Movies Podcast: IT Spoiler Chat and Star Wars Directors
Welcome back to the IGN Movies Podcast!
This week, Jim Vejvoda and Tom Jorgensen talk up the news that director Colin Trevorrow has parted ways with Star Wars: Episode IX and what that says about Lucasfilm, the rumblings that Apple and Amazon are vying for the movie distribution rights to the James Bond franchise, and what we learned on the set of Thor: Ragnarok.
Finally, we're joined by Terri Schwartz to talk FULL SPOILERS about Stephen King's IT, what we liked and didn't like about it, and the challenges its sequel will face. The IT spoiler chat starts around the 23:30 mark so you'll be spoiler-free listening to this episode until that point. You can also watch the video version of our IT spoilercast below.
Jack Kirby and Jason Aaron’s Big Influence on Thor 3
The late comic book artist Jack Kirby's influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot be overstated. As Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige himself recently said in a tweet honoring what would have been Kirby's 100th birthday, "MCU wouldn't exist without him. Thor Ragnarok is an unabashed love letter to his vision." Kirby's influence -- as well as that of two other major Thor comics creators, Walt Simonson and Jason Aaron -- was much discussed during my visit to the set of Thor: Ragnarok in September 2016.
Thor: Ragnarok production designer Dan Hennah, who said he's been a fan of Kirby's since he was 15-years-old, cited Kirby's artwork from the 1960s Marvel Comics as a visual guide for his set designs. "You have to analyze the shapes, how he got his shapes, what they wore, what was put on them, you know, how he used them," Hennah explained.
Star Trek: Shatner Thinks Nimoy ‘Cooked Up’ Spock’s Death
The death of Spock in the 1982 movie Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is considered by many to be one of the most emotional and gripping sequences in the entire history of the long-running franchise—we placed it as our all-time favorite moment from the movies—but William Shatner has come to take a slightly different view of long-time friend Leonard Nimoy's motivations behind the death.
In an interview with USA Today to celebrate Fantom Films' theatrical re-airing of The Wrath of Khan on September 10 and 13—just in time for the movie's 35th anniversary—Shatner reveals that he thinks Nimoy and producer Harve Bennett planned the whole story, from Spock's death to his eventual resurrection, with the end goal being that as part of his return to the character, Nimoy could demand a directing deal for the sequel.
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IT: Explaining How the Ending Sets up Chapter Two
Full spoilers follow for the movie version of Stephen King’s IT, the original novel, and the 1990 mini-series.
You screamed, you jumped, and at the end of Andy Muschietti’s IT you probably felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction because The Losers Club had prevailed, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown seemed to have been beaten to death with sticks.
And then, of course, came that title screen, which called the film IT: Chapter One, and you realized - or at least, you suddenly remembered - that this movie only adapted the first half of Stephen King’s sprawling horror saga, and that there’s still a sequel on the way to wrap this story up.
But Muschietti’s IT seemed to wrap everything up already, and in a pretty tidy little package. So what, exactly, is left? Let’s take a look at what happened and what you may have missed in the first film, and what’s to come, in IT: Chapter Two.
Star Wars: Ep IX – Reported Details on Trevorrow’s Departure
A new report regarding the recently announced departure of Colin Trevorrow from Star Wars: Episode IX has surfaced, suggesting the director's inflated ego created some friction with Lucasfilm, which ultimately led to him being fired from the project.
Speaking to Vulture, a source with inside knowledge about the productions of Jurassic World and The Book of Henry—both of which were directed by Trevorrow—said Lucasfilm may have fired him because he was "difficult" to work with.
Trevorrow reportedly "focused a great deal of his creative energies on asserting his opinion" during the production of Jurassic World, and since he was personally hired by Steven Spielberg, no one could drop him from the project. Following the film's incredible success, the director decided to helm The Book of Henry, and he was reportedly "unbearable" when doing the film. "He had an egotistical point of view—and he was always asserting that," the source said.
VR Probably Not in The Switch’s Future
Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime appears to have dashed any hopes of VR coming to the Nintendo Switch anytime soon.
During Variety's Entertainment and Tech Summit, Fils-Aime commented on the prospect of seeing the technology come to Switch, saying the “problem with VR is that there aren’t a lot of experiences that are truly fun." There are no plans to experiment with VR capabilities, Variety reports, the company may consider the technology in the future.
Fils-Aime's comments come following a patent filed last year showing a Switch VR accessory, as well as Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima's comments earlier this year that "If we are able to resolve the issues with playing
Malaysian Government Blocks Steam Due to Fighting Game
Indie fighting game Fight of Gods, which puts religious figures in the ring together to battle it out, has reportedly caused the entirety of Steam to be blocked by the Malaysian government thanks to the introduction of a new fighter.
Jesus Christ has been added to the game, and reports say as a result the Steam domain is now completely blocked in Malaysia, as evidenced by Malaysian players on NeoGAF and a report from Malaysian tech site Lowyat.
Users noticed the block earlier today, which coincided with a report that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission had requested Steam to geoblock users in Malaysia from buying Fight of Gods. Apparently Steam did not act quick enough, and the MCMC went ahead and blocked all of Steam.
New Transformer Revealed: Volcanicus
A new Transformer is joining the ever-lasting war of Autobots and Decepticons, as Volcanicus is set to be introduced into Transformers: Earth Wars.
Volcanicus will be available in Earth Wars beginning on September 21, afterward Hasbro will introduce an action figure of it to the Transformers toy line. Check out the character in the gallery below:
The new character will debut alongside Predaking, the Predacon Combiner, who are part of the game's Combiners Saga story, which introduces a new level and event story.
Check out a new trailer for Volcanicus' introduction below:
Earlier this year, Hasbro revealed the biggest Transformers Decepticon toy ever, while the latest film in the series based on the toys, Transformers: The Last Knight, hit theaters this summer. Find out how well it did among the summer's biggest box office successes and everything we know about the Bumblebee spinoff movie so far.
Ragnarok: Odin Knew of Major Cosmic Threats to the MCU
Some spoilers ahead for those who still haven't seen Thor: The Dark World but want to read about Thor: Ragnarok.
When it comes to the ruling family of Asgard, perhaps father really does know best. It turns out Odin, king of the gods and former ruler of Asgard, was aware of certain major looming cosmic dangers that both Thor and his treacherous stepbrother Loki weren't when the latter usurped Odin's throne at the end of Thor: The Dark World.
During my visit to the set of Thor: Ragnarok last year, producer Brad Winderbaum revealed how Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) power play may have won him all he wanted in the short term, but ultimately proves a big problem once the goddess of death Hela (Cate Blanchett) returns to threaten all existence. The movie will reveal Loki banished Odin (once again played by Sir Anthony Hopkins) to Earth, where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki will end up seeking him out as he wanders the streets of Manhattan.