Author: Trafficblast

Bill & Ted Face The Music Release Delayed

Fans of the Bill and Ted movies have had to wait nearly 30 years for the next part in the time-travelling comedy series–and the wait will now be a little longer. The upcoming Bill & Ted Face the Music is to be released two weeks later than originally planned.

The movie was set to hit theaters on August 12 this year, but will now release on August 28. Unlike many films set for release in 2020, Bill & Ted Face the Music has stuck to its original release date throughout the whole COVID-19 pandemic. However, with Christoper Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet currently expected on August 12, the new Bill and Ted movie has finally moved back.

The first trailer for Bill & Ted Face the Music was released earlier this month. The film stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as the now-middle-aged metalheads, and the cast also includes Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Bill and Ted’s daughters, William Sadler as Death, and Barry star Anthony Carrigan in a villainous role. It’s directed by Galaxy Quest’s Dean Parisot, and written by franchise creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon.

This is the second time that Tenet has moved release date. It was originally scheduled for July 17, before shifting back to July 31. Disney’s Mulan remake and the DC sequel Wonder Woman 1984 have also moved from their July release slots, to August 21 and October 2 respectively.

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest upcoming movies of 2020 and beyond.

Now Playing: Bill And Ted Face The Music – Official Trailer

AMC Theaters Reopening Postponed

UPDATE 2: AMC Theaters has pushed back its reopening date by two weeks due to the surge in new coronavirus cases.

The theater chain giant will now reopen 450 of its 600 theaters on July 30 instead of July 15, according to Variety. That is, of course, unless COVID-19 numbers continue to spike.

And when AMC Theaters does reopen, patrons will be required to wear face masks (see below).

Our original report from June 19 follows.

UPDATE: Following a public backlash, AMC Theaters has reversed course and will now require patrons to wear face masks once many of their theaters reopen July 15. The nation’s leading theater chain had wished, as its CEO and President Adam Aron put it, to not to be “drawn into a political controversy” by requiring patrons wear face masks during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Read their full statement below:

Our original report from June 18 follows.

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AMC Theaters plans to reopen 450 cinemas in the US on July 15 — and won’t require people to wear masks so as not to be “drawn into a political controversy.”

The reopening will be in time for major releases such as Mulan (July 24) and Tenet (July 31). The nation’s leading theater chain had closed over 600 locations in March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

AMC CEO and President Adam Aron told Variety: “There were some jurisdictions in some states such as Georgia and Texas that allowed people to re-open theaters in mid-May. We opted to remain closed, so we could give the country time to get a better handle on coronavirus. We wanted to use this time to figure out how best to open and how to do so safely.”

Included among those safety measures will be limited seating capacity, social distancing, new cleaning procedures, hand sanitizer stations, and, as the trade notes, AMC is also “encouraging contact-less and cash-free concessions.”

Will filmgoers be required to weak masks? According to AMC’s new safety measures, employees are required to wear PPE such as face masks. As for patrons, “Protect yourself and others by wearing a mask, available for purchase if desired. In some municipalities, guests will be required to wear masks.”

“We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy,” AMC boss Aron told Variety. “We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary. We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example.”

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Other leading exhibition chains such as Regal and Cinemark are also reopening their theaters mid-July.

Deeply in debt and recently downgraded by Wall Street analysts, AMC Theaters has suggested the pandemic could force it into bankruptcy. The chain also remains at war with Universal Pictures over the studio’s willingness to put some of its movies — including Trolls World Tour, The King of Staten Island, and You Should Have Left — on premium VOD instead of delaying their theatrical release.

Wonder Woman 1984 Director Patty Jenkins On How The Pandemic Is Shaping The Franchise

With the release of the Wonder Woman: 1984 already on its fifth rescheduled date, director Patty Jenkins has said she’s “pushed the pause button” on going into production with the third movie, according to an interview with TotalFilm (via GamesRadar).

“We’re not starting to work on that movie right away,” Jenkins says of returning to work post-lockdown. “I’m hoping to do this Amazon movie before we do the third Wonder Woman. And I may not do either of them. You never know what will happen in this world, you know? But yes, I think the plotline will stay very similar, probably. But I want to make sure it’s influenced by all of this.”

Diana rushes into battle.
Diana rushes into battle.

She continued laying out her reasoning. “Because the truth is, where that plotline was coming from was our state of being six months ago. And so I want to make sure that I’m totally absorbing whatever the result of this pandemic is.”

AMC theaters has pushed back its reopening to July 30 as studios have also pushed back their tentpole features like Mulan and another WB big feature, Tenet which are now scheduled for August 21 and 12 respectively.

