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Articles by Jake AbbateThursday
Batman Ninja Anime is Getting a Live Stage Show in Japan
Batman Ninja Anime is Getting a Live Stage Show in Japan Nearly two years ago, Warner Bros. Animation released one of its most unique direct-to-video DC movies: Batman Ninja. Later this year, Japanese audiences will have the chance to see the film’s story play out in live action. Via Heroic Hollywood, Tokyo theater company Office Endless is producing a stage show based on the film. Batman Ninja was directed by Junpei Mizusaki and written by Kazuki Nakashima.
The Matrix 4 Adds Sense8's Brian J. Smith in a Mystery Role
The Matrix 4 Adds Sense8’s Brian J. Smith in a Mystery Role Despite outcry from its loyal fanbase, Netflix never gave Sense8 a third season. However, The Matrix 4 is turning into a veritable reunion of cast members from the cult sci-fi series. Deadline is reporting that Brian J. Smith is the latest Sense8 alum to join the cast of the highly anticipated sequel. Smith starred on Sense8 as Chicago PD officer Will Gorski from the series’ outset in 2015 until its cancellation in 2018.
Marvel's Non-Stop Spider-Man Hits Comic Shops Later This Year
Marvel’s Non-Stop Spider-Man Hits Comic Shops Later This Year This summer, Marvel will add yet another Spidey-themed title to its already expansive lineup. Marvel has just shared plans to release Non-Stop Spider-Man this June. Marvel announced the book during this year’s ComicsPRO festivities in Portland, Oregon. Non-Stop Spider-Man is being handled by writer Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo, neither of whom are strangers to the titular wallcrawler.
Matt Reeves Shares the First Look at Robert Pattinson as Batman
Matt Reeves Shares the First Look at Robert Pattinson as Batman The Batman has only been shooting for a few weeks. But today, Matt Reeves had a very special treat for fans. Via his official Twitter account, the reboot’s director posted a short video that gives us our very first glimpse at Robert Pattinson wearing the new Batsuit. You can check it out for yourself below.
Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos is Eternals' Openly Gay Hero
Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos is Eternals’ Openly Gay Hero Last summer, Kevin Feige announced that Marvel would continue its push toward diversity on the big screen by featuring an openly gay character in the upcoming Eternals movie. Marvel has been keeping the identity of this character under wraps. But in a new interview with Logo, Haaz Sleiman revealed his involvement in the film, Sleiman also shared that he’s playing the husband of Brian Tyree Henry’s character, the Eternal known as Phastos.
Birds of Prey Producer Talks About the Film's Reshoots and Spinoff Potential
Birds of Prey Producer Talks About the Film’s Reshoots and Spinoff Potential When Birds of Prey was filming, Warner Bros. must have been considering the franchise potential of its latest DC movie. The abundance of central characters certainly presents several different opportunities for sequels and spinoffs. Of course, whether these actually get off the ground depends on how well the original film does, a fact noted by its producer, Sue Kroll.
Barry Keoghan Drops Out of FX's Y: The Last Man
Barry Keoghan Drops Out of FX’s Y: The Last Man FX’s translation of Vertigo’s Y: The Last Man is looking for a new actor to play the series’ title character. Via Collider, Barry Keoghan has just vacated his role as Yorick Brown on the show. Keoghan first joined the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s acclaimed comic book series in 2018. In the comic, Yorick was the sole human male survivor of a mysterious event that wiped out all living mammals possessing a Y chromosome.
WTF: Transformers Will Team Up With My Little Pony in Crossover Comic
WTF: Transformers Will Team Up With My Little Pony in Crossover Comic In a bizarre twist of fate, two iconic and completely disparate Hasbro franchises will cross paths in an upcoming comic event. IDW Publishing has announced that it’s pairing Transformers and My Little Pony for a new four-issue miniseries.
Disney Parks Shares an Early Look at Their Animatronic Swinging Spider-Man
Disney Parks Shares an Early Look at Their Animatronic Swinging Spider-Man After much anticipation, Disney’s California Adventure park will finally open the doors to its Avengers Campus this summer. When it comes to their themed lands, Disney usually goes all out to make their guests feel like they’ve taken a step into their favorite fictional worlds. And this newest expansion is no different.
Watch Test Footage From the Canceled Star Wars: Underworld Series
Watch Test Footage From the Canceled Star Wars: Underworld Series Disney+ finally delivered a live-action Star Wars series in the form of The Mandalorian last fall. But long before the House of Mouse acquired Lucasfilm, George Lucas had his own plans for the franchise’s small-screen future. Lucas spent several years developing a completely different TV series, which was reportedly going to be called Star Wars: Underworld. Now, we have our first-ever glimpse at what might have been.
