Monthly Archives: February 2022

Chris Hemsworth Will Play ‘Totally Against Type’ As Mad Max: Furiosa’s Lead Villain

Chris Hemsworth usually plays the dashing, charming, hero-type, but fans can look forward to seeing him face off against Anya Taylor-Joy's Furiosa as Mad Max: Furiosa's lead villain.

In the book titled Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road (reported by Slash Film), it was revealed that the Thor star will play the primary villain in the upcoming Fury Road prequel. Fury Road Assistant Director P.J. Voeten said franchise creator George Miller "fell in love" with Hemsworth.

"George saw Chris [Hemsworth] initially as a courtesy and then fell in love with the idea," Voeten said. "He's going to play totally against type, the lead baddie. Unfortunately, we've got to find all of our other characters that aren't around anymore: a new Immortan [Joe], a new Bullet Farmer, and a few others."

We don't yet know the name of Hemsworth's character, but it will be fun to see the actor tackle a lead villain role. We first learned of Hemsworth's casting back in 2020, when his involvement was revealed alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Abdul-Mateen has since departed the project, and we've learned Tom Burke will take over the unannounced role.

Mad Max: Furiosa is a prequel to 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road. The movie is still a long way away, set to come out on May 24, 2024. A lot of the prequel is still under wraps, but we do know that Taylor-Joy is playing a younger version of Furiosa, who was played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. Theron said the re-casting was "a little heartbreaking", adding that she is excited to see the character's story continue.

Mad Max: Fury Road was a huge hit upon release, earning an "amazing" review score from IGN, and taking home the award for IGN's Best Movie of 2015. While details on the prequel are still limited, we do know Furiosa will take on a very different structure than Fury Road, so we'll have to wait and see how it compares to the 2015 film.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Chris Hemsworth Will Play ‘Totally Against Type’ As Mad Max: Furiosa’s Lead Villain

Chris Hemsworth usually plays the dashing, charming, hero-type, but fans can look forward to seeing him face off against Anya Taylor-Joy's Furiosa as Mad Max: Furiosa's lead villain.

In the book titled Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road (reported by Slash Film), it was revealed that the Thor star will play the primary villain in the upcoming Fury Road prequel. Fury Road Assistant Director P.J. Voeten said franchise creator George Miller "fell in love" with Hemsworth.

"George saw Chris [Hemsworth] initially as a courtesy and then fell in love with the idea," Voeten said. "He's going to play totally against type, the lead baddie. Unfortunately, we've got to find all of our other characters that aren't around anymore: a new Immortan [Joe], a new Bullet Farmer, and a few others."

We don't yet know the name of Hemsworth's character, but it will be fun to see the actor tackle a lead villain role. We first learned of Hemsworth's casting back in 2020, when his involvement was revealed alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Abdul-Mateen has since departed the project, and we've learned Tom Burke will take over the unannounced role.

Mad Max: Furiosa is a prequel to 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road. The movie is still a long way away, set to come out on May 24, 2024. A lot of the prequel is still under wraps, but we do know that Taylor-Joy is playing a younger version of Furiosa, who was played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. Theron said the re-casting was "a little heartbreaking", adding that she is excited to see the character's story continue.

Mad Max: Fury Road was a huge hit upon release, earning an "amazing" review score from IGN, and taking home the award for IGN's Best Movie of 2015. While details on the prequel are still limited, we do know Furiosa will take on a very different structure than Fury Road, so we'll have to wait and see how it compares to the 2015 film.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Elden Ring Director Placed Important Restraints on George R.R. Martin’s Contributions

With Elden Ring finally out in the wild, eager players are undoubtedly combing every inch of FromSoftware's new fantasy world to find the influences of writer George R. R. Martin. Martin, the author of the Game of Thrones series, was famously brought onto Elden Ring to write the backstory for the in-game universe.

But in a new interview with New Yorker, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed that he placed a few key restrictions on what Martin could do.

According to Miyazaki, Martin primarily wrote snippets of text about the world's history, its characters, and mythology, including the destruction of the Elden Ring and the subsequent scattering of shards. While this was something we learned previously, Miyazaki further clarified why this was the case.

“In our games, the story must always serve the player experience,” Miyazaki said. “If [Martin] had written the game’s story, I would have worried that we might have to drift from that. I wanted him to be able to write freely and not to feel restrained by some obscure mechanic that might have to change in development.”

