Yearly Archives: 2020
Y: The Last Man FX Series Casts Ben Schnetzer as Yorick
Actor Ben Schnetzer has been cast for the role of Yorick Brown in the TV adaptation of Y: The Last Man, multiple outlets are reporting.
Schnetzer will star in the long-gestating FX series alongside a cast that includes Diane Lane, Imogen Poots, Lashana Lynch, Juliana Canfield, Marin Ireland, and Amber Tamblyn. Previously, actor Barry Keoghan was set to play the role of Yorick and had been attached to the project since 2018, but left the series in early February.
Currently, production is scheduled to begin sometime in April. The plot for the FX TV series follows the comic book Y: The Last Man, created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra.
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Character Yorick Brown is the last surviving male on Earth with his pet monkey, Ampersand, after a deadly plague. The DC Comics series follows their journey as they try to survive in this new world.
The troubled development of Y: The Last Man as a TV series goes as far back as 2014. However, FX president John Landgraf, spoke last month about it progressing along in pre-production, following a showrunner change.
“Eliza Clark is running that show with Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson. We’ve seen five or six scripts now. We haven’t scheduled it because it hasn’t gone into production yet. But it seems to be going well.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/14/fx-developing-y-the-last-man-tv-series-ign-news"]
For more information about Y: The Last Man, now going by the name of Y, take a look at everything we know so far.
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Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.
Hawaii Five-0 Ending After 10 Seasons, No Season 11 on CBS
Hawaii Five-0 will come to an end after ten seasons on CBS. A two-hour series finale will take place on Friday, April 3.
Deadline reports that a back injury from series star Alex O'Loughlin has caused trouble for the actor for years. The network explored going on without O'Loughlin by having his co-star, Scott Caan, continue the show with a new partner. With both stars' contracts up at the end of the season, the decision was made to end the series.
"This show has been pretty much every waking moment for the last 10 years of my life,” said O’Loughlin in a statement. “Everywhere I go on this planet, in every language, I am McGarrett to all these people. What we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, it’s extraordinary. I can’t really put words to express my level of gratitude. I’m just glad to have been a part of this, a part of history and I’m going to miss it. And to the fans, I don’t know how to thank you guys. Thank you for following us the way you have. I’m going to miss you. Aloha.”
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The show was developed by Peter M. Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It's a reboot of the Hawaii Five-0 series that ran on CBS from 1968 to 1980. The reboot has apparently been huge for CBS. Deadline reports that the show has been broadcast in over 200 countries and received $2 million per episode from a deal with TNT to re-air episodes for the show's first season. The show has also crossed over with fellow CBS shows NCIS: Los Angeles, MacGyver and Magnum P.I. over the years.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to a hit franchise that carried on the legacy of the original with such distinction while establishing its own signature style,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS Entertainment President, in a statement. “From episode one, Hawaii Five-0 has been a huge success for us. Thanks to the amazing talents of the producers, writers, cast, and crew, it has played a key role for a decade on our schedule and helped establish our powerhouse Friday night. We cannot be prouder of its quality, longevity and are thankful for the passionate fan-devotion it inspired.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/21/cbs-all-access-review-2019"]
Hawaii Five-0 is the second ViacomCBS show to get the ax recently with Ray Donovan cancelled at Showtime. Here is IGN's list of every other TV show that announced its end so far in 2020. Hawaii Five-0 is currently available on CBS All-Access. IGN's review of CBS All-Access says there's some potentially great shows on the way but "the company still has a long way to go" before competing with Netflix and Disney.
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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.
Hawaii Five-0 Ending After 10 Seasons, No Season 11 on CBS
Hawaii Five-0 will come to an end after ten seasons on CBS. A two-hour series finale will take place on Friday, April 3.
Deadline reports that a back injury from series star Alex O'Loughlin has caused trouble for the actor for years. The network explored going on without O'Loughlin by having his co-star, Scott Caan, continue the show with a new partner. With both stars' contracts up at the end of the season, the decision was made to end the series.
