Trailer Round Up

X-Men First Class Trailer 2 HD HERE

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 Trailer HD HERE

Harry Potter condensed into 1page comic strips

Cute.

Source: Buzzfeed

Brightest Day finishes today!

This alternate cover for the final issue is a mirror of the classic Blackest Night cover, but here we see the White Lantern Swamp Thing spitting out white rings rather than the Black Lantern spitting out black rings.
Can't wait to read this tonight.

Green Lantern talk from director, Martin Campbell

Geoff Boucher of the LA Times' hero Complex has interviewed martin Campbell about the upcoming Green Lantern movie and to my mind Campbell has said all the right things. Comparing Green Lanterns with Jedi Knights is exactly how I would explain the GLC concept to someone who had never heard of it. Confirmation of the movies tone is also welcome news!
(Just incase anyone's wondering how I would put it: Green Lanterns are basically flying Jedi Knights, but instead of lighsabers and force powers, they have a green ring that can create a hardlight construct of whatever they imagine.)

On a stifling hot New Orleans afternoon, “Green Lantern” director Martin Campbell closed his eyes and thought about the cold, deep reaches of outer space. “The interesting part of all this is to take a hero and take an adventure and then go out there,” the filmmaker said pointing to the ceiling and beyond. “That’s something you haven’t really seen.”

Campbell has made masked-man movies before (he brought a smart verve to both “The Legend of Zorro” and “The Mask of Zorro” in the 1990s) and he knows his way around venerable brands that can be smothered by fan expectations (his “Casino Royale” bet the house on a hard-edged James Bond reinvention and won big). Now he’s bringing that experience to “Green Lantern,” the Warner Bros. project that wants on-screen superheroes to boldly go where they’ve never gone before – into a deep-space film franchise.
“This was a chance to do some things I’ve never done before,” Campbell said between takes for a scene near the end of the film, which arrives in theaters on June 17. “We have a story that is very human and very much about human emotions but what’s within that story takes us off-world and into some alien settings that are extraordinary.”
The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who is pulled into a cosmic struggle between good and evil when he is selected as the first human to serve in the Green Lantern Corps., a galactic peacekeeping force whose members are armed with power rings. Co-stars include Mark Strong, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Geoffrey Rush and Tim Robbins.
Reynolds said he was sold on the project when he saw the concept art of the planet Oa, ancient home of the Green Lantern Corps. and the alien membership that wears the same uniform motif despite assorted numbers of limbs, eyes and heads. The tale of Jordan and the Corps. dates back to 1959 and the film speaks to every era of the character’s ever-morphing mythology. That, too, pulled in the 34-year-old actor.
“I wandered through the art department and that’s what sold me, seeing this universe that’s created and the scale of it all,” Reynolds said. “They’re taking the Green Lantern canon from the comics and they’re extending it out into this new medium. Our goal is to make the first superhero who really goes on a ‘Star Wars‘ kind of epic journey and this mythology goes back a lot further than ‘Star Wars.’”
Visual effects supervisor Jim Berney said the film is an enticing challenge for digital wizards, too, with the Lantern’s power ring, which creates a glowing emerald construct of anything its wearer can imagine; on the screen that presents the chance to create giant guns, flying fists or energy nets that look like a cross between a genie’s magic and the luminescent tech of “Tron: Legacy.”
The big worry for fans has been tone – the earliest trailer made the film look more like a galactic version of “The Mask” than a gripping epic where the universe hangs in the balance. A strong showing at WonderCon has tempered some anxieties, but even last summer on the set, Reynolds seemed to sense that the challenge for the film wasn’t the struggle between green and yellow energy but the balance between peril and comedic moments.
“Tone was the biggest concern going in and then it almost became a contagion and it became the concern of everyone and with me just harping on it,” Reynolds said. “And now I feel that it’s the most exciting discovery as we kept going. No it’s not dark like Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies but it isn’t very light like you saw some of the [1980s] Superman movies get. The character is somewhere in the middle. He’s a classic male. Han Solo, who was witty but not really funny, was one of the touchstones.”
Reynolds added: “It’s about courage versus fearlessness and the power of will power and the need for sacrifice and service. This is not a comedy film but like Han Solo or an Indiana Jones, there are moments where you smile and the hero can trades lines with anybody.”
Screenwriter Greg Berlanti has called the overall story architecture a mash-up of “Top Gun” and the Jedi knight culture from “Star Wars” and that might make “Green Lantern” a franchise for a new frontier in superhero cinema, Berney said.
“Look, to me, Spider-Man, Batman and those movies, I don’t know where you go with those other than plugging in another bad guy. They did an amazing job with those last two Batman movies but really [visually] where do you go with those characters? You’re still in New York or in Gotham. With this you go on and on. The characters, the planets, the reach…this is the hero who takes it the next level and beyond.”

