Honest Game Trailers covers Sea of Stars this week, a throwback to old JRPGs that’s fully aware it’s reminding you of a bunch of games you played 30 years ago – and absolutely doesn’t care how old that makes you feel as a result!

Play as two indistiguishable Solstice Warriors attempting to save the world from an unspeakable evil that they unleashed themselves. Because it’s just not a ’90s JRPG plot if your heroes aren’t partially responsible for bringing about the apocalypse. So get ready to team up with a colorful cast of NPCs who you barely spend any time and get ready to fulfill magical prophecies as Sea of Stars offers up a new modern twist: the smug satisfaction of choosing to play this instead of any other modern AAA titles that just came out.

Which Popular Anime Have Good Video Games?

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Welcome to Barbieland! It’s a pretty pink play-borhood where everything is perfect as long as no one thinks about their own mortality or role within the cosmic mosaic. 

Honest Trailers is all about Barbie this week, 2023’s massive blockbuster hit that proves women will seek out quality comedy in droves (while studios think the lesson here is that everyone wants more movies about classic toys). Yes, in the first film since Legally Blonde where someone pink and giryl wasn’t a villain, you’ll believe every step of Margot Robbie‘s emotional journey…except the one time she doesn’t feel pretty.

Anyhow, enjoy being in a society so stupid that a Barbie movie now has to teach us about feminism. And also enjoy this new Honest Trailer!

How GameStop Nostalgia and COVID Fueled Dumb Money’s Unlikely True Story

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There have been plenty of big movies based on true events, but it still stands out that Dumb Money, which opened in limited release this past weekend (it will begin to expand this coming Friday), is telling a story from just two years ago. Sure, you might get a made for Lifetime/ripped from the headline cheapie made quickly, but this is a major studio film with a very notable pedigree in terms of its cast and filmmakers. Notably though, the film’s director, Craig Gillespie, is someone who’s very drawn to true stories in general, having given us projects like I, Tonya, Pam & Tommy and Mike (intermixed with the occasional not-so-true story like Fright Night or Cruella).

Dumb Money focuses on the attention-getting events that occurred when a group of unlikely online investors gathered together via YouTube and Reddit to heavily invest in GameStop, putting the squeeze on the rich and powerful groups who had financially bet that those same shares – and GameStop as a company – would fall. The situation became increasingly fraught, ultimately leading to many, representing both sides, having to speak at congressional hearings about what had occurred and if any wrongdoing had taken place.

Paul Dano stars in the film as Keith Gill, a driving force behind this movement, leading an impressive ensemble that includes Gillespie’s Pam & Tommy alums Nick Offerman, Seth Rogen and Sebastian Stan (Stan also worked with Gillespie on I, Tonya), along with Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos, and Shailene Woodley.

Gillespie and the films writers/executive producers, Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (Orange is the New Black) about telling a story set so recently, why it stood out that it was GameStop at the center of all this, and their approach to explaining the stock situation to those who don’t follow how it all works.

A PERIOD PIECE… SET TWO YEARS AGO

Dumb Money was filmed in late 2022, depicting events that primarily occurred between late 2020 to early 2021 and while it was inherently a bit odd to be filming what is, essentially, a modern day period piece, as Lauren Schuker Blum put it “We always see every film as a period piece!” with Rebcca Angelo elaborating, “If you do it right, every movie is a period piece. It gives you a profound sense of time and place.”

Of course, recent history has been pretty eventful, to say the least, which helped the Dumb Money creators hone in on the specifics of what it felt like as these events occurred. The film brings us not so far back to the vivid and frightening time when the pandemic was first running rampant while vaccines weren’t yet available and depicts how people spending more time at home and more time online than usual would have an extra incentive to become connected to a situation like this and also push back against those they saw profiting from the downtrodden.

In Dumb Money, we see how Keith connects to people on his YouTube channel while a larger group distributes the messaging about GameStop on the WallStreetBets subreddit and how many were affected by the ensuing questionable actions of Robinhood Markets, whose CEO, Vlad Tenev, is played by Sebsastian Stan in the film. And as Craig Gillespie explained, he was very keyed in on what was happening during all of this because he had a personal connection to it.

Said Gillespie, “It was so tangible to me, because I had actually lived this experience with my son, who was living with us during COVID. He was 24 at the time, and he was on WallStreetBets very early, and went through this whole journey. He was in, he had options, he got out at the right time… But the intensity and the frustration that was going on on that Reddit page with the 8 million followers, when Robinhood did the freeze on the buy option, when WallStreetBets was shut down by Reddit, the tweets from like Elon Musk, the tweets from Mark Cuban… All of this stuff was happening in real time in our household and incredibly intense. And ultimately left with this sort of sense of outrage and frustration with how it all transpired at the end of the day with the congressional hearings.”

Angelo said that while this period was filled with traumatizing events, when it came to writing the script, it helped “to kind of be living out some of the events that we depicted on screen as they were happening. It allowed us to really feel what the characters were feeling, to be along for the ride, because our goal in writing the movie was to take viewers along for the ride. So even if you don’t care about the stock market or want to know about buying stocks, you don’t have to understand any of that. It’s a human story and to feel so close to it and to see ourselves in these stories made it, I think, easier and more fun and more compelling to write this.”

Both writers said there was what Blum described as “an element of method writing” involved, given how topical it all was, with plenty of parallels between what was happening onscreen and off. For example, Anthony Ramos’ character – a GameStop employee who buys stocks in the company – is reminded by his boss to make sure his mask is covering his nose, just as “Our own bosses were telling us to put the mask over our nose all the time,” said Angelo.

Given the nature of the story, one challenge, Blum noted, was “To make sure we were staying current. The story is still ongoing, right? You’re reading about meme stocks every day. And so it was a challenge to know where to end the movie. But we really saw the structure as kind of like a sports film. You have a very charismatic leader who through belief and hard work amasses a team of followers that has this kind of championship game in the [congressional] hearing. And that hearing really became a great moment for us to have this face off between characters who had never met, and will never meet in real life, to actually interact.”

Gillespie said he kept in mind that this was all happening “against this backdrop of COVID, which is something that was so life-changing for everyone. I sort of relish the opportunity to be able to jump in and analyze all of that, because all of this happened because of COVID, because we all had a second to step back and reassess our lives. And you really got the sense of the disparity of wealth that is going on in the country with social media and with the flaunting of certain things. And then there were these social causes like the Black Lives Matter movement. There was a lot of hardship, there was a lack of government aid happening, there were so many things that came together that made this a moment outside of the stock market. So having the opportunity to examine what we’ve just been through was really interesting to me.”

THE GAMESTOP EFFECT

One notable thing about this story as it occurred was the mere fact that it was centered on GameStop stock, a store many were familiar with but which was struggling in a time when not only were retail stores in general often in danger, thanks to the rise in online shopping, but also enduring everyone staying at home due to COVID, which made things even dicier.

Angelo felt the GameStop of it all definitely helped amplify the situation, remarking, “I used to go to GameStop stores all the time; I loved playing video games as a kid. And the notion of Wall Street folks just looking at a balance sheet or looking at the EBITDA of a store that was so important to me in my childhood and just saying ‘Burn it to the ground,’ I think that is personal. Like I take that personally, and I think a lot of people do, too… I think it’s more than just the galling reality of rich people profiting off of a terrible moment when stores were forced to close and people were stuck in their homes. It’s also like, you’re coming for me, you’re coming for my community, you’re coming for my childhood, you’re coming for things that I have good memories of!”

Angelo and Blum noted this wasn’t to say GameStop made no mistakes, with Angelo adding, “I get it, Gamestop didn’t pivot quickly enough to digital sales. But also, does that mean that it deserves to be immediately burned to the ground? Or maybe does it deserve a little bit more time? Do these stores that mean something to people deserve a little bit more time?”

Replied Blum, “Yeah, we talked about the movement as giving Gamestop time. It wasn’t like everyone said ‘This is a great company that’s going to just flourish forever in the future!’ But it deserves a moment. And I think the pandemic also made everyone see and understand shorting in a very different way, right? Wall Street is betting these companies are going to fail at a moment where everyone was struggling and faced with challenges. And this idea of then just taking, just beating them when they’re down, felt heartbreaking to a lot of people and really unfair.”

