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
Santa has certainly come early, this December, delivering a whole host of amazing trailers for what promises to be an exciting 2020 on the box.
Giving us a double dose of streaming goodness, Netflix has dropped a new teaser and January 24 release date for the much anticipated third season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, as well as a full trailer for the December 24 release of Lost in Space season two.
DC Universe’s upcoming Stargirl series, created by legendary DC writer Geoff Johns, also got in on the teaser trailer action this week, giving us a look at what promises to be a much lighter offering than the platform’s other shows like Titans and Doom Patrol.
Also on the DC front, a new trailer for the fifth season of CW’s Legends of Tomorrow promises a look at the Arrowverse after Crisis on Infinite Earths.
In sad news, this week saw the passing of both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s René Auberjonois and Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll Spinney who was responsible for both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
FILM
The recent haul of Christmas trailers wasn’t constrained to the small screen; Santa also brought us some great new movie trailers this past week. As we predicted last week, Gal Gadot’s recent appearance at Brazil’s CCXP resulted in us getting our first Wonder Woman 1984 trailer.
The House of Mouse also got in on the trailer release-fest, giving a new look at its forthcoming live-action Mulan adaptation.
For the Fastest Man Alive, he’s sure taken his sweet time in finalising plans for his standalone film. Finally, Warner Bros. has announced the official release date of The Flash starring Ezra Miller and directed by It‘s Andy Muschietti, slating the film for release in July 2022.
Whoa! Warner Bros. has also provided an official release date for The Matrix 4, which will see both Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss returning to the franchise. Set to be released on May 21, 2021, the fourth Matrix film is taking the release slot Warner Bros. had previously set aside for Taika Waititi’s Akira adaptation, but that project has since been put on indefinite hold pending Waititi’s return to direct Thor: Love and Thunder. What makes this new release date even more interesting is it will put Reeves in direct box office competition with himself, with John Wick 4 also getting released on the same day. Audience goers might think there’s a glitch in the Matrix.
Who you gonna call? The Ghostbusters 2020 project, now officially titled Ghostbusters: Afterlife, also released its first trailer and fans are lapping up the idea of returning to the world of the original films, with the trailer dropping some big hints around the new characters’ familial relationship to one Dr Egon Spengler.
Ryan Reynolds is bucking the system in Free Guy, a film in which he discovers that he is actually a background NPC in a massive online video game. Sick of the life written for him, he decides to make himself the hero.
On the local front, a new trailer was released for Australian animated film The Wishmas Tree. Featuring a stellar voice cast including award-winning Australian actor Miranda Tapsell, international comedian Ross Noble and Brisbane’s Kate Murphy, The Wishmas Tree releases in cinemas 27 February, 2020.
The new Star Trek short film animations were announced nearly a month ago as part of CBS All Access, however; this week we’ve been gifted with a sneak peek at the two animations gracing our screens, The Girl Who Made the Stars and Ephraim and Dot. These two episodes will be debuting this week and you can take a look at the images for the animations here.
The official nominations for next year’s Golden Globes have been announced, and often considered a precursor to the Academy Awards, it was no surprise to see Joker nominated for Best Director, Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Motion Picture (Drama). The Clown Prince of Crime’s real nemesis, though, comes in the form of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which took out a total of five nominations and will be going head-to-head with Joker in the Best Director category.
Less than one week left and Santa has capped off Trailer-Palooza with a new Rise of Skywalker spot, ahead of the film’s release of December 19.
GAMING
Earlier this week, video game publisher 2K announced it has formed a new studio called Cloud Chamber, that will be developing the next Bioshock game. The game has reportedly been in the works since 2015, although it has been pulled and rebooted since then. Bioshock fans shouldn’t hold their breath though, as the title is expected to be in development for the next several years.
Today, 2K announced the founding of Cloud Chamber, its newest development studio. This team of storytellers has begun work on the next iteration of the acclaimed @BioShock franchise, which will be in development for the next several years.
Learn more: https://t.co/vNkyXcBqwL pic.twitter.com/XIWG36fYA5
— 2K (@2K) December 9, 2019
Untitled Goose Game will be honking its way onto PS4 and Xbox One later this month. The highly acclaimed title was hugely popular on the Nintendo Switch, and Melbourne-based developer House House has announced it’ll soon be available to play across all consoles.
It is once again time to honk.
Untitled Goose Game is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on December 17th.https://t.co/mLLf8rWG4b pic.twitter.com/zrinr8Rjjo— House House (@house_house_) December 10, 2019
Dutch developer Artificial Core has revealed a new MMORPG called Corepunk. Corepunk is a top-down MMO that has been likened to titles like Diablo, Cyberpunk and Ultima Online. In Corepunk, you’ll be able to pick your class, fight an array of unique enemies in PvE, battle your friends in PvP, and travel across the game’s open world with its own economy and trading system. An open-beta is expected to drop for PC sometime in 2020.
Check out our Corepunk game trailer announced exclusively on @IGN https://t.co/jc37Zhugr0
— Artificial Core (@ArtificialCore) December 10, 2019
After last week’s leak on PSN, a remake for Resident Evil 3 has been confirmed. The title was confirmed at Sony’s December State of Play and will feature Project Resistance, a 1v4 online horror survival experience set in the world of Resident Evil. Resident Evil 3 is set for release on April 3, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Sony’s State of Play also revealed that the online fantasy battle royale title Spellbreak will be coming to PS4 in 2020. A closed beta has been announced for the title that bends the rules of the traditional battle royale genre by utilising magical gauntlets as weapons for players. Spellbreak has been in closed alpha on PC for about a year and while we don’t have a date locked in for PS4, it’s sure to shake things up for fans of battle royale titles.
COMICS
Marvel will be celebrating the 750th issue of The Incredible Hulk in March 2020. The character’s original series began in 1962, launched by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The official synopsis for issue 750 reads as follows: “Immortal Hulk has seen the eponymous superhero undergo a monstrous resurrection, leading to renewed tension between Bruce Banner and his alter ego. At the same time, the character’s longtime supporting cast has endured similar horror-tinged transformations. With the character facing a malfunctioning simulacrum, the Hulk may soon question what is reality as he celebrates his latest anniversary.”
In DC news, comic legend Frank Miller is releasing another line in his Dark Knight Returns series. The new book, Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, will feature the Joker supporting Trump, while wearing a red, white and blue suit. The official solicitation ensures it’s “a Dark Knight story like nothing you’ve ever seen before”. Issue #1 of Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child is on sale now.
COLLECTIBLES
Hot Toys has announced a new 1/6th Scale Spider-Man (Iron Spider Armour), highlighting the intricate design of the modified Iron Spider Armour, which was heavily influenced by Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit.
Funko has introduced an exciting addition to the Pop! Movies Harry Potter line with Harry’s Patronus Stag receiving the Pop! Vinyl treatment. Additions to Pop! Directors were also announced this week with Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins and A Wrinkle in Times’ Ava DuVernay.
