The New King Arthur Film "Man At Arms"

King Arthur and his Knight's of the Round Table are getting ready to take over the silver screen in a number of new releases that are either in production, or still in the concept stage of development.  The most popular one that is being talked about is a film being directed by Guy Richie called Knight's of the Round Table, and is rumored to be staring Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur, Astrid Berges-Frisbey as Guinevere, and Jude Law as the movie yet-to-be-named villain.

Another movie that has been talked about is a reboot of the classic movie Excalibur.  This one seems D.O.A., though.  Back in 2009, Bryan Singer had discussed making this movie for Warner Brothers, but has since been put on hold...indefinitely.  That doesn't mean that we won't see this movie get made, but it's not a priority for the WB movie production at this time.  Besides, Warner Brothers is also the production company releasing the Guy Richie flick, so why gamble on two Arthurian movies?

The last one that I want to talk about is called Man at Arms.  This one sounds the most promising.  It's an original take on the story of Sir Lancelot.  The movie follows Sir Lancelot after his affair with Guinevere brought down the kingdom of Kin Arthur, trying to seek redemption for his past sins.  It's a less "postmodern" look at the Arthurian legend than Guy Richie's film is expected to be, and early reports are comparing Man at Arms with Clint Eastwood's western classic Unforgiven. 

The last King Arthur movie to grace the big screen (that I can remember) was King Arthur, back in 2004, which took a more "historical" look at the legend.  It was a good movie, but not great as far as revenue is concerned.  The last movie to resonate with audiences was the 1981 original classic Excalibur, which is considered by most fans to be the quintessential telling of the tale.

What are your thoughts on these soon-to-be released movies?  Is this something that you're excited to see, or is this story all but played out?  Let my know your thoughts on the matter.  You can leave them in the comments section down below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com.

M. Night Shyamalan Moves The Small Screen

Do you miss Twin Peaks?  Excited to hear that it may be coming back?  What if you don't want to wait that long?  Then the new FOX show Wayward Pines might just be the show for you.  Check out the trailer:

To quote Nathalie Caron from Blastr.com. it like the Eagles song, Hotel California, right? "You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave."

The trailer for this new FOX series premiered at the end of the season finale of Empire, and as you can see from the what they've given us, his show has a lot of big-named actors starring in it.  They've got Matt Dillon, Carla Gugino, Toby Jones, Shannyn Sossammon, Reed Diamond, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Hope Davis, and Julliette Lewis.  M. Night Shyamalan is producing the series, and it is being written by Chad Hodge.  Here's what FOX has released as the shows official synopsis:

"A Secret Service agent goes to Wayward Pines, Idaho, in search of two federal agents who have gone missing in the bucolic town.  He soon learns that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive."

So what do you think?  I'm kind of curious about the show, but am a little hesitant to put too much into it.  Why? it's not because of anything that they've released, but because it's airing on FOX.  I've invested too much into their shows only to have them yank them in the middle of their first season because they didn't feel like they were living up to their potential.  Examples?  Firefly!  More recently? Almost Human.

Wayward Pines will premier May 14, at 9/8 pm on FOX.

Is Donatello Dead?!?

Yeah, I know, I should've said "Hey, get ready for SPOILERS!" or something along those lines, but come on!  These are comic books we're talking about!  So...Donnie's dead?

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44, it looks like Donnie might've ate it!  And not just in the "comic book" sense!

What the shell?  (sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Here's what happened...Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo where off fighting Krang and trying to keep him from transforming the earth with a machine called the "Technodrome."  While they were off fighting Krang, Donatello was left back at their home base to protect their lair.  Shredder knew this, and sent Bebop and Rocksteady to take care of Donatello if anything started to go wrong for them.  The turtles were winning, so the gruesome twosome went in and took out Donnie.  Donnie didn't go without a fight, but in the end, Rocksteady took a sledgehammer to Donnie and smashed his shell in.  Donatello tried to hold on for as long as he could, but in the end, Donnie passed away in the company of his brothers, his master, and his friends.

IDW is trying to gain readers, and through the work of writers Tom Waltz and co-creator Kevin Eastman, they might have just found a way to just that.  How are the Turtle's going to deal with the loss of one of their own?  It should be interesting to find out how the team handles this tragedy.

Awesome New Fan Made Animated Star Wars Short

Does anyone here remember the cartoon Star Blazers from the late 70's and early 80's?  Probably not.  One person that I think may have been influenced by this cartoon (and I'm only saying this because it has the same feel) is one Paul Johnson.  He has put together an amazing Star Wars short based on the TIE Fighter video game.  He posted the video to his YouTube channel (OtaKing77077) and all I can say is...wow!  Here's the description of the video that he posted along with it:

"Drawn and animated by yours truly over 4 years' worth of weekends, with music by the living guitar solo Zak Rahman and sound design by up and coming audio technician Joseph Leyva.  Fans of Lucasarts' seminal 1994 TIE Fighter game may notice a few familiar sights and sounds.  That "incoming missile" noise gives me horrible flashbacks to this day..."

If you haven't seen or heard about this film, check it out below:

 
Whether you're a fan of the Rebels, or a fan of the Empire, this is one fun cartoon.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A Live-Action Star Wars Television Show In The Works?

Cinelinx.com is a site that I'm not too familiar with, but it was linked to an article that I was reading and have to say, I enjoyed their information!  They were quoting information that was being passed along by Making Star Wars, and it was really quite interesting!

