THE NEW MUTANTS Return To Marvel Comics With A Dash Of Horror

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December 1, 2017

Marvel Comics announced Friday the New Mutants would return for a six-issue limited series in March just in time for 20th Century Fox film that hit theaters on April 12, 2018. New Mutants: Dead Souls is written by Matt Rosenberg with art by Adam Gorham and each issue will stand alone.

Marvel quickly noticed the horror vibe of the film’s first trailer and pivoted appropriately.

“To me, The New Mutants exemplify everything I love about a superhero team. Are true underdogs, doubted and dismissed, but always ready to prove themselves. They’re the weirdos, the outcasts, the leftovers, and the misfits, but they are there for the people who need them,” said Rosenberg to Marvel.

“They’re constantly in way over their heads, but always rise above. Our series takes all of that, collects some of the best New Mutants alongside some oddballs better known for their time with X-Factor and X-Force, and throws them into a mission they aren’t at all ready for. We pack it full of nods to the history of the team and hints about their future, and enough creepy moments, epic battles, offbeat humor, and dysfunctional family dynamics to make a book worthy of the title The New Mutants,” continues Rosenberg.

About the series:
NEW MUTANTS: DEAD SOULS finds Magik, Wolfsbane, Rictor, Boom Boom, and Strong Guy attempting to figure out why strange events are occurring in the universe. But there’s more to their mission than meets the eye…and a bigger mystery is brewing, as the team realizes Karma – the mind-controlling mutant who has brought them together — may not be telling them the entire story. With each issue serving as a standalone tale, the mutants will try to uncover the truth behind these paranormal events – no matter who they have to battle!

No specific release date was announced. Ryan Stegman will handle the first cover.

Are you excited about a New Mutants comic? Comment below.

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To Surprise of Nobody, Netflix Greenlights STRANGER THINGS 3

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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December 1, 2017

Netflix has officially greenlit Stranger Things 3, surprising literally no one.

Stranger Things 2 has been out for a while, and when the news came out that the Duffer Brothers’ nostalgia-fueled series sequel was the most streamed show in the platform’s history, season three had been a foregone conclusion.

That being said, the eventual appraisal of Stranger Things 2 was much milder than the original season. Reviews were mostly positive, and It held up its end of the bargain with the thrills and the callbacks, but it didn’t quite capture the zeitgeist the way the first season did. Which is to be expected, but it also means Stranger Things 3 might wind up being the end of a trilogy.

Obviously there are no more details right now, and there probably won’t be until this new season drops. My prediction: look for it in October 2018.

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Creator Interview: Ram V and Dev Pramanik of Image Comics’ PARADISO #1

By

Matthew Sardo

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December 1, 2017

Monkeys Fighting Robots spoke with Ram V and Dev Pramanik the creators of the science fiction comic book PARADISO, the first issue hits your local comic book store on December 6. Image Comics provided a five-page preview of the book as well.

Take a listen to the conversation:

MFR: Paradiso has a complex sci-fi narrative. How much backstory and history do you have outlined or written down?

RAM V: A lot actually but it’s not written down in any kind of organized manner. We actually started working on Paradiso long before I even contemplated writing comics. The idea for Paradiso actually came up from a discussion that I had with a friend of mine an architect called Rajiv (Bhakat), and we had contemplated the idea of setting the story inside a sentient city. At the time you know we didn’t have a kind of sprawling narrative that went through the entire story. So we just wrote short stories and vignettes. All of the characters and the locations that you see are actually things that came up while we were writing those pieces of short fiction. So in that sense, there’s almost a Tolkienesque backstory to everything. It grew organically. If that makes any sense.

MFR: How hard is it too set up a universe in one issue but also create a compelling story?

RAM V: I think the hard part is probably in trying to be subtle about it because you can foreground all of the information, to begin with. But that feels very inelegant and heavy-handed. So the hard part becomes about being subtle and giving people information without feeling like you’re front-loading all of it. But if you really thought about the story, and you’ve given people compelling characters to follow, then everything else becomes almost ornamental and that the world building exists only to serve the characters.

