T2 Star on Making the Then-Most Expensive Film Ever
Director James Cameron's classic sci-fi epic Terminator 2: Judgment Day is returning to theaters August 25th in an immersive 3D conversion overseen by Cameron himself. In anticipation of that release, I spoke with actor Joe Morton, who portrayed Skynet inventor Dr. Miles Dyson, about his memories of making T2, working with Cameron, and where the franchise went after Cameron parted ways with it. (Also be sure to check out what Morton also told me about playing Cyborg's dad in Justice League.)
Be mindful of SPOILERS ahead for Terminator 2: Judgment Day ...
Destiny 2: Console Testing Leads to PC Beta Changes
Bungie's weekly update is live and features some details on Destiny 2's upcoming PC beta, specifically what tweaks are being made to competitive play.
As detailed by Crucible Design Lead Lars Bikken, the developers have been keeping their eyes on player's activities in the console beta and have used what they've learned to further tailor the multiplayer experience — in particular, online matchmaking.
Going forward, Destiny 2, which was recently featured as part of IGN First, will feature two alternate modes of matchmaking, Quickplay and Competitive.
Netflix in Talks with Disney to Keep Marvel, Star Wars Films
While Disney and Pixar-branded films are being removed from Netflix, that may not be the case for Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm titles.
Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos told Reuters, "we are still in active discussions" with Disney to keep Marvel and Star Wars movies on the service beyond 2019, at which time Disney will launch its own branded streaming service that features various Disney and Pixar films.
Disney will debut its own branded streaming service for US consumers in 2019 and later expand the service worldwide. This new service's initial lineup will include Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 and the live-action adaptation of The Lion King. Sarandos believes Disney's new service will be "complementary" to Netflix.
Justice League: Batman’s Flying Fox Revealed
Typically a loner (particularly in his more recent cinematic excursions), Batman is breaking that habit for DC's upcoming Justice League and gathering together a group of Earth's most powerful metahumans (and hey, maybe a Kryptonian). But with a global threat on the horizon, how will the League be getting around?
We first heard of Batman's Flying Fox when we visited the set of JL last year. And now, thanks to EW, we have more info on the vehicle.
An Ode to Orphan Black’s Not-So-Secret Weapon: Tatiana Maslany
Orphan Black's premiere episode was a tense, intriguing hour of television that introduced what would turn out to be an incredibly thoughtful series that ruminated on ethics, morality, genetics, body autonomy, sisterhood, motherhood, and many more complex issues throughout its five-season run.
And though it was immediately clear that star Tatiana Maslany brought a magnetic presence to the series, what unfolded in the subsequent nine episodes of the first season—the five distinct personalities she brought to life as clones Sarah, Beth, Alison, Cosima, and Helena—was remarkable to watch.
Orphan Black was well-written and well-produced, but most of all, it was well cast. Would the show still have been cool and addicting without Maslany? Of course. It's a rad premise buoyed by top-tier talent in the non-clone roles, too—not to mention the absurdly well-shot multi-clone scenes that require intricate plotting and sophisticated technology to produce. But the way the Canadian actress (and now-Emmy winner) fully inhabited each of her many roles meant that watching the opening credits was a head-scratching exercise, owing to the very small number of actresses listed on a female-led show—you know, because Maslany played all of those characters herself.
PAX West 2017 Indie Megabooth Details Announced
The line-up for this year's PAX West Indie Megabooth features 83 games, from PC to tabletop, all being shown off in the 5,700 square-foot booth on the PAX West floor.
Among the games are Mossmouth's UFO 50, a "collection of 50 retro-flavored games," Dunk Lords, a basketball brawler by the lead programmer of Spelunky, and Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope's Return of the Obra Dinn.
The Indie Megabooth is also teaming up with the creators of the Exploding Kittens card game to bring a pop-up kitten cafe to PAX West. The "Non-Exploding Kittens Room" will serve as a fundraising and pet adoption center for the non-profit MEOW Cat Shelter.
Here is a complete list of all 83 games showing at the PAX West Indie Megabooth:
Accessory Company Sues Nintendo Over Switch Design
Nintendo is being sued by accessory company Gamevice over the Switch's design.
Engadget reports Gamevice filed a lawsuit against Nintendo because the design of its latest system is too similar to Gamevice's Android gaming tablet, the Wikipad. The accessory company believes Nintendo violated a patent, and that the Switch's detectable Joy-Con controllers are too close to what Gamevice had in mind for its portable device.
The Wikipad, image via Wikipad's official site
Avengers 4 Production Commences: ‘Beginning the End’
Avengers 4 has officially started filming, marking the beginning of the end for this ten-year story arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo posted a mysterious image on Facebook announcing the start of production, writing "beginning the end." The teaser image shows off a glove with four fingers extended. No word on who's wearing that glove or to whom it might belong. Check it out below:
Image via directors Joe and Anthony Russo on Facebook
Friday the 13th: The Game to Remove Team Killing
Following complaints of "rampant team-killing," Friday the 13th: The Game is eliminating weapon use against teammates in public matches.
In a preview for the next patch (via Reddit), Gun Media detailed the change, saying, "The shotgun, machete, and other assorted weapons will no longer have any effect on friendly players." While team-killing was "designed to promote life-or-death experiences into each and every game you play," it's become "more of a Battle Royale scenario," according to the publisher.
However, there are two exceptions to Friday the 13th's new team-killing rules: vehicles and traps. You'll still be able to kill fellow counselors while driving a car, and bear traps set by other counselors will still cause damage. Gun Media is also doing away with XP penalties for team kills via bear trap, warning players to "pay attention to placed traps."
Finn Balor Doesn’t Need the Demon to Slay Bray Wyatt
With WWE SummerSlam just over a week away -- emanating from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, August 20th -- I had the chance to speak to Finn Balor about his match on the card with Bray Wyatt.
One thing that fans haven't seen since Balor returned to the ring from his shoulder injury is the resurrection of the "Demon" persona that he sometimes uses for big match purposes. Given that SummerSlam is one of the "Big Four" PPVs in WWE, could it be possible that the Demon awakens next Sunday? Well, Finn doesn't really think it's the right time.
"You know the Demon only comes out in certain special situations," Balor said, "and I don't think my match at SummerSlam against Bray Wyatt calls for it necessarily. I think I'm perfectly capable of handling that on on my own, as Finn Balor. The Demon is something I have to personally tap into and believe in and draw from and the opportunity hasn't arose and the situation hasn't presented itself yet. The story hasn't required it."