Gillespie said he also felt everything was amplified by Keith Gill’s YouTube persona and online fame as “Roaring Kitty,” observing, “There was this sort of sweetness to him and naivety. Even though he’s very intelligent, obviously, there was an earnestness that I think people really responded to. And the Internet can be very, very critical and tough at times. And it can really sniff out BS. And there was none of that with him… This was a movement that started with 400,000 followers and bloomed to 8 million in the space of like eight weeks.”

EXPLAINING STOCKS

Any movie based around a story involving stocks and shorts will need to deal with the fact that some people just don’t understand that world at all. So the question becomes how you handle that in an entertaining film “Without putting Margot Robbie in a bathtub?” as Angelo joked, in reference to The Big Short’s memorable manner of explaining such things.

Said Blum, “Ultimately, when we were researching this, we realized the movement was by people for other people and that they actually taught themselves about shorts and short squeezes, like a TikTok on WallStreetBets, and so it felt right for the story to bring those pieces, those videos, into the movie. And to say ‘You know, let’s have people from the movement explain this to the audience,’ as opposed to us talking down to the audience.”

So indeed, in the film, the situation is explained a bit by characters like America Ferrera’s financially struggling nurse, Jenny Campbell, speaking to a friend about it all, but with even more background conveyed by actual footage of people recorded at the time posted on social media (and in one case, a bit of a Stephen Colbert segment about it).

Angelo observed that, typically, when it comes to finance movies, “Very often, they’re done from a top down perspective where it’s the absolute elite, the greatest geniuses on Wall Street seeing things that other people don’t, or the greatest criminals on Wall Street seeing things that other people don’t. This is a grassroots movie. This is a movie about the bottom up, the regular man and woman teaching each other, figuring this stuff out and coming together. So it felt really important to us that the voices come from that community and not be, like, we as a filmmaking team… We weren’t going to talk down to our audience, we were gonna have the audience learn along with us.”

Said Blum, “We looked to the films of Frank Capra and the tradition of populace cinema for that because it’s a movie about regular people. And we wanted to kind of go back to what he invented, which is you don’t have to be a billionaire to lead a meaningful life. And there’s a lot of meaning in America Ferrera’s character.”

Angelo said they felt these characters, Angelo said they led “A life worthy of cinema. A life worthy of the big screen. Your value as a human isn’t determined by your bank account, it’s determined by your choices and your actions and your conviction.”

Dumb Money is now playing in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, and San Francisco and expands into additional markets on September 22 and September 29.

The Last of Us at Halloween Horror Nights is All About the Game, Cast Included

The post How GameStop Nostalgia and COVID Fueled Dumb Money’s Unlikely True Story appeared first on Fandom.

Are you ready to dive deeper into the thrilling universe of John Wick? Get ready to step into the enigmatic world of The Continental: From The World of John Wick, a brand new series on Prime Video that promises to expand the lore, history and intrigue of the renowned franchise. From its connections to the original films to the tantalising details about its characters and plot — this is your ultimate guide to the much-anticipated prequel series that’ll have you on the edge of your seat.

The Background

The Continental is a captivating series set within the ever-expanding John Wick universe. While the films predominantly follow the relentless assassin John Wick, the series shifts its focus to the equally intriguing Continental Hotel. This iconic establishment, featured prominently in the films, isn’t just your typical luxury lodging — it’s an amnesty port in a world of shadowy assassins. The Continental offers its patrons sanctuary, exquisite services — and a code: no “business” (i.e. killing) on the premises. And crossing this line comes with dire consequences, masterfully overseen by the hotel’s enigmatic manager, Winston, played by the incomparable Ian McShane in the films.

The Plot Unfolds

Unlike the John Wick films, The Continental takes a step back in time, transporting viewers to the gritty New York City of the 1970s. This era is characterised by the infamous sanitation strike, a real-world event that left the city drowning in trash — a fitting backdrop for a world that thrives in secrecy and darkness. The series is not just about flashy action and high-stakes battles — it’s about exploring the origin story of Winston Scott, portrayed by Colin Woodell, who is destined to become the enigmatic manager of The Continental.

The Characters

John Wick is not the main focus here. Instead, the central character — portrayed by Colin Woodell — is Winston Scott. The series navigates the complex web of power, loyalty and danger as he rises to his eventual role as the formidable manager of The Continental. Ayomide Adegun embodies a young Charon, familiar to fans of the original films for his association with Lance Reddick’s memorable performance.

The Production Team

With a creative team boasting veterans from the John Wick films, including the director, co-director, producer, and screenwriter, it’s clear that The Continental is in the best hands possible. This prequel series aims to unravel the intricate backstory of The Continental Hotel and its manager, Winston, while delivering the same heart-pounding action and world-building that fans have come to adore.

What’s to Come

The first season of The Continental: From The World of John Wick is set to be a gripping ride composed of three 90-minute episodes. As the series delves into the rise of the American Mafia and the events that shaped the world of assassins, viewers can expect a captivating narrative that will not only satisfy their curiosity but also leave them yearning for more.

So, are you ready to immerse yourself in a world where loyalty is tested, alliances are formed, and danger lurks around every corner? If you’re a fan of the John Wick universe or a newcomer intrigued by the allure of The Continental, this prequel series promises to be a must-watch event that will redefine your understanding of this gripping cinematic universe.

Don’t miss out on the action, drama and intrigue — start your 30-day free trial today and watch The Continental: From The World of John Wick on Prime Video now.

The post Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The ‘John Wick’ Prequel Series appeared first on Fandom.

From Attack on Titan to One Piece, Code Geass, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, there’s a lot of quality anime out there with equally as dynamic and action-packed video games. Join us as we visit some of these games and examine how they adapt their anime source material.

The post Which Popular Anime Have Good Video Games? appeared first on Fandom.

After many delays, due to everything from COVID to studio regime changes, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens this December, with the new debut of the first trailer for the film officially kicking the film’s marketing into gear. The sequel to the megahit 2018 Aquaman film — still the largest grossing movie based on any DC Comics character ever, worldwide (yep, all Batman films included!) — The Lost Kingdom brings back director James Wan to once more guide the adventures of Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa).

As the trailer suggests, there’s a mismatched partner dynamic at the core of The Lost Kingdom, as Arthur must team with his enemy in the first film, his own brother, Orm Marius, AKA Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson), to stop the threat posed by the returning Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Speaking to a group of press during an early look at the trailer this week, Wan said there are a lot of other elements to the movie as well, noting “It is a little bit darker than the first movie, as second movies tend to be, and it just felt like the correct progression for for this film.”

Wan also spoke about expanding the world of Aquaman, including the environmental message that’s often been important to the character, including more horror elements, and keeping things weird – drum-playing octopus included!

And yes, he addressed the oddness of completing the movie as the entire approach to DC films and the ongoing DC Extended Universe that Aquaman had been a part of was being overhauled into what will soon be a new streamlined DCU/DC Universe.

MANTA LEVELS UP

Black Manta was in the first Aquaman movie, but it was in a smaller role, especially given how prominent a villain he is in the comics. As Wan explained, “My plan with the first movie was always to set up the relationship [between Aquaman and Black Manta]. He was kind of like a glorified side character in the first one but we knew that that was going to be okay because we knew that the second movie was where we ultimately get to go into with him in a much bigger role.”

It’s Manta who’s key to the Lost Kingdom of the title, a legendary part of Atlantis history that is unearthed with dangerous consequences. Said Wan, of Black Manta, “After the first movie, he is on this relentless quest to kill Arthur Curry and to just destroy everything that Arthur has built, so he’s been searching nonstop for ways to do that. Without giving too much away here, in his search to try and fix the power suit that he had in the first movie that was all banged up and destroyed, he stumbles across something much bigger.”

As Wan put it, though Black Manta remains a human in the new film, “because he has stumbled onto the Lost Kingdom, he’s now empowered in a way that he wasn’t in the first film.”

At one point, Wan was initially developing The Trench, a potential spinoff movie involving the creatures called the Trench introduced in the first Aquaman. That movie was ultimately cancelled (as Wan explains it now, “We didn’t want that project to potentially step on the Aquaman films”), and the director has since revealed The Trench had actually been intended to focus on Black Manta. Asked if any elements planned for that movie had now made it into The Lost Kingdom, he replied “the answer is yes,” adding, “We came up with a lot of really interesting ideas and really cool stuff that I felt we could we could use in this one. With The Trench movie, it was going to be a secret Black Manta movie… And so when that didn’t happen, some of those ideas found its way into this.”

