EDITORIAL: What is the The Future of Disney Video Games

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It has now been a few days since Disney announced the cancellation of Disney Infinity, the closure of Avalanche Software, and that Disney is pulling out of video game publishing. This made no sense at first seeing as Disney was just bragging a few months ago about how Disney Infinity was the best selling Toys-to-Life game on the market. Upon first discovering this news, I was devastated. After all, Disney Infinity has grown to be truly one of the most creative and unique games with a deeply passionate community. Though the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

Activision’s Skylanders has been on the decline for the past few years and with last year’s inclusion of LEGO Dimensions, the market has begun to get both crowded and fatigued. Even though Disney has been out-performing the competition, they have not necessarily been making a fortune. Sure, Disney Infinity has been making money and is no doubt a success, but the perhaps Disney saw the writing on the wall. After all, it is better to get out while you still can.

Though the news is sad, this is not the end of seeing Disney owned properties in video games. Disney has stated that moving forward, their plan is to license out Disney properties to other publishers. This is similar to Disney’s current deal that EA that allows them licensing to create Star Wars games. Various publishers will now theoretically be able to get the rights to any Disney property. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for Disney related video games.

We now live in a world where video games based off of licensed properties can be just as good as original IPs (e.g. the Batman Arkham series). Theoretically, Ubisoft could now make the greatest Avengers game the world has ever seen. This realization of new possibilities is exciting and perhaps it is the true silver lining in all of this. After all, Disney does not necessarily have the best track record for making good Disney games, but other companies do. Some of the most beloved Disney related games of all time include Duck Tales, Aladdin, and Kingdom Hearts, all of which were not created by Disney. Without Disney limiting their properties to just themselves, other developers can get their hands on Disney IPs and create more fantastic games.

Of course, the future is currently shaky. Disney Infinity still has a few months of content left before it is officially over and until something new is announced, we will still only have the cancellation of Disney Infinity to dwell on.

Are you excited for the future of Disney video games? Let us know what you think!

VIDEO: New Trailer For Steven Spielberg’s “The BFG”; New Poster

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Disney has released a brand new trailer for “The BFG”, this time showcasing much more scenes of “The BFG” and Giant Country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1fZg0hhBX8

Disney has also released a new poster for the film:

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The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg –finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life. Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s “The BFG” tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

“The BFG” opens on July 1st.

Source: Disney Movie Trailers

Lots Of Information On “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”; First Concept Art Image Of Darth Vader

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An official preview of the “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The Official Guide” has been released and it has some never before seen information about new characters, new vehicles and even the big guy himself: Darth Vader. So if you had any doubts about whether Darth Vader was going to be in “Rogue One, he’s in it.

Below are some preview images along with descriptions courtesy of /Film:

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The official companion book to fall’s most anticipated release of Star Wars Rogue One. Never-before-seen interviews, images and teasers from this major motion picture. Detailed, in-depth character profiles, iconic vehicles, weaponry and droids. Lucas Films proudly presents the official companion book to this fall’s most anticipated release of Star Wars Rogue One. Featuring never-before-seen interviews, images and teasers from this major motion picture. Experience all the thrills with detailed, in-depth character profiles, iconic vehicles, weaponry and droids you’ve been looking for. Featuring 160 pages of action-packed photos and content, this official Lucasfilm collector’s book is a must-have for every Star Wars fan.

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Character Names:

  • Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso , a highly skilled soldier and warrior.
  • Diego Luna plays Captain Cassian Andor , an officer in the Rebel Alliance.
  • Jiang Wen plays Baze , a freelance assassin
  • Riz Ahmed plays Bodhi, a rebel soldier.
  • ??? plays Pao , an alien who is described as a “fierce warrior”. Looks like another computer generated character.
  • Donnie Yen plays Chirrut, who is described as “a spiritual warrior.”
  • ???? plays Bistan, another CG-looking alien who is also described as “fierce warrior”.

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Most interesting is we now know what computer generated character Alan Tudyk plays in the film, an imperial model K-250 enforcer droid. While most of the text on this page is filler, it does appear that the droid character was a former Empire security droid who somehow joins the film’s group of rebel fighters on this daring heist.

