Yearly Archives: 2020

Fantastic Four Director Josh Trank Has No Interest in a ‘Trank Cut’

Josh Trank, who directed 2015's notorious Fantastic Four reboot, has gone on the record as saying that he is not interested in any "Trank Cut" of the film being released. The so-called "Trank Cut" is obviously a reference to The Snyder Cut of Justice League. It was announced last week that Zack Snyder's version of that film will be finished and released on HBO Max in 2021. As CBR points out, a fan on Twitter suggested the idea to Trank of a director's cut of his Fantastic Four, but the filmmaker replied "No need." He then followed up with a retweet of CBR's story, saying rather cheekily, "Yeah... No trank you."

Trank's most recent film, the Tom Hardy drama Capone, was just released. He's acknowledged the problems he had on Fantastic Four. "What I tried to do with Fantastic Four was so arrogant for somebody who hadn't really gotten the handle of his own skill set as a filmmaker to do that kind of stuff with it," he told The Hollywood Reporter. He had some fun with a review of the film on Letterbox last fall, saying he was in a "heavily f**king traumatized state of mind" just two weeks before the movie was set to release. In that review, he even asked "Is there a #releasethetrankcut?" before adding that it "doesn't matter."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-superhero-directors-cuts-you-can-stream-now&captions=true"]

The full story of what happened with Fantastic Four has never been revealed, but after the movie was released, actor Toby Kebbell (who played Doom in it) said that Trank "cut a great film that you’ll never see. That is a shame. A much darker version, and you’ll never see it.” Trank also tweeted a similar sentiment when the film was first released, saying "A year ago I had a fantastic version of this. And it would've received great reviews. You’ll probably never see it. That’s reality though."

What do you think? Should a Trank Cut see the light of day? Let's discuss in the comments!

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The Snyder Cut Will Cost More Than $30 Million, Says HBO Max Boss

When official news of the release of The Snyder Cut swept the Internet last week, early reports pegged the cost of bringing director Zack Snyder's true vision of the Justice League movie to life as being between $20-$30 million. But it's actually going to cost more than that, the head of HBO Max said in a new podcast interview. During an appearance on Recode Media's podcast (via Screenrant), WarnerMedia chairman and HBO Max boss Bob Greenblatt admitted that he wishes the Snyder Cut would only cost $30 million to release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/justice-league-the-snyder-cut-official-hbo-max-announcement"] "It isn't as easy as going into the vault and there's a Snyder Cut sitting there to put out," Greenblatt explained. "Zack is actually building it and it's complex, including - and I don't wanna get into too much detail that we haven't already talked about yet - but, new effects shots." Greenblatt described the Snyder Cut as "a radical rethinking of that movie" and "complicated and wildly expensive. Which is, of course, a number I won't quote... I'll just say I wish it was $30 million and stop there." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-superhero-directors-cuts-you-can-stream-now&captions=true"] As it is, HBO Max -- which launches May 27th -- will tout Zack Snyder's Justice League as one of their huge exclusive titles next year. In the meantime, Snyder will work with his team to get his version of the film into finished shape. For more on The Snyder Cut, check out our deep dive into the legendary project's history and learn what the cast had to say about the release news.

Posted in Uncategorized

The Snyder Cut Will Cost More Than $30 Million, Says HBO Max Boss

When official news of the release of The Snyder Cut swept the Internet last week, early reports pegged the cost of bringing director Zack Snyder's true vision of the Justice League movie to life as being between $20-$30 million. But it's actually going to cost more than that, the head of HBO Max said in a new podcast interview. During an appearance on Recode Media's podcast (via Screenrant), WarnerMedia chairman and HBO Max boss Bob Greenblatt admitted that he wishes the Snyder Cut would only cost $30 million to release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/justice-league-the-snyder-cut-official-hbo-max-announcement"] "It isn't as easy as going into the vault and there's a Snyder Cut sitting there to put out," Greenblatt explained. "Zack is actually building it and it's complex, including - and I don't wanna get into too much detail that we haven't already talked about yet - but, new effects shots." Greenblatt described the Snyder Cut as "a radical rethinking of that movie" and "complicated and wildly expensive. Which is, of course, a number I won't quote... I'll just say I wish it was $30 million and stop there." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-superhero-directors-cuts-you-can-stream-now&captions=true"] As it is, HBO Max -- which launches May 27th -- will tout Zack Snyder's Justice League as one of their huge exclusive titles next year. In the meantime, Snyder will work with his team to get his version of the film into finished shape. For more on The Snyder Cut, check out our deep dive into the legendary project's history and learn what the cast had to say about the release news.

Posted in Uncategorized

Minecraft Dungeons Review – A Cuter Looter

Minecraft represented a massive paradigm shift in games, having served as a popular proto-example of both early access releases and unstructured, creation-based gameplay. More than a decade later, Minecraft Dungeons doesn't strive toward revolutionary, but it may just use the now-familiar trappings of its namesake to introduce a new generation of players to old-school tropes. The dungeon-crawler is a light, breezy introduction to the genre for newcomers and a friendly, low-impact callback for veterans.