It's an approach that, in retrospect, makes sense for the kinds of stories Miyazaki and FromSoftware tell. Dark Souls and its offshoots are rich with lore, but it's often presented through item descriptions or heavily implied, left to spark the imagination of lore-hungry fans. FromSoftware also tends to depict worlds well after some great calamity has occurred, encouraging players to discover what became of the major characters, for fates better or (usually) worse.

“That power of imagination is important to me,” he said. “Offering room for user interpretation creates a sense of communication with the audience—and, of course, communication between users in the community. This is something that I enjoy seeing unfold with our games, and that has continued to influence my work.”

Martin and Miyazaki were similarly influenced by the friendship the pair struck up prior to Martin working on Elden Ring. Miyazaki considers himself a fan of Martin's work, including his early science fiction writing, and despite a considerable age gap between the two, both were able to bond as conversations progressed and the two met several times, even in Martin's hometown.

The admiration goes both ways as Miyazaki says he was surprised to learn that Martin was a fan of the Dark Souls games, though that might have been the influence of one of Martin's staff members.

Of course, if you've played enough Elden Ring, you've probably come to realize exactly what Miyazaki has done with Martin's work. Miyazaki himself said earlier this year that he thinks Martin may be "shocked" by what he's done to the characters he created.

If you're still on the fence, you can check out our review of Elden Ring, or dig into our Elden Ring guide wiki for boss walkthroughs, item locations, and tips for getting started.

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/wretch for IGN.

Elden Ring Director Placed Important Restraints on George R.R. Martin’s Contributions

With Elden Ring finally out in the wild, eager players are undoubtedly combing every inch of FromSoftware's new fantasy world to find the influences of writer George R. R. Martin. Martin, the author of the Game of Thrones series, was famously brought onto Elden Ring to write the backstory for the in-game universe.

But in a new interview with New Yorker, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed that he placed a few key restrictions on what Martin could do.

According to Miyazaki, Martin primarily wrote snippets of text about the world's history, its characters, and mythology, including the destruction of the Elden Ring and the subsequent scattering of shards. While this was something we learned previously, Miyazaki further clarified why this was the case.

“In our games, the story must always serve the player experience,” Miyazaki said. “If [Martin] had written the game’s story, I would have worried that we might have to drift from that. I wanted him to be able to write freely and not to feel restrained by some obscure mechanic that might have to change in development.”

It's an approach that, in retrospect, makes sense for the kinds of stories Miyazaki and FromSoftware tell. Dark Souls and its offshoots are rich with lore, but it's often presented through item descriptions or heavily implied, left to spark the imagination of lore-hungry fans. FromSoftware also tends to depict worlds well after some great calamity has occurred, encouraging players to discover what became of the major characters, for fates better or (usually) worse.

“That power of imagination is important to me,” he said. “Offering room for user interpretation creates a sense of communication with the audience—and, of course, communication between users in the community. This is something that I enjoy seeing unfold with our games, and that has continued to influence my work.”

Martin and Miyazaki were similarly influenced by the friendship the pair struck up prior to Martin working on Elden Ring. Miyazaki considers himself a fan of Martin's work, including his early science fiction writing, and despite a considerable age gap between the two, both were able to bond as conversations progressed and the two met several times, even in Martin's hometown.

The admiration goes both ways as Miyazaki says he was surprised to learn that Martin was a fan of the Dark Souls games, though that might have been the influence of one of Martin's staff members.

Of course, if you've played enough Elden Ring, you've probably come to realize exactly what Miyazaki has done with Martin's work. Miyazaki himself said earlier this year that he thinks Martin may be "shocked" by what he's done to the characters he created.

If you're still on the fence, you can check out our review of Elden Ring, or dig into our Elden Ring guide wiki for boss walkthroughs, item locations, and tips for getting started.

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/wretch for IGN.

Andrew Garfield Currently Has ‘No Plans’ to Play Spider-Man Again

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Andrew Garfield may have wowed audiences in Spider-Man: No Way Home but he’s seemingly not planning on returning as Spider-Man anytime soon.

During an interview with Variety, the 38-year-old sometime superhero revealed that he has no plans to put on his Spidey suit again – even if he knows that many won;t believe him.

“No plans, that’s the truth,” he said. “Everyone’s gonna call me a liar for the rest of my life. I’m the boy who cried wolf.”

