Author: Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It was just yesterday that Fox announced the casting of The Penguin, Alfred, and more for their upcoming series Gotham (which came just a few days after the announcement of Jim Gordon’s character), and today that cast has expanded once more.

Donal Logue, best known for his work on Sons of Anarchy and Vikings has taken the role of Detective Harvey Bullock. The official description for the character reads that “Jim Gordon’s partner and mentor, the rough-around-the-edges Detective Harvey Bullock plays loose with police procedure, but he gets results … and he does it with old-school, forceful panache.”

Casting for the project is coming along very quickly. At this rate, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next. What do you hope to see from Gotham? What do you think of the cast so far? Sound out below!

‘Rick and Morty’ Renewed For A Second Season!

Briefly: Rick and Morty has been renewed.

The new animated series from Community‘s Dan Harmon and House of Cosbys’ Justin Roiland follows a sociopathic scientist who drags his unintelligent grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe, and it’s absolutely freaking hilarious.

If you haven’t seen the show, I’d implore you to head here and check it out. In my opinion, it’s the funniest show on Adult Swim right now, and Harmon and Roiland have created an absolute masterpiece. Seriously, the parodies and homages here are perfect.

On the renewal, Harmon states that “I am excited to make as much Rick and Morty as Adult Swim allows, and I’m relieved to be in a time slot of no strategic value to CBS”, while Roiland added “I am humbled and super excited by the positive response to the show, and we have no shortage of ideas for future episodes.”

Now, let’s just hope that Community gets renewed too, now that Harmon’s back and it’s awesome again.

The Geekscape Co-Produced ‘Doc Of The Dead’ Will Premiere On EPIX Next Month!

Briefly: Doc of the Dead is coming!

We let you know back in January that the film would be premiering at SXSW along the likes of Veronica Mars, Jon Favreau’s Chef, and plenty of other exciting features. Today, we’re announcing the television premiere date for all of us normal folk who can’t attend SXSW and/or don’t live in Austin (like me… though I’m in Canada so that’s another story altogether).

The film will premiere on EPIX at 8PM Eastern on March 15th during a 24-hour zombie marathon that will also include the television premiere of last year’s much-better-than-expected World War Z. Here are the details, straight from the press release:

Premium entertainment network EPIX announced today that Doc of the Dead will premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 10 and on EPIX on Saturday, March 15, at 8PM ET. The feature length EPIX Original Documentary, directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, examines the rise and evolution of zombies in film, television and literature and the impact on pop culture. Many of the genre’s most influential figures are featured in the film, including the “Godfather of the zombie genre” George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead), actors Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) and Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead), producer Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and acclaimed author Max Brooks (bestsellers The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z).

Doc of the Dead premieres on EPIX March 15 at 8PM ET as part of an all-day Zombie-thon celebrating the full range of zombie movies from a newly re-mastered HD version of director George Romero’s seminal cult classic Night of the Living Dead, with a special introduction by Max Brooks, to the world television premiere of this summer’s blockbuster addition to the zombie movie cannon, World War Z starring Brad Pitt.

Here’s a schedule for the Zombie-thon, or more importantly, where Doc of the Dead sits on that schedule:

6:00am – Zombies of Mass Destruction
7:35am – Night of the Comet
9:15am – White Zombie
10:30am – House of the Dead 2
12:10pm – Zombies of Mass Destruction
1:45pm – Night of the Comet
3:25pm – White Zombie
4:35pm – House of the Dead 2
6:15pm – Night of the Living Dead w/Introduction by Max Brooks
8:00pm – Doc of the Dead (World TV Premiere)
9:30pm – World War Z (World TV Premiere)
11:30pm – Night of the Living Dead w/Introduction by Max Brooks
1:15am – Nightmare City
2:45am – Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead
4:30am – Zombie Lake

Sounds like a great day, doesn’t it? As Jonathan revealed in the announcement last month, he “wrote and directed the ‘Geekscape segments’ in the movie, which you’ll know ‘em when you see ‘em, and my Geekscape business partner Georg Kallert produced them. Who knows, you might even see a Geekscape character or two pop up in the film!”

