Did You Catch These Easter Eggs in The Venom 2 Trailer?

Stan Lee may have passed away back in 2018, but his legacy of popping up in Marvel movies lives on. The comic book co-creator was featured as a very stealthy Easter egg in the Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage trailer, which dropped earlier today–but the moment passed by so quickly it was easy to miss. Give the trailer another watch to see if you can spot him.

If you need some help, here’s a shot of the moment. As Eddie (and Venom) make their way into Mrs. Chen’s convenience store, you can clearly see Stan’s face as the cover of a magazine on the symbiotic duo’s right hand side.

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Ironically, Lee had no hand in the creation of Venom, who was a joint effort between David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, or Carnage, who was created by Michelinie and Mark Bagley. He did, however, famously co-create Spider-Man alongside Steve Ditko, and while the Sony Venom movies have yet to officially intersect with the Spider-Man universe or the MCU in any way, the possibility isn’t off the table–especially given the buzz surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home and the way it seems to be bringing the pre-MCU Spider-Man films into the multiversal fold with cameos from old favorites like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock.

Another blast from the past in Easter egg form was the logo of the Daily Bugle as seen in the trailer, which was lifted directly from the original Sam Raimi film trilogy. You can see Detective Mulligan reading the paper with a front page article about Carnage himself, Cletus Kasady, in his office. As he closes the paper, you can even glimpse what seems to be another paper pinned to the wall with a headline that could read “Avengers Lost To Nightmare.”

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There’s a small chance this is a deliberate nod to the Marvel comics villain Nightmare, who was one of the front running theories alongside Mephisto for a WandaVision big bad. Obviously, that never panned out, but some fans have already begun theorizing that Nightmare may feature in the upcoming Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, which is being directed by Raimi. Of course, with so little to work from at the moment it’s impossible to say for sure–and, as far as we know, the Venom film franchise does not actually intersect with the MCU (yet), meaning there are no Avengers in that particular universe to speak of. Still, anything is possible and it’s never too early to start theorizing.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits theaters on September 24.

Fortnite 16.40 Patch Notes Prepare For A Fishy Wild Week

Another Fortnite update is upon us, and this time, the 16.40 patch notes hint at what’s to come for the next Wild Week theme, while also swapping one Exotic weapon for another. Here’s everything in tomorrow’s update according to the Fortnite 16.40 patch notes.

Downtime for the Fortnite patch 16.40 will begin on May 11 at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET, with the game coming back online some hours later, typically early morning Eastern time so long as Epic doesn’t run into any complications.

Once the game is back online, players can expect to find a new Exotic weapon on the island: the Marksman Six Shooter. It’s unclear which NPC will be selling this new exclusive weapon, though Deadfire seems to be a good match. As one new Exotic arrives, another departs. The sawed-off shotty, The Dub, will leave the game with this update, so use it today if you want to say goodbye for now.

Epic is also teasing new “summer-themed” items in Creative mode, but even the game’s thriving datamining community is stumped as to what that may entail. With another Wild Week set to kick off on Thursday, May 13, players can expect a boost to fishing. Both the patch notes and the Week 9 challenges hint toward that being the emphasis.

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You can find the full Fortnite 16.40 patch notes here:

  • Line ‘em up and knock ‘em down with the Exotic Marksman Six Shooter
  • Woman surfing New summer-themed additions in Creative
  • Tropical fish Catch a win in the next Wild Week starting May 13
  • Exotic weapon The Dub to be vaulted

Once the update is live, we’ll be sure to have a guide on where to find the Marksman Six Shooter. Until then, acquaint yourself with the new Fortnite Wild Weeks. This week’s theme of fire is still ongoing until Thursday, so jump in soon to find a surplus of fire-based weapons and open flames that travel farther and faster–and do more damage along the way.

Also coming to Fortnite this week is the latest DC superhero, Beast Boy.

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Spiral: From The Book Of Saw Twitter Reactions Are In

Spiral: From The Book of Saw–the ninth movie in the Saw franchise–is finally debuting in theaters soon. It releases on May 14 after seeing numerous delays because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, members of the press who have seen the film prior to its release are discussing their thoughts on the latest Saw movie.

