Our favorite web-slinger has a brand new animated series on the way.
Marvel’s Spider-Man will premiere next year on Disney XD, bringing fans back to his early days of being both a teenager and a superhero.
Marc Buhaj, senior vice president of programming and general manager for Disney XD announced:
“Spider-Man is the biggest action hero in the world. He is an iconic character whose duality makes him both relatable and aspirational for the Disney XD audience. He promises “a fresh take on a beloved classic that will engage both new and existing Spidey fans with its compelling drama, exciting action and the signature sense of comedy.”
(Photo: Marvel)
With Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man (involving a team-up Nick Fury and SHIELD) coming to an end around January 2017, fans will have a younger, more inexperienced Peter Parker series to look forward to.
The new series will focus on Peter Parker learning how to come into his own superpowers while facing the pressures of being a normal teen. Headed up by Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken) and supervising director Philip Pignotti (Marvel’s Avengers Assemble), Marvel’s Spider-Man will have a back to basics approach.
Cort Lane, senior vice president of Marvel Animation and Family Entertainment added, “The simple title reflects a back-to-basics approach, it’s just filled with heart and humor.”
2017 is going to be a big year for the young Peter Parker with the upcoming movie Spider-Man: Homecoming starring Tom Holland and now the new animated series Marvel’s Spider-Man.
It was pretty funny seeing Iris and Joe question Barry about how upset he got with Wally for disobeying his orders in last week’s winter premiere of The Flash. During the first-half of the season, their fears about Wally’s safety hindered his speedster progress, so they should be happy that Barry wants Wally to only shadow him at this point in his training. One does not become a hero overnight.
Even so, by the end of the episode, The Flash has the bright idea of going after Plunder with Kid Flash and lets his new sidekick capture plunder and get the credit. By changing who took down Plunder, Barry was able to prove that the future is fluid, not fixed. Now he knows with certainty that Iris’s future death at the hands of Savitar can be prevented by his present-day choices.
Now check out a cool new poster (via The Flash Brasil) with Kid Flash and The Flash running side-by-side, and its tagline reads: “LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE.”
H.R.’s (Tom Cavanagh) past catches up with him when a bounty hunter with vibe powers named Gypsy (guest star Jessica Camacho) arrives in Central City to bring him back to Earth-19 to stand trial for his crime. It turns out inter-dimensional travel is illegal on their Earth. H.R. surrenders but when Barry (Grant Gustin) and Cisco (Carlos Valdes) find out that H.R.’s only hope would be to challenge Gypsy to a fight to the death, they intercede and Cisco offers to fight Gypsy instead.
Harry Jierjian directed the episode with story by Benjamin Raab and Deric A. Hughes and teleplay by Zack Stentz
If you’re looking for a way to satiate your appetite for The Flash, then you can check out ComicBook.com’s ‘Flashback,’ an aftershow dedicated to the hit series. Flashback will air at 9 PM ET on ComicBook.com’s Facebook page, with new episodes airing Tuesday nights after each new hour of the CW series.
The Flash airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. “Dead or Alive” will air on The CW next week on January 31st to continue The Flash’s third season.
We might see some newer Spider-Man storylines on Disney XD’s new cartoon adaptation premiering later this year.
Marvel’s Spider-Man has been teased as a back-to-basics approach for the wall crawler after Ultimate Spider-Man concludes, and concept art has teased new spider characters such Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.
Bit in a recent interview with CBR promoting the finale of Avengers: Ultron Revolution, Marvel Animation Vice President Steve Wacker revealed that his team is looking to adapt more contemporary comic book stories, includingSuperior Spider-Man.
“That was the last big story I worked on in the comics side with Dan Slott,” Wacker said. “I’m not quite sure how we get there, but I’d love to see it.”
He also hinted at another recent event that shook up the Spidey mythos in the comics.
“We’ll get toSpider Island at some point. That was a big Spider-Man story in publishing,” Wacker added.
He said he’d like to see newer stories like Annihilation than Kree/Skrull War or Spider Man: No More, perhaps hinting at a future storyline for the Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon.
Whether these developments are on the horizon or a ways away is still up in the air, as Marvel’s Spider-Man has yet to premier. Look for more information in the coming months as a release date is locked down.
