The first draft of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story featured several unseen moments, including one that showed nerfs being herded amidst a desolate landscape.
Giving us a galactic gift that is sure to keep on giving, writer Gary Whitta took to social media this week to detail a nerf-herding scene that was originally included in the Rogue One script. He retweeted a series of storyboard panels from artist Matt Allsop who had shared a “snippet” of the hundreds of frames he illustrated for the standalone Star Wars movie.
“That first page of storyboard panels is from my first draft,” confirmed Whitta, who collaborated with director Gareth Edwards on 2016’s Rogue One. “Wherein Jyn led a rebel commando team to Edu (later re-spelled as Eadu), the planet where the Empire was building part of the Death Star. Yes, those are nerfs, and they were being herded!”
That first page of storyboard panels is from my first draft, wherein Jyn led a rebel commando team to Edu (later re-spelled as Eadu), the planet where the Empire was building part of the Death Star. Yes, those are nerfs, and they were being herded! https://t.co/DyFbAkBqur
The single frame pictured within the black-and-white storyboard panel depicts members of the nerf species being herded on the storm-stricken planet of Eadu, located in the Outer Rim Territories. Ultimately, the scene didn’t end up making it into the movie, but thankfully, one stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder became a very popular face in the Star Wars saga.
Nerf herding or not, we’re set to see more of the events surrounding Rogue One in the upcoming Star Wars: Andor series that is coming straight from the galaxy far, far away, and on to Disney+ in 2022. The series is confirmed to take place five years before the events of Rogue One and will follow Cassian Andor’s role in the growing Rebel Alliance.
Diego Luna is reprising his role as the morally conflicted Rebel agent for the Rogue One spinoff series alongside a star-studded ensemble of Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma. Series creator Tony Gilroy is also said to have a plan for K-2SO, but not until after the first season.
If I ever end up starting up a zombie elimination business, I’d screen potential new employees by having them play Resident Evil Village’s extra game mode The Mercenaries as an entrance exam. Not only does the mode’s fast-paced action test your shooting and close-combat skills, it simultaneously functions as the ultimate personality test. IGN got an exclusive hands-on with The Mercenaries at Capcom’s offices in Osaka, Japan. We got to play the mode’s first stage, which consists of multiple areas.
For fans of the series, unlocking The Mercenaries after beating the main game should feel like reuniting with an old friend, as the mode has been implemented in previous Resident Evil titles, as well as a 2011 standalone game on 3DS dedicated to the mode’s beloved fast-paced action. With Resident Evil 6 being the last title in the mainline series to include the mode, Village will be the first numbered title in over 8 years to come with The Mercenaries.
The rules are simple: Eliminate as many of each stage’s contingent of enemies as you can, and reach the goal before time runs out. Simply reaching the goal – which appears after defeating a certain amount of enemies – is enough to advance to the next area. However, most players will want to aim higher. The Mercenaries is all about clearing as many enemies as possible in each stage and doing it fast since the number of kills and time left when reaching the goal combine to create your score.
The stage we played was set inside the village, the game’s main location. While the first area was pretty straightforward, in later areas enemies were located on walls and rooftops, with the added verticality forcing us to alter our play style.
Before heading into a new area, the player is sent to a room that houses weapon merchant the Duke to prepare. The room has some free ammo offerings, and you can interact with the Duke to buy weapons, ammo, First Aid Med, and more. Just like in the main game, The Mercenaries also allows the player to upgrade weapons. In a similar vein to Resident Evil 4, you can increase your weapon’s power, rate of fire, reload speed, and ammo capacity. This new layer of preparation adds a strategic layer that was not present in past versions of The Mercenaries.
When preparing, focusing on one or two of the multiple weapons available will get you a long way. While enemy types and the layout of the next area play an important role in choosing how to prepare, in the long run, understanding your personal preferences is key to victory. If you feel comfortable with a shotgun, for example, don’t hesitate to upgrade it as much as your resources allow. You might even want to sell other weapons to use that money to focus purely on upgrading your shotgun. While it takes courage to throw away precious weapons, The Mercenaries rewards a player’s courage to focus on what he or she knows best.