Official reviews will arrive this week, but first responses to Spiral have arrived online. Critics from Bloody Disgusting, The Wrap, and others seem to love the new direction this horror movie takes. Check out some of the quick takes for Spiral below.

The latest installment of the Saw franchise follows Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock as two detectives who have teamed up with a rookie–played by Max Minghella–and come across a string of murders that are reminiscent of Jigsaw. While investigating, Rock’s character has become the focal point for the killer’s next game.

Rock also served as executive producer on the film and had a hand in reviving the franchise–which had its last release in 2017 with Jigsaw, which wasn’t that long ago. Rock told Digital Spy he wanted to bring some iconic traps back for the latest movie. “‘That reverse bear trap could work again, you know, or the one with the needles,” Rock said. “I mean, I was game for that. You can’t half jump into this genre. You’ve got to jump into it, or the fans are going to know. You know what I mean? You can’t be above any of it.”

Speaking of games, a Saw fan account on Twitter had a bizarre back-and-forth with the Spiral account, where the fan account threatened to delete the upcoming movie. Sure, it may have been a marketing ploy for the upcoming movie, but it sure was hilarious. Back in March, fans got a better look at the upcoming movie with a dark and mysterious trailer.

NBC Won’t Air 2022 Golden Globes, Tom Cruise Returns Awards

Update: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has responded to the news of NBC canceling the 2022 telecast of the Golden Globe Awards. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the HFPA said, “Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly–and as thoughtfully–as possible remains the top priority for our organization. We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large.” The group also revealed several of the changes it plans to make in the coming months, which you can read on THR. The original story follows.

NBC has officially made the decision to not air the Golden Globe Awards in 2022. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network made the choice after a severe backlash in recent months against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on the annual awards for movies and TV.

In a statement, NBC said, “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”

The network dropping the telecast comes as the HFPA faces criticism for a lack of diversity in its membership. It was revealed in February by the LA Times that there were no black members of the organization, which consisted of 87 journalists. Following that, the HFPA announced potential reforms to its laws and memberships included adding “at least 20 new members in 2021, with a specific focus on recruiting Black members.” The group also set a goal of increasing its membership by 50% over the next 18 months. Other changes proposed by the HFPA were eliminating the requirement that members reside in Southern California and that new members must be sponsored by those already in the group.

As for the backlash against the HFPA, it spreads far beyond NBC’s dropping the show. According to Deadline, Mission Impossible franchise star Tom Cruise has sent the three Golden Globes he’s won back to the organization in protest. Meanwhile, Netflix announced it would be “stopping any activities with [the HFPA] until more meaningful changes are made.” Likewise, Amazon announced it wasn’t dealing with the organization currently. “We have not been working with the HFPA since these issues were first raised, and like the rest of the industry, we are awaiting a sincere and significant resolution before moving forward,” a statement from Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke read.

As for what happens next, it remains unclear if the Golden Globes would be picked up by another network or streaming entity in 2021.

Image credit: Getty Images/Christopher Polk/NBC

No More Heroes 3 Gets A New Tongue-In-Cheek Trailer That (Poorly) Explains The Series

No More Heroes 3 is coming later this year, and developer Grasshopper Manufacture has dropped a new age-gated trailer that explains the series so far…well, sort of. If you’re familiar with the games of series director Suda 51, you probably know that his work has an offbeat and bizarre flavor, and this trailer is no different.

The trailer explains that series hero Travis Touchdown is an otaku who bought a beam sword at an online auction and became an assassin. In No More Heroes 1 and its sequel Desperate Struggle, Travis managed to climb the official assassin rankings to become #1. The trailer also claims that the franchise’s latest entry, Travis Strikes Again, was the kind of “experimental game that will be fawned over in ten years,” with a censored image of the game’s mixed Metacritic score as an in-joke.

