Yearly Archives: 2020

Disney Wants More Games That Reimagine Its Stories and Characters

Disney has put a call out for more game developers to make games that reimagine its famous stories and characters.

This comes from Sean Shoptaw (via Hollywood Reporter), senior VP of games and interactive experiences at Disney, who spoke in front of a crowd of game developers at DICE Summit 2020 in Las Vegas on February 12, 2020.

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"I'm here for one specific reason: to empower you to do really unique things with our [catalog]," Shoptaw said. "We want to tap into the power of creatives across the industry."

He specifically invited game developers to "come and play" with Disney's franchises, calling for more games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Marvel's Spider-Man, both of which told original stories in those universes and attracted plenty of praise.

Shoptaw also mentioned that Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, means that the likes of Aliens, Die Hard, The Simpsons, Avatar, Bob's Burgers, and many more are possible franchises for game developers to use.

Before now, Disney has mostly worked with only two game developers on a long-term, those being EA and the many Star Wars games since Disney started publishing them in 2013, and Square Enix for the Kingdom Hearts series.

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It came out this week that the Gears of War creator was in talks to create an Aliens game only a couple of years ago. That fell through, but as far as is still known, there's at least one other Aliens game being made by Cold Iron Studios.

With this open invitation from Disney we may see many more games like those in development soon enough.

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Fox Orders TV Pilot About Re-Enactment of The Goonies

Fox has handed out a pilot order to an untitled TV drama about a group of students who attempt to reenact the 1985 movie The Goonies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will follow the story of Stella Cooper, a woman who returns to her dilapidated hometown to become a substitute teacher after failing to make it in New York. Feeling hopeless, she finds new focus as she agrees to help three students pursue their filmmaking desires by creating an ambitious shot-for-shot remake of The Goonies, described as a "love letter to the power of cinema, storytelling and dreams." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/27/the-10-best-steven-spielberg-movies-of-all-time"] Fox has enlisted The Bold Type creator Sarah Watson to pen the script for the untitled film re-enactment project, which is coming from Warner Bros. TV, Fox's content accelerator SideCar and Amblin TV. Both Warner Bros. and Amblin produced the original swashbuckling adventure film about a rag-tag band of kids in search of hidden treasure. Superbad helmer Greg Mottola is attached to direct and executive produce the pilot, while Richard Donner, who directed and produced the 80s film, is set to executive produce the potential series alongside Lauren Shuler Donner and SideCar's Gail Berman, as well as Amblin TV's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-tv-shows-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] As the report notes, the newly-announced project is Fox's eighth pilot order overall and fourth drama of the season, marking a significant shift in the network's push towards original content in the age of reboots and revivals. In recent years, the TV landscape has been loaded up with several takes on popular movie franchises, to varying degrees of success. For more on these film-to-TV concepts, take a look at our rundown of 23 modern series that took their inspiration from the big screen. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

NASA Spots ‘Potentially Hazardous’ Asteroid Rapidly Approaching Earth

NASA has confirmed that an asteroid larger than the tallest man-made structure in the world is currently travelling towards Earth at a speed of almost 34,000 miles per hour. According to International Business Times, NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) identified that the "potentially hazardous" asteroid could come close to intersecting with our planet's path on February 15, 2020, at 6:05 a.m. (EST). [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/26/disaster-movies-cinefix"] "Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid's potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth," NASA said in a statement. The colossal space rock, which is expected to pass over our planet from a distance of around 3.6 million miles, is estimated to have a diameter of around 3,250 feet, making it large enough to potentially "trigger a nuclear winter and mass extinction events" should it collide with Earth. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] For decades, films have dealt with the subject of potentially dangerous asteroid collisions. In fact, mankind was nearly destroyed by a giant space rock not once, but twice, in the 90s with Mimi Leder's Deep Impact and Michael Bay's Armageddon - but which of these apocalyptic flicks has stood the test of time? Check out our Armageddon vs. Deep Impact comparison feature to find out. Alternatively, take a look at our list of Top 10 best disaster movies ever made. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Aladdin Sequel in Development