While walking the red carpet at the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Jim Parsons was asked if an actor has been chosen yet to potray the 12-year-old version of Sheldon Cooper for The Big Bang Theory spinoff series—which CBS is developing and is simply titled: Sheldon.
“We do,” Parsons told ET’s Nancy O’Dell, when she asked if a lead had been chosen. “They’re supposed to release it but I’m not going to say.”
Okay, so what could Parsons share about the young actor? “He’s wonderful,” he shared. “So many kids sent in [tapes] and it was really overwhelming. But this one little guy was really special.”
Since Parsons has played the character for ten seasons and is executive producing the series—along with Big Bang co-creator Chuck Lorre and showrunner Steve Molaro—his input on the casting process was welcomed. “Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro are really heading it but they’re always really sweet about asking, ‘What would you think?’ and I’m like, ‘I think it’s great,'” he added. “I kind of don’t want to get in the way too much because whoever the kids is has to do his own thing. You know what I mean? If it’s going to be special it has to be related to what’s going on but also it’s own creature, you know? I’m excited about it though.”
Sheldon beta-tests an MIT invention after hearing it can help him read people’s emotions. Also, Leonard can’t hide his feelings when Penny announces her brother is coming to town, and Raj invites his ex-girlfriends over to give him dating advice.
The main cast features Johnny Galecki as Leonard, Jim Parsons as Sheldon, Kaley Cuoco as Penny, Simon Helberg as Wolowitz, Kunal Nayyar as Koothrappali, Mayim Bialik as Amy, and Melissa Rauch as Bernadette.
The recurring cast includes Laura Spencer as Emily Sweeney, Kate Micucci as Lucy, Alessandra Torresani as Claire, and Katie Leclerc as Emily.
The story was created by Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Eric Kaplan. The teleplay was written by Steve Holland, Jim Reynolds, and Saladin K. Patterson. It was directed by Mark Cendrowski.
“The Emotion Detection Automation” episode of The Big Bang Theory will air Thursday, Feb. 2 at 8:00-8:31 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.
The Founder tells the story of Ray Kroc, an American entrepreneur who would not discover the success he dreamed of until his 50s. It was then that he encountered the first McDonald’s, a bustling enterprise in San Bernadino, and worked with the owners to franchise the concept across America and then the world. Eventually, he took over the entire corporation, forcing the original creators out and making himself one of the richest and cementing his legacy in American business and culture. It’s a fascinating tale and one that The Founder tells with stunning style and purpose.
While The Founder may not have been a big hit upon its opening weekend, it’s not for a lack of talent or effort. Unfortunately, it appears to have been a victim of studio mismanagement and poor timing. What should have been an Oscar contender has been left to wallow in January. It may still have more to give than a chance for all of us to catch a great, underappreciated flick this weekend though. The Founder is a story of American business, big personalities, and “true”-ly legendary happenings. It also parralels the story of Marvel Comics in all of these aspects.
The Founder lays out a model for the telling of the Marvel story and shows how such a tale could be just as fascinating as the superhero stories they sell tickets to today. Here’s why some smart producers ought to be looking at this as an opportunity to tell the story behind the heroes.
A True American Story
Movies have been using the phrase “Base on a true story” for decades. It’s for a good reason too. We love to see stories about what can really be done or, at least, what seems possible. Whether it exposes the good or bad of humanity, “true” stories are easier to believe and accept than those filled with fantastic characters for many. The great thing about the story of early Marvel Comics is that just like the early expansion of McDonald’s, it’s a true story that’s 100% true.
Sean Howe’s history Marvel: The Untold Story has been praised both for its research and enthralling narrative. Every bit of the company’s history is packed with tantalizing anecdotes and drama, enough to form the foundation an entire television series. The early years are especially potent with events occurring on a monthly basis. It’s a story about people with big dreams, a company with a big future, and fictions that would encompass the world. And it’s all true.
Bigger Than Life Characters
The Founder wouldn’t work if it weren’t for the personality of Ray Kroc. Love him or hate him (and the film definitely leans towards the latter) he was able to fill an entire room with his charisma and ego. No matter how successful or influential a company may be, a story is only as interesting as its characters. The men and women who populated Marvel Comics in the 1960s were absolutely fascinating.
