‘Gigli’ star Ben Affleck was controversially cast as Bruce Wayne in Zack Snyder’s second outing directing films for the DCEU ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ He would reprise the role in ‘Suicide Squad’ and both versions of the ‘Justice League.’
He is set to be making his supposed final appearance in the upcoming film ‘The Flash’ and it seems that Affleck is ready for it according to GamesRadar.
“I have never said this… but maybe my favorite scenes in terms of Batman and the interpretation of Batman that I have done, were in The Flash movie,” he said in an interview with the Herald Sun. “I hope they maintain the integrity of what we did because I thought it was great and really interesting — different, but not in a way that is incongruent with the character.”
Affleck continued, “Who knows? Maybe they will decide that it doesn’t work, but when I went and did it, it was really fun and really, really satisfying and encouraging.” He added that the movie has “a really nice finish on my experience with that character.”
Michael Keaton will be joining Affleck on screen as another Batman that will appear in ‘The Flash,’ where actor Ezra Miller will reprise the role of Barry Allen as he traverses through time to meet different versions of Bruce Wayne.
You can check out the trailer for ‘The Flash’ here:
The movie is directed by Andy Muschietti and also stars Ron Livingston, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Sasha Calle, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rudy Mancuso, and Luke Brandon Field.
Affleck and Keaton are joined by Adam West, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Robert Pattinson who have all played Batman in a major motion picture. Kevin Conroy voiced the Dark Knight for the theatrically released animated film ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.’
‘Justice League’ Star Ben Affleck Claims ‘The Flash’ Has His Favorite Batman Scenes
‘Rick and Morty’ Writer Cody Ziglar Talks Writing Spider-Man
Marvel Comics has tapped TV writer Cody Ziglar to take on the “Spider-Man Beyond” storyline unfolding in the wallcrawler’s flagship series ‘Amazing Spider-Man.’ Currently, Peter Parker is presumed dead and his erstwhile clone Ben Reilly has taken up the webs. Ziglar spoke about writing for Spidey and how Reilly is going to be impacted by the plot.
When asked what it was like working on Ben Reilly, Ziglar said, “I think the coolest thing, the thing that really interests me is that he’s Peter, he’s a clone of Peter, but he’s had a much harder life, so he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He’s a guy who doesn’t trust a lot of things, particularly himself. But there’s also an air of desperation that makes him want to believe, he wants to think things will work out.”
“He’s working a little bit harder than Peter would because I think he has been dealt a worse hand. He’s died and been reborn at the hands of the Jackal a bunch of times—he’s been dealt a pretty rough hand. It’s been fun to write from that angle,” he said. “Also, he’s a guy who’s finally getting a win, he’s getting a W, he’s getting what he wants, to carve out his own legacy, to do good and be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man he’s always wanted to prove himself to be. He has as much stability as a person can have in a world with guys named the Lizard and others who have octopus arms. That getting to prove himself aspect is what has drawn me the most to him. What’s his character journey? What’s the thing he has to battle through?”
Ziglar went on to discuss how Kraven the Hunter, Doctor Octopus, and the Kingpin will be making appearances as “Spider-Man Beyond” continues.
Bioware GM Talks Rebuilding Their Reputation, Never Mentions Real Issues
Gary McKay took over the role of Studio General Manager at Bioware in June 2021. The once legendary video game developer has been on the rocks with gamers over the past several years. Between Mass Effect 3’s unrewarding endings to the bait-and-switch, that was Anthem, we all knew that the Bioware of old was dead. The stench of EA was all over whatever this new company was.
Today the GM made a lengthy blog post about the company’s state and what lies ahead. Paragraphs and paragraphs address the recent Mass Effect Legendary Edition release and the “incredible reception” it received. However, McKay does not address Anthem or Mass Effect Andromeda in the text.
Gary McKay states that the company’s reputation does need to be repaired, but he does not expand on why it was damaged, to begin with:
“When I took on the GM role, I talked about rebuilding our reputation, and that remains a huge priority. We are laser-focused on building back the trust of our fans and community, and we plan to do that by delivering the types of games that we are best known for and ensuring they are of the highest quality.”
OK, what exactly does that mean? This sounds more or less like what he said back in June. These nebulous statements aren’t going to renew my confidence in this version of Bioware. Anthem was revealed to be a quickly thrown-together mess and was dumped by the developer not long after launch. Mass Effect Andromeda wasn’t much better, with the version of the game before the first patch being a glitchy disaster full of terrible dialog and terrible character faces.
