Newstime: The Stories You Might Have Missed This Week

From film to TV, gaming to comics and everything in between, here’s what you might have missed in pop culture news this week.

TV

In Australian TV this week, Matthew Ashton, vice president of design at LEGO and co-executive producer of The LEGO Movie, has announced and previewed the trailer for an Aussie-based Lego Masters run, hosted by Hamish Blake and set to air on Channel Nine.

Fans of the ‘90s sci-fi series Sliders will be keen to know that John Rhys-Davies has let it slip in a recent interview that both he and Jerry O’Connell are talking with NBC about a possible revival of the show.

In a parade of Netflix news, the streaming service have unleashed the first trailer for Black Summer, a zombie drama intended to serve as a prequel series for the SCYFY series Z Nation, which was cancelled last year. Black Summer will drop on April 11.

Netflix has also released a poster, release date and trailer for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part II.

Also in the line-up for Netflix’s April releases, the streaming giant is coming good on their promise to introduce more interactive content following Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. This time they’ve enrolled the help of adventurer Bear Grylls for a You vs. Wild show aimed at putting audiences in charge of making potentially life-challenging decisions.

Stranger Things 3 is looming ever closer, with both a teaser and official trailer this week. With the promise of more thrilling misadventures, the new content shows a deceptively joyful July 4th celebration for our lovable protagonists, but quickly takes a dark turn in true Stranger Things fashion. Fittingly, the season is set to drop on July 4.

Game of Thrones may be coming to an end, but with less than a month before the final season begins to air, HBO is wasting no time in getting a spin-off prequel series, rumoured to be titled The Long Night, into production. Most recently the network has secured Harry Potter’s Miranda Richardson to star alongside Star Wars: Episode IX’s Naomi Ackie.

In further Game of Thrones news, in the lead up to next month’s season eight premiere, HBO has hidden six replicas of the iron throne at various locations around the globe and are challenging fans to go and find them. Interested participants can find out more via For The Throne’s website.

The rumoured Netflix animated show based on hit gaming franchise Diablo may be getting closer to reality, as Blizzard Entertainment has reportedly lodged a trademark registration applicable to streaming video content.

FILM

Buzz, Woody and the gang are back for a final hoorah in Toy Story 4. The new trailer promises Woody a reintroduction to an old friend.

Batfleck may not officially be gone for good, despite the Caped Crusader being recast for The Batman, rumours are circulating that Ben Affleck may return in Justice League 2, after news that the film is shaping up to be a prequel, with a younger version of the same character. This has been backed up by a recent interview with Cyborg’s Ray Fisher, who hinted that recasting a younger Bruce Wayne didn’t necessarily mean the older version was completely out of the picture.

In related news, Ezra Miller, who starred as The Flash in Justice League, is reportedly penning a script for the character’s standalone film, in collaboration with comics legend, Grant Morrison. The film is expected to put a “darker” spin on the hero, in contrast with his comedic role in the 2017 film.

It’s official! Bill & Ted 3: Face the Music begins filming this year aiming for a 2020 release date. Actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have announced their return to the roles via the ‘excellent’ video below.

GAMING

Google have announced their new gaming platform, Stadia. It streams games, supposedly in 60fps 1080p (if you have a stable enough internet connection), and is apparently “more powerful” than the PS4 and Xbox One combined. Hardware aside, the important part is the games, and it’s meant to have a few. They’ve announced a third-party partnership with Ubisoft, id Software, and more. It’ll even have a first-party studio! All of this is well and good, but it has sparked an interesting debate about the implications of game streaming, which historically hasn’t been great.

Microsoft and Nintendo continue to buddy it up, with the formerly Xbox-exclusive Cuphead now coming to Nintendo Switch, complete with “Xbox Live features”. Neither party has clarified what this statement actually entails as yet, but two titans of the gaming industry collaborating hopefully spells good news for consumers.

Kill la Kill IF, the fighting game developed by Arc System Works, has a release date for July 26, and SEGA have announced that the next mainline Sonic game is in development.

ANIME

Studio Trigger’s new film finally has a release date! Promare is now set for a May 24 release in Japan, hopefully with a Western release soon after. This film is definitely a big deal, being directed by the legendary Hiroyuki Imaishi, whose previous works include Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, and Panty and Stocking. Joining him is frequent collaborator and scriptwriter Kazuki Nakashima, also known for his work on Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill. 

A trailer for season two of One Punch Man just dropped, and it has been divisive amongst fans, to say the least. With a new studio taking over production, we’ll have to watch and see if it meets the exceptionally high standards set by the first season.

COMICS

Marvel and DC have released their June 2019 solicitations, showing upcoming comics for a range of titles, namely Marvel’s War of the Realms, Captain Marvel, Thor, and Deadpool, along with DC’s Superman, Harley Quinn, and a whole bunch of Batman titles.

Legendary Marvel artist Joe Sinnott has announced his retirement. Now 92 years old, Sinnott began the Sunday comic-strip edition of Amazing Spider-Man in 1992 and has been with Marvel for 69 years.

But it’s not all bad news, as Marvel announces the return of artist and writer Jonathan Hickman, who is set to work on a currently unannounced project. Fans have speculated that he may be lending his talents to the world of X-Men, but currently, all that is known is that this secret project is set for a July release.

Yet another DC New Age of Heroes title has been cancelled. The Silencer will conclude with issue #18, which is due for release on June 26.

THIS WEEK’S PICKS

Dark Red #1 (Aftershock) – Chip is a bored gas station Clerk in the middle of a forgotten town… oh, and also a vampire! His life is changed forever when a mysterious stranger comes knocking. Written by Tim Seeley with art by Corin Powell.

Offbeats #1 (Antarctic Press) – This 1950s crime-noir promises “Tarantino meets Tin-Tin” sees a young would-be hero dragged into the underworld… Written by John Ward with art by Giles Crawford.

Invisible Kingdom #1 (Dark Horse) – A young religious acolyte and sardonic pilot uncover a conspiracy at the heart of their planet’s reigning religion and mega-corporation. A new sci-fi monthly title from Hugo Award-winning writer G. Willow Wilson and Eisner Award-winning artist Christian Ward.

Lazarus Risen #1 (Image) – Writer Greg Rucka and artist Michael Lark join forces to bring a new Lazarus series in a whopping 44-page issue featuring an additional short story written by Lilah Sturges.