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08/11/15 @ 6:54 pm EST
Mark Waid, writer of Justice Inc.: The Avenger #3, talks with writer Gail Simone about Swords of Sorrow #4, both on sale August 12th! MARK WAID: You now know more about these legendary comics characters than I do, and that’s saying something. How daunting was the research on this project?GAIL SIMONE: It was incredibly daunting. We've spoken of this a lot, Mark, but I was raised in the boonies on a farm, and access to the source material of many of these characters was just something I never had. My knowledge of comics is pretty deep, but there are huge gaps, and my knowledge of some of the other media these characters appeared in is a lot more spotty. So that was indeed a daunting task.But the research did turn out to be one of the most fun aspects, in the end. I kept finding out all these amazing things--I had no ideaMiss Fury was such a trailblazing character; an anti-hero, by a female creator, that inspired many characters to follow, that started in the Golden Age, not in comics but in comic strips? I had no knowledge of any of that. It was a joy to include her, I felt a real connection to her creator, Tarpe Mills. I mean, here was a kick-ass woman adventurer, created, written and drawn by a woman, in 1941 ... it's kind of astounding that in 2015 we are still having a conversation about women creating comics and comics featuring women. 1941! And then several of these characters, I had sort of misjudged. I looked at Jungle Girl and just thought, "Ah, a cheesecake Sheena rip-off," but then reading the book, you find these interesting themes and ideas, and the character of Jana herself is really charismatic and charming.So all of this was a lot of discovery. I've said it before, but the most exciting thing for me is how we are bringing in ass-kicking women from all forms of adventure media fiction: comic strips, radio drama, black and white horror magazines, adventure literature, pulp fiction, comic books, and more. I even like that the “bad girl” period of comics is represented in the Chaos characters.We put all the toys in the bag and shook them up, and that was a metric HELLton of work, but it was also very much a dream job, just ridiculously fun. Dejah Thoris getting on Red Sonja's nerves whileJennifer Blood shoots at Kato, it was just all too fun.  MW: Have the characters surprised you in any way as you’ve gone along?GS: Yeah, I ended up really enjoying writing all of them. I thought I would have some favorites, like Red Sonja (of course), but what happened is almost every character showed their voice, even with limited panel space. It was as fun to write Black Sparrow and Lady Zorro as it was to write Dejah Thoris and Vampirella, whom I was a lot more familiar with.Great characters want to be known, I think. And someone poured their heart into each of these characters, I am delighted to give them a chance to shine. I've said this a lot, I've had a lot of assignments, this might be the most pure fun I've had. If I want to put a dinosaur in, or a robot, I can do that, it just has to make sense. Also, I have to say, I had a lot of preconceptions about the Chaos characters, but a couple of them have really started to speak to me. MW: Which of them has been your favorite to write? Which one has a voice that’s been hardest to grasp?GS: Any chance I get to write Red Sonja, I am delighted, but what's fun in this book is who she is interacting with. Sonja hates royals, so she has an instant dislike of Dejah Thoris. And she has almost a big sister relationship with Jana, the Jungle Girl. All of that's a blast. It took a bit to find a voice for Masquerade, I was sort of faking it with her for a bit, but I think I came around to her.  One of the nicest things about this crossover is, I got to have a bunch of amazing writers writing fun tie-in books. I went and chose some of my favorite writers who were doing new things with female characters. People likeMarguerite Bennett, Nancy Collins, G.Willow Wilson, Mikki Kendall,Mairghread Scott, Emma Beeby, Erica Schultz, and Leah Moore, just all writers whose stuff I love to read. So some of the characters get a little more panel time in those books, as well. MW: What has artist Sergio Davila brought to the book?GS: Just an inhuman level of dedication and commitment. Here's a guy, and he's being asked to do a book with several main characters and a couple dozen supporting characters, and he just never skimps, he never takes the shortcut. I have asked for pages with all the characters, and he draws it. I asked for him to draw a huge map of the new fantasy world created in the story, and he drew it. I can ask for ninjas or Martians or gorillas, he draws it all, and draws it beautifully. I feel very lucky to have him. Dynamite gave me a long list of potential artists, and for me, it was Sergio, hands down. I adore the guy. He also draws the women with dignity. They're beautiful, but they're fun and flawed and they're not just there to be drooled on. It's lovely. MW: Fill in the blank: “Readers who like ______________ will really dig Swords of Sorrow!”GS: Funnel cakes!Or, gorgeous and dangerous women, 1940's radio dramas, science fiction, swords and sorcery, high adventure, cheap laughs, lightning-fast Martian dogs, gun-toting pulp crime fighters, snarky vampire queens, jungle adventures, it's all in there. We have been called the “best event book of the summer” by a LOT of critics, I'm very proud of that, but above all, we're having a party and we want you to be invited! 05/06/24 @ 12:54 pm EST
Superman is easily one of the most iconic fictional characters of all time, with the Man of Steel's story being told across comics, movies, television, and so much more. Next year, the DC character is headed back onto the big screen with a new live-action portrayal, as David Corenswet has been cast in the titular role of James Gunn's Superman. With production of the film underway, Gunn today officially unveiled the first full look at Corenswet in costume as Clark Kent AKA Superman on Threads. You can check it out below. Superman is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025. (via ComicBook.com) 
05/06/24 @ 12:51 pm EST
The English-language adaptation of Momo, one of the best-loved fantasy books by The Neverending Story writer Michael Ende, has set a buzzy cast, with Alexa Goodall (A Gentleman In Moscow) taking the lead role of the young orphan girl Momo. The main cast is completed by Araloyin Oshunremi (Top Boy, Heartstopper), Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve, The Witcher), Claes Bang (The Square), Laura Haddock (The Recruit, Transformers: The Last Knight), Jennifer Amaka Peterson (The Sandhamn Murders), David Shütter (Charlie’s Angels) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock). The story focuses on Momo, a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But, when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time, nobody has any time left for her, let alone their friends or families. Momo, together with Master Hora, the custodian of time, are the only ones who can go up against the time thieves before all is lost forever. Momo is currently filming in Croatia and Slovenia. (via Deadline) 
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) |
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