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From film to TV, comics to gaming and everything in between, here’s what you might have missed in pop culture news this week.
TV
Netflix series GLOW is set to return with a third season on August 9. The latest season will see the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling take on the bright lights of Las Vegas.
Speaking of the ‘80s, those lucky enough to grow up during those years will likely recall the sitcom adventures of Punky Brewster, which followed the story of a young girl abandoned by her parents. Fans will be excited to hear that the original star, Soleil Moon Frye, is reportedly returning to the role in a series revival, which will now see her as a single mother of her own three children.
HBO is officially pulling the plug on comedy series Silicon Valley, declaring that its upcoming sixth series will be its last. This marks the third long-running show HBO will see end this year alongside Game of Thrones and Veep.
Amazon is going full steampunk with a new Victorian fantasy series starring Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean’s Orlando Bloom and Suicide Squad’s Cara Delevingne. The eight-episode series, Carnival Row, is scheduled to drop on Amazon Prime August 30.
Only one month left before Netflix releases the highly anticipated third season of Stranger Things, and the show’s official Twitter account has released a new poster in celebration of the countdown.
ONE MONTH 🙃 pic.twitter.com/EknJU9X6I9
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) June 4, 2019
A little while back, Apple announced it too would be launching its own content streaming platform, Apple TV+. The first trailer for its inaugural original series, For All Mankind, has just been released. Created by Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore, the show follows the premise that it was the Russians, not the Americans, who were the first nation to land on the moon.
FILM
Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins has revealed a new look at Gal Gadot in the upcoming sequel.
By now you’ve heard: WB isn’t going to Hall H this year. We’re so sad to miss you there! And waiting until Dec. to start our official #WW84 campaign in full– But the truth is… we can just… barely… wait… pic.twitter.com/QllFzhYRA6
— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) June 5, 2019
According to Doctor Strange’s Benedict Wong, the sorcerer supreme will be donning his Cloak of Levitation again very soon, as he recently suggested that production on Doctor Strange 2 is likely to begin next year.
We don’t have to wait that long for the next MCU outing, however, as Spider-Man: Far From Home is set to pick up after the threads of Avengers: Endgame early next month. A new international trailer gives us a good look at Peter making use of some of Tony Stark’s old tech, and 3D printing himself the much talked about black and red suit.
Production on the untitled 25th James Bond film just doesn’t seem to be able to catch a break. Following an injury that star Daniel Craig sustained to his ankle whilst on location, another filming mishap involving a controlled explosion has injured a crew member.
During the filming of a controlled explosion on the set of Bond 25 today at Pinewood Studios, damage was caused to the exterior of the 007 Stage. There were no injuries on set, however one crew member outside the stage has sustained a minor injury. pic.twitter.com/8O9tOgwMYK
— James Bond (@007) June 4, 2019
Only a few more weeks until we get to see Mark Hamill’s take on the homicidal doll Chucky in the new Child’s Play reboot. As we count down to June 21, a new clip has been released promising a chilling new take on the classic horror film.
Hakuna Matata! The live-action Lion King adaptation has released a new trailer, offering first glimpses of Beyoncé’s Nala, and Timon and Pumba voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen.
GAMING
With E3 right around the corner, there is so much going on in the world of gaming right now! But, you know we had to start with the new Pokémon-focused Nintendo Direct, which had a ton of news about the upcoming Sword and Shield.
In a massive step-forward for cross-platform gaming, it has been confirmed that the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will have cross-play on PS4, Xbox, and PC! As the producer of Infinity Ward put it:
everybody play with everybody play with everybody =]
— Candice 💜 (@candyslexia) June 1, 2019
Sony might not be at E3 this year, but they have plenty to say about the PS5. It will be backwards compatible, it will support 4K at 120hz (if your TV can manage it), and you will be able to carry across your old friends list and still play with them, something Sony calls “cross-generational play”.
On the other side of the aisle, Xbox President Phil Spencer tweeted out that they are ready to show off 14 Xbox One exclusives this year at E3!
Just finishing our final E3 rehearsal here with the team in Redmond. Feel really good about the briefing. Lots to show. We have 14 Xbox Game Studios games in the show this year, more first party games than we’ve ever had in the show. Fun times. #XboxE3
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 30, 2019
ANIMATION
The animated outing Marvel’s Spider-Man, which is currently midway through its second season, has been renewed for a third on Disney XD. The new season, which is scheduled to air next year, has been subtitled Maximum Venom, and will see the fan-favourite symbiote summon a threat from his home planet.