The Flash Screenwriter Christina Hodson Praises Director Andy Muschietti
The Flash Screenwriter Christina Hodson Praises Director Andy Muschietti Christina Hodson is currently being lauded for her screenwriting efforts on Birds of Prey. And the positive early buzz for that movie bodes well for her upcoming work on The Flash. The long-awaited solo film headlined by DC’s scarlet speedster has been plagued by numerous setbacks over the last few years, most notably the departures of several directors.
Kumail Nanjiani Explains How Eternals is Different From Other Marvel Movies
Kumail Nanjiani Explains How Eternals is Different From Other Marvel Movies A few comic book fans probably did a double-take last year after Kumail Nanjiani joined the cast of Marvel’s Eternals. Nanjiani, of course, is primarily known for his comedic roles on TV shows like Silicon Valley and in films like The Big Sick. So hearing that he would play a superhero definitely came as a surprise. Nanjiani has clearly committed to his role as Kingo, having bulked up quite a bit for his MCU debut.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is Getting a New Comic Series From IDW
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is Getting a New Comic Series From IDW The latest trailer for the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has certainly rekindled fans’ love for the time period between Episodes II and III. Now, IDW is hoping they’ll share some of that love with them. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the publisher is releasing an anthology series depicting battles from the Republic’s fight against the Separatists.
New Birds of Prey IMAX Poster Puts Its Leading Ladies Front and Center
New Birds of Prey IMAX Poster Puts Its Leading Ladies Front and Center Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn may have top billing. But make no mistake: Birds of Prey is very much an ensemble film, headlined by a female cast ready to kick some ass. The movie is just over two weeks away from hitting theaters, but Warner Bros. isn’t slowing down its marketing push just yet. Via Collider, the studio has just premiered a new poster to hype the film’s IMAX release. You can check it out for yourself below.
Marvel Drops a Trailer For the New Wolverine Ongoing Series
Marvel Drops a Trailer For the New Wolverine Ongoing Series It was only a matter of time before Wolverine got a new solo series under Marvel’s revamped line of X-Men titles. Now, that time is finally upon us. Wolverine #1 is dropping next month, and Marvel has just released a trailer for the comic to tease what fans can expect. To pen the new series, Marvel has turned to Benjamin Percy, who already has plenty of experience writing Logan’s adventures.
Dynamite Brings The Boys Back To Comics With New Miniseries
Dynamite Brings The Boys Back To Comics With New Miniseries Last year, Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys was introduced to a whole new audience when Amazon premiered its TV adaptation. The show quickly became one of the streaming service’s most-watched originals, so it makes sense that the follow-up season is highly anticipated. Fortunately, fans of the original comic have something to look forward to as well. Dynamite has just shared plans for a sequel series coming later this year.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond Will Only Run Two Seasons
The Walking Dead: World Beyond Will Only Run Two Seasons AMC has all but guaranteed that The Walking Dead brand isn’t going off the air anytime soon. However, the next spinoff to join the family isn’t going to last as long as its older siblings. Via Collider, the series’ producers are only planning to air two seasons of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. This is surprising given the franchise’s expansion in recent years.
Report: Lucasfilm Wants Taika Waititi to Direct a Star Wars Movie
Report: Lucasfilm Wants Taika Waititi to Direct a Star Wars Movie Last year, Taika Waititi entered the Star Wars universe when he provided the voice of IG-11 on The Mandalorian and directed the first season’s final episode. And while he’s teased his return in season 2, it looks like Lucasfilm has bigger plans for the filmmaker. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is apparently courting Waititi to helm his own Star Wars movie.
Dark Horse Announces Alien: The Original Screenplay Miniseries
Dark Horse Announces Alien: The Original Screenplay Miniseries This spring, Alien fans will finally get to experience the first film in the iconic franchise as writer Dan O’Bannon originally intended. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Dark Horse is publishing a five-part miniseries titled Alien: The Original Screenplay. As the name implies, the comic adapts the first draft of O’Bannon’s script. O’Bannon received sole credit for writing Alien’s screenplay in 1979.
Ava DuVernay is Listening To New Gods Casting Suggestions
Ava DuVernay is Listening To New Gods Casting Suggestions The lead-up to a new comic book movie can be a very exciting time, especially after it’s first announced. Fans immediately take to the blogosphere to debate who they think should play their favorite characters. In the end, the filmmakers’ casting decisions tend to come out of left field. But in the case of New Gods, director Ava DuVernay is apparently open to suggestions for who should star as some of Jack Kirby’s iconic characters.