When I first heard that Star Wars was coming out with a television program, I was naive to believe that it was going to be a live action program.  Instead, I was given Star Wars: The Clone Wars and then Star Wars: Rebels.  Now, I'm not complaining about these shows, they are both quite good, but when you expect one thing and get another, it's a little disappointing.  But now...

Cinelinx.com is reporting that Making Star Wars has confirmed that Disney is looking to make a Star Wars program to air on ABC, much like Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  It would take place in the same universe as the movies, but the storyline would be an off shoot of what takes place on the silver screen.

This program won't be appearing anytime soon, like two or three years from now.  Why?  They are waiting until the "already planned" movies are well into production.  This is because they are planning on using the same sets at Pinewood Studios to save money, and also to allow the show to flow concurrently with the movies.  Once they figure out how long each movie will take to film, they'll be able to schedule the television show's shoots around the movie filming.  Make sense?

Now, this is all still speculation, but the fact that rumors of a "live action" Star Wars television show have resurfaced means that there is something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about.  The rumors are saying that this project is green lit, and that the series is going to focus on a character from one of the books.  Could this be why the development is taking so long?  Are they trying to develop someone appropriate for the series?  Don't know, but am very intrigued!

That's it on this end.  Sorry, no plot points or time lines, but the fact that they are looking to do this is pretty exciting.  What are your thoughts?  Looking forward to it, or leave it to the movie to entertain us?  Leave your comments in the section below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com!

Pixels Movie

This movie looks to be absolutely amazing!  Check out the trailer down below:

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This has got to be one of the most original movies that I've seen a trailer for in a long time.  I've got two little complaints about this movie...and they are minor!  One, it sounds like they got the idea for this movie from Ernest Cline's upcoming novel Armada, and I can't wait for this book to be released later this summer.  The next is that it's an Adam Sandler movie!!!  I always want his movies to do well, because I honestly like his comedy.  Examaples??? Happy Gilmore!  Billy Madison! Mr. Deeds! (Yes, I liked this movie!)  I'm hoping that the best scense weren't shown during the trailer, but I'm also being realistic about this film...so I'm not getting my hopes up.  I will still go and see this film on opening night, though, and I pray it's as good as the trailer makes it out to be!  Oh! by the way, there's a hidden easter egg in the trailer for an online game by one of the movie's characters..here's the hidden screen.  It only lasts a split second during the trailer...

What are your thoughts?  Looking foraward to it, or will you wait until it's out on DVD?  Let me know down below, and until tommorow, take it easy!!!

Is Batman Going To Be Appearing In The Suicide Squad Movie?

And welcome to my 100th post on this blog!  Pretty exciting stuff, I've got viewers from all around the world, and every continent except Antarctica.  If you know how to contact someone down there, let me know!  But as I say, I digress.  Let's get to the matter at hand!

Latino-Review has some interesting information that they've released regarding whether or not Batman will be making an appearance in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie.  Here's the little bit of information that they've posted on their site regarding this matter:

"According to sources, in the film Batman is some sort of big boogeyman that the government REALLY hates. Get this, prior to the events in #BatmanvSuperman, THE JOKER is the only one to really ever meet him or know him and that's why he's so important to Amanda Waller. They have footage of Batman in action which they watch. There is a bit of dialogue where they say Batman is the key to tracking down all "the supers." Very cool stuff."

This is interesting on a number of fronts, so let's take a look at them.  One, Amanda Waller's only aware of the Batman.  So that means that she, and ARGUS, don't know anything about who, or what, Batman is.  Not only are they trying to figure this out, but it is a little reminiscent of the storyline from the cartoon Justice League Unlimited.  She's wanting to find out who he is, so she can use that leverage against him if she ever needs his help.  Knowledge is power, right?

I also find it interesting that the Joker is the only person who has had contact with the Batman.  Does this mean that Commissioner Gordan is unaware of the Batman?  Is there no Bat-Signal?  I find this curious because it always seemed to me that Gordan was one of the first people that the Batman tried to contact and deal with.  

Lastly, this puts a lot of value on the Joker as far as Waller is concerned, which explains why he's still alive and being held by ARGUS.  Not only him, but Harley Quinn.  Are they going to use her against him to get information regarding the Batman?  I find all of this extremely exciting!

I think that this movie is the most interesting out of all of the titles that DC has planned to release, mainly because it deals with the "villains" as opposed to the heroes.  This is something that Marvel hasn't done, and I find it to be a curious risk...one that I feel will pay off nicely!

Because of everything that has been revealed regarding this movie, I'm not expecting to see Ben Affleck showing up as Batman in this movie, except in some "found footage," or something along those lines.  I think that DC is holding onto his appearance's to when they really need him, in conjunction to his contract.

The Suicide Squad movie is set to star Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Wil Smith as Deadshot, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Cara Delevingne as The Enchantress, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.  Ed Harris, Jackie Earle Haley and Joe Manganiello are also rumored to be starring in this movie..  David Ayer will direct.

What are your thoughts on this matter?  Are you excited to see this movie?  Leave your comments in the section below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com.  And until tomorrow...take it easy!

iZombie

I've got to say, this is one of the most fun new series that I've watched since the first episode of the Flash!!!  I can't say enough good things about this show to make you want to watch it!  Here's a little recap on the first episode...

