Month: March 2021

Netflix Pays $30 Million For New Dev Patel Movie Described As “John Wick In Mumbai”

Netflix is making moves again, this time spending $30 million to buy the rights to a new Dev Patel movie that marks the actor’s directorial debut.

The movie has already finished filming. Patel plays a character who gets out of prison and seeks revenge for those who wronged him. According to Deadline, the movie screened for potential buyers at a virtual European Film Market event and there was a lot of buzz around it.

The report said Netflix outbid other companies, but it did not mention who. Monkey Man is being produced by Joker studio Bron and John Wick company Thunder Road, which add to the appeal.

A source who saw footage from Monkey Man told Deadline that the film is like “John Wick in Mumbai.” The movie, which was written by Patel with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, is said to be inspired in part by the Hindu myth of Hanuman, a deity that is half man and half monkey.

It’s also been confirmed that District 9 star Sharlto Copley will appear in Monkey Man, alongside Sobhita Dhulipala (Psycho Raman) and Sikander Kher (24: India). Netflix is reportedly planning to release it in 2022.

Patel told Deadline that filming Monkey Man during the pandemic was “quite challenging to say the least.”

“The opportunity to reimagine stories from my childhood and infuse them with my love of action cinema has been an absolute joy,” he said.

Godzilla vs. Kong Exclusive IMAX Poster Revealed

IGN has the exclusive reveal for the new IMAX poster for the upcoming film Godzilla vs. Kong. The poster is a stylized take on these two giants facing off against one another.

Godzilla vs. Kong will hit theaters and IMAX on March 31, and to celebrate the jumbo-screened experience, IMAX is sharing this new exclusive poster here on IGN.

Source: IMAX
Source: IMAX

The premise of Godzilla vs. Kong is pretty self-explanatory. The king of Skull Island will face off against the king of monsters in this (s)mash-up of two of Warner Bros.’ and Legendary Entertainment’s biggest monsters.

Godzilla vs. Kong is directed by Adam Wingard, and members of the Godzilla: King of the Monsters cast will return, including Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kyle Chandler. New cast members include Rebecca Hall as Ilene Andrews, and Lance Reddick and Jessica Henwick in unknown roles.

As previously announced, Warner Bros. is releasing its 2021 slate of movies on HBO Max the same day as theaters, so if IMAX is not an option for you, you’ll still be able to check out Godzilla vs. Kong on HBO Max on March 31.

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At IGN Fan Fest, we caught up with director Adam Wingard, who told us that this fight will not end in a draw. “This is the decider,” Wingard says, “One wins, and that’s it.” But who that is will remain a secret until the end of this month.

For more on Godzilla, check out IGN’s list of 10 best Godzilla movies, and an explanation on why Kong is suddenly able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla, height-wise.

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Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.

PS5 Cracks Down On Cheaters | Console Crew

If you thought Xbox’s acquisition of Bethesda was the only big gaming console news drop for the week, you were wrong! The Console Crew gang is here to round up the biggest events of the week.

The discussion kicks off with PlayStation implementing Denuvo Anti-Cheat tech on the PlayStation 5. No one wants to play against cheaters, but is the tech itself going to impact our gaming at all? The crew also discusses Forza Horizon 4 lighting up the Steam bestseller list, even though it’s a three-year-old game going for full price. Finally, Apex Legends came out on Switch this week, and Jordan discusses his time with it. Spoilers, it’s not the place to play Respawn’s excellent battle royale title/

Console Crew is your weekly Friday roundup of the biggest news from PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, hosted by Lucy James, Tamoor Hussain, and Jordan Ramée. Subscribe to youtube.com/GameSpot to never miss an episode.

Ghostbusters Kenner Classics Line Adds ECTO-1, Toilet Ghost, And One More Eye-Popping Toy

During the 1980s, The Real Ghostbusters toy line from Kenner took ridiculous ghosts and monsters from the animated series and made them into memorable toys. Now, Hasbro is revamping some of these toys for a whole new era–and isn’t stopping with just the ghosts.

The Ghostbusters Kenner Classics line brings the iconic ECTO-1 and some of the ghosts from the series to a new generation of kids–or adults who want to relive their youth. Three new toys were announced, and you can check them all out below.

Ghostbusters Kenner Classics available at Walmart
Ghostbusters Kenner Classics available at Walmart

Gallery

First, there’s the classic ECTO-1, which will cost $50. Based on the spectre-hunting vehicle from the animated series, the car’s tailgate opens, there’s a swivel blaster seat on the roof, and a ghost claw, so you can bust those pesky ghosts–which I heard makes you feel good. Of course, it also comes with a little ghost figure to bust.

Also coming this April are some ghost toys, which will run you $15 a piece. The first two weird ghosts you can get your hands on are Bug-Eye, a ghost whose giant eye pops out, and the memorable Fearsome Flush–the toilet monster. Both of these are sold separately.

