Aaron Sorkin, who wrote is known for writing The Social Network, A Few Good Men, Moneyball, and Steve Jobs, has scheduled meetings with DC and Marvel.
Admittedly, he’s not a comic book fan, but Sorkin claims it’s because he has never been exposed to the medium.
Read his comments on the matter below.
“I happen to have meetings coming up with both DC and Marvel. I have to go into these meetings and tell them as respectfully as I can that I’ve never read a comic book. It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just that I’ve never been exposed to one. So, I’m hoping that somewhere in their library is a comic book character that I’m gonna love and I’m gonna wanna go back and start reading from the first issue on.”
If Sorkin were to write for either a DC or Marvel property, what characters or storylines should he tackle? Comment below, let us know!
If anything further between Sorkin and the companies develops, Monkeys Fighting Robots will have it covered.
Get ready for another live-action adaptation of a classic anime!
The trend has been set by this year’s Ghost in the Shell, followed by Netflix’s Death Note – Warner Bros. has taken notice.
The studio has been trying to get a live-action Akira off the ground for awhile now. In 2015, George Miller turn down an opportunity to direct the picture, and now, Jordan Peele is on their radar.
Tracking-Board has revealed that Peele is Warner Bros.’ top prospect for the director’s chair on Akira.
Additionally, they mention that the script was written by Marco Ramirez, who penned Daredevil season one.
Peele is hot off the success of Get Out, which raked in the dough at the box office and was a critical success.
Would you get excited if Peele was directing Akira? Comment below, let us know!
As more news on this project is released, Monkeys Fighting Robots will have it covered.
It’s a been a good week for Spider-Man: Homecoming news. We already got an extended, new trailer. And more info seems to be coming out daily.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Tom Holland discussed his acting approach a bit:
I enrolled for three days in a high school in New York as a research exercise. I had a fake accent, a fake name. It was fun. The Bronx School of Science is a school for genius kids, and I’m definitely not a genius. A lot of the students and teachers were confused as to why I was there so they would test me, and fire off questions at me. It was a little embarrassing, but very informative.
With Holland also being the first truly age appropriate Spider-Man ever cast, things are definitely looking good for him to really capture the teenage/high school vibe that has been somewhat lacking in prior films.
Head on over to The Hollywood Reporter to read the rest of the interview, which also includes director Jon Watts and plenty of fun information.
Do you think Tom Holland will be the best onscreen Peter Parker/Spider-Man ever? Comment and discuss below!
Spider-Man: Homecoming is scheduled to be released in theaters July 7.
In theaters this Thursday, Niki Caro’s The Zookeeper’s Wife is a gripping tale that delivers a fresh perspective on the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War 2.
Summary
The narrative (based on the book by Diane Ackerman) centers around Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) and Antonina (Jessica Chastain) Zabinski. They are co-owners of the Warsaw Zoo and spend their day assisting with the upkeep of the animals. Their world is shaken in September of 1939 when Germany invades Poland and seizes control of their zoo and the rest of the country. Shocked by these events and the oppression of many Jewish families, Mr. and Mrs. Zabinski’s decide to risk everything and use tunnels underneath their zoo as a means of hiding these families (until they can escape Poland). Complicating their operation is Nazi zoologist Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl). Heck seems to have taken an interest in their animals and Antonina as well. Will he catch on to what they are doing? Will the Zabinskis be able to stay one step ahead of the Nazi’s?
Writing and Direction
Screenwriter Angela Workman deftly adapts Diane Ackerman’s novel remaining mostly faithful to the source material while still showing off her flair for romanticism. For example, she creates a story line where Lutz Heck develops feelings for Mrs. Zabinski. While some might feel this was a plot device to escalate the tensions between Antonina and her husband, in reality, it demonstrated just how deep their bond is. No matter how hard Heck pushed himself on her, she never relented and stayed faithful to her husband throughout the Nazi occupation of Warsaw.
