On the very last day in January, Sony’s PlayStation handle tweeted out the message “see the future,” providing a link to a website and a video (embedded above) teasing a major PlayStation related announcement coming Wednesday, February 20 at 6PM EST. Though the 45-second teaser doesn’t offer details, it’s certainly tantalizing enough to make you scratch your head and wonder what’s coming. The rumor mill is churning at full speed and rising to the top of the heap is that Sony is readying their next big console release, PlayStation 4. As these things go, time will tell what Sony has up its sleeve.
Category Archives: News
‘GTA V’ lands a fall release date
Grand Theft Auto V gets a release date, at last. The latest addiction from Rockstar Games is due out September 17, 2013 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The highly anticipated game has been pushed from spring to fall to allow for “additional development time” says the game maker in a press release.
“Grand Theft Auto V continues to push the series forward in new ways; Rockstar North are creating our deepest, most beautiful and most immersive world yet,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. “We are very excited for people to learn more about the game in the coming months.”
The new iPad sees a bump to 128GB
News flash: Apple is adding a new storage option for the iPad with Retina display. Come Tuesday, February 5 the new iPad will sell with 128GB of valuable space in black and white for $799 (Wi-Fi model) and $929 (WiFi + Cellular model). Once it’s out, the latest and greatest fourth-gen Apple slate will be available in 16, 32, 64, and 128 gigabyte variants. Perhaps this will pave the way for iPhones and iPods to finally see storage capacity bumps in the future.
[Via Apple]
‘House of Cards’ is streaming now on Netflix
The anticipated Netflix original series House of Cards from David Fincher and Kevin Spacey is now available to stream on Netflix. “This wicked political drama starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara slithers beneath the curtain and through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern Washington D.C.,” reads a press release. All 13 episodes (the first two directed by Fincher) are available to stream today.
In a surprise, bold move Netflix is offering up the first episode free for anyone to watch. “The creative team in front of and behind the camera have delivered a riveting 13-chapter narrative that we’re proud to present to Netflix members today,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix. “By offering the first episode for free, including to non-members, we are opening up this fascinating world for everyone to see and are confident they’ll want more.” An intriguing move by the company; get hooked after watching the first episode and you’re only option is to become a paid subscriber to see the rest. One wonders if they’ll do the same when Arrested Development comes around this spring?
Watch the first episode of House of Cards at Netflix.
First look: The Muppets are back in ‘The Muppets …Again!’
The Muppets are coming! The Muppets are coming! After a hugely successful return to the silver screen in 2011’s The Muppets, Kermit and the gang are back for more in a followup sequel The Muppets …Again!. James Bobin is back at the helm and again he co-wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller. Also returning is Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame who won a shiny Oscar for Best Original Song “Man or Muppet” which was featured in the first film. What’s this one about? Read on…
Disney’s The Muppets …Again! takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two.
Jason Segal and Amy Adams will not reprise their roles. Instead fresh blood will invigorate the franchise; Tina Fey (30 Rock) plays feisty prison guard Nadya, Ty Burrell (Modern Family) is Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon, and comedian Ricky Gervais is the villain’s sidekick Dominic.
“It’s great to be back working with the Muppets,” said Bobin, “some of them even remember my name occasionally now. As for the movie, it’s a tip of the hat to the old-school crime capers of the ’60s, but featuring a frog, a pig, a bear and a dog—no panthers, even pink ones—along with the usual Muppet-y mix of mayhem, music and laughs.”
The Muppets … Again! will shoot on location in London and in Hollywood, as well as in the famed Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, just outside of London. Save the date: March 21, 2014.
Eye the Muppets in London in the colorful image pasted above (Walter’s back!) and after the break you’ll find Gervais keeping Kermit and Miss Piggy close to his vest. Continue reading First look: The Muppets are back in ‘The Muppets …Again!’
It’s official: ‘Entourage’ is coming to a theatre near you
Ever since Entourage came to an end in September 2011 fans of the longrunning HBO series have been drooling over the idea that the boys might return for one last hurrah on the big screen. Over the past couple years creator Doug Ellin and producer Mark Wahlberg have expressed interest in doing a movie; most recently in September Ellin told Deadline that he was fully invested in completing a feature-length script. And now, it’s officially a-go: Warner Bros. has given the green light for a theatrical version of Entourage. Ellin (who has completed the script by now) is set to direct and Wahlberg will produce with Stephen Levinson. Adrian Grenier (Vinny Chase), Kevin Connolly (E), Kevin Dillon (Johnny Drama), Jerry Ferrara (Turtle), and Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold) are all expected to reprise their memorable roles.
Ellin is keeping wraps on the film’s plot but he spilled this to Deadline in September. “There are interesting developments about Ari as a studio head…But foremost is the friendship between the guys who are still hanging out and going to fun parties, and it continues with the same characters,” he said.
