Force Awakens: J.J. Reveals His Big Mistake With Leia
Director J.J. Abrams has opened up about what he thinks is "one of the mistakes" he made in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it involves General Leia Organa and Chewbacca.
Obviously, SPOILERS ahead if you're one of the fraction of people online who have not yet seen Force Awakens.
Still here? OK, here goes.
When asked about why Leia didn't hug Chewbacca after Han Solo's death -- opting to embrace Rey, a complete stranger, instead -- Abrams said he understood why some fans felt like the princess-turned-Resistance leader had dissed Han's Wookie partner at one of his saddest moments.
"That was probably one of the mistakes I made in that," Abrams told /Film. "My thinking at the time was that Chewbacca, despite the pain he was feeling, was focused on trying to save Finn and getting him taken care of. So I tried to have Chewbacca go off with him and focus on Rey, and then have Rey find Leia and Leia find Rey. The idea being that both of them being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other — that Leia would have been told about her beyond what we saw onscreen and Rey of course would have learned about Leia. And that reunion would be a meeting and a reunion all in one, and a sort of commiseration of their mutual loss."
CBS Indicates Supergirl Will Be Renewed
Recent comments made by CBS CEO Les Moonves indicate the network will be renewing Supergirl for Season 2.
"We have about five new shows on this year," Moonves told the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference. "Of those five, I believe all five of them will be renewed, and we own four of them."
Deadline first reported on Moonves' statement, but notes his quote is a bit tricky, since of the five new shows the network has already debuted this TV season -- including Limitless, Code Black, Life in Pieces, Supergirl, and Angel from Hell -- two are in fact not owned by CBS (Life in Pieces from 20th Century Fox and Supergirl from Warner Bros.), while another of the five, Angel From Hell, has already been cancelled.
Into the Badlands Renewed for Season 2
AMC's martial arts drama, Into the Badlands, has been renewed for a second season, the network announced today. The ten-episode season will premiere in 2017.
According to AMC, Season 2 will premiere globally "within minutes" of the US broadcast, courtesy of AMC Global. The network also notes the series' first season was the third-highest rated debut season in cable TV history, bringing in 5.3 million live-plus-seven-day viewers per episode.
"Co-creators and showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar, along with a talented team of producers, cast and crew, brought us an artfully crafted series," said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV, and AMC Studios. "We’re eager to return to the world of barons and blades and spend even more time with these compelling and evolving characters across an expanded second season."
Disney Will Lose Up to $75 Million on Finest Hours
Disney may have enjoyed record-breaking success this quarter thanks to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it wasn't all box office gold for the studio.
CEO Robert Iger revealed at the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet and Telecom Conference that The Finest Hours will force the studio to take a write down of approximately $75 million, according to Variety.
The Finest Hours -- which starred Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, and Eric Bana -- flopped at the box office, grossing just $26.8 million domestically and $40.5 million worldwide.
Amazing $8500 ‘The Hobbit’ Pinball Machine Revealed
When you spot The Hobbit pinball machine at your local arcade, bowling alley, or bar, it will look different than other machines. The backglass of The Hobbit, a space normally reserved for scorekeeping reels or rudimentary orange dot matrix displays, is a lively, animated LCD screen, with CG scenes, animations, and movie clips from Peter Jackson's trilogy. This is the most striking element of The Hobbit, but there are many, many other cool toys, targets, ramps, and surprises unique to this game that you simply have to see to believe.
Check out the video at the top of the page to see how The Hobbit in motion. We've selected a few images of the game below for you to see if you can't watch a video right now (Seriously, though: They do not come close to telling the full story).
This Adventure Time/He-Man Mash-Up Figure Is Ridiculous
Robotic Industries, a UK-based sculpting company, has created a He-Man/Adventure Time mash-up figure called 'He-Finn The Human'.
Only 15 of these figures are being made, too - 10 will be released online on the 11th of this month, exclusively on fugi.me. Another 5 will be available at ToyconUK 2016 on April 9th.
Each package comes with He-Finn, who has four points of articulation, a backpack and a golden sword, but the Jake The Dog figure pictured below is not included. Click right for more images:
The figures are selling for £50 GBP (approximately $70 USD), plus shipping if bought online.
Alanah Pearce is IGN's Toys & Culture Editor, and she dreams of being as magnificent and muscular as He-Finn The Human one day. You can find her on Twitter @Charalanahzard.
Pokemon Red: Champion Edition Nendoroid Now Available
The previously-announced all-new version of Good Smile's Red Pokemon trainer Nendoroid is now available with a few new perks.
While the collectible was previously available with the starter Pokemon Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, this new Champion Edition includes their evolved forms of Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise.
Look what’s back in stock at the #PokemonCenter, US Trainers! https://t.co/S8wXVoQ22i pic.twitter.com/5DS5kRHNRQ
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) March 8, 2016
Ghostbusters Animated Pic Hires Clash of Clans Helmer
Sony Pictures Animation has reportedly hired Fletcher Moules to direct its upcoming animated Ghostbusters movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Moules—who directed the animated commercial spots for the wildly successful mobile game Clash of Clans—will join Ghostbusters co-creator Ivan Reitman, who's on board to produce.
66 Screenshots from the Game of Thrones Season 6 Trailer
The full trailer for Game of Thrones Season 6 is here, and it's a doozy. With dozens of returning faces in a variety of surprising and not-so-surprising situations, there's a lot to pore over.
The slideshow below contains 66 still images taken from the trailer's key moments, if you want to double-check that you actually saw what you think you saw.
You can also see these 66 high-res images in a photo gallery, if you're on a screen where the slideshow gives you trouble.
PSVR Is ‘Not for Use by Children Under Age 12′
Sony's answer to virtual reality has a slightly lower age limit than its competitors.
Exactly one year lower, to be specific. The detail comes via the PS4 firmware 3.50 update. It specifies "The VR headset is not for use by children under age 12." In comparison, the Oculus Rift and Samsung's Gear VR have suggested age requirements of 13 and up.
According to Engadget the reasoning behind the age limit has to do with children going through "a critical period in visual development," which virtual reality might interfere with. It's not clear if Sony's health and safety findings back up the added leeway, or if the technology powering PlayStation VR is just slightly less intense.