"This show has been pretty much every waking moment for the last 10 years of my life,” said O’Loughlin in a statement. “Everywhere I go on this planet, in every language, I am McGarrett to all these people. What we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, it’s extraordinary. I can’t really put words to express my level of gratitude. I’m just glad to have been a part of this, a part of history and I’m going to miss it. And to the fans, I don’t know how to thank you guys. Thank you for following us the way you have. I’m going to miss you. Aloha.”
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-tv-show-cancelled-or-announced-to-be-ending-in-2020&captions=true"]
The show was developed by Peter M. Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It's a reboot of the Hawaii Five-0 series that ran on CBS from 1968 to 1980. The reboot has apparently been huge for CBS. Deadline reports that the show has been broadcast in over 200 countries and received $2 million per episode from a deal with TNT to re-air episodes for the show's first season. The show has also crossed over with fellow CBS shows NCIS: Los Angeles, MacGyver and Magnum P.I. over the years.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye to a hit franchise that carried on the legacy of the original with such distinction while establishing its own signature style,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS Entertainment President, in a statement. “From episode one, Hawaii Five-0 has been a huge success for us. Thanks to the amazing talents of the producers, writers, cast, and crew, it has played a key role for a decade on our schedule and helped establish our powerhouse Friday night. We cannot be prouder of its quality, longevity and are thankful for the passionate fan-devotion it inspired.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/21/cbs-all-access-review-2019"]
Hawaii Five-0 is the second ViacomCBS show to get the ax recently with Ray Donovan cancelled at Showtime. Here is IGN's list of every other TV show that announced its end so far in 2020. Hawaii Five-0 is currently available on CBS All-Access. IGN's review of CBS All-Access says there's some potentially great shows on the way but "the company still has a long way to go" before competing with Netflix and Disney.
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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.
GDC 2020 March Event Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns
The Game Developers Conference is canceled, sources tell IGN, with the show's organizers now confirming it as a postponement to a later planned date.
Two developers familiar with GDC's plans told IGN of a planned cancellation ahead of the official GDC announcement, which reads:
"After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March.
Having spent the past year preparing for the show with our advisory boards, speakers, exhibitors, and event partners, we're genuinely upset and disappointed not to be able to host you at this time."
The official statement goes on to indicate that the organizers "fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer," however it is unclear what the size or scope of that show is intended to be in comparison to the now cancelled one. "We will be working with our partners to finalize the details and will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks," the statement continued.
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In lieu of the event, GDC is offering any speakers who planned on giving their presentations at the show an opportunity to make those presentations available online through the GDC YouTube channel and a free portion of the GDC Vault. GDC is also planning to set up streams in order to still hold the Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards shows during the originally scheduled week of GDC.
There is no news of refunds for attendees and anyone who may have had a physical booth presence at the show. Rami Ismail of the developer Vlambeer announced a fundraising initiative for devs who may have been financially hurt by the postponement through the digial conference gamedev.word which will host digital talks and pay-what-you-want game bundles to raise funds.
Questions over the state of this year’s GDC began after major companies began announcing they’d be pulling out of the show over concerns about COVID-19. Big studios like PlayStation, Microsoft, Epic Games, Kojima Productions, Facebook, EA, and more have all announced that they would no longer be participating in this year’s event.
This prompted attendees to wonder whether GDC would still be the convention they expected it to be, especially since one of the major benefits of attending is for developers to connect and learn from the major players.
In Northern California, the state government announced that it was monitoring 8,400 people for COVID-19. Since GDC is hosted in San Francisco, California today’s news of canceling the show is a logical precaution.
This is not the first game conference to be shut down by COVID-19 concerns as the Taipei Game Show in Taiwan was also canceled.
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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.
Wolcen: Lords Of Mayhem Review – Choking On Ambition
There's an air of familiarity to Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem. It's an action role-playing game with heavy inspiration from Diablo and Path of Exile, from their high-fantasy gothic settings to their destiny-bound protagonists and plethora of abilities to dabble in. Wolcen wears its influences on its sleeve, and while it makes changes to their established foundations, it stumbles so many times along the way that it just feels lost by the end of it.
