The Boys Season 3 Casts Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles

Supernatural star Jensen Ackles will join the cast of The Boys for the Amazon Prime series' third season, the streaming service announced Monday. Ackles initially announced the news on his social media. Amazon says "Ackles will portray Soldier Boy - the original Superhero. After Soldier Boy fought in World War II, he became the first super celebrity, and a mainstay of American culture for decades." Ackles will reunite with his Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, who serves as showrunner and exec producer on The Boys. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] Jensen Ackles in Supernatural.[/caption] “When I was a child, I had a crazy, impossible dream — to provide Jensen Ackles with gainful employment. I’m happy to say that dream has come true," Kripke said in a statement. "Jensen is an amazing actor, an even better person, smells like warm chocolate chip cookies, and I consider him a brother. As Soldier Boy, the very first Superhero, he’ll bring so much humor, pathos, and danger to the role. I can’t wait to be on set with him again, and bring a bit of Supernatural to The Boys.” Ackles is no stranger to comic book adaptations having voiced Jason Todd in the DC animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. He also portrayed Jason Teague on Smallville. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-boys-season-2-whale-carcass-official-clip"] The news that The Boys is renewed for Season 3 dropped during the show's Comic-Con@Home panel last month. The Boys Season 2 premieres September 4th, with new episodes available weekly through October 9th.

The Boys Season 3 Casts Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles

Supernatural star Jensen Ackles will join the cast of The Boys for the Amazon Prime series' third season, the streaming service announced Monday. Ackles initially announced the news on his social media. Amazon says "Ackles will portray Soldier Boy - the original Superhero. After Soldier Boy fought in World War II, he became the first super celebrity, and a mainstay of American culture for decades." Ackles will reunite with his Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, who serves as showrunner and exec producer on The Boys. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"] Jensen Ackles in Supernatural.[/caption] “When I was a child, I had a crazy, impossible dream — to provide Jensen Ackles with gainful employment. I’m happy to say that dream has come true," Kripke said in a statement. "Jensen is an amazing actor, an even better person, smells like warm chocolate chip cookies, and I consider him a brother. As Soldier Boy, the very first Superhero, he’ll bring so much humor, pathos, and danger to the role. I can’t wait to be on set with him again, and bring a bit of Supernatural to The Boys.” Ackles is no stranger to comic book adaptations having voiced Jason Todd in the DC animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. He also portrayed Jason Teague on Smallville. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-boys-season-2-whale-carcass-official-clip"] The news that The Boys is renewed for Season 3 dropped during the show's Comic-Con@Home panel last month. The Boys Season 2 premieres September 4th, with new episodes available weekly through October 9th.

The O.Z. Combines Mad Max and The Wizard of Oz

In what may be the strangest pop culture reinvention since Scooby Apocalypse, The O.Z. is delivering a grim, emotionally charged take on The Wizard of Oz. Basically, picture L. Frank Baum's classic fantasy story by way of Mad Max: Fury Road and you'll have some idea of what to expect from this new limited series. IGN can exclusively debut two covers and the first 11 pages of The O.Z. #1. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-oz-fantasy-war-comic-combines-mad-max-and-the-wizard-of-oz&captions=true"] The O.Z. is written by David Pepose, whom you may remember from Spencer & Locke, another bizarre yet fascinating pop culture mashup that mixes Calvin and Hobbes with a strong dose of Sin City-style noir. This time, Pepose is joined by artist Ruben Rojas, colorist Whitney Cogar and letterer DC Hopkins. In this dark re-imagining of the Oz mythos, readers will learn the surprisingly bleak consequences of Dorothy Gale killing the Wicked Witch of the West. The resulting power vacuum has led to years of civil war and magical bloodshed. Oz is now known as "The Occupied Zone," and it falls on Dorothy's granddaughter - an Iraq War veteran with a bad case of PTSD - to bring peace to this war-torn realm. "You've seen me tackle crime and romance, but you aren't ready for our latest twist on epic fantasy with The O.Z.," Pepose told IGN. "Teaming up with rising star artist Ruben Rojas, we're re-imagining L. Frank Baum's iconic Wizard of Oz mythology to explore trauma, guilt and morality during wartime. We've been so excited to show the world what we've been working on that we weren't willing to wait another second — if you're a fan of Mad Max, The Old Guard, or the Sheriff of Babylon, you're going to want to join us in the trenches for The O.Z." The O.Z. #1 is being offered exclusively through Kickstarter, and the campaign is live now. Pepose tells IGN there will be a total of four Kickstarter campaigns for THE O.Z., one for each of the three, 44-page issues and a fourth for the eventual collected edition. In other creator-owned comics news, Batman icons Scott Snyder and Tony Daniel are joining forces for a horror comic called Nocternal, while current Batman writer James Tynion IV is teaming with Dying Is easy's Martin Simmonds for a conspiracy thriller called The Department of Truth. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The O.Z. Combines Mad Max and The Wizard of Oz

