Month: April 2021

Everything To Know About Black Ops Cold War Season 3 In Under 4 Minutes

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone are entering Season 3 with some huge changes to core multiplayer and Warzone. Cold War is getting three new operators, including Wraith, Knight, and Antonov. Not to be left out, Modern Warfare’s Captain Price will also be joining the roster. Season 3 will add six new weapons:PPSh-41: SMG, Swiss K31: Sniper Rifle, Ballistic Knife, CARV.2: Tactical Rifle, AMP63: Pistol, and a Baseball Bat.

In terms of locations, Cold War picks up four multiplayer locations, which are Yamanatau, Diesel, Standoff, and Duga. Yamantau is a mountainous 6v6 map; Diesel supports multiple player counts and is set in a badlands gas station; Standoff is a classic Black Ops 2 remake map, and Duga is a multi-team map set around the massive radar array in the Ural Mountains. Alongside these maps are added modes, such as Sticks and Stones, as well as Multi-Team Elimination, which sounds a lot like classic battle royale with teams fleeing radiation zones. Finally, there’s a new mid-tier Scorestreak: Strafe Run that lasts longer than comparable streaks Napalm Strike and is designed for better area denial.

On the other hand, Zombies fans are getting the new Field Upgrade: Toxic Growth, a special perk that can be used in round-based maps and Outbreak, which slows zombies with a deadly growth of toxic thorns. The Duga region will also come to Outbreak with new secrets to find.

Finally, the Warzone map event has entered a Containment Protocol phase with Corruption Zones springing up around the map that can turn players into zombies leading up to Operation Rapid Sunder on Wednesday, April 21st.

Marvel’s Avengers Creative Director Leaves To Return To Naughty Dog

Shaun Escayg, writer and creative director of Crystal Dynamics’ Marvel’s Avengers, has announced he has left the studio and returned to work for former employer Naughty Dog. Prior to his departure from “the kennel” back in 2018, Escayg worked as a cinematic animator for The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 as well as game director and writer for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. While he has yet to announce what project he’ll be working on, from the looks of his Twitter bio Escayg is back to writing and directing. Naughty Dog later shared the news, tweeting it’s “looking forward to doing awesome stuff together.”

The news of Escayg’s departure from Crystal Dynamics comes less than a year after Marvel’s Avengers’ release and subsequent lackluster sales. Despite praise towards the game’s single-player campaign and protagonist Kamala Khan, the game suffered from a plethora of technical difficulties that “rendered the game unplayable at times,” according to our review. However, Escayg has assured fans not to be worried about the future of the game, tweeting “Marvel’s Avengers is in good hands.”

As for what kind of “awesome stuff” Escayg and the rest of the Naughty Dog staff will be working on together, the options seem endless as more and more projects are teased over at the studio. Earlier this year, studio co-president and game director Neil Druckmann retweeted a post from the official Naughty Dog Jobs account listing off dozens of new positions the studio was looking to fill. According to Druckmann, the new hires would join the team to work on an (at the time) unannounced project, and get the chance to “make something very cool.”

Since these jobs were listed, a handful of titles have been either rumored or confirmed, including an unnamed online, multiplayer game, The Last of Us 3, and a remake of The Last of Us. The only option off the table, according to Druckmann, is a new Uncharted game. Back in 2016, Druckmann said Naughty Dog would no longer work on the Uncharted series, but was not opposed to handing the IP to a new studio. However, there’s always the chance that time and the return of Escayg could lead to a change of heart.

John Cena’s Peacemaker Helmet Caused Problems During Suicide Squad Filming

Reflections are a movie camera’s arch nemesis, and VFX artists spend a bunch of time taking them out. But it’s not often the reflection comes from a main character’s moving helmet, as is the case with John Cena’s Peacemaker character in the upcoming The Suicide Squad film, James Gunn says.

“Peacemaker’s helmet is a damn mirror ball,” said director James Gunn in response to a question on Twitter. “We need to remove me and the crew from every single shot in which we use it, in the movie and in the [HBO Max spinoff] show.

Peacemaker‘s mirror-reflective helmet protects his mind from the voices that haunt him (seriously), but it’s also a unique problem for a filmmaker. A round, reflective surface like this is going to catch not just the camera, but the entire set all around the actor. And being that it’s a helmet, it has all the unpredictability that comes with a human moving around on camera.