Out heroine, Olivia "Liv" Moore is a promising doctor in training.  She gets invited to a party which is crashed by a bunch of zombies.  I think that they were turned into zombies from taking a drug called "utopium," but I'm a little confused on this point...even after watching the pilot.  She gets scratched, turns into a zombie, and then retreats from her life, taking a job at a morgue.  This gives her the opportunity to harvest brains for her appetite, but it also gives her a look into the persons memories!  She hooks up with a newbie detective, and they start to solve cases together.

This show was soooo much fun to watch!  Not just because it was based off of DC Comics Vertigo line, but because they have the right people for the right rolls!   The first episode? Worth saving!

If you haven't watched it yet, make sure that you do, that way you don't have to play catch up all season long...it's definitely worth watching!  

iZombie is on Tuesday's after the Flash!  Make sure you watch, you won't regret it!!! :)

The 2015 Indianapolis Comic Con

I headed over to Indianapolis last weekend for their 2nd Annual Comic Con, and got some great footage.  Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr0qOpnQh14&list=UUzm9s8W_kkdXQnUP2TcnB4g

It was a great and fun time!  This was the Con where Jason Momoa caused a little bit of a stir by signing an autograph with a certain message to Marvel. :)  He only did this when the fan asked him to write something on what he thought of the other comic book movie franchise.  It caused a little bit of an uproar, but it was all in jest, and I can't wait to see hm as Aquaman! 

My friend Paul and I were talking to some of the EMT's there (Paul is a volunteer firefighter) and they told us that Carrie Fisher arrived in a wheel chair.  Let's all pray that it was temporary and that she doing okay.  Hat's off to her, though, for still showing up and meeting the fans!  A very classy lady! 

If the link won't send you to the video directly, just cut and paste it in your browser.  Hope you enjoy the video!

Tron 3 To Start Shooting This Fall In Vancouver

Photo taken from Screenrant.com

I don't know why Tron: Legacy wasn't more well received than it was, I enjoyed the movie tremendously.  This is why I'm excited to hear that filming on the third Tron film is set to begin October 5th in Vancouver.  The film is supposed to pick up in real time after the conclusion of Tron: Legacy, meaning that five or six years have passed since Sam and Quorra escaped from the Grid.  Garrett Hedlund has been semi-confirmed as returning to reprise his role, and Olivia Wilde is expected to return, as well. 

With the movie picking up in real time, this is going to raise a lot of questions as to what's been happening to the two since returning to the real world.  How does Quorra adjust to our reality?  What's Sam been doing with his father's company?  Is Flynn really dead?  These are just the ones that come to mind right away.

It sounds like the movie is going to be more "Quorra-centric" this time around, and Joseph Kosinski (who will be directing the film) says that this film is going to be much darker than the last one.  He's hoping to make this one "The Empire Strikes Back of the series."  It's funny how a lot of directors use that movie as something that they want to replicate.  Not the story, but it's popularity.  Jesse Wigutow is writing the screenplay, and it's been rumored that Edward Dillinger Jr. (Cillian Murphy) will be the film's main antagonist, but this could change as the script progresses.

No release date has been set for this movie yet, but I will let you all know as soon as I hear something.



Will Spiderman Be Making An Appearance In Avengers: Age Of Ultron?

Photo taken from Comicbook.com

Back when news broke that Marvel and Sony had come to an agreement that would allow Spider-Man to appear in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) there were rumors that he would be making an "after-the-credits" appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron.  This would establish him in the MCU, and then he would go on to having a bigger role in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War film.  This couldn't really happen though, right?  I mean, the Avengers movie is less than two months away from being released, and have they even found an actor to play Peter Parker (or some other Spider-Man alter ego) yet?  They couldn't possibly be putting him in!  However...

It was recently revealed that Danny Elfman's name was added to the credits of the upcoming Avengers film.  Why?  Brian Tyler is the composer that's writing the score for the film, so why bring in a different composer to do work on the film?  Here's what Elfman had to say on the matter of helping rework some of the movie's music during a radio interview:

"I was doing the same thing actually just last week because I've contributed music to the new Avengers movie.  I took part of Alan Silvestri's theme on the original [movie], which I really liked, and pulled in into its new theme, which became kind of a hybrid.  I really enjoyed that."

It should be noted that Alan Silvestri scored the original Avengers film, but like I said earlier Brian Tyler is composing the upcoming one.  Elfman had worked on Spider-Man 2 & 3.  So why bring in Elfman to do some rework on the new Avengers movie?  Silvestri's theme from the original film was quite good, so why not just rework that one into the film?  Could this be a hint that they are blending the new Avengers movie's theme music with the Spider-Man theme music?  If this is the case, does that mean we might actually see our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man make an appearance at the end of the film?  The only way we'll find out is to go and see the movie!

Avengers: Age of Ultron will make its way to theaters May 1, 2015.

Will Arrow's Secret Identity Be Revealed To The World This Season?

Photo from Comicbook.com

So before I go any farther, let me just point out the obvious...there may be potential SPOILERS ahead!

Still with me?  Good!  Saturday night at PaleyFest, a trailer was shown that raise some interesting questions as to what direction the show is going to be taking in the episodes leading up to the season finale.  The trailer hasn't been released to the public yet, but as soon as they do release it, I'll put a link over to it for you.

