Hordak! Proper Hordak! Not that weirdo Hordak from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power garbage. This is the leader of the Evil Horde we all know and love. The guy who throws Skeletor’s sass right back in his boney face!
Like with other Mondo releases, this 12″ figure has added details not typically seen in previous Masters of the Universe toys. Hordak, as he is seen here, is more in line with the 200X version that appeared in the King Grayskull story.
His color scheme is still in line with the classic Mattel toy, except for his head. This one keeps the chalky white, as seen in the Filmation cartoon. However, Hordak does not come with an interchangeable cannon arm. He does get a staff, crossbow, and a few extra hands. MondoMondoMondo
The leader of the Evil Horde, and former master of Skeletor, Hordak is one of Eternia’s most infamous adversaries. Betrayed by his former pupil, Skeletor, Hordak was locked away in a different dimension only to soon escape and plot his revenge on Skeletor and all of Eternia. Returning with his army called the Evil Horde, Hordak vowed to destroy Skeletor and take down He-Man and Castle Grayskull in the process!
After many years, Hordak has finally arrived in Mondo’s Masters of the Universe 1:6 Scale figure line. Featuring an awesome updated looked to his amor and weapons, this figure is covered in rich detail. Hordak also comes with a removable cape, staff, crossbow and 4 pairs of swappable hands.
This Hordak figure has all of the following features and accessories:
Approximately 12 inches (30.48cm)
Made of plastic and fabric
Over 30 points of articulation
Wide selection of accessories
Sculpted by Matt black
Hordak figure
4 Pairs of hands
Staff
Crossbow
Cape
Stand
To preorder your leader of the Evil Horde, head on over to the Big Bad Toy Store. You can also place an order directly through Mondo here. Hordak will run you $230 and will ship this August.
Who should be next in Mondo’s line? The Sorceress? Ram Man? Mekaneck? Orko? Let us know in the comments.
Red Queen, a young adult fantasy novel written by Victoria Aveyard, has been a project Elizabeth Banks has been after for a few years. It had stalled in the past but is going full steam ahead. This turn of events is thanks to the NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock.
Banks will, of course, write, direct, produce, and play a “major” supporting role in the series. Arrow writer/producer Beth Schwartz co-wrote the pilot with Aveyard. This is a good sign, as some of her Arrow episodes were quite enjoyable. Then again … some were not.
The plot description of the series given by Variety is succinct enough, “…set in an alternate near-future America where democracy is replaced by a monarchy led by a group of humans with superpowers who rule with an iron fist over those without powers. Mare, a fiery young woman born to poverty without powers, is doing the best she can to survive and protect her family when she discovers the unthinkable: She somehow has powers too. This shocking discovery turns our world upside down and catapults our unlikely hero to become the face of a revolution for the oppressed while searching for the truth behind the greatest mystery of all…how she became so powerful in the first place.”
Not overly original, but it’s nice to see a project with superpowers that isn’t clothed in DC or Marvel spandex. There is an underlying worry that crept up while reading that, though.
If the plot of this series feels like it has the potential to be politically charged, that’s up Elizabeth Banks’s alley. She is no stranger to pushing activism in her work to disastrous effect. Anyone who saw the Charlie’s Angels reboot could agree. Banks may not have had input into the pilot script, but what will be her input afterward?
Her adversarial view of men may not go over well when she tries to market a new project to the masses. Do men watch strong women on TV? This was her preemptive statement before Angels flopped, “If this movie doesn’t make money it reinforces a stereotype in Hollywood that men don’t go see women do action movies.”
I’ll give most things in the entertainment industry a chance. If the writing sucks, I leave. If the characters are boring, I turn it off. If the plot has the consistency of a rural back road in Florida, I’ll pass.
I’m all for an underdog story. Taking out the powers that be by using their own strengths against them? Yes, please. Load it up with dialog and talking points that are as subtle as a sledgehammer to the testes? No, thank you. If I wanted that, I’d go back on Twitter.
