The Kate McKinnon-led series about Carole Baskin and the “Tiger King” Joe Exotic has received a multi-platform series order, according to Deadline. The NBCUniversal show, whose working title is Joe Exotic, will be rolling out across three different NBCU platforms: NBC (a broadcast network), Peacock (a streaming service), and USA (a basic cable network).
No air date or other casting choices–aside from McKinnon–have yet been announced. The limited series, originally announced back in November, revisits the now familiar story popularized by the Netflix series Tiger King, in which an animal breeder and a big-cat enthusiast have a quickly escalating rivalry. There is another high-profile adaptation in the works, with Nicolas Cage as Joe Exotic. All these adaptations, including the Netflix one earlier this year, have been inspired by the second season of Wondery’s true-crime podcast Over My Dead Body.
The NBC version will be written by Etan Frankel (Friday Night Lights, Get Shorty), who will also executive produce along with McKinnon and also Wondery’s Herman Lopez, Marshall Lewy, and Aaron Hart.
The role also marks McKinnon’s second time starring in a series adapted from a podcast. She also plays Elizabeth Holmes in the upcoming Hulu drama The Dropout, inspired by the podcast telling the story of the ill-fated Silicon Valley technology company, Theranos.
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Discoverability on digital storefronts is one of the biggest concerns on launch day for game developers, especially if the game you are launching isn’t the sort that will take up a massive banner on a homepage. But for Descenders, which launched today on PS4, even searching the exact name didn’t help.
Mike Rose, from publisher No More Robots, demonstrated this in a short video today showing how difficult it was to find Descenders on the PlayStation Store. Not only was the game not featured in any of the store’s highlighted sub-categories for new releases or featured titles, but Rose had to scroll through numerous other titles to find Descenders even with a direct word search. Many of the games listed above Descenders didn’t even match the search, making the issue even more frustrating.
This isn’t the first time Rose, or No More Robots by extension, have highlighted issues with discoverability on PSN. When the publisher released Nowhere Prophet on PS4, it noted that it would likely not pursue the venture again with future games after its abysmal sales compared to every other platform.
“Quite frankly, I doubt we’ll put any more games on PS4 after this,” Rose tweeted earlier this month. “I’d heard it was bad, but holy f***, not even close to the sales we’re achieving on Switch and Xbox.”
Rose mentioned that Sony also didn’t allow the publisher to offer a launch sale price, explaining that Sony was “too busy” to bother. Nowhere Prophet did launch with a discount on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. As for Descenders, it’s out on the PlayStation Store now.
There are six games being added to the service in total. Starting on September 1, you can download Embr, Gunsport, Hello Neighbor, Hitman, Metro: Last Light Redux, and Super Bomberman R Online with an active Stadia Pro subscription. Each game is also available to purchase individually.
While a handful of games are joining Stadia Pro, there are a few that are leaving the service. On August 31, Get Packed, Grid, and Kona will no longer be free to download. If you download these games before the end of the month, you can keep them for as long as you’re a Stadia Pro subscriber. Of course, each title can be purchased individually after they leave the vault.
There’s also a brand-new game launching on Stadia Pro this Friday. Though not part of the free offerings, Windbound drops on August 28 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One. Those who purchase the Launch Edition on Stadia between August 28 and September 11 will get bonus in-game content, including the Ancestral Attire, Ancestral Oar, and Ancestral Knife. It’ll retail for $30 USD.
If you’re looking for a laptop that can handle your workday, entertainment, and gaming, then Newegg has a great deal on a laptop this week. The Asus ZenBook 15 ultra-slim laptop is $1,320–down from $1,500–with promo code 93XPR67. Boasting a 4K 15.6-inch display, the ZenBook 15 is great for design work and entertainment. It won’t be able to max out your gaming to 4K resolutions, but it’ll still work well with DLSS and lower resolutions. This deal is valid until August 31 and comes with free shipping. The laptop will arrive next week or as early as tomorrow if you increase your shipping speed.
In addition to the ultra-slim profile, the ZenBook sports a touchscreen trackpad that you can use to launch apps and multitask. The Asus ZenBook 15 also features some pretty mighty specs that make it capable of performing heavy production tasks, such as video and photo editing. It boasts an i7-10510U processor, a GTX 1650 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM as well as a 1TB PCIe SSD.
Of course, these specs aren’t strong enough to take full advantage of that 4K display while gaming. Thankfully, it’s more than capable of performing well at lower resolutions or when a game supports DLSS, which makes lower resolutions look like higher resolutions–it’s a pretty impressive technology, though it’s worth noting that it won’t look as good as a true 4K image should. DLSS is used to improve your game’s performance, so you still have a nice-looking image while also keeping that higher frame rate.