Garfield's respons will likely disappoint many fans, who previously caused 'Amazing Spider-Man 3' to trend on Twitter with their calls for the actor to get another solo movie. Even the MCU's Peter One, Tom Holland wants to see a new Garfield Spidey movie, but it looks like it's not in the works just yet.

Andrew Garfield made a stunning cameo alongside Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home, when not one, but three Spider-Men teamed up to take on a rogue’s gallery resembling the Sinister Six. However, he was forced to keep it all quiet beforehand.

During the course of production, numerous rumors began to circulate, saying Garfield would return to the role of Spider-Man, but the denials came thick and fast.

Even as he worked on Tick, Tick… Boom! with Lin Manuel Miranda, he wouldn’t admit that he was returning to his fellow cast and crew members.

“To his credit, he never said it to me,” explained Miranda to Variety. “He always denied it, but I was there the day it leaked. He was on my set in November when it leaked that he was in talks and I quietly went up to him and said, ‘Bro, are you in the new ‘Spider-Man?” and he went, ‘Shut up, shut up.’ It was the worst acting I’d ever seen him do. And I went, ‘He’s gotta practice that, that denial,’ and he got very good at it, but I was there when he first workshopped it.”

Miranda added: “The euphemism became, ‘I’m seeing a friend in Atlanta, and I was like, ‘Say hi to your friend in Atlanta for me.’ His friend is two other Spidermen.”

Possibly unlike Garfield, Charlie Cox, who also appeared in No Way Home, confirmed that he will be back in the MCU. There are even ‘possibilities’ to see Venom head to the MCU proper, too.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker, along with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their own versions of Spider-Man. They’re joined by Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jon Favreau.

Jon Watts directed the movie from a script by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, based on characters created by comic book legend, Stan Lee.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Pokémon Fans Think They’ve Found a Hint to Scarlet & Violet in Sword & Shield

The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet reveal trailer is full of brand new information, but eagle-eyed fans believe it also helps prove there was a hint to the new games inside 2019's Sword and Shield.

Reddit user DDD-HERO posted an image of Sword and Shield's Hotel Ionia in Circhester. Since launch the hotel has featured a roped-off room with wallpaper decorated with oranges and grapes, seemingly not seen elsewhere in the game.

While this sounds odd, oranges and grapes also appear to be a part of the visual theming in Scarlet and Violet. The new games' location appears to be based on Spain, which is known for its blood oranges and grapes – both fruits feature throughout the new trailer, and could be seen to represent the colours of scarlet and violet.

The gameplay clips don't reference this too much - although we do see a few orange trees in the new open world - but the live-action portion of the trailer shows mounted shields featuring the two fruits, and a fruit bowl full of them too.

Fans therefore think that developer Game Freak was teasing Scarlet and Violet in Sword and Shield by including the cordoned-off area. Other theories go as far as to presume the area will be opened up and include cross-generation interactivity when the new games are released.

You can see the images of oranges and grapes in the Scarlet and Violet trailer below:

An update to DDD-HERO hero's Reddit post includes what's being seen as another potential reference to the future games, this time in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. In the original Diamond and Pearl, a patch of flowers in the games' starting town were white, but the remakes change them to a scarlet and violet pattern.

The Pokémon Company announced Scarlet and Violet on February 27 to celebrate Pokémon Day, and even revealed the new starters: Grass Cat Sprigatito, Fire Croc Fuecoco, and Water Duckling Quaxly.

Coming in late 2022, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are promised to be an "evolutionary" step for the franchise set in an "open world where various towns with no borders blend seamlessly into the wilderness."

Several other announcements came from the Pokémon Presents showcase, including a big new update for Pokémon Legends: Arceus and more. Read all about them in our roundup of the celebration.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Indiana Jones 5 Wraps Filming Nearly 14 Years After Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s Premiere

Nearly 14 years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered in theaters, Indiana Jones 5 has officially wrapped filming.

The news was shared by both Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold and producer Frank Marshall. They each shared an image to commemorate the moment, with Mangold posting a still from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Marshall presenting a hat that says "Indy."

We still have very little info as to what Indiana Jones 5 will be besides knowing that it will "conclude this iconic character's journey." However, we do know that it was once set to be directed by Steven Spielberg before he decided to hand the franchise to a generation after disagreements over the script. Spielberg is still helping out as a producer and Mangold, the director behind Logan and Ford v Ferrari, is helming the project.

Harrison Ford will still star as Indiana Jones, but this very well may be the last time we see him don the iconic hat and whip. Even though Ford may not play Indy again, Spielberg confirmed that the franchise will "certainly continue after that."

