Diablo IV’s first big DLC expansion, Vessel of Hatred, arrives on all platforms later this year. The upcoming DLC is adding not only a new region to explore and loot, but also a new class—the Spiritborn—never before seen in the franchise. And according to Blizzard, the decision to add a new class came after Diablo…
Diablo IV’s first big DLC expansion, Vessel of Hatred, arrives on all platforms later this year. The upcoming DLC is adding not only a new region to explore and loot, but also a new class—the Spiritborn—never before seen in the franchise. And according to Blizzard, the decision to add a new class came after Diablo…
There’s no shortage of Metroidvanias out there, but none of them are set in World War II and pit you against diabolic Nazi experiments. That’s the elevator pitch for Wolfhound, a surprise new retro-inspired project from Bit Kid, the developer of 2018’s gorgeous pixel-art dungeon-scroller Chasm.
There’s no shortage of Metroidvanias out there, but none of them are set in World War II and pit you against diabolic Nazi experiments. That’s the elevator pitch for Wolfhound, a surprise new retro-inspired project from Bit Kid, the developer of 2018’s gorgeous pixel-art dungeon-scroller Chasm.
Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Moana will kick off production this summer, and the studio announced today that Catherine Laga’aia will star as the title character alongside Dwayne Johnson as Maui.
“I’m really excited to embrace this character because Moana is one of my favorites,” Laga’aia said in the press release. “My grandfather comes from Fa‘aala, Palauli, in Savai‘i. And my grandmother is from Leulumoega Tuai on the main island of ‘Upolu in Samoa. I’m honored to have an opportunity to celebrate Samoa and all Pacific Island peoples, and to represent young girls who look like me.“
Joining Catherine Laga’aia and Dwayne Johnson in the live-action Moana movie will be John Tui as Moana’s no-nonsense father, Chief Tui; Frankie Adams as Moana’s playful and strong-willed mother, Sina; and Rena Owen as the revered Gramma Tala. Director Thomas Kail said, “I am thrilled to have met Catherine, Rena, Frankie and John through this casting process. I am humbled by this opportunity, and I cannot wait to all be on set together. And there’s no better pair to be in a canoe with than Catherine and Dwayne—actually, trio: Heihei is ready, too.“
Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated 2016 film, is an executive producer on the project. The actress has previously explained why she didn’t want to return to play the character in live-action. “It feels really important to me to pass the baton to the next young woman of Pacific Island descent, and I say that with my whole chest,” Cravalho told The Wrap earlier this year. “I have been invited, and I exist in these beautiful AAPI spaces, Asian American Pacific Islander, and I am one of the few Pacific Islanders. And I’ll say it again, I am one of the few Pacific Islanders. And our stories are so important to be told.” However, Cravalho is returning for Moana 2. The animated sequel will reunite “Moana and Maui three years later for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.” The sequel will hit theaters on November 27th.
The live-action Moana is slated for a July 10, 2026 release.
The post Disney’s live-action Moana has cast Catherine Laga’aia in the title role appeared first on JoBlo.
Back in the mid-1990s, Robert Rodriguez wrote the screenplay for a Predator sequel that would be titled Predators… but the studio decided to put that one on the shelf for fifteen years before circling back to Rodriguez and giving him the chance to bring Predators to the screen. Rodriguez produced the movie and hired Alex Litvak and Michael Finch to rework his old script. The search for a director came down to two contenders: Control, Vacancy, and Armored director Nimród Antal and Dog Soldiers, The Descent, and Doomsday director Neil Marshall. The job ended up going to Antal, but more than a decade later, Marshall is still hoping he’ll get his chance to make a Predator movie someday.
Marshall was asked about being in the running for Predators while speaking with Inverse, and he said, “As far as I’m aware, I got down to the last two directors. We were both invited separately to visit Texas and met with Robert Rodriguez. I saw his studio, went out for some barbecue, and he sounded me out. It was great but he hired the other guy; that’s the way it goes. I love the franchise, and I’d love to make a Predator movie sometime, the same way I’d like to do an Alien movie too. There’s a bunch of things I’d have done differently if I was directing Predators. All things considered, I’d rather start from scratch and do a fresh take on the Predator concept, rather than do anything that’s come before me.“
When the interviewer said the Predator could work within any setting or time period, Marshall agreed. “Very much so. Could we do Predator on the beaches of Normandy? I’d love to see Predator in the desert. Put the Predator in Afghanistan or somewhere like that. That would be cool. Predators versus ninjas! That would do me.“
20th Century Studios seems content to leave the Predator franchise in the hands of Prey director Dan Trachtenberg for now, and they have him working on both a Prey sequel and a separate Predator film called Badlands (which is set to star Elle Fanning), but there are a lot of filmmakers out there who would love to work on a Predator story. Neil Marshall wants the job, a Predator movie would be a dream gig for Atlas director Brad Peyton, the Predators creative team wanted to make “Die Hard on a Predator ship,” etc.
