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  • New ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Going Merry’s Redesign

    New ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Going Merry’s Redesign

    There’s always some kind of change we have to consider when translating a medium into another. It’s one of the reasons there were some nervous about the live-action adaptation of their favorite anime. Yet, it also opens up the possibility to expand or build upon new elements, especially in ambitious projects like Netflix’s One Piece adaptation. We’ve gotten a tease in the past from set photos that some classic designs will get adapted, and a new look at the Going Merry confirmed it.

    While the first ship to be revealed was a classically designed Going Merry, the Straw Hats classic ship. It was in the early days before they started production but a new look at the ship revealed some surprising changes, such as the goat figurehead seemingly screaming its way through the East Blue Saga. Some more set photos shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan has unveiled the best look yet and the Merry is definitely keeping its mouth open for the upcoming live-action adaptation.

    There’s a lot of added detail to the ship, especially with the side arms that connect to the ship. The head with a constantly open mouth is certainly a curious direction, but they also added some more realistic ears to the design. It would be funny to find out the inspiration for the ship head was a sheep that just constantly shouted at the builders. Still, it’s a different experience seeing it on the set and then in the series. So, we’ll see how it looks once it releases on Netflix.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Detroit’s Kathryn Bigelow Returns to Direct David Koepp’s ‘Aurora’ for Netflix

    ‘Detroit’s Kathryn Bigelow Returns to Direct David Koepp’s ‘Aurora’ for Netflix

    Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director has been on hiatus since her work on the 2017 drama Detroit. Now, she is set to make her return to tackle an adaptation of David Koepp‘s Aurora for Netflix. Koepp was the screenwriter behind countless blockbuster projects such as Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, Jurassic Park and many more. He will also return to write the screenplay for this project, which sees Greg Shapiro and Gavin Polone in producing roles. They have worked with the writer for quite some time, and also have a history with Bigelow since her work on Stir of Echoes and Secret Windows.

    The story explores a solar storm that blackouts the entire world. In this hard time, a divorced mother tries to protect her kid and her estranged brother, who is a wealthy Sillicon Valley CEO. There’s no word if it’ll be a direct adaptation of the story’s themes of people living in a power crisis but it’s not uncommon for changes to happen in translation. The book won’t release until June 7th and has already received praise from Stephen King and screenwriter Scott Frank, the mind behind The Queen’s Gambit.

    Further details according to The Hollywood Reporter are that the deal happened over the weekend. It’s likely Bigelow‘s next project and has quite the budget, which is suspected to go beyond $100M. So, Netflix is once again jumping in with all they’ve got to make this project a reality. There’s no set release date currently.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Walking Dead’ Has Wrapped Its Final Episode After 11 Seasons

    ‘The Walking Dead’ Has Wrapped Its Final Episode After 11 Seasons

    It’s always bittersweet when a project comes to an end, especially if a team has been working on it for quite some time. After 12 years of production, The Walking Dead has official wrapped production on its final episode before AMC’s zombie-infested world expands into other projects. There are quite a few spinoffs already on the way, but it’s still crazy to think that the series that started in 2010 has gone on for that many seasons and managed to wrap up with its eleventh season.

    The official Twitter account has shared a tweet to highlight the ending of the journey with a look at its final clipboard alongside the cast. Even as sadly many have left the project over the years, each one left an imprint on the story of what was once a small group of survivors facing off against the zombies called the Walkers.

    They continued the tradition of keeping the comic inspiration as part of the clipboard. It’s also great to see the entire cast together on set one last time, as many will head out to tackle a brand new project. Of course, as many are veterans in the franchise they might also join the other productions, such as the Isle of the Dead series starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan. They also have an anthology series on the way that will include some familiar and new faces as well with The Tales of the Walking Dead. So, zombies aren’t going anywhere.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Villains for Adam Sztykiel’s ‘Wonder Twins’ Possibly Revealed

    RUMOR: Villains for Adam Sztykiel’s ‘Wonder Twins’ Possibly Revealed

    The DC Extended Universe is branching out into streaming with Peacemaker being the first of what we can assume will be many heroes to shine on HBO Max. Original films on the service are still something we’ve yet to see with titles like Batgirl and Black Canary on the way. Yet, it seems like another recently announced project is moving along faster than we anticipated.

    Just a few weeks ago we learned that HBO Max had begun development on yet another original DC film, this time focusing on Zan and Jayna, who are better known as the Wonder Twins. A new report from That Hashtag Show has revealed some new mystery characters who are listed to be the antagonist of the film.

