Warning: This article contains full spoilers for The Mandalorian: Episode 1!
The first episode of The Mandalorian has landed on Disney+, and as promised, it ends with a major twist that could have far-reaching ramifications for the franchise. However, this twist is important for reasons other than plot. It also tells us that The Mandalorian is drawing inspiration from some unexpected sources. This series is shaping up to be the Star Wars version of the classic manga series Lone Wolf and Cub.
Read on to see how The Mandalorian evokes this seminal tale and why it’s just the latest example of the Star Wars franchise paying tribute to Japanese storytellers.
Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+, is finally live. One thing Marvel fans are wondering is just how many Marvel movies and TV shows will be available to stream on the new service. We have you covered below with all the information about what Marvel content is available to stream now and what’s coming soon. Let’s dive in.
First thing’s first: you don’t need to spend a dime to try out Disney+. You can start a 7-day free trial now to see if you like it. Just make sure to cancel before you’re billed if you decide it’s not for you.
Paramount Pictures has finally revealed Sonic the Hedgehog’s new look–and fans are enjoying it much more than the original design. As it turns out, Paramount enlisted the help of a Sonic game developer veteran to help create a revised look for the film.
Tyson Hesse, an American animator who worked on Sonic Mania and various Sonic comics, announced that he was brought on board to lead the design effort for the new look. Hesse said he worked with director Jeff Fowler and the various production departments across the world to make Sonic closer to the source material. The work he did with his team seemed to have worked, as fans are much more enthusiastic about Sonic’s new look.
Honored to have been brought in to lead the design on the new Movie Sonic. Working with Jeff and the modelers, riggers, texture/fur artists and animators in LA, London, and Vancouver was a thrill I’ll never forget. #SonicMoviepic.twitter.com/HhcVIxAhXB
Fowler, who earned an Oscar nomination for his animated movie Gopher Broke, said in his own tweet that he is thankful to the fans for their “patience and support.”
In May 2019, when Paramount announced it would delay the movie to create a new look for Sonic, some worried that the production team would have to work overly long hours to get the job done. Fowler, however, said “no VFX artists were harmed in the making of this movie.”
The VFX team seems to have gone the extra mile with the new Sonic movie, as one of the new scenes shows Sonic doing his ledge animation from the game series.
Sonic the Hedgehog’s new release date is February 14, 2020–Valentine’s Day. It is produced by Deadpool director Tim Miller, who also earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Gopher Broke.
The movie, which blends CG and live-action, features the voice of Ben Schwartz as Sonic. James Marsden plays the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana who becomes friends with Sonic. Dr. Robotnik, the bad guy, is played by Jim Carrey.
Today is the DAY! Could not be more excited to share our new Sonic with you. THANK YOU for your patience and support. This wouldn’t have been possible without the fans. #SonicMovie
iPhone company Apple is making a big hire for its newly launched TV and film business. It has been reported that former HBO CEO Richard Plepler will be heading up a production company within Apple to create new content for the nascent Apple TV+.
According to Deadline, Plepler considered other, unspecified companies before agreeing to go with Apple. His specific deal with Apple is still being negotiated, according to reports.
Apple TV+ launched on November 1 with new shows including The Morning Show starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and See featuring Aquaman star Jason Momoa. Another show, Dickinson, stars Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson.
Plepler spent close to 30 years at HBO before stepping down earlier this year during AT&T’s takeover of HBO parent company WarnerMedia. In his decades-long career at HBO, Plepler greenlit a number of high-profile shows, including Game of Thrones and Veep. He was also instrumental in getting new platform projects off the ground such as HBO Go and HBO Now.
According to Deadline, “Plepler’s goal is to deliver as a producer the kind of high-quality series he championed as a top executive at HBO, including Game of Thrones.”
Update: Today Sonic’s most important look yet was revealed. The upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie’s titular character received a full redesign based on fan criticism of the initial design. We’ve added these designs to our gallery of every Sonic appearance ever below.
Until Sonic the Hedgehog debuted on the SEGA Genesis, a fat plumber somewhat inexplicably served as the game industry’s most recognizable icon. All of that changed when gamers saw SEGA’s blue blur careening off springs, zipping through loops and wagging his finger disapprovingly at people still playing “baby games” on Super Nintendo.
In a recent company earnings call, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa spoke about remasters and remakes. Though Nintendo has no concrete plans right now, Furukawa stated that the company is open to the idea if a developer is passionate about the project.
Furukawa was asked whether Nintendo has intentions to release more remakes, following the success of games like The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee. He said Nintendo has no “defined policy to continuously release more remakes in future” and expressed that nostalgia should not be the main reason for pursuing older titles.
“[T]he titles we’ve developed over our past 30 years in the dedicated video game system business have been played by and fondly remembered by many people, and these are an important asset to Nintendo as well. Nostalgia can be very appealing, but it’s more important to be able to create new game experiences and fun, etc., even within remakes of classic titles.
“And I think that the most important factor is whether the developers are passionate about wanting to remake a game,” Furukawa said. “A good recent example of this is The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, as you mentioned. Consumers all over the world responded positively to both its nostalgic elements and new features.”
The Sonic redesign for the upcoming live-action movie is here, and fans seem overall quite pleased. The design looks much more like the stylized, wide-eyed look that anyone who’s played a modern-day Sonic game or watched Sonic Boom would recognize. But time is a fickle mistress, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up some hot takes from when the original design was revealed and compared them to new reactions. Let’s not forget that the original was so divisive that it inspired a slew of memes about other video game characters with teeth.
GameStop is no slouch when it comes to Black Friday deals, and there are hundreds of chances to save each year. This year should be no exception, and GameStop’s Black Friday deals rival its competitors. Often times, membership in its rewards program can net you even better chances to save on games and collectibles for Black Friday.
Black Friday 2019 GameStop: What to Expect
Just like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and basically every other retailer this year, GameStop will have the Nintendo Switch Black Friday deal: a Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $299. Last year, GameSpot had a deal with a Nintendo Switch and a $50 GameStop gift card, and there’s probably a good chance it will return for Black Friday 2019 in some form or another.
In the extremely unlikely event you didn’t already know, Disney+ launched and you can sign up for the service starting right now. If you just want Disney+, the service is $6.99 and has every Disney show and movie you can imagine available on-demand.
How to Sign Up for the Disney+ Bundle If You Already Have Hulu or ESPN+
It’s extremely easy to get the bundle if you’re already subscribed to one of the other services. Visit the Disney+ bundle sign-up page and use the same email address you use for your Hulu or ESPN+ account. That’s it.