Would you like to see a Predator movie directed by Neil Marshall? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
The post Neil Marshall missed out on the Predators directing job, but still wants to make a Predator movie someday appeared first on JoBlo.
Buuuuumps! According to a mathematical announcement from Warner Bros. Animation’s Annecy Animation Festival panel, Jake the Dog and Finn the Human will return to screens for more Adventure Time! Cartoon Network Studios is working on three new Adventure Time projects, including a movie and two new series! The creative team for the Adventure Time movie is out of this world, with Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar, Over the Garden Wall co-creator Patrick McHale, and Adventure Time showrunner Adam Muto leading the charge.
In addition to the Adventure Time film, a series focusing on Finn’s childhood adventures called Adventure Time: Side Missions is in the works. The series takes us back to Finn’s youth when he dreamed of going on elaborate adventures with his best friend, Jake the Dog. Instead of creating another episodic epic, Adventure Time: Side Missions is a collection of standalone episodes featuring early incarnations of fan-favorite characters, including the misunderstood villain, The Ice King. Adventure Time artist Nate Cash is attached to the series.
Lastly, Adventure Time: Heyo BMO is a preschool series starring the adorable BMO. For the new series, BMO moves to a new neighborhood where new friends and challenges await. Adventure Time writer Adam Muto and storyboard artist Ashlyn Anstee joined the project aimed at young viewers.
Details about the Adventure Time movie remain a mystery. Still, fans will riot if the film doesn’t include classic Adventure Time characters like Princess Bubblegum, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Earl of Lemongrab, Tree Trunks, Lumpy Space Princess, Flame Princess, Peppermint Butler, The Lich, Ricardio, Cake, Fionna, Cinnamon Bun, and more.
Created by Pendleton Ward and executive produced by Adam Muto, Adventure Time ran for nine seasons on Cartoon Network. During that time, the imaginative animated series had established itself as one of the most provocative animations of the past decade. In the Land of Ooo, the show centered around the misadventures of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. Together, the duo would explore worlds beyond our imagination, meeting a cast of endearing and deranged characters along the way. Often praised for its meaty subject matter, Adventure Time is notoriously known for pushing the boundaries of representation in animation. Let’s go!
The post Mathematical! Adventure Time is returning with a movie and two new series from Cartoon Network Studios appeared first on JoBlo.
Made on a budget of less than $100,000, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (watch it HERE) earned more than $6 million during its global release in early 2023… and sure, the movie racked up the Razzies, but it’s money that matters, and that’s why Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 was made and given a theatrical release earlier this year. We know the Australia-based company Umbrella Entertainment will be giving the film a special edition Blu-ray release next month, and now it has been announced (via Collider) that Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 will be receiving a VOD release in the United States on June 26th!
A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of last year, and that’s how Frake-Waterfield was able to make these movies happen, no permission required. In the build-up to the release of the first movie, the filmmaker explained to Variety that Pooh and Piglet (go) on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. “Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult. Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”
Matt Leslie, writer/producer of Summer of 84, wrote the screenplay for the sequel, working from a story he crafted with Frake-Waterfield. Here’s the synopsis for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2: Deep within the 100-Acre-Wood, a destructive rage grows as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger find their home and their lives endangered after Christopher Robin revealed their existence. Not wanting to live in the shadows any longer, the group decides to take the fight to the town of Ashdown, home of Christopher Robin, leaving a bloody trail of death and mayhem in their wake. Winnie and his savage friends will show everyone that they are deadlier, stronger, and smarter than anyone could ever imagine and get their revenge on Christopher Robin, once and for all.
The film stars Ryan Oliva, Scott Chambers, Eddy Mackenzie, Marcus Massey, Tallulah Evans, Kelly Rian Sanson, Simon Callow, Alec Newman, Nicola Wright, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Lewis Santer, Tade Adebaio, and Nichaela Farrel.