Director Niki Caro appears to make a conscious effort to place the focus of this story solely on the families that were helped by Antonina and Jan Zabinski. The power in this tale stems from how Jewish families in Warsaw survived such horrific conditions. Seeing dozens of Jewish people choosing to hide under a pile of pig slop in hopes of slipping by the guards at the Warsaw Ghetto was certainly horrifying.
Acting
Jessica Chastain was brilliant in the role of Antonina Zabinski. What is fascinating about this character is that it wasn’t one audience have seen her portray before. In films such as Miss Sloane and Interstellar, Chastain portrays strong women who tend to be dominant. In The Zookeeper’s Wife, Chastain plays a character who is much more reserved than any she’s ever played. That’s not to say Antonina isn’t strong as well. She has more of a quiet strength, and her dominance is shown in how effective they are at keeping these Jewish families hidden from Nazi detection.
Johan Heldenbergh and Daniel Bruhl are equally excellent in the roles of Jan Zabinski and Lutz Heck. Heldenbergh portrays Mr. Zabinski as a kind man whose love of animals and community define him. He’s driven to do the right thing and persuades Antonina to help their Jewish friends. Bruhl strikes an appropriate balance in his portrayal of Lutz Heck. Heck is drawn to the Zabinski’s zoo due to the unusual variety of animals. He’s a man of science with interests in species creation. Lutz is also a little unhinged due to his romantic desires towards Antonina. It’s this desire that makes him blind to the clues pointing towards the Zabinski’s activities.
Cinematography
The Cinematography of Andrij Parekh was splendid throughout the film. Parekh made use of a muted color palette to help capture how somber Warsaw was following the invasion and eventual occupation by the Nazis. He also made use panning shots to capture the sheer scope of atrocities occurring in Warsaw’s Ghetto. However, Parekh’s most stirring shot was a school teacher walking towards a train with others headed to a concentration camp. He’s able to capture in one close-up shot of his face the exact moment his spirit broke. It’s when he looks to his right and sees that none of their luggage is being loaded onto the train. He immediately looks resigned to the idea that where ever they are headed may very well be his final resting place.
Overall
Niki Caro and Jessica Chastain are both to be commended for bringing to light a story of not just the Zabinski’s heroism, but of a community of individuals whose love for others was immeasurable. While The Zookeeper’s Wife isn’t the best movie ever made about the Holocaust, the lessons in the film are certainly valuable. Everyone deserves dignity and respect no matter what religion they choose to follow. A lesson that was timely then and certainly is now.
Fasten your seatbelts WWE Universe, “the ultimate thrill ride” is about to take off! World Wrestling Entertainment officially announced the plans according to WWE.comfor WrestleMania’s “kickoff” show Sunday night live on The WWE Network.
In years past, the WrestleMania Kickoff show, has included some star-studded names in the world of sports entertainment. This year will be no exception, however, there is ultimately going to be some “heat” by the die-hard fans steaming from some of the match choices.
“The King of the Cruiserweights” Nevell will defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries in what could turn out to be the show stealer of the event. While some “smart” fans may have a problem with two of the premium performers in WWE, Aries himself welcomed the challenge via his Twitter account this afternoon moments after the story broke.
I’m never “relegated” to anything, I’m just who you add to things you need ELEVATED. #WrestleMania Pre-Show is now MUST SEE. #TheElevator
Seems like “the greatest man to ever live” isn’t taking this announcement as a demotion. Instead, it would be wise to make sure to tune in to see these two veterans rock The Citrus Bowl!
Also announced for the kickoff show was the 3rd Annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal featuring superstars such as Braun Stroman, The Big Show, Sami Zayne, Goldust, and Apollo Crews! More names are sure to be added in the days to come to the battle royal, and be sure to expect a surprise or two considering WWE has been known to pull out all of the stops at WrestleMania!
Finally, Alexa Bliss will put her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against The returning Naomi, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Carmella, Mickie James, and any other woman on the SmackDown LIVE roster eligible to compete. Again, with verbiage like that, you can be certain that there is more than meets the eye about this contest.
