Rare footage of Beatles co-founder and world-renowned musician John Lennon appears in ‘Look At Me’ music video from the 50th Anniversary box set of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
According to Rolling Stone, John Lennon Estate released the previously unseen footage features Lennon playing with guitar, interacting with friends, and hanging out with his wife Yoko Ono. In both color, as well as black and white, we see a rare side of the lyricist as ‘Look At Me’ plays over the video.
Capitol/UMe said in a statement, “In the video … we get a glimpse into the life of John and Yoko and behind-the-scenes of their filmmaking. We see John playing acoustic guitar in between takes, his drum skin from the Sgt. Pepper’s album cover (designed by Joe Ephgrave) and his psychedelic upright piano (painted by Marijke Koger and Simon Posthuma from the Dutch design collective the Fool), the film crew setting up shots, Yoko dancing around the swimming pool while John plays his steel string and a peek into their domestic life and the undeniable connection that bound them together.”
You can watch the video below:
The Beatles alumni started writing “Look At Me” in 1968, but shelved it until the release of his solo album in 1970 where it was co-produced by Yoko Ono and Phil Spectre. Two different versions of the song would be released including on 1998’s John Lennon Anthology and 2004’s Acoustic.
John Lennon also discussed ‘Look At Me’ and what the song meant to him personally.
“A couple of tracks, which one would suppose were written under therapy, like ‘Look at Me’, were written … about a year before therapy,” he said according to UCR. “But the theme was the same: ‘Look at me,’ ‘Who am I?,’ all that jazz. So that’s why I stuck it on that album. But actually it had come from beforehand.”
Rediscovered Footage Of John Lennon Featured In ‘Look At Me’ Video
Wyatt Russell Opens Up About Playing A Different Captain America In The MCU
From pro-Hockey player to Hollywood star, Wyatt Russell stars in the Marvel Studios production ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ as John Walker, the successor to Steve Rogers’ Captain America played by Chris Evans.
“I didn’t know comic books were still a thing. When I was a kid, I didn’t know anyone who read comic books,” Russell told Yahoo. “I grew up with sports and athletes. Bo Jackson was a superhero.”
When asked about MCU fans’ less-than-enthusiastic reaction to his character, Russell, who is not on social media, applauded the audience for being so passionate.
“I love that people have that and the ability to share whatever their feelings are, but it’s not in the cards for me,” Russell said. “If you don’t [get that reaction], you did something wrong.”
“I don’t like telling people how to feel because it’s like explaining your art,” he continued. “It sounds cheesy, but it is. You go out and you do it, and however, you feel is how you’re supposed to feel. I am not here to say, ‘You should like him!’”
The 21 Jump Street star also discussed his audition to play Steve Rogers in ‘Captain America: First Avenger’ before losing the role to Chris Evans.
“I think I was just brought in to read, they probably auditioned a million people,” Russell explained. “It was like anyone who had legs and could walk and could talk auditioned to play Captain America. But it was fun, I don’t remember too much. … But I kind of knew, this wasn’t happening.” He added that he was “too wet behind the ears.”
Russell took a dig at himself saying, “I was not good at acting, probably.”
He continued, “I was not going to be in a Marvel movie. I had been in like two short films and a student film.”
Russell stars in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ which sees Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan returning to their roles as titular heroes. It explores the aftermath of Steve Rogers’ retirement, the fallout after ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ and introduces Russell’s character John Walker as the new Captain America. The show currently airs on the streaming service Disney Plus.
In the comics, John Walker is also the successor to Captain America, but he soon becomes unstable due to the pressure of the role. This forces Steve Rogers to reclaim the mantle with Walker becoming US Agent.
‘Star Wars: Republic Commando’ To Get Physical Releases and Collector’s Editions on PS4 and Nintendo Switch
‘Star Wars: Republic Commando’ was a well-received game by both gamers and critics in 2005. It currently sits at a 78 on Metacritic. The game followed a company of specially trained clones during the Clone War.
It was a squad-based first-person-shooter. It featured some great visuals and the much-missed LucasArts flair. That golden age of ‘Star Wars’ games is sorely missed, but there is a bit of a consolation prize heading our way.