Will you be watching Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 when it reaches VOD? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and if you caught the movie during its theatrical release, let us know what you thought of it!
These Winnie the Pooh movies are part of the Twisted Childhood Universe, which will also consist of Bambi: The Reckoning, Pinocchio: Unstrung, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3, building up to the crossover movie Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.
The post Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 reaches VOD later this month appeared first on JoBlo.
PLOT: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been doing a good job managing the emotions of their beloved human, Riley. But, as she enters her teenage years, they have their hands full dealing with a whole new slate of emotions, including the obstructive, controlling Anxiety.
REVIEW: Ever since the pandemic, Pixar’s been struggling to recapture the zeitgeist its animated films were once so easily able to dominate. For a long time, it was almost uncanny how each film was hailed as a masterpiece, only for the company to fall off when suddenly their films became more commonly viewed via streaming than in theatres. Some say the movies got to be too specific, although for me I’d take a highly personal story like Elemental over the more generic Lightyear any day. At any rate, the company is said to be undergoing a pivot towards more universal stories, although that could mean more and more sequels, something Pixar’s had mixed results with. Toy Story 3 was brilliant, but the 4th was an unnecessary epilogue. The Incredibles 2 was…fine, but Finding Dory was a smash. So, how does Inside Out 2 fare?
Once again, the movie is a mixed bag. While the original is rightly acclaimed as one of Pixar’s masterpieces, the follow-up, while often amusing and occasionally touching, feels less envelope-pushing than other movies they made. The movie’s hook is pretty good, showing us how Riley’s emotions have to deal with the onslaught of puberty and new emotions such as ennui, envy, and, most dangerous of all, anxiety.
Anyone who’s lived a life with any stress can tell you that anxiety is a monkey many of us can never fully get off our backs; with the movie treating it as an emotion the protagonist, Joy, has to overcome and put back in her place. Yet, the movie can’t help but have a simplistic view of the place each emotion has within us, and it fails to acknowledge the fact that anxiety, at times, is an engine we need to push us forward. Making Joy the hero and Anxiety the bad guy lacks the nuance we’ve seen in other Pixar movies – including the first Inside Out.
However, that aspect will only really matter to those of us who spend an unhealthy amount of time overanalyzing our emotions (will Inside Out 3 introduce Introspection as a character?). Kids will likely have more fun watching Inside Out 2 than they have at any other Pixar movie in a long time, with it colourful and filled with engaging voice performances.
However, even the voice casting comes with a bit of controversy. Bill Hader, who voiced Fear in the first film, and Mindy Kaling, who voiced Disgust, aren’t back for the sequel, with them replaced by Tony Hale and Liza Lapira. Both are solid replacements, but their absence can’t help but be felt, and one wonders why they didn’t return. Amy Poehler takes center stage as Joy, who finds her role usurped by anxiety and is voiced (terrifically) by Maya Hawke in a piece of pitch-perfect casting. This is her movie, with her and Poehler playing tug-of-war over Riley’s personality once she gets invited to an important hockey training weekend that could define her high school experience.
Other additions include an appropriately pithy Adèle Exarchopoulos as Ennui (of course, Ennui is French), Paul Walter Hauser (this guy is everywhere) as Embarrassment, and the under-used Ayo Edebiri as Envy. Compared to Elemental, the animation this time seems to be less about pushing the envelope than in the previous films, but there’s a pretty dazzling sequence where some of the emotions are banished to a suppressed part of Riley’s personality. There they meet 2D-animated pre-K style animated characters and deliberately pixelated video game character, all of which gives the movie some much-needed visual pop.
Inside Out 2 feels like a movie that has a better chance of being embraced by a large-scale audience than anything they’ve done in recent years. Still, it also feels like a movie that was made of necessity (for the big box office) rather than the ambition that made other Pixar movies classics. It’s a good Pixar movie, but it’s not a great one.
For more Inside Out 2, check out our Pixar tour promoting the sequel we did this spring HERE!
The post Inside Out 2 Review appeared first on JoBlo.
Ubisoft’s upcoming Star Wars Outlaws looks to be a massive open-world video game spanning multiple planets and cities. However, according to the game’s creative director, completing everything in Outlaws isn’t going to take you 100 to 200 hours like in some past Ubisoft games.