Monthly Archives: May 2020

Watch Tobey Maguire Do an R-Rated Screen Test for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man

Here at IGN we occasionally like to showcase something from geekdom's rich history -- a pop-culture Time Capsule, if you will, that gives us a peek in to the past, perhaps providing a new appreciation for previous projects. If you'd like, please check out the past few Time Capsules: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Before he melted hearts while kissing Kirsten Dunst in the rain, lifted spirits while battling Doc Ock on a train, and ruined childhoods while finger-gunning and acting vain, Tobey Maguire had to screen-test for the Peter Parker/Spider-Man role. It was a part that required him to get super buff. A great power that required great Maguire-ability. With Sony now officially revealing the name of their Spider-Man Marvel Movie Universe - featuring the Tom Holland/MCU-related films as well as titles such as Venom and Morbius and apparently older films like the Maguire movies -- it's an opportune time to look back at the Tobey tests for Sam Raimi's first Spidey film. The following reel shows Maguire, Dunst, Willem Dafoe (acting completely normal), the Uncle Ben who could barely change a light bulb, the Aunt May who screamed Biblical verses at Green Goblin, and the real hero of this trilogy, J.K. Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson. He's who Chad Kroeger and the one dude from Saliva who always ate the last garlic knot was singing about. To be fair, Sony's Spidey slate for the past two decades should be called the Simmons-verse. Funny thing though: The opening test scene here seems like a run-of-the-mill New York City mugging. A woman walking alone past crates and boxes that are selling for 500k on Zillow. An abundance of kissing noises one uses to call legions of rat minions to your side. The flash of a blade and a "Hey, didn't I see you on the giant posters for Manhattan Memories but also at the diner pouring my decaf?" But then Tobey turns up. Not in his costume. Not swinging into action. But shirtless and jacked and looking like he just exited Enter the Dragon. The F-bombs start flying like pumpkin bombs. More than one too, guaranteeing an "R" rating (but beeped out here)! The rest of it plays out like a bone-crunching kung-fu film. So stand back, because this Cider House RULES! Watch it below or at the link here. As you can see (biscuit), Tobey had time to turn those fools inside out and show up for the most awkward family portraits ever. Man, Uncle Ben didn't even like baseball. He just wore that Yankees cap to try and bond with Peter, who just scowled, ate an entire jar of peanut butter with his finger, and painted Warhammer miniatures until dawn. Then there's Willem Dafoe making sweet, sweet Undertaker eyes at the camera. It was right after Raimi told him that the entire screen test had to be taken back to formula. By the way, a billionaire with his eyes rolled back deep into his head is the Osborn family crest. It's been seen for centuries proudly retreating from some of history's greatest battles. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-spider-man-movies&captions=true"] What did you think of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man screen test? Let's discuss in the comments! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

John Wick 4, Spiral Releases Both Postponed a Year

Lionsgate has postponed the releases of several of its biggest upcoming films, including John Wick: Chapter 4, due to the coronavirus pandemic. John Wick: Chapter 4, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, and The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard have each been pushed back a year from their original release dates. The fourth installment of the John Wick action franchise was originally slated to hit theaters on May 21, 2021, but has been pushed back to May 27, 2022. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] John Wick 4's original 2021 release date would have seen it open against The Matrix 4, another highly anticipated sequel starring Keanu Reeves. That sci-fi film's shooting has been disrupted due to the industrywide shutdown. The Saw franchise reboot/sequel Spiral was supposed to open this month, but now won't open until May 21, 2021 (yes, the original release date for John Wick 4). Meanwhile, Lionsgate has also pushed The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard to August 20, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/saw-story-in-5-minutes-sort-of-2020-update"] The studio also rescheduled its psychological thriller Antebellum to August 21, 2020. The releases of Chaos Walking (January 22, 2021) and Nicolas Cage's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (March 19, 2021) are staying put.

John Wick 4, Spiral Releases Both Postponed a Year

Lionsgate has postponed the releases of several of its biggest upcoming films, including John Wick: Chapter 4, due to the coronavirus pandemic. John Wick: Chapter 4, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, and The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard have each been pushed back a year from their original release dates. The fourth installment of the John Wick action franchise was originally slated to hit theaters on May 21, 2021, but has been pushed back to May 27, 2022. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] John Wick 4's original 2021 release date would have seen it open against The Matrix 4, another highly anticipated sequel starring Keanu Reeves. That sci-fi film's shooting has been disrupted due to the industrywide shutdown. The Saw franchise reboot/sequel Spiral was supposed to open this month, but now won't open until May 21, 2021 (yes, the original release date for John Wick 4). Meanwhile, Lionsgate has also pushed The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard to August 20, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/saw-story-in-5-minutes-sort-of-2020-update"] The studio also rescheduled its psychological thriller Antebellum to August 21, 2020. The releases of Chaos Walking (January 22, 2021) and Nicolas Cage's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (March 19, 2021) are staying put.

Evo 2020 Canceled Due to Coronavirus, Digital Replacement Announced

Evo, the world’s biggest fighting game tournament, has announced that it will be canceling the 2020 event due to COVID-19. All tickets for EVO 2020 will be refunded and there will be a summer online event planned as a replacement. In a short message on Twitter, Evo organizers announced that this year’s event, originally set to take place from July 21 to August 2 at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been canceled.