Indiana Jones 5 was first announced in 2016 with a premiere date of July 19, 2019, but it has suffered many delays and is now set to arrive in theaters on June 30, 2023.

Joining Ford for this new adventure, that may partially take place in 1969, will be Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renee Wilson, and Antonio Banderas.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Indiana Jones 5 Wraps Filming Nearly 14 Years After Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s Premiere

Nearly 14 years after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered in theaters, Indiana Jones 5 has officially wrapped filming.

The news was shared by both Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold and producer Frank Marshall. They each shared an image to commemorate the moment, with Mangold posting a still from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Marshall presenting a hat that says "Indy."

We still have very little info as to what Indiana Jones 5 will be besides knowing that it will "conclude this iconic character's journey." However, we do know that it was once set to be directed by Steven Spielberg before he decided to hand the franchise to a generation after disagreements over the script. Spielberg is still helping out as a producer and Mangold, the director behind Logan and Ford v Ferrari, is helming the project.

Harrison Ford will still star as Indiana Jones, but this very well may be the last time we see him don the iconic hat and whip. Even though Ford may not play Indy again, Spielberg confirmed that the franchise will "certainly continue after that."

Indiana Jones 5 was first announced in 2016 with a premiere date of July 19, 2019, but it has suffered many delays and is now set to arrive in theaters on June 30, 2023.

Joining Ford for this new adventure, that may partially take place in 1969, will be Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Kretschmann, Boyd Holbrook, Shaunette Renee Wilson, and Antonio Banderas.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Uncharted Remains the Winner at the Domestic Weekend Box Office As It Crosses $220 Million Globally

The Uncharted movie has not only won the weekend domestic box office again with $23.2 million in ticket sales, but it has also crossed $220 million globally.

As reported by Variety, Uncharted's second weekend in theaters helped bring its domestic total to $83.3 million. Internationally, it brought in another $35 million from 64 markets to make its overseas total $143 million.

It's important to note that this strong performance by Uncharted has all happened without the help of China as it doesn't premiere there until March 14.

Channing Tatum's Dog secured a second-place finish with $10.1 million domestically, enough to bring its North American total to $30.8 million. Once again, the success of this film that has a $15 million production budget is undoubtedly linked to its tagline "Don't worry, the dog doesn't die."

Spider-Man: No Way Home took third place this weekend with $5.7 million in ticket sales, making its domestic total $779.8 million. Globally, the second Tom Holland-led film to make the top five box office winners has passed the $1.85 billion mark.

Death on the Nile and Jackass Forever rounded out the top five by earning $4.5 million and $3.1 million, respectively. Newcomers Studio 666 ($1.5 million) and Cyrano ($1.4 million) failed to impress at the box office and placed eighth and ninth, respectively.

For more on Uncharted, check out Sony Pictures CEO's comments on Uncharted already becoming a "new hit movie franchise for the company," our explainer of the ending and the post-credits scene, and our Uncharted review.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Uncharted Remains the Winner at the Domestic Weekend Box Office As It Crosses $220 Million Globally

The Uncharted movie has not only won the weekend domestic box office again with $23.2 million in ticket sales, but it has also crossed $220 million globally.

As reported by Variety, Uncharted's second weekend in theaters helped bring its domestic total to $83.3 million. Internationally, it brought in another $35 million from 64 markets to make its overseas total $143 million.

It's important to note that this strong performance by Uncharted has all happened without the help of China as it doesn't premiere there until March 14.

Channing Tatum's Dog secured a second-place finish with $10.1 million domestically, enough to bring its North American total to $30.8 million. Once again, the success of this film that has a $15 million production budget is undoubtedly linked to its tagline "Don't worry, the dog doesn't die."

Spider-Man: No Way Home took third place this weekend with $5.7 million in ticket sales, making its domestic total $779.8 million. Globally, the second Tom Holland-led film to make the top five box office winners has passed the $1.85 billion mark.

Death on the Nile and Jackass Forever rounded out the top five by earning $4.5 million and $3.1 million, respectively. Newcomers Studio 666 ($1.5 million) and Cyrano ($1.4 million) failed to impress at the box office and placed eighth and ninth, respectively.

For more on Uncharted, check out Sony Pictures CEO's comments on Uncharted already becoming a "new hit movie franchise for the company," our explainer of the ending and the post-credits scene, and our Uncharted review.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.