Disney to Slow Down How Often It Releases Star Wars Movies

Disney will reduce the pace of Star Wars movie releases, with CEO Bob Iger calling his previous timing decisions a “mistake”.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Iger was presented with the opinion that there shouldn’t be a Star Wars movie every year. His response was candid:

“I made the timing decision, and as I look back, I think the mistake that I made — I take the blame — was a little too much, too fast. You can expect some slowdown, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to make films.”

Iger continued by pointing out the ongoing Star Wars projects, like J.J. Abrams’ Episode IX and the Game of Thrones creators’ own saga (although The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson’s own new trilogy wasn’t mentioned).

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Killer Amazon Deals On PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch Games (US)

Most video game retailers go to great lengths to advertise their sales. Amazon isn’t most retailers. For as ubiquitous as the online mega-corporation is, it doesn’t put much effort into promoting its game sales and discounts. Regardless, we’ve noticed that right now you can find some nice price drops on a number of big games–including many first-party Nintendo Switch games. So let’s take a look at all the best games on sale on Amazon right now.

Let’s start with the discounted Switch games, because those make up the bulk of the current sale. The two biggest ones are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, both of which are available for $45 each. That’s a nice 25% discount on games that don’t tend to go on sale very often.

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Also $45 apiece are Mario Tennis Aces, Kirby Star Allies, Splatoon 2, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. If you’ve been wanting to pick any of those up, you’re not likely to find a better price anytime before Black Friday (and there’s no guarantee they’ll go lower even then). Also, a shout out to Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, whose star has been in the news lately in an unenviable way; that game is $10 off, bringing it down to $30.

In non-Nintendo news, you can pick up the PS4 version of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare for just $11. The Banner Saga Trilogy is down to $30, and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is only $15. Racing game fans can pick up the surprisingly Overwatch-like racer Onrush for $35. And you don’t have to wait for the mini PlayStation Classic to get a PS1-era fix–Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is on sale for $30.

It’s unclear when these games will go back to full price, so it would be wise to grab them sooner than later.

Spider-Man PS4 Breaks Sony Sales Records

Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Sony sold lots of Spider-Man. Cash registers go cha-ching. Revenue more than Homecoming. Watch out! It’s payday for Spider-Man.

USA Today reports that Sony sold 3.3 million copies of Marvel’s Spider-Man within the first three days of release, setting a new sales record. That edges out the prior record of 3.1 million in the first three days set by God of War earlier this year. Pre-orders were a record-setter as well, at one million copies. This figure doesn’t account for sales of the PlayStation 4 Pro bundle that included a specially painted console and a copy of the game.

As the report notes, the retail price of $60 would translate to roughly $198 million in revenue, which actually tops the $117 million opening weekend box office for Spider-Man Homecoming. Not all of the copies would have sold for exactly $60, so the actual figure could be a bit less. Plus the comparison is a little skewed given that movie tickets cost significantly less than a new video game, but it’s still an impressive achievement.

“Our expectations are always set at the highest levels,” said Sony global VP of sales Stephen Turvey. “It’s met and exceeded all expectations. I think the company, and the campus, and our fans are super proud of it.” He added that Insomniac Games brought Spider-Man back “in a way that you want to experience it.”

Marvel’s Spider-Man is a critical success as well. It scored an aggregate 87 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Sony is planning three narrative expansions through the rest of the year, along with a New Game Plus mode. In GameSpot’s Spider-Man review, Edmond Tran praised the dynamic combat, fluid web-swinging, and surprisingly rich story.

“There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe,” Tran said. “Insomniac has created a superior Spider-Man experience that leaves a lasting impression, one that has you longing for just one more swing around New York City, even after the credits roll.”

Disney Confirms Marvel Would Take Over X-Men Franchise After Fox Merger

We’re a step closer to X-Men becoming a part of the MCU, as Disney CEO Bob Iger confirms that, as and when a Disney-Fox merger goes through, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios would take the lead on the longtime Fox franchise.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Iger responded to a question on how Marvel will absorb the X-Men franchise, and if Kevin Feige will oversee it:

“I think it only makes sense. I want to be careful here because of what’s been communicated to the Fox folks, but I think they know. It only makes sense for Marvel to be supervised by one entity. There shouldn’t be two Marvels.”

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Doctor Who’s Official Season 11 Trailer Has Landed

The official trailer for Doctor Who Season 11 has landed, with Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor leading her wide-eyed new companions – Ryan (Tosin Cole), Yasmin (Mandip Gill) and Graham (Bradley Walsh) – across space and time to explore planets and civilizations we haven’t seen before.

The new season will premiere at the same time in the US and the UK on Sunday, October 7, with BBC America then airing a special encore later that day in the series’ regular US evening timeslot.

Check out the descriptions for the first two episodes below.

Episode One –  The Woman Who Fell To Earth – Sunday, October 7th

“We don’t get aliens in Sheffield.” In a South Yorkshire city, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien are about to have their lives changed forever as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky. Can they believe a word she says? And can she help solve the strange events taking place across the city? Guest starring Sharon D. Clarke, Johnny Dixon and Samuel Oatley. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Jamie Childs.

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Final Fantasy Composer Taking Leave Of Absence Due To Health Concerns

Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu is stepping away from the industry for a period of time so he can focus on improving his mental and physical health. In a blog post, Uematsu said he is taking an “extended leave of absence” to recover from what has been a hectic production schedule following the formation of his studio Dog Ear Records.

“Since the establishment of Dog Ear Records, I have found myself blessed with countless opportunities. From composing new works to holding concerts around the world, my days have been hectic, yet fulfilling,” he said. “The resulting fatigue, however, has finally caught up with me, and I find it mentally and physically difficult to go on at my current pace. After giving serious consideration to all options, I have decided to take an extended leave of absence and give my mind and body the time they need to properly mend.”

Uematsu said if he ever comes to back, he wants to do so “in full health.” While he used the word “if,” later in the blog post he said he expects to make a full recovery.

“Do not worry. Once I’ve made a full recovery, I’ll be back doing what I do best,” he explained. “My current plan is to rest for the remainder of the year, and while I cannot commit to a method or time frame for my return, I’m very hopeful.”

Uematsu said he apologies for the “burden” that he believes his leave of absence puts on his fans and clients, adding that he hopes people understand that he has to do what’s best for his health and well being. “I thank you all for your continued support and only ask that you are patient until I’m on my feet once again,” he said.

Uematsu, who was born in 1959, is considered by some to be the John Williams of video games. For lots more, check out GameSpot’s interview and profile of Uematsu from 2009.

Castle Rock: What We Want From Season 2

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Titans Added ‘F**k Batman’ Line in Reshoots to ‘Set the Tone’

The “F**k Batman” line that Robin let loose at the end of the first trailer for Titans wasn’t originally planned, as it was added in during reshoots in order to set a particular tone for the series.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dick Grayson/Robin actor Brenton Thwaites elaborated that this particular fight scene needed a punctuation point, and he feels it is an appropriate line for both his character and the show in general.

“We’d already shot that alley fight scene before, and there was no punch to it,” said Thwaites. “There was no real exclamation mark. I think the producers wanted something that would kind of set the tone for the whole show.”

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