During an interview with Esquire, Alden Ehrenreich revealed that he signed a three-picture deal with Lucasfilm. This would seemingly suggest that Disney and Lucasfilm have plans for the character after his upcoming adventure, although it’s worth noting that multi-movie contracts are standard issue for franchises like Star Wars.
See what Ehrenreich said when asked about his contract below:
“Three. I don’t know if that’s officially, uh, public. But—yeah.”
While Ehrenreich’s contract doesn’t guarantee that we’ll see more of his Han Solo, it’s exciting to know that Lucasfilm might at least be interested in using the character again. The latest trailer for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY revealed that the film was set ten-years before A New Hope, meaning there’s a full decade of potential stories that Lucasfilm could tell. Of course, this all depends on the success of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and the fan reaction to Ehrenreich’s younger Han Solo. If the film flops, I highly doubt Lucasfilm would want to make a sequel. If it’s successful and fans love Ehrenreich as Han, we might see more stories about the galaxies favourite scoundrel.
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is directed by Ron Howard and stars Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Thandie Newton, Joonas Suotamo, Jon Favreau and Paul Bettany.
Do you want more Han Solo movies, starring Alden Ehrenreich? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Americans is a cold-war era spy show on FX that’s wrapping up its final season, but for composer Nathan Barr, it’s another high-note in a career that plays like a symphony.
Classical Greek philosopher Plato once said about music: “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” For pop culture, the sounds behind our favorite scenes often receive little appreciation. Without the theme to Superman or Star Wars, those films lose so much of their soul. Without the soaring sounds of ET, the moment Elliot and his extraterrestrial friend lift off on the bicycle loses its wings. Music fills in the space emotional between viewer and entertainment that brings life to the acting, effects, and direction.
Monkeys Fighting Robots spoke with Nathan Barr about his past, present, and future in the music making business now that The Americans is over.
The road to composing for film and television started with a now household composer “It started in about 1997. I started working as Hans Zimmer’s assistant for about eight months.” For Nathan, it was part of Zimmer’s Remote Control Productions which was known as Media Ventures back then. “That was sort of being thrown into the deep end of the pool. He showed me the ropes.”
Before composing Nathan was already an accomplished musician, “I’m a cellist and a guitarist. I studied music my whole life.” And Nathan had goals “I’ve always had an interest in doing film and television.”
How do you go from a horror movie to a spy thriller? “It’s just really about connecting with the characters emotionally. As long as there’s a character I can connect to and the performances are strong, it’s really easy to go back and forth between different genres.”
Speaking about The Americans “… Philip and Elizabeth are such amazing characters … so it’s really easy to plug into them emotionally. To further his point “With something like The Son, another show I’m doing, or a show I’m doing that’s coming up on Amazon, Carnival Row, the characters on these show are really wonderful.”
Executive Producer Joel Fields, Nathan Barr and The Americans’ Creator Joe Weisberg
Where does Nathan gather his inspiration? Is it from other movies or shows? “Not really, I try to approach it with my sound.”
Reference tracks are a normal thing now in Hollywood and Nathan thinks “I’m doing a movie right now with Eli Roth called The House with a Clock in Its Walls, and there’s temp [tracks] all the way throughout. It helps me get an idea of what they want. Eli is a director, though, who really wants his own sound and so I depart from the temp.”
Has a director ever wanted something that resembles the track more accurately? “I haven’t really run into that. If I had someone insisting that I duplicate the temp, then I’d probably not do the project.”
“I really try to stick to acoustic instruments. I have a bunch of weird string instruments that I like to use. But I’m really all about keeping things as organic as possible.” But, not everything is so simple “Some shows require quite a bit of synth stuff because it fits in that world.”
Nathan Barr’s career is highlighted by horror films and TV. Is that his favorite genre? “Probably a third of my career is horror films. I love horror films. I watch pretty much everyone that comes out. I’m disappointed most of the time. But still the past couple years there has been some great stuff.”