Andrew Kreisberg admitted during PaleyFest that one of the biggest problems that the writers had to deal with was having to come up with new and different excuses for Oliver Queen to sneak off every time something happened that required the Arrow's attention.  Now that more and more people are aware of Oliver's secret, it's making their job a lot easier.  Expect two more people to find out his true identity, and neither of them are very happy about it!  So who are these two people? Detective Quentin Lance and Ray Palmer!

Detective Lance seems to be taking the news the hardest, as one of the scenes from the trailer show the police raiding the team's "Arrow-Cave" and one of Team Arrow in costume getting arrested (not Oliver Queen.)  The trailer also shows the unmasking of a fake Arrow, which begs the question...is there a copycat Arrow gong around killing people?  This might be the reason why Oliver decides to come clean with who the Arrow really is.  And consider this...Oliver was keeping his identity a secret to protect the people that he loved and were closest to him.  Now, nearly every one of them already know that he's the Arrow, so why keep the secret identity?  Thea is in the know, and quite the badass now, so she can obviously take care of herself if she needs to.  Laurel has taken over as Black Canary, and is still training with Ted Grant (a.k.a. Wildcat), and is slowly getting better at being able to hold her own in a fight.  The only people who were at risk of his secret coming out are dead (i.e. Moria Queen, Tommy Merlyn, and even Sara Lance) so why keeping it up?  This would also discourage any more copycats from trying to besmirch Arrow's good name.

Comicbook.com makes some good points in regards to superheroes and secret identities.  Almost everyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is open about who they are. Tony Stark, Thor, Bruce Banner, and Captain America are all upfront about being who they are.  On the DC side of things, Wonder Woman is Amazon royalty, and won't have a secret identity in the upcoming Batman V Superman film.  Neither will Aquaman, who also is royalty from Atlantis.  Superman has a secret identity, but look how fast Lois Lane figured out who he was, right?  The only one that seems to be keeping his identity a secret is Batman.  It seems that writers are slowly moving away from the whole "secret identity" aspect of superheroes.  Even in the comics, Oliver Queen's secret identity had been revealed, up until the reboot their whole universe with The New 52.

So will Oliver's secret be revealed this season?  We'll just have to keep watching to find out!

Now We Know Why Iron Man And The Hulk Go At It!

Photo used from Comicbook.com

Remember yesterday when I told you that it was announced at a Disney Shareholder meeting that the new Star Wars standalone film's title was revealed to be Rogue One?  Well, that wasn't the only news that came out of the meeting. Comicbook.com reports that the Stitch Kingdom website has released the details behind the Hulk vs. the Hulkbuster Iron Man in a scene that was shown at the shareholder's meeting.  Here's what they reported:

"The scene opens with an armored police vehicle arriving on the scene. An incredibly angry and destructive Hulk is witnessed tearing up the streets, destroying cars and spreading all-out panic. Police, heavily armed with machine guns, openly fire on the Hulk to no avail. In the distance comes Iron Man, flying at super speed to the scene. ‘Hold your fire,’ he commands to the responding teams below. He is flanked by large metal objects that speed along through the air with him, keeping up every step of the way. We cut back to the menacing Hulk and all of a sudden, a large steel (?) surfboard-shaped object slams itself down in the pavement in front of him. Then another. And another. Before you know it, Hulk is trapped inside a giant, solid metallic ‘box.’ At least, that is, until Hulk smashes free and then continues his rampage. And then, it assembles — piece by piece — the Hulkbuster, almost in Mark 42 fashion. ‘The witch is messing with your brain,’ Stark tells Hulk. ‘You’re smarter than her, you’re Bruce Banner.’ This yields an even angrier response from Hulk and it’s on. Hulkbuster vs. Hulk.

The Hulkbuster usually seems to have the upper-hand, as they drag each other through the streets, tearing up the pavement. At least until Hulk ends up on the Hulkbuster’s back, impaling the shoulder with a traffic light pole. ‘Dick move, Banner’ responds Stark as they continue to fight. Then the damaged pieces of the Hulkbuster fall off and are quickly replaced with new parts. Different parts. And now Hulkbuster is atop Hulk, Stark treating Hulk’s head as a punching bag, literally pounding Hulk’s head into the pavement over and over and over (much to the amusement of the audience). ‘Sleep, go to sleep’ chants Stark, but spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. Then, one of the replaced parts of the Hulkbuster, the arm missing a hand, wraps itself around Hulk’s arm and sucks him in and Iron Man takes flight, toting Hulk by the arm."

Does this surprise you, or had you already figured it out that Wanda Maximoff (a.k.a. The Scarlet Witch) was behind the Hulk going mental?  Either way, I'm getting more and more excited for this film to be released!  Avengers: Age of Ultron arrives in theaters May 1, 2015.

First Star Wars Spin-Off Movie Gets A Title And New Composer

Okay, I know that this news was released last week, but I was at the Indianapolis Comic Con over the weekend, so I was a little busy.  If any new readers from this weekend are here, then welcome!

Last week at a Disney Shareholder meeting they took that time to announce the first of the Star Wars stand alone films that's going to be produced.  It's title? Star Wars Rogue One!  If you have been following this blog, then you already know that this was one of the possibilities that had been making the rounds over the web.  At the time of my lat posting, though, it was looking more and more as if it was going to feature a Han Solo origins-type story.  This, however, is getting me more excited for the their first film that isn't a "chapter" movie!  So what can we expect from this new film?  The new title already gives us some clues as to what to expect.

