Marvel and Hulu have decided to bring Runaways back for a second season! Executive Producer and Head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb says,
“We’re thrilled about ‘Runaways’ Season 2. Our partnership with Josh [Schwartz] and Stephanie [Savage] and Hulu has been as exciting as the reaction to the show from our fans — both new and old!”
Executive Producers and Co-Showrunners Schwartz and Savage added, “We’re so privileged that Marvel and Brian K. Vaughan trusted us with Runaways, We couldn’t be more excited to continue telling this story. It’s been a blast making the show with the cast and crew. We can’t wait to see where we can take the story in Season 2 and to stay on the run.”
“The conversations with the fans have been gratifying”, they continued. “We hear and see you. We appreciate your passion and hearing how much the show means to you. Beware the possibility of a dinosaur on the streets of Los Angeles…and earthquakes!”
Marvel’s Runaways premiered on Hulu Nov. 21, 2017. It follows a group of teens who rebel against their parents after finding out they’re apart of a criminal organization known as The Pride.
The season 1 finale premiered Jan. 9 on Hulu. What do you expect to see in season 2? Sound off in the comments!
Hulu and Blumhouse are set to partner on a first-of-its-kind deal in bringing an exclusive 12-episode horror anthology to the streaming service this year.
Blumhouse, will look to continue its recent successes in theatre horror, with releases like 2017’s Get Out and Happy Death Day, by bringing it straight to your homes.
Each of the 12-episodes will be standalone tales, though a narrative device will connect them all, and will premiere each month, a departure from the standard Hulu format of releasing episodes each week.
The series has yet to be dubbed a title, but marks the first major original-programming deal for Hulu Chief Content Officer Joel Stillerman, who joined the streaming company in May of 2017, after serving as President of Original Programming and Development with AMC and Sundance.
“If there’s been one guiding-principal that is in place from the day I walked in the door, I wanted to look at that Hulu logo and remember that making TV for an over-the-top SVOD platform, if it isn’t today, is going to be a very different proposition than the approach to making television for what is still the majority of the landscape,” Stillerman said. “I wanted to focus on this question of what does it mean to make television for a place like Hulu.”
The partnership has yet to announce writers, producers, directors or a cast, but do plan on releasing the first episode in the series, later this year, in October, 2018.
“At the heart of the deal is an extremely passionate audience and an extremely activatable audience in terms of horror,” stated Stillerman. “It’s not even the larger bucket of ‘genre.’ I would say this falls squarely into the horror bucket.”
Click HERE for the entire interview of the partnership via Variety.
Steven Spielberg’s The Post tells the true story of The Washington Post and The New York Times journalists who, in the early 1970s, published the Pentagon Papers, detailing the involvement of the United States government during the Vietnam War. Then, they subsequently went to battle with President Richard Nixon over government censorship.
That synopsis sounds like an Oscar-worthy drama. Add in Tom Hanks as Post editor Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as trailblazer Kay Graham, and every bit of the formula is in place. Except the writers (Liz Hannah, Josh Singer) don’t give the actors much to work with. Under any other director, this would be an incredibly dull film, but Spielberg can make a printing press look sexy, powerful, and inject even the most routine elements of a story with a little tension.
Spielberg also knows how to frame a scene, giving an actor a chance to break through the screen and grab the audience. This is the case with Bob Odenkirk’s character, Ben Bagdikian, as he tries to track down a source. Spielberg also gives Carrie Coon, who plays editorial writer Meg Greenfield, a moment to shine as she relays the Supreme Court ruling to the rest of the staff at the paper.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall and listen to the conversations with Spielberg and the writers on how much dramatic liberties to inject into the story to give it a little extra juice. But in this time of “Fake News,” this is Spielberg’s anti-Trump film, and he probably thought sticking to the facts as close as possible would most admirably serve his message.
Tom Hanks turns in a spectacular performance as Bradlee, pulling off the gruffness of a man in power in the 70s, but one who always, by all accounts, remained a polite gentleman. But all of Hank’s best lines feel like they’re off camera. Streep’s Graham is subdued, reserved, but Streep is not to blame for the lack drama in her character; this isn’t an Aaron Sorkin film, but one existing on quiet moments more than punchy banter.
Can we talk about the printing press for a moment? In the age of digital, as newspapers crumble left and right, Spielberg manages to capture the power of print media. There are two scenes of just setting print that are beautiful to watch; the journey of a printing press is enthralling in The Post. As a Gen-Xer, I remember the days only a few entertainment choices and the local newspaper dominating the kitchen table during breakfast. The newspaper will never be what it once was, but handing someone a phone to show them breaking news just doesn’t have the same impact.
A fan favorite X-Men character is set to return to the big screen. According to Collider, Deadpool director Tim Miller is developing a Kitty Pryde film at Fox.
The character of Kitty Pryde is an X-Men comic staple, first appearing all the way back in 1980. She was featured in all three of the original X-Men films, most famously being portrayed by Ellen Page in X-Men: The Last Stand. The character last appeared in X-Men: Days of Futures Past where she was the mutant who was able to send Wolverine back in time.