Take another look at the trailer below, and let us know if you’re excited to see it. International distribution plans are still in the works, but we’ll be sure to let you know those details as soon as we can.

http://youtu.be/gZHLS2PwMKs

Crowdfund This: Help The ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark: The Adaptation’ Team Film The Airplane Scene!

The Raiders Guys are back!

We hosted Chris and Eric back in 2012, just as Alan Eisenstock’s awesome tell-all book was hitting store shelves. The duo is well known as the creators of the ‘best fan film ever made’, as they took seven years (yep, seven) of their childhood to painstakingly recreate almost every shot of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Here’s more info about the film, via the trailer for the book:

Chris and Eric shot every single scene, and every single stunt from the film, minus one. Eric explains “The Flying Wing Scene. Yep, that awesome sequence where Indy fights the bald Nazi under the moving airplane. In our ten years of screenings, people have been urging us to do it. And so, the idea of adding the ultimate mythological bookend to our childhood saga has brought us back together – the team is stronger than ever. ”

Now, after 25 years, and as a set piece for Jeremy Coon’s upcoming documentary about the adaptation, Chris, Eric, and the rest of the Raiders Adaptation crew want to complete the film… but they need our help. They would love to hit their stretch goal of $125,000, but their Kickstarter goal is a meager $50,000, and with 29 days to go they’re already over 10% of the way there.

As always, there are amazing rewards up for grabs here, including digital downloads of the film (old and new editions), DVD’s, books, t-shirts, storyboards, even props or a screening in your city.

Check out the Kickstarter video for the campaign below, and let us know if you’ll be backing this incredible project. Have you had a chance to see the adaptation yet?

Second ‘Transcendence’ Trailer Debuts Online!

Briefly: Following some interesting teasers (check them out here and here) and the film’s first trailer back in December, Paramount has just released the second trailer for The Dark Knight Rises cinematographer Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, Transcendence.

The newest preview is clearly similar to the trailer we’ve already seen, but it definitely expands on the “this is going too far” aspect of Depp’s, well, transcendence. The film features an all-star cast consisting of Johnny Depp, Kate Mara, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Cillian Murphy, and plenty of others, and everyone look well used in the picture. I really cannot wait to see this one.

Transcendence hits theatres on April 17th, and it’s definitely one to watch out for. Take a look at the preview below, and let us know what you think!

http://youtu.be/rD3OBtxNkW0

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him.

However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can… but if they should.

Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

The Penguin, Alfred, More Cast In Fox’s ‘Gotham’

Briefly: After casting Southland‘s Ben McKenzie as James Gordon earlier this week, Fox has revealed more of the principal cast for their currently-in-production series, Gotham.

Accepted and Would You Rather star Robin Taylor will portray Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin). The character description in the press release reads that “With the brains of a chess grandmaster and the morals of a jackal, Oswald Cobblepot is a low-level psychopath (for gangster Fish Mooney) who hides his sadistic lust for power behind an exquisitely polite demeanour.”

Burn Notice star Zabryna Guevara has been cast as Captain Essen. Her character is described as “Gordon’s boss at the GCPD Homicide Squad, Captain Essen balances the two worlds of police and politics with a Machiavellian skill that’s as much corporate litigator as cop.”

Sean Pertwee will play Alfred Pennyworth, who is “A tough-as-nails ex-marine from East London, Alfred Pennyworth has loyally served the Waynes. Now, in the wake of their tragic deaths, he’s fiercely protective of the young Bruce Wayne.”

And finally, Erin Richards will portray Barbara Kean, who is “A sophisticated emergency room doctor, Barbara is the fiancée of James Gordon, joyful but with an edge of vulnerability. She stands by her future husband…which can be difficult in a world as corrupt as Gotham.”

Things seem to be coming together quite quickly for the series. Be sure to let us know what you think of the latest casting, and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with more!

‘Dying Light’ Looks So Freaking Good! Check Out A New Trailer!

Briefly: Good Night. Good Luck.

Techland has just debuted a new trailer for their fantastic-looking first-person-survival-zombie-parkour title Dying Light. This video tries to punch you right in the feelings by showing sad children and letting us all know that humanity is all but lost.