Matthew Rhys, Nathan Barr, and Keri Russell
Time is money, as they say, and how does time change the approach to a project? “With something like True Blood or The Americans I have hours and hours of content to explore the world through music versus 90 minutes in a movie.” Nathan adds “However, with a movie, like this one I’m working on now, I’ll have four months to really work on the themes whereas with a tv show, you have a little more time on the front end but then it’s week-to-week sometimes.”
Like many professionals, Nathan doesn’t encounter the composer’s version of writer’s block much “Thankfully I figured out pretty early that I really thrive under deadline.” However, with that said, he continues “I guess if I have too much time there can be times where I don’t feel like writing.”
Nathan cements a vital part of the creative process for him “Being away from the studio is also as important as being in the studio, to sort of clear your head.”
As for Nathan’s studio, it’s transitioning to bigger and better things “I do the majority of my work at an in-home studio, but I’m just building a very large studio down in Tarzana where I’ll be able to record an orchestra of up to about 60 players, and that’s where I’ll start working most of the time.”
What is the relation between writing music and a scene? “A scene tells us how long a piece is going to be, what themes are going to be in it, where it needs to have its changes, where it needs to lift, where it needs to dip. It’s like a roadmap.”
The future is here, and video games are the dominating force of entertainment for the coming generation. Nathan declares “I’d totally work on a video game. I’m a gamer, and I think of Jeremy Soule’s work on Skyrim or the stuff done in BioShock. It’s just amazing.”
And to cap things off, I ask Nathan to name a modern composer who he admires “The guy I’m always impressed by is Dario Marianelli, he did Anna Karenina, Paddington 2, his work is always just really phenomenal.”
Thank you to Nathan Barr for taking time out of his busy, music-making day to speak with us. Additionally, thanks to Impact24 PR for connecting us with Nathan and providing the photos scattered throughout the article.
Sony Pictures just dropped a brand-new trailer for Tom Hardy’s Venom movie, which finally gives us our first look at the Lethal Protector in action, and now we have a brand new poster to gaze at as well.
The poster, which debuted online (via Twitter) alongside the trailer, explores the two sides of the infamous anti-hero/villain. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Tom Hardy’s Venom, but if the recent trailer and this poster give me anything, it’s hope that this Spider-Man-less movie can succeed in giving us a decent adaptation of the comics.
One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Riz Ahmed and Jenny Slate. The film will land in cinemas on October 4, 2018.
Sony Pictures has released a brand new trailer for the Tom Hardy starring Spider-Man spin-off, Venom. The trailer, which debuted at CinemaCon on Monday, gives us an incredible new look at the comic book movie and we finally get to see what Tom Hardy will look like as the monstrous symbiote.
One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Riz Ahmed and Jenny Slate. The film will land in cinemas on October 4, 2018.
The Handmaid’s Tale’s second season is full of brilliant cinematography, vibrant performances, and a burning intensity which radiates every second of each episode.
It really should come as no surprise to anyone after the critical acclaim the first season received, resulting in eight Emmy award and two Golden Globe wins. Writer Bruce Miller and his team demonstrated a fearlessness while adapting Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, but remained faithful to the source material. One of the many things fans will be giddy about in the 2nd season is now the show is expanding the universe found in Atwood’s novel. For some shows, taking a bold direction would be risky, but Miller’s team weaves it effortlessly into the second season.
The second season begins with Offred/June (Elisabeth Moss) pregnant and seemingly at the mercy of Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd). Even though Handmaids are praised when they can bear offspring, her life apparently is even more controlled than before. The commander (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) are thrilled by the news, but the moment feels hollow to Offred/June. Her friends are being subjected to unthinkable punishment for their refusal to stone their fellow handmaid and the ones that survive a barrage of torment are sent to the colonies to be with the “Unwomen.” The colonies are a nicer version of a concentration camp and Emily (Alexis Bledel) is imprisoned there. Will these strong and courageous women find hope in a bleak world?
The writing in season 2 is fascinating. Every moment and piece of dialogue is purposeful in enhancing the narrative. Very few television shows can claim this. It’s as if each episode is a watercolor in Miller’s ever-evolving masterpiece. However, the series has demonstrated from its onset the benefits of being restrained. Audiences are not overwhelmed with loads of dialogue. Instead, the show walks a fine line allowing it to achieve balance. Moss, Bledel, Dowd, and Strahovski are just some of the cast who use restraint to their advantage. Sometimes, much more emotion can be conveyed in a look.
