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November 2-3, 2024
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From film to TV, gaming to comics and everything in between, here’s what you might have missed in pop culture news this week.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is set to return to Netflix next month, with season two confirmed for April 5.
double, double, boys and trouble. #CAOS returns. April 5. pic.twitter.com/jQRIyYUesq
— Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (@sabrinanetflix) March 13, 2019
Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti has confirmed that the upcoming pilot of the Ruby Rose–led Batwoman series will be set before the Elseworlds crossover event which saw her meet up with Green Arrow and the rest of the crew in Gotham City.
Michelle Yeoh is getting her own Star Trek: Discovery spin-off series, Section 31, however CBS Television Studios President David Stapf has said it will still be a few years before production begins.
According to Slashfilm, Disney’s upcoming streaming service is developing a Marvel What If anthology series, akin to their one-shot comics which pose alternate universe scenarios such as ‘What if Loki found Thor’s Hammer?’ or ‘What if Captain America didn’t vanish during WWII?’ These one-off episodes will allow Marvel to play with more unusual storylines unrelated to the MCU proper.
Fresh off the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Venom, Sony is looking to expand its Spider-Man properties into the realm of TV. Sony’s TV boss Mike Hopkins has revealed in an interview with Variety that their plans for the webslinger’s universe are mapped out for the next seven to eight years.
Meanwhile, the latest episode of Supanova TV has just been released. Catch Bec as she sits down with Josh Grelle and tries to work out how he got his first gig in 1972, despite being born in 1985. Meanwhile, Quinny chats to BKG Cosplay about her stunning Lady Deathwing costume.
As if the wait wasn’t painstaking enough, Marvel has unveiled a new trailer and poster for Avengers: Endgame, setting the internet on fire ahead of the film’s April 24 release in Australia.
Here’s your first look at the new poster for Marvel Studios’ #AvengersEndgame. See it in theaters April 26. pic.twitter.com/pNXSy0x8lI
— The Avengers (@Avengers) March 14, 2019
Disney has dropped another trailer for their upcoming live adaptation of Aladdin, and this one features footage of Will Smith’s Genie in action and some familiar songs. Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter has also revealed that the voice of Jafar’s talking parrot lago will be provided by Alan Tudyk, who is quickly proving himself as the MVP of voice roles for the House of Mouse.
Paramount is moving forward with a new Dungeons and Dragons film, and reportedly casting is now underway. It would seem the studio has their eye out for a big-name male lead, with Will Smith, Vin Diesel, Jamie Foxx and Dave Bautista apparently well within their sights.
Whilst he may no longer be with us, Marvel legend Stan Lee continues to live on both in our hearts and in his famous cameos. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has revealed that Lee’s latest cameo in Captain Marvel will not be his last, and he will appear in both Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far from Home.
Universal Studios are trying to get their classic monster universe back off the ground again, after first trying in 2014 with Dracula Untold, and again in 2017 with Tom Cruise in The Mummy. This time they’ve brought Blumhouse Studio’s Jason Blum on board to helm future efforts, and he’ll be starting off with a remake of The Invisible Man, which is to be written and directed by Blum’s previous collaborator, Leigh Whannell (Insidious, Upgrade). Johnny Depp was originally picked to take on the lead role when the Dark Universe plans were first announced, but now the studio is reportedly eying either Armie Hammer or Alexander Skarsgård.
Forget Batman vs. Superman, because the Caped Crusader is now taking on the four ‘heroes in a half-shell’, in an epic crossover event from Warner Bros. Animation. A new trailer for the Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has dropped.
Director Rupert Wyatt, who was originally slated to helm a solo Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum, has revealed that it was the 2015 The Fantastic Four reboot’s poor performance in the box office that caused Fox Studios to get cold feet and stall production on the film. With the Fox/Disney merger just days away from finishing, it is unknown whether the project will see new life as part of the MCU.
Star Wars director J.J. Abrams has gifted John Boyega (Finn) probably the coolest present ever for wrapping production on Star Wars: Episode IX. A big fan of the Marvel webslinger, Boyega received a custom Spider-Man-themed Stormtrooper helmet from Abrams.
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@jjabramsofficial you amazing man yoooooooouuuu!!!! Spider-Man themed stormtrooper ready !!!
A post shared by John Boyega (@johnboyega) on
Potterheads have been hanging out for the Pokémon Go–style AR game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which was first announced in November last year. Developers have now provided their first demo of the game to reporters in their San Francisco offices earlier this week.
Fans of the original 1996 RPG Diablo will be in old-school heaven, with Blizzard Entertainment announcing that a playable Windows 10 version of the game.
An ancient relic has been unearthed.
