Emma Stone is set to star in a new comedy series called The Curse alongside Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie for Showtime.
The Curse will be a half-hour show about a newly-married couple trying to have a baby while co-starring together on their new problematic HGTV show, according to Variety. Oh, and they’re cursed too, which causes some problems in their relationship.
“The fierce intelligence and wit of the incomparable Emma Stone maker her the perfect partner with the ingenious minds of the Safdie brothers and the subversive comedy of Nathan Fielder,” Showtime executive vice president of scripted programming, Amy Israel, told Variety. “Together, they promise to deliver a groundbreaking satire that is both unexpected and deeply human. Showtime continues to shine as a beacon for visionary filmmakers who are looking to create their ambitious, singular shows.”
Fielder, who is a co-creator of the series, will direct and executive produce The Curse. Safdie and his brother, Josh Safdie, are also co-creators and will serve as producers on the show. Stone will star in the show with Fielder and Benny Safdie.
You might recognize the Safdie brothers from last year’s Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler. As Variety points out, the Safdies are known for doing a lot in the production process of their films ranging from writing, to producing, to directing, and even starring in their work, as evidenced by Benny Safdie’s role in The Curse.
Stone is the Academy Award winning actress that starred in Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, and she was nominated for best supporting actress in Birdman and The Favourite. She also played Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2. Her co-star, Fielder, is best known for his TV show, Nathan for You, and his roles in The Simpsons, Rick and Morty, and Bob’s Burgers.
There’s no word on when The Curse will make its way to Showtime.
Read our thoughts of the Safdie brothers’ latest feature-length film in our Uncut Gems review and then check out our thoughts on Stone’s latest outing in film in our review of The Croods: A New Age.
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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
Disney will release Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney+ on March 5, 2021 – the same days it arrives in theaters.
The news was confirmed by Kareem Daniel, Disney’s Chairman of Media and Distribution, during the company’s Investor Day 2020 conference. As expected, Disney is heavily emphasizing their streaming service in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Like the live-action Mulan remake, Raya and the Last Dragon is part of Disney’s premier Access program, meaning it’ll first be available to subscribers for an additional fee before becoming a regular part of the Disney Plus catalog later on.
Disney also revealed a new poster for the animated fantasy film:
Disney has brought in a new lead voice actor as well as an additional writer and directors for their upcoming animated fantasy adventure Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney Animation’s first original production since Moana. Star Wars veteran Kelly Marie Tran has replaced original actor Cassie Steele as the voice of Raya. Awkwafina remains the voice of Sisu, a dragon trapped in human form.
Disney has described the film as the story of “Raya, a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra who teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world.”
Don Hall (Moana, Big Hero 6) and Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting) have now been announced as directors. Raya’s original directors, Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins, are now listed as co-directors.
Playwright-screenwriter Qui Nguyen (She Kills Monsters, Vietgone) has also been added as a screenwriter; Crazy Rich Asians’ Adele Lim penned the original screenplay.
Cyberpunk 2077 released on December 10, and some players have noticed a pretty funny NSFW glitch: Main character V’s penises and breasts appear to magically transpose through fabric and insist on hanging out in their full glory.
Polygon collected some of the best tweets about the issue and below are some of them. Warning: NSFW images.
On the flip side, though, there’s one player whose dick was apparently taken away. The variation in these dick glitches is pretty funny.
Cyberpunk 2077 received over 8 million preorders and reviewers generally praised it. But one thing that critics and players noticed alike are the amount of bugs and glitches. In response, CD Projekt Red promised a fix to the majority of the bugs in a Day One Patch.
A lot of people were also disappointed by the game’s performance on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, pointing out that Cyberpunk 2077’s graphic quality on these consoles just isn’t great. The PS4 Pro version on PS5, however, seems to run reasonably well–though, there’s still bugs abound too, just less–and there’s no problem with the graphics either. So if you don’t have a PC or next-generation console, it might be wise to wait for a patch that’ll fix things.
Cyberpunk 2077’s next-generation edition isn’t out yet, and at the earliest, could release sometime next year. When the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are out, they will be available as a free upgrade for those who bought the game already.
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Not even the Guardians of the Galaxy can escape from the logistical nightmare that is 2020. Actor Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer, has told Entertainment Weekly that some of Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s storyline has shifted since director James Gunn wrote his first draft.
“I believe it’s okay to say that we will go into production late next year,” Bautista told EW. “I saw a script early on when we were all on schedule and James Gunn was attached before everything went nutso. I believe because [Marvel’s] whole calendar has changed [due to the pandemic shutdown and Guardians’ production delays], that storylines have changed, and they won’t intersect like originally planned. Obviously, we lost Chadwick [Boseman], so I don’t know where that leaves Black Panther. I haven’t seen a new script, is the short answer.”
Gunn revealed last month that he has completed the script for GotG 3 and that most of the production leaders have been hired.
Gunn also added that “very little” had changed with the script since its original draft, before Gunn was fired by Disney for past comments and eventually rehired following backlash from a supportive fan community and Guardians cast members. To further dampen expectations of massive changes, MCU architect Kevin Feige has previously said that Gunn’s script would be the one utilized with or without him in the director’s chair.