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Organizers announced that to “keep the Evo spirit alive,” there will be an event held online this summer. Details for what the online summer event entails will be revealed later. Evo is an annual fighting game tournament where the best fighting game players gather to test their skills in popular games likes Street Fighter, Tekken, and more. Developers like Capcom and Bandai Namco also usually reserve fighting game announcements for Evo like new DLC fighters. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/18/tekken-7-negan-and-julia-dlc-character-trailer"] Evo Championship 2020 is the latest event to be impacted by COVID-19. Other games industry events like E3 have been canceled, while others like GDC and Gamescom have switched to all-digital events instead. For a full list of games industry events impacted by COVID-19 see IGN’s full list here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Evo 2020 Canceled Due to Coronavirus, Digital Replacement Announced

Evo, the world’s biggest fighting game tournament, has announced that it will be canceling the 2020 event due to COVID-19. All tickets for EVO 2020 will be refunded and there will be a summer online event planned as a replacement. In a short message on Twitter, Evo organizers announced that this year’s event, originally set to take place from July 21 to August 2 at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been canceled.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=street-fighter-v-arcade-edition-fighters&captions=true"]

Organizers announced that to “keep the Evo spirit alive,” there will be an event held online this summer. Details for what the online summer event entails will be revealed later. Evo is an annual fighting game tournament where the best fighting game players gather to test their skills in popular games likes Street Fighter, Tekken, and more. Developers like Capcom and Bandai Namco also usually reserve fighting game announcements for Evo like new DLC fighters. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/18/tekken-7-negan-and-julia-dlc-character-trailer"] Evo Championship 2020 is the latest event to be impacted by COVID-19. Other games industry events like E3 have been canceled, while others like GDC and Gamescom have switched to all-digital events instead. For a full list of games industry events impacted by COVID-19 see IGN’s full list here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Activision-Blizzard Donates $2 Million to Help Veterans Employment Impacted by Coronavirus

Activision Blizzard announced that it donated $2 million to help veterans find high-quality jobs through its Call of Duty Endowment program. Activision also released a new “Fearless” in-game content pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with 100% of proceeds going towards the endowment. The Call of Duty Endowment is Activision-Blizzard’s long-running program helping raise funds for veteran needs. The timing of this month’s donation is also part of National Military Appreciation Month and there’s a social media campaign asking for followers to post photos or names of veterans with the hashtag #CODEFearlessChallenge. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] “Military veterans need our support more than ever. With unemployment rates at all-time highs, we know from past experiences that veterans will be far more affected than ordinary citizens,” Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “With this donation to the Call of Duty Endowment, we hope to find jobs for at least 4,000 veterans.” Unemployment has grown multi-fold since the outbreak of COVID-19 aka the novel coronavirus. As businesses close due to the ongoing shelter-in-place order and public spaces become restricted due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, employees have seen their work hours reduced or eliminated. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/09/call-of-duty-warzone-official-trailer"] “We’ve seen a huge increase in veterans asking our partners for assistance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said executive director of the Call of Duty Endowment Dan Goldenberg. “We’ve been committed to helping veterans find meaningful employment for over 10 years, but we’ve never seen anything like this.” For more information on COVID-19 check out our guide on how to stay safe during the pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Activision-Blizzard Donates $2 Million to Help Veterans Employment Impacted by Coronavirus

Activision Blizzard announced that it donated $2 million to help veterans find high-quality jobs through its Call of Duty Endowment program. Activision also released a new “Fearless” in-game content pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with 100% of proceeds going towards the endowment. The Call of Duty Endowment is Activision-Blizzard’s long-running program helping raise funds for veteran needs. The timing of this month’s donation is also part of National Military Appreciation Month and there’s a social media campaign asking for followers to post photos or names of veterans with the hashtag #CODEFearlessChallenge. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-call-of-duty-review&captions=true"] “Military veterans need our support more than ever. With unemployment rates at all-time highs, we know from past experiences that veterans will be far more affected than ordinary citizens,” Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “With this donation to the Call of Duty Endowment, we hope to find jobs for at least 4,000 veterans.” Unemployment has grown multi-fold since the outbreak of COVID-19 aka the novel coronavirus. As businesses close due to the ongoing shelter-in-place order and public spaces become restricted due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, employees have seen their work hours reduced or eliminated. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/09/call-of-duty-warzone-official-trailer"] “We’ve seen a huge increase in veterans asking our partners for assistance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said executive director of the Call of Duty Endowment Dan Goldenberg. “We’ve been committed to helping veterans find meaningful employment for over 10 years, but we’ve never seen anything like this.” For more information on COVID-19 check out our guide on how to stay safe during the pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Last of Us 2 Leakers Not Affiliated With Sony, Naughty Dog

Sony has confirmed that the company has identified those who leaked large parts of The Last of Us Part 2 online, as well as that these persons were not members involved with Sony Interactive Entertainment nor Naughty Dog. In a statement first reported by GamesIndustry.Biz and confirmed by IGN, Sony offered an update on its search for the leakers. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-new-screenshots&captions=true"]
"SIE has identified the primary individuals responsible for the unauthorized release of TLOU2 assets.  They are not affiliated with Naughty Dog or SIE. We are unable to comment further because the information is subject to an on-going investigation. We’re looking forward to when The Last of Us Part II will be in your hands and can’t wait for you to enjoy the full experience on June 19."
The Last of Us Part 2 creative director Neil Druckmann also commented on the leaks following the original publication of Sony's statement, saying "Glad this got cleared up, but there are a lot of other false rumors out there. Looking forward to discussing all of this once the game is out." Potential The Last of Us Part 2 spoilers began leaking online en masse over the last week, just as Sony announced a new June 19 release date for The Last of Us Part 2. Since then, we've learned The Last of Us Part 2 will require 100GB of hard drive space on your PS4 or PS4 Pro. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/how-to-avoid-the-last-of-us-part-2-spoilers-ign-daily-fix"] The Last of Us Part 2 had been delayed indefinitely early in April, and Druckmann addressed the delay at that time. Originally set for a May 29 release, The Last of Us has only had a few weeks' delay ultimately, with fellow PS4 exclusive Ghost of Tsushima also being delayed into July from its original June 26 release date. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead.