My Good Friend Has Published Her Third Book...Here's The Review From THe Dayton Daily News

Local author Kristina McBride says she’s loved reading since she turned six, and can’t remember a time since then that she wasn’t writing or reading.

Her passion for writing has resulted in the publication of her third young adult novel, “A Million Times Goodnight,” which came out at the beginning of July 2016 from Skypony Press.
Kristina, a native of the area, says she grew up across from a Dayton Public Library.
In a Literary Life interview with her shortly after the publication of her second young adult novel (“One Moment”), Kristina commented, “Every book transported me to another world, which felt like magic to me. I wanted to make that magic.”

As the author of three young adult novels — the first was “The Tension of Opposites” — Kristina has made that magic come to life for many readers. She has yet another young adult novel, “The Bakersville Dozen” scheduled for publication with Skypony Press in the summer of 2017.
Additionally, Kristina is an adjunct instructor of creative writing at Antioch University Midwest and Wright State University. She also does manuscript consulting through The Write Sisters (www.writesistersconsulting.com) and frequently presents at book festivals and writing workshops.
Before becoming a novelist, Kristina taught at Springboro High School for eight years and was yearbook advisor. She and her husband, an elementary school teacher, are both graduates of Centerville High School and Wright State University. They live in the Dayton area with their two young children. Kristina earned her B.S., education, from Wright State in 1997 and her M.S., education, in 2006.

I recently caught up with Kristina to interview her in depth about her writing for an online-exclusive Dayton Daily News feature, “Dayton Reads.”
I asked her to describe “A Million Times Goodnight.”

She said, “It’s the story of a girl who is betrayed by her boyfriend. She has to decide in the very beginning what she’s going to do—stay in town and get revenge? Or leave town and run away from the whole situation? At that moment in the story, time splits, kind of like in the movie “Sliding Door” with Gwyneth Paltrow. Then we follow my character through both time lines—in the even-numbered chapters, we see what happens if she chooses to stay, and in the odd-numbered chapters, what happens if she chooses to run away.”

Kristina will celebrate the publication of “A Million Times Goodnight” with a book launch on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m., at Books & Co. at The Greene.

Learn more about Kristina and her work at www.kristinamcbride.com

Matt Ryan's Constantine Coming To DC/WB Animation

Warner Bros. Animation is having huge success with their DC animated feature films that go straight to Blu-ray.  In fact, the excitement behind their upcoming Batman: The Killing Joke, which is based off of the graphic novel of the same name which was created by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, caused Warner Bros. to hold a special screening of the film in movie theaters for one night only.  It sold out quickly, and it was expanded to a second night of screenings, as well.  This past Monday, the first of the two nights, it pulled in over $3 million, making it the third highest grossing film for the day, behind Star Trek Beyond and The Secret Life of Pets.  That's pretty impressive for an R-rated animated movie!


So what's next for DC and WB's animation department?  They've decided that what was originally planned to be a live action movie created by Guillermo del Toro, but has now fallen by the wayside, would be better as an animated movie, and that project is Justice League Dark.  A popular comic book series that ran from November 2011 to March 2015, it explores the mystical and magical side of the DC Universe.  While the film will include Justice League regulars like Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Batman (voiced by Jason O'Mara), the Justice League Dark team will include Swamp Thing, Zatana (Camilla Luddington), Deadman (Nicholas Turturro), and Jason Blood/Etrigan (a.k.a. The Demon, voiced by Ray Chase).  It will also be featuring Constantine, and fan favorite Matt Ryan will be returning to role to do the voice work for this project.  In case you've forgotten, Matt Ryan played Constantine on the short lived television series of the same name that aired on NBC.  This wasn't a good fit, for the network or the television show.  Like Supergirl, it should have originally aired on The CW.  Now, with The Vampire Diaries announcing that this will be their last season, and with Supernatural nearing the end of it's ride, The CW would be smart to bring this show back in the near future.  It would give them a show that deals with the same sort of things that the other two show kind of deal with (i.e. magic, demons, and creatures), and it would also already have a loyal fan-base ready to watch again   Sorry, I'm getting off topic...


Here's a quick description that I pulled from Screenrant.com on what we can expect from the upcoming Justice League Dark movie:


"The plot, from what we know so far, revolves around a crime wave perpetuated on a global scale by ordinary “law-abiding” citizens. It appears the wrongdoings are the work of dark forces seeking to remake the world in their image (they sure like doing that). In the wake of these inexplicable illicit activities, the beleaguered Justice League – which will include Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern – begrudgingly turns to occult forces for aid."


They also say that Batman kind of "shadows" the group, as a skeptic that works alongside them.  It should be fun to see how the two groups interact when this film gets released.  there's no word yet on what the rating for the movie is going to be, but they are saying that even if it doesn't get the R-rating that The Killing Joke received, that doesn't mean that it won't stay true to the comic book.  It won't be "a toned down, kid-friendly" film.   The movie is supposed to be released on DVD and Blu-ray later this fall, so when an actual date gets announced, I'll let you know.  Batman: The Killing Joke will be available on DVD and Blu-ray next Tuesday (August 2).

It's Official...Ghost Rider Coming To Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Next Season

How badass is this thing!


Last weekend at SDCC, it was announced that yes, Ghost Rider will be appearing in the upcoming season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and to top things off, they put Ghost Rider's new ride on display at the Marvel booth at the convention.  If you're expecting him to be an updated version of the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider that we were introduced to in the Nicolas Cage movies, be prepared to be disappointed...unless you didn't like the movies, then you probably have nothing to worry about!


"When the Spirit of Vengeance rides into S.H.I.E.L.D., it'll change everything!"  This is how Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb described the upcoming season.  Actually, his exact words were:


“Season 4 will unquestionably be the series’ biggest, most ambitious story yet, and it all begins with the introduction of one of our greatest legacy characters in Ghost Rider… When the Spirit of Vengeance rides into S.H.I.E.L.D., it’ll change everything.”