To solve the issue, Gunn explains, the crew has to shoot a full wrap-around plate to apply to the helmet in those cases. Interestingly, this is not completely unlike the video game technique of Cube Mapping, which is how many modern games simulate reflections.

If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past few years, you’ve almost certainly seen the memes that play on John Cena’s “You can’t see me” slogan. It’s funny, then, that his character, Peacemaker, is the one giving people behind the camera a headache.

The Suicide Squad is scheduled to hit theaters on August 6, 2021, and Cena’s Peacemaker spinoff in January 2022.

Michael Keaton Will Play Batman In The Flash, Publicist Says

Rumors have been swirling since last June that the upcoming Flash film is set to go the way of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with two version of Batman appearing in the film. After speculation and some recent doubt, Keaton is now set to reprise his role as Batman in The Flash, according to TheWrap.

Michael Keaton’s talent agency, ICM Partners, confirmed to TheWrap that Keaton will indeed appear in the film. While rumors started back in June, Keaton himself threw all that into doubt in a March interview with Deadline. There, Keaton said the “COVID situation in the UK” would “determine everything.” The actor said that the pandemic was informing all of his decisions for upcoming roles.

“Is this thing going to kill me, literally? And you know, if it doesn’t, then we talk,” Keaton had said.

Keaton first played Batman in the 1989 eponymous film, which was one of the very first superhero films and the first superhero blockbuster. The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, will use the Flashpoint storyline. In this story, Barry Allen goes back in time–a thing The Flash can do (and does in Zack Snyder’s Justice League)–to prevent the murder of his mother. The change has a variety of knock-on effects that start with him never becoming the Flash and end with Aquaman and Wonder Woman in an apocalyptic war.

The scale of the long-in-development live-action film will likely be quite different–we haven’t heard word of Jason Momoa or Gal Gadot appearing in the film just yet, for example–but it looks like Warner Bros. is still hoping to push The Flash into some weird places. In addition to Keaton, Ben Affleck will appear as Batman. That’s right: two Batmen. The Flash is officially starting production today, but things have been ramping up in recent weeks with regard to casting. While Billy Crudup left the film (again), Ron Livingston (Office Space) is on-board to play Barry’s father, Henry Allen. Kiersey Clemons will play Iris West, and Maribel Verdu will appear as Barry’s mother, Nora Allen. Perhaps the biggest casting news, though, is that Sasha Calle will appear in the film as Supergirl, a character who hasn’t seen the silver screen since the 1984 Supergirl film starring Helen Slater.

The Flash is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 4, 2022.

Now Playing: The Flash Comparison: DCEU vs CW

Apex Legends Legacy – What We Know So Far

In the video above, Jordan Ramée details everything we know about Legacy so far, such as who the new playable character is. Kairi “Valkyrie” Imahara is the daughter of Titanfall 2’s Viper, taking to the skies in Apex Legends with a jetpack fashioned from the remains of her father’s Northstar Titan.

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Alongside Valkyrie, Legacy will add the Bocek Bow, a powerful mid-range weapon. The new season will also redesign Olympus, which will become infested with plantlife. As usual, the new season will also add a new battle pass to unlock and challenges to complete, though Respawn is cryptically teasing that there will be something more this time around.

Respawn recently celebrated Apex Legends reaching 100 million players. Apex Legends is also getting a mobile port called Apex Legends Mobile, which will begin beta testing this spring.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Closed Beta Test Begins In May

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis will have a closed beta test this May on PC. Set a thousand years after the events of PSO2, the upcoming expansion will completely redesign the game. According to a blog post on the game’s official website announcing the closed beta, applicants will be allowed into the beta on a first-come, first-served basis.

The closed beta will run from May 14 to 16 and will be exclusive to PC. Registration will begin April 21 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET through the Xbox Insider Hub application, and those who participate will receive an exclusive in-game reward.

New Genesis was announced back in July 2020, and will totally overhaul every aspect of PSO2, similar to other MMO reboots like Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. However, unlike A Realm Reborn, vanilla PSO2 will continue to exist, and characters can be shared between the two games. However, almost all progress will be independent in each version, due to the design differences between base PSO2 and New Genesis. Additionally, the game will be coming to Xbox Series X. PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game have been confirmed in Japan, but it’s unclear if they’ll be available in Western territories.

