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
Legends of Tomorrow’s Brandon Routh has donned the Superman costume once more, releasing a shot of himself in the Kingdom Come costume for the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. Before taking on the role of Ray Palmer in the Arrowverse, Routh played the Man of Steel in 2006’s Superman Returns.
The CW’s Flash has dropped a new trailer ahead of the imminent release of its sixth season, and hints towards the massive Crisis on Infinite Earths event, which showrunner Eric Wallace has confirmed will affect the entire season.
According to Variety, Marvel Television, the division of Marvel Entertainment responsible for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter and the now-cancelled Netflix shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, is being shut down and all future live-action television productions are being transferred over to Kevin Feige’s control via Marvel Studios. In 2015, Kevin Feige broke ranks from Marvel Entertainment, headed by Ike Perlmutter, to report directly to Disney Studio’s Alan Horn, and this latest move will see Feige assume even more control over Marvel’s suite of characters and the directions they will take in future Disney+ series and the big screen MCU.
In connected news, the planned Ghostrider series spin-off from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has officially been cancelled before filming had even begun. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Gabriel Luna, who was set to reprise his role on the new show, reacted to the news via Instagram.
Lucasfilm has officially announced that Deborah Chow, one of the episode directors on Disney+’s The Mandalorian, has been picked to helm the much anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor. Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy has said, “Based on her phenomenal work developing our characters in The Mandalorian, I’m absolutely confident Deborah is the right director to tell this story.”
With less than a month to go before Apple launches its own streaming platform, the tech giant is ramping up promotion of its collection of original content. New trailers have dropped for its alt-history series, For All Mankind, in which the Russians were the first to the moon, a new Snoopy series, and its reboot of ‘90s kids mystery series Ghostwriter.
Actor Andrew Scott, known for his role as Jim Moriarty in the Benedict Cumberbatch-led Sherlock series, is being cast as the con-artist-turned-serial-killer Tom Ripley based on the series of bestselling novels by Patricia Highsmith. Most recently Ripley’s character was portrayed by Matt Damon in the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley.
The BBC has released a new trailer for its upcoming three-part mini-series based on the classic H.G. Wells sci-fi tale The War of the Worlds. Unlike the modernised 2005 film adaptation starring Tom Cruise, this adaptation is set during Edwardian times in the British countryside, more in keeping with the original 1898 novel.
Netflix has released its first teaser for Stranger Things season four, hinting that next season will see us move beyond the boundaries of the small township of Hawkins.
FILM
Spider-Man fans breathed a collective sigh of relief this week, as Disney and Sony finally reached an agreement that will allow the webslinger back into the MCU. Reports are the new deal sees Disney front 25% of production costs in exchange for 25% of box-office profits, down from the 50% deal which originally saw Sony walk away from the table. Additionally, Sony now also has the rights to have Spider-Man’s character appear in its new “Venomverse” that it is attempting to build, whether that version of Spidey will also be played by Tom Holland remains unknown at this stage.
In other news concerning Tom Holland, the Sony-produced Uncharted movie, in which the Spider-Man actor is set to play a young Nathan Drake, is currently looking at Bumblebee director Travis Knight to take over directorial duties. Reports are that, following the departure of Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) from the director’s chair in August, Sony has been swift to find his replacement and are expecting filming to begin early next year.
Warner Bros. has released its first full trailer of next year’s Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn), and there’s little doubt that Harley’s zany antics will be front and centre. One thing many fans are excited to see is the addition of her trademark Hyenas from the comics. (Language warning on this one, folks)!
It’s been twenty years since actor Tony Todd last played the horror icon Candyman in the franchise that made his character a household name in the ‘90s. Now new reports are that Todd is set to reprise his role in an upcoming sequel directed by comedian turned horror director Jordan Peele.
New details have emerged about the upcoming Batgirl movie being written by Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson. According to new reports, Batgirl will tie directly into Matt Reeve’s The Batman film starring Robert Pattinson, which, if they stick with Batgirl’s alter-ego being Barbara Gordon, will mean that the character’s father will mostly be played by Jeffrey Wright who is currently being eyed to play Commissioner Gordon.
Outback, being screened at this year’s MonsterFest, is the feature-length debut film by Mike Green, who made a name for himself with the short films Fairytruth and Die for Real. The survival horror film sees Wade Kelly and Lisa Sachs, played by Taylor Wiese and Lauren Lofberg respectively, taking a trip to Uluru that turns out to be far more dangerous than first anticipated.
ANIMATION
With the live-action TV arm of Marvel Entertainment shutting down and being shifted to Marvel Studios, Marvel Television will now focus its attention solely on animation moving forward. For the immediate future, Marvel animation fans can expect a collection of new series such as Howard the Duck, MODOK, Hit Monkey and Tigra the Dazzler, which will eventually crossover into The Offenders.
Iranian animated feature The Last Fiction is set to qualify for an Oscar. This will be a first for the budding animation industry in Iran. The Last Fiction is based on a chapter in Shahnameh, a millennium-old national epic, which tells the story of Kaveh, a blacksmith who leads an army to destroy a devil that has appeared in the Prince’s heart.