What are your thoughts on Banks adapting this young adult novel? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Variety]
‘Kemono Jihen’ is a popular dark fantasy Shonen manga released through ‘Jump Square’ magazine since 2016. A twelve-episode anime adaption was announced at the Jump Festa ’20, the Japanese studio Ajia-do Animation Works developing the series.
Funimation recently announced on their blog that they have acquired the license to produce an English along with a cast list of who will portray the characters.
“If you haven’t experienced the supernatural shounen series Kemono Jihen just yet, there’s never been a more perfect time,” they write. “Why? Well, we’re excited to announce that the Kemono Jihen English dub is officially on its way.”
The includes Madeleine Morris (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) as Kabane, a 13-year-old ghoul-human hanyo or hybrid who was raised by his abusive aunt. He discovers his parents went on a journey to find the “Life Calculus” and cure him. He sets off on an adventure to find them. Patrick Seitz (My Hero Academia) will portay Inugami, a detective who solves mysteries regarding ghouls and takes care of Kabane.
The rest of the cast includes A.J. Beckles as Shiki; Cassie Ewulu (Horimiya) as Akira, Kristen McGuire (Dr. STONE) as Inari.
Brittany Lauda will serve as ADR Director with Jessica Cavanagh as Scriptwriter and Tyler Walker as Script Supervisor.
The first two episodes will debut on the Funimation NOW streaming service on May 23. In Japan, the series was directed by Masaya Fujimori with Nozomi Tachibana designing the characters.
Check out the trailer:
Written and illustrated by Shō Aimoto, the official synopsis for ‘Kemono Jihen’ explains, “Special detective Kohachi Inugami is sent to investigate a grisly phenomenon involving animal corpses near a remote mountain village. But after meeting a strange boy who agrees to help, he discovers cursed supernatural forces at work. Little by little, Inugami uncovers the truth behind the killings and the boy who may not even be human.”
‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ is an animated series following the starship U.S.S. Cerritos and the crew featuring the unlucky Boimler (Jack Quaid), rebel Mariner (Tawny Newsome), naive Tendi (Noël Wells), and eager engineer Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). The wackiness of acts as a sort of self-parody of Gene Roddenberry’s science fiction adventure franchise.
Series creator Mike McMahan sat down with Collider to discuss the show and what he has in store for season two.
“I think that parody and homage kind of live hand in hand when you’re doing the kind of stuff we’re doing,” he said. “We did kind of edge into parody because we are fitting an entire two-hour something movie into less than 30 minutes and you want to hit all of the beats that makes it feel like a Star Trek movie, but also say something about your characters so it comes fast, it comes hard, it’s a little bit more on the nose, maybe, in a good way.”
When asked how much freedom he was given, he answered, “Total freedom.”
“And on no other show do I police myself as much, because I’m such a fan of Star Trek that it’s important to me that we are as funny as we can be without breaking Star Trek at all times and without being mean about Star Trek,” McMahan explained. “But the bedrock of everything is we just want to make an amazing Star Trek show that happens to be fast, funny and animated.”
The showrunner also teased what is coming for the second season.
“The new security officer, I just want to tease, is very funny and I love him as well,” he said. “I think we’re going to be seeing Boimler’s got a bit of a be careful what you wish for, with being on the Titan. So we’re going to have Jonathan Frakes as Riker back and the Pakleds still remain a threat. I don’t know. Season 2 feels like the last three episodes of Season 1, but just right from the get-go. It feels like we know what we’re doing, we’re having a good time doing it, and then we’re actually writing Season 3 now.”
The second season of ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ is set to premiere in August on the Paramount Plus streaming service.
Remakes, reboots, soft reboots, semi-sequels, semi-prequels, or soft stools. Call them what you will, but Hollywood will never stop producing them. As long as there was once an audience for a property and the nostalgia can still be tapped, studios will resurrect properties.
Not even the candyman is safe. Seriously. Candyman got a reboot. Now Willy Wonka is too.
Over at Variety, we learned that the Willy Wonka prequel ‘Wonka’ has its lead actor. Timothee Chalamet of 2021’s Dune and Call Me by Your Name has been cast as the conjuror of sweets and the teacher of strict lessons to children.