As with most of Suda 51’s work, the trailer has no qualms about breaking the fourth wall. For example, it also explains that the controllable character Bad Girl was killed by Travis in a previous game, only to be resurrected by “some weird game console, or whatever.” The trailer also appeals to gamers in a direct and somewhat disgusting way, telling them to play the game until your controller is “covered in grease.” Tasty. Franchise heroine Sylvia also recommends you play the game for only ten hours a day, or “you’re seriously gonna die.” We’ll see about that when the game releases on August 21, 2021 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

Now Playing: No More Heroes III + NMH 1 & NMH 2: Desperate Struggle – Nintendo Switch Gameplay Reveal Trailer

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WoW Classic’s Auction House Is Shutting Down For 5 Days Ahead Of The Burning Crusade Pre-Patch

World of Warcraft: Classic’s auction houses will be going offline for roughly five days in preparation for the arrival of the Burning Crusade expansion pre-patch on May 18.

As revealed by Blizzard on the game’s official forums, auction houses across all WoW Classic servers will be shutting down at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET on May 14, and won’t be brought back online until the arrival of the game’s Burning Crusade pre-patch following server maintenance on May 18. The move is being done to help get the game’s existing servers ready for their Burning Crusade upgrade, as well as to prepare new, Classic Era servers which won’t receive the pre-patch.

Blizzard is advising players not to post items on the auction house shortly before May 14, as nobody will be able to use the auction house during the maintenance period and deposit fees for posting items will be unable to be refunded.

The auction house is the game’s primary means of selling various items in-game and is an essential part of WoW Classic’s economy. With no auction house for five days, players will simply have to advertise their goods in the game’s trade and general chat and manually trade items and gold with one another. This already happens to some extent, but forcing the entire server to interact with one another to obtain raid consumables or enchanting materials, instead of simply clicking on the lowest priced listing on the auction house, should make for an interesting, if brief, economic experiment.

While anticipation is high for the Burning Crusade’s arrival on June 1, many in the game’s community have been less than thrilled with some of the announcements surrounding the game’s official release, including the shorter-than-usual two-week-long pre-patch, expensive character cloning fees, and pricey microtransactions that weren’t present in the original game.

Now Playing: World of Warcraft Classic: Burning Crusade Reveal Trailer | BlizzCon 2021

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Hunting Simulator Open Country’s New Gameplay Trailer Shows You Can Pet The Dog

Publisher 505 Games has dropped a new gameplay trailer for the outdoor survival simulator Open Country. The video highlights the environments to explore while hunting wildlife, as well as the dog companion that players can take on their journey.

The two-minute trailer is a narrated affair. The voice calls attention to some of Open Country’s features, such as the distinct personalities of each map and the behaviors of the “indigenous creatures” that react idiosyncratically to others. Players will make their way through the wildness using wits, bushcraft skills, and weapons to survive.

But the pièce de résistance of developer Funlabs’ outdoor hunting survival simulator is the friendly dog companion players can take on their excursions. The hunting dog, which is currently nameless, looks like a black Labrador and can complete all manner of tasks, from discovering animal tracks to obeying basic commands.

There are also various vehicles to aid in getting around Open Country’s vast wild, including snowmobiles, ATVs, and steamboats. Of course, animals will respond to the rumbling engine noises, so players will need to be careful when using them.

Open Country also features a character creator, some “broad series of story-based quests,” challenges like time trials and shooting ranges, and extension crafting and character progression. Open Country hits PC and Xbox One on June 3.

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Get One Of The Best Nintendo Switch Controllers For Less Today

The Nintendo Switch is one of the best consoles from the Mario makers, and it’s quickly becoming one of its best-selling, too. But there’s no question that the hybrid console could really use some better ergonomics when on the go. Thankfully, peripheral-maker Hori has a fantastic alternative with its Split Pad Pro, which you can pick up atAmazon today for a discounted price of $40.50.