It was surprising to see an article pop up on NintendoLife announcing that the game is making a surprise comeback. While ‘Republic Commando’ has been available digitally on XBOX and PS4, Nintendo Switch powers were left out in the dust until now. A digital version of the title will hit the Nintendo eShop on April 6th, thanks to Aspyr Media. For those of us who prefer physical media, Limited Run Games has that covered.
Pre-orders for the standard and collector’s editions won’t start until April 14th. So, start saving them pennies because that CE is running $89.99 in good ol’ US dollars. What do you get for all that money? Check it out here:
- A physical PS4 copy of the game
- Thermal detonator enamel pin
- Commemorative metal coin
- Art cards
- Steelbook
- Reversible 18″x24″ poster
- Certificate of authenticity
Now that this is a thing, what other classic LucasArts games would you like to see get the Limited Run Games treatment? The original ‘Battlefront’ titles? ‘X-Wing’? Let us know in the comments section.
Warner Bros. Animation Unveils Cast For ‘Batman: The Long Halloween Part One’
Warner Bros. Animation has revealed its ensemble cast for the long-awaited animated adaption of the hit comic book story-arc ‘Batman: The Long Halloween.’ The biggest revelation is that ‘Supernatural’ star Jensen Ackles will voice the Dark Knight and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne.
“Been sitting on this news for while now,” he wrote on Twitter. “So excited and honored to be a part of the ‘Batman’ legacy.”
Ackles previously voiced the former Robin Jason Todd in the animated feature-length film ‘Batman: Under The Red Hood,’ where Bruce Greenwood played Bruce Wayne. Prior speculation centered on ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ star Kevin Conroy voicing the Dark Knight, but the reaction to Ackles’ casting has been largely positive.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the rest of the cast includes Josh Duhamel (Safe Haven) as Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent, Billy Burke (Twilight) as Commissioner James Gordon, Titus Welliver (The Town) as Mob boss Carmine Falcone, David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad) as Calendar Man, Troy Baker (Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison) as the Joker, Amy Landecker (Dan in Real Life) as Barbara Gordon, Julie Nathanson (Swift) as Gilda Dent, Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games) as Alberto, Fred Tatasciore (Kung Fu Panda 2) as Solomon Grundy, and Alastair Duncan (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as Alfred Pennyworth.
The late ‘Glee’ actress Naya Rivera will voice Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman. Rivera passed away in July 2020, but Warner Media confirms that she concluded her voice work for the movie.
The filmmakers also released a brand new image from the movie, showing that the animation will be different from the comic book series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale.
First shot from the upcoming Batman: The Long Halloween animated movie pic.twitter.com/knadZjCVBk
— Batman Shots 📸 (@BatmanShots_) March 31, 2021
The movie will be helmed by Chris Palmer who made his directorial debut with ‘Superman: Man of Tomorrow’ and screenwriter Tim Sheridan, who has penned the script.
‘Cruella’ Actress Emma Stone Downplays ‘Joker’ Comparisons To The Disney Remake
After the release of the first teaser of the Disney remake ‘Cruella,’ the movie’s tone, visuals, and even music were immediately compared to similar properties. Specifically, the DC Comics adaptions ‘Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey’ and ‘Joker,’ starring Joaquin Phoenix over the seeming descent into villainy of its main character after facing trouble in their life.
“It’s hard to call someone a bad ’un completely when you see them from the very beginning,” ‘Cruella’ star Emma Stone told Total Film in an interview.
“It’s very different from Joker in many ways,” she insisted.
While acknowledging that there are similar “thematic lines” in the origin stories of ‘101 Dalmatians’ antagonist Cruella De Vil and the Joker, she insisted that her portrayal is totally different.
“I would never even remotely compare myself to Joaquin Phoenix,” Stone said. “I wish I was more like him.”
‘Cruella’ director Craig Gillespie chimed in, calling ‘Joker’ “a cultural point of reference” for the audience, but stressed that the two films are not similar.
“There are some really deep, emotional things that Cruella’s dealing with that send her to the villainous darker side. So in that sense, it is [similar],” Gillespie said. “But it’s definitely its own thing. Just to sort of reframe Cruella, I thought it was important to show this darker side of her. But there’s going to be a lot of fun, a lot of humor in it. There’s a lot of absolutely delightful banter and rhythm to the style of it, which is different from Joker.”
