A new clip from 20th Century’s video game movie Free Guy sets up more of what to expect from the film and shows an extremely buff version of Ryan Reynolds’ character that is a sight to behold.
The trailer shows Taika Waititi’s villain character, the creator of the video game that Reynolds’ character lives in, creating a new NPC named “Dude.” This is a muscled version of Reynolds’ Guy, it seems, who wears a gold necklace and has wavy hair and a blue shirt tattoo on his pec.
As he emerges into the game, Dude says, “Catchphrase!” Waititi’s character remarks that he didn’t have time to come up with a proper catchphrase, but admits, “‘Catchphrase’ as a catchphrase is a pretty cool catchphrase.” Here’s the video:
Free Guy is a video game movie in which Reynolds plays a bank teller named Guy who one day discovers he is actually an NPC in a video game. Upon learning this, and with the help of Jodie Comer’s character, he decides to break free and save the world.
The movie also stars Stranger Things’ Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Brittany Runs a Marathon).
Free Guy was expected to debut much sooner, but Disney/20th Century delayed the movie to August 13 due in part to the pandemic. The film is directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Stranger Things) from a script by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn.
The Suicide Squad is the next DC superhero movie slated to hit the big (and small) screen. A sequel to the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, it features a star-studded cast including Margo Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Sylvester Stalone, Viola Davis, and more. The Suicide Squad was written and directed by James Gunn, who also helmed the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
If you’re wondering just what your options are to watch The Suicide Squad, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for the goods.
Just like all of the 2021 Warner Bros. movie releases, you have two options for watching The Suicide Squad at release: in the theater or on HBO Max. This movie will be available at no extra charge to all ad-free HBO Max subscribers. You can sign up here. The service costs $14.99 per month, and you can cancel any time.
It’s worth noting that the 2016 Suicide Squad movie, along with most other DC Universe films, is also available on HBO Max. And if you keep reading, you can see the full list of upcoming 2021 theatrical releases arriving on HBO Max on day one.
The Suicide Squad Release Date
The Suicide Squad official releases in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6. However, Warner Bros. has announced a “special preview” showing in theaters and on HBO Max on August 5 at 7pm ET.
As mentioned above, The Suicide Squad is a sequel to the 2016 movie of a very similar name (Suicide Squad). Basically, all the most troublesome super-villains are kept in the Belle Reve prison. When the government needs a crew of super-powered people for a mission that’s too dangerous for the superheroes society actually cares about, they form a suicide squad of villains.
In this movie, the villains in this film–Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, Bloodsport, and a bunch more goofy characters–are needed to put an end to the mysterious Project Starfish.
What is The Suicide Squad Rated?
The Suicide Squad is rated R by the MPAA for “strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity.”
So far, The Suicide Squad has gotten mostly positive reviews, with critics responding well to the movie’s edgy humor and violence. You can read IGN’s The Suicide Squad review to see what our critic thought.
How Long is The Suicide Squad?
The running time for The Suicide Squad is 132 minutes, or 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Other Warner Bros. Movies Coming to HBO Max at Release
Reminiscence – September 3, 2021
Malignant – September 10, 2021
The Many Saints of Newark – October 1, 2021
Dune – October 22, 2021
King Richard – November 19, 2021
Matrix 4 – December 22, 2021
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Chris Reed is a commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
August has just begun, which means that it’s time for Xbox Game Pass to add a few new titles to its library. Microsoft has listed some of the games that’ll be arriving in August on console, mobile, and PC, and it’s good news for fans of skateboarding, dodgeball, and the Greek underworld. August 5 kicks off Curse of the Dead Gods on console, PC, and the cloud, a game that pits players against deadly traps and monsters as they search for untold riches, eternal life, and divine powers. The game recently received tie-in DLC in the form of new weapons and characters from Dead Cells.
Also on August 5 is a lesson in the five Ds with Dodgeball Academia on console, PC, and the cloud, which adds an RPG element to the world’s greatest sport. Katamari Damacy Reroll brings its weirdness to console, PC, and cloud as well, and Lumines Remastered provides high-energy block-dropping action to the tune of electronic dance beats on the same trio of platforms.
