Mallrats 2: Kevin Smith to Address COVID-19 Pandemic in the Sequel
Kevin Smith has revealed that he is writing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic into the script for Mallrats 2, Twilight of the Mallrats.
During a recent episode of his FatMan Beyond podcast, Smith said that he had decided to include the current crisis in the plot of the sequel after reading articles about the economic impact of COVID-19 on the retail industry, particularly shopping malls.
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"I was working on Twilight of the Mallrats, the Mallrats 2 script, and so I had just read last night articles about the retail apocalypse, where 2020 was going to be the death knell for a bunch of stores anyway but the pandemic has escalated that, made it worse, and we're about to see a lot of big box stores, big name stores that you and I have known for most of our lives just go away forever," the writer-director explained.
"That means massive vacancies in malls, so they're predicting the entire implosion of malls. I mean, they were already teetering, but the entire implosion of malls across America. So, as a guy who's writing a movie set in a mall, I'm like, 'Well that's useful information for my line of work.' So I had to start writing the pandemic into the movie because clearly this is going to be remembered for all time."
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In response to COVID-19's mounting global impact, countries across the globe have been implementing procedures to help to slow the spread of the virus, including containment measures such as mandatory lockdowns, quarantines, and curfews, resulting in the introduction of work-from-home policies, as well as the closure of cinemas, shopping centres and other high-risk gathering spaces.
While in self-isolation due to the pandemic, Smith has been working on finishing the scripts for Mallrats 2 and Clerks 3, which is said to feature a storyline that is the closest yet to his own biography. The threequel will also see the return of original cast members Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson while the Mallrats sequel is bringing back Jason Lee as slacker Brodie Bruce, together with Shannen Doherty, Michael Rooker, and Ethan Suplee.
For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Mallrats 2: Kevin Smith to Address COVID-19 Pandemic in the Sequel
Kevin Smith has revealed that he is writing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic into the script for Mallrats 2, Twilight of the Mallrats.
During a recent episode of his FatMan Beyond podcast, Smith said that he had decided to include the current crisis in the plot of the sequel after reading articles about the economic impact of COVID-19 on the retail industry, particularly shopping malls.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/13/how-coronavirus-delays-are-impacting-2020-movies-ign-now"]
"I was working on Twilight of the Mallrats, the Mallrats 2 script, and so I had just read last night articles about the retail apocalypse, where 2020 was going to be the death knell for a bunch of stores anyway but the pandemic has escalated that, made it worse, and we're about to see a lot of big box stores, big name stores that you and I have known for most of our lives just go away forever," the writer-director explained.
"That means massive vacancies in malls, so they're predicting the entire implosion of malls. I mean, they were already teetering, but the entire implosion of malls across America. So, as a guy who's writing a movie set in a mall, I'm like, 'Well that's useful information for my line of work.' So I had to start writing the pandemic into the movie because clearly this is going to be remembered for all time."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]
In response to COVID-19's mounting global impact, countries across the globe have been implementing procedures to help to slow the spread of the virus, including containment measures such as mandatory lockdowns, quarantines, and curfews, resulting in the introduction of work-from-home policies, as well as the closure of cinemas, shopping centres and other high-risk gathering spaces.
While in self-isolation due to the pandemic, Smith has been working on finishing the scripts for Mallrats 2 and Clerks 3, which is said to feature a storyline that is the closest yet to his own biography. The threequel will also see the return of original cast members Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson while the Mallrats sequel is bringing back Jason Lee as slacker Brodie Bruce, together with Shannen Doherty, Michael Rooker, and Ethan Suplee.
For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Cancelled Superman Game Concept Art Appears to Emerge
Concept art for what may be a long-rumoured (and probably cancelled) Superman game from WB Montreal appears to have surfaced.
Discovered by Twitter user Tatlinsky on the personal website of artist Joël Dos Reis Viegas, the art appears to show Superman in flight across a vibrant take on Metropolis:
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Credit: Joël Dos Reis Viegas, feerik-art.com[/caption]
The artist is vice-president of Montreal creative agency Steambot (credited on the image). Both Steambot and Joël Dos Reis Viegas himself have worked for WB Montreal in the past - Dos Reis Viegas helped create concepts for characters in WB Montreal's Batman: Arkham Origins, as well as DLC costumes for Batman: Arkham Knight (WB Montreal assisted Arkham Knight developer Rocksteady for post-launch content). The image itself is found in a portfolio of images called 'Batman Games', with much of the work focusing on Origins and Knight.
WB Montreal was widely rumoured to be working on both Superman and Suicide Squad games following the release of Arkham Origins, with a 2015 job listing saying that it was developing two AAA games "expanding the DC Comics universe in the interactive space."
Follow-up reports in 2017 claimed that the Suicide Squad game had been cancelled - some have pointed out that images from the same folder of concept art as the Superman image, including a series of sketches of Harley Quinn (below), could represent work on that project. Given that they were created in 2014 (after Arkham Origins' release), these sketches could be for that game, although they could also represent early work for Arkham Knight DLC.
[caption id="attachment_2336523" align="alignnone" width="1806"]
Credit: Joël Dos Reis Viegas, feerik-art.com[/caption]
The lack of word since 2015 would suggest that the Superman game has also been canned, particularly given the assumption that WB Montreal is now deep into development on a game based on Batman: Court of Owls. Rocksteady - creator of the Arkham series - categorically denied that it was making a Superman game in 2018.
Alongside WB Montreal, Rocksteady's next project also remains a mystery. In fact, WB's portfolio of games is something of a mystery as a whole right now, with the rumours of a Harry Potter RPG still floating around, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga news only recently popping after a long period of silence.
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Credit: Joël Dos Reis Viegas, feerik-art.com[/caption]
The artist is vice-president of Montreal creative agency Steambot (credited on the image). Both Steambot and Joël Dos Reis Viegas himself have worked for WB Montreal in the past - Dos Reis Viegas helped create concepts for characters in WB Montreal's Batman: Arkham Origins, as well as DLC costumes for Batman: Arkham Knight (WB Montreal assisted Arkham Knight developer Rocksteady for post-launch content). The image itself is found in a portfolio of images called 'Batman Games', with much of the work focusing on Origins and Knight.
WB Montreal was widely rumoured to be working on both Superman and Suicide Squad games following the release of Arkham Origins, with a 2015 job listing saying that it was developing two AAA games "expanding the DC Comics universe in the interactive space."
Follow-up reports in 2017 claimed that the Suicide Squad game had been cancelled - some have pointed out that images from the same folder of concept art as the Superman image, including a series of sketches of Harley Quinn (below), could represent work on that project. Given that they were created in 2014 (after Arkham Origins' release), these sketches could be for that game, although they could also represent early work for Arkham Knight DLC.
[caption id="attachment_2336523" align="alignnone" width="1806"] Credit: Joël Dos Reis Viegas, feerik-art.com[/caption]
The lack of word since 2015 would suggest that the Superman game has also been canned, particularly given the assumption that WB Montreal is now deep into development on a game based on Batman: Court of Owls. Rocksteady - creator of the Arkham series - categorically denied that it was making a Superman game in 2018.
Alongside WB Montreal, Rocksteady's next project also remains a mystery. In fact, WB's portfolio of games is something of a mystery as a whole right now, with the rumours of a Harry Potter RPG still floating around, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga news only recently popping after a long period of silence.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Switch Update Finally Lets You Remap Controllers
The latest Nintendo Switch system update will, finally, let players remap their controllers.
Nintendo revealed the patch notes for Ver. 10.0.0 of the Switch firmware, with this new update focused on improving the user-friendly experience of the Switch.
The main feature that has arrived with this update is the ability to remap your controllers, which is a leap forward for accessibility on the platform. Some of the features of this new remapping system include the ability to change analog stick and button configurations, with the ability to save up to five custom configurations on the system which can be swapped out per the needs of whoever is using the console.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/27/nintendo-switch-review-2018"]
Controllers that can be fully remapped include the left and right Joy-Cons, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, and the buttons on the Nintendo Switch Lite system. If you've ever wanted to swap the A and B buttons on menus to make the Switch feel more like a Western controller, now's your chance! It also means that using split Joy-Cons can now become a more intricate, given that you can customize inputs for every part of the controller, even the side buttons - that setup now has four extra potential buttons.
You should be prompted to initiate the update when you start a new game but, if not, make sure to head into the settings menu and then find the System tab, where you can force your console to perform the system update. If not, Nintendo suggests restarting your console.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/10/how-to-mod-your-nintendo-switch-and-joy-con"]
Other updates that have arrived alongside controller remapping in Ver 10.0.0 include a feature that lets players bookmark news items and transfer software data between the system memory and an SD card.
In more Nintendo news, check out this report which suggests that the console might see remakes of classic Mario titles this year to commemorate the plumber's 35th anniversary!
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance journalist for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Disney Plus Digitally Removed the Butts From This Tom Hanks Classic
Disney+ is aimed at family-friendly audiences so the streaming service is censoring and editing content that falls outside of those parameters (sometimes in... creative ways), even if the film was originally distributed by a Disney label and with a "PG" rating.
