Voltage Pictures released the trailer for the action thriller Standoff, directed by Adam Alleca and starring Laurence Fishburne, Thomas Jane, Jim Watson, and Ella Ballentine Tuesday afternoon.
Carter (Thomas Jane), a troubled veteran who gets a chance at redemption by protecting a 12 year-old girl from an assassin after she witnesses a murder. Holding a shotgun with a single shell, he engages in physical and psychological warfare in a desperate fight for the girl’s life.
Steven Spielberg has begun assembling his team for Ready Player One, the silver-screen adaptation of Ernest Cline’s dense, thrilling geek adventure. We’ve gotten a few hints here and there as to who Spielberg may be contacting to join the cast, which is one of the many, many challenging aspects of the film; almost every character will need an avatar version to exist in the OASIS and a “real-life” in the dystopian future world, if early indications in the casting department amount to anything.
Recent rumors hinted – hoped – that Spielberg was reaching out to Gene Wilder in an attempt to have him come out of retirement to play a role in the film. News broke yesterday that a shortlist for Art3mis, the female lead, includes Elle Fanning, Lola Kirke, and Olivia Cooke. But we have a long way to go to fill out the case of Ready Player One. So why not save Spielberg some time and try and nail down the crucial casting decisions? Here we go…
Wade Watts/Parzival
Wade Watts, the protagonist of Ready Player One, is front and center in every scene both in the real world and James Halliday’s virtual world, the OASIS. Like all of the gunters – avatars hunting the elusive eggs of the OASIS – Watts needs two actors if Spielberg is headed in the direction he seems to be heading with the Art3mis casting news.
For the real world Watts we need a young, somewhat unfit actor, as Watts is not in the best shape from spending his entire day sedentary, locked into the OASIS. The Watts avatar should be someone altogether different, an athletic, handsome young actor. For the real Watts, I can see nobody else beyond Clark Duke. Duke, who’s appeared in Kick-Ass 2 and Hot Tub Time Machine, has that soft geeky charm and playing Wade Watts could be a great move for him. As for Parzival, Watts’s OASIS avatar, the field is much broader. Someone like Nicolas Hoult would fit, but for this world of the OASIS, a lean and angular actor like Ezra Miller would fit to perfection.
Art3mis
Art3mis, the headstrong female gunter and the apple of Wade’s eye, will most certainly require two different actresses given the twist near the end of the novel. Let’s go with Spielberg’s shortlist, including Elle Fanning, Lola Kirke, and Olivia Cooke. For me, Fanning seems a bit too fair and flighty to embody a strong, sassy gunter like Art3mis. Of Kirke and Cooke, I would say Lola Kirke fits the description of Art3mis, at least in my mind. Kirk played the redneck thief Great in David Fincher’s Gone Girl last year, and that attitude and swagger fit perfectly. As for Art3mis in the real world, all bets are off…
James Halladay
Halladay, the OASIS architect, the deified Spector of the entire story, exists more as a figure than an actual character. That being said, he will need to be cast because there will be a few crucial moments for him throughout the picture. Such an icon within the story deserves an iconic performer. There is no word as to which character Spielberg wants Gene Wilder to play, so he is certainly an option here. However, I believe (and hope) that Wilder is set up for another character. Someone like Max Von Sydow sounds great, but maybe he is a bit too old and ominous for a character who spent his time programming video games and collecting nerdy nostalgia. After all, Hallaway died before he reached the advanced age of Og, his partner.
Someone like William H. Macy could nail both the young geeky side and the prestige of Halladay. Even Jeff Daniels would be an interesting choice. But, I am going with Kevin Kline. Kline feels absolutely spot on, both as an ominous force permeating the film, and a geeky mastermind. Make it happen.
Ogden Morrow/Og
Ogden Morrow is Halladay’s surviving OASIS co-creator and partner. Though the two had a falling out, detailed early on in the novel, it’s clear Og is still very much in the picture as far as the daily operations of the OASIS and climax of the story are concerned. We don’t see Og for some time in the real world, but his presence is vital. Again, we’re all in the dark here regarding the possible involvement of Gene Wilder. Perhaps it was for Halladay, but Wilder is pitch perfect for Og. The omnipresence of Og and the majestic unveiling of his character in the third act deserves Wilder and his ubiquitous gaze.
