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12/01/14 @ 9:29 pm EST
This week we see the return of Shaft, but this time to the comic book shops from Dynamite written by David F. Walker. Vampirella writer Nancy A. Collins spoke with Walker about taking up such an iconic character.  NANCY A. COLLINS: Is this comic based on the movies starring Richard Roundtree, or the original fiction series by Ernest Tidyman?DAVID F. WALKER: The comic is based on Ernest Tidyman’s books. The literary incarnation of the character is richer and more complex, with a deeper backstory, and more personal demons. It wasn’t until I’d read Tidyman’s original book that I really began to see the character coming to life within the medium of comics. NAC: The first issue appears to be set in the late 1960s and shows John Shaft as a professional boxer. Is this his origin story? Is Shaft’s background as a boxer your own creation, or has this been referenced before in the original source material? DFW: In Tidyman’s books there are several crucial references to Shaft’s past, including a brief stint as a boxer. I wanted to set this first story arc at a crucial time in Shaft’s life, after he’s come back from the Vietnam War, and is trying to figure out what to do with his life. He is in his early 20s, and thinks that boxing can be his career. By the time we meet John Shaft in the first book, he is already established as a private detective, and comfortable in his skin. I wanted to explore who he was before that. NAC: Are you familiar with the other classic ‘blaxploitation’ films, such as Cotton Come To Harlem,Across 110th Street, Black Caesar, Superfly and The Mack. Where do you see Shaft fitting into that particular genre?DFW: Blaxploitation is definitely my thing. I produced a documentary on the genre, wrote a book, and published a ‘zine for years. Shaft is an important film, because it helped establish what people consider the genre, though it exists outside the genre. If anything Shaft helped give birth to what we think of as blaxploitation, but as a film and as a novel, it is really just a detective story. As a character, John Shaft represents a crucial shift in the evolution of black characters in popular media. He exists in this very specific world that straddles the line between law and order, and the criminal underworld. He exists in both these worlds, but doesn’t belong to either, which makes him very unique amongst blaxploitation heroes. Films like Black Caesar and Superfly are rooted in the anti-hero as hero tradition—gangsters and criminals are the protagonists.  NAC: Can you give us a quick rundown of the main characters in the upcoming series?DFW: In addition to Shaft himself, there will be a mix of characters from Tidyman’s books, and some new characters. Knocks Persons, the crime kingpin of Harlem, and Vic Anderozzi, the incorruptible NYPD detective, are both from Tidyman’s world, and will appear in the comics as well as the new prose. I’ve introduced some new characters, including a gangster named Bamma Brooks, who represents all the things Shaft doesn’t want to be, but could be. There are also several supporting character that come into play, who are very instrumental in John Shaft becoming the character we all know and love, but I don’t want to give away those secrets. I will say that for the first time, Shaft is going to have a real adversary—a recurring character that will serve as his arch nemesis. This character will appear in both the comics (hopefully the second story arc), and will be introduced in the novella, Shaft’s Revenge.  NAC: Are you in close collaboration with your artist, Bilquis Evely? And what is your opinion of the artwork so far?DFW: Bilquis and I are friends on Facebook, and we’ve exchanged about three emails, but that is it. She is an amazing talent. I can’t imagine a better collaborative partner, and I’m constantly in awe of what she brings to the storytelling process. She is putting stuff on the page that is only hinted at in the script. I would work with her again in a heartbeat, and actually have a creator-owned project I’d like to try and develop with her. When you’re doing work-for-hire, even on something you love as much as I love this project, there’s always this concern of who the artist will be. Working with Bilquis is like every great birthday present I’ve ever been given. NAC: Do you have any other projects your fans should be aware of in the coming year? DFW: I’m writing the novella Shaft’s Revenge, the first new Shaftprose since 1975. Initially, the book will be serialized digitally, and then released as a complete volume. I’ve already written a Shaftone-shot, which I’m assuming will be out in the spring, and that one has a very different tone from this first story arc. I have a creator owned series, The Army of Dr. Moreau, that’s being published digitally by Monkeybrain Comics. There will be a trade paperback collection of that from IDW in March 2015. There’s a rumor that the mini-series Number 13, which I co-wrote for Dark Horse, is being turned into a live-action film (fingers crossed). There is a digital series called The Supernals Experiment that I wrote for NFL player Phillip Buchanon, which is available on Comixology. And finally, I’m hoping to finally finish and release the second book in my YA series, The Adventures of Darius Logan. 05/07/24 @ 5:14 pm EST
