Author: Shawn Madden

Comic enthusiast. Lover of Mexican food. Movie watcher. Destroyer of worlds. Or...something like that.

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Bringing Back Spider-Man 2099?

by Shawn Madden

During the Amazing Spider-Man panel at New York Comic-Con this past weekend, a young fan asked:

“Why you don’t do ‘Spider-Man 2099’ comics anymore?”

The crowd got excited over this question. Steve Wacker then replied with:

“We’ll do it for you. We don’t know when and where.”

Could he have been just saying this to make the kid happy or could we possibly honestly see the return of fan-favorite Miguel O’Hara? I wouldn’t doubt this being that O’Hara has actually had a big role in recent Spider-Man games including Edge Of Time and Shattered Dimensions.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Blu-Ray Gets It’s Own Trailer

by Shawn Madden

Warner Bros. are now bringing Christopher Nolan’s epic conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download on December 4th, conveniently enough just in time for the Holidays, and they’ve released a special trailer to get you amped up for the release.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

Marvel Studios Gives Edgar Wright’s ‘Ant-Man’ A 2015 Release Date!

by Shawn Madden

Ever since Edgar Wright debuted his test reel and Marvel dropped the logo for the film, the buzz around Ant-Man has been anything but small. Rumors have been floating around that the film would go in to production soon but we’ve yet to hear anything about a release date. That is until today. The film is confirmed to be hitting theaters November 6th, 2015.

 

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, sadly we will have to wait until late 2015 for Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man. Interestingly, the film is set to hit theaters after the untitled sequel to The Avengers. Could we see some “small” surprise in the post credits? It would definitely be a smart moves on Marvel’s part to get people interested in this film. We will keep you updated with all the news surrounding the film…big or small.

Geekscape Comics: George Romero Currently Writing Secret Zombie Comic For Marvel

by Shawn Madden

So, if you could have any one at all write a zombie comic for Marvel, you’d pick George Romero right? Well, it appears your wish is about to come true. The godfather of all zombie film, George A. Romero was recently interviewed at the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival in Sweden by Twitchfilm, and he dropped an awesome little piece of information:

 

Twitch – You’ve said if you were ever given something like fifty-million dollars, you’d just make ten five-million dollar movies. In that regard, what is next? Or even what is the next project you’d dream to make? Is there a novel out there you want to adapt, even non-dead related?

 

Romero – I am in fact adapting a novel right now, and it is a zombie novel, but it’s not my kind of zombies. It’s a novel called The Zombie Autopsies written by a Harvard medical doctor. It’s a wonderful book and I’m having a wonderful time adapting it into a screenplay. I am also working on an original story, which I guess if I had to categorize it, I would say it’s a psychological thriller. it’s….mmm, Psycho like? But it’s not really. I don’t know how to tell you anything more without giving it away. But in reality I don’t actually know for sure what the next one is going to be. It often comes up out of the blue. You just don’t know which one the money is going to come through for. I am also writing a comic for Marvel. I’m writing it now, but it’s plot is a secret.

 

Twitch: Awww c’mon George, just a little nibble? A tid bit?

 

Romero: Well I can tell you it won’t involve any of their on-going characters, there will be no superheroes. But it will involve zombies!

 

We know. You’re excited. We’re excited.

A First Look At RoboCop’s New Motorcycle

by Shawn Madden

With an updated suit to make him move faster…why wouldn’t they give Murphy a new ride to match? Some set photos have emerged giving us a first glance at Murphy’s new motorcycle from RoboCop. 

 In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.

RoboCop is set to hit theaters August 9th, 2013.

Source: NewsCom

Geekscape Comics: Mars Attacks The IDW Universe Next January

by Shawn Madden

Next January we will see a crossover event been Topps and IDW where we will see Mars Attacks take on…well, everyone in a series of one-shots. Spread out over the course of five weeks in January, we will see a series of one-shots with the zany aliens taking on the entire IDW universe.

The series will feature regular covers by Ray Dillon in a style inspired by the classic trading cards, but they’ll also come with some surprising variants allowing Mars to attack a mix of well known creator-owned properties by artists like Mike Allred, =John Byrne, Walt Simonson, Rob Guillory, Dave Sim and Terry Moore nas well as some property variants like Judge Dredd by Ray Dillon.