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Another page reveals information on one of the Imperial villains: Ben Mendelsohn plays Director Krennic, a military director for the Empire. Yeah, not very much there but it appears that his job is to prevent the rebellion from getting the Death Star plans which should make him the main villain of the film even though a couple of these pages confirms that Darth Vader will make some kind of appearance.

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New Vehicles:

The book also confirms some new vehicles on both sides of this war, including an Imperial TIE Striker and a Rebel Starfighter, “a versatile rebel alliance craft that balances speed with the firepower of proton torpedo launchers.” Both look cool and feel like they would definitely fit in during the New Hope era even though we didn’t see them in the original trilogy.

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Source: /Film

Disney Movies VR Lets You Explore Disney Worlds in Virtual Reality

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Disney Interactive has just launched Disney Movies VR for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Available for free on Steam, the app allows users to explore the worlds of recent Disney films like never before.

Currently, the app offers players access to explore a hub world featuring “parks” from Star Wars, Avengers, and The Jungle Book. These experiences differ from one movie to another. For example, The Jungle Book includes 3D interactive scenes from the movie, while the Captain America: Civil War experience is a 360-degree virtual theater showing footage from the red carpet premier of the film.

Clearly, the app is not intended to be Disney Interactive’s next big venture, but it is a nice tech demo that showcases the potential of VR. Perhaps Disney has plans to do more with VR in the near future!

FIRST LOOK: Finding Dory Disney Infinity Playset Photos

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A listing on Amazon UK has provided further details about the upcoming Finding Dory Play Set for Disney Infinity 3.0. We already knew that this would be the final playset released for Disney Infinity, as it was announced last week along with the news that the game was coming to an end (see here).

Interestingly, it looks like the playset will only feature one character in the box, much like the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set. Avalanche has confirmed that Nemo will be available as well so it seems that he will be sold as a stand alone figure. Though no price point was provided on the listing, it is safe to assume that the play set will be priced at $30 like the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set, rather than the $35 price point use for two-figure play sets.

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A picture of Dory not on a box of macaroni and cheese. Still curious as to how this character will move on land…

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The new play set piece looks nice and detailed.

4/26/16 Marvel News Mash-Up (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Civil War, ETC.)

Robert Downey Jr. Joins The Cast Of “Spider-Man: Homecoming”

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The partnership between Marvel and Sony keeps expanding into the movies with Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) joining Tom Holland(Spider-Man) in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” This will be the third reboot, yes I said third, for the Spider-Man movie franchise and if anyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can help make it be successful it is Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Iron Man and Tony Stark.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

It looks like the team-up of Spider-Man and Iron Man seen in Captain America: Civil War won’t be the duo’s last.

Robert Downey Jr., who plays the red-and-gold-armored Marvel character, has closed a deal to join the cast of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel and Sony’s reboot of the web-crawling superhero, sources tell THR.

Tom Holland will star as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and is making his debut as the character in Civil War (and already garnering praise for his take on the role).

The movie establishes a key relationship between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Parker, and Homecoming will continue that thread.

According to many reviews, Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland have great chemistry in “Captain America: Civil War” and Tony acts as a mentor to Peter Parker as does Iron Man to Spider-Man.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Tony Stark Uses His Influence To Promote “Captain America: Civil War” Using The Eiffel Tower

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Robert Downey Jr. has been definitely keeping himself busy lately. Recently he was out promoting “Captain America: Civil War” as Tony Stark and incorporated some STARK Technology to promote “Team Iron Man”. Check it out:

Source: Marvel FR

The Newest “Spider-Man” Movie Is Called “Spider-Man: Homecoming”; Logo Revealed

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The title of the newest Spider-Man movie was actually leaked online a few weeks ago. The problem back then was no one really believed it because “Homecoming” just sounded, well, weird. Sony officially announced that “Spider-Man: Homecoming” was indeed the title and also revealed the official logo.