It’s easy to see from this new video (and the previously released ones) that this game is coming together nicely. I was a big fan of Techland’s previous effort, Dead Island, and Dying Light is currently one of my most anticipated titles of 2014. Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know how excited you are for this one. Dying Light will hit PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC later in 2014.

http://youtu.be/-K9ubaYRzf8

Happy Hunting: Here’s The First Trailer For Turtle Rock’s ‘Evolve’

Briefly: Sure, it kinda looks like Left 4 Dead mixed with Predator, but as it’s coming from L4D creator Turtle Rock, that sounds like an excellent combination.

Following the game’s announcement last month, Turtle Rock has debuted the first trailer for their upcoming sci-fi shooter, Evolve. The game looks to take the tried-and-true style of Left 4 Dead, but instead of fighting waves and waves (and waves) of infected, you’ll instead be hunting for a fifth player that’s controlling some sort of giant, deadly monster.

Take a look at the neat trailer below, and let us know what you think! The game will hit PS4, Xbox One, and PC this Fall, and pre-ordering will net you an exclusive skin, as well as the first DLC monster once it’s released.

http://youtu.be/zlaPT08Tmxc

Evolve expertly blends cooperative and competitive multiplayer experiences as a team of four hunters face off against a single, player-controlled monster. Set on an alien planet in the distant future, gamers hunt their prey in adrenaline-pumping 4V1 matches. Players experience Evolve as a first-person shooter when playing cooperatively as the four hunters, while they control the monster in the third-person perspective, providing a gameplay experience unique to Evolve.

Slimmer Playstation Vita Finally Coming To North America!

Briefly: It’s already out in Japan, and will be releasing soon in Europe, but Sony just made the slimmer, lighter Playstation Vita official for North America.

The Vita 2000 will launch exclusively in a Borderlands 2 bundle this Spring. The 2000 is about 20% thinner and 15% lighter than the previous model, and it also has 1Gb of built-in memory (up from 0), and about an hour of extra battery life. The only downside? It uses a standard LCD over the gorgeous OLED from the original model.

The bundle actually sounds fantastic. It (of course) includes Borderlands 2, but it’ll also come with a decently-sized 8Gb memory card. I’m running an 8Gb in my Vita right now, and it’s been enough for about 3 full Vita games, plus some download-only titles like Spelunky, OlliOlli (which I’m still obsessed with, check out my review here), and Lone Survivor.

I haven’t been a fan of the Vita for most of its life (though I did buy one on launch day), but with the myriad of indie games now available on the console, an astonishing Playstation Plus collection, and Remote Play for PS4 (and Playstation Now down the pipeline), it’s really becoming a decent system (though memory cards are still far too expensive).

Will you be picking up a Vita? Check out the announcement video below, and let us know!

The Official Music Video For ‘Everything Is Awesome’ Is Now Online!

Briefly: This song has been stuck in my head ever since I left the theatre on Friday, and now I can listen to it over and over and over again.

The official music video for Tegan & Sara (and The Lonely Island’s) ‘Everything Is Awesome’ has just hit the internet. It’s hilariously low-budget, and super (super) catchy.

Did you already catch The Lego Movie? What did you think of it? Be sure to catch the just-released episode of Geekscape (finally, right?), where Jonathan and guest Marie Jamora give their thoughts on the film (plus so much more)!

Watch A Short New Trailer For The ‘Heavenly Sword’ Movie!

Briefly: First announced back in April of 2013, a new trailer for the adaptation of Sony and Ninja Theory’s Heavenly Sword has just debuted online.

This animated adaptation is coming from Blockade Entertainment, and Anna Torv is set to return as Nariko. I never actually got a chance to play Heavenly Sword, but this adaptation definitely looks like something I’d check out.

Watch the short new trailer below, and let us know what you think! Heavenly Sword is set to hit VOD and select theatres this Spring!

Miss the film’s announcement trailer? Check it out here!

Here’s A 15-Minute Sneak Peak At What’s Next On ‘Game Of Thrones’!