Don’t say we didn’t warn you—the Eisner Award nominated horror anthology is back and CREEPIER than ever! Today Skybound and Image Comics announced a third volume of Creepshow, the hugely popular comic book anthology based on Greg Nicotero’s hit Shudder TV series produced and licensed by Cartel Entertainment. Creepshow Volume 3 #1, featuring stories by comics talent Chip Zdarsky (Batman), Kagan McLeod (Kaptara), and James Stokoe (Godzilla), will arrive in comic book shops on September 25, 2024. In the spirit of all iterations of Creepshow in pop culture, every issue of the Creepshow comic series comes packed with two spine-chilling stories from your favorite creators. Each issue of the five-part anthology will feature different creative teams from the worlds of comics, books, film, television, and beyond. Every uniquely horrifying standalone story is guaranteed to SCARE YOU TO DEATH. In the debut issue of the third volume, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Kagan McLeod bring you the terrifying tale of a repressed housewife who decides to take matters into her own hands and rescue her daughter from a local psychedelic cult…but the true terror is not what anyone expects! Then, James Stokoe introduces a chilling mystery of a severed human hand, and the lengths one writer will go to discover the truth, learning that perhaps he is not the author of this story.... In addition to the main cover by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran (Ice Cream Man), Creepshow Vol. 3 #1 comes with an impressive lineup of variant covers, including an open to order cover by James Stokoe and the launch of a set of 1:10 incentive connecting covers by Steve Beach (Action Comics). Creepshow Volume 3’s superstar creative roster will also include John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), Mike Carey (Lucifer), Jorge Fornés (Batman), John Arcudi (BPRD), Ed Brisson (The Displaced), Stefano Raffaele (Detective Comics), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood) and many others to be announced. Creepshow Volume 3 #1 (of 5) (SRP $3.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. The full list of covers is below: Creepshow Vol. 3 #1 Cover A by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran (Lunar Code Coming Soon) Creepshow Vol. 3 #1 Cover B by James Stokoe (Lunar Code Coming Soon) Creepshow Vol. 3 #1 Cover C (1:10 Incentive Variant) (Connecting) by Steve Beach (Lunar Code Coming Soon) 
... 05/07/24 @ 5:06 pm EST
While the X-Men’s mission forces them to work outside the law, certain teams have found ways to fight for mutant rights within the system as officially sanctioned strike forces! In the upcoming From the Ashes era, that tradition continues in a new volume of X-FACTOR from Eisner winning writer Mark Russell (Fantastic Four: Life Story, The Flintstones) and acclaimed X-Men artist Bob Quinn (Captain America, Knights of X). Formed by the government in response to a post-Krakoa outbreak of mutant paramilitary, ops squads, and mercenary teams, X-FACTOR will be co-led by Angel and Havok and include recruits like Pyro, Frenzy, Feral, and more. Part special agents for missions that require an arsenal of superpowers and part celebrity propaganda machine, X-FACTOR will wage war against emerging factions like the Mutant Underground and X-Term. Whether they believe in their actions or are just doing it for a check, the members of X-Factor are no fools when it comes to shady politics. As hidden agendas rear their ugly head, they’ll fight against the dark consequences and disastrous public opinion from the inside! FAME, FORTUNE, MUTANTS! From the ashes of Krakoa, a new mutant arms race sweeps the globe! International governments are building their own mutant armies. But only America’s X-Factor has the most powerful, most patriotic, most marketable mutant heroes to stem the tide and make the world safe for democracy! Join them as they go from one death-defying mission to another. Who will die? Who will fall in love? Who will be the first to sell out? Like, comment and subscribe to find out! “The thing I've always loved about the X-Men is that they're characters first, super heroes second,” Russell shared. “So being able to write characters like Havok and Angel and Frenzy in a post-Krakoa reality is an opportunity to write about what I really care about, which is how do we help each other survive the apathy of the world we live in?” “It’s so exciting to be back and drawing mutants in the X-Men universe again, and doubly exciting to work with Mark again,” Quinn added. “To my mind, Mark’s mix of humor and ability to shine a light on the peculiarities of modern society make him the perfect writer to tackle the relaunch of X-FACTOR. Drawing this team and every unexpected twist and turn of the story has been a blast so far, and I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on it.” Mutant sell-outs or mutant role models? You be the judge! Check out the main cover and preorder X-FACTOR #1 at your local comic shop today! 
