Friday 15 March 2024

Doctor Who returns for Eurovision



Doctor Who is set to make an explosive return in time for the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on 11th May.



Russell T Davies, showrunner says: "At last, it’s my great delight to unleash a whole new season of the Doctor and Ruby’s adventures together. Monsters! Chases! Villains! Mysteries! And a terrifying secret that’s been spanning time and space for decades. Don’t miss a second!"

The TARDIS will make its global premiere around the Whoniverse and for those in the UK, for the first time ever, the Doctor will land with two episodes premiering on BBC iPlayer at 00:00 on Saturday, before arriving on BBC One later that day right before the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final.

Outside the UK, Doctor Who begins streaming on 10th May at 7pm ET on Disney+ where available, giving audiences a simultaneous global launch.

A midnight launch in the UK has stirred up controversy among UK-based fans. I'll be off social media until I've watched the first two episodes in 4K UHD on BBC iPlayer.

Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television.

Are you looking forward to the new season of Doctor Who on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland? Let me know in the comments below.

Thursday 14 March 2024

Imperial March celebrates the Dark Side



Celebrate Imperial March and the march to May the 4th with Star Wars products inspired by the galaxy's most infamous villains!

Our friends at Hasbro have sent over the latest reveals for Star Wars: The Black Series and Star Wars: The Vintage Collection!

These reveals are part of Lucasfilm’s month-long product unveiling celebration kicking off today which will reveal new action figures, toys, collectables, apparel, accessories and more with a spotlight on the villains of the Star Wars galaxy.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER 3-PACK

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $74.99 / Available: Spring 2024)

STAR WARS fans and collectors can imagine scenes from the STAR WARS galaxy with this premium 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER 3-pack, inspired by the characters’ appearances in the STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER video game. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order tells the story of Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, one of the last Jedi, who must do whatever it takes to survive. The characters included in the pack include Cal Kestis (Inquisitor Vision), Second Sister Inquisitor and Purge Trooper. Fans and collectors can display these fully articulated figures featuring premium detail and multiple points of articulation in their collection. Includes 3 figures and 3 entertainment-inspired accessories including the Second Sister Inquisitor’s Lightsaber, Cal Kestis’ double-bladed Lightsaber and the Purge Trooper’s electrohammer.

Available for pre-order 3/14 at 1pm ET exclusively at Amazon (affiliate link).

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CAPTAIN ENOCH & THRAWN’S NIGHT TROOPERS

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $54.99 / Available: Summer 2024)

Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. Fans can celebrate the legacy of STAR WARS, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away with this premium 3.75-inch scale STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION CAPTAIN ENOCH & THRAWN’S NIGHT TROOPERS figure pack inspired by the characters’ appearances in STAR WARS: AHSOKA. These figures feature premium detail, entertainment-inspired collector grade deco (including unique helmet and suit deco on all 4 figures) and design across product and packaging inspired by the original Kenner line. Includes 4 figures and 4 entertainment-inspired accessories including blasters.

Available for pre-order 3/14 at 1pm ET at Hasbro Pulse, Amazon (affiliate link) and additional fan channel retailers. Also available at DisneyStore.com at a later date.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION DARTH VADER

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $16.99 / Available: Summer 2024)

During the Galactic Civil War, Darth Vader set out to find the Rebel Alliance’s secret location and retrieve the schematics of the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star. Fans can celebrate the legacy of STAR WARS, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this premium 3.75-inch scale STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION DARTH VADER figure (VC #334) inspired by the character’s appearance in STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE. This figure features premium detail and design across product and packaging inspired by the original Kenner line, as well as the entertainment-inspired collector grade deco. Includes figure and 4 entertainment-inspired accessories including 2 alternate hands and his signature red-bladed Lightsaber.

Available for pre-order 3/14 at 1pm ET at Amazon (affiliate link), Hasbro Pulse, Entertainment Earth, and other major retailers.

STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION STORMTROOPER

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $16.99 / Available: Summer 2024)

Donning sleek white armor, stormtroopers are elite shock troopers fanatically loyal to the Empire and impossible to sway from the Imperial cause. Fans can celebrate the legacy of STAR WARS, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this premium 3.75-inch scale STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION STORMTROOPER figure (VC #231) inspired by the character’s appearance in STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE. This figure features premium detail and design across product and packaging inspired by the original Kenner line, as well as the entertainment-inspired collector grade deco. Includes figure and entertainment-inspired blaster accessory.

Available for pre-order 3/14 at 1pm ET at Amazon (affiliate link), Hasbro Pulse, Entertainment Earth, and other major retailers.

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Jennifer Lopez lost in space in Atlas



Netflix has dropped an official teaser trailer for Atlas starring Jennifer Lopez (Out of Sight).



