12 Superpowers You Didn’t Know Iron Man Has
Iron Man is without a doubt one of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes. Ask anyone around the world who Iron Man is and they’ll tell you: he’s a man that’s covered in iron. He’s also a billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist, and one of the most bankable superheroes in cinematic history. But that’s not all he is.
Despite Iron Man’s claim to fame being that he’s just a regular human whose various suits help him accomplish superhuman feats, as it turns out, Iron Man is more than just the sum of his suits. Throughout different comic book, television, and film storylines since Iron Man’s 1968 debut, he’s accumulated a whole host of powers that most people aren’t aware of. Sure, everyone knows the basics – like his flight and weapons capabilities – but we’re diving into the powers that you don’t think about when you think about Iron Man.
To satisfy your curiosity of what makes Iron Man so badass in the recently released Captain America: Civil War, here’s 12 Superpowers You Didn’t Know Iron Man Has.
Genius-Level Intellect
With the equivalent of a small country’s weapons arsenal packed into a suit that he flies around inside of, it’s easy to forget that Iron Man isn’t just a high-tech killing machine — he’s actually the genius who invented the high-tech killing machine. Well, technically Tony Stark invented it, but they’re one in the same, which is why we’re considering one of Iron Man’s most overlooked powers his genius-level intellect.
There are a lot of smart people in the Marvel Universe. Between Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Bruce Banner, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Stark is just some cocky engineer who knows his weapons. But perhaps one of Tony’s – and thus Iron Man’s – greatest strengths is his superior intelligence. Often considered one of the greatest minds in the world of Marvel, Stark graduated from MIT at 17 and quickly made a name for himself; and then later he made a name for himself as Iron Man, the smartest superhero on the face of the Earth.
He Can Store His Suit Inside His Body
In case you’re thinking that if you took Iron Man’s suit away he’d no longer be Iron Man, think again. Unlike Batman, Iron Man’s powers have been upgraded over the years and the result is a superhero that can never be separated from his costume — because it’s hiding inside of him. And while Iron Man has had a collection of suits over the years that all have different capabilities, it’s the suit that’s a part of Iron Man (and Tony Stark) that truly makes him a superhero.
Starting with Iron Man’s Extremis Armor and evolving into the Bleeding Edge Armor, Tony Stark was able to create a suit that meshed with his mind and body. Controlled with his thoughts and implanted directly into his nervous system via nanotechnology, Iron Man’s suit can be stored inside of his bones, able to be deployed whenever the situation presents itself. Not only is this power able to give Iron Man the element of surprise when an attacker thinks they have the advantage on him, but it also takes Iron Man more in line with the rest of the Marvel Universe heroes; seemingly-regular people that can unleash their powers at any time, no matter what they happen to be wearing.
Access to the World’s Communications Systems
If you’re Iron Man it would be pretty essential to hear what the world is saying about you and who may or may not be chasing after you if you’re enjoying a Sunday flight in your suit. It therefore makes sense that Shellhead would have the ability to tap into the communications systems of the world and use the information he obtains to his advantage. But that seems like a pretty straightforward power that we’d all assume Iron Man has, so what makes it so intriguing?
Iron Man’s ability to access the world’s communications systems is actually more complex than it seems, and the casual Iron Man fan would have no idea just what he can do with this power. Thanks to Tony’s merging with his Iron Man armor after the events of Extremis, he’s actually able to talk – and listen – to machines all around the world, without his suit. This is because Tony’s brain developed a technopathic bond with the world’s machinery, and as a result he can tap into any system that he wants and have his way with it. It’s just another under the radar power that makes life as Iron Man a lot easier.
Super-Human Healing
Iron Man’s gotten a lot of upgrades since his comic book debut, and he’s far from the frail alcoholic that had to become Iron Man in order to prevent the shrapnel in his body from killing him. In fact, Iron Man took a page from others in the Marvel Universe – specifically Wolverine and Deadpool – and gained the ability of super-human healing somewhere on his journey from forgotten comic book hero to multi-billion dollar movie icon.
Taking a page from his suit – which has been developed to patch and repair itself if damaged – Tony Stark is harder to take down than one might think. With a super-human ability to heal, Stark’s body can produce entire new organs if it needs to in order to keep itself alive. While he might not survive a gunshot to the head like Wolverine, Iron Man can still take some serious damage before calling it a day, inside and out of his suit.
Super-Human Response Time
When Iron Man got the Extremis armor, his suit’s operating system was hardwired right into his body’s nervous system. And while a lesser hero might use that nervous system OS to play solitaire with their mind all day, Iron Man quickly realized that this direct link to his brain granted him a super-human response time that he never had with his old suit; and he used his powers to fight evil, obviously.
Essentially a cyborg, Iron Man’s response time is instant, as all he has to do is think something and it will occur. Just like moving an arm or taking a step, Stark’s synapses fire a command to his suit and the command is immediately carried out, shaving precious nanoseconds off of life-or-death situations. This power essentially matches Iron Man up with the likes of Spider-Man’s spider-sense or the skills Cap got from the Super Soldier Serum, and thus it puts him on a level playing field with the more “traditional” superheroes that everyone knows about.
Physical Combat Skills Even Without His Suit
Not many people would think that a wealthy businessman who became a weaponized superhero out of necessity would be a great fighter outside of his suit, but those are the kind of people that Tony Stark would love to prove wrong. Unable to use his suit for a period of time in the comics, Stark was unwilling to sit on the sidelines and be just another powerless guy, so he turned to Captain America for help.
It was at this point that Cap started Stark on a relentless training regimen that would prepare him to be a great fighter, even when he’s not hiding behind the red and gold armor. Stark took to his combat training and eventually became a physically intimidating presence, learning how to give and take punches along the lines of the best fighters in the world.
Radar Avoidance
As far as Iron Man’s powers go, radar avoidance isn’t the sexiest or most compelling. When you’re a nearly indestructible human weapon, not a lot of people are going to pay attention to the little things that make your powers useful. But that’s exactly why not too many people know about Iron Man’s ability to avoid any form of radar, which actually turns out to be one of the most useful powers that Iron Man has at his disposal.
When you’re flying into hostile territory or trying to take out any number of various Earth-destroying threats with the Avengers, you’re generally not going to want to draw attention to yourself. So when Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thor, or The Hulk come smashing into your backyard, you’re going to notice; but that’s not the case with Iron Man. Having devised a genius cloaking system to avoid radar and other detection methods in his suit, Iron Man essentially has invisibility on his side — right up until he yells a sarcastic insult at the villain he’s fighting and gives himself away.
Ability to Project Hologram Decoys
This is one of Iron Man’s powers that we’d love to see more of in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: his ability to project hologram decoys in the battlefield. While the MCU has shown phones and S.H.I.E.L.D. computers utilizing holograms for all kinds of nonsense, we’ve yet to see an awesome on-screen representations of what may be Iron Man’s most underrated power.
Iron Man has used his suit’s ability to project holograms in the past by projecting a copy of himself, out of the armor, in order to fool enemies and bait them into attacking him. He’s also projected multiple Iron Men in order to fool weapons and attacking forces, as well as chameleon-type blending capabilities that essentially make him invisible to everyone. Considering that so much of Iron Man’s powers are offensive-based firepower, it’s cool to see a defensive ability that really showcases the high-tech nature and intelligence behind his armor.
He Can Be Powered by External Energy Sources
Your phone might die after a few hours of playing Candy Crush, but a high-powered suit that can make its user fly around and launch rockets can apparently never run out of battery; which has to be one of the coolest things about Iron Man — he’s always on. Although there’s been a fair share of power-failures and energy draining attacks on Iron Man in the MCU, in the comics, Iron Man is actually able to power his suit indefinitely using external energy sources.
Not only does using external energy for power save Iron Man a ton on his electricity bill, but it also means that he can take the energy from incoming attacks and energy discharges such as explosion and absorb them for power (we glimpsed this in his brief brawl with Thor in the first Avengers outing). One of the coolest elements of this power is the fact that enemies trying to wear down Iron Man don’t know that by shooting at him or trying to blow him up, all they’re actually doing is making him stronger.
Indomitable Will
You wouldn’t think one of pop culture’s most famous alcoholics would have indomitable will, but just like any legendary superhero, Iron Man has a stronger willpower than just about anyone on the face of the planet. Like Captain America and many in the DC Universe, trying to change Iron Man’s mind would be a futile effort, and giving up is an option that would never cross his mind.
Though indomitable will may be the most inevitable superpower on the checklist – right up there with “having a costume” – it’s essential to who Iron Man, and Tony Stark, is; that he has immense willpower and mental strength. Having recovered from alcoholism after one of the most iconic storylines in comic book history – “Demon in a Bottle” – Stark learned to emerge from challenges stronger than ever and never quit until he wins. It’s something so ingrained in Iron Man that you wouldn’t think twice about it, but it’s also one of his most useful powers.
Able to Predict the Future
If ignorance is bliss, then maybe being a genius is what makes Iron Man such a snarky asshole. Known by all in the Marvel Universe as a “futurist,” Stark is so intelligent that his mind works differently from everyone else. He can see the future by means of foreshadowing events before they happen based on reason and logic. There’s no mysticism involved here, just a good old-fashioned superpower based on brains.
Hawkeye called Iron Man out on this in Civil War, explaining that Stark must have known what was coming considering that he’s a futurist. It was an emotionally important moment, especially considering the tie-in to the Civil War comic book storyline. In the comics, Iron Man predicted the events of Civil War before they happened, thus proving that he isn’t some two-cent fortune teller at a carnival — he’s one of the only people in the Marvel Universe that can see ten steps ahead and plan how to react as a result.
He Has a “Freeze-Beam,” Among Other Things
In case Iron Man ever gets tired of blasting people with his repulsor rays, his central chest weapon is also capable of other feats that rarely get seen. Among the most interesting is his ability to generate a beam of ultra-freon, which would immediately freeze an opposing enemy and stop them in their tracks.
Along with Iron Man’s Freeze-Beam, he’s able to generate sonic blasts, create magnetic fields, and produce an electromagnetic pulse than can wipe out the power of anything nearby. All of these abilities are part of what is arguably Iron Man’s greatest power: his ability to change suits and weapons depending on his needs. At the end of the day, Iron Man is a great superhero because he doesn’t have a limited amount of tricks that he must rely on time after time. Thanks to his genius intellect and the other powers he’s accumulated since he became Iron Man, he can keep bringing new abilities to the table in order to surprise enemies — and delight fans.
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Which power were you most surprised to learn that Iron Man has? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments!
10 Marvel Characters Most Likely To Die Before (Or During) Avengers: Infinity War
The people who run the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been known to dispense their fair share of characters as they move their way toward Avengers: Infinity War, the two-part climax of the first three phases of the fledgling MCU.
It’s almost a rite of passage to find someone biting the big one in each film, though most of the characters made it out of the recent Captain America: Civil War (which, given its scope and the characters involved, might as well have been called The Avengers 2.5) unscathed.
Here’s a list of the 10 Marvel Characters Most Likely To Die Before (Or During) Avengers: Infinity War.
10. Captain America
Captain America has been a prime candidate to bite the dust for years now. Since he’s been the team leader, many have predicted that his demise would lead to the breakup of the Avengers and would pave the way for Thanos to set his plans into high gear. Cap’s demise would definitely have traumatic repercussions for the rest of the MCU and could be an almost automatic turn toward dark times for planet Earth.
Whichever movie Captain America could meet his demise is anyone’s guess, but rest assured as the team leader of the Avengers and their moral compass, he will be the one with a bullseye on his back. That said, some audience members were surprised that he survived the recent Civil War, which didn’t follow the story of the comic it was based on. So perhaps he’ll make it through Infinity War in tact.
9. Thor
Thor has faced down some powerful foes so far in his history within the MCU, from Malekith the Accursed, Loki, the Frost Giants, to the Hulk. There might be no greater foe than the one he is going to face in his next movie, Thor:Ragnarok. Do yourself a favor and read up on the Ragnarok mythology. You know it doesn’t turn out well for Thor in that story. Maybe things will play out differently in Marvel Studios’ version.
To make things worse for Thor, as defender and heir to the throne of Odin, he must be the first to protect Asgard from any threat, great or small. Asgard holds the Tesseract, which holds the Blue Space Stone. That would make his realm a prime target for Thanos, who would use every tactic at his disposal to attain the Space Stone. Thor would be on the frontlines of that battle, and if the Infinity War epic is any indication, Thanos will be successful in uniting the Infinity Stones. It doesn’t bode well for Asgard’s first son.
8. Vision
Vision is one of the most powerful beings on the planet. He’s a synthezoid who has the ability to fly, change his molecular structure to pass through walls and other beings around him. He is seemingly the perfect combination of nature and technology. That doesn’t make him invulnerable to attack.
If there’s anything to be said for Vision it’s that he is still learning about his abilities. He doesn’t have full control of his power. Vision’s life-force emanates from the Mind Stone (Yellow), which was once held by Loki’s scepter. Since he wears this Infinity Stone on his forehead, he’ll be a prime target for anyone who seeks to gain control of it. The Infinity War film will be probably reveal how Thanos gets all of the Infinity Stones together, so that means Vision will ultimately be losing the very thing that gave him life in the first place. So far, we have not been given any indication that Vision can sustain life without the Mind Stone. So it doesn’t look good.
7. The Collector
Taneleer Tivan (Also known as the Collector), collects a vast array of items in the known galaxy. He holds a massive intergalactic trove with rare inanimate objects and what he considers unique species living or otherwise. He operates out of the Knowhere port installation. He made his appearance first in Thor: The Dark World and then appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s been looking to unite all of the Infinity Stones for ages. He currently holds the Aether (Red Reality Stone).
The Collector is no match for Thanos or his foot soldiers. What form of defense the Collector has is anyone’s guess. Wherever Thanos places his focus, destruction usually follows. Will the Collector be able to stave off the sheer will of Thanos the Mad Titan? It’s unlikely. If he faces off against Thanos or his henchmen will he be able to survive? That is less likely.
6. Heimdall
When it comes to defending the Tesseract (Blue Space Stone), Heimdall will be right alongside Thor in defending it to the last. Currently, Heimdall is in possession and personally protecting this Infinity Stone. Heimdall’s power is great, and as the protectorate of the Rainbow Bridge, Heimdall is able to spot anyone that would try to infiltrate Asgard. The only person who has been known to evade Heimdall’s almost infinite awareness has been Loki. Now that Loki has infiltrated Asgard, will Loki open a backdoor to greater threats to the kingdom this time around?
In Thor:Ragnarok, Heimdall will find himself in the middle of the greatest war that Asgard has ever seen. There will most assuredly be many casualties. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him rush to the front lines to face whatever foes that will threaten the kingdom. He wouldn’t hesitate to lay down his life for the people of Asgard. It looks like it’s just what he might have to do. Whether it’s at the hands of Thanos, or by proxy, it’s almost certain Ragnarok will take more than one of its greatest champions.
5. Nova Prime/Corps
The Nova Corps are the intergalactic military and police force of the Nova Empire. They were introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, and will most likely reappear in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which will be released next year on May 5th. Right now they are holding the Orb, which is the protective housing of the Power Stone (Purple). Irani Rael, aka Nova Prime, has taken responsibility for its safekeeping. She will not relinquish it at any cost, even if she must sacrifice her life.
When Thanos’ army of space pirates start their invasion of Xandar, will the Nova Corps be ready to withstand their attack? Will we see an entire fleet of the Nova Corps be wiped out? It’s not looking good for them or anyone who’s holding on to any Infinity Stone. It would be very interesting to see how Thanos takes the stone from the most protected vault on Xandar.
4. Nick Fury
Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) has been able to cheat death more times than anyone can count. He barely made it out of Captain America: Winter Soldier and was missing in action in Captain America: Civil War. Maybe it was smart of Fury to lay low or he would have found himself in the crossfire. Last time we saw him was in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he was once again running S.H.I.E.L.D. and directing the Helicarrier. He’s managed to cloak himself and his division from international view for some time. Will his luck be finally running out?
There will come a point when not even Nick Fury will be able to lay low. He’s going to be forced to come out of the shadows and so will S.H.I.E.L.D., which is currently running outside of governmental jurisdiction. So far, he has not signed the Sokovia Accords, which would place him in the cross-hairs of the government and Tony Stark. It was confirmed by Kevin Feige that Nick Fury will be appearing in one film before Infinity War. It remains to be seen which movie that will be. Whether he’ll make it out alive is anyone’s guess.
3. Odin