Wolcen's opening obscures some of its more novel ideas, with a stale and predictable narrative that makes it feel generic. You play as one of three siblings born and bred for battle, but cast out from the only family you know when an unknown power awakens within you. It's a plot filled to the brim with exposition, riddled with vaguely explained fantasy jargon and worldbuilding that never clicks into place. It's easy to forget about entirely after the first few hours, with only the stilted dialogue and awkward cutscenes reminding you of the uninteresting events dressing Wolcen's main draw.
The setting, however, doesn't fall prey to the same oppressive medieval look. Gloomy caverns and bright, colorful forests are equally impressive backdrops for the equally outstanding visual details buried within them. The variation across Wolcen's three acts is impressive too, as it whisks you between the opulent, gold-laden halls of an ancient sacred ground to the blood-drenched trenches of a chaotic battlefield.
Continue Reading at GameSpotWolcen: Lords Of Mayhem Review – Choking On Ambition
There's an air of familiarity to Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem. It's an action role-playing game with heavy inspiration from Diablo and Path of Exile, from their high-fantasy gothic settings to their destiny-bound protagonists and plethora of abilities to dabble in. Wolcen wears its influences on its sleeve, and while it makes changes to their established foundations, it stumbles so many times along the way that it just feels lost by the end of it.
Wolcen's opening obscures some of its more novel ideas, with a stale and predictable narrative that makes it feel generic. You play as one of three siblings born and bred for battle, but cast out from the only family you know when an unknown power awakens within you. It's a plot filled to the brim with exposition, riddled with vaguely explained fantasy jargon and worldbuilding that never clicks into place. It's easy to forget about entirely after the first few hours, with only the stilted dialogue and awkward cutscenes reminding you of the uninteresting events dressing Wolcen's main draw.
The setting, however, doesn't fall prey to the same oppressive medieval look. Gloomy caverns and bright, colorful forests are equally impressive backdrops for the equally outstanding visual details buried within them. The variation across Wolcen's three acts is impressive too, as it whisks you between the opulent, gold-laden halls of an ancient sacred ground to the blood-drenched trenches of a chaotic battlefield.
Continue Reading at GameSpotBack to the Future Remake: Tom Holland Says There Have Been ‘Conversations’
Tom Holland said that somebody has talked to him about a Back to the Future remake, but he ultimately feels it's unnecessary to make considering the original is "one of the most perfect films" ever made.
Holland recently appeared on BBC Radio 1 and was talking about his new movie Onward and one of the movie's themes of being yourself and not fake. The interviewer brought up the viral deep fake of Holland and his Marvel co-star Robert Downey Jr. replacing Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future. The interviewer asked Holland how quickly he would deny a Back to the Future remake if he was ever asked to do it.
"I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been conversations in the past about doing some sort of remake, but that film is the most perfect film — or one of the most perfect films, one that could never be made better," Holland told BBC Radio 1. "That said, if Downey and I could just shoot that one scene that they remade for fun — he could pay for it cause he’s got loads of money — I would do it for my fee and we could remake that scene. I think we owe it to deep fake because they did such a good job."
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The director of the original film, Robert Zemeckis, told The Telegraph in 2015 that he would have to be dead for them to remake the original film.
“That can’t happen until both Bob [Gale, the trilogy's co-writer,] and I are dead. And then I’m sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it." He continued, “I mean, to me, that’s outrageous. Especially since it’s a good movie. It’s like saying ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane. Who are we going to get to play Kane?’ What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/06/30/director-says-no-back-to-the-future-remake-ign-news"]
Back to the Future recently placed on IGN's best summer blockbusters of all time and IGN's top 25 sci-fi movies.
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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who will buy a DeLorean and drive it 88 miles per hour through the Universal backlot if they go forward with a remake of Back to the Future. Go play the Telltale game!