Those experienced with games like Diablo or Torchlight already know the basic gist. You venture from a hub area into various environments, battle enemy hordes, occasionally fell some larger-than-life boss monster, and then spend time laying out and sorting through your new loot like a kid who just opened a pack of baseball cards. Rinse, repeat.

Within that framework there is some simplification in Minecraft Dungeons, which helps to make it more inviting. You only have six gear slots--melee, bow, armor, and three artifact-based abilities. You won't find specialized classes or complex skill trees here. Everything is tied to your gear, and the level-ups mostly matter in that they determine the quality of your loot drops.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Posted in Uncategorized

Minecraft Dungeons Review – A Cuter Looter

Minecraft represented a massive paradigm shift in games, having served as a popular proto-example of both early access releases and unstructured, creation-based gameplay. More than a decade later, Minecraft Dungeons doesn't strive toward revolutionary, but it may just use the now-familiar trappings of its namesake to introduce a new generation of players to old-school tropes. The dungeon-crawler is a light, breezy introduction to the genre for newcomers and a friendly, low-impact callback for veterans.

Those experienced with games like Diablo or Torchlight already know the basic gist. You venture from a hub area into various environments, battle enemy hordes, occasionally fell some larger-than-life boss monster, and then spend time laying out and sorting through your new loot like a kid who just opened a pack of baseball cards. Rinse, repeat.

Within that framework there is some simplification in Minecraft Dungeons, which helps to make it more inviting. You only have six gear slots--melee, bow, armor, and three artifact-based abilities. You won't find specialized classes or complex skill trees here. Everything is tied to your gear, and the level-ups mostly matter in that they determine the quality of your loot drops.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Posted in Uncategorized

Tom Cruise in Space Movie to Be Directed by Edge of Tomorrow Helmer

Update: Filmmaker Doug Liman, who directed Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow and American Made, will direct Cruise and Elon Musk's action film to be filmed in outer space. "This is not some loose attachment. Liman and Cruise hatched this whole thing together, with Liman writing the first draft of the screenplay and producing along with Cruise," Deadline reports. "Liman and Cruise are collaborators and pals who are both pilots and bonded over an adventurous spirit." Our original report follows. Update: NASA has confirmed that it's working on a movie with Tom Cruise, to be filmed aboard the real International Space Station. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine explained that the decision has been taken in part "to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists".

NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality. pic.twitter.com/CaPwfXtfUv
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 5, 2020

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Cruise has hung off the sides of planes, piloted helicopters and planes, scaled skyscrapers, and pretty much spent his entire action film career performing many of his own death-defying stunts. And now he's reportedly setting his sights on the biggest stunt of all: filming a movie in outer space. Cruise is reportedly teaming with Elon Musk's SpaceX and working with NASA to make the first narrative film ever shot in space -- and an action movie, at that! "It’s not a Mission: Impossible film and no studio is in the mix at this stage," Deadline reports. "But this is real, albeit in the early stages of liftoff." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/top-gun-maverick-big-game-spot"] Cruise's latest project, the back-to-back production of Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, is currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. M:I 7 was about to film in Italy when the countrywide quarantine forced the production to shut down. The delays have now prompted Paramount to set new release dates for both films. Cruise's next release is Top Gun: Maverick, which flies into theaters this December. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

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Footage of Canceled Half-Life: Ravenholm Shown in New Documentary

For the first time, people got a chance to look at footage for Arkane Studio’s unfinished Half-Life game codenamed ‘Ravenhlm.’ Thanks to the newest Noclip documentary episode on the French game studio, footage for the unfinished Half-Life spinoff game were finally made available to the public. You might know the developers Arkane best for their immersive-sims like Dishonored and Prey. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-valve-game-review&captions=true"] At some point, Warren Spector and his team at Junction Point handed over a prototype for a Half-Life game they were working on to Arkane Studios, who was just hired by Valve to start a Half-Life project. Since it was never completed, there’s no official title for Arkane’s Half-Life game. Internally it was called Ravenholm based on its setting. It starred Lieutenant Shepard from Opposing Force and is centered around an abandoned experimentation center. Father Grigori is also in the game as an early guide. Another mechanic in the game was a Magnet Gun which Junction Point created. The gun can attract items, but also magnetize objects to combine them. One can easily imagine the environmental puzzles that would be capable of the Magnet Gun. The documentary explores Arkane’s history with Half-Life starting at the 33-minute mark and the footage for Ravenholm appears at the 37-minute mark. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/18/dishonored-33-minute-speedrun"] Ravenholm was considered within Arkane as a spinoff instead of a proper episode. A leak of the development build briefly created speculation that the project was a new Half-Life episode, or even Half-Life 3, but to Arkane it was always considered a spinoff. It’s unknown what Valve considered the project to be as it was never released. While the project was never finished, Valve would revisit Half-Life in 2020 with the release of Half-Life: Alyx in VR. You can read IGN’s perfect score Half-Life: Alyx review here. And be sure to check out the full documentary to learn about the interesting history of Arkane. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. Header image source: Arkane Studios, Valve, NoClip

