Monthly Archives: October 2020

The Sandman: Netflix Series Reportedly Casts Tom Sturridge as Dream

Tom Sturridge is reportedly in talks to appear as Dream in the Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Collider reports that Sturridge has been tapped for the lead role in The Sandman after beating out Tom York (Poldark) and Colin Morgan (Merlin) at the testing stage of the casting process earlier this year. An official confirmation of the cast is expected to be announced very soon, as Gaiman revealed on Twitter this week that production is scheduled to start on the series in three weeks time. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/04/03/11-times-dc-movies-improved-on-the-comics"] Sturridge most recently starred in the Starz series Sweetbitter, which is an adaptation of Stephanie Danler's 2016 novel of the same name. In recent years, he's played Jon Dondon in Dan Gilroy's Netflix movie Velvet Buzzsaw and Lord Byron in Haifaa al-Mansour's biographical drama Mary Shelley. Sturridge's earlier credits include Far from the Madding Crowd, On the Road, and Pirate Radio. Being cast as Dream in The Sandman would be another major role for the actor. The Sandman revolves around Dream (AKA Morpheus) who is the living embodiment of dreams and a member of a family known as The Endless. Morpheus is nearly as old as existence itself, coming into being when the first lifeforms began dreaming. He draws strength from dreams and has the ability to shape them to his will. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=14-comics-that-defined-dcs-vertigo-imprint&captions=true"] Netflix officially confirmed its Sandman series in June 2019. The series was said to be making steady progress before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, which halted production. The show has an 11-episode order at Netflix, with Wonder Woman writer Allan Heinberg serving as showrunner. He'll also executive produce alongside Gaiman and David Goyer, and all three will co-write the first episode. For more on The Sandman, check out IGN's Sandman Explained feature and find out how the Audible adaptation can coexist with the Netflix series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Next DLC Fighters Are Minecraft Characters

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will add Minecraft's Steve, Alex, Zombie, and Enderman as upcoming DLC fighters. Revealed in an online presentation today, the fighters will be the second Challenger Pack in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 (following Arms' Min-Min), and will appear alongside a Minecraft-themed stage that can seemingly change each time it's loaded. Steve's abilities seemingly include the use of in-game crafting to create swords, pickaxes, blocks and other familiar elements from Minecraft. It appears as though Alex, Zombie and Enderman will be echo fighters for Steve. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-reveal-trailer"] Series creator Masahiro Sakurai explained that the process of creating Minecraft characters is more difficult than you'd expect, explaining that while the design, look, movement and sound were simple enough, but that the programming work is a "massive challenge". All the existing stages were also reworked to allow blocks to be placed in them. Sakurai will present a second broadcast, 'Fighting with Steve & Alex' on October 3 at 7:30am Pacific / 10:30am Eastern / 3:30pm UK. That broadcast will include the characters' release date. We're not claiming anything, but IGN's Brendan Graeber came up with his own take on how a Minecraft character could work in Smash last year, and looks to have predicted most of the moveset. We see you, Mr. Sakurai... [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=super-smash-bros-ultimate-minecraft-dlc-fighters-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Fan Gets Skyrim to Run on a Keyboard’s Tiny Display Screen

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been playable on many, many formats, but a fan has managed something new, by getting the game to run on their keyboard's tiny display screen. Courtesy of Reddit user Mr_Murdoc, you can see how the iconic opening scene of Skyrim looks when rendered in monochrome on a keyboard's OLED screen. Mr_Murdoc used a SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL keyboard to achieve the feat, which comes fitted with a small OLED display that can be modified using the SteelSeries Engine app. [caption id="attachment_2415091" align="alignnone" width="1920"]A shot of Skyrim running on the keyboard screen. Watch the video on Reddit. A shot of Skyrim running on the keyboard screen. Watch the video on Reddit.[/caption] Mr_Murdoc added in a reply that the game itself is running on a connected computer, using a script from GitHub that mirrors the user's desktop screen to the keyboard's OLED display to achieve the effect. Skyrim running natively on a keyboard seems absurd, of course, but given Bethesda's penchant for ports... never say never. Bethesda boss Todd Howard famously said in 2018 that if fans want the studio to stop releasing Skyrim ports, they should "stop buying them." In other Bethesda news, Zenimax Media was recently acquired by Microsoft, bringing franchises like Dishonored, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls under the wing of Xbox. Check out our video wondering whether Bethesda games will be Xbox exclusives going forward. The real question we're left with is whether this is more impressive than the fan that got Doom running on a pregnancy test. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Fan Gets Skyrim to Run on a Keyboard’s Tiny Display Screen