Gabriel Luna will be introduced this season as Robbie Reyes, the more recent adaptation of the character, but unlike his predecessor, he'll be driving a tricked out hot rod as opposed to a motorcycle.  While not much is known as to how they are going to bring him into the show, his appearance is significant because this will be the first Marvel version of Ghost Rider to make it to the MCU.  So basically, forget about everything thing else that's been made dealing with this character, they're hitting the reboot button.


What do you think about this latest addition to Coulson's team?  Are you getting excited for the new season to begin?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Could This Justice Leaguer Be Making A Cameo Appearance In Suicide Squad?

Fans won't have to wait much longer to see some of the best and bad-assed of the DC's rogue gallery getting their very own movie when Suicide Squad premiers next Friday.  Even though this movie will be focusing on the bad guys, there have been scenes in the trailer showing us that Batman will be making an appearance or two, but is he going to be the only member of the Justice League that shows up?  Maybe not...


In one of the trailers released, one very sharp viewer noticed something in one of the scenes that featured Captain Boomerang (is he going by "Captain Boomerang" in the DCEU, or just "Boomerang?"  I'm not sure) getting knocked down, and off to the side of him is a bolt of lightening shooting off to the side.  Check it out in the picture below that was taken from the scene in question:

So, did this eagle-eyed viewer just confirm that The Flash will be making an appearance in Suicide Squad?  It looks that way, because not even a day later, the following list of the cast was released:





As you can see, Ezra Miller's name is on the "Cast" list...but do you notice someone missing?  Where's Ben Affleck?  We all know that Batman is going to be in the film, and that Affleck was even spotted in Toronto while filming was going one.  Heck, there was even a picture of him on the set wearing the Batman suit, so what gives?  From what people are piecing together, yes, Affleck was on the set, and David Ayer said that while he was there (which was only for one day) he unexpectedly asked Ben to suit up, maybe to get the rest of the crew excited for the idea of Batman appearing, I don't know.  What a lot of people are thinking that while Batman is going to appear in the movie, it's probably just a stuntman in the suit, and not Affleck.  Maybe to cut down on costs?  Who knows.


But let's get back to Miller...it seems like his appearance is going to one) give us our first look at the Scarlett Speedster in action (which is a smart move, kind of like Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War) and two) show us exactly how Boomerang gets locked up before getting put on the Suicide Squad.  Whatever the reasons behind adding him, it's a great move.  His appearance in the trailer for Justice League has been the favorite part for a lot of people, so giving them what they want to see is smart.


So what do you think about this new revelation?  Does this make you want to see the movie more in order to get your first real look at The Flash, or is it just an added bonus?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.


Suicide Squad hits theaters August 5, 2016.

Star Trek: Discovery Trailer Released At SDCC

Another trailer that made it's way over to SDCC this year was one for the upcoming Star Trek television series, Star Trek: Discovery.  Check out the short teaser trailer down below:

Not bad for not really showing us anything except the ship...kind of looks like a cross between a Federation ship and a Klingon Bird of Prey.  While not much is known about the series yet, we do know that the pilot episode is going to air on CBS in January 2017, but every episode after that will only be able to be viewed by streaming CBS All Access, so if you're a Star Trek fan, you'd better sign up.  We also know that it will only be a 13 episode season, unlike it's predecessors, and instead of featuring the "mission of the week" each time you tune in, it will have one long story arc that will span the entire season.  Filming is set to take place in Toronto soon, but as of writing this post, no actors have been confirmed to have signed onto the project yet.  Bryan Fuller is being billed as co-creator and executive producer for the show and David Semel will direct the pilot episode.

The series is rumored to be taking place after the events in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Even though at the end of the movie (TUC) it seemed that the Klingons and the Federation were about to put all of their squabbling in the past, it's being reported that the Klingons will be the villains of the series.  Maybe not the entire race, but at least the ones that think joining the Federation is a bad idea.  From what is being reported on the new series, it sounds like it's going to follow the ideas behind TOS as opposed to TNG.  Should be fun finding out.

So what are your thoughts on this project?  When JJ Abrams reboot the movie franchise with Star Trek, I was blown away.  After Star Trek Into Darkness, not so much.  I haven't made it out to see Star Trek Beyond yet, and I've been getting mixed reviews from my friends that have seen it, although movie critics seems to be thinking that they did a great job with this one.  Maybe this new series is the shot-in-the-arm that the franchise needs to get it going again?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Ego's Role In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 Explained At SDCC

Possible ***SPOILERS!!!*** ahead in this article!


It doesn't seem like Marvel is trying to keep too much a secret with the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, because it sounds like they just revealed a huge spoiler this past weekend at SDCC.  As it turns out, Kurt Russell, who will be playing Star-Lord's father in the movie, was revealed to actually be Ego, The Living Planet...and yes, Ego is Star-Lord's father.  So how does a woman from Earth get it on with an entire planet in order to give birth to Peter Quill?


During a panel at SDCC this past weekend, fans to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 panel were treated to an exclusive teaser trailer for the upcoming film, and like the trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming, it wasn't released online.  We do know some of the things that were featured in the trailer from fans and reporters that were sitting in the crowd.  For instance, Kurt Russell was in a few scenes wearing robes and sporting white hair and a beard.  This leads us to believe that while Ego is a "Living Planet," he's also able to take on humanoid form by creating living "drones" in order to explore other worlds.  This in fact goes along with his abilities in the comic books, where this has been shown to happen.  It would also explain how Quill is the offspring of Ego.  How do you think Quill is going to react when he finds out that his dad is an evil living planet?


