Author: Trafficblast

Noted invisible professional wrestler and former WWE Champion John Cena may finally be throwing his hat into the superhero movie ring. The self-proclaimed “Doctor of Thuganomics” is reportedly in talks to join the cast of the Suicide Squad follow-up being written and directed by Guardians of the Galaxy helmer James Gunn.

The news comes from Variety, which says Cena may join Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney–who starred in the first Suicide Squad as Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang, respectively–as well as Idris Elba in the film. At this point, Elba and Cena’s roles remain a mystery, as does the state of the rest of the Squad. However, Variety previously reported Will Smith would not reprise his role as Deadshot.

Interestingly, this wouldn’t be Gunn’s first time working with a WWE star. He previously directed Dave Bautista in both Guardians films, with a third installment in the works. It would, however, be Cena’s first role in a movie adaptation of a comic book. His previous big screen work includes roles in Bumblebee, Blockers, and the animated film Ferdinand. He’ll next be seen on the big screen in Project X-Traction, alongside Jackie Chan.

Gunn’s Suicide Squad film hasn’t started filming yet but is scheduled to hit theaters on August 6, 2021. As for Cena, he recently made his WWE return at Wrestlemania during a segment with the guitar-strumming Elias, though there’s been no mention of him getting back in the ring anytime soon.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s big 3.0 update wasn’t the only Smash news Nintendo had to share this week. The company has also announced that a trio of new Amiibo figures are on the way, and they’re slated to hit stores this summer.

Starting July 26, players will be able to pick up the Pichu, Pokemon Trainer, and Isabelle Super Smash Bros. Amiibo at retailers. Nintendo hasn’t specified how much these new figures will cost, but previous Smash Ultimate Amiibo have run for $16 USD each. You can take a look at images of the new figures below.

Nintendo has released nine other Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Amiibo thus far, with even more on the way this year. The most recent batch, which consisted of Young Link, Daisy, and Ken, arrived earlier this month. Figures of Squirtle, Ivysaur, Snake, and Simon Belmont are also slated to release sometime in 2019.

In the meantime, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 3.0 update arrives today, April 17. The biggest addition is undoubtedly Persona 5’s Joker, who is joining the roster as a playable character. Joker arrives alongside a new stage, Mementos, as well as an assortment of music tracks taken from the Persona series. The whole Joker pack is available for $6 / £4.49, or as part of the $25 Fighters Pass.

In addition to Joker, the 3.0 update introduces a Stage Builder to the game, allowing players to create and share their own levels. Additionally, the Nintendo Switch Online phone app is receiving an update that adds the previously announced Smash World hub, which lets players view user-created videos and stages. Finally, the update adds a new assortment of Persona and Sonic Mii Fighter costumes to purchase.

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If you’re in the market for an Xbox One and have been waiting to buy it for less than $200, here’s a solid deal for you: An Xbox One S bundle with Battlefield V is available for $175 via GamerCandy at Rakuten right now. While listed at $200, members get $25 off their purchase, and all you have to do is set up a free Rakuten account. Once you’re signed in, just apply coupon code GAMEC25 during checkout. It’ll drop to $175, complete with free shipping and no sales tax.

This exact bundle is selling for between $200 and $250 at other retailer sites, so this is currently the best discount you’ll find. The coupon is only valid for the rest of today, April 17, so hurry if you want to claim this deal.

BUY XBOX ONE S BUNDLE W/ BATTLEFIELD V AT RAKUTEN »

This deal follows the announcement of Microsoft’s new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which doesn’t have a disc drive for playing physical games or DVDs, but is otherwise identical to the regular Xbox One S. That all-digital console is selling for $250, a price some fans have felt is too high considering the Xbox One S is regularly on sale for $250, $200, and as Rakuten shows, sometimes even less. We can only wait and see how the price fluctuates on the digital Xbox One down the road, but for now, you can pick up the original Xbox One S–disc drive and all–for the very reasonable price of $175 while this promotion lasts.

At long last, there’s been a major development in the creation of Showtime’s upcoming TV adaptation of the Halo video game franchise. We still don’t know when it will premiere, but we are finally ready to meet Master Chief.

