Category: Games

Hollywood screenwriter David Goyer has shared a story about one of the worst notes he received from a studio executive for one of his movies. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Goyer said he received a bewildering note from the studio for the Superman movie Man of Steel.

The studio told Goyer he needed to change the ending to Man of Steel and make it so the pod that Superman uses to help save the day doesn’t get destroyed. The studio executives said this had to change because, if the pod was destroyed, how would Superman return to Krypton? The only thing is… Krypton was already destroyed.

“One note I got was on Man of Steel, where the ending involves Superman utilizing the pod that he arrived in as a child in order to bring down General Zod’s ship,” Goyer said. “The note we got from the studio said, ‘You have to change that.’ We asked why. They said, ‘Because if Superman uses that pod and it’s destroyed while saving the city, how is he ever going to get back home to Krypton?’ There was just this long pause and we said, ‘Krypton blew up. You saw 30 minutes of it!'”

On the other side of the coin, Goyer said one of the best notes he’s received from a higher-up at a studio came from Apple TV+ development boss Matt Cherniss for his new sci-fi show Foundation. Goyer and his team were struggling to wrap their heads around the show’s complicated time jumps and other story elements that depart from what might considered traditional. Cherniss’ note was simple. He said, “F**k it, just lean into it,” Goyer recalls.

“So we broke with traditional story structures in various ways. The structure changes from episode to episode. Most of the time, studio executives say, ‘How do you make it more normal? How do you make it fall in line with what the audience would expect?’ He encouraged me to not do that, which was unusual,” Goyer said.

Goyer is also known for his story work on The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. More recently, he produced the Chris Pratt movie The Tomorrow War, while he also worked on the story for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

The newest arrival to the Disney+ streaming service, Behind the Attraction, looks at the complicated and long history of creating Disney’s most iconic rides and experiences at its theme parks around the world. From creator Brian Volk-Weiss (The Toys That Made Us), the series strikes a familiarly snarky tone as it tackles some of the most beloved rides Disney has ever come up with. Still, there are some episodes that may have you scratching your head–and there’s a reason for that.

While the first batch of episodes from Season 1 of Behind the Attraction dig into the past of rides like Jungle Cruise, the Haunted Mansion, and Star Tours, there are some curious choices made along the way, including the Disneyland hotel and–perhaps most puzzling of all–an episode titled “Trains, Trams, and Monorails,” which is all about the history of transportation around Disney’s parks.

Speaking to GameSpot, Volk-Weiss admitted that particular episode was his personal passion project on the series. “There were three pots,” he explained. “The first pot was there’s got to be attractions that are like, ‘Why wouldn’t that be in Season 1? How could they do this without a Space Mountain episode?’ Then there was another group that was things that you may not [have expected]. I think a lot of people wouldn’t have done Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Season 1… And then the third one, which was only one episode, is what a British guy called my joker [card]. And that is basically me saying, ‘Please let me make this episode. Please let me make this episode.’ And that was ‘Trains, Trams and Monorails.'”

Given how important trans, trains, and even monorails are to navigating Disney’s parks around the world–and even Walt Disney’s own fascination with trains–dedicating an episode to the systems of transportation seems like a worthwhile endeavor and, when that episode debuts, it should be interesting to see what he uncovers. After all, if it’s anything like the Darth Vader Ballet covered in Behind the Attraction’s Star Tours episode, there’s probably some pretty hilarious history to be revealed.

While gaining permission to include the footage of the Star Wars-themed dance performance was, according to Volk-Weiss, “definitely a longer conversation” with Disney. There’s something else he’s a bit more surprised about that made the final cuts of the episode: his unending adoration of Disney’s failed attempt at a Star Wars movie of its own, 1979’s The Black Hole.

“I love The Black Hole. It’s the first movie I watched when I got Disney+,” he said. “I know there are a couple things that might not allow it to be considered the best movie ever made. There [were] a lot of jokes in the [Star Tours] episode about The Black Hole. And basically, that was also the first episode we ever turned in. What it really worked down to was in the first cut, there was like nine jokes about The Black Hole, we got it down to two jokes about The Black Hole. But the thing that’s funny is the two Black Hole jokes that are still in there. A lot of Disney people that did not work on the show were shocked we were allowed to keep those in.”

So when you watch the Star Tours episode, know that while there were originally many more jokes about The Black Hole, the fact that it includes any at all is surprising.

