Sharkey the Bounty Hunter Offers Shallow Sci-Fi Fun

Most readers know what to expect from Mark Millar’s comics at this point. On the plus side, there’s always a strong elevator pitch, an irreverent sense of humor and an A-List artist as major selling points. On the down side, these projects too often come up lacking in terms of depth and nuance. Sharkey the Bounty Hunter is no exception. The first issue is an entertaining romp, but it doesn’t dig in deep enough with its characters and setting to truly make a name for itself.

The title character may be this series’ biggest problem right off the bat. Sharkey is an intergalactic bounty hunter who’s good at his job but less adept at dealing with the mountain of debt he’s accumulated. When the ultimate payday opportunity comes along, Sharkey sees an opportunity to end his money woes once and for all. That’s about the long and short of it. He may look like a purple Freddie Mercury, but otherwise Sharkey is basically your textbook outlaw protagonist with a heart of gold.

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Ghostbusters Director Says Reboot Will ‘Hand the Movie Back to the Fans’

The director for the upcoming Ghostbusters movie, Jason Reitman, has said his movie is intended to appeal to fans of the first two films.

In an interview on Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast (via The Playlist) Reitman, the son of the original films’ director Ivan Reitman, made several comments that perhaps distance this movie from the 2016 reboot. Reitman believes this film will be more in line with the original Ghostbusters films, citing his own attachment to the movies that were made in his youth.

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Netflix’s Russian Doll: Season 1 Ending Explained

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Russian Doll on Netflix. Obviously.

Now that you’ve made it through the tumultuous and triumphant Russian Doll – which is a surefire Year’s Best contender (read our Russian Doll review here) – we can dig into the ending in an attempt to decipher what actually happened.

Keep in mind, Russian Doll isn’t a show about hard answers. It’s about feelings, themes, and comic connectivity that doesn’t easily break down into solvable equations. Like 1993’s Groundhog Day, which is pop culture ground zero for the “repeat the day” premise this series lovingly lassos, there’s no conclusive answer for the surreal and supernatural happenstance that’s afflicting Nadia and Alan.

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Skull & Bones TV Show Starts Production Before Ubisoft’s Game Even Comes Out

Ubisoft has announced it’s teaming up with Atlas Entertainment to develop a TV series that adapts its upcoming pirate adventure game, Skull & Bones. In a rather surprising vote of confidence, Ubisoft is starting production on the show before Skull & Bones even releases.

“Ubisoft is known for creating innovative video games that combine immense worlds with rich narratives,” Ubisoft director of development for television Danielle Kreinik told The Hollywood Reporter. Kreinik is scheduled to be executive producer on the new series alongside Ubisoft film and television head Jason Altman.

The Skull & Bones TV series is described as a female-driven drama that takes place in the same setting and time period as the game: the Indian Ocean at the end of the golden age of piracy. Amanda Segal, who’s previously been an executive producer for Person of Interest and The Mist, is scheduled to write the series’ pilot episode.

Skull & Bones isn’t the first video game Ubisoft has adapted for other media. In 2016, Assassin’s Creed got its own live-action movie starring Michael Fassbender. That same year, Ubisoft announced The Division would be getting a movie as well, which will star Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain. The Division movie is being both written and directed by Oscar winner Stephen Gaghan, and Ubisoft has confirmed it is “well on the way.” Ubisoft’s Women’s Film and Television Fellowship is creating additional adaptations as well, including Child of Light and Werewolves Within.

Skull & Bones builds on what made Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag great, with its surprisingly deep ship-to-ship combat. One of Skull & Bones’ modes, called The Hunting Grounds, is a PvPvE shared-open world competition “where every player encounter matters.” In this mode, you sail the Indian Ocean and loot merchant ships, set up trade routes, or attack other vessels. You can team up with others to take on more formidable threats, or betray the players you encounter and steal away their treasure.

Skull & Bones is scheduled to launch for Xbox One, PS4, and PC in 2019.