Yes, Ego (for most of his comic book history) is evil.  He was created by both Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, both giants in the world of comic books.  In 1969, Kirby gave an interview describing his thought process in creating Ego:


“I began to experiment …and that’s how Ego came about. … A planet that was alive; a planet that was intelligent. That was nothing new either because there had been other stories [about] live planets but that’s not acceptable. … [Y]ou would say, ‘Yeah, that’s wild,’ but how do you relate to it? Why is it alive? So I felt somewhere out in the universe, the universe … becomes denser and turns liquid — and that in this liquid, there was a giant multiple virus, and if [it] remained isolated for millions and millions of years, it would … begin to evolve by itself and it would begin to think. By the time we reached it, it might be quite superior to us — and that was Ego.”




Ego isn't alone in the universe, as there are other sentient beings similar to him.  There's Ego's twin brother Alter Ego, a living universe named Super Ego, a wandering humanoid "cast-off" named Ego Prime, and one called Id The Selfish Moon.  Forget about all of these guys, though, we're focusing on just Ego.  He's (obviously) a living planet, and he wanders around the galaxy consuming other small planets in order to sustain his own life, similar to Galactus.  He's had a few different origins, but the most recent had him being created by a being called "The Stranger."  His twin brother was created by "The Collector," who actually appeared in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.  The two living planets were created in order to fight one another, because The Stranger wanted to prove whether freedom or captivity created stronger beings.  While warring, Alter Ego becomes mortally wounded, but is saved by Thor.  After Thor's intervention, Alter Ego settles into an orbit around Ego, where the two reconnect.  Alter Ego heals and becomes a moon around Ego.  This has a calming effect on the two, and sets them on "a new non-malevolent path through the cosmos."

While it's still not known what role Ego will play in the movie, it's safe to say it will be a pretty significant one, although it's more than likely that it won't follow the comic book storylines.  I don't know how they'd be able to incorporate those storylines with him fathering Star-Lord.  We'll just have to wait and see how he will fit into James Gunn's vision.  I'm not too concerned about it, though.  Gunn did an incredible job with his first go-around, I'm sure he'll do the same thing with the sequel.


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters May 7, 2017.

DC Wasn't The Only One To Debut Movie Trailers, Marvel Surprises Fans

This weekend gave fans of the San Diego Comic Con the very first look at the upcoming Spider-Man movie, Homecoming.  Unlike Marvel's counterpart, DC, these trailers have not been released online for everyone to enjoy.  We do know what was shown to people, though, from fans who were able to watch it first hand.  Here's what they said they saw, courtesy of Screenrant.com...


"The trailer opens with an amusing montage set to Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation,” showing all of the Avengers’ (including Stephen Strange) high school yearbook portraits to illustrate that all heroes have a beginning. It then cuts to Midtown High to provide a breakdown of Peter Parker’s day. In addition to attending classes and admiring cute girls from a distance, he’s also working hard on maintaining his crime fighting lifestyle. There’s funny bits of comedy when Parker is watching a YouTube video of his battle against Giant Man in Civil War during a science seminar, and when he’s mixing a new web fluid formula at school."


Since the film is still in production, the scenes were mostly limited to Peter Parker wandering around his high school, and gave us the first glimpse of the other actors that will be appearing with Tom Holland (Zendaya, Angourie Rice, and other assorted teenagers).  There were a few scenes of the costumed wall-crawler in action as well.  At the end of the reel, it was confirmed that the villain of the movie will be the Vulture.  His costume is being described as an Iron Man suit with wings.  While it most likely isn't an actual Tony Stark Iron Man suit, it is definitely mechanical.


The movie has been described as a "John Hughes comedy," and from what was shown over the weekend, it lives up to that reputation.  Tom Holland's Peter Parker (whom Stan Lee has praised as the "perfect" Peter Parker) is definitely a nerdy, geeky kid who is called loser by his peers while gawking at girls from across the cafeteria.  The film will follow Parker as he tries to balance being a high school student and being a superhero at the same time, while dealing with the issues that both will bring.  This looks to be the truest adaptation of the comic book character to make the screen yet, although Spider-Man 2 did an incredible job of this, too.  Luckily, we won't have to wait very much longer to see for ourselves.


So how do you feel about Spider-Man joining the MCU?  Do you think that they did a good job with the character when they introduced him to fans in Captain America: Civil War?  Are you looking forward to seeing this film when it comes out next year?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.


Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters July 7, 2017.

DC Releases Two Huge Trailers At SDCC 2016!

Yesterday concluded this year's San Diego Comic Con, and man, it did not disappoint!  I'll be talking about the things that I found the most interesting throughout the week, but let's get started with the two trailers that were released this weekend.  Now, since they are still fairly new, I'm not sure if the ones I uploaded are the same ones that they showed there, I'm hoping that they are, but this site has limited access to certain YouTube videos, so if these aren't the right ones, I apologize.  The first one was the release of the upcoming Justice League movie, and I have to tell you, Ezra Miller stole the show.  Anyone that was upset that Grant Gustin didn't get the role of The Flash should rest a little easier after watching the trailer.  It was lighter than the ones we got for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and had a lot more humor.  Check it out:

The second trailer that they released was for the upcoming Wonder Woman, and it looks like they really put together a great film.  Check it out below.  I had to pull the UK version of the trailer, seeing as the US version wasn't available here yet.  Check it out:

Both of these movies are slated for release next year, so I'm expecting a very good season for DC and Warner Bros. if these movies are as good as the trailers let on to be.  It looks like Warner Bros. has finally found their pace in the comic book movie genre and they're going to give Marvel a run for their money.

Justice League is set to hit theaters November 17, 2017, and Wonder Woman will premier June 2, 2017.  Let me know what you thought about the two trailers and whether or not they are getting you excited for the release of these two movies.  Leave your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Batman Solo Film To Take Place In Arkham Asylum

The movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has had new life breathed into it with the release of the rated-R version of the film (only available on Blu-ray), allowing fans to see a truer vision for the film. I was talking with my buddy Ken, and we both wondered why they didn't release both of these versions in the theater, letting fans decide which one they wanted to see, while still allowing the younger audiences to enjoy the film.  Pay attention to this idea, Warner Bros.!  While the rated-R version is getting praise for what it added to the story, the theatrical release didn't grabbed theater goers as a worthy film that featured both Batman and Superman.  However, despite all of the grumblings that Ben Affleck received after it was announced that he would be playing Bruce Wayne/Batman, his character was one of the more shiny points of the movie, with fans agreeing that he did an incredible job.  Because of this, Warner Bros. has decided to fast track a Batman solo film into production.