The brains behind the crossover event, IDW Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer Chris Ryall, had this to say about the upcoming crossover:

“The ‘Mars Attacks’ property is a bit more insane than most of the licenses we have. There’s lots of good carnage in there, so we thought it’d be fun if we could spin that into some of our other books that are more respectful properties. Normally in ‘Transformers’ you don’t get the level of insanity of a ‘Mars Attacks’ comic. We thought it’d be fun to mash that all together.

I wanted ‘Mars Attacks’ to fit into these universes by the rules already established in these books. So if there’s a Popeye story, the Martians can only cause as much damage as you’d see in an old Popeye strip or a Fleischer cartoon. It’s not going to be quite as over-the-top violent as John Layman’s ‘Mars Attacks’ comic. It’ll fit well into the Popeye universe. So every issue is a stand-alone story, and they roll out chronologically by era. Popeye comes first and takes place further back in the timeline around the 1930s.”

Source: CBR

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Announces New ‘Nova’ And ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Series

by Shawn Madden

Well, we kind of already knew about these but it hadn’t been officially announced. Until today that is and with one big surprise. At New York Comic Con today Marvel revealed that next February we will see the release of Guardians Of The Galaxy #0.1 from the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis (The Avengers) and Steve McNiven (Nemesis). The first issue will then hit stands in March. The roster is the same team that will appear in the upcoming movie consisting of Starlord, Groot, Rocket Racoon, Drax, and Gamora. But, that’s not all. There’s a surprise member on the team…Iron Man!

February will also see the launch of a brand new Nova series from the team of Jeph Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween) and Ed McGuinness (Superman/Batman) that will focus on the newest member of the Nova corps, the young Sam Alexander.

Source: Newsarama

Conan O’Brien Joins Cast Of ‘The Dark Knight Returns Part Two’

by Shawn Madden

There’s been no shortage of news coming out of this year’s New York Comic-Con. The most recent bit announcing that late night talk show host Conan O’Brien has joined the cast of The Dark Knight Rises Part 2. O’Brien will be providing the voice of talk show host David Endocrine in the film.

If you’re unfamiliar with the character, The Joker’s appearance on the David Endocrine Show ends wiith him gassing the crowd with the Joker toxin, killing everyone including Endochrine. The Joker also slashes his apologist shrink, Dr. Wolper, to death while on television. I’m pretty sure this is going to make Team CoCo fans very happy. Leno fans? Probably not so much.

Source: IGN

Warner Home Video Announces ‘Justice League: Flashpoint’ & ‘Superman: Unbound’

by Shawn Madden

Warner Home video has announced their upcoming slate of animated features at this year’s New York Comic-Con 2012, which includes two new full-length DC features.

The first being an adaptation of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s comic book Superman: Brainiac, will officially be called Superman: Unbound, and will hit shelves Summer 2013.

The final feature of 2013 will be Justice League: Flashpoint, an adaptation of the comic event Flashpoint that led to DC’s New 52.

Source: World’s Finest

Joe Quesada Reveals That Marvel Currently Has Another Movie In The Works

by Shawn Madden

Newsarama caught up with Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada during New York Comic Con where they chatted it up about a number of things. The first thing Quesada talked about was Guardians Of The Galaxy. He revealed that you can expect the new Guardians Of The Galaxy title for Marvel NOW! to go along with the movie in some ways.

“There is stuff that I know is going on with the movie that we might be able to apply to the Marvel Cosmic Universe. And try and develop that Synergy. Not to copy one from the other, but to make it look like it’s on the same page.”

He also stated that it is important to make sure that not only is it important to capture what the comic book fans want in these projects, but also to make sure general audiences understand what they are seeing in these movies.

Quesada also revealed that there is currently a secret project that him and Marvel Studios are working on right now.

“There is a project I am very much involved in, and I’ll give you this hint. I have to go to the West Coast to work on it. There have been rumors about it little things have leaked here and there, but there has been no official announcement.”

So, looking at things, there are a couple of movies that have been talked about but nothing official up to now but there are definitely two major ones. We could possibly be looking at a Black Panther or Doctor Strange film to finally be announced but it will most likely not happen until next year’s San Diego Comic-Con most likely.