Things are not looking good for Odin as it is. The last time we saw him was in Thor: The Dark World. Odin went into one of his deep sleep which is referred to as the “Odinsleep”. The older he gets the longer the Odinsleep gets. It’s a sleep where Odin recharges the “Odinforce”. While he sleeps he is left as vulnerable as a mortal man. When he’s asleep, Asgard is vulnerable to attack. That’s the time where the Frost Giants, Dark Elves, or whatever other enemies attack Asgard. This time around, things are more precarious for Odin, as Loki, his erstwhile son, seems to have abducted the sleeping Odin and taken on his form.
Has Loki killed Odin already? Or has Loki found a way to put Odin in a permanent sleep? Whatever it is, it seems like it might be directly connected to what ends up causing Ragnarok. With all of these developments and Thanos’ wrath on the horizon, Odin’s life has never been in more danger.
2. The Ancient One
The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) will be introduced in the upcoming Dr. Strange, which comes out on November 4, 2016. She will be Dr. Steven Strange’s mentor and a teacher of the mystical arts. In the comic books, where the character is a man, the Ancient One sacrifices his life to defeat a powerful demon named Zom. He fused his magical abilities with Dr. Strange, giving Strange the title of the Sorcerer Supreme.
It looks like Tilda Swinton will be playing a powerful being, but if we are to believe that Dr. Strange is going to take three movies to achieve the power she’s going to need to face off against the likes of Thanos, we’d be wrong. Dr. Strange will most likely play a pivotal role on the side of the Marvel heroes as they face off with Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet, just as the character did in the Infinity War miniseries. She will need all the magical abilities she can get.
1. Hank Pym
Hank Pym (Kurt Douglas) is known as the greatest mind on the planet. It’s hard to imagine, but in the comics, his intellect was said to even surpass Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. He was the original Ant-Man and he helped start Pym labs which he lost control of in a corporate takeover. When we next see Hank Pym, he will be in the twilight of his years. He’s been around long enough to have served in S.H.I.E.L.D with Peggy Carter, so the timing might be right to have Pym step off to the sunset once Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters July 6th 2018.
What drives Pym more than anything is the ability to pass the torch off to his daughter and Scott Lang. In the next film, we’re going to see his daughter Hope Van Dyne take on the role as the Wasp, and Scott Lang will continue to explore and improve his abilities through the mentorship of
Hank Pym.
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So do you agree with the list? Do you think there were any characters that should have been added? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section.
10 Marvel Characters Most Likely To Die Before (Or During) Avengers: Infinity War
Stan Lee’s Least Favorite Marvel Cameo
While Stan Lee isn’t somebody that you necessarily think of as an “actor,” his collection of cameos in Marvel movies, along with a handful of other performances, has given him a fairly decent filmography to date. With all of the appearances he has made in the Marvel films, you would expect that he would have a favorite appearance, but it turns out he also has a least favorite.
Speaking at the Silicon Valley Comic-Con over the weekend, the man behind Marvel spoke about his numerous movie cameos. According to Comicbook.com, he singled out a particular part that he wasn’t really happy with. In the original Spider-Man film, it turns out he felt he could have done so much more.
Everybody is looking up going ‘ooh,’ and I’m one of the guys looking up going ‘ooh’ …for one second. And I resented that, because it didn’t give me a chance to show the full power of all my acting.
To be fair, Stan Lee, admits that he’s joking when he singles out his role in Spider-Man as his least favorite, saying that making all of them is just fun. We assume he’s also joking when it comes to his comments regarding his acting ability. We’re not saying the guy can’t act, but for the first several years his cameos did not include any lines whatsoever, and were mostly just an excuse to put his recognizable face on the screen. At least in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, he got to do something heroic and save a bystander from falling debris. Skip to the 1:24 mark:
While there are actually several Marvel movies that Stan Lee has not appeared in, he has shown up in the vast majority of them, making him the only person that has been cross the boundaries between Fox, Marvel, and Sony, at least until Spider-Man himself makes an appearance in Captain America: Civil War.His career making Marvel related cameos actually stretches back to 1989 and the TV movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. Most recently he had his most adult role to date as the DJ at a strip club as part of last month’s Deadpool.
Stan Lee has been appearing in Marvel movies since the very beginning. However, he says that one of his most recent ones, in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron, is his all-time favorite. We loved it, too. Mainly because he tries to drink Thor under the table… and fails.
There has been a LOT of discussion about the various Stan Lee cameos over the years.
– Did you know that Stan Lee had a major issue with his recent Deadpool cameo? His reason for the beef is hysterical.
– Stan Lee also explained why his upcoming cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse will be better than all of his previous films.
– There’s a CRAZY theory floating out there regarding Stan Lee’s cameos. Have you read this one yet?
– And finally, here’s what we know about that edgy cameo Stan Lee really wanted to film for a Marvel movie, but the studio wouldn’t let him!
8 Female Superhero Movies They Should Make Now
We’re getting a Wonder Woman movie. Finally. Great. Hopefully that will prove to studios that there is a thirsty market for female-driven superhero movies and finally open the door for other projects to have a chance. Here are eight female superheroes that need a shot at the big time ASAP.
- Batgirl – The bat-family properties DC has under it’s proverbial wing are tried and tested formulas for money-making. Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl has always been an exciting and fascinating story of a girl detective solving mysteries and helping the people she can. Think of it as Veronica Mars meets Spider-Man with a few cameos by the big bat himself. Skip the dark-and-gritty, cast Emma Stone in this, hire some snappy dialogue writers like Jane Esponson and let the magic make itself. I would see this movie in IMAX 3D a dozen times.
- She-Hulk – She-Hulk is the lawyer cousin to Marvel’s Hulk who, following a blood transfusing from her big green relation, gains all of his super-powers with none of the brain drain. Imagine The Good Wife’s Alicia Florrick if she could use gamma radiation powers to prosecute drug dealers and break some skulls. Imagine Miranga from Sex and the City trying to balance a great date and a big case with bulging biceps and an oversized wardrobe. This is just begging to be made! Please Marvel, I beg you.
- Marvel – The Kamala Kahn relaunch of Ms. Marvel from past few years has been one of the most exciting entries into Marvel comics in it’s recent history. She’s a young, shapeshifting, Muslim-American, Pakistani girl who fights both stereotypes and crime. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is begging for some diversity and Ms. Marvel could be just the way to fill that need. That isn’t to say that her stories themselves aren’t funny and heartwarming and exciting on their own, because they certainly are. Greenlight this, nerds.
- Black Widow – I mean seriously. Black Widow may be the only superheroine next to Wonder Woman herself that needs no introduction but has never headlined a feature film herself. What is going on over at Marvel headquarters that we’ve got two snoozy Thor movies and no high energy spy film for Scarlett Johansson to tear up? Didn’t Lucy prove that she can carry the badass super hero mantel to big money and big applause? It’s insulting that such a layered character with such a fascinating history performed by such a huge movie star has to justify her ability to draw a crowd to her story simply because of her gender. Get it together, Hollywood!
- Catwoman – Do not blame Halle Berry to this one you guys. If you rewatch the original Catwoman movie today you will see that she and Sharon Stone are single-handedly carrying that terrible material and, honestly, did their best. Catwoman needs a solid script that can really illustrate the shades of grey the character thrives in. I picture Olivia Wilde starring in a Shonda Rhimes-helmed thriller about a woman torn between her humanity and her sheer greed. Seriously what is holding the Batman franchise back from complete domination of the movie world? Zack Snyder? Get it together. Even pair her with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy and give us an evil version of Charlie’s Angels. Am I reaching for the stars, here?
- Captain Marvel – There has been a lot of talk floating around Marvel’s competitor to Wonder Woman ever since DC got that project off it’s feet. The internet can fight endlessly about who it’d like to cast in this project but I’m throwing my weight behind Katee Sackhoff, who was honestly born for this. She’s a young, super-feminist, triple A hero with bonafides epic story arches in her comic book history. This could be an amazing story about the feminist struggle in America with Carol Danvers fighting for the same credit and authority as Captain America and Iron Man in a world where we care more about what a female presidential candidate wear than whether or not she has the skill to lead the free world. Captain Marvel can be your Khaleesi, Kevin Feige! Let’s do this!
- Zatanna – You’re telling me you don’t want to see Amy Schumer or Ilana Glazer as a female magician in a fantasy comedy comic book romp? I picture a reimagining of Zatanna as a sort of super-Sabrina trying her best to keep the forces of evil away before she gets back to her one-woman show on the Vega strip. I picture a sexy, empowering, and special effect driven two hour adventure.
- Spider-Woman – It’s currently unclear is Sony or Marvel owns the rights to Spider-Woman, since their current legal mumbo jumbo recently went from complicated to completely impenetrable. Those two need to push that to the side and let the public finally see an original Spider-Hero hit their screens after 15 years of the same nonsense retreads. Spider-Woman is a completely different character from Peter Parker and his world of angst and thank god for it! Let this lady-arachnid free to spin a web of high-flying action? Please? I won’t ask again.
Confusing Movie Endings Explained
Not all filmmakers like their movies to have simple endings. Some leave their last scenes ambiguous to keep audiences thinking. But sometimes that plan backfires, resulting in endings that are just plain confusing. Beware of spoilers…
Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan’s film left audiences’ minds spinning as much as the top in the final shot. Just when it looks like the top is about to spin out and tumble, the screen cuts to black. The final shot shows Dom Cobb reuniting with his kids. But we never know if it’s really happening or if it’s a dream. Fans debated the scene endlessly for years after Inception came out…but according to Nolan, the non-ending is actually kind of the whole point.
In 2015, the director gave the commencement speech at Princeton University, and told the grads to “chase their reality.” He used the ending of Inception as an example, saying:
“[Cobb] was off with his kids, he was in his own subjective reality. He didn’t really care anymore, and that makes a statement: perhaps, all levels of reality are valid. The camera moves over the spinning top just before it appears to be wobbling, it was cut to black.”
In short, the ending of the movie is up to us—and we’re right either way.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Meanwhile, the ending to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy isn’t as vague as Inception. After flying a nuclear bomb out of Gotham City, Batman escapes the blast…off-screen. We know this, because later, while Alfred is in Florence, he sees his former Master Bruce sitting at a table, enjoying a meal with ex-Catwoman Selina Kyle. Some fans have theorized that this is all a dream—that Batman actually died in the explosion, and that Alfred simply imagined seeing his friend taking in the Italian sunshine.
But that’s bat-baloney. Before the movie’s end, we learn along with Lucius Fox that Bruce Wayne fixed the Bat-plane’s autopilot six months before the final showdown in Gotham. That’s all the exposition necessary for viewers to know that Batman jumped out while the plane flies the bomb toward the bay.
And sure, when Alfred sees Wayne in Florence, it’s exactly how Alfred describes it earlier in the film. But that’s not a dream—it’s just the best way for Wayne to show Alfred he’s alive. Moreover, Selina Kyle is there, wearing Wayne’s mother’s necklace, which she steals at the beginning of the movie. Alfred doesn’t know she and Wayne have become an item, and he’d quit before Batman and Catwoman teamed up to save Gotham City.
Finally, Bruce Wayne himself, Christian Bale, thinks that he’s alive by the end of the movie. He explained during an interview while promoting Exodus: Gods and Kings:
“He was just content with me being alive and left because that was the life he always wanted for him. I find it very interesting and with most films, I tend to say ‘It’s what the audience thinks it is.’ My personal opinion? No, it was not a dream. That was for real and he was just delighted that finally he had freed himself from the privilege, but ultimately the burden of being Bruce Wayne.”
None of this matters anyway. Batfleck is the wave of the future! But let’s shift our gaze toward the ghost of Batman’s past…
Birdman (2014)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s film about a washed-up actor trying to make a comeback on Broadway has the kind of weird ending that puts Inception to shame. Throughout the film, Riggan Thomas is shown as having superpowers, only to have them later be explained as being all in his head. In the final scene, Riggan’s daughter Sam enters his hospital room to find his bed empty and the window open. Sirens and talking can be heard coming from the street below. Initially, Sam looks down, but she slowly turns her head to the sky and she smiles. Some might think this means Riggan actually does have powers, and has flown away.
But…probably not. What really seems to have happened is that Riggan has successfully committed suicide, which he failed to do on the previous day. Sam, for her part, seems to start hallucinating just like her dad. The fact that she has bird tattoos on her arm and that her father played a superhero with bird-based powers suggests the strong connection between the two. Sam seems to leave the real world to enter a fantasy where her father lives, soaring above the clouds. The film is subtitled “The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” after all. Here, Sam chooses to ignore reality.
One of Birdman’s four screenwriters, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., hinted during an interview with HuffPost Live that the key to their understanding of the ending lies within Sam’s relationship with her father:
“I think when we found the relationship with the daughter, we started to understand what Riggan’s story was. Once she got down, Emma’s big monologue, in the basement, we started to understand the relationship and what it was. We’re not going to sit around and explain the ending. I guess my thing is, if you can silence the voice of mediocrity, then what is possible?”
Barton Fink (1991)
At the end of this Coen Brothers flick, Barton Fink wanders onto a beach, where he meets a woman resembling the picture decorating his sparse, depressing hotel room. Shortly after they meet, the movie ends, potentially leaving some viewers scratching their heads. What’s it mean?
The picture represents the idea of Hollywood. It’s a place of fantasy, beaches, and beautiful women. Meanwhile, throughout the entire film, Fink is subjected to the reality of Hollywood. He’s had his script torn apart by an executive; found out his hero, writer W. P. Mayhew is a washed-up alcoholic, and that Mayhew’s wife writes his novels for him; and has fled from both a burning hotel and a shotgun-wielding maniac.
You’d think that finally finding the woman on the beach would mean that Fink is at the end of his trials, having reached his reward and a place where he feels safe. But in fact, he’s learned the truth about the dangerous world in which he now exists.
Joel Coen explained in a 1991 interview:
“Some people have suggested that the whole second part of the film is nothing but a nightmare. But it was never our intention to, in any literal sense, depict some bad dream, and yet it is true that we were aiming for a logic of the irrational. We wanted the film’s atmosphere to reflect the psychological state of the protagonist.”
No Country For Old Men (2007)
At the end of the Coen Brothers’ blood-soaked, neo-Western, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell tells his wife about two dreams he has about his father. In the first dream, he loses some money his father gave him. In the second dream, Bell sees his father holding a torch, riding ahead into the darkness of a snowy mountain pass.
Shortly before Bell tells the stories of the dreams, he tells his wife that his father died young, and in a sense, his father will always be a younger man. More importantly, throughout the movie, Bell ponders the violence in the area where he is sheriff and, since he’s close to retirement, wonders whether he’s too old for the world in which he lives. The title of the movie is No Country For Old Men, and Bell is one of those old men. It’s become too violent too quickly for someone of his age, and he can no longer cope. The world needs someone younger, like his father, to light the way in the ever-growing darkness around it—exactly like the second dream Bell describes.
As for the first dream? Maybe Bell just needs a new wallet.
Read More: http://www.looper.com/6025/ryan-reynolds-redeemed-superhero/?utm_campaign=clip
Why Margot Robbie Doesn’t Like Harley Quinn’s Outfits In Suicide Squad
As comic books are primarily a visual medium, a character’s look is always the most important thing about them. Each hero and villain had to be unique and be able to catch the eye if the creators wanted them to catch on. When these characters make the transition to the movie screen, the look has to go with them, as it has become iconic. Yet, now it isn’t simply an artist’s drawing, but an actual person who has to create that look. Harley Quinn is no different in Suicide Squad. She is colorful and flashy and has an attitude to match. While Margot Robbie understands the need to represent Harley Quinn properly, it doesn’t mean she loves the clothes. They make her more than a little self conscious.
Margot Robbie is the subject of a profile in the New York Times which covers her rise to fame through The Wolf of Wall Street as well as her upcoming takeover of the summer, where she’ll be featured in both The Legend of Tarzan and Suicide Squad. As part of the feature Robbie talks about what it’s like putting on things like tight shirts and very short shorts, saying:
As Margot, no, I don’t like wearing that. I’m eating burgers at lunchtime, and then you go do a scene where you’re hosed down and soaking wet in a white T-shirt, it’s so clingy and you’re self-conscious about it.
Apparently Robbie actually talked to director David Ayer about the clothes, but he informed her that denim overalls did not match with Harley’s iconography. Harley Quinn was actually a creation of the 90’s Batman: The Animated Series but the character was so popular that she eventually made her way into the comics. In the animated series, she was usually seen in a traditional harlequin costume, but the character has evolved over time to wear more normal, if noticeable, clothing. While having to run around in skimpy clothing would make most people feel exposed, Margot Robbie seems to have a clear understanding of the importance of having the look match the character. Otherwise, Harley just isn’t Harley.
How do you think Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is turning out? While we’ll have to wait for August to really get an idea, she’s certainly succeeded in looking the part and that is part of the deal.
Why Margot Robbie Doesn’t Like Harley Quinn’s Outfits In Suicide Squad
48 Video Game Movies Currently in Development
48 Video Game Movies Currently in Development

