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01/25/24 @ 6:52 pm EST
This April, one of the greatest heroes throughout all of storytelling is setting out on a big comic adventure, as Disney's Hercules returns for a brand-new comic book series presented by Dynamite Entertainment with writer Elliott Kalan and artist George Kambadais!
The new comic follows the events of the beloved 1997 Walt Disney Animation Studious feature film, but is perfect for those who are new to the story and fans of the original film alike. After his famous journey, Hercules chose mortality over godhood in his internal struggle as a demigod. The Greek gods still don't understand why he would ever make that decision, but that hasn't severed their connection. Hercules has proven his might and mettle many times over, and the gods are more than happy to enlist him as their agent of Earthly matters.    The goddess of beauty Aphrodite has granted an artist his wish to bring her sculpture to life. The only problem is the newly conscious marble proves to be hard to handle and more bone-crushingly lively than expected. The inquisitive and kind-hearted Herc discovers on the scene that the rogue statue is simply misunderstood and rambunctious in its brand-new life, reminding him of his own precocious youth. Returning to Mt. Olympus to report back to Aphrodite, Hercules finds her temple mysteriously empty and abandoned. And that's just the opening — could this be the start of a larger sinister saga? Anyone who has ever dabbled in Greek mythology knows the answer to that! "To me, the Disney Hercules embodies the best aspects of classic superheroes," said writer Elliott Kalan. "He always tries to do what’s right, never gives up, cares about the people around him, and feels for those who need help. Hercules is the original superhero concept — a super-strong person who keeps people safe by removing monsters from the world. What are the Twelve Labors but the original twelve-issue storyline?!? My hope is that when people read Hercules, they’ll say 'This could have been a new Hercules movie!'" Heading up the immortal creative team on this series are writer Elliott Kalan and artist George Kambadais. Kalan's Spider-Man and the X-Men remains a fan-favorite, with panels shared between fans all the time thanks to its mix of action, comedy, and character that readers will see reflected in Hercules now. Beyond comics he has won multiple Emmy Awards across his contributions to The Daily Show, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and more. Kambadais is a skyrocketing talent in comics, following his perfectly fitting style for the initial flagship title of Disney's Gargoyles comics revival. As a native Greek, Hercules is a uniquely special project for George. He brings a level of familiarity and reverence for the mythology that will flow onto his pages.
Kambadais shared, "Hercules is a super important character in pop culture, even more so here in Greece. We have known his name ever since we were children. I remember my mother reading the Twelve Labors of Hercules to me as a bedside story! They were amazing, magical. So was the Disney Animation movie when it came out. We, as Greek children, back then (in the pre- internet days) felt kind of isolated. Living in a small corner of the world seemed far away from anything that felt big and important. When I saw the movie, I felt sort of… validated. It was equal parts exciting and moving. Now being a part, however infinitesimal, of that story feels huge!" This immortal duo of Kalan and Kambadais are joined by a pantheon of divinely talented cover artists, including Kambadais, Matteo Lolli ( Deadpool, Marauders), Franceso Tomaselli ( Spawn), and Alessandro Ranaldi ( Disney Villains: Hades). Fans of Hercules won't want to miss the biggest adventure since The Odyssey! With appeal for Disney fans, mythology fiends, and with a dash of superhero DNA, there's something for everyone on this fresh hero's journey!    DISNEY'S HERCULES #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ February 2024 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in April 2024. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the book with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more! 04/29/24 @ 3:09 pm EST
Disney has dropped a teaser for Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel for the studio’s 2019 photorealistic version of the animated 1994 classic The Lion King.Directed by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), the film sees the baboon Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to his granddaughter Kiara. According to the trailer description, the story will be told in flashbacks and follows Mufasa (meaning ‘king’ in Swahili) as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The film is being released December 20, 2024. (via Deadline) Trailer: https://youtu.be/MjQG-a7d41Q 04/28/24 @ 3:00 pm EST
