07/18/22 @ 4:20 pm EST
Sugar, sugar, a brand new super-sweet antiheroine is hitting the stands! Meet NYC's Sweetie Candy Vigilante - from creator/writer Suzanne Cafiero and producer John Cafiero. Honey-dipped and dark humor infused, Sweetie Candy Vigilante is a unique multimedia character following in the footsteps of other "bad girls" like Harley Quinn and Dynamite's own Vampirella. She first debuted on the cover for the album Ear Candy by the group Osaka Popstar (featuring a dynamic punk cover of the classic Archies track, "Sugar, Sugar"). The first issue of the new comic series comes bundled with an MP3 download code to check out the song - perfect to put on while reading the book! “I’m honored to have Sweetie continue the long legacy of badass vigilante women in comics and media, including those in the stellar orbit of Dynamite’s roster," said writer Suzanne Cafiero. "I created Sweetie Candy Vigilante because I wanted to read a comic that has authentic NYC flavor infused with fantasy, horror, and dark humor. I’m really immersed in the SCV story. My lifelong NYC residency, along with childhood obsessions, love of art, music, film and comics has culminated in the creation of Sweetie, so buckle-up gumdrop!” Dynamite and the creative team are kicking off this exciting treat with an extra-sized first issue - extra pages, same sweet price of $3.99. The comic series is written and created by Suzanne Cafiero, produced, edited, and art directed by John Cafiero, and features artwork by Jeff Zornow ( Godzilla). Artist Josh Howard ( Dead@17) provides two variant covers in addition to Zornow's, with one presenting the artwork he created for the aforementioned album cover. Sweetie is an ethereal, charming, and beautiful relative of the mythical "candy man." She might just be a little bit unhinged, or perhaps unconventional. When she starts to notice her community of New York City being plagued by blight, decay, and dourness, she becomes hell-bent on spreading her blood-caked and sugar-coated manifesto on society. Equipped with other-worldly powers, confectionary weapons, and a passionate heart, she won't stop until the world around her is as sweet as her! First on her list is her favorite sweet shop the Ice Cream Bunny, run by an eponymous old friend. Only problem is, what stands there now is a front for a notorious crime syndicate. Which means it's time for Sweetie to tear the whole place and all its thugs apart, limb by limb. All the while enjoying the new version of "Sugar, Sugar" on the jukebox! "I was readying to record new material with Osaka Popstar and Suzanne asked if I would record a punk cover of “Sugar, Sugar” to connect with Sweetie," said producer John Cafiero. "I thought it would be fun and cool to include it as a free MP3 in the first issue and decided to take it a step further by having Sweetie appear on the cover of the record, which I titled Ear Candy. I love to create a full multimedia experience, and thought, let’s introduce Sweetie to the world not only on the cover, but set the stage for the upcoming series by including a variant version of issue #1, digitally, on the download card of the physical vinyl and CD. For the cover art, I wanted Josh to illustrate Sweetie holding a record literally made of candy, with a bite taken out of it. Bringing it full circle, I went to great lengths to create a real-life vinyl record you could hold in your hands, and even spin on your turntable, that looks exactly as you see it in Sweetie’s hands in the cover art!" Osaka Popstar is the pop-punk multimedia music and art project led by singer/producer John Cafiero, longtime Misfits and Ramones collaborator and platinum selling film and video director. Alongside backing band members from the Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag, and more, Cafiero and Osaka Popstar have been met with rave reviews.Their latest release Ear Candy has been featured on CNN and debuted at #7 on the Top 10 SubModern album chart. "When John called us to publish the new comic series he’s produced, we were more than intrigued. He then sent us some of the art and story, as well the album, and we were floored at how great everything is and said yes immediately!," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. "The mix of story and art is fantastic, and the fact that John is adding in an MP3 to the comic, is helping to grow the market in bringing his audience to comics retailers. We know the fans will love this, and to bring in more fans, is what any publisher wants for the industry, to grow it." SWEETIE CANDY VIGILANTE #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2022 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October 2022. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue 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!