Nolan Sorrento
Now for the baddie. Sorrento is a corporate snake, the figurehead of Innovative Online Industries (IOI), the corporation hunting Halladay’s virtual fortune in hopes of capturing it and ruling (therein ruining) the OASIS. Sorrento is cold and calculating, but a chameleon in early scenes before his earnest attempts to court Wade Watts to IOI’s side turn sinister.
Casting a slimy corporate suit is simple enough, they seem to come a dime a dozen. An older possibility could be someone like James Spader, though I doubt he could fool anyone that his intentions are good in the early scenes. The always reliable William Fitchner would be a good fit as well, but again we run into the problem of his menace outweighing his ability to feign innocence. Which leads me to Patrick Wilson, the perfect blend of innocence, a seething smarm behind that gleam in his eye, and an actor who could capture the essence of villainous corporate corruption. Wilson would be a perfect fit.
There are a handful of supporting characters needed to fill out Ready Player One, from Toshiro and Akihide, the two Asian gunters, to Aech (pronounced like the letter “H”), Wade’s friend who needs two vastly different actors to play the role. These are my choices for the central players. Regardless of the cast, Steven Spielberg will have a tough time capturing the pop-culture density of Cline’s novel. Alas, if anyone can pull it off, it’s him.
Captain America: Civil War just finished filming last week and there have been rumors about whether or not Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and or Hulk would be in the film.
Ruffalo was at the Venice Film Festival and spoke to BadTaste.it about the film and the future of the Hulk.
“The reason is too great to be revealed in this movie (Civil War), I was in the script but then they removed my character. They don’t want to reveal where is he and why. I don’t even know if Hulk will be back soon,” said Ruffalo.
One can only hope for a Planet Hulk film…
Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Martin Freeman.
Captain America: Civil War is set for release on May 6, 2016.
Scott Cooper’s Whitey Bulger crime drama Black Mass is one of the more hotly anticipated releases of the upcoming fall movie season. Now, Cooper appears to be lining up his next project, American Wolf, with Leonardo DiCaprio taking on producing duties. The Wrap had the exclusive yesterday evening.
American Wolf tells the true story of a hunter in Yellowstone National Park who mistakenly kills an endangered wolf, which sparks outrage. In the aftermath, the hunter finds an unlikely friendship in the researcher who works for the park. The source material comes from Texas Monthly‘s Nate Blakeslee.
The material fits for Leonardo DiCaprio, a noted environmentalist and conservationist. The story in American Wolf also feels topical, at least for now, given the recent outrage over the killing of Cecil the Lion. As for Cooper, this will be his fourth major feature film following Crazy Heart, Into the Furnace, and the upcoming Back Mass. Cooper is an uneven filmmaker for me, one who captures compelling moments in otherwise up and down films. Hopefully, Black Mass will codify his best traits throughout.
USA’s summer break out hit Mr. Robot conclude its first season Wednesday night with ‘eps1.9_zer0-day.avi’ and gave the audience more questions than answers.
Here is the after credits scene with the surprise entrance of the White Rose.
“Because fsociety in essence succeeded, I wanted to let audiences know that there wasn’t necessarily a victory, rather something larger at play. There are chess moves higher up, higher than the biggest conglomerate on the planet. I wanted the looming threat of something more devious,” said series creator Sam Esmail to Deadline.
Esmail adds that one of Elliot’s adversaries in season two will be Joanna, Tyrell Wellick’s wife. Elliot and Joanna go toe-to-toe in the season finale.
“Her motivations are a little murky this season, but they will get clearer next season. We’ll see her rise,” said Esmail to Deadline.
When asked where Tyrell was, Esmail gave this cryptic answer about Elliot.
“The show is about a guy who has this disorder in real time that we’re discovering with him. What do you do when your alter ego has acted as you? How do you deal with that emotionally and practically on a real-world level?” said Esmail to Deadline.
Mr. Robot is a blatant ripoff of Fight Club in premise but takes the next step to distance itself from the muse and establish new ground. For the series to succeed there needs to be a definitive end game in Esmail’s mind.
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers is airing on Crunchyroll and updates Saturdays at 3:30pm EST.
