Royal Rumble: The 6 Best (and 2 Worst) Moments
WWE's 2017 Royal Rumble is in the books and, as per usual, the event was filled with both awesome and infuriating moments. The Undertaker, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar all clashed inside the final moments of the Rumble match itself while John Cena captured the WWE World Championship from AJ Styles and Kevin Owens fended off Roman Reigns - Reigns, who'd later show up in the Royal Rumble itself in the #30 spot!
So what worked and what didn't? What made us cheer with delight or jeer with intense fury? Sure, you can't please everyone but, you know, you can also NOT have Roman Reigns eliminate Undertaker. It's a clearer line than you think. If you'd like to check out my Royal Rumble Live Blog and Reactions piece from Sunday night, you can read it here.
The Good Place Renewed for Season 2 by NBC
NBC has officially renewed its hit comedy The Good Place for Season 2.
The second season, similar to the first, will consist of 13 half-hour episodes. NBC believes what series creator Mike Schur "brought us with the first season of ‘The Good Place’ was just extraordinary."
"A big thank you to Mike, the writers and cast for delivering a series in which we all take such enormous pride," NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said in a statement.
The Good Place follows Kristen Bell's character Eleanor Shellstrop, who wakes up to discover she has entered the afterlife after being struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. She finds out from Michael (Ted Danson), her facilitator, that because of her desire to help others and do humanitarian work while she was alive, Eleanor has been able to enter a utopia called "The Good Place." However, she finds out she has been mistaken with someone with the same name, and must hide her past in order to remain in this utopia.
How Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Teases Kingdom Hearts 3
As its title suggests, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is meant to serve as the lead-up to the last entry in the Kingdom Hearts Dark Seeker saga — Kingdom Hearts III.
One portion of the collection (and be sure to read IGN's Kingdom Hearts 2.8 review) in particular, 0.2 Birth By Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage, offers more than just table setting. It delivers some important insight into what to possibly expect from the long-awaited sequel in the series. From gameplay to the story, Aqua’s journey through the Dark World is the closest we've come to playing Kingdom Hearts III, and here's what that experience tells us about what's to come for Sora, Mickey, and the rest of the gang.
Splinter Cell Film Not Affected by Assassin’s Creed
There's been a Sam Fisher-like silence regarding the Splinter Cell movie lately, but it's still happening with Tom Hardy.
Splinter Cell producer Basil Iwanyk opened up about the project with Collider. He confirmed that Assassin's Creed's domestic box office woes haven't impacted the film and there's a screenplay waiting for Hardy's approval.
"We’ve got a script," Iwanyk said. "It’s a little long, but it’s the best script we’ve had. ... This draft kind of addressed Tom’s notes. We’re going to give it to Hardy in the next couple of weeks and hopefully try to get it done this year."
Powerless: Meet the Team at Wayne Security
There are several DC Comics-based television series these days, but Powerless, debuting Thursday night, introduces a new side of the famous comic book universe to TV viewers.
IGN has the exclusive debut of a new promo for the half hour comedy, as someone who knows a thing or two about DC heroes -- the legendary Adam West -- provides voice over explaining how the series depicts the heroes behind the superheroes. The focus here is on the staff at Wayne Security (yep, as in Bruce Wayne), and the inventions they come up with to help regular citizens in a world where you never know when you might come across a Batman/Joker battle.
Check out the promo below!
Powerless debuts Thursday, February 2nd on NBC.
The Best and Worst of the Star Wars Special Editions
As far as Star Wars history goes, 2017 is an important year. Not only is it the 40th anniversary of the release of Episode IV: A New Hope in 1977, but also the 20th anniversary of the release of the Special Editions. The original trilogy was rereleased for fans to behold on the big screen once again in 1997, but the Special Editions weren't the same exact films that debuted two decades earlier. They featured some... tweaks.
If you ever find yourself longing to engage in a passionate debate with a Star Wars fan and are tired asking "Who shot first?" (and we should all be tired of that one), bring up the Special Editions. You'll likely begin an entertaining discussion about the alterations George Lucas made to his story set in a galaxy far, far away. The revisions range from minor dialogue adjustments to Hutt-sized additions. Which of the Special Edition changes work well and which are egregious? In honor of the 20th anniversary of the theatrical release of the Star Wars: A New Hope re-release on January 31, 1997, here's look at the best and worst:
Avatar 2: Motion Capture Begins in August
Avatar director James Cameron has provided a status update on his four sequel films, confirming all are being developed simultaneously, with motion capture set to begin in August.
When asked by The Daily Beast how Avatar 2 is coming along, Cameron replied by saying, "My focus isn't on Avatar 2. My focus is on Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5 equally. That's exactly how I’m approaching it. They've all been developed equally."
He also said he's completed the script for Avatar 5, and is "now starting the process of active prep." He went on to note that he's "booked in production every day" from now until he starts motion capture work with the acting crew in August. "Our volume is up and running, and everything is designed, and so we’re going full-guns right now," he added.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Has Lowest Box Office Opening Weekend of Series
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter released in theaters this weekend to an estimated $13,850,000, pulling in an opening weekend that ranks as the lowest Resident Evil debut of all time.
Hitting fourth place in its opening weekend, The Final Chapter's debut falls short of the original Resident Evil, which previously stood as the lowest first box office weekend of the film franchise. That original film made $40,119,709 (unadjusted) in its debut weekend in March 2002. The biggest opening weekend in the franchise belongs to the fourth film in the franchise based on Capcom's video game series — Resident Evil: Afterlife made $60,128,566 (unadjusted) when it debuted in September 2010.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nendoroid Figure Revealed
An adorable Link figure, based on his appearance in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is on the way from Good Smile's Nendoroid line.
Good Smile revealed that the Link Nendoroid will feature two face plates. That means the cute hero can silently smile or have a shouting expression, like he's about to cut down some grass.
The regular version of the Link Nendoroid also comes with a bow, arrow, quiver, sword, shield, sheath and the Sheikah Slate. But there's also a DX edition.
The deluxe package provides Link with a trusty stead. Plus he gets a tasty chicken leg, an axe, club and hood with alternate hair parts. Pre-orders will begin tomorrow.
Han Solo Movie Begins Filming, First Set Image Revealed
The standalone Han Solo movie has officially begun production.
Co-director Chris Miller revealed the news on Twitter while also sharing the first image from set. The movie's working title is jokingly Red Cup, a pun on the red plastic cups made by the company also named Solo. In the image, you can spot the film's red logo, which has the words Star Wars in much smaller font compared to Red Cup.
The movie's first set photo, via Chris Miller's Twitter.