UNCLE OCEAN MASTER

When The Lost Kingdom begins, Arthur and his wife, Mera (Amber Heard), have had a son and are living a happy life until Black Manta’s return. In this time of crisis, Arthur needs to reach out to his imprisoned brother, Orm, for help, with Wan observing “They have to ultimately be a family together,” before the Furious 7 director added, with a chuckle, “I learned about family from Fast & Furious, you guys! It plays into this in a big, big way. No, seriously, the family aspect in this was something that was very important for me. And you can have Vin to thank for that!”

Like with Black Manta, Wan was already thinking towards a sequel with Orm in the first film, explaining, “The plan was always going to be that Patrick’s character was going to switch. I knew that from the get go… That’s why I didn’t want to kill him at the end of the first movie. He was gonna ultimately be somewhat of a pseudo-antihero in this one. And I wanted to see the relationship between between Jason and Patrick. These two are really great in the film. They’ve got such great camaraderie and good chemistry that I describe the second one as a bromance movie… It’s really kind of like Tango & Cash. That was the spirit that we were going for.”

Though Orm is a reluctant ally to Arthur in the new film, Wan noted, “It’s still very important to still remember where he came from. And so there’s still antagonism between the two of them throughout the whole movie, which is actually where some of the fun derives from, just to see the two of them bicker. But at the same time, also leaning on the more sort of human aspect of his character. If you look at him in the first film, he was just trying to do what is right for his people. So from that perspective, he doesn’t see himself as a bad guy, so to speak. He’s just trying to protect his people. And I think because of that, Arthur respects that as well. And again, Arthur is so much about the family dynamic. We touched a bit on this in the first film, how he’s always wanted to reach out to his younger brother and try and build a relationship. Well, he gets to do that in this film.”

THE ENVIRONMENTAL HERO

When it came to Aquaman and important elements to include, Wan remarked, “One of the things we love about the Aquaman character and the world that they live in is, especially from the comic book, is just how much how much Aquaman has always been about the environment more than any of the superhero characters. And so we felt that we wanted to lean into the environmental aspect with this movie. We wanted the second film to still be fun and really adventurous and colorful, and everything like the first film, but we want to have a little bit more… To say something a little bit more grown up.”

The Lost Kingdom itself is, in Wan’s words, “a world that was locked away for a very good reason. [Screenwriter] David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and myself, we felt like the evil of the Lost Kingdom is really a great metaphor for how us humans, we keep tapping our Earth for these natural resources and will go to great lengths to do what we need to get energy and for money and for all of that – for profit, right? And without thinking about the consequences of what it would do to the world, to the environment, and this is almost like an analogy. It’s like, sure, we can keep drilling, but if we drill too deep, we may unleash some ancient evil that we probably would not want to mess with.”

Added Wan, “Look at us, this is like one of the hottest summers we’ve ever experienced, right? Not just in the US, but everywhere around the world. We really do lean into that. The environment is shifting very much in this movie. And Arthur needs to be able to work with his brother to try and stop this from spiraling into complete catastrophe… So that is obviously another big theme. We don’t want it to be too preachy, but we’re definitely not shy about that because I think that’s something that we need to talk about even in a context like a like a fun adventure movie.”

CREATURE FEATURE

The first Aquaman made a big impression with its vibrant visuals, including its bold creature designs, and Wan promised, “This one leans into the Ray Harryhausen sort of spirit even more. There’s shades of Jules Verne in this as well. And as you can see in the trailer, aesthetically, I’m leaning pretty heavily into the Silver Age comic books… the 1960s, Silver Age Aquaman. So a lot of the designs in this film are very retro feeling. The spirit and the tone is very retro.”

When it came to some of the nastier creatures in the film, the director — known just as much for smaller budget franchise-creating horror hits like Saw, The Conjuring and Insidious as his massive budget blockbuster films — said, with a grin, “I don’t know how to stay away from horror! So in The Last Kingdom, we will be introduced to a lot of creepy, scary Lovecraftian looking characters. And ultimately, that’s what our heroes have to work together to stop – this Lovecraftian universe from breaking through into our main world.”

Though Wan says “I just naturally lean into that darker stuff,” he added that he keeps the intended audience in mind for the particular project. “I felt like the Aquaman films allows me to play in my love for that genre, for the horror genre, but still make them fun, and not necessarily too scary that young kids that may like these films won’t be able to watch it because it’s too frightening. And so that that’s the fine line, trying to capture that sort of early Spielberg spirit. We can kind of lean dark, but it can also be fun as well. And there definitely is sort of shades of that in this world. We’re just leaning into the monsters of it all. But for me, it really is just scratching the surface. It makes me want to do more, put it that way!”

Aquaman also stood out among other superhero movies for not being afraid to be flat out weird and wacky, such as its popular inclusion of a drum-playing octopus named Topo. Asked if it emboldened him while making the sequel that mainstream audiences clearly were willing to embrace what the first movie offered, Wan replied, “I’ve never been shy of leaning weird. Every movie I’ve made has been pretty weird. You guys have seen Malignant – you would know how I like to go weird! That was part of the reason why, very early on, when I was given a few [DC] properties to look at, I picked this particular one because I felt like I can really lean into that world, the quirkiness, the weirdness, and just have fun with it.”

That being said, Wan added, “Yes, definitely, seeing how much people enjoyed that in the first film meant that gave me more confidence to lean into it in this one. I know the trailer doesn’t quite touch on it, but there are a lot of really quirky underwater characters in this one. And it may be weird to us, but not for them, you know what I mean? That’s another species. That’s another race for them. Arthur, the King of Atlantis, those are his people. And yes, Topo has a big, big role in this. A much bigger role in this one!”

AQUAMAN AND THE CHANGING DCU

To say a lot has changed in terms of the DCEU since the first Aquaman opened is a huge understatement. There were numerous changes in strategy occurring behind the scenes before a huge shift finally was made with James Gunn and Peter Safran (a producer on both Aquaman films) being put in charge of a revamped DC Studios that will launch a new cinematic DC Universe. Meanwhile, The Lost Kingdom‘s placement on the schedule changed several times and even whether or not it would open before or after The Flash went back and forth, with that film giving an onscreen reason for at least some of the previous DCEU characters to now be in a different universe, Aquaman included.

There have been numerous reports of how these changes have at least partially affected The Lost Kingdom, including shooting a Bruce Wayne/Batman cameo with two different actors: First, Michael Keaton, then Ben Affleck, and now the likelihood neither will appear in the film thanks to subsequent changes.

Wan hasn’t wanted to get specific on those aspects and recently told EW he was staying quiet on whether any Batman at all appears in the movie in its final form, but he stresses that by and large, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was allowed to do its own thing through all of this. It never had major storyline ties to other DC characters so it didn’t need to change in any notable ways no matter what was going on.

Said Wan, after showing us the trailer, “Definitely, I’m aware of everything that’s happening around me. I use the analogy that I’m living in a house that’s getting renovated and so it’s hard to not be aware of the renovation that’s happening around me. But that’s the beauty about Aquaman 2 and Aquaman 1. I’ve always designed these two films to be within their own world. And so the advantage about not being hooked into this bigger universe is ultimately whatever happens over there, it doesn’t really affect my movie. And so, as you can see, in this film, it doesn’t hook into anything, it lives in its own world. And that’s pretty much what we found works really well for us on the first film, and we’re doing exactly the same there. And so, sure, there’s noises going around, but I’m just in my cocoon, in my underwater kingdom.”

As for the future, Wan says there is indeed an idea for where a third Aquaman film could go, regardless of what universe it may take place in. Asked if there could be more for this incarnation of the character, he replied, “What I can speak to that is the Jason Momoa story, as Aquaman, definitely has more places to go and when we get to the end of this [movie], the answer is yes… I don’t know how to answer that without giving things away, because where we go at the end of this movie, it does tee up a direction for that story. And I don’t want to speak to that, just because it’s the end of the movie!”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens December 20, 2023.

Origin Story: Blue Beetle

The post Aquaman 2 Trailer Debuts: James Wan on Lovecraftian Creatures and DCU Changes appeared first on Fandom.

Jigsaw is back in Saw X, which means it’s time for more of his fiendishly clever and fiendishly horrific traps and Fandom has an exclusive new look at just what’s in store for the new batch recruited to play his game.