Wondering if your favorite video game is headed to the big screen? Well, chances are it probably is!
In the years since Den of Geek first sprung into existence, we’ve consistently kept an eye on the video games that have been touted for the big screen treatment. We’ve tried to list them all in a big article a few times before, and it feels like the time has come to pull a new version together.
Out of the hundreds of thousands of films in the world currently in development, a large number of them serve as adaptations for (mostly) successful video games and video game franchises. Some have been seen on our screens before either via a previous adaptation or television series, while some are just getting their first shot on the big screen.
Whichever category they fall into, they still have to navigate their way through the difficult world of filmmaking, with many of them inevitably forever damned to development hell. The following are just a few of these adaptations hoping to someday become a success.

Assassin’s Creed – Dec. 21, 2016
Ubisoft’s historical action adventure series is another videogame property that has made it all the way through the movie development process. Ubisoft have teamed with 20th Century Fox, New Regency, and a few other companies to get this one off the ground.
They’ve assembled an impressive cast and crew, too – Michael Fassbender will star as Callum Lynch, a modern day man who discovers he has an assassin for an ancestor. Callum relives his predecessor’s memories, to help bring down a big threat in his own time. Fassbender’s Macbeth director Justin Kurzel calls the shots, and his Macbeth co-star Marion Cotillard plays an unknown role.

Assassin’s Creed 2 – TBA
The first film isn’t out until this coming December, but Ubisoft and New Regency aren’t wasting time, and work is underway on Assassin’s Creed 2.
The sequel will see Michael Fassbender back on board in the starring role, and presumably he’ll be producing again as well. It’s unclear at this stage whether director Justin Kurzel will be returning as well, but then maybe they’re letting him finish the first movie before making him decide.
The news of a second Assassin’s Creed film comes at a point where the videogame series that it’s based on is actually struggling a bit. For the past few years, Assassin’s Creed games have been released annually. Yet following the middling reception for the last couple of adventures, the decision has been made to skip this year, and possibly move away from an annual Assassin’s Creed game release altogether. The films may be helping in the intervening years, then.

Asteroids – TBA
In 2009, Universal acquired the rights to vintage blaster Asteroids. Very little has been released about this title other than Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer of Transformers and the GI Joe series, being involved. What story would this film have? Two years ago we had no idea, and today is the just the same. It looks to us that this one may be stuck in development hell. Bonaventura most recently told IGN in 2009 that it is a movie about two brothers who go through a “seminal experience” while in space with a “big backdrop.”
In Feb. 2015, Universal hired F. Scot Frazier – writer of upcoming Nicholas Hoult driving thriller Collide – to rework the existing script.
Roland Emmerich was once linked to the director’s chair, but seemingly stepped away around 2011. The shooting-rocks-and-nothing-else structure of Asteroids doesn’t immediately lend itself to moviemaking, but once you imagine what it’d be like to actually have that menial-yet-spacefaring job, it’s easier to imagine a few different takes. Fingers crossed for a dark comedy version.

BioShock – TBA
Now an even bigger franchise since the release of Bioshock Infinite, Bioshock seems an interesting yet natural progression for this award-winning collection of stunning games. Pirates of the Caribbean’s Gore Verbinski was set to direct before he dropped out.
Universal were wary of spending too much on an adult-themed movie, and suggested a less expensive, $80 million version of Bioshock instead. Verbinski refused to accept a lower budget, so a new director was brought in and swiftly carted back out again. Verbinski went on to have his carte blanche film in 2013’s The Lone Ranger. As of today the project has, disappointingly, been canned – by none other than Bioshock’s creator, Ken Levine.
“It may happen one day, who knows,” Levine said of the stalled project, “but it’d have to be the right combination of people.”
In April 2014, though, Sony registered some BioShock movie web domains, so it looks to be back in development, although we don’t have an official greenlight.

Borderlands – TBA
Not to be confused with the 2013 horror film The Borderlands, a movie based on Gearbox and Take-Two’s immensely popular sci-fi game Borderlands recently went into development. Lionsgate will be the studio taking us to the abandoned-by-the-big-wigs frontier planet of Pandora.
They’ve recruited producers Avi Arad and his son Ari Arad, both of whom were involved in initially bringing Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the X-Men to the big screen. We’ve got high hopes.

Call of Duty Cinematic Universe – TBA
Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty games are massive money-spinners with a fervent fan-base. It’s surprising that we haven’t already seen a film version. This will be amended soon enough – Activision Blizzard has launched its own film studio, with a Call of Duty cinematic universe as their biggest goal.
We don’t know who the creative team will be, and we don’t know when the first film will come out. One thing we do know is that the official press release announcing Activision’s movie plans cited Advanced Warfare and Black Ops III as examples of the series’ cinematic potential.