11/07/24 @ 9:30 pm EST
After nearly 20 years, Channing Tatum might finally get his solo Marvel outing, thanks to a little help from pal Ryan Reynolds. Following Tatum’s appearance as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds teased that Marvel executives are “obsessed” with the performance and he has “hope” for Gambit’s onscreen future. “I honestly don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they’re obsessed with him in that role,” he said on Entertainment Weekly‘s Awardist podcast. “It’s kind of like the same situation I went through. Once you show that it works well, that’s really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action.” Tatum was meant to play Gambit in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), but the character didn’t make it into the film. Due to a scheduling conflict for Tatum, Taylor Kitsch played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which also featured Reynolds’ debut as Deadpool. For the past decade, Tatum has been attached to a potential solo outing, which has bounced around among multiple directors. (via Deadline)
11/07/24 @ 9:18 pm EST
Barry Keoghan’s Joker may get the last laugh in The Batman trilogy. After the actor made a cameo in 2022’s The Batman movie — and a five-minute deleted scene that was eventually released online — director Matt Reeves insisted that the brief cameo wasn’t setting up The Batman Part II. “It’s not an Easter egg scene,” Reeves explained in a 2022 interview. “It’s not one of those end credits Marvel or DC scenes where it’s going, like, ‘Hey, here’s the next movie!’ In fact, I have no idea when or if we would return to that character in the movies.” According to a report in the Marvelvision podcast, the Joker isn’t in The Batman Part II, but will instead be the main villain in The Batman Part III. The report claims that Keoghan will first reappear in a spinoff series. In the way that Penguin is the bridge between The Batman and The Batman Part II, this rumored series would link the next two films. Warner Bros. Pictures has dated The Batman Part II for October 2, 2026. (via ComicBook.com)
11/07/24 @ 2:56 pm EST
Well Go USA has snatched up North American distribution rights to the Chinese action movie Striking Rescue, starring Thai martial arts hero Tony Jaa. The film is produced by Chinese streamer Youku, which is releasing the film to its subscribers in China on Friday. It will be the first film from Youku to get a U.S. theatrical release. The project is a first step in Youku’s planned expansion into theatrical film production for international markets. Directed by Cheng Siyi, the action revenge movie follows An Bai (Jaa), a veteran Muay Thai expert who goes on a take-no-prisoners mission of revenge after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered by mysterious forces. The film co-stars Chinese actors Hong Junjia and Shi Yanneng. One of the last great martial arts stars, Jaa is a three-time Muay Thai champion famous for his explosive and inventive action sequences. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
11/07/24 @ 2:50 pm EST
Before production had begun on film adaptation of Enid Blyton‘s The Magic Faraway Tree, director Ben Gregor worried that he’d put off star Andrew Garfield with a song written for the picture. But Garfield loved it. The gesture ended up being instrumental in the atmosphere that Gregor later cultivated on set: true-heartedness, trust -- and magic. Based on the Faraway Tree series of novels for children by beloved author Blyton, the film follows Polly (Claire Foy) and Tim Thompson (Garfield) and their children, Beth, Joe and Fran, (played by Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Phoenix Laroche and Billie Gadsdon), who find themselves forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. There, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric occupants — a far cry away from the distractions of their 21st-century screens. The project has grabbed headlines in recent months for its casting: first came Garfield and Foy (The Crown), then came Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) and Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer), and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Rebecca Ferguson, star of Dune, was brought on board. And more! The talent is eye-watering, and Gregor is well aware. (via The Hollywood Reporter) The film is expected to come out in theaters sometime in 2025.
11/07/24 @ 2:23 pm EST
Today Skybound and Image Comics, in collaboration with leading toy and game company Hasbro, revealed interior pages and the lineup of variant covers for TRANSFORMERS #15, the two-time Eisner Award winning series from writer Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb), artist Jorge Corona (Middlewest), and colorist Sarah Stern (Batgirls). The kickoff to the new arc of the tentpole Energon Universe story will be available on shelves in comic book shops December 11, 2024. Soundwave moves to finish the war with the Autobots...and all of Earth will suffer. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime and Wheeljack search for the answers to a mystery that may change everything they ever thought they knew. In addition to the main cover by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer, the lineup of variant covers for TRANSFORMERS #15 includes an open-to-order cover B by series artist Jorge Corona & Mike Spicer, a 1:10 incentive variant beginning the connecting cover series by Karl Kerschl (Adventures of Superman), a 1:25 incentive variant by cover by E.J. Su (Tech Jacket), a 1:50 incentive variant by Oliver Ono (Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp), a 1:100 incentive variant by Dustin Nguyen (Descender), and a blank sketch cover. TRANSFORMERS is the cornerstone of the Energon Universe, the crown jewel of the historic collaboration between Hasbro and Skybound, who has introduced a brand-new era of the TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE franchises in one shared comic book universe. Other Energon Universe titles include the ongoing series Void Rivals by writer Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead), artist Lorenzo De Felici (Kroma), and colorist Patricio Delpeche (The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country) and the upcoming G.I. JOE by writer Joshua Williamson (Superman, Dark Ride), artist Tom Reilly (The Thing), and colorist Jordie Bellaire (W0rldtr33). The Energon Universe also includes G.I. JOE miniseries Duke, from Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire ; Cobra Commander from Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook) and Annalisa Leoni (Oblivion Song); Scarlett, from writer Kelly Thompson (Black Widow, Birds of Prey), artist Marco Ferrari (Frontiersman), and colorist Lee Loughridge (I Hate This Place, Killadelphia); and Destro, from writer Dan Watters (Loki, Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!), artist Andrei Bressan (Dark Ride, Birthright), and colorist Adriano Lucas (Dark Ride, Birthright), which introduce the iconic characters of the G.I. JOE and Cobra factions to the Energon Universe. Fans should expect can’t-miss moments from every issue of the Energon Universe, as secrets are unveiled along the path to answering the BIG questions from some of the biggest franchises in comics today. TRANSFORMERS #15 (Lunar Codes Below $3.