by Stone Marshall | Dec 23, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
Don Cheadle’s superhero name in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone through multiple changes over the years. When he first strapped on a suit in
Iron Man 2, we got to know him as War Machine. But then
Iron Man 3 gave him a red-white-and-blue paint job, renaming him Iron Patriot. But then, of course, in
The Avengers: Age of Ultron he was back to being called War Machine. It seems that changing names has become James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes’ thing, as it’s been revealed that in
Captain America: Civil War we will get to know him as War Hammer.
This information comes courtesy of Total Film, which has a full spread about Captain America: Civil War in the new issue. In an annotated piece of concept art featuring members of Team Iron Man doing battle with Team Captain America, it’s noted that Rhodey has a new name as part of the Avengers lineup. The blurb doesn’t really reveal anything new about the character’s role in the film, but you can read it below:
Old Shellhead’s greatest ally, War Hammer (Don Cheadle) looks to get into a spot of bother in Civil War – the film’s trailer shows his pulverised body being cradled by a distraught Tony. Could this be the end of the line?
There is no War Hammer featured in Marvel Comics (unless you count Mjolinr), and it’s a bit strange that they would go with that name given the existence of the geeky tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. That being said, the name is a bit more PR friendly, so it’s understandable why he would change it after joining the Avengers.
It’s entirely possible – if not likely – that the new name is mostly meaningless, but the choice does generate some speculation in my mind. Specifically, the War Machine armor was initially upgraded by Tony Stark’s rival, Justin Hammer of HammerIndustries. We haven’t seen that character, as played by Sam Rockwell, since theIron Man 3-themed One Shot All Hail The King, but perhaps he could somehow reemerge in Captain America: Civil War?
We don’t really know what to expect from Don Cheadle’s part in Captain America: Civil War, though he could actually play a significant role given his relationship with the aforementioned Tony Stark (the movie’s prime antagonist). It may be a while before we getting any new info, given that the first trailer just dropped a few weeks ago, but we’re excited to find out more.
Captain America: Civil War is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, and is based on a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (the same four men who brought us Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Look for the film in theaters on May 6, 2016, and stay tuned for more updates.
![GTA 5 and GTA Online DLC Release Date and Updates: Single Player Mode DLC Set to be Released, Festive Surprise 3.0 Update Set to be Released Christmas Eve [VIDEO]](https://www.stonemarshall.com/wp-content/uploads/26674.jpg)
by Stone Marshall | Dec 22, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
The single-player mode of GTA 5 has been neglected because of the GTA Online. GTA Online has been the focus of Rockstar since its fruition and with the DLCs this seems obvious as well. However it seems like things are going to change and Rockstar’s planning to create a DLC for the single-player mode of GTA 5.
Here’s the latest on ‘GTA 5’ and ‘GTA Online’ DLC release dates, news, and updates.
According to Mr. Boss FTW (a known GTA 5 tipster), Rockstar is apparently planning to release a DLC for the single-player more of GTA 5, a Liberty DLC.
Aside from this, another tipster, Funmw2 aka Tezfunz also tipped about the release of Lowriders 2.0 DLC and the Festive Surprise 3.0 Update.
There are also tweets coming from Funmw2 about the Executives and Other Criminals DLC, then there’s the Bahama Mamas Night Club.
According to Ross, we might also see another DLC that is focused on night clubs and disco clubs, similar to the Ballad of Gay Tony in GTA 4.
The upcoming Festive Surprise 3.0 is believed to be released by Christmas Eve, and Lowriders 2.0 is rumored to be moved to January or early February.
Now when it comes to the Liberty City DLC, according to IBTimes,
“The tipster clarifies to a fan that he is actually referring to the game location and not just the textures found in the files. This could actually mean that Rockstar’s recent release of Liberty City stories for mobile phones and the game’s secret unlockable T-Shirt reading: “I love Liberty City”, may have something to do with Rockstar’s plans for releasing a single-player DLC in GTA 5 for current-gen gaming platforms.”
So it means that this is not the GTA 5 map. The tipster added,
“GTA V is based of GTA IV since they use the same game engine. They don’t have to transfer the whole city, they can take a part of it and update it. Anyway I assume it’s coming with SP DLC.
Because from what I saw, they are going to re-create how the map is loaded with SP DLC. Creating new versions of existing scripts. With every update, you can also see them taking stuff from previous games that use RAGE engine and update it to transfer it into GTA V. Example: The Heist yacht (Max Payne 3), most of the DLC vehicles are from GTA IV.“
GTA 5 and GTA Online DLC Release Date and Updates: Single Player Mode DLC Set to be Released, Festive Surprise 3.0 Update Set to be Released Christmas Eve [VIDEO]
by Stone Marshall | Dec 22, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
It is the biggest war in Marvel Universe, which is why it was split into two. But nevertheless, Thanos of Titan (played by Josh Brolin), the single and the most difficult supervillain The Avengers will have to face head on – shouldn’t they need more helping hands to defeat him? If so, will we see other Marvel superheroes like Guardians of the Galaxy, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Inhumans, The Defenders and others listed in the Marvel Universe to appear in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War?