Starmancer will be available in Game Preview on PC, and will see players build a bustling spaceport and a secret lab for incubating eggs as they deal with unexpected malfunctions and the occasional space zombie outbreak. August 5’s offerings conclude with the original Skate and Skate 3 games on console joining the EA Play library, which is included as part of a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Xbox Game Pass August 2021
Also coming to Game Pass on August 10 are a number of Codemasters racing titles. Dirt 4, Dirt Rally, Dirt Rally 2.0, F1 2020, and Grid will all be available via EA Play.
August 12 will add Art of Rally to Game Pass on cloud, console, and PC, a meditative drift around the corners of tracks influenced by the golden age of rallycross racing. It’s rally good stuff.
One of the biggest games of 2020, Hades, busts free from the PC and Switch platforms and heads to Xbox consoles, PC, and the cloud. Developed by Supergiant Games, Hades received critical acclaim upon release and numerous industry awards. If you’re not on Xbox, the game will be available on PlayStation 4 and 5 as well.
Lastly, Microsoft Solitaire Collection: Premium Edition arrives on PC on August 17. Now without any ads, this version includes an exclusive Xbox Game Pass card back, daily challenges, competitive events, Xbox achievements, and a new Xbox theme.
Xbox Game Pass July 2021
August 5
Curse of the Dead Gods (console, PC, cloud)
Dodgeball Academia (console, PC, cloud)
Katamari Damacy Reroll (console, PC, cloud)
Lumines Remastered (console, PC, cloud)
Skate (console)
Skate 3 (console)
Starmancer (PC)
August 12
Art of Rally (console, PC, cloud)
August 13
Hades (console, PC, cloud)
August 17
Microsoft Solitaire Collection: Premium Edition (PC)
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Xbox Game Pass in August is already looking incredibly exciting. For starters. IGN’s Game of the Year for 2020, Hades, is coming out on August 13 for Xbox, PS4, and PS5, and will hit Xbox Game Pass for consoles and PC on the same day.
Not only that, but we’ve also got Twelve Minutes on August 19, and Psychonauts 2 on August 25, which has been receiving some tremendous feedback after the recent previews. There’s also Skate, Curse of the Dead Gods, Starmancer (Game Preview), and whole a lot more coming to Game Pass in August so far. Check below for every single title hitting the game service this month, alongside the very best Game Pass deals (get 3-Months of Game Pass Ultimate for $37.11 at Newegg).
Microsoft’s E3 2021 presentation included some incredible upcoming additions to Game Pass in 2021, including the likes of Back 4 Blood, Age of Empires 4, Psychonauts 2, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite and so much more. Here are a few more exciting games you can expect for Game Pass in 2021.
Aragami 2 – September 17
Sable – September 23
Back 4 Blood – October 12
Age of Empires 4 – October 28
Forza Horizon 5 – November 9
Shredders – December
Halo Infinite – Fall 2021
Among Us, Hello Neighbor 2, and The Gunk are also listed as 2021 Game Pass titles, but of course, we’ve also got some 2022 (and beyond) games to look forward to as well. Starfield, Redfall, Contraband, Party Animals, Atomic Heart, Somerville, Slime Rancher 2, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and Replaced are all coming to Game Pass on day one.
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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. Send him awesome gaming screenshots @robertliam21 on Twitter.
M. Night Shyamalan once met with Steven Spielberg to discuss ideas for Indiana Jones 4.
In an interview with Collider, Shyamalan said he shared his vision for Indiana Jones many years ago. He apparently had “a darker idea” for the fourth franchise entry, which sounds like it would have been quite different from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, though it never progressed any further beyond those early discussions.
“Obviously, Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite movie of all time, and so this was a dream, to be asked as a kid to go see a movie in a movie theater and then later to be asked by that person to write one of those in the future. I could faint at that moment. It was amazing,” Shyamalan said, speaking about the prospect of working with Spielberg.
“I do have my notebooks; I still have those with all my ideas for that movie,” he continued. “I did have a take. I talked to everybody involved and it was so nascent at that time, that movie. Everyone hadn’t gotten into a room yet. They were bouncing ideas off of me. So everyone had different ideas of what to do… and I had this idea. It was a darker idea.”