The movie will be written by both Geoff Johns and Ben Affleck, two huge comic book fans, Affleck, as a reader, and Johns, as a writer.  Now, the screenplay is still being written, and Affleck said that it won't be ready until he's happy with the completed script.  He also said that it will be an original Batman story, and won't be based on any of the comic book storylines.  From what's being said about the story, it's going to take place mainly inside Arkham Asylum.  This would make sense, considering that earlier in the year we heard that nearly all of Batman's rogues gallery would be making an appearance, even if it's just a small one. 


Now here's the kicker...the rumor going around is that Batman himself will be thrown into the asylum.  This could take place one of two ways.  The first is that the inmates take over the asylum and Bats goes in to take control again.  The second possibility is that due to his dark and vengeful nature that he showed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the Gotham City Police Department will see him as much of a threat to the city as the other rogues and decide that he needs to join them.  How they'd capture him in this scenario, I have no idea, but stranger things have happened, right?


So what do you think about Affleck getting his own Batman movie?  What do you think about him being one of the writers on it?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Gotham Season 3 Looks To Be A Hoot (Yeah, I Know, That Was Bad...)

San Diego Comic Con never seems to let us down when it comes to surprising fans with big news about their favorite movies, comic books, video games, and yes...television shows.  In fact television shows seem to make up most of the booths and panels.  I can say this from experience, I was able to go there last year for the first time.  The Walking Dead had an incredible booth last year, which seemed to be the favorite of fans, and The CW's always had a mob of people around it wanting autographs from the stars of their programs.  The most impressive thing that they do in San Diego, though, are the "billboards" they set up advertising different shows and movies.  I put "billboards" in quotes because these things will cover the entire side of a 20-story building, and they're all over the city.  It's the best way for a production company to get something out there to the fans at this convention.  Now, I'm not there this year (tickets are really hard to get!) but I have seen that FOX's television series Gotham is teasing what direction they're going to take the show by releasing a new poster for this upcoming season featuring "The Court of Owls."

Last season we saw Jim Gordon investigating Arkham Asylum and Dr. Hugo Strange, who seemed to be working on reanimating the dead.  Near the end of season 2, it was revealed that there was a secret organization that was funding Dr. Strange's experiments that resulted in the resurrections of Theo Galavan and Fishy Mooney, and the transformation of Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze.  Now, because of the SDCC poster advertising season 3, we know that this secret organization is The Court of Owls.

The Court of Owls is a relatively new organization as far as the Batman comic books go, first appearing in 2011, but as their organization goes, they've been controlling Gotham City since colonial times.  To arm their group, they kidnap child performers from the circus, and then train and transform them into assassins for the Court, called "Talons".  If Gotham stays true to the comic book version of The Court of Owls, this should make for a great season 3.

So what do you think about this new reveal from San Diego?  Are you excited for the upcoming season of Gotham, and if so, how do you feel about The Court of Owls showing up?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Star Trek 4 Has Been Given The Green Light, And Guess Who Will Be Returning?

Well, I guess you won't have that hard of a time guessing who will be returning to Star Trek 4 after seeing the above picture.  Yes, even though Star Trek Beyond has yet to hit theaters, the reviews that have been coming in are very positive, convincing Paramount that the series is back on track (considering the disappointment from fans after the release of Star Trek Into Darkness) and that it deserves another chapter to add to the franchise. 

Scott Mantz from Access Hollywood announced the news on his Twitter page, along with the man that is responsible for much of the reboot's success, JJ Abrams.  Abrams directed the first of the Star Trek movies that takes place in the "Kelvin Timeline," where the movie's universe changes from the television universe (as well as the movies that followed the television shows) to the current one that is being produced.  This happens when Kirk's father, George Kirk, sacrifices himself to save the crew of the U.S.S. Kelvin after a Romulan ship from the future appears and attacks them.  George died on the same day that Kirk was born, and Kirk has felt like he's been living in his father's shadow ever since.

Mantz also reveals in his tweet that the movie is going to bring together both Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth.  This is pretty big news, considering that George died in the first film, and he and Kirk never got to know one another.  Now, it's way too early to tell how these two are going to meet, but a pretty good guess is that it will involve time travel (duh, you think?).  What I mean is that the circumstances that bring them together isn't known yet, but it does seem like they are laying the ground work for this meet already from some of the dialogue that we've seen in the trailers for Star Trek Beyond.  It should make for an emotionally charged film, father and son who have never met, working together (presumably) to save the universe.  How will they do it?  They're more the same age than actual father and son, and would be working together more in the way of equals, right?  However they handle it, Star Trek seems to do it's best story telling when it focuses on the "human" side of things, and the adventure part seems more secondary.  That's just my opinion, though.

So what do you think about this bit of Star Trek news?  Are you surprised that they're wanting to use Chris Hemsworth again, considering how fast his star has risen since he first played George Kirk?  Do you think it's a good idea?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Rumors Of These Characters Appearing On CW's DC Shows Next Season

San Diego Comic Con starts today, and there should be a whole wealth of information about future projects that will spill out of the exclusive trailers that will be shown (Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is rumored to have one), the booths that will be set up, and the panels featuring actors, writers, and directors that fans will be able to attend.  Of course, before all of the exciting bits of news make their way onto fanboy sites, rumors are aplenty about what to expect.  One of the rumors that's made it's way online is the possible appearances of three DC characters on The CW's DC televisions shows.