Quick Rundown
Adelet and Hans are at a loss as to how to defeat Chamo for a bit. Essentially, to defeat her Adelet had to come up with something that nobody else had done before. He does this and Hans disables Chamo. They tie her up and ask her if she knew about the barrier before she got there. She says no.
Adelet meets with Flamie and tells her he thinks the seventh Brave raised mists to make it look like the barrier was activated before it actually was. He surmises that they had Lauren lie to all the others about how to activate the barrier, and it got activated while everyone fiddled with sword later. Flamie says this is impossible because the only way to cover the entire forest with fog is a barrier, and since a barrier was already set up there, placing a second would be impossible. Adelet convinces her not to kill him by reminding her that she would be the next suspect once he’s dead in the event that he is not the seventh.
Maura goes back to the temple and convinces Hans and Chamo they’ve been had.
Nachetayna explains to Goldov that Hans knew she was a princess all along but pretended not to, and that is why she suspects Hans.
Thoughts
The action scene with Chamo was the best part of the entire episode. The action is just so fun and I do wish there was more of it and less standing around and talking. I still think this is probably better in it’s original light novel format.
I do not think Adelet is mistaken about being misled about the barrier activation. He is just looking at it too narrow-mindedly. Perhaps the forest wasn’t covered in fog at all. Perhaps it was an illusion? For a moment I thought it could have been Hans since he showed talent with illusions, but I don’t really think he could have gotten everyone in the group unless he was a Saint, and only females can be Saints. However, there could still be a Saint of Illusions who is the 8th Brave Adelet thinks exists, perhaps helping out the 7th Brave. Man. I really don’t want it to be Hans.
Why does Adelet take Chamo’s word? If I were the bad guy, I’d have said I didn’t know about the barrier, too.
As for everyone fiddling with the sword after the fact, I think Nachetanya had the most suspicious attempt, ending with her breaking a piece of it (possibly so it couldn’t be reversed). However, there doesn’t seem to be a way for her to get word out to Lauren to lie about how to activate the barrier. Someone else would have had to do it for her. And I still find it suspicious that Goldov thought all her whininess lately was strange. He would know her best. He is in love with her, after all!
As for Hans knowing that Nachetanya is a princess, that could be explained by him having taken jobs assassinating people in Piena. Or he could have just been using it as an insult. It’s not a very good hypothesis at all. Ever since they made it to the temple, I’ve wanted to slap Nachetanya every time she opens her mouth. And then she makes Goldov look at her cleavage, knowing that he’s in love with her. Ugh.
Comic book name: OLD MAN LOGAN Numbering: 4 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Andrea Sorrentino Publisher: Marvel
Damn. That is the only appropriate word for how good Old Man Logan has been as a series. The way the writing of Bendis perfectly syncs with the art style of Sorrentino, is mind-blowingly perfect. Next to Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey’s run on Moon Knight, Bendis and Sorrentino may be the best comic duo on a Marvel series since then. The Secret War’s Old Man Logan captures so many elements of Frank Miller’s Old Man Logan, while still standing out on its own and sticking to the general tone of the Secret Wars: Battleworld. Enough credit cannot be given to how well Bendis and Sorrentino have handled this miniseries.
Old Man Logan #4 opens up with Logan battling his way through a sea of Marvel Zombies, for a time period in which, even he isn’t sure. Wolverine describes it as possible hours or even days, because of the lack of time change in the Deadlands, with no sun or moon. Logan is eventually able to battle his way out of the swarm of zombies before making it into a small cave on a cliff side, where he discovers She-Hulk (or really one of Battleworlds many She-Hulks) who had been sentenced there by God-Doom. After some time is spent on dialogue between Logan and She-Hulk regarding the Deadland, the two eventually figure out a way for Wolverine to escape this portion of Battleworld, through a mile high jumping, fast ball special over the wall. This is where the issue comes to a close and where Old Man Logan finds himself in yet another piece of Battleworld.
Bendis and Sorrentino are the best comic duo at Marvel right now.
