the more clear, the stakes in the inevitable clash between characters were enhanced and the following episode, probably the most anticipated chapter yet, is now seemingly even more crucial as the show seems to be getting into its stride, with a more clear endgame. The tables are now most definitively set, the chess pieces are in place, and the second half of the season promises to become more than we expected, more than we wanted, but perhaps just what Star Wars needed.
A while back, we got the news that Disney was looking into expanding into European territories with a brand new brand. In their acquisition of Fox, they also gained the brand Hotstar, which is an Indian streaming service. Instead of having to establish Hulu outside of the U.S., they seemed to decide to use an existing streaming service branding to offer content for 18+ audiences. Disney+’s biggest issue is that it is purely restricted to PG-13 as it has a family-friendly focus. You can actually check their official site hotstar.com which confirms that they are expanding into Europe.
This expansion was teased by CEO Bob Chapek a while back, but it was uncertain if Hotstar would just be known as “Star” and act as an independent streaming service. Yet, the question got answered once Disney+ Hotstar became the new branding for the original service. We were waiting for some announcement as most hints pointed to the upcoming Investor’s Day event being their target. Well, it looks like they are already preparing for the upcoming event. They have already set-up their Social Media accounts, our very own John Sabato found it on Instagram.
It is great to see this story finally pan out. We first heard the news of this development back in August. We put together some of the pieces of the puzzle, as Disney+ was implementing a PIN code of some kind. This development also confirms that Star will potentially replace Hulu in non-US territories. The only question remains if this is a unique streaming service or something you can access as someone who owns Disney+. There is still a good chance they are just preparing everything for Investor’s Day, so we won’t have an official word until then. It’ll be really interesting to see what this means for the streaming service’s future. It has seen exponential growth with 73 million subscribers, which is beyond their early estimates. Once they add a new layer of content for older audiences, they might see another push. It will all depend on how exactly they market it, and if you have to pay extra to access it.
Source: Hotstar, The Verge, TechCrunch
Kevin Feige and his creative team at Marvel Studios have made a priority of developing and producing high-quality content for Disney Plus. As we inch near FINALLY being able to see the first fruits of their labor when WandaVision streams in January, work has been completed on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, continues on with Loki, has begun on Ms. Marvel and is going to kick off on Hawkeye “after Thanksgiving.” With things seemingly on cruise control with that group, the studio has turned its attention to the final two series from the streaming services first Marvel Studios wave: She-Hulk and Moon Knight. Having landed their leads in Tatiana Maslany and Oscar Issac, the projects are now casting for supporting roles and, according to a new trade report, will kick off production in March of 2021.
She-Hulk will introduce Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner, to the MCU. The studio is currently casting a handful of strong supporting roles for the series which will be comedy heavy and follow Walters’ as she navigates the world of superhero law while also partaking in some superheroing of her own.
She-Hulk looks set for a lengthy production window. Originally planned to shoot for 8 months from August 2020-March 2021, it could now be looking at being in production in Atlanta for more than half of 2021 should they follow that same schedule when it kicks off production in late March.
While She-Hulk is being billed as a comedy, Moon Knight looks set to tackle some more serious issues, including the mental health of its lead, Marc Spector, and his multiple personalities. Imbued with powers by the Egyptian god Khonshu, the former mercenary becomes a street-level vigilante.
Using London as its production HQ, Moon Knight will film in multiple European locations, including Budapest. Marvel Studios projects such as Black Widow and Eternals have followed similar production plans in the past.
With these two projects now headed towards production, the studio has turned its attention to the next wave of streaming series. Kyle Bradstreet is currently writing a Samuel L. Jackson-led Nick Fury-centric series and I’ve heard that the studio has begun work on 2-3 other projects with Ironheart being mentioned by multiple sources. While we don’t have a lot of data points, it looks like the studio is pairing up projects when possible, so we could expect to hear about the partner series to Nick Fury before too long as the studio will want those up and running for production in mid-2021.
The HBO Max Green Lantern show is by far one of the most anticipated projects that’ll be coming to the streaming service. After last month’s announcement, many fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for any casting information on the show. The show’s cast of characters was confirmed to include the likes of Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz. They are also introducing an original character, Bree Jarta, who is half-human and half-alien. It seems like casting is indeed underway and could even possibly be finalized for some characters, as audition tapes have made their way online. Here are two that are offering fans a taste of what they can expect from the cast, such as Alan Scott and Bree Jarta.
The scene features Jarta, who we can only assume is speaking with a Guardian or dispatch of some sort on Oa, as she attempts to talk her way onto a search mission for the Dominators. This sequence seems to follow what sounds like a hostage situation that resulted in multiple fatalities of other Lanterns. The audition tape would match the rumors that the Dominators will be one of the era’s antagonists.