The 26-year-old actor will be playing a younger version of Willy Wonka, possibly before gaining fame and fortune. The plot details are scarce, but there’s some information that will help us speculate.
The big question is, where will the story sit in the world of Wonka films? Will it be standalone? Will it be set before the Mel Stuart movie or Tim Burton’s? Will the Oompa Loompas be in it, and will they be orange little child-tormenting jerks?
Whether this film will be a new take on the character based more on Roald Dahl’s books than the classic 1971 adaptation is unknown. It will, however, be a musical. So, I’m leaning towards this being a loose prequel. This would allow Warner Bros. to cash in on nostalgia and republish the blu-ray.
On the other hand, trying to recreate a young version of Gene Wilder would be unfair to Chalamet. It’d be unfair to anyone who took the role, honestly. We’ve seen how these things have turned out before … like Solo.
Wonka ’71 is a family favorite, but I would like to see the studio try something new or closer to Dahl’s original works than copying Mel Stuart’s film. Just don’t make WW out to be a creepy Michael Jackson clone like Tim Burton did. Ugh.
Paul King, the director of the two live-action Paddington films, is slated to direct Wonka. Paddington was very charming and inoffensively heartwarming at times. It may not have been my cup of tea as a cynical journo, but I’ll admit that the films do have a Wonka-ish feel to them.
Do you think the origin story of a young Willy Wonka needs to be told? Is the journey of the confection creator an interesting story to tell? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
[Source: Variety]
The DC Extended Universe film franchise has been in a state of flux since the release of Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ and the recent merger between Warner Media with Discovery after AT&T spun the company off.
Despite this, several projects are in production including ‘The Batman,’ ‘Shazam: Wrath of the Gods,’ as well as ‘Black Adam,’ starring Dwayne Johnson as the DC Comics villain.
The ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ actor took to Instagram where he elaborated more on Black Adam and how he will impact the DCEU.
“If you know the comic book mythology, then you know where his pain comes from,” he wrote. “His rage. His wife and children killed. His people brutally enslaved. He is not a superhero, but rather a champion. Champion of the poor and beaten down. Champion of the people. And he is the most unstoppable force in the DC UNIVERSE.”
Johnson added that he “wanted to give you guys a little (Black Adam) update and share this image with you from set. Production is coming along GREAT and I’m very pleased with the movie we’re making. Black Adam’s mythology, ethics and actions no doubt will create a new paradigm in the world of superheroes, villains & antiheroes. The power will shift.
The line will blur. From a slave to a God.”
As previously reported by D-Rezzed, Dwayne Johnson announced the release date of the film on Instagram.
“A disruptive and unstoppable global force of a message from the man in black himself,” the caption reads. “BLACK ADAM is coming July 29, 2022. The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change.”
Besides Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the movie will also feature James Bond star Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson aka Dr. Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Adrianna Tomaz as Isis, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.
‘The Commuter’ director Jaume Collet-Serra will helm the movie.
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ is one of the most anticipated upcoming movie sequels. Based on the SEGA video game, speculation has run wild on what the plot of the film will be and what nefarious plot Dr. Robotnik has planned.
According to GeekVibes Nations, one leak may have the answer. A Twitter user going by the screen name of “Rocks the Squirrel” posted a screenshot from a copyright website which he claims is the plot to ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2.’
The text explains, “After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is ready for more freedom, and Tom and Maddie agree to leave him home while they go on vacation. But, no sooner are they gone, when Dr. Robotnik comes back, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to both build and destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. Being directed by Jeff Fowler, and starring Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and Ben Schwartz.”
While this is an exciting development, it must be taken as a rumor as it has not been independently confirmed.
It has not been announced who will portray Knuckles in the sequel or whether his homeland of Angel Island will appear on screen.
As D-Rezzed previously reported, leaked images from the set of the film did show props resembling Sonic’s longtime flying fox sidekick Tails and his “friendly nemesis” Knuckles the Echidna.