In what may be the strangest pop culture reinvention since Scooby Apocalypse, The O.Z. is delivering a grim, emotionally charged take on The Wizard of Oz. Basically, picture L. Frank Baum's classic fantasy story by way of Mad Max: Fury Road and you'll have some idea of what to expect from this new limited series. IGN can exclusively debut two covers and the first 11 pages of The O.Z. #1. Check them out in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-oz-fantasy-war-comic-combines-mad-max-and-the-wizard-of-oz&captions=true"] The O.Z. is written by David Pepose, whom you may remember from Spencer & Locke, another bizarre yet fascinating pop culture mashup that mixes Calvin and Hobbes with a strong dose of Sin City-style noir. This time, Pepose is joined by artist Ruben Rojas, colorist Whitney Cogar and letterer DC Hopkins. In this dark re-imagining of the Oz mythos, readers will learn the surprisingly bleak consequences of Dorothy Gale killing the Wicked Witch of the West. The resulting power vacuum has led to years of civil war and magical bloodshed. Oz is now known as "The Occupied Zone," and it falls on Dorothy's granddaughter - an Iraq War veteran with a bad case of PTSD - to bring peace to this war-torn realm. "You've seen me tackle crime and romance, but you aren't ready for our latest twist on epic fantasy with The O.Z.," Pepose told IGN. "Teaming up with rising star artist Ruben Rojas, we're re-imagining L. Frank Baum's iconic Wizard of Oz mythology to explore trauma, guilt and morality during wartime. We've been so excited to show the world what we've been working on that we weren't willing to wait another second — if you're a fan of Mad Max, The Old Guard, or the Sheriff of Babylon, you're going to want to join us in the trenches for The O.Z." The O.Z. #1 is being offered exclusively through Kickstarter, and the campaign is live now. Pepose tells IGN there will be a total of four Kickstarter campaigns for THE O.Z., one for each of the three, 44-page issues and a fourth for the eventual collected edition. In other creator-owned comics news, Batman icons Scott Snyder and Tony Daniel are joining forces for a horror comic called Nocternal, while current Batman writer James Tynion IV is teaming with Dying Is easy's Martin Simmonds for a conspiracy thriller called The Department of Truth. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Aquaman 2 Director Confirms Sequel Will Feature ‘A Little Bit’ of Horror

Aquaman 2 director James Wan has confirmed that he will be leaning further into his horror sensibilities for the upcoming DC sequel, saying that some scenes will have a "little bit more" of his "scary sauce." Ahead of the virtual DC FanDome event, the DC Comics Twitter account shared an excerpt from a Q&A with the Aquaman 2 director, in which he revealed that the sequel will include "a touch of horror," building off the Trench sequence from the first film. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/21/aquaman-end-credits-explained"] "Just like the first movie had a touch of my horror sensibility in it, in regards to the Trench sequence, I would say there'll be a little bit of that in this next one," Wan confirmed in response to a fan asking about the crossover of genres. "I think it's something that's a big part of who I am, and it just naturally comes out in these kinds of films. And especially a movie like Aquaman, where the story takes place in these underwater worlds that can be very scary. So naturally, my love for the horror genre just means that I latch myself to these scenes and try to give them a little bit more of my scary sauce." The original Aquaman's Trench scene feels like something straight out of a monster movie. It follows Arthur and Mera as they take a boat out on the water, which is inhabited by a mass of ravenous amphibious creatures. The deadly ocean-dwellers attack the vessel and try to drag the duo down to the deep, dark depths of the Mariana Trench in a tense sequence that harkens back to Wan's horror roots. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=aquaman-movie-photos&captions=true"] In fact, the scene proved to be so popular that a horror-tinged spinoff film centered on the Trench is now said to be in early development. Wan is reportedly teaming up with Peter Safran to produce the project, although there has been no official confirmation of when that film will make a splash on the big screen. Aquaman 2 is still currently set to premiere on December 16, 2022. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Aquaman 2 Director Confirms Sequel Will Feature ‘A Little Bit’ of Horror