The second Jarta scene offers us a much better look into her character. She’s confronted some people in a local diner in Florida. It looks like her partner Guy Gardner may have provoked some. They are set to be the lanterns of the ’80s storyline in the show. They will likely be facing the Dominators throughout the show. It looks like the tension between the two will also play into it, as they definitely won’t be getting along. Their two personalities will clash throughout their story, as one is headstrong and the other hard-headed. The Guardians created a duo that’s sure to spark some problems down the road. The tape also highlights the racism that Jarta faces in the diner, as she notes the Confederate flags, the attitude of the waitress, and the glares she gets from other patrons. It’s great to see the show highlighting broader topics than just the usual clash between good and evil.
The final tape features Alan Scott, who we know as the Green Lantern of the Golden Age. He is a founding member of the Justice Society of America. It does seem unlikely that he’ll be involved with them in this series. Since the first report, we’ve learned that Scott will be an LGBTQ character with his storyline taking place in the ’40s. Being a member of such a community could cost someone their life during that era. It also revealed that Scott is an active police officer and a rather good one at that. The press is interviewing him after he took down a local mob boss. We see how frantic Scott is when someone even jokes about him possibly being queer. Not even his Green Lantern ring can give him a feeling of safety in a time full of so much prejudice and discrimination.
Green Lantern is set to begin filming sometime next year and will stream exclusively on HBO Max. The show will focus on several lanterns spanning decades, as each one faces a new threat, whether that be a personal one or on a galactic scale. The show is being written by Marc Guggenheim and Seth Grahame-Smith. It is yet another show to fall within Greg Berlanti’s umbrella of DC content that he’s amassed since the beginning of Arrow.
Source: Vimeo (Alan Scott), Vimeo (Jarta 1), Vimeo (Jarta 2)
Moff Gideon is playing chess. By the time Chapter 12 of The Mandalorian, “The Seige“, comes to an end, Din Djarin looks like less of a worthy opponent to Gideon and more like one of his pawns. In the wake of yesterday’s episode, the internet was full of complaints about the pace of Chapter 12 and the fact that the Mando returned to Nevarro so soon. What was overlooked in those complaints was not only how this episode clarifies Gideon’s interest in the Child, essentially solving the series’ biggest ongoing mystery, but also simultaneously creates a new one…or two…or three.
Despite being the main antagonist of The Mandalorian, Moff Gideon’s intentions for The Child were about as clear as swamp water. Season One theories ranged from Gideon hoping to clone the kid to wanting to train him himself (there’s a theory that Gideon is force-sensitive). It turns out that Gideon’s true intentions seem to be more horrific than anything I’ve read to this point: he’s harvesting The Child’s blood. Courtesy of Doctor Pershing’s holographic report, we find out that Gideon’s plan involves transfusing The Child’s midichlorian-rich blood into test subjects in an attempt to create what we can only assume to be a Strand-Cast.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are all about fine details, so if you find yourself asking what a Strand-Cast is, don’t feel bad. The concept, as far as I can tell, was introduced in what might easily have been a conversation you missed in last season’s penultimate episode, Chapter 7, “The Reckoning.” As Din Djarin and the debonaire Ughnauht Kuill (RIP) debate the nature of The Child, Djarin posits that “it might be a Strand-Cast”, a suggestion Kuill dismisses while joking that Cara Dune looks like she may have been farmed herself. Strand-Casts are bioengineered beings and both the Empire and the Sith have cornered the market on creating them. So while The Child isn’t a Strand-Cast, Gideon’s interest in him is related to creating them. Of note to both the time period in which the story is set and a connection to the sequel trilogy, both Supreme Leader Snoke and Rey’s father are resultant of the work done with Strand-Casts. Alternatively, Gideon could be looking to create an army of force-wielding Clone Troopers that may or may not be related to the episode’s final reveal: the Dark Troopers.
And here we find ourselves right back where we started: with no idea what Gideon is truly up to. In almost the same moment we can finally exhale as we find out why Gideon is after The Child, we are struck with the realization that the implications of his intentions much greater than we had originally anticipated. Is Gideon the bridge to the First Order? I don’t think so because he doesn’t seem to be a part of The Contingency that worked to “destroy” the remnants of the Empire in order to prepare the way for the First Order and, I thought, all the cloning/Strand-Casting took place on Exegol and members of the First Order were uninformed. Why does he have the Darksaber? What good does a relic that only matters to the Mandalorians do this man? What’s he planning to do with these Dark Troopers?
It seems obvious that Gideon is headed for a showdown with Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze but what seems less and less obvious is the true scope of his plans. We still know shockingly little about the man and yet he knows everything about everyone he comes into contact with but at the moment, he’s poised as the Grandmaster of the game of chess being played in The Mandalorian and, until the second half of Chapter 12, Din Djarin didn’t even know he was still in the game and now, he finds himself a pawn. While Chapter 12 may have seemed like a speed bump, the realization that Gideon’s need of The Child was little more than a small piece of a plan far greater than anything I’d previously conceived them to be has leveled him up. This man has grand plans and we’ve only seen the opening move.