And now we wait for the trailer!
[Via Deadline]
FOX orders futuristic drama from J.H. Wyman & J.J. Abrams [Update: Another Abrams pilot a-go at NBC]
With Fringe in his rearview mirror, showrunner and sometimes writer and director J.H. Wyman has a new drama at FOX to work on. Today FOX ordered to pilot an hourlong drama from Wyman and J.J. Abrams, the same auspices that brought us Walter Bishop and the rest of the Fringe family. The untitled project is being produced by Abrams’ production company Bad Robot in collaboration with Warner Bros. TV. It’s being described as “an action-packed buddy cop show set in a near future when all LAPD officers are partnered with highly evolved humanlike androids.” Yeah, count me in. Wyman is writing the script and serving as executive producer, a title he shares with Abrams, Bryan Burk, and Kathy Lingg. After the script is locked in and casting choices are made, the pilot will be made and if all goes well we’ll have another Abrams/Wyman futuristic drama on the air in the fall.
Update: Mere moments after wrapping this post news broke that another pilot headlined by J.J. Abrams was ordered by NBC. (After landing the Star Wars directing gig and two pilots at two of the major broadcast networks, somebody is having the best week ever.) This project also falls under the Bad Robot/Warner Bros. TV banners and Abrams is working closely with Alfonso Cuarón (director of Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban). It’s working title is Believe and the script is currently being penned by Cuarón and Mark Friedman (Home of the Brave, The Forgotten). Believe is about “the unlikely relationship between a young girl in possession of a great gift/powers — which will come into their own in seven years — and a man sprung from prison who has been tasked with protecting her from the evil elements that hunt her power.” Abrams, Cuarón, Friedman, and Bryan Burk are executive producing. Cuarón is on tap to direct.
HBO renews ‘Girls’ for a third season
High off its recent Golden Globe wins for Best Comedy and Best Actress (Lena Dunham), HBO’s Girls has been renewed for a third season. The premium cable network ordered 12 episodes for the next season–that’s an additional two half-hours more than the first two seasons received. Star/creator/executive producer/director/writer Lena Dunham let the news out early on Thursday when she told Alec Baldwin on his podcast that “We’re starting season three at the end of March. I’m so excited.”
Girls airs Sunday nights at 9PM on HBO.
J.J. Abrams will direct ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’
The Force is strong with this one. Today news spread like wildfire that J.J. Abrams–the same man who resurrected Star Trek for the big screen–will do the same for the other massively popular set-in-space franchise Star Wars. The Wrap broke it first.
This fall George Lucas sold his Lucasfilms to Disney for $4 billion and his partner Kathleen Kennedy signed on to ensure the making of a new Star Wars movie. Shortly thereafter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) agreed to pen the script and now the immense project has a star director in Abrams. Star Wars: Episode VII aims for a 2015 release.
Neither Abrams nor Disney has commented on the story yet. What’s interesting, however, is that just a couple months ago Abrams told Entertainment Weekly that he wasn’t interested in taking on Lucas’ lucrative franchise. He admitted that he had “original stuff” he was hoping to do next. He went on to say how much Star Wars influenced him at a young age and that it ignited his passion for visually epic storytelling. “As a kid I was always a fan of special effects,” he said. “Watching movies I was constantly trying to figure out how they did it, whatever the effect was. Star Wars was the first movie that blew my mind in that way; it didn’t matter how they did any of it because it was all so overwhelmingly and entirely great. It was funny and romantic and scary and compelling and the visual effects just served the characters and story. It galvanized for me; not for what was exciting about how movies were made, but rather for what movies were capable of.”
In a two–part interview with Hero Complex conducted in 2009, Abrams talked about the challenge of reimagining Star Trek in a post-George Lucas Star Wars world. “I’m just a fan of Star Wars,” he said. “As a kid, Star Wars was much more my thing than Star Trek was. If you look at the last three Star Wars films and what technology allowed them to do, they covered so much terrain in terms of design, locations, characters, aliens, ships — so much of the spectacle has been done and it seems like every aspect has been covered, whether it’s geography or design of culture or weather system or character or ship type. Everything has been tapped in those movies. The challenge of doing Star Trek — despite the fact that it existed before Star Wars — is that we are clearly in the shadow of what George Lucas has done.”
It is definitely going to be interesting to see exactly how J.J. Abrams plans to bring Star Wars back into the fold compared to the way he did it with Star Trek. He’s a powerful player in the sci-fi arena, and personally I have no doubt he’ll get it right. What say you?
