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02/07/16 @ 8:16 pm EST
Ande Parks talks to Byron Brewer about Seduction of the Innocent #3, on sale now from Dynamite. The cover art is from Francesco Francavilla. Interiors are by Esteve Poll.  BYRON BREWER: From the Japanese Tea Gardens to San Fran’s legendary Chinatown, the current issue of Seduction of the Innocent oozes ‘50’s California atmosphere. Who did the most research, Ande, you or artist Esteve Polls? Is atmosphere important to you as a writer?ANDE PARKS: I think about atmosphere constantly when I’m writing, especially on this book. Seduction thrives on the vibe of its setting: the fog, the trench coats and fedoras, etc. When I chose San Francisco as the locale for our story, I knew right away that I wanted to show off the parts of the city that I love. I think we managed to hit most of them. We didn’t get to Alcatraz, alas. It was in operation as a prison at the time, and I just didn’t see a way to make that happen. Maybe if we get to do a sequel!As for research, the majority of the credit for that should always go to the artist. I do provide links to reference when I can, but Esteve is doing the heavy lifting. I’ve been an artist and I’ve been a writer. Believe me, it’s a hell of a lot easier to write a splash page set on the crowded streets of Chinatown than it is to draw that page. BB: Speaking of Esteve, it looks like he has been hitting these noir-soaked pages out of the park. Your thoughts on your co-creator’s art?AP: I would say that I’m really lucky to be teamed with Esteve again, but it’s not really luck. It’s [editor] Joe Rybandt and [publisher] Nick Barrucci knowing what the hell they’re doing. They assembled the team for this book, and I’m thrilled to have been included.Esteve and I are a good fit for a number of reasons. My writing thrives on atmosphere and on character moments. I am not going to blow you away with cosmic ideas. I think my approach can be very satisfying for readers, but only if the artist can bring the character moments to life. Esteve does so, time after time. You feel for his people, and you can feel the pain we put them through. BB: You certainly are throwing a lot at Thomas Jennings thus far. I hesitate to ask for the agent’s sake, but were there crimes/situations planned for this miniseries you were not able to include for one reason or another?AP: Actually, I think things got more harsh for Jennings as the series progressed. There were several drafts of the outline, and there were different action sequences and conclusions in each, but I think I just about always ended up going with the toughest option. Writing this series became an exercise in going for it. I would get a moment of crisis for the lead character, and decide that the book deserved that approach. Because we created these people just for this book, we had freedoms that are somewhat rare in comics these days. Nothing was held back as sacred for the sake of continuity. It was fun, if sometimes cringe-worthy. BB: Can you give us a little hint, non-spoilery, of what awaits Agent Jennings next issue?AP: His morals and ideas of “How Things Work” continue to be questioned. As our final issue opens Jennings is in a very dark place. The title of the third installment is “Topsy Turvy”, and that’s just what it is… things get flipped upside down. So, in the conclusion, Jennings is trying to find his way in this new landscape.Unfortunately, there is no clean way out from the place we have put Jennings. He will find a way out, but not with everything intact. He will be disappointed with himself and with the world, and he will definitely be changed.Again, in this kind of series, we get to explore a real arc for the protagonist. I think readers will enjoy that. For more on Seduction of the Innocent #3, click here.     
05/05/24 @ 2:17 pm EST
Normally, the first weekend in May is a big one at the box office where we usually get a new Marvel movie to fill the theaters. But with all the delays happening and only one actual Marvel Studios film releasing this year and nothing coming from DC until next year, this weekend was left open for a new franchise to take hold. It didn’t happen. The Ryan Gosling / Emily Blunt lead Fall Guy opened up short of estimates, taking in just $28 million to lead the box office. The total box office for the weekend is only $73 million, down 55% from this time last year when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 opened for $118.4 million. That’s how a summer schedule is supposed to launch. And it’s not like other films did well, the second highest grossing film of the weekend, making $8.1 million, was Star Wars: The Phantom Menace which included $300k from a series of marathon screenings over the weekend to celebrate May the 4th. Though one also has to look at the star power of Ryan Gosling as this is his third highest box office opening yet behind Barbie ($162 million) and Blade Runner 2049 ($32.7 million) and in neither of those films would I consider Gosling the main draw. The overall response to the film has been positive, getting an A- CinemaScore and 90% positive on PostTrak. Maybe word of mouth will help lessen the second week drop for the Fall Guy.  05/05/24 @ 1:55 pm EST
At 93-years-old, William Shatner has told the Canadian Press that he would be willing to return to the Star Trek franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar. While promoting the new documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, the original Captain James T. Kirk said, “It’s an intriguing idea. It’s almost impossible, but it was a great role and so well-written, and if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.” The last time Shatner wore a Starfleet Uniform was thirty years ago in Star Trek Generations where his character dies. The actor was quick to point out that Otoy, a company he promotes, specializes in de-aging technology and he also suggested a scenario where Kirk could return, saying: “A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it. ‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here.’ There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!” Salt and Pepper for a resurrection? We can see now why Kirk was never a science officer. I can already hear McCoy saying, “I’m a doctor damn it, not a shot-order cook.”  05/05/24 @ 1:19 pm EST
If you’re watching the X-Men ’97 series on Disney+ and noticed a familiar Wall-Crawler in the final moments of the eight episode, that is exactly who fans were speculating it was. Near the end of “ Tolerance is Extinction – Part 1” we get to see various characters reacting to the lights going out, this is caused by Magneto. One of the people reacting is Spider-Man and fans began to wonder if this would be the Spider-Man from Spider-Man: The Animated Series which ran 1994 to 1998 and series showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed it by saying, “It is indeed that Spider-Man.” While this Spider-Man had no dialogue, it’s not a big surprise as the character has crossed paths with this group of X-Men before. In the second season of the Spider-Man series, Peter Parker needed the X-Men’s help and the voice cast from X-Men: The Animated Series reprised their roles. This, along with images of the Daily Bugle having appeared earlier, sets both series in the same universe.  05/04/24 @ 12:07 pm EST
