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07/18/22 @ 4:20 pm EST
Sugar, sugar, a brand new super-sweet antiheroine is hitting the stands! Meet NYC's Sweetie Candy Vigilante - from creator/writer Suzanne Cafiero and producer John Cafiero. Honey-dipped and dark humor infused, Sweetie Candy Vigilante is a unique multimedia character following in the footsteps of other "bad girls" like Harley Quinn and Dynamite's own Vampirella. She first debuted on the cover for the album Ear Candy by the group Osaka Popstar (featuring a dynamic punk cover of the classic Archies track, "Sugar, Sugar"). The first issue of the new comic series comes bundled with an MP3 download code to check out the song - perfect to put on while reading the book!
   “I’m honored to have Sweetie continue the long legacy of badass vigilante women in comics and media, including those in the stellar orbit of Dynamite’s roster," said writer Suzanne Cafiero. "I created Sweetie Candy Vigilante because I wanted to read a comic that has authentic NYC flavor infused with fantasy, horror, and dark humor. I’m really immersed in the SCV story. My lifelong NYC residency, along with childhood obsessions, love of art, music, film and comics has culminated in the creation of Sweetie, so buckle-up gumdrop!” Dynamite and the creative team are kicking off this exciting treat with an extra-sized first issue - extra pages, same sweet price of $3.99. The comic series is written and created by Suzanne Cafiero, produced, edited, and art directed by John Cafiero, and features artwork by Jeff Zornow ( Godzilla). Artist Josh Howard ( Dead@17) provides two variant covers in addition to Zornow's, with one presenting the artwork he created for the aforementioned album cover. Sweetie is an ethereal, charming, and beautiful relative of the mythical "candy man." She might just be a little bit unhinged, or perhaps unconventional. When she starts to notice her community of New York City being plagued by blight, decay, and dourness, she becomes hell-bent on spreading her blood-caked and sugar-coated manifesto on society. Equipped with other-worldly powers, confectionary weapons, and a passionate heart, she won't stop until the world around her is as sweet as her! First on her list is her favorite sweet shop the Ice Cream Bunny, run by an eponymous old friend. Only problem is, what stands there now is a front for a notorious crime syndicate. Which means it's time for Sweetie to tear the whole place and all its thugs apart, limb by limb. All the while enjoying the new version of "Sugar, Sugar" on the jukebox! "I was readying to record new material with Osaka Popstar and Suzanne asked if I would record a punk cover of “Sugar, Sugar” to connect with Sweetie," said producer John Cafiero. "I thought it would be fun and cool to include it as a free MP3 in the first issue and decided to take it a step further by having Sweetie appear on the cover of the record, which I titled Ear Candy. I love to create a full multimedia experience, and thought, let’s introduce Sweetie to the world not only on the cover, but set the stage for the upcoming series by including a variant version of issue #1, digitally, on the download card of the physical vinyl and CD. For the cover art, I wanted Josh to illustrate Sweetie holding a record literally made of candy, with a bite taken out of it. Bringing it full circle, I went to great lengths to create a real-life vinyl record you could hold in your hands, and even spin on your turntable, that looks exactly as you see it in Sweetie’s hands in the cover art!" Osaka Popstar is the pop-punk multimedia music and art project led by singer/producer John Cafiero, longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator and platinum selling film and video director. Alongside backing band members from the Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag, and more, Cafiero and Osaka Popstar have been met with rave reviews.Their latest release Ear Candy has been featured on CNN and debuted at #7 on the Top 10 SubModern album chart. "When John called us to publish the new comic series he’s produced, we were more than intrigued. He then sent us some of the art and story, as well the album, and we were floored at how great everything is and said yes immediately!," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. "The mix of story and art is fantastic, and the fact that John is adding in an MP3 to the comic, is helping to grow the market in bringing his audience to comics retailers. We know the fans will love this, and to bring in more fans, is what any publisher wants for the industry, to grow it."
    SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2022 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October 2022. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more! 05/13/24 @ 10:50 pm EST
The Barbarella feature starring Sydney Sweeney is getting more oxygen. Edgar Wright is in talks to direct the film for Sony Pictures, with Jane Goldman and Honey Ross in talks to write the script, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The project is still in early development and is planned as a new take on the character that originated in a French comic series from Jean-Claude Forest. Barbarella, a mercenary who travels the universe, was portrayed by Jane Fonda in a 1968 movie version that has become a cult favorite. Sweeney’s involvement in the new film was announced in 2022. Wright is known for helming films including Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. His next project is set to be a new adaptation of The Running Man for Paramount Pictures that will star Glen Powell. 05/13/24 @ 10:29 pm EST
Fan-favorite Cliff Rathburn (The Walking Dead, Brit) will launch an all-new, four-issue science-fiction miniseries titled, Remote Space. This tale will kick off in June from Image Comics. Remote Space is set in the year 2450 and Earth is dying. The human species has gone down two different evolutionary paths. One used cybernetic augmentation to adapt to space travel. The humans left behind used genetic manipulation to adapt to earth's worsening climate. For earth to survive, civilizations need to collide. "I am proud of what I've done with Remote Space and I think anyone who buys a copy will be happy with their purchase," said Rathburn. Remote Space #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, June 12: Cover A (wraparound) by Rathburn - Lunar Code 0424IM209 Cover B (1:10 copy incentive) by Ryan Ottley - Lunar Code 0424IM210 Remote Space #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.     
