After numerous years of rumors and promises it looks like Earth will be spending another 4th of July weekend fighting for our planet. 20th Century Fox has set that weekend in 2015 for the release of Independence Day 2.
Roland Emmerich will direct from a script he and Dean Devlin have written as the first of a two-part story. Bill Pullman is returning as the former President Thomas Whitmore as alien reinforcements arrive to have another go round with humanity 20 years after Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum welcomed them to Earth.
Smith will most likely not be coming back, but seeing as After Earth just took a Battlefield Eart sized dump at the box office and he has said no to Men in Black 4, he might want to rethink that decision. He needs a hit like a crack addict.
Robert Downey, Jr. is already a very rich man. Now he is most likely Johnny Depp, buy his own island rich. The cinematic Tony Stark has officially signed on for the next two Avengers movies.
Here is the statement from Marvel:
Marvel is pleased to announce the signing of Robert Downey, Jr. to reprise the role of the “billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist.” Under the two-picture agreement, Downey will star as Tony Stark/Iron Man in “Marvel’s The Avengers 2” and “Marvel’s The Avengers 3.“
There is no planned Iron Man 4 in the deal which should surprise no one since RDJ has been very vocal that he felt Iron Man 3 was a natural ending to the Tony Stark story and does not want the character to carry another movie.
This should also be a good sign for the other actors that have been having contract disputes with Marvel (Hemsworth, Evans, Ruffalo and Johansson) since it has been reported that Downey was holding out to try and get them more more money in their deals.
And here I thought I was only going to be buying two Superman statues this year. I have already bought the DC Direct Man of Steel statue and Kotobukiya will already have me on the hook this fall for their statue inspired by this summer’s blockbuster movie. I thought I was done. Finished.
Like Michael Corleone they keep pulling me back in.
Set your eyes on the newest in the Koto line inspired by Brian Azzarello’s Superman: For Tomorrow. So if you know me and my love for Jim Lee visuals (re: arm tattoo) then you know I have no choice but to welcome this 12′” piece into my collection.
Let’s all just take a moment and enjoy this, how about it?
What started as a rumor reported by Giant Bomb has now been confirmed by several articles, the most prominent coming from IGN: Microsoft has decided to rethink the always online / game pass code / no used games / rivers of blood / dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria protocols for their upcoming console. They did, however, still have this cryptic piece of info regarding when you first hook your console up:
“After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again,” Microsoft wrote. “There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360. Playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.”
…what the ^#*@ does that mean? Will people with absolutely NO internet connection still be able to play? Does the list of “launch countries” still hold weight for people who want to import a console? Still, it is nice that they finally backed down from their previous stance on the subject, which was essentially to give all detractors both middle fingers while doing the heli-cockter. As an added bonus, this will apparently not change the plan to have Xbox One games available for day-one download as well as retail purchase.
To acknowledge just how off-base and out-of-touch these ideas were, I give you Microsoft’s Don Mattrick:
“Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.”
“These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold.”
“We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.”
The Nerds are certainly glad to hear this news, and it has genuinely changed how some of us are going to approach this holiday launch season. Of course, I have to imagine the general atmosphere around Microsoft offices is a little something like this today:
Conspiracy Corner
*Cue X-Files Theme*
Right now, I feel a slight sense of euphoria. I feel like “We did it! We stuck it to the man!” …but what if that’s exactly what they WANT us to feel? It would explain just how lost and unprofessional their entire E3 presence seemed. They let a rep openly dismiss the idea that alienating active military personnel was a bad thing, for heaven’s sake. This way, they get to instantly switch from the Big Bad Dickheads to the guys who “appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity.” Also, last time I checked, something as integral to the system operation (according to them, at least) wouldn’t seem quite so easy to just scrap five months before launch. I’m a tin-foil-hat believer on this one; how about you?
J.J. Abrams has gone on record saying that the production of Star Wars: Episode VII would not be a super secret ordeal and this may be the beginning of the truth.