Case in point, Tom Hanks' mermaid romantic comedy Splash, which was released in 1984 by Disney's Touchstone Pictures -- and featured shots of actress Daryl Hannah's naked bottom in her role as the mermaid Madison. Despite featuring brief nudity and some strong language, Splash still only received a "PG" rating at the time. (Casual nudity was pretty widespread in '80s movies.)
It's been 36 years since Splash was released, but Disney+ is here to finally cover up Hannah's heinie.
As pointed out by Twitter user Allison Pregler (via AV Club), the version of Splash available on Disney+ has digitally altered the offending region:
As you can tell from the gif above, Hannah's hair has been either digitally augmented to cover her rear end or maybe Disney digitally added a bikini bottom. It's tough to tell. Suffice to say that is not how she appeared in the original film.
IGN has reached out to Disney+ for comment on this alteration but had not heard back as of time of publish.
The now-defunct Touchstone was Disney's label for more mature-themed films. Splash was Touchstone's first release and was a huge hit for the time, earning $68 million domestically.
Other notable Touchstone releases included Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Color of Money, Adventures in Babysitting, Three Men and a Baby, Good Morning, Vietnam, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy, Pretty Woman, The Rocketeer, Sister Act, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Con Air, Face/Off, Rushmore, Unbreakable, Bruce Almighty, and Lincoln to name a few.
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Splash isn't the first older Disney release to have its content addressed by Disney+. The streaming service previously added “outdated cultural depictions” warnings to several of their classic films, including Dumbo, The Aristocats, Jungle Book, and Lady and the Tramp.
For more of Hollywood's digital ass-covering, discover the hole truth about Cats' butthole cut.
As you can tell from the gif above, Hannah's hair has been either digitally augmented to cover her rear end or maybe Disney digitally added a bikini bottom. It's tough to tell. Suffice to say that is not how she appeared in the original film.
IGN has reached out to Disney+ for comment on this alteration but had not heard back as of time of publish.
The now-defunct Touchstone was Disney's label for more mature-themed films. Splash was Touchstone's first release and was a huge hit for the time, earning $68 million domestically.
Other notable Touchstone releases included Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Color of Money, Adventures in Babysitting, Three Men and a Baby, Good Morning, Vietnam, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy, Pretty Woman, The Rocketeer, Sister Act, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Con Air, Face/Off, Rushmore, Unbreakable, Bruce Almighty, and Lincoln to name a few.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-plus-spotlight-april-2020&captions=true"][poilib element="accentDivider"]
Splash isn't the first older Disney release to have its content addressed by Disney+. The streaming service previously added “outdated cultural depictions” warnings to several of their classic films, including Dumbo, The Aristocats, Jungle Book, and Lady and the Tramp.
For more of Hollywood's digital ass-covering, discover the hole truth about Cats' butthole cut.Please Take Our Survey About PC Gaming and VPNs
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Daisy Ridley on Star Wars Reactions: ‘Where’s the Love Gone?’
Daisy Ridley, star of the final trilogy in the Skywalker Saga, has opened up about the Star Wars franchise's rocky reception from fandom and social media to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
"It’s changed film by film honestly, like 98% it’s so amazing, this last film it was really tricky," Ridley told the DragCast podcast (via EW). While The Rise of Skywalker ultimately grossed over $1 billion worldwide, the film was met with a negative critical response (52% on Rotten Tomatoes) and deeply mixed reactions from fans after opening last December.
Ridley said "January [2020] was not that nice. It was weird, I felt like all of this love that we’d sort of been shown the first time around, I was like, 'Where’s the love gone?'"
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"I think it’s that tricky thing of when you’re part of something that is so filled with love and then people [don’t like it]," Ridley said.
The actress, who portrayed Rey in Episodes 7-9, said that while viewers are entitled to their opinions, she personally wouldn't take to social media to vent about movies she disliked given that she works in the industry.
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"I guess now conversations are just more public, so there’s stuff I wouldn’t have seen, but honestly trying to scroll through my newsfeed in January and trying to not see Star Wars stuff, I’d see headlines and be like 'Oh my god this is so upsetting,'" Ridley said.
"So it’s been tricky, but then it’s having that thing of I feel really proud of it, and I’m so thrilled to be part of it."
For more on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, discover how The Skywalker Legacy redeems the final film, watch this General Hux blooper, learn what Anthony Daniels told us about C-3PO's once-larger role in Ep. 9, and find out what storylines and concepts didn't make it into the final film.