‘Cruella’ is slated for release in May 2021. Check out the trailer below:
Emma Stone is the third actress to portray the Disney villain in a live-action setting. Glenn Close played Cruella in the 1996 film ‘101 Dalmations’ and its 2000 sequel ‘102 Dalmations.’ The ABC series ‘Once Upon A Time’ featured Victoria Smurfit as the villainous fashionista, giving her the ability to control animals.
DeVil’s first appearance in a Disney setting was the 1961 animated feature ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ where she was voiced by Betty Lou Gerson.
‘Death On The Nile’ Delayed Due To Allegations Against Star Armie Hammer
Kenneth Branagh’s movie adaption of Agatha Christie’s ‘Death On The Nile’ is facing another delay for the theatrical release following allegations and the subsequent police investigation into sexual assault claims against the film’s star Armie Hammer.
Walt Disney Pictures made the call to push the film to February 2022, AV Club reports. They acquired the rights to the movie after its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. With the Los Angeles Police Department investigating Hammer, the production company is trying to decide what to do, not wanting to risk a flop. Reshooting would be “nearly impossible to pull off” citing the massive amount of screentime Hammer’s character has and the large ensemble cast including Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, Sophie Okonedo, Russell Brand, Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders who have moved on to other projects.
The movie has already been delayed six times, due to the Fox buyout and then over cinema closures during the coronavirus lockdowns.
Watch the trailer below:
Hammer faces allegations of rape and sexual assault following leaked private messages where ‘The Lone Ranger’ actor mentioned some bizarre fantasies including cannibalism. According to People Magazine, a young woman came forward with rape charges leading to a subsequent police investigation by the LAPD. Hammer is denying all of the allegations.
‘Death on the Nile’ is not the only movie to be affected by the police investigation against the ‘Social Network’ star. Hammer exited the Amma Asante directed Cold War thriller ‘Billion Dollar Spy,’ where he was set to be co-stars with Mads Mikkelsen. Hammer departed the Watergate scandal miniseries ‘Gaslit’ and was replaced by Josh Duhamel in the Jennifer Lopez film ‘Shotgun Wedding.’
His minor role in the Taika Waititi film ‘Next Goal Wins’ has been cut from the film by production company Searchlight.
Future projects were also cast in doubt after his talent agency and longtime publicist both ceased representing him.
Mel Gibson Spotted Filming New Spy Thriller In Georgia
Eager fans living in Augusta, Georgia were excited to get a glimpse of ‘Braveheart’ actor Mel Gibson during on-location filming of the new spy flick ‘Agent Game,’ directed by Grant S. Johnson of ‘Nighthawks’ fame. The actor was shooting scenes in the city’s downtown area near Augusta University.
Several of the film’s producers also posted images of themselves eating at the Pinnacle Club on AU’s campus, reports the August Chronicle. This has caused great excitement for the city as crowds gathered at areas where notices were posted about the filming in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Gibson or one of his co-stars. One local recognized the actor right away citing his roles in ‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘Mad Max.’
“I think it’s definitely cool,” he said.
Augusta Film liaison Jennifer Bowen told the Augusta Chronicle, “It’s fantastic to have filming going on again in Augusta. This is actually our second production this year.”
She continued, “Definitely, after a very bleak 2020, this is a very bright spot for us. It has meant local hiring, local film industry professionals are back to work, it has also brought economic impact to our hotels who are able to have some business because of this production.”
“Augusta is back open to filming,” Bowen added. “The film industry has very stringent COVID guidelines, they really are self-regulating and self-policing. They are doing everything they can do to be producing in a very safe and health safety conscious environment. We are glad to have them working in our city.”
‘Agent Game’ is a spy thriller whose official synopsis reveals the plot is about a “CIA officer who finds himself the target of a rendition operation after being scapegoated for the death of an interrogation subject.”
Joining Gibson in the film are Dermot Mulroney (Insidious: Chapter 3), Katherine McNamara (Maze Runner: The Death Cure), Kate Cassidy (Taken), Rhys Coiro (Hustlers), and Annie Ilonzeh (Peppermint).
“Agent Game is my third feature film,” Johnson wrote on his website. “This is the first film I am solely the Director. Tyler W. Konney is Producing and Konney and Mike Langer co-wrote the screenplay. The film is an action spy thriller in the vein of ‘Sicario’ and ‘Body of Lies.’ More to come soon. . .”
