PS5 future of gaming event 4th June

PlayStation 5 (PS5) is, literally, emerging from the shadows on 4th June. Sony has announced a 'future of gaming' livestream showcasing PS5-only titles and seemingly teased the new console's startup chime.



Aside from software. Will PlayStation fans (myself included) get to see the 'box' itself? Well, the Tokyo-based company could borrow from late Apple CEO Steve Jobs' playbook with one more thing... Given manufacturing of the upcoming console is rumoured to have begun, Sony won't want someone to leak a photo of the PS5 and lose control of the messaging.

Ordinarily, flaming June would be a month of major events. From the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it isn't safe and practicable for people to gather in large groups.

So, events like E3 have been cancelled and others, like WWDC, will be livestreamed. Incidentally, I mostly use the official Remote Play app for iPhone and iPad, since native DualShock 4 support was added with iOS 13, to stream games from my PS4.

Sony's PS5 strategy will eclipse Microsoft's Xbox Series X as The Last of Us Part II is tracking to become the fastest selling first-party exclusive in the company's history, and the PS4 has dominated this console generation. Of course, I've championed Game Pass and PlayStation Now still lags behind.

The PS5 is on track for a holiday 2020 launch. The pre-order countdown starts now.

What are you hoping to see? Let me know in the comments below.

First look at Darkseid from Justice League

On Wednesday director Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) teased Darkseid, played by Ray Porter (Argo), from his forthcoming Justice League recut for the newly launched HBO Max. The DC Comics supervillain can be seen standing in the midst of a lava field on Apokolips.

Following years of petitioning from fans. Warner Bros. has given Snyder carte blanche to refashion Justice League closer to his original vision before bowing out, due to a personal tragedy, and handing directing chores to Joss Whedon (Avengers). At the time of release, Justice League was met with derision by fans and critics alike failing to emulate Marvel Studios' Avengers blockbuster behemoth.

Are you excited to see Darkseid take on the Justice League? Let me know in the comments below.

Dr Strange director helms Labyrinth sequel

Jim Henson followed up The Dark Crystal, considered too dark for children, with the more commercial Labyrinth in 1986. Executive produced by George Lucas (Star Wars), the live-action musical fantasy film starred Jennifer Connelly (Sarah) and David Bowie (Jareth), and utilised tropes from popular tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

My most indelible memory of seeing the film, with high school friends at the local Odeon, is the opening sequence featuring a computer-generated owl and buying Citadel Miniatures' Chaos Marauders from a local model shop.

Labyrinth quickly became a touchstone of teenage lives (mine included) and I played the Lucasfilm Games' tie-in for Commodore 64 whilst listening to the iconic soundtrack. Talk of a sequel soon followed, but nothing materialised on the silver screen. Return to Labyrinth was an English-language manga series that ran between 2006-2010.

Fast forward to 2020. Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) will direct a sequel for Sony's TriStar Pictures. Without the late Jim Henson and David Bowie, it's almost impossible to envisage a follow-up to the beloved original as the world falls down...

The Last of Us Part 2 State of Play this Wednesday

This Wednesday's State of Play is a deep dive into The Last of Us Part II (affiliate link) from PlayStation first-party developer Naughty Dog.

The livestream, with director Neil Druckmann, will be available across multiple platforms including Twitch and YouTube.

North America: 1pm PDT / 2pm MDT / 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT
UK/Ire: 9pm BST
Europe: 10pm CEST / 11pm EEST
Asia/Oceania: 5am JST / 4am AWST / 6am AEST

The Last of Us Part II review embargo lifts 12th June and is released 19th June.

Are you looking forward to this Wednesday's State of Play and The Last of Us Part II? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is not a parody

The official confirmation from CBS All Access of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has fans (myself included) excited to see Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck reprise the roles of Captain Pike, Number One and Science Officer Spock respectively. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the spin-off series is some way off.

In the meantime, Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated series from Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty), is coming to CBS All Access later this year.

SlashFilm spoke to McMahan about the animated series and not turning it into a parody of the beloved franchise. Here's an extract from the interview:

“I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and nobody needs a Star Trek comedy that made fun of Star Trek or punched down on Star Trek, nor was I interested in doing that that. I was interested in writing a Star Trek that could be canon, that follows the rules of other Star Trek shows that I loved, and has everything that you love about Star Trek, including the way you tell stories. But I’m a comedy writer. I’m never gonna write a serious Star Trek, so the way that we handled it is it’s on a ship that isn’t the capital ship. It’s not about the bridge crew. It’s about the lowest officers on that ship. But when we’re breaking stories for the lower decks, every episode also has a proper Star Trek episode that’s happening to the bridge crew, and our lower deckers aren’t involved in it. However, you can’t have a big sci-fi thing happening on a starship and not have it effect them because that’s their whole world. So if you’re watching Lower Decks, you’re getting a full Star Trek episode from the perspective of people who are having their own social and emotional stories and their own sci-fi stories, but they just aren’t on the bridge. They don’t have the information the bridge is getting, and they don’t have the responsibility.”

Star Trek: Lower Decks is expected to premiere later this year on CBS All Access. It's unclear whether the spin-off will stream on Amazon Prime or Netflix outside the US.