    One of the villains is named Kenzie, as the studio is searching for an Australian female over the age of 18 years of age. The character is described as being a bit crazy, and having a few screws loose. She is super determined to be best friends with Jayna and has a massive crush on Zan. The other two villains are another set of twins named Pils and Vinka who are being compared to the Grady Twins from The Shining. The two of them walk and talk in unison and are on a mission to kill the Wonder Twins.

    Surprisingly the film is currently set to begin production on July 5th, 2022 which is quite quick considering how recently the film was announced. Black Adam writer Adam Sztykiel is set to write and direct the film. No casting announcements have been made but we can assume they’re more than likely coming soon.

    Source: That Hashtag Show

  • Chris Pine on a Potential Return in ‘Wonder Woman 3’

    Chris Pine on a Potential Return in ‘Wonder Woman 3’

    In 2017, Patty Jenkins gave the world our first real full-fledged move all about Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot took on the titular role and her character would make her way to the world of man alongside Steve Trevor. Chris Pine took on the role of the World War 1 pilot that would fall for the Amazonian half-goddess. Sadly, their love ended in tragedy when he sacrificed himself. Yet, a misguided wish saw his return in the body of another even as she once again had to bid farewell. With a third film on the horizon, Pine was asked about a potential return in the upcoming third entry where he got a rather straight-forward.

    I think poor Steve is dead, but I wish them all the best on the third one.

    Chris Pine

    It makes sense, especially with Diana Prince making the step to finally letting go during Wonder Woman 1984. It would be step back for her character development to find a way for him to return, or even just him randomly popping up out of nowhere. Though, perhaps she gets one final goodbye in some kind of major crossover event that restarts the DCEU, or we explore a different dimension where he survived. But, Wonder Woman 3 will likely focus on closing out the story that started in 2017.

    Source: USA Today

  • Writers Revealed for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s First 5 Episodes

    Writers Revealed for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s First 5 Episodes

    We just got the news that Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on Disney+ on a Friday rather than the usual Wednesday. Not only that, but it’ll also offer us two episodes similar to the premiere o Hawkeye. Similar to what happened with Moon Knight a couple months ago, we also got the list for Moon Knight‘s writers but with one different. We’ve heard that the Star Wars series will consist of six episodes yet there are only five listed so far by the Writers Guild of America West:

    • Episode 1 – Joby Harold, Hossein Amini, and Stuart Beattie (based on a story by Stuart Beattie and Hossein Amini)
    • Episode 2 – Joby Harold (based on a story by Stuart Beattie and Hossein Amini)
    • Episode 3 – Joby Harold & Hannah Friedman, Hossein Amini and Stuart Beattie
    • Episode 4 – Joby Harold & Hannah Friedman
    • Episode 5 – Joby Harold & Andrew Stanton

    The name that stands out is Joby Harold, who is also a producer on the Disney+ series. He’s also taken a similar role for other projects which includes John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum, the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, and more. He’s also worked on the screenplay for Army of the Dead and the previously-mentioned Transformers film. Iranian screenwriter Hossein Amini was involved with The Alienist, 47 Ronin, and 2011’s Drive.

    Stuart Beattie might be known for creating the story of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, 30 Days of Night, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Writer Hannah Friedman has been involved with a variety of projects and was a feature writer of the Pixar Braintrust and Disney Feature Animation. She is currently co-executive producing the upcoming Willow series. Last, but not least, is Andrew Stanton, who is another Pixar veteran that was the writer for the original 1995 Toy Story, worked on Wall-E, and the upcoming Lightyear.

    Source: WGA

  • E3 is Skipping 2022, Hoping for a Comeback in 2023

    E3 is Skipping 2022, Hoping for a Comeback in 2023

    Here’s a surprise, but it looks like the biggest gaming event of the year, E3, has decided to not take place in 2022. After initially purely canceling the in-person event, it has now decided to also not move forward with a digital event. It first made the waves when Razer’s Will Powers shared a tweet on his official account teasing that the event may have been canceled before IGN went on to confirm it.

    It was back in 2019 when the event first got canceled before getting a digital-only version last year. There’s currently still no official statement by ESA, but it seems that ongoing discussions were happening in the background for quite some time but the ESA not making a public statement on anything has lead to frustrations. As a result, the choice ended with them completely moving on from the event overall.

    This announcement, however, does not mean that E3 is over. It seems the plan is to come back stronger in 2023. Of course, it also strongly depends on the third-parties potentially joining in as other opportunities arise in their absence. Summer Game Fest is a definite return for this summer and has planted itself as quite the competitor. We’ll see what 2023 has in store for us and how the ESA plans to make its return.