Disney's Aladdin remake is reportedly moving forward on its sequel and writers John Gatins and Andrea Berloff have been hired to write the script. In August, one of the Aladdin remake's producers said that Disney was looking into a sequel. Now, Variety reported that these producers had spent the past six months trying to work out the sequel's story and have supposedly settled on a new idea instead of simply adapting the original animated movie's sequels. The producers are also hoping that actors Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott will return, but there won't be any deals made until a script is completed. It's not known at this time if the first film's director, Guy Ritchie, is being pursued. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-disney-live-action-remake&captions=true"] This would be the fourth of Disney's recent live-action adaptations to receive a sequel. Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent have already received sequels in theaters, and Disney officially announced a Jungle Book sequel to be directed by Jon Favreau. There have been previous reports of a Genie prequel movie way back in 2015 and, more recently, a spinoff of Aladdin was rumored to be in development that would focus on the Prince Anders character. This potential spinoff is supposedly planned for Disney+, whereas this sequel is reportedly getting the big-screen treatment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/22/aladdin-review"] In our review of Aladdin, we said the film is "about as safe an adaptation as we’ve seen Disney put out, which is a bit disappointing considering that most of what it adds to the story works pretty well." The Disney studio has since announced a Bambi remake and a reboot of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids featuring the return of Rick Moranis. IGN has reached out to Disney for comment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer who has no interest in Aladdin (2019) but this sequel could be interesting.

Mighty Ducks TV Series Reportedly Moving Forward on Disney+

A Mighty Ducks TV series is reportedly coming to Disney+ and it sounds like the Ducks will be portrayed as the antagonists of the show. The Hollywood Reporter says the show will consist of 10 half-hour episodes and will be set in present day Minnesota. It's not clear if this will be a miniseries or if it will potentially go on for future seasons. The story follows 12-year-old Evan (Brady Noon), who was recently cut from the now highly competitive Ducks. Evan and his mom (Lauren Graham) decide to start their own team of underdogs to take them on. The Mighty Ducks series was first rumored in January 2018. The show will reportedly begin production in Canada this month for a release on Disney+ later this year. The writer of the three Ducks films, Steve Brill, co-created and will executive produce the series. Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, who both served as showrunners for The King of Queens, co-created the Mighty Ducks series and will serve as showrunners. Black-ish director James Griffiths will direct for the series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=everything-coming-to-disneys-streaming-service-so-far&captions=true"] Noon is best known as one of the leads of Good Boys while Graham was a star on Gilmore Girls and Parenthood. Graham will also be credited as an executive producer on the Mighty Ducks series. The three Mighty Ducks films were never blockbusters at the box office, but they've certainly had a lasting appeal. The first Mighty Ducks movie was more popular in video rentals in 1993 than it was at the box office in 1992, according to Esquire. Popularity grew when Disney founded the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL team shortly after the film's release, which Esquire reports had the most first-year wins for any NHL team in history and was responsible for 80% of all NHL merchandise that season. A Mighty Ducks animated series aired around the time of the third film's release, featuring anthropomorphic ducks playing hockey. The show only lasted from September 1996 to January 1997, and the third film made less than half of the first movie at the box office. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/01/22/the-mighty-ducks-tv-series-in-the-works-ign-news"] This is far from the only old property that Disney is rehashing for its streaming service. A Turner & Hooch series was announced for Disney+ along with new shows starring Lizzie McGuire and numerous Marvel and Star Wars characters. Disney will also bring out shows based on Night at the Museum, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Cheaper by the Dozen and Home Alone. It was announced today that Rick Moranis is even coming back for a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie that may or may not air on Disney+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who could really go for a NEW idea coming to Disney+.

