Earlier today, the Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphries, granted permission for Lucasfilm to film parts of Star Wars: Episode VIII on Skellig Michael, an island off the coast County Kerry, despite strong concerns raised by environmental protection groups. This is not the first time that Ireland has become part of a galaxy far, far away and filming for the Force Awakens took place on the same island in July and August of last year.
The filming will be subject to strict ecological and environmental conditions to ensure that the local wild-life is not disturbed as the area is quite fragile. The island is home to an ancient monastery which, along with the island itself, became an UNESCO world heritage site in 1996. Some have speculated that the island will be the home of Luke Skywalker in the upcoming sequel trilogy, a theory given some credence by the fact that both Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley were reported to have been part of the cast taken to the island. The fact that Lucasfilm has opted to return to the site indicates that whatever role the site plays in the film is likely to be quite important.
In another bit of related news which is sure to delight fans in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it was announced that Star Wars: the Force Awakens will launch in that market a day earlier than expected. Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits Irish cinemas on December 17th and will see world-wide release on December 18th.
Back in August the Universal Orlando Resort blog announced that The Incredible Hulk Coaster would shutdown on September 8, that sad day is here, but new bigger Hulk could be on the way.
“We want to let you know that The Incredible Hulk Coaster will be getting some great, new enhancements to its storyline, ride vehicles and overall experience.That work means we’ll have to close the attraction beginning September 8, with September 7 being the last day guests can ride. It will roar back to life next summer, and we’ll keep you posted on the details,” wrote the Universal Orlando Resort blog.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, ten years later Disney acquired the rights to Marvel but as long as Universal Studios updates the attractions on a regular basis they will retain ownership of certain characters in theme parks east of the Mississippi, according to /Film. Universal refurbished The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man in 2013, which included re-mastering the entire ride film in high definition, replacing the projectors with digital equipment and updating the effects.
There are rumors that a brand new roller coaster could be built to replace the current rail system.
Universal plans to open the new Incredible Hulk Coaster in Summer 2016.
Before I get started I want to make two things perfectly clear: Aquaman is one of my favorite Superheroes, and Jason Momoa is one of my favorite actors. The fact that Jason Momoa is about to be the king of Atlantis and fight along side the Justice League is awesome, and I can’t wait to see him in action…. Even though he basically looks like an underwater Khal Drogo.
Westeros will definitely be conquered now.
However, recently Momoa said that we just needed to “wait a little bit, and then we can make the jokes.” This instantly led to the internet reporting that after Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice the Aquaman jokes would be dead and gone forever due to his performance, which he indicates would be a more serious portrayal.
While I’m sure Mr. Momoa will do the best job playing Arthur Curry, I’m sorry to be the one to tell everyone this, but there will always be Aquaman jokes.
Now before you all grab your pitchforks, and torches (or in Mr. Momoa’s case, his trident, and the ability to call on Shamu to squish my ass) I would like to say something that might be a little hard to hear, but we all know is true. We don’t make fun of Aquaman because we hate him. We make fun of Aquaman, because we love him.
We love that he is a product of the silver age. We love that he has a ridiculously stupid design. We love that his powers are incredibly silly. We love that the jokes we come up with basically write themselves. But, most importantly we love that Aquaman can take it.
At the end of the day, after all the jokes we make about him we still love that he can stand tall next to the greatest heroes of all time and hold his own. The best writers know to incorporate all the criticisms and humor about the character, but make him able to endure it all and kick some serious ass.
Aquaman’s portrayal on the Superfriends has hindered his public outlook, and it may not be obvious of his immediate advantages at first glance, but he’s still a member of the Justice League. He has great stories written about him, and he is awesome. So Mr. Momoa, don’t fight the jokes. We’ll always love Aquaman, and we’ll love you for bringing your usual badass intensity to the character, but just remember that Aquaman will never out grow the juvenile humor we all come up with.
What do you guys think? Do you think Aquaman jokes help define the character? Or are you sick of hearing them?
Game of Thrones continues to add the season six as Richard E. Grant has been added to the series in an undisclosed role, according to Variety.
Grant was most recently in Dig, Downtown Abbey, Girls, and Doctor Who.
The HBO series have announced the addition of Freddie Stroma as Dickon Tarly, Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy, Ian McShane and Max von Sydow as the Three-Eyed Raven.
