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  • ‘Naomi’: Ava DuVernay Teases the Forthcoming CW Series

    ‘Naomi’: Ava DuVernay Teases the Forthcoming CW Series

    While WarnerMedia looks to sell the CW, the network is operating normally. During the TCAs on Thursday, Ava DuVernay teased her forthcoming DC Comics adaption, Naomi, hitting the CW next week on Jan. 11. Naomi, of course, is the second DC Comics title DuVernay has tackled. Shortly before the director’s New Gods feature was shelved, DC and the CW announced last February she’d be bringing Naomi, a relatively new title, to life on the small screen. For DuVernay, getting to tackle a book like Naomi was important. 

    “It’s not about representation, it’s about normalization,” DuVernay explained. “We’re doing really muscular things that relate to race and gender and class but we’re doing it by playing it normal like it’s just a part of the everyday… The more you can portray images without underlining or highlighting them and putting a star next to them. By showing a different type of hero that centers a girl, a Black girl, that centers different kinds of folks. We start to make that normal and that’s a radical and revolutionary thing.”

    As for what fans can expect from the adaptation? DuVernay notes that they crammed a lot into the first two episodes, however, don’t expect any crossovers to happen just yet. “We got a lot of information in the first two episodes which means: we get to make up cool new things,” she said. “You won’t see any crossovers in season one. We’re focused on Naomi’s journey singularly.”

    Naomi, of course, is based on the comic of the same name from Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker and artist Jamal Campbell. The series follows Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) who is a top student, skateboarder and huge Superman fan. After a stunt in her hometown of Port Oswego turns her world upside down, Naomi finds herself dealing with strange new fainting spells as she tries to uncover who or what is behind the unexpected event. As she looks for answers, and finds some folks in her town know more than they’re letting on, Naomi will find the event has changed her life for good, challenging her to question everything she knows.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Fallout’ TV Series at Amazon Nabs Director, Showrunners

    ‘Fallout’ TV Series at Amazon Nabs Director, Showrunners

    Amazon’s adaptation of the popular videogame, Fallout, has found a director and a pair of showrunners. Per Deadline, Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) will serve as showrunners on the television series. While Jonathan Nolan, who is producing the project alongside Lisa Joy through their banner Kilter Films, will direct the premiere episode.

    It was first announced that Amazon would adapt the beloved franchise in July 2020. The project comes as part of the overall deal Nolan and Joy have through Amazon Studios. They will produce the series alongside Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks. Nolan, Joy, Athena Wickham of Kilter Films, Todd Howard of Bethesda Game Studios and James Altman of Bethesda Softworks will serve as executive producers.

    Nolan, a known fan of the franchise, calls Fallout one of the best video game franchises of all time. “Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends,” he said when the adaptation was first announced. “So we’re incredibly excited to partner with Todd Howard and the rest of the brilliant lunatics at Bethesda to bring this massive, subversive, and darkly funny universe to life with Amazon Studios.”

    While Nolan doesn’t do much directing, he did direct the pilot episodes of both CBS’ Person of Interest, which he helped create, and HBO’s Westworld, in which he serves as an executive producer. Nolan also directed the Season 1 finale of Westworld, as well as the Season 3 premiere. Outside of directing, Nolan has famously worked with his brother, Christopher Nolan on The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar, and The Prestige.

    Fallout first launched in Oct. 1997. Since then, the video game franchise has continued to only grow in popularity, launching a mobile game in June 2015. Microsoft purchased Bethesda Game Studios last year, all but ensuring the Fallout franchise will continue to live on for quite some time.

    As it stands, there is no release date set for the television series.

    Source: Deadline

  • Original Wolverine Voice Actor Cal Dodd Started Recording for ‘X-Men ’97’

    Original Wolverine Voice Actor Cal Dodd Started Recording for ‘X-Men ’97’

    Marvel Studios had its first venture into animation last year with What If…? but that was just the beginning. During Disney+ Day, we got the announcement that they will revive the classic X-Men: Animated Series. It’ll continue the 90s nostalgia classic under the new title X-Men ’97. Of course, they went the extra step and will have the original cast return. We already learned that Le Zann started recording her lines for Rogue, but it looks like Cal Dodd, the original Wolverine voice actor, shared a picture of his work on the project.

    Dodd continued to voice the character in the Marvel vs Capcom game series and has been what everyone thought of when it came to the character before Jason Blum and Hugh Jackman reinvented the characters in other animated and live-action projects. It’s great to see him return and there’s a lot of hope for the animated live-action revival. It’ll also be Marvel Studios’ first time tackling the X-Men characters and Wolverine since they purchased 20th Century Fox. It’ll be interesting to see how they tackle the revival, as well as his eventual live-action return.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Scream’ to Eyeing a Franchise Record Opening With $40M Weekend

    ‘Scream’ to Eyeing a Franchise Record Opening With $40M Weekend

    It’s an understatement to say that Spider-Man: No Way Home has been dominating the box office worldwide. The film passed a billion in record time even as the pandemic is still an issue that might once again close down cinemas in select countries. Sing 2 was a surprisingly strong contender as a younger audience was once again able to visit cinemas, but it looks like a new contender is facing the Omicron head-on. January’s next major release will be the horror veteran Scream that continues the classic franchise and may highlight horror’s strong grip even during the pandemic.