Ubisoft Will Tease An Upcoming Battle Royale Game This Week – Report

The biggest publishers in gaming have each taken their shot with successful triple-A battle royale games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, and it looks like Ubisoft is about to try its hand at it. According to esports reporter Rod Breslau, the publisher will tease a new game called Hyper Scape this week, which is a battle royale game set in a virtual world.

As with Apex Legends and Valorant before it, Breslau says that Ubisoft has invited many streamers, YouTubers, and other gaming influencers to see the game for themselves ahead of a closed beta next week. He further claims that Hyper Scape offers an unprecedented “a level of integration” with Twitch, with Twitch chat able to directly impact play with events and the like. He offered an example in a follow-up tweet: viewers will be able to vote for either speed or health boost items, and they will earn progress by watching games. Streamers will also garner revenue for bit purchases.

This beta period will extend into July, with a full launch of the game coming on July 12. Hyper Scape will also offer cross-play between PC and consoles. Based on the leaked screenshots, the futuristic aesthetic of the game looks like a mix between Watch Dogs, Destiny, and Tron.

Now Playing: Valorant Video Review

Super Nintendo World Theme Park Opening Delayed Indefinitely

The Super Nintendo World theme park’s opening has been indefinitely delayed in Japan.

Universal Studios Japan is planning to postpone the opening of its upcoming Nintendo-theme land in Osaka as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to NHK World-Japan. The theme park, which is heavily based on Nintendo’s Mario franchise, is nearly complete. This includes not just construction of the land, but themed rides and restaurants as well.

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The park was originally set to open in July but because of COVID-19, the park’s opening has been delayed indefinitely, likely to give Universal Studios time to review the pandemic landscape and determine a safer opening date. Because construction on the land is near complete, it’s unlikely this delay was made in order to give the company more time to work on the park itself.

Because of the popularity of Nintendo, Mario, and the idea of a new land opening within Universal Studios Japan, the company is expecting an increased number of visitors to the park. This poses an even larger threat to the safety of guests in the midst of a pandemic. As such, Universal Studios Japan said it is unsure of when the new Nintendo-themed land will open.

The rest of Universal Studios Japan opened on June 8 to guests from the local Kansai area. It also limited guest numbers by half of its standard capacity.

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It may not be open, but there are still plenty of ways to get a glimpse of the park. Check out this new image that shows multiple areas of the land. After looking at that, read about how the Super Nintendo World theme park might expand beyond Mario in the future. The eastern US version of this Nintendo-themed land is coming to the new Epic Universe theme park planned for Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Here are some ways to help and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Hyper Scape: Ubisoft Reportedly Ready to Reveal New Battle Royale

Ubisoft is reportedly raring up to tease a new FPS Battle Royale game called Hyper Scape.

The information arrives thanks to a thread from esports insider, Slasher, who has learned from sources that Ubisoft is reportedly prepared to tease the game later on Monday.

According to Slasher’s sources, the game was code-named Prisma Dimensions but will run with the title Hyper Scape, and is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal.

An image shown in the thread appears to offer our first glimpse of the game and its apparent “futuristic virtual world.” The game will apparently be free to play for both PC and consoles, with crossplay functionality. The thread also notes that the game is set to enter a closed beta period next week, with a full launch planned on July 12.

As detailed in the thread, Hyper Scape has reportedly been built in partnership with Twitch and one of the game’s features allows Twitch chat to, “directly impact the game live with game-changing events.”

Ubisoft’s digital summer showcase, Ubisoft Forward, is set to air next Sunday, July 12.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The Umbrella Academy: New Poster Includes Season 2 Easter Eggs

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is coming in just over a month, and a new poster is offering us a few hints at what’s to come.

The poster (below), shows the seven members of the Academy, each sporting a pair of sunglasses, with each reflection offering a clue at Season 2’s contents. From the looks of it, we’ll be getting more looks back at the Academy’s childhoods, as well as protests, a declaration of war, and more.

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The show will return to Netflix on July 31, and we’ve already seen a set of character posters and first-look images. Here’s everything we know about Season 2 ahead of its release.

An adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s comic book series ofthe same name, The Umbrella Academy follows the lives of a dysfunctional family of superheroes. It proved a huge hit for Netflix, which reported that 45 million households had watched the show, and quickly ordered a second season.

