Actor Sean Astin famously portrayed Sam the Hobbit in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings series, and now he’s shared his thoughts on Amazon’s upcoming TV series.

Speaking to ComingSoon, Astin said he’s “very excited” to see the show. In particular, he said he’s enthusiastic about the possibilities if the show gets into The Silmarillion.

“If they’re digging a lot into The Silmarillion, it might be new information to me. I have not quite made it through The Silmarillion,” he said, adding that he thinks Amazon “was great to do it.”

Astin also shared that, all the way back in 2002, he predicted that in 20 years the series would be remade for a new audience. “I know in a generation, people want to experience what they love again. I’ve always been a big one to support sequels and remakes and particularly of classics. A lot of people think, why would you want to remake a classic? The good news is the classic will always remain,” he said. “So maybe somebody will do something interesting, and if it stinks, don’t watch it.

“But I have every expectation that this Lord of the Rings adaptation is going to be amazing. It’s been a long time in the making, really talented people working on it, and it only helps people remember 20 years ago when we brought out our version of Lord of the Rings. So it’s good for everyone when stuff like that happens.”

Astin also shared his advice for the cast, and that is to “enjoy the ride.” The Lord of the Rings is a massive franchise, and Astin said he felt overwhelmed when the original movies came out. “How much energy there was. How many people loved it and all of it,” he said.

In addition to Amazon’s TV series, Warner Bros. is fast-tracking a Lord of the Rings animated movie for theaters. As for the TV show, it’s currently in production in New Zealand and recently added four new cast members. The show has also been in the news lately due to its stunts and injuries on its sets. Amazon responded by saying reports of unsafe working conditions are “completely inaccurate.”

Nintendo Switch has received a firmware update, 12.1.0, which comes with a small but useful change to how updates work.

Announced by Nintendo, the new version makes one specific change alongside the usual stability improvements. The patch notes read:

“If there is not enough space remaining on the system memory (internal storage) or microSD card when downloading game software update data, you can now delete old data for that software, enabling you to download the new data.

“When deleting the old data, you won’t be able to play the game until the new data has finished downloading.”

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Essentially, instead of having to delete other games to make room for a new patch, you can now delete the existing data for the game that needs updating, before downloading the new version. It’s a minor alteration, but a welcome one, helping those of us who have already stuffed their Switch storage.

The new update also comes alongside a new Joy-Con controller update, but no patch notes have been released for that as yet.

This update will hopefully come with a little less fuss than the last one, after Nintendo pulled firmware that caused network connection problems and also stopped downloads from functioning properly.

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Amazon Studios has responded to reports about the working conditions on the sets of its big-budget The Lord of the Rings TV series. In the wake of a report from The New Zealand Herald regarding the safety of cast and crew for stuntwork, Amazon Studios said that allegations about unsafe conditions are “completely inaccurate.”

“Amazon Studios takes the health, physical and emotional welfare of our cast and crew extremely seriously,” a spokesperson told the Herald and Variety. “As a top priority, the production team continues to be in full compliance with the mandated WorkSafe New Zealand Safety and Security government regulations. Any allegation or report that activities on set are unsafe or outside of regulations are completely inaccurate.”

It’s reported that acclaimed stunt performer Dayna Grant–whose previous credits included Wonder Woman 1984 and Mad Max: Fury Road–suffered a serious injury on set in March. She has subsequently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for emergency brain surgery. A source told Variety that Grant’s head injury was classified as a “mild concussion.” As such, this was not a “notifiable event” based on WorkSafe’s criteria.

“The source also claims that Grant was not diagnosed with the brain aneurysm until June, and had previously been cleared to return to work on several other projects after suffering the concussion,” Variety reported.

Another Lord of the Rings stunt performer, Elissa Cadwell, received a payment of $500,000 NZD following her injury, according to the Herald. Variety said this money was provided to help pay for her care and for her to travel home.

Variety’s source added that the Lord of the Rings series has an “extremely large mount of stunts.” The source added that the production team compiles a risk analysis at every stunt site. And all “near misses and accidents” are logged. According to the source, the injury rate on the TV series is .068%, and this is mainly made up of sprains, bruises, and muscle and soft tissue strains.

Go to the Herald and Variety to learn more about this story.

With no sign of an official remake after decades, the classic Star Wars: TIE Fighter has been remade by fans as a total conversion mod with an impressive scope. While the game it builds on, X-Wing Alliance, is also pretty old, it makes use of an existing X-Wing Alliance mod that provides impressive visual updates.