The first of these rumors is that Matt Ryan, who starred in the short lived NBC series Constantine, will be making his way back to the Arrow-verse some time this season.  The CW recently acquired the rights to the television show from NBC, and is streaming all of the episodes through their CW Seed app.  It's been suggested that The CW might bring the television series back for good to join the rest of their DC programs, but if it's to happen, it won't be until next year.  Ryan is currently filming another series for the BBC, but has shown great interest in returning to the role of John Constantine.  Maybe we'll hear something about the show's return, or Ryan's possible guest appearance next season some time this week.

Another claim that is being reported by Bleeding Cool is that there may be a very slim chance that The CW might be able to work out an agreement with Fox to have Bruce Wayne/Batman make an appearance on one of their shows at some point in the future (but don't hold your breath), and that both Kate "Batwoman" Kane and Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Oracle...no, she won't be appearing as Batgirl) will also be appearing on Supergirl.  The two of them working together is being said to have the same dynamic as the Birds of Prey from the comic books.  The article goes on to say that it's the hope of The CW to add one more superhero show to their programing so they can give fans a DC superhero show every night of the week.

Like I said previously, these are all rumors.  Even with SDCC taking place these next four days, we may not find out whether or not they are true until some later time, but it should be noted that Bleeding Cool has a very strong working relationship with DC, so these rumors may not be as far fetched one might believe.

So what do you think?  Could these three characters actually be making their way onto the small screen next season?  How do you think they will fit into the whole Arrow-verse?  Do you think that this 'verse is getting to crowded or complicated?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below, and I'll keep bring you the most interesting news from SDCC starting Monday. 

There's A Darth Vader VR Movie Being Written

Are you getting tired of all of the Star Wars news that's coming out of Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 yet?  Don't worry, this will be the last one that I do...this week!

One of the biggest things that is starting to take over companies that create our video games is VR.  We already have the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, Playstation VR is going to become available this October, and there are rumors of an Xbox One VR and Nintendo NX VR that are in development.  Pretty soon, VR machines will be available to the average person, and with that means a whole bunch of new VR content for us to enjoy.  Some of the titles that have been announced are Michael Bay's Rogue Initiative, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, and titles for both Assassin's Creed and Star Wars.  The announcement of Star Wars VR being developed should come as no surprise.  Disney has been doing their Star Tours for years  now, and more are sure to come when Disney's Star Wars Land opens up.  One of the Star Wars VR projects that was announced during Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 will be something that will allow you to view the Star Wars universe from the viewpoint of Darth Vader.

David S. Goyer, the screenwriter for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, appeared at the SWCE 2016 to let us know that he is writing a script for a Darth Vader VR movie.  According to The Verge, the site that broke the news, Goyer said that the movie will be an interactive experience that will be an official part of Star Wars Canon.

“You are the visitor in this story that is happening in and around you, and to a certain extent you might even have some effect on. You can pick up things, you can open things. You can push things, you can walk. You can touch characters.”

Now some of you may be a little nervous about Goyer writing this script, especially if you aren't a fan of the BvS movie, but know that he also had a hand in helping Christopher Nolan with his Dark Knight trilogy.  That, and Goyer will be working with the same people that are working on the new Star Wars films, so he'll be getting a lot of help in getting this right.  That, and with the amount of money that Disney spent on acquiring Lucasfilm, you can be assured that thy will be following this project very closely to make sure that it's done right.  The Verge went on to say that the movie "will take place in a persistent world that cycles through day and night and continues on once the main story has ended."  Goyer said that he believes that the persistent world that the user can interact with will help them become more emotionally involved in the VR experience.

“The difference between cinema and television and VR — particularly with the fidelity that [the xLab] team is working on, is that you really feel like you there. The sense of presence isn’t just a buzzword. And it’s surprisingly very emotional. It can make you sad, and make you lean in, and make you feel for a character in a way you haven’t before. In a way that you can’t really do in any other medium. And it can scare you.”

So what do you think about this new project?  Are you going to go out and purchase a VR device from one of the companies making them, or is this something that you could do without?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

This Star Wars Legend Character Now Becomes Canon

The release of the new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer that I talked about yesterday wasn't the only big announcement that hit over the weekend at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016.  There was one announcement that was even bigger than the reveal that Darth Vader was indeed going to appear in Rogue One, and it caught everyone completely off guard...well, at least it caught me off guard.


Fans that grew up only knowing the original series should all know the name Timothy Zahn.  After Return of the Jedi, fans of the Star Wars films were in desperate need for new stories from the galaxy far, far away.  The first opportunity that we got was in the form of Zahn's trilogy, Heir to the Empire, which takes place five years after the Battle of Endor. The story brought back all of our beloved heroes, and introduced us to new enemies that they had to face, the most popular of which was Admiral Thrawn.  This evil, blue-skinned alien took over the Empire following Emperor Palpatine's death and continued his plan to wipe out the Rebel Alliance.  The series was a work of art, and when it was announced that it wouldn't be part of the official Star Wars canon, many fans began to protest.


Now it seems that their protests had been heard by Lucasfilm.  Over the weekend, while showing fans at a Star Wars Rebels panel a trailer for season 3, it was revealed that Admiral Thrawn will be making the jump from Star Wars Legend into Star Wars Canon.  Yes, Admiral Thrawn will be making his official debut into the Star Wars universe during season 3 of Rebels.  That's not the only big news involving this character that was announced during the panel, though.  Zahn appeared in the form of a pre-recorded video thanking fans for all of their support, and also explained how much fun he's had working with the people that put together Rebels.  He said that bringing his character to the show has been a honor, and loves what the team has done with Thrawn.  He also announced that he's working on a new novel that will feature Thrawn that will be apart of the official Star Wars canon.  The book will be released sometime next year.  You can check out the cover art for the book down below:

Now the younger generation of Star Wars fans will be able to enjoy one of the best villains that the older Star Wars fans have enjoyed for years.  This begs the question, though...if Thrawn could be moved from Legend to Canon, what about the other characters from the books?  I don't know, like Mara Jade?  Just throwing that one out there, Disney.