First of all, the Rogue Squadron is the elite Rebel Alliance fighter group, and Rogue One is the call sign given to their leader.  Two people that have carried this call sign already are Wedge Antillies and Luke Skywalker, according to Comicbook.com.  It's been a while since I've seen the originals, but I'm guessing that Wedge was Rogue Leader in  Return Of The Jedi? I think Luke had the title at the battle on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.  I need to go back and re-watch A New Hope to remember who lead the group in the first Death Star battle.  But I digress...

Since the title of this film is Rogue One, I'm betting that we are going to be seeing some incredible space battles and aerial shots as we follow these pilots throughout the movie.  This is why I'm getting jazzed for this film, I'm reading for some X-Wing action!  That little tease in the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was enough in it's self, but an entire movie?  Come on! It doesn't get any better than that!

The movie is going to be directed by Gareth Edwards, who was the director on Monsters and the most recent Godzilla movie.  If you haven't seen Monsters yet, I think it's still on NetFlix, and it's a very well done movie, and is a lot of fun to watch.  Since Edwards is going to be directing this film, he's brought over the composer that he worked with on the score for Godzilla, Alexandre Desplat.  Desplat recently won an Oscar for his work on The Grand Budapest Hotel and was nominated for one this year for his work on The Imitation Game.  This will also be the first film that has not been scored by John Williams.  Williams will, however, be composing the music for The Force Awakens.  Chris Weitz, who wrote Cinderella, is working on the script, and it's been announced that Felicity Jones, who starred in The Theory Of Everything, is already signed on to the film.

Production on this film should be starting soon.  The movie will be released December 16, 2016.

So What's Next After The Infinity Wars?

Ever wonder what Marvel's plans are for their cinematic universe after Avengers: Infinity Wars finishes up?  Check out the video below for some possible answers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smQcPREDthY&list=UUzm9s8W_kkdXQnUP2TcnB4g&spfreload=10

Hope you enjoy it.  Leave any questions in the comments down below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com.  Have a great weekend!

Connecting Return Of The Jedi To The Force Awakens

 

This fall there are going to be twenty new Star Wars books that are going to be published and will bridge the gap between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.  This is an ambitious plan, seeing that it will cover multiple formats and multiple publishers.  This series is going to be called Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Not only will there be multiple publishers for these books, but they will cover a wide variety of types of books, from graphic novels, to adult literature, to children's books.

One of the reasons that Disney is doing this is because after buying the franchise from George Lucas and starting production on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they needed to decide what was canon and what wasn't.  They basically said that any novel ever written that had to deal with Star Wars was out.  This covered a lot of books!  From Heir to the Empire to The New Jedi Order, everything was thrown out of the window.  This also left  a large gap in the history of a galaxy far, far away.  What happened over the last thirty-two years that we don't know about?  And there are going to be a lot of questions about this by the time the movie arrives!

To cover all of these questions and not to leave out any fan, no matter what their age, Disney will team up with Marvel Comics, Del Rey, and Dorling Kindersley to reveal these stories, as well as using their own Disney Publishing company.  Most of these books are still works in progress, but some have already been finished and their titles have been announced.  These titles include Smuggler's Run, Moving Target, Weapon of the Jedi, and Lost Stars.

Like I said earlier, these books will be released during the fall of this year, so it will give readers a chance to get caught up on the things that took place over the last thirty-some odd years before the movie gets released on December 18th.

Looks like I've got some reading to do...

Is Leia Now a *SPOILER*?

Well, as I promised, here's some more possible spoilers for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens...if you keep reading beyond this point and you don't want to know what might possibly be in the movie, don't say I didn't warn you!

According to Making Star Wars, Leia's role in the movie might be a lot bigger than once believed.  Not only do they make it sound as if she is now leading the Rebel Alliance, but she is often referred to as Queen.  Makes sense, she was Princess Leia in the original trilogy, her parents blew up, so why would she inherit the new title?  But I digress...

It sounds like Leia and Han are still married, and about to celebrate their 35 anniversary.  It also sounds like they haven't spoken to one another in years, and that their rocky, and sometimes tumultuous, relationship has continued since return of the Jedi.  What could have driven them to this point?  I'm glad you asked!  Here's one of the theories that Making Star Wars came up with, based on the information that they've received...

After Han and Leia were married, they had two children, Kira and Kylo, who are both force sensitive.  The two children are sent to study with Luke at his newly formed Jedi Academy where he has begun training the next generation of Jedi children.  While at the academy, it was attacked by a group being referred to as "The Seven."  All of the children scatter, and are believed to be dead.  This could explain why Han and Leia's relationship had taken a turn for the worse, after learning that their children may have died.  This would also explain why Luke goes into seclusion, feeling responsible for their deaths and the guilt of not being able to protect them.

It's also being reported that Rey is actually Kira.  This would explain how she doesn't know that Han and Leia are her parents.  If she escaped at a young age and ran off somewhere, she might have forgotten her past and who she really is.

The last bit of news I'll leave you with is this.  The Empire has a new weapon called the Catapult.  Not much is known about this weapon, but it sounds like the Catapult takes it's energies from a ground location, which is being referred to as The Evil Castle, and then directs it's energies towards its intended target.  Leia's main goal is to destroy the Catapult,  but in order to do this, both the ground location and it's directional array have to be destroyed.  The Rebels aren't completely defenseless, though.  They have their own secret weapon called the Sledgehammer.  This weapon sounds like a type of kamikaze-type craft that is capable of taking out a full-sized Star Destroyer.

