Black Widow: Big Game Spot Shows Taskmaster Ripping Off Captain America

Marvel fans just got another glimpse of the upcoming Black Widow movie during Super Bowl LIV. While this short teaser doesn't reveal much that wasn't already shown in previous trailers, it does provide a tantalizing new glimpse of the MCU's latest major villain, Taskmaster. Check out the embed above or the video player below to see Taskmaster in action and imitating one of Captain America's most iconic moves. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/03/marvels-black-widow-big-game-spot"] If you haven't read our Taskmaster Explained feature, you may be wondering why this mysterious villain is ripping off Cap's patented shield flip move. That's because ripping off heroes' moves is literally Taskmaster's superpower. Taskmaster has photographic reflexes, meaning he can imitate the fighting style of anyone he observes. At some point before clashing with Natasha Romanov and her sisters, Taskmaster must have studied footage of Cap and learned how to mimic his moves. The trailer confirms that, like in the comics, Taskmaster carries a shield modeled after Cap's trademark weapon, meaning he can probably throw it with similarly pinpoint accuracy. The trailer even reveals that Taskmaster has a magnetic gauntlet like the one Cap used in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War. This may be one opponent even the fabled Black Widow can't outfight. Black-Widow-Trailer-Taskmaster While the movie seems to be sticking close to the comics in terms of Taskmaster's powers, it remains to be seen if the character's origin and backstory will stay the same. At this point, we still don't even know who's been cast in the role. It's possible Taskmaster is being revamped to create a more direct link to the Red Room and the various Black Widows. As we've speculated before, Taskmaster could actually be Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova or Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff in disguise. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=who-is-rachel-weisz-really-playing-in-black-widow&captions=true"] Let us know what you think of Taskmaster's killer moves in the comments below. And check out our roundup of all the Super Bowl movie commercials released so far. [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.

Bad Boys Rules the Box Office as Gretel & Hansel Finds Only Breadcrumbs

In a somewhat sluggish weekend, Bad Boys for Life stood atop the box office for the third weekend in a row, earning an estimated $17.6 million, per Variety. In fact, the top three movies were the same as last week: Bad Boys for Life, 1917 (which had a $9.6 million haul), and Dolittle (which roped $7.7 million). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/02/gretel-hansel-final-official-trailer"] Landing in fourth place, and it was pretty close, was new horror flick Gretel & Hansel, directed by Oz Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins). Again though, it was neck and neck with Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, which is in its second week of release. New revenge thriller The Rhythm Section -- starring Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown -- performed quite poorly against its $50 million budget, debuting in tenth place with $2.8 million. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscars-2020-igns-reviews-of-the-best-picture-nominees&captions=true"]

North American Box Office Estimates

Gretel & Hansel only narrowly defeated The Gentlemen and Jumanji: The Next Level in the battle for the middle of the chart, while The Turning, Little Women, and The Rhythm Section rounded out the Top 10. Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

  • 1. Bad Boys for Life $17,675,000
  • 2. 1917 $9,660,000
  • 3. Dolittle $7,700,000
  • 4. Gretel & Hansel $6,050,830
  • 5. The Gentlemen $6,010,000
  • 6. Jumanji: The Next Level $6,000,000
  • 7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker $3,193,000
  • 8. The Turning $3,050,000
  • 9. Little Women $3,015,000
  • 10. The Rhythm Section $2,800,000

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/1917-extended-featurette"] [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.

Bad Boys Rules the Box Office as Gretel & Hansel Finds Only Breadcrumbs

In a somewhat sluggish weekend, Bad Boys for Life stood atop the box office for the third weekend in a row, earning an estimated $17.6 million, per Variety. In fact, the top three movies were the same as last week: Bad Boys for Life, 1917 (which had a $9.6 million haul), and Dolittle (which roped $7.7 million). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/02/gretel-hansel-final-official-trailer"] Landing in fourth place, and it was pretty close, was new horror flick Gretel & Hansel, directed by Oz Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins). Again though, it was neck and neck with Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, which is in its second week of release. New revenge thriller The Rhythm Section -- starring Blake Lively, Jude Law, and Sterling K. Brown -- performed quite poorly against its $50 million budget, debuting in tenth place with $2.8 million. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscars-2020-igns-reviews-of-the-best-picture-nominees&captions=true"]

North American Box Office Estimates

Gretel & Hansel only narrowly defeated The Gentlemen and Jumanji: The Next Level in the battle for the middle of the chart, while The Turning, Little Women, and The Rhythm Section rounded out the Top 10. Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

  • 1. Bad Boys for Life $17,675,000
  • 2. 1917 $9,660,000
  • 3. Dolittle $7,700,000
  • 4. Gretel & Hansel $6,050,830
  • 5. The Gentlemen $6,010,000
  • 6. Jumanji: The Next Level $6,000,000
  • 7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker $3,193,000
  • 8. The Turning $3,050,000
  • 9. Little Women $3,015,000
  • 10. The Rhythm Section $2,800,000

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/1917-extended-featurette"] [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.