Diablo I is Now available for purchase & download at GOG | https://t.co/OJIpTbZ8xd pic.twitter.com/1UzXdmcIUR— Diablo (@Diablo) March 7, 2019
Hyper Light Drifter developers, Heart Machine, have released the trailer for their newest production, Solar Ash Kingdom. Showcasing a similar colourful apocalyptic aesthetic coupled with expansive environments, the trailer suggests that the new game will be straying from the 2D pixel art featured in their first, and creator Alx Preston has confirmed that this will not be a sequel to Hyper Light Drifter. A release date is yet to be announced.
Gearbox is preparing fans for news on the third instalment of the Borderlands series, a game that has been in development for six years now. With the company’s official account tweeting a run-down sign in clear Borderlands territory, and with the date ‘March 28’ spray-painted on, fans are excited to see what they’ve got in store for Borderlands 3. Stay tuned.
— Gearbox Official (@GearboxOfficial) March 12, 2019
The third season of Psycho-Pass has been announced, simply titled Psycho-Pass 3. A release date is yet to be confirmed.
TMS Entertainment has confirmed that a new Lupin the IIIrd anime film is on the way. It is described as the third film in an ongoing series, that started with the Daisuke Jigen’s Gravestone film, and most recently, the Goemon Ishikawa’s Spray of Blood film. The third film is titled Fujiko Mine’s Lie. With legendary director Takeshi Koike returning, it’s sure to be exciting.
Netflix continues on its path of partnering with as many anime studios as possible to produce original shows. In January 2018, the streaming giant announced partnerships with Bones and Production I.G (and their sister studio, Wit Studio), and now they’ve also said they’re working with Anima, Sublimation, and the big one, David Productions, of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fame! The backing and creative freedom that Netflix provides, combined with the brains of the JoJo anime, could deliver something really special. We do know some of what the studios are making for Netflix already. Sublimation is producing a Dragon’s Dogma anime, based on the game of the same name; Wit Studio is producing an original called Vampire in the Garden; Bones is producing a comic book adaptation called Super Crooks; David is producing a manga adaptation of Spriggan; Production I.G is doing more Ghost in the Shell; and Anima are doing a spinoff of Altered Carbon.
It was also announced that Ancient Magus Bride would receive a new web-anime, to coincide with the release of volume 11 of the manga series. The short will follow protagonist Chise during her time in college, and will see the return of the TV anime’s central voice cast.
Swamp Thing has gotten a brand new YA graphic novel. Written and illustrated by Kirk Scroggs. The Secret Spiral of Swamp Kid follows teenager Russell Weinwright, named after creators Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Part of DC’s new YA imprint, the series will hit comic shelves on October 1.
DC Comics has announced a new graphic novel series, Super Hero Girls: At Metropolis High, the newest entry in their highly praised DC Super Hero Girls line. Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Lantern and Bumblebee will all star, and the story will focus on their younger years at high school. At Metropolis High will be written by Amy Wolfram and illustrated by Yancey Labat, and is due for release on October 9.
To celebrate the release of their landmark issue Detective Comics #1000, DC has announced they will launch the festivities at SXSW. The exhibition will feature exclusive merchandise, fan opportunities and 1.5 million bats flying over Austin’s Congress Bridge. The SXSW celebrations are just one of many initiatives DC has planned for 2019 which celebrates 80 years of Batman.
A new Green Arrow series appears to be in the works. Last week saw the most recent run finish with issue #50 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Javier Fernandez. However, great news from DC as co-publisher Dan DiDio promises a new series will be launching and Oliver Queen is set to play a much more prominent role in upcoming wider DC events and titles.
THIS WEEK’S PICKS
Batman Who Laughs the Grim Knight #1 (DC) – A spin-off of Scott Snyder and Jock’s current mini-series, this 28-page one-shot unveils the origin of the Grim Knight — aka Batman with guns!
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #1 (Marvel) – Ms. Marvel returns in this brand new ongoing series from writer Saladin Ahmed and illustrator Minkyu Jung. Aliens have invaded Jersey City, and they’re here for Kamala!
Goon #1 (Albatross Funnybooks) – The Goon is back in an all-new series to celebrate his 20th anniversary! Eric Powell returns to his iconic character which sees Goon and Franky back home only to discover that Lonely Street isn’t quite how they left it.
Transformers #1 (IDW) – It’s a brand new Cybertron origin story featuring your favourite Autobots and Decepticons from writer Brian Ruckley and artist Angel Hernandez.
Calamity Kate #1 (Dark Horse) – Kate Strand has moved to LA and embraced her gun-wielding monster slayer side as she takes on the biggest bounty in the zombie, vampire, demon and goblin–run world: the Seven Fabled Beasts of Yore. Written by Magdalene Visaggio with art by Corin Howell.