About PARADISO #1:
Story by: Ram V (Grafity’s Wall, Black Mumba)
Art by: Dev Pramanik (Nightbloom, Black Mumba)
Colors by: Dearbhla Kelly (James Bond: Moneypenny)
Letters by: Aditya Bidikar (MOTOR CRUSH, Black Mumba)
Synopsis:
The Midnight Event forever changed the world. Now, centuries later, Jack Kryznan arrives on the outskirts of Paradiso City, haunted by fragments of childhood memories and in possession of a mysterious device—one with the power to change the destiny of this living breathing metropolis: the people who dwell within, and the guardians who strive for and against it.

Will you add PARADISO #1 to your pull list?

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Oscars 2018: Predicting the Screenplay Nominations

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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December 1, 2017

Awards season is here, it’s upon us, inundating us with #takes and hopeful movies that will ascend and descend on the oddsmaker’s charts for the next few months. The Oscars 2018 are going to be a tricky thing in a number of ways, but let’s not worry about that yet. Let’s worry about who is going to be nominated in the screenwriting fields.

It is a rich field of wildly varying genres and films who could sneak into this year’s screenplay pool. Both original and adapted screenplay have newcomers and stalwarts, and this is always a great place to keep an eye out for fresh new voices in Hollywood (hey there, Jordan Peele). Here we go…

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

And speaking of Mr. Peele, his screenplay for GET OUT might be the closest thing to a shoe in. The late winter horror is still reverberating across the culture, and it should become commonplace when the nominations are announced. But Jordan Peele’s film probably won’t be the only genre entry this year, because Guillermo Del Toro’s horror/romance THE SHAPE OF WATER will likely join the party.

As for the rest of the field, expect the return of Paul Thomas Anderson. PHANTOM THREAD is getting all the cinephile geeks excited, and the swan song of Daniel Day-Lewis looks like a perfect candidate for a screenplay nomination. That leaves two spots for probably three or four possible nominees. Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjani’s screenplay for The Big Sick, their semi-autobiographical dramedy, has a great chance to sneak in, but it has these two in the way

Martin McDonagh’s work on THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI must be recognized. It is a rich, satisfying story with several plates in the air and a sharp ear for Midwest aggression. Filling out the slot will likely be a much-deserved nomination for Greta Gerwig’s LADY BIRD.

PREDICTIONS

Jordan Peele – Get Out

Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water

Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread

Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

This is a tricky year for adapted screenplay. There are three, maybe four locks, and a fish mash of films hopeful for the final slot. But they all have their own issues. The absolute lock of the group is James Ivory’s adaptation of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, followed closely by Dees Rees’ and Virgil Williams’ work on the great MUDBOUND.

Right behind these two frontrunners is Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber’s screenplay for THE DISASTER ARTIST. James Franco’s bizarro biopic will have incredible momentum moving into the season. Then there are a few screenplay favorites, Aaron Sorkin and Richard Linklater, whose films Molly’s Game and Last Flag Flying (which Linklater wrote with Darryl Ponicsan) are angling for a nomination. They may split votes, leaving room for Liz Hannah and Josh Singer’s work on THE POST.

In the final slot could be Sofia Coppola for The Beguiled, Brian Selznik for Wonderstruck, but I want to go out on a limb here and say a genre film will sneak in the backdoor: James Mangold, Scott Frank, and Michael Green for the way they transformed an entire character in LOGAN.

PREDICTIONS

James Ivory – Call Me By Your Name

Dee Rees and Virgil Williams – Mudbound

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber – The Disaster Artist

Liz Hannah and Josh Singer – The Post

James Mangold, Scott Frank, and Michael Green – Logan

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Dan Jurgens Returns To Write And Draw One Of His His Best Creations: BOOSTER GOLD

By

Manuel Gomez

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December 1, 2017

Although originally only solicited to write and provide covers for an upcoming arc on Action Comics, Booster Gold creator Dan Jurgens has revealed he is now also going to be penciling the story as well.