Bleeding Cool has uncovered what they are calling a 100% accurate casting call for the return to the galaxy far, far away. Take a quick look.
-Late-teen female, independent, good sense of humour, fit.
-Young twenty-something male, witty and smart, fit but not traditionally good looking.
-A late twentysomething male, fit, handsome and confident.
-Seventy-something male, with strong opinions and tough demeanour. Also doesn’ t need to be particularly fit.
-A second young female, also late teens, tough, smart and fit.
-Forty something male, fit, military type.
-Thirtysomething male, intellectual. Apparently doesn’t need to be fit.
Now rumors have been heavy that the next film will focus on Han and Leia’s twins, Jacen and Jaina Solo. Does this casting call give you those impressions? Give us your best guesses as to who these possible people could end up being in the comments below!
If you have a PS3 then I am sure you know how awkward and sometimes…well, broken the interface is. Sony is looking to fix all of that with the PS4 by having a greater social integration and the ability to break away in-game to begin downloads from the Playstation Store and instantly continue your game as well as download certain games by single and multiplayer sections.
The biggest thing this video should teach you is that if you buy a PS4 and Knack and happen to have a hot friend that is playing the exact same game, you can follow her progress on your system like a high-tech creeper (you know you will, don’t lie) and she will notice your interest in her via games and invite you to join her on a raid in her sheets. So your Horatio Sanz-like friend will just have to play Killzone by himself because your PS4 just got you laid…for only $399.
Now this is more like it. While this may be the third trailer for Anchorman: The Legend Continues, it is the first one with actual footage from the movie.
In it, Ron and the Channel 4 News Team have gone their separate ways and are only spoken in legend, but when they are offered to help start the first 24-hour news network in the 80’s you know what that means…a Journey montage!
Anchorman: The Legend Continues releases on December 20th.
How will Ken Levine follow-up the critical and commercial success of [amazon_link id=”B003O6E6NE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Bioshock: Infinite[/amazon_link]? By making the jump to feature films. Warner Bros. has brought on the acclaimed writer to script a new version of William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson’s classic sci-fi story.
Will anyone else find it funny if Sanctuary ends up being a giant lighthouse?
If Batman is considered a comics legend then the only way to describe Superman is iconic. The Dark Knight is the most popular hero character going today, but for 75 years the Man of Steel has been the most recognizable superhero in the world, even if his movies have let him down more often than not.
Warner Bros. recognized this after Bryan Singer’s valiant, but boring, effort in the form of 2006’s Superman Returns. They called upon the master of Batman reboots Christopher Nolan to begin crafting Superman’s next cinematic adventure. He first got friend and Dark Knight Trilogy story head David S. Goyer to come on board as screenwriter and then to some people’s dismay (and my excitement), Nolan decided on Zack Snyder, who expertly brought Watchmen to life, to direct this new vision of the big, blue boyscout.
Would this gamble pay off? Could Warner entrust the return of Superman to the man that brought Batman back to the forefront of movie pop culture?
The answer is a resounding YES.
Like Richard Donner’s classic, Superman: The Movie, Man of Steel begins on Krypton and instead of a white-haired, scene-chewing Marlon Brando, we get a soft-voiced and poignant Russell Crowe portraying Jor-El. As Krypton’s foremost mind of science he is trying to warn others of the planets ultimate destruction. Yes, this is old hat, but new to the equation is General Zod (Michael Shannon) attempting a takeover of the Kryptonian government. As the planet erupts around them Jor-El and Lara send their child to Earth.
“This sounds like the beginning to Superman: The Movie!”