Star Wars: TIE Fighter was the first ever Star Wars game that was played from the villain’s side, and while many games have since included playable Sith characters and Dark Side routes, not many have followed a rank-and-file member of the Galactic Empire like TIE Fighter did.

Fans of the original concept have been working hard to modernise the 1994 original in the form of a total conversion mod for 1999’s X-Wing Alliance–while also making use of the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade, a massive fan project that has seen the decades-old game upgraded in both content and quality.

The modders behind the TIE Fighter Total Conversion project have been building a version of the original TIE Fighter game on top of this already massive fan upgrade, resulting in a mod that, in their own words, imagines “how TIE Fighter could’ve been had the technology of the time not limited it.” The mod includes all the content from the original game and its two expansions, Defender of the Empire and Enemies of the Empire, as well as reimagined campaigns that expand on the original content.

You can play the reimagined TIE Fighter now, which requires a clean copy of X-Wing Alliance on Steam or GOG. The modders have released a video explaining how to get the game running for anyone who wants to check it out.

Richard Donner, the director of such films as the original Superman film starring Christopher Reeve, Lethal Weapon, and The Goonies, has died at the age of 91.

As reported by Variety, Donner’s production company confirmed the news of his death on Monday, July 5, although no cause was been disclosed.

His first directing credit on IMDB is listed as the episode of Zane Grey Theatre called “So Young the Savage Land.” One of his breakout hits was 1976’s The Omen, and that was followed up two years later with Superman.

He left Superman II after a litigious dispute with the film’s producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Richard Lester took over directing duties, but Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released in 2006, the same day as Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns debuted on home video.

He would continue on to direct Lethal Weapon 1-4, and his final directing credit was 2006’s 16 Blocks starring Bruce Willis.

Donner did much more than just direct, as he started a production company with his wife Lauren Shuler Donner that would produce X-Men movies like 2000’s X-Men and the prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

While he may not have directed a film in some time, his influence on those creating some of the biggest movies in the world can’t be overstated. One of the interns at his production company was Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Had Donner chosen a different intern, the MCU as we know it may not have ever happened.

In a statement, Feige shared a few words that expressed how much Donner meant to him.

“Richard Donner not only made me believe a man could fly, he made me believe that comic characters could be brought to life on the big screen with heart, humor, humanity, and verisimilitude,” Feige wrote. “Above all he taught me that it can and must be done with respect, caring and kindness to everyone in front of and behind the camera.

“Dick and Lauren became mentors during my early career, and key supporters throughout the birth of the MCU. I owe my career to the way they took the time to nurture and teach a kid from New Jersey who didn’t know how to use a fax machine or make coffee very well. I always thought Dick was immortal. I still do. My thoughts are with Lauren and the entire family.”

Richard Donald Schwartzberg was born on April 24, 1939, in the Bronx. He attended Parker Junior College and went on to study at NYU where he majored in business and theater. He would begin his career as an actor, but ended up finding great success behind the camera.

Alongside the previously mentioned films, Donner also directed multiple episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart, Perry Mason, Route 66, The Fugitive, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kojak, and much more. He even worked for Hanna-Barbera for a time, where he directed episodes of Danger Island.

Richard Donner is survived by his wife Lauren Shuler Donner, who he married in 1986.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.https://variety.com/2021/film/news/richard-donner-dead-dies-superman-the-goonies-lethal-weapon-1235012025/

The 4th of July may be behind us, but the deals are still coming in hot. GameStop in particular has a nice selection of deals, as they’ve extended their original weekend sale, now having it last all week. This includes a great discount on Mario Odyssey, a must have for all Switch owners. There’s a bunch of Robotic Vacuums on sale today too, a nice discount on an elliptical bike and topping things off, a couple RTX 3000 equipped PCs.

Daily Deals for July 5th 2021

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Why buy a standard edition when you can wait a bit and score the whole kit and caboodle for chicken feed? In the spirit of that wisdom, we’ve found you some mad deals on Project Cars GOTY, Chivalry 2 Day One Edition, Just Cause 4 Reloaded and more! Better yet, we’ve located some bargain priced headsets and controllers to boot!

Purchase Cheaply for PC

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Notable Sales for Nintendo Switch

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Exciting Offers for XO/XS

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Product Savings for PS4/PS5

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Nintendo has confirmed that Chris Meledandri, CEO of American animation studio Illumination, has officially joined its board of directors.

The company addressed the new appointment during its 81st Annual General Meeting of Shareholders at the end of June. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, together with director Shigeru Miyamoto, commented on Meledandri’s election and what it means for the company, particularly in regards to “the field of visual content” and its possible expansion.