Even though this is the third reboot, yes, I am saying third again, this is the first Spider-Man film to take place in the MCU. As mentioned above, we will see Tony Stark and Iron Man make a visit but we can expect to see even more. My best guess is Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury. Fury has been instrumental in bringing together all of the members of The Avengers and wouldn’t surprise me if he is under Fury’s watchful eye.

But what could Homecoming be about? Amazing Spider-Man #252 was released in May 1984 and it was titled “Homecoming”:

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I actually have this issue and I remember that the significance of this issue was that this was the first time that Spider-Man began using his black costume that he obtained off world during Marvel’s Secret Wars. This is still my favorite Spider-Man costume but was later revealed that this costume was a living symbiote that was slowly taking over Peter. Peter eventually was able to escape the control of the symbiote and the costume quickly bonded with Eddie Brock who became one of Spider-Man’s most popular villains, Venom. I absolutely love this story and the symbiote story-line but no way will they be addressing this so soon. They also botched up this story once in “Spider-Man 3”. Curse you Sam Rami!

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More than likely, Homecoming will relate to Spider-Man’s homecoming into the MCU. Spidey is finally home where he belongs. Lets hope that third times a charm!

Comparing “Captain America’s” Costumes In “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” And “Civil War”

“Age Of Ultron” (left) vs “Civil War” (right)

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While looking at the promo art for “Captain America: Civil War”, I noticed a few changes to Captain America’s costume. At first glance, and especially in the trailers, the costumes look identical but if you look above you can see changes a bit more easier.

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Here is a list of differences I was able to see:

  • CW costume has no red on the collar and chest. Mostly blue now.
  • CW shows blue on his bicep, larger red stripe. Ultron was white.
  • Costume seems darker now. Could be lack of red and white though.
  • Red stripe on leg is longer and straighter.
  • Star is different. Looks smaller or could be higher up.
  • Chest area is less segmented and more solid now.
  • Knee pads are smaller.
  • Gloves are shorter now.
  • Boots are new and black instead of brown.
  • Belts are slightly different.

VIDEO: Teaser For Marvel’s “Civil War II”; First Look At Panels

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Here is our first look at some comic book panels and the synopsis for the sequel to the comic book series that the upcoming movie, “Captain America: Civil War” is (loosely) based on. But to start things off, let’s check out this cool teaser trailer:

This is it! War comes to the Marvel Universe this June as the Earth-shattering comics event of 2016 comes to comic shops with a jam-packed double-size issue! Today, Marvel is pleased to present your exciting look inside CIVIL WAR II #1, from chartbusting creators Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez! The fan-fave creative team that brought you INVINCIBLE IRON MAN join forces once more to bring you a tale of hero against hero – and a Marvel Universe divided in two!

Ulysses – a young Inhuman with the power to profile the future has emerged. His new abilities send shockwaves through the superhuman community. Divided amongst themselves, will they use Ulysses to prevent danger before it happens? Or should they allow the future to unfold unaltered? As his new powers send shockwaves rippling across the Marvel Universe, battle lines will be drawn. Do you stand with Iron Man? Or will you side with Captain Marvel?

Will the heroes of the Marvel Universe wield the power of “predictive justice” to change the future or battle to protect tomorrow? Battle lines will be drawn. Lives will be changed. Heroes will fall. The comic book event that will have the world talking kicks off on June 1 in the double-sized CIVIL WAR II #1!

Plus – don’t miss two opening salvos of CIVIL WAR II this May! Head to your local comic shop on Free Comic Book Day for an exciting prologue to Civil War II by Brian Michael Bendis & Jim Cheung. Then, pick up CIVIL WAR II #0 by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel – on sale later that month!

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Source: Marvel

That’s it for this time!

“Moana” & New Short “Inner Workings” To Premiere At Annecy International Film Festival

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Legendary Directors Ron Clements and John Musker Return to Annecy to Present Never-Before-Seen Footage From Their Upcoming Feature “Moana”

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Annecy International Animated Film Festival with the renowned filmmaking team Ron Clements and John Musker (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “The Princess and the Frog”) to present a never-before-seen exclusive preview of the upcoming comedy adventure film “Moana,” which features an adventurous teenager who, with help from demigod Maui, sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and save her people.