These toys will be exclusively at Walmart stores and will arrive in April. Pre-orders will not begin until March 15 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT, but when that time comes, you’ll be able to pre-order these Ghostbusters toys. You can check out the other toys in the line there as well, including the Ghostbusters as well. Hopefully, Hasbro will keep rolling these out so I can finally get my hands back on the Tombstone Tackle ghost I played with way too much as a kid.

Hasbro continues to pump out some excellent Ghostbusters collectibles. For more, check out the recently released Plasma Series ECTO-1 toy and the highly-detailed Plasma Series Spengler’s Neutrona Wand.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

WarnerMedia Reveals All The DC Movies And TV Shows It’s Currently Working On

Between television, movies, and video games, there is no shortage of DC Comics adaptations headed your way in the near future. During the AT&T Analyst & Investor Day 2021 call, WarnerMedia revealed what seems to be everything the studio is currently working on, and it’s a lot.

After the launch of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on March 18, there is a lot more coming from the world of DC Comics from the Suicide Squad movie and its HBO Max spin-off Peacemaker to the DMZ TV series, Aquaman 2 movie, and Gotham Knights video game. An image was revealed during the call, showcasing everything coming in the future. Some of the series listed below are already airing and have future seasons coming.

A banner of logos from the AT&T Investor Day presentation
A banner of logos from the AT&T Investor Day presentation

Upcoming DC projects:

  • Black Adam
  • Harley Quinn animated series
  • Superman & Lois
  • Static Shock
  • Blue Beetle
  • Batgirl
  • Peacemaker
  • Green Lantern
  • Aquaman 2
  • The Flash
  • Teen Titans Go!
  • Suicide Squad
  • Batwheels
  • The Batman
  • Zatanna
  • Supergirl
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods
  • Batwoman
  • The Suicide Squad
  • GCPD
  • DMZ
  • Gotham Knights
  • Super Hero High
  • League of Super-Pets

“We will then have more than two dozen new movies, series, video games, and documentaries from the world of DC, including the ones that you see here,” explained WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar during the call. “The DC Multiverse, and this canon of unforgettable characters is a very big deal. We intend to dive deeply into it. And our other beloved worlds, and characters beyond the series and motion pictures you have heard about today, we have a carefully crafted arc, filled with settings and characters that are beloved by fans, and which we believe are ripe for exploring and reimagining these franchises, these magnetic characters and settings have broad and deep fan appeal, and we have just begun to scratch the surface of the stories to be told.”

Specific details about these series were not revealed, but all of these have previously been announced over the course of the past few years. DMZ is one of the outliers on this list, as it is an HBO Max series based on a Vertigo Comic–which was formerly a DC Comics imprint that told stories based outside of the DCU primarily focusing on non-superhero characters and stories. Ava DuVernay will direct the series which follows a second American Civil War where Manhattan has become a demilitarized zone.

After the Snyder Cut of Justice League, James Gunn’s Suicide Squad is the next big DC movie to release. It will arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day on August 6.

Gwyneth Paltrow Would Play Pepper Potts Again, But On One Condition

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has said she’s open to the idea of portraying her MCU character Pepper Potts once again, but it would have to be under the right circumstances.

She told People TV that she would “of course” be open to coming back, provided she could film her part in a day or two. “I think if it was a small part that I could do in like a day or two, I would of course be open to that,” Paltrow said.

These days, the Oscar-winner is more focused on her company, Goop, for which she is the CEO. Paltrow last played Potts in the blockbuster 2019 action movie Avengers: Endgame.

Paltrow made her MCU debut in the very first MCU movie, Iron Man. She reprised her role as Pepper Potts in the Iron Man sequels, as well as the Avengers films and also Spider-Man: Homecoming. Paltrow completely forgot she was even in the Spider-Man movie.

Paltrow is an accomplished non-superhero movie actress, too, having won the Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award for the 1999 movie Shakespeare in Love.

Disney+ WandaVision Documentary Series Out Now, Watch The Trailer Here

Disney+ has shared a trailer for Assembled, a new documentary series of specials that goes behind the scenes of Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows and movies. The Disney+ series has launched today, March 12, with a deep dive on WandaVision, one of the MCU’s more unusual offerings bursting with homages to sitcoms. Check out the trailer below.

Assembled debuts one week after WandaVision’s end with its ninth episode on March 5. According to Marvel’s announcement, the first episode will focus on WandaVisions’s creative team, allowing viewers to “learn how the production’s surprising concept took shape by drawing inspiration from classic sitcoms” and “witness how the crew went to great lengths to emulate various filmmaking methods used during the early years of television.”

Marvel has also indicated that future episodes of Assembled will feature similar looks at The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, exclusive on-set footage of Loki, and stars Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner discussing the Black Widow film and also the Hawkeye series. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuts March 19.