I hear you, I hear you, but where Snyder and Goyer have gone so completely right is how fully fleshed out Krypton is as a world. No one, outside of comic readers, have truly seen any type of Kryptonian environment represented on the big screen. Full of mountains and flying creatures, it was great getting to see a true eco-system that makes you feel more connected to this doomed world, and therefore, feel more of a connection when the inevitable happens.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead*
Going into Man of Steel I can sense some of you feeling some trepidation that you will have to sit through an entire origin story that you already, for the most part, know backwards and forwards. I am hear to tell you to have no fear because one of the best aspects of this movie is the way Goyer has interweaved Clark’s early years into the story of Man of Steel. You will not be sitting through 45 minutes of young Kent exposition to bring about the birth of Superman. Rather you will be getting adult Clark looking back on his life as moments remind him of his childhood years. Such a simple and completely satisfying way to watch an origin story, even one you already know all too well.
The wonderful thing that Man of Steel does is show Clark’s need to be more. His want to help, even in the face of people learning his secret. This is the essence of a hero and the biggest reason why Superman is who he is. He is learning the hero thing as we watch. The lessons that both of his fathers instill in him are the bedrock of the film. Will the world reject a savior? Even if they do, is it still his responsibility to use his gifts for the good of mankind?
As adult Clark drifts through life from job to job trying to figure out what his role is on this planet, he has reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) hot on his heels after meeting in an earlier encounter. Now she is trying to find out who this mysterious helper is. Yes, Lois finds out who Clark is before anyone else and even before he begins to work at The Daily Planet. Get over it. One of the wonderful things about Superman canon is that there is no real set canon. Pa Kent is alive in some universes, he is dead in others. Lois knows Clark’s secret in some, in others she is oblivious. I am glad that she finds out this early because I have always thought it was insulting to the character of Lois, who is supposed to be one of the world’s premier investigative journalists, that she could not determine that Clark was Superman. Man of Steel deals with this in a realistic manner and proves Lois to be worth her weight in smarts.
Zod comes to Earth after a thirty year search for the son of Jor-El that has sent him across the stars. He and his defectors were freed from their prison (you know what it is called) when Krypton went ka-boom and he needs Superman for more than just revenge. He has given the planet 24 hours to turn over the Man of Steel or suffer the consequences. From here on out it begins to be apparent that this is a tale of two minds. While Man of Steel has one screenwriter (Goyer), it very much feels like the first half was a Christopher Nolan exploration of the character of Superman. Who am I? Why am I here? What do I do to make things better? It is very introspective and thought provoking.
When Zod comes to town and Supes realizes it is time for fight AND flight, this is where Zack Snyder shines through. No matter what haters have to say about the director he knows his way around filming action scenes. Man of Steel has heard your cries of “we want to see Superman punch things!”. Get ready for the thunder because you have seen nothing like this outside of the comics. I love Superman 2 as much as the next guy (even though the foil “S” symbol was just…the worst), and when I was a kid, the fight between Zod, Ursa, Non and Superman wowed my undeveloped brain, but this is how Superman should throw down in every single movie from here on out. Punches thunder through the air, skyscrapers fall over and no IHOP is safe.
When all is said and done is Man of Steel the greatest comic book movie ever? No, but it is way up there. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt on par with Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie for the best Superman movie. It is hard for me to put one ahead of the other for different reasons. Man of Steel is this generation’s definitive Superman flick the same way Donner’s was back in 1978.
The best connection between the 1978 original and this year’s reboot are the quality of the Supermen. Henry Cavill is built from the ground up to be Superman. Like seriously, the dude is jacked. When he simply walks in the costume it is not like watching a man playing dress up, but your imaginations of Superman brought out for all to see (a lot like Christopher Reeve in my childhood years). This is a very human tale about a not so human person and Cavill brings the force of will, and oddly enough, fragility to the most powerful being on Earth.
For seven years we were spoiled with The Dark Knight Trilogy as Superman waited in the wings for his return (and not in 2006). Now in 2013 it is the Man of Steel’s time to shine and Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer have taken the proper care and taken the right steps to make sure that Man of Steel is more than just a single Superman story. This is just the beginning of something larger and the re-establishment of DC’s greatest hero has set things on the right course.