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Unveils Relaunched ‘Secret Avengers’ From Nick Spencer And Luke Ross

by Shawn Madden

Next February, Secret Avengers is getting relaunched from the creative team of Nick Spencer (Iron Man 2.0) and Luke Ross (Captain America). But, this isn’t going to be the same Secret Avengers we’re used to.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. has decided that they want their own Avengers team. But Avengers are loose cannons: They’re independent operators, they don’t have security clearance, they have a history of becoming bad guys.”

This sounds pretty normal except for one small thing. Well, it’s not that small. According to Entertainment Weekly:

“Thanks to the memory implant technology first seen in the 2005 Brian Michael Bendis-scripted series Secret War, Nobody on this team actually knows that they’re on this team.”

Meaning that with one word they join the team only to have thier memories wiped clean directly after the mission.

Nick Spencer’s breakdown of the core members of the team:

Hawkeye: “Clint led the last incarnation of Secret Avengers, the team that Steve Rogers put together. He’s not in charge anymore. So there’s some adjustment to be made. He’s in an interesting place. But I have to keep quiet!” 

Black Widow: “She has a such a higher profile than ever. She’s kind of the leading female character at Marvel at this point.” 

Nick Fury: “One of the most important distinctions between this Nick Fury and the Nick Fury that a lot of folks are familiar with from the film franchise is that this Nick is a field agent, and he’s a very new field agent. He comes from a lot of time in military service in Afghanistan, and that shapes his worldview and his standard operating procedures.” 

Mockingbird: “Also known as Bobbie Chase, Hawkeye’s Ex-Wife. So we have some fun dynamics to play with there.” 

Taskmaster: “A favorite of mine. I was at the Con today, and I saw three Taskmaster costumes!” 

Iron Patriot: “I can’t reveal the identity of the Iron Patriot yet, but I think people are gonna like how he ends up in that suit. That’s a suit that has a lot of history in the Marvel Universe, none of it good.” 

Hulk: “An on-call member of this team, and a walking weapon of mass destruction. They’ll use him judiciously, but when they do, it’ll really count.” 

The Winter Soldier: “[Bucky will have] a huge role in the book.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly

J. Michael Straczynski To Pen Big Screen Adaptation Of Valiant’s ‘Shadowman’

by Shawn Madden

Well, this is unexpected. Deadline reports that Valiant Entertainment and producer Sean Daniel (The Mummy) have teamed up to bring Shadowman to the big screen. J. Michael Straczynski, who probably needs no introduction, has signed on to write the script for the film. The logline for the film, according to the site, is as follows:

 

 

 

“The forces of darkness are determined to claim New Orleans as their own, and Jack Boniface must accept the legacy he was born to uphold, in order to stop them. As Shadowman, Jack is about to become the only thing that stands between his city and an army of unspeakable monstrosities from beyond the night. He must pay a high price and master his new abilities before Master Darque brings down the wall between reality and the eldritch darkness of the Deadside.”

 

Straczynski stated:

 

“Shadowman is a character who lives in a unique world that mixes the modern world with that which is most ancient within us. The New Orleans vibe and history, and the struggle to find a balance with the personality within him, is a perfect dramatic vehicle. We’ve already finished the outline and there’s a lot of action, much of it unique to what Shadowman can do…but at the core of it, there’s a strong character, world and mythology that can be explored across multiple subsequent films. This is gonna be fun.”

 

Valiant has a new Shadowman series hitting stands next month from the creative team of Patrick Zircher and Justin Jordan. Of all of their characters this is definitely that last one expected but could turn out to be the most interesting. As usual, sound off with your thoughts in the box below.

First Look At Deathstroke On The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

In the series premiere of The CW’s Arrow this week, us fans got something that got us very excited. We saw a quick shot of a very well known DC Comics assassin’s mask and word has been out for awhile that Deathstroke would be appearing on the show.

In the upcoming episodes “Damages”, which also will see the debut of John Barrowman’s character, Deathstroke is coming to Starling City. Let’s just say we can expect things to get ugly. Arrow is definitely basing their version of the character on his comic book version when it comes to the look…and hopefully he comes with the skills to match. Honestly, I think we’re all excited for this one.

Source: IGN

Official Synopsis For ‘Thor: The Dark World’ Revealed!

by Shawn Madden

So, for awhile now we have kind of known what Thor: The Dark World would be about but not quite the scope of it. Filming on Thor: The Dark World is still currently underway in London and today the first official synopsis for the Asgardian pic has been revealed including the full cast list.

Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor: The Dark World is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne (credit not final) and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (credit not final) and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book Journey into Mystery“ #83 in August, 1962.

Thor: The Dark World is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle and Nigel Gostelow. The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Source: Stitch Kingdom

First Look At John Barrowman On The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

The first look at John Barrowman’s character in Arrow have been revealed and we also know what episode he will make his debut in. Do we know what his role is yet? Nope. We still have no clue who Barrowman will be playing in the series. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that we will first see Barrowman appear in episode five titled “Damaged”.

His character code name at the moment is still “The Well-Dressed Man” who “is as mysterious as he is wealthy” as well as “an acquaintance of the Queen family and a prominent figure in Starling City”. In the second image you can see him talking to Oliver’s mother, could he have something to do with the big reveal at the end of the episode?

If you missed the series premiere of Arrow you can catch it at 8 pm tonight on The CW.

Sony Hires New Writer For ‘Masters Of The Universe’

by Shawn Madden

Variety reports that Sony Pictures and Escape Artists have hired Richard Wenk (co-writer of The Expendables 2) to rewrite their He-Man pic, Masters Of The Universe. Alex Litvak and Mike Finch wrote the initial draft of the script, which was originally titled “Grayskull”.

Wenk has most recently penned the script for Sony’s The Equalizer, which is a big screen remake of the television series that will star Denzel Washington. He has also worked on many action-based scripts, so don’t worry about the action in this flick, which also include 16 Blocks and The Mechanic. Jon M. Chu (GI Joe: Retaliation) is set to direct the movie which “follows a young prince who becomes a warrior and sets out to defeat the evil Skeletor and fulfill his destiny as He-Man”. Let’s see if they can make a legit flick out of a somewhat cheesy property.

‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Characters Getting Visual & Story Updates

by Shawn Madden

Another piece of news coming from the guys over at Latino Review, who so far have been pretty spot on when it comes to Marvel Studios, is that three of the characters in Guardians Of The Galaxy are getting a little more focus at the moment.

Star-Lord, Gamora and Drax The Destroyer will be getting visual and backstory updates to meld them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s easy to see where Star-Lord fits in with the plot synopsis of the film being “a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants.” You can also tell from the concept art alone that his suit is definitely going to be different than the Star-Lord we’re used to in the comics.

Basically, look for these backstories to get a slight change to make more sense as far as the movies are concerned and their costumes to get a bit of a touch up. Gamora and Drax’s backstories are mainly getting updates due to their connection with the Mad Titan, Thanos.

 

More Casting Updates For ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

by Shawn Madden

The guys over at Latino Review, who tend to have a pretty good track record when it comes to inside info on Marvel Studios films, have revealed some new casting updates for Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The site has revealed that despite the sequel’s female lead shortlist including Emilia Clarke, Jessica Brown Findlay, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots, and Alison Brie, Marvel has “the most traction with” actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World).

Additionally, the site reveals that there are apparently two undisclosed male roles that duo directors Joe and Anthony Russo are in the process of casting. One role being American and one being foreign, with both being described as “physical”, these roles could possibly be villain roles, Baron Zemo has been long rumored to appear in the sequel. So, who is on the short list for these roles? The first two are Nikolaj Coster Waldau (Game Of Thrones) and Josh Holloway (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).

While those two are expected to be screen-tested, the site also goes on to reveal that Kevin Durand (Resident Evil: Retribution) may also be considered, even though that possibility is “more clinging to edge of it from the sound of things”. I’d love to see Kevin Durand in more movies, that’s for sure. But what about you guys?

Kickstarter Launched For David Fincher’s ‘The Goon’

by Shawn Madden

After spending plenty of their own money and releasing a proof of concept clip that was very well received, the team behind bringing this project to life can’t seem to get this project into production. In order to raise the necessary funds to make The Goon movie happen David Fincher, Eric Powell, Blur Studios and Dark Horse Entertainment have launched a Kickstarter campaign.

 “After investing hundreds of thousands of their own money and countless hours of effort, the team has opted to reach out to The Goon fanbase, comic book lovers, the movie industry, and frankly anyone with a pulse willing to donate, with a Kickstarter campaign to take their development efforts to the next level.”

Paul Giamatti and Clancy Brown would be returning as Frankie and The Goon. David Fincher would be producing the film that will have Blur’s Tim Miller and Jeff Fowler co-directing. Check out all the information about the campaign and donate by clicking HERE. They also have plenty of cool stuff for those who pledge a bit more to the campaign.