In speaking with Newsarama, Jurgens said:

It’s taxing, as I’m still writing a lot of stuff as well, but it’s been fun to come back for the covers. I’m also drawing two issues, #993 and #994, which is also a lot of fun!. I really wish I had more time to draw.

This is fantastic news, as Booster Gold is a cult favorite for many in the DCU. And personally, I love it when Jurgens is behind this great character. All we need now is some Ted Kord and we get back to some ‘Blue and Gold’ comic book territory!

You can check out the updated re-solicits below.

ACTION COMICS #993
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by DAN JURGENS
Cover by DAN JURGENS and TREVOR SCOTT
Variant cover by NEIL EDWARDS and JAY LEISTEN
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
“BOOSTER SHOT” part one! As Superman struggles to cope with Mr. Oz’s true identity, the Man of Steel turns to the only “hero” he knows who can prove once and for all if Oz’s story is true: Booster Gold! But a massive power doesn’t want our heroes venturing through time, and will do anything it can to sabotage their journey!
On sale DECEMBER 13 -32 pg, FC, $2.99 US -RATED T

ACTION COMICS #994
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by DAN JURGENS
Cover by DAN JURGENS and TREVOR SCOTT
Variant cover by NEIL EDWARDS and JAY LEISTEN
“BOOSTER SHOT” part two! It’s the time-hopping team-up of Superman and Booster Gold—and on their quest to verify Mr. Oz’s identity, a mysterious force attempts to sabotage the journey! This time (pun!) our heroes wind up in the crosshairs of a deadly new villain—the time wraith responsible for their tumultuous journey!
On sale DECEMBER 27 -32 pg, FC, $2.99 US -RATED T

What do you guys think? Are you excited to see Jurgens return to tell some Booster Gold adventures? Comment and discuss below.

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Netflix Makes It Official STRANGER THINGS Will Be Back for A Third Season

By

Matthew Sardo

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December 1, 2017

Netflix announced today the Duffer Brothers’ ‘Stranger Things’ will return for a third season, check out the tweet below.

FOR THE LOVE OF STEVE, DUH! So hold tight baby darts — season 3 is officially happening.

— Netflix US (@netflix) December 1, 2017

No release date or additional casting announcements were made at this time.

‘Stranger Things’ Stories

Nancy Wheeler’s Unpopular Feminism In ‘Stranger Things 2’

Advice For Future Stranger Things: Take Risks, And Get Some New Analogies

The Netflix series stars Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Dacre Montgomery as Billy, and Sadie Sink as Max, among others.

The first season of ‘Stranger Things’ received 18 Emmy nominations this year with five wins.

How do you want to see Season 3 play out? Sound off in the comment section below.

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Hellboy Reboot Gets Release Date

By

Parish Hodges

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December 1, 2017

The Hellboy reboot officially has a release date. The film stars David Harbour (Stranger Things) and will be released January 19, 2019.

Plot details haven’t been released, but EW says, the film will be separate from Guillermo del Toro’s original films.

The cast also includes Milla Jovovich as the villainous Blood Queen; Ian McShane as Hellboy’s adopted father, Professor Broom; Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio, an officer at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense; and American Honey breakout Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, who’s rescued by Hellboy from fairies in the comics.

Ed Skrein was originally cast as Ben Daimio, but left after fans got upset about a white actor playing an Asian character.

“There has been intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement, and I must do what I feel is right,”

Neil Marshall who directed Game of Thrones episodes “Blackwater” and “The Watchers on the Wall,” is directing the upcoming film.