Centipede – TBA
That’s right, Centipede and Missile Command, the Atari ‘80s arcade shooter games, are getting adapted into feature films. Deadline reports that Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films has made a deal with Atari to produce and finance the adaptations.
In a statement about the projects, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais said he was “thrilled to partner with Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films to develop feature films based on two of our most beloved titles. Centipede and Missile Command are part of Atari’s unparalleled and rich library of popular games and we cannot wait to see the movies come to life.”
The movies will be produced by Randall Emmett and George Furla (Lone Survivor). Emmett described the properties as “immensely popular titles have been enjoyed by generations of gamers worldwide. We look forward to a very successful partnership Command and to bringing Centipede and Missile Command to the big screen.”
Atari, Stephen Belafonte, Wayne Marc Godfrey and Robert Jones will executive produce the films, but there is currently no word on directors or writers for the projects.

Dead Rising: Watchtower 2 – Spring 2016
Dead Rising: Watchtower is a video game movie that already exists. The adaptation of Capcom’s open world zombie survival game was released online earlier this year, to a middling reception.
Still, online distributor Crackle saw enough promise to green light a sequel. Dead Rising: Watchtower 2 is now in development, for a 2016 release. We’d expect Jesse Metcalfe to return as reporter Chase Carter.
Deus Ex – TBA
Originally announced in 2002, Deus Ex was scheduled for release in 2006, only to be completely cancelled two years before. Not much has been heard since, except that it is going through rewrites and it is still alive as a movie adaptation of Square Enix’s universally acclaimed cyberpunk title Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Devil May Cry – TBA
In 2011, the company that gained great success with the Resident Evil franchise, Screen Gems, announced the plans for a Devil May Cry movie. Little has been revealed about this plan other than it will be an origin story with the original character style. It still has no known writers or director. Bummer.
Far Cry – TBA
Uwe Boll may have done his very damnedest to break any chance of a compelling Far Cry movie being made with his own unique take on the material, but Ubisoft is coming back around for another go. This time, it’s looking to invest more heavily and retain a greater degree of creative control over the film. It would be no understatement—as much as Mr Boll brings a smile to our faces—to suggest that’s a good idea.

Five Nights at Freddy’s – TBA
Scott Cawthon’s intensely frightening point-and-click survival game Five Nights at Freddy’s has been picked up by Warner Bros. for a filmic adaptation. We’ll get to see a security guard fighting animatronic animals on the big screen, it would seem.
Monster House director Gil Kenan is helming the film version, which will use practical effects to bring the creepy robotic inhabitants of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza to life. He’s been releasing teasing glimpses of the film on social media, which has us rather intrigued.
Gears of War – TBA
Gears Of War is stuck in development hell. New directors have been constantly reappointed and the $100 million budget reduced. It has been a while since we last heard any update on the Gears of War movie, and the last update we received came via Variety which announced that Scott Stuber been hired to produce. It doesn’t look promising.
Previously, Stuart Beattie (who created Jack Sparrow and went on to write 30 Days of Night, GI Joe: Rise of Cobra, and I, Frankenstein) was drafting a script as late as 2007 with Len Wiseman, fresh off the first two Underworld films and Live Free or Die Hard, attached to direct. And while the quality of that movie would have been highly suspect, the thought of Kate Beckinsale (Wiseman’s wife and muse) crashing the franchise’s boy’s club mentality is quite amusing.

Ghost Recon – TBA
On the Tom Clancy and Ubisoft side of things, there is movement at Warner Bros. with the parterning of Michael Bay, director of Transformers and producer on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to produce a Ghost Recon movie. The story of a fictional U.S. Special Forces division that operates as the U.S. President’s personal army and assassination squad, the picture will mark Bay’s first collaboration with WB.
WB and Bay have since tapped Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia to pen the screenplay. Federman and Scaia are still primarily TV writers who have worked on Jericho, Human Target, and Warehouse 13. Federman and Scaia have also previously collaborated on a Zorro reboot script that Sony has yet to film and a draft of the now-seemingly-doomed film version of the comic Y: The Last Man. They’ll be hoping that their Ghost Recon film doesn’t go the same way, but with someone as lucrative as Michael Bay interested, it’s hard to imagine Warners giving up on the idea.
God of War – TBA
God Of War was originally announced in 2005 after the game’s release, but was dropped four years later by X-Men: The Last Stand director Brett Ratner (who has since made his swords and sandal epic with Dwayne Johnson in this summer’s Hercules). Daniel Craig turned down the lead role and that seemed to be the end of it. However, Piranha 3DD and Saw IV writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton were hired to rewrite a draft by The Wolfman screenwriter David Self. They have since said in February 2014 that the film will hopefully strive to humanize the character of Kratos and focus on his backstory, making comparisons to Christopher Nolan and Batman, as they head in a “bolder” direction than that of the games. But the film has moved no further than this, and there’s still with no director even though a $150 million budget has been earmarked. Can it be done?

Gran Turismo – TBA
There was a time where EA’s Need for Speed game and Polyphony/Sony’s Gran Turismo were both in development for film adaptations at the same time. As you already know, EA won the race by miles and the Need for Speed film has already made it to cinemas.
Sony are pushing on with their Gran Turismo movie regardless, with Oblivion and Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski calling the shots. Red, Battleship, and The Last Witch Hunter scribes Jon Hoeber and Eric Hoeber are working on the scripts currently. The film is being guided by producers Dana Brunetti and Mike De Luca.

Half-Life – TBA
While promoting his latest production, 10 Cloverfield Lane, which is very good by the way, J.J. Abrams gave IGN an update about Bad Robot’s upcoming Half-Life movie. It’s not much of an update and even Abrams says so.
“We’ve got writers, and we’re working on both those stories. But nothing that would be an exciting update,” says Abrams, who’s set to produce both films. He didn’t reveal who the writers were, though.
Meanwhile, the Half-Life movie, which was first announced by Valve head Gabe Newell at DICE 2013, has proven to be as elusive as the games themselves. Since the film’s announcement, there hadn’t been any additional information until now. We assumed it was burning in development hell. Glad to see that’s not the case.
Halo – TBA
It was announced in 2005 that Peter Jackson was set to produce a Halo film adaptation, helmed by director Neill Blomkamp. After numerous script rewrites and the stopping and starting of preproduction, the project was declared dead two years later. The two directors later collaborated on District 9, and in spite of occasional discussions and rumors that spring up, the Halo movie seems stuck in development hell, where it’s likely to remain for some time to come.
Heavy Rain – TBA
Noir masterpiece Heavy Rain seems naturally cinematic on its own, but a film adaptation is in fact in the works. The rights were acquired by New Line days after the game’s demo at 2006’s E3 and sold at auction to production company Unique Features. The film was soon after fast tracked by WB, and NYPD Blue and Deadwood writer David Milch was hired to write the script in 2013. Little else has been released about the film since then.
Kane & Lynch – TBA
It was initially planned for an adaptation of the Kane & Lynch series to burst onto our screens in 2014, originally set to star Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx respectively, but this doesn’t appear to be the case since we received an update in November 2013 which suggested Gerard Butler and Vin Diesel were up for the parts. Saturday Night Live’s Jon Lovitz was rumored to star in a mystery role, but as of right now the release date has been set to “unknown,” and the two lead roles are still unconfirmed.

The Last of Us – TBA
Although some would argue that the game is cinematic enough in of itself, Sony subsidiary Screen Gems (the company behind the Resident Evil film franchise) are currently working hard on bringing Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us to the big screen.
Sam Raimi is on board as a producer, while the game’s writer, Neil Druckmann, is working on the screenplay. (Druckman also penned the Uncharted series). Druckmann gave an update in January 2015, insisting that his screenplay would be “pretty faithful” to his original game script, despite a few “big changes.”
Maisie Williams has apparently had meetings about playing the lead character, Ellie.

Mass Effect – TBA
The sprawling sci-fi franchise that is BioWare’s Mass Effect saga seems tailor-made for adaptation into a cinematic space opera. It’s no surprise, then, that Legendary and Warner Bros. have snapped up the rights.
Avi Arad is board as a producer, and Mark Protsevich worked on a script back in 2012. However, in March 2014, Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull revealed that getting the film’s story nailed down and ready for production wasn’t easy:
“I think the canon they’ve created is sophisticated,” he told IGN. “It’s very broad, meaning you can’t pitch that in 30 seconds, right? It’s a complex story. So it is challenging. If it wasn’t challenging, the movie would have been out by now, but it is. We’ve just got to stick to our guns that, if it’s a movie that’s going to come from us, we want it to be great. If we can’t crack that yet then we just have to keep working.”
Metal Gear Solid – TBA
Metal Gear Solid has had one of the longest movie adaptation gestation periods on this list. A Metal Gear Solid film adaptation was put into pre-production in late 2013 after six years of development. With supposed interest from Christian Bale, all we know is that the film will be set in Alaska. We received an exclusive update in April 2014 on the movie’s progress from producer Avi Arad, who previously produced the Marvel films of the 2000s and The Amazing Spider-Man films.
Various writers, producers and directors (notably Quentin Tarantino, Kurt Wimmer and Paul Thomas Anderson) have been linked to the production over the year. In 2014, The Kings of Summer and Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts was linked to the movie. In March 2015, Monsters: Dark Continent writer Jay Basu signed up to script the film.

Metro 2033 – TBA
The first-person shooter Metro 2033—itself based on a novel of the same name by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky—is heading to the movies. The filmmakers will apparently use Mad Max and The Hunger Games as inspirations while adapting the Metro 2033 story (all about a Russian post-apocalyptic underground wasteland, and the chap who dares to wander through it). F. Scott Frasier, who penned John Cusack action movie The Numbers Station, is working on the script.

Missile Command – TBA
That’s right, Centipede and Missile Command, the Atari ‘80s arcade shooter games, are getting adapted into feature films. Deadline reports that Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films has made a deal with Atari to produce and finance the adaptations.
In a statement about the projects, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais said he was “thrilled to partner with Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films to develop feature films based on two of our most beloved titles. Centipede and Missile Command are part of Atari’s unparalleled and rich library of popular games and we cannot wait to see the movies come to life.”
The movies will be produced by Randall Emmett and George Furla (Lone Survivor). Emmett described the properties as “immensely popular titles have been enjoyed by generations of gamers worldwide. We look forward to a very successful partnership Command and to bringing Centipede and Missile Command to the big screen.”
Atari, Stephen Belafonte, Wayne Marc Godfrey and Robert Jones will executive produce the films, but there is currently no word on directors or writers for the projects.
Mortal Kombat – TBA
In 1995, we saw a Mortal Kombat adaptation and in 1997 a sequel. In 2011, Warner Bros hired Kevin Tancharoen – who rose to directorial prominence with the 2010 short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, and has since worked on Mortal Kombat’s TV series, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Supergirl, and The Flash – to direct a rebooted Mortal Kombat movie. It was reported in 2013 that the movie will have a budget of $40 to $50 million.
By 2013, though, Tancharoen had quit the project to “move on to other creative opportunities.” That didn’t spell doom for the film, though, as James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, Furious 7, and the upcoming Aquaman) recently signed up as a producer.

Minecraft – 2016/2017
A movie adaptation of Mojang’s massive building game Minecraft has been touted for some time. Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy was linked for a while, with unconfirmed talk suggesting that the movie might be a live action adventure, rather than an animation.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s co-creator Rob McElhenney took Levy’s place in 2015, and he’s now working with producers Roy Lee (The LEGO Movie) and Jill Messick (Mean Girls) to get the film off the ground.

Nintendo Movie – TBA
It looks like Nintendo might be setting their sights on the film industry, according to a new interview with Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima that appears in the Asahi Shimbun. Kyle McLain has translated some of the article’s main points on Twitter, such as how the Japanese games company will be “partnering with multiple production studios around the world,” while still aiming to “do as much as we can ourselves.”
Serkan Toto, CEO of the Tokyo-based Kantan Games, has shed some further light on Twitter regarding Kimishima’s comments on Nintendo’s future movie plans. According to Toto, the movies would likely be somewhat anime-based, with Kimishima citing the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie as “the reason why Nintendo is not looking at live-action movies.”
Kimishima refrained from mentioning any of the expected Nintendo IPs alongside the movie announcement, but it’s not hard to get the wheels spinning and start imagining how a new Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda movie would look. Nintendo fans may have some time to think about that, as Toto explains “the first title won’t be ready this year but also won’t take five years.”

Portal – TBA
While promoting his latest production, 10 Cloverfield Lane, which is very good by the way, J.J. Abrams gave IGN an update about Bad Robot’s upcoming Portal movie. It’s not much of an update and even Abrams says so.
“We’ve got writers, and we’re working on both those stories. But nothing that would be an exciting update,” says Abrams, who’s set to produce both films. He didn’t reveal who the writers were, though. It’s worth noting that director Dan Trachtenberg, who helmed10 Cloverfield Lane, first came into prominence for his short fan film, Portal: No Escape, which is based on the game. Trachtenberg might be an ideal choice for thePortal movie, but we’ll just have to see what’s next for the up-and-coming director.