Most of this story relies heavily on multiple art panels in action scenes, which make up most of the book. Sorrentino’s signature use of turning the panels themselves into artwork, combined with Bendis’ ability to exude Wolverine, to the peak of what makes the Logan’s “Loganness”, is superb. Especially, being able to accomplish this in only one issue. The series thus far has been more than amazing and it’s as if every issue, gets better and better as the story goes on. Bendis captures such a life weary Logan to a T, you really miss having this character around in Marvel 616. Bendis is able to tell this story in such simple fashion, through the dialogue and plot pacing, and it’s one of the best examples to give for less is more. Many times writers focus so heavily on the dialogue it stifles the art of the book and takes away from the reading experience itself. However, Bendis let’s Sorrentino’s artwork tell his story, rather than forcing unnecessarily long conversations or forcing the comics’ script into the book. He knows who Logan is and what makes the character tick. Bendis isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, rather he’s making the best wheel he can.
And of course, when it comes to the artwork of Old Man Logan, nothing can be said less than Sorrentino’s work is God-tier levels of skill and artistry. The man knows how to turn simple paneling, into a visual masterpiece of art within art, completely changing how you read a comic. Everything is so aesthetically beautiful and mesmerizing, he could draw an entire comic without a single word and you would get more out of it than most comics on the shelves right now. The visual prowess used through this series and this particular issue isn’t a treat, it’s an experience.
Read this issue, read this series. By far, Bendis and Sorrentino are the best duo in Marvel comics right now. The way these two are able to mesh the scripting, as well as the art work, is discredited by a review. It needs to be read and experienced for oneself. In the future, Marvel really needs to put these two on other series without a doubt. Luckily, when Marvel launches their new titles in the fall, Sorrentino will be working with Jeff Lemire on the new Old Man Logan series, which is spectacular news. If you haven’t read those twos’ Green Arrow for the New 52, then you don’t know what you’re in for and if you have, then you probably share in the excitement for it. Praise God-Doom for what is to come with that title.
FOX released the synopsis for episode one of season two of Gotham, ‘Damned if you do…’. This season of Gotham is being coined as the Rise of the Villains.
“Penguin is King of Gotham and after a shakeup at the GCPD, Detective James Gordon’s moral compass wavers, as he seeks help from Penguin. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne continues to explore the secrets from his father’s office, while GOTHAM newcomers Theo Galavan (James Frain) and his sister, Tabitha (Jessica Lucas), make friends with some unlikely allies, a group of dangerous inmates from Arkham in the all-new ‘Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do…”
Gotham returns to FOX on September 21.
Fox also released everything you need to know from the first season of Gotham in seven minutes.
The good. The evil. The beginning.
Everyone knows the name Commissioner Gordon. He is one of the crime world’s greatest foes, a man whose reputation is synonymous with law and order. But what is known of Gordon’s story and his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the multiple layers of corruption that secretly ruled Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? And what circumstances created them – the larger-than-life personas who would become Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face and The Joker?
GOTHAM is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer/writer Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist,” “Rome”), GOTHAM follows one cop’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city teetering between good and evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.
Twitter account DCEU Feed is reporting that Ezra Miller who has been cast as the Flash revealed details to his appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. All of this news is according to a fan.
Barry Allen’s hair will be kept long for ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’
His Flash suit has a post-apocalyptic look to it.
Ezra will have a ripped physique instead of being bulky
What would you like the Flash suit to look like in the film?
Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice is directed by Scott Snyder, and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Diane Lane, Ezra Miller, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Michael Shannon, and Laurence Fishburne.
The film is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016
James Bond author Anthony Horowitz was asked if Idris Elba would make a good Bond. His comments stirred a rage over the internet.
“[He] is a bit too rough to play the part. It’s not a colour issue. I think he is probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond,” said Horowitz.
Horowitz quickly put out an apology statement after his comment went viral.
“I’m really sorry my comments about Idris Elba have caused offense,” he wrote. “That wasn’t my intention. I was asked in my interview if Idris Elba would make a good James Bond. In the article I expressed the opinion that to my mind Adrian Lester would be a better choice, but I’m a writer, not a casting director, so what do I know? Clumsily, I chose the word ‘street’ as Elba’s gritty portrayal of DCI John Luther was in my mind, but I admit it was a poor choice of word. I am mortified to have caused offense,” said Horowitz.
Elba responded with a positive message to fans on his Instagram account.