Assembled looks to be a promising follow-up to the recently released and just as suddenly announced Marvel’s Behind the Mask, a documentary series that let fans “discover the inspiration behind Marvel’s greatest heroes.”

PS5 Is the Fastest-Selling Console in U.S. History for Dollar Sales

The PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in U.S. history by dollar sales, but the second best-selling hardware platform in February 2021, with Nintendo Switch continuing to lead the market.

The NPD Group released its monthly report covering best-selling consoles, video games, and more for February 2021 in the U.S. and the Nintendo Switch leads the charge as the best-selling console for the month, with the PS5 behind it in second. However, the PS5 did overtake a record previously held by the Switch when it became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history after the NPD Group tracked “total dollar sales after four months in market.”

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The Switch’s unit and dollar sales last month were the highest of any hardware platform in a February since the Nintendo Wii back in February of 2009. Lifetime dollar sales of the Switch passed those of the Nintendo DS last month too, which makes the Switch the second best-selling Nintendo console in U.S. tracked history after the Wii, and the seventh best-selling overall.

Elsewhere in video game numbers, consumer spending is up in a big way. “February 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a February record $4.6 billion, 35% higher when compared to a year ago,” the NPD Group’s report reads. “Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3 billion, 39% higher than the same period in 2020.”

Monthly sales of hardware increased by 121% this February compared to last February for a total of $406 million, which is the highest total since February 2011 when video game spending reached $468 million.

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On the software side of things, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury took first place as the best-selling game for February 2021 in the U.S., and it’s also the second best-selling game of 2021, despite a lack digital sales tracking for Nintendo games, according to the NPD Group. Little Nightmares II, which debuted in February, was the sixth best-selling game of the month, fifth best-selling game on Xbox platforms, and 10th best-selling game on PlayStation platforms.

Video game accessory spending reached $195 million in February 2021 in the U.S., which is 41% higher than last February and the PS5 DualSense controller was the accessory with the most dollar sales for the month.

Catch up on last month’s NPD numbers and then read about how the Switch was the number one console in the U.S. last year. Check out this story about a new Switch with a larger screen and 4K output reportedly in the works after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Pee-Wee Herman’s Paul Ruebens Getting A Documentary At HBO

HBO Documentary Films has announced that production is already underway on a two-part documentary about Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens. Directed by Matt Wolf (Spaceship Earth) and co-produced by the Safdie Brothers (Uncut Gems), the films don’t yet have a release date.

The official synopsis calls the project “a kaleidoscopic portrait” that “traces the life of the imaginative artist behind one of pop culture’s most celebrated and unlikely icons.” In a statement, Reubens strikes a characteristic joking tone, saying, “I’ve been working with HBO since they were called Home Box Office! I’m honored and excited to continue my long history there. I love HBO, but I’m not going to marry them.”

Whereas Wolf counterbalances with his included quote saying, “We all know Pee-wee Herman; it’s time for the world to meet Paul Reubens. I can’t wait to share his story.” Producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Joker) adds, “I’m thrilled to partner with HBO on Paul’s incredible life story. He is a once in a generation talent whose brilliance created an indelible pop culture phenomenon. Audiences will be inspired and entertained by Paul’s creativity, resilience, and determination as they get to know the person behind the iconic character.”

Reubens is best known for his long-running character, Pee-wee Herman, who rose to prominence in 1980 and has stayed there since. Through the decades, the character has spawned feature films that have been both huge critical and financial successes and also a generation-influencing children’s program, Pee-wee’s Playhouse. The actor has also made many memorable cameos and appearances in shows including Reno 911!, 30 Rock, and Pushing Daisies.

Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Becomes First-Person Game With Simple Glitch

People have been trying to play first-person Zelda games for years, whether it be in a Minecraft mod or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Switch. Thanks to a newly discovered glitch, however, they can now do so in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Twitter user Axk_000 discovered the glitch, and it turns out that it’s actually not that complicated. It includes pulling out the in-game camera, holding an item from the menu, and then canceling that item hold. After doing so, the game will be in a first-person view. This isn’t just Link’s character model disappearing, either, as you can see it’s in first-person based on how his shadow is positioned in relation to the player’s view.

It seems like the technique is fairly consistent, so at least until Nintendo patches it out–if it even decides to–you can probably try it for yourself. It doesn’t really add any advantages and actually limits your environmental awareness, which is very important in a game like Breath of the Wild, but it’s definitely a neat novelty to try out if you’ve done everything the game has to offer already.

Zelda fans won’t have to wait too much longer to get new content on the Switch, either, but it won’t be Breath of the Wild’s sequel. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD releases for the system on July 16, and it adds a motion-controls-free mode for those who want a more-standard control scheme. However, even this option requires you to swing your sword with the right analog stick in order to replicate the precise slashes of the Wii Remote.

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