Now Playing: Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Gunner Closed Beta Gameplay

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The Flash Movie Begins Filming And Debuts A New Logo

DC’s upcoming Flash solo movie has finally begun filming, according to director Andy Muschietti who took to Instagram today to both announce that “day 1” was underway and to unveil the project’s new logo. Take a look at Muschietti’s post below.

The road to this point has been a very rocky one for The Flash. The movie has been stuck in development for years and has gone through a revolving door of directors who entered and then departed the project for a variety of reasons that were publicly boiled down to “creative differences.” However, it seems the curse is finally broken.

It Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti has been signed on to the project since 2019 and gave the project’s first official update after taking the reigns during last year’s digital DC FanDome event where he showcased some concept art for Barry Allen’s new costume and of the upcoming Michael Keaton Batman cameo. Barry’s father was also recently re-cast after scheduling conflicts interrupted Billy Crudup, who played the role back in the Justice League film where Barry made his debut. Henry Allen will now be played by Ron Livingston.

The Flash stars Ezra Miller as the titular hero, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Ben Affleck as Batman, Michael Keaton also as Batman, and Sasha Calle as Supergirl. The movie is currently scheduled for release on November 4, 2022.

Michael Keaton Will Return as Batman in The Flash, Publicist Confirms

After hinting that he is hesitant to join The Flash due to concerns about COVID-19, Michael Keaton has been confirmed to reprise his role as Batman opposite Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen. Keaton’s talent agency, ICM Partners, confirmed the news to The Wrap. The long-delayed solo movie began production today, with director Andy Muschietti announcing the kick-off on Instagram.

Keaton voiced some ease at the prospect of joining The Flash solo film in March, expressing concern over scheduling and COVID-19 transmission in the UK.

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“I keep my eye more on the COVID situation in the UK than anything,” Keaton said. “That will determine everything… That’s my first thing about all projects. I look at it and go, is this thing going to kill me, literally? And you know, if it doesn’t, then we talk.”

Keaton’s involvement in The Flash brings the movie’s tally of Batmen to two, with Ben Affleck also set to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in the movie. The film is expected to confront DC’s multiverse, with the story planned as a new take on the Flashpoint storyline.

Alongside Keaton and Affleck, the cast also includes Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, and Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Barry’s mother. Although Billy Crudup played Barry’s father in Justice League, Ron Livingston will take over the role of Henry Allen for The Flash’s solo film.

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“It’s going to be fun and exciting and there are a lot of DC characters in it,” said producer Barbara Muschietti. “Flash is the superhero of this film because he is the bridge between all of these characters and timelines. And in a way, it restarts everything and doesn’t forget anything.”

Keaton played the Caped Crusader in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, both directed by Tim Burton. The two were expected to return for a third movie, but both dropped out and Keaton was replaced by Kilmer for 1995’s Batman Forever. Since then, Keaton has expressed interest in returning to the role.

For more, read how Michael Keaton’s involvement in The Flash could shape DC’s cinematic output moving forward and why IGN thinks the actor is still the best live-action Batman.

The Flash is set to hit theaters on November 4, 2022.

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J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer. 

Everything Coming to Amazon Prime Video in May 2021

To kick things off, Amazon Prime Video is releasing a new seven-part anthology series, titled Solos (May 21), featuring an impressive lineup of Hollywood’s best, including Morgan Freeman, Dan Stevens, Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, and more. Solos “spans our present and future and illuminates that even during our most isolated moments we are all connected through the human experience,” according to Amazon.

The streaming platform will also debut its new historical limited series called The Underground Railroad on May 14. The series comes from the mind of Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), that centers on “Cora Randall’s (Thusop Mbedu) desperate bid for freedom in the Antebellum South.”

On the movie front, you’ll be able to stream the terrifying 2020 horror film, Saint Maud, on May 13. In our full review, we praise Sait Maud for being “an impeccably crafted, deeply unsettling, and wickedly engrossing religious horror film.” And if you’re feeling nostalgic, James Cameron’s classic sci-fi horror film, Aliens, is available to watch on May 1.