Eliminating all 30 enemies in the first area within the time limit itself isn’t super difficult. Whenever you kill an enemy you gain a few extra seconds, and by obtaining a yellow orb you gain another 30 seconds, which felt pretty generous. Once the goal appears, the number of remaining enemies is shown on screen, and it becomes a task of finding and defeating them as quickly as possible. Obviously, the difficulty will ramp up with each stage, but in the end, The Mercenaries’ real challenge lies in aiming for a higher score.
As someone who doesn’t play first-person shooters on a competitive level, the new focus on strategy made the mode feel more welcoming. While your shooting and close combat skills will definitely be put to the test as defeating enemies with speedy combos will give you a higher score, knowing your strengths and preparing a strategy that matches those characteristics is just as important.
There are multiple blue orbs hidden within each area, each of which allows the player to choose from three different abilities to equip. Choose wisely, as you keep these abilities until the end of the game.
With my first blue orb, I got to choose between Blade Master (knives do five times more damage), Slow Motion (enemy movement decreases), and Super Guard (take less damage when blocking attacks). As I wanted to focus on melee attacks, Blade Master was an easy choice for me, and this was just the start. After coming across a few more blue orbs, my character was now able to move faster when equipped with a knife and the amount of damage taken by enemy attacks was significantly reduced. I had effectively built a close-combat specialist character, but I could instead have chosen skills based around using a machine gun, a sniper rifle, or many other weapons or play styles. Abilities allow you to build your character as you would in an RPG, but in a simplified manner that perfectly matches the mode’s fast-paced action.
When finding blue orbs, it’s important to choose an ability that matches the weapon you chose to enhance at the Duke’s shop – if you’ve been upgrading your shotgun, there’s not much point in choosing an ability that increases the power of your handgun. Finding the play style that suits you best and making choices accordingly as you kill enemy after enemy results in a rewarding balance between fast-paced action and strategic planning.
After my run was done, it was now time for my colleagues to give it a go. Hiroshi – IGN Japan’s FPS expert – chose a sniper rifle as his main weapon, while Daniel – IGN Japan’s Chief Editor – went with a machine gun.
It was not just each member’s weapon of choice that let us play differently: We each chose different ways to deal with the time limit and number of remaining enemies, too. When only a few creatures were left in each area, I more often than not chose to hurry to the goal to gain some extra bonus points for my remaining time. In the same situation, both Daniel and Hiroshi wouldn’t give up until they had found every single enemy, even if it would put them at risk of running out of time completely. But while Hiroshi stoically stuck to going for headshots with his sniper rifle regardless of the situation, Daniel was flexibly adapting to different situations and enemy types.
From weapon choice to character builds and just pure personality, it was impressive to see how much variation The Mercenaries allows and makes possible. I can’t wait to refine my own approach and adapt to different situations and enemy types once I get my hands on the full mode.
A new line of Pokemon clothing has been announced from the UK apparel brand Criminal Damage. The Pokemon-themed apparel ranges from T-shirts and sleeved tops to hoodies, all sporting imagery of the classic pocket monsters.
Because Criminal damage is a UK company, you may have to pay a bit extra for international shipping. The prices range from £35 (about $50) to £65 (about $90). The designs pay homage to the first generation of Pokemon, so there’s definitely some nostalgia at play here. This line is a limited edition, so once it sells out it probably won’t be back.
A series of three graphic T-shirts honor the three classic starters in their signature colors, and each one shows all three evolutions. Here you can see the undisputed best one, Squirtle.
Pikachu is the face of Pokemon, but this rhinestone-on-black image makes for a striking reverse exposure look. Plus he’s adopting such a cute pose, look at that little fella.