Anthem Gets A Tie-In Comic Ahead Of Release

Freelancers and perspective Freelancers rejoice, Dark Horse has just given you an opportunity to expand your understanding of the high stakes, mech-infested world of Anthem even further with a brand new, three issue prequel comic. Creative team Alexander Freed, Mac Walters, and Eduardo Francisco have jumped into the years leading up to the player’s journey in the game with two characters–Kismet, a young orphan who was originally created for the comic, and Jani, his adopted sister who will feature in the game as an adult.

In an interview with GameSpot, Freed described the comic’s story as something fans both new and familiar to Anthem’s in-game lore can appreciate. “[For new fans], it’s an intimate, character-driven adventure in an alien world, taking a look at what it means to grow up and find purpose on a dangerous frontier. Flying power armor and over-the-top monsters and imaginative technology live alongside sibling rivalries and small-town dreams. For someone already passionate about the game, the comic is a way of diving deeper into the setting, exploring what daily life is like in the world of Anthem, and providing more background on certain characters and events. A comic can’t match the visceral intensity of a video game, but it can offer depth in places the game can’t.”

Take a look at the first seven pages from issue number one here in this exclusive preview.

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On the design side, artist Eduardo Francisco spoke about the challenge of matching BioWare and EA’s specific design aesthetics for a new medium. “BioWare’s artists beautifully crafted the backgrounds, armor, and every single detail, and every element has a purpose or function in the game,” he said. “In a way, it was intimidating to try to match that quality in sequential pages. I had to find a way to simplify the elements in the scene to optimize the production, so I just focused on storytelling. Kismet is original to the comics, so his design was up to me. The other main character in the comics, Jani, will appear in the game, as an adult. Jani appears as a young girl in issue #1, so I just needed to reverse engineer her appearance based on how she looks as an adult in the game.”

And speaking of Jani and Kismet, Freed continued by teasing the importance of their relationship in Anthem’s ongoing story. ” Without giving too much away, Jani and Kismet are both troubled youths who balance out one another’s extremes. Alone, each spirals into self-destructive behavior–Jani, born in Fort Tarsis, is desperate for a thrill to make her forget her difficult home life, and Kismet is brilliant but traumatized and fearful from a childhood encounter with the horrifying Scars. Over time, each finds a role among Anthem’s strange factions. But balance is rarely stable, and the pendulum swings back and forth. Jani and Kismet are in for a rough road.”

It’s that rough road and tenuous balance that will propel the final two issues of the prequel forward, Freed said, while continuing to expand on the depth and the mythology of the game’s rich world.

Anthem #1 is on sale now. Make sure to check out GameSpot’s review in progress of Anthem, which Kallie Plagge said, “I’m currently treating Anthem’s disparate missions as an excuse to try a new weapon or special attack, which, combined with flight, gives me incentive to keep going. I’m hoping that I get more out of the story as I go on, but so far it’s too generic to get its hooks in me. I’ll keep playing on PC–I’ve luckily only been kicked due to server issues twice–so look out for the full review in the next few days.”

Thor’s Chris Hemsworth to Play Hulk Hogan in Biopic

Chris Hemsworth will star as Hulk Hogan in an upcoming biopic about the world-famous wrestler.

According to THR, Hemsworth is set to play Hogan in the film, which will be directed by Todd Phillips, who’s currently directing the upcoming Joker film with Joaquin Phoenix. Scott Silver, the co-writer of Joker, will pen the film.

The Netflix film will reportedly focus on Hogan’s rise to fame and will be similar to an origin story. Per THR, the film will not focus on recent events in Hogan’s life, including a high-profile lawsuit against Gawker, which had published a sex tape of Hogan.

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Chris Hemsworth To Star In Hulk Hogan Biopic, Brother

Whacha gonna do when Thor trades in Mjolnir for a handlebar mustache and 24-inch pythons, and then runs wild all over you? Although the immortal Hulk Hogan has had some controversial moments in the past decade, he is still synonymous with wrestling. And now, he’ll be played by Chris Hemsworth in an upcoming film.