It’s still too early to tell if Page would return to the role. Miller may look to do a soft reboot of the character ala X-Men: First Class. It’s also still unknown what time period the film will be set. Placing it in present day may lead Fox to want Page back but setting it before her X-Men days may call for another actress.
Fox currently has an abundance of films in development even with the looming Disney merger on the horizon. The potential $52 billion deal is unlikely to go through for another 12-18 months meaning Fox isn’t able to hold off projects until the deal is finalized.
Although the news of a Kitty Pryde solo film is significant, the main story here is who is attached. Tim Miller left the Deadpool sequel following creative differences and it looked as if he’d moved on from the X-Men franchise. He is set to direct the upcoming Terminator film this year and also has a Sonic The Hedgehog film in development.
Miller returning to the franchise bodes well for a positive working relationship between the director and Fox. Even though it’s a strong possibility the film never hits theaters, we can look forward to Tim Miller returning to the franchise in some capacity.
What are your thoughts on a Tim Miller Kitty Pryde film? Let us know in the comments below!
With Solo: A Star Wars Story due out this May, many Star Wars fans are wondering when they can expect the official trailer to be released.
Well, if Ron Howard’s one to listen to, it won’t be long. A Twitter user asked the director about the Solo trailer dropping, and here’s how he responded:
Hang in there :-). Now that ep 8 is out there it won’t be long
With other Star Wars films, a trailer – or two, perhaps – would have been released by this time. Aditionally, given the trouble behind the scenes with Solo, it’s rational to worry about why no footage has been seen yet. That said, however, Howard is a veteran director, and I have faith in him to give Han Solo a fitting backstory.
Solo features Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, and Paul Bettany.
Sometimes the quiet moments of a comic book can scream louder than an action sequence; such is the case with Jeff Lemire’s Royal City #9 from Image Comics out this week.
Royal City #9
Written and Drawn by: Jeff Lemire Published by: Image Comics Alternate Cover by: Ray Fawkes
Writing
Perhaps it’s because music plays a big role in Royal City as a whole, but the one term that kept coming to mind for issue #9 was ‘loud, quiet, loud’. For those unfamiliar with the term, it describes a certain sound in music where songs shift from chaos to minimal (and is also the title of a documentary on the band The Pixies, a band that was excellent at this concept). The term, to me, has always meant something special. Music, like art, can be heightened by juxtaposition; pairing big moments with small ones can highlight each in ways that having those moments alone could never achieve. Royal City #9 is a perfect example of this. Issue #8 was filled with a few ‘loud’ moments (flashbacks to a fire, the increasing sickness plaguing Tommy). But this month’s chapter takes a step back and is composed of really just a series of quiet conversations and observations.
From the opening sequence of Pat waking up for another day of work to the sublime panels focusing on Pat’s father that end the issue, these seemingly quiet moments hit with the power of a megaphone. Jeff Lemire is writing from the heart here and it shows. His ability to make every character real and raw is uncanny. As the sole creator, he has left no stone untouched when it comes to adding depth and weight to not only every single member of the Pike family but the other citizens and members of the larger Royal City community as well. Supporting character Lonnie is a perfect example in this issue, as his exchange with the young Pat is no less revealing, even with its brevity. It’s a great scene whose impact and importance is obvious a the end.
‘Royal City’ #9 Art by Jeff Lemire
Art
Jeff Lemire is without a doubt creating some of the best art of his career in this book and issue #9 continues that track. There is a delicate nature to his linework in Royal City that is unlike anything his has done before. Faces capture emotion, and even more important, detachment. I can’t think of anyone better than Lemire who can draw someone ‘thinking’ without relying overly on thought balloons and narrative boxes and still hit you with exactly what the character us ruminating.
Style-wise everything is still sketchy, but that style creates the unique feeling that only comes with introspection and memories (this arc is a flashback by the way), so the subtle changes are a completely conscious choice and are incredibly effective. To go with another musical analogy, the art makes me feel the way a great and beloved record sounds when you hear it echoing through your home on a cool, breezy day with the windows open; it follows you and stays with you long after you are done directly experiencing it.
‘Royal City’ #9 Art by Jeff Lemire
Conclusion
If you are any kind of a fan of sequential art and comics, you simply have to read Royal City. This is a book where all aspects work perfectly together. It’s auteur work and a highlight of this medium.
*Note: This arc has included alternate covers homaging classic albums from the 90s (the time period the story is taking place in). This issue features a gorgeous image by Ray Fawkes based on Portishead’s classic album cover art for ‘Dummy’. You can see it below.
Funko has announced a new line of vinyl collectible figure sets, exclusive to Target, called, ‘HeroWorld’, as the brand continues to expand its catalog.
Each figure stands 4-inches tall, while none are sold separately. Each hero is included in both sets of five and two. Launch characters in the line include quite a few DC Comics heroes, as well as Five Nights at Freddy’s, Power Rangers and Scooby-Doo.