Taika Waititi May Not Direct Akira Movie After All

Taika Waititi isn't confident that he will be the director of the live-action Akira movie. Waititi spoke to Variety the day after he won his Oscar for writing Jojo Rabbit. He echoed previous remarks that he made to IGN in October about Akira being pushed back a full two years because of Thor. At that point, he was still certain he was the director of the Akira remake, but now that seems to have changed. "So I’m not sure if even in two years I’d be — I don’t know what I’m doing in f***ing two days," Waititi said to Variety. When asked if that means the film won't happen, he replied, "I think eventually it will happen. I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing it." Watch IGN's interview with Waititi from October. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/18/is-taika-waititis-akira-remake-still-happening"] The filmmaker has a stacked slate ahead of him. He said he's currently taking his time editing the Michael Fassbender comedy Next Goal Wins, but still hopes to release it by the end of 2020. After that, he'll direct Thor: Love and Thunder, which is set for release on November 5, 2021. It was reported by Variety that screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has been brought on to help with the Thor script before production begins in August. And somewhere during all of this, Waititi will play a role in The Suicide Squad. That film's director, James Gunn, said on Twitter in early February that filming will be completed in less than a month. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-live-action-anime-remake-currently-in-development&captions=true"] Thor: Love and Thunder will reportedly feature Christian Bale in a role and Waititi claims it will be "bigger, bolder and brighter" than Thor: Ragnarok. And for other live-action anime adaptations, check out our full list of every one in production. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who highly recommends the What We Do in the Shadows TV series that Waititi directs. First season is on Hulu, second season airs on FX in April. But watch the movie first it's free on Hoopla or Kanopy using your library card or school email. You have no excuse. Also, watch Flight of the Conchords. You know what, just watch everything.

This Marvel Villain Just Became the X-Men’s Worst Nightmare

Things are looking up for the X-Men lately. They have a new island nation of their own and have managed to overcome death itself (Thanks, Goldballs!). Still, we can't help but wonder how things will inevitably go wrong for Professor X and the nation of Krakoa. Thanks to X-Men #7, we may have our answer. Read on to learn how the X-Men may have just created their worst enemy, but beware of spoilers for X-Men #7! [poilib element="accentDivider"] [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"] Marvel's Dawn of X relaunch has taken a dark turn of late, showing the many moral compromises necessary to keep the nation of Krakoa safe. The very existence of X-Force flies in the face of one of the three fundamental laws of Krakoa - Murder No Man. But perhaps no compromise casts a deeper stain on Xavier and Magneto's creation than the fate of the precognitive mutant Destiny. And now that mistake may cost them everything. Destiny played a small but pivotal role in 2019's House of X and Powers of X. As a mutant with the power to see the future, she alone was able to sense Moira MacTaggert's unique status in time. When Moira devoted her third life cycle to creating a cure for the mutant gene, it was Destiny who orchestrated Moira's murder and ordered her to spend the remainder of her lives helping mutants, lest she suffer an even worse fate next time around. [caption id="attachment_2301978" align="aligncenter" width="1294"]The end of Moira's third life. Art by Pepe Larraz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics) The end of Moira's third life. Art by Pepe Larraz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] Moira has done as Destiny asked. Now in her tenth life cycle, she's guided Xavier and Magneto as they've built Krakoa and established a better future for the mutant race. However, she's done so from the shadows. No one else is aware Moira is still alive, much less that she's died and been reborn in utero nine times. That arrangement has worked so far, but there's a big catch. Now that Xavier has the technology to resurrect dead mutants, there's theoretically no reason he couldn't bring Destiny back to life. In fact, the prospect of seeing her wife resurrected is the only reason Mystique has been cooperating with Xavier and Magneto. But Destiny's resurrection is something Moira fears above all else. She refuses to allow any precognitive mutants to live on Krakoa, for fear her secrets will be exposed and a target will be painted on her back. What's the point of all this hard work if someone can assassinate Moira and reset the X-Men timeline back to square one? [caption id="attachment_2301981" align="aligncenter" width="915"]Art by RB Silva. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics) Art by RB Silva. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] In order to safeguard Krakoa, Xavier and Magneto have elected to deny Irene Adler her second chance at life. But that hasn't stopped them from dangling the prospect of Destiny's resurrection like a carrot on a stick in order to force Mystique to toe the line. X-Men #7 shows Mystique risking her life by returning to Orchis' orbital space station. There she discovers the X-Men failed in their mission to stop the creation of the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod. Xavier and Magneto order Mystique to return again and assassinate Orchis scientist Dr. Gregor before Nimrod is completed, telling Mystique she has to "earn" Destiny's resurrection. After reluctantly agreeing, Mystique reflects back on a conversation she and Destiny shared years before. Destiny warned her wife that an island would be created and Mystique would be offered a new home, only to be denied the one thing she craved most. Destiny urged Mystique to do everything in her power to bring her back. And if that fails, Destiny made one simple request - "Burn that place to the ground." [caption id="attachment_2301980" align="aligncenter" width="925"]Art by Matteo Buffagni. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics) Art by Matteo Buffagni. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] Mystique may have been confused by that conversation at the time, but now she understands what her wife was trying to tell her. Xavier and Magneto are never going to resurrect Destiny, leaving Mystique with no recourse but to destroy the home they worked so long and hard to build. It's not as if Mystique doesn't have a track record of throwing the X-Men under a bus for the sake of her own selfish desires. And in this case, can you really blame her? X-Men #7 strongly hints Mystique will become one of the major antagonists in Jonathan Hickman's X-Men run, potentially bringing an end to the new mutant nation. We could even see her defecting to Orchis, as recent chapters of X-Men have shown that organization has found its own pathway to immortality. Maybe they can offer Mystique the one thing Professor Xavier is unwilling to provide. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"] Whatever the future holds for Krakoa, it sounds like we'll get a better idea of the new threats emerging for the X-Men on Free Comic Book Day. Marvel Comics is also gearing up for a major Avengers/Fantastic Four crossover called Empyre, a story we think might be offering a snapshot of the MCU's future. [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.