Besides in-house issues, 2020 is also the first year since 2009 that a Marvel movie hasn’t premiered in theaters, due to the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and subsequent closures of non-essential businesses.
Before Gunn was rehired by Disney to direct GotG 3, he accepted a role as director on the Suicide Squad reboot. This resulted in GotG 3 being moved from Marvel’s Phase 4 slate, meaning we can’t expect it before November 2021, when Thor: Love and Thunder (hopefully) premieres in open theaters.
Bautista will almost certainly be busy before production on GoTG 3 starts, promoting his role as the villainous Glossu Rabban in Dune, followed by Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead on Netflix.
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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/destroyer for IGN.
Telltale Games took to Twitter to deliver the disheartening news, telling fans that concrete information about the highly anticipated sequel will come “when the time is right.”
“We know you’re excited to hear more about [The Wolf Among Us 2],” the Twitter statement reads. “And we look forward to telling you more when the time is right. What we can say is that we are developing the entire season at once and there is more to do before we’re ready to share what’s next for the Fabletown gang. It’s just not time yet.”
Telltale also mentioned other titles fans have been wondering about, saying they have reverted back to the original IP holders. With Telltale no longer holding the rights to these games, the studio said their future is “not currently in our hands.”
After an unceremonious cancellation following the shuttering of Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us 2 made a surprise appearance at The Games Awards 2019 after the studio was revived by LCG Entertainment in late 2018. Around the time of its official reveal, the newly revamped Telltale Games confirmed The Wolf Among Us 2 development was starting over.
No other information about The Wolf Among Us 2 is known at the moment, including potential release window or launch platforms. Telltale Games said that when the time is right, it will have “a lot to talk about” regarding The Wolf Among Us 2.
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Bad news for fans of The Wolf Among Us. Telltale Games has confirmed it will not be showing any new look at the sequel to its cult hit adaptation of the Fable series at 2020’s Game Awards.
Telltale posted a message on Twitter to let fans know the company plans on taking more time on the series, saying they are developing the entire season at once.
“We know you’re excited to hear more about TWUA2 [sic],” Telltale wrote. “And we look forward to telling you more when the time is right. What we can say is that we are developing the entire season at once and there is more to do before we’re ready to share what’s next for the Fabletown gang. It’s just not time yet.
Telltale also reiterated that the rights to some of the properties they previously developed games for have reverted back to their original owners, and “their fate is not currently in our hands.”
“For now, think of us as fans — just like you!” Telltale’s statement continued. “We are a team dedicated to the Telltale legacy for narrative games, here to celebrate the classics with an eye on what’s to come. And trust us, when the time is right, we’re going to have a LOT to talk about.”
The Wolf Among Us 2 has had something of a tumultuous development history, to put it lightly. The sequel series has actually been announced at the Game Awards twice now — once in 2017, which was then followed by Telltale Games being shut down in 2018 due to longrunning management issues, crunch, and creative meddling. That was then followed by Telltale Games being purchased by Malibu-based LCG Entertainment and revived as a new brand, although no creative leads or game designers from the original team have returned.
Sad news for fans of gritty detective noir starring talking pigs, but the 2020 Game Awards are sure to feature some high-profile game reveals. Here’s how to watch the Game Awards today. Famous stars like Keanu Reeves, Brie Larson, Tom Holland, and others are scheduled to appear. We also know that a new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter reveal is coming, plus a first look at Call of Duty: Black Ops Warzone season one, and a look at the next Dragon Age, and more. Click the link above for more info.
Over the next week, we will be posting featuresforwhat we’ve nominated to be thebest games of 2020. Then, on December 17, we willcrownone of the nominees as GameSpot’s Best Game of 2020, so join us as we celebrate these 10 games on the road to the big announcement.Be sure to check out our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in ourBest Games of 2020 hub.
Very few games have shouldered a weight of expectation as heavy as the one Final Fantasy VII Remake has–even fewer have done so for as long. The original Final Fantasy VII remains one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, and formative in the lives of multiple generations of gamers. It’s only natural, then, that news of a remake would be met with countless demands of how it should be and what it needs to do to respect the legacy of Final Fantasy VII. Over its protracted development cycle, the expectations put upon it grew to the point where it seemed all but impossible for Square Enix to succeed.
And yet, it did. Final Fantasy VII Remake lived up to expectations, but not in the way many envisioned it would, and that’s what makes it one of the standout games of 2020. Instead of delivering a like-for-like remake to show what Final Fantasy VII was, Square Enix endeavoured to honor the legacy of what Final Fantasy VII meant. In doing so it showed, with crystal clarity, not only why Final Fantasy VII is beloved, but also why Final Fantasy endures as a franchise.
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Final Fantasy VII Remake – Game Of The Year 2020 Nominee
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This remake confidently restates the core tenets of what makes the franchise great. Its story is one of rebellion, upheaval, standing up to oppressors, and fighting for the very fate of the world. However, it also delves into the grey areas of waging a war for good, exploring the burden of guilt and the moral struggles felt by members of eco-terrorist group Avalanche. It makes an effort to look at the price of heroes fighting for the future, which is often paid by ordinary people suffering in the now.