Everyone knows Stan Lee as the charming huckster and renowned writer of many Marvel creations, but he’s far from the only leading man in this story. Both Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko were just as essential to the early success of Marvel Comics, if not more so, and came with their own big personalities. Kirby was a hard-working family man with a penchant for chomping cigars and thinking of so many ideas he could barely drive a car. Ditko was an eccentric objectivist who pulled ever deeper into his shell leading to bigger philosophical proclamations and conflicts with colleagues. Any one of these three men could be the star of a film, together they’re a trio that absolutely must be explored.
The Stuff of Legends
True events and big personalities aren’t enough to make a great film; there has to be something more. That’s something the story of Marvel Comics has though. The Founder isn’t just about the growth of McDonald’s, in fact it’s not really about that at all. It is a story about capitalism, innovation, and corruption. If you have a chance to see The Founder, you’ll notice parallels to many modern narratives in and out of business. What makes it a great film is that it’s about so much more than what’s in the synopsis.
That’s true to the founding of Marvel Comics and it’s explosive growth in the 1960s, as well. It was a time in which the rules surrounding intellectual property were vague and the company was just as likely to go under as survive for another year. Knowing the outcome doesn’t make those days any less treacherous or the coming conflicts any less disastrous. There are many parallels between those early days at Marvel and the same at McDonald’s. While some might seek to cast villains and heroes purely, the situations were complex and help expose the complexities found in creation, advancement, and success. Those ambiguities don’t just make for some good stories, they also make for the sort of legends that never grow stale.
Marvel: The Untold Story
No matter how The Founder fares in the weeks ahead (hopefully better once the word gets out), it does lay out a clear path to success for Marvel Comics to follow. Pitching the concept of “McDonald’s: The Movie” may not be easy, but the world has never been more interested in the heroes of Marvel Comics than they are today. There has been talk of a fictional film recasting Stan Lee as a superspy, but that’s so much less interesting than the real story behind the early days of this comics juggernaut.
All of the elements that make The Founder so compelling are easily found within the history of Marvel Comics, as well. A quick read of the early chapters in Marvel: The Untold Story make it clear just how much potential can be found in the lives of creators like Kirby, Ditko, and Lee. What they accomplished has continued to shake the comics medium, the superhero genre, and the American entertainment industry. People care about what they accomplished and the story of how they did it is every bit as fascinating. Yet for many that story remains untold; it’s about time that a studio changes that and gives these creators a fair shake in theaters right alongside the heroes they created.
Minecraft is one of the most popular games ever made, and it appears to be just as beloved in classrooms as it is at home. Looking to continue that trend, Microsoft and Mojang have been working hard at further developing Minecraft Education Edition, and at the start of 2017, the two firms have announced that this version of the game has now hit 1.0.
Minecraft Education Edition is the same Minecraft world you know and love, but with specific features aimed at students and teachers. It has NPCs for tutorials, simple multiplayer server setup, camera and portfolio recording, in-game chalkboards and downloadable lesson plans for educators.
While all of those features have been present since the early days of Minecraft Education Edition in late 2016, now that it’s hit version 1.0, there are a number of new features to enjoy, too.
There is now a global pause button, which brings the whole world to a quick halt in order to give children a break, and which also lets the teacher control when and how the lesson ends. Text-to-speech and other accessibility features have also been added and they make it easier for those with disabilities to join in, too. A newly arranged UI makes interaction easier, and an increased world height to 256 means bigger and better projects.
Added features from the main game’s v1.0 update, like The End dimension, are now included and there are also igloos and polar bears in snowy biomes. To top it all off, there’s a new, streamlined uploading process with support for .mcworld files.
To continue encouraging teachers and educators around the world to use Minecraft Education Edition, Microsoft has also announced a new mentor system. This will see some 60 educators from 19 countries around the world posting blogs, lesson plans, live-streams and videos on a regular basis as part of a “Mentor of the Week” ongoing series.
Microsoft and Mojang aren’t stopping there though. They plan many more updates to the educational version of Minecraft throughout 2017, so keep your eyes peeled and make sure you know your granite from your redstone, as chances are your kids will be playing it before long, if they haven’t already.
