Director of the Dune That Never Was Reacts to New Trailer
Frank Herbert's landmark science fiction novel Dune has been adapted for the screen a few times over the past forty years - notably David Lynch's 1984 film and the 2000 miniseries on Syfy (then Sci-Fi Channel). Now Blade Runner 2049's Denis Villeneuve is bringing his version to the screen in 2020, starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Oscar Isaac.
Before Lynch's version, however, there was a famously failed attempt to bring Dune to the theaters. Director Alejandro Jodorowsky was in pre-production for years on the film, during the '70s, in an endeavor (complete with a script for a 14-hour movie) that would later become the topic of a documentary called Jodorowsky's Dune.
Jodorowsky recently watched the trailer for Villeneuve's Dune and...well, he had some thoughts.
"I wish his Dune would be a great success, because Denis Villeneuve is a nice director, about whom I have been told a lot," Jodorowsky said to France's Le Point [translation from CinemaBlend]. "I saw the trailer. It's very well done. We see that this is industrial cinema, that there is a lot of money, and that it has cost a lot of money. But if it was very expensive, it must pay off in proportion. And this is the problem: there are no surprises. The form is identical to what is done everywhere, the lighting, the acting, everything is predictable."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/09/dune-official-trailer"]
"Industrial [Hollywood] cinema is incompatible with auteur cinema," he continued. "For the first, money comes before the work. For the second, it is the reverse. And this, whatever the quality of a director, whether it is my friend Nicolas Winding Refn or Denis Villeneuve. Industrial cinema promotes entertainment, it is a show that is not intended to change humanity or society."
You can check out the cast of Dune -- including Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin -- discussing their characters and the themes of the new film here. Also, here's Dune director Denis Villeneuve explaining the meaning and themes of his sci-fi epic, as well as him talking about how he designed the iconic sandworms that roam Arrakis’ deserts.
If you're interested in Jodorowsky's Dune, check out the trailer for the doc below...
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/02/14/jodorowskys-dune-trailer-1"]
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
The Dark Knight Rises Death Scene That Was Too “Sickening” to Include
Happy Batman Day!
For his third and final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan reportedly changed one character's on-screen death because it would have given the film an NC-17 rating.
During the movie's final battle, Matthew Modine's Gotham Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Foley is killed after being gunned down by Talia al Ghul's tumbler. In a recent appearance on CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast, Modine revealed what was supposed to happen to Foley and why it had to be changed.
"[Nolan] cut my death scene out of Dark Knight Rises," Modine explained. "Because he said it was so violent that it would have gotten an NC-17 rating."
"After Bane dies and Batman, Chris [Bale] gets stabbed, [Talia] gets in one of those vehicles," he continued. "She starts to drive away, and I’m shooting at her. And I got run over. All it does is, it just cuts and I’m on the ground, dead. But it was so violent. The guy that was doubling me got hit by the car. They put a plexiglass thing on the front of [the car] and he got hit. They had ropes to pull him into the air, but he went up and they dropped him from about 15 feet, and the sound of his body hitting the cobblestone street in front of the New York Stock Exchange, it was sickening. And I remember I looked at Christopher Nolan when we shot it and his face was white. He was like, ‘OK, let's move on. We got that.’ But it was like, ‘Oh my God, is that guy going to get up? Is he okay?’ But [Nolan] said that if he would have put it in the movie, it would’ve got an NC-17 rating because it was so violent."
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It feels like a big leap for a death, especially the one described, to take a film from PG-13 to NC-17, but even if it had just gotten the movie an R-rating, that wouldn't have worked for Warner Bros.
In other comic-book news, Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, Perry Mason) has reportedly landed the title role in Marvel's She-Hulk, DC's Harley Quinn animated series has been made an HBO Max original and been renewed for a Season 3, and casting for the role of Kamala Khan in Marvel's Ms. Marvel is currently underway.
You can also check out our theories about what Young Justice: Phantoms might be about.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/17/the-dark-knight-things-you-didnt-know-cinefix"]
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
The Dark Knight Rises Death Scene That Was Too “Sickening” to Include
Happy Batman Day!
For his third and final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan reportedly changed one character's on-screen death because it would have given the film an NC-17 rating.
During the movie's final battle, Matthew Modine's Gotham Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Foley is killed after being gunned down by Talia al Ghul's tumbler. In a recent appearance on CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast, Modine revealed what was supposed to happen to Foley and why it had to be changed.