For all the nostalgic fans, you will be happy to see that the JL characters are adorned in their classic uniforms (underwear on the outside of the pants).
Noticeably missing from the Justice League set is Green Lantern. One wonders if there will possibly be a Green Lantern Corps, should another wave be released. We are excited to see what will happen next with this line, and whether it will include some Marvel heroes as well.
This line is set to become your new obsession, for fans of all ages and will be available this week at both Target stores and Target.com.
Click HERE for the complete list of available vinyls in this line, as announced by Funko.
Given the anticipation behind Black Panther, I’d recomend buying tickets early. Every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be packed on opening night, but I have a feeling the hype behind Black Panther will be on another level.
“After the events of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakanadan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.”
Black Panther releases in theaters on February 16, 2018. Are you looking forward to Marvel Studios‘ next movie? Comment below, let us know.
Like just about every category this year, predicting Best Actor is a toss up. There are no true frontrunners or larger-than-life performances in epic films. There are some performances that look and feel like these big roles, but the films around them don’t have the prestige. It’s tricky.
There are also a few rising stars that could not only get a nomination, but could sneak away with the Oscar when the time comes. Let’s try and narrow this field to five…
BEST ACTOR
Gary Oldman is the closest thing to a lock this year. His performance in The Darkest Hour outshines the film itself, and sure he’s done all the makeup work and put in the time, I just wish Oldman had been nominated for more roles in the past. Him winning here will be “Al Pacino for Scent of A Woman” levels of career recognition.
Aside from Oldman, James Franco should grab the next open slot for his turn as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist. Who would have ever imagined a story about The Room would become a heavy hitter during Oscar season. The rest of the field could go any number of ways, and it’s beginning to feel like Daniel Kaluuya has a legitimate chance at getting a nomination for Get Out. and He would deserve it.
Let’s say Timothée Chalamet nabs the fourth spot for Call Me By Your Name. It seems likely. That leaves a fifth and final spot, and the specter of Daniel Day-Lewis looming large over the rest of the hopefuls. Jake Gyllenhaal is out there for Stronger, Denzel Washington for Roman J. Israel Esq., and Tom Hanks for The Post. But DDL hangs over them all for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. He may be outdone by his costar, Vicky Krieps, who is likely to get a nomination; and, despite this being DDL’s last film he might not have enough momentum to grab a spot. Plus, call me crazy, but the Academy might be ready to welcome Tom Hanks back into the Best Actor pool.
The Strange Ones is the sort of thriller where you spend a great deal of time on a relationship mystery. Who are these people? Why are they together? What happened to bring them together? When the direction of this story comes into focus, it’s almost shocking to consider this was the where we were headed.
That’s not to say The Strange Ones is bad. Not the case. It is a solid, albeit thin thriller that is a terrific exercise in style over any marked substance in the end. The dynamic between Nick and Sam, two “brothers” barely able to contain deep, dark secrets, is unsettling to say the least; Alex Pettyfer and James Freedson-Jackson as Nick and Sam, respectively, are worth the time to live in this bleak world. The older Nick and the teenage Sam are traveling across the country, running from something, hiding in plan sight and giving off enough weird vibes to the people they meet along the way to convince even the thickest of heads something is amiss.
Director’s Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein invoke Terrence Malick’s Badlands, but this version of the Midwest is in barren towns, gas stations along the sides of roads long forgotten, and motels relying on nonexistent traffic to keep the lights on. Cinematographer Todd Banhanzi captures some of the beauty of the region high in the clouds, but down on the surface, with these two mysterious people, his camera is urgent and oppressive.
At a quick 82-minute clip, The Strange Ones manages to keep us guessing well into the final scenes. The story, written by Radcliff and Woklstein as well, takes contained little twists within scenes to keep things askew at just the right amount. In an early conversation, Nick tells a despondent Sam “nothing that happened before this trip. Unless you want it to.” The scene plays out with a suggestion of dream logic before subtly shifting gears, and the film moves from one type of story to another.
Pettyfer and Freedson-Jackson are terrific at keeping the wire taut. Freedson-Jackson is especially arresting as Sam, the traumatized younger traveler with broken eyes and always teetering right on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The performances might feel a little too stilted, maybe even a little suffocated from time to time; perhaps that was Radcliff and Wolkstein’s intention, however, to not allow these two lost souls a second to exhale. If that was the idea all along, then they succeeded. It makes the final act even more arresting, when the twist lands with a much deserved authority.
The Strange Ones travels in unexpected directions, and for its ability to execute that it should be praised. More and more, these DirecTV films and VOD releases are where the new independent wave is growing. It’s the best platform for these microscopic films to find the eyes they deserve. It’s the same sort of avenue in which Jeremy Saulnier arrived via Blue Ruin a few years back. This has a similar feel. It’s a strong feature debut from this directing duo, and it should be exciting to see them sharpen their tools as their career unfolds.