It has been confirmed that Tim Folwer is returning to direct with Ben Schwartz returning to voice Sonic. ‘Horton Hears a Who’ actress Colleen O’Shaughnessey will voice Tails for the Paramount Pictures production.
The two-tailed fox made his first appearance in the 1992 SEGA Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and has been Sonic’s consistent sidekick throughout the game series. Knuckles made his debut in the third entry to the original Sonic franchise.
Dare! Dare to collect all the Transformers: The Movie figures if you can! Yes, this has been a right pain. Empty pegs have been a common occurrence since the pandemic started. Stores like Target and Walmart get either one of each figure or none at all, but the pegs stay up for months, never getting stocked.
How do we solve this? Just preorder through Entertainment Earth. I love supporting businesses in my town, but if I go in every week and the shelves are bare, it’s time to go elsewhere.
Aside from the Masters of the Universe: Origins line, the 1986 Transformers figures have been almost impossible to come upon in the wild. For a time, you could find 20+ Blurs on the shelf, but never anyone else. Then suddenly, you’d spot one Hotrod, then a dry spell before another dozen Blurs would magically show up.
I get it. The character was somewhat cool because of John Moschitta Jr.’s cameo, but come on!
When I saw that one of my favorite transformers from the film was going to come out, I pre-ordered to save myself the headache.
This August, we’ll be getting the junk planet transformer Wreck-Gar, the Sharkticon Gnaw, and the Dinobot Slug. Slug comes with a tiny Daniel Witwicky in his transforming suit. HasbroDon’t dare to be stupid, and pre-order now!
What I’ve liked about this line is that they’re still toys and not delicate display pieces. I was six when the film came out. So, I remember the amount of play my Transformers got. This doesn’t mean they don’t look great on a shelf. They do. Part of the fun of having the toys was that they weren’t fragile works of art that would break into a million pieces upon hitting the floor, or wall, or whatever was at the end of the playground slide.
Netflix continues to show that it remains top dog in the streaming wars, when it seems as though they are always either making, or hosting, new content for their customers. Love them or not, Netflix has been consistent with bringing more things to the table for people to watch.
In recent days, the Facebook page for Rurouni Kenshin The Movie had announced that Rurouni Kenshin Saishusho: The Final, will be coming to Netflix in the following places:
Latin America: Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico and applicable regions
Asia: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines
As well as in UK, Turkey, Italy, Canada, US, Australia, and Germany
Netflix will also be making the other three live action adaptions available on their streaming platform. Currently, only The Final has a Netflix page. All four movies will be available on June 18th. In Japan, the last movie, Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, will be in theaters on June 4th, so we will likely have to wait a bit longer for that one to be made available worldwide.
The Rurouni Kenshin Facebook page shared a screenshot of each Kenshin movie Netflix page, for all to look forward to seeing next month.
Movie 1 – Rurouni Kenshin: Origins
Here is the trailer:
Movie 2 – Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno
See trailer here:
Movie 3 – Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends
See the trailer here:
Movie 4 – Rurouni Kenshin: The Final
On Netflix, the summary says: In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who’ve vowed their revenge.
See trailer here:
Lately, the Rurouni Kenshin team have been promoting the fifth and final movie in the live action movie adaption series. Here is one promo photo they’ve shared:
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning is about how Kenshin Himura came to be known throughout Japan as the legendary Battousai the Manslayer, and the mystery behind the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.
Watch the trailer here:
Although it is bit disappointing the last two movies will not be getting a theatrical release, outside of Japan, like the first three did, it will still be fun to finally get to see the conclusion to a well-beloved story. The original story was written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki, which was serialized from 1994-1999 at 28 volumes. It was followed by a 94 episode anime series from 1996-1998, as well as several animated movies.
So what do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing these movies on Netflix?
Netflix is aiming to highlight Asian-American creatives that will feature three different parts of Asian cultures.