"[Nolan] cut my death scene out of Dark Knight Rises," Modine explained. "Because he said it was so violent that it would have gotten an NC-17 rating."
"After Bane dies and Batman, Chris [Bale] gets stabbed, [Talia] gets in one of those vehicles," he continued. "She starts to drive away, and I’m shooting at her. And I got run over. All it does is, it just cuts and I’m on the ground, dead. But it was so violent. The guy that was doubling me got hit by the car. They put a plexiglass thing on the front of [the car] and he got hit. They had ropes to pull him into the air, but he went up and they dropped him from about 15 feet, and the sound of his body hitting the cobblestone street in front of the New York Stock Exchange, it was sickening. And I remember I looked at Christopher Nolan when we shot it and his face was white. He was like, ‘OK, let's move on. We got that.’ But it was like, ‘Oh my God, is that guy going to get up? Is he okay?’ But [Nolan] said that if he would have put it in the movie, it would’ve got an NC-17 rating because it was so violent."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=a-visual-history-of-batman&captions=true"]
It feels like a big leap for a death, especially the one described, to take a film from PG-13 to NC-17, but even if it had just gotten the movie an R-rating, that wouldn't have worked for Warner Bros.
In other comic-book news, Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, Perry Mason) has reportedly landed the title role in Marvel's She-Hulk, DC's Harley Quinn animated series has been made an HBO Max original and been renewed for a Season 3, and casting for the role of Kamala Khan in Marvel's Ms. Marvel is currently underway.
You can also check out our theories about what Young Justice: Phantoms might be about.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/17/the-dark-knight-things-you-didnt-know-cinefix"]
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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Xbox Lets You Plan Where to Put Xbox Series X and Series S in Your Home With a Paper Version
If you're still not sure where your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S are going to fit in your entertainment center, don't worry, Microsoft has you covered.
Announced via Twitter, you can now print and assemble your own replica console.
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Available as a free download from the Xbox website, Microsoft is allowing eager players to print out full-scale or 1/3-scale versions of either Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S to "plan how they are going to fit in your lifestyle." Basically, is it going on top of or inside your entertainment center?
The paper cutouts are surprisingly detailed, though. Both contain every labeled port for each upcoming console as well as small details such as the fan on top of the Series X and the color-matched Xbox logos on each box. Microsoft included simple instructions for each, indicating all you need is a pair of scissors and some glue to assemble your new (paper) box!
Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S preorders begin Tuesday, September 22nd at 11:00 AM ET/8:00 AM PT. You can follow our guide on where to secure your Xbox preorder. Also, be sure to check out 8 new details we learned about the smaller, discless Xbox Series S. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.Excited for your new Xbox Series S or X this November 10? We all are, which is why we created a recyclable replica to build.
Sure, it may not run games, but it's going to look pretty cool: https://t.co/tEzSy1gDEY pic.twitter.com/OHh4slItms — Xbox (@Xbox) September 18, 2020
Xbox Lets You Plan Where to Put Xbox Series X and Series S in Your Home With a Paper Version
If you're still not sure where your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S are going to fit in your entertainment center, don't worry, Microsoft has you covered.
Announced via Twitter, you can now print and assemble your own replica console.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"]
Available as a free download from the Xbox website, Microsoft is allowing eager players to print out full-scale or 1/3-scale versions of either Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S to "plan how they are going to fit in your lifestyle." Basically, is it going on top of or inside your entertainment center?
The paper cutouts are surprisingly detailed, though. Both contain every labeled port for each upcoming console as well as small details such as the fan on top of the Series X and the color-matched Xbox logos on each box. Microsoft included simple instructions for each, indicating all you need is a pair of scissors and some glue to assemble your new (paper) box!
Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S preorders begin Tuesday, September 22nd at 11:00 AM ET/8:00 AM PT. You can follow our guide on where to secure your Xbox preorder. Also, be sure to check out 8 new details we learned about the smaller, discless Xbox Series S. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.Excited for your new Xbox Series S or X this November 10? We all are, which is why we created a recyclable replica to build.
Sure, it may not run games, but it's going to look pretty cool: https://t.co/tEzSy1gDEY pic.twitter.com/OHh4slItms — Xbox (@Xbox) September 18, 2020
The Last Stand Update Is Left 4 Dead 2’s First Major DLC in Eight Years
Left 4 Dead 2 is getting its first update in 8 years later this month with The Last Stand Update, a new content pack developed by members of the dedicated Left 4 Dead community for the community.