Alleged Leaks Could Shed Light On Upcoming Live-Action Transformers Film
Fans of the Transformers franchise were excited to learn that Paramount tapped ‘Creed 2’ director Steven Caple Jr. to helm the feature with ‘Army of the Dead’ scriptwriter Joby Harold and ‘Zodiac’s James Vanderbilt penning the script.
The question on everyone’s mind was whether or not it would continue Michael Bay’s ‘The Last Knight’ or Travis Knight’s prequel ‘Bumble Bee.’ One 4chan user claiming to work for Paramount Pictures posted alleged leaks which were copied onto TF fansite Seibertron, who cautioned users to take these leaks with a grain of salt.
“You may have heard that new leak about Beast Alliance, well, it’s not a beast wars movie and it has nothing to do with beast wars,” the leaker writes. “Beast Alliance is just a working title, lots of movies have weird titles like this that have nothing to do with the film, Star Wars had lots of them.” However, he does acknowledge that the character Cheetor from Beast Wars will likely make some sort of appearance.
The leaker described the Autobots and Decepticons featuring their Generation One designs and that the movie is a “heist type film like Ant Man” with the Transformers racing to steal an unknown object where “energon is involved.”
Purportedly, the movie is “Set after Bumblebee 2018 film, it acknowledges it but not the rest of Bayformers” and will feature new human leads of white, black, and Latino origins. The leaker assures readers that “Steven Caple Jr. understands the IP from what I saw.”
“Small cast of robots, a little bigger than 2007 film. Movie emphasises on love and heart like Bumblebee rather than lore,” the leak continues. “Now keep in mind, I know all this stuff from some small plot lines I got to read and concept art I saw but it seems this is the direction they are going. Very Indiana Jones/Ant Man heist adventure film than previous films. I also saw a new face for Bumblebee, no idea if they will use it or not, it gave Bumblebee a mouth but the head design was similar to the previous film (Bumblebee 2018 movie) one. Robots are also thicker in the concept art.”
Fan favorites Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, Arcee, Brawn, Ironhead, Wheeljack, Megatron, Star Scream, Soundwave, Shockwave, and other Seekers will appear in the film.
“There might be more, it seems Cheetor is part of the film as a guardian of the artifact. I did not see his design, only for Prime, Bumblebee, Starscream, Soundwave and Megatron.”
“The designs are updated. They are still bulky and thicker. Very G1. Nothing like Bayverse, the Bumblebee I saw has a face with a mouth and it looks cute,” the leaker writes. Megatron looks very big, he is taller than Prime and has his fusion cannon. Starscream has a new head, very sleek and G1 and humanoid. Soundwave has a body that makes him look like he transforms into some type of van, his head is more G1 now and updated. They are more detailed overall. Megatron also has a humanoid face with the bucket helmet thing.”
“Apparently there will be some Cybertron scenes in the film, the planet will look the same as in Bumblebee,” he concludes. “Optimus head is the same as in Bumblebee.”
Obviously, these alleged leaks should be treated as rumors as none of this has been confirmed.
The leaks do not mention ‘Charm City Kings’ director Angel Manuel Soto’s Transformers film or if they connect in any way.
New ‘Thundercats’ Movie Coming From ‘Godzilla Vs Kong’ Director
It looks like someone else is going to take a crack at the ‘Thundercats’ franchise. The original show was an 1980’s icon and later it was rebooted in an anime style in 2011. Recently Warner decided that they should make a new kiddified version called ‘Thundercats Roar’ which was, frankly, garbage.
Now it seems Warner is bringing in their director from the ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ film, Adam Wingard, to direct a new CGI/Animation Hybrid film.
I have to admit, after ‘Thundercats Roar’ I’m wary of yet another attempt to revive the beloved franchise. Where I have hope is that Mr. Wingard seems to actually care about the show.
In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Wingard talked about his history with ‘Thundercats’
He discussed how it was a “dream project’ for him and how he was obsessed with the show in high school and even aided in his decision to become a filmmaker. He even spent his 10th grade year writing his own ‘Thundercats’ screenplay. Like a lot of us pop culture geeks, he was made fun of for it.