DreamWorks Animation has released the first look at their upcoming Jurassic World-themed animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. The show will follow a group of teenagers who are attending a camp on the other side of the dinosaur inhabited island Isla Nubar. What could possibly go wrong? The show will premiere on Netflix in 2020.
The 2015 Despicable Me spin-off film Minions looks as though it will be getting its own sequel. Illumination has announced the title of the new film as Minions: The Rise of Gru and it is currently slated for a July 3, 2020 release date. The new title would imply it will serve as an origin story for the villainous Gru voiced by Steve Carell.
Popular strategy card game Magic: The Gathering is getting its own animated series, which will be helmed by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo. CEO of the studio handling the animation has suggested the series will cross horror, thriller and drama genres.
Magic is coming to Netflix! Wizards is partnering with Joe and Anthony Russo to bring a new animated series about Planeswalkers to the streaming service. We’re excited to finally be able to share the news with everyone!
Read more about it on @EW: https://t.co/x9qUUgFksW pic.twitter.com/IXsjqam2ZZ
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) June 3, 2019
Toei Animation has dropped a promo for the newest arc of the One Piece anime: The Wano Kuni Arc, which starts July 7. Fans were quick to notice that the visuals for the promo are slightly different from what they’re used to, in a good way. The big visual change is due to Tatsuya Nagamine taking over as series director, who you may remember as director of the amazing Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie. The show also has a new character designer, and it now has the fancy line filter from the latest DBS movie.
On the topic of Dragon Ball, the absolute classic is getting a new new movie! The Japanese Blu-ray for Broly came with an interview with one of Dragon Ball’s producers, that said, “Now for our next steps, we are steadily preparing for the next movie… Broly was so strong that I think the next one will probably be totally different.”
A SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off series has been green lit by Nickelodeon. Kamp Koral will focus on a 10-year-old SpongeBob and his friends on summer vacation. Ramsey Naito, EVP Animation Production and Development of Nickelodeon, stated that, in relation to the universe of SpongeBob SquarePants, the series will be a “testament to the strength and longevity of these characters known and loved by generations of fans around the world”.
COMICS
DC recently announced that writer Tom King and artist Clay Mann, the creative team behind Heroes in Crisis, will launch a new Batman/Catwoman 12-issue series in January 2020, spinning out of the events of King’s Batman run. Mann has now unveiled a sneak peek from the series.
Marvel has hinted that deaths in the comic world will become a bit more permanent. At a convention in Sweden, Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief C.B. Cebulski said: “I don’t want death to be used to boost sales or to use as a shock value so people go ‘Oh my God, Johnny Storm is dead!’ or ‘Wolverine is dead!’ knowing that they’re going to be coming back… if we choose to do it now, we’re going to add a little more weight and permanence to the decision.”
COLLECTABLES
Collectors who aren’t able to get to SDCC this year are in luck as pre-orders for NECA exclusives have started. The items will ship to US addresses only, however, fans could use Australia Posts’ ShopMate service to have them sent. The exclusives include:
- TMNT (1990 Movie) – 7” Scale Action Figure “The Capture of Splinter” 4-Pack
- IT (2017) – 7” Scale Action Figure – Etched Pennywise
- The Karate Kid – 8″ Clothed Action Figure – Kreese
- T2 – 7” Scale Action Figure – Ultimate John Connor with Dirt Bike
- DC/Dark Horse – 7” Scale Action Figures – Superman vs Aliens 2-Pack
- DC/Dark Horse – 7” Scale Action Figures – Batman vs Predator 2-Pack
The Capture of Splinter #sdcc #WorldTurtleDay pic.twitter.com/8SdAtF8gMG
— NECA (@NECA_TOYS) May 23, 2019
Pre-orders have also gone live for DC’s Multiverse Figures Wave 12, which celebrate Batman’s 80th anniversary. This wave will include Katana, Batman (Dick Grayson), Red Robin (Tim Drake), Red Hood (Jason Todd), Alfred Pennyworth, The Beast and Killer Croc (Collect ‘ Connect), with images expected soon.