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. The full list of variant covers is below: TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover A by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code: 1024IM428) TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover B by Jorge Corona & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code: 1024IM429) TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive) (Connecting) by Karl Kerschl (Lunar Code: 1024IM430) TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive) by E.J. Su (Lunar Code: 1024IM431) TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover E (1:50 Copy Incentive) by Oliver Ono (Lunar Code: 1024IM432) TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover F (1:100 Copy Incentive) by Dustin Nguyen (Lunar Code: 1024IM433) TRANSFORMERS #15 Cover G Blank Sketch Cover (Lunar Code: 1024IM434)
TRANSFORMERS #15 Pages 1-3
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11/06/24 @ 5:59 pm EST
Maria Bakalova, who last played Ivana Trump in “The Apprentice,” will star opposite Peter Mullan in “No Way Off,” a suspense thriller which Altitude is presenting to international buyers at the American Film Market this week in Las Vegas. The movie is written by Gaby Hull and will be directed by Brian Kelly (“Downton Abbey,” “Dracula”). Matthew James Wilkinson (“Yesterday”) is producing for his Stigma Films banner. Inspired by single-location thrillers such as “The Shallows,” “Buried” and “Crawl,” the movie is set on Christmas Eve and revolves around Laura, a young mother who waits at a bus stop with her infant son. “When the bus pulls up, its driver is wearing a latex Santa mask. Laura climbs aboard, collapsing into her seat. Exhausted and stressed, she soon falls asleep. When Laura wakes, night has fallen. The bus is now hurtling along a motorway, miles off its usual route. Apart from the sleeping baby, she is the only passenger left on board. She can’t outrun the driver – she’ll have to outsmart him,” reads the synopsis. (via Variety)
11/06/24 @ 2:23 pm EST
When The CW announced in 2022 that it was cancelling DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow after seven seasons, actor-writer Adam Tsekhman, who played Gary Green, and writer-director Andrew Kasch, who was attached as an editor and director, admit it was a blow. But the pair, who had become friends over the course of their six years on the superhero show, did not rest idle for long as they came together to collaborate on a whacky short film called The Gummy Bear. Tsekhman stars in the psychedelic short as a man who is given an experimental gummy bear as a freebie with his regular cannabis delivery. One bite sends him on an unexpected mind-blowing trip. Kasch mixes live action with a kaleidoscope of different animation styles for the trip scenes. Kasch and Tsekhman are joining forces with Paris and L.A.-based sales and production company Other Angle Pictures on a psychedelic road trip movie The Gummy Bear, spinning off the short. (via Deadline)
11/06/24 @ 2:11 pm EST
In honor of 2024’s Stranger Things Day, Netflix has revealed the episode titles for the hit show’s fifth and final season. The mega-streamer also confirmed the season would be released in 2025 and not in 2026 as was briefly speculated online. Stranger Things season five will have eight episodes, like almost all of the previous seasons, except for the penultimate one, which had nine. The episode titles are: “The Crawl,” “The Vanishing of _____,” “The Turnbow Trap,” “Sorcerer,” “Shock Jock,” “Escape From Camazotz,” “The Bridge” and “The Rightside Up.” While the video (below) revealed all the titles of the episodes, there appeared to be someone or something censored out of the title of the second episode, “The Vanishing Of.” Whatever (or whomever) is vanishing, Netflix is not quite ready to share. (via The Hollywood Reporter) Teaser: https://youtu.be/h-2LIjOt0rA
11/06/24 @ 2:05 pm EST
Ginny & Georgia breakout Felix Mallard is attached to star in home invasion thriller Nest, about a young family terrorised by a new species of deadly arachnid. Mallard is attached to star as Remy, a new father daunted by the prospect of parenthood and outfitting the family’s new home. With his high-flying wife Grace often away from the house, Remy must care for baby Zoe, while juggling his own career aspirations and the job of turning their new house into a home. But this house is already occupied… The film’s antagonist, and matriarch of the ‘nest’, is a giant female spider which, with a mixture of puppetry enhanced by VFX, will be brought to life by effects artist Russell Sharp (Late Night with the Devil) and his team at Sharp FX, together with creature visual effects house Alt.FX (The Pope’s Exorcist). (via Deadline)
11/05/24 @ 2:37 pm EST
Daisy Ridley has landed another lead role, this time in action thriller “Dedication” from Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale,” “GoldenEye”), reuniting with the director following their recent feature “Cleaner.” The film, written by Dan Gordon (“Wyatt Earp,” “The Hurricane”), is launching at the American Film Market, with Highland repping international sales and CAA Media Finance overseeing domestic rights. “Dedication” follows Major Billie Jean Parker (Ridley), a decorated Marine Corps commander who is relieved of duty after a high-stakes mission in the Philippines results in civilian casualties, despite capturing anarchist leader Omar Romatas. Facing the loss of her career, she visits her dying father, Clyde, a former Marine, who asks her to attend a dedication ceremony for a school building named in his honor. The event takes a deadly turn when Omar Romatas’s vengeful son, Bento, launches an assault, taking hostages. Forced back into combat, Billie Jean sets traps and executes precise strikes to outwit the attackers. Her tactical instincts and ruthless efficiency shift the fight, as she confronts her past and proves her worth in a relentless battle that will define her legacy. (via Variety)
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