Bill Murray Returns to Groundhog Day in New Super Bowl Ad for Jeep

Bill Murray has returned to the world of Groundhog Day in a new Super Bowl commercial for the Jeep Gladiator, which you can watch above. Conveniently enough, Super Bowl LIV falls on the actual Groundhog Day, and according to Rolling Stone, this is actually Murray’s first-ever nationally televised commercial appearance.

In the Jeep commercial, Murray, once again playing weatherman Phil Conners, wakes back up in the town of Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day. Reliving the events of the day, just as he did in the original movie, Murray runs into the annoying Ned Ryerson (played by a now older Stephen Tobolowsky) before spying a Jeep Gladiator parked in town, and remarks “well that’s different.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/29/mtn-dew-zero-sugar-as-good-as-the-original-trailer"]

Murray then steals Punxsutawney Phil from the mayor (again played by Brian Doyle-Murray) and sets off in the Jeep into numerous adventures, including multiple trips into the Pennsylvania wilderness, and (perhaps upsettingly to Punxsutawney Phil) a trip to the arcade where Murray plays whack-a-mole.

The ad ends with the tagline: “No day is the same in a Jeep Gladiator.”

If you’re hungry for more, here’s every Super Bowl 2020 commercial we’ve found, including for Doritos, Mountain Dew, Pringles, and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/30/doritos-super-bowl-54-commercial-the-cool-ranch-feat-lil-nas-x-and-sam-elliott"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Bill Murray Returns to Groundhog Day in New Super Bowl Ad for Jeep

Bill Murray has returned to the world of Groundhog Day in a new Super Bowl commercial for the Jeep Gladiator, which you can watch above. Conveniently enough, Super Bowl LIV falls on the actual Groundhog Day, and according to Rolling Stone, this is actually Murray’s first-ever nationally televised commercial appearance.

In the Jeep commercial, Murray, once again playing weatherman Phil Conners, wakes back up in the town of Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day. Reliving the events of the day, just as he did in the original movie, Murray runs into the annoying Ned Ryerson (played by a now older Stephen Tobolowsky) before spying a Jeep Gladiator parked in town, and remarks “well that’s different.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/29/mtn-dew-zero-sugar-as-good-as-the-original-trailer"]

Murray then steals Punxsutawney Phil from the mayor (again played by Brian Doyle-Murray) and sets off in the Jeep into numerous adventures, including multiple trips into the Pennsylvania wilderness, and (perhaps upsettingly to Punxsutawney Phil) a trip to the arcade where Murray plays whack-a-mole.

The ad ends with the tagline: “No day is the same in a Jeep Gladiator.”

If you’re hungry for more, here’s every Super Bowl 2020 commercial we’ve found, including for Doritos, Mountain Dew, Pringles, and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/30/doritos-super-bowl-54-commercial-the-cool-ranch-feat-lil-nas-x-and-sam-elliott"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Metroid Prime 4 Developer Hires on DICE Art Director

Back in June 2019, Metroid Prime 4 developer Retro Studios posted a job opening for the art director of Samus’ next major game. After eight long months, it appears that they’ve finally filled the position with former DICE art director Jhony Ljungstedt. And you thought your job interview process took forever.

First reported by VideoGamesChronicle.com, Ljungstedt previously worked as an art director for EA games such as Battlefield V, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, two Battlefield 3 expansions, and the 2010 Medal of Honor.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/12/metroid-1991-vs-metroid-2017"]

It’s currently unconfirmed what project Ljungstedt has been attached to, but considering Metroid Prime 4 is the only known Retro Studios project, and how it lines up with the game’s rebooted development process, it’s the most likely conclusion.

If Ljungstedt is indeed Metroid Prime 4’s new art director, he’ll be responsible for setting the “artistic vision,” collaborating between the art team and Nintendo, and ensuring the project’s art needs can be met on schedule.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-biggest-games-that-werent-at-e3-2019&captions=true"]

Schedules have been a sticky issue for Metroid Prime 4 as of late. Originally announced with nothing but a fancy logo during E3 2017, Metroid Prime 4 ran into a number of significant issues not long after. In Janury 2019, Nintendo announced that the game was restarting development after it failed to reach “the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series." Originally, it was said that Bandai Namco was developing Metroid Prime 4, but the development restart ended up with original Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios taking over the reins.

All of this information, plus Ljungstedt’s hiring, seems to point to Metroid Prime 4 still being a long way off.

Here’s a look at who is (and isn’t) joining Ljungstedt at Retro, including original Metroid Prime producer Kensuke Tanabe. Can’t wait for Metroid Prime 4? Here’s every major game coming in 2020 to help tide you over. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Metroid Prime 4 Developer Hires on DICE Art Director

Back in June 2019, Metroid Prime 4 developer Retro Studios posted a job opening for the art director of Samus’ next major game. After eight long months, it appears that they’ve finally filled the position with former DICE art director Jhony Ljungstedt. And you thought your job interview process took forever.