“We’ve been granted permission to do it R-rated, which for me is just like taking the cuffs off,” he said. “It’s like, okay, so now we can just make the movie we want to make. It’s not like I’m going to force it to be R-rated, but if it happens to come out that way, just because of my own sensibilities, then fine. And nobody’s going to stop us. So, that’s the main [difference]. And I’m sure, obviously, the success of things like Deadpool and Logan have not hurt that cause. But, also, when you go back the original material, it is kind of bloody, so I’m going to embrace that.”

Are you excited about the reboot? Leave your comments below!

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Review: THE DISASTER ARTIST Sure-Fire Oscar Nomination For James Franco

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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An award-worthy performance from James Franco and a fantastic script make The Disaster Artist one of the year’s best films.

Summary

This release is an adaptation of Greg Sestero’s “The Disaster Artist” which details the making of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. James Franco directs and plays Wiseau while his brother Dave portrays Sestero (Tommy’s producing partner). Franco has roles for some of the familiar faces we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in his films (for example Seth Rogen plays script supervisor Sandy Schklair), what makes this release unique is the amount of laugh out loud cameos it has.

What Worked

Franco’s performance as Wiseau was fantastic. It wasn’t so much that he nailed his accent or even his mannerisms, it was that he was able to capture Tommy’s idealistic nature. While he didn’t have the looks or charm of leading man, it didn’t stop him from continually putting himself out there. Embarrassment was just part of the process in his eyes. He had a dream to be the next big thing and was successful in his quest. Did it go according to plan? No, but everyone came to remember this film for a different reason. What was compelling about Franco’s portrayal was he didn’t merely show Wiseau as content with his newfound fame. Tommy is on display for everyone to see. His performance is on par with likes of Johnny Depp in Ed Wood.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber construct a narrative that managed to capture the ludicrous circumstances behind this passion project on top of the humanity of all the individuals involved. The idiosyncrasies of Tommy are a large part of the film, but we also get the innocence of Sestero as he morphs from someone with stage fright to a daring young actor.

The pacing was adequate, and none of the narrative lags.

The film does attempt to explore the relationship between Sestero and Wiseau. What starts off as a friendship with pure intentions ends up being an obsession. Did Tommy develop feelings for his roommate?

The attention to detail was incredible. During the credits, they even set up a split screen between The Disaster Artist and The Room and the accuracy between the two was remarkable.

Ari Gaynor and Zac Efron deserve recognition as well. Gaynor plays the love interest Lisa in The Room while Efron plays Chris R. It takes a degree of talent to come off that terrible on screen. Each was crucial in demonstrating the absurdity of the project.

I love that the film is an ode to the dreamers. The Disaster Artist is undoubtedly proof that no matter how absurd your dream might be if you work hard (and have a spare six-million dollars) then it can happen.

Overall

While The Disaster Artist is undoubtedly worthy of being on most top ten lists for 2017, it’s probably not a film that could earnestly contend for Best Picture. However, the performance of James Franco certainly has put him as a lock to be nominated at both the Globes and The Oscars. No one has to subject themselves to The Room so they can enjoy the film. The Disaster Artist is a fascinating look at a man who defied all the odds and got his passion project made. It may not have been the fame he sought, but his movie still resonates to this day.

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AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Five: A Fan’s Wishlist

By

Jen Schiller

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December 1, 2017

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns tonight with a 2-hour season premiere. Earlier this week a 20-minute preview of the show dropped on Marvel’s social media, and we got a good look at the agents in their new space habitat. The video has since been removed from YouTube, but the hype remains. Tonight’s long-awaited return has a lot of promises to cash in, but the two hour time frame might just pull it off. In the spirit of optimism, here’s our wish list for season five.

Put The Fitzsimmons Puzzle Together–For Good

Fitz was conspicuously absent from the entire preview. Other characters brought up his absence at least twice in the first fifteen minutes. Please, for the love of Phil Coulson, reunite Fitzsimmons quickly. We know it’s coming. Another season of “will they won’t they” after they already have is pointless. There are plenty of other opportunities for dramatic tension without rehashing this tired storyline. Give the two of them something new to grapple with, or let a different romantic couple take the spotlight for a change.