“[Chris Meledandri] has gained broad experience and insight as a corporate manager and in the field of entertainment, so we anticipate he will appropriately supervise our management from an objective perspective while providing valuable advice to our leadership,” Furukawa said, outlining the expectations surrounding an outside board member.

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“Mr. Meledandri has been appointed as an independent and non-executive outside director, so he will not be directly involved in execution of operation,” Furukawa added. “However, we believe that his extensive experience and knowledge in the field of entertainment will have a beneficial effect on the decision-making of our board of directors.”

Furukawa acknowledged that Nintendo’s core business is the integrated hardware-software dedicated video game platform, but also noted that visual content is an “important” factor in growing the business further. Miyamoto said he had been working with Meledandri on the Super Mario movie for over five years, but it had no direct tie with the new appointment.

“Through that relationship, I think [Meledandri] really came to understand the Nintendo point of view,” Miyamoto revealed. “I don’t think it’s easy for those overseas involved in media creation to understand Nintendo’s way of thinking, but Chris truly comprehends why Nintendo creates characters and visual content.”

Miyamoto further stressed the importance of visual content in helping Nintendo to expand “further throughout the world and become stronger as a company,” however, he also recognized that it wasn’t necessarily an easy field to master. He identified Meledandri as a valuable voice on the board of directors, especially given his expertise in this particular area.

“The processes of making visual content and developing games share some of the same ways of thinking, but there are also differences. The movie business, including distribution, is in a period of transformation,” he explained. “We think that asking for Chris’ input, as an expert with many years of experience in Hollywood, will be of great help to us in the future.”

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Meledandri was originally nominated for the role at the beginning of May, but his position on Nintendo’s board of directors was only made official this past week. Nintendo currently has three other outside directors, however, Meledandri is the first American citizen to hold the position.

Nintendo is looking into more animated features beyond Mario, so it sounds like Meledandri’s knowledge of film and animation will be an asset in regards to that expansion. But first, everyone’s favorite platforming plumber will be jumping down the warp pipe and onto the big screen for Illumination’s Super Mario: The Movie, which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2022.

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Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Blade star Stephen Dorff has revealed his thoughts on Marvel’s upcoming Black Widow film, saying that it “looks like a bad video game” and that he is embarrassed for Scarlett Johansson.

Speaking to Independent, Dorff shared his unfiltered feelings on Black Widow and how, even though he’s “sure she got paid five, seven million bucks,” he is still embarrassed for her and wants no part of these MCU movies.

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“I still hunt out the good s**t because I don’t want to be in Black Widow,” he says. “It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I’m embarrassed for those people. I’m embarrassed for Scarlett! I’m sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I’m embarrassed for her. I don’t want to be in those movies. I really don’t. I’ll find that kid director that’s gonna be the next Kubrick and I’ll act for him instead.”

Dorff also took a shot at the Oscars, saying it was “the most embarrassing thing” he’s ever seen.

“This year’s Oscars were the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen,” he cracks, through puffs of an e-cigarette. “My business is becoming a big game show. You have actors that don’t have a clue what they’re doing. You have filmmakers that don’t have a clue what they’re doing. We’re all in these little boxes on these streamers. TV, film – it’s all one big clusterf**k of content now.”

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These comments by Dorff follow similar frustrations with the MCU by those like The Hulk’s Lou Ferrigno, who was disappointed in the level of CG used in films like Avengers: Endgame.

You will soon be able to make your own judgment on Black Widow, as it is set to debut in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9. For more, check out our Black Widow review and secrets from the set of the newest Marvel movie.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Sony has announced that Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Nioh 2, Judgment, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Moving Out, and Nascar Heat 5 will all be joining PlayStation Now in July 2021.

Revealed on PlayStation.Blog, all seven of these games will be available tomorrow, July 6, and they are all new games to the service besides God of War, which was previously available.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 will stay on PlayStation Now until November 1, 2021, and it will only be available via a PS4/PS5 download. This means you will not be able to stream Red Dead Redemption 2 like you can with many other games on the service.

Judgment will be available until October 4, 2021, and will give fans a chance to try out this original title before its sequel – Lost Judgment – is released on September 24, 2021.

The other games on the list have no end date and will stay on PlayStation Now indefinitely.

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July is another strong month for PlayStation Now and follows June’s additions of The Witcher 3 and Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown and May’s additions of Nioh, Streets of Rage 4, and Jump Force.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.