All posts by Stephen Sanchez

Movie News & Opinions

Sony Letting Go of Spider-Man? *UPDATE*

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In a nerd conversation of epic proportions the other day with Dr. Kronner, I disclosed that it was my dream to see the three studios controlling the biggest Marvel superhero franchises to come to an agreement and make a trilogy of awesome movies on par with the Avengers, but involving everyone. This would mean Spiderman, the Avengers, the X-men and the Fantastic Four all sharing the same universe and then Marvel Studios, Fox, and Sony all split the revenue from the trilogy. Clearly this is a fevered dream that will never happen, but there has been news that Sony may be looking to offload the film rights to Spiderman in the future according to a report at Geek Rest:

A new report has surfaced that suggests Sony may be exploring their options as to how they can raise capital for their fledgling hardware divisions by selling off several of their numerous music and film properties. According to CEO Kazua Hirai, Sony is currently considering a proposal from investor Daniel Loeb and his hedge fund company Third Point that would see Sony selling off several of their movie properties including Resident Evil and – wait for it – Spider-Man.

“Third Point’s proposal involves the way we manage a core business of the Sony group and the direction of our management. So the Sony board will give it thorough consideration before replying to Mr Loeb,” explained Hirai.

So although it’s not as grand as my plan that the studios would never buy into, at least that’s one of the big heroes that could possibly be joining the fray of Marvel Studio’s/Disney’s shared movie universe.

I know it’s not a guarantee that Sony would sell to Marvel Studios/Disney, but really who else could make the highest bid for the rights? This is a company that not only has Marvel in it’s pocket, but it’s now showing off the recently bought Star Wars franchise by announcing a new trilogy and a crap load of new standalone movies to boot. In the coming decade, Disney will have made more movie money than all of the other studios combined, unless DC can get some steam behind their own sought after shared movie universe in which the Man of Steel may or may not kick start. Only time will tell.

Spider-Man

In the meantime, what does everyone think of this news? After all of the recent reacquiring of characters such as Daredevil, Elektra, Punisher, Ghost Rider and Blade, would it be a big game changer if Marvel Studios had Spider-Man in its holster? Sound off below!

Spider-Man

UPDATE via Comic Book Therapy:

[box_light]After the initial post from The Register hit, more details regarding what is in the proposal have hit. Unfortunately it doesn’t look good for those wanting Spidey in the MCU either. The proposal that Loeb has brought to Sony wouldn’t be to sell of the franchises, but rather spin their entertainment branch into a separate entity that people can buy into. So the long and short of it is, don’t expect Peter Parker to be helping Tony Stark or any of The Avengers anytime soon.[/box_light]

Movie Trailers

Man of Steel: Newest Trailer! Now With Extra Action!

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Apparently the formula for trailers nowadays is to keep releasing them until you find the perfect one. As if Man of Steel didn’t look fabulous enough in the last epic trailer that showed glimpses of Krypton and the other Kryptonians such as Jor-El and General Zod, the latest trailer shows a whole lot more of Kal-El-Clark-Superman in action! It was a little bit of a combo trailer with a quick TV spot that was shown at the MTV movie awards involving Zod calling out Kal-El to give himself up or Earth will pay the price and outing Superman as an alien. Pretty crappy of you Zod. Anyways, check out the trailer below:

Tons of goodness to come out of this one! Heat vision, Kryptonians pummeling one another, destruction in Metropolis and a weird looking robot that I can only hope is an early incarnation of Brainiac. My favorite part of the trailer was Faora’s line to Kal-El threatening to kill millions if he continues to fight. Very chilling. I’m hoping this movie shows the true extent and danger that more than one Kryptonian can present to the human populace. I know they sort of already did that with Superman II but let’s face it, it was a little bit on the lame side. The lameness is definitively evidenced here in another trailer below:

Man of Steel

GAMING

Batman: Arkham Origins – Who are the 8 Mystery Assassins?

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So I don’t know if it’s bothering anyone else besides me, but I’m really, really, really, really, really, really wondering who the remaining assassins in Batman: Arkham Origins are! We’ve already had it confirmed in the recent trailer that two of them are Deathstroke and Deadshot, so that leaves six more foes for Batman that Black Mask has hired. So I guess it’s time to make a list of who I think should be included in this plethora of killers. Now it’s unclear as to whether or not some of the villains not typically specializing in assassin work have been hired by Black Mask because there are definitely villains appearing who don’t necessarily go for that type of thing, for example Penguin and the Joker. My list will be a mix of villains who are primarily assassins but also some villains we have already seen in the other two Arkham games:

1.) Firefly

So there isn’t much to Garfield Lynns, AKA Firefly. But what else do you need from an assassin than the ability to fly, a fireproof gun and a torch gun? Sounds like a match made in heaven to me… err hell maybe? Lynns was hinted at in Arkham Asylum and it would be great to see him HEATING up the city in Origins. That was a terrible play on words by the way.