The first five episodes of Behind the Attraction are streaming on Disney+ now. The next five, which will tackle experiences like It’s a Small World, castles in the parks, the Hall of Presidents, and the tribute to trains, trams, and monorails, will debut on a later date.

As is the case with most villains, Sauron is probably not dead–and scientists have discovered a new underwater volcano resembling the omnipresent Eye of Sauron, indicating he’s always watching and his power is always around.

In a report for The Conversation, Museums Victoria’s senior curator of marine invertebrates Tim O’Hara said the underwater volcano was “revealed by multibean sonar 3,100 meters below” the RV Investigator research vessel. The oval formation, known as a caldera, is approximately 4mi by 3mi across. It has a rim that’s a little over a tenth of a mile high, as well as a tenth of a mile high cone-shaped peak at the center where the actual “pupil” is housed.

In essence, a caldera is a collapsed volcano. The molten magma travels upwards and, because of the empty chambers this creates, the volcano’s dome surface caves in on itself. This causes a large crater where a small peaks often tends to form while the volcano continues to spew hot magma.

O’Hara said the team, which was on day 12 of exploring Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories (southeast of Christmas Island), discovered two other underwater volcanic structures further south from the newly named Eye of Sauron. These have been nicknamed Barad-dûr (the “Dark Fortress,” Sauron’s primary stronghold in Mordor) and Ered Lithui (“Ash Mountains”).

All three are part of the Karma cluster of seamounts (or submarine mountain ranges) that geologists estimated to be over 100 million years old. But according to O’Hara, the caldera looks “surprisingly fresh” for a structure that old. The team predicts that underwater volcanoes could remain active, sprouting new calderas long after the original foundation took its shape.

Meanwhile, Ered Lithui is now overrun with seafloor animals like batfish, brittle-stars, barnacles, crabs, cusk-eels. worms, sea-stars, and sponges. Perhaps Sauron has been invaded by SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals.

Australian actress Anna Torv, who starred on Netflix’s Mindhunter, has been cast as Tess in HBO’s upcoming The Last of Us TV show, according to Variety.

Torv is no stranger to the world of video games, as she voiced the main character in 2007’s Heavenly Sword video game, reprising the role in the 2014 animated movie. In The Last of Us the video game, Tess was voiced and performed by Annie Wersching.

Torv joins a cast that includes Pedro Pascal (Joel), Bella Ramsey (Ellie), Gabriel Luna (Tommy), Merle Dandridge (Marlene), and Nico Parker (Sarah).

Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) is directing the season premiere of HBO’s The Last of Us, while celebrated directors Jasmila Zbanic and Ali Abbasi have been tapped to direct episodes.

Neil Druckmann, the writer and director of the original video game, is developing The Last of Us TV show alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). As for Mazin, he’s also writing the star-studded Borderlands movie and a new Pirates of the Caribbean film.

As for the game series, Naughty Dog might make The Last of Us 3, or potentially a new IP, as its next game. On the more immediate horizon, Naughty Dog is developing a standalone Last of Us multiplayer game. In other news, a recent report said Naughty Dog is also working on a Last of Us remake for PS5.

The heat is on, and not just for singer Glenn Frey. It’s also on for streaming service Netflix, which is dropping plenty of new movies, TV shows, and originals for the month of August. This includes the new animated movie The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild. Check out everything coming to Netflix below, along with some recommendations.

Arriving on August 23 is the latest installment in Netflix’s growing Witcher universe. The animated movie The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf arrives that day. The film follows a young Vesemir as he makes some serious cash hunting down monsters. Of course, that’s not the whole story, as Vesemir has to face demons from his past. Check out the trailer for yourself below.

On August 12, the animated movie Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild arrives. A young hunter named Aiden has to protect his village from being destroyed as it’s in the path of an elder dragon who is rampaging across the world. Aiden teams up with other hunters in order to stop this menace. The 3D animated film feels a bit more geared towards an all-ages audience–as The Witcher movie and show are strictly for adults.

Throughout the rest of the month, there are plenty of movies and TV shows you can check out. On August 1, seven seasons of the hit comedy series 30 Rock arrive, along with classic comedies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Team America: World Police, and Pineapple Express. If you’re looking for something a bit more serious, The Machinist and Inception both arrive on August 1 as well.

Below, you’ll find the full list for everything coming to Netflix for the month of August, and if you’re looking for more streaming service additions, check out what’s coming to Hulu, Disney+, and Shudder for August.