X of Swords: Marvel’s Next Major X-Men Crossover Revealed
Marvel Comics has been teasing the debut of a major new X-Men storyline that will kick off the second phase of writer Jonathan Hickman's multi-year X-Men saga. Now we know the name of that story - X of Swords.
As revealed at the Marvel Comics: X-Men panel at C2E2, X of Swords is a 15-part crossover event that will link together all the ongoing X-Men titles. X of Swords begins in July, following a prelude tale in Marvel's Free Comic Book Day 2020 special. While Marvel isn't revealing much about the plot of this crossover, their press release does tease the story will begin "the next phase of Jonathan Hickman’s vision for mutantkind, which will affect the entire X-Men line."
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X of Swords teaser by Mark Brooks. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption]
The "X" in the title is meant to be read as "Ten." As with 2019's Powers of X, we assume that title will make more sense after reading the crossover. The title is probably inspired by the tarot card Ten of Swords, which generally represents betrayal, rivalry and tragic endings.
The new art shown during the panel shows the crossover will also literally revolve around sword-wielding X-Men, as ten mutants take up legendary blades in defense of Krakoa. These blades will include some familiar Marvel Universe artifacts, such as Magik's Soulsword and Wolverine's Muramasa blade, along with some new creations.
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What could X of Swords be about? Since the new mutant status quo was established, most of the X-books have focused on the growing pains facing the nation of Krakoa as it asserts its place on the world stage and various human enemies work to tear down what Moira MacTaggert, Professor Xavier and Magneto have built. Meanwhile, there have been increasing signs Xavier isn't in his right mind, while Mystique may be plotting to bring Krakoa burning down. X of Swords may build on any of those ongoing story threads as Krakoa faces a dire new threat.
The emphasis on swords is certainly interesting in light of the recent X-Men #7. That issue revealed a grim ritual known as Crucible, where de-powered mutants have to fight Apocalypse in order to earn an honorable death and be reborn as full mutants again. Does the title also refer to the sword Apocalypse uses to kill these mutants? Are there ten resurrected mutants in particular who form the crux of this conflict?
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"]
No doubt Marvel will have more to reveal as we get closer to July. For now, check out our biggest questions about the new X-Men status quo, stay tuned to IGN for more big C2E2 announcements over the course of the weekend.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
X of Swords teaser by Mark Brooks. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption]
The "X" in the title is meant to be read as "Ten." As with 2019's Powers of X, we assume that title will make more sense after reading the crossover. The title is probably inspired by the tarot card Ten of Swords, which generally represents betrayal, rivalry and tragic endings.
The new art shown during the panel shows the crossover will also literally revolve around sword-wielding X-Men, as ten mutants take up legendary blades in defense of Krakoa. These blades will include some familiar Marvel Universe artifacts, such as Magik's Soulsword and Wolverine's Muramasa blade, along with some new creations.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"]
What could X of Swords be about? Since the new mutant status quo was established, most of the X-books have focused on the growing pains facing the nation of Krakoa as it asserts its place on the world stage and various human enemies work to tear down what Moira MacTaggert, Professor Xavier and Magneto have built. Meanwhile, there have been increasing signs Xavier isn't in his right mind, while Mystique may be plotting to bring Krakoa burning down. X of Swords may build on any of those ongoing story threads as Krakoa faces a dire new threat.
The emphasis on swords is certainly interesting in light of the recent X-Men #7. That issue revealed a grim ritual known as Crucible, where de-powered mutants have to fight Apocalypse in order to earn an honorable death and be reborn as full mutants again. Does the title also refer to the sword Apocalypse uses to kill these mutants? Are there ten resurrected mutants in particular who form the crux of this conflict?
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"]
No doubt Marvel will have more to reveal as we get closer to July. For now, check out our biggest questions about the new X-Men status quo, stay tuned to IGN for more big C2E2 announcements over the course of the weekend.
[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.X of Swords: Marvel’s Next Major X-Men Crossover Revealed
Marvel Comics has been teasing the debut of a major new X-Men storyline that will kick off the second phase of writer Jonathan Hickman's multi-year X-Men saga. Now we know the name of that story - X of Swords.