$40.50 (was $50)

The Hori Split Pad Pro is rather massive when compared to the regular Nintendo Joy-Cons, but it makes up for that in the sheer comfort you’ll find when using it. The traditional controller sculpt gives you far more grip of the Switch, while the improved D-Pad and larger face buttons might make some games a lot easier to play over an extended period. The deal today is exclusive to the Midnight Blue variant, which does look nice if you’re not all about a flashy, attention-seeking Switch.

You will sacrifice HD Rumble, NFT support, and some battery life when using the Hori Split Pad Pro, but the comfort benefits might be worth it. There are so many third-party Switch controllers that it’s sometimes hard to decide which one to get. But in our testing, we’ve found the Hori Split Pad Pro to be one of the best out there, with the controller ranking highly in our list of best Nintendo Switch controllers. With today’s discount it even costs close to half of a traditional pair of Joy-Cons, which makes it rather tempting.

If you’re looking for more Switch deals, Best Buy is still running a promotion of an assortment of Nintendo Switch games, including savings on Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and more. Check out our full round-up of today’s best deals, from SSDs to monitors, right here.

Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon Gets Dramatic First Image

The first image from Martin Scorsese’s next major movie has been released by Apple, showing Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in their starring roles in a scene from the film. The image shows off the film’s stark visual style, lighting, and of course how the actors will appear as their respective characters of Ernest and Mollie Burkhart.

Like the 2017 non-fiction book by journalist David Grann, the film’s plot investigates a series of murders of wealthy Osage people that took place in Osage County, Oklahoma in the early 1920s–after big oil deposits were discovered beneath their land. However, after being legally awarded the rights and high profits, complications arise, and the Osage people wind up receiving little, if any, money. Check out the first picture below to get a sense of what this story will look like–more production photos are expected soon.

In addition to DiCaprio and Gladstone, it was recently announced that indigenous actor William Belleau (Twilight), Louis Cancelmi (The Irishman), singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson will join a previously announced starring cast that includes Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons. The film doesn’t yet have a release date, but per the above shared photo, production got underway in Oklahoma in late April.

“We are thrilled to finally start production on Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma. To be able to tell this story on the land where these events took place is incredibly important and critical to allowing us to portray an accurate depiction of the time and people,” Scorsese said (via Collider). “We’re grateful to Apple, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, and The Osage Nation, especially all our Osage consultants and cultural advisors, as we prepare for this shoot. We’re excited to start working with our local cast and crew to bring this story to life on screen and immortalize a time in American history that should not be forgotten.”

Halo Infinite: New Weapon, Vehicle, And Brute Enemies Revealed

Halo developer 343 Industries has shared some images of a brand-new vehicle, weapon, and Brute enemy that are coming to Halo Infinite.

The new vehicle is called the Razorback, and it’s described in a blog post as the Warthog’s “more spacious and robust cousin.” According to 343, it’s “perfect for crashing Banished house parties with and taking on scenic drives.” You can see some concept art for it below.

It bears a resemblance to Halo’s iconic Warthog, but as is immediately obvious, there is no machine gun. In fact, it doesn’t look like it’s weaponized at all. It’s possible this is a vehicle purely for traversal, or perhaps this is just one variant of the Warthog. Either way, it looks great. Presumably it will be available both in campaign and multiplayer, as is often the case for Halo’s vehicles.

As for the new weapon, the Scrap Cannon is a Brute weapon that is “deadly and detachable,” according to 343. Its nickname early in development was “gatling mortar.” It’s at least the second new Brute weapon to be revealed for Halo Infinite, following the Skewer.

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Finally, 343 showed off some concept art for two “Brute brothers” whom players will meet on their journey in Halo Infinite. 343 said they aren’t fans of Spartans, so it sounds like players will be fighting them in the campaign. Additionally, 343 teased that it will have more to share about other members of the evil Banished faction in the “coming months.

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A big news event for Halo Infinite is coming this summer, though Microsoft has yet to formally announce it. We’re also expecting to learn more about Halo Infinite’s beta plans. Recently, Microsoft’s Joseph Staten teased a potential new Halo Infinite trailer.

After a delay, Halo Infinite will release this holiday for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It’s included on Game Pass, while the multiplayer element is free-to-play.

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