The boldest color of its hoodie line is this bright yellow Pikachu sweatshirt. He’s sporting a happy face, and it’s emblazoned with the number 25 to represent his spot in the Pokedex.
For times when you’re in a darker mood, there’s a hoodie honoring the classic Ghost-type trio: Ghastly, Haunter, and the fan-favorite Gengar.
2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the Pokemon series, which Nintendo is celebrating with new games, merch, and special guests. The first new Pokemon game of the year is New Pokemon Snap, a followup to the Nintendo 64 photography game, coming this Friday. Like a lot of beloved Nintendo moves in the last few decades, you can thank the late Satoru Iwata for it.
Video game retailer GameStop has completed its plan to sell 3.5 million shares to generate funds to help accelerate its transformation to become a successful company. GameStop has now sold those shares and the market value of them brought in about $551 million.
As announced previously, this money will be used to help with GameStop’s transformation efforts and for “general corporate purposes and further strengthening the company’s balance sheet.”
GameStop’s share price currently stands at around $180. It’s down from the madness of earlier in 2021 thanks to the Reddit short squeeze, but it’s still a massive increase over where the stock price was six months ago. The stock price is also higher that it has been for most of April 2021 which may be unusual when a company sells its own stock.
GameStop has big plans to turn things around, and this buyback could help give the company the cash it needs to execute on its strategy. The retailer recently hired a “Growth Officer” whose job it will be to oversee GameStop’s transition. GameStop also just hired new brand development and merchandising executives to help with this move.
Sherman is leaving GameStop with more than 1 million shares, which could be worth over $150 million, depending on how the company’s stock price fares. The Wall Street Journal reported that a series of other outgoing executives are receiving very lucrative exit packages.
As for what Cohen’s plan actually is to help make GameStop a profitable company again, Bloomberg cited sources saying he plans to push “rapidly” into e-commerce, taking some of his learnings from his pet food company Chewy and applying them to GameStop. He also plans to make GameStop’s customer service better and “aggressively” expand the products that GameStop offers. One major potential issue is that GameStop has a lot of physical stores, and the report said the plan is to close stores and transform the ones that do stay open into things like “training centers for aspiring esports gamers.”
Dark Universe was one of the biggest movie failures of recent years. It was Universal’s much-hyped series of interconnected monster movies that collapsed after the release of one film, the Tom Cruise-starring 2017 flop The Mummy. Now Eric Heisserer, one of the writers involved, has spoken about why it failed.
Speaking to The Playlist, Heisserer explained that there was very little agreement amongst the various writers that had been assembled to develop future Dark Universe films. “It was a very strange experience,” he said. “There was certainly a big brain trust of writers around the table. You had a lot of voices and none of them could agree on much. Much like when I’d visit my relatives for Thanksgiving and everyone’s arguing with each other.
“You had some people saying, ‘Should our monsters all be villains in these movies or can they all be heroes?’ And someone else would say, ‘We can build the plane when we fly it.’ And it’s me and Jon Spaihts at the table going, ‘That’s a terrible analogy. We don’t want to be on that plane. What are we doing here?'”
The movie that Heisserer and Spaihts were developing was based on legendary vampire hunter Van Helsing. But Heisserer admits that they had a “terrible motivation” for choosing it. “We were also like, ‘You know? I don’t think some of these movies are going to work at all,” he said. “So what if we create the character that kills the monsters in the movies that don’t work?”
Dark Universe officially launched in May 2017, shortly before the release of The Mummy. Other movies being developed included The Bride of Frankenstein with Angelina Jolie and The Invisible Man with Johnny Depp, but the commercial disappointment of The Mummy led to future films being delayed, then cancelled, and the whole venture was ultimately abandoned. Luckily, we still have this legendary tweet to remind us of the sorry saga.