As revealed at the Marvel Comics: X-Men panel at C2E2, X of Swords is a crossover event that will link together all the ongoing X-Men titles. X of Swords begins in July, following a prelude tale in Marvel's Free Comic Book Day 2020 special. While Marvel isn't revealing much about the plot of this crossover, their press release does tease the story will begin "the next phase of Jonathan Hickman’s vision for mutantkind, which will affect the entire X-Men line."
The "X" in the title is meant to be read as "Ten." As with 2019's Powers of X, we assume that title will make more sense after reading the crossover. The title is probably inspired by the tarot card Ten of Swords, which generally represents betrayal, rivalry and tragic endings. The new art shown during the panel suggests the crossover will also literally revolve around sword-wielding X-Men. [note - we'll update this article with new X of Swords art as it becomes available]
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"]
What could X of Swords be about? Since the new mutant status quo was established, most of the X-books have focused on the growing pains facing the nation of Krakoa as it asserts its place on the world stage and various human enemies work to tear down what Moira MacTaggert, Professor Xavier and Magneto have built. Meanwhile, there have been increasing signs Xavier isn't in his right mind, while Mystique may be plotting to bring Krakoa burning down. X of Swords may build on any of those ongoing story threads as Krakoa faces a dire new threat.
The emphasis on swords is certainly interesting in light of the recent X-Men #7. That issue revealed a grim ritual known as Crucible, where de-powered mutants have to fight Apocalypse in order to earn an honorable death and be reborn as full mutants again. Does the title also refer to the sword Apocalypse uses to kill these mutants? Are there ten resurrected mutants in particular who form the crux of this conflict?
It's also worth remembering that the X-Men franchise features several noteworthy swords, including Magik's mystical Soulsword and Wolverine's healing factor-canceling Muramasa blade. Does the title imply there are ten swords of special significance to the mutant race?
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"]
No doubt Marvel will have more to reveal as we get closer to July. For now, check out our biggest questions about the new X-Men status quo, stay tuned to IGN for more big C2E2 announcements over the course of the weekend.
[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.
Netflix’s The Witcher Has Found Its Vesemir
Netflix has announced that Killing Eve actor Kim Bodnia, will portray Vesemir in Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher.
"I am so thrilled to welcome Kim Bodnia to the cast of The Witcher," series showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said. "I have admired his unique talents in shows like Killing Eve and The Bridge, and cannot wait for him to bring strength, tenacity, and warmth to the character of Vesemir, who is such an integral part of our upcoming season."
To see Bodnia, and all of the other new and returning characters coming to The Witcher's second season, check out the gallery below:
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Here's how the streamer describes Vesemir in Season 2: "A charming relic of the witcher Golden Age, Vesemir is the oldest and most experienced witcher in our series, as well as a father figure to Geralt. As one of the survivors of The Massacre at Kaer Morhen, a haunting slaughter that nearly exterminated the Witchers, he is fiercely protective of the remaining few, who he sees as an endangered community who can find glory on 'the Path' to slaying monsters."
Before Bodnia's casting announcement, there was a social media frenzy about the possibility of iconic Star Wars actor Mark Hamill portraying the elder Witcher. Back in January 2020, IGN spoke to Hissrich about Hamill's interest in the project and the fan reaction around it. "Mark has always been of interest to me and interest to the project," Hissrich told IGN. "We have not contacted his agent yet because we’re not casting the role quite yet, but that being said, I am loving what’s happening on the internet. And I’m loving all of the fan reaction to it. Obviously, we’ve seen what a huge fanbase The Witcher has, and to add that to a Star Wars fanbase... it makes my mind explode a little bit."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/18/how-much-does-the-witcher-know-about-the-witcher"]
Season 2 of The Witcher will premiere in 2021, but if you want to see Bodnia sooner than that, be sure to check him out in Killing Eve and the upcoming Netflix fantasy series, The Letter for the King. What do you think of the casting? Let us know in the comments below.
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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.