The two-hour WrestleMania Kickoff streams live on WWE Network, as well as WWE.com, the WWE App, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+, at 5 ET/2 PT. The second hour of the Kickoff also will air live on the USA network Sunday Night from The Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Warner Bros Wednesday night, released the first image of Cress Williams as Black Lightning, the next DC Comics character to join their ever growing “Arrowverse” on The CW.
Black Lighting created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden in 1977, was the first African-American DC Super Hero to have his own stand-alone comic title. Jefferson Pierce made his choice: he hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with one daughter hell-bent on justice and the other a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend — Black Lightning.
Executive producer/writer/director Salim Akil had passionate words about the series.
“I knew way too much about the world as a young boy growing up in Richmond, California. I was no stranger to violence, death, hopelessness or the feeling that no one cared about what was happening in my life. Comics were a great way for me to escape. I was about 13 when BLACK LIGHTNING was created, and finally there was a Black Super Hero that gave a damn about our neighborhood and our lives. Resurrecting him at a time in our society when a sense of hope is lacking…BLACK LIGHTNING will be that hope. And in updating the suit, it will signal to a new generation that it’s time to harness and release our power, and become our own Super Heroes,” said Akil.
Greg Berlanti, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil and Sarah Schechter are executive producers of BLACK LIGHTNING, from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Salim Akil is directing the pilot from a script he wrote.
Netflix has become that thing that we all do. You know, take an entire weekend on the couch and binge watch the next hot series, or that show you’ve seen 1000 times. If you’re a beer drinker, you have your brew of choice sitting right next to you at all times. Which beers would be the best for your bender?
This is where the session beer comes in. The session, being that a beer that you can drink over a longer period of time due to the lack of ABVs, has Netflix written all over it. Sessions aren’t for everyone, but pretty much any beer with a low alcohol content works in this situation if you want to keep a light buzz.
Hoppy IPA
There are those who like to get drunk and watch, and for those folks, I recommend the India Pale Ale. They have a high ABV and are delightfully hoppy and full in flavor. For a great go-to IPA, Elysian Space Dust is a wonderful option. From Seattle, the 8.2% “totally nebular IPA’ is one that will take your taste buds out of this world.
Let’s say you want something fruity and girly to go with ‘Gilmore Girls.’ You aren’t a beer person, but drinking fruity drinks all day will give you a headache. Go for a cider or a fruity hefeweizen. Cider Boys has several ciders that taste like juice but aren’t so sugary you will die. Rory Gilmore would appreciate First Press, the apple cider that relates to her career.
Theme beers are a wonderful thing, in fact, pick a beer that represents the show you are watching right now. Choose a beer for each character and story line. You’ll have a magical line up of beers, and you won’t ever get bored!
In Terminator 2, Skynet went active on August 29, 1997. That day, an artificial intelligence unleashed a series of attacks all over the world. A chain of events goes into motion that sees the fall of mankind at the hands of the machines. It also starts an action-packed time-travel story with plenty of plot holes, but that’s an article for another time. It’s 2017, so Sarah Connor did something right since we’re not currently being spanked around by Skynet’s machines, though, automation is destroying plenty of jobs. However, screenwriting seemed to have good job security. That is, until, August 8th, 2016, when a writing Skynet of sorts was born, and its name is Benjamin.
In 2016, filmmaker Oscar Sharp paired with AI Researcher, Ross Goodwin, to create a film for the 48 Hour Film Project in London. After creating the Long Short-Term Memory or LSTM, Sharp, Goodwin, and a cast that includes Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) sat back, patiently waiting for the printer to come alive and deliver a script.
Benjamin, the AI screenwriter in an interview. I’m serious.
Once the script was ready, cast and crew took to making the film and interpreting directions like “He is standing in the stars and sitting on the floor” to the best of their abilities.