Nevertheless, Universal is still planning a series of movies based on its monster properties. Last year’s The Invisible Man was a big commercial success, and other films currently in development include The Invisible Woman, to be directed by Elizabeth Banks, The Wolfman, starring Ryan Gosling, and a movie based on Dracula’s servant Renfield.
iOS update 14.5 has added native support for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S controllers to iPhone and iPad.
Available today, the 14.5 update is a major addition to iOS, adding app tracking transparency (meaning apps now need express permission to track user data), a workaround for those wearing face masks while unlocking their phone, new voices for Siri, and more. As part of that, game controller support via Bluetooth has been added, too.
The feature has been hotly anticipated for some time, with users previously forced to find workarounds or use the DualShock 4 while streaming from the PlayStation 5 in apps like PS Remote Play, in absence of proper DualSense support.
Players will also be able to use the DualSense and Series controllers with a compatible Apple TV if they own one, so they’ll be able to play Apple Arcade games on the big screen with a next-gen controller. You can find and install the update by heading to your Settings app, tapping the General tab and then scrolling down to Software Update.
There is a particularly memorable and quotable scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers when an Uruk-hai kills one of his comrades and then loudly declares, “Looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!” For years, commenters have pointed out that this line is a touch odd, given that Uruk-hai presumably would have no concept of what a menu is. Now, three of the actors involved in the scene have shared their thoughts on it.
Nathaniel Lees, who played the Uruk-hai Ugluk who delivered the iconic line, said in an interview with Thrillist that the choice to say “menu” was to meant to clarify that, “Menu is merely the choice of food available.” Once Ugluk killed the orc, Snaga, his “meat was back on the menu,” according to Lees.
Stephen Ure, who played the Orc captain Grishnakh who suggested maiming Pippin and Merry and eating parts of them, commented that there is plenty in The Lord of the Rings that doesn’t exactly make logical sense. Getting into costume, including extensive makeup and more, was a challenging and difficult experience, Ure said. So raising concerns to scriptwriters that could have delayed production and kept them in costume for longer was not something he wanted to do.
“There’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t really make sense. Of course they wouldn’t know what a menu was,” he said. “You’re not going to start debating the writing, because maybe then they are going to run away and rewrite it and then you are going to be sitting there in all that stuff. Really, at the end of the day, you just want it to be over and get out of that stuff.”
Ure said he’s baffled by how the “meat’s back on the menu” line became very famous. He also said it was probably written by Philippa Boyens, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who worked with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh on the scripts for all three movies.
“I had no idea that this scene had become so famous. There’s a lot of clunky things in there. It’s Philippa Boyens. She puts all this stuff in there that doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Jeb Brophy, who played the orc who had his head chopped off, said some “modern vernacular” slipped into the script for The Two Towers. Brophy said the “menu” line could be understood when you consider that Uruk-hai may be orcs bred with humans, making it at least theoretically possible that they might understand the concept of a menu.
“I guess when you look at Bilbo Baggins and the types of food he eats. They do talk about banquets, especially in Hobbiton. So ‘menu’ [could] be a common phrase. The Uruk-hai are orcs bred with humans, so who knows where that language comes from, really?” he said.
The full interview at Thrillist dives much deeper into this important matter and you can and should read the full thing to get the complete context.
When the most recent episode of Mayans MC–FX’s Sons of Anarchy sequel series–ended, fans were left with a potentially deadly turn of events for a fan-favorite character. In a season of the show that has seen the titular motorcycle club on the verge of falling apart–and that’s before you take into account that dead Sons of Anarchy member that still needs to be dealt with–this particular twist was heartbreaking.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Mayans MC, Season 3, Episode 7–“What Comes of Handlin’ Snakeskin.” If you haven’t watched the episode yet, stop reading this now and head over to FX on Hulu to catch up. Otherwise, please continue on.
After struggling with a heroin addiction all season, Coco (Richard Cabral) finally went too far. At the end of the episode, we see his lifeless body in his daughter Leticia’s (Emily Tosta) arms after an apparent overdose.