Jane Lee, Manager, Original Animation at Netflix, says, “These films and series join our incredible slate of animation from world class Asian American creators with different styles, unique voices, and a broad range of stories to tell including Academy Award-nominated film Over the Moon from Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou; City of Ghosts from Elizabeth Ito; and upcoming series and films like Centaurworld from Megan Nicole Dong; Oni from Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi; Ghee Happy from Sanjay Patel; Witch Boy from Minkyu Lee; and Steps from Alyce Tzue.”
I love the power of animation because it unlocks imagination and potential, empowering us to build new realities and see ourselves as the heroes. With each colorful frame and character we get to create together, we are defining our own world for kids around the world who don’t have to wait to see someone like them in the end credits.
Jane Lee
Here are 3 titles that have been confirmed to be coming to Netflix:
THE MONKEY KING (2023) is an animated action-comedy film executive produced by legendary filmmaker Stephen Chow (Mermaid), produced by Academy Award-nominated Peilin Chou (Over the Moon) and Kendra Haaland (co-producer of How to Train Your Dragon 2), and directed by Academy Award-nominated Anthony Stacchi (The Boxtrolls).
Inspired by China’s famous legend Journey to the West, the film tells the story of a very special Monkey, and his magical fighting Stick, who team up to fight against gods, demons, dragons, and the greatest enemy of all, Monkey’s own hubris!
The movie will feature all-Asian voice talents of Jimmy O. Yang, Bowen Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Jo Koy, Ron Yuan, Hoon Lee, Stephanie Hsu, Andrew Pang, Andrew Kishino, Jodi Long, James Sie and BD Wong.
“The Monkey King has endured for generations with his unique character and spirit. I’m so excited to be collaborating with Tony, Peilin, and everyone at Netflix to bring this joyful tale to audiences worldwide!” says Stephen Chow.
BOONS AND CURSES (2023) is a comedy-action animated series hailing from creator and executive producer Jaydeep Hasrajani and series co-executive producer Jake Goldman.
In the magical land of Maya, a cosmic war is on the horizon. The Raj and his monstrous army threaten to destroy any who stand against them! The universe itself hangs in the balance and our only hope is… 3 feet tall and made of butter. Claiming to be a cursed warrior from another time, Baan may have been transformed into solid ghee but he won’t let that stop him! Teaming up with Rani, a young thief with delusions of grandeur, Baan must use every arrow in his quiver if he wants to defeat the Raj. Heavily inspired by ancient South Asia, Boons and Curses is an adventure-comedy highlighting the myths and legends that have enraptured generations.
“Growing up, I used to think of the hyphen in “Indian-American” as a separator between two parts of myself,” says Hasrajani. “With Boons and Curses I want to turn that hyphen from a wall into a bridge, not just for me, but for anybody who has ever felt that they were caught between two worlds. Using the beauty of South Asian mythology, folktales, and culture, our talented and passionate crew is so eager to share an exciting and hilarious adventure that can resonate with everyone the world over.”
MECH CADETS (2023) is an animated series based on the Boom! Studios comic series Mech Cadet Yu by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa. The series is executive produced by Boom! Studios, Japanese studio Polygon Pictures Inc. and Aaron Lam who serves as the writer and an executive producer of the series.
Fifty years in the future, after a terrifying alien species attacked our planet, teenager Stanford Yu works as a janitor at the Sky Corps Military Academy. But he’s only dreamed of one thing his entire life — to pilot a Robo Mech, giant robots from outer-space who came to our aid. When he finally gets his shot, Stanford and his classmates must put aside all personal differences and work together as a team in order to defend humanity against a new invasion of aliens.
“It is important for us to create stories that exemplify our teams’ diverse voices and art as a studio based in Tokyo, Japan,” says Jack Liang, Executive Producer, Polygon Pictures, Inc. “As part of our mission ‘to do what no other has done, in unparalleled quality, for all the world to see and enjoy’ we are ecstatic to have alongside with us, our supervising director, Tohru Patrick Awa, writer and executive producer, Aaron Lam and our talented diverse team of writers, to visualize the wonderful story created by Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa and Boom! Studios. We all are honored to work with Netflix, and to tell a story that we hope will inspire future storytellers around the world.”
What do you think about these new releases coming up? Do any of them look interesting?