Rampage – TBA
Rampage was one of the primo quarter eaters of its day. The classic video game allowed you to take control of your typical monster movie standards, a giant lizard (not Godzilla), a giant ape (not royalty), and…a giant werewolf. Your mission? To destroy as many buildings as possible while the army tries to kill you.
There have been other Rampage games, but none matched the charm of the original. The thought of a Rampage movie might seem a little redundant because, well…that’s what Godzilla, King Kong, and assorted other kaiju flicks are for.
But a Rampage movie there shall be…starring none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, although not as one of the giant monsters. The project has been at New Line for a bit, and Johnson’s involvement is nothing new. Ryan Engle (Non-Stop) wrote a draft but now Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal are on board to write.
Brad Peyton, who directed Johnson in the similarly destructive San Andreas, is now confirmed as director. Johnson has a full schedule, but Rampage will shoot in the summer of 2017. Here’s the full official announcement, courtesy of the People’s Champ, himself.
Raving Rabbids – TBA
Rayman spin-off Raving Rabbids has carved out quite a name for itself. So much so, in fact, that Ubisoft has teamed up with Sony to bring the troublemaking rabbits to the big screen.
This one will be a for a live action/stop-motion animation hybrid. Robot Chicken writers Matthew Senreich, Tom Sheppard, and Zeb Wells are working on the script as we speak.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – Jan. 27, 2017
The Resident Evil film franchise has proven itself a bankable commodity since kicking off back in 2002. The sixth film in the series will be Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, and it’ll bring Milla Jovovich back to the role of Alice for the last time.
Alice will be up against it this time, teaming up with Shawn Roberts’ villainous Albert Wesker (a popular character from the Capcom games, and a former leader of the Umbrella Corporation in the films) for one final stand against the undead.
Rollercoaster Tycoon – TBA
Sony picked up the rights to Rollercoaster Tycoon in 2010, and now a live action/CG hybrid film is set to be made. Norwegian director Harald Zwart supposedly helms this interesting choice of adaptation and a storyline has not yet been released. What can we expect from this? We honestly have no idea. Nothing has been announced since then.

Sly Cooper – 2016
Sucker Punch Productions/ Sanzaru Games/Sony’s stealth-based platformer Sly Cooper hasn’t yet made the jump to PS4. Instead, the title character is getting a movie. TMNT’s Kevin Munroe wrote and directed this one, which is already in the can.
Ian James Corlett replaces the games’ voice actor Kevin Miller as the voice of Sly, but others from the original cast (namely Matt Olsen and Chris Murphy) will return to their roles.

Sonic the Hedgehog – 2018
What took them so long? Sonic the Hedgehog, veteran of countless video games, an animated series (with another on the way), and a long-running comic book series from Archie Comics is coming to the big screen in 2018.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie was first announced back in 2014, and at the time it was described as a CG/live-action hybrid with Sony teaming with Marza animation planet, Neal Moritz producing, and a script from Evan Susser and Van Robichaux. It’s not clear how much of that team is still in place.

Splinter Cell – 2017
Ubisoft’s film studio is working with New Regency Productions on a film version of the black ops stealth game Splinter Cell, with Tom Hardy attached to portray the games series’ protagonist Sam Fisher. For a while, Doug Liman of Edge of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity was attached to direct.
He departed the project in April 2015, though. Ubisoft are searching for a new director, while Frank John Hughes – of Dark Tourist and Leave – works on the script. Previous writers include X-Men: First Class’ Sheldon Turner.
Joseph Kahn – director of countless music videos, as well as that Power/Rangers fan film – has been linked to the director’s chair.

Splinter Cell 2 – TBA
In March 2016, it was announced that New Regency Productions are exploring sequel options for the Tom Hardy-starring Splinter Cell movie. Before 100% taking this as fact, we’ll have to wait and see how the first film gets on at the box office.

Spy Hunter – TBA
The classic 80s arcade game Spy Hunter has been in development as a movie since Universal bought the rights in 2003. At one stage, Dwayne Johnson was involved, but it’s unclear if he still is. Last we heard, Zombieland’s Ruben Flesicher was on-board to direct.
In November 2015, a pair of writers were hired to resurrect the project – Nelson Greaves and Sam Chalsen, both of whom are known for their work on the Sleepy Hollow TV series. It’s unclear if Flesicher remains involved.
Tekken: A Man Called X – TBA
A prequel to the 2010 Tekken adaptation is currently in development, set to be directed by Thai martial arts director Prachya Pinkaew. In 2014, we learned the film will be called Tekken – A Man Called X and star Kane Kosugi (Godzilla: Final Wars).

Tetris – TBA
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-discussed prospects of a Tetris movie adaptation are close to becoming realized with a new international coalition of media moguls looking co-produce the project. China-based producer Bruno Wu will join U.S.-based producer Lawrence Kasanoff (Mortal Kombat, True Lies) that will see Wu’s Seven Star Works and Kasanoff’s Threshold Entertainment Group operate under the joint name Threshold Global Studios. Tetris will be the kickoff project for this new venture with an $80 million production budget reportedly committed to line up four proverbial rows of blocks at the box-office.
Certainly, the idea of a U.S./China coalition throwing $80 million at a thus-far shapeless Tetris movie is something that we’ll look forward to updating in the coming months.

Thief – TBA
The pacing of the Thief games lends itself perfectly to a big screen adventure. The series mixes stealth, combat, and treasure hunting in a world of magic and even horror. Zombies and other monsters are part of the fun of the first game. The 2014 Thief video game reboot was poorly received, though, so it might be a good idea to focus on one of the earlier games for the movie instead.
Adam Mason and Simon Boyes are penning a screenplay for the Thief movie that’s being put together by Straight Up Films. Roy Lee, Marisa Polvino, Kate Cohen and Adrian Askarieh, who produced the Hitman films, will produce this one.
It’s very early stages, of course, so we don’t know yet of a director or a release date. Our ear will be to the ground.
Tomb Raider – 2017
The first Tomb Raider adaptation starring Angelina Jolie was the highest-grossing film adaptation of a video game ever released in the U.S. A complete reboot of the franchise is currently in planning stages after the rights were received in 2011 by GK Films. Planned as an origin story with a younger Lara, MGM are officially involved and Buffy writer Marti Noxon will provide the script.
The latest is that Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) has been cast as Lara Croft. Previously Hayley Atwell, who recently starred in the Marvel Studios/ABC TV series Agent Carter, had expressed interest in playing the role. And there were also reports suggesting that Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) could be the next Lara Croft.
GK Films, MGM and Warner Bros. recently brought in Roar Uthaug – director of Norwegian disaster flick The Wave and horror thriller Cold Prey – to direct. They’re stilling trying to find a writer to put the script together, though.
Uncharted – June 30, 2017
Prolific producer Avi Arad has been talking about adapting Naughty Dog’s Uncharted into a film, at Sony, since 2008. In the years since then, directors David O. Russell and Neil Burger have both joined – and subsequently departed – the project.
Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt were both linked to the starring role of Nathan Drake, but neither is attached to the film at this stage. Horrible Bosses and King of Kong director Seth Gordon recently stepped on board to helm the film, with Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker scribe Mark Boal on scripting duties.

Warcraft – June 10, 2016
Chances are that you’ve heard plenty about Duncan Jones’ (Moon, Source Code) upcoming Warcraft movie already. He’s distilled Blizzard’s sprawling MMORPG/card game/strategy game into an epic battle movie, due out next year.
Humans and orcs are the two main factions in the fight, and a concerted effort has been made to have engaging characters on both sides of the conflict. Travis Fimmel’s Sir Anduin Lothar leads the human Alliance, while Toby Kebbell’s Durotan heads up the orc Horde.

Warcraft 2 & 3 – TBA
The aforementioned Warcraft director Duncan Jones has envisioned a trilogy of movies, we learnt not that long ago. He told The Verge that “we kind of have an idea of what we would do with 2 and 3,” back in July 2015.
We’ll have to see how the first film does at the box office before we can guarantee whether these sequels will actually happen, of course.
Watch Dogs – TBA
Ubisoft’s stealth-based hacking-themed third-person-shooter title Watch Dogs has been touted for the movie treatment since 2013. Ubisoft announced this project at the same time as the aforementioned Splinter Cell and Raving Rabbids films.
The last we heard was in April 2014, when Zombieland’s writing duo Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese were signed up to script the film. It’s been radio silence since then, but it does take a while to write a script, in all fairness.