“It’s complicated!”
That’s what Avengers: Infinity War co-director Anthony Russo toldSUPER Interessante (via Comic Book Movie) when asked whether The Defenders will help The Avengers in their fight with Thanos and his cohorts. Anthony will direct alongside his brother Joe.
Anthony explained, “The films are controlled by a group led by Kevin Feige, so they function as a unit. Other products, even if they are from Marvel, are controlled by others.”
But they are all under Marvel Cinematic Universe, right?
Well, here’s the complete transcript of what Anthony has to say about this possibility, or not:
“It’s complicated. When we start to serialize the telling of stories it’s difficult. You have to have a lot of control and focus on the course of history. The films are controlled by a group led by Kevin Feige, so they function as a unit. Other products, even if they are from Marvel, are controlled by others.
Then there is the possibility of a crossover, but it’s more complicated. It is a smaller scale version of the problem that exists when remembering that Fox holds the rights to some of Marvel’s most popular characters, as does Sony and others. As storytellers, we only have control over what happens in Marvel movies, but everything is possible, Spider-Man (whose rights were held by Sony) became possible!”
Well, guess it’s still possible after all. But the question is, if it is possible, how will they fit in all those superheroes so they can come up with a story or two?
And if it is really possible to let other superheroes to join the bandwagon, while not have the X-Men and Fantastic Four gear up once more. After all, it will be the greatest battle the world will ever see.
Indeed, it’s really complicated.
Avengers: Infinity War Updates and Rumors: X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Defenders and Other Marvel Superheroes – It’s Complicated, But Possible
by Stone Marshall | Dec 21, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
After a long wait, Howard the Duck is finally coming toMarvel’s Avengers Alliance. It was revealed that Howard would be the holiday lockbox hero for December and as of Dec. 18 Agents will have a chance to earn lockboxes by completing Daily Missions and doing other weekly tasks.
So be sure to log-in everyday to complete the Daily Missions and get the weekly tasks done quickly because those give 20 lockboxes in Avengers Alliance.
Patch notes for Howard the Duck has not been posted yet but we’ll update when it does.
But enough about that, let’s dive into what makes the next Tactician hero in Avengers Alliance tick.
Howard’s passives Playdom
Howard has a few passives that include Anger Management and Private Eye. Anger Management gives Howard a stack of Grit when he’s attacked and gives him a chance to gain an extra turn when attacked.
Private Eye, like Jessica Jones, has a chance to apply Target Focus on enemies. Howard also gets a chance to give Howard Fatal Intel when enemies perform an action.
Howard’s first attack Playdom
Howard’s first attack is “Eat My Glove!” which has Knockout Punch — stunning a target with Combo Setup automatically — and True Grit, which consumes all stacks of Grit to deal extra damage.
Part of Howard’s second attack Playdom
Fury’s Closet is Howard’s second attack and is a multi-function action. The first item in the closet is Coulson’s BFG, which ignores defense and gives all allies One for All and All for One. These two buffs lets allies have a chance to counter and follow-up single-target attacks.
Part of Howard’s second attack Playdom
Reinforcements is a quick action summon attack that applies flanked and Cornered on one enemy.
Part of Howard’s second attack Playdom
Neurotripe is a quick action buff that has all the effects of the Neurotrope to your allies. It’s a very powerful item.
Part of Howard’s second attack. Playdom
Friggin’ Sword of Hope has Desperation Attack, Paragon Exploiter and is stealthy. It also applies Open Wound to one enemy.
Howard’s third attack Playdom
Quack-Fu applies Pressure Point debuffs, Combo Setup and Incapacitation to one enemy.
Howard’s fourth attack Playdom
Duck-tini is a free action buff that applies Feeling Ducky to Howard. This new buff gives Howard the Duck a chance to evade attacks, counter enemy attacks, follow-up after ally attacks, and ignore enemy defense when attacking. It also gives Howard a stack of Grit whenever this procs.
Overall, Howard the Duck is looking to be a powerful new hero who can work with a number of heroes. But let us know who you plan to use Howard the Duck with in the comments section below.