For Cabral, this was the culmination of three years of storytelling, with the seeds for Coco’s downfall having been planted back in the first season. “We were planning this right after Season 1, right? And for Season 2, it didn’t unfold like that,” the actor told GameSpot. “So me and [showrunner] Elgin James had this conversation right after Season 1 that we were gonna try to trickle this back [in] because it only made sense. How much greater a storyline is after you killed your [heroine-addict] mother, that all these demons will haunt you? It’s a beautiful arc.”
And it’s one that Cabral has a personal connection to. “It comes down to me and Elgin, and Elgin having an understanding of who he was prior to being in the industry and Elgin having an understanding of who I was prior to being in the industry,” he continues. “So there was a lot of personal influence that was able to come to Coco. And Elgin knew that I had a little bit more. Being that this is a Southern California story, being that this is a Mexican story, and being that there was heroin influence–and my family has been involved in heroin since the 1970s. I’ve seen it in a personal way.”
Still, while he worked with James to flesh out this particular story, the actual overdose of the character caught him off guard. However, in his mind, this is exactly what Coco wants.
“The first time when I first read the whole season, I didn’t catch [the overdose],” Cabral remembered. “I didn’t know that he was gonna die, but I didn’t even think twice about it because everything else is like he’s trying to attain death anyways. So if it’s not that, somehow this guy is trying to die.”
What makes it such a strong moment, though, is that it was Leticia who found him. “It truly just broke my heart. And I remember that day it was really hard,” the actor admitted. “I remember people behind the monitors just crying that day, you know, [because of Leticia] finding me, her dad, possibly dead in her arms.”
As for what happens next, fans will have to wait to find out. Mayans MC airs Tuesdays on FX.
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These days, you can stream media on practically any device that connects to the internet, from “smart” TVs to gaming consoles. But when it comes to devices dedicated to streaming, Roku is one of the biggest players on the market, offering a variety of inexpensive devices, TVs, and boxes that can play app-based media. The spectrum of Roku devices, of which there are many, can be overwhelming if you’re new to the brand’s products, so we’re breaking down all the top Roku devices, their capabilities, and what you can expect to pay. Here’s what you need to know before switching to Roku in 2021.
What is Roku?
Roku offers a line of devices you can use to download entertainment apps and watch content from all the best streaming services, including Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Netflix (though YouTube TV might soon disappear). Roku TVs come with the Roku OS and streaming capabilities built in. Roku also sells a line of boxes–devices that can connect to your TV via HDMI or wireless.
Roku isn’t designed to be part of an existing ecosystem. So if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber and/or have an Alexa device, for example, you may want to opt for a Fire Stick instead of a Roku. Similarly, the Apple TV 4K is designed for integration with Apple products, which makes it a great option for those who already have an iPhone in their pocket and an Apple Watch on their wrist. For people who aren’t particularly invested in either Apple or Amazon products, however, Roku devices can be a cheap and reliable option.
Roku devices and compatibility
The Roku Streaming Stick+ is one of the top Roku devices, capable of streaming in 4K with HDR.
Roku boxes
Roku offers a variety of boxes, ranging from $30 on the low end to $180 at the most expensive.
The Roku Express is the cheapest option at $30. This box is the most basic Roku product and only supports streaming in HD, making it the only Roku device incapable of 4K resolution and HDR. The Roku Express comes with the device itself, an HDMI cable, and a simple remote without voice search capability.
The Roku Express 4K+ is one step up at $40. This is a slight upgrade over the Roku Express, boasting 4K and HDR, plus a remote with voice search. This device connects wirelessly, with no HDMI needed. The Roku Streaming Stick+, on the other hand, plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and costs $50. It’s also capable of 4K and HDR, but is smaller and more portable than any other Roku device. Like the Express 4K+, the Roku Streaming Stick+ comes with a voice search-enabled remote.