Clements and Musker will unveil new artwork and work-in-progress sequences from the film, and showcase the extensive research their team conducted to bring authenticity to their most ambitious production to date.

“Annecy is the world’s premier festival for animation lovers,” says Musker, “and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share ‘Moana’ with this crowd.”

Walt Disney Animation Studios will also showcase the World Premiere of the all-new short film “Inner Workings,” presented by director Leo Matsuda (story artist, “Big Hero 6” and “Wreck-It Ralph”) and producer Sean Lurie. “Inner Workings” is the story of the internal struggle between a man’s pragmatic, logical side and his free-spirited, adventurous half.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity. US Release Date: Nov, 23, 2016.

“Inner Workings” is the story of the internal struggle between a man’s pragmatic, logical side and his free-spirited, adventurous half. Created by a small team at Walt Disney Animation Studios in a unique, fast-paced style that blends CG and traditional hand-drawn animation, the short explores the importance of finding balance in daily life. The short will be released with Moana in theaters.

VIDEO: Trailer For Disneynature’s “Born In China”; Moviegoers To Benefit World Wildlife Fund

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Disneynature has released a special “Earth Day” trailer for their next film, “Born In China”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv3eTYz3_zo&feature=youtu.be

Moviegoers who see Disneynature’s new True Life Adventure film “Born in China” during its opening week in Spring 2017 will benefit World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Based on opening-week attendance, Disneynature, via the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, will make a contribution to WWF to help protect wild pandas and snow leopards in China.

Directed by Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan, Disneynature’s “Born in China” follows the stories of three animal families, transporting audiences to some of the most extreme environments on Earth to witness some of the most intimate moments ever captured in a nature film. A doting panda bear mother guides her growing baby as she begins to explore and seek independence. A two-year-old golden monkey who feels displaced by his new baby sister joins up with a group of free-spirited outcasts. And a mother snow leopard—an elusive animal rarely caught on camera—faces the very real drama of raising her two cubs in one of the harshest and most unforgiving environments on the planet. Featuring stunning, never-before-seen imagery captured in the remote wilds of China, the film is produced by Disney’s Roy Conli and premiere nature filmmakers Brian Leith and Phil Chapman.

Disneynature’s commitment to conservation is a key pillar of the label and the films empower the audience to help make a difference. Through donations tied to opening-week attendance, Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, has contributed to a host of conservation initiatives. Efforts include planting three million trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, established 40,000 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas, protected 65,000 acres of savanna in Kenya, protected nearly 130,000 acres of wild chimpanzee habitat, cared for chimpanzees and educated 60,000 school children about chimpanzee conservation. Additionally, efforts have funded research and restoration grants in U.S. National Parks, supporting conservation projects spanning 400,000 acres of parkland and protecting over 75 species of animals and plants, and helped protect monkeys and other endangered species in their natural habitats across Indonesia, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

“Born in China” opens in U.S. theaters Earth Day 2017.

VIDEO: Go Behind The Scenes With “The Making Of The Jungle Book”

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Go behind the scenes with director Jon Favreau and see how The Jungle Book was brought to life with this new tech featurette.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkNArCG80Bg&feature=youtu.be

Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the  way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world.

“The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, who embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he’s forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known.

Notes:

  • Neel Sethi, now 12, was selected from thousands of candidates following a worldwide search for the perfect man-cub.
  • The all-star voice cast includes Oscar®-winners Ben Kingsley (“Learning to Drive,” “The Walk”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”), as well as Bill Murray (“Lost in Translation”), Idris Elba (“Star Trek Beyond”), Scarlett Johansson (“Avengers: Age of Ultron”) and Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad’).
  • Rudyard Kipling penned the collection of short stories, “The Jungle Book,” in the early 1890s from his home in Vermont.

5/5/16 Marvel News Mash-Up (Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War News, ETC.)

Robert Downey Jr. Stops By A Children’s Hospital To Brighten Some Fans Day

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Robert Downey Jr. paid a visit to the Great Ormand Street Hospital to meet on of his biggest fans, Ethan Miller (above). Ethan suffers from a rare blood disease as well as Type One Diabetes.