So what do you think about Thrawn joining Star Wars Rebels?  Are you familiar with this character?  If you aren't, you need to go out and read the Heir to the Empire series right away, you won't be disappointed.  If you have read the novels, let me know your thoughts about them bringing him into the show in the comments section down below.

New Rogue One Trailer To Give Us Darth Vader

While it hasn't been released yet to the public, it was announced that a new Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer was released over the weekend over at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016, and a couple of old favorites are said to have appeared in it.  The first character that was shown was Bail Organa, played by Jimmy Smits during the prequels.  While they could tell that it was Bail Organa in the clip, they said it was a little hard to determine if it was in fact Smits returning to the role.  Apparently he's a little out of focus in the clip and his face is obscured by a camera, but considering when this story takes place, I think that it's a smart move to bring him back.  Even as big of a reveal as this was, the one that stole the show was the first shot of Darth Vader.  It was at the end of the clip, and was described as starting off by seeing his reflection on the floor, and as the camera pans up, you hear his iconic breathing as it focuses in on his silhouette which has a bright red light shining behind him. 


It's still not known how much Darth Vader we are going to be getting in the movie, but considering his role in the Empire, it would seem to me that he'd get some good amounts of screen time.  While at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016, director Gareth Edwards was asked during an interview how he was able to balance Vader's role in the film, while not using him too much.  Here's what he had to say:


“He’s got such a gravitational pull, the second he shows up you just get sucked into Darth Vader. So it was a process to try and figure out how to pepper that in in a way that felt right. When I read the first document, which is ‘this is what we’re thinking of doing’ I was like ‘Oh my god, they’re going to do that film? Geeze.’ And at the time I thought they must have sent it to hundred other people and I accidentally got it by mistake. Then I realized they were going to do it, and I was like ‘I could never live with myself to be two years from then and it’s coming out and this is happening and there’s some guy here going ‘yeah, so we filmed in 360′ and I’d be going ‘God damn I could have been doing that!’ So you have to do it…and I’ve forgotten the question.”


Ha!  Sounds like he's pretty jazzed about directing this flick, he's already rambling on about it!  Okay, so the question was repeated to him:


“Sure. So hopefully, it was like… I got pulled into making the film through my love of the original films, but then what was a clear conversation that happened early on at Lucasfilm is that we’re doing new things here, this is not a karaoke number or just pure winks and fan service. That’s not going to make a good film. This has got to be characters that you care about and there’s an opportunity to create new people and events that pull you in, so hopefully the goal is that you come to the film for all the reasons that we love Star Wars and you get sucked in and start to care about the new people and when you’re in the midst of all that and that’s going on, familiar things start to pass you by, you start to remember ‘Oh yeah, oh yeah’ but the film should exist on it’s own terms.


If all these films are ever just ‘And here’s that character you love, Yay! Here’s that other character you love, Yay!’ all the time, that’s all they’re doing then they’re not really doing what George did – he tried to find stories that were about something, that were saying something, that you keep in your pocket forty years later, that stay in your head and are still affecting you.”


So how do you feel about the upcoming movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?  Are you excited to see it now that Darth Vader has been confirmed as appearing in it?  And how do you feel about them bringing Bail Organa back?  Kind of interesting how they are bridging the prequels with the original trilogy this way, huh?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Multiple Speedsters Arriving For The Flash Season 3

The other day I told you that Kid Flash is going to show up next season on The Flash.  Now, it's being assumed that another Speedster is also going to be showing up, all theories of this being based off of a photograph.  Check it out:

A pretty safe assumption, right?  All indications are pointing to this guy being the Black Racer.  So now we've had The Reverse Flash, Zoom, Jay Garrick, and Barry Allen.  Now we can add Black Racer and Kid Flash to the list.  We might even have to add Jesse Quick to the list if she ends up getting her powers as well.

I'm not going to stay long talking about things that I've already talked about, but I thought that you'd want to see this photograph and hear about the direction that The Flash season 3 is taking.  To be honest, we still don't know what direction that The Flash is going to take.  All we know is that the current timeline is going to be all screwed up, and that it won't just affect this series, but Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow as well.  I still think that the latter will be the source of putting everything right again, but who knows?  I could be wrong.  It just seems to make the most sense.  And how is Supergirl going to be affected, if at all?  I can't wait to see how she's going to fit into the whole "Arrow-verse" now that she's come home to The CW.

So what are you hoping to see in The Flash season 3?  Let me know your thoughts on the whole thing in the comments section down below.

New X-Men Television Series Announced By FOX

Outside of the disaster that was The Fantastic Four reboot, 20th Century Fox has been having some amazing success with their Marvel properties.  While X-Men: Apocalypse didn't live up to the same box office numbers it's predecessor X-Men: Days of Future Past, it was still considered to be profitable movie, and their Deadpool movie caught everyone (except fans) off guard with it's $750 million run.  Now, FOX is delving into producing a couple of television shows that will feature X-Men, although they seem to take place outside of the X-Men cinematic universe.  The first program is Legion, and is going to premier on FX.  The second show was supposed to be Hellfire, but after it lost it's showrunners, it's pretty much dead.  That doesn't mean that there won't be another X-Men TV series, though.


To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really impressed with the premise of Hellfire, so I'm not terribly upset that the show has been canceled.  Having said that, I am intrigued by the new show that they are planning for Fox.  Right now, it doesn't have a title, but both Fox and Marvel's Television division are pretty excited about the project.  Fox President David Madden had this to say about the new series:


“Developing a Marvel property has been a top priority for the network–and we are so pleased with how Matt Nix has led us into this thrilling universe. There’s comic book adventure, emotional and complicated relationships, and a rich, existing mythology from which to draw. With the brilliant production crew behind this project, it has all the makings of a big, fun and exciting new series.”


In case you were wondering, Matt Nix (Burn Notice) is set to produce and oversee the project, and even wrote the script for the pilot episode.  Over on the Marvel side of the series, Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television, had this to say about it:


“Marvel Television is thrilled to be co-producing with 20th Century Fox Television on our first project. Matt’s a huge fan of X-Men and his take on the X-Men universe, with its rich characters and high-stakes adventure, is exactly the show we want on FOX. It’s a great team of creative producers who will be making something entirely unique.”


I'm guessing that Fox has seen the success that The CW has had with all of their comic book properties, and is wanting to get in on the action.  Unlike The CW though, they aren't focusing in on one shared universe.  Right now, they have Gotham, which is a DC based show, where as this new X-Men show is a Marvel entity.  I've got to say, I think it's pretty cool that they aren't limiting themselves to one side or the other.


So the series is going to follow a family of two ordinary parents that discover that their children are mutants.  Even though this show hasn't been confirmed whether or not it will take place outside of the X-Men cinematic universe, they are following the same storyline where mutants are feared and the family has to go on the run from mutant-hostile government agencies.  They end up entering the underworld of the mutant population while they fight to survive and stay together.


I think that if Legion is to take place outside of the X-Men cinematic universe, then this one should as well, leading to the possibility of the two shows doing a crossover, even though they'll be on separate channels.  I mean, The Flash and Supergirl did it, right?  So what do you think?  Does this sound like something that you'd be interested in watching, or are you getting tired of new comic book television programs being created?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Actor Signs On To Appear Across Arrow-verse

With all of the events that took place in the season finales for Arrow, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, there's not much about the upcoming season that we know about.  I'd say that normally we would have some what of an idea of what direction the following season would take, but since Barry Allen kind of threw things out of whack during his season 2 finale, we really don't know what to expect...and neither do the actors.

One thing that we do know is that The CW is planning a four-show crossover event at some point next season.  We will see most, if not all, of the characters from Arrow, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and now Supergirl, interacting with one another on either two of the shows, or possibly all four programs.  With the Arrow-verse expanding and storylines overlapping, it's possible that we will see more of these actors crossing over to other shows to help this season's storyline along.  They did it last season with Wentworth Miller (a.k.a. Captain Cold) who appeared in both The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and now it seems that John Barrowman has just signed a new contract that will allow his character, Malcolm Merlin, to do the same.

Merlin was one of the original characters from Arrow season 1, and has played the enemy and a sometimes ally to Oliver Queen and company.  He's schemed and killed, and has played nearly everyone on the show.  Now, with Barrowman's new contract, he'll not only stay on as a series regular, but will also be one in every other DC show on The CW.  That means that he'll be popping up in all four of the superhero series.  I don't know how they'll have him fit in on Supergirl, but I'm assuming that it will be his doppelganger in that universe or something.

With all of the shows becoming more intertwined and storylines spilling over to each others programs, we may be seeing this happening more and more as the series progress, which is good for the actors. The more appearances they make, the more they'll get paid.  Sounds like a win-win.  They get more money, we get more action.

So what do you think about all of this cross-programing that The CW is doing with their DC properties?  Do you think it's too much, or are you excited to see all of this finally coming together?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below. 

Civil War II #3 Has Avengers Offing Each Other

For the obvious reasons, I'm just going to say...***SPOILERS!!!*** ahead!

So here's where we are right now in Civil War II...After Tony Stark loses his best friend in a fight that was waged against Thanos (by the way, his best friend was War Machine), Stark kidnaps an Inhuman named Ulysses who can foresee future events before they happen (was that whole sentence kind of redundant? "Foresee future events before they happen"?  Oh well...). Stark wants to figure out the source of his powers and how he's able to see the future.  When the Inhumans and some other heroes show up to try and rescue him, Ulysses has another vision of the Hulk going on a rampage and killing heroes and Inhumans as he goes.  So what is a superhero to do?

Just so you know, Bruce Banner's been cured of becoming the Hulk, and hasn't had an "episode" in over a year.  Even so, Carol Danvers and Tony Stark show up at Bruce's secret laboratory and ask him to step outside.  There, Banner is confronted by an army of superheroes.  Danvers and Stark explain the situation to Bruce, so he asks if they are there to take him in or put him down, and Stark explains that the superheroes are divided on what to do, and that he needs more proof before moving forward.  That proof is found when Beast hacks into Banner's computer while the heroes are talking outside, and discovers that Bruce has been injecting himself with dead gamma cells to suppress the Hulk.  Banner gets pissed when they confront him about the vision and accuse him of what he's going to do...even though he hasn't done it yet.  He gets angry and starts raising his voice when all of a sudden...

THWAP!

Does that word describe the sound of an arrow going through someone's chest?  It'll have to do, because that's what happens, and it kills Bruce Banner before he can Hulk out.  Hawkeye turns himself in for the murder of Banner.  At his trial, Hawkeye explains that Banner had come to him months earlier and asked him to kill him if he ever started to turn into the Hulk again, because Bruce knew that Hawkeye could a) actually kill him with the right tools, and b) would be able to live with the fact that he'd killed him.  Tony is furious and looks over to Carol Danvers (oh yeah, she's Captain Marvel in case I forgot to mention that) and asks her, "Who's next on your hit list?"

The trial ended and the verdict is about to be read...and then the issue ends!  We're going to have to wait until July 27 when the next issue comes out to find out what happens next.

CW Reveals New Costume For Wally West

A lot of things happened at the end of The Flash when season 2's finale aired.  Wally West and Jesse Quick both got hit by the second particle accelerator explosion, causing fans to wonder if we'd be seeing Kid Flash and Harrison Wells' daughter join the team of Speedsters that we've been introduced to over the last two seasons.  Then, Barry threw that all into doubt when he traveled back in time and saved his mother from getting murdered, creating what is sure to be a new timeline when he returns to his present.  So did Wally and Jesse ever get hit by the particle accelerator explosion and get super powers, or did it never happen in the new timeline?  A fresh new photo from the upcoming season 3 premier "Flashpoint" shows us that at least one of them got their powers, we just don't know how.