The Witcher – 2017
In a way, we’ve already had a Witcher movie, and a TV series. The books that inspired the games were adapted to film and television (as The Hexer) in 2001 and 2002. Since CD Projekt RED’s action adventure game brought The Witcher property back to the public eye in 2007, it shouldn’t be too surprising that another movie has been green lit.
In November 2015, Platige Films (who’ve made some brilliant games trailers) and The Sean Daniel Company (The Mummy film series) announced the new movie, which will borrow themes from the books and the games, rather than being a straight adaptation of any specific story. Tomasz Baginski – making his feature film debut after a string of successful short films – will direct. Prolific TV writer Thania St. John will pen the script.
Batman movies ranked: From Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck and everything in between
Batman movies ranked: From Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck and everything in between
http://Batman movies ranked: From Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck and everything in between
“Captain America: Civil War” could have been a messy disaster. It isn’t
IN ONE of his memoirs, the novelist and screenwriter William Goldman draws attention to the pleasure audiences derive from watching slick competence on screen: the heist scene that unrolls with mechanical precision; the chef dicing and frying in a snicketty blur of stainless steel; the ballet of shop assistants transforming a leading lady into a model of haute couture. There are similar pleasures to be taken from “Captain America: Civil War”—not so much from specific set pieces (though pretty much everyone involved is very good indeed at hitting things) but from the work as a whole. It is the product of a team that knows very well what it is doing, and for the most part does it very well.
“Civil War” is the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a province of the Disney empire based on characters from Marvel comic books. Since it began with “Iron Man” in 2008 the MCU’s films have all referred to each other to a greater or lesser extent; “Civil War” is very much in the greater category. The third Captain America film, it is not just a direct sequel to the second: it also makes use of characters introduced in the first two “Iron Man” films, “The Incredible Hulk”, “Thor”, “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Antman”. All told 13 of the characters in “Civil War” come from these previous outings. As if that were not enough, the film provides substantial introductions to two new superheroes: Black Panther and Spider-Man. (Though he is a Marvel comics character, Spiderman has previously featured only in non-Disney films set outside the MCU. Do try and keep up…)
This sounds like a recipe for over-stuffed, under-developed disaster. But the film avoids the obvious pitfalls. Indeed a well-built screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed with precision and some flare by Anthony and Joe Russo, and performed by a cast that knows how to get the most out of superhero roles turns them into strengths. Less assiduous followers of the MCU may not know all of the characters, and neophytes may know none; but the characters clearly know each other, and the easy way that fellowship is conveyed makes you feel that you know them, too. This sense of a world full of partially-shared histories turns even the characters who have little to do into something more than just attendant lords swelling the odd progress and starting the occasional scene. It may help that the Russo brothers, like Joss Whedon, from whom they will be taking over as directors of the “Avengers” films, have experience in the world of television sitcoms, built on ringing the changes on relationships within large casts.
Another advantage of a well-articulated ensemble is that it can counter the secret weakness of superheroes: they tend to be a little dull. In a character-rich environment the story can always move on before things get bogged down. This does not save everyone—in a story centered on a chaste (if not utterly subtext-free) love-triangle in which Cap is torn between two male comrades-in-arms his almost-girlfriend gets little to work with. But for the most part the small performances add up nicely.
The film’s other strength is the premise which gives it its name: a fissure in the ranks of the world’s superheroes between those who see oversight by the United Nations as necessary, or at least tolerable, and those who wish to set their own compass (the analogy between having superpowers and being a superpower is pretty clear: in case it eludes people, the film’s climax is set in a missile silo). The internecine nature of the conflict gets rid of what is normally the weakest part of a superhero film; the monstrous antagonist, often a quasi-parody of the hero, who needs to be walloped ad nauseam in the third act.
A dearth of decent enemies has been one of the MCU’s weak points. The films’ concerns reflect the traumas of contemporary America: their archetypal sublime spectacle is that of great structures collapsing into cities; their worries often centre on conflicts between human values and technological enhancements; their threats typically come in the guise of terrorism; their reverses frequently come about through the radicalisation of people who have been damaged by previous conflict. But while the MCU echoes the real world it has no interest in coming to grips with its geopolitical underpinnings. Its terrorists are always fronts for domestic antagonists that no one could really root for: corrupt, power-crazed high-ups in America’s military-industrial complex who may also be undercover Nazis. Or space aliens. Either way, nothing to trouble sales of the film in overseas markets. (The writer of the next MCU movie, “Doctor Strange”, said this week that the casting of white actress Tilda Swinton as “The Ancient One”, a character who in the comics is a Tibetan man, stemmed not from Hollywood’s everyday sidelining of Asian actors but, at least in part, from calculations as to what might make the movie acceptable to China.)
“Civil War” does feature the near obligatory antagonistic brasshat, but for the most part the superheroes are fighting between themselves. With both sides of the conflict drawn with some sympathy, the fights—some handled lightly, some given dramatic heft by wounds that carry consequences—benefit from a sense that beliefs and personal ties are at stake. Towards the very end this conflict based on principles is transmuted into one based on deeper family history—but the change is done deftly, and convincingly. In this, as in its various other manifestations of intelligence, narrative clarity and wit, “Civil War” functions as a rebuff to the bloated, senseless disappointment of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, a recent outing from rival comic-book/studio pairing DC and Warner Bros. The most obvious contrast, perhaps, is in the introduction of characters slated soon to star in their own films. “Batman v Superman” does this by having someone watch video clips of these coming attractions in exactly the manner of a fanboy scanning YouTube for spoilers—which is not anything like as amusingly meta as it might sound. “Civil War” makes one newbie fundamental to the plot, and the other a genuinely welcome addition to the action.
Whether “The Black Panther” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” continue Marvel’s run of commercial success with films that range from the passable to the very good will depend on how well they are realised—but also, in part, on the development of public taste. There is a widespread view that the world has already seen enough, or too many, superhero films. At some point, it seems likely, this will translate into a disinclination to see more of them: as Steven Spielberg pointed out in this respect last year, westerns went from being a staple in the 1950s to a rarity in the 1980s. Poor superhero films will hasten that day of judgment. On current showing, though, those failures are not likely to come from the slickly machined, just-innovative-enough world of the MCU.
“Captain America: Civil War” could have been a messy disaster. It isn’t
Spoilers: What’s in the ‘Captain America: Civil War’ After Credits Scene?
Just to cover our bases, we want you to know there are spoilers for Captain America: Civil War credits scenes after the jump.
As any fan of Marvel Studios movies knows, it’s become customary for their comic book movies to have two credits scenes. One usually happens after a stylish end credits sequence, and another happens after all the rest of the credits have rolled. That hasn’t always been the case (Avengers: Age of Ultron and Incredible Hulk both lacked a second credits scene), but fans are certainly expecting it, and they usually don’t take any chances, sticking around until the credits are truly over.
In the case of Captain America: Civil War, critics and audiences lucky enough to catch advance screenings earlier this month have already seen one of the credits scenes, specifically the one that happens in the middle of the credits. Those screenings did not have a second sequence after the credits though. In the past, Marvel has held it back for the actual theatrical release of the movie. However, Captain America: Civil War is already playing overseas, and a second credits sequence is playing with those screenings, which means details have made their way online.
If you want to know about the second Captain America Civil War after credits scene, keep reading, but again beware ofspoilers.
Without diving into any specific details just yet, the mid-credits sequence that audiences in the United States have already seen involves Captain America (Chris Evans), The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). It’s more of a tease of the forthcoming solo Black Panther movie than anything, but it’s also a scene that raises some questions about the future of Bucky in the Marvel cinematic universe. We’ll talk more about that scene after general audiences start seeing Captain America: Civil War next week.
As for the second credits scene that international audiences are seeing, Birth.Death.Movies has learned that it gives us a little more Spider-Man. It’s a quick scene that has Peter Parker (Tom Holland) messing with the new suit that was designed by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). It’s the same suit that you’ve seen in the trailer already, and it’s much more high-tech than the suit he was swinging around in previously (you get a glimpse of that in the movie too). The scene offers a little more close-up look at the suit this time, specifically a digital readout on his web shooters, hinting at a much more high-tech webslinger coming in his first solo movie in the Marvel cinematic universe. And in case there’s any doubt of that, we get the text that says “Spider-Man will return” to confirm what we already know.
That doesn’t sound like anything groundbreaking, but once you see how cool Spider-Man is in Civil War, you’ll be glad to spend just a little more time with him. But keep in mind that there’s a chance these won’t be the only two credits scenes we’ll see. After all, when The Avengers played overseas before it hit the US, international screenings didn’t get the shawarma scene at the end.
Don’t forget that Anthony & Joe Russo previously said there could be as many as three credits scenes this time, so maybe they’re holding something else back to surprise us. It could be a tease for Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Captain Marvel or even Avengers: Infinity War. Stay tuned to see if there are more Captain America Civil War credits scenes in our future.
Spoilers: What’s in the ‘Captain America: Civil War’ After Credits Scene?
Captain America: Civil War Director Explains Why Iron Man Recruits Spider-Man
Minor spoilers for Captain America: Civil War ahead
The recent trailer for Doctor Strange notwithstanding, Marvel Studios seems to be planning to make a move away from superhero origin story movies by introducing characters in team-up films before audiences meet them in standalone features. In Captain America: Civil War, for example, the established team of Avengers are joined by newcomers Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) as the teams face off against one another in a superhero-on-superhero brawl.
Unlike the Avengers’ battles against the Chitauri or Ultron, however, this fight has the added complication of friendship; these superheroes don’t really want to hurt each other, after all, so Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) can’t just order Vision (Paul Bettany) to blast Captain America (Chris Evans) and his fellow dissidents to pieces.
Tony’s need to pull his punches a little is ultimately what leads him to seek out one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to co-director Joe Russo. Speaking at the UK press conference for Captain America: Civil War, Russo explained why Iron Man feels driven to seek out Spider-Man and his particular skills to help in the fight against Captain America’s team.
“Look, there’s a certain narcissism to the character and Tony doesn’t want to lose this fight, and at the same time I think he also sees Spider-Man as the greatest living non-lethal weapon. If you’re going out to capture a bunch of people who you don’t necessarily want to hurt, you couldn’t ask for a better character than Spider-Man to take with you.
“He does show up and illustrate that Spider-Man, he knows how powerful he is. In a video we see Spider-Man stopping a car moving 40 miles an hour, where he catches it and puts it back on the ground, so I think he believes that he’s taking with him perhaps one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe, and I think he feels like the kid will be well-protected under his tutelage. You also find out in that sequence, when things go wrong the kid says, ‘What do I do?’ and Tony says, ‘Keep your distance, web ’em up.’ So he’s obviously mentored the kid for what’s about to go down.”
“It’s still very irresponsible,” joked fellow director Anthony Russo.
The beginning of the mentor-protegé relationship between Iron Man and Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War is all the more important now that we know Downey will be starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the first solo outing for Holland’s version of the character. From Spider-Man’s first reveal in one of the trailers for Civil War, it was clear that Iron Man offers a bit of a helping hand when it comes to designing Spider-Man’s costume, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the science-loving Peter Parker comes to regard Tony Stark as a bit of a father figure.
One interesting aspect of Holland’s Spider-Man is that he’s the youngest version of Peter Parker so far – not only in terms of the actor’s age, but also because Marvel seems very interested in having a kid superhero in the MCU. Both previous big screen Spider-Man incarnations have started out as high schoolers, but were on the tail end of their school careers when audiences met them. In the case of Holland’s Spider-Man, Marvel may intend to keep him in school for a while. Let’s hope his superhero exploits leave time for homework.
Captain America: Civil War opens in theaters May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on July 12, 2019, and on May 1, July 10, and November 6 in 2020.
Captain America: Civil War Director Explains Why Iron Man Recruits Spider-Man
Top Movies of 2017
Though 2016 is shaping up to be an epic year for movies, it almost feels like a warm-up when you look at the long list of blockbuster films already on the release calendar for 2017. Even though next year still feels far away, it’s never too early to get excited about taking a trip to the theater, so we’ve lined up 19 of the biggest upcoming releases—and whether you’re into action, comedy, horror, or drama, there’s something here for everyone…
Friday the 13th Reboot – January 13
Pity today’s young film fans, for they’ve never experienced the cheesy joy that was being treated to regular installments of Friday the 13th throughout the ’80s. Between 1980 and 1989, the hockey-masked slasher Jason Voorhees hacked his way through scores of screaming nubile victims in eight films—although by the end of the decade, the franchise had started to teeter between stale and ridiculous, and subsequent attempts to extend or reboot the character’s mythology have failed to draw much of a following. This latest overhaul arrives nearly a decade after the last reboot, which grossed nearly $100 million. Although little is known about the plot, we’re pretty sure it has to do with a guy in a hockey mask chopping sexed-up teens to bits.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – January 27
Five years after Resident Evil: Retribution, Milla Jovovich returns to close out the sci-fi horror franchise she’s led for more than a decade—and nearly $1 billion in worldwide grosses. Despite the long lapse between sequels, this sixth installment will reportedly pick up right where Retribution left off while following director Paul W.S. Anderson’s mandate to come full circle with the saga of a dystopian future in which a corporate-created virus has unleashed a zombie plague. In other words, if you haven’t been watching so far, this isn’t the best place to come in—but if the Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City, and “t-virus” are meaningful phrases for you, then you may want to mark your calendar.
Lego Batman – February 10
Not long ago, the idea of a movie “based on” Legos seemed too silly for words, but then The Lego Movie racked up nearly $470 million while making us all root for plastic bricks (and play “Everything Is Awesome” on endless repeat). Taking the hint, Warner Bros. is diving right in with a universe of Lego-derived films, starting with this spin-off, which brings back Will Arnett as Gotham’s Caped Crusader. He’s joined by an intriguing cast that includes his Arrested Development castmate Michael Cera as Robin, Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, and Mariah Carey as the mayor—and with Lego Movie animation co-director Chris McKay on board to helm the film from a script by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter director Seth Grahame-Smith, we’re sure plenty of inspired silliness awaits.
Untitled Wolverine Sequel – March 3
Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine for so long that it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else in the role of the adamantium-clawed X-Men mutant. Soon, Fox will need to figure out who’ll be the next actor to play the part, but first, Jackman’s getting his swan song with a third standalone Wolverine feature. At this point, the film’s plot is purely a matter of speculation—most of which involves the notion that we could be in for an adaptation of Marvel’s Old Man Logan comic, about an alternate-future version of the (nearly) ageless hero. But in a recent interview, Jackman suggested Wolverine 3 could also bring about the return of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, adding yet another layer of closure for longtime fans of the franchise.
Beauty and the Beast – March 17
Disney’s campaign to turn each of their animated classics into live-action blockbusters continues with Beauty and the Beast, which offers a new perspective on their 1991 hit. Like Disney’s earlier Beauty, this version draws inspiration from the classic fairy tale about a prince (played here by Dan Stevens) who’s cursed with a grotesque appearance, yet finds love with a pure-hearted maiden (Emma Watson) imprisoned in his castle after her father (Kevin Kline) offers her up in a deal to spare his own life. Like a lot of stories from the era, it’s rather dark, but Disney’s animated adaptation put a family-friendly spin on it with music and humor, and we can expect the same here—plus a cast that includes Ewan McGregor and Sir Ian McKellen.
Furious 8 – April 14
The fate of the Furious franchise seemed a bit uncertain in the wake of star Paul Walker’s sudden passing in 2013, which complicated production of 2015’s Furious 7 and put the burden of additional expectations on his longtime co-star and friend, Vin Diesel. But with nearly $4 billion in worldwide grosses, Universal wasn’t about to garage its gearhead soap opera, so like clockwork, the gang will return for an eighth installment—and one that’s already being set up as a callback to previous chapters as well as a springboard into a new trilogy that will reportedly see stories pivot away from the heist capers of recent sequels and into a spy saga spearheaded by Kurt Russell’s Frank Petty character.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5
Initially, it seemed like a hilariously dumb idea for Marvel to turn a relatively obscure comic about a ragtag team of intergalactic do-gooders—whose ranks include a raccoon-like creature and an alien resembling a sentient tree—into a $200 million movie. Nearly $775 million in box office receipts later, Guardians of the Galaxy could be the start of an Avengers-style franchise for the studio, and Chris Pratt, whose biggest credit prior to taking on the role of Peter “Star-Lord” Quill came as doughy doofus Andy Dwyer in NBC’s Parks & Recreation, is a full-on action hero. The gang’s all back for Vol. 2, along with writer-director James Gunn, and while we don’t have any idea what they’ll be up to this time around, we’re confident it’ll be tons of fun.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – May 26
Pre-production on this fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga started back when the previous sequel, 2011’s On Stranger Tides, was on its way to theaters, and its path through development has been strewn with script difficulties and budget-induced delays. Still, any new chapter in a franchise that’s grossed nearly $4 billion counts as a promising development for the studio, and Disney has stood by while producer Jerry Bruckheimer steered Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales to its destination. Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki), this adventure sees Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow face off against an old nemesis played by Javier Bardem—and sees the return of Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner in his new guise as Davy Jones.
World War Z 2 – June 9
For a movie that tried to spin an action-thriller yarn out of a bestseller that used the oral history format to tell the story of a worldwide zombie outbreak—and had an infamously troubled production in the bargain—World War Z turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining (not to mention extremely commercially successful) film. Which brings us to the inevitable sequel, World War Z 2, in which Brad Pitt returns to battle the zombie plague. We don’t know much about the plot at this point, but director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage, The Impossible) will be working from a screenplay by Steven Knight, whose varied list of credits includes the chess drama Pawn Sacrifice and Bradley Cooper’s Burnt.
Wonder Woman – June 23
After being introduced to audiences in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman will get her own standalone feature, which is rumored to be the first installment in a period-piece trilogy that will take audiences from the 1920s to the present day. Monster director Patty Jenkins is at the helm, with a screenplay from Pan writer Jason Fuchs. Meanwhile, Gadot will be surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Chris Pine, Robin Wright, and Danny Huston. Whatever actually happens in the movie, it’s a long-overdue victory for comics fans who’ve waited years for the Amazonian warrior to get a shot at her own big-screen franchise—and it may help Warner Bros. gain a demographic edge on Marvel in the superhero blockbuster arms race.
Despicable Me 3 – June 30
From its humble beginnings as a cartoon about a funny-looking supervillain who sets out to steal the moon and ends up adopting three adorable munchkins, Despicable Me has grown into an impressively adaptable franchise for Universal. In addition to 2013’s Despicable Me 2, it’s also spun off a prequel (2015’s Minions), six short films, three video games, and a theme park attraction—and as we can see from the 2017 release schedule, it isn’t done yet. Details are still very sketchy regarding this third installment, but we can safely assume Steve Carell will be back as the nefarious (but kinda cuddly) Gru—and we know he’ll be working from a script written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, who collaborated on the first two films.
Untitled Spider-Man Reboot – July 7
Sony’s hopes for a Spider-Man film universe were dealt an embarrassing setback after director Marc Webb’s reboots underperformed. But even if we aren’t getting a Sinister Six or Venom movie anytime soon, the core franchise remains a top priority at the studio—as evidenced by this new reboot, which will find Tom Holland starring as the web-slinger in a standalone film while doing double duty as a supporting player in a number of Marvel movies (starting with Captain America: Civil War). The studios are keeping the details of Spidey’s next adventure as hush-hush as possible, but they’ve made an intriguing choice for director: Jon Watts, who helmed the creepy low-budget Kevin Bacon thriller Cop Car.
War for the Planet of the Apes – July 14
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves returns for this follow-up, which picks up from Dawn’s final scene—a grim foreshadowing of the major conflict brewing between genetically enhanced primates and a human population decimated by a virus dubbed the Simian Flu. Andy Serkis is back as the apes’ leader, Caesar, whose journey from young chimp to noble warrior has formed the backbone for the franchise’s overall arc. He’s joined by Steve Zahn (as a new ape) and Woody Harrelson (as a character known as the Colonel, reportedly the film’s chief antagonist). Reeves, who co-wrote the script, is keeping storyline details under wraps, but says the events depicted in War for the Planet of the Apes see Caesar achieving “mythic” status.
Alien: Covenant – October 6
With 2012’s Prometheus, Ridley Scott made his eagerly awaited return to the Alien franchise by way of a prequel that hinted at the long-ago beginnings of his blockbuster saga’s story. Under the weight of decades’ worth of sequels, spinoffs, and expectations, the end result couldn’t help but disappoint some viewers, and in spite of a $400 million gross and largely positive reviews, there’s a sense of unfinished business hanging over the sequel. Fans who feel Prometheus didn’t tie into the Alien films strongly enough might be better served by Alien: Covenant, which brings back Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace to show what happens after they hijack an ancient spacecraft in order to venture to the homeworld of the mysterious Engineers and halt their plans for humanity.
Thor: Ragnarok – November 3
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is an apocalyptic series of events that results in the world being plunged into water after the deaths of several gods—including Odin, Thor, and Loki—and culminates in a planetary rebirth. Needless to say, it’s obvious from the title that Thor: Ragnarok won’t be a jolly good time for our hammer-wielding hero (Chris Hemsworth), although we can guess from his imminent participation in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War movies that he’ll emerge relatively unscathed after the final act. Whatever happens here, he’ll be joined by Mark Ruffalo, reprising his Marvel Universe role as Bruce Banner/the Hulk, and working under the direction of New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, who earned raves for his 2014 vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows.
Justice League: Part 1 – November 17
Marvel has done a brilliant job of laying out the template for a successful shared universe, and now Warner Bros. is following in its rival’s footsteps with its DC Comics properties, which are due to get their first moments in the all-star superhero team spotlight with Justice League: Part 1. Director Zack Snyder has already agreed to helm, and confirmed members of the cast include stars from the studio’s pre-existing franchises, including Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, and Ben Affleck, as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, respectively. While we don’t yet have any idea what danger our team will face, we do know it’ll be serious enough to attract the attention of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). And with a sequel already scheduled for 2019, you can bet the battle won’t end here.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – December 15
This is Star Wars we’re talking about, so the list of things we truly know about Episode VIII is awfully short. But we do know a couple of important facts: one, Rian Johnson (Looper) will be in the director’s chair; and two, most of Episode VII’s cast will be back, including Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver, along with OG franchise stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Beyond that, pretty much all we can tell you is that this installment follows the events of Episode VII, and advances the new trilogy pitting the Resistance against the First Order led by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and his apprentice Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Oh, and another thing: it’ll sell tons of tickets.
Transformers 5 – TBD
Every time Michael Bay thinks he’s out of the Transformers franchise, they pull him back in with a fresh boatload of cash. Bay’s been making noises about being done with Optimus Prime and his buddies for years, and was initially only on board to produce this installment in the series. But the executives at Paramount must have been pretty persuasive, because he’s still in the director’s seat for what he insists will be his final Transformers film. Aside from Mark Wahlberg being back as the saga’s current human star, we don’t know what to expect from Transformers 5, although we’re sure there will be plenty of action, and lots of lead-ins to the assortment of spin-off films the studio’s planning.
Bloodshot – TBD
We’re still not sure whether audiences will be willing to shell out for a full slate of Marvel and DC movies, but Sony’s already looking to add another player to the game. Valiant Entertainment, the publisher behind the comics Bloodshot and Harbinger, has signed a deal to adapt both titles to the big screen, with plans to bring them both together in a shared-universe crossover picture titled Harbinger Wars. First, though, we get Bloodshot, in which John Wick directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski bring to life the saga of a dead mobster brought back from the grave and given superpowers. This is clearly not going to be the most kid-friendly comic movie on the block, which might actually give it an edge with audiences.
Review: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Shows the Best and Worst of Marvel Movies
“Captain America: Civil War” isn’t necessarily the best Marvel movie — directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo fail to deliver even a fraction of the scale, grace, and ineffable sense of joy that Joss Whedon brought to “The Avengers” — but it’s nevertheless the Platonic ideal of a Marvel movie.
More so than any of the previous episodes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Civil War” is a soap opera in spandex. In part, that’s because of the film’s refreshing (if not fully realized) emphasis on emotional turmoil rather than global destruction; while plenty of buildings blow up, most of the collateral damage is caused by the good guys as they argue with each other and threaten to go their separate ways. This isn’t just about killing time before the Infinity Wars, it’s about fulfilling the ultimate goal of the MCU: A film franchise so immense and self-perpetuating that a plot’s greatest possible conflict is no longer the end of the world, but rather the end of the brand.