Prime has released the trailer for Season 4 of The Boys and this one looks like it’s building to an even bigger ending than season 3. It starts with Butcher ( Karl Urban) talking to his former team, basically saying he knows his time is almost up and he needs them to do what has to be done. We then switch to Homlander ( Antony Starr) talking to whoever makes up The Seven at that point, saying that the world is corrupt and it’s time for them to no longer be heroes, but to become vengeful gods. Then we cut to the newest addition to the series, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who looks to be recruiting Butcher to do some very bad things for good reasons. And then we get the big plot reveal that Butcher has found a virus that kills Supes… then we get a montage of fighting, violence, blood and a surprising large amount of angry animals. The Boys also stars Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti. Along with Morgan, season Four will welcome Susan Heyward and Valorie Curry. Premiering June 13 on Prime Video.  05/04/24 @ 11:50 am EST
Disney+ has dropped a new trailer for The Acolyte to celebrate May the 4th. With he tag line of, “No one is safe from the truth,” the almost 2 minute trailer shows off a world where the Jedi are being hunted by what might be one of their own. Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss star in the series and is the first project set in the High Republic era, roughly 100 years prior to The Phantom Menace. The series was created by Leslye Headland, co-creator of the Netflix series Russian Doll. It will debut on the streaming service on June 4th, 2024.  05/04/24 @ 11:35 am EST
We get this latest news straight from the horses mouth, or rather by way of Collider, who is reporting that Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While doing a panel at CCXP, the actor revealed he would be appearing in a Marvel project, but not in the role that many fans have talked about for him. The actor has been fan casted by many as the new Professor X when the X-Men finally move into the MCU. But Esposito said that he would be coming, “sooner rather than later,” and “better than you can imagine.” The next Marvel film to come out will be Deadpool & Wolverine which could put Esposito in just about any role as a variant, but the hope is that the actor who made his name playing such villains as Gus Fring and Moff Gideon will be someone of consequence that will be around a while. They still need a new actor to play Kang the Conqueror don’t they? And they haven’t cast Doctor Doom, right? Just asking.  05/03/24 @ 10:02 pm EST
Daytime Emmy-winner Mike Manning (This is Us, Days of Our Lives) and Olivia Blue (Theater is Dead, Animal Kingdom) will star in alien adventure film Unexpected Treasures, directed by John Paul Ungaretti, and written by Ungaretti and Christina Heller. The film’s cast is rounded out with AnnaMaria DeMara (Lost in Space, Lucifer), Jay Whittaker (The Orville, Let’s Go to Prison), Michael Dunn (Bosch, NCIS), Lauren Han (Beef, Extracurricular), and Rex Edhlund. Production for the film recently wrapped in Joshua Tree, CA. The script was inspired by the many extra-terrestrial-related stories and folklore of the Joshua Tree community and desert area. In the film, a wild alien encounter restores a local resident’s faith in humanity. Blue stars as the local resident, while Manning stars as the alien. (via Deadline) 05/03/24 @ 10:03 pm EST
Ali Afshar’s ESX Entertainment is entering into the horror space with the feature The Necklace starring sisters Madeleine & Violet McGraw, each of whom have garnered widespread acclaim for gripping performances in M3GAN and 2021’s The Black Phone respectively. Cameras will roll this summer. The screenplay was written specifically with the McGraw sisters in mind by Afshar collaborator John Ducey (A Hollywood Christmas, That’s Amor). The pic is being directed by Chilean filmmaker Juan Pablo Arias Muñoz, who helmed Pumpkinhole and HBO’s Perry Mason. Said Afshar, “Madeleine and Violet are among the brightest lights of this generation of young actors, and an absolute joy to work with. Each brings a unique energy to the screen and, together, they are absolutely electrifying to watch. I couldn’t be more thrilled to team up with these enormously gifted young actors to bring this fresh and terrifying story to the big screen and plunge audiences into the dark and chilling world of The Necklace.” (via Deadline) 05/03/24 @ 10:03 pm EST
The Maze Runner is back at the starting line. 20th Century Studios is rebooting the sci-fi action adventure franchise, which ran as a trilogy from 2014 to 2018. The Disney arm is in negotiations to tap Jack Paglen, perhaps best known for writing the Johnny Depp-starring sci-fi movie Transcendence, to pen the script for a new installment. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lee Stollman of Gotham Group and Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen of Temple Hill, who produced the original trilogy, are back to produce this one. Wes Ball, who directed the original trilogy, will also be involved as a producer. THR is reporting that the reboot is not a redo of the story nor is it a direct sequel to the original trilogy, which starred Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario. The hope is to make a sort of continuation of the story yet also return to the elements that made the first movie connect with its audience. (The original movie, made by 20th Century Fox in the years leading up to its acquisition by Disney, also proved to be an unexpected moneymaker, generating $348 million worldwide but costing only $35 million to make.) 05/03/24 @ 2:09 pm EST
Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) and Emmy winner Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) are attached to star in a new movie, The Death Of Robin Hood. Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One director Michael Sarnoski is writer-director on the project, which will be among the hot titles on sale at this month’s Cannes market via WME Independent. Arrival and The Prestige producer Aaron Ryder is among the producing team. The film is a darker reimagining of the classic Robin Hood tale. Set of its time, the film will see the title character grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, a battleworn loner who finds himself gravely injured and in the hands of a mysterious woman who offers him a chance at salvation. Production is due to begin in February 2025. (via Deadline) |
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