The Roku Ultra is a major step up in terms of quality and price, but it comes with a higher list price of $100. With a quad-core processor, the Roku Ultra is fast and boasts 50% greater wireless range than cheaper Roku devices. Its other features include Bluetooth, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, private listening, and a lost remote finder. The Roku Ultra includes USB and Ethernet ports as well. Its remote is voice search-enabled and has programmable shortcut buttons.
Roku also sells a pair of Roku-enabled soundbars. The cheaper of the two options is the Roku Streambar ($130), which can connect to TVs and Bluetooth-enabled devices. The Roku Streambar is designed to amplify dialogue volume and dampen commercials. Its remote is also voice-search enabled. On the pricey end of the spectrum, the Roku Streambar Pro retails for $180 and has all the benefits of the basic Streambar, plus virtual surround sound and programmable shortcuts on the remote. Both soundbars are designed to be easily supplemented by additional speakers.
Some of these Roku devices rank on our list of the best streaming devices you can buy, including the best budget streaming device (Roku Express HD) and the best 4K streaming device (Roku Streaming Stick+). So if you’re on the fence about which Roku device is right for you, those are the top two we’d recommend.
Retailer exclusives
There are also a few retailer-exclusive Roku devices that differ only slightly.
Two devices are available exclusively through Walmart. At $35, the Roku Express 4K is five dollars cheaper than the Roku Express+. It’s the same in every way, except it comes with a simple remote that isn’t capable of performing voice search. The other exclusive, the Roku Ultra LT comes in at $69, with 4K, HDR, and a quad-core processor for added speed. It supports wired and wireless connections and comes with both headphones and a voice search-enabled remote with a headphone jack for private listening.
Best Buy also offers one exclusive device, the Roku Streaming Stick+ Headphone Edition, for $60. This device also comes with headphones that can jack into the voice search-enabled remote for private listening, but it’s otherwise indistinguishable from the Roku Streaming Stick+.
Roku TVs
Roku TVs come in hundreds of models from a wide variety of brands. Hisense, TCL, Sanyo, Westinghouse, JVC, Element, RCA, Philips, Hitachi, Magnavox, Onn, and InFocus all manufacture smart TVs that come with the Roku OS built in. Instead of needing to plug in a device, you can use the Roku interface on your TV out of the box–a convenient option for households that stream a lot of different media.
Though many brands offer TVs with Roku built in, the TCL 6-Series is one of the best options you can buy, offering great value for the price. The TCL 6-Series 4K TV with Roku offers a brilliant picture with mini-LED backlights and full-array local dimming. It also features a THX game mode that keeps input lag low and gameplay smooth.
Note that it doesn’t have HDMI 2.1 ports, which are required to take full advantage of next-gen console power with 4K and 120Hz, though the number of games supporting that is currently low (see our guide to the best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X if you’re willing to pay more for that future protection). But if you’re looking for an affordable Roku TV with a stunning 4K picture for streaming shows and movies, it doesn’t get better than the TCL 6-Series–and our friends over at CNET agree.
How Roku works
Unlike with a cable box, purchasing a Roku device is a one-and-done deal. You aren’t renting the equipment; you own it. All you need to do is create a Roku account, and once that’s sorted, you can add all your favorite apps, manage subscriptions, and stream content from your Roku device. In order to use Roku, you will need a consistent Internet connection–though Roku TVs, when paired with an antenna, can pick up local stations without the need for a Wi-Fi connection.
Once connected, you will interact with your Roku device using the included remote. The Roku OS has a tile-based look, and you can scroll through your apps using the directional pad on the remote or search for content across all apps. For example, searching “Tom Hanks” might bring up Castaway on Hulu, Greyhound on Apple TV+, Big on Disney+, and Saving Private Ryan on Netflix. You can do the same for other keywords like a movie’s title or a director’s name. This is incredibly convenient when you have a movie or show you want to watch, but aren’t sure which service it’s available on.