In short, the General Manager’s post is a word salad full of back-patting and complaining about the environment the pandemic put the company in. Yup, 2020 made things harder, but Bioware’s problems started long before that. Admit that Anthem was a failure and the customers were left high and dry. Transparency will go a long way.
Maybe it is me, but when you talk about rebuilding a reputation, you should address the concerns. The nebulous phrase “highest quality” does not tell me a damn thing. Where were the shortcomings? How were they created? What was done to correct them?
This is frustrating because Bioware, many years ago, delivered great games. So what do you think of the GM’s words? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Bioware]
Japanese Supernatural Crime Drama ‘Signal: The Movie Cold Case Investigation Unit’ Coming To North America
Japanese film director Hajime Hashimoto’s supernatural crime drama ‘Signal: The Movie Cold Case Investigation Unit’ is making its way to North America via a blu-ray DVD release from Shout! Factory and Eleven Arts on March 22, 2022, though it is currently available for pre-order.
The movie follows a police officer who finds an old police radio that allows him to communicate with the past, so he can solve mysteries in the future. It is a continuation of a hit television series from Fuji TV. It is written by Kosuke Nishi and Hiroshi Hayashi with Takashi Hagiwara, Yoko Toyofuku, Ichiryu Obara, Takahiro Kasaoki, and Mai Ishida serving as producers.
Among the cast includes Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kazuki Kitamura, Michiko Kichise, Yuichi Kimura, Tetsuhiro Ikeda, Kaede Aono, Tetta Sugimoto, Nao, Tetsushi Tanaka, Takeshi Kaga, and Tsuyoshi Ihara.
You can watch the trailer below:
Shout describes the synopsis as follows:
“When officer Kento Saegusa (Kentaro Sakaguchi) picks up a dusty old police radio that’s about to be scrapped, it brings him into contact with Takeshi Oyama (Kazuki Kitamura). The two detectives, one from the past and one from the present, have worked together to solve countless cold cases. Now they’re back together once more!
Tokyo, 2021. A high-ranking government official is killed when his chauffeur loses control on an expressway. Saegusa suspects it was far from accidental. Meanwhile, in 2009, parliamentary officials are dying in a succession of fatal car crashes. While the police write them off as accidents, Oyama is the only one convinced of foul play.
This time, Saegusa and Oyama are forced to go up against corruption in their own home: the police force. Will they finally reunite in the present?”
K-pop band BTS are included in the soundtrack with them performing the theme song “Film Out,” with member Jungkook co-writing it with Japanese rock star Iyori Shimizu.
An Anime Version Of ‘The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten’ Is Coming
‘The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten’ is a romantic slice-of-life comedy light novel series by Saekisan with illustrations by Hanekoto. I was originally published by the Japanese publication company Shōsetsuka ni Narō though it was later picked by SB Creative.
Japanese animation studio Project No.9 announced that they had picked up the series for an anime adaption to be directed by Kenichi Imaizumi and written by Keiichirō Ōchi.
“We’re being spoiled rotten today with light novel news out of GA Bunko’s New Year Anime Festival, which now includes the announcement that The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten is getting a TV anime adaptation,” Funimation said on their website. “Narrated by Manaka Iwami (Fruits Basket) as Mahiru Shiina, the trailer previews her first meeting with Amane Fujimiya, played by Taito Ban (Pretty Boy Detective Club), and the budding romance between them.”
“Taku Yashiro (Horimiya) and Haruka Shiraishi (Golden Kamuy) have also been cast as Itsuki Akazawa and Chitose Shirakawa, respectively,” they added.
Project No.9 also released a trailer to commemorate the announcement, though no concrete release date was revealed.
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows, “Amane lives alone in an apartment, and the most beautiful girl in school, Mahiru, lives just next door. They’ve almost never spoken-until the day he sees her in distress on a rainy day and lends her his umbrella. To return the favor, she offers him help around the house, and a relationship slowly begins to blossom as the distance between them closes…”
‘The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten’ has released over eight volumes with several more planned.
Square Enix began releasing the series in manga form through their Manga UP online magazine. The artwork is from Wan Shibata with Suzu Yūki handling the composition. Yen Press acquired the licensing for the North American release.
Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T. Is Getting The Playmobil Treatment
Playmobil’s move into licensed figures and vehicles has marked an interesting time for collectors over the past few years. On the one hand, we love the idea of our favorite characters getting reimagined in a new way. But, on the other, those of us with kids know that these child-friendly toys are going to end up seeing a lot of playtime.