John Cho Still Hasn't Spoken to Cowboy Bebop's Original Director
John Cho Still Hasn’t Spoken to Cowboy Bebop’s Original Director There’s a lot riding on Netflix’s upcoming Cowboy Bepop series. After all, its source material is largely considered to be one of the best anime series of all time. And since live-action anime adaptations don’t exactly have the best track record, fans are desperately hoping the producers do it justice. Some might argue that this would require communication with the original show’s director, Shinichirō Watanabe.
The Rise of Skywalker VFX Artist Confirms Star Wars Resistance Ship In Final Battle
The Rise of Skywalker VFX Artist Confirms Star Wars Resistance Ship In Final Battle Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker! Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is jam-packed with Easter Eggs and callbacks to previous films in the franchise. However, it also referenced the animated corner of the galaxy far, far away.
The Rise of Skywalker Didn't Use Any of Colin Trevorrow's Script
The Rise of Skywalker Didn’t Use Any of Colin Trevorrow’s Script J.J. Abrams wasn’t originally supposed to direct Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In 2015, Disney and Lucasfilm hired Colin Trevorrow to helm the movie and co-write the script with his longtime collaborator, Derek Connolly. The pair remained with the project for two years before they left in 2017 and Abrams stepped in. Trevorrow and Connolly still received a “story by” credit on The Rise of Skywalker.
Watch The Boys Cast Respond to One-Star Reviews of the Show
Watch The Boys Cast Respond to One-Star Reviews of the Show Amazon’s The Boys isn’t for everyone. The producers definitely toned down the amount of graphic content from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s original comic book. Regardless, the show still boasts plenty of swearing, sex, and violence that aren’t in mainstream superhero adaptations. Fortunately, Amazon has a place where the series’ more wholesome viewers can vent their frustrations about this.
Lucasfilm Explores the History of Stormtroopers in a New 22-Minute Video
Lucasfilm Explores the History of Stormtroopers in a New 22-Minute Video Throughout the last 42 years, Star Wars fans have seen several types of stormtroopers in action. And with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s release finally upon us, this is a perfect time to dive into their storied history. That’s why WIRED recently recruited Lucasfilm’s VP and executive creative director, Doug Chiang as well as collections and exhibitions archivist Madlyn Burkhert for their latest video.
Regina King Talks Watchmen Finale, Possible Season 2
Regina King Talks Watchmen Finale, Possible Season 2 Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the season finale of Watchmen! Watchmen fans know that Dr. Manhattan has a penchant for cheating death. But during last Sunday’s season finale, it certainly looked like the big blue superhuman finally met his demise at the hands of Lady Trieu in a vain attempt to absorb his powers.
Will Poulter Drops Out of Amazon's Lord of the Rings Series
Will Poulter Drops Out of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Back in September, Amazon’s mysterious Lord of the Rings TV show drafted Will Poulter to join its cast. However, it turns out he won’t be visiting Middle-Earth anytime soon. Variety is now reporting that Poulter has vacated his role in the series. Poulter’s character was never disclosed, but he was expected to portray one of the series’ leads. Apparently, “scheduling conflicts” are to blame for Poulter’s decision to exit the show.
The Rise of Skywalker Art Book Won't Hit Stores Until March
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Art Book Won’t Hit Stores Until March A lot of work goes into making the Star Wars movies. Concept artists come up several designs for an individual character or action set piece before the filmmakers decide which ones they like best. These illustrations are usually collected in a special making-of book whose release coincides with that of the film.
Benioff and Weiss Will Produce an Adaptation of Lovecraft
Benioff and Weiss Will Produce an Adaptation of Lovecraft David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ Star Wars trilogy didn’t exactly pan out the way they hoped. Regardless, it hasn’t taken them long to find their next project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the former Game of Thrones showrunners have signed on to produce and possibly direct Lovecraft. The film will be based on the graphic novel written by Hans Rodionoff and illustrated by Enrique Breccia.
Stephen Graham Joins the Cast of Sony's Venom 2
Stephen Graham Joins the Cast of Sony’s Venom 2 Sony and director Andy Serkis have welcomed yet another new addition to the cast of Venom 2. According to Deadline, Stephen Graham has joined the sequel to Sony’s surprise hit. However, the studio is keeping his character’s identity a secret for now. Graham is perhaps most widely recognized for playing legendary gangster Al Capone on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. This year, he has already appeared on the big screen in Rocketman and The Irishman.