Source: Hero Complex

Geek-ster weekend

This weekend was Easter (obviously) and my birthday (less obvious). Below are some photos of Easter egg painting that I did last week with kids at school (five or six copied Spider-egg and we also had a Bat-egg, The Egg-credible Hulk, Eggbob Eggpants, Egg Vader and Egg Maul) and my birthday cake (thanks sis!).

Green Lantern TV spot

post-Knights of the Old Republic Revan novel on the way

Very exciting! Knights of the Old Republic is still one of the greatest video games ever made and I've enjoyed every foray into that story (sequel and comics). I will definitely be picking this one up.

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is continuing to expand beyond the core game and into novels and comics. Del Rey Books has already published two novels in the Old Republic timeline, Fatal Alliance and Deceived, and last year announced that a third Old Republic novel was to be written by Drew Karpyshyn, Principal Writer at BioWare, and author of the Darth Bane series of Star Wars™ novels.



Now the name of that novel can be revealed: Revan. As well as exploring what happened to Revan after Knights of the Old Republic, in this novel readers will learn who the Sith Emperor is in the time of the Old Republic, where he came from and how he has held onto power for so long.


Read on for an exclusive Q&A with Drew Karpyshyn on Revan.


Q: How does it feel to finally reveal that the title of your latest Star Wars book is Revan?


A: I'd like to start by saying how gratifying it was to work on this book. Knights of the Old Republic™ (KOTOR) was my first creative foray into the Star Wars universe, so writing Revan felt a little bit like I was returning to my roots. I also know a lot of fans have been patiently waiting a long time to find out what happened to Revan after KOTOR -- it's probably the number one question I'm asked on my website. I'm glad the story is finally being told, and I'm ecstatic that I'm the one who gets to tell it.


Q: The book is months away, but can you say how much of Revan will be revealed?


A: We called the book Revan because this is his story; he is the main character, and readers are going to see much of this book through his point of view. There are other characters, of course - some old and some new - but Revan is the primary protagonist.


Q: How much of this is material that had been developed earlier for KOTOR? Was Revan fleshed out at that point, or was he always a sort of a cipher to be filled in later?


A: Anyone familiar with the KOTOR games knows that we walked a delicate line with Revan: the legend and reputation of this great Jedi-turned-Sith were well established, but players were also able to define many aspects of the character as they played.
Obviously this wouldn't have worked for a book with Revan as the main character, so I decided to focus on certain universally established elements from the KOTOR games while also reinforcing previously established canon from the greater Star Wars universe, such as Revan being male and choosing the light side/redemption ending of the game.
However, by coloring in these details I was also able to delve much deeper into the character than we did when Revan was the "blank slate" of the games. It was a difficult decision, but I feel the payoff was worth it. Fans want to know what happened to Revan after KOTOR, and now they'll finally get to see that story.


Q: What other characters from Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II might we expect to see?


A: You can't tell a story about Revan without also exploring his companions; they were such a key element of the KOTOR experience that it wouldn't feel right without bringing some of them back. Of course it would be impossible to include all of them in a novel in a way that would make a cohesive and fulfilling story, so I focused on those who felt most directly relevant to what happened to Revan after the KOTOR games. I don't want to give too much away, but Canderous, T3-M4, the Exile and Bastila Shan all have significant roles to play in the novel (along with some significant characters who appear in Star Wars: The Old Republic).


Q: How much time do the events of Revan span? And where does it sit in relation to the other Star Wars: The Old Republic novels?

A: The story picks up right after the end of the first Knights of the Old Republic and continues through and beyond KOTOR II -- a span of roughly five years. There are allusions to the events of KOTOR II, but my focus was on the story taking place before, between and after the games -- I didn't want to rehash a story fans already knew.
Because we're set in the same time period as the KOTOR games, we're roughly 300 years earlier than the other The Old Republic novels... though the events of this book have a major impact on shaping The Old Republic universe.