Aquaman 2 director James Wan has confirmed that he will be leaning further into his horror sensibilities for the upcoming DC sequel, saying that some scenes will have a "little bit more" of his "scary sauce." Ahead of the virtual DC FanDome event, the DC Comics Twitter account shared an excerpt from a Q&A with the Aquaman 2 director, in which he revealed that the sequel will include "a touch of horror," building off the Trench sequence from the first film. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/21/aquaman-end-credits-explained"] "Just like the first movie had a touch of my horror sensibility in it, in regards to the Trench sequence, I would say there'll be a little bit of that in this next one," Wan confirmed in response to a fan asking about the crossover of genres. "I think it's something that's a big part of who I am, and it just naturally comes out in these kinds of films. And especially a movie like Aquaman, where the story takes place in these underwater worlds that can be very scary. So naturally, my love for the horror genre just means that I latch myself to these scenes and try to give them a little bit more of my scary sauce." The original Aquaman's Trench scene feels like something straight out of a monster movie. It follows Arthur and Mera as they take a boat out on the water, which is inhabited by a mass of ravenous amphibious creatures. The deadly ocean-dwellers attack the vessel and try to drag the duo down to the deep, dark depths of the Mariana Trench in a tense sequence that harkens back to Wan's horror roots. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=aquaman-movie-photos&captions=true"] In fact, the scene proved to be so popular that a horror-tinged spinoff film centered on the Trench is now said to be in early development. Wan is reportedly teaming up with Peter Safran to produce the project, although there has been no official confirmation of when that film will make a splash on the big screen. Aquaman 2 is still currently set to premiere on December 16, 2022. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

WB Games Montreal Teases Potential Batman Game Announcement for Tomorrow [Updated]

Update #2: Fans continued to find secrets in the r3dakt3d website teasing WB Games Montreal's presumed next Batman game, but it seems the developers have stopped fans from getting too far into their sleuthing. Discovered in the website was an image of what appears to be part of a map file with an icon pointing to a specific location. Fans were able to discover a code that needed to be entered into the website. It appears, however, that subsequent codes will be needed in the days leading up to WB Games Montreal's unveiling of their next project at DC Fandome. Fans were able to figure out subsequent codes, however it appears the website has been locked in such a way to prevent players from even unlocking the first day's clues. IGN will follow the hunt by fans as more updates happen. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update: Source code for the r3dakt3d website points to an extended teaser campaign taking place over the course of this week, perhaps ending in a video being unlocked to view on Friday, August 21. As spotted by IGN's Jordan Oloman, several parts of the website source include references to radio numbers and codes, and one section seems to imply that there will be a code to input every 24 hours from tomorrow. Entering that code successfully will see you asked to return the next day for another clue. Another section mentions a "video" in connection with Day 4's entry, perhaps indicating that a trailer of some kind will be unlocked once the codes have been entered for each day. We'll be back tomorrow to see if any of this is indeed the case.

Had a look at the code behind the #CourtOfOwls website https://t.co/htFxPpv67e and it looks like we'll be unlocking the trailer with radio numbers over the course of four days. Interesting! This suggests we'll get the full trailer on the Friday the 21st. pic.twitter.com/1MGLQz5wxe

— Jordan Oloman (@JordanOloman) August 17, 2020
[poilib element="accentDivider"] WB Games Montreal is, once again, teasing its new project - long rumoured to be a Batman game set around the Court of Owls storyline, and potentially called Gotham Knights - and it looks as though we'll see an announcement or reveal of some kind tomorrow, August 18. Fans have followed a new tease to a website called r3dakt3d.com, which currently features the words, "We have be3n expecting you 8/18", followed by a 24-hour countdown timer. The timer is set to end on August 18 at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern / 4pm UK (that's 1am AEST on August 19). The initial tease that led here saw the Batman: Arkham Origins developer link to a new Twitter account called r3dakt3d, which has uploaded a short video (below) showing a computer interface, with occasional background interference seemingly showing three different crests or logos: Of the three emblems shown, one definitely features an Owl - although not the same owl as seen in previous teases - while the others are far fainter, making it difficult to make out exactly what they're depicting. It's not the first time WB Montreal has teased us with mysterious symbols related to its new game - previously, we've seen a T-shirt with what seems to be a Court of Owls logo, and a series of logos that began to fill out a wider image. Both of those teases also prominently use the word "redacted" - the first in the tweet, and the seocnd in the URL. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-batman-game-review&captions=true"] Even if tomorrow ends up being yet another tease, we know we'll be seeing WB Game Montreal's long-awaited project (alongside Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League) this Saturday at the DC FanDome event. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