The Asus ZenBook 15 is a great laptop for those who need it for a variety of tasks, but if you’re looking for more gaming-focused recommendations, check out our guide to the best gaming laptops. Also, if you’re looking to build a PC instead, there are a number of discounts on components and hardware like graphics cards and RAM at Newegg.
The Suicide Squad panel at DC FanDome kicked off with a roll call, revealing the characters included in the movie and which actors are playing which roles. The cast is PACKED:
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag
Michael Rooker as Savant
Flula Borg as Javelin
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
David Dastmalchian as Polka Dot Man
Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2
Idris Elba as Bloodsport
King Shark as King Shark (motion captured by Steve Agee)
Mayling Ng as Mongal
Peter Capaldi as The Thinker
Alice Braga as SolSoria
Pete Davidson as Blackguard
Nathon Fillion as TDK
Sean Gunn as Weasel
Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang
John Cena as Peacemaker
We also got our first sneak peek behind the scenes of The Suicide Squad during the panel, with a two minute clip of BTS footage. Meg and Greg break down the cast of characters, which roles were surprises, and the sneak peek footage, and predict which of the Suicide Squad members are going to die immediately.
The third open-world expansion for Warframe has launched, offering a new Warframe, a brand-new open-world area with loads to do, new transportation options, and more. It’s available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version coming later this week.
The centerpiece of the new expansion is the open-world area, the Cambion Drift. You can collect new resources like flora and mining resources, and interact with the beings there, the Entrati. Those will be your mission-givers as they give you tasks to help with their research. Completing progress with the Enrati will unlock the Helminth Segment for your Orbiter, which will unlock new Warframe customization options. You can also ride on Velicopods, native insectoid creatures.
The expansion also includes a new broken Warframe, Xaku. It was designed by the game community, including its suite of abilities that focus around the Void. You’ll get a 25% chance of evading projectiles, stealing enemy firepower, and buffing your weapons. You can purchase the Xaku collection in the Market.
That all comes alongside a load of new weapons and other updates. You can check out the full list of additions through the official site.
With Marvel’s Avengers dropping on September 4 for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, publisher Square Enix has shared some details in preparation for launch. This includes information we’ve already known, as well as tidbits on the Day One patch and Early Access.
This info dump is the first of many, Square Enix said. The company intends to release one every day this week leading up to Marvel’s Avengers’ launch next Friday.
When Do Servers Go Live?
Square Enix didn’t specify when pre-loaded would be available, though anyone who pre-orders Marvel’s Avengers will get 72-hour early access to the game. Still, the company clarified that the servers don’t go live until September 1. A specific time has not been provided.
Day One Patch And One-Time Internet Activation
For anyone who buys the game physically, Square Enix said an 18 GB day one patch will be required to download. The digital version will include the patch alongside the download, though it’s unclear if the patch is the same size. Additionally, players will have to connect to the internet at least once to initiate the download. Otherwise, unless players want to access online multiplayer, a persistent internet connection is not required.
The patch itself, according to Square Enix, includes “several updates and refinements that are required for play.” It also features localization files for dialogue, bug fixes, updates, and tuning from the beta weekends.
72-Hour Early Access For Pre-Orders
Those who pre-order the PlayStation Store Exclusive Digital Edition ($70) or Deluxe Edition ($80) will receive 72-hour early access to Marvel’s Avengers. This means players will be able to access the game as early as Tuesday, September 1. It will unlock at midnight your local time on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and at 9 AM PT on PC and Stadia. Pre-orders will be live until September 1.
Elsewhere in the info dump, the company outlined the Square Enix Member account, which is how players will access post-launch content and redeem promotional pre-launch codes. This includes new heroes, missions, regions, and more. Those who participated in any of the Marvel’s Avengers beta weekends will already have an account tied to their game profile. Everyone else can sign-up for an account for free, and doing so nets you an exclusive Thor nameplate. The membership is required to play the Avengers Initiative co-op missions.
In other Marvel’s Avengers news, dataminers have seemingly unearthed information that suggests the game may feature as many as 15 additional heroes. Alongside Spider-Man, who is a PlayStation exclusive, the list includes Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Stranger, Mockingbird, She-Hulk, and more.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of horror’s longest-running franchises, with eight movies made so far since 1974. The latest film in the series was in production in Bulgaria, but it has been reported that production has been shut down after a week of shooting.
According to Deadline, producers have fired original directors Andy and Ryan Tohill over “creative differences,” and hired David Blue Garcia to helm the movie instead. Deadline’s sources state that producers Legendary Pictures didn’t like the footage that it had seen so far and has decided to start again from scratch. Garcia has a background in commercials, and also made the acclaimed indie movie Tejano.
The next Texas Chainsaw movie is produced by Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe) and will be a direct sequel to the original 1974 movie, which was directed by Tobe Hooper. Like many horror franchises, the chronology of the series can be hard to follow–the previous film, 2017’s Leatherface, was prequel to the original, while previous films have included sequels, reboots, and standalone movies.
While horror fans must wait for the next slice of Chainsaw mayhem, there are also new entries in the Halloween and Scream series on the way. Halloween Kills was originally set to arrive in October this year, but has been put back until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scream 5 doesn’t have a release date yet, but we know it will be directed by Truth or Dare’s Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and will see Courtney Cox and David Arquette return to their roles from the previous movies in the hit slasher franchise.
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While Summerslam aired last Sunday, WWE already has its next PPV lined up–seven days later. Payback is coming to the WWE Network on Sunday, August 30, and the event will see some of WWE’s wrestlers…getting payback.
The show will air at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. And while there won’t physically be anyone in the audience, the WWE Thunderdome will surround the ring once again, which recently had some issues of fan misbehavior on an episode of Raw. Below, you’ll find the start times for the Payback PPV for numerous time zones around the world.
Start time:
4 PM PT
6 PM C
7 PM ET
12 AM BST (August 31)
9 AM AEST (August 31)
Per usual, there will be a Kickoff Show on the WWE Network one hour prior to the main card of the PPV, which you can watch for free. As of this writing, the match appearing on the preshow has not been announced.
How to watch:
The best way to watch Payback is through the WWE Network. Yes, you can order the PPV through your cable or satellite provider, but it’s a bit pricier. The WWE Network costs $10 a month and aside from streaming live events, there is a large back catalog of wrestling shows and original series to check out.
As for the match card, Payback will feature a couple of matches that are continuations of stories from Raw and Smackdown. The card is still coming together, so we’ll keep updating it as the week moves forward.
Match card:
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman (No Holds Barred for Universal Championship)
Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (Women’s Tag Team Championship)
Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton
Apollo Crews (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (United States Championship)
It’s wrestling, and everyone on the internet has opinions of which way they think the matches will go, and we’re no different. Here are a few predictions for some of Payback’s matches.
Once again, WWE is exploring the friendship and eventual fallout of Bayley and Sasha Banks. However, this time around, they’re both heels, and it’s working a bit better. While Bayley bested Asuka at Summerslam to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship, Banks lost to Asuka later in the evening–and the Raw Women’s Championship along with it. In order for this story to continue, Banks and Bayley need to lose the Tag Team Championships. Sure, giving it to the brand-new team of Baszler and Jax may seem a bit too quick, but it’s fine. Jax and Baszler will end up winning this one.
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Roman Reigns returned at Summerslam, and it was pretty fantastic. And frankly, I’m really excited about this match. However, this is a super-tricky situation as far as booking goes. The Fiend has been built up to be an unstoppable character–like Brock Lesner or Goldberg but with actual charisma and intrigue. However, WWE has put The Fiend or Bray Wyatt in situations where he’s easily beaten. While Reigns returning makes me think he’ll end up winning the Universal Championship, I believe The Fiend will retain. This may be the moment Retribution interferes with a PPV–since they were absent from Summerslam entirely. However it happens, The Fiend will retain.
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Ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War‘s reveal, which is slated for August 26, editions of the game have leaked online. There are three available, with two that include a next-gen upgrade. Buying the standard edition on the current-console gen will apparently not get you free access to the PS5 or Xbox Series X versions of the game.
According to a leak reported by Charlie Intel, in addition to the standard edition, there are also the Cross-Gen Bundle and Ultimate editions. All three include access to the beta when you pre-order the game. Each edition comes with the Frank Woods Operator for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, and the standard and Cross-Gen Bundle versions also feature the Confrontation Weapons Pack.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Pre-Order Bonuses
Early access to the Open Beta.
Iconic Operator Frank Woods and an assault rifle Weapon Blueprint for immediate use in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone.
10 Tier Skips for immediate use in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone.
The standard edition will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. As the name suggests, the Cross-Gen Bundle features the base game for current- and next-gen (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X) systems. This seemingly indicates publisher Activision will follow the same path as Control publisher 505 Games, which suggested users buy the Ultimate edition if they want the PS5/XSX upgrade. The Ultimate edition includes the Cross-Gen Bundle and bonus Black Ops Cold War content.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Ultimate Edition Contents
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War game:
Note: console versions include current-gen version and next-gen version when it launches.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s official reveal is set to go live this Wednesday at 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET. It will take place inside Warzone and rumors suggest that Verdansk will be overhauled to accommodate Black Ops Cold War’s style and feel. For now, no definitive release date has been announced.
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