Keep “Mom and Dad” Apart

Please veer away from Philinda under any and all circumstances. There’s no romantic chemistry between them, and it’s infuriating to watch the showrunners try to make it happen. Their relationship doesn’t have to be sexual or romantic to be strong and important.

For the Love of All Things Flaming

That being said, if Ghost Rider returns, he needs to be more than a romantic interest for Daisy. They’re each strong and independent on their own, and they don’t need kissy break time between battles.

THAT being said, Ghost Rider needs to return for more than three minutes.

To Infinity War and Beyond

It’s about time for more MCU tie-ins. S.H.I.E.L.D. is the longest running Marvel TV show to date. It’s been around for half the life of the MCU as a whole. The last tie-in (Civil War) was last year’s Slingshot, which directly referenced the Sokovia Accords. Time for Thor to show up. You want Melinda May to have a romantic relationship with a man who can keep up with her in a sparring match? I know a guy.

There Can Only Be One

Zero secret levels to S.H.I.E.L.D. this year. We’ve had HYDRA S.H.I.E.L.D., Secret-secret S.H.I.E.L.D., government S.H.I.E.L.D., Framework S.H.I.E.L.D…now we’re in space. The rulebook doesn’t apply, and there are no precedents (in this version of the Marvel Universe). This loops back to item five—with Infinity War on the way, it would be great to see S.H.I.E.L.D. expand instead of chasing its tail regarding legitimacy.

I Miss My Shotgun-Axe

Mack is officially the team heavy. Kill off whoever else you want, but he needs to keep bashing in heads until this show is rolling in a very shallow grave.

The “E” Stands for Experiments

Some more experimenting with form. Episode 3.5 (“4,722 Hours”) was almost entirely carried by Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, trapped on an alien planet. First, she had to solve the problem of where, exactly, she landed. Then there were questions of survival. Finally, the science of getting back mixed in with the new, complicated feelings for her fellow survivor. The episode is still one of the show’s best, and, as Stranger Things 2 showed with their seventh episode, a side quest here and there can actually enrich rather than draw away from the main story.

Finally: We, the fans of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., wish that Marvel Entertainment and ABC would wake up.

S.H.I.E.L.D. has a diverse cast and a loyal fanbase that hung on through the absolute strangest season of ups and downs. After the three-part season four, which introduced characters just to kill them off a few episodes later, started and stopped its story threads, and ended up in SPACE, it’s pretty clear that if we’re still watching, we’re not going to stop. Regardless of every monkey wrench, space rock, demon book, and/or coma, the cast and crew continue to give the show their all. Showrunners Mo Tancharoen and Jed Whedon pushed the show to its limits when its future was unclear. Imagine what they could manage if they had some job security.

What are you hoping to see this year?

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Netflix’s MINDHUNTER Renewed for Second Season

By

Joseph Rejent

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November 30, 2017

Mindhunter has just been renewed for a second season at Netflix.

The Netflix official Twitter account confirmed that the series would be receiving a second course on Thursday. The news was received warmly, though many suspected this would be the case.

Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Hannah Gross, Cameron Britton, and Anna Torv all star in the drama, the first season of which featured a story inspired by serial killer Ed Kemper. Mindhunter is set in the 1970s, where two FBI agents work together to interview serial killers in a prison to gain insight into the cases they are currently working. The series is a mostly-true telling of the early days of criminal profiling and forensic psychology, and is less evocative of Silence of the Lambs than it might sound.

The series debuted to explosive critical acclaim in October, and it currently holds a 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (Although it is important to note that Rotten Tomatoes scores can be a little strange and inaccurate when it comes to television series.) Although Netflix does not release viewer data, this news confirms that the show has done quite well for itself in terms of viewership, as well.

David Fincher, Joshua Donen, Cean Chaffin, and Charlize Theron all serve as producers on Mindhunter, which is created by Joe Penhall.

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