Q: How has working at BioWare influenced your writing of Star Wars fiction?

A: For starters, it's easier for me to make the connections between the book and the game. Instead of trying to work from a twenty-page summary, I have the advantage of knowing the intimate details of the hundreds of hours of story we've created. I know the feel and flavor of the universe, and I know the subtle nuances in the game that I can call out, tease and play off.
Similarly, being the lead writer on KOTOR has given me a deep understanding of Revan and other KOTOR characters. I was thinking about all this years before the original KOTOR ever released, so it's fair to say I've spent more time with the canonical Revan than anyone else. I never knew for sure if we'd continue his story, but it was always in the back of mind, just waiting for the opportunity.


Q: In what ways will readers who have read Revan benefit when playing Star Wars: The Old Republic?


A: I think the novel will give them a much better understanding of the Sith Emperor and the Empire, for one thing. The Old Republic Sith Empire is very different from what people know from the movies, or even from the Great Hyperspace War comics that focus on characters like Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh.
The novel will also give them some very direct background and detailed information that ties in directly with key Flashpoints in the game. I can't say too much, of course, but like any great prequel the books will give you the details of what came before to add an extra layer of depth to the experiences in the game.

Q: Readers know you from your bestselling Darth Bane books. Might Bane fans see things they recognize from that trilogy, even though this is set much earlier than those books?


A: I didn't make a lot of direct references to Bane or his time period; after all, Revan is almost three thousand years removed. And I like to think that both Revan and Bane have stories that can stand on their own. However, I think fans will recognize the complex way I approach both the light and dark side. I would never want to meld them into a shade of gray - that isn't what Star Wars is about. But Revan walked both paths, and he came to understand there were positives and negatives to both sides of the Force. That theme ripples through the novel and the characters in the same way that I tried to have Bane's story be a reexamination of the dark side in a way that most Star Wars fans hadn't experienced before.
Revan will go on sale worldwide later this year.

Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic

New Green Lantern TV Spot

A lot of sites are claiming that this has loads of new footage. It doesn't. There are maybe three or four extra clips that weren't in the trailer or the WonderCon footage. Still, it's good to see Kiliowog sling some ring.
Since this movie was announced, I hav had faith that it would be great, but a small niggle in the back of my mind was telling me that it could suck. With all the footage we've seen in the last month, all doubt that I had has been cast from my mind. This movie is going to be awesome.
I know that this will be the second movie that I watch in 3D (the first was Avatar), but my only problem is, do I make the hour+ drive to Bradford to watch it on IMAX or stay in Sheffield and watch it on the biggest non-IMAX screen in the country?



Source: Blog of Oa

New Tomar-Re Green Lantern movie poster

Tom Hardy bulks up for Bane

I doubt that this is actually from the set of The Dark Knight Rises since it isn't scheduled to shoot until May, but he is certainly getting towards the menacing size required for Bane!

Source: Exploring Tom Hardy

Batman Year One

Cast info has come through for Autumn's Batman Year One. It looks like Selina Kyle's role might be beefed up a little by the inclusion of genre favourite Eliza Dushku.
The screens look great and I have yet to be disappointed by a DC Animated Feature.

This is what Newsarama had to say:

Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter, we’ve got a ton of more details on the upcoming Batman: Year One direct-to-DVD animated feature. Along with the screenshot above, the bulk of the voice cast was announced, with The O.C. alum/current Southland actor Ben McKenzie starring as the young Bruce Wayne/Batman. And from one critically acclaimed show to another, Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston (also known as Malcolm in the Middle’s dad) is James Gordon, and genre faves Katee Sachkoff (Battlestar Galactica‘s Starbuck, duh) and Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer voice Detective Sarah Essen and Catwoman, respectively. Mobster Carmine Falcone is played by no less of an authority than Alex Rocco, who portrayed The Godfather‘s Moe Greene.
DC Animation regulars Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu co-direct, and Tab Murphy, who wrote last year’s Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, penned the screenplay. 1987′s Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, is one of the most revered stories published by DC Comics, telling the early days of Batman’s crimefighting career in Gotham. The story has influenced several film and TV versions of the character, but this is the first straight adaptation — though several others have been in development in one stage or another over the years.
Batman: Year One is slated for release in the fall, with a premiere screening slated for this July’s Comic-Con International: San Diego.

The Dark Knight Rises Casting News

You can now add
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, cop under Gordon with special assignment and
Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, Wayne Enterprises employee.

