For most people, working from home means swapping an office desk and clean clothes for a home desk and the same pajamas five days in a row. For Conan, it means swapping all the comforts of Warner Bros Studios for a stool in his house, a single camera, and technologically questionable webcam interviews.
The late night host had to pause his show early in March due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) update, but quickly vowed to continue to make the show happen using an iPhone and Skype interviews. The at-home show was developed both out of O’Brien’s desire to keep doing his show, and the need to keep the show’s staff paid and in jobs.
Conan is leaning into the lo-fi nature of home broadcast, swapping the slick opening sequence for a montage of webcam stills from all the people working from home to still make the show happen. In contrast to a lot of PSA-heavy programming, Conan also promised that the at-home show would contain no useful information at all, which could be a great move while everyone is in need of mindless distraction.
While the talk show format feels a little bizarre without live audience reactions, Conan still makes it work. The eight minute opening of the first home show has been posted on Conan’s YouTube Channel, while the rest of the episode featuring Adam Sandler will be broadcast on TBS as usual on Monday night. Other home episodes this week will feature Sophie Turner, Jesse Eisenberg, and Sean Hayes.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces cinemas to close worldwide, Sony has announced that numerous upcoming titles have been delayed to later dates, with most of their upcoming slate now scheduled for 2021. Deadline is reporting new release dates for several upcoming films, including much anticipated titles like Morbius and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Morbius, the Jared Leto-starring Spider-Man spin-off about the titular “living vampire,” will now release on March 19, 2021. It was originally scheduled for a July 31, 2020 release. Meanwhile, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has been knocked back to March 5, 2021; it was originally due on July 10.
Other films delayed include Greyhound, starring Tom Hanks, which was scheduled for a June 12 release but does not have a new date set. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway will now release on January 15, 2021, pushed back from August 7. Even films previously due in 2021 already are getting delayed–Kevin Hart vehicle Fatherhood will now release October 23, 2021, instead of its original date of January 15.
The Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg has been delayed yet again. This time, however, it’s not due to anything related to the creative direction of the film. Instead, Sony has delayed the movie as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The Uncharted movie has shifted from March 5, 2021 to October 8, 2021, a delay of around seven months. The delay is surely due to how production was postponed before it could even begin. Given how the COVID-19 crisis is evolving with new developments every day, it seems the movie’s new date is merely a projection.
Local governments around the world are not allowing people to gather in the same place for non-essential activities, and this impacts filmmaking. Until those restrictions are loosened or lifted, no movie or TV project is able to begin production again.
The Uncharted movie has been in the works for a decade already, shuffling through seven different directors and numerous scriptwriters. The cast is now set, however, with Holland attached to play a young Nathan Drake and Wahlberg as his mentor, Victor “Sully” Sullivan. Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas also has a role in the movie alongside Sophia Ali (Grey’s Anatomy) as the female lead. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actress Tati Gabrielle has also come aboard in a major role.
The Uncharted film will be directed by Ruben Fleischer, who previously directed the Zombieland movies and Venom for Sony. It’s written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who wrote the original Iron Man movie.
2019’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is getting a sequel. The film, which teamed up Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s characters (both formerly antagonists within the main series) for their own adventure, ends with set-up for a sequel that has now been confirmed.
This news comes via a fan Q&A on Johnson’s Instagram, as picked up on by GameSpot sister site Comicbook.com. According to The Rock, no director is attached yet, and it’s unclear when the film will shoot, but the next film is currently being developed. “(We) just gotta figure out the creative right now, and the direction we’re going to go,” the star said.
The release of a Hobbs & Shaw sequel wasn’t certain–the film did well at the box office, but it opened below most other films in the franchise, and was ultimately a big but not enormous hit, making $759 million worldwide.
In GameSpot’s 7/10 review of the first Hobbs & Shaw, Chris E. Hayner praised the movie despite it being extremely dumb. “It’s funny with massive-scale action, the likes of which you rarely see outside of this franchise. It’s loaded with car chases, explosions, and fight scenes in which every character should repeatedly die,” Hayner said. “It’s just unfortunate that the pieces of the film that aren’t soaked in action don’t add up.”
The next proper Fast & Furious title, F9, was due to be released on May 22, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak it’s been delayed to April 2, 2021. We’ll have to wait a while to figure out what the deal is with Han’s return–and we might need to wait for Hobbs & Shaw 2 to see proper justice served.
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Resident Evil: Resistance brings 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay to Capcom’s long-running survival horror series. As a side-story during the events of the outbreak in Raccoon City, Resistance includes many callbacks and references to classic Resident Evil while showing off a different side to the larger story. In each game, four players will face off against the might of one, who assumes the role of the architect behind the nightmare gallery filled with monsters and other deadly traps.