However, what stood out in The Handmaid’s Tale was the riveting performances from the cast. Moss is such a blazing cauldron of simmering rage yet manages to show such strength in scene after scene. Dowd can project such conflict, yet her character takes great pleasure in committing heinous acts in the name of faith. Strahovski conveys a smugness and righteousness that it makes audiences forget her role in Chuck.
What sets The Handmaid’s Tale apart from every other show is its creative use of pacing. Nothing about these episodes ever seems rushed. When we are in the colonies, director Mike Barker allows the camera to pan and linger long enough so audiences can fully grasp what’s occurring. Cinematographers Colin Watkinson and Zoe White make use of a lush color palette to covey pivotal moments in the second season. When Offred/June is in the examining room, they used bright colors which seemed intrusive to contrast off the red of her outfit. They also made ample use of close-ups to help enhance the most important moments of each episode.
The Handmaid’s Tale is the standard which most television dramas should strive for. If anyone in your family hasn’t seen the show, then have them start binge-watching on Hulu ASAP. The second season begins on April 25th and will dazzle viewers.
Westworld returned to HBO with “Journey Into Night”, a bloody and mystifying episode. The opener for season two is heavy on questions, light on answers. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the multiple timelines, plot twists, and general reality-questioning nature of the first season. There are five main storylines in the episode, focusing on Maeve, Dolores, the Man in Black, and two focusing on Bernard (Jeffrey Wright). Warning: “These violent delights have violent SPOILERS“, so if you haven’t watched the episode yet, you may want to stay on the train until you have.
A Tale of Two Bernards
Bernard’s story is told in two different times (I should say there are clearly at least two, but there could be more). We see him in the aftermath of the massacre at Ford’s gala helping Charlotte (Tessa Thompson) to safety underground and again approximately two weeks later.
In the storyline with Charlotte, the pair end up in an underground Delos lab, one not known to the park staff. Here he encounters the creepy drone hosts and learns from Charlotte about how Delos is looking for a host (Peter Abernathy, as we saw in season one) containing loads of data that was supposed to be sent off the island. Of course, it hasn’t made it to them, and Charlotte tells Bernard that Delos values the data more than the lives of all the humans left on Westworld. It seems that Delos has been secretly recording guest experiences and DNA, without the knowledge of Ford and his staff.
Two weeks later, Bernard wakes up on the beach to find a heavily-armed security force sent by Delos to find out what went wrong. In a short amount of time, we find out a lot about the park: it’s on an island, leased from an unknown government to Delos, and there’s at least one out-of-place tiger in Westworld. Also, we catch a glimpse what could be the climax of season two: a sea that, according to Delos, shouldn’t be there, with hundreds of host bodies floating in it. Bernard, who has been struggling with his memory, is jolted by the sight of them into remembering something terrible: he killed them all. How and why he did this, will no doubt be revealed to us as the season progresses.
Not Without Maeve’s Daughter
When season one ended, Maeve (Thandie Newton) had been about to leave the park when she decided (Or did she? Whether she has free will even now is still unclear) to return to the park for her “daughter” from a previous loop. Along the way, she finds Head of Narrative Lee (Simon Quarterman), and he tries to weasel his way into her care. She takes him with her, needing his knowledge of the park, but also relishing in the chance to invert the oppressive relationship between humans and hosts. She finds Hector (Rodrigo Santoro), and he joins them in their search.
Dolores’ Journey Into Night
Maeve isn’t the only one making the most of their new found freedom. Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) spends the episode hunting down board members and executing them for their sins against hosts. In this quest, she is helped by a gang of hosts, including Angela (Talulah Riley) and a reticent Teddy (James Marsden). Not having seen what Dolores has seen, he wants only to settle down in the park and live out their lives. By the end, Angela has found something, which Dolores says Teddy needs to see, but we’re not let in on the secret just yet.