05/13/24 @ 12:20 pm EST
Jason Statham (Fast & Furious) has been set to lead a new action-thriller from director Baltasar Kormákur (Everest), which Black Bear is launching this week for the Cannes market. In the currently untitled film, Statham will play Mason who lives in isolation in a remote Scottish island. When he rescues a young girl from the ocean in a terrible storm, he sets a chain of events in motion that brings a violent attack to his hideaway, forcing him back into the world to confront the ghosts of his past. Principal photography is scheduled to commence in November in the UK and Iceland with production services and filming to take place at Kormákur’s RVK Studios facility in Reykjavik. The script comes from Ward Parry. (via Deadline) 05/13/24 @ 12:15 pm EST
These apes are going to need a bigger boat for their cash! 20th Century Studios‘ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has come in over expectations with a $58.5M opening. Sunday came in at $16.5M, down 19%, a strong attributable to Mother’s Day. Who knew moms were fans of the Planet of the Apes movies? Typical Mother’s Day Saturday to Sunday drops are around the -28% range. That’s now the third highest opening for an Apes movie after Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ($72.6M) and Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes ($68.5M). Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes only cost $160M, which is cheaper than Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes which cost $190M before P&A. As Deadline reported yesterday, there’s hope for summer in a movie that can beat its tracking projections. Not everything is destined to become flat footed. 05/12/24 @ 2:40 pm EST
Susan Backlinie, the actress seen in one of the most terrifying cinematic moments in history, has passed away at the age of 77. Backlinie played the skinny-dipping swimmer attacked by the shark in the opening scene of the 1975 horror classic Jaws. She would later re-team with director Steven Spielberg to parody that same scene in his film 1941. From their her career moved more into stunt work for films and television including work on The Great Muppet Caper, Day of the Animals and The Fall Guy television series. No cause of death has been released. She is survived by her husband, Harvey. 
05/12/24 @ 2:10 pm EST
Recently we’ve been seeing a rise in the number of “insiders” leaking information and photos from upcoming films. And while this has been going on for years, one in particular has hit a nerve with Marvel Studios so much that they have gone to the courts to try and have their true identity revealed. Documents have been found that show that Marvel’s VP of Global Security & Content Protection has subpoenaed Instagram for the identity of who runs the account “CanWeGetSomeToast,” a scooper who is known for posting leaks and spoilers. They are doing this because of a “leaked, pre-release image” from Captain America: Brave New World. The film is already dealing with leaks due to images from the upcoming McDonald’s toy tie-in hitting the web that showed a few characters that have not been officially confirmed for the film. It’s unclear what Marvel plans to do if they are able to get the information about who runs the account.  05/12/24 @ 1:13 pm EST
B-movie legend Roger Corman passed away at the age of 98. The director and producer of hundreds of low-budget films and the man who discovered a ton of industry stars from Jack Nicholson to Martin Scorsese to Rober De Niro. Variety reported that he died on May 9th at his some surrounded by his family. Previously asked how he wished to be remembered, Corman said, “I was a filmmaker, just that.” He specialized in fast-paced, low-budget genre movies including horror, action, science fiction and the occasional family fare. His films included Little Shop of Horrors, Boxcar Bertha, Machine Gun Kelly, Fall of the House of Ushers, Masque of the Red Death, Dementia 13, Eat My Dust, Frankenstein Unbound and in 1994 he famously produced with Bernd Eichinger an unreleased Fantastic Four film that was made so Eichinger could retain the rights to the franchise. Though the film never hit theaters, bootleg copies have been sold around at conventions for years. Corman is survived by his wife, producer Julie Corman, and daughters, Catherine and Mary.  05/11/24 @ 11:56 am EST
The Guardians of the Galaxy could’ve been very different if actor Joel Edgerton could’ve figured out the right tone. The actor who played the younger version of Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen had a chance to audition for the role of Star Lord but says he just couldn’t nail down the tone writer/director James Gunn was looking for. “Star-Lord’s a good one, actually, because I, unlike Chris [Pratt], didn’t quite sort of understand the tone of it the way he did and the way that those guys did. And I wasn’t really sure how I could be a part of that tone. And I truly think that the world is a much better place that I’m not Star-Lord, even if I had the opportunity or I did a good enough audition because it is the way it’s meant to be. And there was never a real conversation that it would have definitely been me. It was just, I had the opportunity to try and audition. I just didn’t quite understand it.” It’s well known that Gunn auditioned a lot of different actors before landing on Chris Pratt who went on to also star in two sequels and two Avengers movies.  05/11/24 @ 11:37 am EST
Sigourney Weaver is in talks to head back into space. The actress who has starred in both the Aliens and Ghostbusters franchises and even hopped into the MCU with a role in The Defenders, is now in talks to be part of the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu movie. The Jon Favreau directed film is slated to start shooting later this year and scheduled to be released on May 22nd, 2026 and while it’s unknown what character they are talking to Weaver about, its reported to be a key role. This will be the first Star Wars film to hit theaters since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019 which took in $1 billion worldwide. 
05/11/24 @ 11:26 am EST
While it may have been overshadowed by the Galactus casting news, another big name was added the same day. John Malkovich has also come aboard for a role in The Fantastic Four. This goes with the recent additions of Ralph Ineson and Paul Walter Hauser, and like with Hauser, Malkovich’s role is under wraps for now, along with the plot of the film. Marvel has previously announced the lead roles which include Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). News broke last week that Hauser signed on for an undisclosed role and of course there was the announcement that Julia Garner was going to play Shalla-Bal, a version of Silver Surfer. WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman is directing from a script by Eric Pearson, Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer with the film slated to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. And while we don't know who Malkovich will be playing, he does have a look that would work for villains like Red Ghost or Puppet Master. He could also voice HERBIE the robot.  |
