Pokemon Go May Become a Movie
Thanks to the incredible success of Pokemon Go (that has seen Nintendo's shares rise by 10 percent), Hollywood has renewed its interest in a live action Pokemon film.
Deadline reports that Legendary Pictures - the company behind The Dark Knight Trilogy and Warcraft - is close to securing a deal to land the rights, but nothing has been finalized yet.
We've known that Legendary has been chasing the franchise for some time, although Sony and Warner Bros. were also reportedly in the running back in April.
Pokemon Go iOS Update Causes Trainer Club Login Issues
Though Pokemon Go received its first update today on the iOS App Store, the changes to the game have also reportedly brought about a new bug preventing players from playing.
As noted by Motherboard, multiple Pokemon Go players in the game's Reddit community have begun posting that when they attempt to log in via their Trainer Club membership, Go is now locking them out of the app. Some users have noticed that the reported issue appears to stem from within the app rather than Go sending out an HTTP request and then failing to connect.
Marvel and Fox Team for X-Men TV Series
Fox and Marvel Television are teaming up for a new untitled X-Men TV project, and Burn Notice creator Matt Nix is on board to write the script.
The network has made a put pilot commitment for the new Marvel series, which indicates Fox is heavily invested in the project and means the show has a high chance of at least airing as a special if it does not go to series. Otherwise, Fox would pay a heavy penalty for not moving forward with the show. This new show appears to be replacing the previously announced Hellfire series — after the project lost its writers — as Variety has heard that project has been canceled.
Helen Mirren Won’t Be Driving in Fast and Furious 8
While Helen Mirren will star in The Fast and the Furious 8, the actress won't be doing any driving.
"I wanted to be driving, but unfortunately, I’m not," the actress told Entertainment Weekly, humorously adding that maybe she'll get to drive in the series' twelfth installment.
Mirren went on to note that she's likely one of the only people on the Fast 8 set who who actually knows how to shift, jokingly saying, "I doubt the Rock knows" before adding, "I know how to double declutch.”
Saw: Eighth Movie Reportedly Lands Directors
Saw 8, tentatively subtitled Legacy, has reportedly landed a duo of directors.
Peter and Michael Spierig will helm the next entry in the long-running horror series, according to the Ontario Media Development Corporation (via Bloody Disgusting). The brothers' credits include sci-fi pics Daybreakers and Predestination.
Jigsaw's puppet, Billy, from the Saw films
Killer Instinct Soundtrack Coming to Vinyl
The classic soundtrack from the original Killer Instinct, Killer Cuts, is making its way to vinyl.
As detailed on Ultra-Combo.com, the soundtrack featuring Robin Beanland and Graeme Norgate's iconic music will be released through iam8bit, with audio mastered specifically for vinyl by Infrasonic Sound.
Three different covers are available, and in order to capture the original game's classic look, figures of Spinal, Sabrewulf and Fulgore were crafted in collaboration with Robot Chicken puppet fabricator Chelsea Bayouth and photographed for the art.
Those who want the Fulgore cover variant will need to place their order during EVO this weekend by July 17 at 11:59pm PT. Additionally, anyone who purchases the EVO edition will be entered in a drawing to win the Fulgore figure, which can be seen in the slideshow above.
Overwatch Competitive Mode Update to Only Allow One of Each Character on Teams
Blizzard is planning to incorporate a big change to Overwatch's Competitive Play to ensure teams don't look like a clone army of any one character.
In an interview with GameSpot, Blizzard principal designer Scott Mercer revealed a "one-hero limit" will be implemented into Competitive Play, but not Quick Play.
"...Players will not be able to stack more than one of the same hero within a Competitive match," Mercer revealed. Teams will no longer be able to use the same character multiple times with the update, though Mercer did not outline when that change will be implemented.
First Pokemon Go Update Now Live
Niantic Labs has debuted the first update to Pokemon Go, the iOS App Store has revealed.
The 1.0.1 update includes several stability and ease-of-use fixes. Among them is the promise that players will no longer have to repeatedly log in with their username and password after the app forcibly logs them out. Logging in via the Pokemon Trainer Club account option is also supposed to be a more stable process with the update.
Additionally, Niantic has "resolved issues causing crashes" and "fixed Google account scope." It was recently discovered that by logging in with a Google account, Pokemon Go requests full access to a user's Google information. Niantic issued a statement, however, saying that "Pokémon GO only accesses basic Google profile information (specifically, your User ID and email address) and no other Google account information is or has been accessed or collected."
Wrestling Wrap Up: Is Shane the Right Choice for SmackDown?
Was anyone else expecting a surprise on RAW this week regrinding Vince's decision for SmackDown GM? I'm sorry, SmackDown "Commissioner?"
Honestly, I never actually thought it would come down to an actual choice between Shane and Steph. This one felt ripe for one of those outside-the-yard shocks for shock's sake. Like, Vince would be all "I don't want either of you... Here's Sting!" Or AJ Lee. Or, you know, someone we never considered, or only partially considered in our attempt to get ahead of the story and ruin things for ourselves like we do because we're ruiners.
Overwatch Introduces New Hero
Overwatch's first new post-launch hero has officially been revealed.
As Blizzard's teasers from earlier this month hinted at, Ana Amari, a founding member of Overwatch and Pharah's mother, is a support sniper who uses a Biotic Rifle to both heal teammates and deal ongoing damage to enemies from long distances. Her secondary weapon, a Sleep Dart, knocks enemies unconscious.
She can also fire a Biotic Grenade, an area of effect ability that works similarly to Soldier: 76's Biotic Field, but both heals teammates and damages enemies within range.