In Saw X, the story goes back to the early days of the series, in a tale set between the original Saw and Saw II, as the terminally ill John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is told about a miraculous new method to remove his inoperable tumor, meeting with several people who vouch for it – only to learn, after he’s gone through the supposed procedure, that he’s been duped.

We’ve got the debut of three new images from the tenth film in the Saw franchise, showing three of John’s targets in situations that, well… aren’t going to be a good time for these folks. But you know who it’s bad to dupe? John Kramer.

Yes, in this installment, it’s decidedly personal, as John goes after everyone who was involved in tricking him with all of the gusto — and diabolical engineering skills — you would expect from the guy who gave the world Billy the Puppet and the reverse bear trap.

Check out the phots below and ponder just what happens to each of these people if they can’t pass their respective test. We’re guessing it’s gonna get messy either way…

Directed by longtime Saw series collaborator Kevin Greutert (Editor of Saw, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, and Jigsaw, and Director of Saw VI and Saw 3D,) and also featuring the return of Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young — thanks to taking place in the timeline before either John or Amanda died — Saw X opens on September 29.

Saw X Filmmakers on Going Old School With an Untold Chapter for Jigsaw

The post Exclusive: Jigsaw’s Traps Look Deadlier Than Ever in New ‘Saw X’ Photos appeared first on Fandom.

You out there, Robo-nerds with gamer wrist injuries? Because Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is here to beat your ass like a conga drum with frenetic combat that even being in a three-story death machine can’t save your from.

Honest Game Trailers is all about Armored Core VI this week, FromSoftware’s generation-spanning series about being inside a giant Metal Man that allows you to design your own mech, mixing and matching parts to balance speed, armor and power. Or, you know, you can just create and Edible Arrangement abomination out of bazookas.

As you buzz around like a fly with a vicious cocaine habit, this school of hard knocks will have you painfully learning its bosses patterns in the hopes of anything working as you discover every desolate dystopian landscape in the apocalypse playbook. Check it out!

The Last of Us at Halloween Horror Nights is All About the Game, Cast Included

The post Honest Game Trailers | Armored Core 6 appeared first on Fandom.

From the studio that gave us Han Solo and Luke Skywalker as old men filled with regret, and the director who envisioned Wolverine as a sad, broken grump, comes Hollywood’s latest reminder that time is a fire in which we all burn.

Honest Trailers whips up Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny this week, which features everyone’s favorite archeologist/adventurer, Indy, teaming with his goddaughter, Helena (whose name was never mentioned before) to fight Dr. Voller, a villain who wants to kill Hitler – for all the wrong reasons.

Is it elder abuse to take an isolated senior citizen around the world on a treasure hunt? Well, since everyone hated Crystal Skull they basically decided to un-do that movie’s happy ending and give us an Indiana Jones with no hope. Yes, it’s yet another movie where Indiana Jones does nothing and waits for the bad guy to f*** up, so buckle up for Honest Trailers’ latest loving lashing.

Indiana Jones is Past His Prime… and That’s the Point, Says Harrison Ford

The post Honest Trailers | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny appeared first on Fandom.

It’s time to hit the track; we’re going full throttle in the new Gran Turismo movie. Based on a true story, we’re in for an inspiring, high-stakes ride that proves that nothing is impossible when you’re fueled from within. So, strap in, and let’s put the pedal to the metal.

The post Character Profiles | ‘Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story’ appeared first on Fandom.

In December of 2021, just before Christmas, The Last of Us Co-Creator and Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann visited Universal Orlando Resort with his family. A big theme park fan, Druckman then tweeted out how much he’d love to see The Last of Us made into a haunted house at Universal’s annual Halloween Horror Nights.

Druckman admits now that he wondered if maybe, down the line, that tweet could could lead to an actual conversation with someone involved in Horror Nights, but what he didn’t realize was that Universal Orlando Resort’s Senior Director of Entertainment Creative Development, Mike Aiello, was going to be incredibly receptive right away, nearly immediately DM-ing Druckman and saying he would love to discuss making this idea a reality. The two jumped on a Zoom call just a day or so later, excited by the possibilities. But looking back a couple of years later, Druckman says that despite the quick connection between the two men, there still were some notable obstacles. “We’re a part of Sony, a giant corporation. Universal’s a giant corporation. You don’t quite know if the deal terms will all work out.”

Fortunately, both Sony and Universal were very receptive to the idea as well and now, sitting talking to press within the actual Universal Studios Florida location of The Last of Us, Druckman and Aiello were both ecstatic to have it existing as a haunted house at Horror Nights at both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood this year. Said Aiello, “I remember playing the game 10 years ago and thinking this would be an amazing haunted house. And here we are 10 years later and we’re doing it.”

LASTING EMOTIONS

Despite the recent debut of The Last of Us TV show, the Halloween Horror Nights house is specifically based off of the game and its imagery, including its version of the main characters, Joel and Ellie. Halloween Horror Nights houses need to deliver certain visceral, scary thrills, but The Last of Us – as scary as it can be to play – also is famous for its emotion and pathos.

Said Aiello, “I think that’s what makes the game and, in turn, this experience, so layered. And that is a challenge. How do you pay off all of those layers? And I think it’s about recognizing those things, but also being very specific with what you want the experience [to be]. And again, in adapting there is that filter you have to put on the experience.”

No matter what, the house has to deliver the expected scares to the public and Aiello remarked, “There is an intensity to this that we want to maintain because it is a haunted house experience. However, the instances where you are engaging Joel and Ellie kind of bring you back to that core value of what the story is about.”

The Last of Us’s central duo appear multiple times in the house, depicted in a variety of ways – sometimes by scareactors, sometimes as projections seen in silhouettes, and sometimes as full sized figures, depending on the scenario. Druckman said he was fascinated to get an education on how Horror Nights houses are put together, while also learning how to adapt and work within their constraints.

As Druckman explained, “The interesting constraint was we can’t drop F-bombs. I’m like, “Well, how do we do Ellie’s dialogue?” in reference to his co-lead’s famously foulmouthed manner of speaking. Druckman said he enjoyed figuring out clever ways to work around that sort of obstacle, noting a moment where a scareactor playing Ellie is protecting you with a rifle and screams “Die, mother…” and pulls her trigger as we hear a loud BLAM sound effect covering the second part of what she’s yelling.

As Druckman put it “You know exactly what she’s saying. And it’s kind of like gallows humor. I think fans will get a kick out of that. It’s like, ‘Oh, there’s the Ellie that we know, voiced by Ashley Johnson.’”

THE SOUNDS OF US

Yes, as Druckman referenced, The Last of Us’s original voice actors reprise their roles for the Horror Nights house and Druckman said that was something he and Aiello both immediately agreed was a must, recalling them saying, “’It’s got to be Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. We can’t have sound-alikes. it’s got to be them.’ We wrote brand new lines that they came in and recorded just for this experience.”

Aiello said having Baker and Johnson back was one of many parts of The Last of Us house where they leaned on the original sounds fans knew from the game, remarking, “The audio design is so important to the experience. For me, that’s one of my favorite parts about the experience. Because again, as a gamer as well, that is so important to how you’re playing the game. You’re hearing Clickers in the distance, you’re getting a sense of environment just based on the audio. So to have the actual sound effects from the game,to be able to employ in this experience only further furthers the authentication. Beyond all the scenic and the costumes, that audio experience is so so so important.”

Aiello noted those sounds and voices can also really contribute to reflecting The Last of Us’s emotional core. This included adding an extra level of tragedy to the infected and how self-aware, at least in the early stages, they can be, with Aiello pointing out “There’s a moment, a projection gag, where there’s a Runner really going to town on a victim. And the audio for that is the notion of they’re doing this horrific act – and they know it. So it’s this cross between the savagery of that action and the cries of sadness that they’re doing it, which is something we implanted into the audio design to kind of show both sides of the turmoil that some of these victims are going through, knowing that they’re out of control now at this point.”

Aiello noted that when they are adapting familiar IP, they’ll sometimes do what they call “the jukebox approach,” pulling in familiar sequences and locations from across the entire story. However, for The Last of Us, they instead chose to keep the house’s storyline set entirely within Pittsburgh and that portion of the game, allowing them to show more of a straight throughline for Joel and Ellie.

As Druckman explained, “One of the reasons we picked Pittsburgh specifically is because you get to kind of run the gamut of all the things you fight in the game, from Hunters — from the human threat — all the way to Runners and to Clickers and finally up to Bloaters and to make sure each one of those is authentic, lifting audio straight from the game. The team here, the actors that are doing the infected, they had an infected boot camp where they were studying the game, and learning to move like what our animators have created in the game.”

Aiello had high praise for all those who contributed to The Last of Us house, including the costume designers and the cast portraying not just Joel and Ellie but all those attacking them, in various stages of infection.

Said Aiello, “I think the costumes are really challenging. These are amazingly detailed characters throughout. So being able to have a Bloater… It’s easy to say we’re going to put a Bloater in a haunted attraction experience. The challenge is how do we have it look correct, move correctly? But also be comfortable for the performer over the period of time that they’re in it. This is different than being on a TV show or film where you can yell cut and you’re getting out of that costume. These performers, they are amazing, they are the blood of this attraction, and to make them comfortable and be able to move and be those characters is a massive challenge, but we figured it out.”

SEE IT WHILE YOU CAN

The Last of Us is making its debut at Halloween Horror Nights the same year the acclaimed hit HBO series based on the game has kicked off, so it feels especially notable the HHN house is modeled after the game, not the show. It’s huge testament to the popularity of The Last of Us, given only a couple of other video games – among them Silent Hill and Resident Evil – have been direct inspirations for HHN houses.

As for what it feels like to see something he created become so beloved and now brought to life in this way, Druckman remarked, “It still blows my mind how big the game has become and how the people that love it really love it… It has afforded us like to do something as cool as this. This dream of ‘I want to be in the game.’ And again, some people could argue, well, you’re already in the game. You’re playing Joel, and you turn the camera on and you can choose where you want to go. Yes, that’s true. But you’re seeing it on this two dimensional screen on your wall. What if we break those borders and it surrounds you 360 degrees and you can feel it, you can touch it, you can smell it? It just hits you a little bit differently.”

Druckman added, of Halloween Horror Nights, “The other thing I’ve always loved about these experiences is like they’re extremely high production values and they’re here for like two months and change and then they’re gone.” Druckman said he appreciated the specialness of the brief time the HHN houses exist and how those who visited them can then discuss what it was like with others. “I still have that with certain houses I’ve been to – like the Ghostbusters house comes to mind – where I talk to people about that. “It’s so cool. I hope they do it again one day so I can take you to it!’ I want them to have that experience here.”

Of course, The Last of Us is now a huge franchise and there are plenty of ways they could do another house at HHN in the future, from adapting different sequences of the first game, to adapting the second game, to instead adapting the TV show. On that front, Aiello couldn’t say anything would definitely happen, but did acknowledge, “The possibilities are endless.”

Added Druckman, “I will say from my side of things is it’s been such a pleasure working with Halloween Horror Nights team and Mike and John [Murdy] on the other coast and their team. Given the opportunity I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

The Last of Us house is currently part of Halloween Horror Nights, running select nights at Universal Studios Florida through November 4, 2023 and select nights at Universal Studios Hollywood through October 31.

Are We Safe From the Real World Parasite that Inspired The Last Of Us?

The post The Last of Us at Halloween Horror Nights is All About the Game, Cast Included appeared first on Fandom.

Buckle up as we take you on this tour of what you can find in Kitakami when you start The Teal Mask: part 1 of the new DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

Included in the DLC is the upcoming Part 2: The Indigo Disk, with a whole new adventure including a brand new Elite Four to challenge.

Check out The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, with part 1, The Teal Mask, out on September 13th and part 2, The Indigo Disk, releasing this winter.

The post Welcome to Kitakami | ‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Pokémon Violet’ appeared first on Fandom.

Running 48 nights this year – a new record for the annual event – Halloween Horror Nights 32 kicked off this past weekend at Universal Studios Florida. The ever-popular Horror Nights once more combines popular pre-existing franchises like Chucky, The Last of Us, and Universal Monsters with original concepts created for Horror Nights itself.

This year, there’s clearly a lot of buzz about the HHN debut of The Last of Us, and I’ll have more on that house coming this week. But the return of the blockbuster Stranger Things, after a multi-year absence, is also causing a lot of fan excitement and, yes, cause for more of the patented Horror Nights long lines.

Read on for some impressions of some of HHN 32 standout entries, including Stranger Things, a new Exorcist house, and an original HHN character getting a ton of focus this time out.

EDDIE AND THE VECNAS

It’s been four years, but Stranger Things has finally returned to Halloween Horror Nights with a new house, Stranger Things 4, based off of last year’s season of the hit Netflix series. That season notably split up the characters geographically, with several in California and several in Russia, along with those who remained in Hawkins, Indiana.

The Orlando Stranger Things 4 HHN house streamlines things considerably, focusing a lot of attention on the story of that season’s breakout character, the Hawkins-based Eddie Munson. It’s through Eddie (and the trailer he lives in) that we enter the house and considerable time is spent with Eddie as we continue through, as he makes the most appearances throughout the house of any of the human characters. However, as Lora Sauls ( Universal Orlando Resort’s Assistant Director of Creative Development and Show Direction for Art and Design, Entertainment) noted at HHN 32’s media kick off event, the house also follows the vile villain Vecna and, most ominously, Vecna’s curse, including him taking out poor Chrissy and how he affected and nearly killed Max.

Suffice to say, there is Vecna aplenty to be seen, which also allows for the house to include Eleven’s origins and how they tie into those of Vecna. One notably fun part of the house has scareactors portraying Eleven and Henry Creel/”One” in the encounter that results in Henry being transformed into Vecna, with you walking right between the two in the midst of their showdown.

Because they’re built in large soundstages, Horror Nights in Orlando has a lot of space they can work with inside their houses, including building more vertically when needed, a fact which is put to work in a cool and clever way for Stranger Things 4 when you walk through Eddie’s Trailer again later in the house. This time, you’re in the dark and distorted Upside Down version of the trailer, while you see the real world version above you, built as a second room on top of the one you’re in.

Ultimately, I feel like the best Stranger Things house so far was the first one back at Halloween Horror Nights 28 in 2018, which was based on the show’s first season. However, the Stranger Things 4 house is a very strong one in its own right with Vecna making for a great HHN villain. Sauls noted when the HHN team saw Season 4, they instantly felt it would make for a good house, and they were right, as it is a notable improvement over HHN 29’s house based off Stranger Things 2 and 3, which wasn’t as impactful.

MAKING A BELIEVER OUT OF GUESTS

With 10 choices and so many differing opinions, it’s hard to find a true consensus for the best house each year, but I will say that everyone I spoke to had good things to say about my personal favorite at HHN 32, The Exorcist: Believer. Horror Nights has done houses based off the original Exorcist a couple of times now, but this time turns their attention to the brand new movie – while also continuing a long relationship with Blumhouse Productions.

However, The Exorcist: Believer stands out as one of the rare times a house is happening for a film that has not opened yet – though given it does open October 6, there will at least be a few weeks where those going to HHN could have seen it first. Still, for many, they’ll be going into the house with only the trailers to go by, if they’ve seen those. That being the case, Sauls said the HHN team approached the house as an “amazing living trailer” for the film and is it highly effective in that regard.

Look, creepy little girls are a staple of horror for a reason and it works like gangbusters in Believer, with the two possessed girls at the center of the story — Katherine and Angela – appearing in all sorts of unsettling ways, including some very clever scares involving everything from one of them popping up behind a door in a way you might not expect (hint: possessed people aren’t limited to the ground) to at one point doing a simultaneous scare, where scareactors playing each girl leap out at you on each side of a corridor, which – with my apologies to the scareactor – caused me to knock into one girl as I recoiled from the other.

All of which to say, this is a notably creepy and scary house, and I suspect people who haven’t seen any Exorcist movie, even the classic original, will find aspects of it unsettling and effective. Even with many other strong candidates, it was the one I was most eager to revisit after my first time through all the houses. And yes, I’m now more hyped for the movie itself, so well done, HHN team!

IT’S ODDFELLOW’S WORLD

Halloween Horror Nights operates on multiple levels depending on how closely you pay attention and how many times you return to the event through the years. You can enjoy it all regardless of your knowledge level, but hardcore, longtime fans know there is a tremendous amount of lore and mythology that has been built up around the ever-impressive original concept houses and scarezones HHN offers each year, alongside the adaptations of familiar IP.