Regardless of that conundrum, Playmobil is pressing on. The toymaker has tackled Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and James Bond. Now it’s time for the Hoff! Yup! David Hasselhoff’s Michael Knight and the talking Trans AM K.I.T.T. are getting the kiddy treatment.
Priced at $89.99 and sized just right for the 3″ tall Playmobil figures, Knight Industries Two Thousand’ crime-fighting car features lights and sounds right out of the classic ’80s show. Unfortunately, Entertainment Earth’s exact phrases and sound effects weren’t listed, but they’d be pretty easy to guess. As shown on the box, K.I.T.T. will probably have the scanner sound effect, turbo boost, and a few lines addressing Michael.
I wasn’t expecting Playmobil to include Devon Miles and Bonnie Barstow. But that’s a nice added feature. Will we get a K.A.R.R. variant in the future?
Speaking from experience, Playmobil’s licensed vehicles are worth the cash, most of the time. However, since K.I.T.T. is $89.99, that may stretch things a bit. The Ghostbusters’ ECTO-1 wasn’t that much, plus it was larger and had more features.
Maybe it’s the cost of doing business with Universal? Who knows?
What do you think of the addition of Knight Rider to the Playmobil line? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Entertainment Earth]
Super7 is Adding Hank Scorpio and Duffman To Simpsons Ultimates Wave 2!
Super7, you now have my undivided attention for this line of Ultimates figures. Generally, I wasn’t looking to spend $55 a figure, but now that you’ve got Hank Scorpio, Duffman, and Krusty the Clown all in one wave? Just take my money. Suck it right outta my pockets, you dirty, dirty toymakers!
The first wave Super7 announced contained an unexpected group including Poochie and robots of Itchy and Scratchy. This second wave is a real improvement! But, of course, adding Hank Scorpio to anything makes it better. He’s the boss I hope to be for my team, complete with the corporate hammocks.
I like Duffman because he reminds me of myself. I’m a corporate shill who loves drinking, and I’ve got a killer body. If I’d not spent $60k on a college degree, I would have gladly taken up a career as a beer spokesman.
Bartman is, well, Bartman. I remember Bart’s alter ego being somewhat popular for a small period in the very early ’90s before everyone started liking Homer and all the secondary characters more. I don’t blame them.
Each character can be picked up individually for $55 a pop or all together for $220.
The newest wave of The Simpsons ULTIMATES! is here to help you continue to build your own menagerie of Springfield’s most interesting characters!
Bartman, Duffman, Hank Scorpio, and Krusty the Clown are made-to-order, highly articulated, deluxe 7” scale action figures featuring a variety of interchangeable parts and iconic accessories inspired by your favorite episodes of The Simpsons.
Super7, I know you read these posts. Wave 3 needs to have Handsome Pete. I am not joking. Handsome Pete is an icon and needs proper representation in the toy medium. Do you hear me?!
What do you think of this new wave of The Simpsons Ultimates action figures? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Super7]
Sony Announces The PS VR2’s Specifications And Launch Game
This week Hideaki Nishino, Playstation’s Senior Vice Present (Platform Experience), announced the details of the system’s next virtual reality device. The Playstation 5 will be getting a whole new visor and controllers. When? We don’t know. We know the exact specs of both the headset and controllers via the Playstation Blog.
Not only do we get the tech specs, but we’ve also learned that Horizon Call of the Mountain by developer Guerrilla and Firesprite (that’s a mouthful) is an exclusive VR game that is being developed exclusively for the PS VR2 hardware.
Now, let’s look at the features Sony is touting for this sequel device:
- Visual Fidelity: For a high-fidelity visual experience, PS VR2 offers 4K HDR, 110-degree field of view, and foveated rendering. With an OLED display, players can expect a display resolution of 2000×2040 per eye and smooth frame rates of 90/120Hz.
- Headset-based Controller Tracking: With inside-out tracking, PS VR2 tracks you and your controller through integrated cameras embedded in the VR headset. Your movements and the direction you look at are reflected in-game without the need for an external camera.
- New Sensory Features: PS VR2 Sense Technology combines eye tracking, headset feedback, 3D Audio, and the innovative PS VR2 Sense controller to create an incredibly deep feeling of immersion. Headset feedback is a new sensory feature that amplifies the sensations of in-game actions from the player. It’s created by a single built-in motor with vibrations that add an intelligent tactile element, bringing players closer to the gameplay experience. For example, gamers can feel a character’s elevated pulse during tense moments, the rush of objects passing close to the character’s head, or the thrust of a vehicle as the character speeds forward. Additionally, PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech makes sounds in the player’s surroundings come alive, adding to this new level of immersion.