    The film is currently predicted to make $35M over four days with a more optimistic outlook even seeing git manage $40M. Canada will have some closures, but it’s unsure how much it’ll potentially affect its release. As such, the film could manage to pass the $100M mark. As of now, the film would break the franchise’s record, which is an exciting prospect. Sony’s delay of Morbius may become an advantage as the film won’t face any major new competition outside of the dominating existence that is No Way Home. It’ll be interesting to see what implications it might have going into 2022.

    Source: IndieWire, ScreenRant

  • RUMOR: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Sequel Reveal Expected Ahead of E3

    RUMOR: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Sequel Reveal Expected Ahead of E3

    Here’s an interesting bit of news that has found its way online. Star Wars is finally entering its renaissance with new game announcements and the release of The Book of Boba Fett. 2022 is looking like a stacked year for the galactic franchise and it seems that a popular game is finally getting the sequel to reveal that many have been anticipating. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order explored the story of Cal Kestis after the rise of the Empire. The first game – while buggy – offered a perfect blend of Jedi action and Dark Souls-lite combat. There hasn’t been much information out there on the next entry, but luckily that seems like it’ll end soon.

    In a new report by Grubb from Giant Bomb, he has shared that the Fallen Order sequel is likely to get a “significant” reveal ahead of this year’s E3, which is likely going to be around May or June. There are hints that it may potentially even be released at the end of the year, or in 2023 at the latest. It’s the first real information we are getting on the sequel, but it comes just as the game took over Amazon Prime games. As it’s still a rumor, for now, we can only hope that it turns out true once we near the E3 event.

    Source: Giant Bomb via Twitter, EuroGamer

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ May Not Be the Show You Wanted, But It Knows Exactly What It Is

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ May Not Be the Show You Wanted, But It Knows Exactly What It Is

    Fans have long looked forward to the latest Star Wars Disney Plus streaming series, The Book of Boba Fett. The first tease for the show, glimpsed at the end of Season 2 of The Mandalorian, and subsequent footage shown in trailers seemed to promise big action as Fett took over the organized crime scene on Tatooine. Fans were excited about seeing what Fett would do next and hype was high. And yet, through two episodes, we’ve seen very little action in the present day and the slow, deliberate pace of the flashbacks have left fans unsure of to think.

    “The Book of Boba Fett doesn’t have an identity yet.” “The Book of Boba Fett is unsure of what kind of show it wants to be.” “The Book of Boba Fett has yet to find its footing.” These types of reactions provided a decent summary of some of the particular criticisms of the series so far. And from the standpoint of the audience, they are fair criticisms; however, what became clear after viewing Chapter 2, “The Tribes of Tatooine”, is that the creatives behind this show (Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni and Robert Rodriguez) know exactly what they want the show to be and, per usual, are making no bones about it.

    While fans are understandably eager to see Fett kick all sorts of ass, the creatives have a different angle in mind, at least in these first two episodes. As fans, including myself, have complained about how we could easily put the pieces together of how Fett got back on his feet following his escape from the Sarlacc, what is being overlooked, by some, is that what we are getting is a story that redefines a character that we never really knew much about in the first place. When he swooped in and reclaimed his armor in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, fans of the character took to social media cheering the return of the character. “Boba is back, baby!!” But the reality being presented to us is quite different: Boba is not back. And since we never really knew Boba, we’re getting the opportunity to get to know him now.

    It was a bold choice by the creatives to deconstruct the character the way they did. They literally stripped him bare of what made him iconic and did so in order to be able to tell us a better story down the road. His escape from the Sarlacc, subsequent stripping down by the Jawas and the ongoing story with the Tuskens will, when it’s done, be the defining period of this new Fett. His time with the Tuskens is growing more interesting over time and the experiences he’s having there will shape him into the man we see in the present day.

    We’ve seen him symbolically reborn and deconstructed and what we’re witnessing now is the creation of essentially an entirely new character. He may wear the familiar armor, but this is not the same old Boba. The Book of Boba Fett is not here to continue the story of the iconic bounty hunter, told nicely over the years in the canonical animated series, it’s here to define the character anew.

  • RUMOR: ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ May Add Riri Williams as an NPC

    RUMOR: ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ May Add Riri Williams as an NPC

    Marvel’s Avengers is about to enter 2022, as we still await the next roadmap for the game. The first year may have started off bumpy, but we saw the additions of four heroes, Kate Bishop, Clint Barton, Black Panther, and the PS-exclusive Spider-Man. We don’t know quite yet what we can expect from this year’s content outside of rumblings surrounding She-Hulk, but there might be another familiar face joining the game as a non-playable-character.

