The Conjuring had its own spin-off, the abysmal cash grab Annabelle, about the demonic and appropriately creepy doll from the original film. And now, it seems a crucial character from The Conjuring 2 will have her own spin-off.
That’s right, the evil demonic nun (was it Dalak?) who winds up being the underlying motivation behind all the wickedness in James Wan’s sequel, will have her own moment in the sun. Or the shadows.
New Line is developing a bad habit. Fresh off the success of The Conjuring 2, the film company is spinning off the villain of the supernatural thriller, the demonic nun, into her own movie.
David Leslie Johnson, who co-wrote Conjuring 2, has been hired to pen what is being titled The Nun. James Wan, who directed the Conjuring movies, and Peter Safran, who produced them, are reuniting to produce the spinoff.
So there you have it. The Nun is on its way. Easily the creepiest entity from The Conjuring 2, the nun is a clear choice for the spin-off treatment. Mostly because she’s the best part of a middling sequel, an outstretched effort that stays afloat under the sure handedness of Wan.
Marvel Studios dropped a very interesting tweet mere moments ago, indicating they may have found their new Ghost Rider:
This has to mean… Henry Rollins is Ghost Rider? Right? There can’t be any other reason for this tweet. Maybe he’s playing a villain in the film. Maybe it means absolutely nothing, which is always a possibility. Still, it seems like a random misdirection to associate these two without any substance.
Of course, The Rollins Band did have a song “Ghost Rider” on The Crow Soundtrack, so there’s that. (Shrug emoticon).
Update: It looks like that tweet has been deleted. Truly a weird sequence of events over at the Marvel Entertainment Twitter page…
Here is the link to the original tweet:
https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/743174998228111360
Season seven of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ introduced the biggest villain since the Governor in the final minutes of the season finale. Negan will change the dynamic of the show for the next two to three seasons as ‘All Out War’ looms over on the horizon. Since the introduction of Negan in issue 100 of the comic book, the Internet buzzed with speculation on who will or should be cast in this dynamic role. The part eventually when to Jeffery Dean Morgan.
Musician and actor Henry Rollins auditioned for the role, Rollins finally opened up about the audition to Simon Thompson of Forbes.
“Since I didn’t get the part I can tell you this. I was up for the role of Negan because Charlie Adlard, who worked on the comic book, based that guy on me and so I was a shoo-in for an audition. The internet was wild with speculation because in the upcoming season they were going to introduce the character,” said Rollins.
“A woman that works in my office put my name and the character’s name into an internet search, and all this speculation came up. I went for the audition, and there were five pages of really cool dialogue with all these curses, and it was beautiful, but I didn’t get it. I later saw a photograph of the guy who did get it, and he looks almost exactly like the comic book rendering. The woman at my office watched the episode where he turns up, the dialogue that I auditioned with was in the show, and she said, ‘It should have been you.’ Obviously, it wasn’t, or this conversation would be very different, but that happened. I had to sign one of those documents where you can’t talk about it, but now it’s over and done with… so yeah, I was up for that part. I get great auditions, I auditioned for stuff like Narcos too, but rarely does anything come my way,” said Rollins to Forbes.
What do you think Walking Dead fans, who would make a better Negan? Rollins or Morgan
Rollins next film, ‘The Last Heist,’ hits theaters and VOD Friday.
Each week here on Monkeys Fighting Robots, we are looking at every DC Rebirth title and tracking its progress. Books will be rated on a scale of “Buy It”, “Borrow It” or “Bin It”. Batman #1 (Tom King, David Finch and Matt Banning) The Caped Crusader’s new run begins in earnest as he attempts to play Superman and prevent a plane from crashing into Gotham City. With the establishing shots, one can’t help but feel there is a whiff of Year One symbolism emerging from the panels. King not so subtlety references the Dark Knight Returns and the now infamous “this would be a good death” series of monologues. This is quite the interesting move for a series that is prima facie attempting to address, both thematically and literally, the darkness that crept into the DCU post-DKR/Watchmen. Unlike the original work, however, these speech is less an act of defiance and more an acceptance of his own mortality. This is a compelling piece of introspection in how Bruce Wayne, a man who has walked between plains of existence, has come to understand death, as if it were an old friend. This is a series that understands it’s own legacy and is using that to propel itself into a new era. With new heroes intent on replacing him, Bruce Wayne may yet have to come face to face with his own history and impact on Gotham City.
Recommendation: Buy It.