As the survivors, four players will need to work together to survive a gauntlet of the Umbrella Corporation’s most dangerous bio-weapons. Each of the six playable characters has their particular set of skills to overcome challenges in different locales around Raccoon City, and learning to communicate with others is key to survival. All the while, the fifth player in the game will assume the role of the test’s Mastermind, manipulating the traps, encounters, and other hazards from behind the scenes.
In this new video, we show off some gameplay from both sides of the conflict. Playing as the survivors, it focuses heavily on the classic formula of survival horror gameplay, where resources are scarce, and the enemies come in full force. Using firearms, melee weapons, and along with fever skills that buff you and your teammates, you’ll need to work with your squad to make through the test and escape. Throughout the trial, the Mastermind will need to use all manner of advanced technology and bio-weapons to spawn in enemies to overwhelm the survivors. But when the time is right, the Mastermind can also call in a Tyrant and assume direct control of it to go in for the attack against the survivors.
Resident Evil: Resistance will release on April 3 with Resident Evil 3 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Season 5 of Call Of Duty: Mobile content is arriving soon, and with it come two newly unlockable characters from the Black Ops series. Black Ops 2 protagonist David “Section” Mason and Black Ops 3‘s war robot Reaper will be available on the Battle Pass from April 1.
David Mason is the son of Alex Mason, who was made available in Call of Duty: Mobile in the second season Battle Pass. The two acted as dual protagonists in Black Ops 2, with the main story split across two timelines.
Reaper is one of the nine Specialists from the more sci-fi-leaning sequel Black Ops 3, an experimental war robot who shows signs of sentience.
Season 5 is named Steel Legion, and not only features the two Black Ops characters but also introduces the classic Black Ops 2 nuclear-themed map Meltdown to CoD’s mobile title. You can check out Activision’s in-depth tips for playing Meltdown on mobile at the Call of Duty blog, with the map already live ahead of the season launch.
The season 5 Battle Pass also includes the Magmacomb weapon camo series, including the M4 assault rifle, the AK117 assault rifle, and the M21 EBR sniper.
The new season adds a new game mode–2v2 Showdown, which is exactly what it sounds like. The pair-based brawls will feature randomized loadouts, no health regen, and victory comes through either eliminating the other team or capturing the overtime flag.
Call of Duty: Mobile is available on iOS and Android, with Season 5: Steel Legion dropping on April 1.
Veteran TV writer Gennifer Hutchison–whose credits include Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show for Amazon–is doing her part to help people facing hardship during the COVID-19 crisis.
For a period of time on Twitter, Hutchison was giving away $100 to everyone who replied to her tweet or sent her a DM. “The end of the month is always stressful, and pandemic makes it worse,” Hutchison wrote. “If you need a little help right now, let me know. No need to justify. I’ll take you at your word you could use the hand.”
Hutchison said she gave away $100 to as many people as she could before wrapping up. “If I didn’t get to you, I’m sorry. I’ll try to do this again if I can,” Hutchison wrote. “And if you have the means, please scroll the replies and send some folks a little help.”
The end of the month is always stressful, and pandemic makes it worse. If you need a little help right now, let me know. No need to justify, I’ll take you at your word you could use the hand. Reply/DM with your venmo, and I’ll send you 100$. I’ll do this for as many as I can.
Okay, I have to stop. I can’t send anymore. If I didn’t get to you, I’m sorry. I’ll try to do this again if I can. And if you have the means, please scroll the replies and send some folks a little help.
Persona 5 Royal adds tons of new content, chief among them is the new third semester that also contains the ninth and final palace, all of which happen after the events of the original game. But it’s possible to miss all those features entirely if you don’t meet certain requirements. It’s an absolute must to see all the game has to offer, so here’s everything you need to do to unlock the new content, as spoiler free as possible.
The gist of this is that you need to rank up three separate Confidants to certain ranks before specific dates. Some of the ranks are gated by certain days and events, and if you don’t rank them up by then, you’ll miss out on extra gameplay and the new, major story arcs. We have everything detailed below.
Goro Akechi (Justice Confidant)
First, let’s start with Goro Akechi, the Justice arcana. In the original Persona 5, Akechi’s Confidant arc was tied to story events and was unmissable, but in P5R you choose to spend time with him. You’ll first meet Akechi in early June when you take the class field trip to the TV Station. This is an unmissable story event that kicks off rank 1.
After rank 1 he’ll be in Kichijoji, the new area in Persona 5 Royal, to hang out. He’ll be a catalyst to show you some of the new things you can do like play billiards and relax at the jazz club. You can achieve ranks 2 to 5 right after rank 1, and there’s no time gate on them. However, his Confidant rank 3 requires you to have Knowledge and Charm stats at rank 3 before engaging.