Zack Snyder's Justice League coming to HBO Max

The much-maligned Justice League (2017) is getting a $20 million dollar do-over for HBO Max by director Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) who had to bow out of the production due to his daughter’s suicide. However, sources have subsequently suggested that there were studio concerns over the movie’s overly dark direction prior to Snyder’s familial tragedy.

Joss Whedon (Avengers) was parachuted in to finish Justice League but failed to replicate the critical and commercial success of Marvel Studios’ Avengers (2012) that would culminate in the Russo Brothers' Avengers: Endgame (2019). Following the movie's lukewarm reception - I bailed after the first ten minutes on Sky Cinema - fans have championed a 'Snyder cut' and their wish will be granted as a 4-hour event on HBO Max.

“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the Snyder Cut movement for making this a reality,” Zack Snyder said in a statement.

Whilst I've been a lifelong fan of both DC Comics and Marvel, the DCEU has failed to capture my imagination on the big screen. Snyder's own Watchmen, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam! are notable exceptions.

Will Justice League usher in a new era of exclusive extended cuts direct-to-consumers? Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the most recent Hollywood blockbuster to witness rumours of a 3-hour cut that was subject to studio interference prior to release last December.

HBO Max launches on 27th May into an increasingly fragmented streaming market with Disney+ an unprecedented success. The new streaming service will carry content from across Warner Bros. brands including Cartoon Network, DC Entertainment, The CW and more.

“We’re going to put all of our muscle behind HBO Max,” Bob Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer, said in an interview. “We think we have a really good and valuable product to offer.”

It is unlikely HBO Max will be released in the UK anytime soon as Sky only recently renewed its first-run film and television deal with Warner Bros. So, expect Justice League to appear on Sky Cinema or Sky Atlantic in 2021.

Are you looking forward to Justice League on HBO Max? Let me know in the comments below.

Muppets Now this July on Disney+

The Muppet Show was as much a staple of Saturday teatimes as Doctor Who in the mid seventies. So much so, Jim Henson’s creations played a profoundly personal role in my early life. If we ever meet, I may tell you the full story of the boy who lived.

So, it’s wonderful news Muppets Now will introduce a new generation of fans to their unique brand of mischief and mayhem on Disney+.

""Muppets Now” is The Muppets Studio’s first original series for Disney+. In the six-episode season, Scooter rushes to make his delivery deadlines and upload the brand-new Muppet series for streaming. They are due now, and he’ll need to navigate whatever obstacles, distractions, and complications the rest of the Muppet gang throws at him.

Overflowing with spontaneous lunacy, surprising guest stars and more frogs, pigs, bears (and whatevers) than legally allowed, the Muppets cut loose in “Muppets Now” with the kind of startling silliness and heartfelt fun that first made them famous."

Muppets Now streams on Disney+ 31st July.

Conan causes chaos at Lucasfilm

To mark Star Wars creator George Lucas' birthday on 14th May, Conan O'Brien shared a classic clip featuring his visit with producer Jordan Schlansky to Lucasfilm in 2007.

The Star Wars Show wasn't a thing. Schlansky is Conan's resident Star Wars expert and took a Lucasfilm employee to task.



Given the current lockdown, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's great that talk show hosts are sharing archive footage to bring some cheer. I hope someone fixed that AT-AT model.

Timothy Olyphant in secret role for The Mandalorian

Timothy Olyphant (Justified) is the latest actor linked to a role in the upcoming second season of The Mandalorian according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).

Whilst Disney has not confirmed any new castings for the live-action Star Wars spin-off series, fans are eager to see whether or not the leaks are true. If so, Olyphant will be joining Rosario Dawson (Daredevil), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Temuera Morrison (Attack of the Clones) and Michael Biehn (Aliens).

I remember Olyphant for his role in Scream 2. Those 'sequels suck' debates had some serious implications for Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) friends and fellow students in director Wes Craven's postmodern slasher series.

The Mandalorian season two is expected to begin this October on Disney+. Confirmed directors include Dave Filoni (The Clone Wars), Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn), Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) and showrunner Jon Favreau (Iron Man).

Strange New Worlds coming to CBS All Access

Red alert! This is not a Kobayashi Maru training exercise. Fellow Star Trek fans rejoice, CBS All Access has announced a new spin-off and it's a doozy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds reunites Discovery season two fan favourites, Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.

“Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck’s portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on Star Trek: Discovery last season,” said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, CBS All Access. “This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to Star Trek.”



Unlike Star Trek: Picard, this is the spin-off most fans (myself included) really wanted. I'd only seen Mount in Marvel's Inhumans. So, it was a revelation when he beamed aboard the USS Discovery, with Romijn, and assumed temporary command. This was Captain Pike and Number One, no questions asked.

Given Pike's tragic fate, the series has ample opportunity to explore optimism and the tragedy to come underpinned by the chemistry between Mount, Romijn and Peck.

Strange New Worlds is set before events in the original series and harkens back to creator Gene Roddenberry's vision. The new series is in early production, but filming will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's unclear whether the spin-off will stream on Amazon Prime or Netflix outside the US.

CBS All Access is rapidly becoming the home of Star Trek with further spin-offs in the works.

Are you looking forward to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Let me know in the comments below. Hit it.