The mysterious masked figure, who is at the center of the video game franchise, has been cast by the network. According to Entertainment Weekly, Orange is the New Black and American Gods alum Pablo Schreiber will fill the role. A character description reads, “Earth’s most advanced warrior in the 26th century and the only hope of salvation for a civilization pushed to the brink of destruction by the Covenant, an unstoppable alliance of alien worlds committed to the destruction of humanity.”

What remains to be seen is whether fans will ever actually see Schreiber’s face. In the games, Chief’s identity remains a mystery. While you might assume that would change for the series, Showtime president of programming Gary Levine previously said whether Chief would unmask “is a key question and an important part of our series.”

Schreiber isn’t the only new cast, though. EW reports newcomer Yerin Ha had also been added to the show as Quan Ah, “a shrewd, audacious 16-year-old from the Outer Colonies who meets Master Chief at a fateful time for them both.”

Halo is expected to begin production this fall in Budapest, with Kyle Killen and Steven Kane serving as co-showrunners. Black Mirror alum Otto Bathurst has signed on to direct and produce the series. Showtime describes its take on Halo as “weaving deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.”

Disclosure: Showtime is a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation. CBS is GameSpot’s parent company.

The historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught flame Monday evening, collapsing its spire and severely damaging parts of the building including its roof. Now as the government looks toward restoration, it may tap an unexpected source: Assassin’s Creed Unity.

CBS News reports that restorers may need to utilize the expertise of a Vassar College architecture historian and the artist team for Ubisoft’s 2014 video game. The detailed models could help provide a functional understanding of the building’s measurements and specifications that isn’t possible with still photographs.

Unity is set during the French Revolution, and was noted for its accurate rendering of 1700s Paris. The Verge reports that level artist Caroline Miousse spent roughly two years modeling Notre Dame Cathedral, saying about 80% of her work on the game was that landmark alone.

Notre Dame is a cathedral that has undergone multiple expansions and restorations over the centuries, and Miousse’s recreation is modeled as closely as possible to the structure as it was at the time–at least, for the most part. The team found that playtesters missed the spires, so Miousse added them to the cathedral despite the fact that they weren’t actually added until later.

For its part, Ubisoft said on Twitter it is not currently involved in any reconstruction efforts, but is “more than happy to lend our expertise in any way we can.” The company is helping out in another way, however. It has committed more than $500,000 to reconstruction efforts, and made Assassin’s Creed Unity free for a limited time in honor of the cathedral.

“Video games can enable us to explore places in ways we never could have otherwise imagined,” the company said. “We hope, with this small gesture, we can provide everyone an opportunity to appreciate our virtual homage to this monumental piece of architecture.”

Pokemon Go‘s April Community Day may have only recently ended, but Niantic is already looking ahead to next month’s event. The developer has now shared the first details for May’s Community Day, which is scheduled to take place around the globe on Sunday, May 19.

As usual, next month’s Community Day will run for three hours, from 3-6 PM local time. During that window, players will be able to earn triple the usual amount of Stardust for every Pokemon they catch, and any Lure Modules that are used will remain active for three hours.

The featured Pokemon this time around will be another Gen 3 starter: Torchic. Throughout the Community Day, the Fire-type Pokemon will spawn in the wild more frequently than it normally does, making it much easier to add some to your collection. Going by previous Community Days, you’ll likely also have your first chance to capture a Shiny Torchic.

Finally, if you manage to fully evolve a Torchic into Blaziken up to an hour after the Community Day ends, it’ll learn a special, as-yet-unannounced event-exclusive move. Niantic typically reveals what the special move is the week of the event. You can find more details about next month’s Community Day on the official Pokemon website.

In the meantime, there are a few other big events going on now in Pokemon Go. First, the Legendary Eon Pokemon Latios returned for a special week-long Raid that’s scheduled to end on April 22. Niantic is also holding the annual Eggstravaganza event until April 23, which gives you more chances to hatch baby Pokemon and even capture a Shiny Buneary.