Once more, a rather terrific group of original concept houses are among the offerings at HHN 32, with several highlights, from the comedically-tinged terror of a rampaging Yeti and his family in YETI: Campground Kills, to the story of a jazz musician taking a devil’s deal in The Darkest Deal, to the freaky, colonial-era cult killings in Blood Moon: Dark Offerings. There’s also a house, Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate, that blends fantasy elements with horror in a very bold and impressive way – the massive castle sets built for it are great – while having its roots in a defunct Universal Orlando attraction of the same name.

But the house that is most important to HHN’s own ongoing specific storylines is Dr. Oddfellow’s Twisted Origins. As Sauls stressed, that’s originS, pluralized, because two different key characters in HHN lore were both getting origin stories here.

There is no more beloved or frequently used HHN-originated character than Jack the Clown. First introduced for 2000’s Halloween Horror Nights X, Jack has since returned numerous times and been the focal point of many events, building a devoted fanbase along the way. But even many of his fans won’t recall the name Dr. Oddfellow at a glance, because while that character debuted alongside Jack in 2000, he’d never directly come back… until 2023, where he’s making up for lost time.

Dr. Oddfellow was introduced as a demented funhouse operator and an enemy of Jack the Clown in the 2000 house The Fearhouse, and in some ways, Twisted Origins is an updated version of that house, but with a better focus on the significance of these events and with Oddfellow himself getting a big upgrade both visually and in terms of his own abilities and backstory. This time, we see Oddfellow actually killing Jack Schmidt, in the process beginning his journey towards becoming Jack the Clown, who is an immortal just like Oddfellow himself is.

Twisted Origins is a really effective, visually striking house, with its 1930s dustbowl-era circus looking properly menacing and ragged and escalating into increasingly nasty and murderous events happening around you. It would be a cool house and story-behind-the-story addition to the HHN canon regardless, but the HHN team decided to go big across the board this year when it came to elevating Oddfellow from obscurity to a central part of their ever-expanding story.

That being the case, Oddfellow is also connected to every single one of the five outdoor scarezones located throughout HHN 32. And again, many guests will travel through unaware of this, but for those who follow these things, it gives an extra level of meaning. So the 1920s-set Jungle of Doom: Expedition Horror is about Oddfellow’s journey even further back than Twisted Origins, as he experiments on animals and searches for ways to expand his powers and find immortality. The 1940s-set Shipyard 32: Horrors Unhinged takes place after Twisted Origins, as some of Oddfellow’s collection of creatures escapes. Sauls also noted you should be on the lookout for some Easter eggs in this area, connecting Oddfellow to even more of Horror Nights’ previously introduced characters, such as their decidedly dangerous take on the Tooth Fairy.

Guests have a chance to see Oddfellow almost immediately when they enter the park for HHN this year at the small scarezone Dr. Oddfellow’s Collection of Horror, which finds the not-so-good Doctor front and center, welcoming guests a la the classic carnival barker that he once was, albeit with some very menacing messaging. That scarezone is adjacent to the much larger and ominous Dark Zodiac, which involves transformed, macabre versions of the Zodiac symbols, which are the handiwork of – you guessed it – Dr. Oddfellow.

Even the scarezone that feels the most independent, Vamp ’69: Summer of Blood, has an Oddfellow touch. A follow-up to the Vamp ’85: New Year’s Eve scarezone from 2018 and Vamp ’55 from 2016, ‘Vamp 69 is once more an incredibly fun, jam-packed experience which really leans into its period setting, with classic 1960s rock blasting as vampires have taken over a musical festival, leaving carnage – and a lot of dead or fleeing flower children – in their wake. But even here, we’re told to look for Oddfellow, though perhaps in a different guise than we’re used to, using some subterfuge to fit in with the times (and the vampires).

With its abundance of terrific scareactors and the really fun vibe of hippies-meets-vampires, Vamp ‘69 is my favorite of the scarezones this year, and yes, it is certainly the least Oddfellow-dependent of the scarezones this year. But despite a couple of lesser ones (Shipyard 33 and Jungle of Doom feel more bare in comparison to the others), the inclusion of Dr. Oddfellow into the entire Halloween Horror Nights event this year is very well done and an excellent bit of connective tissue. It also sets the stage for a Jack and Oddfellow rematch the HHN crew could certainly capitalize on in years to come. And who wouldn’t want to see that?

Halloween Horror Nights 32 is currently running on select nights at Universal Studios Florida through November 4.

To learn more about the Chucky house at the Hollywood version of HHN this year, click on the link below.

Chucky is Ready to Kill YOU at His New Universal Halloween Horror Nights House

The post Eddie Munson and Vecna Dominate Halloween Horror Nights’ Stranger Things 4 House appeared first on Fandom.

Every so often, a game comes along that changes everything. It resets the standard for what we once thought was possible. It’s the game all eyes turn to as we learn together what challenges, secrets and triumphs await us. In 2023, this hype starts and stops with one game: Starfield.

Marking Bethesda Game Studios’ first new universe in over 25 years, Starfield is set to take role-playing gaming to interstellar proportions. This isn’t just an open-world game. This game spans entire planets — over 1,000 of them to be exact. Coming exclusively to Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and Windows PC on September 6 (with pre-order and early access available now) this is a sci-fi adventure beyond what we’ve ever seen.

In Starfield, you play as a member of Constellation — the last group of space explorers seeking rare artefacts throughout the galaxy. In the year 2330, humanity has colonised far, far beyond the confines of Earth. Naturally, there is lots — and we mean lots — to discover.

Now, Starfield comes from the same great minds who gave us The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, so you know customisation will be a huge part of your adventure. But, in Starfield, Bethesda ensures every player has the most unique and limitless adventure possible. From the very inception of your character, you can determine appearance, traits and personality which will all help shape your trajectory through the universe.

But no sci-fi game is complete without a customisable vessel to help traverse the galaxy, and Starfield delivers that and then some. You can change the appearance of your ship, and even tweak weaponry and vital systems to keep you prepared for whatever deep space has in store for you. As you jump from planet to planet, you’ll meet key people who can help you on your quest, and even some who will sign up and join your crew. Or you can give them all the cold shoulder and take up the mantle of a lone wanderer. The choice is yours.

Each planet you’ll visit will have something different, whether you stumble across a towering metropolis or an untamed jungle. Beyond completing missions, you can be sure that threats lurk around the corner. But, with an evolved combat system, you’ll be empowered to handle whatever danger awaits you. Be it the finesse of long-range rifles, the allure of laser tech, or the impact of demolitions, each weapon adapts to your style. You can also brace for chaos and awe as zero-G environments take combat dynamics to an entirely new level.

Prepare to take a deep dive into whatever the vast expanses of the universe has in store for you as Starfield launches on September 6, exclusively on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Windows PCs. But, if you just can’t wait, you can pre-order the digital premium edition and gain early access to Starfield today.

The post Why ‘Starfield’ Is Worth Your Attention appeared first on Fandom.

Look, some of us may not live to see Ubisoft‘s reboot of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, given how damn long it’s taking, but in the meantime we can all check out Honest Game Trailers’ take on the 2003 classic. Get ready to play as the most irresponsible time traveler since Futurama‘s Philip J. Fry, saving the world from a catastrophe of your own making after an obviously evil dude tricks you into putting an obviously magical knife into a an obviously magical hourglass.

Traverse a variety of interesting levels with sick flips, rad repelling, all while undoing grave oopsie-wooppsies with your time knife. Like a whirling dervish of death who’s only taken a few beginners capoeira classes you can battle sandy monstrosities, drain them of their sweet time juice, and have a good ol’ devil of a time.

Grab Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Special-Edition PS5 And DualSense Controller Now

The post Honest Game Trailers | Prince of Persia: Sands of Time appeared first on Fandom.

Anyone? Anyone?

Bueller? Bueller?

Like life, Honest Trailers moves pretty fast. So fast that it’s caught up to ’80s high school hooky hijinx favorite Ferris Bueller’s Day Off just a mere 37 years later.

It’s the story about what a teenage boy would do if given complete freedom… aside from the obvious. So say “OH YEAH!” and take a nostalgic trip back to the John Hughes-verse, where characters were angry and mean, casually racist, and sometimes assaulted animals. Young sociopath Ferris, who uses his charm to manipulate all of his loved ones — except maybe his dad who we think probably knows everything but just want his son to have fun — until consequences finally come crashing down. On his best friend.

Meet Cameron, Sloane, Jeanie, and Principal Ed Rooney, who’s so dangerously obsessed with a minor that he risks is career in order to catch Ferris in the act of… having fun. Watch the vid!