Dreams Kicks Off PS4’s Exciting 2020

BEYOND! On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Ryan McCaffrey, and Tom Marks to take a look at PS4's exciting 2020 lineup of exclusives. Kicking off with Dreams, Jonathon and Lucy are joined by Abbie Heppe and Siobhan Reddy of Media Molecule to discuss Dreams' imminent launch, its early access beta period, and its encouraging community. Then, the rest of the cast dives into Ryan's MLB The Show 20 preview, thoughts on FF7 Remake, The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Predator: Hunting Grounds, and much more! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=big-ps4-ps5-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Download or listen to the show on these platforms: Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT. For the latest on PS5, check out the new PS5 logo, how fans reacted to the PS5 logo, and check out images of the allegedly PS5 dev kit and controller, as well as a leak alleging the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Geoff Keighley Felt E3 Coliseum Couldn’t ‘Deliver to Fans’

Geoff Keighley has spoken to IGN about his decision to skip E3 2020 and part ways with the E3 Coliseum show he's produced and hosted in recent years. He points to that show not being able to "deliver to fans" this year, but makes clear he could return in future. Keighley explained that he made the decision to step away from producing the show following The Game Awards in December. That decision seems to primarily have been made due to what E3 Coliseum could (and couldn't) deliver this year: "I've been to all 25 E3s so I know the show pretty well", Keighley wrote. "As I looked at the information that was available to me about this year's show, and based on my conversations with The ESA, I just didn't feel like we could do a Coliseum that would really deliver to the fans." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=e3-2020-confirmed-companies-attending-the-show&captions=true"] Keighley didn't specify exactly what the show couldn't deliver, but it's likely that Sony's lack of involvement in E3 this year, as well as other developers' competing events would form a major part of that difficulty. When asked if companies not taking part in the show were a primary motivation for stepping away, Keighley explained: "The lack of unity was a contributing factor, but there were a lot of things that played into my decision." This isn't necessarily Keighley's final E3, however. While it's clear that this year's show doesn't work for what he wants, he would consider a return in future: "I'm open to it, sure. This is just a decision related to E3 2020." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/13/playstation-will-not-be-at-e3-2020-ign-now"] Keighley spoke on Twitter earlier today about how E3 should become a more digital and globally focused event, moving away from the traditional showfloor experience, which raises questions about his other main conference show, Opening Night Live at Gamescom. However, it seems that show will continue as expected: "Every show is different. We had a ton of fun producing Opening Night Live at gamescom and have a multi-year deal with them to continue that franchise", he explained. "That show works really well at gamescom because three aren't a ton of competing press conferences. I'm not sure the same model would work at E3. You have to find the right programming for each event and audience." As for who actually will be at E3 this year, the ESA has released an initial list of attendees today, including Xbox, Nintendo and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he is also publicly announcing that he won't be hosting E3 Coliseum this year, in case you were wondering. Follow him on Twitter.

