Doctor Who series 11 first look during World Cup final

The BBC has announced a first look at Doctor Who series 11, starring Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor, during the World Cup final this Sunday.



Jodie Whittaker was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly (EW) in a special double issue ahead of the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) next week.

“Well, I would say that it’s hopeful and fizzing with wonder,” Whittaker said, when EW visited the set of Doctor Who in Cardiff, Wales, earlier this year. “I have absolutely shot myself in the foot for any ADR, because I get in there, and realize I speak at a hundred miles an hour. If a plane goes over I’m like, ‘Are you kidding?’ I’ve got to try and match that speech of ‘Di-didda-di-didda-di-didda’? But essentially I think the big theme is hope.”

Series 11 is expected to premiere on BBC One and BBC America this September.

Neill Blomkamp to direct RoboCop Returns

Whilst we may never see director Neill Blomkamp’s retconned sequel to Aliens. Because Ridley Scott. Fans of Paul Verhoeven’s seminal eighties cyberpunk movie RoboCop will see Blomkamp’s take on a sequel, which ignores Irvin Kershner’s risible RoboCop 2.

RoboCop Returns.

“The original definitely had a massive effect on me as a kid,” Blomkamp said. “I loved it then and it remains a classic in the end of 20th Century sci-fi catalog, with real meaning under the surface. Hopefully that is something we can get closer to in making of a sequel. That is my goal here. What I connected to as a kid has evolved over time. At first, the consumerism, materialism and Reaganomics, that ’80s theme of America on steroids, came through most strongly. But As I’ve gotten older, the part that really resonated with me is identity, and the search for identity. As long as the human component is there, a good story can work in any time period, it’s not locked into a specific place in history. What’s so cool about RoboCop is that like good Westerns, sci-fi films and dramas, the human connection is really important to a story well told. What draws me now is someone searching for their lost identity, taken away at the hands of people who are benefiting from it, and seeing his memory jogged by events.”

The recent RoboCop reboot ignored satirising rampant American consumerism, favouring instant gratification for a generation socialised on Call of Duty. So, hopefully, Blomkampf will rediscover his socio-political mojo and imbue the franchise with pathos for RoboCop Returns.

Do you want another RoboCop movie? Let me know in the comments below.

Indiana Jones pushed back to 2021

Indiana Jones 5 has been pushed back, again, to 2021 as Disney reshuffles its upcoming movie schedule dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Director Steven Spielberg remains at the helm of the Lucasfilm reboot with Harrison Ford reprising the titular role.

Billy Dee Williams returns as Lando in Star Wars IX

Billy Dee Williams is reprising the role of Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: Episode IX directed by JJ Abrams.

Fans have speculated about Lando Calrissian's return since The Force Awakens and Williams will indeed be returning to the film franchise for the first time since Return of the Jedi. The character made his infamous debut in The Empire Strikes Back, when he seemingly betrayed the Rebels to the Empire culminating in Han Solo's capture by Boba Fett.

Williams most recently reprised the role for Star Wars Rebels.

Steve Ditko, enigmatic co-creator of Spider-Man, dies

Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, passed away on 29th June. He was aged 90.

Ditko helped create some of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains including Doctor Octopus, the Sandman and Green Goblin. However, he fell out with Stan Lee and left Marvel in 1966. Ditko joined archrival DC Comics for a time before freelancing.

In a statement, the president of Marvel Entertainment, Dan Buckley, said that Ditko “transformed the industry and the Marvel Universe, and his legacy will never be forgotten,” while the company’s Chief Creative Officer, Joe Quesada said that the artist “blessed us with gorgeous art, fantastical stories, heroic characters and a mystical persona worthy of some of his greatest creations.”

Ditko leaves behind an enduring superhero legacy and affected the lives of infinite comic book fans (myself included).

Spider-Man made an adolescence, living with a disability, a bit more bearable. Thank you and RIP Steve Ditko.

How did Steve Ditko impact your life? Let me know in the comments below.

Keri Russell reunites with JJ Abrams for Star Wars

Variety reports Keri Russell (The Americans) is joining the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX.

Russell played the titular Felicity in director JJ Abrams' television series in the late nineties. An era that saw The WB network redefine US teen drama with Buffy, Dawson's Creek, Roswell and Felicity.