“...My real obsession with Thundercats came in high school, the pinnacle of me deciding I wanted to be a filmmaker, and pushing in that direction…I actually spent most of my 10th grade year, I completely blew it. I didn’t pay attention in school, made terrible grades. And the reason? I was writing my Thundercats screenplay through my entire tenth grade year. And I was hand writing it. The screenplay itself ended up being 272 pages long. I still have it. It was one of those things where I would carry around my notebooks and talk about it. I didn’t even realize the kids in my class were making fun of me as they would ask me questions about my Thundercats screenplay. It was only one day my friends asked me and I was excitedly telling him all these things about my Thundercats screenplay. And I heard him turn around to some of the girls in the class, these were girls I had crushes on, and he’s making fun of me for writing Thundercats! Because it was ridiculous. But that was the first moment where I had a though that maybe I would not be able to make the Thundercats movie.”
This gives me a bit of hope for a true spiritual successor to the franchise. But, like many fans, I’m afraid to get my hopes up.
Now, it’s 20 years later, and he heard that there was a “Thundercats” script and he asked if he could rewrite the script with Simon Barrett. The project was already being developed by Dan Lin and Roy Lee, who were producers on “Death Note” that Wingard directed. It seems that Lin and Lee are also staying on as producers. The early script treatment was done by David Coggeshall. Since ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ is looking like it will perform well, they apparently said ‘yes.’
It sounds like he’s going to try to do something new, but keep the Thundercats themselves.
“They gave me the reins. I saw this as an opportunity to do a new type of fantasy sci-fi spectacle film that people have never seen before. It’s got a rich mythology; the characters are fantastic. The colors. I want to do a Thundercats film that takes you back to that ‘80s aesthetic. I don’t want to reinvent the way they look; I want them to look like Thundercats. I don’t want to do it live action, either. I don’t want it to look like Cats, I don’t want those kinds of issues, no disrespect to that director whom I don’t mean to throw under the bus any more than everyone else has. I want to do a movie you’ve never seen before. A hybrid CGI film that has a hyper real look and somehow bridges the gap between cartoon and CGI. That’s the starting point, and Simon Barrett and I are getting into the script now.”
Of course fans will have to see more before forming opinions on it, but if Wingard can actually do what he says he wants to do with it, and they let him, it’s possible we could get the respectful version that fans have been wanting since the 2011 reboot ended too soon.
If he ever wants to chat about how cool ‘Thundercats’ is, he’s more than welcome to drop us a line.
I look forward to seeing more. I want to believe.
You can read more of Mr. Wingard’s interview on Deadline.
Featured Image –Mental Floss
Amidst Series Cancellation, Jump Announces Black Clover Anime Feature Film
While very few details were given, the teaser features some key graphics of the series protagonist Asta, his adopted brother Yuno, and Captain Yami of the Black Bulls.
According to Crunchyroll Anime News, Shueisha will announce more details regarding the plot and how it connects to the anime. The official English Twitter account also shared a key visual that highlights Asta’s signature smirk.
Black Clover movie officially announced!
♣️ INFO: https://t.co/C7ZiEpNahW pic.twitter.com/25ULdLPvGj
— ♣️ BLACK CLOVER ♣️ (@BlackClover_EN) March 28, 2021
The movie announcement comes on the heels of the shocking news that ‘Black Clover’ will end its run as a television series at the end of March. After 170 episodes, the show will conclude with the ‘Spade Kingdom’ story-arc, bringing the highly acclaimed anime to a close.
“Yes, Black Clover will release its final episode on the 30th of March. One thing Black Clover fans loved about the show is its consistency in delivering episodes on time, unlike other popular animes,” reports Republic World. “Creating high-quality anime takes a huge amount of time and effort so seasons are always delayed or one season is released after 2 or 3 years (like One Punch Man, Attack on Titan). Black Clover has stood out by delivering episodes on time without affecting the quality of animation. It’s a commendable achievement.”
Some media outlets have speculated that the series is coming to a close as it is catching up to the manga’s ongoing story. Similar to ‘Attack On Titan,’ it is not permanently canceled, but merely being placed in suspended animation until the manga can continue to provide further story-arcs for the anime.
Mangaka and ‘Black Clover’ creator Yūki Tabata has stated that he hopes that the fantasy series can have a run as long as other popular anime such as ‘Naruto’ or ‘One Piece.’