Superman #1 (Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray) Ostensibly, this is a book about the Man of Steel, but not so. This is a book about a frightened little boy as he tries to deal with power beyond his imagination. Jonathan; the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, isn’t happy. His family secret has been thrust upon him at a young age, forcing him to live an relatively isolated life and to lie to anyone he meets. This in and of itself would be enough to torment the young lad, but the added pressure of his uncontrollable powers adds a new layer of pressure as Johnathan quickly discovers their potentially deadly consequences. The child’s perspective means that some of the reality of the act events are somewhat skewed, giving it a Twilight Zone-esque feel from time to time. It’s an interesting way to take the core Superman book, but it may alienate certain readers and was perhaps a story-line best saved for the Super Sons title launching later this year. It’s frustrating that once again Lois Lane is given very little to do. The series is not lacking in potential, but it’s unclear if there is enough of a draw for this story-line to take flight.
Recommendation: Borrow it.
Green Lanterns #1 (Sam Humphries, Robson Rocha and Joe Prado) I’ll admit it, I’ve never been a Green Lantern person. I appreciate that Geoff Johns had a long-run on the character that revolutionised the series’ mythos and is widely regarded as an excellent series, but it’s just not for me. I tried to engage back when Blackest Night came about, but I decided that my time was better spent elsewhere. Green Lanterns hasn’t done much to change that opinion. It’s set-up as a buddy cop comedy-drama akin to Lethal Weapon, but it’s pretty . It’s lore heavy, but not in the way that you want to learn more about it. It acts more like a barrier to engagement, than an invitation to their world. Jessica Cruz is an interesting character, a woman who recently overcame her chronic agoraphobia becoming a Green Lantern in the process. Her partner, Simon Baz is less interesting here, though I do understand that race and religion played a big part of his character arc, reflecting the US’ Islamophobia post-9/11. If we see more of those elements shining through, then maybe this series may bounce back, but as is stands it’s a lot of space, but very little opera.
Recommendation: Bin It.
Green Arrow #1 (Benjamin Percy, Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra) Okay, how many times can we do the “people think Green Arrow is a hypocrite from being a socialist despite coming from a background of privilege” story-line? I don’t know, but perhaps in the current age of activism and hyper-aware politicos, this was a book that was needed. Indeed, Oliver Queen is more relevant to the modern young person than he has been in years. Something is rotten in the state of Queen Industries as evidence suggests the higher ups that actually run the company may be involved in an underground trafficking ring. There is nothing new here, but it gets a lot of the basics right. It feels like those brilliant episodes of Justice League Unlimited that starred Green Arrow. The development of Oliver Queen’s relationship with the Black Canary helps in someway make up for the loss of Dinah’s brilliant solo book, but it gets less attention than it deserves in this issue. The character is the trust version of himself in this series, but a paint by numbers story-line holds it back from being truly brilliant.
Recommendation: Buy It
Titans: Rebirth (Dan Abnett, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund)
Out of all the books being launched as part of DC Rebirth, this was the book I was most excited for. Not only did its creative team have an amazing body of work, but it was to feature the return of the original Titans; one of my favourite teams. This issue does what Titans comics do best, focusing on the relationships between the Titans as they each re-awaken to their past with Wally West; the former Kid Flash. It is done very well, giving a whistle-stop tour of the team’s history and their dynamics. Nothing major is revealed about the mysterious manipulator behind the curtain, but this series would appear to be the linchpin of the Watchmen meta-narrative. It’s required reading if you want to follow the grand plan. It also gives us our first real glimpse at Nightwing’s new/old suit which is a nice bonus. Rapmund still draws some of the best superheroes stuff on the shelves. The Titans are the centre of the DC Rebirth. Has DC has been reading my Christmas list?
Recommendation: Buy It
This week was a much better showcase of the potential of the DC Rebirth than the previous outing. The underlying meta-narrative wasn’t as all-consuming and it allowed some genuinely touching and insightful stories to be told. Book of the week goes to Titans: Rebirth for returning the series to its roots and finally giving the team the respect it deserves. The dishonourable mention goes to Green Lanterns which for a series about the emotional spectrum has very little heart. Next week looks to be a calmer week, but with Wonder Woman and The Flash on the ticket, it’s sure to be a good one. Until then, happy reading.
Why Didn’t ‘Finding Dory‘ Live Up To Its 13 Years Of Hype?
Having to follow up 2003’s ‘Finding Nemo‘ was undoubtably going to be tough. While I didn’t hate ‘Finding Dory‘ by any means, I can’t help to feel underwhelmed by the final product. Is it Disney fatigue as they have 9 films in 2016 alone? Maybe the magic of Nemo’s world has faded but I couldn’t fall in love with Dory’s solo outing.