    @EddyZ115, who has been data mining the game for some time now, has shared that a file in the game includes the name, Riri Williams. Comic fans will instantly recognize Ironheart’s civilian name, who is also set to get her own Disney+ show in the near future. There have been rumblings about a mystery character to join the already rumored characters next year, as pointed out by @mmmmmmmmiller. As such, it was believed she might be the character in question, but was later highlighted that this file includes references to a character model that is possibly for an NPC.

    We still have to take this information with a grain of salt, as the existence of the character in the game doesn’t mean they finalized anything. In August of 2020, there was a listing of 15 possible DLC characters heading to the game due to what was available in the game’s source code. Yet, the development on each character that has released so far varied and plans can always change as they continue working on the game.

    Her inclusion as an NPC character wouldn’t be too surprising, as most of their latest offerings included some familiar faces that are mainly supporting roles in the respective stories. Black Panther’s expansion included Shuri as an NPC in the new hub world, and it’s likely that Riri might have a similar role for another character. Of course, we still have to take this information with a grain of salt until we get the actual roadmap for 2022.

    Source: Twitter

  • WarnerMedia is Looking to Sell The CW

    WarnerMedia is Looking to Sell The CW

    The CW is going up for sale by WarnerMedia, with a potential home for the network already in the cards.

    Late on Wednesday, Jan. 5th, it was revealed that WarnerMedia was looking to sell its television network, the CW. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, with the outlet reporting Nexstar is one of the potential suitors. Interestingly enough, while WSJ was able to confirm the network is for sale, it was unable to note whether ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia intend on selling the entire network outright or retaining a minority stake following the purchase.

    The CW, of course, has long been a struggling network since its debut in 2006. At the time, the network came about when UPN and The WB Network were merged together. Compared to other networks, the views for the CW have long been less than stellar with much of the revenue earned by the network coming from the international streaming sales of its biggest titles, including The Flash and Dynasty. While the CW once had a strong deal with Netflix that helped to booster some of its titles, that deal expired in 2019 following the launch of HBO Max. This ultimately cut into the network’s profits for the sales of international streaming rights.

    When the CW was created, it was meant to provide a network for viewers between the ages of 18-34. Yet, while the network has found some success with its DC Comics adaptations (nicknamed the Arrowverse), viewership has continued to decline, with most titles lucky to even pull in a 1.0 rating in the all-too-important 18-34 demographic.

    Source: The Wall Street Journal

  • ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Will “Push the Animation Medium Even Further”

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Will “Push the Animation Medium Even Further”

    Animation has been proving time and time again how relevant it is to the current cinematic landscape. There are some strong contenders for this year’s Animation Oscard, and among them is the latest Sony animated venture by directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller titled The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Of course, as it is considered a frontrunner, the directing duo was also interviewed on their future ventures. Of course, the discussion also included their next entry in the Spider-Verse series, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Part One.

    While still shying away from any details, Phil Lord did highlight that they are certainly going to push the bound arise of animation with the upcoming project. We technically already got a preview of how Miles’ adventure through the Spider-Verse may reinvent each new universe with a different animation style. He stated that:

    It’s been really fun to have the confidence to go even harder and push the [animation] medium even further and take Miles to places that you couldn’t have imagined whilst making the first film.

    Phil Lord

    It’s certainly ambitious and it’ll be interesting to see just how far they can push the medium. We have no idea how many dimensions Miles may visit in his travel, or even how relevant some may be to the story. In the first entry, we saw that those that came from different dimensions took their animation style with them. It’s a much bigger undertaking changing the animation style with every new world our hero visits.

    Source: IndieWire

  • ‘Blade’ Pre-Production Meeting Photos Surface Online

    ‘Blade’ Pre-Production Meeting Photos Surface Online

    Here’s a curious detail that found its way online. There are many exciting projects in the works for Marvel Studios and we’re all wondering how different the future might look. With so many in development, there have been a few projects that were a bit quieter over the last couple of months. Among them is the Mahershala Ali-led Blade film, which we’ve been anticipating some updates on. Well, it seems that a meeting between the team has found its way online.

    In the first image, it seems that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, vice president Louis D’Esposito, Screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour, and the director Bassam Tariq among others are discussing the film which may be gearing up for pre-production or is already in the process of it.

    There’s another image shared by Osei-Kuffour on her Instagram that features Blade himself, Ali, in the call. The image, however, is no longer available in her teams as she probably deleted it shortly after posting it. Feige and D’Esposito are absent though. This image, as was the first, was shared by @SPNBladeNews.

    It’s still unsure how far they are already in development with the project, but it seems likely that they’re about to, or have already started pre-production. If they are meeting up like this, they may be discussing some final details before they jump into the project. We can’t wait to see how they’ll tackle this iconic franchise and how they may build upon the cinematic legacy left behind by the original franchise, as well as build up a new section within the MCU.

    Source: Twitter