The Steam Game Festival Returns This June
The Steam Games Festival is returning this summer offering gamers a digital-event where they can play limited-time demos for upcoming releases. The event will run from June 9th to 14th directly through the Steam launcher.
Geoff Keigley announced the very first Steam Games Festival in 2019 as part of The Game Awards. For 48-hours, players could try limited-time demos of games including System Shock and SkateBird.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/03/ign-announces-summer-of-gaming-showcase-for-june"]
Similar to last year’s event, the upcoming Steam Game Festival will spotlight games set to be released within the next year, so any game available to demo won’t be so far off from launch. The demos will likely be limited-time only, meaning once the festival is over the demos will disappear.
The Steam page for the Game Festival is currently live, and players can set reminders for when the event launches. For developers, there’s a separate link for them to get their upcoming games featured in the festival. The deadline to submit your game ends on April 24th.
The Steam Game Festival is yet another digital-event taking place during what was traditionally the week reserved for E3. IGN will be hosting its own Summer of Gaming event throughout the month highlighting new announcements, along with IGN’s full pre-show and post-show coverage of any games.
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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.
In Other Waters Review – The Life Aquatic
Beyond the reef, the shelf drops away into the turquoise haze of the open ocean. I find myself surrounded by golden-peaked pillars aglow with the shimmering petals of sunlit life. Bright green webs of twisted tendrils extend from pillar to pillar, forming a writhing network of bridges for the feathery, fern-like creatures who patrol and maintain them. It's a spectacular, awe-inspiring scene. Yet it exists mostly in my imagination, its wonder shaped by a handful of single-sentence descriptions and a simple two-colour contour map. In Other Waters does so much with seemingly so little, emerging as a masterclass in prudent, minimalist storytelling.
Dr. Ellery Vas is a xenobiologist following in the wake of her partner who disappeared while researching extraterrestrial life on the ocean planet Gliese 667Cc. Stationed at her partner's abandoned lab and equipped with an AI-controlled diving suit, Vas explores the depths in search of answers. In a disarming inversion of the typical human-AI relationship, you play the AI; Vas sets the objectives, often conferring with you, but it's your job to plot her course, gather samples, and run tests back in the lab.
The setup allows Vas room to breathe as a character. As you guide her maritime expedition, she provides intermittent narration. She pauses to marvel at new sights, thinks out loud as she works through possible theories, and occasionally confides in you her doubts and fears. Conversation may be sparse, and your ability to respond is limited to the odd yes or no answer, yet it's perhaps all the more affecting because of it. The two of you are strangers at the outset, but Vas' wariness at revealing her innermost thoughts to an AI gradually washes away as she realises, despite your reticence, that you understand her predicament--in the process unearthing a memorably multi-layered character. It's a friendship forged in aquatic isolation, one quiet line at a time.
Continue Reading at GameSpotIn Other Waters Review – The Life Aquatic
Beyond the reef, the shelf drops away into the turquoise haze of the open ocean. I find myself surrounded by golden-peaked pillars aglow with the shimmering petals of sunlit life. Bright green webs of twisted tendrils extend from pillar to pillar, forming a writhing network of bridges for the feathery, fern-like creatures who patrol and maintain them. It's a spectacular, awe-inspiring scene. Yet it exists mostly in my imagination, its wonder shaped by a handful of single-sentence descriptions and a simple two-colour contour map. In Other Waters does so much with seemingly so little, emerging as a masterclass in prudent, minimalist storytelling.
Dr. Ellery Vas is a xenobiologist following in the wake of her partner who disappeared while researching extraterrestrial life on the ocean planet Gliese 667Cc. Stationed at her partner's abandoned lab and equipped with an AI-controlled diving suit, Vas explores the depths in search of answers. In a disarming inversion of the typical human-AI relationship, you play the AI; Vas sets the objectives, often conferring with you, but it's your job to plot her course, gather samples, and run tests back in the lab.
The setup allows Vas room to breathe as a character. As you guide her maritime expedition, she provides intermittent narration. She pauses to marvel at new sights, thinks out loud as she works through possible theories, and occasionally confides in you her doubts and fears. Conversation may be sparse, and your ability to respond is limited to the odd yes or no answer, yet it's perhaps all the more affecting because of it. The two of you are strangers at the outset, but Vas' wariness at revealing her innermost thoughts to an AI gradually washes away as she realises, despite your reticence, that you understand her predicament--in the process unearthing a memorably multi-layered character. It's a friendship forged in aquatic isolation, one quiet line at a time.
Continue Reading at GameSpot