Read the official synopsis:

"Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez), a brilliant but misanthropic data analyst with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence, joins a mission to capture a renegade robot with whom she shares a mysterious past. But when plans go awry, her only hope of saving the future of humanity from AI is to trust it."

Atlas, the closest we've got to a live-action adaptation of Titanfall, premieres exclusively on Netflix on 24th May.

Are you looking forward to Atlas on Netflix? Let me know in the comments below.

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Gareth Edwards to helm new Jurassic World



The next instalment in the Jurassic Park franchise is expected to be filmed this summer at Sky Studios Elstree with Gareth Edwards (The Creator) at the helm.

Edwards is no stranger to blockbuster monster movies after directing Godzilla and Star Wars.

"Watching ‘Star Wars' as a child, I always assumed blockbuster filmmaking was just a distant dream for someone growing up in the UK. But then, as I watched the behind-the-scenes, I suddenly realized it was all filmed in a studio just outside of London. And that making ambitious commercial films is totally within the reach of British filmmakers," he said. "When I finally got to make my first film ‘Monsters,' it was made in the true independent style - with a small cast and crew, a tiny budget and shot in just a few weeks. I learnt so much, so fast, and would definitely describe it was one of the most creative experiences I've ever had. Without that opportunity, I would never have been given ‘Godzilla,' ‘Star Wars' and ‘The Creator'… And now as we organize shooting the new ‘Jurassic Park' film in ‘a studio just outside London,' I hope we inspire other new filmmakers to shoot small but always dream big."

The upcoming sequel is executive produced by director Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park).

Are you looking forward to Jurassic World 4? Let me know in the comments below.

Monday 11 March 2024

X-Men '97 gets a release date on Disney+



Marvel Studios has dropped a new official trailer and revealed the titles and release dates for Marvel Animation's X-Men '97 on Disney+.



Read the official synopsis:

“X-Men’ 97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future."

The official episode titles and release dates for the first season of X-Men '97 are as follows:

To Me, My X-Men – 20th March
Mutant Liberation Begins – 20th March
Fire Made Flesh – 27th March
Motendo/Lifedeath, Pt. 1 – 3rd April
Remember It – 10th April
Lifedeath, Pt. 2 – 17th April
Bright Eyes – 24th April
Tolerance is Extinction, Pt. 1 – 1st May
Tolerance is Extinction, Pt. 2 – 8th May
Tolerance is Extinction, Pt. 3 – 15th May

"This is the first X-Men title produced by Marvel Studios," executive producer Brad Winderbaum, head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios, said when announcing X-Men '97. "What an amazing first step to reintroduce audiences to the X-Men with a look at one of the most pinnacle eras of the X-Men comics, which was the '90s. That iconic style that has its roots in Chris Claremont, and is celebrated in Jim Lee, and then again in The Animated Series."

The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura. Featuring music by The Newton Brothers, the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo.

The X-Men '97, an all-new series which features 10 episodes, begins streaming exclusively on Disney+ on 20th March.

Are you looking forward to X-Men '97 on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Thursday 7 March 2024

Fallout at SXSW



A live-action adaptation of Fallout from the showrunners of Westworld, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, is coming soon to Amazon Prime, and an official trailer dropped today ahead of South by Southwest (SXSW).



Read the official synopsis:

"A nuclear war breaks out across Earth in the year 2077—an era of robots, hover cars, and a deep and abiding nostalgia for the America of the 1940s. After the incendiary mushroom clouds, the story flashes forward 219 years. How did humanity fair over those blighted two centuries? Lucy (played by Yellowjackets star Ella Purnell) has no clue. She has lived her entire life inside a subterranean vault, where every need and want has been satisfied while generations and generations await the day when it is safe to surface. When a crisis forces Lucy to venture above on a rescue mission, she finds that the planet above remains a hellscape crawling with giant insects, voracious mutant animal abominations, and a human population of sunbaked miscreants."

Fallout premieres exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link) on 11th April.

Are you looking forward to Fallout on Prime Video? Let me know in the comments below.

Wednesday 6 March 2024

LEGO Star Wars 25-second film festival



LEGO Star Wars celebrates 25 years and fans (myself included) can submit an entry into an exciting 25-second film festival.

Our friends at LEGO sent over the details:

"Hello there.

This year is the 25th anniversary of LEGO® Star Wars™ (yes, it’s really been 25 years) and we’re going to spend it celebrating the fan community’s incredible creativity. We put out the sets, but it’s your imagination that makes LEGO Star Wars.

How are we celebrating fan creativity?

Introducing ‘The 25-Second Film Festival’.

We want to invite fans across the galaxy, like you, to submit any film in any style – stop motion brick films, hand-drawn films, films made with CGI etc – as long as it’s 25-seconds long and represents LEGO Star Wars sets and Minifigures.