Is the future of physical media coming to an end? It used to be that DVD and Blu-Ray sales were the saving grace for some movies and you could walk into various stores and browse by genre in the same way you could for music. But like the music stores of the past, the days of swinging by your local shop and picking up the latest release are fading fast. Last year Netflix announced they were no longer doing the movie-by-mail program, so they wouldn’t be buying any more DVDs and Best Buy announced they were removing their Music/Movie sections as well. Now Target has come out and said they would be doing the same this year. A lot of studios have moved away from creating physical media, the exception being Disney who just made a deal with a third party to create their media and it has led to releases of WandaVision, Loki, Moon Knight, and the Mandalorian with SteeleBook editions. And when you purchase a movie or album digitally, there is always the chance that the hosting service you bought it on goes out of business, you will lose your purchases. While I don’t think there are any clear-cut answers here yet, I think the discussion definitely needs to be had. Physical media may seem antiquated to some, but when you computer crashes, your internet goes out or a company files bankruptcy… physical media may start looking a whole lot better.  04/28/24 @ 2:37 pm EST
The ouroboros created by the success of Marvel Studios is continuing with the latest round of speculation driven by nothing. With Marvel and other superhero films becoming so popular that it led to websites and YouTube channels focused on them and now those places need to keep feeding content to their viewers. So, when Michael B. Jordan reposts the trailer for the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, we get stories of how this means he is going to return as Johnny Storm from the 2015 Fantastic Four film. Jordan did play a version of the Human Torch, but he’s also played Kilmonger in Black Panther so he could return as either character… or he could just be promoting the next movie from Marvel because he feels connected to the studio? This is the same type of thing as James Gunn posting the original Superman logo to social media last week and everyone running around trying to figure out what it means. It could just mean that Gunn had some free time and wanted to post something Superman related. This week he posted the bloodied fist of a Green Lantern as drawn by Dave Johnson. There are now articles trying to figure out what this means. He also posted a picture of his cat and then his two dogs… I’m sure this is supposed to mean we’re getting a Krypto & Streaky movie soon…  04/28/24 @ 2:13 pm EST
In an interview the other day, Nathan Fillion told the story of how he found out that he was going to be playing Guy Garner / Green Lantern in the upcoming Superman movie. The problem is that he made a slight error in his story, and it has led to a lot of online controversy. In the interview he said he ran into James Gunn at the premiere of Suicide Squad and was told there. Gunn took to social media to correct the statement, saying that it took place at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 premiere instead. This made Zak Snyder fans come out and claim that Fillion’s story proves that Gunn had been lying about Henry Cavill and that now he was just trying to cover it up with his post. Supposedly the lie came about when Gunn said that he had no interest in taking over the DCU until Peter Safran came on board to do the “exec stuff” and could leave Gunn to do the creative stuff. Gunn stated he was confused and not sure who is supposed to have lied, he also made it clear that his Superman pitch was always geared for a new Superman from the beginning so it doesn’t really matter at which event Fillion found out, Gunn was never lined up to make a Cavill lead film.  04/27/24 @ 11:36 am EST
Being in Los Angeles in the late 90s gave you access to a local radio station, KROQ and their morning show Kevin & Bean. While the show was on for just shy of thirty years, it is notable for a couple of the people who made their name there before moving on. Impressionist and frequent Kevin Smith collaborator Ralph Garman was on the show from 1999 to 2017 and Matt “Money” Smith was on from 1999 to 2006 before going to work at ESPN. But the two biggest names were Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel was “Jimmy the Sports Guy” from 1994 to 1999 before leaving with Carolla to start The Man Show before creating Win Ben Stein’s Money and eventually getting his own late-night variety show on ABC. Comedian Carolla was on the show from 1995 to 1997 as a character named Mr. Birchum, a woodshop teacher who would call in to give messages to his students. That character is coming back in a new animated series for the Daily Wire. And joining Carolla will be a voice cast that includes: Megyn Kelly, Brett Cooper, Roseanne Barr, Danny Trejo, Rob Riggle, Patrick Warburton, Tyler Fischer, Alonzo Bodden, Kyle Dunnigan and Jay Mohr. It was recently announced that Sage Steele would be replacing Candace Owens who recently left the news platform. The show is set to premiere on May 12 on the DailyWire+.  04/27/24 @ 11:12 am EST