To further clarify, the film was still a fun adventure with familiar faces and tons of new ones. Returning for starring roles was Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and his father Marlin (Albert Brooks); they’ve now built a family with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres). Rounding out the starring cast are Hank (Ed O’Neil), an octopus with a missing tentacle & Destiny (Kaitlin Olson), a whale shark who is Dory’s childhood friend.
They embark on a story that is fairly simple. Everyone’s favorite forgetful fish Dory is on the search for her mother and father in order to complete her family. Along the way, it started to feel like a children’s version of 2000’s ‘Memento‘; we’d get clues during Dory’s adventure which would trigger vivid flashbacks.
With only minor tweaks to the original formula, Dory’s journey to find her parents feels almost too similar to the search for Nemo in 2003. In order to pad its short running time, we are dealt with another split search as Dory is searching for her parents while Nemo and Marlin search for Dory inside Monterey Marine Life Institute.
“Just Keep Swimming”
-Dory
While ‘Finding Dory‘ followed the usual Disney/Pixar structure, the characters and visuals we saw along the way made up for any negative attributes. Visually, the movie shined when the camera would pull back and we take in the gorgeous aquatic scenery that was created. Each set piece we traveled to was distinct and filled with specific sea creatures.
All the characters introduced at a plot destination really made the film flow while providing laughs. It has to be noted that the rock scene featured the sea lions & a bizarre looking bird named Becky is my personal favorite. Also, Sigourney Weaver playing herself as the voice who greets guest at the Marine Life Institute was genius. Every time her voice rang over the P.A., we knew Dory was in safe hands.
Another interesting note is the movie has no clear villain. Very rarely does a Disney film not provide a bad guy to challenge the heroes. Maybe nature was the bad guy in the film as that’s what kept Dory and her families apart.
Last but not least, the new Disney/Pixar short ‘Piper‘ that played before the film was stunning. Stripping away the cartoonish feeling of ‘Finding Dory‘, ‘Piper‘ was a far more realistic looking piece with just as much heart.
Are you seeing ‘Finding Dory‘ this weekend? Let me know in the comments below!
Entertainment Weekly debuted the new trailer for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the sequel to the mildly successful thriller back in 2012. This time around, Cruise’s title character teams up with Cobie Smulders, replacing Rosamund Pike in the female lead.
Here is the trailer. It’s all cluttered up with Entertainment Weekly prod value. Surely a cleaner version will be out later today:
And here’s your basic synopsis: “Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he’s now accused of a 16-year-old homicide.” It’s based on the novel of the same name this time.
Director Christopher McQuarrie was too busy directing Tom Cruise in Rogue Nation to direct Tom Cruise here. So Ed Zwick (who directed Cruise in The Last Samurai) is at the helm for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.
I personally enjoyed the first film much more the second time I saw it. Initially, something felt flat about the whole endeavor, but another look and things really fell into place. The characters felt richer, and the suspense palpable. This one looks to explore a little more of Reacher’s past and what appears to be some PTSD issues.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back hits theaters October 21.
This issue moves fast. It’s often hard to keep up. Marty’s actions cause him to start to fade so he and the Doc have to fix it. They stop his Grandpa from getting killed but this results in a future where Hill Valley is now under Tannen family control, again. Man those Tannen’s really know how to send things to hell in a hurry. They work to fix things but end up creating a new timeline in the process
This comic was originally based on a game and it shows as the storytelling keep moving from problem to problem without any real breathing room. Yes it is supposed to be an adaptation and needs to faithful to the original game but it starting to feel like the story would benefit from the characters wandering around for a while talking with Non Playable Characters who keep spitting out repetitive dialogue which is may or may not be helpful.
Artwork
The art is still good and captures the look and feel of the game and original movie very well. Alan Robinson was able to provide some very visually pleasing actions scenes in this issue. The ghost effect as Marty starts to fade away is replicated spot on.
Conclusion
The issue is fun but it really seems like the story is rushing without taking a break. Hopefully with another new timeline to explore in the next issue there will be some moments where the characters will be able to look around and appreciate what is happening to them.
“Ponies of Dark Water Part 1” The Ponies go on an adventure to a newly erupted geyser. After some fun playing in the water, the ponies begin to act a bit strange, perhaps even… sinister? What happens when good ponies turn bad?
Writing
The mane six have gone evil. This results in some very interesting aspect of the character’s personalities coming to light. Applejack cares more about business than family, Twilight Sparkle crowns herself an empress, and Rainbow Dash just keeps making noise to annoy people.