Rank 6 is locked until a story event on September 3, and he’ll be waiting for you in Leblanc. Ranks 7 and 8 are then locked until November 2, but you must complete both before November 18. A word of advice: make sure you’re prepared to fight for rank 8, though you can always retry if you don’t succeed. If you do all those things correctly, ranks 9 & 10 will unlock automatically as the story progresses.
Kasumi Yoshizawa (Faith Confidant)
Next, let’s move on to Kasumi Yoshizawa, the new transfer student at Shujin Academy. You’ll bump into Kasumi on the train early on, but you won’t truly interact with her until the new park clean-up event on May 30. This is an unmissable story event, and you’ll reach rank 1 with her and open up her Confidant route (she holds the Faith arcana).
You’ll notice that Kasumi only has five Confidant ranks which is different from everyone else. Ranks 2 to 5 aren’t gated by anything and can be easily unlocked after you officially meet her–you’ll find her hanging out in Kichijoji. You have until December 22 to do all of this so no pressure…but don’t slack off, unless Kawakami says it’s okay.
Takuto Maruki (Councillor Confidant)
Finally, the last important Confidant to ensure you reach the extra semester and palace, is Shujin Academy’s very own guidance counselor Takuto Maruki, who holds the Councillor arcana. Maruki joins the story after the first palace and is hired by the school to help the students through their problems. There’s an automatic story event that introduces him, and since you and your friends have endured traumatic experiences, you’re required to go visit him early on. From there you’ll reach rank 1 with him, and throughout the story, you’ll even see moments of your fellow Phantom Thieves receiving counseling from him as well.
Ranks 2 to 5 can be achieved immediately after that, and he’ll be hanging in front of the nurses office on Monday’s and Friday’s after school. Ranks 6 to 9 are then gated until September 20. You can also do ranks 1 through 9 after September 20 if you choose since you won’t be locked out if you wait that long. However, you will be locked out of rank 10 if you do not reach rank 9 by November 17. Rank 10 then happens automatically on November 18 if you have reached rank 9 by then.
It’s also worth noting that Maruki raises your SP cap and grants abilities like Detox, Flow, and Mindfulness which are extremely useful. He’s also a refreshing personality and you honestly should just meet with him regardless; he provides perspective for mental health, which will be very important by the time you reach the new content.
A Few More Tips
To rank up Confidants faster, make sure you’re carrying a Persona with the same arcana as the person you’re hanging out with–you’ll receive more points for proper dialogue options. Oh and lastly, make sure to refuse any deal that would compromise your morals throughout the course of the story.
If you accomplish all these steps then you should be ready for the brand new palace, third semester, and everything that comes with them. When you follow through on the new final boss, make sure you have everyone’s Baton Pass at rank 3 (which levels up by playing darts throughout the game)–trust us on this one.
Michael Bay has set his production company Bay Films up for a multi-year first look deal with Sony, as reported by Deadline. This returns Michael Bay to Sony, which is where he got his start as a director with the original Bad Boys, and will see him directing and producing several films for the company.
Bay’s most recent film, 6 Underground, was one of the most popular releases on Netflix in 2019, and was viewed over 100 million times. He’s currently attached to direct Black Five for Sony, an ensemble drama based on his own idea, from a script written by Ehren Kruger (Top Gun: Maverick).
While Bay has had a career full of clunkers, there’s also plenty of bright spots in his filmography, including The Rock and Pain & Gain. His Transformers films were not received well critically, but they were huge successes, with two entries (Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction) grossing over $1 billion worldwide.
Bay will also produce television shows for Sony. While he’s mostly known for his work as a director, Bay has been successful as a TV producer for a while now, having previously served as an executive producer on shows like Amazon’s Jack Ryan, Black Sails, and The Last Ship.
No shows have been announced out of the deal as of yet, but production is stalled across Hollywood due to the COVID-19 pandemic–it might be a while before we learn more about what Michael Bay is working on.
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If there’s anything we can count on in these uncertain times, it’s that Target will continue to offer buy two, get one free sales on video games, and Amazon will continue to price-match them. These B2G1 sales have become fairly common at the two retailers, offering a nice way to snag a bundle of new games for a fraction of the price. And this week, you can take advantage of the latest B2G1 sale at Amazon, which includes many PS4 and Xbox One games along with a few Switch titles. Unsurprisingly, some of these deals are beginning to sell out, and delivery dates will likely take longer than usual as Amazon prioritizes health and household goods. Be sure to check out Target’s B2G1 sale as well for even more options.
Amazon’s B2G1 sale spans not only video games but toys, board games, electronics, and more. To take advantage of the deal, just add three items from the sale page to your cart. At checkout, you’ll see a “multi-buy discount” that slashes off the price of the cheapest item in your cart. Keep that in mind as you select your three items–it may behoove you to pick three items at similar price tags.