So what do you think?  Does any of this sound plausible?  Or is this just more smoke being blown up our bums?  By the way, the whole Jedi Academy and the attack by The Seven thing sounds like it will be shown as a flashback scene in the movie.  That's it for today, but stick around for tomorrow's post, and I'll explain how you can find out what's been going on with our ragtag group of heroes over the last thirty-some odd years!

Have The Details Of The Next Trailer For Star Wars Been Revealed?

There have been a number of reported leaks involving the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie, and the most recent involves a description of the next trailer that's going to be released.  The trailer itself hasn't been released, but a very detailed description of the trailer has been making its rounds.  Blastr.com has reported that the Latino Review and Star Wars 7 News have both received the same Instagram description of the trailer.  They had received one earlier, but since it was poorly written and incoherent, they dismissed it.  Now, however, they've got one that seems to be legit, and backs up the earlier one that they'd received, so they decided to run the story.  Here's the break down of the possible trailer that is rumored to be first shown at Star Wars Celebration next month in Anaheim.  Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out by now, there could be possible spoilers ahead.  Check it out:

“Like the first teaser it opens with a shot of the desert planet. Although it's not dunes. It's a destroyed AT-AT on its side. Voice over (sounds like Lupita Nyong'o): "I shall show you the story..." Forest location with a very large structure (like a castle or something) with an opening in the base of a large tree. I believe this is the Puzzlewood location. VO continues "of who you seek..." A large city in a tropical location. Looks like it's on the water. VO continues "the one who taught me..." Cloaked figure (maybe Luke?) standing at the top of stone steps on a high green hill with mountain stones behind him. This is definitely Skellig Michael.

VO continues "I know why the weapon came to you." John Boyega (Finn), Daisy Ridley (Rey), and a small blue alien with a CG face in a dark (underground?) cave. Finn takes a lightsaber, and turns it on revealing a green blade. Rey is in the background and looks disturbed. Things pick up from here. Lots of quick shots. Han Solo wearing a brown duster and looking past the camera. A black TIE Fighter attacking the forest location we saw earlier. Kylo Ren in a POV shot approaching someone on the ground. His mask is dark with silver accents. The cross-guard saber is ignited. People running in the city seen earlier in the trailer. R2-D2 making a forlorn beep. C-3PO and Princess Leia in what looks like a base command center. New Voice Over (sounds like Andy Serkis from the first trailer) "Don't get too sentimental". As that VO is playing we see Han looking at Leia and then walking away from her towards the Falcon with Chewie.

The snowy forest from the first trailer. Slow shot of Finn holding the saber, looks like he's protecting Rey from someone as we hear Han say "You can do this kid, I believe in you." Final shot of the trailer is a close-up of a hooded head looking up to reveal Luke.”

Making Star Wars has also published some more details about the upcoming film. I'll go into those details tomorrow for anyone who's interested in hearing about them.  So what do you think?  Does this make you more excited to see the upcoming movie, or are you going through fatigue reading about all of the different rumors swirling around the film?  Let me know in the comments below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com
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ANOTHER Ghostbusters Movie In The Works?!?

It's been 26 years since the last Ghostbusters movie was released, and over those 26 years, rumors about a possible third movie had been floating around.  Last year we learned that there is finally going to be a new Ghostbusters film, and this one is going to have an all-female lead cast. It's going to star Kriten Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon.  Finally!  A new Ghostbusters movie!

But wait...

Sony Pictures has revealed that they are wanting to expand the Ghostbusters universe, and are currently in the early stages of another Ghostbusters film!  The studio is describing it as a "male-driven, action-centric" film, and will serve as a companion to Paul Feig's Ghostbusters film.  To start this new cinematic universe, Sony Pictures has created a new production company called Ghostcorps. A few of the lead people in this new production company are Ivan Reitman, who directed the original films, and Dan Aykroyd, who starred in the first two films. 

These guys aren't wasting any time in trying to grab some serious talent for this next new film, either.  Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and are getting ready to start filming Captain America: Civil War, are rumored to be the top pick to produce and direct this new film.  Drew Pearce, who wrote Iron Man 3 and helped write Mission Impossible 5, is currently writing the script.  And the man that will lead this new group of Ghostbusters?  Channing Tatum!  He's also going to be one of the producers for this film, as well.

It sounds like Sony is wanting to get back to movies that will create a certain universe, and if all goes well, have those movies cross over for some big blockbusters, a la "The Avengers."

So what do you think?  It's been 26 years since the last film.  Are people really wanting a return of the Ghostbusters?  Give me your thoughts down below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com.

CBS' Supergirl Is Quickly Coming Together

Welcome back from the weekend everybody!  Even though I took the weekend off from writing, the news didn't stop arriving, so let's jump right back into things!