Some may argue this plot borders on fanfiction territory but this is negative thinking. Seeing characters go evil every so often is something which happens to every great hero (it even happened to Captain America recently…Too soon?). Fans were apprehensive at first to the story line of “Nightmare Rarity” but since then the character seems to have been welcomed warmly by the fandom. Plot details which come out of nowhere and make now sense is when your in fanfiction territory but writer Thom Zahler made sure to explain why all this is happening. If this story had moved into pure fanfiction territory when, the characters would have become evil without any reasonable explanation and just because they snapped from all the stress in their lives.
Artwork
The artwork is at the perfect mixture of comedic yet emotional the comic has become known for. Tony Fleecs really knows how to draw the characters in a way which results in the right amount of comedy for the reader. Though it’s hard not to question the collar and tie Applejack wears once she is evil to look more professional. It makes her look too much like Yogi Bear. The tie is even green.
Conclusion
The first part of a storyline which will feature the heroes going bad and causing trouble for their family and friends is off to a great start. Fans will really want to check out this issue to make sure they are ready for what is going to come next. Here’s a small spoiler, it involves a reference to a certain clown prince of crime.
ALL HAIL OPTIMUS — part 5! OPTIMUS PRIME orders all all-out siege against the DECEPTICONS… leaving himself wide open to a counterattack by the human forces. Which is just what GALVATRON wanted all along…
Writing
The battle from the previous issue continues as things don’t look good for the team. Luckily, the the good guys are able to turn the fight around and find a way to push back Galvatron’s forces. Just as you think it’s going to be a standard battle with the good guys winning in the end, writer John Barber pulls a fast one.
It’s hard to talk about what happens in the issue without giving away a major spoiler, but this much can be said. It makes the issue a necessary read and also shows just how far in advance Barber was thinking when he worked on this story arc. This one is a game changer folks and you’ll need to pick up the book to check it out.
Artwork
Andrew Griffith’s art in this issue really helps to make the battle more intense. Compared to the previous issue this work is much more detailed and visually darker. The gritty and harsh lines and colors really help to make the issue feel much more intense between pages. This what the art with an intense battle needs to feel like. Griffith needs to be on this book full time instead of doing the artist rotation the studio keep utilizing but the use of this method is obviously to prevent an artist from burning out. Basically, he needs to take enough breaks to keep this level of quality while still being able to do the book every month.
Conclusion
Between the shift in the art team and the new revelation which this issue drops, this book is definitely one fans will want to check out. The All Hail Optimus story line just hit its peak and what a peak it is.
Strawberry Noire! A smooth-talking salesman tries to convince Strawberry Shortcake her café needs an overhaul and the Berry Bitty baker tries to sort out her decision in dreamland in the midst of a tense mystery. Detective Shortcake and her able assistant Orange Blossom are hot on the case!
Writing
The blurb isn’t wrong about this issue. Strawberry falls asleep and has a dream about being an old fashioned gumshoe detective. Her friends are recast as persons of interest in her investigation. It’s a fun little issue which really shows an inventive use of the comic book media and offers a story which wouldn’t have made it into the actual series. Writer Georgia Ball is telling the best kind of stories when it comes to books based on a franchise.
The comic also provides a backup story by Kristen Gudsnuk. The story features Sour Grapes and Sweet Grapes and Sour realizes even though she has a twin doesn’t mean she can’t still have individuality. It’s a good lesson which doesn’t get told enough to children.
Artwork
The art by Amy Mebberson is still very expressive. It allows the characters to be very comical at just the right moments in the story. The quality of her work hasn’t diminished a bit between issues and here’s hoping it will stay at this level of excellence.
The backup story, drawn by Nico Pena has a bit more of a subdued style to it. Not as energetic or comical as Mebberson’s work but at the same time has its own distinct feel. Her work helps to tell a more serious story and it would be interesting to see her draw an entire issue like this. An issue of Strawberry Shortcake with a serious story sounds like something issue fans would love to see down the line.
Conclusion
This book is starting to show a level of consistency which makes it worth noticing for a distinct demographic. Once the first trade comes out it will be a great book book to give to young readers to see if comics will help them to improve their reading skill. For now, try picking up an issue and giving it to a younger reader who you think would enjoy the wonders of reading comic books.
Batman #1 (Tom King, David Finch and Matt Banning)
Superman #1 (Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray)
Green Lanterns #1 (Sam Humphries, Robson Rocha and Joe Prado)
Green Arrow #1 (Benjamin Percy, Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra)
Titans: Rebirth (Dan Abnett, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund)