First Official Images From ‘Mockingbird Lane’

by Shawn Madden

Are you one of the many curious to see Bryain Singer and Brian Fuller’s Mocking Bird Lane, a modern remake of The Munsters?  Mockingbird Lane. Well, on Friday, Oct. 26 you’ll have your chance when NBC airs the pilot as a Halloween special. We also have a gallery of official images from the pilot to check out.

The pilot, written by Bryan Fuller and to be directed by Bryan Singer, is described as a reinvention of the 1960s sitcom about The Munsters, a family of “monsters” — vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein, and their “plain” cousin (Charity Wakefield) — that will feature striking visuals in the vein of Fuller’s ABC dramedy Pushing Daisies. O’Connell will play family patriarch, the handsome and gangly Herman Munster, a great dad and devoted husband. He is married to Lily, a vampire, with whom he has fathered a 10-year-old boy, Eddie (Mason Cook). Strong but sentimental, Herman works at a funeral home, and worries that Eddie’s transformation into a werewolf and burgeoning awareness of his family’s origins will crush the boy’s spirit.

Source: TV Line

Geekscape Comics: Marvel Announces ‘Deadpool: Killustrated’ Mini-Series

by Shawn Madden

Deadpool killed the Marvel Universe…so who’s next? Cullen Bunn and Matteo Lolli will take the direct sequel to Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe to somewhere you definitely aren’t expecting. Deadpool is about to embark on an all new killing spree in Deadpool: Killustrated that will see him take on some of the world’s most famous literary characters.

Writer Cullen Bunn on what to expect from the series:

In this story, Deadpool finds the means to travel through the Ideaverse. This is the place where the stories and characters that inspired the stories and characters of the Marvel Universe exist. Deadpool believes that if he can destroy them, he can retroactively destroy the characters and stories they inspire. Deadpool’s able to move in and out of different timelines and worlds to do his dirty work, but he’ll find that his presence in the Ideaverse may be having an adverse effect.

As for the characters he’ll encounter, I thought a lot about the tales of classic literature that mean a lot to me — and I thought about how to ruin them. I also tried to think about how those classic characters might correlate to the Marvel characters Deadpool’s trying to kill.

Characters he’ll encounter might include Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, Beowulf, and Don Quixote, among others. In every issue, Deadpool will be running into a few different characters, and I don’t want to spoil some of the surprises.

I loved Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe and am definitely looking forward to this one.

Source: CBR

Ridley Scott Gives An Update On Sequels To ‘Prometheus’ And ‘Blade Runner’

by Shawn Madden

Whether you love it or you hated it, Prometheus was definitely a box office hit this summer. The film grossed $402 million globally and with the DVD/Blu-ray hitting shelves this week…it’s definitely going to be making some more pocket change. So, of course we are getting a sequel. And even if you hated Prometheus, you’re probably going to see the sequel. Director Ridley Scott recently spoke with Metro and gave a small update on what we should expect to see next:

“Prometheus evolved into a whole other universe. You’ve got a person [Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw] with a head in a bag [ Michael Fassbender’s David] that functions and has an IQ of 350. It can explain to her how to put the head back on the body and she’s gonna think about that long and hard because, once the head is back on his body, he’s dangerous. They’re going off to paradise but it could be the most savage, horrible place. Who are the Engineers?”

The Blade Runner sequel also came up in the chat. Scott addressed his involvement with the film as well as further confirming that Deckard was definitely a replicant.

“It’s not a rumour – it’s happening. With Harrison Ford? I don’t know yet. Is he too old? Well, he was a Nexus-6 so we don’t know how long he can live [laughs]. And that’s all I’m going to say at this stage.”

I’m actually looking forward to both of these especially if Scott is going to be directing the Blade Runner sequel. I’m also very curious if they’re going to tie together after that interesting note that seemed to tie the films together. But let’s not jump too ahead of ourselves here.

Geekscape Comics: Jim Lee And Scott Snyder’s ‘Man Of Steel’ Series Confirmed

by Shawn Madden

It’s been a rumor that has been floating around for quite some time now that we would be seeing Scott Snyder (Batman) and Jim Lee (Justice League) teaming up to bring us a new Superman title. Earlier today it was officially announced that we will see Man Of Steel hitting shelves from the creative team of Snyder and Lee. It’s been roughly twenty years since I have a bought a Superman title after being burned as a kid by The Death Of Superman. Well, it looks like that’s about to change.