Downey also met with some other young fans that were in the hospital to chat and take photos with them.

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Source: People

Ryan Reynolds Writes Touching Eulogy For His Friend And Fan, Connor McGrath

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Connor Mcgrath, the world’s biggest Deadpool fan, sadly lost his battle with cancer on April 26th. “Deadpool’ star, Ryan Reynolds and Connor bonded over Ryan’s portrayal of “Deadpool”. Ryan visited Connor with a rough cut of the movie making Connor the first person in the world to see the movie before it was released.

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Ryan posted this touching dedication for Connor on Facebook:

For three straight years, my friend, Connor McGrath drop-kicked cancer… Not sure how… Maybe the cancer cheated… But the fight came to an end two nights ago.

In my wildest dreams, I can’t imagine how hard this is for his parents Kim and Gerald – along with his extended family in Newfoundland.

Connor was 13. But this kid… He was smart. He was funny. And not just funny ‘for a kid’ – or funny ‘for a person battling something awful’. He was unqualified funny. He had that… thing.

That thing you see in great performers or comedy writers. A running commentary/observational skill people are just lucky to be born with.

He went way too early and it’s impossible to reconcile. Connor was a great friend, a great son, and a light to the people lucky enough to know him. While repeatedly punching cancer in the balls, he made everyone laugh. Including the entire staff who cared for him at Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital.

It was the Make-A-Wish Foundation that brought us together. I can’t thank them enough. Seriously. Thank you. Because of his wish, Connor was the first person to see Deadpool. I traveled up to Edmonton, Alberta to surprise him with a rough cut of the film. There were still huge sections with wires we hadn’t yet painted out, jokes which weren’t working (and still aren’t) and green screens. Connor didn’t seem to mind. And I’d never felt luckier to get to be Wade Wilson.

***Before you jump down my throat for showing a 13 year old an R-Rated film, please know this kid knew more swear words than a British chef.

I went back to Edmonton 6 weeks later and I wish I could say things were looking up. After my visit, I didn’t know if I was saying goodbye or see ya later. Sitting here now, I realize it was both.

I’m grateful I got to orbit Connor’s world for a brief time. Grateful for the pages and pages of hilarious texts between us. Grateful to his parents for allowing Connor to spend time with a foul-mouthed child in the body of a 39 year old.

I called Connor, “Bubba”. And he called me “Bubba2”. We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool. Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humor in one body. I wish he could’ve stuck around a lot longer.

If you’d like to donate to The Make-A-Wish Foundation, I can pretty much guarantee, your money’s going to a damn good place. These people do not suck. They are heroic. Full stop. https://makeawishna.ca/wishes/donate

My deepest condolences and thanks to Kim, Gerald and the entire clan McGrath — who loved this little boy so very well. And thankfully, Connor knew it.

See ya down the road, Bubba.

– r

Source: Ryan Reynolds via Facebook

How “Batman V Superman” Inspired “Captain America: Civil War”

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This is making the rounds as news but if you have been following the soap opera between Marvel and DC, it was always there.

The Russo Brothers were recently being interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter and here is what they had to say:

For our part, when we finished Winter Soldier two years ago and we were thinking about doing the next one, the only thing that seemed interesting to us was to deconstruct the Marvel Universe — because where else can we go at this point? There have been 11 or 12 movies so far, all with a fairly traditional structure. Our pitch to them was: People will tell you they love chocolate ice cream — until you give it to them five days a week. It’s time to give them some rainbow sherbet. Kevin [Feige] is a maverick and he’s very sensitive to how people are responding to his content. He said he thought we might be right. And after they announced Batman v. Superman, he said, ‘you guys are absolutely right.’ We needed to do something challenging with the material or we were going to start to lose the audience.