We awarded the first season an 8.5 review, calling it “hilariously twisted, subversively stylish, and surprisingly poignant”. We named it as one of the best new TV series of 2019, and one of the best comic book series – it was named the IGN’s People’s Choice in both categories.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Director Plans to Revisit Story in ‘Anime Form’

Edgar Wright has spoken about the possibility of revisiting Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World as an anime project, saying there are “plans” to expand the franchise, though nothing is official yet.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wright revealed that he had been involved in ongoing talks with Scott Pilgrim comic creator Bryan Lee O’Malley and the film’s executive producer Jared LeBoff about revisiting the material in “an animation way,” as opposed to following up with a direct sequel to the 2010 film.

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“There’s some plans — and there’s nothing official yet — but there are some plans to revisit the material in an animation way,” Wright admitted in the retrospective piece. “We’ve been talking with Bryan and with Jared for a while [about]: What if we did something with the books in anime form? It’s being discussed as we speak.”

In the same interview, O’Malley expressed his interest in returning to the world of Scott Pilgrim, saying that he would “like to revisit the characters [in comic form] and see what they’re up to.” In fact, he said that he had already sketched an alternate version of Scott with “a huge beard” early in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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Whichever format this new project could potentially take, it is highly unlikely to be developed as a direct big-screen follow-up to the Michael Cera-starring film adaptation, as Cera himself admitted that “when a movie doesn’t really explode at the box office, it’s hard for anybody to get behind a sequel.”

Critics and fans of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series raved about the film adaptation after its release, but that adulation didn’t translate to high box office returns. On an estimated budget of $60 million, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World took in a paltry $47.7 million worldwide.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Iron Man VR Devs Reveal Game Length, Locations, And Tony Stark’s Abilities

Iron Man VR is due to release on July 3, following a brief delay, and as that date approaches we’ve learned more about what to expect. Director Ryan Payton, who led work on the game at Camouflaj, has delved into the game on the PlayStation Blog, revealing some new details.

Payton shows off some of the game’s locations, which are a mix of real-world locales and Marvel hotspots. The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, for instance, can be explored at length, as well as a decommissioned Stark Facility. You can also fly around Shanghai, dodging between buildings. You can also visit Tony’s armory in VR, investigating the Iron Man suit from outside of it.

Various combat and movement abilities are outlined, including the speed boost for faster movement, the rocket punch for melee damage, and the Unibeam, which charges up and can do huge damage. Iron Man can also do a ground pound, which is always a fun video game mechanic.

Payton says that Iron Man VR is a “deeply meaningful Tony Stark story,” and that the game is longer than they initially planned for. “We initially thought the campaign would span 4-5 hours, but based on recent playtest data, we’re pleasantly surprised that average playtimes are now roughly double that,” he says.

Several other Marvel characters will appear, including Nick Fury, Pepper Potts, Friday, and “a host of other characters we have yet to reveal,” Payton writes.

Iron Man is not the only major Marvel hero with a PlayStation game to look forward to in 2020–Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is also coming to PS5.

Now Playing: Marvel’s Iron Man VR – Creating Iron Man In VR Trailer

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New Trailer For Pixar Movie Soul Has Arrived

A new trailer for Pixar’s next movie, Soul, has arrived–and it’s wonderful. For those just catching up, Soul follows the middle school band teacher Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who lives in New York City. Something happens, and Joe–the first Black protagonist in Pixar’s history–is transported to “The Great Before,” a fantastical world where people are created before traveling to Earth. The first trailer for Soul focused on this other place, while this one shows us Joe in his human life.

We also hear a particularly poignant line from Joe. He says, “Spend your precious hours doing what will bring out the real you; the brilliant, passionate you, that’s ready to contribute something meanginful into this world. Get ready, your life is about to start.”

The trailer features the original song “Parting Ways,” which was written by Cody Chesnutt.

This trailer doesn’t show any of it, but when Joe is in The Great Before, he’ll team up with a soul named 22 (Tina Fey), who doesn’t necessarily want to move on to Earth. Joe is trying to show 22 that life is worth living, and that will be the journey of the film.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) talked about the origins of the movie’s concept. “We talked to a lot of folks that represented religious traditions and cultural traditions and [asked], ‘What do you think a soul is?'” he said. “All of them said ‘vaporous’ and ‘ethereal’ and ‘non-physical.’ We were like, ‘Great! How do we do this?’ We’re used to toys, cars, things that are much more substantial and easily referenced. This was a huge challenge, but I gotta say, I think the team really put some cool stuff together that’s really indicative of those words but also relatable.”

Soul is scheduled to premiere in theatres on November 20, 2020, though plans could change due to COVID-19. It will be Pixar’s second movie of 2020, following Onward from March.

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For June 2020 – Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Shudder