The Stormtroopers Star Wars fan film panel and screening, at Dublin Comic Con (DCC), was a resounding success in front of a packed audience in the Convention Centre.
Irish comedian Stephen Mullan did an outstanding job to anchor the screening, panel interviews and Q&A panel with Irish actors Carolyn Bracken, Peter Cosgrove, Klancy Casey Williams, VFX artist William Bean and writer & director Micheal Fitzgerald.
The Q&A with the cast and crew saw fans of all ages asking compelling questions, and each person was awarded a unique custom LEGO Stormtrooper commemorating the fan film.
Stormtroopers is one of the best Star Wars fan films I've seen in a while and that's saying something given the quality of films lovingly crafted by creative folks in our community.
For further information, please visit the official site.
Winona Ryder was linked to play Alita: Battle Angel back in the mid-nineties with director James Cameron (Avatar) at the helm. This December, Robert Rodriguez's live-action cyberpunk movie, produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, is released in theatres.
"From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love."
James Cameron has handed directing chores to Robert Rodriguez as he's in pre-production on sequels to Avatar. Presumably, these will go ahead following Disney's acquisition of Fox film and television assets.
Alita: Battle Angel seemingly has far more heart and soul than Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson. Comparisons to Detroit: Become Human and Ready Player One are... welcome. That said, Alita's divisive large eyes, in homage to the original manga created by Yukito Kishiro, speaks to the uncanny valley but with cutting-edge visual effects further honed, since the teaser trailer, due to the release date being pushed back from July to December. Alita will go up against Bumblebee this holiday season.
I've long loved Japanimation of which the live-action Alita: Battle Angel is so evocative. The opening shot from the trailer reminded me of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Avengers: Infinity War. The Spirits Within was released in the wake of PS2 and Aki Ross (Ming-Na), evidently based on Sandra Bullock, adorned magazine covers everywhere in the summer of 2001. The hype was real. So much so, I discussed the upcoming movie with fellow PlayStation fans during lunch breaks. Whilst The Spirits Within was a critical flop and lead to the closure of Square Pictures, the CGI animation was phenomenal and holds up. Mostly.
Alita: Battle Angel, directed by Robert Rodriguez, stars Rosa Salazar, Eiza González, Jennifer Connelly, Michelle Rodriguez, Mahershala Ali, Christoph Waltz, and Jackie Earle Haley. It will be in cinemas 21st December.
Really looking forward to this and it stars my other teen crush, Jennifer Connelly. What are your thoughts on Alita: Battle Angel? Let me know in the comments below.
The CBS All Access Star Trek prequel has found Spock.
Ethan Peck, grandson of Gregory Peck, will play the iconic character, originally portrayed by the late Leonard Nimoy and most recently by Zachary Quinto in JJ Abrams' cinematic reboot, in the new season of Star Trek: Discovery.
In a statement, showrunner Alex Kurtzman explained why he was "thrilled to welcome [Peck] to the [Star Trek] family".
"The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion," Kurtzman said. "We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role. An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock’s greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion and yearning.
"Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock’s legacy."
Star Trek: Discovery season 2 premieres on CBS All Access in early 2019. Netflix is expected to stream the series outside the US.
Sony celebrates 500 million PlayStation consoles sold with a stylish limited edition PS4 Pro. The highly sought-after console was available to pre-order from selected stockists in the UK from 10:00AM this morning.
However, demand was so great, Smyths Toys website crashed, ShopTo sold out in seconds and Amazon UK mistakenly went live before 10:00AM. Such was the online retailer's error, the company has cancelled all pre-orders and contacted affected customers.
Anyone interested in pre-ordering from Amazon will be able to do so from 10:00AM Wednesday here (affiliate link). A commemorative DS4 is available here (affiliate link).
What are your first memories of PlayStation? Let me know in the comments below.
Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Nick Fury (Samuel L.Jackson) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) seemingly died in Avengers: Infinity War in the wake of Thanos' (Josh Brolin) universe-altering snap. Spidey's demise, in the arms of his mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), was especially poignant.
Now, Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders are joining the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel, Far From Home. The upcoming movie reunites the original cast.
What is telling, is there's no announcement regarding Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role. This only adds to speculation his character will make the ultimate sacrifice in Avengers 4. Personally, an aptly heroic conclusion to Iron Man's story arc that began in 2008.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is in cinemas July 2019. Samuel L. Jackson can be seen next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), digitally de-aged, in Captain Marvel.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is seemingly the most divisive instalment in the franchise's storied history, culminating in a level of social media toxicity hitherto unknown. So much so, some fans have vilified cast members - most notably Kelly Marie Tran - and backed a campaign to remake Episode VIII.