... 05/07/24 @ 11:14 am EST
“Wednesday” Season 2 is officially in production in Ireland, with Netflix revealing the full cast for the new season of the hit series. Jenna Ortega will of course be returning as Wednesday Addams, while Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo will all be upped to series regulars for Season 2. Zeta-Jones plays Morticia, while Guzmán plays Gomez and Ordonez plays Pugsley. Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Hunter Doohan, Victor Dorobantu, Moosa Mostafa, and Georgie Farmer will also be returning, as will Fred Armisen and Jamie McShane in guest roles. Noticeably absent from the announcement is Percy Hynes White, who starred in Season 1 as Xavier Thorpe. In 2023, Hynes White decried a “campaign of misinformation” after allegations of sexual assault were made against him on social media. (via Variety) For more on the cast, click here. 05/07/24 @ 11:06 am EST
The third installment in the hit shark thriller franchise 47 Meters Down is launching at the Cannes market. Series creator Johannes Roberts and screenwriter Ernest Riera, who wrote the first two films, have co-written the third installment: 47 Meters Down: The Wreck. Veteran horror director Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine) will direct. FilmNation, the sales agent on the franchise’s second installment, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, is returning to launch worldwide sales in Cannes. The story will follow a father who is determined to rebuild his relationship with his daughter as they bond during a scuba diving in beautiful tropical waters while exploring a famous shipwreck. But soon after their descent, their master diver has an accident leaving them alone and unprotected inside the labyrinth of the wreck. As tensions rise and oxygen dwindles, the pair must use their newfound bond to escape the wreck and the relentless barrage of bloodthirsty great white sharks. Production is being lined up for the fall with casting discussions underway. (via Deadline) 05/07/24 @ 11:00 am EST
Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh has found her next major starring vehicle in Blade Runner 2099, Prime Video‘s limited series following up the 2017 movie sequel Blade Runner 2049. Details of Yeoh’s role are under wraps, as is the show’s plot. But it marks the latest expansion of the sci-fi franchise based on Philip K. Dick’s seminal novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which kicked off with Ridley Scott’s classic 1982 film, Blade Runner. Production recently began overseas, following a delay of nearly a year due to the double strikes of 2023. While it originally had been set to shoot in Belfast, the show wound up relocating to Prague following the work stoppage. Jonathan van Tulleken (Shōgun) is directing the first two episodes. (via Deadline) 05/06/24 @ 11:07 pm EST
Vin Diesel is officially returning to the world of Pitch Black and galactic antihero Riddick, the sci-fi action franchise that gave the actor his first major leading role.Riddick: Furya, which was announced in February 2023, is now moving full steam ahead toward an Aug. 26 shoot date, producers announced Monday. Diesel stars and produces the film, which reteams him with David Twohy, the filmmaker who has directed all of the franchise’s previous entries. Furya will film in locales such as Germany, Spain and the U.K.In Furya, which Diesel and Twohy have been developing and teasing since 2014, Riddick finally returns to his home world, a place he barely remembers and one he fears might be left in ruins. But there he finds other Furyans fighting for their existence against a new monster. And some of these Furyans are more like Riddick than he could have ever imagined. (via The Hollywood Reporter) 05/06/24 @ 11:32 pm EST
BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at PROFANE #1, the premiere issue of a brand new mind-bending murder mystery from comics legend Peter Milligan (Hellblazer, Enigma), veteran artist Raül Fernandez (Detective Comics, Justice League Dark), colorist Giada Marchisio, and letterer Jeff Eckleberry, that treads the precarious razor’s edge between reality and fiction. Coming to comic shops in June 2024. Will Profane is a seasoned private eye, and solving murders in the sunbaked streets of Los Angeles is his daily bread. But something is strange about his latest case. Every clue leads him back to a world-famous crime novelist lying at the center of this mystery–and dangerous truths about Profane’s own life. PROFANE #1 features main cover art by star artist Javier Rodriguez (House of Slaughter) and variant covers by acclaimed illustrators Mike Deodato (Damn Them All) with Jão Canola, and Marguerite Sauvage (Captain Marvel)! PROFANE is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; Damn Them All by Simon Spurrier and Charlie Adlard; Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca, and Nick Dragotta; Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; The Neighbors by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Letizia Cadonici; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; Sirens of the City by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph; Coda by Simon Spurrier and Matías Bergara; Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Underheist by David and Maria Lapham; and Animal Pound by Tom King and Peter Gross. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Corrino from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Simone Ragazzon; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle and Rubine. PROFANE #1 will be available in comic shops June 5, 2024. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play. Check out DYNAMIC FORCES' interview with PROFANE writer PETER MILLIGAN by Byron Brewer. https://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/interviews.html?showinterview=IN04222438305           
... 05/06/24 @ 12:54 pm EST
Superman is easily one of the most iconic fictional characters of all time, with the Man of Steel's story being told across comics, movies, television, and so much more. Next year, the DC character is headed back onto the big screen with a new live-action portrayal, as David Corenswet has been cast in the titular role of James Gunn's Superman. With production of the film underway, Gunn today officially unveiled the first full look at Corenswet in costume as Clark Kent AKA Superman on Threads. You can check it out below. Superman is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025. (via ComicBook.com) 
05/06/24 @ 12:51 pm EST
The English-language adaptation of Momo, one of the best-loved fantasy books by The Neverending Story writer Michael Ende, has set a buzzy cast, with Alexa Goodall (A Gentleman In Moscow) taking the lead role of the young orphan girl Momo. The main cast is completed by Araloyin Oshunremi (Top Boy, Heartstopper), Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve, The Witcher), Claes Bang (The Square), Laura Haddock (The Recruit, Transformers: The Last Knight), Jennifer Amaka Peterson (The Sandhamn Murders), David Shütter (Charlie’s Angels) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock). The story focuses on Momo, a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But, when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time, nobody has any time left for her, let alone their friends or families. Momo, together with Master Hora, the custodian of time, are the only ones who can go up against the time thieves before all is lost forever. Momo is currently filming in Croatia and Slovenia. (via Deadline) 
05/05/24 @ 2:17 pm EST
Normally, the first weekend in May is a big one at the box office where we usually get a new Marvel movie to fill the theaters. But with all the delays happening and only one actual Marvel Studios film releasing this year and nothing coming from DC until next year, this weekend was left open for a new franchise to take hold. It didn’t happen. The Ryan Gosling / Emily Blunt lead Fall Guy opened up short of estimates, taking in just $28 million to lead the box office. The total box office for the weekend is only $73 million, down 55% from this time last year when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 opened for $118.4 million. That’s how a summer schedule is supposed to launch. And it’s not like other films did well, the second highest grossing film of the weekend, making $8.1 million, was Star Wars: The Phantom Menace which included $300k from a series of marathon screenings over the weekend to celebrate May the 4th. Though one also has to look at the star power of Ryan Gosling as this is his third highest box office opening yet behind Barbie ($162 million) and Blade Runner 2049 ($32.7 million) and in neither of those films would I consider Gosling the main draw. The overall response to the film has been positive, getting an A- CinemaScore and 90% positive on PostTrak. Maybe word of mouth will help lessen the second week drop for the Fall Guy.  |
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