Chucky is Ready to Kill YOU at His New Universal Halloween Horror Nights House

The post Honest Trailers | Ferris Bueller’s Day Off appeared first on Fandom.

Given he’s a Universal horror character, it’s no surprise that Chucky has been a part of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood many times through the years. Previously, Chucky let the public know what he really thinks of them at the aptly named show Chucky’s Insult Emporium (which ran multiple times) and, via pre-recorded video, he hosted the annual Terror Tram more than once, plus he was the focus of one of the outdoor scarezones a decade ago.

All that being said, it is odd though that during all this time, there’s never been a true Chucky-based Horror Nights haunted house. Sure, in 2009, there was Chucky’s Funhouse, but that was an overlay – taking the then year-round Universal’s House of Horrors attraction and temporarily adding some Chucky aspects to it. And that’s just not enough for the legendary Lakeshore Strangler! He needs something built from the ground up just for him.

Now, finally, Chucky is getting the Halloween Horror Nights haunted house he’s long been due at Universal Studios Hollywood with Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count. But as it turns out, he’s pretty pissed that it took this long to happen and will deal with that slight the only way he knows how… via murder, naturally.

META MURDER

If you’ve followed the Child’s Play / Chucky franchise through the years, you know what a delightfully bizarre path it’s taken. At this point in the series and its ongoing, 35 year old continuity, Chucky, the onscreen killer doll, has had a movie made about him and his murder spree (well, one of them at least…) and Jennifer Tilly, who plays Tiffany in the series, is also playing Jennifer Tilly, the actress… who is in fact possessed by Tiffany. All of which is to say, anything goes here, which has continued on the Chucky TV series and is the approach that has now helped inspire Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count.

As HHN’s Creative Director and Executive Producer, John Murdy, explained, during a press preview at Ultimate Kill Count on the Universal backlot, Chucky’s creator, Don Mancini, loved the idea of the house not just being based on the current TV show but also the entire franchise. And in turn, Murdy said, that got them thinking about how they could play up the idea that characters like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees have had multiple haunted houses at this point, but “Chucky got overlooked. And he’s so pissed that he’s raised an army of Good Guy dolls in order to create the ultimate kill count by killing all of you.” That’s right, Chucky knows he’s part of a Horror Nights house, and he’s going to use that to kill all the ready and willing people lining up to see him.

We toured the house as finishing touches were being done on it before next week’s opening night, seeing for ourselves that as you travel through the Chucky house, though you will see occasional moments depicting specific familiar characters from the TV series meeting their end – including Devon Sawa’s Lucas Wheeler — you’ll mainly see Chucky (or Chuckys, that is, given his ability to put his soul into multiple dolls) killing people left and right who are specifically meant to be other guests who have come to his Halloween Horror Nights house.

While we saw some of the dummies set up beforehand, Murdy noted that in addition, once the full cast is in place, “Every performer that’s in this house is [playing] a guest. So they’re either wearing Horror Nights licensed merch or they’re wearing Chucky licensed merch.”

For those who are immersed in theme park culture, there are extra levels to the dark humor in the house as well. An Express Pass holder who gets to skip most of the line? Chucky kills him. A theme park live-streamer who likes to boast that he gets all the Halloween Horror Nights scoops first? Chucky kills him. Murdy informed us this latter character is amusingly named “Lord Spookula HHN Lover.” RIP to the Lord and his scoops!

Chucky’s infamous penchant for cursing has also been accounted for, with the doll cursing up a storm several times as we see him in the house (and yes, the beloved Brad Dourif recorded dialogue as Chucky for the HHN house) – but being bleeped, which he realizes is being done by Universal, adding to his murderous fury.

BUILDING A CULT

An obvious obstacle to doing a Chucky house in the past has been Chucky himself. As a diminutive doll, it makes it much more difficult to rely on the kind of scares a typical HHN house does where multiple performers playing, say, Jason Voorhees, can burst out through various rooms to scare guests.

Instead, for Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count, many times, the people doing those type of physical scares are the aforementioned scareactors playing the murder victims. But beyond that, Chucky obviously needs to be very much present and prominent throughout the house, leading the HHN team to really stretch themselves this year.

As Murdy explained, “This is the most ambitious house we’ve ever tried to do in the history of Horror Nights in terms of its animation. Normally, we don’t get into animatronics, that’s not what we do… Until now. We have, I think, 17 animated Chucky figures in this house.”

So yes, you will see Chucky all over the place, whether in a corner of a room stabbing away at a victim, or sometimes latched onto one of those poor flailing victims as they meet their end – including using a “backpack Chucky” as Murdy described it. Some of these Chucky figures are fully articulated, which is something Murdy himself noted he didn’t envision could be possible within HHN’s resources initially. However, within Universal’s Technical Services department is a mechanical engineering group, who work on things like Jurassic World: The Ride or Super Nintendo Land, and they let it be known a couple of years ago they’d love to contribute to Halloween Horror Nights. With their participation, and impressive level of expertise, much more was possible for the Chucky figures in terms of animatronics, with work on this house having been developed for over a year.

THE KILLS

As mentioned, the Chucky TV series does figure into what’s occurring more directly at times, with some specific pulls from it – including the final rooms of the house having a Christmas setting, in which the bloody chainsaw mayhem from Chucky Season 2’s finale plays out in front of you, including depicting what occurred when Chucky encountered Lexy Cross (complete with her Christmas PJs on) and her ill-fated mother, Michelle.

However, throughout the house you’ll find deaths that are meant to reference and pay homage to moments from throughout the franchise without being exact recreations. The first victim in the house is that aforementioned Express Pass holder, and Murdy noted they refer to him as “Doll Eye Kill,” because his death is based off of something similar in Child’s Play 2, where a Play Pals factory worker had their eyes replaced with those of a Good Guy doll.

Another death, involving Chucky using a yo-yo to strangle someone, is based off of Play Pals CEO Haskell Sullivan’s demise at the beginning of Child’s Play 3, and another room includes a bathtub victim and involves Tiffany showing up, referencing her own death, as a human, in Bride of Chucky – complete with Bride of Frankenstein playing on a TV set turned murder weapon.

Indeed, Chucky’s entire family plays a role here, as we also see Chucky and Tiffany’s child, Glen / Glenda, or should we say GG, appear as you continue through the house.

It all culminates in a scene set in the woods, in which there are various plastic body parts strewn about and hanging from above belonging to Chucky himself, thanks to all of his own various deaths throughout the franchise. And one more member of the cult of Chucky appears in the form of the one and only Mega-Chucky, who looked very impressive during our tour, even before he was moving and attacking.

Halloween Horror Nights 2023 begins Thursday, September 7 at Universal Studios Hollywood. There will also be a version of Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando as well, beginning Friday, September 1. Check back at Fandom for more Horror Nights coverage in the days to come.

Trying to Make Sense of the Ever-Confusing Texas Chainsaw Massacre Timeline

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem delivered a very fresh, funny, and engaging take on these well known heroes in a half shell and their world this summer, which extended to the animated film’s bad guys. As explored in our exclusive debut of a clip from the bonus features from the film’s Digital release, available this Friday, the main antagonist, Superfly, went to especially bizarre and wonderfully wild places by the film’s conclusion.

Check out the clip above, as Mutant Mayhem Director/Co-Writer Jeff Rowe, Producer/Co-Writer Evan Goldberg, and Producer/Co-Writer/Cast Member Seth Rogen (“Bebop“), discuss having Superfly transform in a way David Cronenberg would respect, as he not only becomes a giant, but fuses with a ton of sea creatures and land animals. As Rogen explains, early conversations about going this route with Superfly felt like a joke at first, but once they saw actual concept art, the consensus became “I want to see that!”

From Paramount Home Entertainment, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will be available to buy or rent on Digital on Friday, September 1. All bonus features will be available with a digital purchase.

Bonus Features include:

• TEENage Mutant Ninja Turtles— For the first time the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are voiced by actual teenagers! Hear how each Turtle was cast and how having all four boys record together helped create the authentic camaraderie seen on screen.
• The Mutant Uprising— Get to know the Turtles’ mutant antagonists, led by the wild and original character Superfly, voiced by Ice Cube.
• New York, New York: The Visual World of MUTANT MAYHEM— Take a deep dive into the breakthrough visual style of the film’s characters and environments and how they evolved over time.
• Learn to Draw Leo—Try your hand at drawing the Turtle leader with this fun tutorial!