Ben Solo’s First Kill Revealed

Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren by writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney is a comic mini-series showing how once-promising Jedi Ben Solo fell to the Dark Side and became Kylo Ren. The third issue reveals a pivotal step in that journey: the first time Ben killed a Jedi. However, it doesn’t happen like you’d think. Warning: full spoilers ahead! [poilib element="accentDivider"] The first two issues of the series reveal that certain events only hinted at in the movies actually unfolded in quite a different manner. For one, Ben didn’t destroy the Jedi temple after his confrontation with Luke Skywalker. A strange, booming voice bellowed from the sky and Force-lightning struck the school and made it explode. Could it have been the Emperor? After that, Ben fled to his mentor Snoke, who greeted him with an uncharacteristically warm and fatherly hug. Snoke instructed Ben to seek out and join the Knights of Ren, but in order for him to join, the leader, named Ren, told Ben that he must kill someone and that it needed to be a good death. In an attempt to prove himself worthy, Ben tells Ren of his first kill. He explains how three Jedi students who were off-planet at the time of the explosion -- Voe, Hennix, and Tai -- tracked him down and confronted him. They were his classmates in Luke’s Jedi school since they were kids. The story shows how there may have been certain tensions between Ben and the other three, but ultimately they were friends with one another. When the three Jedi catch up to Ben, they try to capture him and engage him in a three-on-one lightsaber battle. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=key-moments-in-star-wars-the-rise-of-kylo-ren-3&captions=true"] Ben is able to use his Force-jumping skills to create some distance, knowing that only Voe has the strength to follow him. Landing atop a precipice, Ben waits for Voe to reach him and then Force-pushes her off the cliff. He immediately regrets his decision and tries to save her with the Force, but Hennix had climbed up the cliffside to surprise him from behind. Hennix throws his lightsaber at Ben, and Ben reacts by blocking the saber and sending it right back at Hennix, but Hennix isn’t ready for the counter and is killed by his own lightsaber. Voe continues to fall but is caught at the last second by Vai. Ben ends the conflict by Force-tossing Voe and Vai into the nearby ancient temple and using the Force to cause a cave-in, sealing them inside. After recalling this story, Ren tells Ben that the way he killed Vennis wasn’t a good death because he didn’t want it to happen. Regardless, Ren lets Ben join in hopes that he will get the chance to truly prove himself. Ben even gets a new all-black outfit resembling something his father Han Solo might wear, complete with a blaster strapped to the side of his leg. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-force-powers-you-probably-didnt-know-about&captions=true"] While the small bits of information we learn in the movies make it sound like Ben personally burnt down the temple and murdered Luke’s other students, the real story is quite different. Ben is incredibly conflicted about having to fight his fellow classmates. He tried to save one of them during their battle, and the one he did kill was on accident. The story shows how Ben was never good at handling his famous lineage and that he never learned to share his feelings, preferring to hide them away in an unhealthy manner. Ben didn’t feel like he fit in at Luke’s Jedi academy, but that doesn’t automatically make him an evil murderer. It more feels like Ben was never cut out to be a Jedi, despite how gifted he was in the Force, but instead of dealing with his inner turmoil, he let it fester, and that made him an easy target for Snoke/Palpatine. This story shows how they took a misunderstood Jedi strong in the Force and manipulated him into falling to the Dark Side by framing him for murder and making it seem like his only option was to join a gang of Dark Side worshipers. But despite the conflict raging within Ben, the two surviving Jedi have made up their minds about what to do with him. When Voe and Vai escape the ruins and see that Ben killed Vennix, they take that as a clear sign that he is truly lost. They ignite their sabers, implying that their plan is no longer to capture Ben but kill him for falling to the Dark Side and taking the life of their friend. For more on Kylo Ren, check out the video below where the Force Awakens fight choreographer breaks down how he constructed the epic battle between Rey and Kylo Ren: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/02/star-wars-breaking-down-the-duels-the-force-awakens"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.