The film will be directed by Todd Philips and written by Scott Silver, who are currently working on the DC Comics movie, Joker. According to THR, Michael Sugar and Bradley Cooper will produce the movie under their banner Joint Effort. Additionally, the two will be joined by the former president of WCW–one of the largest wrestling promotions of the ’80s and ’90s–Eric Bischoff.

While Hogan’s career is undeniably gigantic, covering decades upon decades from New Japan Pro Wrestling to AWA to WWF to WCW to TNA, this movie will primarily focus around his origin story and the rise of Hulkamania and his work in WWF. So we probably won’t get the formation of the NWO or anything involving Hogan’s work in WCW. This movie is all going to be about Hogan telling fans to say their prayers and eat their vitamins.

Aside from dominating weekly WWF television during this time period, Hogan had his own cartoon series, action figures, numerous movie roles–including playing himself in Gremlins 2–and many other merchandising opportunities. Even if you never watched WWF programming, you knew who Hulk Hogan was. He was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson years before The Rock even stepped foot into the ring.

At this time, there is no set release date for the movie. Hopefully, Cooper and Bischoff do the right thing and hire Bo Dallas to play I.R.S., even if it’s just for a montage.

PS4 Getting More Red Dead Redemption 2 Online Timed-Exclusive Content

Rockstar is rolling out a big update for Red Dead Redemption 2 next week. The developer is introducing a variety of new modes, clothing, weapons, and other features to the game’s online component, Red Dead Online, as well as a new set of timed-exclusive content for those playing on PS4.

First, PS4 players will have early access to Open Target Races before they go live on Xbox One. These are variants of the new Target Races coming in the update, and they have players competing in an open space to shoot the most targets while riding on horseback.

Additionally, PS4 players will get early access to a handful of items. Chief among these is the Jawbone Knife, which Rockstar describes as “a unique melee weapon with a handle artfully carved from the remains of a slain animal’s jaw.” PS4 players will also be the first to get “a range of new clothing options,” as well as three new emotes.

The Red Dead Online update will roll out for both PS4 and Xbox One on February 26. Rockstar hasn’t specified when Open Target Races and the Jawbone Knife and other items will arrive on Xbox One, but previous timed PS4 content remained exclusive to Sony’s console for 30 days, so that will presumably be the case with this batch.

In addition to the timed PS4 content, next week’s update will add a new Free Roam event called Fool’s Gold, which has players vying to wear a ridiculous-looking gold-plated suite of armor. There will also be new competitive fishing challenges, three new Showdown modes–Up in Smoke, Spoils of War, and Plunder–and a handful of weapons. You can read more details on Rockstar’s website.

Amazon Has a Big Sale on Routers and Networking Devices

If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

Do your downloads seem a little lethargic? It might not be your internet plan, but rather the crummy router your ISP provided when you signed up. Or it might just be your own router is a little long in the tooth and needs an upgrade. Thankfully Amazon’s deal of the day today is on networking devices, so not only can you boost your speeds, you can extend your range, or combine them into some sort of solutions-based Voltron.

Mesh systems are also on sale, and if you want to cover your entire home in glorious internet, you should consider that over an extender. However, network extenders are also on sale, if you don’t want to commit.

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Ben Mendelsohn’s Captain Marvel Villain Explained

The Captain Marvel movie will include several firsts for the MCU, like being set in the ’90s and featuring a two-eyed Nick Fury. Perhaps the most notable new development, however, is the inclusion of the Skrulls as the main villains of the film. And they’ll be led by Ben Mendelsohn, no less! One Avenger against an entire cosmic empire? We like those odds.

Mendelsohn (Rogue One) plays the Skrull leader, Talos, in the highly anticipated Brie Larson film. But who are the Skrulls, and why do they have such a bone to pick with Captain Marvel? Let’s break down everything you need to know about this troublesome group of Marvel aliens. (Also be sure to read about how Marvel Studios can even use the Skrulls, who were long believed to fall under 20th Century Fox’s domain as far as their film rights.)

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