WB Games Montreal Teases Potential Batman Game Announcement for Tomorrow

WB Games Montreal is, once again, teasing its new project - long rumoured to be a Batman game set around the Court of Owls storyline, potentially called Gotham Knights - and it looks as though we'll see an announcement or reveal of some kind tomorrow, August 18. Fans have followed a new tease to a website called r3dakt3d.com, which currently features the words, "We have be3n expecting you 8/18", followed by a 24-hour countdown timer. The timer is set to end on August 18 at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern / 4pm UK (that's 1am AEST on August 19). The initial tease that led here saw the Batman: Arkham Origins developer link to a new Twitter account called r3dakt3d, which has uploaded a short video (below) showing a computer interface, with occasional background interference seemingly showing three different crests or logos: Of the three emblems shown, one definitely features an Owl - although not the same owl as seen in previous teases - while the others are far fainter, making it difficult to make out exactly what they're depicting. It's not the first time WB Montreal has teased us with mysterious symbols related to its new game - previously, we've seen a T-shirt with what seems to be a Court of Owls logo, and a series of logos that began to fill out a wider image. Both of those teases also prominently use the word "redacted" - the first in the tweet, and the seocnd in the URL. Even if tomorrow ends up being yet another tease, we know we'll be seeing WB Game Montreal's long-awaited project (alongside Rocksteady's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League) this Saturday at the DC FanDome event. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Mortal Shell Review – Dark Souls For The Rest Of Us

It's hard to separate talking about Mortal Shell from discussing the Souls games--Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice--because developer Cold Symmetry has obviously created a love letter to From Software's work. But Mortal Shell isn't a simple retread. It adds ideas and mechanics that shift your way of thinking about its duelist-style combat. Mortal Shell is a small-scale Souls-like game, demanding less of an investment of time and frustration. It feels tuned for more casual players--people who have been interested in this brand of experience, but who maybe struggled in the twitch reactions department--while still striking all the same essential nerves.

You play a faceless, voiceless being dubbed "The Foundling," more akin to a spirit than a person, who leaves what seems to be a sort of astral plane in order to venture into a decaying, poisonous world known as Fallgrim. There, you meet various characters who give typically spooky, cryptic speeches about the gradual degradation of the world and the religious zealots who populate it. Practically, just about anyone you come across wants to murder you, and in your white spirit-ish form, you're little match for them--one hit will destroy you.

To survive, you need a better body, which is where the name Mortal Shell comes from. You're able to inhabit the corpses, or shells, of some tough warriors you find along the way, which make you a little less prone to instant death. The four shells in the game each play a little differently from one another, providing a set of different character builds you can swap between as you play. Each also has unique special perks you can unlock in a typically Souls-like way by spending currencies you earn from killing enemies--currencies you can permanently lose if you're killed and don't retrieve them from your own dead body. The four shells keep Mortal Shell approachable, as you only need to learn how to handle each one (or just your favorite), rather than worry about developing the stats of an RPG-style character build.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Mortal Shell Review – Dark Souls For The Rest Of Us

It's hard to separate talking about Mortal Shell from discussing the Souls games--Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice--because developer Cold Symmetry has obviously created a love letter to From Software's work. But Mortal Shell isn't a simple retread. It adds ideas and mechanics that shift your way of thinking about its duelist-style combat. Mortal Shell is a small-scale Souls-like game, demanding less of an investment of time and frustration. It feels tuned for more casual players--people who have been interested in this brand of experience, but who maybe struggled in the twitch reactions department--while still striking all the same essential nerves.

You play a faceless, voiceless being dubbed "The Foundling," more akin to a spirit than a person, who leaves what seems to be a sort of astral plane in order to venture into a decaying, poisonous world known as Fallgrim. There, you meet various characters who give typically spooky, cryptic speeches about the gradual degradation of the world and the religious zealots who populate it. Practically, just about anyone you come across wants to murder you, and in your white spirit-ish form, you're little match for them--one hit will destroy you.

To survive, you need a better body, which is where the name Mortal Shell comes from. You're able to inhabit the corpses, or shells, of some tough warriors you find along the way, which make you a little less prone to instant death. The four shells in the game each play a little differently from one another, providing a set of different character builds you can swap between as you play. Each also has unique special perks you can unlock in a typically Souls-like way by spending currencies you earn from killing enemies--currencies you can permanently lose if you're killed and don't retrieve them from your own dead body. The four shells keep Mortal Shell approachable, as you only need to learn how to handle each one (or just your favorite), rather than worry about developing the stats of an RPG-style character build.

Continue Reading at GameSpot