The photo that was released shows Wally West's Kid Flash costume, which is similar to the comic book version, featuring red and gold costume.  It was also announced that he'll be appearing in the first episode of the new season, so fans won't have to wait very long to see him.  How he got his powers and how long he's had them, we won't know until it airs, but it does continue the show's streak of adding new Speedsters to their world.  So far, we've seen Reverse Flash, Zoom, and The Flash from Earth Two, and now we can add Kid Flash to that list.

There's no question that Barry going back into the past and saving his mother has changed the present.  How could it not?  The big question, though, is how is his changing the present going to affect the other shows in the "Arrow-verse"?  All of DC's television shows on the CW are interconnected, so if the present changes for one show, then it has to change for all of the other shows.  Is this how they are going to bring Supergirl into their world, or will she stay in her own universe?  Will Barry's messing around with time even affect her universe?  Heck, maybe Oliver Queen never became stranded on an island in this new timeline!  And perhaps the Legends of Tomorrow will be the ones that have to sort everything out and get things back to where they should be before Barry screwed things up.  We know that there is going to be a huge four-show crossover event later this season, and I can't wait to see haow everybody interacts with one another!

So what are your thoughts on the timeline shake-up?  Let me know what you'd like to see, or what you expect to happen when season 3 begins.  Just leave your comments in the section down below and let me know what you're thinking.  

When Peter Capaldi Leaves Doctor Who...Could ***SPOILER!!!*** Be Returning As The Doctor?

There's one thing that is for certain when it comes to Doctor Who, at some point the Doctor will go through a regeneration and become a "new" person.  He'll retain his old memories, but his appearance and personality will be that of a different person.  It keeps the show fresh and interesting, and even draws in new viewers to meet the new Doctor.  The current Doctor is being played by Peter Capaldi, who is rumored to leave the role after this next season as the famous Time Lord.  Like every other time an actor has announced that he'd be leaving this role, people are beginning to ask, "who will be the next Doctor?"


One of the rumors going around actually comes from the showrunner for Doctor Who, Steven Moffat.  He's suggesting that at some point The Doctor might revert to an old familiar face.  So what does this mean?  Peter Capaldi had actually appeared on Doctor Who prior to his becoming The Doctor, but as a secondary character.  Is this what Moffat's alluding to?  Or could it mean something else?


One of the most difficult times for Moffat as showrunner came when Matt Smith decided to leave the show.  Moffat had even been quoted as saying, "It felt like everything was blowing up around me."  He asked Smith to stay on in the role, but at the time Smith wanted to move on and try different roles in other projects.  Later, Smith said that he regretted leaving the show, and has been "quite open about how much he misses it, and how much he wishes he hadn't left."  These two pieces of information have led many to speculate that Smith may return to the show as the next Doctor.


Something like this has never happened on the show before, if indeed this is the direction that they are going.  Once a Doctor regenerates, he leaves the old form behind.  For them to bring back Smith's Eleventh Doctor would be a break from the show's 50 years of tradition, but sometimes you have to shake things up to stay relevant.  Many fans of Smith's Doctor will be excited, but there are already some fans voicing their concerns, saying that this seems like a step back for the show.  Because all of this is just rumor at this point, it's not really necessary to get worked up over something that hasn't been confirmed, whether you'd be for this or against it.


All we can do is wait until the official announcement, which will come sometime next year (I'm guessing).  Until then, just enjoy the next season of the show, and enjoy having Capaldi as The Doctor while you can.  Doctor Who returns for the Christmas Special in December, and season 10 will being in January 2017.


sources: Cinemablend.com and Screenrant.com

Alien 5 Will Really Be Aliens 2

This franchise is getting a little confusing when it comes to story telling...


When Alien was released in1979, it brought science fiction horror to an all new level, and it started Sigourney Weaver on the path to being the queen of sci-fi.  Aliens picked up some years later and built off of the original, and it was like the original on steroids.  Most fans of the series say that the James Cameron directed film was the best one out of them all.  Trying to capitalize on the franchise's popularity, they gave us Alien 3, which tried to copy the original movie's formula...but didn't do a very good job at it.  Alien: Resurrection was disappointing on so many levels, I won't even discuss them.  Then it was announced that Ridley Scott was going to make a movie called Prometheus, which many believed would be a prequel to the original, but the director said before it's release that it would not be one.  Now it seems that it was, and a sequel to that one is now in the works called Alien: Covenant.


Here's where it gets confusing.  There is another Alien movie in the works right now, that Weaver is a part of, and is the brain child of Neil Blomkamp.  His movie, though, will take place after the storyline of Aliens, and it will completely wipe out Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection from it's history.  When asked about how this will play out, Weaver explained it like this:


“It’s just as if, you know, the path forks and one direction goes off to three and four and another direction goes off to Neill’s movie.”


The movie is currently sitting on the studios shelf.  It has to wait in line behind Scott's Alien: Covenant and possibly more Alien prequels.  So you know, there are at least two more that are being planned.


From what I've read, and there isn't much to go off of, the Blomkamp Alien 5 will feature Weaver's Ripley, but also Corporal Hicks and Newt, two characters that were said to have died at the beginning of Alien 3.  So when they said it was going to split from the other movies, they really weren't kidding.


James Cameron is going to be heading down to San Diego Comic Con to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of his Aliens film.  He said that he doesn't normally celebrate things like this, but that Aliens holds a special place in his heart. 


 “I don’t normally pursue these kind of nostalgia moments like we’re going to do down at Comic-Con, and I didn’t do it much at all for Terminator on its 30th, but there’s something about Aliens. It was a milestone for myself and Gale because the film got seven Academy Award nominations.”


So what do you think about this bit of news?  Would you be interested in seeing this, even though it's screwing with the franchise's history?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.