Arkham Origins

2.) Caine

David Caine is one of the world’s premiere assassins, being hired to kill an abundance of rich and powerful people. Not to mention he actually trained young Bruce Wayne in the ways of the assassin, though Bats  never utilizes the knowledge to kill. It would be a pretty juicy tidbit to see someone who Bruce trained with trying to kill him, whether Caine knows that it is Bruce or not.

Arkham Origins

3.) Lady Shiva

Shiva is the top assassin in Ra’s Al’Ghul’s League of Assassins which didn’t figure prominently into the series until the second installment. Ra’s may have let the Black Mask hire Shiva in an effort to test the “detective” until such a time when Ra’s chooses to confront him. Not to mention Shiva is the mother of Cassandra Cain who was Batgirl for a time, and in the comics Cassandra was also the daughter of none other than David Caine. Perhaps this could figure into the next Arkham game that is a sequel to Arkham City?

Arkham Origins

 4.) Calendar Man

If Julian Day wasn’t born to figure prominently into this game, then I don’t know who is. The game takes place on Christmas Eve of all nights and that is perfect for this calendar obsessed sicko to take a shot at the Batman. We’ve seen hints of him in Arkham Asylum and in the flesh in Arkham City. Maybe we can see what landed him in his much deserved cell during this installment of the Arkham series.

Arkham Origins

5.) Bane

It was stated recently that Origins would have a toned down version of Bane in it. I could definitely see him as someone hired to come in and take down Batman, ala the Animated Series episode titled after the Venom induced breaker of the Batman. I could see him as being juiced to the point of having the frame of The Dark Knight Rises Bane, because if they want him toned down then they can’t have his overgrown, Titan fueled appearance from the other two games.

Arkham Origins

6.) Killer Croc

Waylon Jones is shown most times in the comics these days as a simple muscle for hire type of guy. His predatory instincts make him a very good choice for an assassin and based on all of the animosity he shows Batman in the other two Arkham games it would be interesting to see them interacting before Croc was imprisoned. It would also be fun to have an actual boss fight with Croc given that his appearance in the first game just had you running away from him and the second game only had a short cameo.

Arkham Origins

I have also listed a couple runner ups that I don’t expect to see, but wouldn’t mind if they filled the spots…

Clayface

I really can’t get enough Clayface. The boss fight in Arkham City against him was probably the best part of the game for me. I think Clayface having the ability to shapeshift into almost any weapon would definitely make him a very potent killer to take down Bats. The guy is basically a living weapon, just made of clay. And since this is dealing with Batman in his younger years, he could be having a showdown with a Clayface just beginning to utilize his new powers.

Arkham Origins

Maxie Zeus

Ok this guy is pretty ridiculous any way that you look at it, but I really liked his portrayal in the 1990’s Batman the Animated Series. While that is still a bit too cheesy, I think that in the Arkham Batman universe that he could really be turned into a legitimate threat. Maybe he could cool down the Greek mythology a tad bit and be an assassin who’s main weapon is that awesome lightning bolt scepter he uses. Like I said, it sounds terrible, but I think Maxie is scheduled for an appearance sometime, given that his night club Olympus was spotted in Arkham City.

Arkham Origins

 

So there you have my list! What are some of your picks for Arkham Origins? I know there are more out there! Doodlebug? KGBeast? Cheshire? Sound off below in the comments section!

TV

Star Wars Animated “Rebels” to Debut 2014

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Although I’m still reeling from the sudden loss of the Clone Wars due to Disney’s mad chopping spree throughout the Star Wars world, I’ve been consoled slightly. Apparently the next animated series will not only be handled by none other than Clone Wars veteran Dave Filoni and a lot of his technical crew, but it will deal with a time era that doesn’t get a whole lot of exposure; The Dark Times era between episode 3 and 4. It was pretty obvious that Filoni would be working on something past the Clone Wars when he was using a TIE Fighter picture as “research”, but it was pretty hard to pinpoint whether it was directly after the Clone Wars era or in between the old trilogy or after the old trilogy. After the old trilogy would have made sense since episode’s 7, 8 and 9 are currently in development, because it’s not like the Empire just went away after Return of the Jedi. However, I’m equally pleased to hear that the series will take place between episode 3 and 4. It’s also called ‘Rebels’ which is totally bad ass. I envision rogue Jedi and freedom fighters like Bail Organa and Mon Mothma leading the charge against the Empire. (Bail and Mothma of course not so openly.) Check out the video below of Dave Filoni talking about Rebels a little bit and when it will be hitting a small screen near you:

2014 is not so far away! There are plenty of possibilities that could occur in a series like this. Depending on how much creative control they give to Filoni we could see the return of Ahsoka sometime. Fans loved her and she was Filoni’s biggest contribution to the saga. She would be significantly older if it takes place closer to episode 4 and it sets a perfect stage for an Ahsoka v.s. Vader confrontation. Clearly Sidious didn’t kill Maul because he had “other uses” for him. I don’t think that means Maul was going to be his secretary, I think that means he’s going to use him as a weapon again. So there’s some potential of Vader and Maul running into one another too? Count me in. It may add some extra tension with Anakin knowing that his old Master’s killer is still walking around and serving his new master as well. Then again, Disney may have Filoni shy away from those characters completely and concentrate on the non-Jedi heroes and soldiers that will one day make up the Rebel Alliance.