It takes the idea of fighting against fate–a common thread in Final Fantasy games–and uses it in a bolder way. This time, the stifling hand of fate isn’t that of a powerful sorceress, a chaotic court mage, or a power hungry empire; it’s the hand of expectation and the demand that history should repeat itself. Depicted as Whispers, ghostly figures appear in pivotal moments to force events to adhere to how they were in the original game. But Final Fantasy 7 Remake–both in its narrative and its overall objective–is a game about pulling away from how it should be so that it can walk towards what it needs to be.
This is a story that lives and dies by the strength of its characters, and in that regard Final Fantasy VII Remake shines brightest. Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Biggs, Wedge, Jesse, and the others that make up the game’s legendary cast are characters that have become iconic more for what people saw in them than what the original Final Fantasy VII showed them to be. The remake recognizes this and makes huge strides in taking what, in retrospect, are archetypal figures and introducing nuance, heart, and charm to them.
This is a game that is thrilling, funny, sad, uplifting, and hopeful. It inspires that sense of wonder and adventure that made you love Final Fantasy in the first place.
Cloud, for the most part stoic and cold by design in the original, undergoes a journey that opens him up to let him grow into a likeable hero. Aerith is no longer just an innocent, angelic figure that serves as the crew’s resident healer. Instead she is shown to be a warm, sweet, and disarmingly goofy person that, despite all this, is shackled by a terrible fate and a crushing responsibility. Barrett’s borderline reckless crusade for justice often blinds him, but his bravado and assuredness is what the team needs to drive them forward. And when he interacts with his daughter it becomes immediately apparent why he fights so hard. The list of characters goes on and each one has a vital place in the story. They are realized in a way that leaves an impression, so while you may not like all of them, you certainly won’t forget them.
The gameplay that facilitates this story is as revelatory now as it was back in 1997. For the longest time, Final Fantasy has struggled to plant its feet in a world where static, turn-based combat has increasingly been seen as outdated. Square Enix has made many attempts to give Final Fantasy’s combat a cinematic quality, a thrilling momentum, and engaging moment-to-moment interactions, while maintaining its slower, more strategic underpinnings. And, although it has succeeded in some regards, it has felt awkward in just as many. Final Fantasy VII Remake, however, finally finds footing for the franchise. Its hybrid system of turn-based and direct-control action leverages the best of both worlds and is bolstered by systems and progression from the original that, to this day, are outstanding. Tweaked and updated for the modern-day, it is comfortably one of the most satisfying and rewarding RPGs to play in recent memory, and no doubt the new template for future entries in the franchise.
Final Fantasy VII Remake’s impeccable soundtrack, meanwhile, will stir pangs of nostalgia in fans and give chills to first-timers as the music uses the emotion of a scene to sweep them away. You’ll feel tears build as the somber notes of Aerith’s theme are struck on the keys of a piano, and then have your breath taken away as it builds into a hopeful crescendo, reminding you how this one, pure-hearted girl fights so hard against impossible odds for the fate of people who can’t even begin to understand the dangers they face.
There’s the tongue-in-cheek acknowledgements of Final Fantasy VII’s most outlandish moments, which are embraced and played up so they’re as bizarre and hilarious now as they were the first time. And the game also made efforts to right the wrongs of the original’s treatment of gender identity and depiction of what it means to be beautiful, as well as the dynamic between its lead female characters.
Sure, Final Fantasy VII Remake has its issues, but in every single way that matters, Square Enix has more than done justice to the original. It stokes that melancholy that comes from going on a perilous journey with people that become friends so dear that, when it’s over, it hurts to say goodbye. It leaves you longing to return to them, desperate to be in its world once more so you can take the next step on the journey together. And that’s what makes a Final Fantasy truly special.
A spectacular reimagining of one of the most visionary games ever, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE rebuilds and expands the legendary RPG for today. The first entry in a multi-part saga, delivering a level of depth inconceivable for the original. Mind-blowing story, unforgettable characters, epic battles and technical excellence collide.
The CW’s Batwoman may have faced an unexpected hitch when Season 1 star Ruby Rose left her role as Kate Kane, but a new Caped Crusader has arrived to take her place: Javicia Leslie is Ryan Wilder, and Season 2 of the show will introduce her stepping into the Batwoman role with her own sense of energy and style.
Take a look at Wilder in action for the season’s first trailer, where she modifies the iconic costume to suit her brand new style and faces a threat from Kate Kane’s past.
Season 2 of Batwoman will center around two major storylines. The first is uncovering the mystery of what actually happened to Kate Kane, who is now missing. The second is Wilder stepping into the role of Batwoman to save the city in her stead. Wilder is an entirely new character for the DC Universe, having never appeared in the comics prior to her TV debut. The trailer offers some hints as to how she will pick up the mantle and some of the fallout she may face from Kate’s former allies and enemies.