IGN got a chance to speak with the team behind the update to find out more about how this community effort became an official update to Left 4 Dead sanctioned by Valve.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/left-4-dead-2-the-last-stand-update-official-teaser"]
The Last Stand update for Left 4 Dead 2 began when the project lead who goes by Rayman1103 in the Left 4 Dead community reached out to Valve’s Kerry Davis back in October 2019 about a potential 10th Anniversary update for Left 4 Dead 2.
“[Davis] liked the idea of it and he was going to ask around the office to see if anyone could lend a hand but it turned out everyone was so focused on getting Half-Life: Alyx finished that they couldn’t really do anything on their end,” Rayman tells IGN.
But Davis was open to the idea of the community doing something. “I asked him for the source files for the Lighthouse maps from Left 4 Dead 1 and that’s when I started working on getting a team together” for the project.
Rayman says that once a team, made up of members from all areas of the Left 4 Dead community from Survival to Workshop developers, got together the project began to take on a life of its own.
“What was originally planned was just a port of the Survival Maps from Left 4 Dead 1 over into Left 4 Dead 2, all the missing maps that were never ported over… Just to get whatever was missing and get it into [Left 4 Dead 2]” says Rayman.
But The Last Stand update as it will be released next week will include far more. The full update list includes:
- The Last Stand campaign
- 30 brand new achievements
- 26 new survival maps
- 4 new scavenge maps
- 2 new melee weapons
- Left 4 Dead 1 infected skins with functional gore
- New and unused survivor voice lines
- New and improved character animations
- Reworked gun models and animations
- PvP enhancements and balance updates
- Official CSS weapon implementation
- Brand new mutations Rocketdude and Tank run
The Last Stand Update Is Left 4 Dead 2’s First Major DLC in Eight Years
Left 4 Dead 2 is getting its first update in 8 years later this month with The Last Stand Update, a new content pack developed by members of the dedicated Left 4 Dead community for the community.
IGN got a chance to speak with the team behind the update to find out more about how this community effort became an official update to Left 4 Dead sanctioned by Valve.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/left-4-dead-2-the-last-stand-update-official-teaser"]
The Last Stand update for Left 4 Dead 2 began when the project lead who goes by Rayman1103 in the Left 4 Dead community reached out to Valve’s Kerry Davis back in October 2019 about a potential 10th Anniversary update for Left 4 Dead 2.
“[Davis] liked the idea of it and he was going to ask around the office to see if anyone could lend a hand but it turned out everyone was so focused on getting Half-Life: Alyx finished that they couldn’t really do anything on their end,” Rayman tells IGN.
But Davis was open to the idea of the community doing something. “I asked him for the source files for the Lighthouse maps from Left 4 Dead 1 and that’s when I started working on getting a team together” for the project.
Rayman says that once a team, made up of members from all areas of the Left 4 Dead community from Survival to Workshop developers, got together the project began to take on a life of its own.
“What was originally planned was just a port of the Survival Maps from Left 4 Dead 1 over into Left 4 Dead 2, all the missing maps that were never ported over… Just to get whatever was missing and get it into [Left 4 Dead 2]” says Rayman.
But The Last Stand update as it will be released next week will include far more. The full update list includes:
- The Last Stand campaign
- 30 brand new achievements
- 26 new survival maps
- 4 new scavenge maps
- 2 new melee weapons
- Left 4 Dead 1 infected skins with functional gore
- New and unused survivor voice lines
- New and improved character animations
- Reworked gun models and animations
- PvP enhancements and balance updates
- Official CSS weapon implementation
- Brand new mutations Rocketdude and Tank run
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Review – Wow, Cool Robot!
Despite what the box and blurbs might tell you, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn't really a game about piloting giant robots. I mean, sure, you do fight off massive swarms of building-sized creatures hellbent on total destruction in an alternate-universe 1980s Japan at some points. But these seemingly model-kit-ready metal combat suits are just a plot device, a cog in the story. In actuality, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a character drama: a twisting, turning sci-fi epic jumping through time and dimensions as it follows the lives of its numerous teen protagonists. Missiles, Gatling guns, and armor-crushing metal fistcuffs are merely a side event to the everyday drama of highschoolers who find themselves unwilling pawns in a bigger game with the fate of the world at stake. And you know what? That's great. Once the narrative of 13 Sentinels sinks its hooks into you, you want nothing more than to go along for the ride up until the very climax.