- Eye Tracking: With eye tracking, PS VR2 detects the motion of your eyes, so a simple look in a specific direction can create an additional input for the game character. This allows players to interact more intuitively in new and lifelike ways, allowing for a heightened emotional response and enhanced expression that provide a new level of realism in gaming.
Eye-tracking? Yes, please. The original PSVR headset was the only one out of those currently on the market that gave me motion sickness. So maybe this added feature will help with that? Another part I’m thankful for is that we now only have to connect with one wire rather than multiple. It’s USB-C this time. So, perhaps we can use the PS VR2 with the PC?
If you’ve used the original PSVR, you’ll know that the resolution wasn’t that great. The new model features OLED panels with 2000 x 2040 resolution per eye. Combine that with an exclusive Spider-Man web-swinging game, and you’ve got yourself a customer, Sony!
Check out the headset specs below:
[Source: Playstation]
‘The Executioner and Her Way of Life’ Is Getting An Anime Adaption
‘Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road’ is a Japanese manga written by Mato Sato, illustrated by Ryo Mitsuya, and published by Square Enix. It was picked up for an English translation through Yen Press, who published it as ‘The Executioner and Her Way of Life.’
The Japanese animation production company JC Staff picked up the show for an anime adaption. Crunchyroll reports that Iori Saeki will voice Menou with Moe Kahara voicing Akari Tokitō. Yoshiki Kawasaki will serve as the director.
They also released a teaser trailer to go along with the announcement:
Wikipedia describes the synopsis as follows, “Long ago, wanderers, who are called as “Lost Ones,” came from an alternative world known as “Japan” and were given power named “Pure Concept.” They created an advanced civilization with the supernatural force, and the whole world ended up using Japanese as the only language. Nevertheless, the power of “Pure Concept” lost control and brought disaster and calamity to the world. Among those disasters, there are four legendary disasters – Sword of Salt, which turned the whole western continent into salt which melted in the sea; the Pandemonium, which covers the southern archipelago; the Mechanical Society, which controls the Wild Frontier in the east; and the Starhusk, which carved out the center of the northern continent and set it afloat. Those are called “Human Errors” and still impact the world after thousands of years. Since then, Lost Ones, who still arrive in the world from time to time, are treated as a taboo.”
They continue, “Menou is an Executioner and is responsible for eliminating Lost Ones. She attempts to kill Akari Tokitō, a Lost One, but fails to do so. Akari has the Pure Concept of Time and is capable to reverse her death after she has been killed. Menou has to find a way to kill her and has no choice but to stay with Akari.”
The show is produced by Egg Firm and SB Creative with the music will be composed by Michiru.
DC Comics ‘Kingdom Come’ Is Dwayne Johnson’s “Dream Project,” Says Producer
‘Red Notice’ actor Dwayne Johnson is set to appear in two Warner Media projects including ‘Black Adam’ as the title character and ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ as Krypto the Superdog.
With two on the slate, SyFy reports that his longtime producer Hiram Garcia, who also serves as President of Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions, revealed that the DC Comics event ‘Kingdom Come’ is his “dream project.”
“Look, I think the dream project that’s something we’ve always spoken about at Seven Bucks, we would love to make someday, which is a tougher ambition due to, obviously, IP and rules and so forth, but always been obsessed with Kingdom Come, the Mark Waid/Alex Ross joint that those guys did,” Garcia told Collider. “I think that storyline was always so compelling. We’ve always envisioned it as kind of an epic, multi-film saga.”
He continued, “I think that’s something we’ve always dreamed of being able to do. If there was ever a dream project, and not trying to start a fire where it’s like we’re gunning after that, because it’s just pie in the sky, you’d love to be able to tell the story, and I always admired that story of the juxtaposition of old-school heroes versus new-school heroes and how they clash and a world so divided in terms of how they view what is justice now and what was it and what should it be. It’s always just always something very compelling in the big, cataclysmic mash-up of old versus new. That’s something that, look, in a perfect world, we could do it, would love to do it.”
‘Kingdom Come’ is a four-part DC Comics Elseworld miniseries written by Mark Waid and featuring award-winning art from Alex Ross. It follows a divide between the Justice League when Superman decides to open a prison where villains are arrested with impunity. This puts him at odds with Batman who starts a resistance. The events are observed by the Specter and Pastor Norman McCay who was given apocalyptic visions by Sandman. It was originally released in 1993.