New on Netflix is the Dead Boy Detectives, based on the comics from The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman. It follows a pair of ghosts who instead of crossing over into the afterlife, decide to stay and help other phantoms with their problems. In the comics, the boys exist in the same world as Morpheus and the other characters from The Sandman, which is the plan here as well, but because of timing the producers needed to tweak a few things. Showrunner Steve Yockey said: “We knew we wanted to hang on to the boys’ backstory as much as we could. We obviously couldn’t do the full “Season of Mists” backstory, because they have not done that on The Sandman yet. And we were trying to exist within The Sandman universe without stepping on any toes. So we had to slightly tweak their backstories. We held on to the friendship as the core thing, and obviously the detective agency. And then Crystal, to a certain extent, has the same backstory from the comics. Everybody else is either a new creation or a new version of something that was in the comic books. We did a lot of reappropriating and moving things around. So it will feel familiar to readers of the comic book, but also hopefully surprise them in good ways.” But they did keep how the ghosts work directly from the comics. “The rules about how ghosts operate are laid out like in a two-page spread in the comic book, where it’s like, ‘Here are the ghost rules.’ So we took that and we ran with it. Then we did everything in our power to just work that internal logic pretty rigorously. But these rules are the rules.” As for the theme of the series, Yockey gave what might be the best elevator pitch line ever, “I’ve said from the beginning that we were trying to make The Hardy Boys on acid.”  ... 04/27/24 @ 10:44 am EST
Recently we reported that Robert Downey Jr. has shown interest in returning to the role of Tony Stark / Iron Man in the future. The problem is that Iron Man sacrificed himself at the end of Avengers: Endgame, something that the directors of the movie mentioned when asked about RDJ’s comments. Anthony Russo told GamesRadar, “I don’t know how they would do it. I don’t know what the road to that would be.” Joe Russo added, “I mean, we closed that book, so it would be up to them to figure out how to reopen it.” And previously Kevin Feige had said, “We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again. We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.” So, that’s the end of that, right? Probably not as anyone who reads comics know that a character death only lasts until the sales start to drop and if the MCU continues to have a few underperforming films, I would expect the writers would come up with a way for RDJ to suit up again.  04/26/24 @ 9:41 pm EST
Sony has pushed its reboot of Karate Kid from December 13 this year to May 30, 2025. This has created a bit of a backward domino effect but won’t rob the year of theatrical releases. Backfilling Karate Kid‘s spot is Sony/Marvel’s Kraven the Hunter, which goes from August 30, the Labor Day weekend frame, to December 13. The Aaron Taylor-Johnson movie will have Imax and PLF screens. Kraven the Hunter will be the only R-rated movie during the holidays, directed by J.C. Chandor, it will go up that frame against Warner Bros’ animated Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim. The plus here on Karate Kid‘s move: The movie will now follow the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai, which was delayed due to the strike. The summer date will see 50% K-12 out on its opening day with great family-film spacing. Warner Bros has the weekend reserved for an untitled movie. Through five movies, the Karate Kid cinema franchise counts north of $620 million worldwide. (via Deadline) 04/26/24 @ 9:35 pm EST
The two most talked-about comic book icons of the year are co-starring in their latest team-up-series—DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII. Brought to you by two of the characters’ most legendary creators, writer Joe Kelly and artist Adam Kubert, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII is a three-issue epic that’s a must-have for fans and a perfect entry point for newcomers to Wade and Logan’s comic book adventures. The debut issue hits stands next week, and to celebrate this highly-anticipated launch, comic shops will receive a special surprise DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII variant cover! The Promo Surprise Variant Cover is an all-new take on acclaimed artist Gabriele Dell’Otto’s regular variant cover that features Wolverine in his beloved brown costume. WADE WILSON AND LOGAN AT THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - AND EACH OTHER'S THROATS! The most intensely mismatched team-up in comics and pop culture - the best there is and the merc with the mouth - undergoes a radical change in this three-part, globe-spanning saga for the ages! The mysterious Delta believes in change. Change is good. But as he sets his sights on Deadpool, and Wolverine is caught up in the plot, is the third time really the charm, or the curse? Get ready for WWIII to erupt on the scene with the wildest duo in comics! The DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: WWIII Promo Surprise Variant Cover is the latest complimentary cover delivered from Marvel to show appreciation for retailers and build excitement for readers. Check out Dell’Otto’s variant cover below and inquire with your local comic shop regarding availability.  04/26/24 @ 8:46 am EST
James Bond alum Pierce Brosnan is returning to his espionage roots. The actor is attached to star in A Spy’s Guide to Survival from director Simon Barry, the creator behind Netflix series Warrior Nun. Uri Singer’s Passage Pictures is producing the project that centers around a reclusive, retired spy who is brought out of hiding by his enigmatic new neighbor, digging up both of their secrets in the process. Barry will also write the film based on a story by him and his father, Derek Barry. The project will mark Simon Barry’s feature directing debut. “As a longtime Pierce Brosnan fan, I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside someone I admire for their craft, character and humanity,” said Simon Barry. (via The Hollywood Reporter) |