First reported by VideoGamesChronicle.com, Ljungstedt previously worked as an art director for EA games such as Battlefield V, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, two Battlefield 3 expansions, and the 2010 Medal of Honor.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/12/metroid-1991-vs-metroid-2017"]

It’s currently unconfirmed what project Ljungstedt has been attached to, but considering Metroid Prime 4 is the only known Retro Studios project, and how it lines up with the game’s rebooted development process, it’s the most likely conclusion.

If Ljungstedt is indeed Metroid Prime 4’s new art director, he’ll be responsible for setting the “artistic vision,” collaborating between the art team and Nintendo, and ensuring the project’s art needs can be met on schedule.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-biggest-games-that-werent-at-e3-2019&captions=true"]

Schedules have been a sticky issue for Metroid Prime 4 as of late. Originally announced with nothing but a fancy logo during E3 2017, Metroid Prime 4 ran into a number of significant issues not long after. In Janury 2019, Nintendo announced that the game was restarting development after it failed to reach “the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series." Originally, it was said that Bandai Namco was developing Metroid Prime 4, but the development restart ended up with original Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios taking over the reins.

All of this information, plus Ljungstedt’s hiring, seems to point to Metroid Prime 4 still being a long way off.

Here’s a look at who is (and isn’t) joining Ljungstedt at Retro, including original Metroid Prime producer Kensuke Tanabe. Can’t wait for Metroid Prime 4? Here’s every major game coming in 2020 to help tide you over. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Watchmen: Lindelof Won’t ‘Close the Door’ On a Possible Season 2

Damon Lindelof's Watchmen sequel series was a big hit with both viewers and critics this past fall, though a second season remains unlikely without Lindlof returning to shape and showrun it. As HBO programming president Casey Bloys said a few weeks ago, "It would be hard to imagine doing it without Damon involved in some way." And back in December, Lindelof explained, "I’ve consistently believed and still believe that these nine episodes are a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end." Adding, "I don’t have any ideas for subsequent seasons of Watchmen currently." Speaking to Deadline this weekend at the WGA Awards, Lindelof seemed more open to the idea of returning for more Watchmen, though if it happened, it wouldn't be for a few years at least. “I never wanna close the door completely because if two, three years from now I say, I just had another idea, it will be that much harder to open," Lindelof shared. "But I would say it’s barely ajar. I think that there are no current plans to make any more Watchmen." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=watchmen-all-the-comic-book-references-in-the-hbo-series&captions=true"] "If the idea comes, I would be enthusiastic about it," he said. "The idea may not come from me. I would be super excited about it coming from someone else. So my position hasn’t changed." Watchmen was named IGN's TV Series of the Year for 2019 and if you're looking to dig a bit deeper into the show then here are 10 burning questions answered by HBO's "Peteypedia" page. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/17/damon-lindelof-reacts-to-watchmen-being-named-igns-tv-series-of-the-year"] For more TV news, check out SNL's parody of Frozen 2, Always Sunny's Rob McElhenney responding to the Lethal Weapon 5 news, and a closer look at Captain Picard's other First Officer: Michelle Hurd's Raffi Musiker. [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.

SNL Delivered Frozen 2’s ‘Deleted Scenes’

In this weekend's Saturday Night Live, hosted by the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt, Frozen 2 was the target of parody as everything from Elsa's sexuality to the franchise's whitewashing controversy became fair game. In the sketch -- featuring Kate McKinnon as Elsa, Cecily Strong as Anna, Watt as Kristoff, and Kyle Mooney as Olaf -- Frozen 2's "Deleted Scenes" were sampled. Here's the portion of the sketch that SNL posted to Twitter... Despite not being as wildly praised as the first film, Frozen 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, bringing in $1.325 billion at the global box office. Frozen 2 was also the sixth Disney film to cross the billion dollar mark in 2019. Here's a quick rundown of every Disney and Pixar movie on the way (or in the works). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-disney-and-pixar-animated-movie&captions=true"] [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.

SNL Delivered Frozen 2’s ‘Deleted Scenes’

In this weekend's Saturday Night Live, hosted by the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt, Frozen 2 was the target of parody as everything from Elsa's sexuality to the franchise's whitewashing controversy became fair game. In the sketch -- featuring Kate McKinnon as Elsa, Cecily Strong as Anna, Watt as Kristoff, and Kyle Mooney as Olaf -- Frozen 2's "Deleted Scenes" were sampled. Here's the portion of the sketch that SNL posted to Twitter... Despite not being as wildly praised as the first film, Frozen 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, bringing in $1.325 billion at the global box office. Frozen 2 was also the sixth Disney film to cross the billion dollar mark in 2019. Here's a quick rundown of every Disney and Pixar movie on the way (or in the works). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-disney-and-pixar-animated-movie&captions=true"] [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.