Posted in Uncategorized

Footage of Canceled Half-Life: Ravenholm Shown in New Documentary

For the first time, people got a chance to look at footage for Arkane Studio’s unfinished Half-Life game codenamed ‘Ravenhlm.’ Thanks to the newest Noclip documentary episode on the French game studio, footage for the unfinished Half-Life spinoff game were finally made available to the public. You might know the developers Arkane best for their immersive-sims like Dishonored and Prey. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-valve-game-review&captions=true"] At some point, Warren Spector and his team at Junction Point handed over a prototype for a Half-Life game they were working on to Arkane Studios, who was just hired by Valve to start a Half-Life project. Since it was never completed, there’s no official title for Arkane’s Half-Life game. Internally it was called Ravenholm based on its setting. It starred Lieutenant Shepard from Opposing Force and is centered around an abandoned experimentation center. Father Grigori is also in the game as an early guide. Another mechanic in the game was a Magnet Gun which Junction Point created. The gun can attract items, but also magnetize objects to combine them. One can easily imagine the environmental puzzles that would be capable of the Magnet Gun. The documentary explores Arkane’s history with Half-Life starting at the 33-minute mark and the footage for Ravenholm appears at the 37-minute mark. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/18/dishonored-33-minute-speedrun"] Ravenholm was considered within Arkane as a spinoff instead of a proper episode. A leak of the development build briefly created speculation that the project was a new Half-Life episode, or even Half-Life 3, but to Arkane it was always considered a spinoff. It’s unknown what Valve considered the project to be as it was never released. While the project was never finished, Valve would revisit Half-Life in 2020 with the release of Half-Life: Alyx in VR. You can read IGN’s perfect score Half-Life: Alyx review here. And be sure to check out the full documentary to learn about the interesting history of Arkane. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. Header image source: Arkane Studios, Valve, NoClip

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Star Wars: Check Out These Adorable KOTOR Funko Pops

While Funko is certainly no stranger to the Star Wars franchise at this point, the collectibles giant's latest wave of Funko Pop! figurines should be of particular interest to Star Wars gamers. Funko has revealed a new wave based on iconic games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. As revealed on Funko's official Twitter account, the new "Star Wars Games" series will feature four new figure designs - the Shadow Trooper from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a hooded Yoda from Star Wars: Battlefront and Darth Revan and Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

All four figures are exclusive to Gamestop. They're currently scheduled for a July 20, 2020 release and are priced at $11.99 each. These video game-inspired character choices are interesting given how rarely Lucasfilm tends to greenlight toys based on the pre-Disney Legends universe. The hope is that this may be the first of several waves of Star Wars Games figures, with other KOTOR stars like Bastila Shan and HK-47 or other video game faves like Dark Forces' Kyle Katarn and Shadows of the Empire's Dash Rendar eventually getting the Pop treatment.

On the other hand, there's increasing evidence that the events of Knights of the Old Republic may still hold sway in Disney's revamped Star Wars timeline. Revan himself was quietly canonized in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and rumors suggest EA is developing a KOTOR remake designed to better fit the new timeline.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-star-wars-funko-pop-figures&captions=true"]

In other cool collectibles news, check out a very expensive and very detailed statue depicting Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Posted in Uncategorized

Star Wars: Check Out These Adorable KOTOR Funko Pops

While Funko is certainly no stranger to the Star Wars franchise at this point, the collectibles giant's latest wave of Funko Pop! figurines should be of particular interest to Star Wars gamers. Funko has revealed a new wave based on iconic games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. As revealed on Funko's official Twitter account, the new "Star Wars Games" series will feature four new figure designs - the Shadow Trooper from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a hooded Yoda from Star Wars: Battlefront and Darth Revan and Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

All four figures are exclusive to Gamestop. They're currently scheduled for a July 20, 2020 release and are priced at $11.99 each. These video game-inspired character choices are interesting given how rarely Lucasfilm tends to greenlight toys based on the pre-Disney Legends universe. The hope is that this may be the first of several waves of Star Wars Games figures, with other KOTOR stars like Bastila Shan and HK-47 or other video game faves like Dark Forces' Kyle Katarn and Shadows of the Empire's Dash Rendar eventually getting the Pop treatment.

On the other hand, there's increasing evidence that the events of Knights of the Old Republic may still hold sway in Disney's revamped Star Wars timeline. Revan himself was quietly canonized in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and rumors suggest EA is developing a KOTOR remake designed to better fit the new timeline.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-star-wars-funko-pop-figures&captions=true"]

In other cool collectibles news, check out a very expensive and very detailed statue depicting Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Posted in Uncategorized