Back in Black
And what of William, aka the Man in Black (Ed Harris)? Well, after finding out the maze he sought throughout season one was not the cure for ennui he thought it be, he gets a nice consolation prize: The hosts can now fight back and kill guests. While this isn’t something most people would celebrate, for William it is enough to shake him out of his depression, and when he puts that black hat back on, we can see that he has been reborn.
“No one’s in control.”
The scope of episode one was sprawling, and it didn’t even encompass all the characters we loved from season one (What has Clementine been up to since shooting the Man in Black? Is Elsie still with us? Is Ford truly dead?). Still, it was satisfying for each of the stories it included. As always, the show was visually brilliant. The various locales looked magnificent, and the set design is so impressive you can practically smell the sun-baked corpses. It’s impossible to single out one performance, but Evan Rachel Woods taking her character from Dolores to Wyatt and beyond is worth the price of admission all by itself.
Summary: Garnet spends a day trying to behave unpredictably.
Review
There are three types of stories which get told when it comes to Steven Universe. One is the war of the Crystal Gems vs. The Gem Homeworld, another is a look into the lives of humans living in this alien targeted world, and the invitable side stories where these two aspects intersect. Now anyone who watches anime knows filler/side stories can either help you enjoy more time with the characters or just annoy the viewer because it’s not an episode which drives the plot. Pool Hopping falls somewhere in the middle of this rating.
Much like Steven Floats this side story focuses on struggling with controlling a super power. Instead of Steven though, the one who is having trouble controlling a power is one of the Crystal Gems. This offers opportunities for watching an experienced individual not be able to control a power they have had for a long time. In other words, prepare for a character to be frustrated.
The episode is a look at one of the biggest and most complex powers of the team: Garnet’s future vision. Given Garnet can see the future, a lot of the events which have played out in the show should have been avoided because Garnet could see them coming. Instead Garnet spells out how the future is often in flux and is takes near constant monitoring to make sure the correct path is taken. This coupled with the fact she must keep her mind clear to use the power properly makes for answers to many questions fans have had about the future vision.
Watching Garnet go from a cool and collected individual to an individual at their wits end is a fascinating sight. Despite how entertaining these elements are its not a groundbreaking episode, hence the lower score. Still, there have been worst Steven Universe episodes in the past.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, including Black Panther.
Believe it or not, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ten years old and with Avengers: Infinity Warfinally landing in cinemas this week, it’s time to look back at some of the franchise’s greatest moments.
From Iron Manto this year’s monumental hit Black Panther, this groundbreaking franchise has delivered more than a few of the most exciting and memorable moments in cinematic history, but which scene reigns supreme? If you look below, you’ll find my complete ranking of the ten best moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Joss Whedon’s unprecedented team-up movie is packed full of incredible moments, but it’s hard to beat the hilariously brutal “puny god” sequence, in which The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) teaches the villainous Loki (Tom Hiddleston) a valuable lesson about how “puny” he really is…by smashing him again and again and again.
9. Take My Hand Peter – Guardians Of The Galaxy
James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy is most known for its wacky sense of humour and incredible visual style, but it’s the emotional and downright heartbreaking moments that last the longest. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered its fair share of heart-wrenching moments, but not many compare to Peter Quill’s deceased mother appearing to him in his most heroic moment.
8. Spidey Swings Into The MCU – Captain America: Civil War
There are moments you wait your whole life to see, and others that you don’t even dream are possible. The moment Spider-Man (Tom Holland) literally swings into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fights alongside Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) will always be viewed as one of the MCU’s most impressive and enjoyable moments.
7. Thor vs Hulk – Thor: Ragnarok
The fight between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is perhaps the most exciting, nerdy and satisfying moment that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever delivered. Thor’s reaction to seeing his old pal and fellow Avenger is undoubtedly hilarious, and everything that happens afterwards hits a ten out of five on the badass scale.
6. Black Panther Returns – Black Panther
Following a battle that left T’Challa on the brink of death and Killmonger on the throne of Wakanda, it looked like Black Panther didn’t stand a chance against his maniacal cousin. However, the third act of the film delivered what can only be described as a cheer-worthy moment, in which T’Challa makes his triumphant return and fights for his country.