Update (1/25): Disney has made the news official in a press release. Check out some choice quotes from Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, and J.J. Abrams after the break. Continue reading J.J. Abrams will direct ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’
‘Mad Men’ receives a return date
Mad Men returns Sunday, April 7. There it is. The sixth season premiere is two hours in length, written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by executive producer Scott Hornbacher. The two-hour “movie” airs at 9PM on AMC. Also made public is that the second episode, which will air in Mad Men‘s regular 10PM slot, is written by Weiner and Matthew Igla and directed by star John Hamm. This marks Hamm’s second time helming an episode; he previously served double-duty on season five’s “Tea Leaves.”
In an interview with EW, Weiner briefly spoke about the highly anticipated premiere: “If you like the show, there’s a good chance you’ll like the premiere…It is different than last year’s in a sense that it was my idea and I was just trying to give bang for a buck to an audience that I didn’t want to lose because we’d been away for so long. This year it’s really constructed like a film. It is its own story and hopefully it foreshadows the rest of the season.”
When asked when exactly the new season will pick up following Don’s apparent flirtation with deviating outside his marriage, Weiner was typically coy with the NYT: “It will advance in time, as it does. I can’t say how much or how little. We’re coming off a period in Don’s life where he’s trying to normalize, and trying to have this relationship – a real relationship with this woman that he fell in love with. She expressed her desires, and that was a surprise for him. On this show, it’s a very rich, full orchestra, and we like to follow what is the next stage in these people’s lives.”
Check out new season 6 cast photos provided by AMC in the gallery below.
Ryan Murphy teases ‘American Horror Story’ season 3
Ryan Murphy is still being tight-lipped about the clues he dropped in the final few episodes of American Horror Story: Asylum that shed light on what’s to come in season 3 of the anthology horror series. But at a recent screening of the Asylum finale, he did open up to reporters about who’s signed on to come back and he gave a very big picture preview of the upcoming season.
When FX renewed AHS for a third season in November, it was revealed that Jessica Lange (Constance then Jude) would return for the third time in a row to star. Since then, Murphy has let slip that Sarah Paulson (Billy Dean then Lana) and Evan Peters (Tate then Kit) are also coming back as newly fleshed out characters for the new season. Also on tap to return is season 1 star Taissa Farmiga; she played Ben and Vivian Harmon’s daughter Violet. Murphy told EW: “I missed her this season. There wasn’t really a role for her. I feel very protective of her and I didn’t want her to go back into the loony bin—it was too dark. So I thought well ‘I want Taissa to be one of the leads next year.’ I called her up and pitched her the character for the season and she loved it and she said, ‘Yes let’s do it.’ So we’re in negotiations for her to headline season 3.” Rejoining the gang behind-the-scenes is director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon who helped some of the best episodes this season including “I Am Anne Frank (Part 2),” “Spilt Milk,” and the finale “Madness Ends.” Murphy said he’s signed on to direct every third episode next season and that he will have a creative hand in every episode produced.
As far as plot details go, Murphy isn’t diving in just yet but here’s what we’ve got so far. The third season will be “more historical in nature” and take place in modern day across three different cities (on location), though time will jump into the past as it did in season one. The show will continue to harp on our horrors but overall the new season will be lighter in tone than Asylum; it will feature more comedic elements and a romance story. The major arc will revolve around Lange’s character who Murphy hypes to be a “glamour cat leading lady” who will be privy to “hair and makeup and the best designer gowns ever.” Next year’s major monster following season 1’s Rubber Man and season 2’s Bloody Face will be “a great icon–and it’s a woman,” Murphy teases. In fact he says that a big theme in season 3 is going to be “female power.”
And here’s good news for fans of the series. Murphy sees it going for years and years. “I hope this show goes for 10 years because I have so many different kinds of horror that I would like to write about,” he says. “But, I love that you can jump periods and you can play with different actors. I know the actors love playing different characters. So, it’s something that we’ll always stay with.”
American Horror Story reboots next fall.
HBO expresses interest in ‘Bored to Death’ movie, series creator Jonathan Ames on board
Bored to Death is making a comeback. The critically acclaimed entertaining neo-noir series from Jonathan Ames has a development deal at HBO Films that could result in a feature-length TV-movie airing on the premium cable channel. Ever since its cancellation in December 2011, a Bored to Death revival-as-a-movie has been rumored and now the project is swimming much closer to reality.
The logline goes like this: “Jonathan, Ray, and George reunite to fight crime, commit crime, lose their minds and fail at love in a Bored to Death feature-length slapstick adventure.”
Ames will pen the script and serve as executive producer along with Sarah Condon and Stephanie Davis. Stars Jason Schwartzman, who played a fantastical version of real-life Jonathan Ames as a novelist and private eye, Zach Galifianakis, who played Jonathan’s best friend Ray, and Ted Danson, who played Jonathan’s pot-smoking boss George are not officially signed on for the project yet, but all three have expressed interest to team up again and bring these characters back to life.
More as this exciting, slightly unexpected story develops.
[Via THR]