The result is a movie that is best described as a surreal and creepy student film. But perhaps the most frightening part, though, is that the pic isn’t completely terrible. Now, when I say that, let’s be clear where I set the bar. Benjamin is artificial intelligence in its infancy. It is, at best, equivalent to a two-year-old with a learning disability. Benjamin is only the tippy tip of the AI iceberg. But I found Sunspring engaging and entertaining, almost in the way as Tim and Eric, Adventure Time, or even Family Guy; a kind of absurdist comedy. Sunspring is like a skit from a show that doesn’t — and probably shouldn’t — exist.
Artificial intelligence is on the rise, so it begs the question,
how much time do screenwriters have left?
AS IF PERMEATING THE UNIVERSE ITSELF, THE TERMINATOR 2 THEME BEGINS TO PLAY.
After the events of the DEATH OF HAWKMAN miniseries, Adam Strange is blasted through multiple dimensions only to land on Earth! There, instead of super-powered beings and legendary crime fighters, he encounters a boy adventurer and his scientist father—and they’re the only ones who can help him return home. Jonny Quest, Hadji, Dr. Quest and Race Bannon have a plan, but it’s going to involve a dangerous trek through Dino Boy’s Lost Valley of prehistoric threats!
Writing
This really feels like one of those instances where the idea probably sounded better on paper. At least the planning process for it. Seems like it would match up perfectly. Adam Strange, the man from Earth lost amongst the stars, meeting with Jonny Quest, the kid cartoon adventurer. How could this go wrong? Very easily by the look of it.
It’s your standard crossover story. People meet, a misunderstanding occurs so someone is not trusting someone else, and come the last part of the book a team up takes place. The meeting itself makes perfect sense given the events of the main Future Quest comic. It’s the part about Adam Strange conveniently having amnesia which is the problem. All it really serves is to have him not be able to tell his backstory right away so Race can’t fully trust him.
Writers Marc Andreyko and Jeff Parker didn’t create the greatest epic adventure in this issue. Considering what they had to work with it’s actually surprising. This issue also features a preview for the new Top Cat series which has a Howard The Duck vibe to it. It was also the more interesting part of this annual.
Artwork
The art for the issue doesn’t help to pull the issue ahead either. Steve Lieber on art and Veronica Gandini on colors just don’t produce the same level of quality in this issue as the main Future Quest book does. There is an imbalance of character styles from panel to panel. Sometimes the characters are drawn in a comical and lighthearted style and other times they are rough and sharp like they are ready for action. This variation comes off more unsettling than it does entertaining.
Conclusion
For those of you who had high hopes for this book you are not rewarded. It’s the worst issue of Future Quest so far, and it’s unnecessary reading even for the most die hard Adam Strange fan. He’s just there for the ride and providing little else. Much like this annual dose as a whole.
Just when you thought it was safe to like clowns again. After months of hype and plenty of teaser photos, we now have our first look at the ‘IT‘ remake. Stephen King’s most infamous clown has never looked this scary!
“In a small town of Derry, Maine, seven children come face to face with life problems, bullies and a monster that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise.”
The film will be directed by Andrés Muschietti (‘Mama’) and written by Gary Dauberman, Chase Palmer, & Cary Joji Fukunaga. This is based on the hit novel by author Stephen King and was adapted in 1990 as a TV Mini-Series. In the TV Mini-Series, Tim Curry played the role of Pennywise The Dancing Clown.
2017’s ‘IT‘ stars Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, a role many were cautious to see re-done but the young actor is bringing something deeply scary to Pennywise. Leading “The Loser’s Club”, the kids who come to face-to-face with the clown, is Jaeden Lieberher.
Rounding out the cast is Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Nicholas Hamilton in supporting roles
It was also announced the film will be broken up in two parts. The first part being released this year and the second half yet to be announced. Splitting up the film will allow for more story to be told, following the mini-series.
What do you think of the first trailer for this film?
Let me know if you plan on checking out ‘IT’ when it’s released this year.
Look for Pennywise to haunt your theaters on September 8th, 2017!