New on Netflix in August 2021:

August 1

• 30 Rock: Seasons 1-7
• Beethoven
• Beethoven 2
• Catch Me if you Can
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• Five Feet Apart
• Friday Night Lights: Seasons 1-5
• Inception
• Magnolia
• Major Payne
• My Girl
• My Girl 2
• Pineapple Express
• Poms
• Seabiscuit
• Team America: World Police
• The Edge of Seventeen
• The Losers
• The Machinist
• The New
• The Original Kings of Comedy

August 3

• Pray Away
• Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord
• Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified

August 4

• Aftermath
• Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami
• Control Z: Season 2
• Cooking With Paris

August 6

• Hit & Run
• The Swarm
• Vivo

August 9

• Shaman King

August 10

• Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang
• Untold (New Films Weekly)

August 11

• Bake Squad
• The Kissing Booth 3

August 12

• Lokillo: Nothing’s The Same
• Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild

August 13

• Beckett
• Brand New Cherry Flavor
• Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 5: South Pacific
• Gone For Good
• Valeria: Season 2

August 15

• Winx Club: Season 6

August 16

• Walk of Shame

August 18

• The Defeated
• Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
• The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student

August 19

• Like Crazy

August 20

• The Chair
• Everything Will Be Fine
• The Loud House Movie
• Sweet Girl

August 23

• The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

August 24

August 25

• Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed
• John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer
• Clickbait
• The Old Ways
• Open Your Eyes
• Motel Makeover
• The November Man
• Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes
• Really Love

August 26

• Edens Zero
• Family Reunion: Part 4

August 27

• He’s All That
• I Heart Arlo

August 28

• Titletown High

August 31

• Sparking Joy

Mark Hamill, a veritable font of primary-source Star Wars trivia, has shared on Twitter that he has “voiced multiple secret voice-cameos in every Star Wars movie released since 2015.” As many folks on Twitter have pointed out in response–well, those cameos aren’t so secret anymore.

Hamill was confirming a tweet by another account sharing the related trivia that the actor voiced the female droid EV-9D9 in the Mandalorian, though in his response didn’t drill down into what roles he’s taken on in Rogue One, Solo, etc. It’s also possible he has further secrets up his sleeves about the Star Wars franchise–as we know by now, Hamill is very good at keeping secrets: His CG cameo in the Mandolarian Season 2 finale as a much younger Luke Skywalker came as a huge and thrilling shock to fans.

As always, there’s a ton going on in the Star Wars world. There’s a manga inspired by the prequel novel Guardians of the Whills hitting this summer, Star Wars: The Bad Batch will wrap up its first season in late July, and there are 10th anniversary plans for the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game. Both Daisy Ridley and John Boyega have let it be known they’d be open to revisiting their roles in the future.

It was also recently announced that Hamill will star in a movie about comedian Bert Kreischer’s viral story about getting kidnapped by Russian gangsters. It’s of course, a bananas story–Kreischer was studying abroad in Russia, and wound up helping the Russian mob rob a train. In the movie, Hamill will play Kreischer’s father, as the pair deal with the fictional consequences of these real events.

Hamill also recently shared that George Lucas demanded a certain Daffy Duck cartoon precede every original Star Wars screening.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Best Buy’s Deals of the Day for Thursday include a particularly nice couple of deals on Roccat gaming keyboards, with both the Vulcan 120 and the Vulcan 121 mechanical keyboards on sale for $105 each. That marks their lowest price ever, though we’ll note that Amazon is price-matching this deal as well. The Deals of the Day are available only through the rest of today; after that, they’ll return to their $160 list price.

The Vulcan 120 and 121 keyboards are basically the same in terms of build and features. The 120 is silver, while the 121 comes in a darker black; both feature AIMO illumination for RGB backlighting and LED effects. The 120 comes with Roccat’s tactile and crisp Titan switches, while the 121 has linear switches for extremely fast keystrokes and consistency. Both include wrist rests that are magnetically detachable along with programmable macro keys and full n-key rollover so every keystroke is registered.

If you’d rather pick one up from Amazon, you can check out the deals on the Vulcan 120 and Vulcan 121 available there, with both brown and red switches available for the Vulcan 121 deal.

In other Deals of the Day, Best Buy is slashing prices on the Logitech GMX518 optical gaming mouse ($20), the MSI GF63 15.6-inch gaming laptop ($630), and a very sturdy-looking Walker Edison computer desk ($363).