CBS has been moving full steam ahead with their Supergirl series, and they released the first pictures of Kara in her new costume.  If the look feels a little reminiscent of the Arrow and Flash costumes from the CW, there's a reason for that.  The absolutely amazing costume designer Colleen Atwood is responsible for her appearance.  Atwood is also the costume designer for the two CW DC shows, and has also lent her talents to movies like Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Alice in Wonderland.  She said that she wanted to keep the main design while giving it a more modern look.  It looks to follow the style of Henry Cavill's costume in Man of Steel.  Here's another look at her costume:



On top of revealing the new costume, CBS has announced that on top of Melissa Benoist playing Kara Zor-El, they've also signed Calista Flockhart to play Cat Grant, Mechad Brooks to play Jimmy Olsen, and most recently announced, Faran Tahir in a roll that hasn't been announced yet.  This is interesting for a number of reasons.  One, he is a very gifted actor, and two, he has a lot of experience with character roles based on comic books.  You may recognize him from the very first Iron Man movie...check him out:

 

Other characters that are going to be appearing in the new show are Hank Henshaw, the Lumberjack, and quite possibly Superman himself, if only for a moment.  None of these roles have been filled yet, though.  Production has already begun on the series, and if all goes well, we should be able to see Kara flying into our living rooms this fall on CBS.  She will be joining a number of other comic book based shows that will be arriving at that time, as well, like Titans, Krypton, Lucifer, iZombie, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's Agent Carter, Gotham, Flash, and Arrow. Marvel might be ruling the silver screen, but DC is kicking butt on our televisions.  If you ask me, this gives DC a little bit of an edge as far as dominance goes, especially with their ambitious line up of movies that are soon to be getting released.

 

It's a great time to be a comic book geek!  

Will "Creed" Be Rocky Balboa's Last Movie?

Any Rocky fans out there?  If there are, then November 25th must be circled on your calender!

Creed, a new movie that features Apollo Creed's son, is in production.  Here's the official synopsis:



“Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born.  Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa.
Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer.  Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend.  Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring.
With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title…but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?”

It does sound like this might be the last hurrah for Balboa, as rumors of Stallone's character getting cancer are swirling around the net.  This is Rocky, though, and it may be just another fight that he has to fight to win.

I have to admit, the last movie that they released, Rocky Balboa, was one of my favorites, even though it was pretty predictable.  I still find his story entertaining, and usually end up watching them whenever I come across them on the television.  What are your thoughts on the franchise?  Is it still fun for you to watch, or do you think it just needs to fade away?  Let me know in the comments section below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com.

Is Damian Wayne Coming To Arrow As It's Next Villian?

Photo courtesy of Comicbook.com

Just when you thought that Arrow could give us any more surprises!  Check out below what TVLine is reporting:

“The show’s Season 3 finale will introduce a major, formidable, fierce new foe for Oliver, and his reign of terror will continue well into Season 4. The mysterious character is being referred to internally as “Damian Dark,” which got Matt Mitovich and I (but mostly MM) pulling up and skimming the Wiki page of one Damian Wayne. Get it? Damian Wayne. Son of the Dark Knight. They’d probably have to tweak the Bruce Wayne connection, but it’s a plausible theory, no?”

Wow! Could this actually be happening?  I like the reference to Damian as "Damian Dark - Damian Wayne/Dark Knight."  Of course, this could just be something that they are doing on the set and in press releases to throw fans off of what they are really planning.  Earlier, it was reported that a tech-based superhero named "Dan" was going to appear, leading a lot of people to speculate that Ted Kord was going to be the ATOM, which now we all know is Ray Palmer, but I digress.

Let's look at the possibilities that could make this work in the story line.  First of all, The League Of Assassins have made their appearance onto the show. Even though Talia hasn't been mentioned, or even cast for that matter, that doesn't mean that she's not apart of this universe.  If this is the case, then why can't Damian be apart of it as well?  DC has been very generous to the show and it's creators in letting them use characters from their vault.  Also, with the Teen Titans joining the Arrow-verse, we know that Batman is a part of it...if the Teen Titans rumors are to be believed.

Next, what if they "tweeked" the comic book storyline a little so that it fit into the show a little bit better?  What if, and this is a HUGE "What If," but what if Damian turns out to be the son of...wait for it...Oliver?  We learned that he fathered a son in season two, one that he knows nothing about.  What if Ra's al Ghul learned of this son, kidnapped him, or bought off the mother or something, and then began training him as one of the league?  This would cause some really big ripples in the Arrow universe, and make for an incredible storyline, especially now that we know that Ra's wants Oliver to take over the league.  It's not too far out of the realm of possibilities, Oliver got the girl knocked up before the yacht trip from hell, he was away on the island (and other places) for five years, we really don't know how much time passed between seasons two and three, so Oliver's son could possibly be around that ten age.  Now, I know some of you are going, "But what about Oliver running into her on the Flash crossover episode?" Yeah, she was talking to him on the phone, and she did say she was getting him a hot chocolate, and was going to be home soon, but what if that meant that they were heading back to the League's lair?  Maybe they were in town to visit family or something?  Look, this theory is just a work in progress, and we'll just have to wait until they air the episodes!

Someone else has postulated that Damian is a clone...I don't like this theory.

One last theory that this could involve is the actual Damian Darhk.  Here's what wikia.com had to say about him:

"Baby-faced Damien Darhk was a mysterious, elusive, and dangerous figure. He claimed to be a major player in America's underworld and certainly had some connection to the criminal organization H.I.V.E. He also seemed to have had access to unique high-tech equipment that has never been used by any known organization. Darhk was considered to be a major criminal by the C.I.A. and F.B.I.; however, their investigations revealed no hard evidence against him. He was a wi-fi fiend, staying in touch with associates by the very latest forms of mass communication. What particularly baffled investigators was his apparent youth; Damien seemed to be in his early twenties yet was already well-established and well-connected. While opposing one incarnation of the Teen Titans, Darhk was shot to death by Vandal Savage."