So, here's a Star Wars fan film in response to the controversy surrounding director Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi entitled Star Wars: Revenge of the Incels. Revenge of the Incels is framed as a remake of Johnson's Brick.
“Not liking a character in a movie (is one thing), but then going to that actor’s social media pages and saying racist things? Like, that mindset is so just gross to me, and I just needed to make fun of these people. Movies are supposed to be fun and you’re supposed to have a good time, and they’re ruining that.” — Dana James Jones, co-creator of Star Wars: Revenge of the Incels.
Star Wars: Episode IX, directed by JJ Abrams (The Force Awakens), is currently in production for release in December 2019.
Star Trek fans (myself included) the world over are excited to learn Sir Patrick Stewart is reprising the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek spin-off for CBS All Access.
"I will always be very proud to have been a part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation, but when we wrapped that final movie in the spring of 2002, I truly felt my time with Star Trek had run its natural course," said the accomplished actor, who most recently played Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise.
"It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions with him."
Alex Kurtzman, the executive producer on the new untitled series, said: "It's a privilege to welcome Sir Patrick Stewart back into the Star Trek fold."
"For over 20 years, fans have hoped for the return of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and that day is finally here. We can't wait to forge new ground, surprise people, and honour generations both new and old," Kurtzman said in media reports.
Kurtzman is the new series showrunner for Star Trek: Discovery and is overseeing the franchise's expanded television universe in a 5-year deal.
Director JJ Abrams took to Twitter to announce the start of filming for Star Wars: Episode IX.
"Bittersweet starting this next chapter without Carrie, but thanks to an extraordinary cast and crew, we are ready to go. Grateful for @rianjohnson and special thanks to George Lucas for creating this incredible world and beginning a story of which we are lucky to be a part. #IX"
John Boyega (Finn) can clearly be seen in what appears to be the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon alongside someone who may be Daisy Ridley (Rey).
Star Wars fan film Stormtroopers, filmed on location in Ireland, has been a huge hit with fans around the world and now the cast and crew are appearing at Dublin Comic Con (DCC) this August.
The Stormtroopers panel includes lead actors Carolyn Bracken, Peter Cosgrove, Klancy Casey Williams, VFX artist William Bean from Dog Day Media (known for Ed Sheeran's Songwriter) and writer & director Micheal Fitzgerald (known for Home & Away & Cork Racing Drive).
Dublin Comic Con runs in the Convention Centre Dublin on 10th, 11th & 12th August.
The last few tickets can be sourced from Dublin Comic Con here!
Disney recently fired director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This was in response to historical tweets, of a controversial nature, that were politicised by a right-wing group. Subsequently, there has been an outpouring of support for the director to be reinstated.
An Open Letter from the Cast of Guardians of the Galaxy
To our fans and friends:
We fully support James Gunn. We were all shocked by his abrupt firing last week and have intentionally waited these ten days to respond in order to think, pray, listen, and discuss. In that time, we’ve been encouraged by the outpouring of support from fans and members of the media who wish to see James reinstated as director of Volume 3 as well as discouraged by those so easily duped into believing the many outlandish conspiracy theories surrounding him.
Being in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies has been a great honor in each of our lives. We cannot let this moment pass without expressing our love, support, and gratitude for James. We are not here to defend his jokes of many years ago but rather to share our experience having spent many years together on set making Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. The character he has shown in the wake of his firing is consistent with the man he was every day on set, and his apology, now and from years ago when first addressing these remarks, we believe is from the heart, a heart we all know, trust, and love. In casting each of us to help him tell the story of misfits who find redemption, he changed our lives forever. We believe the theme of redemption has never been more relevant than now.
Each of us looks forward to working with our friend James again in the future. His story isn’t over – not by a long shot.
There is little due process in the court of public opinion. James is likely not the last good person to be put on trial. Given the growing political divide in this country, it’s safe to say instances like this will continue, although we hope Americans from across the political spectrum can ease up on the character assassinations and stop weaponizing mob mentality.
It is our hope that what has transpired can serve as an example for all of us to realize the enormous responsibility we have to ourselves and to each other regarding the use of our written words when we etch them in digital stone; that we as a society may learn from this experience and in the future will think twice before we decide what we want to express; and in so learning perhaps can harness this capability to help and heal instead of hurting each other. Thank you for taking the time to read our words.
The Guardians of the Galaxy
Irrespective of which side you may or may not fall on this debate. Gunn's singular vision transformed the Guardians of the Galaxy into Marvel Studios' surprise hit franchise and made Avengers: Infinity War all the better for their input - it was the Guardians of the Galaxy writ large.