Shyamalan didn’t end up working with Spielberg on Indiana Jones 4, instead, prolific Hollywood screenwriter David Koepp penned Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with contributions from George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson. The movie was largely met with a negative reception from fans, though others expressed sympathy for the odd-ball entry in the franchise.
The next installment in the film series is expected to conclude Indiana Jones’ journey, 12 years after the events of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A recent photo from the set of Indiana Jones 5 showed a cast member caught up in what appeared to be a chase scene with Harrison Ford’s globe-trotting archaeologist at the 1969 Apollo 11 ticker-tape parade.
Indiana Jones 5 began filming in June across the UK, and the movie is planned for release on July 29, 2022. Harrison Ford is reprising his role as the bull-whip wielding adventurer alongside several franchise newcomers, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, and Thomas Kretschmann. Check out the entire cast of Indiana Jones 5 (so far).
Blizzard president J. Allen Brack has stepped down, shortly after the wider Activision Blizzard was served with a lawsuit alleging widespread discrimination and harassment at the company.
Announced on the Blizzard website, Brack will be replaced by ‘co-leaders’ Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra. Oneal joined Blizzard in January, having previously headed Vicarious Visions. Ybarra joined Blizzard from Xbox in 2019. As relatively recent additions to Blizzard leadership, it may be that both Oneal and Ybarra are seen as more detached from the reports of long-standing issues in the company’s working practices.
Brack wrote: “I am confident that Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will provide the leadership Blizzard needs to realize its full potential and will accelerate the pace of change. I anticipate they will do so with passion and enthusiasm and that they can be trusted to lead with the highest levels of integrity and commitment to the components of our culture that make Blizzard so special.”
Brack had previously emailed employees at the company, calling the reported behaviour included in the lawsuit “completely unacceptable”, and pledging to discuss how to move forward with Blizzard employees. “I feel angry, sad, and a host of other emotions,” he wrote at the time, “but I also feel grateful to work alongside a set of leaders and thousands of employees who join me in their commitment to continuous improvement. Thank you Blizzard.”
Brack himself was mentioned in the lawsuit, having reportedly only given “a slap on the wrist” to ex-creative director Alex Afrasiabi, despite having received complaints about consistent sexual misconduct at the company. The ex-president had also seen renewed criticism for a video from BlizzCon 2010 that showed Brack and Afrasiabi laughing at a fan’s question as to whether new female characters in World of Warcraft might be less sexualised.
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].
According to star Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian Season 3 will head into production soon, with filming for the Book of Boba Fett now complete.
The actor – known for his role on the show as Imperial Remnant Commander Moff Gideon – confirmed the show would soon be filming again in an interview with WRAL at GalaxyCon Raleigh. He said, “They just finished shooting Boba Fett and soon they will start on Season 3 of The Mandalorian.”
When asked if filming for the show had to wait for Esposito’s busy co-star Pascal Pedro to return from filming the TV adaptation of The Last of Us in Canada, he said “I don’t know what Pedro’s doing but, no, we never have to wait on Pedro.” As well as playing the lead role as Din Djarin (Mando) in The Mandolorian, Pascal will star in HBO’s The Last of Us, portraying everyone’s favourite post-apocalyptic father figure, Joel.
It’s understood that a body double will stand in for Pascal for some of The Mandalorian’s production, with Pascal providing voiceover separately, which presumably allows the star to juggle multiple projects. It is unclear whether or not the show will take a similar approach to Season 3 if Pascal’s busy schedule were to add complications in filming. That being said, Esposito did say, “I’m sure that he has worked out some way to do his other show and come back to do us.”
Elsewhere in the interview, when asked whether or not it was likely that season three of the show would see more “off the helmet” scenes, Esposito said, “I can’t speak to that. I know he’d love to be more off the helmet but his job is to be in the helmet. I mean, that’s the deal.”
In other news, Esposito, who is known for his time playing villains on a number of works including AMC’s Breaking Bad, will return to the medium of games this year in Far Cry 6. IGN spoke with Esposito about his role as Anton Castillo in the game, where he discussed Anton’s motives, his layered characterization, and a bit more about the fictional island nation at the heart of Far Cry 6.
If you’ve just caught up with the latest season of The Mandalorian, then why not check out our review of Season 2 where we said the show “pulls off an ambitious and epic sophomore season that has plenty of heart and nostalgia.” Alternatively, for more news in the world of Star Wars, you can read this article about how Lucasfilm hired the YouTuber known for his viral Luke Skywalker Deepfake.