Snyder comments on where this title fits in the continuity and what we should expect from the first arc:

This will play along with the other Superman books in the sense that it’s in continuity, but we really wanted to carve out our own territory. This really is sort of the biggest, most epic Superman story we could do together while having our feet planted firmly in continuity and making sure that everyone had enough room. For us, this is an independent book and something that will challenge Superman in a big way that’s unique to our book. At the same time, I’m friends with Scott and with Andy too, so we’re really excited to play alongside each other and share ideas. I think one of the interesting things about him is that Clark is always Clark. But for Superman, the thing that makes him such a strong character is that the values he grew up with and the person he was raised to be are still at the core of what makes him the most powerful superhero on earth. This isn’t going to be a story where it’s Clark versus Superman or seeing the two of them split. It’s more about challenges for Superman that rock him to the core emotionally, psychologically and also physically. It really is going to wind up putting him up against someone who can go blow-to-blow with him and really take him down.

Source: CBR

Geekscape Comics: A First Look At Brian Lee O’Malley’s Variant Cover For ‘Young Avengers #1’

by Shawn Madden

Well, this is sure to be a much sought after variant right here. Brian Lee O’Malley, the mind behind Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, will be providing an awesome variant for Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s Young Avengers #1.

Source: Newsarama

NBC To Air ‘Mockingbird Lane’ Pilot As Halloween Special

by Shawn Madden

Been looking forward to NBC’s Mockingbird Lane, the remake of The Munsters? According to the The Hollywood Reporter NBC will be unveiling the pilot for the series, which was directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men), as a Halloween special. While this is good news for you who want to finally see the pilot there is a bit of bad news surrounding the pilot. Recently it was revealed that NBC isn’t too sure that they even want to move forward with the series. Which, is a bit odd due to the show has already reportedly cost them around $10 million.

The pilot, written by Bryan Fuller and to be directed by Bryan Singer, is described as a reinvention of the 1960s sitcom about The Munsters, a family of “monsters” — vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein, and their “plain” cousin (Charity Wakefield) — that will feature striking visuals in the vein of Fuller’s ABC dramedy Pushing Daisies. O’Connell will play family patriarch, the handsome and gangly Herman Munster, a great dad and devoted husband. He is married to Lily, a vampire, with whom he has fathered a 10-year-old boy, Eddie (Mason Cook). Strong but sentimental, Herman works at a funeral home, and worries that Eddie’s transformation into a werewolf and burgeoning awareness of his family’s origins will crush the boy’s spirit.

The CW’s ‘Arrow’: Not Quite A Bulls Eye, But Not Far From The Mark

by Shawn Madden

Not too long ago we posted a review of the pilot for CW’s Arrow. The review wasn’t too positive but regardless I decided to give the show a “shot” tonight. Upon actually watching I definitely disagree with the review. The show definitely isn’t a bulls eye but I don’t think it’s far from the mark and has potential. The thing that some comic fans may miss is that we aren’t the only demographic out there. So, how exactly do you strike a balance between bringing in television audiences that have most likely never even heard of Green Arrow while also attracting fans of the source material? It’s a hard feat to accomplish at times especially with TV budgets.

And sure the pilot does lean at bringing in some new viewers for the show by giving it a CW feel to it. Keep in mind however that the CW feel isn’t too strong that it overpowers the vibe of the show. There are plenty of nods to get fans excited throughout the entire episode as well. The subtle touches that the series seems like it will have will keep the every day audience interested in the story and comic fans interested to see where they go with these characters and interpritations. They appear to be making an effort to keep both audiences happy while not overwhelming or underserving either group.

The series premiere does a great job at grabbing new viewers by introducing them to Oliver Queen’s backstory while not boring them and moving forward with the story at the same time. They did a great job of making quick work of the basics of the story, Oliver Queen is a billionaire playboy who was stranded on an island for five years and presumed dead, and now he’s back in Starling City (Yes, we know it’s not the same city name. Get over it.), and then allowed to establish him as the vigilante hero of the city. They did a pretty neat job of an origin in one episode without actually making it feel too rushed.