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Check out the slideshow gallery below for a spotlight of some of the most notable May Amazon Prime Video releases followed by the full list:

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May 1

  • Alien: Resurrection (1997)
  • Alien 3 (1992)
  • Aliens (1986)
  • Almost Famous (2000)
  • Angels & Demons (2009)
  • Betrayed (1988)
  • Bound (1996)
  • Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
  • Dinosaur 13 (2014)
  • Fascination (2004)
  • Flight (2012)
  • Flightplan (2005)
  • Georgia Rule (2018)
  • Green Zone (2010)
  • Gunsight Ridge (1957)
  • Hidalgo (2004)
  • How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
  • Jumping The Broom (2011)
  • Knowing (2009)
  • Leatherheads (2008)
  • Nanny Mcphee (2006)
  • Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)
  • One Fine Day (1996)
  • Priest (2011)
  • Reign Of Fire (2002)
  • Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
  • Resident Evil (2002)
  • Rio (2011)
  • Sahara (1983)
  • Scent Of A Woman (1992)
  • See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
  • Shattered (1991)
  • The Age of Adaline (2015)
  • The Dalton Girls (1957)
  • The Da Vinci Code (2006)
  • The French Connection (1971)
  • The Green Hornet (2011)
  • The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013)
  • The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)
  • The Ladykillers (2004)
  • The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)
  • The Outsider (1980)
  • The Secret Life Of Bees (2008)
  • The Sixth Sense (1999)
  • The Sweetest Thing (2002)
  • The Towering Inferno (1974)
  • Two For The Money (2005)
  • Unbreakable (2000)
  • Vantage Point (2008)

May 5

  • Skyfall (2012)

May 7

  • The Boy From Medellín – Amazon Original Movie (2020)
  • Breach (2020)

May 9

  • Robot & Frank (2012)

May 13

  • Saint Maud (2020)

May 14

  • The Underground Railroad – Amazon Original Series: Season 1

May 19

  • Red Dawn (2012)
  • Trumbo (2015)

May 21

  • P!nk: All I Know So Far – Amazon Original Movie (2021)
  • Solos – Amazon Original Series: Limited Series

May 28

  • Panic – Amazon Original Series: Season 1

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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Why The Mortal Kombat Movie’s Main Character Isn’t From The Games

With a new Mortal Kombat movie arriving in theaters and on HBO Max this week, it’s hard not to look back at the films that came before, 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Not only did the characters from the games make up the supporting cast for the film, but the story centered around the iconic Liu Kang. In the new film, though, the central figure isn’t from the games. He’s an original character.

While the new Mortal Kombat is loaded with superpowered fighters that fans of the franchise will be very familiar with–along with a few surprises–this is essentially the story of Cole Young (Lewis Tan), who is a new creation for the film. What we know of Cole is that he’s a former mixed martial arts champion who’s fallen on hard times and winds up entwined in the mysterious Mortal Kombat tournament due to a dragon-shaped birthmark on his chest.

Practically everything else about the character is being kept under wraps. However, director Simon McQuoid told GameSpot that utilizing Cole as the primary protagonist in the story was an easy decision. “We needed to have a way to bring a new audience into this and also allow for those fresh eyes to be on and to learn things,” he explained.

After all, while Mortal Kombat clearly has a dedicated fanbase and is a lasting presence in pop culture, much of the movie-going audience has no idea about its long and complex lore that has been doled out over the last three decades through various games, movies, and animated series. Like them, Cole is learning about this new world fighting to the death against monsters, ninjas, and whatever Kano is.

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As for the characters established in the game, their knowledge of Mortal Kombat varies. One thing we know for sure if Jax has some personal experience with Sub-Zero, who can be seen freezing and shattering Jax’s arms in the first trailer.

Still, having a character like Cole, who is new to the concept of Mortal Kombat, seems like a wise choice to help shepherd the audience–especially as the movie is going to stick pretty close to the game-established lore, even if it can’t put it all on-screen.

“[The lore is] so complex that a film can’t really house a lot of it,” McQuoid previously said. “So there’s a lot of it that’s just not there. It doesn’t mean we’re not truthful to it, it’s just that we couldn’t touch everything. So [we] just tried to be as truthful and as true to that as we could when we talk about stuff. And as we sort of put it within the film story construct, the sort of structure of our film, we had to consider, ‘Is this too complex?'”

As for how deep the movie will be able to dive into the established backstory, we already know it will explore the origin of Scorpion–and his long-standing rivalry with Sub-Zero. In fact, that’s how the movie opens. Now, if only they’d explain why Kombat is spelled with a K.

Mortal Kombat will be in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23.

Now Playing: Mortal Kombat Movie – Official Character Lore Trailer

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