The story begins, as most Marvel movies do, wherever the hell it wants. The profound sense of guilt that began to fester inside Tony Stark (still Robert Downey, Jr.) after the attacks on New York City has been intensified by the death toll from the fight against Ultron in Sokovia. And Stark isn’t the only one who’s afraid to look in the mirror. Early in the film, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is devastated when a brawl in Lagos claims a handful of innocent bystanders. With various world governments on edge about the continued existence of the Avengers — whose formation seems to have invited a never-ending series of calamities upon the Earth — U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) draws up the Sokovia Accords, which would essentially put the superhero task force under the command of the United Nations.
Stark, an Oppenheimer type who’s desperate to share the burden of guilt, is ready to sign. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a product of WWII who believes that the Avengers are capable of policing the planet on their own, is not. Stark thinks that they need regulations; Rogers thinks that they are the regulations. While the MCU is largely inspired by story arcs that were drawn long before the 21st Century, these movies have nevertheless used 9/11 as their north star, and “Civil War” is a natural choice of narratives for a saga that’s so preoccupied with the United States’ evolving role on the world stage.
The philosophical differences between the two Avengers are enflamed when a bomb detonates during the signing of the Accords, killing the king of Wakanda (a fictional African nation). All signs point to Bucky Barnes as the culprit, but Rogers refuses to believe that his old pal is capable of such evil.

The villain is clear from the start, and he’s far more innocuous than you might think. In fact, for the first time in a Marvel movie, the main antagonist is justsome dude. Sure, he’s hatched from comic book mythos, but he doesn’t have a super-suit or electric whips or a menacing red face — his name is Helmut Zemo, and he’s pretty much just Daniel Brühl. Zemo’s most ominous characteristics are his German accent and his penchant for eating bacon — and only bacon — for breakfast. He could just as easily be the villain from a mid-’90s thriller starring Clint Eastwood. His scheme is to agitate the Avengers into fighting each other, and it works.
Stomping on the carcass of its competition can only get a film so far, but it goes without saying that the rift between these two superheroes is considerably more nuanced and better-developed than that between Batman and Superman. Iron Man and Captain America have some serious shit to work out, and their disagreements aren’t resolved out of convenience or in order to rally together against a common foe. In fact, the Russo brothers are so invested in the ideas that bond their characters together (and tear them apart) that Zemo becomes an afterthought, the most forgettable villain in a franchise whose antagonists include Dark Elves and several different bald white men.
What makes “Civil War” so emblematic of the MCU is that it cuts to the heart of what the brand is all about: humanity. “Spider-Man 2” predates the dawn of the MCU, but these movies have never forgotten that film’s bittersweet parting thought: Compassion is both our greatest strength, and our greatest liability.
On the flip-side of that coin, ideology is the MCU’s most consistent foil (hence the series’ dramatically stultifying preoccupation with mind-control, which reaches a painful nadir in “Civil War”). The tension between the potential generosity of strength and the corruptive nature of power also explains why so many of the jokes in these movies — and almost all of the unfunny ones in “Civil War” — boil down to “Superheroes: they’re just like us!” So far as Marvel is concerned, they are and always will be.

Rogers and Stark are two sticks of old dynamite wrapped around a single fuse, and all Zemo has to do is light a match. He recognizes that the Avengers’ individual guilt is pushing them towards the blind comforts of ideology, just as he recognizes that ideology never leaves much wiggle room. As Rogers puts it: “Compromise where you can. And where you can’t, don’t.”
“Civil War,” bursting with fun characters and drawing from a rich mythology, is also the most convincing proof yet that the MCU can compromise just about everywhere. For Marvel, a studio that essentially uses the same score on every movie and fired Edgar Wright from “Ant-Man” because his creative vision deviated from party lines, compromise has become an aesthetic unto itself.
That’s never been more evident than it is in “Civil War,” especially during the fight scenes. Marvel has always excelled at expressing character through action, and so it stands to reason that the characters suffer if the action becomes less expressive. The combat in “Civil War” is so clumsy that it actually undercuts the drama. The justification behind many of the film’s tiffs are hard to believe as it is, but only when the characters actually drop the gloves does it get hard to remember why they’re fighting.
Watching “Civil War,” it’s easy to understand why the MCU is so hung up on the fight in New York — it’s the franchise’s only great action sequence. Joss Whedon’s visceral understanding of cinematic geometry and his symphonic flair for choreographing movement allowed that marquee set-piece to galvanize the separate threads of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a unified whole. On the contrary, every action beat in “Civil War” is such a discrete hodgepodge of close-ups and medium shots that they might as well exist in a vacuum — at times, this feels like the first movie ever made entirely out of gifs. The problem becomes gallingly clear during a battle royale in which more than a dozen different superheroes square off on an airport tarmac.