Ahead of this December’s The Rise of Skywalker release, Funko has released a new animated short film, which teases Lando Calrissian reuniting with the beloved Millennium Falcon.
ANIME
Fairy Tail finally reached its long-awaited conclusion at episode 328, marking the end of what some fans considered one of the ‘Big Shounens’, up there with DBZ, Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. There’s still a sequel manga though, so… Dry those eyes.
Demon Slayer also wrapped this week with a rousing finale at episode 26, but you won’t have to wait too long to see more of Nezuko and the gang after the ending, because right afterwards, Ufotable announced that it’s getting a movie!
A Certain Scientific Railgun T (it wouldn’t be an Index series without obtuse naming conventions) is confirmed for a third season in 2020.
For the One Piece fans, Toei is adapting something really special, Eiichiro Oda’s prototype manga; Romance Dawn. This was originally just a one-shot manga that was published in a book of short stories, but it went on to inspire his greatest work, One Piece. It still features Luffy as the main character in a pirate-y setting, but almost everything else is different. Check out the teaser for what looks to be a great adaptation.
And more details of the new Pokémon anime have been revealed! Ash’s new friend is Gō, who has a dream to catch all Pokémon. As was hinted earlier by the show’s producers, this new series is like a spiritual reboot, simply titled ‘Pocket Monsters’ in Japan, with no subtitle, and will highlight Pokémon from every previous generation.
Less than a week to go until the feature-length sequel to Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai hits theatres across Australia! The film, titled Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, is the direct continuation of the original, and will be in cinemas for just one week from October 10.
We’re excited to reveal that ‘Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl’ will hit cinemas across Australia for ONE WEEK ONLY from October 10!
👯🌟✨ https://t.co/wwmAsH4r8J pic.twitter.com/sl9BBCtupv— Madman Entertainment (@Madman) September 24, 2019
GAMING
Season three of Apex Legends has commenced, adding a new hero to its roster and giving players a new map to explore. The new legend, Crypto, has been teased in-game for a while and now we finally have a chance to play around with him. Crypto’s skillset consists of his drone, which he can use to scout around and detonate as an EMP blast for his ultimate. There’s also a new weapon to try out, a charge rifle that constantly damages enemies with its beam. With the new season, a new Battle Pass is also available containing tonnes of challenges to get stuck into!
The first major update for Super Mario Maker 2 has dropped and now allows players to jump into levels online with friends. On release, the competitive and co-operative modes for levels would only match you with other random players online, with the intention to prevent the global leader boards from being compromised. The update also adds features such as Nearby Play, LAN Play and a playlist that hosts some of the best levels from Official Makers, like Nintendo themselves!
Playstation Now has become more affordable for gamers, with its price dropping by half to $10 a month. The cloud gaming subscription service now features an array of old and new games, and has added popular titles like God of War, Uncharted 4 and more to its library. The service has expanded profoundly since its launch in 2014 and will continue to see a rotation of popular titles throughout the months, so it’s a great time to check out the service available.
A number of new details have been released about Pokémon Sword and Shield, such as the number of gyms: 18 in all, with a ‘Major and Minor League’ like traditional sports. The Exp. Share item has also been cut, because now all your Party Pokémon get a cut of Exp. after every battle, much like Pokémon Let’s Go. HMs are now gone too, as they no longer fit with the world design.
And Nintendo keeps on rocking this week, with the announcement of a new Dr. Kawashima Brain Training game! Remember those? The new game, Brain Age is set for a December 2019 release in Japan, with a Western release hopefully forthcoming.
COMICS
Archie Comics has launched a hardback collector’s edition of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Occult Edition contains the entirety of writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Robert Hack’s Archie Horror comic book series so far. Additionally, the hardcover features a cover taken from the Netflix series, as well as never-before-seen content from both the comics and the show. At this time, eight issues of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina have been released. The Occult Edition marks the first time all eight issues have been printed in the same book.
New York Times has announced it will resume including graphic novels on its bestsellers list. Graphic Novels and trade publications have been left off the list for the past two years, so it is nice to see them included once again.
COLLECTIBLES
Mezco Toyz has kicked off the Halloween season with a terrifying Freddy Krueger 15” Mega Scale Action Figure from the haunting classic A Nightmare on Elm Street. Featuring 11 points of articulation enabling Freddy to be displayed in an array of creepy poses, the figure even includes five iconic phrases from the film.
A huge release from Disney at the beginning of the week revealed the packed Pop! Vinyl collection for the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker film, including some epic Pop! Rides which are available for purchase today to celebrate Force Friday! It didn’t end there for Star Wars fans, with Pop! Vinyl releases for the new Disney+ Exclusive Series The Mandalorian, Pop! Vinyl for the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order game and the introduction of a new line of ‘Gold’ Star Wars Pop! Vinyl.
Another notable release this week from Funko was an extensive Fantastic Four line featuring fifteen new figures, including a 10” Super-Sized Pop! Vinyl of The Thing.