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Director on Crafting Authentic Teens and Shredder Plans

The post How Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’s Villain Became a Freaky Mega Mutant appeared first on Fandom.

The Wheel of Time initially leads us to believe we’re immersed in a medieval world. But as you observe more closely, you soon discover that this world is actually set in the future — in a time after our civilisation has long collapsed. In this setting, we’re introduced to a new society that’s forming on the foundation of our ruins. It then takes that notion and infuses it with the very elements that have captivated fantasy enthusiasts for generations.

Through this enthralling perspective, it crafts a narrative that marries the grandeur of otherworldly quests, the complexities of character development and the allure of mystical forces — providing a front-row seat to a truly spellbinding spectacle.

Here are all the reasons why The Wheel of Time has earned its place as a radiant jewel adorning the crown of the fantasy genre.

The Unseen Threads of Destiny

At the heart of The Wheel of Time lies the concept of destiny. Set in a world that has endured the ravages of time, the series reveals the profound impact of past events on the present. This underlying theme reflects the cyclical nature of existence, where history echoes through the ages. As the titular wheel of time turns ceaselessly, characters grapple with their roles in a battle that spans generations.

The Enduring Struggle Between Light and Darkness

The clash between good and evil is a cornerstone of fantasy — and The Wheel of Time doesn’t disappoint in delivering this classic conflict. The ancient battle between the Dark One and the Dragon sets the stage for the series’ central struggle.

The oppressive force of the Dark One seeks to consume the world in darkness, while the Dragon Reborn, a prophesied saviour, stands as a beacon of hope against the encroaching shadows. The show’s portrayal of this cosmic struggle is a testament to the enduring appeal of the fight between light and darkness.

With Power Comes Great Responsibility

Magic is a defining feature of fantasy worlds, and The Wheel of Time explores it in a unique and nuanced way. The concept of channelling the One Power, a force that both men and women can wield, adds depth to the series’ magical elements. However, the male channelers’ descent into madness poses a profound dilemma, showcasing the potential pitfalls of wielding immense power. This theme delves into the complexities of balancing one’s abilities and the consequences of unchecked ambition — a motif that has long fascinated fantasy audiences.

The Depiction of Strong, Powerful Women

Within the series, the “Aes Sedai” stand as formidable women who harness the One Power and are committed to safeguarding the world from the Dark One’s return. This depiction of women in positions of power and influence aligns with the fantasy genre’s tendency to challenge traditional gender roles. The Aes Sedai’s unwavering dedication to their cause, along with their individual struggles and rivalries, adds layers of depth to the story and echoes the empowerment of strong female characters that fantasy fans admire.

The Quest for Identity

The hero’s journey is a beloved trope in fantasy literature, and The Wheel of Time embraces it fully. The quest for identity and purpose resonates strongly with viewers as the central characters — Rand, Egwene, Perrin, Mat and Nynaeve — navigate their destinies. Each must grapple with newfound abilities, moral dilemmas and the weight of their roles in the impending battle. Their evolution from ordinary villagers to pivotal figures in the battle against darkness mirrors the timeless theme of self-discovery that fantasy aficionados adore.

The Wheel of Time is more than just a television series — it’s an immersive journey into the heart of fantasy storytelling. With its blend of destiny, magic, complex characters and overarching themes, the show captures the essence of what makes the fantasy genre so captivating.

As the characters’ journeys unfold and the forces of light and darkness collide, viewers are drawn into a world where the wheel of time keeps turning, weaving a tale that both embraces and reinvents the beloved conventions of the genre. Whether you’re a seasoned fantasy enthusiast or a newcomer to the genre, The Wheel of Time will deliver enchantment and excitement that’ll keep you hooked episode after episode.

The second season of The Wheel of Time is now available on Prime Video. Start your 30-day free trial today.

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If there’s one thing you need to know about Prime Video’s fantasy epic The Wheel of Time, it’s that lead character Moiraine, played by Rosamund Pike, isn’t one to be messed with.

Throughout the beloved series’ entire first season, Moiraine exhibits the typical poise and dignity of the Aes Sedai — an elite group of women who have mastered magic known as the One Power. They have all trained rigorously to be expert channelers and swore unbreakable oaths to the Aes Sedai sisterhood.

But with a distinctive edge that fills her with courage and fierceness, Moiraine is a bit of a rebel. That’s what made her the perfect character to introduce us to The Wheel of Time world, and why she serves as the perfect connection to the five villagers — Rand, Mat, Perrin, Nynaeve and Egwene—who are destined for more than life in the Two Rivers, the region they’re from.

Last we saw Moiraine — Season 1 spoilers ahead! — she led Rand through to the Eye of the World, a mysterious location where the cosmological force known as the Dark One is believed to be confined. Why Rand? Well, Moiraine suspects that he is the Dragon Reborn, the champion of Light who is prophesied to defeat the Dark One. If true, it means he’s one of the rare examples of men in this universe that can channel — use the One Power — and not be driven to madness.

While they were ultimately able to defeat the thousands-strong army of Trollocs — terrifying human/animal hybrids created by the Dark One — at the Eye of the World, Moiraine’s words in the Season 1 finale echo loudly, “this is not the Last Battle.” Now, with Season 2 of The Wheel of Time finally here on Prime Video, we’re able to see what treachery awaits the Aes Sedai, the Rand, and all of our heroes.

Trust us: Season 2’s villains are nothing like what we’ve seen on TV for years.

Who are the Villains in Wheel of Time S2?

Now it can’t be stressed enough that The Dark One is still the big baddie in this universe. As Moiraine says in the first trailer for the new season, “We didn’t defeat The Dark One; we set him free.”

We see glimpses of The Dark One’s human embodiment in the trailer, but who are those people, cloaked in ornate gold, that he’s accompanied by? Those are the Seanchan, and they mean business.

To put it simply, the Seanchan are a ruthless and potent empire, set on reclaiming the continent of their ancestors. In Robert Jordan’s original novel series, they spent years building resources to help them in their quest, which they dub “The Return”.

They’re characterized by their disciplined social hierarchy and their brutal methods of manipulating and enslaving women who can channel. Their formidable military, advanced naval tactics (we all saw that huge tidal wave in the Season 1 finale), and the imposing Deathwatch Guard – a faction of their military that is exceptionally ruthless — mean they’re an offensive force that will be hard to conquer.

What Sets the Seanchan Apart?

When it comes to fantasy villains in media, we’re met with a lot of darkness. Black cloaks shrouding pale skin, foggy and eerie lairs keeping age-old secrets, and spooky figures creeping through the night. Even in The Wheel of Time, the biggest villain of them all is literally called “The Dark One.”

But, even with our first glimpse of the Seanchan in Season 2 of The Wheel of Time, we’ve got an immediate point of difference – their look. Covered in ornate golden headpieces, there’s something almost royal about this empire. They don’t look stereotypically villainous at first glance. Offputting? Maybe, but hardly evil-looking. Straight away, we have antagonists that are more intriguing and, to be honest, alluring.

On top of that, the Seanchan society is meticulously structured, with a rigid social hierarchy that emphasizes honor, duty, and obedience. Governed by a code of strict rules and traditions, the Seanchan society functions with unparalleled discipline and unity. Those in power are unlikely to act rashly or on impulse – every last move will be calculated. They sound quietly confident, with one Seanchan uttering in the trailer, “The whole world will be ours.” Rage doesn’t impact their decision-making, and their stoicism makes them all the more unique, and all the more threatening.

With the Seanchan empire’s adherence to their hierarchy, we’ve got an entire group of villains who don’t subscribe to what we’re used to seeing from fantasy’s biggest baddies. They’re not shrouded in darkness and they will fight proudly and with grandeur because that’s the Seanchan way. The Seanchan believe that their mission of reclaiming land that they think belongs to them is the right thing to do. They’re not one-dimensional villains set on evil for the sake of it — they’ve got a rich history and are set on righting perceived wrongs.

In the quest to right these wrongs, the Seanchan will have to defeat the Aes Sedai to complete their mission. Moiraine and her sisters at the White Tower aren’t going to politely bow down, especially if the Seanchan have teamed up with the Dark One. Expect an all-out war that’ll see the best channelers go head-to-head.

To see how the Seanchan will change up everything for Moiraine, Rand and the entire universe, tune into The Wheel of Time S2, now streaming on Prime Video. Sign up to start your 30-day free trial today.

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