Film-making masters are welcome, and creative padawans too; anyone with an idea is invited to bring it to life and submit. You can recreate your favourite StarWars moments, or forge a new one with the LEGO Star Wars characters, places and ships you treasure – whatever shows off your love for the galaxy.

This is your blank canvas to tell your own LEGO Star Wars story, and The LEGO Group’s opportunity to celebrate the community’s creativity in the way it deserves to be celebrated.

Never tell me the odds details...

Submissions are open on LEGO.com/LSW-25 between March 1st and April 22nd. We encourage you to read the rules before making your film, so you stand the best chance of creating something that’ll be accepted. Films that don’t meet the guidelines won’t pass moderation and won’t be featured in the festival.

You’re invited to create something bespoke for the festival, or if you’ve got a previous creation that’d be a perfect fit, that’s welcome too.

The 25-Second Film Festival then launches on May 4th. Films that are featured will appear on the official LEGO YouTube channel or www.LEGO.com/LSW-25 between the May 4th and 25th.

Whilst this isn’t a competition and there won’t be any winners, you’ll get access to exclusive digital rewards through LEGO Insiders just for submitting!

So, what are we asking of you?

We’d hugely appreciate you spreading the word about The 25-Second Film Festival to your audience or community!

We’ve enclosed our launch film (warning: may cause popcorn cravings) to show how we’re kicking everything off and putting out the call for entries. Feel free to include it in your overage! On our anniversary page, you and fellow fans will find a series of 25-second films that we commissioned to get the ball rolling, made by a mix of studios, individual creators and AFOL filmmakers – all of whom are fans. They can be watched over at www.LEGO.com/LSW-25 (you’ll find some still from these enclosed too though).

And lastly, if you personally have an idea for a film, or something you made a while ago that’ll fit nicely into 25-seconds, we’d love for you to submit!

Thank you, and may the Force be with you..."


Will you be submitting an entry to the LEGO Star Wars 25-second film festival? Let me know in the comments below.

Monday 4 March 2024

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster



Christmas 1995, my first Mac, a Performa 5200, introduced me to the rich video game tapestries weaved by LucasArts at the peak of its powers. Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire and Star Wars: Dark Forces were the first CD-ROM-based games I owned for Apple's personal computer platform.

Star Wars: Dark Forces, the first Star Wars first-person shooter (FPS) video game, follows the adventures of Kyle Katarn as he steals the Death Star plans decades before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Nightdive Studios and Lucasfilm Games are bringing Dark Forces to a new generation of gamers.



“Kyle Katarn really can do just about everything,” Nightdive Studios’ Max Waine tells StarWars.com, “and while he's doing everything, he manages to generally stay very cool and calm. Stealing the plans for the Death Star? Yep. Defeating Boba Fett? Yep. Punching out kell dragons? Yep. He can do that. And that's just in Dark Forces.”

The game's titular Dark Troopers have appeared in live-action in The Mandalorian on Disney+.

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is available now for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PC.

Are you playing Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster? Let me know in the comments below.

Sunday 25 February 2024

Regal Robot's Wampa from Star Wars



Regal Robot announced a limited edition Wampa puppet prop replica from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and it's selling fast.

Read the press release from Regal Robot:

"Regal Robot’s WAMPA PROP REPLICA, the latest in their incredible Archive Collection will be available to order starting at Noon EST today! Learn more and order yours here: https://regalrobot.com/custom-star-wars-busts-statues/

During the making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™ some shots of the Wampa were made with a costumed actor, however, the dramatic first close-ups of the creature when it attacks Luke on his Tauntaun were actually achieved with a puppet crafted by legendary creature maker, Phil Tippett!

Offered in two EXTREMELY LIMITED editions, the new resin and mixed media bust is a faithful recreation of that that puppet. Layered in details, Regal Robot’s amazing artists brought this to life using a highly detailed laser scan and extensive, hands-on research of the original prop artifact used in the film.

Don’t miss your chance to bring home a piece of the archive with this unique prop replica!"




What do you think of Regal Robot's Wampa puppet prop replica? Were you lucky enough to pre-order? Let me know in the comments below.

Thursday 22 February 2024

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection



On Wednesday, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games announced the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection during a Nintendo Direct.



Featuring restored online play for up to 64 players, the classic bundle includes Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II, originally developed by LucasArts, and will be available for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PC on 14th March.

Electronic Arts (EA) revived the Star Wars Battlefront franchise in 2015. However, it was marred by microtransaction controversy. Thanks to Aspyr, who recently released the excellent Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, gamers (myself included) can play these classic Star Wars video games unadulterated.

Will you be playing the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection? Let me know in the comments below.