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Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Belgian gymnast Nina Derwael made history on the weekend after winning gold on the women’s uneven bars, the country’s first medal of any color in the sport. However gamers were quick to notice that Derwael’s coach Marjorie Heuls showed a surprising good luck charm to the cameras after the win–an Ocarina of Time Link Amiibo.
A tweet by @Nintendeal pointed out where the figure appeared in the Olympics coverage, along with a close-up of the Amiibo.
Belgian news site HLN posted an interview with the coach about the figure. She explains that it was given to her by her son, who played Zelda games as a child, and that she keeps it attached to a bracelet that her daughter made for her. The importance of the Amiibo for Heuls appears to be the connection to her son, rather than any knowledge of the games–she even refers to the Link figure as “Zelda” in the interview. Heuls says the figure hasn’t left her bag in four years, and in the wake of Derwael’s gold medal win, said it was clearly also a good luck charm for her.
While some Zelda fans were happy to see the character represented in some way on the Olympic stage, others who replied to Nintendeal’s tweet were more concerned to see that the limited edition Ocarina of Time Amiibo had been ripped from its base.
Link’s appearance at the Olympics isn’t the first time Japanese video games have been worked into the event so far, with a number of iconic video game soundtracks being used in the Opening Ceremony as athletes walked into the stadium.
Sharpen your skates, because the Mighty Ducks aren’t done yet. Disney+ has renewed the Mighty Ducks: Game Changers for Season 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Mighty Ducks Season 2 will reportedly begin production in early 2022, though Disney has not yet announced a debut date for the show’s return. Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa are credited as co-creators alongside original creator Steven Brill, and will return as showrunners for Season 2. Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) is getting executive producer credit in addition to starring in the series, and Emilio Estevez is once again returning as Gordon Bombay. Other members of the original cast returned for an episode in Season 1, though no other casting announcements have yet been made for Season 2. That episode did tease a possible confrontation between Bombay and former star player Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson), so here’s hoping there will be more classic Ducks popping up in the future.
Mighty Ducks came to life as a movie from creator Brill, and starred Estevez as disgraced Minneapolis attorney Gordon Bombay, who coaches the Ducks to victory as a part of public service. The film spawned two sequels, and did well enough that Disney even launched an NHL expansion team in 1993, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
As part of Take-Two’s earnings report on Monday, the publisher’s CEO responded to the situation surrounding Activision Blizzard and the lawsuit regarding sexual harassment and discrimination against women at the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft company.
Strauss Zelnick put it simply: “We will not tolerate harassment or discrimination or bad behavior of any kind. We never have.”
He added that new hires at Take-Two learn about the company’s harassment and discrimination policies when they’re brought on, and every new employee must sign documents regarding their understanding of those policies and practices. What’s more, new hires are required to take anti-harassment training, and then bi-annually after that.
“And we make it clear through the training and through our policies that if anyone does experience any inappropriate contact there are multiple avenues to report that, and they’ll never be retaliated against for doing so,” he said. “Those options include the management chain, anyone in HR, an anonymous complaint by phone or online, through a third-party hotline, and website reporting. Take-Two has a director of diversity and inclusion, and that remit includes developing, executing, and leading the global [diversity and inclusion] strategy and that supports our business objectives.”
“We also have multiple employee resource groups inside the company and we have more growing all the time, which gives us all a thrill. So, that’s what we’re up to very specifically,” he added.
Overall, Zelnick said he is happy with how Take-Two as a company operates with respect to these policies, but he acknowledged that the company can do better.
“Is there more we can do? I’m certain there is. Do we feel like we’re in a pretty good place? We’re grateful that we do feel that way right now,” he said.
In an interview with GI.biz, Zelnick reiterated these points. “We think we as an industry and we as a company can of course do more,” Zelnick said. “We have an exceedingly diverse board at our company, and have had for a very long time. We’re proud of our record, and at the same time we don’t rest on that. We know there’s always more to be done.”
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has launched a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over claims of equal pay violations, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment, among other things. The suit also mentions that some male employees “engage in sexual banter and joke openly about rape, among other things.”