Here is how I remember the events that lead to “Batman V Superman” and “Civil War”:

  • During the 2014 Sand Diego Comic Con, director Zack Snyder announced that his sequel to “Man Of Steel” would be “Batman Vs Superman”. No “V” and no “Dawn Of Justice Yet”.
  • A few months later, Marvel announced “Captain America 3” which was originally called “Serpent Society”. Later it was revealed that the tile had changed to “Civil War” and Robert Downey Jr. would be joining the cast.
  • DC originally announces that “Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice” will be released on July 7, 2015 and then changes the date to May 6, 2016. Possibly to avoid “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, which was supposed to originally be released in May of 2015.
  • Marvel decides to take DC on head on and shortly announces that they will be releasing “Captain America: Civil War” on the same day, May 6, 2016, as “Batman V Superman”. Who will win the epic battle of the box office?
  • DC blinks and decides to release “Batman V Superman” on March 25, 2016 in order to avoid any box office battle.

So there you have it. Marvel was confident to take on “Batman Vs Superman” with “Captain America 3” and at the time, I thought they were crazy. But as history will show, “Batman V Superman” got negative reviews and “Civil War” received amazing reviews and a lot of reviewers are calling “Civil War” the best superhero movie ever made. The lesson is don’t bet against Marvel.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The Russo Brothers Reveal That “Avengers: Infinity War” Will Not Be Subtitled “Part 1” And “Part 2”

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While speaking with Uproxx.com, The Russo Brothers said the following:

I asked the brothers how they decided where to divide the movie – and they said this was a misconception because the two movies are entirely different entities.

“The movies are two very different movies,” answered Joe.

I then asked if it’s misleading having them labeled as “Part 1” and “Part 2”

“It is misleading,” said Anthony.

Joe added, “The intention is we will change it, we just haven’t come up with the titles yet. But, yes, we will change it. And, yes, that is a scoop: we will retitle them.”

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Makes sense. I’m thinking Part 1 will be called “The Infinity Gauntlet” and Part 2 will be called “The Infinity War”. What do you think?

Source: Uproxx

“The Punisher” Gets His Own Series On Netflix

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“The Punisher” will now join the likes of “Daredevil”, “Jessica Jones” “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist” and have his own Marvel series on Netflix.

From Entertainment Weekly:

It’s official: The Punisher is getting his own TV series.

EW has learned that Marvel has ordered a spin-off starring vigilante character introduced in Daredevil season 2.

Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as vengeful military veteran Frank Castle, who brings his own lethal form of justice to Hell’s Kitchen.

Writer and executive producer Steve Lightfoot (Hanniba, Casualty) will serve as showrunner.

Marvel’sThe Punisher marks the sixth series ordered (so far) as part of the collaboration between Netflix and Marvel Television, including the upcoming Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and the ensemble miniseries The Defenders – along with Jessica Jones and the aforementioned Daredevil. (And in case you’re wondering, as we are, whether Bernthal’s character will also be added to The Defenders lineup, that’s not yet clear – though it seems likely he’ll at least pop in for an appearance.)

Source: Entertainment Weekly

First Look At Finn Jones On The Set Of “Iron Fist”

ComingSoon.com got their hands on some photos of Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist on the set of the upcoming Marvel series, “Iron Fist”, which will be available on Netflix.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix's "Iron Fist" on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix’s “Iron Fist” on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

These photos look like Danny Rand being trained in the martial arts of Kung Fu.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix's "Iron Fist" on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix’s “Iron Fist” on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix's "Iron Fist" on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix’s “Iron Fist” on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix's "Iron Fist" on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 29: Finn Jones in the title role of Marvel? Netflix’s “Iron Fist” on April 29, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

Source: ComingSoon.net

“Spider-Man” Shown In Target Exclusive “Civil War” Playset

Civil_War_Spiderman_Figure_1

Several Target Exclusive Civil War Playsets have made their way onto Ebay and this appears to be the first actual “Civil War” merchandise to contain the MCU version of “Spider-Man”.

Civil_War_Spiderman_Figure_2Civil_War_Spiderman_Figure_4

Spider-Man has mostly been sparse in order to save his debut for the actual “Civil War” movie, but I am sure as the days go by we will see more and more “Spider-Man” merchandise made available.

Source: Ebay, ComicBookMovie.com

That’s it for this time!