Marvel Avengers Alliance Update: Howard The Duck Is Holiday Lockbox Hero
by Stone Marshall | Dec 21, 2015 | Awesome Book News |
4TH UPDATE WRITETHRU, FRIDAY 2 PM: Distribution executives are in complete awe and just can’t believe what they’re witnessing hour by hour. After shattering the box office industry’s preview-night record with $57 million on Thursday, Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to knock over opening-day and weekend records left and right. You can scratch out that $110M opening day we heard about earlier. Force Awakens Friday — which includes that $57M it made in Thursday previews — is between $130M-$145M per industry estimates (not Disney). This puts Force Awakens in an opening-weekend range of $250M-$275M; a gross that sends Universal’s Jurassic World current opening-weekend record of $208.8M back to the Stone Age.As we saw with Universal during the opening weekend of Jurassic World, Disney is being very conservative with estimates. At this point, they see a $100M+ Friday and a $200M+ weekend. Saturday is a wild card day and will determine if Force Awakens gets to this stratosphere level, specifically because it’s a big holiday travel and shopping day. 80% of the Force Awakens pre-sales were bought for the following days in order: Thursday, Friday and Christmas Day. Hence, many foresee Saturday as the day that could benefit from the most walk-up business, and both Disney and exhibitors such as AMC continue to emphasize there’s millions of tickets available.With eye-boggling grosses like this, what could possibly come in second this weekend? Many are betting that 20th Century Fox’s Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip makes an estimated $18M at 3,653 theaters after a Friday that’s between $5.5M-$6M. Universal’s R-rated comedy Sisters with its intent on hooking females, is looking at $6M today for a $17M opening in third place. The film, suffocated by Star Wars, couldn’t bust $1M in previews last night, settling for $769K.
Among holdovers, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 will have the benefit of slotting fourth with an estimated 45% decline for a fifth weekend of $6.3M and a running cume of $255.1M. Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s In The Heart Of The Sea will be down 55% in its second session with $5.1M and a 10-day cume of $20.2M. As to whether all films in the marketplace will reap from Force Awakens’ rising tide, we’ll have to wait until we get past Christmas Eve when all holiday distractions cease for moviegoers.
Previously, Warner Bros.’ 2011 finale Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 owned the preview record of $43.5M and the opening day of $91M. 47% of Force Awakens’ Thursday night gross came from 3D, with Imax generating $5.7M at 391 hubs; that’s close to double the previous preview night record set by Avengers: Age Of Ultron of $3M.
How were the preview grosses calculated? Non-Disney sources with access to hourlies tell us that the previews for Force Awakens were weighted from 7 PM until 6 AM on Friday. When Warner Bros. generated $43.5M from Deathly Hallows 2 they counted the grosses from those showtimes between midnight Friday until 6 AM; after 2 AM, there was only a smattering of them. This raises questions as to how Disney will count showtimes for the first day of Force Awakens. Will the opening record be based on a 29-hour day (Thursday 7 PM shows through those ending at 11:59 PM today)? Or a 35-hour day inclusive of those shows ending at 6 AM on Saturday? One analyst noticed that heading into post-6 AM shows today that business for Force Awakens is tracking down 10% from the preview shows.
The No. 1 film outside of previews last night? Lionsgate’s Mockingjay – Part 2 which made $895K from 3,651 locations; its current B.O. is $248.8M. In The Heart Of The Sea was second with an estimated $735K at 3,103 and a first week’s cume of $15.1M. 20th Century Fox was wise not to battle the Force last night with its fourthquel Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
MovieTickets.com continues to report that 94% of the site’s ticket sales are for Force Awakens — surprise, surprise. A majority of tickets at 42% are being sold in pairs, which means people are attending the film alone. Group tickets of 3 or 4 are being snapped up respectively at 15%. Only 4% of all Force Awakens tickets buyers are purchasing six tickets or more.
Rentrak’s PostTrak unveiled last night the following audience breakdown (which they monitor throughout the weekend): Force Awakens is largely drawing older males at 71% guys, 53% over 25. A majority of the audience at 94% are grading the J.J. Abrams film either excellent or very good, which is a remarkable score rarely seen on PostTrak. Close to half of the audience say they attended Force Awakens because it’s part of a franchise they love. More than half the audience polled say that Force Awakens exceeded their expectations. 72% said they decided more than a week ago that they were going to Force Awakens, while 24% said they decided tonight to buy a ticket to the film.
Also as of last night per PostTrak, a majority of the audience watched Force Awakens in RealD 3D at 44%, followed by 2D at 32% and Imax 3D at 16%.
PREVIOUSLY, 6:52 PM: “It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen,” one exhibition insider told us as Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens is cruising toward an earth-shattering Thursday night preview record tonight. We’re literally hearing from our non-Disney sources that it 
could push to $50M — and some say much higher. That would be phenomenal and better than the record set by Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows-Part 2, which made $43.5M from midnight showings in 2011. From Valencia, CA to New York City, shows are selling out back-to-back. “Every time a show is added, it sells out,” said another exhibitor.
In Manhattan, some theaters are playing Force Awakens 24/7. By 4:50 PM today at Edwards suburban Valencia 12, 30 minutes north of L.A., the first four shows of the night starting at 7 PM were completely sold out, with a throng of folks clustered outside the multiplex since 10AM. At the Landmark Theatre on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, Force Awakens is playing seven times tonight, with most theaters packing in an 80% capacity. We’ve heard of some West Coast theaters playing the film until 4:30 AM. The Hollywood Arclight on Sunset is showing Force Awakens for 24 hours straight.
“I can tell you this: No one has ever seen anything like this,” said one distribution insider. “It’s very possible that it could go over $50M.” The exec also says that if theaters are playing this film all night long, The Force Awakens can get to $100M in one of the fastest times ever.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Sets Its Sights On A $130M-$145M Friday & $250M-$275M Weekend