Abrams is writing and directing the final instalment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and rumours are rife Russell may play Rey's (Daisy Ridley) mother. The last time they worked together was on Mission Impossible: III and the role calls for "action-heavy fight scenes."

Episode IX is expected to start filming at the end of the month with actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver expected to reprise their roles.

Star Wars: Episode IX will be in cinemas 20th December 2019.

James Cameron's back for Terminator 6

Director James Cameron will be producing the upcoming Terminator 6 with Tim Miller at the helm, which will ignore all sequels following Cameron's own Terminator 2: Judgment Day and reboot the ailing sci-fi franchise, again.

"This is a continuation of the story from Terminator 1 and Terminator 2. And we’re pretending the other films were a bad dream. Or an alternate timeline, which is permissible in our multi-verse. This was really driven more by [Tim] than anybody, surprisingly, because I came in pretty agnostic about where we took it. The only thing I insisted on was that we somehow revamp it and reinvent it for the 21st century." he explained.

You know, I quite enjoyed Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator Genisys with Matt Smith (Doctor Who) as the physical embodiment of Skynet, which Cameron had previously championed in the movie's marketing upon release in 2015, and the short-lived Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series starring Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) in the titular role.

Terminator will be in cinemas November 2019 with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reprising their iconic roles.

BAFTA interviews JJ Abrams on making of Star Wars

BAFTA recently talked to Star Wars directors JJ Abrams (The Force Awakens, Episode IX), Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and actress Felicity Jones who played Jyn Erso in Rogue One.



In a related clip, actress Keira Knightley discusses her role as Padme's (Natalie Portman) decoy in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

Lucasfilm announces Star Wars Fan Awards 2018

Lucasfilm has announced that the Star Wars Fan Film Awards are now known as the Fan Awards. The Star Wars Fan Awards has been expanded to encompass photo and visual art categories in addition to the existing fan film category.

Lucasfilm and StarWars.com are thrilled to announce the Star Wars Fan Awards 2018, the ultimate celebration of Star Wars fan creativity! We want to honor the many ways that fans express their love of a galaxy far, far away — including everything from fan-made films to cosplay and beyond. So if you’re most impressive, we want to see what you can do.

Check out a complete list of categories below:

Videos – Long (Up to 5 Minutes) and Short (Up to 15 Seconds): Best Animation, Best Stop Motion, Best Comedy, Best Choreography, Best Visual Effects, Audience Choice, Filmmaker Select, Spirit of Fandom
Photos: Best Scene-Inspired Photo, Best Family Portrait, Best Throwback Photo, Best Original Concept, Funniest, Best Pet Photography, Best Star Wars Food Presentation, Best in Show, Audience Choice
Visual Art: Best Digital Art, Best Poster Art, Best Custom Costume, Best 2-D/Traditional Art, Best 3-D/Physical Art, Best Custom Figure, Best Custom Diorama, Best in Show, Audience Choice

Here’s how to get started, along with some key dates:

Stay tuned to StarWarsFanAwards.com for updates. 

Submissions open at StarWarsFanAwards.com on July 18 and close September 17. 

Audience Choice award voting opens at StarWarsFanAwards.com on November 2 and closes November 13. 

Winners will be chosen by a panel of Lucasfilm judges, with the Audience Choice award decided by you, the fans! The Star Wars Fan Awards will culminate in a special episode of The Star Wars Show, announcing winners and featuring a few exciting surprises.

An expansion of the Star Wars Fan Film Awards, a longstanding Lucasfilm tradition, the Star Wars Fan Awards will highlight the unique talents and gifts of the Star Wars fan galaxy. We would be honored if you would join us.

Star Wars fan film: Stormtroopers

Stormtroopers is a fan film about a platoon of Stormtroopers who raid a remote Rebel Mining outpost.



Filmed on location in Ireland, Stormtroopers stars Carolyn Bracken, Peter Cosgrove, Klancy Casey Williams, Micheal Fitzgerald, Michael Stack and Melissa Ciepierski. It was written and directed by Micheal Fitzgerald and was produced by Cork Racing.

If you have a Star Wars fan film you'd like to share, please contact me.