Do you need a Roku subscription?
You don’t need a paid subscription to use Roku. Buying your Roku device is a one-time purchase with no strings attached. However, Roku will require you to have a payment method on file when you create your account. This allows you to purchase videos on demand and pay for subscriptions like Netflix and HBO Max if you manage them through Roku–you won’t be charged otherwise. Roku doesn’t require a subscription on its own, but it does provide a hub for managing other services, including canceling or renewing streaming subscriptions. This can be convenient if you want to keep track of all of your subscriptions in one place.
What is the Roku Channel?
The Roku Channel is free and included with all Roku devices, which is good because it doesn’t offer much you would want to pay for (despite recently debuting its first original series). It can also be supplemented with premium subscriptions to Epix, Showtime, AMC+, and others. The Roku App, which is also free, functions as a voice-controlled remote. It allows private listening when watching on your TV and allows lets you watch the Roku Channel on the go. Using your phone, you can easily cast pictures or screen mirror to your TV using AirPlay 2 or the Google Home app.
Final thoughts: Is Roku worth it?
If you’re a console gamer, there’s really no reason to purchase a Roku device. Sony and Microsoft consoles support the vast majority of media apps, and while there are some holdouts (the Criterion Channel, for example, is not available on PS4 or PS5), the biggest apps are available on both families of consoles. But if you’re not a console gamer and aren’t invested in Apple or Amazon products, the Roku family of devices can be a great one-time purchase for those who want to stream content on a TV, and they tend to be more affordable.
If you want to watch a ton of streaming content and manage your subscriptions in one place (and don’t already own a game console or smart TV), Roku is a reliable and inexpensive solution, with a ton of different devices on offer designed to fulfill a wide variety of needs. Whatever your budget, you can find a Roku that won’t break the bank.
The new Mortal Kombat reboot is out in the wild, available to watch in theaters or on HBO Max (at least for the next month or so), but people are already talking about sequels. That might be because the final moments of the film not so subtly name drop one of the series’ core characters, Johnny Cage. Now, the wrestler and actor known as The Miz has a suggestion for who should play the arrogant martial artist: himself.
One of the biggest questions for Mortal Kombat fans ahead of the film’s debut was, “why isn’t Johnny Cage in the movie?” The director had a simple answer: there’s only room enough in the movie for one arrogant jerk, and the story centers heavily around Kano. Kano is an arrogant jerk. Johnny Cage is all but guaranteed to appear in any (currently unannounced) Mortal Kombat sequels, but the movie didn’t go so far as to give him a face.
Michael Mizanin, who wrestles as The Miz, put his name in the hat, saying “I AM the special effects. Let me do the casting for you” in a tweet accompanied by a picture of Cage from the games. Mizanin has been wrestling for almost 20 years and has a few films to his name, including direct-to-video films The Marine 3: Homefront up through The Marine 6: Close Quarters. In other words, while he may not be a superstar on the level of John Cena or Dwayne Johnson, he’s no stranger to being in front of the camera.
Ed Boon, one of the creators of Mortal Kombat and the current Creative Director of Mortal Kombat game developer NetherRealm Studios, backed up Miz’s self-promotion saying that the “guy makes a compelling case” in a retweet.
Commenters have responded to Boon’s retweet with varying levels of enthusiasm, with some suggesting that better casting than this would be impossible. Others, meanwhile, have dropped names like Arrow star Stephen Amell, who has extensive stunt fight experience thanks to his CW superhero show, and is currently filming a wrestling show called Heel for the Starz network; other fan-suggested names include actors like Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds, both of whom have extensive action resumes of their own.
Mortal Kombat is in theaters now. If you haven’t read any reviews, you can check out our review and see what other critics are saying about the film, which is helping the US Box Office reach new highs since last March when things began to shut down due to COVID-19. We also have covered a major change that’s throwing more than a few fans off, and of course scoured the movie for every single Easter egg.
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