The vocal minority has already thrown it's toys out of the pram because Cotillard hasn't been cast as Talia Al Ghul (daughter of Ra's Al Ghul). Who says that she hasn't? I'm sure that John Blake won't be all that he seems either. What would a Nolan movie be without a few twists?

To those who spout negativity over this news, I simply say:

Calm down and enjoy having some bloody surprises in a movie!

War of the Green Lanterns spoiler part 3

What has happened to Kyle? I suppose it it safe to say that he is the one who won't be a Green Lantern by the end of it all.

Source: DC The Source

War of the Green Lanterns Spoiler part 2!

John Stewart will put on an Indigo ring.

Check out the colour and symbol of the captions and the monologue mentions fighting in Iraq - John was a military man.

I just realised how silly this might sound to someone with no GL knowledge. Sorry, but you'll just have to trust me that it's cool.

Source: DC The Source

War of the Green Lanterns spoiler!

I expected this, but it still looks cool! I think that the other Human GLs are going to put on the other corps' rings that Hal collected in the prologue. Guy will surely be Red. Kyle probably Blue (foreshadowing of hope last GLC). What about John?

Source: DC The Source

Apologies

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past two weeks, but I've been snorkelling through a heavy work load this half-term. Unfortunately there are times when the day job must come first.
Normal news updates and opinions shall resume asap.
It has been nice to see that the daily post views haven't dropped whilst I have been otherwise occupied, so I need to say a very big thank you to everyone who visits the site, whether you are followers or guests.

Cheers guys and stay posted.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Gameplay Trailer

Green Lantern looks bright

WonderCon has featured Green Lantern heavily and yesterday's Green lantern movie panel showed off four (nearly complete) clips from the movie. Apparently fan reaction is good. One of the new posters is shown above. Personally, I think that the costume looks fantastic. Look at the way the energy is pulsing around his chest, even peeling away in some places. An entirely CG costume was a very brave decision that, I think, has hit the nail on the head.

I think that this is shaping up to be a great comic book movie, especially if everything that Geoff Johns (DC's Chief Creative Officer) has been saying on twitter is true. Very excited for June - think that I'll make a trip to Bradford to watch it at the IMAX!

Update:

The first clip begins with the title "Sector 2018" and we see Abin Sur using some fancy light-based controls on his ship and communicating with Mark Strong's Sinestro, who is telling him about a planet that's been destroyed by Parallax, but before getting too far into the conversation, Abin Sur is attacked by Parallax--we can't see it too clearly but it looks like a large yellow head with sharp teeth--and he gets seriously injured before flying away in his glass cylindrical spaceship.
The second clip has Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan finding Abin Sur's spaceship in the water and he runs out to try to save the being he sees in there. He wades out and pulls Abin Sur out of the ship and carries him to the beach, making a joke about having to get him to a hospital where they have purple blood. After giving Hal his ring and telling him to use it with the lantern in his spaceship, Abin Sur dies and his body transforms into some sort of grey substance.

The third clip has Hal with the lantern and ring back at his place. He places the lantern on a table and then slips on the ring, following the instructions to insert his hand and recite the oath, but the only oath he remembers is the Pledge of Allegiance, so he tries a variation on that, but the lantern rejects it, pushing him away with a green blast. Suddenly, Hal knows the oath that's required and he recites it as the ring glows and he's transported into the sky with a green hue surrounding him, out into space away from earth and the Milky Way and towards the planet OA. When he lands, he's in his full Green Lantern suit and mask and he tries to act cool like he belongs there by strutting around. He's called over by Tomar-Re, voiced by Geoffrey Rush, who is basically the OA welcome wagon, and Hal is surprised that he can understand the creature in front of him, and Tomar Re explains that the ring is translating and that it can also create a mask or not depending on whether Hal's identity needs to be kept secret.

The last clip has Sinestro addressing the massive Green Lantern Corps collected to warn them about Parallax having killed four of their members. This is a giant open space filled with Green Lanterns with a giant Green Lantern symbol behind Sinestro, and this is probably the scene that's going to have the biggest fanboys soiling their trousers because there are so many of the great Green Lanterns we've seen in the comics over the years and probably more than a few easter eggs. We don't know enough of their names by heart to expound at length about who we saw, but we did see a very familiar robotic GL and possibly even an Alpha Lantern in there.

Source: DailyBlam