Under his new alias, Oliver is hunting down folks from a list of names supplied by his father, which apparently took place before commiting suicide before him, a point that even I got a tad lost on. But moving on…these people are all the people who have screwed up Starling City in one way or another, with the implied aid of the Queen family fortune.

So, let us get this one out in the open. They are definitely trying to Nolan this. And why wouldn’t you? DC has had some of their best success under the work of the man. The thing is they do this and many fans may cry foul but I guess you guys really don’t know the back story on Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow. When Oliver Queen appeared in 1941, he was basically just Batman in a Robin Hood get up. Queen was a billionaire playboy who fought crime as a hobby after surviving on desert island. He had a ward, who was also his sidekick, sound familiar? The only really difference was that that he didn’t have the dead parents to give him that spark. Well, that’s one difference they changed in the show.

Stephen Arnell succeeds at bringing Oliver Queen to life. He definitely does a great job in the role and there’s small things that you notice that make it even better.For example, if you pay really close attention you will notice that Oliver moves quite differently pre and post island. It’s a nice touch. Another thing to note is that there is this distinct lack of comfort to Amell’s performance that really helps ground the character. The rest of the cast is pretty good but nothing amazing. Katie Cassidy as Laurel has the most potential of the rest of the cast but we haven’t seen it yet to be honest. Another thing worth noting is that the premier heavily benefits from David Nutter’s directing. He seemed to make sure that the scenes were visually striking regardless of how much or how little action was taking place in them.

Of course the show had it’s share of bad things in it. Don’t get me wrong. The CGI was just awful in general. You would expect Warner Bros. to put a little more into a property like this as far as that goes. It is really bad. And I definitely was not a fan of the voiceovers in the series. But when it comes down to it, Arrow is definitely a show with potential to appeal to both fans of the comics as well as people who have zero clue who Green Arrow is. I sat down and watched the pilot with my mom who even agreed that she could see herself watching the show again. And in all honesty, I know I am sticking around at least until the episode where Deathstroke makes his appearance.

Rupert Sanders May Direct ‘Van Helsing’ Reboot

by Shawn Madden

A few months ago, it was revealed that Tom Cruise was attached to star and produced the Universal Pictures reboot of Van Helsing. The film will be developed by the team of Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (Star Trek). However, up until now no director had been attached to the project.

Twitch Film is now reporting that Rupert Sanders (Snow White And The Huntsman) is currently in “early and still relatively casual” talks to direct the flick. The site also says that there’s a good chance that the film will be Tom Cruise’s next project after he finishes up shooting Warner Bros. All You Need Is Kill, so you can expect a director to be picked pretty soon. Personally I am hoping they go for a less campy feel this time around maybe go for something along the lines of what Guy Ritchie did with the Sherlock Holmes films.

‘Django Unchained’ Gets A Second Theatrical Trailer

by Shawn Madden

The second bad-ass trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained has been released online and it’s full of plenty of new footage. From the looks of things this movie may be on par or even surpass Inglorious Basterds.  I know where I’ll be on Christmas day.

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award(R)-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award(R)-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles–dead or alive.

Django Unchained hits theaters on December 25th in the US and January 18th, 2013 in the UK.

Set Photos From ‘The Wolverine’ Reveal A First Look At Silver Samurai!

by Shawn Madden

Will Yun Lee (Red Dawn, Die Another Day) has finally been spotted on the set of the set of The Wolverine. Lee will be playing the main villain in the film, Kenuichio Harada aka The Silver Samurai. And from the looks of it we are definitely getting Lee in the full silver armor. Harada has the ability to charge his swords with an electrical current giving them the ability to slice through almost any substance. It appears that the claws are coming out on the set of The Wolverine!

Source: Hartnett.4BB

David Fincher Produced Launch Trailer For ‘Halo 4’ Debuting October 18th!

by Shawn Madden

The first piece of David Fincher material since The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will be hitting in just eight days. Fincher has produced the launch trailer for the highly anticipated Halo 4. The spot is set to debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on October 18th.

Fincher produced the spot and collaborated with Tim Miller, the guy responsible for the awesome opening sequence to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, on the project. Miller directed the trailer which “blends CGI with live action to explore the backstory of Master Chief and provide a glimpse of the new threat he will encounter in Halo 4.”

Halo 4, aka the day all of our social lives die, hits stores on November 6th.

Source: THR