5. Iron Man vs. Captain America – Captain America: Civil War
While the epic-scale airport battle is unquestionably one of the best moments in Captain America: Civil War, it doesn’t compare to the heart-pounding, tear-jerking fight between our two favourite Avengers, Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). After years of seeing these guys evolve as team-members, it was emotional and simultaneously entertaining to see them kick the sh** out of one another.
4. I Am Iron Man – Iron Man
If Superman, Batman and Spider-Man have taught us anything, it’s that you probably shouldn’t tell the world that you’re a superhero. Unfortunately, this is a lesson that Tony Stark never received and let’s face it, Iron Man isn’t like any other superhero. The moment Tony Stark reveals to the world that he is Iron Man came as such a surprise and ten years later, it’s still one of the most original and entertaining moments the MCU has produced.
3. I’m With You ’til The End Of The Line – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldiergave the Marvel Cinematic Universe many great moments and some of the best action scenes in recent memory, but the final fight between Captain America and his best friend turned brainwashed assassin remains one of the most entertaining and emotionally gratifying action scenes in the MCU.
2. Star-Lord Shoots First – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
With Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2, director James Gunn decided to take a more emotional approach to the characters. This resulted in one of Marvel’s most heartfelt adventures and while there are plenty of scenes to choose from, the moment Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) discovers the truth about his mother’s death stands as one of the most badass scenes in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
1. The Avengers Assemble – The Avengers
After five movies and multiple years, Marvel stopped teasing and finally delivered The Avengers. From Iron Man carrying a nuke to Hulk smashing Loki, this film is jam-packed with incredible moments, but they all pale in comparison to the first time Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye line-up (circle up) as The Avengers.
And there you have it, my ranking of the ten best moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. With Avengers: Infinity War landing later this week, I’m confident that we’ll have plenty more amazing moments to talk about in the future. For now, let me know what your favourite MCU moments are in the comments.
There are still quite a few characters that fans are chomping at the bit to see debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but probably none more important than Nova.
As the MCU continues to expand across the cosmic divide, more galactic heroes are starting to pop up, thanks in part to James Gunn and his Guardians of the Galaxy.
That said, we might be getting Nova sooner than we thought, per Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who recently revealed the ‘powers that be’ have a list of characters it is hoping to introduce into the MCU soon.
“Nova is, if we have a big board with a bunch of characters that have more immediate potential, he is on that board,” Said Feige. “Because of the connection to the Guardians universe and because there are more than one examples to pull from in the comics that are interesting.”
Nova was actually part of the original early drafts for the Guardians of the Galaxy, but had yet to make the cut. Will we see the space speedster make an appearance in the Infinity War films? Will he be in the third GoTG installment or will the character land his own solo film? Whichever will come first, we will just have to wait and see.
Viz Media has announced the release of the FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: FULLMETAL EDITIONS, new hardcover, deluxe collections of the fan-favorite manga series. Book one will hit stores May 8th.
In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Their journey to restore their bodies through the power of the Philosopher’s Stone begins here. Fully remastered with an updated translation and completely fresh lettering, the FULLMETAL EDITION is presented with color pages on large-trim archival-quality paper.
The new collections will include brand-new cover art, new color inserts, color versions of select pages previously printed in black and white, and behind-the-scenes character sketches from series creator Hiromu Arakawa.
Each Fullmetal Edition will collect one and a half volumes of the original series, and will be released on a quarterly basis. Book one, out May 8th, will be released exclusively in print with a retail price of $19.99 U.S. / $26.99 CAN and is rated ‘T’ for Teens.
“With brand-new cover art, character sketches, and updated translations, the FULLMETAL EDITIONS are worthy additions to any FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST fan’s collection,” says Hope Donovan, VIZ Media’s Managing Editor. “These new releases provide an exceptional entry point for any newcomers and a chance for fans to rediscover the Elric brother’s timeless adventures the way they were meant to be seen.”
Fullmetal Alchemist has been adapted multiple times into a variety of media, including two hit anime series and a recent live-action film, all of which are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Are you a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist? Sound off in the comments below!
For additional information on FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and other anime and manga titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.