Not only does the flabbergasting lack of wide shots completely diminish the scale of the fight — it’s like the Russo brothers forgot half of their lenses at homes — but it also limits the action to one plane at a time. It doesn’t help that the factions feel so arbitrarily determined. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) gets to have a handful of great moments, but not even he seems to know why he’s trying to make life difficult for Tony Stark.
On the other hand, it makes perfect sense that teenage Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is so endearingly overeager just to be there. But the Russo brothers can’t juggle two slivers of parallel action — 100% of their attention is focused on the foreground at all times — let alone smoothly re-introduce an iconic Marvel character in the middle of a massive brawl. Holland’s precocious zip makes him a wonderful Spidey, just as Chadwick Boseman’s stoic strength suggests that his Black Panther will have no trouble carrying his own movie, but just because these new characters feel right in this world doesn’t mean that they’re provided a proper place in this movie. When the action cuts to either one of them, Captain America and Iron Man suddenly feel a million miles away, and “Civil War” dissolves into nothing more than an advertisement for the MCU’s next round of spin-offs. There’s no room for context in these shots, just bodies.
It’s hard to believe that Tony Stark is being eaten up by something that happened in a different movie if you can’t connect two things that happen in the same scene. It’s all just empty talk, and “Civil War” becomes a civic lesson that’s punctuated by one-liners and explosions. The bigger these movies become, the smaller they feel. The more aggressively they reach for greatness, the more clearly they prove that its beyond their grasp. Marvel movies don’t get much better than this. The trouble is, they don’t want to.
Review: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Shows the Best and Worst of Marvel Movies
Everything that’s been teased for Minecraft Pocket Edition’s 0.15 update
Minecraft Pocket Edition is once again getting a huge update that will bring the mobile version of the game closer to its PC counterpart.
And, as usual, Mojang has teased a bunch of new features through the majestic medium of Twitter. Some are “hey we’re doing this in the next update” while others are “this would be cool I guess?”
And all that leaves us with a list of features that maybe kinda sorta possibly might end up in 0.15. We’ll find out.
Resource packs
Way back in February, MCPE top dog Tommaso Checchi was already teasing possible new features for 0.15. And it all started with a tweet that said…
“I’ll be in Seattle for a while to plan out 0.15, too, and there’s a lot of cool stuff coming up… resource packs anyone?”
Resource packs allow players to easily customise textures, models, music, sounds, fonts and more, just by downloading and installing a few files.
Who knows whether they will be like resource packs on PC where players can freely distribute and download new files, or more like the mash-up packs on console where Mojang sells themed packs of resources as DLC.
Pistons
Pistons are an important part of any redstone engineer’s toolbox. You can use these components to push blocks around, letting you build handy factories or traps.
Mojang dev Daniel Wustenhoff tweeted a video of pistons in action back in March, which means they’re likely to appear in the game’s next major update.
Realms
Realms are the big new addition for 0.15, and are already available in the update’s first alpha test.
According to Mojang itself, “Minecraft Realms is a paid multiplayer server hosting service, provided by Mojang, designed to be easily set up and used by up to ten players at a time”.
You can already make an online server in MCPE but it’s a bit of a pain – Realms will make the process painless, in exchange for £5.59 per month.
Taller worlds
Mojang is also working on worlds that can be 256 blocks tall. The first attempt was, ahem, not a success. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the team can fix those bugs in time for 0.15.
Trading with villagers
Right now, villagers just walk around, look at you suspiciously, and sometimes make a weird honking noise. Well that’s set to change!
Checchi teased the possibility of trading with villagers – and more – in a tweet that says “Today’s idea: a NPCComponent you can give to any mob to have a dialog tree with them”.
That would certainly allow for trading, but maybe other possibilities too. Could you make a text adventure in a Minecraft world for other players to experience?
This one sounds super vague right now, but maybe start saving up those emeralds. You might be able to use them to trade with villagers sooner than you think.
Fire Charges
Only eagle-eyed viewers will spot what’s new in Minecraft developer Jason Major’s screenshot.
It’s the Fire Charge, of course. This item lights blocks on fire when used. It’s not quite as good as the Flint and Steel but charges are renewable and stackable.
Plus, chuck one of these in a dispenser and it will shoot out fireballs. Bang, you’ve now got your own version of Bowser’s castle.
Horses
In that same screenshot, you might also see an extra spawn egg (used in creative mode to magic up a mob of your choosing) not currently in MCPE.
It’s barely even visible, so take this with a grain of salt, but the colours match up to the horse spawn egg from Minecraft proper.
If they were added, you’d be able to tame and ride horses to cross great distances in no time at all.
New archers
A brand new mob has been teased for Minecraft 1.10 and MCPE 0.15.0. They look like scary wraith-like archers who are gonna mess you up, son.
The game already has archer units of course, in the skeletons with bows. Who knows how these guys will differ.
Command blocks
Command blocks essentially let you write programming code in Minecraft. With some of these blocks and some redstone, you can make crazy tools like teleporters and mob spawners.
They might not appear in 0.15, but Minecraft boss Jens Bergensten told CNET “our ambition is to reach feature parity as soon as possible, including command blocks.”
Checchi added “Don’t expect all of that to be as powerful as PC for a while, because we’ll start small. But that’s the direction!”
Mutton
Cows, rabbits, pigs, and chicken all drop meat that you can eat or cook. But sheep just give you wool. You can’t eat wool. Well, you can but it’s not very tasty.
So it looks like sheep will soon drop raw mutton that you can cook for sustenance. We don’t know if, like in other Minecraft versions, it can be used to breed and heal tamed wolves.
Biome-based villages
Villages look the same everywhere you go. Bergensten says the team is testing an idea where villages would change depending on what biome they’re found in.
That means villages in jungles or mesas or deserts could be built from different materials. Neat!
You might also get new biomes – depending on if you would “hate if we made a new world generator with new biomes, but you need to create a new world to get it”.
More options
Expect more ways to tweak your Minecraft experience – including the ability to set the level of anti-aliasing if you’re playing on Windows 10 or VR. “Not as needed on phones because they have insane DPI,” says Checchi.
Everything that’s been teased for Minecraft Pocket Edition’s 0.15 update
Amazon marks GTA5, FIFA 16, Minecraft and more as “exclusively for Prime members”
You now need a Prime subscription to buy games such as Grand Theft Auto 5, Rainbow Six: Siege or FIFA 16 direct from retail giant Amazon.
The bizarre change, spotted by Videogamer, appears to have quietly taken effect overnight.
But there’s a big caveat to the above. All of these games are still available to buy via Amazon through third-party sellers, whether you have Prime or not.
To many customers, little will actually change.

Note the new warning box on the right, but also the third-party sellers which are still available, and cheaper than Amazon itself.
Amazon uses third-party sellers extensively itself, listing many as being the option it uses to fulfill orders. Again, these are still available to non-Prime subscribers.
Still, the change is notable for the worrying precedent it sets and because it appears to be targeting a very specific section of its customer base – those who play video games – at least initially. It’s not hard to imagine a future where some games are locked behind Amazon Prime completely.
Other games affected by the change include Minecraft, Far Cry Primal, Dishonored: Definitive Edition, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Elder Scrolls Online, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, Battlefield Hardline. Even Farming Simulator.
An Amazon Prime subscription currently costs £79 per year.
Amazon marks GTA5, FIFA 16, Minecraft and more as “exclusively for Prime members”
New Captain America: Civil War Spots Revealed
New Captain America: Civil War spots revealed
Are you Team Cap or Team Iron Man? Marvel has released two new TV spots for Captain America: Civil War that highlight both teams and can be watched below!
Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely,Captain America: Civil War will debut in theaters on May 6, 2016. The film has a running time of 2 hours and 27 minutes, making it the longest Marvel movie to date.
‘Captain America: Civil War’ Tracking for Massive $175M-Plus Opening
Captain America: Civil War is tracking for a massive domestic opening of $175 million-plus at the North American box office, where it opens May 6. Some even think it could approach $200 million.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the superhero tentpole is the third installment in the stand-alone Captain America series and the 13th film in the Marvel cinematic universe. Chris Evans returns in the title role as Steve Rogers/Captain America, while a wide array of other Marvel superheroes appear in the film, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).
If tracking is correct, Captain America 3 is set to score the fifth-best opening of all time, if not better. To date, the four top bows belong to Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248 million),Jurassic World ($208.8 million), Marvel’s The Avengers ($207.4 million) and Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191.3 million).
Captain America 3, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, sees the Avengers fractured into opposing factions when the government wants to intervene — one led by Captain America and the other by Iron Man.
The movie has received strong reviews so far, and currently sports a 94 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Captain America: Civil War’ Tracking for Massive $175M-Plus Opening
Warner Bros Studio Tour London Opens Its doors to Privet Drive!
In celebration of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s 15th Anniversary, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London will be opening the doors to Privet Drive, from Friday 27 May to Monday 6 June!
Walk around the living room, and delight in Vernon and Petunia’s choice of decoration, fondly remembering the times that the wizarding world intruded on that very space.
Pottermore reports:
“Although this room was the setting for many horrible memories for Harry, it is also where he was bombarded with letters, inviting him to go to Hogwarts, and far away from his supposed ‘family’.
That iconic letter, created by graphic design team MinaLima, will of course be on set too, with hundreds of them suspended in the air, just like they were when they flew out of the fireplace during Philosopher’s Stone (2001). Fans will also be able to check out the mechanism that was built in order to shoot out such letters during filming, with approximately 10,000 being used for the iconic moment.
The Dursleys’ costumes, in all their grotesque finery, will also be on display, so enemies of bad jumpers, beware.”
Find out more, and book tickets here!
Warner Bros Studio Tour London Opens Its doors to Privet Drive!
New Attractions Opened at WWOHP Japan
Yesterday, an opening ceremony took place for the newest attractions at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Japan: Wand Studies and Wand Magic.
Information on the new attractions are below (thanks toMugglenet for the heads up!):
Wand Magic
A special Interactive Wand is now available at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan that offers guests the chance to cast spells. Guests will search for magical points hidden in several locations in the area based on the Wand Magic Map. To lead guests to a successful magical experience, Wand Assistants at respective locations will give personal interaction to each and every guest.
Wand Studies
This is a show-style attraction in which students of the four Hogwarts houses practice how to cast spells while receiving support from guests.
Actresses Alice and Suzu Hirose helped cast spells to greet fans and demonstrate the new experiences on offer, including Wingardium Leviosa and Locomotor (which was used to levitate the Weasley’s infamous Ford Anglia!).
Check out Mugglenet’s photos and videos from the event here, and be sure to watch Universal Studios Japan’s exciting video of the demonstration below!
Katherine Waterston talks to Pottermore about her role as Tina in “Fantastic Beasts”!
Actor Interviews, Directors, Fantastic Beasts Movie, J.K. Rowling, News, Yates
The ever-mysterious Pottermore Correspondent managed to sneak in an interview with Katherine Waterston, on the set of Fantastic Beasts. She ‘perfectly inhabits’ the character of Tina Goldstein, according to Pottermore, and we can’t wait to see for ourselves the level of talent David Yates clearly saw in her:
‘We were standing in the pouring rain with David Yates and I asked him about the casting process,’ I [the Pottermore Correspondent] tell Katherine, wondering if she knows. ‘David said he got Eddie Redmayne to read with so many actresses but he knew immediately that you were Tina. That you had such perfect chemistry and it had to be you.’
‘Oh! Oh, really?’ she says, genuinely incredulous and in her soft American accent. ‘That’s too nice. I bet he was like, “Don’t tell her that, it’ll go to her head!” Oh, he’s such a dear man. He brings so much joy to the set, but the real thing that trickles down from the top is his faith in this process because he’s been in this world before.’
Yates has also been at work on The Legend of Tarzan, and knows the Potter series well after directing the last four movies, so he is well versed in leading great actors – we’re confident he’s found something special in Waterston!
Katherine says that Yates has been a huge help on set, and clearly has a passion for his work and J.K. Rowling’s world:
‘Usually on a movie, you’re going into new territory together and you’re like, “Is there quicksand around the corner, are there going to be wolves attacking?” Whereas David’s been here before so he’s just like, “You’re going to take a left here and avoid the quicksand”.
‘He has a shorthand and a comfort with the world. He’s not precious with it, he understands what it needs and what it doesn’t need and there’s something really comforting in that.’
‘When we’re incorporating things that aren’t actually there, to look at David and know he can see the world is… everything,’
‘It’s sort of like when your parents read you a book when you’re a kid; if they read it with passion and curiosity, you can see the whole world.’
When asked by the Pottermore correspondent what she thinks of Rowling’s world, and how she feels about the script, Katherine gives us some great insight on the film’s tone. ‘Tender’, ‘slightly English’ and ‘beautiful’, but more interestingly, the film is reportedly ‘rooted in truth’:
‘Ah, this movie. It’s so clever and it’s rooted in truth. It’s got light, funny elements and then much darker, more adult elements. I normally don’t respond so well to innocent lovely things, I think, “come on, let’s get on with it”. But there’s something about this script and the way J.K. Rowling writes; it’s tender without being saccharine. It never lingers on the sweet parts but maybe that’s a slightly English thing: “Oh I felt something – moving on!” No, really, it’s a beautiful film. It’ll kill me to finish filming it.’
Read the full interview with Katherine Waterston over at Pottermore here.
Katherine Waterston talks to Pottermore about her role as Tina in “Fantastic Beasts”!