    Source: Twitter, IGN

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Director Discusses The Series’ Depiction of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    ‘Moon Knight’ Director Discusses The Series’ Depiction of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    Bringing Moon Knight to live-action was always a risk. Marvel Studios not only took on the task of telling the story of a lesser-known character, but it also grappled with a complex character. Perhaps most notably, Marc Spector, the person behind the caped crusader Moon Knight, has dissociative identity disorder (DID). Previously referred to as multiple personality disorder and often mislabeled and misunderstood, Spector’s DID causes him to have several distinct personalities co-existing in his mind and body.

    Mental health can often be tricky subject to portray accurately or sensitively in fiction. While Moon Knight creators have apparently put in the effort to explore DID respectfully, series director Mohamed Diab says that the fiction of the show keeps it from being a truly accurate depiction of the mental health condition. In an interview with Variety, he noted:

    I learned a lot, and I think everyone is going to learn a lot through the journey of the show, about DID…But I still would say that, as respectful as we were, this is not an accurate depiction of DID. We are in a supernatural world and sometimes we over-dramatize stuff.

    Mohamed Diab

    Diab’s quote seems entirely fair considering at the end of the day, Moon Knight is meant to be a Marvel Studios superhero show. Still, the first episode of the series already places extreme emphasis on the character’s DID, and it looks to be an integral part of Moon Knight going forward. It is positive that Diab notes that Marvel was respectful of the condition, as Moon Knight comics sometimes missed the mark historically. Fans can watch Oscar Isaac’s stunning performance as Steven Grant and Marc Spector while the Disney+ series progresses, but they should perhaps take the portrayal of DID with a grain of salt.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’s’ Mohamed Diab on Being MCU’s First Arab Director: “I’m Here Because I Can Tell This Story Better Than Anyone Else”

    ‘Moon Knight’s’ Mohamed Diab on Being MCU’s First Arab Director: “I’m Here Because I Can Tell This Story Better Than Anyone Else”

    While Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight premiered only yesterday, it is already making a name for itself in terms of treading ground no other Marvel Cinematic Universe property has. The series is bringing a somewhat obscure Marvel character to live-action and is focused in part on the hefty psychological nature of Moon Knight. And despite being led by Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, the characters and show are heavily influenced by Egyptian mythology, symbology, imagery, and location. Award-winning Egyptian writer and director Mohamed Diab serves as an executive producer and director for Moon Knight.

    In an interview with Variety, Diab discussed the significance of being the first Arab director in the MCU:

    “It was very important for me to show that I’m not here because I’m an Arab or an Egyptian…I’m here because I’m a good director. I’m here because I can tell the story better than anyone else. And if I succeeded, I might open doors for minorities around the world. I hope that happens.”

    Mohamed Diab

    While Diab rightfully emphasizes that his ability to bring Moon Knight to life is the reason Marvel Studios brought him aboard, he undeniably brings valuable insight to the series with respect to its portrayal of Egypt. He goes on to say:

    The drama of it and the Egyptian part of it feels like an extension of everything that I’ve been doing…One of the most important things was how to depict Egypt, the present and the past, in an authentic way. Egyptians see that Hollywood always sees them in an Orientalist way. We’re always exotic. Women are submissive. Men are bad. So it was very important for me to break that.

    Mohamed Diab

    While the first episode of Moon Knight mostly featured Egyptian artifacts and lore rather than the country or region itself, viewers can expect to see how Diab’s vision plays out in future episodes of the Disney+ series.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘The Marvels’ Adds Kree Scientist to Cast of Characters

    ‘The Marvels’ Adds Kree Scientist to Cast of Characters

    The Marvels isn’t expected in theaters for almost a year and little is known about the plot of the film, but it seems that fans can at least add another known character to their fan fiction. According to Mandy.com, a website that tracks actors and the productions they board, British actor Colin Stoneley has joined the Captain Marvel sequel.

    The listing comes courtesy of One Take News and lines up with a previous casting scoop by the site. According to Mandy, Stoneley will portray a Kree scientist by the name of Pap-Tonn, who was originally described as a “Scientist friend” in the original casting call. It’s possible Pap-Tonn will work to help one of the film’s protagonists understand the origin of their powers a bit better.

    Pap-Tonn continues the trend of incredibly obscure characters being used in The Marvels, allowing for Marvel Studios to reinvent them. Pap-Tonn appeared in only one Marvel Comic, Silver Surfer #8, and played a minor role there. The character joins Ael-Dan (or some version of the character) played by Zawe Ashton as minor comic characters in the film. Ashton’s character, however, is expected to have a much greater impact on the film as the primary antagonist.

    The Marvels will hit theaters on February 17, 2023.