13 Sentinels is a unique, genre-mixing experiment. It takes elements of point-and-click adventure games, visual novels, real-time strategy games, and tower defense games, mixing them together to create an experience that's quite unlike anything else out there. Things get rolling when young Japanese highschooler Juro Kurabe is called upon to fight a horde of alien invaders in 1985, only for the story to flash back to earlier that year, then over to young soldiers in 1945 wartime-era Japan, then to two schoolgirls witnessing a crisis in the year 2025. You immediately meet a huge cast of characters across different eras, learning that there is one constant: the existence of Sentinels, massive human-piloted robot weapons who exist to protect the world from otherworldly monsters.
The game is split into three parts: a Remembrance mode where you uncover the story piece by piece, a Destruction mode where you use giant Sentinel mechs to protect the city from invasion, and an Analysis mode that collects all of the information and story scenes you have discovered through gameplay. Remembrance is presented as an episodic series where you explore and interact with various environments and characters to advance the plot. Destruction, in contrast, is an overhead-view strategy segment where you use the Sentinels to defend a critical underground access point from invading forces.
Continue Reading at GameSpot13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Review – Wow, Cool Robot!
Despite what the box and blurbs might tell you, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn't really a game about piloting giant robots. I mean, sure, you do fight off massive swarms of building-sized creatures hellbent on total destruction in an alternate-universe 1980s Japan at some points. But these seemingly model-kit-ready metal combat suits are just a plot device, a cog in the story. In actuality, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a character drama: a twisting, turning sci-fi epic jumping through time and dimensions as it follows the lives of its numerous teen protagonists. Missiles, Gatling guns, and armor-crushing metal fistcuffs are merely a side event to the everyday drama of highschoolers who find themselves unwilling pawns in a bigger game with the fate of the world at stake. And you know what? That's great. Once the narrative of 13 Sentinels sinks its hooks into you, you want nothing more than to go along for the ride up until the very climax.
13 Sentinels is a unique, genre-mixing experiment. It takes elements of point-and-click adventure games, visual novels, real-time strategy games, and tower defense games, mixing them together to create an experience that's quite unlike anything else out there. Things get rolling when young Japanese highschooler Juro Kurabe is called upon to fight a horde of alien invaders in 1985, only for the story to flash back to earlier that year, then over to young soldiers in 1945 wartime-era Japan, then to two schoolgirls witnessing a crisis in the year 2025. You immediately meet a huge cast of characters across different eras, learning that there is one constant: the existence of Sentinels, massive human-piloted robot weapons who exist to protect the world from otherworldly monsters.
The game is split into three parts: a Remembrance mode where you uncover the story piece by piece, a Destruction mode where you use giant Sentinel mechs to protect the city from invasion, and an Analysis mode that collects all of the information and story scenes you have discovered through gameplay. Remembrance is presented as an episodic series where you explore and interact with various environments and characters to advance the plot. Destruction, in contrast, is an overhead-view strategy segment where you use the Sentinels to defend a critical underground access point from invading forces.
Continue Reading at GameSpotMs. Marvel Enlists Bad Boys for Life, Punisher Directors
Marvel's Ms. Marvel has lined up a quartet of directors for the upcoming Disney+ series.
The Direct first reported, and The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed, that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah -- the directing duo behind the blockbuster Bad Boys for Life -- will helm some episodes of the series.
Joining them in the directors' bullpen is Meera Menon, a comic book TV series veteran who has directed episodes of Marvel's The Punisher, The Walking Dead, and Titans.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/bad-boys-for-life-review"]
The multiple Oscar and Emmy-winning Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who hails from primarily a documentary background, has also been tapped to direct episodes of the Disney+ series.
Other behind the scenes talent on Ms. Marvel include head writer Bisha K. Ali and producer and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who has committed to bringing the character into the big-screen MCU as well.
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The series follows Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager in New Jersey who will be the MCU's first Muslim superhero on screen. Casting for the role is currently underway.
Find out everything you need to know about Ms. Marvel here.
The MCU has been in the news a lot this week what with rumblings that Black Widow's release may get postponed again, the casting of Jonathan Majors as (presumably) Kang the Conqueror, the reveal of Falcon's new costume, WandaVision confirmed for a late 2020 debut on Disney+, and Tatiana Maslany being cast as She-Hulk.