DC Comics Tuesday afternoon gave fans a better look at John Diggle’s new costume for season four of CW’s Arrow. Last week CW released a photo that showcased Diggle’s new helmet (Magneto), but the new photos are a full-bodied shot of actor David Ramsey wearing the jacket and helmet.
Marvel Monday morning announced STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3P0 #1, launching as part of Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens! Reuniting acclaimed & award-winning creators James Robinson and Tony Harris for the first time in nearly two decades, follow everyone’s favorite protocol droid on a solo adventure leading up to his appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens!
Plus, the burning question will be answered here: How did C-3P0 get that red arm?!
STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3PO #1 is the only place to learn the shocking truth behind how C-3PO lost his original arm – and the exciting origins of how he gained a new one!
“That’s a really exciting part of doing this story,” says writer James Robinson. “I saw a photo of C-3PO with his red arm the other day and I thought ‘Wow, I’m the writer who gets to explain that’.”
You may be fluent in over six million forms of communication…but this book is a must have in any language! Don’t miss the exciting origin of C-3PO’s crimson appendage this December, only in STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3PO #1!
STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3PO #1 will be out in December.
By most conventional measures in North America, the “Summer Box Office Season” runs from the first weekend in May to Labor Day Weekend. Now that Labor Day Weekend 2015 has come and gone, we can at last bring you our inaugural Summer Box Office Power Rankings, showing which summer movies scored best on Monkeys Fighting Robots as well as with other critics nationwide and which fared best when it came to raking in the bucks!
By default, the chart is sorted by Rotten Tomatoes percentage, but you can use the arrows at the top of each column to sort by title, studio, grosses, or by Rating Score, the score either of our resident critics, King Felix or Dewey Singleton, gave in their reviews. Each of the scores is a link to that particular critic’s review, as well, so if you see a film with a score that you just can’t believe, click on it to get the score details.
So what does it all mean, aside from the fair guesses that the folks at Universal and Disney must be pretty happy with how the summer has gone, while Sony and Warner Bros. must be scratching their heads and wondering where things went wrong? Tell us in a comment what you take away from this – we want to know!
The Fantastic Four re-boot has crashed and burned in epic fashion, but what burns the most is what could have been. Fausto De Martini is a concept artist that worked on the project and put together some concept versions of the Fantasticar and cartoon side-kick that replaced the Human Torch, H.E.R.B.I.E.
“Just sharing some early development work I did on Fantastic Four. It was very early stuff but it was tons of fun to work on. I don’t think any of it made in the final cut,” wrote De Martini on his Facebook wall.
Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment today confirmed that Sam Smith has recorded “Writing’s On The Wall,” the theme song to SPECTRE, the 24th James Bond adventure. SPECTRE will be released in the UK on October 26 and in the US on November 6. The song, released by Capitol Records, will debut and be available to purchase and stream on September 25.
Multi-platinum selling artist Sam Smith has co-written the title song, “Writing’s On The Wall,” with fellow GRAMMY® Award winner Jimmy Napes. It is the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965. Smith’s debut album In The Lonely Hour launched at No. 1 in the UK and bowed in at No. 2 in the US, and has since earned five No.1 UK singles, four GRAMMY® Awards, three Brit Awards, six MOBO Awards, Q and AMA Awards.
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of SPECTRE, said, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for SPECTRE and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”
Smith said: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”
The 23 previous James Bond theme songs make up some of the most memorable movie music of all time. The previous Bond theme song, “Skyfall,” was performed by Adele, and was honored with the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
ABOUT “SPECTRE”
A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
Sam Mendes returns to direct SPECTRE, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 for the fourth time. SPECTRE is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The screenplay is by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth, with a story by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.
SPECTRE is set for release in the UK on October 26, 2015, and in the US on November 6, 2015.
According to 11 Alive in Atlanta, police are searching for a man (“Gary” from Marietta) who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman attending the DragonCon.
The suspect introduced himself as “Gary” from Marietta to the victim at DragonCon on Sunday. The man was wearing an FBI baseball cap.
The woman wasn’t feeling well, and was allegedly led away from the event by the man, where she was sexually assaulted. The assault did not happen at the convention itself, police said. It occurred between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. near the Mall at Peachtree Center.
The victim’s friends was able to get a picture of “Gary” from Marietta, according to Atlanta Police Lt. Celeste Murphy.
Anyone with information on “Gary” from Marietta is asked to call Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477). A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered in this case.