Watchmen is 2019's Most Popular New Premium Cable Series
Watchmen is 2019’s Most Popular New Premium Cable Series Damon Lindelof’s continuation of the Watchmen story has earned near universal acclaim since it premiered on HBO two months ago. But now, the new series has the ratings to assert its status as a genuine hit. Variety is reporting that Watchmen is pulling in an average of 7.1 million viewers across all of the network’s linear channels and streaming platforms.
J.J. Abrams Comments on His Possible Involvement With DC Films
J.J. Abrams Comments on His Possible Involvement With DC Films Throughout his career, J.J. Abrams has tackled several big franchises, including Star Wars, Star Trek, and Mission Impossible. He also wrote his own Superman screenplay back in the early 2000s. Of course, that movie never got made, and Abrams has still yet to properly enter the big-screen superhero realm. Rumors are currently circulating about Warner Bros.
ABC is Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee Later This Month
ABC is Celebrating Marvel’s Stan Lee With a TV Special Last month marked one year since legendary comic book writer Stan Lee passed away. Now, ABC is gearing up to honor Lee’s legacy with a new hour-long primetime TV special. Via Marvel.com, ABC announced that it will air Celebrating Stan Lee on Friday, December 20 at 8pm. ABC News produced the special, which was partially filmed in front of an audience at New York’s New Amsterdam Theater.
Kathleen Kennedy Claims Star Wars Films Have No Source Material
Kathleen Kennedy Claims Star Wars Films Have No Source Material Once Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters, the future of the big screen franchise will be uncertain. We can already expect another season of The Mandalorian, a new series headlined by Cassian Andor, and another trilogy of films helmed by Rian Johnson. However, Lucasfilm definitely isn’t stopping there. The studio is reportedly trying to figure out what direction the films will take after the Skywalker Saga concludes.
New Star Trek: Picard Images Feature New and Returning Characters
New Star Trek: Picard Images Feature New and Returning Characters Jean-Luc Picard is the focus of CBS All Access’ upcoming Star Trek series, but he won’t be alone on his travels. After a two decade hiatus, the former Starfleet captain will forge new alliances and also reunite with some recognizable faces. Recent trailers have given fans an early look at who these characters are. But now, CBS All Access has debuted some new photos that highlight Star Trek: Picard’s supporting cast.
Jon Favreau Discusses The Mandalorian Pilot's Surprise Ending
Jon Favreau Discusses The Mandalorian Pilot’s Surprise Ending Warning: There are spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian’s first episode! The Client was right: bounty hunting really is a complicated profession. And fans need look no further than The Mandalorian’s first episode for proof.
Black Adam is Coming to Theaters in December of 2021
Black Adam is Coming to Theaters in December of 2021 Dwayne Johnson has been an action star for years, but he has yet to play a superhero on the big screen. Fortunately, that time is finally upon him. Johnson has just confirmed that his long-gestating Black Adam film will open on December 22, 2021. Johnson revealed the news on Instagram today with a new poster courtesy of Jim Lee and BossLogic. The actor also shared a lengthy message about what playing Black Adam means to him.
Arrow's Final Season Has Officially Wrapped Filming
Arrow’s Final Season Has Officially Wrapped Filming January’s Arrow finale is fast approaching. And today, the show reached a major milestone in its storied history. After eight seasons, production on the Arrowverse’s flagship series has finally come to an end. The series’ writers made the (very brief) announcement via their official Twitter account this morning. You can check it out for yourself below. wrapped.
Marvel's Hawkeye Series Was Originally Conceived as a Movie
Marvel’s Hawkeye Series Was Originally Conceived as a Movie Jeremy Renner will finally get his own headlining vehicle in the MCU when Marvel’s Hawkeye series drops on Disney+ in 2021. Fans have been clamoring for a spinoff featuring Renner’s take on Clint Barton for years. However, Marvel once had much bigger plans for the avenging archer. It turns out that Hawkeye was initially going to headline his own feature film.
Endgame's Robert Downey Jr. Gets Submitted For Oscar Nomination
Avengers: Endgame’s Robert Downey Jr. Gets Submitted For Oscar Nomination Although his Iron Man tenure propelled him to the top of Hollywood’s A-list, Robert Downey Jr. has always been humble about his recent success. Perhaps this is reason he declined the chance to pursue a Best Actor Oscar for his role in Avengers: Endgame. Regardless, it looks like Disney and Marvel have chosen to go against Downey’s wishes.
Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda Will Return for Jurassic World 3
Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda Will Return for Jurassic World 3 Worlds will collide in 2021 when the stars of Jurassic World meet the heroes of the original Jurassic Park film in Jurassic World 3. Thankfully, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard aren’t the only returning cast members coming back for another go-round with the dinosaurs. Collider is reporting that Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda will also come back for the upcoming third installment.
Dark Fate's Final Cut
Tim Miller Fought With James Cameron Over Terminator: Dark Fate’s Final Cut James Cameron is famously not easy to work for on films he directs. However, it sounds like he can also be a demanding presence on movies where he isn’t in completely charge. This was reportedly the case during post-production on Terminator: Dark Fate, which marks Cameron’s return to the Terminator franchise after almost 30 years.
Stranger Things 4 Will Introduce Four New Characters
Stranger Things 4 Will Introduce Four New Characters After more than a year-and-a-half of waiting, Stranger Things 3 finally hit Netflix over the summer. After fans finished bingng the new season, it seemed like all fans could do was speculate over whether Jim Hopper really died in the Russians’ secret underground laboratory. We probably won’t know the answer to that question for a while.
Freeform Cancels Cloak & Dagger After Two Seasons
Freeform Cancels Cloak & Dagger After Two Seasons It looks like Freeform’s Thursday nights just got a lot less Marvel-ous. According to Deadline, the network has decided not to renew Cloak & Dagger for a third season. This effectively ends the MCU’s presence on Freeform. Cloak & Dagger premiered on the network in the summer of 2018 and concluded its sophomore season this past May. Both seasons earned decent reviews from critics, but these didn’t help the show’s ratings.
Warner Bros. Casts Paul Dano as the Riddler in The Batman
Warner Bros. Casts Paul Dano as the Riddler in The Batman Following yesterday’s news that Jonah Hill was out as The Batman’s villain, Warner Bros. and director Matt Reeves have already found their replacement. And this time, there’s no ambiguity about who he’s playing. According to Variety, Paul Dano has joined the upcoming reboot as Edward Nygma, a.k.a. the Riddler. Dano’s breakthrough came in 2004 when he co-starred in Little Miss Sunshine.
Warner Bros. is Still Looking for The Batman's Penguin
Report: Warner Bros. is Still Looking for The Batman’s Penguin Earlier today, The Batman officially welcomed Paul Dano into its cast as the Riddler. The news came less than 24 hours after Jonah Hill passed on a role in the movie. Various sources indicated that Hill was the frontrunner to play either the Riddler or the Penguin. Now, Deadline is reporting that the film will feature both villains, and Warner Bros. is currently looking for the right actor to don Oswald Cobblepot’s top hat and monocle.
Jade Bartlett Will Write Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Jade Bartlett Will Write Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness In addition to having the longest title in MCU history, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will also reportedly be the franchise’s first scary movie. So it makes sense that Marvel would bring on a writer who knows her way around the horror genre to help out with the script. According to Collider, the studio has just tapped Jade Bartlett to write the upcoming sequel.
Adrienne Palicki Won't Return for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Final Season
Adrienne Palicki Won’t Return for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Final Season Although Adrienne Palicki’s Wonder Woman series never got picked up, she still found a way into the comic book landscape in 2014 when she joined the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird. Next year, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will wrap its seven season run, presumably with a few returning stars. Unfortunately, Palicki dashed any hopes of her return when she appeared at New York Comic-Con last weekend.
Wayne Brady Joins the Cast of Black Lightning Season 3
Wayne Brady Joins the Cast of Black Lightning Season 3 “It’s Wayne Brady, son!” Variety brings word that The CW’s Black Lightning has just recruited Wayne Brady to appear in several episodes of the show’s upcoming third season. He’ll play Tyson Spikes, a World War II veteran who uses the alias “Gravedigger.” Brady is best known for his appearances on the long-running improv comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? He has also hosted Let’s Make a Deal on CBS since 2009.
HBO Releases the Synopsis for Watchmen's Pilot Episode
HBO Releases the Synopsis for Watchmen’s Pilot Episode After nearly a year of cryptic teasers, HBO’s Watchmen series is finally upon us. Showrunner Damon Lindelof’s remix of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ acclaimed graphic novel premieres in less than two weeks. With this, the network is beginning to share a few last-minute clues about how the show relates to Moore and Gibbons’ original story. Via CBR, HBO has just unveiled the official synopsis for the series’ first episode.
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