Rebels
Expect to see plenty of Ralph McQuarrie inspired designs in the show.

Either way I’m good to go and curious to see if the animation style from the show will mirror that of the Clone Wars or be completely different. I have complete faith in Filoni and his crew after watching five seasons of a show that became better and better visually and story wise each season that it went through. Bring me the rebel scum ASAP!

Rebels

Movie Trailers

The Wolverine: Newest Trailer Is Here…

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As The Wolverine gets closer and closer we are treated to teasers, trailers and international trailers. Now we get another, possibly the last one before the movie releases? But this is arguably the best one, even though I still don’t know how I feel about the movie, I am rather intrigued by the movie taking place after X-men: The Last Stand. Apparently they’re trying to make up not only for that piece of crap, but the nigh unforgivable X-men Origins: Wolverine as well. I’d say based on this trailer alone it would appear they have succeeded, but I’ll reserve my final judgment until I see the finished project.

Check out the trailer for yourself:

As you can see there is a very interesting cameo appearance by Famke Janssen as Jean Grey. Apparently the last kill Logan made in The Last Stand continues to haunt him. Now his latest adventure takes him to the heart of Japan (Madripoor?) and against lots and lots of guys with swords, including the Silver Samurai. I’ve not heard whether or not he is a robot of some sort or an actual mutant like in the comics. From the looks of things he appears to be one big sum’bitch. Either way I’ll be making the trek to see the latest outing for Weapon X. It can’t be worse than Origins…

Check out our MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER MOVIES list for more!

GAMING

Batman: Arkham Origins – Actual Trailer Debuts

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After a quick 47 second teaser the other day showing us a glimpse of the Bats vs Deathstroke, we now have a full trailer showcasing not only a longer fight, but a couple more bat-villains, including another one of the assassins that is hired to give Batman a dirt nap. For those of you not familiar with the story of Arkham Origins, it looks like the Black Mask will be our main villain, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see more of the rogue’s gallery including some of the veterans from the last two games. The story is set over the course of one night on Christmas Eve with presumably the top player in the Gotham underworld, Black Mask having had enough of the newly emerged vigilante known as Batman. To take down the bat, Black Mask hires eight of the deadliest assassins available to take out the Dark Knight, including the already revealed Deathstroke and Deadshot. Who the remaining assassins are is anyone’s guess, but I’m sure plenty of you out there have your ideas…

Aside from Black Mask, Deathstroke and Deadshot, there has been a screenshot of the Penguin showing up. It has also been confirmed that the Joker will be in the game showcasing his first encounter with Batman. To me the most interesting part of Origins is the prequel angle. We are going to see a younger and possibly inexperienced Batman fighting many of his enemies for the first time. Not to mention it’s not the first time that he’s met a lot of the villains, but his allies as well. From the sounds of things Jim Gordon will not be the commissioner in this game and the police will possibly have it out for the caped crusader. Does this also mean no Robin? No Nightwing? No Oracle support!? Say it ain’t so! But the game’s full content hasn’t been fully revealed so there’s no telling who may still pop up. Maybe his first encounter with Selina Kyle aka Catwoman to the ignorant.

bats01

Aside from all of the new story content, the developers from the game have stated that there is a more open world in Origins, if you can imagine Gotham being any bigger than it was in Arkham City. For now, plenty of fans of the Arkham series remain skeptical of the newest installment due to the game being released in October of this year, and not yet showcasing any actual gameplay. Also the new developer Montreal taking the reins from Rocksteady who did the last two Arkham games. I counted myself amongst the skeptics and I won’t be fully convinced until I actually play the game, but others who have played the game over at IGN have pretty positive things to say about the gameplay.

Arkham Origins

It sounds like Montreal didn’t mess too much with a good thing in terms of the combat system which is a relief, but they did make some minor tweaks. They’ve made Gotham much bigger this time around, the southern island being called New Gotham, so I can’t imagine anyone complaining about the map being bigger. There will still be boat loads of side quests and bonus content and as much as I enjoyed the detective mode in the first two games, it sounds like Montreal even took it a step further. According to Ars Technica, Batman’s suit in this game will have high powered sensors in it linked up to the Bat Computer and give you the ability to recreate a holographic reenactment of a crime scene that you can pause, rewind and play as you roam about the crime scene. Sounds awesome to me.

It's Anarky... great.
It’s Anarky… great.

Like I said, it’s still unfortunately too early to know until we all get our hands on the final product, but after reading IGN’s experience with the game along with a couple other sources I think the Arkham legacy may be safe in the hands of new developer Montreal. I can’t wait until October 25th and I feel very fortunate these games are always released around my birthday. So until more and more villains and characters are revealed, sound off below and give us some of your predictions.

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