Someone Guessed a Big Game of Thrones Reveal Three Years Ago
Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones: Season 6 episode "The Door" below.
This week's episode of Game of Thrones brought with it a pivotal moment for Hodor (Kristian Nairn), revealing the meaning behind the character's name.
A writer from VentrellaQuest met George R.R. Martin at a fan convention in 2013 and shared his theory with the author regarding the meaning behind Hodor's name, which, believe it or not, turned out to be correct.
During last night's episode—read IGN's review of "The Door" here—Hodor is killed when protecting Bran from a horde of White Walkers, and he had just one job in keeping them away: to "hold the door."
Preacher: Is Jesse Custer Going on a Hero’s Journey?
Spoilers for Preacher's pilot episode continue below. Make sure to check out IGN's review of the series premiere.
Now that Jesse Custer has his new great power, what is he going to do with it?
While the arrival of Jesse's new ability might seem like the start of a traditional hero's journey, that's not the story Preacher is telling. As star Dominic Cooper told me, "I don’t know that it’s a hero's journey. I think that’s why it’s so clever. It’s under the guise of a hero’s journey."
As Jesse now stands, he intends to do good by the town of Annville. The question is what he decides to do when he realizes the full extent of his ability.
GoT Showrunners Break Down Major White Walker Revelation
Full spoilers for Game of Thrones' fifth episode, "The Door," continue below. For more insight into this episode, check out more details on that Hodor reveal.
Game of Thrones' showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss packed a lot of content into "The Door's" hour-long running time. Still, in an episode filled with many key moments and insights, it's easy to argue that the biggest game-changing bit of information was that the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers.
GoT’s Major Character Reveal Came From George R.R. Martin
Full spoilers for Game of Thrones' latest episode, "The Door," continue below.
Hodor, Hodor, Hodor.
Game of Thrones fans have long wondered why Hodor could only say his name, "Hodor," and in the fifth episode of Season 6, they got the heart-breaking answer. What might come as a surprise to some is that the "Hodor" reveal came straight from George R.R. Martin.
In "The Door's" Inside the Episode, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss confirmed that this big plot point came right from the source.
"We had this meeting with George Martin where we're trying to get as much information as possible out of him, and probably the most shocking revelation he had for us was when he told us the origin of Hodor and how that name came about," said Benioff. "I just remember Dan and I looking at each other when he said that and just being like, 'Holy s--t.'"
Box Office: Angry Birds Movie Dethrones Cap 3
After holding strong at number one for two weeks in a row, Captain America: Civil War slipped to second place at the box office this weekend, thanks to the debut of The Angry Birds Movie, which claimed the top spot with $39 million.
Sony’s animated feature performed as well as forecasts projected, eclipsing the $33.1 million figure that Disney's new Marvel movie earned during its third weekend in U.S. theaters. While Civil War surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office earlier this week, it saw a 54 percent decline this weekend.
Batman v Superman: Dead Robin’s Identity Revealed
After showcasing the suit of a dead Robin in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. has finally confirmed the dead character's identity is Jason Todd.
Warner Bros. revealed the character's identity in a Hollywood studio tour video (via Batman-News), which you can check out at the 1:33 mark below:
"This was one of the big things from Batman v Superman, right across this way. The Jason Todd Robin suit," the video's tour guide explained. "Spray painted on the front 'Ha ha. The joke’s on you Batman.' Those of you that know the storyline, know what happened to this Robin."
Outlander’s Claire and Jamie Discuss the Fallout of “Faith”
Full spoilers for Outlander's latest episode, "Faith," continue below.
There's a lot left unsaid between Claire and Jamie Fraser when they finally reunite at the end of "Faith." She is still reeling from the loss of their child, he is newly out of prison and missed the entire experience, and both of Outlander's main characters decide it's finally time to return to Scotland after an attempt to change history that has gone off with quite a few hitches.
Claire and Jamie might have had a difficult time processing the events of the episode, but stars Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe have had plenty of time to understand the emotions their characters are struggling with. For Heughan, the way Jamie processes the loss of his child is through his pain for his wife.
New Star Trek Beyond Scenes Described
Paramount Pictures thrilled Trekkies, Trekkers and Treksters (is that a thing?) alike on Friday night with its Star Trek Beyond Fan Event, a promotional push for the upcoming third picture in the rebooted franchise intended to get fans excited for the film. The evening, which took place on the Paramount lot in Hollywood, included cast and filmmaker appearances, a Leonard Nimoy tribute, footage debuts, a party held amid a treasure trove of Trek prop and costume displays, and more.
Not only did the new trailer for the film debut at the event, and then online shortly afterwards (watch it below), but we were also shown a few scenes from the film. An opening montage sequence depicted Chris Pine’s Kirk doing the Captain’s Log thing that we know so well from the old show. The Enterprise is now two or three years into its famed five-year mission, he says, and the day to day drudgery of life on the ship has settled in. The humorous touch of co-writer Simon Pegg (who of course also plays Scotty) is clear here, as Kirk opens his closet where nothing hangs but a dozen of the same yellow uniforms, or as he talks about how the Enterprise’s mission now feels like a series of “episodes.” It’s funny but also has a real old-school Star Trek feel to it, as if the Abramsverse characters have finally grown into the Enterprise crew we remember so well.
Angry Birds: From Mobile App to Full-Fledged Movie
Adapting a video game, let alone a mobile app, into a movie is no easy feat, but The Angry Birds Movie was unique in that it had a basic premise and eye-catching characters to go on, but not much else. And as first-time directors Clay Kaytis (Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph) and Fergal Reilly (Hotel Transylvania, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) put it, that gave them the freedom to really explore Rovio's multicolored world and take it in new, comedic directions.
Recently, IGN got a chance to sit down with the two filmmakers, both in a press conference and one-on-one, to talk about their take on Angry Birds, how Tangled and The Iron Giant influenced the film, and why the Angry Birds aren't actually birds...
Preacher: Why Dominic Cooper Is the Right Pick for Jesse Custer
Casting the role of Jesse Custer wasn't a simple process, but when it came time to consider Dominic Cooper to play the lead in AMC's new comic book series Preacher, showrunner Sam Catlin reflects that it actually was a pretty easy "yes."
Cooper is best known for playing Marvel's Howard Stark (Captain America: The First Avenger, Agent Carter) and has had recognizable roles in films such as Need For Speed, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Warcraft, but there were two characters in particular who caught Catlin's eye. Because of the changes in the casting process, much of the casting for Preacher was done off reels instead of in person. The showrunner said it wasn't until he saw Cooper in The Devil's Double that casting him as Jesse Custer clicked.