So what do you think?  Just wishful thinking, or could these things actually play out on the show?  Curious to hear what you all think about this.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or you can reach me at comconocave@gmail.com and also on Twitter @comconoclast.

If This Happened, It Would Be So Cool!

Is it possible that Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, might make an appearance in the upcoming reboot of the Spider-Man franchise?  By the way, they're calling this one The Spectacular Spider-Man!  And why not?  They've already gone through the other Spider-Man title names!

According to the website Latino Review, in the upcoming Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man tries out from the Avengers team, and in order to gain acceptance to the team, he has to beat Iron Man in a fight.  They also say that the movie is going to pit him against the Sinister Six!  These two scenario's lead to a number of questions...

The first question, and quite possibly the most important, if Spider-Man is squaring off against the Sinister Six, and it does sound like he'll be doing it alone, does that mean he fails his attempt to join the Avengers?

If that's the case, then why even have this scene put into the movie?  Is it just to garner attention to a franchise that has faltered in it's production in hope to revitalize another reboot?

Will Iron Man have a larger role that we don't know about yet?  It's not very unrealistic that they (meaning Marvel Studios) would let Tony Stark appear in a Spider-Man movie.  The agreement goes both ways, and considering that Iron Man is the most popular Marvel Cinematic Universe star, and Spider-Man is the biggest Marvel Comic Book universe star, why not put them together in a movie?  Makes sense to me!

The next big question to ask is can Sony and Robert Downey Jr. come to an agreement that would let him appear in the new Spider-Man movie?  I don't think that this is as big of a problem as other sites will make it out to be.  The main reason being that Downey Jr. only has so many years left of playing this role before he gets too old and they recast his character.  Why not make some bank and enjoy playing him for as long as you can?  Of course, that's just my feelings on the matter.

The last question to ask is if this merger will work with the upcoming Captain America: Civil War?  I'm guessing that it will, if they are bothering to even be considering this matchup.  Will it happen?  I have no idea.  Do I want it to happen?  I have no idea.  I have to see the upcoming Captain America film before I answer that.  But it would be pretty cool!

Did Marvel Reveal Peter Parker Will Continue To Be Spidey During Press Release?

There have been a ton of rumors swirling around that say Peter Parker is getting the boot as Spider-Man and that Miles Morales might be getting the costumed gig.  I even reported on this in an earlier post.  But is it possible that we all over-looked something that was reported during the first press release from Marvel and Sony concerning the merger?  Here's what Doug Belgrad, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group said when the news first broke:

"Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together.  This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker's story into the future."

Notice that last line?  It would be a little curious that he put that way, only to turn around and drop Peter Parker for a different version of Spider-Man.  If they were to change Spidey to Miles, or someone else for that matter, then we would be subjected to another grueling origins movie!  Peter Parker is the Spider-Man that everyone knows.  How many readers out their are familiar with Miles Morales' origin story?  Anyone?

If they keep Peter Parker as the main character, then they can just jump right in with a new story, without having to rehash the whole "getting bitten by a radioactive spider" thing.  Makes sense, right?

Just because Belgrad said it, doesn't mean that they can't walk those comments back and give the costume to Miles, but then why say, "...to take Peter Parker's story into the future"?  Just something to think about...

The Hyperloop Transit System

If you are not already familiar with Elon Musk, let me explain to you why he's a big deal.

First, he's a visionary.  He has very futuristic view of travel.  He sees people traveling around in aluminum capsule that shoot through steel tubes, and travel at 800 mph.  They'd connect to cities that are 1,000 miles apart, and and in less than an hour and a half, you could make the trip that right now, could take days.

Second, his loaded.  This might be the most important fact to making his dream a reality.  He is in the process of trying to secure land in Texas to build a test track for these shuttle capsules.  He's working with physics and engineering students from UCLA's SupraStudio, as well as professionals at Tesla, Boeing, and SpaceX.

Third, he's got the experience.  Musk is the founder of Tesa Motors, and is also the chief technology officer at SpaceX.

Still think he's just a dreamer?  While we may never see these come into existence in our life time, his ambition is bringing us one step closer to a future that would allow people to travel the globe in hours instead of days.

Jeff Spry's article from Blastr.com is where I gathered this information.  If you are interested in learning more, there's a YouTube video that shows you more:

Give Bill A Break!

I've been reading a lot of printed media and online stuff that is giving William Shatner a lot of grief for missing Leonard Nimoy's funeral.  Knock it off.

Example?  Check out the New York Daily News:

William Shatner had a previous engagement for a Red Cross charity event.  If he bailed on that, I'm sure he would've been made out to be an asshole for skipping out on the event. 

I don't understand  why people need to kick people when they are down.  William Shatner just lost one of his best friends, and since he couldn't make it back for the funeral, he's an asshole.  Let's look at the situation, shall we?

Next, everyone is saying he should've chartered a jet to get back to Florida for the funeral.  How much money does it cost to charter a private jet? I don't know.  I do know that right now William Shatner's main income is from commercials that deal with pricing hotels online.  His last main check was from Boston Legal.  I'm sure he's rolling in dough.

Lastly, his daughters went to the funeral as representatives of the family.  Do people honestly think that he's not kicking himself for missing his friend's funeral?  people need to get over blaming people for having commitments that they are obligated to do.  And yes, at the expense of what you'd rather be doing.

To those that think you can blink your eyes like I Dream Of Genie and everything works out fine, I hate to tell you that the real world doesn't work that way.  Lay off Bill, he's suffering enough.