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been playable on many, many formats, but a fan has managed something new, by getting the game to run on their keyboard's tiny display screen. Courtesy of Reddit user Mr_Murdoc, you can see how the iconic opening scene of Skyrim looks when rendered in monochrome on a keyboard's OLED screen. Mr_Murdoc used a SteelSeries Apex 7 TKL keyboard to achieve the feat, which comes fitted with a small OLED display that can be modified using the SteelSeries Engine app. [caption id="attachment_2415091" align="alignnone" width="1920"]A shot of Skyrim running on the keyboard screen. Watch the video on Reddit. A shot of Skyrim running on the keyboard screen. Watch the video on Reddit.[/caption] Mr_Murdoc added in a reply that the game itself is running on a connected computer, using a script from GitHub that mirrors the user's desktop screen to the keyboard's OLED display to achieve the effect. Skyrim running natively on a keyboard seems absurd, of course, but given Bethesda's penchant for ports... never say never. Bethesda boss Todd Howard famously said in 2018 that if fans want the studio to stop releasing Skyrim ports, they should "stop buying them." In other Bethesda news, Zenimax Media was recently acquired by Microsoft, bringing franchises like Dishonored, DOOM, Wolfenstein, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls under the wing of Xbox. Check out our video wondering whether Bethesda games will be Xbox exclusives going forward. The real question we're left with is whether this is more impressive than the fan that got Doom running on a pregnancy test. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Windows 10 Adding a Task Manager Dedicated to Gaming

Windows 10 is adding a Task Manager widget within the Xbox Game Bar to help you manage your computer's resources without leaving a game. As spotted by WindowsCentral, the new 'Resources' widget lets you monitor which programs are causing the most strain on your computer, assess why your in-game performance may be hitching and close programs quickly without tabbing out. You'll also be able to see how much load there is on your CPU, RAM, DISK and GPU, much like the traditional Task Manager application. It's a neat timesaver that means you won't have to alt-tab or hit CTRL+ALT+DELETE so often to figure out your in-game issues.   [caption id="attachment_241507" align="aligncenter" width="720"]image (1) The Windows 10 Task Manager Bar in action.[/caption] You can get access to the feature right now by enrolling in the Game Bar - SDK Development app within the Xbox Insider Hub on Windows 10. The Xbox Insider Hub allows Windows and Xbox users to preview new features ahead of their official launch. If you choose the potentially less stable preview of the Xbox Game Bar, after an update you'll be able to find the new Task Manager app by clicking the 'widgets' hamburger symbol in the top bar after pressing Windows Key + G to initiate the overlay. It's not yet clear when the feature will be rolled out to all users. In other Windows 10 news, here's how to stream Xbox One games to your PC, using the desktop Xbox app. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Windows 10 Adding a Task Manager Dedicated to Gaming

Windows 10 is adding a Task Manager widget within the Xbox Game Bar to help you manage your computer's resources without leaving a game. As spotted by WindowsCentral, the new 'Resources' widget lets you monitor which programs are causing the most strain on your computer, assess why your in-game performance may be hitching and close programs quickly without tabbing out. You'll also be able to see how much load there is on your CPU, RAM, DISK and GPU, much like the traditional Task Manager application. It's a neat timesaver that means you won't have to alt-tab or hit CTRL+ALT+DELETE so often to figure out your in-game issues.   [caption id="attachment_241507" align="aligncenter" width="720"]image (1) The Windows 10 Task Manager Bar in action.[/caption] You can get access to the feature right now by enrolling in the Game Bar - SDK Development app within the Xbox Insider Hub on Windows 10. The Xbox Insider Hub allows Windows and Xbox users to preview new features ahead of their official launch. If you choose the potentially less stable preview of the Xbox Game Bar, after an update you'll be able to find the new Task Manager app by clicking the 'widgets' hamburger symbol in the top bar after pressing Windows Key + G to initiate the overlay. It's not yet clear when the feature will be rolled out to all users. In other Windows 10 news, here's how to stream Xbox One games to your PC, using the desktop Xbox app. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Borat 2: First Promotional Image Released, Amazon Prime Release Date Confirmed [Update: Trailer Released]

Update: The first trailer for Borat 2 - or as it appears to be titled, The Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - has now been released: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/borat-2-official-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Borat 2 will be released on Amazon Prime on October 23rd, as shown off (among other things) in a new promotional image. The film – which sadly may not be called Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan – got a startling first promotional image on Twitter, with Borat himself encouraging mask use amid the pandemic, in exactly the way you'd expect/fear: Borat 2 has appeared out of nowhere, with the first reports about the film appearing when members of the public saw star Sacha Baron Cohen filming in LA. Since then, it's emerged that the film has already been screened. Speculation had contended that the film would be released ahead of the US election in an attempt to reach younger voters, a theory supported by the October 23 date. The movie has been filmed internationally, with those involved saying Cohen had "risked his life multiple times to shoot the scenes in this film", requiring a bulletproof vest in some locations. Plot details, co-stars, and the inevitable appearance of famous people who don't know they're part of a spoof have not yet been announced. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Borat 2: First Promotional Image Released, Amazon Prime Release Date Confirmed

Borat 2 will be released on Amazon Prime on October 23rd, as shown off (among other things) in a new promotional image. The film – which sadly may not be called Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan – got a startling first promotional image on Twitter, with Borat himself encouraging mask use amid the pandemic, in exactly the way you'd expect/fear: Borat 2 has appeared out of nowhere, with the first reports about the film appearing when members of the public saw star Sacha Baron Cohen filming in LA. Since then, it's emerged that the film has already been screened. Speculation had contended that the film would be released ahead of the US election in an attempt to reach younger voters, a theory supported by the October 23 date. The movie has been filmed internationally, with those involved saying Cohen had "risked his life multiple times to shoot the scenes in this film", requiring a bulletproof vest in some locations. Plot details, co-stars, and the inevitable appearance of famous people who don't know they're part of a spoof have not yet been announced. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.